"And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade,
As he told of bold battles and gold he had made."
- "Ragnar The Red", traditional song in Whiterun
Backstory
Born in Markarth to a Nord family, his father misteriously disappeared not long after, and he wasn't safe with the rising danger of the Forsworn attacking the city, so his mother sent him to live a more peaceful life with his grandmother, in Helgen.
As he grew, he would often aid granma with her cooking, as she narrated him epic stories about powerful artifacts, dangerous creatures and ancient ruins, many of them lived by his grandfather. He was a general in the Empire, and after retiring he made a fortune adventuring, while her granma regented the local tavern. She also shared with him the knowledge of the old nord pantheon, ingrained in the collective memory of all nords, but sadly dismissed in favor of the Divines.
Inspired by her stories, the child wanted to train for when he is old enough to live his own adventures. Luckily, his charm, his way with words and his family's reputation in town quickly gained him the favor of the bored guardsmen, who took him under their wing, and he started combat training.
After many years, his granma died peacefully in her sleep, and so the young man, now skilled with the blade, and with no more remaining family, took it as a sign to start his journey, but not before dealing with hir granma's passing. Wary of his granpa's stories of necromancers, he chose to cremate her, and scatter her ashes while he peregrinated to High Hrothgar. A worthy beginning to his adventure, he thought.
But in his way to Rorikstead, he mistaken as rebel by imperial soldiers and captured, since there was a Stormcloak camp being ambushed nearby. Later he found himself bound in a carriage, stripped of her grandmother's remains, and headed home to be put to death.
Roleplay
After escaping from Helgen, the Warrior Poet is sad for losing his grandma's remains, but free at last to live his own heroic adventures. After being helped by the hospitable residents of Riverwood, he decides to go to Whiterun to deliver their cries of help to the Jarl. He always wanted to visit Whiterun, as he grew up hearing stories about the Companions, King Olaf and Dragonsreach.
It's encouraged to start the main quest as soon as possible and follow it until we discover the power of Thu'um, and Lydia is an available follower, as this is the first step in the Warrior Poet's transformation into a nord hero. The Warrior Poet is struck by his newfound power, and then excited to finally have someone to live adventures with. With this resolution, he heads to Jorrvaskr to prove his might.
The Companions questline provides him with amazing rewards, like a place to rest, skilled warrior trainers, and Ysgramor's relics. After he becomes the Harbinger of the Companions, he decides such artifacts cannot be left in a showcase, so he hands Ysgramor's shield to Lydia and he keeps Wuuthrad as his trustworthy weapon. This is the beginning of Lydia's transformation from a thane's housecarl to a mighty shieldmaiden. From here, you are free to explore the lands of Skyrim as you see fit, making stories to tell and collecting treasures to sell, while trying to get your gear and Lydia's as soon as possible.
Apart from finishing the main quest and fulfilling his destiny as Dragonborn, some quests are very fitting for this character, like the ones at the Bard College, an obvious stop in the Warrior Poet's travels. Destroying the Dark Brotherhood is an honorable deed, and joining the College of Winterhold can help the Warrior Poet to learn more about legendary magic artifacts, even though he is not skilled with magic. You can also complete Kyne's Sacred Trials, to commune with the old nord gods. And of course, destroying powerful foes such as Harkon and Miraak are feats that can only be done by the mightiest of heroes, so it's better to do finish them at the end of your playthrough.
In general, try to do any quest that involve exploring ancient ruins and recovering legendary artifacts, but keep in mind that the Warrior Poet is not an evil character, so stay away from quests of that nature. Finally, the Warrior Poet doesn't keep her granma's memory out of his mind, and he tries to make her delicious vegetable soup whenever he can, so always be on the lookout for cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes and leeks.
Equipment
The equipment was chosen to keep an appearance in line with the nord heroes you can see in Sovengarde, and make use of magic enchantments that this character can't produce. Items from the Anniversary Edition are marked with an asterisk (*).
Weapon: Wuuthrad makes the best weapon for a hero of legend, ask Ysgramor.
Armor: Scales armor/Steel plate armor, Fists of Radangulf*, Predator's Grace and Aetherium Crown. Both armors give the Warrior Poet look of someone always ready to go into the heat of battle, and don't look too outlandish. The Aetherium Crown helps you carry another Standing Stone, which enables you to make use of some cool powers.
