I'm replaying Enderal, a total conversion for Skyrim. I found it well-made, with a gripping story, great characters, and excellent music. I got a whole bunch of mods for my next playthrough, and one adds in a journal one can write in to record thoughts, events, etc. I'll be keeping this journal up as I play, and I figured it would be fun to share it here.
Heartfire, 17th, 4E 8234
Alright, that was really fun. Ryneus’ father fixed up a Starling sphere… somehow… and got it to hover and dart around. The kid’s first “wish” was for me to score hits with the bow while he flew the sphere around. I’m not exactly sure how long we spent playing around with it, but I loved it.
I don’t do a lot of archery – my range comes from my magic – but I did use a bow for a bit when I first made it ashore. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me too much that I’m a damned good shot. That sphere was bolting all over the place and I was still landing some really nice hits. Ryneus loved it.
I swear, that kid’s excitement is infectious. When we started out, it felt like kind of a chore, but when I really got into it, I couldn’t stop. It was great. Honestly, it’s been way too long since I’ve actually had some fun. Most of my leisure time is spent training, drinking, or reading. This was a really fantastic change of pace. That kid’s growing on me.
Alice likes him too. He’s got a dog, but I think Alice is trying to compete with him for the kid’s attention. Usually she’s got this fiery hide that burns whatever it touches. But when Ryneus went to pet her, the fire died down and her skin went back to its ethereal blue. She’s really taken a liking to him. They were running around on the beach while I was giving my arm a break.
I know the Nehrimese are closing in and we don’t have a lot of time, but the kid won’t give over the Black Stone unless we play all these games anyways, so I figure we might as well enjoy them while we can. The day’s still young anyways, judging by the sun. We can stay here a bit longer.
This place has some pretty great food. The inn’s pretty cozy and they’ve got a decent bard. Unfortunately, the people here, while hospitable, are kind of annoying. More than a few of them are treating me like some sort of exhibit because I’m an outsider. And those who aren’t are waxing lyrical about how terrible life must be in the city. It’s a bit insufferable.
That being said, I do like it here. After finishing up Ryneus’ little archery game, I took a stroll down the beach and looked into some of the ruins along the coast. They’re all abandoned, aside from some wildlife. But it’s strange… even the animals are pretty friendly. None of them have really attacked me, which is almost unreal considering how hostile the wildlife is on the rest of the continent.
And I’m glad they let me look around, because this place really is beautiful. These ruins are pretty old, but that’s not it. The natural forestry here is incredible. It contrasts so starkly with the desert sand with vibrancy you don’t find anywhere else around here.
The water’s also really fantastic. I know that’s a strange thing to note, but it’s clearer and more fresh than Ark’s own water by a long shot. I’ve no idea what it is, but it’s great, and it feels invigorating.
Anyways, after all of that, I paid Ryneus another visit and he gave me his second wish. He collects and draws butterflies and wanted me to go out to a nearby grove and catch a few of the buggers he hasn’t managed to find yet.
It was pretty menial, but it was honestly really nice. The grove was beautiful and the moths were actually pretty radiant. It’s like this whole place is ideal. In the back of my mind something feels wrong, but I’m not going to let it ruin this. I’m sure at some point the Black Stone is going to rear its head and fuck shit up, but until it does, I’m going to enjoy this.
It’s kind of strange… Ryneus reminds me of my little sister… Sasha. The resemblance in their personalities is almost striking. Sasha would always want me to play with her, and though it got tiresome at times, for the most part I had fun chasing her around or teaching her to climb the trees around our house.
Ryneus is the same way. I don’t know. It’s kind of strange to say, but he’s like… he’s like a little brother. I know I just met the kid, but he’s really made an impression on me. I have no idea what it is. Maybe it’s that he reminds me of Sasha. Maybe it’s something else. I guess it doesn’t really matter. His excitement can be a bit wearisome, but I could use some more happiness in my life anyways.
I even told him I’d consider setting up here – after the whole Cycle fiasco, that is. This really is a nice place, and I could get used to it. The people are a bit off-putting and a tad too friendly, but I’ll take that over the outright hostility I’ve had to deal with in Ark and Ostian any day. I don’t know. Once the High Ones are dead, assuming we succeed, I’ll have the entire world at my fingertips. And if we don’t succeed, we’ll all be dead anyways, so there’s not much to lose.
I left Alice to run around and play with Ryneus a bit more while I get some lunch. I will say that these days are really long. It’s hard to tell exactly what time it is. Granted, I’m not used to this place, and the locals all say the light lasts a good while, so I guess it’s an acquired taste.
Well, Ryneus has his third wish for me. He wants to go over to a cave close to the waterfall. I think I know the one. I don’t know what he’ll want, but he seemed excited. Normally that would worry me, because kids and wishes don’t mix too well, but Ryneus is a good kid, and this could have definitely been a lot more painful than it was. Hopefully the Black Stone doesn’t try to change that.
Link to Enderal. It's important to note that the writing above is based almost entirely on the story created by an extraordinarily talented group of modders. Credit is due to them, not to me. I would also be remiss to not credit Arcones for the idea of using a parchment-looking background to add some flavor.
This was the most gut-wrenching part of the game. I too felt like it was too good to be true, like I was in some Nehrimese ambush looming in the edge. I thought that if I completed one or two quests the town people would all start chasing me.
The moth chasing part was bugged for me so I had to use the console.
Other than that, damn. The feels man.