Oh yes. I will be writing this for a long time! Its just between work, other projects, and my four-month-old daughter kitten I get swamped!

Well that was odd

You capture the madness (and inventivness) of the shivering isles well, Hirrus's quest is a particularly strange one and I do wonder how (and if) Wrothken will do it.

Then the fighting on the rooftop followed by:

"He's deformed!" -- brilliant line, I laughed. His thought at the end that it wouldn't end well more or less sums up the isles...

Was he deformed, or overformed?

Hee hee....

Deformed? Circumcised or not?


Was Kallila born under a rock or somethin'??

That was kinda weird... She was adamant enough deciding she wanted him for....errr... activities but then "He's deformed!!" hahhahahaa

Subrosa-
Kalila + Cutter = Perfect match?

Olen- I'm glad you like it. That part was decided on the moment I brought Kalila into the story

D. Foxy- At the moment, only Awour can answer that

haute ecloe rider- Well, Kalila is the main character in another fanfiction of mine. At a young age she commits her entire existence to training and learning magic, so much so that when she finally becomes physically attracted to a man, she can't understand the...differences. Though in my other story it ends quite differently for the love interest

Remko- Of course it was. Its the Shivering Isles after all





Wrothken woke up at the crack of dawn and slipped out of Bernice's Taphouse. He couldn't bear facing anyone after last night.

He was on his way to meet Syl, duchess of Dementia. As he headed toward the palace door, he hoped her request wouldn't be as trying as Thadon's.

He traveled up the stairs and was surprised to the the Imperial standing at the top. Wrothken groaned and tried to sneak past him. Unfortunately, steel boots make quite a racket, even while tiptoeing.

"Sometimes I come up here to think," the Imperial said sullenly. "Everything looks so small from up here. Makes me feel better, you know? Like I'm not so small myself. But that feeling only lasts for a little while. Then I start thinking about how miserable everything is, and then all I want to do is step off the ledge." He sighed.

"Then jump," Wrothken said.

"I can't just jump. Don’t want to end up on the Hill. But I hope that someday maybe a big gust of wind will come and push me off so I can end it all. I often wonder what it'd be like, to fall to the ground so far below. I bet it'd be like flying - - then suddenly falling into a deep, blissful sleep."

"Yeah...." Wrothken said rubbing the back of his head. "Good luck with that."

"Pfft. Whatever."

Wrothken shook his head. He felt sorry for the guy, but he wasn't going to kill him. He couldn't, no matter how much he begged.



Like their cities, the palace of Dementia was the complete opposite of the palace of Mania. Syl's lair was lit with blue flames, giving the feeling of cold gloom. There was no party, no feast, and no topless women. Syl sat in the center of the room. She wore a long black dress with spines along the plunging neckline. As hard as he tried, Wrothken found it to be a little hard not to stare.

"Why do you approach the Duchess of Dementia?" She snapped. "Do you seek death?"

His eyes back on hers, he answered, "Sheogorath told me to speak to you."

"The Madgod sent you, did he? Then you're safe for now. Speak to no one unless I instruct you to." She walked over to him, leading him down a hallway. "None of them can be trusted. Do you hear me? None! Surrounded by traitors and spies, I am. Always, always." Her eyes shifted around nervously. "They watch and wait, eager to slip a knife into my spine when I'm not looking."

"Who is?"

She led him to a small room and after checking to be sure no one was around, she said, "Could be all of them. Every last one. None can be trusted. But they'll never take me down. Never! I'll see them all rotting in shallow graves before I let my guard down!" Her face lit up slightly as an idea formed. "You... you will help me. Yes, yes. You will be most useful."

"Useful?!" Wrothken sputtered. He was getting sick of being used for other people's dirty work.

Syl didn't seem to notice. "You're going to find out who knows. You're going to learn who keeps secrets, who conspires against me. You will be my Grand Inquisitor." She made a knighting motion. "Expose the conspirators, and they will be punished, I assure you. Find out who keeps secrets, and what they are. Speak with Herdir. He will help you. Do you understand what is required of you? If no one is found, you will be held responsible."

"I..." He sighed. If he didn't do it, he would still have to answer to Sheogorath and he didn't fancy having his intestines being used to skip rope with. "Okay, fine. I'll find them. Where is Herdir?"

