Dratik's bloody journal! This was an especially good touch, and well worth spending a segment on it. For starters it provides a nice, neat bowtie around the entire plot of this arc, showing how it all began in the first place. At the same time it also puts an elven face on the vampires, who are too easily portrayed as simple monsters. Finally, it sheds more light into Buffy's own unique and mysterious nature.

I can't wait for the next chapter! Looks like Buffy inherited a trait from her Breton Vampire hunting father. A mystery is unraveling in Buffy's life. Perhaps our cute, sweet little Buffy will unlock the true potential of her Slayer traits, and become stronger, but still be our little Buffy, ha ha!

I feel terrible that I haven’t been here to comment on each chapter in your Child of Dawn miniseries as you posted them. But, on the bright side, I get to read each one now and comment on them as I go along:

20 Child of Dawn Part 1 – Will You Take Me Hunting?

This marks quite an auspicious beginning. I am reminded of Gandalf and Bilbo sitting in Bilbo’s house in Hobbiton reminiscing before the ring rears its ugly head and the Fellowship is formed.

Count me with haute and ‘Rosa. I can’t look at Daenlin without thinking of Buffy either. The natural flow of conversation led him to recount the tale of Buffy’s birth, and gave us a brief glimpse into the strength of the bond between them.

I look forward with great anticipation to what comes next

21 Child of Dawn Part 2 – Can You Teach Me That?

First of all I like the exaggerated height of Altmer women. I hate it when the standard of beauty is uniform throughout any given world. Nerussa, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful women in all Cyrodiil . . . and so are Carwen, Falanu (albeit a little creepy), Dar-Ma, Shamada, Branwen, and, in her own way, even Mazoga (though it would take a prodigious amount of Tamika’s before I would even consider getting too close to those tusks).

Ooops, sorry. . . reverie done, on to the chapter at hand:

I really liked the fact that Ita refers to the occupation of enchanter/enchantress as a ‘calling’. As described it doesn't seem like something the usual mage would have any part of. A skill that robs him/her of the ability to cast spells can’t be popular in the dorms of the Arcane. The question of what it must have taken within her to answer this unusual calling could form the basis of a whole new work of fiction. I hope Buffy gives some serious thought to the idea of pursuing knowledge in this area. The spells that she relies on for survival can all be handled through the enchanting of clothing and jewelry, but the ability to recharge her own bow without the need for a filled soul gem could be priceless to her.

I found SubRosa’s speculation on the nature of Azura to be fascinating. Her conclusions, especially the drawing of a parallel between dawn, dusk, and magic sound perfectly in keeping with the entity who cursed an entire race of Chimer.

I hope Buffy has some very absorbent breeches on hand. Those vampires can be tough.

22 Child of Dawn Part 3 – I Hope I Know What We’re Doing

Oh well, I was half expecting each of the chapter headings to be in the form of a question.

This is more an observation than I nit:

This was beautifully said, I have read it over at least a dozen times to savor the music made with words here. But it does raise the question of why an immortal Daedra would mark time as Buffy understands it. It also says much for Azura that she would reward her loyal and steadfast followers, not with the favor of an honorable death, but with the curse of being undead and sealed in their vanquished foe’s tomb until the one she ‘preordains’ to save them comes of age to do the job. Ach, Daedra!

Your plotting in this is excellent! I was just beginning to exhume some half forgotten memory of Buffy’s strange history with vampires when I was given the reminder that Superior was a vampire-hunter. I was also reminded of Buffy’s feeling in Skingrad at the perfect time. These little triggers shine like sunlight in the dank bowels of the Gutted Mine and are an insistent reminder of everything I love about Buffy’s story.

23 Child of Dawn Part 4 – The Shade Of Night

I had to stop reading just to write this. Capturing the POV of Nille and Avita was fantastic! Their yearning for death, the mysterious smell of nightshade, the knowledge that the beasts inside of them would fight for survival, all of it worked wonderfully. This is my first encounter with this quest in which I genuinely feel for the noble souls turned into vampires. May Buffy’s aim remain true! Now back to the story . . .

