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Hello and welcome back to another weekly build showcase! In these showcase’s we take a build that is a stellar example of what the site has to offer and feature it prominently on the homepage for a week. You never know when it might be your own in the spotlight! Last week we had JustJam’s terrifyingly amazing Rotting Beast, an Argonian who is adept at making all things associated with poison and disease work in beautiful synergy to make for a real powerhouse of debilitations. This week we are taking to the shadows with Avispon’s Black Dragon, based off of ESO's Lyra Viria. With some serious skills in subterfuge and plenty of enticing ways to approach combat The Black Dragon promises for both an awesome and diverse playthrough. The build also boasts one of the most impressive and natural story arcs I’ve seen in a while. Here is a snippet of what you can expect from the build….

 WHO IS LYRA VIRIA?

Lyra is the main antagonist in the Elder Scrolls Online Dark Brotherhood storyline. Without spoiling the entire story, she at one point served the Dark Brotherhood as a Silencer, and later betrayed the Family as the Black Dragon—the First Sword and right hand of a corrupt priest of Akatosh. Eventually she abandoned Akatosh as well, and when if the player defeats her, her soul is hauled off to the Void. For reference she appears in two in-game journals, her own (The Black Dragon’s Journal) and that of her erstwhile Brother, Green-Venom-Tongue (Venom’s Sanctuary Marginalia).  

The chaos of the 4th Era threatens Sithis and Akatosh, and their influence on Mundus, as much as it does Skyrim’s people. This playthrough assumes that these gods strike desperate bargains with Lyra, who was once a powerful avatar for both of them. She accepts their quests, but her former experiences have left her wary of trusting blindly in gods or their proxies. She seeks redemption but also freedom and independence from Sithis, Akatosh and the shackles of any Tamrielic religion. 

Is she up to fulfilling their tasks? Will she succumb to the same weaknesses that once led her astray, or will she find a new resolve and achieve true freedom?

GAMEPLAY:

Lyra's mastery of her various skills, combined with the power of her enchantments, opens up new avenues for combat. She is more capable in each discipline, and also learns to combine those disciplines in creative ways. I forced myself back into stealth mode every so often to keep things diverse, but eventually Lyra had no need for the shadows and could tussle with anyone and anything in the game.

COMBAT MOVES:

Dawnbreaker of Smiting: Regular Attack, Forward Power Attack, Sideways Power Attack, Varied Attacks.

All one-handed perks come together in this deadly maneuver. Lyra's regular attack boosts subsequent power attack damage (Cross Cut), her forward power attack sets the enemy bleeding (Falling Sword), her sideways power attack knocks the enemy back (Windswept), and if they are not already dead, their low health and bleed state will cause her next attacks to do massive damage (Falling Sword). Takes a bit of practice. Use of the actual Dawnbreaker sword against the undead is optional, but extremely satisfying.

Forward Momentum: Survival Instinct & Tempting Fate Perks, Dodged Power Attack, Slow Time (one word).

This is a cousin of the beloved Quick Reflexes / Slow Time glitch. By dodging a power attack while activating Slow Time, you will be 30% faster while everyone else slows down. You are channeling Akatosh's time mastery to create a wide speed differential between you and your enemies for a short window of opportunity.

Ritual of Retribution: Warrior’s Flame Perk, Related Perks.

As noted above. You merely need to be present and this "move" will occur on its own. With all of the restoration perks listed, Lyra will randomly (and with fair frequency) become nearly unstoppable for 10-second chunks of time, while sapping her enemies’ strength and straight up roasting the undead.

Eye of the Storm: Shadowbond, 3x Lightning Rune, Any Ranged Attack.

Lyra combines the stealth of Sithis with the power of Akatosh with this attack. Shadowbond turns you and an enemy invisible, and when you break that invisibility you swap places with that enemy. Cast three runes from stealth at your feet, then cast Shadowbond, then break stealth however you wish. You will appear where your enemy was, and he or she will appear on top of your runes and, as they say, will get rekt. Combined with Demolition Job, few enemies can survive this. Fortunately for game balance, this move is a pain to set up, so you won’t be tempted to use it that often.  

