Nord Refugee Character Diary - Hrisskar III

AUTHOR'S NOTE: for the record, the way this fight went and the way it ended .. literally using my last arrow to survive .... THIS is why I love Skyrim and why I play the way I do .... I just can't describe how insanely epic this showdown was. Hopefully the way I wrote it conveys that just a wee bit, lol.

That necromancer usually kills me 3-4 times with his constant blizzard spells before I can take him out. So I can appreciate both the fact that you only took one attempt to get it right and that it came down to your last arrow (scavenged off of his corpse no less).

I am glad that you allow the character two quivers. Skyrim is a pain as a dedicated archer when limited to 30 or less arrows given the number of arrows required to bring something down.

I'm telling you, when that last arrow killed him (via the killcam animation no less), I got shivers. It was such a perfectly epic fight from start to finish. I nearly died several times just from the shades gang rushing me. And the necro hit me with one blizzard spell before I managed to paralyze him, and it nearly killed me too. I was at 14 health. Then I kill finally kill him and start to breath a sigh of exhausted relief and his shade appears and I'm like "WTF .. this isn't over??!?!" I thought for sure I was dead at that point. Full on panic mode, lol. And then I ran out of arrows and went into extreme panic mode. d;-)

The paralysis and lingering magicka damage potions saved my ass. Honestly, I'm still on a high today for how this fight went. Love this game.

~ 29th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I'm sitting on the edge of a river, half naked, eating raw salmon meat. The sun feels so good on my skin, which is cold from the water. The fish tastes amazing as well, although I suspect that's due to not having eaten anything in nearly a day. Drinking health potions for meals is not all that appealing.

This morning, after a quick nap just inside the temple, I headed down from the mountains and into the valley. I have a very special sword with me, that Meridia gifted to me. She seems to think I will have need of it one day, but I'm no swordsman. The sword is heavily enchanted, and simply beautiful to look upon. It's specialty is in dealing with the undead.


I've had to leave a few items behind in order to carry the sword, but I had no choice. I couldn't refuse the gift, and I can't just leave behind a weapon like this. I suppose I'll take it back to our cabin and lock it in my father's chest. Perhaps indeed one day I will need it.

~ 30th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

My stomach woke me this morning, even before the light was fully up. I managed to catch a fish and stave off the pangs of hunger, at least for now. I should be able to make it to our home by this evening. I'm going to need to eat again before then, though. I'm so hungry.

The light is coming now. Time to move.

~ 30th of Morning Star, 4E 228 ~

I'm home again .. and without incident. Although while crossing the plains I did spot two large spiders in the distance fighting each other. It's odd enough to see spiders on the plains, but stranger still that they were fighting each other. Perhaps there was some sort of sorcery involved. I didn't risk my neck to investigate, and instead gave them a wide berth.

Now my belly is finally full, and my back is joyous to be once again resting on my bedroll. This steady rain tonight is going to put me to sleep quite quickly.

~ 2nd of Sun's Dawn, 4E 228 ~

I can barely write these words. My heart is pounding. I have no breath in my lungs.

Just a bit ago, while hunting in the deep valley, I came across a nice bull elk. I was actually on my way out of the valley, hiking uphill at a brisk pace. After several days of hunting and only a fox and two wolves to show for it, I was growing frustrated at the lack of game in my usual haunts.

But there it was, standing tall and regal and seeming to have little care that I just stumbled out of the trees upon it. But the moment was short, and the elk quickly came to it's sense and took off. Normally I wouldn't give chase, for a number of reasons. One is that I've learned from experience that trying to chase down game and use your bow at the same time generally results in a fair number of lost arrows and lost game. Additionally, when I'm not catching my prey by surprise I'm not striking them with my arrows as well as I could, thus again using more arrows to accomplish the same end. And lastly, chasing after game is a good way to either get lost or run into something you didn't want to.

The latter of all of these reasons is what has me out of breath right now.

I took off after the elk, not really thinking about it and just acting on the fact I really wanted a successful hunt today. I chased the animal up the hillside for maybe thirty paces or so, and the quickly stopped and notched an arrow. It was at this moment, with my gaze fully focused on the fleeing elk, that an enormous bear charged into view from my left.

