love this game. LOVE IT!
I hit Lv.11 and have only explored around the Whiterun section and met the Greybeards.
Doing pretty well. Only had one scare, but it was a BIG one.
There's a cave to the north-west of Whiterun (at least I think that's where it is), not that far from a Whiterun outpost. Ran into some creatures I've
never seen before, haven't seen since... and they all gave me a decent challenge.
Story time!
For those that don't want potential enemy spoilers (again, this was fairly early in my game- about 6 levels in), you might want to stop here.
....
I find this cave. I'm thinking it will be a bandit settlement or something and I'm on a roll exploring the area to the north & north-west of Whiterun. I don't plan to go far, since I need to inform the Jarl of the dragon attacks, but I figure a little experience and treasure here and there won't hurt.
Not long into the cave I see a figure in the dark that is moving differently from your usual bandit or skeleton.
Can't remember their names, but I'm instantly assaulted by these ugly goblin-like enemies. Some of them have some crazy armor that looks like it's been crafted by mud-crab shells or something. All of their weapons are pretty bizarre looking. They gave me and my hard-ass Nord woman companion (the one you can get in a brawl with in one of the Whiterun taverns) a hell of a time. They were strong and super-aggressive.
Anyway, so we push through, find some nice treasure, and get deeper down into the cave, fighting off small clusters of these freaky bastards. We run into a nest of some nasty insect creatures- like some kind of ant/beetle/spider hybrids that shoot venom and face-lunge at you. They rock the shit out of us. I retreat to a thin hallway and fight off the insects one by one, preventing them from surrounding me. I had like 32 minor-healing potions. After fighting them I had 5 left. It was a heroic stand.
Unfortunately, my tough-as-nails Nordic she-warrior was not as lucky.
I see my companion face-down in the muck, having been completely overwhelmed by these dark-dwelling horrors... dead. I say a few parting words, take her amazing armor, and move on with a heavy heart. I'm convinced her sacrifice probably allowed me to retreat into the narrow hallway so I could make my desperate stand (my mountainous Nord character, Vayuld the Berserk, has never run from a battle!!!!)
I continue on until I start hearing this loud mechanical/steam sound. Wat?
I come out of a twisting tunnel system to see a room with a high cave ceiling and machine equipment (pistons, gears, steam-pipes) all over. I'm quickly rushed by one of those goblin things, but this guy has different armor on and he's just hacking away at me.
As I'm fighting back, I see beyond my attacker's shoulder, in the darkness in the background, something HUGE moving in our direction.
My health is diminishing... and then I notice what appears to be some hulking
machine come into the light.
For the first time in his battle-worn existence, Vayuld the Berserk runs for his life.
And boy did he/I run. For whatever reason, the sight of this...
thing... was pants-wetting enough to inspire instant retreat. A few more hits and I will die in the same god-forsaken cave that my brave companion did. A tragic, cautionary tale for any future would-be adventurers.
I can see the goblin-thing's name (more detailed than the lackeys before him) still on the screen, I can hear it behind me. It was pursuing me with a mad bloodlust.
I don't fail taking any twist or turn. Fortunately, I make my way out of the cave flawlessly... and I hit the moonlight covered countryside running hard towards the outpost. I don't even look back.
Somewhere in that bizarre cavern a pissed off goblin-creature warlord and a massive mechanical monstrosity await my return, ready to finish the job.
...and I will return. One day.
