Loved these pictures. Victorious had some excellent lighting and Feast was brilliantly posed, but Winter road was my favourite; the pose and outfit were wonderful and the scenery were great for giving a cool, restful feel to the piece. Looked like Aravi had simply taken a moment to let the world go by.

The story part was sweet, and the dialogue between the two was excellently written; it's nice to see Aravi dealing with her unpleasant past.

Wow, Kharjo really was upset, wasn't he? I found that bit a nice touch, and while I never imagined Khajiit doing before now I could see that sometimes being a problem.

Aravi has a satisfied victory smile in Winter Road. Looks like her furs need some washing though!

Feast does not look very appetizing to me!

Great shot of the flames in Victorious!

As ever, I loved how you consistently framed Khajiit's thoughts in the third person, just as they speak in the game.

Kharjo looked like a giant had stepped on his tail
This was a great analogy!

If it is any consolation to Kharjo, Serana is not really a vampire. Her race is NordRaceFemale. That is why she does not have the ugly vampire face, why the sunlight never really bothers her (unlike what she says), and why she never drinks blood. She just thinks she is a vampire. She does have a script that gives her the vampire keyword, so she will show up with Detect Dead, and will take the DG sun spell damage. I think the real Serana was killed by Molag Bal, and she was just some Nord girl who looked like her, that her parents brainwashed to think that she was the original Serana.

That went much better than it could have, all things considered. I am afraid Kharjo is not going to be much less stressed if Aravi continues the Dawnguard questline though! At least they are working through it all. So far.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Mar 15 2013, 06:07 PM

Winter Road: Burr. Looks chilly. And she's got blood . . .on her pants . . .who did she kill . . .?

Feast: Love the eyes! And wow, good scene! Nice food! Is that one of those evil badguys known as the Silver Hand? I sure hope so.

Victorious: Savage an sexy! Digging the bow, the outfit and oh, the fire! That's so Wereavi!

Woah, geez, barely into a relationship and Kharjo goes beserko when Aravi sold her soul, or at least he thought she did. I understand his concern though, and it was good to see him calm down a bit after that. She's infertile? Can't get pregos? That's some mighty sad news right there. Hopefully Dibella can fix that. Aravi better get cat-butt to the chapel.


No! You lie! That's not true . . .that's impossible! You just ruined my almost perfect Serana. Why!?

It's not like I said she sparkles in the sunlight!

Screens first. Winter Road: Love that smile! She looks so snug in her hood and warm foot wraps. What a pretty snowfall.

Feast: What a great pose! Love the eyes. Looks like that meal came in a steel can.

Whoa, Aravi is looking nicely toned in Victorious. That fire is beautiful, and her posture and expression say I win!



I love that Kharjo is holding Aravi accountable to him. His thoughts in his unique voice are a delight to read.


Aww. Very sweet, and also Kharjo is not letting Aravi squirm her way out of it. I think Aravi has found a mate who is worthy of her!

How very sad for Aravi (and for the hopeful Kharjo) that her fertility was stolen from her. Her past continues to hurt her, but I'm sure that like other problems (recurring vampire infections) she will face and deal with it.


I just love this passage and everything that it means. What a great update, KC!

@Elisabeth: When I was writing that scene I couldn’t imagine anyone NOT being pissed off about what Aravi did. Big wink LOL. Thanks Elisabeth!

@Acadian: Winter – Aravi’s dressed for it so she’s just fine. Loved that section of road.
Feast – yep.
Victorious – That fire was once an atronach.

Kharjo’s logic – He’s a smart guy! That line is the one I am most happy with in this chaper. Remember when Kharjo had to drag everything out of her? They are doing much better together. I’m sure the kitty licks will help smooth things over. Thanks Acadian!

@Mustard: Winter road – Everyone needs a little break.

They’ve cared deeply for each other for quite a while now. Kharjo doesn’t trust Serana, so hearing Aravi both let Serana take her soul and then went to a realm of Oblivion with her was a rude shock to him.

The bloody hands was a spur of the moment addition. Glad you liked. Thanks Colonel!

@SubRosa: Feast – Aravi would agree with you normally.

Once in a while a first person pronoun leaks through! Though that does happen in game too, so I’m not terribly upset when it happens. They probably pick up some local mannerisms.

Lol, I’ll let Kharjo know that she is NordRaceFemale. I’ve actually had some trouble with Serana that I thought was related to sunlight. She was downed once and would not recover until nightfall. Aravi and Kharjo had to wait all day.

