By Jorn Sore-Song, Historian, Bards College of Solitude
A treatise on infamous pirates of the Fourth Era, volume 3
“-as dangerous as those that made their living on the Sea of Ghosts. A sea aptly named, for the number of wreckages that dotted its coasts. In these waters, pirates such as the Blood Horkers, the Blackblood Marauders and more took advantage of the Stormcloak Rebellion to raid Skyrim almost unhindered. Most famous of these pirates must be captain Belyn Drenim, who vanquished all rivals and created a pirate kingdom on that notorious mist-covered isle to the north of Solitude.”
This build was made for the event Hoist the Colors. I wanted to create a character that would logically make sense for the environment they were supposed to operate in: the Sea of Ghosts. This meant I had to scrap most ideas based on the types of swashbuckling, extravagant pirates you would expect to see, as Elder Scrolls lore seems to place them in warmer climates down in the southern seas of Tamriel. I also didn’t want to redo a Haknir Death-Brand esque character. Eventually I ended up deciding to combine two ideas I liked: an anchor-wielding pirate and the concept of modern Icebreaker ships.
Version: Anniversary Edition
Mods: Northern Cardinal, Beyond the Horizon was my preferred ship mod for this build. Aside from this mod, I also picked up The Eyes of Beauty - Vampire Eyes Remastered for the blue eyes that became part of my characterization of the Icebreaker. For optional mods, I would also recommend All-Maker Stones of Solstheim - Powers Are Permanent to reduce the amount of round trips you have to make to Solstheim, seeing as one of the Special Moves requires having one of the All-Maker Stone powers.
Personal Restrictions: No crafting. I would have significant difficulty imagining any famous pirate sitting down and banging out thirty iron daggers in a row. To maintain some level of difficulty, I also didn’t use Necromage to increase the Icebreaker’s power.
Credits: Dastrokes for the epic ship mod, as well as Wammy and Davidkiiin for Eyes of Beauty - Vampire Eyes and Stones of Solstheim - Powers Are Permanent, which I felt added greatly to my playthrough of the Icebreaker. The members of the Skypothesis Discord Server and here on the Skyforge who responded to my last build. Special credit to Zephyr on the Skypothesis Discord, who pointed out that the Leather Scout Armor combined with the Guild Master's set and the Masked Necromancer Hood work really well together.
Playstyle: Dual-Wielding Rogue / Vampire Lord
Race: Dunmer. Benefits from Fire Resistance reduce the downsides of vampirism, while Ancestor’s Wrath serves as an emergency button during the early game.
Appearance: A broad-shouldered Dunmer man with a dark mohawk and a short beard adorned with rings. Underneath his iconic skull-shaped mask, eyes as cold as ice glow with an unearthly hunger.
Crafting: None.
Roleplay: The Icebreaker is driven by a lust for gold and power, as you would expect every pirate to be. However, the Icebreaker is as capable of long-term planning as he is prone to acts of whimsical kindness. Both of these have manifested in positive connections across Skyrim, allowing the Icebreaker to have safe ports during one of the country’s most dangerous times.
Major Skills: One-handed, Light Armor, Pickpocketing.
Minor Skills: Sneak, Lockpicking, Speech.
Standing Stone: I used the Thief stone for the majority of the game. Once you have mastered pickpocketing you can change it to the Lord Stone to make up for the Icebreaker's relatively low armor.
Attributes: Increase Health to 200. After that, you can spend points at a 1:2 ratio in favour of Stamina. At level 37 this should give you an even spread of 280:280. Magicka is completely ignored. The one spell I cast was Summon Arvak, which was possible once I acquired the Ring of the Erudite.
Level: 37+
One-handed: This is the Icebreaker’s bread and butter. Appearing as a monster of ice and steel, advancing inexorably on his opponents - with every strike piercing armor and draws blood. As the Icebreaker’s bloodlust increases, his strikes become wilder and wilder, until he eventually becomes a dervish too fast to stop. Gauge your enemies by flitting in and out of range, until you find an opportune moment to plant your feet and lay on those dual-wielded power attack flurries. This should be your main skill reserved for training. Feel free to pickpocket your trainers after finishing a session. Got to keep those skills as sharp as your anchor-wielding after all.
