Why do I get the feeling our crimson-haired maiden is in for a rude awakening in that city?

I really like where you placed this chapter, just after a very hefty set of events, ending in an unfortunate bloodbath and a touch of blackmail (remind me never to stiff that woman again). Right here we get to let our hair down, sit back, relax, feel the serenity of the Nibenay Basin, free of the oppressive lifestyle of Heartland Cyrodiil. Overall, this was a wonderful, and dare I say, needed, time for a tension-reliever.

Unfortunately, knowing Bravil, I don't know if it will last. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted, and the story has to go somewhere, right? Journey on, Teresa, you may not know it, but Chorrol is always here for you.

I’m with TK, placing this chapter after the events of the last few is a much needed calm after the storm. I enjoyed Teresa’s walk through the forest and her harvesting of her favored nightshade. The image of the fox that she sees caused me to look around to see if there was a uniquely forest-challenged wood elf attached to it, carrying a bow!

Now we finally get to see if Teresa will take the legionary’s advice and join the Bravil Fighter’s Guild.

hazmick: I am glad you liked Silverbridge. Expect to see more of it in the future.


Olen: A particular statue will be featured soon. In fact, chapter 26 takes its name from it. I do not plan on doing anything with its association with the dark brotherhood however.


Acadian: I thought you might like that last piece. Back when I was writing The Temple I saw The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams for the first time in decades. In addition to my own love of animals and the wilderness, it has really helped me define Teresa's identity as a forester, and exactly what it means to her.


Thomas Kaira: At the risk of plagiarizing, I can honestly say that Teresa's time in Bravil will be the best of times, and the worst of times for her.


Destri Melarg: It was nice to just stop and smell the nightshade for a moment. The previous segment was a good, gentle reminder of where Teresa is happiest. Where she is most at home really. After the last big chapter with other characters in the city, I thought it would be good if when I showed Teresa again, she was fully in her element.


Next: In our previous segment Teresa discovered the little farming village of Silverbridge west of Bravil. Next she continues on toward the city itself, but makes a little detour along the way.


Chapter 26.2 – The Fighter

Teresa made her way east through the village to its main gate, which sat facing Bravil across the road headed south. Casting her gaze in that direction, Teresa could see that the forest had been cleared for a quarter mile beyond the village and was now filled with high stalks of corn and other crops.

She found that the river branched off to the south after the bridge as well, bordered by the stone walls of the city on the east, and the road on the west. A third course broke off from it halfway downstream. This leg of the river turned directly to the east once more, running through a grate in the city wall and vanishing within. Beyond the city to the south, Teresa could see that the water opened up into a wide bay that stretched out of sight, except for the western shore that she now stood upon.

Turning to her left, Teresa followed the road north and crossed the stone bridge spanning the Larsius. Then she was back on the northern bank of the original river course and following it east once more. Bravil loomed up over her right shoulder, and Teresa realized that it was actually set within the river delta, with forks of the watercourse going past it to the north, west, and directly through it. It must be on several islands then, she imagined, rather than part of the coast itself.

Then a familiar sight loomed over her left shoulder. White stones lay scattered along the hillside to the north. A familiar upraised well of stone and metal was still intact, with silvery energy lazily floating up from within it like steam. A Varla Mae, Teresa thought - a star well - just like the one she had found at Vilverin.

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Beyond the well rose a still intact stone archway. Behind it was a building whose far end was buried in the hillside. Set within its southern face was a typical Ayleid double-door: two portals with semi-circular handles in the center, which would form a circle when they were shut.

Now they yawned open however, and as Teresa walked up the slope to the ruin, she found that a paint horse was tied to a nearby tree. Somebody's visiting, she thought. That prompted her to draw the bowstave from her back and string it. She knew that there wasn't likely to be any trouble right next to the city. Besides, Herminia had told her that the ruin was empty and completely explored long ago. But it did not hurt to be careful, she thought.

So with strung bow in hand, Teresa plunged into the depths of Anutwyll. She found that she did not need her Night Eye goggles, as the way was lit by regularly spaced glowstones set in small metal lanterns. Following a stair that wound its way deep into Nirn, she finally came to a gallery that looked upon a large open chamber. Its ceiling was held up by massive columns, and a great metal chandelier hung in the center of the room, its roughly cut glowstones filling the chamber with light.

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Near one wall Teresa saw several tables set up in a long row, flanked by more of the same glowstone lanterns she had seen before. As best the wood elf could see, the tables seemed to be scattered with junk and pieces of parchment. Sitting at one was an Altmer in brown and green flax. His red hair rose up from his head in an elaborate, twisting cone, a hairstyle that Teresa found common enough among Altmer men. It made them look even taller than they already were, she thought, as if they needed the help!

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"Hail friend," she called out in a clear voice, which she hoped sounded friendly. "My name is Teresa. I'm looking for Carandial."

"Oh my!" the Altmer nearly fell from his chair, dropping the piece of graphite he was sketching with and clutching at his chest for a moment. He took a moment to compose himself, then rose to his feet and looked up to the gallery where Teresa stood.

"You gave me quite a start there!" he said. "For a moment I thought one of the original residents had come back! I am Carandial by the way. I am surprised to see anyone else here."

"I'm sorry." Teresa bit her lower lip. "Herminia Cinna told me to look you up when I came to Bravil. She said you were studying the ruin, so when I saw it I came in to look."

