Skyrim - Riften, the dodgiest place in Skyrim

I wander around Riften, taking in the local views. It is a dingy town, with little of note. Even the inhabitants don't seem particularly happy about things, definitely fed up. I decide to get away from the negativity, go and sit in a temple. The only one in Riften is the Temple of Mara.

Mara is the goddess of love and compassion. Many people drag themselves to temples such as this when they are feeling sick, as they know they'll be treated well. I say this, because on every altar, I see a person laying and moaning. And not in a good way.

The priestess asks if I'd like to perform a task for Mara. Being the good-natured adventurer that I am, I of course agree. She says that Mara has heard a woman in Ivarstead praying for help in her relationship, and that help will be me. I add it to my list of things to do.

As I exit the temple, another man approaches me for assistance - I must look like the caring type. He introduces himself as Louise Letrush, and asks that I speak with another person called Sibbi Black Briar about a business deal gone bad. It involves a horse. I'm beginning to think that this has something to do with gambling and organised crime. Matters aren't helped by Sibbi currently residing in prison. Again, it goes on the list for dealing with another day.

I leave Riften behind for a while; it is a horrible place. Why anyone would want to visit here, let alone live here is beyond me. I just thank the gods that I managed to make it out of the place alive and in one piece. And that's saying something considering the dark holes and near-death experiences I've faced recently.

From the road out of Riften, I stumble across some standing stones. Rather than allowing me to pick one permanent blessing from a variety of blessings, this one only allows a single choice, but a powerful one - temporary but extended invisibility. I am tempted by this, very tempted as any man would be.

I turn away from the standing stones, content with the warrior blessing I already carry. As I round a large rock, something amazing greets my eyes - a fire atronach! This flaming daedra instantly starts throwing fire balls at me, not the best start. My mother always told me that fire and ice don't mix, so I throw back some ice magic. The atronach doesn't last long under the avalanche and succumbs, depositing a large chunk of fire salts onto the snowy earth. I am reminded of someone asking me for fire salts, that they need them for their furnace or something. I place the salts into my bag and carry on exploring.

I follow the road east until I am unable to walk any further - my way is barred by a large wall, the edge of the known world for Skyrim. I'll have to follow a different route, in this case headed west.

Skyrim - To Riften

I head towards the river, noticing a waterwheel in the distance. I have no idea what this place will be, but I hope to be able to sell more of the loot which I picked up in the fort. The village is small, barely two homes and the aforementioned industrial unit. A young boy tells me it is called Heartwood Mill. He also tells me a sad story of how his dad vanished into the wild, how his mum hates him for leaving, and of how lonely he is.

I decide to play a game of tag with him, and we run around the village together, hiding around corners and jumping out at each other. It is a welcome respite from the hours of death I've faced recently, and return to simpler times.

I leave quite soon, there aren't any shops here. I follow the river, aiming for the large town of Riften. On my way, I pass yet another fort, this one called Falder's Tooth. Archers pepper me with shots, but I will come back for them another time.

I also pass a large estate built out on a small island in the river. I approach the gates, but they will not let me in. No amount of talking seems to gain me access, and the shores of the island are too steep for me to climb up. I abandon my attempt, and move on towards Riften.

Reaching the south gate of the town, the guards here will also let me in. Maybe its my hours on the road, maybe its the thick sheen of recently spilt blood on me... The guard then explains that they are having issues with the Thieves Guild, and the only access to the town is via the north gate. It takes me a while to work my way around to the north side, and when I do get there, I have yet more issues in trying to get into the town.

The first guard steps up to me, and says that there is a fee for entry. Remembering the references to the guild from the south gate, I bring him up short. "This is a ruse" I tell him, and he instantly buckles under my withering gaze. "Alright, alright, I'll let you in. Just don't tell my captain!" I aim to do just that, if I can find him.

Riften is a confusing town. Anything of note is built up from the canals that run in from the river, but I'm told not go down to what is know as the "Ratway", as that's where the guild live. I'll give them a wide bearth for now, big up the Collider name around the town so they know I'm about.

As I approach the market, a bearded man approaches, asks me to help him out. My tired legs say no, but my helpful heart says yes. He walks back to his stall, and brings an audience together of the other stall owners, declaring that he has a magic potion for sale. Meanwhile, I work my way around to another stall, pick the lock to a safe box, and retrieve a ring from inside. I then place this ring in the pocket of another stall owner.

