I wake up, gather the free breakfast on the table, and exit my room. As I’m walking down the hallway, I’m confronted by an orc.

Wow, what a fatty. I actually have to brave the wilderness and fight wild animals to eat. I walk by him as he continues to mutter to himself and exit the inn. I head over to a store called “A Warlock’s Luck”, and go inside. I talk to the shopkeeper, and buy some new alchemy tools. I now have a Novice Alembic and Retort. These apparently extend and magnify the duration and effect of the potions I make, which should allow me to sell them for more money. After all, thats what it’s all about. I head out of the gates and begin my search as usual. Oops, almost forgot. I don my combat gear. Hehe, now I’m ready.

I come across a wooden door to a place I magically discern to be the Flooded Mine. Unfortunately, the door is locked, and no matter how many times I throw fireballs, it won’t burn down. I spot a couple of deer ahead and crouch. Potential food. I kill one, but the other one runs off, and I don’t have enough energy to pursue. I near the shore and fight off some ferocious mudcrabs. Hey, those guys are serious business. Hunting is fun an all, but my curiosity peaks when I near a wooden door that is not locked. It says it leads to the Veyond Cave. What’s the worst that could happen… I descend deeper into the cave, and I am startled by a couple of rats. I flare them, and they light up like a two torches. The light fades, unfortunately. I walk into a larger cavern and see some ghastly shapes in the distance. I move closer to get a better look, when I hear a low moaning noise.

OH SHI- ZOMBIES!!!! I turn around and hightail it out of there. Besides the fact that I could’ve died, what a thrill! I was probably no match for them though. I didn’t even have my bug-out-bag with me. Or my FX1 Damascus Riot Suit. I quickly forget all that has happened as I see another deer. I chase after it and kill it when it futilely tries to swim across a lake. They don’t seem to notice that they move a lot slower than I do in water. As I loot the corpse, I notice something in the water below.

Well lookie here Pa! I found myself a gator! I don’t really understand what this guy is doing down here. Maybe he thinks he’s cool or sneaky or something, but I found him. As I’m pondering all of this, I realize he is an Argonian, and has infinite breath, while mine is almost up. I barely manage to resurface as my gauge gives out. I wash up onto the shore, and as I stand up in my smelly leather/fur/chainmail, I see the Imperial Tower in the distance. A bunch of stupid mudcrabs decided to interrupt my viewing of the great city by attacking me. Have at thee foul demons!

On the pier by the lake, I notice a chest. I open it and it reveals 18 coins. Now, by Oblivion’s standards, it’s not stealing because the open icon wasn’t red, but I’m pretty sure this money belongs to somebody. And it’s definitely not the mudcrabs; they keep their savings in their shell along with their crab meat. I decide to leave the money. I decide it’s about time to head back to town. I try something new when fighting a deer though. I create a burden potion, and poison my arrowhead with it. When I shoot the deer, it remains firmly in place for a couple seconds, giving me the opportunity to kill it. This will probably come in handy later. I kill a stray wolf and check my internal time: 7:56pm. I should double-time it back to Bravil. I head over a hill and a strange and beautiful sight fills my eyes.

No time to dwell on its purpose, as two flying muscular demons from hell attack me. Yup, you guessed it: Imps. They throw lighting balls at me, which I sidestep to dodge, and I return fire with a couple of flares before bull rushing them with a power attack from my sword. I manage to slay both, but lose a fair bit of health in the process. I activate the magic glyph, I and draw power from the well. This fortifies my magicka attribute by 43. It’s only temporary though, and I’m a stones throw distance from Bravil, so that was kind of a waste. I see a stone door leading into a unknown dungeon, but it’s too late to explore it tonight. I head into town and see that it is 12:00am. I really need to limit myself each day so I can make it back on time. I head inside the inn and see the innkeeper, who’s sitting at a table.

Strangely, it looks as if he has been waiting for me. Well the food is ready, so I decide to take him upon his invitation. I sit down and we chat for a bit. Mostly small talk until he mentions someone known as the Watchman, who was a sailor. He takes my map from me, and scribbles all over it, and says he’d like for me to check out that location. Okay, I see what he did there. He butters me up with a fancy meal, and then assumes I’ll risk my life by investigating an unsafe place. Well screw you sir! I don’t say that to his face though, because he owns the only inn in Bravil, and I would have nowhere else to sleep if our friendship was ruined. I pay for another room, and head upstairs to sleep.