"You know Herminia?" the Altmer's voice brightened, and he stepped closer to the gallery. "Well come down then, there's a corridor that goes-"

His words trailed off as Teresa slipped over the stone handrails and lowered herself down the wall. Hanging from the lip of the gallery floor, she let go, dropping the rest of the way. Landing on light feet, she rose and dusted her armor off.

"I see you have found your own way," the high elf commented dryly.

"It wasn't that far," Teresa breathed. "I'm really sorry to startle you. I know how unnerving these places can be."

"Oh that's all right," the Altmer said, "I get so engrossed in my work, that I'm afraid it even happens back in the guildhall. How is it that you know Herminia, if I might ask?"

"She tutored me on the Ay-Arimer," Teresa said. "I'm an explorer, and I plan to look for some of their ruins in County Bravil. Perhaps some in Leyawiin County too. She mentioned that you were here doing research, and suggested I come see you."

"Well, if you're looking for treasure here in Anutwyll, I am afraid you are a few thousand years too late!" the high elf proclaimed. "This place was picked clean of everything valuable long before either of us were born. That is why I am here though, it's safe, so I can do my work without danger."

"So what is it that you are doing?" Teresa asked, and the other elf led her over to the tables.

"I am studying the architecture," the Altmer explained, pointing to the book he was drawing in when Teresa had arrived. The page it was open to was filled with a sketch of the top of one of the chamber's columns, detailing how it joined with the ceiling above. It was quite good work, Teresa noted. Carandial was obviously skilled as an artist, as well as being a mage.

"Did you know that the Arimer treated their stone to make it stronger? We are still not sure exactly how, except that it was at least a partly magical process. That is why the stone is white. It was just ordinary grey granite beforehand. That is why their sites have lasted for so many thousands of years relatively intact. They used no mortar either. But the stones do not rest freely. Somehow they are bound together with magic. It really is quite amazing."

"So what is this other stuff?" Teresa asked, her hand waving out over the carefully arranged junk on the tables. Now she noted that each piece sat upon or beside a piece of parchment. Each page had a drawing of the object, and some writing that appeared to describe it. "It just looks like broken pottery and bits of metal."

"That is because it is!" the Altmer laughed and clapped a gentle hand on Teresa's back. Stepping closer to the table, he picked up one piece of green metal and handed it to the forester.

"Here, what do you think this was?"

"It just looks like a glob of old bronze?" Teresa thought aloud.

"It was a metal eyelet," the high elf explained. "Possibly to hold the lace on someone's shoe, or perhaps a lady's corset. I am recording and cataloguing every artifact I find here in the ruins. Like I said before, everything with monetary value is long gone, but there are still plenty of pieces like this, which can help us put together the puzzle of what the day-to-day lives of the Arimer were like. What they wore, how they worked, what they ate, and so on."

"That is a wonderful goal," Teresa breathed, looking over the tables filled with junk. No, she thought, artifacts. Keys to the past. "You must be a very patient man. I don't think I could sit here for hours writing about all of this."

"Oh, I love it!" the Altmer replied enthusiastically. "Every day is a new adventure down here in Anutwyll!" If anyone else had said it, Teresa would have sworn it was meant sarcastically. Yet when she looked in the other elf's eyes, she could see he meant every word of it. He was obviously just as passionate about history as Herminia. If not more so.

"But you are not here looking for eyelets," the Altmer went on. "You are looking for other Arimer sites I take it?"

"Yes, Teresa admitted. "I was wondering if you knew where I might start looking for places like Bawn, Culotte, Nenalata, Mackamentain, and a few others. I have them all written down on a list."

"Well most of those are right on the coast of Niben Bay," Carandial explained. "Bawn is just across the bay to the south, hug the coast and you can't miss it. Nenalata is across the bay at the mouth of the Silverfish River, and Culotte is on the Upper Niben."

Teresa pulled off her pack, and rummaged around within it until she found her map. Spreading it over an empty spot on one table, she turned back to the scholar.

"Do you think you could point those out to me?"

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 2 2011, 11:16 PM

Well a ruin with a friendly inhabitant, that's new

I like how you showed Carandial, he fits the part very well as a history obsessive collecting things which no one else finds interesting. An archaeologist no less, makes sense you might find one in a safe (assuming all those gas traps are defunct) ruin near a city. And he seems happy enough to point Teresa towards some rther less safe ruins elsewhere.

The hardened stone was a nice worldbuilding touch too.

I'm still waiting to see who 'The Fighter' is though.

Uh...uh...has the moratorium been lifted? I ... saw a loincloth ... now a corset ... WOO HOO! Underwear !!!!

I loved how he reacted when she spoke - so realistic to how most anyone would - and I have, running across that live adventurer a few times - GAAAAH! And clutching his heart to catch his breath - perfect !!! Great Chapter !!!

What a nice fellow Carandial is! You've done a good job building Carandial's friendly personality, he fills the part of the crazy Archeologist perfectly. Lot's of lovely screenies kept me happy whilst reading this equally fantastic chapter. I can't wait to see which ruin Teresa visits first, Haa-Rei and I recently discovered Mackamentain and it was a lot of fun clearing it out!

I am still trying to catch up. Damn you for writing such an awesome story.