Kharjo’s going to feel better as long as she stays on Nirn and doesn’t give her soul away to anyone. Although he is not going to be happy with some of those Serana required quests. Thanks SubRosa!

@DE: Winter road – I’d guess a troll if that’s the section of road I think it is.
Fancy Feast – I can’t believe I just wrote that… anyways I’m pretty sure that was just a bandit chief. They’ve been showing up in that carved armor a lot since I installed Dragonborn. Aravi’s still got her green eyes as a wolf!
Victorious – Lol, looks like a Kraven style of clothing.

Aravi was expecting Kharjo’s reaction to that bit of news, so she was ready for it. He was pissed because he cared! And nope, no little Khajiit from Aravi. There may be a way to repair the damage, but we’ll see if that comes about. Thanks DE!

@Grits: Winter road – it was a delight to take that screen.
Victorious – The lighting really brought out her shape. I love it!

Kharjo’s not letting her hide everything from him!

I was so happy with Kharjo’s line to get Aravi to go with him. How could she not go with him then?

She’s always going to have that reminder of what was taken from her.

Glad you liked the illusion passage. There is a time and a place for illusion, but when you are working something out with your significant other, bending their will is NOT the right thing to do. Thanks Grits!

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

Durnehviir gets to feel the sun once again. Then Aravi and Kharjo deliver a summons from the Greybeads to General Tullius. It is finally time to pause the Nord’s civil war and bring down Alduin.

7:46

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Screens!
Exchanging arrows with a keeper

Center stage

Charge!

Dragon battle & alternative

Center stage is my favorite

I laughed at the trading arrows picture...that ghost is all "wut?" XD

I loved Charge in this; the pose, the lighting and the positioning of the camera were all perfect! What's that purple effect on Aravi, out of interest? Some kind of spell she uses? Also, pretty sword is pretty. I like it.

I'll have to watch the video later, I'm afraid, if I can find the time.

What fabulous action you captured as Aravi trades arrows with old blue eyes, then charges a dragon!

Hey, any vid that opens on a beautiful day with butterflies is a winner.

I knew it – woot – Durnehviir! How cool is he?!? And I can imagine how good the sun must finally feel on his mighty wings.

Doublewoots on the horse! Kharjo walking is not a bad thing. Half the benefit of the horse is to carry much of their burden and probably half his gear can be loaded up with Aravi on the horse.

Oh yes, back to emissary duty for this peace conference. I thought that Legion general was pretty cool.

Gosh, I really enjoyed this vid!

Heh. What clothes?

So undead dragon tries to get a tan, eh? Welcome back to Tamriel, Durnehviir.

Exchanging Arrows with a keeper: Keep the arrows, keeper! And hehe . . . that lost soul looks lost.

Center Stage:Aravi in the Cairn's spotlight, eh!! Nice! Looks so dangerous, too!

Charge:Aravi is helluva brave Khajiit! Going face to face with an undead flying reptile! Amazing! I didn't realize how scary he looks up close.

Dragonbattle: This was bright. A very bright fight indeed. Fire everywhere. But I do know who wins this fight.

Alternative: Damn, fire, you scary!

I love how Durnehviir comes out of the ground! And Aravi learned a Drain Life shout? That's so cool! Easily my favorite shout next to firebreath.

Aravi gets some extra money by selling crops. Good old farming partime job. Yeah! New horse! I must say she's a beautiful looking steed! Fits her perfectly

Aravi is for the Legion? For the Empire!? Or maybe she comes bearing a peace message from the Greybeards. I don't see Aravi taking sides in the conflict.

This post has been edited by Darkness Eternal: Mar 19 2013, 02:32 AM

Oh my gosh, I loved seeing Durnehviir’s first flight. Really neat, especially with all of those butterflies about. Aravi picked a beautiful day for him. The fact that he talked to Aravi really fires the imagination.

“Ride Aravi’s Horse,” yay! Her tail looks very cute when she’s riding. That horse looks like he could carry several Aravis! I do love the Skyrim horses.

Wow, what a conversational opportunity with General Tullius. I can’t see him apologizing for Captain “Forget the List”’s eagerness to behead her, though. Love his cape!

The Soul Cairn pictures are great. They really capture the bleak beauty of the place. I particularly like the faceoff with Durnehviir. But the dragon battle is just awesome!!

