4.2 Two Sides of the Same Coin

Storm-Cloaks and the Legion. They highlight the flaws in each other while also pointing out the benefits of their cause. During my many stays at inns I have heard two songs representing the conflict of the war, the Age of Aggression and the Age of Oppression. These songs are nearly alike but the Age of Aggression sings of the downfall of Ulfric and the Storm-Cloaks while the Age of Oppression sings of the rising of the Ulfric and his rebels. These songs share lines though because these are Nord born songs, speaking of Soverngard, the after life for true Nord warriors, and of being true children of Skyrim. These songs only further show the fact that Skyrim is divided. Skyrim is tearing itself apart, brothers and sisters at each others throats with innocents caught in the middle, soon this war will have to end. Even then the war will not be over, it will take time to heal the wounds upon this land.

I decided to visit Solitude and Windhelm, the capitals of the Legion and Storm-Cloaks respectively, to decide what side of this war I wanted to support if I even chose a side at all. I traveled to Windhelm first as it was somewhat close to the bandit camp I had just finished clearing out. When I entered the palace Kings, I heard a conversation between Ulfric and his right hand man Galmar conversing about what to do about the Jarl at Whiterun since he was neutral. Then I heard more about Ulfric and the man he is. Ulfric is a solider, yes, but he knows the heavy price of war and if he could, would give up the war if soldiers were not needed. Ulfric says he is needed though, as he fights for the men he has held in his arms dying on the blood stained fields of war and for the family that is whispered from a dying man's breath. He firmly believe he is fighting for the people of Skyrim, and he realizes he needs all the help he can get as the moment I approached him he asked me to join the rebellion. That is, after he had to ask who I was despite us being near death prisoner buddies together.
Next I visited the imperial capital of Solitude. While traveling to the Blue Palace to speak with the queen I ended up listening to a conversation between her and her advisors. Elisif is not ready for leadership and is questioning if she can trust the military commander of the Legion. She is frightened of how strong imperial control is over the controlled Skyrim holds. It seems that Elisif is very vulnerable with her control of the throne, she also sits differently than most Jarls upon the throne. Instead of the slouched relaxed position of the other Jarls, she sits up-right and straight. This could be perhaps she still has not eased into the role of Jarl. When I went up to Elisif to speak about the Imperials, she gave no attempt to convince me to their side. It is very blatant that Elisif is not the head of the Legion and it is most likely Commander Tullius.
It seems the claim for this rebels fighting the empire war is a value based one saying "Ulfric and his band of Storm-Cloaks are good for Skrim". The counter claim is "Skyrim under control by the empire was fine before the Stormcloaks". But these claims are also vice versa since there two sides to this war. For the case of Ulfric, his appeal is that he claims to fight for everyone in Skyrim because he believes they should be fought for. A very noble cause except for the fact his rebels commit some very atrocious acts in his name. The imperials believe it is for the greater good of the empire that Skyrim is linked to the rest of Tamerial because standing united is the best for everyone. This argument isn't nearly as strong in pathos, but in logos it is because the empire has been shown to be pretty fair while under normal circumstances. This is the evidence, the results stated by both sides. The stakes of this war are very clear when spoken to each side, freedom of the land and the people. Ulfric wants the people to be free from empire control, but under his rule. The empire wants the people to be under there control and away from Ulfric's so called tyranny. The desired audience is the player as new players will be given various first impressions to the sides of war. 

