Amen to that, although not so much the Thalmor.
Niamh tends to have a go at pretty much anyone, just one way I, her benevolent creator, allow her to exploit her world's openness.

It was exciting for sure! Just had two Elder dragons come after us and got both of their souls. We're on our way to find a magical anomaly reported to the College of Winterhold by Jarl Balgruuf. That should be fun!

Trying to escape from Solitude jail - http://hunterofblunders.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/chapter-6-imperial-blood.html

Explored a good bit of Eastmarch, that was some good legwork and I got to look at the pretty environment. Upgraded to full vampirism, and I am very happy being a creature of the night with my crazy hardcoe sneak and Illusion.

Decided to done two things I've somehow never done before at the same time, those things being explore the forts before starting the Civil War questline and the other being to get the achievement of having a bounty of at least 1000 gold in all nine holds. So my solution is go on a massive road trip across Skyrim by horseback, stopping at all the forts and also going on a slight massacre of town guards in each hold capital. For added fun, I've decided to try and do it all at stage four vampirism. I got through Windhelm and Riften okay, but a dragon attacked en route to Riften and oh my God fire BUUUUUUUUUURNS with 100% added fire damage. Even in the dead of night. Also the guards at Kynesgrove seemed more concerned with killing me rather than the dragon so I just decided to take them out then the dragon. My quest continues, onward to Falkreath and everywhere else!

Hmm. If you whack out all the forts before doing civwar.... you may screw some of that quest line....

I was worried about this so I saved before doing the first fort. Basically it just has different inhabitants (bandits, warlocks, etc.) So I cleared it out, then went to explore another dungeon nearby. Come back out, look at the fort, and it's already been taken by the Stormcloaks (this fort was in Eastmarch.) So the thing I learned is that if you do decide to clear out a fort before the Civil War quests, whatever side has that hold will almost immediately occupy it as if you had started the questline.

Right.... but if you clear out certain specific forts, then you won't be able to get the quests TO clear them out at that point in the quest lines for each side.

Nah I get that, but I think I'm good to go since it also gets layered in soldiers once again. And if it isn't, then I learn a valuable lesson! ....Also maybe put my second TV a little further from the window so I'm less inclined to push it out of there.

Just finished dinner with Eola. Going to show her the most wonderful little pillar I found just outside of Windhelm now.

Just began a new character - Jerian Vautrine. Breton Mage, and a descendant of a particular merchant from Oblivion

He became involved in a minor skirmish between Stormcloaks and the Empire as he crossed Skyrim on his way to Cyrodiil. The Imperial soldiers mistook him for a Stormcloak, and sent him to Helgen to be executed as a traitor. He followed the events of the main quest to Whiterun, where the court wizard told him to go to a Nordic Ruin. Somewhat hesitant, Jerian asked where he could learn a few more spells before he departed, and Farengar directed him to the College of Winterhold.

Jerian is currently enjoying a bottle of Alto Wine in his new room in the College. Prisoner one day, College Apprentice the next. He's slightly bewildered, to be truthful.

I honestly don't know much about him, but I'm enjoying playing as him so far! We'll have to see where the roleplay takes him.

Searching for some books to my collection. Now my target is The Song of Pelinal, v7

Doing a non-dragonborn Argonian sneak thief.

Touching Vittoria Vici's bottom, picking her house key, then going in and sniffing her knickers, before leaving some purple mountain flowers on her bed.

SO Niamh, in the darker watches of the night, possibly thinks over the lives that she's taken. I don't know really - she's never said.
Most of them are justified, she thinks.
The Riften Guards at the windmill - apparently she owes 40 gold. Not happening.
It's only a shame that the mill owner and his wife had to suffer as well but, they were witnesses.

The Cyclops was unexpected though...

Jerian awoke just after dawn and (after a quick breakfast of an apple, some bread and a cheese wedge) made his way to Saarthal, where he was to meet his fellow apprentices and their teacher Tolfdir.

He came close to death on more than one occasion - the draugr wight he encountered proved a very big challenge to the level 3 mage. In the end, he picked up the Ancient sword of a fallen Draugr and used it to slice up the wight as he cast his healing spell. After finding a mysterious artifact at the end of the dungeon, he began to make his way back to the College, but on his way out he stumbled upon a strange wall, with some strange language engraved on it. One particular word glowed as he approached, and some form of magic swirled around him. It caused him no harm, and he has no idea what it was. But it felt like ... Power. Raw power.

He's currently on his way back to Whiterun, where he will stock up on potions and possibly a new spell or two before heading to Bleak Falls Barrow.

Veronica is somewhere in the game. I donno where since I hadn't played for 2 days lol. I found a cave with an entrance INSIDE a house though but that's it.
I'm never doing the civil war questline though. However yeah I guess it was stupid of me to suggest going to that fort. I didn't know it was part of a quest. That's starting to irritate me about Skyrim, but at the same time it's what I wanted in Oblivion, so I can't really complain.

I also think they respawn, since the Silver Hand guys do.

The house wouldn't happen to be near Falkreath, would it?
And yes, forts do respawn, but it takes a few in-game days.

