Rashelle At Lokken, WWOLM fanfic Options

[blockhead]

Around the end of February and the beginning of March I posted a short fan fiction on a small intimate forum and there were some positive responses. This story is being posted here on the chorrol forums as I am eager to see the responses from the larger fanfic-oriented crowd here. This seems to be where the "pros" of the Morrowind fanfic world congregate,

This will be posted this in sections, serialized as it was originally. It would be easy to just post the entire thing all at once but I thought it would be more fun not to.

This story is based on the main quest of Emma's "White Wolf Of Lokken Mountain" plugin. It contains spoilers.


Rashelle At Lokken
by Blockhead

1. Arrival, Tension

Snow. The ground covered with it. The trees white with it. The late afternoon sun reflecting off of it. The landscape was that of a magical wonderland. My adventures in Solstheim had not reduced my wonder at this phenomena. I had never seen snow where I grew up and there was certainly none in Vvardenfell.

Although I was the Nerevarine and an experienced adventurer, I arrived at Lokken gawking and gaping like a tourist at the Imperial City.

The Lokken leaflet had been in my pack for some time and I had finally decided to see what it was all about. I had no great desire to hunt animals merely for sport (as advertised) but I have always liked to explore new places.

My adamantium boots crunched on the snow as I stepped out from the boat.

"You had better talk to Ragnar Fire Hair before you do anything else, lass. Without his permission, you are not allowed to be here", admonished the boatman again.

Yeah, whatever.

I paused to look around some more. Ahead lay the village, the road ahead rising up towards the mountain. Up further, to the left, could be seen the castle, covered with snow and looking amazing, like a fairy land castle in some painting.

As I slowly walked up the road I tried to stop and chat with some people but they all seemed preoccupied ... no ... afraid. At first I thought it was me, all decked out in my ebony cuirass, dark brotherhood greaves, adamantium boots, and the sword Chrysamere on my back. That and my bare arms making me look more a barbarian than a spell-sword could perhaps be intimidating. I suppose also my coal-black eyes and coal-black hair (an odd color for a Breton) marking me as Not A Nord did not put anyone at ease.

Several people had white hair. It was not the usual blond that Nords tend to, nor a light gray. It was a bright white, like snow. I had only seen such a pure white on the fur of snow bears and other animals. Something in the water perhaps?

A woman who did not have white hair (it was brown) was little friendlier. When I approached her she said "Hello there. Your face doesn't look familiar to me. I'm Silja. Welcome to Lokken. Don't expect to find much here, though. This is a poor village. Since we are not allowed to hunt in the forests anymore, it's hard for us to get by. I assume you have been invited by our chieftain, Ragnar Fire Hair, and that you have his permission to hunt? If not, you had better stay away from the Lokken wildlife."

I thanked her and walked up the road a little further before a guard named Gudmund also told me that it was very important that I see Ragnar Fire Hair first.

"I will, but first could you direct me to a trader or general store? I may need some warmer clothing."

That generated a smile and some directions the Lokken Clothier. I actually did not need the clothing. Despite my origin in warmer climes, I have an unusual tolerance, actually an affinity, for cold weather. What I was wearing now was comfortable and the only concession to cold I had was a sleeping fur in my pack. Still I had broken the ice a little bit. That was progress. It also gave me an excuse to try to talk to at least one more person before heading for the castle.

I walked into the clothing shop. I briefly talked with the woman there, Anna. She was also nervous like the people outside but gave away some more information. The people here were in fear, but from one of their own, not from me. Apparently this Ragnar Fire Hair, their new chieftain, was not liked and was a not a nice person. He had some men loyal to him and a shaman. They were also feared.

Thanking her I left and continued to the castle, stopping only once more, at the brewery. I had been in many a bar and tavern but never in a brewery and I was curious. There were big metal vats and kettles. It was rather complicated looking and awe inspiring in the manner of certain Dwemer ruins. By that I mean I had no idea how it worked.

Some chitchat there with Borka, and his wife Gwenn, yielded more information: the people who actually lived in Lokken were not allowed to drink the mead, or at least not much of it. It was reserved for Ragnar Fire Hair and for his guests. What little they were allowed was at three times the price that guests paid. I was beginning to dislike this Ragnar and I had not even met him yet.

