[NobleNick]

Originally posted by Stratos: There should be a yellow symbol at the lower left side of the sceen when you're successfully sneaking. Just holding down Control is not enough.

Sever's long post, at top, (and several others) came in while I was working on my last post (spent time AFK). Then I had connection problems and could not post again. Thanks to all who chimed in.

Thanks for all the advice, Stratos. I appreciate it. One question: If holding down CNTRL is not enough, what else must I do? I do have a gold symbol in the lower left; but, to me, it looks more like a fist than a purse.

I think I have gleaned just enough info from the game; FAQs; and you, my Morrowind Forum friends; to make a REAL start (even though I *still* haven't made LVL 2 on my Nord Rogue!).

I tend towards power gaming (as anyone familiar with the IWD/HoW forum will vouch). Sever, your suggestions just happen to map very closely to what I was spiraling in on, for a first try:

I was leaning towards Dark Elf and towards the stealth side of things. I contemplated Stratos' advice to move Merchantile down the list; because I want to move Alchemy and Long Blade up. (I think Alchemy will be great fun!) But with high Merchantile, I figured I'd be able to get higher prices on my loot; and, therefore, afford more training for Long Blade and Alchemy. All that I really wanted to make it worth it was an extra 20% for my wares. I'm not beyond a re-roll; and figured if it was less than 20%, I might switch Merchantile and Long Blade on the Major/Minor split. But the extra cash has easily met my expectations, so I'll keep it this way.

I picked light armor. Have seen a FAQ or two that says medium is NOT a sweet spot in armor choices: "Marginally better protection than Light armor at only twice the weight." Ha, hah, hah.. guess what I had dressed my Nord in...

I didn't want to part with the magic protection of Atronaught; but finally decided to trust Sever: that the Speechcraft boost is worth it. (Yeah, I get Endurance, too --> Treating that as a bonus.)

Sever's suggestion was for a male character, I presume. Are there any niches where a female character would be a better choice? (Like I said, I am not beyond a re-roll.)

This is what I have (I hate being a copycat; but this is basically a cut and paste of Sever's suggestion):

Name: Tarnaq
Race: Dark Elf.
Gender: Male
Sign: The Lady. 25 pts in Endurance and Personality
Specialisation: Stealth.
Favourite Attributes: Intelligence; Agility.

Strength: 40.
Intelligence: 50. Need for skills.
Willpower: 30.
Agility: 50. Need for skills.
Speed: 50.
Endurance: 65. Will help to keep your hit points up.
Personality: 55.

MAJOR:
-Speechcraft: 35.
-Mercantile: 35.
-Sneak: 35.
-Marksman: 40.
-Light Armour: 40.

MINOR:
-Long Blade: 20.
-Alchemy: 15.
-Alteration: 15.
-Security: 20.
-Enchant: 15.

The bow skills *are* nice, Sever! This guy has been practicing a bit on the local critters. (I don't think my Nord ever killed ANYTHING with his bow!) QUESTION: You mentioned that stealth improves bow damage. Is this automatic; or is there something special I should be doing?

And the better prices at the merchant are also nice. I did the "take and drop platter" trick just after getting off the boat. The extra cash is a boon. I intend to go back and get the warehouse key; but thanks to all the excellent advice from you guys, I have plenty of dough, and don't need it now.

I found the tax collector. Is there anyone I can blackmail/expose with his records (I have been trying); or is just turning it in the best course?

So, after I get this character to CC in Balmora (see, I finally got the town name right!), which guild(s) would you suggest I join?

Are there any ill effects from just keeping *ALL* of Fargoth's booty, and not returning to the quest giver? And on the same note: Can the note, under the first dagger you find, be parlayed into some money/advantage?

Oh, and one last thing (for today) : Is the Morrowind ES3 storyline something that pulls you along; something that DRIVES you to finish the game? Or is it something, that, when you are done, you say (*yawn*) "I guess that was O.K." ? For instance, I liked the IWD storyline and subplots. I hear that Baldur's Gate is even better. I played Starcraft, Myth I, and Guild Wars; and thoroughly enjoyed those stories, as well. How would the Morrowind story, and story delivery, rate in there?

Sorry for all the little "nit-picky" questions; but I easily overlook the easy things. I like a challenge; but get upset that I have cost myself lots of time doing something the hard way, because I was oblivious to the "obvious" solution. Very minor spoilers appreciated. Thanks for the help!