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Posted by: SubRosa Jun 24 2013, 05:26 PM

The inspiration for this story came to me last week. As will probably be evident to many, this is an homage to the masterpiece by Akira Kurosawa. It is my humble attempt to translate that great story to the Elder Scrolls Universe. Following the old adage of striking while the iron is hot, I decided to put the TF on hold while I write this instead. Once I am done, I will get back to the TF, and wrap it up with one more chapter.

This is also a prequel, taking place eight years before the events of the TF, shortly after Aela and Ungarion graduated from the Arcane University.


Seven

Prologue

25th Second Seed, 3E425

Vishta-Zaw slithered through the mud with ease. In fact, he had to take care not to move too quickly, lest he overtake Dark-Eye. The other Naga would look upon that as a challenge for leadership of the company. A challenge that Vishta-Zaw was not ready to make, yet. For while his one-eyed leader's age was beginning to show in the fading color of his once dark green scales, his killing power had not subsided. The way he had dealt with the hackwing the day before had made that clear...

Soon the land began to rise, and the mud turned to drier, hard-packed dirt. That made the going slower for the pack of Nagas. Where folk with two legs had an easy time on such ground, it was more difficult for his race to propel themselves upon their serpentine lower halves. Unlike ordinary snakes, they had a torso, head, and arms to balance aloft above their thick tails. It was much easier moving through the swamp's water and muck, where their tails could whip them forward at speed. Yet still they managed without complaint. The latter was a sign of weakness, and weakness was not tolerated in Dark-Eye's company.

In time they topped a ridge and Dark-Eye came to a halt. Vishta-Zaw slithered up beside his leader and followed his one-eyed gaze down into the valley below. Stretched out there in the small, oval-shaped bowl of land stood the settlement of Agrigento, a collection of simple timber and reed homes raised up on stilts in the traditional Argonian fashion. At the center of the village rose a tall structure of the Imperial style. It's walls were entirely of stone, pierced by numerous windows filled in with hinged glass panes, and topped by a roof of glazed red tiles. A fence of simple woven reeds bordered the settlement, and beyond that water-logged rice paddies stretched in all directions. Dykes of hard-packed dirt spread out in a grid through the fields, dividing them up into numerous flooded squares.

Imperials, they just loved to impose their straight lines, squares, and rectangles upon everything. They seemed to think that their geometry would somehow bring them closer to the gods. Any Naga could have told them that nothing on Nirn was straight and neat. All their efforts did was separate them from nature. The Naga wizard knew that would only doom them to extinction. It was only a matter of time.

His eyes fell upon the Imperials laboring in the rice paddies. They went barefoot through the water, wearing simple dark tunics and conical reed hats to ward off the sun. Alongside them toiled their tamed Argonians. Once the Saxhleel had been a strong, proud people, Vishta-Zaw mused. But like so many of them now, these had abandoned the ancient ways of the deep swamp, and now what had they become? They were little more than slaves for the smoothskins. The Naga race would never fall so low.

"They are bringing in their crop," Dark-Eye observed. "Good, I grow thirsty."

"It will take them time to dry and husk the rice," Vishta-Zaw leaned against his staff, which was tipped with a large chunk of flame-red crystal. "Then they will need more time to brew their soju."

"To brew our soju," the chieftain corrected him. The side of his head that faced the wizard was gouged with deep scars leading through the ruin of his eye socket, which was covered with a jeweled eye-patch.

Dark-Eye turned to level his remaining indigo eye upon his lieutenant, and then the gang of other Nagas behind them. "We will give them six weeks," he cried. "Then we will return to wet our throats, and have some sport!"

That brought a chorus of assenting hisses from the other bandits. Some banged their spears against the rims of the small, bone shields. Others simply stabbed their weapons skyward in expectation of the revelry.

* * *

Hathei held his breath until the Nagas had gone. Even then he still waited, just in case any of them returned, or were still lurking in the shadows of the trees. Magnus crawled through the sky, and several lesser creatures crawled across the Argonian's washed out yellow-brown scales. Still he waited, not moving an inch, in the way that only his race could do.

Finally Hathei rose up from his belly and stood straight. His gaze darted through the trees that lined the top of the ridge, seeking anything out of place. Yet there came no hisses or croaks of discovery, no spears came flying out to pierce his scales, and no magicka crackled to snuff out his life.

The aging Argonian was thankful for the bundle of reeds that was slung over his back. If not for them, surely the Nagas would have seen him. He had been lying on his stomach, just inches from their bellies, with only the camouflage of those reeds between him and certain death. Now that bundle of reeds slowed him down as he turned and ran for the village below. He was tempted to throw them aside so that he might run faster. But he knew he would only have to return for them later. At his age, he did not have the energy to do the same thing twice. So he labored on, as farmers always do.

His mind whirled as he made his way down the slope of the valley to the settlement below. They were coming back, again! They would take all of the soju, just like the last time, and the time before. Worse, the Nagas might take another of the women again, just as they had Rullianus' wife. What had been left of her after they had finished would have made a butcher sick. Who would they take next? His own daughter Meen-Sa?

No, not Meen-Sa. He could not let that happen to her. They had to do something this time. They just had to.

Posted by: Darkness Eternal Jun 24 2013, 05:53 PM

So I finally get to be part of SubRosa's epic story as it begins. A prequel, no less. This is good, as I can read this and begin the other stories you've created

Instantly I knew I had a glimpse of Black Marsh here. The names seem very Argonian-like, and sure enough we find Dark-Eye and Vishta spying on an Imperial settlement. From what I can tell, you took the Imperials from the First Edition Pocket Guide with their rice plantations and manner of building. This I like, too. It's very much part of the lore anyways and I rarely ever read stories depicting the humans in this light.

I liked this part. It stood out and painted a vivid picture of the Saxhleel tribesmen performing their war dance. You mentioned racism once, and I already see we're going to have a lock-of-horns between the smoothskins and the argonians.

Ah. Sneaky Hathai! Warn the villagers, save the soju! Protect the women! The Bandits are coming!

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jun 25 2013, 01:27 AM

When I saw this, I couldn't resist! As D.E. said, it will be great to follow one as it is posted, since at least one Christmas will pass before I catch up in the TF saga.

What I love about this so far is that it is not "game related" at all, other than the setting. I am in awe of the creativity involved. I am not "lore wise", so I had to look up what a hackwing was on the ES Wiki. They don't even have an entry for soju, but from the context, I will assume it is something like saki.

Anyway, a very interesting start and I can't wait for more.

Posted by: mALX Jun 25 2013, 02:23 PM

GAAAAAH!!!! Aela and Ungarion !!! Missed my Birthday and Christmas, but this is just what I've been asking/wishing for!

I am hugely excited about getting some more detailed background on Aela and Ungarion's history, using the movie as a basis won't change what I know of them so far, will it? (Hint hint, thinking Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin here) ...

I will most definitely be back here to read, just can't this morning. <333

Posted by: ghastley Jun 25 2013, 02:46 PM

Nice adaptation so far. Your Tamriel just works properly, as a self-consistent setting where the magic makes sense, and people behave the way you expect with magic around them. The choice of races here is interesting, and again fits the lore well. It will be interesting to see how things transpose, especially after it's already been done in a different context.

(And what other movies with numbers in their titles are on your list? 2001?)

Posted by: McBadgere Jun 25 2013, 07:38 PM

As The Magnificent Seven is one of my all time favourite films, I'm looking forward to seeing how you play it out...

I'm loving the Black Marsh setting already...And Dark-Eye sounds like a most worthy Eli Wallach... ...

I bet that was a scary sentence to write... ...It was scary enough to read, I tell ya!... ...

Aaamywho, as ever, an amazingly brilliant write...Looking forward to seeing who you have to support Aela and Ungarion...(I'm assuming they'll be the two getting out the other side... )...But definitely looking forward to more of those two...

Posted by: mALX Jun 25 2013, 07:44 PM

Isn't it based on the Seven Samurai movie?

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jun 25 2013, 07:53 PM

I wanted to comment yesterday but I was at work and had only my iPad. For some reason this forum's reply screen doesn't look good on an iPad. Anyway, enough with the excuses.

Now that I have time to sit down at my laptop and visit Chorrol, let me say this.

I've seen both versions of The Magnificent Seven and loved both versions. I grew up on the same one as McB, of course, but finally tracked down the original version just a couple of years ago. I really enjoyed matching the different characters and comparing their styles.

Likewise, I look forward to seeing how this stacks up to the movies. If your recent escapade in the TF is any indication, we are in for a wild ride!

Already I'm liking how Dark-Eye is being developed. These two lines stand out as a succinct summation of his character:

And this:


You are showing mastery in developing a character I know will be the villian through the perspective of others.

ThatSkyrimGuy: Soju is a lot like sake, but stronger and more potent. It is the traditional rice liquor (not wine, but likker worthy of Pappy) brewed in Korea and served at their bazillion streetside bars.

mALX: McB is right in a way. The Magnificent Seven is a Western remake of The Seven Samurai. As someone who has watched both movies, I would have to say they are very similar, and both very well done.

Posted by: McBadgere Jun 25 2013, 08:01 PM

Sorry to butt in again, and yes H.E.R. did already answer (cheers! )...

But yeah, The Maginficent Seven is a remake of the Seven Samurai, down to the fact that all the actors were hired with very little script, but as they were all fans of the S.S. they were told which of the Samurai they'd be versions of and agreed most heartily to it...

Hey, it could have been worse...I could have said Battle Beyond the Stars!!...(Roger Corman's take on the S.S.)...

Many apologies Subrosa, I shall not pollute further this fair eve... ...

Posted by: mALX Jun 25 2013, 08:08 PM

GAAAAAH! I never knew that! Thank you both for clearing that up! *mALX unscrews head, dusts cobwebs, screws head back on*

Posted by: Acadian Jun 25 2013, 09:16 PM

Heh, I confess the title conjured nary an image of Yul Brynner nor Steve McQueen; rather, I was hoping to see a braying reappearance of Mad Jack's Number Seven. Or. . . perhaps a buxomly Nordic entrance by Seven of Nine.

‘At his age, he did not have the energy to do the same thing twice.’ - - Ah, but hopefully he’s as good once as he ever was.

Ahem. Okay. What a wonderfully rich, mysterious and interesting setting! And very quickly, you introduce some of your cast and create a real sense of drama over the frightening prospect of the Nagas’ returning to drink the farmers’ soju and eat their women.

Yet, you leave plenty of details still to be revealed – leaving us hungry for more. Hathei seems as if he cares not only about his family, but the village as well. This makes me wonder if the Naga description of the relationship as slavery is an inaccurate assessment delivered via what is perhaps a jaded view held by the Nagas.

Posted by: mALX Jun 26 2013, 07:17 AM

*


I felt a little lost and out of my element in the beginning section, especially trying to drum up an image of the Naga (my mind kept going to Tsaesci). Overall my biggest confusion was brought on by this huge nit:

Nit:

Wait, I saw Aela and Ungarion's names on your intro! I thought this was going to be their background history! ARGH! It was a trick! I was reading the first section, the whole time trying to correlate how those Naga were going to fit into Aela and Ungarion's history! GAAAAAAH!

"Okay, I'm back."

The second section in Hathei's POV pulled me in a little better, and I had the same thought Acadian did - the Naga viewpoint may be jaded, or even deliberately discounting those they intend to victimize later, especially in light of the memories Hathei had of their previous attacks on the women of his village.

I don't have a handle yet on the players (or background/history/plot/etc, not having seen either movie), but if you are writing it I know I am in for an excellent and well written story - looking forward to more!


*

Posted by: SubRosa Jun 28 2013, 08:28 PM

Darkness Eternal: Glad to have you aboard DE! It is indeed set in Black Marsh. Well, some of it at least. We will be in Bravil County for a while first, as the samurai gunmen adventurers are recruited.

I am not really basing the Imperials on the First Edition Pocket Guide jungle dwellers though. Not specifically at least. I was just thinking about living in a hot, humid environment like Argonia, and it struck me that the humans living there would probably end up dressing and looking like people in places like South-East Asia.


ThatSkyrimGuy: I understand just how intimidating those huge, older stories can be. It is hard to get into, let alone finish, something with over a hundred thousand words. It is even more intimidating when you put it that way!

I had to look up Hackwing too! I did a lot of reading on the UESP Wiki beforehand, especially http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Black_Marsh. I read the Argonian Account too, and some of the other things linked in that page. It helped me get a better idea of how to present the place. Though I am still creating many things whole cloth. The idea for soju is one. As H.E.R. pointed out already, it is a sweet-tasting rice liquor made in Korea, with a real kick to it (45% alcohol and up). It was one twist I wanted to put on the original tale of bandits who just wanted rice.


mALX: You have not seen the Seven Samurai, or the Magnificent Seven?!? Get thee to Netflix immediately! Both are outstanding movies, with Seven Samurai being the original, and Mag Seven a Western adaptation of it (which goes to show that Hollywood has been copying Asian movies for over fifty years). My prologue is actually a nearly identical recreation of that from the Seven Samurai, only translated to Tamriel. The entire story will not be that literal a copy of course, but I wanted to start it out with a clear nod to Kurosawa.

We won't be seeing that part of A&U's past though, that has was even earlier, back when they were both students at the Arcane U. Unless there are places where I can work flashbacks in.

The Nagas are only vaguely described in the ES gamebooks. They seem to be Argonians that are just more snake-like than the usual ones we see in the game. That sounds kind of boring to me, so I am going to use the more common Naga description of the human-like upper half, and snake bottom. So they will be like the Tsaesci, only not vampires. I will give a more detailed description when the Seven get to the village and actually see them face to face. I did not want to bog down the prologue with a lot of description.


ghastley: Maybe I'll do the Three Argonians? Two And A Half Imperials? Ten Little Bosmer?

I wound up going for Black Marsh because I needed a setting where the local authorities would not just move in and deal with the Nagas. It had to be somewhere out in the sticks, and Argonia is about the most remote place in Tamriel. Even at its height, the Empire never controlled the interior, and only barely hung on to the outer regions. Plus I wanted my version of this tale to have its own unique flavor. Argonia is one of the more exotic places in Tamriel, and Argonians one of the most exotic races.


McBadgere: I wanted Dark-Eye to really stick out in that scene, since he is the boss bad guy, and because after that scene we are not going to see him again for some time. He is really more based upon the chief bandit in Seven Samurai (down to the eyepatch). But that character never really did much. We will be seeing some Eli Wallach inspired scenes later in the story though, when we meet Dark-Eye again.


haute ecole rider: Both versions? I guess you mean Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven from 1960? Not the original Mag Seven with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, and the tv remake with Michael Bein and Ron Perlman from 1998? I think it interesting comparing those two as well. I find I prefer the tv show better. The characters feel more interesting and fleshed out, and have more variety to them. The addition of the somewhat crazy holy man was especially a good touch IMHO, as well as the African-American medic. But I thought that even the characters directly ported from the 60's version felt more alive to me. Vin's background of the buffalo hunter turned bounty hunter with a price on his head was much better than the original Vin. Likewise, Michael Bien's version of Chris had more history to him as well, as a man turned bad after the murder of his wife. I especially liked how the newspaper woman inflated the story of the gunfight in the city at the start of the movie, and gave all the credit to Chris to try to scare off other outlaw types. It made me wonder just how much of Chris' reputation was real, and how much made up by other people for their own benefit?


Acadian: Oh noes, not Seven of Nine!

As you have already thought aloud, I would not put too much stock in the view of the Naga wizard. Like you said, he has his own agenda, and worldview, which is more about serving himself and justifying his actions (and arrogance) than anything else.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found a group of Naga bandits led by Dark-Eye observing a farming village in Black Marsh that was bringing in its rice crop. Dark-Eye declared that they would return in six weeks, after they had distilled the rice into soju, and take it for themselves, and anyone else they wanted. Unknown to them, a villager named Hathei was hiding in the brush just inches away. He sped back to the village to warn them of the impending doom.


Chapter 1.1

"This would be much easier to carry if you would just summon up one of those archaeans again." Ungarion hefted a sack bulging with goods over one shoulder, and struggled with a second canvas bag with his other hand. "We did not graduate from the Arcane University just to drag heavy objects around the countryside."

"No, we graduated so you could learn to use feather spells," Aela shot back as she hefted her own bags of loot. She was thankful for her knowledge of Restoration, which among other things allowed her to fortify her strength. "Perhaps you should have majored in Alteration?"

"I found it more expedient to major in financial transactions," Ungarion winked. He set down each of his sacks in turn, then filled his hands with yellow light. Aela recognized the feather spell he cast upon each bag. She also noted that the high elf made no move to cast the same spell to lighten her own sacks of loot. Instead he now raised each over-stuffed bag with ease and nodded down the street before them. "I thought you majored in Conjuration though."

"I did," Aela said, "as well as Restoration. But you know how summoning spirits gets the hayseeds out here in the country excited. They're the next best thing to Alessia Ottus. They'd be coming at us with pitchforks and torches before you could say 'Nirn Spirit'"

http://i.imgur.com/cd4LSMK.jpg

"Aye," Ungarion smiled, "and then we'd have to kill them all. With nary a gold coin or gemstone to loot off their bodies. Best to let them live instead."

Aela could not suppress a wry smile at her friend's joke, and continued on down Telamon's main street. It was a simple affair of hard-packed dirt, kicking up small clouds of dust about their ankles with each step. One and two story buildings of stone painted with whitewash lined the avenue, roofed with red-glazed tiles that fairly blazed in the light from Magnus overhead. Horses and carts clattered to and fro around them, as did other pedestrians, and the pair of magicians had to watch their steps to avoid collisions.

Most of the people around them were Imperials clad in the threadbare flax or wool of peasants. A few wore the linen of the artisan class, and her eyes spotted a single patrician clad in velvet riding in the back of a carriage. Here and there she saw one of the tailed folk, and even more rarely an elf.

Most paid little attention to her and Ungarion, but once in a while an Imperial stopped to stare at Aela. She knew that look all too well. She had been receiving it ever since she had transitioned to living female at University. It was partly a gape of shock, and partly a sneer of disgust, as if she was something unnatural and revolting they had the misfortune of discovering upon the bottom of their shoe.

Each time Aela felt a tiny dagger prick into her heart. It was not the hate that bothered her. Every race in Tamriel hated every other one, or so it seemed. Rather it was the fact that they had seen through her female presentation. After everything she had done to change herself, and all of the study and hard work to get there, some people still saw the maleness within her. It made it feel like it had all been for naught, and she would never be able to live as the person she truly was within.

Aela sighed, and tried to ignore the people around her, and the disquieting feelings they conjured up. She wished they were back in the forest again. At least the animals and the trees saw her for who she really was, rather than simply as the body she had been born into. Even Imperials often said that animals were good judges of character. It was too bad they did not find a lesson in that…

"Maybe we should sell some of this here?" Aela stopped and nodded to a shop whose sign depicted a shield and pair of crossed swords. "We could unload some of the larger pieces."

"I suppose we could." Ungarion dropped one sack with a clanking of metal, and thoughtfully rubbed his chin with one hand. "We might find a better price out here in the backwoods for some of this than we will in Bravil. They probably don't see mithril or dwarven gear very often. Then again, they probably won't have as much coin to buy with as the merchants of Bravil..."

"Well then, let's dazzle them with your sparkling personality my dear, and part them from those few coins they do possess." Aela set down her bags and filled her hands with power. In her mind's eye the Altmer became taller, handsomer, and more distinguished than he already was. Laying her hands upon the black silk of his robe, she poured her magicka through that image and into the high elf.

Ungarion cleared his throat, and took a moment to straighten up his attire. Even dusty and travel-worn, he seemed to almost glow with magnetism. Aela could swear that light glittered from his teeth as he smiled, and Magnus himself seemed to bend his rays to bathe him in a radiant shine. More than one person walking past actually paused to stare with admiration as he hefted his bags of loot and strode to the door of the weapon shop.

The proprietor within seemed less moved by Ungarion and his magically enhanced personality however. Yet he did buy several daggers from them, as well as a Dwemer arming sword that had once been the property of a marauder chief. In the end they walked out with lighter bags and heavier coin purses.

"Well that is a start," Ungarion said as he blinked his eyes against the sudden glare of the sun. "By the time we sell all of this off, we should be able to pay off Fathis Ules for several months in advance."

Aela wrinkled her nose at the thought of the Imperial City usurer. She owed him more money than she cared to think about. But without his loans, she never could have paid for the Arcane University. Especially after all of her scholarship applications had been turned down. It was ironic that even though she had graduated at the top of her Restoration and Conjuration classes, she was not academically gifted enough to earn a financial deferment from the school.

She gripped the necks of her bags with her enhanced strength, and pretended they belonged to Irlav Jarol and Martina Floria. There had been many at the University who had taunted and teased her, but those two had done their best to have her thrown out entirely. She was thankful for the more open-minded staff members like Raminus Polus and Selene Duronia. Aela knew that they had championed her right to study there. Neither one ever spoke much about it, but she could tell from what little they did say, that the Mage Council Chambers had been a battlefield.

The screeching of gulls came to Aela's ears, and a turn of the road brought them into full view of Telamon's harbor. The muddy brown waters of the Panther River flowed by from the left, emptying out into the deep blue expanse of Niben Bay in the west. Between the two lay a small semicircle of calm water cut into the coastline at the mouth of the river. Two stone quays ran out into the inlet. Flat-bottomed barges and horse-powered riverboats were tied up to the one on the east. Heavier sailing craft were docked at the western pier, and it was to these deep-water hulks that Aela and Ungarion made their way.

The docks were small, but busy with people and animals making their way to and from the vessels. Given that the port was the main reason for Telamon's existence, that did not surprise Aela. They got in line behind many others waiting to board a packet ship bound for Bravil, and dropped their bags with a clatter of steel.

Aela took the time to produce a hand mirror and comb, and went to work straightening her long, sandy brown hair. Once she was finished she proceeded to check the light dusting of makeup around her eyes, and the soft shade of rouge on her lips.

As she had a thousand times, she sighed as the plain features that stared back at her in the silvered glass. She looked convincingly female enough for most people to never give her a second glance. But there was always one person in every crowd who noticed her adam's apple. While her magic had given her an hourglass frame, her shoulders were still a bit too broad, and her hips too narrow, and her breasts too small. Never mind her man-hands. Some things even seven years of Restoration magic could not repair. At least not yet. If only she had been born a normal woman…

She put the mirror away and tried not to look at the women around her. There was no point reminding herself how she did not look after all.

"Excuse us good folk," Aela turned at the sound of a husky Argonian voice. "But these ones could not help but notice from your staves and your baggage, that the two of you are adventuring mages?"

Aela and Ungarion found a pair of Argonians and a pair of Nibeneans standing behind them. The Argonian speaking was dressed in good, cream-colored linen edged with red embroidery. The scales of his skin were deep green, and each side of his long head was crowned by a row of horns. Beside him stood a much older lizardine with washed out yellow-brown scales, wearing the worn and dirty clothing of a peasant.

One of the humans with them was a young man with dark hair and eyes. He too was dressed in rough attire, and bore the calluses and tanned skin of a farmer. Finally there was a middle-aged woman with similar black hair and eyes. She wore a dress of good green linen, and Aela imagined from the worn skin of her hands and paler skin that she was an artisan, or someone else who worked indoors with her hands.

The Breton Witch glanced down at her bags, whose tops had fallen open to reveal the hilts of swords and other looted weapons, along with helmets, breastplates, and bits and pieces of armor. It was easy to see how the newcomers had discerned their profession. As if Ungarion's black silk robe with its silver-stitched diamond patterns was not a dead giveaway, or his dark staff and its blood-hued crystal. Her own white, vine-entwined staff was the only real clue to her profession. Otherwise her simple white chemise, brown bodice, and sturdy pants were hardly noteworthy. Except of course for the pads of hardened leather that protected her knees and a few other vital areas.

http://i.imgur.com/XfHker5.jpg

"Why indeed we are!" Ungarion declared. "I am Ungarion, the finest warlock of the west! And allow me to introduce you to my partner Aela, the most brilliant Witch of Niben Bay."

Aela could not help but to roll her eyes at the Altmer's theatrics. He always did like to put on a show. She would think that a black marketeer would want to keep a low profile. It was just her luck to befriend the only smuggler in Cyrodiil who wanted everyone to look at him.

"If you will allow us to introduce ourselves, my name is Ulpia," the human woman began. She gestured to the linen-clad Argonian, then the older lizardine, and finally the Nibenean man in turn. "This is Stalks-The-Marshes, Hathei, and Rullianus. We are from the village of Agrigento, and are in need of fighters such as yourselves."

"I am afraid I have never heard of your settlement," Aela said. "Is it here on the Niben?"

"No, not quite," Stalks-The-Marshes said. "Our village lies beyond the headwaters of the Panther, across the border in the Black Marsh."

"You have come a long way then," Ungarion whistled.

"This one comes here often in fact," Stalks-The-Marshes said, "to sell our soju in Bravil. Or at least this one used to. So it is not an unfamiliar journey."

"So what is it that you need mages for?" Aela asked.

"Naga bandits," Ulpia said plainly. "For years now they've been preying upon us. They come twice a year, every time after we have distilled our soju. They take it, and anything else they want, and kill anyone who tries to stop them. Or just anyone at all."

"This sounds like something for the Imperial authorities?" Ungarion raised an eyebrow.

"The Imperial Legion has better things to do," Rullianus practically spat upon the quay beneath them. "We tried appealing to the Imperial Governor in Soulrest. He couldn't give two shats from a crocodile's tail about us."

"The Empire's authority does not extend as deeply into the hinterland as these one's settlement lies," Stalks-The-Marshes smoothly continued. "It never has. That was one reason these built there. To avoid… Imperial entanglements."

"Such as taxes and duties," Ungarion nodded his approval.

"But now your strategy has backfired," Aela said dryly, "and you lack the protection those taxes and duties pay for."

"Unfortunately, yes," Ulpia agreed sourly. "That is what we need people like yourselves for."

"What is the opposition?" Ungarion asked.

"Thirty or forty Nagas," Rullianus frowned, "give or take a few."

Aela coughed. "It will take more than a pair of mages for that. You'd need at least, oh a dozen good mercenaries. People with experience, who aren't afraid of long odds. Or perhaps half that many, if they are really good."

"What is the pay?" Ungarion asked, his eyes taking on that crafty look they always possessed when the subject of gold came up.

"These ones can feed you," the aging Argonian Hathei finally spoke. "Three meals a day, and offer some soju as well."

"Feed us!" Ungarion sputtered. "That's it? Good luck finding anyone that hungry!"

"Wait!" Rullianus held up his hands before Ungarion could turn away. "I once heard the Naga leader say that there was a price on his head. You could take it to Soulrest to collect the bounty. Or any other Imperial fortress."

"The Nagas have loot as well," Ulpia added. "They are highwaymen, preying upon those who travel from Gideon to Stormhold. They have many stolen goods, gold, jewels, you name it. All would be yours if you can defeat them."

Aela noted the sharp look that Stalks-The-Marshes shot the Nibenean woman. The Witch imagined that he would prefer to keep that loot for himself and the village. Aela could not blame the Argonian for his greed. Some of the treasure was doubtlessly their own to begin with.

"Well, we just finished with a band of marauders in Morahame," Aela declared. "We have to sell off our own loot, and have accounts to settle. So we cannot go anywhere with you. I suggest you try the Fighters Guild in Bravil. They might take your contract."

"These ones are indeed headed for Bravil," Stalks-The-Marshes declared. "These ones expect that shall be the best place to raise a force from. Perhaps when your business is concluded you will come find us?"

"Perhaps we shall indeed," Ungarion said. Aela noted that the high elf had that thoughtful expression again. She knew that he was thinking about that bounty, and imagining what kind of loot a band of Naga robbers might accumulate. The marauders in Morahame had collected quite a haul of goods, especially in the form of their armor and weapons. The Breton had to admit that she was thinking about it herself. But first things first. She owed Fathis Ules money, and needed to make a deposit at the Temple of Zenithar to keep the money-lender off her back.

Posted by: Acadian Jun 28 2013, 10:44 PM

A richly detailed quaint port village along the east bank of the Niben. A&U’s business there was clearly presented while handily introducing them to this story. As was the proposed task – enough of a potential reward to draw interest from the roguish pair of arcane adventurers. I loved how our oily but lovable black marketeer scoffed over the prospect of payment in the form of room and board!

In trying to place this within the general timeline of Teresa’s world, do these events take place before or after the Oblivion Crisis? Your reference to the Bravil FG is what cues me to ask. Or perhaps I should simply allow future interactions with the FG to speak for themselves in upcoming episodes?


Nit? ’Aela noted the sharp look at that Stalks-The-Marshes shot the Nibenean woman.’ - - The word ‘at’ seems out of place. I think the sentence might be better to lose it?

Edit: Oops. Although your description was as sharp and memorable as the teeth at the mouth of the Panther, I somehow typed 'west' bank of the Niben when, of course, Telamon is the east bank. Fixed.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jun 28 2013, 10:47 PM

Actually I was referring to the original Mag 7 from the '60s with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. I will have to watch the remake of the remake, especially as it stars, according to you, two actors whom I like very, very much. I always liked the air of mystery about Chris in the original, how he seldom spoke of himself. He let his actions speak for himself, and that always pushes my buttons.

On to this story. I loved the significant amount of world building you are doing here. The settlement, is that anywhere near the Teeth of the Panther? Just wondered how far back does this story go before the Oblivion Crisis? A couple of years? A couple of decades?

Loved Aela's primping on the docks. She may have a man's body, but definitely has the heart of a woman! And loved the details of financial woes and how costly her education was. These are issues I will have to address soon! So it's always good to see how other writers tackle this question.

S.G.M!

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jun 29 2013, 01:12 AM

Well, I have never seen The Seven Samurai, and I was a child when I saw the original The Magnificent Seven that H.E.R. mentioned, so I am in the dark as to comparing the stories. I think I am going to keep it that way. After finishing the story, I'll rent the movies and compare afterward.

SubRosa, reading this is like mana from the Gods. Your ability to build a scene, and in this case, a world, is enviable. The details, the wit, and the insight all flow together seamlessly. KUDOS!

I am confused about one thing though. The prologue placed this story before the TF...a prequel. And it is, from the context, well after Aela graduates from from the A.U. Ok, here is what I'm trying to get at...How do the street peasants of Telamon know she is trans-gendered? Especially from the screenshot, she looks very female to me. Is it just self-consciousness that Aela feels, and the looks are precieved rather then actual? Or did the people of Telamon know her/his former self?

Still, this doesn't detract from the quality of this installment. Great stuff and ready for more!

Posted by: McBadgere Jun 29 2013, 09:47 AM

We watched the tv remake...Thoroughly loved all of the characters in it...

Aaamywho...Brilliant episode...Excellent imparting of a huge amount of history without it dragging...Massively impressed I am!...

Holy Obi-Wan!!... ...

A brilliant start, masterfully told...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: King Coin Jun 29 2013, 04:26 PM

Prologue
This story has an interesting beginning. I definitely like this Blackmarsh setting. I do not know what a Naga is however; UESP didn’t have anything on them either. Looking at the other comments, it seems like I’m the only one that doesn’t know what they are… Where did I miss this info? Whoever they are, I think they will find the community a little more difficult to destroy and slaughter due to the good fortune of one elderly Argonian. The description of how he hid was very exciting. And then his reasons on not dropping his reeds gave him a nice touch of character.


I have not seen any of these movies people are talking about (nor do I want to, I am not a movie buff) but similar to Acadian, the title made me think of Seven of Nine.


Ok I see what a Naga is now, looking at your replies. Weird that a search in UESP didn’t bring up anything.


1
Aela noticed Ungarion didn’t feather her bags, I noticed that Aela didn’t fortify Ungarion’s strength…


So the gender changes in Tamriel aren’t more successful than they are in real life. I just assumed that Aela looked just like a woman due to magic.


Good plan! Get rid of some of that heavy crap! Even if you don’t get as good of a price, you still have the added benefit of not having to lug it all around. That’s what Aravi does.


Nice illusion spell! Now don’t let Ungarion get used to it! He’ll become unbearable!


Ah, the dreaded student loans…


Hathei! Out to hire mercenaries to protect from the coming raid no doubt.

Posted by: SubRosa Jun 29 2013, 06:41 PM

Since more than one person has expressed confusion over the Nagas and Aela's appearance, I have gone back and added more description to each. That is my fault as a writer, not anyone's as a reader. I should have gone into more detail to start with.

For those who are curious, Nagas are serpentine spirits found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. They have been part of the fantasy genre since as far back as the original D&D books. Maybe farther for all I know.

On the subject of Aela, her magic and self- performed surgery has mostly changed to her body to being female. But only mostly. As Teresa noted in Chapter 36 of the TF, there are a few clues to her male origins, such as an adam's apple, "man-hands", etc... Enough for perceptive people to notice, but not enough for most everyone else. That is not something I can accurately portray with screenshots, because every character in the game has exactly the same body, whether they are 80 years old or 20. It would just be too easy if no one ever noticed at all. That would take all of the conflict out of her decision to change her gender presentation, the struggle against which has made her into the person she is today, for good and ill.

Oh, and for those who missed it, the story is set eight years before the TF/Oblivion Crisis (between the events of the Daggerfall and Morrowind games).

Posted by: SubRosa Jul 5 2013, 03:05 PM

Acadian: Good eye on Stalk's out of place "at". Never trust those shifty Argonians...

I picture little port towns along all the mouths of the rivers that flow into eastern Niben Bay. I believe its all part of Bravil County, so I would expect there to be a lot of travel going through them to little farming villages all along the east bank of the Bay. The rivers themselves make excellent avenues for trade and transport of course. So they would probably be spines around which civilization would grow.

Arcane Adventurers, I have to remember that one!


haute ecole rider: Telamon is on the north side of the mouth of the Panther River. Unlike in the game, my Panther river is large enough for boat traffic, like the Ohio or Tennessee. I see large ships traveling from Telamon across the Bay to Bravil and other cities, while barges and other flat bottomed boats go up the river itself.

Of course Aela is primping! A girl always has to be conscious of how she looks. And Aela is more self-conscious than most.

The cost of tuition is a big part of what drives both Aela and Ungarion in this early tale. It made them become adventurers in fact. I expect the Arcane University is no different than any modern top tier university, like Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, etc... So it would not be cheap! I look forward to seeing how you handle that with Julian in "The White-Haired Redguard goes to School."


ThatSkyrimGuy: I actually find it easier to invent things than to go according to what Bethesda sets down. It lets me follow a consistent vision. While Bethesda created a wonderful playground for us to play our characters in, they did not really put a lot of thought into building a culture.


McBadgere: I was originally going to write something like "Imperial red tape" but I just could not resist the nod to Obi-Wan there.


King Coin: Aela and Ungarion are fun to write. There little discussion at the beginning gave me the opportunity to show how different they are as magicians. Not to mention the fun in their relationship. That was actually a Restoration spell to fortify Ungarion's Personality. I was not sure how else to describe making someone seem more magnetic and charismatic.


Previously On Seven: Out last episode introduced us to Aela and Ungarion, who were returning from a successful bandit-slaying expedition Morahame. They met four of the villagers from Agrigento, who tried to hire them to defend their village from the Naga bandits. A&U turned them down however, as they were busy selling off their loot and headed for Bravil. The Agrigentans were going the same way however, and Ungarion implied that they might help them once their business was finished.


Chapter 1.2

Aela munched on a hot piada filled with grilled chicken, diced tomatoes, cheese strips, and bursting with extra flavor thanks to a sprinkling of basil. It was far too good for street fare, and she vowed to return to this hot food stand whenever she was in Bravil.

The rumble of laughter from a deep throat caused Aela to turn her head. Across the street from the table where she and Ungarion sat were their acquaintances from Agrigento. Towering above them was the largest Nord she had ever seen, wearing mail armor and sporting a battle-axe nearly as long as he was tall.

"You scalebacks make me laugh!" the blond giant guffawed. He slapped Stalks-The-Marshes on the back with enough force to send the poor Argonian stumbling away. Then the Nord lumbered off down Silver Avenue while the other Agrigentans stared in shock and dismay.

"It seems our friends from Agrigento are not doing so well with their plan to hire mercenaries," Ungarion dryly observed through a bite of his own flatbread sandwich. "Perhaps we should lend our assistance?"

"Are you planning to pay off Fathis Ules with rice?" Aela shook her head and took a sip of wine from the worn cup the food stand had provided. It was far from Tamika's, but at least it was not water or stale beer. "In case you have forgotten, our education did not come for free."

"Thanks to the bandits at Morahame, we have enough gold in the temple to keep Fathis off our backs for months," Ungarion insisted. "Besides, given how those bandits paid out, I expect we will be making more than rice and soju from this quest."

"There are forty of them," Aela pointed out. "Don't you think that's a bit much for even us?"

"All the more for us to loot afterward," Ungarion grinned. "Besides, we can conjure up a few mules to even up the odds."

Aela shook her head. She knew there was nothing she could say to sway the Altmer's mind. She had the feeling that it was not even the promise of loot that had set the hook in the wizard's mouth. Rather it was his sense of adventure. She had known him long enough to realize that he would do this sort of thing just for the fun of it alone. The money was only an added incentive.

The next thing the Breton Witch knew, her friend was waving the four Agrigentans over to the table where they sat. Aela ate the last of her piada in silence as they crowded around, drawing stares from many of the other patrons of the food stand.

"How goes your recruitment efforts?" Ungarion asked.

"I am afraid you just saw how well," Ulpia frowned. "We even had an audience with Count Domitianus, but he will not send troops across the border into another province. We tried the Fighters Guild this morning. With an orc for a guild commander, I thought they would be eager to fight. But they turned us down as well."

"These ones have done no better at hiring individual mercenaries either," Hathei lamented with a down-turned head. "No one will help us."

"Fear not," Ungarion declared. "Aela and I have discussed it, and we are with you."

Aela just shook her head again as she chewed the last bite of her basil-flavored chicken sandwich.

"Good!" Rullianus practically boomed. "It's about time we found someone around here with stones."

"Oh, it's not the stones that are the problem," Ungarion rose to his feet. "It's a matter of finding the right people, at the right time, in the right way."

"And with the right amount of hunger," Aela added.

Ungarion ignored the quip, and continued. "First, you need to stop asking people off the street. That is never going to work. They are either going to laugh at you like that Nord, or you're going to end up with some cutthroat who will kill you in your sleep at the first opportunity."

"So where do we find these people?" Ulpia asked. "I thought surely the Fighters Guild or the castle would conjure up any number of warriors."

"The Fighters Guild has their bottom line to think of," Aela said, standing up beside Ungarion. "This is a contract that is going to tie up their resources for a long time. So it has to pay their expenses for that entire period. You just don't have the money for that, and they cannot gamble on the loot from the bandits making up the difference."

"What we need are people who are footloose," Ungarion said, "not tied down with families to support, rent to pay, that sort of thing. That is why old Ghabruz at the Fighters Guild turned you down. Our prospects will be folk who can just pick up and wander to another province at the drop of a hat."

"So where can they be found?" Rullianus asked.

"Why at the tavern of course!" Ungarion smiled.

With that the high elf led the Agrigentans across the city, not to an aleshop, but rather to every swordsmith, armorer, bowyer, and weapons trader. There they left word that they were looking for experienced fighters. After making the tour around the city, they finally did go to a tavern, and naturally not the one Aela would have preferred.

The Lonely Suitor Lodge was a wooden scar rising three stories into Bravil's skyline. The paint was peeling from its ramshackle walls, and in many places shutters were missing from its windows. The inside was little better. The common room was divided into front and back sections by a 'U'-shaped bar that ran out from a stairway on the left. Surrounding it was a sea of tables and chairs of stained and chipped wood. Even at mid-day, there were plenty of seedy-looking individuals hunched over tankards. The smell of it, and their unwashed bodies, made Aela's nose wrinkle in disgust. She was tempted to cast a Bloom spell upon everyone in the place, but had no doubt that would start a brawl.

"These ones will find warriors in this place?" Stalks-The-Marshes was evidently less impressed with the inn than Aela.

"This is where all of Bravil's toughs, thugs, mercenaries, killers, and generally unfriendly people congregate." Ungarion found them a table and motioned for them all to sit. Aela made sure that she had a chair with a wall at her back. Just in case.

"So how do these ones separate the good rice from the husks?" Hathei asked.

"Well now, that's the trick isn't it?" Ungarion smiled as an orc waitress came by with a pitcher of ale and another of what he imagined was wine. She set them down upon the table and handed a mug to each of them.

"Ale or wine?" she asked. Given her expression, Aela imagined that she must be the most bored person in all of Tamriel.

"Don't you have any flin?" Ulpia asked.

"We don't serve that here anymore," the orc said sourly. "Starts too many fights. So you get ale, or you get wine."

Aela chose the cheap wine, as did Ungarion and the Imperial woman. The others chanced the ale. Given their winces after taking their first sips, the Witch imagined that they were all equally disappointed with their choices.

"Who serves wine in a mug?" Ungarion shook his head as he started down at his drink. "Anyway, as I was saying, we need to be choosy…"

"Good thing we came here," Aela said dryly.

"…about the people we hire," Ungarion continued as if she had not spoken. "Most of those in here belong to one of the three gangs that run Bravil's underworld. The Suitor is neutral ground, the only place they can meet without killing one another. Take that orc back there in the corner, that's Kurdan gro-Dragol, the enforcer for the Damodar gang. He'd kill us all if he saw a septim in it."

"If everyone knows these ones are criminals, why does not the city guard come and arrest them all?" Hathei stared wide-eyed around them.

"Count Domitianus tries," Aela said. "But every time the guard squashes one gang, it creates an opening for another one. Before you know it, that one moves in and takes over, or a brand new one sprouts up in its place."

"Like roaches," Rullianus frowned. "No matter how many you step on, there's always one more."

"So what do we do now?" Ulpia asked.

"I don't see anyone here I trust, so we wait to see who comes to take our bait." Ungarion pulled out a deck of cards from one pocket. "Who wants to try a game of whist?"

Aela sat out of the card game, as did Ulpia. If they had been in better circumstances, she would have meditated. Communing with Nirn Spirits always made her feel better. Not to mention that as a conjurer, she always needed to nurture her relationships with the spirits. The Aedra did not serve because they were forced to, but rather because they wanted to. But The Lonely Suitor was not a place that she dared to let down her guard. She had already gotten more unpleasant stares than she would like.

So she was surprised when a friendly face came through the door. A Pahmar Khajiit, the newcomer bore the orange fur and black stripes of his breed. Also like the others of his birth-moons, his eyes were yellow and bore round irises. He wore the traditional lamellar armor of his race: a cuirass of small black lacquered plates sewn together with blue cord, with similar pieces covering his shoulders, arms and hips. A composite bow made of tan-colored bone and black minotaur horn was slung in a gorytos at one hip, along with a forest of reed arrowshafts. A Dwemer war axe hung from his other hip. So too did, a small, round buckler of Dwemer steel, emblazoned with a black scorpion.

http://i.imgur.com/H6Iy27Q.jpg

"Do'Sakhar!" Aela waved to the newcomer, and his golden eyes lit up with pleasant surprise as he met her gaze. The feline glided to the table where they all sat, and Aela motioned for the others to make room for him. Taking an empty chair from another table, the Khajiit spun it around and hunkered down beside the Breton Witch, with his forearms resting upon the backrest.

"This one is most pleased to see you Aela!" the tiger-striped Khajiit declared. "How has that goldenrod been treating you?"

"Oh, he's a handful, as always," Aela smiled with genuine delight.

"The goldenrod is sitting right here you know…" Ungarion rolled his eyes.

"Oh, this one had thought it was a tall stick of butter," Do'Sakhar grinned, revealing a set of long fangs. "And how are you this fine summer day Ungarion? Still smuggling banned books?"

"Oh no, not since we graduated," Aela smiled.

"Well, I still have my contacts," Ungarion insisted. He straightened up his collar, and did his best to make himself look distinguished.

"So you did graduate!" the feline's eyes lit up with delight. "Congratulations! There was never one so deserving of it as yourself. Especially after all of the trials and tribulations placed in your way."

"Hey, it wasn't a walk in the Arboretum for me either…" Ungarion said dryly.

"And who are your new friends?" Do'Sakhar asked, looking around the table.

"These are our employers," Aela said. "In fact, there's room for more, if you're interested."

"Oh I am sure he is far too busy," Ungarion waved one hand in dismissal. "Coughing up hairballs, treating mange, a cat's work is never done."

"This one should be glad to accompany you upon any quest Aela," Do'Sakhar smiled. "If only for the pleasure of civilized company."

Posted by: ghastley Jul 5 2013, 03:59 PM

Having taken a look back at the "source material" I see that you've set yourself a problem by having the recruitment start with two, so you can't just translate the action into Tamriel terms. So it's going to be difficult for us to match up your adventurers to the samurai or gunslingers from the movies. Which is good, because you have more freedom to create characters of your own in the context of the set-piece scenario.

Ungarion and Do'Sakhar have clearly met before, and agreed to differ. They should make for interesting dialog later, too.

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jul 6 2013, 01:07 AM

Another great installment. The world building is excellent. You gave Bravil some real personality, from the street food stand to The Lonely Suitor. Aela and Ungarion are quite the pair. The quips back and forth flow so naturally.

I like Ungarion's "take charge" style, first agreeing to take the work, then showing their new employers how to recruit help.

Enter Do'Sakhar with an excellent description of the Khajiit. You made it very easy to visualize him. On a side note, where is that screenie of the armor from?

"Oh I am sure he is far too busy," Ungarion waved one hand in dismissal. "Coughing up hairballs, treating mange, a cat's work is never done."
This was priceless! And it spoke volumes about the relationship between the Ungarion and Do'Sakhar.

Great write!

Posted by: King Coin Jul 6 2013, 05:02 AM

I’m so hungry now. Gah. First line.

Ungarion thinks he can take on forty? "Aela and I have discussed it, and we are with you."
He uses the term discuss loosely.

I’m really enjoying Ungarion. He’s made the rounds to all the shops and now he’s settling into a nasty bar. As a smuggler, this is probably all familiar territory and he’s got the street smarts to hang around in such a place and the charm to negotiate with a well-to-do buyer.

Do'Sakhar’s teasing was enjoyable. Holy crap he agreed to go without knowing any details! He’ll be reconsidering when he heard the odds and the pay!

Posted by: Acadian Jul 6 2013, 12:28 PM

Nice logic as to why the FG would turn down the villagers, though it was a good idea for them to look into. Hoping a provincial count would send forces cross border was clearly a nonstarter – but the mud farmers of course wouldn’t know that. Ungarion’s ideas to garner assistance were wiser and grounded in experience. His shady dealings no doubt will serve him well here.

I see Aela knows the Bloom spell!

"So how do these ones separate the good rice from the husks?" Hathei asked.’ - - What a perfectly delightful metaphor for a rice farmer!

"Who serves wine in a mug?" Ungarion shook his head as he started down at his drink. "Anyway, as I was saying, we need to be choosy…" - - I love the irony you quietly snuck in here - and I see Aela noticed this also. We can only hope that the tavern’s selection of cutthroats surpasses its beverages.

Wise to avoid Kurdan, methinks. I figure his. . . negotiating style is very different than Ungarion's. Oh, a cat from Aela’s past joins them! Looks like they have the first of their gang! So it seems we may be up to the Magnificent Three!

Posted by: Kazaera Jul 6 2013, 12:59 PM

OMG it's Aela it's a story with Aela!! *sits down eagerly and waits for more AELA!!*

Ahem.

...I just gorged myself on fresh home-made bread and now you have made me hungry again! How do you do that!

I love the way Aela and Ungarion interact! And it seems like despite Aela's best attempts at providing common sense, she gets drawn into his plans anyway. (Forty bandits? No problem!) I also really enjoy the discussion about who to/not to hire, why the Fighter's Guild wouldn't go for it, etc.


This is a beautiful piece of description - er, beautiful in the writing-technical sense, not in the mental image it invokes! And then contrast the run-down nature of the tavern with Ungarion's comments about needing to be choosy!


I look forward to seeing more of the Do'Sakhar and Ungarion show, because their interactions promise to be a thing of beauty!

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jul 7 2013, 12:22 AM

I see that Bravil has not - uhm - deteriorated that much between this story and the time of the Crisis.

But I recognize a different Count, not our dear former Arena Champion. Makes me wonder how he got there (and when!).

Loved meeting Do'sakhar. Ironic, but I wrote a Khajiit into my story months ago with almost the exact same name. Great minds think alike, huh?

Like others have said, I really enjoyed the interchange between Ungarion and Do'sakhar. It really goes a long way to show the nature of their relationship and their attitudes toward each other.

Posted by: SubRosa Jul 12 2013, 07:41 PM

ghastley: Most of the Seven do not translate directly to the characters from Seven Samurai or Magnificent Seven. Something which I am glad for, since it gives Seven a bit of uinqueness. Only two characters really copy over, one of whom we will meet this installment. My primary motivation for the others comes from Aela's background, which she spoke of in The Witch of Bawnwatch Island in the TF. If you reread that, you will find that the most of the Seven were mentioned.


ThatSkyrimGuy: I think that armor pic came from Wikipedia. I did a lot of searching for Japanese armor. That pic was the best one showing lamellar armor with numerous small pieces, rather than fewer large pieces.

Aela feels most comfortable around Ungarion, so it is around him that she can feel free to be the most herself. Hence all the little jokes between them. I have always liked writing the two of them together. They each complement the other very well.


King Coin: Ungarion does use discuss pretty liberally! That is part of what makes him such a fun character. He is liable to do just about anything.

Do'Sakhar is an old friend, so he is in it just because of his friendship. Besides, no one is going to do it for the pay!


Acadian:Ungarion and Aela have definitely done this sort of thing before. Since Ungy is the wheeler and dealer of the pair, naturally he would step up and take charge of the recruitment drive.

I could not resist the wine in the mug and choosy comments. They added so much color to not only the scene, but AUs relationship. Kurdan was also one I was glad to insert into this story, it being a prequel. He is a well-known quantity to those who have read the TF, and tells us a lot about what kind of place the Suitor is.


Kazaera: That is funny, because when you wrote that, I was making home-made calzones!

Sometimes when it comes to Ungarion, no amount of common sense can make a dent! That is one of the things I like about him. You never know what he might do next!

I was not planning Ungarion and Do'Sakhar to be sniping at one another all the time. It just came that way the moment Do'Sakhar walked into the tavern, so I rolled with it. I enjoyed it just as much as everyone else has, so I kept it that way.


haute ecole rider: Remember, in the TF the counts/countesses are not hereditary monarchs, but patricians appointed to their roles by the Elder Council for set terms, like Roman propraetors or proconsuls were appointed to Roman provinces. Domitianus is just the guy who had the job before Terentius is all. It is one of the things I tried to use to show that this is set in a different time than the TF.

Wow, that is a coincidence with the name! I got the name Do'Sakhar from the UESP Wiki's page on Khajiit names. I think I picked the prefix 'Do' because it said that meant a warrior. The suffix was just from a name I picked out of the list. It just sounded good together.

Like I said to Kaz, I was not really planning on Do'Sakhar and Ungarion snipping at one another constantly, but I do love how it adds color to their relationship. Like you said, it shows us a lot about them both.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found Aela and Ungarion back in Bravil, where they ran into the four Agrigentans once more, failing miserably at hiring mercenaries. Ungarion took pity upon them, and not only volunteered himself and Aela for the job, but he also took over the task of recruiting more fighters. Soon his efforts bore fruit, as an old Khajiit friend of AUs named Do'Sakhar joined up.


Chapter 1.3

"Are you sure it was Nashira you saw?" Ungarion did not conceal the doubt in his voice. "I know everyone without fur looks alike to you cats."

"Perhaps if one stopped looking down his long Altmer nose at everyone else, he might see what is plainly in front of his eyes," Do'Sakhar replied coolly.

"So how long have those two been married?" Ulpia whispered into Aela's ear.

Aela barely resisted the urge to giggle. "Almost two years now," she managed to get out with a nearly straight face. "We first ran into Do'Sakhar while exploring the Arimer ruins beneath the Imperial City. Our paths have crossed off and on since. He's a good friend."

"Who is this one Nashira?" Hathei asked. Like the rest, they followed Do'Sakhar and Ungarion down Riverwalk. Shops and warehouses lined the streets to either side of them, with more of the latter to their right, where Bravil's interior river and its docks lay just beyond the buildings.

"Who is Nashira?" Ungarion repeated aloud. "Why only one of the finest swordswomen alive. They say she has killed at least sixty people in duels, perhaps more."

"Aye, for once this one speaks faultless. Truly an event worthy of remark," Do'Sakhar said. "Nashira is a sword-saint. Some say that one can even create the spirit sword of her race's ancestors."

"And shoot lightning bolts from her rear no doubt," Aela said dryly.

They paused as the road came to an end. To their right a bridge led across the city's internal river to Castle Isle beyond. But they turned left instead, and made their way north along Silver Avenue.

"Do not scoff until you see that one in action," Do'Sakhar admonished. "This one has never witnessed a finer swordfighter."

"I'm just saying don't build your expectations up so high that no one can live up to them," Aela explained. "I'm sure she still puts her hose on one leg at a time, like the rest of us."

"Perhaps we shall see just that," Ungarion said as they passed the Fighters Guild. "Silverhome On The Water is just ahead. If the cat is right - for once - she will be within."

"Or perhaps without?" Ulpia said as they approached the elegant inn. "What is that crowd up there?"

Led by Ungarion and Do'Sakhar, the group moved through the crowd that had gathered outside the inn, almost completely blocking the traffic on the thoroughfare. Aela squirmed her way through with the others, and finally got a look at what was going on.

Standing in the street was a Redguard woman wearing red and brown. She was in her middle-years, and wore her raven-black hair back in a braid behind her head. A long, gently curved scimitar of Dwemer steel hung from her hip. However, it was a stick that she held in one hand, rather than a weapon.

http://i.imgur.com/XWkJzgR.jpg

Standing before her was an Imperial clad in mail. He towered at least a head higher than the Redguard, and likewise gripped a length of wood in his fist. Aela imagined it might have been a limb from a small tree, which had been cut off and denuded of its leaves.

"That is Nashira indeed," Ungarion said. "I saw her in the Arena once."

The crowd was silent as the two stared at one another. The Imperial took up his stick with both hands, and held it over his head so that the tip pointed up and away behind him. Even though she knew little of longswording, Aela recognized that stance as the Roof. Given that the Imperial knew enough to use it, it was plain that he was a formally trained fighter.

The Redguard calmly swept her stick back behind one hip, its tip low to the ground. While it made her appear to be undefended, Aela likewise knew that as the Near Ward stance. Clearly, both of them were experienced swordfighters.

The Imperial bellowed like a bull, and crossed the distance between them in a flash. He brought his stick down at Nashira's head. But the Redguard was not idle. Her weapon swept forward and whacked against the Imperial's thick neck muscles. Perhaps at the same moment, his stick smacked down upon her head. It was all so quick, that Aela had trouble telling just who struck first.

The crowd gasped, and let out a collective sigh before beginning to chatter in many voices. Aela easily heard the rumbling of the Imperial over them all however.

"A tie then," he said, almost ruefully. "We will never know."

"No," Nashira said plainly. "You lost."

The crowd grew silent once more as the two stared at one another. The Imperial's face grew red, and his lip curled up in a snarl.

"I did not!" he insisted.

The Redguard stared impassively back at him. "You did," was all she said. Then she tossed her stick aside and turned to leave.

"Don't you walk away from me!" the Imperial growled. His hand went to the arming sword at his hip, and bared its blade in the late afternoon sun.

Nashira stopped and turned back to him. She eyed him intently, then filled her hand with steel as well.

Like the others in the crowd, Aela held her breath as she looked on. They were really going to do it! She never once thought of trying to step in to stop the pair. She had no idea what the history between them might be. Or what either of them would be willing to do. She was certainly not going to get a blade stuck in her back by some stranger in the street.

As before, the Imperial brought his sword up above his head, tip pointed backward. Nashira swept hers back behind her, point low to the ground. Again he charged, and again she countered. The entire scene took only the blink of an eye to play out. This time however, the Imperial's head flew from his body, even as his skin frosted over with ice. A moment later his partly frozen corpse fell to the cobblestones.

The Redguard stood by impassively, and wiped her scimitar clean with a small cloth. Even as far away as she stood, Aela could now feel the magicka pulsing within the enchanted sword. Barafu was the name it announced itself as. 'Ice' if Aela recalled her Yoku correctly. The feeling of power gradually subsided as the warrior slid the weapon back into its sheath, and its frost enchantment grew quiescent once more.

The crowd roared in excitement, and Aela remembered to breathe. She lost track of the others in the bustle around her, and for once she wished for the height of an Altmer. She pushed and squirmed through the mass of humanity, looking for Ungarion's dark red locks above the heads of the others around her.

After several minutes of being pushed and jostled, finally the crowd began to break up. Aela soon found the reason why. The Bravil City Guard had arrived, and was shoving everyone back with their kite-shaped shields. Aela caught a glimpse of the soldiers encircling Nashira. Rather than fight them, the Redguard woman calmly accompanied the guardsmen toward the castle.

"Well, that was exciting, if fruitless," Do'Sakhar's raspy voice nearly made Aela jump. Turning, she found the Khajiit warrior standing right beside her.

"Do'Sakhar!" she cried, holding one hand to her heart. "One of these days you're going to scare me to death."

"Apologies goodwoman," the tiger-striped feline bowed his head. Then he looked up and smiled. "But you know what they say: Khajiit like to sneak."

"I thought they liked to sleep?"

Ungarion appeared from the thinning crowd, with the four Agrigentans in tow.

"Thinking is not an activity this one associates with certain butter elves," Do'Sakhar replied dryly.

"So did you talk with Nashira before the guard took her away?" Aela asked, before Ungarion could sling a verbal fireball back at the Khajiit.

"I did," the high elf shook his head. "But to no avail. She is not interested in questing, or fame, or coin. The only thing she cares about is perfecting her art. I imagine that the City Guard will keep her for questioning for a while before they release her. One thing the law always loves to do is talk. If they were smart, they would take lessons instead."

"That was horrible," Ulpia said. "How can people just casually slay one another in the middle of the street! What kind of city is this?"

"As opposed to the finely cultured capital of Tamriel, where they do it in an Arena instead?" Aela observed. "Or in the alleys, where they stab one another in the back for scraps?"

"Or on rice farms, where they do it for sport," Rullianus spat. His eyes glowed with a fervor that Aela had seen all too often. He had lost someone dear to him. To the Nagas no doubt.

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Ungarion declared.

Posted by: Acadian Jul 12 2013, 09:20 PM

"And shoot lightning bolts from her rear no doubt," Aela said dryly.’ - - Just like William Wallace!

A tame street display unexpectedly turns deadly as Nashira is provoked into fully demonstrating her icy blade skill. Quite an introduction! She looks fabulous in the screenshot.

"But you know what they say: Khajiit like to sneak." - - Curses! Now I can’t get that song out of my head! Following it with the ‘like to sleep’ retort was priceless.

Hmm, seems like it’s going to take some talking to recruit the sword saint. But if anyone can do it, that would be the tongue saint himself, Ungarion. We like to tease the butter elf but, as he clearly displays at the end of this scene, he does have a noble streak. I well and truly believe that he has bought into the cause of these rice farmers - at least to a degree.


Nits?

- "Do not scoff until you see that one action," Do'Sakhar admonished.’ - - I know this is dialogue, but would Do’Sakhar prefer to insert the word ‘in’ before ‘action’?

- Even though she little of longswording, ...' - - I suspect you want to add the word ‘knew’ right after ‘she’.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jul 12 2013, 09:55 PM

Nashira is certainly my kind of heroine! She certainly made her point there. Yup, bad pun intended.

I knew she was going to be Redguard as soon as I read this:

That's something Julian never got to learn!

As for Do'sakhar's name, that's exactly how I came by mine! We were definitely looking at the same wiki page there!

I did remember that count/tesses did not come by their roles by inheritance in your fiction. I just wondered how Terentius ended up in Bravil. I love these kinds of breadcrumbs that hint at more stories beyond the one you're telling. It makes the world seem more real. IRL, we never get to know all the stories of all the people around us, and we never will. So dropping little hints and pieces like Count Domitianus just adds to the depth of this story.

Posted by: Darkness Eternal Jul 13 2013, 11:51 PM

I am totally new to the Aela stories but I'd love to learn more. I hope this story puts me in the right path.

I see why your stories are loved. You're a great writer, and much of this is shown in the descriptions and world building you put in.

I see Aela does have certain odd things about her, such as the adam's apple(I'm not sure if this can be added in ES universe. She certainly must feel a bit self-conscious, no? She looks good to me still.

Ungarion and Aela are certainly quite the pair! I would love to see them in action together. They certainly seem like the mages that can pack a punch.

Of course, they had to turn the loot in for coin before even thinking of taking on another task. I understand their decision here.

The flow of the conversation between the two is excellent and I love the description of that big-ass Nord that nearly slapped Stalks-The-Marshes. Speaking of the Argonian, I do feel bad his search was to the lows of Bravil where there are nothing but murderers, thieves and deadbeats and skooma addicts. Though among them, who knows there might be someone who's up for the task? Certainly the expenses would be too much though and I love that you covered that here.

Do'Sakhar! Clever fellow with a bit of friendly-offensive banther against High Elves. The stick of butter comment had me chuckling.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 14 2013, 12:15 AM

OK, I've done the homework you set, (36.2 on page 73 if anyone else wants to go back there) and I'll wait patiently for the other three to come in.

Liked the "kendo" turning into swordplay. And the ice enchantment would stop the blood splashing everywhere, which is a thoughtful nicety.

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jul 14 2013, 03:24 PM

So we find the group in pursuit of another recruit. The relationship between Ungarion and Do'Sakhar continues to be entertaining. I love the way he keeps interjecting examples of the way house cats behave to poke jibes at the Khajiit. Last time it was furballs and preening, and this time the quip about always sleeping. Being a cat owner, these comments just tickle me.

We encounter Rashira, a Redguard Sword-Saint, as a possible recruit. I was amazed at how much Bravil looks like Whiterun in the screenshot. But seriously, she looks like a tough little cookie. Too bad the Imperial was such a sore loser at swinging brands, which led to his demise when actual steel was swung. Your description of the effects of a frost enchanted weapon were nicely done.

Loving this story so far and looking forward to more.

Posted by: King Coin Jul 15 2013, 12:10 AM

Heh, I do not think the Imperial in the street lost the stick duel. Being dead is not a ‘win’ in anyone’s book. I’d have to say tie as well. The real duel on the other hand… Wonder if she wanted to goad him into drawing his steel.

Khajiit like to sleep!

Now all they have to do is convince Nashira that 40 bandits is just what she needs to perfect her sword skill.

Posted by: mALX Jul 15 2013, 08:11 AM

You won't believe this, Seven Samurai is on TV tonight! It just started (3 am). I hope to be able to stay up and watch it. I promise I am getting back here, did have a bit of extra free time the last two days that I should have, and got tied up on the RP.

Posted by: Grits Jul 16 2013, 03:56 AM

This story is a treat to read, SubRosa. I settled in for a nice evening with Aela and Ungarion so I could enjoy the whole story so far. The dialog delights, and I couldn’t pick a favorite setting from what we’ve seen so far because I like each one so much.

I just love Aela and Ungarion together. Aela’s wry thoughts about Ungarion keep me smiling. Their history and affection for one another doesn’t have to be spelled out to show.

Btw, now I’m starving. Gaah, I need Bravilian street food!

Posted by: SubRosa Jul 19 2013, 04:14 PM

Acadian: Someone caught my Braveheart reference!

Every time I hear that Khajiit song I think "Likes to sleep", thanks to my http://i.imgur.com/1hH8zwH.jpg.

I think it is safe to say that Ungarion has indeed bought into the cause of the Agrigentans. Given his flair for the dramatic, how can Ungarion resist fighting the good fight, against impossible odds?


haute ecole rider: When I was working on the kensai's race, Redguard just naturally rose to the top of the list given their reputation as warriors, and especially their race's ancient power of creating the spirit sword. But that is not to say that Nashira can actually create one. That is just what some people say. Like the lightning bolts from the rear end, it might be a good idea to take that with a grain of salt.


Darkness Eternal: There really is no Aela Fic. Until now at least. She appears in the Teresa fic as a supporting character in several chapters. Her first sighting was during the http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=4431&view=findpost&p=127153, but that was so brief that I do not think she even had any dialogue. She had a big spotlight in http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=4431&view=findpost&p=131110, and then finally reappeared again as a member of http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=4431&view=findpost&p=159260 in the most recent chapter of the TF.

I have really enjoyed writing the characters in this story. They are a lot of fun, especially Aela and Ungarion when they are together. Do'Sakhar and Ungarion are also a treat to write. I actually got the 'butter elf' term from the Bethesda forum, where it seems to be pretty popular.


ghastley: Yay, someone did the assigned homework! You get an A. We will be seeing another one of Aela's old/new gang turning up this episode. In fact, anyone who wants to do more homework can find her in the Battle of Bruma chapter of the TF.


ThatSkyrimGuy: I have a cat too, so Ungarion's feline-centric jibes come very easily!

I am amazed at the similarities between Bravil and Whiterun too! Who would have guessed that Whiterun was built by Bravilians. Nashira is indeed a tough cookie. The most deadly member of the Seven in fact. She is in a completely different league from everyone else.


King Coin: The Imperial lost the stick duel. It was all just too fast for Aela to tell who really won. She might know a little bit about longswording from being around sword fighters for years, but at the end of the day she is a mage, and she is not used to watching movements that fast.

That is not to say that Nashira was diplomatic about it. She could certainly have just shrugged her shoulders and walked away. She did not have to rub the guys loss into his face. But that is the kind of person Nashira is, blunt to the point of it being goading.

That scene was actually taken directly from the Seven Samurai, right down to the stances and attacks by each. Which is really interesting, because those are two of the standard stances of Medieval longswording. So either Akira Kurosawa was a guru of Western longswording in the 1950's (long before longswording had been rediscovered in the West by recreationists), or Japanese sword fighting mirrors Western, at least in some respects. I expect the latter, since you face the same issues in attack and defense no matter where you are.


mALX: At 3am! That is a long movie to be watching at that time of night. Did you make it through without falling asleep? I do not think I could have stayed awake.


Grits: One of the reasons I put the TF on hiatus for a little while was because writing A&U together is so much fun! Like you said, that history and affection they share really makes them a joy to write.

I would love some of those piada's too! I found them in a list of ancient Roman food, so decided to throw them in. Now I need to find a place around here that makes them!


Previously On Seven: Our last episode saw the gang attempting to recruit Nashira - a Redguard swordswoman who is reputed to be one of the finest sword-fighters in the world. Before they could speak to her, they had a demonstration of her skill. She fought an Imperial in a duel in the street, first with only sticks, but then it escalated to using real swords. She killed him in a second's time. Before we went to answer the City Guard's questions about it, Ungarion did have the chance to ask her to join. She turned him down, saying that she was only interested in perfecting her skill.


Chapter 1.4

"Trump, and rubber," Ungarion crowed as he laid down his last card upon the table. Rullianus and Hathei groaned as they stared at the cards in the pot.

Stalks-The-Marshes grinned at Ungarion, revealing a mouth full of fangs. "Perhaps these ones should play some of the others in here for coin. They might earn enough to hire an entire legion before nightfall."

"Or get those one's throats slit," Do'Sakhar observed from his seat beside Aela. "Many in a place such as this take offense at losing."

"Yes, that is the problem with gambling for a living." Ungarion shocked Aela by actually agreeing with the Khajiit. "The better you are at it, the more likely you will need to be a good fighter. Rather defeats the purpose of trying to make a living without killing people."

