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    Acrylic

    Member
    Hopefully I'm not too late. The original Perk Calculator wasn't working for me so I provided a link to another one that I used. Other than that, I'm pretty sure that I have everything here. If I don't, just holler at me and I'll fix it as soon as possible. Anywho, here it is.

    _______________________________________
    axel alt-eisen
    The cost of knowledge is less than the price of ignorance.

    » NAME Axel Alt-Eisen
    » ALIAS - - -
    » AGE 20
    » BIRTH DATE 2nd of Sun's Height
    » BIRTH PLACE Riverwood, Skyrim
    » BIRTH SIGN The Lover
    » ORIGIN Redguard
    » CLASS Biochemist
    o Alchemists are those who create potions. They double as chemists and physicians, being knowledgeable about chemicals, medicine and anatomy. Most of the time, they aren't fighters and prefer to keep to their potions and their books. However, this isn't always the case. Some alchemists are VERY capable of fighting. Biochemists are alchemists that have taken their knowledge of science and alchemy one step further. Their constant studying, research and experimentation has led them to become educated about the biological makeup and processes of all of Tamriel's races and creatures. They then apply this knowledge to their alchemy and their combat style. Their potions and poisons have now reached a new level of potency. With potions that can heal the most grievous of injuries, elixirs that can boost one's fighting capabilities to extraordinary levels and poisons that wreck and destroy any poor soul who is unfortunate enough to be afflicted by them, the Biochemist truly shows that knowledge is power . . .
    » GENDER Male
    » HEIGHT 5'5
    » WEIGHT 130 pounds
    » LATERALITY Left-Handed
    » SEXUALITY Heterosexual
    » MARTIAL STATUS Single
    » HEALTH Well
    » AFFILIATION None
    » AFFLICTIONS None
    » RELIGION Eight Divines
    » PATRON DEITIES Mara and Kynareth


    personality

    » POSITIVE TRAITS Intelligent, humble, focused, mature, likable
    » NEGATIVE TRAITS Insecure, awkward, stiff, distant, anxious
    » LIKES Alchemy, books, crossbows, reading, sweet rolls, fresh fruit juice, dwemer technology
    » DISLIKES Swords, magic, arrogance, mead, smoke,politics, being underestimated
    » FEARS Argonians, khajiit, caves, getting lost, failure
    » ASPIRATIONS Become tamriel's greatest alchemist, manufacture the perfect crossbow, see the world, recreate dwemer technology, strengthen his mind, body and spirit
    » QUIRKS sweats profusely when scared

    Axel is a down-to-earth guy. He is practical and unpretentious and doesn’t put on airs to flaunt his abilities or possessions. It’s for this reason that Axel is a very easy person to talk to and befriend. You don’t need to impress him in any way in order for him to like you. All he asks is that you be yourself. Now, that goes without saying that he can’t stand arrogant, corrupt or evil folk. They don’t click well with him. Even so, he has the restraint to not outright lash out at them. In fact, it takes quite a bit for Axel to get angry. He doesn’t have a temper but once he does get angry or upset, it takes a bit of time for him to finally cool off.

    The kid has a good head on his shoulders. He’s intelligent and crafty and tends to pick up on things quickly. Not to say that he’s an absolute genius but he’s definitely smart by intellectual standards. Axel loves to learn and puts a great deal of time into refining and sharpening his mind. If he doesn’t have his nose buried in a book, he’s either glued to his alchemy lab concocting all sorts of elixirs and poisons or tethered to the nearest forge, working on perfecting his smithing and marksmanship. Axel does have obsessive tendencies, often so absorbed by what he’s doing that he forgets to do basic things like eat ( he’ll miss his lunch time by a few hours or so ). Plus, the Redguard male doesn’t really know what it means to relax or have “fun”. Fun to him isn’t hanging out with friends or having a good drink at the bar but rather stumbling upon a new type of potion or smithing a piece of ancient Dwarven weaponry. He’s stiff and a bit awkward around others. Axel has good manners and etiquette and that’s his saving grace whenever he interacts with someone else. He tries to use slang and talk about popular trends in order to come off as being cool and cultured. Sadly, he fails miserably at it. This leads him to become insecure about himself, sometimes doubting that he’ll ever be able to relate to others on a personal or friendly level. Even so, it’s hard not to like the boy’s dorky and likable nature.

