“That night, she came into our hold. Holding an arsenal of wicked-looking staves, armed with countless destructive spells of all elements, she massacred us. We did not know why she attacked us that night. The only thing we remembered, was that once the scream broke out, she smiled… pleasurably…”
Hello and welcome to my first build here in Skyforge. For this event, taking inspiration from the lore of Ancient Ayleids, I chose to build a sinister mage of an Ayleid descendant whose sole desire is to turn Skyrim into her stage, a sea of grief and fear. Please keep in mind that this is an ‘unorthodox’ approach to vampire and mage build. Lastly, any kind of suggestion or comment is highly appreciated. With that being said, I hope you enjoy the build!
Born with an extraordinary talent, the gift of ‘Domination’, the young Scream Conductor always excelled at everything she did. The realm of Arcane Arts was where her talent truly shines. She dominated all her friends and peers, and they would always submit to her cleverness. As perfect as one could be, she is wicked; a cursed child. She feels no sympathy and has an obsession to hear the agonizing screams of others.
It all began when her ancestors’ clan retreated to Summerset Isles after the Allesians’ rebellion. Once residents of Abargalas, they worshipped Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Domination and Enslavement. At Buraniim Isles they called it their new home along with their new associate, the Worm Cultists. For long ages, they had been discriminated against and segregated by their Altmer brethren. Once the Dominion took over the power in Summerset Isles, they were forced to go into their hiding place.
The clan Elders prayed to Molag Bal and asked for the return of the Ayleids. Molag Bal answered them. He will bestow them the true dominator, the one who will lead the Ayleids back to their glorious days. When she was born, the Elders knew the Conductor was a gift from Molag Bal. Blessed by Molag Bal’s power, she is destined to rule, dominate, and enslave other races under his name; to spread the Daedric Prince’s influence across Tamriel.
The Elders nurtured her, brainwashed her, and prepared her to fulfill her sinister destiny. When the time came, when she reached adulthood, the Elders sent her to Skyrim. They gave her a duty; to retrieve the artifact of Molag Bal, the Daedric Prince of Enslavement, to retrieve the artifact of Manimarco, the King of Worms, to lead the long-slumber vampire clan, the Volkihar, and to eradicate the power of the Dominion, the Thalmor.
Thus, she began her journey. A psychopathic and sadistic Heartland Elf blessed by the Daedric Prince Molag Bal. Skyrim was her first stage, where she would later be known as ‘The Scream Conductor’. With her grandeur yet wicked magic, she performed a spectacle; a concert of terror with her victims as the instruments, and their screams as the melodies.
Roleplay Principles: Arrogance, Dominance, and Sadism
Difficulty: Adept or Expert early game, Master or Legendary late game
Crafting: no
Mods: not necessary
Version: Anniversary Edition
Personal Restrictions: no restoring Health or Magicka potions, no healing spells, no necromancy, no Vampire Lord power
The restrictions are of course my own personal cup of tea. I also wanted to make the character have her own standpoint of view; where someone who was tasked to be a vampire chooses to not use her vampire power at all due to her arrogance. To some extent, she still worships the deity that first bestowed this power to the mortal, but her arrogance overrun her religious belief; thus, deep within her heart, she actually sees the power as more of a nuisance than an actual gift. Vampire Lord power serves only as a catalyst of the plot.
“I am a follower of Lord Molag Bal. But, above anything else, I follow my own path. I believe that my power is enough to lay chaos in this frozen wasteland. You may call me too self-confident; yes, I am confident. You may call me arrogant; yes, I am arrogant. To me, using the Vampire Lord power would mean I fully submit myself to Lord Molag Bal. Perhaps I am a heretic? Maybe. Who knows? But so far, His judgment has not been bestowed upon me. ”
“The sole reason I agreed to receive this power in the first place was because of my mission. Those weaklings in the Volkihar clan relied too much on the power granted by Lord Molag Bal. Yet, even with such power, they only achieved so little in centuries. Absolutely pathetic. I would have slaughtered them myself if it is not for my great patience.”
