Lena is a bit of an expert on vampirism... don't get her started! She's got a few things to say to Molag Bal.

It could have been just a convenient dinner table. We killed the vampire but were too late to save the victim.

Good Lord - that's ugly! If that's a shrine, it would be to Sithis - this is not Molag Bal. But I tend to agree with you that this was most likely just house decor, vampire style.

Those are pretty violent vampires. Normally feeding on a person does not kill the victim, or else soon there would be no cattle left. But of course some (many) vampires turn into beasts and just slaughter everyone in sight... *sigh*

Those orc adventurers seem to run into fatal trouble with good frequency. Good thing they seem to have a reasonable breeding program to keep spawning more. Without an immortal crown of 'setessential', dear, poor Sir Mazoga would often run into the same kind of overwhelming odds while adventuring.

"No one bests an Orc!!! Oh..."

Yeah, I hear you. We ran into an Orc Adventurer just yesterday. He watched us loot a chest, then attacked. What was he thinking? A Battlemage, a Captain of the Guard and an Assassin... versus one Orc Adventurer? Hrmph...

Hmmm, bet the Orc's last words were "Why won't you die!" and then he did.

Yeah, I think he also mentioned something about being able to do it all day... But that didn't work out.

20210930 VH-OVB – Redwater Slough
Opening the door to Redwater Slough we proceeded along the main tunnel to a door which was barred with a very hard lock. Thankfully before I could prepare to cast my Unlock Anything spell we were ambushed by three vampires. Sloshing about in the ankle deep red water, we repulsed their surprise attack.

The vampires turned and fled down a side tunnel. We gave chase.

Silly vampires, the “I only have to be faster than you” defense only works for lions. One by one starting with the slowest we caught the three vampires and ended their existence. That left us thinking, “Where were they running to?”

Heading down the tunnel in the direction the vampires were running brought us to a small room. There standing before a richly finished wooden coffin was a figure shrouded in dull black enchanted ebony armor. A shield
“Embrace of Doom” emblazoned with a grinning skull stood propped up against the coffin.

“Lord Hindaril,” hissed Kaleah. “Your stench disgusts me.”

“I know that voice,” Hindaril turned and sneered “So the apostate has come with her toy to test her former master? I will enjoy sending you back to Oblivion.”

Hindaril readied his shield, drew his Elmwood sword “Whisper”, raised his sword arm high, and disappeared (arms and armor courtesy OOO).

Rushing forward I took a wide swing at the area where Hindaril once stood.

A lucky strike with the Light of Dawn managed to briefly light the dark vampire up. Returning to view Hindaril summoned a golem as a distraction as he tried to edged past and flee down the tunnel.

Only Kaleah stood between Hindaril and his escape. Drawing a fiery blade in favor to her bow, Kaleah set him ablaze for all to see. That gave us time to attack from him from the rear.

It was over quickly. Elenya suggested that we collect his ashes in separate bag and mark it with his name. Good idea.

Returning to the locked door blocking the main tunnel I studied it for a moment. Resolved to endure the snickers and cat calls from the gallery I prepared to cast the spell by first, as always with Very Hard Locks, removing all my armor. With a flick of the fingers the spell was cast.

Um, nothing happened. Everything seemed to work properly but one very long moment, nothing. Just as I’m beginning to think here comes the laughter (they love it when I fail) the door lock sprang open.

Through the door we followed the tunnel until we came to junction. A side tunnel shot off to the right. Something about the tunnel straight ahead gave all of us an odd feeling. We continued onward straight ahead. A flooded section of tunnel required us to swim in the bloody red water. When we surfaced, we found ourselves in the middle of a red pool.

Voices of several vampires shouting their cries for blood could be heard on one side of the cavern. We swam to the opposite bank and climbed out. Master Chabeaude and his two companions ran along the banks of the red pool attempting to catch us before we could recover from the long swim under water. They almost succeeded.

Master Chabeaude summoned an ancient wraith and along with his two lieutenants they gave us a hard fight but the ending was not in question. With the demise of Master Chabeaude something told us the Panther River issue had been solved. Roland will surely be happy to know this.

With the battle over we searched the area around the red pool for anything of value. In a chest we found 370 gold pieces and a key. The Redwater Slough Key we discovered fit the door I magically unlocked to enter this area.

On Master Chabeaude’s person we found a note speculating on how vampire dust could be a key component in resurrecting dead vampires.