    Although he’s naturally curious and wishes to explore and travel, Axel can’t help but be afraid of the unknown. Skyrim is a dangerous place, riddled with strife and adversity. One wrong move could easily spell your death. However, this hasn’t completely stopped Axel from pursuing his desire to travel. What it has done is made him apprehensive of traveling far without being completely confident in his ability to defend himself. After some rigorous training and self-coaxing, the lad has finally built up the courage and confidence to be able to travel the roads on his own if he needs to. He’d much rather ride a carriage or travel in a group than on his own.

    appearance


    » HAIR Black, short and curly, sometimes shaved bald
    » EYE COLOR Dark Brown
    » SKIN COLOR Dark Brown
    » BUILD Average
    » SCARS None

    » PHYSICAL — Being a Redguard, Axel has dark-brown skin. His eyes are the same color and are the easiest way of finding out how Axel is feeling. He may try to hide his true emotions in some cases but one good look in his eyes spells out the truth. In a way, people can read Axel like an open book. He doesn’t like admitting it though. Short, black hair covers the lad’s scalp. Usually, it’s kept in a low buzzcut. If Axel lets his hair grow it, it’ll grow out curly into a miniature afro. His facial features are roughly proportional with one another, save for his ears which are a bit large for his head. Standing at five foot five inches and weighing at one hundred thirty pounds, Axel is much shorter than other Redguard males his age. In fact, he’s just shorter than most people period. His stature isn’t much to boast about either. Now, Axel’s not a twig but he isn’t Hercules either. Average would be the best word to describe his physique. His chest, torso, arms and legs have slight amounts of muscle in them. Strength wise, Axel’s not a complete weakling but don’t expect him to swing around a greatsword or be able to battle in a suit of heavy armor. To make up for his short-comings in strength, other than his intelligence, Axel’s relatively quick and agile. He’s physically conditioned and can run for extended periods of time. The young adult’s physique tends to make others underestimate him. In some cases, that could be a deadly mistake for them.


    » ATTIRE [CASUAL] — Axel likes to wear simple clothing. Most of the time, he’ll cycle between a variety of colored, cotton long-sleeved shirts ranging from green, brown, red and orange and then wear a pair of black pants along with them. He tends to roll up his sleeves, just so that they won’t get in the way with what’s he doing. For footwear, Axel favors a pair of sturdy, black walking boots, ones that are able to be used on all terrains. Axel’s almost never seen without a pair of dwarven goggles perched on the top of his head. He usually doesn’t wear them over his eyes unless he’s working with volatile alchemy reagents or dealing with a smithing forge. You could say that they are the kid’s trade-mark accessory and he takes great pride in them. In his casual clothing, Axel typically doesn’t carry his crossbow and bolts with him. However, if need be, he’ll take them along with him while he goes about his daily business. You can never be too prepared, especially in a place like Skyrim.


    combat

    » FIGHTING STYLE – Axel possesses an interesting fighting style. While those who use ranged weapons tend to keep their distance and remain undetected by the enemy, Axel faces his opponents head-on. He has no problem fighting at long range but he’s equally comfortable with close-range combat. He wields his crossbow with a surprising proficiency, capable of using it at long range or close range and is even able to use it to block incoming attacks or as an improvised blunt weapon. Also, he uses his mastery of alchemy to heal injuries, boost his and his allies’ fighting ability with special potions and even to lace his crossbow bolts with absolutely deadly poisons. Axel also uses spell scrolls to cast spells despite his overwhelming incompetence in magic and mostly sticks to Alteration and Restoration scrolls. However, Axel’s most potent resource is his intelligence. He’ll try to outsmart you in whatever way possible and he’ll definitely keep you on your toes. Be careful about underestimating him for that could be a deadly mistake on your part.

    » PERKS[X]

    » SKILLS

    Master

    » Alchemy – Being the son of two proficient apothecaries and spellswords, Axel was introduced to alchemy when he was seven years old. His parents have taught him much of what he knows now but of course, Axel has learned and discovered things on his own. He’s a natural at alchemy and he has made an astounding amount of progress in the time that he has been practicing it. As soon as he hit twenty years old, he became a master alchemist and he can produce any elixir or poison out there. Of course, getting to this point wasn’t easy and Axel spends every day honing and refining his alchemy.

    Expert

    » Archery [Crossbows] – Due to having little to no experience in using one-handed and two-handed weapons and having no proficiency in any sort of magic at all, archery was the combat skill that Axel strove to perfect. He learned how to shoot a bow in his younger years and can use them alongside crossbows. However, Axel favors the crossbow over the bow. After using them so much, Axel can even use a crossbow at melee range, whether it be blocking a sword with the stock, using it as a blunt weapon or even shooting it at close range. Reloading the weapon isn’t a problem for him anymore as he’s able to place a bolt in the stock and cock the crossbow back without much effort, even if he’s in an awkward position.


    » Smithing – With his slight obsession of Dwemer technology, it was only a matter of time before Axel decided to take up blacksmithing. At first, his weapons and armor weren’t the greatest and it took quite a bit of time and discipline before he finally was able to produce battle-worthy weapons and armor. While he was learning alchemy, Axel frequently visited the local blacksmith in order to learn more about the trade. Axel can smith a wide range of weapons and armor and can improve upon and repair pieces of armaments. He eventually wishes to be able to smith himself the finest crossbow and armor possible but he knows that it’ll be plenty of years before that dream becomes a reality.

    Adept

    » Speech – Speechcraft is somewhat of an overlooked art not pursued by many. While Axel is no bard, his love of books has caused him to pick up plenty about communicating with others. Although he won’t be intimidating anyone any time soon, he is able to negotiate with others and can act as a mediator between two opposing parties. Plus, his friendly nature lead others to be more inclined to do what he asks. This is the reason why he has been able to get good deals from local merchants without going completely broke.