Okay, done. More wonderful tactics on display here, the use of the Frenzy spell, Disintegrate Armor arrows. Great stuff, as always. And now that last Orc, *Gulp*!

24 Child of Dawn Part 5 – What Am I?

Buffy’s first experience with Porphyric Hemophilia is one for the books. Your description of it as ‘something evil twisting inside her’ was especially chilling. Thank Mara she had the foresight to carry mandrake root in her pack. I had no idea that eating the raw root alone could cure disease; I always just blend it into a potion.

Tying up the tragic saga of Azura’s faithful worshipers with Ghola’s note was also very effective. I imagine the five lit candles above Azura’s shrine will always have a special resonance for Buffy.

And I think it is perfectly clear what Buffy is . . . a Vampire Slayer! (Sorry, couldn’t resist)

25 Child of Dawn Part 6 – The Journal of Dratik

I knew as soon as I read the chapter heading that I was going to enjoy this one.

Ha!! Turns out I was right in my characterization of Buffy from the last chapter!

Is it just me, or is there something decidedly creepy about the screenshot of Buffy reading this journal while sitting on a coffin?

The journal itself was just great. It is obvious that someone has been consulting the wiki about vampirism in Tamriel. All of your research has borne ripe sweet fruit, my friend. This chapter just sings.

The bad news is that it serves as an eloquent moratorium on any thoughts you may have once entertained regarding plotting as a weakness of yours!

MORE!!!

This post has been edited by Destri Melarg: Sep 8 2010, 02:14 AM

Chapter 25 was the sixth episode of 'Child of Dawn'. Buffy discovered the journal of Dratik - the very vampire that had caused so much trouble for Azura and her followers. The journal provided many answers to the swirling questions confounding Buffy.

hazmick- My goodness! Thank you so much for the kind words!

mALX- Thank you mALX. In order to get the 'whole' Dratik story in one episode, it involved some 'telling', but I'm so glad it worked ok! Yay!

treydog- Such wonderful praise from a master! Thank you for endorsing that we provided the answers via a short story. It was quite foreign being outside my bowgirl's POV.

Olen- Thank you. I limited how far I delved into the vampires, and am certainly no expert. It seems unclear whether Dratik turned Azura's followers into ancients or not. Since they were destroyed by Buffy (a Slayer), I guess they could have been ancient or normal vampires. It was fun writing Dratik. I found him unabashedly dark, but nevertheless somehow compelling. I'm sorry the font color didn't work too well for you. I only tested it on the forum's primary background.

SubRosa- Thank you! I really found Dratik a paradox of some serious evil that almost pulls at one's heartstrings. Ah, the power of love - even when taken to such dark places.

Grizzly- Welcome, and I'm so glad you found your way over from that other forum where Buffy is such a chatterbox about her silly quirks and tactics. I hope so much you will stay with us. Buffy can appear sweet, as you say. Of course she can also slowly torture a highwayman to death for attacking her precious mare. Like many of us, her nature is a confusing paradox. Her youth and naivete prevent even her from understanding it. Thank you for the kind words!

Destri- It is so gratifying to earn your approval of this storyline so far! I must confess that as I crafted Dratik's journal, I nervously pondered your reaction. We have a habit of taking a few threads of lore, then weaving in significant license as we create a uniquely 'Buffy' tapestry (as with King Rislav's Call of Corsair). Thank you for endorsing our blend of TES lore with BF.

All- Now, the conclusion to 'Child of Dawn'.




As I closed the ancient vampire's journal, I placed it into my pack. It answered many questions, but created several more. I stood, my limbs stiff, and released a burst of white magicka over my head. As it settled, my pains from being orc-crushed, followed by sitting too long, were eased. Removing a lit torch from the wall, I made my way towards the living world outside Gutted Mine.

