With all the advances that have been made, the atmoran people believe that they are entitled to live beyond their usefulness.
They believe that those who do not contribute to the pack deserve to get dragged along as they leech resources to fuel their failing bodies.
They believe that they have the right to deny their own mortality, to turn a blind eye to the inevitable end that lurks right around the corner.
They believe that if they ignore this truth, that it will cease to be, that he will stop stalking them.
They are wrong.
He is here.
He is knocking.
We will let him in.
Leeches do not leave unattended. They must be removed before they gorge too much resources from the body.
Hello, back again with another contest build. It's a character concept I've been playing with for a while, it's easy to play, level and learn, focusing on a small number of spells and best of all, it requires no equipment whatsoever. The concept has been molded to fit with one specific deity for the purposes of this contest. When thinking of a god to build around, I could't really think of anything to go with the mainstream gods/daedra, so I decided to challenge myself to build around a pretty obscure one. Orkey, for those that don't know, is the Atmoran god of Mortality, and an enemy of the nordic people. Thus I have created a priest of Orkey, a spiteful and deluded battlemage who drains the energies of his foes with ancient atmoran runes. Many believe Orkey is some wierd amalgamation of Arkay and Malacath, as his chosen people are the Orcs. he is famous for summoning Alduin to eat the nords lifespan, a dubious plot that was undone at the cost of King Wulfharth. He is reviled by the Nords for this, or most of them....
I tried to make this build as lightly modded as possible, and have narrowed down the selection to two essential mods and one highly recommended mod, which greatly enhances the roleplay of the build but is ultimately not necessary for its core gameplay.
Essential Mods
Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim - Necessary to promote the DOT/debuff focused playstyle of the build
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim - Needed for the death based restoration spells and Ocato's Recital
Highly Recommended Mod
Imperious - Races of Skyrim - Nice for the nords racail ability to do more damage to certain races, in your case choose bretons, redguards and imperials.
Aesthetic Mod
Immersive Armors
Race: Nord
A son of the north, The Doorman gains his religion from the ancient enemy of his people, viewing him as a necessary force to ensure the world still functions. He does not share the same national pride many nords have, viewing his race and other races of man as insects who do not appreciate how little time they have on this world, and takes great pleasure in reminding them of their frailty whenever possible.
He gains 50% resistance to frost damage, and can use Battle Cry to show his zealous worship of death, terrifying weaker foes and sending them running for their lives.
Standing Stone: The Atronach Stone
Using the power of this stone, The Doorman gains 50 extra magicka and the ability to absorb 50% of incoming spells, further making you a drainer of all energy and life.
Stats: 2/2/1, 2/2/0, 0/1/0
A good mix of magicka and health is needed, but due to this buidls constant absorbtion and boost from the atronach stone, it is not as necessary as most mages. Cap stamina at 150, moving to the second split until you reach 250 magicka, then put all remaining stats into health.
Faith: Orkey
The god of mortality and a mostly forgotten god of the ancient atmorans, Orkey is portrayed as cunning, spiteful and deceitful. He is resolute in his hatred of the nords and frequently plotted to destroy them during early history. His power has likely waned since then, as his worship has dropped off and he has mostly been forgotten.
Skills: Destruction, Alteration, Conjuration, One Handed and Restoration
The Doorman plays like a unorthadox battlemage, focused on passively damaging and draining enemies around him, making them more susceptible to his DOT inflicting runes. The build can be very tanky, but only at close range and is very dependant on close range fighting to succeed. Destruction is used to enchance the effects of your lightning cloak and runes, alteration to increase your tankyness and to dish out passive debuffs, conjuration and one handed to use your bound sword and to cause it to inflict even more debuffs and restoration to improve your long distance fighting and your healing spells.
Spells:
Alteration: Ebony flesh, Wither, Paralyze, Ocato's Recital (Choose Ebonyflesh, Lightning Cloak and Close Wounds)
Destruction: Lightning Rune, Lightning Cloak
Conjuration: Bound Sword
Restoration: Close Wounds, Welling Blood, Slay Living, Finger of Death, Tree Rings, Circle of Death
Recommended Difficulty: Master/Legendary
This build can be busted, with basically unlimited magicka and stacking debuffs and DOT (Damage Over Time) damage, can really tear through most enemies. It does have a huge weakness however, being that it's only effective at close ranges, and I purposefully ommited any spells to help with this to encourage the build to play to it's strengths.
