Sitting at Alvor's table and munching on a piece of bread, you mull over your situation for what must be the hundredth time this week. Sigrid, Alvor's wife, has been giving you the stink eye for the last couple of days, assuaged a little by the hours you've been putting in at the mill to earn some septims. You've overheard her argue with Alvor at night in their own language (which you guess is Nordic), in which you've heard your name spoken aloud a few times--and not with affection. You tear off another chunk of bread. You could murder a quater-pounder with cheese right about now, but meat is apparently the food of kings around these parts. Even so, you're getting tired of cabbage and leek soup."No work at the mill today?" asks Sigrid pointedly.You shake your head and swallow. "Log jam. Hod's taking a look. Should be fixed soon." You know she means well. She was the one that nursed you back to health when you washed up at the riverbank. She had even spent some of her own savings to buy you a health potion from Lucan--if not for that, you might have died from the injuries. But, at the same time, hospitality has its limits. Her husband's a blacksmith, which means they're not exactly starving but an extra mouth to feed is never really welcome, especially one that's been so vague about where it came from and why. And so, you've been planning to move on, except every time you think about what's happened, how you got here, and what it all means, and especially what might have happened to Lem, you have a panic attack.But anyway, here are the facts as far as you understand them:One: Skyrim, for some reason, is real and you somehow washed up here (in Riverwood to be exact) after the kayak accident. You haven't seen Lem, your best friend, yet. Chances are he didn't make it.Two: This version of Skyrim is nothing like the game. It's an actual world, not a computer program. There aren't stats, levels, skill points. There's no NPCs. Almost nothing is abstracted like it is in the game. The other day you tried picking some red flowers down by the river. In the game you just point and press a button and the flowers are in your inventory. Here, you actually have to pick them one by one, and you have to be careful not to damage the plant or cut yourself on the thorns. The locations and the places are still the same, there's Riverwood, and you've heard about Whiterun and even Bleak Falls Barrow from Lucan, but if Riverwood is anything to go by, those places should be much bigger and more complex than they were in the game. Three: The dragons haven't shown up yet. There is a civil war going on between the Imperial Legion and the Stormcloaks as in the game, but when you asked about the dragons, Alvor just looked puzzled and started talking about the Throat of the World and the Greybeards. 1/2
Four: You seem to be the same old you. As far as you can tell, you can't do any magic, you can't shout, you don't have any special powers. You can swing a sword and shoot a bow, but you're not particularly good at either. Everybody thinks you're a Breton because of your dark hair and light skin and weak build (at least compared to these Nords) and you haven't yet corrected them, but you don't seem to be of any race that comes from here. Alchemy, at least, seems to work, but the taste of the potions is awful, somewhere between old socks and rancid meat. Making potions is also not as simple as just clicking items on a menu while standing at an alchemy table. You actually have to know how to prepare the ingredients and how to mix them together. There's thick volumes on this stuff in Lucan's shop, but you haven't had the time (not to mention the coin) to check them out yet. The only possible advantage you have is some basic knowledge of the game and lore and the knowledge of how things worked on Earth. That said, you probably won't be reinventing the transistor anytime soon.It all feels too real to be a dream. Too complex to be a simulation. Maybe an afterlife? You can't discount the possibility, no matter how strange or silly it might seem (And why Skyrim? It wasn't even your favorite game). Anyway, you need to try something. You can't just stay here and keep mooching off of Alvor and Sigrid. You've come up with three possible plans:1. Head to Whiterun. Judging by the difference in scale in this world, it'll be a long journey, probably dangerous, but you'll get more opportunities there than you ever will in Riverwood. 2. Head to Bleak Falls Barrow. You know there's bandits there, but unlike in the game, they shouldn't be immediately hostile. You might be able to bargain with them, maybe even join them for a stint.3. Explore the wilderness along the coast. You supposedly came down the river, so maybe there are more clues further up the river. You might even find Lem.4. Write-in
>>6318104>Explore the wilderness along the coastI think trying to find the guardian stones is a good choice to try and give us at least the slightest edge, assuming they work with us. Or maybe even embershard mine and we can see how much of a sociopath our MC is by trying to bloody him with a bandit or two.
>>6318104>3. Explore the wilderness along the coast.
