12 Hearthfire, 4E202 - Proposal

"We need a better house" - Lucien was lying next to Lena in the Wolf Sanctuary in Cheydinhal, caressing her belly. "One with enough room and good security."

"This house has it all" - Lena looked at him in surprise. "Plenty of room, and what could be more secure than the Black Door in the basement?"

"And the well in the garden?" - Lucien shook his head. "No, that won't do. A child should not be seeing assassins coming and going every day."

Lena looked at him in disbelief, then started laughing.

"Are you serious?" - she was almost choking with laughter. "A child of two assassins will be seeing assassins every day! And besides, I'd like to know how you intend to keep Ocheeva away, once she decides to play the grandmother." They laughed at the thought. "Anyway, we have time to think about it. It isn't even showing yet. Much."

Lucien put his arm around her.

"You will need to take it easy now" - he said softly. "While this lasts."

"If you are suggesting that I sit still and do nothing all day, this isn't going to happen" - Lena was getting defensive. "I have no morning sickness even, there's no reason what-so-ever..." Lucien put his finger across her lips.

"Except protecting the child, of course" - he smiled.

Lena looked at him darkly, anger building up in her. "No."

Lucien knew better than to argue or to point out that she already started getting moody more than usual. He didn't expect her to agree to just stay at home, although he had to try.

"Will you marry me?" - he asked, looking into her eyes.

Lena almost jumped out of bed.

"Whatever for?!" - she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Mara cannot add anything to what binds us already."

"True" - he touched her shoulder, settling her back down into the bed. She could never resist it when he touched her like that, letting a wave of calm wash over her. In such moments she so wished she was born an Imperial... "Marry me so that our child could have a surname, as well as both parents registered in the Imperial Archives. And so that he or she would not get teased by other children for being fatherless."

They looked at each other with one of those long gazes that seemed to carry a wordless conversation. Grown up without their own fathers, they both knew what he meant.

"Yes" - Lena nodded. "Yes, I will marry you."

Lucien smiled, kissed her and got up for more coffee.

"What about the house though?" - he passed Lena another sweetroll. "This one is big enough for the two of us, no doubt, and we could easily fit a crib, but we will soon outgrow it - especially if we have another child."

"Another child?" - Lena stopped eating.

"If you are up to it, of course" - Lucien smiled. "You didn't plan for this one, I know, yet you kept it."

"I just never saw myself having children..." - Lena admitted. "I got vampirism so early, and I just assumed that made children impossible... I suppose I am still surprised." She stared at her sweetroll, then got back to eating it. "But now that you say it..." - she raised her eyes to him. "But... I don't want to move out of here."

The formerly abandoned house in Cheydinhal was one of three places in Cyrodiil that Lena considered her homes, with the other two being the house in Bravil and the shack on the Waterfront in the Imperial City. Modest as they were, they had their comforts, and offered a refuge to Lena through all this time. And the abandoned house could not be repossessed, and was always there for her when she returned form the Shivering Isles. Besides, it was close to Fort Farragut and to Lucien. No, she could not give it up, especially not now that it was finally turned into a beautiful home. Lucien understood her sentiment.

"Perhaps rather than moving out, we could have it extended" - he looked at her, stroking her cheek. "We've been making changes in the Sanctuary anyway - the well entrance is behind another Black Door now, the one in the crypt, and the newly reopened tower entrance is for potential new recruits - it leads you through the entire crypt, no shortcuts. So then the Black Door in the basement of this house is just for you and me" - he smiled. "But I don't want children to have access to it."

Several cups of coffee and sweetrolls further, they worked out what they wanted built.

"Borba will be glad to take this on" - Lena mused, looking at a long list of changes and a drawing of a whole new house to be attached to the Wolf Sanctuary. "I suppose the Count won't object?"

"He won't, but you still need to submit all the relevant forms and applications in triplicate to the Imperial Offices" - Lucien grimaced. "Sometimes the paperwork can be harder than the actual construction."

"I'll do it" - Lena looked resolved. "Some of the clerks might still remember me. If you arrange the wedding - I am not on a good footing with Priests of Mara..." Lena recalled the incident in Dawnstar when Geralt chose Vaermina over a Priest of Mara - Lena would have done the same.

"Whatever did they do to you?" - Lucien laughed. "But don't worry, I'll go - they cannot refuse."

...

After seeing her father's ghostly apparition in Falkreath and learning that Hircine had picked both him and Geralt for his Great Hunt, Lena felt the need to return home for a while, but this time she went to Cheydinhal instead of Bravil. Her father had been marked by Hircine for the Great Hunt of the Third Era. Which side did he choose? And Geralt was marked for the Hunt of the Fourth Era. She thought she knew which side he'd be on... There was just one choice for Wolf, she thought. When would that be? And would he survive it?

Lena was pacing nervously back and forth in front of the fire. Lucien had gone to the Sanctuary downstairs - he had matters to attend to before leaving for Bravil. "Come to my office, I have business for you" - he said. She should go see what it was all about. Holidays in Skyrim were over.

12 Hearthfire, 4E202 - A trip on the cards

Lena went to see Lucien at the Sanctuary to see about that business he had for her. She found him at his desk buried in papers.

"Hello, Master Assassin" - she smiled at him mischievously. "Lots of contracts, is it?"

"I wish!" - he grimaced. "This all relates to one and the same matter, and it isn't even a contract. This is the business I want to give to you."

"Oh" - Lena swallowed. "Not a contract, but still lots of work... this doesn't bode well. What is it?"

"Trouble in the South" - Lucien dropped the scroll he was reading onto a pile of scrolls on the desk. "These are reports of attacks on Dark Brotherhood members in Valenwood and Elsweyr, some resulting in deaths of our assassins. Whoever is after them is skilled, to say the least, and stealthy - with all these reports I still cannot build a picture of who it is, or even if it is one person or an organisation."

"If it was in Morrowind, I'd wager on Morag Tong... But it isn't in Morrowind" - Lena looked through some of the reports. "No one is reporting killing the attacker either" - she raised an eyebrow. "How is it that they can't even tell if it's a man or a woman?"

"I know" - Lucien shook his head. "And it also does not preclude the possibility of a traitor." His brow furrowed.

"Yeah..." A few particularly graphic memories flashed before Lena's eyes. "Let's hope no Sanctuaries will need to be purified."

"The Night Mother does not even want to think about Purification, she has become far more reluctant to use it since last time. Besides, it could be an outsider. Your task is to investigate. Go South, travel, look around, listen. No one knows you there, which is why this job didn't go to one of our groups on the ground - it needs to be done by an outsider. I am not giving you any pointers to our Sanctuaries there either, you need to go completely fresh. Do not reveal who you are even if you get acquainted with one of our assassins there - it could be a traitor, you never know."

Lena nodded, taking it in.

"Any specific instruction?" - she looked on as Lucien packed away the scrolls, not letting her read any more of them.

"Don't get killed" - he smiled at her. "Visit at least some of the big cities, you won't have time to go everywhere. Meet me in Anvil in a month." He locked the scrolls into a cupboard behind his desk and walked over to Lena, taking her hand and pulling her close. "I am off to Bravil to arrange the wedding - say, six weeks ahead? I hear that's their usual schedule." Lena nodded. "Do you want to come along so you could write invitations before your trip or do you trust me to do it?"

"Invitations?" Lena hadn't thought of that side of it. "Party? Ugh..." - she grimaced.

"Just a small one - we need witnesses, you can't get married without witnesses" - Lucien smiled. "Besides, your friends would like to offer their moral support on the day you pledge yourself to the terrible Lucien Lachance" - he winked and thought that it might be the time for another Calm spell for Lena.

"Oh all right" - she sighed. "You do it. I think I'd rather face dangers unknown in Valenwood and Elsweyr."

13 Hearthfire, 4E202 - Office of Imperial Commerce

"Oh, these are grand plans!" - Borba was impressed when Lena showed her the plans to extend The Wolf Sanctuary that she and Lucien had worked out the day before. "Of course we'll do it! Will be happy to!" - Borba beamed at her. "It won't be cheap though, and I mean our side of it - construction and furnishings. The Office of Imperial Commerce will levy their own fees and taxes as well." She looked at Lena with commiseration.

"Yeah, so be it" - Lena looked resolved. "How much?"

"Let me see..." - Borba got out her ledgers. "Construction of a medium sized house as an extension of an existing one... Middle class furnishings with some upper class items thrown in... Garden planting with mature shrubs... Minus Brotherhood discount... That'll be 23,750 septims altogether" - she put down her quill.

"Brotherhood discount?" - Lena noticed that she's never had that before.

"Yes, well... It falls under the works we've done on the Sanctuary" - Borba looked dubious. "Doesn't it? You've got the Black Door in the basement! So I figure it falls under the Count's new scheme - the Brotherhood discount. Keeps things in the family, see."

"Oh I see" - Lena smiled at her and winked. "Say no more. But what about the paperwork?"

