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Event Build: Stormcrowned - Pilgrim of the Ninth

Tags: #Character Build Shouts  #Character Build Pilgrim  #Race:Imperial  #Phil  #Mods  #Character Build Defender  #Ordinator  #SE Rank:Adept  #Event: Songs of the North 
  • Member
    March 31, 2018

    Naturally, Wulfharth thinks he is the figure of prophecy. He goes directly to High Hrothgar to hear the Greybeards speak. When they do, Ysmir is blasted to ash again. He is not the chosen one... As the Grey Wind goes to find this boy, he hears the Greybeards' warning: remember the color of betrayal, King Wulfharth. ~ The Arcturian Heresy

    I knew him from the time before the Stormcrown he wore was gifted. A pilgrim, then, of the blessed Eight, born humble, meek, he drifted. Haling from the Western Weald, Colovian some people say, he wandered Cyrod from shrine to shrine, to honour the gods, to kneel, to pray.

    He abhorred fights and traveled light, from morn to night he'd wander, for services along the way he'd sell, and trade, and barter. With just enough coin with which to pay, the rest provided for the poor, in creation were where his talents lay, giving life and shape to mineral ore.

    A peaceful man of Stendarr's mercy, for him were not the ways of war. His was a simple life of ale when thirsty, and hearty meals of roast venison or boar. Of an evening at camp or inn he'd read tomes of theology and lore, never once suspecting that in store, for him the gods planned more.

    His weakness lay in skirting the law established by White-Gold, a concealed interest in the Ninth, still revered in Skyrim's cold. Ever fascinated by this god of war, born Hjalti anon Tiber bold, the pilgrim turned towards the north in search of this outlawed god of old.

    It is then his tale truly starts, in a mountain pass snowed white and stark. Under stormy clouds, a heavenly frown, an arrested pilgrim on star-patterned paths. Stripped and bound, almost resigned, consigned to an Imperial cart, his fate now forever entwined with traitorous rebel hearts...

    Steel descended with sharp-edged flash, a roar resounded from a maw of stories. Black wings unfurled, haloed in glory, fate averts the headsman's axe.

    A scramble ensues to escape the flares, the pilgrim follows the blue-clad bears. Too early yet to understand their views, but knowing soon that he'd need to choose.

    Then a fire-ridden roar of the nightmare beast, that gnarled and twisted black fiend of old, belching inferno from his doom-rimmed maw, melting stones with intense heat.

    The pilgrim leapt from atop the tower, into the ruins of a once-proud ale-house, escaping into cold amidst men's death moans, leaving the monster to his feast.

    A sudden choice is cruely thrust upon him, between that of two betrayers. In whom now does he place his trust, in allies whose actions were unjust, or those who propagate chaos? Blood calls to blood, loyalty's voice wins, an Imperial, a free Pilgrim...

    Race: Imperial

    Standing Stone: The Warrior

    Blessing: Any and as needed, later Talos

    Shouts: Any and all, I favoured Elemental Fury

    Weapons: A steel mace or sword in the pilgrim phase, then the Housecarl's Hammer, crossbow.

    Armour: Bollir's Armour smithed in Riverwood, later the Talos Housecarl's Armour. Shield, later Talos Housecarl's Shield.

    Equipment: Amulet of Talos, pilgrim-appropriate Divine Cloak, later Greybeard's Mantle.

    After fire and death faced with a new found friend, after seeing the evil at Helgen's end, Skyrim allowed at last a breath in air pine-fresh for wounds to mend.

    A lake like glass, sun-caught and glistening, the pilgrim paused, calm and listening, to the waters of a distant fall, the sound of birds, a feathered hawk's call.

    Distant white-capped peaks which seemed to glow, eternally crowned with frost and snow, wreathed in a ragged mist for Kyne's wind to blow, northern beauty stretched out below. 

    To Riverwood then he turned his steps, passed waterfalls where salmon leapt, a winding road beneath jagged cliffs, and ancient ruins where dark things crept.