I wake up in the Two Sisters Lodge in Skingrad.  Pretty nice room that they have.

I head downstairs to the bar.  Mog gra-Mogkakh is downstairs, dutifully manning her station as barkeep.  I grab a stool next to her, drink a couple ales, and tell her of my life stories.  Doesn’t seem like she’s listening very intently, because after a couple minutes she says again “How are you?”.

I eat my bread, finish off my last beer, and leave the tavern.  I’m a little mad that no one seems to understand me.  I walk down the road towards the north side of town.  Soon I’m confronted by a strange little wood elf.

Um, how about no.  This guy looks a little sleazy.  And no way I’m going with him behind the Great Chapel.  At midnight.  Where no one can see us.  I have a feeling that he’s either going to rape me or kill me, and I don’t want either of those things.  I continue past him until I spot the Great Chapel.

Damn.  That’s a tall building.  It towers over all the two-story buildings in town.  I need to get my Yellow Tick disease cured.  It’s quite itchy and for the most part unpleasant.  I head inside the Chapel and see the father flirting with some whore inside.

It’s pretty nice in here, but a little dark and eerie.  Well, I walk up to the big circular dish in the front.  I stand next to it and touch it.  In my mind I receive a message saying “Rejoice!  Through faith, your afflictions are banished!”.  Wow, that was simple and easy.  I don’t believe the bullcrap about faith curing my yellow tick.  I bet there’s a wizard or something inside that huge circle that cures anyone’s diseases that walks bye.  I sit in one of the seats and stare blankly ahead, as if I am actually praying.  After a minute, I get bored and stand up.  I walk over to the bald guy in the nice clothes and greet him. 

Whoa, excuse me for asking how your day’s been.  Okay, screw you guys, I’m going home.  I leave the Great Chapel for good.  No way I’m going back in there with that stuck up guy.  Well, unless I contract another disease of course.  I walk past a few houses until I see a guy next to a big vat.  I hop the fence and peek inside the big bucket.  Ooh, grapes.

Huh.  Interesting professions.  A grape-grower AND trainer of shields and weapons.  Wow.  Well, I uh, pick flowers and kill wild beasts.  And no offense, but I don’t need the combat training of a guy that grows grapes.  Maybe I’ll come back if I need some advice about starting my own garden or something, but until then, see ya.  I head into the mages guild looking for a mortar and pestle, but nobody is selling anything other than spells in there.  Damn.  I head into the Colovian Traders store across the street to sell my goods, I mean wares.  I chat with the guy in there for a bit; he’s fairly friendly.  I buy some fur armor to complete my set from the guy.

Wow, I am so photogenic.  Look at me with my eyes closed…yeah…  I pull out my hammers to repair the damaged bits of my fur armor.  Which is a little confusing, because I would’ve assumed I would need cloth/leather and a needle and thread.  Oh, well.  I repair a couple pieces of armor before the hammer breaks.  I sell all of my uneeded stuff such as the flowers I picked for the past two days.  Oh my gawd.  In total I made 1039 gold from all the stuff I’ve collected.  Holy crap.  Those flowers are worth a lot.  Well, I did have like over 9000 different flowers in my backpack.  Okay, now I feel successful.  I buy some better quality, but more expensive leather armor from the merchant. 

And my eyes are still closed.  I say goodbye to the nice guy and head outside.  To the west I see a big statue with a truckload of flowers around it. 

Before: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2610-03-32-95.jpg

After: http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2610-03-53-26.jpg

Hehehe.  Well, its public property, so it’s not morally wrong in my book.  I enter a big house and see that he’s having a party.  I talk to him and ask about buying a house.

Now that I have a little spending change, I want to know how much a typical, but small house is here in Skingrad.  A reasonable question right?  Even after boosting his disposition towards me, he replys with: “Look, I like you, but not enough to tell you that.”  Jeez, what a jerk.  See you later Shum gro-Yarug.  I head into the town’s blacksmith shop to look for a new weapon.  I settle with this beast of a sword. 

I then buy a chainmail helm and some regular clothes from her as well.  Amazing, my eyes are actually open in this picture of me.  I buy a repair hammer from her, and finish repairing the rest of my gear.  I thank her and leave the store.  Oops, I’m still wearing my armor and weilding my weapon.  I have to represent my fellow NPCs out there. 