Crisp air filled my lungs. I squinted against the brilliant sun that filled the sky and sparkled up at me from a fresh covering of snow. Superian approached. Her snorting disapproval of the vampire dust that covered me could not deter my fierce hug. I buried my face in her neck for several minutes, savoring her warm scent of precious life. Only then did I brush off the remains of Gutted Mine as best I could. I had to use a nearby snow-covered boulder to assist my aching climb up to her saddle. She then carried me slowly back to Azura's Shrine.

I placed the parchment containing Ghola's last words at Azura's feet.

"Thank you, Child of Dawn. The spirits of my followers are free, and henceforth, above my shrine, five bright candles shall burn forever in memory of their sacrifice. For your service, you shall retain the abilities I granted at the sunrise of your birth. Carry my token, and know that your name has joined a small list of women whose fate has been touched by my hand. Your obligation to me well-fulfilled, you are now free to chart your own fate."

There were indeed five candles above her shrine now. I had won the Star of Azura, but wasn't yet ready to try and deal with what I had learned about myself. After gathering wood for my campfire, I was starving and set out for a hunt.

The sun was westering, but still above the trees as I finished field dressing a buck some distance away from the shrine. His energy was safely stored inside Azura's Star. I had carefully removed the animal's hide and scraped it clean. A skilled artisan would be able to incorporate some small bits of light plate to reinforce key areas, and craft a fine pair of supple buckskin greaves for me. Given the number of wolves scouting the area, I was loathe to bring much fresh meat back to my camp. I cut six portions of venison. Two were safely wrapped in my blue hood of frost for the several days it would take Superian and I to get home. Four of the portions were to feed Azura's followers and myself that evening. The remainder of the deer's carcass would be very welcomed by the hungry wolves. Some of them perhaps had cubs to feed.

When I returned to the shrine, I distributed the venison, then retreated the few paces to my own camp.

Azura's other time of day had arrived, as I stoked up the fire and built a spit to cook my dinner. Stars gradually emerged to join Masser and Secunda in brightly illuminating the snow that blanketed the trees and boulders.

I held Azura's Star. The sound of fire crackling beneath the roasting venison was briefly augmented by a hauntingly musical note. The buck's life force had fed my bow, just as his flesh would sustain me and others. "Thank you," I whispered to his spirit.

With my bow and belly sated, I could no longer put off confronting the emotions that swirled within me.

My fate had been touched by the hand of Azura at the moment of my birth, and I was a Slayer. I had never even heard of such a thing. Frankly, I was not at all happy about it.

Yes, I could now feel an instinctive dislike for the foul night creatures, but traipsing around after them was no path for me. The only thing vampire hunting had earned my father was an early disappearance.

As a long range killer from the shadows, the fact that I could be smelled by vampires was terrifying. That I could sense the beasts was of no value to me; I was hardly going to go looking for them, after all.

My mind briefly flitted to Skingrad. I now realized the feeling I had experienced passing close by the castle, was my body alerting me to the presence of vampires. Were such beasts living beneath the very seat of power there? I had read that some castles had extensive underground tunnels. I wondered if whatever noble ruled Skingrad realized the danger? Oh well, if there was a threat, I was sure the city guard could deal with it without any help from me.

I figured my 'unique minor abilities' were that I could don multiple magic rings and cast fully powered spells while wearing armor. I had to admit I quite liked being able to do those things. I debated whether I should share what I now knew regarding the source of those special abilities with Boderi Farano. She had been as curious about them as I. My decision was to not decide that right now. I knew who I did need to talk with though.

"Acadian, I don't care for this Slayer business one bit. I guess we're supposed to feel a calling to seek out and destroy vampires. I just want them to stay away from me. Am I doing the right thing?" My brow furrowed as I poked at the fire with a stick. Several sparks leapt skyward, and my eyes continued upwards to the twinkling stars.

As was often the case, Acadian's silent answer was a question. What did Azura tell you?

I smiled. "Well, she said my obligation to her was done, and I could chart my own course."

And so you shall, my bowgirl.

The stalwart paladin might not always understand me, but by Mara, he unconditionally accepted me and my choices. "Thank you, Acadian," I breathed. "We're a team however; I almost forgot about that in my selfish pursuit of Azura's Star. Do you want us to become vampire hunters?"

