#Dragonsreach Dungeon

[themegachessatron]

A Review of my time in Skyrim's Prisons (featuring some followers): Dragonsreach Dungeon

This is the start of what I hope to be a full series of posts where I explore and evaluate the prison facilities in every major hold capital of Skyrim and share my experiences with them. Where else to start than the ever iconic Whiterun and it's maybe a bit less iconic Dragonsreach Dungeons?

The cell provided for the LDB in Whiterun is modest yet at the same time surprisingly expansive. Decorations include an animal pelt bed (which seems oddly lavish for a prisoner but then again I suppose Whiterun is a wealthy trade hub), a sheving unit to put all the possessions you don't have on you and a hatch which leads directly into a passage of tunnels beneath the dungeons. A hatch which just so happens to have an incredibly weak lock (so they can afford warm bedding but not decent locks? Seems fishy to me). Before I could venture to open these locks however I was faced with an issue.

I have no idea how he got in here. I suppose given his experience with prison facilities from Riften it's not entirely surprising Inigo would know his way around a prison cell. Perhaps he utilised special moon powers to get in? Maybe he silently picked open the front door when none of the guardsmen were looking? Or had he sent Mr. Dragonfly to open the cell door from the other side? I think it most likely that Khajiit simply has skills my feeble, smooth Redguard brain cannot comprehend.

With Inigo's help I picked the lock on the hatch and slipped silently into the tunnel network beneath my cell. While inside these tunnels I kept having the same thought: Why are these here? What purpose is there to have a tunnel system beneath every cell in the dungeon? Are prisoners expected to release their excreta down the hatches? I wouldn't think so given the lack of staining on the floors at the very least.

In fact, the whole system seems remarkably well maintained. With the exception of a single skeever carcass, there was very little clutter or cobwebs or anything of the sort. The rather tidy state of the tunnel passageways leads me to conclude that it must be cleaned at least somewhat regularly, but by who? The guards? What do they use the tunnels for? I can't think of any reason the guards benefit from having this tunnel system in place. All it serves to do is give prisoners an easy way out of their cells and access to the prisoner belongings chest (which mercifully is at least locked with an expert quality lock). The tunnels in fact culminate in a ladder which leads directly into the guards barracks (again, why?). I did, however, have one additional thing in these tunnels that requires discussion.

...I'm beginning to think they don't like me being arrested. Inigo breaking into a prison I can understand but what in the name of Diagna is Sofia doing here? How the hell did she slip past the guards? The most slapdash, crude woman I've ever seen successfully managed to slip into these tunnels without alerting any of the more than a dozen guards regularly occupying either the dungon floors or the guard barracks next door. I believe this says a lot about the quality of the guardsmanship of Whiterun's "finest". Olava the Feeble would be more alert than those incompetent oafs.

Climbing up the ladder into the Guard Barracks leaves us in a side room containing a few barrels that happens to be within sprinting distance of the door out into the open city. Not only is the close proximity to the exit incredibly stupid, it leaves the guards residing in the barracks no time to feasibly register the prisoner's presence, adopt a battle position, blockade the door out and draw their weaponry. Before they can swallow their sweet roll the prisoner has darted out and is loose on the streets once again, a feat which becomes all the easier when you realise most prisoners won't be weighed down with body armour or big weapons and can this maneuverer much faster than any of the guards in the area. This is of course assuming the prisoner is an idiot who did not pre-plan for their arrest. A smart prisoner can very easily deposit their powerful equipment inside one of the barrels in the back room prior to their arrest which (thanks to the absence of a lock on the barrels) leaves them free to take back their rightful belongings and before you know it Whiterun's finest are jumped by a crazed Redguard lunatic weilding a Honed Ancient Nord Greatsword of Soul Snares and swinging it wildly like they're in the middle of a warzone. This represents a drastic oversight in the design of the prison system in Whiterun that urgently needs adressing.

In conclusion, Dragonsreach Dungeon left quite a sour taste in my mouth. I had expected a quality stronghold to effectively hold and punish criminals but what I instead saw was bizzare investment directions, a whole underground tunnel system designed for no-one's benefit other than the prisoners, a poorly laid out guard barracks and a team of guardsmen and guardswomen so foolhearty, indolent and frankly inadequate that they were unable to detect the presence of a loudmouth, brash, drunken nord woman wearing heavy plated armour and making a whitty joke every twelve seconds. For one of the most vital holds in the country and a Centrepoint for all of Skyrim, this is beyond a letdown.