I look pretty stylish, if I do say so myself.  And of course, I still have my weapon equipped, but not drawn.  Like all the other NPCs.  As if they expect themselves to be assaulted at any moment.  Yeah, right.  I head outside of Skingrad, and talk to the guy sitting on the bench in front of the stables.  I talk to him, and he directs me inside if I want to buy a horse.  I head inside and check out the bookshelves.

I take a couple off the shelf and open them, but don’t read past the first page.  I talk to the woman eating at the table.  I ask her about traveling, and she gives me a list of towns I can take a horse to.  I pay up 36 gold, and before I know it, I’m in Bravil.

That traveling service took a long time.  About six hours total have passed.  It’s about 9:00pm, so I head to the nearest inn for a bed…which happens to be right in front of me.  I stroll inside and talk to the high elf by the bar. 

I head upstairs and view the bed.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-05-0315-45-08-62.jpg  A little expensive for what it’s worth, but it isn’t bad.  Although the barkeep was a little deceptive; this is the only inn in Bravil, so technically it’s the best and the worst, depending on how you look at it.  Well, it’s late.  I’m off to bed.  I sleep for eight hours, as usual.

I wake up all groggy and grumpy. That bedroll that I slept on wasn’t very comfy. It is also 11:00am. The sun is already above me in the sky. So much for an early start.

I’m really hungry, considering I didn’t eat much yesterday, and I didn’t have my usual midnight snack. I decide to go all out for breakfast, so I cook my food.

That’s right. I light the logs under the pot, and put some venison, potatoes, and corn into the pot. Now that’s what I call roleplaying. Granted, it took me a while to levitate the food into the pot because picking up objects with your hands in this world is way too old school. Also, the fire dies out every couple of seconds, because my flare spell doesn’t last very long. Maybe a higher level spell will keep the fire lit longer… Well, I don’t have a higher level fireball, so I have to keep relighting the fire. After a couple of minutes, the food looks well done. I levitate each individual item back out and eat all three, while pretending they are mixed into a stew. I wash the food down with the five bottles of ale that I found in the camp. Those bandits are heavy drinkers; they must live hard lives. I drink the ale with food, as there is no edible water in Oblivion. I don’t use it to wash away my sorrows… I look back upon the camp one last time for any more items, then leave. I walk back onto the road and soon spot a guard on a horse.

I decide to tail him in case there are any enemies on the trail. Imperial Legion Guard is a pretty cool guy. He kills bandits and doesn’t afraid of anything. I wish I was as cool and strong as he is. I follow him along the path for a while, picking up ingredients, until I see a deer. I look through my inventory for anything that might be helpful against it. As I look through my weapons, I set my eyes upon the iron bow I looted from the bandit yesterday.

Now seems like an appropriate time to use it. I only have 18 iron arrows though, so I have to use them sparingly. I wield the iron bow in my hand. Whew, its heavy! But if it’s made of iron, how does the bow bend when you shoot it… Oh well, here goes nothing. I drop into a crouch and dodge behind a bush. I set my eyes upon the deer. I am the hunter. It is the prey. I nock an arrow, and pull back the string. I wait. I aim carefully, just above the head of the deer. The distance is not too great, so the Coriolis effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect) will not need to be taken into account. I adjust for wind speed and direction. I carefully time my shot, and fire it in between heartbeats. The shot silently flies through the air like a hawk during a dive. The arrow impacts the deer in the head, piercing into the skull. The hollow-point arrowhead split into multiple pieces on impact (known as the mushrooming effect) and proceeded to slice through the brain tissue. The deer is launched backwards from the force of the arrow. The deer doesn’t move. I have won.

After that exciting hunt, I pose ever so heroically after my victory at the battle of Cyrodiil. http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2523-12-37-82.jpg

I’m past Kvatch, but still about a day’s travel time to Skingrad. I continue eastward, making a beeline towards Skingrad. And when I say beeline, I mean picking up every flower along the way. I get sort of sidetracked, and wind up going a little too far north as I run into a giant statue.

Wow. I want one of those in my backyard. I can’t seem to explain it, but I am drawn to the statue. For some reason, I keep traveling nearer, and nearer to it. Oh wait, it’s just the flowers. It’s a goldmine over here. But instead of gold, they’re flowers! A flowermine! I carelessly grab any flowers I can as I run towards the statue. I see some more by a wall, so I pick those too. I turn the corner and hear a snarl. I look back and see possible one of the most hideous…things I have ever seen.

