In Skyrim, the totems of the old Atmoran gods can still be found – the symbols scratched into a stone protruding like a jagged tooth from a grassy field, or carved outside the entrance to a forgotten tomb. The symbols speak, it is said, to those who would listen.
The totem-stones are shunned in modern days, either from sensible superstition and fear or from foolish derision and disregard of things that are old and dead.
Dead the stones may be, and dead may be those they guard. But the beasts that wriggle and fly, roar and run along the carven surfaces are totems of older powers, far-faring presences whose birth-homes are not the tundra and cliffs of Skyrim but the ice-gripped and shadowed green lands of Atmora, the Elder Wood.
A priest of the old ways
Some men and women are said to partake of the spirits of the stones. They share in the power of the totems, and even if they know nothing of the symbols or their origin, their companions mark how their strength rivals that of the bear, how their cunning is that of the fox, how their restlessness is that of the hawk. Such individuals body forth the totems in their minds and their hearts, their learning and their fighting, their being and their dying.
Imperial scholars have long sought correspondences between the Atmoran totems and the Cyrodiilic Divines. But even the Nordic pantheon itself is an uneasy fit with the Imperial scheme. An old man bent over a heap of scrolls may draw a line from Kynareth to Kyne, and thence to the Atmoran Hawk – but such lines may do little more than satisfy Imperial urges for organization. In truth, the totems are as unruly as the beasts they illustrate and as changeful as the people who made them their own. Correspondences are fitful. Often, only the merest glimmer of the Divine can be discerned in the Totem.
Nine are they in number, the totems from beyond the sea: Hawk, Wolf, Snake, Moth, Owl, Whale, Bear, Fox, Dragon.
In Skyrim, twice nine skills define the abilities of any individual. Each totem, therefore, is associated with two special skills. These will be matched with other complementary skills, of course, but those whose spirits are called to a particular totem take to these two primary skills as naturally as breathing and make them the focus of their lives.
Nine too are the doom-wrought masks borne by the mighty priests (though one is missing) who ruled as kings in Skyrim, in the olden times, at the dragons' behest: Hevnoraak, Krosis, Morokei, Nahkriin, Otar, Rahgot, Vokun, Volsung, Konahrik. Individuals whose spirits were forged in the shape of a totem may find themselves drawn to a certain priest and mask, which reflect the darker, brutal aspect of the beast. It must be remembered that these old spirits were never human. An individual who overcomes the priest associated with his totem may face a struggle of another sort, as the uncanny mask, while great in power, always has its own designs.
This is the first installment in a series of nine character builds, each keyed to a particular totem. The race for each build presented in this series is assumed to be Nord, as those with the blood of the North are the most likely to bear the aspect of a totem. But just as the Dragonborn can be a member of any race, so too the call of the totems can be answered by any race of man, or beast, or even elf.
The Hawk
This totem is associated with Kyne, war-wife of Shor and the most exalted of the Nordic gods. Kyne's realm is the sky, the hawk's hunting grounds, and those who follow this totem are hunters both swift and deadly, with sharp eyes and quick hands. Such characters are at home among the rugged peaks and clifftops, hunting birds on the wing and taking down game at a run.
Kyne is still, for many Nords, “the kiss at the end” - a figure of the sudden changes of fate that lead to victory or defeat. Individualistic, chaotic, elemental, free – the Hawk laughs while the arrow flies and the swords and axes sing, and grins while the storm rages overhead. The Hawk stoops suddenly to slay, and draws foes into an acrobatic dance of death.
Primary Skills: Archery, Light Armor
Complementary Skills: Destruction (shock), One Handed (swords)
Attributes: 1:2:2 M:H:S
Stone: Thief, then Lover. The Lover reflects and aids the Hawk's restless pursuit of varied skills.
Shouts: Whirlwind Sprint, Elemental Fury, Storm Call, Cyclone, Kyne's Peace, Clear Skies. The breath of Kyne grants uncanny speed and the divine wrath of the elements – or, depending on her whim, calms the beasts of the wild and the storm-tossed skies themselves.
Mask: Krosis (“Sorrow”). Krosis is the melancholy counterpoint to the Hawk's gale-joy. Arrows fired while wearing this mask seem to gain extra weight and drive deeply into their targets.
Gear: Fur Armor (kilt with cape), Fur Bracers, Leather Boots of Stamina or Resist Shock, Diadem of the Savant, Kyne's Token (reward for Kyne's Sacred Trials), Amulet of Talos (for Storm Call shouts), Bow of the Hunt, Steel/Skyforge Swords or Nordic Swords.
