#ustengrav

[skyrim-dungeon-ratings]

Ustengrav

RATING: 7/10

Sometimes I like to jokingly call a dungeon my ‘wife’. With Ustengrav, it feels very much like she is.

Every time I go to Ustengrav I am delighted and surprised by something I did not notice before. From the little chain I found in a room I’d never touched before that opened up a secret chest room to the fact if you get stuck between the doors when doing the Whirlwind Sprint puzzle there’s chains that open them, or the fact this was my first time taking it slow and doing her legitimately (and discovering her anew as I do) there’s always something to enjoy about Ustengrav.

It’s really one of the dungeons that makes you wonder what this tomb would have been like back then. And yet, come the end of the day, she occupies the same niche as BFB and the Thalmor Embassy; done over and over again. She might not teach as much as BFB, but the shout-puzzles are a good way to coax the player into using them with more frequency.

Also shoutout to the fire jet floor. Really makes you grateful that Light Feet is a perk.

[my-screenshot-dump]

[myscreenshotdumpblog]

[skyrimaesthetics]

Ustengrav Main Chamber

[stormbeyondreality]

[helgiafterdark]

[lakeviewcellar]

Horn restored

[incorrectskyrimquotes]

Since it's getting late, Eryn decides to talk to Ulfric Stormcloak the next day. She heads into Candlehearth Hall for the night, mostly looking for a decent bed and meal.

Rolff approaches her, but one look from her and he thinks better of it. She grabs a couple drinks. She gets to talking with Captain Lonely-Gale at least, who seems friendly enough. Eryn also SERIOUSLY blushes when Susanna says "my beauty."

It's truly not often she's hit on in any respectful way, but Susanna seems genuine. They talk quite a while too, and Susanna mentions the recent string of murders.

The next morning, Eryn heads to the Palace of Kings. She doesn't really think about what she's going to say. She mostly doesn't think she has to, can't she just sign up?

Well, turns out Ulfric Stormcloak is used to people being intimidated by him, and is more than surprised when Eryn mostly isn't. When Ulfric asks if he knows her, she mentions that she bled on him. She takes her hood off, showing her face. Ulfric remembers then that she was the woman at Helgen.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to become a Stormcloak." Eryn says it like she thinks it's obvious. Because, to her, it is. Why else would she be here? "Ralof said he'd put in a good word for me if he got here ahead of me-"

"Ralof's alive?" Ulfric sounds both genuinely surprised and genuinely relieved. "That's good to hear. He is a damn good man."

"...who didn't get here before me." Eryn concludes.

Galmar says he still wants to test Eryn, to which she takes some offense. He was about to send her to some remote island, but Ulfric steps in.

"Why haven't you answered the Greybeards' summons, dragonborn?"

Eryn is, of course, genuinely surprised both that word got out that fast that she's the dragonborn and that the Greybeards summoned for her. Trying to think fast, she says she thought the war was more important.

Well, Ulfric says her test can be going and taking to the Greybeards at High Hrothgar. They've called her to her destiny, and after she learns what they have to say, then she can come down and fight in the war. Ulfric's tone makes it clear this is his only and final condition for her to become a Stormcloak.

Eryn says fine, she'll do it. But she's not thrilled about having to climb a huge mountain to talk to a secluded group of old men she's never met. This makes both Galmar and Ulfric laugh. Ulfric explains the Greybeards a little more, and while yes they are old and secluded men, Eryn has no reason to fear them.

"How do you know?"

Ulfric says he still misses High Hrothgar every now and again, it's very peaceful up there. But Eryn needs to go there before she does anything else, including fighting to free Skyrim. If she truly is the Dragonborn, she needs to learn to master her thu'um, and the Greybeards will help with that.

Eryn draws out a route on her map, and gets going as soon as she can. She's still not happy about it, but maybe she can at least learn what any of this Dragonborn stuff is supposed to mean.

And if she's somehow doing it wrong.

[gortash]

USTENGRAV DEPTHS

[moodcrab]

Fixing Delphine

This bitch.

