Hour 22: Flight from Cheydinhal

I decide to get cracking on the Thieves Guild quests again, and am asked by Armand to recover the details of taxes which were wrongly levied on the peasants living in the Waterfront district. Strangely, one of them, Myrvyna Arano, is listed as 'exempt':

I wonder if this will be explained at any point. The quest goes to plan and I even manage to steal a few sets of armour from the guard barracks during the process. I sell these to Ongar in Bruma, immediately giving me enough 'credit' to be entrusted with the next quest. I must steal a statue from the chapel in Cheydinhal. This will actually be the first time Woodley Rhyme has set foot inside a chapel - I've had no cause to do so before now.

The chapel is a very impressive-looking place

In the chapel I see a man named Hill the Tall, who I've heard several people mention in random bits of dialogue. Take a look; he is certainly slightly taller than me, but I don't think he really warrants a height-based nickname - he's hardly a colossus:

You'll notice I am wearing dark green robes instead of armour. These are the robes I was given upon entering the Arcane University, and I've been wearing them since then, as they give a slight boost to my magic. Once I can enchant some armour to do the same (or preferably better) job, I'll most likely revert back to armour.

I break into the Undercroft of the chapel, and see a guard there. I'm under strict instructions not to kill anybody, so I wait for the guard's patrol to take her out of the way, the steal the statue. Unfortunately, stealing the statue releases a cackling Ghost whom I am forced to battle. The guard comes running back and I flee in dismay, clutching the statue. What's worse, the guard follows me out of the chapel! She evidently informs the city guard, too, as before I can reach the main gate they begin shouting at me and chasing me with weapons drawn!

Unable to fast-travel due to 'enemies nearby', I foot-slog it towards the Imperial City, with the guards in hot pursuit. Repeated castings of my newly-created 'accelerate' spell give me a slight edge in speed over them, and I gradually outstrip them. About halfway to the city, a mounted guard catches sight of me and dismounts. I lead him on a merry chase and circle back to his horse, steal it, and ride the rest of the way back to the Watfront district.

To my horror, the district is crawling with guards, and they're all looking for Armand! They catch sight of me a few times, but each time I manage to evade them. I eventually take refuge in the lake itself, where the guards seem unable to follow me. After waiting for a while and creeping round undetected, I learn from another guild member that Myvryna Arano is an informant. So that's why she was exempt from the tax! I am to stitch her up as the statue thief, and inform Hieronymus Lex, the captain of the guard, of her guilt. I plant the statue in her cupboard, but when I speak to Hieronymus, he immediately arrests me!

I pay the fine, go to jail to have any stolen items confiscated (I don't have any), then return to the Waterfront. Hieronymus and his goons are still bumbling round the place, looking for Armand, who they believe stole the statue, Their investigation technique consists of running from street to street repeatedly asking everyone if they've seen Armand. The fools! This does create a rather bizarre situation, though. The reason I was 'wanted' in the first place is because I was spotted stealing the statue by the chapel guard. I've now been arrested (some time later) for that crime, yet they're still hunting for the perpetrator?! I try not to think about it too much. 

On my return, I speak to Hieronymus again and persuade him to search Myrvyna's room. She's arrested, and Armand's off the hook. He directs me to Bravil to receive further assignments. Damn it, I was hoping to avoid that cesspit for a while longer!

Hour 21: Madstone & Glowdust

I fight my way through the tunnels and encounter some Ogre Groundlings along the way. They're not so scary, taking just four fireballs to bring down. I emerge onto the snowy Pale Pass, and have to traverse a meandering pathway which is littered with more Ogre Groundlings. It's at this point that I realise Ogre Teeth are worth 75 gold each (don't know how I missed that before), so I welcome the sight of each new Ogre as to me it symbolises nothing but cold hard white pointy cash.

I eventually reach the inevitable dungeon, and begin the search for the 'Madstone' which the Countess has gone ga-ga for. The dungeon is filled with skeletons called Undead Akaviri Warriors, which are actually tougher than the Ogres, requiring a full six fireballs to slay, and also being fairly nimble in combat. I'm a little worried at first, but I remember my 'Repulse Undead' spell, and so I manage to avoid ever being ganged up on. With judicious use of my 'ard-as-nails Zombie, and a few fireballs to the skull, even the deadly Akaviri become nothing more than an inconvenience in my hunt for the Madstone.

