You play as the Dovahkiin, a mortal being with the blood and soul of a dragon. After your escape, when you're helping Whiterun and its jarl deal with the dragon incursion, another fight breaks out. It’s all I can do to stay alive - I’m weak with nothing but an iron sword and some musty rags. While Alduin takes down centurions and mages, I stumble towards the torture dungeon in the basement. Helgen was terrifying due to its aura of insurmountable dread. I went into Skyrim without any information or knowledge.
When you’re being walked over to the executioner, just as you’re about to get your head lopped off, there’s a great big bellow from the mountains that sounds like thunder spliced with the howls of a coyote - I didn’t know what the hell it was.
When I first played Skyrim, sat in the solemn carriage ride to the chopping block, it wasn’t clear how I would get out of that predicament.