I drowned so many times in this quest - unable to cast water breathing and no Jewel of Rumare - and there is a fault in the wall of the cave that (if you swim into it accidentally) takes you off the map but still under water - unable to get back into the cave and drowning! GAAAH!

The screenshots really add to the chapter, how you took the time to get the one underwater - WHEW !!! I love this quest, and you are really bringing it to life here !!!

Let me explain a little further... the scrolls are scribed in Daedric, but they are not actually read from. The Daedric writing simply provides a conduit between the spell that has been imbued into the parchment and the inner core of Magicka for the user. Reading from the scroll is irrelevent. All one needs to do is allow the dormant spell within the scroll to touch their Magicka core, and the spell is then activated and cast.


Though I may just be overthinking it, so if that's the case, woe upon you.

(In reality, the Daedric characters on the scrolls spelled out simple phrases in plain english pertaining to the spell on that scroll. There was a placeholder, though, which was, of course, Woe Upon You (technically woe upon ou, because Y is generally not written in Daedric).


By Azura, are we forgetting something? The Oblivion Crisis and the Siege of Mournhold are the only times the Daedra have tried to destroy the world, and both times it was by Mehrunes Dagon, lord of destruction and chaos. This statement seems to be a bit of a hasty generalization, Sage Rose.

Not all Daedra are bad. Daedra are more often than not simply neutral, albeit in a rather aggressive manner (usually because you were intruding on the area they were tasked to guard). The only time the Daedra were ever "bad" in that sense of the word, was in Oblivion. In every other Elder Scrolls game, the Daedra were a neutral party.

The princes whom they serve give a good sense of their true alignment, though. Dagon is on the bad side of the spectrum, so naturally his servants tend to be rather aggressive (though it appears you have yet to encounter a Dremora you can chat with in Morrowind, and there are several). However at the same time, Dagon is the lord of chaos and destruction, so in reality, his servant daedra don't care much what they're breaking as long as they're breaking something. Still, he is the world-breaker, but that is his nature. The Oblivion Crisis was not the first time he threatened Mundus, nor will it be the last, but do take notice he is the only one who ever threatened them.

Azura, on the other hand, is a good Daedra, and her Winged Twilights are loyal guardians to many ancient Dunmeri families. She also aided the Nerevarine in his quest to purge the Blight from Morrowind, in fact, she chose the Nerevarine.

Daedra are not demons bent on destroying the world, they are simply those who did not partake in the creation of Mundus. They care very little about the affairs of mortals (well, most of them, anyway. I think only Azura has a history of aiding the people of Mundus). By the way, I am not talking about the Daedric Princes calling upon someone to perform a task for them to receive an item of theirs, I'm talking about events significant to the history of Nirn, which you will find very few princes have actually contributed to those, and almost every time, it was Azura (who is also the most level-headed and reasonable of all the Daedric Princes by far).

The only Daedra who are considered "bad" are Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, Sheogorath (who we learned in Shivering Isles is actually Jygallag, a good Daedra), and Malacath. It is no coincidence that every attempt by the Daedra to destroy Mundus was made by Dagon, it's what he does. Daedra being destructive demons is an urban legend, which was only helped onward by Oblivion's story arc.

Long story short, Oblivion's plot caused a huge misunderstanding of the Daedra. They are not evil, world-munching demons, but rather a party neutral to the affairs of those who dwell in Mundus. The reason people do continually try to summon them (every single lesser daedra you encounter in Morrowind was summoned) is because they know this, and they also know that lesser daedra are quite loyal to the will of the summoner.

Hope this helps you better understand the ways of the Daedra.

However, I do understand that it might take some time for Tamriel to get over Dagon's incursion, so I'll get off my high horse now.

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Feb 5 2011, 11:21 PM

Heh, well... He also seems to be a accomplished tailor, in his dreams at least, perhaps he should pack in the whole enchanting thing.


Great metaphor, there were a few but this one really worked.

This was definatly the nastiest test. There's something horrible about being underground and underwater, I enjoy both but as soon as you mix them it all goes nightmarishly wrong (a bit like cheese and coffee). You certainly caught the nightmare aspect there.

Great stuff.

SPEW !!!! ROFL !!! Acadian, I am ... shocked !!!

ROFL!!!! Oh my goodness how did I miss that?! -wipes tear-

That is an interesting view of using scrolls, but it does not explain why the writing would be in Daedric. Why not in Aedric? That would make much more sense, as it was the Aedra who created Nirn, and thusly it is their energy that its people have within them. Where the Daedra are utterly alien beings. If you do not have to read it, why have writing at all? In any case, it sounds like just touching the scroll makes the spell go off, which does not sound very workable, imho.