>>6318104>3. Explore the wilderness along the coast.Keep an eye out for decent spots for fishing. If it's not poaching we could bring something back to the table, buy ourselves a bit of goodwill back maybe
>>6318104>Explore the wilderness along the coast
>>6318104>2. Head to Bleak Falls Barrow.
>>6318104>3. Explore the wilderness along the coast. You supposedly came down the river, so maybe there are more clues further up the river. You might even find Lem.Let's go rub the mage stone. I don't care if it's illegal, we're learning Levitation.
>>6318104First, you need a weapon. A real sword from Alvor's forge is out of the question, but the woodcutter's axes at the sawmill are left unattended while Hod investigates the logjam. You slip behind the mill, your heart pounding against your ribs. The axes are heavy, practical tools, not weapons of war but when you pick one up, the rough-hewn handle feels solid and real in your grasp, and the weight of the iron head is a grim comfort. It can’t compare to a sword, but it can kill a man just the same. You justify it as a loan. You'll bring it back. Probably.Next, provisions. You walk into the Riverwood Trader, the little bell over the door announcing your arrival with a cheerful jingle that feels entirely out of place. Lucan Valerius looks up from his ledger."Off so soon?" he asks, his tone neutral. "Thought you'd be sticking around Riverwood a while longer."You shrug, trying to look casual as you spend nearly all of your hard-earned septims on a waterskin, a chunk of salted beef, and a dense loaf of bread. "Just exploring a bit. See the countryside."Lucan eyes the woodcutter's axe looped through your belt but thankfully says nothing. Maybe he assumes Alvor gave it to you. With your meager supplies packed, you head out of the village, following the White River upstream, the direction you supposedly came from.The wilderness here is a far cry from the game's sanitized version. The air is thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. The ground is uneven, littered with rocks and roots that threaten to trip you with every step. You stay close to the riverbank, your eyes scanning the shoreline, the reeds, the eddies of the current for anything, any sign at all.After an hour of walking, a flash of color snagged in a tangle of roots catches your eye. It’s a deep, familiar navy blue. Your breath catches. Wading into the frigid water, you pull it free. It's a baseball cap, waterlogged and mud-stained, but the logo is unmistakable: "TOP GUN," it reads in bold, white-and-red letters.Lem's. It's Lem's stupid, lucky hat.A wave of hope and nausea crashes over you. He was here. You scramble back onto the bank, clutching the cap, and scan the area with frantic energy. "Lem!" you shout, your voice hoarse. "LEM!"The only answer is the rush of the river and the sigh of the wind through the pines. You search for what feels like hours, pushing through thorny bushes until your arms are scratched and bleeding, checking behind every boulder, your hope slowly souring into a cold, heavy dread. There's no body, no trail, no other sign. Just the hat.Exhausted and demoralized, you force yourself to move on. The path veers away from the river, winding toward a rocky hillside where you see the dark maw of a cave. Embershard Mine. You remember it from the game. A beginner's dungeon, full of bandits. Your hand tightens on the handle of your axe.1/2
>>6318601Before you can decide whether to risk a closer look, you hear the crunch of boots on gravel. You duck behind a large boulder, peering around the edge. Two Nords are walking out of the mine. One is huge and barrel-chested with a great, bushy beard. The other is wiry, with a balding pate and a cruel set to his mouth. They're both armed with axes and shields and clad in mismatched pieces of leather and fur armor. You try to shrink back behind a boulder, but it's too late. The bald one's eyes snap to yours. "Well, well," he says to his companion, his voice a low growl. "Look what we've got here."The big one turns his head. His eyes, small and hard, rake over you, lingering on the axe at your belt and the waterskin on your waist. They quickly maneuver to block your path."Got any coin, friend?" the bald one asks, taking a step closer. "There’s a toll for this road."1. "I don't have anything." Which is the truth, you spent every coin had on the provisions you bought. 2. "Take it." Hand over the supplies you just bought. You'll be left with nothing but your axe and Lem's hat.3. Attack the bald one. He seems like the weaker of the two. It's a desperate gamble, but the surprise might be enough for victory.4. Run. Turn and bolt back the way you came. They look bigger, but you might be faster.5. Write-in
>>6318603>"I don't have anything." Which is the truth, you spent every coin had on the provisions you bought. >"I'd be willing to share the little food I have, if you'd like?" Maybe you can strike up conversation with these cutthroats if they realize they have nothing to gain from mugging you.
