While it only takes a half hour to run from one end to another, Bethesda has packed an extraordinary world inside Skyrim's tiny space, filled with visuals sure to strike a chord in anyone that's ever contemplated the majesty of nature. Here's my favorite spot. What's yours?

I was wandering about aimlessly in an attempt to follow my blue guide arrow in a direction I wasn't supposed to go when I found myself perched precariously on the edge of a sheer cliff. For just a moment I forgot the quest I was on, the virtual people counting on me. I was captured by the sound of the wind, barely audible over the crashing of water over rocks. I gazed out over the horizon, imagining the tiny droplets of water hanging in the air about the waterfall, those cool pinpricks against my skin.

I fell in love, just a little bit.

What's amazing about Skyrim is that you might have been standing in the same place and you just don't realize it. Maybe it was dark, or stormy, or you were being chased by bandits, wolves, or dragons. That's why this is my place; the variables that brought me here are likely completely different from anyone else's.

I've shown you mine, now show me yours. Drop in a screenshot or two, or just tell us where to find it on the map. Give us a quest, and find out if we see what you see.

Our week-long celebration of the stories The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim hatches in our heads continues today with a bawdy tale of blacksmithing and berserker rage, courtesy of commenter Isangrim. Stay awhile and listen!

"Thrice damn this bastard Orcish steel!!" I cursed as the hot sweat dripped down from my brow to sting my eyes as I hammered away at a particularly troublesome pair of gauntlets.

"You need to learn some Talos-damned patience if you wish to master the Skyforge, Isangrim!" growled a particularly surly Eorlund Grey-Mane. He had been up all night drinking in Jorrvaskr, the mead hall at the center of Whiterun and no doubt his head felt as cotton filled as mine this morning.

"Here, like this, you have to feather the heat so it hits the steel at different intervals, so the temperatures differ over the surface and hammer, then do the whole thing again and again and again. Then build up the ridges in clay, fire the whole thing again and quench the steel. It's a whore's mother to get right but trust me when I say the result is worth it....speaking of a whore's mother's did I tell you about the time in that bandit camp I found..."

"Shut up you perverted old man, I wish not to hear your mythical tales of wenching while my head hurts so, and especially while I sweat like a fat woman over this forge!"

Grey-Mane just chuckled to himself as he turned back to the blades he was tempering "Whatever! Just let me know how you go whelp! And when you done there take this to that damned huntress, I swear to Talos for an archer she gets more cracks in her shield than that Housecarl of yours..."

Suddenly the sky darkened and an ear piercing roar echoed of the hills, followed by a flap of leathered wings

The shrill sound of screams filtered up from the town as a house near the market district exploded in a brilliant shower of flames. The shadow continued to pass over the city and looped around to spread destruction on one of the farms outside walls.

"Quickly Dovahkiin" uttered Grey-Mane "Grab your gear and get out to the farm, I'll go to try rouse the companions! But my guess is you're on your own". I dropped my hammer and ran to my pack in the corner, grabbing my helm and looping Frostfang, my war axe through my belt. "Wish me luck old man, Talos knows I'll need it, this one's a big bastard". Grey-Mane nodded a grunt at me as he turned heel and raced towards the mead hall

Panic was everywhere as I powered my way through the city. Buildings were charred and burning as the fire spread, all while frantic guards were trying to organise buckets to quench the hungry flames.

An old women cried out to me as I sprinted towards the gate "Save us Dragonborn!" Gritting my teeth I spurned myself onwards through the gates

In the distance I could see the dragon as it barbequed a group of oxen and a farmhand who stupidly thought standing in front of his herd would save them. I unsheathed Frostfang and steeled myself. I felt my guts tense as my mind filled with the voice I let rip a mighty shout of Whirlwind Sprint that catapulted me forwards at blinding speeds, using the speed to add weight to my swing, I drove my axe into the hind quarters of the viscous beast, and satisfyingly heard a crackle of energy as the frost enchantment attached to the blade dealt a blast of concussive cold.

