Journal - Shadows of the Past

[Stranger]

Hi! This is my journal based on the BIGWooly hardcore restrictions. I've made some modifications (all my basic restrictions are in the second post so they don't appear on every page), but stayed true to the core rules.

The first few posts of this journal will cover the restrictions and the character info - then the journaling shall begin!

Male Altmer "Lennain"

Spoiler

Current Hold: Eastmarch
No current companions
Current Residence: Candlehearth Hall
Current Employment: None
Divine Worshipped: N/A neutral
Civil War Side: Neutral
Preferred Weapon: N/A

 

[Stranger]

ROLEPLAY RESTRICTIONS

Starting Out

- Proceed through Helgen and leave the cave with 20 gold, then
- Proceed to horsecart and transport to Windhelm, then
- Prompt capture immediately
- Begin roleplay

Game Settings

- Difficulty set to 'expert'
- HUD set to 0%
- Brightness dropped down all the way
- May not activate overpowered/unrealistic perks (like conditioning; heavy armor weighs nothing)

Stamina and Maneuverability

- Only carry 20% of what game allows
- Must carry bucket or basket if clothes have no pockets
- Only carry 30 arrows max
- Must fully sheath weapon to use a potion
- Must have a hand free to pick anything up
- Must not move around crouched for unreasonable amounts of time

Health and Hygiene

- Must sleep for at least 8 hours every day (allowed to make rare exceptions)
- If no bed is available during travel, "camping" is allowed
- Camps/dungeons must be completely cleared before being slept in
- Must eat 3 meals a day (allowed to make rare exceptions)
- Must always carry clothing (worn under armor)
- May not fast travel (except by cart)
- May not use exploits
- Must wear suitable clothing in rain and cold
- May not swim while wearing armor
- May not enter freezing water
- "Death"s must have consequences

Magic and Mental Acuity

- May not take dialogue options containing information unknown to the character
- Must practice spells for three days before using them outside of study
- Only one starting spell may be used (Healing) Any other spells must be learned

Horses and Dogs

- Horses may carry 10% of your own carry ability (dogs may carry 10 lb.)
- You may not access the 10% that your horse is carrying during combat (same for dog carry)
- As of recent updates to the game, you may access things on horse in mounted combat
- When carrying items back to your horse you may not use sneak or have a weapon drawn
- Horse must be fed 5 points of health per day (it is assumed horse will also eat grass)
- Dogs must be fed 5 points of health per day
- If horse or dog dies it is dead, no save loading
- May not "borrow" horses from Riften or Solitude through favors

Harvesting

- If harvesting frostbite spider venom, must immediately apply to weapons unless carrying an empty bottle of some kind
- Must wait 1-3 hours for activities such as skinning, smithing, reading, enchanting, alchemy.
- May not swim to catch fish
- May not harvest unreasonable items (if a dead elk has a garnet don't take it)
- When woodcutting or mining, must wait 6 hours after each session

Friendship and Relations

- May not "borrow" from friends.
- Treasure gained alongside friends must be shared well.
- Mercenaries are to be dismissed after the job they were hired for is concluded.
- Friends must have food on journeys
- If a friend or mercenary dies they are dead, no save loading

A Note On Restrictions

In many BIGWooly-inspired journals, there is a rule of spending a week at an inn after a "death". While I will use this rule in some situations, I will also be using alternate consequences.

I am not playing with many Character-specific rules, if any. I have narrowed these down to a rule of WWMCD: What would my character do? Being the soft-hand that he is, he's unlikely to raise a greatsword anytime soon, if any sword at all. With all that he's been told concerning Khajiit and Bosmer, he's likely to resist thieving - but the tearing point on that would be that he is even less likely to go out hunting in the snow with his bare hands. It isn't so much that he's spoiled as he has no perspective of survival. These are some examples of reasons behind the lack of character restrictions.

 

[Stranger]

About Lennain

What is it to be hated? What is it to be feared?

Lennain is still a child in many ways. Since his infancy he has lived a life of relative comfort and pleasantry, alongside a pair of brothers as thoughtless as himself. From that youth he was allowed to assume that Altmer were unequaled, which allowed him to mercilessly bully a Bosmer female that his younger brother Iolwen once fancied.

A life without hardship, without consequence, without fear. It was a false life, though, one in which he was but a piece in his parents' grand presentation of Thalmor superiority. Lennain and his brothers had little understanding of the reasons behind their discontent. The older eventually joined the masquerade, which provoked Lennain to grow even closer to Iolwen. The pair feared what their old playmate and peer had become, and sought to rebel against their household.

It came to pass that Lennain was one day approached by a Nord sailor, who had spoken with Lennain's brother and now offered the brothers places as shiphands. Nervous and giddy, the brothers soon accepted, and slipped out to meet the sailor in the early morning hours.

The first day at sea, all was well. Lennain was amiable towards his crewmates, and they towards him. Trouble began the next morning. After a night of drinking, Lennain and Iolwen awakened in bonds. The captain of the ship revealed their destination to be Windhelm, saying that he'd found his Stormcloak-supporting kinsmen made little distinction between Thalmor and Altmer.

Near the docks of Windhelm, another ship approached to make the exchange, and Lennain discovered that the captain had falsely claimed to have captured Dominion couriers. Once he and his brother had been traded to the other ship, a struggle ensued, resulting in Iolwen being thrown overboard and Lennain himself being hauled back to Windhelm to be accused of war crimes. It didn't matter to them that he was too young to have even been in the Great War. All they wanted was to see an Altmer, their enemy, suffer.

What is it to be hated? What is it to be feared?

Lennain would soon discover these and more, in a life far beyond anything he had ever imagined.