THIS MOD WILL HAVE LIMITID SUPPORT.  I am not really a modder or that tech savvy so if anyone wants to make an essentially identical mod only better or make a really good version of this mod, PLEASE DO!

Inspired by similar mods adding starting gear to Helgen Keep, Riverwood player homes available from the start, and survival and needs mods, The Adventure Begins aspires to make vanilla start and survival and immersive game builds a little less harsh and tedious because as Ysolda of Whiterun puts it, "Skyrim's a hard enough land when you've got a roof over your head."  Everything is placed near and intended for a vanilla start following the first two Main Quests, "Unbound" and "Before the Storm" (MQ101 and 102) to keep areas modified by this mod limited and because alternate start mods that allow players avoid the vanilla start usually include (as far as I know) some starting gear when the player spawns in the world.

The first thing this mod adds is a very few basic vanilla weapons, armor, spells, food, and crafting materials in moderation within Helgen Keep keeping in mind the context of the location with the goal of keeping immersion while providing some variety and a leg up with non faction armor options, spells for a slight boost to different mage builds, a leg up with needs mods, and basic leather crafting materials to create necessary or useful survival gear added by survival mods.  The bulk of the crafting materials are placed in the player home closer to the actual crafting stations so that players will not have to lug as much loot from Helgen and hopefully account for survival mods that reduce carry weight.

Secondly, a house is added just outside Riverwood's the southern gate (the one players enter Riverwood by following the Main Quest introduction sequence, coordinates 4, -13 in the Creation Kit).  It is intended to provide early storage, shelter, and a pleasant view until the player has enough money to buy another house.  It does not feature weapon or armor displays, has no crafting, or Hearthfire planters but rather considers that the player will have to use the crafting stations already in Riverwood (or build them later with building or crafting mods such as Hearthfires Extended, Campfire, etc.) and buy or otherwise acquire farmland so as not to make survival or immersive mods too soft and encourage moving into another home.  Some junk miscellaneous notes are placed around the house to connect it with the world with the intention of making it feel like it was lived in by an actual person who actually had a life in Skyrim and less like a convenient safe storage space just dropped out of the sky solely tailored for the player (although that is exactly the case).  I do not think I will add a map marker/fast travel directly to the house because it is already so close to Riverwood and I am creating it with the intention of making it feel like a part of Riverwood.

Thirdly, a dog companion is added to provide early game combat assistance, companionship, and loot hauling because every hero needs a side kick.  Now has a spell that can summon him (see the new journal inside the house) and a treat dialogue as of version 1.0.3.  The dog has the follower faction, dismissed follower faction, and potential animal faction to function and hopefully avoid other mod added dialogue intended for humanoid NPCs and also not be affected by the Spriggan's animal charming spell.

Credits to sources that actually made it possible for this mod to function:

StandoMania Games for an easy to follow tutorial series on the Creation Kit interface

BestInSlot for a convenient reference tutorial series on the basics of how to make a mod

Darkfox127  for numerous videos covering all the basics of the Creation Kit in more detail

Joseph Russell's Four Part Tutorial Series on creating complex followers

JaySerpa Modding Community on Discord - particularly Torio and JobiWan,

Joseph Russell's Humble Hearth on Discord

The Dark Fox Guild on Discord - particularly Alva for helping to grind through creating a working treat script

Arcane University: Seq Guide for useful information on how to really fix the dialogue bug

SSEEdit Team for making SSEEdit

Custom Dragon Shout Tutorial by Cumbrianlad for a detailed walkthrough and pre-written script for learning shouts in game

I'm A Doctor Not A for a tutorial video on making shouts

Alexander J Velicky and Mattiewagg for contribution to this discussion on creating shouts [Help]Custom Shouts

Complete Example Scripts for providing script examples

Lazy Voice Finder - FInd voice assets just you want and Yakitori Audio Converter - Convert fuz-xwm-wav-various audio files both by BowmoreLover for very helpful tools that really speed up the process of finding, editing, and converting voice files