Final rating: 2 honed ancient nord greatswords of soul snares out of 10 honed ancient nord greatswords of soul snares.

Thank you for reading and (hopefully enjoying), this little review of mine. Please do consider joining me next time when I investigate the swamp water shithole that is Morthal and see if it fares any better.

[viskovie]

u ever get to this point in a wip and it looks so good that ur like 🤷🏻🤷🏻 oh well i guess this character is just naked from now on 🤷🏻🤷🏻

nhhhhhh the hand gesture is not as suggestive as it looks i promise

[spooky-donut-ghost-house]

Lets be honest Heimskr is far more annoying than Nazeem

Nazeem isn't even that annoying, 80% of the vitriolic hatred towards him is just racism at this point

[umbracirrus]

Things that Balgruuf and Elyse do as a couple (part 2) - Intimacy and sex

Part two of my lists of things Elyse and Balgruuf do as a couple! This list has mature and sexual content, it will be under a read more, do not interact if you are a minor.

I may add to this in the future!

They have got handsy in more than one inappropriate place in Dragonsreach. The porch, his desk, their balcony overlooking Whiterun, the throne, and even the dungeons on one particular night where they had slipped out to the Bannered Mare, had too much to drink, and didn't want to get lectured by their housecarls for not letting them know where they were by entering through the main doors (though thankfully the sound of a patrolling guard stopped them before they went too far, and they relocated to their bedroom)

Balgruuf likes to kiss Elyse's throat. He quickly finds out that it's very sensitive, especially so with his beard, and he loves the sounds that she makes when he does it. He likes it even more when she lets her hair down to cover any marks that he leaves.

Elyse likes to touch his thighs. Whether she's about to go down on him, or if she's on top, or even in a much more innocuous situation, he will absolutely melt into her touch.

Elyse also likes to thread her fingers through his hair, usually when he is using his mouth on her.

Their first time having sex together is also the same day that they have their first kiss. The pining between them was that strong and had been going on for so long, the kiss opened the floodgates to intimacy.

Once they are together, they do have sex somewhat often. The nature of the work they do sometimes leads to the occasional period of time where they simply don't have the energy or aren't in the mood for weeks, sometimes a month or two, however.

Bathing is perhaps their favourite type of non-sexual intimacy. They help each other with their hair, and help to ease any aches and pains, and both quite enjoy the lingering scent of the soap which the other uses on their skin.

When they decide to have a child together after a few years of marriage (bearing in mind Balgruuf's children are in their teens at this point, Frothar is already an adult by this point), it doesn't take long for Elyse to fall pregnant... Though that may have been down to the fact that she already was pregnant by that time (as per the point above, they do have sex somewhat often, and the pregnancy was as a result of a lapse in precautions against pregnancy which they were typically very on top of), and hadn't even realised as it was too early a point to know. (I've started writing a little thing about this actually 😌)

Elyse is the first person that Balgruuf has allowed himself to be vulnerable with, to open himself up for, experience physical intimacy with, and to love in over a decade, since the death of his wife and childhood sweetheart (Frothar and Dagny's mother), and the death of his second lover who he was on the verge of proposing to (Nelkir's mother) (this is all my headcanon, by the way). He confesses as such to her after their first time sleeping together.

In a similar sort of vein, the first time that they have sex is also Elyse's first time in years. Her last relationship with sex was from when she still lived in Cyrodiil, and she never anticipated being able to be with someone for love as opposed to being forced to be with someone as a matter of politics or power upon learning she was Dragonborn (and don't get me wrong, politics and power are involved in their relationship and them getting together, but they had been pining for years at this point and their love is a much stronger factor than those other two combined)

Elyse hates when Balgruuf has very late nights, as she is the 'late to bed, late to rise' person of the two of them. This doesn't happen too often, but she still hates it. She craves his warmth and his touch in bed, whether sexual or not, and it is on these nights (so long as she isn't exhausted) that she will sometimes make do with using her hand. There have been occasions where Balgruuf walks in to the sight of her touching herself, and with her permission will help her finish.

It's not often that Balgruuf masturbates, and it's most often when he desperately misses her at night. On occasions where she isn't in Whiterun because she's handling a dragon or something.

