Skyrim build: The hidden one

by Creativity is king

Half Shadowscale half Penitus Oculatus, the personal assassin of the High king and High queen that makes use of the COOL Headsmen's axe and deadly poisons to decimate his foes and take out the future, potential threat to the future rule of his king and queen along with a backstory that fits into the Dark brotherhood storyline, give this bad boy a try, I guarantee you'll like him

Welcome, WELCOME my fellow Dragonborn brothers and sisters and I hope you are all are having a great day, in my last build I gave you the High queen, loyal wife to the High king, but NOW…it's time to delve into the hidden hand and servant to the High king and queen himself, this will mix together an elite assassin and master thief

With all that out of the way, I present my next Skyrim build

"The hidden one"

Enjoy

Description:

The hidden one is a male Argonian and the personal assassin to the High king, a master of assassination, alchemy and stealth, he is the ultimate killing machine, born a Shadowscale and a former Penitus Oculatus agent that defected when he refused a direct order from his superiors, now he serves the true High king who is more worthy of following than even those he once highly respected and swore his loyalty to, he serves the High king and High queen with unwavering loyalty and an iron-clad belief that the pair is what is truly right for the empire and thanks to his intense training from childhood and the inherited prowess of a Shadowscale assassin, his enemies first notice an eerie still then a sense that death is upon them before the Hidden one bursts forward from the shadows like a crash of thunder to eliminate his enemies and hammer deadly poisons into them like a railroad spike, he is on a mission from his king and queen to seek out and destroy the biggest threats to their future rule

Backstory:

The Penitus Oculatus also known as "Spectre's" are the elite organization of bodyguards to the emperor, chosen, recruited and trained from a young age, warriors, mages and rogues are taken in and through intense training they are turned into instruments, utensils to be used by the emperor and by extension the empire itself, these recruits are only initiated by convincing one of the current members that they would be useful to the order and that they carry out an assassination of a target ordered by the emperor without question, the story of the hidden one begins when a young Commander Maro and a group of Spectre's raided a Dark brotherhood sanctuary near the Imperial city, they slaughtered them all, except for the last female of the group, an Argonian woman who was in labor, the hidden one was born, however he was born prematurely and costed the life of his mother, his first kill as it was and although Maro was about to kill this baby, his team's captain saw an opportunity, it was the year of the shadow and he had heard tales of the Shadowscale's, Argonian's born under the sign of the shadow who are taken from birth who are then raised and trained to be some of the world's most deadly assassins, the man who spared the hidden one's life ordered Maro to take care of him and when he came of age was to be trained as a Spectre, it was a crazy idea but the commander convinced his superiors that if they could train something as deadly as a Shadowscale as a Spectre, making for an unbeatable combination and the deadliest assassin in the world to which they agreed, though he was only a mere seven years old when he was chosen, the Penitus Oculatus recognized his incredible perception and sharp, brilliant mind, taken in and personally trained in the Imperial city, the hidden one was taught all manner of skills, alchemy, combat, stealth, crafting, information gathering, strategy and tactics and most importantly, assassination, though his training was even more grueling than the others seeing as how he was trained by his "father" Maro by the time he was thirty, he had become their top recruit and was sent on his first assassination mission in which he was to eliminate a nobleman and he did so quickly, quietly and without even a second of hesitation, he soon was recognized as their greatest assassin, but it wouldn't be long before the hand of fate wove its way through his life, he meet and fell deeply in love with an Imperial noblewoman that he was assigned to guard, while he was serious and dedicated she was the perfect counterbalance to him, funny, caring and warm-hearted, they continued this secret relationship for the next three years before he aimed to propose to her, that was until he was assigned to kill a noblewoman who was guilty of supporting the Stormcloak rebels far to the North, when he was to eliminate this woman he was shocked to find out that the woman he was planning on proposing to was his target, ultimately he decided not to go through with it and instead help her and her parents and younger siblings escape the Imperial city and hopefully escape the death mark placed on them by the Penitus Oculatus, however the other agents who trained and grew up with the hidden one learned of his disobedience and Maro his own "father" personally led the squad to cornered the hidden one and his lover's family, he tried first to reason with them but he could see it in their eyes that they would not be swayed by any amount of words and so they resulted to crossing blades, the hidden one tried his hardest to defend them but he was overwhelmed by the numbers stacked against him and had to watch as they slaughtered his lover and her family, with rage-filled tears in his eyes he cried out and cursed the Penitus Oculatus, especially Maro for killing his love, swearing revenge against them, the Commander and even the emperor himself, after words he was knocked out and carted off to Helgen to be executed as a traitor, but he escapes after the guards are drunk one night and he crosses paths with the man and woman who would eventually become his new king and queen, he was welcomed into their fold with open arms and the Redguard woman sang for the loss of his lover and her family, the woman and the Nord man she traveled with treated him well and over the years they eventually meet another companion a sorceress with a Quirky way of thinking who became like a sister to him as they traveled and learning of the man's royal lineage, he decided that only those two would be worthy of following

