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How to Build Interesting Characters in Skyrim
A lot of people, especially people who are new to role-playing games like Skyrim, have difficulty coming up with interesting characters that they can enjoy playing for a long time. This guide will give you some pointers to help you create cool characters that provide you with memorable role-playing experiences.
This is not a strategy guide. There are plenty of good resources available already (many right here on HubPages) that will help you create powerful and effective character builds. This article is intended specifically to help you build interesting and memorable characters from a role-playing perspective, characters that you can be proud of and look forward to playing for a long time.
Superheroes and Real Heroes
I like to compare heavily optimized Skyrim character builds to superheroes: they look great, they kick ass, and they never shy away from danger. That kind of character is great for a few hours of button-mashing, but when you spend a lot of time with them you'll start to notice how thin and two-dimensional they are. You'll start to get bored of being the best and always doing the right (or the wrong) thing. The game starts to get dull.
Typically, when players get to this point, they roll up a new character and repeat the same experience with a different build: they look different, and play different, but fundamentally, it's still the same kind of experience: you're still playing a superhero. Often, players get stuck in a cycle where they can't seem to stick to any character they create for more than a few levels (a terrible affliction called restartitis which Cure Disease potions and praying at alters doesn't seem to cure). It doesn't have to be this way.
There are players who, by contrast, do such an effective job creating a character that not only do they play through an entire game without ever creating a new one, but they recreate the same character when a new version of the Elder Scrolls is released and continue playing that same character in a new setting. It's astonishing when you think about it. These players have created characters that have literally hundreds or thousands of hours worth of memories and histories. What's their secret?
The Secret to Creating Memorable Characters
Well, it isn't really a secret at all: the same techniques that go into crafting good characters for novels and short stories apply to creating good characters for RPGs.
Good characters are a mixture of positive and negative qualities, they have families and histories, motivations and ambitions, habits and quirks, and phobias and prejudices. In role-playing games, they also have something a little extra, some characteristic or ability that sets them apart from the common man or woman. Let's take a look at each of these elements.
Family Matters
It might seem like overkill to think about what your character's family was like if you never get to meet them in the game, but thinking about the character's family is one of the best ways to generate ideas for your character.
Families have a tremendous impact on how we develop in the real world and imaginary characters are no different. Was your character's father a jealous, abusive drunk? A stern, principled and hard-working man? An undisciplined but well-meaning clown? An unfaithful, absentee parent with a skooma addiction? A wealthy and respected merchant overly concerned with social status? Each of these fathers will have a profoundly different impact on your character, and that impact will be different based on your character's gender and how they feel about their father. Does your character respect or reject what his or her father represents? How has your character's father's attitudes toward work, money, religion, and family shaped your character's attitudes?
This same exploration can be applied to your character's mother, sisters and brothers, and other guardians or influential people in the character's life. You don't need to go into a lot of detail: usually a few minutes of speculation is all it takes to come up with some interesting new perspectives on your character.
My character, Elsbet, never knew her mother, Carienna, who died in childbirth, though based on how her father talked about her, she assumed that Carienna had been a prostitute. Her father was a cruel and self-obsessed man, frequently drunk, who preferred inflicting mental anguish on Elsbet over physical abuse. He was a fence for the Thieves' Guild in the Imperial City, though he was also a skilled alchemist and inventor. Although she spent her childhood being mentally tortured by the man, and wanted to hate him with all her being, she couldn't escape the fact that he had raised her as his own flesh and blood. This blend of hatred and obligation lends a unique flavor to Elsbet's character.
History, Or Everybody Has a Past
History is a sort of catch-all for things like where your character grew up, what his family did to make ends meet, and what sort of memorable or unusual events befell him. If you've thought through your character's family relationships, you've probably already come up with some interesting details about your character's history.
In Skyrim, the only event that the game really forces you to explain through your history is why you were crossing the border, and how you ended up being captured by Imperial soldiers. The game does a good job of implying that your arrest was probably a mistake, so literally anything could have led up to this moment. Maybe you were taking medicine to a sick relative across the border, maybe you were escaping from a gang of criminals that your character owes money to, or maybe you heard about the civil war and were actually planning on supporting your kinsmen by joining the Stormcloak rebellion.
This is the defining moment in your character's history, and the explanation that you come up with will have a big impact on how you role-play your character for the remainder of the game, so give it a bit of thought.
My own character, Elsbet, was caught trying to steal a merchant's wagon, his horses, and all of his wares after creating a distraction in a border tavern. This history shows that her apprehension probably was not a mistake, and that a trip to the headsman's block was probably justified. It also says a lot about her character and the kinds of things she was getting into before the game began. It was clear from the start of the game that the Thieves' Guild was going to play an influential role in Elsbet's story.
The second big moment in your character's history comes almost immediately after the opening credits and has an almost equally big impact on your character's story. Who do you follow into Helgen Keep? Do you overlook your near-execution at the hands of the Imperials and follow Hadvar, or throw your lot in with the Stormcloaks and follow Ralof? Both of these characters are portrayed very sympathetically in the game, and you spend about the same amount of time with each of them before making your decision, so it's not necessarily an easy choice to make, even with an executioner's axe hanging over your head.
If you choose to pursue the civil war questline, this decision is obviously going to have a big impact on your subsequent choices, though the game leaves you the option of changing your mind once you escape the keep. In Elsbet's case, she chose to follow Hadvar, a Nord who supports the Empire. Since Elsbet is an Imperial herself, and knows nothing about the Stormcloaks beyond their nationalistic pride, she figured it would be safer to stick with the enemy she knows.
Motivations and Ambitions
Whether you know it or not, your character is motivated to behave in certain ways. Typically, when we don't really plan our character, our character's motivations tend to mirror our own motivations--or rather, the motivations we would have if we were a more powerful version of ourselves.
If you're a basically helpful and good-natured person, your alter ego in Skyrim is probably a do-gooder who accepts every non-evil quest that comes her way. If, in real life, you derive your greatest satisfaction from achieving your goals, your character is probably highly motivated to be the very best at what he does and your primary focus will revolve around gaining experience and improving his skills.
Unfortunately, because these are our own motivations, they don't often create a lot of interest in our characters. They don't make the role-playing experience unique and captivating. If you had to watch a movie about yourself, you'd probably become very bored very quickly, even if other people did find it interesting.
When playing a game like Skyrim, you have the unique opportunity to direct a movie about someone else's life. I'm nothing like my character, Elsbet, who is a disturbed, amoral, unprincipled, and borderline psychotic thief who prefers to murder the competition than engage in some good-natured ribbing, but I find her intensely interesting to play because she is nothing like me (I hope).
When creating your character, don't be afraid to give them goals and aspirations that are different from your own. If you are, by nature, a very liberal and open-minded person, try role-playing a character who is straight-laced and brimming over with prejudice. If you're naturally a very shy, reclusive type, try role-playing a loud-mouthed, mead-swilling, bar-brawling ruffian. You might be surprised to discover just how good it feels to get out of your own skin and be a different kind of person, even if it is only a video game.
Elsbet's ambition is to become the most powerful woman in Skyrim and she'll do anything to attain that goal. Although she doesn't realize it on a conscious level, she's desperately trying to reverse the roles that she and her father played, where he was the cruel and despotic ruler of the household and she the powerless servant. She wants to rule others, to treat them cruelly and with impunity, and to be admired for her cunning and feared for her ruthlessness. This long-term objective influences every thing that she does, from which quests she accepts to undertake to how she deals with her enemies. It's a powerful motivation that gives her character weight and interest and that makes role-playing her engaging and memorable.
Habits and Qirks
Habits and quirks are distinctive behaviors that characters engage in that make them memorable. Maybe your character collects books or likes to dump all of their unnecessary loot on the floor of their house or always eats a certain kind of food. (I have a character that is constantly eating apples.)
Skyrim gives you a few tools that you can use to help establish these kinds of characteristics: maybe your character chops wood to release tension, goes hunting on the weekends, sells talismans (enchanted amulets), or collects bugs. Maybe they refuse to use weapons and armor crafted by Orcs or Elves, enjoy cooking, carry a lucky bear claw, refrain from robbing corpses in tombs, or always sleep in until noon. Although engaging in these activities won't have much of an effect on your character's stats or on the world around him, they are all activities you can engage in to make your role-playing experience richer. My general rule of thumb is to give each character two or three of these habits or quirks and make them different from the habits or quirks you have given to your other characters.
My own character Elsbet has one very distinctive (and deplorable) habit: after clearing a dungeon, she likes to gorge herself on the food and get drunk on the bottles of wine lying about (because almost every dungeon has wine and food lying around). It's weird, and I don't know how it started (though I suspect it was a response to a particularly prolonged and challenging boss battle), but for some reason she's just always been this way. Elsbet also has a fascination for Dwemer ruins and goes out of her way to explore them and collect strange and rare artifacts.
Phobias, Or Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
People are afraid of all sorts of things: failure, public speaking, needles, and the number 13. In Skyrim, it's hard to role-play many of these kinds of experiences because there is no connection to the gameplay, but there are a few phobias that can be role-played.
Rats, spiders, bears, the undead, and just about any other creature in the game can become a source of terror and loathing for your character. (If you're a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan you'll probably remember Anya's adorable fear of bunnies.)
It's hard to be an adventurer in Skyrim if you're paralyzed with fear at the sight of these things since you tend to encounter the same things over and over, but a simple way to role-play the fear without making your character unplayable is just to change your strategy when fighting these creatures.
Ordinarily, Elsbet is a very cautious and calculated killer. She prefers to sneak in from the shadows and always uses the best strategy she can come up with for defeating her foes (typically incorporating copious amounts of poison). When it comes to spiders, however, she has exactly one strategy: kill it with fire! Spiders drive her crazy, force her to stop sneaking, and compel her to dual-flame the nasty critters with everything she has. After all, a flaming spider isn't something to be scared of, it's an Argonian treat! (Okay, so I made that last part up.)
The point is, by using a less optimal combat strategy when dealing with a specific kind of foe, you expose your character to more risks and atypical combat experiences. Elsbet is used to dealing with foes one or at most two at a time. When you go chasing after spiders with flames shooting out of your hands, however, you tend to attract a lot more attention. Her phobia creates a limitation which makes her more interesting to play.
You can apply the same reasoning to other kinds of fears: fear of the dark may force your character to equip a torch or cast a Candlelight spell even if you don't really need one to see, fear of water may force your character to take long detours around lakes and along rivers looking for bridges, fear of heights may force you to walk slowly across stone bridges in Nordic tombs or avoid climbing in the mountains. Use your imagination to see what you can come up with and how it can be applied to your game to create memorable experiences.
Prejudices, Or Everyone Hates Mudcrabs
Prejudices are unfavorable dispositions toward certain types of characters. Typically, when you hear the word prejudice, you're most likely to think of racial prejudice, but characters can be prejudiced about more than the genetic makeup of other characters in the game. For example, you may be prejudiced toward children, old people, poor people, rich people, spell-casters, meat-heads (non-spell-casters), criminals, authority figures, people of the opposite sex, or even people wearing the color red. The real world is filled with a rich diversity of prejudices so there's no reason Skyrim can't be filled with them, too.
There aren't a lot of ways to give your prejudice impact in the game, but there are a couple: don't accept quests from characters you're prejudiced against; don't buy from or sell items to them; don't take them as followers; steal from them, even if you're not a thief-class; exit conversations with them without answering their questions and walk away. You may be inclined to pick fights with them in taverns, but be careful: these brawls often lead to wholesale slaughter. If you can get away with an assault and pay a fine, though, it's a great character-building skill. :)
Elsbet has a real hatred for rich and powerful people. The Jarls, the wealthy people who hang out in the courts, and people like Olfrid Battle-Born and Maven Black-Briar really get under her skin. They're arrogant and self-important and deserve to be put in their place. It's a good thing Elsbet isn't consciously aware of the fact that she is exactly like them.
Something Special
Every person, whether they know it or not, has some sort of special quality or skill. (Mine happens to be taking small ideas and turning them into monstrous abominations and then writing copiously about them.) Because this is an epic fantasy adventure, your character should be no different.
So what sets your character apart? What is it about them that makes them special, different, heroic, or even epic? Perhaps its unflinching courage in the face of danger, an uncompromising nobility of character, a relentless thirst for occult power, or a completely unpredictable and chaotic personality. Courage, nobility, ambition, and unpredictability are all traits that most people possess to some degree or other, but in your character's case, it should be of epic proportions.
If your defining characteristic is courage, then be courageous: never sneak, always stride (or preferably, charge) into battle. If it's nobility of character, never attack someone first, never sneak attack, and if they want to fight bare-fisted with you, fight without a weapon. If your character only cares about occult power, only use spells (or staffs) for attack and defense and don't wear armor. If your character is unpredictable, use different weapons and armor in every dungeon, use different potions, rings, and amulet combinations, cast different spells, and just generally never repeat the same tactic twice, try to surprise your foes by doing something unusual and unexpected.
Elsbet's defining characteristic is her sense of entitlement, which is truly of epic proportions. Because she is not a particularly powerful warrior or spell-caster, her unchecked self-serving avarice and desire to dominate manifest in a very calculated approach to using NPCs and eliminating enemies.
Typically, she tries to avoid combat, or end it swiftly, striking from the shadows, using poison or Fus Ro Da'ing enemies over cliffs or balconies. If traps or other enemies are nearby, she'll use those to whittle down her opponents to a manageable size. When pressed into combat, she uses her followers as human shields, using the distraction they create to avoid danger or gain some sort of advantage (sometimes she'll just avoid enemies entirely, letting her followers deal with them, and just go after what she came for). Outside of combat she has no qualms about stealing from her employers and friends, or manipulating factions to work against one another.
Gimping Yourself
Typically, when you're designing your character, you tend to think about ways to optimize them for combat, magic, or stealth. This is a good strategy if your goal is to 'beat' the game, but it isn't always your best strategy if your goal is to role-play it. Frequently, it's the unoptimized parts of your build that make the character interesting and challenging to play. The previous sections have talked a bit about various ways you can create interesting handicaps for your character, but I'd like to discuss the concept of gimping in a little more detail here.
There are really two kinds of gimping that can occur: gimping to make the game more challenging, and gimping because it fits your character. Although a lot of players start out by gimping their characters for the first reason, it often turns into a good role-playing hook.
You might start out by limiting yourself to iron weapons and armor to make the game more challenging, but what if your character had a reason for only using iron weapons and wearing iron armor? Maybe your character is part of a clan of warriors that actually do spurn stronger metals and materials? Maybe your religious views forbid it? Maybe your family suffers a curse and you turn into a hideous, deformed monster if you don't wear iron? When you feel a need to impose a handicap on your character to enhance gameplay, take the extra step and come up with a good role-playing reason to support it. Making this one little change can take something you do grudgingly into something you welcome and enjoy.
In order to make my own game a little more challenging on lower levels, I created a rule for myself at the start of the game that, with the exception of shields, my character wasn't allowed to wear clothing and armor taken from corpses. I did this to make it harder for Elsbet to get good gear and to give the difficulty of the game a little boost. In order to make the rule more palatable, I thought about why she wouldn't take a sweet suit of armor from a corpse and came up with two reasons: 1. most armor is custom-built for the person who wears it, so it likely wouldn't fit her anyway, and 2. it was icky. Who wants to wear something covered in blood, guts, sweat, lice and who knows what else? Although it started out as a gimp to make the game more challenging, it turned into a gimp that enhances my role-playing.
Picking Perks
Skyrim is not a difficult game, and there is absolutely no reason for you to worry about building the most powerful character that you can. (Elsbet is intentionally non-optimized in many other important ways in order to increase the difficulty.) Investing a perk here and there in a skill that you're interested in but that is not part of your optimal build is not going to make a noticeable impact on your ability to succeed. But spending points willy-nilly is also not a good way to build a solid and distinctive character. When selecting perks and attributes to improve when you level up, think about the things that your character wants, not what you want for your character. (That's a bit of a mind-bender, I know, but stay with me.)
When I started playing Elsbet, I used Alchemy a fair bit to create poisons. That's in keeping with her build, but I realized fairly early on that it wasn't a good skill to invest in for role-play reasons: her father, although he earned most of his money fencing items, spent most of his time tinkering with potions in the cellar. Elsbet really doesn't like to be reminded of her childhood, or to be associated with her father (although she, like him, turned out to be a criminal) so I stopped using Alchemy except in the rare instances where I really need a specific potion. I thought this would be difficult at first, but I quickly discovered that, being a thief, I could steal just about any potion I needed, find it in a dungeon, or buy it from a merchant. And, fortunately (or unfortunately) for Elsbet, Frost Spiders are a common nuisance in Skyrim, so cheap poisons are easy to come by.
I've also purchased every Pickpocketing, Lockpicking, and Speech perk that I've unlocked. Not because they are the best perks in the game, but because these are three of the skills she uses the most: manipulating people and stealing from them right under their noses gives her a rush and a feeling of superiority. I've also invested a few of my perks in Smithing and Enchanting. Elsbet gets her interest in creating things from her father, but doesn't have the same kinds of strong negative associations with these skills that she has for Alchemy. I don't use these skills a lot, but having them reinforces my concept of her character and gives her something to do when she's not out adventuring. In spite of what you may have heard about the negative impact of leveling up non-combat skills, investing my perks in these skills has not made the game that much more difficult. If you have to choose between role-playing and optimizing your character, just be aware that your role-play is going to suffer if you worry too much about creating the perfect build.
Looking for More Adventure?
Taking Your Role-Playing to the Next Level
Even after doing all of these things, you can still do more. While I don't engage in these activities myself, there are plenty of players out there who write stories, keep journals, blog, record videos, create webcomics, and draw pictures of their characters.
As you can probably tell, by the time you've created a rich and complex character, it isn't hard to create a story around them, write it down, and share it with other players in the fan fiction sections of popular forums. If this kind of thing appeals to you, by all means, go for it. It could very well put your feet on the path toward an enjoyable (and hopefully remunerative) career.
These are all the tricks that I know of (that I can think of, anyway) that I use to create interesting characters for Skyrim. This is by no means an exhaustive list; I didn't even touch on race, 'class', or standing stones, which are generally considered to be the key elements to character creation, but that's because you already know how to use those elements to your advantage (and if you don't, you can find plenty of help online about them). There are probably plenty of players who can suggest additional tricks that I didn't include here that they use to create compelling gameplay. I'd be happy to read about them in the comments section.
Ultimately, the quality of your role-play experience in Skyrim is going to depend on how much you are willing to invest in your character. Up until now, you may have had the desire, but not known how to ask the right questions to get you from desire to concept. With these tools at your disposal, you can build a character that is every bit as interesting and complex as the characters you read about in stories and novels. So stop reading about my character and go make your own!
Helpful Links
Check the links on these pages for more great tips to help you get the most out of Skyrim:
I forgot to add the Cnut Longsword is a werewolf as is his lover and husband. He worships Hircine, Kyne, Shor, Tsun and Talos. He also hated vampires and at any mention starts going crazy.
Originally Cnut Ranulfson (Longsword) was an antagonist in my favorite book that was killed and has become my favorite antagonist yet. He's mentioned in the book, Death of kings by Bernard Cornwell yet is a key player in one of my favorite books The Pagan Lord by Bernard Cornwell.
Name: Cnut Longsword (Ranulfson)
Race: Male Nord, 24 born in the heart of winter
Personality: Once known to him he's a great drinker and friend who will back you up. Everyone else see's he as a complete ass who's very prejudiced about every other race except nords. Hates other races especially elves and thalmor. Hatred of the empire lies just under those. Will not use elven made armor or weapons although he might have elven weapons for display in his home only. Enjoys getting drunk then having a good lay afterwards. Been known to only drink ale and mead, yet not fond of black-briar stuff. Hates the black-briars and any others who thinks themselves too high and mighty then regular people. When a khajit caravan is outside, will sneak out at night to buy aphrodisiacs, skooma, moon sugar, heroin, acid, speed, pot and condoms. Secretly does drugs, has sex then gets drunk so he's drunk and high while dragon fighting. Only a few casualties related to this has happened. Wields both one handed and two yet will never use maces or Warhammers. Prefers the agility of light armor and sometimes will wield sword and axe at the same time. Builds shacks for multiple lovers of his. Only ambition is to kill all elves. Fears elves, thalmor, spiders, cougars (both animal and human type), skeevers, mudcrabs and Haelga. Bad scarring across his back which leads to problems at times when twisting.
Appearance: Tall, Very Fair hair kept Mohawk type yet long to one side. Very ice blue eyes. Regular handsome nord. Enjoys wearing sthalrim armor. Giant dragon tattoo down his back, wings across shoulders and body following spine. Odin's horn on right peck and serpents around groin. Nose piercing, lip piercing and two ear piercing together on upper right ear.
Keeps weapons as trophy's at house along with dragon skulls and other skulls. Mead and ale bottles are everywhere with empty flagons of ale with tankard about. Keeps a throne in bedroom with a few leather strips and some revealing fur and hide armor. Bottles of drink here and bottles of lubricant, small chest full of acid and heroin with pot.
Quirks: How he keeps his bedroom as well as the drugs and the drinking, mostly prefers to get drunk over high but will get stoned. Many different bed partners. Married yet has bunch of other lovers as well, spouse knows and both sleeps with the lovers. Will only take nords to bed.
Past: (Empire and Thalmor are very strict aginst same-sex relationships which are forbidden. Only race this isn't is nords and there more likely to engage in this type of behavior, especially the male hunters, male warriors; basically the males. Very few reports of lesbians yet can be found as guards most of the time.) Grew up in small hunting/logging camp in the northern part of Eastmarch. Was only two days walk from sea of ghosts. Mother died in childbirth so was raised by his father Ranulf, therefore called Ranulfson. Father was too harsh on him and he had a good life logging with the rest. His Father was well respected that an marriage was arranged between Cnut and some noble girl from Windhelm. At the age of fifteen, Cnut found that the hunters who would pass through would sometimes sneak off to a abondened shack on the edges of the camp. He asked his father and found out that's where they took their women. After learning this Cnut was sitting in the steam room during the men's time and noticed a hunter was there as well. The hunter named Ralla was 19 and came here with and older one by accident. From this moment on Cnut knew he couldn't married the girl for Ralla stirred within him something he hadn't felt. Cnut for the next years kept this secret from his father knowing what would happen. One thing Ranulf couldn't abide was gay men in his camp. Whenever they were in, he always acted very strongly against them and calling names. At 17 Ralla appeared in the camp once more, Ranulf was gone on a trip and wouldn't be back for two weeks. It was at this time Ralla became Cnut's first lover. For three years all was good, Cnut got the dragon, Odin's horn, serpents tattoo's done; he even got Ralla's name on the inside of his thigh on the skin between the torso and thigh. That way his father couldn't see it even if he was naked. Time came for Cnut's marriage to happen when he was twenty-one, Ranulf heard from Cnut that he was marrying Ralla. Soon after Ralla became very sick and died and Cnut knew his father did this, after being disowned as his son, Cnut left for Cyrodil since everything in Skyrim reminded him of his failures against Ralla. During this time he met three worth male nords that cared for him. After becoming very proficient in wielding a longsword he was called Cnut Longsword. Since one of the nords were married, their wife found out and alerted the imperial guard. Cnut was arrested for sodomy and to be executed within a month. Stuff happened and the execution kept being delayed. During this time he was whipped by the guard and once in a while tortured by the thalmor. A guard took pity on him and helped him to escape to Skyrim. This wasn't too hard since he lived in Bruma and was imprisoned there.
He joined the stormcloaks the first chance he got. The only thing he wants is revenge against the empire and thalmor. As well if he meets his father along the way he wouldn't hesitate to kill he like he should of. The drinking, drugs and sex are a way for him to cope with his problems though sometimes they aren't enough. Only people now of Ralla and Cnut's history; one is his lover Bronrod and the other is his loving husband Ralof. Both wont die before he, and if they are killed it won't be Alduin who will destroy the world.
Am I the only one who uses this for morrowind?
Looks like this was posted a long while ago, so I hope someone will read my comment anyway. I'm seeing some similarities with what I have done with Sagan, my Khajiit fist-fighter. I mean, he don't sneak or anything because of the heavy armor, he wears heavy armor because he feels like he can do what he wants with the enemy thanks to all that metal protecting him and that also made him realize how much of a help those heavy gauntlets can be to someone who fights with fists. He was a fighter, a bare-claw fighter, before traveling to Skyrim so for quite a while the only weapon those paws touched was an iron dagger he used to skin and cut animals for pelt and meat. Thing is, the more he enjoyed hunting for food and resources, the more he realized how animals can outrun him and eventually he decided to try being a hunter and became adept of the bow which he will use for combat as well if needed, but, in words he said many times: "only if running in face-first and fisting everything to death is not an option". So, yeah, at the core he is very different from what you described of your character, but the most important similarities I found were on the behavior. First with the spiders: if he is far enough to shoot then he will not even try to retrieve the arrows from their bodies, but if they come at close hands he will use fire like crazy if there's no other enemy around, if there is he will just run away and shoot after gaining some distance, anything but touching then. Second with dungeons: Sagan always have a few bottles of wine and Skooma (after all, he is a Khajiit) in case he can't find anything alcoholic in a dungeon because, for him, drinking as much as he can while still being able to walk is a must after finishing any dungeon. Lastly, the armor: he absolutely does not use armor picked from corpses. He cares for the "icky" factor even less than myself, but even though not all armor is custom-made, metal armor can have a general shape to fit most bodies, an armor taken from someone Sagan killed wouldn't fit anyone, after all he just punches people to death so by the time he kills an enemy, said enemy's armor is completely deformed by the nonstop flow of punches.
Skyrim is still such an immersive game. Right now I'm playing the Witcher 3 but I'll be coming right back - The story is the best part
Glad to see there are others who spend hours on character build. It really makes the game. I start over if I am "not feeling" my character. The "I hate mud-crabs" thing is great because it really is all about the little things. For me it's a snow-berry obsession. This article does great to encourage people to get lost in the game. Voted up.
give me a backstory plz
a warrior i don't care if 1 or 2 handed with heavy armor
don't care what race as long as not kajiit, any elf, breton ,or atgonian
This has improved my Skyrim experience so much! Thank you!
The one I always create was really created for a comic settled in modern days.
I created him in all Saints Row games I have, in WWE games (since 2005 - he's meant to be a pro wrestler), and even in Sims games, and in Skyrim (in particular, he suits Skyrim because he is a Norwegian, and I created him as Nord), and I hardly grow sick with him.
Merkur@ I'm almost like you. I don't mind killing enemies, but I don't like killing innocents (I follow this thing even in Saints Row games), and I like to enjoy games for very long time (my favourite thing is exploring worlds)
I use a mod to add some hairstyles, but I don't like beautiful skin very much. I would like my character with a younger looking skin type, but with the default graphic. In order to making his face looking close to the one he has in Saints Row, I downloaded a mod that allow me to edit faces further.
Name: Alexiene (Alex) Facinia
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Race: Imperial
Birthday: 11th of Rain's Hand
Birth Place: A cottage in the woods, east of Chorrol, in Cyrodill
Along with a twin sister and older brother, Alex was born to a former member of the thieves guild in a single room cabin built by her woodcutter father. They were a very poor family, and lived off of what they could find in the woods, and the meager pay her father earned by selling firewood in Chorrol. The infrequent trips into town were the kids' favorite. They were mesmerized by all the people and buildings. They were each told they could pick out one treat from a merchant, and Alex always chose a taffy treat, leading to a lifelong love of them.
Her older brother, Marcurio, began apprenticing with a local mage, until the day he learned that his teacher had dropped out of the College in Winterhold, declared him unfit to teach him, and promptly departed for the college. The family stopped receiving letters when he arrived in Skyrim, and became unsure of his fate. Four years later, Alex began apprenticing magic in his stead. After a year of that she considered herself very adept at magic, and became overconfident. She was juggling fireballs in her hands outside of the cottage one day, when one became out of control, and flew out of her hand and onto the roof of the cottage. The place was consumed in flames in minutes, her parents and sister inside. Filled with guilt, she took off, planning to run to her brother in Skyrim. Already possessing survival skills, she manages to make it to the Skyrim border, and right into an Imperial trap...
Because of the accident, she had gained a deep-seated fear of magic, mages, and even some religions because of their association with magic. Because of this, she'll only use magic when backed into a corner, and won't take quests from mages, or ones involving magic. (The main quest from the mage guy in Dragonsreach doesn't count because its a demand from a jarl) She even is planning on convincing her brother to give up magic. She isn't crazy about being Dragonborn, because, well, its more magicky weird stuff. But after she finishes the main story questline and meets with Marcurio, her fear of magic will be cured. She's on the Imperials' side in the Civil War because they're her people.
She eats taffy whenever she finds it, and only eats food she makes herself. She makes her own leather and hide armor, and she starts out only knowing how to use daggers and her fists. Because her mother used to be in the thieves guild, she has had minor training in stealth and lockpicking. She's not going to have in perks that help her persuasiveness, because she's not very skilled in social matters, and is more interested in saying what's on her mind than trying to say what people want to hear. She's not going to dabble in alchemy or enchanting until after the main questline.
She is what could be considered chaotic good. She has her own rules of what 'good' and what's 'bad' and how to deal with it. She joins the Thieves Guild, not only to follow in her mother's footsteps, but also because she actually believes she's providing a service to the poor by stealing from the rich. Even if it doesn't always go down that way. She destroys the Dark Brotherhood because, even though she agrees that some people simply need killing, the Brotherhood is just too dangerous. She joins the companions, but leaves once she realizes that they're werewolves. After the main questline, she embraces her magic and joins the College at Winterhold.
Father and Mother are both a ranger inspire Araleathriel to becoming a valenwood ranger they took him in the the ranks of the acadamy and so he grew up basically with a bow and living in the nature at the age of 12
He was already skilled in archery,sneaking,light armor but alchemy was later on as because he is a bosmer He had to follow the green pact so that complicated alchemy
Several years later he learned that his parents had perished while on a mission during the great war against the aldmeri dominion that required their presence he was 70 years old (young for bosmers) 30 years past and he finished his training he had become a full Valenwood ranger and the council decided to send him to skyrim because it was in turnoil so the unbalance of magic had become increasingly dangerous he needed to go there and restore order : his missions where
-Make the civil war end
-Kill all necromancer,apostates(rogue mages )
-restore balance in magic
So he left the following day leaving behind all he had known and loved still affected about his parents death he had taken the route from Arenthia to Skingrad on carrier then from skingrad to bruma by carrier than bruma to the pale pass by foot where you got caught by imperials who saw himand thought he was going to free ulfric Stormcloak and that's when he is taken to helgen....
His motivations are simple fufill his missions and keep balance
He was known to be kind with people he liked and ruthless with people he disliked he would always speak his mind but wouldn't hesitate to bash a skull in for bad talking he is very serious but doesn't like to be in a boring conversation he gets angry quickly and can be cold , he is quick to enter fights and leaves victorious during combat he strategies he doesn't go in without thinking but because the thalmor killed his parents he loses all control when he sees them and charges in without thinking.
He likes reading and hopes to collect all the books in Skyrim. One day he will set up a base and put all his books that he found during his adventures.Every sundas he goes hunting for the hole day and every bug he sees he will catch or try cos he needs them for alchemy same goes for fungi.He refuses to loot from draugr corpses and burial urns but will loot from chests.When he has the occasion he will study the dwemer and try to understand what happened to them.He has phobias of ice wraiths as they are anomalies whenever he sees them he starts attacking them with a dagger without thinking .He likes trolls and wolves so he will try to not kill them by calming them if he can.He has a fear of fire when he sees someone using fire he will run and he keeps his distance from torches and campfires.He hates spell casters ,rascist,thalmor ,vigilants of stendarr(he finds them annoying and useless),outlaws he will do his best to avoid contact with mages,vigilants of stendarr and kill rogue mages,thalmor and outlaws
His defining characteristic is being stubborn he will always do what he thinks he needs to do he never changes his mind (if he was paid to kill someone he will do it with no second thoughts).He only uses armor made with leather and only uses steel level weapons because he was only trained to be able to smith steel and enhance leather equipment
What do you guys think (its my first time and try)?
In ways I kind of deviate from the advice but whatever. I love my character.
Name: Iain O'Gradaigh
Race: Breton
Age: 25
Home: Castle Gradach a (fictitious) castle outside Camlorn, High Rock.
Iain is the son of a Nord father and Reachwoman mother. His mother's family was involved in the sacking of Camlorn with the Black Drake in the mid Second Era, during which his ancestor Gradach was taken prisoner and eventually became a trusted citizen of Daggerfall. His son would later aquire land and build a castle in honor of his father. Iain's father was a priest of Akatosh who believed he received a divine revelation from Akatosh saying that Talos was in fact Akatosh incarnate- explaining how Talos was able to assend to godhood. Over time, his father claimed that Akatosh was the one true God and Talos was his human form come to unite the world. This belief gathered mich criticism and eventually his father was executed for crimes of heresy. His mother, of Reachman descend and secret prophetess of the Old Gods, promptly began receiving revelations at the moment of her husband's death, though she never told anyone but her eldest son when she received a viaion of him traveling to meet a moth priest in the Imperial City. Assuming that his destiny was to become a moth priest, she sent her son to the Imperial City to begin training to read Elder Scrolls. After spendong five years with the Priests, Iain began to lose intereat in the Elder Scrolls and gathered an affinity for the arcane arts. Turned off by the political entanglements of the Mages Guild, Iain sought out the College of Winterhold in Skyrim. Upon leaving, though, a curior gave Iain a message from his mother saying that she had received a vision that his true destiny was in Skyrim.
Iain comes from a family with deep prejudice roots against Orcs. Despite this, after being taught to smith by an Orc in the Imperial City, Iain out grew his prejudice. However, the Great War has left Iain with a distrust for High Elves. Iain is a proficient hunter and tracker and is proficient with a bow, though he is just as proficient with a sword. He has a basic grasp of destruction magic and makes good use of fire spells due to his fear of spiders. Iain has a great respect for the dead and will even go as far as preparing a respectful grave for his fallen enemies. Iain feels obligated to help the needy and less fortunate, has a thirst for knowledge, and thinks little of his own desires. The latter, however, makes Iain almost selfless on a dangerous level. He will defend anyone from anything no matter what the odds. He has a fierce faith in Akatosh and Talos, and will not worship any other divines (though sometimes he questions whether or not Stendarr is legitimate or not and will time to time worship him). Knowledgeable of current eventa he ia well aware of the civil war in Skyrim, but does not want to be involved because, though he feels compelled to defend his faith in Talos, he feels Ulfric is using Talos as a front for more devious aspirations. He also believes that tactically a unified empire is the only way to defeat the Thalmore; and in extension, preserve the empire Akatosh/Talos worked so hard to create.
