Skyrim Fellowship

As part of my recovery process, I have played video games. I do a lot of thinking while working to complete a quest. I created a character in Skyrim that looked a lot like me, and gave him my name, Allen. On this play through, my goal was to play as if I was summoned to the land of Tamriel and play as true to my personal values and beliefs as possible.

I observed the oath of peace as stated in the story of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever:

"Do not hurt where holding is enough;
Do not wound where hurting is enough;
Do not maim where wounding is enough;
and kill not where maiming is enough;
The greatest warrior is he who does not need to kill"

I installed a mod to the game that added characters from the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I started the quest, "Way of the Voice". I needed to visit a sequestered group of monks called Graybeards. The monastery is located on a mountain peak called High Hrothgar. The path to the monastery consists of 7,000 steps. I was running as fast as I could to avoid wolves and startled pilgrims when I saw a group of adventurers seated around a campfire. It was fun to choose from this venerable company a set of companions.

I asked Merry, Aragorn, and Gandolf to join me. I chose each character for different reasons. I think Merry stole the show in the first Lord of the Rings movie. Like me, he loves fresh vegetables, things that go boom and his curiosity can get him into trouble. I've linked to 3 video clips from YouTube that show Mery absconding some fresh produce from Farmer Maggot, setting off fireworks, and of course that scene with a frustrated Gandolf says "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time, and rid us of your stupidity."

I chose Gandolf because of his humility and sense of justice. He is a wizard struggling with a mission to complete and even when killed is brought back to fulfill his destiny. His strength is centered in his self-control and mastery of mystic energies that he channels through a staff and the relationships he has forged with dwarves, hobbits, moths and giant Eagles. He is also a brave warrior that can face down balrogs, evil wizards and orcs.

I chose Aragorn because even though he is scorned by his country men, thrown off cliffs, and confused about his destiny, he manages to make good on his promises to Arwen, his elven beloved. He is a strong and cunning fighter who manages to keep hope alive despite the grim outlook at each turn in his quest.

In the game, Merry, Gandolf and Aragon are ready to help me take down enemies that seem to pop up everywhere. Along the trail, I try to sneak past a snow troll but he detects me and usually I have to run. However, with these new friends, I score an easy victory. When facing a difficult situation, always make sure to call on friends to face your enemy.