The Ebony Blade is in my mind one of the most powerful two handed swords in the game but it takes a lot to get it there.  This is especially true if you are playing a character that is trying to stay incognito with the killing that is needed to be done to fully charge it.  Finding the right people that either no one will care if their gone and killing where it won't be observed is difficult at best.  Add in the roleplay of these people need to be, in her mind at least, spies and traitors and you get a difficult situaiton that will be handled slowly.  Luckily she will probably be the dark crusader type for at least the next twenty to thirty levels so this  can be done slowly and carefully.  

The mystery of Meeko still has me scratching my head.  I am thinking of passing by the shack again to see if he ran home so to speak.  Barbas would make a good companion but she is more and more becoming a true loner.  Probably reflective of the fact she now has sufficient power to back it up.  

The story at this point is going to be game driven a little more.  I want to clear out my Misc. Quest list and make progress on the main quest, civil war and Companions while at the same time feeding te Ebony Blade the treachery it needs ot grow in power.  It kind of reflects the fact she is making less and less of the decisions and Mephala is making more and more of them through the Ebony Blade.  

Rabyd One.

Well, at least she's powerful enough now not to need him as a follower though Meeko's disappearance sure is a mystery!

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/dallan007]dallan007[/url] said:[/b]

If Meeko was your follower at the Battle of Whiterun, he may have glitched out because (barring mods or workarounds) you can't take a follower beyond the gates during the battle. If that's the case, then he would have headed back to his master's old home after his waiting period ran out. If you want to keep him alive in combat past a certain level, the best thing to do is stay away from him and don't let him fight spellcasters. He's more likely to be killed by friendly fire or to be caught in an area effect.  He's best used as an escort if you're hoofing it to a location. I've been using him in my current build and he's been able to stay alive reasonably well.

Also, if you want to be able to dismiss him, it helps to purchase a home and adopt a kid, then let the kid adopt Meeko as his/her pet. That way, if you dismiss him, he will head to your home instead of back to his master's maggot-infested body. Of course, your character might not want to adopt, but I thought I'd just mention it.

[/blockquote]

I think the glitch must do more than what your saying though because when I went to Meeko's shack he was nowhere to be found.  I don't use him much with my characters so lesson learned.

Thanks for the info, in any case from a role play and writing standpoint the issue of adoption is an interesting one. Is she the kind of person who would try to help a child even as a bad guy?  Would she take the risk or does she liek being alone too much?

Thanks again,

Rabyd One 

Notes:

Well I am at the point in this build where the story is definitely progressing faster than the levels for the build.  This is probably slowing down the progress on the build side, but the whole point was to do both to keep myself interested in the whole project and that has been very successful.  

Anya is now more open to taking direciton from Mephala.  The real trick from a build perspective is to find targets to feed the Ebony Blade when she is not a stealthy character. Mercs and other followers might be my answer.  That said some of those need to become part of the Blades if that is part of the build.  

From a power standpoint she is holding her own in battle. At default difficulty, she has only died once and that was more my fault than the build.  Higher difficulties I could only a hazard a guess that prioritizing Heavy Armor will keep you alive better. 

She is a tank with a flamethrower.  

The Fire Breath Shout is the flamethrower and central to this build so far as it sets the tone for the fight.  Throw in a Fire Rune and I have seen trolls basically lose two thirds of their health before I even have to use the Ebony Blade.  All that is left from a destruction standpoint is Flame Cloak.  Seeing the story is pushing her toward the College of Winterhold, this might be rectified soon.

The tank part is provided by the Smithing skill combined with Heavy Armor.  If I were to do this over I would prioritize Heavy Armor over Two-Handed.  It makes more sense from a Build and Story point of view.

That's all for now, but this is a lot of fun. 

Notes:

1) This Builds is starting to take on a life of its own.  My plan is to get the build part done up until level 60(still 34 levels to go) .  At that point I can probably publish the build.  The blog is another issue as the Story may continue.

2) Now that she is part of the Dark Brotherhood, turning evil might accelerate.  I do need to leave a little open so it is possible for redemption.  

3) I am hoping some targets of opportunity might present itself for the Ebony Blade.  In fact that is my major not on the quest list goal at this point.  

4) Now that my character has a carriage, the last stages of my fast travel rule kick in.  She can travel from any twon she had been to to any other town reflecting her ability to make arrangements with her carriage driver.    

Anya's path has definitely taken a darker turn. I'm glad that she ran into Barbas so that there's an option for her to have a dog follower if she so chooses. With her darker path, the daedra Barbas might suit her better than the "man's best friend" Meeko anyway.