>>6318603>"Take it." Hand over the supplies you just bought. You'll be left with nothing but your axe and Lem's hat.
>>6318624+1
>>6318624Supporting
>>6318603"I don't have anything," you say, holding your hands up slightly to show they're empty. It’s the truth; you spent your last septim at Lucan's. "I'd be willing to share the little food I have, if you'd like?"The bald man raises an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He glances at his large companion, who gives a noncommittal grunt. "Alright. Let's see what you've got."You find a relatively clean spot on the ground and sit, pulling out the salted beef and the loaf of bread. The two men sit opposite you, their shields and axes resting beside them. You break the bread into three pieces and let them cut off slices of the beef with a belt knife. For a few minutes, the only sound is the chewing."Name's Kjar," the bald one says finally, wiping grease from his mouth with the back of his hand. "This lump is Torolf."Torolf grunts again, but it sounds less menacing this time."We're not with the Stormcloaks anymore," Kjar continues, as if reading your mind. "Got tired of freezing our arses off and getting killed for a Jarl who thinks he's a god. Torolf here is from Winterhold. Me, I'm from Falkreath.""I'm... from far away," you say, deciding against trying to explain Earth. They assume you're a Breton from High Rock, like everyone else, and leave it at that. Kjar nods at the Top Gun hat. “What’s that?”"A kind of hat. It belonged to my friend. We got separated. Have you seen anyone else out here? He’d be another foreigner, like me. But with blond hair."Kjar takes the hat, turning it over in his hands. He runs a thumb over the strange, stiff lettering. "Never seen writing like this. Or a hat made of this stuff. Can't say we've seen your friend, either. Not many people use this path."He hands it back. They finish their share of the food quickly. Kjar gets to his feet, stretching his back. "Thanks for the meal, friend. You're alright, for a Breton." He gestures with his chin toward the mine entrance. "If you're looking for work, or just a roof that doesn't leak, go inside and talk to Elsi. She's the boss. Tell her Kjar sent you."With that, he and Torolf pick up their gear and head down the path, leaving you alone at the mouth of the cave.1/2
>>6318761You watch them go, grateful you didn’t have to resort to violence. Once again, the world proves itself distinct from the game. They weren't the generic bandits the game would have forced you to fight to the death; they were just men, tired of a war. This leaves you with a problem. Your original plan to follow the river and look for Lem now seems dangerously naive. The world is full of people just trying to get by, and not all of them will be so reasonable. The mine offers a potential safe haven, a community, and maybe a way to earn your keep. Even if they are technically bandits.1. Enter Embershard Mine. Find this Elsi and hear her out. It's a risk, but shelter and safety are tempting.2. Continue searching the wilderness. Your first priority is Lem. You'll take your chances alone.3. Return to Riverwood. You're not ready for this. Return the axe, and try a different approach.4. Write-in.
>>6318762>1. Enter Embershard Mine. Find this Elsi and hear her out. It's a risk, but shelter and safety are tempting.
>>6318762>Enter Embershard Mine. Find this Elsi and hear her out. It's a risk, but shelter and safety are tempting.
>>6318762>2. Continue searching the wilderness. Your first priority is Lem. You'll take your chances alone.
>>63187621. Enter Embershard Mine.Skyrim bandit experience? Would be interesting to see the war from a third perspective.
>>6318762>Continue searching the wilderness. Your first priority is Lem. You'll take your chances alone.
>>6318762>2Plus Lem could be injured or dying
>>63187622. Continue searching the wilderness. Your first priority is Lem. You'll take your chances alone.Banditry is going to become a very dangerous profession in Skyrim once Helgen is razed. No thanks.
>>6318762>2. Continue searching the wilderness. Your first priority is Lem. You'll take your chances alone.we can come back after
>>63187622. Continue searching the wilderness. Your first priority is Lem. You'll take your chances alone.
>>6318762>2. Continue searching the wilderness. Your first priority is Lem. You'll take your chances alone.>Bolster your odds a little. If you need to get in close combat, you've already fucked up. Pick out some stones that look sharp and good for throwing, keep them on hand. It's not the best ranged weapon and is unlikely to kill anything, but common sense says it's usually enough to deter most wild animals - and can bust up someone's face fairly well with good aim.
