Non-Combat Skyrim, Day 1

[For those not in the know, this is an in-character account of my attempt to play a strictly non-combat character in Skyrim. I like a challenge, so my restriction is that my character never fights anything. I wanted to see how much of the game was playable under that restriction. The roleplaying justification is that my character is a confidence man who isn’t so crass as to actually enter combat.]

So, I’m on my way from Morrowind back to Cyrodiil, and my ship is washed ashore in Skyrim. I’m the only one left alive in this frozen wasteland, and I’m immediately picked up by Imperial forces. I start to count my blessings, only to find that they’ve accused me of being a rebel.

Who’s rebelling? I don’t keep track of politics much, but when I’d left for Morrowind, there hadn’t been anything in the news about a rebellion. Regardless, I try to talk my way out of it, but the captain isn’t having any of it. So I’m on the headsman’s block, waiting for the end.

You’ll think this is one of those tall tales, but then a dragon shows up and starts blasting hell out of Helgen. I take advantage of the confusion and escape with the help of an Imperial officer. Trust the Imperials to do what’s right in the end.

I end up in Riverwood, and am tasked with taking word of the dragon attack to the Jarl at Whiterun. But first, the local shop keeper has some coin to pay for an errand, and all my coin was lost in the shipwreck. He needs something retrieved from some bandits…I should be able to talk it out of them without any trouble.

I make my way to Bleak Falls Barrow, and sneak past the sentries. They clearly haven’t had to deal with an expert before. Once inside, I sneak by a couple arguing about a dark elf. I figure the dark elf probably has what I need, so I continue.

A few skeevers give me trouble, they apparently hunt by smell. I lock them on the other side of a gate, and move forward, only to find the grandmother of all giant spiders! I free the dark elf and we both escape out the back way.

Instead of the gratitude I’d expect, and an offer to trade what I need for my assistance, the cretin runs ahead and gets himself killed by undead. I grab what I came for from his body, and run past the undead and dive through a swinging blade trap. The undead follow, but aren’t as fleet on their feet, and are killed.

I sneak my way past more undead than I’d ever hoped to see. I finally arrive at some sort of main chamber, with some strange glowing runes. They seem to etch themselves into my mind! At the same time an undead king or something wakes up, so I run out the back exit.

Back in Riverwood, I give the golden claw back to the shopkeeper, and get some coin in return. At least I can now afford decent accommodations in Whiterun, which is sure to be more civilized than this.

[Bleak Falls Barrow is well suited to stealthing through…I did great until I got to the door where you need the claw, only to realize I’d forgotten to get it from Arvel’s body. So I had to go back, and the level isn’t designed for stealthing in reverse. So I had to run like crazy.

All my skill point increases have been from sneaking, except for one from the book in Bleak Falls Barrow that teaches pickpocketing. All my Perk points have gone to sneaking.]