Even after countless playthroughs, there are a few things I’ve managed to avoid in Skyrim. Some of these include joining the Bards College (minor as it may be), use scrolls and staves extensively and utilize the Ebony Mail. For the Ebony Mail, this is partly because it’s not available until level 30 (often too late to enjoy) and partly because I tend to play characters whose morality wouldn’t allow them to sacrifice a friend. I solved the first problem by having our ‘hero’ ascend the political ranks in the first stages of the build, using the Bards College and Thane quests to level up extremely quickly. As for the second, alas I come full (moral) circle from my Holy Trinity Builds and descend into the role of a truly dark, but complex character.
The Shadow Advisor
Art Credit: Into the Eyes of Madness by Alltheoriginalnames
Concept:
The Shadow Advisor is a con man. He is a devious politician and puppet-master, pulling the strings from the sides of thrones all over Skyrim. He’s neither a gifted mage, nor an all-powerful warrior. His strength is his voice and ability to manipulate people. He will make pacts with the criminal underworld and daedric influences as well as use unique enchanted items, staves and scrolls to make him appear more powerful than he really is.
However, The Shadow Advisor has a problem. The return of dragons threatens his ascension to power. Ultimately, his goal is to maintain balance in Skyrim, but his motivation is to corrupt, pollute and poison all he influences. He is a “hero,” but for all of the wrong reasons.
How can I be expected to champion my cause and win souls with these dragons about? Something must be done, yes, Skyrim must be preserved or I’ll be out of work and position…my purpose is clear, to protect this world lest we all be destroyed.
Role-Play:
The Shadow Advisor is a cunning politician during the day, making his way up the ranks and earning the respect and ear of the Jarls. His focus is on keeping this depraved and evil world as it is, which means making sure Dragons and other chaotic influences don’t meddle in his “good” work, while ensuring pain and suffering in this life and the next for all who encounter him. He will earn the trust of a person he needs something from in one breath, and end their life in the next.
There is another side of his work that requires getting his hands dirty. Operating from the shadows to maintain Skyrim’s present misery, he manipulates the battlefield, engaging in advanced mind alteration through trickery, his voice and flat out bludgeoning.
Lore:
The Elder Scrolls world has seen its share of dark political maneuverings. Jagar Tharn is the imperial battlemage who briefly ruled as emperor after banishing Uriel Septim VII to Oblivion and impersonating him. Suturah was the advisor to King Fahara'jad and a secretly practicing necromancer who killed all of the other advisors and reanimated them in an attempt to assassinate the king. This is the sort corruption that inspires the Shadow Advisor build.
The Build:
Race: Imperial. The Voice of the Emperor ability is very fitting for one gifted in speech, and a nice way to calm an escalating situation. They get a small head start in one-handed and heavy armor.
Moral Alignment: Lawful Evil – he seeks to maintain order because it’s easier to manipulate a system that is not chaotic.
Stone: Lover for leveling, Steed to carry extra gear, evade attacks and move quietly while saving perks from the heavy armor tree.
Blessing(s): Talos (for combat), Zenithar (for bartering early on)
Skills:
Speech: Smooth talking his way through Skyrim, he’ll line his pockets, gain influence and get out of trouble with ease.
One Handed: When push comes to shove, bash skulls with a mace.
Illusion: Role-played as advanced speech, he can bend the weak minded to his will.
Heavy Armor: When venturing out into the dangerous word, it’s good to have protection. The Mask of Clavicus Vile rounds out the matching ebony set.
Block: a few perks combined with the Shield of Solitude can be a lifesaver.
Alchemy: Buffing all his shortcomings, the Shadow Advisor brews concoctions to poison, be silent and invisible, paralyze and swing a more deadly mace. Using Fortify Restoration potions, he can also vastly improve the use of shouts by reducing cooldown times.