WRAPPING THINGS UP

If a hardy resourceful Nightblade is up your alley, look no further, you’ve found one of the best! Avispon has done a very awesome job with this character – particularly for their first foray into character building, so pop on over and give The Black Dragon a like and a read, and be sure to tell Avispon your thoughts. And so, we come to the end, thank you for checking out this week’s build showcase and keep an eye open next week because your build could be up next!

Our new friend Amarithius of the Tel Mora Independent Press would like your help answering a few questions regarding your history within the TES fandom. He'll be writing an editorial piece for their monthly article and would like to gather as many different perspectives as possible. Your first experiences with TES games and your experiences interracting with TES fans and communities are just a few of the questions he'd like your help answering. If you'd like to share your experience please follow the link below. 

https://theskyforge.ning.com/discussion-forums/skyforge-i-need-you-for-a-history-of-the-tes-fandom

Hey guys, welcome back to another Character Build Showcase, where we prominently feature a Build on the Home Page. It could be any Build, even yours. In last week's post, we had my own Lazareth the Risen, a Necromancer who for reasons unknown works to the main goal of all Necromancers - Lichdom - with a major focus on roleplay and personal objectives. This week, we decicded to feature a build, who perverts the natural order and focuses on the decaying energies of it. The Rotting Beast by JustJam! Here's a quick taste from the Build to give you an idea what it's all about.

"She came to me that night as I lay rotting in the swamps, the hackwings circling above. Her words were the maggots eating away dead flesh from my wounds, the pus forming to fight my infection. She spoke the truths I was too afraid to see.

Perhaps there was a time when the Hist was good for us. A time before our race were used as common slaves. A time before we were taken from our own homes, growing old knowing nothing but chains and punishments. The Hist did nothing but watch. It’s only act? To protect itself from Oblivion, from the invading force. I see through it- we are no freer than under the Dunmer."

The Rotting Beast is truly devastating character, focusing on having summons and debilitating poisons - but not from the Alchemy tree. Using Ordinator as well as Wintersun - as a cherry on top - JustJam uses several Perks from Light Armor, Restoration and Conjuration as well as passives granted from Wintersun. All centered around decaying poisons and massive DoT in a short time. Some of the perks used (to give you an idea) are:

Hissing Dragon - You may choose a damage type (fire, frost, shock, poison, disease or sun). Unarmed attacks unleash a shockwave that deals the chosen damage type to all targets in front of you. Requires two free hands. Does not activate while sneaking.
   -From the Light Armor tree in Ordinator (The Rotting Beast chooses Poison obviously)

Plague Doctor - Radiate a zone of pestilent death that reduces the poison and disease resistance of enemies approaching within 40 feet by 50% for 30 seconds.
   -From the Restoration skill tree in Ordinator

A Plague Upon Thee - If a reanimated undead is destroyed within 20 seconds, the attacker is stricken with a Daedric disease that deals 40 damage per second for 20 seconds. Those who have this perk are immune.
   -From the Conjuration tree in Ordinator

From those still wondering - synergy is the name of the game - and JustJam does it beautifully. If this entices you at all, even to read JustJam's Build, we highly recommend it - and it's JustJam's first Build as well. Don't forget to leave a comment and a like on the Rotting Beast as well.

We'll continue these Showcases next week, and who knows who's build will be showcased next. It could just as well be yours featured on the Home Page of the Sky Forge! So keep on building guys!

Recently I've had the pleasure of speaking with the fine folks behind the Tel Mora Independent Press, a collaborative monthly article featuring in depth lore analysis, fan fiction, and even poetry. I could ramble on all day about the wonderful work these guys are doing but I think they can explain things a lot better than I can:

"The Tel Mora Independent Press is a collaborative work of like-minded individuals who have a passion for The Elder Scrolls lore while engaging in creative works that examine literary, psychological, religious, philosophical, and societal ideas. We don’t believe TES is just a game series; we believe it is much more than that. We specialize in narratives, prose, poetry, articles, and serial stories that investigate what TES lore can be.

We operate under the notion that reality within the TES universe is subjective and to be determined by the individual, rather than by an objective set of blurry and contradictory half-truths. Lore is what you make it."