"I'll do the paperwork for the Count, but you need to do the Imperial City yourself" - Borba handed Lena a heavy stack of folded parchments. "Forms to fill in. Deliver those to the Office of Imperial Commerce and bring your purse - they won't authorise construction until you'll have paid the fees. And even Count Indarys won't go against the Imperial Bureaucracy."

...

"...and she made me pay 27,000 septims for the application!" - Lena was filled with indignation telling Hauk about it over dinner. "That's more than the cost of construction! And furnishings! It's all I had! It's like she knew it and simply charged me whatever I was carrying!!"

"Well, I'm sure it wasn't like that..." - Hauk looked very unsure as he said this. "I mean, there is no spell to see how much money you have on you, is there?"

"Perhaps not" - Lena sighed. "But the fact is that I am now broke and I have a long trip ahead of me - to Valenwood and Elsweyr."

"With any particular purpose?" - Hauk sensed that it wasn't a sightseeing trip.

"Yes..." - Lena fought the desire to tell him even though it was a Brotherhood matter, and therefore confidential. "Say..." - she looked at her friend with hesitation. "Would you come with me? I just need to go visit places without any clear-cut objectives... sorry, I can't say any more. A month of travelling in the South." Her eyes lit up.

"But of course I'll come with you!" - Hauk gave her a broad grin. "No need to talk about any of the details, it's not like I've never been on such missions myself" - he winked. "So it's a sightseeing trip after all." He chuckled. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow, if you are ready" - Lena smiled at him. "We'll need to clear out some caves and ruins along the way though, for money."

"Something will present itself, no doubt" - Hauk nodded. "There's no time for bounty hunting, I take it? Plenty of those notices everywhere."

"No" - Lena shook her head. "We should be aiming to cross the border as soon as possible. A month isn't a very long time to explore Valenwood and Elsweyr."

The conversation turned to practical matters, then Lena produced a map of the region.


"Strange - there does not seem to be any roads connecting cities of Valenwood and Elsweyr, no major roads anyway. Do the Khajiit and the Bosmer dislike each other so much?" - she raised her eyes at Hauk.

"Afraid so" - he nodded. "Have you not heard of the never ending wars between them?" He pulled the map closer. "There are plenty of border crossings though, I'm sure, even if they are not on this map. We'll just have to look around." He pushed the map back to Lena. "So you want to start in Elsweyr, then?"

"Yes, I was thinking Riverhold - it's just over the border, and we should be able to find it with or without roads. Then we'll go South."

"Well, don't pack any furs - it's hot out there and the Khajiit don't like smooth-skins wearing furs" - he winked. "And I must admit, seeing some Khajiit wearing fur armour here or in Skyrim, is decidedly odd..."

"But... they don't have fur covering their entire bodies, do they?" - Lena realised she's never seen a Khajiit naked. "I mean, I think their hands are free of fur, aren't they?"

"That depends on how much of it they shave off" - Hauk grinned. "It also varies per individual, but generally, yes, they have fur all over. Like Argonians have scales all over. Except may be for some... umm... soft spots."

Lena's eyebrows had been steadily going up and up and her mouth opening wider and wider as Hauk spoke, until she suddenly realised that she shouldn't say out loud what she was thinking - that this matter required investigation. She rearranged her face into a more neutral expression, but Hauk was already laughing - he'd read it, it was too late.

63: This portion starts off rather Fable-ish. When she's getting zapped out of bed, and so on. For some reason it sounds like a segment of gameplay in Fable. I can hear their voices, even! Ooh. But she's not back in Tamriel yet. Yikes! Bleak and gray. That's not so Fable-ish. Corpses and death. Oh my.

Oh cool, she's with the Witcher now. For a moment, anyway. Yeah that's right. She's in this weird limbo dream world, looking for Hauk. Hope she finds him.

Who is Philipa? (don't feel like Googling... I'm too engrossed in this story)

WHOA WHOA WHOA... Hauk with a blank face. BLANK face. You got it, Lena. That's how [offtopic] a deceased friend of mine appeared when I saw him in a dream, and it was HIM, not a fake version of him. His face was blank. And he could not speak English. Because wherever he is now, he no longer needs English. So we communicated by emotions: smiling, waving our arms, and so forth. [/offtopic] But the "blank" part. That's what his face was at first. Where did you get that from?

Well, she got him back. What a crazy set of chapters. It almost seems like not all of it was real.

Interesting, I didn't think of Fable at all. As for bleak and grey with corpses all over - that could be Fable, actually. Wraithmarsh.


That scene is from Witcher 3, the way I played it.


She's just some woman. Not important for our story, so I didn't bother introducing her. If you knew the Witcher, you'd know who she was, but it would add absolutely nothing to our story. Well, may be some undercurrent, some texture, but nothing essential.


Personal experience.


To quote a certain Professor: "Yes, it is all in your head, but it doesn't make it any less real."

Glad you liked it! It was a wild ride to write. A lot of it comes from personal experience. Yeah, I know... crazy vampires!

Thank you Lena, yeah your tales are always enjoyable. This one was definitely wilder than usual.

By Fable-ish I meant the constant zapping of your character. For some reason it seems like a cut-scene from that game. To me.

Sorry I go off on tangents with my comments and such. I get carried away and haven't got much of a social life right now. But hey, everyone by now has dealt with this in their stories. But I'll try to reign back in the future.

64: Jowan is right. Some of those dreams were not dreams at all. I agree.

Wow, did Hauk actually want to remain deceased? You know... Warriors who die in battle and all that. Seems as though he's just gotten into a bit of a tiff with Lena?

Rubies are indeed rare.

Please don't reign anything back. It is nice to hear how different people see things - it doesn't have to be the same as me, that would be boring!

Regarding Fable, now you mention that cutscene with zapping, I see where you're coming from. I forgot about that bit, yes, I suppose it's similar, although the Fable hero gets zapped with an entirely different intent (in fact the opposite). There's quite a lot of zapping in Fable.


You think so? I am not actually sure how he felt about that. He was flattered of course that she went after him, but would he have preferred to be left alone? The answer is: I don't know! He didn't send her away though when she found him in the Fade, so I suppose he decided to return to Mundus for now. There are still some Ayleid ruins that need exploring, after all. Some even have rubies.

13 Hearthfire, 4E202 - The Cartographers Guild

"Are you one Lena Wolf?" - a well-dressed Khajiit entered the King and Queen tavern where Lena and Hauk were having dinner. He approached their table and nodded to Lena. "This one is Sa'Shalim, a senior member of the Imperial Cartographers Guild." He looked at Lena expectantly, as if it made it clear what he wanted.

"Pleased to speak with you" - Lena answered politely, putting down her fork. "How can I be of service?"

"Khajiit has heard that Wolf is planning a trip to Elsweyr" - Sa'Shalim offered, putting a large scroll in front of Lena. "This is the current map of Elsweyr from the Cartographers Guild. The Guild would kindly request Wolf to verify it on the ground and perhaps make some corrections." He gave Lena a broad smile, nearly disappearing behind it.

"Oh sure, I can look into that" - Lena smiled back at him, picking up the scroll and unrolling it on the free end of the table. "But..." - she looked at Hauk but his perplexed look offered no help. "But this scroll is blank!" - both Lena and Hauk were now staring at Sa'Shalim in disbelief.

"Yes, well, so Wolf understands the Guild's predicament" - Sa'Shalim continued hiding behind his big smile. "The map needs some refinements."

"Oh, is that all" - Lena grimaced, rolling up the blank scroll. "Why doesn't your Guild at least buy some of these commercial maps like this one I've got here?" She unrolled her own map, which, imprecise as it may be, was filled in rather better than Sa'Shalim's blank scroll.

Sa'Shalim's smile vanished.

"Is Wolf aware that this is one of the two mutually contradicting maps circulating in the lay society?" - he looked at Lena sternly. "The Cartographers Guild cannot accept such unverified material!" He bared his fangs briefly, then put another scroll in front of Lena. "But since Wolf already has one of the two versions of the map, she should also have the other."

"Oh!" - Lena and Hauk both bent over the two maps. "This second map has a much larger Senchal peninsular, but no marked location in Valenwood at all! Why is that?"

"Because neither map can be trusted!" - Sa'Shalim exclaimed rather louder than he would have liked. Several people turned to look at him. "This is why the Cartographers Guild cannot accept either version of the map" - he said in a much softer tone. "The Guild needs to know which is the correct version, but the Guild suspects that it may be neither - the truth might be somewhere in between!" He looked around, making sure that the other diners went back to their own meals and conversations. "There is also a suspicion..." - he looked around again, then pulled up a chair, sitting down and leaning towards Lena and Hauk who also leaned towards him, with the three of them nearly banging their heads over the maps. "There is a suspicion that when Martin Septim shuttered the Amulet of Kings, it wasn't just Kvatch that got duplicated." He looked at Lena and Hauk with significance. "Yes, of course the Cartographers Guild knows about that, but that peculiar phenomenon does not change the map! Both cities cover the same ground. Not so with the area of Southern Valenwood and Elsweyr." He sat back in his chair and poured himself some wine.