Spells: Fury/Frenzy, Calm/Pacify, Muffle (early to level), Invisibility (late), Flame Cloak
Stats: M – 1 H – 2 S – 0
Keeping magicka a little lower forces the use of staves, scrolls and voice. Stamina is left alone to utilize the unlimited stamina glitch, which for a sword and board finisher means endless power attacks and shield bashing fun.
Shouts: MFD, Become Ethereal, Throw Voice, Unrelenting Force, Dragonrend.
*As with Illusion, from a roleplay perspective, shouts are viewed as an advanced form of speech.
Powers: Force Without Effort
Glitches and Mechanics: Unlimited Stamina and Reduced Shout Cooldown.
Weapons: Mace of Molag Bal, Ebony Mace, Shield of Solitude, Staff of Revenants, Staff of Fireballs, Staff of Jyrik Galdurson
End Gear: Ebony Mail (fine clothes), Ebony Gauntlets (one handed) and Boots (muffle or one handed), Mask of Clavicus Vile, Amulet of Talos (Articulation - optional), Ring (of Stamina), Shield of Solitude.
The Talos blessing/amulet combination is for venturing out of town and is boosted with self-brewed Fortify Restoration potions for gradually improved levels of shout cooldown. The fine clothes are for dealings in town.
Level 50 Perks
Art Credit: Lucifer by Oloferia
Getting Started and Gameplay:
Since The Shadow Advisor doesn’t get access to his Ebony Mail until level 30, so he starts by working his way up in notoriety in all of the holds. Becoming Thane and gaining favor with a few of the underworld guilds takes time, but this will play out perfectly by the time he is able to go bargain with Boethiah for his coveted prize.
In the meantime, he prioritizes speech, one handed and illusion using the Lover’s Stone. Spamming the muffle spell throughout his travels will quickly make him handy enough at illusion. He always carries a set of fine clothes for interactions in palaces. Outside of towns, he uses the best heavy armor set he can for running errands to improve his position with the Jarls. Both the Staff of Revenants (unmarked burial east of Morthal) and Fireball (unmarked east of Thalmor Embassy) can be found for free at level 1, which seems fitting for a con man.
He is more than happy to use daedric quests to his advantage, such as gaining the Mask of Clavicus Vile (a nice matching piece of ebony heavy armor with speech & magicka bonus). Heading to Markarth early and striking a deal with Molag Bal yields access to a very powerful mace for an early game show of power.
Combining alchemy with speech, The Shadow Advisor will have plenty of gold to buy anything what he wants and needs. Taking the merchant perk to sell off potions for training in various skills is recommended. Early on, when dealing with merchants, he equips a fortify-barter necklace, mask of Clavicus Vile and blessing of Zenithar to maximize influence. He also will buff one-handed, illusion and use fortify-restoration to reduce shout cooldown along side a few favorite poisons to improve combat.
Using followers in certain spots is recommended, after all his purpose is to influence as many people as possible and a high level advisor would likely have his house-carl nearby. Valdimir is a personal favorite for this build.
Visit the Dark Brotherhood to gain the MFD shout and a little more influence. The same goes for the Thieves’ guild, although the only reason to proceed late into this line is to get the precious Amulet of Articulation (and even more underworld influence.) But this is considered a long game optional quest, rather than mandatory.
Notes on Speech:
One of the more synergistic and satisfying parts of playing a speech heavy build is maximizing opportunity in Skyrim. Early on The Shadow Advisor has ample opportunity to level speech for free and make it feel like he is a smooth talker from the get go.
-Selling looted items one at a time
-Whiterun & Riften Gates (persuade)
-Talk to Cpt. Aldis in Solitude for Angeline (persuade)
-Skill books - Belethor, Arnlief and Sons, Bards College, Dead Man’s Drink, Sadri’s Used Wares
Speaking of Sadri, complete his simple request and use him as the go to merchant trainer for speech up to level 50. Every level increase and dungeon run should be coupled with a training session. Using these simple techniques brought The Shadow Advisor to level 50 speech by level 12 and opened the Merchant perk.
