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

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Pasha apparently believed there would be demand for a goblin, but her judgement is suspect. I'm frankly surprised that Stanza kept Pasha around, as her business sense may be equally unreliable. In the game, you can't actually persuade her to take any money, and so the Aureals won't do anything for you.

@mALX: I've only seen Barbarella, but IMDB gave me some idea what the other was about. Yup, that's about the mix.

@Grits: I did actually create the spell for her (it just swaps her outfit - the big ones are built-in). I haven't given her an AI package where she needs to use it. As for Mysticism, Azura will be borrowing ideas for filling soul gems from the Skingrad Mages Guild, although it was more likely the other way round.

-----------------

Clark is now back from his visit to the Shivering Isles.

-----------------

Nocturnal - part I

"Can I borrow Clark tonight?" asked Minx.

"Is this business or pleasure?" Taminwe laughed. "If it's business, then it will cost you. And if it's pleasure, then that's business. This is a brothel."

"Oh, I just want him to sleep with me, not sleep with me," Minx answered in kind.

Clark came into the room in the middle of this conversation, so naturally it didn't make any sense to him. He asked Minx to explain.

"Last night, I got a visit in my bedroom, my locked bedroom, from a woman dressed in a black hooded cape. She was surprised that I was alone, and asked me why there was no man with me."

"That surprises me, too," Taminwe interrupted. "I'd have thought that you could at least steal one!"

Minx went suddenly pale, which isn't easy for a Dunmer. "That's just what she said! Then she disappeared in a puff of dark smoke, leaving a raven feather fluttering down to the floor where she'd stood. I think it was Nocturnal!"

"So how does this involve me?" Clark asked.

"Well, I know you have experience of Daedra women, so I was hoping you'd be with me if she came back tonight."

"It's not the same thing! They were ordinary Daedra, not Daedric Princesses! The Mazken, Aureal and Dremora are just like us, even if they do get restored when they die. No special powers, just more experience because of their endless lives. And I know Nocturnal's statue is of a woman, but aren't the Daedric Princes supposed to be able to choose sides at will?"

"She was definitely a woman last night!" Minx replied. "Bare-breasted and larger than life, if you know what I mean. I felt like I was really in her shadow."

"If she was expecting to find a man in charge of the Guild, that could explain why she came as a woman," Taminwe reasoned. "So you might get a different visitor tonight."

"If Clark's with me, we'll have both options covered, won't we?" Minx pleaded. "I'm usually not afraid of anything, but I'd still feel better if I wasn't alone when she comes back."

"So why me?" asked Clark. "You already mentioned the Daedra, but I get the feeling it's more than that."

"That part about stealing a man," Minx replied. "That's something I would never do. It just doesn't fit my idea of what the Thieves Guild is about. We take things that the rich people will never notice missing, and give them, or the gold from selling them, to the poor. Or we'll stop a corrupt merchant from cornering the market, by liberating his hoard. That kind of thing."

"I still don't get it," Clark insisted.

"I don't have to steal you. And any of the other men I could just invite, I'd have to tell them about Nocturnal too. Who'd want to get interrupted by her?"

"So you're basically telling me that I'm the only man you think might agree to this? Are you questioning my sanity?"

"Well you did just visit the Shivering Isles," Taminwe reminded him. "That's not too unreasonable an assumption."

Clark rolled his eyes. Taminwe was not being helpful.

"Let's just think about this for a moment. What if Nocturnal's purpose is to steal from you? I don't want to find myself transported to another realm again. I did that once to get a woman's soul back, and it scared me witless, even though I wasn't alone."

"I can't believe she'd do that. Not without giving me a way to steal you back." Minx was trying to be reassuring, but she wasn't succeeding.

"If she does want to steal you, she might try it the old-fashioned way," Taminwe suggested. "Don't tell me you wouldn't enjoy that!"

Strangely that did make Clark feel a bit better about it. If Taminwe wasn't worried about losing him, maybe he wouldn't be in any real danger. And he couldn't help being curious about what Nocturnal would look like. Her statue at the shrine was somewhat featureless, and probably didn't represent anything anyone had actually seen.

---

"What time did it happen last night?" Clark asked.

"I'm not sure. I went to bed about ten, and I'm sure I'd been asleep at least a couple of hours. So I think it was around midnight, or maybe a bit later."