The opened front door caught Aela's eye, as did the unusual sight that walked through it. The newcomer was an Altmer clad in the armor of her people: a panoply of amber mail overlaid with golden bands shaped like slender leaves. A strung Valenwood bow was stored in the gorytos at her hip, and the amber-hued hilt of an elven greatsword rose from over one of her shoulders.

Her hair was spun gold, and pulled back into a Daggerfall braid: a single plait beginning at the crown of her head and falling down below her shoulder-blades. Aela had always loved that look, along with the Wayrest braids: the two plaits that framed the face and ran back to join together in a single braid at the nape of the neck.

The high elf took a moment to casually slide her long, slender fingers across her locks, as if to smooth them out. Yet not a single hair from her long mane was out of place. Aela wished that she could make her hair look like that, let alone stay that way, and wondered how the other woman accomplished such an amazing feat?

The newcomer stood in the doorway and scanned the crowd. Then her eyes met Aela's. She stared for a moment, then the Breton recognized the look of discovery upon the elf's face. The Altmer had seen through her female presentation. But rather than sneering, or laughing, the elf's features seemed to glow with reverence.

The new arrival strode purposely across the room to the pair of corner tables where their group sat. The others looked up as she approached, and Ungarion set down the deck of cards before him. The archer ignored them all however, and remained focused upon Aela.

The Breton Witch felt the magic resonating within the elf's gear as she stepped near. To start with, she could tell that her composite bow was named Sercedin, or 'The Silencer Of Blood' in the Imperial tongue. Thanks to her experience with magical gear, Aela knew that its enchantment would cause harm to any living thing, not through elemental energies, but rather in the opposite manner of how healing magic would repair damage to living flesh.

The Valenwood bow was just the beginning however. The Altmer's armor was named Belthele, 'Strong Sister', and was enchanted to not only protect her wearer from all forms of elemental harm, but also to increase her strength. Finally her greatsword proclaimed itself as Canrais, or 'Sunder', and Aela could feel that its magic was woven to shatter any armor that it came against.

Aela glanced over to Ungarion. He nodded back at her. Clearly the other mage had sensed the same power in the elf's gear that she had. If that magic were not enough, the newcomer had the hard set to her frame, the swagger in her walk, and the flinty look in her golden eyes that said she was a killer.

"My name is Seridwe," the high elf declared. "I am told you are looking for fighters?"

"What makes you think that?" Ungarion raised his fingers into a steeple before his chin.

"Daenlin told me, at the Archer's Paradox," the archer said. Seridwe paused to glance at Ungarion, then turned back to Aela. "He said two mages - an Altmer and a Breton - were looking for extra hands on a long term contract."

"We are," Aela admitted. She was beginning to find the tall woman's gaze more than a little strange. What was Seridwe so intrigued by, in herself of all people?

"Then I shall join," Seridwe declared. "When do we begin?"

"This one is eager!" Do'Sakhar exclaimed. "Don't you even want to know what the opposition is, or the pay?"

"It doesn't matter," Seridwe said. "If an ardhanari is involved, I know it's going to be extraordinary."

"An ardha-what?" Rullianus scrunched his eyebrows in consternation.

"It's an elvish-" Ulpia began, only to be cut off by Aela.

"I haven't heard your name before," she said to Seridwe. "What sort of experience do you have?"

"I've been doing this for about a decade in Illiac Bay," she said. "I've fought Orisimer, Redguards, Bretons, and everything else under Magnus. I've been up and down the Wrothgarians, crossed the Alik'r Desert, seen the walking trees of Valenwood, and trod the badlands of Anequina. I came to Cyrodiil only recently, with a friend of mine. Right now I could use a job. The biggest fight I have had in the last week has been against my hair."

"Well, this one seems to have won that battle!" Do'Sakhar laughed.

Aela looked to Ungarion and nodded.

The elven wizard raised four of his fingers in affirmation."That makes four of us then."

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jul 19 2013, 05:21 PM

Right away you grab me with this:

As my mind is very similar to Dee Foxy's, my thoughts immediately veered to the question of how they would make *ahem* "Trojans" in a land where there are no oil wells (leading to the production of plastic)?? Then when I realize they are playing cards, I start picturing a Bicycle deck with images of prophylactics instead of the Joker!

I do suspect the furry felines that inhabit so many of our homes are themselves Alfiqs, we are just too stupid to notice. Not that they're going to help us do so!

I'm not sure what to make of those references to the Way of the Spirit Sword myself. Can they really make swords out of thin air? Kind of ironic, considering the Redguard's more mundane aversion to most types of magic. Sometimes I think it would be fun to write a story set in Yokudan times, about the time Frandic Hunding ends the civil strife that was tearing the people apart. Anyway, if Redguards can really do that, why carry metal swords? I can see the advantage of having summoned swords - you don't have to carry one all the time, yet you're never without one when you need one (as Julian found out that day in Bruma . . .).

I'm a bit leery of Seridwe. All that glitter - is there really any substance to her? I'm of the school that there is an inverse relationship between the skill level and the coolness factor of the armor. In other words, the worst fighters have the gaudiest armors, while the best ones have none. I know, I know, guilty of watching too much martial arts films!

Posted by: Acadian Jul 19 2013, 08:19 PM

It seems completely natural that Ungarion would be a skilled cardist – and I liked his ironical observation about the hazards if undertaken as a profession.

Another memorable entrance – this time by Magnificent Number Four – a golden clad butter elf with blade and bow. And right away, she is a mer of mystery regarding her clear interest in Aela’s gender history.

I enjoyed Aela’s observations about Nirnian hairstyles. In fact her Teresaesque envy at Seridwe’s coif gave me a faint smile.

Aela’s ability to read an item’s enchantment from range was most impressive, and effectively helped tell us quite a bit about Seridwe as well.

Posted by: Grits Jul 19 2013, 10:28 PM

I’m excited to see Seridwe. She made a big impression in a few lines at Bruma. Interesting that she brings her own expectations about Aela. I look forward to finding out how that evolves between them.

The Daggerfall braid made me grin. I have struggled with describing that hairstyle!

Posted by: ghastley Jul 19 2013, 10:34 PM

She has enchanted gear and appreciates the presence of mages in the party. Bow and light armor go together, but then she's carrying a "greatsword' which implies a slow-swinging two-hander which seems out of place. I get the impression of someone who takes every advantage available, and has a back-up plan all the time. Potentially a good all-rounder, but maybe too much of a jack-of-all-trades.

I, too, liked the discussion of gambling as a career. Even if Bridge isn't a gambling game.

I had to look up ardhanari to find out where the term came from. The left/right division doesn't quite fit Aela's case!

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jul 19 2013, 11:29 PM

In Acadian's words, Magnificent the Fourth...indeed! Seridwe seems like an excellent addition to the troop. A formidible presence and aura to be sure. Aela's feelings about her own appearance come through again with her envy of the Altmer's hair. So...four down and three to go?

On a side note, I couldn't help but think of you and this story the other night. TCM (that's Turner Classic Movies to the TV impaired) ran a bunch of movies with the word "Seven" in the title. Two of those movies were The Magnificent Seven and The Seven Samurai. I did not watch them, but I did DVR them for viewing when this story is done.

Posted by: King Coin Jul 22 2013, 01:54 AM

The new elf is most impressive. She certainly has a lot of magical gear about her person, more than anyone else we’ve met so far. The details on her armor were very neat and I liked it that not only could Aela sense what they do, but what they are named as well. I can’t wait to find out what her fascination with Aela is about as well. She saw through the changes Aela made to her body, but what about this interests her?

Posted by: SubRosa Jul 26 2013, 08:26 PM

haute ecole rider: Trump and Rubber are Whist game terms. I remember the first time I heard the second one during a Horatio Hornblower episode I had to look it up. That was how I figured out they were playing whist. It was a very popular game at one time (and how a young half-pay Lieutenant like Hornblower made ends meet between wars ).

Most Yokudans/Redguards could not create the spirit sword even back in the good old days. The http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Redguard. Now a days it seems only a few masters can create the sword, and even then it is only for looks, and not strong enough to actually be useful in battle. In the old days it was certainly very serviceable though! My impression is that Yokuda was destroyed due to magic, and that is where the Redguard aversion to it came from. The Spirit Sword seems to have been exempted from that use (much like certain religions today call magic evil, and yet their own mythologies are filled with their holy people and deity using magic).

We will see more about Seridwe in the upcoming chapters, and learn whether or not she really is a parade ground soldier or the real deal. I could not work in examples of every one of the Seven in action like I did with Nashira. So Ungarion and Aela are hiring based upon their impressions from people's bearing and behavior (which do speak well of Seridwe). Of course we have never seen A&U in action yet either, so we do not have any proof that they can carry their weight either!


Acadian: Ungy is a very outgoing, social person, so as you observed, him being a card-player felt very natural to me. I imagine he has whiled away many hours playing whist and other games.

The ability to assense magic items was something we first saw that in the TF when Teresa was presented with Aldariel and instantly knew its name. Being a University educated mage, Aela is naturally much better at it. One thing that is nice to be writing from Aela's perspective is that as a trained and experienced mage, she can do and sense some things that Teresa never could. It allows me to show a whole new part of the world.


Grits: I was working on how to name a French Braid and make it feel appropriate to the world. I recall calling the in-game braid that frames the face a Breton Braid at one point. So I decided to make that one a Wayrest Braid, and then make the French Braid a Daggerfall Braid. Maybe we could invent some more racial/geographical hairstyles? Like the Bosmer topknot, or the Dunmer Cliffracer?

Seridwe's fascination with Aela is a means that I am going to use to explore not only transsexuality in Tamriel, but also how different races view it. At the same time it will give me a means to help flesh out both human and elven cultures, and reveal some very major differences between them.


ghastley: You are thinking of the two-handed swords in the game that are slow and unwieldy. Like all the weapons in the TF, mine are taken from the Real World, which are anything but clumsy. The longsword (which is the correct name from a greatsword - what the game calls a longsword is actually an arming sword) is the ultimate evolution of western swordmaking. It was used in pitched battles and single duels, and armored and unarmored fighting. The soldiers who wielded them in armies received extra pay as it was an elite weapon, like the Danish War Axe was an elite weapon used by Huscarls. Every part of the greatsword is a weapon, the pommel, the ricasso, etc..., and it could be used in ways that smaller blades could not (like reversing your grip and using the ricasso to hook someone's leg and trip them). Tadrose has always used a greatsword/longsword, and I have used RL longswording fighting techniques in writing her, such as morte-striking and half-swording.


ThatSkyrimGuy: We will be seeing more about Seridwe's hair and Aela's feelings. While all women feel self-conscious to one degree or another, Aela has reasons to feel even more so than most...

I would watch the movies first. That way you will be able to notice the homages when you read them. There are a few places where I took lines word for word from the movies (this episode has one in fact). It will take months for me to post this. By then you will probably only half-remember what you read in the earlier parts. Besides, they are both good films, don't wait!


King Coin: Actually Aela and Ungarion have a lot of magical stuff too. Their respective outfits, their staves, necklaces, rings, etc... After all, they can both make the stuff whenever they want. But Aela is so used to their magic items that it is not something she normally thinks about. So it is hard to reveal it without it feeling forced. The same is true of Do'Sakhar as well. She is so used to his magic items that she does not think of them either.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode introduced Seridwe, an Altmer archer/swordswoman who joined the team solely to work with Aela, whom she had recognized as an ardhanari (or transgendered person).


Chapter 1.5

Magnus hung like a red ball over the western mountains, bleeding long shadows across the parade ground north of Bravil's main gate. Aela and Ungarion followed Seridwe through the grass of the wide field. Behind them rose the wooden buildings of Bay Roan Stables. The Larsius River gurgled past on their right, and the stone curtain walls of the city rose up beyond the watercourse. Finally to their left the Green Road vanished into a wall of darkened trees.

"You are certain your friend shall be here?" Ungarion raised a single eyebrow as they walked on. "Usually mercenaries prefer less idyllic surroundings."

"He'll be here," Seridwe insisted. "Valens always watches the eastern horizon at dawn and dusk. This is the best place in all of Bravil to get a view."

"What is he looking for?" Aela asked, genuinely curious about the unusual quirk.

"I don't know," Seridwe shrugged. "He never talks much about it. I think it's got something to do with Azura though."

"Azura?" Ungarion now cocked a second eyebrow. "Now that is just begging for a deeper explanation."

"He is her Star-Bearer." Seridwe glanced back for a moment. "He has been since I've known him. At least I think."

"You think?" Aela wondered aloud.

"Things are a little fuzzy for me around the time of the Warp in the West," Seridwe admitted. "I cannot remember much of what happened for the month beforehand, and nothing from that day."

"That is strange," Aela mused. She had still been living in Wayrest at the time, so she had experienced the Warp herself. The tenth of Frostfall had somehow slipped through the cracks of reality. No one in High Rock or Hammerfell seemed to remember it. It was as if the day before and the day after had somehow warped into one another. All anyone - herself included - could remember were storms, tidal waves, earthquakes, and terrible battles all around Illiac Bay. But no one could recall the details of any of them. Kingdoms had changed, gods had been made and unmade, and no one had been able to comprehend it all until the dust had settled the following day.

Yet Aela had never heard of anyone missing the entire month beforehand. She could recall everything from the days before the Warp with no difficulty. The same with everyone else she had known at the time. Who was Seridwe, that the Warp had eclipsed her life for the month before it had even happened?

"I count myself lucky," the Altmer said. "Valens has it much worse. The Warp took his life with it. He cannot remember anything that happened beforehand. He's not even sure if his name is really Valens."

Ungarion whistled, and a glance in his direction confirmed that he was thinking the same thing that she was. Seridwe and Valens had been a part of the Warp in the West. Not mere bystanders, but active participants.

"Here I thought the two of us made a pair," Aela said finally said, glancing back at Ungarion again.

"We do," Ungarion insisted. "Just a different kind."

They drew near to the shoreline, and the grass thinned out and gave way to a beach of soft brown sand. The wide expanse of Niben Bay spread out beyond, stretching out like an azure carpet as far as the eye could see. Now they could see a figure sitting near the water with his back to them. Aela noted that he had broad shoulders, and wore a pair of ebony arming swords across his back, just as Seridwe wore her greatsword. Unlike the high elf, he was dressed in ordinary black linen however.

Aela felt power resonating from him. Even more than a dozen paces away, it glowed from his waist like one of the moons in a clear night sky. She had never felt such energy from a magic item before, not even in the University's Chironasium. She knew instantly that it was Azura's Star, and could feel its spell-absorbing enchantment as plainly as she could feel the ground beneath her feet. But there was also another sensation coming from the artifact, beyond simply its enchantment. It was a strange thing, that made her think of roses in twilight, and Aela suspected that was the touch of the Star's creator.

"Valens," Seridwe said as they stepped nearer, "I've brought some people here to meet you."

"Leave me be elf," the man said morosely. He did not turn to face them, but instead continued to stare out into the bay. "I'm not interested."

"I see, you would prefer to brood for another week then?" Seridwe stopped and rested her hands upon her armored hips. "Well, we can just go and slay those dragons all by ourselves then."

"Your sense of humor has not improved," Valens grumbled. Finally he did turn, and Aela saw from his dark hair and olive skin that he was a Nibenean. His short hair was curly, and his features were partially hidden by a neatly trimmed beard. If she had to guess, she would put his age somewhere between thirty and forty. Not old yet, but not young anymore either.

http://i.imgur.com/OtdpFgY.jpg

His eyes were hard, and even though he was sitting, Aela noted the stiff, erect posture, and the seemingly tensed muscles. Where Seridwe's bearing had proclaimed herself as a warrior, his said that he was a soldier. He looked like a man who had stood at attention and marched in lockstep for so long that his body had forgotten how to do anything else. The Imperial Legion was Aela's first guess, or some other professional military force.

"Your disposition has not improved either," Seridwe countered dryly

"So what is it this time?" the Nibenean sighed. "Vampires? Necromancers? Or did you really dig up a dragon somewhere?"

"Nagas are threatening a village to the east." Ungarion casually balanced his black staff over one shoulder. "We're looking for a few experienced people to stop them."

"To the east you said?" Valens thoughtfully stroked his beard, and turned to glance back at Niben Bay. Aela followed his gaze, and found that the white moon Secunda was now perched above the darkened horizon. "How many Nagas?"

"Forty," Aela said.

"How many people do you have?" he turned back to face them.

"Four," the Breton said honestly.

The Nibenean's cool demeanor finally broke, if only for an instant. "I admire you sense of fair odds stranger!" he nearly laughed.

Then he turned serious again. "Now you have five. I'll do it just to go east, if nothing else."


Author's Note: Before everyone brings out the torches and pitchforks, yes, I know I changed the enchantment on Azura's Star from Soul Trap to Spell Absorption. In the TF only necromancers know or use soul trap. Since Azura is not a goddess of necromancy, her artifact would not employ it. I am portraying her as a goddess of magic, so I changed it to something I found more in alignment with that aspect of her.

Posted by: Grits Jul 26 2013, 09:30 PM

Ungarion whistled, and a glance in his direction confirmed that he was thinking the same thing that she was. Seridwe and Valens had been a part of the Warp in the West. Not mere bystanders, but active participants.

I love it! I was thinking the same thing, and there it is. That’s always fun.

Oh, I much prefer spell absorbing over soul/magicka trapping. The game’s Azura’s Star always seems a bit sinister to me, especially for creatures of the “white soul” persuasion.

Oh, and you’ve explained it. Nice!

Posted by: Captain Hammer Jul 27 2013, 01:32 AM

But I already grabbed my pitchfork and lit my torch.

In all seriousness, I'm enjoying this. Anybody that can do a decent adaption of the Seven Samurai story is alright in my book, and this is looking like it'll be a lot of fun. Here's to hoping I get to enjoy as much more out of each upcoming post as I have out of the story so far.

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jul 27 2013, 02:49 AM

And then there were five...

"Here I thought the two of us made a pair," Aela said finally said, glancing back at Ungarion again.
"We do," Ungarion insisted. "Just a different kind." -- Aela must have read my mind! I'm going to have to make a visit to The Imperial Library and read up on The Warp in the West.

I was not as quick to arm myself as Cap'n Hammer. Personally, I completely agree with your reasoning. Even though she is Daedra, I have never connected Azura to necromancy in any of my game experiences. It seems odd that her talisman would lean that way.

I am really looking forward to the interplay of all these backstories and personalities. It promises to be a fun ride. Great write!

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jul 27 2013, 05:10 AM

And now we are five! Cool!

First, the nit:

Might want to rethink using however twice so close together. There was a another nit, but by the time I logged on here to reply, you had already fixed it. So I'm all good!

I agree that the Redguard aversion to magic is a) a carryover from the loss of Yokuda due to magicka gone wild, and hypocritical in that magic is okay in some circumstances. Oh well. Such is the nature of humankind. I find Valens even more intriguing than Seridwe - but then, I've always been partial to the dark, mysterious men.

No pitchforks or torches from me. I agree with the switch in the spell for Azura's Star - she always seemed one of the more benign Daedra as far as I am concerned. I actually like doing her daedric quest for the the good souls, but never really used the Star all that much.

Looking forward to more!

Posted by: Kazaera Jul 27 2013, 01:06 PM

Huh! Now I'm really curious about Seridwe, Valens and the Warp in the West - was Valens the Hero of Daggerfall, maybe, and Seridwe a companion? Well! I'm sure we'll find out.

I think Spell Absorption on Azura's Star makes a lot of sense, especially if you've been interpreting Soul Trapping as being more sinister and necromancy-related! No pitchforks here either.

Also, jumping back to the previous update - I am quite intrigued by Seridwe, and quite interested in how she'll get on with Aela! My first thought is that they might clash because for all you've said of trans people in the TF being excellent mages and being transgender having mystical implications, and for all Seridwe seems to be viewing Aela entirely in that light, Aela strikes me as (like many real trans women) just wanting to be seen and treated as a woman like any other. I could be wrong, of course, but if so there might be interesting times ahead...

Posted by: Acadian Jul 27 2013, 03:37 PM

Your opening paragraph setting the scene outside the Bravil gate is a real gem – beautifully crafted and a joy to read. Especially for one so familiar with the City of Mara.

Valens seems like a good addition and, I’ll wager, has both discipline and martial experience. And a mystery regarding his link to Lady Azura. No worries on changing the artifact to suit your purpose.

Four vs forty is now five! A little unfair to the poor Nagas but, just to be safe, I hope our gang is able to recruit a couple more – like that Redguard sword saint. I hear that seven would be nice.

Posted by: SubRosa Jul 27 2013, 05:27 PM

Doh! I forgot to add a http://i.imgur.com/OtdpFgY.jpg of Valens.

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jul 27 2013, 05:53 PM

You must have an AWESOME graphics mod...

Posted by: ghastley Jul 27 2013, 09:36 PM

Make as many changes to the game as you like. Just be consistent.

Valens didn't take much persuasion. One wonders what's to the east, and whether it has anything to do with Azura. I'm sure we'll get more clues later.

So Nashira would be six, and that leaves only one to be revealed. I can't wait!

Posted by: McBadgere Jul 29 2013, 06:35 PM

I'm absolutely loving this story...

I love the way you've developed all the characters...The designs of them are amazing...I love the screenshots!!...Brilliant!!...

My fave - and this is no shock really...Given my J'zirlo/J'zargo thing - is the Khajiit... ...He makes I laugh...As did the banter with Ungarion... ...

I know about the naming of swords in these types of stories, but I'd never thought of naming the armour too...That's brilliant that...

Plus, all the enchantments are amazing...Ooooh...The Redguard's sword had the hairs on the back of standing up, I thought it was so epic!!...

I love how Aela's able to read all that, just from being near them...Yes, it's a helpful writer's trick for us readers, but it's also a cool talent for the character to have too...*Applauds some more*...

I think it's excellent that they're looking for the sellswords in Bravil, a place that we're all familiar with from TF...That you haven't relocated the whole thing to Leyawiin, just to have an almost complete break is heartily applauded... ...

Oooh, I know this is the Seven Samurai and I keep going on about the Magnificent Seven...But, I get the Nashira would be Britt, the James Coburn one...But is Valens the Robert Vaughn one?...Or isn't it that direct from the S.S.?...

I love all the references...Goldenrod!!... ...Plus the others that I didn't make note of...That I should have...Ooops... ...

Aaamywho...In case you hadn't guessed...I'm loving it...So brilliant...I'm absolutely in awe of your talent...Though that does go for everyone else's too...But yours is so awesome!!...

Also, thanks for the constant schedule...Made it so easy to catch up!!... ...Ta!!...

So good...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: King Coin Jul 30 2013, 02:02 AM

Maybe the Warp changed the Star? Very interesting about the participants though. That’s one thing in TES history that I have not looked into. Perhaps I will change that soon.

“Dig up a dragon” nice reference to the dragon burial sites. I like this new guy, even if he’s a little morose. He’s got reason, but it’s how we survive that makes us who we are. I stole that last line from a song, but it fit. The distinction between warrior and soldier was neat too. Sometimes they are use synonymous but I like the difference. He learned to fight with a team, the warrior learned to fight as an individual.

Posted by: SubRosa Aug 2 2013, 05:42 PM

Grits: I am glad Valens and Seri's being part of the Warp was something that would be deducible. I was hoping to show it, rather than tell it.

I have always thought Azura's Star was rather creepy too. The game describes Umbra as an evil creation, and all it does is cast a soul trap on what it hits. The Star is the other half of the equation, and is actually trapping those souls. Hmm, presumably it would be sending them to the Soul Cairn as well then, since that is where souls that are trapped eventually end up. So why would Azura be feeding the Soul Cairn? Unless the Star sends them all to her realm instead? Either way, it sounds really disturbing.


Captain Hammer: Maybe I should has said "before you get out the torches and hammers"? I am glad you are enjoying the tale. I am trying to make Seven a clear homage to the original work, and still infuse enough originality so that it is worth the time to read.


ThatSkyrimGuy: The Warp, and the events of Daggerfell, go back pretty far IRL. So I am not surprised that its new to a lot of people. In a way that was one of the reasons I liked going back in time. There is a certain freshness to the material now, since many people have never played that game.

BTW, on graphics mods, have you ever tried playing Real Life? The graphics are extraordinary. But the gameplay is crap...


haute ecole rider: Good call on the howevers. I had not even noticed that. My characters never use the star in my games. Granted, a while ago I found a mod that allows you to recharge your magic items with a spell, which made it completely superfluous.


Kazaera: You hit the nail right on the head. Valens was the Agent/Hero of Daggerfell, and Seridwe was his companion. That is why his entire life got erased by the Numidium's warping of reality, and Seridwe only lost the actual events which she participated in. I wanted to be subtle about it, and I am glad so many people picked up on that.

You also called it with Aela's feelings about being put on a pedestal. She just wants to be treated like any other woman. She just wants to be any other woman! Next week's episode will be all about her and Seridwe.


Acadian: Valens definitely has discipline, but not marital experience. Sorry, could not resist. Have you ever noticed how similar martial and marital are in spelling? Perhaps that is not an accident... Interesting that you mention Nashira, as we will be meeting her again this episode. The same with another character.


ghastley: Valens' doom waits for him to the east, and part of him knows it. Exactly what that doom is remains unclear, but you are right in suspecting that is has everything to do with Azura. It is hinted at in http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=4431&view=findpost&p=131300


McBadgere: I spent a lot of time working on each character, and their 'art direction' if you can call it that. I wanted them all to stand out as unique. For example with Do'Sakhar I went digging through the lore about Khajiit to find that they have a traditional lamellar armor. So I rolled with that and decided to use an early Japanese form of armor. A new character being introduced this episode has a shield that is inspired by the Thracians, both in its crescent design, and its decoration.

I sort of had to go with Bravil, in order to fit Aela and Ungarion into the tale. Aela likes the area around Bravil, so they spend a lot of time there now that they have graduated.

Nashira is based upon Kyūzō from Seven Samurai, who was James Coburn in the Mag Seven. There is one other character being introduced today who is also a direct inspiration from both films (and it should be obvious who). But the others are all original. They had to be in order to mesh with the people that Aela used to adventure with in the past (that is the past from the perspective of the TF - http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=4431&view=findpost&p=131300


King Coin: Interesting you mention that quote, because Aela will say something very similar to Valens in a future episode.

Kerr Cuhulain once wrote that "Soldier's March, Warriors Dance." I think that really sums up the difference between the two.


Previously on Seven: In our last episode Seridwe introduced Aela and Ungarion to her partner Valens, who is also the bearer of Azura's Star. A&U learned that while Seri cannot recall any of the events leading up to the Warp In The West, Valens cannot remember any of his life before the world-changing event. This led both to suspect that Seridwe and Valens were an active part of the Warp, perhaps even its cause. Valens initially turned down the quest to help the Agrigentans. Then when he learned that it was to the east, he changed his mind.


Chapter 1.6

The foursome was making their way back through the darkened streets of Bravil when an Argonian stepped out of the shadows along their path and blocked their way. A pair of straight horns pointed back from his head, which was crowned by a row of rust-colored feathers. He was dressed in little more than a loincloth and a belt. In one hand he clutched a long spear with a leaf-shaped head of steel. In the other hand he held a crescent-shaped shield of wood that was painted yellow, and emblazoned with a pair of large crimson eyes drawn at a slant.

http://i.imgur.com/0oKF6ir.jpg

"It is said that these ones are seeking warriors," the Argonian declared. "Talun-Lei shall join them."

Like the others, Aela studied the Argonian. The flickering light of the street lamps glistened off his lustrous green scales, a sure sign of youth in one of his race. While his face seemed set in stone, his tail twitched, revealing his nervousness to all with an eye to see. His gear, or lack of it, again spoke of his inexperience. But most of all his eyes lacked that flinty edge that one got after having killed other sentients. Not from the first time, but the time after that, when you did it again even though you knew what it meant, and part of your heart went cold.

"You don't have what it takes boy," Valens said what Aela knew they all were thinking. "Go home, and live to see your scales fade."

"This one is a warrior," the Argonian insisted. "Talun-Lei may not have fancy armor or magics, but he is strong, and he can fight."

"What do you know about fighting?" Valens growled. He stepped forward, and grabbed the spear from the youth's hand. "We aren't spearing fish boy, or hunting razorbacks. We're killing people. People you have to look in the eye as their life drains out of them, as they scream, and cry, and beg for their lives. Can you do that son?"

"Talun-Lei is ready," the Argonian declared. The feathers on his head rose up, and his tail began to sway behind him.

"Then show me kid." Valens slapped the spear into the Argonian's chest, and the youth took hold of it with his right hand again. "Come on, stab me with that fish-sticker."

Aela felt sorry for the Argonian. He was clearly out of his depth. She hoped that he would just walk away, and spare himself the coming humiliation. But given his youth, she doubted that would happen.

Talun-Lei's eyes flickered from Valens to her, Seridwe, and Ungarion.

They all stepped back to give the pair room. "Don't hold back Argonian," Seridwe cautioned. "Give it all you have. Kill him if you can."

The Argonian stabbed with the lightning quickness of his race. But Valens appeared to have seen it coming. Aela only knew a little of sword-fighting, and far less of spear-fighting, so she could not tell what the name of the move was the Nibenean used to disarm the youth. All she did know was that an instant later Valens had the spear in his hand, and was whacking its wooden butt against the side of the Argonian's head.

Talun-Lei fell to one knee under the blow. But he did raise his shield over his head to ward off more attacks. Valens did not follow up his assault however. Instead he simply threw the spear down upon the cobblestones at the Argonian's feet.

"Go home son," he said quietly. Without another word, he walked on down the street. Ungarion opened his mouth to say something. Then he shook his head and walked on as well. So too did Seridwe.

Aela stared the young Argonian, and debated whether or not she should try to heal the bump she could already see forming upon his head. She could not help but to feel sympathy for him. She knew all too well what it felt like to be humiliated before a crowd. But she could appreciate that Valens had not been motivated by cruelty. Of course, whether or not Talun-Lei would understand the lesson the Nibenean had so painfully tried to impart was another matter.

Aela decided not to heal him. All actions came with consequences, sometimes painful ones. Talun-Lei would have to endure them all. It might even help him decide his future.

* * *

The next morning found the five mercenaries gathered at Bravil's inner docks, along with the four Agrigentans. The adventurers all wore their armor and weapons. Seridwe was clad in her elvish panoply, and carried her bow and sword. Do'Sakhar wore his own people's black lacquered lamellar, and carried his sandcrawler bone bow and dwarven axe. Ungarion practically strutted in his black silk robes and carried his black staff Andlome, or 'Long Night' in the human tongue. She herself wore her brown adventuring clothing, and carried her white staff - Hrive Amaurea - or 'Winter's Dawn' - in one hand.

Aela noted that Valens was now clad in armor: a gleaming hauberk of ebony links, covered by a breastplate and pauldrons of similar material. Vambraces of ebony covered his forearms, as did one piece greaves that were snapped into place over his lower legs, running from ankle to knee. While the power that Azura's Star resonated with made it difficult to tell for certain, she could feel no magic from the armor. Though given its material, it hardly needed enchantment. However, she could now discern that his swords were named Silme and Isilme, or 'Starlight' and 'Moonlight' in the Imperial language. Their enchantments eluded her however. Azura's Star simply overwhelmed everything else around it, like staring into a campfire made one night-blind.

Aela was surprised to see another figure waiting at the docks for them. It was Nashira, clad in her red and brown Hammerfell attire. Aela could now sense the protective enchantments upon the mail shirt she wore under her jacket, as well as those upon her boots and gloves. Her ice-ensorcelled scimitar was at her hip, and a backpack was slung over the Redguard's shoulders.

"I thought you were not coming?" Ungarion said what Aela imagined everyone else was thinking.

"The man I killed yesterday has three brothers," Nashira said matter-of-factly. "If I remain, they will come for me. Then I will have to kill them as well. So I will go with you instead."

Ungarion looked back to the others. "That makes six."

Posted by: Captain Hammer Aug 2 2013, 06:32 PM

Well, you obviously don't know that I always have my hammer. But we'll leave that alone for now.

And while we're at it, I suppose I should mention that other members of my family have found sharpened polearms with multiple tines a useful item. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCWjo1ymhGs

On to the new stuff.

First, in the time between my reading of the most recent installment and the posting of my reply, you picked the nit I was going to hit. Showing great wit. And forcing me to start with the rhymes of [censored].

Oh, Talun-Lei. This one knows of his type. Young, proud reptile, unblooded and unwise. There's another benefit to Valens' lesson: young unscarred lizard-skin makes for the best boots. Now Talun-Lei's hide won't fetch as much at the market, so there will be less poachers after him.

On the matter of the Soul Cairn, and Azura's Star: yes, I can see the evil aspect of Umbra being manifest, but Azura's star is supposed to be incapable of holding sentient souls. I figured that the inherent 'blackness' of trapping a sentient soul was the part that required the Soul Cairn, i.e., it's where sentient souls get sent to be stripped of their power and individuality while 'white souls' are the ones that get recycled into the Aetherius and are eventually sent back to Nirn. As the Earthbones, the Physics and Metaphysics of Mundus, are fully sacrificed Aedric beings, the white souls are essentially the non-sentient automoton drives that animate system platforms which carry out these processes: Deer, wolves, trolls, etc. essentially being non-sentient and being constantly reintroduced into the world in accordance with architectural structure devised by Magnus and whose energy to return comes from the out-bound flow of magic to Nirn via the sun and stars. Since sentient souls are the souls that have to go through the Dreamsleeve, or an afterlife appropriate to that soul (Sovngarde, etc.), these are the only ones that can be trapped in the Soul Cairn on the way through since they follow a different path in the cycle.

Back to this installment!

It's nice to get a summary of how each of the Six (one more coming, obviously) are outfitted and how it works with their skills. I've now got a sense of the fighting gear and styles each member of the band probably employs, except for Valens, whose mysterious mystery-stuff will continue to mystify me (okay, I'll stop now).

And then we see the person on the docks. Glad to see Nashira has more than just a sword and swordsmanship to her repertoire, though the worry about some angry brothers shows why Mr. Big-and-Broadsworded didn't bother to think things through. Really, though, it's smart. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh7tgX_Uaqs

Posted by: Acadian Aug 2 2013, 10:48 PM

A nice pause/interlude to show the young Argonian tribesman. That scene, when combined with the ebony armor of the following morning, pretty much establishes Valen’s creds as far as fighting and reading the abilities of others of the profession.

"The man I killed yesterday has three brothers," Nashira said matter-of-factly. "If I remain, they will come for me. Then I will have to kill them as well. So I will go with you instead." - - This Redguard is one no nonsense practical woman! She should probably wear a little warning sign: ‘Don’t tug on Superman’s cape!’

’Ungarion looked back to the others. "That makes six." - - And my sincere hope is that Number Seven will be Mad Jack’s mule of the same name! Oh, along with the cantankerous old mountain man and his summoned spriggan of course.

Posted by: Colonel Mustard Aug 3 2013, 02:00 PM

I can't believe I only just noticed this. It's another Subrose, and one with Aela as the main character! That is fantastic! On multiple levels! Ending sentences with exclamation marks!

On a more serious note, however, I do love this idea of doing the Magnificent Seven with a TES twist, and the cast of badasses you've assembled/are assembling for this look great; each one of them are nice and distinct, and I've no doubt that once Talun-Lei makes it seven (I just know that kid ain't gonna back down) things are going to get good.

Colour me excited for the rest of this; it looks like it the potential to be on hell of a good story!

Posted by: McBadgere Aug 3 2013, 09:55 PM

Heh... ...While I agree with Acadian, it would be excellent to see old Denver in the story again...I wondered when the Chico (Apologies, yes Mag Seven again ) character would turn up... ...And obviously, it had to be an Argonian...Brilliantly done though...

Loved the firm but fair lesson...

And so to Black Marsh we go!...With more epic weapons and armour...*Is jealous *...

Looking forward to more...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: Grits Aug 3 2013, 11:30 PM

Ungarion looked back to the others. "That makes six."

OK I haven’t seen the movies yet (I know! I’m getting to them!!) but I’m also guessing that number six is actually number seven with six being the minimally dressed young Argonian. We shall see. Great fun!

Posted by: ghastley Aug 4 2013, 12:53 AM

Well, I'm not expecting Talun-Lei to be seven - although seven and a half might not be unthinkable. I'm expecting a more familiar character, based on the references in the TF.

I haven't seen either of the films for a loooooooong time, so I don't remember the Chico character that McB does, but I also don't expect you to be constrained by precedent in what happens to Talun-Lei.

Still looking forward to number seven.

Posted by: King Coin Aug 4 2013, 03:07 AM

Strange encounter with the young Argonian. Are we going to see him again? Considering you put in a picture, I’m thinking yes! And he’ll make seven!

I liked the description of Azura’s Star blinding her ability to read the enchantments. That would be a useful thing even if just for the ability to hide what he has from anyone that can read the magic.

They are finally off to the Argonians’ land.

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Aug 4 2013, 05:00 PM

So we meet a new character, Talun-Lei, who was unable to impress The Fab Five enough to turn them into The Superior Six on their way to becoming The Magnificent Seven. Instead he must nurse his wounded head and pride.

Then the group becomes six when Nashira changes her mind to avoid confronting irate relatives. As others have said, I doubt we have seen the last of Talun-Lei.

Nit: I do have one that is more personal taste rather than technical. This pair of sentences –

Aela only knew a little of sword-fighting, and far less of spear-fighting. So she could not tell what the name of the move was the Nibenean used to disarm the youth.

Starting the second sentence with the word “So” is rubbing me wrong and “…what the name of the move was the Nibenean used to disarm…” feels clunky. I probably would have made it all one sentence by using a comma instead of the period, and changed the wording a bit, as follows –

Aela only knew a little of sword-fighting, and far less of spear-fighting, so she was unable to name the move that the Nibenean had used to disarm the youth.

Again, it’s just personal preference. For all I know, my version is technically incorrect.

Great write and looking forward to the next installment!

Posted by: haute ecole rider Aug 4 2013, 06:14 PM

Ah ha, I recognized the Chico character too! Loved that he is a young Argonian with something to prove. Will he find love in the Black Marsh? Or just a reason to stay there?

Posted by: Kazaera Aug 4 2013, 07:40 PM

Like others, I expected Talun-Lei to be #7 due to the picture and time devoted to him (and am still kind of holding out for him...). In fact, I expected him to pull something surprising when Valens challenged him, but it seems as though he's as green as he looks... literally! I do feel kind of sorry for him, but I understand why the Fab Five did it.

I really loved this bit.

Also definitely loved Nashira - I was wondering how/whether she'd join, after having turned them down before. And what a way! This bit really cracked me up:

Posted by: SubRosa Aug 9 2013, 05:43 PM

Captain Hammer: That probably is Bethesda's official line on souls. But it definitely is not mine. I do not see any difference between the divine spark that just so happens to currently reside in a body that possesses a fore brain large enough to do math, or one whose body lacks that cognitive power, or one that has no flesh and blood at all. To me divinity is divinity, and none of it is better, or worse, or more expendable than any other part. So there are no white souls, black souls, or polka dot souls in the TF or AF. There is just the divine. That in turn puts a very dark spin on soul trapping. As Grits said, the vanilla game version of Azura's Star is pretty sinister if you happen to have what they call a white soul.


Acadian: Valens is definitely the shiznit. He's also a fun character to write.

"Don't spit into the wind, don't pull the mask off the old Grey Fox, and don't mess around with Nashira..."

Mad Jack is probably on Number 3 or 4 at the time of this story. So they won't be the Number Seven you are hoping for.


Colonel Mustard: I hope the whole thing lives up to your expectations! I have always loved the Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven. It is always neat to see the tale translated to new mediums. There is an anime named Samurai Seven that is quite good.


McBadgere: No apologies necessary. Talun-Lei is more like Chico than Katsushiro. You definitely called him right. The last time I watched Magnificent Seven I found I liked Chico best of them all. He struck me as the most interesting, and definitely had the most character development throughout the story. I loved the scene with him pretending to bull fight with the bull.


Grits: Get thee to Netflix as once! I think you guessed right. If you try to read back your reply three times fast I bet it will make you dizzy though...


ghastley: Chico was the hot-headed young Mexican from Magnificent Seven, who Yul Brynnr did the "Clap hands" test with. He's also the one who finds the women, and has the nice little romantic subplot going on.


King Coin: Talun-Lei just might make seven indeed. Or six depending on what order you count from.

I wanted to put a few limitations on magically assensing things. Having really powerful items overwhelm lesser ones seemed like a reasonable idea, like a really bright light can make you blind to anything beyond it.


ThatSkyrimGuy: Does that make Aela and Ungarion the Dynamic Duo? And adding Do'Sakhar the Terrific Trio?

That was a good call on the nit, I changed it to your way, since it looks much better to me.


haute ecole rider: Talun-Lei will be played by Horst Bucholz! He may indeed find love in Black Marsh, and a reason to stay. Stay tuned.


Kazaera: Talun-Lei is as green as he looks. But he does have potential, as we will see in the future.

The flinty-eyed bit was an attempt to acknowledge the way that killing people desensitizes a person. Its not something that we normally see in the genre, where swordfights are all glorious, and slaughtering scores of foemen with one's mighty thews is what barbarians do for fun.


Previously On Seven: In our last episode a young and clearly inexperienced Argonian named Talun-Lei tried to join the team. Valens easily defeated him in a mock duel however, and the along with the others told him to go home. The next morning when the team arrived at the docks to leave for Black Marsh, they found Nashira waiting for them. Explaining that if she remains in Bravil she will have to kill the brothers of the man she slew in the duel the day before, she decided to go with them.


Chapter 1.7

Boarding the wide-bellied hulk, the mercenaries and villagers spent the morning sailing across Niben Bay to Telamon. Aela noted that among the other travelers that made the crossing with them was a young Argonian. She said nothing to the others, and instead made her way to the prow of the ship. She sat down and leaned forward against the rail, her legs dangling over the side. From there she simply watched the water below as it foamed up around the ship's prow.

"Septim for your thoughts."

Aela turned to find Seridwe standing behind her. She had not even heard the elf approach. Which either said much for the other woman's ability to move silently, or for her own distraction.

"Nothing really," Aela shrugged, and looked back to the waves. "I just like watching the water. It always feels peaceful to me."

The high elf sat down beside her, and Aela stared down at Seridwe's armored legs as they hung over the water beside her own. Looking back up, she noted that not only was the other woman's hair a masterpiece, but even her makeup gave her amber eyes a subtle glow in the morning sun.

Aela could not help but to feel a twinge of envy, and turned away from Seridwe. For the thousandth time, she wondered what it was like to be born normal, and have the option of living an ordinary life?

"That is a lovely necklace." The elf's words broke Aela's chain of thought, and she followed the other woman's gaze to the silver pendant that she wore. Shaped in a spiral, it hung above her small breasts from a chain of slender silver links.

"My spiral?" Aela said. "Among the Bosmer - and we Witches here in Cyrodiil - it symbolizes the never-ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. It's also enchanted to fortify my magicka."

"I would not think that one with your gifts would require more magical energy?" Seridwe lifted one elegantly plucked eyebrow ever so slightly.

"I don't anymore." Aela felt a wry smile come to her lips, and stared down at the pendant. "But when I first started casting spells in real combat, I had a tendency to use much more magicka than I needed. I was like a pugilist throwing a haymaker with every punch. It took me a while to learn to only use as much energy as was truly necessary, especially with my absorption spells. Now I keep it as a reminder to pace myself. And because it was a gift from a friend."

"You did not make it yourself?" Seridwe looked confused.

"Oh no," Aela confessed. "Ungarion enchanted it for me. He has always been much better at that than I am. He did all of our gear in fact: his robes and rings, my clothes, even Do'Sakhar's axe and shield. The only thing he didn't enchant were our staves. We found those underneath the Imperial City, in the old Arimer ruins down there."

"Forgive me, I thought that… well… being ardhanari you…"

"Could fly through the air and shoot fire from my toes? Not hardly. Well, I can do the first with some help from a sylph." Aela smiled. "The truth is Ungarion is a much better mage than I am in most of the schools of magic. The only ones I ever really had much interest in are Restoration and Conjuring. So I double majored in them at University. The others I never spent much time on, only the basic classes that everyone is forced to take."

"I see." Seridwe leaned back and seemed to take in the Breton Witch, as if looking at her for the first time. Aela wondered if now the high elf was finally seeing her as a real person, rather than an idol? Aela hoped so. She did not think she would much care for being put on a pedestal, not any more than she liked being abhorred. Why could not people just treat her the same as everyone else?

"I am sorry," the high elf blushed. With one slender finger she swept aside an imaginary lock of hair from her eyes. "You must be faced with these silly questions all of the time. It's just that ever since I was a child I was taught that people like yourself are gifted."

"I would not call it a gift," Aela frowned. "But it has made me what I am, for better and worse."

"It must be difficult, living in a human land," Seridwe thought aloud. "It is obvious why you would study Restoration. So why Conjuration too? Why not Illusion, or Destruction?"

"At first I started summoning just to stay alive," Aela said. "Ungarion and I have had to go into some pretty dangerous places to make ends meet. But even before that I always enjoyed conjuring. Summoning the Aedra is all about nurturing your relationship with the spirits of the world: of the rocks, of the trees, of the sky, the sea, and so on. When I am with the Aedra, I can be myself. They always see me for who I truly am, not what other people think I should be."

"I grew up in a city - Wayrest in fact - but I have always loved the countryside," the Breton continued, "the woods, the ocean, the wild places untouched by people. When I did my internship at Bravil in my final year of school, I was finally able to really get out into the wilderness for the first time in my life. I walked up the Larsius until there was nowhere left to go. I fell in love with the forest then, and met my spirit guides."

"You have spirit guides?" Seridwe raised an eyebrow again. "You sound like a Bosmer."

"I am a Witch," Aela nodded. "It is about the same thing. I met Turtle my first trip into the woods. He has taught me patience. Turtle is all about getting there, no matter how long it takes. Later I met Butterfly, who taught me the secrets of transformation. Then there was Bear, who brought me healing."

"You said that you and Ungarion have to make ends meet?" Seridwe noted. "Is that why you became adventurers?"

"Yes," Aela nodded. "I transitioned to living female in my fourth year at the Arcane University. My parents disowned me and cut off my funds. Then the University cancelled my scholarship. So I had to borrow money from a slaughterfish named Fathis Ules to pay my tuition. I graduated a few months ago, but I'm still paying him off. I will be for a long time."

"Why did they do those things?" Seridwe looked confused. "Because you are ardhanari?"

Aela nodded, but said nothing.

"But that is mad!" Seridwe exclaimed. "You have been blessed by Magnus to walk between worlds, just as magicka does. I would think they would want more people like you in their University?"

"You don't understand humans," Aela shook her head. "They are not like elves. They are herd animals. They value uniformity, the known, the expected. They all follow along like everyone else, never daring to be different. To them anything strange or unusual is frightening."

"Duty, loyalty, and obedience are what define humans: to their race, to their nations, and especially to their families. They grow up learning to think and feel what their parents tell them to, they marry who their parents tell them to, they learn the trade their parents tell them to, and so on. Most of all they have children and carry on the family name. That is the only way humans can achieve immortality: through their children and grand-children. To them, their family's honor is just as important as its wealth and health, more so in fact. A disgrace passes down through generations, and taints the entire family."

"To them, people like myself are dangerous," Aela declared. "We are proof that you are not defined by your birth, or what everyone else tells you that you have be. We make our lives in spite of what their world says. Make no mistake, people whose power and position are based upon their birth find that absolutely terrifying. They in turn have a very easy time turning the rest of the herd against us."

"But what you are describing is every elf," Seridwe argued. "Among our people, it is a given that we all must find our own true calling in life. No one can choose the fate of another. Just as no one can live the life of another."

"And that is one of the reasons why humans and elves do not get along very well," Aela observed.

"I suppose it is," Seridwe lamented. "I have lived most of my life surrounded by other elves. Even though I was born in Daggerfall, I lived in an elven neighborhood. The humans call it Little Summerset - even though there are Dunmer and Bosmer living there as well."

"So how did you become a warrior?" Aela steered the conversation away from herself. Not only to avoid the unpleasant feelings it brought up, but also out of genuine curiosity.

"The usual," the archer shrugged. "Excitement, adventure, fortune. Many of the others in Little Summerset work for the Mages Guild, or as freelance magicians. The rest are artists or artisans. My parents spend all day making copies of books, pamphlets, royal proclamations, and such. One of their neighbors is an enchanter. He sits in his apartment all day and makes warm cloaks. Another works the docks casting feather spells on barrels and crates."

"Too dull for you?" Aela guessed.

"Exactly," Seridwe nodded. "Every future I saw was just so… dreary. I cannot sit in a room all day scribing, or spinning a pottery wheel, or chipping at wood or stone. Or at least I thought I could not. Was I ever surprised that archery means standing outside doing the same thing over and over again!"

"Well, at least you get some sun and fresh air that way," Aela laughed.

"I do!" the high elf exclaimed, "and I still have more time for my hair and makeup."

"You do both very well," Aela admitted as she looked into the Altmer's eyes. She hoped that she was not blushing. "You're beautiful."

"That is so kind of you to say," Seridwe breathed. "But look at you, with that lovely long hair, and those soft brown eyes."

"Aye, hair brown as sand, and eyes brown as bark," Aela grumbled, looking back down at the waves below.

"Nonsense!" Seridwe exclaimed. "Well, your hair is rather of sandy, and your eyes are brown of course. But there is so much more to you than that."

With that, the elf pushed herself back across the planks of the deck. The next thing Aela knew, Seridwe was hunched over her back and gently taking up her hair in her slender fingers.

"Let's do something with this," the high elf suggested. "We'll start with a braid around either side of your head, then tie it all in back into a tail. Then we can do something with your eyes. We'll start with some eggplant color on your lashes. That will make the whites of your eyes really shine. Then we'll put some gold shadow on your lids, which will make the brown in your eyes glisten. It will give you more color, without being overpowering. When you want that, we can use cobalt shadow, and deeper black on your lashes."

A small, white-winged butterfly danced across the rail before Aela's eyes. She could not repress the grin from her features, and knew that she was blushing now. But she could care less. For the next few hours she forgot all about human prejudices, ardhanaris, loan-sharks, and everything else. She was just a twenty one year old woman having her hair and makeup done by a friend.

Posted by: Darkness Eternal Aug 9 2013, 08:14 PM

Oh. Well, this is still good as it is about a character that made an appearance on your other stories. I'll be sure to read those, too, when I get the chance.

Chapter 1.4:

A nice game of cards, some drink and a killer-looking altmer named Seridwe! Judging by her words and looks, she's a gifted killer and quite the explorer. Looking forward to see what she brings to the plate. The latest editon! I enjoyed and felt bad at Aela's self-conscious hair fact here. She was all about Dat Hair!

Chapter 1.5: So. We have five now. Valens looks like quite the character. I like his look and his personality shines here as well. Former legion, ex-soldier, whatever military nature he's in will only help Aela and Ungarion and Seridwe!

No problem with the change. I do agree that Azura doesn't fit the soul trap, though there is nothing wrong with soul trapping anyway. It wouldn't fit the goddess.

Chapter 1.6:

I had a kick out of this episode. New guy wants to make it into the team and only gets whacked upside the head

Poor fellow. I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of him, and he might surprise the group. In the meanwhile, our blunt-to-the-bone Nashira will suffice. There is always a special place for Redguard women in my heart, Sub. We're now with six fine individual members. Can't wait to see the latest one!

Chapter 1.7:



This part here shows just how deadly Seridwe or simple distractions can be. I bet she's one lethal altmer.

We get some backround on Aela's spiral and the enchantment and meaning, too. The concept of life, death and rebirth fits well with her character. She's has that elven streak about her that fits well with the mystic realities of Nirn and nature in general. I enjoyed her words on conjuring and the relationship with the spirits. To me its fascinating.

The conversation between Aela and Seridwe on humans and elves was very good. Humans have this narrow vision on life and how to be immortalized through their offspring whereas elves in general are perhaps a bit different.

In the end, though they may be hardened ladies, they're still women. I see Aela decided to do something about Seridwe's hair

Posted by: Captain Hammer Aug 9 2013, 08:21 PM

Well, I see the Club for Despising of Fathis Ules will never be without membership. Seriously, I do dislike the guy. And he thinks gold is worth the Escutcheon of Chorrol...?

Getting back to the story, it is nice to see the growing friendship between Aela and Seridwe. Learning about Aela's backstory and comparing it to the much more straightforward motivations of Seridwe really hammers home how much life has tried to screw her over, and yet continues to fail.

Not so much a nit, as a question:

You use the question mark in certain sentences such as the one above, and so I ask: Is this used to show a questioning statement? The syntax rules would usually put a period at the end of Seridwe's speech, so I'm wondering if it's supposed to make me read it with a change of tone and vocal inflection usually reserved for inquiries.

As for the Black Soul/White Soul thing, I see where you're going with this. But while I don't think there are Polka Dot Souls (though given the reality-warping effects of Kagrenac's actions at Red Mountain, the Dwemer could very well be Polka-Dotted now) I do have Red Souls already written up.

And did we see a young Argonian on the ship?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Fy6AUMv8E

Posted by: McBadgere Aug 9 2013, 10:01 PM

Right, I know you said that the characters in fiction should resonate with the reader, but this whole passage here...

Is exactly what drives me mad about other people...No, I know not everyone is like that...And obviously everyone here seems to possess that spark of "Self" which I think is excellent...

But we've always taught the kids to be themselves in everything...And not to let anyone tell them what they should think/watch/like/wear/listen to in anything...Only a couple of times, when we've had the "But they've all got..." or "Everyone else it going/doing..." have I been growlingly disappointed in the girl...So yeah, they've grown up as pretty amazing and excellent kids...Also frighteningly opinionated and stubborn swines, but hey...With their parents, it was absolutely to be expected... ...

Um...Yes, so that has to go down as one of my favest bits of your stories EVER!!... ...

I absolutely love this whole episode with Seridwe...The whole discussion is pretty amazing stuff...

That bit about the discovering the spirits in Bravil's woods!!...That was just special right there, that was...

Oh, and the end bit with the make-over...Just beautiful... ...

Proper special episode...Absolutely one of my faves that you've ever done...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: haute ecole rider Aug 10 2013, 05:46 AM

As a deaf person making her way in the hearing world for most of her life, this resonates with me. I've dealt with prejudice and being prejudged based on my deafness, which is but a small part of who I am. The person I am is so much more than a so-called disability. I refuse to let others limit me to being "the deaf girl." It's an ongoing thing, though I'm much more practiced now at this stuff than I was twenty years ago.

I liked the little girl-talk between two tough ladies. Reminds me of Julian and Jena in between all of Julian's schlepping around Cyrodiil.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 10 2013, 12:45 PM

I liked your description of Aela sitting with her feet dangling over the water as they sailed across the Niben.

I’m guessing the young Argonian is probably the one with a bruise on his head, and that we’ll be seeing more of him.

Seridwe is the ultimate Warrior Princess! She knows how to kick butt, and has a profound appreciation for the importance of looking good while doing it!

Love the turtle spirit. I want one!!!

Posted by: Grits Aug 10 2013, 02:21 PM

"Aye, hair brown as sand, and eyes brown as bark," Aela grumbled, looking back down at the waves below.
Says the Witch. Those are lovely colors, Aela! I liked the explanation of Aela’s relationship with nature compared to a Bosmer’s. Unless I’m inferring the wrong thing it seems that as a human Aela had to discover and connect while a Bosmer is already part of nature?

"But what you are describing is every elf," Seridwe argued.
Beautifully done. This is what was on my mind the whole time Aela was describing humans. Aela’s words provide a lot of insight into human (I’m assuming mostly Imperial) culture in this version of Tamriel, and then Seridwe reminds us that Aela’s view is limited by her own context.

Yay, makeover! The white butterfly was the perfect touch.

Posted by: King Coin Aug 11 2013, 09:46 PM

Heh, and there is the young Argonian.

Neat little story about the pendant. A little extra magicka could never hurt could it?

The High Elf’s opinions were somewhat surprising to me. I suppose I think of the Thalmor more often than not. They don’t seem like the types that would honor anything different.

That was a really fun way to end the chapter.

Posted by: ghastley Aug 12 2013, 03:18 PM

I just love it when you make magic boring!

Some nice insights into how elves' long lives affect their personalities. That individuality is one of the reasons that the Summerset Isle was fragmented enough to allow the rise of the Thalmor. Many factions, and none individually large enough to compete.

Posted by: SubRosa Aug 16 2013, 04:06 PM

Darkness Eternal: It's always about the hair! As last week's episode showed.

I think Valens is also one of the most intriguing characters in Seven. He's one that I really enjoy writing, and has a ton of songs over in the http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5401 thread.

Poor Talun-Lei, it's not easy to be the new guy on this team!

Aela does have a strong elf streak in her. Being a Breton, she has a little pointy-eared blood flowing in her veins, perhaps she has a more than most? Or maybe it was just her life-experiences that caused her to adopt a more elven outlook on life?


Captain Hammer: I don't really hate Fathis Ules, but Aela certainly does! I never really had much to do with him in my games. Usually my characters just wonder why he is sitting on a chest in an alley in the Market District.

Perhaps Rieklings are Polka-Dot souls?


McBadgere: It is always good when people find something to personally identify with in a story. So I am tickled to see your reply. You are a Scot right? And your kids are stubborn and opinionated? I am shocked to hear those traits associated with someone from The North. (lots of places have a north )

The discovery of her Witchiness in Bravil is why Aela still lives in the area years in the future. For her Bravil County is a special place. It was nice to touch on that, if ever so briefly.


haute ecole rider: As with McB, I am glad to hear that Aela's tale strikes a chord with you as well. Some things are universal, such as people trying to categorize you into a little box according to their expectations.

You are right that Aela and Seri are rather like Julian and Jena! Though they won't be eating as good as the J's did at Jauffre's table.


Acadian: I also loved the idea of sitting with your feet dangling over the side, sort of like sitting at the edge of a dock. It creates a striking visual.

Turtle is inspired by RL. I have a T-girl friend whose spirit guide is Turtle. It was she who first said to me that "Turtle is all about getting there." So when I was working on Aela's background, Turtle just naturally waddled in there.


Grits: I think its mostly just that Aela was a city-dweller for all of her life, and her first trip deep into the wilderness sort of opened her eyes to its beauty and majesty. The same with Teresa when I think about it.

Aela's views are definitely shaped by her experiences. She has lived all of her life in either Wayrest or the IC, so that is what she knows. I do not see a great deal of difference between the human cultures, except for the Redguards, because the others all come from a similar Proto-Nede source that intermingled with the Atmorans over four thousand years ago. Obviously there are still some differences, like the Nords believing in Sovngarde and Honningrew mead, the Bretons eating snails, etc... but I picture the Imps, Brets, and Nords as being more alike in views than different.

One thing that always disappoints me with the ES world and its lore is that it does not really define the cultures of the races. For example, they had married npcs in previous games, but until Skyrim we never had any idea of what marriage customs were like, and that is only in Skyrim. And we still do not even know the Nord's views on divorce, inheritance, etc... Do some races marry until death, with no divorce allowed? Do some cultures have divorces as easy to obtain as saying "I divorce you" three times (as viking women could divorce their husbands). Do some races have polyamourus marriages, with three, four, or even dozens of people in a marriage such as the Doctor from Enterprise? Do some races have marriages that last only a year and a day, like a Wiccan hand-fasting? Is marriage only for heterosexuals? Do people get married out of love? Or is marriage a duty to your family, that is arranged ahead of time by both party's parents?

We never see answers to any of these questions. I wish we did, because it would be a way to make each culture unique. That is what I am trying to do with the humans and elves in the TF and AF. I want to define some clear and very basic differences between them, so there is more to being an elf than just having pointed ears.


King Coin: Just because elves are not transphobic and believe in the individual's right (and responsibility) to determine their own fate, does not mean they are immune from racism, or religious bigotry, or nationalism, and so on. I know transgendered people who hate Mexicans. I know people who don't care if you are trans, but do care if you are an Arab. I have seen African-American preachers say that they would "ride with the devil against gays.". So even if a person accepts one thing, they can still hate something else.

I think that because the Thalmor are portrayed so one-dimensionally, many people fail to look at things from their pov. Imagine if Iran got their hands on mecha and used them to completely overpower America's military and conquer the US in one morning. Then they put up mosques on every corner, blared out the call of prayer everywhere five times of day, and Americans constantly had Islam rubbed in their faces. How do you think Americans would feel about Arabs after that? What do you think Americans would do if the playing field was leveled? That is what motivates the Thalmor.


ghastley: I love making magic boring!

I do imagine the elves as having rather chaotic governments with numerous factions, like modern Western democracies. Summerset probably has a Labor party, a Liberal party, The Goldens, Whigs, Progressives, and more. So just as you said, it makes it easy for a ruthless, ultra-nationalistic group to manipulate, coerce, and outright murder anyone who gets in their way.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found the group sailing across Niben Bay on a packet ship. Aela and Seridwe had a long talk about Aela's past experiences as a transgendered person living in human lands. They also discussed how Seridwe became a warrior: boredom with an ordinary lifestyle. Finally, we ended with Seridwe helping Aela with her hair and makeup.


Chapter 1.8

The packet ship docked in Telamon by noon. The group did not remain in the bayside settlement for long however. After debarking at the west dock, they walked straight to the eastern quay to find a boat willing to take them up the Panther River. The Niben Queen was just about to cast off as they arrived. Her captain - a Bosmer named Lidell - was more than happy to delay his departure long enough to take them aboard.

The riverboat was a curious affair. To start with, she had not been tied up with her side to the dock as most vessels did. Instead her stern had been nestled against the quay, allowing horses and wagons to trundle directly on board and roll straight up the boat to the prow. The bow was not the usual narrow point that most boats possessed either. Instead it was flat, just as the stern. In fact, the entire vessel was rectangular in shape, with gently rounded corners, and either end appeared capable of functioning as bow or stern. She was long enough to accommodate three wagons from end to end, and two such conveyances from one side to the other. Even after that there was still plenty of room for foot travelers.

The most unusual thing about The Niben Queen was the matter of her propulsion however. Rather than bearing sails or oars, Aela found that she was driven by horses. Not horses dragging her by tethers from the shore, but upon the boat itself! At either side of the vessel a massive draft horse stood in a stall that was cut through the deck, each pointed in opposite directions. The Breton Witch could see that as the horses tromped along, their hooves turned what appeared to be a disc hidden underneath planks of the main deck. Because of this the enormous animals remained walking in place as it spun beneath them. That appeared to somehow cause waterwheels at either side of the ship to spin, and their wooden slats pushed the vessel forward through the river.

A canvas awning rose above the horses to give them shade, and Aela noted postholes spaced along the boat that would allow more tenting to be erected if need be. Aela saw no signs of there being a hold or lower decks. So far as she could tell the boat had only the single open deck, and either possessed a flat bottom or one with a very shallow draft.

http://i.imgur.com/CSyoSuP.jpg

There were several teams of horses and wagons lined up down the center of the vessel, all of which were loaded with barrels or crates. There were also roughly two dozen other travelers, many of whom she imagined were with the wagons. Aela recognized Talun-Lei stepping about the ship behind them, and wondered how long it would take the others to notice the young Argonian? The cloak he now wore somewhat obscured his appearance. But she knew that on a craft the size of The Queen, he could not remain unnoticed for long.

"It would appear that these ones have been followed," Do'Sakhar said to the others. The Pahmer Khajiit nodded toward Talun-Lei. "Is that the scaletail these ones spoke of before?"

"Aye," Ungarion said, "That is him to be certain."

"Well, he is persistent," Valens admitted. "I'll give him that."

"That persistence will earn him an early grave," Seridwe murmured. "What are we going to do about him?"

"Do?" Aela said. "There is nothing to do. He can make his own bed, and he can lie in it."

"Even if it gets him killed?" Ungarion said.

"The same was true for everyone here at some time or another," Nashira pointed out.

"Not all of these ones started out facing forty bandits," Do'Sakhar contended. "I think these ones can all see that one is in over his horns."

"What we want does not matter," Aela said plainly. "Talun-Lei's fate is his to make, and his alone. None of us can change that. If he is determined, then we cannot stop him. Just like no one could stop me from attending the University, and no one could stop Ungarion from smuggling banned books out of the secret library."

"Trust an ardhanari to speak the truth no one wants to admit," Seridwe said with slightly flushed cheeks.

"This talk of self-determination is all well and good," Valens argued. "But it still does not change the fact that the boy lacks skills."

"Well perhaps if someone who knows a thing or two about spear fighting teaches him - instead of humiliates him - that will change?" Aela took a moment to stare at the Nibenean before walking off. Stepping around horses and wagons, she made her way to the rear of the ship, where the subject of their conversation stood.

The young Argonian leaned upon one of the side rails and stared out at the shore as it slid by. Aela leaned upon the rail beside him, and looked down at the water that foamed and eddied behind the boat. Talun-Lei said nothing, and neither did she.

Aela felt magic down beneath the water, and closed her eyes to better concentrate. Allowing her thoughts to sink below the waves, she was greeted by the playful energy of an undine. The water spirit had reversed the flow of the river around the boat, so that even though they traveled upstream, they were no longer pushing against the current. Aela traced a slender thread of magic from the undine to the boat, and found that it led to Captain Lidell.

What a brilliant idea! The Breton wondered if someday she might do the same herself? If she had a small boat like a dory, it would make traveling around Niben Bay much easier. For that matter, a sylph could also clear inclement weather, and guarantee that she always had a fair wind. Now she could see why so many Conjuration majors had gone on to work for shipping companies.

Opening her eyes, Aela remembered that she had other concerns as well. Turning to Talun-Lei, she finally spoke.

"Tell me friend, do you know any healing magic?"

"The use of magic was not common place in this one's home," the Argonian hesitantly replied.

"Well then," Aela said, "time we changed that."

Posted by: Grits Aug 16 2013, 04:43 PM

I had to quote this whole passage out of sheer delight. First there’s the fascinating connection between the playful water spirit and the captain, then we see the inspiration for Aela’s future water travel, and finally it’s all brought down to Nirn as a perfectly normal aspect of life in a magical world. I love it!

Posted by: King Coin Aug 16 2013, 06:45 PM

Hey, I didn’t mean anything by my comment; I was just surprised by the easy acceptance and almost worshipful attitude of the High Elf.
___

The riverboat sounds like a barge. Roll-on and roll-off makes for quick loads and unloads. Very cool picture you found of the horses moving the water wheels.

The Khajiit noticed the Argonain follower. I wonder what they are going to do about him?

I liked the connection this conversation had to the previous. Someone should make who they are. Though I do agree, perhaps this isn’t the best contract to go on for your first real fight! Forty seems like too much even for these seasoned warriors. No matter how good you are, numbers are a big advantage.

I like that Aela is going to shove some magic down his throat.

EDIT: I forgot to mention this, I thought the Pahmer Khajiit were quadruped?

Posted by: haute ecole rider Aug 16 2013, 07:56 PM

I agree with Aela's POV - if Talun-Lei really wants to join the party, let's teach him what he needs to know so he's less of a liability to the others. Humiliating him gets everyone nowhere.

I remember the ferry from the TF! How delightful to see it again! But if we have an undine reversing the course of the river, why bother to have horse-powered sidewheels? Just curious about your reasons.

I agree about the lack of definition for the different cultures in the TES universe. That's what I hope to do with Cardonaccum, and that's what I enjoy about your fiction. I would see those born in Cyrodiil being closer to what we see in Oblivion, but those born in the provinces would have cultural customs that may seem strange or different from what we are accustomed to seeing.

For example, there is a hint dropped in the TES IV, when you speak to Alga. She says that she and Honmund are a couple in the Nord way, not in the Chapel way. It suits them fine, and it suits their parents fine. So why do it any other way? That comment by her got my mind going way back when I was writing OHDH.

Looking forward to some more world-building!

Posted by: SubRosa Aug 16 2013, 10:36 PM

Sorry, if I sounded confrontational. I did not mean to come off like I was jumping down your throat. I just have a tendency to go into exacting detail much of the time.

