Contest: Resurrection really challenged me, as I had things I wanted to do in Skyrim that I was sure I wouldn't be able to include into a character from Elder Scrolls lore.
How wrong I was.
By doing some extensive reading, I not only found a character who was an Altmer (#altmermasterrace), but he was a Thalmor and had ties to the Daedra as well! All of this merged into one cruel - but well-dressed - Altmer vampire who serves the Lords of Knowledge and Domination in a quest for power and revenge. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado I present...
A brilliant and cunning Thalmor general, he led the Aldmeri Dominion's primary army during the Great War. In 4E 174, on the 12th of Second Seed, Naarifin's army attacked the Imperial City in what is known as the Sack of the Imperial City. The war was not over however, because Emperor Titus Mede the II had fought his way out of the city, and regrouped with the rest of his remaining forces. The Thalmor believed the war to be over, and attempted to negotiate with the Emperor, who let them believe that he was preparing to surrender. He was actually rallying his army.
In the Battle of the Red Ring, the Emperor's forces surrounded the Imperial City. Lord Naarifin was taken by surprise, and the Emperor's army wiped out the Thalmor inhabiting the Imperial City. Lord Naarifin was hung from the White-Gold Tower by the Emperor himself for thirty-three days, but on the thirty-fourth day it is rumoured that a winged daedra carried him off...
Now, Lord Naarifin returns to Tamriel as an agent of the Daedra, with new powers and new knowledge. Filled with an insatiable desire for revenge, he will not rest until the Empire and Emperor Titus Mede the II have been destroyed.
The Build
Revenge...
Race: Altmer Vampire
Stone: Mage - Lord/Ritual
Stat Distribution: 1:1:0
Arms and Armor: Aetherial Crown, Thalmor apparel, Daedric Sword
Shouts: Dragon Aspect, Bend Will, Become Ethereal, Soul Tear, Slow Time, Marked for Death, Storm Call
(I would like to point out that I treated shouts as greater powers, as Naarifin is no Dragonborn)
Major Skills
In life you were adept with this school; in death you've become a master. The school of conjuration allows us to divert the enemies attention to our summons. With Molag-Bal's gift of vampirism, necromancy is an additional tool in our arsenal. At higher levels, Dremora Lords and thralls are our primary summons.
Priority: High
The Daedric Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora, has taught you how to bend the will of others. Using this forbidden knowledge, you are able to send enemies running away in fear, turn them against their friends and at higher levels you are able to boost your undead army with rally spells.
Priority: High
Our only source of healing, this school is needed for necromage! Boosts our enchantments, raises level caps and superpowers Highborn. What more could you want? It also allows us to heal our undead with the new spells in Dawnguard, and is a substitute for Illusion against draugr during the beginning.
Priority: Medium
The school of alteration provides us with the flesh spells to make up for our lack of armour. Paralysis spells turn the fight in our favour, and opens up an evil combo (which I will explain later). Otherwise, the rest of the spells aren't used to often, with the exception of Detect Life.
Priority: Medium
Minor Skills
Primarily used for setting up a defensive barrier, shock magic is our only method of damaging enemies from afar. I picked shock magic because it instantly hits enemies, and the Disintegrate perk is the most efficient of the three. At later levels, Lightning Storm is used to devastating effect.
Priority: Low
Enchanting is used to power up our Daedric sword and Thalmor gear. While not really important, we'll end up with a bunch of filled soul gems due to harvesting souls for Molag-Bal and why let them go to waste? This is also our main source of gold, as the banish enchantment brings in a lot of septims.
Priority: Low
Level 55 Perk Placement
Gameplay
Versatility makes Naarifin so much fun to play. Primarily a mage, but able to seamlessly switch into a spellsword at will ensures that combat never gets old.