It was so cool to see that you are giving Methredhel such range and scope in your story. She is the perfect pea in the pod to Teresa. Sure, they have their problems, but that is because they are so similar.

I loved the way she saved Vols. Running away and letting him think that is was Teresa was so cool.

Then the soft feathers of her arrow tickled Methredhel's cheek.
Delightful description!! You are the master of show vs tell.

"Hail friend," she called out in a clear voice, which she hoped sounded friendly. "My name is Teresa. I'm looking for Carandial."
Well done, Teresa! The perfect way to declare yourself. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it leads to a fight for your life.

I'm so pleased you actually put some meat on the bare bones of Carandial's Ayleid Arimer research. Nicely done. I liked the detail of both daily life as well as Arimeri construction techniques. Our girl is getting to be quite the scholar on Arimer!

Devoting almost an entire episode to meeting Carandial and discussing Arimer was a wonderful choice that I'm glad you made. Of course you know I'm always pleased when you allow Teresa to linger. In this case, liberal reference to Herminia enrichened things even more. Buffy the busybody couldn't help but sigh and picture Carandial and Herminia. . . .

Just a pleasure to read!

Olen: There are several people in this chapter to whom 'the Fighter' can be seen to refer to. The one most people would probably think of will not appear for a few more segments.


mALX: Imagine being the poor fellow working in a ruin when someone yells out at you from out of nowhere! Yikes!


hazmick: Carandial is rather bland in the game, so I decided to liven him up a bit. In the process he sort of ran away with my keyboard, which was nice. Mackamentain is a fun ruin, with a ton of varla stones if I recall.


Winter Wolf: Methredhel is a fun character to write. In many ways the opposite of Teresa, yet as you noted, she and our stringy forester are peas in a pod.


Acadian: Thankfully this time Teresa's introduction of herself went better than at Belda! I used that segment as a chance to explain why Ayleid ruins are white, yet no other stone buildings in Cyrodiil are (if the Ayleids had simply used white limestone, then we should also see Imperial buildings of the same). I also wanted to show why there still are any ruins left after 4,000 years of wind, rain, and vegetation.

I never really thought of a connection like that between Herminia and Carandial. Should we start calling Buffy Emma instead?


Next: Teresa met Carandial in the ruins of Anytywll last segment, and the Altmer was kind enough to point out the locations of several ruins for her. Coming up, Teresa finally enters Bravil proper, and meets some of its residents.


Chapter 26.3 – The Fighter

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Teresa shaded her eyes against the sudden glare of the noon sun as she stepped from the ruin. Carandial had been very helpful, and had even taken the time to show her through the remaining passages of the ruin. Even though he had no desire to go exploring with her, he was able to point out where he knew several ruins were, and the general area he suspected others might be in. The forester had the distinct impression that even though he was a mage, like Herminia he was no fighter. She shrugged at the thought, not everyone was cut out for it. That was something she knew better than anyone else. If not for the Emperor, she would still be a mouse sneaking through the back alleys of the Imperial City.

Thinking of the old man raised a lump in Teresa's throat, and once again she wished that he had survived the Crisis. If only she had been quicker when the assassin appeared, and had more nerve. If only Baurus had gotten back sooner. If only Jauffre had found out that Piner was spy earlier. If only so many things had happened differently.

But happen they had, Teresa sighed, and there was no changing any of it. All that was left was to go on.

Looking up, she found that her feet had taken her to the city gates. To her right rose a sprawling livery, filled with stables and corrals in which horses and their keepers roamed. Just beyond it was a massive wooden bridge that spanned the Larsius, with a wide sign over the beams at its near end saying Welcome to Bravil. At its far end were the massive gates of the settlement. Made of wood that was bound in iron, the doors looked as formidable as the interior gates that separated the many districts of the Imperial City. Yet they were no comparison to the mighty bronze portals that guarded the capital's outer walls.

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Turning to her left, Teresa saw that the road stretched away to the north, and realized that it must be the Green Road. To the west it was bordered by deep forest. But to the east fields of corn rolled on as far as the eye could see. Between the farms and the city was the ruin of an old castle, little more than a small pile of stones now. It was in such a decrepit state that the wood elf wondered if people had been cannibalizing its stones for other buildings. A wide field stretched out south of the ruin, running to the edge of the river. Perhaps a half mile beyond it all to the east lay the vast blue expanse of Niben Bay, vanishing into the horizon.

Teresa turned back to the bridge, and found a lone guardsman standing at the near end. A Nibenean from his dark features, he wore mail armor draped in a cream-colored surcoat. Emblazoned upon it in brown and green was the image of a stag with its head turned backward. The same image decorated the kite-shaped shield at his left hand, and the hilt of an arming sword jutted from his hip.

"Good afternoon stranger," he said with a smile, "welcome to the city of Mara!"

"Greetings," the wood elf said as she walked up to him. "My name is Teresa, this is my first time here. Could you tell me where the Fighters Guild is, and the Guild of Mages?"

"Well met Teresa. I am Marius Helvius. The Fighters Guild is right down Silver Avenue there." The guardsman pointed across the bridge and through the open gates of the city. "The mages are past that, down to the docks, and then to the right on Riverwalk."

