Hargoth's Adventure - Day 1

16 Last Seed (August, essentially. The Elder Scrolls calendar is pretty much like ours, except every month is 30 days.)

I woke up this morning in the bowels of a ship, with a strange man looking at me. He asked my name, and I gave it to him. I am Hargoth. That I know, but I can't remember much else. He told me there was a big storm last night and I slept right through it.

A guard came over and ordered me to follow him. I complied, and he led me upstairs to a hatch. Oh my God, the walking animation is terrible. Especially from behind, it's just impossible to take seriously. I'll try to deal. I don't know why, but I was released from prison in Cyrodiil and ordered to be brought to Morrowind, homeland of the Dark Elves, and released. I opened the hatch, stepped onto the deck, and got my first look at my new home.

It was certainly different. Seyda Neen isn't a particularly wealthy town, but it has a certain charm to it. The presence of a gigantic, insect-like creature was a little starting. Apparently they're called Silt Striders, and are used to quickly travel from place to place here. Unlike Oblivion, Morrowind has no horses and you have to pay to fast-travel. This will probably be the biggest adjustment I'll have to make. While escorting me to the Census Office, a guard made note of my proud Nord heritage. Just like Oblivion, Morrowind integrates the race/class decisions into the game pretty naturally. I decided to be a Nord because they're good at heavy combat, and that's what I'm gonna mess with first.

Before my papers are put in order, a man asked me several questions to make sure everything was correct. He correctly surmised that I have training in the ways of the Barbarian. This is one of the ways to determine your class, others are to pick from a list or make your own.

Here's my different stats and skill levels. As you can see, I purposefully chose a race and class combination that maximized my prowess in the important areas.

As I continued through the office, I spotted a dagger stabbed through a note on the table. Following the voices I've recently been hearing in my head recently (Tutorial instructions), I decided to take it, and tested my feel for it.

While passing to the final checkpoint before I was allowed out into the open, the voices spoke again, and told me to look in the nearby barrel. I found a small ring that I realized would allow me to heal myself if I needed it. What a treasure! Here's the different menus available. In the lower left my inventory, in the upper left my stats, now including things like factions I belong to and how well people know me, a map in the upper right, and any magic I can use in the lower right.

In the next room, the Captain Sellus Gravius checked my papers and said I was fine to go. Before I left, I learned a few basic facts from him to get me reoriented and he gave me instructions to deliver a message to Caius Cosades in Balmora. He recommended I take a Silt Strider to stay out of trouble, but I wanted to do a bit of exploring. Morrowind has voices for random comments on the street, but actual conversations are silent, and much... longer than Oblivion's.

This is the journal, which is quite useful, showing not only information on quests but also letting you look up what others have told you about various topics. I would have said something in character about it, but that doesn't make sense since this is supposed to be my journal.

Outside, I ran into a Wood Elf with a name very similar to mine, Fargoth! That was weird. He told me about this ring of his that was confiscated by the guards, and I had a sinking feeling that it was the one I had just found. I showed it to him, and sure enough, it was his. I wanted that ring. He was very grateful though, and told me he'd put in a good word with Arrille, High Elf owner of the local shop. It once again proved my belief that good deeds bring good rewards. He also told me about Solstheim, an island to the north. Perhaps I'll explore it some time. This is how they introduce Bloodmoon, the second expansion. I can go there now, but it would be smart to get to a higher level first. A bit later, I decided to enter the shop, and Arrille indeed greeted me with open arms. Since I'm more comfortable with a blunt instrument than a blade, I decided to buy a mace with some of the money Sellus gave me to put me on my feet. Since Arrille's disposition towards me was 80/100 and most people seem to start at 40, I assume that's the reward for returning the ring, and I assume that it resulted in better prices. After talking with a few more citizens, I set off for Balmora.

Shortly after leaving, a strange thing happened. I heard a scream coming from above, and looked up to see a curious man in a robe fall and land with a sickening thud right in front of me. He had a note with him, which explained that he had finally found the recipe for a potion that would allow him to safely travel great distances. I guess it turned out it wasn't so safe, as he was dead. Having learned as a Barbarian to get everything I can out of the land, even if that land is made up of recently alive magicians, I decide to take his three remaining potions and clothing. I probably won't drink them for a while after what I saw happen to him, but his garments were fairly valuable. I decided to move on. Before long, I encountered my first battle in these new lands... and it was with a giant rat. It didn't put up much of a fight, and I quickly dispatched it.

Further up ahead, I met another strange creature that wanted me for lunch, a large, muddy crab. I also defeated it and moved on. The road took me through another town, known as Hla Oad. It was quaint, but I was able to sell the clothes and bought a couple healing potions with the profit. I was told this was Carmonna Tong territory, which I've heard is a criminal underground run by natives, but I didn't ask too many questions. There was someone with a boat willing to take passengers, and since I'm still wary of riding inside a huge bug, I might return there next time I need to get somewhere quickly. I continued on the road to Balmora, but not before taking another look at Hla Oad.

Not far along the road, I saw a tough looking guy and he seemed like trouble. I avoided him, as I must admit to not being fully confident with my fighting ability yet. Talking to this guy triggers a quest and makes him attack you, and after he killed me a few times, I decided I wasn't ready for it yet. I continued to head north, but at some point I must have went on the wrong road, because I got lost. Eventually I crossed a bridge and met a native Pilgrim named Nevrasa, who asked me to escort her to a place called the Fields of Kummu. She showed it to me on her map, and it wasn't far off from my intended goal, so I agreed. Immediately, we were attacked by a large, flying creature. Together we defeated it, and she told me it was called a Cliff Racer. There are many strange beasts to be wary of here. While guiding her along, I met another woman, a Breton, called Maurrie. A bandit had stolen something of hers, but she didn't want it back. She asked me to find him in Pelagiad and give her a memento in the hope he will realize her feelings. I don't know when I'll ever go there, but I agreed. Who am I to stand in the way of love? I brought Nevrasa to the fields, and after she paid me for the help, I went west towards Balmora. I passed an Imperial fort on the way, and then finally arrived in the large city.

I asked the locals some questions to learn more about the area, and then made my way to an inn called the South Wall as Captain Sellus told me. There was some strange activity here as the Thieves Guild appeared to be having a meeting downstairs, but I didn't intrude. Actually I did, but the game crashed. They're rivals with the Carmonna Tong, so I'd like to avoid association for now. I traded some items I found for a bit of money, and then found the owner, Bacola Cluscius. He gave me directions to Caius Cosades' house and also told me that Larrius Varro, an Imperial Warrior in charge of the fort I passed, which apparently houses both the Imperial Legion and the Imperial Cult in the region, wanted to see me about something. I then bought a room for the night, and decided to write this before going to sleep. I'll only rest for a few hours so I can get up early tomorrow.