In Which Merawen Cleanses the Water Stone

This was a shorter session than is typical for me on a Friday night. But this is what happens when you’re asked to be on standby for working on a Saturday, and therefore cannot stay up until stupid-o’clock in the morning playing Skyrim!

So really, I mostly just had time for cleansing the Water Stone and clearing Glacial Cave. With a side helping of crafting, and also werebears!

Highlights

• Play date: 10/1/2021
• Session numbers in this run: 62
• Made some dragonbone arrows to use up the firewood I snatched from Highpoint Tower, and also to use up some of my dragon bones
• Sold stuff to Glover, Milore, Fethis
• Decided to head for the Deathbrand hoard
• Another round of pyromancer vs. cryomancer, and Jenassa was all “I didn’t start this fight but I am BY THE THREE gonna finish it for BOTH OF YOU”, because she killed both of them
• Ash storm blowing, looked like a snow flurry, but more delicate
• Random Khajiit attacked us, bad kitty
• Ash hoppers
• Hunter party asking if I wanted to help them hunt netch, said yes for once to get that final netch jelly; hunters enthused “they will sing songs of this day”; that’d be “the day the Dragonborn took down your netch for you in two shots”, then?
• Killed a troll that looked like it was fighting something else? But then found a dog shortly thereafter that was low on hit points, which might have been what the troll was fighting?
• Healed the dog, but it wouldn’t respond when I tried to talk to it, just kept barking; okay then, bye good doggo
• Came up on Bujold’s Retreat and the Nords there; walked through the camp but nobody stopped me for anything?
• Did get amusing commentary from one NPC going “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s shoddy construction! Glad to not be working on that… thing… anymore!”
• Made it to Gyldenhul Barrow on its little island, Jenassa killed one of the two reavers outside, and the one I killed fell into the surf; I had to dive to loot him
• Mined quicksilver ore vein
• Cleared the barrow, got all the treasure and the twin scimitars, and the stalhrim!
• Boinged back to Raven Rock to sell stuff and give the netch jelly to Milore
• Revered Dragon! Took it out, and yowza this one had Daedric armor
• Got Milore her netch jelly
• Crafting break at Severin Manor
• Made a boatload of armor out of my cache of materials
• Sold a bunch of things but vendors hadn’t reset their stock yet so I couldn’t sell everything I wanted
• Enchanted a few new things up to better smithing levels
• Made a bunch of potions, and stored a bunch of them as I don’t need to carry all of them around
• Decided to run light for a while and be in Nightingale mode
• Slept for a game night, then set out to hit Bloodskal Barrow because I wanted that red Dunmer outfit at the top of one of the towers
• Got final courier letter for Kolbjorn Barrow on the way out the door, but opted to go back to that later
• Spotted a Skaal hunter and a dog on the way to the Water Stone
• Cleansed the Water Stone and triggered a Lurker Vindicator, and freed the sailors there
• Also pissed off a nearby Blood Dragon, which Jenassa and I dispatched
• Sailors were all HOLY CRAP Dragonborn, while I went about my business
• Found Fahlbtharz; Jenassa killed the rieklings outside
• Boinged to Glacial Cave, and fought three werebears there, which were all large and scary but none of them were Wulf’s brother
• Got Karstaag’s skull
• Ice wraith
• Dead snow bear and another remnant of ice wraith, but no sign of what killed them
• Saved for the night near Benkongerike

Commentary

Since this was a short session, not much to say here other than the notes taken for the highlights, above.

I will say that this time through, playing a Dunmer, I’m more sensitive to dialogue I’m getting from Dunmer characters. As Alarrah, I’d noticed Elynea in Tel Mithryn giving me farewell lines that invoke Azura, Mephala, or Boethiah, and I know now that’s because many Dunmer in Skyrim’s current timeframe worship those three Daedra as “the Reclamations”. And in this game, I’ve also seen the Dunmer character Cindiri tell me “Reclamations bless you!”

And, I’ve seen other Dunmer swearing “by the Three”, including Jenassa.

So yeah, fun to have that little bit of extra worldbuilding detail in play. It’s an interesting contrast to the Nords being all “LET US WORSHIP TALOS GODDAMMIT”, and the Thalmor and their enforcement of “THERE ARE ONLY EIGHT DIVINES”.

Also, given that the Dunmer are a culture of active Daedra worshippers, it’s also a fun contrast to how many people in Skyrim are anti-Daedra. Vigilants of Stendarr, looking at you, but they aren’t the only ones either.

I also want to note I’m definitely in a mood to travel light right now, My tendency to nab all the loot has meant I’m still getting overloaded more often than I like, even with a ring and the Locket of Saint Jiub bumping up my carry weight limit, and the Steed Stone active. And while it’s convenient to be hauling around multiple weapons and different sets of armor so i can quickly swap between them if I want to, boy howdy does that eat a lot of my inventory weight.

So right now I’m in Nightingale mode again. And really I also feel like Merawen has taken being a Nightingale to heart enough that she actually kind of prefers that armor over any other kind she’s got.

Last but not least, noting for the record that this was Merawen’s 61st session, so I’ve now been playing her for about two months. Which means I’ve been playing her for about 2/3rds of the time I played Alarrah, and it’ll be interesting to see if I make it to the three month mark with this character. And if I do, how much farther along levels-wise she’ll be.

Next time

I left off right by Benkongerike so I think I may clear that place next. And I’m thinking about whether I want to hang out on the north end of the island a bit and see if I can find Torkild the werebear.

While doing that, I might also see about clearing Fahlbtharz or White Ridge Barrow. And I need to work my way south for Kagrumez as well as Vahlok’s tomb.

Screenshots

Editing to add

• 11/17/2023: Fixed missing gallery, and added a session number.
• 10/4/2024: Added play date to the highlights section. Converted gallery to a native WordPress one.