Thus forewarned, I approached and entered the castle.

I entered an anteroom of sorts. A guard was there. He said nothing but pointed to the door on the opposite side of the room. I nodded and went to the door.

I entered the throne room. There were animal pelts on the floor and tapestries on the walls to warm up the cold stone room and to provide an ambiance conducive to the hunting enthusiast. There was a bar on the left.

A bar in a throne room: that's not something I've seen before. Convenient I suppose if one were more concerned with entertaining than the usual duties of ruling. There were four guards; one on either side of the door I had just entered and two closer to the throne at the far end of the room.

The throne was on a raised section of the floor and on it sat a large mean-looking Nord with red hair who could only be Ragnar Fire Hair.

To his right stood a man in dark robes who had to be his shaman.

My boot steps were the only sound as I approached the throne. I presented the leaflet to Ragnar.

He tossed the leaflet aside and spoke: "Who the oblivion are you? You have no business being here uninvited and I'm sure I didn't invite you."

He paused and studied me. I stared back at him. I'm sure my eyes now had the hardness of obsidian as well as the color. I adjusted the angle of the sheath on my back.

He looked tough. And huge. A great bull of a man, and Nords are already kind of big. I wouldn't want to fight him, at least not alone.

"Well, you look like you can handle yourself in the wild. There is one way that perhaps you can be allowed in the forests."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I want you to hunt and kill a certain wolf. This is no ordinary wolf. It's larger than the regular snow wolves, though it is white like they are. It has unnatural blue eyes. My men and I have pursued it on numerous occasions and it has always gotten away."

"That's not something you see every day," I quipped. Oh Rashelle, you must stop this business of talking without thinking!

"Exactly. it is obviously not natural, not of the All-Maker. It is a daedra-spawn, an abomination, a menace that must be killed for the safety of my people," he said, not picking up on my sarcasm.

I nodded, not trusting myself to not again say something wrong, and to also buy myself a second or two of time to think of an appropriate response.

This man mentioning the All Maker rubbed me the wrong way: after my adventures amongst the Skaal I had some respect for their beliefs. I somehow knew that Ragnar had no right to call on their All Maker.

"So, oh chieftain of Lokken, so long as I Quest for this White Wolf, I am permitted in the forests of your island?"

"Aye, with my blessing. Bring me his head there will be a reward."

"I shall begin at once. First I will question the guards and villagers as to sightings."

"Excellent" he said, waving me away, obviously tired of talking to me now that I had agreed to his business.

I definitely did not like this man.

As I turned away I got a better look at his shaman and I liked him even less. My magical sensitivity picked up on an evil from him that I had previously only sensed from Sixth House minions. I tried not to display my feelings: a shaman is very sensitive and notices many things. Around him it would be best to appear to be a simple non-magical warrior and not a spellsword.

I strode away from the the throne. Before I took more than a few paces I could see that the woman at the bar was trying to get my attention with her eyes.

I sauntered over to the bar. Might not be a bad idea to get a mazte anyway. I cannot not stand mead. I love snow, but the Nords can keep their mead.

"I'm Kielreen"

"Rashelle. Got any mazte?"

"Yup".

"Please".

She poured me a mazte and started to speak very quietly. Not a whisper. That would have attracted attention, but she obviously wanted only me to hear.

"he's asked you about the big white wolf, wants you to kill it, right?"

I paid and took a sip before replying.

"Yes."

"Don't. There is something strange about the creature."

I took another sip.

"Things are not as they seem in Lokken."

That much was already obvious.

"Talk to my aunt Gwenn at the brewery."

I had just been there. Maybe mentioning Kielreen would get Gwenn to say more than she had the first time. I nodded ever so slightly. Picking up my drink, I walked to one of the one of Ragnars guards.

He at first did not want to speak but I can be charming when I want to be. I asked him about the white wolf and any sightings of it. This did not yield any new information but would go back to Ragnar and would keep him complacent about my activities. I had already decided that I was not going to kill this mysterious white wolf.

After talking to the the other guards I finished my mazte, left the mug on the bar and exited the castle. It had begun to snow. I caught some flakes in the palm of my hand and watched them melt.