Very in depth, really made me think about Skyrim in a whole different light. It can add a lot to the whole experience if you take the time to take immersion to a whole new level like you describe here.
Name: Hrormir Sun-Sword
Race: Nord
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Birthday: 21st of Frostfall
Likes: Priests of Arkay, Vigilants of Stendarr, the Empire, Having a good drink before bed, Friends and Family
Dislikes: Stormcloaks, Daedra (Though he does also worship Meridia a bit), beggars (thinks their too lazy to do anything), drunks, racists, bandits. And he ABSOLUTELY HATES Vampires and other undead. He also hates corruption, as well as a deep hatred for the Silver Bloods.
Personality: A little humorous, but is very serious when it comes to daedra or undead.
Prejudices: Doesn't trust stealthy people, hates corrupted people.
Skills: One handed, smithing, enchant.
Profession: Smith, but he is secretly a Vampire Hunter.
Family: His family was a famous clan in Markarth, named Clan Sun-Sword. There is a legend of sorts that states that the Sun-Swords were some of the first Paladins in Skyrim. The very first Sun-Sword was in fact a Paladin of Arkay and a worshiper of Meridia. He fought against undead, and he wielded an even more legendary blade called "Sunsweeper" because it had the power of light and fire, and it could easily kill enemies, even if they were in crowds. Legend says that the Sword was passed down from generation to Generation. Legends aside, Clan Sun-Sword has lived in Markarth for ages, and was a well respected family. They were not corrupt, unlike their Silver Blood enemies, and were very much liked. Hrormir's parents were mostly seen as typical nords, both worked as smiths in their youth. The Father's name was Wulfgar, an honorable man who could still forge a cuirass, even in his old age. The mother's name was Helga, a nord smith who was born to two farmers. Hrormir had three brothers, Hrofnar, his oldest little brother, Lokir (not the one from the beginning) and Asmund. He also had a younger sister, named Ysra. They were a very happy family.
History: Hrormir had a great life. He was a noble, and was respected by many. He was trained as a smith and swordsman ever since he could hold a dagger. His life was mainly the same. Until Hrormir was 33. It was nighttime, and Thonar Silver Blood as well as his friends got drunk. In their drunk stupidity, they decided to murder the Sun-Swords. Around Midnight, they sneaked to the Sun-Swords' house, and killed the Patriarch of the Clan, Wulfgar, and in his last words, he yelled out a curse word, which awoke the others. There was a huge fight, and it soon spilled into the streets. Although it took a long time, the Sun-Swords were defeated. Most of them were killed, including the Matriarch of the Clan, Lokir, Ysra, and Hrofnar. Hrormir and Asmund managed to escape, but quickly found out that the Silver Bloods claimed that it was the Sun-Swords that drunkenly attempted to kill them. They weren't banished, but they left because they didn't want to be shunned, even though the Silver Bloods lied. The two brothers shortly moved to Whiterun, and became merchants. No one in Whiterun really knew about the clan, except for their cousins, the Battleborns. The Battleborns did help them a bit, but it didn't really make much of a difference. Life was hard for the two, until Hrormir was 34. His brother just turned 30, and they went out for their usual hunting trip. The Hunting trip ended when they were spotted by a group of people. The people looked normal, but as they got closer, they took out their weapons. It was clear. They were vampires. The Vampires put up a good fight, but they were eventually defeated. But not without one last thing. Asmund was seriously injured, and Hrormir was sure that he was infected by the Vampire Disease. But Asmund denied it, and even though Hrormir persistently asked him to go to a Temple just to be safe, Asmund kept denying. But Hrormir was right. Asmund disappeared one night. No note, no blood, no nothing. Just disappeared. Hrormir was shocked, since Asmund always told him when he was going to do something. Hrormir searched for a month, but he found nothing. Finally, he came to the Border between Skyrim and Cyrodiil, and was arrested by Imperials. He found out that Stormcloak soldiers were spotted nearby, and that the Imperials thought he was one too. There he escaped because of a dragon. After that, he decided that he would reclaim his nearly non-existent clan, as well as get Revenge on the Silver Bloods.
Special (Good): He is a very talented smith, and works towards being the best in all of Skyrim.
Special (Bad): Mentioning the Silver Bloods will enrage him, and he may even attack someone.
Name: Aintzane (name means 'glory' or 'glorious').
Race: Bosmer (a vampire lord and a cannibal also).
Age: When I began the game she was eighteen.
Family Matters and Backstory:
For the early part of her life Aintzane lived humbly in Valenwood with her family. Her mother was a bard and her father was a hunter who made a living selling hides and meat. Her family was kind to her and she loved them dearly; she especially loved her mother who would sing to her and play songs for her. However, she was the youngest and always felt isolated by her four older siblings, bothered by a slight sense of inferiority - this hasn't had a huge impact on her disposition and likely she would have grown out of it, but it is one of the things that made her desire dominance and power. When she was eight years old the Thalmor slaughtered her entire family during one of their purges - Aintzane fled through the forest and wandered for days, starving, distressed and delusional. Blathnaid, a Nordic witch and my character in Oblivion, was travelling through Valenwood looking for ingredients when she stumbled across the dying child. The witch, who had grown lonesome in her old age, took the child under her wing and brought her with her to her home in Elsweyr to raise her. Blathnaid spent most of her time studying the properties of moon sugar and worshiping the Daedra; she taught Aintzane about magic, alchemy, enchanting and the occult. Aintzane discovered her thirst for knowledge here and reveled in the power it gave her, she became an avid reader. The Khajiit whom she grew up around taught her to fight and to steal - Aintzane loved competition and she loved to win, to come out on top. She was a manipulative creature, cunning and nimble in conflict. Aintzane was bitter with a hatred for the Thalmor and high elves - she became hedonistic and cold-hearted; despite living in the heat of Elsweyr her skin was always pale and she mastered frost spells incredibly fast. When she was sixteen/seventeen Blathnaid died when one of her experiments went awry. At the loss of her guardian and teacher, Aintzane left with a group of Khajiit thieves on their way to Cyrodiil. As she became more adept at thievery she started moving North and began working with a man named Lokir. About a month after Aintzane had turned eighteen the pair were stealing horses when they got caught between Imperial soldiers and Stormcloak rebels. They were brought to Helgen to be executed and this is where the plot line for Skyrim begins.
•She did the main quest line because she wanted to learn more about the dragons and about her own power - Alduin was also a challenge she was unable to resist. She did the Bards quest line to uphold the memory of her mother. She did the Thieves Guild quest line because thievery was apart of her nature. She did the Mages Guild quest line thirsting for more knowledge. The Dark Brotherhood quest line because she's a bit of a sadist. She wanted to work alongside Miraak, whom she admired for his power, influence and knowledge. She became a Vampire Lord looking for even greater power. She did the Daedric quests because she had been taught to serve them growing up, except she has distaste for Meridia and Hircine, being a vampire and indulging in necromancy. Her favourite Daedric prince whom she reveres excessively is Hermaeus Mora because he provides her with knowledge of the unknown. She sided with the Blades instead of the Greybeards because she connected with their suffering at the hands of the Thalmor and for their eagerness to destroy the dragons. She does not do the Companions quest line because she thinks their sense of honour is petty and pathetic.
She loves Khajiits; J'Zargo is her favourite follower.
She also thrives in the cold and spends much of her time in the colder regions of Skyrim such as her home, Hjerim, in Windhelm.
Hates Dwarven automatons (spiders, spheres and centurions) and Dwarven ruins; she still travels to these places looking for the lost knowledge and artifacts of the Dwarves but she is constantly on edge. The robotic creatures make her uncomfortable because she can not distinguish their existence; are they living or dead? She becomes very irrational when fighting them because she can not understand them.
Immense hatred for Thalmor and High Elves; she will either avoid them altogether, attack them, or be very blunt.
Name: Carmen
Race: Nord
Family Matters:
Father: Was a Stormcloak Soldier he killed Carmen's twin sister for being a supporter of the Empire then Carmen cut his throat and her mother saw it al happen but she knew Carmen was right
Mother: neutral alchemist she owns a alchemy store in Cyrodiil and she is a bit naïve about the civil war. First Carmen was also neutral but then she discovered her death sister and so she now wants to join the Imperial Legion
Annette: twin sister of Carmen she was killed by their own father because they're enemies in the Civil War
Past: her father was Stormcloak and her sister Imperial supporter. Her father always called her a traitor and he killed her. Carmen saw her get killed and she cut her father's throat.
Her mother also was seeing it all so she embraced Carmen. She said she wanted to fight in the Civil War for Annette. Then she tried to cross the border and was mistaken for a Stormcloak and taken captive to Helgen. she was almost executed but then a dragon came she took the chance to escape then she decided there is much more than a civil war...
Motivations and ambitions: Of course, doing what her sister wanted, but when she killes more people, she began liking the killing, so she will carry out any tasks of murder. She wont kill people who are just walking past her, only if she really hates the fuckers
Likes: bards, killing, followers, Reading, shouts
Hates: Stormcloaks (only if in combat, supporters are ok), undead, Corrupt guards
Family: As a child his dad trained him to be a monster on the battlefield and his brother was a well known man that his presence on the battlefield struck fear into the enemy. Biarious has no knowledge of his mom because she died when giving birth to biarious. His dad and brother were killed by a group of bandits that came to murder his brother.
History:Since then he has honed his expertise of the great sword and helped the empire in any way that he can. On his travels he discovered that he liked the company of dead servants more than having a squad of soldiers so he became a powerful necromancer. The last he learned to do in his travels is make the ennemy cower in fear in his presence. After many years of roaming tamriel he abandoned the empire and went along on his own travels. He came to skyrim when he heard about the war between the empire and the stromcloaks he thought he would help them one more time for old times sake.
Ambition: Become the most feared army in tamriel and to kill off every single elf that he can find. Eventualy become an overlord to everybody and make everyone think like his father.
Habits:eat tremendous amounts of food on sundays, clear castle of bandits and mages and take over a village on saturday.
Fear:machines because they do not feel emotion or run in fear when losing.
Prejudices: That all kajit, argonians and orcs are brutish creatures that shouldn't exist and that the elves are a race that want to wipe out humanity so we need to exterminate them first.
Special feature: He feeds his undead as if they were alive and he will only drink wine.
Gimping:helmet has to be a hood and only fear and reanimation spells, no enchanting
Perks:all t-h, right side block, conjuration necro n-m, illusion fear n-m, heavy armour and smithing
Guild :thieves
Hobby : sitting on a throne while eating horker meat and drinking wine
Does anyone agree
Ive played Oblivion all questlines 3 times without roleplaying. Including shivering isles and knights of the nine. In Oblivion just create a pretty character and get a life. in skyrim its indeed harder to play as a 'normal' person. My farest character was a nord named kishana. i have not jet played aryana since im busy with this. I prefer nords because the preset is the most pretty. In oblivion i prefer high elves because 2 of my best characters were pretty high elves. My very first character was a wood elf named aylin my second was a high elf named after my own name. My therd was a high elf named Aryana (yes, Aryana) in skyrim all elves are ugly and argonians and khajiit creepy. The human races are okay. Redguards are pretty but you just don't play them much. Bretons are pretty but also you don't fall in love. Imperials are pretty but just you have to really change all presets before they look hot. Nords are the only atractive race because you really think they're hot. Change a little bit things and you fall in love. All males are ugly but the imperials and redguars are okey.
Im but 12 but everyone think im 15 lol so my character is 15 years old. Also more realistic xd i always wanted Aryana to be my name im not yet in highschool i had been if i did not had to do a class again
Im the only teenager and im happy about it. No one can respect that so they all ruin my life. I wish i was death so i was free from school. Ive met another girl, she is almost a teenager xd i only know children and adults but she will make a difference soon...
Yeah, im a teenager myself but not as dramatic xd shes actually like me but much more confident im myself even younger than 15 but im free to play skyrim and whatch any movie i want. Im really afraid of fish even if its not real. I had such a boyfriend and i still hate him and now im anti romantic but i do really love friends xd i love my parents my relationship with them was much better but Aryana DON'T did the black sacrament , i have no brother or sister so im lonely i only have one friend because on school everyone is against?me i hate my class just like every teenager im the only teenager of my class (i had to do a class again)
Perks: im preferring the one handed two handed and destruction skills and other perks if it really is worth it
Gimping: she wont wear anything ugly and always a circlet she only uses special weapons and if she has a bow and not sold it then she will use it only if the enemies are very far away.
Personality: She's looking for fight, after a dull life. But she doesn't like it when an ally is death, or when there are too many enemies near her so then she will accidentally shout. She only wears beautyful clothing and armor and she prefers deadric artifacts as weapon. She's also good with spells but when she falls in loer with her artifacts she will use less magic if she gets in a dull fight she may flee from the deadly dullness
Hate: she hates the dark brotherhood because they killed her parents and she hates any fish without reason and she hates 'perfect' people because she was in Cyrodiil always bullied because she is weird but she really likes sheogoraths's blessing xd she will always be nice to kids because she then remembers herself and her brother
Fear: She fears fish, so she wont swim soon in water outside cities. If she sees a fish, she runs far away and she wont get back for long
Quirks: she hates fish, loves circlet, was born with a strange, bloody mark, what could have something to do with her touch with the deadra. She is a teenager so she is also not such a 'goodie' but she still respects the divines but wants just her own will but likes quests.
Ambitions: She seeks adventure and is not desperate for romantic love. She before had a boyfriend who tried 'things' she only obeyed him so she was not lonely. When he really tried things, Aryana had enough. Then, it was her first time she Shouted. All her family came look what happened and she explained and they understood. Her brother, by the way, was before she was captured by the Empire, given to an adventurer
Past: On her way, she saw a fight between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks so she joined because she wanted something interesting in her life. She was also taken captive.
Family: She lived with her father, mother, and little brother in Cyrodil in Bruma. Aryana is a teenager, so she had a bit problems with her family. So she once again escaped from home, to an abandoned house she discovered.she came back and her parents were DEATH! there were Dark Brotherhood asassins in her house and she accidentally did a shout and they all died. she ran upstairs to go find her brother and he hid under the bed. Then Aryana know that the only safe place was that abandoned house.
Name. Molag bal
Race. Orc
Age 19
His mother was an schooma addict so when he was born she named him Molag Bal because she was in a schooma rage and couldn't think of anything else. He ran away when he was eight and found himself in winter hold almost dead from the cold. But foralda the mage took him in and healed him he liked it there so he decided to stay he learned all that he could from the mages but was especially gifted in conjuration there he met Brelyna
Marion they would eventually marry and move to white run . He ventured off in search of his father who was somewhere in wind helm it turned out it was the chief of the tribe narzalbur where he met two young or cs who happened to be his siblings. When he returned to Brylina she had bared 2 sons of molagbals.
Here's my character it's not the best though
Age: 24
History: Anna grew up in high rock way up in the mountains (I don't know if high rock has mountains) her mother died giving birth to her they said she was lucky (she always had a thing with luck like 99% of the time she was lucky but that small 1% of unlucky ness was what she called 'the chain of events' but I'll get to that later)
Anyway her dad was a caring,funny type of guy that when ever she was
Sad he'd cheer her up. They worshiped every single divine except Talos .
Every night before she went to bed her father would would tell her why we worshiped the divines he would say" we worshipe dibella because my little girl is so beautiful" or " we worshipe kinareth because my little girl and her father are loud mouths (she used to be a loudmouth tough she is a loud mouth around her friends or' Followers') and" we worshipe Mara because my little girl will make every man fall for her" any ways the chain of events started when they were siting by there cabin when suddenly an arrow peireced her fathers neck she screamed and ran away quickly climbing a tree in the forest she stayed there for the night then in the morning she went back to the cabin and got her supplies she cried when she saw her dad. She then was running away from the house when she tripped over a rock and hit her head in another rock and that's were I come in (by the way she's a bit insane but she's VERY loyal to her friends)
Anyway for years she lived in the forest hunting with her bow and sleeping in bushes but did I say that she survived on her own no she had some help along the way.she was walking through the town(the Bretons were very racist against nords) when she met a theif at first he tried to rob her earning a punch to the face then he stole supplies for the girl
He gave her some new clothes food and a little diwarven shpear for luck (though sadly it was taken away from her when she crossed the border
She finally found skyrim she started crying she could finally have a bed at the inn but all those dreams came crashing down when she saw the stormcloakes suddenly a hilt of a sword came crashing against her head she then blacked out....
Personality: Anna is a very quiet girl but when she was younger she was a loud mouth though when with her friends mostly Lydia she tends to joke around she also a bit insane.
Fear: Anna fears 2 main things skeevers and the water.when she was young her cabin had a skeever infestation when she was sleeping a skeever was curled up on her back resting she quickly got up screaming then her dad killed it
And for water Anna and her father were swimming when suddenly a slaughter fish bit her dad in the leg he yelled in agony while grabbing Anna. At home he patched the wound and grabbed Anna saying "shh it's okay daddy's okay,you're okay" but she wouldent stop whimpering
She likes to sneak but when she has to she'll take out her sword and start fight ing and when she sees a skeever she runs away until she gets enuough courage to kill it
This is my character Anna
Beriothien (Bear-ee-oh-thee-ehn)
High elf
Age 24
Coming from a very well off family in the summerset Isles he had the childhood that everyone had dreamed of. He lived in a big house full of servants and his mom and dad were famous sorcerers. They hunted the undead and the daedra of the world and brought them down to size using their incredible magic powers. Practically born into power and fortune there was only one problem with him, he could perform no magic at all! His parents at first just thought that he was a late bloomer and that one day his magical powers would come to him then he would be a powerful magician. But nothing came of his powers. He tried and tried to produce a spark in his figures but he just could not do it. Not even the most powerful parents could give him their magical powers. Soon other kids his age found out about him having no powers and they started to bag him for it. The society that he lived in was purely based off magic. Everything from farming to even picking up girls was in the form of magic. All the girls loved to see high displays of magic and would fall for all the powerful guys that could produce red mountain flowers from nothing! Having no magical ability he had no friends and was destined to be miserable forever….
Like everything was not bad enough, one day his parents thought it would be a good idea to get him out of the house and actually go on the hunt for a daedra with them so he could see their power and that he was born into it. But everything turned south in the matter of an instant. His parents had heard that the daedric prince Mehrunes Dagon had been terrorizing a small village outside the city and was toying with the farmers while murdering them in flames. His parents rushed to the scene and decided to fight fire with fire (literally). They performed a mystical move called the 'Flaming Spiral' in which they both poured their powers and flames into a giant flaming twister. Watching from a distance he saw them let lose the tornado straight for Mehrunes Dagon. However he saw it coming and using his unbreakable power sent the twister back on its way and in a matter of seconds his parents were nothing but a pile of ash…
The years had gone by and he now lived with a hunter in a small hut on the outsides of the city. He was taught how to hunt the traditional bosmer way by not sneaking (considered cowardly as all high elves should stand up tall and be proud) but by using deadly poisons. While he was out hunting an assassin snuck into the hut and killed the old hunter who was resting, she also stole the hunters bow, 'The bow of the stag prince'. When he came back to the hut he could see the thief/assassin sprinting off into the other direction with her golden hair flailing behind her. He could tell that she was a nord and that she was heading off to skyrim because of the direction she was going and the colour of her hair.
With no-where to go and nothing to do, he started to research skyrim using the old library in the city. That's when he read about the 'College of Winterhold'. If anyone could teach him magic, it would be the most powerful sorcerers in all of Tamriel which were located in the college. So he headed off to Skyrim, having no gold but a bow, sword and the memory of his father's last words to him. "Don't worry son, stay on the right path and your skills and talents would shape your own destiny." When trying to cross the border he ran into the storm cloaks that saw that he was a high elf and they asked him to use his powers to heal them. When he said that he could not do it, they thought that he was just a stubborn highlander who did not help the needy (the complete opposite of what he was). So they made him scout ahead to look for any imperials. Seizing this opportunity he tried to make a run for it but accidentally stumbled into an imperial camp. He tried to plead his case with them and he even told them where the stormcloakes were but in their eyes he was still trying to illegally cross the border. And that was punishable by death. So they bound him and knocked him over his head with a bat in case he tried to run. Next thing he knew he was waking up on a cart with a thief and two of the stormcloakes that had kept him prisoner. He now had no bow or sword. His skills with the bow were also poor as he had no real expert training. If he survived this experience, he would have to start from the bottom and make his way up in this foreign environment until he was the man his father always believed that he could be.
He is of Bosmer appearance but instead of having golden hair like majority of the elves had, he had black hair and grew facial hair in which no one else in the city could grow. Having strong arms that paid off from all the farming and hunting he had done had done. Unlike the more common green eyes which was a sign of wealth and power he had the eyes of orange which was not nearly as attractive to the opposite sex.
He prefers to wear heavy armour because it gives him a sense of safety and security. He also uses a bow for his main source of attack but when the enemies get too close he will pull out his sword.
When he finds out that his powers may never come to him he moves on to enchanting and he reads and researches about enchanting his armour and weapons (majority).
He wears Heavy armour because he wants to feel secure and safe (majority).
He uses archery because that is his best skill (get everything).
One handed is for when people get too close and he needs to fight them off in close combat (only go into the first 5 points for one handed because he is NOT a swordsman)
He uses alchemy a bit at first for his poisons but then he realises it that it will help with his enchanting.
He inspires to be like his father and hunt down the evils and injustices of the world trying to learn magic as he goes along but uses the talents that he has.
He is petrified of fire because of the memories that the sight of it brings up.
Because he is still highborn he likes to keep everything neat and tidy. He will always dress for the occasion and enjoys reading magic books when he can (actually read every magic skill book). However being in a new land with people he does not know he finds it very hard to trust anyone and prefers to act as sell sword where he just does his job and gets paid with no strings attached
He hates thieves/assassins because of what they did to his best friend that took him in when he was orphaned and helpless. He intends to hunt down and kill the assassins and thieves that he comes across. He hates injustice. He also hats the undead and daedra and intends to hunt down and destroy them.
Something special:
He will never sneak because his father always told him to stand up tall and be proud of whom he is. He will never have someone follow him trying to 'help' him unless he knows them and he trusts them (hardly anyone).
Rules to play by:
Never sneak
Never steal (unless has to)
Can't fast travel or wait (must use carriage, horse of walk and sleep in beds to pass time)
Must stay in character and stick to habits and fears until the character fully evolves
Don't equip other peoples armour until you upgrade it to suit your body
Remove some elements form the screen so you are not focussing on them
Name: Synraz
Race: Nord
Age: 26
Appearance: Well built, not overly strong, good looking warrior.
Family: Bastard. Father was a King of a distant land. Mother kept his Father level-headed. Mom was very influential on him. Was not inline for the throne b/c bastard. Father never quite treated him with respect b/c of it. Always striving to make his father proud. Youngest of three. Older brother never noble, too self-righteous. Never got along great. Older sister very sweet and smart. Very close with her. She took him under her wing.
Past/Motivation: Being sent with his older sister by sea to oversea a struggling city, storm took the ship out to sea where it crashed. Somehow, Synraz washed ashore south of Skyrim. Brought to Skyrim to be sold as slave when imperials attacked, took him prisoner. He was the only survivor of his shipwreck. Lives and strives to make his father proud and hopes to one day find sister alive.
Phobias: Terrified of ships and open sea as well as anything that lives in the water.
Quirk: Always removes helmet when in towns unless possible threat. Likes to dress to the occasion. Won't deliver the first blow if melee combat.
Prejudices: Very fond to other Nords and large interest in Elves. Hates Orcs and Argonians, huge distrust for them. Prejudice against sorcerers (or any dominate magic user, sees cowardly) as well as criminals.
Gimps: Can only wear crafted armor or armor that has been enhanced at the workbench (by doing so the armor is "fitted" to my character).
Preffered Skills: Two handed greatswords as well as archery. Smithing enthusiast as well as speech and heavy armor.
Alliance: Stormcloaks. That is all.
Race: High Elf
Name: Amroth Anwamane (Seeker of Justice)
Family: Is the son of Gamril & Amriala, a family living in middle class, who stick to the traditions of the elven race. Both his parents taught him to always be honorable and respect the heritage of the elves. He was brought up to believe other races were not necessarily trustworthy, though to not prejudice against anyone as their people had dealt with that for much of their history. This prejudice would become impossible to overcome on Amroth's wedding day, as he was set to marry a Nord, something frowned upon by the Nord race and to an extent the elven race as well. Though his parents wanted and preferred their only son to wed a high elf, they were loving understandable and accepting people who only wanted their son to be happy. During the wedding ceremony a group of Nords and a few Stormcloaks attacked the ceremony, killing both Amroth's parents and kidnapping his soon to be wife, Njada stonearm. Amroth barely made it out alive, having to do something he never wanted to do and taking a few lives in self defense. Though wounded he chased the intruders desperately trying to save his love, though they were far too fast on horseback and escaped. Completely distraught, he walked for miles in the direction of the kidnappers. Arriving at a small town he decided he must take refuge and rest, to figure out what his next move would be.... and to grieve for his beloved parents. The next morning he was awoken by an Imperial raid on the town, and apprehended as he was thought to be a spy.
Ambition: Find his wife, bring justice to the Stormcloaks
Quirk: Leaves a tribute to his parents each and every night
Prejudices: Hates Stormcloaks, distrusts Nords.
Fond of other Elven kind, will help Imperials
Gimps: Will not loot armor from the dead, if not wearing
robes will only wear armor he creates himself from hunting.
Can not fast travel, can only wield self protection weapons such as a staff or daggers.
Phobias: Fire, always been afraid of it as a child. Fear grew even bigger during the Wedding attack, when half the homes were burnt to the ground. His father always tried to teach him the spell of flame but he refused to learn it, even though he knew it would help him in any battles.
Preferred Skills: Conjuration, Illusion mostly. He prefers not to kill, but if need be he will do so in a way where he doesn't have to risk injury to himself by confusing and/or tricking the target(s) and/or having his conjured minions dish out the punishment while he watches at a safe distance. He will use destruction magic when it is necessary, but prefers not to do so, as he believes it's a pathway to evil.
Alliance: College Of Winterhold, Imperials.
Not the best, but it's still just a rough outline/plan.
Name: Garlief III
Race: Nord
Age: 68
Appearance: Thin, weak old man with a bushy gray beard. Slightly balding.
Family: Son of Garlief II and Luarha, he was abused physically by his father. His mother is dying of a disease spreading in his home of High Rock. His brother, Calcelmo (court wizard of markarth) got amnesia a few years before Garlief III came to Skyrim, and has forgotten his brother.
Past/Motivation: His Father died in the early stages of the Civil War, Thus motivating him to come to Skyrim and fight in the war. Every Garlief has been an experienced Wizard, and Garlief III is no exception. His father was the most rude, unhelpful drunk he ever knew, and Garlief III tries to help everone he can.
Phobias: Deathly afraid of spiders, and has trouble casting when facing them, as well as being afraid of Skeevers.
Quirk: His first choice when trying to manipulate people is to intimidate them, and if that fails, he gives up.
Prejudices: Hates Imperials and High Elves, while Fond of Bretons and other Nords
Gimps: Garlief III is too weak to use melee weapons that aren't enchanted or wear ANY armor, even light, restricting him to robes and spells. Also gets tired after completing a quest, and goes home to sleep for 8-12 hours afterward
Preffered Skills: Restoration since he hates not being able to save people, Destruction for self defense and the defense of others, Alteration, for Armor spells, Conjuration for Atronachs and the like and Enchanting, so he can use daggers (invisble light weight enchantment)
Alliance: College of Winterhold, Stormcloaks.
That took a while to write. now to make it an actual character.
Race: orc
Name: Passface
Family: Only child his father died before he was born. His mother physicaly abused him all childhood until one He stole a paralyzing scroll and used it on her when she was taking a swim in the lake. she drowned and died.
Ambition: is not sain of mind will cause choas in a weird way.
Quirk. Will pickpocket people's weapons So they can unarme fight him so he can remember his only family before murdering his victim,
Hitory: Walks around the land tourmenting people and slaughtering peacefull animals with warhammers.
Phobia: Afraide of trolls. will run away as far as possible.
Hates Cat people and agorians and orcs.
Does not understand what elves are and is afraide of trusting them
Name:Krystalus Mallory
Armor:Thieves Guild Master Armor & Amulet Of Articulation.
Backstory:Krystalus has a big brother called Delvin and one called Glover.
she is the bff of Karliah
is an thieve & assaisian
I greatly enjoy roleplaying and forming interesting characters. I normally like to have some sort of evolution or change in my characters. One of my favorite characters actually started as just a Breaking Bad reference. He was a Nord named Wulther Snow who ran a failing alchemy shop, found out he was terminally ill, and began mixing deadly poisons and used them to complete mercenary jobs, eventually getting involved with the Dark Brotherhood in a desperate attempt to leave his family with some money (since you can't make your own skooma in Skyrim to my knowledge). Obviously, he goes through a change similar to Walter White, going from an innocent pushover to a hardened criminal. Another of my favorites is a Nord named Andur. Andur was a young boy during the Great War, which his mother, father, and older brother all fought in. He looked up to his older brother as an almost god-like superhero, but he was killed during the war. He despised the Thalmor with all his passion for this, but began to believe that magic was the greatest weapon one could yield from their victory. He began studying magic, but his parents, who were very traditional, "Skyrim for the Nords" types, hated this and forced him to learn to use a blade. As soon as he was old enough, he left home and went on a journey across Tamriel searching for magical knowledge. He eventually headed back towards Skyrim to attend the College of Winterhold, where he was arrested with the Stormcloaks and sent to Helgen, then you know the rest. Because of his parents forced training, he used a greatsword as well as his magic and wore heavy armor in combat. Also due to his parents, he was a little repulsed by the barbaric Stormcloaks, but was also a worshiper of Talos, making the civil war a huge inner conflict for him. He also desired a wife and family so he could be a better father than his own. He wanted to right the wrong his father had done to him by effectively and openmindedly raising a child of his own (basically an excuse for me to try out Hearthfire). He was powerful, yet noble Intelligent, yet a fierce warrior. Civilized, yet had some barbaric traits left over from his parents. He ended up an interesting combination between a scholarly mage and some traits of a traditional Nord. A more comical one I will always remember was the Khajiit Utheir ( I named him such because I was tired of no one saying my characters' names, so I figured I would make it sound like "You there" to make it seem like my name was said every so often). He was a descendant of one of my characters in Oblivion, and so always felt a need to live up to the Champion of Cyrodiil. He was more than a little deranged, seeking glory wherever it may lie, and also had a greedy side, willing to do anything for money. In addition to his eccentric attitude, he had quite a skooma problem that had been an issue in many members of his family. Between these two traits and some very odd glitches that seemed to only happen to this particular character, I had some pretty damned good times with him
Here's my character
Race: Nord
Name: Odin
Family:Her farther was a drunk who made all of his money through gambling. Her mother works with the stormscloaks and is barely at home.Her brother goes to the mages guild in the imperial city.
Motivation: The blood on his Mace.
Ambition: To kill all imperials.
Habit: Getting as drunk as possible before sleep
Quirk: Kill to release tension
History: All his family was arrested for acts against the imperials. He managed to escape and took his own carrige to the imperial city's prison. But got caught up in that ambush on the Stormcloaks. He chose to go with Ralof at the start of the game
Phobia: He is scared of foxs.
Gimps: He can't buy items. Can't fast travel and Can't use the carridge
name: carl smither
race: orc
age: 35
weopen of choice: ebony blade and dawn breaker, staff: wabbajack
armor: dragon scale, or elven when using dawnbreaker and the deadric shield
background story. his farther a beastly orc who was a chief of a tribe was the greatest smith in all the tribes until he reliesed he wanted more power. he paid to malacath and tried a ritual to asorb his power. his plan failed and they were band from the lands. his mother started to take skooma and died soon later. hating his farther carl ran for years learning the ways to suvirve by himself. he enterd skyrim and soon found he was dragon born. however he never visted the greybeard instead he learnt to smith. soon he was low in money and visited riften. he joind the thieves guild and soon became leader found the 24 stones and had the cuberd to its full power. he spoke to maven and the snowshod and learnt of the war. however somethink made him visit the grey beards, as soon as he knew it he was going undercover in the thalmor emmbasy. he hated the thalmor, as he hated the dark elves and argonions. however learnt the thalmore wanted ufric to win so they could ivade skyrim. in a few years he now leads all groups has all deadric artifacts and is a master pickpocket smith one handed wepon master and a alchemy king.
My character is the descendent of the poorest of the poor. He grew up in Markarth living in the warrens and finding work wherever he could. When he was fifteen he set out on his own his parents died only weeks after he left from rockjoint. Though he mourned for them he kept adventuring making more than double the average nord. One day he had been catching samon near Whiterun when a dragon attacked. Over half the gaurds died but he didn't . He abosbed its soul and heard his calling. He trains with the Greybeards and is prepairing to set off again in a few weeks
Name: Nadia Snow-Strider
Gender: Female
Race: Nord
Age: 24
Weapons of choice: Daedric bow, dual wielding ebony swords
Titles: Harbinger of the companions, Dragonborn, Stormblade (Stormcloak), Lady of Lakeview manor.
Phobias: Falmer - not really scared of them, but she loses her common sense and attacks them without thinking.
Family: Daughter of Jorn and Nil Snow-Strider. Jorn was killed in the Great War, and Nil died of a plague not long after. Her only sibling is Orla, a woman who is a priestess of Dibella (found in Markarth). She and her sister lost contact when Nadia left for Cyrodiil to escape her parents death. She received a letter from her sister requesting to see her and she was captured accidentally in a trap laid for the Stormcloaks by the Imperials.
She joined the Companions and was later appointed Harbinger. She left Whiterun to visit her sister who revealed her decision to join the Stormcloaks.
She joined the Stormcloaks in the rebellion alongside her sisterand helped lead them to victory. She was labelled Stormblade whereas Orla was titled Iceveins in their honour.
Appearance: fair skin and long blonde hair - typical of a nord. Silvery blue eyes. Halfway between stocky and slender.
Mine is simpliefied here because i didn't really start role-playing my character until later in the game. I'd done it before in Morrowind and I decided I wouldn't in Skyrim, but after a few boring characters and finally making the right one, halfway through I decided to clean it all up and go for it. So here you go.
Age: 48
Race: Nord
Profession: Smith
Appearance: Thin, but not skinny. White hair in a mohawk and full, long beard. Once had white-blonde hair. Went full white quickly in life, around 28.
Preferred fighting style: One-handed with shield
Armor: Any, strong enough to sometimes choose simply for aesthetics. Tends to use heavy, was introduced to light armour as an effective option during the civil war.