To date the Tel Mora Independent press spans 12 issues and dozens upon dozens of lore articles and fan fiction stories. For the writers and lore fiends out there I cannot recommend enough that you check this place out. Follow these links below to view their archive and join their discord. 

http://www.telmoraindependent.net/

https://discord.gg/nfnUrHA

Hail, adventurers! In case you missed it last week, we've got the Character Build Showcase series back up and running. In last week's post we highlighted an amazing build that focused on hunting down mages with a fiery passion while avoiding any use of the foul arcane arts. This week we're featuring a character that is precisely the sort of mage that Shadon's Mage Hunter would have liked to snuff out. Lazareth the Risen by Lee Fiskillis Carpenter! Here's a quick excerpt from the build to give you an idea of what its all about. 

Many Necromancers believe that achieving the state of Lichdom is the ultimate goal of Necromancy. Very few Necromancers have succeeded in becoming a Lich. Ascending to Lichdom is an extremely risky endeavour, and it is unique in some ways to each Necromancer who attempts it. There is only one known path which is somewhat well-known but most of the details are well hidden.

Lazareth is a truly dastardly character, with a major focus on impressive roleplaying and personal objectives. Not only is he himself an accomplished Necromancer, but he is capable of hunting down and destroying any other necromancers who might seek to oppose him with brutal efficiency. He makes effective use out of both the Ritual and Atronach Stones, allowing him to both raise his own armies of undead and counter those of his dangerous contemporaries. 

This build features not only cool gameplay mechanics, but very deep multi-stage style of roleplaying reminiscent of something like the Alchemist's Apotheosis from BlackBlood. Lazareth begins his journey as any other necromancer (albiet a skilled one) and embarks on a quest that leads him down the dark road toward Lichdom. From there, you can enjoy god-like gameplay featuring insanely strong Thralls, armies of undead, and icey magick colder than the hands of Death himself. 

If any of this interests you, please click the link above and give it a read. Although it is a bit of a long one, its worth every second of your time that you can spare. With everything from trickery of Daedric Princes to betraying loyal followers and raising armies of undead, this is the ultimate necromancer playthrough for anyone who has been looking to get into that archetype while also getting a fresh experience.

This is a terribly underrated build, so please don't forget to leave a like and a comment if you do get the time to drop by. 

We'll be continuing this series of highlights next week, and who knows? YOUR build might be featured here on the front page! We've got such a creative community here with a lot to offer, so keep building adventurers! Glory awaits!

The Skyforge is having its first non-Skyrim event, taking place in Minecraft. Any players with Java on PC or Mac can participate in a large-scale community re-creation and re-imagination of Whiterun from Skyrim! Please check it out and see if you are interested. 

https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/misc-gaming-corner/forum/community-minecraft-building-project-whiterun-reforged

Hey guys, after a long hiatus we're back again with more Character Build Showcases! For those of you not familiar each week we'll be prominently featuring a build on the home page. It could be any build. It could even be your build! But for now lets get down to business. This week's feature build has been the talk of the town in our Discord channel and its the Mage Hunter by Shadon! As is tradition at this point we'll start this showcase off with an excerpt from the author himself.  

"This is my first-ever build that I've posted anywhere, so I wanted to keep things simple. Like, really simple. So simple in fact, that things got back to complicated. I had noticed that the majority of witchhunter builds ended up using a ton of magic to fight magic, in a become-the-thing-you-hate-most sort of way, and while I'm a sucker for irony, I wanted to try out something I had never done before: a no-magic build. The Mage Hunter is thoroughly disgusted by magic, and will avoid it whenever possible, including spells, enchanted gear, and potions. This highly-aggressive approach against magic brought with it a few problems, which I had to delve into an often-neglected aspect of the game to overcome "

The Mage Hunter isnt your typical witch hunter. Whereas most witch hunters use magick to fight magick the Mage Hunter casts aside any and all magickal spells and augmentations, and comes at his spell slinging foes with martial prowess more formidable than any spell they can throw at him. 

The perk overhaul Ordinator features a number of defensive perks that mitigate or even nullify enemy magick. All of which are accessible to and make sense for a character who refuses to use magick of any kind. The Mage Hunter takes advantage of all of these perks and is a deadly adversary to any mage. In lieu of potions to heal the Mage Hunter uses the often neglected cooking system to craft health and stamina restoring meals. 