“Wealth? My knowledge is my wealth. Honor and glory? Only the fools who enjoy them. Triumphant Victory? Little do I care. What I seek and want the most is a symphony of screams. Screams of agony and despair as I orchestrate and conduct them into beautiful music. Thus, I will channel my sadistic desire and hobby wherever I may be. I do not show favoritism to my prey. Every scream is equally beautiful to my ears.”
“Yet, as sinister, stubborn, and arrogant as I may be; I… I am nothing but a little child in front of my clan Elders. A child who could not say ‘no’, who could not grow up and choose her own destiny. More pathetically, I understand this well. I understand this feeling of helplessness, of wanting to… ‘grow up’. Even if my desire is to be free and simply obliterate everything in my path, I could not be free from my family clan and the duty they gave me. Pathetic.”
“I may be wicked, and maybe doomed to die a painful death since I chose this path. Even so, I do not care; as I am ready. Always ready. Should a righteous knight, a divine judgment, or Lord Molag Bal himself come to slay me; I will face them directly, and greet the death with a smile. But before that time comes, let me indulge myself in this blissful feeling of tormenting others and making them scream my name.”
The Scream Conductor is a natural-born psychopath. She could not feel sympathy nor understand the ‘socially constructed morality’. She always thought that there is nothing wrong with killing people or trampling the weak. That is just how the world revolves around her. Even so, she still has a weak side, and that is her ‘immaturity’ and inability to escape her family clan. She was always faced with the heavy doctrine given by her clan since she was little, and it certainly impacted her psychology.
This weak side explains Molag Bal’s plan for her. The Daedric Prince does not want the Conductor to be just another mindless follower. He wants her to be this ultra-violent, dominant, and arrogant individual yet possess a weakness; thus can still be made into submission. Molag Bal feels thrilled to conquer and corrupt the Conductor, to essentially make her into his champion and also the Daughter of Coldharbour. As once she is slain, her soul will be placed in Coldharbour, Molag Bal’s realm, and she will become his possession.
“Some of my clan members pursue the more… ‘tamer’ arcane arts. Others hide in the shadow. But I, I chose the path of total destruction; the never-ending apocalyptic magic.”
Destruction & Alteration: The Ayleids believed that Nirn was composed of four elements; earth, water, air, and light. They were also the early progenitor of the Alteration school. Pursuing the path of chaotic and destructive magic while also being a descendant of the ancient Ayleid, it only makes sense that the Conductor is the master of both Alteration and Destruction.
Conjuration: The Ancient Ayleids were also known to make pacts with various Daedric Princes to call upon Daedra armies. These armies aided them in controlling the slaves and during the battle with each other and the rebellions. To imitate this capability, some perks are invested in Conjuration. After all, the Conductor is Molag Bal’s chosen one. Even other beings in Oblivion would submit to her and heed her call.
Restoration: This skill was chosen primarily to get the infamous Necromage bonus, boost the Magicka, and also to cut the cost of the Greater Ward There are only two perks that benefit the Conductor from the Necromage effect; ‘Magic Resistance’ and ‘Recovery’. You would want to become a vampire first and take the Necromage perk before picking those two perks for the effect to apply.
Why no Illusion? In my experience, Illusion does not synergize well with the approach of an aggressive mage play-style. Spells like ‘Fear’ and ‘Rout’ can be roleplayed as if your opponents were so afraid upon seeing the Conductor, but it is not worth it to spend 5 to 6 skill perks for that sole reason. There are other better and easily accessible crowd control methods. The perk ‘Aspect of Terror’ also makes some of the new CC fire spells become too OP.
If you wish to play beyond level 40, I suggest investing some points into Alchemy and grabing the perks ‘Alchemist’, ‘Physician’, ‘Poisoner’, and ‘Benefactor’. Potions and poisons that help enhance your destructive magic power could be helpful if you are playing on a higher difficulty. It is highly suggested to not abuse the looping system of Enchanting and Alchemy. Other skills do not really relate to the mechanics and some would just be straight-up broken and make the game feels far too easy.
Some points should be put into Health first in the early game so the Conductor does not get easily trashed by stronger enemies. I stopped at 150 Health and followed the 3:1:0 ratio. The ratio enabled the Conductor to still perform her grandeur arts of magic combos while having enough Health to not make her feel extremely fragile. Her base stats at level 40 are 450 Magicka / 190 Health / 100 Stamina.
