Over the weekend, Gilda became Guildmaster of the Thieves, and collected the Stones of Barenziah, which meant buying Proudspire, which in turn meant doing the Potema quests.

I'm consistently getting a CTD when a character does the second one, after killing all the Draugr guarding her, when she retreats to her throne room. If I run back out of the section and wait, I can return after a few days, and find Potema's already dead. This has happened with the last three characters to do the quest, and I'm struggling to find what's causing it. It must be a mod, but all they're running with are the standard DLC's and a few outfits and textures which shouldn't(?) cause any issues. To make it worse, most are mine, and a different combination for each character, so it's hard to find anything in common.

Anyway, we got past that eventually, and she's done all the standard TG stuff, and can start testing my new ones. She's had a note from Karliah, telling her to go visit the Twilight Sepulchre, and has gone and had a chat with Nocturnal at her castle. Now it's time to start doing a few quests to bring down Maven. I'm having to re-load and re-test things a lot to make sure the quests trigger properly, and I'm concerned that the problem I'm having with Potema may infect my new stuff. Story Manager triggering is tricky anyway, and bugs makes it harder. More as I found out...

That is a weird bug with Potema. I have never had it happen with any of my characters, and I don't see any mention of it on the UESP Wiki.

Just a note about Hess; Hess doesn’t talk much and likes to stay to herself. Her typical reaction to someone is to just stare at them until they shut up or go away, or better yet both. Her main reaction to anger is clinching her teeth. For her to lose control and scream or yell, the situation has to be extreme.

Hess receives a shock,

It was the darkest hour of early morning and Hess was tired, having not slept for three days while she managed to take over the Thieves guild in Riften by solving a couple of problems that seemed to have been going on for some time. She wasn’t in her best form and walked into a group of bandits disguised as Imperial soldiers. When the Orc dressed in officer’s armor tried to coerce gold from Hess, she reacted in typical fashion and tried to cut his head off with her sword.

It turned out he was wearing enchanted armor and was carrying a very large enchanted axe, with which he proceeded to bat Hess around like some kind of melon until just before she passed out she screamed at him and was surprised when a loud roar sent the Orc flying. She tried to look around to see what caused the noise but everything went black.

Hess woke up with a headache that really throbbed when she jumped to her feet, ready for a fight. No one was around except a rabbit, which Hess skewered with her sword for tonight’s dinner. Circling the area revealed no other sign than hers and the bandits.

About this time another dragon descended through the trees right at her. Jumping behind the largest tree, Hess leaned from cover just long enough to let fly with a bolt whenever the dragon presented her with a target. After many bolts, and the dragon looked like it might succumb to its wounds, it turned up the mountain and departed.

Hess found a flat rock and sat down, this was the third time since Helgen a dragon attacked her. And what is with these dragons, and the damnable Nords calling her Dragon born. Hess stood up and looked all around her to make sure she was alone, then looking at a nearby bush yelled at it. What came out was a hoarse aaahhh! Embarrassing as usual and why when she went into battle to protect her father’s caravan she had always clinched her teeth.

These people in Skyrim are crazy with superstition. Dragonborn my…

After checking her gear was all there and in good shape, Hess took one step to follow the bandits to get even…and stopped. All her gear was here…but, they were bandits…why didn’t they? Hess went back to the rock and sat back down. Maybe the dragon scared them off…no…it would have eaten or attacked her. Hess got up and circled one more time to look for any sign of someone else. Hess knew she wasn’t the best, ok, not even a very good swordsman, but hunting and tracking, there weren’t many she’d met as good or better. No one other than her and the bandits, unless they flew, had been here.

Hess was so tired and distracted she never saw the bear until right before it pinned her to the ground. Oh great, killed by prey, one minute a hero, the next dinner. This is not going to happen. Hess managed to get both feet against the beast's chest and shoved with all her might, GET OFF…THOOMMM!…the bear flew through the air landing on its back a few spear lengths away, then got to its feet, turned tail and ran away. Hess stared at the departing bear her mind blank for a second then a thousand thoughts hit her at once.

Hess needed answers, ok she really need sleep…then answers.
First Riften, check in with the Guild, get some sleep, and then…I think it’s time to give those hermits on the mountain a visit.