Teresa thanked him and headed across the bridge. Glancing at the gently flowing river under her feet she was suddenly struck with the impulse to leap over the edge and dive into its inviting waves. Even though she had just swam across the Larsius to Silverbridge an hour before, her body longed to feel its cool embrace as she stared down upon water once more.

With an effort she compelled her feet to remain on the wooden boards and crossed to the stone cobbles of the gatehouse on the far side of the river. Stepping through the shadowy tunnel that ran through the city wall, she noted the arrow-slits in the walls, murder-holes in the ceiling above, and the raised portcullis at the far end. The same defenses that she had seen in Cheydinhal and Chorrol, not to mention the Imperial City.

Then she was through the gatehouse and into the city proper. The cobbles of the road led straight ahead into the city, yet the many smaller roads and alleys that branched out to either side were of hard-packed dirt, and some even of grass. Trees and small gardens bloomed everywhere she looked, giving the wood elf the impression of the city being half wild.

Teresa found that the main street was lined with shops, taverns, several outdoor food stands, a bathhouse, and even a round theater named The Globe. Most of the buildings rose at least two stories. A few, like the theater, rose to three. Some of their lower stories were made of stone, but most were purely of wood. She made a mental note of the small temple of Zenithar that she passed on her right. She would want to stop by there in the future to add more to her account. Hopefully many times in the coming months.

On the other hand, the side-streets appeared to be where all the homes were. Stairways crisscrossed the outsides of nearly all of the houses, giving Teresa the impression that they were actually multiple domiciles stacked one upon the other rather than single homes.

This was so different from the oppressive, crowding stones of the Imperial City, Teresa thought. Even with the high buildings all around, Bravil seemed so open, so much more alive than the capital. Perhaps because the stone of the Imperial City was so hard and cold, where the soft wood and grass of Bravil seemed to invite one to sit and relax while the rest of the world went by outside.

And people call this the sewer drain of Cyrodiil! she thought. What a bunch of idiots!

Down a dirt road to her right Teresa caught sight of a curious statue that rose in the middle of the street. Made of bronze turned green from age, it depicted an old woman wearing a dress whose skirt seemed to flow like water around her legs. Surrounding her were several children, whom she looked down upon with warm, caring eyes.

"The Lucky Old Lady that is." A thin, cracking voice came to Teresa's ear. "They say it's good fortune she'll bring if you kiss her." The wood elf turned to see a silver-haired Imperial woman standing beside her. Her face was a roadmap of wrinkles, and she wore a patched dress of worn flax that fell to a pair of bare feet.

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Teresa felt her heart leap into her throat. That could be Simplicia! she thought. She wanted to say something, but could not find the words. Instead she dug her fingers into a pouch at her belt and produced a handful of coins. She did not bother to even look at what kind they were. She simply passed the money to the much older woman, whose eyes blossomed at the sight of the currency.

"Mara bless you fine lady!" the old woman cackled with glee, revealing a mouth filled with yellow and broken teeth. "Never even asked you for anything did I, and handing over your lifesavings you are."

"I know what it's like," Teresa looked down as she felt her cheeks turning red from the old woman's praise. "I grew up on the streets. I know how hard it is, how cruel people can be when you are down and out."

"Oh, a kind soul is what you are my lady!" the old woman proclaimed. "Aia is I, Wretched Aia is what they all call me. You're new I can see. So if you're wantin' to know anything about the city, you just be askin' Aia, anytime."

"I will," the forester said with a faint smile, "thank you Aia, my name is Teresa." One thing she had learned as a street rat was that it was the beggars who knew everything that went on in a city. They saw everyone day and night, and no one ever noticed them because of what they were. For being poor rendered one invisible far more potently than any potion or spell ever could, Teresa thought.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 2 2011, 11:17 PM

This chapter touches the heart of the reader, Teresa's reaction at the sight of Aia; Simplicia and the memories of the years of struggling never far from her mind - and the opening paragraphs, how the Emperor changed her life so profoundly. Very deep emotions in Teresa that are tangible to the reader. Awesome Write (as always); Huge !!!

A most warm welcome from the city of Bravil! Say hi to Buffy for us!

I'm glad you touched on the fact that in the normal game, although Bravil was supposed to feel like a slum town, it really didn't. Personally, I've modded the city to make it look the part it was meant to play a little better, but to each his (or her) own tastes, of course, and I can see you've decided to keep the slums reserved to the Waterfront. IMHO, a wise decision, considering the character of Teresa, she must feel right at home here. If only she could travel to Vvardenfell someday... she would LOVE Sadrith Mora.

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Dec 24 2010, 12:39 AM

Wonderful, I like what you've done with Bravil. Clean streets and a theatre are easy to imagine with your deep and detailed descriptive skills. Aia was brilliant, Teresa's emotions when the beggar came into view were very touching. More wonderful screenshots as well!

P.S Mackamentain did have a few Varla stones, Haa-Rei had no use for them so they remained in the ruin. I'm sure a certain Bosmer can think of some uses for ancient magic stones though.

This post has been edited by hazmick: Dec 24 2010, 12:33 PM

This was lovely!

Opening scene: Ah, coulda, woulda, shoulda. . . don't beat yourself up Teresa. I'm glad your feet wisely carried you to the city gates.

It's a good thing Teresa didn't shuck her duds and dive into the river as she was naturally tempted to do. The guards are quite used to that from the local wood nymphs and I'm sure they were watching Teresa like a hawk raven. Not to arrest her, mind you - simply for amusement.