The Ayleids believed the world was composed of four elements; earth, water, air, and light. They considered their Altmer brethren’s belief of fire as a weak and corrupt form of light. However, due to her great passion and curiosity in the realm of the arcane, the Conductor managed to learn and master her Altmer brethren’s magic of fire element, even when the other clan members opposed her.
She seeks the true power of destruction, and none should tell her which one is right and wrong. She still feels attached to her clan but refuses to give her great passion in the art of the arcane. She is a vampire, but would not submit to her new weakness, even if it could hurt her. Nothing could scare her, even the death itself.
Following this roleplay, the spells, shouts, and powers are roleplayed and classified according to each of the elements they represent. Many spells with the element of light are categorized under the Restoration school. Since the Conductor only uses two Restoration spells, the element of shock is roleplayed instead as another form of the light element. Of course, all of the Destruction spells could be classified under their related element; but here, I only show some of the spells I frequently use:
Alteration: Ash Shell, Ash Rune
Conjuration: Conjure Ash Spawn, Conjure Ash Guardian
Powers: Bones of the Earth, Root of Power
Destruction: Frost Rune, Frost Cloak, Ice storm, Icy Spear, Unbounded Freezing, Wall of Frost, Blizzard
Conjuration: Conjure Frost Atronach
Shouts: Frost Breath, Ice Form
Power: Waters of Life
Destruction: Whirlwind Cloak
Conjuration: Any of the ghostly or astral summons
Shouts: Become Ethereal, Cyclone, Slow Time, Unrelenting Force, Whirlwind Sprint
Power: North Wind
Destruction: Lightning Rune, Chain Lightning, Lightning Cloak, Thunderbolt, Unbounded Storms, Wall of Storms, Lightning Storm
Restoration: Greater Ward
Conjuration: Conjure Storm Atronach
Shout: Stormcall
Destruction: Fire Rune, Elemental Blast, Incinerate, Mara’s Wrath, Unbounded Flames, Fire Storm
Conjuration: Conjure Flame Atronach, Flaming Familiar
Shout: Fire Breath
Power: Sun Flare
Destruction: Touch of Death
Alteration: Paralysis Rune, Ebony Flesh, Paralyze, Dragonhide, Mass Paralysis
Restoration: Poison Rune
Conjuration: Necromancer Ritual
Black Book: Mora’s Boon, Secret of Arcana
“These apparels show nothing but my prowess. Armors are only for those who are too cowardly and weak to face the death.”
*Apologize, I forgot to change the Bonehawk Amulet, so consider it as an aesthetic purpose only.
The Daedric Staff of the Forefathers unfortunately can only be obtained from random leveled chests or bought from Neloth. Feel free to use the inventory reset glitch on Neloth if you desire one. If you do not want the extra effort, simply skip it; other conjured summons work just fine. For the final look, I suggest prioritizing Diadem of the Savant, Robe of the Lich, and Staff of Hasedoki first.
For early gears, any level of enchanted robe and hood works fine (even the Novice ones you find in Helgen). Any ring of Fortify Magicka or Destruction also works wonders. The necklace could be any level of Fire Resistance, preferably the Firewalker one once you hit level 40. Another option is to equip the Sovereign Band and Warlock Mark from the quest ‘Arms of Chaos’ located in Skytample Ruins just north of the College of Winterhold.
Two of the Ayleid’s artifacts, Welkynd and Varla Stones, are added in AE. Unfortunately, Welkynd Stone recovers Magicka completely and I had to restrict myself from using it. The Varla stone, however, is an absolute must in your inventory. It works as another Azura Star and synergizes extremely well with the soul-trapping effect of the Staff of Hasedoki.
“Many of my enemies said that I am a coward, that mages are cowards. Using spells from a safe distance while also healing themselves. It is quite funny to think how quickly they changed their perspective as I spat on their dismembered corpse.”