PlagueHush for helping with modifying the custom race so that mod added husky textures will apply for players who want improved dog textures and leaving a husky texture mod as an open resource for mod authors

Handy mods for decorating or modifying the house:

Jaxonz Positioner Converter Remastered

Hearthfire Extended

Eye Candy enhancing mods that make Pleasant View pleasant in my game:

Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM

Skyrim Flora Overhaul SE

Realistic Water Two SE (RWT)

ERM - Enhanced Rocks and Mountains

Vivid Weathers Definitive Edition X25 - a complete Weather and Visual overhaul for Skyrim

Just some quality of life mods:

MCM Recorder

More Informative Console

Compatibility Notes:

Tested in my game to be compatible with JK's Skyrim

Tested to be compatible with Realistic Husky Sounds SSE: the dog will use the files added by this mod since this mod just uses the vanilla sound files for idling and dialogue topics

Husky texture mods that change the bare husky texture should now apply to the dog with version 1.0.3

The dog should work alongside other dog following and added dialogue mods but not with the mods since I followed the method in Darkfox127's Advanced Animal Followers Tutorial and made a race with an ID separate from vanilla and a custom follower framework from Joseph Russel's How to Make a Follower Mod Like Lucien Flavius.  Currently, good dog/bad dog dialogue and a basic treat mechanic are already added to the framework for immersion/roleplay purposes.  Depending on how mods identify legitimate NPCs for added dialogue, some mods that add dialogue to humanoid NPCs (such as needs mods that allow the player to ask for water) may appear on my dog since the framework was intended for a humanoid follower rather than a pet (and I do not have to skills or knowledge to edit it towards a pet follower).  Currently, it is confirmed that I'm Glad You're Here - a follower and spouse appreciation mod - SSE does successfully add the dog petting dialogue topic to my mod's dog follower.

Miscellaneous Note:

I attempted to keep the pictures as vanilla as possible with only one mod and its requirement downloaded to make my testing easier and more convenient Alternate Start - Live Another Life - SSE

When I installed Skyrim SE/AE (latest and greatest, whatever it is called) it automatically read my graphics and set Skyrim graphics to the highest settings.  Therefore, my mod will look different depending on computer graphics and installed mods.

Before posting complaints:

Be aware that I am not an experienced modder or tech expert.  I made the mod primarily for myself, with my own preferences, to complement my preferred mods.

Before posting bugs:

Dialogue may not first appear on the dog follower.  It is a common bug and usually fixed by saving and reloading.  Credits to Joseph Russell's Part 2 follower tutorial chapter "The Dialogue Bug and How to Fix It"  Hopefully fixed in version 1.0.2

Sometimes, the dog will play barking animations with no sound.  I think that it is just Skyrim being Skyrim.  With the infamous game engine bug known as the False Save Corruption Bug, the dog will loose barking sounds as a result.  It is fixed with SSE Engine Fixes (skse64 plugin).

The dog will sandbox in the home added by this mod when not a follower but ONLY after the main quest "Before the Storm" is completed.  This is because I set a condition for the ai package not to play until the completion of this specific quest for timing so that the dog can be found in a specific location but not inconveniently go back to the same place after being dismissed later in the game.

I have noticed in my modded game that the dog will get hung in some areas.  On some testing with an essentially vanilla game, previous areas where he got hung no longer caused issues, therefore is the result of some other mod.  I only slightly touched Navmesh outside the door of the house so that NPCs can enter and exit the house.

Sometimes the notes pinned with a dagger will be laying on the ground.  I don't think I can improve on this due to the Skyrim game engine and collision boxes; the notes will fall down with the lightest collision box disturbance.

For other potential bugs - Save and reload.  Save, exit game, and reload.  Reload previous save.  Make sure there are no mods that are trying to modify the same area outside of Riverwood or the same containers in Helgen.