If you’ve never navigated Skyrim early on with a high level of speech, you’re missing out on an entirely different feel to the game.
The Shadow Advisor’s Guide to saving the world (while being ruthlessly evil):
Whiterun: Visit Avenicci at night, trick him into getting Breezehome for free by stashing your gold in his wardrobe. Complete the main quest and the Whispering Door, kill Farengar.
Falkreath: Become Thane, then give Falkreath to the Stormcloaks during Season Unending. Siddgeir is a sniveling idiot anyway. Kill Boland, simply for talking to you in that manner. Make sure the vampires posing as lumberjacks at the mill meet their proper end.
Dawnstar: complete Waking Nightmare (kill Erandur) and finish your 3 good deeds to Become Thane. Then roll through the first set of DB contracts, dispatching of Beitild after selling her some iron ore.
Solitude: Run Elisef’s pitiful errand, gain her trust and dispatch with the wolf Queen as usual. Take care of Sybile Stenor’s request and promptly remove her from the Jarl’s side. Use her room as you wish as now you have the ear of the Jarl without her vampire wizard interfering. Finally, trick Falk into giving you Proudspire manor for free.
Civil War: After the main quest is complete, side with the imperials and wipe out the Stormcloaks. Then complete the Dark Brotherhood questline, sending Captain Maro, his son and their stooge of an Emperor to their deaths. Take Motierre’s payment and kill him.
The general idea is to dispose of any non-essential NPC’s lingering around the Jarl's palaces to advance the Shadow Advisor’s position and influence.
Combat Guide:
Because he is not a naturally talented enchanter, his staffs and weapons will require frequent recharging. However, wielding the Mace of Molag Bal and acquiring the Black Star of Azura is an efficient offset to this problem.
Humanoids: The easiest minds to bend, The Shadow Advisor will often use the Deceit ability (below) to thin and calm the herd, cleaning up the mess with his mace and shield.
Mages and Dragons: Using reduced shout cooldown, mix MFD, Dragonrend and ranged staffs/scrolls as well as elusive measures like invisibility to sap their power and finish them off. Having a follower prior to acquiring Dragonrend is recommended to tank and distract.
Undead: Dense minds are quelled by staying quiet and unseen. Slay them with buffed one-handed sneak attacks as needed. Become Ethereal and Bane of the Undead scrolls are well used here when things get crowded.
Automatons: Delving into Dwemer ruins, The Shadow Advisor will mix sneak tactics with tank followers to pick opportune spots to deliver one-handed damage. Once Master of the Mind is taken, illusion spells can also be used.
Abilities:
"Serpent"
Requirements: Muffle/ Ebony Mail, Steed Stone, Invisibility, Mace
Description: No need to perk sneak with this setup. He uses illusion and reduced noise techniques to deliver an unseen and devastating blow.
"Deceit"
Requirements: Rage/Frenzy + Calm/Pacify/Harmony or VotE + Mace and Shield
Description: Thin out a herd with the rage/frenzy spell and clean up the mess in the most devious of ways…by calming the remaining few and then bludgeoning them into eternal submission. There’s a reason illusion is considered dishonorable.
"Drain"
Requirements: Reduced Cooldown, Dragonrend, MFD, Staff of Jyrik Galdurson/Fireballs, Invisibility
Description: Dealing with powerful ranged magic wielding foes is a bit of problem with this build. The solution is in your voice and staff. For Dragons, bring them down with Dragonrend and hit them with 3 words of MFD as they’re about to fly away. Drain their magicka with the Staff of Jyrik Galdurson and whittle down their health with the Staff of Fireballs. By the time they land again, he can swig a “bludgeoned brew” and go sword and board on more equal footing. Use Invisibility as needed to recover and cause the dragon to go after your follower.