I froze. My heart stopped. My blood went icy. And for a split second I suppose I hoped that the bear would just continue to chase the elk. But it didn't. A second after I saw it charge into view, it saw me, and turned towards me to tear me apart.

I turned and started to run, fumbling with my bow and the arrow, trying to secure them while I plodded forward with clumsy steps. The hairs on my neck stood on end as I heard the thunder of the bear's paws behind me. There really isn't a sound quite like that. A sound that just puts absolute fear into your heart.

I sprinted up the hill, weaving in and around trees and boulders, trying anything I could think of to throw the bear off my tail. I tried desperately to remember the terrain around me, so I could use it to my advantage, but my mind was a fear-stricken blank. So I just ran ... and ran ..... and ran.

It wasn't until I ran completely out of breath that I realized I couldn't hear the bears paws pounding the ground behind me anymore. I tried to sprint a bit further, but I had no air left. I was gasping for it, my lungs burning.

Luckily it seems I lost the bear, and outran it. I truly escaped death today, by the swiftness of foot alone. My mother always said my quick feet would come in handy some day. Today was that day.

~ 6th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 228 ~

I've spent the past several days working my fingers to the bone preparing leather and fabricating armor and boots. I'd like to improve my leather-working abilities. The leather pieces I currently craft are decent quality, but I think I can do better. I'd also like to figure out how to make more of these dwarven arrows that I found. The metal is very curious and unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'm not really sure where to start with that yet, though.

Yesterday I was feeling adventurous. I set out in the gloom of a foggy morning to track and kill a sabre cat. Normally I would do everything in my power to avoid these dangrous predators, but I haven't had much luck with hunting deer and elk lately. A sabre cat could easily provide the leather of three or four elk. The trouble of course, is not getting killed.

The first challenge with hunting sabre cats is that they are difficult to spot in the grasses on the plains. But I happened to have seen one several times over the previous month or two. He made a habit of stalking in the grasses near the road that runs the border of the plains. No doubt the beast has killed a number of travelers by now, and was sure to be a formidable opponent. But I had a few advantages to help me out.

Most important of these was the element of surprise, and second was a poison I planned to tip my arrows with. So in the early morning hours, with my heart pounding inside my chest, I snuck through the misty air to the edge of a rock outcrop. And there below me I spotted the sabre cat, pacing back and forth.

I waited and watched for some time, to be sure I knew the cat's habits and to plan for my attack. And with significant hesitation I notched my first arrow. It was critical I hit my mark with the first arrow, both to achieve a damaging strike and to not waste a poisoned arrow and alert my prey.

My first arrow struck home.

The great cat stumbled and I didn't waste a moment, notching a second poisoned arrow and sending it through the air. This too found it's mark, and then the savage beast took off on a sprint and disappeared. I knew it had spotted me and that my position was compromised, but I waited for it, just as I had planned. It wasn't easy, and my nerves were put to the test as I heard it crashing through the brush towards me.

When it broke into view from the forest I had a third arrow ready, and this one also found the cat's hide. And an instant later I was over the edge and clamoring down the rocks toward the road below. The angry cat circled back around and was charging down the road at me just seconds later. But I had a fourth arrow ready, and this one caused the beast to stumble again, giving me just enough time to notch a fifth and final arrow.

The final arrow struck the sabre cat right through the eye, and it collapse in mid-sprint less than ten paces from me. I couldn't have been more relieved and elated at the same time.

As I cleaned the carcass I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. I had never taken down a sabre cat before. I'd never even attempted to. I wish I could have shared the story with my father that night over dinner.

~ 10th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 228 ~

Several more days of leather-working and gathering wood and bits of iron for arrow-making. And then this morning I woke up with a new ambition. I decided to head into the forest and try to kill a bear.

Perhaps killing the saber cat went to my head, or perhaps I'm just learning to challenge myself more … either way, I knew where to find a bear. I had been chased by it not that long ago while hunting elk.

I spent the morning carefully moving through the forest to find the beast. The last thing I wanted to do was run into it unexpectedly. So it was around midday when I heard the bear. The gruff sounds coming from it's throat made me freeze in my tracks and tighten my grip on my bow.