In the TF, all magic works under the same principles. Be it casting a spell, making a scroll or potion, or enchanting an item. I have touched on this somewhat already, and will go into it in more detail in chapter 30. It all comes to down to 3 things. A symbol, energy, and the directed will of the person. The only difference between casting a spell and making a scroll is that in the latter, the practitioner puts all three in the piece of paper - channeling some of their magicka into it, sending it into a symbol there that gives it form and direction, and willing it to work. So a person who uses a scroll, potion, or magic item needs absolutely no understanding of magic themselves. That part was all done by the person who created it. They just need someway to activate it. They either swing their sword and it works automatically when it hits someone, or they drink the potion and the magic within it is released, or read from a scroll and it does the same.

I think you are somewhat misinterpreting my presentation of Daedra in the TF. I am not trying to characterize every last one of them as being the evilest beings ever imagined. But rather I am convinced that in a real world, that would be the perception of them by the vast majority of the population.

Also you seem to be forgetting a huge amount of the Daedra's negative behaviour. The only games where a Daedric Prince is not either the main villain or in the background manipulating the main villain are Daggerfall and Redguard. For example, in Arena Jagar Tharn is just the frontman for Mehrunes Dagon. In Morrowind the entire game revolves around the corruptive evil of Lorkhan's heart (and Lorkhan is Padomaic, and often referred to as a Daedra, although not technically so). It is the cause of corprus, what makes Dagoth Ur such a bad guy, and having to fight it is what makes the Tribunal weak. Azura herself is not the angel of mercy you are trying to paint her as either. She cursed an entire race because of the actions of their leaders. (Although I like the idea that Azura did not curse the Dunmer, but rather that they did it to themselves by embracing their false gods. But that is not what is presented by Bethesda.) She then manipulated mortals for thousands of years to get her revenge upon the Tribunal. Just how many Nerevarine's did she send to their ugly deaths before one finally got lucky and destroyed her enemies? The Nerevarine is nothing more than a tool of Azura's revenge upon Dagoth Ur, Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil. An end is put to corprus in the bargain, but I have seen no evidence of that being Azura's goal. Rather it is a side-effect of destroying the people who miffed her by stealing the power of a Daedra to become demi-gods, and push her out of predominance in Morrowind religion (which I think is a great plot btw.) After the fact we do not really see the Nerevarine doing anything to change Morrowind for the better. He/she makes a vanishing act afterward in fact, leaving the province in the manipulative hands of Helseth, who is more interested in shoring up his own personal power than doing anything for the benefit of the people of Morrwind. Ironically he ends up abolishing slavery, albeit not for altruistic reasons, but rather to break the power of the Houses that rival him. I would not say all of this makes Azura out to be a monster. However, none of it is proof of a benign nature either. She is just serving her own ends.

To name just a few other things, Deadric princes are the creators of werewolves and vampires. When you look at the wiki page on them they are described in terms like: "rules over deceit, conspiracy, secret plots of murder, assassination, treason, and unlawful overthrow of authority". Molag Bal's sphere "is the domination and enslavement of mortals. He is known as the King of Rape. His main desire is to harvest the souls of mortals and to bring mortals souls within his sway by spreading seeds of strife and discord in the mortal realms". And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Sheogorath is the Joker from the Batman comics given godlike powers. His alter-ego Jyggalag seems even worse. He is not just a personification of order (which in itself is a contradiction of the basic nature of Daedra as set down by Bethesda), but of order run so rampant that it crushes all forms life and variety of existence. Clavicus Vile is portrayed in the same basic manner as Satan in Christian Mythology, making deals for people's souls in return for power in the mortal realm. Hermaeus Mora seems alright at first, except that those who are drawn in by his promise of complete knowledge become so consumed by it that it takes over their lives. Malacath is literally a turd (honest!). Namira is a personification of revulsion. Vaermina of horror itself. Sanguine of not only over-indulgence (which of course go beyond mere fun and leads to ruination of people's lives, look at drug-abusers and sex addicts), but also of "passionate indulgences of darker natures". Meridia seems one of the less nasty ones on the surface. Until you remember that she wiped out the Ayleid city of Sideways, and not to mention backed Umaril the Unfeathered - making her the patron of a race that enslaved and tortured other races (a trait she shares with Azura), and slaughtered the members of many chapels in Cyrodiil. Nocturnal seems benign. She is only a patron of thieves - which is nothing compared to the others. But of course we hardly see anything about her either.

The truth is, Bethesda goes to great lengths to make the Daedra out to be very black and white villains, right down to calling them demons. If they did not want them to be seen that way, then they should not have gone to so much effort to do it in the first place.

