Skyrim - Lydia, my Housecarl

With Lydia as my new follower, we depart Whiterun for some trial exploration. Though she seems knowledgeable in the ways of the world around the town, it will be interesting to see how she fares away from her comfort zone.

I kit her out in the same armour and weaponry which had previously belonged to Faedal. Amazingly, it all fits - clearly Nord women are built in a very similar way to elf males. She chooses to wear the steel helmet I give her, which is unfortunate, as I won't be able to see the expressions on her face. I know that Lydia is loyal to me, being a Housecarl of Whiterun, but her back-chat has an air of aloofness to it.

We head west - so far, I have only really explored the west of Skyrim. In the midst of a barren waste, the first location we come to is a fort by the name of Greymoor. Like most forts I've found, it looks uninhabited, though is actually filled to the ramparts with bandits. They have even made it look like more dwell there by making mannequins from pieces of wood and old armour. These are difficult to make out, as the sun has set.

Lydia and I leap into action, with her firing arrows into the crowd and me slicing them with my sword. Soon, the only sound we hear is the keening of the wind over the walls. Lydia has performed well in her first combat, and I am very pleased with her.

We clear out the remaining bandits from within the fort. This proves tougher than fighting the exterior guards - the leaders of this war band seem to have surrounded himself with thugs and minor mages. I sneak around the dark rooms and corridors, dispatching bandits wherever we find them. Occasionally, they run at us in droves, and we desperately hack at them with swords and magic.

By the time we emerge from the fort victorious, the night has passed and the sun is rising. I do one final sweep of the ramparts to make sure all of worth has been taken from these bandit filth, then we head out of the fort to walk over the plane further west.

I catch my first glimpse of a mammoth herd - they amble, graceful for creatures their size, slowly. Soon, I find myself outside another mine. It seems as though the bandits are busy in this part of Skyrim, as they dwell within the confines of this excavation too.

The minor foot soldiers prove little trouble to either myself or Lydia, and I pick gold and arrows from their bodies as we fell them. They protect a bandit chief - this man knows how to find. He swings his enchanted sword, narrowly missing my head. We have to hack it him with our weapons, yet leap back whenever he takes a swing at us. But just like the other bandits, he cannot survive us for long. I pick his body clean of magical weapons and armour - these will fetch a high price next time I'm in town.

Being a mine, there are veins of iron abound. Thanks to a nearby pickaxe, I dig out numerous chunks of iron ore, as well as the odd jewel here and there. All of this should help me with my smithing.

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.