Ulfjack, once called Jack, is the descendant of Buliwyf, the Nerevarine of legend, and has a brother, Ceolwulf, and a sister, Aethelwyn. He was born in Skyrim and grew up learning to smith crude weaponry. At age 16 he set out to become an adventurer, as did his brother. His sister is an mage in Cyrodiil.
At age 48 he returned to Skyrim destitute. Knowing his parents had both died long ago, he had hoped to begin smithing as a profession. Upon being captured, and thrust into the situation he found himself in, he followed his destiny as Dragonborn, but continued his craft, becoming the best smith Skyrim had to offer.
While he fought for the Stormcloaks in the civil war and cared for the reasoning behind it, he loathed the racism involved. Regardless of how backwards the mind-set of some of the Stormcloaks tended to be, he could not stand the idea of an Aldmeri dominion. Not because of the racial card, but because of how deeply untrustworthy and outright sinister it was. He had to do what he could to run it out, and became instrumental in ridding Skyrim of the Empire. He was always bittersweet about this, but his principals are paramount.
He is beyond a fine warrior, and is extremely capable of defending himself in almost any situation. He is hardened by battle and comes from a long line of warrior-smiths.
He is not very good at treasure-hunting, and although very wealthy and owning several extensive properties, this was gained through smithing. He uses magic only when absolutely needing to, and this can hamper his progress sometimes. He uses shouts and will dabble in enchantments, which to him go hand-in-hand with smithing and make that special difference. He is, indeed, very wealthy, enough so that he no longer has to mine or hunt for smithing supplies.
Ulfjack is married to Ysolda and have one child (soon to be two) and a dog, Meeko. He also has under his command 3 housecarls, two stewards (one housecarl is also a steward) two horse-drawn carriages, two horses, gardens, livestock, 2 great halls, one home in Whiterun and a vacation home near the Throat of the World. This is sure to expand.
While married to Ysolda and happy, he fell in love with an adventurer named Mjoll. He knew as much as he would like it to, it could never amount to anything, because he had sworn to be with Ysolda. They have a good friendship, however, and even after Mjoll was recruited to the Blades after Alduin's defeat, they travel together frequently. They have been in many battles and on many adventures, and Ulfjack considers Mjoll as much a dragon slayer as he. Together fighting Alduin, other dragons, the Thalmor, and the Empire, they wore Ulfjack's own reproductions of ancient Akaviri armour, the predecessors to the Blades.
My Character is just the Dragonborn I'm playing like the Dragonborn is trying to make his own empire in Skyrim much like the Stormcloaks and bad guys are actually another kingdom which the Dragonborn needs to face the problem is that Blaise will be the next line in the throne and I have many money and perks (no cheats) so when I made Blaise as the next king should I restart the whole thing or just stick with Dragonborn while changing the face with the face sculptor by the way I play in Ps3 no console commands
Very long but if you want a story worth playing read this!!!!!!!!!!
Genevieve (Female)
16 years old
Back story (past):
Genevieve was born into a rich family with everything a little girl could want. She had all the dolls she could possibly play with and a different outfit for every second day. When she was a young girl she thought this was the best life to live and that she was very fortunate to be rich, downright gorgeous, and have a loving family with a big house for her to live in. Her father was a very successful merchant who could barter even the most expensive goods down to a very reasonable price (for him). Her mother was a very skilled mage who always talked about going to the college of Winterhold; it was a dream of hers to explore her magical power to her fullest capacity. When Genevieve was at the early age of 12 her mother decided the time was right to go after her dream to visit and learn from some of the best sorcerers in Tamriel. This could not have come at a worst time in Genevieve's life because she was just entering womanhood. At the age of 12 her body began to change and she started to get unwanted attention from the boys her age. The other girls who were 12 still had children's bodies and their breasts had not grown yet. Genevieve was becoming well known around the neighbourhood as the girl with "big tits" and she did not like it one bit. Coming from a rich family she was already being called a 'snob' and a 'spoiled brat' because of her family's wealth. Her father appointed her body guards because he was worried that she might get kidnapped and having the kidnapper ask for a handsome ransom. As time went on though she didn't want body guards because that made the other kids her age dislike her even more for being 'too good to walk by herself'. So one day she went for a walk in the woods alone, not telling the body guards that she was going. She had a male friend in the woods who was well above her age but was a kind and gentle man to talk to about her feelings and problems. He was an old man who had a cottage in the woods. At this time in her life she really needed a friend and this man was being that exactly. This time when she snuck out of her manor and into the woods something was different, something was not right. As she crept deeper and deeper into the woods she felt as though she was being followed. Eventually she heard a twig snap behind her and she wheeled around to face her stalker. It was two Orc boys her age. She asked them why they were following her; they didn't answer. They were just staring at her long blonde hair and her irresistible curves. As she started to back up the boys started walking towards her, practically drooling. Her hand was behind her as she was walking backwards trying to find a weapon; she found something else. It was bony and firm. It was a hand. She turned around to find a third Orc boy standing there. He leant in and whispered in her ear, "Run and I'll kill you". Those words triggered panic in her mind, but they also triggered the boys to bind her hands and feet and shove wool into her mouth so she couldn't scream. She was tied up on the ground and was completely helpless. The boys started to rip off her clothes as she lay there helpless on the ground. The next 20 minutes were the longest 20 minutes of her life as she was sexually assaulted in every way possible. When they were finished with her they left her a beaten, assaulted, bloody mess. She lay there for what seemed days before her father came and found her with a group of body guards. They unbound her and rapped a blanket around her, her long beautiful blonde her was lying in balls around her. She now had short ugly hair with strands going everywhere. She wanted to die. She was raped and beaten at the age of 12 by young Orcish boys.
Worse yet over the next few days her father had informed her to say that her mother had never made it to Skyrim. Her band of men and her were shot down and killed by bandits by a barrage of arrows.
The next four years found Genevieve staying in-doors at all times, never leaving the house for anything. She was still spooked by the memory of her being raped. She started to occupy most of her time reading over her mother's old books about magic. Realising that as she would get older a lot of men would find her sexually attractive and having no way of defending herself because she had no muscle; she had to do something! What would be perfect for her would be for males to lose all interest in her at her will. This is when she found the perfect book for her problem. It was her mother's old book 'Illusion for beginners'. She would spend hours a day looking over every detail of illusion magic trying to get the hang of the spell. Magic being almost impossible to just pick up she began to wonder if she had the gift. She kept reminding herself that it was in her blood because her mother was such a promising magician. After months and months of trying and on the verge of giving up, she mastered her first illusion spell. She only had the strength to do it once but it was the happiest moment in her life. She did it on an angry bee in a jar and managed to make it lose all interest in attacking her. Being small made no difference to her because this accomplishment was no small feat for her. Learning magic for the first time needed such patience and dedication for a normal person but having those disgusting memories in the back of her head while trying to concentrate made it even harder. She now knew she had the talent to perform magic, and she was eager to learn more!
Once again her life took a turn for the absolute worst! The Orc boys had grown up too, their muscles had grown so big from having Orcish blood. Still obsessed about Genevieve they killed the guards guarding the gate and burst their way into the house. Over the years they would have realised that she had got even better looking and they wanted to repeat history. As they burst into the house they were met by her father Jon. He was not happy to see them. He yelled out them to leave the house immediately, but of course they had no intention of listening to him. Instead of leaving they slaughtered him in his own living room. Not even his amazing speech craft could talk the Orc boys out of spreading his blood all over the floor. Genevieve knew she had to get out of the house before it was too late, but the only way out was down the stairs which the boys were at the bottom playing with her father's corpse. She snuck out of her room trying to stick to the shadows trying to stay as quiet as possible. Just as she reached to the top of the stairs the Orc boys made a move for the stairs. Sticking her back against the wall and not moving she tried to remain undetected at the top of the stairs. It was too late to run back to her room because they would surely see her. The boys came up the stairs quickly and went straight for her room completely missing her and walking straight passed her! She snuck down the stairs and left the house slamming the door behind her. Not turning back to she was miles from the town she had to slow down and rest. As she turned around, she saw black smoke rising from a familiar house in the distance.
With no home to go back to and no family to look after her she had no choice but to go somewhere else and never look back. The only place she could think to go was Skyrim, the very place her mother was on her way to before she was killed. With nothing on her but the clothes she was wearing, she headed to Skyrim to try to cross the border unnoticed. Her sneaking was the not as good as she thought though and was captured by a group of imperial soldiers who assumed she was with a group of Stormcloak soldiers. She was wacked over the head for trying to plead her case and was knocked unconscious. Next thing she knew, she was waking up on a carriage in the unknown land of Skyrim.
Character Traits
Genevieve is a very well educated girl who always dresses well. If she is going to see the Jarl she will dress appropriately in nice clothes. If she is not fighting she will just wear nice clothes. When she is going to into a bat
Name: Leonius Septim Ornelius
Age: 22
Race: High Elf
Leonius is the great great grandson of a Septim ruler, this was a forbidden act considering the emperor was not sopposed to fall in love with a High Elf. Leonius knew he had great power within him. He was adept in all magic arts especially the manipulation of the mind. His father was a high-standing member in the Thalmor society while his mother was a caring individual excelling in restoration. Leonius had joined the Thalmor at a young age under his fathers wishes. When the civil war broke out in Skyrim, the Thalmor decided to strike and sent Leonius to go undercover and gain ties and trust between the individuals in Skyrim and help the Thalmor gain control of Skyrim.
After that he was shipped off to Hammerfell and rode a horse for the duration of the trip. When he made it to Skyrim he was ambushed by an imperial patrol along with the storm cloaks. You all know how that turned out. After escaping he made his way to Whiterun and gained the trust of the locals and the jarls and learned he was Dragonborn. He did not care much though and set out to the College of Winterhold to gain leadership. He succesfully did and even killed a defect member of the Thalmor in his wake. Of course, since he was undercover he was not known by anybody that called themselves Thalmor.
The next step was for him to take control of the Companions so that he would gain renown. After cleansing Kodlak's spirit he became the harbinger and set out to gain the hearts of the people.
On the way however he fell in love with a Dunmer named Brelyna from the college of Winterhold. He continued to adopt two beautiful Breton children and he was a good father. He then decided to become thane of the many holds that were under imperial control. After completing that, he decided that having ties with the thieves guild would be beneficial. He then succeeded in restoring the thieves guild without even doing the golden low estate mission.
Leonius proceeded to join the legion to gain respect among the empire. He needed for the empire to have control so the Thalmor could have control as well. He succeeded and Ulfuric was dead.
He conquered the thieves guild and became the thieves guild leader And killed the traitor Mercer Fray.
After that endeavor the only thing left in Skyrim was the Dark Brotherhood. He decided to join them so that he could have assassins at his disposal. After killing the empower, he restored the Dark Brotherhood and they were stronger than ever.
He then became thane of every hold and was one of the most influential people in Skyrim. Nothing happened until it passed his ears. He decided that it was time to actually follow the path of the Dragonborn and rebuilt the blades, only to destroy them later but that a later story. He killed Alduin and thought he was done until the Thalmor had one more assignment before they would strike and that was to conquer the social status of Soltheim and become one of the most influential people there as well.
After finishing that, the Thalmor striked and when Leonius told them that he was the reason most of them joined him because they believed he was a much better person/ leader than anyone in Skyrim was. The Thalmor broke through any resistance and continued to take hold of Skyrim once and for all. They even conquered Soltheim for its ebony ore.
After all was done, he was elected High King of Skyrim and the Thalmor continued rule Skyrim for many years to come at least that's what happened in Leonius's world.
Race: Nord
Name: Drynjo
Physical Appearance: Normal Nord build with blue eyes and light brown hair to his shoulders, pulled back, off of his face and tied. Full beard and dirty face from always smithing.
Background Information:
The only child of Dryngheid, a blacksmith born in Windhelm and Signy, an Enchanter born in Bruma. He himself was born and raised in Bruma and is a follower of Talos. He was trained in the art of sword and shield by his father and the secrets of Enchanting from his mother. At age 25, his father was summoned by Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak for a job opportunity. The Jarl, on the brink of open war with the imperials, needed a handful of great smiths to help produce armor and weapons. Even though Drynjo begged to come, his father said "I have no idea how long the war will take and you need to stay here and be the man of the house while I'm gone." Reluctantly, Drynjo agreed. After a few months, his mother became worried about Dryngheid. Signy and Drynjo hadn't received word from him that he is safely there. Not to mention there has been a few rumors of dragon sightings! In a panic, she attempted to contact the thieves guild to hire a spy to find out where Drygheid is. After contact was made, she met with the guild for payment. They murdered her, left her in the streets, and stole the gold. When Drynjo got news of the gruesome murder, he sought revenge. After some investigative work, he found out that Ongar the World-Weary was the killer but was not ordered by the guild itself. Determined for revenge, he looked everywhere but couldn't find him. For months he searched until one day, while walking to town, a woman he'd never seen before slipped a note into his hand and whispered "Find me in Solitude." The letter explained the reason behind his father's silence.. He never reached Windhelm! His father's carriage was ambushed by a band of thieves on the way to Skyrim and is nowhere to be found! It also said that the leader had a real thirst for power so he decided to be master of his own guild. The letter also had a map sketched on it that pinpointed a location in the outskirts of Oblivion. It was labeled 'The Malum Posse' Signed by only the initials JSM
Certain his father is still alive, he hired a couple mercenaries with the money he had and set out to search for his father. There were a ½ dozen of them. Sitting at a distance, Drynjo spots Ongar about to decapitate his father! He grabbed his sword and charged in. Killing two almost immediately. Right behind him came the two mercenaries keeping the other 3 thieves busy. The battle between Drynjo and Ognar was pathetic. As Ognar jabbed with his dagger Drynjo spun around it and then WHAM, a clean slice. After he slayed Ongar, as his head rolls away, a group of imperials witnessed the massacre and cornered them. Remembering the exit through the back, he looked at the 2 mercenaries and said "Grab him and RUN! I'll hold them off!" While Drynjo absorbed the arrows into his shield, one arrow gets past and sticks one of the mercs in the knee but the three make their escape. That's the last thing he remembers. When he wakes up, his hands are bound and is in the back of a wagon with….
Likes: swords, axes, wearing his own made armor, a companion, doing dungeons and fighting during the day, sleep and smith at night to make money.
Dislikes: The Thieves Guild, carrying over 160 weight, maces, daggers, imperial army,
Personality: Loyal, serious, dry, only loots bandits,
Skills: One Handed, Block, Smithing, Enchanting, Alteration, Restoration, Light Armor
Spells: No more than 8 spells
Perks: limited to the 7 skills
Equipment: Leather, Stormcloak, Glass, Dragon. (self crafted only except stormcloak armor)
Marriage: After finding the mysterious lady that slipped him the note on Olgars whereabouts, Jordis, they travel around together fighting in the name of the blades and eventually fall in love.
Religious Views: Talos
Home: Sky Haven Temple, Windhelm
Favorite Foods: Apples, Red Meats, Stews, Potatoes, nord mead
Middle Class
Weekly Routine: Quests, make weapons and armor to sell, collect jewels,
Suggested Quests: Civil War (Stormcloak), Blades quests,
Here is the ending to the story, got cut off:
Domrique conjured a fire atronach that fought against the three Thalmor. However, Elesfat shot a spike of ice at the fire atronach and it died. Balzak screamed at Domrique, telling him to run for his life. At that point, Domrique looked around himself and saw the losing battle for the orcs. He shot flames around him, trying to make an escape. The fire made the Thalmor flee in front of him and he was able to eventually escape into the forest.
Elesfat, the Thalmor Justicar, was victorious. He still wanted to know where the Blade member was hiding and tortured Balzak for the information. Balzak was brave and did not speak. Elesfat knew how precious the blacksmith's craft was to him and cut off the forgemaster's fingers. Balzak bled to death. His hand and fingers were hung from a pole in front of the destroyed stronghold for all to see.
Fearing for his life, Domrique attempted to flee from Skyrim. The Thalmor were too active in Skyrim, subduing Talos worshippers, and he wanted to get away from them. He decided to sneak into Cyrodiil, home of the Imperials, once enemies of the Thalmor during the Great War. Surely, the Thalmor would not be found there.
At dusk, just as the last haze of light was disappearing on the horizon, Domrique emerged from a bush he was hiding in. His plan was to cross into Cyrodiil through a path within the Jerall Mountains, on the southern border of Skyrim. A lookout point called the Autumnwatch Tower stood in his way with bandits manning its walls. He waited just north of the tower for the most opportune time to move past it. Never mastering the skill of sneaking like his Bosmer brethren in Valenwood, he was plainly visible while dressed in his full heavy armor. He couldn't get himself to remove the armor, no matter the cost, for it gave him a sense of protection. Unfortunately for Domrique, he did not know that he was hiding right next to the Rift Imperial Camp, covered from view by rocky hills. An imperial sentry immediately spotted Domrique and shot an arrow that glanced off of Domrique's head armor. It was so unexpected, that Domrique had no time to react. The blow did not kill Domrique, but the force of the hit was enough to knock him out of consciousness.
That is when our story finally begins. Domrique wakes from his foggy unconsciousness with a massive headache, only to find himself bound and riding in an Imperial caravan full of Stormcloak rebels and a horse thief. Life was not easy for Domrique. Again, he finds himself enslaved and in the company of strangers. He only ever wanted to be left alone, to live his life in the forest of Valenwood, with his family. He cared not for the intentions of kings and factions. Yet now, life has forced itself upon him. It would seem he was destined to be a serf, a slave for the rest of his life. If ever, by a strange twist of events, he were to be free from this bondage, he swore he would never let someone enslave him again. He is filled with rage: like smoldering ash that escapes from its fire pit prison, which catches the surrounding dry grass on fire, growing into a forest fire, and now an uncontrollable blaze that threatens to consume anything in its way.
Character Profile
Name: Domrique DeVale
Race: Bosmer
Birthplace: Valenwood
Family: The DeVales were a small family of wood elves in Valenwood. They were loyal supporters of the Mede Empire during the War of the Blue Divide. This was in many ways a civil war between Bosmer loyal to the Thalmor and Bosmer loyal to the Empire. The Mede Empire and its Bosmer allies lost this war and were driven out of Valenwood. The DeVales and other Bosmer families that were on the losing side of the civil war did not want to leave their homeland, however. They attempted to hide within its vast forest and even formed a small village atop the trees. They valued independence, isolation (what they liked to call "non-intervention") from the world around them. They were successful for a few generations. However, their seclusion from the Aldmeri Dominion (Thalmor) would not be a permanent one.
The Thalmor searched for this rebel village and finally found it. Domrique, at nine years old, was the son of the village chief at this time. His father gathered the strongest and bravest men of the village to fight against the Thalmor. They knew it was a losing battle, but wanted to distract the Thalmor army long enough for the women and children to escape into the forest around them. It was a short lived battle and having forest Bosmer within the Thalmor army made hiding from them impossible. The village chief, Domrique's father, and all the other grown men of the village were beheaded. The Thalmor spared the women and children and made them into servants.
A Thalmor Justicar, named Elesfat, claimed Domrique as his servant. He especially wanted to punish the son of the rebel chief. He did not understand how Mer could be in league with the filthy men of the Empire. Elesfat used his fire magic to burn Domrique every time Domrique was not quick to fetch his water or to clean his toilet bowl. Elesfat could not have people seeing burn scars on his servant, lest they think him ignoble. He used his restoration magic to hide the scars. Eventually, he forced Domrique to heal his own scars, teaching him simple restoration spells.
Although physical scars could not be seen, there was a scar upon Domrique's soul that burned with rage. He wanted to learn fire magic himself and burn Elesfat along with the rest of the Thalmor for good. When Elesfat was sleeping, Domrique often snuck into the sorcerer's cabinet to retrieve a Flame Spell Tome. He was able to practice his fire magic on rare occasions. It was a wonder how Domrique was never caught.
Eventually, Elesfat was ordered to travel from Valewood to Skyrim, having completely annihilated the Bosmer resistance. Skyrim was full of Talos worshippers that needed punishing by the Justicar.
Part of the Justicar's job was also to destroy the last remnants of the Blades. Elesfat heard a rumor of an orc forgemaster, named Balzak, who was in touch with a Blade member. Balzak was said to be forging a Blades Sword; the likes of which has not been seen for many years.
Elesfat, along with his three bodyguards and his servant, Domrique, visited Balzak at his Orc Stronghold and demanded that he tell them where the Blades member was located. Balzak refused. Tensions escalated between the orcs of the stronghold and the Thalmor intruders, eventually leading to all out fighting. Domrique ran from the fighting and hid behind the forge. The orcs lost one of their tribe, but killed all three Thalmor bodyguards. However, Elesfat was able to escape, though wounded. Balzak found Domrique behind the forge and hesitated to kill him; Domrique, after all was only a child 12 years of age at this time. Domrique begged for his life, he told Balzak that he disliked the Justicar and was not his ally. Balzak did not trust Domrique's story: Domrique was an elf, same as the Thalmor after all. Not sure what to do with Domrique, Balzak consulted the chief orc. The chief ordered Balzak to kill Domrique and be done with it. Balzak had no intention of killing an unarmed child, but Domrique overheard the chief. He panicked and remembered his fire magic training. Domrique pointed his hands towards the fire in the forge and increased the intensity of the flames until it exploded, trying to scare the orcs away. Balzak quickly subdued Domrique before he could cause more damage. He was amazed at how hot the flames of the forge had been. Forging of the Blades Sword required hotter flames than normal, and he had been having trouble making it. Not wanting to kill the boy, Balzak convinced the chief that Domrique could be of use, he could use his fire magic to assist in forging weapons and armor. The chief respected the forgemaster's request, grudgingly.
After timid beginnings, Domrique and Balzak became close friends. You could almost say that Balzak became Domrique's guardian and mentor. Balzak was very tough on Domrique, making him work very hard around the forge and tending its flames. At the same time, he taught Domrique the orcish blacksmithing skill.
The other Orsimer still viewed Domrique as an outsider and attempted to demean him. To test the might of the newly forged armor and weapons, they used Domrique as a training dummy. They made Domrique wear their heavy orcish armor and hit him with their newly forged swords, allowing him to defend himself only with a shield. They never let Domrique wield a weapon, for fear that he would retaliate. They said that elves were weak creatures and would never even have the strength to wield such large weapons as theirs. The only thing close to a weapon that they let Domrique hold was a knife to be used to make them dinner.
Domrique was able to help Balzak create many fine weapons. And envied how the other orcs could wield such magnificent pieces, yet he was not allowed to. In fact, this turned into an obsession: An obsession with large weapons. A phrase that comes to mind is: "Sword Envy". Domrique had sword envy. He was not able to wield them, but wanted to possess the largest sword he could find one day. He detested daggers and knives, it reminded him too much of cooking.
The years went by, and eventually Domrique grew into a young man. He had become proficient in orcish blacksmithing because of Balzak's training. Coming of age, Balzak also taught Domrique that alcohol was not only good for cleaning a blade, but also for drinking. Being a training dummy had its benefit, because Domrique was now proficient in blocking and using heavy armor. His early time being tortured by Elesfat taught him basic restoration spells and his fire magic was much improved with use on the forge. Bosmer naturally are able to commune with nature and even tame wild beasts. Domrique, however was taken out of the forests of Valenwood and had no creatures to tame. He eventually learned to tame fire instead and was even able to summon a small living flame creature as his friend during his loneliest hours.
And whatever happened to Elesfat, the Thalmor Justicar, you ask? Well, he never forgot about his defeat at the hands of the Orsimer. He had moved onto easier prey, Talos worshippers to punish. But his grudge with Balzak remained and after many years of begging the Thalmor bureaucracy, he finally was granted a small army to punish the orc stronghold that attacked him.
The Thalmor army attacked the orc stronghold one morning. They tore down the main gate with a ball of flame. The orcs with their mighty armor and weapons fought their bravest, but were overwhelmed by the sheer force and number of the Thalmor. Domrique tried to help the orcs and put on some of the heavy armor and donned a shield he just crafted. He knew nothing of wielding swords and maces. Therefore, he drew on the rage that burned inside him. He unleashed flames at the Thalmor, surprising many by the pure fury. Balzak, the forgemaster, also fought in the battle. Elesfat targeted Balzak with a ball of flame, throwing it at him with full force. Balzak was able to jump out of its impact just in time. He was on his back when three Thalmor approached him with swords and daggers. Domrique desperately wanted to save Balzak and out of the forge, Domrique conjured a fire atronach that fought against the three T
really like this article helps me rp and create my fan fics
here is my character
my characters name is vokun he came across that name in a dream and it just stuck he is an argonian naturaly he was born under the sign of the shadow so before he hatched he was taken by the dark brotherhood he never met his parents so he looked up to the other assasins as a familyvhe was trained to feel no romorse and as an expert assassin he has no fears but his quirks are at the most inoportune time he could zone out most of the time randomly reliving a moment in his life. when he was twenty (i imagine that this could be young for an argonian since they don't specify how old they can be ) his sanctuary was attacked and they were all killed except for him who escaped via a sewer system he did not know of any other sactuaries so he became a travleing merc doing jobs here and there which brought him to skyrim he got caught in the middle of a the imerial ambush on the stormcloaks killing more than half of both sides before the imperials overpowered him and the stromcloaks thus ending up on the cart
What I like to do is... Play pool. Get a bow, and a few arrows and crouch and shoot cups and bottles at NPCs.
I named my character Gunngeir Eagle-Eye (no relations to Noster). He became a Haafingar Guard soon after he turned 16, and joined the Stormcloaks about a year later. He served with distinction for five years, and was even made the Commander of Fort Sungard when the Stormcloaks took over a portion of the Reach. However, after almost a year of holding this position, he took half of his garrison out of the fort to take on an Imperial garrison that was in the hills, a ways away. As Gunngeir was fighting, a Legionnaire stabbed him in the stomach. Gunngeir collapsed, dying, but his power-hungry second-in-command ordered the other Stormcloaks to leave their leader behind. By the time Gunngeir managed to stand, the others had already defeated the Legionnaires and left. Holding onto his abdomen, he managed to hobble to Whiterun, where the guards saved him, although the guards supported the Empire.
His skills are One-Handed, Archery, and Heavy Armor, mostly. However, I didn't go insane and deck out Gunngeir in dragonbone armor and crap, the most I gave him was a tempered Skyforge Steel War Axe and a tempered set of Dawnguard Heavy Armor. In fact, he usually doesn't wear the helmet.
Gunngeir actually doesn't have any fears I could come up with... I usually DO run like hell from dragons, because I'm trying to pretend he's not the Dragonborn, and I haven't used any Shouts. It's not really a fear - most sane people would run from a dragon.
Also, he is very gentlemanly, and he wears a Bond of Matrimony to remember his late wife (it's truly just a gold band).
Ok I have 2 characters which is more interesting. First is Lylith Blade female nord/imperial. Age 21 lylith was born in orsinium (however you spell it) she free up surrounded by orcs. Her father was a black.Smith so he and her mother moved there from skyrim while her mom was still pregnant with her she was born along the was as they were passing the border. Her mother lost a lot of blood and didn't make the trip to the nearest town they buried her just outside the walls. Her father was a broken man after that never spoke much after that, he became absorbed in his work and never paid much attention to lylith. She had a lot of free time on her hands so she began to explore the town before she new it she was adventuring around outside the walls. One day as she walked around examining flowers or.biz whatever she could find she was attacked by to dark elf boys maybe a few years older than herself they beat her and took whatever they could off of her they left her with a scar by her eye and nose. She free a hatred for dark elfs and vowed never to wear elven armor or use elven weapons. At age 21 she left orsinium and made for skyrim before she left her dad gave her a silver amethyst ring for luck. She always wears it. At the border she met up with a man by the name of ralof she called himself a stormcloak. As she asked him for directions she was arrested by imperials and taken to thecution block. (this is just a brief summary) she has a fear of the undead and will run from fights w ith them always has a companion to fight them off. She won't eat any other food than apples or drink anything other than wine. She is very courageous and will never run from a fight. As for my other one.. Serika blackmoon female 24 imperial. She grew up in cyrodiil and her mother traveled around with the trading caravans (kajiits) nothing was known of her father except that he was killed.fighting the imperials. As the years went by at the age of 12 her mother was killed by bandits the other kajiits fought them off but could save her.mother. As they felt it was there fault they took her in. They took her all across tamriel from city to city. One of the make kajiits taught her to use.l sword and shield to help defend them from bandits and other dangers. One there way to skyrim they were ambushed by imperials and the kajiits were killed. She grew resentl ofperials dispite being one. Sheromised to kill them all. She has a fear for frostbite spiders and will burn on sight. Lives to go sightseeing and socialize but won't bring a companion due t oo not wanting them to get hurt. uses heavy and light armor. Will only drink spiced wine and eat almost anything. She is very noble and will fight fairly, not use potions unless crafted herself for.fear of them being posioned if someone insults her will start a brawl even if it gets her in trouble. that it what do you think?
Ok I have 2 characters which is more interesting. First is Lylith Blade female nord/imperial. Age 21 lylith was born in orsinium (however you spell it) she free up surrounded by orcs. Her father was a black.Smith so he and her mother moved there from skyrim while her mom was still pregnant with her she was born along the was as they were passing the border. Her mother lost a lot of blood and didn't make the trip to the nearest town they buried her just outside the walls. Her father was a broken man after that never spoke much after that, he became absorbed in his work and never paid much attention to lylith. She had a lot of free time on her hands so she began to explore the town before she new it she was adventuring around outside the walls. One day as she walked around examining flowers or.biz whatever she could find she was attacked by to dark elf boys maybe a few years older than herself they beat her and took whatever they could off of her they left her with a scar by her eye and nose. She free a hatred for dark elfs and vowed never to wear elven armor or use elven weapons. At age 21 she left orsinium and made for skyrim before she left her dad gave her a silver amethyst ring for luck. She always wears it. At the border she met up with a man by the name of ralof she called himself a stormcloak. As she asked him for directions she was arrested by imperials and taken to the execution block. (this is just a brief summary) she has a fear of the undead and will run from fights w
Here's my character:
Name: K'ezarr (Last Name is W.I.P)
Race: Khajiit
Age 26
K'ezarr was born and raised in one of the main cities in the jungles to the south of Elsweyr, near the Bay of Topal. His father, Zan'nir, was a very wealthy merchant, obsessed with (as it says in the article) improving his social status. Tashima, his mother, was a hard-working maid in a noble's mansion. Since he was able to walk, K'ezarr was obsessed with adventuring into the unknown and discovering as much as possible. However, his father wanted him to continue on his merchant's trade, but K'ezarr wouldn't do it. This led to his father shunning him and leaving him in the care of his mother. K'ezarr frequently tried to find jobs around the town that involved him travelling to exotic places, but no one would accept him because of his under-developed skills, so he trained with both blade and spell, and soon learned he had a gift for destruction spells. He was accepted into a small group of mages as a pupil, but was later kicked out as his spells were so "explosive". Afterwards, his brother Jo'zhiir was born, and at an early age, he showed great promise as a merchant, so K'ezarr was practically invisible to his father from then on.
When K'ezarr was 22, his brother and father were attacked while travelling to the north of Elsweyr, and Jo'zhiir was killed, which left his father a broken man. Even though K'ezarr had the normal sibling jealousy of his brother, he still loved him, and was horrified to hear of his death. When his father returned home, he slowly became an alcoholic, leaving only K'ezarr's mother to care for him. Later on though, since K'ezarr could see no future for him in Elsweyr, and his skills in combat had improved so well, he decided to leave his homeland and journey to Skyrim.
When he reached the border of Skyrim with a Khajiit caravan he had joined, the group was attacked by Imperials and only K'ezarr survived. (After this the normal intro goes through, K'ezarr joins Ralof and decides to try and be accepted into the Stormcloaks, despite their racism.) K'ezarr began his work in Skyrim by helping the Jarl of Whiterun, and soon discovered he was the Dragonborn when he helped kill a dragon at a watchtower in the area. K'ezarr then began to train even more in his new role, and also became a student at the College of Winterhold, where he befriended another of his kind, J'zargo. He became an associate of the thieves guild, using his snake tongue to get his guild members out of trouble, and soon helped them establish a greater presence in Skyrim.
For quirks/habits, K'ezarr is very OCD, and has to put all of his collected items away, unless he wants to display them in his house. He also has a fascination with dwemer artifacts, and collects as many as he can find. K'ezarr is a friend of many Argonians and other foreigners in Skyrim, as well as many of the native Nords.
K'ezarr has a fear of Hagravens, after a dreadful experience in his early days in Skyrim, but he tries to fight them as best as he can, remaining as far away from them as possible. He has become a great smith, learning from the orcs in their strongholds, and has also got a natural talent in the skills of theft and sneaking. K'ezarr was quite lonely and reserved in his youth, but has become a very bold, open person, making many friends and allies in the world. After his great service to the Thieves Guild, K'ezarr managed to restore the Nightingales, and at that point, Nocturnal made him her champion, and, in tribute to her, he leaves some nightshade at a shrine he made for her. K'ezarr has become the Thane of Markath, and has established a great pool of almost never-ending gold, and his final goal before he dies, is to clear as many dungeons as possible, then challenge a worthy opponent, and hopefully, die in honourable combat.
Oh and I have another fun character. This one is even more simple. It will be obvious that this character is not possible to actually start with... but once I did all the necessary things for the character, I made events fit chronologically the way that made sense for the character.
Oh and I uh... got this idea from an anime character... haha. I won't say the name though :3
Race: High Elf
Appearance: He has pale skin and yellow, spiky hair. He wears a red robe with black boots and gloves.
Fighting style/gimp/back story: One of the last things he remembers is being arrested for the destruction of a town which he doesn't remember. After escaping his execution via a random dragon attack, he soon found out that he was an exceptional shot with the crossbow. This is the only weapon he is comfortable with. After his escape, word of him spread. He is now wanted in every hold in Skyrim for a crime he doesn't know if he committed and for several other misunderstandings that have happened. Because of a memory he has of a time long ago, he has an extreme respect for human life, and will never kill. He will only wound or run away (unless it is an undead or animal). This, combined with his wanted status and his horrible luck, makes his life quite difficult. He has no idea that he is the Dragonborn and never will.
Aside from all that, he is just a good-natured guy who gives to the poor and will do anything to help out someone in need. He's just really bad at living a normal life.
I am a argonian, and a am the leader of the companians
I wanna make up a story!
