#can those Draugr attack the priest

[juniperberries-canisroot]

I thought Dragon Priests and Draugr wouldn't attack each other.

I guess the Dragon Priest and Draugr at the end of DimHollow Crypt got some ongoing centuries beef. Neither detected my char, Serana or the Dremora Lord that was probably with me at the time so they started fighting each other. Obviously the Draugr died but it was interesting to see.

[moodcrab]

Fixing Skyrim's Main Quest

Part III (A)

You're Finally Awake

You awake in your prison cell at Winterhold. You can speak to your cellmates, a horse thief named Lokir who is having a nervous breakdown and blames his misfortune on your other cellmate, Rala (girl Ralof), who will exposit about being a Stormcloak scout who got caught, and, in hushed tones, that we shouldn't worry, the Stormcloaks are coming to liberate the city soon! He will ask who you are (character creation) and how you ended up here. There are several options you can pick as a back story, one race specific one, and a "I can't remember/mind your business!" option if none of those fit your backstory.

Enter Hadvar, who seems to know Rala. From their conversation you gleam they are brother and sister and grew up happily in a village called Riverwood, before politics split them apart. Hadvar wants Rala to betray the location of the incoming Stormcloak attack, so that he can get her out of execution. She refuses, and though it saddens Hadvar he seems to respect her loyalty. During the conversation Rala will refer to Ulfric Stormcloak not only as "True High King" which Hadvar will disagree with, but as "Dragonborn" which Hadvar will treat as almost blasphemous. Rala will respond with something about the banning of Talos.

Towards the end of the conversation you see other prisoners being led out behind Hadvar. Times up. They are leading you out to the headsman's block. As you exit the dungeon you are hit by the bright, beautiful snowy land of Skyrim, you can look around you as you are led through the busy streets of the large bustling city of Winterhold. A large fantastical building, The College, looms in the skyline.

Just as execution seems imminent, the Stormcloak rescue mission erupts from hiding! But just as the two sides prepare to charge each other... Something happens that puts fear into both parties. A bone chilling roar followed by tremors in the earth. From the north, the vast black shadow of Alduin descends on us all.

Still bound, you flee from the dragon as around you the whole city is collapsing into the Sea of Ghosts. You get a close call from Alduin and a great view of the city around the College falling away leaving the College untouched. You get separated from the other prisoners, and get a choice to follow Rala or Hadvar. Together you descend into Winterhold's Halls of the Dead. "That was a Dragon! OMG!" Just inside you find the body of the Priest of Orkey and his lootable robes and healing spell tome. Hadvar/Rala remarks that the priest has been stabbed, not killed by the dragon attack. Who could have done this?

The lone draugr shambles towards you, lootable blade drawn. Hadvar/Rala will sound surprised to see one here. After you kill it, they shall explain that the odd draugr might be known to attack grave robbers or unsuspecting explorers in some ancient ruined tomb out in the wilderness, but here in a city? With a priest tending to the Hall? You continue through the Hall, there's a passage into the mountains he tells you, but crypts around you start popping open, you get a quick go at archery and stealth during draugr fights but this dungeon won't be drawn out.

Eventually you'll bump into Rala/Hadvar, whoever you didn't go with, who has arrived via a separate tunnel with some of their soldiers. They will try to hold their soldiers back and focus on escape, but a fight breaks out as the earth is still quaking around you threatening to implode the tunnels at any minute. In the chaos, the sibling you entered with is killed by the other, and you flee for the exit.

And that's how we begin. You'll exit the tunnel alone as it collapses behind you. You won't be funneled to any particular settlement or quest. There is a mountain between you and Winterhold to stop an immediate return, but nowhere is off limits either. Let's rundown the major changes and discuss why I made them.

Oh and Lokir got shot.

Location. We're in Winterhold, which is now a proper city, not Helgan. Pretty much, if we're going to destroy a settlement let's do it properly. The Great Collapse in vanilla Skyrim was undercooked, let's actually experience it first hand and appreciate the devastation on return visits. The Collapse will be big news, and people will gossip about how Jarl Korir, who lost his son in the attack, is going full Stormcloak because the Empire is not coming through with aid. He, as well as Nords in general, will be highly suspect of the College for surviving untouched, shoving a bigger wedge between Nordic society and mages (First the Oblivion Crisis, now this!?)