"Do you think we need to be asleep before she'll arrive?"

"I haven't a clue. For all I know she was hoping to catch me having fun, so she could watch from the shadows."

They decided their best strategy was to be naked in the bed together, so Nocturnal would think she'd got there afterward. Clark wasn't sure that would work, but the prospect of being interrupted by Nocturnal kept a damper on things, even with his arms full of Minx.



----------------------

Note: Clark did visit Molag Bal's realm when he and Freija went looking for the soul of the woman who was sacrificed in exchange for Aranxa the Xivilai. He spent most of his time there invisible, while Freija did all the fighting.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jul 22 2013, 07:21 PM

[Acadian]

Sleeping with Minx is a hard job I’m sure, but someone’s got to do it! Actually, it sounds as if Clark may be suffering from performance anxiety at the thought of being snooped on by the Daedric Mistress of Shadows.

What a fun and clever set up to meet Nocturnal! We’ve heard (and seen) much of her thanks to your fabulous modding efforts. Looking forward to meeting her, and I imagine Clark is too.

[mALX]

*

The Road To Wellville is hugely funny, while still more or less sticking to the true story it was based on.

The true story: Kellogg is the original maker of the cereals you see on the store shelves (name brand “Kellogg’s) - had unusual ideas when it came to keeping the body healthy. He started his own health farm and invented all kinds of strange contraptions that he was sure would speed up the benefits of their health regiment. One of the things he pressed hardest in his health farm was enemas, all the guests had to have several per day, and with different things each time (coffee enema in the morning, yogurt enema in the afternoon, etc.)

The movie is based on the true story, but adds in Matthew Broderick as a guest who comes to the farm with his wife as a paying guest - his “experiences” in the health farm - hilarious movie, I think you would love it if you get a chance to see it.


Now: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT !!!!!! You are starting the Nocturnal !!!!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!

Well you did just visit the Shivering Isles," Taminwe reminded him.

BWAAHAA! I didn’t see that coming!

What a great chapter and mod! I can't wait to see the ideas you have for it written out - Very excited about this mod !!!

*

[Grits]

As for Mysticism, Azura will be borrowing ideas for filling soul gems from the Skingrad Mages Guild, although it was more likely the other way round.

Awesome. It's nothing but work, work, work at the Skingrad MG. *sigh*

I love the description of Nocturnal appearing and then disappearing. Intriguing!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Clark's performance anxiety is entirely provoked by the possibility of having to entertain a possibly gender-bending Daedric Princess - he doesn't know what to expect, or prepare for. He should leave the adjustments to Nocturnal.

@mALX: Yes, starting the Nocturnal. I have to try and keep the mod ahead of the story, or I won't know what they're doing next. So if the action here slows down, it means I'm getting stuck in the modding!

@Grits: And re-appearing in this part. She'll stay a little longer, and chat.

--------------

Previously: Minx had asked Clark to spend the night with her, in case Nocturnal paid her another visit.

-------------------

Nocturnal - part II

Sleeping was out of the question, of course, so they both saw the dark swirl of the portal opening. Somehow it glowed black, which seemed an impossibility, but there was no other way to describe it. The figure that stepped from it was the same, except that her eyes showed white, and her lips were a deep red. Her skin was as black as night, but he could see her clearly in the darkness. And yes, she was as female as Minx had described her.

She wore only a cape, that covered her back and arms, but left her entire front bare. The hood fastened at her throat with a jewelled clasp, All of it black, of course.

Nocturnal smiled, and Clark was pleased to note that her teeth were white. He was having enough difficulty keeping his eyes on her face, with the other distractions she offered, and black teeth would have been too much.

"Good choice!" Nocturnal told Minx. "You didn't steal what you shouldn't, and you didn't lie or cheat either. Perhaps the Thieves Guild has a proper Guildmaster at last."

Clark was aware of Nocturnal's presence in his mind. He was grateful to Medora for unlocking that mystery for him, and it was no longer an experience he found uncomfortable. And she knew that he knew, and she silently put him at ease.

Nocturnal unfastened the clasp on her cape and let it slide towards the floor. Before it landed, however, it turned into a large raven. It hopped off across the room and jumped onto a table. It stood watching, as Nocturnal lit a candle by the bed.