    » Heavy Armor – Having armor is great and all but it doesn’t do much if you don’t know how to use it. After enlisting the help of a potent Heavy Armor user ( and several back-breaking training sessions later ), Axel has gotten to the point where he is able to move effectively in heavy armor without hindering his movements. Also, he has learned how to take some heat off of incoming blows so that the armor absorbs more of the damage than himself.

    » Block – While melee weapons aren’t exactly Axel’s forte, that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know how to defend against attacks. He has gotten to the point where he can use his crossbow to block and deflect blows. Extensive training has allowed Axel to use his crossbow as an improvised blunt weapon and he’s capable of dealing crippling damage should his blows connect.

    Apprentice

    » Sneak – If you asked Axel what the key of sneaking was, he’d say “. . . Don’t get caught?” It’s a decent answer to say the least and Axel can be sneaky if he needs to. His smaller stature helps, making him a bit harder to spot and he knows how to move quietly and not make noise ( most of the time ). Don’t expect him to sneak through an entire bandit fort and take out every single bandit without being seen.

    Novice

    » Lockpicking and Pickpocketing – Axel’s no thief. He’s a lousy pickpocket and can’t be bothered fiddling with locks. For him to successfully pickpocket someone, they’d have to be completely unconscious with nobody else around them. Oh and if you want him to lockpick a chest or a door, just be ready for him to break plenty of your lockpicks.

    » One-Handed and Two-Handed– Close combat was never Axel’s forte. Despite constant efforts to improve his use of melee weaponry, he has barely got any better at using them. If he has to use a melee weapon, one-handed weapons are his best bet. Two-handed weapons are far too heavy and clunky for Axel to use. Plus, it’s almost comical watching him trying to swing a sword that’s bigger than he is.

    » Light Armor – Using light armor effectively requires both constant conditioning and dedication. While Axel is physically conditioned and could learn to use light armor if he wanted to, he instead chose heavy armor due to its better protection. To him, using light armor is too risky since it can't nearly protect as much as heavy armor.

    » All Magic Schools – Although both of his parents are mages, Axel has no proficiency in magic. His complete ineptitude with magic is viewed as a disability to some. This has caused Axel to become slightly jealous of mages or anyone who has talent in the magical arts. While he has still has no prowess or ability to learn and use magic, he hasn't let that dampen his confidence too much.

    » GEAR

    » Dwarven Crossbow and Bolts [Enhanced] [Steel and Elemental]
    A medium-sized crossbow smithed out of pure dwarven metal, the Dwarven Crossbow is a deadly weapon that allows the user to shoot various bolts at impressive speeds and frightening power. Ornate designs litter the crossbow’s stock and bow string mechanism. The crossbow’s firing mechanism is simple and it works on a self-cocking system where the user pulls back the lever in order to cock the crossbow back before loading in a bolt of their choice. Standard Dwarven crossbows sometimes have difficulty penetrating through heavy armor. However, with modifications done by a blacksmith with enough skill, the crossbow’s power and potency can be improved even further to the point where bolts launched by the crossbow can even punch through heavy armor. Axel created and improved this weapon himself and it is used as his primary weapon of choice. When he’s not using it, he keeps it on his back with a special sling that allows for easy storage and retrieval. He makes sure to keep plenty of crossbow bolts on him as well, ranging from steel bolts to elemental, exploding bolts. Listed below are the amounts of bolts that Axel typically has on him at a time.
    o Steel Bolt [50]
    o Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Fire [5]
    o Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Ice [5]
    o Exploding Dwarven Bolt of Shock [5]

    » Customized Ebony Armor
    Axel’s set of armor is just like any set of Ebony Armor save for a few modifications. Since ebony is an expensive ore, Axel took another approach to crafting Ebony Armor to compensate for its high cost. Instead of wearing full ebony mail, Axel instead wears a tough vest made out of ebony ore. Underneath, he wears a long-sleeved chainmail shirt. The sleeves stop at the middle of his forearms. Other than that, the leggings, gloves and boots are just like any other piece of ebony armor. Axel doesn't wear a helmet, instead preferring to keep his Dwemer goggles on his head. While this set of armor isn't as protective as standard Ebony armor, it does allow for more mobility whilst still being able to effectively protect Axel from all sorts of weaponry and blows.
    » Potions [Assorted]
    Axel carries a variety of potions and poisons on him. Being a master alchemist, his potions and poisons are extremely potent. His potions range from healing potions to boosting potions while his poisons vary in effect and intensity. Typically, the more potent a potion or poison is, the fewer he has of it. Listed below are the amounts of potions and poisons Axel usually has with him at a time.
    o Healing Potions [5]
    o Fortifying Potions [3]
    o Poisons [3]