This dungeon is actually my favourite so far. It feels different to all of the previous ones, and I think it looks different too. There are a lot of green glowing flames like this one:

The corridors are often quite long and spacious, and the design and layout don't seem to just be rehashes of previous ones. I might be wrong in that respect, but I nevertheless thoroughly enjoy battling through it. As I reach my goal, an ominous sight greets me:

Fortunately it's just a demented apparition, and I don't have to fight it. I grab the Madstone and return to the Countess. I'm rewarded with a ring called Vipereye, which is worth 2000 gold. Nice! Or rather, it would be, if I could find anyone to buy it. As it stands, when I return to the Imperial City to sell my loot, no one will buy he ring! I take the opportunity whilst in the Market District to hunt down some Glowdust from an alchemy shop. I'll need it if I'm to speak to Azura at her shrine, which is something I intend to do soon as the reward she grants was useful even to my Warrior character, and should prove invaluable to my Mage. I also buy some Cyrodiilic Brandy, in case I ever run into Sanguine's shrine again.

Hour 20: Desperately Seeking Sentinel

I travel to the location of the diary only to find another thief there trying to steal it! Rather than sneaking about I simply run to the desk in which it's stashed, grab it, then run back out again and fast-travel back to Armande. Not very thief-like, admittedly, but it won me the task.
After being allowed into the Guild I speak to Armande and am glad to learn that progression through the storyline will be subject to actually committing independent thievery, which will eventually earn me the right to accept special commission jobs which presumably will also advance the story. That's how a Guild should be! It makes you feel part of an organisation - a henchman trying to work your way up. In Skyrim, the Thieves Guild basically send you on one job before you're thrust into the main Guild storyline and you become practically their most trusted and reliable member after about 2 hours. It felt rushed and tacked on. I can already see that Oblivion's guild will be much more rewarding.

I head off to do some 'independent thievery' (not that independent since the map tells me where to go, but still). One thing I don't like is that I'm told to go to Bruma. This excessive travelling about the map is also common in Skyrim and for me it slightly ruins the immersion and sense of scale in the game. I'd prefer it if long journeys like this, which pretty much require fast travel unless you want to double the length of your game-time (I won't be travelling everywhere in slow-mode from now on, unless I particularly feel like it or want to explore an area), were more limited and quest-lines concentrated on a certain area before flinging you around the map. I'm supposed to be in a huge country, would I really travel to the far north, a journey which should take days in the game, just to commit a petty thievery job?

Bruma is growing on me. Here you can see the sturdy-looking castle in the background, and the Scandinavian-esque buildings of the town itself.

When I get there, I realise I have to go and speak to a particular Fence called Ongar, so it's not as silly as I first thought... but my point still stands! I wait until nightfall and break into some houses. As I wait, I'm interrupted by a messenger who says that that Countess in Bruma would like to see me. Sounds interesting, but it will have to wait for now. I steal just over 50 gold's worth of items. Time to head back to Armande! Or, it would be, if I wasn't I intrigued as to what the Countess wants.

I level up then head to the castle. The Countess wants me to locate an ancient Akaviri artefact for her collection. Sounds easy enough. However, I soon become frustrated trying to find my way. I travel to a landmark called Dragon Claw Rock, and have to head due West to find a second landmark, a statue called The Sentinel. However, I get confused by the I description of following a 'winding narrow path' or something along those lines, and kee trying to follow various roads which lead vaguely West. I spend a good twenty minutes looking for this damn Sentinel, even mounting the Unicorn and galloping around like a maniac in frustration at one point.

I somehow end up on top of a mountain, which is nowhere near where I need to be, but gives a spectacular view over the landscape.

Eventually, I dismount, fast-travel back to Dragon Claw Rock, and walk slowly in an precisely due-West direction. Lo and behold, practically within spitting distance of the Rock is the Sentinel. I stifle a scream. The pathway leads me to a tunnel through the mountains, and I head inside with trepidation.

Hour 19: Taking Stock

I immediately set about creating my own spells in the Praxo...logic...something Centre. I create a spell to increase my magicka, and one to fortify my Intelligence, in the hope that this will give me enough magicka to cast the 'Summon Xivilai' spell being sold by one of the mages. Unfortunatly I'm still about 50 magicka off the requirement (it costs me something like 472 magicka to cast). I also completely forget that Summon Xivilai is a master level spell so I don't have a snowball's chance in Elswyr of being able to cast it anyway! Still oblivious to this fact, I run off to the Chiromasium to enchant jewellery with some newly-bought soul gems to further improve my magicka. I find that it costs over 2000 gold to enchant one item to my liking, though, and that's more than I have since buying the soul gems and creating a few spells (I also created a speed spell, and feather spell, and a charm spell). Looks like I'm not quite ready to dabble in the more impressive arcane arts yet - I am still a low level after all, so perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.

To replenish some of my coffers and pass the time, I engage in a few fights in the Arena - I win three fights, advancing to Brawler rank.