The note also debates the wisdom of keeping the Patriarch, Lord Hindaril caged in the lower portion of the Redwater Slough. By the sound of it, Hindaril’s two chosen are trying to usurp Hindaril’s position. Wouldn’t Chabeaude and Vostrus have been surprised and shocked to know that by using the route we used to get here, the ancient patriarch could have walked out anytime he desired and most likely did.

Makes me wonder was Hindaril the proprietor of the vampire hotel in the crypt or was the crypt actually a barracks housing Hindaril’s secret vampire army. But that begs to question what is going on here? All these vampire infestations coming at nearly the same time gives the impression of some kind of organized activity.

Leaving that red pool of red water we found the exit to this cave. Stepping out into the open air we found ourselves standing on the banks of the Panther River just a short distance from Redwater Fort. We definitely took the long way around to get to this spot but thinking of all the vampires we cured it was worth it. Amazing.

Choosing a soft spot in the loamy ground and made a crude lean-to out large fern fronds and curled up for a nap.

Before falling asleep I asked Kaleah about Hindaril. She told a complicated story that happened long before we met. The ancient vampire had summoned her to bring a victim to him. It’s no fun being yanked about to do the bidding of some disgusting arrogant fool such as Hindaril, she told me. She fought his control but he was too powerful. She finished her tale be declaring that I am NOT her toy.

This post has been edited by macole: Sep 30 2021, 03:32 PM

Wow, Lord Hindaril! Lena killed him at some point too - the witch wanted his ashes to make that cure for vampirism potion. But that's the thing with ancient vampires - they rise again. I wonder if the ashes would eventually run out?

Another busy day in the lives of these vampire slayers!

Clever and quick thinking by Kaleah to light up Hindaril with her flaming blade for all to see.


'Lord Hindaril summoned an ancient wraith and along with his two lieutenants they gave us a hard fight but the ending was not in question. With the demise of Master Chabeaude something told us the Panther River issue had been solved. Roland will surely be happy to know this.' - - I got a bit confused here. In the opening sentence of this passage did you mean Lord Hindaril or Master Chabeaude? I thought Hindaril was already ashed in the previous fight.

Nice job getting rid of Lord Hindarel .... for now. He seems like a really powerful figure who exists on multiple planes. He'll be back at some point, I believe.

Those action pics are great. I really get tempted to put Snu's Dungeons back into my Oblivion, but it'll never happen. So instead, it is good to see Snu's magic going on in your game, macole.



Probably the latter. As you said in the next sentence, it just seems like a lot of things happen at once with the Vampire Hunting mod suddenly active. A lot of psychic communication between all these vampires, or somesuch.

Thanks, it should be Master Chabeaude.

20211004 Naked Nord, PT Artifacts – Fort Gold-Throat
“Jandaga, Fort Gold-Throat is just north of here,” Elenya mentioned during breakfast “Not too far away really.”

Yes, we need to check on the Battlemage detachment sent to capture the witch.

It didn’t take long to walk to Fort Gold-Throat but when we saw the remnants of battle we suspected we were too late. Our fears were confirm when we met Battlemage Thoudiyal as she was fleeing Fort Gold-Throat.

Wounded and battle weary she told us that the detachment was detected upon their arrival. Instead of laying siege to the fort they decided on a direct assault. Why didn’t the uncontested entrance give the battlemages pause to think that they were walking into a trap?

Thoudiyal was the sole survivor of their over confidence. Physically and more importantly mentally Thoudiyal was in no condition to continue the fight. After patching up her physical wounds I sent her to the Universitum. The healers there will put her right in no time.

Exploring the fort proved to be depressing. Bodies were everywhere. Every step along the way the horrific signs of the failed assult pointed a finger to our failure to get here in time. Proceeding forward along the main hallway took us to a balcony overlooking a large room with three levels. There was no way to get down to the next level of the room other than jumping.

On the balcony below us we could see goblins patrolling a portion of the room’s middle level. It was especially disheartening to see that Goblins had already arrived to begin looting the corpses. Like vultures they waste no time when it comes to picking over the spoils of a battlefield. Jumping down to the balcony below us we quickly cleared the area of goblins.

Looking over the guard rail of the middle level’s balcony we could see the bottom level of the room. Bodies of witches and battlemages lay everywhere. That must have been where the trap was sprung.

That’s when I had the shock of the day. There at my feet was a Dwemer Gravity Mine (PT Artifacts). Good Goddess, I had almost stepped on it. We were this close to being rat food.