Ahhhhh! Run away! I start to run away, but the goblin pulls out his mace and hits me as I escape. No one hits Afroman and gets away with it. I turn around and gather my mystical energy. I focus the energy into my fingertips and launch a salvo of fireballs in the general direction of the goblin. Two of them hit, and bring him down to half health.

I pull an arrow out of my quiver and nock it. The goblin charges toward me in a frenzy, screaming and slashing at the air with its mace. I release the arrow and let it fly. The bowstring makes a twang noise as the arrow hits the goblin square in the chest. The goblin falls over dead. Whoohoo! I have defeated that ugly creature! The fewer goblins in Tamriel, the better, most citizens agree. I pass by the ruins and head once again towards Skingrad. I know I’m a hypocrite, but this is the last time I’m snooping around strange ruins. As I’m running, I see a rustle in the grass in front of me. I come to an abrupt halt, but it is too late. A giant rat springs towards me with its big, ugly fangs. I quickly ready my mace I looted from the goblin and swing away. One of my desperate flails connects! The force of the hammer causes the rat to do a barrel roll backflip.

After I kill the rat, I loot its body. I take the rat meat and a fork? Okay, now I have two questions:

1) Who was trying to eat a rat while it was still alive? You would need a steak knife as well, duh.

2) Who wanted to eat rat meat? Rat meat is one of the most vile meats in all of Cyrodiil. It’s only really use is an ingredient in alchemy.

I leave the fork inside the body and keep walking towards Skingrad. I walk through some tall grass and see a small farm in the distance. I decide to head over there. When I’m a few paces from the farm, a giant black paw lunges at me.

Ah! Bear! I run past the bear in a desperate attempt to reach the farm. I see a man digging furrows for his plants. I hop the fence in a single bound, and the black bear just goes around it. The man looks up from his work, and helps me kill the bear with his fists.

You don’t know what to do? You just killed a bear with your bare hands (ha, pun). Well, I was going to help you with your bear problem, but you seem more than capable of handling it on your own. Good-bye Thor! I find a small lake close by the farm, and decide to go for a swim.

I wade around in the water for a while, noting the strange opaqueness of the surface. I poke my head underwater and see some small white shells. I pry a few of them open and recover some flawed pearls. My mercantile intuition tells me that they’re worth 2gp each. As I’m getting out of the water, another black bear bull rushes me.

This time though, there’s no boxing champion around to help me. I pull out my mace and hack and slash till I’m beating the guts out of its dead body. Unfortunately, I am inflicted with Yellow Tick, a disease that drains my speed and strength. I check my pack, but I’m out of cure disease potions. Better not run into any more creatures on my way to Skingrad. I skin the bear of its valuable, but heavy pelt. It’s getting late. It’s almost 6:00pm. I check my map again.

I’m a little off course, but very close to Skingrad. I double time my way towards the front gates. Just my luck; it starts to rain. It pours heavily as I trek my way through the mud and wet plants. I see someone on his horse, but he looks friendly, so I run up to him.

I don’t really understand why he would be riding his horse while it is pouring rain, but I don’t give it a second thought. I can barely make out the shadows of the front gates of Skingrad. I’m running towards them when, you guessed it, something jumps out at me.

You’ve encountered a wild dog! I’m getting kinda tired of all these animals jumping out at me. I don’t understand why they always have to pick on me. Maybe they’re learned to communicate and they’ve formed a plan to piss me off as much as possible. Either way, I pull out my rusty dagger and slice the dog’s throat open. I loot the corpse, but the only thing that is on it is a spoon. You spoony dog! http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2523-38-44-81.jpg Now seriously. At least a fork makes a little bit more sense than a spoon. You don’t slurp up a wild dog to eat it. Or maybe the dog was trying to use kitched untensils and failed miserably. I don’t have time to debate this, however. I’m so close to Skingrad! I pass by a vineyard as I run towards the gates.

I make a mental note to myself to check out the Vineyard when I have more time. Getting some wine and grapes might be useful later. I run to the gates and, finally, I’m in Skingrad. I see a couple cats walking outside in the rain. Cats in Oblivion apparently don’t mind the rain very much. It’s already 10:00pm, so I don’t have any time to explore the town. Plus, most shops are probably closed. I head in to the nearest inn, and pay for a room. I have about 150gp left, but I’ll sell my wares tomorrow in a general goods store. I run upstairs and go to sleep for eight hours.

*Yawn*  It’s 4:00am when I wake up.  It’s still dark outside.

