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I'm back.

I have two characters now - I restarted both Marius Vetti (an Imperial vampire, who managed to get himself cured already [major disappointment, it should be much harder!] and is preparing to join the Dawnguard) and Skyndi Red-Shield (a Nord Stormcloak warrior/blacksmith, who is currently stuck at Liberate the Reach stage of Stormcloak side of the Civil War, because of some annoying bug).

I also made an Argonian necromancer called Two-Shadows, but I think I will play her only when I'm done with one of my mains.

Lieth and Marcurio headed home to Lakeview Manor after a week of raiding Forsworn camps. Ah, its good to be home. She spent some time playing with the children, chit chatting with Ria (her steward) and cuddling up to husband Vilkas. But after a restful week, she got the adventure itchies again so they're back out on the road. Stopped at Knifepoint Ridge to slay some bandits...and destination is unknown for now. They're leaning towards some dragon hunting and crypts with word walls.

Also, Marcurio decided a new look for himself:


Lieth thinks he looks rather dashing.

The one in Oblivion is much harder, especially since the stupid witch responsible for curing you won't let you wait in her own house. That was a little unreasonable.

Yeah, I was expecting much more from that quest. The only thing that made it last more than 15 minutes was the fact that

Oh, and Marius missed his own wedding. He was going to marry Vorstag, who's been his faithful companion for a while, and we went to Ivarstead for some fun pre-wedding tomb-riding. We went in around sunset and I was planning to head right back to Riften as soon as the barrow was cleared. But then midnight came and Vorstag turned into a pumpkin left in the middle of the boss-fight and I got the "quest failed" message. I decided that Marius is rethinking his decision, because he wouldn't really want to marry a guy who'd leave him alone knee-deep in draugr (also, the scripting for that quest sucks). And that was the first time ever I was going to marry someone in Skyrim, damn it! Eh...

Right now he's standing on the steps of the Temple of Mara in Riften, after hearing "Just... leave" from the priests in the otherwise empty building, and he's feeling extremely disappointed. That treacherous mercenary could have at least given the ebony armor back...

@Dohva - Marcurio, the Demented Cook?

I found it kind of bothersome that Oblivion's was so hard, though; I basically just used a walkthrough for the entire thing because I was desperate to fix myself without having to feed, although I guess the fact that it was so hard helped create an authentic sense of how horrible inadvertently becoming a vampire would actually be. I always felt genuinely unclean through that whole fiasco.

Got stuck in Kolbjorn Barrow. I was in the room with 3 door slides, I forgot how to open one of them so I went into the next room and told my follower (Lydia) to pull the chain.

I was in the room with the East/South/West stone closed rotating stone doors and a chain (north) that opens the door in another room. After 20 minutes of trying to noclip through the western door, I realised I had to reload a save. (-____-)"

Next time I go into a dungeon with Lydia, I'ma stick her at the entrance.

Dzio, my character accidentally gave Marcurio the chef hat and he put it on right away so she just let him keep it. He looks hilarious with it on and everyone could use a good laugh in the middle of a dungeon adventure to release the tension.

Speaking of Marcurio, the strangest thing happened to him in Valthume. After clearing the dungeon of mostly Draugr death overlords (lets not even discuss what a pain that was), the bossman handed death on a silver platter to Marcurio three times. So...ok sometimes I reload when certain npcs die but hell, he was holding so much of Lieth's treasures and there was just no way she would have left it all there.

But he kept dying while he was standing behind Lieth or just next to her...which was weird. I finally figured it out. That [&@%!] Dragon priest somehow connected himself to Marcurio. When Lieth would shoot an arrow or use her fireball staff against him, Marcurio would die. So the Dragon Priest would be across the room and catch fire--then Marcurio would catch fire--and they both would die.

What the heck, right? I've never seen anything like it out of the couple thousand hours I've played the game. Just weird and it really angered me lol.

You don't happen to have Apocalypse Spell Package installed, do you? I'm asking because IIRC it includes a spell (Empathic Agony or some such) which lets you do exactly what your Dragon priest seems to have done: i.e. share damage recieved with another person; this is the first I've heard of an NPC making use of it, though. Maybe it was an area of effect thing and Marcurio just happened to be within reach?