Most of this set is easy to put together very early in the game. A respawning Diadem of the Savant - which counts as light armor, and decreases the cost of all spells by 5% (most useful here for Destruction spells, but also handy in a pinch for a last-ditch heal) - can be found at the chopping block outside Froki's Shack. The Bow of the Hunt is found in Clearspring Tarn, and offers a 20-point damage bonus against animals. It also offers a better base damage output than a regular Hunting Bow, keeping it viable against all opponents (and super fast when combined with Quick Shot).
One of the last pieces I acquired was Kyne's Token - the crowning achievement for the character. It grants a 10% reduction in damage taken from animals, along with a 5% bonus to Archery damage.
Key Quests: Kyne's Sacred Trials, Main Quest to Paarthurnax
Level 30 Perks
Archery – Overdraw 5/5, Critical Shot 2/3, Hunter's Discipline, Ranger, Eagle Eye, Steady Hand 1/2, Power Shot, Quick Shot
Light Armor – Agile Defender 5/5, Custom Fit, Unhindered, Wind Walker
Destruction – Novice-Adept
One Handed – Armsman (2/5), Fighting Stance, Dual Flurry (2/2)
Those inspired by the Hawk naturally take to archery, as the arrow knows the tumbling paths of the wind just as does the bird of prey.
Not afraid to close with the enemy, they prefer the speed and agility afforded by light armor, toying with their more easily exhausted foes and twisting suddenly to turn deadly strikes into merely glancing blows.
Weapons at close range are often light swords, and not a few Hawk-inspired hunters join the Companions, if only for access to the mysterious power driven through the Skyforge. A pair of Skyforge Steel Swords imbued with the Elemental Fury of the skies is a deadly thing, even if only used to cut down foes who have managed to survive a storm of arrows.
Many individuals following the way of the Hawk also gain some skill in Destruction, reveling in the storms of Kyne and wreathing themselves in holy lightning at need.
Gameplay notes: This build adopts a very active, energetic playstyle, switching out weapons and tactics frequently and striking faster than the eye can follow. Destruction magic and Archery actually play together better than many realize, since tapping a hotkeyed spell puts the bow away instantly. A common tactic at mid levels is to open a fight with Archery, switch to Lightning Cloak as foes close, and draw swords. Often, however, enemies are dispatched with arrows before close range fighting is necessary, keeping One Handed and Destruction as secondary skills, useful when facing groups or especially tough foes.
Without any training in Block or ability to heal, these characters must rely on speed and their armor to survive close combat. A quick jab with the bowstave (bow bash) can, if timed correctly, put enemies off balance for long enough to draw another arrow, sprint away, or draw blades blessed by the breath of Kyne (Elemental Fury).
Storm Call helps shore up one of the weaknesses common to archery builds: an inability to spread damage around to multiple opponents. Even one or two words of this Shout will make outdoor battles much easier, whether you've just been ambushed by Miraak Cultists or are assaulting the exterior of a bandit-held fort.
Of course, summoning the divine wrath of the skies is going to take it out of you - don't expect to Shout again for a while after. Most of the time, I had Whirlwind Sprint as my default Shout. Just a single word is enough to get distance from a closing enemy to pull off another shot and keep kiting, and the cooldown is pretty reasonable.
When dual-wielding, good footwork and timing can also put enemies on their heels. An effective tactic is to lure a foe into power attacking, then back away to avoid the strike. As soon as the foe recovers, perform a forward power attack with the left-hand sword (slower and thus easier to guide than a forward power attack with the right-hand weapon). This will often cause a stagger if timed well, granting an opening for a flurry of dual power attacks.
Wandering in the rugged mountains of Skyrim's southern reaches will take a follower of the Hawk to Froki's Shack and Kyne's Sacred Trials, an excellent early questline (I actually took my time with this and made it my character's central quest). I made the Rift my Hawk's “home,” since it offers some choice hunting, cliff-clambering, and important NPCs such as Froki and Grelka. Light Armor is easily the most difficult skill to level with this build, so her training was crucial. Angi's Cabin, and the associated Archery training, can wait until Archery is in the 90s.
Long questlines and faction associations are not the province of the solitary sky-wandering Hawk. Hunter, wanderer, adventurer - those of the Hawk will follow their own whims as they make their way through Skyrim.
In closing, I'd like to thank Phil for his conversation and feedback throughout this process. The idea of basing builds on the totems has been in my brain for at least a year now, and Phil has helped maintain my enthusiasm for the project and offered some excellent tips. Thanks, Phil!