Note; Hess is lvl 26 and is now Head of the Thieves Guild. It also seems her period of denial is coming to a conclusion, though I’m not sure how Skyrim is going to handle a Dragonborn that isn’t a hero and like Hess told Mercer, “She was only in it to get rich.” Hess had also thought briefly about making a deal with Mercer, but then realized she didn’t want to share…anything.
Yeah, this is who the gods chose to save the world…

This post has been edited by runlykhel: Jul 7 2014, 11:59 PM

I think I found one potential source of my problems. It seems that the CK has recompiled some of the quest script fragments etc. from the masters of my mods, and since the DLC source is in folders the CK isn't searching, it loses code when it does so. If I don't notice, and delete the .pex files that shouldn't have been created, those quests don't work properly any more. The originals are safely in the bsa's and can't get overlaid, but they do get overridden by the loose files.

Can't account for Potema that way, as that's not a DLC quest, but it's probably a clue as to how that happened.

Whoa, Hess killed the guy who says "I work for Belethor?" Mycharonna might wanna take some lessons!

Hess: Bandits and Dragons and Bears! Oh My!

Hess visits the Hermits and finds a family

Hess was in a good humor as she approached the doors of High Hrothgar carrying the horn of Jurgen Windcaller. The Greybeards had taught her more shouts on her last visit and sent her to retrieve the horn as a test before finishing her training. Hess couldn’t refuse the job after tasting the power of the voice, she just had to have more.

After fighting her way to where the horn was supposed to be- and found it taken by someone else- Hess was furious. It was lucky for Delphine that Hess had a chance to cool off during her journey to Riverwood or Hess would have killed her when it was revealed that she had been the one who had taken the horn. As it was the bitch gave her the horn right away, which further calmed her down.
Following Delphine into a secret room, Hess milked Delphine for all the information she could get out of her, during which time she came to the conclusion that Delphine was just shy of being completely crazy.

Hess eventually agreed to go with her to Kynesgrove to kill a dragon to prove Hess really was Dragonborn, (Hess regretted later that she didn’t use the voice on Delphine). Once Delphine left the room, Hess stole everything she could fit into her pack.

Just outside of Riverwood at the first turn in the road where the two were out of sight of each other, Hess bolted into the woods and headed back up to High Hrothgar. The thought of Delphine looking behind her and finding the road empty brought a smile to Hess’s lips

As Hess was thrown about by their shouts, she decided that she didn't care much for what the Greybeards referred to as a welcome, it felt more like a beating.
Afterwards Hess was standing on a high point of rock at the edge of the High Hrothgar courtyard surveying the world laid out below her and feeling very excited by her new found power. Hess was thinking that the gods were playing a nasty trick on the Nords by naming her the Dragonborn. She couldn’t imagine what the Nords could have done to deserve this, but she had confidence the gods wouldn’t be disappointed.

Earlier in Riften, Hess had heard a rumor that a boy named Aventus Aretino in Windhelm was trying to summon the Dark Brotherhood. Hess left High Hrothgar and headed for Windhelm, with the thought that this might lead to a way of contacting the Dark Brotherhood and finding out who was trying to have her assassinated.
A few days later having collected her fee from the boy for killing an old hag in Riften, Hess met Astrid, the leader of the Dark brotherhood, under very interesting conditions. When Hess was finally able to get some much needed sleep, Astrid had kidnaped her, and then transported her halfway across Skyrim to a dilapidated shack. Afterward the thought of this feat really impressed Hess.

While at the shack, Astrid had asked Hess to pick one of the three bound prisoners in the room with them, and kill them, as if the decision was a hard choice. Hess just smiled walked across the room and slit all three of the prisoner’s throats.

A day later Hess was standing in the Dark brotherhood’s sanctuary trying on different pieces of armor. Hess did get a few queer looks when she put on the assassin boots and gauntlets with her vampire armor, then stuffed the assassin’s cuirass and hood into her pack.
After acquiring a few jobs from Nazir, a fellow Redguard, Hess left for Ivarstead to kill her first mark and was actually enjoying the excitement of going on her first hunt for the Brotherhood.

Two days later Hess was feeling very satisfied with the way she handled her first assassination for the Brotherhood, and decided to treat herself to a sit-down meal at the Inn in Ivarstead. As usual the locals were exchanging all manner of gossip, some true but most just rumors, this was when Hess heard the mention of a library. Now Hess loves to read, especially about magic, which no matter how hard she tries, she is terrible at. A library full of books, by the gods she’d like to see that.