    Now to forge, the time to craft, this creative moment a pleasant contrast, to the violence he had seen abroad, a new man awakened, defrosted, thawed,
    hammering armour, a shield and sword...


     

    Block:  Block Mastery 2/2, Timed Block 2/2, Poke the Dragon, Apocalypse Proof 2/2, Deflect Arrows, Block Runner, Hold the Line

    "...the storm followed just above his head. Arrows could not penetrate the winds around him."

    His former way of peaceful silence and simple life of ease, now punctuated by frequent violence on paths blown by Kynareth's breeze. Upon his shield he now placed reliance, becoming more war-like by degrees, his aegis a stout defiance, as hard as winter trees.

     

     

    Heavy Armour: Heavy Armor Matery 2/2, Heavy Armour Fit, Rallying Standard

    "Talos says: Be strong for war. Be bold against enemies and evil, and defend the people of Tamriel."

    Clad henceforth in silver mail and solid steel plate, a defence against the north's biting hail and a bulwark versus hate. Vigorous, hearty, strong, and hale, armour grey like mountain slate, the pilgrim appeared prepared to face a warrior's final fate.

     

     

    One-Handed: One-Handed Mastery 2/2, Disciplined Fighter, Furious Strength, Overrun, Denting Blows 3/3, Smite 2/2, Rise Kinsmen.

    "It is duty of each man to live with courage and honor lest he fade unremembered into darkness."

    Battle gear he made, the lifeless given grace, a slender, silver, elegant blade and a heavy smiting mace. Used with skill and ever-near, making men afraid, they'd run in fear, honour digraced, or fade like shadows in sudden shade.

     

     

    Restoration: Restoration Mastery 1/2, Spirit Tutors, Pilgrim, Gods and Mortals

    "Stendarr says: Be kind and generous to the people of Tamriel. Protect the weak, heal the sick, and give to the needy."

    The pilgrim continued devoutly following the tenets of the Divines, living a life of modest wandering beneath the house of Kyne. Gifting excess wealth in offering to Whiterun's holy shrine, his generosity rewarded with sacred blessings from the Nine.

     

     

    Smithing: Smithing Mastery 2/2, Meric Smithing 1/2, Expert Smithing 1/2

    "Zenithar says: Work hard, and you will be rewarded. Spend wisely, and you will be comfortable."

    From precious stones in golden folds, to Nirn's very bones transformed in moulds, the pilgrim shaped metal with precise marks, showered in fiery, falling sparks.

     

     

    Speech: Speech Mastery 2/2, And the Universe Listens, Windborne, Force Redoubled, Hurricane Force

    "After their victory, the Nords called Hjalti Talos, or Stormcrown."

    Ever a man of humble eloquence, never a man of greed, the pilgrim traded with benevolence and an honest creed. Things of note or relevance seen during his questing deeds, were wisely bartered with respect and reverence for his daily needs...

     

    From Riverwood to Whiterun, a rugged, windswept sea, fur-hugged mammoths giant-herded across the tundra's lea. The city standing like a sentinel, Dragonsreach's job to oversee, this land of jagged rocks and abundant fertility.

    A new life for the pilgrim began, in that old Hold where the White River ran. Helping each citizen of that towering town, questing across the tundra, grasses green and brown.

    Then came the search for the Golden Claw, to recover a Dragonstone engraved with long lost lore. In that cave where the water falls, he heard singing from a riven wall.

    Back across the verdant land to where Whiterun stood, tall and grand, over lavender, passed mountain flower, spying smoke form a distant tower.

    Death on scaled wings, man's ancient doom, charring all in the embers of thu'um. That bane of thanes brought the flames of the end-times, while men begged Kyne to bring her rains.

    Yet the pilgrim and the Hold's stalwart guards made stories that day, food for the bards, and with mace and shield, sword and bow, they fought the beast and brought it low.