I actually like that they made a character that is on your side but is somewhat unlikable, Delphine is Team Dragonborn, but she's not really one of the good guys. And that's cool, conflict means drama. So what's the problem? Well unfortunately, this drama is surface level and isn't used to drive the story, so It's kind of just annoying.

People oversimplify their hatred of Delphine into "She wants you to kill Paarthurnax," because unlike Delphine, people actually like Paarthurnax. Understandable, but barely scratches the surface. We'll get to The Paarthurnax Dilemma in time, but that quest is a symptom, not the illness itself.

If I could sum up Delphine in a word it would be "inconsistent." For example, she's a fugitive waging a one woman war on the Thalmor from the shadows, who's only survived this long from sheer paranoia - but she also uses her real name and leaves a note in Ustengrav for whoever happens to pick it up with directions and a pass word to her secret hide out.

She needs to go through her super secret contact Farengar to use the Jarl's resources to go into Bleak Falls Barrow, a tutorial level dungeon she can see from her house, and she's impressed that you did it - but she also goes personally to the other side of the country to delve alone into the massive Ustengrav to steal the Horn of Jurgan Windcaller, no issues, just a quick in and out twenty minute adventure.

She takes the fact that you found her Ustengrav note as proof you're the Greybeard's new guy and not some Thalmor plant even though she herself, a non Dragonborn, had also completed Ustengrav and taken the horn proving it's totally possible. She even points this out in her own dialogue then demands we prove who we are, even though that was the whole point of the Ustengrav note. It's also a pretty big assumption that just because I'm the guy the Greybeards call Dragonborn that I can't ALSO be with the Thalmor.

We are left with this awkward sense that the writers are flailing to make us think this woman is competent and objective, without actually having her do anything that clever. Just act like the dumb thing was smart and have her act like a cocky brat if questioned about it.

Inconsistency. It's her thing. Does she hate the Thalmor? That would make sense given what we know about her. But that gets dropped half way through the main story and suddenly she hates The Greybeards, for absolutely no reason at all. She gives a reason, but it's bullshit.

In her own words, "If the greybeards had their way, the dragonborn would sit on a mountain talking to the sky." But that's not true is it. We know The Greybeards, they encouraged us to fulfill our destiny. Even if you say you want to follow their Way of the Voice, they'll be glad to hear it but warn you not to let it get in the way of what needs to be done. Delphine even uses Tiber Septim as an example, which is even stupider because The Greybeards actively encouraged Tiber to conquer Tamriel. Have I read more in game books than the dialogue writers??

But that's not the end of it, when it becomes convenient for the plot this hatred is flipped once again from The Greybeards onto dragons. Not Alduin. All dragons. Despite the fact that, as a Blade, she should know about Nafaalilargus, a dragon ally of the Empire and the Blades for thousands of years, and the Blades don't just indiscriminately kill all dragons no matter the circumstances, and that Tiber Septim himself almost certainly met Paarthurnax at some point, she suddenly seems to be acting like she has a personal grudge against dragons. Which brings us to the Paarthurnax Dilemma...

See here's the thing, you could easily write off the frustration everyone feels towards this quest as Bethesda's crappy design, where there is no conclusion other than to kill Paarthurnax, or else leave an unfinished quest languishing in the menu. Bethesda apparently didn't consider the idea that anybody would actually prefer to turn on the Blades, even though the Blades have become a bit of a running joke among the fans, or that anyone would take umbrage with Delphine giving out orders and ultimatums.

But no, it's so much worse than that. Delphine being a surly unlikable c u n t from the day we met her is one thing, but the fact that she has been wrong about almost everything she's ever said in game, and still having the AUDACITY to treat us like her work bitch and us never, not once, getting the opportunity to put her in her place... That's not poor quest design, that's the game gaslighting us.