Roleplay:

Like the roleplay of the High queen, roleplay that the Hidden one is separated from his three allies, roleplay that the High king while he fights for his right to rule with the High queen by his side, you will be "receiving" orders from them through the first faction you join, the Dark brotherhood and carrying out missions that the High king sends you, he gives you orders to build a network of informants and contacts to build a stronger Skyrim which will eventually be united under the banner of the High king, unlike the High king and queen is capable of doing morally questionable actions for the greater good of Skyrim, making this guy a neutral character who sees the empire as cowards and his rage for them is what drives him to join the Dark brotherhood and eventually kill the emperor he once swore to protect, while vengeful he is a good man at heart that longs for the day when his services are no longer needed so that he can settle down and build a family, while the need for his skills will probably never come, he eventually meets and falls in love once again, this time with a Dark elf woman by the name of Dravynea the Stone-weaver and upon marrying her, he truly smiles with happiness for the first time in years, eventually he builds a new life with her, choosing the settle down in the one city where he feels safe, that being Riften and even adopt two children which will be at your choice but the most important thing to remember when playing this character is that everything you do is to secure the future rein of the High king and queen and that includes eliminating future, potential threats

Quest lines:

Main quest (While not particularly on a quest to be the Dragonborn, the hidden one DOES realize what kind of threat they are so he decides to take care of them and Alduin and picks up more than a handful of handy shouts along the way)

Dragonborn (The hidden one learns all manner of knowledge which will make him more powerful and thus make him better at his job, knowledge is power and what better questline than the Black book quests, plus you will want to develop connections all the way out on Solstiem such as becoming friends with Raven rock's monarch, the Skaal chief and shaman and even the Telvani tower)

Dawnguard (While being a vampire would be a viable and very useful option for this build and having influence in the shadows as the lord of the Valkahar clan sounds tempting, but the hidden one while neutral and does questionable things he doesn't want to go down a rabbit hole of evil plus the vampires, especially Harkon is a threat that NEEDS to be permanently silenced)

Dark brotherhood (The primary faction for the hidden one where he is assigned by the High king to join and through the king giving him assassination contracts, upon joining the Dark brotherhood, the hidden one feels he's right at home and eventually he discovers that he is the Listener which leads him on a line of quests that make him the leader of the High king's personal hit squad, eventually killing the Penitus Oculatus and eventually silence the emperor, the man he once swore loyalty to, this makes for great roleplaying opportunities, plus the backstory ties in with Commander Maro the hidden one's "father" making for a good roleplaying opportunity here, within the Dark brotherhood he can finally learn the skills someone of his deadly heritage can finally obtain)

Thieves guild (The hidden one will go through this quest line in its entirety to build the BIGGEST network of information and contacts, get every contact in Whiterun, Windhelm and Markarth)

College of Winterhold (The hidden one though he is no major mage character, but he does find the school of Illusion and Alteration VERY useful, the hidden one becomes the Arch-mage to control this potentially powerful and influential organization for the High king and queen)

Nightingale (Having the luck and support of the Daedric princess, Nocturnal along and her more than handy abilities, makes the hidden one's work MUCH easier)

Miscellaneous quests (Other side quests include "The wolf queen awakens", "Rise in the East", "Siege on the dragon cult", "Forbidden legend", "In my time of need" and any quest that involves taking down potential threats to the future High king and queen)

State spread and standing stone:

When leveling with this character, put 2 points in Magicka and Health and 1 in Stamina, health and stamina are here for obvious purposes at staying alive and for power attacks and silent rolls while sneaking, for the standing stone, go for the Steed stone which eliminates the weight of your armor making sneaking MUCH easier and gives you extra carry weight

Weapons and armor:

Execution hood (Fortify Alchemy)

Ebony armor (Fortify Health and Fortify Health regeneration)

Ebony gauntlets (Fortify Alchemy and Fortify Two handed)

Ebony boots (Fortify Sneak and Muffle)

Silver ring (Fortify two handed and Fortify magic resistance)

Silver necklace (Fortify Sneak and Fortify magic resistance)

Headsmen's axe (Absorb health and Fiery soul trap)

Imperial bow

The black star

With the combination of Ebony armor, gauntlets and boots and the Execution hood, you truly look like a dark, faceless executioner, the enchantments on each armor piece, your necklace and ring boosts your various skills, which brings me to your main weapon of choice the Headsmen's axe, while it can't be upgraded at a grind stone, it is the longest weapon in the game and fits this faceless executioner vibe of the build extremely well, plus with the poisons you can put on it, two handed perks, the potion of fortify two-handed that you can craft and the enchantments on the axe itself, they MORE than make up for its weakness turning this cool-looking but general weak weapon into a MONSTROUS reaper of health and souls, as for the imperial bow this is here ONLY to apply poisons to enemies like mages, dragons and other types of enemies at a distance and for enemies who tend to stay annoyingly out of reach from our attacks, while sneak archer builds are super powerful and a blast to play this build is NOT one of those kinds of builds, apply poisons from a distance with the Imperial bow but don't use it in combat, use your Headsmen's axe in close ranged combat