"Rot"
Requirements: MFD, Poisoned Mace, Ebony Mail
Description: Use MFD, a poisoned blow of Rigor Mortis and ebony mail poisoning and shrouding, The Shadow Advisor watches his enemy helplessly rot away.
"Coward’s Last Stand"
Requirements: Flame Cloak, Ebony Mail, Become Ethereal, Scroll of Mass Paralysis
Description: When surrounded, cast a flame cloak and Become Ethereal, which along with the Ebony Mail will soften up the lot. As the ethereal protection wanes, use the most dishonorable of scrolls to your advantage. Dispatch with the remaining foes or run away.
Special Alchemic Brews:
The Shadow Advisor’s philosophy on alchemy is to use readily available (Hearthfire grow-able) ingredients whenever possible. Keep it simple. Building a homestead (I went with the earliest available Lakeview) with a greenhouse is recommended and fitting for a politician to have a manor.
“Shadow’s Sip”
Frost Mirriam + Purple Mountain Flower = Fortify Sneak & Frost Resist
Description: Used prior to the more advanced techniques for simple sneaking.
“Bludgeoned Brew”
Canis root + Hanging Moss + Wheat = Fortify One handed & Restore Health
Description: Boosting his mace damage and health all in one.
“Rigor Mortis”
Canis Root + Imp Stool + Mora Tapinella = Paralysis & Lingering Damage Health
Description: A key component to the “rot” special ability and helpful early on against tougher humanoids.
“Honeyed Words”
Dragon’s Tongue + Mora Tapinella + Tundra Cotton = Fortify Illusion & Barter
Description: Improve your casting and silver tongue in one helpful concoction.
Quests:
Main – Preserve this world
House of Horrors – Mace of Molag Bal
A Daedra’s Best Friend – (Spare Barbas) Mask of Clavicus Vile
Bards College – radiant instrument quests boost every skill +1
Become Thane – Whiterun, Falkreath, Dawnstar, Solitude (and more as you choose)
College of Winterhold – beginning for the Staff of Jyrik Galdurson and access to Illusion training & spells
Dark Brotherhood – MFD and making friends in low places, access to Babette for Master Alchemic Training
Boethiah’s Calling – Ebony Mail
The Whispering Door
The Black Star - Azura’s Star
Shalidor’s Insights – Scrolls
Dawnguard & Dragonborn (optional) – eliminate the chaotic threats to your world
Thieves’ Guild (optional) – Amulet of Articulation
Closing Remarks & Lore Discussion:
I really enjoyed and took inspiration from the concept of the two-faced politician / assassin presented in The Betrayer by Teej and Omega.
For this Crossworlds 2 event, I used Grima Wormtongue (LOTR) and Screwtape (the Screwtape letters by CS Lewis) as inspiration. Additionally, this concept relied heavily on the recycling bin post by Vlad the Inhaler who proposed an antichrist build, which seemed like the next logical step for me after releasing my Holy Trinity builds.
As explained by Vlad, “The world is ending. Alduin and the dragons have returned to Skyrim. The world is enveloped in chaos. Anu is the god of order, right? The last thing he'd want to happen to Nirn is order to be out of balance. But Alduin knocks order out of balance, right? Nothing knocks it out more than a deity trying to end the world. So what does Anu do? He sends his version of Jesus Christ to go and save the world from all major sources of chaos. YOU are the messiah, and your mission is to go and save the world from all major sources of chaos. So what's the catch? The world is supposed to end. It is foretold in prophecy, and the Greybeards agree with the prophecy. Jesus Christ wouldn't try to stop the end of the world in real life would he? Nope. The Antichrist would.”
My take on this was similar to his original idea, but merging some traditional concepts of the devil and mixing it with Wormtongue and Screwtape to produce an overall interesting and fun role-play. Hope you enjoyed it!