In Mage Mode, conjuration and illusion are your primary weapons. Using the Ritual stone to raise an army diverts the enemy's attention to them instead of you. Use illusion's rally spells to increase your minions combat skills and health (and I believe the effect stacks). Stand back and lay down some runes and wall spells for extra defense. With the Rune Master and Summoner perks you can pick off enemies with unrivaled precision. I loved using flaming familiars with this guy, as they have great range and act as little homing missiles. If an enemy does get close to you, send them running with fear spells and send a flaming familiar after them! One of my favourite things to do in an area with little space to maneuver was to lay down a wall of shocks in front of an enemy. Once he got close enough, I hit him with Marked for Death and a fear spell, which sent him back through the hallway, and through the wall of shocks again. Where he promptly disintegrated. Good times...
If you're in a dire predicament then call upon some Black Book powers and turn things around! With Secret of Arcana, you can cast any spells you want for zero magicka. The power lasts for only a short time, but when casting a concentration spell the power doesn't wear off, meaning unlimited casting of Lightning Storm! I also collected a lot of scrolls (we do serve the Prince of Knowledge after all) and used those when my magicka levels were depleted. This also allows the casting of master spells at level one.
Bored of sitting back? Then jump out of the frying pan and into the fire! Alteration shores up your defences, while Restoration provides some much needed healing. With all three ranks of mage armour, necromage and the Lord stone, my AR was sitting at 425. Not too bad, right? However, by using Dragon Aspect we get a massive boost to AR (something like 100 points or so) meaning our armour rating is at 525! You could use Dragonhide instead, I saved that for powerful bosses as I wanted it to feel special.
While we don't perk one-handed, we still deal good damage because of enchanting. Restoration keeps us alive and well, while a shock cloak slowly damages enemies.
Generally, I was in Mage Mode for most of the time, especially for large fights. If I was low on magicka, I'd whip out my sword and jump into the fray. With a high enchanting skill, a couple hits of your blade can restore a large amount of magicka, allowing you to slip back into Mage Mode and continue to strategically dictate the battle.
Roleplay
Perhaps the most challenging part of creating this build was the roleplay, and linking all of the different elements together.
Naarifin is a character driven by hate and thoughts of revenge. The Empire must be crushed at all costs, and Titus Mede the II must die. Naarifin will sacrifice anything to get a chance to hurt the Empire, even if it means breaking his Thalmor ideals. While he will still try and help the Thalmor, he no longer serves them, he serves the daedra. I harvested souls for Molag-Bal and collected books and scrolls for Hermaeus Mora. Every week I would also steal an innocent's soul for Molag-Bal and thrown some scrolls into a fire for Hermaeus Mora.
In short: seek knowledge, harvest souls, wage war on the Empire, kill those who stand in your way, and eliminate Talos worshippers.
With that being said, here are the quests that I recommend...
Abilities
Calling upon forbidden knowledge, Naarifin uses his mastery of lightning magicks to devastate his enemies.
Requires: Storm Call, Secret of Arcana, Shock Cloak, Lightning Storm
Taking on the aspect of a dragon, Naarifin causes his enemies to run away in fear, only to return weaker than ever.
Requires: Dragon Aspect, Marked for Death, Fear spell
Summoning an undead army, Naarifin leads them into battle against an unsuspecting world, causing chaos and mass destruction.
Requires: Aetherial Crown + Ritual Stone, Rally spells
Closing Remarks
Thank-you Mason for hosting Contest: Resurrection and to all the people who joined. The enthusiasm you guys (and gals) have is inspiring, and is the reason I entered.
Thank you Morta for the brilliant screenshots, I know you're really busy and I appreciate the time and effort you took on these.
Since this is my first build, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, as it will help me become a better builder.
Thank-you all for reading!
Contest: Resurrection really challenged me, as I had things I wanted to do in Skyrim that I was sure I wouldn't be able to include into a character from Elder Scrolls lore.
How wrong I was.
By doing some extensive reading, I not only found a character who was an Altmer (#altmermasterrace), but he was a Thalmor and had ties to the Daedra as well! All of this merged into one cruel - but well-dressed - Altmer vampire who serves the Lords of Knowledge and Domination in a quest for power and revenge. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado I present...