The monster reared in pain, immediately kicking off and taking flight to avoid the unexpected attack. The air around my left hand started to shimmer as I silently mouthed an incantation. An orb of fire burst into being and I hurled it at the retreating dragon's back, catching it on the wing where it exploded with a volcanic fury, forcing the dragon to come crashing painfully back to Earth.

The fight was far from over though, the beast reared its great head and unleashed the full fury of its voice, sending billowing plumes of fire towards me. I was barely able to incant a spell of resist fire before the flames completely overwhelmed me, I was not quick enough to resist all of the blast and sustained a horrible burn down the side of my arm.

The Dragon leveled its gaze at me and spoke in a deep guttural voice that was so powerful it felt like trying stand against a hurricane. "Dovahkiin! You cannot possibly defeat Alduin! It is pointless to even try! You can't even defeat me! He will eat your world and there is NOTHING you can do about it!". He sent another ferocious pillar of flame my way and i struggled to keep the integrity of my spell intact. the flames died away and not an instant to late as the pressure of keeping my fire ward active became too much and I staggered to one knee.
I had to end this quickly or else I was doomed, and so too the world.

"No dragon. You are wrong! He will die, and there is nothing YOU can do. Because you are already dead". All of my training, All of my discipline, was forgotten in an instant. I became an animal or pure instinct and rage. a howl built in my throat and roared into a deafening crescendo.

"FUS!! ROH!! DAH!!!". The unrestricted fury of the shout caught the dragon square in the chest. dropping it quicker than one of Grey-Mane's fabled whores. Still with a bestial roar echoing like the sound of shattered glass and rusted Dweomer gears, I leapt above the dragon's head and drove Frostfang through the middle of the beasts eyes with so much force that the surrounding ground shattered and cracked.

An unholy wail built up around the dragon's corpse and its skin turned to fire then into a bright shimmering light. The light shimmered around me and cocooned me in its warmth. I felt the Dragon's strength become my own and my mind expanded at the new knowledge that was granted to me. The bleached bones of my fallen foe stared up at me looking dull, ancient and dead. I grasped Frostfang by the haft and pulled it free of the now brittle Dragon skull, incanted a spell of healing to mend my burnt arm and turned back towards Whiterun.

It was at this point that I realised that I had left my nearly finished Orsimer gauntlets in the fire back at the Skyforge. Oh well! Just another day in the life of a Dragonborn!

Yesterday, we had human faces disappearing in Bethesda's hit action RPG. Today, in glitch-or-feature news, it's dragon skin and sinew that's nowhere to be seen. Being nothing but a skeleton doesn't stop this dragon from putting up a fight, though.

[thanks, tipster Peter]

Skeletal Dragons in Skyrim?
[YouTube]

Last week we asked The Elder Scrolls fans to send us their stories, tales, poetry, and songs inspired by their journey in Skyrim, threatening to republish one each day this week. We kick off five days of fan fiction with an entry from commenter Cosmopanda, warming up the crowd for the days to come.

"So, you're an Argonian mage?" asked the Redguard, curious about the new prisoner before him.

Ignius Thrinn nodded. "Aye."

"And you're versed in the destructive arts, specifically... frost spells?" A smile crept into the corners of his mouth.

The large reptilian winced. He knew where this was going. "...Don't."

The gears had begun to turn.

"You're a wizard... a lizard, who's a wizard..."

"Please, don't." Thrinn pleaded. "I beg of you."

His protest fell on deaf ears.

"...A blizzard wizard lizard!"

It had been said, as it had been said by smartarses in every town and tavern Thrinn had ever visited. The camp erupted into laughter, guard and prisoner alike.

All the Argonian could do now was hope that the executioner worked in alphabetical race order.

The gaming community has gone a little Skyrim crazy, but for every fan of The Elder Scrolls there's another that couldn't care less. For those people we have bunnies and commenter Taggart451's rallying cry in today's Speak Up on Kotaku.

Anyone else not interested in Skyrim in the slightest? I'm glad that everyone is having so much fun with it, but I don't like many games of that style. The same thing happened when GTA IV came out and everyone was loving it. A friend let me borrow it, but I thought it was incredibly boring and gave it back after a week.