Much props goes to Shadon for creating such a fun and interesting build on his first attempt. The Mage Hunter presents both a fun, unique challenge and a clever new take on a classic Elder Scrolls archetype. If you haven't checked it out already click the link above to check out the Mage Hunter. 

As always, don’t forget to leave a like and/or comment on the build if you enjoy it.

Next week, it might just be YOUR build that gets featured so keep building friends!

Welcome one and all to our newest event Stories of Skyrim! This is a unique cross over event between our Skyrim Character Building and Story Corner group where you'll be teamed up with a partner to craft both a short story and a build for an original character of your creation. 

Whether you like making character builds or writing stories theres something in this event for everyone.

Follow the link below to learn more details about this event and sign up to join!

https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/the-story-corner/featured-works/cross-group-character-build-event-stories-of-skyrim

After much deliberation we have finally determined the winners for The Sky Forge's first ever character building contest. The grand winner coming in at 1st place is The Sea Ghost by The Long Chapper! 

The Long Chapper, also known as Lissette, amazed the contest judges with her stunning build presentation and masteful incorporation of little known lore elements into her build. The end result is a haunting marauder who seeks souls rather than material plunder, set to send chills down your spine. Take a look at what the judges had to say:

"The build demonstrates a very acute and meticulous understanding and implementation of lore, with the in-world text as a foundation. You did a great job bringing it to life with your character. This is a book I hadn’t read before, and you sparked my interest."

"Holy crap, dude. That backstory piece at the top. It immediately drew me in and it amazes me how you took a relatively not well known piece of lore and expanded it into a full build and story. This bit of lore perfectly connected with the other aspects of the build."

"The build has excellent roleplaying aspects. The roleplaying seamlessly connects with the lore and gameplay. You know everything about the character that you need to know from reading and no recommended quest feels out of place. Great job!"

Just reading the build makes it abundantly clear that Lissettee put nothing less than her best effort forward, and the amount of research and testing that went into this build shows just how much pride Lissette takes in her creative work. The Sea Ghost is a definite must play for anyone seeking a deep and involved roleplay heavy character with some really neat gameplay to boot. I for one will certainly be giving this build a try soon!

Nipping right at the heels of The Sea Ghost and coming in at 2nd place is The Sea of Ghost Siren by Kendrix Trixie. Among the contest's numerous impressive entries it was the Sea of Ghosts Siren along with the Sea Ghost that stood out the most. Kendrix is well known for her attention grabbing writing and her latest venture, a long dead argonian lost at sea and hell bent on revenge, is no different. Take a look at what the judges had to say: 

"Amazing interpretation of real-world mythology. Lore fits neatly into TES lore and accomplishes everything it needs to. Informs the reader how the character would act whilst allowing interpretations of that background. Story is well crafted and shines with polish and thought."

"Build clearly presents a complex and authentic character with rules and motivations that feel consistent and appropriate. Some minor hand waving to make the different elements combine, but overall it’s pretty effective and interesting to me."

Kendrix has done a wonderul job of integrating elements of Argonian lore and real world siren myths into her build. In a contest where one would expect no shortage of scimitar waving rabble rousers, Kendrix went a completely different direction. A vengeful undead marauder driven to seek vengeance against those who enslaved and doomed her to die at sea is a far departure from what I expected, but a very welcome surprise nontheless. 

The gameplay is as unique and involved as the roleplay and lore, possessing quite a lot of different poison, bleed and disease aspects that compliment each other well. Perfect for exacting the revenge the Hist demands in the most gruesome ways possible. If you're looking to sow some chaos in the name of the Hist then I think you've found the right build!

Coming in at 3rd place is the Cutthroat by Lee Fiskilis Carpenter . I'd be remiss if I didn't note how tight the race for 3rd place was. 3rd place was was a very close call with at least 4 builds of exceptionally high quality vying for the spot, each no more than 2 points apart. But coming out on top was the Cutthroat, beating out the Dead Tide by NomadDash by just a fraction of a point!