Additional Art Credits: Grima Wormtongue by Timshinn73, Wormtongue by Childofdune
Even after countless playthroughs, there are a few things I’ve managed to avoid in Skyrim. Some of these include joining the Bards College (minor as it may be), use scrolls and staves extensively and utilize the Ebony Mail. For the Ebony Mail, this is partly because it’s not available until level 30 (often too late to enjoy) and partly because I tend to play characters whose morality wouldn’t allow them to sacrifice a friend. I solved the first problem by having our ‘hero’ ascend the political ranks in the first stages of the build, using the Bards College and Thane quests to level up extremely quickly. As for the second, alas I come full (moral) circle from my Holy Trinity Builds and descend into the role of a truly dark, but complex character.
The Shadow Advisor
Art Credit: Into the Eyes of Madness by Alltheoriginalnames
Concept:
The Shadow Advisor is a con man. He is a devious politician and puppet-master, pulling the strings from the sides of thrones all over Skyrim. He’s neither a gifted mage, nor an all-powerful warrior. His strength is his voice and ability to manipulate people. He will make pacts with the criminal underworld and daedric influences as well as use unique enchanted items, staves and scrolls to make him appear more powerful than he really is.
However, The Shadow Advisor has a problem. The return of dragons threatens his ascension to power. Ultimately, his goal is to maintain balance in Skyrim, but his motivation is to corrupt, pollute and poison all he influences. He is a “hero,” but for all of the wrong reasons.
How can I be expected to champion my cause and win souls with these dragons about? Something must be done, yes, Skyrim must be preserved or I’ll be out of work and position…my purpose is clear, to protect this world lest we all be destroyed.
Role-Play:
The Shadow Advisor is a cunning politician during the day, making his way up the ranks and earning the respect and ear of the Jarls. His focus is on keeping this depraved and evil world as it is, which means making sure Dragons and other chaotic influences don’t meddle in his “good” work, while ensuring pain and suffering in this life and the next for all who encounter him. He will earn the trust of a person he needs something from in one breath, and end their life in the next.
There is another side of his work that requires getting his hands dirty. Operating from the shadows to maintain Skyrim’s present misery, he manipulates the battlefield, engaging in advanced mind alteration through trickery, his voice and flat out bludgeoning.
Lore:
The Elder Scrolls world has seen its share of dark political maneuverings. Jagar Tharn is the imperial battlemage who briefly ruled as emperor after banishing Uriel Septim VII to Oblivion and impersonating him. Suturah was the advisor to King Fahara'jad and a secretly practicing necromancer who killed all of the other advisors and reanimated them in an attempt to assassinate the king. This is the sort corruption that inspires the Shadow Advisor build.
The Build:
Race: Imperial. The Voice of the Emperor ability is very fitting for one gifted in speech, and a nice way to calm an escalating situation. They get a small head start in one-handed and heavy armor.
Moral Alignment: Lawful Evil – he seeks to maintain order because it’s easier to manipulate a system that is not chaotic.
Stone: Lover for leveling, Steed to carry extra gear, evade attacks and move quietly while saving perks from the heavy armor tree.
Blessing(s): Talos (for combat), Zenithar (for bartering early on)
Skills:
Speech: Smooth talking his way through Skyrim, he’ll line his pockets, gain influence and get out of trouble with ease.
One Handed: When push comes to shove, bash skulls with a mace.
Illusion: Role-played as advanced speech, he can bend the weak minded to his will.
Heavy Armor: When venturing out into the dangerous word, it’s good to have protection. The Mask of Clavicus Vile rounds out the matching ebony set.
Block: a few perks combined with the Shield of Solitude can be a lifesaver.
Alchemy: Buffing all his shortcomings, the Shadow Advisor brews concoctions to poison, be silent and invisible, paralyze and swing a more deadly mace. Using Fortify Restoration potions, he can also vastly improve the use of shouts by reducing cooldown times.