Please, keep having your fun, I'm not trying to troll you. I just hope that I'm not the only one... I feel like the internet is shunning me any time I say anything not-positive about it.

A new fitness program that asks gamers to earn time gaming by exercising is targeting fans of one of the biggest releases of the year.

Skyrim Fitness pushes players of Bethesda Softwork's latest massive fantasy role-playing game to do 10 push-ups to earn an hour of time in a world that can take 60, 80, 100 hours to fully play and explore.

Yes, that could mean hardcore gamers who wrap up playing through The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim also rack up 1,000 push-ups.

Jason Cross, senior Editor at PCWorld, kicked off the Skyrim fitness program the day before the game hit shelves last week. To make it a bit easier to track, and a bit more fun to participate in, he tied it to community fitness website Fitocracy.

Fitocracy, which is still in beta, is a website that allows people to track their workouts and earn points that are used to level up their account. While the website and the Skyrim Fitness program both use the honor system, trusting people to be honest about their workouts, there seems no point in joining if your intention is to lie your way through the game.

Cross said he signed up for the Fitocracy beta a couple of weeks ago to see what all of the hoopla was about.

Tying a role-playing game fitness program to a fitness program role-playing game seems like a perfect fit. The idea of creating a group in Fitocracy dedicated to Skyrim players, and then suggesting everyone workout to earn play time just popped into his head, Cross said.

"I figured I would be spending a whole lot of time on just one game over the next few weeks," he said. "It's certainly not completely original: gamers have done exercises as ‘punishment' for losing rounds in Starcraft 2 or League of Legends, or during the long wait of flight paths in World of Warcraft. Some have set up computers or consoles so they can play while on their treadmills or exercise bikes. I just thought it was be a good way to break up an otherwise sedentary game with a little exercise."

Cross settled on Skyrim because he felt it was a the best fit. It's a single-player game, so you can take breaks more easily. Also, it's the sort of game that inevitably sucks up a lot of time which could mean a lot of push-ups.

While Cross suggested players do 10 push-ups for every hour of gameplay, he's following a tougher schedule.

"I'm personally doing 12 pushups, and I'll increase that by two every 10 hours of cumulative game time," he said.

The reaction to Cross' idea, first presented on Google+ and then on website Reddit, has been overwhelmingly positive. Nearly 200 people have already joined the Fitocracy group and plenty of people are coming up with their own tweaks on Cross' Skyrim fitness plan.

"The biggest criticism seems to be from users that claim 10 push-ups is a trivial amount for any grown person and that the hourly number should be far higher," Cross said. "In truth, there are lots plenty of gamers who struggle to do 10 push-ups. They're harder than you think if you have follow proper form and pace. Many people are substituting the push-ups with 20 crunches or 5 pull-ups or what-have-you, which is totally fine. It's not meant to replace the gym, and it's not going to make the extra pounds melt off or buff you up. It's only meant to be a little physical activity to make your briefly exert yourself and take breaks while you play in a way that's fast and easy enough to do in your living room or den. If it's not something you'll stick with, it's worthless."

I've been using the program myself, not just for Skyrim, but all of the games I play. I've also started using the same program with my 10-year-old son Tristan, who is allowed to game only for a limited time on weekends.

Tristan's program allows him to earn an hour's gaming time on the weekend by doing 10 push-ups, 20 sit-ups or 100 jumping jacks. He can earn two hours of game time by jogging a mile with his mother or I. As with the original Skyrim Fitness program, he's not allow to bank time. So he has to take a break every hour, or two, to earn more time.

Tristan ended up doing about 60 push-ups over the weekend, an amount that had him struggling by Sunday afternoon and sore Monday morning. The exercise requirement also led to his taking a break from gaming all together and going outside with his friends to play more.

While Skyrim Fitness is a neat idea, Cross reminds that it's not meant to be a complete fitness program.

"It's just meant to be a lot better than simply sitting in front of the screen for hours on end," he said. "While it won't turn you into an Adonis, I'm pretty sure you'll notice a difference if you play 100 hours of Skyrim over the next month. 1000 push-ups in a month is not trivial."