4.1 Slaying The Second Cousin

Dragons! You know in some ways, I certainly believe us Argonian folk are somehow distantly related to dragons. I mean we both have scales and tails, that's certainly argument enough. I had to slay my some-what distant second cousin this wake of dawn after I had presented the Dragonstone to Farengar. The Jarl's dark elf steward had come to gather me and Farengar to listen to the Jarl speaking with a guard who recently come in contact with the dragon. After hearing the account of the attack, the Jarl sent me, Ireliah and a squad of troops to the tower to hopefully kill the flame breathing beast. I say hopefully, because we have no expectations to the dragon attack and a rough chance to actually hurt the beast. It turns out, it wasn't too bad.
After leaving Whiterunm, my squad of bloodthirsty warriors and I marched to the guard tower that was ravaged by the dragon. Arriving on the scene, I spoke to a frightened guard who had survived the first onslaught of fang and fire. He started exclaiming about the casualties and then with a tone of fright in his voice, announced that the dragon had returned. We were about to slay us a dragon.
Fire burning within his mighty body, the dragon came down like a beast of nightmares. Swooping down like the natural born predator of the world, this dragon assaulted us with the precision of an eagle, that is if eagles could breathe fire. Those of us who could fire a bow and arrow crafted a nicely occupied pincushion out of the dragons belly which caused him to take the fight to the ground. Becoming a whirlwind of steel I darted around the dragon slicing at his body while the troops brought down their own metal fury onto his scaled body. Also utilizing my shield in this intense melee, I bashed my cousin's head when he attempted to breathe a cone of fire at my companions. The sharp blunt pain of my shield interrupted his attempts to draw in air, thus giving my team opportunity to attack with full force. Knowing the dragon was near his end, I decided to end his suffering quickly. The dragon attempted a bite at me, I deflected his attempt with a sharp slice to his face and took this moment to climb upon his head. While mounted on his head, I delivered several stabs to his brain and jumped off as his body crumbled to the ground. But as he fell, the dragon uttered something in his dragon tongue. I don't know what it was, but it was clearly directed at me... I could feel it directed at me. My companions cheered as the beast lay dead from their hands as well. But then, the dragon started to disintegrate and his essence was drawn into me, like I was absorbing it.
I talked to the soldiers and they exclaimed I was a Dovahkiin.  A dragon born.
This moment in the game attempts a cinematic moment to behold. With an onlookers point of view, best used from first person, this battle demonstrates the games ability to capture epic moments of tales one would find in a fantasy tale. The art style of the crumbled tower with the battle ready look of soldiers with an up beat soundtrack definitely gives an atmosphere of battle. This fight demonstrates player readiness as well; the dragon can easily kill the player if the player does not react to the dragon's cued attacks. When the dragon attacks from air, it is readable to the player and thus the player should move. On ground as well, the dragon will showcase a wind up for attacks such as bites and fire breathing. The player can interrupt these or move away. This gives players control. The player can control the battlefield, thus giving them choice. After fighting numerous other enemies in the game, the player should feel accustomed to combat and at least surviving. This dragon gives players a test to improve their skills in combat. The game also interacts with you as well, giving you many cues that a fight will commence. The crumbled tower gives a visual clue that a fight was near, and the guard remaining gives an audio cue that the fight will begin soon. The game just kind of draws you in and tells you that you're going to be legend, a slayer of dragons. But aha, it one ups that! It makes you a dragon born thus giving the player even more a personal connection to the game.