In Skyrim, the totems of the old Atmoran gods can still be found – the symbols scratched into a stone protruding like a jagged tooth from a grassy field, or carved outside the entrance to a forgotten tomb. The symbols speak, it is said, to those who would listen.
The totem-stones are shunned in modern days, either from sensible superstition and fear or from foolish derision and disregard of things that are old and dead.
Dead the stones may be, and dead may be those they guard. But the beasts that wriggle and fly, roar and run along the carven surfaces are totems of older powers, far-faring presences whose birth-homes are not the tundra and cliffs of Skyrim but the ice-gripped and shadowed green lands of Atmora, the Elder Wood.
A priest of the old ways
Some men and women are said to partake of the spirits of the stones. They share in the power of the totems, and even if they know nothing of the symbols or their origin, their companions mark how their strength rivals that of the bear, how their cunning is that of the fox, how their restlessness is that of the hawk. Such individuals body forth the totems in their minds and their hearts, their learning and their fighting, their being and their dying.
Imperial scholars have long sought correspondences between the Atmoran totems and the Cyrodiilic Divines. But even the Nordic pantheon itself is an uneasy fit with the Imperial scheme. An old man bent over a heap of scrolls may draw a line from Kynareth to Kyne, and thence to the Atmoran Hawk – but such lines may do little more than satisfy Imperial urges for organization. In truth, the totems are as unruly as the beasts they illustrate and as changeful as the people who made them their own. Correspondences are fitful. Often, only the merest glimmer of the Divine can be discerned in the Totem.
Nine are they in number, the totems from beyond the sea: Hawk, Wolf, Snake, Moth, Owl, Whale, Bear, Fox, Dragon.
In Skyrim, twice nine skills define the abilities of any individual. Each totem, therefore, is associated with two special skills. These will be matched with other complementary skills, of course, but those whose spirits are called to a particular totem take to these two primary skills as naturally as breathing and make them the focus of their lives.
Nine too are the doom-wrought masks borne by the mighty priests (though one is missing) who ruled as kings in Skyrim, in the olden times, at the dragons' behest: Hevnoraak, Krosis, Morokei, Nahkriin, Otar, Rahgot, Vokun, Volsung, Konahrik. Individuals whose spirits were forged in the shape of a totem may find themselves drawn to a certain priest and mask, which reflect the darker, brutal aspect of the beast. It must be remembered that these old spirits were never human. An individual who overcomes the priest associated with his totem may face a struggle of another sort, as the uncanny mask, while great in power, always has its own designs.
This is the first installment in a series of nine character builds, each keyed to a particular totem. The race for each build presented in this series is assumed to be Nord, as those with the blood of the North are the most likely to bear the aspect of a totem. But just as the Dragonborn can be a member of any race, so too the call of the totems can be answered by any race of man, or beast, or even elf.
The Hawk
This totem is associated with Kyne, war-wife of Shor and the most exalted of the Nordic gods. Kyne's realm is the sky, the hawk's hunting grounds, and those who follow this totem are hunters both swift and deadly, with sharp eyes and quick hands. Such characters are at home among the rugged peaks and clifftops, hunting birds on the wing and taking down game at a run.
Kyne is still, for many Nords, “the kiss at the end” - a figure of the sudden changes of fate that lead to victory or defeat. Individualistic, chaotic, elemental, free – the Hawk laughs while the arrow flies and the swords and axes sing, and grins while the storm rages overhead. The Hawk stoops suddenly to slay, and draws foes into an acrobatic dance of death.
Primary Skills: Archery, Light Armor
Complementary Skills: Destruction (shock), One Handed (swords)
Attributes: 1:2:2 M:H:S
Stone: Thief, then Lover. The Lover reflects and aids the Hawk's restless pursuit of varied skills.
Shouts: Whirlwind Sprint, Elemental Fury, Storm Call, Cyclone, Kyne's Peace, Clear Skies. The breath of Kyne grants uncanny speed and the divine wrath of the elements – or, depending on her whim, calms the beasts of the wild and the storm-tossed skies themselves.
Mask: Krosis (“Sorrow”). Krosis is the melancholy counterpoint to the Hawk's gale-joy. Arrows fired while wearing this mask seem to gain extra weight and drive deeply into their targets.
Gear: Fur Armor (kilt with cape), Fur Bracers, Leather Boots of Stamina or Resist Shock, Diadem of the Savant, Kyne's Token (reward for Kyne's Sacred Trials), Amulet of Talos (for Storm Call shouts), Bow of the Hunt, Steel/Skyforge Swords or Nordic Swords.