Spells: Fury/Frenzy, Calm/Pacify, Muffle (early to level), Invisibility (late), Flame Cloak
Stats: M – 1 H – 2 S – 0
Keeping magicka a little lower forces the use of staves, scrolls and voice. Stamina is left alone to utilize the unlimited stamina glitch, which for a sword and board finisher means endless power attacks and shield bashing fun.
Shouts: MFD, Become Ethereal, Throw Voice, Unrelenting Force, Dragonrend.
*As with Illusion, from a roleplay perspective, shouts are viewed as an advanced form of speech.
Powers: Force Without Effort
Glitches and Mechanics: Unlimited Stamina and Reduced Shout Cooldown.
Weapons: Mace of Molag Bal, Ebony Mace, Shield of Solitude, Staff of Revenants, Staff of Fireballs, Staff of Jyrik Galdurson
End Gear: Ebony Mail (fine clothes), Ebony Gauntlets (one handed) and Boots (muffle or one handed), Mask of Clavicus Vile, Amulet of Talos (Articulation - optional), Ring (of Stamina), Shield of Solitude.
The Talos blessing/amulet combination is for venturing out of town and is boosted with self-brewed Fortify Restoration potions for gradually improved levels of shout cooldown. The fine clothes are for dealings in town.
Level 50 Perks
Art Credit: Lucifer by Oloferia
Getting Started and Gameplay:
Since The Shadow Advisor doesn’t get access to his Ebony Mail until level 30, so he starts by working his way up in notoriety in all of the holds. Becoming Thane and gaining favor with a few of the underworld guilds takes time, but this will play out perfectly by the time he is able to go bargain with Boethiah for his coveted prize.
In the meantime, he prioritizes speech, one handed and illusion using the Lover’s Stone. Spamming the muffle spell throughout his travels will quickly make him handy enough at illusion. He always carries a set of fine clothes for interactions in palaces. Outside of towns, he uses the best heavy armor set he can for running errands to improve his position with the Jarls. Both the Staff of Revenants (unmarked burial east of Morthal) and Fireball (unmarked east of Thalmor Embassy) can be found for free at level 1, which seems fitting for a con man.
He is more than happy to use daedric quests to his advantage, such as gaining the Mask of Clavicus Vile (a nice matching piece of ebony heavy armor with speech & magicka bonus). Heading to Markarth early and striking a deal with Molag Bal yields access to a very powerful mace for an early game show of power.
Combining alchemy with speech, The Shadow Advisor will have plenty of gold to buy anything what he wants and needs. Taking the merchant perk to sell off potions for training in various skills is recommended. Early on, when dealing with merchants, he equips a fortify-barter necklace, mask of Clavicus Vile and blessing of Zenithar to maximize influence. He also will buff one-handed, illusion and use fortify-restoration to reduce shout cooldown along side a few favorite poisons to improve combat.
Using followers in certain spots is recommended, after all his purpose is to influence as many people as possible and a high level advisor would likely have his house-carl nearby. Valdimir is a personal favorite for this build.
Visit the Dark Brotherhood to gain the MFD shout and a little more influence. The same goes for the Thieves’ guild, although the only reason to proceed late into this line is to get the precious Amulet of Articulation (and even more underworld influence.) But this is considered a long game optional quest, rather than mandatory.
Notes on Speech:
One of the more synergistic and satisfying parts of playing a speech heavy build is maximizing opportunity in Skyrim. Early on The Shadow Advisor has ample opportunity to level speech for free and make it feel like he is a smooth talker from the get go.
-Selling looted items one at a time
-Whiterun & Riften Gates (persuade)
-Talk to Cpt. Aldis in Solitude for Angeline (persuade)
-Skill books - Belethor, Arnlief and Sons, Bards College, Dead Man’s Drink, Sadri’s Used Wares
Speaking of Sadri, complete his simple request and use him as the go to merchant trainer for speech up to level 50. Every level increase and dungeon run should be coupled with a training session. Using these simple techniques brought The Shadow Advisor to level 50 speech by level 12 and opened the Merchant perk.
