The first time I played Skyrim, I played without mods and without (most) cheats. The second time through, I decided to give them a try, and then I decided to get creative. The use of console commands, as well as the panoply of available mods (particularly ShowRaceMenu Alternative) allowed me to create a versatile and immersive roleplaying experience.
ShowRaceMenu Alternative allowed me to begin the story with one character, then switch mid-story to another. I changed the look and name to something new, selecting new attributes and abilities to pursue. I can switch characters every time I want a change of pace. One character could be a mage, another an archer. Having multiple characters let me play around with different playing styles without breaking character for any one of them. When necessary, console commands let me tweak weapons and character attributes to match what each character needed.
I know it is dorky, but I modeled my characters after the Zelda franchise: Carock*, Zelda, Ganondorf, Sheik, Aveil, and Goriya. This way, I was at times a wizard, an archer, a battlemage, an illusionist, a thief, a swordsman, and a ranger, all depending on each character's skills. I could switch any time I got bored, or any time I thought the story needed to catch up with a character. The game played like a book reads, focusing on one character during one chapter, then switching to another in the next. And each mission varies. I could fight for good with Zelda, then switch gears and perform evil missions with Ganondorf. She was a hero and a friend to many; he often used followers to help him achieve great power, then killed them at the moment of success. Carock was mostly a solitary character, but he spent a some time performing black missions with the Dark Brotherhood. Aveil was as a rogue seeking treasure and adventure. Sheik let me switch from sword-and-bow ranger Zelda to smoke-and-blade ninja Zelda. Goriya was thief on the run from city authorities; he sometimes found shelter and camaraderie in the Ratway. Moblins were used for their muscle. Ganon had great use for their simple loyalty and brute strength. Zelda saw their value as well, and managed to make a friend of one, a particularly sturdy brute name Iron-Hand.
* Carock was the wizard from the Fourth Palace (the Island Maze) in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
(my favorite game from the series).
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Carock
I began with Carock. Carock is a magician and an illusionist who can only be beaten by his own magic. In Skyrim, he would likely have a high capacity for Illusion and Destruction but not have any particular protection against these schools of magic. I picture him as pale, gaunt, and skeletal with sunken eyes. However, the original game shows only a tall figure covered by a red robe (a bright red version of the Archmage's Robes would maybe be ideal).
In Skyrim, Carock was sentenced to execution for murder (after trying to perfect an esoteric Destruction spell on a large farming family). Prior to his arrest, Carock was unknown. He prefers seclusion from people and society and shows his face only to practice his dark arts as he pursues deeper, grander forms of power. After escaping arrest, he again disappeared, maintaining a low profile in the basement of a cabin hidden in the woods west of Riverwood. Carock quickly overpowered the cabin's original owner, a reclusive low-level witch, and then dumped her in the river.
Carock was drawn to a dark crypt in the mountains looming above him, where he renewed his search for great power and hidden knowledge. He has not been seen by living eyes for months.
In Skyrim, Carock was sentenced to execution for murder (after trying to perfect an esoteric Destruction spell on a large farming family). Prior to his arrest, Carock was unknown. He prefers seclusion from people and society and shows his face only to practice his dark arts as he pursues deeper, grander forms of power. After escaping arrest, he again disappeared, maintaining a low profile in the basement of a cabin hidden in the woods west of Riverwood. Carock quickly overpowered the cabin's original owner, a reclusive low-level witch, and then dumped her in the river.
Carock was drawn to a dark crypt in the mountains looming above him, where he renewed his search for great power and hidden knowledge. He has not been seen by living eyes for months.
Zelda
Catching wind of an evil power moving upon Hyrule, the princess Zelda followed her investigation to a wizard named Carock. She did not know whether Carock was in possession or pursuit of a great dark power, but Zelda knew he would lead her to an understanding of the darkness threatening her people. But Carock was like the shadow of a ghost. It took all her skill just to find him once. She could not afford to lose him by drawing attention to herself, so she followed from a distance, watching and learning as she stalked him well beyond borders of her land in pursuit of the unknown.
Carock was far more powerful than Zelda had guessed, and she did not consider herself ready to meet him. By alerting the local community and authorities, Zelda quietly perpetuated Carock's arrest, but too late to save the farming couple and their family. Zelda thought the threat was over when Carock was sentenced to death, but the dragon's attack threw the villagers and soldiers into a frenzy, and Zelda lost Carock in the disarray. She worries she gave herself away in her haste to follow. She now uses all tools at her disposal to track the wizard while hoping she is not being tracked herself.
After months of searching, Zelda found a wispy note scrawled on a dusty page that mentioned an old and dangerous artifact. She looked into it further, hoping to find a protective enchantment. Instead, she learned of a pendant of devastating power, once used for great good but later corrupted by evil. The pendant, divided into three sections and sealed away, was perhaps better left alone. But when the noon sky began to darken and the sun bled red, a shadow pierced Zelda's mind and fought her for control of her own actions. Her body numbed and her mind burned. She felt her thoughts fading into a dark recess and could not hold on to them. She remembered only a shadowy figure and powerful amulet. She would find the pendant and hope to find the power to expel the beast from her mind.