I'm delighted that Teresa sees the beauty that is the City of Mara! As you well know, not everyone is so gifted to see that.

There was no doubt that Aia would remind Teresa of Simplicia. I am so glad it seems the two ladies will be friends.

'For being poor rendered one invisible far more potently than any potion or spell ever could, Teresa thought.'
Wise and true, young Teresa!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Dec 24 2010, 02:22 AM

mALX: It has been so many words and chapters since I started, that I often have to remind myself that it has only been a few months for Teresa. So scenes like the last where she remembers the Emperor and still feels the rawness of his death, or where she is brought face to face with the realities of life on the street, can actually be hard to write. Because I have to remember!


Thomas Kaira: Sadly, it will be a while before Teresa meets everyone's favorite blond, Bosmer bowgirl. But rest assured, it will happen one day.

One of the things that bothers me about writing Bravil is that its architecture is so different from the rest of Cyrodiil. Everywhere else that is Cyrodiilic you see stone buildings, like in Chorrol and Cheydinhal and Skingrad, and the massive stone blocks of the Imp City. Bruma is said to be built on the Nordic style, and one imagines Leyawiin from the Khajiit, while finally Anvil is Gold Coast style, so it gets its flavor from Hammerfell. So why is everything in Bravil made of wood shacks? Especially when the city has been around for thousands of years? It may have been wooden to begin with back in the First Age, but it would have been built and rebuilt hundreds of times over since then, and it is silly to believe people would use different construction techniques than the rest of Cyrodiil, when they are in the heart of Cyrodiil.

So I am going to portray Bravil as a frontier town, only (relatively) recently built. I am thinking it sprang up overnight as a boom town when silver was discovered along the Larsius. Then the silver played out, most people moved on, and Bravil hit the skids with only farming and fishing to support it. So the original wooden buildings were never replaced with "modern" ones of stone, and it retains that rough feel to it. I hope to convey most of this through Teresa's interactions with the Rabirius family in Silverbridge, whose three generations have seen the entire rise and fall of Bravil.

Okay, /rant off.


hazmick: Aia has always been a lot of fun to write, with her very distinctive diction. She comes right off the page for me.


Acadian: I hear most of those guards would rather sleep with a horse than a wood elf though, so Teresa probably doesn't have anything to fear...

Bravil the frontier town is probably the one city in Cyrodiil where Teresa would feel the most comfortable, given the trees within the walls, the wooden buildings, and just general rustic atmosphere. It is almost as good as being in the forest.


Next: In our last segment Teresa finally entered Bravil, and made an acquaintance with one of the local beggars. Next she visits one of the guilds, and meets a woman who will change her life forever.

Note: After much hemming and hawing and frustration, I have decided to change the appearance of Tadrose Helas. It all comes down to two things. One is that I noticed that her face is assymetrical, with one of her eyes actually higher than the other. Now that I have noticed it, it is all I can see when I look at her. The only way to fix that is in the construction set, but for some reason I cannot export her face to a save. It works, but does not come out looking like her. It works fine for all the other characters, but not her. So I decided to just remake her, using what did export over as a base.


Chapter 26.4 – The Fighter

Continuing down Silver Avenue, Teresa had little trouble making her way through the traffic of animals and people. The thoroughfare was narrower than those of the Imperial City, but there was hardly anyone on it. At least not compared to what she was used to in the capital. She wondered if there were as many people in all of Bravil as there were in just half the Market District?

Teresa had no difficulty finding the Fighters Guild. It was a huge, sprawling building of stone and wood rising a full three stories from the pavement. Long red banners adorned with white swords hung from its upper floors, swaying in the gentle breeze off the bay. A wooden sign in the shape of a shield hung from its porch, with what looked like a pair of swords crossing behind it. The words Fighters Guild were painted in bright red letters across the front of the sign, leaving no doubt to the building's owner.

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Teresa stood in the street and stared at the edifice that brooded high above her. Was she really going to do this? What would they expect of her? Would they even want her? Would it be worth the effort? How much of her freedom would she have to sacrifice? All of these thoughts raced through her head as she stood there, biting her lower lip and feeling a sudden queasiness in the pit of her stomach.

Well, there was nothing to do but find out, she thought. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to the front door and walked inside.

Teresa found herself in a large foyer whose walls were decorated with red banners emblazoned with the sword and shield insignia that she had seen outside. A stairway curled up along the right wall of the room, leading to the second floor. Wooden benches fanned out along the left side of the room, with low tables between them holding a few books and plants. A glass display case stood near the door, and from where she stood she could see an ebony sword within it.

There was not a soul in sight. Several corridors led off from the entrance hall, and Teresa walked by each to peer down their lengths. Yet they revealed nothing but more doors. It would not make a good impression to wander around their guild hall uninvited, the wood elf thought. So she shucked off her pack and laid it and her bow stave onto one of the benches. Sitting down next to her gear, she dug out her copy of Patvir's Field Guide to Cyrodiilic Plants and began to read.

She was not sure how much time had passed while she studied the text and illustrations of flowers, shrubs, and other plants that possessed alchemical properties. She had thought of herself as being skilled at alchemy until she had purchased the book in the Imperial City three weeks before. Yet after merely thumbing through its pages she had found what a rank amateur she really was. She only knew the tiniest portion of the plants described in the tome's voluminous pages. It made her wonder how real alchemists like Claudette Perrick at The Gilded Carafe could remember it all?

