Skyrim Hearthfire: Home is NOT a Quiet Refuge!

So, I was thinking when I built my new home, I'd have a peaceful little getaway, a safe-haven to raise the kids ... not so!

When I first visited my property, I had to fight a spider and some wolves. Also had to dispatch the mage doing vile rituals down below my home-site! (Used the console to delete the bones around the altar so I wouldn't have to look at them all the time.)

After finishing my home and adding some domestic animals, something killed one of my chickens and another one just disappeared. My steward doesn't have an option to buy more.

Then last night, I come home and the place is being attacked by thugs! Rayya, my housecarl, is battling one invader while my cow is running down the road chasing another! After searching the thug Rayya brought down, I find a ransom note saying they've kidnapped my spouse! So I had to go on a rescue mission!

Yikes! What next?

Holy moly, that is hysterical. I love the fact that your cow was chasing an intruder...attack cow

That is so funny!! You might try one of the many mods made for Skyrim. I've got 'White Falls' installed (subscribed to in Steam's workshop) and it's quite nice and big. the only company there is your own merchant and he's friendly .

I tell you, I started to stay away from my house. I had the family move into Winstad Manor, which is the one outside of Morthal. Great place but man, one of the kids, Sophie, I think, brought a fox home, who I could hear breathing no matter where I was in the house. Then they wanted to keep Bran, one of the Dawnguard huskies and he knocks over everything he gets near.

The housecarl apparently can't remember who I am because whenever I come home and he sees me, the first words out of his mouth are "I trust you aren't here to cause any trouble." I'm like, who pays your salary and keeps you in sweet rolls, buddy? That's right. This gal.

Then I'd like to go outside and get some fish out of my fish trap down at the shoreline, but there are always three horkers down there and as soon as they spot me, they come after me and they'll chase me all over that marsh. They never give up.

Checked out White Falls. Very nice! I did download one house mod, but my spouse and kids won't recognize it as a home unless I install another mod. I'm really trying to limit my mods in Skyrim, but I know that as I play, I'll keep adding to them! LOL

Here's the Skyrim mod house I have:

Riverside Lodge with Sauna

It has a hot tub and a sauna. But I have to tell you, I don't think it's any safer than any other house. I was over there gathering up some of my loot when a dragon found me. Now I have a dragon skeleton for a lawn ornament.

PS: Like the idea of an in-house merchant. I had those in Morrowind and Oblivion. But I guess a spouse kind of gives that option? Haven't tried that yet.

edit: AnneG: good to know about the noisy fox and the dog knocking things over! Maybe a little pet bunny or mudcrab would be better. So funny about the housecarl giving you lip!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that my domestic activities would be interrupted by fighting, but really, doesn't Dragonborn ever get a break?

"What next?" I asked? Well, last night, my sleep (trying to get some Lover's Comfort ) was interrupted by the Dark Brotherhood whisking me away to an abandoned shack! Now come on! That's just RUDE!

I want to live in that Riverside Lodge.

I remember using Riverside Lodge for a while. It's a little too fancy for my tastes so I didn't continue using it but it's very well set up. I loved the bedroom area with the little bookshelf above the bed.

Right now, my companion and I are living in this tiny cabin. It's got a chicken in it!

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/25739

lanlyk, you can buy stuff from your spouse, if I remember correctly. I think I did it once. I mostly just took my share of the "store" money each day. I put that word in quotes because I never saw any sign of this said "store". It all seemed a little shady to me.

And darn that Dark Brotherhood. They have no sense of boundaries.

I like Riverside. It was convenient when starting the game, being close to Riverwood. It also was easy on FPS. Some user-made mods, though beautiful, are so loaded up with enhanced graphics that the game struggles to draw them. I had a house like that in Oblivion. Had to leave it behind; it was just too glitchy for me, and I had an upper-level computer. But I guess some folks really go for the top-level gaming rigs!

The one complaint I did have about Riverside was that the rooms were comparatively small. Difficult to move around in with a companion in tow. I'll give up fancy or extra goodies just for more turn-around room!

AnneG: I like your cabin. It's small but not trashy. Sometimes simple is best when you're just focusing on adventure. With all the house mods I installed in Oblivion, the one I ended up using most often was a simple portal cabin. No matter where I was, I could summon a portal which gave access to a couple of rooms for storage, sleep, enchantment, or alchemy. Later, I could transfer any special goodies to my bigger home, or just gather the loot to sell. I've been looking for something similar in Skyrim, but all I see are mansion-type portals.



You think spouses become fences? A little money laundering on the side? Wonder if they buy stolen goods?