Marilyn II has been leading an eventful life. Together with her new Redguard friend Gorr, a former gladiator of the Imperial City arena (c/o Interesting NPCs), she went to deal with the bandits at Bleak Falls Barrow (starting at the old watchtower) and retrieve the Golden Claw for Lucan Valerius. Everything went more or less fine (not counting a few embarrassing deaths) until we came to Arvel the S'witSwift and the many-legged beastie keeping him in its larder. Gorr went into bleedout after a bite or two, leaving me to finish the critter all by my lonesome. Just as I landed the killcam-triggering shot it managed to hit me with its last bit of venomous spittle, and I learned that poison is nothing you just shrug off with Requiem: cue two minutes of anxiously watching my diminishing health bar and applying one healing potion/poultice after another until the effect wore off at last. Phew. (After that experience, Marilyn decided to postpone any further exploration of BFB, or indeed any ancient Nord ruin, until considerably later in her career.)

Then, after we'd sold our loot in Riverwood, a tragic misunderstanding between Marilyn and Alvor about the ownership of an Orcish warhammer lying around outside his smithy led to the blacksmith's untimely demise when he threatened my life and Gorr stepped in to defend his friend; unfortunately I'm playing by "What happens, happens" this time, so Riverwood will have to do without a blacksmith for the rest of the game. Sigrid and Dorthe blamed me, of course, as did the authorities, and being unable to pay the bounty Marilyn had no choice but to go back to jail and serve her time. At her release she was both pleased and touched to find Gorr waiting for her outside Dragonsreach. The next two days were spent doing menial work as a farmhand on the various farms around Whiterun*, thus earning enough money to buy more arrows and the materials to craft some surplus bows (one of Requiem's nastier traits is that low-grade bows can be broken by enemy attacks, but that's completely realistic, so I'm not complaining). Next will be Embershard Mine, where we're supposed to retrieve Runil's journal, Y'ffre help us.

*(Marilyn is no orthodox Bosmer. Her parents raised her according to the principles of the Green Pact, and she maintains a carnivorous (and, on occasion, cannibalistic) diet because she vaguely remembers that "this is how things are done", but she's been alienated from traditional Bosmeri lifestyle and religion for a long time and has no qualms using plants for purposes other than food (such as alchemy) or helping others to use them.)

Lleva fed on Jarl Balgruuf before heading out to Blackreach via Alftand, with Uthgerd the Unbroken disobeying her yet again, this time staying behind. After watching her Dremora Lord tear through the Falmer and Dwemer automatons standing in their way, they reached the Elder Scroll and left. Upon leaving the Tower of Mzark bound for Whiterun, a Volkihar Vampire decided to attack Lleva. She almost would've died if not for the Thu'um. After the encounter, she made it to Whiterun and used the Ebony Blade to teach Uthgerd a lesson she soon won't forget.

Easing my Orc back into the action. I didn't realize it had been so long since I let him loose on Skyrim. The last save for him was from March. So, we're taking things a little easy at the moment. Working on Lakeview and tackling a few minor quests around Falkreath, to include making the trip through Bonechill Pass.

Also made a trip to Whiterun and spent a couple of days there managing a few quests in the plains to the west of the city. I decided to take the plunge and purchased Breezehome, though I don't need it. Just a bed and a cooking pot in there as of now. Which is nice because it rained for nearly two days during my stay and having a private place to stay warm was nice. Though I'm undecided as to what I should do with/about Lydia. As for now, she stays put.

I'm back to Lakeview now and am considering a road trip for additional raw materials for the forge. All that has been forged lately has been construction materials, not the blades that I'd like to create. Heading west to manage a few quests and possibly meeting Esbern should provide plenty of chances to obtain the raw materials required. It has been so long since I really played that I'm almost hesitant to head too far from home and that makes me chuckle. A big ole mean, ugly Orc acting like a chicken.

Eh, Skyndi is officially retired. The annoying bug turned out to be a questline-breaking bug, and I can't progress with the Civil War. Which is absolutely impossible to rationalize for her, because joining the Stormcloaks and fighting the Empire was the whole reason why she came to Skyrim. Now I'm feeling a bit discouraged and don't really feel like lifting Marius's spirits after the failed wedding, so I think I might start a new character now...

Finn, I have a Combat AI Overhaul mod but its not the one you mentioned. I had forgotten all about it actually until I read your post, so perhaps that's the cause of what happened. When I finally figured out what was going on, Lieth and Marcurio were clear across the room from the Dragon Priest, so there was no way the flames from the fireball could have ricocheted and hit Marcurio. Dragon Priests love to play dirty little games when they battle, which is why they're so fun to kill.