[scribeofskyrim]

Sundas, 22nd of Last Seed, 4E 201

Right now, we’re having lunch at the Bannered Mare.

I need to get us kitted out so we can help Saadia and earn a bit more gold.

This morning Proventus said I could buy a house in the city for 5000 gold. Given the incredible amount of loot I’ve had to pass on simply because I couldn’y carry it, having Lydia to help should make it a piece of cake.

She did snark at me a bit when I handed her some food and drink. “I am sworn to carry your burdens,” she said, and she sounded incredibly tired of it all.

Something makes me wonder if being assigned to me was a punishment rather than a reward. I know a lot of the other guards were looking at me like I was some sort of magical being, but Lydia seems unfazed.

Probably Irileth’s favorite student.

I went out to get more supplies. The smith at the city gates is Adrienne Advenicci, Proventus’s daughter. She implied that her father’s wisdom doesn’t all come from him. Makes sense. She’s a smith and among the people. He’d need to get his information from somewhere.

She showed me how to work her forge, which was nice of her.

You know who’s not nice? Belethor. Good gods, that man gives me the creeps. He’s so slimy he makes a mudcrab look dry. I did some trading with him, and while I left I was certain that he was staring at my ass.

I went to talk to Saadia about those men looking for her, and she pulled a knife on me.

I hate being right all the time.

Luckily, I was able to calm her down, and she said that she was actually Iman, a noblewoman from Hammerfell who spoke out against the Altmeri Dominion. She wants me to get rid of the mercenaries hired to capture her. She’s convinced that if they do, their leader Kematu will either kill her or drag her back to be executed.

Gods forbid a woman have an opinion of her own, let alone voice it!

She said that she heard one of the Alik’r men got captured trying to sneak into the city last night. If he’s still in the dungeon at Dragonsreach, I might be able to learn more about where they're hiding. She promised a nice bounty if I got rid of Kematu for her.

I don’t know if I can handle a whole den of mercenaries, even with Lydia. I have no idea how good she is in a fight, but given that she seems as comfortable in her armor as a fox in its skin, she’s probably a force to be reckoned with. But I can’t ignore the threat to Iman’s life.

What I do know is that I don’t have enough nearly enough gold or gear to go running around the countryside looking for assassins.

Once we’re done with lunch, we’re going to go and retrieve Amren’s father’s sword from those bandits. Bandits mean loot, and if we’re lucky, I can buy that house or at least enough to comfortably outfit a camp for us and get more armor.

-----------

Well, I thought that was what we were doing today. Turns out, I was wrong!

We’re back at the Bannered Mare.

On our way out of the city, we saw a group of three thieves on the road, attacking a group of adventurer types. They must have been desperate, because there were a bunch of guards right there, too! Of course, by the time we got there there was nothing left to do but loot the bodies, so we did.

I decided that we’d better turn back and leave first thing tomorrow. So, I sold what we got and now we’re resting up to find that sword.

[warrenwoodhouse]

No Stone Unturned - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Guide (Game Guides) (Guides) (Warren Guides)

Guide and screenshot (background removed) by @warrenwoodhouse #warrenwoodhouse

As soon as you collect an Unusual Gem and visit an appriser in Riften, the quest begins once you speak to Vex at the Ragged Flagon. You’ll need to find 24 Stones of Barenziah which are found throughout the world. Once found, return back to Vex to begin the next quest.

Books

These books found in the game are related to the quest.

Books - Biography of Barenziah, v1

Books - Biography of Barenziah, v2

Books - Biography of Barenziah, v3

Books - The Real Barenziah, v1

Books - The Real Barenziah, v2

Books - The Real Barenziah, v3

Books - The Real Barenziah, v4

Books - The Real Barenziah, v5

Locations of all of the Stones of Barenziah

1. Burial Chambers - Ansilvund, Eastmarch

2. Stony Creek Cave, Eastmarch

3. House of Clan Shatter-Shield, Windhelm, Eastmarch

4. Jarl’s Quarters - Palace of The Kings, Windhelm, Eastmarch

5. Astrid’s Bedroom - Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, Falkreath, Falkreath Hold (Collect this before the sanctuary burns down during The Dark Brotherhood quest “The Black Sacrament” > Escape the Sanctuary)

