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So, I decided that I shall try to air some of my Elder Scrolls feels here instead of yelling about them to the miseres, since that mostly results in boggled looks…
But. Spriggans. I first encountered them in the Morrowind: Bloodmoon expansion, where I went far too early with my…. second? Second or third character (the first was a learning experience,, and I dumped him when I realized how wonkily his skill-tree had been made). And I went there FAR too early because I was running around Ald’ruhn for some minor quest or another and got so fed up with the sand/ash-storms that I decided to hie off to Solstheim instead. They said it had snow! Online, I had heard rumors of pine trees! ANYTHING BUT FREAKING SANDSTORMS
There was snow. And Spriggans. After running around in town and talking to a few hardy Nords, who didn’t call me fetcher, but the sentiment was decidedly there I headed out to look at the world. Now, I played Morrowind very gently modded - an old improve face mod, better water and some extra bugs and critter noises, that was it. But Solstheim looked, even unmodded, better. The textures were nicer, the snowflakes looked convincingly fluffy, and it was all in all a sweet walk in the snow-covered woods.
And then I saw a shadow. It looked like a person standing in the snow, with a handsome face and I was totally enchanted. Was this one of the Snow Elves I’d heard about? Or a Skraal…?
Yeah, no, it was a Spriggan. Skogsrået’s stabbier cousin… Well, she killed me but good, with about two swipes of claws that tore up my (at the time probably) chitin or bonemold armor. Ouch.
So, I returned to Vvardenfell and the main game for another 20 levels, but I still in theory approved of Spriggans.
Wood spirits! Defending their forests against intruders! Yeah! I mean, on principles alone, I feel the Spriggans have several points in their favor, and then they are also among the most handsome creatures made for Morrowind, and I am shallow as fuck.
In Skyrim, my great sorrow is that you can’t usually avoid fighting with Spriggans. I don’t play with a horse, but I do often have followers (and these days a Dremora Lord or two as well) with me, and battles - once engaged - are hard to get out of. I’d much rather steal already slaughtered Taproot’s from the Hagravens and leave the Spriggans alone, and I always sneak around their glades unless a quest sends me straight into it.
Anyway, in the beginning of my visit back to Solstheim in the Skyrim: Dragonborn expansion, night fell. I found the one inn, and accepted the mission to make some word-of-mouth advertizing for the innkeeper’s new brew. Then I ordered a bed and went to sleep, ready to do some fiddling with ores, armors and hand out drinks the next day. A soft start, yeah?
Well no, because once I’ve woken up helping to build fucking Miraak’s temple and plowed through his cultists and assorted Draugr, I’m in the middle of Bumfuck Nowhere, courtesy of that anoying fucker. You do NOT drag me from my bed to midwinter construction projects unpunished >:(
But trying to get back wasn’t easy. I met my first Lurker Vindicator in a shallow pool, then ran headfirst into three WEREBEARS (wtf??) and, while trying to evade them got my spine ripped out by a Spriggan Earth Mother.
Ahh, Solstheim… The more you change!
(but I still like Spriggans. So purty <3)
But. Spriggans. I first encountered them in the Morrowind: Bloodmoon expansion, where I went far too early with my…. second? Second or third character (the first was a learning experience,, and I dumped him when I realized how wonkily his skill-tree had been made). And I went there FAR too early because I was running around Ald’ruhn for some minor quest or another and got so fed up with the sand/ash-storms that I decided to hie off to Solstheim instead. They said it had snow! Online, I had heard rumors of pine trees! ANYTHING BUT FREAKING SANDSTORMS
There was snow. And Spriggans. After running around in town and talking to a few hardy Nords, who didn’t call me fetcher, but the sentiment was decidedly there I headed out to look at the world. Now, I played Morrowind very gently modded - an old improve face mod, better water and some extra bugs and critter noises, that was it. But Solstheim looked, even unmodded, better. The textures were nicer, the snowflakes looked convincingly fluffy, and it was all in all a sweet walk in the snow-covered woods.
And then I saw a shadow. It looked like a person standing in the snow, with a handsome face and I was totally enchanted. Was this one of the Snow Elves I’d heard about? Or a Skraal…?
Yeah, no, it was a Spriggan. Skogsrået’s stabbier cousin… Well, she killed me but good, with about two swipes of claws that tore up my (at the time probably) chitin or bonemold armor. Ouch.
So, I returned to Vvardenfell and the main game for another 20 levels, but I still in theory approved of Spriggans.
Wood spirits! Defending their forests against intruders! Yeah! I mean, on principles alone, I feel the Spriggans have several points in their favor, and then they are also among the most handsome creatures made for Morrowind, and I am shallow as fuck.
In Skyrim, my great sorrow is that you can’t usually avoid fighting with Spriggans. I don’t play with a horse, but I do often have followers (and these days a Dremora Lord or two as well) with me, and battles - once engaged - are hard to get out of. I’d much rather steal already slaughtered Taproot’s from the Hagravens and leave the Spriggans alone, and I always sneak around their glades unless a quest sends me straight into it.
Anyway, in the beginning of my visit back to Solstheim in the Skyrim: Dragonborn expansion, night fell. I found the one inn, and accepted the mission to make some word-of-mouth advertizing for the innkeeper’s new brew. Then I ordered a bed and went to sleep, ready to do some fiddling with ores, armors and hand out drinks the next day. A soft start, yeah?
Well no, because once I’ve woken up helping to build fucking Miraak’s temple and plowed through his cultists and assorted Draugr, I’m in the middle of Bumfuck Nowhere, courtesy of that anoying fucker. You do NOT drag me from my bed to midwinter construction projects unpunished >:(
But trying to get back wasn’t easy. I met my first Lurker Vindicator in a shallow pool, then ran headfirst into three WEREBEARS (wtf??) and, while trying to evade them got my spine ripped out by a Spriggan Earth Mother.
Ahh, Solstheim… The more you change!
(but I still like Spriggans. So purty <3)