No one turns around, and I am initially impressed with my new-found talent. Yet I also know that I have just done something wrong. Yes, I've been walking around this land murdering and butchering bandits and animals with wanton abandon, but these were all generally bad people - I know not the politics of this town. I will have to make this up to myself.

Skyrim - Ivarstead Beckons

I stumble out of the tomb, leaving Goldir's body with the rest of his family. Was he the last of the line? Did he have any children, brothers or sisters? I banish these thoughts from my mind - I must focus on the here and now, not on what could have been.

I return to Ivarstead, to sell my rich pickings and tell tales of my immense bravery, but mainly to have a sleep. The owner of Vilemyr Inn sells me a room for the night for ten gold pieces - I don't complain about the price, there is no where else to sleep and my feet are killing me after all the undead stomping.

After selling my gear, I walk out of the village. Just as I turn the first corner on the road, a bear attacks me. I am quite surprised by this, despite having learnt of bears being a problem in the local area. Once more I revert back to the tried and tested tactic of running back to the village and having the village guards give me a hand. By the end of it, I am standing over the dead bear, sword bloody, and bereft of any healing potions - most of my major organs would be on bear claws were it not for those magical elixirs.

After restocking at the local trader, and begin my walk of discovery once more. After some time, I find a fort called Treva's Watch. It looks abandoned, but there are bandits shooting arrows at me from the walls and ramparts. I sneak past, so as not to get anything in my eye, and see an encampment a safe distance from the walls.

A bearded man called Stalleo is sat there with what I can only assume are his bodyguards. The fort belongs to him and his family, he says, yet the last assault he made on it ended with most of his party killed. He asks me if I'd infiltrate the fort through the secret cave entrance, work my way up through the fortification, and open the front gate to allow him and his guards in to assist.

Any normal man would turn away from this clear act of desperation. But I am not a normal man. I am an adventurer. I am Hedron the Collider! So rather than use this not-so-secret passage, I scout around the edges of the fort.

Using my bow, I take down many of the bandits as they attempt to do the same to me. I then scale the walls, and see that there are a couple more which require swift action from my blade. Nevertheless, soon all is quiet on the exterior of the fort.

Once inside, it is altogether a different matter. The bandits are well dug-in, and hide behind booby traps. They seem to walk around in groups, making my life quite difficult in trying to cull them. The idiots must have been kept outside, as the crème of the bandit community dwell within. Once more, combined magic and blade is required to end them, and they all fight well.

Inside the main tower of the building, I find an arcane enchanter. It is essentially a glowing green table with an animal skull on it. Through various incantations and proficiency, I produce a new weapon for myself - Dwarf Cold! She is a gorgeous piece of work, combining dwarven metallurgy with the killing power of ice.

By the time I make it to the switch to lower the gate, the fort is clear. I walk over to the entranceway in a daze expecting to find Stalleo eager and waiting to rush in. But instead, he is sat back in his tent, having a chat. He gives me some gold for my troubles, but I'd rather have the thanks. I try to force the point, yet he has nothing else to say to me.

I walk off into the wilderness.

Skyrim - Decent into Hillgrund's Tomb

Goldir tells me a horrible story of why he's afraid to enter the tomb. Its nothing to do with the necromancer as first thought - he was locked in there as a child. Looking through my adventure's eyes at the dank pit we're walking into, I see nothing but challenge and opportunity, but clearly the place left a negative impression on him.

He also goes on to tell me that his aunt (who is undoubtedly braver than him) went into the tomb on her own to put a stop to the necromancer who, in his own words, was going to do stuff to Goldir's dead family.

We walk quietly through chamber after chamber. Some of the dead are able to walk, so Goldir and I delight in planting our swords into their skulls. Soon, we are actually having quite a good time. I start to think that maybe, just maybe, we'll meet up in the future in a nearby pub, and laugh about all this near the fire place.

But these thoughts soon end when we find Goldir's aunt face down in the dirt. She doesn't look very well. In fact, she's dead. The upshot is that she has left a note to assist us getting through a locked door. A pull-chain is hidden, which I doubt either myself nor Goldir would have noticed were it not for his old aunt scrawling this message prior to expiring.

We enter another chamber, this being the largest yet. Instantly, I am aware that things might get a bit difficult. The necromancer is in the middle of the chamber, systematically raising the dead from their burial mounds so that more and more of the available space is filled with undead creation intent on our demise.