It's interesting that Anya might consider adopting children in the distant future. I'm wondering if she might consider adopting children outside of the orphanage. With Constance Michel in charge now, they at least have a not unhappy life with a pleasant caretaker, a place to sleep and regular meals. You're probably aware that there are other children available for adoption that aren't in the orphanage. If it fits into your roleplay, some children Anya may want to consider, specifically girls since that's what you mentioned, include:

Sofie - in Windhelm. She sells flowers near one of the gates, wanders the streets, and sleeps outside at night.

Lucia - in Whiterun. During the day she begs, sits under the Gildergleam tree, wanders around town, or goes inside the Bannered Mare. She sleeps outside at night. 

Britte and Sissel - Living with their father in Rorikstead. The father speaks of the girls being useless. According to Sissel, he beats them. If he "happens to die" the girls become available for adoption. One of the sisters (Britte) bullies the other sister (Sissel). The sisters wouldn't necessarily need to be adopted together if one fit into the roleplay better than the other.

You've probably already seen this, but here's a complete list of children that can be adopted:

Adoptable Children

I continue to enjoy reading your blog entries. :)

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/GailOlmstead]GailOlm[/url] said:[/b]

Anya's path has definitely taken a darker turn. I'm glad that she ran into Barbas so that there's an option for her to have a dog follower if she so chooses. With her darker path, the daedra Barbas might suit her better than the "man's best friend" Meeko anyway.

It's interesting that Anya might consider adopting children in the distant future. I'm wondering if she might consider adopting children outside of the orphanage. With Constance Michel in charge now, they at least have a not unhappy life with a pleasant caretaker, a place to sleep and regular meals. You're probably aware that there are other children available for adoption that aren't in the orphanage. If it fits into your roleplay, some children Anya may want to consider, specifically girls since that's what you mentioned, include:

Sofie - in Windhelm. She sells flowers near one of the gates, wanders the streets, and sleeps outside at night.

Lucia - in Whiterun. During the day she begs, sits under the Gildergleam tree, wanders around town, or goes inside the Bannered Mare. She sleeps outside at night. 

Britte and Sissel - Living with their father in Rorikstead. The father speaks of the girls being useless. According to Sissel, he beats them. If he "happens to die" the girls become available for adoption. One of the sisters (Britte) bullies the other sister (Sissel). The sisters wouldn't necessarily need to be adopted together if one fit into the roleplay better than the other.

You've probably already seen this, but here's a complete list of children that can be adopted:

Adoptable Children

I continue to enjoy reading your blog entries. :)

[/blockquote]

I do think the girls you mentioned are a possibility and all of them have great role play possibilities.  I have just laid out the interest in adoption so anything is possible at this point.  

Barbas does give her that possibility but she would eventually complete the Quest as she wanders.  Having him for a little while though could help as I have found the transition from level 25-40 to be difficult.  Role play wise Barbas can actualyl talk her as well.  A male companion who isa dog might feel safer to her. 

Thanks for reading.

Rabyd One 

Notes:

The Full Fire Breath Shout with Yol meditaiton and destruciton perks is something to behold.  She is no longer a tank with a mere flame thrower, but  Tank that fires napalm out of that flame thrower.

Mephala's guidance has been a good role play and story telling device.  I am currently taking her on a tour of daedric quests.  Should be fun.  

On the adoption front, I am thinking this may be the one of the possible ways for her to find her way back to the light.  It may come after the Civil War is over or near the end when the build is more complete.   

Notes:

1) There is not much left for Smithing and Destruciton as far as perks.  Three for Smithing and two (three) for Destruciton. Six in all. I am forseeing that as the character makes her way through lthe 30-40 level these will finish these off with good probability.  There is a lot then that can be done in HeavyArmor and Two handed.  

2) The power of this build is pretty solid at Adept level.  I don't know what would happen at higher levels but considering that at Adept she walks though a lot of encounters fairly easily, it might be OK.

3) From a roleplay standpoint, just follwowing the Dark Brotherhood is a good way to take her to the dark side.  The other thing in this playthrough at least is that I am encountering a lot of Cultists which as I envision the character might make her angry enough to travel to Solstheim.  

4) Boethiah's Calling is close and given the prize is Ebony Mail that fits the dark playthrough part of the build it will be interesting.  Mephala. Boethiah and Azura might have a lot of pull here in the near future and tht also leads to the Solstheim connection. That said, Boethiah's proving requires stealth and she is not very stealthy. Could be challenging.

5) Had to dump Barbas.  He kept pushing me from behind and one time I was on the edge of long drop.  Thankfully, I moved in time not to fall but it was getting quite annoying.