I nervously anticipate my first fight.

For the first two melee opponents, I employ the same tactic used on the Minotaurs in the dreamworld (I think the Arena is the same design and layout just with a few minor cosmetic differences and different textures). I jump onto a column and rain fireballs down on their heads while they stand at the bottom swinging their swords in futile anger. It's a bit annoying that the AI isn't better, I feel, but who am I to pass up some easy kills? The third opponent is an archer and slinks off into one of the corridors at the edge of the Arena, actually refusing to come out, so I whip out my sword and shield and clobber him to death.

After three fights, I head back into the city and wander around for a bit, checking out some of the stores and architecture. I feel it's a good time to take stock of some of my stats and achievements, as I enjoy a welcome rest to do some sightseeing.

Level: 6
Health/magicka/fatigue: 108/280/178
Days passed: 25
Quests completed: 18
Creatures killed: 204
People killed: 58
Places found: 37

 

Looking at those stats, I can see that my Illusion skill could do with increasing - perhaps I'll focus on that a bit more. I am also wary that Blade is a major skill; I kind of regret this, as I'm rubbish at melee anyway yet every time my Blade skill levels up it's taking away from my magic proficiency, which I want to focus on. I prefer having the staff to fall back on rather than using my sword, and I wish I'd been more of a pure Mage than a Battle Mage. Oh well, it's still early days (relatively speaking), so from now on I'll try to make an effort not to use my sword, if possible. [Edit: my girlfriend suggested equipping myself with a blunt weapon, such as a mace, meaning I can fall back on hand-to-hand if asolutely necessary without negatively affecting my skills. Good idea!]

I don't want to continue with the mages guild just yet, and I keep hearing about this Gray Fox character, so I decide to meet him at midnight as suggested a while back. I've never done the Thieves Guild before so have no idea what to expect. Instead of the Gray Fox, I meet a man called Armande Christphe, who sets me my first test - stealing a diary - to see if I am worthy of joining the Guild.

Summary of what has happened so far:

In my first 19 hours, I have travelled to each of the cities in Cyrodiil completing minor quests in order to gain entry to the Arcane Univerisity, and usually completing one or two side-quests in each city as well, after doing a bit of exploring. For the most part, I refrained from fast travelling in order to create a more epic feeling and explore some of the caves and ruins along the way. That's pretty much it! I can't believe how much time has passed without me even starting any guild quest-lines yet, and I still feel as if I'm just starting out in the world even after 19 hours! Not many other games can boast such depth and scope - not even Skyrim in my opinion.

Hour 18: Anvil

I stare at the distance on the map for a bit. It's such a long way to Anvil, so I decide there's nothing for it but to fast-travel there. I don't want to spend another hour just getting there! When I arrive, I take some time to explore for a bit. I had forgotten how much I like Anvil.

This picture definitely doesn't do it justice.

 It has a sun-baked Mediterranean air to it, and it looks warm and inviting. I don't think I've ever seen it rain here. I'd also forgotten its charming waterfront section, with ships, shops, and a lighthouse.
The Recommendation is straightforward; I have to kill a rogue mage. The twist is that the mage turns out to be the woman that runs the nearby inn you must stay at. She's actually very powerful, taking off nearly all my health with a couple of blasts and leaving me in fear for my life. However she eventually succumbs to my icy grip.

On my way back to Anvil I traverse a large hill which gives a view over the whole town:

It looks so small! Just one row of houses and a cathedral. But when you're in it, it doesn't feel that small. The spacious, breezy streets seem to stretch out in the heat like a lazy sunbather. You also can't see the docks from that hill, I suppose.

I have completed all the Recommendations! I waste no further time and fast-travel to the Arcane University:

Behold!

Hour 17: Enter Sandman

I must travel to the 'Dreamworld' to save Kud-Ei's friend. Once there, I navigate 4 tests which vary in nature. None of them are difficult but they're all quite fun. In one, I face off against two Minotaurs in an arena. I mange to frantically scramble atop one of the pillars where they can't reach me, then easily defeat them with spells from above.
I get decked out in a sweet set of chainmail armour:

...but don't get to keep it- it's only a dream after all. I also pick up a lightning-shooting mages staff.
With the mage rescued from his diabolical nightmare, I set off for Leyawiin. The Unicorn is conveniently stationed outside of Bravil so I ride off at speed.

As I leave I notice a man who would rather sleep outside the city than inside that pit of disease. I don't blame him.

