Optional: Music for the Vibe
Too slow? Try the same thing, now with techno (you philistine, you)!
Death. It’s really not that complicated: you follow the river through the nine gates to finally join with an immeasurable sea of radiant stars. It’s beautiful—I’ve seen it. But some don’t want to see… even when it’s their time. Some souls fear that ninth gate and struggle, crawl, and claw their way back through. That journey changes them. They become dark, feeding off the living in order to stay ‘alive’. Even worse, there are people who take advantage of these twisted souls, people who enslave the souls of the dead in order to gain greater power in life. That’s where I come in.
I am the Keeper of the Dead—I send the dead back into death when they slip through the gates; I destroy the necromancers who helped them fight their way back in.
I am the Keeper of the Dead—I protect the living; I shine the Keeper’s Lanthorn and wield the Seven Lights contained therein. I banish. I vanquish.
I am the Keeper of the Dead—if I repeat this phrase enough I might be able to forget… forget that just a few months ago I was nothing more than a 2nd level librarian’s assistant… and forget that I’m scared.
Lore
In the beginning was Anu and Padomay. Their magics (the magic of Order, and the magic of Chaos) filled the great void, and as the void was filled, Anu's love and an appreciation for their creations grew. But Padomay became jealous of Anu’s love for their works, and as Anu's love increased, so also did the destruction and violence of Padomay's magic. The effects were devastating.
Anu salvaged what he could, and to protect their creations, bound both himself and his brother in a final attempt to restore balance and order. The two magics remain--Ordered and Chaotic--but though Chaotic magic was severely weakened, it has ever striven to overthrow the tenuous balance.
The Keepers of the Dead have maintained that balance throughout Nirn’s history. The magic imbued in the their bloodline, one of Anu’s last gifts, permits access to the Keeper’s Lanthorn: seven lights (or spells) comprised of both Ordered and Chaotic magic. Their blood protects them from the corruption and spiritual decay that inevitably follows the practice of Chaotic magic… necromancy in particular.
There is a Keeper for every land in Nirn, and Tamriel’s Keeper has traditionally been the busiest: zombies and draugr, vampires, dremora, daedric gods, and evil spirits all seek resurrection and a path back to life through the nine gates of death. The last Keeper of the Dead has gone missing and is presumed dead after an assassination attempt in Cyrodiil by Chaos magicians. Her father before her sacrificed himself to protect Tamriel from a powerful necro-liche.
And then there is you: born without a father, abandoned by your mother at the age of five without any explanation, and hidden from the world in the pursuit of your duties as an assistant in the Imperial Library, you’ve remained blissfully unaware of the Keepers and their duties… that is, until it is suddenly revealed that the next in the Keeper’s bloodline is you!
The Basics
Race
Stone
Stats
Skills
In choosing skills for this build, Lozhar and I wanted to perk ones that fit the idea of a Keeper of the Dead, but we felt this particular Keeper should be somewhat inexperienced and vulnerable. For this reason we don’t fully perk a lot of the schools, and minimize or limit spell cost reductions. It has made for some action-packed gameplay that never gets old… we both played this build to completion twice!
Restoration
There are a million things in Skyrim that want to kill you, so an ability to heal yourself efficiently and effectively is nice. Now add to this increased damage-dealing to the undead with offensive spells, and Restoration becomes pretty important to the Keeper of the Dead.
Reminders:
Destruction
We limited ourselves to rune spells almost exclusively. Combined with Illusion’s Aspect of Terror perk, fire runes give you the most bang for the buck, but we still augmented the frost and shock branches to provide versatility for Skyrim’s diverse range of threats.
A few fire runes make sword work pretty simple
Conjuration
In the early game we found the bound sword immensely helpful: (a) it gives you decent damage early on, and (b) it levels up your Conjuration very quickly. Also, for the first time ever, I relied on Soul Trap entirely for gathering souls rather than an enchanted weapon or the Soul Stealer perk. Between Bound Sword and Soul Trap, you’ll be an expert conjurer in no time.
Illusion
We perked this mainly for the additional 'oomph' that Aspect of Terror has on fire spells. The most used spell for me in this school was Muffle (which I used while traveling abroad, not so much to keep me silent, but rather as a means of leveling me quickly).