In a real world, it would only take one of those things above to put a taint in people's minds against the entire bunch. Because when people are scared, they do not react logically, and rarely compassionately. Look at how Japanese-Americans were treated after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Their belongings were seized and they were sent to concentration camps, where many died. It did not matter that they were American citizens, who had lived their entire lives on US soil, as did their parents, and were absolutely no threat to the nation. Or that some of them actually went on to serve in the American army in Europe. It is not logical, or fair, or in keeping with the ideals of the United States. That is just how real people act. I see no reason to believe that the majority people on Nirn would be any different. Especially after the Oblivion Crisis, where you had gates to Oblivion opening up all over (not just in Cyrodiil), and daedra destroying cities full of people. Maybe Azura really is a nice lady, but in a real world, most Nirnites would not be looking at her any differently than Americans looked at Japanese-Americans in 1942. It would take someone with an awful lot of compassion to see past all the bad apples, and when it comes to Daedra, there are more than just a few of those.

Bethesda is not interested in making a portrayal of a realistic world though. That is why you do not see those attitudes in the games, and priests of the nine and mages guild members will happily teach you to summon scamps and daedroth, even though the exact same creatures are literally roaming around a few miles away killing everyone they see. It would be the same as a modern American summoning up a suicide bomber, or teaching someone else to. Bethesda does not really think through what they put in their lore. Or even how they constantly contradict that lore. That is why I often have to throw out much of ES lore in general. A lot of it is just ridiculous.

In the TF I already touched on people's views of Daedra after the Oblivion Crisis, when Teresa is talking to Morcant about them. Morcant says that not all of them are dyed-in-the-wool evil, and throws out Azura as an example of a deity that is a patron of initiatory rites. As an ordinary person of Cyrodiil, Teresa is skeptical of course, being that her only experience with Daedra is them trying very hard to kill her, her mother, and her friends. Not to mention their mortal servants murdering her Emperor in front of her eyes.

Now don't get me wrong, if people want to portray the Daedra as being different in their games or their fiction, I am not going to argue with them about it. Acadian is rolling with Azura being a rather positive deity in the BF. I do not criticize that, as he has been consistent in his portrayal. However, I would caution folks that some reinvention of Daedric history would be a good idea if you want to make it believable. For example Acadian changed how Azura's Star works. In the BF it does not devour people's souls. Instead it simply sucks up their magical energy. This in turn paints Azura in a much better light than someone whose artifact eats people souls.

For example, here is an idea someone might try out: Maybe Molag Bal really is a nice guy after all, and all those stories of him inventing rape and creating vampires is just a lot of bad press created by his enemies. It would not be the first time one religion completely lied and slandered another to serve the ends of its mortal leaders. Molag Bal might be a god of spiritual healing in reality. Here is another idea: maybe it is the Aedra like Mara who are really the bringers of horror and destruction to the world, and they use the Daedra as scapegoats to frighten mortals into submission. Maybe Mankar Camoran was right. Maybe Mehrunes Dagon really was a liberator? It would certainly make for an interesting idea to read about in a story. One of the characters I played in the game believed the above to the case. She was a former Mythic Dawn sleeper agent, and I RPed it that the Oblivion Crisis was already over when I started playing her (obviously this entailed skipping the entire tutorial dungeon). She was a ton of fun to play.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Feb 6 2011, 04:55 AM

And thus we must remember that all Daedra are aligned with chaos.

Thank you for clarifying that to me.

ROFL !!! - Now, I just had to take that as a challenge, lol. Maxical was next! I personally hope Jerric is next, then Lattia Direnni, lol.

This post has been edited by mALX: Feb 6 2011, 03:22 PM

schrödinger's ecole rider: That was always the most difficult one for me, because the monitor I had at the time was so dim that I could not see anything. I drowned constantly trying to find that second tunnel going further down.

I left out the second potion half-way down the tunnels. It makes it more dramatic without it being there.


Linara: There is actually a second potion half way down in that test. The dress is Syl's Dress from Shivering Isles. I have always loved it, and seeing that this was Henantier's nightmare, I wanted something wild and outlandish. It was perfect.


Acadian: Keep in mind that this is a nightmare, rather than a dream. So what we see is not so much what he desires, as what he fears. Still, I would submit that he likes fish as well. Teresa cannot help acting like one though, because she is!


Jacki Dice: You need to save up for a pc! There is so much more you can do with the game.


mALX: I think I did the underwater pics while in godmode. That or I just let myself drown. I cannot remember anymore.

Let's all party naked!


Olen: I am glad the nightmarish quality of this quest is showing through. It is supposed to be weird and creepy.