At least I still got a good eight hours of sleep.  It’s going to be a long day.  I start heading east in the general direction of Skingrad.  Kvatch is closer, but I’m not exactly sure what it’s like before the oblivion gate siege.  Skingrad is still a better bet.  I pass under some ruins and find a herd of flaming reindeer. 

Okay, it was me that set them on fire…Geez, excuse me for being a pyromaniac.  The deer burns to ashes, and upon looting it I gain some venison, a type of meat.  I chase after another deer, and the sun is in the sky by the time I kill it.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2520-04-18-46.jpg

Anyways, I continue east.  A couple hours and many flowers later, I stumble across what seems to be some deserted ruins. 

Curiousity gets the better of me, and like at Hrota Cave, I decide to enter.  Wow, spooky.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2520-06-30-14.jpg  This place is pretty cool on the inside.  I’m sneaking around, looking for loot, when I hear some whispering voices.  I wait for a few seconds, but I don’t see anyone.  I slowly turn around and start to leave the dungeon.  This was a bad idea.  I make a wrong turn and find myself right behind a necromancer in dark robes. 

Okay, stay calm.  He hasn’t noticed you yet.  I’m going to back away very, very slowly.  Oh, shit.  He saw me.  I run for my freaking life.  I turn around, and he’s summoned a zombie.  Oh, shit!

I retrace my steps as fast as I possibly can, but take another wrong turn.  I’ve sprung a trap.  Giant blades of death begin to swing from the ceiling.  One of them slams into me, cutting away part of my health and blurring my vision.  I turn around just in time to see one of the blades cleave through the necromancer’s zombie. 

That’ll buy me some time.  I head through the exit and continue running.  I turn around to see if the necromancer is still following me, but he’s not.  However, an animated skeleton with a meat cleaver is now in hot pursuit. 

Must…keep…running.  After 10 minutes of running I slow down.  I think I lost them.  Phew, gotta take a breather.  I rest and eat some food to restore my energy.  I slay three deer with fireballs launched from afar.  I loot three more pieces of venison.  I continue towards Skingrad, but I’m still really far away.  I come across some weird cave, but I’m not sticking around to be chased by more black magi.  I’ve learned my lesson. http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2521-16-06-98.jpg

Next to the cave is a small camp.  I run towards it, but drop into a crouch when I see an archer standing guard.  I move closer, and see that she is a wood elf.  I decide that she is not a threat, and I stand up and walk towards her. 

Apparently, she’s just a rogue NPC.  And from the looks of her gear, she could kick some serious ass.  She says, “Leave me to my work, stranger” when I approach her.  Alright, that’s cool.  As long as I stay on her good side, she probably won’t kill me.  I take her advice, and leave the small camp.  It’s around 2:00pm, I’ve still got plenty of time.  I spot a small, ruined castle up ahead. 

I survey the area first.  I don’t see any enemies.  I’m still not heading inside though.  I pick the flowers around it, and head back up to the trail.  I follow the trail for a couple more hours, picking up everything I see along the way.  The sun begins to dissapear over the mountains.  Within minutes, it’s completely dark outside. 

I look up and see a weird celestial body in the sky.  Not sure what it is.  Must be Oblivion’s moon or something.  I look on my map and I see a small tent icon.  I walk over to where it is.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2522-58-41-01.jpg It’s not inhabited, as far as I can see, but won’t let me sleep there because there are enemies nearby.  I set up a perimeter and look for any animals or humans.  Pretty soon I find this unlucky fellow.

It’s a dark elf bandit.  I sneak up behind him and launch a flare spell right into his back.  He turns around and starts filling the air with arrows.  I block most of them with my shield, then charge into him with my dagger.  I slash a few times, then back up and finish him off with another fireball.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2522-59-57-53.jpg  He’s down for the count.  I walk over to the body and loot it.  Alright!  I have bow now!  I also replace my old rusted dagger with his mace.  A wolf jumps out from behind a bush, but I make quick work of it.

I skin the wolf of it’s pelt and walk back towards the camp.  There not much at the camp, save for some ale which I greedily pick up.  Hey, finders keepers.  It’s 12:45am, so I’ve got to be heading to bed.  I sleep for eight hours and wake up in the morning. 

A new day…

I wake up in Anvil at 8:30.  A little bit of a late start, but that’s okay.  I sit down in my room and eat the breakfast that room service set out for me. 