Light Armor: Mostly crucial for managing the early levels. Because the Icebreaker’s equipment isn’t a full load-out, you can only benefit from some of the basic perks of this skill tree. You can let the skill level naturally throughout the game. In later levels, your lack of perks in this tree is easily offset by the Icebreaker’s equipment, other perks and their Vampire Lord form.
Pickpocketing: Although the Icebreaker is more of a burglar than a thief, he has the full complement of stealth skills available. Of these skills, pickpocket is the most essential skill to level as it forms the basis of a special move. Pickpocketing random NPC’s will also help fund your many endeavours.
Sneak: As the Icebreaker delves deeper into the powers of vampirism, his affinity for the shadows increases. Slowly, as his hunger increases, the lack of prey on long voyages will sharpen his powers as a predator. The sound of his footsteps fading away. Shadows lengthening unnaturally around him. Even the ever-cold light of his eyes dimming. All to ensure that one fatal strike. Use this skill to ensure alpha strikes on strong opponents, or to take out enemies at the edges of a group.
Lockpicking: No lock may bar the Icebreaker’s path. Whether it’s a chest long forgotten at the bottom of the sea, or the heavily guarded door at the center of a keep, make sure to always keep a plentiful supply of lockpicks on hand.
Speech: The side-effect of having no crafting skills means you are fully at the whims of any merchants during the course of this playthrough. Combined with the many money sinks you need to spend your hard earned gold on, will generally keep your purse very light. This means investing in your haggling will pay off in the long term. Perks such as Allure and Bribery also represent the Icebreaker leaning on the persuasive powers granted by his vampirism.
The Icebreaker wears a set of light armor, maximizing for swift movement around the deck of his ship and allowing for emergency swimming in the frigid waters in the Sea of Ghosts. The set consists of the following items:
- Masked Necromancer Hood. No enchantments. While performing an oddjob for Vekel, the Icebreaker comes across this iconic hood in the throneroom of Yngvild and decides it’s perfect for crafting a fearsome image.
- Necklace of Major Wielding. This necklace is enchanted with an Increase to One-handed Damage. Obviously there are versions of this necklace which are better or worse depending on the level you acquire it. If you don’t find a version of this necklace, feel free to replace it with something thematic like Viriya’s Charm or the Amulet of Bats.
- Leather Scout Armor. Acquired from the quest Double-Edged, this Creation Club armor is enchanted with a Fortify Light Armor effect. Getting this armor, the Icebreaker is confronted with one of the many rival pirate crews he encounters during his time in Skyrim: the remnants of the Crimson Dirks. Prior to completing this quest, you can easily find non-enchanted Leather Scout Armor in the inventory of blacksmiths.
- Guild Master’s Gloves / Boots. Perfectly matched with dark blue leather of the Leather Scout Armor, getting the Guild Master’s armor completes the Icebreaker’s outfit. These gloves and boots are enchanted with Fortify Lockpicking and Fortify Pickpocketing respectively. Getting the full set requires completing the entirety of the Thieves Guild questline. Though I attempted to do this before most of the other questlines, I was still only left with about half of my playthrough before I got these. As such, you’ll be stuck with replacements that fit less well for a duration of your time as the Icebreaker. The ones I used were: -Thieves Guild Gloves / Boots, Dawnguard Gauntlets / Boots, Blackguard’s Gloves / Boots and the Nightingale Gloves / Boots.
- Ring of the Beast. This item provides the Icebreaker with an extra 100 health, vastly improving his survivability outside of his Vampire Lord form. To get this item, you need to complete the Rings of Blood Magic quest for Feran Sadri in Volkihar Keep. Completing this quest also provides you with the Ring of the Erudite, which I kept on hand to provide me with the extra magicka I needed to summon Arvak.