Next: Our intrepid dream explorer has recovered three of the necessary four elements of Henantier's psyche. Now she faces her most difficult challenge yet as she attempts to win the final element.


Chapter 28.7 –Through A Nightmare Darkly

Only one more to go, Teresa thought as she stepped into the living room. What she found gave her pause however. The comfortable chamber she had seen when she first entered the home in the real world had transformed into a charnel house. The floor was stained with blood, including a long drag mark that went directly to a door that now loomed in the far wall. Framed in stone, it rose to a pointed top and stood where the fireplace had been. Lying on a table next to it was a headless skeleton, its skull carelessly discarded onto the floor nearby.

Screenshot

Teresa gulped. This did not look good at all, she thought. Henantier had regained his belief in her success after she had returned from her last test. Yet if he could see this he might change his mind.

Well, the only way out was through, she reminded herself once more. Stepping forward, she realized that this was the Test of Courage. Swallowing hard, she reached out to touch the wooden planks of the door.

She found herself in a stone tunnel. Directly in front of her was a dais of spoked design, and another of the small Ayleid chests atop of it. Henantier sure has a thing for the Ayleids, the wood elf thought as she opened the lid. Or maybe they were the stuff of his nightmares?

Within she found a full suit of hide armor, just like the one Morcant had given her. She imagined that if his dream was giving her armor, it was best to put it on,. With that in mind she stripped off her gown and quickly donned the light armor of supple leather. She even pulled the helmet over her head. Normally she preferred to keep her head bare, but the butterflies in her stomach told her she might need it.

Looking back in the container, she also saw a staff. Drawing it forth, she found that it was easily as long as she was tall. Its rosewood shaft split into three gnarled branches at the top, forming what looked like two fingers and a thumb. She had no idea how it could have fit within the chest, as the container was only a foot or so high. Yet there it was in her hand, just as plain as day. This was a Staff of Lightning, she thought. Somehow she knew that just as she knew the names of each test she performed.

Screenshot

She had grown up hearing bard's tales of great swordsmen, so skilled with a blade that their weapons were described as being extensions of their arms. As soon as she touched the staff she knew that it was an extension of her will. She did not know how, but all she had to do was focus as she did when casting a spell, and the staff would shoot forth a bolt of lightning.

With that in mind she lowered the shaft and pointed the tip at a portion of the stone wall ahead of her. Jagged lines of electricity leapt forth from each of the twisted fingers of the staff. They crackled in the air and all met at the stone, blasting a chunk of it loose and leaving the rest blackened and smoldering.

Mara, this was amazing! she thought as she stared down at the staff. It made her bow seem a child's toy in comparison.

That did not fill her with confidence however. She knew that if the dreamworld were giving her such a powerful weapon, not to mention armor, that the trial ahead must be equally dangerous. With that in mind, she strode down the tunnel and into the open.

She found herself standing in an arena. Stone walls rose around her in a circle, topped by long metal spikes that pointed inward to prevent her escape. Blocks of stone loomed up next to the wall in regular intervals, seeming to buttress it. Near the walls were stone daises that contained blazes of white fire. These illuminated the scene, as did the red sky overhead. Four stone pillars splashed with blood and decorated with iron manacles sprouted from the dried and cracked dirt near the center of the arena. The circle within them was taken up by a rusted iron grill.

Between her and the grill was a curious rectangular area of white stone blocks set into the ground. It took Teresa a moment to recognize them as a stairs. She imagined that a trigger would make them rise up from the ground and form a true staircase. Looking overhead, she saw that she was standing underneath a wide gallery made of elegantly carved stone. The stairs would lead up to it once they were activated. That must be the way out, she thought.

Screenshot

Then Teresa noticed that she was not alone in the arena. Two others approached her from across the dirt. Splitting up, one ran along the Arena wall to the right of the wood elf, and the other to the left. Both loomed high above her, with massive frames that bulged with muscle. Their torsos were those of men, but their backward-jointed legs ended in cloven feet and were covered in fur, like those of animals. Their massive heads were those of bulls, and they carried huge war hammers in their hands.

Minotaurs, Teresa thought. Clever ones too, splitting up meant that she would have to divide her attention when firing upon them. If she paid too much attention to one, the other would blindside her.

Leveling her staff at the nearest, she willed a bolt of lightning to spring forth. Blue-white light sparked across the arena floor, and the beast-man staggered for a moment as the charged energy struck him full in the chest. He shook his head, then launched himself forward a moment later with a roar that fairly split the wood elf's ears with its intensity.

Screenshot

Well, that made him mad, she thought. She pointed her staff at him again and unleashed another bolt of lightning into his hulking frame. Again, the beast-man paused briefly before lowering his head and plowing on once more.

