Oh wow. When Kayla went back to the house, there's was a dead draugr on our doorstep, and Onmund just goes "Hello, my love!" XD

Next you'll get a bill from the Daedric Dead Draugr Doorstep Delivery service. Did Onmund remember to sign for it?

This post has been edited by ghastley: Mar 14 2013, 06:39 PM

GAAAAH! Onmund back from the dead !!!

Hahaha!

Hmm. Was the draugr wearing a party hat? Sounds suspicious to me. Onmund is up to something!

Come to think of it, he DID look a little bit more festive...

-shakes fist- ONMUUUUUND!!

First it's undead, now draugr! Onmund has a dark side Kayla, be careful!

Gasp!

Somebody order a Draugrgram!

This one was fun to read, Grits!







All this made me laugh so hard. I'm at work, too, so I had to kinda muffle this! IT's also touching that Big D would consider the feelings of other beings like this.



This is also awesome. As well as the girl saying "why are they hurting each other?"

Where we left off: Lord Haaf-Mersey has rounded up a couple of renegades for Isran, and these renegades have been sent to Castle Dawnguard. After spending some time at Lakeview Manor LHM has returned to Dawnguard, where he now finds somebody waiting for him.




"Serana?" But such cannot be!"

"You probably weren't expecting to see me again."

The pair stands in an antechamber, away from the main portion of the castle. Isran is also present, as well as Mjoll the Lioness, Haaf-Mersey's new warrior companion.

"But ye are here?" the Lord says. "Of what austerity have ye the confidence to make court amongst such valiant, mortal men as these?" Haaf-Mersey looks towards the stone floor they stand on. It is sticky with blood.

"I'd rather not be here either", Serana says plainly. "But I needed to talk to you. It's important. So please just listen. It's....it's about me, and the Elder Scroll that was buried with me."

As her words calmly issue from her lips, Haaf-Mersey's heart initially races, his senses on high alert, but then it suddenly slows. A sort of calmness takes over. It's those eyes of hers.

"Scroll?....Ye maketh mention of a scroll?" ...Everything is okay, he thinks. It's just her. It's just Serana.

"The reason I had it and why I was down there... it all comes back to my father. He's not such a good person, as you may have already figured out."

Did she feed? the Lord thinks. He is still calm, but also alarmed. Did she take another life right here? With all of them standing around watching? ...Haaf-Mersey's thoughts are immediately answered by Serana's mind, even as she speaks to him and Isran with her physical mouth. ....Do not be alarmed. I do what I have to do to survive, just like you. He was a captured bandit, the sort of man you kill everyday. I rid him of his miserable mortal life, just as you have many times.

...it is as if the Lord stands in two rooms at once. In one room, all four of them (he, Serana, Isran, and Mjoll) are standing present. In the other room, it is only Haaf-Mersey and Serana. There now....it's okay.... she tells him in this other room, causing him to put down his guard completely. He cannot even reply back, he's so calmed.

"............... good fight!" What do you make of that?" Mjoll babbles behind the group, in her own little world.

Lord Haaf-Mersey realizes that he's fully back in this room with Mjoll, Isran, and Serana; the other room where he and the vampire spoke alone is now gone. "Thine father?" Haaf-Mersey replies dumbly, now confused. "... an Elder Scroll? ... How does such ....?" his thoughts are so scrambled...

"It's pointless and vain, like all prophecies" Serana tries to explain. "It is said that vampires would no longer fear the sun. That's what my father was after, he wants to control the sun." ...Serana explains that to keep the scroll from her father, she had been entombed, hidden deeply within Dimhollow Crypt. And now, she's made it to Dawnguard, where she feels safe and needs his help.

"I am of felicity that ye have made thy presence of...." the Lord says, dumbly. He doesn't know what to say. He's that dumbfounded lad back in school, all over again. "...presence of mind".

"I did. But something about you makes me think I can trust you."

The Lord is shocked once again. Serana seems to want to assist Dawnguard. She comes to the castle, somehow makes it inside without being killed, and is still here. She waited for him. Could this be a ploy?

"Well, what is next, then? ..Ye would prefer to make employ of this stronghold of vampire hunters? Such is of clarity?"

"That was the plan, yes. Assuming the rest of them can trust a vampire. Come on...I'll need you to help convince them."