Lozhar, on the other hand, used Fury spells to devastating effect--softening up or eliminating threats before they even had a chance to engage... Illusion: making people say, “What the heck just happened?” since Daggerfall!
Alteration
Of course the defensive perks in this tree are crucial for a superficially armored character. We perked just about anything that would protect us or reduce spell costs, but the Expert perk is a game-changer. The major take-away:
Nap-time only makes them weaker
Enchanting
My money maker. For roleplay purposes, I enchanted daggers with a Turn Dead effect: it not only brings in a decent amount of coin, but ostensibly floods Skyrim with weaponry that protects its people from the undead. If during the mid or late game, however, you come across the Banish effect, that not only serves the same RP purpose, but will also bring in more gold than just about any other enchant I've come across in vanilla Skyrim.
Gear (with end game enchantments)
Head: Silver Sapphire Circlet (Fortify Destruction + Fortify Magicka Regeneration)
Body: College or Temple Priest Robes (Fortify Alteration + Fortify Magicka Regeneration)
Feet: Glass Boots (Fortify One-handed + Fortify Stamina)
Hands: Glass Gauntlets (Fortify One-handed + Fortify Magicka)
Ring: Silver Ruby Ring (Fortify Restoration + Fortify Magicka Regeneration)
Necklace: Silver Sapphire Necklace (Resist Magic + Resist Magic [disenchant the Shield of Solitude])
Weapon: Silver Sword
Level 25 Perk Spread
Level 50 Perk Spread
Follower--The Crooked Canine
I wasn't thinking. I was just... lonely. Though it exceeded the limits of my abilities, I decided to create a permanent guardian. A familiar. Just something for me to speak to--if I just took my time and was very careful, I should be able to do it.
Halfway through my spell, however, Chaos magic started blending in with the Ordered magic, and before I knew it I lost control. The spell was controlling ME. I was uttering runes that I didn't recognize. Powerful runes... too powerful... runes that would consume me when the spell was finished, leaving me a pile of ash. I closed my eyes against the brilliance building up in my little room and waited for the words (and my life) to end.
The words did come to an end, but nothing happened. I slowly opened my eyes only to find another set of eyes staring intently back at me. It was a dog. No guardian familiar, but a very plain, very ordinary, very REAL dog! Overcome with happiness I wrapped my arms around her and said, "Who are you, and where did you come from, girl?" And then my very plain, very ordinary dog sat down and said, "I am the Crooked Canine, and I came from Before. Let's go to the kitchen... and then for a walk!"
For roleplay purposes, Lozhar and I wanted an uncontrollable, hyper dog. The kind that always jumps up and puts its paws on your chest. One that barges ahead protectively whenever any threats appear. Which, I suppose, could have been any dog in Skyrim. BUT we also wanted a dog that was supernaturally powerful, and (as an added bonus) had the ability to talk. There could be only one... Barbas.
Oh that dog! Having Barbas around was just like having any dog I've ever owned throughout my life... maddening and wonderful all at the same time: he's always bumping into you, often barks when you wish he wouldn't, and is frequently in the way. But oh that dog! He's the first one into the fray, packs a wallop in early and mid levels, and he's invincible. Not just essential, mind you... Barbas is invincible! Having followers usually means no AoE spells (such as runes) because even the essential ones are soon worthlessly hobbling around on the ground.
But not Barbas! Sling those fire runes at the bandits surrounding him... he won't feel it. I can't tell you how many times I've had to reload a game because I accidentally gimped a follower with Marked for Death. Now just blast them all with MfD... Barbas is unmarkable! Simply put: Barbas was rolling Companion's Insight in vanilla Skyrim long before Bethesda got around to supplying it in the DLC.
I'd like to thank Raidriar for reminding me to mention some rather important details when using Barbas as a follower. First of all, do not complete Clavicus Vile's quest! I stayed out of Rimerock Burrow entirely, but if you feel a burning need to clear it out make certain you don't pick up the Rueful Axe... it's just easier that way if Barbas gets lost. And he probably will... especially if you use the 'wait' command on him--"You wait right here, okay?" *Two minutes later* "Now where did that freaking dog go?" The good news is you'll always know where he goes... back to the statue at Haemar's Shame. The bad news here is if you have the Rueful Axe, you very well may end the quest (and your adventures with Barbas). Don't touch the Rueful Axe!