They moved quickly, but dodging did not seem to be in their repertoire, Teresa noticed. That made them easy to hit, but they seemed to be able to take a lot of punishment. It was plain to her that even with the staff, they would be upon her before she could stop one, let alone both.

Glancing to her side, she saw the second minotaur was closing in fast. Turning in his direction, she sprang forward to cut the distance between them. When he was only a few paces away she lowered the staff and fired a bolt of electricity into his chest. The minotaur reared back as the lightning struck him, growling in what Teresa imagined might be anger, or pain, or perhaps both.

The forester did not pause in her rush, scampering past the momentarily staggered monster. She continued to run, and did not stop until she reached the far wall of the arena. Turning, she set her back to one of the tall blocks of stone that buttressed the wall. That way one would not be able to sneak up behind her while the other occupied her attention.

Lowering her staff at the nearest one, she continued to blast away at him as he charged forward. The creature's fur was burned off and its flesh charred black, yet still it continued toward her. It moved with terrifying swiftness, seeming to gain speed with every step. The minotaur lowered its head when it was only a few steps away, and Teresa saw a red point of light form between its horns.

That cannot be good, the wood elf thought as that light came at her. Leaping to one side, the stench of burned fur filled her nostrils. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the dark blur of the gigantic creature as it lunged past her. A moment later she heard a crash as it slammed directly into the buttress. Dust and chips of stone erupted from under the monster's head. The minotaur did not fall, but did appear dazed for a moment.

Staring up at the tall stone blocks of the counterfort, an idea blossomed in Teresa's head. Leaving the minotaur to gather its wits, she took to her heels once more and raced to the next buttress. She could hear the snuffling breath of the second minotaur behind her, lending urgency to her steps.

Reaching the buttress, she did not stop. Rather she leapt straight up, reaching high with her arms. Her hands caught the edge, and she pulled with all of the strength in her slender muscles. Letting go of the staff to get a better grip, she let its wooden shaft roll free across the roof of the counterfort. Pulling her head and shoulders over the edge, she heard the loud breath of both minotaurs beneath her. Praying to Raven that they could not grab hold of her before she could get atop the stone pillar, she swung one leg up and hooked her foot over the side. A moment later she rolled across the roof, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she sprawled on her back and stared up at the red sky overhead.

A crash ran through the stone beneath her, shaking the entire buttress. She heard the wood of her staff clattering on the rock, and turned to see it rolling near the edge. In a few more moments it would fall. Not wasting a second, she sprang for it, stretching out her hand for its shaft. Her fingertips wrapped around the smooth wood just before it could tumble to the dirt below, and Teresa thanked Mara for her good fortune.

Maybe she should have kissed the Lucky Lady before going to meet Kud-Ei? It had been right out in the street outside Henantier's house. Every little bit helped after all. Then another shockwave ran through the buttress, and she had to steady herself to avoid collapsing onto the roof.

Climbing to her feet, Teresa cautiously approached the edge and peered over. She saw both minotaurs standing at its base, covered in dust and chips of stone that they had smashed loose with their headlong charges. She lowered her staff with a faint smile, and began shooting.

It took a few minutes, but eventually she reduced both of the monsters to motionless piles of roasted flesh. Neither seemed to be able to leap up and climb the stone as she had, making them easy targets. Collapsing onto the roof of the counterfort, she let the staff fall from her trembling fingers and gulped for air. She was alive! she thought, alive!

Screenshot

The harsh sound of stone grating on stone came to her ears. Lifting her head, she saw that the area of white rock in the arena floor was indeed rising to form steps. When it finally stopped there was a stairway leading to the gallery over the door she had entered. From her higher viewpoint, she could now see that a glowing ball of energy floated within the viewing area.

Grasping her staff, Teresa lowered herself to the ground. Cautiously stepping past the dead minotaurs, she made her way across the arena and climbed the stairs. Leaping over the rails of the balcony, she found that the orb was suspended atop what seemed to be eight bony claws that grew from the stone floor. Again, the sphere was black and featureless. Yet this one was surrounded in a halo of yellow-green light.

Screenshot

Teresa reached for what she suddenly knew was the Element of Courage, and a moment later she was back in Henantier's room and standing in front of him.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Feb 8 2011, 12:24 AM

What is the green coloring that surrounds Teresa? Has she been poisoned? Great Write! (as usual) - I kind of hate to see this questline come to an end, you have done an Awesome job of bringing it to life for us !!!

@mALX: The green coloring is the enchantment infused in the hide armor Teresa is wearing.

When I put on Matius's cuirass, it gives a white edge to my PC for the same reason. Any enchanted clothing will do that, and the color depends on the type of spell (white for restoration, and I think green is alteration).