I set to ending them all with gusto. I notice that the necromancer is able to bring those already slashed by sword back to undeath, giving me and Goldir a bit of an uphill struggle. Leaving Goldir to his own devices and defence, I run at the necromancer. I throw plenty of electrical magic at him, a spell known to mages as "sparks" but to me as lightning-in-my-hand. This dents his ability to raise the dead, but he is still quite content to bash me with his staff.

I take one final slice at him with my sword, and he falls to my feet. I avail his corpse of all that it is worth - plenty of gems and gold. I start to feel that the journey into the tomb might actually be a literal goldmine, until I turn around and see Goldir in a very similar pose to his dead aunt. He knew the risks, and I never promised him protection, yet his death weighs heavily on my mind.

Goodbye Goldir. You fought well, and bravely (eventually). At least in death you know that a necromancer is no longer messing around with your family.

Skyrim - Bandits Galore

Prior to the dragon attack, I'd been in the mood for exploration, so I carried on with this. My first major discover on the road from Whiterun is a disused mine. I enter the dark entrance tunnel, and to my not so great shock, find the place inhabited by bandits. Is there no dark and dank ruin these thieves won't pick for a home?

The mine is mainly comprised of walkways suspended above the flooded areas, and it is from these that the bandits mount their attacks. They  seem to be specialised in archery, and shower me with arrows. They obviously have not heard about the special relationship I hold with the dragons, and I see to ending their lives quickly and efficiently. Many of them carry gold on their persons, as well as various other items of worth. I take these to the nearby town of Riverwood, and sell them to my good and dear friends Lucan and Camilla Valerius in the Riverwood Traders.

From Riverwood, I once more take the road towards Whiterun, but instead of crossing the river, I follow it east. The landscape begins to turn green, a welcome sight from the endless dreariness I've been exposed to of late. Spanning the river someway down as some kind of guard tower. My map informs me that it is called Valtheim Towers, but gives me no further clue to its purpose.

I get a worrying feeling about the place. Clearly it is inhabited, there are signs of living all around - tables, chairs, ale. With my sword drawn, I make my way up the nearest staircase to explore further, and come face to face with a bandit. Unluckily for them, they only see me when my sword has already done its job.

The span from tower to tower soon swarms with more of the bandits compatriots, all of whom seem oblivious to my excellent bow skills. Bodies soon litter the stone granary, and I cross to the empty tower on the other side of the river. A chest here and there rewards my exploration, but soon yet more bandits arrive to see what all the noise was about. None of them last long, and I cross the river again to continue my journey East.

On my way along the highway, I find a cave called Dark Shade - there is a gold vein right outside the entrance way, covered in blood and bones. I decide not to enter. For now.

The next stop is an old burial site, Hillgrund's Tomb. A man called Goldir is outside, and rushes over to talk to me. Clearly the legend of me has travelled far, yet he speaks not of dragon slaying. Instead, he begs me to go into the tomb with him to slay a necromancer in there. He's too afraid to do it on his own, so I offer to help, and we enter through the iron door together.

Skyrim - Join the Companions

My arrival in Ivarstead doesn't seem to surprise any of the inhabitants; only Klimmek pays me any heed. What is surprising is that he pays me money for the free delivery to the mountain - I'm not sure what his basis of economics is, but I'm not complaining. We exchange a few pleasantries, but neither of us are into it and we go our separate ways.

I head north, towards Whiterun. Nothing much occurs - I stick to the river, a leisurely stroll that takes in the sights of salmon leaping and elk roaming. I pick various flowers and fungi along the way, ingredients which can be used in alchemy.

Upon my arrival in Whiterun, I make my way to the Companion lodging of Jorrvaskr. This is a round building, seemingly bedecked in animal skins. From this alone, I already have a measure of those inside. I speak with a warrior called Kodiak, who says he sees promise in me - he allows me to join the Companions. Why they call themselves this is beyond me - they seem like any other fighter's guild to me.

My first task is given to me by another warrior, by the name of Farkas. I am simply to go to a local inn and beat up a man. This should be simple enough, after all I've spent the last few days neck deep in blood and guts. What could a drunk in a pub do to a towering adventure such as myself in full heavy armour?

I enter the pub and spot my target from across the room. He is a bard, and has apparently been annoying the women of Whiterum with his inappropriate and very forward manner. I make my way over to him and tell him to stop bothering people. He tells me that he left his previous town for the very same reason and wouldn't be moved again. And so I lay down the law, Companion-style.