As the first build submitted for the contest the Cutthroat set a very high bar and made for a tough contender to beat. Lee's build took the quintissential pirate and married it to the worst things everyone expects out of Khajiits - the theivery, the piracy, and skull-duggery and turned into this awesome pirate cat.   

Here's what the judge's had to say:

"While the concept isn’t super unique, it's still compelling and executed very well"

"The build does a very good job integrating a fringe lore faction in a believable and creative manner"

"I really like the use of mods. It feels mild, but also fits the build and the explanations of perks and how they fit the character."

The Cutthroat cleverly combines the unique pickpocket, one-handed, and stealth perks found in the Ordinator perk overhaul mod to create an underhanded duelist who sets his enemies up to fail well before the sabers start clashing. Lee's done a brilliant job creating a fun, fast paced build that rewards quick reaction, decisive strikes, and skillful sabotague. You couldn't ask for a build that feels more like a pirate than the Cutthroat!

And there you have it folks, the winners of the Pirates of Tamriel Character Building Contest. Take a moment to say congrats to the winners and let them know what you think of their builds. If you missed the chance to take part in this contest dont sweat it, we have many more contests planned for the future! 

Check out our contest thread to read the full break down of the judge's decisions and scores for the contest. 

 https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/tes-character-building/character-build-events/pirates-of-tamriel-a-skyrim-character-building-contest

I'll be the first to admit that we have been neglecting the Fallout side of The Sky Forge, and we'd like to change that. If you head on over to the Fallout Character Building Group you'll notice two new additions. I've added both a Fallout Build Archive and WIP Character Build section. The two sections function just like their Skyrim Character Build counter parts. 

For those not in the know, the WIP section allows you to post your unfinished Fallout builds where others may see them and offer their thoughts and criticism. Its a great place to gather feedback on your next Fallout build or simply a place to store your unfinished builds as you work out the details.

The Fallout Archive features a compendium of tags meant to aid in quickly navigating The Sky Forge's growing collection of Fallout builds. Adding your builds to the archive is as simple as typing into the tag section of your build discussion the archive tags that best represent your character build .

Be sure to stay tuned to as we have many more awesome things planned for the Fallout CB group!

We've finally arrived at the judging portion of this contest. Ten contestants have submitted builds, and over the course of the next week and a half our panel of judges shall decide which build will reign supreme. 

The builds will be scored in 4 separate categories: Gameplay, Presentation, Lore, Roleplay. Each build will also be awarded bonus points based on number of likes up to 10. For more details on the judge's rubric be sure to check out the contest thread linked below and feel free to ask questions. 

The judges will post their decisions to that aformentioned thread on the 4th of July. Bountiful rewards await the contestants behind the top 3 builds. While we await the judges' decisions be sure to root for your favorite build. For those who missed out don't be dismayed. We have plenty of contests and challenges planned for the near future. 

https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/tes-character-building/character-build-events/pirates-of-tamriel-a-skyrim-character-building-contest

Welcome everyone to our first ever character building contest! Here you can emjoy a friendly competition among friends and win fabulous prizes, but only if you prove you're the best of the best. For more details on the contest please click the link below. There you can sign up for the contest. Best of luck to all those who compete!

https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/tes-character-building/character-build-events/pirates-of-tamriel-a-skyrim-character-building-contest

Hey folks. For those of you who have been here for a while you're likely aware that I pay the cost of running the TheSkyForge out of my own pocket. The cost currently sitting at $60.00 a month, or roughy $720.00 a year.

I pay this willingly not only because of the entertainment and enjoyment is has brought you all, but because I wish to keep TheSkyForge free of advertisements. But, in order to ease the finacial burden placed upon myself, I'd like to begin accepting donations to help run this community we all love and enjoy. 

To that end you will detect a new addition to the Home Page on the bottom right hand side (or the very bottom of the home page for those viewing from a phone). Simply click that Donation image and you'll be ported to a Paypal page, which will enable you to make a contribution to the ongoing costs. I encourage everyone to 'chip in' whatever they can, however modest, so that we can all continue to enjoy this fine community.