You might be right about the Pahmer being four-legged. When I was working on the character designs I came across something that said the Pahmer looked liked tigers, and I wanted a Khajiit who looked a little different from most we see in the games, so I thought that would be great. But I never intended Do'Sakhar to be a quadreped. So guess I just changed the lore to make the Pahmer bipeds!

Posted by: Acadian Aug 17 2013, 03:51 PM

Love the design of the Niben Queen! How wonderfully appropriate for its task. The detail you lavished on it simply contributes to the epic journey that our Magnificent Seven are undertaking.

"I think these ones can all see that one is in over his horns." - - Love this line from Do'Sakhar! I got right into studying Khajiit as we explored Elsweyr. The modder did a fabulous job of depicting numerous types of Khajiit by the lore. Perhaps Cathay-raht would be a great race for this fellow? Large, powerful and bipedal. Although called ‘Jaguar men’, their coloring and markings are not clearly stated. Once could happily presume, therefore, that they come in differing markings that could easily include tiger stripes. Your call of course, but just a thought.

"Well perhaps if someone who knows a thing or two about spear fighting teaches him - instead of humiliates him - that will change?" - - Well said, Aela! Then she puts paid to her words by offering a lesson in restoration to Number 7, aka Talun-Lei.


Nit: 'The bow was not the usual narrow point that most boat possessed either.' - - I'm thinking you meant 'boats' vs 'boat'?

Posted by: McBadgere Aug 19 2013, 02:03 PM

Heh... ...Nice one... ...

That was excellent stuff...

Absolutely love the way you're weaving the film(s) script lines into the story... ...

Ooooh, the boat was excellent...I'd never heard of the horse-powered types...Makes sense though...Clever bit of engineering though...

I also loved that rather than the "shoving magic down his throat", (KC ), that Aela is firstly and foremost - probably - building a bridge to companionship if not friendship...And secondly, if they're going to be fighting so many, it makes sense that he'd need to be able to look after himself in the healing department...so that no-one (Aela) needs to be distracted to go help him...

Aaamywho...My twopenneth... ...

Absolutely love it!...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: ghastley Aug 19 2013, 04:34 PM

Count me with Haute in being confused as to how the horses drive the boat after the undine controls the water. Unless she's just cancelling out the drag on the hull, and the paddles are beyond the effect? I still like the commercial use of magic, anyway. I assume there's some cost to the caster, or the horses would be replaced by a magical method, too.

I like the fact that at least someone has decided that Talun-Lei is inevitable, and they have to make the most of the hand they got dealt, even if it's only to make him self-sufficient, so he won't get in the way. And he doesn't need a make-over, so it shouldn't take long.

Posted by: SubRosa Aug 23 2013, 03:39 PM

Grits: One thing I love about writing a prequel is showing these little tidbits of how the characters developed the skills and abilities that we are so used to seeing them possess. Like Aela's use of spirits to help her sailing. I watched the Indiana Jones movies over the week, and one thing I loved about the third movie was how we saw young Indy get his hat, whip, the scar on his chin, and his fear of snakes. I just loved all of that.


King Coin: You are right, tt is basically a powered barge. It struck me as the perfect thing for river travel. http://www.shipwreckworld.com/articles/horse-powered-ferry-boat-discovered-in-lake-champlain.

I guess Talun-Lei is just going to have to sink or swim on his first contract! Thankfully as an Argonian, he can breathe water...


haute ecole rider: I never really thought of the spirits as being anything more than something to give a ship an extra boost, sort of like putting a turbocharger in an engine, but not completely replacing it. Maybe I am not taking the idea far enough? I sort of envisioned a spirit as being able to completely propel a small boat like Aela's dory in the TF. But perhaps a larger vessel the size and mass ofThe Niben Queen is too much for a spirit to push? Or it might take a much more powerful spirit, that the captain may not be able to summon? (one thing I would like to see is the same type of spirit with varying levels of power. In the game Shadowrun the spirits you summoned could be of any level of power, but the stronger spirits were more difficult to summon).

I know what you mean about Alga and Honmund, that is a bit of dialogue that has always stuck with me too. It made me think that Nords did not marry at all, but just lived together as long as they wanted to. Then Skyrim came along and threw all that by the wayside by having Nords all marry in a ceremony of Mara's in a chapel. Sounds pretty much like the Chapel Way to me!


Acadian: I always found the plethora of Khajiit sub-races to be rather confusing. I might change it to Cathay-Rats, but then again, I would still be changing something if I did that. So maybe I will just leave it as Pahmer after all.

We are going to have several more episodes just on the journey itself. This is one way that I am deviating from the movies. In those the seven heroes leave the town they are recruited in, have a few minutes of traveling scenes, and then the stories pick up again in the village. I am going to spend a little more time getting there, and use it to show us more of the characters.


McBadgere: I never heard of the horse-powered boats until I was looking up boats for the TF. It was just pure chance that I stumbled across this one from Lake Champlain. But I did love the idea the moment I saw the article on it.

You did get Aela's intentions correct on both counts. On one hand she is playing the welcome wagon. On the other she is making sure he can heal himself, taking her own words to heart about teaching him things.


ghastley: I think it is just going to be that the undine is cancelling out the drag on the hull as you mentioned, but that the boat still has to generate some of its own power as well. I don't want magic to be too overpowering. Plus I never put that much thought into it!

It is true that at least Talun-Lei does not need his hair to be done! We will see some training scenes in the future, as he learns what it takes to be a member of the Magnificent Seven.


Previously on Seven: In our last episode the seven's ship docked at Telamon, the settlement at the mouth of the Panther River. There they boarded a riverboat that will take them up the river. The seven finally noticed that Talun-Lei had followed them, apparently dead-set upon taking part in the quest to protect Agrigento. After a short discussion, Aela pointed out that if he was truly determined, they could not stop him. She suggested that someone teach him to fight, and took her own words to heart by going to him and teaching him a healing spell.


Chapter 1.9

Aela leaned back against the wooden awning that covered one of the waterwheels. She watched the brown water of the Panther River slide by as it fell behind the boat. The turning wheel churned up the otherwise peaceful water, and left a foaming wake behind the boat, marking a trail where it had passed.

She could still feel the undine down there, reversing the flow of the river so that the wheels - and the horses turning them - would not have to struggle against the current. She closed her eyes, and let her thoughts drift down into the water with the spirit. The undine was a joyful creature, and saw the exercise not as an onerous task, but rather as an amusing game. Aela danced and splashed alongside her - if only metaphorically - and whiled away the afternoon with the Nirn Spirit.

Hard footsteps clanked across the wooden planks of the deck nearby. They stopped as a dark shadow fell across Aela's body, blocking out the warm rays of Magnus. The cool light of a star washed over her instead, and the scent of roses wafted across her nostrils. Wood creaked loudly in her ears, and Aela felt the planks of the deck shift under her as a heavy weight lowered itself down upon them nearby.

The Breton opened her eyes to find Valens squatting beside her. The Nibenean wore his black armor, even in the summer heat, and stared out at the waves beyond. Then his dark eyes turned to meet her own.

"So just what in Oblivion are you anyway?" he asked bluntly.

"I'm Aela," the Witch replied. Her heart doubled its pace at the loaded question, but she did her best to keep her voice neutral. "That is all you need to know."

"So what do I call you," the Imperial went on, "'he' or 'she'?"

"Do I look like want to be called 'he'?" Aela still fought to keep the anger from her voice. "I'm not wearing a bodice and a chemise because I want to trumpet my masculinity, and I'm not wearing makeup to impress everyone with my manhood."

"Fair enough," Valens nodded. He looked from her to the water, and stared into its depths for a long time before he went on. "You know, Seridwe thinks you're some kind of prophet or saint."

"The elves aren't ruled by petty bigotries, as humans are," Aela replied.

"Well, not the same ones at least," Valens almost smiled.

Aela did not reply, and Valens did not speak again for long moments. "They say people like you have special powers," he finally said. "That you can do things no one else can."

"I put my pants on one leg at a time, the same as everyone else," Aela declared. "But it is true that someone who lives between worlds as I do has some advantages when it comes to magic. That is what magicka does after all - travel between worlds - shining down from Aetherius to Mundus. So people like me can manipulate it better than most."

"It must be hard living in the Imperial Province, with everyone who knows what you are treating you like an aberration," Valens observed. "Why do you stay here? You could go to Valenwood or Elsweyr, they love your kind there."

"Because I have just as much right to be here as anyone else," Aela insisted. "I won't be run out by a bunch of narrow-minded provincials. I would think that an Azura worshipper like yourself would be a little more enlightened. She is the goddess of transitions after all, of traveling from one state to another. That is what dusk and dawn symbolize: endings and beginnings."

"I'm no Azura worshipper," Valens stiffened, as she had accused him of a crime. "I've got no use for the Nine - or the Daedra - and they've none for me."

"Really?" Aela pressed on, "is that why you carry the very essence of the goddess of twilight and magic given physical form? Why do you worship her every morning and evening?"

"I don't worship her," Valens grumbled. "I'm just… thinking."

"What is the difference?" Aela asked.

"Plenty," the Nibenean insisted. "I serve myself. No one else. This world - and the gods - have never done me any favors."

"What, you think you're special because you've suffered?" Aela said. "Because your past has been taken away from you? Well join the rest of us."

"What would you know about it?" Valens shot back.

"What would I know about it?" Aela replied hotly. She noticed that several of the others were now staring from their positions around the boat. But she could not contain herself. "My whole life was taken away from me when I changed. My family, my home, my future, the people I thought were my friends, everything. I lost it all."

"But you know what? It wasn't the end of the world. I have a new family." Her eyes glanced to Ungarion. The Altmer mage stood by with his arms crossed, and nodded back to her. "I make my own future now. One day I'll make a new home as well. The gods didn't create the world we live in, or our fates. We are the gods, and we make them all ourselves, every single day. What world are you going to make?"

"I don't know," Valens sighed. With that simple honest admission, Aela felt her anger ebb away like the evening tide.

"Well that is a good place to start," Aela said.

Valens stood, and looked about at the others, who were all staring back at them now.

"So what do I call you Valens?" Aela asked, still sitting against the wheel house. "My friend, or something else?"

"I am your friend Aela," the Nibenean rumbled. "Of that let there be no doubt."

Posted by: Acadian Aug 24 2013, 01:56 AM

Continuing to love the horse-driven, undine assisted paddle boat!

Aela’s communion with the playful water spirit was wonderful!

Aela and Valens get to know and, perhaps, understand each other a bit better. With the large cast here, you are doing a good job of providing enough cues and reminders to help keep them all straight.

Heh, I had to smile at Aela's assumption regarding Valens. I don’t know of a single Daedra Lord worshipper who carries one of their artifacts; it seems the Daedra Lords issue their tokens to intrepid warriors for completing tasks that their followers will not or cannot complete. All the worshippers seem to get for their devotion is maybe a brown robe.


Nits:
’That is what magicka does after - travel between worlds - shining down from Aetherius to Mundus.’ - - There seems to be. . . something missing after the word ‘after’? Knowing your writing style pretty well, I suspect you meant ‘after all’?

"What, you think your special because you've suffered?" - - Here of course, you want the conjunction ‘you’re’ vs the possessive ‘your’. I realize this is dialogue, but I shouldn’t think that has any impact here.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Aug 24 2013, 06:16 PM

Loved the growing depth of the relationships here! Getting to know Valens the mystery man a little bit better was wonderful. Of course he's not a Daedra worshiper! I agree with our Paladin that the artifacts never seem to make it into the hands of the worshipers at the shrines, and I have yet to hear of someone role-playing a Daedra worshiper (though I'm sure someone has already done so).

Thanks for the clarification of the relationship between the undine and the horse driven boat. Of course magicka has its costs and its limits - it is bigger than anything mortal, natch. We can only hope to call on some small portion of the immense, infinite energy underlying all of Creation. That is exactly how I see the use of magicka in the TES world, and only now am I beginning to explore the relationship between magic and everyday life and activities.

Looking forward to the development of the other characters!

Posted by: Grits Aug 24 2013, 07:08 PM

How perfect for Valens to be so direct. What a great scene to clear the air between them.

I like Valens’ insistence that he is not an Azura worshipper though he carries her Star. I don’t suppose Azura would increase her influence by handing her artifact over to someone who’s already devoted and spends all of their time hanging out at the shrine.

Posted by: King Coin Aug 24 2013, 08:17 PM

This scene was fun. Valens was blunt as ever, and it was kind of funny to see him pushing all of Aela's buttons. They both make a good point as the discussion progresses. Aela has a stubborn streak too!

The beginning was neat too, though I expected a magick lesson instead of swimming with the water spirit.

Posted by: ghastley Aug 26 2013, 03:04 PM

Good point about the worshippers not being the ones the Daedric Princes turn to for action. Azura's Star seems to be an artifact that finds its way back to her quite often, and I've lost track of when this story is set. So I'm assuming Valens' quest for Azura wasn't one of the ones we know from Daggerfall or Morrowind. Does he even remember what it was?

Posted by: McBadgere Aug 27 2013, 06:11 AM

An excellent chapter... ...

What I loved about this a lot was that although it was from Aela's point of view, this was actually about Valens, and his testing of Aela, to see if he could trust her...Well, that's what I thought anyways... ...I may be wrong...It has been known to happen...From time to time...*Minces off in gold metal suit with arms just so*...

Um...

But yeah, I loved how that all played out...And I said it in TFS but I love Aela as a character...I think her and Ungarion are excellent together...*Applauds*...

Loving this story... ...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: SubRosa Aug 30 2013, 06:50 PM

Acadian: That is true. The people who worship the Daedra in the game always end up getting the brown end of the stick! It kind of makes you wonder why they bother? But as always, my stories are not the games. My Daedric Princes are no more likely to hand out their artifacts to any Tomius, Dickenor, and Har-rei, as the Pope is to pass out holy relics to people on the street. If Valens has Azura's Star, you can be certain that it is because it serves Azura's designs. And if he keeps it, well, that also says something about him as well.

Swimming with the undine was fun to write. It also gave me a way to show Aela's witchiness, as well as one of the ways that she keeps her conjuration skills sharp. It is also one way of showing what Aela does with her time. Ungarion plays cards. She communes with spirits.


haute ecole rider: Just because Valens says he is not an Azura worshiper does mean that is true. She is the goddess of twilight, and he is doing something when he is staring at the sky every sunrise and sunset, whether or not he wants to admit it.

I have played several characters who were Daedra worshipers. Saya was the first, though she never collected any of the Daedric Artifacts (I guess that is proof that Daedra worshipers get squat! ). Then there was Ophelia. She was a a Mythic Dawn sleeper agent who got lost in the shuffle and was never given orders to act during the Oblivion Crisis. Afterward she had no direction, and went to all the Daedric Shrines and did all of their quests, looking for a purpose in life. In the end she went to the Shivering Isles and became the new Queen of Madness.

Most of my characters never want any of the Daedric artifacts though. They might do the quests, but end of giving away or selling the artifacts. I think the Skeleton Key is the one that most of my characters have used, and that is because those were thieves, and Nocturnal is their patron after all. Whether they openly worship her or not.


Grits: Direct is a nice way to put it. One reason I wrote Valens that was is because I wanted to show at least one character with a negative reaction to Aela being trans. Obviously we know that Ungarion is T-friendly, and can gather the same of Do'Sakhar given their long history together. Seridwe is plainly very friendly as that is what her culture taught her to be. Nashira is too wrapped up in her own idea of self-perfection to really give a crap about what anyone else does. Finally Talun-Lei is just a little bit clueless. Being an Imperial, Valens was the perfect one to be rude and say "What the [censored] are you anyway?"


King Coin: Aela has a very stubborn streak! She has needed it to make the sacrifices she has. She was also born under The Lady, which only makes her more stubborn (Willpower bonus and all).

I am glad the beginning did not turn out to be a boring school session! Playing with the water spirit was a good way for me to show Aela just relaxing and being herself.


ghastley: All of the Daedric Princes seem very fickle with their artifacts in the games, seeing that with every game they have found their way out of the hands of their previous owners and into someone else's. This story is set between the events of Daggerfell and Morrowind, so if Valens got it from a quest in the games, it would be from the Daggerfall one (which is a random quest anyway). I have not gotten to covering how he obtained it yet. I am not sure if that will come up or not. Unless it happened in the last few years though, he would not remember it.


McBadgere: You are absolutely right, that last episode was more about Valens than it was about Aela. He is a mystery man, so I think one of the best ways to flesh him out might be through the eyes of other people, and from what they gather about his behavior.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode saw Valens confront Aela about her being transgendered. Aela controlled her temper through most of it and answered his questions. She turned the tables on him by asking why he worships Azura every twilight. He angrily insisted that he worshiped no Daedra or Aedra, since none of them had ever done anything for him. Still, he failed to answer just what it is that he is doing when he stares at the sky every twilight, or why he carries Azura's token - the influence of which Aela could feel the moment he sat down beside her.


Chapter 1.10

The journey up the winding course of the Panther River was a long one, even with Captain Lildell's conjured assistance. Aela was surprised at the number of settlements they came across as they traveled. She had thought the Nibenay Basin was all wilderness. Yet every few miles there seemed to be another farming and fishing settlement. All were fortified with strong timber walls, ditches, and moats of course. She doubted that anyone out here had seen a City Guardsman or an Imperial Legionary in years. As if to underscore that thought, they passed the now empty ruins of Morahame on the first day. Aela was glad to see that no new bandits had moved into the Arimer site since she and Ungarion had explored it. Given how near it sat to the Yellow Road, she doubted it would remain empty for long however.

Captain Lidell stopped at many of the villages they came across. Their inhabitants all seemed to know him. Sometimes he traded with the villagers, and even carried letters between settlements. Passengers left at some stops, only to be replaced by new travelers who boarded at other places. It seemed there was always something happening on the boat.

They spent some of their nights tied up at the safety of a village's dock. Other times they simply pulled into a clear stretch of shoreline and rolled out their sleeping mats on the deck. Talun-Lei proved his worth as a river man, often diving into the brackish waters, only to return with a fish clutched in his bare hands. While some might have been doubtful of his fighting ability, all of their stomachs were thankful for the Argonian's presence.

On the subject of fighting ability, Valens did indeed take the young warrior-to-be under his wing, and began drilling him in the use of shield and spear. Aela watched with fascination as the former soldier began his instruction. She was not the only one whose interest was piqued either, and in no time at all nearly all of the passengers on the boat were crowding around to get a view of the Nibenean's lessons.

"Let's take a look at this weapon combination." Valens began as he picked up Talun-Lei's crescent-shaped shield in his left hand. He slid his right hand over its bright yellow face, and held it up so all could see. "This shield looks very simple. Some thin planks of wood with a piece of painted rawhide stretched over it. But don't underestimate it. The crisscrossing strips of wood give the design strength, and this hardened leather on the face reinforces it. If any of you have a dog and give it rawhide to chew on, you know how tough that can be."

Now the Imperial rapped his fingers against the gleaming metal boss in the center of the shield. "The boss here where I grip it is made of bronze, so not only is that going to protect my hand, but I can punch with it as well." To underscore his words, the Imperial jabbed outward with the shield. "This is a very simple piece of gear, and aside from the boss, something that anyone can make. But in the hands of a skilled fighter, it gives you both a strong defense, and a good offense."

"Now the spear." Valens stepped over to Talun-Lei once more and took the weapon from the Argonian's hands. Its leaf-shaped point was now wrapped in several layers of leather, secured by crisscrossing strips of cord. "This looks even more primitive. It's just a stick with a pointy end! But don't laugh, this is one of the oldest weapons in the world, and the reason people still use it today is because of how effective and versatile it is. Not to mention how easy it is to make."

"Now with Seridwe's help, I'm going to show you just what you can do with this weapon combination." The high elf stepped up holding a shorter spear in an overhand grip. Like Talun-Lei's weapon, its point was also blunted. In her other hand she gripped Do'Sakhar's dwarven buckler, which was painted with a black scorpion across its bronze face. Moving slowly, the Altmer stabbed overhand at the Imperial's shoulder. He easily raised his shield and deflected the blow. She followed with several more stabs in slow motion, each time going to a different part of his body.

"Now since this shield doesn't cover my entire body, I have to constantly move it to counter Seri's attacks," Valens said as they performed their intricate dance. "But what you have to be careful not to do, is hide behind it."

To illustrate his point, Seridwe attacked Valens' face. He raised his shield to counter, and deflected the high elf's blow. She brought her weapon back for another strike at his head, and he continued to hold his shield up high to counter.

"Every second I have my shield up like this, I can't see what Seridwe is doing," Valens said. Now the high elf's spear darted down, its point angling for his belly. The high elf stopped short, with the blunted point inches away from the ebony mail links protecting the Nibenean's abdomen. "Now I'm dead, because I let her trick me into covering my eyes."

"But an enemy who feints high and goes low is not the only thing you have to watch for," Valens went on. "If you don't lift your shield when you need to, that leaves you open to another common move: going over the top of the shield rim." Seridwe attacked high again, and in slow motion, she used her height to stab over the top of the Imperial's shield.

"If she's quick, and I'm not paying attention, I'm dead," Valens said. Now he finally brought his own spear into play. He held it in an underhanded grip, with the point straight up. The Nibenean swung it from right to left, and twisted his torso with it. The wooden shaft of his weapon met the haft of Seridwe's spear and swept it away.

"But as you can see, I can use my own spear to knock hers aside," he said. "Now I can clear her out."

Then with a backhand motion Valens swung his spear back from left to right in a wide arc, once more twisting his body with it. The weapon's leather-bound head slashed for Seridwe's head. The high elf was forced to step back to avoid being hit, leaving her too far away for her shorter weapon to reach Valens.

"As I am sure you can begin to see, the real strength of this spear and shield is my reach," Valens went on. Shifting the spear to an overhand grip, he jabbed at Seridwe several times. She used Do'Sakhar's small, round shield to bat his spearhead away each time. But every time she tried to close in to attack herself, the point of his spear was there waiting for her.

"This spear is at least seven feet long," Valens said. "So even when I'm holding it with one hand in the center, I've got a good three and half feet of range. When I am fighting someone like Seridwe - who has a shorter spear or a sword - I have the advantage as long as I can keep her at a distance."

"Now the Nagas we are going to be fighting prefer to use a short spear, about five feet long, the same as she has," Valens went on. "Some of them fight with a buckler as well, but others use their spears two-handed. They like to get in close, where they can land a flurry of blows with that spear, using it like a staff."

"So why don't they use a longer spear?" Ungarion asked.

"Now that is a good question," Valens said, momentarily pointing his blunted spear to the wizard. "The answer is where they live. Nagas come from the deep core of Black Marsh. It's a place of mangrove swamps, hanging vines, and dense undergrowth. They spend as much time swimming as they do slithering around on land. So the simple answer is that a seven foot weapon like this is just going to get in their way. They need something that is small enough that they won't be snagging it on everything around them. I can tell just by looking at this spear, that Talun-Lei is from a place on the periphery of the swamp, where the growth isn't as heavy."

In the meantime Seridwe stepped over to Do'Sakhar and returned his buckler. Gripping her spear with both hands now, she swept it around her body in a noisy flourish. Then she walked toward Valens once more.

"Now just like before, Seri's going to want to get in close with that spear," Valens said to the onlookers as she closed in. The high elf deftly used the shaft of her spear to knock aside a jab from Valens' own weapon. Stepping closer, she brought the butt of her spear forward, only to see it deflected by the Imperial's shield. Still closing the gap between them, Seridwe countered by sweeping the head of the spear forward. Valens brought his shield up to block once more, and the high elf came right up to his chest. Rather than pull her spear back, or swing it around for another blow, she pressed right against his shield with both hands on her weapon.

"See how quickly she closed the distance between us?" Valens said. "Now watch what she does." The Altmer moved a foot around behind one of Valens' ankles and shoved. The Imperial went down to the deck on his back, with Seridwe right on top of him. She dropped her spear and pulled a dagger from her belt. Holding it overhand like an icepick, she slowly jabbed down at the Imperial.

Then she stood up and put the golden-bladed weapon away, while Valens climbed to his feet behind her. "See how fast that happened?" Valens said. "We went from spear-fighting, to wrestling, to knife-fighting. When it's for real that will only take seconds. That's what the Nagas will try to do. They'll push it in close and take away your range advantage, then they'll wrestle with you. Believe me, you do not want to get in a wrestling match with a Naga! It's literally like trying to grapple a snake."

"So now you know what you are up against," Valens concluded. "Next we'll start going through it one at a time with everyone, and you can learn how to keep Seridwe at a distance, and stop her from killing you."

Talun-Lei was the first to step up and take his spear and shield from Valens. Seridwe continued her role as the aggressor, once again borrowing Do'Sakhar's buckler to defend with. As with the demonstration, all of this was done in slow motion, so that everyone could see what was happening.

"Hold your spear overhand, high above your head, just behind the balance point." Valens guided Talun-Lei to lift his spear in such a manner, with the point drooping down lower than where he balanced the long weapon in his hand. "Now when you thrust, you're going to be using gravity to bring the point down into your enemy's face. Then you're going to thrust over the top of her shield, just like Seridwe did to me at the beginning."

"So it's like fighting downhill," Talun-Lei observed as he took a tentative jab at the Altmer.

"Exactly," Valens nodded. "That is going to give you more speed and power, and take less effort. Combat is all about taking every advantage you can. With that in mind take a small step with your left foot when you strike. That will close the distance, and prevent her from being able to step back out of range. Once you hit, step back again, and get out of her range once more. Remember, always keep her in range of your weapon, but stay out of range of hers."

Talun-Lei took that half-step and jabbed once more, stepping back again the moment his spear head struck Seridwe's shield.

They continued doing so for long minutes, and gradually picked up the pace of the drill as Talun-Lei showed that he was comfortable with the movements. Then Seridwe began to advance, and Valens instructed the Argonian to step back every time she moved forward to keep her at a distance, and to always keep his spear point in her face.

The other four Agrigentans followed one at a time. Some had greater success than others. Stalks-The-Marshes seemed skilled with the spear already, and Aela overheard him say that he sometimes went hunting with a spear in the marshes. Rullianus dove into the lessons with a zeal that was nearly frightening, and Aela wondered whose face he saw staring back at him when he sparred with Seridwe? Ulpia was clearly unskilled with the weapon, but diligently followed along with the lessons anyway. Finally the old Argonian Hathei seemed to be almost afraid of the spear, and looked like he was ready to jump off the boat the first time that Seridwe struck his shield.

Perhaps most of all Aela was amazed at how Valens, usually so surly and morose, seemed to come to life in the training sessions. It was as if perhaps the person he truly was on the inside was showing through. Or maybe he was simply so engrossed in what he was doing that he forgot to brood? In any case the training sessions became a staple of life aboard ship, with Valens leading Talun-Lei and the Agrigentans in lessons every morning and evening.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gctjLzCF4I&feature=share&list=UUXpiv4btITp9NHSm1VqL8fw

http://youtu.be/gzNr1iAJQS8?t=3m33s

Edit: I added in a few paragraphs near the end, along with a second video.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Aug 30 2013, 08:10 PM

Well written spear-fighting tutorial!

A nit:

I'm sure you meant he goes hunting in the marshes, not with spear and marshes!

Back to the lesson. I wonder if Valens and Seridwe rehearsed their moves beforehand, as she seemed to anticipate the points he wanted to make in his lecture. Especially toward the end when they grappled and she 'defeated' him with her dagger. Almost as if she had heard this particular lecture before.

Good to see Valens coming out of his brooding shell. So he's a trainer, huh? He certainly seems to enjoy it!

Posted by: McBadgere Aug 31 2013, 07:17 AM

Yep, agreed...Loved the spear fighting lesson...Now I'll know what to do next time I'm attacked by men wielding point-ed sticks... ...

Fair dues...Excellent research there... ...And so brilliant how you wove it into the story...

Oh, and the Talun-Lei/Chico fish reference made me laugh... ...

An excellent chapter that shows some of Valens' undoubted awesomeness...

Nice one!!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: Acadian Aug 31 2013, 03:47 PM

I’m delighted to see you taking the time to glean so much goodness from this boat trip! The vessel itself, the fascinating countryside, small villages flanking the meandering river and, in this episode, sparring lessons featuring spear and shield. We learn a great deal more about Valens and Seridwe, as well as a bit more about each of the Argonians. Valens is a gifted instructor indeed.

And no one ended up getting knocked into the river - not yet. But then, getting dunked is as natural to an Argonian as breathing under water.

Posted by: King Coin Aug 31 2013, 05:28 PM

I don’t know how boring a magic lesson would be, the Argonian could have made it entertaining!

Loved the ‘filling in’ you did along the river. All the little settlements with palisade walls, the trading, the life!

Talun-Lei is proving his worth! Nothing makes someone like you more than filling their stomach. Since they can’t shake the Argonain, I’m glad Valens has decided to begin instruction. The man needs to work some academy or something instead of tromping around brooding.

Posted by: Grits Sep 1 2013, 12:36 AM

I particularly enjoyed the beginning paragraphs that describe the progress up the Panther River. Talun-Lei’s providing everyone with fish made me smile.

I love how you followed the argument with Valens in the previous episode with this segment where Aela watches him come alive in his lessons.

It was as if perhaps the person he truly was on the inside was showing through.
I thought this was an especially lovely observation coming from Aela.

Posted by: ghastley Sep 2 2013, 03:24 PM

I liked the lesson on choosing your weapon for the fight and the terrain. Short weapons in confined areas, longer ones only where you have room for them.

It's good to see that the villagers are getting some education, too. The greatest gains come where there's the most lacking.

And again your world is so much larger. It's taking days to do the trip, that you could walk in hours in the game, even at the default time-scale.

Posted by: SubRosa Sep 6 2013, 02:10 PM

haute ecole rider: Thank you, I put a lot of time into Valens' training session. You are correct that Valens and Seridwe have done this many times. I see them as similar to Green Berets, often going into remote places and training the people there to fight, as well as fighting themselves.


McBadgere: Now you will know what to do if you have a pointed stick! I could not resist the Chico homage there. I will have more of that this episode in fact.


Acadian: I think the extra time spent on the boat ride has been paying off too. It is giving us some time to get to know some of the characters better, in a way would not if I just wrote a few transitional paragraphs of the journey to Agrigento.

You called it, dunking Talun-Lei is probably just going to make him happy!


King Coin: Talun-Lei is one of those examples of how hunters often take a step up and become warriors. In many cultures the warrior caste either began as hunters, or actually were hunters doing the war part-time, when needed.

But brooding is cool! As Willow said in Buffy the Vampire Slayer "He can brood for 40 minutes straight, I've clocked him!"


Grits: This was a rare opportunity to show something underneath the emotional armor that Valens wears, even if it is just something as macho as teaching people to fight.

Talun-Lei's fishing is an homage to the films, in both those the Chico/Kikuchiyo character provides the others with meals along the way.


ghastley: One thing I have noticed from reading history is that there is nothing accidental about the weapons and armor that different cultures use. The place they live in, and their level of technology, always influences what they develop. So I thought about the deep swamp, and tried to imagine what people there might use.


Previously On Seven: In our last episode Valens and Seridwe began teaching Talun-Lei and the Agrigentans how to fight with a spear. Aela noted that during the lessons Valens himself seemed to come to life, and briefly escape from his morose, brooding shell.


Chapter 1.11

The settlements thinned out as the days went by. In time the Arimer ruin of Welke slid past, rising high above the river on a steep bluff. The Panther branched at the ruin, and they turned north, following its main course upstream. Afterward Captain Lidell gave a wide berth to several camps they passed along the watercourse.

http://i.imgur.com/oRjS3X1.jpg

"Bandits," the wood elf explained to Aela when she asked after the second such occurrence. "These backwoods are infested with outlaws, and worse. Some will trade for goods and news. Some will cut your throat as soon as look at you."

In one stretch of river the captain even forwent their usual nightly stop for sleep. Instead he continued on through the darkness, using spells to restore the flagging stamina of his horses. He warned them all to be wary of strangers, and not to let anyone on the boat, even if they found them in the water.

"Why?" Seridwe asked. "What is wrong?"

"Vampires," the Bosmer replied. He pointed to a scattering of cave mouths yawning within the bluffs to the south. "Those are Bloodrun Caves. Nothing living ever comes out of them. But dead things still do…"

Soon they passed another set of caverns on the opposite side of the river, which the captain identified as Kindred Caves. "I think they have a different clan of vampires," he said. "I've seen them fighting each other by the river's edge."

Aela could see Ungarion taking mental notes each time, weighing the danger versus the possible profit. The Breton Witch had to admit that she was doing the same herself. Perhaps when their quest for the Agrigentans was finished, they might revisit some of these caves?

Finally they came to a stop at the ruins of an old Imperial castle. Only the crumbling stones of the outer walls remained, and even half of those were missing, having been replaced with wooden timbers. Sweet wood smoke curled up from within, and a mixture of humans and Argonians could be seen standing guard at the single entrance, as well as around the rest of the site. A dock stretched out into the river from the ersatz fortress, and it was here that Captain Lidell docked The Niben Queen head on.

"This is the end of the line," the Bosmer waterman declared. "Welcome to Castle Redwater, the last bastion of Imperial civilization."

"Aye," Stalks-The-Marshes said. "This one has been here many times. The Empire abandoned the castle ages ago. Now it's a trading post, inn, smithy, whatever folk need it to be."

"From here we walk," Rullianus added. "At least for the good part of the journey."

"This one is almost afraid to ask about the bad part…" Do'Sakhar said dryly.

"You will see," Ulpia murmured. "It's… an experience."

The Agrigentans would say no more, leaving Aela to wonder if whatever they alluded to was almost a form of initiation? A magical initiation could not be explained to another. It could only be experienced. Because experience is subjective, it is different for everyone. The only thing for certain was that it changed you forever. While she doubted the Agrigentans had anything so dramatic in mind, she could not help but to wonder what they did mean?

As Stalks-The-Marshes had intimated, he knew his way around the trading post. Its denizens - a hard and none too clean bunch - knew the Argonian as well, and several greeted him by name. Aela discovered that the bailey was filled with several daub and wattle buildings. Stalks-The-Marshes led them to one of these, which turned out to be the eating house. A meal of fried sausages and tangy onions filled their bellies. While the wine was hardly Tamika's, it was far better than the travesty offered at the Lonely Suitor Lodge, nor was it served in mugs.

Since it was only midday, they decided to press on overland until dark. They followed a road that was little more than a pair of ruts worn into the ground by wagon wheels. The trees grew thick around them, and it was only through the occasional break in the growth that Aela was able to glimpse a low range of mountains to their left.

"That's the Valus Mountains," Valens followed Aela's gaze with a black-mailed finger. "They end right there, up near the headwaters of the river."

"You have been this way before then?" the Breton asked.

"Not that I remember." The Nibenean rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully.

Talun-Lei vanished somewhere during the trek. Hours later they came across a dead pheasant dangling from a tree limb by a rawhide cord. Do'Sakhar declared that it had been slain by a javelin, the same kind as several which the young Argonian carried along with his spear.

"That Argonian is going to make us all fat before this is done," Seridwe laughed.

They made camp for the night soon after, and were once again rejoined by Talun-Lei, who now clutched a duck in one hand. While he might have been inexperienced in war, the young Argonian was certainly a proficient hunter.

They struck out again at dawn's first light. Valens was even more silent and moody than normal, and Aela realized that he was again entranced by the dawn. The Nibenean spent the entire time staring at the rising sun, and the brilliant colors it splashed across the horizon. Aela wondered what it was he saw there, since it was plainly more than just the start of a new day to him?

"I'll do it just to go east, if for nothing else."

The Nibenean's words rose up in Aela's memory. What doom awaited him in the east? Did he even guess himself?

The forest grew darker as they went on. At the same time it grew hotter and damper than even when they had been on the river. Soon sweat began to drip from their pores. The Agrigentans stopped, and Stalks-The-Marshes announced that they were in the Black Marsh. Talun-Lei and the four villagers spread out then, searching through the underbrush to either side of the path. Soon Hathei called out for the rest of them.

"I have found a root!" the old Argonian exclaimed.

"A root?" Ungarion cocked an eyebrow, "in a forest? How remarkable!"

Still, Aela and the others congregated around the Argonian, who stood in a copse of moss-covered trees. At Hathei's feet was a pool of viscous black mud, which boiled with a sea of bubbles every time he poked at it with a stick.

"Excellent!" Stalks-The-Marshes declared. "This will save us many days from our journey." Without another word the Argonian trader stepped into the mud. In just a matter of seconds he sank completely down into it, and vanished from sight. The other Agrigentans did not seem perturbed. At least Hathei did not. In fact, the old Argonian leaped into the muck a moment later. Rullianus and Ulpia looked at one another. With a grimace, the young man stepped into the bubbling mud, and he too sank out of sight.

Ulpia looked back to the rest of them and explained. "This is the midsummer migration. It will take you south. When you see a mass of bubbles, that's a hole you can use to get out. But don't do that until you see us do it first. Otherwise you'll be lost somewhere in the marsh. And whatever you do, don't stay inside after we leave. We'll never find you then."

The Imperial stepped into the mud, and paused to look back one more time. "Oh, and don't panic." Then she stepped in, and sank out of sight.

"What on Nirn is this?" Do'Sakhar scratched his head as he stared at the black puddle.

"These are the roots," Talun-Lei said as he too stepped up to the bubbling mess of goo. "Have no fear, one can live for months in the belly of a rootworm. Just push up when you see the way out."

He vanished from sight, and Aela found herself stepping up to the hole next. She seemed to recall something about this at University. There was some way that the Argonians traveled through the roots of the Hist trees. But for the life of her she could not recall the details. She had never paid as much attention in History or Anthropology classes as she had in Restoration and Conjuration.

Well, she was going to find out.

It took every ounce of her willpower to remain calm as she sank into the mud. Aela told herself that it was no different than using a water breathing spell as the goo spread across her face and covered her head completely.

Aela felt warm, which surprised her, and discovered that she could indeed breathe just fine. She found herself encased in some sort of transparent goop, like a baby chicken inside an egg. She had the sensation of moving very quickly, and saw that she was flying through a warren of roots. Indeed flying was the right term, for she did not feel like she was underground at all, but rather soaring through a midnight sky as she spun and turned and shot forward faster than an arrow fired by an elvish bow.

The Breton saw something ahead of her. It was a long, slender blob about the size of an ogre. It had no limbs, nor head, nor any distinguishing features. Except there was a dark shape that seemed to lurk within its translucent hide. As Aela neared it, she realized that it was Talun-Lei within! The Argonian seemed to wave for a moment. Then he shot forward, too far away for Aela to make out any details.

That is when it struck her. She was inside the stomach of a rootworm! So were all of them! Her heart leapt into her throat, as if it was trying to pound its way out of her chest. Her mouth felt drier than the Alik'r Desert, and her palms wetter than the Niben. She was being digested!

She remembered what Ulpia had said about not panicking, and Talun-Lei's observation that one could live for months inside the worms. It did little to help. Yet clearly the Argonians - and the humans from Agrigento - did this often. So evidently there was no real danger. With that in mind, Aela willed her heart to slow, and concentrated on breathing deep, steady breaths, just as when she meditated.

In fact, she soon found herself reflexively assensing the area around her. She felt for the spirits of the land. They answered her call, albeit coolly. Unlike the essences of soil and rock and tree that she was accustomed to, these beings were altogether alien. They felt ancient, powerful, and aloof. While they acknowledged her presence, they seemed to have no desire to interact with her. It was just as well, for what she could feel of them sent a chill through her bones.

The Hist, Aela realized. For the first time in her life, she pulled back from her spiritual sensing because she did not want to touch what she found.

Instead Aela watched the roots in front of her, and the worm that carried Talun-Lei. She had no idea how long they sped through the web of roots. There was no way to tell the time in the gloom. Eventually she saw a spire of bubbles rising up through the mud ahead of her. Talun-Lei burst out of his worm as it passed through the fountain, and she could see him riding the tide of air upward.

In moments she came to the same spire of air. She remembered to push up when she came upon the bubbles, and the next thing she knew, her body was being drawn aloft by the current of air and mud. Then she burst from a pool of muck and was back on the surface once more. A proffered hand from Talun-Lei pulled her onto solid ground, and the young warrior helped her to her feet.

"Welcome to the Black Marsh," the Argonian said.

Posted by: McBadgere Sep 7 2013, 06:54 AM

*Applauds*...

Amazing...Just amazing...

Loved the last bit of the journey down the river...The descriptions of the river dangers was cool...I learnt a new word...Forwent...Never heard that one before...I have no doubt of its use, and it's relation to Forgo, I've just never seen it before... ...

Epic trip through the forest headed for Black Marsh...Brilliantly done...Loved that bit with Valens and the dawn...

...

The Talun-Lei hunting thing was brilliant...And a subtle reminder that he wouldn't have put himself forward if he didn't think he had, at least some skill with the spear...

And yes, I am thinking of him less as "The Chico one" and more as Talun-Lei these days...Love the character...

The worm travel thing was inspired!!...A teeny bit Ew! as well, but nevertheless...Epic and amazing...

A fantastic part!!...Said the actress to the bishop... ...

Brilliantly done...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: Grits Sep 7 2013, 01:50 PM

I loved the growing sense of danger as they passed through the bandit camps and vampire caves.

"I have found a root!" the old Argonian exclaimed.

Ungarion's response made me laugh. The rootworm travel was my favorite part of the story so far. What a fantastic way to enter Black Marsh. The magical elements are what make a TES setting so captivating to me, and your stories really bring out the magic. I’m looking forward very much to how you present Black Marsh. The arrival: completely awesome.

Posted by: King Coin Sep 7 2013, 04:44 PM

Bandit camps! They need a few more archers on the barge. Vampires too? They need Aravi!

Love what you did with one of the abandoned Imperial forts! I think I even remember a castle called Redwater. Did you use an in game location? Who would have thought that a place on the edge of nowhere would have better fare than even the worst dive located in an actual city?

I like Talun-Lei’s gifts, though the manner they were presented reminds me of a cat!

Umm… How are they getting around? I’ll walk, thanks.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 7 2013, 06:30 PM

I'll second the others on all points regarding the root-worm mode of travel. Talk about fast-traveling! It was fascinating, and quite original in that I had never heard of such a means of traveling. However, considering that Black Marsh is mostly swampland (hence its name, right?) this makes perfectly logical sense. If we can have multiple trees growing from a single root system, why not have the entire province be connected by such a system of roots/canals whatever have ye and function as a quick means of travel and communication? This portion of the chapter really stood out for me.

I like the way you continue to build the characters throughout this installment. Valens and Talun-Lei in particular stand out for me.

First, Valens:

We see more of the enigma wrapped up in mystery that is the man Valens.

I have to agree with KC that this is much like a cat taking care of her "human." Three of my cats have done this, the male with a mouse toy, and both females with real mice! I suspect cats do this because they despair of us ever learning to hunt for ourselves, and yet they still try to teach us (mother cats bring half-dead prey to their kittens to teach them hunting and killing techniques). Would this attitude be shared by Talun-Lei, or does he just want to be accepted as a vital member of Our Gang?

Like McB and Grits, I had to laugh at this: Classic Ungarion! This just shows how effective your building of his character is that we cannot imagine any other response from this Altmer wizard.

I continue to be amazed by your effective world-building. I look forward to what you make of Black Marsh - it promises to be as alien and intriguing as the best of Burroughs and Lovecraft - the two authors I keep comparing this work to. When I'm not thinking of The Seven Samurai or The Magnificent Seven, that is.

Posted by: Acadian Sep 8 2013, 12:35 AM

Talun-Lei is doing a fabulous job of harvesting the swamp’s bounty to feed his companions, just as his fishing proved helpful during the boat ride. But first some fried sausages and onions at Castle Redwater – sounds like a deliciously welcome break between river fare, game birds and whatever else Talun-Lei will try to feed them.

I hope Valens doesn’t keep going and fall off the eastern edge of Tamriel! Or get swallowed by the sunrise. How intriguing this aspect of him is.

All aboard the Hist Express to Black Marsh! I hope Aela remembers her bloom spell after that ride through the Mudswamp Subway.


Nit? - - ‘At the same time it grew hotter and damper then even when they had been on the river.’ - - To me, ‘then’ implies a sequencing (as in time). Perhaps you would rather use ‘than’ to introduce the comparison that I think you intend?

Posted by: ghastley Sep 9 2013, 03:44 PM

Your version of root-worm travel seems a bit random. I wonder if even the Argonians will know where they've arrived. But it certainly adds to the "Black Marsh is very different" vibe you need here.

I liked the bit where Aela senses the presence of the Hist, and they notice her, but ignore her. It will let you include them, or leave them out, later, when they might influence outcomes.

Just what is the right wine for that meal anyway?

Posted by: SubRosa Sep 13 2013, 07:25 PM

McBadgere: The Chico One Talun-Lei's hunting was a way to show that while he might be the weakest link of the Seven, he still has useful talents and can contribute something to the rest of the group. Even if it is something as simple as dinner.

The idea of rootworm travel is not something I can take credit for. It is in the in game books: The Argonian Account. I came upon it during my research and decided I had to include it.

I am glad that Ungarion's one-liner went over so well. It was one of those things I just wrote down on the spur of the moment in the first draft. As you and so many have said, it is just sooo Ungarion, how could he say anything else?


Grits: I wanted the final leg of the journey upriver - the farthest from civilization - to feel really wild and dangerous. It is a complete wilderness out there, where anything can happen. So outlaws and nasty critters like vamps seemed like just the right thing to find there. Besides, there are some bandit camps and those vampire dungeons along the river in the game!

I also like the magical elements of fantasy fiction (says the Witch ) To my mind it is the main thing that sets the genre apart from others. So I always look at fantasy settings with magic in mind, and how its use would shape the world. Including the magical things that are not created by the people living there, but are simply a regular part of nature. But now I am sweating that I can make the Black Marsh itself can live up to the buildup!


King Coin: They could definitely use Aravi on this mission quest! Castle Redwater is indeed in the game, at that very spot. Though of course Bethesda calls it a fort instead. The two vampire caves are in the game as well. Their wine had to be better than the Lonely Suitor's. After all, the Suitor has a reputation to live down to!

Those rootworms are an eye-opener alright! I think I would pass on that and walk too...


haute ecole rider: I thought the rootworm travel system was pretty inspired too. But as I said to McB, I cannot take any credit for it. It was all Bethesda. I just copied what they wrote in The Argonian Account (that one set of in-game books was probably my best source of setting information about Black Marsh)!

Now that you and King Coin mention it, Talun-Lei's hunting gifts do remind me of a cat! Though I was thinking more that it was his way to prove his worth to the team.


Acadian: I am glad that Talun-Lei is proving his worth to the readers. One thing I wanted to do with these traveling episodes was show that that boy is not entirely green, and can add some value to the team. We will see more of that in the future, as they come to Black Marsh itself, a place where he is at home, and the others are not.

Valens is proving to be a fun character to write, precisely because of his mysterious nature. It is also easy because he is a blank slate! We will have another big clue about that his destiny in the east later in Chapter 2.

Good call on "Than". I went back and fixed that. I never even noticed it.


ghastley: I thought it was kind of a random way to travel as well, since you cannot exactly control where the worm goes, and how can you tell where you are in Argonia? But I just went with what Bethesda created in this case, since I was kind of at a loss myself to create explanations for either.

We will be seeing a Hist tree up close this episode. They seem really distant, mysterious, and dangerous in Bethesda's writing, and I am sticking to that idea in my portrayal of them.

I think any wine that is not from The Lonely Suitor is the right one!


Previously On Seven: In our last episode the Seven reached the end of the Panther River and briefly stopped at a trading post in Castle Redwater before striking out overland to the Black Marsh. Talun-Lei continued hunting ahead of the group to supply them with game. In no time at all they crossed into Argonia, and traveled inside the rootworms that live in the Hist roots in order to reach Agrigento quicker. The episode ended when they emerged from the roots and back on dry land.


Chapter 2.1

12th Midyear, 3E425

Magnus had begun to drop from his perch when they came to the valley in which Agrigento was nestled. Their first sight of it came from the top of a ridge north of the settlement. From its commanding height, they could look down across the entire vale. The oval depression stretched at least a mile through the low hills that surrounded it, and was filled to the brim by a dense canopy of banyan and durian trees.

All of that changed near Agrigento itself however. There the trees had been cleared to create wide empty fields surrounding three sides of the settlement. This open space was divided into a patchwork of dozens of irregularly shaped paddies. Each was separated from its neighbor by low dikes barely half a foot higher than the brown water around them, and just wide enough for a single person to walk along their muddy tops.

http://i.imgur.com/j7tpFRl.jpg

The village itself sat at the far end of the valley, in front of three hills. Except for one low, flat rise, these heights were covered with thick stands of bamboo. Rising from the flat land beneath them was Agrigento. From the heights the village reminded Aela of a fried egg. It stretched out in all directions like an irregular circle, filled with homes built of brown thatch. A large circular field took up the center of the village, like the yolk of the egg. At the far end of the plaza rose a stone building in the Imperial style, stretching at least two stories high and roofed with red-glazed tiles.

Aela could see that the perimeter of the village was marked by a line of heavy logs sunk vertically into the ground. The top of each was sharpened to a point to dissuade climbers. However, even from where she stood Aela could see that the barrier had fallen into disarray. Many of the timbers had fallen, and near the main entrance they had vanished altogether, to be replaced by a fence of bamboo.

"Your village's defenses have seen better days," Valens thoughtfully rubbed his goatee with a black-mailed hand.

"You see the work of the Nagas," Stalks-The-Marshes declared. "The first time the snakelegs came to our village these ones thought their walls would protect them. These ones were wrong…"

"Let me guess, destruction magic?" Ungarion said. "Fireballs will eventually incinerate wooden walls."

"Aye," Ulpia now responded. "But that was the least of it. At one time the walls were on top of a rampart we had built up. A good five feet of solid turf. They used spirits to just level it somehow."

"The bastards pulled the very ground out from underneath us." Rullianus spat onto the dirt at his feet. "Then the wall around the gate went up in flames. We never stood a chance."

"These ones have not resisted since then," Hathei said. "What can simple farmers do against such terrible magics?"

Ungarion laced his long fingers together and stretched out his hands before him. His knuckles popped loudly, and he grinned. "Terrible magics are our specialty. These Nagas have not seen anything like Aela and I."

"No one has seen anything like this one…" Do'Sakhar murmured under his breath.

Aela said nothing. Instead she stared at the ruins of Agrigento's defenses. As if forty fighters were not bad enough, the Nagas had conjurers and destruction mages as well. That meant she and Ungarion would not have the magic advantage. Considering the damage the bandit magicians had wrought, she imagined that they would be evenly matched at best.

Clearly this battle would not be won by simple magical or physical muscle. They were going to have to outthink the Nagas.

"Well, let's get down there and get a better look at the land," Valens said. "Then we can get a better idea of how to beat these buggers."

The four Agrigentans led them down from the ridge and into the rainforest. The sky quickly vanished behind a dense roof of greenery. The banyans rose all around. Their grey trunks were long and ropy looking, reminding Aela of strands of clay that had been soaked and stretched out before drying. Then there rose the durian trees, dotted with their large, spiky fruit. All around their feet rose tall grasses, brilliant green ferns, and brightly colored bromeliads. Colorful birds flew through the growth or perched upon the trees, where they were kept company by lizards, serpents, and insects of all varieties. The forest was literally an explosion of life.

http://i.imgur.com/3KGFUgx.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6SrqTxq.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/94OrBkz.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/iPh0Twx.jpg

"This looks more like the Green Marsh than the Black Marsh," Seridwe commented.

"Aye, this part," Talun-Lei agreed. "But deeper in the core, things change. The giant cypress and mangroves grow tall and thick, and along with the Hist, they nearly blot out the sun. There is no solid ground. It is a place of mud and water and roots and darkness."

Soon they passed a curious tree, that the Argonians seemed to stare it with reverence. It stood over the ground upon half-a-dozen massive roots shaped like feet. The trunk itself did not truly begin until at least ten feet above the soil, creating a large, cave-like area between it and the ground. Aela could see glowing yellow sap slowly dripping down from the roof of this chamber, and vanishing into the ground below. The trunk of the massive tree rose above that, and bulged out like an incredibly obese man. Equally fat, twisted boughs ran off from it in several directions. Its bark varied in shade from brown to black, but had an odd purple tint to it, reminding Aela of a bruise. Dark green leaves sprouted from the branches, and glowing red lights that she imagined might be fruit could be seen hanging all throughout the canopy it created.

http://i.imgur.com/Irm46Mb.jpg

"That must be a Hist tree," Aela thought aloud. Out of habit she stretched out with her magical senses, and tried to touch the spirit of the tree. She found herself coldly rebuffed. The energy that resided within the strange tree wanted no part of her, and made that eminently clear as it pushed her efforts to assense it aside. What little Aela could feel was not comforting. It was like staring at a glacier: something cold, hard, and ready to crush her if she strayed in its path.

"Verily," Stalks-the Marshes said in a low, solemn voice. His tone became abrupt when he looked away from the tree and back to the mercenaries. "But this is not for the unscaled. These ones must move along. Do not come back here. The Hist do not welcome outsiders."

They continued on through the rainforest without argument. Aela could see from the looks upon the faces of the non-Argonians that they too could feel the alienness of the tree, and were perturbed by it. That included the human villagers as well. She doubted that even Ungarion would be inclined to make a trip back to investigate the tree.

In time Talun-Lei surprised them all when he leapt into the branches of a durian tree, and came back down moments later with one of its giant spiky fruits clutched gingerly in his hands. With a deft motion of his knife, he sliced it lengthwise, revealing a creamy pulp within. Even from several paces away, the stench of it curled Aela's nose. It smelled like a latrine filled with onions and sweaty boots. From the expressions on the faces of her companions, Aela could see that she was not the only one who was less than excited by the food.

http://i.imgur.com/qmrUosW.jpg

Yet the Argonian dove into the fruit with zest. The other Argonians stepped up to take pieces themselves, and joined him in the snack. Ulpia surprised Aela by doing the same.

"Go ahead and try some." The Imperial held out a piece of the yellowish-pulp to the Witch. "It's much better than it smells."

The last thing the Breton wanted to do was eat the revolting fruit. But she was reminded that many people thought the same about haggis, laverbread, black pudding, and other native dishes of her own homeland. Determined not to discount the strange, smelly fruit just on appearances alone, she steeled her stomach for a taste.

Aela found that the creamy pulp was surprisingly good. It reminded of her of custard, with a strong taste of almonds. After the first dab from the tip of her finger, she eagerly took a palmful of the gooey fruit and devoured it with a zest that nearly matched that of the others. Still, she wondered if the Argonians ate so quickly to avoid smelling the tasty fruit? It certainly was an incentive to gobble the meal down, rather than take the time to savor it!

"Try some Ungarion," the Breton offered some to the Altmer mage. "It really is good."

"I think I should sooner lick his butt," Ungarion made a face as he nodded to Do'Sakhar.

"For once this one agrees with the butter elf." The tiger-striped Khajiit waved one hand before his nose. "I would sooner he lick this one's butt as well!"

That brought a chorus of guffaws from the group as they once again made their way through the rainforest. Aela found herself wiping the sweat from her brow in no time at all. It was much hotter than the Panther River basin had been. Worse, the humidity in the air felt like a wet blanket wrapped around her body. A glance at the others showed that they were sweating as well. Only the Argonians seemed unmoved by the heat.

The path they followed was a line of wagon ruts worn down into the ground. It was heavy with growth however, and the ruts little more than grass-filled depressions. When Seridwe asked about it, Stalks-The-Marshes revealed that this was the route they used to take their wagons to sell their soju. It led from Agrigento to the headwaters of the Panther River. From there they took boats like Captain Lidell's down the river to Telamon, and finally packet ships across the Niben to Bravil. From the state of the path, it was obvious that they had not sold any soju in a long time…

Soon the group came to a halt again, when Stalks-The-Marshes raised a warning hand from his position at the front of the column. The soft hiss of weapons being drawn came to Aela's ears. Out of habit, the symbol for her ward spell popped into her mind. She filled her left hand with energy, ready to release it and create the magical shield at a moment's notice. Her right hand filled with the essence of a dryad, and she likewise only needed an instant to bring the tree-spirit into the physical world.

The Seven fanned out across the path, armed and ready. Aela stepped up with Ungarion beside her. The Altmer had his hands filled with a fireball, ready to annihilate anything that crossed them. Ahead of them the Breton saw what had caused the alarm. It was a puddle of emerald green slime that lay in the center of the path. But unlike most pools, this one moved, slowly crawling from one side of the road to the other. In its wake Aela saw the bones of a small animal, perhaps a lizard or rodent.

"Voriplasm," Talun-Lei observed. "It's said that given enough time their stomach acids can even dissolve steel. But they are not very fast."

"Best just leave it be," Stalks-The-Marshes advised. "We see them often enough in the Black Marsh. So long as these ones do not go too near, it will not even know they are present."

"So how does this one hunt?" Do'Sakhar asked.

"They usually sit and wait for something to step on them," Rullianus said. "If you aren't paying attention, they look just like any other pool of muck."

"They fear fire," Stalks-The-Marshes added. "So simply wave a torch near one, and it will retreat."

Nashira was the first to sheath her sword. Though given the lightning speed that Aela had seen her draw with in Bravil, that meant little. For all the Witch knew, the sword master might be able to strike even quicker this way!

"Let's just leave it alone then." Now Valens sheathed his twin ebony swords as well. "We aren't here to kill every wild animal in the province."

They waited for the creature to slowly crawl off of the path and vanish into the underbrush. Then they moved on, careful to stay near the other side of the road as they passed.

Posted by: Acadian Sep 14 2013, 12:45 PM

"But this is not for the unscaled.” - - What a fabulously TESish line, and perfectly employed by an Argonian here. So the Hist tree's not having anything to do with Aela's round-eared, unscaled spiritual outreach.

I liked how you used the overgrown wagon ruts to reinforce the whole situation that has resulted in the farmers being been unable to bring any soju to market for a long time - hence, the ruts are overgrown.

I simply loved the voriplasm! Reminds me of oozes from D&D and they're perfect for this swampland. You've done a great job bringing the mysterious marsh to exotic life, but this little touch really sang to me.

Looks like our Seven have their work cut out for them.

Posted by: Grits Sep 14 2013, 02:55 PM

Wow, they’re up against a lot of magic as well. No wonder the villagers have not resisted.

I absolutely loved your portrayal of the Hist.

"For once this one agrees with the butter elf." The tiger-striped Khajiit waved one hand before his nose. "I would sooner he lick this one's butt as well!"


Black Marsh seems wonderful, magical, and dangerous. I enjoyed the contrast where the village had tamed a small area. I like the decision to leave the voriplasm alone. Respectful of life no matter how weird.

A fascinating episode!

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 14 2013, 05:26 PM

I have to ask: Did you happen to watch the same episode of Chopped that I did, where durian fruit was one of the basket ingredients?? I never knew its existence until I saw the the show and heard the judges talking about how difficult it was to work with (because of the stench). I had to look it up on Wikipedia! Now it's everywhere!

The contrast between the settlement and the surrounding forest/marsh was striking and wonderful. I enjoyed the trip through the rainforest, and the encounter with the Hist tree. No, it is not for the unscaled indeed!

I lit on the same thing Acadian did about the overgrown ruts. It really brings home how devastating the Naga raids have been for this poor village.

Posted by: McBadgere Sep 15 2013, 10:23 AM

Loved the proper amazing descriptions of the environment...Properly vivid, and the screenshots helped...Y'know...A tad... ...

The Hist-tree was fantastic...I know of this from the Fighter's Guild quest and all that from the Greg Keyes novels...But that bit where Aela was rebuffed from her magical nudging was excellent, and the Argonians' reminder that it was not for her was cool...

The village was excellent...Loved the idea that it was mostly yer basic swamp village but there's always some huge stone manse somewhere in these places...Imperials most likely... ...

...

Two for two... ... ...



Always the best way with jokes...If you work on them, they don't seem to work so well...

Many many excellent things I enjoyed...

Brilliant stuff!!...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: ghastley Sep 16 2013, 03:38 PM

Hmmm... Voriplasm! That looks like an interesting trap for later in the story, except that the Nagas will be familiar with them.

I do like the way you're portraying the Hist as aloof and disinterested. They have unfathomable plans on a much larger scale, and can't be bothered with little incidents like this one. It all helps build a very different world that they've found themselves in.

The revelation that the Nagas have magical forces on their side makes for some interesting future match-ups. Some major-scale rock-paper-scissors juggling to come!

Posted by: King Coin Sep 17 2013, 02:13 AM

I pictured the village the way you described it, with the rice patties around it.

One of the Argonians is talking like a Khajiit, and the other one is talking like an Imperial! I can tell who gets out more.

Forty fighters and Aela is even considering them evenly matched?

I enjoyed to pictures of the vegetation. Especially the Hist tree. Interesting that it only welcomes Argonians.

Posted by: SubRosa Sep 20 2013, 02:26 PM

Acadian: Aela's round-eared, unscaled, and tailless outlook! She's a three time loser!

I am glad the voriplasm played. It was not in my original drafts. I only added it later because I realized that episode was basically an introduction to Black Marsh, and that while I had shown several exotic forms of plant life, I had not shown any of the indigenous animals. So I literally worked the voriplasm in at the last minute.


Grits: The Nagas needed to be tough enough to overcome the 'standard' defenses of a settlement out in the sticks. So I threw some magic in on their team, and thought about how that could be used to neutralize Agrigento's defenses.

I did want to show some contrast between the rice fields around the village and the wilderness around it. Its a little island of civilization in a sea of wildness.


haute ecole rider: Chopped? Is that about circumcisions? I have never heard of it. I never heard of durian fruit either until I started writing Chapter 2. It is something I came across when I was doing my research on rainforests and their plantlife. The fruit was nice and exotic, so I thought it would fit in wonderfully with the picture I was painting of Argonia.

The overgrown path is just one way we will see how the Nagas have taken their toll upon the village. Once we get into people's houses, we will see even more evidence of their depredations.


McBadgere: I remember the Hist tree from the FG questline too. Its sap was really weird and dangerous stuff. I never read the novels though. So otherwise all I know about them is what I read on the wiki. They seem to be mysterious, inscrutable, and very dangerous. The worshiping Sithis part cannot bode well either. So I decided to portray them as alien and aloof creatures.

You called it on the Imperials in the big stone building!

I was inspired by that butt-licking line from that joke that an npc in Leyawiin tells about "why do Khajiit lick their butts?" It just sort of took its own life from there.


ghastley: I have thought about the Seven trying to use voriplasms or other swamp critters against the Nagas as well. But as you pointed out, the bandits will be old-hands at dealing with any sort of Black Marsh wildlife.

You hit upon one of the things I wanted to portray with the introduction to Black Marsh. I want it to seem like a very different place than the Seven are used to (sans Talun-Lei of course). I want it to seem alien and exotic. Glad it is working!


King Coin: I recall the Argonians and Khajiit talking in the same third person way in Oblivion. Did they change it in Skyrim? I guess I cannot remember. But it is Oblivion I am basing them on. To be honest, writing their dialogue gets to be a pain after a while, with all the "these ones" and "those one's", etc...

Aela considers them evenly matched against the Naga's magicians. I went back and edited that part a bit to clarify that. She's not really worried about the Naga's fighters though. Once you add in the villagers, the Nagas will be the ones outnumbered. Granted, Aela knows that even with Valens to train them, one for one the villagers cannot stand up to the Nagas. But as Joe Stalin once said, quantity has a quality all its own...


Previously On Seven: In our last episode our heroes entered the valley in which Agrigento sits, and spied the village from a distance. They then made their way down through the rainforest toward the settlement, encountering several curious life forms, from smelly but surprising tasty durian fruit, to a cold and aloof Hist tree, and finally a strange predator known as a voriplasm on the road: which they chose to avoid.


Chapter 2.2

In time they emerged from the rainforest and came out into the rice paddies. The fields were empty of the green stalks of rice plants, and were filled with nothing but muddy water instead. Aela and the other scaleless folk went single-file along the dikes, while the Argonians waded effortlessly through the shin-deep water.

Finally they came to the village's bamboo gate. Aela could see that the ground still bore the tell-tale scorch marks of flames around the gate and flanking walls. As she stepped nearer, she could feel the burns seared deep within the soil as well, where the timbers of the walls had been incinerated.

"This was definitely done by Destruction magic," she thought aloud. "I can sense the marks it left behind."

"Aye," Rullianus grumbled. "The flames seemed to just come from nowhere."

"Well, two can play at that game my friend," Ungarion vowed. The high elf rolled up the sleeves of his robe and raised his arms, but Aela stopped him with a shake of her head. This was not the time for showing off with fireballs. Not when they were making their first impression upon their employers.

However, those employers were nowhere to be found. Stalks-The-Marshes and Rullianus pushed open the bamboo gates to reveal empty streets beyond. The seven mercenaries followed the villagers down the barren lanes, flanked by tall houses to either side. The homes possessed hardwood floors that were raised high above the ground upon thick stilts made from durian wood. Their walls were made of cross-stitched reeds, and the tall peaked roofs were of simple thatch. Few of them possessed any windows, and none had more than a single door facing the street, reachable by wooden steps or notched logs.

http://i.imgur.com/j98ybHW.jpg

Aela felt eyes staring at her from all around, and it was not those of the chickens and water buffalo that lingered in the streets. The way the other seven turned their heads this way and that, she could tell that they felt it too. The villagers were there. They just were not showing themselves.

They came to the yolk of the egg that Aela had observed from high on the ridge at the edge of the valley: the village square. She found that there was a small wooden stage built at the far end, in front of the stone building. On the opposite side of the plaza rose a large building of thick wooden timbers, also constructed at ground level rather than raised up like the homes. From the wide double doors this possessed, the Breton Witch imagined that it was either a stable or communal storehouse.

Waiting for them on the wooden platform was a single Argonian woman. From the luster of her green scales, Aela imagined that she was young, possibly the same age as Talun-Lei. Her eyes were bright yellow slits, and her head was crowned with a forest of dark orange feathers. She wore a simple blue robe tied around her waist with an equally simple cloth belt. When she stepped down from the stage Aela saw that she wore blue trousers underneath the short flaps of the robe, but her feet were bare as she walked across the hard-packed dirt of the square. In one hand she held a small clay jug, and in the other a simple cup.

http://i.imgur.com/K1B5FBP.jpg

"Meen-Sa!" Hathei exclaimed. The Argonian darted from the group with more energy than Aela had ever seen the old man display. Taking the younger Argonian in his arms, he scolded the girl. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be out here like this!"

"Why, is this one not safe from us?" Talun-Lei's voice betrayed the same bitterness that Aela felt rising within her. "Talun-Lei and his companions came here to save these ones, and this is how they greet us?"

"This is not how these ones should greet you," Meen-Sa answered him. Disengaging herself from her father, she crossed the distance to the mercenaries and stood before them.

Aela felt energy flowing around her like a cool stream. The young Argonian was a magician, the local Witch no doubt. Aela's attention was drawn to a bright spot of power that hung from her wrist. There she saw a curious bracelet hanging from a rawhide cord. Connected to a single metal ring were a small orb painted with a slitted eye, a tear-shaped chunk of soapstone, and finally a crystal flask that was filled with blue liquid that glowed with a soft light.

http://i.imgur.com/nKUH4Kn.jpg

It was a dowsing crystal, Aela realized. Meen-Sa was a water priestess. She had learned about them in one of her anthropology classes, but had never met one before. Well live and learn, she thought to herself. Nirn always had something new to teach.

"This one apologizes for the behavior of her neighbors," Meen-Sa said. She poured water from the jug she carried into her cup, and held it out before her. "This one is Mikumari, and on behalf of Agrigento, greets these ones and extend to them the hospitality of our village."