Name- Sarlondë(pronounced SAR-LON-DAE)
Race- Bosmer
Gender- Male
So my wood elf was not born in Valenwood, but was born in Cyrodiil. His father was a merchant who traveled to Skyrim to take advantage of the Great War and its demand for weapons. Meanwhile, Sarlondë and his mother moved back to Valenwood. In Valenwood, learned archery, which spawned a desire to travel. Soon after, Sarlondë's father returned from Skyrim with a lot of money. Retiring soon after, he gave the business to Sarlondë and gave him a lot of coin. Content with the money, he gave up his adventurous dreams and focused on making a prosperous business. He lived as a merchant through his prime years, from age 20-41. Although he was satisfied with the coin, he always felt like something was missing. One day, when hearing about the conflict in Skyrim, he loaded up a caravan and set out for Skyrim. On the way, unfortunately, he was attacked by a group of Khajiit bandits and robbed him of everything he had. The bandits were very cruel, and took his clothes and left his unconscious body forsaken in the middle of a wide forest. During this time( although severely dismayed at first) he heightened his senses and became a profound hunter, taking the hide of his first prey. He wore this hide from that day on never taking it off( it's that fur armor you can loot at the early levels) He spent weeks living off the land until he heard a group of soldiers. To his misfortune, they were storm cloak soldiers. When he had been spotted with them by the imperials, he was put on the carriage. When Alduin attacked Helgen, he sided with Hadvar, just because he didn't want anything to do with a rebellion. Once "unbound" he finally got his wish of being an adventurer, taking a bow and dagger, he set out to explore.
Quirks/Habits- Uses thief methods of killing, but doesn't steal having experienced a robbery first hand. Though is tempted by money. Is kinda greedy, doesn't give money to beggars and drunkards. Does a celebration dance after clearing a dungeon.
Prejudices- Hates thieves, and Khajiit. Is not part of the thieves guild even though he would make a perfect fit since he plays sneaky. Even if 200 points above the carry weight he will not unload at a Khajiit caravan.
Gimps-Wears the same fur armor since level one. I've upgraded his boots and guantlets, but never his fur armor. He looks kinda cool his chest bare anyways.
My guy is a Male Dunmer who kinda brings out good and bad aspects of me. His name- Collius Con
Mostly Mage, but likes to mix it up sometimes.
Born into a rich family of Morrowind, he was used to being respected. His father was a merchant who had made such a fortune was now living happily in wealth. Even though he was respected already, he loved to earn further reckoning through feats of knowledge and power, learning magic also gave him satisfaction. This ambition gave him his qualities of a great leader. Everything was lost the day his father was murdered. He remembers the look on the face of his father when he was brought down to the cold ground, defeated. After his long years of mourning he decided to make sure he would never be defeated by a lesser force. He made quite a name for himself in Morrowind, whether it be through good or evil. Going to Skyrim to learn more about magic, he was caught on the border. About to be executed, he followed Hadvar out, where he was influenced to join the imperial legion. Once in Skyrim he joined the companions and the Theives guild, and climbed up ranks easily. In cities he was either a honored hero, or a feared criminal. His use of the Thu'um awed his followers as he led them to glory.
Prejudices- Has disdain for common folk who have not exploited their true potential, whether it be innkeepers or servants, he looks down on passive existence. Honors the imperial legion for the conquests and power though.
Phobias- Is saddened by Dwarven ruins, when seeing marvelous technology, he wonders what their masters would be doing today.
Quirks- Loves running around on fire using Ancesteral wrath. Enjoys potatoes, as they are the closest thing to French fries in Skyrim. Has a habit of further attacking enemies who have already died, especially those who took a lot of effort to kill.
He's cool
Great article. I remember that when I used to play Oblivion, I created a backstory for my character.
I do something similar. Mostly I use an archetype. For example, I play a Khajiit that is stealthy. Other times, I'll play a Nord who just charges in and fights. It's interesting to use these different fight styles in the game.
The back story of my new character... Ok could have picked a better name, but I think the back story is noce.
Nicklas, young male Breton:
Nicklas grew up in a pretty common Breton family. Father was a merchant and is mother was a teacher. His brother was a carpenter running on gold by building houses. His smaller build and less attractive look always made him more of a loner. Bad at physical prowess, aim and crafting wasn't in his skills. He couldn't be further apart from his brother.
Loving books and ancient history, Snow elves and Dwemer were of high interest for him. Every books he could find on the subject, he kept them. Few friends and a strange interest, he had a passion for something that he shouldn't have cared of. Life and death, the beginning and the end, natural and mystical forces, fate and other planes were odd things he sought to learn. Loving to help and reasonably good at medical things, he would have loved to become a healer. With a good note book he could make decent potions, but he did not have enough memory for deeper study as a medical healer for the empire. Since he did not meet the imperial standards for medical study, his love of learning and natural magical predisposition lead him to seek a field of magical study he would love. Searching for a place to learn, he turned his eyes toward the college of Winterhold. This is why he was crossing skyrim border.
The mage guild and the Psijic order were not meant for him. He wanted more freedom and he knew that this freedom in study was available in Skyrim. He knew the college was free from political influence and open-minded towards unusual research. Allowing him to push is research in fields that would have been more closed otherwise. He was crossing by foot because he loved to walk, collecting plants and other ingredients, a remnant of is learning in alchemy. He always knew how to make the most profitable potins and he tought that it was the simplest way to gather money needed for his project. In reality, the main reason was in fact that he wasn't fan of horses. He was way too afraid when riding them to do this entire long road bouncing on one. So the road was long and he tried to cut short from the common path. This was his mistake as he came across Stormcloaks who were also crossing Skyrim-Cyrodiil frontier. He tried to move away but was still caught in the ambush. Taken to execution, he was thrown with the Stormcloaks.
Despite not being on the list, general Tullius men's did not have any other choice to make him face the executioner, not knowing if they would be releasing or not a dangerous rebel. Hadvar shown sympathy and this is why he chose to follow him in Helgen's Keep. Not wanting to be associated again with those rebels who almost got him killed was another reason. Once free, his only goal was to head to Winterhold. But since he had a debt towards Hadvar, he agreed to help him by going to Witerun to acknowledge Jarl Balgruuf the Greater of the dragon attack on Helgen prior to go to the college.
Since Bleak Falls Barrow was on the way and bandits who had stolen Lucan Valerius golden claw were heading this way, he agreed to help Faendal get it back while going to Wihterun. Faendal was so pleased to go with him in this task. First, retrieving this claw for the Valerius was a good way to be in high esteem for both Lucian and Camilla. Secondly, After all, Nicklas had just helped him against that stupid bard who asked the first one he saw to deliver a fake letter to Faendal's love Camilla. It was actually a pleasure for both as Nicklas found bards to be such annoying persons and he hated liars and thieves so it hadn't been a hard decision for him. So they both took quickly the path to the Barrow.
In spite of normally preferring to be alone, Bleak Falls was wide and Faendal's help much appreciated since his aim with bow helped to take out the bandits quickly. Nicklas poor archery skills wouldn't have been of much help to do that so Faendal's strength were quickly included in their tactics. Faendal help was also appreciated as Nicklas learn much from him on Skyrim trough the journey. But the one thing he could think at the moment was how glad that he did not have to cross any perilous ledge inside those caves. He was a bit afraid of heights actually, at least when not rock-climbing. Especially with armor, he was not as quick as in normal clothes. They would also have been better for his magic, but going against bandits and monsters in simples clothes was simply unthinkable for him. He did not have enough money either to purchase them and despite is light interest in necromancy, he wasn't into necrophilia, so taking clothes from the dead mage's body in Helgen's Keep hadn't cross his mind. Killing the bandits on the other end wasn't of much trouble and when he faced Draugs, he was more curious than afraid of them. Despite being more prone to help everybody and healing the wounded, inside those ruins, the lives of these thieves and creature couldn't matter less and killing them was as easy as breathing.
It was of the upmost surprise to Nicklas that the strange stone tablet he found deep into the barrow was an ancient artifact linked with the dragons. Once Faendal was dismissed, Nicklas continued his way towards Whiterun before heading to Winterhold. He immediately thought he would be bringing the tablet to Winterhold so the scholars there could study it, but Farengar the court wizard in Witherun shown an immediate interest towards it and asked that it was given to him. Without time to argument, the dragon whereabouts was reported and Nicklas joined the guards to help them fight the beast.
Once the mighty dragon was put to eternal rest, the jarls suggest that Nicklas would seek advices from the Greybeards. It was enough of helping strangers; he had to continue his own way. Perhaps his path would lead his there eventually, but for now he had other priorities. And so, he went to Winterhold… this is where everything really started for him.
Some people have some pretty terrible lorebreaking ideas for characters.
Hi, J-u-i-c-e. I Made A Character!
Name: Nalmir
Race: Bosmer (Wood Elf)
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Story: As A Kid, he did not know his dad much. He Knew his dad was Killing, and Stealing fom Powerful People to claim Valenwood for himself. His Mom Was A Mage, Messed with Peoples Mind's Using Illusion and Alteration. One Night, (he was 15) his dad came home with a Injury. A Guard From Haven, His Hometown, Had shot him in the knee with a Arrow. His Dad Said They Had To Move. So they went to Hammerfell.
The Redguards Hated them. So, At 21, He and his father moved to Skyrim.
On the border they got Caught in a fight Between Stormcloaks And The Empire. Nalmir was put on a Cart to Helgen, And so was his father (Mia Cael). To this day they try to take over Skyrim By Stealing, and Killing. They Call themselves The Syrax.
Hey, j-u-i-c-e!
After reading this article, I feel like I have enough backstory to create a really interesting and cool character! I've wanted to RP for a while now, but stories and quirks were always hard for me to come up with. Now I feel I'm ready to start my first RP in Skyrim!
Here's my character's story so far.
Name: Carolyn LaRouche
Race: Breton
History: Carolyn was born into a middle-class merchant family in Daggerfall. Her father was a merchant who resorted to, shall we say, shady, tactics to get his merchandise, and would do anything, even if it involved killing an innocent person to make an extra coin. Her mother is a mage who studied at the prestigious College of Winterhold, and became a competent healer and was also well-versed in destruction as well. Her mother cared for the people, and would help a dying person get better, or give a donation to a charity, and she taught Carolyn these values from a young age, and they stayed with her. Carolyn's mom would tell her stories about how her father used to be a kind and honest man when they met, and would only make fair deals. Money changed him however, turning him into a monster only concerned with his own wants and desires. Her father wanted Carolyn to become a merchant, like him, and help care for him when he was old, but while he was away doing buisness, her mother secretly taught Carolyn the art of spellcraft, teaching her to heal others and use magic to defend herself from those who might want to harm her. She also learned to enjoy literature from her mother's large book collection, which she read a book from every night. Eventually when Carolyn was 17, her father found out about her mother's secret teachings, and viscously beat her to death. He then beat Carolyn brutally and left her to rot in an alley. The only reason she survived was her mother's training in healing. After she was back to full strength, she went to her father's meadery, and shot a spike of ice through his heart. While he was dying he mumbled the words "I'm sorry." to her. She wasn't sure whether he meant it or not, but she had to run, run away as far as she could from Daggerfall. So she ran. Across the entire expanse of High Rock she ran, and eventually made it into Skyrim, where she thought she'd be safe. However, one of her father's colleagues tracked her down to Markarth, and bribed some guards to frame her for a murder at a merchant's stall. She was sentenced to execution at Helgen, and was taken there immediately.
Additional Backstory: Daggerfall was a cosmopolitan city, and she so learned to embrace different races and cultures from contact with many races, and she despises the Thalmor and the rebels in Skyrim for spreading such an supremacist message to Tamriel.
Motivations: She wishes to become the Arch-Mage of the College in Winterhold, as a tribute to her mother. She also wants to defeat the rebels in Skyrim, and believes every province should be open to all races and beliefs. She will help almost everyone as long as it doesn't involve harming innocents or theivery, but if she is sent to eliminate some bandits, she will do so, as they have taken many innocent lives.
Habits: She will not loot anything from people she's killed, unless they are criminals, and then she'll give the gold back to the poor and needy of Skyrim. She loves exploring and adventuring, as her journey across High Rock showed her many new places, and she wants to find every place in Skyrim. She will always read a book before sleeping, preferably a history book. Her favorite food are red apples, she'll eat loads of them at a time.
Fears: Insects horrify her, no matter the size, and seeing one will make her destroy the insect with FIRE! She has caused more than a few disturbances by almost burning down a village because of a tiny torchbug. Ice magic also scares her. She used an ice spell to kill her father, and even though he beat her, his final words humanized him for her, and will never use an ice spell, ever. Seeing an ice magic user will send her into a horrified state, and she will run until she believes she's safe from them.
Prejudices: None against any particular race, but if a person affiliates with the Stormcloaks, Thalmor or just doesn't like other races, she will not talk to them. She will also attack Bandits and Thalmor soldiers on sight, after planning an attack, as they kill and oppress.
Something Special: Carolyn is an excellent strategist, and plans out attacks before she does anything.
Gimp: She will not take items from dead bodies, as she believes that even though they are dead, they still own their possessions. She can also not do any quests involving stealing or the murder of innocents, so no Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood, rather, she wants to destroy these two entities.
A final thanks to you j-u-i-c-e, if it weren't for you, I would've never created this great backstory!
@j-u-i-c-e I could really use your help with my character I've already decided on a few things:
I want my character to use stealth and magic but I don't want a dark elf which is like perfect for the build
I want my character to have some tragic backstory that inspires him to hate the empire
I want my character to be sly and trying to avoid danger but can cleverly take people out with possibly magic
And that's all I got please help me
@j-u-i-c-e Thank you so much. I have read both of your character guides over and over again. I have made so many characters both using and not using your methods and they have helped so much. After my fourth character, I quit playing for 2 months, until I read your articles. I started making all of these rules and it had amazing results. I have made one now and have decided to share it with everyone.
Race: Nord
Name: Hodlin Blackmoon (not sure about the name)
History: Hodlin grew up in a small village in Cyrodill with his parents. His mother was a local bard who taught him and thing or two about the lute and his father was a Legion officer. His father taught Hodlin how to use a sword and shield from the moment he could walk. Hodlin was raised to believe in honor and respect, religion not so much. His father always said to fight for honor, not for wealth. When Hodlin was twelve, he was awoken to screaming. Naturally, Hodlin hid in his closet to kept quiet. When he was looking through the crack, he saw bandits taking his money from his chest. When there was no more noise, he ran downstairs to see his father covered in blood and his mother unconscious. He picked her up with all his strength and ran to the priest. After hours waiting, the priest told him that his mother will survive, but her wounds will not heal completely, and she will hurt everyday until she cannot take it anymore. Two years past and Hodlin came home from the market to see everyone crowded around his home. When he finally got passed the crowd, he saw the priest over his dead mother's body. After the burial, Hodlin realized that he could not live on his own yet, so his neighbor, and imperial, took him in. His neighbor taught him to use a bow and to smith, as well as new sword techniques. When Hodlin was 23, he moved out from his village to go to Skryim to start anew. In a tavern near the border, he ran into some bandits. He did everything he could to stay calm, but he could hold it no more. He drew his sword and started swinging wildly. When the guard finally arrived, the bandits were dead and Hodlin was passed out from exhaustion. When he awoke, he was on a carriage with three other people.
Motivations: Hodlin does not really want to participate in the war, but will eventually. For now, he wants to find the bard's college and fulfill his destiny as the Dragonborn. He also wants to earn enough money to build a house and have a family.
Habits: Hodlin will eat and prepare three meals a day everyday, no matter where he his. Hodlin also likes to collect soul gems because he found one as a small child and has always loved them.
Fears: Hodlin was a very small child and was easily intimidated by many things, especially stories of the falmer. Whenever he sees them, he has to back down and lets his follower handle it.
Prejudices: Hodlin is a nice guy and doesn't hate any particular race. However, if someone is negative towards him, he will not associate with them. Also, because of what happened to his family, he hates bandits, thieves, and murderess. Whenever he sees one, he goes into a frenzy and kills them without thinking.
Something Special: Hodlin is for the most part courageous and outgoing; he never backs down.
Gimp: I have always thought your idea made so much sense, especially from a warrior killing people. Hodlin will never wear armor that was on somebody he had just killed or had found dead. He will also never attack an imperial unless they attack first because of his neighbor.
Thank you again for all your tips. It would be amazing if you could post feedback about him and tell me what you think. I could use some help on religion and maybe the name. Thanks
Well i just came up with this One, so you won't have a long story to read :P
Class: nord
Age: 20-30
Name: Yultich Dragonfly
Yultich was born in a bandit/mercanery camp and had a decent life, learning how to hunt, fight, cook and survive. His parents were not the people who followed the law bu all times. His father was a mercanery after he lost his job as mineworker in the mountains near Riverwood and his mother was a bandit for as long as she could remember. After a bandit raid gone wrong his mother was killed and his father arrested and put in the Imperial prison. Yultrich was now alone but managed to survive with others from his old camp. After recieving a letter from the empire, he heard his father was very ill and he was allowed to visit him in prison...then he was captured by imperials trying to cross the border.
Well this was my story haha, thanks for reading :P
I'd like your opinion on my latest character:
Dunmer, Female, Named Vyvian
Raised in an orc camp by adoptive parents. Father was in the imperial army. Mother was a huntress. Both had an influence in the training of the young vivian. She became a formidable warrior, rivaling her orc peers. She carries a plain medallion said to grant good luck, it is all she has of her original parents. She is both a patient stealthy hunter and a battle driven warrior. She is also willing to utilise magic, though she does not primarily wield it. She enjoys using oakflesh and candlelight in particular. Both parents were killed when Stormcloaks attacked the Orc stronghold, telling Vyvian to run, they charged the attacking nords, being cut down mercilessly. She did not cry.
She is motivated by the desire to become someone her adopted family can be proud of, she also seeks to uncover the truth about her amulet, it is unenchanted yet brings good luck. She also wished to crush the Stormcloaks for what they did to her family.
She enjoys hunting and tracking game, whether animal or human. She also seeks to slay monsters and bandits, and is delighted that she is able to profit from this as an adventurer.
Vyvian has a fear of spiders, whether big or small, she has no time for her usual strategies or plans when fighting spiders, she simply hacks at them in a frenzy until they are killed, utilising every overkill tactic she has to defeat them (within reason)
Vyvian is prejudiced against the stormcloaks, as well as most non Orcs. She openly hates any who show disrespect to Orcs and her, with the exception of other orcs. She also finds many of the nobles frustrating and hates politics, which is the reason she has yet to join the imperial army.
Vyvians defining characteristic is that of pride. She is proud of her orc parents, and she is proud of the warrior and hunters way of life. She is proud of her flexibility in combat, and of her abilities. She is also proud of her amulet, which she refuses to sell.
Vyvian is flexible on the battlefield, carrying multiple sets of fitted armour for different situations, this means she cannot carry much else, and will leave nonenchanted weapons and armour behind if she finds it on her travels. She will upgrade her armour, but only if it is fitted, she cannot wear armour from corpses or from chests unless it is improved at a workbench in order to improve the fit. Armour bought from shops or made herself is pre fitted, and does not need to be improved.
I am Galanoth the Great. The name descends from one of the earlier dragonborns, a great dragonslayer, strangely he was somehow lost and forgotten when he went after the fabled "9 mages" (in actuality the name was wrong... they were hagravens...and there were 10 of them) 3 destruction, 3 conjuration, 1 alteration, and 3 ilussion mages who used their powers for evil purposes.(kinda makes sense now that I know they're hagravens) Galanoth managed to slay 8 of them, before a summoned frost atranoch froze him solid and his body was kept frozen for centuries, the 2 remaining mages (1 illusion and 1 conjuration) were so aggravated that the illusionist cast a mighty spell so the entire world forgot him entirely, meanwhile the conjurist played cruel magic on the frozen body preventing his soul from journeying to sovngarde. Miraculously the name was thought of at my birth and I was named.
*family**history* "The Great" comes from my father, a redguard noble in Cyrodiil who was refused his rightful place as a jarl, ever since then he taught me that if you ever want to be happy YOU have to make it so, make worthy ones ally's and unworthy ones beneath you. My father trained me mentally from my youth he told me that every book is worth reading, he taught me that if you can't have everything you better have the best of the batch. From childhood I had a faint memory of a hero in need of help (Galanoth), (at the time I was as clueless as everyone else, I wouldn't have guessed he existed or that he was my ancestor! but the only fact that would come to mind was Skyrim, and my father was one for believing, he told me that if you want to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are worthy, you must start at the bottom and rise to the top, he stripped me of my fine steel armor embroidered with gold and my flawlessly sharpened blade, gave me ragged robes and a rusty iron sword along with a meager amount of gold and food and sent me on my away with a thought that would be in my mind for every adventure I would ever be on. "5 years son, come back in 5 years", I will never forget my time limit! As for my mother, she was kind, beautiful and quite skilled in cooking, smithing, and alchemy and taught me a bit before my journey began. On my way I came across a talented and friendly mage. My visions made me distrustful of mages but this one was very friendly and we became fast friends, before I continued he taught me some enchanting and gave me a small glowing,empty sack about the size of a coin purse, he told me that it would hold infinite items but the weight would still effect me, I strapped it on my belt and bade him farewell.
My maps told me I was in Skyrim but I didn't know for sure, I found a rusty helmet in the woods and tried it on, it was uncomfortable and heavy, I couldn't see very well either. Just then I heard some noise coming from down the hill I had just climbed, from the sounds I heard I thought it wise not to investigate, just as I turned to go over the hill I was struck from behind (likely by a stray arrow) and I was knocked unconscious, I suppose I should consider myself lucky I was wearing that helmet! I woke up in a prison cart sometime later, I suppose the noise was a civil war battle, and when I was knocked out I rolled down the hill towards it, I lost the helmet and I don't really care where it went. As I was thinking of all of this I noticed we were coming to a stop. As the names were being called out I questioned my decision to leave my nobility ring at home, I noticed I was being called and judging by the fate of the thief before me I felt compelled to obey. I am a redguard with a fairly large build and most of the people I meet tell me I have the most amazing chin they've ever seen. But back to the story, the captain sent me to the block, though really, what can you expect, I'm on the same cart as traitors and theives, who does she expect me to be! Later on, I decided that I hardly knew anything about the stormcloaks except that they got me into this, so I followed the imperial who sort of half-tried to help me.
*ambitions*The main reason I came to Skyrim was to appease my visions and assist the hero in need, but I hope to gain some fame and fortune along the way, I also hope to become a very authoritative figure, I became leader in most of the guilds, perhaps the news will reach Cyrodiil that I became a thane in every keep and that I am the fabled dragonborn!
*habits*I take unique things for decoration, but so who I'm taking it from doesn't feel too bad, I leave a cash amount equal to the item I take. I take EVERY takeable item from dwemer ruins, and collect books, and only eat salmon steaks and grilled leaks with an occasional sweet roll.
*phobias*I had never seen anything like the frostbite spider in Cyrodiil, draugr, giants, even dragons don't phase me too much but these things just freak me out, I lose all sense of reason when I see them, I just switch to my most powerful destruction spell and just blast with everything I have. Sometimes people ask me if I ever wish I carried a shield, I tell them "I wish I was carrying a shield about as often as I face a sabre cat". I have had 4 encounters with sabre cats and nearly died 3 times.
My first encounter was on my way to whiterun for the 1st time, I ran into 2 on the other side of the river, luckily I managed to face them one at a time so I managed to get out of there alive. The others were just tough battles, might be easier if I carried a shield. My usual strategy with anything is to sneak-shoot it in the face then charge dual wielding swords to finish the job, but with sabre cats I use any additional weapons I may have looted from anyone, preferably two handed even though I have no skill in two handed , this usually gets me killed but as you all know save often! (I do this because of a bad experience on my first fight when the second cat ate one of my swords)
*prejudice*As stated I am distrustful of mages, but I flat out can't stand assassins. The emperor is a personal friend of mine and he was almost killed by one, not to mention the several attempts on my life by more then a few of the slimy scum!
*special*I may be a noble but I will only act like one in the face of another noble, as my father said "make unworthy ones beneath you and give little mercy to a fighting enemy, but remember to give mercy to a surrendering adversary", and that is exactly what I do.
*gimps*My build and chin make found armor almost impossible to wear with the exception of unique armor which, I have found conforms to the user. My smithing skill is where I get my armor. I also never wear daedric armor as I feel it scorns my body, I never wear orcish because it doesn't look like a nobles clothing.
*perks* I have perfect speech due to many books and training, even though I use it for the first strike I put no perks into sneak as it reminds me of assassins.
Any additional ideas of what a noble might do, I am glad to hear!
I love skyrim and need help making the perfect mage.
I know have the DLCs and have a few ideas ready.
My previous account was a Wood Elf archer called Laura and i got to level 57 but then i started to get bored. :(
Wanted to post mine:
Jack Savage
Family: Lived in the north of skyrim for many years. Was a huge adventurer buff, but had never left his home. Family slaughtered one night in a vampire attack.
History: Was a massive fan of adventure stories. Woke up in cave after attack, had been turned into a vampire.
Motivation: To kill the vampires that took his family. Would also like to see the world and adventure. Killing monsters in Skyrim is his main ambition for now.
Habits: Initially terrified of the dark.
Likes gems, will hoard them.
Cares a lot about intimidating opponents, based on favourite adventure story hero.
Prejudices: Despises vampires. Also hates the local authority due to incident in childhood. Will likely break the law just to spite the guards.
Defining trait: Intimidation, will go out of his way to act like an angry, coldhearted asshole on the battlefield. Is kinda evil.
I'm gonna try something interesting. I'll play through possibly the Dawnguard storyline, or whateve coming of age storyline I want to do. And at the end of it, he will go travelling to hone his skills. Several lore centuries later, he will arrive at Helgen, having heard rumours of war activity in the area. So my first 20 or so levels will take place several centuries before the Skyrim storyline.
Im a high elf called oscar. When he was a baby his village was attacked by the thalmor . Because Everyone in the village was a talos worshipper. His parents putted oscar in a bag en hidden him in one of the ships from the thalmor. The ship sailed to a mine from the thalmor. Because after the attack it should bring supplies to the mine. When the two orcs burghal and ghorza were ofloading the ship They found the little boy. They learnt oscar everything They knowed. And because of that oscar became better in warrior skills than in magic. But at an age of 15 the thalmor took oscar away from the mines because an high elf shouldn't be a miner slave of the dominion but an soldier. He was trained for 5 years and became a general of the thalmor. The first thing he did after he became general was going back to his orc parents. But when he came back he heard his orc parents fled to skyrim. So he joined a group of soldiers and headed to skyrim. When he and the soldiers attacked an village in cyrodill and captured the people of the town. He saw the reality . The thalmor wasn't good at all. So when everyone was asleep he saved the people and helped them to escape. When They where fleeing he was fighting with the thalmor but one ice spike hit him in his shoulder and oscar felt and was captured. And now he was going to the block
Really great article. I struggle terribly with restartitis in RPGs, and while I'm not sure I'll adopt all of the intricacies, I'm sure this article will help me get over it and really buy into my Skyrim character. Thanks very much!
Love the article! I've been roleplaying for the better part of my life now and some of the points you made really helped with the immersion of my characters. Especially the gimping. Hadn't really occurred to me to limit the use of looted armor because maybe an iron armor made for a full grown male orc doesn't really fit a short imperial woman. Maybe. :3
I admit, I have over ten characters running around Skyrim at the moment, but it's more because of my need to make up many stories from many perspectives, than suffering from a serious case of restartisis. I did the same in Oblivion.
I still have a few "favourites" who take more time to play than others and whose backgrounds are more detailed.
I'm not sure if it's mentioned anywhere in the comments, but if you have played Oblivion (or Morrowind or any of the previous games for that matter) it's fun to incorporate your old character from the previous game to the new one.
For example, I played through Oblivion with Barenziah (her parents named her after the queen Barenziah), a dunmer woman who went joyfully through adventures and settled into Skingrad as the head of the Mage's Guild (I didn't do the main quest line with her). She was a very immature character at first but matured slowly while going through the Mage's Guild quest line.
Recently I started Skyrim with a character I named Barenziah of Skingrad, older, more tired version of my little dunmer mage, long since retired from the Mage's Guild and the world (which explains why she is not as good with her destruction magic as she once was). Now she is trying to live a life of a humble alchemist in the northern parts of Skyrim. She is one of the more time consuming characters as she prefers to walk absolutely everywhere. She feels she needs to save up every coin she can muster to be able to afford a decent home once again. She is after all, somewhat used to luxury after living in Rosethorn Hall for so many years.
My other favourite on the other hand is an imperial woman Theryn, great great granddaughter of the Hero of Kvatch (my lovely imperial man Leto, who took Martin's death very hard and thus lived a rather tragic life of his own). Because of this, she has an overwhelming need to prove that she is worthy of her ancestor. Being an illegimate child to her mother helps too. She has some issues about proving her worth.
She started out as a simple farmhand and woodcutter in Riverwood (though sometimes disappearing into the wilderness for a few days because she yearns freedom and the sense of danger a rogue mudcrab can provide), until she made enough money to move to Whiterun. In Whiterun she is at first living in the inn, doing odd jobs around town and the surrounding area, secretly training to use a sword. She dreams of joining the fabled Companions one day and prove that the blood of a Hero runs through her veins.
There are more details and more characters, but I just wanted to mention a few examples of using your old characters in Skyrim, in case it has not been mentioned before.
Hi, my name is Pedro, and i have restartisis. No seriously, i think i have created more then 10 characters, i have the entire start of the game in my memory. I have a character that is just for playing normally, i'm laying her down till Dragonborn gets to PC. And i'm definitely going to try this. Maybe this will cure me.
WOW what a great article. I recently started playing Skyrim again, and have had the worst case of restartitis (a chronic condition for me, but it has been BAD this time around). After reading your article, I spent probably close to 5 hours writing my character's story, personality, motivations, quirks, etc. Five hours might seem excessive, but when you look at five hours versus the hundred times I've restarted my character after getting to Riverwood, this has been a huge timesaver as well as immensely fun. I think you have cured me sir, thank you.
Hey I've been having a HUGE problem with restartisis so I was wondering if you could help create an interesting character since I'm struggling to come up with my own grand idea. All I got so far is debating between male or female and nord bosmer or imperial. I'm really struggling and your help would be greatly apprieceated
I was playing a younge girl who had been hunting for most of her life along side her father. Long story short, the bear you first meet was the first time she had used a bow during anynof the recent fighting. She took the bow to show her compainion her ability at using it and next thing I know, whennI was shooting at the bear, it went into that theater-mode thing, making the kill look epic and doing the effect I wanted. :D
I think an important factor is, how the game responds to your story. No matter what, even as a Nord, you're completely unknown to the population. A good offset would be returning to your home village (like Morthal). Instead you get plunged into a giant conflict if you use the vanilla storyline. The Random Alternate Start mod on Nexus gives you a great amount of freedom though. There's a quest i Markarth that lets you decide what happened in your past, but nothing that affects the gameplay. After all, the majority of quests requires that you dive into a dungeon or crypt and fight for your life. All you get in response is a comment from a potential follower with whom you get no relationship with due to lack of dialogue. Cutscenes and followers with a story, is just not the Elder Scroll way.
Likes:hunting (with his ebony bow) and spending time in his home
Dislikes:vampires,giants (they get in the way) and snobby and stuck up people
It starts when Arbok is born somewhere in Solitude.
His perants could not look after him for they were poor. So they decided to give him to Kajiit cravan traders.
They looked after him well and he loved them all but truly he loved Taluil the best she was young and small and she cooked the food for the rest of the Kajiit.
Arbok grew up strong with black fur and white stripes.the
I got cut off.. Try again..
Name; Horus
Race; Nord
Age; 36
Horus and his parents lived a fairly normal life, his mother was a barmaid in Whiterun and his father was a nomad.
His father's name was Iruin, and up until he met his wife, Junias, Iruin traveled the Rift living off the land and traveling to Whiterun every few months to trade his pelts and get his equipment repaired. During his stay at the Bannered Mare is when Iruin laid eyes on Junias, and he fell in love immediately. His hunting and trapping began to gravitate around Whiterun, until finally the two married. After a year or so of being being married, Junias was pregnant with Horus, to accommodate their growing family Iruin and Junias moved to Riverwood.
Horus grew up in Riverwood, learning his father's skills; archery, tanning and skinning, leather working, tracking, fishing, and first aid. (Without potions.) Once Horus reached 16, the time when a boy becomes a man, Iruin had Horus track down a bull elk by himself. After his first solo hunt, Horus realized the bliss and serenity of living in the wild away from the rest of the village, and he soon began to set his camps along the south of Riverwood, straying from the social life.
When the Imperials called the Nords to battle, Horus enlisted as a scout. The army was dragged across Tamriel to fight the Aldmeri Dominion, as a scout Horus remained away from most of the combat, instead he preferred to take cover amongst the trees or anything really and take out elves with his bow.
After the long war, the Imperials finally lost, and several hundred soldiers were taken prisoner; Horus included. Throughout the years of imprisonment Horus constantly planned ways to escape, but could never pull it off. Once the Aldmeri Dominion took control of most of Tamriel, they released the prisoners and began their reign of 'peace' across the lands.
Relying heavily on his skills, Horus began the long trek back home to his beautiful Skyrim. The trip was extremely long and lonely, though occasionally he'd meet other travelers camping near the highways, other times he met bandits. Yet the idea of returning home pushed Horus for several months until he reached the Skyrim border, only to find his country in civil war and his head on the block..
Im on my phone so just a quick overview..
Race: Nord
Name: Horus
Age: 36
A huntsman who lives in the quiet village of Riverwood, Horus is skilled with a bow
You guys might want to grab some snaks and find a comfy seat for this one.
Name: Ulfnarr Wolfsheart
Race: Nord
Build: Burly and tall. Epic Mohawk. Stereotypical Nordic face construction.
Family: His mother and father were both vampire hunters and mercenaries. There allegiances often lied with the highest bidder. When they were away, which was often, Ulfnarr was left to fend for himself. They never left him a key so he had to pick his own lock just to get in. when they were home they were either drunk or making love in there and had little time for their boy. Nonetheless he had the utmost respect for them and wished to follow in their footsteps. He was 9 years old when it happened. He was almost of age to join the Dawngaurd, when he parents were brought to him in an urn. He was told they were killed by a group of mages that they were contracted out to kill. His father was a religious man and had wanted to be cremated, ironic huh. Unfortunately he was not home enough to instill his beliefs on his son. One thing he did tell him was, "Money is all that matters. Don't take a job on principle. You can't take principle to the bank."