    » Spell Scrolls [Assorted]
    In order to circumvent his inability to use magic, Axel uses spell scrolls in order to cast spells during battle. Spell scrolls can be used by anyone no matter how skilled or unskilled they are in magic and thus they are an invaluable tool to use during combat situations. Plus, they fit exceptionally well with Axel’s usage of potions. The only types of scrolls that Axel carries are Alteration and Restoration scrolls. Destruction, Conjuration and Illusion scrolls are far too volatile for Axel to use, mostly due to him not having the ability to effectively control the magical energy in his grasp. Axel uses his Alteration Scrolls in order to bolster his defenses while he uses his Restoration scrolls to heal injuries quickly, usually whenever he doesn’t have time to use a healing potion on himself or an ally. These scrolls are small and easy to carry. Listed below are the amounts of scrolls that Axel typically has on him at a time.
    o Ironflesh [2]
    o Ebonyflesh [1]
    o Heal Other [2]
    o Grand Healing [1]


    relations
    » The Order [NEUTRAL] – Being the secretive organization they are, Axel has only heard rumors of their existence. In his eyes, they sound like glorified assassins. He doesn’t know if they are a group that truly strives to protect Tamriel’s people or if they have something else in mind. As of now, he doesn’t pay much attention to them though that much can change whenever he finds out more about them.

    » Thalmor [ENEMIES] – Axel has a sharp dislike for the Thalmor. They seek to rule all of Tamriel under a single government where elves hold all positions of power. They are elven supremacists who do nothing more than oppress and harass those who are not of Altmer blood. Plus, they claimed false responsibility for closing the Oblivion Gates when it was truly Martin Septim who sacrificed himself to close the gates and ultimately save the world. In all, Axel believes the Thalmor to be the true threat to Skyrim and wishes that both the Imperials and the Stormcloaks would combine their efforts to stop them instead of fighting each other. Other than that, Axel just tries to avoid dealing with the Thalmor whenever possible. Although he does not worship Talos, he still feels that the Thalmor’s presence doesn’t do anyone any sort of good.

    » Imperial Legion [LIKES] – Honestly, Axel tries to avoid taking sides in terms of the Civil War. However, he sides more with the Imperials than the Stormcloaks. Most of the distaste for the Empire comes from their peace treaty with the Thalmor. However, that very peace treaty is one of the only things that is stopping the Thalmor from overtaking Skyrim. Plus, even Imperials themselves know that the Thalmor are the true evil and not the Stormcloaks. Axel hopes that the conflict between the two opposing forces can be resolved with something other than violence and that both sides combine their efforts into taking down the Thalmor.

    » Stormcloaks [DISLIKES] – Being a Redguard, Axel has faced his fair share of racial discrimination from Stormcloak supporters. Even so, he knows that not all of them are xenophobic and heated racists. Some genuinely care for Skyrim’s well-being and her people, regardless of race. Axel doesn’t necessarily hate the Stormcloaks but he doesn’t support them either. Again, he believes that the Stormcloaks should work together with the Imperials in order to eliminate the Thalmor from Tamriel.

    » Falmer [NEUTRAL] – It is sad how the Falmer came to be. The Dwemer were responsible for their enslavement and their grotesque transformation into the blind beasts they are known as today. Though Axel is extremely interested in the Dwemer’s technology, he can’t help but think that they were terrible for what they did to the Falmer. It’s a definite tragedy and Axel only hopes something can be done before the Falmer take to more drastic measures in their plan for complete domination of the surface world.

    » Forsworn [DISLIKES] – After educating himself about the Markarth Incident, Axel has slightly changed his opinion about the Forsworn. Before, he viewed them as a group of bloodthirsty savages but now, he sees the reasoning behind their constant attacks against the people of the Reach. Still, he wishes that they could find a much more peaceful alternative to settling their differences with the local Nords. Axel still does his best to avoid dealing with them altogether though.

    » The Thieves Guild [DISLIKES] – To be blunt, Axel doesn’t like the Thieves’ Guild one bit. They are nothing more than heartless, greedy thugs and they are the main reason why Riften is such a corrupt and dangerous place. He understands that some people have to resort to stealing in order to stay alive. However, those who do it out of greed and malice are rabble. The problem with the Thieves Guild is that the amount of influence they have and rooting out their power will be extremely difficult. Still, it’s not like Axel wouldn’t at least try to stop them.

    » The Companions [LIKES] – Axel respects the Companions. They are a close-knit family with good intentions despite their public image being a group of savage brutes. Of course, Axel isn’t aware of the organization’s well-guarded secrets. He has actually expressed an interest of joining the Companions. However, he has been hesitant to try and join due to fear of rejection.

    » Mages College [NEUTRAL] – Having been blamed by many for the cause of the Great Collapse, it’s not surprising that a majority of Skyrim’s residents are skeptical of the College and of mages in general. Axel isn’t entirely sure if the College is to blame for Winterhold’s past destruction however he doesn’t hold any sort of hatred for the College or its mages.

