Blue Ninja
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News and Updates:
- Dragonborn is coming. Get it December 4 on the Xbox Live Marketplace, for 1600 MSP.
Hearthfire is the second piece of downloadable content for Skyrim. It allows players to build houses, adopt children,
and protect their homestead from vicious giants and marauding bandits.
Hearthfire is now available for Xbox 360 and PC. It'll cost you 400 allards, 5 dollars, or nothing, if you get a free mod instead.
Dawnguard is the first piece of downloadable content for Skyrim. Players are introduced to Harkon, an ancient vampire
living off the coast of Skyrim. Harkon is opposed by the Dawnguard, an age-old group of warriors who seek to thwart the vampires
and avert their ultimate goal: the destruction of the sun. The player can side with either of these factions.
Features:
- Two new faction lines, working against eachother. Make your choice!
- Upgradeable player housing: Castle Volkihar and Fort Dawnguard
- A new realm of Oblivion to explore: The Soul Cairn, the realm of lost souls
- A new weapon type: the crossbow
- New weapons, craftable from the bones of slain dragons.
- New Dragon Shouts
- An undead mount to traverse Skyrim with
- New enemies (including legendary dragons) and new dungeons
- A transformation ability for vampire characters: the vampire lord
- Perk trees for vampires and werewolves
- The ability to change your character's appearance
Dawnguard is now available for the PC and the Xbox 360. It'll set you back 1600 allards, or 15 dollars.
- Notes on patch 1.8.
- Notes on patch 1.7.
- Notes on patch 1.6. This patch introduces mounted combat.
- Notes on patch 1.5. This patch introduces Kinect functionality to the 360 version.
- Notes on patch 1.4. This patch solves the issues the PS3 version has.
- Notes on patch 1.3.
- Notes on patch 1.2.
The Pocket Guide to the Empire: Fourth Edition
From the quills of the Imperial Geographical Society
It has been exactly 200 years since the previous edition of this Pocket Guide was released. Since then, many things
have changed: an Empire has fallen and been reborn, borders have been redrawn and wars have been fought. So far,
the Fourth Era has been a time of great turmoil. However, we at the Imperial Geographical Society are convinced
many conflicts can be avoided with some simple common sense and knowledge. After all, one who knows what the Green Pact
is won't be so eager to accept an invitation to a Bosmeri banquet! That is why, on the 200th anniversary of our previous
guide, we bring you this new, updated version. This is not a simple update, but a complete rewrite, to paint an accurate
picture of Tamriel as it is today. We hope this guide keeps you informed, and more importantly, safe.
Excerpt: On Tamriel
Tamriel. It is a name we all know and all take for granted. Yet our continent has had many names over the course of history:
the Arena; Starry Heart; Dawn’s Beauty. It has seen great unity and great strife. During the last years of the third era, in the
time leading up to the Oblivion crisis, the land was relatively peaceful. To be true, even then there was unrest between
the provinces, but the Elder Council handled their grievances while the Legion kept their more violent client states in line.
After the collapse of the Empire, however, unrest between the provinces increased. Black Marsh annexed part of Morrowind,
while the rest became an uninhabitable wasteland when Red Mountain erupted. The Thalmor seized control of the Summerset Isle
and Valenwood and resurrected the Aldmeri Dominion. The Great War bathed the land in blood and fear. Not even the Imperial City,
jewel of the Empire, was safe from the Aldmeri onslaught. Even now, after the White-Gold Concordat, peace is fragile.
Excerpt: On Skyrim
Skyrim has an abundance of two things: freezing cold and ancient history. Long ago, the rugged land was inhabited by ancient elves.
When humans first arrived in Tamriel from the northern continent of Atmora, they arived on Skyrim's frozen shores. There, they
came into contact with the Snow Elves. Despite their differences, the races were initially at peace with one another. As time went
on, however, the elves began to feel threatened by the ever increasing human population. In an event that later came to be known as
the Night of Tears, the elves attacked, nearly wiping out all humans in the process. Only King Ysgramor and his sons escaped
with their lives. They returned to Skyrim with a new Atmoran fleet and drove the elves away in a bloody war of conquest.
And so, Skyrim became the first human kingdom on the continent.
Today, Skyrim is the home of the descendants of those first humans to set foot on the continent: the Nords. It is a cold land,
but far from the frozen wasteland it’s sometimes made out to be: from the grassy tundra of Whiterun to the rocky badlands
of the Reach, Skyrim is a province with a diverse geography. The province is divided into nine Holds, each ruled by a Jarl.
Above the Jarls stands the High King, a Jarl elected to the highest seat of office by his peers. However, the land has been
leaderless since Ulfric Stormcloak - the Jarl of Windhelm - assassinated the High King using his gift of The Voice. The Stormcloak
Rebellion seeks to rid Skyrim of the Empire and, by killing Skyrim's ruler, has sparked a civil war.
The Stormcloaks and Imperials are not the only factions in Skyrim. The Blades, the ancient protectors of the Dragonborn Emperor,
have survived well into the fourth era, though greatly diminished in number. Skyrim’s mages have organized into the
College of Winterhold. The Companions offer swords and axes for hire. The Thieves Guild, hidden in plain sight, is always
looking for new ways to make the poor richer and the rich poorer. The Dark Brotherhood, shrouded in shadows, recruits
individuals with a knack for ending lives. And atop the Throat of the World, the highest mountain in Tamriel, reside
the enigmatic Greybeards, masters of the Voice.
Excerpt: On the Way of the Voice
A wise man once said that words are wind. The Nords of Skyrim interpret this quite literally. Every word they speak, every whisper
they utter, every shout they bellow: all are proof to the Nords of the existence of their goddess of wind and storm, Kyne.
In the Empire, Kyne is better known as blessed Kynareth of the Eight Divines. Worshippers of Kynareth have, long ago,
developed a form of magic that honors the godess with every use. Using the Voice, practitioners - often called Tongues - can form
a thu'um - a shout. Depending on the words used in the shout, a large variety of effects can be achieved: from sharpening
one's weapons to setting an enemy ablaze. Mastery of this craft comes with a great cost, however, as even talking in day-to-day
matters can potentially cause great destruction. For this reason, the most potent Tongues are often kept gagged to avoid any accidents.
Excerpt: On the races of Tamriel
The Empire's influence may have declined, but its multiculturalism has endured. Many races inhabit Tamriel. While each has their own
home province, small populations of each can be found throughout the entire continent. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life.