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.
Last Seed, 17th, 4E 8234
What a day. Left Dal'Varek's camp (side note: the prefix "Dal" denotes nobility. That's interesting) and set out. Doubled back to the Apothecari camp before I did anything else. There was a scrounger there, probably looking to see what kind of loot he could find. Shoved my knife right through his throat. Not my first kill, but it's never felt so... easy. I explored the surrounding area. Didn't find much, aside from some nightmarish spiders, but after taking stock of the rest of the wildlife here, it's hardly a shock. Seems like everything here is trying to kill me.
I didn't make much headway in actually doing what I set out to do (have to talk with one of Yero's friends in Riverville and find a strongbox near his house). Hell, I don't think I'm even close to Riverville yet. I spent most of the day just scouting out the nearby areas. Went through an abandoned mineshaft crawling with trolls. That was a fun one. Fire set them pretty straight, though. Surprised I got out of there unscathed, honestly. Also went head-to-head with a Vartyr. Haven't actually seen one before (they aren't pretty). I was helping this pretty Aeterna get back her "Elfriede". Thought it was her daughter... turned out to be a bloody Leorling. Figures.
Toughest fight, though, would have to have been at a shipwreck off the coast I decided to take a look at. Rife with walking skeletons. Made my skin crawl just looking at them. Fortunately, putting them back to rest wasn't too difficult. There were just a lot of them. Glad I took that hauberk, 'cause some of those skeletons weren't bad with bows. Found some nice loot too. More on that later, though.
All in all, I killed more creatures and men today than I have throughout my entire life (this coming from someone who lived on the bloody streets of Ostian). Everything here really is out for blood. But it figures that after going up against trolls and Vartyrs, I'd be brought down by a trio of bandits. I killed them, but one of them got a good shot at my leg. I've got it patched up, but I'm definitely not in any shape to fight. Some rest'll go a long way towards healing it up, though. Don't want to use too much magic, what with that arcane fever I've got to deal with.
I will say, pitching up camp on the coast feels... nice. Never had anything like this back in Ostian. I picked up some new tricks, too. I'm getting the hang of this magic. Found a tome for an Entropy spell (was among the skeletons in the shipwreck I mentioned earlier). The "forbidden school", as it's called. It's damned powerful, I'll give it that. Stripped the skin off one of the bandits I tried it on. Gotta be careful, though. It's effective, but whenever I use it I start feeling weak, and not in the same way it feels when I've used fire or lightning for too long.
I also learned how to summon up a ghostly wolf (still Entropy, but not as dangerous as the other spell). She's good at distracting enemies, I'll give her that, and she's got a ferocious bite. We'll see if she'll end up pulling her weight. The real tool I got, however, was the sword. I ditched my knife after it broke on one of those undead (they're all bone, after all). I scrounged around for a sword, but nothing really fit my hand. Then I just... cast a spell. Don't know how I learned it. It was like instinct. Called up this massive blade from thin air. It hits like a truck, and it's heavy. I love it. An ethereal greatsword. There was a mythical formless sword of light I read about a long time ago. I think I'll steal the name: Blutgang.
I'm feeling stronger. Just sitting at the campfire, I can tell I'm not the same. Granted, right now I'm utterly exhausted, and my leg's still throbbing. But I'm alive, which is still a miracle in and of itself. I'd write more, but I feel like I'm going to pass out any minute now, what with the fire roaring and the waves crashing against the sea. I've got the wolf keeping watch while I sleep, so nothing'll sneak up on me, which is good. But I am different. Very different. When I came here I was a weakling, but now that's starting to change. It's kind of unnerving to say, and I don't want to jinx things, but I reckon I'm just getting started.
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.
