Clark - Second Era Options

[ghastley]

Now I've created a second-era Clark, I need a story of how he got there. I'd started something similar for Minx, but it wasn't going anywhere, so I've adjusted a bit. This may be a bit infrequent, as my logic is that Azura sends him back to Morrowind, which is special for her, and needs some attention in this era. However, ESO Clark probably won't go there until we get him up to Champion level, and he can start doing things for the story, and not just levels and skill points.


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Chapter 1 - Arrival


It wasn't exactly deja vu, because this was the first time, and the other happened in the fiuture. Which is why I can't remember it clearly.

Azura told me it would be like this. I would have no memory of the things that hadn't happened yet, because that would cause problems with temporal causality, or something like that. But yet, things that hadn't changed much, like Seyda Neen, where I'd just got off the boat, would seem familiar.

I could remember anything that happened in a Daedric realm, because time worked differently there. So I remember all about my dealings with Azura and Nocturnal, and why they'd made me immortal. I had some recollections of mortal women, including my wife, Dralsi, and our daughter Karliah, but only the things that happened in Nocturnal's Realm. Fortunately, both had been Nightingales, so there was a lot that took place in Evergloam, which might have included Karliah's conception.

I remembered a Bosmer called Cyndil, who'd been made a Nightingale at the same time I was. I had fond, but sparse, memories of a Nord called Gilda, who'd also been a Nightingale with my daughter. There was a Dunmer called Minx, that had joined me in Cyndil's rescue from Mehrunes Dagon's Dremora. Azura tells me that were a lot more that I wouldn't remember in my future.

Most of my memories about Mundus seemed to relate to Nocturnal, and quests that I'd done for her, and yet it was Azura that sent me back here. The mission I was on was particularly hers, as Morrowind was under her protection, perhaps as a result of her turning the Chimer into Dunmer all that time ago. And yet, I didn't really know what that mission was. It would work itself out, just because I was here at the right time.

---

This promised to be an interesting time. Azura had told me about Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, and how they'd used the power of Lorkhan's heart to become like gods. And unlike the Daedric Princes, they had nothing restraining them from interfering as much as they liked in the affairs of mortals. Indeed, it was Sotha Sil who had engineered much of that restraint upon their Daedric rivals.

That didn't seem to concern her too much. I imagine that she felt it was the best arrangement for both sides. I got the impression that she felt that the Tribunal were at least as constrained themselves.

And I knew that Balmora was in that direction, and the city of Vivec was in the other. I might know some of the rocks along the way, but not the trees or mushrooms. I have no idea when I was here before, or rather, when I would be here in future. I might be a child when I learn my way around, or an adult. I'm an adult now, but I'm not sure how old to consider myself, considering that I haven't been born yet. It's so confusing.

I wasn't likely to bump into anyone I knew in future. This was far enough back in my past, according to Azura, that no mortal could live that long. Not even the elven mages could prolong their lives that much. If I did see a familiar face, it might be one of her winged twilights with a message.

Azura had also warned me about history. Everything I'd learned about the past, I'd still remember, up to the now I was in. However, some of the accounts may have been revised before I'd learned them, so they'd be false memories, and anything that had just happened here would be fresh in everyone else's memory, but seem vague and distant in mine. This would be especially true about the Tribunal, who Azura felt bent the truth liberally in their records of this time. If I thought I recalled something, I shouldn't trust that feeling until I checked the facts.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Dec 15 2023, 07:41 PM

[ghastley]

@Acadian: I'm trying to work "who's Seryn?" into Clark's narrative, too. I'll be able to go back to his viewpoint when I have.

@Grits: Qualification starts after a short interruption.

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Previously: Seryn has decided she'd like to buy Hunding's Palatial Hall, if she can.

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Finding Aurelia

"I got a letter from Dame Jourvel," Izzie told me. "You know she was trying to get Aurelia to go get a life of her own, and now she's upset because that's what's happened. We should go visit her at Castle Navire and try to do something."

It made more sense when we talked to the Knight Commander herself. The problem was that Aurelia hadn't told her where she was going, and had left rather suddenly, too.

"Aurelia can be a bit impetuous," Izzie agreed. "I wonder if this has anything to do with Kiv, and the ring."
Dame Jourvel suggested we start by finding Nilsmon, her aide. She doubted that Aurelia had gone anywhere with him, but the man was infatuated with her, and was probably more aware of her movements than anyone else we could ask. "I haven't seen him around the castle in a while, so go check out his bunk in the barracks." she told us.