History: After his parents were killed he lived in the streets of his Solstheim village. He was raised by everyone and they loved him as their own. He couldn't stand all the "fake" affection they were showing him and he ran away. He met the wolf mother while he was in the forest and was adopted into her pack. His upbringing from the age of 10 to the age of 13 was a pack of wolves. Here he learned to be quick on his feet and always to fight with mobility. His pack left because he had gotten too old and began eating too much food. He wandered west until he met an orcish blacksmith who would be his mentor for the next several years. When Ulfnarr turned 21 he asked if he could see his ancestral homeland, Skyrim. Grolf Agro'Malak, the blacksmith, agreed and said he could visit his family in the strongholds. On the journey there they were assaulted by a Kajhiit caravan. Grolf didn't stand a chance and was murdered. Ulfnarr killed them all except the one who gave him his scar. He then made the rest of the journey on foot. He made it to the border but couldn't find a way across the border. He thought if he got arrested he would be sent to Skyrim, as it had the closer prison. So he started an all out no holds barred brawl. The guards finally restrained him and through him on the next prison convoy.
Motivations and Ambitions: Ulfnarr wants to become a werewolf as it is the closest thing to a wolf a human can become. He also aspires to join the Dawngaurd and follow in his parents footsteps. He knows that one day he will become the greatest mercenary in all of Skyrim and does his best to fulfill this destiny. Upon the death of Grolf he swore he would find all of the Skyrim Orcish strongholds and tell them what had happened. He is very snide and sarcastic and generally a douche but, he will help most people because was helped as a child. If money is not offered as a reward for his work though, he will not hesitate to steal compensation.
Habits and Quirks: Ulfnarr wont loot orcs as he has a deep seated love of their people and he will never attack one first. He collects all orcish equipment and stores it in a chest near his bed. He will not buy from women unless it is clothing or food, as this is the only thing they should be making.
Phobias: Ulfnarr is scared to death of elk. In fact if he sees one, he will flee in the exact opposite direction no matter what. He is also afraid of heights from when he got stuck in a tree as a child.
Prejudices: He will not except quests from Kajhiit and it takes all of his will power not to kill them on site. If he is fighting a group of people he will always go for the Kajhiit first, no matter the danger it puts him in. He also has a prejudice towards mages as they killed his family. He does not hate them as much as the Kajhiit but he usually will not speak with them.
Something Special: Ulfnarr is stupidly courageous and rash. He will rush into battle without any planning and will never sneak. Any cave or dungeon or keep he sees is claims it for himself and will not hesitate to kill all who oppose him. This translates into his speech has he often speaks without thinking.
I have created about twenty different games now. Skyrim is not very adventurous, or original compared to say Morrowind. Skyrim can be played very realistically, but if I wanted something to be realistic than I would just stop playing video games and get on with real life. You don't have to be realistic, but if you want to, instead of trying master difficulty try novice difficulty without increasing health and not wearing armor. That way its realistic, because your opponents no longer take twenty arrows to kill, while you only take one. This means you can kill a bandit with one arrow, but he can kill you with one arrow as well.
Could you help fill in any missing details to make my upcoming character interesting please?
All right the Details so far:
Backstory: Sylia never met her parents her Father was the former archer/defender of thr town she grew up in until several Thalmor agents came and publicly exucuted him in front the town's civilians. Sylia's mother on the other hand had a hard time delivering Sylia's older brother Asurmen so when Sylia was born she couldn't cope and she died. Sylia was then raised by her Mother's brother aka her uncle. Who was almost an ordernary merchant minus his "suspicous" dealings. Sylia's older brother Asurmen had run away when he was 16 leaving her alone with her uncle at the age of 12. This event had deeply impacted Sylia on the in side. When Sylia reached the age of 15 she decided to wander Valenwood and the rest of Tamerial in search of her "missing" brother. One night upon talking to the inn keeper of the towns local inn she heard a rumor of a couple of Thalmor agents looking for her. Apon hearing wind of this it forced Sylia to flee to Skyrim in search of the rumored well "connected" Theives Guild in Riften.
That's all I've got for story do far I'm still working on the other details if you could comment what you think regarding my character it would be greatly appreciated.
Name: Krazzius Abet
A darker elf, with the intent upon slaughtering all of orc-kind.
Age: Time cannot tell.
Appearance: 5'10", a dark elf with very little weight to his body. He dons blue robes, enchanted to increase his conjuration and destructive powers.
Likes: Worship, fire, his daedric lord Mehrunes Dagon, thievery, college of magi.
Dislikes: Windhelm, Solitude (the hold), orc, warriors, General Tullius.
Family: He was born as his mother died, and his father left. He was raised in the Honorhall Orphanage, though he left at an early age.
Personality: He adopts a dark personality, causing discontent to his friends when he gets on one of his "ideas". The "ideas" come to him in flashes, and he pieces them together. He's honorable, courageous, yet not considerate at all.
Alignments: He represents the College of Magi, the Companions, the Thieves Guild and because of his friend Ralof, the Stormcloaks.
Skills: He is an adept conjurer, and an artisan destruction-user. He's developed a skill for smithing, yet his crafting loyalties lye with enchantment. Krazzius is an avid speaker and sneak-thief. He is horrible at pickpocketing, though he can manage to pocket a few septims.
History: Krazzius knew death since he was born; watching his mom die before him. Raised in the Honorhall Orphanage, he left at the age 10 being shunned for his abilities. He wandered south, to the province of Cyrodiil, and then west on his way to High Rock. On his way he stopped by the province of Orsinium, but was quickly beset upon by archers and fighters. He left east, back to Cyrodiil and crossed the border to Skyrim hoping to join the College of Magi. Little did he know, that the Stormcloaks were headed his way...
Quirks: Kills all orcs in revenge. Only exception is if there is an artifact to be had.
Profession: He is a student. He is the valedictorian currently, and is hoping to become the Arch Mage one day.
verric:breton Mage
Verris's parents were kline a breton steward of a small royal court of the many kingdoms of High Rock. His father was and Orc (nevark) whom taught him how to use bows and weapons and always said to him "Eventually you will make a choice, choose the moral one. Even if it means the death of many.". He took it to heart and uses that quote many times for wisdom. In the time he is in skyrim he is only 19 after his parents were murderd for the worship of Talos. Verric did not care much for Talos but hates the Aldmeri Dominion horribily. He became a drunk and a thief who became obsessed to kill all of the Aldmeri Domnion. He came to skyrim looking for his brother Cosnach who also became a drunk and verric wanted to go to the college of Winterhold. he uses mainly Orc gear and magic abbilities.He is only a former part of him self and if anything dosent care which side he chooses, either way the Dominion is going down. he ven became a vampire lord which made him more of a rage addict.
In effect, that will mean he must seek out and then eventually always carry all 350-odd weight points of the items on this page (excepting the Dawnguard things), as well as his Nightingale armor, potions, books, quest stuff, misc... Fortunately there is the extra pockets perk, as well as stamina-based level-ups! Also, to add to the collection missions, the Dragon Claws. I think this will actually make a significant downside, as there will be little space left for flexibility.
Oh, and forgot to add - he doesn't believe, despite his dedication to Nocturnal, that anything can stop him, a true Nord and (at least reluctantly) a Hero, from getting to Sovngarde, which is why he is hoping to meet his wife there.
(which I think is canonically OK; who, exactly, has control over the dragonborn's soul anyway? Akatosh? Hircine (if werewolf)? Nocturnal? any of the other Daedric princes?)
My new build (after finishing every quest with a level 70 crafting-mad Altmer "The Dominion's Hand of Justice" who, as well as getting to 100 destruction by level 15 or so, made and carried 10 sets of double-enchanted glass gauntlet-ring-amulet, optimised for each situation - crafting(alchemy/smithing) (swordsman (block/1H), zweihander (2H/stamina), battlemage (destr/conj), assassin (archery/steath), spellsword (destr/1H), thief (lock/pickpocket) etc., as well as boots/armor/helmet for +60 to each stat, +40 carry, +25% armor and -25%destruction cost...*ahem*) is going to be the following:
Sven Light-fingered: A middle-aged Nord thief, sworn to Nocturnal and Talos, with a habit of collecting "trinkets" who made Cyrodiil too hot for him (or more particularly, hates the Thalmor so much he got a little too un-subtle and they killed his wife in an attack on his home), so came home to Skyrim and got caught crossing the border. He will pick up his old career almost immediately and focus on it, getting to Nightingale armor (though he will return to Nocturnal to collect the reward of his devotion a few times, i.e. console-upgrade to the levelled versions at appropriate levels) before even entering Bleak Falls Barrow, and never changing armor after that. He is lazy, so will never smith anything from scratch, brew, or enchant [therefore utterly different to my elf], but will improve stuff that he 'finds'. His laziness also extends to ignoring all the "could you get me x" quests, unless "x" is in the same dungeon as something more interesting, or a quest on the way to it. His collection of "trinkets" will be all the: Dragon Priest Masks, Daedric Artefacts and other unique items, Stones of Barenziah, Litany of Larceny (though he will swap these latter two for the rewards), and will be unwilling to put any of them down, as well as using them in preference to any non-unique item.
He will follow other questlines than the thieves guild eventually, but only upon hearing of a reward (e.g. Dragon mask, stone of Barenziah... this means that he will in no particular order get to Archmage (Stone, Morokei, Staff of Magnus), destroy the DB (he thinks killers are uncivilized), Harbinger (he likes Wuuthrad, or more particularly what it does to elves...), finish the Main Quest (Nahkriin), join the Stormcloaks and toss the Empire and their elves out, and then retire to a Honeyside with the floor literally covered in the gems he got from Prowler's Profit and all his loot on display! [he won't do the Dawnguard expansion stuff unless he has too many close encounters with vampires, and then he will join the Dawnguard in order to destroy the threat to him personally]
Skills to focus on are the classic thief build - Speech, Sneak, Lockpick, Pickpocket, Archery, Illusion. 1H, destruction and light armor will probably climb quite high as well, but he won't take perks in them.
Traits - he really, really, hates the Thalmor who drove him out of Cyrodiil and killed his wife there, and, if he can do it without getting caught, will take out every Thalmor he finds! He won't marry, since he had a wife and is waiting to meet her in Sovngarde; nor for that matter will he use a companion (he likes to work alone). Until he gets to Werewolf and no longer needs it, he will sleep during a part of each day (as a thief, he works at night). His devotion to Talos means that he has to visit a shrine to Talos at least weekly, and carry if not wear an amulet of Talos once he finds one.
My char is a Female Nord Named Adel isis.
She was born on a road in skyrim, her mother and father were travlers.
Her mother met her father while her father was out on an adventure and needed to buy goods,love at first sight. Her mother was killed shortly after she was born by bandits. Her father feel into a deep depression and she tried everything she could to make him proud. She would train for hours, created the sharpest swords and then go show them off to her father but it didn't do much. Her father then said he was going out for some bread one day and never returned. Adele was only 17 at the time and decided to go travel (What she didn't know is she was hoping to find her father) . She left skyrim to forget about her past,she saw many places but manly traveled the black marsh. She has a intense fascination with argonians. When the imperials waged war on skyrim she returned to fight for her homeland (And we all know what happens when you return to skyrim.)
Race:wood elf
Marcus is a wood elf who hates argonians,and anyone who hates elves he has a goal to collect all the dragon claws(currently has the golden,and ruby claws) he is part nord because his grandmother was a nord who died 3 months after taking in Marcus after his parents died(unknown causes) This led to his grandfater becoming an assassain that why he crossed the border to get his grandfather.He is a cold and calculating theif/assassain who kills for fun,and now gets paid by the dark brotherhood.agreeing with the storm cloaks thats his side for the civil war. His fear is jail so if he gets caught he either pays or fights(usually pays) even though he has only been caught twice. He has a soft spot for children though.He lives in whiterun.he just killed his wife carmella(riverwood trader because he found sven in his house twice.He loves the food of apple pie but it is a rarity.
I was looking for something online that would help me improve my skyrim gameplay and this is EXACTLY what i was looking for. So ive spent a while coming up with a character bio and I was realy hoping someone could read it over, and help out. I would be happy to do the same :D
Khajiit: M'Rajj-Qa
M'Rajj-Qa grew up living among Khajiit traders with no real idea of who his family were. With no mention of them among the few positions he was found with as a baby, he quickly lost interest in the parents, who abandoned him for whatever reason, and accepted the traders as his family and friends. Although M'Rajj-Qa was loved by the people he grew up with, he was always the odd one. Often disappearing for hours at a time when work was to be done and returning with insects or stones, M'Rajj-Qa preferred exploring, finding and collecting things, to selling them. This often got him in a lot of trouble for his unfocused mentality. As he grew up, his responsibilities took over and he became a well valued member of his travelling community, bringing in a lot of profit with his dealings and becoming a naturally skilled warrior when it came to protecting his family and merchandise from bandits and animals. However the curiousness he bore as a child never left him, and he found himself wanting more from life than the simple buying and selling goods and travelling. He finally decided to make the hard decision separate from the traders who had been his family his whole life, to explore the world for no reason other than his lifelong urge to explore and fill the unexplainable feeling of incompleteness.
Being from the southern continent of Elsweyr, the best option seemed to head north, through the land of Cyrodil (which he commonly traded in), towards the strange and cold land of Skyrim.
Having never dealt with the rich person's world of political conflict, M'Rajj-Qa would prefer not to get involved any further. Should the situation arise however, he is likely to feel more sympathetic to those who struggle or those who are on his side on a personal level, than to those with a certain political or religious opinion. M'Rajj-Qa feels a connection to those who come from a poor background yet remain good natured and friendly and because it was his role growing up, he is more likely to want to defend them or do them a favour. This means he tends to feel quite close to others of his own race, in particular the Khajiit traders earning a living in Skyrim, and Argonians as well. M'Rajj-Qa is far from a do-gooder though. His urge to see and do more, his poor background and his inability to consider long term consequences and act spontaneously means he wants the things he could never have. Strong armour, sharp swords and, in particular, shiny and magical things. He is not above swiping a sparkling ruby, or a polished silver dagger from a wealthy shop keeper or an arrogant blacksmith. Somewhere in his mind, he unknowingly convinces himself that he deserves these unneeded items. His moral values still hold true though. He couldn't bring himself to steal from someone worse off than himself, and he would never kill for these items, as he has killed many who attempted the same on his trader family. M'Rajj-Qa also takes great pride in recognition, titles, fame, etc, as it fulfils his childhood dream to become more. Possibly even someone people will never forget.
M'Rajj-Qa has always had some small amount of magical ability uncommon among Khajiits; however, lacking the urge for power and knowledge greater than that of others, he has always used it for his own amusement instead. He enjoys burning small objects or exploding old oil lanterns for fun and would much rather levitate an unsuspecting toad than blast someone to bits. He also likes to spend a lot of time in stranger places, such as roofs or Dwemer dungeons (he has an obsession for Dwemer artefacts) and loves to take some time now and then to do a small amount of hunting, usually eating what he catches and selling the hides (normally to the Khajiit traders around Skyrim, of which he does most of his business).
When it comes to bandits and thieves, M'Rajj-Qa takes an equally skilled but more move aggressive approach to combat, favouring powerful strikes against weak spots over blocking and jabbing, resulting in him taking more damage, but landing gruesome, bone shattering blows. This comes from the anger he feels when remembering some of the close people he has lost to bandit attacks, and a feeling of frustration at being attacked by yet another bandit, knowing that he can never get rid of them all. He's not a big fan of bears either. Having never come away from a bear confrontation without a serious wound, he has developed a fear of them and will avoid them all together if possible. He might even run away if no one is around to help.
M'Rajj-Qa also likes to collect or keep things he finds interesting or beautiful, such as his Dwemer artefacts. But this also includes things like butterfly wings, amulets with strange magical properties etc. He wishes someday he will have a place to keep all these things he finds. Another notable quirk of his is that he will absolutely never wear a helmet as he takes a lot of pride in his long catlike ears. He also wants people to see him and recognise him, and a helmet just gets in the way of both. It's worth the possibility of a painful head injury from a drougres rusty sword.
I have not started playing yet but I can't wait! :D
So here's the story...
Aewon of Arenthia - Bosmer
Born in the lush forest of Arenthia, Aewon was raised mostly by his mother Nona who earned money as a tailor for the local Bosmer community.
Nona is a good warm hearted and hard working woman who cared dearly for her friends and family, she was held in high regard by all the village and is famed for her cooking ability.
Aewon's relationship with his father Erradan was a complex mix of love and respect with longing and disappointment.
Erradan was the finest hunter in all Arenthia with an incredible ability to either kill game from extreme distances with his bow or sneak silently to his prey until all that was necessary was a subtle dagger to claim his prize.
Erradan travelled Tamriel selling meat,hides and ingredients, to make the trips more worthwhile Erradan also became a competent alchemist selling potions and poisons to merchants and guilds, this took him to the furtherest reaches of the Tamriel and meant he could only return home after several months of hunting and selling to his loving family where Aewon would spend his most joyous hours listening to his fathers tales of the world.
Where it is most common for a Bosmer to follow in the footsteps of his father Aewon's journey was cut short and his training with his father ended.
Aewon's older brother Faendal had been working side by side with Erradan for 4 years becoming an accomplished hunter when he was tempted away from his family and homeland by the lure of wealth and comfort in the grasp of the thieves guild!
Terrified that Aewon would also be lead away Nona insisted he be trained as a tailor and armourer and kept safe in Arenthia, Aewon also created several potions for his father to sell.
Aewon's nightmares came crashing down around him when news travelled home that his father had been killed at the hands of the Stormcloaks, racked with pain and despair Aewon vowed to avenge his father, at the behest of Nona he sets out for Skyrim hoping to find out more information about his fathers death.
While travelling Aewon learns the Stormcloak responsible for his fathers death is a man known as Galmar Stone-Fist, Aewon also discovers some unsettling news that he is unable to believe, his father always a noble, honest and caring man was apparently in possession of large quantities of gold and skooma at the time of his death!! What is the truth..
As Aewon crosses the border into Skyrim, his head full of questions he his captured by a band of soliders who bundle him into a cart with a few other captives some of which appear to be Stormcloaks, Aewon learns that Galmar Stone-Fist is second in command to Ulfric Stormcloak, the Jarl of Windhelm and leader of the Stormcloaks!
With all his possessions lost and little training in the art of war Aewon is left with some difficult questions....
How will I escape?
How can I become a strong enough fighter to defeat Galmar?
Whats the best way to get close to this kind of man?
I must avenge my fathers death!!
What do you think guys?
EDIT: A couple of points -
Aewon hates water and will avoid it at all costs.
Aewon refuses to use magic
Aewon will only take money and jewels from corpses (occasion special items and quest items of course)
Aewon hates the thieves guild and will have no dealings with them.
This inspired me to pay skyrim again
Name: Crudgel
Born into the Orc stonghold Largashbur when he was born his father had a premonition of an orc capable of blending into the shadows and spilling the blood of thousands. To fight beasts of legends. An assassin. The Prophecy of Blood and Shadows it was then known. His father did not want a assassin, something only a coward could be, but a strong warrior and so spent as much time as he could training young Crudgel to use a blade and to be a warrior. Crudgel however was different. While others would rush a bear head on he would find cover and shoot from a distance with his bow. He had a particular fondness for alchemy and would go out and collect ingredients. His mother did not mind believing it to be Malacaths will. She even helped collecting ingredients too dangerous for Crudgel to collect. She was out collecting these ingredients when a Giant got the drop on her. When Crudgel heard of what happened he fell into a fit of rage. He practiced his sword skill as much as he could to which his father couldnt help but be impressed. His father even tolerated the renewed vigor into Alchemy. Crudgel spent many years like this constantly hating the giants and one giant in particular getting stronger with his sword arm and deadlier in the poisons he created. Until one night he done it. He figured where the giant that killed his mother thanks to him scouting the area. He was ready. He concocted a special poison to kill the giant. So one night he snuck out towards the giants camp not realizing he was spotted by his father closest ally. Soon he was at the giants camp where he spotted three giants. Slowly he crept behind and found himself a place to hide and pick them off one by one. That was until his father showed up. His father lacked the subtlety Crudgel had and Crudgel could only watch as his father was discovered by the giants and watched in horror as they charged his father who in turn unsheathed his orc warhammer ready to fight. He knew he was going to die but he would die a warriors death. Agonizing minutes passed by as Crudgel only could watch too stunned to move as his father fought but eventually was killed he saw as the tallest of the giants took the warhammer a symbol of Malacath. Minutes passed as he waited for the giants to pass and then ran quickly to his fathers side. "Blood and Shadows..."his father rasped before dying. Hours passed as Crudgel kneeled there and many more before he made it to the stronghold carrying his father corpse with him. The clan was swift in their judgement "Crudgel you hid from a battle," the wise mother growled "you hid and let your father, our chief, die!"
"Father was not supposed to be there I would have killed them but then he showed up and-"
"and fought like true orc and you should have helped him but you hid like coward."the wise mother finished for him then snarled in disgust at him "you even let the giants take his warhammer which has been passed on from chieftain to chieftain." Her face then took on a empty quality which frightened Crudgel even more than her rage. "You are banished," her tone empty and dead "leave. NOW!" Crudgel was shocked but he obeyed and walked out of the stronghold. He looked behind him as the gates to his home and once entire closed behind him. He walked forward into skyrim determined to figure out what his father meant and to redeem himself to his fellow orcs...
He tried going to Orsinium but that was when he was caught trying to cross the border like the stormcloaks
He has a phobia of mudcrabs since at a early age due to hrrible hunting accident that left a scar on his face and this causes him to go into a dual wielding frenzy
He refuses to use orc weapons or gear since he feels unworthy of being a orc
He has a burning hatred for giants which makes him challenge any that he sees even if he will get killed.
His wishes only for redemption and acceptance.
Due to his upbringing he follows a warriors code even if he is an assassin.
Well guys thats the story if anyone cares I could do a fanfiction story as I do this playthrough. Just comment if you want me to do this...
Let the tale of Captain Shaymus Craw begin, a man unparalleled in vigor, spite, and uncouth behavior. Nearly five decades ago in an abandoned shack by the wayside of the Waterfront, a weathered Imperial met with a young, attractive Breton girl (at the time she neared the age of twenty, whereas he was nearly 34 years of age). This night was the first of many - the Breton had an original lover but committed the unforgivable sin of eloping with a seasoned captain. Within two years time, the Breton bore only one child - Shaymus. Shaymus was named aptly so due to his father's kind but stern wishes, and Crawshanks was the name of the captain's sea vessel. His last name was chosen in this way to avoid public association between the lovers and their kin. Shaymus grew up without understanding - his mother left his side just shy of his eleventh birthday with a Nord male, a hot headed Imperial soldier. Thus Shaymus Craw grew up alongside his father upon the docks of Cyrodil. His father taught him that anything is possible through companionship - befriending both good and bad natured people proved valuable. The two took to pirating shortly after, joining up with some of the most respected looters and cheats known in the Imperial City itself. Groff Suul, a hardy but good spirited orc, showed particular interest in Shaymus. The two would often take the Craw out on lakes far beyond the Waterfront and explored the vast shores of Tamriel. At age 49, with his father long dead, Shaymus and Groff set out to Skyrim in hopes of plundering the riches of a country rich in turmoil.
Shaymus was caught up in the Helgen Incident while venturing north with Groff. The two (as they frequently were) had become near blind drunk off of stolen Alto Wine, resulting in Shaymus, an angry drunk, spitting upon the britches of a Nord Imperial soldier (he never did like the damn brutes). With that, the two were arrested and the rest is history. Shaymus famously said, in a drunken stupor, that at the hour of his supposed execution he hoped a bloody dragon came down and ripped every one of their heads off just to shit down their throats. That last part didn't pay off, but the rest happened like clockwork.
Shaymus Craw inherited many traits possessed by his father - he is pioneering, he respects companions, good or bad, and has a remarkable distaste for Nords (his mother's leaving being the main cause). He is also a remarkable drinker - something he pushes to the limits with longtime friend Groff. However, he does possess rather quirky drawbacks. Shaymus does not trust women - an insecure relationship with his mother left him shifty about such things - and although he is remarkably gifted in speech (a weathered captain has to know many languages and social cues) he will not settle down with a woman. He doesn't prefer to join either side in the oncoming war - although he isn't fond of Nords, he does not wish to engage in a war he knows nothing about. Which brings up another point - Shaymus prefers the sanctuary of a mug and a crew to share it with on deck. He spends most of his time down by the Solitude docks, but without money he can only hope to purchase the Solitude Manor eventually and reside there permanently. Another longtime hope is to reassemble a crew - a young Dark Elf and another Imperial have recently joined the Captain and his First Mate.
Shaymus is a pirate - a man whose speech can grant him anything, to which end he abuses regularly. He is hardy, however, and is not above brawling in the Winking Skeever if need be. Drinking is his worst habit - once a pirate always a pirate, and along with beer comes blasphemy. The amount of foul language that Shaymus Craw spews is uncanny, and his attitude when not trying to talk his way through a situation is rather rude. He needs to be able to move - a ship is unpredictable and so is the enemy (famous words of Shaymus Craw), making Light Armor something he cannot go without. He will only fight with One Handed swords (the man loves a good Cutlass) and a Crossbow. Nothing like a portable harpoon. He never wears a helmet in town and battle gear is stowed when in a settlement, especially in bars. Sneaking? Never. Charging? Still no. Let your presence be known, but don't be a feckin' milk drinker and run out into the fray. One more thing - Shaymus respects a man with a good beard.
That is the rather brief (hehe) synopsis of Shaymus Craw. His crew members and First Mate are important, but their story comes at another time.
Katherina was not abused from in her early childhood, only ignored. She doesn't have bad memories of her parents, nor does she have good ones. She always felt the need to be something more than she was to get their attention, therefore she fully embraces her destiny as the dragonborn. Even if she doesn't know it, that impulse to be something more is also her motivation.
She was a courier asked to deliver a letter to a priest in Skyrim. Her arrest was a mistake; but in these times of tension the empire could never have admitted committing a mistake.
She is probably one of the only Stormcloak rebels who is an Imperial. She feels disgust at most of the Stormcloak's racism, but loves the ideal of letting Skyrim rule itself. She worships Talos above all other immortals, because Talos was not born a god, but he dedicated his life to becoming better, and more important.
She later became an assassin with a strict code of conduct: if they are truly sorry, they shouldn't die. She hates the public seeing her "dirty work" and will do it in secret unless she needs to make a statement.
She cannot stand ignorant people and will only eat things she hunted herself. She is highly paranoical and afraid of being poisoned. She likes to make people know she is the dragonborn. She loved singing bard songs while traveling as a courier, and still does. But her favorite has always been "The Dragonborn Comes."
She hates doing things by herself and refuses to brew her own pitions or make her own armor, and only gets these by finding them or buying them. She is also highly skilled at convincing people to do things her way.
She will only face an opponent face to face if she has no other option. Daggers and bows are more like it. If she ever needs to fight someone up front, due to her lack of sword experience, she will "shout and shoot" them to death.
My character's name is Selina Irene. She is twenty-eight years old, and is a Dunmer. Both of her parents were killed by bandits soon after she was born. A thief named Damian Irene found her hidden under a bed after he decided to rob her house. He was going to leave her there, but decided against it after realizing that her parents had been killed. He raised her as his own and taught her the tools of his trade, forging her into a competent thief, archer, and alchemist . When she was eighteen she slept with a man while in a drunken stupor, and after that, discovered that she was with child. Skip forward four years when soon after her twenty-eighth birthday, and her daughter's fourth birthday, a vampire came along and disassembled their perfect life. The vampire killed Damian, and wounded Selina to near death. The vampire bit Selina's daughter, and for the next three days forced Selina to watch her daughter become a vampire. He then killed the little girl. He left Selina to die, but didn't account for her tenacity. She spent the next six years trying to track the vampire down, but to no avail. She finally tracked him to an abandoned cave, but was ambushed along with Ulfric Stormcloak and his men. After the "Helgen incident", She did everything she could to survive, mostly stealing from bandits and local townspeople. She soon decided that the best way to combat the vampire that so viciously snatched her happiness away, was to become one. She ventured into a cave infested with the creatures and allowed them to turn her. She went back to the cave where the vampire was, ready to kill him once and for all. She soon found out that the vampire was killed while residing in the cave. She stood over the vampire both happy and distraught. She was happy because the monster was dead, but was filled with sadness when she realized that she had made a mistake becoming a vampire. A mistake she would have to deal with for the rest of eternity.
Wow, and I originally thought my character was unique. Now it seems pretty similar to yours. But what the hell, I'll post it here anyway.
My current character is known as Cras Bloodlaut, the middle child of a wealthy and powerful family in the Imperial City (He's a Nord, but his grandfather was the leader of the Golden Swords, a mercenary company who was the sole reason that the Empire did not fall to the Aldemeri Dominion completely – as a reward, his family was granted land and wealth). Officially, he has come to Skyrim on behalf of his father to discover the Dark Brotherhood's whereabouts to kill several Council members.
There is one catch though; physically, he's extremely weak. As in, he can use bows and daggers, but he sucks when it comes to sword play or heavy armour. He can also use one kind of magic (fire) but his real talent is his words. Although he can't move his father, he can sway everyone else with his words.
Although he is officially in Skyrim to find the Dark Brotherhood, he's hoping to establish himself as a powerhouse, to increase his own wealth. To this end, he is hoping to stop the Civil War, although he isn't sure which side to join; on the one hand, the Empire offers better trade (and therefore wealth), but if the Stormcloaks get independence, and he helped them to it, then he believes he will be well rewarded.
He is also a coward at heart; anything that requires violence, he tends to run away from. To this end, he isn't comfortable with killing others, and would rather hire someone else to do it for him. That was the original plan in the beginning of his quest, when he hired Alexander Dyder, a fellow Nord and a legendary warrior (although sadly lacking in conversation, in Cras's mind). However, they were ambushed by a group of followers of Mehrune Dagon.
Dyder is unconscious and Cras is taken a prisoner, having saved both of their skins by promising both wealth and a "safe place" – he assumes this will be the Dark Brotherhood (whom he still only wishes to contact). It is there that he learns the powers – and rivalries – of the daedric princes, and a new plan hatches, one to work alongside his current ones.
He believes that, by promising his soul to every Prince – in return for immortality until he is slain – when he dies they will fight for him (as souls are worth a large fortune). If they are all fighting each other, the odds are that they will manage to slay each other as well, meaning he is free from his own curse (and a small part of is okay with saving everyone else enthralled by the princes – he's not a "bad" character.)
In the end though, as his group were crossing the border (Dyder now being gagged and bound), they are ambushed by the Stormcloaks. Unknown to him, Ulfric Stormcloak is a part of the group, and he takes Cras and Alexander with him (although this journey is short).
After being captured at the border by Imperials, Cras has lost everything; the followers of Dagon took his wealth away from him; the Stormcloaks do not trust him (although a Nord himself, he is too tamed by the south to be truly accepted).
And he isn't going to work for his money; no way. He knows now he needs to build up his wealth first and foremost, and after escaping Helgen with Hodvar and going to Riverwood (taking only a bow and arrows, some clothes and food) he must search out the Thieves Guild. He feels grateful to the people of Riverwood and doesn't wish to see them dead (he is a kindly fellow, if narcissistic) and travels to Whiterun first, to learn the location of the Thieves Guild (and Dark Brotherhood – a courier has found him from his father, warning Cras that the time is drawing closer for their play at power).
So, there's the basics: a power-and-wealth driven man who is caring beneath the narcissism and cynical attitude; a coward and talker, who is likely going to hire people to do his fights for him (Alexander Dyder is also going to be my next character, but I'm still working on him, his story and motivations). As he was born into wealth, he enjoys the finer things in life, without much work (this removes: smithing, enchanting and any working – fine with trade though). As he is weak, I'm going to deduct 30 points from whatever my carry limit is at all times. Plus, thanks to him being wealthy and never having to work, he has discovered he is an alcoholic, and so will require some form of alcohol every hour or so. However, I know I'm going to find it difficult doing quests as he runs away from most fights, but because of his cowardly nature going at odds with his family, he does know archery and magic (albeit just fire magic).
So, what does everyone think? The difficulty is going to be around medium-to-hard most of the time (for combat especially). I don't know how I'm going to work the Dragonborn part into him – I suspect, though, that to him it will just mean he has more tricks up his sleeves to get him out of tricky situations, and to help him earn more power/respect from the jarls.
I don't know about paranoia's yet - aside from violence and blood (especially his own) I can't think of anything he is terrified of (except maybe his father - Cras's fear of what will happen to him if he fails his father is one underlying motive for going to Skyrim in the first place!). If anyone's got any advice on how to improve him at all, just say. And, if you're interested, I will also post my second character as well (Alexander Dyder- I mentioned him in there somewhere).
A simple thing i like to do to make my character both more challenging and more flawed, is i give them "handicaps" like for instance, i got this one character who is blind in one eye right, so he can't shoot a bowand arrow really well (i suck at it too so it works lol) he also has an inability to use magic he just doesn't understand how the bloody hell it f***ing works, he doesn't hate magic, he thinks it's pretty amazing, but he just can't grasp it, he also (after getting the werrewolf form) has a "family curse" (this one makes the game REALLY interesting, see, no matter where im at be it town field dragon fighting whatever, if both moons are out, i will shift my character (old school stereotypical werewolf curse i know, but it makes the game fun when your in whiterun and you just shift out of nowhere lol) so yeah those are a few things i do, lol, he also is very prideful so if he gets mad enough in a fight, he will put away his weapon and beat the living crap out of his enemy, which is always fun lol
@j-u-i-c-e Thanks for the help, dude. I'm trying to think of some backstories for his family too, now. Really helped me out.
Here's mine I'm sorry it's so long. I just felt her parents had a dominant role in the way she is that I had to have a lot about them. This is only the beginning to where she left her parents. I'll post the rest when I'm done writing it. :) And I know that Faendal lives in Riverwood but lets pretend this is where he grew up :P
Skyrim Character Background/History:
Name: Shiloh Greenwood
Race: Wood Elf
Age: 23
Family History: Belle Greenwood, had lived in Riften for most of her life as Guild Master of the Thieves Guild, and that's where she met her husband, Finn. As Belle was going around doing her usual late night robberies around Riften she stepped into The Scorched Hammer and came face to face with a Dark Brotherhood Assassin, and soon to be Husband.
Finn had been sent by the Nightmother, as Listener, to take care of a "problem" In Riften. He had the Blade of Woe in his hand but he couldn't bring himself to do the kill. He took the flawless diamond that he was given as payment and handed it to this strange girl he was supposed to murder, as if he was meant to do it all along. You see, Finn was a huge believer in fate. His parents had taught him that and he hoped to teach it to his future child as well. After that night they began to secretly meet down at the docks in Riften. At first, it was just once a week but then it became more and more often, a few times a day even. Finn had not been receiving as much money as he had hoped for as an assassin since he had to bribe the contract holder to keep his secret. He had wanted to propose to Belle from the very first time they met. To come up with the extra money he needed to buy another flawless diamond he took on hunting. At first it was just a way to come up with money but then it became a favorite hobby. When he finally had enough he traveled all the way to Whiterun to the famous Skyforge to craft the ring himself. After the week it took to make the ring he took the carriage back to Whiterun to propose to the love of his life. They met at night at the same place they had always met at for the past 5 months. It was the 10th of First Seed, the same day they had met at the Blacksmith.