If Viola had employed these against the battlemages then Thoudiyal was indeed lucky to have made it out alive. Ever so gently I picked it up and gave it to Kaleah to keep it securely tucked away.

Crossing the bridge we found a hallway leading down to the bottom level. Just before we reached the entrance to the kill zone we spotted three witches fighting goblins in the hallway. Viola Tarensa’s Second-in-Command was among them. They were fighting a couple of goblins when we caught them. Joining the fight we took out our frustrations out on both goblins and witches. It wasn’t long before only the Second-in-Command was left standing and she didn’t stand much longer.

With Viola Tarensa’s Second-in-Command now lying dead by my Khopesh of Blueflame, we searched her body and found a key.

We found the way down to the room of death and discovered that the only way out was the way we came in. There was a door but it was locked requiring a key. Without the key the battlemages were trapped. With nowhere to run the Battlemages were cut to pieces. Again we bemoaned the fact that we were a day late. If only the company had waited just one day longer.

Yep, as suspected the key we found on the body of Viola Tarensa’s Second-in-Command opened the door to Viola Tarensa’s Lair, we continued on. On our way down a long dark hallway a couple witches and their body guards tried to prevent us from reaching an old wooden door. They failed. The old wooden door swung open and we stepped into Viola’s boudoir

Viola approaches and graciously offers a choice of either death or to join her in a new kind of adventure. Giving me time to think and to provide a bit of an advertisement, she walks away to her dresser, disrobes, fluffs the pillows on the bed, and then struts back stark naked.

“Well, what’ll it be, Big Boy?” she asked.

While Viola was parading around I thought of all the time I had spent working with the witches in the surrounding the Iliac Bay, rather enjoyed that. Well, I was about to say “I’m gonna move you baby!” when a poke in the back… err, a thought occurred to me. Remembering the deceiving sirens Signy Home-Wrecker and Faustina Cartia from Anvil, I declined the offer.

“As I have said before, you could not have made a better choice,” I heard Elenya whisper.

Viola on the other hand felt highly insulted. She called for her guards to come and engage us in a heated discussion. When it was over Viola Tarensa lay dead and her coven of witches was no more. Searching her chambers for Hrogar’s family heirloom we found his stolen hammer stuffed in a bin with several other weapons. We took them all just in case we meet someone else is missing theirs.

Of course along with informing Raminus Polus of this we also need to inform Ar'ahnir and Hrogar that this thieving murderess has been hunted down. Turning to my Ladies I asked to think about whether to go to The Imperial City first or Leyawiin.

Right now Viola’s bed is empty and I’m tired.

(You can accept Viola’s offer. There’s a little blackout and you wake up by the bed naked, stripped of all your possessions. Viola calls you a fool and then she with her guards attack. I don’t think female characters get this option.)

Here is another proof of poor briefing of battlemages. It sounds like they did not know the type of enemy they were sent after. It sounds like they expected the enemy to play by the rules, to do the honourable thing and stand and fight, to set no traps and to never use invisibility to their advantage... I think even rats can do better than that! I wonder who trains those battlemages? I wonder if Jagar Tharn is still around somehow?

Good job not falling for the fluffed up pillows, Jandaga.

Too bad about those impatient battlemages, but glad that the Jandanga and his ladies were able complete this conven-busting mission.

Good call on declining the deceptive witch's predictably treacherous invitation to her bed.

It is too bad they didn't get to the battlemages sooner. Is it possible to do so in the game? Like, is this one of those timed quests (like a Daggerfall quest)?

Too bad also that we don't get to see Viola wiling her charms. There is a lady in Bravil (Better Cities) who tricks us into sleeping with her, then she steals all our stuff. My first PC character fell victim to her. I was pretty pissed.

By looking at the mod in TES4Edit the way it looks to me is you'll never get there in time. There is only one possible ending.

Oh she was advertising pretty hard as she strutted around stark naked (I have pics). She was hard to resist. Had it not been for being poked in the back who knows what might have happened.

I remember the Better Cities gal. Isn't there a second sweetie that takes you to her appartment, kicks you out the next morning, and never makes the offer again? I seem to remember that. The Jandaga felt so inadequate after that that it took the Ladies a week to cheer him up.

20211008 Naked Nord, VH-OVB, The Collector

With Hrogar’s hammer in hand we quickly traveled From Fort Gold-Throat we hurried to Leyawiin to return the hammer to Hrogar. Arriving at the Leyawiin jail we were told that Hrogar had been served his time and had been freed. He's still in town and should be able to find him walking around town.