"He is in the dungeon. Downstairs and to the left. Go now and find them."



The dungeon was more of a torture chamber. Instead of traditional cells, there were small cages with spatters of blood on the floor. By each cage, there was a small table with various blades and pincers, each crusted and filthy. By the door, there was a plush chair with a table full of food.

When Wrothken walked in, the first thing he noticed was a bald Imperial smelling a long, serrated knife, touching it almost intimately. He was a bit embarrassed to say anything, so Wrothken just cleared his throat.

Herdir jumped, dropping the knife on the floor behind him. "Oh, oh my!" He smoothed his head, a habit likely left over from when he still had hair. He cleared his throat. "What brings you to this delightful corner of the House of Dementia? How may I help you?"

"Um... I'm the..." He sighed. "Grand Inquisitor."

"Are you? Hmm." He looked Wrothken over. "I'd expected an entrance with a bit more flair." He shrugged. "Ah, well. Perhaps you'll grow into the role. One can hope, eh?" He laughed, nudging Wrothken a little.

Wrothken couldn't help but notice that Herdir was the happiest person he had come across in all the Isles.

"Now, we've much to do. Lady Syl is not a patient woman, as I'm sure you've seen. Shall we begin?"

"Alright, but what exactly should we do?"

“Isn’t it obvious? We need to search through Crucible, looking for these traitors. Talk to whomever might have information. If they’re reluctant to help, you just say the word and I’ll do my best to.... persuade them. Really, we should be going. Her ladyship expects results!”

"Wonderful," Wrothken said. He really hoped the conspiracy, if there was even one, would remain in the palace.



Herdir followed him out onto the palace grounds. He nudged Wrothken and gestured toward a Redguard reading a book. "That's Kithlan, Lady Syl's steward. If I may be so bold, I would suggest we start with him, Grand Inquisitor."

Wrothken nodded. "Alright." He headed over to Kithlan. "Excuse me, do you know anything about a conspiracy against Syl?"

He didn't look up. "I don't know anything about one, but Anya has been acting strange lately. You might want to check with her." He nodded toward a Breton walking along the pathway.

Anya was tall and blond and wearing a beautiful dress. It was deep purple with a bodice that seemed to force her body into an exaggerated hourglass. The skirt poofed out, making her hips appear larger. Wrothken knew Kirsty would love one like it, but he didn't know her exact measurements.

Anya smiled at Wrothken, but when she saw Herdir, her smile flickered for a moment. "Hello, I'm Anya Herrick," she said to Wrothken.

"I'm Wrothken, Lady Syl's..." he sighed. "Grand Inquisitor."

"I, too, serve Lady Syl," Anya said, a light tremor in her voice. "She allows me to remain protected within the House of Dementia. I'm so grateful to her."

She knows something, Wrothken thought. She seemed way too nervous and it sounded as if she were reading from a script.

"Well, if you're so grateful, then you'd want to tell me if there was a conspiracy going on, involving her demise, wouldn't you?"

"What?" She took a fearful step back. "N...No. I don't know anything about anything. I'm sorry, I can't help you." She turned quickly and broke into a run.

"Let me take care of this," Herdir said. A bolt of lightening sprung from his hand and flew into Anya's back.

"What in Oblivion did you do that for?!" Wrothken cried. He rushed over to Anya and helped her to her feet. "I'm sorry, I--"

Anya sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye. "Please. I am not involved... I didn't do anything! They wanted me to get them close to Syl, but I wouldn't abide them!"

Wrothken looked around. The palace grounds were empty except for himself, Herdir, and guards from Mania and Dementia. Given the apparent rivalry between the two houses, Wrothken suspected the Golden Saints or people from Thadon's court.

"Who approached you?"

Anya bit her lip, looking around nervously. "I..." When Herdir came closer, she spat it out. "It was Ma'zaddha," she whispered. "He said he was working on behalf of someone else. He told me I needed to help him, or there would be repercussions." Tears formed in her eyes again and spilled down her cheeks. "I didn't know what to do. Turning on Syl could cost me my life, but if I don't help, what will Ma'zaddha do to me? You must do something!"

"I will, don't worry."

