The opening moments of Bethesda's masterful RPG Skyrim are truly iconic, aren't they? As an introduction to one of the most beautifully-realised fantasy worlds in gaming, it really does the job. Who could forget waking up to discover we're not a noble hero, but a prisoner being carted off to be executed? The tension! The drama!
One of our fellow captives, a chap called Ralof of Riverwood, isn't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of Skyrim. However, he's a notable figure for two very important reasons. Not only is he the very first person players talk with, he also delivers a few short lines of exposition that have somehow gone down in history as vintage meme content.
"Hey you," he says as we open our eyes and take in our surroundings. "You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border. Right? Walked right into that imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there."
I don't quite understand how this short speech has become so iconic, but if I tried to apply logic to the way people on the internet work I fear I'd lose my mind. Better to just roll with it.
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Old Ralof has become such an important figure, in fact, that his face is now appearing on all manner of unofficial Skyrim merch. Last year it was a custom-made pillow. This year? It's a colour-change mug, a damn fine one at that.
Science writer and cartoonist Rosemary Mosco first drew our attention to this magnificent mug. Posting on Twitter, she revealed that her friend had picked it up for her as a gift. What looks to be a standard black mug soon reveals the caring visage of our mate Ralof when filled with a hot beverage of your choice. Check it out below.
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It's an incredible gift, and props to Rosemary's mate for sorting out what might be one of the best mugs I've ever seen. I mean, I don't rank every mug I've ever seen so it's hard to say exactly where this falls... but it's up there, I guess. The good news is that if you want Ralof to adorn a mug all of your own, it's not that difficult to make happen.
Websites like Etsy will sort you out with what you're after, and there plenty of other websites that will put together a colour-change mug based on a specific photo of your choice. Have fun with it. Do it for Ralof, if not for yourself.
Featured Image Credit: Rosemary Mosco/Twitter/BethesdaTopics: The Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, Bethesda