A few moments later I spotted it, walking along in a lazy and unconcerned manner. I, however, was plenty concerned. A sabre cat was deadly enough, but a bear was considerably more dangerous … and this one appeared to be a cave bear … still more dangerous.

I retreated back through the trees and spent the next several hours developing a plan of attack. It took four arrows, two of them poisoned, to bring down the sabre cat. I was assuming this bear would take double that, if not more. Certainly I couldn't afford a head on fight.

I eventually decided on a plan to strike the bear from a great distance, nearly a hundred paces as I estimated it. A bear is a large target, but with a hundred steps between you it's not such an easy shot. Following this attack I would retreat to some nearby rocks, and use them to keep the bear from confronting me directly … hopefully.

I had poison with me, but chose not to use it. Probably was not the smartest part of my plan. It took me a half dozen arrows to finally strike the bear from my concealed position, and it wasted no time in charging me. I turned to run to my next position and while trying to put my bow away I managed to stumble and lose precious time. By the time I reached the rocks I could hear the bear on my heels, and I panicked a bit. This panic caused me to mistime my jump onto the rocks, which led to me being exposed to a very nasty swipe from the bear's massive claws. Had I not been wearing my hide armor, I wouldn't be writing this right now.

As it was, the hide armor didn't offer that much protection either, and the pain from my wounds only caused me to panic more. I remember thinking what a stupid idea it had been for me to try and kill a bear … why not stick with elk?

Luckily my panic gave way to my will to survive, and I gathered my wits in an instant. I jumped to the side and narrowly avoided another deadly swipe from the angered bear. Then I jumped and made it on to the rocks. From there it was a cat and mouse game with the beast, using the rocks to keep it after me while taking care not to expose myself to another slashing.

All in all I used some thirty or so arrows today, most of which did not strike the bear of course. But in the end, the bear fell silent and I lived to tell the story.

Tomorrow I will have my work cut out for me preparing the giant hide from this massive animal. I will also need to tend to my wounds and replace my armor. This armor is pretty much beyond repair. Fortunately I've just recently made a brand new set.

~ 14th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 228 ~

I was attacked by a pack of wolves today while hiking up to gather wood for arrows. I never saw them or heard them. I just felt the sting of a bite and then heard the snarl of the others.

It's a good thing I had my brand new hide armor on. My old armor was so worn out it wouldn't have stopped a sheep's teeth. The new armor stood up to the test and I was only slightly wounded by the bite.

I certainly wasn't displeased to collect the three nice pelts from them. I'm continuing to test out my leather working abilities and samples aren't so easy to come by. I can't go out looking for bears and sabre cats every day.

~ 20th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 228 ~

I awoke this morning to the sight of an imperial soldier at the door of our house. He was rambling on about joining the legion and such nonsense. I quickly produced my bow and yelled at him to leave my land at once. He turned and ran and I set an arrow to the string and sent it just over his head as he ran away.

The poor fool probably thought I intended to frighten him. I simply missed in my haste.

The night before last I set up a camp in the plains to wait for game in the early morning hours. I had never attempted hunting in this manner, although I've heard that others do. It worked like a charm, though. By noon I had killed a deer and two elk.

It was a good day to hunt, although I have to admit that my newfound love for working with leather is coming at a price. It's just simply hard to get enough hides from day to day. I have a few items in my father's chest that I'm sure are of some value. I may take them into the nearby town and see if I can barter for some hides and leather.

I'll keep my mother's necklace and my father's precious stone, though.

~ 21st of Sun's Dawn, 4E 228 ~

It turns out my old dagger, the bracers I found in the cave, and the silver ring I found were only worth enough for a single wolf pelt. It almost felt like more work making the trek to Falkreath than to just go out and kill a wolf myself. Much more rewarding that way for sure, although I'll admit it was actually nice to be around other people for a bit.

Still, I need more leather, and the hunting in the mountains and by the lake and on the plains has been more and more scarce lately. I'm going to have to push farther out on my hunts it seems, and possibly do some overnight trips.

~ 22nd of Sun's Dawn, 4E 228 ~

While pushing far across the plains today I happened across a bandit. I didn't know she was such until I made the mistake of approaching her. I thought she was a fellow hunter, and I enjoy some conversation with those who live off the land as I do.

