Chapter 787: Dragonborn!

Chapter 787: Dragonborn!

Time progressed day by day.

The online discussions among players about the game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim grew increasingly frequent.

After all, it was simply too topical.

Nebula Games had once again returned to the open-world genre, and it wasn't the kind defined by players and media, but rather officially designated by the company.

Evidently, Nebula Games had absolute confidence in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

This also made countless players anticipate what kind of performance The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim would deliver.

Despite Nebula Games having released virtually no new content beyond the previous official Weibo account and official website, players' spontaneous attention and discussions kept the popularity of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim consistently high.

This filled other game developers with envy, jealousy, and even hatred.

Their own games would have vast sums of money poured into pre-release promotions, yet might not even achieve good results.

But look at Nebula Games; they did nothing, and the popularity remained constant.

Especially amidst the players' eager anticipation, Nebula Games and Chen Xu's official Weibo accounts made a new move.

A simple promotional video instantly propelled The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's popularity to the top spot.

Innumerable players excitedly spread the news, flooding various game groups and communities. Some even rushed to screenshot and post on Tieba without even watching the promotional trailer first.

'According to Nebula Games' usual practice, does this mean the game is almost done!?'

'This is the best news I've heard!'

'Mr. Chen is awesome!'

'Speaking of which, I thought Xenoblade Chronicles' DLC would come out first. I didn't expect it to be Skyrim!'

Numerous players following the game left excited comments below the official Weibo post.

Then, one after another, they clicked on the trailer to get a glimpse of this new work, Nebula Games' return to the open-world genre after many years.

………………

A relief wall carved with ancient prophecies, burning torches.

The next moment, the camera switched.

Mighty mountains, dense forests, and a expanse of silver-white snow.

'You must act, they are returning!'

Flames flickered, and the ancient relief appeared on the screen.

Continuous camera cuts: mysterious ancient prophecy reliefs, and an adventurer panting softly on a forest path.

On the wall of ancient prophecy, countless dragons with spread wings rushed towards a city.

'The Elder Scrolls foretold their return.'

'Their past defeat was merely a delay.'

Muffled drumbeats sounded, the camera returned to the frosty forest, and a strange roar came from the sky.

'Since the Oblivion Gate opened, when the Sons of Skyrim butchered each other.'

The background music slowly transitioned from muffled to impassioned. The ancient prophecy relief became increasingly clear.

Accompanied by gasps, an adventurer in armor holding a sword and shield was forced to the edge of a cliff, seemingly at a dead end.

'But no one wished to believe in their existence…'

A massive shadow appeared behind the adventurer, obscuring the sky.

'When the truth was finally revealed, they were already engulfed in a sea of fire.'

The camera slowly moved, finally revealing what the colossal creature was.

A pitch-black dragon, its wings spread, covering the sky.

Its dark dragon eyes showed no emotion.

With the dragon's roar, the adventurer brandished his sword and shield, turning to charge at the dragon.

Instantly, the background music became impassioned.

Terrifying dragon breath spewed from the dragon's mouth, and the surrounding ice and snow instantly melted in the high temperature.

Facing the colossal dragon, the adventurer seemed to be at a disadvantage.

'But… there is one they fear, in their tongue, it is… DOVAHKIIN' [Dragonborn]

A strange word was uttered by the narrator.

The next moment, the camera switched. Bathed in dragon breath.

The adventurer knelt on one knee, yet was unharmed.

In the burning flames, he slowly stood up, took a deep breath.

And let out a strange roar: 'FUS! RO! DAH!'

Blue light erupted from the Dragonborn's mouth, sweeping past the dragon.

Instantly extinguishing the burning dragon breath around them.

At the same time, the video camera quickly zoomed out, and the background BGM became grand.

'Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal.ok.zin.los.vahriin'

'Wah.dein.vokul.mahfaeraak.ahst.vaal!'

A song completely different from any known language began to play.

It was incredibly grand, filled with a sense of epicness.

Amidst this majestic song, the camera traversed the entire province of Skyrim.

The incredibly prosperous city in the far north by the harbor: Solitude.