Your main purpose as a Scream Conductor is simple; to wreak havoc and chaos in the flashiest way imaginable while your enemies scream in terror. All magic, abilities, and staves should be fully explored and utilized to achieve this goal. Your final goal is not to look for the most efficient way to kill your enemies but to find the most creative and grandeur killing methods. You know that you are already a good Conductor when you manage to find the synergy between different spells, shouts, and staves to make a fabulous spectacle of a bloody concert.
I constructed these simple and basic combat moves that hopefully could help you to better explore her full potential. These combat moves serve more as a basis and are of course only my own suggestions. You are free to use the battle moves only as a reference or play the Scream Conductor however you want with your creativity.
- Preparations -
Before every battle, it is suggested to cast ‘Ebony Flesh’ or ‘Dragonhide’ followed by summoning one or two Ancestral Ghost(s) or any summons you prefer.
- Basic Attacks -
All of the spells within the Destruction school can be utilized as your main weapons. ‘Icy Spear’ and ‘Chain lightning’ are a must-try. Dual casting ‘Elemental Blast’ is an absolute… blast. Dual casting ‘Mara’s Wrath’ or ‘Lightning Cloak’ followed by ‘Unbounded Storms’ is also a reliable method to target multiple enemies at once. Try to experiment with different spells as well. Even if some spells are weaker than the others, they can still be useful if utilized correctly.
- Defense -
The Conductor’s primary defensive means are by relying on the ‘Ebony Flesh’ or ‘Dragonhide’ spell as well as casting ‘Greater Ward’. If you run out of Magicka, simply equip the Staff of Hasedoki to create a ward that reduces spell damage by 40 points. This defensive method is particularly useful when defending against a ranged enemy, either an archer or any spell-casting creature. The Shout ‘Become Ethereal’ is also a really powerful method to temporarily turn the Conductor invincible.
- Healing -
The Conductor’s only method of healing is by casting ‘Touch of Death’ to drain her enemies and/or even her own allies’ Health (follower or conjured summons). This method makes for a more unique and role-friendly experience as a sinister mage who would not hesitate to turn her ally into her property. As her Health pool is considerably small, a single cast of ‘Touch of Death’ should be sufficient to fully restore her Health. This is also the reason why healing potions and spells become almost unnecessary.
- Recovering Magicka -
Recovering Magicka can be simply done by distancing yourself or using the Staff of Hasedoki for its staggering and knock-back effects. Immobilizing all the enemies such as using paralysis is also an option as your Magicka will temporarily regenerate at a normal speed rate, similar to when you are not engaged in combat until the enemies return to normal.
- Crowd Control -
Perhaps one of the most overpowered abilities of this kind of play-style. Crowd control is extremely useful when a large number of enemies charging in your direction at once. The Staff of Sheogorath and ‘Unbounded Freezing’, ‘Mass Paralysis’, ‘Paralysis Rune’, ‘Ash Rune’, and ‘Whirlwind Cloak’ spells are some of my preferred crowd control methods to keep the Conductor safe from a direct hit.
- Fluidity and Creativity -
Once you are familiar with or even have mastered the basic combat mechanics, it is time to advance your level and become the Scream Conductor. The Conductor does not simply throw OP magic like dual-casted ‘Elemental Blast’ all the time. No, she performs arts; extravagant and deadly arts. To put it simply, this final stage requires you to find your own synergy between different spells and powers to create something wondrous to see. To perform your own concert while your enemy screams and begs for mercy.
Of course, you do not need to do these kinds of fancy combat controls all the time, but it is encouraged to try it every once in a while. Although such combat control definitely needs some practice to get used to, and certainly this approach of play-style is not for everyone, this is the heart of the build. You are the conductor, the one who rules and operates how your concert works. With your magical power, you can turn every dungeon, fort, cave, and even hold into your own stage. Nothing can limit you but your creativity.
Why no necromancy?
“Why not play with the dead you say? Are you joking? They feel no pain. They do not react to anything. They do not SCREAM. They are boring. At what point using them could satisfy me? None.”
“Very well. As you have shown your utmost will and endurance, allow me to show you my full splendors. Do me a favor and scream your lungs out until the concert is over.”
Simply put, this is the main thing you should try to achieve when playing as the Conductor. Instead of listing every spell combo I have experimented with, I encourage you to explore the realm of Skyrim magic yourself, to see its beauty and potential. To give an idea, I provide one of the magic combos that are not only deadly but also look grandeur and chaotic (to me at least, haha).