This post has been edited by Grits: Mar 19 2013, 02:53 AM

*

Love that last screen best, but Aravi's expression in both it and the first one is very cute!

I love this line:

I am loving these little Aravi stories!


Next:

Those first two screens are tremendous! On the last two, is that your summon dragon fighting? Awesome!

Does Aravi get a new word of power each time she summons the dragon? Very cool, I wonder what the words do? I don't think I've seen that town before, very nice! Awesome Updates, both of them!


*

This post has been edited by mALX: Mar 19 2013, 09:29 PM

@Elisabeth: Lol, I didn’t even look at that guy until you mentioned him. Thanks!

@Mustard: It was kind of difficult to get good pictures of Aravi fighting Durn so that was one of the few I was happy with. The blue is the effects of one of Durnehviir’s shouts. The sword is one of the Dragonborn DLC items. Thanks Colonel!

@Acadian: Lol, Aravi’s busy!

I always think of Buffy when I see butterflies around. Glad you like Durnehviir! He is so cool. Thanks Acadian!

@DE: What clothes? You wish.

Charge – He is an undead dragon after all.

Durn is pretty useful in some situations because he is summoned on the ground. I think he’s very helpful to have around with many enemies. If there is a single tough enemy… another is more useful.

Aravi ignored the crops lady. She wanted a horse!

It is funny how both sides immediately send her to the recruiter as soon as she speaks to them. Thanks DE!

@Grits: After all that gloom for centuries, I don’t know how Durn stayed on the ground long enough to talk to Aravi?

I love how Khajiit have their tails when they ride. As Acadian said, Aravi isn’t a burden at all!

Tullius… was what I pretty much expected from a general. She looked useful and even though he was going to execute her, ‘hey sign up!’

Yay! I loved watching those dragons fight! Thanks Grits!

@mALX: Glad you made it in mALX. I’m very happy you liked the stories.

The last two screens – Yep! Aravi’s dragon is the one breathing fire.

She’ll learn 3 words in total from Durn. Thanks mALX!

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

Begin the story with Grits’ entry in the “Today In Skyrim” thread.

Magnus climbed over the mountains in the east to finally banish the night for another day. Aravi squinted in the light, her eyes not adjusted after walking in the gloom of twilight. The warm, golden light was at odds with the chill air that nipped at her fingers and nose still. Underfoot, the paving stones were glazed with frost. As the day matured, they would thaw out, and the road would be pleasantly warm under her feet. The steady clack of heavy boots on the road behind her let her know where Kharjo was.

After convincing General Tullius to meet at High Hrothgar to discuss a truce the day before, Aravi and Kharjo descended from Solitude to stay at Dragon Bridge. They set out early in the morning; she hoped to not see that little village for a long time. She was mortified when she learned that she and Kharjo weren’t as quiet as she had thought they were in their room at night. The Nord woman that ran the inn had an all too knowing smile when Aravi paid for their room and breakfast that morning. Kharjo took that opportunity to tease her as they ate, and nearly everything he said had sexual overtones. By the end of the meal, he and the innkeeper were roaring with laughter, and Aravi was all too happy to leave. “Another buttered bun for this one,” he said as he waggled his eyebrows. She’d never wanted to throw a hot cup of tea at someone before then.

Despite how embarrassed she was then, she couldn’t help but smile now. I'll find some way to get even with him. The road south to Riften was long and would take several days. They would be passing through Rorikstead and she planned on resting there for a bit. Maybe…