Combat
Lozhar and I approached combat in slightly different different ways:
It's the Nine Gates for you, my friend!
Roleplay
The Keeper of the Dead is blessed with an innate ability to combat Chaos Magic by wielding the Keeper's Lanthorn, which holds a combination of Ordered and Free Magic. Lozhar and I felt the perfect application of the Lanthorn would be through the Candlelight spell: just as natural light contains seven prismatic colors, the Keeper's Lanthorn holds seven powers, gifted to them through their bloodline, which are used in their battle to maintain balance and order and keep Chaos Magic in check. The Keeper's Lanthorn provides access to the following seven powers:
Deathlord giving you some trouble?
He'll soon come 'round to your way of thinking!
Closing Notes
For those who are interested in the source material, here are a few interesting points:
Thanks, as always, goes out to all who have provided some great builds for this event; for all who will yet provide great builds for this event; for all who have contributed to the Crossworlds discussions; and to Noodles and Albino for giving us a chance to bring other universes to Skyrim... it's been a lot of fun!
By The Way:
We're builders, so if you like what you see, check out our other stuff:
Optional: Music for the Vibe
Too slow? Try the same thing, now with techno (you philistine, you)!
Death. It’s really not that complicated: you follow the river through the nine gates to finally join with an immeasurable sea of radiant stars. It’s beautiful—I’ve seen it. But some don’t want to see… even when it’s their time. Some souls fear that ninth gate and struggle, crawl, and claw their way back through. That journey changes them. They become dark, feeding off the living in order to stay ‘alive’. Even worse, there are people who take advantage of these twisted souls, people who enslave the souls of the dead in order to gain greater power in life. That’s where I come in.
I am the Keeper of the Dead—I send the dead back into death when they slip through the gates; I destroy the necromancers who helped them fight their way back in.
I am the Keeper of the Dead—I protect the living; I shine the Keeper’s Lanthorn and wield the Seven Lights contained therein. I banish. I vanquish.
I am the Keeper of the Dead—if I repeat this phrase enough I might be able to forget… forget that just a few months ago I was nothing more than a 2nd level librarian’s assistant… and forget that I’m scared.
Lore
In the beginning was Anu and Padomay. Their magics (the magic of Order, and the magic of Chaos) filled the great void, and as the void was filled, Anu's love and an appreciation for their creations grew. But Padomay became jealous of Anu’s love for their works, and as Anu's love increased, so also did the destruction and violence of Padomay's magic. The effects were devastating.
Anu salvaged what he could, and to protect their creations, bound both himself and his brother in a final attempt to restore balance and order. The two magics remain--Ordered and Chaotic--but though Chaotic magic was severely weakened, it has ever striven to overthrow the tenuous balance.
The Keepers of the Dead have maintained that balance throughout Nirn’s history. The magic imbued in the their bloodline, one of Anu’s last gifts, permits access to the Keeper’s Lanthorn: seven lights (or spells) comprised of both Ordered and Chaotic magic. Their blood protects them from the corruption and spiritual decay that inevitably follows the practice of Chaotic magic… necromancy in particular.
There is a Keeper for every land in Nirn, and Tamriel’s Keeper has traditionally been the busiest: zombies and draugr, vampires, dremora, daedric gods, and evil spirits all seek resurrection and a path back to life through the nine gates of death. The last Keeper of the Dead has gone missing and is presumed dead after an assassination attempt in Cyrodiil by Chaos magicians. Her father before her sacrificed himself to protect Tamriel from a powerful necro-liche.
And then there is you: born without a father, abandoned by your mother at the age of five without any explanation, and hidden from the world in the pursuit of your duties as an assistant in the Imperial Library, you’ve remained blissfully unaware of the Keepers and their duties… that is, until it is suddenly revealed that the next in the Keeper’s bloodline is you!