Hadvar and Ralof. Changing Ralof to a woman is literally just change for the sake of change. Like, why not? But making them siblings rather than vague acquaintances really sets up how divisive the Civil War will be. Making one kill the other will really set the tone here. Whichever one happens to survive your playthrough will become a fucked up guilt and grief driven character if you side with them, someone you can help or condemn, and if you side against them they'll be like a mini boss in a CW battle. It did cross my mind to make them lovers instead of siblings but I think this will be better off elsewhere, like with Jon and Olfina in Whiterun.

Ulfric and Tulius. They aren't here. It never made much sense to me why Tulius wouldn't kill Ulfric on the spot. From the Empire's perspective, no trial is necessary, he's a murderer and a traitor. Vanilla Tulius not only took Ulfric to a town (not even the nearest one) he planned to execute him AFTER a horse thief and the stranger in rags. It makes no sense.

The Halls of the Dead sequence allows you to tutorial basic combat/magic/stealth quickly whilst also putting the insane amount of draugr you are about to fight in this game into context. Draugr are a thing, but now they are rising en mas, and it has something to do with the Dragons. When a dragon attacks a city the dead shall rise, people will be unable to visit their ancestral barrows anymore.

Pacing. Above all I wanted to put the world of Skyrim into context in as short a time possible for the benefit of replayability. Playing vanilla Skyrim without an alternative start mod is torture. We've done away with the lengthy carriage ride that showcases a mechanic that doesn't exist in the rest of the game. We get into the action of the Dragon attack quickly but without sacrificing tension and the tutorial dungeon is much shorter.

For more context check out

Part One - Setting:

https://www.tumblr.com/moodcrab/713523288690802688/fixing-skyrims-main-quest

Part Two - Backstory:

https://www.tumblr.com/moodcrab/714501541554454528/fixing-skyrims-main-quest

[supervillain-smut]

Here's your chance to flesh out Samrafi. I pick A-Z 👀 I love hearing about others characters

Thank you so, so much!!!

A.) What is their preferred class? (Battlemage, nightblade, spellsword, ect)

She's an archer, through and through, but is also a bard of sorts, loving to shout.

B.) What is their opinion of their "homeland"?

She doesn't know much about it, at least not enough to form an opinion, especially not political ones.

D.) How is their love life?

Very empty, more platonic love than romantic love although she doesn't mind it, she does have those moments where she stares that little bit too long at Cicero, meanwhile he's blissfully unaware how much she really cares about him and that she yearns for more of a relationship with him.

E.) Worst adventuring experience?

Probably facing the Dragon Priest Otar. She had told Cicero to stay put in case the puzzle left her trapped, and ended up facing him alone. She had never wanted Cicero back by her side so badly. She felt like a child, and hated every second of it.

F.) Best adventuring experience?

Dragon Priest Vokun. She had heard of them, but and never seen or faced one, and the fact that she and Cicero did it together, back to back as he shielded her from his magic attacks with an Ebony Shield as she peeked out from it occasionally to fire an arrow or three, it was thrilling. It was also the first time she showed extreme affection to Cicero, jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly.

G.) Their most hated animal/creature in Tamriel?

Falmer and Dragons, naturally. The Falmer are a genuine challenge, meanwhile Dragons have proven to be nothing but pests, save Paarthurnax.

H.) What animals can they not resist petting?

Horses! She fell in love with her black and white Eowyn from Markarth, and Shadowmere has been spoiled rotten, as stated by Lucien off-handedly.

I.) Their opinion on necromancy?

She despised it initially, but after meeting Lucien and hearing about what happened to him, she considered it. Secretly looking to see if she could bring him back to a physical state rather than just force, but it never came to be.

K.) What are classes they are interested in but have no talent for?

Pickpocketing, just being a thief in general, one-handed weapons and alchemy! She refuses to put foreign things in her mouth, and thus learns nothing about the ingredient.

L.) Most painful memory?

Cicero, curled up in agony, begging to be spared, as well as when he went down to a Draugr Overlord; she swept up his shield and stood in front of him, bashing the Draugr away from him with such ferocity, Cicero hardly recognized her.

M.) What specific individuals do they consider their enemies?

Astrid, may she suffer eternally, and Mercer Frey, for enacting the same crimes as Astrid.

N.) What specific individuals do they consider close friends?

Cicero, M'aiq gives her a good laugh while on the road when they meet, Lucien, Kharjo for his loyalty to the traders and Sheogorath, oddly enough. It was a fun experience, not having to take herself seriously for once, and a breath of fresh air. It was intoxicating and exhilarating.

O.) Favorite artifacts? Can be of any origin.

All the Dragon Priest masks she's collected thus far, as well as the Dragon Claws and the Wabbajack. She's absolutely in love with anything glass she finds, too!

