I've been casually trying out builds on this website for a year or so, and have finally decided to join up and give it a go with my first build. While reading up on Elder Scrolls lore I’ve noticed that three Aedra are worshiped, or at least recognized universally by men, mer and beast races of Tamriel. They go by many names, but we know them best as Mara, Dibella and Kynereth – The three mothers. After release of Skyrim AE, I knew it was finally time for reincarnation of a legendary heroine of Skyrim:
Gormlaith - Champion of Three Mothers.
Backstory
It was sunny Sundas afternoon when Thorig the horse thief was sipping mead at the summit of some old ruins. His partners in crime were splitting their shares of an old woman’s purse nearby and someone was singing:
“…once was a woman, as fair as an evenin’, of springtime in old Stros M’Kai…”
Suddenly a cold breeze blew from the east, making Thorig wrap himself tighter in a piss-smelling woolen cloak. The sun disappeared behind dark stormy clouds unnaturally fast. The sound of approaching thunderstorm accompanied by ethereal battle drum was growing louder. Knocking his mug over, Thorig looked around in panic; and there she was – Steel-clad shieldmaiden resonating pure lightning energy wrapped in dragon aura, charging straight at him with a greatsword of legends! A hot stream trickled down Thorigs leg as he whimpered:
“Can’t wait to count your coin!”.
Moments later his ugly red head rolled down the floor.
Race: Nord or Breton female. Gormlaith is Breton, raised as a Nord, you decide.
Stone: Warrior or mage at beginning, Steed mid-game, Atronach for late game
Major Skills: Two Handed, Heavy Armor, Restoration, Alteration, Destruction
Minor Skills: Block, Smithing
Shouts: Elemental Fury, Become Ethereal, Storm call, Call of Valor, Dragon Aspect, Dragonrend
Stats: Magicka 1, Health 2, Stamina 1. 200 Magicka and stamina, the rest in Health.
Equipment:
Hands: Ironhand Gauntlets/Fists of Randagulf
Feet: Steel boots of major Stamina
Body: Steel Armor (with pauldrons) of major destruction
Head: Mask of Ahzidal and Zahkriisos (I used circlet mod for looks). Steel or steelplate helmet of destruction is also a good choice.
Neck: Amulet of Talos/Neclace of peerless destruction
Finger: ring of peerless sure grip.
Weapons: Silver greatsword (enchanted later with fiery souls), Stormfang. Staff of Storm atronach, Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson and lightning bolts for dragons.
All armor and weapons will gradually be improved to legendary, reaching armor cap.
lvl 25 perks:
Restoration: Novice-Apprentice, Respite, Regeneration, Dual Casting
Alteration: Novice-Adept
Two-Handed: Barbarian (4/5), Champion's Stance, Great Critical Charge, Devastating Blow
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut (3/5), Well Fitted, Tower of Strength
Block: Shield Wall (1/5), Quick Reflexes
Smithing: Steel Smithing, Arcane Blacksmith
A gift from the Mothers.
4E 176
It’s been several months ever since Ulfric Stormcloaks militia flooded the streets of Markath with rivers of blood, but the stench still lingered in the spring air of the Reach when Erik and Hilda finally returned to the half-burned farmhouse they had to abandon years ago. As Erik pulled the charred remains of a door, he was greeted by a gory scene of a recently slaughtered Breton family of farmers. A man with a rusty wooden axe still gripped in his hands sprouted on the floor pierced by spears. A woman, evidently tried to defend herself with a kitchen knife, but ended up with her throat slit. A body of a girl on a cusp of womanhood was pinned to a kitchen table naked and a boy’s headless body laid next to his mother. As Erik and Hilda made their way upstairs through the stench of massacre, they heard a child cry. Wrapped in furs, underneath a shelf was a healthy baby girl. Not blessed with the children of their own, despite trying for more than decade, Erik and Hilda knew it instantly – the child must surely be a miracle, a gift from the Mothers. She’ll only know love and will never be told the horrible fate of her real family.
4E201
Gormlaith, a young woman in her mid-twenties now, wiped the sweat from her brow after fitting a tombstone on top of a freshly covered mound; a second one this damned winter. With her loving parents now 6 feet under, Gormlaith left the farm to fulfill a promise to her dead parents. She’ll travel Skyrim to do the bidding of the Three Mothers and discover her destiny.
Chapter one - Disciple of Mara
Our heroine starts her journey looking for love and affection while battling the undead forces with Maras might on her side. She will travel to the temple of Mara seeking her blessing and find a suitable life companion to build house and family with. With a loving family to come home to, it’s finally time to go on an adventure.