- Hoarfrost. The Icebreaker’s main weapons. An ancient Nordic pickaxe with a unique enchantment that has a small chance of freezing enemies solid. I roleplayed this pickaxe as being an anchor that Ralis Sedarys had looted off of the nearby Wreck of the Strident Squall. As soon as possible, go to Solstheim to sponsor Ralis Sedarys’ excavation of Kolbjorn Barrow to acquire this unique weapon.
- Dawnguard War Axe (renamed the Axe of the Betrayer). Acquire this weapon during the start of the Dawnguard questline and enchant it with Soul Trap. The only purpose of this weapon is to provide a thematic means of recharging your anchors in a pinch.
- Boots of Blinding Speed. Not part of the Icebreaker’s regular load-out, but this item is required for one of his special moves. Unlock this item during one of your early game trips to Solstheim, then pick it up in Fort Hraggstad.
Spells: Summon Arvak.
Shouts: Summon Durnehviir.
Powers: Ancestor’s Wrath, Vampire’s Sight, Vampire’s Seduction, Vampire’s Servant, Vampire Lord, North Wind.
Passive Abilities: Champion of the Night, Resist Fire, Resist Frost, Resist Poison, Resist Disease, Sailor’s Repose.
Hidden Knowledge: Secret of Strength, Secret Servant.
Vampire Lord Perks: Power of the Grave, Detect All Creatures, Mist Form, Supernatural Reflexes, Unearthly Will, Blood Healing, Poison Talons, Night Cloak.
By Jorn Sore-Song, Historian, Bards College of Solitude
A treatise on infamous pirates of the Fourth Era, volume 3
“It should be noted that large portions of Belyn Drenim’s notoriety stemmed from the many rumours surrounding his personal abilities. Although there is no question that Drenim was a capable pirate, it is extremely unlikely that he could do half of the things attributed to him in later years. Take, for example, stories of his supposed summonings of dragons. Or the rather dolorous shanty now sung by sailors across the seas of Tamriel, which has Belyn Drenim entering the Realms of the Dead to enlist their souls for service on his ship. Such attributions ring unsurprisingly hollow, given the clear inspiration these tales take from similar fictitious stories such as those about Captain Whereshark. This is compounded by the fact that any bard worth their lyre could see the conflation happening with other events of the time, such as the events of the Dragon Crisis and the lore surrounding the World-Eater. When examining the stories of Belyn Drenim from a historical perspective, we should therefore look to those feats which remain firmly in the realm of mortal men and which are supported by trustworthy accounts -”
Special Moves:
- Ice Scatter Strike
In a moment of pure stillness, the armor before you freezes, then shatters. The blast knocks back the enemy pirate into the ice-cold sea below, forgotten as you refocus on the combat raging on the deck around you.
Requirements:
The Icebreaker has a 2% chance of freezing an opponent on every strike they make with hoarfrost, which happens surprisingly often given the high swing-speed of dual-wielded power attacks. Once an enemy is frozen, wait before they start standing up before pickpocketing their entire inventory. A well-known bug makes it so that NPC’s can always be pickpocketed no matter the chance shown, as long as they are going through the standing up animation. I roleplayed this move as a representation of the Icebreaker’s anchors flashfreezing the enemies’ armor before shattering it with a single strike.
- Bound in Blood
You breathe in deeply, although you haven’t required it in a long time. As the ancient words leave your lips, a bloodless grin slowly carves its way across your face. You haven’t shared a hunt with your friend in quite a while.Requirements: Summon Durnehviir, Secret of Strength, Nightingale Strife.
The Icebreaker and his crewmate Durnehviir’s minds connect with each other, two predators reaching across space and time to engage in a hunt together. Before long, the combined bloodlust in the air starts spilling out into the minds of their prey, who go mad, biting and clawing at themselves and everyone near them in an attempt to escape from the hunters’ trap. Start by summoning Durnehviir, before activating Secret of Strength for unlimited power attacks. Ensure a large group of enemies is positioned next to each other to hit as many as possible with Nightingale Strife, before letting loose with dual-wielded power attacks.