The Basics
Race
Stone
Stats
Skills
In choosing skills for this build, Lozhar and I wanted to perk ones that fit the idea of a Keeper of the Dead, but we felt this particular Keeper should be somewhat inexperienced and vulnerable. For this reason we don’t fully perk a lot of the schools, and minimize or limit spell cost reductions. It has made for some action-packed gameplay that never gets old… we both played this build to completion twice!
Restoration
There are a million things in Skyrim that want to kill you, so an ability to heal yourself efficiently and effectively is nice. Now add to this increased damage-dealing to the undead with offensive spells, and Restoration becomes pretty important to the Keeper of the Dead.
Reminders:
Destruction
We limited ourselves to rune spells almost exclusively. Combined with Illusion’s Aspect of Terror perk, fire runes give you the most bang for the buck, but we still augmented the frost and shock branches to provide versatility for Skyrim’s diverse range of threats.
A few fire runes make sword work pretty simple
Conjuration
In the early game we found the bound sword immensely helpful: (a) it gives you decent damage early on, and (b) it levels up your Conjuration very quickly. Also, for the first time ever, I relied on Soul Trap entirely for gathering souls rather than an enchanted weapon or the Soul Stealer perk. Between Bound Sword and Soul Trap, you’ll be an expert conjurer in no time.
Illusion
We perked this mainly for the additional 'oomph' that Aspect of Terror has on fire spells. The most used spell for me in this school was Muffle (which I used while traveling abroad, not so much to keep me silent, but rather as a means of leveling me quickly).
Lozhar, on the other hand, used Fury spells to devastating effect--softening up or eliminating threats before they even had a chance to engage... Illusion: making people say, “What the heck just happened?” since Daggerfall!
Alteration
Of course the defensive perks in this tree are crucial for a superficially armored character. We perked just about anything that would protect us or reduce spell costs, but the Expert perk is a game-changer. The major take-away:
Nap-time only makes them weaker
Enchanting
My money maker. For roleplay purposes, I enchanted daggers with a Turn Dead effect: it not only brings in a decent amount of coin, but ostensibly floods Skyrim with weaponry that protects its people from the undead. If during the mid or late game, however, you come across the Banish effect, that not only serves the same RP purpose, but will also bring in more gold than just about any other enchant I've come across in vanilla Skyrim.
Gear (with end game enchantments)
Head: Silver Sapphire Circlet (Fortify Destruction + Fortify Magicka Regeneration)
Body: College or Temple Priest Robes (Fortify Alteration + Fortify Magicka Regeneration)
Feet: Glass Boots (Fortify One-handed + Fortify Stamina)
Hands: Glass Gauntlets (Fortify One-handed + Fortify Magicka)
Ring: Silver Ruby Ring (Fortify Restoration + Fortify Magicka Regeneration)
Necklace: Silver Sapphire Necklace (Resist Magic + Resist Magic [disenchant the Shield of Solitude])
Weapon: Silver Sword
Level 25 Perk Spread
Level 50 Perk Spread
Follower--The Crooked Canine
I wasn't thinking. I was just... lonely. Though it exceeded the limits of my abilities, I decided to create a permanent guardian. A familiar. Just something for me to speak to--if I just took my time and was very careful, I should be able to do it.
Halfway through my spell, however, Chaos magic started blending in with the Ordered magic, and before I knew it I lost control. The spell was controlling ME. I was uttering runes that I didn't recognize. Powerful runes... too powerful... runes that would consume me when the spell was finished, leaving me a pile of ash. I closed my eyes against the brilliance building up in my little room and waited for the words (and my life) to end.
The words did come to an end, but nothing happened. I slowly opened my eyes only to find another set of eyes staring intently back at me. It was a dog. No guardian familiar, but a very plain, very ordinary, very REAL dog! Overcome with happiness I wrapped my arms around her and said, "Who are you, and where did you come from, girl?" And then my very plain, very ordinary dog sat down and said, "I am the Crooked Canine, and I came from Before. Let's go to the kitchen... and then for a walk!"
For roleplay purposes, Lozhar and I wanted an uncontrollable, hyper dog. The kind that always jumps up and puts its paws on your chest. One that barges ahead protectively whenever any threats appear. Which, I suppose, could have been any dog in Skyrim. BUT we also wanted a dog that was supernaturally powerful, and (as an added bonus) had the ability to talk. There could be only one... Barbas.