Belle was overjoyed to be standing next to her love on this wonderful day. Soon after Finn had asked for her hand she ran straight to the Temple of Mara to plan the festivities. Both their parents rode in from Morrowind to see the wedding and had never looked happier to see their children finding love in these tough times. After they wed they decided to move to the outskirts of Skyrim to hopefully start a family together.
There first and only child was named Shiloh, after Belle's grandmother. Shiloh was raised differently than any "normal" child in Skyrim. He parents trained her to be a master thief, pickpocket assassin. Every night her mother would take her to the nearest village, Falkreath, and that's where Shiloh met her first friend.
Both her parents had come this time, this being her first break in alone, and had instructed her on what to do. They had given her 5 lock picks and a steel dagger, just in case she had trouble. She crept in after 3 attempts at the lock and started sneaking around the house, collecting all the gold she saw. She was almost finished her raid when she heard a small whisper. She had turned around and saw a young wood elf, Faendal.
As Shiloh and Faendal continued to grow older, Belle and Finn had begun to accept the boy as their daughter's friend and started taking him on their weekend hunting trips. Shiloh and Faendal were inseparable, always practicing there fighting and hunting together, quickly growing a strong friendship.
When Shiloh turned sixteen her parents decided it was time for her to go out on her own. Her father gave her his first ever hunting bow, which she still has to this day, and her mother gave a gold and emerald circlet that she had gotten from her mother. With those two items in her backpack and Faendal's hand grasped with her's, they started there own adventure together.
Wow thanks alot! I wasn´t sure it was possible to play this type of character but now I´m going to go for it. And you are totally right that ,considering the pace with which your skill goes up, it would make sense that he at some point had known these spells earlier. So I think I´ll go with the scenario where Ahzogs skill has eroded over time due to lack of use.
Looking at Ahzogs lifestyle I think you´re also right about that he wouldn´t be interested in accumulating money or wealth. In fact, since he has spent the most of his life in the isolated hill tribes, he would go as far as living completely (or almost) in the wild. And therefore not buy any city- houses and go there only to buy spellbooks and other stuff.
He prefers to wear armor that has been crafted by him. It could be because however wise he may be, like any Orc old and young, Ahzog keeps a certain pride where his armor is concerned.
Unlike him, who was perfectly content living as he did, Ahzogs wife Ulfrim wanted to go out and explore the world. You see Ulfrims grandmother had once traveled around the continent of Tamriel and for years after she had regaled her grandchildren with stories of her adventure. Among them were the tales of the strange Dwemer ruins Ulfrims favorites. Long after her grandmother died she dreamed of going away and discover them for herself. After being married to Ahzog she retold the stories for him, every bit as detailed as when she first heard it. Ahzog, being the not totally worldknowing shaman he was, didn´t know what to believe but he noticed her desire to see these strange, underground ruins. So he promised her that one day, they would travel together to all known places of Tamriel where these dwemer ruins could be seen. But for reasons I don´t know yet they never did and eventually Ulfrim died. So this might give Ahzog some reason to go through dwemer ruins, to feel some connection with his passed wife even though he find them so alien and unnatural.
Like many old, experienced and wise persons Ahzog put great value in the wisdom of others. And who could be considered to be more wise in Skyrim than the old Greybeards? So therefore Ahzog will dedicate a lot of his time to the find-shout quests.
Some issues I have is whether or not he should earn gold in some way, mostly to buy his spells. Maybe his wife taught him how to make potions? Or should he just make do with what he finds on his quests? And if he finds some place to live in the wild, what would he clutter it with? I have kept the dragon bones he collected so far because it doesn´t feel they would be something Ahzog would trade for gold. Also I´m thinking of adding something to his wifes death. Maybe it wasn´t an entirely natural passing. Something might have happened to add a bit more spark to Ahzogs personality. Do you have any ideas?
@j-u-i-c-e: Thanks for the input! For how she ended up on the cart I just went with the actual in game story on that one. Concerning the rebellion, she's indifferent on the issue. Claire does side with the Imperials though because she's been so used to their rule back in Cyrodiil. She also simply wants peace within Skyrim, so as much as she may dislike the General Tullius for ordering her execution, she's more comfortable around the Legion than the Stormcloaks. Though she despises the Aldmeri Dominion and as much as she doesn't consider herself a murderer, kills them when she sees them, believing it's better if they weren't around. Something many people in Skyrim would agree with. After reading your idea of joining the Companions, I felt it was a wonderful one, and was very fitting for the exact reason you stated. Thanks for the feedback, if I update anything i'll be sure to let ya know!
I just came to think of another thing. Since the player starts out with a pretty low skill in every talent-tree and Ahzog is supposed to be old and experienced, there must be some reason why he have to start from the beginning. (Just speculation, other possible stories are very welcomed) Maybe the spirits took away his powers as a trial? It might be so that the reason he left his hill tribes and family was because his wife was about to have a miscarriage and in his despair Ahzog struck a deal with a "dark spirit" to save his coming sons life. By doing so he upsetted the balance of nature and the other spirits...But I´m not sure if that´s something someone with his age and potential wisdom would do? This is just another thing that makes it harder to play this type of character :(
Hello, a while ago you helped me to create one of the characters I´ve enjoyed playing the most throughout my whole Skyrim adventure (thank you :) ). Since then it seems that many more have turned to you for help with creating an interesting character, but I hope that you will find time to help me even this time.
Since I´m not sure if I could make this a playable character I´ve haven´t gotten that far regarding his backstory, personality etc. I guess that I first would like to check with you if this could be someone interesting to play.
So...most characters I´ve seen people talk about have been pretty young (not to imply that this is what every character is like) (beneath forty- which is pretty old in a Dark Age setting) and before they came to Skyrim haven´t had any family but the one they grew up with (or none at all). For these it would seem natural to go out and explore the world, avenge the death of some loved one, increase their skills or experience some other adventure and maybe later on get married.
What I wanted to do was to play as a bit older character, maybe in his upper 50's. I´m thinking that it could be an Orc (elemental)shaman, so his area of expertise would be of course Destruction, but maybe also Alteration and One Handed with a hint of restoration. Since there are a lot of mods that offer more spells I´m thinking of adding some nature-like ones (like Midas Magics roots) and also the ability to summon animal spirits. His name is Ahzog Ular (I think).
This is sadly as far as I´ve gotten with this character. I really want to try out this shaman idea and it just feels like he should be "old", maybe wise and one with the spirits of nature. But I´m not sure Ahzor is the type of character that could be played in Skyrim. As you stated in this or the "Ten Rules"- post motivation is something very important for an interesting playthrough. What would motivate this kind of person to leave the hill tribes of the Dragontail mountains and explore Skyrim (now I´m just browsing, this isn´t definitive)? I mean even if his children and wife were murdered I´m not sure Ahzor is the kind of person who would chase the murdurers across Tamriel to execute his revenge. Did the spirits give him a vision of him being made into fire. As they say in A Song of Ice and Fire, dragons are fire made flesh. Maybe that´s how he figures his destiny out? I´ve also thought of a scenario where the orcs of his tribe, when they reach a certain (old) age go on some kind of walkabout and never come back. This they do since it´s a shame for an Orc do die old in his bed (a bit like that old Orc who wanders Skyrim and ask you to give him a warriors death). But I´m not sure if this at all fits Ahzog, since it wouldn´t be expected for someone who goes out to die to go fulfill his destiny and save the whole world from the World Eater.
What do you think? What would motivate Ahzog to do this? Also most characters seem to have developed their personalities in a way that to some extent has been affected by their parents. Seeing as Ahzog is a bit older and more experienced maybe something else has influenced his way of thinking? And always as with a character that is more wise than impulsive, experienced than naive and in this case not evil (but maybe not entirely good), what kind of quests would he take? Maybe since he is a shaman mostly those where he get to rid the world of the undead, but I was hoping not since I might do a paladin character further on.
Since he´s a shaman with a deep connection with the nature, maybe he´s a vegetarian (not very orcish perhaps). Maybe at each meal he takes two or three bottles of ale to dull the pain of an old wound? Due to his age his ability to sprint might be limited. Would he consider starting a new family despite his age? Or maybe he lives in some kind of celibacy, entirely devoted to his meditation and training?
I´m not really sure where to go with Ahzog but if you have some tip or idea, it would be greatly appreciated.
EDIT: I would like to change this part of my story:(the guards had found the key before and edited the note to also say about the bandits, they were originally planning on giving it to him later before they forgot about it but left the lockbox there and the key in the house remains).
To this:(The mother elaborated on the note to tell about the bandits, and the key to the lockbox was never taken from the house the bandits burned, leaving the key in the house remains)
Thanks for all the help. I am going to try this and I think I will stick with it for a while. Once I am deep into role play I will post the whole story.
P.s. thank you for curing my restartis you are wonderful in restoration probably 100 in the skill.
Btw, this is my first ever role-play character, so i'm sorry if the history or other details aren't very specific, or if the history is boring, but feel free to criticize if you feel the need to.
The ride there was horrible, he barely managed to survive it, but when he got to Hammerfell he ate the last of his food and sold the jewelry that was also in the lockbox for survival, and bought more food and supplies, and a sack to carry it with. After Elkin had bought everything he needed, he still had Septims to save for later, fortunately. After a few days of survival in the wild he found a stray puppy, he was a small male husky, who seemed to be starving; he must have come from Skyrim. Elkin fed the puppy, and named him Bran, and they became best companions to each other, living in the wilds together, Bran would do the hunting, and Elkin would do the living. Elkin and Bran lived together happily until Elkin was 16, and Bran was a somewhat matured and powerful dog, when Elkin then decided to move up to Skyrim to live there for a while, so Bran and Elkin set off for Skyrim, but when they got there, they ran into an Imperial ambush, and somehow, Elkin ended up on a carriage as a prisoner, Elkin screamed for Bran to come to him, and Bran tried, but the Imperial guards wouldn't let Bran go to Elkin, thinking that the dog was trying to free him, when the carriage was out of sight, they let Bran go, ever since Bran was freed, he was on a search for Elkin. Meanwhile, at the carriage, Elkin was weeping at the loss of Bran, he was the only thing that meant anything to him. Elkin promised himself that he would go on a search for Bran after he was freed from prison, and wouldn't stop until he found him, but one of the other prisoners told him that he wasn't going to prison, and that this, would be the end for all of them, and that they were heading to Helgen, where death would await, Elkin was speechless for the rest of the ride there, besides weeping at the loss of Bran, where meanwhile Bran was in avid search of Elkin, and the final thing that Elkin said before he got off the carriage was a pray, to let the divines spare him and Bran, and reunite them back together, Elkin had no idea what was about to unfold though… (Yes the history is very wordy, sorry about that.)
Specialty: After escaping Helgen, Elkin realized he needed some way to protect himself from danger, and decided to specialize in the arcane knowledge of Alteration, Destruction, and Restoration.
Fears/Phobias: Elkin is highly afraid of Sabre Cats, after a near death experience with one in the wilds of Hammerfell and whenever he sees one, goes insane and mindlessly attacks constantly to kill it fast as possible, while not even stopping to attempt to avoid its attacks.
Special Item: The eye of the Sabre Cat he barely survived with, so he knows that he could survive another encounter with one.
I know its really wordy but i'd like it if you read it all and replied.
Skyrim Role-Play:
Name: Elkin
Age: 16
Race: High Elf
Height: 5"7
Weight: 133
Elkin spent his time in his mother's stomach in The Summerset Isle, who was a Dark Elf (Lily); Elkin's father was a High Elf (Annuan), like he would soon be. A few years ago, they had adopted a Nordic girl by the name of Lavender from the local orphanage of their settlement by the coast. While Lily was pregnant with Elkin, she was afraid she wouldn't live through childbirth, and wrote a note that she stored in a lockbox just in case. However, when she was near birth of Elkin, bandits raided the city for loot. Annuan, in an attempt to protect his family, went out with the guards to try to kill them before they killed others, but sadly, Annuan died with a group of guards while trying to defeat the bandits. Then the bandits went for the nearest home to rob, which happened to be Annuans house. When they came in they saw Lavender and told her to not say anything, however, that wasn't what she did at all, she attempted to call the guards for help, and the bandits killed the young Nord girl. Lily saw this from her room and screamed in sadness at the death of her young daughter. The bandits were going to kill her but decided to ignore that and loot the valuable remains of her house, while Lily stayed silent in fear. When the bandits had cleared out the house and left, Lily was taken captive by them, (the bandits burned down the house) and was put in a prison room with just a hay pile to sleep on, back at the bandit's fort. Several days passed, when Lily suddenly broke water, and gave birth, but died in the process, just as she feared. The bandits came in later to the dead mother and newborn baby and came to the decision of training the baby to be a bandit like them, however, their fort got attacked by guards and they took baby Elkin back to the city. Elkin then was put in the orphanage, and when the guards had found the lockbox with the note, they accidentally left it at the orphanage (which later became known as the lockbox on the shelf that had no key), with Elkin. The caretaker of the orphanage was the one who named him, but nobody wanted to adopt the child, and he grew to the age of 12, before something happened. He was out in the city looking at the burned remains of his old house, when he saw something glimmering, a key. He suddenly grabbed it and ran to the lockbox, the key fit; he opened it and found the note. Elkin read the note that said everything about his parents, the information no one had ever told him, and was devastated and angry (the guards had found the key before and edited the note to also say about the bandits, they were originally planning on giving it to him later before they forgot about it but left the lockbox there and the key in the house remains). In his anger at the bandits, he ran out of the city to the coast, and bought a small wooden boat with his life savings and gathered all the food he had and set off to Hammerfell, Elkin wanted to start a new life now that he knew his past, since now the place he lived in gave him bad memories. (Continues)
Damn, just clicked post comment when I wasn't ready. I just changed it but I don't know if that worked, can't see no changes.
Phobias: Death and everything that has to deal with it. If he walks into a draugr, he will start to wildy swing his sword out of panic.
He fears (he's not scared of them) Orcs. He got bullied by them at young age so he doesn't like being near them.
Prejudices: Doesn't trust most Nords because stormcloaks are mostly Nords, and he hates stormcloaks (He doest truwt Hadvar, legate Rikke, all the other Imperial Nords).
And he doesn't like Orcs at all!
Something special: Aquillus is disciplined and loyal to the Empire, so he will never flee the battle.
Gimping: Only wears Imperial armor and weapons.
Nice guide! Here's my character. Can you please rate it, I'm new to RP and The Elder Scrolls.
Name: Aquillus Fennerica
Race: Imperial
Gender: Male
Age: 20
History: Aquillus was born in the north of Cyrodiil. His father was a blacksmith and former legion soldier. His mother was a Breton who had lifed with the khajiit for 5 years. Aquillus had one brother. His parents were caring, protective and learned him many things. His father used to make wooden swords and shields for him and his brother. They were always fighting with their wooden weapons in the backyard. His brother was always controlling the fight because he was older and stronger than his little brother. His father raised him with the idea that serving in the Imperial legion was an honour. Thus, when he was 19 he wanted to join the legion. His brother, already leggionaire, advised him to join the legion in Skyrim if he desired action. Aquillus travelled to Skyrim but was robbed by a large group of bandits before walking in an Imperial ambush. The imperials arrested him (thinking he was a bandit from the bansit group spotted in that area) and so the Helgen story begins.
Motivations and ambitions: Aquillus wants to become general. He wants to have control over people, like his brother always controlled the fights in their backyard. He doesn't have any bad plans with them, tough.
Habits and qirks: Aquillus is very protective to three things: his horse, his sword and his armor. He cleans his sword after each fight. He likes to ride his horse on long trips. For the armor, see "gimping". He also like's children (no, he's not a pedophile).
Sorry for the delay( out of town AGAIN). Anyway i think i like what you have given me i think i will be a high elf who strongly opposes the thalmor. He will oppose the thalmore because the thalmor killed his parents back in the summerset isles (sry if i spelled that wrong) for expressing thier disagreement with the thalmor by public speaking. My character is going to be unforgiving and rebellius. He will kill thalmor on sight. But which class do you think he should be?
Thank you for the compliments, I'll continue to write Akuah's story as in unfolds.
Alrighty, I think that I've got a good character story. Tell me what you guys think. Any suggestions welcome.
Race: Altmer
Name: Darvus Atheran
History: Born in the capital of Summerset Isle, Alinor. Darvus' father was a High Ranking member of the Thalmor government and his mother was a well-respected noble. The Atheran name carried weight (like the Black-Briars just not as dark/criminal). When he was 5, he witnessed the beheading of a close friend of his fathers named Byrius. He asked why he was killed, his father only replied with "You'll know when you get older, son." Those words haunted Darvus, he constantly wondered what he could have done, or if his father was in trouble. When Darvus turned 16 his father took him aside from his friends and family to tell him something. He asked Darvus if he remembered Byrius. It turns out that his father and Byrius could only meet in secret. They were conspiring against the current head of the Thalmor, and that was why he was beheaded. His father wanted to have control. When Darvus joined the ranks of the Justicars, he quickly advanced the ranks. Throughout the 10 years of scouting for weakness in the Justicar defense, his father was recruiting citizens that wanted to see him in power. Finally after 10 years of preparation Darvus and his father's militia staged a coup. They snuck though a sewer that Darvus had found to be unguarded. Upon entering the sewer they were met by an ambush of Justicar forces. The entire militia was decimated within minutes. Darvus retreated back to his father who was still at home to warn him about the incoming danger. When he got there his sister was killed in the lobby of the Atheran estate. He knew they were there, he got to his father's room where his mother was already killed and his father was bleeding. He ran over to his father and asked what they were supposed to do now, his father told him to flee, to get as far away from Summerset Isle as he could. So Darvus gathered what he could and set off for Skyrim. When he reached Skyrim he got stuck in the middle of and Imperial ambush. In the confusion he was sent to the headsman's block. The rest is yet to be seen.
Characteristics: Darvus is very talkative; he can get the best deals possible and has quite the passion for making money. He is quite sarcastic and very serious. If he is dealing with petty matters he will always be somewhat of an ass. But when dealing with matters of life and death, he could snap at any moment.
Motivations & Ambitions: Darvus wants to regain the respect he had in Summerset Isle. He also hopes to one day return and regain his place with the Justicars.
Habits & Quirks: Darvus has a short temper for those of "lesser" races. (Those being any other than Altmer, Khajiit, or Imperial) One dirty look or smug remark will earn them either the beating of a lifetime or the business end of his sword. He was also raised with much class. As such he will always protect a woman's honor and never attack one unless provoked. Darvus also enjoys enchanting, it was a trade that his sister taught him. Oh, and he's a kleptomaniac (steals mugs and bowls and such).
Fears & Phobias: Darvus is very afraid of the water. If he needs to cross a river he will find a bridge, and if he needs to go underwater for something he has to wear a water breathing necklace. As a result of a bad childhood memory of getting a bucket stuck on his head, he won't wear helmets, hoods are OK though.
Prejudices: As aforementioned he hates all lesser races. (The reason the Khajiit and Imperials aren't considered lesser is because in his travels an Imperial and Khajiit helped smuggle him out of Cyrodiil). Darvus will not wear anything crafted by them. He will still do sell them things because Septims are Septims, but not buy. Darvus has a particular hatred of Nords, however. If one tries to talk to him out of place, they get hurt.
I had just writin two paragraphs but safari crashed:(
Luciana has always like to steal thinqs the first time she stole was a apple from a stall she felt qood. Her mother killed helpless travelers to qet anqer
Role-play continued:
Habits/Quirks: Claire feels the need to help nearly everyone, whether there is a monetary reward such as gold or a simple "thank you." She also loves apples, especially green apples, and always has a few with her. Because of her adventures outside of the walls of Bruma as a child, she loves to explore, whether it be caves, ruins, or mines, it gives her closure. Knowing she may be one step closer to finding Eve. Claire also truly enjoys being in the wildness, and would rather sleep there then within a warm house, though this doesn't stop her from renting a room for a warm bed every once and a while. She also has an interest in dwarves ruins and Snow Elves, she's trying to discover what caused them to disappear completely. She loves to read, though she usually carries a few books on her person at all times, and will read the same book multiple times to pass the time. Also, because she is driven by her constant search for Eve, she doesn't get much rest and when she does she sleeps for almost an entire day sometimes. She prefers to travel alone. She also prefers to wear light armor, only when she deems necessary, but will more often then not dress in hooded robes, and even travel without armor. Claire is also confused about her sexuality, because of her feeling for Eve, which most would consider unnatural.
Fears: She does not fear vampires, though she is truly terrified of becoming one. Because of this she is constantly carrying hawk feathers, or a cure disease potion just in case. She doesn't want to go through what Eve is going through, simply to survive in the sunlight. Claire has considered the possibility of becoming a werewolf, if they even exist, to overcome this fear. She also has a fear of being left by someone she cares for, just as Eve did. She understands Eve needed to leave or she would have been killed, but it still hurt her. Claire also fears falling for someone, and is scared of marriage. Though she considers the fact that one day, someone may cause her to overcome her fear of love, and marriage. Claire is afraid of spiders, and prefers to kill them right away, from afar, rather than sneak by.
Prejudices: Though she understands that not all Altmers are like the boys that assaulted her 4 years ago, but she still dislikes Altmers. Though she will occasionally speak to them only if absolutely necessary, she will maim and even kill them if they make even the smallest threat. Though she will kill vampires since most if not all are hostile, and because of her fear of becoming a vampire, she dislikes anyone who hunts vampires and will kill them immediately hoping that it will somehow keep Eve safe.
Gimps: Claire rarely wears armor, only when she truly deems it necessary, and will usually wear robes, preferably hooded robes, everywhere she goes.
Skyrim role-play:
Name: Claire
Age: 17
Race: Breton
Height: 5 feet and 6 inches
Weight: 117lbs
Body type: Thin, but very athletic. Has more muscle tone than most women, but it is lean muscle, which keeps her "hourglass" type figure.
Defining attributes: Red hair, bright blue eyes (almost a light grey)
Class: Stealth Archer
Skills: Archery, Sneak, Speech, Alchemy
Backstory: Claire is a breton, born in Cyrodiil. She was raised as an orphan in Bruma, where she was born, until she eventually ran away at 17. She never knew her parents, and because of this had no last name. She spent most of her childhood asking people around Bruma if they could help her find them, all attempts were however futile. Her foster-father, Holgh was a Nord originally from Skyrim. He always told her of the nordic legends, traditions, and general history of the Nords and Skyrim itself. Her foster-mother, Holgh's wife Adeleine, was a kind hearted woman but she knew when to be strict, and use discipline to teach a life lesson. Such as respect, which was something she strictly enforced. When she was 5 Holgh taught her the basics of Archery, and Alchemy, as well as a few tricks with a dagger. After turning 8, Holgh deemed her old enough to run around just outside the walls and explore, as well as practice her archery, but strictly in the daytime. She had to be home for supper, and always within earshot of a guard. Her mother, taught her Speechcraft throughout Claire's entirety at the orphanage, as she felt being well-mannered, well-spoken, as well as using words to calm and persuade others in dire situations, important as a woman.
When Claire was 13 she was beaten, insulted about how her body looked (mainly because she was more athletic than most women because she loved to explore outside the walls and practice her archery, as well as sneaking, climbing trees and such), and almost sexually assaulted by 2 Altmer boys. Because she was just recently "reaching womanhood" before the incident, she was very uncomfortable with the changes her body was experiencing. Especially her breasts, not necessarily too small or too large, more or less an average size. She enjoyed the fact that they fit her frame very well, especially proportionally, and liked them, because they were, as her mother would frequently say, "perky." She also enjoyed that they didn't bounce uncomfortably when she walked or ran, but sometimes wished they were bigger when comparing them to others. To continue: During her assault, one of the Altmer boys stopped and wanted to leave, one of them however wanted to go a bit further. They argued for a moment, and the boy who wanted to leave eventually left, while the other stayed to resume his assault. Claire was barely groped before the boy was thrown off of her and beaten until he could barely breathe. Claire, who was bloodied and whose eyes were already filled with tears, saw a girl reaching for her within her blurry vision. The mysterious girl helped her up, covered her with a blanket and helped her get home safely. On the way home Claire noticed that she was actually being carried on this girl's back, and she wasn't struggling, or even walking the tiniest bit heavy-footed. She introduced herself as Yvonnette, but that she could call her "Eve." Before Claire fainted from the excruciating pain, Eve gave Claire a promise: "I will protect you until I die, which I doubt will happen any time soon." She ended the sentence with a little chuckle to herself.
When Claire woke up the next day she saw that Eve was in her house, they began to chat. She discovered that Yvonnette "Eve" (Breton, 14 years old, brown hair, green eyes with a slight red tint in the iris, as tall as Claire, just as thin but not nearly as athletic) was a newly adopted sister, and would be living with her. Though she knew nothing about this mysterious girl, this made her quite happy, considering she saved her from both a sexual assault, and possibly freezing to death in the streets of Bruma. Over the next year Eve (now 15) and Claire (now 14) became very close, like "best friends," though they were still technically sisters. One night, a loud noise woke Claire. She reached for her bow thinking it was a thief. She discovered it was Eve, though she was looking very sickly and pale, and her eyes, especially her iris, was much more red than normal. She was panting, and stumbling, as if she was injured, though she was not. Claire quickly put down her bow and got up to help Eve to a bed. Eve commanded her to stay away, which Claire immediately said, "Why should I stay away from you of all people?" Eve replied fearfully, "Because, i'm a vampire." Claire was stricken with fear, because she realized that that meant Eve had not "fed" and was "hungry." However her friendship, and strong feelings for Eve overrode her fear. She told Eve to sit on her bed, as she walked over to her apothecary satchel (given to her as a gift by Holgh) hidden behind a bookcase, and retrieved a hawk feather, which she knew could cure disease. She then sat next to Eve, held up her wrist and told her to feed. Claire reassured her by saying that the hawk feather would keep her from becoming a vampire, and that she still owed her for what she did to save her a year ago. Eve then explained that she was stricken with vampirism by a man named Vicente Valtieri over 200 years ago during the Oblivion Crisis, and that she lost count of how old she was at 177. She assumes she at least 220 years old based on the history books written about the Oblivion Crisis. Vicente helped her find people to feed on, how to hunt, etc. When he was killed, she moved to the Imperial City, where it was easy to feed daily, with the mass amounts of people inhabiting the city. From this night on, Claire would Eve would feed on her if she could not feed on someone else, and if she had hawk feathers, which she made sure to constantly stock up on. Their trust over time grew, as well as their feelings for each other, especially as they became older.
One morning Claire awoke to find a letter on her bedside table from Eve. It stated her thanks for her friendship, care, and of course the feeding that kept her alive among other things. She also expressed her true feelings for Claire, which made Claire happy, but saddened because she realized Eve was not coming back. Eve was forced to cross the border into Skyrim, after guards and townspeople were becoming suspicious of the presence of a vampire in Bruma. Claire burned the note, knowing that if anyone found it, it could put Eve in more danger. Claire then gathered her things, left a note for her family, expressing her thanks for their love and kindness throughout the years, and she wished them well. Claire decided she would adopt the last name of "Yvonnette" as a memento to her friend, and her first love. She then left, with her bow and a sack full of apples, heading north toward Skyrim.
Goals: Having grown up as an orphan, she strives to be able to provide for herself and live comfortably, and preferably rich. If needed, she will use any means necessary to do this. Living as an orphan with two very generous and loving foster-parents makes her want to be able to provide for others, and assist others as well. Though she is prefers not to commit "evil acts," her need to help others overrides this. Whether she'll be helping them find something, chop fire wood, or even giving gold to the poor. Claire wishes she had a large collection of books because she loves to read. She also hopes to find Eve in Skyrim, and will do everything she can to accomplish this.
Habits/Quirks: Claire feels the need to help nearly everyone, whether there is a monetary reward such as gold or a simple "thank you." She also loves apples, especially green apples, and always has a few with her. Because of her adventures outside of the walls of Bruma as a child, she loves to explore, whether it be caves, ruins, or mines, it gives her closure. Knowing she may be one step closer to finding Eve. Claire also truly enjoys being in the wildness, and would rather sleep there then within a warm house, though this doesn't stop her from renting a ro
The next day, as Elgrim was preparing dinner for when Grimvar was coming home, he saw a group of Imperial Enforcers Taking a grown man onto a carriage, he was curious to who the man was, and why he was being taken away by these enforcers, so he walked closer. When he got close he saw in horror that it was his father that was taken away by the Enforcers. he ran down to ask what was happening, and they told him that this man was going on trial in Solitude for murdering a group of Thalmor agents, and that he would be sent there now. Elgrim went back home, completely crushed by the news of his father. But he thought to himself «what father would do? ». He then saddled their only horse, and prepared to ride to Solitude, to see if he could aid his father in any way.
Elgrim arrived at Solitude two days after the Imperial convoy that had brought his father there, and after careful questioning he found out that they were keeping his father in the nearby dungeon. He was eventually allowed to meet his father, the day after his trial. Upon meeting his father, he learned of the verdict, his father was to be executed the next day for treason to the Empire, and that this was to be the last time they would be able to talk to each other before the execution. Grimvar knew that this was to be the last time he ever talked to his son, so he wanted to prepare his son for the brutal world he was about to be thrown into. They talked about anything and everything for hours, about his mother, how his father had come to be who he was and to what Elgrim needed to do next. Grimvar knew his son would not be safe living in Markarth, and when he no longer would be able to protect him and teach him how to wield a sword he needed to find someone who could, and that someone would be Ulfric Stormcloak. He told Elgrim to leave for Markarth as soon as possible, and gather his belongings. He also gave him a letter, told him that everything would be explained in the letter and made Elgrim promise not to open it before he was at their house in Markarth, and to burn it after he had read it. These were the final words Grimvar told Elgrim, before Elgrim had to leave the dungeon. The next day Elgrim stood and watched in sadness as his father was beheaded before the gates of Solitude as there was nothing he, an 18 year old boy, could do about it.
Elgrim left for Markarth early the next day, and arrived there roughly after a 2 days ride. When he arrived back home, news of the man named Ulfric Stormcloak had come to Markarth, he had murdered the High king, and had started a rebellion. Elgrim did not know this man personally, but father always spoke warmly of him and the way he liberated Markarth. He entered the home he had lived in for his whole life, prepared to pack up his belongings. After packing up the last of the food and money his father had left him, he opened the letter to read what his father had wrote:
"Dear Elgrim, I wish I could be there to watch over and guide you through the hard times which Skyrim now faces, but fate has decided otherwise. I leave you everything I own, and I hope that you will remember our time together as a good time. Markarth is no longer safe for you, the Thalmor are aware that you are still alive, and will be coming soon. My old friend's son, Ulfric, is preparing a war against the Empire, for the independence of all Nords. He is also a Talos worshipper, like you and me, and I've arranged for you to join his rebellion, when the time comes. The rebellion will be called the Stormcloak rebellion, as this is the name that Ulfric carries, and it will be instigated when Ulfric goes to challenge the High king.
Along with everything else I leave you the Armor I wore on the day the Thalmor agents visited, and our Family sword, True heart. They are kept in the attic behind the closet. Take this with you, and find out where you can meet up with Ulfric, after the start of the rebellion, and he will take care of you.
Goodbye my son, I go to Sovngarde with a smile on my face, and hope to someday see you there as well."
Elgrim went into the attic, and found his father's armor, adorned in the blue cape. He now understood why his father had this; he was going to take part in this rebellion as well. He put on the armor, and it fit perfectly, as he and his father quite similar in height and weight, and equipped the sword. Before he left he swore to avenge his father, and to uphold his last wish, which was for Elgrim to join the rebellion. Elgrim left his childhood home, knowing that he would most likely never see this place again. He rode off on his horse, and left for Whiterun, where he could get information on where he could meet this Ulfric Stormcloak.
When he arrived in Whiterun, Elgrim got news that Ulfric was in Falkreath gathering supporters. Falkreath was not more than a day's ride away from Whiterun and if he left straight away he could arrive just in time to meet Ulfric, and explain what had happened. As Elgrim arrived in Falkreath, he took in at the inn, as Ulfric would not arrive until the next day.
The next day, Elgrim put on his armor, equipped his sword and started walking down the town center to meet up with Ulfric. Ulfric Stormcloak had set up camp just outside of Falkreath, and was gathering the supporters from the local regions there. Elgrim arrived in the encampment, and as Ulfric was not yet ready to take in visitors, he decided to wait. Suddenly the whole encampment was Ambushed by an Imperial force, and most of the men were slain, only Elgrim, blank and Ulfric Stormcloak survived, they were put on an Imperial Convoy. The convoy was going to Helgen, were the execution of all nearby Stormcloak sympathizers was held.
First of i want to give a big thanks to you , and to this guide, it has made me see skyrim in a completely different way. It has also inspired me to dig deep into roleplaying, something i've always wanted to do, but never really knew how to do.
Bear with me :), as this is my first ever in depth character (i'll splitt the character info in two, as it seems i cant fit it all into 1 post )
Name: Elgrim True-Heart
Race: Nord
Qualities: Honorable, very Religious (Talos-worship), Hates Thalmor and High Elves in general. General discontent for elves
Skills: armor, Two-handed (Family sword), Speech, Blacksmithing and enchanting
Elgrim is a stout Nord of Skyrim, a Miners son who never knew his mother, as she died at childbirth. Elgrim is an honorable Nord, but also very young and inexperienced, he has not wielded a sword before and never seen real combat or war. His main focus is avenging his father by joining the Rebellion and freeing Skyrim, He has a vision of himself as a high ranking officer in the Stormcloak army, earning respect and admiration by the Nord people, he sees himself settling down and finding a wife in the Solitude, earning a living as an officer in the Stormcloak army. He prides himself on being in good shape, as he is built like his father: a brick wall of muscle. He condemns stealing, murder, looting and all things that are dishonorable, but he will kill if provoked or attacked.
