What a fabulous idea to bring in Joan of Arkay! I see Sarah is already gaining comfort using her ability to appear normal instead of like a bloodsucker. She is free but it is unclear the path she is now on. Great fun to follow this!

Thanks you all! Yes, I've had this idea (Joan saves Sarah, who pretends she's still mortal) rolling around my head for months now, but I had to get the quest part of it working 100%, just so I could show y'all some nice pictures.

I did some brief gaming with Sarah as a vampire (with the Vampire Power mod?) and must say I am very pleased. She did go to Chorrol briefly, and I had her enter the chapel there, and guess what? She almost died in there! Which is what I want. I want to see a vampire, in an Elder Scrolls game, face some actual traditional consequences, and not just sun damage.

I'll probably do some gaming with Kahreem tonight. I don't know if I'll post an update though, because still getting ready for Halloween.

Wow, Renee. You actually brought in another character of yours into Sarah´s game? Your creativity knows no bounds!

Thank you so much, mirocu. Yeah, I came up with that idea awhile ago.

Tirdas, 7:15 am, Second Seed 7, 3rd Era 434

"How goes it, stablewoman?"

"If you want to buy a horse, go inside and talk to Tovas."

"Actually, how about I talk to you? ... You know, sort of off on our own?"

"Take your time."

Kahreem of Weet gets ready to try to make some sort of deal with Mivryna Arano, Cheydinhal's dark elf stablehand. The Redguard had spent the night in Cheydinhal's Newlands Lodge, a place which might make one wonder why there isn't an Oldlands Lodge somewhere, as well? *ahem* but anyway, the proprietor of Newlands had told Kahreem "this is a dark elf bar...", then she had mentioned something about drinking, fighting, and ... spitting. Hmm, spitting? ... As in, somebody having a spitting image of somebody else? Or had she actually meant spitting, like when people actually spit?

Kahreem had never gotten to the bottom of that one. And now here he is, one morning later, trying to cordon Mivryna off to a quiet area, where no guard can see what's about to happen next.

"Okay listen. I'm going to give you some gold, and you're going to look the other way when I get on that bay that's in your stable, understand?"

"I see."

Mivryna will not take any money though.* Which makes things awkward. She smiles at Kahreem, but does not indicate whether she'd report him or not.

"Fokke. You won't take my gold?"

"'Bye!" she says.

"Hmm. Well, I warned her," the Weet Bandit shrugs.

Upon closer inspection, Kahreem sees that neither of the two dark-colored horses in the stable are bays though; they're both Cheydinhal black horses, the very fastest hooved beasts of all.

"THIEF! You won't get away with this!"

"Hey, hey there, I did offer you gold, didn't I? Put that away.... HEY!"

"You're pathetic!"

"No, you are. You could have just taken my gold, then spent the night in a nice luxury suite, with kipples and toast for breakfast, instead sleeping out .... here."

As she draws her mace and begins to swing it, she manages to land a blow on Kahreem, who kicks his heels into the animal's haunches, causing it to burst with speed, accelerating to no end. But the black doesn't get far.

"It's all over, lawbreaker. Your spree is at an end," one of the town guards booms, after he seems to pop out of nowhere. "I'll take any stolen goods you have. The next move--is yours. Pay your fine, or I'll haaaaul you away."

"I find that interesting, sire, considering that I'm on one of the fastest steeds in all Tamriel, and you are not. How are you going to keep up with me? This'll be fun and interesting to watch, from my perspective.

"Then PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD."

"In your dreams, sire."

The wind is instantly in the Redguard's face, as the guard and Mirvryna begin their chase. They try their best, but it doesn't take long before both of them are mere specks in the dust. On his way to Aleswell, Kahreem escapes guards, marauders, cougars, and two giant, horned beasts. He eventually trades his black horse for a bay (Bounty: 750), and is glad when a boar unsuccessfully tries to ravage his new horse.


* Mivryna Arano's disposition toward Kahreem is maxed, for some odd reason.

This post has been edited by Renee: Nov 6 2016, 05:33 PM

Kahreem is the spitting image of a certain horse thief I happen to know

Lots of funny sayings in this story. Imperial guards indeed pop out of nowhere when you commit a crime! They stood no chance against Kahreem on one of the fastest steeds, though. Why did he trade it for a bay?

Most bay horses will not go anywhere after they are dismounted. Blacks, chestnuts, paints, and white horses will immediately begin returning to whatever stable they were stolen from after they get dismounted, but most bays will not go anywhere, so these horses are preferred by him most of the time.