6. Bandit’s Sanctuary, Pinewatch, Falkreath Hold

7. Sunderstone Gorge, Falkreath Hold

8. Dainty Sload, Haafingar (Bugged Location. I cleaned out this place before and now I see the stone again. Why?) (2x Stones)

9. Reeking Cave - Thalmor Embassy Dungeon - Thalmor Embassy, Haafingar (Accessed via Thalmor Embassy - Dungeon during the Main Quest “Diplomatic Immunity” > Escape the Thalmor Embassy)

10. Jarl’s Quarters - Blue Palace, Solitude, Haafingar

11. Proudspire Manor, Solitude, Haafingar (Requires: Becoming “Thane of Solitude”)

12. Rannveig’s Fast, Hjaalmarch

13. Dead Crone Rock, The Reach

14. Treasury House, Markarth, The Reach

15. Dwemer Museum - Understone Keep, Markarth, The Reach

16. Black-Briar Lodge, The Rift

17. Jarl’s Quarters - Mistveil Keep, Riften, The Rift

18. Jarl’s Quarters - Dragonsreach, Whiterun, Whiterun Hold

19. Fellglow Keep, Whiterun Hold

20. Kodlak Whitemane’s Bedroom, Living Quarters - Jorrvaskr Living Quarters - Jorrvaskr, Whiterun, Whiterun Hold (Collect this before you join The Volkimir Clan in the Dawnguard DLC. Collect this before becoming a Vampire or Werewolf)

21. Whiterun Catacombs - Whiterun Hall of the Dead, Whiterun, Whiterun Hold

22. Arch-Mage’s Quarters - Hall of Elements - College of Winterhold, Winterhold, Winter Hold

23. Hob’s Fall Cave, Winter Hold

24. Throne Room - Yngvild, Winter Hold

Issues

There is still a bug in this quest with one of the stones sometimes appearing in the same location more than once after a certain number of days have passed in the game. This issue has not been fixed or resolved.

Changelog

3rd September 2024 at 10:58 am: Created post

[nerfblat]

Finished hand-painting this 3D printed Mystic Mug. It’s a sculpt by Ars Moriendi 3D (printed for us by Diabolical Dungeoneer). There are many different mugs in this series. All blank canvases for me to paint. Love the way this one turned out. Chomping at the bit to start the next one.

Watch the little TikTok vid (linked at the top of this post) to see how these mugs work. They’re not your garden variety beverage containment unit.

Side note, anyone else’s autocorrect on their phone always changing TikTok to TimTok? ROFL 😂

[throughtrialbyfire]

Cycle of the Serpent chapter 12

prev. chapter | index

Preview:

 "So," Emeros began, clearing his throat after a brief greeting to the Jarl, "we realized this morning that we had left Dragonsreach without much direction."

 He stood at the front of the group in the grand, sprawling throne room of Dragonsreach, the morning sun catching dust in it's ethereal light. The stone flooring spilled light along the expanse of the hall, brightening the faces of all it's residents as they passed through the room. The people of Dragonsreach went about their morning as usual, with Proventus and the Jarl in conversation over something none of the trio had overheard, Proventus fidgeting and wringing his hands as though the stresses of his duties were slowly getting to him. The long tables on either side of the hearth sprawled with fresh-cooked meals, with some young guards finishing up their morning before heading to the barracks and dungeon for their duties.

 "Ah, Proventus can show you on your map where Ivarstead is," Jarl Balgruuf offered, and when Proventus stepped forward, Emeros shook his head.

 "That's not what I meant, but we appreciate it," he glanced at Athenath, who shuffled nervously on their feet, then to Wyndrelis, who was picking at a stray thread at the end of his tunic, "I was wondering if you could tell us more about what it means to be Dragonborn?"