Grapes, bread, and wine.  Not the most healthy breakfast, but at least it will keep my energy up.  I finish eating and leave my room.  As I’m walking down the stairs, I encounter a guy named Wilbur.  He seems like a nice enough fellow.  He informs me that if I murder someone, the Dark Brotherhood will visit me while I’m sleeping.  What a load of crap.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2518-51-34-76.jpg 

A bright and sunny morning in Anvil.  I’m ready for my daily workload of picking herbs, shrubs, mushrooms, flowers, and the like.  If Lady Luck is on my side, I’ll hunt as many animals as I did yesterday.  I don’t have very much food, so I stop by a general good store and replenish my supply before I exit Anvil.  Well, I’m going to have to look for a new town.  I don’t care how nice the room at the inn was, I need a cheaper place to stay.  Too bad Mirabelle won’t rent out any rooms to non-sailors.  Apparently she needs her daily dose of seamen.  I head north until I come across Hrota Cave.  I’m curious as to what (or who) is inside, so I decide to take a peek. 

I’m careful to be no more than a shadow in this cave.  I glide swiftly, but quietly across the rugged stone floor.  I don’t see anybody in the room ahead, but there is a wooden door at the far end.  I peek through the cracks in the door.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2519-18-49-85.jpg  Looks like the coast is clear.  I open the door, and as I predicted, there isn’t a soul to be found.  I take a couple steps into the room.  I hear the noise of shuffling feet.  I pull out my dagger and blend back into the shadows.  I turn around just in time to see a small rat running in between some crates.  I dig through a chest and procure 10gp.  Seeing as though this cave is (I hope) uninhabited, I assume it’s morally legitamite to scavenge from these abandoned boxes and crates.  I search the rest of the cave and find a bronze necklace.  Well, that wasn’t a total waste.  10gp for me is nothing to sneeze at.  And now I have my first piece of jewelry.  I’m walking towards the exit when I accidently spring a trap.  Oops. 

I alright, just a little surprised.  The spiked flail only took away 1/4 of my total hp.  I pick a few more mushrooms and leave the cave.  Okay, that little cave detour took a few hours.  It’s 3:00pm when I step outside.  I head north picking flowers until it’s 5:00pm.  I have to look for a place to spend the night, because Anvil is too far back.  I look on my map and decide the closest place is the Brina Cross Inn. 

I head inside and chat a bit with the locals.  It’s a small inn and tavern type place.  Everyone inside is pretty friendly except for one person. 

Her name is Caminalda.  From her robes, she’s either a noble or a wizard.  Seeing as how she’s in the Brina Cross Inn, I’m assuming she’s a wizard.  Best not to get on her bad side.  I decide talk to her, and she gives me the stink-eye.  Don’t know what her problem is.  I talk to the innkeeper and rent a bed for the night.  It’s a bargain at 10gp. 

It’s not as nice as the one in Anvil, but it’s a helluva lot cheaper.  I even read this book before I go to sleep.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion%20Blog/Oblivion2008-04-2519-44-02-57.jpg.  Today wasn’t as prosperous as yesterday, but it wasn’t bad.  It’s only 8:00pm, but I want to get an early start tomorrow.  In the morning, I’m heading for Skingrad.

The day begins…

I arrive in Anvil in the early morning (3 am).  I step off the boat and look around.

So this is Anvil.  It’s a sea-faring village from the looks of it.  Friendly people walk up to me and greet me with remarks that they know who I am.  They must gossip a lot in this town.  I walk along the docks, greeting the cats and rats that run by.  I walk onto the boardwalk and start passing by the shops.  It’s early in the morning, so it makes sense that they’re closed.  Bad business to run a shop while everyone else is sleeping.  I continue to walk along the mossy planks of wood until a see a couple people up ahead. 

Huh, well, whatever floats your boat, I guess.  I talk to one of the guys and he mentions training me in hand-to-hand fighting.  He clearly has not seen my karate skills.  I talk to the other guy, and he says something about his pants scaring away the fish.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2222-22-26-40.jpg

Right…Well, see you guys later, I’m just going to walk away. 

I head towards the town gate, stopping to harvest any random flora that appears in Anvil.  Sure is a lot of Aloe Vera growing around here.  Guess the seamen need it for their skin.  I stop near the front gate to give a gold piece to the beggar.  I only have like 17 gold, but maybe it will bring me some good luck today.  He even blesses me as I walk away.  How nice.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2222-30-53-35.jpg

I exit Anvil and head north.  I stop to admire the horses stabled in the, well, stables.  Maybe one day I will be able to afford a horse.  Someday, Someday…

I walk along the road, stopping to gather any and all ingredients along the path.  I spot a farm next to the road and see a bunch of growing crops.  I walk over to start harvesting, but my conscience stops me.  I think to myself, would an NPC steal crops from another NPC?  Seeing as we’re all buddies in this giant world, I believe its morally wrong to steal.  I pass the farm and continue along the north road.  Suddenly, I’m confronted by a very scary Khajiit. 