She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, of course," Wrothken said. "Just go on about your business."

With a dirty look at Herdir, she quickly walked back to the palace.

Herdir chuckled. "Anyone ever tell you you're too soft?"

Wrothken fumed. He had indeed heard that plenty of times from several people. "Oh and it's not a little too much to just attack people like that?"

"It got what we needed, didn't it?"

"Well, it did, but..."

"Just relax," Herdir said, rubbing Wrothken's shoulder. "By time this is over, you might even come to enjoy it a little..."

Wrothken groaned. This was going to be a long day.

This post has been edited by Jacki Dice: Jan 2 2011, 05:57 AM

When you are mad, being bad is rad!

So now it's on to Lady Paranoia, huh? I see Wrothken has recovered from the fiasco with Kalila.

Your explanation of why she doesn't know how men are - ahem - equipped is quite acceptable!

Looking forward to more!

She didn't know how men are equipped
Because in her previous experiece, they all had been...

... zipped.

Well isn't dementia just a warm fuzzy sort of place. Syl is a great character, you caught her paranoia there (though is it paranoia if people are out to get you?)

Herdir is great, utterly mad but quite funny. He captures the less selfdestructive side of dementia perfectly by being just destructive. I can see how Wrothken will enjoy his company.

But which side will he like less?

Can we see pictures!


If he didn't do it, he would still have to answer to Sheogorath and he didn't fancy having his intestines being used to skip rope with.
Now this is logic that cannot be faulted!

A fun segment. I have been wondering how you were going to handle some of the more despicable things the Champion of Madness has to do in the SI main quest, like torturing people in this quest. I like how you are having Herdir do the dirty work. That leaves Wrothken not coming off as a villain. I wonder though, how long it will take before things do start to rub off onto him...?

Wait...she devoted herself to magic so now can't tell the diff between males and females? Did I miss something here? I'll help her out, one looks like this: > that is the male. The one that looks like this: < is the female.

Caught up, and I must say:

WTF, did she just said 'deformed'? Well, I can't say I'm not sorry for Wrothken. That feeling is like questioning a boy if he likes wearing 'FeM' underoos and lipstick, in front of a large crowd. With some commenting how he manages an imaginary PMS, too. Not to mention someone asks if his chest is abnormal or just A... something.

Believe you all me, 'cos this guy is speaking in experience! (Alright, before somebody gets any funny ideas, 'tis a joke. Obviously)
Anyway, I loved this chapter. A shame Big W didn't, y'know, do something to Hirrus. And Kalila plus Cutter? That's a couple 'made in heaven'. An LB Altmer with a Bosmeri MSC. (get it LB and MSC, => )

haute ecole rider- I wouldn't say moved on, exactly, but is easily distracted♥

Foxy- Exactly

Olen- Oh he dislikes Herdir much much more. Syl can be forgiven, so long as she wears the distracting dress

SubRosa- I'm working on a picture! Trying to keep it PG-13 is a bit of a challenge though...

mALX- Lol Kalila is from a separate story all together (not Elder Scrolls related). If I ever get it finished I'll put the link in my siggy♥ Though that's a good way to remember all the parts♥

ureniashtram- Heehee, my poor Nord♥ I'm so mean to him I'm glad your enjoying





As he followed Herdir through the streets of Crucible, Wrothken couldn't help noticing the giggles from various girls. Though he didn't miss a step and kept his head high, his rosy cheeks betrayed his nonchalance.

It didn't help that Herdir seemed to notice. "What'd you do, streak through the streets?"

"If only it was just that," Wrothken muttered.

Ma'Zaddha's house was easy enough to find, as the Khajiit carved his name in the door. Wrothken knocked a few times and when there was no response, Herdir kicked the door in.

The door wasn't the only thing with Ma'Zaddha's name carved in it. The walls, pictures, bowls, cups, furniture, even the food all had his name carved in.

"What? What do you want?" Ma'zaddha demanded. "Why are you looking at my things?" Ma'Zaddha squinted at Wrothken. "Aren't you the guy with the deformed hoo?"

"It's not deformed!" Wrothken snapped.

Herdir laughed. "You'll have to explain that to me later on," he said to Wrothken. To Ma'Zhaddha, he said, "We are here on official business."