Born as a rich noble in the city of Bruma, you grew up witnessing the lap of luxury. Your mother and father were practically royalty, and acted as if they were gods, throwing parties to rival that of Sanguine himself, and possessed an army of servants whic they commanded to do any concievable task in existence. You however, experienced none of these comforts. As the youngest child, you were expected to make your own way or die, and you had a sneaking suspicion your father was hoping for the latter. No, their affection was saved for your three sisters, who were divines in their eyes and each destined to inherit their fortune, with you as the eldest, being left the petty scraps.
That however, did not happen. As you grew older any hope of an inheritance was lost, your youngest sister shed their mortal coil, her body ravaged by some . A tragic affair, one that almost broke your family apart, but such a tragedy could never be repeated. Oh but it was, as slowly your other two sisters were struck down prematurely, one by dark brotherhood assasin and the other by a very fortunate bear. Faced with nowhere else to turn, your parents named you as the sole heir, and wounded by their loss, seemed to warm to you as their son. A few decades later, your mother passed from natural causes and your fathers love for you only grew. You were so close to what was rightfully yours, all you had to do was wait a few more years for the old man to pass on. And so you did. You waited. And waited. And waited.
But still your father remained. Furiosity overtook you, your father was still breathing and soon to be the oldest man in tamriel at this point. When would he die? You threw this question around your brain for many sleepless weeks until you found the answer. He will die when you do what must be done. And so, as your father was reclined in his fireside chair, you took your mothers lettercutter and ushered him into the great beyond. This victory was bittersweet, however, as in your fathers senile last years, he himself reduced all he had built to rubble. Ruined, you tried for many months to piece it back together to no avail. If only he had passed on when he should, his legacy would still remain, his son would be safe. His selfishness, you concluded in clinging to his feeble, rasping breaths instead of letting himself go, ruined you and for what? For a few years of useless, rasping breaths spent sprawled out in a rickety chair? Some mortals, you gleaned, were too sentimental over their own bodies, attempting to drag the civilised world with them into obscurity. You also learned that soemone was trying to prevent this. Someone was hunting the condemned, stubborn souls.
Someone was watching out for you.
A mural of the ancienct atmoran enemy god, Orkey.
An insincere prayer to those whose lives were cut short by this brutal conflict.
When playing this build, mortality is a given, a constant shadow. Your own mortality is fleeting and everyone else's even more so, and as such, danger of death or the death of others will be of no consequence to The Doorman. Those who try to cheat death (In The Doorman's mind at least) either through medicine, resilience or foul undeath must be stopped at all costs, and those who are in good health must be reminded that their fortunes can change at any moment of his choosing, of your choosing. Since your revelation, you have realised that all material possesions, political and economic power are pointless and unneccesary fabrications of those who fear the inevitable visit your god provides. There is only one power you respect now, the power to take life, and you will gain that in troves. In your eyes, the honored dead earn their place by living dangerous lives, and going out in their legendary prime, instead of disgracing their vessels with the frailty of old age. Any mortal who wishes to die in their sleep after a long life does not deserve to live.
The Doorman is first and foremost, a deluded murderer. Firm in his belief that natural causes can take too long, he will seek to thin some of the herd to remind the rest of their mortality. He is also in some senses, a serial killer and will go out of his way to murder any elderly person he can. Good examples of targets include Olava the Feeble, Nepos the Nose and Olfrid Battleborn. Generally when deciding on quests to do, he will do any quest with an oppurtunity for bloodshed, ruining the lives of others or to advance his own power. A bit more nuanced however, is the Doorman's respect for the finality of death, making him fiercely anti-undead and anti-tomb looting. With that being said, here are some recomendations:
Main Questline - Alduin is no longer in the thrall of your master, and seeks to rule the world instead of end it. End him. Your dragonborn also grants you the ability to destroy the immortality of dragons, which The Doorman will relish.
Dark Brotherhood - A perfect oppurtunity to release the weak from their failing flesh, money is of no concern to him however.
Dawnguard - Harkon and his court think themselves above the laws of mortality placed upon them. They are wrong. Side with the Dawnguard to destroy these walking corpses and kill Serana afterwards if possible.
Dragonborn - Similar to Harkon, Miraak believes he is beyond the reach of mortality. Extend the hand of Orkey to greet him. Also exploit the ample oppurtunities for power in Apocrypha.