12:15 pm
"Alright" Isran says as the Lord turns to Dawnguard's leader. "You've heard what she has to say. Now tell me, is there any reason why I shouldn't kill this blood-sucking fiend right now?"

Lord Haaf-Mersey feels slighted by Isran's words. It's as if Isran is insulting his sister.

"Mind you!" the crusader scoffs in lower Tamriellic tongue. "Serana has made preparations, and performed visitation of her own sort of accord, Isran. ...And presented us her tale. We can deliver her away from eternal life, perhaps, but perhaps Serana might also make provision towards vital assistance, in our fight against the derisive evil which now inhabits Skyrim. Perhaps Serana might also knoweth of the trappings of her father's home. A sort of spy, a sort of accolade, might she be. And in full assistance. What sayeth ye upon such?"

"Set my hatred aside? Not a chance! It's what keeps me strong." Isran answers.

"I have seen the light, Isran. The light that shineth of Julianos, Lord of logics, reasonings. Serana is not of pertubation. And ye shalt make one mighty decision of wrongful misdoinings, should ye not gather with open arms and mind Serana's provisional offer."

Lord Haaf-Mersey realizes he is saying these words himself, without any of Serana's charms or urgings. It's as if she is allowing him to make up his own mind about this situation. She is honestly leaving her fate up to him.

"You'd better know what you're doing," Isran says coldly. It can stay for now, but if it so much as lays a finger on anyone here, you'll be responsible." Isran now turns to the vampire "....You hear me? You so much as lay a finger on anyone here and you're dead. But I realize your resource is an asset to Castle Dawnguard. In the meantime, don't make me regret my sudden outburst of generosity. Because if you do, your friend is going to pay for it."

"Thank you for you kindness," Serana replies with sarcasm. "I'll remember it the next time I'm feeling hungry."

The lord finds himself suppressing a giggle at this. He's fully under the vampir's charm, once again, and does not realize it.

"Are you ready?" Serana asks the Lord now as Mjoll babbles again from behind like an eager schoolgirl. Serana then explains that nobody can read the scroll, except for a group called the Moth Priests, who only reside in Cyrodiil.

"I heard a new scholar arrived from Cyrodiil not long ago..." Isran replies, but refuses to help the vampire figure out where the Priest might be staying. He does suggest trying various inns, though.

"What sayeth ye?" the Lord asks Serana. "I am of desire to make findings of this scholar. Have ye any preconceptions of locating?"

"Well back before I..I... you know...the College of Winterhold was the first place I'd go for many magics or historical things. I ....I realize I can come with you, but I don't know if I can trust your friend. Let me know if you want me to come along."

Lord Haaf-Mersey turns to his companion, Mjoll the Lioness. I must choose her? Or choose her? The Lord expects his thoughts will be answered again by Serana, as she speaks to him in that other room. But this does not happen. Matter of fact, Serana calmly leaves the antechamber. No charming, and no 'urging.'

"I need to have solitude with mine thoughts...", Lord Haaf-Mersey says diplomatically. "..that mine choices ring true, and follow mine heart".

Serana, surprisingly, allows this to happen.

This post has been edited by Lady Saga: Mar 16 2013, 04:54 PM

Renee, I was rolling over Mjoll's own little world. Perfect!


Here’s an update from Jensa:

I’ve taken orders from some grumpy fetchers in my time, but this Isran takes the prize. Of course I can’t blame anyone who works with me for being out of sorts. The last few weeks have been hard to explain.

First I went with Stenvar to help out these new vampire hunters. I guess the dragons won’t eat bloodsuckers, because lately Skyrim has seen more than a fair share of them.

Anyway this Isran sent us to find out what the vampires are up to. So we did.

But that just made him mad. I guess he wanted me to take on a whole castle full of them by myself. Jackass. I showed him on my map where they all live in case he wants to go take a crack at them.

Then while we were away sweet talking some folks that he pissed off previously and now wants to see again, the vampire wench whose clan I failed to single-handedly slaughter showed up at Fort Dawnguard.

I went up to the torture room to talk to Isran about it. I thought he was going to make me clean her guts up off the floor, but she was still alive. I guess her vampire charm works better on men, or maybe on all folks who aren’t blessed by the Atronach. Anyway now when she’s around I have one eye on Serana and the other on my Stenvar.