Topic: Lieth went home to Lakeview Manor again after getting Clavius Vile's axe. I probably shouldn't have waited until she was almost level 40 to finish that quest because the wizard was a giant pain in the behind. There's something that just makes me grit my teeth and want to chew blood when wizards use ice storm spells. It infuriates me, don't know why. Probably because even with full stamina, Lieth was having a hard time moving in her heavy armor. Anyway, she's resting with her family again and taking Meeko to iron ore veins/clearing her home turf of bandits.

You talking about Daedric Weapons, why didn't they keep Umbra?

Because unlike most of the Daedric artifacts we acquire in Skyrim, it would have been actually useful? Or if it had been included but in the same nerfed form as e.g. the lousy excuse for Savior's Hide we meet in Skyrim we all would be able to make better stuff by the time we get it.


Which is why I love Requiem's unleveled world, much as it can be a royal pain in the gluteus maximus sometimes. But on the other hand you'd have to put up with your stamina being drained by just wearing heavy armour, let alone doing anything in it, unless you take the pertinent perks... (Not that I've tried that yet, being an unregenerate light armour user whatever else I may be.)

OT, Marilyn II has made it to level 10, cleared a few bandit dens in Whiterun and Falkreath holds, killed her second troll and her first spriggan, taken on and killed a couple of Forsworn (Sylvaine would weep if she knew it) and reached a point where she doesn't quite feel like utter crap anymore but is actually getting confident in her ability to "get things done", as Adrianne Avenicci would probably put it. At the moment she's just arrived in Markarth at the invitation of one Calcelmo who somehow magically sensed that she was going to buy some Dwarven arrows from Gray Pine Goods and sent a courier in advance to rendezvous with her the very moment she stepped out of the shop; that guy is definitely psychic.

Lorewise, Umbra no longer exists.

Loaded up my pure mage character, went on a murder spree.
There are no longer any living souls in Falkreath hold.

True, but it was so awesome.

I would publicly like to thank Finn for being so awesome and recommending the Amazing Followers Tweak Mod. It rocks. Not only does it make life with followers much simpler (and smarter) but the immersion in my game has been boosted +10. Sylmirie has been able to teach her followers new spells and has full control over what they wear now. And she likes being in control. Combine that with a complete [&@%!] of the console, and I played Skyrim for hours last night.

Sylmirie and Aicantar adventured around the Pale. She actually helped Erandur but when she went back to the Inn to fetch her beloved, he wouldn't move. So I had to reload an old save and wasted my time completing that quest. They moved on to Ynglvid Barrow to fetch a certain staff and get Onmund's amulet back. Even with another husband there's just something about that Nord. Hm. In order to help Tolfdir learn some sense into his apprentices, they took Brelyna out for a spin and ended up in Yngol Barrow. I've been through that place once before with my assassin and never saw the glowing orbs. It was wicked cool!

Aicantar is a much better follower than I thought. And he raises dead. And he's sexy. Sylmirie is happy. <3

^Honour where honour's due, Dohva, we can both thank Witchery who first recommended AFT to me some time ago on the Photographer thread.

After crashing twice in my attempts to get out of Solstheim (one time I froze on arrival at Raven Rock and once I got an infinite load screen when I got on the boat) I finally made it back to Skyrim. However, whenever I land at Windhelm or Raven Rock, I get a freeze for about five seconds and then lag for another ten or so presumably while the game is loading everything up and so while I was still trying to recover a snow bear that had managed to make its way onto the docks killed me in about three blows because my main character is incredibly weak and the only reason he's still surviving at level 30 on Master difficulty is that he can conjure Dremora Lords.

At that point I was rather annoyed so I quit and loaded up my new Altmer's save, since he was still in Helgen Keep and I needed to get him out. I finally made it to the exit and everything was okay for about a minute because SkyTEST adds a pack of wolves just outside the cave exit and while I was still dancing around making footprints in the snow courtesy of the footprint mod Hadvar ran headlong into the pack of wolves and it became a fight for survival, as the wolves could kill me in about six hits. I managed to escape without dying by jumping off a cliff when the wolves were attacking me and running headlong towards Riverwood, stopping only to drink more stamina potions until the wolves had stopped following me. At which point I was promptly slaughtered by the two wolves along the path as I hadn't been paying attention to anything in front of me so much as anything behind.