    » The Dark Brotherhood [DISLIKES] – Axel doesn’t know too much about the Dark Brotherhood, other than the fact that they are a shadowy group of assassins who carry out a countless amount of assassination contracts. They are merciless, twisted killers who take joy froAxel has absolutely no interest in joining them whatsoever. He tends to avoid anything that remotely deals with the Dark Brotherhood. After all, he doesn’t want trained assassins sent after him.




    history


    Axel was born on the 2nd of Sun’s Height in Riverwood. Being the son of two proficient spell-swords and apothecaries, it seemed only a matter of time before Axel would take up his parents’ art. However, that would soon prove not to be the case. Riverwood was quiet and peaceful enough, a suitable place to raise a child. Like any other kid, Axel had few worries in the world, aside from wondering if he would get his favorite sweet roll every day. His parents decided to introduce him to alchemy at a young age, both of them being town apothecaries. They cared for Riverwood’s inhabitants and would often travel in order to treat those who were in need but could not make the journey to visit them. At first, they taught their son some of the basics and left it at that. However, they soon came to found out that their son was picking up new concepts extremely quickly. He was even going so far as to discover new alchemy recipes on his own and modifying existing recipes in order to make them that much more effective. While his parents saw this as amazing, Axel remained humble. In his eyes, anybody could do it, all they needed was dedication and determination. Axel wasn’t too much of the social type, instead wanting to solely keep to his books and potions. He’d play with the other kids from time to time but if he had a choice, he kept to himself.

    Once he turned twelve, Axel’s parents decided to introduce him to weaponry and magic. With Skyrim being as dangerous as it was, it was never too early to teach someone how to defend themselves. Since both of Axel’s parents were spellswords, the two of them wanted Axel to take up their fighting style as well. However, they were met with a surprise. Axel was absolutely horrible with melee weapons and he had no sort of talent with magic whatsoever. This soon raised a question. Was their son’s only saving grace was his brilliant mind? Of course, they didn’t treat Axel any different. They loved him, no matter who he was. However, Axel’s morale took a big blow. He couldn’t help but be a bit distraught, knowing that the other children were already showing promise with their skills.

    Still, Axel wouldn’t give up just yet. There was still one other thing that his parents haven’t showed him yet.

    Archery.

    After snatching his mother’s bow and arrows, the lad hurried out to the edge of Riverwood’s outskirts. There, he tried to embed an arrow in a tree though he really didn’t have much of an idea for proper bow techniques. The most what he was going off of was how his mother shot arrows. It couldn’t have been that much different, could it? Of course, it only took a matter of moments for Axel’s mother to find her son fiddling with her bow and arrow. Amused, she showed him the minimal basics, only to see that their child was able to stick an arrow into a nearby tree on the first shot.

    Maybe he was a fighter after all.

    After two years, Axel had become an expert alchemist and was able to use a bow with surprising proficiency. Still, his skill with bows wasn’t exactly up to par with other archers. While he was still young at the age of fourteen, Axel strove to refine his archery to the point where it’ll be at the level of his alchemy. Considering his expertise with potions, that much was a lofty goal. That had to be something that he could do though. Then, Axel remembered something. He remembered reading a very peculiar book, one that focused on Dwemer technology. Supposedly, the Dwemer were the ones who created the crossbow, a bow mounted on a stock that shot crossbow bolts. The crossbow was able to shoot with startling power, enough to where it could actually penetrate through light and heavy armor. Plus, it was much easier to operate than a bow. Even though it shot slower than a bow, Axel was extremely interested in finding out more about crossbows as well as the technology that the Dwemer created and utilized. As such, Axel decided to take up blacksmithing so that he would be able to manufacture brilliant pieces of weaponry and armor on his own. He saw it like alchemy except he was dealing with metals instead of alchemy reagents. Axel’s father was a respectable blacksmith. After hearing his son’s sudden interest in blacksmithing, he decided to show him the ropes by taking him frequently to the town’s forge. It would seem as though it’d only be a matter of time before Axel would become a skilled smith as well.

    On Axel’s twentieth birthday, Axel’s persistent studying and practice allowed him to become a master alchemist. There was almost no potion he couldn’t brew and he could take the most common ingredients and brew them into a potent elixir. Also, he had learned how to smith and create a variety of weapons and armor and was even able to craft a crossbow based on Dwemer designs. Still, Axel wished to accomplish more.

    He hadn’t traveled much at all.

    The furthest he had been from home was going to Whiterun to run errands for his parents. Other than that, he was only able to envision what the other parts of Skyrim looked like from the mountains of books he had read. There was so much more to learn and to see other than the small and remote village of Riverwood. However, there was still much more danger and strife outside the humble village as well. Axel knew that he could get mauled by beasts, mobbed and robbed by bandits and ultimately perish out in the unforgiving wilderness.