She moved to the side of the road and walked in the damp dirt that was now thawing in the sunlight. The soft ground was easier on her feet, but the real reason was to get a look at the plants growing nearby. Kharjo will want a drink when we stop… maybe he will have an unfortunate reaction to one of the drinks. Aravi smiled wickedly to herself. Revenge.

~~~

She found it! She examined the mass of green in her hand. Giant’s Lichen. She barely saw it out of the corner of her eye. This, with that sabre cat fang in my pack, and Kharjo’s first drink will knock him flat.

The sun was directly overhead now. The easy slopes of Hjaalmarch transitioned to the steep rocky hills of the Reach. The land was treacherous if you strayed from the road. Rorikstead was only a few miles down the road and she was beginning to think she wouldn’t find anything she could use.

“What are you doing? This one thinks you are much too interested in whatever it is you are holding.”

Aravi flicked her ears, realizing she had them perked forward. She stilled her waving tail. “What do you mean? I found something useful for my alchemy.”

“You’ve been picking flowers all morning. What does this lump do that they don’t?”

“It enhances the effects of other poisons. Makes them stronger than they would be on their own.”

Kharjo peered dubiously at the pile of green and dirt. “This one still doesn’t get what is so exciting.”

“I’ll show you sometime.” Don’t smile. He knew something was up, the way he was looking down at her. The grin threatened to break through her neutral mask. Look innocent. She felt the corners of her lips quirk as she looked up a Kharjo.

“Why does this one feel uneasy?”

Aravi chuckled. “I have no idea why you would feel that way. Let’s get moving, Rorikstead isn’t far and I’m getting hungry.”

“Maybe if you had stayed for another bun at breakfast you would not be so hungry now,” Kharjo teased.

Aravi tapped his nose with a claw tipped finger. “Watch it, or you won’t be having any more buns.” She put on a serious expression. Kharjo kept grinning.

“If you want to look fierce, you shouldn’t twitch your tail like that.”

Aravi turned away and started walking. He won’t know what hit him – what’s that? She saw someone in green-brown robes just off the road, an open book in one hand and examining something else on the ground.

“Kharjo? Where did he come from?” She didn’t see him before and that made her nervous.

“He just came over the hill a few minutes ago while you were digging in the dirt. He appears to be doing the same. This one kept an eye on him.” Kharjo paused as he watched the figure stoop to the ground. “Khajiit doubts he even knows we are here.”

“He looks like a mage. Think we can pass him?”

The mage stooped and set a bag down, apparently collecting something useful.

“Khajiit thinks so. He doesn’t look like he is in a position to attack anyone. If he does, then he will be easy to shoot.” Kharjo pulled his crossbow off of his back and loaded a bolt. He carried it at ease, but Aravi knew how fast he could get a shot off with it.

They resumed walking, the road bringing them closer to him. He was collecting mountain flowers, cutting the stems neatly with a dagger. Aravi couldn’t see the man’s face, but his precise movements collecting the ingredients triggered something in her mind. As she watched, she saw him pass over perfectly healthy flowers, being sure to leave some behind as he collected.

She stopped walking and stared at him… her mind searching. I’ve met this man before.

“Darnand?” she said aloud. Hazel eyes looked up from the flowers and met Aravi’s green. She saw the spark of recognition. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

~~~

“Oof!”

Aravi’s breath was knocked from her when the Breton ran to her. She was pulled tight and squeezed; she felt her toes leave the ground. Her arms hung uselessly for a few moments in stunned shock. He’s hugging me? She wrapped her arms around him, less to return the hug and more to prevent herself from being dropped. Darnand was surprisingly strong for a slight mage. Aravi turned her head to Kharjo who looked as stunned as she felt. He gave her a look as if to say, ”What’s this?”

Aravi mouthed back, “I don’t know.”

“Uh, Darnand? I’m glad to see you too, but could you set me down?”

“Huh? Oh.”

He carefully set her down and they both took a step back, Darnand clearly embarrassed. Despite that, he had a broad grin on his face that he made no attempt to control. “Aravi, it is wonderful to see you again. I apologize for my rash actions.”

“No apology needed, you just caught me off guard. This is the last place I would have expected to see you.”

“I can say the same.”

Kharjo spoke. Aravi was glad to see the crossbow was put away. “Aravi, who is this… friendly Breton?”

“This is Darnand Penoit of Chorrol. He is a member of Cyrodiil’s Mage’s Guild and,” she looked at him for confirmation, “the College of Winterhold. He is a powerful mage and a friend.” He bobbed his head slightly at her praise and offered a hand to Kharjo.

Darnand’s eyes only reached Kharjo’s nose; he had to look up at the large Khajiit. Kharjo was also much heavier built than the slim mage. His size didn’t seem to bother Darnand at all.

“Darnand, this is Kharjo. He is a strong warrior who has traveled longer and farther than either of us has. He guarded one of the caravans before taking up with me.”

Kharjo pulled off his armored gauntlet to shake Darnand’s hand. “Khajiit greets you friend.”

“Well met Kharjo.” Darnand was still smiling, though he had a better handle on it now.

“What are you doing here?” Aravi asked.

“I am collecting ingredients,” Darnand stated. “Oh, that is not what you mean. I came to Skyrim to learn from the College of Winterhold. They are more free on… certain topics of study that I am interested in. Jerric came to find more of his family.”