"But surely..." - Lena was still trying to digest this revelation. "Surely people have gone there! And returned to tell the tale? After all, the Oblivion Crisis happened two centuries ago!"

"People have gone there, and many Khajiits have come from there" - Sa'Shalim nodded, sipping the wine. "Sa'Shalim knows as he tried to talk to as many of them as he could. But..." - he stared into his goblet in confusion. "Some of them tell one thing, others tell the other. Reports of mainland Elsweyr seem to be consistent, but the further South or West in Elsweyr one goes, the more contradicting those reports become. Even to the point..." - he looked around the tavern again to make sure that no one was listening in. "Even to the point that some claim Valenwood to be devoid of any settlements..." He shook his head and sat back in his chair.

"Well, surely..." - Hauk started, not believing that last version. "Even with the Bosmer-Khajiit wars..."

"Exactly!" - Sa'Shalim interrupted him, indicating that this topic was not to be discussed in public. "So Champion Wolf and Optio Serck-Hanssen both see the importance of this mission, as well as the need for discretion!" He looked at them sternly and got up. "The Imperial Cartographers Guild wishes the Champion and Optio good fortune in their expedition to the Southern reaches of the Empire and expect a better report from them than what they have been receiving so far."

And with that he nodded to Lena and Hauk and left the tavern.

"Some sightseeing trip this is promising to be" - Hauk smirked, comparing the two maps before him. "Elsweyr seems to be the same on both maps though, just as Sa'Shalim said, so your plan to start with Riverhold is good. The trouble - the rift, the duplication, whatever is going on down there - begins only further on."

"Yes, that would explain those reports too..." - Lena started saying, then caught herself. Yes, this would explain the bizarre reports about the attacks on the Dark Brotherhood members that she needed to investigate, and it would also explain why Lucien didn't want her to read them. He must have spotted this geographic inconsistency, he must have had both versions of the map, must have seen the problem... and didn't tell her anything about it, letting her discover it all for herself. And relying on her discretion... even with Hauk, who now put a finger across his lips.

"No-no, don't tell me. We are going to do some exploration for the Imperial Cartographers Guild. We needed a good cover, and it just presented itself." He smiled, rolling up both maps. "You keep your mission to yourself, just as I keep quiet about mine" - he added with a wink.

"You too?" - Lena burst out laughing. "I should have known. All right, Optio - let's keep our respective missions out of the business with the Cartographers Guild."

The trip looked more interesting by the minute.

13 Hearthfire, 4E202 - Memories of a desert

"Haven't you been to a desert before?" - Lena raised her eyes to Hauk after that most intriguing conversation with the representative of the Imperial Cartographers Guild. "Or may be even been to Elsweyr before?"

"I've been to a desert, but it wasn't Elsweyr" - Hauk nodded, signalling the waiter for more mead. "It was the Savannah in Antaloor."

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask you about that!" - Lena exclaimed with excitement. "Do tell!"

"It's a long story, but it does hold a lot of fond memories" - Hauk looked into the distance, remembering. "I suppose we have a long way ahead of us before we even get to Elsweyr, and even now the night is still young... It was just over ten years ago when my argument with Traven got a little out of hand, with Iver just only managing to pull me away before fireballs started flying... He got me to Anvil and onto a ship - things had to cool off, and I had to be out of the picture."


17 Sun’s Dawn, 4E192 – Hauk arrives in Antaloor

Hauk was labelled a troublemaker for speaking out against limiting the types of spells available to battlemages. The new Arch Mage started by banning Necromancy and proceeded by introducing a code of conduct for the members of the Mages Guild, starting with the battlemages. Although Travis could not ban other schools of magic, he declared it not becoming a battlemage to use spells of Illusion and Conjuration. Hauk disagreed.

With the war of words escalating, Hauk felt he wasn't too far off from being labelled a necromancer and put on the other side of the divide. He didn't want that and decided to go away for a while, let things cool off. He boarded a ship bound for Antaloor and was gone.

The ship moored somewhere along the coast of the Savannah of Erimos. It wasn't even a real port, just a beach with some caves. No matter, Hauk had arrived in Antaloor as agreed, so he disembarked, found a horse and went looking for civilisation.

The Savannah was warm, dry and the ground felt solid under the horse's hoofs - a welcome change after several weeks at sea. Hauk came across some strange animals not found in Cyrodiil - giant ants, big flightless birds on long legs, huge tough skinned creatures with a single thick horn on their nose - but also some familiar creatures like boar, just as aggressive and deadly as in Cyrodiil. The flightless birds were easy to kill with a few fireballs and tasted better than rats when roasted. Hauk could have stayed in Savannah by himself for a long time, were it not for the lack of water. He came across a few abandoned hamlets and villages, finding their wells all but dried out. "People must have fled the drought" - he thought. "I need to find a larger settlement."

Going North, he found Bayan. It was full of people, many of whom indeed came from the empty villages that he passed. There was water but no food - the town didn't have enough supplies for everyone and the drought killed their crops. They took to eating horses! But horses were also their livelihood, so they tried to leave horse meat to the last resort. Hauk shared some of the flightless bird meat with the locals - they were ever so grateful. "Why don't they just go out into the Savannah and hunt those birds themselves?" He wondered. But he was a battlemage, and they were not, and the Savannah had a lot of hostile surprises for one who could not toss a fireball or two.

"Are you a mercenary?" - someone asked. Hauk never thought of that, but it seemed the logical thing to do. Yes, he would be a mercenary!

"There is work for hunters and mercenaries, you know. Talk to Alima - our leader - she'll tell you what needs doing. Besides bringing more of that Ostrich meat, that is."

Alima was the local healer for people and horses alike, but preferred horses. She welcomed an offer of help from Hauk and even promised to give him a decent horse if he got some medicinal roots for it first. "Are you trying to tell me that your best horse is sick?" This did sound fishy.

"I promise I am not trying to cheat you!" - protested Alima. "It is indeed our best horse but it got poisoned by a giant ant. I can brew a potion to clear the poisoning, I just need mint roots for that."

"Ok, where do I find these mint roots?"

"You don't. They are roots - they are in the ground and you don't see them."

"Whaaa-"

"Calm down. Ostriches like them. Kill a few ostriches, cut out their stomachs, retrieve mint roots. Unsavoury but simple."

"You sure do have strange ways..."

"Welcome to the Savannah! And watch out for those giant ants - they are both tough and poisonous."

Ostriches were easy prey, and soon Hauk had a good horse - and it was in fact a good strong horse, not a weak one that he was riding before. Alima also gave him a book on Antalorian flora and fauna - useful both for brewing potions and for making roasts.

"Anything else I can do for you?" - Hauk was hoping for a job.

"Well, you could try to help us with our drought and famine problem" - Alima offered. "It won't be easy, but if you succeed, there'll be a good reward in that, as well as a regular payment and our gratitude. You need to convince our neighbours in Halnin to resume trading with us again."

That sounded easy enough, but Hauk knew that it wasn't. Easy tasks do not have a reward as well as a payment attached to them. He came to Antaloor seeking adventure, and this was it.



The Savannah surely has strange creatures, and the people have strange ways. Take their horses for example - I haven't seen a lazier animal! You have to keep kicking it and nudging it on, or it slows down to walking and even stops if fancy takes it. You dismount, and it might stay where you left it, or it might not. "Our horses are free!" - I was told. This is great in theory, less great in practice when a horse walks away with your saddlebags on and you need to get another horse to chase your saddlebags across the Savannah.

Another strange thing is Varns. They are essentially jackals walking upright and using tools and weapons. They've got shamans too, not unlike our goblins. But varns are really not that aggressive usually, they keep to their camps which they defend, and they hunt wild animals for food. Some of them even master human speech. So why then are they considered a threat? Apparently, every so often they get organised and attack human settlements or more likely isolated hamlets, searching for new tools and weapons because they don't make their own. So then people hold a grudge. It seems to me though that simple trade could be the answer here... but then people would have no scapegoats - ah, now we are getting somewhere!

But the most remarkable thing is perhaps the Antalorian teleportation system and the fact that no one uses it. It was installed millennia ago by an old race that lived in Antaloor before humans had moved in, and possibly even before dwarves had lived there before them. Teleport nodes are everywhere, but mostly inactive. You need a teleportation stone connected to an active teleport node, and then as you travel around, you can activate other teleports to work with your stone, thus building up your network. However, someone somewhere has to maintain the network, or else "your trip might be cut short" meaning that you could find yourself anywhere between your node of departure and your destination. Like in the open sea, on top of a mountain or in the middle of the Savannah. Oh, I think I start seeing why people prefer to travel by horse, lazy or not!

But with all that, Savannah is enchanting and people are friendly and welcoming. I could very well spend months and months here... time seems to have lost its meaning.

20 Sun's Dawn, 4E192 - Rustler's Run

Halnin lay East of Bayan. It was a fishing village on the North coast of Erimos. The leader Altan refused outright to resume trade with Bayan saying that money meant nothing in times of drought. Yet Hauk sensed that there was more to this refusal.