The sound of footsteps jarred her from her thoughts. Setting down the book on the bench beside her pack, she rose and walked to the inner doorways. Down the length of one hall she saw a Dunmer woman wearing a simple flax tunic, worn leather pants, and a blacksmith's heavy apron. Her hair was dark and tied back from her face by slender braids draped in front of her long, pointed ears. The same elf braids that Methredhel wore, Teresa thought. Sweat beaded the dark elf's brow, and her pale blue skin was stained with soot.

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"Greetings!" Teresa said loudly down the hall. "Are you with the Fighters Guild?"

The Dunmer woman looked up with a start and laid a pair of molten red eyes upon Teresa.

"Yes," she said, turning to walk down the corridor to the foyer where the wood elf stood. "Has Tavian seen you yet?"

"Who?" Teresa asked, "you're the first person I have seen since I came in here."

"Blasted kid is supposed to be watching the lobby…" the dark elf muttered as she cast her eyes around the room. Then she turned her fiery stare back to Teresa. "I am sorry you had to wait. I was downstairs in the forge. I am Tadrose Helas, the vice-commander and armorer here. What can the guild do for you?"

The Dunmer's voice was very soothing, having a slow, measured pace and a husky, almost melodic quality to it. It was something the forester could happily listen to all day.

"I'm Teresa," the wood elf said with a faint smile and offered her hand. "I have been hearing that the Fighters Guild is looking for new members, so…"

"You do not want to do that." Tadrose held her own grimy palm up to ward away Teresa's proffered handshake. "Here to join then? We could use an archer, if you can handle yourself in a fight."

"I can handle myself." Teresa looked the other woman straight in the eye as she drew her hand back.

"Hmmm…" the dark elf hummed, staring at Teresa. "You will have to talk to the commander, only he can commission new members. Come, I think I know where he is."

The wood elf quickly stuffed her book back into her pack and hefted the rucksack over her shoulder. Then she caught up her bow and followed the Dunmer down the hallway from which she had entered. Teresa could not help but to notice the way the dark elf's hips swayed within the tight confines of her leather pants. She reminded herself not to stare, and forced her eyes up to meet Tadrose's gaze as the Dunmer glanced back.

"Are you wanted for any offenses?" the dark elf asked. If she had noticed Teresa's lingering gaze, she gave no sign of it to the wood elf. "If you are, we cannot take you. Nor if you have ever been convicted of a capital crime. Do not try to lie either, because we will find out. Just walk back out the door right now instead."

"I'm not a criminal," Teresa said. Well, not really she thought. The whole thing with the prison did not count after all…

"I am not saying you are," Tadrose said. "But we have had more than one try to get in. That is why we have this."

The Dunmer woman turned a corner and gestured in front of her. Teresa stepped beside her and saw that both walls of the corridor ahead were covered with wanted posters. The Dunmer woman stepped forward again, and Teresa noticed that the hand-drawn parchments were organized by race and gender as she followed. Finally they stopped at the section reserved for female Bosmer. There Tadrose's eyes carefully sifted through the images, pausing to stop and look back at Teresa from time to time.

"Wow," Teresa breathed, looking over the sea of posters, "you people really are serious about this."

"We have to be," Tadrose replied, "our charter with the Empire requires it. If not we would just be an army of thugs roaming the countryside. Besides, people hire us not only because we can do the job, but also because they know they can trust us not to slit their throats when it's done."

"Oh," Teresa said, "I never really thought of it that way." She had never really thought of who would want to hire the Fighters Guild. But it certainly made sense. The more she thought it over, the more it came as a relief to her. That meant that she would not be surrounded by a bunch of ruthless cutthroats when she joined the guild. If she joined…

"Well Teresa, I do not see you here, so that is good. Now let's go meet the commander." The Dunmer led Teresa from the hallway, and looked back over her shoulder. "So what makes you want to join the guild? Fortune, fame, excitement?"

"Actually, I have heard that I can learn more here," Teresa shook her head, "not that I'm exactly sure I want to join yet."

"Well that is not something I ever hear!" The Dunmer stopped and looked in Teresa's eyes. "Most of the people who come through these doors brag about how tough they are, and how many men they have killed. The last thing anyone says is they need to learn!"

"Well, money would be good too," Teresa shrugged. "I know I am a good shot, but it seems like after every fight I am in, I find myself thinking of something I could have done better, or should have thought of beforehand."

That brought a real smile to Tadrose's lips, one whose delight softened the inferno of her eyes. "You sound like exactly what we need Teresa. Or at least what I need. You have no idea how much male posturing goes on around here…"

With that the Dunmer whirled and was off down the hall again. Teresa wondered if she was just imagining the extra spring to the other woman's step as she followed. Or maybe Tadrose really was that glad to meet her?

How old was the dark elf? Teresa found herself wondering. It was always so easy to tell the age of humans, she mused. But with other elves it could be so difficult sometimes. If Tadrose had been an Imperial Teresa would have said that she was no older than twenty. Yet the way she spoke, and the hardness in her eyes, gave Teresa the impression that she was much older.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 2 2011, 11:17 PM

I loved every moment of this! Let me say again how much I enjoy that you don't mind lingering and lavishing us with detail. I quite like hearing Teresa's thoughts and observations.