The Mikumari's eyes went to Aela's and lingered there for long moments. The Argonian could sense her power, the Breton Witch realized, just as she could feel the Argonian's. Then Meen-Sa's eyes moved to Ungarion, and finally Valens. She is assessing all of us, Aela thought, feeling our magical ability. In the case of Valens, it was clearly Azura's Star that drew her attention. Even tucked away in a bag as it currently was, the Daedric artifact glowed with so much power that no magician could fail to overlook it. It was like a dragon standing in the room.

"A Mikumari?" Seridwe whispered.

"She's their water priestess," Ungarion answered out of the corner of his mouth. "She purifies their wells, moves the water to their fields, enriches it, and charges it with life and good health. She is the soul of their village."

Then the high elf wizard stepped forward and took the cup from the Argonian's hands. He raised it high over his head for all to see. Then he lowered it and took a long drink. "On behalf of all of my comrades, we accept your offer of hospitality and pledge to honor your village, your people, and your ancestors."

Aela could not prevent a small smile at the high elf. Apparently Ungarion had learned something more than how to wheel and deal at the University after all!

"Now that these ones are all friends," Do'Sakhar murmured, "will the others come out?'

They looked around, and found the square was still deserted except for themselves. The other Agrigentans shook their heads, and Rullianus kicked up a cloud of dust in disgust.

"It is to be expected," Valens sighed. "Look at what happened the last time armed strangers came to their village, and the time before that, and before that."

"They have good reason to fear strangers, especially those armed to the teeth." Seridwe agreed, albeit with a frown. "They have no way of knowing if we are the same as the Nagas, or worse."

Her words were punctuated by the strident clanging of a bell. Everyone turned their heads to see Talun-Lei standing upon the stage, ringing a bronze bell that hung from a wooden post planted there. The young Argonian swung the metal clapper to and fro with zest, creating a din that echoed through the entire village, and Aela imagined far into the fields beyond as well.

Now the houses emptied out as villagers came running into the town square. They were a mixture of Argonians and Imperials. In spite of the obvious physical differences, they all still looked more alike than not. They wore the same dark, threadbare tunics and sandals, the same conical hats of woven reeds, and they all possessed the same downcast, defeated look in their eyes.

They ran to and fro in a panic, kicking up dust around their feet as they did so. Finally Talun-Lei stopped ringing the bell, and strutted out to the edge of the stage.

"Now you come!" the Argonian exclaimed. He stood with arms akimbo, and seemed to stare the assembled villagers over one at a time. "Now when you think there is danger to your homes, danger to your fields, danger to your soju!"

"Where were you to greet these ones?" he went on. "Hiding! Cowering under your beds! Farmers! All you care about is your precious rice, and your dirty water-buffalo!"

"Well now you are here." Talun-Lei gestured to the other mercenaries. "So are these ones, my companions and I, who came all of this way to fight for you! Show these ones that you are worth it. Because these ones did not come for three bowls of rice a day. Nor for a cup of soju! Now give these ones a reason to fight for you!"

The Argonian warrior stood there upon the stage, almost daring the villagers to respond. None of them did however. They milled in the square, looking from him to one another, and back again. Finally Valens rose to the stage beside Talun-Lei, and raised his arms.

"That's enough excitement for one day," he loudly proclaimed. "You can all go back to your homes for now. We'll tell you when we need you, and what you will have to do. Go on, go home now. No one here will harm you."

Ungarion turned from Talun-Lei's display to look at Aela.

"Now we are seven."

Posted by: McBadgere Sep 21 2013, 03:50 AM

*Applauds*... ...

That was excellent!!...

Loved the water-priestess!!...Excellent stuff!!...

I'm loving the way that magic attracts magic in your world...Reminds me a bit of the way the Immortals in Highlander know when there's another one around...Properly love that!...

Do-Sakhar feels Steve McQueen-ish btw...Just thought I'd say...Then again, maybe that's 'cause he's my fave in the film and Do-Sakhar is funny... ...Brilliant character anyways...

I wondered if we'd get the "So this is how you greet us?" speech from Talun-Lei!... ...Brilliantly done!!!...Loved that hugely!!... ...

Excellent chapter...Amazing writing...

Always a proper joy to read...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: Acadian Sep 21 2013, 08:15 PM

Aela was wise to dissuade Ungarion from showing off his fireballs to everyone. Probably not what a burned village full of frightened farmers needed to see as an introduction.

I liked the water priestess and how all the magic types were ‘sensing’ each other.

I see that Talun-Lei did impress Ungarion with his effort to rally the village.

"Now we are seven." - - What a magical finish to this episode!

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 22 2013, 06:07 PM

What a wonderful TES/Black Marsh perspective on what is possibly one of the most iconic scenes in both versions of the movies!

I remember the youngest being impatient with the village's reception committee and taking the bell into his own hands!

Nice!!!

Posted by: King Coin Sep 23 2013, 12:27 AM

You might be right with how both races talk. I don’t pay enough attention to know for sure. I thought it was different. Kharjo’s dialog when I write it sometimes gets challenging as well.

Ungarion eager to toss fireballs: Glad Aela was there to slow him down.

Love the picture of the house. The construction sounds primitive, but it’s the best way to live in those hot and humid places. Unless someone has an enchanted AC unit. Doubtful here, unless there is a pompous Imperial building somewhere in the village.

I like the Argonian woman. Did you play the character at all, or did you just make her for the screen?

It was like a dragon standing in the room.
Nice!

Apparently Ungarion had learned something more than how to wheel and deal at the University after all!
I wouldn’t speak so soon, this just might be part of wheeling and dealing well.

Talun-Lei is now part of the group!

Posted by: SubRosa Sep 23 2013, 02:34 AM

You prompted me to fire up Oblivion and just go walk around talking to Argonians. So far they all speak in normal tones, and only the Khajiit do the third-person speech. I even looked back to when Teresa originally met Kud-Ei and I had her speaking normally then too. Somewhere along the way I started using third-person speech with them. I think I started with Storm-Tail as a way to give him some more flavor. Then I guess I must have plumb forgotten, and began using it for all Argonians. But I think somewhere along the line I got the idea that all Argonians talked that way. Hmmm. Now I am not sure if I should go back and re-edit their dialogue to be 'normal', or if I should just stick with the third person speech patterns?

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 23 2013, 02:53 AM

You know what, SubRosa? Because Argonians and Khajiiti are not human or mer, it would make sense that their perspective of the world is different from others. So I would keep the third-person speech for the Argonians as well as for the Khajiiti - it further emphasizes their unique position in Tamriel's ecology. I always liked the third-person Khajiit speech myself - it strikes me as an adaptive technique to living in a human/mer society - referring to themselves as "this one" implies humility, or in animal terms, submission, which would be consistent with their long history of slavery by humans and mer. That kind of humility, which may or may not be real, can be a survival technique - that attitude was prevalent among the African American slaves here in the US, even when their spirits weren't necessarily broken. They just became more devious with their masters. That's how I see the third-person approach taken by Khajiiti in Oblivion, and I rather enjoy it because it gives them more depth as far as I am concerned.

Now to add more flavor to these folks, I would write the occasional Argonian or Khajiit with the more typical first-person speech, as one trying to "fit in" with human/mer society, much as in the years immediately after the Civil War (or even before it) African-Americans would adopt the "white" way of speech in an attempt to be accepted into white society. Frederick Douglass did this successfully, but Lord knows how many tried this technique and failed. Perhaps they were the ones lynched during the Jim Crow years for being "uppity?"

So my vote is to leave the dialogue as they are.

Posted by: ghastley Sep 23 2013, 03:34 PM

I'm pretty sure I've heard Argonians in the game use third-person for themselves. It's not as prevalent as it is with the Khajiit, but it's there. And as has been suggested, it's likely a regional thing, and more common among those with a history of slavery.

Liked the way you've established the background of flammable structures, water magic, etc. that you'll need later. And the way that your characters plan as carefully as you do.

And Talun-Lei is developing nicely, and becoming one of the seven.

Posted by: Grits Sep 25 2013, 02:05 PM

Regarding Argonian speech, I like when they refer to themselves as “we” in the singular as well as in the plural. The game greeting “Blessed are we” comes to mind. Also I enjoy the genderless terms including when they call the player “it,” as in the game’s “The prey approaches” and “Unwelcome it is.” Using that flavor of speech brings out the hive-mind aspect of the Hist as well as the implied gender-swapping and general ambiguity about Argonian biology. Plus it keeps them weird while still being distinct from the Khajiiti manner of speaking. And then the occasional completely normal speaker provides insight into her background just by her Imperial speech. Just a thought.

"Well, two can play at that game my friend," Ungarion vowed. The high elf rolled up the sleeves of his robe and raised his arms, but Aela stopped him with a shake of her head.

Oh my gosh, these two! Definitely more together than the sum of their parts.

They came to the yolk of the egg that Aela had observed from high on the ridge at the edge of the valley: the village square.

Egg. Nice. I also enjoyed the water imagery around Meen-Sa even before Aela put together the details. The notion of a water priestess is lovely as well as being a practical role in a water-filled world.

Ungarion turned from Talun-Lei's display to look at Aela.

"Now we are seven."

OH YEAH!! Ahem. Yay for Talun-Lei.

Posted by: SubRosa Sep 27 2013, 04:02 PM

McBadgere: I cannot take full credit for the water-priestess. She is based upon a character who was in Samurai Seven, an anime based upon... you guessed it, The Seven Samurai. She was not in my original outline, but when I started writing the second chapter I realized that I wanted Hathei's daughter to have more depth, and be a larger part of the village. That is when I remembered the water-priestess, and it was perfect for Meen-Sa.

The Immortals in Highlander are a great analogy! Now I am thinking of the guy who always sneezes around other Immortals, from the Double Eagle episode.

Do'Sakhar feels like Steve McQueen? Now he needs a hat that he can always be taking off to get attention! (seriously, rewatch Magnificent Seven and count how often he does that. )

I could not pass up the tirade by Kikuchiyo/Chico. It is one of the defining moments of both films. It also is what Chapter 2 is all about. By the time we reach the end of the chapter, the Seven will have a reason to fight for Agrigento, and the answer for Talun-Lei's challenge.


Acadian: Ungarion is just the kind of guy to want to shoot off fireballs for shits and giggles, sort of like Gandalf and his fireworks. But of course it is Aela who stops to think about how the locals might actually take those fireworks given their recent history.

The way the magicians can sense one another is all inspired by the pen and paper RPG Shadowrun. In it magicians can astrally perceive, and by doing so they can see all the magical forces in the area, and within people. So mages could always identify other mages, or what kinds of spells were going off.


haute ecole rider: I actually took notes as I watched that scene in both films. Then after I wrote it my own way, I went back to the scene in Magnificent Seven again, and tried doing it word for word. Then I compared that to what I had done originally, and found I liked what I had done myself better. So I scrapped the copy and used my own version. But it still came out very true to the films.


King Coin: You called it on the Imperial in the stone building! I am sure there is magical a/c in the world, it would just be a matter of weather/air/temperature control. I am sure a summoned sylph could do the same as well. But no one in Agrigento has anything like that. If they did, it would have been stolen by the Nagas!

Since I am basing Argonia (or at least this part on the fringes) mostly off South-East Asia, I took a close look at traditional homes there. That pic is actually a traditional Vietnamese home from a country hamlet.

I created Meen-Sa in Skyrim just for that pic. I have never played her. At least not yet. But you never know...

Ungarion's charm is indeed part of his smuggler/trader persona. He has to know how to deal with people of all sorts of cultures, so it behooves him to know their customs.


ghastley: I am going to keep the Argonians using third-person speech after all. It does seem to help set them aside from most of the other races. Thanks all for the feedback!

I was thinking of what a magical fire department might be like. Undines seem to be the ideal solution, either summoned by people or through scrolls. Though I suppose frost spells might work too.


Grits: I already had Meen-Sa referring to someone as "it".

Aela and Ungarion are definitely fun to write together. They get an episode all their own in a few posts, which is a lot of fun.

I did specifically choose to describe Meen-Sa with water terms. But the egg and yolk wasn't really intentional on my part. I was just trying to think of how the village might be shaped. I didn't want it to be perfectly circular or square. It should look less planned and more organic. A fried egg is what came out of my head! Now I am hungry after typing that...

Talun-Lei's speech was a lot of fun to write, and now he is really one of the team.


Previously On Seven: The mercenaries finally arrived at Agrigento, and were met by Meen-Sa - Hathei's daughter and the village's water-priestess. Meen-Sa formally welcomed them and offered Agrigento's hospitality. However, the rest of the villagers were in hiding! Talun-Lei made a scene by ringing the village's emergency bell, turning out all the inhabitants. He gave a brief tirade against the villagers for not being there to greet them, and challenged them to give the Seven a real reason to fight for the village, since none of them were there for a bowl or rice and a cup of soju.


Chapter 2.3

After the excitement in the square, the Seven got settled in and stowed their gear. Rullianus offered to host them in his home, which was a simple affair. The interior was a single large room, with stones set in the center of the upraised floor to create a hearth for cooking upon. The rest of the home revolved around that, with a sleeping area and space for storage located at the rear of the home, a place for food preparation around the hearth itself, and finally the living and dining space near the door. The tables and chairs were made of rattan. Aela noted that most of the crockery was of fired clay, utensils were of wood, and the only metal in evidence was a single small cauldron of iron. Rullianus' bed was a simple mat of woven reeds that had been rolled up and put aside. It was kept company by a second bed mat that Aela noted bore a thin layer of dust atop it.

After taking some time to unload their packs and settle into the building, the Seven returned to the village square and met Ulpia in front of the large stone building. The Imperial led them into the structure through its only entrance: a pair of thick wooden doors. Within they found four gigantic copper vats that rose from the stone floor. They were taller than Aela, and tapered to long, slender pipes which bent back downward to feed into great collection pots. A raised walkway ran around the top of the vats, and Aela could see that it could be used to access hatches set within each vessel. They reminded Aela of alchemical alembics, only on a massive scale.

"This is where we distill the soju," Ulpia explained.

The Imperial pointed to a row of metal cylinders to one side of the room. "It begins in the fermenting bins over there. We mix the rice in there with water and yeast and let it ferment out in the sun. From there we take the wash and put it in the vats, where we heat it to boiling. The vapor runs up those slender pipes at the top and starts to condense. Most of it falls back down into the pot as reflux. Only the purest distillation rises all the way, goes across those horizontal pipes, and falls back down the condensers. From there it drips into the collectors as soju. We put it in those doks - brown jugs - over there and age it. Or at least we did in the old days. Now the fetching Nagas take it and drink it straight from the vats."

http://i.imgur.com/oW3HPz6.jpg

Ungarion whistled in appreciation. "Most impressive," the Altmer said. "I have to admit, was not expecting anything this refined."

"Aye, this one feels thirsty already," Do'Sakhar laughed.

"Do you run all of this?" Aela asked the Imperial woman, noting her familiarity with the process.

"I do," Ulpia nodded, "with a little muscle-power from some of the others of course. It was my father who built it all. You might say brewing is in my blood."

"You must be able to make a good deal of coin from this operation," Seridwe observed. "Yet your people live so sparingly?"

"We have to," Ulpia frowned. "The Nagas took all of our valuables, even my copper cooking pots. All we have left is what we could hide from them. The only reason they do not take all of this is because they know we could not make the soju without it."

"Is there a way up to the roof?" Valens asked, gazing up at the ceiling. "This is the tallest building in the village. We should get a good view from up there."

"Aye," Ulpia nodded. "Follow me."

She led them up on the metal walkway that surrounded the vats and took them to one side of the building. There she ascended a ladder to a wooden trapdoor and climbed through it. Aela followed along with the others, and found herself perched on the spine of the roof. To either side of her red-glazed tiles angled down to the edge of the slanted roof. But along the peak there was a flat beam of wood that ran the length of the building, roughly three feet wide.

As Valens had thought, the perch offered a wide view of the village and its environs. The group turned this way and that to look all about. Seridwe pointed to the bamboo-covered hills to the south of them and spoke.

"Those are going to be trouble," the elven archer observed. "The bamboo will give them cover from arrows, and they can get within fifty feet of the village wall before they get into the open."

"These ones will have to clear them," Do'Sakhar said.

"Perhaps we can kill two cliffracers with one spell while we are at it." Valens thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "We will need spears for the villagers, and that bamboo would do nicely."

"Consider it done." Nashira drew her scimitar of dwarven metal and passed a thumb gently along its blade. The moment it was free of its sheath Aela felt the frost enchantment wafting from the blade, like a chill winter's breeze. "It will be good practice. But I am afraid Barafu's magic will ruin the bamboo."

"Leave that to me, 'o lady of the blade," Ungarion grinned. "I can drain the magicka from your sword so that it strikes without that freezing breath. Then afterward I can recharge it again in no time at all."

"We'll need shields too." Valens said. "We could make them from rattan, or even bamboo. But I'd like something a little stronger. It's going to be the only thing these people have to protect themselves."

"This one wouldn't trust the wood from the banyan trees," Talun-Lei said. "But the durians have strong wood. These ones could start felling them and making shields."

"This one's axe was made for felling men," Do'Sakhar grumbled, "but if must be, it will serve."

"And unless we want charcoal, I'll have to drain its magicka as well." Ungarion said.

"Good," Valens nodded. "That will give us a start. Once we have those I can start drilling the villagers. The sooner the better. In the meantime we can put them to work on the defenses. Let's go down and take a look at the perimeter."

With that the mercenaries filed their way back down to the distillery floor. Once outside they were joined by Stalks-The-Marshes and Meen-Sa. Ulpia stayed behind, explaining that she had to start work on creating their next batch of soju. In the meantime the two Argonians led the mercenaries to the front gate, to begin their tour of the walls.

There was not much left to look at. While the thick tree-trunks that made up most of the wall were indeed of stout construction, the ground beneath them had sagged, often leaving them pointed this way or that, creating gaps in many places. The bamboo replacement walls near the gate and a few other places were sturdy enough to prevent animals from wandering in or out, but clearly would not stop a determined attacker.

"We'll start with digging a ditch around the entire village and filling it with water," Valens said.

"That will not slow the Nagas," Stalks-The-Marshes pointed out. "They swim better than they slither on land."

"Aye," Valens agreed, "but the brown water will conceal the bamboo stakes we plant in the bed of the moat."

"Oh, this is a clever one," Do'Sakhar murmured. "That will give them a nasty surprise indeed."

"It probably won't kill any of them," Seridwe said, "but it will slow them down, and force them to take their time through the water."

"It's going to be a lot of work, but I'd like to pull up all those timbers as well, and use the dirt we dig out of the moat to build up a rampart." Valens pointed at the heavy tree trunks that made up most of the wall. "Then we could replant the logs into a solid barrier, at least ten feet above the bottom of the moat."

"I can take care of that." Aela raised one hand into a fist, and gathered up a ball of glowing blue energy within her fingers. Letting it build to a peak, she turned the magicka loose. It fell to the ground in a disc, and a gigantic man of dirt and loose stones took shape in the air behind it. The behemoth turned to look expectantly at Aela, and she smiled and gently patted his arm. "My friend and I can take care of the ditch and the rampart in no time at all."

"But that won't stop the Nagas," Meen-Sa argued. "We had one before. They just pulled the ground out from underneath us."

"They have a mage who can summon archaeans," Ungarion said. "But as you can see, so do we."

"If anyone can stop them, Aela can," Do'Sakhar agreed. "This one is the finest conjurer Khajiit has ever met."

Aela tried not to blush at the compliment. Valens' words brought her back down to Nirn quickly enough however.

"I don't expect to stop them at the walls," he said. "They will get through."

"Then why bother?" the water-priestess spoke in a placid tone, but from the slight twitch in her tail, Aela could see that she was growing exasperated.

"We will force them to bring their full force to bear upon the walls," Seridwe explained. "They will have to throw everything in, including their mages."

"That is the key," Valens said. "They will reveal their mages. Then Seridwe, Do'Sakhar, and Ungarion will pick them off at long range. That will take away their greatest strength, and even up the odds."

"Like forcing them to play their trump cards in the first trick," Ungarion observed.

"Exactly." Valens nodded to the high elves. "From there we will have a battle in the streets."

The Nibenean led them back into the interior of the village. Once within he turned off the main street and wended his way between buildings. "We'll build frises and use them to fill in most of these little alleys. We'll leave just a few routes open to the square. That will force the Nagas down channels of our choosing. We'll meet them there in shield walls and smash them." Valens smacked a closed fist into the palm of his hand for emphasis.

"Frises?" asked Stalks-The-Marshes.

"A simple barrier," Seridwe explained. "You take a long horizontal pole. Then take two stakes sharpened at both ends and tie them to the pole like an "X". Fill the length of the pole with those spikes, and you have a prickly barrier that you can easily pick up, move around, and dig into the ground."

"That bamboo should work well for that," Nashira judged. "I see my sword arm will be getting plenty of exercise!"

"And if you do not stop them in the street?" Meen-Sa asked.

"If we do not stop them, then we retreat to the distillery," the Nibenean declared. "It's the strongest place in the village."

"But the Nagas will be expecting that," the water priestess observed, "will they not?"

"You are right," Valens agreed. "But perhaps we can use that to our advantage?"

The former soldier turned his ebony clad body to the direction of the brewery and once again stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "Yes, that might just work after all…"

"I love it when he gets that look," Seridwe whispered into Aela's ear. "It means he's up to something truly dastardly."

"This one has an idea?" Do'Sakhar asked the obvious question.

"Well, the Nagas will be expecting us all to go in there, including the noncombatants." Valens now lowered his hand and stood arms akimbo. "So that will be their target once they breach the walls. They are all going to converge upon that spot and take it. It would make for an excellent trap."

"But these ones would be in the trap with the Nagas," Do'Sakhar pointed out. "There is only the one way in."

"Not if Aela and her muddy friend there dig us an escape tunnel," Valens now turned to the Witch and her summoned spirit. "We could let the Nagas see everyone go into the building, then secretly evacuate to someplace else, like that big wooden building across the square."

"That is the stable," Stalks-The-Marshes said. "We keep our wagons in there."

"But what about this trap?" Nashira said. "Once we have them inside, what do we do with them? We'll have given them the strongest point in the entire village."

"How hot a flame do you need to make soju burn?" the Nibenean asked. "And how much of it do you think we could have in the brewery by the time the Naga's come?"

* * *

"You want to do what to my soju?" Ulpia stared at Valens as if he had just stepped down from the moons. "And the brewery? You'll destroy everything we worked so hard to build here!"

"It won't destroy anything that cannot be replaced." Valens appeared to be unflustered by the Imperial's exclamation. "You can always brew more soju, put up new stones on the walls, or lay new timbers on the roof. But you cannot bring back the dead."

The Seven stood back in the heart of the village, with Ulpia, Rullianus, Stalks-The-Marshes, Hathei, and Meen-Sa before them. Some of the other villagers loomed nearby, just close enough to listen in, but not so near to be truly part of the conversation.

"These ones all expected to fight with the mercenaries they hired," said Stalks-The-Marshes. "But they did not expect to see their own village burned down in the process!"

"Why cannot these ones fight the Nagas in the fields, or in the forest?" Hathei asked. "Why do they wish to fight here, in our homes?"

"We'll be slaughtered if we fight them out in the open," Valens said plainly. "The only chance we have is with fortifications to fight behind, and narrow streets to prevent them from flanking us. We may not even have to use the brewery as a trap. We might stop them before that. But if we don't, we have to be prepared for the worst."

"The worst seems like the best we can hope for," Ulpia grumbled. "Either way it seems our village will be in ruins."

"Valens is right," Aela now said. "Using the brewery as a trap won't destroy your village. Buildings don't make a community, people do. New wood can be cut, new reeds can be gathered, new buildings can always be put up. So long as there are people who believe in Agrigento, it can never be destroyed."

"Isn't that why you decided to fight after all?" Ungarion moved to stand next to the Breton Witch. "Because you believe in one another? We came here to fight for you, not for your houses."

"How is burning down their homes going to save these ones?" Hathei railed. "They were better off with the bandits!"

"No we weren't," Rullianus growled. The Imperial looked pointedly from the old Argonian to his daughter Meen-Sa. "If we don't make a stand now, who will they murder next?"

"Sometimes you have to be willing to sacrifice everything you have, in order to save everything you are," Aela said resolutely. "Houses, possessions, wealth, none of it really means anything. All of those things can be gained, lost, or traded away."

Aela stepped up and laid a hand over Ulpia's chest. "The only things that really matter are in here," she said, "and no tyrant can ever take them away from you."

"That is easy for this one to say," Meen-Sa argued. "When the battle is over, this one will leave along with the others. The Agrigentans will be left with ashes."

"Aela has sacrificed far more than you can ever fathom," Ungarion declared in a decidedly prickly tone. "She-"

Do'Sakhar interrupted the high elf by laying a friendly hand upon his shoulder. "These ones will all remain to help rebuild." He looked from the other mercenaries to the villagers. "None of them will leave until the village is fully repaired and back to normal, agreed?"

Ulpia frowned, but nodded in agreement. The other villagers followed suit, as did the Seven. Aela could see that the Agrigentans were not happy about it. No one ever looked forward to losing the things they valued. That was why it was called sacrifice after all.

"That's settled then," Valens said. "Let's get to work."

Posted by: Grits Sep 28 2013, 04:11 AM

It was inspiring to see Nashira and Do'Sakhar willing to labor on the defenses. I can easily imagine the warriors working beside the villagers from the descriptions you’ve provided. I love dialog, and this episode was a delight. Even with all of the talk I could vividly picture the surroundings from the details you included. Wow!

Aela’s words and the memory of the dusty mat brought the point home. If I started quoting lines I’d end up including all of them. She certainly knows about sacrifice.

Posted by: Acadian Sep 28 2013, 03:16 PM

"Perhaps we can kill two cliffracers with one spell while we are at it." -- I’m certainly going to have to consider borrowing this line should the occasion arise!

"Good," Valens nodded. "That will give us a start. Once we have those I can start drilling the villagers.” -- I'm not going anywhere near where friend Foxy might go with 'drilling the villagers'. Nope. Not me. Not going there. (Just teasin' ya!)

“So long as there are people who believe in Agrigento, it can never be destroyed." -- * Stands up and cheers while remembering Kvatch. *

I join Grits in saluting your dialogue. You deftly use it to not only ‘show’ what is physically happening, but to ‘display’ what each of the Seven are made of – and why they are so likely to prevail. The examples herein were numerous, most of them implying the experience and skill of the group. One that particularly stuck with me, however, is when the normally unflappably smooth-talking Ungarion displayed his hackles in defense of Aela.

You did a great job of building this scene to its conclusion: The Seven will not only do what it takes to rid the Naga menace, but remain long enough to rebuild and help the village recover from the attendant collateral damage.


Couple teeny nits:
- "And unless we want charcoal, I'll have to drain it's magicka as well." Ungarion said.’ - - I’m sure you meant the possessive (its) here rather than the conjunction (it’s).
- "This one has an idea?" Do'Sakhar asked to obvious question.’ - - I suspect you meant ‘the’ instead of ‘to’?

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 29 2013, 05:50 PM

Dee Foxy is sorely missed when "drilling the villagers" goes by without a comment from the Master of Dhertee Innu Endo! My mind did go there, but it's not appropriate for this forum!

I'm with Grits there, it is so refreshing to see the warriors agree to work on the aftermath. In the two movies, as I recall it, only the Chico character stayed behind, the others left once the fighting was done. In the Magnificent Seven, I believe it was Chris who said there is no place for old fighters/warriors/gunslingers to settle. The implication there was that Chico was never really a gunslinger, though he wanted to be one.

The growing spirit of teamwork here was fun to watch, especially as it was laid out through dialogue. Here we see the hard work Valens put into drilling his fellow fighters (okay, here I go meself!) begin to pay off as each offers his/her own contribution. I really liked the way Seridwe anticipated Valen's thinking and strategy at a few points in the discussion.

Posted by: King Coin Sep 30 2013, 02:06 AM

Poor Rullianus! He’s going to cram several moody warriors and a chatty mage into his home! We’ll see how long the Seven lasts!

Wonder who the second mat belongs to and where they are now? Rejoined the Hist at the hands of the Naga?

Nice distillery, at least when this is over they will have the means to generate some money.

I wondered if the unfamiliar land would prevent Aela from using her summoned helpers. Glad it isn’t an issue, else this will be much more difficult.

They aren’t only general defense now; they are a construction crew too! Hopefully the brewery equipment can take the heat of the flames because that stuff isn’t going to be easy to replace!

Posted by: ghastley Sep 30 2013, 03:17 PM

I'm trying to avoid re-viewing the source material, but you're doing a great job of translating it all to the Black Marsh context. It all fits together so well in its new incarnation, just as well as the conversion from Japan to the Americas. But then, the strategy and tactics are the same in each of those contexts.

The worry I have is that Tamriel gives us fire resistance, which is a potential hole in the plan here only.

Posted by: SubRosa Oct 4 2013, 07:04 PM

Grits: Thanks. That was a really long episode, and I was keenly aware of the discussions on the Writing Mechanics topic about post length, and splitting up a scene vs. keeping it together even if it is longer. Especially concerning the last part. I was tempted to leave that for another post. But it is too small to be its own episode, and would seem out of place if it were posted with today's episode.

It will not be just Do'Sakhar and Nashira who toil away. As we will see this episode, everyone will get involved in the toilage.

The dusty mat was indeed meant to be a subtle reminder of the suffering the villagers have endured under the yoke of the Naga bandits. Likewise, when it came to talking about sacrifice, I needed look no further than Aela. She has lost everything to be who she is.


Acadian: I did have fun with that cliffracer line. Sometimes that is one of the most enjoyable parts of writing in the ES universe: thinking up colloquialisms and other sorts of slang.

I never really thought about it as I was writing, but that was a really 'talky' episode, due to there being so many people involved, and that it was in essence a planning session.

Now we see what it takes to get Ungarion's dander up. He can keep his cool even in the Argonian heat, but not when someone messes with his best friend!


haute ecole rider: Oi, you folks and your drills! Next you'll be remarking on Valens licking them into shape! Or teaching them to firmly grip the shafts of their spears. (which reminds me, Vincent over at the Bravil FG has a haft that could use some gripping... )

These next few episodes, really the rest of chapter 2 come to think of it, will showcase the Seven all coming together and pitching in for the village's defense. We will get a chance to see the unique nature of each as they all do their part. Ungarion the smooth-talking front man, Valens the soldier, Aela the summoner, etc...

Seridwe's anticipation of Valens was a way that I wanted to show that the two of them had been a team for a while, just like Aela and Ungarion. They each know one another well enough to know what the other is going to do at any given moment.


King Coin: Well, in all fairness only Valens is really moody. The rest are either taciturn (Nashira), or at least friendly (Ungarion). Though seven is a lot for one house! I would hate to put that many in my apartment.

We will be seeing a little more about the owner of the second mat in Rullianus' house here and there, and there have been some hints in the previous episodes as well.

I did think about whether or not Aela would be able to summon elementals in Argonian, due to it being such an alien land. But in end I decided that it still has water, dirt, air, fire, etc... It is just that it also has the Hist, and I think that is where the real weirdness is. So she can still summon her normal helpers. It is just the Hist that want no part of her.

I did think about the vats being ruined in a fire, so I looked it up. Copper melts at about 1,000 degrees C, and soju would burn at about 26 degrees C. So as long as they don't make too big of an inferno in there, the distillery ought to hold up.


ghastley: I am actually tempted to rewatch both Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven again, even though I watched both before I began writing. It has been a lot of fun putting the story into a fantasy setting. It is one of the ways that I can try to make this version of the tale unique.

Resist Fire is always there. Though I have been thinking that fire is probably the worst enemy of the Nagas. They are water-borne creatures, like crocs or frogs, so it is probably what they are most afraid of. So naturally their mages would use it, since it is what the other Naga's fear most. Aela will be providing some fire resist potions in the future. We will see with the Nagas.


Previously On Seven: In our last episode the Seven took a tour of the large stone building in the village, which turned out to be their distillery for producing soju. From its roof they got a good look at the environs, and laid down an basic strategy to defend the village. They will clear away the nearby bamboo forest in the hills behind the village, and use it to make spears and fortifications, cut down trees to make shields, and dig a ditch and parapet to surround the village. Valens intends to force the Nagas to commit their mages to storming the walls, allowing the ranged fighters of the Seven to identify and kill them from a distance. Then they will fight the mundane Nagas in the narrows streets by using shield walls. If worse comes to worse, they will retreat to the distillery and use it to trap the Nagas in an inferno of burning soju.


Chapter 2.4

Aela and her summoned spirit went to work digging the moat. The archaean easily moved the turf and loose stones aside, shifting more than a hundred of pounds of soil with each scoop of his massive paws. The spirit piled all of this dirt up on the inner side of the ditch. But rather than covering the bamboo fence and timber wall there, the dirt moved under those objects, actually pushing them up so they stood atop the tall rampart being constructed.

In the meantime Ungarion set to work draining the power from Nashira's scimitar and Do'Sakhar's axe. Aela noted that he transferred the stolen energy into several magicka gems, and silently congratulated the high elf for his forethought. Those gems might prove invaluable during the coming battle.

Then the others split up and went about their own tasks. Nashira and Seridwe went to the bamboo forest on the far side of the village, while Do'Sakhar, Stalks-The-Marshes, Valens, and Talun-Lei ventured into the forest they had all traveled through to reach the Agrigento. Aela noted the latter three now carried wood axes as well, and imagined that Stalks had supplied them from the village.

Ungarion vanished soon after, and Aela expected that the wizard would continue preparing magicka gems, or perhaps scribe scrolls to aid in the defense. The latter struck her as a good idea for herself as well. She could create scrolls to summon undines and pass them out to the villagers. They would go a long way to putting out fires during the battle. Perhaps there might even be time to brew healing potions?

Soon Meen-Sa appeared, and the mikumari summoned an undine to stop the water from the nearby paddies from prematurely filling the ditch Aela and her own spirit were digging. The water priestess said nothing, but Aela could feel the Argonian's yellow eyes boring holes into her back as they slowly moved around the edge of the village.

"So are you going to spill those beans," Aela finally asked, "or are you saving them for dinner?"

"This one is strange to Meen-Sa," the Argonian finally rasped. "Even for the unscaled folk, its energy makes no sense."

"Well that is one I have not heard yet," Aela sighed. No matter where she went, there was always someone who felt the need to tell her how wrong they felt it was for her to exist. They all seemed to think that she had been waiting with baited breath for her entire life for them to share their opinions. Aela wondered how the water-priestess would feel if everyone around her constantly forced her to justify having a tail?

"How pray tell, does my energy disturb you?" the Breton said in as neutral a tone as she could muster.

"It is backwards!" the Argonian spat out. "This one's body is male, yet somehow it is not. Its water is female, it runs against its body. This one's spirit is upside down, like its tail is on its head and its feathers on its feet."

"You have no two-spirit people in your village then?" Aela asked, "no hijra?"

"Hijra?" The orange feathers atop the Argonian's head bunched in concentration. "Only the Hist can make hijra, and this one does not look like it has licked the bark."

Aela laughed. "Well not in that sense no! We don't have Hist trees in High Rock. But we do have people who live between worlds, just as everywhere else."

"But did this one's gods not make it a man?"

"No," Aela's eyes narrowed. "I was, and have always been, a woman. I was just not as lucky as you to be born with a perfect body."

"But why cannot this one just be what it was born as?"

Aela was not certain if Meen-Sa was genuinely puzzled, or if the Argonian was baiting her, as so many did when they used those very same words.

"If a child is born with a cleft lip, should it live out its entire life that way?" Aela fought the anger that was welling up within her, and tried to play nice with the Argonian. "Or if it is born lame? Or with under-developed lungs? Or with an infection? Shouldn't we use our magic to heal them?"

"But this one was not born with a sickness, or a split mouth," Meen-Sa continued. "This one was simply born a man. It should remain a man. It is unnat-."

The Argonian was cut short when a cascade of mud splattered across the front of her body. Meen-Sa sputtered, and wiped the grime from her features. Aela turned to see that her archaean had stopped digging, and stood with a fist packed full of oozing slime.

"You had better go," Aela said, "you're making him angry."

"There was no call for that!" the water priestess cried. The archaean raised his mud-filled hand, and it took every ounce of Aela's will to contain the anger that welled up within her. She knew that the spirit was merely reacting to her own feelings. If she could not control herself, it might do more than just sling mud…

"There is far more to Aetherius and Nirn than what you dream of Meen-Sa," Aela carefully answered. "If you cannot accept the fact that there are things in this world different from you, and don't follow your ideas of how the universe was meant to be, then a little mud is going to be the least of your worries in life. If I were you I'd take a long walk and think that over."

The Breton Witch purposely turned her back to the water priestess, and concentrated upon her archaean instead. She willed the Nirn spirit to ignore the Argonian, and return to his work of clearing the ditch. Aela heard the squishing of wet feet in the dirt fading away behind her, and was thankful that the priestess had taken her advice.

A moment later water came flowing down into the ditch. Aela reached out for the undine that Meen-Sa had just released. Gently entreating the spirit, the Witch found that the undine was more than happy to help her. The water stopped flowing into the ditch, and instead flowed up its sides and back into the nearby rice paddy.

In the meantime her archaean dissolved into the dirt beneath her feet. Aela sighed. No one could control more than one spirit at a time. At least that is what they had said at the University, and she had never met anyone who could do otherwise. Given that summoning created a mild telepathic link between spirit and mage, she was not sure how anyone could keep their commands between more than one straight. Her own near loss of control over the archaean just moments before showed how difficult it could be to direct even a single conjured being.

Climbing to the top of the ditch on her hands and knees, Aela emerged to stand upon the dike of the neighboring rice paddy. The field was denuded of rice, and filled with ankle-deep brown water. She imagined the undine moving the water into the next paddy, and a moment later she watched it rise up on the opposite banks and flow over the dikes into the other paddies beyond.

She would just have to alternate between summoning the archaean to dig the ditch, and then the undine to empty out all of the paddies adjacent to it, and back and forth again until she was finished. It would take longer, and require twice the energy. But she had always known that being an ardhanari was not easy.

Posted by: Acadian Oct 5 2013, 01:48 PM

I have this delightful image now of Aela wearing a bright yellow hard hat as she controls her heavy Nirn-moving equipment! Who knew that mages make the best construction workers?

Wonderful study of how one controls a summon along with some of the potential challenges.

"Hijra?" The orange feathers atop the Argonian's head bunched in concentration. "Only the Hist can make hijra, and this one does not look like it has licked the bark." - - I love this passage for so many reasons! Gosh, it’s hard to keep straight: Bark lickers are Argonians; not to be confused with bark-biting, leaf-licking Bosmers. Not to mention what Khajiit are reputed to lick according to the rumors in Leyawiin!

Meen-Sa was hard to read as to whether she was being curious or judgmental. A combination of the two, I should imagine, but Aela has no doubt had a gut full of the judgmental stuff. I think Aela’s helper had exactly the right idea – a mud wrestling contest would have not only provided a wonderful respite from the day of hard labor, but perhaps helped relieve some of the tension between the ladies as well.


Nit? - - "There is far more to Aetherius and Nirn that what you dream of Meen-Sa," - - Did you mean ‘than’ vs ‘that’?

Posted by: King Coin Oct 5 2013, 11:27 PM

As long as the vats hold up, I think anything else that gets wrecked in the fire would be relatively easy to replace. It’s the shaped metal that is valuable!

While they are making this moat and rampart, I hope that Aela’s powers can prevent them from being leveled when the Naja attack. I’m assuming this is going to be her primary responsibility during the fight, keeping the defenses safe from the Naja magicka.

Meen-Sa is an observant Argonian. I would somewhat expect all humans to look alike to them.

The elemental feels defensive for Aela. She really needs to get used to this sort of thing though. She is unique enough that she will puzzle many people, and not everyone’s questions are going to be full of barbs like she expects. I’m not saying Aela is being totally unreasonable in her defensiveness either.

Posted by: McBadgere Oct 6 2013, 06:10 AM

Wow...Properly loved the defence discussion...Excellent stuff in there...I actually didn't notice that it was longer, only that it was amazing...*Shrug*...If it's good enough to stand as one piece it should be...

Sadly, it seems that lack of acceptance and understanding isn't just a human thing...Loved that last chapter, excellently done...

Loved both the posts...Brilliant stuff, as ever...

Oh, old news...

McWife was the fan of this one...I just caught a few of the episodes...Loved the original film, and quite liked what I saw of the series...The one set in the past where Roger Daltry had to pretend to be dead and Duncan investigate was priceless!...But I didn't see all that many of them, just sit through the wife's explainations of what happened...I did like that Amanda when she had the long hair though...Wasn't a fan of the cropped blonde, personally speaking...*Thinks*...Not that I'm against the cropped blonde look at all, just not on her...*Thinks again*...And I mean her as in Amanda...not H.E.R...I'm sure she'd be beautiful with cropped blonde...

...

Aw dang...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: haute ecole rider Oct 6 2013, 08:37 PM

Well, I am! Too many dumb blonds running around here! I have yet to write a blonde character who isn't a tall, gun-totin' butch Norwegian (and she is awesome!!). And yes, Sorensen is a cropped blonde . . . Me, I was once a cropped red . . .

Anymyhoo, as McB would say Rather enjoyed the conversation/discussion between Aela and Meen-Sa. Like Aela and Acadian, I too found Meen-Sa's comments difficult to read. This is not meant as a critique of your writing, but rather quite the opposite. As in RL, it's wonderful that characters are sometimes difficult to pin down. One of the biggest pitfalls of writing is getting inside a non-protagonist's head when the scene is being written from a different POV. Howinthehell am I supposed to know what you are thinking?? I only have your body language, your tone of voice, your words, and what I know of your past actions to judge your intentions by. This just adds to the flavor that is Meen-Sa the character.

With road construction season finally drawing to a close around here, I regret that Aela and her archon were not employed by the road crews on my commuting route this past summer! Maybe things might have gotten done faster if that big earth mover was present!

Posted by: ghastley Oct 7 2013, 03:16 PM

Hmmm... I wonder if this tension between Aela and Meen-Sa is going to be an issue later. And if taking over her Undine wasn't an impolitic thing to do? I like the way she reveres the Hist a little too much, for her own good.

I always like the way your characters use magic in ways that make sense. Although I can't ever figure out whether they're using it to the best advantage. I think I remember you discussing whether it made more sense to fortify your own strength, or summon a minion to carry for you, and having two characters make opposite choices.

Posted by: SubRosa Oct 11 2013, 06:56 PM

Acadian: Some people might say that mages make the best of everything... You can bet Ungarion is at the top of that list too!

The Khajiit only lick that area to get the taste of their cooking out of their mouths. Well, that's what I heard anyway!

That was meant to show that conjuring is not easy, and requires more than just the ability to cast the spell to begin with. One needs discipline to keep the spirit under control, and that includes keeping your own thoughts and feelings in order.

If you are uncertain about Meen-Sa, consider this. Does she ever state that Aela has the right to determine her own identity? Or does she insist that Aela must be what she was born as? I think that cuts right down to it.


King Coin: I also think the vats would be the biggest problem to replace. That would take the work of an actual foundry, and would be beyond the villagers. Though you never know, Ungarion might be able to do something with a summoned salamander...

I figure that most Argonians do think that humans tend to look alike. Just like the opposite. But Meen-Sa is a magician, and can read Aela's aura. So that is how she could quickly clue into Aela being two-spirited. She starts out making a statement about Aela's energy making no sense.

Aela is used to prejudice. But that does not make it any easier to deal with. She's no Dali Lama. Like most people, it just makes her angry. She tried to play nice, but in the end that did not work. That scene was just an example of everyday life for Aela.


McBadgere: People everywhere have their biases and prejudices. It just changes with the scenery. Meen-Sa was one way I wanted to show that.

I was never a big fan of Awomanda either, especially not with the short white hair. If she had kept it long it probably would have looked alot better. But even hair aside, she's a pretty useless character. The only time she ever kills anyone in Highlander is after Duncan had beaten the guy, and she sneaked in to behead him when he was down. She is pretty much there to be a helpless female for the big strong manly hero to rescue.


haute ecole rider: As I said to Acadian about Meen-Sa, if you are really uncertain, think back to Aela's discussion with Seridwe about people who believe that birth pre-determines their future vs. those who believe that it is the individual's right and ability to choose their own fate. Compare that to Meen-Sa's insistence that Aela be what she was born to be.

The rest was meant to be a little unclear. Bigots do not always shout and level accusatory fingers. Many can be very calm and cogent in the presentation of their views. Though often it comes down to "you were born this way, you must be this way, because X said so." X of course being their religion, their government, their parents, etc... Meen-Sa is just an example of the kind of people Aela has to deal with on a regular basis.


ghastley: Aela is wondering if she is going to have to worry about Meen-Sa in the future as well. That will be brought up in a few more episodes. Like you said, Meen-Sa can be a bit too close-minded for her own good. I am not sure if fanatical is the right word. Perhaps intractable. She is not very flexible in her thinking, or one to try to look at situations from another point of view. Rather she tends to be very conservative, and do and think and feel what she has been told to all of her life.

I do not think there always is a best advantage to using magic. I think it is like the magic items in the game, some people like this thing over that. It all just depends on what suits the individual's likes and talents.


Previously On Seven: In our last episode Aela and her summoned archaean went to work digging a moat around Agrigento, and using the excavated dirt to build up a rampart. Meen-Sa briefly came to assist, but the two soon had a discussion about Aela's gender identity that turned into an argument, as Meen-Sa could not accept that Aela was living as a woman when her body had been born male. In the end Aela's spirit took matters into his own hands, slinging a handful of mud at the water-priestess. That was the end of the discussion, and Aela continued on with the work alone.


Chapter 2.5


Magnus hung low over the western horizon when Ungarion appeared over the rim of the ditch that Aela and her archaean were digging in.

"I don't suppose you found any gold down there?" the Altmer called out, "or precious stones?"

"None as precious as you my friend." Aela looked up with a smile. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. A glance down revealed that not only were her hands stained with dirt and mud, but her clothing as well. She could only imagine how dirty her face must be. Part of her thought of pulling out her hand-mirror to look. But another part was too afraid to see.

"Well, that goes without saying of course…" the Altmer beamed. He waved at her to come up. "Come on out of there. It's time for dinner."

Aela clambered up the steep slopes of the ditch, and in no time at all slipped and fell face-first into the dirt. She closed her eyes, and thought of the archaean below her. A pair of massive hands gently wrapped around her waist, and she felt herself lifted into the air. A moment later she found herself just as softly set down upon the embankment where Ungarion stood. A glance back found her conjured spirit dutifully waiting behind her. Without having to say a word, she gave the spirit her thanks, and bid the archaean a quiet evening. A moment later he faded into dust.

"Oh my, you really are quite a mess," Ungarion said. "All of this hot, sweaty work is simply unconscionable for mages of our stature."

"I notice that you avoided getting dirty," Aela observed.

"That is because I know how to take care of myself." The Altmer mage made a grandiose flourish with his hands, and Aela could feel the energy grow within his slender fingers. A moment later he set his hands upon her shoulders and gave her a little shake. With that the dirt and grime all fell from her clothing, leaving them looking as if they had just come from the laundry tub.

"You always were better at Alteration," the Breton Witch murmured. Raising her hand, she channeled her magicka into her Bloom spell. A moment later the sweat and grunge vanished from her skin and hair as well, and she felt completely refreshed.

"So what have you been up to?" the Breton asked as they headed into the village. Aela noted that now a few villagers had dared to leave their homes. Most were gawking at the high palisade that she and her spirit had been building around the edge of the settlement. A few simply walked to and fro through the village however. All of those nearby stopped to stare and her and Ungarion.

"I assisted our trusty axemen in the forest," Ungarion practically boasted.

"You, swinging an axe?" Aela's eyes goggled. "Now that I wish I had seen."

"Oh Magnus forbid!" the high elf proclaimed. "I would never debase myself with manual labor. No, I was there to cast feather spells upon the lumber. I am sure it made things much easier for those sweaty, muscle-bound fellows. Speaking of easier, I thought that the water priestess was going to be helping you with the moat?"

"If by helping, you mean lecturing me in how unnatural it is to be a two-spirit person then yes, she was of great assistance," Aela frowned.

"Oh my," Ungarion sighed. "I should have thought that a society that openly accepts two-spirits like hijra would not have such people. Especially not a priestess!"

"Apparently only Argonians are allowed to be two-spirits," Aela breathed. "The rest of us are supposed to be the way our gods made us."

"We are all born not capable of holding in our wastes," Ungarion murmured. "That is how the gods made us as well. I suppose she thinks it's blasphemy to potty train children then?"

Aela could not restrain a smile. "I'll have to remember that for the next time," she said dryly.

"My wisdom is a light to the world." Ungarion raised his nose high and affected his most dignified prince-of-parchment pose. That brought a real chuckle from Aela, and in no time at all one from the Altmer as well.

Dinner turned out to be tempura with rice, and was waiting for them when Ungarion and Aela arrived at Rullianus' home. The Breton noted that the hearth was cold and the cooking ware was clean. So clearly the meal had been prepared elsewhere and brought in. She wondered who they had to thank for their meal? But she soon forgot as she dove into the tasty dish.

Naturally the entire thing was washed down with soju, which Talun-Lei poured for them in small cups. The Argonian explained to them that one never poured their own soju, and that a glass could never be refilled until it was completely empty. He went on to explain that when pouring for others, one must hold the bottle by the right hand, with your arm supported by your left hand at the elbow. Then there came a host of other rules, such as how to hold your cup, who could drink before others, and more that Aela simply could not be bothered to remember.

"When do these ones find time to drink with all of these rules!" Do'Sakhar laughed.

The others seemed to like the soju however. Aela found the clear liquid to be slightly sweet in taste, which she enjoyed, but it had a kick like a mule. For someone who was used to drinking nothing stronger than wine, Aela knew that it was something she had best only take in moderation. A great deal of moderation. She vowed to see if Ulpia had any Argonian White Tea the next morning…

Rullianus himself was nowhere to be found, and Aela noted that one of the sleeping mats that she had seen rolled up against the back wall earlier was now missing. Only the dusty one remained. Do'Sakhar said that the Agrigentan was sleeping in another home. Given how crowded it was with the seven mercenaries, Aela was actually thankful there was not an eighth person competing for space.

Posted by: Acadian Oct 12 2013, 01:48 PM

Old news: Forgive me, my friend, if I didn’t fully capture your intent. I count the fault as my own, for I have not walked in Aela’s boots. I guess my wishful hope was that the comic image of Aela’s helper slinging a fistful of mud would provide a tension-dispelling and mirthful opening of understanding that the ladies might step through. Friendships often start from butting heads (Sir Mazoga, I’m lookin’ at you! ). I must also confess a deep affection for Argonian women (like Kud-Ei and Tar-Meena) that is likely shading my objectivity. Thank you for your words of explanation.

The interchange between Aela and her prince of parchment with precious stones continues to be delightfully fun!

Great progress in the construction of Fort Agrigento!

The help getting up that slippery slope from Aela's summon was wonderfully natural, and I loved how she gently dismissed him with her thanks. I very much enjoy how you portray summons with such respect. In game, I find it very easy to become attached and loyal to them, and even protective - sometimes even to the counterproductive point of a reluctance to expose them to harm.

Tempura, rice and soju – thanks for this delicious meal!

Do’Sakhar’s sleeping in another home? Not to be outdone by Valens drilling the villagers, I wonder if Do’Sakhar’s found someone to lick into shape?

Hmm, and another teasing breadcrumb about that mysterious dusty bedroll?

Posted by: Grits Oct 12 2013, 06:04 PM

"Well, that goes without saying of course…" the Altmer beamed.

Oh my, Ungarion and his precious stones! The interplay between the two friends was delightful as always.

The Breton noted that the hearth was cold and the cooking ware was clean. So clearly the meal had been prepared elsewhere and brought in. She wondered who they had to thank for their meal? But she soon forgot as she dove into the tasty dish.

I’d like to thank you for the meal! Now I’m going to make chicken katsu this weekend. Perhaps it’s time for an entry in our recipe thread. Anyway I enjoyed the logistics of hosting the seven in one of the huts.

Argonian White Tea! Memories of Morcant.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Oct 13 2013, 05:24 PM

Now our Magical Seven get to sample the soju that is the village's main source of income. Is that how they will be paid?

I enjoyed the same things Acadian and Grits did. In addition, I especially loved Talun-Lei's instruction on how to drink appropriately! I recognized these rules from the Korean culture - the pouring with the right hand while supporting the elbow with the left actually came from the old days when they would have long, drapey sleeves - the left hand was to hold the right sleeve out of the way so it wouldn't soak up the soju, or tea, or whatever they were pouring. Of course, with Asian culture being the way it is, what started out as a practical solution became a stylized mannerism that remains to this day. Oh yeah, and you couldn't drink while facing your superior - you had to turn away to drink your soju.

I think I much prefer the Nord style - fill 'em to the brim and toss 'em down the hatch. Loud belch afterward optional, but much preferred!

Posted by: ghastley Oct 14 2013, 06:23 PM

As always, I like the contrast in styles between Aela and Ungarion in their use of magic. As well as his looking for profit in everything.

Drinking always attracts ritual. It's probably a sub-conscious defensive mechanism just to slow ourselves down a bit. And then we go and invent games to speed it up again!

Posted by: King Coin Oct 16 2013, 02:45 AM

Sorry it took me so long to get to this update, I've been dealing with computer issues since last week. About the last update, Aela just needs to learn to be less hostile to those that would ask questions.

The talk of gold and precious stones, I would think that Aela would be a very good prospector with a little help from her elementals. I was hoping that she would pull Ungarion into the ditch with her!

Posted by: SubRosa Oct 18 2013, 04:24 PM

Acadian: Actually, there will be a mudfight happening later in the chapter, but not directly tied to Meen-Sa's issues with Aela.

You described Aela's relationship with her summonings very well. To her they are people, not just objects. Though thankfully they are beings that transcend physicality, so that even if their 'bodies' are killed, they are still just fine.

It was not Do'Sakhar who is sleeping elsewhere, but Rullianus. I went back and edited to make that more clear.

We will be seeing more about the dusty bedroll in the future, in a mini-episode from Nashira's pov.


Grits: I guess you could say that Ungarion has the stones for this kind of work. Even though he is not in the Fighters Guild.

I looked up Chicken Katsu online, it looks like the American kind, except for the panko breadcrumbs. I love the idea of bread that does not have a crust! I guess you could use a shock spell to make panko bread in Tamriel. Now I am hungry!

I could not resist falling back on the Argonian White Tea, since we are actually in Argonia!


haute ecole rider: The soju is half of their payment. The tempura the other half!

I was tempted to go into more details about all the rules for drinking soju. But it started to make me dizzy! I did not know the part about holding your pouring elbow was because of the flowing sleeves though. Brilliant!


ghastley: Aela and Ungy are very different when it comes to their magic, which makes it easier to write them, since they are not just carbon copies of one another.

Thank goodness for all those drinking rituals! Otherwise we'd all be wasted and puking before it is even 10 o'clock!


King Coin: Well, Aela (or her spirit) did not become hostile until Meen-Sa decided to say that she was unnatural. Until then she played nice. She even laughed to start with. It is just a case of you have to be prepared to take it if you are going to dish it out.

Aela probably would make a good prospector, if she had a mind to go digging around underground. I never thought of that. But she probably would not either.


Previously on Seven: In our last episode Ungarion came to fetch Aela for dinner, and she learned that he had been helping to fell trees in the forest. Not using an axe of course, but rather by casting feather spells on the lumber. Dinner itself was a delicious meal of tempura, and while eating Talun-Lei tried to teach the other Seven the intricate etiquette involved in drinking soju. Finally, Aela noted that even though they were sleeping in his house, Rullianus himself was not present, but was rather sleeping in someone else's abode. A fact she was thankful of given how crowded it already was with the seven mercenaries.


Chapter 2.6

The next day the mercenaries returned to their previous tasks, leaving Aela alone on her ditch-digging enterprise. Except for the spirits of course. She had to admit that she did prefer their company to that of most mortals. Nirn spirits did not judge her, or constantly force her to justify her existence. Instead they accepted her without reservation or question.

She did nor remain alone for long however, for in no time at all a few of the village children came to watch. They thought that they were being clever, hiding above the embankment and peeking down at her from over its rim, only to lower their heads whenever she turned to look. But she could easily hear their poorly-hushed voices from down in the ditch.

Eventually Aela could not resist prevailing upon her archaean to do something about the spies. At her behest, he stopped his digging and turned to face the children. Then he began to jump back and forth from one foot to another, while rubbing his hands under his armpits in a pantomime of an ape. That brought a loud chorus of giggles from above the embankment, and Aela had the spirit continue his show by sticking out a great pebbly tongue at the children. Then he pretended to moon them by turning and bending over to reveal the rocks in his rear. In no time at all the children were standing in the open and laughing as the spirit continued his amusing antics.

"Take a bow for the audience," Aela eventually said, loud enough that her voice would carry to the onlookers above. The archaean complied with a deep bow to the youngsters. Then he turned to go back to the work of digging out the deep trench.

"Perhaps later we'll give another show," Aela called out as the children let out a collective sigh of disappointment. She turned back to the work at hand herself, and when a trickle of water began to spill down into the ditch she scrambled up its outer edge. As she had the day before, she dispelled the archaean and summoned an undine to turn the water out of the nearest rice paddy. Once it was drained, she returned to the ditch, and reconjured her archaean to continue digging and building.

By now more than children were watching her with rapt attention. Human and Argonian adults also clustered along the already-built embankment behind Aela. They pointed and spoke in low tones, clearly amazed at not only the spirit, but the massive amount of soil it was able to move and reshape.

By midday Aela had worked her way behind the village, and the digging picked up speed. There were no rice paddies on that side of the settlement, so she did not have to split her time between resummoning spirits. She saw Seridwe and Nashira working on the hills above, chopping down the forest of bamboo that grew there. Already the lowest slopes had been cleared, leaving nothing but sharpened stumps behind.

Aela took a few moments to watch, and saw that the Redguard swordmaster chopped down each stalk of bamboo with a single, diagonal slice from her scimitar. After felling several of the stalks, she and Seridwe would gather them up and drag them down the hill, where a waiting group of villagers would take them into the village.

Soon Aela found herself coming across their path, and was obliged to leave a break in the ditch so that the transport of bamboo could continue. She vowed to remember to come back when they were finished, so that she could dig out that section of the village perimeter. Still, she had no doubt that Valens would remind her if she did forget. When it came to military matters, the Nibenean seemed to miss nothing.

The Seven took a break at mid-morning, and Aela had to once more use her Bloom spell to make herself presentable. None of them wore their armor for the back-breaking labor under the hot sun. Seridwe was clad in nothing but a crop top and a loose, short skirt that left much of her golden skin on display. Aela could see that the high elf knew the Bloom spell as well, for not only was her hair still perfect, but her skin was clean, dry, and smelled faintly of flowers.

Even Valens had finally discarded his usual all-black attire for a simple breech cloth, albeit of a characteristic ebony shade. His hard, muscled body gleamed under a layer of sweat. But Aela's eyes were drawn to a curious pair of birthmarks over his heart. One mark was a circle with numerous small lines radiating out from it, like a sunburst. The other was a crescent whose horns pointed in toward the first mark.

That is when Aela realized the first mark was not a sunburst, but a star. The crescent could only be one of the moons. A moon and star. Azura could not have marked her territory more plainly…

Meen-Sa was waiting for them with a jug of cool water and cups for all. Aela made an effort to remain upon her best behavior, and just to be extra careful dispelled her archaean before approaching the priestess. That way there would be no further mud-slinging incidents. For her own part, the Argonian was not especially antagonistic. Though she was hardly friendly either. Rather her face seemed to be set in stone, and she said nothing to the Breton.

Many of the villagers joined them, including those who had aided in the labors. Aela noted that the original four Agrigentans who had journeyed to Bravil to hire them - Ulpia, Rullianus, Stalks-The-Marshes, and Hathei - were representative of the community. It was all Imperials and Argonians, with nary a member of another race.

Because of that lack of racial diversity, Aela found that for once she was not the one being constantly stared at. Instead the Agrigentans seemed fascinated with Do'Sakhar for his fur, Nashira for her reddish brown skin, and finally Ungarion and Seridwe for their tall frames and creamy golden flesh.

Ungarion ate up the attention of course. There was nothing he loved better than to show off. In no time at all he had his deck of cards out and was performing tricks for the villagers, adult and child alike. He followed with other sleight-of-hand tricks, such as drawing copper coins from behind the ears of children, and even producing a live chicken from beneath a startled Hathei's tail.

"Your friend certainly knows how to win people over," Ulpia smiled as she watched the impromptu show beside Aela.

"It is one of the things he is best at," Aela admitted. "I wish I had even half of his charm."

"Oh, I think you do just fine," the Imperial woman said softly.

For a moment, Aela wondered if she detected a look of longing in the other woman's voice. But then it was gone, and Ulpia burst out into laughter at Ungarion's latest antic.

The wizard had tried on a villager's conical reed hat, and was having some trouble taking it off again. No matter how hard he pulled, pushed, twisted, or turned the hat, it seemed glued to his head. It was only after enlisting help from the audience that the combined effort was able to pry the headgear loose. Then after wiping the sweat from his brow with a hand cloth, the high elf ran into the same difficulty, as it too refused to budge from his fingers afterward.

"Your water priestess might disagree," Aela could not help but mutter under her breath.

"You mean the mud-slinging incident?" Ulpia smiled and turned to look at Aela once more. "I heard about that. Knowing her, I'm sure she had it coming."

"Knowing her?" Aela raised an eyebrow.

"She's rather… hidebound," Ulpia replied. "Her mother was very traditional, and Meen-Sa's a twig off the same branch. She hides behind religion like a warrior does a shield. Anything that doesn't fit into her narrow view of how the world is supposed to be is 'unnatural'."

"That is exactly what she called me," Aela frowned.

"I am not surprised," Ulpia said. "We have never had a two-spirit person here in Agrigento. Not one that admitted to it at least. I doubt anyone who was would come out with it. The truth is, people are very conservative here. They aren't used to change, or anything different at all."

"So people are talking about it then?" Aela sighed. That was just what she needed. Now the entire village would be gossiping about her - and her being a two-spirit - behind her back.

"Not that much really," the Imperial explained. "Only a few people saw Meen-Sa before she cleaned herself up. She is a water-priestess after all. Besides, with everything else going on, there is no shortage of things to talk about. Especially after that performance of Talun-Lei's in the square the day we arrived."

A wave of relief washed over Aela. As a priestess, Meen-Sa was an important member of the community. She could make life very hard for her indeed. But if she was not trumpeting what had happened - even if just to avoid her own embarrassment - then things might work out after all. Only time would tell.

After the momentary break had stretched out for at least an hour, Valens finally put an end to the frivolities. Like the drill instructor he appeared to have once been, he put all of their noses back to the grindstone. At least now however, villager and mercenary alike returned to their chores with a smile.

Posted by: Captain Hammer Oct 18 2013, 08:51 PM

Well, I am finally caught up (again), and I'm going to see how long this endeavor of regular commenting will last. Start placing bets.

Anyways, I'm impressed with your descriptive level of detail, as always. The progress being made to the village's defense seems to be going quite smoothly, and I know that because you've drawn it out so well. Between the importance of leaving a small pathway through the ditch for the bamboo-clearing and the fact that the ditch-digging is progressing more quickly now that Aela's away from the rice paddies, you've managed to de-monotonize the rather monotonous work of digging said ditch. Entertaining the kids was a fun pause as well.

Well, not necessarily. Azura could have perma-conjured a big, glowing, rotating sign that said "Azura's Chosen" above Valens's head with a set of illuminated arrows that all point down in a funnel-shaped fashion from the sign to his head.

Still, a nice touch that the Champion of a Daedric Prince would be so marked. I'd say more, but my home has been oddly quiet for a few minutes now, so I think Sethyas is somewhere hereabouts.

Nit:

Eh, may want to check with your archaean, I think he buried a "said" somewhere during the morning's ditch-digging.

Posted by: Acadian Oct 19 2013, 01:52 PM

‘Except for the spirits of course. She had to admit that she did prefer their company to that of most mortals. Nirn spirits did not judge her, or constantly force her to justify her existence. Instead they accepted her without reservation or question.’ - - Ya gotta love critters, spirits and summons, in large part, for exactly the reasons Aela outlines.

And the man of mystery (Valens) shows off his Moon and Starbucks tat by Azura!

It sounds like progress regarding the village defenses is coming along swimmingly, with even some showmanship by Rocky the Spirit and Ungarion the Magician.

Seridwe is fully blessed with the understanding of just how important is is that one’s wardrobe be crafted with the robust flexibility to fully support any task at hand. After all, what good is doing something if one can’t look good while doing it? And clearly that extends to being impeccably coiffed for a work break. Yay Seridwe!

It will be fun to see if anything develops in the truce between Two Spirit and Water Priestess.

Posted by: King Coin Oct 19 2013, 04:17 PM

Love the antics with the young Argonians.

Aela would not only make a great prospector, but also a very productive farmer too. I doubt she would do that either though. This little bit of construction work now, and then after the war will be as close as she gets.

Birthmarks on Valens? I’d say more like the mark of a Daedra. And he claims to not serve/worship her. Wonder if he’s truthful, or if Azura is just patient with her champions.

At least Meen-Sa and Aela were civil. Perhaps you did intend for her to be more antagonistic and I just didn’t pick up on it.

Loved the little show during the break. If nothing else, the wizard will be remembered fondly. Made me think a little of a young version of Gandalf visiting the hobbits.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Oct 20 2013, 05:47 PM

As always you do a wonderful job of pulling us into what would otherwise be a boring interlude. Getting to know some more of the villagers and showing how the different members of the Seven "dress down" for work has been interesting. Somehow I am not surprised by Nashira's approach to bamboo harvesting - those diagonal slices leave excellent sharp stakes behind for our anticipated visitors!

Trying to picture the archaean's antics for the kids made me grin in delight. Normally those things seem so scary and impressive, to have one acting so foolishly and on a level that children easily understand is a real treat.

I suspect Meen-Sa may have a glimmer of an idea of how foolish and "wrong" her words may have been, especially for a water priestess. Ironic, as water conforms to its environment, she doesn't?

Posted by: Grits Oct 23 2013, 02:41 PM

I loved the antics of Aela’s archaean. Ungarion’s show was just as enjoyable. I laughed when he pulled the live chicken out from under Hathei’s tail. I imagine that the chicken was also startled.

Valens’ mark of Azura and Seridwe’s impeccable grooming were wonderful details. This was a great episode. Time passed, work progressed, and we observed things about the characters that are consistent with what we already learned about them. The growing bond with the villagers makes everything the Seven do for them feel more personal.

Posted by: SubRosa Oct 25 2013, 06:31 PM

Captain Hammer: Hammertime! Thanks for unearthing my said. Never trust those archaeans...

I am glad the monotonous work of preparing the defenses is not being monotonous. The rest of Chapter 2 is of a similar nature, showing the preparations for the upcoming battle, and the interactions of the characters during it.

I wanted to shed a bit more (moon or star)light onto the man of mystery. The birthmark seemed like a perfect means, as I recalled that http://www.imperial-library.info/content/urshilaku-tribe "Some say he bore a moon-and-star birthmark."


Acadian: I am still laughing at the moon and starbucks tat. I guess that means Azura lives in Seattle?

I could not resist Seridwe showing off her statuesque frame in the work scenes. Like you said, nothing is worth doing, unless you are going to look good while doing it.


King Coin: I could not resist the impromptu comedy act by Rocky the Spirit. If nothing else to show that Aela has a sense of humor. You are right, I do not see her ever becoming a farmer or miner. Though her spirits would make either easy!