"Right," Wrothken said, still fuming. "I'm acting as Syl's Grand Inquisitor. An anonymous source tells me you know of a conspiracy involving the assassination of Syl."

Ma'Zaddha scoffed. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."

Wrothken stared at him. Of course he wouldn't just confess. However, he remembered the look in Anya's eyes and the fear in her voice while she was confessing. As much as he didn't want to call anyone out, he didn't have much of a choice. "Are you sure you know nothing?"

"Yes, yes," Ma'Zaddha said dismissively. "Though since you're nosing around, perhaps you can find out who's been taking my stuff. They think I'm stealing, but I just want it back."

Wrothken stared in his eyes. "You're lying," he said.

"In that case," Herdir said gleefully. Like with Anya, he shot a surge of lightning at Ma'Zaddha. He hissed and doubled over, panting hard when he got up.

"You may continue to do your worst, Inquisitor," he spat. "But unless you have some evidence of this preposterous conspiracy, you'll get nothing from me."

Herdir narrowed his eyes at Ma'Zaddha. "He's right. I've seen guys like this and sadly I don't have the tools needed to break him. Come on."

Wrothken glared at Ma'Zaddha before leaving. He knew something, alright. In fact, Wrothken was willing to bet that he was behind it all.




Even though Wrothken didn't want to, Herdir insisted that they go to Bernice's Taphouse to grab some food and figure out how they were going to continue the case.

Wrothken slumped down at the bar as Herdir looked around, trying to appear inconspicuous as he listened in on conversations.

"Oh, there you are, dearie," Bernice said to Wrothken. "I was hoping to talk to you this morning, but you disappeared." When a reddish tinge spread across his face, she added, "I know, honey, I can't blame you for sneaking out. I warned you about her, remember? Oh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to rub it in, but the thing is, Kalila... well, she's never... you know... made whoopie with a man. Trust me, I'd know. I know most business that goes on around here."

"Great..." Wrothken said. "Still doesn't help that the whole town thinks I've got some sort of deformity lurking in my pants."

"I know, I know. Just give it time, and it'll blow over." She looked up and saw Herdir, leaning back in a chair, obviously trying to overhear a couple conversing. "Who is that man you came in with? Something sure seems a little off about him."

Wrothken nearly buried his face in his palm. "He's supposed to be helping me with something."

"With what? He's looks like he's spying and if there's anything I can't stand, it's an obvious busybody. He could at least be discreet about it."

"We're.... hey, Bernice, earlier you said you know everyone's business around here."

It was her turn to blush. "Well, sure, it comes with the territory..."

"Okay, look," Wrothken leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. "I need your help. Sheogorath has me helping Syl out and she wants me to find out who's been conspiring against her, and if I don't find out who, I'm as good as dead. Can you help me?"

"Hmmm..." She tapped her lip. "You know what, I've heard that Ma'Zaddha has been meeting with Nelrene, Syl's personal body guard, late at night at the sewers by his house. At first I thought they were just smitten, but the other day I heard him talking to Anya Perrick real threatening like. Could be nothing, but it seems a little fishy to me."

Wrothken felt a surge of relief. He would be able to catch Ma'Zaddha after all. "Thank you, thank you," he said.

"Remember, you didn't hear that from me," she said with a wink. "And something else you didn't hear from me, leave your friend at home. He doesn't seem to be very good at eavesdropping and you don't want to get caught. Besides, he gives me the willies."

"No problem," Wrothken said. "Thanks again, Bernice."

She smiled kindly. "Anything for you, dearie. Just get that man out of my taphouse!"

"Will do," Wrothken said. He lifted Herdir by the arm. "Come on, I have the information we need."

"What? How? You were..." Herdir looked at Bernice, who crinkled her nose at him. "Oh... I get it. You tortured that old lady without me! How could you?" He pouted.

Wrothken sighed. "I didn't torture anyone. Just meet me at the castle later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I have some.... friends waiting up there anyway. Toodle-loo!"

With urgency, he dashed up the stairs and through the doors to the palace grounds. Relieved to be away from Herdir, Wrothken set out to find a good listening point.