3.2 Embracing the Storm

Speaking to Farengar, the court wizard, I was tasked with retrieving a relic called the Dragon Stone from Bleak Falls Barrow. Not only am I Murgurth the lizard mailboy, I'm also Murgurth the errand lizard! Conversing with Farengar gave me further details to this location I was traveling to and I was delighted to learn I would be crossing by Riverwood to get to destination. My trek to Riverwood was without conflict and after stopping by Alvor to pick up new armor, I started my hike on the mountain.
Snow. Snow everywhere. Hiking up the mountain initially was without heavy weather, but after I met some conflict with some bandits who were guarding the mountain, I was also met with a heavy snowstorm. I relished it. It proved an artistic backdrop for the combat spectacle that featured me as the lead performer among these bandit guards. With the snow against my scales, I hurried toward the grand ruins of the mighty temple that bore my desired relic. At the doorstep I was met with even more bandits. Their blood stained the snow as I dispatched their numbers, my Argonian healing factor shrugging off their best efforts to slay me. My style of sword and shield proved that no other combo is as invaluable in war.
Walking further into the depths of this tarnished temple, I encountered more bandits and a puzzle featuring animals. It was a rather simple task of matching animals; conquering this I found horrible animals named Skeevers which made me realize how much I hate rodents. And just when I thought I had disposed of the final pests in these ruins, I was met face to face with a giant spider. While I am not skilled in the practice of magic, I used my rudimentary control of fire to keep the spider at bay while I hacked at it's flesh. At the end of the hall of my battle ground, a bandit named Arvel the Swift was restrained by webbing and asking for my assistance.
I cut the poor soul down and was immediately betrayed as he fled the scene at an ironically average speed. I chased down the fool and before I could end his life, an undead warrior stopped his advance. I've heard of Draugrs, nordic warriors who still walk after life, but this was my first encounter of one. While tough, I made short work of the undead warrior. I went over  to Arvels body and looted a golden claw off of him, hoping to sell it after my adventure. It actually became the key to my advance into the temple however. After slaying numerous more Draugrs, I encountered a door that needed the claw to match more animal symbols to advance.
When I finally found the room of treasures in this crypt, I found two amazing things. The wall of words that contained an ancient power that I somehow learned and the Dragonstone. Unfortunately for my scaled hide, I had to battle another Draugr to leave. This opponent was different than the others, he was larger and possessed a shout of some kind that invoked words of power. He too met his end though. I finished my journey traveling back to Whiterun to deliver my relic.
The game introduces players to puzzles through game progress and interaction. When you first encounter the puzzle involving turning stones, you can watch the bandit attempt a sequence and fail, dying as a result. The game does not give you in game text to figure it out, instead it gives the player environmental clues to figure it out for themselves. Akin to this, the next door involving the puzzle requires an item found from a character the player interacts with. This gives players connections to puzzles and relevance as they encounter these clues themselves. Through this organic process player slowly learn the game and how it interacts with the player.

3.1 Going Local

There are some great people at Whiterun. There are also some foul people as well. The moment I stepped into the city, I was met with racism against the Regards and a Battle-Born harassing a female shop owner. As I toured the grand city, I was met with a family feud erupting due to the current war. The Grey-Mane and Battle-Born families are at each others throat due each family supporting different sides of the war, storm cloaks and imperials respectively. This often leads to discussion about war with these groups of people as well as inquiries directed at me asking who I support. However despite myself supporting the Imperials, I do not enjoy the company of the Battle-Borns as many of them are quite rude. Not only this, but I learned that the Battle-Borns might have kidnapped a member of the Grey-Manes for being a storm cloak soldier. I will not stand for this act and I will rescue him in time. Not wanting to dwell on such a despicable act, I went to talk with more locals.

War is very much the subject in this rather peaceful city, the Jarl of this city has not taken a side in the war and seems to be battered often with questions as to who to support. I fear for this city's innocence. Children live in the city and their parents who I have spoken with are verbal about the war which means when war comes, these children might be left without parents. This war is approaching fast, I know it. Wanting to distance myself from this thought, I approached a vendor named Carlotta and struck up conversation about how she was often the subject of men, but that her daughter was the only important person in her life at the moment. This led to me dealing with a rather flirtatious bard named Mikael. As stubborn as most nords I have encountered before, I had to beat him down to convince him to leave Carlotta alone. 

This interaction with Mikael left me wondering how much more trouble could be around Whiterun despite it's gentle appearance. War is close to home in this town, kidnapping, racism and some slight sexism has left a sour taste in my mouth. This city is not horrible, but there are shades of prejudice I will not stand for here.

Racism and sexism are encountered in Whiterun and is common along other cities in the game as well. Traditional Redguards dressed in desert gear were told they were not allowed access to the city which can be seen as allusion towards the rather rude behavior towards middle eastern during this game's production. Khajit traders are also not allowed into the city, which can be encountered outside the city during some travels. This is also another allusion towards races, as the khajit often trade narcotics across borders and talk with an accent alluded to middle eastern accents. Unequal sex representation is also relevant in this game. Women, if not warriors in the game are often treated less by more abrasive men as they are seen as fragile women. Carlotta was harassed by Mikael and required an outsiders help to deal with the issue.Other topics are also prevalent in Skyrim: war, religion, and moral issues as well, but are not dealt with as much in Whiterun.

