The Adventure Begins!

Foreword:

Herein lie the adventures of Ge'ek Outt; Nord Dragonpuncher.  On a dare for a friend's radio show (GeekOut! on CKUM 93.5 FM every Saturday from 7PM to 8:30PM in the Greater Moncton Area), I started a new character in Bethesda's Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, with the objective of getting through the first dungeon and beyond, while relying on my own two fists, and solely my own two fists; I was not allowed to use any other means of damage.  So no spells, no swords/axes/maces, no nothing.

At the start of the show, I entered Bleak Falls Barrow, the first dungeon in the main quest line (After the one from the tutorial, during the sacking of Helgen).  This was the initial challenge; getting through Bleak Falls Barrow by the end of the radio show (an hour and a half affair) and then defeating the Dragon that's triggered when you turn in the quest from said dungeon in Whitemane.

The challenge as it were was a success; not only did I manage to complete the dungeon, kill the dragon, and prove to the Jarl of Whitemane that I was indeed the Dragonpuncher, I had time to FUS a bunch of plates off the Jarl's sumptuous dining tables.  But more-so was that I had fun doing it.  So much, that I decided to keep playing ol' Ge'ek Outt (Traditional Fantasy Name) whenever the fancy struck me.

And so this blog is to catalog the stuff I do with him, and more-so the stuff I eat with him.  Delishus Cabbagez.



Bleak Falls Barrow.

Spider-sense; going haywire...

Upon entering the dungeon and dispatching two bandits lollygagging at the entrance of the barrow, it was a rapid descent through empty abandoned chambers... until this one.  Clearly inhabited.

Beleive it or not, NOT the biggest spider in the game.

Defeating that thing allowed me to 'rescue' Arvel the Swift.  By rescue I mean chase the theivin' bastard down, because he renegued on our deal:  If I save him, he'll give me the Golden Claw.  So I cut him loose and he bolts, taking advantage of the fact that I had just drank 2 minor health potions and eaten 4 potatoes to restore my health after battling that giant spider.  Elven bastard.

Not so swift now, are ya!?

My Golden Claw!  Mine!  Sucker could run, though.  Guess it wasn't just a silly made-up name.  Good thing he also died right next to the door I needed the Golden Claw for!  What could possibly be behind a door requiring a massive gold key in the shape of a dragon's talon?  Zombies.  Lots and lots of zombies.

Naptime of the Living Dead

See that tiny bit of red there?  That was my health.  Took every last health potion I had to survive the undead onslaught of Draugr (Dragon-worshipping variant on your normal zombie theme, also they're vikings.  So, scary in other words.)  At this point, all I had left was some raw rabbit meat (urk.) and 3 cabbages.  The dungeon itself was rife with Magicka potions, and Stamina potions, but not very helpful in Health potions.

Also they could've been sitting there for a long while, so the prospects of drinking spoiled potions and eating cave mold wasn't too promising.

Waterfalls: do not chase. stick to known estuaries.

After surviving (barely) the hall filled with Draugr, I was faced with my first true hard decision; jump down the waterall here, and continue forwards into the barrow, or remain up top where I could still exit the dungeon, and go for supplies.  Backtracking is for sissies, communists, and the mentally ill.  So after taking the plunge, I took a moment to look up and wave goodbye at my only salvation.  It was punch or be punched now.

Let sleeping Draugrs lie.

Winding down the waterfall chasm, I ended up in this pretty well-lit grotto; with a large dais decorated with an altar, carcophagus and treasure chest.  Oh and a very angry Draugr, intent on reclaiming the Dragon Claw.  Sorry buddy, finders keepsies losers weepsies.

Once the restless zombie was slain, I was allowed to exit the barrow with my quest item in tow: a dragonstone of various importance to the Jarl of Whitemane's court wizard.  However upon arrival and a "thank you" from the regent-lord, some fool runs in screamin' DRAGON!  DRAGOOOOON!  As you can guess, I was asked to deal with this new situation by the Jarl.  Well, I wasn't so muh as asked, as I was tasked to do it regardless of my willingness to go fight a dragon, considering that at the start of the game, I owed my life to the dragon who decided to make the little hamlet of Helgen its bitch, while my head was on the executioner's block.

But this was part of my challenge; I had to go.  I had my honor to uphold!  I had drove too and from the radio studio with minutes to spare to get an HDMI cable so I could actually to this, and damnit; I would not be denied!

So there lil Ge'ek Outt is, running across the open plains to the west tower outside of Whitemane, heading to go fight a dragon.  And this is where I died the first time.  EXACTLY when Siskoid goes "So where are you now?" and looks over at my screen, to see a nice 3rd person view of my flaming corpse drop like a ragdoll.

However, I had previously saved behind a large rock, and attempted the dragon fight again.  This was going to be hard, however, as I had only stocked up on cheese and bread, instead of health potions.  Ge'ek Outt is not the sharpest tool in the shed.

CSI: Skyrim

Oh hell yeah.  Take that, dragon!  Right in the kisser!  (Well, more like running around debris, and taking a few shots at the dragon's ass before he'd turn around and attempt to roast me with his all-consuming firebreath)  For my troubles, I got a handful of gold, and some neat swag in the form of dragon bones & dragon scales.  Heavy as all get-out, but worth to keep as they're indispensable as crafting materials later-on in the game.

Posin' for my adoring fans.

Dragonpuncher, buddy.  But I'll let it slide.  This time.  having previously learned FUS (Dragon-word for Force) in the barrow grotto after defeating Mr.-I-am-a-zombie-and-have-issues-with-letting-go-of-stuff-like-that-golden-claw, I was able to apply the freshly harvested Dragon Soul to learn my first Shout!  Unrelenting Force!  I tried it out on the dragon remains, but they remained immobile.  Guess I'm not strong enough yet.

I talk with my fists, and I haven't lost an argument yet.

Thanks Cap'n Obvious; that WAS shouting!  I am a Dragonborn; hell you saw the dragon's soul get sucked out of a dragon's corpse that I fistfought moments ago, and in a visibly showy display of lights and Ooh! Aah! jump into my noggin'.

This is where the first of possibly many of Ge'ek Outt's adventures end, as this was the end of the radio show.  Challenge: SUCCESS.  I'll be posting more of his going-ons as often as possible.

In the meantime, go visit Siskoid's Blog of Geekery, and go tell him what you think of Spider-Man or Batman or Dr.Who or whatever.  He has some interesting things there not-Skyrim related.