Several hours passed before the meeting happened. Wrothken was concerned that his milky skin would be too visible even in the shadows, so he crouched on the ground, curled into a ball, facing away from where Bernice said they would be. It was only after most of his body fell asleep that he heard footsteps.

"Have you made any progress?" Wrothken heard the syrupy voice of a Mazken. "Will Anya assist us?"

"No, that blasted Inquisitor got to her," Ma'Zaddha said. "We'll need to find someone else."

"See that you do so immediately. This is the one task which you were assigned. If you cannot complete it, you will be removed. Are we clear?"

"I will, I will! I want to see Syl dead just as much as you do. She cannot be allowed to survive, after what she's done. It's despicable."

"Good. I shall expect a progress report soon. And keep your head down; the Inquisitor must not become involved."

With that, he heard footsteps leaving the area. It took great effort to ignore the prickly feeling in his numbed legs and even more effort to walk, but he made his way to Ma'Zaddha.

"What? What is it now, huh?"

"I need to talk to you about the conspiracy."

"He snorted. "I thought I told you, I don't know anything. You can't prove a thing!"

"Bull. I heard you just a second ago."

Ma'Zaddha's ears quickly slumped down and his eyes widened fearfully. "What? I... I... It's for the good of Crucible! You must see that!" He grabbed Wrothken's shoulders. "Please, spare me! I'll do anything!"

"But why?" Wrothken asked. "Why do you want Syl dead?"

"You don't know, do you? She's kept it a secret even from you! She and Thadon..." His ears folded angrily and his nose crinkled up in disgust. "They've been meeting in secret. They've been doing things together. Consorting. You understand me?" Wrothken remembered Thadon's allusion to it. "It cannot be permitted! She must be stopped!"

He had all kinds of questions for that. He didn't understand the big deal. If anything, it could unite the cities. Wasn't that a good thing? He'd have to get the answers later. "Who else is involved?"

"I don't know, besides Nelrene. She's taking orders from someone, but won't tell me who. If I find out, will you promise to spare me?"

As much as he knew what Syl wanted, he just couldn't sentence the man to death. "Yes, of course. Just get me the names."

"Okay, okay. I'll get the names, and then you'll see. It will be worth it, I promise you! Meet me in my house tomorrow at midnight. I'll have information for you. Just please spare me."

They shook on it and Ma'Zaddha ran quickly to his house. Wrothken decided to head back to the Taphouse and get some rest. He passed Kalila and Cutter on his way to his room. Kalila quickly looked away, but Cutter seemed rather pleased as they entered the room across the hall. It seems Thadon and Syl aren't the only ones consorting, he thought glumly. He laid awake, waiting to hear a shriek and sobs of deformity, but none came. He didn't feel like imagining what was going on. He decided that once he was finished with his job, it was time for a break from the Crucible.

This post has been edited by Jacki Dice: Jan 2 2011, 06:00 AM

"Great..." Wrothken said. "Still doesn't help that the whole town thinks I've got some sort of deformity lurking in my pants."

"I know, I know. Just give it time, and it'll blow over."


WHAT???

The Deformity will BLOW OVER???

Does that mean some one did a... .

a...


a...


a ------JOB on the DEFORMITY???!!!???

... That isn't a good image.

It was a good part though, the isles remained insane and it's denizens entertaining in their madness. Wrothken remained fustrated by the insanity. It's fun this and with some good characters. I want to see where this goes, as mch as anything to see how Wrothken's sanity fairs and where he sides.

I wonder what this break from Crucible might entail...

I wasn't critizising it, I thought the madness of that situation fitted perfectly in the story

I didn't take it as criticism there was supposed to be a smiley there... it was hiding I guess

I loved how Bernice is the one who tipped off Wrothken about the conspiracy. It is more original than just torturing random people on the street until someone talks. It also provides more depth to the relationship between Wrothken and Bernice, seeing her returning the favor he did in getting her the "cure".

Kalila and Cutter? yum. The only thing better would be Kristy, Lilltu, and Awour! rwar!

Well met! What a great story. A steamy segment of fan fiction. I must have played through the SI at least three times but your story version is much better.

Poor Wrothken, maybe he should head over to 'Books of Bliss'

keep up the good work

This post has been edited by hazmick: Aug 17 2010, 09:17 PM