Let's do a quick list of every one of Delphine's theories, and how many were actually correct shall we:

You are not the Dragonborn ❌

The Greybeards shouldn't be trusted to identify a Dragonborn ❌

The dragons aren't just coming back, they're coming back to life ✅

The Thalmor have something to do with the dragons returning ❌

Esbern is dead ❌

The Greybeards just want the Dragonborn to sit on a mountain and meditate ❌

The Greybeards wanted Tiber Septim to just sit on a mountain and meditate ❌

Paarthurnax, having lived in exile for thousands of years, deserves corporal punishment ❌

As ACTING Grand Master of the Blades, she gets to boss around the Dragonborn ❌

She deserves a seat at the peace negotiations ❌

And these are just the things that are factually wrong, leaving aside opinions on her morality and shitty attitude. This is the woman the game presents to us as a shrewd strategist.

BUT I CAN FIX HER!

Like I said I like the idea of a character who is on your side but is somewhat unlikable. It actually won't take much to make Delphine endearing to the fans. We have to do a Boromir on her. A Lot of people dislike Boromir throughout the Fellowship of the Ring but weep at his death. We have to tweak three things to have the same thing happen to Delphine:

1. Make her actually competent and useful so that while we don't agree with her we can see why she does the things she does, and desire to keep her around.

2. Have her mistakes called out and have consequences.

3. Have her redeem her mistakes with a badass honourable death.

[vernfernn]

i don’t think i’ve ever told anyone this but like, during one of my first Skyrim play throughs, i was working up to build Lakeview manner. Lydia was my companion for the majority of the beginning, and she followed me around literally everywhere. holding all the materials i was hoarding, fighting my battles for me (i was new and inexperienced), and generally doing all the heavy work and getting literally no reward.

and when i say holding all my materials, i mean all my materials. all my good gems. my stone. clay. other miscellaneous ingots and bs i was never gonna look at nor use. countless dragon bones, scales, cast iron pots, ingredients and potions i “may need someday”.

she followed me everywhere, fought dragons, went missing when i ran from the dragons, disappeared when i started getting the hang of the game, and i never really bat an eye until i was at the half finished house and several dragons spawned in to attack me (i always fast traveled and that kind of triggered a dragon to always spawn whenever i got to the house) and was constantly screaming for her because i was low level and had no idea what i was doing.

“LYDIA WHERE DID YOUR SWORN TO CARRY MY BURDENS ASS GO IM GETTING FLAMED ALIVE IN FRONT OF A DEAD MUDCRAB!”

anyways

she also was there for when i became thane of falkreath and followed me when i painstakingly tried to figure out who i was supposed to do quests for to become thane.

i remember going into some sort of cave to find a journal for the priest of arkay only for it to be infested with the draugr (my sworn enemies at the time because they freaked me out) and she ended up getting locked out of the boss fight.

she got stuck behind a door while i sniped those idiots from a distance and somehow did not get spotted.

anyways, after building up all the wings for Lakeview (with spotty interior decor) we went to a mine so i could get a bunch of iron because i needed nails and hinges for my basement.

we finally get home and of course—a dragon decides to attack. again.

and i’m fighting for my life here, trying not to die and reload my quick save from literal hours ago.

and lydia thinks this is the perfect time to ask to be my steward.

with fire literally raining down from the heavens, burning my character alive, i hastily say yes without even realizing what she was asking for, and go into the offensive to put down this habanero lizard and steal its soul. classic hot girl shit.

she, me, and rayya (the housecarl you get when becoming thane of falkreath) fight this damn thing and kill it within literal minutes (i felt so proud of myself for not struggling during this fight.)

me later realizing i don’t have a follower behind me anymore when i fast travel to falkreath to buy more building materials for my house. the entire time i was wondering if Lydia glitched again (she got stuck behind a wall in ustengrav before and during that fetch quest for that one priest so i decided i would backtrack once i finished buying building materials to furnish my house.)

i teleport back to my house and almost immediately see lydia walk around like she owned the place. it was then i realized she wasn’t my follower anymore, and i assumed that my game had indeed glitched so i go up to her to see what the problem is or to recruit her again.

que lydias talk screen having the options to decorate my house when i talk to her, and i realize what happened. i immediately have second thoughts when i hear how happy she is about being my Steward and i feel guilty for wanting her as a follower again. so i just leave her there along with like 15k gold to furnish my house.

i also have a housecarl as mentioned before: rayya. and as i’m playing (and marrying some lass from riverwood for the money and literally nothing else because i was DESPERATE to have the house fully furnished.)