Oh that dog! Having Barbas around was just like having any dog I've ever owned throughout my life... maddening and wonderful all at the same time: he's always bumping into you, often barks when you wish he wouldn't, and is frequently in the way. But oh that dog! He's the first one into the fray, packs a wallop in early and mid levels, and he's invincible. Not just essential, mind you... Barbas is invincible! Having followers usually means no AoE spells (such as runes) because even the essential ones are soon worthlessly hobbling around on the ground.
But not Barbas! Sling those fire runes at the bandits surrounding him... he won't feel it. I can't tell you how many times I've had to reload a game because I accidentally gimped a follower with Marked for Death. Now just blast them all with MfD... Barbas is unmarkable! Simply put: Barbas was rolling Companion's Insight in vanilla Skyrim long before Bethesda got around to supplying it in the DLC.
I'd like to thank Raidriar for reminding me to mention some rather important details when using Barbas as a follower. First of all, do not complete Clavicus Vile's quest! I stayed out of Rimerock Burrow entirely, but if you feel a burning need to clear it out make certain you don't pick up the Rueful Axe... it's just easier that way if Barbas gets lost. And he probably will... especially if you use the 'wait' command on him--"You wait right here, okay?" *Two minutes later* "Now where did that freaking dog go?" The good news is you'll always know where he goes... back to the statue at Haemar's Shame. The bad news here is if you have the Rueful Axe, you very well may end the quest (and your adventures with Barbas). Don't touch the Rueful Axe!
Combat
Lozhar and I approached combat in slightly different different ways:
It's the Nine Gates for you, my friend!
Roleplay
The Keeper of the Dead is blessed with an innate ability to combat Chaos Magic by wielding the Keeper's Lanthorn, which holds a combination of Ordered and Free Magic. Lozhar and I felt the perfect application of the Lanthorn would be through the Candlelight spell: just as natural light contains seven prismatic colors, the Keeper's Lanthorn holds seven powers, gifted to them through their bloodline, which are used in their battle to maintain balance and order and keep Chaos Magic in check. The Keeper's Lanthorn provides access to the following seven powers:
Deathlord giving you some trouble?
He'll soon come 'round to your way of thinking!
Closing Notes
For those who are interested in the source material, here are a few interesting points:
Thanks, as always, goes out to all who have provided some great builds for this event; for all who will yet provide great builds for this event; for all who have contributed to the Crossworlds discussions; and to Noodles and Albino for giving us a chance to bring other universes to Skyrim... it's been a lot of fun!
By The Way:
We're builders, so if you like what you see, check out our other stuff:
Another great build, here, Shin. I'm surprised how well that gear set comes together; I wouldn't have expected it. And the editing on that Roleplay pic is freaking fantastic!
Another great build, here, Shin. I'm surprised how well that gear set comes together; I wouldn't have expected it. And the editing on that Roleplay pic is freaking fantastic!
OH MY LORD YES. This is now officially my favorite build on the site (sorry Lore-Keeper). I go absolutely batshit crazy about ANYTHING Abhorsen related. Everything about this build is absolutely perfect.
My only question is why did you not go with Telvanni Robes or Dunmer Clothes? Part of Lirael's whole look is the red tunic thing, if I am not mistake. Just a little nitpick :P
OH MY LORD YES. This is now officially my favorite build on the site (sorry Lore-Keeper). I go absolutely batshit crazy about ANYTHING Abhorsen related. Everything about this build is absolutely perfect.
My only question is why did you not go with Telvanni Robes or Dunmer Clothes? Part of Lirael's whole look is the red tunic thing, if I am not mistake. Just a little nitpick :P
Wow, you actually made an Abhorsen build that uses the bells from the book, as well as the disreputable dog. This looks very nice, as well as fun to play.It works quite well in Skyrim as their is no shortage of necromancers and undead waiting for you to send them back.
Wow, you actually made an Abhorsen build that uses the bells from the book, as well as the disreputable dog. This looks very nice, as well as fun to play.It works quite well in Skyrim as their is no shortage of necromancers and undead waiting for you to send them back.