Remember a while back I said in the comments that it seemed that Valens doth protest too much about Azura? The birthmark is one more hint about his mysterious fate in the east.

It is funny you mentioned Gandalf. Though I do not think he was ever young! I did sort of have him in mind. The same with Johnny Depp in Benny and Joon, where he is doing a lot of Buster Keaton style physical comedy.


haute ecole rider: I did have those sharpened bamboo stumps in mind with the way Nashira was cutting. But that is also the way the sword master always seems to show off in the samurai movies too...

Water also seeks its level, so you never know about Meen-Sa...


Grits: Showing the growing bond between the Seven and the villagers is what Chapter 2 is all about. It is good to hear that it is working.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found the Seven continuing their work on the village defenses. Aela found herself being watched by some of the village children, and had her summoned spirit put on an impromptu comedy show for them. Later during their lunch break Ungarion also entertained all with card tricks and sleight of hand. Finally Aela discovered from Ulpia that the mudslinging incident with Meen-Sa was not widely circulated.


Chapter 2.7

Aela finished digging the ditch that day. As she predicted, Valens reminded her to dig out that little landbridge she had left for moving the cut bamboo into the village. He seemed impressed with her work however, and they took a tour of the breastworks before nightfall. He even approved of how she had set the timbers of the wall to alternate between chest height and head height, like a crenellated parapet on a castle. She knew from experience that the higher sections would give the defenders refuge from missiles, while the lower ones would give them gaps through which to attack with their own bows or spears.

"It would have taken hundreds of men to dig this out in the time you did it. Not to mention to reset the timber wall. I'm impressed." Before Aela could let the words of praise go to her head however, he continued. "Tomorrow you can dig that tunnel between the distillery and the stable."

So the next day Aela found herself toiling within the bowels of Nirn, with only her night eye spell to see by. More than ever she was thankful for the archaean, who did not so much dig the soil out of the ground as shift it aside to create the passage. That made it unnecessary to cart wagonloads of dirt out of the ground. The spirit also took the local stones and blended them together into single, seamless pieces of rock. From these he created braces every six feet or so to prevent the ceiling from collapsing.

As the tunnel ran a much shorter distance than the moat, Aela finished her work by noon. She emerged to find Valens leading the effort to build shields from the timber they had felled in the previous days. At his direction the villagers cut the wood into planks. These they laid over one another in a criss-cross pattern of two layers, held together by fish glue. These half-inch thick cores were cut into round discs just under three feet in diameter. A hand grip was added to the interior, the edges were rimmed with rawhide, and the outside was faced in linen glued to its surface. Then finally each finished shield was treated with oil to waterproof it.

In the meantime Nashira continued hacking the bamboo stems they had collected into spears, poles and spikes for the frises, and punji sticks for the currently dry moat. The taciturn Redguard appeared to take the task as seriously as she did her duel in Bravil, and her face remained a mask of razor-sharp focus the entire time.

They took a break for a simple lunch of rice flavored with Argonian brown sauce - a fish sauce spiced with garlic, basil, and lemongrass. Talun-Lei showed them how to eat the meal with Argonian kuaizi sticks: two slender bamboo sticks held between the fingers and thumb in lieu of a fork or spoon.

The Argonian tried to teach them that is. Of all the other Seven, only Do'Sakhar was able to master using the sticks. The fumbling attempts of Aela and the others brought amused giggles and chuckles from the villagers. Aela imagined that she would have an easier time using her bare fingers, and like most of the others, she eventually surrendered and used a wooden spoon.

The next day Valens was training the villagers in the use of spear and shield. Only the children and the elderly were left out. Even old Hathei, who begged off the combat training, was dragged into the line by Rullianus. The Imperial pointed out that despite his age, the Argonian was still as fit and capable as a marsh croc.

Unlike the individual training that Valens had offered on The Niben Queen, this was something entirely different. Instead he taught the villagers to stand in line and form a shield wall. The first rank would kneel and ground their round shields. They were so tightly packed that the edges of their shields overlapped with those to either side. The second rank would then step right up beside the first and hold their shields high, so they filled the gaps left above and between the first rank's shields. The end result was a double row of overlapping shields that faced Valens, appearing as immovable as the timber wall surrounding the village.

The Nibenean tested the strength of the wall with a single kick from an ebony-armored boot. The entire wall collapsed under the blow, and the villagers fell hither and thither. Even those nowhere near the Nibenean's blow scurried away like mice. Valens was left in the aftermath, shaking his head in dismay. It was clear to Aela that the drill instructor had a great deal of work ahead of him…

http://i.imgur.com/de2ultU.jpg

* * *

Do'Sakhar took a break from planting punji stakes in the ditch surrounding the hamlet. He climbed the dirt wall of the dry moat on hands and feet, frequently slipping in the loose soil. But once he had reached the top, the Khajiit easily scampered over the crenellated wall.

Settling down inside, he drew forth a short piece of bamboo bearing a single line of holes along its length. Taking out his carving knife, he cut a final hole in the shaft. Once he was satisfied it was just right, the Khajiit held the flute sideways to his lips, and blew a gentle flow of air through the instrument.

A soft whistle issued from the flute, like the sound of a bird. Working the key holes with the pads of his fingers, Do'Sakhar transformed the simple noise into a haunting melody. As he played, his memory fled back to his days as a cub, when his mother had first taught him the flute.

Thoughts of the Black Marsh, Agrigento, and Nagas fled from his mind. Do'Sakhar found himself sitting on his mother's lap outside their adobe home in Dune. The hot sun warmed his fur, and his tail danced in delight as his mother played for him.

"Let Khajiit play, mommy!" he cried, pawing for the slender flute in his mother's hands. The golden-furred Khajiit smiled back him, and obligingly lowered the musical instrument to his lips. Yet the sound that issued forth was anything but musical!

"Who farted!" his father laughed. He was tall and lean, with fur dotted by large dark spots. Today he wore his lamellar armor, and carried his sandcrawler bow strapped across his back. He bent down to lift Do'Sakhar in his paws, and the young Khajiit responded with a contented purr as his father held him to his shoulder. But in no time at all he felt himself lowered to the ground, and then it was his mother who embraced his father.

"It is time then Do'zhad?" she said with a dread in her voice that the cub could not understand.

"Aye Rinassi," his father responded grimly. "The tree-huggers have been drawn out near Castle Sphinxmoth. Today we shall finish them, and avenge what they did in Torval."

"Will the round-ears assist?"

"Nay, when do they ever get off their tailless rears and do anything, except collect taxes?" His father spat in the dust to emphasize his words. "Khajiit fight alone, as ever."

"Then be careful," Do'Sakhar's mother admonished. "Stay behind the shield-bearers, don't expose yourself, and don't be a hero. One father is worth any ten of those."

"Aye, aye woman," his father shook his head, then grinned. "And Do'zhad won't drink the water, or talk to strangers. Cannot Khajiit have any fun?"

"Just bring yourself home alive," his mother fretted.

"That is this one's promise," he declared. "And you my little cub, when Do'zhad returns from chastising those bark-biters, perhaps he shall teach this one to use the bow? Then Do'Sakhar shall become a real Khajiit warrior!"

"Yes father, yes!" Do'Sakhar cried.

"Until then, watch for sand scorpions, and defend the house," his father said. "You will see your father again in no time at all.

But of course Do'Sakhar never saw him again.

The sound of footsteps brought Do'Sakhar back to the present, and he opened his eyes to find a trio of children standing around him. One of them - an Imperial boy of roughly ten years - cradled a rattan helmet in his hands, and held it out to the desert warrior.

"These ones made this for you," a young Argonian girl declared. "It's like the ones our parents made today."

Do'Sakhar set down his flute, and lifted the helmet of hard, woven fibers over his head. He was relieved to note that they had even made holes on either side of the headgear for his ears to stick through. "I am certain this will serve this one well in the coming battle. Khajiit thanks these ones for their generosity."

"Oh, you don't have to thank us," a second Imperial boy declared. "We drew you."

"These ones… drew Khajiit?" Do'Sakhar wondered aloud.

"Yes," the Argonian replied. "All of us kids in the village drew lots, to see which of you we would get."

"We got you," the first Imperial boy said. "I'm Luka." He pointed to the other Imperial, "that's Dellius." Finally he indicated the Argonian girl, "She's Teegla."

"Do'Sakhar sees," the mercenary said, wondering what on Nirn they were talking about? "And now that these ones have Khajiit, what shall they do with him?"

"When you die, we'll put flowers on your grave!" Teegla declared with pride.

"And we'll keep it clean, so weeds don't grow over it," Dellius said resolutely.

"Well now, that is a great relief to Do'Sakhar," the Khajiit warrior smiled. "But this one hopes he would not disappoint too much, if he were to survive?"

"Oh, we'd be just as happy if you lived!" Teegla agreed.

"Well, almost," Luka said.

Posted by: Grits Oct 26 2013, 03:35 PM

Ooooh, another advantage of spending time with the defense building is that we’ll be able to picture it clearly without a lot of description when the fight comes. *takes notes*

Ugh, the tunnel-digging sounds horrible! Not only under dirt, but under wet dirt. I was kind of gasping for breath during that part. Though I suppose Aela’s dirt and water spirit friends make her more comfortable. Even if not physically. The archaean concrete was awesome!

I really liked Do’Sakhar’s part. The memory of his father going off during the Five Year War and not returning added a layer to the kids’ plan to look after Do’Sakhar’s grave. I wonder if his dad’s grave gets tended, or is even marked.


"Oh, we'd be just as happy if you lived!" Teegla agreed.

"Well, almost," Luka said.

Luka’s remark sounded very real. Trust a kid to say the thing he thinks without regard for how it sounds!

Posted by: haute ecole rider Oct 26 2013, 05:50 PM

I could echo what Grits said about this latest installment.

While reading Aela's time underground, I had flashbacks to scenes from my other favorite movie -- Charles Bronson digging out Tom, Dick and Harry and the challenges those POWs faced in digging in sandy soil. Aela should at least be grateful for that much! I imagine it would be more difficult to make concrete arches out of dry sand than it would out of swamp mud.

I really enjoyed the glimpse into Do'sakhar's POV - it was tun and interesting. However I noticed that his parents did not speak in the third person as Do-sakhar does. It it because they spent more time around Imperials and picked up the tailless folk's way of speaking? Or is there another reason for this? I am curious to find out - will we?

Totally loved the interaction between the kids and Do'sakhar. Though I thought http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq67/brandonmademedoit/KoreanburialmoundsinBokheung_zpsb315bb9c.jpg were grass-covered? They were kept clean of weeds, watered and fertilized so a nice cover of grass would grow. Not that you have to use this model, but as so much of the village culture is borrowing from the SE Asian cultures, I keep thinking of something like http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_fanr3pbnsgs/TCeAiiFDjvI/AAAAAAAAAD4/lNxKv4OXFO8/s1600/DSC_0196.JPG.

Posted by: King Coin Oct 28 2013, 03:42 AM

The reward for a job well done is more work.

Those poor Argonians and their frail shield wall. They have a lot more work to do before they will be able to defend themselves from the Naga.

An unexpected, but welcome shift of perspective. His memories were interesting, and the interaction with the children enjoyable.

"Oh, we'd be just as happy if you lived!" Teegla agreed.

"Well, almost," Luka said.

This actually had me laughing!

Posted by: Acadian Oct 28 2013, 11:48 PM

Rocky is such a wonderful help for digging that tunnel!

Punji sticks! I wonder if the Seven will dip them in Argonian brown sauce troll dung? Quite a defense they’re building! Speaking of sticks, that was a fun scene with the chop sticks. They can indeed be frustrating to new users.

The shield wall was very neat in that it not only showed a great defensive tactic, but displayed the training necessary to have it stand up against a determined foe (or ebony boot in this case). Aela is right, Valen has plenty of work ahead of him.

"Do'Sakhar sees," the mercenary said, wondering what on Nirn they were talking about? "And now that these ones have Khajiit, what shall they do with him?" - - This was such a wonderful passage within a completely delightful little aside involving the tiger-striped Khajiit. Like Rider often does, you used the 'flashback' technique very well for showing us a memory from his childhood. We learned much about both him and the village’s children here.


Nit?
‘But of course Do'Sakhar never saw him again.
But of course he never saw his father again.’ - - Is this redundant or did I simply miss something?

Posted by: Captain Hammer Oct 30 2013, 12:26 AM

Oh Luka, you rapscallion, you. This is the point where Do'Sakhar should mention that he's putting Luka on The List in case he gets an opportunity. Childhood innocence is such a precious thing, and turning it around with such a simple thing as A List is one of the few things that is as hilarious.

So, Aela and her Archaean are busy bothering the mole people and recovering buried saids from under the village, which, as you pointed out, is more of the stuff that goes into an actual battle but never quite seems to get as much in the spotlight as the other parts of the story. I'm glad to see you depicting this, with all the architectural and engineering rolls a skilled Wizard should have, but never seems to use (seriously, lots of D&D campaigns, rare for the party wizard to roll those skills. The rogue would, but not the wizard).

I cannot act surprised that the shield wall collapsed so quickly. The villagers are lucky. If a professional pilus prior with bit of a bigger shouting streak (think: Angry Julian!) was there, they'd probably be wanting to tear their ears off after that.

So, Do'Sakhar's father was in the Five Year War. More and more, you weave the background events of the late Third Era into your narrative with skill and flavor. I wonder, though, whether Do'Sakhar is still trying to make his father proud of the warrior that he grew to become. That will be interesting to see.

Posted by: SubRosa Nov 1 2013, 07:09 PM

Grits: I am just hoping that everyone does not forget all of the description I put into the village during these scenes! That is the only problem with laying the groundwork ahead, so to speak.

Archaean concrete just sprang into my mind as I was writing, and realized that there would be a need for braces. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

Do'Sakhar's part was very rewarding to write. I was originally going to only do the part with the children. But as I began to write, I realized that I wanted to show something more of his past, and why he has the attitudes he does today. I never really thought about his father's grave. Since the Khajiit won that battle (described in Mixed Unit Tactics), it stands to reason that his body would have been recovered. So he should have a grave in Dune. Assuming Khajiit bury their dead. That is something I never thought of either. Maybe they cremate them?


haute ecole rider: I did not realize how Imperial the Khajiit's speech sounded in the flashback. It is just an example of how much a pain in the rear I find writing the third person style dialogue. I am glad you mentioned it, because I went back and edited it to sound more third person.

I never really thought about grave mounds and what the Argonian/Agrigentan custom might be. We know the Imperial's seem bury their dead from the graves we see in Oblivion. Same with the Nords in Skyrim. But I never really considered what the Khajiit or Argonians might do.


King Coin: A mage's work is never done. Aela does not even get to work with the others. She's exiled to the pits to toil alone...

The kid's dialogue is inspired by The Magnificent Seven. A group of local kids 'adopted' Charles Bronson's character, and had a similar response to his suggestion that he might not die. It was one of those things that I took notes about to put into Seven as an homage.


Acadian: Do'h! That double sentence was a leftover of some editing. Thanks for catching it!

Where would Aela be without Rocky? Sweating it out with a shovel most likely. I am so glad that I was able to make spirits such varied and useful creatures in this story. I think they really came into their own as something other than a means to kill bad guys.

That little flashback was indeed inspired by hot collie's outstanding use of little flashbacks to build character's stories. I learned a lot about that from her writing.


Captain Hammer: One of the things that always disappointed me about RPGs is how they often depict magic in purely terms of how it can be used as a weapon. Rarely have I ever seen games explore the 'civilian' applications for magic, like in construction, transportation, textiles, agriculture, and so on. One of the things I like about writing is it gives me the chance to think about how people would apply magic to their everyday lives and make them better.

I did briefly think of drill sergeant Hartmann/R. Lee Ermey in that shield wall scene. But I want Valens to come across as a different kind of trainer than the shouting sergeant. For him drill sessions are actually when he becomes more personable, and less surly. Though obviously it does not lessen the frustration...

The History Channel's Vikings show had an outstanding depiction of http://www.history.com/shows/vikings/videos/viking-shield-wall in one of their early episodes. It was very heartening to see something like that on television.

That is a good eye to Do'Sahkar's motivations. I think his father's ghost is never far from him, for good and for ill. For example, he chose to eschew the life of a 'regular' person and became a wandering warrior instead. Perhaps he never could lead an ordinary life?


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found Aela digging out a tunnel between the brewery and the stable, with her summoned archaean doing the real work of course. Topside, Valens led the villagers in making round shields with the wood that had been felled in previous days. In the meantime Nashira and others made simple spears from bamboo shafts. Valens then began training them to fight in a shield wall. In a second scene Do'Sakhar took a break from planting punji stakes in the bed of the ditch surrounding the village. He finished carving a flute, and as he played, his mind went back to the last day he saw his father. It was during the Five Year War, when the Khajiit fought the Bosmer outside of his home city of Dune. His father was one of the few Khajiit casualties that day. He was interrupted by a group of village children, who gave him a helmet they had made of wicker. The kids explained that they had all drawn lots for which of the Seven they were responsible for, and told Do'Sakhar that they would tend his grave after he died. The Khajiit hoped that they would not be disappointed if he survived...


Chapter 2.8

"Will this work for making your potions?"

Aela smiled as she looked over the black lacquered alembic and its attendant jugs and pots. It was far larger than she would normally use for making potions. The alembic itself stood several feet high, and sat upon a simple oven created by a stone cradle with an open space beneath for firewood. Likewise the terra cotta pots and jugs would hold gallons of liquid, not the usual sipfulls one normally brewed.

http://i.imgur.com/3ZowAsq.jpg

"It's a little big, but I think it will work," Aela judged. "I'll just make it all in one big batch. Thankfully I gathered a lot of dragon's tongue and fly amanita yesterday afternoon. I can start making healing potions with those. I saw bog beacon and green stain mushrooms on the walk here. Maybe tomorrow I can gather some up and make a batch of shield potions, and another of restore fatigue potions."

"I am afraid we probably do not have enough bottles to go around to put it all in," Ulpia spread her hands out. "I suppose we could just keep each in a different jug."

"Just so long as no one mistakes them for soju, and drinks them all!" Aela winked.

"The Nine forbid!" Ulpia laughed. "Why don't you come in and have some tea before you get started?"

"I was hoping you would say that," Aela admitted. Ever since she had sampled some of the Imperial's Argonian White Tea, she had been thinking of little else every time she took a drink.

Like Rullianus' abode, Ulpia's home was a sparely furnished affair. It was laid out in the same manner, with an area for sleeping mats in the back, hearth and kitchen in the center, and living space by the front door. Aela noted that unlike Rullianus, Ulpia kept a small case of books. She noted several alchemical volumes, a few on history, and finally a dozen novels by Juno Austenius and others. Her eye also noted that there was only one sleeping mat rolled up in the back of the home. Ulpia lived alone.

"I read many of these books at University," Aela thought aloud, "that one by Sinderion, and Grognak's Regional Guides."

"Those were my father's," Ulpia said from where she sat at the hearthstone, where she struck up a low blaze. The Imperial filled a simple iron teapot with water and set it on a metal grill above the hearth. Then while the water heated, she produced a pair of worn clay cups and a jar of crushed tea leaves. "He was one of the original founders of Agrigento."

"So yours is a new settlement?" Aela lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

"Yes," Ulpia admitted. "Well relatively. Our parents came here from the Imperial City over three decades ago. They were joined by many Argonians when they reached the Black Marsh, and together they created Agrigento."

"That is quite a change," Aela said. "To go from the Imperial City to here."

"You mean from the cosmopolitan heart of the Empire to the middle of nowhere?" Ulpia said. "Perhaps not quite as much as it might seem. My parents - and the other founders - were not rich. They were all proles. They scraped up every last drake they could save, or steal, for the journey. The same was true of the Argonians. They were all remanless: outcasts, refugees, and others with nowhere to go. For them, Agrigento was a chance for a new start."

"They did well for themselves," Aela said honestly. She had seen the slums of the Arena district while she had attended the University, and worse, the degradation of the Chamber Pot. A little farming village like Agrigento had its charms compared to such places.

"So where did the soju come into it?" Aela wondered.

"My father had worked in a brewery," Ulpia said, "sweeping, carrying jugs, things like that. But he paid attention to what the brewmasters were doing. When he got here he learned of the Argonian's native drink. Since they had the rice, he started making it with that cookery behind the house. One thing led to another, and eventually they had sold enough soju to buy the copper for one vat. That brought in the money to build another vat, and so on."

"It sounds like Zenithar truly blessed you," Aela said. Yet she could not tie that story of prosperity to what she saw when she looked around the simple interior of the Imperial's home. The Agrigento in Ulpia's tale seemed to have nothing in common with the one she resided in.

"He did, until the Nagas came," Ulpia frowned. "They took everything. I used to have a lovely ceramic tea service painted with cranes. Now I just have this old junk."

Ulpia opened the lid of the teapot with a bunched up cloth, and a steady line of steam rose up from it. "That is good," she said absentmindedly, "almost boiling." Lifting the pot from the grill, she laid it aside on the hearth stone. Then she set a chipped infuser into one cup, added tea leaves, and poured hot water within. The Imperial spent a few minutes gently raising and lowering the infuser to swirl the leaves around. Then she did the same with the second cup.

She offered the first cup to Aela, who took a tentative sip of the hot liquid. The Breton found the delicate, slightly sweet taste of the tea to be a wonder on her tastebuds. The Imperial led her to a pair of chairs near the front door, with a small round table between them, all of rattan.

Aela leaned back in her chair with cup in hand and relaxed. "This is lovely," she breathed. The Imperial accidentally brushed against her as she moved to the other chair, gently sliding her fingers through Aela's long brown hair. The other woman's touch felt as inviting as the tea, and Aela wondered if it had truly been by accident?

"So what happened to your parents?" Aela asked, glancing to the single sleeping mat. "I noticed that you live alone."

"My father died ten years ago," Ulpia said. "He was bit by a snake in the forest. By the time they had carried him back to the village, it was too late…"

"I am sorry to hear that," Aela said softly. She had expected as much, and decided not to pry any further.

"My mother…" Ulpia offered. "Well, I never really knew her. She left when I was just a few years old."

"Why?" In spite of her decision not to pry, Aela could not help but to ask. "Did she return to the Imperial City?"

"I don't know," Ulpia sighed. "One night while we were sleeping she just packed her things and left. We woke up in the morning and she was gone. I have no idea why she left, or where she went to."

"That must have been very difficult," Aela said honestly.

"I suppose," Ulpia shrugged. "Like I said, I was so young, I barely even remember her at all. I just grew up…, how I grew up. But what about yourself? How did your family take your being ardhanari?"

"In a word: badly," Aela stared into her cup. "I was born in High Rock, and people like myself are no more welcome there than in Cyrodiil."

"Do you face a lot of trouble because of it?" Ulpia set her cup down on the table between them, and let her hands linger there.

"Sometimes," Aela admitted. She brushed an errant lock of hair from her face, and followed the Imperial by setting her cup down on the table as well. "There always seems to be someone who notices, and cannot live without reminding me how of how wrong it is for me to exist."

"That must be frustrating," Ulpia breathed. Her fingers reached out ever so slightly, and brushed against Aela's. "Some people can be so provincial."

"Well, it is nice to meet someone who is not," Aela let her fingertips gently caress those of the other woman.

Aela's heart was a hammer in her chest, and she had to fight to keep her breath calm and even. Was Ulpia really interested in her, that way? Did she feel that way about the Imperial? It had been so long, she could hardly remember what romance was like.

"Well, I look at you, and I see a woman." Ulpia drew her hand away. "I did not even realize what you are at first. But even after I did, I cannot say it really changed much."

"It changes a lot of things for most people," Aela frowned.

"What about Ungarion?" Ulpia asked innocently. "The two of you are… close, are you not?"

"Ungarion and I?" Aela mused. "He's my best friend. He has been since we met at University."

"So he's..."

"Just a friend," Aela insisted. "Once upon a time we were…, but that was a long time ago. He's not interested in women. And I have never really been interested in men."

"Really?" Ulpia seemed to mull that over for a while, prompting Aela to continue.

"So what about yourself?" the Breton asked. "With all of the men around here, is there someone special?"

"No," Ulpia said, crossing her arms in front of her, "not really."

Aela resisted the urge to lift an eyebrow. Not so much what the Imperial had said, but from what had been left unsaid. Ulpia looked to be nearly thirty, an age which few Imperial women seemed to reach without becoming married. On one hand Ulpia appeared to be almost screaming that she was sapphic. But on the other hand, Aela had been wrong before. She of all people realized that no one was entirely what they appeared to be...

Posted by: haute ecole rider Nov 2 2013, 01:17 AM

Lovely continuation!

First, let me get the nit out of the way:

I think you're missing the closing quote there.

Now on to other things. When I looked at the screenie, my mind shouted KIMCHI POTS!! Yup, they made kimchi in pots very much like those, buried in the backyard. My Korean friend actually made daikon kimchi for me, and I loved it! Of course, I enjoy vinegary things, pickled food, and the hot radishes just made it all sublime for me. Now I have to go to Korea and find the traditional foods there!

Your description of the tea brewing is pretty spot on - tea is best when brewed for short periods. Want all the flavor without the bitterness (tannins)? Use lots of tea and brew for very short times. I do boil my water, but then I let it come down a bit. White and green tea (I assume that's what Ulpia made - green tea?) require the lowest temperature, black tea the highest (just at boiling) and oolong in the middle. The lone item on my Xmas wish list this year is a water heater that heats water to temperatures that I select.

Loved the interaction between Aela and Ulpia. And yes, Aela should know full well that people aren't always as they seem!

Posted by: Grits Nov 2 2013, 02:38 PM

This delicate dance between Aela and Ulpia was a pure joy throughout. Ulpia’s grace with the tea service made the perfect setting for their conversation. I imagine her carefully thinking through her next words and actions as she patiently infused the tea.

Aela's heart was a hammer in her chest, and she had to fight to keep her breath calm and even. Was Ulpia really interested in her, that way? Did she feel that way about the Imperial? It had been so long, she could hardly remember what romance was like.

I love the confusion that comes with Aela’s rush of feelings. How very true!

Posted by: Acadian Nov 2 2013, 04:53 PM

Loved Ulpia’s library, with its nod to such famous folk as Sinderion and Jane Austen Juno Austenius.

You did a fabulous job of keeping hands busy brewing hot tea, while filling heads with more of Agrigento’s history and speeding up hearts with uncertain and tentative flirtations.

So Agrigento was formed by the Remanless Outcasts. That sounds like a bonzer name for a head-banging, tail-thumping rock band!

Posted by: King Coin Nov 3 2013, 08:24 PM

Oooh, Aela’s met someone interesting. And lonely.

Funny that an Imperial knows how to make the best Argonian tea!

So have the rumors spread, or is Ulpia observant? I’ve seen some women that look like men, and vice versa, and honestly the idea of transgender never entered my mind.

Posted by: ghastley Nov 6 2013, 11:32 PM

Nobody hires Argonian musicians. They'll only work for scale.


Now I read that "no-one in particular" as possibly meaning "any of them". But Aela's not going to know until...

Posted by: Captain Hammer Nov 7 2013, 02:09 AM

So, more of the SubRosa-realism in the form of "Economic Structure of Tamriel" lessons.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy it, especially the historical development of the town's soju manufacturing. It's a realistic and accurate way of modeling growth that you've put into your stories, a portion of the world-building that too few writers will employ. It's good stuff.

I'm interested to see how Aela and Ulpia move forward, and whether Ulpia happens to play for the other team, so to speak.

But mostly, I'd be perfectly happy if you included more of the Economics Theory. It creates a distinct world that identifies the Teresa-verse which carries through all your stories (and separates it from, say, my own interpretation of the game's mechanics of being more highly-industrialized to account for all those ebony and glass weapons I sell by the wagon-load every time I'm in a town big enough to buy the stuff off me).

Posted by: SubRosa Nov 8 2013, 05:26 PM

haute ecole rider: Looks like Aela's archaean buried her closing quote there...

So those are called Kimchi pots? I had no idea. I found the picture when I was looking up traditional soju brewing. The tea brewing was also something I researched, since I am not a tea drinker. Thank goodness for the internet, it makes writing so much easier, since all of these things are a google away.


Grits: The tea seemed like an excellent setting/excuse for Ulpia to get Aela alone. The rest of that cautious dance is something I am all too familiar with. And just like in my own experiences, it ended with more questions than answers.


Acadian: I do not think Sinderion has any books in the game, but I could not resist promoting him to author as well as experimenter. He seems like the type who would publish his findings, at least in one form or another. Plus he is so well known and loved that I wanted a familiar name.

The cautious flirtation seemed like an ideal place to insert a history lesson about how Agrigento got started. It not only helped build the setting, but also gave some more time for Aela and Ulpia do dance around one another.

Maybe the Remanless Outcasts could do a double bill with the Bob Seger and Silver Arrow Band?


King Coin: I know it is going back years, but the Argonians don't like the Argonian White Tea. That was something that Morcant mentioned to Teresa waaay back Chapter 16 - The Temple of the TF. So I am sure only the Imperials drink it in Agrigento!

Ulpia knows that Aela is trans because she was sitting at the table in the Lonely Suitor when Seridwe said that she wanted in just to work with an Ardhanari. Given that she was staring at Aela the entire time, there was no doubt who she meant.


ghastley: Working to Scale - Nyuck, Nyuck, Nyuck....

I read that as not any of the either. But nothing is ever as simple as it appears...


Captain Hammer: I always like looking into the economic factors of a setting. People need to earn a living after all. Exploring how they do that is a great way to start building up how a society works, and what it values. I was thinking the soju would fit like a glove in Agrigento, because they are already growing the rice. So they have at least partial vertical integration. They even own their own wagons to transport the stuff. All they really need is their own storefront in a major city or two for complete integration of their product. But I don't see that happening.

We will have more Aela and Ulpia in a few episodes. It might be what people expect. Or not. Or both.


Previously On Seven: In our last episode Aela started working on brewing potions for the upcoming battle, using a set of kimchi pots that Ulpia owns. Over a cup of tea Aela learned that the pots were originally used by Ulpia's father to brew the first batches of soju in Agrigento. It turns out that her father and many others founded the village just 35 years ago, after emigrating from the Imperial City. He and all the others were poor, lower class people, with no futures in the IC. So to them Agrigento was a chance for a new start. Until the bandits came, they had been very prosperous, gradually earning enough money to steadily expand the soju enterprise over the decades. Aela also got the distinct impression that Ulpia was romantically interested in her, but could not be certain.


Chapter 2.9

Talun-Lei and Meen-Sa stood atop one of the hills ringing Agrigento's small valley. A field of white orchids stretched out around them, lending their sweet scent to the air. To the west, the setting of Magnus splashed a brilliant shade of gold across the horizon, drawing the gazes of both Argonians.

"So this one is Hathei's daughter?" Talun-Lei turned to the water priestess.

"Meen-Sa is," the water priestess said. "Hathei did not tell Talun-Lei and his companions this?"

"Nay," Talun-Lei shook his head. "That one never mentioned anything at all."

"Why is Meen-Sa not surprised?" The Argonian woman shook her head. "This one's father wanted her to hide when these ones arrived."

"Why?" Talun-Lei scratched the scales behind his head in confusion.

"This one's father feared that those who were hired might be little different from the bandits," Meen-Sa sighed.

"What if that had been so?" Talun-Lei asked.

"Stalks-The-Marshes would never bring such to our village," Meen-Sa stated plainly. "Nor would Ulpia. Besides, Meen-Sa's dowsing crystal told her that your warband meant these ones no harm as soon as they arrived."

"It did?" Talun-Lei eyed the curious arrangement of pendants that dangled from the other Argonian's wrist, especially the small flask of water that glowed with a soft azure light. "What does it tell this one of Talun-Lei?"

"It says that Talun-Lei is brave." One of Meen-Sa's hands slid across the male Argonian's wrist. "That his body is strong and fit, and that his heart is true."

Talun-Lei stood a little straighter at the compliments. Meen-Sa's words made him feel like he was taller, that his shoulders were wider, and his chest was deeper. He turned his arm so that her fingers slid into the palm of his hand. Moving it ever so slightly, he found her fingers intertwining with his own.

"It is unfair that this one can see so much with her powers," the Argonian observed, "while Talun-Lei is but a mortal Saxhleel."

"Good!" Meen-Sa smiled wryly. She briefly turned to watch the sunset, then looked back to the young warrior. "This is how it should be between males and females."

"Says the female!" Talun-Lei laughed. Then he turned seriously once more. "How did Meen-Sa become the water priestess?"

"It was always meant to be," Meen-Sa replied. "This one's mother was a water priestess before her, and that one's mother before her. Some day this one's daughter will also be a priestess after her."

"This one seems very certain," Talun-Lei noted.

"Our destiny is our destiny," Meen-Sa said plainly. "We are as the Hist made us. We can be nothing else, just as a turtle cannot be a serpent."

Talun-Lei thought about that, but said nothing in reply. He had left the rice fields of his home to make his own destiny as a warrior. Meeting the landstrider Aela had only proven to him that his fate was his own to make. Yet here he was back in the rice fields once more, albeit this time with a spear rather than a basket. Had the Hist preordained him to live and die in a rice paddy? Or was his future still his to make?


* * *

"I wish our fathers were brave like you," the young Imperial Dellius said.

"Aye, they have always bowed and scraped to the Nagas," Luka added. "I never thought they would fight."

"Khajiit does not want to hear that about these one's fathers!" Do'Sakhar said sharply. He stood with his tan-colored sandcrawler bow in hand, and a reed arrow set to the nock. Looking away from the target he had been shooting at, he cast his gaze down upon the children at his feet.

"This one wishes he had a father who was brave enough not to fight," the desert warrior went on. "It is easy to rush into battle. What is hard is swallowing one's pride, and thinking of one's family first, instead of one's cojones! Do'Sakhar wishes his father had that kind of courage. He wishes he did as well."

"But Do'Sakhar!" Teegla protested. "They run when the mercenary in black kicks their shields with his boots!

"That is because they want to live for you, you fools!" Do'Sakhar turned from the children and back to his target. Loosing the string, he watched as the arrow plunged across the empty space between him and the wall, and buried itself in the first ring around the bullseye he had painted there.

"Be thankful for your fathers," Do'Sakhar looked down at the children once more. "And your mothers. There are many who wish they were so lucky as these ones are."


* * *

As she did every morning, Nashira performed the Serpent dance. The kata alternated between drawing Barafu and striking with lightning speed, and quick, flowing movements to parry and riposte. She followed the intricate choreography around the empty space of the square, and for not the first time she felt more like a dancer than a swordswoman. Perhaps it was only steel that separated the two? In any case, by the time she was finished her muscles felt loose and limber, ready for a new day.

As she had every morning since arriving in Agrigento, the Redguard noted that she was being watched. This time the spy finally decided to approach her however. It was Rullianus, the young Imperial whose home she and the other Seven were living in.

"You're incredible!" the Nibenean proclaimed.

Nashira simply stared at the farmer. His was not the first compliment she had received, and might not be the last. Yet like all compliments, it was naught but empty air. Worse, she knew that if she ever actually believed them, her own doom would not be far behind. For pride always came before a fall.

"Will you train me?" Rullianus continued when it became obvious that the Redguard was not going to reply.

"Train you?" Nashira finally did speak. "What is wrong with the training Valens is giving you and the others?"

"It isn't with the sword," said Rullianus. "He's teaching us to fight in a mass. There's no skill to it! It's all about standing in place, or walking forward, or kneeling down, or walking backward. We're not learning anything!"

"That is how you fight in a shield wall," Nashira said bluntly. "Individual skill means little in pitched battles. It is all about how well you keep to your formation. Follow Valens' instruction, and you will live, and be victorious."

"But that's not enough!" the young Imperial's eyes glowed with a light Nashira had seen far too often. She could see that he did not care if he lived or died. Rullianus only wanted vengeance.

"It is more than enough!" Nashira snapped. "I will not teach you."

The Redguard turned away from the farmer, and began to walk away. She was stopped by a hand upon her shoulder. She turned to look at Rullianus, and then his hand. After a moment, the Imperial withdrew the offending digit, but not before he spoke again.

"Why not?"

"Because if I do, you will die," Nashira said. "Or you will live, and become the same as the Nagas. I will be responsible for neither."

"You," the Imperial cried. "This isn't about you. What about me? What about my life?"

"Get on with it," the Redguard said. "We all stumble, we all fall. Pick yourself back up again, and just live. Don't hide behind revenge. It will consume you like an endless sandstorm."

Posted by: Acadian Nov 9 2013, 04:13 PM

What a great scene between Meen-Sa and Talun-Lei. Not only do we see more romance blossoming, but the sunset conversation did a magnificent job of peeking into why Meen-Sa is a rather firm believer in one is created by fate and changing that is not part of how she sees the natural order. The implications regarding how she might view Aela are inescapable. Wonderful job!

And another nice scene between Do’Sakhar and the kids. Like Meen-Sa, his views are strongly flavored by his own history – and we know the fate of his father.

Finally, you do an insightful job of ‘showing’ us more about Nashira. The Redguard seems keenly aware of the responsibilities that come with her talents. Still plenty of mystery about this Kensai Swordsaint. One gets the distinct impression that her views are forged by bloody experience.

In each of these three scenes, you did a careful (and successful) job of ‘showing’ us the messages you intended in a manner that was both natural, fitting and with a perfectly balanced touch.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Nov 11 2013, 04:20 AM

OMG! OMG! Omo! Omo!

Each of these scenes really spoke to me for various reasons.

I loved the interaction between the two Argonians. I'm such a sucker for romance in the midst of a major crisis. Blame my early readings of Robert Ludlum and Robert Heinlein for that. In any case, this

really jumped out at me, as it echoes a line from The Terminator, when Michael Biehn was telling Linda Hamilton almost the exact same thing when they spent some quality time together in that motel room.

Then we move on to Do'sakhar and the kids, and I was hearing Charles Bronson again. Why didn't Do'sakhar smack that smart-mouth kid on his butt for making that remark about his daddy? Never mind, the dialogue alone was delightful!

Then finally Nashira. This whole exchange just proves to me that great minds think alike. Two years ago I wrote a character that wouldn't spar with other swordsmen because Shiver me timbers! Nashira is sounding more and more like my Daejin!

Anyway, I totally enjoyed this installment, maybe just a little bit more than usual. And I agree about Google. As my sister says, "Thank God for the Internet." I'm actually using it as I write my Nanowrimo piece.

Posted by: Grits Nov 13 2013, 05:37 PM

I loved Talun-Lei’s thoughts at the end of the lovely sunset scene between him and Meen-Sa. He’s still questioning even in the face of her authority and conviction. Perhaps dying with a spear instead of a basket in his hand is the fate he will make for himself. I enjoyed his introspection.

Do’Sakhar gave the kids some much-needed context for their parents’ behavior. They only know what they’ve seen, and now they might understand it a little better.

Nashira’s scene was great. I love how her advice to Rullianus gave some hints about her background but didn’t spell it out. It’s so engaging when characters give hints to ponder.

Posted by: King Coin Nov 15 2013, 04:02 PM

"This one's father feared that those who were hired might be little different from the bandits,"

That might very well have been the case actually. The way those Argonians were looking for help in Bravil, they could have attracted some vultures.

This meeting was very heartwarming.

Interesting thoughts at the end by Talun-Lei, and how his view conflicts with Meen-Sa’s.

Now that we know what happened to Do'Sakhar’s father, his words mean quite a bit more.

Nashira is quite the chilly woman. Are the others ‘friends’ with her, or is she merely an ally?

Posted by: SubRosa Nov 15 2013, 07:22 PM

Acadian: This scene with Meen-Sa was a long time coming, in that it finally gave us a real peek under the scales to see what makes her tick. She is modeled after so many religious figures who are hidebound and literal to the point of fanaticism. Not necessarily evil or cruel, just inflexible. Where as you said, Aela's life has obviously made her a champion of free will. Naturally the two are going to get along like oil and water.

I really liked that scene with Do'Sakhar. Now that we have seen that flashback to his childhood and the death of his father, we can see what makes him who he is as well.

Likewise, that scene with Nashira was also there to show us more about Rullianus, who we all know by now has lost someone dear to the bandits, but also about Nashira. In many ways she is just as much a mystery woman as Valens. Where he does not know his past, she never talks about her own.


haute ecole rider: I was not intending it when I began writing Seven, but in many ways I have seen an undercurrent of the age-old argument of fate vs. free will in this story. Talun-Lei and Meen-Sa personify this so very well in their characters, though I had not planned on it that way. So too of course does Aela, who is practically the poster girl of "your fate is yours to make". I suppose that it is inevitable when writing her, since so much of who she is flies in the face of convention, and how people are 'supposed' to be.

I spend a great deal of time doing research, on the internet and elsewhere, but mostly the internet. From fight scenes to architecture to brewing tea. If not for the computer, I'd probably be living at the library!


Grits: I was very proud of those three little scenes for the reasons everyone touches upon. They are all meant to give some more depth to the characters involved, and obviously it worked!


King Coin: In both Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven, the villagers did hide all of their women from the mercenaries because they did not trust them. That line from Meen-Sa about her father wanting her to hide was a nod to both films. And also just as you said, they would not really know if the mercenaries were indeed just as bad as the Nagas or not.

Nashira is indeed an outsider, even among the Seven. She does not have friends, or make any effort to gain any. There are a lot of reasons why, all hidden below the surface in her past. Most of that we will never really learn, just like in real life. We will only ever have a few hints to why she is such a cold, seemingly emotionless person.


Previously on Seven: Our last episode features three vignettes of different members of the Seven. In the first we found a blossoming romance between Talun-Lei and Meen-Sa, and learned that while the water priestess is convinced in the power of fate to rule everyone's lives, Talun-Lei himself wonders. He left his home in a rice-farming village to make his own fate, and now he wonders if he has been trapped by fate to die in a rice paddy, or if he can indeed make his own future. Do'Sakhar admonished his 'adopted' children for calling their parents cowards, explaining that their parents did not want to fight because they needed to stay alive to care for them. Finally, Rullinaus asked Nashira to train him as a swordsman. The Redguard refused, citing that he was overcome with the desire for vengeance, and that if it did not kill him in its pursuit, that he would become just as bad as the bandits.


Chapter 2.10

The days flew by, and when Aela was not busy brewing up potions on a massive scale with the small soju cookery behind Ulpia's home, she watched Valens as he trained the villagers in the square out front. It took some time, but eventually the Agrigentan shield wall held up under the drill instructor's boot. Yet when he charged straight into the formation and crashed into their shields with a lowered a shoulder, the farmers once more reeled away in disarray.

Ulpia often came by to see how she was doing. When the Imperial was not practicing with the other villagers, she was working in the distillery to insure her new batch of soju was brewing well. Aela still was not sure what to make of the other woman. On one hand Ulpia seemed to often 'accidentally' brush against her. But on the other hand the Imperial often seemed standoffish, and took a defensive posture, such as with her arms closed. It made Aela wonder if the brewer truly knew what she wanted?

Days stretched on to weeks, and the defensive preparations continued, along with Ulpia's dance around Aela. By now the moat had been long-since completed, and was laced with punji stakes hidden beneath the dark water that filled it. The front gate had been replaced with timber, and all of the bamboo that had once been used to fill in the sections of ruined wall had been replaced with thick tree trunks. The alleys and other narrow passages between buildings had been filled in with spiked frises, leaving only a few passable roads leading through the settlement. Even the escape tunnel between the brewery and stable had been outfitted with sconces to hold torches along its length, trapdoors in the buildings at either end, and wooden stairs leading down into the subterranean passage.

Aela also had several jugs of magical brews ready for the battle. Some for healing, others for shields, and more to resist fire. Ungarion had likewise handed out charged magicka gems to everyone that possessed a magical weapon. He had even enchanted over half-a-dozen necklaces with night eye, so that the village sentries could see in the dark.

One afternoon as they convened for lunch, Aela looked over her staff, Hrive Amaurea, or Winter's Dawn in the Imperial tongue. It was made from white wood, with darker grey vines that wrapped along its length, sprouting a few errant leaves here and there. It was tipped with a chunk of silvery white crystal wedged between two forks of the wood. As ever, tiny motes of white light danced from the gemstone, only to fade away moments later.

The Breton turned her gaze to Ungarion. The Altmer carried her staff's opposite - Andlome - or Long Night. Its black wood was tipped in red crystal, and where her weapon carried a frost enchantment, his would damage the health of any it struck, as well as weaken them against further magic.

"We could double our firepower if we gave our staves to the villagers," Aela finally spoke what was on her mind.

"Gave them?" Ungarion nearly choked. "After what we went through to get them? Loaned them perhaps…"

"You know what I mean," Aela made a face at the high elf.

"Aye, I do," the wizard nodded, "and you are right. But we might not be doing them a favor."

"Why is that?" Ulpia asked, looking from one staff to another. "Surely these are powerful weapons?"

"They are," Aela acknowledged, "and the Nagas know that. Whoever uses them will draw their attention."

"Just as we plan to draw out their mages and kill them first, they will want to do the same," Ungarion said. "We might be handing out your death sentences."

"I will take that chance," Rullianus reached out his hand for Ungarion's staff. Aela could see that the Altmer was not happy about it, but he grudgingly handed the black weapon to the farmer.

Aela looked to Ulpia. The Imperial swallowed hard, but held out a hand as well. "If this is what it takes to defend Agrigento, then so be it," she finally said.

So the two magicians began to train the Agrigentans in using their staves. In the meantime, Valens continued drilling them in the shield and spear. They finally did not flinch when he hurled his body against their wall of shields, nor when he pelted them with stones, sticks, even buckets, chairs, or anything else he could pick up. Now he was teaching them to do more than just stand in place, but to advance forward in the wall, or retreat backward, all without losing their cohesion.

The Nibenean drill instructor had also divided the Agrigentans into four centuries (although Aela could plainly see that their numbers came nowhere near a hundred each). One of the Seven had been assigned to lead each as centurions: Nashira, Do'Sakhar, Seridwe, and Talun-Lei. Rullianus, Hathei, Ulpia, and Stalks-The-Marshes respectively had been appointed optios - second in command - to each as well.

Finally Valens, Aela, and Ungarion would act as a reserve, ready to move to any point that needed extra muscle, magical defense, or firepower, respectively. Aela and Ungarion found this made them tribunes, and soon everyone was joking that Valens was the legate of their legion.

When asked privately if Talun-Lei was ready for the task of leading a century, Valens simply said: "If he's not, we'll find out." Seridwe then pointed out that all that the leaders really had to do was act as a symbol for the villagers to rally around. They were there to lend courage to the Agrigentans, and more than anything else see to it that they did not flee. Aela could not argue that while Talun-Lei might have been lacking in experience, he seemed to have no shortage of confidence.

Each century was given a wall to defend, and while Valens trained them to move in their shield walls, he did so in each century's allocated section of the village. Now they practiced advancing and retreating through the very same streets that they would soon by fighting within. Even the noncombatants were drilled in evacuating their homes to the distillery, and then traveling through the escape tunnel beneath it to the stable.

Aela had another idea to aid in the village's defense. In no time at all she was handing out small, rolled up pieces of parchment to each of the new centurions and optios.

"Since we know that our enemy likes to use fire magic, I decided to make some scrolls to summon undines," the Breton Witch explained. "They can put out the fires. Go ahead and unroll them and practice. I have more I made to hand out later."

"Teacher," Seridwe raised a hand like a first year student at University. "I have used summoning scrolls before."

"You are excused from class then goodwoman," Aela said in her best stuffy professor voice.

"Undine," she heard a chorus of other voices say in no time at all. The village square filled with women comprised of shimmering water. Their hair waved like seaweed, their eyes were deep and murky like algae-soaked pools, and their bodies flowed like gentle streams.

"Now controlling a spirit is actually rather simple," Aela explained. "The act of conjuring forms a mild telepathic link between the two of you. Simply think of what you want them to do, and they will do it. You do not need to say a word. But you do have to be careful not to-"

Aela's words were cut short when Do'Sakhar's undine suddenly leapt above her. A torrent of water splashed down upon the Breton, soaking her to the bone. Aela sputtered for breath, and took a moment to push aside the long brown hair that plastered itself against her face.

"-Think errant thoughts," Aela finished as a chorus of laughter erupted from all around. The other villagers in the square stopped to gawk as well. Even the villagers training with Valens across the square pointed their spears and hooted.

Aela smiled, and raised a hand toward the guilty undine. The spirit stopped dead in her tracks, then rushed upon Do'Sakhar, engulfing the Khajiit in a small tidal wave. The desert warrior staggered under the onslaught, slipped, and fell into a widening pool of mud. That brought more laughter, and Aela had to raise her voice to be heard above the din.

"But since these were summoned by a scroll, they are easily dispelled or banished," she shouted over the racket. "A skilled conjurer can even take control of them, so be careful."

But it was far too late for any attempt at seriousness. Soon undine after undine was splashing and drenching everyone present. In no time at all they were all rolling in the mud and water, and flinging both at each other with their hands. Others came to join in the impromptu mud fight, including the water-priestess Meen-Sa, whom Aela could feel had summoned her own undine to add to the chaos.

* * *

"These villagers certainly eat well!" Ungarion commented. Aela nodded in agreement as she chewed on a mouthful of jambalya. The spicy rice dish was complemented with grilled sausage, zesty onions, chopped celery, and diced peppers. She washed down her spoonful with a cautious sip of soju. They strong Argonian drink was not as rough as it had been the first time she had tasted it, weeks before.

Ulpia had explained a few days before that the first soju of any batch was always harsh. The best came from the middle of the brewing, and the dregs leftover at the end were often reused for the next batch rather than drank. Now that the brew mistress had been at her work for several weeks, she had supplied them a cache of soju from the ideal part of the process. Though given that it had not been given time to age, it was still not at its best.

"Aye, if I had known farmers all ate so well, I would have never become an archer!" Seridwe laughed. "Probably for the best though, I'd be fatter than a horker!"

"Do these ones think the Agrigentans eat the same fare?" Talun-Lei broke up the guffaws from the other Seven with his somber words. "Do you know what they eat? Plain Rice! Most them have not tasted meat in years. While we sit here and eat like Emperors!"

Aela stopped chewing. Suddenly the jambalaya tasted like ashes, and the soju like drain water.

In no time at all the Seven had gathered all of the jambalaya and taken it outside of Rullianus' home. Soon the children of the village were gathered, and one at a time, the mercenaries passed out bowls of the sumptuous fare for them.

Aela noted Stalks-The-Marshes standing off to one side, beside Hathei. "Now, we are one," the Argonian trader said in a low voice.

Aela smiled wryly. Stalks was right. They had a reason to fight for Agrigento, and it was not for a bowl of rice and a cup of soju.

Posted by: Captain Hammer Nov 15 2013, 11:42 PM

These past two entries were particularly enjoyable. Talun Lei and Do'Sakhar had nicely contrasting scenes, and the juxtaposition emphasizes the difference of the two warriors and what they're experiencing in Agrigento.

But Nashira's run-in with a vengeance-seeking villager took the cake. Or the rice-cake, as is probably the current case.

You've done an amazing job describing the types of day-to-day activities each member of the Seven went through to get the village into a defensive footing, and I have no trouble visualizing the rebuilt Agrigento with its new fortifications and defensive layout. The strategic thinking and organizational skills of Valens, the logistical efforts of stockpiling potions and magical items, and the practice with summonings are all enjoyably functional parts of the preparation for the battle with the Nagas.

Now, going off our earlier discussion about vertical integration, what type of cost-savings should we be able to see if we start production of Restore Fatigue potions in quantities large enough to produce an economy-of-scale? We simply use brewing and distilling equipment as oversize alchemical apparatuses . . .

Some nits:

Looks like the Nagas are already trying to worm their way in, they've slipped the letter 'N' in where 'a' should stand alone.


And again. This time with a letter 'Y'.

Posted by: Acadian Nov 16 2013, 02:36 PM

What a wonderful job you did in this delightful update of showing the passage of time at a nice pace, while spicing it with great little tidbits of how the defense was coming along and some of the finer points of staves and undines.

I like (and share) your convention that 'soul trap' is a term used by those who fear magic, and that the effect simply captures the unused magicka possessed by all creatures that is released (and simply wasted if not captured in a gem) upon their death.

I also enjoy how you use scrolls and some of the considerations involved – especially the summoned helper of a scroll user up against a mage who is well skilled in conjuration. I do sort of the same thing with illusion; command/fear spells do not work against those with greater skill in illusion.

The mud wrestling contest was a most welcome bit of humorous relief from the tension of the village’s defensive preparations.

Then, at the end, you really brought us back to both grim reality and how close the village and its Magnificent Seven have become.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Nov 17 2013, 10:24 PM

The whole episode just sparkled, from the ongoing training by Valens to the mud-slinging contest (including Meen-Sa!), but there is one bit that made me stand up and cheer - for this is my favorite part of both movie versions:

Thank you!

Posted by: King Coin Nov 21 2013, 04:28 AM

I think providing the staffs to the farmers is a good idea. They will just have to teach them how to use them and when to use them. Ungarion’s staff sounds very potent with its weakness effect. In Oblivion, stacking those weakness effects was always the best way to go when it came to destruction magic.

I’m trying to decide if Do'Sakhar did that on purpose.

What a sweet but humbling ending.

Posted by: SubRosa Nov 22 2013, 03:24 PM

Captain Hammer: It has been a long time - and a lot of words! - since the Seven arrived in Agrigento. I wanted to spend some time showing the preparations for battle, and use that as a backdrop for the character's experiences in the village, and how they and the villagers slowly grew together. I am glad it has paid off.

I think they could put some green claw marks on the side of the bottles, and call those mass-produced, restore fatigue potions Monster.


Acadian: I do not want scrolls to be overpowered, so that is one reason I made them easier to dispel/banish the effects from. The other is of course that IRL magic is all about the will of the practitioner. As it has often been said, magic is the creation of change through the application of will. So there is nothing as good as a mage actively applying themselves.

The mud-wrestling was a fun little part that as you said, was a great way of relieving tension, and showing how the Seven and villagers were growing closer to one another.


haute ecole rider: That scene of feeding the children was really the bookend to Talun-Lei's speech when the Seven first arrived. It shows just how far the two groups have come to being one group. As such, it also had to be the end of the chapter, since now we have seen that growth.


King Coin: I am not sure if Do'Sakhar did it on purpose either! The use of the staves was something that came to me while I was finishing up chapter 2's first draft, and wasn't in my original outline. It struck me as a good way to maximize the power of the defense. Plus I always forget to have the characters use them anyway!


Previously On Seven: In our last episode Aela and Ungarion loaned their staffs to Ulpia and Rullianus for the village's defense, and showed the villagers how to use them. Aela also passed out scrolls to summon undines to all of the century captains and lieutenants, for use in putting out fires started by the bandits. In the process of showing how they were used, a water/mud fight between all ensued, much to the hilarity of all. Finally, as the Seven ate a sumptuous meal of jambalaya that night, they learned that the other villagers do not dine nearly so well, eating plain rice instead. That led them to give their jambalaya to the village children.


Chapter 3.1

5th Sun's Height, 3E425

Aela and Ungarion sat upon the wooden stage that took up the southern end of the square and watched as the Agrigentans practiced their shield wall. The villagers had come a long way since they had began a month earlier, when a single kick from Valens had sent their entire wall scurrying like mice. Now they stood firm as stone as he, Do'Sakhar, and Nashira battered at their shields with shoulders, hips, and feet. As they held their line, the Agrigentans jabbed through the openings between shields with blunted practice spears, striking at their would be attackers from every angle.

The formation reminded Aela of a hedgehog, in that it presented a prickly adversary to any who would come up against it. As she was about to discover, this hedgehog also had a few surprises up its sleeve.

"Open the shield wall!" Seridwe cried out from where she stood behind the Agrigentans. Stepping up to the villagers, she slapped two of them on their shoulders. The Agrigentans parted to either side, creating an opening in the barrier between them.

Seridwe raised her Valenwood bow and instantly fired through the gap. Her blunt practice arrow hammered into Valens' ebony-clad chest, rocking the Nibenean back for a moment. It was plain that the wound would have been fatal if it had not been a practice arrow, and he not wearing ebony armor. Now Aela could see why Valens was so confident that they could smash the Nagas against their shield wall. It was designed to slowly but certainly grind down any force that attacked it.

"Close the wall!" Seridwe now cried. Before the drill instructor - or any of the other mercenaries - could take advantage of the gap, the two Agrigentans stepped back into place beside one another. A moment later Valens beat against the faces of their round shields with a mailed fist. Yet the wall remained as implacable as a mountain.

"They certainly have improved," Ungarion noted. "They appear as obstinate as Alessia Ottus."

"And much more welcome," Aela smiled.

Then the shield wall did splinter. Not because of the assaults by the mercenaries, but rather simply because Valens called a break. The century of villagers who had been practicing now shuffled off to their homes. Many paused at the well in the square to wet their throats, and some even upended buckets of water over one another's heads, much to the amusement of everyone involved. Even Valens drenched himself in this manner, and Aela imagined that the cool water must come as quite a relief after such a strenuous workout, especially in the summer heat.

"Aela!" Ulpia cried as she trod from the well to the edge of the square where the Breton and Ungarion sat. "I was hoping I might see you."

The Imperial doffed her wicker helmet, allowing her jet-black hair to spill across her olive-skin in a riotous mane. The Nibenean absentmindedly brushed it down with a sweaty hand, but it only plastered itself against her equally sweaty skin. Her entire body glistened with sweat in fact, and her cheeks were rosy from exertion.

"I had an idea for potion bottles," the brewmaster said as she stepped up to the pair of mages. "I was hoping we could go over it together, in my home."

"Now where did I put those magicka gems. I could have sworn I had them a moment ago…" Ungarion patted up and down his robes with both hands, apparently in search of said items. He looked up to the two women and shook his head. "I am afraid you will have to excuse me, I know I left them somewhere…"

Aela tried to hide her smile as Ungarion scampered off. She hoped his excuse to give her and Ulpia some privacy was not as transparent as she thought it was. Then again, perhaps it was all for the better if it was?

"Those practice sessions look grueling," Aela said as the Imperial led the way. "I don't think I could take it."

"I didn't think I could either!" Ulpia said breathlessly. "But here I am, a hersir fighting in the skjaldborg."

"When did you become a Nord!" Aela laughed as they approached Ulpia's home.

"Valens says our shield wall is more Nordic than Imperial." Ulpia gestured to the door with her spear, for Aela to precede her. "He says the Legion uses sword and shield, so they don't fight so closely together. But in spite of all that talk of axes with blades big as the moons, he says most Nords fight with spear and shield, just like we are doing."

"Well, he would know," Aela nodded as she climbed the steps and entered the upraised house. The Breton stepped aside to let the taller Imperial in, and took the bamboo spear from Ulpia's hand.

"Oh thank you dear," Ulpia sighed. She let her wicker helmet fall from her fingers, and leaned back against one wall. Aela noted that the other woman was careful not to put her weight against the rattan sheeting that comprised most of the wall, but rather upon one of the support beams of strong durian wood.

"You look done in," Aela noted. "Would you like me to come back later?"

"No, just give me a moment to get my breath," Ulpia fanned herself with one hand. "I guess that took more out of me than I expected!"

The Imperial moved to sit in one of the wicker chairs, and leaned back into its frame with eyes closed. Aela stepped to the kitchen area, and produced a chipped terra cotta pitcher and poured water from it into an equally battered cup. Walking back to Ulpia, she set the cup into the Nibenean's hand.

Ulpia's skin was warm and damp under her fingertips, and Alea allowed her hand to linger there. The Imperial did not object. Rather she smiled and did not open her eyes. She moved her other hand to take the cup, leaving the first still clasped with Aela's fingers. Ulpia finally opened her eyes to take a long drink, then rolled the cool surface of the cup across her sweaty forehead.

"That is just what I needed," the Imperial said. Aela wondered if Ulpia meant the water, or her touch? Her heart picked up its pace, and she had to resist the urge to lick her suddenly dry lips.

"We should get you out of this armor," Aela said quietly, nodding to the simple cuirass made up of vertical slats of bamboo that encased the other woman's torso.

http://i.imgur.com/dVZI1Kt.jpg

"Splendid idea." Ulpia leaned forward, and reached down to start undoing the cords that tied it together down her side. Aela bent forward to assist, and in no time at all the two women pulled the light, but sturdy armor from Ulpia's body. The black tunic that the Imperial wore beneath it was soaked through with sweat, and clung to her frame like a second skin, leaving little to the imagination.

"Why don't we get this off as well?" Aela said breathed, and gently tugged at the linen. Her heart was in her throat, and she prayed to Dibella that the Imperial would not be offended.

"Let's," Ulpia said in a husky voice. She raised her arms above her head so that Aela could whisk the garment from her body. The Imperial rose to her feet as Aela pulled upward, so that a moment later she stood just inches way. Her naked chest glistened in the light that slanted through the windows, and her hands found their way to Aela's sides.

Aela dropped the tunic, and the next thing she knew her hands were sliding across Ulpia's back, pulling her close. She leaned her head forward, and the Imperial's lips met her own. They were soft as rose petals, and Aela rejoiced in the feeling as she planted one kiss after another them. She felt the Imperial's hands racing over her bodice, and paused to help her undo its laces. A moment later it too fell to the floor, followed by the white chemise that Aela wore underneath.

Somehow Aela had the presence of mind to focus upon a spell to enhance her strength. Briefly freeing one hand, she raised it into the air and channeled her magicka through it. Releasing it in a flash of white light, she felt her limbs suffuse with strength. She lifted Ulpia in her arms, and was gratified to feel the other woman's legs instantly lock around her waist. Carrying the Imperial across the single-room house to the sleeping area, she gently laid her out upon the floor.

Ulpia pulled her down, and Aela found herself rolling across the wooden planks. Now Ulpia straddled her, and showered her with kisses. She reached up to caress the other woman's breasts, then let her hands drift down between her thighs.

Ulpia stiffened then, and sat back on her haunches. He arms crossed over her chest, hiding her bared breasts.

"What is it?" Aela felt her heart sink like a rock in Niben Bay. "What's wrong?"

"I can't…" Ulpia shook her head, and turned away. "I can't do this."

Aela closed her eyes, and felt the other woman's body slide off of her own. The taste of Ulpia's skin, which has just moments before been sweet as honey, now turned to bitter ash on Aela's lips.

"Because I'm a woman?" Aela asked softly, "or because I wasn't born one?"

"I…" Ulpia stammered. "I don't know Aela. I really don't know. It just, doesn't seem right."

"It seemed right a moment ago," the Breton did her best to keep the exasperation from her voice.

The Imperial rose to her feet and walked across the room to pick up her tunic. Hoisting the sweaty garment over her head, she pulled it down over her olive skin.

"You don't know what it's like," Ulpia sighed. "Do you know why I run the brewery? Because my father did. Meen-Sa is water priestess because that's what her mother was. Rullianus is a farmer because his father was. Our lives were all laid out before we were even born, and having a woman for a lover was never part of that. It's…"

"Unnatural?" Aela finished the sentence for Ulpia. "That's Meen-Sa talking."

"I'm sorry, but that's what I've been taught all my life." Ulpia's voice began to rise. "Maybe I'm just some thickheaded yokel after all, just like our water-priestess."

"No, you're not," the Breton argued. "You are whatever - and whoever - you want to be."

The Imperial leaned over to pick up Aela's bodice and chemise, and held them out to the Breton. When she spoke again, her voice was soft once more. "I'm sorry Aela, I really am. I just cannot do this."

Aela rose and took her chemise from the other woman with a sigh, and slipped the loose garment over her head. Afterward she laced on her bodice in silence, then brushed her long hair back into some semblance of order.

"So where does this leave us?" Aela asked the question, already knowing the answer. Still, it had to asked anyway.

"Cannot we just be friends?" Ulpia said, as if on cue. "Like two normal women?"

"We are normal women!" Aela's tongue lashed out before her brain could stop it. Shaking her head at her own loss of temper, she sighed.

"Yes, of course we can still be friends." Just like with everyone else in the world, thought Aela.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Nov 23 2013, 07:25 AM

Oh, so close!

But bully for Aela for not pushing things with Ulpia when the other is so unready for things. Not like a lot of men.

All I can say is patience, dear Aela, patience! Ulpia may yet find it in her to move beyond "just friends." It's obvious to me that she is attracted to Aela, but her mind is too busy right now interfering with her heart. Will she accept the fact that she is attracted to someone like Aela? I can only wait and see . . .

Posted by: Acadian Nov 23 2013, 06:36 PM

A neat demonstration of the shield and spear wall - complete with archer support!

"They certainly have improved," Ungarion noted. "They appear as obstinate as Alessia Ottus."
"And much more welcome," Aela smiled. ‘ - - A delightful nod to the opinionated authoress of Cyrodiil’s city guide series!

"Now where did I put those magicka gems.” - - As soon as I read this, I smiled, for I instantly knew what Ungarion was up to. He knows Aela well and is a good friend.

A wonderfully-written scene where sweat turns to steam, then fizzles into disillusion as poor Aela gets friend-zoned.

"Because I'm a woman?" Aela asked softly, "or because I wasn't born one?" - - This really highlights the dual nature of Aela’s concerns. I’m glad that Aela has the courage, when the opportunity presents, to dance. Who knows, perhaps the dance with Ulpia has not run its course? Aela’s wise enough to know that the ball is now in the other woman’s court. Perhaps time will influence what Ulpia’s body and heart are clearly trying to tell her mind.


Nit: "What is it?" Aela felt her heart sink like an rock in Niben Bay. - - I’m sure you wanted ‘a’ instead of ‘an’ here.

Posted by: Grits Nov 24 2013, 03:29 AM

Oh, the undine water battle was delightful! Good thing Seridwe got out of there first, she might not be so amused to have a water spirit go after her hair.

Aela smiled wryly. Stalks was right. They had a reason to fight for Agrigento, and it was not for a bowl of rice and a cup of soju.

What an awesome end to the chapter!

"I had an idea for potion bottles," the brewmaster said as she stepped up to the pair of mages. "I was hoping we could go over it together, in my home."


"Now where did I put those magicka gems. I could have sworn I had them a moment ago…"

I can just see Ungarion giving himself an elaborate pat-down as he develops a sudden need for whatever he doesn’t have on him at the moment. Love this guy!

My heart was in my throat right with Aela throughout the breathless scene with Ulpia. Beautifully done. I feel for Ulpia’s disappointment in herself as much as I do for Aela’s in the whole situation. I think Ulpia is going to be kicking herself for being so fearful.

"Because I'm a woman?" Aela asked softly, "or because I wasn't born one?"

Oceans of pain under those questions. Sigh.

Posted by: SubRosa Nov 29 2013, 04:57 PM

haute ecole rider: Oh so close is indeed the story of Aela's love life! That episode was just a little slice of what her life is like, thanks to her decision to change her gender presentation. I wanted to show that she faced some serious consequences because of that, even from people who genuinely like her.


Acadian: I could not resist working in some TES lore there with the thick-headed Alessia Ottus. I could not imagine anyone more obstinate than her to use as a reference!

I am glad Ungarion's dissembling was so transparent to the reader! He knows when three is a crowd, and the last thing he wants to do is cramp Aela's style when it comes to another woman.

And friend-zoned it is. Just like with Teresa, although for different reasons.


Grits: I don't imagine Seridwe would have appreciated her hair being ruined by undinic water one bit!

And I am glad to see that just as Ungarion's dissembling was transparent to the reader, so too was Ulpia's...

Those two questions at the end are indeed the source of a great deal of pain for Aela. Mostly the second. While being transgendered has given her some extra magical 'oomph', it also comes with a heavy price.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found us moving four weeks into the future from when the Seven first arrived in Agrigento. Thanks to Valens' training the villager's shield wall not only stands firm under all attacks now, but even has the skill to open its ranks to allow archers to fire through it, and to close up again afterward before it can be breached. Aela also had a romantic encounter with Ulpia, which fizzled out when the villager found that she could not go through with it, because she was raised to believe it was not right. They left as friends, but with a great deal of frustration.