This post has been edited by blockhead: Mar 30 2007, 11:41 PM

[blockhead]

9. Preparing, Waiting

Once again making much noise and announcing myself, I entered Snorri's hideout.

"Evening Snorri," I said as I approached the wooden platform. "Is Wulfren decent?"

He chuckled and waved a hand back towards the wolf.

I saw a healthier looking wolf. More rested perhaps. Since I was wearing the gauntlets and holding the warhammer in my hand, Wulfren did not need to ask me how things had gone.

"Rashelle," he exclaimed immediately, "You have them. That is amazing!"

With a heavy dull thunk I placed the warhammer on the floor by the wolf. I removed the gauntlets and placed them on the warhammer.

"Wulfren: when I pledge my sword and spells, I don't kid around."

He nodded.

I pointed to the warhammer and continued: "The stories are true: that thing is heavy. You can't even lift it without putting on the gauntlets first."

I flexed a bicep and said, " ... and I'm not exactly a slouch in the muscle department, either."

"Now let us talk strategy" said Wulfren.

I nodded and then sat down on the floor; easier to see eye-to-eye with Wulfren that way.

"First, let me say how sorry I am that I have made you take such risks. If it hadn't been for the sake of my sister and mother, I would never have asked you. Rashelle, you are beyond doubt the bravest fighter I have ever met. If the circumstances were different, I would have tried to get that warhammer myself. But I am only a poor creature, unable to defend and protect anyone. As I said before, only the death of Kreikan will remove the spell and make me a man again."

"Then I will kill him."

"Rashelle, I couldn't possibly ask you to take such a risk. It's a dangerous task and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"I'm volunteering. He's powerful but I know I can take him."

"Yes, I understand that you are a skilled fighter, but nonetheless, I'm not used to letting others fight for me."

"Wulfren, I am going to kill him. End of story. Please do go on."

"Very well, then. There is a secret passage in the castle between the master bedroom and the throne room. If you use that you might be able to sneak up behind Kreikan and catch him by surprise. This should give you a better chance of killing him."

I nodded. Sneaking is good, regardless of what my fellow Redoran compatriots would say. Less hurt for me: more for my enemies. It's a win-win situation.

"Both the exterior rooftop door and the interior door to the master bedroom are locked."

I nodded. I remembered trying and failing to pick those locks.

"I'm sure one of the maids has the key. Laurenna knows the maids so she will be able to work that out. I have heard that the secret passage should lead to other places as well but I don't know for sure."

"Maybe there is even a bolt hole or escape passage, " I commented, "It seems every castle has one of those."

Wulfren then continued, "Ragnar is extremely strong and so are his guards. Even you can not kill Kreikan when they are around. Sometimes Ragnar goes hunting. He usually brings some of his men with him. When that happens you should have a better chance to kill Kreikan. Be sure that you have both a good weapon and all kinds of potions with you - he is an infamous spell-caster and he can both paralyze and poison you."

I grinned and made sparks fly from my fingers.

"Rashelle! Promise me you won't take an unnecessary risks! Aaargh, I really truly hate being a wolf! I would have wanted to face the danger, myself, instead of sending you straight into it. Be careful, please!"

"I will."

"And after you have killed Kreikan, don't leave Laurenna alone! As soon as Ragnar finds out what has happened, he will get furious. I have no idea what he will do. Please stay with Laurenna in her cottage until I show up! As soon as the curse is broken I will hurry and meet you there."

I nodded.

"At that point we'll plan our next steps. For now, you should go to Laurenna, plan out details as to obtaining the secret passage key, and then wait for Ragnar to go hunting."

I stood up.

"By your your leave, I will teleport out".

He nodded. I Recalled to to my spot by Laurenna's house. It was snowing again. Laurenna was there with her lantern.

I approached Laurenna.

"Rashelle, please tell me! Have you talked to my brother yet? Have you news on Sigrid?"

"No news on her. I've asked Kielreen at the castle to look into the matter. Wulfren has the gauntlets and hammer now. When next Ragnar goes hunting, I'm going to kill Kreikan. That will release the spell on your brother so that he then revert to human form and meet us here at the cottage. Wulfren said we can get a key to the secret passage from one of the maids and use that to sneak up on Kreikan."

