First off, sorry for the poor quality pictures, I didn't think they'd be so small. If you click on them, they go full size and look a lot nicer. They'll be nicer in the future.
It's one of my favorite games of all time, and I've put literally thousands of hours into the game, but everytime I play it I still find something completely new. For those who don't know, Morrowind is an open-ended RPG. The game starts with you being on a boat, and from there you are walked through a clever character creation process that determines what you look like and what your stats are. After a brief tutorial, you are essentially free to do whatever you want. There is a main quest, and hundreds of side quests, but you can do none of the above if you want and just wander around the expansive world looking for your own adventure. The real deciding factor in picking Morrowind was that I already possess extensive background about the game, and I feel like that would end up enhancing my writing in the long-run.
Anyway, I install the game during my ACCT2101 class, and research what kind of character I'm going to play. I rushed back to my room and booted up my morrowind on my laptop. After a few seconds the main menu appears, and one of the greatest theme songs ever begins to play. Hundreds of memories come flooding in just from the music alone. I linger a few seconds before eagerly pressing New.
This isn't what I took a screenshot of, in fact, I've never seen anything like this before. Look at that, new things already. And besides that shit is symbolic; The rising sun represents the start of a new adventure, the sky is the limit, and we got the wide open ocean. How touching. Anyway, I click new and am thrown into the world.
A brief cinematic plays and tells me that I was born to uncertain parents at a certain time, and will eventually reunite the great houses and be the savior of morrowind. Well I just sat down at the dinner table, and already I have a full christmas ham sitting on it. Let's eat!
After a few seconds the cinematic fades, and I am awoken on a ship by Jiub, a dark elf that I don't know. He asks me what my name is and I type in "Torkis" and he then proceeds to inform me that the ship has seen some rough weather, but I slept like a rock through it. HA, I was just feigning sleep because I didn't want to talk to the creeper. He pauses awkwardly before informing me that the guard is coming. How he knew that is unbeknownst to me, because he does not have the angle to see out the door, and it easily could have been any one of the other guards going anywhere else, doing anything else... but alas, he's right. The guard comes down and tells me to follow him. Jiub told me a few minutes ago that "We've reached Morrowind, I'm sure they'll let us go." Turns out, they're only letting me go... That's a shame Jiub. At least I won't have to pretend I'm friends with the sucker anymore. I brush past Jiub and follow the guard out on to the deck. I look out onto my new home, and I'm feeling pretty good.
I head down to the dock where another guard is waiting for me. He informs me that his records don't show where I'm from. He hands me a list of pictures, and I have to choose which one I look like the most... Interesting bureaucracy here. Anyway, I choose Imperial, and head inside to get released. Next up is class customization. I'm going to have to take a moment here and explain what I'm going to do with this character.
Since I've played the game so many times, I've essentially played through the game the normal way countless times, and non-normal ways as well, but this time I'm going to set a few guidelines for Torkis. First off, I decide that I am going to be an Imperial Paladin. I immediately just set down a few ground rules to make things interesting. Including:
- No Thievery - A Paladin doesn't do that kind of stuff
- No Destruction magic - I'm fighting for the Temple, destruction is the work of our nemesis
- No marksman as a major/minor skill - I almost always choose marksman as a major/minor skill, but I figure a paladin wouldn't rely on his bow as a first weapon
- No two-handed weapons - I'm going to be strictly a sword and shield type of guy
- NO FAST TRAVEL - This is going to take a lot of willpower, but I think I can do it
- Daedra are my sworn enemy - I go out of my way to cleanse these scum from the Earth. I'm also preventing myself from associating with the creeper (a Daedra merchant)
- Pay a tithe to the temple. I figure a paladin would go out of his way to try and fund the organization that he believes so strongly in. So, I'm going to throw at least 10% of my income to the way of the Gods.
So with that out of the way, I choose my attributes and skills accordingly. I choose my specilization in Combat, and choose my main attributes as Strength and Endurance. My major skills I choose as Long Blade, Block, Heavy Armor, Speechcraft, and Restoration. Minor skills: Blunt, Armorer, Athletics, Enchant, and Alteration. All in all, a good mix. Some of these skills are easy to level, while others are quite difficult.