"You'll want to be able to see each other. And a little candlelight doesn't bother me," she told them.

In the soft flickering candlelight, Nocturnal looked a lot less daunting. The unnatural dark glow was replaced by the reflection of the yellow flame from her skin and hair. Minx and Clark both began to relax a little.

"You passed the first test, Minx. I had feared that you'd find someone to sacrifice in your place, but you sought out an ally instead. And you even got Taminwe's permission for Clark to be here."

Nocturnal related the story of how Emer Dareloth stole the cowl. It was her intention that it should be stolen, but the way he went about it angered the Daedric Princess intensely. The tale in "Purloined Shadows" was essentially true, except that she'd spared the girl who Dareloth had tricked into being the decoy. Someone had to write the story, or it would all have been a waste.

Her anger was all directed at Dareloth, and she'd put the curse on the cowl in revenge. She wanted the cowl to go to a thief who had the skill and courage to steal it honestly. Dareloth's attempt to have the (relatively) innocent girl take the fall marked him as a coward that did not deserve the reward.

That hadn't quite worked out as well as Nocturnal had hoped. It was her expectation that she'd soon get the cowl back, and remove the curse herself. Dareloth had proved to be a stubborn fetcher, and he died with the cowl still in his possession. It became the symbol of office of the Grey Fox, and was passed, complete with curse, to his successors. Fortunately, Corvus Umbranox, with Minx's help, had undone the curse the hard way.

"I think you deserve to keep it for a while longer, at least," she told Minx. "I know you won't abuse the power it gives you, and you may be able to do some good if you have it available."

"Thieves learn slowly," Nocturnal explained. "Most never get past the stage of stealing for personal gain. A few, like Dareloth, become Masters, who have stolen enough to be comfortable, and just continue for the glory. But you have gone beyond that, and have learned to steal for the love of others."

"Corvus taught you that, I'd imagine. It was the love of Millona that drove his every action. He'd have been the perfect Guildmaster, if she weren't more important to him than the Guild. And you helped him, because you wanted to help, not because of any benefit to yourself. That's the way I'd like all the Guild Thieves to act."

"I know it was the Guild's rules that brought Minx to them in the first place," Clark told the dark woman. "I'd met her before she joined, and I knew she wasn't happy with violence. But I also know she started out just trying to make a living. A thief can't help others if he doesn't have enough for himself."

"I don't expect them to. But having a Guild that encourages them to develop in that direction is essential to my goals. Corvus' rules were a good start, and the foundation needs to be built upon. Emer Dareloth set my plans back three hundred years, but Minx can start to catch up." She gave Minx a wicked grin. "No pressure!"

"And you're an interesting kind of thief," she continued. "A thief of secrets, and hidden information. You're not doing it for gain or glory either. Or just for Taminwe, rewarding though she is. I can understand why the thieves treat you as one of their own."

"You've been Minx's lover in the past, too. Not that it means much to a young Dunmer, but you apparently made a good impression at the time. Enough to change the direction of her life a few times."

---

Clark and Minx woke up late the following day. They'd needed the rest.

"She didn't look as big last night as she did the night before," Minx remarked. "About my size, in fact."

"I think she wanted to be intimidating at first, and we know what she wanted last night. She knew I like you the size you are, so that was appropriate for her, too."

"I'm not sure her is the right word. There were times last night when I was sure I was getting more than I expected."

"Enough speculation. She gave a task to do today. We've got to go down to her shrine outside Leyawiin, and she wants Amusei to come with us."


-------------------

Notes: Purloined Shadows places the theft of the cowl in the reign of Pelagius (the first, since his name is used without a number). That was in the first century of the third era. Springheel Jak was an earlier partner of Emer Dareloth. His diary notes that he can't remember who his partner was, because by that time, he'd stolen the cowl.

In the mod, Nocturnal isn't totally naked without her cape, and she doesn't take it off when she visits. But there you're alone, and it's the player who's Guildmaster.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jul 30 2013, 08:23 PM

[mALX]

@Acadian: Clark's performance anxiety is entirely provoked by the possibility of having to entertain a possibly gender-bending Daedric Princess - he doesn't know what to expect, or prepare for. He should leave the adjustments to Nocturnal.

Just tell Clark to assume the missionary position and pay no attention to what that Daedric Lord is doing behind him, ROFL!