Well Played is an internationally syndicated weekly news and opinion column about the big stories of the week in the gaming industry and its bigger impact on things to come. Feel free to join in the discussion.

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Invisibility's been a power in video games for a long, long time. But one Elder Scrolls V player managed to make his avatar all see-through without benefit of any spell or ability. YouTuber MrTheVestman happened upon a random combination of collectibles that takes his countenance clean away. He's kind enough to walk viewers through it if they want to replicate the apparent glitch themselves. Let's see how long this hollow man tomfoolery sticks around before it gets patched out.

[Thanks, tipster Shawner S]

Skyrim - Glitch? Or Hidden Perk... [YouTube]

Not all of them, but many of them were completely in the dark. Website GamerZone was on hand to talk to the celebs at the Skyrim launch and suss out who was there for Skyrim and who was simply...there.

Music group The All-American Rejects said they got their fill on gaming with the NES, adding that they attending a party for "Skyrim 3", with one member adding that the last game he played was Wii title Press Your Luck.

Press your luck indeed.

Actor Eric Balfour didn't seem like he was at the event for Skyrim or even "Skyrim 3", saying, "Yes, we're here, and we're gonna watch Jane's Addiction."

While Teddy Volynets (I googled him) offered, "I'm a gamer believe it or not". He said he is the Wii Tennis champion of his household.

And just when things start to get really depressing Lynda Carter, who did voice acting in Skyrim showed up and called Bethesda's Todd Howard a "genius". Lovely! She was followed by Briana Evigan, who said she was excited for the new Uncharted.

The evening's biggest star, Chistina Aguilera didn't stop to talk with GamerZone, instead breezing by and blowing a kiss. But we already know that she is a huge gamer. Or so she says!

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Launch Party - Celebrities Talk Gaming [YouTube]

A glitch in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim apparently allows players to earn unlimited gold by picking up copies of The Doors of Oblivion over and over and over again.

The book is worth 50 Gold, so by picking up copies of the book over and over again, you have a seemingly endless supply of money that is dependent largely on how long you want to pick up the book from a skeleton.

The skeleton might disappear, but, if you remember where it was, you can still pick up the book.

This glitch apparently has not yet been patched, and Kotaku, who hasn't had a chance to confirm, is following up with Bethesda.

The above walkthrough was done by YouTube user MalavarTCOne. There is a more in depth walkthrough by YouTube user Motherofgod4 in the above gallery.

While Bethesda has done a fine job developing the fiction of the continent of Tamriel, there's one important story missing from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim — yours. And what good is a tale that goes untold? We want to know how you fit into the lore of Skyrim, and we're not above sharing it with a few thousand of our close friends.

It's fan fiction, but it's okay when it's Skyrim. We've all got stories to tell, whether it's just a few short sentences of character development to help flesh out your particular Dovahkiin or a lengthy bardic composition honoring a particular heroic span of your unique adventure. This is a game that develops differently for each player, so comparing experiences is the only way to fully appreciate all it has to offer.

So bring us your odes, your short-stories, your bawdy tavern tales and your adventure journals. Each day next week we'll be chosing one to be showcased on the front page of Kotaku for all the world to see.

I'll even go first.

*******************************

My life-long dream is finally within my grasp. I am going to join the Imperial Legion.

I didn't realize this was my life-long dream until a few days ago, when that lovely man helped me escape from Fort something-or-another when the bloody great dragon attacked.

I could tell he was fond of me the way he hesitated when the armored woman ordered me executed. The way he beckoned me forward, singling me out from the gathered criminals, the come-hither way his eyes scanned the prisoner manifesto, eager to know whatever he could about my name and appearance. "I'm Emily the Nord," I told him. Were my hands not bound by strong rope I would have flirtatiously run my fingers through my short-cropped raven hair.

Sparks flew, and not just the ones given off by the smoldering ruins left after the mighty lizard unleashed its fiery breath. He could have left me to die. Instead he cut my bonds and led me through a series of underground passages, killing any ne'er-do-wells that dare interrupted our time together. The closeness was almost more than I could bear.

Oh yes, and we killed a bear. And to think I almost missed this due to my dragon-halted beheading.