I decide not to stop for anyone or anything. No less than four bandits leap out from the roadside and swing at me clumsily with double-handed axes (these unwieldy weapons seem to be the weapon of choice for Oblivion's brigands, for some reason), but I outstrip them with my skiey speed and press on southwards.
Upon arrival I commence the Recommendation immediately. It's an interesting one, possibly my favourite, as it involves both a fair bit of conversation with various characters and a fetch-quest with a boss at the end- the boss is one of the guild-members who was tracking me the whole time! I battle

my way through a fairly succinct dungeon and face off against brigands along the way (they're 'Marauders' now). I complete the quest with ease and prepare myself for my reward- the Arcane 
University- but suddenly remember I forgot one town! Anvil, the port town, aaaall the way over the other side of the map. Eaugh!

I am anxious to be allowed into the Arcane University now, so I decide to head straight to Anvil to get the final Reccomendation. Consequently I don't really look around Leyawiin much. My impression of it is that it's quite drab, a sort of Bravilified Cheydinhal. It has Tudor-esque buildings, and big open spaces but the buildings 
are quite shabby, and the place 'feels' damp and a bit dirty.

Hour 16: The Last Unicorn

On the way to Bravil I cut across the countryside and discover Fort Roebeck. Outside are two Conjurers whom I slay with ease. I decide it might be worth exploring the fort, as if it's filled with Mage types then I could get some useful loot, and even if I don't then the mages seem to each drop a health potion and a magicka potion, so this seems a good way to stock up on those.

As I progress deeper I kill a few mages and eventually come up against my first Daedra - a Clannfear Runt (I've always thought 'Clannfear' was a great name and they're one of my favourite Daedra as well). This thing slices through my Zombie with ease before turning on me. Fortunately the Zombie has weaked it sufficiently that I can put it down with a couple of Frost Touch spells. Fortunately there's nothing else difficult in the fort, and all the mages die to one or two of my spells. By the time I'm done I have a good store of potions.

Further along the way to Bravil is the strangely-names 'Inn of I'll-Omen'. I investigate it but find nothing amiss. Outside it there is a woodsman practicing his archery. I watch him for a while and amazingly he shoots several arrows at the target and then when he runs out goes and gathers them all up again before resuming his practice! I stand in front of the target and he stops shooting, looking at me with an annoyed expression. He doesn't even give a quest or much dialogue - it's just an awesome little touch they've added.

I continue across the countryside and a symbol on my compass I've never seen before catches my attention - it looks like a mountain. As I head towards it I see a brawny figure loping towards me in the distance - it's a Minotaur! I summon a Zombie to greet it and begin frantically tossing fireballs in its direction, managing to miss with most. It wields a huge warhammer and its savage blows make short work of the Zombie. However it doesn't have a ton of health itself and only manages to land a single blow on me before my hasty Frost Touches drain all of its health. 

I discover I am in a place called Harcane Grove. As I continue, I discover two more Minotaurs guarding a Unicorn. I manage to lure the Minotaurs out individually and slay them with relative ease. They aren't nearly as tough as I feared. One of them has a Dwarven warhammer, which is worth a good bit of gold. After the brutes are dispatched, I actually ride the Unicorn all the rest of the way to Bravil!

Bravil basically looks like a shanty town and I have no desire to hang around here. I quickly head to the Mages' Guild and set about the Recommendation quest. It involves travelling to the Imperial City to retrieve a lost staff. It seems I'll be returning rather earlier than I anticipated. I don't hang around though, and for the first time I decide to fast-travel there and back (this is my first real use of fast-travel; previously I have only used it to travel short distances like back to a town from a nearby mine, and so on).

The Imperial City makes Skingrad look like a backwater

I steal the staff back rather than buy it back, and so save myself 200 gold (I have to break into a basement and a locked drawer to find it. Can't wait to get some better lock-picking spells!). I quickly return to Bravil and return the staff, then turn to leave, intending to set off at once for Leyawiin and the final step before being allowed in to the Arcane University. However, as I turn to leave, the guild aster Kud-Ei entreats me to stay and help her. She actually has a pained, distressed expression on her Argonian face, and cries out "you're the only one who can help me!" I find myself caving in and unable to leave, and agree to help her locate her missing friend.

Hour 15: Madness is Catching

I complete the spying quest for Glathir, choosing not to indulge what appear to be paranoid delusions. All of the people he asks me to spy on appear to be innocent, so I tell him so. He flies into a rage and attacks me. I summon a Scamp and begin striking back, and a guard must have heard the commotion because one comes running round to the back of the Catherdral where we met. To my horror, the Scamp attacks the guard! Suddenly three more guards appear. This is quickly becoming a nightmare. I kill Glathir and turn round to face the guards... only to see that my Scamp is dead and the guards are actually attacking each other! I don't think I've seen this before, even in Skyrim. A stray arrow or blow must have turned them into enemies.