2.2 The Lizard Mailboy

Being assigned the gracious job of the lizard messanger, I hurried to Whiterun to report the threat of a dragon attack to the Jarl! Along the way I encountered a wolf who tried to mangle me into scaly bits and a giant who fell from my impeccable ability to shoot arrows at knees. Needless to say, I'm a tough argonian. Continuing my quest with no time to spare, I located some bandits about 20 kilometers west to Whiterun and made a pit stop in Solitude to check the sights; which involved me witnessing an execution of man who had helped Ulfiric escape the city. The head rolling on the stone floor reminded me of my own execution; death is open to us all. Making my way back to Whiterun after taking a wagon back from Solitude, I noticed the very large tower which I assumed was where the Jarl was located: it was very much the landmark of Whiterun considering it was the only thing any adventurer could see over the walls. 

Approaching the gates, I was stopped by the guard who demanded what my intention were. Pleased with my answer about my dire news of the dragon, the guard humbly let me in. I did not expect the tension to be so high in Whiterun, I saw some Redguard get turned away from the city and saw a bloke with the surname Battleborn battering a blacksmith woman with demands of weapons. I stepped into each encounter curious to the conflicts: the redguards were searching for a young woman and the blacksmith woman, Adrianne, was being harassed to make weapons for the imperial supporting Battleborns. Without me even doing anything to cause a scene, events were unfolding around me; such is the natural order of life.

Following directions from numerous residents of Whiterun, I followed the steps into the mighty tower of Dragonsreach. Stepping into the grand halls and being rather proper, I rushed over to deliver the news to the Jarl when a dark elf held a sword to my throat demanding why I was there. Not a good impression I might add, I don't think I want to be friends with her. The Jarl was actually rather kind with this interruption and allowed me to speak, without fear of being impaled with a sword. I told him of the threat of the dragon and how I saw it with my own eyes at Helgen. He did not inquire as to why I was to be executed, but he urged me to follow and speak with his wizard to find more about this danger of dragons.

Even here in this more noble and populated city of Whiterun, the residents were kind and helpful people. No one paid mind I was an argonian and merely conversed with me when I wanted to talk. The Jarl himself was very understanding. Despite being a ruler and having every reason to dismiss me being in his palace, he allowed to talk freely and did not chastise me for being a prisoner of the imperials. Allowing myself to be a open with these people has not led to me being killed yet, so I'm guessing being talkative in this world is okay. I see Whiterun as a friendly city. Why? Because no one has of yet try to murder me.

2.1 The Chatty Argonian

After our little escape from Helgen, which even from the name itself sounds unfriendly, Hadvar and I traveled to a nearby town that Hadvars uncle lived in working as a blacksmith. However I did make a pit stop at the standing stones to accept a blessing. I chose the warrior's path because steel and sweat was my savor during the Helgen escape and I am sure it will be my savior later on as well. After making introductions and explaining the unusual circumstance as to why we were there all of the sudden Alvor, Hadvar's uncle, befriended me and offered any aid possible for saving his nephew. After acquiring some supplies from Alvor and learning some blacksmithing skills from him, I decided to socialize with the town given I am new and would need friends in my journey.

I made such a friend in Faendal, a wood elf hunter who was quarreling with a young man named Sven over a girl named Camilla. I actually met Sven first who after speaking with me about his love with Camilla asked that I deliver a fake letter to Camilla saying it was Faendal which contained nasty words and prepositions for her. I decided to take it Faendal instead who actually gave me his own fake letter to give to Camilla. Honestly both these two are horrid people for this, but I decided to aid Faendal due to his less abrasive personality. Nonetheless I made a friend in Riverwood.

I conversed with some other town residents who all treated me rather friendly for a stranger, even the kids thought I wasn't too strange for a stranger. The town saw me for a rather ordinary traveler despite  my lizard appearance and offered me rather kind words for a passing argonian. While I was treated with no prejudice, I did hear the sound of it as I conversed about the war. The town was split, the ones who supported the storm cloaks seemed rather head strong and wanted nothing with the empire. While in comparison, many who supported the imperials and their endeavors offered empathy for the storm cloaks as many of the residents of Riverwood were nords themselves.

The conversation system of Skyrim is an organic immersion ways of learning about the world and it's characters. While there is repetition to the dialogue, it is a very well crafted system. It offers much to the immersion of the world since you are given choices, and the very optional means to it. During this play through I found out that in the inn the owner's assistant actually tells you how to craft health potions. I never knew this from my other playthroughs and it just goes to show, that the dialogue offers plenty of game information and help despite being such an optional part of the game.