    A soul absorbed in that death-pause, then thunder sounded over the moors. Voices in the sky, heard loud and keen, echoing and resounding over mist and stream. One word was heard in that cry, a name of legend... Dovahkiin.

    To the Seven Thousand Steps the pilgrim kept, to the highest peak where the sky first wept. Climbing and watching the red sun set, over a golden ocean of grass, windswept.

    In the house of stone built by Jurgen the Calm, where Greybeards shouted worship in sky-shattering psalms, the pilgrim his destiny at last found, and upon his brow was placed the Stormcrown.

    Mantled with Ysmir, now Dragonborn, the Kyne-crowned returned to a land, war-torn. Like Talos before him with an Empire in splinters, his Voice was the storm and his breath, long winter.
     
    To truly be Talos there must be betrayal, a side needed to be chosen, then made to fail. To Windhelm he journeyed, joining Ulfric the jarl, outfitted in the armour of Tiber's Housecarl...


    Starting from Helgen, the Stromcrowned follows the standard Pilgrim Class/archetype with the exception of wearing Heavy Armour, specifically Bollir's Armour from TFN Armour Pack III due to it's pilgrim aesthetic. So I crafted that at Riverwood, with the aim of getting a full set of Talos Housecarl Armour by the time the Pilgrim becomes Stormcrowned. This phase of the game sees the pilgrim completing quests and adventuring in Skyrim, crafting jewelry, and trading in towns and cities while under a blessing of Zenithar - then giving most of that gold away to Whiterun's Temple of Kynareth.

    The Blessings of Nature quest to restore the Gildergreen is a priority quest, for doing so allows the pilgrim to pay for Restoration training and simulate his charity, which all nicely synergises thanks to Restoration's Pilgrim perk which increases the power any shrine blessings by 1% per level of Restoration: The more money we give to Danica, the more our Restoration skill goes up, and more money can be made from trading while blessed by Zenithar. The goal is to get a skill level of 90 so that the pilgrim can get Gods and Mortals, a perk which makes shrine blessings last 50% longer and unlocks additional effects from each Divine.

    Once the pilgrim was well on his way towards that goal, he starts to see these blessings really improve his combat prowess. Wearing an Amulet of Stendarr while under that Divine's blessing with the Pilgrim Perk boosting the power of that blessing, it feels to the pilgrim as though the gods themselves are fighting with him and lending their strength to his shield arm.

    Blocking plays an important role in combat and in thematics, for the goal is the Hold the Line perk, unlocked at a skill level of 90, which grants allies within 10 feet a 250 boost to their armour rating during a timed block. When combined with Heavy Armour's Rallying Standard which grants allies a 150 AR boost and +25% damage modifier, as well as One-Handed's Rise Kinsmen perk which grants allies a +20 damage boost after a forwards power attack from the pilgrim's mace, the concept of the pilgrim becoming Stormcrowned and mantling General Talos really takes shape.

    Rounding out the Talos theme is the use of Speech and Shouting. In addition to the bonuses the skill gives to bartering, the shout-related perks bring life to the Stormcrowned's Voice. By now he's well into the Main Quest and using all those abilities during the Civil War quests to lead his army as a general like Talos before him.

    For RP and Questing aside from the all-important Blessings of Nature, Civil War and Main Quest, I chose to explore any encounters which allowed the opportunity for betrayal. That is not to say the Stormcrowned was untrustworthy or dishnourable, but his understanding of enantiomorphic events and their importance deepened as he came to understand who he was. In My Time of Need to double cross Kematu was the most fun I have had with that quest since the game came out.

    The Ghost of Old Hroldan is an important story element, done after returning the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller to the Greybeards

    I took the MQ as far as getting Clear Skies and meeting Paarthurnax, after that the Civil War was my main priority.

    For the Civil War, the Stormcrowned sided with the Stormcloaks up until giving the Jagged Crown to Tulius. Yes, they revere Talos where the Empire have banned his worship, but in the end Talos didn't need worship - for he was fighting with Legion and leading them to victory after victory.

