I grabbed Skyrim the day it came out, and didn't play another game for over a year. I didn't always play video games, but when I did it was Skyrim.
A few months ago, we babysat one of my wife's various and sundry relatives. The young lad is a bit sheltered, and he was terribly excited to see me playing Skyrim when his parents dropped him off. Being the type to encourage the corruption of innocent youth whenever and wherever possible, I allowed him to play some Skyrim, sure, no problem, whatever.
It wasn't until the little tyke had left that I remembered that there are only so many auto-save slots on the game, and every time the little guy went in and out of a house, it created a new autosave.
Problem was? It had been over three months since I had last actually saved the game - I just let my autosaving do the work for me. Every time it autosaved, I lost an autosave, until there was nothing left but the flailings of an eight year old.
So, yeah. It's taken me this long to get over it, but it feels good to be able to talk about it. I had GTA V to tide me over recently, so that was cool, but as I'm listening to the OST, my heart pines for Skyrim's rugged peaks and dark dungeons.
Another post from the road. My wife and I continue our honeymoon and, having left Arizona behind, are now slowly making our way back to Texas. We started off yesterday morning in Gallup, and I'm writing this from a hotel in Santa Fe. We're hunkered down here for Thanksgiving, and plan to head out again on Friday morning.
Well, "Hell Yeah!", we said, and on our way back, we veered off of the highway to see this elemental badassery. Right off the bat, we were struck by how desolate the location was. It was twenty miles, through a national park, just to get to the sign telling us to turn off the road. From there it was another couple of miles along a dirt road, and suddenly there it was - the Trading Post. $22 later, and we were on our way. There were trails running to either side of the building, the one to the right leading to the Bandera Volcano, the one to the left to the Ice Cave.
The Trail Guide recommended we take the Volcanic path first. It's longer and steeper, and the exertion would warm us up, and then we could head to the Ice Cave to cool down. Taking the advice, we headed up the trail to the Volcano. The first thing we noticed was huge amount of lichen, covering almost all of the lava rock surfaces. According to the pamphlet we received, the formation of this primitive life is the first step towards breaking down the lava rocks, a process which occurs over a ridiculously long period of time.
As we ventured forth, we started noticing all these ridiculously twisted and evil looking trees. Apparently, it's hard for trees to put down roots in the cooled lava. It can do so, but it ends up causing the trees to look wicked.
Caves and inlet dotted either side of the trail, dark and mysterious. Some sat right by the trail, inviting investigation, while others crouched behind the treeline. Who knows where they lead? They were all the result of lava tubes cooling in different shapes
The lava fields became denser and denser, to the point where even if we wanted to leave the trail, it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to traverse the landscape.
Finally we reached the site of the ancient violence, an inverted cone all that remained of the site where, 10,000 years ago, the earth itself swelled and rose up, before bursting like an infected boil, spewing liquid fire across the land.
We headed back down the mountainside, past the Trading Post and out towards the Ice Cave. The trail was easier, but more thickly wooded, and the cries of birds surrounded us as we headed deep into the trees.
Along the way, there were actual ruins to be seen off to the side of the path, with rocks arranged in specific patterns, as though indicative of ancient, perhaps blasphemous rites performed long ago, and walls, arranged to keep something, or some things, out.
Snow began to dot the landscape as we descended, with patches appearing hither and yon, and small entrances to caves appearing along the path. This was but a preview of what was to come.
Finally, we came upon the entrance to the cave, the rocks hanging over the entrance menacingly. As we descended, the rocks took on a greenish hue, as more and more moss was attracted to the moisture in the cave below.
Finally, we reached the base of the cave, where we were confronted by the ice itself. It's estimated that the first bit of ice was created down here almost 2,000 years ago, by uncertain means. Since then, it has become a self-perpetuating system, with the existing ice keeping the temperature low enough that rainwater that runs into the cave is turned to ice, and so on. The moss and lichen in the area has given the ice its signature greenish hue.
The back of the cave was inaccessible, but hinted at dark mysteries hidden in its unseen depths.
At this point, we headed back down the trail, picked up a few post cards at the Trading Post, and jumped back into the truck. As we started back towards the highway, we took in the desert around us, the mountains looming in the distance, the wind howling across the vast expanse, and, as if on cue, the most epic song on one of the most epic albums of all time made its way to the top of our playlist, To Wander the Void, by While Heaven Wept. Between this song, and the sights I'd seen, things began to percolate in my brain.