A brilliant and cunning Thalmor general, he led the Aldmeri Dominion's primary army during the Great War. In 4E 174, on the 12th of Second Seed, Naarifin's army attacked the Imperial City in what is known as the Sack of the Imperial City. The war was not over however, because Emperor Titus Mede the II had fought his way out of the city, and regrouped with the rest of his remaining forces. The Thalmor believed the war to be over, and attempted to negotiate with the Emperor, who let them believe that he was preparing to surrender. He was actually rallying his army.
In the Battle of the Red Ring, the Emperor's forces surrounded the Imperial City. Lord Naarifin was taken by surprise, and the Emperor's army wiped out the Thalmor inhabiting the Imperial City. Lord Naarifin was hung from the White-Gold Tower by the Emperor himself for thirty-three days, but on the thirty-fourth day it is rumoured that a winged daedra carried him off...
Now, Lord Naarifin returns to Tamriel as an agent of the Daedra, with new powers and new knowledge. Filled with an insatiable desire for revenge, he will not rest until the Empire and Emperor Titus Mede the II have been destroyed.
The Build
Revenge...
Race: Altmer Vampire
Stone: Mage - Lord/Ritual
Stat Distribution: 1:1:0
Arms and Armor: Aetherial Crown, Thalmor apparel, Daedric Sword
Shouts: Dragon Aspect, Bend Will, Become Ethereal, Soul Tear, Slow Time, Marked for Death, Storm Call
(I would like to point out that I treated shouts as greater powers, as Naarifin is no Dragonborn)
Major Skills
In life you were adept with this school; in death you've become a master. The school of conjuration allows us to divert the enemies attention to our summons. With Molag-Bal's gift of vampirism, necromancy is an additional tool in our arsenal. At higher levels, Dremora Lords and thralls are our primary summons.
Priority: High
The Daedric Prince of Knowledge, Hermaeus Mora, has taught you how to bend the will of others. Using this forbidden knowledge, you are able to send enemies running away in fear, turn them against their friends and at higher levels you are able to boost your undead army with rally spells.
Priority: High
Our only source of healing, this school is needed for necromage! Boosts our enchantments, raises level caps and superpowers Highborn. What more could you want? It also allows us to heal our undead with the new spells in Dawnguard, and is a substitute for Illusion against draugr during the beginning.
Priority: Medium
The school of alteration provides us with the flesh spells to make up for our lack of armour. Paralysis spells turn the fight in our favour, and opens up an evil combo (which I will explain later). Otherwise, the rest of the spells aren't used to often, with the exception of Detect Life.
Priority: Medium
Minor Skills
Primarily used for setting up a defensive barrier, shock magic is our only method of damaging enemies from afar. I picked shock magic because it instantly hits enemies, and the Disintegrate perk is the most efficient of the three. At later levels, Lightning Storm is used to devastating effect.
Priority: Low
Enchanting is used to power up our Daedric sword and Thalmor gear. While not really important, we'll end up with a bunch of filled soul gems due to harvesting souls for Molag-Bal and why let them go to waste? This is also our main source of gold, as the banish enchantment brings in a lot of septims.
Priority: Low
Level 55 Perk Placement
Gameplay
Versatility makes Naarifin so much fun to play. Primarily a mage, but able to seamlessly switch into a spellsword at will ensures that combat never gets old.
In Mage Mode, conjuration and illusion are your primary weapons. Using the Ritual stone to raise an army diverts the enemy's attention to them instead of you. Use illusion's rally spells to increase your minions combat skills and health (and I believe the effect stacks). Stand back and lay down some runes and wall spells for extra defense. With the Rune Master and Summoner perks you can pick off enemies with unrivaled precision. I loved using flaming familiars with this guy, as they have great range and act as little homing missiles. If an enemy does get close to you, send them running with fear spells and send a flaming familiar after them! One of my favourite things to do in an area with little space to maneuver was to lay down a wall of shocks in front of an enemy. Once he got close enough, I hit him with Marked for Death and a fear spell, which sent him back through the hallway, and through the wall of shocks again. Where he promptly disintegrated. Good times...