Over the course of becoming the Dragonborn and the rebellion he will grow into a great warrior and strategist, fighting wars and winning fights with his military skills. If he meets Thalmor agents, he will go into frenzy, charging in with no concern for his own wellbeing or others, as these remind him of the cruelty done to him and his family. He also likes to keep a talisman from his the high ranking and strong men he slays in combat, such as necklaces, rings and trinkets. Elgrim deems all High elves as Thalmor, and wants nothing to do with them whatsoever; he will avoid contact with them, and is easily provoked into brawls and fights, he will also steal and take things if possible from them, as in his opinion all that the High elves and Thalmor own has been stolen from the Nords of Skyrim. Elgrim is a courageous and honorable man, he does not run in the face of danger, and his nobility knows no bounds, as long as it is Nords he sees being exploited, he will aid them. He only uses the Stormcloak armor and family sword given to him by his father. Elgrim is also sort of a ladies man, he is in the physical shape of his life, and will be able to talk his way into a woman's heart
Background story:
Elgrim's father was a man named Grimvar True-Heart, a man who was raised in Solitude, and started working as a Miner, in Markarth after coming of age, he also had blacksmithing and enchanting as hobbies, as he liked creating things as well. Grimvar was a man of principles, he believed in working hard and being generally an honorable man. He was also deeply religious, Worshipping Talos. Grimvar married at an early age, with a girl named Edith, a lowly Nord girl who lost her entire family at an early age. They were married for five years, and in the fifth year Edith was pregnant with their child, a blessing mixed with tragedy, as Edith passed away during childbirth, barely managing to give birth to her and Grimvars only child, a boy. Grimvar named the boy Elgrim, a mix between his own and his deceased wife's name, in honor of Edith.
Grimvar raised Elgrim under his own principles, alongside working in the Mine, This meant late days, and Elgrim often left on his own for several hours of the day. Elgrim was taught that Religion, Honor and Hard work came first, and everything else second, and he was largely independent at an early age by being on his own for most of the day. Grimvar kept his family's religion to himself to not cause conflicts with the rest of the society in Markarth, and to them he was just another man. When Ulfric Stormcloak retook the City of Markarth Grimvar finally felt comfortable with announcing his family's faith, and he and his son would live the next month's happier than they had ever been, since Edith passed away. Grimvar and Ulfric's father had known each other, and Ulfric saw Grimvar as an honorable, but simple man. When the Thalmor discovered what was being worshipped in Markarth, they apprehended Ulfric and his men, and a conflict in Markarth and Skyrim was stirring. Ulfric and his men were eventually released, but the conflict was still brewing.
Elgrim was at the time 18 winters old, and was about to start working in the mines, alongside his father, when they came. The Thalmor had known about the Talos worshipping miner for some time, and now they had come to imprison him and his son for their beliefs. Elgrim saw them coming, and warned his father. His father told him to go upstairs and hide in the closet, and to not come out until he came upstairs again. Elgrim, who usually always obeyed his father, was curious to what these cloaked Elves wanted, and sat close to the loft window, to see what would happen. What he saw next was his father, fully adorned in mail armor with a blue drape, with a big steel sword in his hand go out to meet these elves. They talked for a while, when suddenly one of the elves struck a blow to Grimvar's knee, it then exploded into an outright bloodshed. Grimvar screamed a mighty roar, louder than Elgrim had ever herd, and charged the three cloaked men. Grimvar finished them off one by one, cutting them down with the massive steel claymore. Elgrim watched in awe as he saw his father, who he had only seen as a lowly miner, fight these trained elves off as if it were nothing. As Grimvar came back inside to check on his son, Elgrim came forth, admitting that he had seen what had happened. Grimvar did not punish his son for this, but told him exactly why these men had come, and why he had to finish them off the way he did. He also told Elgrim, never to let anyone force him to hide who he was and what he believed in, and that he was going to talk to Ulfric about getting them to a safe place.
@j-u-i-c-e I definitely like the tormented vampire idea. And the dreams of the elk, it gives a better reasoning for his fear. I think taking the vamp route will intensify those dreams. The defining characteristic is better than anything I could have thought of. Last thing to do now is wait for Dawnguard.
thanks! I've just added a whole curve in her life that I feel like sharing so her I go! :) During an extra job for the companions (after completing the quest line and getting rid of the one thing that connects her with her father still; lycanthropy,) she contracts sanguinar vampiris -or however you spell it!- and is overwhelmed by blood lust and completely abandons all humanity to live by herself in a cleared vampiric cave-thingy. She starts to take up dark arts like necromancy, conjuration, alchemy, murder, and all other stuff where she will slowly live out the rest of her existence (or so she thinks :/) looking for something to redeem her cursed soul. Or romance O30
Hey just read your guide and it inspired me to build a character I care about, not just care about his skills. This is my first shot, tell me what you think.
Name: Dalk Alteer
Race: Dark Elf
Age: 27
Class: Assassin/Thief
Skills: Alchemy, daggers, stealth, and speachcraft.
History: Dalk's mother died shortly after his birth when Imperials razed his hometown to the ground, mistaking it for a Thalmor encampment. Dalk and his father fled to the Imperial City, and settled into the Waterfront district. His father never got over his mother's death and turned to alcholism to combat his growing depression. Without his father there to raise him, Dalk was basicly raised by the thieves and other criminals of the slums. Dalk, due to the circumstances of his mother's death, never misses a chance to steal, or otherwise cause harm to, any Imperial he can. When he was twelve his father finally drank himself to death, leaving behind a mountain of debtfor Dalk. Without any way to pay off his father debts, the small shack and few belongings he had left were taken by the less than reptuable citizens that his father was in dept to. His first time out on the streets alone didn't go so well, he was brutally beaten by some thugs for the ten Septims he managed to beg for. Left there to die , Dalk had given up hope when an old woman found him and took him back to her "home" in the Waterfront. Dalk awoke two days later and found the old woman next to him. Another homeless begger, with only a tent for shelter, had saved him. She introduced herself as Hellan Marrian, once a cook for a famous man until an assassin poisened her stew one night. Blamed for the mans death, she was couldn't find a job as a cook anywhere else, and eventually had to settle in the Waterfront district. Dalk grew very close to Hellan, he looked at her as the mother he never had. She taught him how to cook, and that he could work honestly for any money he earned, and not steal(or worse) for it. Dalk got a job loading ships at the Waterfront and eventually earned enough money to get a small shack, and he and Hellan moved into it. He lived there with Hellan until he was twenty-one, when a group of thugs broke into his shack. The theives, unawear that Hellan was inside, were suprised to find the old woman cooking inside. Afraid of leaving a witness, they stabbed her before leaving. Upon arriving home, Dalk discovered his second mother dead on the floor, and in a rage took the dagger they left in her and went looking for the thugs. After three days of searching he found them dinking in the tavern, and killed all four of them. He was arrested and thrown in jail, where he stayed for six years, until he escaped from the Imperial prision, and fled north. He had just made it into Skyrim when an Imperial ambush mistook him for a rebel, and he was put on a wagon headed to some town called Helgon.
Dalk's Goals: Dalk, having grown up in poverty, wishes to fill his coin purse. Though Hellan prefered him to have an honest job, Dalk grew up with theives and cutthroats and found that the fastest way to earn gold is through the not-so-legal means.
Dalk's Habbits and Quirks: Dalk may be a hard-hearted killer and a theif, but due the the old beggar that saved his life, he has a soft spot for the less-than-fortunant. Because of this, if he see's a beggar or a poor person in need, he helps them as best he can. Even though he was raised in poverty, Hellan tought him the finer arts of cooking. Dalk enjoys fine meal at the end of the day, and is quite capable of preparing one himself(and does so as often as he can).
Dalk's Fears: Though Dalk would like to fancy himself fearless, he has a intense fear of being alone. He doesn"t care if his company knows he's there or not, he just needs someone there. If he has to trek across a large expanse of land or delve into a cave or dungeon, he finds someone for hire at the local tavern or inn, and brings them along.
Prejudices: Dalk has yet to meet an Imperial that he likes, and often goes out of his way to steal from, injure, or even kill any Imperial he sees. He also has a strong love/hate relationship with drunks. Every drunk he sees reminds him of his father. Te man he loved, who was also the man that he sees as ruined his life. This cause for mixed reactions when faced withthe town dunks.
Something Special: Dalk was always a fast learner, but things he didn't care for never stuck. Because of that he isn't skilled in several areas(Swords, smithing, magic, ect.) which can sometimes present a handicap. In the skills that he cares for(Alchemy, daggers, archery, cooking, ect.) he exals at and learns quickly. Though still a rookie in most areas, he plans on mastering them for his new life.
Gimps: A lack of smithing skill means Dalk's equipment will be rather weak and he can only use what he buys or finds. Also, with his fear of solitude, when he is forced to bring a follower, it may be harder to be sneaky. Meaning he'll have to resort to open combat, a skill that he's not so blessed in.
Update: Akuah traveled to Riften, sought out the thieves guild and got them to spill where his family was. They were outside Dawnstar. Akuah left in a huff and headed for Dawnstar. Stay tuned...
Character: Iardo Etot
Race: Orsimer
Gender: Male
Age: 19
History: He was brought up in Orsinum. Iardo's father, Awg, was a retired soldier who served in the Imperial Legion in Cyrodill, and was greatly respected among both Orcs and Imperials as war hero when he fought off an entire platoon of Altmer with only a few steel arrows and a broken wine bottle in the Great War. His mother was a merchant who was killed by Khajit bandits when she refused to give up her wares when they threatened her. Iardo was there that dreadful day, and lost sight in his left eye from the great fight. Because of this, he never sufficiently learned smithing from his mother, and is very insecure about that. His father was a good parent, other than that he frequently gave his son alcohol when he went drinking, and Iardo has now become addicted to the drug. Awg also taught him the soldier way of life, from how to fight, to being resourceful, to being respectful to civilians, and the best ways to sneak alcohol without your superiors knowing. Iardo has come to idolize his father and ignore any of his flaws, such as his drinking habits, when they come up. Awg has recently died of disease, and his dying wish was to have his ashes spread on the grounds of his famous battle back in Cyrodill. Afterwards, Iardo travels to Skyrim to become a great warrior in the Imperial Legion like his father. He hears of the Civil War in Skyrim and excitedly rushes into Skyrim to serve in the Imperial Legion like his father. However, he is mistaken for a criminal when he crosses the border and is sent to be executed at Helgen.
Motivations/Ambitions: Iardo wants to live up to his father's name and serve in the Imperial Legion. He wants to be the epitome of a good soldier, and live with respect among his people. He wishes to emulate his father in every way, from drinking to marrying a merchant to becoming a war hero.
Habits/Quarks: Iardo has to have at least two bottles of ale each day, due to his growing addiction. In addition, he keeps his distance away from smithing and people who smith, due to his insecurity of not knowing how to smith. He loves chickens, and always spends time with one whenever he finds a chicken.
Phobias: He hates social humiliation, and tries to be as well liked as possible. When people frequently are racist against him for being an orc, he tends to run away from the situation, both literally and figuratively, in order to try to look as good as possible. In addition, he hates all feline animals due to their resemblance to Khajit, and will try to burn them up as soon as possible.
Prejudices: He hates Khajit, to the point of killing them on sight based off the chance they may be the ones, or associated with the ones who killed his mother. However, this often leads to jail time for him, despite wanting to be as law-abiding an honorable soldier like his father. He kills any bandits on sight as well, for the same reasons. In addition, he believes himself to be superior to High Elves, because of his father's ease of killing them in his famous battle.
Defining characteristics: He almost always fights with a shield in his right hand, out of fear of losing sight in his right eye and becoming completely blind. Because of being blind in his left eye, he has no depth perception and thus can't tell how far away things are. He will take up any quest that will promote public opinion of him, and strays away from the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild, as they are criminals and dishonorable. In addition, he an atheist, and stays away from any temples, no matter how silly that may be in The Elder Scrolls world.
Please keep in mind this is my first time roleplaying, and I'm only fourteen, so I may be fairly incompetent in storybuilding.
@j-u-i-c-e : No, Jerome's father was not aware of his son's-friend's-father's occupation as an Alik'r warrior, he simply didn't want his son being seen with a commoner, someone who didn't eat with silverware, perhaps as some form of snobbish, elitist prejudice of the poor, or perhaps as a deranged, misunderstood protection of his kin, he didn't want his son getting hurt rubbing shoulders with the lesser, more dangerous environments of the poorer parts of society.
Actually, I've just come up with a (somewhat dark) motive as to why Jerome's father forcibly pulled Jerome out of his beloved friendship with a commoner : Unbeknownst to Jerome, he *had* a younger sister, 14 years his elder (he has 1 alive, older brother) she had a relationship (16 at the time, Jerome was 1 and a 1/2, but too young to remember his sister) with a boy the same age, a commoner, the son of a fisherman. She spent a lot of time with him in secret, not telling her father, who wouldn't be too happy of her partner. She loved the boy, and wanted to spend as much time as she could with him, and so she decided to come up with a plan to run away together, to start a new, chain-free life together, and so she told him to meet her in an alley downtown (Jerome's family is from Sentinel). Her luck was extremely foul that night. She strolled into the alley with her partner, hands held, and found several, menacing thugs staring at her, licking lips and exclaiming perverse words, and she tightened her grip on her partner's hand.
He was made to watch as they dragged her deeper into the depths of the alley, raped her and slit her throat, before they slit his, his entire body trembling from the sheer disgust and horror he had witnessed.
Jerome's father found out several days later, panicked and worried over his daughter's disappearance, and was absolutely devestated and distraught at the news he heard, and more so when he saw his daughters body with his own eyes. He decided to try and completely forget about the whole affair, as it saddened him to the point of near-suicide, and didn't even inform Jerome of his sister, banning any mention of his daughter from his ears, and ordering Jerome's brother, Cyrus, and his wife to never tell Jerome of his sister's existence, and made them promise not to do so.
Is that too dark? I find it a suitable reason as to why Jerome's father was so concerned with his son's involvement with commoners, but is it too.... gritty?
By the way, Jerome finished In My Time of Need by turning Saadia into the Alik'r, as he knows full well of the ongoing conflict with Hammerfell and the Thalmor, and knows that the Alik'r are not assassins, rather noble and chivalrous warriors, and that they would never contract for the Thalmor. Besides, Jerome isn't one to be swayed by a 'pretty face'.
Also by the way, I failed to mention what a great article this is, you have clearly put effort into it, and it's really helpful to anyone who needs inspiration for roleplaying, something I have only just decided to take up, mainly because I read this article. It's also good how you help and review commenter's characters and stories. Keep it up, man! ;)
Name: Akuah Moon-Caller
Age: 17
Race: Redguard
HISTORY: He was raised by the Khajiit and traveled alot in his life. His foster family found him when he was a baby in a small cave in the Alik'r Desert. His foster parents raised him as their own, showed him love as they would to a kin of their own. He learned smooth talking and some sneaking skills from his foster family. The family bodyguard D'kia was a fair archer and Akuah learned fine archery under his teaching. Akuah stayed behind when his family went to Skyrim to start a trade caravan during the harsh wartimes. Akuah lived alone for a year, but one day he got lost in the desert. He was dehydrated and on the verge of death until a cloaked woman saved his life. She brought him to her hut. From then on Akuah stayed with her for 4 months to learn alchemy. Afterwards he returned to his family home. He spotted a letter on the table from his family. "Dear Akuah, if you are reading this we need your help. There is gold in the Safe, use it for supplies and get to us as soon as possible. We are stuck in The Pale Hold in Skyrim. Please get to us soon. Love, Fasheel.". Akuah got his things together and set out on his journey to Skyrim.
MOTIVATIONS/AMBITIONS: Akuah wants to find and rescue his family from the treacherous Skyrim before its too late. He wants to be the protector of the family. He wants to be a strong fighter even though he wasn't necessarily raised to be a fighter, he is an average merchant but is more in tune with his desire to fight. Akuah secretly wonders who were his birth family, why did they abandon him?
HABITS/QUIRKS: Akuah tends to have an oddly large appetite, and he's not afraid to display in public. He also will spend much time in forest areas whenever possible, for some reason the forest calls to him. (Maybe it reminds him of the Jungles of Elswyr?). He loves wolves and tends to give them a quick and painless as possible death if they become hostile towards him.
PHOBIAS: Akuah hates the roar of a Dragon, it doesn't necessarily scare him, it just disorients him. He also hates spiders but not enough to cower, just to lose focus and start throwing fists, daggers, arrows anything to kill the beast quickly.
PREJUDICES: Akuah seems to ignore any Redguard people or hesitate to attack if he is in battle with one. (Maybe he wonders if he and the other Redguard are related?)
DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS: Akuah is a mild mannered individual, he fights with a smile because he enjoys fighting. Even when he's losing he still loves the thrill. He won't deny a challenge to a fist fight. He loves friendly competition and sparring (Maybe he'll find The Companions sometime?). He has one special quality to him though. He has hidden abilities that lie dormant within. He only uses his full potential in true danger and will not remember the event afterwards.
Well this is my first time doing something like this so please dont troll me im still pretty young ( -cough- 14) so here it goes.
Race: Wood elf
Gender: Male
Age: 21
Vallaran is a woof elf Which was born in Skyrim, The land of the Nords... He Was Born in a small house in a forest located south of "The Throat of the world". He grew up to be a good hunter but not as good as hit father. When he was all grown up and left his mother and father,he went hunting for deer and he noticed a Caravan with somme orcs guiding it and a woof eld trapped in a cage , sitting down looking as if she was starving...he knew this was cruel and he couldnt let this go by, so he stalked them for hours until it was night time, they made camp and all of the orcs went sleeping but on who was walking around the camp...a guard no less. vallaran crept behind trees hoping from one to another, waiting for the orc to pass near hes guarding post, as the orc Camme near he coverd the mouth of the orc with one of his hands and grabbed one of the daggers from his satchel and slit the orcs throat, He then grabbed a potion he made from the materials he found in the woods while stalking the orcs, its his own sleeping potion. he crept one by one to the orcs making a single drop fall into each orcs mouth so they are in a deep sleep. he noticed the orc with the big fur coat with a key on his belt, he grabbed his knife to cut off the key from the belt to unlock the cage to the wood elf. He looks at her in one glance and immediatly falls in love with her, her beauty was unmatchable. he woke her up and about to scream she noticed it was a other wood elf saving her , so as they ran away together, the years passed.
1 year Passed.
He and Kayuran the beautiful wood elf who he rescued from the orcs got Married and lived in theyre own home in the middle of a forest, Vallaran went hunting one day to get Elk on the table for super...he heard a scream from the his WIfe Kayuran and immediatly followed her scream only to find her in the grasp of a orc, Vallaran looked into the eyes of the orc to only remember the Orc who he saved Kayuran from, so he drew his bow to only stop seing the orc Kill kayuran infront of his eyes...rage drew from vallarans eyes as he drew his bow to aim for the orc and misses. as he goes to pick and arrow from his quiver he gets hit behind his head from another orc.
he wakes up in a dungeon hanging from cuffs on the wall, he looks around to notice the orc sitting on a bench in front of him " well well, the little elf woke up, time for your WHipping" The orc stands up to grab his and whips Vallaran until he has 10 open scars on his back, he is cying for mercy to make his stop, he falls unconscious. he later wakes up to notice the orc sitting on the bench again again ...drunk ,he could smell the mead from his breath meters away. he looks around desperatly to find something to help him get out of the cuffs hanging from the wall, he looks up to notice the cuffs are rusted and chipped enough to be broken, with all his sheer strenght he trys to pull off the cuffs from the wall but no use, he then finds a rock he finds on the floor, he trys to grab it with his feet , so he clenches his feet to grab the rock and throw at his hands, he trys and eventually succeeds, he grabs the ock with one of his hands and hits the cuff on the opposite hand to break free and he eventually does, and he is surprised the banging did not wake the orc up... he creeps near the drunk orc to grab his whip , and he ties the whip around the orcs neck strangling him , killing him. he grabs the key off the orc and finds himself in a long hallway with cells filled with bodys...all dead. he hears a orc comming from the other side of the hallway so he uses the key to unlock a cellar to hide in, he lets the orc walk by and runs across the hall way behind the orc only to find himself in the armory...all orc weaponry... he decides to use none of it, all the weapons of his wifes killer...he uses nothing but a small small plate he finds, he quietly pushes the small plate against a corner of a table until it breaks into shards, he then hears the orc screaming,probably from seeing the orc jailer guard so he waits beside a door, only to be opened by the screaming orc, as he takes out a plate shard the orc and vallaran make eye contact and vallaran sabs the orc in the neck with the shard, with few shards more he creeps his way into a forest...he is in a orc base...he sees a small river beside his tower,he is thinking about jumping down into the river and as he is about to, an orc looks up to the tower and sees vallaran jumping" LOOK! he is escaping!" vallaran jumps hopeing its deep river, it is, he lets the current sway, an hour passed, he lands in a small village with woof elvs like himself...they all treat him like family , giving him shelter ,food and meeting friends, he tells them all this is hes leaving point months after he stayed he tells all his friends what happened to him when he camme to the village and he must go avenge his wife. The elfs give him Leather armor with a black cloak with a hood so no one could see his face nor his identity, he walks not knowing were he is going , to find the orc who killed his wife.
wasnt as good as somme of you guys up there ^ ,but its my story of my wood elf , hope you enjoed it :P
MSN: email@example.com
This is mine. I came up with it an hour ago and thought it would be fun to use don't troll me about the prison part because you have to add some humour in ti right? anyways this is it.
Name: Ned
Gender: Male
Race: Nord
Age: 49
Family Matters: Ned's father was an adventurer from Daggerfell who met his true love in Skyrim. They settled down for a while and had two children (one of which being Ned) but moved to Cyrodil because the thought it was nicer there. They had three more children after that and by the time the last one came out of the womb Ned was five. At the age of ten Ned found out a horrible secret about his parents, they were worshipers of the Deadric Prince Molag Bal. Ned was frightened at first but his father, being a nice caring and understanding man, told him that it was Ned need not worry and that his parents were going to let him make his own choices considering religion whether it he was going to worship the Deadric, the Divines or what. His mother on the other hand was not as understanding being a Deadric extremist. She had already forced Ned's older brother Nelon into worshipping the Molag Bal when really he was a follower of Mara. But then something astonishing happened, one night Ned was asleep and he started to have strange dreams. They all seemed to be him but much older entering an unfamiliar house with someone claiming to be a witchunter for Stendar when a strange voice told the older version of Ned to kill him. Ned did so and travelled down to the basement of the house and found a shrine to Molag Bal there with a rusty old hammer on a pedestal (the Deadric quest in that Dwemer city place were that quest the Forsworn conspiracy is). He also had other dreams similar to this involving strange artefacts and Deadric Princes. After the dreams were over many voices said "You see mortal child. You are destined to be our champions and to be our greatest worshipper." After this dream Ned began to worship every Deadric Prince and made his mother very proud while his father seemed unhappy as he thought that his wife had corrupted Ned like she did with Nelon. Ned began to grow closer with his while he and his father were growing apart. When he was sixteen years of age he began taking lessons in combat and by the time he reached adulthood he was very skilled in close quarter combat.
Adulthood/History: Shortly after reaching adulthood he went out to buy some food for his family and some medicine for his younger sister Carnagira. Upon his return he opened the door to find blood all over the walls and ceiling and found a vigilant of Stendar murdering his beloved sister and his father fighting three more on the other side of the room. Everything turned into slow motion as he lunged towards the killer of Carnagira and snapped his neck. He then grabbed his victim's weapon and proceeded to help is father kill his assailants. Ned and his father then made their escape through a secret door in the cellar Ned did not know about. Ned's father told him that they will make their way to Ned's grandparents back in Daggerfell. It took them 5 years to get there as along the way they were caught for stealing and sentenced to prison for three years and which was filled with homosexual rapists and sex offenders. Ned did not enjoy that period of time as he was tormented by an ugly Orc who threatened to enact his sexual fantasies with him. Upon arriving in Ned's fathers' home town they made their way to Ned's grandparents' house and stayed there for five years. After this period of time Ned set out to find the shrines of Deadric Princes he saw in his dreams and years after he found out that there was an old Dwemer city in Skyrim which the Nords have inhabited. Ned felt great after that as he now got to go back to his homeland. Little did he know he was going to have quite a welcome party involving Imperials, Stormcloaks and Alduin the dragon from legends.
Motivations and Ambitions: Ned wants to find the places where his childhood dreams had occurred because he knows that they are somehow very important to him. He also wants to re-establish his collection of Deadric artefacts as the Imperials confiscated his old collection which took him years to gather together. He wants to join the Stormcloaks as well as he was nearly beheaded by the imperials and he believes that they had something to do with the murder of most of his family even though his younger siblings were worshippers of the Divines much to his mother's disdain.
Habits and Quirks: He enjoys collecting Deadric artefacts of various types and this often leads to him searching every cave, hideout, barrow, fort etcetera to find them. He also has the need to play with children as his encounter with a paedophile in his time in prison has changed a part of him and somehow has brought forth a childish nature whenever he interacts one (child that is not a paedophile).
Phobias: He fears Dungeons and Barrows even though he is compelled to explore them to find Deadric artefacts. He also fears anything that is bigger than him such as trolls, giants, mammoths and such. But his greatest fear of all is the sky. He believes that one day the sky fall down onto everybody's heads and destroy everything and that's the reason why he always wears the strongest helmet he can find no matter what.
Prejudices: He hates Argonians because they look like lizards and when he asked if one could be his pet he got beaten up, Khajiit because they look cats and got beaten up by one after asking the same question he did an Argonian, People who are more buff than him (which is a few) and dogs unless they can talk.
Defining Characteristic: Ned enjoys the rush of combat. He doesn't be all sneaky like or shoot them from a distance but instead he rushes in with dual axes and hacks and slashes blindly at his foes seeing nothing but red as his rage grows fuelling the adrenaline pumping through him. Often he kills as many friends as enemies doing this.
Gimps: He never uses a shield because he believes anyone who does is a cowardly milk-drinker who should be beaten into submission and he only wears heavy armour as he finds it more fun and challenging fighting while being heavily weighed down.
Thanks for posting this! I was just given this game as a birthday gift and was very excited about it since I am a big Bethesda fan, but found myself bored of my first two (!) characters by the time I reached level 15 or so. This article was the RP kick in the pants I needed to enjoy the game!
Fired up a third and (until he is legitimately through doing what he needs to do) final character.
Xeo, a burly Orc lad, has come of age and has left the comfort of his family's village to seek wealth and glory in Skyrim. The son of a blacksmith father and merchant mother, Xeo has closely observed the fine arts of speechcraft and smithing his entire life. He spent his childhood playing in the woods with a battle axe he snuck from his parent's shop and hunting with a bow. His parents instilled in him a strong moral center, and he still feels guilty about swiping the axe for his romps in the woods. As such, he has vowed to never again steal, sneak, or lie. Taking life without cause would never even cross his mind!
The people of Xeo's village all know and trust each other, so there are no locks where he comes from. The "art" of lockpicking confounds him and he does not bother with it. Neither do his kinsmen dabble in the arcane, except as it pertains to the enchantment of weapons, armor, and jewelry. To cast a proper spell, though, would just seem cowardly and ineffecient in the young Xeo's eyes. In fact, he has a bit of a prejudice toward mages. He can keep his intolerance in check just long enough to purchase soul gems from those willing to sell and then get the heck out of there!
Now that Xeo has made his way to Skyrim, he desires above all else to establish himself as a proficient businessman with his own house, and maybe even find a wife! However, his rather rude welcome to the Nord homeland, courtesy of the Imperials at Helgen, has left him a bit shaken. While Xeo does not (yet) intend to take sides or meddle in this land's civil war, he remains wary of Imperial troops. In the meantime, he is content to hunt wild game, hidden treasure, and wanted criminals throughout Skyrim, despite the particular ruling faction of a region, in order to fatten his purse and provide raw materials for his crafting enterprises.
Xeo is a good guy who just wants to make a life for himself in Skyrim, yes, but he is still an Orc, and, by extension, really gross. He eats raw meat immediately whenever he encounters it, as well as making an overall pig of himself with all other foods too. Sometimes he's not that bright either and forgets what he was doing in order to chase a rabbit or fox all over a mountainside. Once his quarry has escaped he (sometimes) recalls that he had a handy bow on his person the entire time. Occasionally Xeo likes a good brawl. He thinks of it as playful, and wonders why his black and blue opponents do not always want to share a laugh and a drink with him after the bout.
So, what do you think? Anything you would add or take away?
Sorry for the long wait I've been out of town but anyway I made some decisions:
Race:one of the elven races
And that elf is going to be a stealth character
I always make typical characters, always normal, unknown, unremembered characters, so I decided to do something different in a character.
It's a little farfetched, but...
Her name is Artemis and she is a pure bow and arrow character, she is the unknown daughter of Hircine the deadric prince, (Yeah, I know, but just give me a minute!) Hircine had always said how little he thought of mortals so Artemis -getting sick and tired of his ranting and being the rebellious teen she is- turns herself human and to show her father he couldn't be more wrong about mortals, lives the rest of her life mortal. She will be an archer because of her father and the whole hunting thing and she will wear heavy armor because if enemies do get too close, she has that protection. I have just started playing her and really haven't gotten the smaller things down for her so that's all I've came up with. I hope it isn't too farfetched...
@j-u-i-c-e I could always go in more depth with any character, it's something I could could do for days (well, maybe not days), I enjoy creating backstories for various characters, it's just something that comes natural to me, so I love roleplaying for that reason.
Jerome's school/childhood friend had a father (middle class) that used to take them out exploring on walks on a regular basis, usually on weekends. They would explore caves, hunt game, fish, and listen to the father's ever-interesting stories or warriors and adventure whilst camping out on the sand dunes, watching the beautiful night sky. Jerome always looked forward to these excursions, and was giddy all week, waiting for the weekend to arrive, so he could escape the boredom of school and having a wealthy family, and have another adventure. Jerome looked up to his friend's father greatly, viewing him as the father he should have had, and he became a huge positive role model in Jerome's life, and taught him many skills of being a survivalist. However, once Jerome's father heard of his son accompanying a 'commoner', he forbid Jerome from spending anymore time with his friend and his father, much to Jerome's displeasure and protest. Jerome's weekends started to become a weekly 48 hours of depression and mourning of happy memories, and he resented his father for making such a cruel, harsh decision, and became bitter towards him whenever they were forced to converse, a situation that Jerome avoided whenever he could. One day though, when Jerome was out purchasing food for the evening meal, he was stopped by his friend's father, who knelt beside him and gave him a necklace, a desired and precious object that marked one's initiation into the Alik'r (Guild), and is deemed invaluable to the holder of such a rare item. He put it around Jerome's neck, and ruffled his hair as he stood up and gave him a smile as he walked away into the crowds for the final time. Jerome still wears the medallion today, as a symbol of inspiration that drives him to be the adventure-seeking wanderer he is today.
Any good? ;)
Sorry did it again stupid iPod
A dunmer Ano Man-llu he was apart of the molaq tonq
That's all I have please help me come up with some more
Sorry I hit post comment on accident
Story:Luciana was born into a family of crime her mother Adrienne was a part of the thieves guild in cyrodiil and would murder helpless travelers on the weekends Her father Matthias was a bandit leader who was killed by necromancers in a cave outside bruma when she was 14 2yrs. Later she left home and went exploring tamirel she went everywhere except skyrim she dicided to go there last she meet her bestfriend on her travels to morrowind a dunmer
Can you help me with my character this is what I got so far and I'm stuck
Name:Luciana Meric
Amazing article! This has helped a lot. After beating the game the first time (with a maxed character) I couldn't stick to one character past level 10!
I would like to run a character concept past you. Here it goes!
Name: Zedd
Age: 33
Race: Nord
History: Zedd's father was a General in the Imperial army, his mother was a Legate. Zedd's parents were very religious, with a shrine to each of the eight scattered throughout the house. Zedd took a particular devotion to Zenithar. He thought that the principles of hard work should always be rewarded. Zedd's parents also instilled a hatred of any elf, being raised through the Great War. Throughout the war, Zedd would be exposed to executions, tortures, and war crimes. Zedd started to wonder if his parents were doing the right thing. When the war ended with in Cyrodiil with the White-Gold Concordat, and Zedd learned that the elves had become the gods on Tamriel (in a sense) he was outraged. He asked his parents if they were going to do anything about it. When the said that their hands were tied. Zedd left in a fury, he set off for Skyrim to join the Stormcloaks from the Imperial City in 4E184. Stopping in Hammerfell for training with some of the Alik'r warriors. In 4E201 he arrived in Skyrim. When crossing the border, he saw some Stormcloak soldiers and asked if he could help out, just then is when they were ambushed. Zedd never formally met Ulfric at the ambush.
Ambitions/Goals: Zedd wants to see the elves out of Skyrim and Ulfric become the High King. And learn the Way of the Voice (although not Dragonborn) from the Greybeards, much like Ulfric.
Habits/Quirks: Always wears his fathers Amulet of Zenithar. He prays to Zenithar at the begging of each week. He likes to craft his own armor, but will always wear his uniform when in the line of duty (Stormcloak armor). He also dabbles in enchanting. He also says a prayer to Stendarr every time he kills a group of enemies.
Fears/Phobias: As tough as he may seem, he is very afraid of elk. He thinks that the elves control them and use them as informants, therefore he must kill every elk he sees.
Prejudices: Hates all elves as mentioned before. But he also hates the undead, deadra, vampires, werewolves, and anything else considered "evil" and will go out of his way to kill them.
Defining Characteristic: This is where I'm stuck... I can't think of one.
Anyways, that's my build. I'd be really happy if you tell me what you think of it. By the way, sorry if it's a little bit all over the place I'm a pretty bad writer.
Help! I'm...err, dying to start the vampire side of the Dawnguard DLC. I've played the 'good side' and it...err, sucks. From what I've gathered, the Volkihar side of things is 'bloody' good...
Terrible puns aside, I have a problem. Like I said, I want to play that side - the only problem is I can't for the life of me figure out a backstory that justifies becoming a vampire. I guess I'm just too good-hearted by nature, but every guy/girl I create tends to lean towards to 'right side' of things. Basically, I need a reason for being a vampire, a reason for wanting to become a vampire lord...if you could provide one, that'd be awesome.
TL;DR: I need a reason to become a vampire, the race/gender/backstory/history etc can be filled in by myself.
Thanks in advance!
not many people understand role play these days way to take a stab at enlightening the masses
Since Dawnguard released, I tried the crossbow, really liked it, but couldn't justify it as a weapon my character at the time would use. Just didn't seem right for the character. So I've been working on the story for a character entirely built around the weapon, and one I could relate to a bit more than my last few (which were made mostly for min/maxing, despite my usual focus on RP-type stuff). Anyway, this is a rough idea of what I have so far.