In this case though, he rode to Cheydinhal on a bay horse, but several days later we have no idea where this horse is. So he had to take a black one instead.

Renee, I found your comment about bays vs. other horses interesting.

One thing I do know - the Imperial Legion Bay Horse is different from all other bays in the game, and they always stay put no matter where their riders go.

Isn't Kahreem prone to stealing Legion Bays? If so, then the last bay he stole isn't one of the Legion Bays and would explain why he can't find it . . .

Just wondering if that's the case . . .

Bounty for horse stealing is 750 gold? Out here that'll git ya hung.

haute ecole rider: I'm pretty sure he wasn't riding an Imperial Legion horse, but it's possible I screwed up here, and he was actually riding a soldier's horse! Oops. I'm pretty sure he was on an ordinary bay though.

Acadian: He got on and off his latest horse (and was noticed) at least 3x! It's 250 gold per infringement.

I love these little details. Hadn't noticed this, because haven't been stealing horses, but looked in the CS and yes, there are 8 instances of bay horses with almost no AI (the only line they have is that they will wander about a little bit if they are not the PC's last ridden horse - in that case they will stay rooted to the spot.) All other horses seem to have homing instructions. Looks like an oversight, and the UOP doesn't correct it neither - but since it's a feature, not a bug, for you, Renee, I'd say that's just as well.

Oh, and pleased to be reading about Kahreem's career today; needed cheering up...

This post has been edited by tegeus-Cromis: Nov 10 2016, 04:46 AM

I think it's possibly an oversight, definitely not a bug. Since Imperial Legion horses don't have a home stable, they will not go anywhere when dismounted. Could be that these horses were created before bays, and maybe Dev #1 created the Imperial horses, and Dev #2 used the same model for bays, but Dev #2 forgot to give bays the proper AI to return to their home stables in Bravil or Skingrad.

Or.... maybe it's not an oversight. Maybe Dev #2 was supposed to give bays some AI, but he or she chose to sneak them into the game without any. Just for that little bit of variety.

This post has been edited by Renee: Nov 11 2016, 03:31 AM

Frost Fall 3, 4th Era Year 5

Location: Chorrol
Level: 3
Days as a Vampire: 2



"Geyorg, by the gods! What are you doing down here?"

Geyorg Vandallay rolled on his side, then slowly stood upright. His head was splitting, his body aching. He had apparently fallen asleep on some stone floor. Fallen asleep?

"I... I'm sorry Reynald. And I agree. What am I doing down here?"

"Can I help you? Maybe draw you a bath? Maybe brew you a cup of coffee?"

Geyorg Vandallay nodded to his housemate. As the men made their way out of Reynald Jemane's basement, Geyorg began the slow process of remembering the night before.




Geyorg had come to Chorrol from Anvil about a month ago, eager to get his first manuscript published in this town. The book would be called Thank Akatosh, the Oblivion Crisis is over! and he'd spent the last seven years piecing it together, while toiling as a laborer on Anvil's docks. The book would be about his personal viewpoint of events which took place in Anvil toward the end of the Third Era...the Oblivion gate which had appeared just up the road ... and the man who'd come to save them all. And so on.

After moving to Chorrol, Geyorg had been staying at the Oak and Crossier for several days, when he'd met Reynald Jemane one night at the bar. Jemane had needed somebody to live in his house, here in Chorrol, since he frequently had been living with his brother, in some cottage in the middle of the Great Forest. It was a bad idea to leave their grander, in-town house all alone. They'd been lucky so far that nobody had robbed the place.

Geyorg handed over some money, hands were shaked, and within an hour, Geyorg Vandallay had a new place to live.

Things hadn't gone so well with his manuscript, unfortunately. Estelle Renoit had edited his pages; she had practically done a co-write with him, but the book had not become a best-seller, the way it should have. Just five copies had been sold over the past two weeks. And it was because Geyorg had chosen a bad time (a very bad time) to publish his book. The Grey Wizard, Arch Mage of all the entire Mages Guild, had also just published. And his book (his memoirs) had been selling many more copies. Why? Because he had been the one who'd been closing a lot of those gates.

Still, Geyorg's book had sold five copies in two weeks, which was enough to keep him going. Each book was priced at 50 gold, and so far nobody had tried to haggle Renoit any cheaper than this. Because of his newfound pocket-wealth ...

"I .... I'm trying to remember, Reynald!"

.... Geyorg had taken up a new hobby. No, not a hobby. Let's call it an interest.