I let the guards duke it out and in the end there are three guard corpses slumped behind the Cathedral - and I'm off scott free. I seize the opportunity and strip all of the guards bare of their weapons and armour, which I cart off to the nearest shop (this takes several trips). The shopkeeper thinks nothing of buying all this undoubtedly blood-stained official guard equipment from me. I then return to Glathir, steal his house key, and have a good rummage around in his home. I find 800 gold in a basket! His scrawled notes documenting the quest are also an entertaining read.

A dead guard lies face down in the rain on the mean streets of Skingrad? This one escaped the fray and must have been struck down afterwards.

The whole Glathir quest, while very simple, was interesting as he had a lot of funny dialogue ("I was sure he was part of the conspiracy! I guess it just goes to show... well... we'll see what it goes to show, won't we!", for example) and I also got to wander around Skingrad following his marks. One of the marks lead me up to Skingrad Castle, giving me this great view over the town and cathedral:

After the quest, I return to the Castle to have a nose around and see if I can find anything out about this reclusive Count. The Castle is huge but empty, and once I pick the locks on a couple of doors I am able to make it all the way to the Count's very chamber. However, he is not pleased to see me, and I have to leave before he calls the guards. I manage to get a few lines of dialogue from him, and he has visible fangs and yellow eyes - he is, as I suspected, quite clearly a vampire. I'm sure this won't be the last I see of him, but I don't know what quest/s he's involved in, and I want to continue getting Recommendations, so I leave Skingrd for the next town along the road - Bravil. 

Hour 14: Into the Goblin Kingdom

I leave Skingrad by the East Gate this time, so head straight to the Derelict Mine instead of having to walk all the way round. There are skulls outside. Is this a skull mine?

Far from being comedy villains, Goblins are murderous and cruel.

The Goblins in the mine are more varied than before, and include Beserkers and even a Shaman. They also just seem more ferocious - I might be imagining it, but their attacks seem swifter and more hateful than previously. They're still a pushover, but I have to be careful if there's two or three together. I eventually come across a bridge, and on the other side is a gaggle of what looks to be at least six Goblins - possibly more!

This is sure to be an intense battle. I lure them to the bridge and summon my Zombie in front of it to block their path, then pelt their flank with fireballs. Unfortunately they attack the Zombie savagely and push him out of the way, leaving the path clear for them to gang up on me. What's worse, is that they actually manage to push the Zombie off the edge! Luckily a few of them plunge over with him. By the time the rabble reaches me I'm low on mana and don't have enough potions to restore it. I have to resort to my sword and sheild while my mana recharges. The experience is enough to put me right off hand-to-hand combat - as I clearly haven't been using it much, the measly Goblins outclass me utterly and I have to use a few health potions to outlast them.
I need to focus on my magic, and especially magicka regen, more, so that I won't be forced to dirty my hands like this in future.

Rooting through the bodies of the fallen, I discover the Goblin Totem Staff. It's worth over 7000 gold! Suddenly I'm rich!  It has a lightning spell with 111 charges, which does 20 damage. It also looks amazing - here I am brandishing it:

With the staff under my control, I hunt down the last few Goblins in the tunnels and slaughter them. Back in Skingrad, though, I find that the shopkeeper only has 800 gold. I definitely want to sell it, as if I use it I won't be improving my Destruction skill, but it looks like I'll have to carry it around with me for now until I can find a better shop.

I speak to a Bosmer names Glathir who seems unhinged. The other residents warn me off him, but I meet him in secret and agree to do some spying for him. This quest sounds like a fun diversion, and I begin spying in earnest. Somehow, exploring the cave and starting this quest has taken up a another hour. How?!

Hour 13: The Evil Dead

I fast-travel to Bleak Flats Cave, as I'd already discovered it on my way to Skingrad, to rescue Erthor for the Mages Guild. The cave is filled with Zombies. Fortunately, I have a brand spanking new Repulse Undead spell, and with it I make short work of them. One cast of it and the Zombies flee for their (un)lives, leaving my own Zombie, and my fireballs, to make short work of them. 

Seems as good a place as any to wait out the Zombie apocalypse

My coffers a running low - just 164 gold, now - due to all the spells I've been purchasing. How to make some money? I decide I'd better clear out a cave and grab some loot. After levelling up at the West Weald Inn (level 5), I head out to the nearby Derelict Mine which an Argonian in Skingrad told me about. On the way there I come across Cursed Mine too, so head inside. I hear the most terrifying bloodcurdling scream ever as I enter, but it's just full of bandits. They all fall to my foolproof tactic of summoning a zombie to distract them while I run behind them and cast spells/hack at them without mercy. Even the Ringleader falls swiftly to this tactic. I come across my first Ghost on one of the lower levels - it's weak to my spells but does hell of damage to me with its ranged attack. I'm relieved there aren't more of them.