    . . . But to Axel, it was worth the risk.


    sample
    He was finally breaking away.​
    It had only been a few minutes since Axel had left Riverwood. Axel stood quietly at its outskirts, deep brown eyes fixated on the quiet, river-side community. “. . . I guess this is good-bye for now,” he mumbled, hand rising to adjust the peculiar pair of Dwemer goggles that rested on his head. With a quick pivot, the twenty year old continued down the stone-laden path. Whiterun was going to be Axel’s first stop, knowing that he would have a chance to relax and plan his next destination there. Fiddling through his belt pouch, the Redguard male pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. It was a detailed map of Skyrim, complete with Hold locations and boundaries, settlement and town locations as well as any other points of interest that was worth mentioning. Getting lost was one of Axel’s greatest fears and he was sure to take any precautions necessary to prevent that from happening. At the very least, Axel knew where each of the nine Holds was. Plus, he had a faint idea where each of the minor settlements was located. The first one that came to mind was Rorikstead. It stood at the border of Whiterun Hold, barely breaching into the Reach. It was a relatively small community, just like Riverwood and nothing much was there besides farmland, Rorik’s Manor and the Frostfruit Inn. Still, it was worth visiting just for the sake of sight-seeing. With his eyes still glued onto the map clasped in his hands, Axel scarcely noticed the two men steadily approaching him. “You. Redguard,” one said, voice gruff. Immediately, the twenty year old froze in his tracks. His head shot up, eyes drifting upward to lock eyes with the two strangers. They were both adults, possibly in their late twenties or early thirties. Both were well over six feet tall and had fair, blonde hair, traits that were typical amongst the Nord people. Their attire was almost instantly recognizable, none other than the standard issue blue-sashed cuirasses that belonged to the Stormcloak rebels. “What are you doing out here? You know that we Nords don’t appreciate your kind on our land.” Axel lifted his eyebrows, growing increasingly uneasy. “I’m heading to Whiterun to pick up some things,” he explained. Although Axel was telling the truth, the two Nords weren’t satisfied with his answer.​
    “I don’t think you understand, Redguard.” The stockier of the two Nords grasped the handle of the steel battle-axe strapped across his back. “I have half a mind to cut you down right now but luckily, I’m a sensible guy . . .” He chuckled. “My pockets are awfully light. Perhaps a bit of coin will help. Or better yet, that fine weapon you got there.” The brute’s blue eyes zeroed in on the lad’s Dwarven crossbow. His accomplice whistled. “Ay, now that’s somethin’ ya don’t see every day. That’s what they call a . . . crossbow right?” The axe-wielding Stormcloak nodded. Crossbows were an uncommon weapon. Bows were vastly more popular and there was a certain stigma about crossbows not being nearly as versatile as bows. Clearly, the two Stormcloaks weren’t too worried about Axel defending himself. The dark-skinned male twisted his lips in apprehension. His hands tensed, curling into half-clenched fists. Anger and frustration boiled within his core though he did his best to mask his true emotions. “I’m not giving you anything,” Axel stated firmly. “I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. All I want to do is go to Whiterun. I’m not sure what you’re saying that my kind isn’t allowed on Skyrim but frankly, I believe you don’t have any authority to say who is allowed to be here and who isn’t.”
    That sent the Nords over the edge.​
    Brow furrowing, the axe-wielding soldier brandished his weapon. The massive battle-axe’s sharpened edges gleamed in the afternoon sun. With an enraged scream, the fair-haired Nord charged towards the young Redguard. His grip tightened around the battle-axe’s handle and with surprising strength, the brute swung the two-handed weapon straight towards his newfound enemy. He aimed to practically cleave Axel in two, starting from his left shoulder down to his right hip. It was difficult enough for Axel to react, given the nearly negligible distance that separated him from his two attackers. The axe’s head screamed towards him, eager to taste his blood. With a sharp back-step, Axel managed to barely avoid being split in half like a block of fresh firewood. However, he wasn’t able to fully escape the battle-axe’s monstrous age. Its edge managed to knick his right arm, cutting through his undershirt and drawing noticeable blood. Axel yelped in sheer pain. He stumbled backwards, stopping to glance in mild horror at the fresh gash on his right forearm. White-hot pain shot through his arm. Gritting his teeth, Axel pressed his left hand against the laceration in order to control the bleeding. Dark-brown eyes rose to stare hard at the sneering warrior. “So, this is how it’s going to be huh?” Axel muttered. His blood-covered left hand unlatched the sleek, Dwarven crossbow from its sling. With a smooth movement, the lad brought the weapon into his grasp. “Ah, now that’s more like it! I wouldn’t want slaughtering you to be too easy now!” the Stormcloak soldier yapped, voice dripping with arrogance and blind confidence. His leather boots dug into the ground, creating light furrows. Suddenly, he lurched forward again.​
    The seasoned battler raised his battle-axe high over his head, this time aiming to plant a fatal strike right on top of the alchemist’s skull. Initially, Axel didn’t move. He remained still, eyes wholly fixated onto his brute of an opponent. As soon as the berserker reared his weapon back, the dark-skinned male quickly stepped into the Nord’s guard. He twisted his crossbow sideways before driving the tip of its stock straight into the thug’s chest. Spit and hot air flew from the Bone-Breaker’s mouth. Shock gripped his body and he could only watch as the short Redguard loaded a steel bolt into his Dwarven crossbow with frightening speed. It was like clockwork and looked utterly effortless on Axel’s part. Then, the boy rose the crossbow upwards, aiming to drill a bolt into the Stormcloak’s chest at point-blank range. The Nord widened his eyes. What kind of archery was this? He was so used to archers keeping their distance, not openly engaging in close combat! Just as the twenty year old’s hand clamped down on the crossbow’s trigger, the axe-toting blonde managed to dip his chest downward. Instead of the crossbow bolt striking his chest, it dug into his shoulder. It managed to bypass the Bone-Breaker’s tough cuirass before digging into the soft flesh below. The rebel yowled in pain. He recoiled, hand reaching upward to tenderly grasp the bolt that was firmly in him. “Y-You little rat!” the Nord spat. His accomplice stared in disbelief, utterly surprised at the boy’s combat ability. “I didn’t think I’d have to help you out but . . .” Shrugging his shoulders, the second Stormcloak pulled out his steel sword from its scabbard. With a solid steel shield in his left hand, he looked to be the type that preferred one-handed weapons over two-handed ones. It made for a good partnership between the two Stormcloaks. Axel quickly slipped another steel bolt into the crossbow’s grove before cranking the catch back. He pointed the golden, ornate weapon at the enraged duo. Uncertainty welled in his eyes. His right arm still hurt like hell and the bleeding hadn’t exactly stopped. If he didn’t tend to his wound soon, he would bleed out. Granted, he had extremely potent healing potions on him but there was no way that the two rebels were going to let him tend to his wounds so easily. Axel furrowed his brow.​
    This was going to be difficult.​
     

