r/SkyrimBuilds • u/PlantainUseful642 • 31m ago
Argonian mercenary/thief build with dramatic backstory
Dasha grew up at the Windhelm docks, watching her father work hard to provide for her while enduring the abuse and ill treatment of the nords. Her mother had never been in the picture, runaway soon after she was born in search of a better life. She was still a child when a terrible accident made her lose the parent she had left, her father passed after being crushed by a heavy crate. And so she found herself completely alone.
She begged for a while, and when hunger became unbearable, she began stealing. She was not the best at it though, and she was soon caught by a traveller when she tried to take a few apples from his satchel. This man was huge and strong, he carried a greatsword at his back and could've ended her right then and there, but he didn't, he took pity on her. His name was Radd, but everyone called him the Bearslayer, a title he earned after killing one of these dreadful creatures with his bare hands. Dasha learned that he was the leader of a band of mercenaries, who travelled Skyrim taking on jobs without a care of their moral implications. Weather it was killing, stealing or sending a message, Radd and his band were willing if the compensation was good enough.
That's how Dasha ended up with them. Radd became a father to her and tried to teach her the ways of the greatsword, but ultimately she discovered a new found love for dual wielding and archery. As the years passed, Dasha grew up to be a strong, decided woman, and she was happy and content to feel part of something. She had known loneliness before, so that group of mercenaries, even with their bad smell and heavey drinking habits, really felt like family.
The bearslayer was getting old, and he wanted Dasha to be his succesor and take over after he died. He tried his best to prepare her for leadership and scolded her often for not giving it the importance she should've. But Dasha wasn't interested in all that, she didn't even see it as a posibility that Radd would die anytime soon. She was young and got distracted easily. Actually, a certain someone was most of what was distracting her those days. Red-Eyes was an argonian who'd joined them a couple years ago, and they'd really hit it off. She was in love, all she could think of was being with him, just lying under the sun or swiming down the fresh waters of a river at midnight.
Life was perfect. A little bloody sometimes, but perfect for her. Until one day the wind started whispering subtle rumors of mutiny. The mercenaries thought the Bearslayer was too old, they wanted fresh leadership, and for that they'd had to take him out. Dasha heard a conversation where they planned both Radd and her death. She ran, trying to find the man that had been a father to her all those years. Red-Eyes saw her running, fear all over her face, and asked what was going on. So she told him, of course she did, she loved him and he loved her, and he'd helped her. Or so she thought. But the look on his face and the way his grip tighten around her arm was enough for her to understand: she had been betrayed.
She screamed and shouted, kicked and tried to free herself from the embrace of the one she had loved so deeply. Her heart was in shambles, but there was no time to cry, she had to go to Radd, they had to escape. They never did. The mercenaries ditched the original plan and used Dasha to get Radd to surrender without a fight, she watched as they executed him, she yelled his name and cried while her whole world crumbled around her. That was her father, those were people she'd cared about like family. The man still holding her had been her first love.
They didn't let her go untouched, they beat her up and left her for dead (alternate start) next to Radd's body. But she didn't die or there wouldn't be a story. She got herself back on her feet and decided to never trust anyone again. Dasha survived doing mercenary work and stealing, as she always had, only that now she was alone.
It wasn't until a while that she found herself having deals with the thieves guild, after needing some advice on a weird stone she found in one of her travels. She thought about it a lot and in the end decided she could really use the money and shelter, but she wouldn't get attached to anybody. It'd be temporary and for pure survival. But that's not how things work, is it? Time and shared spaces begin breaking up her walls, and as she starts discovering the guild's own story of traison, she can't help the need to get to the bottom of it this time.
After she becomes master thief she'd take it upon herself to gain relevance in every hold, as to infiltrate the high sferes and make the guild even more powerful.
As for skills, her primary fighting choice is dual wielding swords, and sometimes archery. A bit of stealth for some moments of need, but her build doesn't revolve around it. She's also pretty good at alchemy and knows enough about enchanting to make her weapons and attire more powerful.
Morality wise, she doesn't kill just to kill, but if there's money involved she'd most likely take it, unless she finds a good reason not to. She prioritizes her own survival and never take followers. She always works alone. She's also almost sure she'll never be able to love again. She does have a soft spot for children and will eventually adopt because they remind her of herself.
Soooo that's the story and build of my new playthrough. What do you think???