Poisons and potions:

Poison of slow and damage health (Deathbell + River Betty)

Potion of fortify two handed and resist fire (Fly Amanita + Dragon's tongue)

Potion of fortify Destruction and health (Wheat + Nightshade + Glowing mushroom)

Poison of damage health and lingering damage health (Imp stool + Nightshade + Mora Tapinella)

Poison of weakness to fire, weakness to frost and weakness to poison ) (Bleeding crown + Abecean longfin + Ice wraith teeth)

Skill spread: 49 perks needed

Alchemy (Alchemist 5/5, Physician, Poisoner, Benefactor, Concentrated poison, Green thumb, Snakeblood)

As I've said before Alchemy is incredibly useful for ANY build also since we're not gonna be using Destruction spells in this build, we will still want to use a fortify Destruction potion to boost the power of our elemental shouts which count as Destruction spells

Enchanting (Enchanter 5/5, Soul squeezer, Fire enchanter, Insightful enchanter, Corpus enchanter, Extra effect)

Like Alchemy, Enchanting is extremely useful for any build especially since we're boosting the usefulness of our Headsmen's axe with enchantments like Fiery soul trap and absorb health to give it a much needed boost in combat utility

Two handed (Barbarian 5/5, Limbsplitter 3/3, Champion's stance, Devastating blow, Sweep)

This skill let's us get more damage and versatility out of the Headsmen's axe that we're using in combat with Barbarian and Limbsplitter adding damage and Sweep allowing you to hit multiple targets when sideway power attacks which if you add poisons on your axe you'll hit MULTIPLE foes at once with poisons

Alteration (Novice Alteration, Apprentice Alteration, Adept Alteration, Expert Alteration)

This is only here to halve the cost from the Paralysis rune spell, nothing more

Sneak (Stealth 5/5, Muffled movement, Light foot, Silent roll, Silence)

While it would make asthenic sense to add the Shadow warrior perk to this character, this stealthy character doesn't rely on it too much this time around, he can sneak past enemies without having to fight them

Illusion (Novice Illusion, Kindred mage, Animage, Quiet casting)

Illusion is only here so that we can get the Quiet casting perk making all shouts and spells we use completely silent and won't give away our position

Powers:

Histskin

Mora's boon

Nightingale subterfuge

Secret of strength

Shouts:

Aura whisper

Drain vitality

Fire breath

Ice breath

Marked for death

Throw voice

Whirlwind sprint

Abilities:

Dragonborn frost

Meditate on Yul

Seeker of shadows

Sinderion's Serendipity

Special moves:

Shadow step (Quiet casting + Whirlwind sprint) (The hidden one melds into the shadows themselves to quickly "teleport" to another location to reposition himself or to slip past enemies quickly)

Shadow plague (Marked for death + Poison of weakness to fire, weakness to frost and weakness to poison + Poison of damage health and lingering damage health) (A triple hit combination of effects that is a perfect set up for bringing down tough opponent's like dragons and Dragon priests remember to use Marked for death before you apply the Poison of weakness to fire, fire and poison first then add the poison of damage and lingering damage)

Plague axe (Poison of damage health and lingering damage health + Potion of fortify two handed and resist fire + Limbsplitter perks + Headsmen's axe enchantments + Drain vitality) (Like was said before the Headsmen's axe is cool but not very powerful but with the combination of the poison, potion, two handed perks, the enchantments on it and with Drain vitality making foes hit by it weaker than normal, the weapon becomes a straight up dragon killer, this is the hidden one's signature move)

Confusion funnel (Quiet casting + Throw voice + Cyclone + Nightingale subterfuge) (First move into a position where you can stay hidden but still have a good eye on all the enemies in the area, then use Throw voice to herd multiple enemies into a clear line of sight, then shout Cyclone to send them flying before using Nightingale subterfuge on as many enemies as you can which will confuse them, as they reel back from being sent flying they can't tell friend from foe, this is a GREAT way to kick off combat before rushing in, combine this with Plague axe for an even more DEVESTATING onslaught)

And with those special moves explained, this brings the build of "The hidden one" to a close, what do you guys think, has this half Penitus Oculatus half Shadowscale character sparked an interest in you yet, if so, do give this build a spin and if you do, let me know how it goes I would love to hear about it my fellow Dragonborn's

Next time will be the last of the allies to the High king, first we did the High queen, then we did The hidden one and finally, the personal mage of the king and queen, next time, I give you

"The bound sorceress"

Until the next time we meet my fellow Dragonborn's, stay safe out there, thank you for stopping by

NINJA VANISH BABY!

(Smokescreen escape)