If you're in a dire predicament then call upon some Black Book powers and turn things around! With Secret of Arcana, you can cast any spells you want for zero magicka. The power lasts for only a short time, but when casting a concentration spell the power doesn't wear off, meaning unlimited casting of Lightning Storm! I also collected a lot of scrolls (we do serve the Prince of Knowledge after all) and used those when my magicka levels were depleted. This also allows the casting of master spells at level one.
Bored of sitting back? Then jump out of the frying pan and into the fire! Alteration shores up your defences, while Restoration provides some much needed healing. With all three ranks of mage armour, necromage and the Lord stone, my AR was sitting at 425. Not too bad, right? However, by using Dragon Aspect we get a massive boost to AR (something like 100 points or so) meaning our armour rating is at 525! You could use Dragonhide instead, I saved that for powerful bosses as I wanted it to feel special.
While we don't perk one-handed, we still deal good damage because of enchanting. Restoration keeps us alive and well, while a shock cloak slowly damages enemies.
Generally, I was in Mage Mode for most of the time, especially for large fights. If I was low on magicka, I'd whip out my sword and jump into the fray. With a high enchanting skill, a couple hits of your blade can restore a large amount of magicka, allowing you to slip back into Mage Mode and continue to strategically dictate the battle.
Roleplay
Perhaps the most challenging part of creating this build was the roleplay, and linking all of the different elements together.
Naarifin is a character driven by hate and thoughts of revenge. The Empire must be crushed at all costs, and Titus Mede the II must die. Naarifin will sacrifice anything to get a chance to hurt the Empire, even if it means breaking his Thalmor ideals. While he will still try and help the Thalmor, he no longer serves them, he serves the daedra. I harvested souls for Molag-Bal and collected books and scrolls for Hermaeus Mora. Every week I would also steal an innocent's soul for Molag-Bal and thrown some scrolls into a fire for Hermaeus Mora.
In short: seek knowledge, harvest souls, wage war on the Empire, kill those who stand in your way, and eliminate Talos worshippers.
With that being said, here are the quests that I recommend...
Abilities
Calling upon forbidden knowledge, Naarifin uses his mastery of lightning magicks to devastate his enemies.
Requires: Storm Call, Secret of Arcana, Shock Cloak, Lightning Storm
Taking on the aspect of a dragon, Naarifin causes his enemies to run away in fear, only to return weaker than ever.
Requires: Dragon Aspect, Marked for Death, Fear spell
Summoning an undead army, Naarifin leads them into battle against an unsuspecting world, causing chaos and mass destruction.
Requires: Aetherial Crown + Ritual Stone, Rally spells
Closing Remarks
Thank-you Mason for hosting Contest: Resurrection and to all the people who joined. The enthusiasm you guys (and gals) have is inspiring, and is the reason I entered.
Thank you Morta for the brilliant screenshots, I know you're really busy and I appreciate the time and effort you took on these.
Since this is my first build, constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, as it will help me become a better builder.
Thank-you all for reading!
Cool concept, great presentation. The gameplay and setup are very reminiscent of Mason's Nemesis. You should give that a read if you haven't seen it before. I really enjoyed playing it, so I can vouch that this is an engaging and effective play style.
Cool concept, great presentation. The gameplay and setup are very reminiscent of Mason's Nemesis. You should give that a read if you haven't seen it before. I really enjoyed playing it, so I can vouch that this is an engaging and effective play style.
Well, thank you! Yeah, I must say I took inspiration from the Nemesis, that build is just great fun. Made this harder to build though, as I didn't want to copy it.
Glad you liked it!
Well, thank you! Yeah, I must say I took inspiration from the Nemesis, that build is just great fun. Made this harder to build though, as I didn't want to copy it.
Glad you liked it!
It's cool that you used my idea of setting priorities for the skills.. but you know, the whole reason I used those was to get rid of the "minor" and "major" categories
It's cool that you used my idea of setting priorities for the skills.. but you know, the whole reason I used those was to get rid of the "minor" and "major" categories
Haha, yeah... I just realized that.
I may take the major/minor categories out, as I like the priority idea more. At least now it's very clear what skills you should level first
Haha, yeah... I just realized that.
I may take the major/minor categories out, as I like the priority idea more. At least now it's very clear what skills you should level first