The Gweden report, A story of the story of the stories. Options

[ghastley]

Until I complete the other mods, there's not a lot to add to their stories, so I thought I'd tell the tales associated with Gweden while I work on them.

That mod's anything but linear, as you can do the individual quests for most of the girls in any order. That meant I'd have to come up with a narrative that links them all together and creates a sequence. Rather than take the easy way out and describe it all from the Player-character's viewpoint, I thought I'd try a different approach entirely.

So I'm going to write a story, about a reporter writing a story, about the stories of the girls who work at Gweden. They'll tell them to him one at a time, and there will be a bit of extra narrative added beyond what actually happens when you play through each of the quests they're describing.

The Champion is arbitrarily male as before, and of no specific race. Because of the requirements of the mod for some of the quests, he's also the Madgod, Master of the Fighter's Guild, Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Arena Champion, and Archmage, although I'll try to play those down as much as possible. All of those things are less important to his employees anyway. He's the boss, and he did something special for each of them, or they wouldn't be there.

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Prologue

"Listen up girls," Tsarrina began. "This one expects you've all heard the news by now. The Oblivion Crisis is over, and the Gates are all closed. Martin Septim is no more, and the Elder Council is running things ."

"Our boss is now the Champion of Cyrodill, and so everything he does is front-page news in the Black Horse Courier. They're sending a reporter down here to do a story about this establishment of his, in the next few days."

"This one doesn't want it to be just another story about the boss. He's getting a bit tired of that himself. This one wants it to be our story. Your story."

"We probably won't make the front page, as it appears they're sending a junior down to do the interviews. But that should work in our favor. He'll be young, and you'll all appreciate that. Especially Juliana. This one wants you to be ready if he's really inexperienced. The rest of you are to make the best impression you can. We can get some really good publicity from this."

"Should we start shopping for new clothes?" asked one of them, hopefully.

"No, you won't be needing those much," Tsarrina chuckled, "but make sure anything you do wear is is the best you have. And by that, this one means the most effective, not the most expensive. Unless it's both. Dark-eyes, get your uniform starched up and crisp. Cybeline, that red velvet number with the plunging neckline that you keep for special occasions. This is a special occasion."

Everyone looked at Prizna. She just laughed, and Tsarrina had to grin, too. "This one does not expect you to start wearing clothes now."

"This one wants you all to be ready to tell him how you came to be here, and what part the boss played in that. It will keep the stories relevant to his assignment, but they'll be about you as much as they are about the Champion."

"We'll make use of the old farmhouse as the interview room. It's nice and cozy in front of the fire there, and we'll put some comfortable chairs either side. We should keep the main rooms in the Lodge open for business. There's no point losing any trade while he's here, after all."

"Will he be staying at the Count's Arms while he's here?", asked Maeva. "I can walk up with him in the mornings if he does."

"No, we'll keep him here at the farm," Tsarrina decided. "He'll use the main bed in the farmhouse, and this one doesn't want him sleeping in it alone! You'll each get a turn to tell him your story. Make sure you also get a turn to show him what you can do."

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Future pieces will have each of the women telling her story of how she came to be at the Gweden Brothel, or the reporter putting the report together. I'll add a postscript article from the Black Horse Courier about Cousin Miranu's miraculous potion at the end, which should take a post or two to cover it. I have most of the stories drafted, as they come straight from the mod itself, but I'm still working on the wrapper narrative, and haven't finalized the sequence of the individual tales yet.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Oct 7 2016, 04:47 PM

[ghastley]

@Acadian Thanks for the encouragement on the Khajiiti dialog. I have another Khajiit in the story later, and I've already decided that she's not going speak like that (having been born in Cyrodiil). SIgny's nit has been picked.

@Grits You hit the nail on the head with that piece of Maeva's standard dialog. It made her a perfect first recruit. In fact, the combination of having Gweden farm locked and wasted as a usable home, and Maeva being just down the road was the thing that got me started on the mod. The two stories needed to be finished, and connecting the two just made sense.

@My Cat I hope you'll try the others, if you haven't already.

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First impressions


"The first this one wants you to meet is quite unique," Tsarrina said. "There aren't many Dremora around in Cyrodiil. The conjurers may summon a few, but they're all male, and they don't stay for long."

Prizna came into the room and and the reporter for the Black Horse Courier didn't know where to look. The woman was completely naked!

He kept his eyes focused on his notebook, but she wasn't going to be ignored. She walked over and sat in his lap. He was saved by Tsarrina remarking that he wouldn't be able to write her story if she sat there. Prizna got up again and took the other chair, but not before rubbing herself against him a few times.