Chapter 3.2

Talun-Lei lay back in the orchids, staring at the clouds as they slowly drifted across the azure dome of the sky overhead. Meen-Sa lay alongside, with her head comfortably nestled upon the scales of his bare chest. For now, everything seemed right with the world. Talun-Lei did his best not to think, and to just live in the moment instead.

Thinking was always when the trouble started. Thinking about what he was doing here, with the local water-priestess no less? What was he going to do after the battle was over, and the Nagas were gone? He knew that Meen-Sa would not go with him. She would never be the mate of a wandering mercenary without two remans to rub together. Should he stay instead?

But that would mean going back to the rice paddies again, and the life of a farmer. After all he had gone through to leave that behind, how could he do that? But did he really want to go on alone? Was Meen-Sa worth it?

"Follow your heart," he knew the landstrider Aela would say. "Be true to yourself, and find your own bliss."

But what was his bliss? Was it Meen-Sa? Or was it the life of a wandering warrior?

So much for living in the moment, Talun-Lei chided himself. Thinking, it was always thinking that ruined everything good in life…

It was Meen-Sa who broke the spell however, when she lifted her head and rose to a sitting position. She lifted one hand to the sky, and Talun-Lei noted that the water-filled dowsing crystal that hung from her wrist now sparkled and glowed with a light that was brighter than normal. The Argonian warrior rose as well, reaching for his spear with one hand.

"What is it?"

"Outsiders," the water priestess said. "Meen-Sa can smell their water, somewhere near."

Talun-Lei wondered if she could actually smell them, or if that was just a euphemism for the use of her powers? Either way, he felt his heart quicken. It had been over four weeks since they had arrived at the village. Adding the time it had taken for the Agrigentans to journey to Bravil to hire them and return, that meant the Nagas would be returning at any time. Perhaps even now?

The young Argonian looked this way and that. Yet the rainforest surrounding the clearing showed no sign of intruders. He did notice something when he cast his gaze down the hillside toward the village however. The tall grass was moving, but not with the wind. Using one hand to shade his eyes from the sun, Talun-Lei stared intently. He was rewarded when long moments later three Nagas briefly slithered into view through a break in the grass.

As Valens had said they would, they all carried short spears. Strapped to one's chest was a cuirass of three metal discs welded together into a triangle. A heart-guard, Talun-Lei thought, he had seen several Saxhleel warriors wearing such things. Made of dwarven steel, it would not rust in the swamp, yet would turn aside any spear or arrow to the chest. The other Nagas wore only loincloths, but carried small shields made of bamboo slung over their shoulders. One carried a gahk goong: a heavily reflexed bow made from slender bamboo, water-buffalo horn, and mulberry wood.

http://i.imgur.com/MtEPo2X.jpg

Then they vanished into the high grass once more, and Talun-Lei turned back to the rainforest. Were there more? Or were these three scouts sent on ahead of the other bandits?

Whether the other Nagas were nearby or not, he knew that he had to act. Reaching down, he lifted his shield and javelins in his left hand. He hefted his larger battle spear with his right hand, and stared down into the grass. They had not seen him yet. If he could get close enough, he could take at least one of them by surprise with a thrown javelin. Then another before they could close with him. That would leave a one against one spear fight.

"These ones must warn the village!" Meen-Sa hissed in his ear. She tugged on his arm, and nodded toward the forest. "Come this way, they will not see Meen-Sa and Talun-Lei."

Talun-Lei's heart raced. He looked from the grass where the Nagas hid, then to the forest. Should he fight, or should he follow her? Meen-Sa made up his mind for him, when all he saw was her tail waving to and fro as she darted for the trees. Talun-Lei followed. He knew that no matter what, he had to protect her first and foremost.

* * *

Aela and Ungarion loitered on the wooden platform in the town square. The Altmer sat cross-legged, and Aela could hear him absentmindedly shuffling his deck of cards behind her. She however, sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the stage, toes touching the dirt below. With eyes closed, the Witch stretched out with her magical senses. She started with feeling the ground beneath her feet, and through it, the rest of the world around her.

Ungarion was a warm and bright spirit beside her, one she instantly recognized from years of intimate familiarity. Then there were the spirits of the moist soil, quiet and patient. They did not mind the stamping of dozens of feet across their faces, where Valens and the other Seven trained the villagers in their shield wall. Above that she felt the spirits of the air, pregnant with heat and moisture. Beyond came the water spirits inhabiting the moat and flooded rice paddies surrounding the village, brimming with the stuff of life. Farther still were the tree spirits, rising tall, proud, and serene. Mixed within those giants was the quintessence of the animals: vibrant and inquisitive.

"This does not bode well." Ungarion's voice snapped Aela from her spiritual meditation. The wooden boards of the stage creaked under the high elf as he rose to his feet, and the Breton opened her eyes in time to see him hop lightly down to the dirt of the square below. Following the wizard's gaze, Aela found that Talun-Lei and Meen-Sa were darting toward them. A moment later the Breton realized it was not exactly the two of them that the Argonians were headed for. Rather it was the alarm bell that hung from the stage behind them.

"The Nagas are here!" the Argonian warrior gasped between gulps for air. Beside him, Meen-Sa put one hand to her chest and likewise struggled to catch her breath. Aela imagined that both had run quite a distance to reach them. Probably from wherever it was that they were secretly sneaking off to in the forest…

"How many?" Ungarion asked, "and where from?"

"These ones saw only three," Meen-Sa wheezed. She raised an arm to point to the east, where the long slope of a hill rose above the village. "Over there."

"Let's not point shall we," Ungarion smiled. He gently took the Argonian's arm and lowered it to her side. "It's not polite after all. And there is no sense warning them that they have been detected."

"They are in the tall grass," Talun-Lei said. "Or they were the last that we saw them. I saw no other Nagas. They must be scouts."

"Time for us to earn our keep." Aela glanced over to where Valens and the other mercenaries were training with the villagers. Then she looked back to the others. "We'll have to handle this ourselves. Meen-Sa, go warn them. But quietly. Don't make any commotion. Take them some water, so it looks natural. Tell them to keep training, so the Nagas don't suspect that we are coming for them."

"And if there are more than three Nagas after all?" the mikumari seemed calm, but the twitching of her tail betrayed her nervousness. Her almost imperceptible glance at Talun-Lei showed to whom that concern was directed.

"Then there shall be more than three dead Nagas when we are finished," Ungarion declared. "Now let's be off to it, we don't want to keep our guests waiting do we?"

The high elf led the way, in the opposite direction from where the Meen-Sa had pointed.

"But that is the wrong way," Talun-Lei insisted. "The Nagas are-"

"Watch and learn my young apprentice," Ungarion said in his best stuffy professor voice. He spared a glance across the square to Meen-Sa, who was now on the way to the well and out of earshot. "Aela, I think it's time we used that little rabbit hole."

"I agree," the Breton Witch said. She took the lead, and the other two followed her down the winding streets between houses. She came to a halt behind one of the homes near the western wall, and carefully scanned the ground beneath her. She halted when she found the right spot, and looked back to the hill where the Nagas had been seen. The tall buildings of the village blocked it from view, and likewise, hid them from the prying eyes of the spies.

The Witch summoned an archaean with a raised fist. The colossus of dirt and stone looked at her for a moment, then followed her unspoken command to dig. In just a moment the spirit revealed a tunnel whose mouth had been covered over with soil. Aela and Ungarion wasted no time climbing down within. When they found Talun-Lei still waiting above, they both motioned him to follow.

"Come on," Ungarion urged, "we have to get cracking."

"What is this?" the Argonian stared at the walls of the tunnel as he finally descended into the depths. "When did you make this?"

"One of the most important rules of being a mercenary," Aela began.

"Is to always have an exit strategy," Ungarion finished her sentence.

"You were not going to tell anyone else?" Aela could hear the outrage bubbling underneath the youthful warrior's words.

"Do'Sakhar knows," Aela said. "We were not going to tell the rest of you unless we actually needed to use it."

"It would do little for the morale of the villagers if they were aware of its existence," Ungarion cautioned. "They would probably think we were planning to abandon them at the worst possible moment."

"But isn't that why these ones dug it?" Talun-Lei stared from Aela to Ungarion with cold eyes.

"Well of course it is silly!" Ungarion laughed.

"When you have been in this business as long as we have, you learn not to take chances," Aela said more seriously. "You never know what is going to happen, or when your employer is going to betray you. If you want to live to see your scales fade, you have to be prepared for everything, even the unthinkable."

"But they would never-" Talun-Lei protested.

"Sell us out to the Nagas?" Ungarion finished his words. "If their backs were to the wall, and they saw a choice between them and us, who do you think they would pick? Would it be their spouses and children, or a group of strangers?"

"It has happened to us before," Aela warned, "and it will happen again. It is just the nature of people: they will do whatever they have to in order to survive. It isn't right, it isn't wrong, it just is."

As if to underscore her words, the archaean descended into the tunnel behind Talun-Lei, and pulled the dirt back over the entrance, entombing them all below.

"In this line of work, you occasionally have to do dark things," Ungarion's voice came from the inky blackness surrounding them. Suddenly a point of light burst into life above the Altmer's head, bathing them all in its soft glow. "Sometimes that is the only way to survive."

Talun-Lei said nothing, but the Argonian followed them through the passageway. The exit was also filled in with dirt, just as the entrance had been. But Aela's summoned spirit easily shifted the terrain aside, and the Witch led them back into the light. They found themselves just within the forest, with the village barely visible through the banyans.

Aela looked back to the entrance of the tunnel, and watched as the archaean covered it up behind them. The Breton Witch bid goodbye to the spirit with a silent word of thanks, then turned to Talun-Lei.

"Now it's your turn," she said. "Take us to the Nagas."

Posted by: haute ecole rider Nov 30 2013, 04:31 PM

I saw this post yesterday but didn't have time to read (thanks to being in retail on Black Friday). But I made a reminder to myself to come back and read when I had the time! Imagine my surprise to see that I'm the first one to comment!

First the nits:

It looks like to decided to go off and live in the moment elsewhere, too!

It seems to me that we're missing a conjunction here!

This kind of rubs me the wrong way. Conversely implies the opposite, and when I look at the two halves of this sentence, one reinforces, not contradicts, the other. Wouldn't therefore or also (minus the comma) be of better use here?

Talun-Lei made the right choice following Meen-Sa's lead. Warning the villagers is of higher priority than taking out three lousy scouts.

Loved how Ungarion kept his cool through all this. "Let's not point, shall we? It's not polite, after all." The interactions between the two older mercenaries and the young fiery one was quite amusing in the midst of the seriousness. Comic relief, indeed. And a rather gentle lesson in the harsh realities of a mercenary life.

I wonder if you are going to use one of my favorite lines from The Magnificient Seven: Horst Bucholtz is overwhelmed with admiration after James Coburn pulls off an impossible shot and shoots a fleeing bandit off his horse just before they disappear over the hill. "That is the most amazing shot I've ever seen!" young Horst exclaims. Coburn glances at him in disgust. "The worst! I was aiming for the horse!" Though the Nagas don't ride horses, so I wonder what you would do with that?

Posted by: Acadian Nov 30 2013, 04:44 PM

Scene I: Afterglow. Ah yes, a good woman or the life of a martial adventurer? Having experienced both, Talun-Lei, I’d urge the former. But then again, I am much older than you and did not always think that way. Uh-oh: Nagas! Here we see the impetuous, youth and rashness of Talun-Lei as he begins planning his ambush on the intruders. Happily, Meen-Sa’s judgment on what their priority should be was spot on - and her waving tail was enough to convince the young warrior to follow.

Scene II:
‘If you want to live to see your scales fade, you have to be prepared for everything,’ - - Not only is the scales comment deliciously appropriate here, but the advice that followed really characterizes this scene. I see that A&U quickly came up with a pretty good plan – have Meen-Sa warn the others, then take Talun-Lei and try to ambush what they now assess as a scouting party. And to do so quietly without ringing the village alarm bell to alert the Nagas.

My hopes are threefold:
1. The three Nagas are indeed only a scouting party and not actually the front element of a closely following larger force.
2. The three amigos that have popped up from their rabbit hole can put together a decisive and elegant ambush with no losses.
3. That they glean some useful intelligence from the Naganese corpses.


Nits -
‘Talun-Lei wondered if she could actually smell them, or if that was a just euphemism for the use of her powers?’ - - Although I can see somewhat of a case for ‘a just euphemism’, I suspect you may have intended, ‘just a euphemism’?

‘Reaching down, he lifted his shield and of javelins in his left hand.’ - - I figure the ‘of’ escaped deletion during editing changes?

Posted by: King Coin Nov 30 2013, 11:28 PM

The drilling with the villagers seems to be going well! Hard to believe they’ve lived there as long as they have without some sort of militia. Now, they should drill each wall against the other!

I think a spear and shield would be a better wall anyways. I would much rather have the reach of a spear than the blade of a short sword the legion formations probably use! Speaking of large blades, I read that those large two handed swords were employed to chop spears into pieces, and then often used like a spear themselves.

Water or the touch? I think both!

Now, if I know my movies right, as soon as they start to really have some fun, that’s when there will be an important interruption.

Ah, perhaps the Imperial just needs some time. This might be easier too, because Aela will probably not stay, and the Imperial will probably not want to leave either.

It seems the two Argonians are having similar thoughts as I am. And there are intruders! I was hoping they would have a little more time to drill!

Scouts. I like Ungarion’s thinking. Perhaps they can remove the scouts if they are quick! I would think Aela’s elemental spirits would be hell on wheels for that.

And I wonder if they have made the Argonian’s decision for him? Whether to go and be a warrior, or to stay and be a farmer?

Posted by: Grits Dec 2 2013, 02:55 PM

What was he going to do after the battle was over, and the Nagas were gone? He knew that Meen-Sa would not go with him. She would never be the mate of a wandering mercenary without two remans to rub together. Should he stay instead?

There’s the dilemma. And would their relationship survive the changes they went through so they could keep it? I can’t help but imagine Ulpia having similar thoughts if she and Aela had ended up cuddling in the grass, only with the thought that Aela wouldn’t stay.

"These ones must warn the village!" Meen-Sa hissed in his ear. She tugged on his arm, and nodded toward the forest. "Come this way, they will not see Meen-Sa and Talun-Lei."

Whew, that’s a much better plan. I loved Meen-Sa’s quick action with Talun-Lei catching a glimpse of her departing tail. She knows how to win an argument!

Ungarion and Aela’s calm response was just awesome as they went from drowsing in the sun to handling the situation.

"In this line of work, you occasionally have to do dark things," Ungarion's voice came from the inky blackness surrounding them. Suddenly a point of light burst into life above the Altmer's head, bathing them all in its soft glow. "Sometimes that is the only way to survive."

And here’s a look at Talun-Lei’s future if he decides to stay out of the rice paddy. Awesome!

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 6 2013, 05:39 PM

haute ecole rider: Thanks for all the nits. I try to quash them all, but it seems like no matter how many I step on, there is always another.

Ungarion was indeed Mr. Cool in that episode. As you said, he and Aela really show their experience there compared to the inexperience of Talun-Lei.

I know that scene you mean, it is one of my favorites too. I briefly thought about. I discarded it though, because as you said, nagas cannot ride horses.


Acadian: Meen-Sa definitely forced the issue of fight or flight with Talun-Lei! He still has to make that choice, and it will not be until the final episode that we learn what he does.


King Coin: They did have a sort of militia. I am sure everyone does out in the backwoods. But they never had the kind of professional training that Valens could give them, and because of that they lacked the discipline and skills needed to fight a true stand-up battle against a professional foe. Compare the American militia in the Revolutionary War to the post von Steuben Continentals. Washington was disgusted by the militia, because they usually fled when they went nose to nose against British regulars, and he lost several major battles because of that.

Historically swordsmen do better over spearmen. The Romans vs the Greeks (and pretty much everyone else) is perhaps the best example of that. The reason is that spearmen tend to form into inflexible formations, that only operate well in flat, open terrain. Once they get on broken ground, or in the woods, they are easily outflanked by the more flexible swordsmen. The spearman has an advantage in reach, but that is really his only edge. Once a swordsman pushes inside the range of the spear, he wins. The Battle of Pydna is a stark example, as is Cynoscephalae.

Ancient and Medieval warfare was really a paper vs. rock vs. scissors affair. Each weapon system has strengths and weaknesses. For example heavy cavalry (melee horsemen like Medieval knights or Alexander's Companion Cavalry) always thrashes light infantry (missile foot soldiers like lonbgowmen or javelin throwers). OTOH, heavy cavalry loses against heavy infantry (melee footmen like pikemen or Roman legionaries), with the only caveat being that the footmen have to keep their formation. If they split up, the horsemen can pick them apart, as they eventually did at Hastings. Heavy infantry loses vs light infantry though, because they cannot close and come to grips with them. The Spartans vs. Athenians at Sphacteria is a sterling example of this. Likewise light cavalry trumps heavy infantry as well for the same reasons, albeit even more dramatically, such as at Carrhae. It even drills down to spearmen do best against cavalry, because no horse will willingly impale itself upon a spearpoint. That is how Wellington defeated Napoleon's lancers at Waterloo. His infantrymen fixed bayonets and formed squares. The French cavalry could do nothing against that. Swordsmen have more trouble against cavalry, because they do not have that forest of spearpoints to hide behind. But they still win in the end, as the Roman infantry did against the Parthian Catapract charge at the beginning of the battle of Carrhae (the Parthian's won later due to their horse archers).

You are probably thinking of the zweihanders used by the German Landsknechte. They were double pay men, because they fought in the front line. It is disputed whether or not they could actually chop the heads off of pikes. Greatswords strike with a prodigious amount of force. http://youtu.be/_hfLZozBVpM I am sure if you put a pike or spear in a vise and chopped at it with a zweihander it would be cut in two with one blow. But I doubt anyone could hold onto a pike under that much force, especially with that blow falling at the far end. So they at least knocked pikes aside, which would in turn break up the enemy formation. That of course is the key to victory in straight infantry vs. infantry battles.

You can bet that the little glimpse into the ugly realities of mercenary life has had an effect upon Talun-Lei, and what he decides to do in the future.


Grits: The scene between Ulpia and Aela was originally much larger. Among the things I cut was Ulpia declaring that once everything was over, Aela was going to leave. But she had to stay there and live with everyone else (and the stigma of being a lesbian) for the rest of her life.

I think the Meen-Sa vs. Talun-Lei decision-making is a classic example of testosterone vs. estrogen.

My original intent with the tunnel was not to provide Talun-Lei a glimpse of the darker realities of mercenary life. But once I started writing it, that is what I found myself concentrating upon. It is one of those wonderful moments where things just came together in a zen like fashion.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found Talun-Lei and Meen-Sa cuddling on a hillside outside of the village. They detected the presence of a trio of Naga scouts, and ran back to the village to warn them. Aela and Ungarion met them first, and prevented them from raising an alarm. Instead they had Meen-Sa warn the others quietly, so at not to cause a disturbance. Then the two of them slipped out of the village with Talun-Lei, using a tunnel they had secretly dug. Talun-Lei noted that the only purpose of building the tunnel and keeping it secret was so that they could abandon the villagers if things went badly. Aela and Ungarion admitted to the truth of that, and explained that if you want to survive as a mercenary, you have to be ready for anything, including betrayal by your employers.


Chapter 3.3

"Stay behind us," Ungarion whispered. The Altmer wizard stopped the Argonian with a soft hand upon one shoulder.

"And don't go charging in when it starts," Aela murmured. "Just stay back, and leave the rest to us."

Talun-Lei had tracked the Nagas through the tall grass and into the bamboo forest south of the village. A quick search of the area nearby revealed no sign of any other bandits, so they were not merely bait set by a larger force. Now the mercenaries were closing in on the unsuspecting scouts, crouching down to be less noticeable. The two magicians scuttled forward, and a glance back from Aela showed that the Argonian was dutifully following.

Aela hoped that he would indeed stay back when the fighting started. There was nothing worse than having a comrade run in front of your spell. Still, she was thankful that the Argonian was unarmored, for at least he moved silently through the bamboo. In fact, she had to admit that he made even less noise than she and Ungarion did.

The Nagas were at the edge of the forest, staring down at the village below. They spoke in harsh, guttural tones, too quiet for Aela to make out the words. But the tone of excitement and outrage was clear. They were not happy to see the village nestled behind stout defenses, or training to fight.

Aela saw that one had a bow. Its recurve shape reminded her of a Valenwood bow, but rather than golden sila wood, it seemed to be made from bamboo, with darker wood at the ends. The other two were armed with short spears that seemed to be tipped with some form of animal spines, or perhaps even giant teeth?

She nodded toward the bowman, and Ungarion nodded back. That one would be his. Creeping nearer, she set her eyes upon one of the spearmen. He and the others were still too far away for her absorption spells, so she was obliged to sneak in closer, until they were no more than thirty paces away.

One of them turned and stared directly into Aela's eyes. His hiss brought the others around in an instant. They were raising their weapons when a whoosh of flame filled Aela's ears. A bolt of fire sped past her, and engulfed the bow-armed Naga in an infernal wreath. Ungarion had struck the first blow.

The first Naga did not hesitate as his partner screamed, and flung his spear for all that he was worth. With reflexes that came from both years of practice and experience, Aela thrust her left hand forward, palm flattened outward. Magicka poured through her fingers and filled the space in front of her with a glimmering shield of energy. The spear crashed against her ward with a flash of light, and the hard spike at its tip snapped as the weapon clattered aside.

Aela darted forward and to one side, acutely aware that Ungarion was behind her and needed a clear line of fire. She gestured forward with her right hand, fingers splayed out as if she was grabbing for the Naga. She caught hold of his lifeforce, and a blood red light sprang up between the pair as she ripped it from his body and began to pull it into herself. She twisted her hand, feeling the snakeman's heart underneath it, and yanked all the harder. A moment later he fell over dead. His scales were now grey, and his skin looked shrunken, like a tent that had collapsed.

Aela felt the warmth of the Naga's energy suffusing her body with vigor. She quashed the little feeling of guilt that always rose in the back of her mind whenever she killed that way. After all, they were just as dead as if she had burned them alive with fire or hacked their heads off with a sword.

The third Naga turned and fled with all the alacrity that his serpentine body could propel him with. He did not go directly away from them and out into the open fields surrounding the village however. Rather he sped along the fringes of the bamboo forest that ringed the southern end of the valley. Nor did he move in a straight line, but instead he wound this way and that around the green bamboo.

A beam of red energy reached out from Ungarion's fingertips, seeking the Naga through the wall of bamboo. But the bandit eluded the magical attack by dodging behind one of the stalks. Aela saw that he was out of the relatively short range of her absorb health spell. Instead she concentrated upon the spirits around her. She felt the energy of a sylph meandering high in the treetops above. Enticing the spirit to join her, she poured her magicka into a raised fist.

That is when she saw Talun-Lei step past her, and hurl one of his slender javelins toward the Naga. The marauder tried to dodge again, but this time he was too slow. The bronze head of the light throwing spear buried itself squarely in the serpentine being's side, and he sprawled face-first into the dirt.

Aela sighed, and let the magicka subside from her hand. A glance toward Talun-Lei showed that he was smiling with that toothy rictus that all Argonians possessed. His heavy fighting spear rose from the ground behind him, its butt-spike planted deeply into the soil. He still held his crescent shield in his left hand, along with a second javelin.

"Well, so much for taking one alive for questioning," Ungarion said dryly as he stepped forward.

"But these ones never said-" Talun-Lei's smile went crashing down like rain from a thunderstorm.

Aela stopped him with a raised hand. "It's not your fault," she admitted. "We should have said something." She took a step closer to the Naga, and realized that he was still twitching. She moved faster, and finally broke out into a run. Kneeling at the stricken outlaw's side, she lay one hand upon his chest, and felt the life still flickering within his frame.

"It's not too late," Aela murmured. Filling her hands with bright white light, she now laid both of them on the scales around the Naga's wound. Sending the healing magic down into its body, she felt where the metal head of the javelin had rent flesh, severed blood vessels, chipped ribs, and tore into one of the bandit's lungs.

Taking hold of the Naga's blood, she sent it racing back into his veins and arteries, then held them shut. That would hold him for the moment. But she had to get the javelin out before she could begin to truly heal his wounds. While she could tell he was still barely conscious, the Naga seemed to lack the energy to move, a fact that Aela was thankful for. She would not have to waste magicka dulling his pain, or immobilizing him.

"Talun-Lei, would you get this please?" Aela nodded to the javelin still jutting from the Naga's hide.

"Aye," the Argonian said sheepishly. He grabbed hold of the missile with both hands, and Aela felt it twist as he tightened his grip. The sharp head sliced farther into the Naga's lung, creating new rivers of blood that flooded into his air passages. Quickly reaching out with her energy, she staunched the sanguine flow once more, and turned it back into his arteries and veins.

"Gently!" Aela warned sternly.

The javelin stopped turning. Then the Argonian began to slowly draw it forth. Its barbed head caught upon the flesh behind it, ripping more tissue away with every inch it withdrew. Aela set her lips to a hard line, but said nothing. Why did they always have to use barbed heads?

Finally the weapon was free of the Naga's chest, and Aela could get down to the real work. She started by purifying her hands with a simple spell, leaving them clean and free of any contaminants. Then she reached down into the open wound with her fingers, and pulled out bits of torn scales and leather from the harness he wore. She wished for her forceps, or even a pair of pliers, but all of her tools were back in her bag at Rullianus' house. Still, she was thankful that the bandit had not been wearing a tunic or shirt, for that would have left even more foreign material in the wound. When she was certain that she had gotten all of it out, she withdrew her fingers and set to the task of actual healing.

Starting with the deepest point of injury: the lungs, she slowly pulled his rent flesh back together, stitching the wounds shut with her magicka. Moving upward, she reconnected blood vessels, and allowed them to once more carry their cargo to the rest of his body. The nerve fibers were a greater challenge, and she did her best to rejoin them. But since she had never worked on a Naga before, she could only hope that she wove them back together correctly. At least this was good practice, she thought absentmindedly. If nothing else, she was getting some valuable experience in treating an uncommon race.

Then came the ribs. The metal head of Talun-Lei's javelin had cut between two of the bones, tearing chips out of each. She pushed the broken shards back into place with her fingers, and fused them all together with magicka. Next were the bands of powerful muscle, which at least were easy to mend together. She thanked Mara that Talun-Lei's javelin had not landed near a joint, as the delicate tendons that linked the muscles to the bones were untouched.

Finally she sealed the Naga's skin closed over the former wound. She was even able to take some of the pieces of torn scales she had pulled from inside his body and graft them back onto his hide. But they had been broken and deformed from the impact of the javelin, and she found that she could not rebuild them to their original shapes or pattern. That left a massive, scaleless scar in his flesh. If only he had been a human or an elf, she could have sealed the skin shut with nary a sign of its ever being broken.

Now the Naga did begin to stir. Aela felt down for the magicka to put him to sleep, but Ungarion got to it first. With a flash of red Destruction magic from his hand, the Altmer wizard extinguished the bandit's stamina, sending him into a deep sleep.

"Well, it appears all of those Restoration classes really did pay off." Ungarion observed. "Perhaps we can get some useful information out of this fellow?"

Aela rose to her feet, but teetered for a moment as a wave of dizziness washed over her. She felt a soft hand from Ungarion take her by the shoulder to steady her, and could not resist yawning. Now she wished that the Altmer had not knocked the Naga out. She could have stolen his endurance instead, and refreshed herself from the effort of healing him. But now that he was unconscious, there was nothing left for her to take.

Aela looked to Ungarion, and he took his hand away from her at a nod. She knew that the Altmer would never carry the Naga back to the village. She also knew that she did not have the magicka to summon a spirit to do it, not without losing precious time waiting to recover her energy, or even worse, wasting a magicka potion. Finally her gaze settled upon Talun-Lei.

"It was your spear that felled him," the Breton Witch declared. "You can carry him back."



Edited to Add:
I came across a decent http://i.imgur.com/ifZ3aNS.jpg of Agrigento's defenses. This is almost exactly the same. The only thing missing is that the wall is not crenelated.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Dec 7 2013, 05:06 AM

First the nits:

Did you mean of? Something the spell checker never finds for you!

Was this meant as a thought of Aela's? Just a little disconcerting to see the switch in tense; on the second reading I wondered if it was Aela thinking and not the main narrative voice of the story.

On to the real purpose of this reply.
I really liked how the fighting style of the mages contrasted with Talun-Lei's approach. Yet all worked together to approach silently and lay an ambush on the fly. Too bad they didn't quite get the perfect timing, but still they gained the advantage of surprise.
Reminds me of the Evil Queen Mayor Regina when she's pissed at someone!

For some reason this reminds me of an old T-shirt slogan: A Smith and Wesson beats a Pair of Mages Aces!

As a medical professional, I must admit that I read the entire healing episode with a critical eye. I really can't find any nits to pick here. While I would have written this scene differently, I also know that there is more than one way to castrate a cat, so your writing is just fine from a semi-technical standpoint.

You tell it, girl!

Posted by: Acadian Dec 7 2013, 05:21 PM

That went pretty well, and was a neat magical fight. I’m glad that, after Ungarion seemed unable to stop the fleeing Naga, Talun-Lei did. More important to stop the Naga from escaping with what he has seen/learned, than to failing in the attempt to capture him alive. Happily though, Aele gave us a wonderful display of her potent healing skill and brought her Naganese patient back from near death.

I’m looking forward to learning what intelligence about their foes the magicians can glean from this Naga. And how they go about gathering it.

It’s fortuitous that Talun-Lei and Meensa-Sa detected this small reconnaissance party early. I’ll be interested to see if the Seven decide that it is time to begin field screening patrols of their own around their perimeter. Or at least some sort of watch arrangement.

I simply love the care your Seven have put into their preparations. We're just beginning to see how it is paying off!

Posted by: King Coin Dec 9 2013, 05:21 PM

I’m pretty excited for this part. If they stop the scouts from reporting, the rest of the group will not be prepared to assault a fortified town.

I loved how personal absorbing that Naga’s life force felt to Aela.

Talun-Lei shows his worth, even if they wanted one alive. They really should have shared that tidbit. The healing process was interesting.

Posted by: Grits Dec 13 2013, 04:13 PM

I love how after the magical display it was Talun-Lei’s simple javelin that brought the Naga down.

I liked Aela’s thoughts about barbed heads and leaving a scar on the Naga. They may yet kill the bandit, but she’s going to do a good job healing him first. It made me think about the bandit waking up in captivity. His loyalty might be for sale now that he has reason to hope that they’ll treat him well.

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 13 2013, 09:04 PM

haute ecole rider: Thanks again for picking out those nits. As usual, they are the kind of thing the spellchecker does not notice, and my eyes ignore after rereading the same thing five times.

The Evil Queen indeed! I wanted Aela's life absorbing to seem at least a bit nastier than the 'normal' ways of killing folks. Glad she comes across as Arch-Villain material!

Talun-Lei's javelin cast was my way of showing that he was not just a bystander after all, and could contribute something meaningful. Also I wanted to show that while Aela and Ungarion may be the heavy artillery of the team, they are still not infallible. As you noted, it was all about everyone working together and doing their part.


Acadian: I thought it was high time we saw Aela do some healing, after only hearing about her Restoration skillz for the entire story.

This next episode will be all about gathering that intelligence. I hope it will be interesting!

We are now going into the final stretch. The value of all of those preparations will begin to really tell in the coming posts.


King Coin: You hit the gargoyle right on the head. Now that the Seven have stopped the scouts, the rest of the bandits are unaware that the village is ready for them. That gives the Seven the initiative.

I did want Aela's life absorption to feel personal to her. It is sucking out someone's life force after all and devouring it.

And it as indeed on A&U that they never said they wanted one alive. They are so used to working together that they do not need to use words to convey that sort of thing. But now they have someone else they are not used to working with, and it shows.


Grits: As I was saying to h.e.r. I wanted to show that A&U were not Marty Sue's, and that for all of their magical prowess, they still are not perfect. I also wanted to show that even in a magical world, a guy with a pointy stick can still make a difference.

I expect that Aela (and Abiene), are sick and tired of those damned barbed heads on every arrow and javelin in the world, making their work all the more difficult. It struck me as a good, ordinary work life sort of observation.

If the bandit were an average mercenary, or even a bandit from an average band of thugs, you would probably be right about his willingness to cooperate. But as we shall see, nothing is ever simple.


Previously on Seven: In our last episode Talun-Lei led Aela and Ungarion into the forest surrounding the village, and found the Naga scouts. The two mages dispatched a bandit apeice, and the third was about the escape when Talun-Lei felled him with a javelin. Aela found the Naga was still barely alive, and healed his injuries. That gave them a prisoner they could question back in the village.


Chapter 3.4

"We are not going to get anything useful out of that Naga," Valens sighed as he stepped out of the stable. "He's been interrogated before. Probably by the Imperial Legion, or the Hwa-Rang."

"The Hwa-what?" Do'Sakhar scratched his head.

"Just as the smoothskins have their knights," Talun-Lei explained, "the Hwa-Rang are the elite warriors of Argonia."

Perhaps one day Talun-Lei would be counted among them, the young Argonian thought. There could be no greater honor for a warrior. He knew that for one of low birth like himself, it would be extraordinary. But it had been done before. All he really needed was to distinguish himself in battle, again and again, to prove his worth.

Except for Seridwe - who remained watching over the Naga prisoner within - Talun-Lei and the other mercenaries stood outside of the stable. Along with them were Agrigento's leaders, and a fair number of regular citizens.

"Give me a crack at him," Rullianus seethed. The Imperial's hands clenched and unclenched, as did the muscles of his jaw. "I'll make that fetcher talk!"

"Aye, torture him and he will talk," Ungarion said. "He will say whatever he thinks you want to hear."

"But unfortunately, not the truth," Aela frowned. "Torture's only good for intimidating people."

"Getting real, useful information is harder," Valens said. "We have to make him want to help us, because he thinks it is his best interest, and he feels dependent upon us. We just don't have time for that."

"I am also certain he knows that once he does talk, we will kill him," Nashira said.

"There's that too," Valens said. "We tried the 'Good Centurion/Bad Centurion' routine on him. Seridwe promised to free him if he cooperates, and I threatened to feed him to a voriplasm if he doesn't. It didn't work. I would put septims to sausages that he's spent time in an Imperial prison. He knows all the tricks."

"Perhaps these ones need to invent a new trick?" Talun-Lei ventured. All of this talk of torturing the Naga made his stomach feel queasy. He had not hesitated to cast his javelin at the brigand, nor had he felt any remorse when he had thought the blow had been fatal. But that had been a blow struck in honorable battle. The idea of carving a helpless person up set his scales on edge. It just was not right. That was the kind of thing a bandit would do after all.

"What did you have in mind?" the landstrider Aela lifted an eyebrow, and along with all the others, cast her gaze in his direction.

"Well Talun-Lei was thinking…" The Argonian was keenly aware of all those eyes focused upon him, and glanced down to his feet. He knew they all thought he was young and inexperienced, and not up to the task before them. He could not afford to say the wrong thing now, to say the stupid thing. That would only confirm their suspicions. He had to show them his true mettle.

"Valens says that we must gain his trust," Talun-Lei continued. "What better way to do that, than by actually freeing him?"

"What?" Ulpia gaped in amazement. "You want to just let him go!"

"No," Valens said. He smiled and rubbed his fingers through his goatee. "I think I know what he has in mind, and it just might work."

"Would someone care to enlighten the rest of these ones?" Hathei grumbled.

"One of these will help the prisoner escape," Talun-Lei explained. "They will make him think they are changing sides, and want to join the Nagas. Surely he will confide in his rescuer?"

"Or stab the poor sod in the back at the first opportunity," Ungarion remarked dryly.

"There is always that," Talun-Lei stared down at his feet again. Just as he feared, the other mercenaries now thought him a fool…

"A chance worth taking I say," the Breton Witch insisted. Talun-Lei looked back up, and did his best to hold his tail still, so as not to betray his surprise.

"Aye," the tiger-striped Khajiit joined in as well. "Seridwe and Do'Sakhar can shadow them. If the Naga does try anything, at least one should be able to get a bow shot in before it is too late."

"I agree," Valens clapped one hand on the Argonian's back. "It's a brilliant plan. Now who is going to be the rescuer?"

"It has to be whoever the Naga is most likely to believe would change sides." Ungarion rubbed one hand thoughtfully along the back of his neck. "He would never believe one of the villagers would do it. So it has to be one of us."

"Indeed," Valens agreed. "So who would be the least alien to him? Who would look like a friendly face?"

Suddenly Talun-Lei realized that all of the others were staring at him.

* * *

"Why should Arsum trust this one?" the captive Naga narrowed his orange eyes at Talun-Lei. "This is the one who speared him!"

"This is the one who kept him alive," Talun-Lei insisted. "That Breton Witch wanted to eat Arsum's life energy, as she did his companion's. That one is a two-spirit: twisted and cruel. It was Talun-Lei's javelin that saved this one, and his insistence that Arsum would be more valuable alive than dead."

"And why would Talun-Lei do this?"

"Because Talun-Lei is not going to die in this pesthole. He will join Arsum's friends, and be on the side of the winners." The Argonian warrior stood arms akimbo as he stared down at the Naga. The bandit's arms were splayed out above his head and tied to the wooden planks of the horse stall within which he was imprisoned. Talun-Lei drew his dagger from the leather belt at his waist and stepped closer to the prisoner. He prayed to the Hist that he looked menacing, and that the Naga would believe the ruse.

"If Talun-Lei has made a mistake, then he should finish the Naga right now."

"What of the guard outside?" The Naga's eyes darted in the direction of the large double doors across the building.

"Talun-Lei is the guard outside," the Argonian replied.

"Very well," the Naga sighed. "Arsum will take this one to the others, and speak on his behalf."

"Good," the Argonian declared. "These ones had best waste no time then."

With that Talun-Lei cut the bonds holding the bandit. The Naga collapsed, and he was obliged to catch the outlaw, lest Arsum fall onto his feet. His heart raced, wondering if it was a ploy, and he held his dagger ready to strike in case it was. But the Naga made no move to attack, and straightened himself on his thick tail a moment later.

"This one is still weary from his wound," Arsum looked down to the scar that marred his side.

"He had better be able to keep up," the Argonian insisted. "For Talun-Lei cannot stop to wait for him."

"Arsum will keep up," the Naga murmured. "Lead on… friend."

Talun-Lei sheathed his dagger and stepped out of the horse stall. He picked up his shield, spear, and javelins outside. Pointing the way down the row of stalls, he nodded to the small pedestrian door at its end.

"Down there," he said. "It opens out on the side of the building. They will never see these two."

He waited for the Naga to go first. The bandit might appear to be going along with the plot, but there was no way to be certain. Arsum slithered down the corridor. Most of the stalls were empty, but a few still held the handful of draft horses that the villagers still possessed. Meen-Sa had told him that the Nagas had killed and eaten two of their mounts the last time they had been in Agrigento, and the same the time before that. Soon they would have none of the beasts left at all.

The Naga opened the door, and slithered quietly into the night outside. Talun-Lei followed, and again pointed the way through the maze of little alleys between upraised buildings. They had not gotten more than twenty feet when they had to stop, and dive for cover behind the support beams of one of the homes.

A moment later Valens walked past with Nashira, both fully armed and armored. Neither mercenary appeared to notice Talun-Lei or his charge however. Instead they walked on and disappeared down one of the side alleys.

Talun-Lei silently motioned Arsum to move on. They avoided the streets whenever they could, creeping underneath the upraised homes instead, and stopping to take advantage of the deep shadows therein whenever someone walked by. Finally they reached the embankment that surrounded the village. A single Argonian paced its length, armed with a wooden shield and bamboo spear.

Talun-Lei waited breathlessly for her to walk past. Then he led Arsum up the gentle slope to the crown of the berm. They paused at the wooden timbers of the palisade, and Talun-Lei was obliged help the Naga slither over one of the lower points in the crenellated wall. He deftly followed a moment later.

The outer edge of the embankment was steep, and Talun-Lei found himself sliding down the loose dirt and toward the stake-filled moat below. He stopped himself by throwing out both arms and digging his webbed fingers and toes into the loose soil, just inches above the murky water. The Naga seemed to fare better, slithering down in a zig-zag, while hugging the wall of the ditch with his torso.

"Watch for the punji sticks," Talun-Lei cautioned Arsum as he cautiously dipped his toes into the moat. While normally the feel of water was a comfort to his scales, the thought of the spiky traps lurking below its innocent surface made the soles of his feet itch. Thankfully they were angled forward, to impale anyone trying to get into the village. This made it much easier going the other way, and Talun-Lei found that if he took his time he could feel for the shafts of the spikes, and easily circumvent them.

Once they had passed through the dangerous channel and climbed up its other side, there came the final dash through the open field. Talun-Lei had chosen the southern end of the village to escape from. That meant that rather than open rice paddies before them, they were faced by bamboo-studded hills. However, the first few hundred feet had been denuded of trees, and now lay studded with the jagged stumps that remained in their wake.

These too they silently navigated through. More than once Talun-Lei paused to look behind them, searching for any sign of Seridwe or Do'Sakhar. But if the archers were truly shadowing him, they gave no sign of their presence.

Secunda had risen in the east by the time they passed into the sheltering stalks of bamboo. The small moon cast its wan light through the tall, narrow stems that surrounded them. It was toward the Secunda's pale face that Arsum led them, and finally Talun-Lei broke the silence once more.

"How far away are the others?" he asked.

"Not far," Arsum glanced back at the Argonian behind him. "They are camped in the next valley, just a few miles distant."

"The villagers tell us there are forty of you," Talun-Lei said.

"Forty!" Arsum snorted. "We have many more fighters than that now!"

"Indeed?" Talun-Lei caught his breath. As if forty was not bad enough!

"A band of your own folk joined us not a week past," Arsum went on. "We now count at least seventy in number. More will join us in time, and we will command all of the roads between Stormhold and Gideon. Then the Imperial Governor will be forced to recognize Dark-Eye as Taejo, just as the leaders of the other nine Ju."

Talun-Lei had to fight to keep his tail still. Their leader was not content to remain a simple bandit, but aspired to become the equivalent of a Cyrodillic Count? Was he that powerful, or simply mad?

"Surely the Imperial Legion or the Hwa-Rang will have something to say about that," he finally said.

"Dark-Eye has powers." Arsum stopped and turned to face Talun-Lei. "That one has made a pact with the Daedra. It is said that no weapon can slay him. The dark things that crawl and slither and skitter beyond this realm obey his command. He is the darkness that devours all."

"Arsum makes that one sound like some kind of god," Talun-Lei said skeptically.

"Perhaps Dark-Eye is," Arsum murmured. "Or one day he will be. Talun-Lei is wise, to have chosen to serve him, rather than oppose him."

The Naga's head darted to one side, and he stared intently into the shadows that crept behind the tall stems of bamboo. "What is that?" he hissed.

Talun-Lei could not help but to turn his eyes in the same direction. Was it one of the landstriders? Had Arsum seen them? He felt something brush against his side, and was turning back to look when his ears were filled by the loud thump of a recurve bow being fired. The deep report of another bowshot rang out a bare instant afterward, and the hissing of arrows cut through the air.

Arsum jerked to one side as an arrow slammed home in his chest, pinning him to the bamboo stem beside him. Another missile sprouted from his neck, and likewise impaled him upon the same stalk of bamboo.

Talun-Lei felt as if his heart was ready to burst from his chest. His tail wanted to snap this way and that, and it took all of his willpower to keep it still, and retain a calm exterior. Or at least he tried to. Somehow he doubted that he succeeded in hiding his shock as Do'Sakhar and Seridwe rose like wraiths from the shadows around him.

He turned his eyes back to Arsum in time to see his own dagger fall from the Naga's lifeless fingers. Now his tail did begin to sway. By the Hist! Just one more second and it would have been his own lifeblood draining out into the dirt, rather than the bandit's. The realization came crashing down upon Talun-Lei like a falling banyan tree. His life - indeed all of their lives - hung by a thread.

Posted by: King Coin Dec 13 2013, 11:24 PM

I’m sure there are ways of getting the little snake to talk…

The Argonian’s plan sounds risky. Those Naga’s are quick, and then there’s the actual break out. If someone sees them going, they could be in trouble.

The break out went better than expected, and the snake’s lips are loose already. Talun-Lei already has some precious information to share with the other. The enemy force is double!

That was very well done at the end! Just a moment from death! And now he can share the news.

Posted by: McBadgere Dec 14 2013, 04:55 AM

Fair dues, I have been away too long...

I have to say though, I'm glad you stick to the one a week rule for posting... ...

I've absolutely adored this story from the start...And having gone through these last few posts...Well...Eight?...The sheer depth to the story is absolutely stunning, still...

I absolutely love all of it...It's funny, clever, sexy (*winks*)...I love all the training stuff...Any time Do'Sakhar or Ungarion turn up, there's usually a laugh-out-loud not far behind...

All of the characters are stunning...So brilliant...

I'm loving all of the Mag Seven/(presumably)Seven Samurai references...I say presumably 'cause I wondered if that scene with Nashira and Rullianus was lifted from T.S.S...

Although, I did a little sniffle at one scene which suggested which of the Seven they were...(Spoilers sweetie!)... ...Nevermind, it's not like I'm not expecting what comes later, is it?... ...

As I've managed to completely derail my train of thought, I've completely lost what I was going to say...*SQUIRREL!!*...

Um...It has been an absolute joy going through this story...Such an amazing job...It's a pleasure to be back once more...

You know, reading that back, it does look like I think your story is quite good, you know?... ...

Proper Awesome!!... ...

Nice one!!!...

*Applauds most heartily*...

Posted by: Acadian Dec 14 2013, 04:53 PM

Playing good centurion/bad centurion. Betting septims to sausages. I love these familiar phrases adapted to your venue!

"Indeed," Valens agreed. "So who would be the least alien to him? Who would look like a friendly face?" - - It was great fun to gradually realize all signs were pointing to the young lizard man for this operation! You did a nice job of gently and effectively drawing out the logic here.

And the Great Escape out of the village and into the forest went well – initially.

‘Secunda had risen in the east when by the time they passed into the sheltering stalks of bamboo. The small moon cast its wan light through the tall, narrow stems that surrounded them. It was toward the Secunda's pale face that Arsum led them, and finally Talun-Lei broke the silence once more.’ - - Quoted simply because this is such a beautiful paragraph.

"What is that?" he hissed.’ - - The Naga pulled me in with this just as surely as he did his escort. Only after he lay dead sprouting two arrows and holding Talun-Lei’s dagger did I realize the Naga’s comment was only a distraction to take out the Argonian. A fabulous twist!

Now, was the info the Naga spilled about his band lies or the truth? Methinks that pride, ego and fully believing that Talun-Lei would never live to repeat it means the discouraging news is true.

Once again, we see the Seven working together. None of them are uber alone, but together they are quite a force.

Posted by: ghastley Dec 15 2013, 05:13 PM

I got an impression of Arsum thinking he might have revealed too much, and that he'd better eliminate that mistake, just before the arrows struck. But it was hard to tell if he'd detected the following archers. Even if that wasn't an intentional ambiguity, it certainly worked nicely! Either way, sneaking Talun-Lei's dagger from him was brilliant!

Talun-Lei's getting involved in a lot. I hope the others are taking note of that.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Dec 15 2013, 07:32 PM

First, I'm going to echo everyone else's comments so far.

Now the nit:

Talk about not seeing something after reading it five times! This jumped out at me on the first read-through, but I couldn't find it when I went back to quote it. I only found it after looking for other things to quote below!

Now, on to certain things that jumped out for me:

Hey, the Flower Boys! My heart sang at the mention of this elite group. I'm happy to see you pulling on so many fascinating aspects of Korean culture. For those who aren't familiar, the Hwarang (or Hwa-rang, as SubRosa spelled it) was the warrior elite of ancient Shilla, one of the Three Kingdoms that made up Korea during the years between 57 AD and 668 AD. Reading about them in this fan fiction brings back memories of my first K-Drama, The Great Queen Seondoek, which, while fictional, plays a bright spotlight on the early, military Hwarang. Sage Rose, you may already know this, but one of the greatest warriors of Korean history, who has a Gate named after him in Seoul, is Kim Yushin.

I love that this whole chapter is from Talun-Lei's viewpoint. This is reinforced by certain descriptions, such as the landstrider Aela, did his best to hold his tail still, (though this is just as apt for the feline Khajiiti), and While normally the feel of water was a comfort to his scales, the thought of the spiky traps lurking below its innocent surface made the soles of his feet itch.

And the Taejo! The Great Ancestor! So Dark Eye is planning on founding a great dynasty? I loved this hint of soaring ambition on the part of one who initially appears as a bandit. Like you said, more than simple outlaws indeed!

While I have thoroughly enjoyed the Korean references scattered throughout this chapter, I must question the presence, both formerly and presently, of horses as the main beast of burden in this tale. Historically horses do not do well in swamps, rice paddies, etc. They do not thrive in the mud and persistent damp of such places--their hooves will fall off. Instead, oxen, or better yet, water buffalo, are the traditional beasts of burden in such villages--they are cheap to keep, move more easily through the mud due to their cloven feet, and much more resistant to the diseases and dampness of this type of environment. Horses were typically reserved for riding on dry (relatively speaking) roads, and often to keep horses in such an environment, one would have to create dry areas for them to rest and work in. More a stylistic opinion rather than an editorial nit, though. After all, this isn't our Earth, but rather Tamriel. If you choose to keep horses in this story, I will respect your choice.

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 20 2013, 04:24 PM

King Coin: It was a risky plan indeed. It is based on many cop movies/shows where the police catch some minor criminal, and release them on a technicality. But it is all a ruse just so they can follow the smalltimer back to the big bad, and catch them all in the act. Naturally it did not go entirely as planned...


McBadgere: McB is back! I am glad I keep that once a week rule for posting as well. In the distant past I did it a lot more frequently. These days I could never write enough to keep up that pace! I guess it is true that you cannot keep it us as long when you get older...

That scene with Nashira and Rullianus was slightly inspired by Seven Samurai, but only in a very oblique way. There is a scene where Katsushiro (the Chico One ), says to the old swordmaster "You're incredible!" after a display of awesomeness. I took that idea and worked out the rest of the scene from it in order to show us a little more of Rullianus and what drives him.


Acadian: I have a lot of fun turning familiar phrases into setting appropriate ones. It makes the world stand out as different, yet at the same time gives us something as familiar as a phrase we might hear any day of our lives.

It was also fun spelling out all those conclusions about who should be the volunteer to break the Naga out of jail. You can bet Talun-Lei was not expecting it to be him when he came up with the idea!

I am glad that Arsum's little misdirection at the end worked. It was supposed to distract Talun-Lei while he nicked his dagger and killed him with it. I was hoping it might distract the readers as well!


ghastley: I think you are right about Arsum wanting to cover his tracks about blabbing so much. But also there is his ego to consider as well. Returning to camp after being rescued does not make him look to good. He comes off looking better saying that he escaped all on his own. Or that he was never captured to begin with.

Talun-Lei is indeed stepping up. He has a lot to prove, given his none to auspicious beginning with the group. While he may not be the most experienced, or skilled, he certainly does have something to bring to the table.


haute ecole rider: I knew you would like all the Korean references. I had to come up with some basic political units for Black Marsh - like whether they have Counties, or Holds, of if they have knights, etc... So I fell back to good old Korea, the Three Kingdoms, and the Hwarang. I put the dash in to more Argonianize it, since they have a lot of hyphenated names.

I added The Great Queen Seondoek to my Netflix instant queue, though I do not know when I will have time to start watching it. Probably once I am finished with Magnum PI.

I was actually a little worried that the pov character would not be clear in the last segment. So in my later edits I went looking for ways to make it more evident that we were seeing things through Talun-Lei's eyes. Hence I started working in things like the scale and tail references, and of course the landstrider.

You know what, I originally had water-buffalo. That is what I am used to seeing in South-East Asia, rather than horses, for the reasons you specify. I am not sure where I slipped up and changed it to horses. Maybe it was when I decided that the big building across the square from the brewery was a stable. Do people keep water buffalo in a stable? Hmmm, I did a quick google and it looks like they do, even on low-technology farms. I guess you would not want it wandering off into the forest and getting eaten by a tiger. Or stolen by another farmer. So when I get time I will go back and edit out those horse references and replace them with water buffalo. Thanks for noticing that and pointing it out! The new version I am working on will have neither, but a new critter I invented based upon hadrosaurs.


Previously On Seven: In our last episode Talun-Lei concocted a scheme to get the Naga prisoner Arsum to talk. He pretended to escape the village with Arsum, claiming he wanted to change sides and join the Nagas. He learned that a second group of Argonian bandits had joined the Nagas, increasing their number to seventy. Worse, they were camped in the next valley. Arsum them distracted Talun-Lei, and would have killed him with his own dagger if not for Do'Sakhar and Seridwe, who shot him with arrows from ambush.

The next scene is a little bigger than I would like, but I did not want to break it in the middle of the action.


Chapter 3.5

"Now we know what we face," Valens said after Talun-Lei had reported to the others gathered in the brewery. "Seventy Nagas and Argonians, with a leader who is doubtlessly some form of conjurer and Daedra worshipper."

"And they will be here tomorrow," Seridwe added, "perhaps sooner."

"We have to surrender!" Hathei cried. "Throw ourselves upon their mercy!"

"They have no mercy," Rullianus growled. "Remember what they did to my wife? That will be your daughter next." The Imperial's eyes cast about the others. "All of your daughters."

"These ones have little choice," Stalks-The-Marshes said. "They either die fighting an impossible battle, or we die groveling in the mud. They may as well fight."

"We fight," Ulpia declared firmly. "We all know there is no other option. We have known it since we went to Bravil in search of warriors."

"Aye," Meen-Sa agreed. "We fight. It is the will of the Hist. We mortals can only go where the river of their power carries us."

"There it is then," Valens said. "We go to war. From this moment on I want all four centuries posted on the walls at all times. Half their number will stand watch while the other half sleeps on the embankment behind them."

"Given what Talun-Lei has learned from the prisoner, we now have the initiative," Nashira said. "I say we use it, and attack."

"I agree," Aela nodded. "We know where they are, but they do not know about us."

"Aye," Ungarion added his approval. "If we can put down twenty or thirty of them in the night, we can even up the odds before they get here tomorrow."

Do'Sakhar folded his arms and frowned. "While Khajiit sees the wisdom in taking the fight to the foe, he fears leaving the village defenseless while the Seven are away. The prisoner may have lied about the location of his conspirators. Even if not, some of the bandits might reach Agrigento before the raiding party returns."

"He's right," Valens said. "We cannot all go. Besides, as I said before, we cannot get into a pitched battle against them in the open. It will have to be a small party making a quick raid, without a protracted engagement."

"Leave it to Ungarion and I," Aela insisted. "We aren't slowed down by that armor the rest of you wear, so we can move fast. We can both summon Aedra to double our number. Ungarion can strike with fireballs, while I defend us from magic or missiles. By the time they realize what is happening, we will melt away into the night."

"Indeed," Ungarion stood with hands on his hips. "This is exactly our kind of fight."

"You will need one more," Seridwe insisted, "in case some of the Nagas get in close in the dark."

"I will see to it then," Nashira said quietly. "No bandit will live to reach our mages."

"These ones will also need someone to lead them through the rainforest," Stalks-The-Marshes said. "Someone who knows the land, even in the dark. Someone who often goes hunting in the nearby valleys, and is skilled with bow and spear."

"Someone like you perhaps?" Ulpia smiled at the Argonian trader.

"If these ones feel he is worthy," the Argonian said with a modestly that even Aela could tell was false. "Stalks-The-Marshes will indeed volunteer for the task."

"Very well," Valens agreed. "You go with them, but strictly as a scout. Do not get into the fighting!"

"I swear it by the Hist," the Argonian held one hand over his heart. "This one has a mate and son to return to in his nest."

"And this one," Do'Sakhar said quietly to Aela, "Khajiit hopes she remembers the most important rule to being a mercenary. When the fighting is over, return alive."

"Hey, what am I, chopped mud crab?" Ungarion cried indignantly.

"Of course not," the tiger-striped Khajiit winked. "Chopped kwama at least…"

* * *

The moons had neared their zeniths by the time Stalks-The-Marshes guided the raiding party to the Naga encampment. The Argonian trader carried a self bow cut from a stalk of bamboo. Like Nashira, he wore one of the night eye-enchanted amulets that Ungarion had created in the weeks previous. Aela and the Altmer relied upon spells to see in the dark. All of them moved quickly and tirelessly, thanks to the spells that the Breton Witch had cast upon them to fortify their physical abilities.

The encampment had not been difficult to find. The Nagas had lit several campfires, making them easily visible from the valley rim. However, Stalks proved his worth by guiding them down the easiest path through the rainforest, avoiding bogs and thickets, and insuring their speedy arrival at the camp. He even seemed to know the places where voriplasms and other predators were most likely to lurk, and cautiously led them around such hidden dangers.

Looking over the camp, Aela could not help but to shake her head. The bandits were sprawled out across either side of a small stream. The Argonians stayed together in one corner of the camp, while the Nagas took up the rest of it. However, all were spread out with no order or organization. They had not even placed sentries on watch. They looked like they were on holiday. That someone - or something - might dare to attack them seemed to be the last thing on their minds.

"Sloppy," Nashira whispered. "They clearly have no inkling of what they face."

"Or they are putting on a very elaborate ruse," Ungarion cautioned. "Either way, let's not be as arrogant as they appear to be."

"Right," Aela said. She downed a potion to fortify her magicka for the upcoming fight, and another to increase how quickly she recovered it. She saw that Ungarion did likewise. Then she passed out more potions to the others to shield them from physical harm, and finally another set to ward off fire.

"Stalks," Aela looked to the Argonian villager. "Stay here and keep hidden. If things go well, the rest of us will fall back this way when it is time to leave. Then we'll all go back to Agrigento together. If things go sour, don't stay around and try to help us. Run for the village immediately."

"This one cannot just abandon his comrades." The Argonian shook his head. "Stalks-The-Marshes is not eager to fight, but he is no coward either."

"It's not cowardice," Ungarion said. "If we die, someone has to warn the others in the village."

"Besides, if we fall, you are not going to make a difference," Nashira said bluntly. "There is no glory in dying pointlessly. Return the village, that is where you will be most needed."

The Argonian nodded grimly, and remained behind as the other three moved forward. Ungarion brought them to a halt a hundred feet from the encampment. Aela nodded to him, and in tandem the two mages raised their fists to the moons. Blue light spilled from their fingers, and an instant later a pair of salamanders took form in the air before them. With mighty flicks of their tails, the fiery serpents seemed to swim through the air as they darted toward the bandits.

The Breton filled her left hand with her ward, ready to deflect any attack that came at the two of them. In her right hand she readied her spell to absorb the health of another. While she knew that the bandits were far beyond the limited range of the spell, she also knew that they would not remain that way for long...

Beside her Ungarion formed a ball of fire between his two hands, then threw it forward. It rolled and crackled as it sped through the night. It passed the two salamanders when it was half way to the camp. Aela saw several Argonians and Nagas stop what they were doing and turn to gape at the flames approaching them. Then Ungarion's fiery missile struck home on the ground at the nearer side of the bivouac, and it blossomed into an explosion of flame.

Nagas were engulfed in fire for a good five paces to either side of the point of impact. Aela had to shield her spell-enhanced eyes from the sudden brightness. The explosion burned out just a few seconds later. But now bandits slithered to and fro, covered in flames and screaming in high-pitched voices that nearly curdled Aela's blood.

Then the salamanders were into the bandit ranks. They snatched at Nagas with burning teeth, and dragged them along the ground even as they shook the luckless bandits to and fro. They moved on after tearing huge chunks of roasted flesh from the outlaw's hides, only to find new prey moments later.

Ungarion slung another fireball into the camp, and another. The great gouts of flame did nothing to deter the salamanders, being spirits of fire themselves. But Argonians and Nagas were roasted in the inferno. Those that were not killed in the first few moments slithered and ran in a frenzy, spreading out like glowbugs across the dark forest that surrounded them.

Now arrows began whizzing out of the darkness before them. Ungarion leaned in behind Aela, and she sheltered them both behind the shimmering energy of her ward. The Breton glanced back to see that Nashira simply knelt down behind the two. She was surprised that the Redguard had not even drawn her blade. Instead the sword master sat quiet and still, as if this were an ordinary night around a campfire.

But Aela had little time to ponder that, as now lightning crackled from the camp, seeking her out with glowing silver fingers. She had no trouble blocking the attack, but even still the hair on her head stood up in the aftermath. She was thankful that she had tied it down into a Daggerfall Braid before the raid. Otherwise she imagined that she would have looked quite frightful!

Ungarion continued to sling fire into the camp. But now it had grown difficult for him to catch more than two or three bandits in his blasts of fire. Aela could tell that he was draining his magicka at an alarming rate. She knew that as a high elf, and born under the stars of the Apprentice to boot, Ungarion was blessed with a prodigious reserve of magicka. Furthermore - just like herself - seven years at University had taught him to make the most of his power. But even he had his limits.

For Destruction magic was costly, and using it over large areas was even more draining. Mages had to lessen the power of their spells in order to spread them out over an area. For all of his University training, Ungarion was no exception. Aela knew that he could burn any one of the bandits dead in his tracks with a single bolt of fire. But his fiery explosions lacked the power to kill most of the Nagas instantly. Not that burning to death over several moments was any less lethal.

Aela's guess that the elf was nearly out of his magicka was confirmed when she saw him draw a phial from his belt and down it in a huge gulp. He had already used up all of his energy, and was down to potions to restore it quickly.

"Nashira, get close!" Aela shouted. A large ball of flames roared out of the night. She braced herself and held her ward up with both hands now, abandoning her absorb health spell to put all of her energy into their defense. The magical attack struck her ward and burst into a great explosion of fire. Her magical shield held however, and curbed the flames that licked out all around them.

"I have you now," she heard Ungarion murmur. As the flames died down, he flung a two-handed fireball back at the source of the attack. A moment later the forest lit up with another explosion of fire. Yet whether or not the Altmer had struck their attacker was unclear. There was just too much fire, smoke, and undergrowth to see.

Aela felt the unmistakable disturbance in the ether of a spirit taking form. One of the bandits was summoning a salamander of their own. A moment later he flared to bright life in the darkness before Aela's eyes. The Witch traced the slender cord of power that linked the Aedric spirit to his summoner. Reaching out with her right hand, she grasped that bond.

The bandit who had conjured him was strong. But he was not a Breton, nor University-trained, and certainly not an Ardhanari. With pure brute force Aela snapped the connection between the brigand and spirit. Pulling on the string of power, she bound the newly summoned spirit to herself instead. The salamander she had previously called up winked out of existence. But Aela did not care. Now she knew where one of their mages was, and she sent the very spirit he had summoned back to kill him.

"I think it is time to leave!" Nashira shouted behind them. Out of the corner of her eye, Aela saw the Redguard dart out to one side. Now Barafu finally leapt from its sheath. The gently curved blade trailed wisps of frost in the air behind it as it struck. A frozen head rolled by in the night. Screams followed, and two more Nagas collapsed to the ground in just as many seconds.

"She's right," Ungarion murmured, "we have outstayed our welcome."

With those words the high elf's long legs propelled him back toward the village. Aela followed, slowing enough so that Nashira could get in front of her. That allowed her to shield their backs with her ward. Within moments she saw another crackle lightning reaching out from the darkness, and knew that she had made the right decision to go last. As before, her defenses pushed the magical assault aside.

Aela ran on, keeping Nashira in sight before her. She felt an undine forming in the air behind them. As with the salamander, she reached out and snapped the cord of energy that bound the spirit to her summoner. But Aela had no intention of turning a water spirit upon amphibians. So rather than take control of her, she simply allowed the spirit to harmlessly dissipate into the ether.

Darting behind a thick banyan, an idea sprouted within the Breton's mind. Dispelling her stolen salamander, she raised her hand into the air to call forth a Dryad. Rather than the nubile young girls that bards sang of, the spirit that took shape before her was that of a towering tree. Aela sped on in the night, while behind her the tree spirit reached out to her mortal kin. The banyans and durians to either side stooped down with their boughs, completely blocking the game trail upon which she and the others fled.

Aela knew that the bandits could simply go around the impenetrable barrier of trees. But that would force them into the dense growth to either side of the trail, and slow them down considerably. Instead the bandits might simply try to burn the spirit and trees down. But that too would cost them time.

Time was all that she and the others needed of course. Thanks to the barrier, and their magically enhanced speed, they quickly outdistanced the bandits. Likewise thanks to her earlier spells, none of them became winded from their exertions. Soon they crested the rim of the valley, and paused to look back down at the carnage they had wrought behind them.

Flames still burned through the valley, and great pall of smoke hung over its center, obscuring it even from magically enhanced sight. Aela was thankful that it was a rainforest, and that the moisture in the air and soil kept the flames from spreading beyond control. If Ungarion had been throwing fireballs around the Colovian Highlands in summer, it would have created an inferno that would have engulfed miles of timber.

"Now they will think twice about attacking Agrigento!" Stalks-The-Marshes jubilantly declared.

Nashira simply shook her head. "Now they know they face more than farmers. They will be cautious from here on out. It's not over yet."

Posted by: haute ecole rider Dec 21 2013, 06:21 AM

What a great way to start off the confrontation! Now the Nagas know what they are going up against - Nashira is so right. I really enjoyed reading the description of magic attacks and counter-attacks, especially the cost of throwing so much magic around. As one of my favorite characters Mr. Gold always said, "Magic always comes with a price. Thing is, are you willing to pay?" And I loved how Aela used the summoner's own salamander against him by following the spiritual connection between the two. Cool!

You are right, water buffalo were kept in barns, like horses. In Merrie Olde England, they were called byres. In Korea, I don't know! But yes, livestock were always kept under shelter, for reasons including those you listed. It was easier to keep them fed and healthy when they were housed under a roof/behind walls at night. And yes, they can be quite large buildings, often the largest in a farming village (except maybe for any religious buildings).

I quite like the hadrosaur idea for the Black Marsh setting. Minimal hair/no hair is more suitable for the damp and the wet. But be careful not to make them too large. The most successful dinosaur species were actually quite small (think velociraptors in Jurassic Park), and would be cheap for agricultural peasants to keep.

Oh, and another movie reference!

puts me in mind of Sean Connery telling a despondent Kevin Costner "- and when your shift is over, make sure you go home alive. Here endeth the lesson." (The Untouchables, 1987--one of my favorites for Andy Garcia at the bottom of the stairway -- "Yeah, I got him.")

I really liked Nashira -- she conserved her energy for when her sword would really count. Smart woman in more ways than one!

Posted by: Acadian Dec 21 2013, 06:36 PM

"Hey, what am I, chopped mud crab?" Ungarion cried indignantly.
"Of course not," the tiger-striped Khajiit winked. "Chopped kwama at least…"
- - By Kynareth’s wings, you know I have smile as I think of you dreaming up the TES translation to common phrases.

Once in position for the ambush, Ungarion and Nashira did a great job of pulling the right strings with Stalks to preclude him from jumping into death’s way if things went badly.

Clever of the magical duo to use fireballs in support of their (no doubt) flame-immune salasummons. Sort of like how necrodudes throw iceballs at you that won’t harm their frost-immune minions.

‘She was thankful that she had tied it down into a Daggerfall Braid before the raid. Otherwise she imagined that she would have looked quite frightful!’
- - So much to love here! Showing us the effects of shock magic in action, a TESified hairstyle, and Aela’s adorable concern about her appearance in a pitched firefight. Clearly, she has been paying attention to Seridwe about ‘If something is worth doing, it’s worth looking good while doing it.’