The donation link will remain on the Home Page indefinitely. However, I have no plans nor desires to profit from the donations in anyway. All surplus donations will go toward gifts and prizes for various events as well as upgrades to the site.

Please follow this link to proceed to our PayPal donation page:

http://paypal.me/SkyrimForge

Thank you all in advance for your contributions.

Welcome to our latest character building event! In this event, participants will be bringing a character from another of their most beloved worlds, whether fantasy in nature or otherwise, and translating that character into the world of The Elder Scrolls. There’s a catch though. These characters can’t simply be plucked from their own realm and dropped onto Tamriel. No, they need a full Elder Scrolls makeover if they’re going to journey through the lands of Skyrim. You’ll need to make everything about your character fit into the Elder Scrolls universe as seamlessly as possible, and you won’t be allowed to make any direct references to your character or their world until the very bitter end of your build. Otherwise, this is an event with unlimited possibilities in which you can fully bring two of your favorites worlds together.

Follow this link for more details:

https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/tes-character-building/character-build-events/skyrim-character-build-event-crossworlds

For those of you who aren't aware, the Skyforge partnered awhile back with the Skyrim Guard Discord server, headed up by myself (Pixel) and BrosisJK. The server is a great Elder Scrolls community with many features including live chat, Skyrim character journals for players wishing to chronicle their journeys through Tamriel, a leveling system with ranks based on those in the Imperial City's Arena, a channel to post your best screenshots, and much more.

This server can be a great way to organize collaborations or chat more fluidly with friends you've met here on the Skyforge. If you're interested, just make a free Discord account if you don't already have one and click the logo above to join.

Hail, Adventurers! Welcome to the holliest, jolliest build event yet to hit the Skyforge! Help to spread some Christmas Cheer by joining this event and bringing the wonderful holiday season to Tamriel. The idea this time around is to create a Secret Santa experience for the Elder Scrolls community. All participants will submit a build idea and have them be randomly distributed among all other participants. On Christmas Day, everyone will post what they have come up with and message the person who submmitted the idea they build off of to give everyone a bit of an Elder-Scrolls related Christmas present this year.

Obviously, it is a little bit early to be thinking about Christmas at the time this post is released, but we want to get as many participants as possible to make this event the most fun it can be for everyone who joins. Essentially what will happen is when you participate, you will submit a build idea that later this month will be given to a random participant. This participant will only be given the name of the build idea and the person who submitted it. From there, we're off to the races. On Christmas Day, everyone will post their builds and fire a message to the person who submitted the original build idea. Everyone will get to make a build and receive a build, so we should have some good fun on Christmas Day. 

This event is very open, so idea submissions can be Christmas themes, or not. It's up to the individual submitter what they want to do with it. 

Click here for more info!

Everyone here on the Skyforge seemed to really enjoy our previous “Tales of Tamriel” character building event, so here we are with another one, as promised!

With this one we wanted to answer a fairly simple question: “How will the nature of a character build be affected by making it into a collaborative effort?” In the “Elder Scrolls Teams” event, you’ll discover what teamwork can do for your builds. The builds you’ll create will be done in teams of two (or more than two if you’re feeling ambitious!).

Even more interestingly, there are no other stipulations on what sort of build you and your team can create. The world of the Elder Scrolls is a pretty big one, so you may find it overwhelming to narrow it down to one concept. This is where you’re group comes in! Bounce ideas off of one another, play to each members strengths, and have loads of fun creating a character build that represents several weeks of a team effort.

We are truly looking forward to what comes out of this event. With so few restrictions, the end results will be wildly different. More exciting, though, is that this is an opportunity for some of you who have always wanted to get into building but never knew how. Our veteran builders here on the Forge will be more than willing to group up and help you out. So for those of you who are experienced character builds: enjoy this exciting group event. For those of you who are new: welcome to the world of Skyrim character building, and enjoy!

Click Here to see additional details & sign up!

Quite a few folks have been wondering where they might post work in progress builds, and for a long time there was no such section. Since this has become a popular request we've added a new section to the Skyrim Character Building Group for WIP Builds. In the Skyrim CB group check at the top for a tab called rough drafts.

Here's the link to the new section below. 

https://theskyforge.ning.com/groups/tes-character-building/rough-drafts