Valhalla's adventures in Skyrim

Valhalla's awesome Skyrim hat. Yeah, totally awesome

Yesterday, before work, I picked up my own copy of Skyrim on PC so that I could play it all day today. That plan didn’t quite work as I accepted an all day shift and so was only able to play tonight (which is alright as work is enjoyable). Sadly, I didn’t get to play the Elder Scrolls games as they came out and only bought Oblivion on Wednesday – making me the n00b in this fantastic world. I will post relatively frequently about my epic adventures in Skyrim and my progression through the game (hopefully Titus will be joining in with this) so that you can enjoy the game with me. I’ve been taking screen shots like a psychotic Orc Berserker.

When I got home I was quick to start up my gaming laptop and get the game installed. You see, at work today a very tall man came and complained to my colleague and me about how Skyrim for PC had to be downloaded through Steam and because of this it took five hours to install. Upon hearing this I was afraid I wouldn’t get a post up tonight, but had this been the case you wouldn’t be reading this right now. For me, it took under twenty minutes to fully install through Steam and so I was more than pleased with this. Finally, my epic journey could begin...

Prisoner

I started out in a bumpy wooden cart on my way to an unknown destination. All around me was frightened chatter and something about an execution (everyone around me (in real life) was talking, it was hard to hear). I was mildly curious as to what the people in the cart were talking about but was more interested in my surroundings and looking out for our destination. After a short while I saw it right in front of me and already knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant. Helgen wasn’t the most reassuring of names either.

Once the carriage stopped in the little town, me and the other prisoners on the cart were forced off and made to line up so that our names could be called. Apparently, all these guys were rebels and I had managed to get mixed in with the wrong crowd. My name wasn’t called and so I was forced to introduce myself (no opportunity to do an Odysseus and call myself No-one). Here, I created my character, Kirith the Wood Elf, and even though my name wasn’t on the list that evil chick in the shiny armour wanted me dead. She’s racist towards Elves, I know it.

First guy down

One of my fellow prisoners was beheaded, and it was as I was shoved onto the chopping block that a massive dragon appeared from nowhere, sweeping through the skies and destroying all in its path. That saved my life. Totally freaked by the appearance of this beast I was quick to scurry to my feet, only to be met by Hadvar, the soldier who didn’t want me to die. 

Telling me to follow him the two of us began a journey underground in order to escape the dragon. We came across a few twists and turns, some nasty enemies and some decent weaponry – the journey was a breeze. The slow-mo combat when you give a critical hit is quite epic, I must say. I frequently got lost and fell off mini bridges as I kept forgetting which controls to use, and it was rather comical and I’m sure Hadvar must have been irritated by how slow I was...

We made our way back to the surface of Skyrim in good time, despite the various accidents, and my new friend led me along the cobbled path towards our next destination – Riverwood. There, we met the Smithy, Alvor, who was warm and welcoming towards me and Hadvar (I figure they’re good friends). We told him about the dragon that had started destroying everything, and how it was making its way towards Riverwood. Shocked and afraid, Alvor asked me to go to Whiterun where I should speak with the Jarl and request that he send troops to Riverwood for protection. I agreed (as I’m a helpful Elf), and bought a bunch of supplies from the smithy. On top of this, Hadvar told me that I should join the Imperial Legion, despite the fact that they attempted to kill me. As he had helped to save my life I told him I would think about it (I’ll be taking a different route).

On my own

So, Hadvar decided not to continue travelling with me – obviously feasting with the Smithy and his family was far more interesting than my Epic quest – and so I was forced to continue my journey alone. With my iron mace strapped to my back and my nice, thick leather armour clinging to my body I marched on to Whiterun, eager to complete my quest. I didn’t encounter many enemies along the way, a couple of wild animals, but that was about it. I was feeling pretty powerful by this point.

It wasn’t long before I arrived at the outskirts of Whiterun, the stables standing alone before me. As I crept towards it, a horse stood out of its stall, just begging for me to steal it. But no, I am a righteous Elf and respect the law, so I left it alone. Instead, I broke into the stable house and was arrested by the guard (went back on my own word there). Yeah, smart move for me. Being a bit of a wimp when it come to dirty prison cells (we Elves are very clean), I decided to pay my bounty instead of do my time. Thank the gods I had enough coin. I decided it was best not to break into houses anymore.

Once the guard let me go, I set out to find the Jarl in his mighty palace. It wasn’t hard to find (cough) as he was right on top of a hill. Barging through his doors, I was unimpressed by the woman who decided to confront me, demanding that I tell her what I had been asked to tell the Jarl. I avoided her questions until she relented and allowed me to pass. Once I was in front of the Jarl I told him everything that had happened, and he was eager to send troops to Riverwood to protect them from the dragon. Once I was done with him, I was sent to see his sorcerer in the other room so that I could help him learn more about dragons. He asked me to retrieve the dragon stone from the mountains nearby. I decided to go, even though the horse and carriage wouldn’t take me and I had no money to buy a horse.

I made my way up the mountain, cursing and grumbling about the weather, until I reached a little settlement filled with angry bandits. Irritated by their determination to kill me, I proceeded to slaughter them relentlessly, ensuring that they were all satisfactorily dead. Serves them right for attempting to slay me. It was then that I caught sight of my destination, where the dragon stone was kept.

Bleak Falls Temple...the beginning

I’m tired tonight; I didn’t have the energy to go any further than I did. So, I’m splitting this bit into two parts, and you’ll find out what happened next Skyrim update.

After slaying the bandits, I entered the Bleak Falls Temple where I knew the dragon stone was. There were quite a few bandits in there, but I had no trouble taking care of them. After all, I’m a strong and powerful Wood Elf who so far hasn’t died once (I’m just that good).

I made my way through the long and winding tunnel that led to my loot. I followed the map and my instinct towards what I thought was where I was supposed to be. I was wrong. I reached a small room with a portcullis-type gate and a lever just before it. After killing the single guy in the room, I pulled the lever to see what would happen. Shards of light rushed past me, but nothing else occurred. Confused, I messed around with the stones in the room and still, nothing happened. By this point I was becoming irritated, especially as my brain was tired and so I took a moment to retrace my footsteps. A while back there had been an extra path, it looked like I would have to turn around and go that way rather than have an easy route. Which is fine, tomorrow I’ll be adventuring again and back to the path I previously ignored.

There’s still a long way to go in the temple and so I’ll be sure to tell you what happens next as I continue on my quest to find the dragon stone. I’m not rushing through this game, I plan to enjoy it. It deserves thorough enjoyment and to be taken at a steady pace.

Have any of you guys played Skyrim yet? If so, tell us what you think so far. Just to let you know, if you want to send in a video sharing your thoughts on any game for our YouTube channel then feel free to send them in at titusvalhalla@gmail.com.

Below, are a few places where you can buy Skyrim if you don’t already own a copy.

Skyrim - GAME

Skyrim - Amazon

Skyrim - Play.com