Idling carefully over to the group that were discussing the library so as not to scare them, Hess noticed that people tended to run away from her if she approached them directly, she learned that the library was in the College of Winterhold, and it was run by Mages!
Hess wasted no time gathering her gear and leaving the Inn. Alright…kill the next two marks to fulfill her contracts, pick up her pay, and she should be in Winterhold in about four days.

A Guard at the bridge leaving Ivarstead thought she saw a shadow pass across the water below the bridge. Not finding anything that would cause this, the guard just shook her head and thought that this was going to be a long night.


Note; Hess and I had a very busy holiday weekend, but everything is now back to a normal pace.

This post has been edited by runlykhel: Jul 9 2014, 02:53 PM

Renee; "Whoa, Hess killed the guy who says "I work for Belethor?" laugh.gif Mycharonna might wanna take some lessons! "
Yeah, and she all so slapped the Jarls kids around for bugging her, cost her a bounty, they seem to have forgotten the lesson of late, and Hess has had brief thoughts on how to make them disappear.



He He, these incidents actually happen, just embellished by the GOTC.

If we see an elf on a mare, we'll give a friendly wave and keep out of her way.


Edited by Acadian only to repair the quote indicators [].

This post has been edited by Acadian: Jul 9 2014, 03:02 PM

runlykhel, Hess the antihero Dragonborn is great fun to read. When she tested her new blade on Sigurd I wondered how long it would take before she found her way to the Dark Brotherhood!


I gave NPC Darnand the same voice as Marcurio but he didn’t get all of the lines. Marcurio’s indignant response to being asked to carry things still makes me grin.

ghastley, congrats to Gilda the Guildmaster. How did she handle the Dark Brotherhood Stone of Barenziah? I ended up having Marius make contact with the DB as the traditional ally of the TG in his game. He hasn’t collected the Stone yet, though. Funnily enough Grelod did not count as a murder. I’ve never had that Potema problem either. Exciting to hear that Gilda has been to visit Nocturnal!


Lildereth and Jerric have returned to Cyrodiil leaving Gralnach under Valdi’s somewhat loose supervision. Gral has been very grateful and sweet to Lil. She has responded by giving him a toy sword and some new clothes, a place to stay when he wants one, and very few rules other than “Be kind to the trees.” Here she’s reading Gral a bedtime story, The Lorax. She’s not going to let him grow up to be a woodcutter without a fight!

Once Gral fell asleep Lil noticed another blond listening to the story. She privately admitted that giving her a Nord son was something only the gods could have done. She stopped short of pinning Grosta’s mysterious death on Mother Mara, but she will be more careful to hide her heart in the future.

Gilda punished Grelod for not being kind, of course, as the game gives you no choice if you want that quest to continue. She didn't take too kindly to Astrid's demands and got into a fight with her, and then let the intended victims go. Of course, that resulted in her being tasked to destroy the rest of the DB, which she thought was a good idea, as she was tired of their operatives attacking her on the road.

She wishes there was a way do the same about vampires, as they're responsible for the deaths of Balimund, Edda and Ungrien - all in one raid on Riften. She'd go and ask those Dawnguard folks to do something, but she's too busy to help them. Or would be if I wasn't working on the quests she needs to do, and creating the new NPC's for them.

I like to play the NPC's I create as player characters for a while to get a sense of personality, and I'm currently developing the Brothel Inspector for the Guild of Prostitutes. She'll be on her way to certify Riftweald Manor as a legitimate gentlemen's club when she gets kidnapped by bandits in the pay of Maven. I want her to refer back to Marghak (who had the job first, when the Guild became united across Tamriel) as her role-model in her dialog, but I'm building her as a very Dark Elf based on Viconia, with white hair and a lot of attitude.

runlykhel - If you see a little elf on a big mare race by - with blond ponytail streaming behind one and whilte mare's tail streaming behind the other, you'll know who it is.

Grits - Buffy understands perfectly the tug on Lil's heart while she reads aloud to the little sleeping Nord as the big one listens (and eats).

ghastley - I never had any doubt that you would develop the Guild of Prostitutes in Skyrim.