Most of this set is easy to put together very early in the game. A respawning Diadem of the Savant - which counts as light armor, and decreases the cost of all spells by 5% (most useful here for Destruction spells, but also handy in a pinch for a last-ditch heal) - can be found at the chopping block outside Froki's Shack. The Bow of the Hunt is found in Clearspring Tarn, and offers a 20-point damage bonus against animals. It also offers a better base damage output than a regular Hunting Bow, keeping it viable against all opponents (and super fast when combined with Quick Shot).
One of the last pieces I acquired was Kyne's Token - the crowning achievement for the character. It grants a 10% reduction in damage taken from animals, along with a 5% bonus to Archery damage.
Key Quests: Kyne's Sacred Trials, Main Quest to Paarthurnax
Level 30 Perks
Archery – Overdraw 5/5, Critical Shot 2/3, Hunter's Discipline, Ranger, Eagle Eye, Steady Hand 1/2, Power Shot, Quick Shot
Light Armor – Agile Defender 5/5, Custom Fit, Unhindered, Wind Walker
Destruction – Novice-Adept
One Handed – Armsman (2/5), Fighting Stance, Dual Flurry (2/2)
Those inspired by the Hawk naturally take to archery, as the arrow knows the tumbling paths of the wind just as does the bird of prey.
Not afraid to close with the enemy, they prefer the speed and agility afforded by light armor, toying with their more easily exhausted foes and twisting suddenly to turn deadly strikes into merely glancing blows.
Weapons at close range are often light swords, and not a few Hawk-inspired hunters join the Companions, if only for access to the mysterious power driven through the Skyforge. A pair of Skyforge Steel Swords imbued with the Elemental Fury of the skies is a deadly thing, even if only used to cut down foes who have managed to survive a storm of arrows.
Many individuals following the way of the Hawk also gain some skill in Destruction, reveling in the storms of Kyne and wreathing themselves in holy lightning at need.
Gameplay notes: This build adopts a very active, energetic playstyle, switching out weapons and tactics frequently and striking faster than the eye can follow. Destruction magic and Archery actually play together better than many realize, since tapping a hotkeyed spell puts the bow away instantly. A common tactic at mid levels is to open a fight with Archery, switch to Lightning Cloak as foes close, and draw swords. Often, however, enemies are dispatched with arrows before close range fighting is necessary, keeping One Handed and Destruction as secondary skills, useful when facing groups or especially tough foes.
Without any training in Block or ability to heal, these characters must rely on speed and their armor to survive close combat. A quick jab with the bowstave (bow bash) can, if timed correctly, put enemies off balance for long enough to draw another arrow, sprint away, or draw blades blessed by the breath of Kyne (Elemental Fury).
Storm Call helps shore up one of the weaknesses common to archery builds: an inability to spread damage around to multiple opponents. Even one or two words of this Shout will make outdoor battles much easier, whether you've just been ambushed by Miraak Cultists or are assaulting the exterior of a bandit-held fort.
Of course, summoning the divine wrath of the skies is going to take it out of you - don't expect to Shout again for a while after. Most of the time, I had Whirlwind Sprint as my default Shout. Just a single word is enough to get distance from a closing enemy to pull off another shot and keep kiting, and the cooldown is pretty reasonable.
When dual-wielding, good footwork and timing can also put enemies on their heels. An effective tactic is to lure a foe into power attacking, then back away to avoid the strike. As soon as the foe recovers, perform a forward power attack with the left-hand sword (slower and thus easier to guide than a forward power attack with the right-hand weapon). This will often cause a stagger if timed well, granting an opening for a flurry of dual power attacks.
Wandering in the rugged mountains of Skyrim's southern reaches will take a follower of the Hawk to Froki's Shack and Kyne's Sacred Trials, an excellent early questline (I actually took my time with this and made it my character's central quest). I made the Rift my Hawk's “home,” since it offers some choice hunting, cliff-clambering, and important NPCs such as Froki and Grelka. Light Armor is easily the most difficult skill to level with this build, so her training was crucial. Angi's Cabin, and the associated Archery training, can wait until Archery is in the 90s.
Long questlines and faction associations are not the province of the solitary sky-wandering Hawk. Hunter, wanderer, adventurer - those of the Hawk will follow their own whims as they make their way through Skyrim.
In closing, I'd like to thank Phil for his conversation and feedback throughout this process. The idea of basing builds on the totems has been in my brain for at least a year now, and Phil has helped maintain my enthusiasm for the project and offered some excellent tips. Thanks, Phil!