Lots going on here, as Teresa and Tadrose evaluate each other. I think our wood elf is wise to be up front with her cautious approach. After all, she is every bit as justified in evaluating the guild as they are in evaluating her.

I was pleased to see you keep the FG 'rogues gallery' of wanted posters in 2.0. It was a wonderful idea in 1.0, and still is.

There is little doubt about Teresa's interest in Tadrose, and we can see why! I certainly hope the two become friends, and perhaps more - Woohoo! Romance! I can see from the hints of Tadrose's maturity that she likely carries some fascinating baggage.

Tadrose is smoking in that screenie !!!!! WOO HOO !!! Is that your remake of her you were talking about? Awesome job !!! She is positively ... sultry !!! I love their beginnings, tangible sparks are there, whether they act on them or not. Teresa is matured so much since her awkward meeting with Nerussa. Great Write !!!

Eyes front Lassie.

I'm liking Tadrose already! You've done a great job with her and the fighters guild. The poster room is a brilliant idea, it really brings the guild to life.

I'm hoping to see much more of Tadrose and the fighters guild in the future.

Acadian: Evaluating is right, and plenty of that going on in this entire chapter. The rogues gallery was something I liked in the TF 1.0 as well, as it is an attempt to convey that the FG is not just a gang of hired guns (or swords in this case). Rest assured, when it comes to baggage, the mysterious Tadrose Helas has more than just a carry-on!


mALX: That sounds like two votes of approval for the new Tadrose. I liked how she came out as well. The original looked too old for how I worked out her age as well. She should only be about 30 in the TF, which for a race that lives centuries is nothing.

And I see that the lessons Nerussa imparted to Teresa have not been lost to the readers. Not the least of which being some simple self-confidence. That was really the whole reason for Nerussa in the TF. I wanted Teresa to have some sexual experience by the time she met Tadrose.


hazmick: But Teresa likes her eyes where they were! If Tadrose did not want women staring at her rear, then she shouldn't wear such tight leather pants! We will see a lot more 'under the hood' of the Fighters Guild in this and following chapters.


Next: Teresa has worked up the nerve to enter the Bravil Fighters Guild hall and speak to its vice-commander. Next she learns more about the guild, and has a glimpse of its commander.


Chapter 26.5 – The Fighter

Then Tadrose was opening a door, and Teresa immediately recognized the clacking sound of wooden practice swords issuing from within. She followed the Dunmer into the room beyond to find that it was a wide chamber with a high, vaulted ceiling. The walls were lined with racks of both real and wooden practice weapons, as well as shields and armor. The rest of the room was completely bare however, and in that great open space she saw two men facing one another with wooden swords.

Both seemed to be middle-aged. However, there the similarities between the two ended. One was dressed in a fisherman's garb of dark pants and a plain, flaxen shirt. He had the brown hair of a Breton, now tousled around his head in a wild mess. His stomach protruded from his waist in a paunch, and his skin sagged loosely on his frame. Sweat beaded a face that was lined and worn, like leather that had soaked in water then dried out in the sun and cracked. His eyes had a slack, hollow look within them, and he gulped for breath as he moved his sword from one position to the next.

The other man was a Colovian if his fair skin was anything to judge by, with dark, closely-cropped hair going to grey at the temples. He wore nothing but a simple pair of cotton breeches, revealing a chest of finely-chiseled muscles that fairly gleamed with sweat. His face was as strongly featured as his body, in a way that Teresa knew most women thought was attractive. Methredhel would say he was 'easy on the eyes', she thought. His gaze was bright, like the blue waves of the Niben, and quickly settled upon the pair of women in the doorway.

Screenshot

He paused in the workout, raising both hands and stepping far enough back from the other man to be out of reach of his sword. Tadrose held up her hand for Teresa to wait by the door, and then walked over to the Colovian. The two of them spoke in low tones, too quietly for Teresa to hear them. Yet they both looked over at her several times. Finally Tadrose returned to the doorway while the Colovian resumed the workout.

"Gaius still has some time to go in the session," Tadrose said quietly and led the wood elf back into the hallway, closing the door behind them. "Aleron's a paying customer, so he cannot cut it short. Although what that fisherman is paying with I have no idea…"

"Do you do a lot of that?" Teresa asked. "Give training sessions I mean?"

"Yes, it is one of our best sources of income in fact," Tadrose replied. The dark elf took a seat on a wooden bench along one wall and motioned for Teresa to join her. "We can do half a dozen or more training sessions in a single day, either one-on-one or in groups. On the other hand a single bodyguard contract can last for weeks. Vincent - he's our other member - is on a job taking someone to Skingrad right now, and will probably not be back for at least another week."

Teresa nodded and laid her pack down before sitting beside the other elf. "This place seems awfully big. So is it just you, the commander, and that Vincent here?"

"It is now." Tadrose looked down at the floor, the bright expression on her face vanishing like the sun behind a storm cloud. "There is Tavian too, but he is just the porter, not a fighter."

Teresa wondered what happened to the rest of them, but did not want to open up what were clearly fresh wounds by asking. Then she remembered what Valfreya had said on the road south to Bravil. "The way I hear it, they lost most of the guild at Bruma." Now that she thought about it, she recalled Volsinius once saying something like that as well.