P.) Favorite fields of study? Does not have to pertain to their class.

Sneaking and Lockpicking, as well as dabbling in spellcasting; mostly things to heal her companions and her quicker than a health potion.

R.) Vampire, lycanthrope, or neither, and why? And if either, what type of lycan, or are they a vampire lord?

Neither, personally, but she favors vampires, hearing the tales of Vicente Valtieri from Lucien, and being fairly close to Babette.

T.) What was the most difficult decision they've ever made?

To kill Astrid with the Blade of Woe, or let her fade. She killed her quickly once she explained she was an offering.

V.) What is their mental health like? Or their physical health?

She has a lot of anxiety over those she cares about, and goes through a couple of depression bouts, but she's very strong, resilient.

W.) Do they drink? Ale, mead, wine, or something else?

Neither normally, but when the sanctuary fell she got herself absolutely pissed with Cicero and Nazir once safe in Dawnstar as Babette just shook her head at them.

X.) Have they ever tried Skooma?

No. After she saw what it did to that woman in Riften and helped tear the whole operation down, she's not even taken a second glance at the stuff.

Y.) Do they ever wish their lives could have been different?

Initially, yes. After finding her home with the Brotherhood, and getting the hang of the whole Dragonborn deal she never looked back. Cicero helps her look to the future rather than the past.

Q, S, Z and C, J, U

[theluceygoosey]

Skyrim’s Forelhost vs. Jonestown (and other famous doomsday cults)

Perhaps I’m more interested in cults than the average person, but I am actually surprised that there isn’t more discussion on how the quest in Skyrim to learn about what happened to the Dragon Cult at Forelhost has so many elements taken from actual doomsday cults. Therefore, I’m going to list out what I’ve noticed. Some of what I’m about to outline is pretty graphic (suicide, manipulation, murder, infanticide etc.) so if you don’t want to read about that, then... don’t!

I’ll get the most obvious connection out of the way first. The most famous doomsday cults from the 20th century (Peoples Temple (Jonestown), Branch Davidians (Waco), Heaven’s Gate) are famous because they ended in suicide, just like the dragon cultists in Forelhost. They trusted in their leaders that they would be “reborn” if they had the faith to die at their own hands. This is the obvious allusion, but it is in no way the only one depicted in Forelhost. 

Just like at Jonestown, the cultists in Forelhost primarily committed suicide by poisoning. However, just like at Jonestown, not EVERYONE chose to die this way. There were considerably more bodies lying around Forelhost than there were poison bottles, so it’s safe to assume that some of the suicides were done by blade. During the events of November 18th, 1978, there was a small number of Jonestown cultists that were in neighboring Georgetown. One of these women, Sharon Amos, famously killed her children and herself with a knife after hearing the commands of their leader, Jim Jones. 

The dragon cultists that did willingly die by poison retired to their beds before dying, evidenced by all the bodies lying in beds as you first breach into Forelhost. This is very similar to the deaths of Heaven’s Gate believers, who all died lying in their beds (photo below). It’s also similar to Jonestown, where bodies were found embracing throughout the compound (although it is widely accepted that their bodies were manipulated by some of Jones’s faithful to create this scene).  

The cultists at Forelhost poisoned the water supply. While this was assumed to primarily be to kill the intruders, it is safe to assume that this was to kill any cultists with doubts as well. Even if they didn’t willingly want to die, they would. Not everyone that died at Jonestown did so willingly, and while they did not poison the water supply, they did resort to forcible injections.

The suicides at Forelhost happened towards the end of a long siege, much like the suicides that took place on the Branch Davidians’ compound in Waco, Texas in 1993. The siege of Forelhost lasted 41 days, while the siege at Waco lasted 51. In both of these standoffs, the government’s forces were responsible for several deaths of the cultists, and several of the government’s forces were killed in the process.

Also like the massacre at Waco, the cultists in Forelhost caused destruction of their hide out. The dragon cultists caused a cave-in (and had oil spread all throughout the stronghold, making it safe to assume that fire was a consideration,) while the Branch Davidians in Waco are believed to have set their stronghold, called Mount Carmel, on fire themselves. 

One of the eerie similarities I noticed was the body of a draugr under a bed in Forelhost. This was very similar to a woman (Catherine Hyacinth) who famously hid under her bed to avoid death in Jonestown.

Notes found throughout Forelhost indicate that Rahgot, the Dragon Priest that presided over them, had visions that led his followers to believe that there was no way out, so they had to die. This is very similar to what Jim Jones did towards the end at Jonestown, convincing his followers that he had visions that they were under attack and that death was the only option.