The album has art by John Martin for its cover, so you know it's gonna be awesome, but check out the lyrics:
A million miles from everything the emptiness is everywhere
The lone and level sands stretch as far as I can see
Nothing but the hollowed eyes of skulls and ancient bones despair
Remains of those who wandered this wasteland vast before me
Fatigue and famine render every step a tribulation
Beneath the blistering sun sabulous winds just a mockery
Lost within an infinity of dust and desolation
The vultures circling overhead await my lonely expiry
Maintaining this course to nowhere I have traveled so far
Far beyond the valley's carnage and death's silent repose
Compelled to journey onward by the calling of the morning star
Haunted by visions and voices, memories or madness providence only knows
I can't remember when or how I'd first lost my way
Thirsting even a tear of solace knowing naught will ever come
Siren celestial have mercy on me allow my flesh into dust decay
And carry my soul far beyond this damned and forsaken kingdom
I fell to my knees as the last trace of strength slowly faded away
With stone in throat I knew I'd never reach the hallowed and promised land
I conceded my carcass a vulture's feast, my soul eternal umbrae
Once a king, now nameless, forgotten, swallowed by the seas of sand
I missed the Winter is Coming Blog Carnival last year, indeed, I didn't even realize such a thing existed until I saw it over at Dice Monkey. Now I know, and it sounded like fun.
The Cave of Eternal Winter was designed for Gamma World, Mutant Future, or any other post-apocalyptic rpg.
There is a legend, whispered among the tribes of Tixus, of a cave, hidden deep among the Bones of the Giants. This cave contains the very Spirit of Winter. No matter how hot it is outside, no matter how the sun beats down upon the scorched earth, the Cave is cold enough to freeze a body solid. Legend tells of blocks of ice within the cave that, when removed from the cave, reveal food of the ancients, mysteriously preserved through the ages. Tales are told of wondrous legendary devices within, still in perfect working order, and some whisper their fear of the creatures that lurk within the cave, emerging from the snowy depths to kill any who dare trespass. There are darker legends, of roving wanderers who have strayed too close and were dragged screaming into the cave. Supposedly, nothing can live in its proximity. When you stop feeling the bugs on your neck, when you stop hearing the birds cawing and the creatures growling, check the wind. If you feel a chill, you've come too close! The Cave of Winter is, in fact, an automated meat packing plant, still fully operational after centuries of abandonment. Powered by a nuclear reactor far beneath the surface, an AI controls the day to day operations of the plant. Several hundred years ago, some mutated moles were tunneling under the foundation of the facility, causing it to collapse beneath the earth, leaving only the entrance exposed. Undeterred, the AI continued on with its final directive - to keep the plant stocked with fresh, frozen meat. It has fulfilled that directive enthusiastically, even as it has gradually lost perspective, along with its sanity. The entire plant has been converted into a gigantic frozen meat locker, and temperatures have not risen above freezing in several centuries. The robots that maintain the plant by this point have ice frozen to all non-mobile pieces of their bodies, and can be mistaken for Ice Demons. The plant has thousands of pounds of frozen meat stockpiled in various parts of the facility, and the machinery is surprisingly intact and well maintained, if a bit frostbitten. In order to fulfill its directive, the AI will send its robots out to snatch those who come too close to the factory, and process their flesh. This results in a "Dead Zone" of approximately 1 mile around the factory. Any intruders into the factory are similarly consumed, processed and packaged. There are currently 54 fully functional robots in the facility, which is a significant decrease from the 377 that were initially present. The 323 non-functional robots have frozen gears and joints which prevent them from moving. These can be found scattered about the facility, frozen solid. The packaged meat is in cubes, with the label of the manufacturer, "Froztreatz" prominently displayed on the plastic wrap-like packaging. The AI is housed in a chamber, with all the entrances frozen shut. The cold and isolation has driven it mad, and it has taken to calling itself the Lord of Winter. It has recently recognized that it is running out of space for the processed meant, and has begun using 15 of the functional robots to dig into the earth around the plant. Its plan is to expand its wintry kingdom outwards and ensure that there is a never ending supply of meat to package!
