As far as the mage build goes, there are a few possibilities.
Or you should've gone to the Mages college in Winterhold like I told you and trained your destruction skill, which is exactly what you've done with your new character
For now, I'll take your word for it Chief. It is definately a game on my list. I haven't tried any of them yet as I have been playing MMOG with distant friends but this game looks so amazing I just have to try it. Social interaction be dammned.
Like I said, I'd almost certainly give an Elder Scrolls MMO a shot, but I don't think it would work very well. Now if you did something more akin to Diablo where it's only multiplayer games of 2, maybe 4 people, then that could work perhaps.