If you’ve never navigated Skyrim early on with a high level of speech, you’re missing out on an entirely different feel to the game.
The Shadow Advisor’s Guide to saving the world (while being ruthlessly evil):
Whiterun: Visit Avenicci at night, trick him into getting Breezehome for free by stashing your gold in his wardrobe. Complete the main quest and the Whispering Door, kill Farengar.
Falkreath: Become Thane, then give Falkreath to the Stormcloaks during Season Unending. Siddgeir is a sniveling idiot anyway. Kill Boland, simply for talking to you in that manner. Make sure the vampires posing as lumberjacks at the mill meet their proper end.
Dawnstar: complete Waking Nightmare (kill Erandur) and finish your 3 good deeds to Become Thane. Then roll through the first set of DB contracts, dispatching of Beitild after selling her some iron ore.
Solitude: Run Elisef’s pitiful errand, gain her trust and dispatch with the wolf Queen as usual. Take care of Sybile Stenor’s request and promptly remove her from the Jarl’s side. Use her room as you wish as now you have the ear of the Jarl without her vampire wizard interfering. Finally, trick Falk into giving you Proudspire manor for free.
Civil War: After the main quest is complete, side with the imperials and wipe out the Stormcloaks. Then complete the Dark Brotherhood questline, sending Captain Maro, his son and their stooge of an Emperor to their deaths. Take Motierre’s payment and kill him.
The general idea is to dispose of any non-essential NPC’s lingering around the Jarl's palaces to advance the Shadow Advisor’s position and influence.
Combat Guide:
Because he is not a naturally talented enchanter, his staffs and weapons will require frequent recharging. However, wielding the Mace of Molag Bal and acquiring the Black Star of Azura is an efficient offset to this problem.
Humanoids: The easiest minds to bend, The Shadow Advisor will often use the Deceit ability (below) to thin and calm the herd, cleaning up the mess with his mace and shield.
Mages and Dragons: Using reduced shout cooldown, mix MFD, Dragonrend and ranged staffs/scrolls as well as elusive measures like invisibility to sap their power and finish them off. Having a follower prior to acquiring Dragonrend is recommended to tank and distract.
Undead: Dense minds are quelled by staying quiet and unseen. Slay them with buffed one-handed sneak attacks as needed. Become Ethereal and Bane of the Undead scrolls are well used here when things get crowded.
Automatons: Delving into Dwemer ruins, The Shadow Advisor will mix sneak tactics with tank followers to pick opportune spots to deliver one-handed damage. Once Master of the Mind is taken, illusion spells can also be used.
Abilities:
"Serpent"
Requirements: Muffle/ Ebony Mail, Steed Stone, Invisibility, Mace
Description: No need to perk sneak with this setup. He uses illusion and reduced noise techniques to deliver an unseen and devastating blow.
"Deceit"
Requirements: Rage/Frenzy + Calm/Pacify/Harmony or VotE + Mace and Shield
Description: Thin out a herd with the rage/frenzy spell and clean up the mess in the most devious of ways…by calming the remaining few and then bludgeoning them into eternal submission. There’s a reason illusion is considered dishonorable.
"Drain"
Requirements: Reduced Cooldown, Dragonrend, MFD, Staff of Jyrik Galdurson/Fireballs, Invisibility
Description: Dealing with powerful ranged magic wielding foes is a bit of problem with this build. The solution is in your voice and staff. For Dragons, bring them down with Dragonrend and hit them with 3 words of MFD as they’re about to fly away. Drain their magicka with the Staff of Jyrik Galdurson and whittle down their health with the Staff of Fireballs. By the time they land again, he can swig a “bludgeoned brew” and go sword and board on more equal footing. Use Invisibility as needed to recover and cause the dragon to go after your follower.
