"I choose to be a Redguard."
The moment the words left Alexander's mouth, the air around him shifted, the space itself humming with unseen power.
"So it is chosen," Mara's voice resonated, calm yet vast, carrying the weight of something eternal. "You will walk the path of the Yokudan bloodline, the exiles who forged their place in Tamriel through steel, resolve, and unbreakable will. This is not just a beginning, but a life you shall live, a destiny shaped by your own hand."
The screen shifted again.
"Please choose the foundation of your new life."
Alexander raised an eyebrow. So he wasn't just being thrown into the world at random. It made sense. His generated character had been a baby, not some fully formed warrior appearing out of nowhere. That meant he would actually live this life, grow up in it, experience everything from the start.
The next set of options made that even clearer.
1. Born of Nobility – Heir of Hammerfell
You will be born into a noble family of Hammerfell, raised in wealth, trained in the ways of swordplay, politics, and command. Your childhood will be one of strict discipline and high expectations, groomed for leadership—whether as a warrior, scholar, or merchant. But nobility brings enemies, and your family's name may one day be as much a curse as it is a blessing.
• Raised with formal education, combat training, and high-status connections
• Access to wealth, resources, and a privileged upbringing
• Expected to uphold family honor and political responsibilities
• Will be a target for rival noble houses, assassins, and betrayal
2. Son of the Sands – A Warrior's Life
You will be born among the desert tribes, where survival is earned, not given. The shifting dunes will be your home, the blade your first language. You will grow up learning the ways of endurance, swordplay, and desert survival, raised by warriors who respect only strength and skill. You will know hardship—but also freedom.
• Trained in combat, survival, and endurance-based skills from a young age
• Naturally resistant to harsh climates and environmental dangers
• Has no noble status or wealth, an outsider in city politics
• Respected among warriors but will face distrust from the more civilized world
3. Exile's Blood – A Disgraced Name
Your family once held honor, but that was stripped away. Whether through war, scandal, or treachery, you will be born into exile, growing up among mercenaries, criminals, or outcasts. Your life will be shaped by hardship, forcing you to learn to fight, deceive, and adapt. Your family's name will be a whisper of something lost, and you will carry the burden of reclaiming—or forgetting—it.
• Gains experience in combat, deception, and underworld dealings
• Will grow up learning to navigate both high society and the criminal world
• Marked by family disgrace, meaning many will distrust or despise you
• A life filled with danger, hardship, and the pursuit of redemption—or revenge
Alexander studied the options, his mind racing.
This wasn't a starting class—this was his entire childhood, his upbringing, his past. The things he learned, the way people treated him, the opportunities available to him—it would all start here.
He wasn't just choosing a background.
He was choosing the life he would live.
Alexander looked at his choices, arms crossed. "What's to stop me from never going to Skyrim?"
If he was going to be born into this world, raised in Hammerfell or the deserts beyond, what was keeping him from just… staying there? Living out his life, avoiding the chaos, letting someone else handle the whole Dragonborn business?
The statue of Mara remained still, but her voice carried forward, as vast and unwavering as before.
"Nothing will stop you. Fate is not an unbreakable chain, and the Elder Scrolls themselves do not write destiny in stone. It is possible to defy what is written, to walk another path."
For a brief moment, that almost sounded reassuring—until she continued.
"But the World-Eater has returned. Alduin, Firstborn of Akatosh, harbinger of the end, has risen to devour the world. This is not the first time he has come, nor the first time he has been opposed. You may turn your back on Skyrim, but you will not turn your back on what is coming. No one will."
Her words carried a weight that settled deep in his chest.
"The choice will always be yours. You may live a life of peace, of wealth, of exile. You may stay in Hammerfell, build a name for yourself, grow old under a foreign sky. But when the fire rains down, when the world trembles, when the call to arms is sounded—"
She paused, not in hesitation, but in certainty.
"You will answer. Not because fate binds you, but because that is who you are."
Alexander exhaled through his nose, jaw tightening.
She wasn't forcing him into anything. She wasn't giving him some divine quest, shoving him into the role of Skyrim's hero. She was just stating the truth.
He wasn't the type to sit back.
He wasn't the type to run.
And deep down, they both knew it.
Alexander grinned.
He had a full-ride scholarship for football, but instead of taking the easy path, he had opted for the Marine Corps. He could've played ball at any school, but instead, he went to the Naval Academy and played football while training to be a soldier.
That was who he was. When given the choice between comfort and a challenge, he always picked the harder road.
And right now? His blood was boiling.
He wasn't scared. He was excited.
He looked at his options again, really considering them.
The disgraced noble option? He dismissed that immediately. Starting at the bottom, constantly struggling against prejudice, having to claw his way up with no real backing? That sounded like a nightmare. He wasn't here to make life harder than it already was.
That left the warrior's life or nobility.
Being raised as a warrior sounded amazing—growing up strong, training from childhood, learning to fight in the brutal sands of Hammerfell. It was a pure path, one that relied on discipline, skill, and survival. But…
Just like in any world—money talks.
Being a noble didn't just mean privilege. It meant resources, connections, education, and training that only the elite had access to. He wouldn't just be some random street fighter—he'd be trained in the art of war, diplomacy, and leadership.
Power wasn't just about swinging a sword harder. Power was about influence.
If he wanted to survive and thrive in this world, then starting at the top gave him the best shot at both.
He exhaled, cracking his neck.
"Alright. Let's do this."
He chose nobility.