He was left with the impression that she was hot! Not just that way, but her skin felt like she had a fever. He asked about that, and a voice like dark velvet replied that it was true. She came from Dagon's realm, where lava flowed and fires burned everywhere. Her body temperature wasn't all that different from Humans or Elves, and Khajiiti were somewhere in between. Argonians were a bit cooler, she thought, but maybe theirs wasn't constant anyway.

"Tell him how you came to join us at Gweden" Tsarrina prompted, and Prizna began her tale.

First I need to tell you about my childhood. Yes, we Daedra are immortal, as we can return from the waters of oblivion and resume our lives, but everything has a beginning, even if it has no end. I do not remember if I was born, or created, but I remember being a child.

Nor can I tell you anything about returning from death, as I have never done so myself. Most male Dremora return because they are called back by Dagon, to fight his endless wars. There may be other ways to return, but I have no knowledge of them. But back to my growing up.

Females live to serve the males. If a young girl shows competence at any trade, she may be set to doing that for the rest of her existence. If she's good at smithing, she may be set to making armor and weapons. Or with other skills, she could be a cook, or a healer, or a fletcher. I was a bit more intelligent than the rest of my class, and conspired to hide my abilities until I could choose my own vocation. I learned a little of every skill I could, in case it could help me later, but I was careful not to shine in anything.

It almost worked. When I was grown enough, they made me a "reward for valor". Well, I was good at that, and I might have chosen it anyway.

I think it was because I wasn't as submissive as the others. I could take the initiative, and be a partner instead of a chattel. True heros appreciate that, and I was serving the best. Kothet was a hero when he was presented me as a permanent reward for the victory at Ganoneh. I was happy to belong to him, at first.

But Kvatch was retaken and Kothet fell from Dagon's favor. He started to mistreat me, and I started to hate him. I learned spells and weapon skills in secret, hoping for the day I could free myself from Kothet.

The chance came when a Gate was opened outside Bravil. Kothet was chosen to defend the Tower island, and I managed to travel there too. When he took up his post near the flaming arch, I killed him and stepped through it into Tamriel.

I needed someone's help to close the Gate, so I could stay in this world and leave Kothet behind. I was sure that Dagon wouldn't restore him in any haste, especially as he'd been killed by a mere woman. However, I needed the Gate closed so he couldn't reach me later.

The man who helped me is the owner of this Lodge. I was being chased by Scamps near the Gate when he came to my assistance, and healed my wounds. He has such cool, gentle hands!

He asked me what my name was. I didn't understand what he meant. A Dremora woman doesn't have a name of her own. She's "Rynaz' daughter" or "Kothet's woman" or just "the cook". He decided I needed a name and called me "Prizna". Wow! I was just like the Kyn themselves now, with a Name of my own!

I put away my fears and followed him back into the Gate. I needed to confirm that Kothet was still dead. I also was determined to help close the Gate, or die trying. I wanted to deserve having a Name!

We found Kothet's body inside near the Gate, and he was as dead as I'd left him. We could see the Sigil Tower from there, but there was a locked war gate between us and the entrance, so we couldn't go that way.

There was also a Daedroth charging towards us. I dropped back and cast a shock spell, while my hero stepped forward with his sword and shield. He must have had an enchantment on that sword, as the creature didn't last long, and I heard a soul gem fill as it died.

We set off to the East past a small tower, where we ran into a couple of Dremora. I cast my shock spell again and one of them was hit. So he charged after me while his colleague engaged my partner. I backed up, casting my spell again, but he was getting very close. He swung his sword at me and opened a huge gash in my arm. I went down on my knees, and was sure I was going to die, when he fell dead on top of me. The Hero pulled his sword from the Churl's back and put it back in its scabbard.

He took a look at my arm and laid his hands on my breasts to cast his healing spell again. I asked why he hadn't put his hands on my arm instead.

"If I touched the wound, that would hurt you, wouldn't it? Until the healing is complete, the pain won't go away. I need to cast the spell as close to your heart as I can, so it works as quickly as possible. ... And it also helps remind me why you're worth saving."

That got a laugh that made me feel better. Taking the Churl's longsword made me feel better too, as I now had something to block with.

We made our way further and crossed a bridge over to another island in the lava. We appeared to be circling the Sigil Tower amd not getting any closer. A doorway in the rocks ahead of us looked as if it might lead into a cave or tunnel. If the tunnel was in the same direction as the door, it might take us closer to the Tower, so we went in.

By the time we emerged at the other end, I had a shield to go with the sword. Our tactics remained the same. I'd stay back and use spells, while the Hero got in close with his sword. If anyone attacked me I would block until help arrived. and continue to cast shock when I could. Then we'd stop, repair our equipment, and heal. I was enjoying the way he healed me, even if I didn't like it being needed.