She had some ideas about the vampire’s plans and that means things need doing. Isran decided to let her live for a while. I’m not so sure about that. She says she feels a bond between us. I guess that’s because it was my blood that woke her up. Frankly she could go right back to sleep as far as I care, but first I’d like my blood back. Well I guess that’s not going to happen.

Stenvar and I were headed out the door to go find someone who can read her scroll, when Serana slid up beside me. “I don’t know if I can trust your friend,” she told me. By that she meant Stenvar. She said if I want her to come along it just has to be her and me.

Now I don’t expect a vampire to know much about loyalty, but this one used to be a Nord so there’s no excuse. But Stenvar hooked me by the belt and hauled me out the door before I could throw down on her. I guess if she wants her scroll read she’ll stick around until we come back with a Moth Priest. Or maybe when we get back we’ll just find a dusty scroll. Both ways work for me.

This post has been edited by Grits: Mar 17 2013, 08:49 PM

I can relate to Jensa's feelings! When I tried the DG with Revansch I just could not do it, precisely because of how it force-feeds a vampire onto your vampire hunter character. Now I get the whole Friendly Neighborhood Vampire trope, but the ham-fisted way the game thrusts her upon you makes things very difficult to roleplay for your hardened vampire-hunter. It would have been a lot better if the game had actually given you a reason to trust her when you first meet her. Like some scripted scene where she saves your life. Or somehow demonstrates that she Uses Her Powers For Good

But as I mentioned in another topic the other day, Serana Is Not Actually A Vampire. She's a regular Nord. Someone just reverse-pickpocketed a Vampire Keyword into her script, so spells that work on vampires will also effect her. But you will never, ever, see her drink blood. Maybe when Jensa figures out Serana is just deluded, her attitude toward will lighten up.

OTOH, the game is even more ham-fisted in its approach to you playing a vampire before you start the DG questline. It still forces you to join the Dawnguard! Then once you are there with your bat-face and glowing eyes, standing in front of Isran - the tough, experienced, no-nonsense vampire hunter bossman - he has no clue that you are a vampire? Riiiight. That makes a lot of sense.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Mar 18 2013, 03:50 AM

I wondered how they managed to keep Serana pretty. My Nord vampire wears a cowl. She's hideous.

I was curious about that too. That is what first led me to look her up in the Construction Kit. Bethesda obviously subscribes to the Beauty Equals Goodness trope, since they went out of their way to make their spotlight vampire character pretty, unlike every other vamp in the game.

No way ! We're at the same point of Dawnguard? That's amazing. It's cool how we have our own styles of telling the same story.

And yeah, Mjoll is a motormouth. OMG she's almost worse than Marcurio

This post has been edited by Lady Saga: Mar 18 2013, 01:07 AM

Yeah, I think Jensa and LHM are searching for the same guy.

I had one character take Mjoll out on the road, I don't remember who. They got as far as Fort Greenwall and told Mjoll to go back home!

Mjoll is a nice NPC, don't get me wrong. It's just she repeats her lines 3x as much as Marcurio or Jenassa or Erik the Slayer or anybody else. I can't tell you how many times I've heard her story about her father taking her to Morrowind as a child. Or how she enjoys Skyrim's cold because she's got Nord blood. Or... ARRGH!

Where's my facepalm smiley?

Anyways, LHM just plundered Fort Fellhammer, Fort Dunstad, and half of a falmer cave near these two forts. He retrieved the Helm of Winterhold, but is taking his time, stopping at every possible place on his way back to Winterhold. It's fun!

They've stopped in Silverdrift Lair (a draugr barrow) in search of lots of potions for Mjoll. She's annyoing, but she's doing very well as a warrior, and I think it's thanks toyou, Grits, for telling us about the potion trick. LHM has given her a couple staves as well: one which allows her to cast frost atronachs, and one which casts ice storms. WOOOSH! And she still uses Grimsever of course.

Euryale is now looking for the same guy as you two.

She took a brief break from hunting vampires to visit home in Windstad Manor. I fast traveled there from Morthal because I am tired of making that same walk through the swamp by now. She appeared at the manor with two dead Draugr at her feet! That has never happened before!

Ha ha sweet! It's an adventuring party!

Clearly she had some fun without you.


EDIT: Aravi's a little bit ahead of you all. She's looking for some insects. Yes it is DG quest related.

This post has been edited by King Coin: Mar 18 2013, 01:20 AM