    Therin

    Active Member
    I've been wondering if we should implement a timer on this RP. Granted, it seems this week wasn't the greatest for people to contribute, but three weeks into this RP and we're still on the first day. Would it be feasible to institute a new rule: a day "in-story" will go by every week "in real time"? That way it will push the story along a little bit faster. Does anyone think this is a good idea?
     
    I've been wondering if we should implement a timer on this RP. Granted, it seems this week wasn't the greatest for people to contribute, but three weeks into this RP and we're still on the first day. Would it be feasible to institute a new rule: a day "in-story" will go by every week "in real time"? That way it will push the story along a little bit faster. Does anyone think this is a good idea?
    I agree. And it would help if we could somehow bring some of the characters together so we have stuff to do. Any thoughts on that?
     

    Therin

    Active Member
    My thoughts are: we don't need to be together in order to do stuff. :) Thieves and assassins, by their nature, are generally autonomous in their endeavors. Sure, they may occasionally partner up with one or two for a big job (or group up for a very big job), but for the most part I don't see us all together as a Fellowship adventuring around Skyrim. Maybe Kat does, and maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I see it.

    For instance, my character is in Markarth, and I'm leading up to do an actual Markarth side quest from the game (going off script halfway through, because this particular quest is pretty linear in the game, and my character would never do the scripted ending, so I'm changing it). It gives me a bit of a chance to further develop my character off the character card, and it gives you all a chance to get more familiar with him, so when we do meet up you can feel free to write about him. I think we have a group of some talented writers here, and I'd love to see what every can do on their own a bit before mixing things up by coming together.

    That kind of brings me to my other point. I think my biggest pet peeve in RPs (other than grammar and spelling) is that people are so afraid to write about other people's characters, and so they chop their posts into one or two sentences and alternate back and forth. For instance, a common fight scene between two established characters would look like:

    My character is mad and unsheathes his weapon!

    *****Wait a couple hours*****

    My character unsheathes her weapon and swings it at your character.

    *****Wait a couple hours*****

    My character parries your attack and trips.

    *****Wait a day*****

    My character laughs and spits on you.

    So, not only does this brief moment in story time take forever to actually complete in real time, but I don't find it to be all that interesting. And often, both authors don't get a chance to really flex their writing muscles and write something that is truly worthy of their efforts.

    My philosophy is thus: get a chance to know a bit about Therin while he's on his own. That way, when we do come across each other, you can write Therin's actions and put words in his mouth that you know he would do or say, and you can write a better post using both of our characters. (And if you're unsure if he would do something or say something, you can always PM the other person with your post, and they can give you the thumbs up or suggest a small change to make it stay true to their character.)

    Now, I haven't really seen this in action in any RPs on this site; I think people are too afraid of offending someone by putting words in their character's mouth. But as long as we're mature and reasonable people (and so far, I haven't seen any evidence to the contrary), I think we can do this.

    Anyway, back to your original question about being able to do something. Send Kat a PM, or just post it here, and say, "Hey, Kat, give my character a caravan to rob, or a bandits to kill, or a Thieves Guild quest to perform." I'm sure he'd love the opportunity to put you somewhere where your character can have some fun. And, if he disappears for a few days, then pick a minor side quest and do it yourself.

    :)
     

    Wolfbane

    Why change the past when you can own this day?
    I agree. It feels wierd to be on day one when a couple weeks realtime has passed. what do you mean by write about each other's characters? As in what our character thinks about them? As for fight scenes I think if we would have a fight scene, the people fighting could figure out the person who types the scene out and just discuss the fight scene between each other in a PM. We could do some really cool things with these ideas.
     
    THERIN.

    You are a super awesome person.