"Rot"
Requirements: MFD, Poisoned Mace, Ebony Mail
Description: Use MFD, a poisoned blow of Rigor Mortis and ebony mail poisoning and shrouding, The Shadow Advisor watches his enemy helplessly rot away.
"Coward’s Last Stand"
Requirements: Flame Cloak, Ebony Mail, Become Ethereal, Scroll of Mass Paralysis
Description: When surrounded, cast a flame cloak and Become Ethereal, which along with the Ebony Mail will soften up the lot. As the ethereal protection wanes, use the most dishonorable of scrolls to your advantage. Dispatch with the remaining foes or run away.
Special Alchemic Brews:
The Shadow Advisor’s philosophy on alchemy is to use readily available (Hearthfire grow-able) ingredients whenever possible. Keep it simple. Building a homestead (I went with the earliest available Lakeview) with a greenhouse is recommended and fitting for a politician to have a manor.
“Shadow’s Sip”
Frost Mirriam + Purple Mountain Flower = Fortify Sneak & Frost Resist
Description: Used prior to the more advanced techniques for simple sneaking.
“Bludgeoned Brew”
Canis root + Hanging Moss + Wheat = Fortify One handed & Restore Health
Description: Boosting his mace damage and health all in one.
“Rigor Mortis”
Canis Root + Imp Stool + Mora Tapinella = Paralysis & Lingering Damage Health
Description: A key component to the “rot” special ability and helpful early on against tougher humanoids.
“Honeyed Words”
Dragon’s Tongue + Mora Tapinella + Tundra Cotton = Fortify Illusion & Barter
Description: Improve your casting and silver tongue in one helpful concoction.
Quests:
Main – Preserve this world
House of Horrors – Mace of Molag Bal
A Daedra’s Best Friend – (Spare Barbas) Mask of Clavicus Vile
Bards College – radiant instrument quests boost every skill +1
Become Thane – Whiterun, Falkreath, Dawnstar, Solitude (and more as you choose)
College of Winterhold – beginning for the Staff of Jyrik Galdurson and access to Illusion training & spells
Dark Brotherhood – MFD and making friends in low places, access to Babette for Master Alchemic Training
Boethiah’s Calling – Ebony Mail
The Whispering Door
The Black Star - Azura’s Star
Shalidor’s Insights – Scrolls
Dawnguard & Dragonborn (optional) – eliminate the chaotic threats to your world
Thieves’ Guild (optional) – Amulet of Articulation
Closing Remarks & Lore Discussion:
I really enjoyed and took inspiration from the concept of the two-faced politician / assassin presented in The Betrayer by Teej and Omega.
For this Crossworlds 2 event, I used Grima Wormtongue (LOTR) and Screwtape (the Screwtape letters by CS Lewis) as inspiration. Additionally, this concept relied heavily on the recycling bin post by Vlad the Inhaler who proposed an antichrist build, which seemed like the next logical step for me after releasing my Holy Trinity builds.
As explained by Vlad, “The world is ending. Alduin and the dragons have returned to Skyrim. The world is enveloped in chaos. Anu is the god of order, right? The last thing he'd want to happen to Nirn is order to be out of balance. But Alduin knocks order out of balance, right? Nothing knocks it out more than a deity trying to end the world. So what does Anu do? He sends his version of Jesus Christ to go and save the world from all major sources of chaos. YOU are the messiah, and your mission is to go and save the world from all major sources of chaos. So what's the catch? The world is supposed to end. It is foretold in prophecy, and the Greybeards agree with the prophecy. Jesus Christ wouldn't try to stop the end of the world in real life would he? Nope. The Antichrist would.”
My take on this was similar to his original idea, but merging some traditional concepts of the devil and mixing it with Wormtongue and Screwtape to produce an overall interesting and fun role-play. Hope you enjoyed it!
Additional Art Credits: Grima Wormtongue by Timshinn73, Wormtongue by Childofdune
Plus I respect you for not going too deep in Block. Respect.