Civil War - The Doorman will side with the Stormcloacks, as they are the side most likely to lead to a greater conflict with the Aldmeri Dominion, and thus more deaths.
The Cursed Tribe - Orkey favors the Orcs, and is possibly an aspect of Malacath himself. Also try to befriend each of the various strongholds throughout Skyrim.
The Taste of Death - Tombs are sacred places for the dead, not a pantry. End the disgusting degenerates who would feast on the dead. I recommend not killing Eola on sight but rather wairing until the cannibal gathering to strike.
The Wolf Queen Awakens - Potema must be banished back into the dirt.
Remove the Weak - Not an actual quest, just a goal you should try to follow. Any sick or elderly must be removed from existence, lest they drag us further into the abyss as they flail around in their death throes. Try to avoid getting caught when possible, but it being an upstanding citizen in the eyes of the law is no concern.
Another stubborn fool being sent six feet under
PERKS OF NOTE:
Destruction:
- Runecaster: Enchances our runes range and lets us place more
- Ancient Seals: Turns your runes into stacking DOT dealing killing machines
- Ionized Path 2/2: makes our magic more deadly asa you drain your victims energies, which we do a lot of. Will end up being a huge damage buff
- Static Field: In conjucntion with lightning cloak, will ensure no enmies are above 75% health, making them more vulnerable to our instant kill spells.
- Arc Burn: Makes sure our DOT spells do bonus DOT. DOT!!
- Magnetize and Electroconvultions: Helps us crowd control a bit, and Electroconvulsions makes low health enemies easier to target with Slay Living.
- Show them All: Even more magicka drain cus why not.
Alteration:
- Mage Armor: Makes us not fall over like a wet noodle when things hit us.
- Energy Shield: Works in conjuction with The Monarch to allow us to basically have constant damage reduction, as it allows you to sacrifice your magicka for damage reduction and we have an infinite supply of that when people are up close. Means you will feel especially squishy when far away.
- Welloc's Dormant Arcana: Allows you to give yourself passive buffs when under a certain spell. Choose flesh spells as the trigger, and stamina regen, bonus armor rating and magic resistance as the buffs.
- Intuitive Magic 2/2: Allows for novice and apprentice spells to be cast for free. Very useful for spamming shock runes.
- The Monarch: The main perk here. You lose magicka constantly, but absorb it from others at a rapid rate. Basically in conjuction with all our other perks, this will mean bonus damage against affected tagets with your bound sword and lightning runes, and will reduce all damage you take with energy shield. The cornerstone of the playstyle and the main priority in alteration.
- Nullifier: Works in conjustion with The Monarch to ensure that noone gets any magicka back, also very useful against warrior types as they can't do many power attacks against you. Also fits very well with the theme of being a bottomless pit for lifeforces.
Conjuration:
- Void Burn: Makes a stacking debuff that drains magicka and stamina, then health whenever you hit someone with your sword. Very useful in conjuntion with other perks allowing you to deny power attacks and drain magicka even faster, allowing you to start draining health as soon as possible.
- Dark Whispers: Gives you bonus armor and damage when you hit a target with your bound sword. Very useful because you lack a lot of armor and cannnot smith your weapon, and have no skill in enchanting.
One Handed
- Clash of Champions 3/3: Reduces the damage of enemies you strike, combining nicely with Energy Shield to reduce damage further.
- Crosscut 2/2: Allowqs us to quickly deal chunks of damage to enemies, making them more likely to die from Welling Blood.
Restoration:
- Descending Light: Ensures we have enough magicka to fuel our Energy Shield until we can close the gap on any enemies.
- Edgewalker: Improves the effectiveness of Slay Living and Circle of Death on low health targets, making thme more likely to just drop dead.
Death Cultist Chic
There is none. Wear what you want, pick up any useful enchanted items if you want, but even they aren't necessary and I did fine on legendary with only the rags on my back. It was pretty refreshing not having to worry about gear at all.
My Look
Shrouded Hood
White Skull Face paint
Shaman Robes
Shaman Gloves
Shaman Boots
Although the build is very simple to play, there are tons of fun combos that can be made. Some of these abilities are not strictly necessary for the build to function, but do make for fun combat.