"You can run a horse race, and if you can improve on my best time, then you can be the leader here and give orders."

These Savannah people sure had strange customs.

"Ok, you're on!" - Hauk was not one to back down, especially since it wasn't required to beat the best time from the first attempt. You could try as many times as you wanted!

With the Rustler's Run beaten, Altan had another card to play: it was drought, don't you know, our wells are all dry, we need water. You want to be the leader here, you sort it out! Surely, this was a ruse?

And it was. Hauk chatted to some locals that led him to termite mounds as beacons of water. Dig near a mound and you've got water even during a drought. Undoubtedly, Altan knew that. So what was going on?

"It's not that simple" - Altan tried to sound important. "I can't just make decisions here, I have to discuss them with someone."

"But you are the leader!"

"All I can say is go to the lighthouse and see for yourself."

What kind of monster was Hauk to face in the lighthouse? A demon? A daedra? Or an angry god perhaps? Did they even have daedra in Antaloor?

No, it was just a woman with a big stick - your local mafia representative Selene. She was glad to make Hauk's acquaintance, she heard so much about him. Oh! but did Hauk already have the papers required for the passage to Hatmandor? Because she would be ever so glad to provide Hauk with some, and it wouldn't even be a forgery. All Hauk had to do was to help her organisation remove Alima from her position as Bayan's leader, and the organisation would provide food to Bayan immediately.

Hauk wasn't born yesterday. He liked Alima - she was straight talking and in spite of her stern looks, seemed to really care for Bayan. Hauk was not about to sell that village to Selene's organisation. Selene didn't like that answer, she didn't like it at all. She brandished her big stick which turned out to be an enchanted four-pronged fork on a very long handle, and tried to make holes in Hauk. She even succeeded at first - Hauk nearly fell off the lighthouse platform! But he caught himself, called up a summon, tossed a few fireballs and mostly just rammed Selene with his shield until it was she who was falling off the lighthouse tower. And no, she couldn't fly.

Altan couldn't believe his ears when Hauk told him that Selene had met with an unfortunate accident.

"You killed her!" - Altan was turning very pale. "Her organisation will surely crush us now!"

"Well, then you can tell them where to find me, since I believe it is my right to assume leadership of this village? Seeing how I beat your best time on that horse race?"

Altan talked himself into a corner now. Yes, they will resume trade with Bayan as normal. And... err... would Mr. Serck-Hanssen be so good as to not mention to Alima his win of the Rustler's Run? Unless of course he planned to settle down in Halnin and take over running the village?

The change of tone was remarkable. No, Hauk didn't want to run the village, Altan was welcome to stay on as the leader.

Back in Bayan people were celebrating. It is remarkable how quickly the first shipment from Halnin reached them. You'd think they used a teleportation system! Hauk claimed his reward from Alima who was visibly relieved. She had a stash of enchanted leather trousers - would Hauk like a pair for mages, for archers or for warriors? Archers - no, but it was a tough choice between mages and warrior gear. Hauk chose mages gear.

Magic in Antaloor was fascinating. The local mages combined enchanted cards in a locket, creating a new combined enchantment. Then they used a staff to channel that enchantment into a spell. Although Hauk could still cast basic element spells from his wrist, they weren't coming out as powerful as he was used to, and his summons lacked stamina. He needed to master the local system to tap into the magic field of Antaloor which was obviously somewhat different from Tamriel. The best place to meet local mages was the local Mages Guild which occupied a tower not far from Hatmandor. But the desert gates to Hatmandor were closed, except to those who carried a permit to pass, an application for which could be submitted to the Imperial office in Hatmandor. "So seeing how you are here and Hatmandor is on the other side of this gate, I don't see how you are going to get through" - the guard was ever so helpful.

Wasn't Selene offering just this document? Perhaps Hauk had been a bit rush... But no, there must be another way!


21 Sun's Dawn, 4E192 - The gates to Hatmandor

Finding a way to get through the gates to Hatmandor became Hauk's main occupation. The village of Bayan was bustling with life now, people were coming and going, trade flourishing. Surely, some of these people would know ways...

"Pssst, over here!" - Hauk was pulled into a porch. "I can help you get through the gates to Hatmandor."

"I'm listening."

"There's this old smugglers' route, you see, I know a fellow who knew a fellow who used it. I can tell you where it is for a mere 300 auras."

"You must be joking!"

"Suit yourself."

This conversation was repeating itself with several strangers - did the whole village know about this route? Probably. At the third proposition Hauk merely laughed. As amusing as it was, he seemed to be the only person around who didn't know where it was. Finally, a widow that he had shared his ostrich meat with on the first day, saw him talking to various shady characters, and she guessed the topic.

"You helped me, so I'll try to help you now. I know the smugglers' route, but be warned that this is why I am a widow - it is dangerous, and my husband perished there. Go talk to the grave digger, he'll tell you of the dangers. But if you still decide to go, here's where it starts" - and she showed Hauk a well hidden opening between rocks, just behind the cemetery. A coincidence? Hauk decided to talk to the grave digger.

"Oh yes, last time we were hauling body parts for days!" - the grave digger seemed amused. "But why bother with a smugglers' route when you can get a proper document?"

"But I thought you could only get it in Hatmandor?"

"Now, what would be the point of that? Once you get to Hatmandor, you won't need a pass any more, would you now?"

Were the locals making fun of Hauk or did this grave digger have a twitch in his eye?

"I've got a job for you if you are going that way, you see. And I want you to get there safely. So I'll tell you how to get the papers on this side of the gate. Go talk to the old scribe about last year's weather."

The old scribe had been a forger, but alas - his bottle of Imperial Red ink was still buried under the rubble of his burned down house when the Imperial Guard caught up with him one time too many. Bring him that bottle, and he'd work his magic again to create an authentic Imperial document.

Hauk was getting a distinct impression of going in circles. But the circles seemed to lead somewhere - there was the smugglers' route, and now there was also a possibility of professionally forged documents, as well as several ready made forgeries that were too obvious even to Hauk.

Very well, searching for ink it was. It wasn't easy, but wild animals would not stand in the way of progress. With the papers ready, Hauk decided to see what the grave digger's job was.

"Here - deliver this to the undertaker along the way." The grave digger tossed him a sack. "It's the head, the undertaker has got the body already."

What?! The look on Hauk's face must have spoken volumes.

"Oh, the chap took a piss on Sam's son's grave, so Sam cut his head off, and it took us this long to find it. The body had been taken away already" - the grave digger explained, as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world. If so, Antaloor was an odd place.

But a battlemage is not afraid of a detached head, especially if it's bagged. Hauk stashed it away and set off to Hatmandor.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Dec 10 2021, 07:56 PM

27 Sun's Dawn, 4E192 - Reesa

"Reesa? What are you doing here?" - Hauk saw Reesa get up from her seat as he approached the house of an unfortunate youth he was sent to eliminate.

"Don't do it" - she stood in his way, swaying her hips. "Leave him alone."

"Out of my way, Reesa."

She stepped aside, and Hauk entered the house.

...

Reesa was an interesting young woman, from head to toe. "Very gifted", as their boss described her - she was a hostess at the local gambling establishment, the place for the rich to relax and enjoy themselves. Reesa would serve drinks, play the lute and carry an engaging conversation. A private audience could be arranged as well, "but you don't have that kind of money" - the boss smirked, looking Hauk over. Reesa was also the boss' trusted agent, although Hauk thought that trust was misplaced - Reesa clearly had her own agenda, which made her a woman to stay away from, regardless of her talents.

Hauk wasn't insensitive to women, and Reesa's swaying hips and exposed bosom were very distracting - which is why he stayed away from her as much as he could. For a double agent like himself, the game was dangerous enough already without an intimate involvement with another agent of an unknown affiliation - remember, Hauk didn't think that Reesa was actually working for their boss.

What Hauk did or didn't do in the house of the unfortunate youth, was Hauk's business. What was Reesa's involvement in that? He was pretty sure she didn't work for the Captain, and she wasn't sent by the boss. Perhaps things would become clearer later, but until then Hauk would do well to look at someone else's bosom.

...

Once Hauk finally managed to get past the closed desert gates at Bayan, his trip to Hatmandor was fairly straightforward. Some zombies here, some varns there, nothing he couldn't handle. A few mages remaining at the old Mages Guild taught him the basics of the local system and were only too glad to offer him the necessary tools - the trade was still booming, even though officially all mages were declared traitors by the Benevolent Emperor Gondohar. Fortunately, mages weren't actually hunted down, although many chose to disappear as a precaution - and perhaps this was what the Emperor had intended.

Finally reaching Hatmandor, Hauk found a locked gate and two guards barring his way.

"Hatmandor is closed, except for official business only" - they told him.

"Why? What happened?" The look on Hauk's face must have been extremely perplexed, because the guards had a good laugh before explaining.

"Hatmandor is closed on Captain's orders. Captain of the Guard, that is. There's been a murder."

"Oh? But that has nothing to do with me!" - Hauk protested. "How do I get in?"