"It's okay, Geyorg. You went on a bender. I understand. As many in this town will tell you, I myself have had many a bender, talking in slurred voice and sometimes barely able to walk, right here in this town of Chorrol. I was once the town drunk, you might say."

Geyorg started to tell his housemate more memories from last night, but then he'd stopped himself just in time. Because it wasn't just alcohol this time, it was something more drastic.

A day earlier, he'd been bored, and had gone down to the Oak and Crosier. 'The man' was in town, some people were saying. 'The man' was a Dunmer, a merchant of wares, who'd been very evasive from the law for years. Word was, he had the very best skooma on the market, straight from Bravil. By chance, Geyrog had met this Dunmer on the street. Had engaged in conversation, and had purchased and used his first skooma in a very long time. It had been good. Very good. Certainly the best.

And it hadn't stopped there. Word was, the Dunmer, whose name was Snaat Rayag, would only be in town for two days' more. After that, he'd be gone back south, or perhaps to the Imperial City Waterfront. Geyorg had heard this, had managed to track Snaat Rayag down, and they'd made arrangements for a second meeting.

Snaat Rayag told Geyorg Vandallay to 'meet him behind the tavern', where they'd make their next deal. 50 gold, but it would be worth it, in Geyorg's opinion. He had gone to 'the tavern' (which he'd assumed would be the classier Oak & Crosier), and waited outside. And waited. The sun was going down. Snaat Rayag was nowhere to be seen. He'd gotten impatient, and had gone inside the tavern.

Geyorg bought an ale from Talasma, and then began pacing back and forth, virtually burning a hole in her carpet. Where is he? ... Where is that blasted eld? ... As he was pacing, a red-haired woman had approached him. A Breton. She'd smiled so sweetly, Geyorg suddenly remembered. She was cute as a button, and had told me she was new in town, and had wanted to know why was I pacing so much?

"Hey, who are you?" Geyorg had stammered, not really in the mood for small talk from strangers. "Hey! .... Do I know you? Hey! Do I?" ... He'd been really eager at that point, because he suddenly realized where his contact might be.

"My name is Sarah, and I am new in Chorrol," she'd said with a small grin. "I do apologize for my intrusion, but I am just bewildered by your pacing. Is all well with you?"

"Uh... my name is Geyorg, writer from Anvil. Pleased to meet you. And ahh ahh -- but I must go now."

Sarah the redhead had said nothing. She'd merely stared.

"Got to run, got to go!" Geyorg broke conversation, and left Sarah standing, her question unanswered. He'd felt this was a pretty rude thing to do, but at the moment he could have cared less. He moved toward the Oak and Crossier's front door, and had quickly walked outside.

The air was getting cooler, the sun was going down. Really getting eager now, Geyorg walked across the plaza, trying not to break into a full sprint. He then headed toward The Grey Mare, walked toward its front door, but then had circled the place, thinking that he was supposed to meet the Dunmer behind The Grey Mare, not in front of the Oak and Crosier. And there he was. There, behind The Gray Mare was Snaat Rayag the skooma dealer.

"Oh, you meant THIS tavern!" Geyorg had burst, trying to sound tough, lowering his voice an octave. "Might've told me 'behind the run-down tavern', instead of behind the nice one!"

"I told you fool," Snaat Rayag answered. "Meet me behind the tavern. BEHIND the tavern. You cannot stand behind the Oak and Crosier."

"Well, let's get this over with. Here's your gold. Now give me my prize!"

"Well that was smooth," the dealer answered. "Seriously, you're lucky you're meeting me here, not in Bravil where you'd have to fight for an appointment with the likes of me. Now go have your fun. I've got other places to be."

"I'm through talking to you anyway."

"Fine! Be that way."

Geyorg then stalked off, trying again not to break into a run. Must not draw attention to myself... He'd calmly walked past the Oak and Crosier, past the bookstore, past the chapel, and finally, toward the Jemane property. But he had not gone in the front door, fearing he'd run into Reynald just when he was wanting to just suck his new bottle. Instead, Geyorg had used the cellar entrance, which he had left unlocked several hours before. Once inside, he began fidgeting. He uncorked his bottle.

"Ah. Sheer ambrosia!"

The first sip was always the best; after which it would only get better. His head had swum. And his concerns? His worries? They'd gone to wherever concerns and worries might go. He had danced a little dance as the drug kicked-in (this much he remembered, for sure).

And then he stopped. Stopped cold. "You're not supposed to be in here!" he had tried to bark, but probably slurred instead.

