h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I upgraded one of my rooms in my Riftne house - and now eveything is clipped together, two manequins standing on a bed. Eeep!

Doing what, one wonders?

Had a quest from Windhelm to kill the giant at Candlecrush Rock which I found by following the road signs towards Ivarstead (where I had another quest) and oh boy is the immediate neighbourhood full of surprises!

Slid down the cliffside from the giant's camp, saw a broken cottage across the White River. It had a dead body in it (Lucky Lorenz) with a skill book among the remains of his furniture and a shrine to one of the Nine Divines inside the ruined cottage.

From there, I spotted some kind of ruin across the river and swam across to find Abandoned Prison. There's a bug making it impossible for your follower to enter, so my wood elf cleared it on her own.

This is the first character I've found Lorenz and the prison with, and I've been playing Skyrim ever since the release (coolest release date ever? 11/11/11).

Makes me wonder how many more places I've left undiscovered?

About the jewelled claws, from The Death of Wanderer:

- - -

'Why even have a combination if you're going to write it on the key?'

- - -

'So the symbols on the doors weren't meant to be another lock. Just a way of ensuring the person entering was actually alive and had a functioning mind.'

'Then the doors...'

'Were never meant to keep people out. They were meant to keep the Draugr in.'

I don't like this - I don't like this at all.

Spotted several small fires from afar, went to investigate.

Two dead horses, two burnt people, wagon.

Gold and potions in a chest in the wagon.

But what killed them? What caused the fires?

*looks around nervously*

Last night I followed the Nightingale's Path - I've only done that quest once before and had forgotten just how nerve-wracking it was. I kept holding my breath and crouching down in front of my monitor.

I'm still using a as the only light source when I play after dark - it creates the perfect atmosphere for dungeons

Acquired Brother Verulus as an additional follower because 'Thus, he may be used as a powerful follower in addition to any follower you may already have' (according to uesp.net).

Pah! Powerful?

Here's how Aela and I usually go about it:

1. I snipe the enemy

2. If I don't kill it with my first shot, Aela chimes in and starts shooting arrows at it too.

With Verulus, there's a

3. Verulus rushes past Aela, getting way too close to the enemy, manages to shoot off some rather useless spells and then gets knocked down and *stays knocked down while Aela and I finish the enemy off.
Alternatively, he'll run off and hide until the fight is over.

And he doesn't even have any amusing comments to make about the current situation.

And he doesn't have any option to trade with him, so I can't improve anything about him.

Too bad that the only way I can get rid of him now is to eat him.

And I'm not too keen on cannibalism.

I too am part way to becoming a Nightingale. I wish there were more Nightingale specific quests.

*sniggers*

Trying to peddle off some potions, I overheard this conversation:

Angeline: "Vivienne, could you check out supplies of mandrake root?"
Vivienne: "Which one is that again?"
Angeline: "It's the root that looks like an ugly little man."
Vivienne: "In that case, I'm pretty sure it tried to buy me a drink last night."

Each time I explore the ruins beneath Markarth, I end up cursing quietly to myself, swearing I'll never go in there again.

And with each new character, I end up there anyway:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=172589827

After reading about how the Falmer used to be Snow elves, I almost feel sorry for them - almost.

Oh yes, *that* place. I remember it. Annoyingly, I explored *almost* all of it with my character. I have no desire to go back down to complete it.

I thought Talos was the name given to Tiber Septim once he became one of the Divines, but now I've found that he used to be General Talos before ever becoming emperor.

Well, the Forsworn cospiracy went belly up and I never got to confront 'N' - ah well, I can live with that, since I still got out, but I'm wondering if it could have something to do with the fact that I have no housekarl in my house in Markarth despite becoming a Thane?

You know there's trouble up ahead when you cruise along in a Dwemer ruin and only come across Dwemer gadgets and the occasional dead Synodian and then suddenly stumble over a dead Falmer, with a dead Dwemer spider next to it, and yet another dead Falmer surrounded by two dead spiders further ahead.

I can almost hear Aela warning me from preceeding...

After doing Enthir's 'cleaning' for the third time, each time I approach one of the focal points, I can hear my pulse beatng in my ears. I've checked active effects, but haven't found any clue so far.

I guess my character has somehow 'tuned in' with the focal points?

And here I was, thinking I'd be able to avoid bumping into dragons as long as I didn't hand in the Dragonstone - only to run into the ghost of a dragon (skeletal)

I managed to avoid random dragons for a very long time (I ran away from the plot at the first opportunity) and I still ran into one or two.

Arghhhhhhhh - one of my quests (handing in journals to Vekel) is buggy, which ought to have been fixed with an official patch in March this year, which ought to automatically have been downloaded by Steam.

Well, guess what? Yup, the quest is still bugged. I've been googling for steam updates, but all responses so far have been 'Steam will automatically download patches'.

It isn't. It doesn't.

And yes, I've checked my Steam settings, so there!

Bought a house in Markarth, escaped prison - but I still find it creepy, especially after dark while walking between my house and the smithy. Having Verulus as a (essential) follower means several citizens are missing. There's something dark lurking in the very stone of that city.

And it's the city where my little thief wood elf committed her first and hopefully only murder. No matter which method I used, it still counted as murder.

*kicks a stone, watches it fly ower the edge of the bridge and splash down into the streaming water below*

Not to mention the constant sound of running water. Sometimes I feel like 'Skriet':

http://pyrrhonism.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/url1.jpg

I dislike Markarth too. It's a harsh place.

Those mannequins in Riften drive me nuts:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=176809464

Soemtimes there's almost a bit too much action going on all at once.

So I'm sneaking down a path off one of the main roads. Three Thalmor come towards me, going all 'back off, you're interfering with official business' etc, so I retreat back to the main road - where three Stormcloak soldiers come wandering.

The Thalmor kill the Stormcloaks, get attacked by two snow trolls who manage to kill one of them before getting killed themselves.

And then the remaining two Thalmor turn on me and Aela. Fools.

Loads of loot to be had.