As Rider said, it was neat how Aela snagged the enemy mage’s summon and turned it to her purpose.

Wow, things are really heating up now! *groan*


Nit? ‘In her right hand she readied her spell to absorb the health of other.’ - - Just guessing here that you intended an ‘s’ at the end of other?

Posted by: King Coin Dec 21 2013, 07:42 PM

I like where this is going. Send the spell casters to even up the odds. With surprise, they could do a lot of damage, especially with summons!

If they have night eye enchantments, I would expect the enemy to as well. They best tread carefully. Yikes, campfires? Perhaps no night for them then. Glad they are still fat and happy!

I would have liked to see Aela’s earth elemental in this attack! I am just imagining it pulling snakes into the ground and burying them alive.

And with that massive fireball dropped on them, I would say it’s time to leave. Aela turning the summon against its master was a great move. Her use of magic is quite different from Ungarion’s.

Posted by: Grits Dec 22 2013, 10:23 PM

Last episode:

I was spellbound throughout the entire escape right through the surprise at the end. Talun-Lei’s cultural perspective and limited world experience gave great flavor to this whole episode. I felt that I was in the thick of it right along with him.

Somehow he doubted that he succeeded in hiding his shock as Do'Sakhar and Seridwe rose like wraiths from the shadows around him.

That was just beautiful!

I was surprised when Arsum turned on Talun-Lei and also wondering if he actually heard something, but it made perfect sense for him to do so. Talun-Lei represented too much risk to the Naga for the small reward of one more fighter, and Arsum already got an eyeful of the defenses on his way out. Plus, ego. You pulled that off flawlessly!


This week:

"Given what Talun-Lei has learned from the prisoner, we now have the initiative," Nashira said. "I say we use it, and attack."

That’s what the Nord who’s reading over my head (and dropping crumbs, thanks a lot) suggests. He’s quite a fan of this story. If he makes his own account and starts commenting in person, someone please PM me. I may need to adjust my meds.

"Hey, what am I, chopped mud crab?" Ungarion cried indignantly.

"Of course not," the tiger-striped Khajiit winked. "Chopped kwama at least…"

Those two.

Those that were not killed in the first few moments slithered and ran like burning ants, spreading out like glowbugs across the dark forest that surrounded them.

What a vivid image! How funny about Aela’s Daggerfall braid. Such a practical thought amid the battle underscored her and Ungarion’s previous experience in these situations.

Aela’s focus with the bandits’ summonings was a delight to see, and I remembered all of the time she spends with her head in the spirit world giving her such familiarity. Really neat. I also shuddered to think of the undine casually filling their lungs with water.

Posted by: McBadgere Dec 25 2013, 10:52 AM

Excellent fight!!...

I do love your fight scenes...So amazingly well detailed...

I loved that Nashira just sat there until she caught them bandits sneaking up behind her...

Aela's just proper awesome really...I absolutely love her as a character...

...

Amazing story...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: SubRosa Dec 27 2013, 07:02 PM

haute ecole rider: That is an excellent saying by Mr. Gold! Of course we know what Aela can do to summonings and their summoners from the last chapter of the Teresa Fic. I was debating whether or not she was capable of doing so in this story, as she was younger, and not as experienced. But I realized that in spite of that, she still has the brute magical power to do so. Especially against mages who lack the kind of formal training she received at the Arcane U. Even as relatively new kids on the block, Aela and Ungarion are quite formidable.

I could not resist the nod to The Untouchables. It seems like just the sort of creedo that mercenaries would adhere to. After all, they are not fighting for a cause, or a king, or even a country. In the end, the only thing they really do have to fight for is one another.

Nashira held back because she is a master of the iai draw. She is actually more dangerous with her sword in its sheath than out in her hand! As one of the original iai masters said: "The essence of our tradition, and the attainment of an unassailable position, comes from cutting down our opponents while the sword is still in the scabbard, stifling our opponent’s actions and achieving victory through not drawing the sword."


Acadian: I actually had to work on the chopped mud crab/kwama line. I went digging through the UESP Wiki for likely candidates for chopping!

Just like Teresa with Carandil in Anutwyl, the Terrific Trio did not want Stalks getting mixed up in the fighting, and being killed. So talking him down was important. Ungarion with reason, and of course Nashira with her characteristic bluntness.

You hit the Naga right on the head with the reason for the dual salamanders. No need to worry about friendly fire with them!

I could not resist the thought of how electricity makes your hair stand on end, combined with Aela's long locks. Good thing for Seridwe's training!


King Coin: Those Nagas were fat and happy indeed. That was the advantage of preventing their scouts from returning. They were also arrogant of course, not believing that the village in the next valley could pose any real threat to them. To them, this was just an ordinary night.

The salamander won out because as Acadian pointed out, he is immune to Ungarion's fireballs. We will be seeing an archaean very soon however, next week Friday in fact, he will make an impression upon the bandits.

With Aela and Ungarion being the only two mages in the group, I wanted to make sure they were both unique in their use of magic. I am glad it worked out, as now we know if we see a fireball it was Ungarion, and if spirits are involved, you can put septims to sausages that it was Aela.


Grits: To be honest, Talun-Lei has been one of the most enjoyable characters to write in this story. I think it is for the same reason that Horst Bucholz got the spotlight in The Magnificent Seven (he gets more screentime than anyone else). As the inexperienced kid, he has the most opportunity for character growth. He is also the one that is easiest for folks like us - who do not kill people for a living - to identify with. So I think we can all put ourselves in his scales.

If there is any belching or farting in your posts, I think we will know to call the men in white coats!

Of course I could not resist a little fun between Ungarion and Do'Sakhar. They are like Stan and Ollie.

I am glad you pointed out that glowbug line, because it made me see a nit in it and go back and fix it. Describing the bandits as burning ants and then as glowbugs in the same sentence was redundant. So I trimmed that down.

As you noted, Aela spending all of her time with the spirits is one reason she is so powerful with them. As h.e.r.'s Mr. Gold said, magic always comes with a price. That is one of the prices she pays. While other people are having fun drinking, playing cards, or just having fun, she's got her head in the spirit world. This was actually partly inspired by Jennifer Leitham, a jazz bass virtuoso who is also trans. When she was young, spending all of her time practicing her double bass was a form of escapism, a place to get away from the bigotry of the real world, and the confusing issues of figuring out one's identity. Aela has exactly the same reasons for spending most of her waking hours with the spirits. It has made both of them exceptional at what they do.


McBadgere: That was sort of a new fight scene for me, as it was almost all magic, and on a scale I have never done before. It was rather fun to finally give Ungarion free rein with his fireballs. Not to mention to really show Aela's mastery of spirits. Plus of course, when it comes to the sword, no one can compare to Nashira.

And another vote for Ungarion and Do'Sakhar. I am so glad I followed my instincts back in the Chapter 1, when I started making them snipe at one another.


Previously on Seven: In our last episode it was decided to send a small group to attack the Naga camp in the night. Ungarion, Aela, and Nashira were chosen for the task, with Stalks-The-Marshes guiding them through the nighttime rainforest. The Argonian stayed back out of the fight while the three mercenaries sprang the ambush. The two mages sent salamanders into the camp, followed by Ungarion's fireballs. Aela defended them all from bandit counter-attacks with her ward. When a bandits tried summoning a salamander of his own, Aela took control of it and sent it back at the summoner. Likewise, she dispelled any other spirit that the Nagas tried to use against them. When the bandits finally came near enough for Nashira to start lopping heads off, they all retreated, with Aela using a summoned tree spirit to block the path behind them.


Chapter 3.6

The clanging of the alarm bell jerked Aela from a sound sleep. Like Ungarion and Valens, she had spent the night in the brewery. She leapt to her feet and took only a moment to rub the sleep from her eyes. She noticed that while the high elf was likewise jumping to his feet, there was no sign of the Nibenean. She imagined that he was already up and about, and quickly drew her pack onto her shoulders. That way she would have not only all of her potions, but also her healing tools with her as well.

Ungarion beat her to the balcony that ringed the copper distillation vats. She followed him up the ladder to the roof, and they found Valens there, gazing to the east. He pointed as they darted across the wide wooden beam that crowned the slanted roof of the building. Aela followed his gesture, and saw a small army of Nagas and Argonians making their way down the grassy hill to the east. They wove into and out of view through the tall grass, and the waving and shaking of other fronds betrayed the presence of even more of their number.

"The same place Talun-Lei first saw their scouts," Ungarion noted.

"Can you get some fireballs in there?" Valens asked.

"Too far," the high elf shook his head. "Oh I could hit the hillside. But they will have plenty of time to get out of the way. I would just be wasting my magicka."

"It looks like they are spreading out too," Aela observed. "It seems they learned their lesson last night."

Aela looked down from her high perch, and scanned the village below. She saw that each century of villagers already stood at their posts around the walls. Her eyes easily picked out Seridwe in her golden elven armor at the front gate. More difficult to spot were the others: Nashira to the east, Talun-Lei to the west, and Do'Sakhar to the south.

"That they have I'd wager," Valens murmured. "I'd say at least fifty bandits, perhaps more. It's hard to tell in the grass. If they were smart, they'd circle back through the forest and come down the grassy hill again, to make their numbers appear larger."

"Now that would be a clever trick," Ungarion said.

"Handril did it at Lindai," Valens said off-handedly. "He made the Imperial garrison there think he had sixty thousand men, when he really only had twenty. They surrendered rather than fight it out."

"Is that why you had the villagers stuffing sacks with straw and putting helmets on them?" Aela wondered aloud.

"Look down at the battlements," the Nibenean smiled. "You will see our numbers have grown."

Aela looked back down, and now she did note that many of the villagers standing guard at the parapets were motionless. Upon closer inspection she realized that they were not villagers at all, but the straw dummies she had mentioned.

The bandits swung north, and spread out into the rice paddies. Now that they were out in the open, they made easy targets. But as Ungarion noted before, they were so far away that they could easily dodge magical attacks. Even if they had not been, they were separated enough that a fireball would be lucky to engulf more than two of them in any case. They were indeed being cautious. The brigands continued to move in this manner until they reached the western slopes of the valley. This left the entire northern face of the village blockaded.

Four of the Nagas broke away from the others and slowly approached the front gate. One held a spear up over his head in both hands.

"It appears they would like to parley," Ungarion noted, "shall we oblige them?"

"It would be rude not to meet our guests," Valens smiled.

Since Aela had been last up onto the roof, she was now the first down into the belly of the distillery. She led the other two across the balcony and to the stone floor below. There the others quickly outdistanced her with their longer legs, and she had to race to keep up. Soon they came to the front gate, and climbed to the top of the embankment and stood at the parapet.

Now that they were closer, Aela had a better look at the approaching bandits. She saw that only three were Nagas. The fourth was an Argonian wearing a triple-disc cuirass made of what appeared to be dwarven steel. He carried a shield of golden elven manufacture, and what looked to be a mithril-hilted sword at his hip. The rest of his frame glittered with gold and silver jewelry. Whoever he was, he must be important, the Breton Witch imagined.

Of the Nagas, the one that stood out most was also the tallest. He wore a helmet made of what appeared to be boar tusks laid side by side in a conical pattern. His chest was covered by a corselet of white scales. Aela could tell they were not made of leather or metal, and wondered if they were taken from an actual animal. If the latter, the beast they had come from must have been gigantic, given the size of the individual scales. He wore a black leather patch over one eye, and the green scales of his arms and tail were faded with age. He clutched a long spear in one hand, tipped with a leaf-shaped point of what could only be ebony. Like the Argonian, he too was adorned with rings, necklaces, and armlets of gold and precious gems.

http://i.imgur.com/Srq5tDV.jpg

Beside him slithered a slender Naga with orange-brown scales. This one wore no armor, but rather was dressed in animal skins festooned with feathers. A belt of human skulls hung from his waist, and smaller animal skulls were draped about his torso and arms. Unlike the others, he did not carry a spear. Rather he clutched a staff in one hand that was tipped with red crystal. Even in the distance, Aela could feel the power emanating from the weapon, and from the wizard. This was clearly not one to trifle with.

The last Naga was thoroughly unnotable. He carried a short spear tipped with some kind of animal fang over his head. Otherwise he wore little more than a loincloth and belt holding a pouch at one hip. Aela imagined he was literally just a spear-carrier. Perhaps because none of the other three - clearly leaders - would reduce themselves to making the symbol to parley.

"That one with the eye patch is Dark-Eye, their leader," Ulpia said. Like the other villagers, she wore a simple bamboo cuirass and wicker helmet, and carried a round shield of sturdy durian wood. Unlike them, she carried Aela's white staff Hrive Amaurea rather than a bamboo spear. "The one with the staff is his lieutenant, Vishta-Zaw. The other two I don't know."

"The Argonian must be the leader of the other band that just joined Dark-Eye's Nagas," Valens observed.

The bandits came to a halt within earshot of the walls, except for Dark-Eye. He moved a few more paces forward, and spread out his arms. "What is this?" he cried. "Why are there new walls around Dark-Eye's village?"

"We've been landscaping," Ungarion barked out in reply.

Many of the villagers chuckled at the jibe, and it was only then that Aela realized how tense they had all been. She found herself thankful for the Altmer's sense of humor. The sight of the bandits spread out across the fields was enough to make her heart race and mouth go dry, and she was experienced at this sort of thing! She could only imagine how frightened the villagers must be.

"Why is there a moat?" the Naga leader went on, as if he had not heard the high elf's joke.

"For swimming in!" Aela cried out in imitation of her friend.

That brought more subdued chuckles around the wall.

Dark-Eye grounded his spear, and looked across the mercenaries and villagers near the gate. "Where is Dark-Eye's soju?" he shouted.

"There's nothing here for you," Valens now shouted back, "except more of what you had last night."

"And who are these?" Dark-Eye shouted back. "Sellswords? Hired thugs? Where are Dark-Eye's beloved friends of Agrigento? Where are his good, and dear friends? Where is Ulpia, and Hathei, and Stalks-The-Marshes?"

"We're here," Ulpia shouted back, "and you aren't welcome!"

"Oh yes this one is!" Dark-Eye roared back. "Dark-Eye is coming into that mudhole, and he and his men will take what they want. This one promises that whoever stands against him will die on a spit. But he is not a cruel Naga. He understands that the people of Agrigento have been led astray by the smoothskin Ulpia and her cronies. Dark-Eye will be merciful to any who throw down their arms and beg for forgiveness."

"That includes the sellswords too," the Naga leader went on. "These farmers lied to them. They led them to believe that they could fight a battle they could win. But there is no victory against Dark-Eye. He will make a deal with them. Dark-Eye will let all of them walk out the gates now, and give them free passage through the valley."

"We deal in steel," Valens growled. To add emphasis to his words, he slowly drew first one, then the second of his ebony swords.

Dark-Eye shook his head, and turned from the gates to face his men. "Generosity, that was my first mistake!" he soliloquized. "I left these people with too much, too much money, too much rice, and too much soju. Now they have used that wealth to buy mercenaries. It just goes to show, you must answer for every good deed!"

The bandit leader glanced at Vishta-Zaw. Without another word the Naga mage lowered his staff. A bolt of white hot flame roared from the red crystal at its tip and sped for Valens. Out of reflex Aela threw out her left hand and poured her magicka into her ward. The magical shield blossomed to life just an instant before the magical bolt could strike. Aela had never felt such power, and threw everything she had into her defense. Still her mystical shield buckled, then shattered. Thankfully her ward had absorbed the last of the firebolt's energy in its death throes however, and all that remained of Vishta-Zaw's attack was a few wisps of smoke. Aela staggered, and fell to one knee. She marveled at the power in the staff. It was more than enough to reduce any mortal to ash in just an instant!

"You didn't have to do that," Valens said quietly as he helped Aela back to her feet. "I could have absorbed the entire thing."

"I know Azura's Star is powerful," Aela breathed as she stepped behind one of the high wooden merlons for cover. "But I did not think even it was that strong."

"It isn't," the Nibenean shook his head. "But I was also born under the Atronach. Between the two I absorb all the magicka sent at me."

Aela glanced back around the parapet to see that Dark-Eye and the others were beating a hasty retreat. Seridwe sent an arrow chasing after them. The Naga leader must have seen her out of the corner of his eye, for he grabbed the lowly spearman and held him up in front of him. The high elf's arrow drilled home in the spearman's chest, and the Naga slid motionless into the mud. Vishta-Zaw threw up a ward of his own as more arrows winged their way, and the magical shield deflected them all as he and the remaining brigands made their escape

Posted by: Elisabeth Hollow Dec 27 2013, 08:34 PM

AUGH! I'm caught up!!

Okay, okay, first things first: Love it! Though I already messaged you a few days ago and told you that.

Second, I was sort of hoping that Dark Eye was lying about his powers and ties to the Daedra. But it looks like his wizard friend would zap anyone who objected.

And so it begins, the fight we've been waiting for!

Posted by: Acadian Dec 28 2013, 02:27 PM

Both sides are fully loaded for the mind games that pervaded this introduction.

Great job of painting an intimidating and colorful picture of the NagArgonian negotiating party -

Testimony to training received by the Sellsword Seven, I don’t figure any of the villagers will take up Dark-Eye on his most ‘merciful’ offer. Good thing - for the bandits’ true nature is vividly shown as one of them readily sacrifices a comrade to save his own scales from Aela’s {Oops} Seridwe's arrow during the return to their lines.

The staff-delivered fire bolt gives up and reveals some of the bandits’ abilities, in return for discovering some of the capability of those who defend the village. The bandits also reveal a couple weaknesses: overconfidence and a penchant for taunting - both of which can be exploited by cunning foes.

Like you, I very much like the idea of ward spells. I’m glad we have the whole collection of TES resources from the various games to draw from as we see fit. I quite like both ward and mark & recall effects for example.

Please refresh me. Does Azura’s Star (in your story) bestow spell absorption upon the Star Bearer? I can see where that could easily be related to an ability to absorb the dying magicka of others – can it do that as well? Can it be used to recharge weapons by those not able (like Aela and Ungarion) to do so with their own magicka?

This isn’t going to be an easy fight – for either side it seems.


Nit: ‘Without a another word the Naga mage lowered his staff.’ - - A stray ‘a’ in front of another.

Posted by: McBadgere Dec 28 2013, 02:46 PM

*Shakes head a tiny amount*...Wait for it... ...


Aaaamywho...

Awesome!!...

That was brilliant...Loved the whole build up to the parlay with Eli...Um...Dark-Eli...Bollocks...Dark-Eye's bunch!!!... ..

Loved the whole speech with that...Did make me smile... ...

Thoroughly loved the way you brought out the tension in the approach, and then that last bit with Aela vs spell was amazing!!...

Brilliant episode...Loved it hugely...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

Posted by: haute ecole rider Dec 28 2013, 06:08 PM

Like many of the Agrigentians, I quite enjoyed the banter between Dark Eye and Ungarion. We see more of his sardonic humor in this small exchange, and it is just what we have come to expect of him. I could just hear Eli Wallach's voice thundering out Dark-Eye's words as he asked for his 'friends' and feigned offense at the resistance from the villagers as evidenced by the renewed ramparts and the new moat.

This story is making me want to pull out the "Seven Samurai" from the Netflix queue and watch it again.

Posted by: Grits Dec 30 2013, 05:28 AM

Oh, this was such a great episode! The mental image of the approaching army was vivid enough to male me nervous along with Aela. I particularly liked the detail that she carries her pack into battle, and the reminder that Ulpia has her staff.

Dark-Eye lives up to his promise from the very beginning. What a character! Vishta-Zaw is just as fascinating. I loved to hear Valens’ confidence even after Vishta-Zaw demonstrated the power of his staff. Yay, Atronachs!

This is very exciting!

Posted by: ghastley Jan 1 2014, 11:45 PM

If Valens really does have 100% spell absorption, it's perhaps better that their enemies don't know yet. It could be very demoralizing at the right time for someone to find his offense is completely nullified.

I'm almost picturing Dark-eye as an armored Jabba the Hutt. How close is that?

Posted by: SubRosa Jan 3 2014, 05:01 PM

Elisabeth Hollow: Thanks for joining the story. Vishta-Zaw will zap anyone that Dark-Eye looks crossly at. But as we will discover in a few more posts, Dark-Eye is definitely the more dangerous of the two.


Acadian: There were a lot of mind games going on between the two sides, as each tries to figure out what the other can do. We will be seeing more of that in today's episode as well.

Waaay back in the misty dawn of time Chapter 1.5 I changed Azura's Star from soul trapping to spell absorption. I never really thought of it doing anything else. I want it to seem powerful, but I don't want it to seem overpowered either.


McBadgere: I could not help but to think of Dark-Eli when I was doing my edits on that part too! Did you notice I slipped in a "My good, and dear friend Mr. Garibaldi" in as well?

Aela has finally met her match with Vishta-Zaw. That won't be the last time those two square off.


haute ecole rider: Ungarion is always a treat to write of course, thanks to his sense of humor.

I have been tempted to rewatch the movies again too, even though I did back in the summer before I started writing.


Grits: Aela grabbing her pack was written in as an afterthought. I thought of it because when she was treating the Naga prisoner she did not have any tools to dig out the bits of scale in his wound. So it struck me that she would want those with her the next time.

After so long, it is good to finally get the villains back in the story. This is kind of an oddly structured tale, in that they appear briefly at the very start, and then are absent for over half the story. I am glad they make an impression. It helps make up for that lack of page time.


ghastley: Valens' spell absorption will become a very important factor at the very end. So you are right that not revealing it now is a good thing.

Dark-Eye is not as corpulent as Jabba. He's getting old, but is still physically in his prime, and a more than capable fighter. But he is definitely as ruthless, if not moreso. So maybe think a younger Jabba.


Previously on Seven: In our last episode the bandit horde arrived and appeared before the village. Their leader Dark-Eye, Vishta-Zaw, and two other bandits approached the gate to parley. He demanded that the village surrender, and even promised the Seven safe passage out of the valley. Naturally the Seven and villagers refused. With a nod from Dark-Eye, Vishta-Zaw shot a firebolt from his staff at Valens. Aela intercepted it with her ward. The attack was so powerful that it shattered her ward, but absorbed the last of the the firebolt in doing so.


Chapter 3.7

The bandits spent the rest of the morning circling the village. Aela and Ungarion tagged along with Valens as they followed their opposite numbers in the marauder band. The brigands remained just out of bowshot, and seemed to be surveying the village. Aela imagined that as Nashira had said the night before, their raid had taught the marauders caution. Now the bandits were bound to be wondering just what they were truly facing.

When they finished their rounds, the bandits faded back into the bamboo covered hills to the south. Valens called a brief council of the Seven and leading Agrigentans in the village square afterward.

"They have had a look at us," the Nibenean said. "Now they are making their plans. Unless they are fools, they will probe us tonight. They still don't know what to expect, so I doubt they will throw everything in. I expect the real attack will come tomorrow."

"So do we throw everything in when they come tonight?" Aela asked.

"Only if we have to," Valens frowned. "We don't want to show them our full potential. But there is no point in holding back if it means losing the walls tonight."

"We'll stick to the original plan." Seridwe looked to Aela. "We want to force them to commit their mages. If they put them in tonight, then we have to use everything we have to stop them, including you and Ungarion."

"Right, so if they summon spirits, you banish them and point out the summoners to the archers." Valens said. "If they try to burn the walls down with destruction magic, then its Ungarion's turn to step up. But don't commit yourself before then. Let their mules come in and fight it out on the walls. We can hold them there with our spears."

"Until then, I suggest we all get some rest," Nashira said. "We are going to have a busy night."

Aela remained in the town square with Ungarion and Valens while the others returned to their assigned posts on the walls. Aela took the Redguard's advice, and went back to sleep inside the brewery. Valens did likewise, but Ungarion remained awake. Aela knew that he never could sleep the night before a battle. Even on an ordinary day, the high elf was filled with pent up energy. But get him worked up, and he might not sleep for days.

Aela woke to find the Altmer playing a game of solitaire with his deck of cards. Valens was already awake and gone, and the high elf told her that he had gone to inspect the troops on the walls. She joined Ungarion for a simple dinner consisting of a bowl of rice washed down with a cup of soju. As night closed in the pair ascended to the roof of the brewery, where they were soon joined by their Nibenean war leader.

Long hours dragged by as they waited. Ungarion fidgeted. Valens seemed calm and patient. Aela took the time to reach out with her magical senses and commune with the nearby spirits. They were restless, as if they sensed the upcoming battle, and the part they might play within it. They did little to ease Aela's own apprehensions, but in the very least they were good company.

Secunda had long been up in the eastern sky, and Masser was just making his entrance when Aela felt an archaean taking form beyond the walls. She opened her eyes and leaped to her feet. After casting a night eye spell upon herself in order to see in the dark, she easily picked out the land spirit. It was making its way slowly but surely across the open field west of the village.

"Archaean!" Aela cried. "He's too far away for me to banish, I'll have to go down there."

"Then go," Valens nodded.

"Just be careful," Ungarion added.

Aela said nothing in reply. She merely nodded and raced for the ladder down into the guts of the brewery. She had heard many bard's tales of heroes sliding down the rails of ladders. But she knew better than to try that herself. She would probably break her legs! So with feet taking the rungs as fast as they could, the Breton made her way down to the catwalk that overlooked the distillery floor.

She paused a moment there to cast a spell to fortify her quickness and endurance - just as she had done the night before. Thanks to her magical fortification, the trip down the stair to the brewery floor was faster. But by the time she had darted across the village to the western wall, the archaean was nearly upon the defenses. If that was not bad enough, she saw that the field was teeming with Argonian bandits. Some raced for the walls. Others hung back and fired their powerful recurved bows at the defenders on the walls. All were spread out enough that they would not make an easy target for a fireball.

"Nothing stops this one!" Stalks-The-Marshes shook his head as Aela approached. The Argonian trader carried his self bow, and already had a reed arrow nocked on the string. He stepped out from behind cover and into the open crenel between merlons. He quickly pulled his string back to his ear and fired. But his arrow merely bounced off the spirit of stone and soil that relentlessly approached.

"Leave it to me," Aela said. Stalks-The-Marshes stepped back to cover, and Aela moved up to the gap in the battlement where he had stood a moment before. She raised her left hand and brought up her ward to defend herself. She was thankful for her caution when a bandit arrow crashed against its glowing surface a moment later, only to harmlessly snap in two upon the magical shield.

By now the archaean was wading through the moat, leaving snapped punji stakes in his wake. Aela reached out for the Nirn spirit with her right hand. He stopped dead in his tracks as her magical fingers softly laid down upon the cord of power that connected him to his conjurer. She tugged upon it, and felt the Argonian mage fighting her for control of the spirit. Like the other mages the previous night, he was no match for her power. The chain of magicka snapped, and Aela effortlessly bound it to herself instead.

The archaean began his march once more. With just a few giant strides he mounted the steep slopes of the ditch. Agrigentans scurried away to either side, and Aela shouted to them that it was safe. To prove her point, she raced to the archaean's side, and gently laid a hand upon one of his massive legs.

She heard Talun-Lei shouting at the villagers to retake their places on the battlement. A moment later she found the young Argonian on the opposite side of the archaean from her, flinging one of his javelins down into the moat. Then the Argonian warrior turned back to the Agrigentans, and again waved them forward.

Aela turned her attention back to her newly won spirit. At her direction he reached out with both of his massive paws and grabbed hold of one of the timbers that made up the parapet. Twisting it this way and that, he drew the wide tree trunk up from the ground, and held it overhand like a spear. A moment later he hurled it out into the field, where it crashed into the bandit who had originally summoned him. The hedge wizard was instantly crushed, his body ground down into the mud underneath the massive timber.

That was one fewer conjurer, Aela thought with satisfaction. She stepped back to cover behind the nearest merlon, and directed the archaean down into the moat. There it set upon the nearby bandits. They were too quick for the ponderous spirit to catch with his mighty fists, but he did force them back, keeping his section of wall free from invaders.

A glance up and down the wall revealed that the Argonians had now come up to the battlements to either side of the spirit. The Agrigentans met them at the walls, thrusting their spears through the crenels at the bandits. The marauders jabbed back with their own weapons. But whenever one tried to climb over the waist-high gaps, they were shoved back by the shields of the villagers.

Very few of the bandits were killed outright in this fashion. Few were even wounded in fact, and most of those seemed to only receive flesh wounds to the arms or legs. For many wore cuirasses of bone or rattan, and some even of the metal triple-disc style favored by many in the Black Marsh. Some also carried shields, albeit smaller ones than the Agrigentans used.

However, the brigands gave no better to the defenders, and few of their own attacks did more than slide harmlessly off the villager's shields. Clearly Valens had taught the Agrigentans well, Aela thought as she witnessed the standoff. For people who had been simple farmers just a month before, it was amazing.

Talun-Lei was like a hurricane, racing up and down the wall, shouting encouragement to the Agrigentans and getting in a jab or two with his own spear while he was at it. Like the others, he did not appear to slay any of the attackers. But he did keep the villagers in the fight, and he was always there when the bandits looked to push through, and threw them back by putting his own shield into the press.

Still, some of the bandits' spears did find their way into human and Argonian flesh. Since the villagers appeared to be holding their own in the defense, Aela decided to forgo using her magic to attack, and instead moved from one injured man or woman to the next. Her healing magic mended their torn flesh, and within moments they were back into the fight.

She knew that her health absorption spells could kill many of the bandits straight out, as they had little means of defense against such an assault. But she also knew that if this was indeed just a probe, the bandits wanted her to reveal herself with such flashy, blatant uses of magic. Just as she had been able to trace the Argonian summoner through his connection to the archaean and kill him, they doubtlessly had other mages - or even archers with poisoned arrows - waiting for her to reveal herself. After all, it was the same thing they planned for the bandits.

In time the brigands retreated from the walls. The defenders cheered, and sent a few arrows, javelins, and even stones after them. Aela noted that a few of the marauders went down in the withdrawal. But rather than being abandoned by their comrades, they were carried back by the other bandits to the cover of the forest.

Aela returned to her healing duties, and by the time she was finished, she felt ready to sleep for a week. She sat down and leaned back against the battlements and rested. All around her the Agrigentans cheered and celebrated. A jug of soju was passed around, which she politely declined. She had just closed her eyes when the voice of Valens jerked them open again.

"So how did it go?" the Nibenean asked.

"Valens can see for himself." The pride in Talun-Lei's voice was unmistakable. With one hand the Argonian gestured toward the parapet. "These ones have held the walls, and lost no one."

"Enemy casualties?"

"Those ones took their dead and wounded with them," Stalks-The-Marshes explained. "So it is difficult to tell. Probably only handful killed outright."

"I saw several seriously wounded, and without proper healing they will die in a few days." Aela rose to her feet and joined the conversation. "But if they have a healer, or potions, we will see them again tomorrow. They are without one conjurer though, and he won't be coming back."

"Outstanding!" Valens grinned. The Nibenean clapped a black-mailed hand upon Aela's shoulder. "It went much the same across the village. They made a probe against the east wall too, and burned down some of it before Ungarion could finish the mage. The south wall only got a few arrows to keep their heads down. They never touched the north wall."

"And Ungarion?" Aela held her breath waiting for the Nibenean's answer.

"He's fine," Valens replied. "Casualties have been minor, we only lost one Agrigentan in Nashira's Century, burned with the wall. Meen-Sa was able to heal all the other injuries."

Aela nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. She hated fighting without Ungarion. It felt like going for a walk with only one shoe. Worse, she loathed the idea of him fighting without her there to protect him.

"I suppose you want me to go and rebuild the east wall?" Aela could not keep the exhaustion from her voice.

"No," Valens shook his head. "They won't attack there again. We'll just put some frises up and maybe tip a few wagons over there. You get some sleep. Tomorrow is when they'll make their real push, and it will be at the north wall, and the gate."

"This one is certain?" Stalks-The-Marshes wondered aloud.

"It's what I would do," Valens replied. "The gate is our weakest point. There is no moat in front of it, and once they burn it down they have an open road into the village. They've attacked us everywhere else, because they want us to reinforce everywhere else. They will make their push tomorrow, and it will be in the north."

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jan 4 2014, 04:36 AM

Loved the balancing of revelations between the two sides! Aela did not reveal more of her abilities than that of turning the archaeon to herself. Likewise the mages on the other side didn't reveal theirselves*, either.

*(and no, that is no typo, but done on purpose)

I also liked Valen's thinking, that the north wall will be the new target the next day. It's exactly how I would do it, were I Dark-Eye, too.

Just one nit I spotted (it's late at night, and I'm building a small modification into my Oblivion game patch).

I think the possessive apostrophe got impatient and jumped in ahead of the 's' rather than after it.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 4 2014, 03:09 PM

Turning a summoner’s summon against him is such fun! It just seems so. . . elegantly efficient.

And I'm still liking how you have brought ward spells to this story.

Valens and Co. are reading things pretty well, and it seems wise that they held back on revealing more of their defensive abilities than necessary to do the job at the time.

‘Aela nodded, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. She hated fighting without Ungarion. It felt like going for a walk with only one shoe. Worse, she hated the idea of him fighting without her there to protect him.’ - - This is a beautiful sentiment, and so very well phrased.

Posted by: Grits Jan 6 2014, 05:00 PM

Aela knew that he never could sleep the night before a battle. Even on an ordinary day, the high elf was filled with pent up energy. But get him worked up, and he might not sleep for days.
This is perfect for Ungarion. You have painted him so vividly that Aela’s thought made me nod and smile as if I knew him as well.

The archaean began his march once more. With just a few giant strides he mounted the steep slopes of the ditch. Agrigentans scurried away to either side, and Aela shouted to them that it was safe.
Lol. There were a few soiled britches over that situation, I imagine.

I loved the moment when Aela thought of Talun-Lei as “the Argonian warrior.”

Valens’ assessment made great sense after Aela’s observations that neither side was making much progress during the battle. I particularly enjoyed her thought that there were poisoned arrows out there meant for her.

Posted by: ghastley Jan 6 2014, 05:29 PM

The probing to try and reveal the enemy's strengths an weaknesses on both sides is quite instructive. I'm left wondering, however, to what extent the mages' interactions reveal their identities to each other. Do the nagas now just know that there's a mage on the Agrigentan side that can take over their summons, or do they have an idea who it is? It strikes me that some spells show who's casting, and others don't. You can track a fireball back to the sender, just like an arrow's path reveals the location of the archer, but taking control of an Archean takes place wherever the creature is.

I'm assuming the ward spell works like Skyrim's, so you can see who's behind it. They'll know Aela's a mage, but they probably also know there's more than one, and the distribution of the staves will make it look like more. So is Aela worrying too much that she's the one with the bullseye painted on her?

Posted by: King Coin Jan 9 2014, 06:10 AM

3.6
If nothing else, the dummies will take some arrows and spells that would otherwise be aimed at a flesh and blood being.

I wonder who is the bigger threat? The leader or the wizard? Wish they would just shoot them in the parley and be done with it. Not like they are honorable generals anyways. Scum, to be shot like rabid animals.

3.7
Will they attack at dawn?

Why must she leave the wall? Can she not wait for it to get closer before banishing?

Ah, this spirit must not be in control of the wizard they saw earlier. I anticipate anything he brings would be more difficult, unless all the power resided in the staff…

Talun-Lei’s acting like a leader!

Posted by: SubRosa Jan 10 2014, 12:06 PM

haute ecole rider: That sense of cautiously measured tit for tat is exactly what I was hoping for in that episode, as the bandits try to learn more of the Seven's capabilities, and our heroes try hold back from showing everything. Sort of like a first date.

Valens is really showing his stuff as a leader in that scene, and the next few ones. While he might not remember who he is, he does remember a lot about strategy and tactics!


Acadian: I am so glad for the wards in Skyrim. They really round out Aela's repertoire. Not to mention her talent for summoning.

Aela's 'one shoe' line partly inspired by the movie Gettysburg, where Gen. Longstreet says on day two: "I don't like going in without Pickett. It's like going in with one boot off."


Grits: I am getting that part of Ungarion from someone I once knew who was also a hyperkinetic ball of nerves. You would think he was on speed the way he always had energy. except that was just normal for him. Egads, I would hate to have seen him if he was on speed!

Talun-Lei has certainly come a long way since that first, inauspicious meeting in Bravil. I suppose the next question is will he remain the 'Argonian Warrior' when it is all over?


ghastley: The bandits actually learned a lot from the nightly festivities. They already had a brief, chaotic look at Aela and Ungarion the night of the ambush. Now they have had a second look, at opposite sides of the village. So now in the very least they can separate the two. Aela's stealing of spirits is not visible to all. OTOH, her ward is, and now they have seen that Breton with the ward twice where spirits have been stolen. Since the red-haired Altmer was that the other side of the village, they have a pretty good idea she was the culprit.

TBH, I think every war mage in the ES Universe ought to be worried about a target painted on them. They are like the heavy artillery, something the enemy is always going to want to silence with counter battery fire or airstrikes.


King Coin: We will see a lot more of Dark-Eye and what he is capable of in the next few episodes. He's a lot more scary!

I am not sure what you meant about leaving the wall. Unless you meant leaving the roof of the brewery? It was indeed because she needed to get closer to the spirit in order to banish/take it over. You are right in that it was not under Vishta-Zaw's control. He is actually not a summoner at all, but purely a destruction mage. But he is much better at destruction than any other bandit mage.

Talun-Lei is really proving his worth in Chapter 3.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found the bandits making a night-time probe against the village's defenses. Rather than being an all-out attack, it was a series of measured incursions at several points in the walls, apparently meant to discover the Seven's abilities. Aela was forced to take control of a bandit spirit, which she used to kill its summoner. But otherwise none of the bandits appear to have been killed in the fighting in her section of the wall. Nor were any of the villagers. It went much the same in Ungarion's section, though one Agrigentan was lost from bandit fire magic. After the fighting was over, Valens predicted that the bandits would attack in force at the north wall sometime the next day.

Note: This will be another big one, but I did not want to end it with a cliffhanger.


Chapter 3.8


Aela woke with a start, reflexively filling her left hand with her ward. However, before she could pour her magicka into the defensive spell, she realized that nothing was untoward. Taking a moment to relax, she looked around to see that the first rays of Magnus were spilling over the eastern horizon.

Along with Ungarion and the half of Seridwe's Century that was not on duty, she had slept at the north wall. Their reed bedrolls were spread out at the foot of the embankment's gentle inner slope. Some were still occupied by sleeping villagers, but most of their occupants appeared to be stretching themselves to wakefulness, just as Aela found herself doing.

A Bloom spell chased away the night's funk, and the Breton rose to her feet feeling as clean and fresh as if she had just emerged from a bath. A glance down showed that Ungarion still slept beside her own mat. Aela decided not to wake the high elf just yet. She imagined that he had been up most of the night, given what a font of pent up energy the wizard was under even ordinary circumstances.

Instead the Breton Witch turned to the parapet, where she saw Seridwe standing watch clad in her golden elven armor. She had taken but a single step toward the elf, when the archer turned and shouted.

"To Action!" Seridwe cupped both hands around her mouth to make her voice louder. "Here they come!"

Then the archer turned and raised her golden Valenwood bow to fire. But rather than loose, she eased up on the string and crouched behind the safety of one of the merlons that rose like teeth along the battlements.

"Take cover!" she shouted.

Aela reflexively threw her ward up before her, and went down on one knee to brace herself. The roar of flames filled her ears, and a moment later she was rocked by the force of an explosion against the main gates. The heavy wooden timbers splintered and bent inward under the impact of the fireball, even as they went up in bright red and orange flames.

Aela regained her footing and raced for the battlements. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ulpia - who had apparently already been awake - draw a scroll and summon an undine to put out the flames. Seridwe did the same as Aela approached, and the two spirits brought a wave of water down upon the burning gateway.

Aela stared out between the high merlons of the battlement just in time to see another ball of fire come roaring in. Beyond it she saw that the rice paddies bordering the northern edge of the village were blanketed in mist. Rushing forward through the vapors was a horde of Nagas and Argonians. It was hard to tell for certain in the split-second glance, but it appeared that the entire bandit host was descending upon the wall.

Once again she held up her ward to protect herself, and again the force of the explosion staggered her. She felt the two scroll-cast undines wink out of existence in the resulting inferno. Worse, the wooden timbers of the gateway burst apart, sending shards of burning fragments everywhere. The village now lay wide open to attack…

She heard Valens shouting for everyone to start drinking their potions to resist fire, and to shield themselves from physical harm. She took his advice, but began with a brew to enhance her magicka instead. One could never have too much in a battle like this after all. She was lifting a shield potion to her lips when she felt a salamander forming in the air outside the walls.

Sliding the potion back into her pocket, she reached out with her right hand and caught the fire spirit's essence. It was child's play to rip him from the control of his summoner. She looked out from an open gap between merlons to scan for the destruction mage who had been blasting the gateway. The salamander would keep him busy for some time, as the mage's fire spells would be useless against a spirit comprised of the same element. Then she saw a bolt of fire headed directly for her.

Aela raised her ward just in time to meet the attack. This was not another fireball, but a smaller and far more concentrated bolt of energy. The power that washed over her ward was simply prodigious. It felt as if a burning mammoth had charged headfirst into her. Aela had only felt such power once before: from the staff of the bandit mage Vishta-Zaw. Just as when he had attacked her at the end of their parley, her magical shield crumpled under the assault. But also just as before, it left nothing of the firebolt left to actually harm her.

That is when her eyes were filled by bright blue-white sparks. A bolt of lightning from the bandit conjurer slammed into her an instant later, before she could recreate her ward. The hair on her body stood on end, and in spite of the elemental protections on her clothing - and her race's natural resistance to magic - her body burned. She felt herself lifted from the ground and hurled back through the air, as if she had been tossed by some giant's hand.

The sky and ground spun in her view, and she realized that she was tumbling through the air. There was a crash as she felt her body smash through a rattan wall. Then hard brown wood came up in front of her eyes. The last thing she was aware of was a loud crack as her body slammed against its unyielding surface.

* * *

"Get Ungarion back to the square," Valens shouted to two of the Agrigentans. The reed arrow that sprouted from one of his arms did not look fatal. But the Altmer mage was stiff as a board, with naught but his eyes able to move to and fro. "Tell Meen-Sa he's been poisoned. See if she can do anything about it!"

The villagers silently nodded and took the slender high elf by his armpits. Dragging his heels through the dust, they quickly vanished from sight. Valens turned and scanned the wreckage of the gates before him, and then the chaos on the walls to either side. Yet he saw no sign of Aela.

Blast it! he silently cursed. Just minutes into the battle and both of his mages were down. It could not be a coincidence. The bandits had obviously planned to flush out each and finish them off. They had lost mages of their own in their probes the previous night. But apparently that had been enough for them to learn how to anticipate - and trap - Aela and Ungarion.

"What are we going to do!" Valens heard an Agrigentan scream. The rice farmer's eyes were wild with fear, and his spear lay in the dust at his feet. Without thinking the Nibenean grabbed the villager by the shoulder, and leaned down to pick up his spear with his free hand. Thrusting it back into the Agrigentan's fingers, he turned the man back around to face the oncoming Nagas.

"We fight!" Valens shouted to all. "Form on me in the street! Shield Wall!"

Seridwe came running moments later with a group of Agrigentans from the wall. Soon after Ulpia joined them with the rest of the defenders. The villagers were plainly terrified, but they did not flee. As Valens had hoped, the hundreds of hours they had spent in training seemed to take over, and they dutifully formed up into a line of overlapping shields.

"Where's Aela?" Ulpia asked, gripping the Breton Witch's white staff in both hands.

"She must be down," Valens shook his head.

"I haven't seen her since it started," Seridwe frowned. "She was on the wall one moment, then she was gone."

Then the bandits were upon them. They came like a tidal wave, and crashed against the Agrigentans with a terrific clatter of arms. The front line of shields buckled, and wavered. Valens, Seridwe, Ulpia, and the villagers not in the first rank put their shoulders to the backs of those who were, and pushed back.

The shield wall held. With the initial energy of the bandit charge spent, the Naga and Argonian brigands began jabbing their spears at the villager's shields. The Agrigentans stabbed back. Dust kicked up in great clouds, adding to the smoke from the scorched gates. A fearsome racket of shouts and screams rose up above the smashing of weapons. It seemed as if the street had been transformed into a slice of Oblivion.

Valens strode through it all with a calmness that was by now as familiar to him as a well-worn glove. He knew that he felt the same fear as everyone else. His heart raced, his palms sweated, his mouth felt dry as a desert. He knew that any moment he might be struck dead. Yet somehow he felt at home, as if he was made for this, and this alone.

"Where are their mages!" he shouted through the din. "They have at least two left. Does anyone see their mages?"

"There's no sign of them," Ulpia shook her head at him.

"The last I saw of them, they were fighting with a salamander out in the fields," Seridwe shouted back from across the street.

Valens smiled wolfishly. Either Ungarion had summoned the spirit before being paralyzed, or Aela was still alive somewhere. Either way, they had taken the bandit's own mages out of the fight, at least for now.

"Seri, climb up there and see if you can get a clear line of fire!" Valens pointed to the house behind the high elf archer. "I'll stay down here with the shield wall."

The Altmer tucked her bow away and leaped for the building. Given that the walls were made of only rattan, she was forced to grab hold of one of the thick durian wood posts that framed the home and scuttle up it. Valens could see that it would be slow going for the archer, and turned his attention back to the battle in the street.

He slapped the shoulders of Ulpia and several of the Agrigentans waiting behind the main line to get their attention. With a wave, they formed around him. "Open the wall!" he shouted to the men and women in the line before them. The villagers did as they had been taught, and drew back to either side. A gap opened between them, and the bandits rushed in.

The first was an Argonian. He was met by a bolt of frost from Hrive Amaurea, and fell to his knees clutching at the great chunk of ice impaling his shoulder. His comrades slithered around him, but fared little better against the spears of the Agrigentans. The villagers crowded in on them from all sides, stabbing everywhere. Valens himself stepped up to the point of the incursion, and grabbed the spear of the kneeling Argonian with one hand. One of his ebony swords gleamed in his other fist, and buried itself neatly in the brigand's heart.

Valens pushed forward against the bandits. He felt spears break upon his ebony mail, and struck out with spear in one hand and sword in the other. In moments all of the bandits inside the wall lay dead in the street. Stepping into the breach in the shield wall, he found himself face to face with the bandit leader - Dark-Eye.

The Naga was easily recognizable in his boar's tusk helmet and cuirass of swamp leviathan scales. Valens did not know how he recognized the latter. Like so many other things, he seemed to remember it, without recalling where or when he had actually gained the knowledge.

Now that he was up close to the bandit, Valens could see that not only did a black leather patch cover one of the Naga's eyes, but that the entire side of his face was laced with wide scars. A torc of solid gold wound its way around the bandit leader's neck, and similar gold and jewel-encrusted rings, bracelets, and armbands decorated the rest of the snakeman's frame.

"This one stinks of roses," Dark-Eye snarled. The Naga thrust his ebony spear overhand at Valens' face. The Nibenean ducked underneath the strike, and dropped his stolen bandit spear. Before Dark-Eye could withdraw his weapon, Valens grabbed hold of the bandit's wrist. The Nibenean tried to thrust his sword in at the same time, but the Naga moved in too close, and likewise grabbed hold of Valens' own sword wrist.

They struggled breast to breast. The hot breath of the Naga stank of blood, and his body gave off a musk more powerful than any normal Naga, to the point of being repulsive. It reminded the Nibenean of an open grave.

Namira, the name rose unbidden in the back of Valens' mind. Dark-Eye was Namira's champion…

An amber-hued elven arrow cracked against the scales of one of Dark-Eye's pauldrons. Valens glanced up to find Seridwe precariously balanced upon the edge of the nearby house. The high elf wasted no time, and was already nocking another arrow to fire down upon the Naga leader. Valens turned back to face the bandit in time to see the brigand's jaws rush for his face.

The Nibenean jerked his head aside, and the Naga's double-row of needle-like teeth clamped shut on empty air inches from his ear. Valens countered with a head butt into the bandit's nose. But Dark-Eye merely smiled back, blood now running freely down into his mouth and staining his fangs crimson.

Then an elven arrow sprouted from Dark-Eye's neck, in the gap between his gorget and helmet. Anyone else would have fallen from the wound. But the bandit leader merely let go of Valens' wrist, and grabbed the missile. He snapped it in half, leaving the head still buried in his flesh. Then before Valens could strike with his sword, Dark-Eye buried his fist in the Nibenean's face.

Valens rocked back, seeing moons and stars before his eyes. He unwittingly let go of the Naga's spear, and found himself being pulled backward. The next thing he knew he was behind the wall of shields once more, and saw that two of the Agrigentans had moved forward in his place. He looked up to Seridwe just in time to see a reed arrow rise up from the mass of bandits and slam into her chest. But it ricocheted off her golden armor, and a moment later the high elf returned the shot.

"Dark-Eye?" Valens shouted up at the elf, cupping one hand around the side of his mouth to make his voice louder.

She looked back down and shook her head. "Gone!" she shouted back.

Valens frowned. That had been his chance to literally cut the head from the snake, and deprive the bandits of their leader. He had let it slip by. Blast it!

Still, he knew that all in all things were going well, especially given that he had lost his only two mages. Dark-Eye was out of the fight for the time being, and so long as the bandit spellcasters stayed out of it as well, he knew that the villagers could hold the line.

For while Valens had little doubt that man for man the bandits were far better fighters, they lacked either the training or inclination to fight as a unit. Instead they fought singly, throwing themselves forward against the shield wall, or falling back to catch their breath. None of them moved in concert with the others.

The Agrigentans stood in stark contrast. Not one of them fought alone. All stood shoulder to shoulder as he had taught them, neither advancing nor retreating without an order. Rather that attack the bandits directly in front of them, the villagers stabbed at those to one side. So the Nagas never saw the spears that skewered them, yet at the same time each Agrigentan was protected by the man or woman beside him. When those in the front rank tired, they filtered back through the line to rest, while the next fighter standing behind them moved up to take their place. They were a thick wall of shields and spears with a single mind and heart, and Valens knew that would make them unstoppable.

So long as the bandit mages stayed out of it.

With that thought in mind, Valens once again opened the wall to allow more of the Nagas in to be slaughtered. They had to win the battle before the bandits mages came on line. This time three of the bandits were cut down by the villagers, and when it was all over, Valens saw Nashira, Do'Sakhar, and Talun-Lei racing up the street to join him.

"There's no activity on the other walls," Nashira reported.

"The bandits have put everything here, as Valens said they would," Talun-Lei said.

"So these ones decided to join the excitement!" the Do'Sakhar finished.

At Valens' direction, the Khajiit ascended to the roof of another building and added his own arrows to Seridwe's. The others joined in the shield wall, and they opened it once more. This time half a dozen bandits were slain the dust behind the wall, half of them to Nashira's scimitar. Even Valens found himself staring at the Redguard in awe. He found himself thinking that the rest of them could go back to the square, and she could kill all of the bandits herself!

* * *

Aela opened her eyes and felt her body burn. Gasping for breath, she called up her magicka and sent it down into her nerves, deadening them to pain. Turning her head this way and that, she realized that she was inside the ruin of an Agrigentan home. The roof and two walls had collapsed, strewing bent and broken wicker everywhere. But the thick posts of durian wood that buttressed the structure still rose tall and straight, and the hardwood floor remained solid under her back.

Rather than look down to see her wounds, the Breton Witch closed her eyes once more to better concentrate. Her magicka moved through her body, creeping along burned skin, roasted muscle, and fried cartilage. Breathing deep and slow, she calmed her racing heart, and went to work.

As she had with the wounded Naga scout, she started inside and worked her way out. The lightning bolt had scorched her chest, but thankfully had not pierced her ribs to the delicate organs beneath. She expected that she could thank her enchanted clothing for that. Otherwise she imagined that it would have burned a hole clean through her body, and killed her on the spot.

Channeling her magicka into the ruined flesh, she rebuilt her body one piece at a time, starting with her ribs and the cartilage that attached them to her sternum. Roasted tissue sprang back to vibrant health. Working her way out, she healed muscle, then skin. Finally she rose with a brief wave of dizziness, as the strain of healing crashed over her.

Aela stifled a yawn, and reached down into her potion bag. A stamina potion chased away the post-healing weariness. She followed it with more brews, one to resist fire, another to protect her against shock, and finally one to armor herself from physical harm. Only then did she rise from the wreckage and look around her.

She could see that the bandits had gotten into the village behind her, and were fighting in the main street leading to the town square. The Agrigentans had formed their shield wall there, and were holding them back. They were doing better than that in fact, for Aela could see that while the Nagas were slowly being cut down, the villagers stood firm.

Valens had been right after all, Aela thought absentmindedly. When all was said and done, they would crush the bandits with their shield wall.

But only if the bandit mages had nothing to say about that. Her eyes went from the battle in the street to the abandoned parapets and the ruins of the gateway. She was just in time to see a Naga slither through the gate holding a staff in one hand. For a moment her heart leaped in her chest. This was her chance to kill one of their leaders! Then she realized that it was not Vishta-Zaw. For this bandit did not have skulls decorating his body. Instead he was content with rings and armbands of gold and silver.

As the bandit drew nearer, she could feel the shock enchantment upon his staff. This was the mage who had blasted her down, and nearly killed her. Obviously he and Vishta-Zaw had planned it ahead of time. With the lieutenant breaking down her ward, and the lightning mage following it up an instant later with an attack of his own. She vowed that they would not get the same opportunity again.

Before she could raise her hands to attack, the bandit mage called up a dryad. The great tree spirit towered above the homes to either side, and took a ponderous step down the street toward the battle. Aela knew that the spirit would smash the villager's shield wall to kindling. But only if she could reach the line…

She reached out for the spirit, and as she had done so many times already, she ripped it from the bandit's control. The Naga whirled to face her, eyes widening with what could only be shock. Aela smiled back and raised her ward with one hand. The bandit mage lowered his staff and blasted lightning at her. But Aela's magical shield - full charged and ready - brushed the attack aside.

Aela glanced at the dryad. The great tree spirit turned, and reached down to grasp the wooden support beams of one of the homes beside the street. It twisted the wood this way and that, and a moment later ripped the entire house up from the ground. The dryad turned back to the Naga mage, and Aela saw the bandit throw up a ward of his own to protect himself. Then the spirit flung the house down upon the hapless conjurer, and he vanished under the wreckage.

A great cloud of dust rose up in the aftermath of the crushing blow. The dryad stepped into the ruin, and brought a tree-trunk sized leg down with a great thump. She ground her wooden foot around in the dirt, and the light from the Naga's ward went out. Aela knew that bandit mage would trouble them no more…

A great shout rose up from the street behind her, and Aela turned to see the bandit warriors turn from the shield wall and flee. The Agrigentans followed slowly, keeping their formation. Arrows chased the bandits from nearby rooftops, and Aela saw that Do'Sakhar and Seridwe were their authors. Then she realized that to escape the village, the marauders were going to have to come directly through her and her dryad.

She turned the spirit around to face the Nagas and Argonians. The dryad bent low with her branches, to catch as many of the bandits as she could. But then a great bolt of fire rose from the field outside of the village. It blasted a hole through the spirit, and sent tongues of flame leaping across what remained of her wooden frame. A moment later the spirit slipped from Aela's grasp, and faded back into the ether.

The bandits continued to flee however. They paid Aela no heed, rushing right by her in their haste to escape the deathtrap the village had become. Aela was careful, and kept her ward up the entire time. Reaching out with her absorb health spell, she ripped the life from one as he passed, suffusing her body with the Naga's stolen energy.

Then the gaggle of bandits had vanished beyond the walls, and the Agrigentan shield wall ground itself to a halt just a few paces away. The villagers shouted and cheered, beating their spears against the rims of their shields in a great din. Aela felt no elation however. Instead she scanned the ranks of the fighters, looking for the dark red hair of Ungarion. Her heart sank when she found no sign of the Altmer mage.

Then a shout pierced the celebrations of the villagers. "Did anyone leave a few for me!"

Aela's eyes followed her ears, and she could not help but to laugh at the sight of the high elf mage running up the street, hands waving over his head. "Tell them to come back!" he shouted. "I'm not through with them yet!"

Posted by: Grits Jan 10 2014, 05:56 PM

"This one stinks of roses," Dark-Eye snarled.

My jaw dropped at this observation. I was hoping for a confrontation between Valens and Dark-Eye! Yay! Dark-Eye was even scarier when he didn’t try to blast Valens with magic.

Namira, the name rose unbidden in the back of Valen's mind. Dark-Eye was Namira's champion…

Oh my gosh! I loved seeing the battle from Valens’ POV. Very exciting! What a relief to see Aela heal herself and Ungarion on his feet at the end. I loved this episode!

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jan 11 2014, 06:01 AM

I'm with Grits on this one! It was awesome to see this from Valens' POV, and to see A&U back at the end.

What got me about this one were two things:

One, the double-pronged attack on Aela that knocked her (literally!) off the wall and out of the fight for the time being. Someone on the other side sure has a set of brains!

Two, the comparison between the Naga and Argonian bandits and the solid shield wall of the Agrigentians. It reminds me of the histories of the Roman Legions and how their own formations were able to hold up against enemies that emphasized individual achievements rather than unit cohesion.

This was quite the stirring battle right here!

Posted by: Acadian Jan 11 2014, 03:51 PM

Uh oh. Aela’s down!

‘Valens rocked back, seeing moons and stars before his eyes.’ - - I can imagine the smile on your face as you quilled this about Azura’s champion!

That shield wall has turned out to be brilliant testimony to Valen’s tactical acumen.

Aela’s back – with a vengeance!

Posted by: ghastley Jan 11 2014, 06:11 PM

Of course, now Aela has to explain to the Agrigentan whose house was thrown at the naga mage that it was really necessary, and nothing else would have worked.

I was going to ask why the naga mages hadn't got the point that their summons wouldn't stay theirs, but I guess they don't get the opportunity to learn on an individual level, being dead and all that. I'm assuming that it's less magicka-intensive to steal one than to summon one, as Aela's being using theirs more than her own.

Very vivid description of the shield wall operating the way it should. And you didn't get that from either of the films!

Valens versus Dark-eye a draw so far, although we don't yet know what they learned from each other in that encounter. I suspect Valens got more information than his adversary.

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jan 17 2014, 02:27 PM

As with another story that I had been following closely back in August, I am now woefully behind on this one. I just finished reading Chapter 1.7, to give you an idea. So I am going to comment in The Big Commentasaurus Thread until I have caught up, which hopefully won't take very long to do.

Posted by: SubRosa Jan 17 2014, 04:33 PM

Grits: I had a lot of fun writing the showdown between Dark-Eye and Valens. It was high time I had the opportunity to get the main villain on the page so we can all get a good look at him. We will be seeing even more of him in today's episode, and learning even more about his abilities.

When I was writing this scene I realized that I needed some way to show events while Aela was unconscious. I could have just glossed it all over until she came back, but I think I would have left too much out. So once I did decide to write that inbetween section, Valens rose to the top of the list of contenders for POV character. He is the general after all, so showing him running the battle was ideal. It also gave me one more opportunity to take a peek under the hood of our man of mystery.


haute ecole rider: I wanted to show that the bandits were not a bunch of schlubs. They indeed made the most of their probes from the night before, and laid traps for both A&U.

Your observation about cultures that emphasize teamwork vs. individual achievement is exactly what I was working for. I have been wanting to make the Agrigentans comparable to the Greek phalanx or Viking/Anglo-Saxon shield walls. While the bandits are more like the Celts, fearsome fighters, but individuals at the end of the day.


Acadian: It was originally going to be stars that Valens saw before his eyes after eating Dark-Eye's knuckle sandwich. But I could not resist slipping in the Azura reference.


ghastley: I was thinking about that conversation with the poor villager whose home that was too! Now Aela might be regretting vowing to remain to rebuild the village after the battle is over. Before things are done, there will be a lot more like that too.

Back during the night ambush I went into Aela's spirit stealing, and gave all the reasons why she was able to do it: that the Nagas did not have her formal education, they were not from a race blessed with magical ability (like Bretons and Altmer), and they were not Ardhanari. Basically she just has the brute magical muscle to arm-wrestle the spirits away. It probably is not any cheaper magicka-wise. But it is a real psychological blow to the enemy conjurer. Plus instead of summoning up a spirit of her own to counter the enemy spirit, and thusly creating a 2 vs 2 situation, by turning the spirit against the summoner she creates a 2 vs 1. They can always summon another one, but she can always take over that one too. Stymieing any effort on their part.


ThatSkyrimGuy: It's good to see you back SkyGuy! Wow, 1.7 is a long time ago. So you are still sailing across the Niben and having your hair braided. I am surprised at how long this story has turned out to be. It will be about 68k words when I am done. So it's a novel.

You can leave comments here, it is no big deal. Just edit the same post with any new additions until the next week's episode.


Previously on Seven: Our last episode saw the bandits making their big push on the village. They started out by destroying the gates with fire magic, and ambushed both Aela and Ungarion, taking each out of the fight at the very start. Valens took charge of the villagers and formed a shield wall in the street, stopping the bandit advance with the superior cohesion of the shield wall. He briefly went face to face with Dark-Eye, and discovered that he is Namira's Champion. It turned out to be a stalemate however, and Dark-Eye withdrew into the bandit ranks after being shot in the neck by one of Seridwe's arrows. Eventually Aela returned to consciousness and healed herself, and got back into the fight just in time to meet one of the bandit conjurers entering the village. She killed him with his own spirit, and then the bandits broke and ran, fleeing the village.


Chapter 3.9

"Are those ones finished then?" Hathei asked with an expectant voice, "is it over?"

"I doubt it." Valens shook his head.

Talun-Lei said nothing as he glanced away from the council of war that had gathered in the town square. To one side Aela and Meen-Sa treated the wounded. Nearby was a line of still, blanket-covered forms, blessedly short. Only those villagers struck by immediately fatal wounds had been lost. The others - even those suffering from injuries that would have eventually taken their lives - had all been saved by the healing powers of the mikumari and landstriding Witch.

"Their leaders are still alive," Valens explained, "and plenty of them escaped to fight again another day."

"But surely after their defeat this morning, the bandits would not try again?" Stalks-The-Marshes almost begged the Nibenean to answer differently.

"Won't they just move on for an easier target?" Ulpia added her voice to the debate.

"Perhaps," Nashira shrugged, "Perhaps not. All we do know for certain is that they still retain the strength for one more attack."

"These ones must also consider their leader's position," Do'Sakhar said. "If that one retreats, it will be taken as a sign of weakness by the others."

"And one thing bandits do not tolerate, is a weak leader," Seridwe declared.

"Aye," Valens agreed. "If Dark-Eye is still alive, he will attack again. He has to. So we have to be ready for it," Valens said. "All centuries remain at their posts, and we continue sleeping in shifts on the walls."

"Do'Sakhar doubts they shall be returning again today however," the Khajiit said. "Those ones are licking their wounds, just as these are."

"Right," Valens agreed. "We need to use that time to shore up our defenses, starting with the front gate. We can take the wreckage from the ruined homes and use it to create a barrier there."

"They will just burn that down," Ungarion shook his head. Then his eyes went to Aela. "I suggest we dispense with the idea of a gate altogether. Once she is finished with the wounded, Aela can simply extend the moat and embankment to fill in the gap."

Talun-Lei listened to the conversation in silence. Valens and the others certainly knew more about tactics and strategy than he did. It seemed that the only thing they did not know for certain, was what the bandits would do next. He wondered if he might be able to do something about that.

* * *

Talun-Lei glided silently through the rainforest. He had dispensed with his shield and spear, and instead armed himself with one of the shorter weapons used by the bandits. Likewise, he had fitted himself with a bandit cuirass of animal bones, and even found a gaudy silver bracelet and turquoise armband to round out his disguise.

He had been sneaking around the fringes of the village for nearly an hour, without finding any trace of the outlaws. He had begun to hope that Stalks-The-Marshes and the others had been correct, and the brigands had decided to find easier pickings elsewhere. But the crack of a twig dispelled that thought as quickly as a candle in a rainstorm.

Talun-Lei froze in the underbrush, and waited. He watched, listened, and even smelled for the author of the sound. Was it a bandit, or merely an animal? Long minutes dragged by, until the sight of a handful of blue feathers rose from above the bushes nearby. Without moving his head, Talun-Lei watched, and moments later saw that the feathers were attached the scaled head of another Saxhleel.

The Argonian bandit paused to lean on his spear, and shook his head as he stared toward the village. With a hiss of what could only be frustration, he moved on, disappearing into the brush to Talun-Lei's left.

The young Argonian warrior waited until he was certain that the sentry was long gone. Then he padded forward, taking extra care to be quiet. Soon the sweet smell of burning wood came to his nose, and the sound of voices to his ears. Keeping an eye out for more sentries, Talun-Lei pushed on, and the noise of talking grew louder. Soon he realized it was an argument that he was listening to.

"These ones should move on!" one voice shouted. "Coming here was a mistake."

"These ones leave when Dark-Eye says," another voice growled back. "Not a moment before."

"These ones are hungry!" a third voice called out. "Where is rice they were promised?"

"Where is the meat?" another grumbled. "Saxhleel have not eaten for days!"

"It was Dark-Eye that led half of these to their graves!" the first voice cried. "This one says he is no longer fit to lead."

"And who is fit?" the second voice rumbled. "You Okan-Shei? Come then, if you have the scales for it!"

Talun-Lei parted the leaves before him to find the remnants of the bandit warband gathered in a clearing. A fire roared in its center, with a steaming iron pot hanging over it. Spread out all around were Nagas and Argonians. Now that he had time to really look at them, Talun-Lei noted that they were lean. Leaner than a fit swamp-dweller ought to be.

That is when the bandit's words struck home in his brain. They were starving! He had never thought of it before, but now Talun-Lei realized that by adding the Argonians to his band, Dark-Eye had made it all the harder to feed them all. No wonder they were so eager to get into the village. They were not after loot -after all, there was nothing left to steal in Agrigento - they wanted its food!

"Okan-Shei has more than the scales for it!" Talun-Lei saw that the author of the first voice was another Argonian, like himself. He wore a triple-disc cuirass of dwarven metal, and a carried a shield of golden elven steel in one hand. His other hand gripped a sword whose mithril blade glinted in the shafts of moonlight that filtered down through the forest canopy.

Standing across from him was the owner of the second voice, none other than the bandit leader Dark-Eye himself. The Naga hefted his ebony spear, and without saying another word he flung it across the fire at the Argonian. But the Saxhleel leader ducked with the speed of a striking crocodile, and the spear harmlessly buried itself in the trunk of a banyan behind him.

The challenger grinned with a mouth full of sharp fangs, and raced forward against the now unarmed Naga. Dark-Eye raised one hand, blue light trailing from his fingers. With a whooshing sound, a long sword of jagged, reddish brown metal took shape under his fingers. Talun-Lei saw a look of surprise cross Okan-Shei's features, and the Argonian tried to skid to a halt. But it was already too late.

Dark-Eye's greatsword came crashing down in an over-handed blow. The Argonian raised his shield, but the otherworldly weapon simply knocked it aside, out of the challenger's grasp. The Argonian countered with a sword stroke for the Naga's side. But Dark-Eye reversed his grip on his weapon, holding the blade with his left hand, the ricasso with his right. He parried the Argonian's sword with his ethereal blade, and pushed it down to the ground. Continuing the same motion, Dark-Eye hooked his crossbar behind one of Okan-Shei's ankles and yanked back.

The Argonian challenger went crashing to the ground. Dark-Eye slithered forward and once again spun the greatsword in his hands. Holding it over his head like a massive ice pick, he brought it down into the Argonian's chest. Blood spurted, and the sickening noise of cracking bone came to Talun-Lei's ears. Okan-Shei's hands vainly gripped the blade, but Dark-Eye jerked it free, and his next blow struck the head from the Argonian's body.