Morndas, 11:54 PM, 20th of Sun's Height, 4th Era 202

Hours: 213.27.58

Mycharonna the Ice Witch

Level: 44
Class: Frost Conjurer


The evening is typically cold when a white-haired, pale-skinned lady wearing black accented with red enters the Nightgale Inn. She pauses before the inn's enormous hearth, and begins an act of rubbing the cold out of her hands. In truth, she is not so cold. Her last meal was only a day ago, after all.

"Need a room? Or maybe just some mead?"

Inside the Nightgale Inn are a couple of patrons, well, two that the lady in black can see. One is the innkeeper himself, the other is a man. Probably Breton. The lady in black strolls casually towards the innkeeper, who is blissfully unaware that before him ... is a monster.

"Yes. I would like a room. And perhaps a bite to eat," she says in a low monotone.

"Take a look."

"Meat. I want some meat. And uncooked, if you do not bear minding."

Unfortunately, the lady in black is dismayed to find the innkeeper has just two slabs of meat: a horker loaf, and a salmon steak. Both of these have been cooked. The lady in black buys these two items, completely hiding the fact that she is upset. For her to survive days between feedings, uncooked meat provided so much more nourishment (and Nirnly essence) than cooked meat.

"I shall have that tub of butter, as well."

The lady in black would not actually eat the butter, she would smear it all over her hands and face. Better to hide her pallid skin with.

"I'll show you to your room. Right this way," says the innkeeper after the lady before him plunks down an extra 10 gold. "Let me know .. if there's anything else you need."

The lady in black goes into her rented room, and then tears rather ravenously into the horker loaf she's bought. At this moment, she loses composure, a rare moment indeed. She is much more like an animal, nothing like the femme who had walked into this place a half-hour ago. She is glad the Nightgale Inn does not feature a hoarde of patrons, the lady in black prefers to eat just like an animal. And this would draw stares in a crowded place with no doors.

An hour after her meal, the innkeeper is humming a toneless tune when he feels a shifting of air move past him. A slight creak of floorboards. He does not see the lady in black walk directly in front of his bar. He slows his him just for a moment or two, suddenly feeling unsure. And then picks up where he left off.


2:51 AM
Balagog gro-Nolob, the famous gourmet chef who had trained in High Rock, written a famous book called Uncommon Taste, and was under direct employ of Emperor Titus Mede II, is fast asleep during the last moments of his life. This orc had risen from slumitude, made a name for himself, and had (for some time) been living in Skyrim, hiding in an out-of-the-way inn, where he could escape his fame, trading it for many days of peace and solitude.

A slight shift (again) of air currents, and a figure slowly emerges in the air before him. Drawing her blade. Dipping it in poison crafted from deathbell and nightshade.

"Sinyeth oldavhi thinne fatsahi savi"

....says the last being to see The Gourmet alive. She speaks a tongue familiar to others in other realities. And the Gourmet is no more.



This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Jul 10 2014, 12:13 AM

Her last meal was only a day ago, after all.

who is blissfully unaware that before him ... is a monster.



You are good at portraying Mycharonna as a monster, I love the vivid description of her eating like an animal. I get a feeling that she's more and more insane, I remember her beginning updates and she wasn't as mad as she's now.

So Gourmet is gone...and a new gourmet takes his place.

Ha ha yeah, a new Gourmet is in the building. Right about that. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Grits: I like that storybook picture! That's cute.

runlykhel: Oh yeah, Hess has been busy. I think between the two of them, Hess is more ruthless than Mych is. Mych is calculating and cold, and sometimes spontaneous, but not really ruthless. She won't chop an innocent's head off for no reason.

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Jul 11 2014, 12:40 AM

Grits; Ahh...the family life

Renee; Mycharonna is one scary (hungry) lady.

Acadian; Hess has been warned, Buffy is off limits. (I had to instill in Hess that though she can ignore most of what the GOTC says, he still has the ultimate power of restart.)

Hess and the college
Hess could see the entrance to the college as she walked down the main street of Winterhold and was feeling a little excited about what might await her in the upcoming future, by the gods a library full of books, and mages…maybe now she will learn some magic that was a little more useful than just for lighting campfires and patching up her minor wounds.

The sound of heavy wings in the air behind her and the roar of breath that could only come from a dragon caused Hess to quickly run under the cover of the decking of the nearest building, receiving only a little damage from what turned out to be a frost dragon.