I finish up creating myself, and Socucius Ergalla is kind enough to hand me my release papers. He instructs me to head into the next room and talk to yet another guard. There certainly is a strong military presence here for what appears to be just a backwater post... I linger around the room for another minute, heading over to a bookshelf where I see a lovely "Limeware Platter" worth 650 gold. It sure would be lovely to pick it up and get some clink in my pocket.... Damn my morals...
In the next room is Sellus Gravius. He looks like a big deal. Gold plated armor, red collar, solid pauldrons, or in other words Grade-A Badass. We shoot the shit for a few minutes, he lets me know what he does for a living. It seems like normal mindless soldier dribble, but then he begins telling me that a package came in with my arrival, and that I was to give it to Caius Cosades. Sellus wasn't taking any shit from me, he made it clear that I needed to go see CC. He shoved 87 gold in to my pocket, and sent me on my way. Look at that, off the boat for 5 minutes and I've already been sent on a courier mission and given 87 gold.
I bid Sellus adieu and continue on. I head into the next room where there is a bookshelf filled with various drinks, a small chest, and some pieces of flatware. Across from the bookshelf is a table, set for a meal. A dagger is stabbed into the table, and there is also a lockpick. The game even tells me that I should take the dagger and lock pick. That sure would make things easier, I'd have a weapon, and I just happen to know that there is a good portion of gold in the locked chest on the bookshelf. Foiled by my morals yet again, I walk out the door. One more series of incosequential doors and I am finally in Seyda Neen, a free man, ready to choose my destiny!
I heard while I was checking in at the census and excies office of a place called Arrielle's Tradehouse. Having a solid 87 gold, I figured I'd go do some shopping. I stepped in, talk to the proprietor and we begin doing business. I figure I should practice safe adventuring and get some protection... What's a paladin without some heavy armor? I purchase an Iron Cuirass for 66 gold, and then end my transaction... I put on my armor to see how I look, and I must say, pretty dashing. I realize that while I may be protected, all I can really do is stand there and take some hits while bitch slapping whatever decides to exert its aggression on me. I talk up Arrielle again, and I browse his weaponry. I see a few expensive items, and ask "what you got for 21 gold?"... Nothing I can use... Shit.
I spent all my money, and even if I offer him my shoes and shirt in addition to the gold I have, I'm still short. I need money. I hit up some patrons upstairs in the tradehouse, and only one of them has any type of business proposition. Hrisskar Flat-Foot lets me in on his little version of the mafia. He's trying to extract some protection money from a local citizen, Fargoth. What did Fargoth ever do to you? I wonder. I decline his offer to recover 300 gold, and head outside to look for my infusion of capital funds.
I look in the distance and see some plants. A paladin... driven to pick plants for pocket change. Not what I had in mind stepping off the boat. My rusty iron armor and I set off out of town along a path to the west. I pick some mushrooms off the side of a tree, and some flowers out of the middle of a swamp... How humiliating.
I was just getting ready to head back to town and cash in on my loot when I hear a yelp coming from in front of me. I look in the direction of the sound and don't see anything. I check my side to side and my 6, nothing! A little baffled, I look up into the sky and see a man hurtling down to the Earth at high velocity. There's nothing I can do so I just watch as he gets in a grudge match with the Earth at 140 mph. I bet big on the man in blue, but the ground won unfortunately in a LANDslide. The sound of multiple compound fractures sends chills up my spine as I run over to the man, Tarhiel, and realize quickly that he will never wake back up. He's well dressed, has some magical scrolls, and a nice weapon. He has a journal next to him, and it states that he has developed some new scrolls that allow him to fly great distances! Great! Unfortunately, he didn't develop a scroll that would allow him to land safely. I do what any poor, needy, weaponless Paladin would do in this situation.
I complete the shrine and I head back to town feeling a little down about the current situation. I just saw a man die, and I've only been in the area for half a day. I head back to the tradehouse, unload my flowers, and dump 24 gold on a crappy iron mace. It's not really what I was looking for, but it's servicable. I excitedly take out my mace and race back outside the city limits and get ready for adventure!