Niamh is currently exploring a fort just SW of Windhelm - which was mentioned by a Dunmer in that city. In any given situation you can pretty much bet she will side with the Elves, being one herself, and to that end she has already beaten the living [censored] out of Rolff - or whatever the hell his name is, which doubtless came a surprise to him since he's about a foot taller and 350 pounds heavier than our heroine.
Anyway having also inadvertently got herself embroiled in some some stupid kid's revenge shenanigans she's pretty much decided that Windhelm has not got a great deal to offer and she's still not been able to offload all of her loot. Add to that the fact that pretty much cemented her feelings with regards to Nords - (a long story, read the Fanfic) - and she's frankly grateful for the opportunity to vent her rage by cracking some skulls in the fort...

My Breton Jess has just gotten married (sniff) to Onmund, a fellow student from the College. He's such a sweetie! He stole her heart when he'd lost his amulet and asked for her help.
After the ceremony (and after Onmund walked away... I've yet to find out where he went) she took a carriage to Whiterun to report on her progress to the Companions, and hooked up with Farkas to go and slay the dragon lurking at Ancient's Ascent. It was a grand battle! I had a lot of fun with that quest.
From there she made a little scenic tour around the area where her adventure started; Helgen, the gatepost at Pale Pass, Greywater Grotto. It was a day of quiet reflection on everything she has seen and done since then.

Just letting you know ... If you don't talk to your spouse and discuss living arrangements before they leave the temple, they can get permanently lost. Permanently! D:

I did the same thing in Helgen - I retraced my exact steps through the town. Remember how Ralof reminisces about Vilod's mead with juniper berries during the opening cutscene? When you return to the ruined inn you can find a few bottles of that mead. It's such a nice touch, and I'm actually really glad they included it. Small but, in my eyes, significant.

As Iizlovaas finally managed to outwit the angry dragon by using an invisibility potion and sneaking away, fate would have her run into the same dragon a bit further along the way. This dragon had to be really furious over her invading his lair! After some contemplating on what to do, a lot of sneaking around and back, and taking a very roundabout escape route, Iizlovaas do Mirdogrohiik eventually ended up at a place far enough from the circling dragon: its lair. Well, she tought it was anyway, but to her horror she noticed there already was a dragon sitting on the Shearpoint lair. Turned out the airborne dragon was a different one altogether, and the territorial one had returned to its lair long ago, with "Iiz-mir" stuck between the two sneaking about. Ah well, misunderstandings happen, and since the Shearpoint dragon had calmed down sneaking around him was a piece of cake to her.
On the way luck was with her, as she discovered an old dwemer ruin inhabited by a few bandits. From her very high position, she managed to kill three of them relatively unnoticed with her bow and dwemer arrows, at which the bandit chief apparently was very angry and frustrated (or maybe he felt he couldn't live without them?). His reaction was way too reckless anyway, as he ran very quickly towards the edge of the first level floor, must've stumbled, and fell down to his death. Easy fight was easy. Iizmir then only had to proceed by going down and finish the few other bandits, and be on her merry way again since the ruin had no interior. Fortunately, her horse still stood where she had left him before, and the both of them traveled on to Whiterun.
When she arrived there, she walked over to her home to grab some fine clothes and her typical silver jewellery, ran over to Dragonsreach to take a bath, change into her garments and put on the Amulet of Dibella, to afterwards politely persuade the jarl to do a favour for her. Understandably (especially concerning the nature of her request), he asked her a favour in return, which she accepted gladly. Iizmir didn't like war either, civil or not. The war with the Aldmeri Dominion had transformed the farmers where she came from into greedy, aggressive monsters who would kill a food stealing vagabond without too much fuss, hence her heavy dislike for any war, and in extension the thalmor. Not like her forced escape from the Cyrodiilic region had resulted in nothing but bad happenings (well, maybe the start wasn't very bright. Especially not that part where she got knocked out to wake up in a cart), but she still missed her little natural cave home with additional ancient Nord tomb bunker and draugr guards.
And so, she went on towards High Hrothgar, by foot this time, and making a little detour via the Glenmoril witches' cove, the Bear guardian and the vampire dude Vighar or something. Iizmir now hopes the witches will at least be more careful next time they provide someone with extra power, as she's killed one in her werewolf form to teach them a lesson.

My Breton battle mage, Prisoner, is currently stalking the Empirial stooge Gauis Maro across the spanse of Skyrim. He's cornered him in Markarth, after having slipped away from the Bannered Mare. This time I won't be so coy; by Sithis, his blood will quench my mace's thirst and his soul will be mine.

There's a party at the Thalmor Embassy I have to attend even though I'd rather be out fighting dragons. Right now I'm trying to decide what I can sneak in there with me. I made a pretty cool dagger of paralyzing that I think I'll take along with some invisibility and health potions.

Found a stormcloak fort and paid them a visit lol.

Pinewatch. Let me guess, I broke another quest right?

And I inadvertantly broke the MQ by visiting a certain forsworn area and completing the first part of a puzzle.

Me and my Argonian buddy are discovering and clearing every location on the world map! I have currently discovered 305 locations on the over world out of the 343 that are listed on http://www.gamebanshee.com/skyrim/mapofskyrim.php#null. So yeah, I'm getting there.

Not to my knowledge - I just remember exploring it.
And thats a shame. I with Bethesda would seal off areas that are vital to questlines. Would make everyone's lives so much easier!