Hess brought out her heavy long bow and between dodging around buildings and peppering the dragon with arrows, and eventually brought the beast down on top of one of the towers in the college. Hess ran through the entrance passing an Altmer-mage that yelled out to Hess “You’ll not be able to get in…the gates are locked”. Hess returned to the mage pointing to the dragon, “I need to go now before it heals and flies away!”

Where upon the Altmer-mage began a rehearsed lecture about the requirements to get into the college grounds and that Hess would have to demonstrate that she could actually perform magic. The whole time during this lecture Hess kept looking from the mage to the dragon trying to interrupt the lecture, and pointing repeatedly at the dragon. All this to no avail, the mage had her speech and was determined to give it. Looking back at the dragon Hess noticed someone had begun to attack the dragon with an ice shard spell. Really? Hess dropped her arm to her side and quit trying to talk to this mage that wouldn’t let her in. Finally a short time later, and minus thirty gold from Hess’s pouch, the gates to the college opened and Hess ran in and took the first door she found and made her way to the tower. A couple of arrows finished off the dragon and Hess was rewarded with the euphoric sensation of absorbing the dragon’s soul, Hess thought briefly that she might be getting addicted to these feelings, but dismissed the thought. After slitting open the dragon to retrieve whatever loot it had swallowed and picking through the offal for gold and sellables, Hess returned to the Alt-mage by the entrance.

After giving a sniff in disgust the mage sent Hess inside to see the master wizard “Mirabelle”. Hess found Mirabelle in the courtyard and introduced herself. As Mirabelle was explaining about the college…a Thalmor came through the door into the courtyard.

Hess cast her armor spell and drew her sword and moved to within striking distance. The Thalmore made no move for a weapon and Mirabelle kept droning on with her lecture. Hess and the Thalmor, Mirabelle called him Ancano, stood staring eye to eye, the racial hatred intense between them. That was when Hess started thinking that maybe starting a blood bath and being thrown out of the college the first day wasn’t the best Idea, and sheathed her sword. “I’ll deal with you later scum” Hess said between clenched teeth, and turned to follow Mirabelle.

Mirabelle left Hess in the room she would use while at the college. Hess found someone else’s belongings in the cupboards. Hess gathered them up, and threw them into the common area of the hall, declaring to those in hearing distance that she wasn’t about to share a room with anyone. Hess then made her way to the Hall of Elements for her first class in magic and met an old mage by the name of Tolfdir, who taught her a warding spell, her first spell learned from the college. Tolfdir indicated the class was to take a trip to a ruin called Saarthal as part of their education, Hess, bubbling with excitement, ran back to her room and changed into the mages robes she‘d brought with her and threw the novice robes given her into a drawer. Novice she might be but Hess had learned the value of having the right equipment and her “acquired” adapt-robes had far better enchantments.

Following the directions given her Hess was made her way toward Saarthal while another Skyrim blizzard descended upon the area making the trail ahead hard to see. Three figures were silhouetted through the thick snow fall, and Hess thinking it was some of the students hurried forward only to find out they were more of the cultists that kept randomly attacking her. Hess did an about face and ran to the nearest outcropping while casting her shield spell and barely found cover in time to prevent being severely hurt. Gulping a couple of health potions Hess looks around trying to figure her best options when she spots two trolls on the flats immediately below her. Hess stands up to let the cultists see her and manages to wound one with an arrow resulting in getting all three to run toward her.

Hess leaped from her rock perch and landed next to one of the trolls. Putting on a burst of speed, helped along with a little fear adrenalin, Hess makes it to another outcropping for cover, and looking back sees that her plan is working as the trolls kill the three cultists. Hess sneaked up on the weaken trolls, and killed them with a few shots from her bow, and then collected some of their troll fat for her alchemy lab.

Finally arriving on a platform overlooking the entrance to Saarthal, Hess sees the other students and Tolfdir waiting below by the door. Hess hears one of the students muttering something about her getting lost and says loudly, “I was not lost”, and stares at the group until they all look away.

Inside Hess was assigned to help another mage working deeper in the excavation and found an amulet hanging upon what might be door, and after exhausting all her ideas to try and open it, got mad and hit it with a shock spell. To Hess’s surprise the door disintegrated revealing access to more ruins.