    Apart from those, the Stormcrowned pretty much took any and all quests to help the people of Skyrim out, gain experience at smithing, and deepen his faith in the Nine.

    March always seems to be one of the hardest months of the year, and this one was no exception - indeed, harder than most thanks to an increased workload due to horrendous weather. This build didn't turn out quite as I planned from the start, time constraints forcing me to drop the rhyming. Nevertheless, I'm quite proud of how it turned out and enjoyed playing.

    Thank you DB for the Songs of the North event, and for the advice and unending support along the way.

    Thank you to the Workshop team, Edana, Valric, Pocky, Lis, DeltaFox, and Mook for their encouragement and support.

    Last but not least, thank you for reading :)

    This build was inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons, specifically Summer's presto section played by Mari Samuelsen:

     

  • March 31, 2018

    Yay! So wonderful to see another Phil build up. I enjoyed the backstory and the concept a great deal and the artwork is beautiful. 

     

  • April 2, 2018

    Urgh, feels gross to be this late on commenting on any build. Sorry, I'm late with the comment Phil, can't even say I've been busy lately or anything logical, just haven't been around as often as normal. Anyway, I'm probably going to gush about it a bit, so let me just say that the presentation for this build is absolutely phenomenal. I'm not just talking about the visual presentation (though of course, that's excellent), but just the way it was written, the spin you've brought to writing the build up is just totally unique, interesting and fun to read. I'm a sucker for original ideas, and when you mentioned the idea to me at first you know I was instantly drawn in and I'm really glad to see it finished.

    I think I commented on most of the build while it was in the 'Shop, so I'll skip straight to the only sections I hadn't already praised. Generally speaking I really like the overall style of combat, that sort of...interestingly companion/follower based combination of skills that buffs your allies is definitely a perfect fit for the build and it's come through really interestingly. I sort of like the fact that it doesn't use any of the more Magical means for boosting allies (Illusion/Restoration mainly) and just has it as a sort of...secondary benefit of the character just fighting normally.

    Anyway, gonna shut up now otherwise I'll be here all day :P Just a really, really good build Phil, thank you for joining in on this event and your support throughout it :D

  • Member
    April 2, 2018

    The Long-Chapper said:

    Yay! So wonderful to see another Phil build up. I enjoyed the backstory and the concept a great deal and the artwork is beautiful. 

     

    Dragonborn1921 said:

    Urgh, feels gross to be this late on commenting on any build. Sorry, I'm late with the comment Phil, can't even say I've been busy lately or anything logical, just haven't been around as often as normal. Anyway, I'm probably going to gush about it a bit, so let me just say that the presentation for this build is absolutely phenomenal. I'm not just talking about the visual presentation (though of course, that's excellent), but just the way it was written, the spin you've brought to writing the build up is just totally unique, interesting and fun to read. I'm a sucker for original ideas, and when you mentioned the idea to me at first you know I was instantly drawn in and I'm really glad to see it finished.

    I think I commented on most of the build while it was in the 'Shop, so I'll skip straight to the only sections I hadn't already praised. Generally speaking I really like the overall style of combat, that sort of...interestingly companion/follower based combination of skills that buffs your allies is definitely a perfect fit for the build and it's come through really interestingly. I sort of like the fact that it doesn't use any of the more Magical means for boosting allies (Illusion/Restoration mainly) and just has it as a sort of...secondary benefit of the character just fighting normally.