But had it been her? Had it really been the lady with the red hair, standing suddenly before him in Jemane's cellar? That lady (Sarah...) had just stood there, staring, her face no longer sunny and smiling, like it had been back at the bar. This much he could remember. Sarah had stood fully, and then approached him, staring into his eyes.

"What hole did YOU crawl out of?" he tried, feeling agitated. Just when the high had kicked in.

Sarah continued to stare into his eyes though. And he had become more relaxed. She had spoken something, and suddenly, his priceless skooma high seemed like nothing, in comparison to the sweetness and clarity he'd suddenly felt. It was like floating on a rainbow, that feeling. Geyorg Vandallay had dropped his skooma bottle, and then...

And then ... what? What had happened? He could not remember anything after this particular moment. Had it really happened? Maybe Sarah, the red-haired lady from the tavern, had not been in Reynald's basement at all. Maybe he had hallucinated the entire thing.

But, Geyorg told his housemate none of this. "Yes, perhaps I really just had one too many, Reynald." Better to tell a lie, at this moment.

"Don't worry about it my friend," Reynald replied. "It happens to the best of us. But do me a favor, okay? Don't tell my brother you got too drunk, and then collapsed in my cellar? Oh, I'd never hear the end of it."

Geyorg Vandallay promised he'd never tell Reynald's brother Guilbert any of what he'd just confided. Geyorg then patted himself on the back, for also not telling Reynald that he'd really been using skooma down there, not just cheap wine or any other alcohol. All of this, he kept to himself.

But most of all, he did not tell Reynald the things he thought he'd seen: a red-haired lass named Sarah, who he'd met earlier in the evening, who somehow got into their basement. No, he had seen her while in a drug-induced fugue. Better to keep all of this to himself.

As Geyorg Vandallay parted ways with Reynald Jemane, his head boiling with sudden fever, he swore to himself that he'd never touch the skooma again.

----------




Early on the evening of Morndas, Frost Fall 3, Sarah Phimm noticed a Bosmer, pacing the Oak and Crosier lobby. Her vampiric instincts had kicked in. This man would be her second victim.

Geyorg Vandallay, writer of Thank Akatosh the Oblivion Crisis is over!, is addressed by Sarah Phimm, but he's eager to break conversation.

He leaves the Oak and Crosier, where his skooma dealer is nowhere to be found, and tries The Gray Mare. Snaaty told him to "meet him behind the tavern", but had not said which one to meet behind.

Quest update (yeah, I misspelled skooma... lol)

Sarah follows Geyorg up the street

...and sneaks into the cellar of some house, where the elf begins using his skooma. (note the weird glitch which happened to Sarah in this pic. I don't know why that happened but it fits the story).

The skooma addict is surprised

And then struck by fear..

....but he'll remember none of what happens the next morning, as he falls to the floor, hypnotized and paralyzed.



This post has been edited by Renee: Jun 3 2018, 11:00 PM

A bite to remember - a very appropriate name for this quest.

I love all the little details you included in this story - starting with Geyorg coming to Chorrol to publish a book and then things going downhil because his book wasn't the expected best seller. The Gray Wizard and Snaat Rayag also make a prominent appearance. Back when you were creating characters like Snaat & Joan, I didn't expect anyone of them will appear in Sarah's story.

Did you use the tfc command in the glitched pic? That's how your body looks like if you press tfc while in 1st person, I think.

We all have our needs. Happily, Geyorg's skooma needs make Sarah's need for a bit of elf blood easier.

So many mysteries still surrounding Sarah. This is all so interesting!

I am just glad I was able to get this part of her story started. All of what I'm writing now should have been up at the start of summer, but I had to learn a bunch of stuff. Because it's one of the few areas I turn into a perfectionist.

I can just imagine how lame Geyorg's book is though. It's probably full of "but there's no emperor, and no heir!" you know, statements which everybody says over and over.

Lopov: yes, I used tfc during the conversation between Snaaty and the squeaky wood elf, and I also used it in the final pictures. So if going into 1st person causes her to partially disappear like that, I'll be using this in the future, because it's way cool.

Hey, Renee!


What has happened to Kahreem of Horsetheft?

Probably found a huge stash of *CHEAP WINE* [TM]...

(I'd love to see that branding in RL. We did have a supermarket here called Gateway (sadly long gone), whose basic packaging was War Department-style black stencil on yellow labels, just saying stuff like 'SOAP' in big letters. Not unnaturally, this became quite trendy in the 1980s. Stopped just short of the tins just labelled 'FOOD' Emilio Estevez noshes on in Repo Man, but only just...)