- Deathshroud of the King of Ghosts
The battle was, admittedly, going quite poorly. Never was there a time more in need of some divine luck. You attempt to pull on powers which you know you shouldn’t be able to access in your current limited form. But you weren’t raised a quitter. And you were never one for expecting much from the Divines. The Daedra, good or bad, had always been more your speed. And then, by the grace of Molag Bal, or Boethiah, or Nocturnal, you feel your power respond. The mistform of the Volkihar Clan violently discorporates you in a way it has never done before. And then it’s over. The members of the East Empire Company that had ambushed you lie defeated behind you, covered in frost and meters away.
Requirements: Vampire Sight, Boots of Blinding Speed, North Wind.
Optional: Vampire Lord form.
The Icebreaker channels his Vampire Lord powers (Misty Form and Supernatural Reflexes) through his mortal frame. Losing control by using his abilities in ways for which they were not intended, this both damages the Icebreaker while increasing the potency of the powers.
Main Quest: Start the Icebreaker’s journey by going through the main quest. Continue doing so until you get an invite from the Greybeards. From this point on, start doing other quests. Only once the Icebreaker can honestly claim to Tsun that he is the greatest pirate will he dare to face the World-Eater in Sovngarde. This is where most tales of Brelyn Drenim end - journeying into the Realms of the Dead for a second time. Where he goes after that, or what he does, is lost to the mists of time.
Thieves Guild: Journeying to the Greybeards sees the Icebreaker passing through Riften, where he is accosted by Brynjolf. Seeing an opportunity to make the money required to get a ship and a crew, Brelyn Drenim decides to join the Thieves Guild. It is only after he has committed to this action, that the Icebreaker realises how much the power of Thieves Guild has waned. Not being able to stand the waste, the Icebreaker builds up the Thieves Guild to provide him with power on land, just as his ship and crew serve him at sea.
Acquiring a Ship: Sadly, there is no real support for ship owners in vanilla Skyrim. Luckily, modders have provided us with plentiful options instead. My pick was the Northern Cardinal, although there are many popular options, such as the Scarlet, which are available online. You can acquire the Northern Cardinal by speaking to the merchant on the newly added docks of Solitude before sailing out to fight the pirates that captured the ship. Once you have the ship, you can unlock new crew positions by buying the ship’s upgrades. This provides you with one of two early -and middlegame money sinks. I mostly did Thieves Guild jobs for Delvin and Vex to finance these upgrades.
Recovering Gear: As you start the Thieves Guild questline, hop over to Solstheim to start Unearthed. This quest sees you investing increasing amounts of gold into the excavation of Kolbjorn Barrow. It is not Azihdal’s relics which interest you however. Rather, it is the equipment Ralis Sedarys holds which you want. Spare Ralis Sedarys and recruit him as a companion to acquire Hoarfrost. At level 30, you should take Ralis with you to the Sacellum of Boethiah. It is only then that you should show Ralis his just rewards for his betrayal. Boethiah will reward you for your actions by providing you with another copy of Hoarfrost, allowing you to dual-wield your anchors.
Aside from Hoarfrost, you should complete the quests Double-Edged to get an enchanted copy of the Leather Scout Armor and Toying with the Dead to get a Masked Necromancer Hood. These items form the core of the Icebreaker’s look and playstyle and should therefore be rushed as soon as possible.
Assembling the Crew: Once your ship has been fully upgraded, you are able to recruit crewmembers for the following positions: First Mate, Ship Blacksmith, Ship Mage, Ship Alchemist and Ship Bard. As far as I could tell, most of these positions aside from the First Mate, had to be filled with NPC’s with the corresponding vendor class. For example, I found it possible to recruit Glover Mallory as Ship Blacksmith. There seem to be plenty of exceptions though, as I wasn’t able to recruit Lurbuk, my intended pick for Ship Bard. You can also recruit followers to be a part of your boarding crew without holding one of the above positions. Building up your ship's crew should be done by doing the quests of those you are attempting to recruit. See these jobs as being required for convincing your crew to set sail, even when their background might suggest they would rather stay on land.