I was getting pretty good at sensing the paladin's feelings when he chose to share them. Acadian had no more interest in chasing vampires than I did, and that realization lifted a massive weight from my small shoulders.

"It's settled then, and I feel much better." I then raised my face skyward and loudly declared to the moons and stars, "I am Buffy the Bowgirl, mystic archer of the mages guild and citizen of Bravil. I am not Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Glancing at the bow that had saved my life in Gutted Mine, I gratefully placed my hand upon its staff. The wonderful weapon responded with a soft red glow, and finally provided an answer to the question posed by Daenlin just over a week ago. I nodded my agreement. "Yes, the name I reject for myself, will henceforth be yours. I shall call you Slayer."

I reached into my pack and retrieved my quill, inkpot and two journals - Dratik's and my own. By the campfire's light, augmented by Masser, Secunda and a clear sky full of bright stars, I began the task of updating my journal. As I wrote, I chatted to Acadian, and even hummed a quiet song. Like me, he seemed at peace now, content to let me prattle on.

As I finished transcribing the words of Dratik, I realized I would need a new journal myself very soon. "Acadian, I think we need to stop next at the University to drop off Tar-Meena's copy of 'Modern Heretics'. I'm sure she'll be able to find a new journal with blank pages for me."

I began putting things away and getting ready for sleep. As I fumbled with the somewhat unfamiliar buckles and straps to remove my leather cuirass, I noticed much of the chill had left the air. I continued chatting. "I'm not really ready to share Dratik's Journal with the University yet - that will come home with me, for now."

Home. Pulling off my boots, I sighed as the very word filled my heart with longing for the City of Mara. "After the Imperial City, can we go home next? Please?"

The paladin's mood was light and agreeable as he teased, Of course, Child of Dawn.

"Stop calling me that!" I was sure much of my rebuke's effect was ruined, as a giggle managed to somehow escape my tightly pursed lips.

As I tugged off my greaves I glanced at Superian, quietly standing under a nearby tree. "We leave tomorrow morning for the Valley of Horses, girl. Your visit with Thernd and Bandit will need to be a short one though. We need to get home." I then gratefully snuggled into my bedroll. Finally, I chirped, "G'night everyone."

From Buffy's scrapbook: Screenshot



I would be remiss not to acknowledge Buffy's round-eared namesake, so allow me to humbly do so. Thank you Buffy Summers - you are a wonderfully strong example of an independent, imperfect, courageous and feminine young woman; if all we were after for our Blond Bravilian Bosmer Bowgirl was alliteration, she could have been named Barbie or Bambi.

In Buffy Fiction (BF) 1.0, we only hinted at her dislike for vampires. In the 2.0 version of Buffy's romp through Cyrodiil, our tongue is still firmly in cheek, but we decided to more formally develop this aspect of her nature.

The timing, or placement of this miniseries at this early stage of Buffy's larger story was driven by her enchanted bow. It needed to be fed (Azura's Star) and named (Slayer). The fact that Buffy is a Slayer does not represent a 'career change' as I hope she has rather adamantly explained. Rather, it is simply a part of who and what she is. There will certainly be storylines where it will come strongly into play, but those are planned for the distant future.

Finally, Buffy mentioned that her journal is almost full. Long term readers of BF will recognize she is heralding that her next episode will open a new forum thread.

yet again you have delivered a brilliant chapter to us, I'm glad that the Bufster will not be pursuing the vampire hunting malarkey because we don't want her to catch the terrible disease and ruin that gorgeous face of hers

Argonians are better suited for hunting vamps anyway...

It's also good to hear Buffy communicating with your good self in this chapter, hooray!

That made me smile!

I've been remiss in commenting, but not in reading and enjoying Buffy's tale. Her encounter with the last vampire in the depths of the mine is as harrowing as my own experience, though my PC didn't get crushed!

I continue to enjoy Buffy's growth and maturing process and look forward to her new book!

Buffy's thoughts over the buck she killed revealed quite a bit about her. Not only did she take some for herself, but also used the meat to feed the Azurites, and she purposely left some behind for the wolves she saw prowling the countryside.