This post has been edited by tegeus-Cromis: Nov 19 2016, 09:56 PM

Gahhh. My digital camera's not working, and my cellphone still takes pics, but it won't send them to my email for some reason. So no pics tonight.

Middas, 8:32 am, Second Seed 8, 3rd Era 434

Level: 13

Days Passed: 255
Days Jailed: 86

Fame: 0
Infamy: 34

Kahreem of Weet leaves Aleswell, which is still full of invisible animals and people. Apparently, nobody had come along to take care of whatever problem they'd been having. Before he leaves, he changes out of his Lucien Lachance robes, and into some more-average clothing. He also removes his Ring of Shadows, so that there is no doubt that this (stolen) horse does, in fact, have an actual rider.

He's headed toward the Imperial City, yet he knows he probably won't make it there. For sure, he's got a bounty, and one which will cause any ordinary road patrol to stop and take notice of the most notorious horse thief in Cyrodiil. But the ride during the early part of his morning goes quietly. For some reason, the Red Ring Road has never been patrolled between Aleswell and Fort Empire.

10:08 am
By the time he sees a guard, the man is busy doing what he should be doing--taking care of a couple of wolves. But this doesn't last very long.

"STOP! You violated the law. Pay the court a fine or serve your sentence, your stolen goods are now forfeit."

Kahreem realizes he could try to evade 'the law', and then run his stolen bay to the Waterfront, where his fine would be halved. But really, what point would there be? Even at half-rate, he'd still lose a significant amount of money.

"Sir. You know who I am, and what I've done. Today is your lucky day. Take me to jail, please."

"Hope you rot, criminal scum." the cook.


Morndas, 11:27 am, Second Seed 13
His stay in the Imperial City's jail was one of the finest. In fact, he'd come to think that the Imperial City might just have his favorite jail cell of all. The stonework in there was smoothly pebbled and shiny, not hacked by some loony who killed deer with his bare hands. Despite this, Kahreem can't help but notice that after his stay, he's lost some of his confidence in (1) swinging a blade, (2) blocking during combat, (3) reducing the effectiveness of blows, while wearing heavy armor, (4) um... alchemy?, and (5) uhhh.... alteration?

"This had better be good," says a one of the guards, just outside The Bastion.

"It is good. It is capital, in fact!"

"I've seen your kind before. Is it necessary that you speak with me?"

"Hey, you started this conversation."

"Go away, fool."

"Okay, I will. But first I need to get out of these wretched clothes. Ah, excuse me."

Kahreem undresses right then and there, and tosses the clothes he'd worn in jail on top of a pile of clothes he'd worn during previous incarcerations. Judging by the number of jail shirts lying on the cobblestoned ground, he's now been in the Imperial City jail at least six times!

"Time to find a beggar, I suppose."

He has no idea where to begin his quest. The Gray Fox had rambled on about some man named Jakben, but hadn't been too specific about where he might be buried.

"Have pity on an old war veteran?" Perfect.

"Mmm hmm, what war were you in, woman?"

"I can eat for a day with a single coin."

"Yeah I know what you mean. Well here, have a coin, beggar." *clink!*

"Thank you kind sir!"

"Whatever. I know you are a lowly beggar, who can't possibly know much about a man who lived some time ago named the Earl of Jakben, or some such. But I'll just take a stab in the dark here and ask you anyway."

"I know of him... would you... "

"Oh no, here we go."

"...loan me a few coins?"

"Are you saying that you know who this man is, the Earl of Jakben, even though you are a lowly beggar who fought in some war?"

"You are most gracious. The Earl of Imbel has a home in the Talos Plaza, facing the center plaza. He is an odd one. Keeps to himself mostly. Only goes out after dark. A real night owl."

"Really? He's an owl? Like, he can fly around?"

"I can help. The Earl of Imbel has a home in the Talos Plaza, on the inner wall."

"Capital!"

"What?"

"Capital! You've been a great help."

"Blessings of the Shadow upon ye."

"Uh huh. Whatever. Sure."

Kahreem later finds himself sat upon the deck of his home, the Marie Elena, where he swears he sees a platinum-haired elf skulking about.

This post has been edited by Renee: Nov 20 2016, 03:03 AM

Things are pretty bad if one has "a favourite jail cell" and a pile of old prison clothes. In one city alone!

This post has been edited by mirocu: Nov 20 2016, 09:20 AM