I made Zelda as a Breton. The features and complexion worked well and I do not remember much mention of Bretons during my first playthrough, so it was easy to picture them as foreigners in Skyrim. Her hair is the second option from the ApachiiSkyHair mod. Her pointy ears come from the Nouserheres Ears mod (option #6). This mod treats the ears as a piece of apparel you have to craft and equip; some might find this less than ideal, but it works great in this context because you can enchant the ears! Hylians are a magical people with pointy ears that allow them communication with the gods. So enchant some Hylian ears with magical properties (I used the console to enchant with Fortify Shouts and Fortify Enchanting).
Zelda's royal attire is the Fine Raiment (Vanilla). Any fine boots and gauntlets will do. I particularly like the Fine Raiment because the gold shoulders, hanging blue jewelry, and central taper all remind me of the Twilight Princess outfit. She also wears a Blue Linen cloak from the Cloaks of Skyrim mod. The blue offsets the red-and-gold Fine Raiment.
When ranging, Zelda keeps the blue cloak but switches to more rugged clothes and boots. Her ranger outfit is the Triss Armor. Another possibility is the Triss Armor. Although jewelry can be a distraction when when hunting, she keeps a few favorite items close, particularly a blue Sapphire Circlet (which reminds her of home) and a pair of simple gold loop earrings (which remind her of a friend). The earrings (hidden here by Zelda's hair) are Seadog Earrings from Immersive Armors, and they can be enchanted.
Zelda wields the Magnificent Sword from JaySus Swords, and she is always searching for a better bow or arrows (I made her proficient in Archery; she has most of the perks). She is a quick study in magic, preferring a well-rounded set of studies rather than mastering any particular art. She does, however, have only a small understanding of Destruction and Conjuration, which she uses sparingly. To compensate, I took advantage of the console to give her an abundance of Destruction-type scrolls. I figure her studies have made her a master of scrolls, and she uses these studies (as well as her studies in Enchanting) to bolster her weak areas.
Carock was far more powerful than Zelda had guessed, and she did not consider herself ready to meet him. By alerting the local community and authorities, Zelda quietly perpetuated Carock's arrest, but too late to save the farming couple and their family. Zelda thought the threat was over when Carock was sentenced to death, but the dragon's attack threw the villagers and soldiers into a frenzy, and Zelda lost Carock in the disarray. She worries she gave herself away in her haste to follow. She now uses all tools at her disposal to track the wizard while hoping she is not being tracked herself.
I made Zelda as a Breton. The features and complexion worked well and I do not remember much mention of Bretons during my first playthrough, so it was easy to picture them as foreigners in Skyrim. Her hair is the second option from the ApachiiSkyHair mod. Her pointy ears come from the Nouserheres Ears mod (option #6). This mod treats the ears as a piece of apparel you have to craft and equip; some might find this less than ideal, but it works great in this context because you can enchant the ears! Hylians are a magical people with pointy ears that allow them communication with the gods. So enchant some Hylian ears with magical properties (I used the console to enchant with Fortify Shouts and Fortify Enchanting).
Zelda's royal attire is the Fine Raiment (Vanilla). Any fine boots and gauntlets will do. I particularly like the Fine Raiment because the gold shoulders, hanging blue jewelry, and central taper all remind me of the Twilight Princess outfit. She also wears a Blue Linen cloak from the Cloaks of Skyrim mod. The blue offsets the red-and-gold Fine Raiment.
When ranging, Zelda keeps the blue cloak but switches to more rugged clothes and boots. Her ranger outfit is the Triss Armor. Another possibility is the Triss Armor. Although jewelry can be a distraction when when hunting, she keeps a few favorite items close, particularly a blue Sapphire Circlet (which reminds her of home) and a pair of simple gold loop earrings (which remind her of a friend). The earrings (hidden here by Zelda's hair) are Seadog Earrings from Immersive Armors, and they can be enchanted.
Zelda wields the Magnificent Sword from JaySus Swords, and she is always searching for a better bow or arrows (I made her proficient in Archery; she has most of the perks). She is a quick study in magic, preferring a well-rounded set of studies rather than mastering any particular art. She does, however, have only a small understanding of Destruction and Conjuration, which she uses sparingly. To compensate, I took advantage of the console to give her an abundance of Destruction-type scrolls. I figure her studies have made her a master of scrolls, and she uses these studies (as well as her studies in Enchanting) to bolster her weak areas.