We found Hrogar, shirtless and barefoot wearing only his best pants walking down the street near The Dividing Line. Overjoyed to have his hammer back he insisted on us taking 1000 septims for our trouble. Slinging the hammer across his back where it stuck like glue, he walked on down the street.

On our way to the Mages Guild to deliver Garridan’s Tears to S’drassa we noticed someone standing in the cemetery. It was Ar'ahnir holding his deathwatch for his friend J’roga. I joined Ar’ahnir in J’roga Deathwatch. Laying J’roga’s steel bow which we had recovered from the Witch Viola, at the grave site, Ar’ahmir thanked us for such a worthy gift.

Over at the Mages Guild hall we delivered Garridan’s Tears to S’drassa. Excited by acquiring the stones S’drassa paid us 2500 septims. Now I wish I’d kept one for myself.

Once we were outside my Ladies, tired of carrying so much loot, threatened to make me carry it all (again) unless we went shopping at the Imperial City’s infamous money pit… um, The Goddess Store first. Oh OK,

The Guild Guide Yaranil was nearby. Yaranil handed us a copy of the latest Stranded Light Courier. The arrival of Ahtize, the new spellmaker at Merendin was the feature story. She then sent us on our way to the Imperial City.

Arriving at the Universitum Arcanorum we found Master Wizard Raminus Polus nervously pacing to and fro in the lobby. I know, especially after the disaster at Fort Gold-Throat, that I’ve been neglecting my Archmage duties but there is so much to do these days. Raminus is going to get a stern talking to. He better get things together or we may have to consider a re-assignment. Let’s say Vvardenfell maybe or somewhere deep in the Black Marsh.

Raminus was relieved to see us and to hear of Viola Tarensa's death. I was just about to give him his choice of re-assignment, when he interrupted.

“When Thoudiyal returned with the bad news of the death of our battlemages, we feared the worst had happened. Thank the Gods that you arrived when you did to remove the danger that emanated from her and her fatuous supporters. Be assured Archmage that new operational tactics and training procedures are already being formalized for your review.”

“Good, have them on my desk in the morning.”

Leaving the Universitum we pay a visit to the Order of the Virtuous Blood headquarters. Roland is amazed at when we turn in 41 bags of vampire dust. After we report that the Panther River area has been cleared of vampires, Roland calls me “the best vampire hunter in Cyrodiil, ever”.

Kaleah leaned in close Elenya and whispered, “How come Roland never mentions how we, the Jandaga’s faithful companions bag their fair share of the vampires.”

Roland Jenseric has another quest for us. Vampires are causing “Unending Woe in Kvatch“. The people of Kvatch have enough problems trying to worry about while they get Kvatch rebuilt. They don’t need the added pressure of a vampire infestation.

Our next stop was to deliver the carving from the High Fane to Umbacano and to claim the bounty. Since we’ve been so successful Umbacano offered us another job. Herminia Cinna, a rival collector has in her possession the crown of the last king of the Ayleids that Umbacano desires.

For quite some time Umbacano has been trying unsuccessfully to buy the crown from Herminia. Umbacano hopes that if I pose as an interested third party collector I might be able acquire the crown for him. He gives us 1000 septims for expenses with instructions to keep what I don’t spend.

Hmmm, if I do a litle of this and a little of that we can keep all the coin.

“Don’t even think about it,” Elenya warned. “You always get caught.”

On the way to the shops we bumped into Herminia Cinna. She instantly saw through the ruse and refused to sell the crown. When asked why she tells us that she thinks Umbacano’s motives are not pure. From her studies she believes that the crown has some minor magical powers of its own, but she believes it also has control of some other magic that Umbacano wishes to possess. She believes it is for the best if he does not acquire it.

Herminia does offer an alternative. She knows where another Ayleid crown is located. I could go to the Ayleid ruin of Lindai, get the crown there, and give that one to Umbacano. The pompous clown won’t know the difference between the Ayleid Crown of Nenalata and the Ayleid Crown of Lindai.

“Sounds good to me!” declared Elenya. “We really don’t like sleazy Umbacano either.”

Well, I guess that settles that. The Ladies then took off to do their shopping while I walked over to the Tiber

Septim Hotel to pay S’razirr his share for turning on Maric. He wasn’t there. After waiting for an hour or so I left.