i eventually realized it was a bit odd that there where three women living in one house under one roof along side two kids and a husky and other small creature. (it was either a rat, bunny, or mud crab i do not remember.)

que me replaying this character a several more times and keeping up the tradition of having Lydia as a steward for Lakeview and Rayya as another household member but never adopt any kids or marry again because i’m now a master at scamming vendors in the game. plus the kids were annoying, and always ungrateful, and always asking for cash or gifts (none of which they were ever grateful for).

as the years progress i grow attached to my character and start creating a small story for him because we have a lot of history and i got attached.

i’m then wondering how i would explain Lydia and Rayya.

it hits me.

lesbians.

they’re married and employed by a really cool landlord who also happens to be the prophesied savior of the world.

they simply live out their years in a big house with the best scenery and local necromancer to keep them company. once tasked to follow and guard a guy who could yell really loud, now living out in the woods with an early retirement.

now in my head they are married and live in the big ass house with a cool husky, some chickens, a cow, carriage, horse, bard, and the occasional giant on its way to absolutely murder the chickens and cow whenever he stops by. classic cottagecore—warrior—lesbian story.

que me going through the house to see if there would be enough beds for everyone.

minus the one in the wing i used to create a primary bedroom, there’s another bed for two people upstairs. in my mind that bed is theirs and they’re married

lydia kept one of my amulets of mara my first play through when i agreed to let her be my steward (she kept a lot of my stuff, and i was unable to get it back because i felt too guilty taking the one thing she seemed to like). ((also i tried pickpocketing her but failed every single time)).

i grow genuinely attached to this idea and can never keep Lydia as a companion when it comes to getting my house furnished and feel a sense of pride when i’m reuniting her with her one true love.

anyways, that’s the story of how i came to love two completely unrelated characters and no one will understand my attachment to them. i love them so much and want them to be happy.

they’re married, idc

[hircines-hunter]

I'll answer the ask you sent me in the morning, but let me ask the same thing back about Sifkni and Roar of a Wolfborn-!!! I remember you've mentioned it has been years so I'd love to know how it began ☺️

Take your time!!!! No rush!!!!

If anyone wants to read the actual fic! Here’s the link!

It’s 46 chapters long. 202k on gdoc and word but 201k on AO3! It is finished! It’s Farkas/OC and there’s some Skjor/OC and mentions of another pairing. :3c

It all started a month after Skyrim came out. And I made Sifkni officially. I was gonna do the Companions and Main Quest like normal. Originally she was to become a werewolf through companions quest. Via Farkas instead of Aela bc she asked him.

But then the Dragonborn DLC came out and there was that werewolf pack. I changed everything. It mostly lived in my head. Her. Her pack. Her and Farkas.

I didn’t start writing about her until 2014 (I may rewrite the thing?) it’s a short 6 chapter fic from when her mother passed to the final attack on her pack before canon events. (I may be willing to share but it’s poorly written and 10 years old.)

And the roar of a wolfborn that has been finished is technically the 3rd draft! I started to write Roaw at the same time as her other fic in 2014 as well.

Because of the pack I made her born a wolf. And the first draft Sifkni and Farkas take it a lot slower than the 3rd draft. Like a lot slower. Lol. Sifkni mourned her husband. More. She had more… moments where she would talk super fondly and then start crying.

Farkas was down bad. Like worse than the latest draft. Trust me. He had it so bad. Vilkas had to be like dude calm tf down my brother.

Sifkni also was Asexual af in the original. I’m not sure what happened btwn then and now. But yeah.

I started the 2nd draft in 2023 going thru editing and tweaking and fixing and writing newer chapters. Before I finally jumped the gun , deleted the old version and started the new one. This time I decided to add the past events into the main fic (I found most people didn’t want to read the prequel). I added more nightmares. More mourning. More crying and changed a Lot! From what happened in the pack to how she reacts and remembers . To how the actual plot goes. I never intended for a lot of what happened to happen. The dragon attack that had her stuck in jorrvaskr for 2 months. Thats where a lot of her bonding with Farkas happens. Btwn ustengrav and the dragon. I never intended for them to ever get married. But… that happened. I never intended for later events to happen.