Stay away from that Trapdoor!

Cursed Mine turns out to be fairly sprawling, with three levels culminating in a seemingly unique end-section. By the time I clear it out I have to head back to Skingrad to sell my winnings. I have 620 gold by the time I'm done - I could make much more but choose to keep two of the items I've found - Helmet of the Apprentice gives 9% magic resists, and Boots of Insulation give an additional 15% shock resist. Cutting out almost a quarter of the damage from electric spells could come in very handy. Unfortunately my new helmet looks awful:

Hour 12: The Hunt for Red Octogres

I set off for the Jemane brothers' ancestral home of Weatherleah in order to clear it out of Ogres for them, so they can return. I approach it with some trepidation; I remember Ogres from my last character, and they were huge and tough. One of the brothers mentioned that Ogres are cannibals and so he thought they ate his brother. How does eating humans make them cannibals?! Fortunately, these turn out to be Ogre Groundlings - miniature runts barely bigger than a person. With the help of my summoned zombie I tear them all a new one, though they are still quite tough to take down.

My Little Zombie

Ogres are untidy creatures and have left the house in a right state

On the way back to Chorrol I discover an odd town called Hackdirt. Many of the buildings are burned down and all of the townsfolk are belligerent and hostile. One of them is the ugliest person I've yet come across:

I nose around but don't find any leads or anything. I'm sure this town will crop up in a later quest, as there seems to be some sort of demonic worship going on.

It's time to move on again, so I choose the most logical destination of Skingrad. This time I don't stop on the way except to inspect the Shrine of Sanguine, therefore the journey is quite quick. Skingrad is the most impressive town I've been to so far:

Oddly, all the doors are 'reinforced doors'. The town has a very Eastern European feel to it, complete with a castle inhabited by a reclusive count...
I spend quite a while getting lost in the cobbled streets and get the Recommendation quest from the Mages Guild.

Hour 11: Chorrol part 2

I don't really want to leave Chorrol yet, so I spend a while looking round. I meet a few characters who seem like they could be interesting, but they offer no quests or guidance. Eventually I speak to the Countess in the castle, who asks me to help find a missing painting. The quest involves speaking to four suspects and inspecting the fairly large interior of the castle for clues. It's engrossing and ends up taking about 45 minutes. Every single person in the castle, suspect or not (except the guards) had something interesting and unique to say about Chorrol, and usually had some other comments as well. It was fun taking the time to speak to people, which is definitely not the case in Skyrim. I took no I interesting pictures, though, so here's a nice view of Chorrol Catherdral at dusk which I took from just outside the Castle after finding the thief:

Afterwards, I bumped into Reynald Jemane. I recognise that name... and that face! It's Guilbert Jemane from Cheydinal, whom I took a picture of earlier! Or rather, it's his twin brother. I quickly complete the quest to reunite them (fast-travelling between the two cities this time - my first use of fast travel), and am rewarded with another quest from them - this time, it sounds like it I'll involve Ogres. Good job I purchased some better spells.

Hour 10: Chorrol part 1

I set about the Recommendation. I must retrieve a book from a ruin called Cloud Top for Earana, and to make no mention of it to Teekeeus or anyone else in the guild. I immediately run and tell Teekeeus, then set off for Cloud Top. An Imp awaits me, but they're getting tougher now. This one takes four blasts of Cold Touch to bring down, and takes off a good bit of my health. Fortunately, Cloud Top is just an open ruin, and I retrieve the book from a nasty old charred corpse:

I hand the book to Teekeeus, and take great delight in refusing to steal it back from him for Earana:

She shouts for a bit then storms off. I decide it's time to increase my repertoire of spells, so purchase loads of spells from Alberic Litte in the Guild - Defend, Flash Bolt, Summon Zombie, Summon Scamp, Repulse Undead, and Remote Manipulation. This drains a lot of my funds, leaving me with only 600 gold, but I figure it's worth having more powerful spells.

A man I spoke to earlier in Chorrol asked for help defending his farm from some 'creatures'. By help, I mean 'he's too scared to do it so decides to ask a random stranger'. Never one to turn down some XP, I head off and his sons show me to their farm. They're painfully slow, though, and I run ahead and wait for them. It is still raining. Goblins arrive in three waves, and they're tougher now - 'Goblin Skirmishers'. The first couple of waves are dispatched with ease but the final four goblins swamp us and both of the man's sons are cut down! I have to resort to both health and mana potions in order to see off the violent attacks from the final two Goblins.