1.2 Choices

Argonians. Lizard people. I don't even like lizards. But there was also a certain lack of asian representation in my opinion. Also I have played through the game many times as the other races, but of yet have I played as an argonian. Maybe it's because through my prior experiences playing that I have noticed argonians and khajits are not really represented all that often in Skyrim. I mean how often do you slay argonians or khajits in combat? Sure they are merchants, but I feel like playing as a less common portrayed race would give my avatar a unique flair. Now Murgurth further separates himself from the other characters in the world. This gives Murgurth a rather perfect excuse to being a narrator for our story. He is new to Skyrim as he is from the lands of the Black Marsh and as a result, he sees the world as most players would, new. In this case I need a new set of eyes as I will have to look at Skyim differently than before: with eyes set upon the literacy devices the developers have implemented into their game. Plus I have a tail, that's kind of rad.
Moving further into the actual game: as I made it to the fork in the road and had to choose who to accompany I chose Hadvar. Despite sending me to my immediate death, Hadvar showed empathy in that he did not wish to send an unknown man to his death. He even promised to send my remains to my home land of the Black Marsh, a kind gesture if it wasn't for the circumstances. Even as I was escaping, he offered me protection and aid if I could follow him quickly enough. It was obvious that Hadvar did not enjoy executions of those undeserving.  I also did not have any particular stake in either side so while Ralof was quite the nice individual, it was mostly circumstance as we were prisoner companions. Hadvar had no reason to offer me empathy, but did nonetheless.
While moving through the dungeon with Hadvar, I noticed more Hadvar's personality traits, mainly more of his empathy. When we initially came upon some Stormcloak rebels, Hadvar wanted to talk it out with them and perhaps negotiate some peace. That ended in their deaths however. Descending lower into the dungeon, we happened on a torture room. My companion expressed his displeasure of this room, stating that he wish they(the imperials) didn't need to have this room. He also displayed his companionship to his fellow imperial soldiers as he told them they need to leave the dungeon so that they could live.
I believe Hadvar represents pathos for the imperial army. He presents to the player through player interaction that the imperial army does have soldiers sympathetic to other characters inhabiting their world. As he states his beliefs through the short time through the dungeon, we as players glimpse how the game presents a side to the story of the current rebellion; showing that the war is not only black and white, and that neither are the characters.

1.1 The Name Makes the Game

Murgurth. This is the name that my Skyrim character is titled. I created this name quite a while ago when I was facinated with mythology and fantasy. I gravitated to two names in particular during my fantasy stint: Murgorth from the legends of King Arthur and Murtagh from Eragon. For some reason I really just liked the sound of the names. However being the child I was, I wanted something some what original, and there came the creation of Murgurth. I'm pretty sure it's original too because every time I play a new online game and use this name it's usually available for use. Anyway, this name to me is my escape to adventure. Any game I play, Murgurth is my avatar and he lives the adventure I want to embark on, but can't.
But how does Murgurth represent me? Am I the holy saint or the devil in the worlds I inhabit? Despite sounding like cliche villain off of some fantasy story, I play Murgurth as a friendly guy. I usually make decisions that benefit the typical defenseless villagers and that seems like the moral high ground. This is just because I don't necessarily enjoy being a jerk. In real life whenever I do something nasty or just plain mean, I feel guilty. It's my conscience and that just translates to my avatar.
In a video game like Skyrim, names also have additional titles. Character such Ulfiric Stormcloak have a related faction that pretty sums up his characteristics. The storm cloaks are rebels fighting for their homeland and tradition. This is Ulfiric in a nutshell, traditional and pride for his country. In addition to that, Skyrim also has a great female character named Mjoll the Lioness. Mjoll is a warrior found in the game who like her names suggests is pretty majestic and independent. Names in Skyrim carry their character's traits. If Murgurth were to obtain a title, I believe the Passing Hand would be the most accurate when analyzing how I play him.
In essence Murgurth to me, is just me. His name has no concrete meaning. He is just what I believe would be an adventurer just going on his own way with enough just morality to help people.