"You don't." There was no bounds to the guards' helpfulness. "Go see the Captain at the inn in Cheznaddar - if he says you can come in, you can come in, but not before."

Right. Cheznaddar was a neighbouring town, so close, you'd think it was a suburb of Hatmandor.

"I bet there's more than one way into Hatmandor" - Hauk thought to himself, looking over the two desert cities. "I bet they share sewers. And may be I can scale some of the those rocks."

Those were both good ideas, but it was getting late and Hauk was getting hungry and tired, so an inn sounded better than any of those other options.

...

"You're new in town" - the Captain muttered into his beer when Hauk sat down next to him at the bar.

"Very perceptive of you" - Hauk replied, not addressing anyone in particular.

"I have a job for you" - said the Captain to his mug.

"And what might that be?" - Hauk questioned the mutton chops that the barman put in front of him.

"Investigate a serial killer" - the Captain turned around, talking to the vulture on the rafters.

"All right, but I need to get into Hatmandor" - Hauk replied, stabbing the chop on his plate.

"Of course" - the Captain got up to leave. "See you there."

...

"Go see Basel at the Under the Influence - that's a tavern here in Hatmandor" - the Captain was explaining things to Hauk the next day. "A tavern, or rather a gambling establishment. Shady, yet not illegal, and I've got nothing on him. Yet. But he always looks for new blood - he deals with the Underworld, I just know it. The murders I need you to investigate - the victims were all high ranking members, or at least I think they were - I've got nothing on them either!"

"Err... what have you got then?" - this was a bit too much conjecture for Hauk's taste.

"Not much. Which is where you come in. Whatever information you can find - on the murders or on the Underworld, I'll pay for." The Captain's eyes were hard, but Hauk met his gaze without flinching. "I see we understand each other" - the Captain smiled. "Agent." Hauk raised an eyebrow, but the Captain reassured him: "Oh, not from here. But you've been an agent for many years, or am I wrong?"

He wasn't wrong. Hauk smiled and nodded.

...

"Well, have you got the package?" - Reesa was swaying her hips at Hauk as he emerged from the trapdoor. "Give it to me. Basel sent me."

"Umm..." - Hauk watched her hips, then moved his eyes up to her bosom. "I prefer to deliver it myself. Reesa." His eyes finally made it to hers.

"All right" - she smiled, brushing away an edge of her top revealing just a little more. "But have you got it?"

"Whaaa--" Hauk finally managed to look at her face. "Oh, the package. Yes, I've got it right here." He patted a rather large package stuck under his arm. Had she not seen it?

"All right" - an edge of Reesa's loincloth moved aside - that garment could not be called a skirt! "Then deliver it directly to the customer. Are you paying attention?"

"Of course!" With an immense effort Hauk raised his eyes to her face again. "Customer. Which is who?" What was she trying to achieve?

"He'll meet you behind the Temple of Maliel. North of town?" - she half-opened her mouth in anticipation. This was a talented woman indeed!

"Right. See you around, Reesa."

Hauk brushed past her and walked away.

"Mmm... you don't fool me" - thought Reesa. "But you're a mage - normal people don't have that kind of willpower. Good. I like mages. Battlemages" - she corrected herself, watching Hauk expertly putting down a couple of varns with his battleaxe. Reesa acquired a target.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Dec 16 2021, 07:49 PM

oh dear Hauk is in trouble plenty!

The sound of singing as he walks briskly away.

♫"Come a little bit closer
You're my kind of man
So big and so strong
Come a little bit closer
I'm all alone and the night is so long"♫

This post has been edited by macole: Dec 17 2021, 09:01 AM

65: Yep, the Mages Guild doesn't really see that many poisons. Might wanna try Gilded Carafe. Or Ogier's shop for the ingredients. Doesn't the University also have a bunch of ingredients for picking? I seem to remember they do.

Frostcrag is awesome. Love the style of that place. Ha ha sounds like those goblins got to live another day. Maybe Lothran will take care of that...




Okay, thanks.



Yes, and a lot of humor in Fable as well as stuff like this goes along.



I like this answer: "I don't know." Yes, that's good and honest. Even though these are our creations, I also don't know everything either about them, either. I like learning as I go.

14 Hearthfire, 4E202 - The Old Crow Inn

"Oh, that Reesa reminds me of someone here in Cyrodiil" - Lena laughed, interrupting Hauk's story. They had set off from the Imperial City on their journey South and were just approaching the Old Crow Inn at the junction of the Red Ring Road and Gold Road.

"Whoever do you mean?" - Hauk looked at her with suspicion, a long string of faces flashing before his eyes. Could she know of any of them? Nah, impossible!

"A certain Orc that the publican here asked me to kill" - Lena turned to look at Hauk, clearly enjoying his worried expression.

"An Orc?" - Hauk replied casually, still holding his breath. That was an old story indeed... Whichever of the Orcs she meant... Oh, wait - something to do with the local publican. So, none of what he was thinking. Good. He exhaled with relief. Lena laughed.

"And here I was thinking that it's just the sanguine eyes that would always get you going. But I see that green skin can have the same effect..." - she chuckled.

"Well, may be. Or may be not. Not any more anyhow, not after..." - he smiled at her, realising that she'd been fishing and got him. "Never mind that. What was it about an Orc that you had to kill?"

"An Orc seductress who led away this lady's mate" - Lena explained, making a mental note to find out about Hauk and the Orc... Orcs... whatever. "I had to kill that mate as well, of course, so the lady is now unattached, and she's a Dunmer..." - Lena added, pushing the door to the inn.

...

"Well, hello!" - the publican beamed at Lena seeing her come in. "And a warm welcome to your friend as well!" - she beamed at Hauk too whose broad grin told her all she needed to know. "You can use the basement room as before, it's ready for you. Would you care for something to eat first?"

A most pleasant evening was about to commence. Lena and Hauk sat down for dinner, even though it wasn't particularly late in the day yet, but hey - here was a friendly inn and good food, and they were not likely to walk away from that in a hurry. Elsweyr could wait - they would get up early in the morning and make up the time tomorrow.

The basement room was well-furnished, clean and tidy, just as Lena left it last time. Hauk noticed the excavation deeper in and a strange door that was locked. He asked Lena about it.


"The person who furnished this room was looking for some rare artefact and tracked it down to here. Apparently there's a tomb behind this door, and the artefact is there. But we are not going in" - she added firmly.

"Oh? Why not?" - Hauk felt there was more to the story. "Since when did you stop poking your nose into every mystery you come across?"

"I didn't" - Lena grinned. "I tracked down the fellow who dug this up. I found his corpse hanging upside down in his house."

"And?" Corpses never stopped Lena before.

"Some numbnut followed me there and declared that if I were to go into that tomb, the same would happen to me."

"And that put you off?" - Hauk couldn't quite believe it.

"No, not that. He also said that the artefact in question was gifted to their dead relative by one of the Divines, that the artefact was powerful and should be left interred with its owner." She looked at Hauk, but seeing that he was still not satisfied with her explanation, she added: "It isn't one of Pelinal's relics, but it sounded very much like it. I just don't want to touch anything Divine."

"All right" - Hauk nodded, but kept his eyes on Lena. "What have you done?"

"Oh nothing out of the ordinary" - she smiled at him. "Nothing unusual, if that's what you mean. I'm just not that devoted, you know... All right, yes, I pray to Arkay and he seems to accept me, but I wouldn't be so sure about the others, what with my occupation and all..."

"Wolf, stop beating about the bush" - Hauk looked at her sternly. "You are not the only assassin around. You've never had troubles before. Something's happened. What is it?"

"I... well..." - she sat down. "I spoke with Sithis. I nearly went with him, too." She looked at Hauk in despair.

"And that got you worried?" - Hauk took her hand. "Don't. He's an Old God, older than the Divines, the Daedra, older than Nirn itself! You've been to the Fade again, then?"

"Yes, for the wraith exorcism at the old Pale Pass Fortress - Geralt sent me to get the wraiths to come to Mundus to fight."

"So. And there the Void found you. How did you return?"

"My baby" - Lena put her hand on her belly, the baby just moved inside. "Reminded me where I belonged. And Sithis let me go - I think I've been marked now."

"Marked with what? Don't talk rubbish" - Hauk shook his head. "You've been listening to the priests too much. Sithis does not consume souls, and neither does he mark mortals in any way."

"How do you know?"

"I've been to the Fade too" - Hauk smiled at her. "When I died, remember?"

"Sithis?"

"Was there. Said it wasn't my time. Then you turned up."

They sat in silence for a while - this brought up a lot of memories.

"Lucien and I plan to get married - in the Temple" - Lena looked up at Hauk. "We shall need Mara's blessing."

"And you're worried she'd strike you down instead?" - Hauk's expression cleared. So this was what it was all about!

"Well..." - Lena sighed. "We're not exactly pious. And Geralt killed that priest back in Dawnstar for Vaermina..."

"You worry unnecessarily - again!" - Hauk exclaimed, topping up her goblet with the better Tamika wine. "The Divines don't strike people down... Well, Mara doesn't anyway... You'll be fine. When's the wedding?"