And saving skjor!?? Man that’s probably the biggest change I still have the old draft with Skjor’s death and the aftermath lol 😂

I never imagined I would ever finish it too I am so very proud of what I wrote! And that’s it’s finished!

But, yeah….. Sifkni has been through a lot from day 1 up til 13 years later….. and I am

But yeah… that is Sifkni. Her origins. And the journey to the ending.

And now I get to work on the Sequel. Which is all new. I’ve never planned or plotted this. It is mostly going to be a lot shorter than roaw. But it’s also the means for Sifkni to peacefully pass onto the Hunting Grounds! >:3c there will be a lot of reopening of old wounds. We get to meet her pack again! And Hircine will be there!

[my-screenshot-dump]

[myscreenshotdumpblog]

[gamerism]

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM - USTENGRAV

[bretongirlwrites]

A woman who had got into Ustengrav, where we even with our fire and my Voice had gone through trials, ought to be the most extraordinary presence in Skyrim. In my vigilance I wondered if I had got it all wrong, if I were not even the Dragonborn, – if the heroine required by the age, and so loved by profiteering bards, would not come like me, like a mouse; but would rather burst through a door she was too tall for, and Shout so loudly for something so trivial as a drink, that all glasses but the one steadied by her hand trembled almost onto the floor. The more I thought of it, the more I believed it; until our lookout was interrupted, by a brisk woman in a pinafore apron who had been sitting watching us for fifteen minutes already; and I realised with no small amazement, that this was our heroine. 

‘Follow me,’ she whispered feigning to take our mugs, ‘a minute behind; and for Talos’s sake don’t make it obvious.’

‘There is nobody else in here,’ Marcurio protested: but she occupied in playing the spy, was not listening.

Delphine, – I may call her that, since it half suited her; since she had the most Daggerfall sort of poker-face I had yet seen in Skyrim; since despite being so unassuming, her shoulders were too broad for the apron, – whisked away our mugs, which Marcurio watched with some regret since they’d still been half-full; and disappeared through a door by the bar. At which I perfectly forgot her words and in a very loud whisper must exclaim: ‘It’s her!’

‘We do not know,’ said Marcurio at once, ‘who she is. For all we know she could be the Enemy.’

‘Oh!’ said I: ‘she called herself a friend. And I don’t think the Thalmor wear pinafore aprons.’

‘That… is probably true,’ he laughed, ‘but we don’t have a clear idea of what’s going on yet. All this, it’s bigger than us, you said that yourself, –’

‘Delphine is hardly taller than me,’ I protested, – not having expected it, – not knowing if I liked it or not.

‘We mustn’t trust her too much,’ he said most insistently; and deeming the moment to be propitious, stood without ceremony, and ambled towards the door. Our innkeeper pretended he had not seen us; the outside door did not open; and so we in our most subtle of guises, – which made us look perfectly as if we were trying to find a lavatory, – followed Delphine as she had asked; into this room which was not the attic, nor anything at all; where she was standing, quite at odds with her apron, as if she meant to fight us if we tried anything. 

‘So you,’ said she perfectly ignoring Marcurio, – who for the moment seemed relieved by it, ‘are the Dragonborn… or claim to be.’

I did not claim anything; could do nothing but nod; looked at her most awed, this woman who must have gone in Ustengrav, – imagined her there, in nothing but her pinafore apron, – must make a heroine out of her, since I so needed one! – 

‘How interesting. I should say I am honoured, –’

‘We want only to know,’ I stammered, ‘what is going on, –’

‘I think,’ said Delphine, ‘that you are going to like it. As far as one may like something like this. You can help me; and I believe I can help you in return, –’

‘We’d be glad of it,’ said I at once: and half-bowing, without even thinking, put out a hand, – which she took, which she took with such force, and with such heroically calloused fingers, that though Marcurio had said not to trust her, I surrendered even my hand to her, – ‘o tell us only what we must do; show us where to go; and I, and we, shall be glad of it!’