This game is still so much damn fun. Loaded up my save from a few weeks earlier today, and I found myself outside the gates of Windhelm. Always loved that city, with its ancient snow-covered stonework, but I've never actually bought the house there as I never support the Stormcloaks and by the time I can buy it by supporting the Imperials, it's already too late. A murderer had taken up residence inside the city walls, killing young women at random, and it was up to the Goddamn Dragonborn to stop him.
Now, 'Blood on the Ice' is a quest that can break in a multitude of ways. It's a great idea for a quest, but it's own that also showcases a lot of Skyrim's flaws. Thus, it can feel very mechanical. I discovered the killer's lair and ultimately ended up outside, in the freezing cold, at 11 PM, waiting for him to strike his next target.
My geography skills are a bit wonky, so I forgot where the stone quarter actually was. Instead, I hung out around the graveyard where his previous victim was found. True enough, after a short while I see a young woman strutting by... Closely followed by the killer, without a care in the world. He's literally two meters away from her at all times, but she's not bothered by it one bit. I end up trailing the unhappy couple for a few minutes until they reach the place where their scripts trigger, and I shove Dawnbreaker through the would-be killer's back before he can ensnare his next victim.
After that, I decide to leave Windhelm for a while and head back to Ivarstead and the Throat of the World. I hand Arngeir the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller and am finally anointed Dragonborn, learning the final word of Unrelenting Force in the process.
I decide to go exploring a bit in the wilds around Ivarstead, instead of following my next objective. I end up encountering a lowly dragon guarding a Word Wall on top of a ruined watchtower. It's an odd location, but from this high vantage point I notice some Nordic ruins in the distance. A rush of memories comes flooding back, so I head out to investigate.
I come upon Froki's Shack, talk to the old man and his grandson, and set up camp beside their house for the night. Their wood chopping block provides ample fuel for a big, comfortable fire, and the Goddamn Dragonborn can go to sleep feeling warm, well-nourished and safe.
That feeling ends quickly the next day. I wake up early, grab a bite of breakfast, and set off upon my merry path. As I climb higher and higher into the mountain pass, the cold winds start howling around me. I don my thick fur cloak to shield myself from the elements as I push on, further ahead. The Nordic Ruins I spotted the day before lie greet me around the next bend. The lid of a nearby sarcophagus pops open and a Hulking Draugr emerges. I've only seen these guys a few times, so I'm a bit taken aback. He deals a whallop of damage, but I can ultimately dispatch him rather easily. As I pull Dawnbreaker from his rotting corpse, it explodes into a shockwave of magical energy. Suddenly I noticed I got surrounded by Skeletons during the fighting. They turn around and flee, burning bright with the Turn Undead spell's effect. I send a few arrows after them with my trusty Imperial Bow, which I've carried with me since the start of the game. They take a few arrows to shatter, but ultimately each skeleton clatters to the ground in a pile of bones.
I now come upon the center of the mountain pass, as a half-forgotten name scrolls across the screen. 'ARCWIND POINT DISCOVERED'. I remember encountering this place for the first time, five years ago: in the dead of night, during a heavy blizzard, attacked by Draugr and a high-level dragon at the same time. My current situation couldn't be further removed from that predicament, as the dragon that awaits on top of the ruins is one of the weaker variet. It is easily vanquished with a few sword swings, even on Expert difficulty. At this point, I decide my character may be ready for Master difficulty and change the settings.
Big mistake.
I remember fighting a high-level Draugr at the heart of Arcwind point, so my disappointment is great when a mere Draugr Wight Lord pops out of the central sarcophagus. He gives me a tough fight, but nothing the Goddamn Dragonborn can't handle. I cast aside his body and absorb the knowledge recorded on a nearby Word Wall: the first word of Drain Vitality. That could come in handy later.
I cast my eyes upward, to the watchtower standing guard over the mountain pass. I evade the trap, gather the potions strewn on the table, and head outside through the back door. As I step over the threshold, I hear the familiar 'pop' of a sarcophagus lid being blown wide-open. With a start, I turn around, to see a hulking, horned figure emerging from the smoke.
It's a Draugr Death Overlord.
Now, I'm the Goddamn Dragonborn. I just vanquished a Dragon with a few swings of my sword. This punk-ass glorified skeleton will surely offer me no challenge whatsoever.
Those are the words going through my head as the Death Overlord swings his Nordic Sword at my head, throwing me back against the wall and killing me outright in one hit.
Reload.
I decide to play it smart for the next go round. This guy decided to make his lair on a mountaintop, and I just so happen to have an excellent tool in my arsenal to exploit that little fact. As the Death Overlord emerges from his slumber once more, I rush towards the edge of the mountain, kiting him towards me with a few arrows. My Imperial Bow does little more than sting him a little, but the enraged bonewalker still rushes towards me, slinging a Frost Breath shout my way that neatly takes off a quarter of my health. I hold my shield high, as its magical effect starts recharging my health. I've got only one shot to take this guy down: if he hits me, it's back to the last save again.
He swings. Time slows down. I drop my shield and step backwards, positioning myself so that the Draugr finds itself between me and the cliff edge. It stops and looks at me, almost as though it knows what I'm about to do. I let loose three simple words.
FUS. RO. DAH.
Thunder cracks through the air as the Death Overlord is catapulted away from me, hitting the mountainside below. His lifeless body disappears from view, taking his valuable loot with him. I do a little victory dance. Then, I'm hit in the back by an arrow.
The Draugr had friends, and they're pissed.
A couple of Wights are pelting arrows at me from a distance, doing quite a bit of damage in the process. My own bow and arrows are worthless, taking off but a sliver of their health with every hit. I ready Eidolon's Ward and Dawnbreaker again, and charge up the stairs. The first Wight gets thrown off the cliff, following his Overlord buddy. The second Wight meets Meridia's signature weapon in person. He, too, explodes in a blast of magical energy.
I reach the top of the tower. Wating for me is a book that upgrades a skill. A pretty lousy reward, all in all. At least, until I notice the dead body sitting next to the pillar. Clutched in his skeletal hand is a bow. A glass bow. As I take it and equip it, I notice a few red dots moving around on my compass. I turn around and see a group of four armored Skeletons scaling the stairs, eager to avenge their fallen Overlord.
I let loose four shots from the Glass Bow. Each finds its mark. Each slumps back down the stairs a few moments later. Content with today's progress, I head back down the mountain, to continue my quest - and find the Death Overlord's carcass, if I can.
That Overlord ends up having only a Nordic Sword and fifteen gold coins in his inventory. I decide to drag his corpse a bit further and throw him off the edge again. I'm not petty, but that guy deserved it.