Rahgot worked with his alchemists to make the poisons, but seeing as there was ample Deathbell throughout the garden, it seems as though the mass suicide was premeditated to some degree. This is also similar to what happened in Jonestown. When the cult first relocated to Guyana in the early 1970′s, they brought cyanide and Flavor Aid (not Kool Aid!) with them. They had the mass suicide planned from the beginning.

The most disturbing turn of events in the quest through Forelhost is the discovery of the bodies of the children in the garden, but to those who know the history of Jonestown, this wasn’t a surprise. Not only were the children poisoned at Jonestown, but they were killed first and their bodies were laid out in the garden. This similarity between Forelhost and Jonestown was the most chilling to me, as it could not be coincidence. (Photo below from Elizabeth’s Skyrim Screenshots). 

From the notes found around Forelhost, it’s apparent that Rahgot oversaw the entire process, much like Jim Jones did at Jonestown. He would have ordered his alchemists (or in Jim Jones’ case, his nurses) to prepare the poisons, and then to kill the children first.

The dissenter. The similarity that confirmed the writers of the Forelhost quest had done their research on Jonestown to me was the inclusion of the dissenter. At Forelhost, you see notes regarding a dissenter named Froda who is being instructed not to interfere with the alchemists. Froda is fighting for the lives of the children and ultimately, it’s discovered that Rahgot’s patience with this dissenter eventually wore out. Her body, pierced with arrows and a sword, can be found near their letters. At Jonestown, there was a dissenter named Christine Miller who fought Jim for the chance to live, especially for the children. On the tapes that were recorded from Jonestown, you can hear Christine’s valiant effort to dissuade Jim from killing the children. Just like at Forelhost, however, Christine is believed to have been forcibly injected with cyanide and killed against her will.

Just like at Jonestown, the leader is given special treatment at Forelhost. While all the other cultists hastily committed suicide and their bodies littered the stronghold, Rahgot was placed ceremoniously into his sarcophagus, assumed to not have faced the same fate as his followers. At Jonestown, Jim was killed by a single bullet wound to the head - a much less agonizing death than the cyanide he provided for his followers.

And there you have it. That’s what I’ve been able to come up with from my limited knowledge of the infamous American doomsday cults of the 20th century and my several playthroughs of this quest in Skyrim. I’m sure I missed some, so if you find any yourselves, let me know. 

[holoir]

Death Hound, the ninth card of the FrostSpark Collection for The Elder Scrolls Legends has been revealed at TwitchCon by Bethesda. With the purple Endurance attribute being the one that has consistently the most powerful creatures in the game, Death Hound is no exception: a 5-cost Beast + (Skeleton — to be confirmed) with powerful stats of 6/6 and Guard.

Sounds like another powerhouse, but similar to the 2-cost 5/5 Siege Catapult, or the 4-cost 7/7 Imprisoned Deathlord, the Death Hound also comes with a bit of a caveat. The card reads: “Death Hound’s power is equal to its health”. It’s a new effect, that can swing both ways – when Health is increased the Power also grows; when Health is reduced, the Power goes down as well. With this, Death Hound will be one of the first targets to see other creatures going against it and being a Guard, there is little you can do about this – no hiding in Shadow Lane, no hiding behind other Guards. I think the creature just hopes that everyone runs away from it’s fierceness, but when opposed, he can be like a poor, little dog and almost run away subdued…

Let’s look at the card using Quadrant Theory.

Opening

Death Hound is a big body for sure. This makes him a good option to look at, when building Dominate Aggro decks. While players struggle for board control in the early game, Death Hound can certainly trade favorably into two smaller creatures. However, if attacked by a 3/2 Charge and a 4/4 on the same turn, your opponent’s 4/4 will prevail as a 4/1. In contrast, Indomitable Ordinator a 5-cost 5/5 Guard would eat both of them, as his power value is not diminishing. In addition, the Ordinator can be Exalted by 1 magicka so that he cannot be targeted with actions. With Destruction Tutor (another card in the FrostSpark Collection), damage-actions just got a lot cheaper. So, actions can also be used very effectively to beat-down the power of the Death Hound, before trading into him. In Endurance, there are also cards like Shadowfen Priest or Hallowed Deathpriest that compete for the 5-cost slot. While Death Hound has better stats, both cards provide also a very powerful effect. In Warrior decks, the Death Hound is competing with Sower of Revenge as a 5-drop. The Hound has slightly better stats, but cannot deal 5 damage like the Sower would. In Scout decks, he is competing with Blighted Werebat and Brynjolf who both gain health, and in Spellsword, Redoran or Telvanni, there is also no lack of good 5-drops. So, while Death Hound is a really powerful creature, and he will see play, he might not be as good during the Opening phase of the game, as his stats would suggest.