Afterward Dark-Eye stared at the Nagas and Argonians surrounding him. "Do any others think they are fit to lead?" he roared. Like the bandits, Talun-Lei stared back in stunned silence. The bandit leader did not seem to be a mortal Naga, but rather an irresistible force of nature.

"That is better!" Dark-Eye growled as he stalked around the fire. "These ones leave when Dark-Eye says they leave, and not a moment sooner."

Now the bandit leader leveled his one eye squarely upon Talun-Lei. The Argonian froze, realizing that during the fight he had stepped from the cover of the forest to stand within the ranks of the bandits.

By the Hist, what had he done! Talun-Lei's mind reeled. Like all the others, he had been so entranced by the battle that he had forgotten everything else. Now he would pay for it. His eyes darted from the bandit leader's single, black eye to the jagged greatsword in his hand. He knew that he should do something. Throw his spear, turn to flee, anything. But it felt like his scales had turned to stone, leaving him rooted to the spot.

"Give this one a drink," Dark-Eye murmured. "Killing always makes this one thirsty."

The bandit leader's hand reached out, still splattered with his rival's blood. Talun-Lei found himself lifting his water skin from his hip, and passing it to the Naga. Dark-Eye lifted it to his lips and threw back his head, draining the entire flask with one gulp after another. Lowering it, he wiped the errant drops of liquid from his chin with the back of his hand.

"Ahhh, soju!" the outlaw chief sighed in appreciation. "This one has been saving this no? For a special occasion? Well that occasion has come!"

Talun-Lei nodded, too stunned to form words. Dark-Eye handed him the empty skin, and casually draped one arm around his shoulder.

"In this living of ours, one must always be prepared no?" the bandit leader mused aloud. "Dark-Eye is always prepared. Always ready for anything."

"You don't say much eh?" the Naga turned his head to stare Talun-Lei in the eye. "Well that is just fine. Just let Dark-Eye do all the talking right! You will go far in this company young Saxhleel. Far indeed. Mark my words."

Finally he let go of Talun-Lei and turned to the other bandits. "Tomorrow we will all slake our thirst with soju, and the blood of those mercenaries!"

A half-hearted cheer rose from the assembled brigands. Talun-Lei found himself joining in with the others. He shouted with just as little enthusiasm as they did, albeit for an altogether different reason.

"But now," the Naga leader said as he slithered back to Okan-Shei's corpse, "we feast!"

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jan 18 2014, 01:50 AM

Loved the discussion among the townsfolk about what to do next. I agree that the gate should be left as is and Aela put her Archons to work extending the moat and embankment. After all, the villagers aren't going anywhere, and completing the defensive circle like this has to send a loud, clear message to that effect.

Oooh, this Talun-Lei has some seriously big, hairy cojones! Sneaking into the enemy camp and keeping his cool (and his piss, apparently) when Dark-Eye slugged his soju! This youth has a future in covert ops, fer shure.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 18 2014, 07:19 PM

What a revealing display Talun-Lei observed!

Then a massive surprise for all of us who were expecting the young warrior to simply slip back into the jungle. Whew! The clever disguise worked! Once again we see the 'gang of individuals with weapons' instead of a properly trained and led military unit. The band is not all that large, so it speaks volumes that Dark-Eye does not know each of his warriors on sight.

I can now imagine imagine Talun-Lei, decades in the future, talking to one of his grand-hatchlings and recounting this story!

So the Nagangstas are starving! Something tells me that this will not be resolved by simply inviting them to join the Agrigentiles for a BBQ feast.

Posted by: ghastley Jan 20 2014, 11:43 PM

From Talun-Lei's notes: "Must take two water-skins, next time - and fill one with poison!"

I wonder how they'll take advantage of this information? Can they drive the bandits mad with the smell of BBQ sauce - wafted towards their camp by a Sylph?

Posted by: SubRosa Jan 24 2014, 05:43 PM

haute ecole rider: I was thinking exactly what you were about the gate. No one is going in or out for the duration of the siege, so why bother having a gate at all?

You mean Talun-Lei has big scaly ones! I would not start calling him, Bond, Talun-Bond just yet though.


Acadian: Going back to what I was saying in the Writing Process thread a few days ago about shifting POV characters, I thought being able to show what was happening in the bandit camp was well worth the POV shift. We got to learn that the logistics of a large group is kicking the bandit's rear, that they are indeed not a closely knit group, that there is a challenger to Dark-Eye's leadership due to the defeat, and that Dark-Eye himself is one really dangerous fella. I could have done it from the POV of a bandit, but having Talun-Lei sneak in and witness it all was just too good to pass up, as it yet again shows how far he has come since being whacked on the head in Bravil.


ghastley: It might have had some Nightshade flavoring, Argonians are immune to poison after all! But then Nagas probably are too. It is a clever idea though.


Previously on Seven: Out last episode found the Seven and villagers licking their wounds in the aftermath of their victory. When asked if this meant the bandits would leave, Valens replied that there was no way to be sure, as their leaders were still alive, and they still had the power to make one more attack. So afterward Talun-Lei sneaked off in the night and found the bandit camp. He discovered that adding the Argonian bandits to the Nagas has strained their food supply to the breaking point, and they are all starving. He also witnessed the Argonian leader Okan-Shei challenge Dark-Eye for leadership, and be killed by the one-eyed Naga leader. Afterward Dark-Eye drank the soju from Talun-Lei's water flask, not recognizing him as an outsider, and declared that they would attack again the next day.


Chapter 3.10

"So where do you think they will attack this time?" Aela asked.

She stood upon the roof of the brewery with Valens and Ungarion, waiting for the next attack. Aela turned from Valens to cast her gaze out across the village spread out beneath her. Even in the dim pre-dawn light she could see that many of the wood and rattan homes near the walls had been smashed or burned from the previous day's fighting, especially those near the gate in the north wall.

A gate which no longer existed, Aela mused. Her eyes traveled along the main street leading from the town square to the northern wall. It dead-ended there at a turf embankment which she had built up the previous night. Now all of Agrigento was surrounded by the palisade and moat, with no way in except over the walls. However, those walls were not what they had once been. Without new timber from the forest, they had been forced to make do with whatever was at hand to rebuild the shattered walls. They had used wood and wicker from ruined homes, the wagons the village had once possessed, even scraps of bamboo leftover from the creation of their weapons and obstacles. In some places nothing but bamboo stakes planted atop the embankment stood in an attacker's way.

"They hit us hard in the north yesterday, and did a great deal of damage there," Valens stroked his goatee with the fingers of one hand. "But I don't think they will try there again. Now that you've filled in the gateway, it's no easier to attack there than anywhere else."

"They will come from the east then," Ungarion said. Aela followed the Altmer's eyes to the eastern wall. A long stretch of timber there had been burned down during the Naga's probes two nights before. Now only wooden boards and bamboo stakes filled the gap. Along with the former gate, it was clearly the weakest area in the defenses.

"Probably," Valens said. Then he frowned and shook his head. "But you never know, Dark-Eye is…"

"Is what?" Ungarion asked.

"Trouble," Valens said. "He's no ordinary bandit. We cannot underestimate him. I keep thinking that he has some trick up his sleeve. Something we haven't prepared for."

"Because he's Namira's champion?" Aela asked. "You might be wrong you know. It's not like you all carry banners."

"He's her champion," Valens insisted. "I could smell it on him yesterday. He reeked of it. Besides, Talun-Lei said he ate his rival last night, and those of his men who did likewise were healed of their wounds. He has the Lady of Decay behind him."

"Well then," Aela said, "it is a good thing we have the Queen of Twilight behind us."

As she expected, Valens said nothing at the pointed remark to his relationship with Azura. Instead he merely stared east, and the Breton realized that the sun would be rising at any moment. She had known the Nibenean long enough to realize that along with the sunset, it was his special moment of the day. So she was not surprised by his wordless stare.

Valens' eyes squinted in the dim light, and Aela turned her head to follow his gaze. There to the east, she saw a long line of Nagas and Argonians emerge from the tall grass. They advanced upon the village as silent as ghosts, gripping bows and spears at the ready. Aela's eyes scanned their ranks for their chief, and his very distinctive helm of boar's teeth. Yet while her eyes soon picked out the mage Vishta-Zaw in his skull-festooned attire, there was no sign of the bandit leader.

"Raise the alarm!" Valens shouted. He pointed to the east with one arm, and in moments the warning bell began to clang out loud and clear in the square below. "To the east!"

That is when Aela felt her stomach drop out from under her. For a moment she staggered atop the single, wide beam that ran the length of the roof, and felt a comforting hand from Ungarion steady her. At first she thought that the ground was shaking. But a glance at the Altmer and Imperial revealed that neither of them appeared to be affected.

The she realized that it was not a sensation of shaking or falling that turned her guts inside out. Rather it was a sense of wrongness in the world around her. It was as if the spirits of the land and air were crying out in horror. The Witch turned her eyes to the north, and witnessed the source of that revulsion.

A single Naga slithered across the rice paddies there, wearing a cuirass of white scales and carrying an ebony spear. But he was not the source of Nirn's abhorrence, it was the thing that took shape in the air above him.

The sky had been ripped in half, like a piece of cloth cut in twain by a knife. Through the great rift in the natural world Aela witnessed a shadowy landscape. Jagged black stones and waving tendrils rose form an unseen soil, like the fibers of horrific plants, or perhaps even the webs of some colossal spider. Ambiguous forms scuttled and squirmed through the tenebrous realm, making Aela's stomach all the more queasy.

One of these forms turned toward the gateway between realities. It stretched out its long body, and a moment later its gargantuan head loomed through the rift and out over the rice paddies. Semi-circular in shape, the monster's head seemed to be covered in a black shell. A triangular-shaped maw gaped in its underside, filled with spiky teeth. Small, dark holes lined both sides of its skull, and Aela wondered if they might be nostrils, or even eyes?

The rest of the behemoth's body followed moments later. It was long and sinuous, and its belly was likewise encased in what seemed to be a carapace of overlapping black plates. Its back however, was made of a black, gooey substance from which tentacles sprouted and fell. Numerous long, spindly legs held it aloft, each ending in a single, pointed talon that pierced the ground with every step. Aela lost count of the legs after a dozen, and raced to the end of the roof nearest the monster. That is when she realized that she stood eye to eye with the creature, even though she was a good thirty feet above the ground.

"Oh bloody bollocks," Ungarion sighed, "can this get any worse?"

"Can you banish it?" Valens asked.

"It wasn't summoned." Aela shook her head and pointed toward Dark-Eye in the rice paddy behind the gargantua. "He opened a gateway to the Scuttling Void. That thing is just what happened to come out."

Aela stared intently at the Naga, and even past her revulsion, she felt the power in his eye. Not the one flesh and blood eye that remained in Dark-Eye's skull. But the other one, which lay hidden behind the Naga's black eye patch. She could not say exactly what it was, but she was certain that the eye was not of the mortal realm. For it seethed and squirmed with the same energy that she felt roiling in the darkness beyond the gateway to Oblivion.

"His eye is a Daedric artifact," Aela declared. "It opened the gate."

"How long can he keep it…" Valens' words trailed off as the hole cut between realties shrank. It seemed to fold in upon itself, becoming ever smaller, and eventually vanished from sight altogether. Blessed blue sky took its place, and Aela found herself breathing a sigh of relief. But only momentarily. For the monster the gateway had spewed forth still scuttled across the fields toward Agrigento.

Aela felt another disturbance in the air behind her, and the crackle of flames filled the air. But the salamander that took shape there - a creature of Nirn's own elemental forces - was a welcome sight. With a snap of his tail the spirit flew away from Ungarion and darted toward the monster. Aela summoned his twin a moment later, and sent him the same way.

"Let's get cracking shall we?" Ungarion said.

Aela and Valens followed the Altmer down through the hatch in the roof and onto the interior balcony of the brewery. Even though they raced as quickly as their legs would speed them, the Breton Witch could not help but feel that they were going entirely too slow. For every moment brought that monstrosity nearer to the village.

By the time they reached the ground the streets were gripped with chaos. Agrigentans - both noncombatants and warriors alike - fled this way and that in a panic. Valens quickly took charge: shouting, grabbing, and even kicking the villagers back into some semblance of order. He sent the elderly and youths to evacuate to the brewery according to their normal plan. The fighters returned to their posts on the parapets, and messengers were sent to order all of the Seven to the north wall.

Aela took a moment to pause and begin casting spells to fortify her body with greater speed and endurance. Shield and elemental resistance potions followed, and finally one to enhance both her magicka and the quickness with which it regenerated. She could see that Ungarion was doing likewise beside her. Then while Valens was still busy organizing things in the square, the two of them set out for the north wall with all the speed their ensorcelled limbs could muster.

Ungarion hurled a ball of fire as he ran. It roared down the street before them, and rose up into the sky beyond. A moment later it struck the leviathan squarely upon the nose, and burst into a wide ball of fire that completely engulfed the monster's head.

A cheer rose from the walls before them, and now Aela noted that arrows were winging their way from the battlements to the monster as well. But the horror came lumbering from the smoke moments later, seemingly unfazed by the assaults. It paused, and its jaws snapped out to bite down into Aela's salamander. The spirit fizzled out of existence like a campfire under a bucket of water, and the monster continued its advance.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 26 2014, 01:00 AM

Lady of Decay vs Queen of Twilight. I love it!

"Trouble," Valens said. "He's no ordinary bandit. We cannot underestimate him. I keep thinking that he has some trick up his sleeve. Something we haven't prepared for." -- This was certainly prophetic.

Leaping lizards and and snapping salamanders! *Gulp* I wonder if it’s time for A&U to seek their escape tunnel? Something tells me the likelihood of that is close to zero though.

Azura! Help!!!


Nit? ‘Without new timber from forest, they had been forced to make do...’ - - Your call of course, but this seems to perhaps be missing a ‘the’ before forest?

Posted by: ghastley Jan 26 2014, 01:37 AM

Since whatever it is wasn't summoned, but simply escaped through the gate, one can hope that it doesn't necessarily side with Dark-eye. However, there's only one of him, so the Agrigentans are a more tempting prey.

Nit: Not the one flesh and blood eye remained in his skull. I think you meant "that remained" or "remaining". The sentence fragments are a bit odd, too, and the next part uses "it" to refer to the creature, when the last subject was the eye. That paragraph could use an edit.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Jan 26 2014, 06:53 PM

I agree with ghastley on the sentence fragments in the the paragraph he references to as well. I was momentarily confused as I thought those about the eyes referenced to Namira's monstrosity, until I read about the eye patch and realized that we are now talking about Dark-Eye's -- umm -- orbs.

In what is an otherwise excellent episode, this jumped out at me:

Ain't that the truth! I really get a kick out of how NPC's identities are instantly revealed in the game, but IRL it takes us a bit longer to find out those things! Loved this sly reference to a silly gameplay feature.

Posted by: Grits Jan 27 2014, 04:07 PM

Now the bandit leader leveled his one eye squarely upon Talun-Lei. The Argonian froze, realizing that during the fight he had stepped from the cover of the forest to stand within the ranks of the bandits.

Uh oh. I can’t blame him. I was mesmerized by Dark-Eye’s actions, too! What a chilling scene with the pretend bandit and Namira’s champion!

(next episode)

The whole scene with the Scuttling Void was just breathtaking. The giant centipede-thing made my palms sweat!

Ambiguous forms scuttled and squirmed through the tenebrous realm, making Aela's stomach all the more queasy.

I have to single out this part for the outstanding word “tenebrous.” Dark-Eye’s Daedric ocular accessory brought a chill as well as the thought, ‘That’s so cool!’

"Let's get cracking shall we?" Ungarion said.

Ungarion is pure awesome!!

Posted by: ThatSkyrimGuy Jan 30 2014, 05:42 PM

Will do.

Chapter 1.8 - The Niben Queen...What an interesting idea for a vessel! It has an almost DeVincian quality to it. Where on earth did you come up with that drawing? Regardless, kudos on doing research.

I love it when reading makes me look things up...now I know what an undine is. A nifty idea having one help the ferry upstream.

Chapter 1.9 - A nice bit of "getting to know you" between Aela and Valens. It promises to be interesting when we find out a little more about the Nibenean. It's good to know that he considers Aela a friend.

Chapter 1.10 - A very instructive show of techniques from Valens and Seridwe. I liked how Aela picked up on how Valens dropped his brooding mood while he was teaching. Regarding the video, kudos again on your research.

Posted by: SubRosa Jan 31 2014, 04:06 PM

Acadian: Dark-Eye was not originally going to be Namira's Champion. But I changed that when I realized it would take the story a step up from a simple tale of farmers vs. outlaws. Now it is also champion vs. champion.

You are right, there is not a chance of A&U bailing out on the villagers now. Not since the Agrigentans have played it straight with them. It is going to be one big fight!


ghastley: You are right. Dark-Eye is not commanding the beast. That is why he is standing behind it, where (he hopes) it won't notice him!

That entire paragraph you mentioned was about Dark-Eye and his eye. I am not sure why you and Haute thought some of its sentences were referring to the monster. So I went back and edited it to make it more clear that it was all about the Naga.


haute ecole rider: That banner remark by Aela really wasn't meant to be a jab at the way the games work. I never even thought of that to be honest. But you are quite right. IRL there is no compass with red dots showing you who the bad guy is, or a name that pops up in your hud when you cursor over the people you meet.


Grits: I went through several different ideas for the monster before settling upon the centipede form. The first was a really rare D&D undead thing, then I went with something based on an alien I saw in a fictional documentary about life on an alien world, and finally I went with the creepy crawly we all sometimes encounter in the backyard. I guess it goes to show that sometimes what you are looking for is right under your nose!

I don't often get the use the word tenebrous. So I could not resist working it into the description of the Scuttling Void.

Ungarion will definitely agree with your assessment of his awesomeness!


ThatSkyrimGuy: I found that horse-powered boat http://www.shipwreckworld.com/articles/horse-powered-ferry-boat-discovered-in-lake-champlain. Though further research turned up that the Romans used a form of ox-powered boat as well.

You might be looking up dryad and salamander soon too...

The training session was a way to both show us a little more of who Valens is, as well as a way to get an action scene into the story after what had been a lot of talky bits. I did a lot of research to make it all come together, and I am very glad I did, because it all come together rather well.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode began the morning after the battle, with Valens ruminating upon Dark-Eye being Namira's Champion. Then they saw the bandits advancing upon the village from the east. But even as they mobilized to meet the attack, a gateway to Namira's Realm - The Scuttling Void - opened in the rice paddies to the north. Aela determined that it was Dark-Eye who created it, and traced the magic of the gate back to a Daedric Artifact under his eyepatch. A gargantuan centipide-like monster came out of the gateway, which closed behind it. Aela and Ungarion summoned salamanders and rushed to meet it, with the other Seven not far behind.


Chapter 3.11


"Fire doesn't seem to do much good!" Ungarion shouted from beside her. "Let's see how it likes a little frost?" A bolt of ice sprouted from the Altmer's hand and hissed through the air toward the behemoth. It struck the creature's underbelly soundly, only to shatter harmlessly upon the monster's hard shell.

Aela raced up the embankment and came to a halt beside Seridwe at the parapet. The high elf archer was winging one arrow after another into the monster, but to no apparent effect. Finally the Altmer paused and took careful aim at the infernal beast. After waiting long moments the archer loosed once more, and Aela saw her arrow drive home directly into one of the holes in the underside of the creature's skull.

Its head jerked back, as if in pain, and a shrill howl rent the air. The sound made Aela's ears hurt, like the screech of fingernails being drawn across a slate. The gargantua's head rocked down a moment later, and dark green glob spat out from its mouth. Out of reflex Aela lifted her left hand, and the glow of her ward sprang to life above herself and Seridwe. The viscous green substance hit her ward with the force of a mule's kick. Worse, as it crackled and sizzled Aela realized that it was acid. She was thankful for her Restoration training. For surely the creature's bile - for what else could it be - would surely have eaten its way through any physical shield.

The monster was now nearly upon the wall. Ungarion raised both hands and let loose a great wave of icy frost. It rolled over the leviathan like an arctic wind, blanketing it with snow and causing ice crystals to form across its legs. The monster's pace slowed noticeably under the chill, but it did not halt entirely.

Aela raised a fist to the sky and called upon a spirit of Nirn. A dryad formed in the air between the horror and the village. Towering nearly as high as the Daedric beast, the arboreal titan reached out with her boughs and grabbed hold of the monster's head. She leaned in, digging the tree-trunks of her legs into the ground to brace herself. Twisting this way and that, the tree spirit seemed to be trying to wrench the head from the creature's body.

One of the gargantua's legs snapped out, and impaled the trunk of the Dryad upon its leading spike. Wood splintered and cracked, and the leviathan's talon sheared completely through the Nirn spirit's body. The Daedra pushed forward and shoved the tree-spirit to the ground, crushing her under its many spiked feet.

Aela felt the dryad blank out of physical existence a moment later. Then it was Seridwe's turn to pull the Witch aside, as the leviathan swept relentlessly forward. One of its legs crashed through the timbers of the parapet that they had been sheltering behind as if they were kindling. Fragments of wood - some as large as Aela's arms and legs - went flying everywhere.

The monster rose up above her, and out of the corners of her eyes the Breton Witch saw the villagers abandon the wall and flee toward the town square. A glance in that direction showed that the other Seven were now pushing their way forward through the tide of refugees. Valens strode confidently, with both ebony blades unsheathed. Somehow Aela heard him shouting over the din, ordering Ulpia and retreating the Agrigentans to reinforce the eastern wall. Nashira darted before him, scimitar still undrawn. Do'Sakhar paused every few steps to fire an arrow from his sandcrawler bow. Talun-Lei openly gaped at the behemoth that rose up over the village. But even he gripped a javelin and let fly at the one of the monster's legs.

"Nothing can pierce its shell!" Seridwe shouted to the others. She had tucked her bow away, and now filled her hands with the golden steel of her elven greatsword. Rushing to one of the monster's legs, she let loose a great, horizontal chop. Aela knew that a blow like that would have sheared clean through a horse's skull. But even with its armor-destroying enchantment, the elvish steel merely bounded off the black chitin that sheathed the monster's body. In its wake Aela could see naught but a few tiny cracks running along the leviathan's armored hide.

Nashira followed a moment later with an attack upon another leg, drawing and cutting with the blinding speed that Aela had come to associate with the sword-saint. Yet she fared no better. Even Valens' twin ebony blades only chipped loose small fragments from another place in the behemoth's seemingly invulnerable shell.

Aela summoned forth an archaean next. The land spirit sank down into the ground before the behemoth, and a moment later one of its spiked legs slammed down into the soil where he had vanished. The Daedra staggered when its leg did not come forth when it tried to step away a moment later. Instead it seemed to be rooted to the spot.

"Seridwe, Nashira!" Ungarion shouted. "Let's see if we can set that one up for Valens!"

Seridwe began by chopping the trapped leg with all of her might, once again sending thin cracks running through the leviathan's armor. Then Ungarion loosed a bolt of fire into the same place, turning the chitin bright red from heat. Nashira followed with a cut from Barafu. While the enchanted scimitar did not penetrate the shell of the monster, it did wash a wave for icy frost over the same superheated area.

Then Valens came afterward. He had dropped one of his swords, and held the other ebony blade with one hand on the hilt, and the other gripped halfway along the blade. He stabbed the cracked, fried, and frozen shell of the monster, and the point of his blade sank deeply into the carapace of the behemoth.

The Nibenean twisted his sword this way and that. Even Nashira stepped up and grabbed hold of his blade to help as well. With a sickening crack, a large chunk of the leviathan's armored hide snapped out, along with a slab of the white and green flesh that lay underneath. Black blood spurted and oozed from the gaping wound, and the leviathan screeched overhead.

The beast screeched. Then Aela saw its head turn down to Valens and Nashira.

"Get out of the way!" Seridwe screamed.

The pair of mercenaries leaped away just in time to avoid the great spit of acid that sizzled down upon the space where they once stood. Aela's summoned archaean below was not so lucky however, and the corrosive bile ate through the dirt and rock of his body in mere moments.

Once again Aela felt one of her spirits being banished to insubstantiality, and she set her lips to a hard line. While she knew that the bodies of her summonings were merely temporary formations - natural elements brought together that reflected the quintessence of the spirits - she still did not like to see those bodies destroyed. They were her friends after all.

The horror finally pulled its wounded leg free of the ground and took another step into the village proper. But when it set the same taloned foot down again, and put its weight upon it, the appendage snapped in two at the point of injury. Another sickening screech filled air. This time the monster lashed out with another leg, and smashed a nearby house into kindling underneath.

"Want to try for another leg?" Ungarion shouted across the street to where Valens and Nashira stood.

"It has too damn many of them." The Nibenean shook his head. "It will reach the sea before we can hack them all off. We need to find a weak spot!"

"I tried shooting arrows in those little holes in its head," Seridwe yelled back, "but that just made it mad!"

"Perhaps the mouth?" Nashira said.

Talun-Lei nodded, and planted his heavy battle spear butt-first into the ground and set his crescent-shaped shield down beside it. Taking his last javelin in his right hand, the Argonian took a moment to poison its barbed head with the black liquid from a potion bottle. Then he raised his javelin over his shoulder, lifted his shield with his left hand, and waited for his chance.

Aela rushed over to him with magically enhanced legs, and raised one hand to the monster. She felt for its lifeforce: a sickly, squirming energy that roiled and slithered deep within its hard flesh. Digging her fingers into its life, she ripped it forth with a blood red light and sucked it into herself. The feeling of the leviathan's power made her want to vomit. It was like drinking sewage. But the Breton Witch held down her gorge, and continued absorbing the monster's vitality. The gargantua was so powerful that she knew it was like trying to empty Lake Rumare with a teacup, but she hoped that it would at least get the horror's attention.

As she expected, the behemoth turned its head down to her and Talun-Lei and opened its mouth to spit. The Argonian needed no prompting, and let fly with his javelin. The slender, barbed shaft flew straight and true, embedding itself deeply within the roof of behemoth's mouth. It screeched in agony, and let loose a torrent of acid.

Aela raised her ward in time to deflect the shower of corrosive bile. Talun-Lei crouched close, practically hugging her, and Aela could not blame him. For just inches away the acid bubbled and hissed through the ground around them, dissolving it before their eyes and raising a cloud of noxious fumes.

When the torrent had passed, Aela looked up through the wavering light of her ward to see the gargantua towering overhead. There was no sign of the Talun-Lei's javelin. She imagined that the acid had completely destroyed the weapon. Then Aela felt the Argonian wrap one arm around her waist, and pull her aside. A moment later one of the beast's legs came pounding down into the ground where they had stood, spiked foot burrowing deeply into the soil.

Aela got her bearings, and briefly watched as Valens, Nashira, and Seridwe raced around the legs of the creature, hacking and slashing with their swords. Then she joined in with her absorb health spell, doing what she could to take away the creature's life energy one little bit at a time. Do'Sakhar sped arrow after arrow up into its head, and Ungarion now sent lightning crackling along the monster's belly. Yet all of their attacks did little more than raise the Daedra's ire.

The monster spat acid and clubbed here and there with its monstrous legs. But just as the Seven's weapons found no purchase in its hide, its own weaponry failed to strike home. The mercenaries were too quick, and were always there to pull one another out of danger, or distract the beast at some critical moment.

Aela found herself running through her magicka at a frightful rate, and was forced to down potion after potion to restore it just to keep up the pace. She knew that Ungarion was doing no better. In fact she imagined that he was burning through his energy even more quickly with his Destruction magic.

The battle reminded Aela of a swarm of bees harassing a bear. The behemoth could never hope to swat each individual bee, but neither could the swarm stop the bear from tearing apart their hive. For tear apart was exactly what the behemoth was doing. In its drive to blot the Seven from existence, it was steadily laying waste to Agrigento. It crushed the bamboo hedgehogs that blocked side streets, and smashed homes into splinters. Nothing could stop the relentless advance of the beast, and soon the Seven found themselves backed up to the edge of the town square.

The noise of the alarm bell rang out in Aela's ears, and the Breton Witch recognized the beat. It was the call to retreat to the brewery. She turned to see the villagers pouring down the streets from all directions. They piled up into a great mob at the doors of the distillery, as they all pushed and shoved to get into the final refuge.

"Who gave the order to retreat!" Valens roared. "Get back to the walls! The Nagas are still out there!"

"Meen-Sa gave the order," the water priestess appeared from the crowd, and shouted back at the Nibenean. "They have broken through the in the east, and these ones cannot hold them in the street."

"Use the blasted shield wall!" Valens shouted back, "like I trained you!"

"Shields are no use against magic!" Meen-Sa held her own against the mercenary. "They still have a fire mage, Agrigento's undines cannot hold that one back any longer!"

"Blast it!" Valens shook his head, and spat in the street. "Nashira, Seridwe, with me! We have to slow those Nagas down, and give the others time to get inside."

"What about this thing!" Ungarion cried as he loosed a wave of frost across the underside of the monster.

"Think of something damnit!" Valens yelled back over his shoulder as he sped off with the others. "It must have a vulnerability somewhere."

"These ones have hit the beast in every place that they can see!" Talun-Lei cried. "Where else is there?"

Where else indeed, Aela thought as she craned her neck up at the behemoth. Then she remembered, they had had not actually hit it everywhere. They had only struck its underside, which was covered in those hard plates. But when she had stood upon the roof of the brewery, she recalled that its back was not armored. Perhaps a blow there would strike true?

"Ungarion, I have an idea!" Aela raised a hand to the sky and loosed magicka from her fingers. A sylph formed in the air above her: a female form of shifting wind and blown grains of dust and dirt.

"What did you-" Ungarion's sentence was cut off when the air spirit grabbed hold of him and shot up into the air.

"Nyyarrrgh!" the Altmer ululated as the sylph effortlessly dodged around a spit of acid. Then the two were floating in the air above the leviathan, and Aela could see that Ungarion knew exactly what she had in mind.

The Altmer filled his hands with magic and turned a cascade of flames down upon the behemoth. The sylph sped down the length of the monster's body, allowing Ungarion to blast every inch of the black, gooey substance the comprised the monster's back. Aela could see tentacles whip out in what she imagined might be pain, only to be consumed by the flames as they washed across the Daedra's body.

The behemoth screeched and flailed about, shattering the homes all around it. A tentacle lashed out and wrapped itself around Ungarion's ankles. The high elf was yanked down toward the seething backside of the monster, and his fire went spraying wildly into the sky as the sylph struggled to hold him aloft.

No, Aela thought, it cannot end like this!

She saw Do'Sakhar raise his sandcrawler bow and take careful aim. The Khajiit loosed the string with a deep report, and the mithril-head of his arrow shot clear through the behemoth's tentacle, tearing away a large gobbet of flesh with it. The ropy appendage stretched thinner and thinner around the gaping wound, and finally snapped.

The sylph sped away with Ungarion, reorienting his body so that he faced down at the monster once more. She continued to skim along the creature's back, and again her passenger unleashed an inferno upon the otherworldly beast.

Her first pass complete, the sylph turned and went back over the monster again. This time Ungarion let loose an avalanche of frost upon the leviathan's back, covering its blazing flesh with glittering ice. Again it shrieked and lashed out with its legs, though Aela could see that this time its efforts lacked the same vigor as before. It was weakening…

With that in mind she moved in closer, and once again began to tear the lifeforce from the creature's hide. She saw Ungarion and the sylph turn back for a third pass, and this time the air was filled with the bright flashing and crackling of lighting. The magical energy tore along the back of the monster, and now huge gouts of blood and chunks of flesh went flying up into the air behind Ungarion. The entire back of the monster seemed to have been torn open, and its innards were being blasted out by the shock of the Altmer's lightning.

The beast wavered over Aela's head, and she felt its lifeforce wink from existence. Unlike her spirits, the monster did not vanish into thin air however. Rather it had brought its own flesh and blood from its home in Namira's realm, and now that ravaged body came crashing down to Nirn in a bloody, burned, and frozen pulp.

Like the others, Aela ran to avoid being crushed underneath the bulk. The ground shook, and a huge cloud of dust rose up in the air around the horror's corpse. Aela found herself coughing, and had to wipe the powder from her eyes. That is when she remembered her sylph. A spirit of air could easily take care of such annoyances. The sylph settled the cloud of dust in a moment, and they all looked up to see her majestically lower Ungarion to the ground.

"You may all worship me now…" the high elf grinned, arms crossed triumphantly.

Posted by: Acadian Feb 1 2014, 02:50 PM

Wow, what an unstoppable leviathan! Bees vs bear was a good analogy. Clever of Aela to consider that for such a tall, ground-smashing creature, its back might be vulnerable.

It was neat to see great teamwork by the Seven as they all cycled through almost every possible way to harm the beast.

And finally, the Aelagarion Air Force comes to the rescue with death from above! Gotta love close air support. Woot!

Hmm, next target would be Dark-Eye’s. . . eye it seems. For I surely hope he can’t conjure another bug for the Seven to smash in the same day!

Speaking of bug smashing, I can’t help but be reminded by a line that I love from one of the ‘Aliens’ movies. One of the smart alec space Marines says before they drop in to the Alien-infested planet, “Is this going to be a real stand-up fight, or just another [bleeping] bug hunt?”


Nits:
‘Wood splintered and cracked, and moment later the leviathan's talon sheared completely through the Nirn spirit's body.’ - - I think you wanted either: ‘a moment later’ or perhaps, ‘moments later’.

"It's must have a vulnerability somewhere." - - I’m smiling as I imagine the changing edits that produced this, for I know all too well the pesky troubles they can cause. I’m sure that in this final version, you wanted simply ‘It’.

Posted by: King Coin Feb 1 2014, 10:40 PM

I’ve been away from this story far too long.

3.8
I loved this section.

The plan to knock out the mages was successful, and nearly deadly! That was well done though, of course they would be targeted, and it was a great way to shift to Valens’ perspective.

Despite the terror, Valens drilled the village enough to fight well despite the fear. Without him, they certainly would have fallen.

And then the bandit chief! And he’s another Daedra’s champion, and seems to have some strong protections in place if that arrow only annoyed him. As capable as Valens is as a commander and warrior, the Redguard is a superior swords(wo)man. I am going to guess that she will be the one to kill the chief later.

Posted by: King Coin Feb 2 2014, 05:27 PM

3.9

This was a great follow up to the previous section as well. I’m wondering if Talun-Lei had leave to go out, or if he did this without telling the others?

The killing of the rival was well written, and the aftermath tense. I am glad that none of the others spoke up about never seeing this Argonian before. He was lucky that everyone was as stunned as he was with the leader’s display of power. Now he just needs to find a way to sneak out and get back to the village!

Posted by: haute ecole rider Feb 2 2014, 08:14 PM

Well, that was quite the rousing battle. You did not disappoint!

Every creature has a weak spot. This one just happens to be the opposite of those built closer to Nirn. I'm glad Aela had the opportunity to see it from above when it first appeared.

There's not much left for me to say except to echo what everyone (especially Acadian) has to say. Yes, it was both a stand-up fight and a [censored] bug hunt of the best caliber! And yes, I'm a fan of the Alien movies. The first three anyway. So I know the one our Paladin referred to! It was the second movie -- Aliens. My personal favorite. And not just because Michael Biehn is in that one.

Posted by: King Coin Feb 3 2014, 03:37 PM

Ch 3.10

Back at the brewery. Sounds like despite how well they repelled the attackers, the bandits still managed to wreck a lot of their defensive structures. This second push is going to be more difficult.

I wasn’t sure if Talun-Lei made it out yet. Glad to hear he did.

What is that monster? How are they going to remove it from the field?

Posted by: King Coin Feb 4 2014, 04:42 PM

Ch 3.11 I’m caught up!

Ahh excellent! Root it in place with the land spirit.

I was surprised that Aela would try to use absorb life from that beast. I don’t imagine that its life essence would be healthy for a person.

They’ve tried several things now, and none seem particularly effective. The bandits can’t be too far behind the creature either.

The temperature changes was clever. Glad they were able to take the beast down. Now for the rest!

Posted by: ghastley Feb 4 2014, 07:38 PM

Now to hope that rift to Oblivion was a "once a day" power, and Dark-eye can't do it again!

And King Coin has a good point. What have the others been doing while the beast has occupied everyone?

Posted by: Grits Feb 5 2014, 05:42 PM

I especially loved the opening sequence with Aela, Ungarion, and Seridwe throwing things at the beast and shielding/yanking one another out of harm’s way. Very exciting!

"Think of something damnit!" Valens yelled back over his shoulder as he sped off with the others.

What a vote of confidence in Ungarion! And it was Aela who thought of something!

The sylph settled the cloud of dust in a moment, and they all looked up to see her majestically lower Ungarion to the ground.

Beautiful! I was already imagining Ungarion striking a pose as he touched down. Yay!

Posted by: SubRosa Feb 7 2014, 05:39 PM

Acadian: Teamwork is something I was really trying to illustrate in that leviathan battle. Glad it showed.

I thought you would like Aela summoning up an F-4 for Ungarion to hop into and lay down snake and nape on the beastie!

It is funny you mention Aliens, because there is a line in today's episode that I had to work so hard not to quote directly from that same movie. I am sure it will probably still be noticeable.


King Coin: Yay, you're back!

I wanted to make sure that while the bandits were not disciplined professionals, they are still tough, clever, and experienced at what they do. Hence their ability to pull off a plan to take both Aela and Ungarion out of the fight when they made their big push.

You called it on Valens vs. Nashira. He is first and foremost a military commander. He's the leader, the trainer, the planner, they guy who keeps everyone working together at their best. OTOH Nashira is a duelist. She is focused purely upon her mastery of the sword, and that has made her one of the best longsworders in the world. She is used to fighting alone, and only worrying about herself. Keep your eyes peeled for which one does in Dark-Eye...

You also called it on why none of the other Argonians in the bandit band noticed that Talun-Lei wasn't one of them. Everyone was just too stunned by Dark-Eye's lethal demonstration of power. Now we see how he keeps a guy as scary as Vishta-Zaw in line!

Aela did not like the idea of absorbing the life from that Scuttling Monster! But Absorb Health is the only truly offensive spell she knows. Aside from her Absorb Stamina. But she doubted that would even be noticed by the creature.

The extreme temperature changes were inspired in part by the 3rd Alien movie, where they finally killed the critter by alternately freezing and burning the Alien. But also just because those kinds of sudden thermal shocks can cause a great deal of damage to structures. Hannibal got through the Alps by dousing the boulders blocking his path with wine, setting them on fire, then sending guys rushing in with the hammers and picks while they were still hot.


haute ecole rider: I was inspired by wasps vs spiders when I made the leviathain's back its weak spot. Some wasps will land on top of spiders and lay their eggs in their backs, and in spite of how scary those arthropods are, there is nothing they can do about it. If Aela had not been standing on the roof and seen its back, she never would have guessed it.


ghastley: I did not have anywhere to put it, but Dark-Eye's Eye Gateway is definitely one of those things that he cannot use a great deal. Not to mention since he cannot control what comes out, he's not exactly anxious to try it in the first place! That is why the rest of the Nagas attacked a different part of the village from where he created the gate.


Grits: The teamwork in the Scuttling Leviathan battle was partly inspired by the battle against the dragon in http://youtu.be/l_4ZXgOZuhs?t=1h11m20s. All of the old FF gang came together to take on the beastie.

Of course Ungarion had to have his majestic moment after finally slaying the monster!


Previously On Seven: In our last episode the Seven all came together to battle the monster from the Scuttling Void. In the meantime the Agrigentans withdrew from that section of wall, and went to the eastern wall to reinforce the fight against the Nagas there. The Seven made little headway against the monster, and soon got the news that the Nagas had broken through the villager's lines in the east. Valens, Nashira, and Seridwe had to leave to intercept the bandits. Afterward Aela had an idea, and summoned a sylph to lift Ungarion up in the air above the monster. That allowed him to use his destruction magic upon the unarmored back of the monster, alternating between fire, frost, and lightning attacks, killing the monster.


Chapter 3.12

"These ones will have to save their adulation for later," Do'Sakhar remarked dryly. "There are still the Nagas to deal with."

"Aye," Talun-Lei said. The Argonian leaned on his heavy spear for a moment and caught his breath. "This one has used his javelins, how does the Khajiit fare?"

"Do'Sakhar has likewise spent his arrows," the desert warrior frowned. He drew his dwarven axe in one hand, and readied his scorpion-emblazoned buckler in the other. "From now on it shall be the fearful work of the axe."

"I am afraid my magicka is quite depleted as well," Ungarion sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "and I am out of restoratives."

"The same here," Aela frowned. "That thing took it all out of me. I still have my sylph though." As if called by mention of her name, the wind spirit swirled beside Aela, kicking up a small whirlwind of dust for a moment before settling down once more.

"Well then, these ones had best get cracking," Talun-Lei said with a wink. Aela realized that he was repeating Ungarion's very same words from a few days before, when the three of them had set off to intercept the Naga scouts. "They don't want to keep their guests waiting do they?"

"Now that is the spirit!" Ungarion grinned and clapped a hand on the young Argonian's shoulder. "You first."

With that the four mercenaries set off in a trot across the town square. A glance back showed Aela that the villagers were still streaming into the brewery. Even with its wide double doors, there was only so much space for people to pass through at once. They would need several more minutes at least for everyone to get inside.

Aela paused a moment to lift a discarded shield in one hand. Until her magicka regenerated, she would be unable to protect herself with her ward. While her clothing was enchanted to protect her from elemental and physical harm, she did not want to rely upon it alone. She knew from painful experience that it could be pierced by enchanted or simply strong metals such as elvish or dwarven steel.

She saw Ungarion do likewise, and even heft a spear that had been thrown aside. Aela could not help but think of how ridiculous he looked in his black mage robes, wooden shield, and bamboo spear. It was so unlike him. She knew that if they ever did survive all of this, Do'Sakhar would never let him live it down.

They did not have to go far to find the Nagas. Valens, Nashira, and Seridwe faced them in the street leading to the east wall, along with Ulpia and Rullianus. The ground where they stood was littered with blackened and burned detritus, including many more shields and spears. The homes to either side were blazing infernos, belching out thick black smoke into the sky.

Clearly the Agrigentan defense had been broken by Vishta-Zaw's fire magic. It was no wonder that they had fled. With shields on fire and spears incinerated, how could they have fought back? Undines could counter the magical attacks for some time, but there had only been so many scrolls Aela had been able to make. She also knew that while Meen-Sa could summon the water spirits herself, she did not possess a bottomless well of magicka. In fact, given that the mikumari was not even a University graduate - or belonging to a race naturally blessed with magic - Aela had no doubt that the priestess had used up her own energy long ago.

The three mercenaries were fighting at close-quarters with the bandits, while Ulpia and Rullianus stood back a few paces to blast the attackers with their borrowed staves. Aela could see that no matter how skillful Nashira was, or how invulnerable Valens' and Seridwe's armor made them, they stood no chance against the host of bandits. It was simply a matter of time before swarming Nagas and Argonians brought them down.

Then Talun-Lei and Do'Sakhar leapt into the fray, briefly stopping the bandits. Aela followed with Ungarion. She simply held her shield up with both hands and shoved hard against the nearest brigand. Ungarion did likewise, and after a few moments the attackers fell back to regroup several paces away.

"My staff is empty," Ulpia whispered in Aela's ear, "and I have no magicka gems left to recharge it."

The Breton Witch glanced at Rullianus, and saw the villager shake his head in unspoken reply. She was not surprised. They were all at the ends of their ropes. She could even see that Seridwe had used up all of her arrows as well.

"Get back to the brewery you two," Valens said. "Take charge of things there, and keep everyone moving to safety."

"What about the rest of you?" Ulpia frowned, looking from the Nibenean to the marauders opposite him.

"We'll be along shortly," he said. "Now go, we'll give you some more time."

Ulpia looked to Aela. The Breton could see the desperation in the Imperial's eyes, mixed in with all of the things they had left unsaid since Aela's vow to remain friends. But there was no time, as there never was, and all Aela could do was nod back at her.

With that Ulpia turned and sprinted for the square. Rullianus did not follow her however. Instead he dropped Ungarion's staff, and picked up a shield and bamboo spike from the wreckage littering the street.

Before Valens or anyone else could speak, the Nagas advanced once more. Aela's eyes were locked upon those of her opposite number: Vishta-Zaw. While the Naga wizard still gripped that devastating staff, instead he lifted his free hand and filled it with fire. Aela imagined that given the power of the staff, a single use must completely drain it. So it was probably not something he could use very often. Like her and Ungarion's staves, it must be a weapon of last resort, or one to make a grand demonstration.

Aela imagined her sylph descending upon the Naga mage, and a moment later the air spirit came out of nowhere and engulfed the wizard in a pillar of flying dust. Aela could see his arms and tail occasionally poke from the whirlwind, and a moment later his staff went flying. Unfortunately it winged back behind the bandits. Otherwise Aela would have been glad to turn it against its former owner.

Then the other brigands were upon them. Aela saw their leader Dark-Eye close with Valens. The two Daedric champions seemed to be drawn together like lodestones. She did not know of any rivalry between Azura and Namira. Not like that of say, Molag Bal and Boethiah. But of course that did not mean one did not exist. Or it might simply be that the two - both mortal agents of immortal powers - were called by those otherworldly energies within each other.

In any case, Aela had her hands full with her shield when a Naga came crashing into it. She held her own against the bandit, but only for a moment. Then his tail somehow came snaking around her ankle, and she went crashing down to the ground on her back. It was exactly what Valens had warned them about during his lessons on the riverboat, so long ago. She saw the snakeman lift a dagger over his head, point down like an icepick. She knew that he would strike an instant later, and tried to squirm aside. But her shield was trapped under the Naga's bulk, and she could not get either arm out from underneath it. All she could do was stare at the jagged piece of animal horn as it pointed directly at her face.

Then Talun-Lei's spear sank deeply into the Naga's armpit. The brigand's dagger fell from nerveless fingers, and his bulk began to fall forward, on top of the Breton mage. But Talun-Lei kicked out with one foot, and shoved the corpse back and out of the way. Aela climbed to her feet, and was about to congratulate the Argonian when an arrow sprouted from his face.

Talun-Lei was lucky, in that he had been turning his head toward Aela at the time. Because of that the missile did not sink directly through his eye and into his brain. Instead the reed arrow skittered across the bridge of his nose, tore out his eye, and ripped along one cheekbone, exposing the bone underneath. The Argonian fell to his knees. Dropping his shield and spear, he held his hands up to his face to cover the horrific wound. Blood gushed around his fingers, and Aela could see his tail thrashing in agony.

If only she had the full use of her magicka, Aela thought. She could have healed him in just a few moments. But while some of her power had returned, it was not nearly enough for the task. As it was, she knew that she had to carefully husband what little energy she did possess. She might have just one more good spell left. It would do no good to use it to partially heal Talun-Lei, if it meant they would both be killed a moment later for the want of her magic.

So she put her arms around the Argonian and pulled him back to his feet. Lifting her shield up over the two of them, she dragged him down the street, toward the town square and the brewery beyond. An arrow slammed into the cross-plied boards of her shield, and another followed moments later. Aela silently breathed a prayer of thanks to Zenithar - and the craftsmanship of whoever had built the shield - for neither missile pierced its wooden planks.

She could see little of the battle beyond the defensive armament however, mostly just legs, feet, and tails. So she had no idea who was shooting at her. Since there was nothing to be done about that, she concentrated upon what she could do, and continued hustling Talun-Lei to safety.

That is when she felt her sylph wink from existence. The roaring of flame followed, and she knew that Vishta-Zaw was back in the fight once more. This was it, Aela thought. She had to do something now or the others would be overwhelmed.

She paused and turned to face the Nagas. Raising one hand, she poured what little magicka she had left through her fingers. Another sylph formed in the air in front of her. This time the spirit lifted the wind around her, and sent a torrent of dust into the eyes of the approaching bandits. The mercenaries were buffeted by the gale as well, but since their backs were to it, they fared much better. The bandits were not so lucky however, and in an instant their attack was thrown back, as they were all forced to hold their hands up to cover their eyes, and brace themselves against the blast.

"We have to leave now!" Aela shouted. Now she saw that others were wounded as well. Seridwe came limping along with blood running down one of her legs. Yet she still was able to carry Ungarion slung over her shoulders. The Breton's heart sank at the sight, but leapt with relief when she saw the wizard's chest slowly rise and fall a moment later. Do'Sakhar's left arm hung limp, shield missing. Nashira was still fighting, and while bloody, she did not appear to be seriously injured. Neither was Valens, and he pulled the Redguard back with one arm around her waist.

"It's time to go!" Valens shouted loudly.

That left Rullianus, who gave no sign of budging from his position in the street.

"Get out of there!" Valens yelled to the Agrigentan. But either he did not hear, or the villager chose to ignore the mercenary's words. Instead he threw his makeshift spear to the ground, and lifted one of the bandit's more serviceable weapons in its place. Holding his shield up before him, Rullianus charged into the maelstrom of dust and wind.

That was the last Aela would see of the Agrigentan.

Her eyes were forced away from when Talun-Lei sagged heavily against her. His hands fell away from his face, which Aela could see was covered in blood, gobbets of eye, and chips of bone. He still moaned and thrashed weakly, but Aela could tell that he was almost completely unconscious from the shock and pain of his wound.

"These ones must move!" Do'Sakhar growled. The Khajiit slid his good arm under one of Talun-Lei's shoulders. Aela dropped her shield, and took the Argonian by the other shoulder with both hands. Together the pair dragged the nearly unconscious Saxhleel to safety. Alongside them came Seridwe and Ungarion, with Valens and Nashira bringing up the rear.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Feb 7 2014, 07:52 PM

For a second there I thought we had lost Talun-Lei! That is the hallmark of a good story, get us caring enough about a character that when something happens to said character, we panic at the thought of that person dying!

I really liked how you paint the despair and the desolation of the previous episode - how everyone had spent everything they had (All In) on one last desperate gamble. Now with nothing left, things are looking very bad for the Agrigentians. This is where a lesser writer would try to introduce a http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeusExMachina to save the day. But I think you're way beyond that level -- and I am looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Posted by: Acadian Feb 8 2014, 04:54 PM

"Now that is the spirit!" Ungarion grinned and clapped a hand on the young Argonian's shoulder. "You first." - - How very very Ungarion!

‘...a moment later the air spirit came out of nowhere and engulfed the wizard in a pillar of flying dust. Aela could see his arms and tail occasionally poke from the whirlwind, and a moment later his staff went flying.' - - Despite the deadly situation, I could not help but smile as I clearly visualized this.

‘Then his tail somehow came snaking around her ankle, and she went crashing down to the ground on her back. It was exactly what Valens had warned them about during his lessons on the riverboat, so long ago.’ - - What a brilliant display of ‘using what you’ve got’. Makes me wish I had a tail (almost).

You did a great job of showing the defenders running out of mojo, blood and ideas at a pace that exceeded the requirements of this pitched battle. This has really become a stellar nail-biter! Yikes!

Posted by: King Coin Feb 10 2014, 12:14 AM

Now the true challenge begins, defeat the bandit horde. No arrows or other ranged attacks, this is going to be tense! The mages had to pitch in with shields! Aela is damn lucky Talun-Lei was there when she fell! And I thought Talun-Lei was going to die. I suppose he still could, missing an eye in a battle is no good.

Posted by: SubRosa Feb 14 2014, 05:19 PM

haute ecole rider: Talun-Lei is not out of the wood yet! I am glad so many people mentioned their concern for him dying. As you said, it means I am getting something done right.

It won't be Deus Ex Machina, but rather http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChekhovsGun. We saw it back in http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=5381&view=findpost&p=193388. Now it is finally time to take that soju off the wall and put it to use.


Acadian: I am glad someone liked the "You first." line. Like you said, it is so Ungarion that I could not write anything else.

It is time those Nagas got some use from those tails! I wanted to show how accurate Valens' demonstration of Naga fighting back on the riverboat was. So I had one do exactly what he warned about. Aela not being a warrior by trade, was naturally completely overwhelmed by it.

As you said, that episode was supposed to be about the defenders running out of everything and not being able to hold the bandits back. After their victory against the big bad scuttling behemoth, I wanted to be sure the bandits themselves were still menacing. I am glad they came out that way, as now it is plain that our heroes have used up all their oomph.


King Coin: Like I said to Acadian, I am glad the bandits still feel like a threat. After losing the first big battle, and then the Seven defeating the giant centipede, I was worried they might seem like no problem at all. I suppose nearly killing Talun-Lei was a good way to do that! As you noted, he is not out of the woods yet though. None of them are really.


Previously On Seven: In our last episode Aela and the rest of the Seven raced to the eastern section of the village to reinforce Valens and company. They joined in the fight just in time to prevent the bandits from overwhelming the heroes. However with the archers out of arrows, the mages out of magicka, and even their staves drained of charges, the Seven were at the end of their ropes. Aela and Ungarion themselves had to pick up shields and join in the melee. Aela was nearly killed by a Naga, but was saved by Talun-Lei at the last moment. However, he was shot in the face with an arrow just an instant later, and critically wounded. The other Seven fared little better, and they were forced to retreat under the cover of one of Aela's sylph's.

Note: This is a big post, but it is so important that I did not want to break it up.


Chapter 3.13

Aela felt her connection to her sylph fade away to nothing as they rushed through the open doors of the brewery. That was it then, she thought. The last full measure of her power had gone into summoning the spirit. She had nothing left.

The Witch saw the last of the villagers climbing down through the trapdoor across the room from her, entering the safety of the tunnel that ran to the stable. Ulpia sealed it shut it behind them, then threw a reed mat over the hatch to conceal it from view.

The Breton spared a glance around the main chamber of the brewery. It was dominated by four huge, copper vats that rose high into the air. Tapering into slender pipes, each bent back downward to empty out into large collection pots. An iron walkway ringed the top of the vats, accessible by a single metal stair leading up to it from the ground floor. Finally a ladder at the far end of the walkway led up to a trapdoor in the roof overhead.

Aela saw that the raised walkway was lined with kimchi pots of Argonian manufacture. She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the rounded clay vessels, and hoped that they were indeed filled with the village's soju. For Valens' idea to trap the Nagas was now the only card they had left to play.

Valens and Nashira slammed the wooden double doors behind them, throwing the timber bolt to seal them closed. But Aela knew that would not hold the bandits for long. She headed for the stairs - and along with Do'Sakhar - carried Talun-Lei up to the raised walkway. They laid the wounded Argonian down at its far end, and Aela found that he was now unconscious. Hold on, she thought as she stared down at the youthful warrior's bloody face. One way or another, this would all be over soon.

Seridwe laid Ungarion down next to the Argonian. Aela knelt down beside the high elf, and found that he was still awake. With one hand he gripped a wound in his chest. From the tiny bubbles of air in the blood that welled up from around his fingers, the Witch knew that one of his lungs had been pierced. Even now, the blood that filled the organ would be slowly drowning the Altmer. If only she had her magicka left, she could easily stop the flow of blood, and drain his air passages so he could breathe freely.

But her energy had been utterly spent in the battle, and all of her restorative potions used up. All she could do now was wait for her magicka to regenerate naturally, and hope that Ungarion could survive that long.

"Done in by a spear," the Altmer mage gasped through bloody lips. "A simple fetching spear of all things. It's no way for a wizard to die."

"You aren't going to die old friend," Aela insisted with a conviction that she did not truly feel. "I will have you fit as a Fir Bolg in no time at all."

"You don't have to lie to me," Ungarion wheezed. "I know when I am finished. Just promise me one thing…"

"Anything," Aela breathed.

"Don't tell anyone it was a spear," the Altmer gasped. "Say it was a Daedra that did me in. Something respectable, like a daedroth, or a clannfear. Or maybe an aureal. They have style, and golden skin. Yes, an aureal would do nicely."

Aela shook her head as a deep booming noise issued from the doorway below. A glance in that direction revealed that the twin portals shuddered under blow after blow from the other side. She looked back to Ungarion.

"You are not going to die," she insisted. She pulled the sash from her waist and stuffed it up into a ball. She pressed it down into his spear wound, which at least stopped the blood for the time being. Taking both of the mage's hands, she pressed them down hard upon the makeshift dressing. "Now press down on this, and don't let up."

Aela stood up, and turned to look at Do'Sakhar. She noted that the lamellar armor plates that protected his wounded arm were dented inward in a long line. "How is that arm?"

"Khajiit fears it is broken," he replied, tenderly raising his good hand to the injured spot on his upper arm. "One of those Nagas had an axe. While it did not penetrate Do'Sakhar's armor, it still felt like a desert mule had kicked him."

Before Aela could reply, the two wooden doors burst open with a blast of fire. Shards of wood flew across the brewery, and the Breton was forced to raise a hand to shield her face from the burning shrapnel. Slithering into the room a moment later were the bandits, led by none other than Dark-Eye himself.

"These ones cannot hide from…" the Naga leader's boastful words trailed off as he looked about the wide, empty chamber. Aela could not help but smile at the bandit's consternation. Obviously he had been expecting to burst in upon a room filled with cowering farmers. Valens' trap was working. But only if all of the marauders were drawn into it.

"Hide?" the Nibenean mercenary cried out. He strode to the stairs leading down to the distillery floor. "From what, your stench, you sodding fetcher?"

"Azura will not protect this one," the bandit chief growled. "No steel can fell Dark-Eye!"

"A bar of soap might!" Valens shot back.

The Nibenean's goading brought the Naga leader slithering directly to the stairway to meet him. The bandits spread out behind him, filling up the room below. The Breton Witch was thankful to note that their quivers were empty, just as Do'Sakhar's and Seridwe's were. At least the brigands appeared to be at the end of their ropes as well…

Dark-Eye cocked back his ebony spear, and hurled it at the Nibenean above. Valens must have been expecting the move however, and beat the missile aside with the blade of one of this ebony swords. Just as Talun-Lei had told them after returning from his spy mission in the Naga camp, Dark-Eye lifted one hand into the air, and a Daedric greatsword took shape beneath his fingers.

Then Valens was upon the Naga. His twin ebony arming swords slashed and cut, but the Naga leader was clearly no slouch when it came to longswording. Holding his infernal blade with one hand upon the hilt and the other halfway down the blade, he used the long weapon more like a staff than a sword. Each of its ends became a weapon in the Naga's hands, and he used them both to parry and counter the Nibenean's dual attacks.

Aela tore her eyes from the contest between Daedric Champions, and looked back to the floor below. The Naga and Argonian bandits were shouting and beating the hafts of their spears upon their shield rims. She looked to the door, and saw that the wizard Vishta-Zaw lurked there. The Naga mage was bruised, blackened, and bloody. That came as a relief to Aela, for his fire magic was the one thing they could no longer counter.

The Naga wizard did not seem eager to join in the fray however. Instead he hovered in the doorway, and simply watched the battle unfold between his leader and Valens. Aela wondered if he had used up all of his magicka as well. Or perhaps he was hoping that Dark-Eye might be killed in the fight. After all, that would probably leave him as the bandit's new leader…

"There is no more time," Ulpia cried. "We have to use the soju now!"

"We must get them deeper into the room," Seridwe shook her head. "Those by the door will escape."

Aela glanced back to Valens. For all of the drill instructor's skill with his blades, he was slowly being pushed up the stair by Dark-Eye. More Nagas crowded the steps behind their leader. It was only a matter of time before they gained the walkway itself, and made the trap superfluous.

"Ulpia's right," Aela insisted. She took hold of one of the kimchi pots with both hands and shoved it over the edge of the walkway. The large clay pot shattered as it struck the stone floor below, sending alcohol spraying in all directions. "It's now or never."

With that the others followed suit, sending the round terra cotta pots crashing to the floor in a rain of fired clay and soju. The bandits underneath leaped to and fro to avoid the missiles, and shook their fists back in reply. They still did not realize what was happening, Aela thought. They had no idea that they were standing within their own doom.

"Now who has a torch?" Ulpia cried.

Aela looked around, and her heart plummeted. The brewery was lit by beams of sunlight slanting in from clerestory windows set high in the walls overhead. There were torch sconces in the walls below and along the walkway, but they were all empty. There were not even lanterns, or a single candle. Turning her head down to the floor, she saw them all bundled up in one corner. In their haste, they had forgotten to bring them up on the balcony!

"Here," Aela and the others turned their heads at Ungarion's gasp. She stared in disbelief at the scroll the Altmer held forth in one hand, now stained with his own blood. Aela darted to the mage's side, and took the parchment in her hands. She unrolled it with trembling fingers, and smiled at the single word that was written there.

"Ungarion, you are amazing," she said.

"Well of course!" he replied with a wink.

The Breton turned to face the marauders below. Now she saw the panic blossom on their faces as they looked at the soju that bathed their scales. But it was too late. "Flare," Aela said, and the scroll fell to dust in her hands. A small, bright ball of flame took shape under the fingers of her right hand, and the Witch hurled it down to the floor below.

It was the most elementary spell in the destruction mage's arsenal. One that even she had learned in the required beginners course on the subject at the University. It was useful for little more than starting campfires, killing rats, and annoying teachers. Hardly a spell to fear. But when hundreds of gallons of highly flammable liquid were at the other end, it became a nightmare.

The distillery floor erupted into an inferno. Bandits screamed as they were wreathed in flames. They ran and slithered to and fro, but there was no escaping from the horrific blaze. The flames nearly shot up as high as the walkway, and heated the metal grating underfoot. Aela was thankful for the flame resistance potions she had drank at the beginning of the battle, and for her clothing's elemental resistances. But even she felt hot as the flames soared up beneath her.

The sound of clanging steel brought Aela's attention around to the head of the stairway. Valens and Dark-Eye still dueled there, barely above the flames. There was no sign of the bandits that had been behind their chieftain, and Aela imagined that they had been consumed in the blaze.

She watched as Dark-Eye jabbed at Valens with the point of his longsword. The Nibenean swept the blade aside with one of his own arming swords. Valens countered with the other, and this time the bandit did not try to block. Instead Dark-Eye let the ebony blade strike the white scales of his cuirass. Valens' sword pierced armor, and sank deeply into the Naga's chest.

But Dark Eye merely grunted, and otherwise paid no heed to the wound, which would have felled any other warrior. The bandit leader pulled back the point of his sword with one hand, and swept the hit forward with the other. The crossbar hooked around Valens' ankle, and the marauder jerked it back with a smile. The Nibenean fell on his back, and the Naga slithered in for the finishing blow.

"Dark-Eye will feast upon this one's heart!" the bandit leader boasted.

"Feast on this!' Nashira cried.

The Redguard's sword was sheathed at her hip, but she leaped out over Valens all the same. Gripping the rails to either side of the walkway, she kicked out with both feet. The soles of her armored boots hammered into the Naga's chest. Dark-Eye teetered, and fell back into the blazing inferno. The last Aela saw of him was his Daedric blade rising above the licking flames. Then he completely vanished into the blaze.

The fire did not last for long, as once the soju was exhausted, there was nothing left to burn. The floor, walls, and columns that supported the ceiling were made of stone. Thankfully the roof and its wooden beams were high enough overhead to escape the momentary blaze. However, the fire had lasted long enough to turn the bandits into blackened husks. Even through the dark smoke that had filled the building, it was clear that nothing down on the floor still lived.

Aela and the others found themselves forced up on the roof to escape the choking fumes. Those who were still fit lifted the wounded mercenaries. By the time they all tasted fresh air, Aela felt her magicka returning.

Aela wasted no time, and bent over Ungarion to send her power down into his broken chest. The first thing she did was seal his arteries shut with magicka, so they would not longer pour blood into his lung. Then she drew up the blood that already filled his air passages and turned it back into his veins. That however nearly exhausted what energy she had regained. She was forced to pause, and use her remaining power to simply hold his body that way, leaving him free to breathe once more. She glanced at Talun-Lei, and hoped he could hold on a little longer. Once Ungarion could breathe freely upon his own, the Argonian would be her first priority.

"Some of them are escaping!"

Aela followed Seridwe's pointed finger to the town square below. She saw three Nagas down there, slithering across the open space as fast as their tails could push them. One of them carried a staff, and Aela knew it had to be the wizard Vishta-Zaw.

He and the other two had been standing in the doorway, Aela thought. That must have been enough for them to escape the inferno. Damn it! Had they indeed used the soju too soon?

"What I would give for just one arrow right now," the Altmer archer fumed.

"There is nothing for it then," Nashira said calmly. A moment later she went sliding feet first down the angled roof of the brewery, kicking up red-glazed tiles as she went. She spun at the edge of the roof, and reached out with both hands to stop her descent. Then she let go, and plummeted to the square below.

Like the others, Aela stared in shock. Was the Redguard mad? But then Valens followed, and likewise slid down the roof to fall to the ground below.

"Those ones will be lucky not to break their legs," Do'Sakhar shook his head.

"Oh you would be doing it too, if not for your arm," Aela pointed out.

"But of course," the Khajiit grinned back.

Aela turned her eyes back to the square, and now Nashira came into view from beyond the edge of the roof. She had her scimitar in hand now, and raced across the open space with lightning speed. She caught up with the last bandit, and cut him down with a flash of her blade. The second brigand fell an instant later, leaving only Vishta-Zaw.

The bandit mage stopped at the wide double doors of the stable, and blasted them open with a bolt of fire from one hand. A cacophony of screams rose up from within, and Aela remembered that the noncombatants had been evacuated there, through the tunnel leading from it to the distillery. Blast it! she silently cursed. Now the Naga was free to take his vengeance upon those too old or young to fight back!

Vishta-Zaw turned in the doorway however, and lowered his staff. Nashira was just steps away. But it may as well have been miles. For a bolt of blinding fire leaped from the red crystal atop the staff. Nashira tried to dodge, but there was no time. The magical attack blazed directly into her chest, and blasted clear through her body. The sword master's charred remains flew backward as if she had been kicked by a mammoth, and fell into an ashen heap in the dirt before the stables.

Aela's heart was in her throat. She should have been there. She could have protected Nashira with her ward. If only she had the magicka. If only Ungarion and Talun-Lei had not been so badly wounded. If only…

She saw Vishta-Zaw vanish into the stable through bleary eyes. Then the black-clad form of Valens limped into view. Clearly, he had not taken the fall as well as the lithe Redguard. Holding both swords in his hands, he paused only briefly at Nashira's body, then hobbled to the open doorway of the stable.

Another brilliant bolt of flame sprouted from the depths of the stable, and just like Nashira, took Valens directly in the chest. The Nibenean staggered under the force of the blow. But he did not fall. Instead a star flared into searing light at his hip, momentarily blinding Aela. When her vision returned, she saw that Valens still stood firm in the doorway. His ebony-clad body was wreathed in light, and wisps of flame trailed harmlessly away from him into the air.

Then he launched himself forward, and vanished into the stable. Screams followed. Long moments later one of the side doors to the building crashed open. Vishta-Zaw came staggering out, clutching the broken shards of his staff in his hands. The Naga wizard tottered in the street for a moment, then pitched face first into the dust. One of Valens' ebony swords rose from his back. A second later the Nibenean stepped into view, grasping its bloody twin in hand.

Posted by: Acadian Feb 14 2014, 11:53 PM

An emotional roller coaster you served up!

The fight between Daedric Champions, then flooding the trap with soju, then. . . what? No fire?!? Whew, a flare scroll (how rich!). Then before we can cheer, Nashira is blasted down – predictably placing poor Aela into a would’a-should’a second guessing emotional ride of her own.

But finally, battered and bloody, a victorious Valens emerges.

The price has been high though. Seven is now Six and the count may not be final yet as several of the mercenaries carry grievous wounds.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Feb 15 2014, 01:43 AM

Wow! Nashira was AWESOME in this episode, right up to the moment of her death!

This whole exchange between Ungarian and Aela had me chuckling even as I held my breath. Though I know both survive due to their appearance years later in Teresa's story, I still felt the uncertainty of the moment.

Especially in the prison shower!

Wait, what? What? WHAT???

Altogether a totally heart-pounding episode, much more so than the previous one with the gigantua! How can that be possible? I bow down to the great writer SubRosa!