"After we're back from Elsweyr. Lucien is arranging it - you'll get a letter with the date and everything."

"You're doing the right thing getting married" - Hauk looked at her approvingly. "The child will need both parents registered in the Imperial Archives."

"That's what Lucien said too" - Lena nodded. "That's why I agreed. But Hauk - what if the child is yours?"

"It doesn't matter, Wolf" - Hauk said softly. "I'll be around for as long as you want me, I am not backing away, but I am not your man. You chose Lucien. And he accepted the fatherhood, so be it. We won't fight over it, he and I, our bonds are stronger than that."

"Your bonds?" Lena felt that there was another world hiding behind those words, the world she had so far had no inkling about.

"I can't tell you, Wolf, I am sorry" - Hauk smiled with regret. "May be one day, but not now. We've known each other for a long time, Lucien and I - but you knew that. Let's just say, we've shared so much, that sharing a child with the woman we both love feels like the most natural thing ever." He paused, looking at her intently over his mead. "And besides, you're my best friend."

Lena sighed, watching Hauk across the table. He was her best friend, and more. She decided to focus on "friend", the rest was just too complicated. But she no longer worried about Mara refusing to join two assassins in marriage.

...

The night was quiet and the following morning they got up with the first light and took the Gold Road South towards Riverhold.

10 First Seed, 4E192 - Old Yrseke - Tongue - Reesa

"I have another job for you" - Basel waved Hauk to come in. "Escort."

"I'm listening." Hauk propped himself up against the fireplace in Basel's office. It was a very comfortable room - Basel used to spend a lot of time in it.

"I want you to accompany Old Yrseke to a business meeting. And I want you to make sure nothing goes wrong." Basel fixed Hauk with his gaze, trying to gauge whether Hauk understood what was required of him.

"No problem, I'll make sure no harm befalls him" - Hauk smiled. "Escort" meant "bodyguard" in this context, and the business meeting was unlikely to take place anywhere with guards.

"Oh good" - Basel smiled back. "Then we understand each other. Old Yrseke will fill you in on the necessary details himself - he's downstairs."

...

"Yes, I thought it might be you" - Old Yrseke nodded when Hauk asked for details. "Basel was pleased with your services so far. So you know what you are needed for this time, and that's all you need to know. Follow me, stay a little behind, remain unobserved, don't let others think you're with me. When we are there, follow my lead and, well, keep me alive. Any questions?"

Hauk had plenty of questions, but he also saw that he wouldn't get any answers. So he checked his gear by way of an answer and looked up.

"Ready when you are."

...

The meeting was in the sewers. Old Yrseke let Hauk handle a few mummies barring their way, and soon they reached a domed intersection.

"This is the place, the other party should be here shortly" - Old Yrseke turned to Hauk. "Now, I was supposed to come alone, so it's best you hide and don't come out unless... err... necessary."

Hauk just only crouched behind some crates when three men walked in from the other end of the room.

"Three against one" - Hauk thought. "Not good."

The first man looked unarmed but wasn't, the other two men were his bodyguards, armed and armoured. Old Yrseke didn't flinch and didn't look nervous at all, his sword in full view. The negotiations didn't go very well - there was a disagreement on price, but Hauk had expected something like that, so when the seemingly unarmed negotiator drew his stiletto sword, Hauk was already shooting fireballs from his cover.

"Perhaps slightly premature, but effective" - Old Yrseke commented two minutes later, looking down at three bodies on the ground. "You could have given him the time to properly draw his sword!" - he smirked.

"I don't believe in fighting with honour, I prefer to win myself" - grinned Hauk. "He was already attacking, technically." He went through the man's pockets retrieving a large gem and handing it to Old Yrseke. "You didn't seem to need my help though."

"Well... I didn't live to my old age by avoiding conflict" - Yrseke smiled, turning away. "Let's get back."

Hauk had the feeling that this assignment was not a job but a test. And perhaps... ah, but that would be skipping ahead!

...

"I have a proposition for you" - Hauk was approached by a man in rare Elven armour. "Please follow me so we could talk."

They entered a house nearby.

"I am Tongue" - the stranger introduced himself. "I speak for Mirage, I trust you know that name."

"I speak for the Night Mother" - echoed in Hauk's memory. Mirage was rumoured to be the head of the Underworld in Hatmandor, but no one seemed to have ever seen him. Some claimed Mirage was a woman, others claimed it wasn't one person but a group, and the Captain of the Guard would pay for any reliable information about him. His Speaker, Tongue, was a good lead, so Hauk would hear what he had to say.

"My employer offers information that you seek in exchange for your services. You will receive the information upfront, as soon as you agree. It is - ah - a gesture of good will." Tongue smiled at Hauk. "You are free to refuse - ah - at this point."

The information was about the Resistance. Hauk had taken on a job - perhaps foolishly - to recover old diaries of the Benevolent Emperor Gandohar, and for that he needed to find the head of the local Resistance group - that Captain was rumoured to be the only man who survived a trip to the tower where those diaries were kept. And the way to find the Captain was through the Underworld.

Hauk felt that refusing Tongue's offer wasn't really an option. He needed to find the Captain of the Resistance, and the way to him lead through signing up to work for Mirage. But perhaps in doing so he could also collect some information for the Guard... Did Tongue know that Hauk was a double agent? He probably did, if Mirage was as good as he was rumoured to be. "A true Nord never backs down!" - Hauk heard his Fa's voice in his head. Caution was for the Elves!

"Tell him I should be honoured" - he smiled at Tongue.

"Splendid, splendid!" - Tongue returned his smile, closing shut a gate between them. "I shall unlock this gate shortly, and provide you the information. Just after this." He looked around the room through the bars and called out: "Gentlemen, you can begin!"

Four thugs jumped out of their covers and attacked Hauk. Or at least tried to. Hauk's battle cry pushed them against the walls, and his summoned spiders kept them busy, allowing Hauk to dispatch the thugs one by one at his leisure using more conventional means. The test was over even before the spiders vanished. They crowded around their master affectionately, and Tongue had to take a step back once he unlocked the cage.

"Magnificent!" - his eyes twinkled. "Master Battlemage, the information you seek is on this scroll. We shall contact you regarding any further services." And with that he quickly left, before Hauk had a chance to complain about being subjected to a test of mettle.

...

The first job for Mirage was that of elimination. Hauk was to track down and eliminate the last surviving heir of the previous head of Underworld eliminated by Mirage some years ago.

"We have checked all his family lines and thought they were all cleared up" - Tongue was explaining to Hauk during their next meeting. "But it seems we missed one person. You need to correct this - ah - error." He looked at Hauk expectantly, fingering his sword. If Hauk were to refuse, he would have to be eliminated - he had gone past the point of no return. Hauk wondered if Tongue was thinking of the spiders.

"No problem, I'll look into it" - Hauk smiled at Tongue. "Where should I start?"

"Ah! Excellent" - Tongue's hand glided down his sword and relaxed. "Talk to Zack in Cheznaddar - he's a smith there. Gain his trust. Become his friend. Then wait and see, and we hope he'll give you a lead. We believe he is in contact with the last heir."

"I see. And Zack only lives because he can provide that lead..." Hauk nodded.

"Quite."

The two men exchanged glances of understanding.

"Anything else?" Hauk was wondering if there were any additional conditions.

"Be watchful. Agent." Yes, Mirage knew that Hauk was also working for the Captain of the Guard, and didn't seem to worry about it.

...

"Well, hello!" - Reesa greeted Hauk when he knocked on the door of her roof apartment. "Do come in, Battlemage!"

"Zack sent me" - Hauk smiled, taking in her relaxed pose on the divan. "Said you needed help."

"That depends..." Reesa stretched for some tea. "What did you have in mind?"

"Err..."

Wait, it wasn't supposed to go like that! She was supposed to say what she needed... not ask while lounging on a divan... with barely any clothes on... Ugh! This was harder than Hauk had anticipated.

Reesa was watching him with a smile on her lips.

"Lost your tongue?" Her half-opened lips allowed a glimpse of hers.

"Err..." - Hauk swallowed, his mouth dry. "Zack didn't say what you needed help with, just that you did. So you tell me."

"Well, I bet dear Uncle said more than that..." Reesa sat up which made things worse for Hauk. He was now looking at her from above. Still, he resisted.

"All right, he said you needed a friend, really. To keep you out of trouble."

Reesa laughed, arching her neck and pushing forward her chest... It was definitely harder than Hauk had anticipated! He called up a frost shield while she wasn't looking.

"Well... if you put it this way" - Reesa looked at him again smiling. He didn't care if she noticed the shield or not. It seemed she did. "There is something I need to do, and yes, I could use some help from a man who can stay cool under midday sun" - she stretched her hand touching Hauk's shield, then licking the instantly formed ice crystals off her fingers. "Impressive!" She touched Hauk's shield again, sending sparks and shivers down his spine. "We should get to know each other better... at some point."

