Hour 26: The Mages' Staff

I decide it's high time I continued along with some Mages Guild quests. I spent so long doing all the recommendations, and I am starting to get bored of my piddly little fireball and cold touch spells. I made myself a better healing spell but it isn't actually 'better' - it heals 4 times as much, for 4 times the cost, over 4 seconds instead of 1 second. So, it's quicker than casting the heal spell 4 times, but I'm beginning to feel that I should become a better spell caster than I am.

I've already been told about gathering some special wood to make my own staff, so I head to the cave to do just that. Unfortunately, when I arrive it is crawling with necromancers - and they're no pushover. Ironically they're all bald - you'd think they'd be able to resurrect their dead hair follicles as well as ghosts and zombies, but no. I eventually battle my way through the cave and out into a clearing where I am beset by about five powerful necromancers. It turns into one hell of a fight, one which I think I have no hope of winning at first. They all summon ghosts and start pelting me with lightning and fireballs - by health is stripped by 50% almost straight away. However, by sprinting around, dodging their spells, and repeatedly healing myself, I manage to buy myself enough time to summon a zombie. The zombie keeps a couple of them distracted and I'm able to get a few hits in on the others. They're very tough to bring down since they heal frequently, so I decide the only thing to do is wade in with my Cold Touch spell and just focus them down one at a time. In order to do this, I keep myself artificially alive by raiding my potion supply and drinking almost everything I have - this is the first time I've had to do this.

Eventually I realise that I can hide on top of a rock, which I can jump up onto presumably because of my agility. The vampires can't reach me in melee there, so I just dodge their spells and keep summoning my zombie to whittle them down. Finally they all succumb, and I gather the wood and take it back to the Arcane University.

One thing I do prefer about Skyrim is the College of Magic in Winterhold. As much as I like the Arcane University, the College in Winterhold was truly massive and did a very good job of creating the sense of a being 'sequestered away' far from the rest of the world when you were in it.

I choose to create a staff which has a paralysis spell - this is the spell I used for my previous Warrior character and I found it ridiculously useful. I'm only level 9 so I don't get the best bang for my buck from this staff yet, but I didn't feel like putting the quest off any longer.

Keen to continue with the Mages Guild, after receiving the staff I speak to Raminus Polinus (I think that's his name; I can't be bothered to check) who sends me to Skingrad to speak to the Count about something or other.

I decide to walk to Skingrad. I've done a lot of this walking instead of fast-travelling so far, and I enjoy it. Sometimes I prefer to fast-travel, but often I appreciate the scenery and sense of adventure that walking brings. Come to think of it, I used to have a unicorn, didn't I? I've no idea what happened to it.
As it turns out, the walk was well worth it. I encounter two bears, two trolls, and three imps on the way, and slaying them pushes me up to level 10! I intend to level up when I reach Skingrad, but first, there are some goblins milling around by a nearby cave... I think I'll take a look.

Hour 25: Troll Country

I return to Seridur's house to see if I can loot anything. The Order of Virtuous blood is now run by Roland Jenseric, and after speaking to him there he says I will be rewarded for killing vampires. In fact, he pays 250 septims for each Vampire! I've already killed quite a few so I sell the vampire dust to him and make about 2000 gold! He also gives me a ring worth thousands.

I decide to complete the quest to get Lex away from the Waterfront. It simply involves sneaking around a bit and stealing a staff from the Arcane University. Since I want to do the Mages Guild soon (I might even start it next) I am a bit dubious about this, but figure it's fine so long as I don't get caught.

Everything goes according to plan and soon Lex and his guards leave the Warerfront due to increased crime elsewhere in the city (and a threatening letter from the Arcane University, delivered by a Dremora - my first sighting of one). In order to collect my reward, I must journey back to Bravil and see Skri'vaa. I travel on foot to Bravil, as one of the Mages had previously told me that Hircine's Shrine is on the way there. First I clear out Fatback Cave, which is near the city. Afterwards, I find the shrine but am too low-level to do anything (I'm now level 9).

However, I stumble upon another cave near the Shrine, which is guarded by a ferocious troll. I think this is the first troll I've come across, and I'd say it's the scariest foe so far. It doesn't have a ton of health, but it is insanely fast both at moving and attacking, and its attacks do a lot of damage. Running backwards and blasting it with fireballs doesn't really work, as it's fast enough to keep attacking me as I back away (unlike, say, a Minotaur, which, although more resilient, is basically unable to hurt me as I can run backwards faster than it can run towards me).

I summon a zombie and blast fireballs at the troll, and although it rips the zombie apart with frightening ease, it is weakened enough to be brought down by a couple more fireballs.

Apologies for the poor picture quality (and lack of pictures in this post). In my new flat, unlike the old one, there is a tremendous amount of screen glare on the TV, making it almost impossible to take pictures during daytime, which is when I'm not playing. Come to think of it, I started this blog only about 9 months ago, but I was in my old flat, using my old phone to take pictures, playing on my old TV...)

