Excellent presentation here. Very nice screenshots, and I like the header image as well. A lot of people who create headers with image editing software tend to go way overboard with bevel, drop shadow, and other effects. Simple is better, and you chose a nice clean font that suits the content. You could remake it so that the original resolution fits Ning's body width; that way, your header isn't going to be resized. Notice it's a tad blurry because of that. Most people probably won't notice/care, but I figure it can't hurt to mention, all the same.
For the backstory, you might consider removing the italics ... It can be distracting to read more than a paragraph or two in italics. I do understand why you did it though, and I'll also understand if you keep it as is. Just throwing that out there for whatever it's worth to you. I think you could also do away with the quotes for each paragraph, but again that's a totally subjective call. Technically, English convention dictates that you should remove the end quotes on each paragraph except the final one, to indicate that it's all being spoken by the same narrator. But again, that's just me being a stickler. I doubt anyone else cares. 
Your writing skills are pretty good -- better than most on the Blog -- but there are some grammatical/syntactical inconsistencies in the backstory, particularly with regard to tense. This is a pretty common "problem area" for creative writers, and it's not a huge deal, but again, I'm bringing it up for the record in case you care to reexamine anything. Your could also polish up your syntax a bit; some sentences are a tad awkward in terms of flow or phrasing. I'm really getting into the nitty-gritty here, and it's purely because there's a lot of awesome stuff here, and you show so much talent/potential that I think you could benefit from some in-depth constructive feedback.
Henson's Khulari uses a similar aesthetic to this, and I'll say the same thing to you that I said to him (just for posterity) -- You might consider the black/red variant of Vampire Armor with Nazir's unique red Redguard Hood. The color matches better and the mesh is less distracting, IMO. It would work especially well here to differentiate your guy from his party members, as a sort of "commander's uniform".
Speaking of the gear, it's a very nice array. The Targe, Namira's Ring, Amulet of Talos, and Alik'r Hood are all among my absolute favorites in terms of form and/or function, and you put them to great use with this build.
I think you could do without Smithing, tbh. Many builders here tend to avoid using more than one crafting skill whenever possible, in the interest of keeping things from becoming "too easy". And besides, you can use Enchanting to make gear that fortifies your Smithing skill, plus throw in buffs and purchased potions to further augment [unperked] tempering. Also, Arcane Blacksmith is generally unnecessary even if you keep Smithing; you can temper all your custom gear before you enchant it, so the only component that actually requires that perk is the Targe.
Pretty interesting use of that multiple followers trick. I hadn't heard of it before -- (I usually play solo) -- but it sounds very interesting and effective. Is that what Morta had going on in the screenshot with the dragon? Will your followers all switch to the gear you give them without issue, or did you need a mod or anything to help them along?
The Gameplay section feels a bit brief, but then again, it looks quite straightforward, so I'm not sure what you'd really be able to flesh out.... Maybe a few tactics for dealing with specific enemies/situations? Not necessary, but could improve the build a bit.
One other addition that definitely would help would be to make a perk spread image, rather than link to the calculator. If you're not confident in your abilities to make one, there are folks who can help over in the Art Group.
I like the marriage of the party leader style with the ravager/sword n' board warrior angle. Seems like you managed to strike an ideal balance between those two states, and wrapped it up in a great aesthetic and one of the nicer backstory/RP components I've seen in a while. Would not have guessed it was for the event either, which is all the more impressive.
Very nice work, especially for your first build!
Excellent presentation here. Very nice screenshots, and I like the header image as well. A lot of people who create headers with image editing software tend to go way overboard with bevel, drop shadow, and other effects. Simple is better, and you chose a nice clean font that suits the content. You could remake it so that the original resolution fits Ning's body width; that way, your header isn't going to be resized. Notice it's a tad blurry because of that. Most people probably won't notice/care, but I figure it can't hurt to mention, all the same.
For the backstory, you might consider removing the italics ... It can be distracting to read more than a paragraph or two in italics. I do understand why you did it though, and I'll also understand if you keep it as is. Just throwing that out there for whatever it's worth to you. I think you could also do away with the quotes for each paragraph, but again that's a totally subjective call. Technically, English convention dictates that you should remove the end quotes on each paragraph except the final one, to indicate that it's all being spoken by the same narrator. But again, that's just me being a stickler. I doubt anyone else cares.
Your writing skills are pretty good -- better than most on the Blog -- but there are some grammatical/syntactical inconsistencies in the backstory, particularly with regard to tense. This is a pretty common "problem area" for creative writers, and it's not a huge deal, but again, I'm bringing it up for the record in case you care to reexamine anything. Your could also polish up your syntax a bit; some sentences are a tad awkward in terms of flow or phrasing. I'm really getting into the nitty-gritty here, and it's purely because there's a lot of awesome stuff here, and you show so much talent/potential that I think you could benefit from some in-depth constructive feedback.
Henson's Khulari uses a similar aesthetic to this, and I'll say the same thing to you that I said to him (just for posterity) -- You might consider the black/red variant of Vampire Armor with Nazir's unique red Redguard Hood. The color matches better and the mesh is less distracting, IMO. It would work especially well here to differentiate your guy from his party members, as a sort of "commander's uniform".
Speaking of the gear, it's a very nice array. The Targe, Namira's Ring, Amulet of Talos, and Alik'r Hood are all among my absolute favorites in terms of form and/or function, and you put them to great use with this build.
I think you could do without Smithing, tbh. Many builders here tend to avoid using more than one crafting skill whenever possible, in the interest of keeping things from becoming "too easy". And besides, you can use Enchanting to make gear that fortifies your Smithing skill, plus throw in buffs and purchased potions to further augment [unperked] tempering. Also, Arcane Blacksmith is generally unnecessary even if you keep Smithing; you can temper all your custom gear before you enchant it, so the only component that actually requires that perk is the Targe.
Pretty interesting use of that multiple followers trick. I hadn't heard of it before -- (I usually play solo) -- but it sounds very interesting and effective. Is that what Morta had going on in the screenshot with the dragon? Will your followers all switch to the gear you give them without issue, or did you need a mod or anything to help them along?
The Gameplay section feels a bit brief, but then again, it looks quite straightforward, so I'm not sure what you'd really be able to flesh out.... Maybe a few tactics for dealing with specific enemies/situations? Not necessary, but could improve the build a bit.
One other addition that definitely would help would be to make a perk spread image, rather than link to the calculator. If you're not confident in your abilities to make one, there are folks who can help over in the Art Group.
I like the marriage of the party leader style with the ravager/sword n' board warrior angle. Seems like you managed to strike an ideal balance between those two states, and wrapped it up in a great aesthetic and one of the nicer backstory/RP components I've seen in a while. Would not have guessed it was for the event either, which is all the more impressive.
Very nice work, especially for your first build!