Try different magic spells. Try to combine them. Try to find the synergy you like and chain up a combo. See which ones strike your fancy and are more chaotic and spectacular. After all, this build is about finding the most creative, chaotic, bloody, extravagant, and grandeur-killing methods.
Apocalyptic Cacophony
Dragonhide + Root of Power + Potion of Fortify Destruction (Optional) + Stromcall + Mara’s Wrath + Unbounded Storms + Unbounded Freezing + North Wind
“Little did the Elders know that I already had another plan in mind. I will enjoy Skyrim to the fullest. I will raise chaos and wreak havoc wherever I walk the land. I will make many enemies and they will tremble in fear and scream their souls out. None shall ever feel safe again whenever they hear someone’s scream, as I will be there, performing my grandeur and bloody concert.”
Now, what would a powerful and sinister mage do when she suddenly lost her power upon arriving in Skyrim and was nearly beheaded during the Helgen incident? Well, of course, she will try to regain her power again. The Conductor’s magical power is her arsenal; her tool to spread chaos and terror. Therefore, it would be rational to seek a way to quickly regain her lost power.
My suggestion would be to join the College of Winterhold early. Joining the College early grants easy access to acquire various spells. Working on the College’s quests, other quests, or even progressing the main ones are all viable options. Most of the Conductor’s magical skills would easily level up while you progress the game casually until she is optimized and ready to begin her true concert of screams.
I was quite surprised by how reliable the Conductor was even in the early game stage with low AR and limited basic spells. Spells like ‘Flames’, ‘Sparks’, ‘Oakflesh’, ‘Lesser Ward’, and ‘Conjure Flame Atronach’ are all great for early game. The Altmer’s racial ability, ‘Highborn’, also helps to manage the Conductor’s Magicka when encountering stronger enemies. Some of the CC additions could be easily accessed early to make the Conductor feels much more powerful. The Staff of Hasedoki and the Ancient Spells are my preferences.
The Mage stone is used in the early stage to help the skills level up faster. I found out that her Destruction and Alteration skills leveled quite quickly while Restoration and Conjuration lacked a bit since I only used the conjuring and warding spells. If you encounter the same problem, you could of course choose to power-level Conjuration and Restoration to get the necessary perks. But, in all honesty, the later perks of Conjuration and Restoration would serve more as extra flavors to the build rather than the core focus once you have mastered the basic mechanics, so no need to worry to rush and power-level those two skills.
Roleplaying the Conductor is simple. You just have to be as sinister as possible. Oh, you see a traveling bard on your road? Make him sing and electrocute him to ashes. Oh, you see that Winterhold needs some real renovations? Burn the entire town and its residents so you can turn Winterhold into a relic; a more sentimentally valuable place than withered run-down shacks. Oh, you encounter Nazeem and he asks you if you ever go to the Cloud District? Well, you know what to do.
Another thing to enhance your roleplaying experience as an arrogant and wicked mage is by picking the disrespect or mockery option when engaged in a conversation (except during Molag Bal’s quest). Using the shout Throw Voice on a knocked-down enemy is also a great experience as if the Conductor mocks her prey’s pathetic state. The Conductor is a lone wolf, but if you must bring a follower for reasons, make sure to also slay your follower after you are done with the business.
To conclude the journey and fulfill the destiny of the Conductor in Skyrim, you will have to remove your sense of video game humanity. Spread as much chaos and turn the frozen land into a literal dead land. Kill as many NPCs as possible. Spare only a few so they could tell your tale. Her destiny is to enslave others, but not particularly in the same way as the Ancient Ayleids. No, she enslaves others with terror and fear and she does this in the flashiest and most grandeur ways possible.
“‘Why-,’ do you ask? Why did I torment you and make you suffer? Silly human. Just like you do not need a reason to breathe, I myself need no reason to inflict pain and harm on others.”