SubRosa, this is great! I don't remember it being this good the first time around. I was chewing my thumb the whole time Teresa was fighting those guys. Usually I just hide in the tunnel and whale away at which ever one is standing in the entrance trying to get at me (the tunnel's too small for these guys to get into - kind of like the cat and the mousehole).

Good part, as ever.

As mALX said, you really have brought this quest alive. The dreamlike feel of it is excellent and enhanced by little things all the time.


I loved this, it helps with the whole dream thing and I sense a little dig at the game physics...

I suspect there will be one more part to this, and in many ways it's the one I really look forward to, I'm interested to see how you show Henantier once he's together again. You're characters are so strong I can't help but want to see them speak...

@mALX, rider: Actually, I believe Rosa already explained that the green glow is from the amulet allowing Teresa access to Henantier's dreamworld.

That was a fun battle to read (though probably not for Teresa to fight). It was great to see her thinking creatively, using the environment to her advantage, and exercising her natural Bosmeri climbing abilities. Also a clever way to snip away at the fact that only the player is able to jump in game.

I have to admit, this is my fighting style for my on Bosmer ranger in-game. Hop up on a large rock where the enemy can't reach me and peck away at them with my bow (which thanks to mods, I have doing about 4 times the vanilla damage, with the drawbacks being they degrade faster, require more time to bring to full draw, and I can only have 20 arrows quivered at a time).

In Close quarters, I rely on my newly enchanted Lightbound Sabre, which is a beautiful custom model that I recently enchanted with Fire damage 10pts 3sec and a 1 second soul trap to keep my gems (and a certain star) filled.

And it also seems Teresa id going to be disrobed once she gets back to Henantier, so... I'm sure you will not disappoint is with their reactions, and subsequently what they take with them back to Bravil. I sure do hope Kud-Ei will be forgiving of his naughty.

This post has been edited by Thomas Kaira: Feb 7 2011, 08:22 PM

And another thread I'm caught up on.

SubRosa, what can I say? Your work is brilliant. Teresa comes off as a very strong-willed, creative and bright character.

I'd like to go of into detail about everything that I've recently caught up on, but I'm rather afraid that will take a great deal out of my time, time I don't have (unless Akatosh decides to help me out on that one. Unlikely, though, as I find his Alduin aspect more...imminent).

These chapters on the "Through a Nightmare, Darkly" are extraordinarily well-written. Henantier is just as I remember him, and the Dreamworld just as foreign as I recall.

My only question is regarding the fight with the minotaurs. Were you able to kill them both with the just the lightning staff in-game?

I ask because I always played through that quest at level 20+, so I ended up having to don a full suit of Daedric armor, run around targeting one with the lightning staff, and then closing with the second in straight up melee. Trying to simply fry them both left me with an uncharged staff, and two angry and only halfway-to-dead Minotaur Lords.

I am so relieved! I had no idea how Teresa was going to kill the minotaurs. Whew!

This whole chapter has been riveting! I though the swimming was pretty nerve-wracking too, not knowing how far it would be. Should I turn back? Yikes!

I can see why you left this one for last! Wow! Talk about the stuff of nightmares for stringy wood elves! I was so glad that Teresa could get up to a safe perch. Her use, and your description of the staff was great!

I loved how Teresa paused for a moment to think about kissing the Lucky Lady.

What a wondeful end of the four tests. Delicious screenshots!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Feb 8 2011, 02:11 AM

mALX: I am not positive what is causing the green glow. It is in every pic of Teresa. I think it is the amulet that does it. I said it was in the story because I needed something to explain it in.


haute ecole rider: I did not know they could not reach you back there! I will have to try that sometime. I usually fight them out in the open, dancing around to keep from getting hit.


Olen: You are right, I could not resist the dig at how you can get a six foot staff out of a tiny container. Or how you can put twenty suits of armor in a clamshell.

There will be two more posts in the epilogue of this chapter. One focusing on Teresa, and the other on Henantier.


Thomas Kaira: I typically just keep shooting with my bow when people come into melee range There is nothing stopping you from doing so in the game. Although the rate of fire is a little slower than most melee weapons.

Funny you should mention that about Teresa's clothing!


Captain Hammer: Hi Cap'n, welcome to the TF. Thank you for the kind comments. I assure you that our stringy wood elf has turned beet red from the praise.

I typically do this quest at low levels, around 1-6. So the minotaurs have fewer hit points, and I always have leftover charges in the staff. That is also why I always get fur armor to wear.