Then, on my Argonian (also new) I swam down the river outside of Riverwood and ran into three mudcrabs that promptly killed me because I didn't think they were enough of a threat to drink a health potion.

The moral of this story is to not play on master level difficulty. xD

Met Esbern and Delphine at Sky Haven Temple. Interesting situation there. When I was approaching on the main road and about to cross the bridge, an assassin attacks. Just as he attacks, and Elder Dragon shows up. I quickly handle the assassin and then sprint towards Delphine and Esbern. The dragon moves to attack us and after a quick pass of flame, the dragon attacks the Forsworn in their little fort near the Temple's entrance. Full on chaotic fight. Very glad I brought the shield along on this trip.

Dragon is finally managed and while many of the Forsworn have been defeated, there are still several remaining. I just ran for the Temple. Fortunately, my two companions followed. We make our way to the Wall inside and I take the time to collect the goodies in the various rooms. Before leaving to head back home for a quick stop prior to continuing the quest line, I walked out on the pavilion or lookout that is accessible through doors upstairs. Two more Elder Dragons are waiting to greet me. I've had just about enough of this nonsense by this time, but I did remain under one of the covered patio areas attempting to force the dragons to land so I could fire some arrows at them while being shielded from their breath attacks.

After many arrows fired, I realized I wasn't really doing enough damage to both dragons. One on one would have been different, but this was a bit more than I cared to manage. So I bolted back inside the Temple, went into the sleeping quarters and sat with Delphine for a meal. Then I crashed for the night and headed home first thing in the morning.

Loot unloaded at Lakeview, smithing work completed and wares sold in Falkreath. But instead of pursuing that quest at this time, I've decided to finish up with the Thane title in Falkreath. I'm just looking for that last assist to the people and I'm done. But I got caught up in that Ill Met by Moonlight deal in Falkreath so that had to be managed quickly. I didn't want that ring stuck on my hand and my werewolf days are long since gone. Sindig didn't make it.

Back at home after that quick journey. The plan is to head back to Falkreath in the next few days to finish up the requirements to become Thane. The title will likely provide me with opportunities and resources that could be useful. May as well use everything at my disposal. Then.....who knows where I'll be going? I stashed a good bit of loot in a chest along the way to the Temple. I doubt it will still be there when and if I return, but maybe that easy road trip is next on the agenda.

Hung out in Markarth for a while doing various quests. Set out to Old Crone Rock to get final piece of Mehrune's razor. Never got there in the end as distracted by too many new places.
Have my new follower, Marcurio, whom I hired in Riften, with me. He's ace. Definitely my favourite so far. He uses destruction magic, so picks enemies off from afar, he never gets in my way during fights, he says loads of different and funny comments that make sense in ur situation/location.
Just found out that your follower also cheers you on when u get into a brawl. Very entertaining!

Oh yeah, that's the best part!

Sylmirie and Aicantar were derailed from their plans of exploring Dwarven ruins by a dragon attack at Kolskegger mine...which ended up turning into a cleaning spree. Pavos Attius and the Orc miner were on their way to work when the dragon came in for a challenge...along with 3 Forsworn. Both miners ended up dead as Sylmirie's magic wasn't fast enough (one got chomped by the dragon and another killed by the Forsworn).

So she got really angry that her friend died and an epic battle ensued inside the mine. She died once almost went down but she pushed through her last couple breaths and succeeded. And she just cleared out that mine not even a week ago in game time. Pavos also left her a letter of inheritance...as did the Orc...which made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

There's been some weirdness with Live Another Life lately, so I restarted Addie (latest character) with Skyrim Unbound. Having no quest-related need to go to Whiterun is a strange feeling, but I'm liking it so far. Addie's first priority in Riverwood was to cure the Rockjoint she got while fleeing the wolves along the road -- i.e. lots of firewood. After clearing Embershard Mine, she paid a night visit to the Riverwood Trader's second floor, making off with bread, some gold, and a half-dozen pelts. Being charged 430 septims to cure a disease doesn't sit well with her.

^Speaking as another Skyrim Unbound user, I find not being the bloody Dragonborn for a change and not being ushered into the main quest through the back door quite refreshing (because "A chosen one of many isn't new"; cookies for the first one to get the reference). As to the Rockjoint thing, being a Bosmer does have its distinct advantages...