The scraps of "poetry" we found confirmed his obsession with Aurelia. "Maybe she's just trying to avoid him," I suggested. "Especially if he's a habitual drunk, like all these bottles imply. If she thinks he's drinking because of her, she might also think he'd stop if she wasn't around."

Izzie didn't believe Aurelia would reason that way. And she probably didn't care what Nilsmon did to himself, either. The bottles did give her a clue, however, as that brand of rum, All Flags, was a local brew of Gonfalon Bay. It wasn't good enough to be worth shipping anywhere else. It was likely that we'd find Nilmon there.

---

The "poet" was well-known in the Ancient Anchor. We'd started there, as they sold the rum, and it was right by the wayshrine if we needed to go anywhere else. Someone had seen Nilsmon heading towards the docks, so we did the same.

A trail of empty bottles confirmed this, and another page of "poetry" that it was indeed Nilsmon. We found him on the beach, swigging from a tankard, and staring out to sea. He wasn't exactly what you'd describe as coherent, but we did figure out that he'd seen Aurelia getting on a ship. Which one, and where it was going, we'd not find out from him, in his drunken state, but it wouldn't be hard to ask the shipping clerk about the recent departures.

It took a small bribe, of course, but the only ship that had sailed was headed for Rivenspire. "Is that Northpoint?" Izzie asked. "I can take us there, if it is."

She explained that Northpoint wasn't really much of a commercial port. Northsalt, where the docks were, was more of a fishing village than anything. The whole coast was a bit rocky and dangerous, with several lighthouses warning ships away. Northpoint was built around one of them, and one of the local Dukes had his manor there.

---

We could hear the commotion on the beach from the wayshrine. Someone was in a fight down there, and Izzie knew who. "That's Captain Marso's voice," she told me. "We should go help."

He'd have preferred us to have arrived a bit earlier. He'd dispatched the two brigands that had attacked him, but
not without taking a wound himself. "Isobel, thank Leki! Quickly, Aurelia is this way," he called out, as he limped along the beach ahead of us .

Around a large rock we found his first mate struggling to his feet. "Two more of them jumped us, and they've taken Aurelia. Threw her in a boat and headed down the coast."

We talked with Marso about what had happened. It appeared that Aurelia had had people looking into Kiv Lindres, the thief that stole the ring. Although Veloise Mercantile didn't do any business in Rivenspire, Kiv did, and he had debts here he was trying to pay off. He'd sent letters here, pretending to work for Iosbel's family, but it's not clear how he was going to get access to the funds he needed. Aurelia had come to find out.

Izzie hadn't told Aurelia about the whole story of our dealings with Kiv, just that we'd got the ring back, and it was safe with her parents. Aurelia probably felt that Kiv deserved some payback, and clearly she had a good idea of what he could get up to, even without it, if she'd found out about this situation.

Marso didn't have any more details. Aurelia hadn't told him much, just that she needed his help, and Veloise Mercantile interests were involved.

---

Finding where they'd take Aurelia was complicated by there being a state of civil unrest in Rivenspire. One of the factions was preparing to besiege the town, and we had to skirt around their forces on the beach. It wasn't easy to tell which camps were theirs, and which was the one we were looking for. The only way we'd know is that it would be the one with Aurelia in it.

When we found it, there was only Aurelia in it. Her captors had tied her to a post, and gone off somewhere, possibly foraging for food, and hadn't come back. Maybe they'd run into the same soldiers we'd seen in the other camps.

It meant that all we had to do was untie her, and wait for Marso to catch up, which was only a few moments.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked us. "I'm so glad you found me; I have so much to tell you."

Aurelia explained to all of us, Marso included, what she'd been doing. She'd written to everyone she could think of that Kiv might have been able to swindle. In most cases, she'd shut things down before they could even get started, but this one was only apparent when the account in Northpoint was accessed. She'd enlisted Marso's help, and they'd been attacked when they approached Northsalt, which told her they'd stumbled onto something bigger than expected.

Marso chimed in with "I know, I know. It's all a bit unusual. But I wouldn't have come all the way out here if I didn't think there was something to Aurelia's story. This business is worth looking into, I think."

"You're going to continue to help Aurelia with her investigation, then?" I asked him.

"I will. Aurelia has a caring heart. She was so ashamed after that day on Stros M'Kai. She acted the fool, even if she's too proud to say as much. She is bound and determined to right the wrong she created. And I'm honored to help."

---

"Marso seems to be quite fond of Aurelia, if you know what I mean," I remarked.

"I noticed that, too. And it seems it goes both ways. When Aurelia and I were travelling with him before, he would always have been mindful that I was the boss's daughter, and treating us both very carefully. Now that constraint doesn't apply."