"If you have things to do I can just wait here by myself," Teresa finally said, breaking the awkward silence that was growing between them. She gestured at the thick leather apron that Tadrose wore, and the grime on her features. "I can see you're in the middle of working."

"That is alright, I am all finished in the forge for today," the dark elf said, glancing back to the closed door to the training room. "Besides, I doubt Aleron can last much longer."

"So is the other one Pappy then?" Teresa asked. "A soldier told me that was the name of the head of the guild down here."

"Yes, that is what most people call Gaius," Tadrose smiled ever so slightly then. "He is not quite forty, but that is older than most guild members."

It was more than twice as old as she was herself. He was old enough to be her father, Teresa thought, probably as old as Volsinius. She wondered what would keep him fighting after so long? Perhaps like Vols, it was all he really had in life?

"So what is it like in the guild?" Teresa asked. "I mean, what are the rules? How does it all work?"

"Well, the rules are pretty simple," Tadrose said. "You have to obey and uphold the laws of the Empire, render assistance to the local authorities when it is needed, and take direction from the guild commander. Not that Gaius is a tyrant mind you. You do not have to take every contract that comes up, but if it looks like you are just taking advantage of the Guild for free room and board you will be sacked."

"Render assistance to the authorities?" Teresa asked. "What does that mean?"

"When the guild was founded during the Akaviri Potentate," Tadrose began, "the standing armies of all the provinces had been dissolved after a protracted civil war. While this brought peace to the land, it also soon brought even more chaos, as lawlessness and monsters descended on the unprotected countryside. The Fighters Guild was created to restore order. Although it was called Syffim then, after the Tsaesci word for 'soldiers'. In time the regular armies were reinstated, but the guild remained as a means for individuals and organizations to hire mercenaries for lawful ends. In fact it was the success of the Fighters Guild that prompted the Potentate to grant Imperial sanction to a host of other guilds as well, including the Mages Guild."

"The Fighters Guild still remains the servant of the Ruby Throne," the Dunmer continued. "We can be called to service during emergencies to assist the Imperial Legion or City Guards. It doesn't happen too often, as they have to pay us for every day in Imperial service. But it does happen."

That explained why the Fighters and Mages Guilds were at the Battle of Bruma, Teresa mused. The Elder Council must have called them up. Or Martin Septim.

"So how do you get contracts?" Teresa asked, willing her throat not to tighten at the thought of the Emperor's heir.

"Gaius will assign them to you," the dark elf explained. "The way it usually works is that people who need the Guild go to him. I thought you might be here to take out a contract in fact. He makes all the negotiations. Then he decides how many people the mission needs and assigns them. You go out and do the job, then when you come back you receive your portion of the payment."

"What if someone comes directly to you and wants to hire you for something?" Teresa asked, thinking of Umbacano.

"You can either direct them to Gaius if you do not want to do the hondling," Tadrose said, "or you can make the arrangements on your own. But if you do it yourself, afterward you have to give one fifth of the payment to the guild. That is the standard allotment the guild takes for all contracts. Why, do you plan on making many of your own contracts?"

"A high elf in the Imperial City hired me to find some Ayleid artifacts for him," Teresa said, thinking of how much money one fifth was. "That's why I came down here in the first place. Most of them should be in this area. That is a lot of money to give up though…"

"Well, these guild halls do not pay for themselves," Tadrose said, gesturing at the corridor around them. "While you are in the guild you will have free room and board at every guild hall in Tamriel. We will also perform upkeep on your armor and weapons free of charge. Here in Bravil we provide potions for your contracts too. If you do not have any gear, we will supply it, but the cost will be taken from your pay. We also have arrangements with some Mages Guild chapters for discounts on spell instruction and enchantments, the same with the best armorers and weapon-trainers in Cyrodiil. Not that we are unskilled at doing the last two of those ourselves."

Teresa nodded. It did seem like quite a bit, she thought. If she could get contracts that took her back to the Imperial City, then she could stay at the guild hall there for free and visit Simplicia at the same time. "What if I decide I don't like it, and I want to quit?"

"Then you say so and that is all there is to it." Tadrose replied. "You have to turn over any guild property in your possession of course."

"So what about training, how does that work?" Teresa said.

"Believe me, you will be getting more of that than you bargained for!" Tadrose smiled once again. "It is something Gaius and I have been discussing. All in-house training is free. Anything going outside the guild you will have to pay for, but like I said, we have arrangements with the best teachers in the province."

"Like Alix Lencolia?" Teresa found herself asking.

"Yes." One of the dark elf's eyebrows arched at the name. "You have heard of him?"

"I met him on the way here, at The Faregyl," Teresa explained with a faint smile.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Sep 30 2011, 09:15 PM

I like it, you have done a great job describing the almost-empty guild hall. You have fleshed out the fighters guild quite a bit, very well done. Tadrose continues to be a wonderful character and I can see her and Teresa being...close .

I hope for more chapters soon!

First Tadrose and now Gaius screenies, zing! *Grits runs around the block barefoot in the snow*

I love this look into the Bravil Fighters Guild, I can really feel the emptiness and the sadness there. Tadrose is fascinating, I am so glad that Theresa plans to linger.