[thedemocraticallyelectedovahkiin]

Before the Storm

Okay so first things first before I even get my character properly dressed in this episodes gear I found myself attacked by some hired thugs outside the farmhouse. Luckily it was easily dealt with by Uthgerd and my farm workers as I was not dressed for combat. It turned out that the reason they attacked me was because of all that stuff I stole from the warehouse last time

Oops Still at least the chicken got some free entertainment

so first up after I got myself properly dressed I went back to Riften to talk with Tonilia about swapping out a piece of gear

before heading off to Riverwood to talk to Alvor about the events of Helgen that happened (checks watch) four in game months ago now. Sorry about the wait dude

I then made sure to take as much gear as possible from him and his shop to sell back later. (Which is how I got some of the new stuff own below ) I then set off towards Whiterun to start the quest properly

It was as I was riding that I decided to split the next quest Bleak falls Barrow into two as the current quest is rather short and Dragon Rising which happens after the Bleak falls quest is one that I always felt couldn't be put off. And so I decided that going through the dungeon and collecting the Dragonstone would be done this time and actually delivering it would be done the next time the main questline is chosen. Carrying on I quickly made it to Whiterun where I discoverd Dragonsreach

and met Irileth and the dialogue proceeded as follows

Before talking to the Jarl

After which the normal conversation between the Jarl, Irileth and Proventus happened. I just stayed nearby and spun the camera around waiting for it to end and I could go talk to Farengar and get the next quest objective.

Next I set off to Bleak Falls where I found a Frost troll along the path

Lovely Until finally reaching the dungeon itself.

My companions and I made quick work of the bandits around the entrance and we found our self swiftly racing through the dungeon. Although I did stop to watch the bandit kill himself in the puzzle room

Classic. The only things of note along the way to the word wall room was cutting down (well firebolting down) Arvel and then killing him before he could run away and get killed by a dragur. Why let the exp for killing him go to waste. And reading his journel

The next interesting part would be the claw puzzle which was as easy as ever

Before the final boss fight with the dragur overlord that was remarkably easy with three combatants (I didn't even use Undying ghost for this fight it went by that quickly). I then nabbed the Dragonstone and left the barrow thus ending this episode

Quests:

quest lines active: Bleak Falls Barrow pt2 and Dragon Rising (main), Speaking with Silence (thieves guild), Good Intentions (college of winterhold), Whispers in the Dark (dark brotherhood), Bloodlines (dawnguard)

quests started: The Grey Cowl of Nocturnal, A Soul Divided, The Rising Dead, Forbidden Legend, Guest for Dinner, Hendraheim, No Stone Unturned, Dawnguard, The Break of Dawn, When the Cat's Away, The Golden Claw

mic quests: learn more about the thieves guild from Delvin and Vex, return the queen bee statue to Delvin, return honingbrew decanter to Delvin, return east empire shipping map to Delvin, join the Imperial legion, join the Stomcloaks, Talk to the companion leaders for work, speak to the Jarl of Falkreath, speak to Constance Michel about adoption, participate in a drinking contest with Sam Guenvere, Bring a Dwarven arrow to Calcemo, visit the museum in Dawnstar, Find gold ore a mammoth tusk and a flawless sapphire for Madesi, Read Eltry's note

Places Discovered:

Dragons reach

Bleak falls barrow

Enchantment's learned:

Absorb stamina

Soul trap

Spells learned:

N/A

Shouts learned:

Force (Fus), Unrelenting Force

Apparel:

Enchanted heavy armour: Dwarven crown of Winter (Increases your stamina by 40 points. One-handed attacks do 15% more damage. Two-handed attacks do 15% more damage. Stamina regenerates 10% faster) Ward of Seasons (Increases Fire Resistance by 10%. Increases Frost Resistance by 10%. Increases Shock Resistance by 10%. Increases Poison Resistance by 10%) Iron gauntlets of Sure grip (Two handed attacks do 20% more damage) Dwarven boots of waning fire (Increases fire resistance by 30%) Dwarven shield of dwindling magic (Increases Magic Resistance by 15%)

Unenchanted heavy armour: Silver helmet Orcish plate armour Orcish gauntlets Silver boots Falmer shield

Enchanted light armour: Thieves guild hood (Prices are 15% better) Thieves guild armor (carrying capacity increased by 20 points) Thieves guild gloves (lockpicking is 15% easier) Thieves guild boots (pickpocket success is 15% better) Elven shield of Fire suppression (Increases fire resistance by 50%)

Unenchanted light armour: Scaled helmet Elven gilded armor Orcish scaled gauntlets Scaled boots Elven shield

Enchanted clothing: Shrouded hood (sneaking is 25% better) Shrouded robes (destruction costs 15% less to cast) Shrouded hand wraps (Double sneak attack damage with one-handed weapons) Shrouded shoes (Wearer is muffled and moves silently)