Tolfdor was excited and entered the new ruins. Hess followed him, and together they worked their way deeper into the ruins fighting draugr as they went. At one point a ghost appeared in front of Hess who swung her sword through the apparition with no effect. The ghost then revealed that he was called “Quaranir”, and that he was from the Pisijic order. While he was talking Hess would idly swing her sword though his apparition thinking most ghosts would be taking damage, but this was different. Tolfdir seemed a little sceptic when Hess told him about the visit. Hess just shrugged and continued deeper into the ruin.

Hess was impressed with Tolfdir, the old mage could hold his own in battle, and made Hess long for the day she could wield magic like he could.

Eventually they discovered a large glowing orb, and Tolfdir seemed it important enough to guard it sending Hess back to the college to inform the arch-mage of what they had found.

The Arch-mage, Savoz Aren by name, sent Hess to the arcanaeum (what the mages called the library) to see if there was any information that could be used about this discovery. It was Hess’s first time in the arcanaeum, and seeing the thousands of books when she entered, stopped her in her tracks muttering, “By the Gods.” Hess went to the first pile and ran her fingers gently across the warm leather cover, then picked up the book to look what secrets it contain inside. That’s when a voice brought Hess back to her mission, “…any of these books and I will have you torn apart by…” Hess had no intention of damaging any book, and feeling a bit like a child caught with their hand in a jar of sweets, quickly put the book down.

After getting instructions from the librarian on where to recover the only books he was aware of that might be of use, Hess went back to the Hall of Elements on her way to her room to make ready for her trip, and met Ancano.

The Thalmor question her with distain in his voice, enraging Hess. Hess followed Ancano into the stairwell and once out of sight of anyone else drew her sword and beat him to the ground while burning him with her fire spell. Satisfied with her work, Hess smiled and stepped over the body, but stopped after a couple of steps at the sound of movement behind her.

Hess watched as Ancano slowly healed, stood up, and walked down the stairs. Hess stared at the empty stairwell for a second, and then looked at the ancient walls around her. There was something more going on in this college, something magical and mysterious. Hess shook her head and continued on her way.

Hess was getting tired; first fighting her way through The Midden under the college, then into another ruin to acquire the books, then sent to another ruin to find a group of mages from the Synod. After fighting her way to, what the surviving Synod mage referred to as an Oculory, Hess learned that the Staff of Magnus, what Quaranir on one of his visits said is to be used with the Eye of Magnus (the name of the orb Hess and Tolfdir found), might be located in another ruin called Labrynthian.

Just when Hess was getting ready to leave for Labrynthian, Quaranir appeared again and told Hess to get back to the college immediately.

A very tired Hess arrived at the college to find Ancona had put up a magical barrier isolating him in with the Eye of Magnus. Hess lent her little magic spell to that of Savoz and Mirabelle’s to bring down the barrier. Hess attacked Ancano with all she knew to no avail, then suddenly there was a magical explosion and Hess awoke to Mirabelle telling her to go find the arch-mage. Hess found him with Tolfdir and some of the other mages…Savoz was dead.

Two days later Hess was running up the ramp to the college and found Tolfdir and some of the others outside of the college on the causeway. Tolfdir told Hess that Mirabelle was dead and to use the staff of Magnus to stop Ancano.

Hess had no idea how to use the staff, so she pointed it at the growing barrier and watched as energy flash from its head and brought down the barrier. Hess gave a brief laugh than ran into the Hall of Elements.

There was Ancano connected to the Eye by some arcane magic. Hess first tried to attack Ancano with the staff, but it did nothing. Things then went from bad to worse the Eye opened and Ancano used the power to blast Tolfdir to the ground, and then turned to blast Hess. Hess ran to the other side of the Eye and heard Tolfdir’s feeble voice, “use the staff on the orb”, then Ancano began beating Tolfdir with waves of magic. Hess turned the Staff of Magnus towards the eye. A brilliant bolt connected the Eye of Magnus with the Staff of Magnus in her hands, and the eye began to close.

When the Eye was finally fully closed, Hess saw Ancano beating Tolfdir with his fists. Hess slipped quietly around behind Ancano and brought her flame sword around and drove it into his heart. Pulling her sword from the body and watching it slide limp to the floor, gave Hess a great deal of satisfaction, yet it was an awful quick death for such a scum of a Thalmor.

Later after Quaranir and his fellow mages took the Eye of Magnus away for safe keeping, and Hess was alone in the Hall, She levitated Ancano’s body over the magic flames of the cauldron in the middle of the hall and seared the body to a nice dark pink before her weak spell exhausted her magic and the body fell into the cauldron. As she passed through the doors into the courtyard the smell of roasted meat wafted past her.