I am not Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Does that mean we will not be seeing Willow or Xander either?

Finally, a nice way of tying the quest, and Buffy's revelations about her nature, to her naming her bow.

Following upon the frightening (and revelatory) journey through the Gutted Mine, this was a welcome moment of reflection. You do perhaps the best job of anyone in explaining not just character motivations, but game dynamics/physics, as well.

Often I have read an Acadian/BF discussion of "why things work like that," and think "Of course! It makes perfect sense!" The result is a much more immersive and alive world.

Like haute, I enjoyed Buffy's declaration of her own identity. Perhaps my favorite part was this:



Good night, Slayer.

Good night, Azura.

Good night, Moon.

Good night, Stars.

Good night, deer.

Good night, wolves.

Good night, Superian.

Good night, Acadian.

Good night, Child of Dawn. Despite your protestations, I see the Order of the Virtuous Blood in your future.

A satisfying conclusion to what has been a very full story arc. Over the last several days Buffy has learned a great deal about herself and her capabilities. This episode in her life has the feeling of a harrowing, one that our favorite Bowgirl has successfully endured. The idea of beginning a new journal with the improved Buffy wielding Slayer is just perfect.

But first it’s a bath, then home, some Tamika’s, and a good hunt with Daenlin.

Ahh, wondrously written. Buffy is just such a unique individual, in a good way of course. Although I cannot for see the events of the future, I do see Vampires in her path. I have a feeling that some Vampires search for the legendary Slayers. Perhaps she'll run across Count Hassildor. I loved the Screenshot too, very nice.

-Grizzly

Good description, Buff!

I caught that! (believe it or not, lol) !!!


I love it when Buffy stands up for who she wants to be - or doesn't want to be. She shows her inner strength and...stubborness in those moments - real Buffy personality that readers that know her and love her recognize right away !!

This post has been edited by mALX: Sep 9 2010, 03:35 AM

23 –
Spot on brother regarding the frenzy vs Command humanoid. So many times I have tried frenzy in a confined surrounding – not a good idea!!
The basic command creature / humanoid doesn’t do much though. It is far better to customize that spell.

24 –
Awesome fight with the Orc!! When he collided with Buffy I thought, Oh NO!
I loved the screenpic. First Buffy has a book land on her at the Uni, and now somebody from Orsinium does the job on her. Lol.
The unsettling feeling of vampirism was a lovely addition to the chapter. Though not from Buffy’s POV, of course.

25 -
Very interesting. Your beautiful tale is becoming more and more intriguing by the moment. Not only are you expanding what we can see, but you have also put some thought in Buffy’s family heritage. Awesome!!

The Journal of Dratik was amazing. Did you write that in one sitting or tinker with it over many rewrites? Very impressive writing. Bravo!!

26 –

This is my favourite part of the chapter. I have always been a sucker for rumination and philosophy under the stars. Buffy, my girl, I must give you this –

The Child of Dawn was a wonderful addition. It has allowed us to ponder and consider what you might have in store for our delightful Bosmer. Hmmmmm.....

I hope your expanding BF doesn’t mean that the Archery tournament will take 150 chapters to resolve??
We are still hanging on the result, well, sort of.

Chapter 26 was the conclusion of 'Child of Dawn', and final episode for this thread. Buffy earned the Star of Azura, and named her mighty bow. She views the fact that she is a Slayer as more curse than blessing, and does not intend to become a vampire hunter.

hazmick- I'm so glad you agree with Buffy about not hunting vampires in the reasonable future. Thank you also for the nod to Acadian.

Rider- Thank you for your endorsement of how harrowing the last vampire fight was. That was a tough dungeon, as you wisely warned us!