Unenchanted clothing: Fine hat Fine clothes Gloves Boots

Amulets: Amulet of Arkay (Increases health by 10 points) Amulet of Dibella (+15 Speechcraft) Amulet of Kynareth (Increases your Stamina by 10 points) Amulet or Stendarr (Block 10% more with your shield) Amulet of Talos (Time between shouts is reduced 20%) Saarthal amulet (Spells cost 3% less to cast) Gauldur amulet fragment (Increases magicka by 30 points) Gauldur amulet fragment (Increases health by 30 points) Necklace of minor smithing (Weapons and armor can be improved 12% better)

Rings enchanted ring (Increases health by 20 points) Muiri's ring (Created potions are 15% more powerful)

Weapons:

Forsworn bow

Crossbow

Orcish battleaxe

Dwarven greatsword

Elven warhammer

Ebony war axe

Dwarven mace

Honed Flamer sword

Dragon Priest dagger

Staffs:

Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson(Target takes 25 points of damage, and twice as much Magicka damage)

Staff of Magelight(Ball of light that lasts 60 seconds and sticks where it strikes)

Goblin totem staff (Lightning bolt that does 40 points of shock damage to healt and half to magicka, then leaps to a new target)

Staff of Sparks (Lightning that does 8 points of shock damage to health and magicka per second)

Steel staff of War (Elemental damage that does 4 points per second to health, magicka and stamina. Targets on fire take extra damage)

Staff of the Familiar (Summons a familiar for 60 seconds whereber the caster id pointing)

Wooden Staff of Shaming (Creatures and people up to level 8 flee from combat for 60 seconds)

Staff of Fury (Creatures and people up to level 4 will attack anything nearby for 60 seconds)

Forsworn Staff of Flames (A gout of fire that does 8 points per second. Targets on fire take extra damage)

Staff of Calm (Creatures and people up to level 8 won't fight for 30 seconds)

Staff of Frostbite (A blast of cold that does 8 points of damage per second to Health and Stamina)

When polling please be aware bows and two handed weapons will be included in the right hand poll while crossbows, staffs and shields are in the left. Also I have decided to implement a rule where if an option is chosen twice in a row for the next two polls it will be left out of rotation. This is to help to encourage us to mix up what we do a bit more.

[dunmercatadventures]

Entry 17: Loredas, 30th Last Seed, 4E201

Another eventful day, and one that has set a few paths in front of me.

We spent the evening at the Bannered Mare, and this morning Khajiit found a lost journal from some other adventurer. It said he had been hired by some Altmer collector whose family had been cursed to always need to add to their collection, and sent to Whiterun to track down a thief who had been caught after stealing the Ring of Khajiit for him. Conveniently enough, the fool's journal pointed me to the Dragonsreach dungeon, so I was able to investigate after speaking with Farengar. The spellbook this one noticed yesterday turned out to not be all that interesting, but she did find an Elemental Flare spell. It's a strain on my magica reserves, but I soon found it quite powerful! Lucien purchased a tome for conjuring a spectral wolf, and he's treating it like a damn puppy.

The dungeons were easy to sneak into, and this one found a grate that led to a tunnel mentioned in that journal. I will forever curse my lack of my mother's Night Eye, one of the worse aspects of my mixed blood, but luckily there was a torch handy, so I was able to find my way to where the thief stashed their ring, and a note about the locations of a few other magic rings that are sure to fetch a nice deal at the museum. The only problem, that N'wah stole the wrong ring! I've seen drawings and replicas of this artifact, and it's definitely not this Nordic gold band with an emerald. At least I was able to pawn it off to the general store for a good price, and I've still got some leads.

Before I left the palace though, that Breton man by the Jarl's side gave me a notice for a promising job: ride to the Traitor's Post and rescue a kidnapped merchant from some bandits. It was a long way, near Windhelm, but I took it anyway. This one had finally made enough to purchase a horse, so despite the rain, we set out at noon. After a few encounters with wolves and a pair of savage beasts Faendel called Sabrecats, we made it to the Post. It was full if bandits, and for reasons I have yet to discern, the swits were under seige by the Camonna Tong. The current guess is they had a contract out on the leader, or were there to save the merchant. Regardless, we managed to take them all down thanks to the chaos, but we were too late for the merchant. Poor bastard was nude and strapped to a chair by the hearth. We've holed up here for the evening; the rotting walls don't do too much to keep out the cold, but khajiit would rather camp here than go into the city and deal with the locals. I'm considering "borrowing" some armor from one of the Tong, it's not like many here would recognize it, let alone call me out for impersonation.