But no, this woman yelled at the sight of me and came after me with a large hammer. Luckily I am much more accustomed to navigating the rocky slopes, and I was able to keep her at bay while my bow took her life. She tumbled down the rocks and out of sight when the last arrow struck her in the face.

Nearby where I had originally seen her I came across another dead woman. This one was clearly not a bandit, though. I looked through her belongings, taking care to be respectful of her. I wasn't planning on taking anything of hers. Rather, I was hoping to gain some insight on what her story was. It turns out she had a note in her pocket that explained everything.

It seems these bandits ... there was another nearby that I would discover shortly after reading the note, already dead thankfully ... these bandits had taken a pendant of hers, a special necklace. I searched the other two bandits and found the necklace on the one I had killed. It's an enchanted necklace, blessed with some protection against lightning magic. I decided to keep the necklace. Hopefully I will be able to return it to fellow family member, if she has any remaining. It seems the bandits ransacked her home, and her note didn't indicate where that was.

Either way, I would assume she would be okay with me taking the necklace into my care, for exacting revenge on the bandit for her. I only wish I had arrived sooner, so I could have saved her life.

~ 23rd of Sun's Dawn, 4E 228 ~

What an incredible hunting trip this has been. The lands on the other side of the lone mountain were ripe with game. I'll be heading back to our home with four deer hides, 2 elk hides, a wolf pelt and a fox pelt.

The fox I managed to shoot through some tall grass. I spotted it but it disappeared into the grass before I could ready my bow. I had to estimate where it was in the grass, and my shot was dead on.

The last deer hide was a gift from the gods. It was late .. maybe an hour or so past sunset. I was hiking up the side of the lone mountain to make camp for the night, and just as I stopped to set camp I saw the shape of the deer in front of me. It was likely also bedding down for the night, and it was totally unaware of my presence. I was only maybe twenty paces away.

I crouched down and took my bow off my back, but then the deer spotted me. I quickly sent an arrow into it's hindquarters, and just as quickly sent a second with lesser power to finish the job. The last thing I wanted to be doing was trying to track a wounded deer in the dark.

It's around midnight now, and I've just finished cleaning this deer and I'm in desperate need of some sleep. It's been a long day, but a good one.

~ 1st of First Seed, 4E 228 ~

It's been a week or so since I've written. I've been gone on several hunting trips and just needed a break from writing. It helps me feel less alone. But every now and then it reminds me too much that I am alone.

I arrived back at our cabin yesterday after a three day hunting trip. It was a good trip, and I returned with several deer hides and some fox and wolf pelts. I also managed to down another bear, which cost me an archery potion, but was worth it for the experience and the large hide.

Last night as I was returning home I came across a fellow woodsman hunting a deer, and he was having a very difficult time killing the deer. I watched for a bit, and then decided to step in and help out. I didn't want to offend the hunter, but I had already watched him lose a half dozen or more arrows. My first arrow brought the deer down.

I retrieved my arrow and left the carcass for him to claim, but he was already running off in a different direction chasing a fox. I'm not sure if he left the deer for me, but I left it for him anyways.

Today I have my work cut out for me treating this hides and pelts. I expect it will talk all day today and most of tomorrow. Then I will experiment some more with fabricating the armor.

~ 3rd of First Seed, 4E 228 ~

In the mountains again. This is my third day out on this trip. I'm getting much better at leaving our home for several days at a time. I suppose that's a good thing.

The night before last, near where I found the woman whose pendant now hangs around my neck, I witness a beautiful fight. It was dark, and I had just finished skinning a deer and was looking for a suitable campsite. In the distance I spotted a flurry of fire and ice. Two mages, who I couldn't see, trading blows of the magical variety. I watched for some time, until suddenly they stopped. One of the mage's had succumbed. It was beautiful while it last, though.

Yesterday I discovered a cabin far up in the mountains. My full attention was on it as I approached. I was watching for any signs of trouble … and out of nowhere a deer comes running past me … right behind me. The sudden sound of it's hooves startled me, until I realized what it was.

I gave chase, missing with two arrows as we both ran across the high mountain plain. The doe ran into some trees and I followed, and was immediately confronted with the terrifying growl of a sabre cat. I began to backpedal, hoping the cat was focus on the deer. But it was not. Through the trees it sprang at me and I narrowly avoided it's claws and teeth.