Was he supposed to jump on her now or was that another test? Hauk didn't wonder about that, he knew now more than ever before that he had to stay away from her at all costs. She was the missing heir - he could see it now. She was also one of the most seductive women he'd ever met... not counting the Orc... and she was taking her clothes off...

Hauk looked away, not trusting himself to move. When he turned to her again, she was wearing a different set of clothes, just as revealing, but sturdier and more protective somehow. "Enchanted armour" - he thought.

"Well, I didn't take you for a modest type!" - Reesa laughed. "I am ready, let's go."

...

The job went well, and they were back at Reesa's apartment for food and drinks. Surprisingly, Reesa no longer tried to seduce Hauk - at least not until they finished their meal. Then the assault started again.

"I should be going, Reesa" - Hauk got up to leave just as Reesa lay down on the divan again. "When is your meeting with the client?"

That was the second part of the job that Reesa aimed to do - she was going to meet a "client" who wanted the precious gem they'd just stolen. And that meeting was going to be dangerous - very dangerous. Hauk could sense it under all the feminine charms that Reesa was throwing at him.

"Don't you want another drink?" - Reesa looked a little disappointed. "It's been a long day!"

"That it has" - agreed Hauk. "I could use some rest."

"Then relax with me here" - she sounded hopeful. "Where would you go otherwise?"

She had a point, even aside of her charm - Hauk didn't have a very good place to stay as most inns and taverns would rather have you drink and gamble all night than sleep in a proper bed - you couldn't even rent a proper bed anywhere. But he preferred to sleep on the floor at the Brotherhood if need be than to stay with Reesa just now.

"I have a cot at the Brotherhood, thank you."

"Thieves?"

"Warriors." Thieves? Really? Did she really think he'd sleep in the sewers?

"Of course" - she nodded, removing her top. "Are you sure?"

Oh yes, he was sure! Hauk was out the door before Reesa could say another word. She'd call for him when it was time to go see the "client", he figured. Right now he needed more ice.

15 Hearthfire, 4E202 - The road to Riverhold

"We are going in the wrong direction!" - Lena exclaimed when they saw the towers of the Wolf's Borough ahead. "This is the road to Skingrad."

"Yes" - nodded Hauk, stopping and turning his horse to face Lena. "Of course it is - it's the Gold Road. The way to Arenthia."

"Hauk!" - Lena was getting cross. "Are you teasing me? We are not going to Arenthia, are we?"

Hauk laughed. "Yes, I am teasing you" - he conceded. "You've been studying the map all evening last night, then proclaimed we'd take the Gold Road, while of course it should have been the Green Road up to the Faregyl Inn. But I decided not to argue."

Lena glared at him. "Well, I had other things on my mind last night." Their conversation about Sithis and Lena's pregnancy weighed heavily upon her. She was about to marry Lucien... while possibly carrying Hauk's child... she wasn't sure, but something was telling her it was Hauk's... Lucien's would be next... her feelings in all of this were beyond confusing, and now she'd learned that Hauk and Lucien not only had known each other for a long time - this she already knew - but also they shared a "past", something big, something they couldn't tell her about. "Something to do with the Legion and the Brotherhood" - she thought. Yet personal enough to create a bond between them... No wonder she picked the wrong road in the morning.

"Look, we don't need to go all the way back, we can just cut through the forest to the Faregyl Inn" - Hauk smiled apologetically. "Why are you so apprehensive about getting married? Lucien is the right man for you, you know that."

"I know" - Lena nodded with a sigh. "I guess I'm just..." She paused, fidgeting. "This child is yours, Hauk. And I want you to be around... I want the child to have a proper father, not to feel adopted... I..." She paused again, but Hauk was waiting for her to continue, not saying anything. "I don't want to lose you for myself either... But once I'm married, things will have to change... It's silly, I never thought Mara meant anything to me..."

Lena nudged Roach, directing her East towards the Faregyl Inn. Hauk followed.

"It's not Mara, I don't think" - Hauk said softly. "It's you moving into another stage of your life. But I'll be around, don't worry. And Lucien will not make the child feel adopted, of that I'm certain. Besides, you don't know it's mine - you can't be sure. We won't be sure for several years after the child is born."

"Oh, I think it will be pretty clear if the child is a Nord!" - Lena exclaimed hotly. "Rather than an Imperial!"

"All right, first, you can't tell one human race from another in a newborn, not until they start using their powers, you won't know. Second, even if it's a Nord, your father was a Nord, it could be his blood coming through - you know this happens often enough! You yourself are more of a Nord than a Breton, I feel at times..." He stopped talking, looking at Lena sideways. She was calming down. "You worry unnecessarily, you always do. Let things fall into place on their own."

They rode in silence for a while, moving slowly in the dense undergrowth.

"Perhaps you are right" - Lena finally agreed, relaxing. "I can't keep worrying like that, it's pointless. And we have new lands to explore. I wonder if Lucien wanted me to have a bit of a diversion with this assignment..." She bit her tongue before she could say too much about it.

"May be, but don't take it too lightly" - Hauk interjected. "Elsweyr is a troubled land, and your assignment is absolutely genuine, of that I'm sure. Even though I don't know the details - I don't have to."

Faregyl Inn appeared in the distance between the trees.

"All right, we're here" - Lena returned to practical matters. "There should be a road towards Riverhold from here somewhere. But first - lunch. We are hungry" - she put a hand on he belly, smiling. "I wonder if we can still get that wonderful potato bread here? And you need to finish that story about Reesa" - she added, getting off Roach.

Lunch could right all wrongs. Well, most of them.

Oh I just want to shout at both of them, "STOP! Think of what you're doing before you make a mistake you'll forever wish you could go back and undo."

Confusing, isn't it? Lena made a mess of things... or did she?

Yeah, she did.

"Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans."

13 First Seed, 4E192 - Hauk's choice

"The meeting is at dawn. Come tonight" - Hauk read a note from Reesa. This was a clear invitation, and he followed it up.

...

"Glad to see you" - Reesa smiled when he knocked on her door. "I've been waiting."

Hauk entered, trying not to brush past her, although she didn't step out of the way. She shut the door after him and turned around, leaning against it.

"Anything we need to discuss by way of preparation?" - Hauk looked steadily into her eyes ignoring the other distractions. "Your note said the meeting was at dawn."

"Yes, we shall leave from here a little in advance - there may be obstacles along the way." Reesa adjusted her top, and Hauk's concentration momentarily lapsed. But he caught himself.

"The sewers?"

"Where else?" Reesa wetted her lips with the tip of her tongue, leaving her mouth slightly open.

"Mummies and rats, nothing I can't handle" - Hauk answered automatically.

"There were scorpions there recently - big ones" - Reesa arched her body. "They have such a sting in their tail."

"Taken care of already" - Hauk's eyes were wandering without his permission. Reesa was winning.

"Well, in that case..." She detached herself from the door and swayed her way past Hauk, her hips touching his in passing. "Would you like to see it now?" She turned around, her hand on the edge of her tiny skirt.

"Whaa---"

That wasn't fair. This was the worst and the most direct assault yet.

She flipped the edge of her skirt revealing the inner sides of her thighs, but nothing more.

"The Tear" - she smiled, letting go of her skirt. "The famous gem that we went to such lengths to steal. The gem that many have died trying to possess."

She took another step and bent over a chest, retrieving a cloth-wrapped parcel.

"You may unwrap it" - she smiled, offering it to Hauk.

Hauk took the parcel from her and put it on the table without looking. Then stepped towards her, gently taking her wrist.

"I would very much like to unwrap this parcel" - he smiled. "But isn't the time a bit short? We must not be late for the meeting."

"But we have all night!" - Reesa exclaimed, surprised.

"That might not be enough" - he stepped closer, now breathing into her hair. Reesa let out a moan as Hauk touched her shoulder with a tingle of sparks. He too could play that game. "Save it for later." His jacket dropped to the floor revealing his warrior's chest. Reesa gasped, stretching her hand to touch him. "Later" - he caught it gently, bringing it to his lips but brushing her fingertips against his teeth instead of a conventional kiss. "The sewers, a little before dawn" - he let go of her, picking up his jacket. "Don't be late."

...

They exchanged nods and descended into the sewers. The meeting would take place in the same domed chamber where Hauk had accompanied Old Yrseke before. They had to reach it quietly and quickly. Hauk signalled Reesa to stay back and went ahead dispatching mummies and rats as he went. The smell of burnt rotting flesh filled the tunnels.

They heard a gate being opened on the other end of the chamber just as they entered - the "client" had arrived as well. "Two men" - noted Hauk to himself, listening to their footsteps. "One old, walks with a limp. Ah." He turned to look at Reesa - she seemed tense. He gestured her to take the lead - this was her transaction, he got her there safely, but now it was her game. She nodded and straightened up.

Finally the four of them came to the centre of the room and into the light of the torches. Hauk stood a step behind Reesa, looking at Old Yrseke and Tongue smiling at them. Mirage and his Speaker. Of course.

"Do you have it?" - Mirage, or Old Yrseke, addressed Reesa. "As we agreed."