No way in Hell is he taking my supple 16 gold.  I take the second choice and prepare to die, wait, I mean fight back.  I activate Adrenaline Rush.  I FEEL A GIANT RUSH OF ENERGY.  MY BLOOD STARTS TO BOIL.  I FELT LIKE I JUST DRANK 20 BRAWNDOS! (see link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbxq0IDqD04).  I charge the Highwayman and start slashing at him with my three inch long dagger!  It takes a couple flare and heal spells, but I manage to best the kitty in combat.  BURN FURRY! http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2222-40-32-21.jpg  After the battle has been won, I proceed to strip the Khajiit of everything he’s got. 

Sorry, but its a Redguard eats Khajiit world out there, buddy.  It’s not personal, its business.  I try on his fur gear and shield.  I look quite dashing if I do say so myself.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2222-41-28-93.jpg

 I don’t see many more herbs on the path, and I don’t want to be jumped by another highwayman, so I take the road less traveled.  Stray off the beaten path.  etc.  I find a lot more plants in the tall grass than I did back on the road.  I see a marker that is shaped like a tent on my compass, so I decide to head west in that direction.  I stumble upon a deserted camp.  There’s a few bedrolls on the ground, and a pitched tent beside them.  I proceed cautiously over to the tent, but there’s just a chest inside…and a human skull.  I shrug my shoulders and leave the camp.  Don’t wanna stay around and end up like that guy.  Besides, the chest was locked anyways. 

I see movement in the grass ahead of me, and I drop into a crouch, therefore increasing my invisibility by over 9000.  I can barely make out a wolf stalking something in front of a big hill a good distance away from me.

Imma chargin’ mah lazers!  I put on my robe and wizard hat and start mowing down the trees with a flurry of fireballs.  Woot!  One connects!  Oh, shit, now theres a wolf on fire charging at me.  I pull out my dagger and start flailing at the wolf with it.  A few of my desperate stabs hit, and before long there’s a dead wolf in front of me.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2222-47-41-28.jpg

I skin the wolf and take its pelt.  Alright, my first hunt of the day.  And those pelts are valued at 10gp.  Nice!  I celebrate my victory by picking more flowers.  Yeah, one pelt isn’t going to make me rich.  I spot some ruins through the trees on top of a hill.  Might as well go check it out.  I walk up the hill, but then a thought hits me.  Am I really just going to mindlessly charge into the center of some deserted ruins?  I mean, there aren’t any roads leading to or from them.  I reenter sneaky mode, and crawl towards the ruins.  

Well, whadda ya know.  My intuition was right after all.  There are two animated skeletons walking around the fort with giant axes.  Yeah, I’m not getting any closer.  I hightail it back down the mountain as fast as I can for fear that they may be chasing me.  I decide to catch my breath near some giant rock with carvings on it. 

I know, I look so heroic in this picture.  Considering I just ran away from some walking bones, of course.  I walk over to the stone.  Ooh, look, I can interact with it!  Oh, goody!  Hm…it want’s to give me some conjured stuff.  Sounds like a fair trade.  Bam! http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2222-53-09-12.jpg  A flash of light and I’m standing with a giant spiked helmet over my face and a giant red longbow in my hands.  Epic!  Now I can really hunt some animals.  Only thing is, I don’t have any arrows…Oh well, I continue to pick the many flowers around the stone.  I keep walking down the mountain until I see a deer.  I sneak (of course) in a very stealthy way towards the deer.  It somehow sees me, so I charge through the brush towards it.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2222-54-33-40.jpg  It probably saw a giant red and black helmet and freaked out.  I don’t blame it.  I chase the blasted deer all the way down to the beach. 

It jumps into the water, but swims really slow.  I have no trouble jabbing my knife into its soft fur.  I’m able to salvage some vension, a heavy and delicate meat from the carcass.  All this hunting and scavenging plants has made me really tired and sweaty.  I go for a nice swim in the ocean!  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2222-56-44-67.jpg  My rock hard abs need to be cooled off.  After a quick dip, I get out and put my armor back on.  I see some mudcrabs on the shore and decide for them that they should die.  I fire some flares at them and gut them with my knife.  Easy kills.