Ganondorf
Unknown to Zelda, Carock is not the greatest danger threatening Hyrule, nor is he the only wizard seeking sources of dangerous power. Ganondorf, the king of thieves and practitioner of darkness, has also left his home and traveled to Skyrim. But Ganondorf is also unaware of the princess. Their paths have often run parallel while never yet intersecting.
When Ganondorf learned of a rumor of otherworldly beings in the area, he traveled to Dimhollow Crypt to investigate. Through persuasion and skill, he learned the secrets of an old and terrifying hidden magic, which he now unleashes on his enemies, some of whom have begun to call him the Phantom Ganon. Now, Ganon is trying to open a secret gateway to another realm, a realm where power has corrupted even the sun in the sky. Ganon wishes to bring this power back with him to his own land.
Ganondorf is a Redguard. His eyes are yellow. Although Ganondorf should have green skin, at least the Redguards' reddish brown skin matches the skin of many Gerudo, and I gave Ganon some green war paint to at least highlight his prominent nose. I suppose I could have made him an orc for the sake of the green skin, but I think the look would have been wrong (and besides, I think of the orcs as Moblins (and the Rieklings as Bulblins)). When Ganondorf became a vampire, I renamed him Phantom Ganon. At some point, when his power was well established, he simply became known as Ganon.
In Skyrim, Ganon wears a Jade and Emerald Circlet, reminiscent of the green-and-yellow jewel Ganon wears in most Zelda games. I have not yet found anything like the Wind Waker robes or the Twilight Princess armor. But the Evil MasterMind armor is pretty great looking (and the name is perfect; the mask is pretty amazing too, even if it's not right for this character). Although the default beard options include a chin beard, it is difficult to see the red whiskers against the red-brown skin (I hope to find a good chin beard mod). Here, he carries a Jade Blade from JaySus Swords (the Akavirii Sword works, too). I like to enchant it with fire and ice enchantments and rename the blade Twinrova.
When Ganondorf learned of a rumor of otherworldly beings in the area, he traveled to Dimhollow Crypt to investigate. Through persuasion and skill, he learned the secrets of an old and terrifying hidden magic, which he now unleashes on his enemies, some of whom have begun to call him the Phantom Ganon. Now, Ganon is trying to open a secret gateway to another realm, a realm where power has corrupted even the sun in the sky. Ganon wishes to bring this power back with him to his own land.
In Skyrim, Ganon wears a Jade and Emerald Circlet, reminiscent of the green-and-yellow jewel Ganon wears in most Zelda games. I have not yet found anything like the Wind Waker robes or the Twilight Princess armor. But the Evil MasterMind armor is pretty great looking (and the name is perfect; the mask is pretty amazing too, even if it's not right for this character). Although the default beard options include a chin beard, it is difficult to see the red whiskers against the red-brown skin (I hope to find a good chin beard mod). Here, he carries a Jade Blade from JaySus Swords (the Akavirii Sword works, too). I like to enchant it with fire and ice enchantments and rename the blade Twinrova.
Sheik
The single best thing about my playthrough with Sheik was perhaps the ring I enchanted. I discovered the ID for the Shadow Warrior perk and enchanted a gold ring with it. After setting a hotkey to this ring, I was able turn the shadow effect on and off at will, simulating Sheik's ability to vanish like a ninja. The effect, like regular invisibility, works while standing up. But it is still disabled when you attack or interact, so the effect was not too overpowered—just fun.
The bow is the Valenwood Bow from Better Bows. I'm still trying to find a good body armor for Sheik. This is a combination of elements from the Assault Armor and the Misfit Armor (from brokefoot's West Wind Series).
Goriya
It is a little unusual for Goriya to be found so far from home. But they are wanderers, and this Goriya will follow a shiny object just about anywhere.
The tail can be removed with Toggle Tails on Khajiit and Argonians. The mod gives you a Tail Removal Kit in your Apparel inventory. Wearing the kit removes all tails.
I would love to find a boomerang mod for this guy. Until then, I don't know—knives?
The tail can be removed with Toggle Tails on Khajiit and Argonians. The mod gives you a Tail Removal Kit in your Apparel inventory. Wearing the kit removes all tails.
I would love to find a boomerang mod for this guy. Until then, I don't know—knives?
Daira
I needed a mercenary. Ganon kills with purpose, and even Carock would not waste his time hunting a target for a few gold coins. I could not use Goriya; I had made him into more of a thief and rogue, but one who was neither bloodthirsty nor amoral. He even did a good turn once in a while (usually hoping for some future reward, but still). So I needed a heartless contract killer. My answer was Daira. He likes dark passages and one-handed weapons. Although he loves a good axe, his stealthiness makes a dagger (with a 15x multiplier) an easy choice, too.
I removed the tail with Toggle Tails on Khajiit and Argonians. All the artwork seems to show Daira with a tail (depicting them as alligators), but the Zelda 2 sprites seemed to lack a tail. I find tails sort of distracting in Skyrim, and I prefer the tailless Daira.
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