While Skyrim has structured quests with extensive dialogue, oftentimes I find myself ignoring them in favor of exploring the vast lands to find my own adventures. This following adventure was devoid of any dialogue, yet still resonated with me as one of the best told stories I have found in Skyrim so far.
As I was trekking the frozen wastelands to the north, I stumbled upon a desolate lighthouse. In front of it was a dead horse, usually a sign of trouble in the area. Despite the warning, I decided to investigate the lighthouse anyway. What I found was quite disturbing. Just inside the entrance, blood splattered everywhere on the ground. It stood out in contrast against the gray stone floor. As soon as I saw it, I readied my warhammer, cautiously watching my surroundings in case the assailant was still lingering around. I heard some noise coming from the door to the right, but it had been locked, presumably to keep whatever was making that noise out of the main area.
Not wanting to go into battle unprepared, I decided to scour the first floor for clues. This was when I came across one of the victims in the light house. The body was female, with blood stains all around her. On the floor next to her was a journal with what I could only assume were the final thoughts of this unfortunate person. Hoping to find some answers, I scanned the hastily written notes. Skeevers. My first clue. However, I knew this couldn’t be the answer. Skeevers have never been known to cause this amount of damage. They are known to be a nuisance, nothing threatening.
A few feet from the body lied the real answer: A Chaurus corpse was strewn in front of the fire. I had encountered them before. Devilish little creatures that attacked with a poisonous spit and strong pincers. Finding one usually meant there were others nearby, as they have a colony mentality. With my senses at their fullest, I scanned the other rooms. Empty save for a couple more humanoid corpses, which probably were killed by the Chaurus as well. Each body again had a hastily written journal nearby that depicted the events preceding their demise. From one of the journals I found out that one of them had figured out it was Chauruses. That person had then gone to the basement to try to deal with the situation and locked the door behind himself, which explained the locked door I had encountered earlier. Given the noise I heard, I don’t think that person was successful in dealing with creatures. The journal mentioned a spare key in the urn above the fireplace.
A Chaurus... I hate these things.
With the key in my possession, I went back to the entrance where Lydia was stationed. Not knowing what to expect, I had her follow me into the basement. Even before we made our descent, I noticed a few armed bear traps. Seeing them in that state was unsettling, as it meant the situation had not been dealt with. We both readied weapons as we slowly made our way down the spiraling staircase. The scratching sounds grew louder the further we walked. We finally reached the bottom and froze in our footsteps. In the middle of the cellar stood three Chauruses around yet another body. Having been spotted, we had no other choice: It was going to be them or us. We couldn’t let those creatures kill any one else. As I charged towards them with all my might, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye: a tunnel leading out of the cellar that was full of Chaurus eggs. As my warhammer connected with one of the bugs, I knew this was only the beginning …
23 Posts in Total
I enjoyed the writing in this post. Good job. Now I want to play some more Skyrim!
I’ve been Skyrim-free since the beginning of December. It needs a several-GB update, and my internet plan doesn’t generally accomodate that kind of thing :'(
That was a well done mission. Very creepy and flowed nicely. Still think the Dark Brotherhood quest lines trumps everything else in the game. Nice write up!
I have no urge to play skyrim, as i think the story is to uninteresting. also, i dont like it to vernture alone in an rpg.
Great write up. Although there is a main quest line I find wandering about a much more rewarding experience. Its far more fun discovering the odd little sides quests than completing the main one
This is something I’ve been preaching a long time. Games, like movies, are a visual experience, and showing is better than telling. Anything you can accomplish with game play as opposed to dialogue is much better. And like a book, anything they leave up to your imagination will trump any explanation they can give you. Well written.