Whiterun, with the White River flowing around it, dense farmlands outside the city, bustling trade caravans, and various water and wind-powered mills.

Riften, divided in two by a massive canal, with most of the city floating on wooden piers, countless cargo ships coming and going.

And Winterhold, located amidst a vast blizzard.

The customs and local conditions of Skyrim were showcased in the video.

In addition, there were giants in the wilderness, various terrifying monsters in dungeons, and ferocious beasts in the forests.

And of course, the most fearsome creatures: dragons.

The camera returned to the Dragonborn once again, and this battle was nearing its end.

The dragon was already covered in wounds, and for the first time, fear appeared in its eyes as it looked at the Dragonborn.

It flapped its wings, attempting to escape, but facing the dragon, the Dragonborn took a deep breath, just as before.

Unidentifiable shouts once again roared from the Dragonborn's mouth.

Visible energy pressed the dragon down from the sky.

Then, the sharp blade in the Dragonborn's hand pierced the dragon's body, taking its life.

As the dragon's life ebbed away, its flesh and blood turned into fragments.

Two different energies, blue and red, were absorbed by the Dragonborn.

Simultaneously, the video also ended.

………………

This wasn't Nebula Games' most outstanding game promotional trailer.

But for players, it held an extraordinary significance.

After all, this was Nebula Games' true return to the open-world genre after many years, and a new title at that.

Moreover, what made countless players even more curious was that in this promotional trailer, they saw something different.

The content of the promotional trailer wasn't particularly rare.

Although the visuals looked incredibly impressive, Nebula Games was renowned as a 'film company' and had produced many stunning promotional videos.

For example, every Warcraft series trailer could be considered a classic.

So, while this promotional video for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was excellent, it hadn't yet amazed players.

Regarding the setting, the so-called Dragonborn should be the protagonist played by the player, and the story background was like most fantasy tales: prophecies and a savior.

But what truly caught the players' attention was something else demonstrated in the game.

That was the language.

The lyrics, and the Dragon Shout roared by the Dragonborn.

They were completely unheard-of languages!

And they all had corresponding translations.

Quite convincingly.

For example, 'DOVAHKIIN' was translated as Dragonborn (抓根宝).

And the game's theme song also featured these unique languages.

These were the unique languages created for The Elder Scrolls series: Dragon Language.

Compared to Quenya in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and Klingon in Star Trek from its previous life.

The Dragon Language in The Elder Scrolls was not as rigorous, with many contradictions and loopholes.

However, drawing inspiration from Finnish and Mesopotamian cuneiform, the Dragon Language wasn't entirely made up either.

And for a game, it was more than sufficient.

Such a virtual language, when well-crafted for the construction of a grand worldview, especially for an open-world RPG like The Elder Scrolls, could absolutely be a crucial factor in enhancing player immersion.

Placing such a distinct element in the promotional video clearly attracted some player attention.

'By the way, does anyone know what language the game's theme song is in? It's grand and all, but I couldn't understand a word!'

'It's not English, or French, or German or anything. It kinda sounds like Persian, though.'

'Holy cow, upstairs???? Upstairs is amazing! How do you even know that?'

'What the heck do I know? I'm just bragging; you can just say whatever.'

'Damn it, reported! You fooled my feelings!'

'Doesn't 'dovahkiin' in the game mean Dragonborn? Translated into English, it's 'Dragonborn', but I searched with a translation app, and it can't translate it at all!'

'Speaking of which, could this be a language specially made up for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? Didn't Warcraft and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild also have languages like Sheikah?'

'Now that you mention it, it's not impossible!'

'No, what are you arguing about? Open the video again and listen carefully. What Finnish, what Persian? This is clearly Chinese! Listen: Paladin, Paladin, let his blood stain the ground; pick up bows, pick up guns, we challenge with ambition… Isn't that Chinese?'

'I swear to god, where did this genius come from? I can't hold back my laughter at this phonetic transcription!'

'This can be phonetically transcribed? But don't tell me, it actually sounds quite similar!'

(End of Chapter) <>