I head inside the cave and kill some imps and a couple more trolls. Continuing onwards to Bravil, another troll lopes across the verdant hills to assail me. Either trolls don't appear before you reach level 9, or this particular area is just riddled with them. Regardless, I'm glad to now be fighting them, as they provide more of a challenge than most enemies.

Hour 24: The Vampire's Den

Ralsa directs me to see Seridur, who says he is the leader of a group of vampire-hunters called the Order of Virtuous Blood. I have a hunch he's.not all he seems to be, though, so after he asks me to kill a vampire for him I sneak back and break into his room to snoop around. I find no proof of anything untoward, except for some spell scrolls on his desk that appear to be for damaging spells, and a book about Daedra - perhaps a bit odd. However, he bursts into the room and whines at me "YOU'RE not supposed to BE in here!" in a very aggressive manner, which makes me even more suspicious.

Upon reaching my mark, the hapless fellow (it's Roland Jenseric! I broke into his cabin in Hour 3!) explains to me that he is a victim of Seridur's, who is actually a vampire using vampire-hunting as a cover, and who murdered his lover. The fiend! Seridur and his stupid hair will pay dearly.

After gathering some clues. I head to a cave where I believe Seridur to be hiding.

I don't like the look of it one bit. It seems to be full of an eerie glowing mist. It's also infested with vampires. They are powerful adversaries and I die at one point in the cave. However, with careful progression I manage to avoid taking on more than one vampire at a time, and one-on-one they're not much of a threat. Some of the more powerful vampires cast multiple spells, including heal, lightning, and summon ghost, which makes them quite a pain to destroy. For the most part, though, the 'zombie + cold touch' method works well against them. Being able to summon creatures themselves, you would think they'd know to ignore my zombie and go straight for me, but no. Their idiocy is a bit annoying, really.

At one point in he cave I encounter a Timber Wolf. Unlike the normal wolves in Oblivion, these things are large and actually look ferocious. I wish all the wolves looked like them.

Just before I reach Seridur, there is a disturbing fenced-off area with corpses suspended from the ceiling and on the floor:

It's especially noticeable because as you go up to it there is an increasingly loud buzzing of flies noise, which makes it all the more horrible. I haven't noticed anything like this is any caves before, so if it's just added for this side-quest that's a nice touch.

Seridur falls easily, and I return to the Imperial City to sell off my looted items, making a tidy profit.

Hour 23: Bravil and Back Again

The Oblivion bug has bitten me again after a long hiatus. As predicted, GTA5 was the primary reason for my initial lapse in Oblivion playing. I then discovered Dark Souls and am currently making tentative progress through the game. However, after multiple scorchings from the enormous red dragon, then battling through gangs of ninja-zombies and mutant dogs, only to be brutally dispatched by the horrifying Capra Demon, something in me yearned for a return to the comparatively brighter, happier world of Oblivion.

I can barely remember where I left off. Upon reloading, it takes me quite some time to get used to the controls again, and I have forgotten what spells etc I have. I head to Bravil whilst becoming reacquainted with Woodley Rhyme. I immediately feel happier strolling through the lush world of Cyrodiil rather than the woefully oppressive streets of the Undead Burg from Dark Souls.

This is more like it! I fast-travel to Bravil and am drafted in to help kick Hieronymus Lex out of the 

Waterfront District of the Imperial City. So back I must go - I decided to walk back in order to take in the landscape and immerse myself in the world once more. Perhaps I'll get into a few scrapes on the way too? Just as I am thinking how serene the countryside appears, I am attacked by three different animals simultaneously - a wild boar, a wolf, and a rat. I am surrounded and beaten down, and if I had not quickly retreated and healed myself would have been killed within seconds. Struggling to remember Woodley's abilities, I frantically summon a zombie and begin raining down fireballs. Eventually only the boar remains - but what a boar. This thing was hardier than an Ogre and chased me for some time across the countryside before I managed to get enough fireballs on-target to bring it down. Here it the corpse of the brute:

Nearing the a Imperial City, I happen upon a fort which I have not yet discovered. It's guarded by some human bandits, so I decide to head in. The bandits are 'Marauders' and provide a good challenge, but by this time I have remembered my tried and trusted tactic of summoning a zombie to engage in melee whilst I freeze them with cold touch from behind. I slaughter about ten before reaching the bandit lord, who falls almost as easily as the rest.

Upon entering the City, I am immediately accosted by a Dunmer female called Ralsa Norvalo who asks for my help. She says it's of the utmost importance so I decide to check out this side-quest. As she walks away I talk to her again to see if she has any more information, but she simply says:

Can't help me with anything else? How do you know? I haven't asked you anything yet. What if I just want to know what continent I'm on, or whether it's night or day? Still can't help me? Also, I have almost 3000 gold you know...

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.