Coming back to read, can't right now.

[Acadian]

What a fun night of Nocturnal bliss! Loved her cape, raven, candle, historical observations, all of it.

’... a thief who had the skill and courage to steal it honestly.’

"Corvus taught you that, I'd imagine. It was the love of Millona that drove his every action.” - - The TG questline is absolutely my fave in the game; it is, after all, a love story.


Nit - ‘Her skin was as black as night, but he could could see her clearly in the darkness.’

[Grits]

Somehow it glowed black, which seemed an impossibility, but there was no other way to describe it.

I just love this description!

"I'm not sure her is the right word. There were times last night when I was sure I was getting more than I expected."

"Enough speculation.

[mALX]

Nocturnal smiled, and Clark was pleased to note that her teeth were white. He was having enough difficulty keeping his eyes on her face, with the other distractions she offered, and black teeth would have been too much.

BWAAHAA! Loved this whole paragraph!

Oh no, this isn’t the end of Nocturnal’s story, is it? LOVED this episode! Awesome Write!!!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Fitting the story in with the existing is always fun, especially when you're not sure what Bethesda treats as fiction. Nocturnal's philosophy of proper thievery may get some expansion in the next few episodes. She basically believes in the redistribution of wealth, especially when it won't be noticed.

@Grits: The same effect continues in her realm. I'd originally tried to create a decent edge-detection night-eye shader that would turn on automatically when you entered the world-space, but I failed. It still could return if I make any breakthroughs.

@mALX: Not the end, just the end of the beginning.

-------------

Previously: Nocturnal had re-appeared in Minx's bedroom with a call to action. And she wanted them to do some work for her, too.

---

Nocturnal - Part III

At the shrine, Nocturnal's voice spoke from the statue. "Good, you came. What I need to discuss with you should not be spoken in public. I'll open a portal so that you can come to my castle in Evergloam." They all entered the portal as directed, and found themselves in total darkness.

And yet they could "see" clearly. Whatever sense they were actually using made everything clear, even though it was all totally black. They were soon in front of a large castle, and the door was opening.

They walked through the hall to a throne room, where Nocturnal sat waiting for them. Clark noted that her guards were Daedra Seducers. He'd not met one before, but they matched the descriptions he'd read in reports from Daggerfall and Sentinel. No sign of their wings at the moment, as they didn't perceive any threat to their mistress.

"You've heard the story of those two clumsy amateurs who stole my Eye down in Leyawiin, I presume?" Nocturnal asked. Clark had; his boss, the Count of Kvatch, had mentioned retrieving it for her, and getting rewarded well for the task.

"What I didn't explain to him at the time, was why it was available to be stolen. I'd intended that of course, but my plan was that it would be recovered by the Leyawiin Guard, and taken to the Castle. It's a pretty bauble, and I was certain that Countess Alessia would want it for herself. It would have given me an easy way to spy directly on her and the Count, and track what they were doing with the Black Bow bandits, and the Topal Bay pirates, and probably their little torture chamber, too."

"Those stupid Argonians had no real ambition. They didn't even try to fence it, just hid it in a cave, where it was no use to anyone. So I had it stolen back."

"And now I need another plan, and that involves you. There's a giant crystal ball in the basement of the Imperial Palace. Minx, you saw it when you activated the Glass of Time." Nocturnal looked at Minx, who nodded.

She continued. "It's a bit large to walk out with unnoticed, and that's what will make it easy to steal." She held out a small sack. "This is a magical bag of holding, that will contain items much larger than itself. Just put the ball in the sack, and nobody will believe you have it!"

"I take it that it won't be as heavy once it's inside the bag?" Clark wanted to know. "And how do we move it in the first place?"

"Well, naturally there's a spell you need to learn. You cast the spell on the ball, and it puts itself inside the bag of holding. I'll teach it to you, Minx, as this is a job you can do best alone."

"So why are the others here? Amusei, you're here because I want you to become my messenger, as well as Minx's. Some things I can tell you at the shrine, but others may need you to come here to Evergloam. So you need to start to learn the way between the castle and the portal, because you won't have a map to help you."

Amusei looked alarmed at that. He wasn't the best natural navigator, and he relied heavily on a well-annotated map. If he was lost, he just kept going in the same direction, until he came to a road or trail he'd already marked on it. Then once he knew where he was, he'd retrace his steps and add the new landmarks in the blank space.