She looked at me with ... disapproval? ... sadness?

"Rashelle, I really don't know what to say about that."

I waited.

"Oh yes, I do want Kreikan dead. He is evil and that is the only way for my brother to regain his human shape."

I remained silent.

"Rashelle, I'm afraid that something will happen to you. I ... really don't think I can bear that. You've been a good friend to me and that is a rare thing."

I smiled.

"This time. I'm not going to let you leave me behind. I will follow you to the castle and help you to kill Kreikan ... "

I shook my head but before I could object further she hissed: "Listen to me! You really need my help now!"

I waited.

"Wulfren mentioned that one of the maids might have a key to the master bedroom. This is true. The girl who has the key is Agnete. She is a friend of mine - we have been friends ever since my mother taught us how to read and write. You could never pursued her to give you the key, but I can. Therefore I must come with you."

I nodded. I was not happy but it was necessary.

"But it is not time to do anything yet. Just as Wulfren said, we will definitely have to wait until Ragnar goes on his next hunt. Here, I'm done for tonight, let us go inside."

We did.

Inside, Laurenna continued: "Let me write you a note to take to Kielreen. In the note I'll ask her to send a message to her aunt Gwenn when Ragnar leaves. That way, we can check with Gwenn to make sure the coast is clear before we go to the castle. I hope it is soon: I'm worried about my mother".

I sat while she wrote.

After a short time she said "There!"

I stood up and she handed me the note.

"She'll know it is me by the handwriting. I explained to her what I want her to do. I also wrote that she should probably find a reason to not be in the throne room once Ragnar leaves: I don't want her getting involved or hurt in the fight. Now in the meantime I'll have to practice my chameleon spell before it is time to go to the castle."

I nodded, carefully rolled the note up and placed it in my pack and departed out into the evening snow.

I didn't want to enter the castle so I procrastinated by dropping in to see Gwenn at the brewery. She and Borka were eating but she said she was glad to see me anyway. She told me that Granny Torunn wanted to see me.

Apologizing for interrupting their meal and thanking her for the message I walked to the castle.

I entered the throne room. Ragnar again ignored me. It was just as well. I bought a mug of Sujamma from Kielreen and slipped her Laurenna's note. She palmed it like she was in the Guild. We chatted briefly about carefully innocuous topics and then I left.

I thought about going back to Laurenna's and sleeping, but instead I set off East into the forest, to see Granny Torunn.

I reached her house and knocked on the door, announcing myself. She opened the door. Good; she had not yet gone to sleep.

"Gwenn said you wanted to see me."

"Yes, Rashelle. Do come in."

She gestured to a chair and asked if I wanted some mead. I accepted the former and declined the latter.

"Just before Wulfgar The White was killed," said Granny Torunn, "Sigrid asked me to prepare two amulets each for Laurenna and Wulfren - one for levitating and one for chameleon. I had them ready just the day before the murder, and then, because of all that happened, I forgot all about them. Earlier today, I was cleaning out some drawers, and then I found them. Please take them and give them to Laurenna."

I nodded and she handed them to me.

I could feel the enchantments on them; constant effect, all. Granny Torunn knew her stuff!

"Thank you ... and Laurenna thanks you."

"You're welcome."

I left. Outside her house I cast Recall.

I entered the cottage. Laurenna was in her bed but still awake.

"Rashelle, what news?"

"I gave the note to Kielreen."

Then I explained about Granny Torunn. I gave the two chameleon amulets and the two levitation amulets to Laurenna.

"Oh Rashelle, that's wonderful!"

She put one of them on and disappeared. Yes granny Torunn knew her stuff indeed. I went to my sleeping fur.

The next few days were both restful and tense. There was nothing left to do but wait. While Laurenna was at her "post", I would clean around the house. I would obtain food and supplies, both by hunting and and by buying things in the village. I cooked meals. As a cook I'm a great spellsword but Laurenna appreciated it anyway: she hadn't had time to do all of this.

When not doing the above I stayed outside with Laurenna, far enough away to be out of sight of the castle, just being there for her.

I checked with Gwenn two or three times a day. I avoided the castle. I tried not to fidget.