By Professor M. Vyctara, Associate Folklorist at the University of Gwylim
An excerpt of ‘A response to Jorn Sore-Song’, University of Gwylim Press
“But most egregious is the diminishment of the roles of Brelyn Drenim’s crew, who by all accounts were essential to his many daring raids. How easily Jorn skips over such stories, like those of First Mate Anneke Ship-skipper, who according to one tale jumped over three ships during a single battle. Or the heart-wrenching tale of Brelyn Drenim’s race against time to save his navigator and friend Rulnik Wind-Strider. Perhaps we might even consider those lesser known members of his crew, such as Dark Derkeethus, supposedly from the same small town as his Captain and First Mate’s last surviving relatives. Should we ignore every account of Derkeethus being captured in retellings as being farcical, simply because it happens in almost every one of them. Or might this simply be the logical result of the dangerous role of a frontline scout? Of course, even I would agree that there is likely little factual evidence for those tales that had Brelyn's legendary ship, the Northern Cardinal, followed across the skies by an undead dragon.”
Eliminating Rivals: Take up arms against all pirate crews that seek to operate in the Sea of Ghosts. This includes the Blackblood Marauders introduced during Lights Out and the Bloodhorkers you face during Rise in the East. There is also a group you deal with during the quest The Dainty Sload, which also unlocks the Solitude fence for the Thieves Guild. Once you are done with the major quests, you can start hunting pirate crews on land or on the Sea of Ghosts. Either make use of the features of the Northern Cardinal to fight enemy encounters at sea, or go to places such as the Red Wave docked in Solitude or the Shipwreck of the Strident Squall to eliminate some of your less active rivals. If you are flush with time, you could also choose to run down leads on a recently disbanded pirate crew called the Crimson Dirks, which you first come into contact with when getting your Leather Scout Armor.
Dawnguard: Once you run across the recruiter for the Dawnguard, join up and follow the questline until you get access to the Vampire Lord form and Volkihar Keep. Complete quests as you please, but be sure to leave the climax until you are already Master of the Thieves Guild. During this questline the Icebreaker assembles the last pieces required for his dominion over the Sea of Ghosts - Volkihar Keep as a Pirate Port, his Vampire Lord form and his last and most powerful crew-member: Durnehviir. Since I couldn’t recruit the Bard I wanted for my crew and I had no intention of getting an inferior one, I decided to roleplay Durnehviir as being the Ship Bard of the Northern Cardinal.
The Greatest Pirate of All Time: Having equally sworn his soul into the service of three Daedric Lords, the Icebreaker has no illusions about the supposed immortality vampirism grants. He knows that all that is required for this tenuous balance to be broken is for a single of those Daedra’s to want to upset it. And Nocturnal, Boethiah and Molag Bal each are not well known for their understanding or kind natures. Deciding to go out in a blaze of glory, the Icebreaker no longer seeks dominion over the Sea of Ghosts but to instead leave his name carved indelibly on the sea of time. First by chasing down the long-lost treasure Cyrus the Restless supposedly left on Blackbone Isle. It is here the Icebreaker acquires his second ship, the Deadman’s Dread, which he refurbishes and gifts to his most loyal followers. Second, by following rumours that the legendary dremora captain Velekh Sain was bound underneath the College of Winterhold. By studying these bindings and defeating Velekh, the Icebreaker learns to summon the captain into his service. I roleplayed this by immediately getting the Secret Servant power after confronting Velekh Sain.
Thirdly, by challenging Haknir Death-Brand deep in the depths of Gyldenhull Barrow. Only once these tasks have been accomplished will the Icebreaker face Alduin. It is there where he finds an escape from the bindings on his soul, as he learns how to access Sovngarde directly. When the Icebreaker permanently leaves Tamriel behind, to dock his ship down under the Whalebone Bridge, is a matter for historians to discuss.
Replies
Awesome work man, though I would recommend breaking up the last text section a bit
Thanks! And a good point, though I couldn't figure out an image that I really wanted to add. So just some crew pics it is.
Also dont forget to post the link on the Event's page
You, or someone else, appears to have done so already?
Hey this is really well made, I like it!
Much appreciated :D