A Day in the Life of a Dovakin

What is to follow is but a glimpse, a moment of time in my journeys around Skyrim. It is, for the most part, spoiler free: no real story content will be revealed, so if you haven't played yet, this should be safe to read. Since doing a full review of the game would be a monumental task, I have decided to provide you all a typical day in the life of a Dragonborn. Chances are, you are already in love with this game. If you somehow haven't heard of it yet, this story will likely get you curious.

Today was a day much like many of the others. I was on my way from one town or another to recover some special trinket for a wary villager. The only real difference was that instead of sneaking around in the light armor I had become so proficient in wearing, I was trudging about in a heavy set of gear I wasn't used to. Instead of a dagger in each hand, I was swinging around a blade half my height.

The last few weeks had been spent in the shadows, staying silent and killing foes before they even laid eyes on me. Rushing to the front line and taking hits while swinging around the equivalent to a stone column was quite new to me and it showed. My enemies would make quick work of me if I wasn't careful.

"Why put yourself in so much danger?" Well, I had at this point learned as much as I could from one handed weapons, archery, sneaking and light armors: In order to become stronger, I had to learn something new.

I arrive at the entrance of town, the nearest point to my destination I could easily travel to. From here, I would need to arrive at my location manually. I hop on my horse and head out. Usually, I would just run to my desired location. So much time in light armor had the benefit of my being able to run great distances. But, in this heavy armor, I could barely sprint the length of a house.

I left my housecarl Lydia in my dust. Why that woman has such a phobia of equines is beyond me As usual, I would have to wait for her to catch up and find me. I hop off of my horse and begin to make the my way to entrance to the cave the villager marked on my map.

Then I hear it. The sound I have come to fear in my travels across the mountains of Skyrim. The familiar roar of a dragon. I look above me and see the beast as it circles the air above me, like a vulture eying a fresh corpse. I ready my bow, hoping to injure the beast enough to get his attention. The dragon swoops in, bashing my horse. The animals yelps in pain as the dragon takes back to the skies. The horse is relatively uninjured despite the attack and I let loose a few arrows into the flying terror as he comes in to scream snow at me.

The dragon finally lands after being bloodied up from my arrows. As soon as it hits the ground, I put away my bow and unsheathe my great-sword. "Do or die." I tell myself as I swing wildly at the beast. Between bites and breathes of ice, I am holding my own. Despite being heavier and made of far stronger material than my light armor, I really don't know how to take hits anymore. I'm quickly running through my stock of health potions and the weight of the armor and my new sword are really wearing on me.

"Lydia, where the fuck are you!" I scream out, but to no avail. Lydia is no where to be seen.

The back and forth battle between myself and the frost dragon has been raging for some time. My horse is gone and despite being on the verge of death myself, I wonder if he has been killed. Good horses are hard to come by and I didn't feel like having to trudge to the nearest stable to buy another.

Finally, the dragon is felled. I recover what bones and scales I can as the beast burns into the ether. No matter how many dragons I kill, taking in their soul is something I think I will never get used to. I search the nearby area for my horse and find that he has not been killed, but has grabbed the attention of a nearby pack of sabercats.

Bloodied from the battle with the dragon, I again curse Lydia's absence. I kill the cats and heal the horse. As I am preparing to redirect my attention to my original task, the ground shudders beneath my feet. Before I have a chance to react I hear "Vol-Toor-Shul!" from behind me. The flames overtake me and the pain is unimaginable. Before I pass out from the sheer depth of the attack, I down another health potion and a potion of fire-resistance that I have been keeping for emergencies.

I turn to see one of the largest and oldest looking dragons I have yet to come across. I swing my sword with all my might and it seems to only be making the monster angrier. My horse rushes to my aid, kicking and neighing at the dragon violently. The dragon shifts it's focus to my equine companion and I take the opportunity to release a shout of my own: "Fo-Krah-Diin!" The dragon groans in pain as the ice drains it's very will to fight. Between shouts and swings of my sword, the beast is finally slain. I claim my prizes from its body and prepare to head out again.

I scan the skies and the horizon to make sure there are no more hidden threats. The area seems calm and peaceful, as if nothing had happened. The only proof of an engagement are the skeletons of the two slain dragons and the bodies of a few sabercats. Just as I am mounting my steed, Lydia shows up, staring blankly at me, as always.