"Of course" - Reesa produced the cloth-wrapped package, unwrapped it, showing the gem to her "client", then put it away again. "Are we agreed on the terms?"

"Almost" - Mirage nodded, then looked at Hauk. "What of you, Agent? The Guard Captain will pay good money for the information on the serial killer of Hatmandor, and she stands before you. But you knew that, of course. He will pay equally well for the information on me, too. Or..." - he looked steadily at Reesa while still addressing Hauk - "...you can fulfil your contract and collect your reward. What will it be, Agent?"

Hauk took a step towards Reesa and Tongue put a hand on the hilt of his sword, but Mirage signalled Tongue to wait. Reesa turned to look at Hauk, her mouth slightly open, her hips swaying. He stood just behind her, and she could feel his breath in her hair and his hand on her hip.

"Reesa is a precious jewel indeed" - Hauk said, nibbling her ear. "And oh so desirable. What was it you said?" - he looked into her eyes as she turned her head to him. "'A gem that many have died to possess.' Now offered to me." He looked at Mirage, but the old man's face only showed a slight curiosity and a trace of amusement. "But I dislike being manipulated" - he whispered into Reesa's ear. "Wrong battlemage" - he added as his dagger found her heart.

Tongue took his hand off the hilt of his sword.

"Excellent choice" - Mirage clapped in applause as Reesa's body slid to the ground. "The gem is yours - both of them. Although I regret that you deprived me of the pleasure of killing her myself."

"My contract was to eliminate the last heir, not just to find her" - objected Hauk. "The terms are now fulfilled."

"They are indeed!" - Mirage nodded. "Basel will have your payment. As for the Guard Captain... Tell him what you will, without proof he has no case against me. And we are careful not to provide any proof."

...

Reesa's body was found by the City Guard after a tip-off, the papers in her apartment linked her to all the recent murders in Hatmandor. "Some thug finally got her - serves her right" - was the word on the street once the City Cryers told the story of sex and strife among the Underworld. Mirage retained his status quo - he was still but a mirage. There was talk of some Agent who had had his hand in all of that, but no one knew who he was exactly or who he worked for, and soon the rumours died off. Hauk made quite a name for himself as a mercenary, and some even whispered that he was the Agent, but weren't foolish enough to actually say it openly, in case it was true. But the title stuck, regardless.

15-16 Hearthfire, 4E202 - Faregyl Inn - Riverhold

"So, you killed her" - Lena summarised Hauk's story about Reesa. "Not surprising."

"She went too far with her seduction. It felt wrong" - he looked into the faces of other people having lunch at the Faregyl Inn. They were now hanging on his every word.


"But why did you never take her up on it?" - a Khajiit purred into his ear. "If it was being offered like that..."

Hauk smiled at the Khajiit but Lena answered for him: "He wanted to stay alive. She was a Black Widow."

"May be, or may be not" - Hauk turned to Lena. "We'll never know now."

"Err..." A voice started timidly at the back of the room. "Was the pay any good? What did you do with the money?"

"Oh, the pay was excellent" - Hauk grinned. "I bought a house - the largest mansion in Hatmandor." He peered to see who was asking, but that person seemed to have vanished.

...

The road to Riverhold was well laid out and clearly marked, and a few hours later Lena and Hauk stood in the strangest city imaginable.

"Wow, and I thought Riften was in the mountains, but would you look at that!" A maze of stairs and bridges covered the whole face of the mountain, which was wooded making it so much harder to find your way around.


"It's not that bad, you can see the structure from here" - Hauk was looking up too. "I see shop signs on the middle level, the Mages Guild is on the left, and that big building at the top must be the Castle." He was pointing things out to Lena.

"You've been here before!"

"No, I'm just looking at the buildings rather than at the bare-chested Khajiit" - he grinned.

Lena shot him a glance and started climbing the stairs.

...

"I am the Queen here" - an annoyed looking Khajiit in Elven armour was presiding over a large cave that served as the Castle Grand Hall. A multitude of lanterns hanging off the stalactites made it look like a starry sky. "We have a house for sale if you want it, but otherwise there's nothing going on" - she yawned.


"Umm, I wasn't looking to buy a house just now" - Lena said cautiously, looking sideways at the Queen's bodyguards with their well-toned muscular bodies. Did anyone wear shirts here?

"Then stop wasting my time!" - the Queen barked at her in a rather undignified fashion.

It was getting late and they couldn't see an inn anywhere, but the Mages Guild sign was quite prominent before them, and that's where they went.

"Welcome, Warlock!" - a mage in handsome red robes greeted Lena. "Evoker!" - she turned to Hauk. "Or do you prefer Optio?"

"You are well informed" - Hauk bowed his head gallantly, kissing her hand.

"I am the head of the Riverhold chapter" - the mage beamed at him. "It's just the three of us here but we like to keep up with the times."

"Indeed" - Hauk smiled. "I look forward to fruitful discussions."

While Hauk and the other mages were engaged in mutual pleasantries, Lena had a good look around the Guild Hall. Like many structures in Riverhold, it was carved into the rock and was really a cave made habitable with wooden flooring, rugs and tapestries and a multitude of lanterns. It felt cosy and welcoming.

"We do have a bed for visitors, but it's just a single, I'm afraid" - the mage looked at them apologetically. "There's an inn in town - two levels below us."

"That's all right" - Lena assured her, then added turning to Hauk: "You stay here, I see you are in the middle of a discussion. I'll go to the inn. I'll pick you up in the morning."

Hauk nodded and returned to his conversation - the mage was telling him about an anti-Imperial revolt in Orcrest. Lena caught some of that, making a mental note that it might have been what Hauk was sent to investigate. She however still needed to poke around for other kinds of rumours.




Lena returned to the Mages Guild around midday. Deep shadows under her eyes told of her nightly activities.

"Have you slept at all?" - Hauk asked the obvious. "Ugh, what makes this smell?"

"I see you wasted no time in finding the local den, Warlock" - the chapter head put a hand over her nose. "Would you mind stepping out into the fresh air, please? Our Guild Hall isn't big enough for this smell. And a word of warning - stay away from the plum brandy in the future, it doesn't combine with skooma very well." And with that she gently but firmly ushered Lena out.

...

"Plum brandy and skooma, eh?" - Hauk followed Lena outside. "Was it that den that we passed earlier? The one that's closed during the day?"

"A Feast Hall they call it, yes" - Lena nodded. "But I was eating, too!"

"Eating what?" - Hauk was offloading bread, cheese and fruit onto the table just outside the Mages Guild. "Cakes laced with moon sugar?"

"May be..." - Lena gratefully made herself a cheese sandwich. "They didn't have much of regular stuff."

"You don't say" - Hauk smirked, biting into an apple. "Tonight I'm coming with you!"

...

They walked around town trying to avoid jumping down from terrace to terrace, but there wasn't always a connecting staircase, and Lena was getting tired of zigzagging left and right over the mountain stream. Hauk was getting hot in his armour as well.

"Snow, we need more snow!" A Nord wasn't good with hot climes, even one born in the Cyrodilic Heartlands. "Seeing that we are not expecting any fighting here in town, I'm going to leave this armour at the Mages Guild until we're ready to leave. I'm melting!" Hauk gestured Lena to wait.

"And there isn't even a Dunmer in sight" - Lena smirked to herself, feeling rather warm in her black gear as well. "Wait, I want to change too."

...

They dropped off their battle attire at the Guild changing into much lighter clothes.

"Elsweyr is not all warm sands" - the mages smiled at them. "Up here it's mostly hot and humid jungle. But better than Black Marsh - less bugs!"

"Oh, that's better!" - Hauk sighed with relief, pulling on a shirt.

"His markings are most unusual" - one of the mages caught a glimpse of Hauk's back. "With such markings Optio does not need a shirt."

"Whaa--?" - Hauk turned to her, his shirt half on. "You mean this?" He straightened up, removing the shirt with a grin. Nords were not a common sight in Riverhold, it seemed. "As long as I don't turn into another naked Nord" - he winked, tossing the shirt into a corner.


"Very nice!" - a voice with the Imperial Isle accent exclaimed from behind him. "That's one of the better ones, and I've seen a lot of it in Skyrim." An Imperial who tried to look younger than he was walked up to them, now examining Hauk's chest. "I have a parcel for you" - he finally turned to Lena. "Black Horse Couriers at your service." He handed her a package wrapped in brown paper, and with another admiring look at Hauk, he disappeared.

The parcel contained a sand coloured robe and a note.

I thought this might be more suitable for the desert, and even Nocturnal had to agree that 'blending in' did not always equate to wearing black.

LL

"Ah, that'll be better than black" - Hauk nodded approvingly. "And the same enchantment, I see... Still no shield."

"I've got you, haven't I?" - Lena winked, putting away both robes. In town light clothes were still better. "Ready? Let's go - we've got a missing boy to find."

"Ready" - Hauk nodded, clipping on his sword. "What? There might be rats!"

In a town full of Khajiit that was unlikely, but Lena didn't argue.