[cables-and-wires]

mfer living in the dragonsreach dungeon

op is posting from tamriel. or perhaps the lands between

[themegachessatron]

A Review of my time in Skyrim's Prisons (Featuring some followers): Morthal Jail

I'm back on my Skyrim prison bullshit. I can only apologise. This chapter of the review will cover Morthal, the community's collective 9th favourite Skyrim city. Will its prison fall just as flat as the city that holds it?

Arriving in my cell for the first time and I'm pleasantly surprised. Morthal Jail uses cost effective but cozy bedrolls to give prisoners a place to sleep, as well as a complimentary bucket and broom to encourage their responsibility in helping tidy their accommodations. From these we can immediately infer that the mindset in Morthal is one of community strength. Placing multiple prisoners in one cell helps build bonds and encourages teamwork, communication and friendship. Admittedly the sorts that end up in prison are more likely to simply beat their cellmates to death with their bare hands than work in-tandem with them, but it's the thought that counts.

There was space for three prisoners in this one cell, which was fortunate as Sofia and I had been arrested simultaneously (Sofia for drunken hooliganism and myself for lollygagging). Included on Sofia's side of the cell was an additional bucket, this likely serving as the simple but effective waste deposit for this cell. Also included was a basket containing five green apples and multiple sacks. Most of the sacks were empty but one of them had some salt piles inside, useful for when we needed to add salt to somebody's wounds. These simple supplies show a level of understanding for prisoner's needs not really seen in most other prisons which goes a long way to making this one feel more welcoming. Thankfully I was given an opportunity to explore beyond my cell not much later.

Less than a minute after Sofia and I had arrived in our cells, Inigo walked up to the cell doors... and simply opened them. I was at a loss for words! How had he done this? Had he used his special Khajiit powers again? Did he steal the key from an unsuspecting guard? Or had he simply intimidated the door into giving way? Well as it tuns out it was much simpler than that. He paid our bail. He had picked up some trace valuables from our adventures while I was, and I quote, "too busy scarfing dragon souls as if they were sweet rolls" and could very easily afford the rather meager bail price. Yeah turns out lollygagging doesn't incur that high of a bounty, and as for Sofia, I had asked a guard and he told me that since Morthal is such a nothing shithole drunken hooliganism is a very common offence and as such more major punishments weren't really practical for having a city with people not in prison. Still, it gave me the chance to freely observe the rest of the facilities.

Leaving my cell had allowed me to freely confirm something I had observed inside my cell. The Morthal guard leave the prisoner belongings chests directly next to the prison cells, in plain view of all the prisoners. Now, I understand that this prison is trying to build a feeling of mutual trust in its prisoners, but I fear this is far too optimistic. With the chests in this position, any wannabe escapist can freely identify where their equipment is held and try to access it without even being in the peripheral view of any guards, leading them to easily re-acquire their trusty Banded Iron Shield of the Major Knight or whatever it is they use and be more than prepared to force their way to freedom without major harm. This, much like the issues plaguing Dragonsreach Dungeon, is a major security breach and should be remedied.

I (the rather large Redguard man in the rags pictured above) then noticed that the entire prison floor in this hold was being guarded by a single solitary guardsman. Initially I had considered this lack of manpower a major oversight and a suggestion that the Morthal guard were largely lazy and/or not effectively utilized like the Whiterun guards. However, in reflection shortly after coming to this conclusion, I came to a realization. This city is a nothing shithole with a total named population of eighteen people (three of which are children). Of course there's only one guard stationed here. What few guards this city has stationed here are likely stretched incredibly thin and not very satisfied with life given they do, in fact, live in Morthal. As such, I can readily forgive the short-staffed nature of this jail.

Opposite the guard was a desk for writing legal documentations, equipped with a writer's quill, rolls of paper and multiple bottles of wine. Naturally at the sight of alcohol Sofia immediately made herself at home and then took some serious persuading to leave. Turns out having an alcohol-happy workspace in a city where drunken hooliganism is let off lightly is exactly the sort of thing to get her attention, though knowing her should have made that obvious.