Wow, one of those mudcrabs was loaded.  He had 2gp on him.  He’s probably a pirate or something.  Glad I put an end to his pilaging and plundering.  I’ve had a full day.  It’s around 5pm when I decide to head back to Anvil.  I enter the town, but decide to check out the lighthouse on the coast.  Wow, that’s a tall lighthouse.  http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2223-00-41-26.jpg

I enter through the main door.  Huh, a nice cozy place he has going on in here.  He even has food and wine set out on the table.  Must be a romatic guy. 

I would’ve expected the lighthouse owner to be a hermit or something.  I head up the stairs to find this guy.  Whoa, nice view up here. http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa120/85natrapS/Oblivion2008-04-2223-02-38-10.jpg  Oh, look, there’s the light house guy.  I talk to him; I joke, admire, coerce, and brag to him.  I made a friend!

Fine view indeed!  Well, it’s getting late.  I must be off to sell my wares and sleep for tomorrow.  I say good night to ol’ Fog-Eye, and head back into town.  I stop by the Flowing Bowl to sell most of what I’ve collected today.  I made quite a bit of money.  I’m at about 185gp now.  I feel successful.  I leave the Flowing Bowl, and head to The Count’s Arms for a nights rest.  It’s a nice room, but also really expensive at 25gp a night.  And even though its 10:00pm, light shines through the stained glass.  I didn’t know Anvil was the city that never sleeps in Oblivion.

We’ll see what shenanigans I get into tomorrow morning. 

To make Afroman’s experiences in Oblivion a bit more realistic, I’ve downloaded a few mods to enhance his non-adventures. 

Book Jackets: A complete retexturing of all the books in Oblivion.  Gives them much nicer colors and designs.  Not necessary for Afroman, but helps add realism.

M.O.E. – Fatigue Loss: This makes Afroman lose fatigue when he runs.  Makes the game more like Morrowind.  Since Afroman is an NPC, he will mostly be walking; however, he might need to run if he is in danger or needs to get somewhere fast.  Also requires him to sleep everyday.  This adds more realism to the game, because NPCs always sleep during the night. 

M.O.E. – Hunger Effects: This makes Afroman hungry.  He needs to keep his energy up by eating food everyonce in a while.  If he doesn’t eat for two weeks, he dies from starvation.

Cats & Rats: Not necessary, but nice to have cats and rats running around.

Kobu’s Character Advancement System: Completely changes the leveling system in Oblivion.  Sleeping to gain levels is no longer requiered.  Stat multipliers are completely taken out of the equation; now when you level a skill, your governing stat for that skill also increases. 

M.O.E. – Travel Services: Might be useful.  Since Afroman never fast travels, having an alternate way to get from A to B quickly could come in handy.

M.O.E. – Main Quest Delayer: This is the most important mod in my opinion for Afroman.  You start off in Anvil, just having arrived off of a boat with a knife and some food.  This is good, because Afroman is just your average Joe Schmo, not some hero waiting to be discovered in an Imperial City jail. 

These mods will make my character feel a bit more like an NPC in Oblivion.  All of these mods can be found on http://www.tesnexus.com/.

Afroman is the character I created to live as any other NPC in Oblivion.  He is a redguard with a very inflated head.  I chose redguard as his race because they have good constitution and are “the most naturally talented warriors”.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not very intimidated by him.  Hopefully, though, he is strong enough to survive the wild beasts and bandits of Cyrodiil. 

I picked custom class for Afroman, specializing in endurance and personality.  The endurance should boost up his health and the personality should help him barter better with merchants and make him more likeable.  As likeable as he can get with that head anyways…

His seven favored skills are alchemy, block, blade, light armor, restoration, mercantile, and speechcraft.  The alchemy will help him make better potions, the mercantile for better haggling, the speechcraft for making him more likeable, and the other 4 to help him survive better.  I picked the Warrior as his birthsign for extra health, carrying capacity, and damage.  Hopefully the wolves won’t tear him to shreds.

I’ve started this blog to document Afroman’s adventures in Oblivion.  I want to live and survive as an NPC in Oblivion.  I will avoid anything and everything heroic.  There will be no reloading in this game; if I die, I die for good. 

This blog is based off of Christopher Livingston’s http://livinginoblivion.wordpress.com/.