SubRosa- Thanks for the observations on Buffy's hunting. Daenlin taught her the best way to respect the beautiful prey animals she must kill to eat, is to waste as little as possible. Heh, no Willow or Xander or Giles; perhaps Buffy may meet a small mage named Angel, or when someday she learns how to summon a clannfear, she will name it Spike.

treydog- I am so pleased that Buffy's complex motivations and logic made sense - sometimes they don't to her, of course. Likewise, thanks for the kudos regarding 'how things work'. We work hard to reflect the fantasy world she lives in, but try to offer explanations when we can. Thank you so much for seizing on Buffy's 'G'night John Boy' as it related to her crew of Slayer, Superian and Acadian. This poor elf may not get much privacy, but by Mara, she is never lonely.

Destri- Thank you. I'm so delighted that the 'Child of Dawn' storyline all worked! We definitely have plans that draw upon her being a Slayer, but not for a very long time.

Grizzly- Thanks for the kind words. Although Buffy being a Slayer is simply a part of who she is, can you imagine (in the very distant future) the sparks at her first meeting with Count Skingrad?

Zalphon- Thank you for enjoying our descriptions!

mALX- I knew you would know exactly what Buffy's reference to a new journal was! Thank you for your so very beautiful words regarding Buffy's personality. That means the world to hear!

Wolf- Thank you for the wonderful words! Dratik's Journal took loads of tinkering and rewrites - well, all our stories do, really - . I'm so pleased that you enjoy Buffy's ruminations.

We'll still get to the Archery Tournament. We had to get 'Child of Dawn' in at this point to grab Azura's Star and name Buffy's bow pretty early in her story. We will limit expanding Book 1 because there is that pesky Oblivion gate pending. Although it will wait for Buffy to get there (aided by the power of Akatosh, magic of Acadian, patience of Savlian and a touch of pixie dust ), Kvatch will more and more start to drive and focus what Buffy does. Most of our other new ideas that don't directly support the road to Kvatch are 'resting' for Books 2 and 3. Other new things you will see in Book 1 are either minor and/or lay background for beyond Kvatch.

Looking ahead at the big picture:
Book 1 will see Kvatch freed of Daedra.
Book 2 will include the remainder of the Oblivion Crisis, but don't expect our frail wood elf to be the Champion of Cyrodiil.
Book 3 will be free-form adventures across Cyrodiil and beyond.

All- Our next episode will open the second season (thread) as we continue with Buffy's Book 1. We are so humbly grateful for the warm and gracious encouragement we have received from each of you. Thank you for allowing Buffy to shoot, squirm and ruminate her way onto the screen of your monitor.

Thread 2 and Buffy's other threads may be found on Acadian's sub forum.



This post has been edited by Acadian: Nov 26 2012, 10:00 PM

There is a lot of good news in that post- particularly the fact that there is so much more of Buffy's story to anticipate. And I guess my little "Good night" sequence is one of those cross-generational things... There is the older Waltons referent- and also the children's book Good-Night Moon. There is also a version from The Wire that has a certain dark humor-

Goodnight moon
Goodnight stars
Goodnight po-pos
Goodnight fiends
Goodnight hoppers
Goodnight hustlers
Goodnight scammers
Goodnight to everybody
Goodnight to one and all.

Have I mentioned recently how happy I am that Buffy has found a home here with us? If not, consider it mentioned.

Not only you. A certain stringy wood elf wants to know too, as she is competing!



Good night, and good luck.

Oh, I thought when Buffy's journal....ARGH, I was wr...wr...wr... * mALX croaked in front of PC *

Book 1 promises to be immense! There is still so much that Buffy has to learn before she should be contending with daedra and Oblivion Gates. I know she wants to aid poor Savlian and the brave, beleaguered citizens of Kvatch, but she can't help anybody if she is unprepared.

Wow, I'm starting to sound like Daenlin!

I'm finally here, to post my thoughts and I'm just loving the developement of Buffy.

I'm still far from catching up with the rest of you guys from balancing schoolwork, work, FO:NV hype, and family to get some spare time to read and post on the series.

Acadian, your writing and comprehension levels are developing at major skill speed. (by vanilla oblivion standards)

Mutamil, thanks so much for joining us and reading! What a pleasure to see you over here. We appreciate the kind comments!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Oct 20 2010, 03:18 PM