The way out of the jail floor leads directly into the guard barracks with zero alternative routes and multiple guards inside at all times, which in any other hold would act as a strong defence against escaping convicts. However, with this being Morthal the nothing shithole and the guards being so few in number, every guard in the barracks when I entered was fast asleep, catching up on any rest they could possibly get. I pity those soldiers, but I doubt thieves, murderers and other more serious convicts would be as sympathetic.

On the whole, I found Morthal Prison to be a much better facility than Dragonsreach Dungeon. It has a clear intention for its captives in mind, it accommodates them well without breaking the bank and the guards (what ones are still awake that is) are very nice and understanding. There are still faults however, namely the placement of the prisoner belongings chests and the fact that this is still, at the end of the day, Morthal. Despite these though, I'd recommend Morthal Prison. It serves as a diamond in the swampy messy shithole that is Hjaalmarch.

Final rating: Seven Banded Iron Shields of the Major Knight out of Ten Banded Iron Shields of the Major Knight

Thank you for entertaining these reviews of mine. Next time we see if the Dawnstar Jail is the reason why all of the city's residents are troubled by endless nightmares.

[vigilance-of-stenvar]

Waiting outside Dragonsreach Dungeon again for my wife! 3rd time this week! Shes such a responsible citizen!

[themonsterundermystairs]

i was recently in dragonsreach with lucien, inigo and everyone else. when i left, i noticed lucien was gone. according to the resonance sphere he was in dragonsreach. i looked everywhere and eventually found him. in a locked jail cell in the dragonsreach dungeon. i would have expected this from inigo or serana, but you lucien? i always thought you were a good law-abiding citizen

[umbracirrus]

Sneaky little WIP for the next chapter of The Perfect Storm-!!!!

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“N-Now, surely we can work something out, right?” the woman frantically babbled, grasping at the stolen jewellery about her neck. “Everyone loves jewels and gold! Take it and let me live!” She yanked it all as hard as she could, before throwing them in her direction. Elyse frowned and shook her head.

“The only way in which you are living is if you are going to the Dragonsreach dungeons.”

The bandit’s nostrils flared at that remark, before she grabbed the mace which was strapped to her hip. “You fucking bitch!” She lunged forward. “It took me weeks to get out of that shithole and away from that good-for-nothing Jarl!” She barely just missed Elyse, but it had her in arm’s reach, so she went in for a second blow aimed directly at her head. “I’m not going back!”

Elyse quickly raised her blades to block the blow. The steel edge of the weapon was mere inches from her forehead. The bandit was seemingly applying as much physical strength as she could, as it was slowly getting closer and closer to hitting its mark. However, Elyse was quick to push back. The metallic ringing that filled the air as the weapons scraped against each other made her wince, but that didn’t stop her from beginning an attack of her own.

There was just something about what had been said which had which had stoked a fire within her, and Elyse could feel anger behind her every action.

The bandit was stumbling back, trying to avoid each swipe, each thrust, each swing, all whilst attempting to find an opportunity to attack herself. She never got the opportunity to do that though, as she ended up at the edge of a wall, with the only way for her to go being towards Elyse’s blade, or to fall to the ground far below. Blood was slipping from numerous small cuts and nicks across her skin, and one much more serious-looking laceration across her forearm.

“Last chance,” Elyse snapped, teeth gritted as she pointed one of her blades at her throat. “Dragonsreach. Or die.”

When a character gets angry and lashes out because somebody insulted a character which they love (or better yet, that they love but don't realise that they love) ahhhhh <3

[moonlit-beginnings]

Blind Faith

“Alright, cat, you’re coming with me.”

M’nari could only flinch as she felt the rough, leather-covered hand on her shoulder. A weary expression crossed her face, only compounded as the smug satisfaction of a Redguard nobleman - who seemed to have an obsession with a part of Whiterun called “the Cloud District” for some reason - was made apparent at her arrest.

“But I didn’t do anything...” “That’s what they all say. We’ll take you to the dungeons and check your belongings there.”

The cat’s ears drooped and her tail curled around her leg. She was already wearing tattered clothing at best, and carrying spares in a torn knapsack - what more indignities could the guards want her to suffer through?

Still, she was in no position to protest her innocence. She probably had stolen something from one of the stalls, at some point - she just couldn’t remember. The Khajiit merely trudged along as the firm hand began to direct her towards Dragonsreach.