“Where is Jerric?”

“That is actually why I am so glad to see you. He is in jail.” He hesitated a little. “I need help getting him out.” He looked to the ground.

The request took Aravi off guard. He wants me to break Jerric out of jail? “…I can’t do that Darnand. Even if I possessed the skills to do that without attracting every guard… What did he do?”

Darnand looked up quickly seeing his error. “No, no! That is not what I meant. Where are you going? I will explain as we walk. I have enough ingredients I think, just let me collect my things.”

He walked quickly to where he left his things. Aravi saw something shine in the grass and picked it up: Darnand’s dagger. She glanced at Kharjo, who still looked uncertain about this mage.

Darnand returned to them, stuffing a copy of Herbalist’s Guide To Skyrim in his bag. Aravi offered the dagger hilt first.

His eyes widened slightly. “Thank you, I did not realize I had dropped it.”

“I’m glad you did before you tried hugging me,” Aravi said with a smile. “We are going to Rorikstead and you may join us.”

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Credits where they are due:

Thank you so much Grits for the opportunity to feature Darnand. Working with you on these cross overs have been such a pleasure!

And thanks to Julienya for the beautiful illustrations! This update wouldn't be the same without them! Check out her gallery!

This post has been edited by King Coin: Mar 21 2013, 09:19 PM

All of this collaborating makes me want to do it lol

“What are you doing? This one thinks you are much too interested in whatever it is you are holding.”
One nice thing about Kharjo’s distinctive voice is that it somewhat eases the need for speech tags.

Some rarely seen glimpses at Aravi's sense of wicked humor as she plots to repay Kharjo's lack of discretion.

What fun to see Darnand in Skyrim. The way he was collecting ingredients was quite recognizable as the mage we know and love. The bit with the dagger near the end though, was truly some inspired Darnandness at its finest!

Love K-Kat’s reaction of course. So it seems Aravi is once again waylaid to help someone. At least it is friends this time!

Your screen and Julienya's drawings add plenty of scrumptious beauty to this fun episode!

Nits:
‘This one kept and eye on him.’
You want ‘an’ instead of ‘and’ here of course.

‘He is a strong warrior that has traveled longer and farther than either of us has.’
Admittedly rather grammatically picky, but I recommend ‘who’ instead of ‘that’. In this type of context, ‘who’ is used for people (including TES types with tails or pointed ears), while ‘that’ is used for things or groups.
EDIT: I am reminded that my second 'nit' occurs within a segment of dialogue, so the degree of correctness with which Aravi speaks is purely up to the author. Sorry for the oversight.

This post has been edited by Acadian: Mar 21 2013, 11:16 PM

Question:

Answer:

GAAAAAH! I could see the three words, lol. Does she get them just by summoning him each time? And what do they do?


Now:

Kharjo was funny, the sex must have put him in a good mood, lol.

Wait, Aravi's response to his teasing is to POISON HIM? Weakness to Poison X2, Weakness to Shock, and Ravage Health? GAAAAAH! Not funny!

Is this a sign of her having her soul messed with? Pretty scary stuff!

Juliana's drawings were Awesome, most especially Kharjo and that expression on his face!

Holy Cow, a coop with Jerric and Darnand in Skyrim too? WOO HOO !!! Awesome update, just not sure about Aravi's idea of a joke - now I'm wondering what else happened to her soul in that Soul Cairn.




This post has been edited by mALX: Mar 22 2013, 12:24 AM

Terenna always like making friends. I'm sure that Kayla would be fine with having somebody like her along

I found that episode a lot of fun throughout, and the cameo with Darnand was perfect, as was the comic (Kharjo's face was pure gold). Slightly alarming with the plan to poison his ale, but seeing Aravi's plan is to knock him out with his first drink, I think it shouldn't do any harm long-term. I hope, at least.

Just a quick clarification, Aravi isn't planning anything that will cause permanent harm... except maybe to someone's ego.

Who knew Kharjo could be so . . .eh . . .raunchy. I do enjoy him more than ever now. You managed to give life to his character indeed and their relationship together is great! I love his wtf expression when he sees our resident mage/alchemist Darnarnd show up. Didn't they work together in Cyrodiil against vampires?

Hmm.

Love the reunion here!! I also wonder if Darnard had any life-altering potions or something to make him live this long? Or is his age completely ignored here? Just curious

Darnand is amazing and wonderful. That's why he's everywhere. XD