Grits: I actually got the idea from reading peoples tactics in this quest on the Beth forums. I am glad the tension works throughout the dreamworld. I normally would not to into so much detail on a single quest. But because this is essentially Teresa's final entrance examination for the Fighters Guild, I wanted to really show it off. Hopefully the variety between tests is enough to keep it from becoming dull.


Acadian: The minotaur battle is the most visceral, so I left it for the climax. I am glad someone noted the Lucky Lady reference. I put that in to bring across the unique personality of Bravil. No other city has anything like it. Plus, I want to continue using it as a landmark.


Next: Teresa has completed the tests and reassembled Henantier's mind. Next, we go back to reality


Chapter 28.8 –Through A Nightmare Darkly

"You did it!" the Altmer magician cried after the orb had flown into his body as the others did. Now Teresa found that he was completely solid, and the shaking of his limbs and stutter in his voice was finally gone. "You have restored me!"

"Can you get us out of here now?" Teresa asked. That was when she realized that the staff she had been carrying was gone, as was the armor she had been wearing. Once more, she was completely naked, but for the dreamworld amulet she wore.

She quickly moved to cover her exposed body parts with her hands, and felt a familiar warmth spreading through her cheeks. She had not really minded the wizard seeing her before, when his mind was in more pieces than Lorkhan's body. But now that he was fully rational it was another thing entirely…

"Where did your clothes go?" the Altmer asked, one eyebrow lifting in a curious stare. Then both his eyes suddenly widened, perhaps when he realized what he was seeing. He quickly turned his head and held up one hand over the side of his face.

"I…I am sorry," Henantier stammered once more. "I did not mean to stare, I…"

"Just get us out of here already please," Teresa sighed. Now that the excitement of battle was draining away from her, her trembling limbs were beginning to feel leaden with exhaustion. She just wanted to lie down and rest for a bit. The irony of feeling that while in a dreamworld did not escape her…

"Yes, of course," Henantier said. He stepped closer to her, but with his head still turned so not to see her. Reaching out with one hand, he nearly punched her in the face by accident.

"It's alright Henantier," Teresa breathed. "You can look, just do what you have to."

"You are sure?" the high elf said, turning his head a bit to peek. When Teresa nodded, he turned completely to face her. Looking down, his hands reached out to take the amulet from between her breasts. Teresa saw his face turn a bright shade of crimson then, and he seemed to pause for several moments, just staring down at her chest.

"Umm, Henantier?" Teresa cleared her throat.

The mage jerked his head upward, but his eyes could not meet the wood elf's. "Sorry about that…" he murmured. Staring at the amulet now, he continued to hold it in his left hand, while he raised his right high into the air. Opening his fingers, a bright point of purple light formed between them and fell down around Teresa.

Then she found herself back in Henantier's house, his real house. Kud-Ei was standing over her, and when the Argonian saw her eyes open she nearly jumped for joy. Teresa could not stifle a yawn as she sat up on the floor. Stretching her arms out over her chest, she was glad to see that she was once again wearing her leather armor.

"Thank the Nine you are both alright!" Kud-Ei exclaimed, now moving to Henantier, who Teresa saw was sitting up as well, and like her, stretching and yawning. "How do you feel?"

"Hungry," the Altmer mage said, and his stomach growled loudly to underscore his statement. "I feel as if I have not eaten for days!"

* * *

With a faint smile on her lips, Teresa looked down at the new amulet she wore. Hanging from its silver chain was a large red pendant in the likeness of a triangular shield with a white sword running point down across its face. She had seen them before. It was the official badge of the Fighters Guild. What she had not known before however, and what Pappy had told her when he set it around her neck, was that it also contained a mild Shield enchantment.

She had really done it! Teresa smiled faintly as she carried her bags down the second floor hallway in the guild house. Doors passed by on either side, and the wood elf was amazed at how many rooms they had just for living space. Tadrose had told her that they offered room and board to all members, but the hall seemed to have more bedchambers than an inn!

The muted sound of a lute came to the forester's ears as she made her way toward the room that the dark elf had assigned to her. It grew louder as she continued, and the wood elf realized it was coming from the room across the hall from her own chamber. Setting down her things in the hallway, she gave the door a gentle push and gazed inside with curious eyes.

Sitting on the bed was Ancondil, dressed in an outfit of black velvet embroidered with gold. In his large, green hands was the lute she heard, and Teresa watched and listened with amazement as he played. He was rather good, she thought, although all she had to compare him to were the street-corner musicians of the Market District.

The room was simply furnished, as all of the bedchambers seemed to be at the guild hall. However, the sheets on the bed were clean, as were the plain tapestries on the plastered walls. A suit of Dwemer armor hung from an arming rack in one corner of the room, its bronze plates brightly reflecting the afternoon sun that slanted through the window. Propped up against the wall beside it was a war hammer, whose long handle was made of golden sila wood. The wide head of the weapon was made of grey and gold elvish steel, decorated with the likeness of an eagle's head upon its side, and filled with delicate patterns of feathers and leaves.