Tolfdir was waiting for her and wanted her to become the new arch-mage of the college. At first she was going to refuse, then Tolfdir mentioned that all Savoz’s belongings and his quarters would now belong to her. So Hess accepted.

Standing in her new arch-mage quarters, Hess gazed around at all the wonderful things contained in the room, “Yes this well do nicely.”
Hess then laid down for some much needed sleep, for tomorrow she picks up her first big contract for the Dark Brotherhood.

Oh these were exciting times. Yet in the back of her thoughts Hess was still waiting for the gods to drop the sword of humor.

This post has been edited by runlykhel: Jul 13 2014, 07:53 PM

So this dragon attacks attacks, right when you're trying to get into the College of Mages? Damn. I agree about Ancano. Hate that guy.

When Crystal Beth (my Arch Mage on PS3) did Mage's College the game glitched during the final Boss fight. Ancano could not move from one spot, and he could not cast his magic, either. Made for an extremely easy finale. >

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Jul 13 2014, 10:36 PM

Darn that Ancano. I guess, during the middle of the questline, he knows an 'Essential' spell or something.

Thanks for the comments, writing stuff makes you really appreciate how much work everyone puts into their stories you read on these forums...it's not a ten minute blurp, it took longer for me to write the above, then it did to do the whole C.O.W.



Yeah...all of the things that I write that happens to or with Hess actually happens in game, I just embellish (a lot). It was really cool and lucky I got that shot. With the mods I have, under certain conditions Hess will pull a DB move, including; slitting throats, beheading (she's lost hers a couple of times, no DID here it takes too long to make a new character), and what you see is the arm wrap chest stab. Doesn't happen every time. kind of random, which is cool too. I never realized how much freedom in the game an evil character can give you. After over 2k hrs in SR this is the longest I've been able to play since I discovered OB.




Yeah...Hess beat him down every time they were alone, she really hates Thalmor. Which brings up a point I discovered, Hess has avoided the MQ (definitely not interested in saving the world), but when she learned that Delphine (the crazy bitch to Hess) could get her into the Thalmor's headquarters, she insisted on going, I'm stalling as long as She'll let me but...Hess is about to take over the DB and I won't be able to stop her then. I have a feeling gathering intel is not what's on her mind...I just hope we both survive.

Yikes, Mycharonna gives me the chills. The image of her calmly walking to the room and then tearing through the meat in private… *shiver*

runleykhel, what a funny situation with the Winterhold dragon. I had to laugh when Hess flung the clothes out of her wardrobes. It must have been very satisfying to put Ancano down for good!


I made a hardware repair and got surround sound back for my PS3, so I’ve spent a little time with Jerric in his original game. Encouraged by Acadian and Buffy’s experience we let the dragons out to play. Jerric got the kill-cam on Mirmulnir with his ice spike. He will soon head back up to High Hrothgar to chat with the Greybeards. He’s made pilgrimage before (and delivered the groceries) but of course then they didn’t let him inside. It will be interesting to see what he makes of their remarks.

There are some things I really missed about Jerric’s no mods/no Dawnguard game. Marcurio is with him as Darnand, so the air is constantly full of snappy remarks and Chain Lightning. He has the Quick Reflexes and Juggernaut perks which I don’t take any more unless I want to turn up the difficulty, so he’s dancing around in robes with his shield and casting lots of slo-mo Frost Runes. I love the look of his steel plate armor (with helm! ) when he goes into ruins. Plus, Wall of Frost!! He’s nearly ready for Master rituals in Destruction and Restoration, and now he can finally work on Tolfdir’s ritual for Alteration. High level mages are so much fun!

I need to plan his moves between now and A Blade In the Dark carefully, though. I expect that he’ll want to address the Miraak issue as soon as he meets his first cultists. I don’t want him to get stuck without enough dragon souls to advance that questline.




This post has been edited by Grits: Jul 18 2014, 12:36 PM

Jerric the Dragonslayer! I'd imagine he'd have great defense but poor offense vs frost dragons, and the reverse vs fire dragons. Hmm, Buffy'll have to see if he can find and enchant a toe ring with resist fire for Jerric. She figures if it fits her as a bracelet, it ought to fit one of Jerric's toes well enough.