Parity

At Parity, where the game board is stabilised and players have run out of cards, drawing Death Hound as a top deck would be a great draw. His power can shine here and you can pick the lane that needs defending and where the power distribution of your opponent’s creature gives you the best trades. Most likely will he be able to protect your other creatures in that lane for one round of further damage, and can get you another good round of beat down. Or you can play him into the empty lane and try to force your opponent to play in the other lane as well.

Winning

As you set-up a winning board position to put the opponent on a 2-3 turn clock, the Death Hound will equally support you with this. Your opponent might not have enough answers to play around him quickly enough. If your opponent does not manage to reduce the Death Hound’s health and power during his turn you have a very interesting opportunity to turn him into something bigger. All items that increase only Health would allow you to pull his power value up.

Losing

When to regain control of the board his body can help you absorb probably two swings, so this is certainly a way to buy you some time. However, you will most likely not kill both of those creatures that swing into the Death Hound. So in this quadrant he is a good, but not an excellent card.

Synergies

Enchanted Plate

Imperial Armor

Imposter’s Mission

Health-boosting items and Imposter’s Mission

When you play Death Hound into an empty lane there is this moment of silent prayer, where you will hope that your opponent cannot immediately Charge or otherwise damage your Death Hound with actions on their turn. With an unanswered Death Hound and an health-boosting item, such as Imperial Armor (Enchanted Plate, Redoran Battlespear or Hackwing Feather would also qualify with smaller effects though) you get an additional 6/6 to swing with – ideally a 12/12 creature. With another 4-magicka for Imposter’s Mission, you can get another 12/12 onto the board. Of course, for 9 magicka, you can play Death Hound and the Imposter directly. Maybe this can be an interesting idea for some OTK decks.

Health-Boosts and Healing in Spellsword

Summerset Shield Mage

Cleric of Kyne

East Empire Crafter

Bruma Profiteer

Restoration Tutor

In addition to the items, there are other creatures in Endurance or Willpower that could be used to boost the Death Hound’s Health. Bruma Armorer, or Cleric of Kyne provide the best boost, Summerset Shieldmage and East Empire Crafter do a little bit extra. Also any card, that provides Healing could make the Death Hound stick for another turn or two.

Galyn, Maple Shield, Shadowmere and Mentor’s Ring OTK

A rather meme-ish OTK option would be to use Galyn – the Shelterer to boost the Death Hound to 9/9 and then Maple Shields for 12/12 (with Goblin Scout) and a Charge creature (Shadowmere) with Mentor’s Ring.

Avoiding the Health-Beatdown

So you want to avoid your Death Hound getting damaged? Certainly, you could use Ward to protect him from at least a ping. A smarter move could be to use Grappling Hook to move (the only) one creature out of his lane and let him be uncontested. Another option is self-silencing him; in Scout you could even Shadow Shift him into the Shadow Lane for Cover protection.

Skeleton Tribal (not fully confirmed yet)

As Blood Hound is a Beast, but also a Skeleton, both Bone Collector and Skeleton Champion will give him a boost of +1/+1. Not a lot, but he might also be a decent guard to hide Grim Champion and Deathless Draugrs next to him. I see a Halloween-themed deck coming up.

Disclaimer: As the card was revealed on Twitch, player’s asked about the secondary race of the Death Hound and asked whether it was Skeleton. CVH was not 100% sure, so maybe it can also be Vampire, as Death Hounds are guard creatures for Vampires)

Counterplays

Cruel Firebloom

Brutal Ashlander

Weakness

Laydown Arms

Dawnbreaker

We have heard about Charge creatures as possible counterplays. In addition, any action that deals damage, such as Cruel Firebloom or Lightning Bolt or any Last Gasp effect that can deal damage to a creature (like Brutal Ashlander) can be a big help in beating down the health and the power of the Death Hound at the same time. In addition, any action that reduces health, such as Weakness, or Lay Down Arms (etc.) can be pretty helpful. Since he is a Skeleton, he is equally vulnerable against Dawnbreaker’s special removal ability. ,

Death Hound – Uses, Synergies and Counterplays Death Hound, the ninth card of the FrostSpark Collection for The Elder Scrolls Legends has been revealed at TwitchCon by Bethesda.