"Greetings Ancondil," Teresa said in a subdued voice, "it's good to see you again." She bit her lip, hoping the Orsimer was not mad at her for what had happened the other night. Well, she thought, there was no time like the present for her to try to set things right.

"Teresa, do come in!" the orc looked up with a smile and set his eyes upon the wood elf. Laying down his lute, his gaze fell to the amulet she wore. "I see I am no longer the newest member of the Fighters Guild, congratulations!"

The Orsimer's grin dispelled the worry that had been nesting in Teresa's stomach since the other night. She felt a faint smile creep to her lips in response as she opened the door all the way. "So you really are a musician, as well as a poet."

"Yes indeed, although I am still learning the lute," he said, patting a muscular hand on the stringed instrument. Then he jerked a thumb at the gleaming hammer that stood beside his armor. "I have a natural talent for percussion instruments as well…"

The willowy elf could not stifle a modest chuckle at his quip. "I have something for you," she said a moment later. She stepped back into the hallway and took a moment to rummage through the sacks she had been carrying. Finally she produced a bottle of brandy and a book of poetry.

Turning back to Ancondil's room, she found the man standing in the open doorway with a quizzical look on his face. "I wanted to say I was sorry for the other night." Teresa placed the bottle and book into his hands. "I thought you might like these."

"My stars Teresa!" the Orsimer gasped as he looked over both of the gifts. "I…I do not know what to say, except thank you. You do realize this is entirely unnecessary?"

"I wanted to," Teresa said, biting her lip. "I was hoping we could still be friends?"

"Well of course!" the much larger man exclaimed. "Shall we open the brandy and celebrate your new position?"

"I can't," Teresa shook her head, looking down at her bags and thinking about her last experience with alcohol that she was unused to. "I have to unpack, and get out of this damned armor and put some real clothes on."

"It would be my honor to assist, my lady," Ancondil said formally, and Teresa was reminded of the knight at The Faregyl Inn who had kissed her hand. "I am highly skilled at lifting heavy objects."

"That's ok, I have been dressing myself for some time now," Teresa said with a faint smile. She glanced down at her chest. "Besides, they're not that heavy…"

"Teresa!" the Orsimer's face lit up in a combination of shock and amusement, and he began to sputter with laughter. "That is not fair!"

The wood elf could not restrain a brief giggle herself as she lifted her bags from the hallway floor. "I'll see you at dinner, Tadrose said that Pappy was going to make something for all of us. From what she says, he's a pretty good chef."

"Then I shall see you there, you rapscallion!" the orc smiled and shook his head, then went back into his own room.

Teresa did likewise, and began unpacking her bags and putting her things away in the spacious room. She wondered what Simplicia would think when she told her in the next letter, or Volsinius. Just two weeks ago she never would have imagined herself being in the Fighters Guild. Oblivion! just a few months ago she had been in prison!

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Feb 12 2011, 04:15 AM

Oblivion! is right! Just a few short months and she has come such a long way!

Seeing Ancondil again is a real treat - especially as he doesn't seem to hold a grudge against Teresa for the other night. His offer to help with the heavy lifting was right in character, but Teresa's response shows a new side to her, an increase in her self-confidence that allows her to show some humor as she did here. I like it! A lot!

To your comment: Considering I love to mod the living daylights out of my game, there is something stopping me. My bow gets force-denocked if an enemy gets too close to me, so I really do need to keep my distance. It's one of those realism things, if someone got within sword distance of your character, wouldn't the first thing they would do be to strike your bow aside if it were drawn, or perhaps charge you and knock you over if they had a heavy shield? I take my immersive combat rather seriously.

Now, back to the story...





Where's Foxy? I'm sure he's dying to give this some Dhertee Innu-Enndo treatment!

The second scene with Ancodil was quite charming.

A fitting end to an excellent chapter!

Poor Teresa finally gets Henantier all put back together, then I'm sure was tempted to say this:

The Bosmer tapped two fingers angrily against her forehead and admonished, "Henantier, my eyes are up here!"

Congratulations, Teresa! Getting into the Fighters Guild in the world SubRosa has made for you is tough! Well done!

I also was pleased to see Ancondil again. You really bring him across as delightful! I loved the jokes about being skilled with percussion instruments and lifting heavy things like bags or Teresa's clothes from her.

'The wood elf could not restrain a brief giggle'
Nor could I.

"Then I shall see you there, you rapscallion!"
This line fits our marvelous orc to a tee!