The field, littered with corpses.

As a result of the battle I am promoted to a Journeyman of destruction magic. I don't like the outcome of both sons dying, but at my current level I don't think I could have stopped it. I resign myself to the situation and head back to Chorrol to inform their father. He informs me that he can't offer a reward, as he must spend his money on burials. The wretch! I put my neck on the line to defend his measly sons, who DIED at the hands of some Goblins, and I get nothing in return? I looked up the quest online and it turns out I missed out on Chillrend by not saving both sons. I'm not too bothered though, since it's levelled, and anyway I'm focussing more on Magic than Blade.

I sell the stuff I looted from the battle to Rasheda at Fire and Steel. I get my items repaired there, and notice something odd. I can 'Repair All' for about 500+ gold, or I can repair each item one at a time for a cost of between 1 - 15 gold per item - and there are only about six items which need repairing. Looks like she's levying an extortionate surcharge just for the convenience of 'one-click repairs'...

A few people in town have mentioned 'something shady going on at the Oak and Crozier', so I head there. Look how short this elf standing by the door is:

I see nothing suspicious, though, so I break into their basement and sneak around. Still nothing. Back in the bar, there's nothing odd (except a bed by the bar, and these two identical men hanging around):

Upon further (online) investigation, it seems there was some sort of quest to do with the inn which was never put into the game.

Hour 9: Pastures New

Heeding Jorundr's advice, I flee Bruma and head West towards Chorrol. It's a seriously long way so I steal another horse when it gets dark and gallop away on hooves of keratin (so, just hooves, then). I follow the Orange Road until I come across Morana, an Ayelid Ruin. I haven't explored one of those yet, so decide to take a look. How bad can it be?

The door looks quite foreboding. Perhaps I should turn back?

Fortunately, it's just filled with Imps. I dodge their clumsy fireballs with ease and hack them to pieces. Speaking of Imps, here's a dead one:

He never got to fulfil his dreams

I focus more on my hand-to-hand here. There's a fair amount of loot alltold, and some magical  Welkynd Stones (and Varla Stones). The ruins are very creepy and filled with an eerie green luminescence. They're definitely more interesting to explore than the caves or forts I've come across so far.

 The rest of the journey (continued on foot) is uneventful save for being attacked by a brigand who bit off far more than she could chew. Due to my exploration of the ruins, however, the journey once again takes almost exactly an hour. When I arrive in Chorrol, I stay at The Grey Mare. It looks more like a hut than an inn. This is the room they expect me to sleep in:

I've levelled up once more thanks to my tireless Imp-slashing. I choose Strength, Intelligence, and Speed. For the next few levels I think I'll ease off Strength, as I can see my sword becoming quickly outclassed by my spells.

Hour 8: Vampire-Hunters and Thieves

I start off by wandering around Bruma looking for a general goods store in which to sell my Fortify Fatigue pants (I have 4 pairs now, I hope it isn't some kind of glitch where that's the only magical loot I'll find...). I bump into a man who tells me about a vampire hunter who recently caught a vampire. I happen upon the aforementioned vampire's house and break in, but it's full of guards who tell me to leave. I manage to bribe one of the guards to give me more information (it costs me a small fortune overall though). While he's talking to me, this old woman is standing behind him glaring the whole time, like this:

Turns out she's the dead vampire's wife, who insists he wasn't a vampire. After talking to her, I form the impression that the vampire hunter Raynil Draylas is nothing more than a filthy Dunmer liar (which of them aren't, though?). To track down Raynil, I head to Olav's Tap & Tack again and bribe and banter with the inkeeper, but even when he disposition is maxed he won't give me any information. Okay... Incidentally, the sneaky Dunmer is still in my room. I have better luck at the imaginatively-named 'Hammer & Axe', where the Neanderthal-esque Nord blacksmith tells me that Raynil is staying at... Olav's Tap & Tack. So that's why the inkeeper wouldn't spell the beans, I guess.

I try to pickpocket Raynil's key from the innkeeper but after several attempts give up - a guard arrests me every time. Similarly, I cannot get his disposition higher than 70, so he won't give me the key or get Raynil for me. I'll have to come back to this mission when I have a charm spell. Damnit!

I start 'Two Sides of the Coin' instead, which sounds interesting. The quest takes me to the dungeons of Bruma Castle, where I stumble across a silver sword which no one seems to be using. Perfect! For the quest, I end up siding with Jorundr as I don't like the way Arnora speaks to me - she's threatening and seems deceitful. Plus I figure I can get all of the money if I kill her, rather than half.