    Anyway, gonna shut up now otherwise I'll be here all day :P Just a really, really good build Phil, thank you for joining in on this event and your support throughout it :D

    Lis, DB, thank you :)

  • Member
    April 3, 2018

    Well just really reiterating what Deebs said, but I really like the style you used with the rythming poetic theme throughout. Playstyle kept to the Pilgrim class quite nicely and looks like it would be a fun build to pick up. Religious ties and political bits really hit it off with a sound ending and quest choice is sensible. Looks to me a great idea that was pulled off exceptionally well :D

  • Member
    April 3, 2018

    Another awesome build, Phil! I'm loving the poetic feel and it reminds me a lot of the Norse sagas of old, y'know, of Thor and Odin and that sort of thing. The poetry you've used here is also wonderful; it rolls from the page and brings to mind scandinavian wilderness and soaring peaks. The only downside is that all these awesome builds are making me wish I'd actually got mine finished :D

  • April 3, 2018

    Wow - this feels like 'the' definative Nordy Nord Dragonborn, which is something I've been trying to nail for ages and never have! Looks like it would be a great build to use the Enai Thunderchild mod with too. 

  • Member
    April 5, 2018

    Honestly, you are one of the greatest proponents of pilgrims on this site--you've just got the love. The Stormcrowned is Skyrim, but with a huge Knights of the Nine vibe to it! Those skills and perks are fantastic, but Ordinator's Restoration perks turns an already fantastic pilgrim build into an uber-pilgrim. It's just... perfect!

    Needless to say, I have a new favorite Paws build. In a month or so when some of the craziness at work releases its stranglehold, I may have to drop the pure Alchemy build I've been toying with and pick this up instead ;D

    Also, The Stormcrowned is currently being featured on the TV Twitter and Facebook pages :D

  • April 5, 2018

    The build doesn't seem like something I'd use (I'm more of a thief m'self), but I really like the presentation. Really sounds like the kind of cheesy Übernord song Skyrim bards would butcher every two minutes that I spend at an inn trying to hear quest dialog.

  • Member
    April 5, 2018

    FlamezSword said:

    Well just really reiterating what Deebs said, but I really like the style you used with the rythming poetic theme throughout. Playstyle kept to the Pilgrim class quite nicely and looks like it would be a fun build to pick up. Religious ties and political bits really hit it off with a sound ending and quest choice is sensible. Looks to me a great idea that was pulled off exceptionally well :D

    Thank you Flamez :) Had to drop the rhyming a bit earlier than I anticipated but I honestly can't think of how I'd have continued in that form.

    Wulfhedinn said:

    Another awesome build, Phil! I'm loving the poetic feel and it reminds me a lot of the Norse sagas of old, y'know, of Thor and Odin and that sort of thing. The poetry you've used here is also wonderful; it rolls from the page and brings to mind scandinavian wilderness and soaring peaks. The only downside is that all these awesome builds are making me wish I'd actually got mine finished :D

    Thank you Wulf :) You can still fnish your own, though! Never too late.

    Plunders-The-Mountains said:

    Wow - this feels like 'the' definative Nordy Nord Dragonborn, which is something I've been trying to nail for ages and never have! Looks like it would be a great build to use the Enai Thunderchild mod with too. 

    Thank you Plunders :) I didn't use Thunderchild (although was tempted) but did use Thundering Shouts in order to help my immersion.

    ShinJin said:

    Honestly, you are one of the greatest proponents of pilgrims on this site--you've just got the love. The Stormcrowned is Skyrim, but with a huge Knights of the Nine vibe to it! Those skills and perks are fantastic, but Ordinator's Restoration perks turns an already fantastic pilgrim build into an uber-pilgrim. It's just... perfect!

    Needless to say, I have a new favorite Paws build. In a month or so when some of the craziness at work releases its stranglehold, I may have to drop the pure Alchemy build I've been toying with and pick this up instead ;D

    Also, The Stormcrowned is currently being featured on the TV Twitter and Facebook pages :D

    Thank you Shin :) I do like the pilgrim class, must admit. I hope the craziness of work eases a bit and we see a new Shinbuild soon.

    tirrene said:

    The build doesn't seem like something I'd use (I'm more of a thief m'self), but I really like the presentation. Really sounds like the kind of cheesy Übernord song Skyrim bards would butcher every two minutes that I spend at an inn trying to hear quest dialog.

    Thank you Tirrene :) Cheese is good!