College of Winterhold: The reason to join the College is simply to learn deeper into the arcane arts – which is her most prominent field, to uncover the Eye of Magnus, and to slay Ancano. After completing all the necessary quests within the college, as usual, you could always betray the college and massacre most of the students and lecturers. The Conductor simply joins a faction if it benefits her, and the thing that benefits her the most is hearing the screams of the said faction members.
The Dark Brotherhood: The faction offers opportunities to kill and torment more preys. With its vast connections, the Conductor could very much use this to satisfy her sadistic desire. Another option is to simply kill Astrid and slay the rest of the Dark Brotherhood, as she dares to kidnap you and act all arrogant. Make them know who the more dominant one is.
Main Objectives: Retrieve the Bloodworm Helm, Retrieve the Mace of Molag Bal, Lead the Volkihar Clan, and Win the Civil War (Stormcloak’s Side)
In chronological order, those objectives are the missions of the Scream Conductor in Skyrim. The quests are pretty straightforward and self-explanatory. During the Civil War quest lines, you could roleplay the scenario where the Conductor does not actually take the Stormcloak’s side. Instead, she could very much annihilate the entire empire legion alone or even lead the Volkihar clan to start the blood party (simply take a vampire follower).
While her missions in Skyrim are the duty given by the clan Elders, the Conductor’s desires are vastly different. Not only to become the champion of Molag Bal, not only to become the Daughter of Coldharbour, not only to defeat the Thalmor; she wants more, way more. She wants to hear many screams, torment others, and change the frozen land into a literal dead land. Therefore, on her way to finish her missions, you could always do other quests as well.
Sinister quests that help the Conductor channels her sadistic desire or those that weaken the power of Thalmor such as ‘Missing in Action’ and ‘A New Source of Stalhrim’ are highly suggested. Of course, such quests have to be ended with a blood bath. The New CC quest ‘The Cause’ adds new locations of Ancient Ayleid’s catacombs and Oblivion and is perfect for the Conductor. Other Daedric Prince’s quests can still be done as long as you pick the mockery option.
Quests that lean more toward a ‘good morality’ alignment can still be done as long as they fulfill these two criteria; the quest lets you kill thing(s), and is given by an ‘Unprotected NPC’ (or they become ‘Unprotected’ once you complete their quest). To turn a ‘good morality’ quest into a sinister one, you have to kill the quest giver. The scream of the betrayed has a unique melody that the Conductor could not ever get enough of.
“Finding… your family sword? Ha… haha… hahaha. You are a funny one are you not, Amren? Very well. I will take you to your family sword and use it to decapitate your head.”
I also roleplayed certain quests or even created entirely new ones to fit more with the characteristics of the Conductor. The possibility is vast and the limit is only within your imagination. Here is an example of the Conductor’s epilogue roleplay quest.
Objective: Obliterate the Nine Holds of Skyrim
This roleplay quest is a farewell gift from the Conductor as she has done her mission and is truly grateful for all the enjoyment the people of Skyrim provided with their scream. As an appropriate farewell gift, nothing is more suiting than to perform one last grandeur concert; and that is to spread terror and fear in all the nine holds with the most devastating Destruction magic.
Your objectives are simple: visit all the nine holds, kill all of the guards and its residents, and make the hold Jarl submit under your power. You will know that you have spread enough terror when no more guard spawns within that said hold during your concert, and most if not all the residents (the ‘Unprotected NPCs’) have been killed. Once you are done with this quest, you have finally concluded the Scream Conductor journey in Skyrim. You have fulfilled her role as the most dominant being above anything else in Skyrim; enslaving people with terror and fear as once the ancient Ayleids did. All of Skyrim shall remember her name.
“As this journey might soon come to an end, I shall present Skyrim the most grandeur concert of terror; so that she will scream my name for years to come.”
Huge credits to Hai Hopes, Nord Farmer, Molag Ballin', DeadBeatzZz, and Saronis for the amazing support during the writing process. Special thanks are also directed to the community of Skypothesis' Discord server as well as Skyforge for organizing this event. Lastly, my deep gratitude goes to you who have spared your time reading this build.
Replies
Awesome work Jazz, love how well you put this together. Hope to see more builds from you in the future
Yo! Thanks, man! Appreciate it.
I love the screenshots, especially the one in front of the Oblivion gate. +1
Thank you!