Auxiliary Gear: Amulet of Talos, Enchanted Ring/Ring of Sure Grip (Fortify two-handed). As a warrior with a silver tongue, he needs to make the most out of his Thu'um, and he can always use boost in strength.
*You can substitute these with the Ironhand Gauntlets
The ideal equipment for your follower is also listed here. The same criteria was also used to choose it.
Weapon: The Pale Blade/Gauldur's Black Blade, bow of your choice. Both blades provide a useful enchantment and a cool aesthetic, and almost any bow is better than the default hunting bow, so she could use one.
Armor: Ancient Nord armor, Ysgramor's Shield. The Ancient Nord armor looks awesome in female characters. I personally used Azhidal's full set because it can all be found in the same place, and she can actually use the waterwalking enchantment, which looks awesome. Although in retrospect, I would have given her the Ancient Nord Helmet of the Unburned, and unenchanted Ancient nord bracers.
Auxiliary Gear: Gauldur's Amulet, Warlock's Ring*. The Gauldur's amulet is convenient and all around useful, and the Warlock's Ring gives her a cool warding effect when she's blocking.
*You can substitute this with a ring of Resist Magic or an Enchanted Ring if you don't find one.
Stats, Perks
0/1/0 (Vegetable soup will provide infinite stamina for power attacks, and we won't be using magic, so health is the best option)
Standing stone: Warrior Stone for early levels, then Lord stone (We are going to need those defenses)
Race: Nord, the most fitting race for a skald
Frequently visit the Shrine of Talos in Whiterun to get that sweet shout cooldown reduction!
Perks (level 30):
- Two-handed: Barbarian (5/5), Champion's Stance, Devastating Blow, Great Critical Charge, Sweep
- Block: Shield Wall (3/5), Quick Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Elemental Protection, Block Runner, Power Bash, Deadly Bash, Disarming Bash
- Speech: Haggling (5/5), Allure, Merchant, Bribery, Persuasion, Intimidation
This are the perks you should aim to have at level 30. Only levelling three perk trees is difficult, so if you are short of levels in one of them don't hesitate to put some perk points into Light Armor or Heavy armor. The Warrior Poet becomes very skilled with heavy weapons and has also developed his charisma as a storyteller, making it easier for him to sell his treasure for coin. From there, you can continue perking up those skills or branch out into other skills, like smithing or lockpicking.
Gameplay
The Warrior Poet is a reckless fighter. He may plan out some fights, but when he is in the fray of combat he won't retreat unless massively outmatched. He always makes use of her granma's vegetable soup, and is inspired by the songs of great deeds he sang him. You can achieve this by using vegetable soup before an encounter, paired with Bardic Knowledge. This makes the Warrior Poet a formidable foe in battle. Make use of all the shouts you can, as the Warrior Poet becomes a master of the tongue, and all the Black Book powers can always come in handy.
You can also make use of this special moves, devised to reflect his epic adventures, his prowess in battle and skill with the Voice:
Kyne's Shieldmaidens (Bardic Knowledge + Call of Valor): the Warrior Poet narrates the deeds of Gormlaith Golden-Hilt as he summons her in Battle, uniting the strength of the past and the present shieldmaidens.
Tsun's Counterattack (Quick Reflexes + Disarming bash + Devastating Blow): the Warrior Poet quickly stuns an attacking oponent before dealing a devastating blow.
Words of Ancient Power: These are special moves performed with the help of the Aetherium Crown and the Standing stones. You can only use the move that includes the standing stone you store in your crown, so choose carefully before going on an adventure.
- Mauloch's Call (Aetherium Crown + Ritual Stone): The Warrior Poet beckons the dead to battle once more.
- Orkey's Curse (Aetherium Crown + Serpent Stone): This verse make enemies fall into a temporary state of torpor.
- Herma-Mora's Deception (Aetherium Crown + Shadow Stone): Thanks to this quiet melody, the Warrior Poet makes himself unnoticeable.
Shor's Strength (Secret of Protection + Aspect of Dragon + Battlecry + Elemental Fury): In the toughest battles, the Warrior Poet channels his inner resolve, as he becomes unstoppable in battle.
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