Then I was off and running, scrambling down some rocks with the beast pursuing behind me. I managed to jump from a ledge and sprinted across another meadow before I turned to see if I was still in danger. I saw nothing behind me, but at that same moment I heard the deep growl of a bear. I spun in a circle … then again, but couldn't see it. So I ran in the direction that appeared to be the safest, and luckily it was.

Now, after a restless night's sleep I'm perched in the cliffs above the cabin, keeping an eye on it for the day. I only have about fifteen arrows left, so I need to be careful here. The owner of the cabin might be friendly, and might be someone useful for me to know for future trips out this way. The owner also might be a witch or a murderer or who knows what else.

I guess I'll find out soon enough.

~ 4th of First Seed, 4E 228 ~

After spending a full day watching the cabin I've decided to give it a pass for now. No one has come outside, but there is smoke rising from the chimney. The cabin looks harmless enough, but with less than a dozen arrows now I don't think it wise to go knocking on unknown doors.

I'll come past another time.

I did come across some other hunters early this morning. They were at a camp far up above the cabin. I was on my way to introduce myself when I saw a frost troll lumber into their camp and chase them out. I debated whether or not to help them out.

It haunts me now that I chose not to. I'm sure my father would have tried. He would have done something. But I had less than a dozen arrows, and trolls regenerate their health rather quickly. And this was a frost troll … notably more dangerous. And for all I knew the hunters could have been bandits.

Still. I know my father would have tried to help. I feel so pathetic in comparison sometimes.

~ 7th of First Seed, 4E 228 ~

Attacked by a fellow redguard today, near the road to Whiterun. I was minding my own business, looking for iron deposits for more arrowheads, and the demented villain rushed at me with a massive iron warhammer. I danced among the rocks, keeping just enough distance between us ... and filled him with arrows. Finally one of them forced him to his knees, but he was out of sight. So I quickly jumped up to a ledge and sidestepped while setting an arrow to the string. He rose just as I reached a better position, and I put the arrow through his spine .. ending him.

The dead man had some nice leather armor, imperial in style. I should try to make something similar for myself. I would have taken his but it clearly wouldn't have fit me. I also left his giant hammer and his gold. I have no use for either really. The same for his mead and ale. But he did have to potion flasks marked with the symbols for stamina regeneration. I took those.

I found some iron ore shortly after and had a pleasant walk home. Tomorrow I hike up the mountain for wood for arrows.

~ 10th of First Seed, 4E 228 ~

This is fairly exciting. I just bested my longest kill with my bow. I stepped it out carefully, to be sure. I knew it was a long shot. Eighty paces. And the target was moving.

I had spotted a wolf shortly before, while hunting for elk. It was a long shot but I was up for a challenge after several days of monotony making leather pieces and arrows. My first shot was dead on and dropped the wolf before it knew what had happened. Then I saw the second wolf. It came running out of the nearby bushes, snarling and looking for blood. I was still crouched, quite some distance away, so it never picked up my scent.

It started sauntering slowly back toward the bushes, and I decided to try and take it down. I set my arrow, lifted my bow ... lowered my aim a bit ... shifted to my right a bit to lead my target ... then let the arrow fly. Right through the heart. A perfect shot .. from eighty paces away while moving. That's something I'm sure my father would have been proud to see.

~ 10th of First Seed, 4E 228 ~

Incredible. I just came across two more wolves. As earlier, they were pretty far away, but I decided to test my skill. My only shot had me firing my arrow in between two boulders that were about ten paces away. The wolf was another sixty or so paces beyond that.

My first attempt was high. A bad shot ... but bad enough the wolf never noticed it. My second shot was perfect. And the second wolf came running to see what had happened to his companion. He ran right up to where the other wolf lay dead, and thinking quick on my feet I set another arrow .. shifted my aim a bit to the left, and sent another arrow flying between the boulders. Another perfect shot. I was elated.

I walked out the distance, just to check, and it was farther than I had estimated. Seventy-eight paces, nearly tying the record I had just set two hours ago. I wonder if I could hit something at a hundred paces ...