We'd come out into a tower, from which a bridge led across to the central island where the Sigil Tower stood. An archer stood on the bridge and fired as soon as we came through the door. I blocked the arrow with my shield and fired a bolt of shock back. But then I had to turn my attention to a Clannfear who'd run over the bridge toward us. I knew that Clannfear reflect damage, so I didn't use the longsword, just blocking with the shield and casting shock when he recoiled. I didn't notice that I had my back to the archer until an arrow caught me in ... a certain large muscle involved in sitting down.

I looked back, to see the archer nock another arrow. As he let fly, I stepped sideways and the arrow flew past me into the Clannfear, finishing him off. That let me hurl another bolt of shock at the archer, and end his career, too.

My partner had also been busy. A Daedroth and a Markynaz lay on the edge of the bridge. He pushed them off into the lava with his foot, and came over to me.

"That arrow's got to come out before I can heal the wound" he told me. "You know they use barbed arrows, so this is going to hurt"

He made me lie face-down on the ground, so the muscle would be relaxed. I heard him cast a spell, but I couldn't see what type of spell it was. It can't have been healing, my breasts were beneath me.

When he started to pull out the arrow, I knew what spell it was - Paralysis! I couldn't scream, even though I wanted to. But it must have made removing the arrow easier, as the pain soon ended. I felt the healing spell flowing through me again, and I hadn't even noticed where he put his hands this time.

A few seconds later, the paralysis went away and I could stand up. I saw the huge door to the Sigil Tower ahead and I knew that's where we were going next. I didn't know what to expect inside, but I knew that whatever was in there kept the Gate open.

That's when I started to get worried. I wanted Kothet to be trapped here, but I wanted to escape. I knew that the mortals that closed Gates were transported back to Tamriel when the Gate closed. Kothet had mentioned that when he told me about the Gate at Kvatch.

But would I go with him? I had to take the risk. And by that point, I'd have followed my hero anywhere.

The forces guarding the interior of the Tower were much the same as outside. The good news was there weren't any archers, the bad news was more of everything else. By the time we reached the Sigil Chamber, I'd needed a lot of healing, and my hero had had to replenish his magicka from the wells several times to do that.

I'd had the opportunity to take a suit of armor from one of the dead, but it was too uncomfortable, and hampered my spell-casting too much. I just can't do anything properly if I'm covered up. I think I was also concerned it might hold me back in Dagon's realm if I wore it.

We climbed up the ramp to the platform at the top of the Tower. I saw the Sigil Stone balanced on top of the pillar of fire. That was apparently the key to closing the Gate.

"You take it" he said. "The stone always leaves with me when a Gate closes, and it should take you with it"

"But what if that's how you get out?" I asked. "I wouldn't want you left behind."

"I don't belong here," he reassured me. "And you don't either. So take the Stone and let's go back to Tamriel" I noticed that he put his arm around me, just in case. At least I think that's why he did it.

As soon as we re-appeared outside Bravil I gave him the Stone. I didn't want anything to do with Dagon or his realm any more.

However, I knew nothing about the world I'd chosen. Was there a need for someone like me in Tamriel? What would I do here? How would I survive? Who did I belong to?

He answered the last question first. I had my own Name now, so I didn't have to belong to anybody else. Not even him, even though I knew he deserved it more than Kothet ever had.

And he also knew just what I should do in Tamriel. What I did best, of course. And Tsarrina would help me learn the customs of this land, and how to make the most of my skills.

She never did get me to wear clothes, though. I still don't understand why anyone thinks they're a good idea. They tickle and chafe, which makes me too aware of my own body, and then I can't concentrate on my customers.

And it's not like I have anything special to hide. Every Dremora woman has a body just like this one. If you can't see our faces, you can't tell us apart. And you can only tell me from a Mazken or an Aureal by color. We're all the same size and shape. Well, maybe my skin's warmer, too, but that's all.

The reporter assured her that she appeared very special to him, not that he'd looked. He still wasn't looking. He tried to get his concentration back on the story by asking her about the others. "You're quite a different build than some of the humans and elves, though. You may not stand out from the crowd where you come from, but it's not like that here. Everybody's different, and that's good."

"Well, if different is good, why can't I be different by not wearing clothes?" she asked.

Again Tsarrina saved him by asking to see what he'd written so far. Or had she? Now he had nothing to look at but the floor, or Prizna.

Prizna went over to Tsarrina to take a look at his notes too. "This is very good. I think he deserves a reward, don't you, Tsarrina?"

He involuntarily looked up when she said that. Prizna had her back to him, and she was bending over the notebook...

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Note the "heal other on touch" spell always seemed to target her chest, so I added that into the story.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Sep 22 2011, 05:49 PM