I've really enjoyed learning about the lore behind the war between Cyrodil and the Thalmor, so I decided my character should have some background there. Also, I wanted his presence in Skyrim to be significant to him in a special way, so I decided he should be a Nord, but one who had never seen Skyrim before. Instead, his parents were part of a family who had been living in Cyrodil for many years (Bruma, specifically). He was in his teens when the war with the Aldmeri began, and his family (being well-known in the area for being longtime supporters of the Blades and devout Talos worshipers) decided to return to Skyrim for safety, as they did not want their children and elders to be hunted down and executed. However, after they had set up camp one night during the journey, Thalmor forces stumbled upon the group. One of the Thalmor saw the items the family had been carrying with them, and noticed there were Talos-related relics and books/writings. The Thalmor attacked them, and slaughtered them easily, as nobody in the family had even handled a weapon before, being of relatively high standing in the area they lived in. My character (haven't decided on a name quite yet, suggestions would be greatly appreciated) was not in the camp when the Thalmor first arrived, ironically he had gone out to indulge what he thought was his paranoia, but was watching the wrong direction. Anyway, he returned to the camp in time to watch, in horror, as the last of his family was executed by the Thalmor. I like this idea because I hadn't really thought much about it in my previous characters, but I decided that the opening scene should have a deeper and more intense impact on my character, something more complex than thirst for revenge. It makes decisions involving the Civil War more difficult to make, which really adds to the immersion when I myself end up emotionally conflicted. There's a mix of resentment for people like Ulfric who want to incite more war, and hatred of the Thalmor because of what happened to his family. Also from this comes some inner turmoil, as he questions whether he doesn't like Ulfric because of his convictions, or just because he's afraid. Anyway, on to fighting background, he got up to Skyrim by himself, the trauma of what he'd witnessed forced him into a state where he needed a simple goal, and continuing his family's journey was the one he wound up fixating on. He stayed off the beaten path, nearly dying several times as he learned to survive in the wild, having an understandable distaste for the beaten path and a mistrust of other people. All these experiences taught him to be careful. Very careful. He learned to use a bow to hunt, and almost more importantly, the value of being patient and observant. For this character, I intend to look at combat not as a chance for impressive swordplay, glory, bravery or carnage, but more as a last resort. At the same time, this character would see little value in fighting fair, preferring stealthy long-range kills, while staying mobile to remain invisible. This is where the crossbow will come in, though I'm not sure how I can justify him going out to Dawnguard for it, since a big part of the character is avoiding people and settlements whenever possible. The random vampire ambushes that were added might work for this, since he might consider himself outmatched and seek out people who know how to fight them. Oh, and for gimps, he can only use what he finds or can make, but he can't make anything better than steel, and when he does, he has to find his own materials rather than deal with a store, and use the forges that are hidden in dungeons like that mine near the start of the game. Also, he will only carry a somewhat realistic amount of gear, the clothes on his back, a knife of some kind (since he'd likely have one for skinning, and also in case for some reason a melee weapon is really needed). Light armor only, naturally. No stores, limit npc interaction to when I have an extremely specific goal and the character would deem it worthwhile. At first, I will lower the difficulty though, to simulate that he has learned quite a bit from his unforgiving lifestyle. I will bring that up once the stealth skills and archery will be enough to maintain immersion at higher difficulties. Hunting and cooking will be done, not at strict intervals, just when I feel like doing it. I don't want to be too strict on that, because it seems like it'd get pretty tedious if I did. Lastly, his quirk is he collects books. I intend to set up several solitary camps/caves/forts that he will consider as homes, and keep the collected books in these. This is just something I thought of as a kind of throwback to his more wealthy/educated upbringing.
So yeah, that's what I've got so far. Any comments/suggestions/name ideas would be appreciated. Thanks :)
Here is my character, hope you like it/him, I came up with all of this on the top of my head in 5 mins, so excuse any problems :)
Name : Jerome
Race : Redguard
Age : 35
Additional Info : I tried to stick to the playstyle of the Scout class from previous games, and roleplayed along what the class' guidelines were (I picked a random class to go with a the beginning of the game, because I'm that indecisive)
Family : Born in Hammerfell to a middle-class merchant family, Jerome's father was a well known, respected, almost legendary merchant, and his mother was the daughter of a lord of one of the noble Hammerfell houses. Jerome's father tried to encourage Jerome to take up his family's trade, but he quickly found that Jerome's nature was not to sell wares, but to explore. Jerome had no interest to being tied down by a trading career, or to continue his family business and legacy, much to his father's disapproval. Jerome didn't do well at school, further displeasing and aggravating his father, as he always messed around and didn't have interest in academic subjects, (he did, however, excel at athletics, and was the best long-distance runner in the school). Jerome one day decided to pack up and leave at the age of 18, and his father had no quarry with this decision, instead, he waited for Jerome to say farewell to his mother, handed him his bag and shut the door after him, no emotion showing on his face. Jerome simply shook his head, and began his numerous adventures, seeking experience and knowledge of the world around him.
Quick Bio : In 12 years of exploring Tamriel, Jerome has been to Cyrodiil, Elsweyr, Black Marsh and Valenwood, and has picked up a lot of experience of outdoor survival, and had to quickly learn how to defend himself, a skill he has improved on rapidly, and he is now a ferocious combatant. When Jerome came to Skyrim, he decided that this would be the final destination of his continent-wide journey, and so he aimed to find a place to settle down, eventually, though that would not mean he wouldn't explore the province, and all it has to offer. Despite a rocky entrance to the country, (involving a misunderstanding with Imperials, and an angry dragon), Jerome found that he loved Skyrim, and knew he had found his home, at long last. (Note : Jerome is NOT the Dragonborn). Jerome fought for the Empire during the Skyrim Civil War as a scout, putting aside the misunderstanding, in favour of reuniting the Empire, (as Jerome believed that only a united Empire had a chance of defeating the Dominion, rather than some over-confident, rowdy, xenophobic Nords), and became one of the best they had ever seen. Jerome, having explored and experienced every corner of Skyrim at the age of 35, is now looking for a new purpose, but he continues to wander Skyrim's lush wild plains, forests, tundras and mountains.
Motivations & Ambitions : Jerome has no true ambitions, no hunger for vengeance, retribution, power or wealth. He simply wants to live an adventure-filled life, and he doesn't care if or how he dies whilst wandering the wilds, as long as he dies doing what he loves.
Habits & Quirks : Jerome is an adept, skilled Field/Outdoor Alchemist, and is always looking for plants and flowers to experiment or make known potions with, and so he picks up ingredients whenever he can. He also likes to collect butterflies and other small creatures in jars, perhaps as some form of companion, as Jerome's life is a lonely one.
Phobias : Jerome hates cities, and tries to avoid going in them whenever he can, unless he has to sell his potions, or stock up on supplies, he would rather spend a week in a cave, than an hour in Riften.
Prejudices : Jerome has experienced many different lands, and many different races and beings within them, and the cultures they value. Hence, Jerome holds no racial prejudice, though he despises people who do, as he values and idolises freedom, and equality is essential for freedom to happen, and so he is openly hostile to people who display racial hate towards anyone or thing, one of the reasons he never intends to visit Windhelm, as he feels he will end up falling out with the entire Nordic population. He also loathes bandits and brigands, and those who pick on the helpless.
Gimping : Jerome has never used any proper armour, or been given training on how to use it, or smith it, and so, he will never use armour that is mainly metallic or takes great skill to smith. He only knows how to make armour out of hide or leather, with reinforced layers of stell, or similar properties. Hence he wears scaled armour, but his survivalist knowledge has helped him to tweak and improve it to excellence, and has impressed many professional smiths with it's quality. He will also never pick up armour from slain foes, as he deems it is disrespectful, not to mention a bit 'eew'-y.
Can you review my character please? I'd love to hear what you think.
Names; Aeolus Pirlo
Gender; Male
Race; Imperial
Age; 28-29
His mother died in childbirth (only noticed the similarity between our characters afterwards, promise!). His father raised him on his own. His father, being a hunter, taught him how to hunt from an early age. He was a loving, caring man but was also protective and strict and didn't like Aeolus taking risks (he'd already lost his wife). It was from his father that Aeolus inherited the attributes of intelligence and discipline.
History (brace yourself);
Aeolus and his childhood friend, Nerissa, would often go hunting together. By the age of 16, a Redguard called Jonah, single child of an immigrant fisherman, joined them and they formed a group called the Three Winds. They'd go out hunting game every day, as the Great Forrest near Cheydinhall, where Aeolus lived, was teeming with life. To begin with they hunted such animals as foxes, fish and other small creatures. A few years passed by and the trio grew closer - none of them had ever known what a real family was like. Nerissa was an orphan and Aeolus/Jonah had both lost their mothers. Nerissa was an alchemist and Jonah was a fisherman. Aeolus learnt how to brew poisons from Nerissa which helped with their hunting. By the time Aeolus was 21, the Three Winds had become the Six Winds, with the additions of Rorik (Imperial, tracker), Balthazar (Wood Elf, warrior) and Alice (Breton, healer, warrior). Their prey had moved on to such animals as bears, trolls and deer/elk. They all grew closer still.
One fateful night, Aeolus returned to his and his father's cottage. The door was open and blood was splattered all over the outer walls. Walking inside, panic rising, he found his father, crumpled in a corner and dying. He had been the victim of a vampire attack. Aeolus rushed out to get Nerissa to see if she could apply some ointments but by the time the two returned, it was too late. He'd gone. Aeolus let out a primal roar and swore to the divines that he would have his vengeance.
The group was summoned to the scene and they wasted no time on tracking the beast. After four days, they'd arrived at its lair, somewhere near southern Bruma. They readied themselves for assault and burst in. Much to Aeolus' dismay, the vampire was nowhere to be found. They stuck around for a few days but there was still no site of it. Heavy of heart and weary of eye, he returned to Cheydinhall along with his companions.
The next bit's copied from a rough document so please pardon the not-so-good writing.
Hunting continued for several years, the grew as a family and progressed to the point where they were taking down mammoths. They had a fair amount of money as the mammoths' tusks fetched high prices. Rumour begin to spread of their efficiency and small riches. Balthazar ended up betraying the group to an infamous bandit leader (Agronak, orc). He was promised gold but once they learned the location of their hideout he was slain. Jonah, who had noticed him acting suspiciously in recent times, trailed him and witnessed the event. After reporting back to the inn where the rest were stationed, they departed immediately for their hideout to stop them. Arriving seemingly before the bandits, they were relieved. It was an ambush. Nerissa was killed by a mage's lightning, Alice was impaled by a sword before Aelous was knocked unconscious. He was woken up by Jonah, who had managed to hide in a cart, who notified him of what had happened. Everything of value was stolen, Alice and Nerissa were dead and Rorik was kidnapped. It was the second time that he had had everything taken away from him. He swore vengeance again and this time, vowed that he would not fail. Jonah decided to go back to Hammerfell and they parted ways. The Six Winds were no more. Aelous took it upon himself to track Agnorak down. After weeks of traveling from inn to inn in search of information, he tracked him to a place called Knife Point Ridge which was somewhere north of Falkreath in South Western Skyrim. He found a party of travelling merchants who were headed northward and joined up with them. Him and the others were captured in the night and were loaded onto a cart.
Phew! Here's my Mtvations and Ambitons;
He wants to track Agnorak down and make him suffer. He wants to teach him what it feels like to lose everything. He's fuelled by vengeance to achieve this goal. Beyond that, he just wants to live a quiet, solitary hunter's life, somewhere far away from civilisation.
Carries a hawk feather at all times (the group's symbol), crafts his own armour as it improves his hunting proficiency, refrains from looting 'unwilling undead' (undead who've been reanimated, like Draugr, skeletons and thralls. Necromancers etc are fine.)
Orcs. He views them as savages and refuses to barter with them, accept quests from them and even talk to them in some cases.
Dead is Dead, only allowed to use what I can craft (some exceptions)
He's smart, tactically sound, a great leader, deadly with a bow. On the negative side of things he finds it hard to trust people (due to the Balthazar incident) and has become somewhat of a recluse.
That's that! I'm all set to start but I still feel as if I'm missing something. If you could help spot that and fill me in I'd be in your debt. Love the guides, keep up the great work! :-)
Oh, I also plan to do the Dawnguard side of the new DLC with him. Who could pass on the opportunity to slay those who took something so precious form you? He'll have to train first though and will hunt until he's ready (Lv12-16ish).
Incredible amount of detail!!!
I love making the game worlds more real by getting totally involved with the character and design, makes it so much more real and deep.
Plus it makes it easier to act as if you were actually in that world, thus you (hopefully) become a more moral hero within the game.
Great Hub :D
I can't make any decisions on my character so can you help me make a plan
You're welcome! I had fun coming up with it. Risca means "streaked/striped" in Portuguese (naming websites are great places to find good character names). Her being "detached" is the one aspect of her character I'm still working with/through/around. I think it stems from how she lost everything in one night and didn't have anything to go back to, so she just did whatever amused her and/or kept her alive and kept herself from worrying about it. It was probably influenced by how her family left Morrowind instead of staying. I do know she started becoming less detached when she met up with the Thieves Guild which is the entire reason she went to Skyrim in the first place.
Here's my "profile" for my current character, a female Dunmer thief named Risca.
Risca History
Risca's father and mother were enchanters and jewelry makers. They worked for the Great House Hlaalu and when Vvardenfell erupted and the Argonians invaded, they and a portion of the House left Morrowind and made their way to Cheydinhal.
Risca grew up with adults who were still coming to terms with the fact that they did not have the protection a House offers and were now nobodies. She heard lots of stories about the underhand ways House Hlaalu did business (stealing, poisoning, assassination) as well as how the Angorians sacked Morrowind. From them she got the idea that killing people was not a good idea as it attracted too much attention, but if she had to kill people, she should do it with poison and stealth so it would be over quickly. The other thing she learned was that no one liked Angorians and she eventually grew to hate them as well.
Her parents had a much easier time adjusting to Cheydinhal then some of the Dunmer they knew as just about everyone needs enchanting or jewelry at one time or another. As a result they could spend more time raising Risca then they otherwise would be able to. As a child, Risca loved watching her parents make "shiny things", and they ecclesiastically taught her the basics of making "shiny things" herself.
Tragedy struck when Risca was twelve. One night, Risca felt something touch her face. She screamed and the vampire jerked it's head and fell dead on her; a dagger in it's back. With his dying breath, one of her "uncles" had thrown it. He was dead, as was everyone else in the house. In shock, Risca stumbled out of the house onto the streets of Cheydinhal. When she returned the next morning, she found her house burning, as was the case with a mass vampire killing.
Out of boredom, Risca turned to theft. She spent her early teenage years perfecting her survival and thieving skills on the streets of Cheydinhal and dabbled in "utility" magic (Runes, Healing, Transmute, Muffle, Bound weapon), especially Conjuration, because it made living on the streets much easier.
By the time she was fifteen, the city guard was close to finding her and Risca knew it was time to leave. She made her way to Bruma where she finally found the Thieves Guild who became her second family. With them, she found time to pursue enchanting and jewelry making in memory of her parents and became well known for enchanting things the guild stole before they were resold and turning stolen gemstones and metal into jewelry. This fell through when word got to the Thieves Guild that a crackdown was in the works. Bruma chapter decided to split up and head to Skyrim to see what was going on with the Thieves Guild up there. The Imperials caught her while she was crossing the border.
Risca's main goal is to find the Thieves guild. Because of this, she takes just about every quest until she'll find them in Riftin. After that she'll a lot more selective with quests and only take the ones that provide good thieving opportunities. Dungeon diving is not her style of making cash.
Finding out she was Dragonborn put a kink in her plans as it threw her into the spotlight, the last thing a thief wants. And all the dragons are after her and she can't sneak up on them. She wants to get the dragon business over on the fast side so someone else can take the spotlight and she can get back to her thieving ways.
Because Morrowind was invaded by the Argonians, Risca sympathizes with the Stormcloaks; they're doing what the Dunmer want to do. Not only that, if Ulfric takes the throne, he'll be the focus of more people's attention then Risca is, and that's just the way she wants it.
Having grown up in part on the streets, Risca is contently stealing (and hording) food. So much so that it's her go-to for healing in battle. (This works when you have more then 20 each of apples, carrots and potatos...)
Due to her desire to "blend in" with the population, Risca never wears armor inside a town. This is also the only time she wears a weapon as it would be more weird if she didn't.
As Risca only makes poisons, she doesn't trust herself to make potions; she buys them instead.
She is constantly supplying the town drunks with alcohol and giving them septims. (In Oblivion they were the eyes and ears of the Thieves Guild; she's playing nice.)
Risca likes collecting random, inexpensive stuff she doesn't have much of a use for. Collections include: Ancient Nord Weapons (she likes the patterns), any ore/ingot other then iron, silver and gold (those three she can use), books (they give her ideas for the names of enchanted stuff), and clothing (she has to blend in everywhere).
Vampires. Risca almost got drained by one so she tries to avoid them at all costs. If sneaking by them doesn't work, she'll summon a Flame Atronach (the only enemy she uses them against) and runs. If that doesn't work, she'll use flames, which is not her favorite Destruction element.
Argonians. They're the reason her family left Morrowind. Risca refuses to deal with them except when it comes to stealing from them. Then she steals everything even if it's practically valueless.
Risca is a survivalist. She tries to take everything with her that is worth money and this can cause problems. (Try fighting a dragon when you're 200 pounds over the weight limit, not fun). She doesn't do a lot of dudgeon diving, but when she does she does a second sweep after she's killed everything and takes everything out with her (weapons, armor, ore).
Thieving is another matter entirely. Then Risca only takes things that are worth money after haggling (so anything less then 20 septims, she doesn't take). This does not count for food or things she collects or for Angorian's houses. The night before she leaves a town she makes sure to go through each house (and their owners pockets) looking for stuff to sell in the next town.
Risca makes jewelry when she needs cash. Since the patches, the Smithing skill now depends on the value of what you smith. This means that Smithing levels up very quickly for her. However, jewelry making is a very different type of smithing then armor/weapon making is so Risca isn't getting any of the Smithing perks. So she has to buy/find armor/weapons and can't improve them.
The same thing sort of applies for Alchemy. Risca makes poisons, but that's it.
Stealth, Lockpicking, Enchanting, and Speech will end up being nearly completely filled in. In contrast nearly all the combat perks are left alone. The Magic perks are picked with utility in mind and usually have no more then 3-4 perks invested per skill. Since Risca is an enchanter, spell cost isn't that much of an issue and she rarely uses high-cost spells in combat anyway. The exception is Conjuration as Risca likes both the conjured weapons as well as the summon Atronach spells; stealth characters can have problems fighting lots of people. She'll get more perks in that skill, but she still isn't getting the Apprentice/Adept/Master ones.
Two others I have in the works are an Altmer mage from the Aldmeri Dominion who is offended she is the fulfillment of a human prophecy and a Bosmer warrior (and a were-wolf for various reasons) who follows the Green Pact (no harming plants and only eating meat) and is so thrilled she's dragonborn she's always using shouts.
Thank you for giving me ideas that make the game more fun to play.
I want to create a merchant, becoming very rich and powerful throughout skyrim but without killing, is this realistically possible and more importantly enjoyable?!
First off, let me say that this article really rekindled my interest in Skyrim. I have a terrible time sticking with a character throughout a game, and I hope that the tips you put on this help.
So, to my point: I've recently put together a rough idea of a character I'm interested in starting, and I hope and would appreciate it if you could give me some input/suggestions on it if you have the time. If you don't, I understand.
Some things about this character:
*I intend to make it mainly a werewolf character
*I'm stuck at whether the character should use an axe+shield, or just a two-handed axe (or both?)
*'Wulf' is a placeholder name for my lack of creativity with names. Any suggestions?
Family Matters:
Wulf was born as a single child under a father, who was a local mercenary, and a full-time mother
in the city of Bruma. At a young age, his father
disappeared, and his mother had to do what she had to to stay afloat (mostly through 'accompanying' the male passerby through town.) Wulf believes his father left his mother to be with another woman, or was so selfish he felt he needn't be tied down to a wife and child, and that he yearned more exotic adventure. Wulf loathes his father and his decision, but his mother always tried to portray him in a good light for reasons Wulf couldn't comprehend.
History, Or Everybody Has a Past:
Wulf apprenticed under the local blacksmith at the age of 14, and while talented in the craft, he always found it dull, and would constantly find himself staring at the entrance to Bruma, imagining what it's like outside of
of the city, and maybe if his father had the right idea of just packing up and leaving. At the same time, he knew he could never leave his dear mother, (who put everything of hers on the line to make sure he was safe and happy), and the hatred for his father would sink right back in. "How could he just up and leave us without even saying where he was going?" "Why would he leave us in this condition so willingly?" Every slam of the mallet onto the anvil would be fueled by these questions and the building rage caused the fiery embers to spark furiously. The mages guild eventually caught wind of the passion this young child imbued into his handiwork, and soon afterward, the guild took Wulf under and taught him the ways of enchantment and how to alter his rage into a more controlled form. He continued his blacksmithing and enchantment training until he created quite a name for himself among magic users all across Cyrodiil.
All the while, Wulf's mother came under a dark cloud of addiction to Skooma during her years of being an escort. She steadily began to accompany more men to ensure she'd have enough to pay for her next fix.
One night, while Wulf was working late to finish an enchanted mace for the Mage's guild, Wulf's mother was meeting with a passing skooma dealer (who happened to be a corrupt imperial guard, selling items from the evidence locker). Before trading over the skooma Wulf's mother yearned for, the guard demanded a 'tip' in the form of a 'pleasure-based compensation' that she was so well known for. She struggled and screamed, and out of desperation and panic, the guard struck her down and ran. Wulf, immediately realizing that the scream was his mother's, charged for the house to find his mother half-dead on the floor and the assailant sprinting off. While quickly bleeding out in Wulf's arms, she admitted that Wulf wasn't truly born in Bruma, but in Skyrim. His mother and father had felt the rising tension in Skyrim and felt it would be safer for them as a family to move closer to the imperial capital, where the imperial legion could defend them if disaster struck. His mother's last words to Wulf were to go back to Skyrim, because that's most likely where his father went. She insists Wulf find his father quickly, before things in Skyrim become too dangerous.
Motivations and Ambitions:
Wulf knew he had nothing left for him in Bruma, so his only option is to find his father. Wulf's intention is to confront his father for his decision to leave him and his mother in Bruma. All the while, he wonders why his mother's final words were so urgent. Surely, Skyrim couldn't be as dangerous as she expected it to be.
Habits and Qirks:
Wulf tends to let anger get the best of him, and his only outlet for releasing that anger is through smithing and enchanting. He has an intense love of eating meat, and it is commonly the main (or only) part of his meals. He's not one for stealing, but he won't turn down a reward of monetary significance. He also has a wandering mind (AKA, curiousity will commonly get the best of him), and it's uncommon for him to focus too much attention on anything but smithing and enchanting.
Phobias, Or Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?:
Claustrophobia - He tends to sprint through cave tunnels and spends most of his time outdoors
Rats cause him to swing wildly, often draining his stamina before killing them
Prejudices, Or Everyone Hates Mudcrabs:
Despises imperials due to the event with his mother
Unfamiliar with mer races:he saw very few pass through Bruma
Something Special:
Wulf's defining characteristic is his rage. As his rage increases, as does his concentration. In fact, he generally can't focus unless he's ruffled up a bit.
Essentially, what I was shooting for was that Wulf's family is cursed to become permanent werewolfs after the age of 20, but it is unknown when or how long the process takes. Wulf's father is already a werewolf, or dead, so it sets up an open-ended incentive for my character to scour Skyrim.
Thanks in advance!
Hey. Great guide, I was wondering if you could review my character + perhaps add a little bit more detail?
Name: Svala River-Wind
Race: Nord
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Music, drinking, good company, brawls, smithing
Thunderstorms, bandits, loud sudden noises, magic
Tomboyish, loud, boastful, trustworthy, protective, courageous, prideful
Strong dislike for bandits and magic-users
Marksmanship, drinking, intelligence (combat situations), music (lute)
Profession: Bounty Hunter. Aims to become the world's greatest, read stories about famous heroes as a child.
Family: She never knew her mother and doesn't know anything about her. Her father owns a mill. She's his only child. They're a poor family, but they manage to get by. The father is protective, caring but a bit of a coward.
History: The mill's viability as a business soon starts lessening and the money begins to dry up. The father, struggling to make ends meet, borrows a load of money from an infamous local bandit to make ends meet for him and his daughter. Unable to pay it back, the regular demands are getting more and more dangerous. They threaten to kill him one day if it isn't payed back within a week. A week later he sees bandits walking up the hill by his house, takes his daughter and flees. It's a really rainy and stormy night. Running through this relentless storm, the father is struck by lightning right before the daughter's eyes. This is where the fear of lightning and loud noises comes from. This sudden shock also 'destabalizes' her a little bit (see Special below). She runs back to the house and finds it burnt down, with another notice pinned to a pole with a dagger, demanding the money. Feeling infuriated, she seems the help of the friendly local mercenary in the tavern, who's also her father's friend. After explaining what's been happening the merc goes to the bandits' hideout, followed by Svala and proceeds to slaughter each and every one of them. Or so he thinks. After killing the "last one", he turns around to Svala and gives a "job's done" smile before the leader emerges from behind him and thrusts a 2H up through his chest. Thrown into shock again, Svala notices how there's a large pool of oil underneath the bandit. She picks up a nearby torch - realising what she's doing, the bandit leader, with the merc still impaled in the air, begs her to stop . She doesn't listen and proceeds to thrust the torch down into the fuel, setting the leader alight. She proceeds to watch him burn to death. Later, she enrols in the famous Cyrodiil Fighter's Guild. She gets kicked out a year or two into it after [Special Bad] causes her to almost kill an officer there. Moves back to Skyrim to seek her fortune/find work a voila, Helgen.
Special [good]: She's an expert archer with incredible ability.
Special [bad]: Due to childhood trauma, she becomes prone to occasional psychosis. The smell/look of large amounts of blood tends to bring on intense headaches and she loses her senses temporarily, relentlessly slaughtering anything nearby, be it friend or foe. (This is played out by using Battlecry to make people run and basically hunting them down without mercy).
What do you think? I'd really appreciate some feedback. If you have any good ideas that would add to what I already have or any thoughts as to how I could improve her, please let me know, thank you in advance! Sorry for the awful grammar in the notes, it was quickly typed up due to me being busy.
GREAT article! You have actually inspired me to re-start my re-start. (To clarify, I started my 2nd character last week. I was 20 hours in but now I am going to start him over again)
Your article is a perfect guideline; I made a new notepad file and copied in each section header from here. I am just putting the finishing touches on it now and I can not wait to get started.
I will link this page to some friends should they mention new characters in the future =P
One thing I like doing is picking favorite foods, my character, Coriann, loves warm bread and boiled cream treats. But she hates wine and mead. I think it's just really immersive to think about little things like that. :)
I just read Jonas' comment, and I to have some of the same issues. I can't make my character challenging. I've put up some quirks and habits, but I either forget them, or I just do the action because I have to, in a way. But it doesn't change the experience for me. I do not want to stop playing Skyrim, but I need some help to keep on going with my character...
Could you help me?
I really want to make an Orc assasin, but I can't come up with a good backstory, something I can "play" with.. To make the game more interesting..
If you have time and such, would you mind making a backstory, some quirks, habits and such for me? For an Orc assassin?
I do really understand if you rather not, but I would really appreciate it if you did.
Your guides are amasing, thanks.
Just as a little add on:
I just found out, I'm tired of gaming in general... I don't know why, but I can't find any games interesting anymore, it's really annoying...
Thanks for the advice. I tried to do some RP, but it didnt help... I think I might just have played a bit too much of this game. :(
Ill wait for the multiplayer then, and while I'm waiting, I'll play some GW2 :P
Anyways, great page, this one and the others, this probably would've worked for me, if it weren't for my lack of interest in the game.. for now.
Hi, I have stopped playing Skyrim, because I found it no fun anymore. This is because I've played the "beat the game" strategy thingy. (I'm really sorry, but my english aren't great.) But still, I've kinda always played RP, but I've always made these characters which are the best at everything and never failed. I did the same things over and over, and ended up with 8 characters, everyone lvl 50 - 81, and I was so bored! But some days ago, I came over your guides. I read them and I really like them! I totally get what RP is about now, the only problem is: Even though I try to make it so that it might be a bit challenging to play, I always make my characters exactly how I would want to be myself. An assassin who are really good at sneaking upon people killing them, or an overpowered warrior.. So I've tried making these characters with quirks and weird habits, and I've done that, but it doesn't help to much, and I could really need some advice. I want to send two of my characters to you, like how I've planned them, but something made them not work out I do not know why, well here is my two characters, and I've worked alot with translating this from Norwegian into English, but here it is (If you even care for reading it, hope you do) :
You know what, I wont send them anyways, I have 4 pages of Word document about just one of the characters, so no, I wont send it. But can you still give me some advice, what should I do? I realize that if I don't send them to you, there's going to be hard for you to give me an answer, so if you want to, I can send them on mail or something, that would've been really helpfull.
But if you decide you don't really want me to send those to you, please give me some advice anyways!
Thanku, love your guide :)
I notice all you guys are playing chicks, which really doesn't surprise me. Try playing a character which uses the same gender as you do, you might find it interesting to play a character you relate to rather than find sexually attractive. Go on, try it.
@j-u-i-c-e: Whoa, that is really awesome! I thought I had a pretty decent background story but absolutely no idea how that would affect my character, or as you spoke of earlier in this article how this would motivate him. These tips are great and gives me a good and solid start for further development of the character.
Thanks a lot! It kinda feels like you´re some mentor helping me take my first stumbling steps out in the role-playing world :) I hope everything goes well with those copyright issues and Elsbets aspiration to become the most powerful woman in Skyrim. :)
This is an amazing guide, I had been plagued with restartitis since after I "beat" the game with my first character. This time around should be much more enjoyable, thanks for the tips!!!
First of all, I´d like to thank you and say that I really appreciate the work you put down articles like this one. I have never really "role-played" anything not even Skyrim. Since I bought it a couple of months back my goal has been to "win" the game. Explore everything, clear every dungeon, get the best gear, become ridiculously rich and of course reach the highest level. All with one character. And now I´m here with a thief/assassin with a 100 in block (!) and almost nothing interesting to do.
So now I have decided to do something different by giving role-playing a try. But pretty early I encountered some trouble concerning the nature and personality of my character.
There are probably a lot of people that has reached out to you with the same problem but if you have any advice or pointers you could share that would improve my role-playing it would be greatly appreciated.
So I´ve come this far:
I´m going to start a Redguard that mainly is a warrior. He grew up at Hammerfell among the "imperial cosmopolitan redguards" in a well respected family that heralds from a long line of skilled swordsmen that generations ago founded a schooled for those talented with the sword at which the characters father is headmaster.
In line with a suggestion you made earlier his father is overly concerned with social status which made it all the more baffling when he fell in love with and married a woman of common birth. She was his love as well as his shame. I think this can affect my character in an interesting way, but I´m not sure how.
Nevertheless she was a good wife and gave him two sons and one daughter, my character being the youngest of the three.
Being raised in this environment where bow and spells as well as poisons were regarded as a cowards weapon these things will not be my characters area of expertise. And as a warrior he will mainly use a sword. His father was very strict both at in-and outside the home, teaching his children to respect their elders and ancestors. This will lead my character to always help the elders and those he considers honorable. Also he won´t take coin etc from urns (and such) in dungeons and shrines. He will also resent the undead and won´t attack unless provoked or if it is in the name of honor.
Concerning his weapons he will never use a newly acquired on a big quest or dungeon. If he finds a sword that he deem worthy he will train with it. After a some time he will take it to a dungeon or on a quest and only use that sword and if everything goes well he will then give the sword a name and use it regularly.
So how did he come to Skyrim? Here I have different scenarios:
First is that his brother, like his father, fell in love with a woman of low birth and not only that, she is also a dessert "savage". They try to keep it a secret but the father later finds out and force the brother to end right away so that the familys still will remain intact. But not long after the brother secretly marries the woman. Once again their father finds out but this time he decides to end it by himself and kills the woman which causes the brother to go mad with rage and leave the family and Hammerfell to start a new life.
...wow, in hindsight i might take this story for my character. Yea, I´ll definitely do that.
But my problem is that I can´t really decide how these events hace affected my characters personality. Will he still remain honorable but with a grudge against persons like his father, that values honor more than anything? How will that affect his marriage in Skyrim? What other kinds of defining features will his personality have that can be derived from his earlier years?
Also you mentioned that your character Elsbet "celebrates" every dungeon with stuffing herself with food and drink. Also that she´s overly fascinated with dwemer ruins and fights spiders differently. Do you have other suggestions for similar quirks for my character?
Finally finshed! I´m really sorry for this wall of text and understand if you don´t feel like addressing every question but would be really grateful for an answer to any of them or simply your views on the story I´ve selected for this character.
Thank you once again for this awesome article that has given me the opportunity to experience Skyrim in a whole new way.
You didn't make that up, spiders are a delicacy back in mah homeland :)
No, really! (they taste like Bottlecaps :P)
Yes, i agree very much. There is no such thing as "complete pacifist" it is - regrettably - not possible to complete quests without killing, and i use the stealth perks to kill, if i was attacked before (which is my one option) to do it, so no "priest", but it hurts every time, as it should be.
Even letting kill others is an evil approach,
so no morale, really, but it makes fun, to find solutions with Illusion and Stealth.
Really, i have to compromise my concept on game-mechanics, and this means for instance a strong development on what i call auto-skills,
since i automatically gain strong skills in Block, Light Armour or Healing without ever trying,
and have to "custom" my character concept to it.
Especially if you have a goddess like Mara it would be great to play a respective priest, but one can hope...
Regarding the points here i just would advise every one to try it once.
I am no "professional" player and i will never understand what´s the point of playing such a game in one week, using a "how to play munchkin" guide.
It will take me about 5 years to finish Skyrim, and there is only one possibility to this, i must like my character,
and so i like "gimping" her.
This in regard to appearance, where i do not use the current state-of-the-art graphics mod, to give her the likes of a puppet skin,
also in regard of habits, e.g never ever to plunder anything of a sanctified temple or shrine, and bad luck if i need it to complete the game.
I also try not to kill anything, and even if you think that to be an easy restriction (since such games enforce killing), think again.
Its quite hard to raise your combat abilities, when you try to talk yourself out of combat, or shield barrier until your surrender is accepted.
It makes whole disciplines (destruction...)and approaches (sniping...) unavailable, and a single fight takes ages, if you make your sorry, unarmoured self visible to talk to one bandit, and then bolt to the next guards (or wolfes) who could take him on.
But it´s such great fun! Play a tank, like 8 million other gamers and gore yourself through such beautiful setting, i think not!
Thumbs up, to appreciate your articles here and otherwise.
I do not agree with some of your opinions, but i concur very much with their presentation,
especially in regard with its thorough consideration.