Currently, Level 5, I've spoke to the Jarl of Whiterun in the main story and I completed Dustman's Cairn for the companions.
On the topic of hardcoe realism, you could also turn off the HUD (by completely lowering opacity), which also means you cannot see your health/stamina/magicka, never look at the 3D map, require a certain amount of food/drink/shelter per day, turn off crosshair, and never fast travel.
That's how I make the game feel as realistic as possible. However I realise you didn't ask for that; you asked for advice on your build and keeping him realistic. I would strongly recommend full Stalhrim armour and weapon set, as it looks badass and fits the Viking theme with the horns on the helm and so on. In RPing terms, drink alcohol aplenty, court fine wenches, aim for all the Thane titles and possibly even live in the snowier parts of Skyrim - for example you could build Heljarchen Hall.