» Wed May 09, 2012 2:55 am Once I eventually reached Riften, it was foggy. There were a few dingy looking shacks on the docks and some arched bridges. One of the shacks was a fishery. It was very melancholic. A guard stopped me from going in from the dock gate and wouldn't tell me why. I went around to the front gate and the guard tried to trick me into giving him free coin, which I caught him out on. He let me in. I looked around the small but interesting city, going down to the lower area to find a few houses/shops in the side of the canol. I found one door that led to the "ratway". I decided to check it out, assuming the theives guild was here, and maybe I was right, but I got attacked and nearly killed by someone so I decided I should come back later. I talked to a guy who said something about borrowing money to get an order for the stables and having the stuff be stolen, so he couldn't pay off his debt. For some reason, I thought the person he wanted me to talk to was the one he bought the stuff from, in Whiterun, so stupidly, I set off that way.
On my way Northwest, I came across a man who said he had been attacked and wanted me to escort him back to his camp safely. After I started walking, I started to realise that the only people with camps were usually bandits, but I thought I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Yep, hostile bandits, it was a trap! I hastily ran off and found a farm owned by a Dunmer farmer from Vivec, the only person in the world who can cultivate Nirnroots. I took all her Nirnroots and she offered to buy my gourd. Time to go. I eventually realised that Rift is actually a very high-up place, and there was a huge drop into the volcanic tundra region of Windhelm to the North. I decided to take the fun route: Down a cascade of steep and deep waterfalls. I died twice and got stuck once doing this, but it was worth it. The volcanic tundra was beauftiful. Everything was gray and hazy, there were hot springs everywhere, and (probably due to the mammoth skeletons) I felt like I was in the elephant graveyard from the Lion King. It was ominous, definitely.
The world of Skyrim was definitely feeling much bigger than Oblivion as I ran West and found myself near another huge waterfall, in a truly beautiful scene or rocky cliffs. At the top was a bandit fort that stretched across the river with a bridge. The bandit who came outside told me it was a toll gate. I didn't believe her and shot a few arrows at her, killing her. However, I still found myself being shot by someone I couldn't see, so I ran away. Now I was looking out at the tundra at sunset, which was majestic and open. I climbed a small hill to find a standing stone. Yum. Unfortunately a female destruction mage was there and she blew me to bits. I respawned before the hill and ran away. I began to approach Whiterun, which is surrounded by a hell of a lot of farms, by the way, and went around the West side to the gate. I had to cross a moat to get in, and there were guard towers everywhere, it really was a fortress town. And now I'm tired of writing.
I was a bit concerned at the fact that I would have to run the game in mediocre visual settings. That just wouldn't do at all!