    There aren't a lot of people I've RP'd with who I could trust to make decisions for my characters, but it sounds like you have a handle on how to do stuff like that. I'd love to do more stuff and control NPCs, but I don't wanna step on Kat's toes either.

    EDIT: Hey, Acrylic! Kat is in charge of this thread, so he'll get back to you as soon as he can. I just didn't want you to think you were being ignored. :)
     

    Therin

    Active Member
    what do you mean by write about each other's characters? As in what our character thinks about them?

    In my second post, Therin talks to Cedran, the stablekeeper; the Markarth city guard; and--while not specified--its hinted that he talks to various patrons in the Silver Blood Inn before he goes to bed. I didn't write those conversations because they were particularly interesting (I really don't think they were), but I wanted to convey to the reader that Therin is not your typical, silent, brooding, antisocial assassin. He likes to talk to people, and get information from them. So, if your character and Therin ever come across each other, you know that Therin would ask your character questions to learn about them. That means you don't have to wait for me to post half the conversation, you can write the whole thing yourself and put words in Therin's mouth. As long as you stay true to my character, I don't mind. (In fact, I'd prefer it.)

    I'd love to do more stuff and cpntrol NPCs, but I don't wanna step on Kat's toes either.

    Kat's only caveat was not to voice major NPCs. I have Vorstag propelling a bit of Therin's story, because my character doesn't have to be in the spotlight the whole time. And who the hell is Vorstag? Some mercenary? I can't see Kat minding that I'm using him to fill in my own story. You can do the same with yours.

    And, thanks for the ego boost. :) I'm looking forward to writing with this group of people.
     

    Rextoret

    top kek
    THERIN.

    You are a super awesome person.

    There aren't a lot of people I've RP'd with who I could trust to make decisions for my characters, but it sounds like you have a handle on how to do stuff like that. I'd love to do more stuff and control NPCs, but I don't wanna step on Kat's toes either.

    EDIT: Hey, Acrylic! Kat is in charge of this thread, so he'll get back to you as soon as he can. I just didn't want you to think you were being ignored. :)

    Acyrlic and I were the first members, if I'm correct. He knows that Kat is the leader. ;)
     

    Netherworld

    H. P. Lovecraft is my bitch.
    mm, the thing with writing bits for the other characters is kinda risky, but provided that we're gonna be writing a lot of action alone for most of the time, we'll probably know enough about each other's characters by the time they meet.

    the only question I have, tho, is this; kat has posted current situations in most of the starting places you guys have chosen, but not mine. anyone have any idea about why? and if he'll be angry or anything if I just make it up? because I really don't want to wait at the side for him to show up..I'm really excited about joining in on this RP, so it's kind of annoying.

    any suggestions, anyone? :)
     
    I would PM him. He's gonna want to do an intro before you post, and he may be giving a few other people just a bit more time in case they want to stay involved.
     

    Katastrophe

    King of Tales
    Acrylic - Looks good, as always. You're starting in Riverwood, correct? Or did I miss something?

    I also want to apologize to everyone, especially Netherworld, for my absence. To give everyone the low down... I got sick a few days ago. Just horrible stomach pains. Tried to go to work, felt like I was going to puke, and only stayed about an hour and a half before I said "You're just paying me to hover around the toilet, I'm gonna go home." During this time, my assistant manager was mocking me being in pain - something I didn't appreciate. This being the same man who once told a cashier, when she had to pick her asthma-attacking having son up from school, that her son should 'Just suck it up.' I approached my manager about this, since he said he would look into the assistant's attitude, and he just said "It's fine." I made a post on Facebook saying that I thought it was a crock of plops and how thankful I was the weather is improving so I can be more proactive in my hunt for a new job. I later got a text message from a coworker of a post the manager had made on Facebook (and then later deleted) in which he called me (by name) a variety of insults and other very... inappropriate things to say. This prompted me to scramble and get as much evidence as possible before it was taken down and now we've approached this sort of... employment cold war.

    I also got the shading on my half sleeve done a few days ago and that pretty much made me not want to move my arm at all.




    Also, on the subject of time, I do agree that it should move faster but I fear that if we do that, people would end up getting left behind and coming back to find their character miles away from where they last left them.
     

    Katastrophe

    King of Tales
    In the interest of time, I'm going to make a post for....
    Rex, Helium, Nether and Ardin now.

    Therin, I'm somewhat confused by your post. Are you implying that he sees evidence to suggest suicide?

    And I'll wait to get a definitive answer about the starting location from Acrlyic.
     

    Netherworld

    H. P. Lovecraft is my bitch.
    No biggie, just making sure everything is okay. :)

    Mmyeah, I wish I could offer some encouraging words, but frankly, there's always someone somewhere acting like a jerk. as for the asthma thing, I'd probably have whacked the guy if I were there; I know all too well how an attack feels like.x)

    regarding the time, I've no qualms with proceeding at an reasonable pace, seeing as the party is hardly together right now. given the nature of assassin groups that someone mentioned before, I think it's perfectly reasonable if they never get together as a whole group anyway, but that's just my thoughts on the matter. ;)
     

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