At this stage our Gormlaith is a straight-forward paladin. She wields a two-handed silver sword empowered with Elemental Fury shout. Our heroine makes short work of any undead she might meet, and a fast healing spell cast with dual-casting, regeneration and respite perks will keep her healthy and strong. Our shieldmaiden will join the Companions as she enjoys sharing the battle-glory with a trusty companion (no werewolf). Raised by Nords, Gormlaith knows to trust in iron and steel and leave that fancy stuff to the elves. In order to learn more about Maras nature, our heroine will join the colledge of Winterhold and seek the guidance of Colette Marence in this “perfectly valid school of magic”. Dual-wielding Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson and a generic staff of lightning bolts coupled with a bow-wielding companion will be helpful to Gormlaith in a battle with her first few dragons.
Chapter two - Disciple of Dibella
Dibella is the goddess of beauty, love, art and music. Gormlaithes path to Dibellas enlightenment starts by joining the Bards college. Our heroine will also be guided to save the Sybil of Dibella and unlike the reader, Gormlaith will find out those things’ priestess Senna promised to teach. Following Dibellas’ teachings to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, our heroine shall visit many taverns of Skyrim listening to the rumors told by innkeepers and ballads of epic Adventures sung by the bards. She’ll hear of ancient dwarven knowledge and mystical aetherium artifacts among other rumors. In Candlehearth Hall Gormlaith will find out about the fate of two adventurers wielding mighty artifacts: Fists of Randagulf and Blade of the Monarch. She’ll also join a doomed venture to Ironbind Barrow to find a unique Fiery Souls enchantment for her silver greatsword. Gormlaith will also learn more of her Dragonborn powers, possibly finding the long lost Alduins Wall.
Chapter three - Disciple of Kyne
As civil war and dragons ravage Skyrim, our heroine, now champion of Mara and Dibella, seeks guidance of the embodiment of Skyrim herself – Kyne. She will help the priestess of Kynareth in Whiterun to heal the Gildergreen and later learn the true nature of Kyne from old hermit Froki. As the final showdown with Alduin for the fate of Mundis looms closer, the warrior-wife of Shor comes to Gormlaith in a dream:
“You, my daughter, are an incarnation of the heroine of old, your namesake Gormlaith. Seek out my blade, Stormfang, at the island of Solstheim, defeat the vile dragon priests and the first dragonborn who desecrates my gift of Thu’um for his own dominance. Then you will be ready to challenge the World-eater and fulfill the prophesy of your rebirth.”
lvl 52 perks:
Restoration: Novice-Adept, Respite, Regeneration, Necromage, Dual Casting, Recovery (2/2)
Alteration: Novice-Expert, Stability, Atronach
Destruction: Novice-Expert, Augmented Flames/Shock (2/2), Disintegrate
Two-Handed: Barbarian (5/5), Champion's Stance, Great Critical Charge, Devastating Blow, Sweep
Heavy Armor: Juggernaut (5/5), Well Fitted, Tower of Strength, Fists of Steel, Cushioned, Conditioning
Block: Shield Wall (5/5), Quick Reflexes
Smithing: Steel Smithing, Arcane Blacksmith
Combat and special moves
I suggest using silver greatsword with 3 words of elemental fury at early lvls to raise your 2h skill rapidly. After lvl 50+ in 2H, go ahead and enchant it with fiery souls with only one second for soultrap. This will give you tons of charges. After enchanting, I only used silver greatsword on undead for RP reasons to charge Stormfang. Silver greatsword and flame cloak for undead and Stormfang and lightning cloak for everyone else. I also changed Ahzidal and Zahkriisos masks (circlets). I also carried staff of Storm Atronach as Stormcall shout will not damage it and they’re very accurate. If you’re playing Skyrim Anniversery Edition, try out all the cool new elemental spells and OP paralysis rune as you see fit.
Avatar of Kyne: Zahkriisos, Stormfang, Lightning Cloak, Dragon Aspect, Storm Call, Disintegrate and Stability perks.
When faced with a multitude of foes in the open field, Gormlaith can draw power from Skyrim herself, becoming unstopable goddess of lightning storms. I suggest hard viking metal music on background for complete epic ass-kicking experience.
Wrath of Mara: Ahzidal, Flame cloak/Mara's Wrath (AE), Become Ethereal, scroll of fire storm and sun flare minor power.
When overwhelmed by hordes of undead in a dungeon, Gormlaith can take ethereal form, tricking her enemies to surround her, only to unleash Mara's wrath on them with fire stormed followed immediately by Sun Flare.
Secret of Dibella: Agent of Dibella and Lover’s Insight minor powers.
20% more physical, magical and shout damage to all male npcs. All NPCs, creatures, dragons etc. are assigned male or female tags and about 80% of them are male. That’s 20% from swords physical damage, enchantment, cloak spell and storm call or another shout. Possibly poisons too.
Credits
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to write them down below. As I mentioned, this is my first build and I know, I rushed it, but I really wanted to get it done, so it won't be just a forgotten dream. Grey pictures taken from The Elder Scrolls Wiki Ancient Nordic Pantheon -page
Replies
Excellent job on your first build. Hope yah continue to make em
Thanks Chris! I have a few builds at the back of my head, but will probably take some time and ask help in WIP or "art department" to do them justice.