Aging Aura
Requirements: The Monarch, Nullifier, Ionized Path 2/2, Show Them All, Lightning Cloak Spell
Those who stand against the god of mortality's will soon find themselves drained and feeble, powerless against his chosen champion. Through a combination of these perks and spell, your victims stamina will be draining and unable to regenerate, and their magicka supply will be obliterated. This all happens passively as well, truly giving a harbinger of death type vibe and making targets weaker against your damage over time abilities.
Withering Muscles
Requirements: The Monarch, Energy Shield, Clash of Champions 3/3
Any who take up arms against you soon find themselves lacking their former strength, making their melee attacks far less effective. Basically a combination of the magicka fueled Energy Shield, the magicka siphoning The Monarch perk and the damage reduction on hit from Clash of Champions to give a total of 55% damage reduction on top of any armor bonuses. Makes for a very tanky character.
Ancient Curses
Requirements: Bound Sword Spell, Void Burn, Lightning Rune Spell, Ionized Path 2/2, Ancient Seals, Arc Burn, Intuitive Magic 2/2, Lightning Cloak Spell
The Doorman unleashes malignant magic on his enemies, draining their already weakened essence even further. Basically, with your sword and runes (which are free) you can stack up a ton of Damage Over Time effects on your enemies, eating through their health. These effects are all enchanced by low stamina and magicka, showcasing Orkey's tendancy to pray on the feeble and infirm, and pairning well with Aging Aura to rack up damage.
Tragic Demise
Requirements: Lightning Cloak Spell, Electro Convulsions, Slay Living Spell
As a harbinger of mortality, the Doorman has the ability to snuff out the fading lives of those on deaths door. Good for finishing off high health enemies. Basically whenever a target within melee range falls below 25% health, it will fall to the floor, spasming uncontrollably. This makes them easy prey for your instant killing, free to cast Slay Living.
Bloody Accident
Requirements: Welling Blood Spell, Static Field, Lightning Cloak Spell Crosscut 2/2
The Doorman can mark a target and predict their demise, ending their existence with an unfortunately striking blow. Cast Welling Blood on a target, causing them to instantly die if they take a certain amount of damage, then enter melee with them. Because of your lightning cloak, their max HP will instantly go down to 75%, then make a few standard melee attacks and a power attack. If the enemy is weak enough, they sould just plain die.
Open the Door
The Doorman uses his favor with Orkey to protect himself, then destroys another targets lifeforce using his own. Basically, just cast Tree Rings, which gives you a huge bump in health for a short time, then cast Finger of Death, which kills a target, but makes you take damage equal to 125% of the damage result. Make sure you are high health when using this ability and preferably close to your target, as it is quite magicka heavy.
Spontaneous Tragedy
Requirements: Dual Cast Shock Rune Spell, Destruction Dual Casting, Ancienct Seals, Intuitive Magic 2/2, Circle of Death Spell
The Doorman calls on his patron to drain and snuff out the fragile souls of his enemies, rapidly draining them and dragging them into the afterlife. WHen surrounded by a group of enemies, cast Circle of Death then rapidly dual cast Lightning Rune at your feet. Enemies will rapidly be drained of health, dying instantly should they fall below 40% health.
There is a reason the honored dead never die of age.
Gameplay with The Doorman is pretty straightforward. Simply walk into combat, get your spells cast on you by Ocato's Recital, and then make a B line for the nearest group of enemies, and start runeslinging. With a combination of Aging Aura and Ancient Curses your enemies will drop like flies as you stack up damage over time effects on them, which increase in power the longer you stay closer to them. Any mages are neutered as they cannot regain magicka and warriors are unable to regenerate stamina and rapidly lose it thanks to your Void Burn perk. You should be fairly resistant thanks to Withering Muscles and a few healing spells, so you can survive in close range for longer than most mage armor users. If you want to target a specific, mid health creature use Bloody Accident to kill them in one, precise blow. ALternatively, you could use the far more risky Open the Door if you're confident you won't take much damage afterwards. If you find yourslef surrounded, send them all to The Old Knocker with Spontaneous Tragedy.
At peace among the dead.
Well, thats it! This build took WAY too long to make, due to Covid Scares, Technical Issues and a fractured wrist (typing is hard lol) but I'm glad I finally got it done. Felt great to play Skyrim again and I had a good time finally putting this playstyle idea into practice :)
Replies
Will add more tommorow :)