It’s getting late and I had told the Ladies that we’d meet for dinner. I don’t have to worry about finding them, I know where they are. Guess I better stop at the bank along the way.

Nice to wind down a bag of quests in Leyawiin.

’Slinging the hammer across his back where it stuck like glue, he walked on down the street.’
- -

Then off to the IC to take care of business at the University, OVB and start some more Umbacano stuffs.

Finally! The ladies head for the Goddess Store.

20211011 Rumple, PTArtifacts, OOO-Path of Iron – Fort Huronn

When we awoke the following morning, Raminus’ report on “Battlemage Tactics and Training Procedures” was on my desk in the Archmage Quarters as requested. I gave it a review and approved it while Elenya plotted a course for the day on her map.

Later over breakfast Elenya explained to the rest of us, “We can go north to Fort Horunn and recover the Skull of the Mountain. Then by heading east we can hit Lidail for the Ayleid Crown. After that the fun really begins. It’s on to Chorrol for more vampire fun then south to find the vampires menacing Kvatch.”

You know, working for the Order of the Virtuous Blood has become more time consuming then I thought it would be.

No matter, if all goes well in a week or two we’ll be sitting around the fireplace sipping wine at our Sutch Manor. Our bags packed, we started off for Horunn.

It was late afternoon when we arrived at Fort Horunn. Having passed by here many times before we knew where Fort Horunn was but for various reasons never thought to explore it. Seen one ruined fort, seen them all.

Having to burn a troll and squash a couple of giant spiders change changed our attitude. We drew our weapons and entered Fort Horunn intent on squashing some bugs. Ho boy were we surprised to find the place was a major gathering place for Minotaur. They were big, strong and foul tempered to say the least.

Fighting Minotaur all the way, we passed through the main level of fort Horunn. Looking for The Skull of the Mountain, we didn’t find it here.

The next level of Fort Horunn the Hall of the Eternal Flame held more Minotaur. Again we didn’t find what we’re looking for. There was one item of interest, a brazier burning brightly with no apparent source of fuel. Is that the Eternal Flame? If there is a story behind this brazier we didn’t find it.

Attacks by the Minotaur lessened drastically when we entered the Legate Assembly section of Fort Horunn. Until we entered a large room with two levels then things heated up again. We killed a couple Minotaur before crossing a bridge that spanned the lower level of the room. Half way across the bridge we came upon the body of a dead Breton treasure hunter.

Hoping to find a clue as to what he was searching for or who sent him here we searched his body. Finding nothing of importance we stood up and as we did we noticed a group of Minotaur having a family squabble at the far end of the bridge. Of course when the big one, and I do mean BIG, noticed us they stop their internal bickering and focused their ire on us.

The Lord of Horunn was not someone you’d like to meet alone in a dark alley. Had he had with him some of the mature bulls like the ones we had fought earlier in the fort the outcome may have been different. As it was, with only a couple cows and a hand full of young Minotaur the end was in our favor.

The whole of Fort Horunn was now quiet and our search for the Skull of the Mountain began in earnest.

Starting with the little alcove directly behind, where we fought the Lord of Horunn there were five chests. Each chest held a significant amount of treasure but no Skull of the Mountain. Sitting on a pedestal in the center of the niche sat the Helmet of Melus Petilius (OOO).

Try as I might I just could not pick it up.

Kaleah snickered as she whispered to Elenya, “I’ve told him before that he needs to talk to Melus Petilius.”

Down in the lower level of the room we found a Chest of Endless Flesh (PTArtifacts). The red leather satchel had an unnatural glisten to it. As I wondered what it was Kaleah suggested that it could be from one of the Daedric Princes’ realms. After a close examination she supposed that it will produce two random creature ingredients per day after its first activation.

The easy stuff picked over we still haven’t found what we’re looking for. Twice we searched the entire fort top to bottom, no luck. I was standing in dark corner of the Legate Assembly when I began thinking back to Vvardenfell and the search for the Puzzle Box. Searched for hours and then suddenly there it was sitting there in plain sight.

Then like so many years ago the light from a torch, this time it was Twinkle, glinted of something. There in the corner partially hidden by large rocks sat an unopened chest. Investigating the chest rewarded us with the Skull of the Mountain.

Naturally we weren’t able to read it. We’ll have to go back to the Imperial city and contact Tar-Meena about the Skull of the Mountain.

This post has been edited by macole: Oct 11 2021, 03:20 PM