Arnora's lovely little cottage. Soon it will have a new red coat of paint.

Jorundr tells me where to find some hidden gold. His wife has been looking for it everywhere. Here
it is:

Yeah, real well hidden. Looks like Arnora deserved to die for being so incompetent. It's a rather modest stash of gold and trinkets, but combined with the gold from selling both of Arnora's massive amulets, I make a decent amount. The shopkeeper I offload the goods onto is selling some interesting simian-themed apparel:

Jorundr thinks it would be wise for me to leave town before the guards start investigating. I agree, but first I want to complete the Recommendation for the Mages Guild. Fortunately, it's a short and simple one which is just helping out with a harmless prank. Some of the students want help pulling a prank on the guild leader, which involves the staggeringly devious ploy of stealing one of her books and hiding it so that she'll spend weeks trying to find it. "It was a good idea wasn't it!" Errr, no.

I get given a 'mysterious note' by a Dunmer courier, which is from The Gray Fox. I intend to do the Theives Guild with Woodley as I've never done their missions before, so perhaps when I return to the Imperial City after gaining all of the Recommendations I'll pay him a visit.

Hour 7: Bruma Bound

I decide to head to Bruma, with a view to completing the next Recommendation for the Mage's Guild.  I'm eager to gain access to the Arcane Univerisity and completing all the Recommendations will give me a good excuse to revisit the Imperial City. It seems a long way on the map from Kingscrest Cavern to Bruma and I decide to walk there rather than fast-travel, in order to get a feel for the size of the world. It actually takes me the best part of an hour to walk there, because I stop to explore a few locations on the way.

Firstly I check out Lord Rugdumph's Estate. You can see the manor house in the last picture of the previous post. I break in and discover 'Lord' Rugdumph is a foul Orc. I wonder what his story is? He allows me to run around his house for a bit before threatening to call the guards, so I leave and plot my revenge for his insolence. I sneak into his 'servants quarters' and lie in wait for the hapless servants, meaning to murder them all. However, the servants never arrive. I figure Lord Rugdumph is a fake Lord or has fallen on hard times. Perhaps I'll come to his aid in the future.

For now, I set off again, and stop to explore Fort Horunn. It's infested with Imps, and my Cold Touch goes through them like a hot knife through butter. They don't stand a chance. I find another pair of Fortify Fatigue pants (!).

The abandoned forts in Oblivion really creep me out:

They're so bleak and murky, and with their low ceilings and filthy, rusty doors they feel very oppressive.

This idiot got eviscerated by Imps. What a loser he must have been! I'm glad he's dead.

Next I happen upon Red Ruby Cave. No Imps, just lots of wolves and rats. Makes a nice change from slaughtering Imps, and the wolves are actually quite a bit tougher. I use a combination of Cold Touch, blocking their attacks with my sheild, and summoning my trusty skeleton, to cut my way through them. When I summon the skeleton the wolves all go for him - must be after the bones, I guess. It's a nice touch (unlike my ice touch, which kills hell of rats and wolves). There's no boss or big treasure trove to be found, though, and I'm already getting a bit tired of the same old cave layouts (the final section always has that big hollowed-out out section in the middle, for example). The dungeon design is obviously something which is much better done in Skyrim.

My battling is rewarded with another level increase, bringing me to level 3. I finally reach Bruma, and its frosty battlements are a welcome sight after the seemingly endless mountain pathway which I traversed to reach it:

When I get there I head to the nearest inn - Olav's Tap & Tack - to sleep and level up. This jerk is in there when I arrive. He is rude to me from the get-go and threatens to turn me into ash. Then when I rent a room and go there to sleep, he's in my room, in sneak mode, and won't leave!

He boasts and makes some more threats, so I close the door and use my Cold Touch on him, hoping to kill him and thus 1) rid the world of this wretch, and 2) get invited to join the Dark Brotherhood, which many citizens and even guards have told me about. However, he screams and flees like a coward as soon as I cast the spell. He runs from the room but stays in the inn and then I can't go to sleep because 'you cannot rest with enemies nearby' - so I have to reload. Looks like my list of people to exact a bloody revenge upon is growing longer by the hour.

When I finally manage to sleep and level up, I put points in Willpower, Intelligence, and Strength (I don't want to neglect strength, as I do intend to use a sword). I wish I hadn't left my sword in that well, though, because so far no one I've killed has dropped a sword (it's always axes, maces, daggers, or giant hammers) and no shops I've been in have sold any swords. My next tasks will be to acquire a sword, and complete the Bruma Recommendation quest.