My orders are simple - just beat him up, no dying should occur. And that's just what I do, but by the nine he makes a mess of my face in the process. I walk away from the pub with the chap promising me that he would be less uncouth in future. I smile back at him through a split lip.

I return to Farkas to inform him of a job well done. He just shrugs, speaks a barely-audible thanks, and walks off. Frankly, I feel disheartened.

I choose to leave Whiterum for a couple of days, get some exercise and see some of the local sights.  I check my map,  and see that there is large area just north of Ivarstead where I haven't set foot yet. Perfect, I think, and head for the treeline next to the river.

Things take a turn for the worse when I am at my furthest point from Whiterun - the sound of beating wings, a cry from reptilian throat, and the heat of fire instantly tell me that there's a dragon about. The first thought that springs to mind is "Run!", and looking down at my legs I'm doing just that. Whiterun is visibly in the distance, but still quite some way away.

I instead aim for the Honningbrew Meadery just south of the town, my theory being that I can bravely hide in one of the buildings while the giant winged beast bothers someone else. However, I see to my luck that there are two guards from Whiterun patrolling the road nearby. A new plan forms, one in which I am seen to take all the glory yet do less than half the work.

The guards turn to see me running in my heavy metal armour, then look beyond and see winged death behind me. They both begin to fire arrows at the dragon, which decides to make them its meal for the day. With some relief, I also join in with the archery display, and after some minutes have passed, the dragon collapses in a heap. Of course, I undergo the absorption of the dragon's soul - cos, you known that's what us Dragonborn do.

Skyrim - To High Hrothgar

High Hrothgar is my next destination, the mountain-top dwelling of the Greybeard monks that shouted for me a few days gone. A man by the name of Klimmek asks me to take a delivery up for him, as the seven thousands steps are a bit too much for him these days - what, and he thinks me knees aren't shot? Of course, I don't really mind taking it, but it was the expectation that I would that got to me.

I ascend the first set of steps, cut directly into the rock of the mountain itself. Things are pretty uneventful as I put my feet on step after step. My thoughts turn to Faendal; he would have enjoyed the view, and provided someone to talk to on this long journey.

Still, its a good thing he isn't with me - I soon find myself having to stick close to the mountainside to edge silently past giants and trolls. If I'd known about them before hand, I would have told Killick to heft his pack himself. These creatures are not to be trifled with. I lonely single adventurer (such as myself), it actually worries me what they would do to my person. The word "shreds" springs to mind, but I shake my head and keep moving.

It is to some great relief that I drag myself up the last few steps and spy High Hrothgar itself. There in front of me is the chest which Klimmek informed me is for deliveries. I pull the items from their canvas enclosure, and let them drop into it.

I turn away from the chest, and the Greybeard monks are already there waiting for me. They need to test me to see if I am Dragonborn - though from my own sense of self-importance, I'd thought that this had already been established.  Either way, they allow me inside away from the snow and cold, to dwell beside roaring fires and not-so-roaring monks - they are absolutely silent. The main monk tells me to have a shout, and I send two of the monks staggering. This is the only time they emit a noise. They congratulate me on my shout - according to them, this is a dragon's shout, and it has a specific word associated with it. I understand little.

The monks then seem to conjure up some kind of ethereal targets that they want me to shout at. I do this to each in turn, and due to the ghostly nature of the targets, the shout goes straight through and hits the monks. I can't work out whether they knew this would happen, or whether spending your life in a cold monastery makes you a bit simple.

Seemingly happy with the results of my ghost shout test, the main monk asks me back outside. I was only just beginning to warm up too. But seeing as though I was there at their suffering, I agree and follow. They take me out into a courtyard with a fence-less gate in the middle. Who builds a gate without any fence? Mountain-dwelling monk folk, that's who.

They monks teach me a knew word. I cannot read it - it is in some form of gibberish. But it leaves an imprint in my mind. They open and shut the gate quickly, and tell me to use this new word. I do so, and rather than sending monks stumbling, it grants me great speed that lets me leap forty odd feet in less than a second. Naturally, to find out if it all went in right, they make me do it again.

It is at this point that they decide they've done all that they can with me, and send me away. I don't even get any dinner, regardless of the calorific needs of an adventure climbing down seven thousands steps in a suit of heavy armour. I actually feel a bit used, upset even. I really miss Faendal.

So feeling a little light-headed and woozy from a lack of food, I take the shortcut down the mountain. Stumbling down the shale sides, I aim for Ivarstead and try hard not to look down,