Once we reached the surface he led me to his village, introduced me to his father, and said the sweetest thing I've ever heard.

"You think about joining the Legion. We could use a strong arm like yours."

It was as if destiny tapped me on the shoulder and told me to pay attention.

"What?" I asked. He repeated himself with the mock annoyance that comes with familiarity.

Suddenly it all made sense; I *would* make an excellent legionnaire! I've always wanted to wear plate armor and swing a sword about in long, graceful arcs, and mother always said I had a real knack for oppression. I used to oppress anything I could get my hands on as a child; other children, house pets, furniture, dead leaves. "You've not been oppressed until you've felt the cold steel heel of Emily the Legionnaire!"

I could tell by the way he was staring at me that I had spoken out loud, and if that bewildered look was any indication, he liked it. So much so that he immediately gave me a recommendation for the commander of the Legion in Solitude and bundled me out the door of his home.

He also gave me an important message for a town called Whiterun, something about a dragon. I crumpled that up and tossed it away. How was I going to deliver a message to a town? "Hello, town. Here's your message." "Thanks Emily the Legionnaire, you should stop by and oppress me sometime!" As I chuckled to myself I realized the commander of the Imperial Legion in Solitude was staring at me, and that I'm not very good at chronological storytelling.

Driven by my newfound life-long dream I made a beeline for Solitude, stopping only to gather some colorful flowers, oppress a couple of wolves, explore a cave filled with disgusting undead creatures, and buy a fancy hat. The Imperial Legion loves fancy hats.

Oh yes, and I killed a dragon and earned the magical ability to shoot concentric circles from my mouth, so there's that.

"Are you listening?" the commander of the Imperial Legion asked.

"FUS!" I replied, grinning impishly as concentric circles sent papers flying everywhere.

"Yes, very nice," said the commander of the Imperial Legions at Solitude, who was probably named something very dashing, like Leoric.

"As I was saying," Probably-Leoric continued, "You cannot simply walk in here and demand to be made a legionnaire. We require our new recruits perform a service before being welcomed into the ranks. What we ask of you is...first, stop taking off your clothes."

Honest mistake.

"We ask that you travel northwest to Fort (I wasn't listening) on the coast. It's been overrun by bandits, and we wish to reclaim it. Do this for us, and your dream..."

"Life-long dream!"

"...your life-long dream will be realized."

That was all I needed to hear. I grabbed my axe, a handful of fire (never leave home without it), and my best oppression outfit and set off for Fort (it could be anything, really).

The northern coast of Skyrim is characterized by a large number of sheer cliffs that don't react well to being oppressed. The rocks at the bottom, however, take it like champs.

Four days into my hour-long journey I finally stood at the gate to Fort (it has something to do with snow or cold, I'm sure of it), cursing Probably-Leoric-But-Maybe-Sir-Darviathar (so cool) for not providing me with a map or splints. Maybe some of those climbing things, what are they called? Crampons.

"Crampons!" I shouted in response to the challenging war cry of the particularly menacing-looking brigand charging towards me wielding a giant hammer. The crackle of lighting arcing across the fingertips of his mage friend and the distinctive thwip of arrows being fired in my direction covered my volcabularic indiscretion, but there was just the hint of a smirk on the hammer holder's face that just would not do. No one smirks at a (prospective) member of the Imperial Legion!

It was oppression time. I stood up straight, swung my axe menacingly, and lit my hand on fire. "You..."

Did you know it is possible to get hit so hard with a two-handed hammer that everything slows down and goes all third-person? I wouldn't recommend trying it yourself, especially while wearing steel armor.

As I watched myself crumple to the ground I couldn't help but admire this tiny band of brigands, working together to take down an agent of the oppression. Like a well-oiled machine they reacted, filling my body with arrows, sparks jumping off the gleaming metal encasing my body, and the dull clank of the weighty weapon as it shattered my chest and my dreams of being a Legionnaire in one fell stroke. That these thieves...

Thieves! It's been my life-long dream to be a thief!

*******************************

And that, my friends, is why I stick to non-fiction. Think you can do better? I know you can. The comments section is yours.