Nocturnal was telling him he couldn't do that here. But she'd have a seducer guide him until the map was complete in his mind. "You don't need a diagram to tie a knot any more, do you?" she asked with a wink. Amusei looked embarrassed, and Minx blushed, too.

"And your turn will come later, Clark. I don't need information, yet, just physical items that Minx can steal for me."

That reminded Minx that it didn't make sense why Nocturnal wanted the giant crystal ball. "Those giant things down in the palace basement are just novelties, with no practical use, aren't they?"

"They weren't intended that way when they were made," Nocturnal explained. "The giant hourglass was made to measure months, or years, I forget which. But it proved to be too large to turn over. Using feather on it stopped the sand from falling through, and fortifying the strength of the men turning it made it too likely they'd break it."

"So what was the problem with the crystal ball?"

"Well, you need to enchant a crystal ball to do a specific task. You can enchant for scrying, that is searching for something. Or you can enchant two of them, so they can each see what's around the other one. There are a number of uses, but each one requires a spell. The larger the crystal ball, the more magicka it takes. They made the ball so large that no mage could enchant it, because it would take more magicka than anyone has. Unless they're a Daedric Prince, that is."

"So you're the only one that can use it," Minx exclaimed.

"No, there are fifteen of my brethren that could also do that, but I'm the only one that cares to. Vaermina, for example, would achieve the same by listening to mortals' dreams. I'm perhaps the only one that would get extra satisfaction from the theft. Well, maybe Sheogorath might, but he's not himself at the moment."

-----------------

Note: all the quests in the mod after the first are initiated by a message delivered by Amusei. He doesn't participate in the first quest any more than Minx does, but somehow Nocturnal has contacted him. I did give him a monthly visit to her shrine to make it credible.

[mALX]

I love the addition of Amusei to the mod, always liked his character! (and since the Thieves Guild will be completed before the mod starts it should work perfectly and not interfere with his AI, I think he only goes to the newly formed "Guild Hall" after that. My character never hung out there, lol.

I absolutely LOVED Nocturnal's plans to spy on everyone, ROFL! All she'd see watching Count Leyawiin's bedroom would be the Countess complaining of a headache if my story is correct, ROFL!

Loved this update, Awesome Write!

[Acadian]

Nice visuals with the darkness that Minx and Clark could see through.

Woot! Magic Bag of Holding! Just the thing to carry a couple dozen extra pairs of shoes (or giant crystal balls). I hope Minx gets to keep the bag after the job!

I’m sure Minx is up for the task, and it's always fun to see the hapless wannabe thief Amusei.

[Grits]

Great story behind the story of the Eye of Nocturnal quest.

I’m wondering if the Bag of Holding is going to be a gift from Nocturnal. That would be handy!

It’s neat to have Amusei doing something out in the world after the TG questline is over.

[ghastley]

@mALX: I'm still having issues with Amusei changing in and out his armor in the mod, but his schedule works nicely without any need to alter it beyond adding his trips to the shrine.

The player character almost always owns the shack nearby, so getting the Guildhall doesn't add much, as you can't upgrade it with more storage or anything. The mod starts each quest only when you go there, so it should get more use this way.

@Grits and Acadian: The Bag of Holding's not (currently) a reward for the quest, but I'm sure she'll keep it in this story. Amusei will be a recurring messenger, just like he is for the Grey Fox.

----------

Previously: Clark, Minx and Amusei had visited Nocturnal castle in Evergloam, and Minx had been sent to steal the giant crystal ball from the Imperial Palace.

---------

Nocturnal - Part IV

Clark ran into Minx again a few days later. "Did you get the crystal ball for Nocturnal?" he asked her.

Minx had, and Nocturnal was busy scrying for her bow. The Bow of Shadows had been won by a Bosmer in Morrowind, who was last seen entering an Oblivion gate during the crisis. Nobody was sure if she'd come back out before the gates all closed.

"The Champion told me that anyone who entered a gate would be expelled when the gate closed." Clark told her. "If they were still alive, that is. He rescued Farwil Indarys from a gate outside Cheydinhal. Farwil and Bremman Senyan came out with him when he took the stone, but all the other Knights of the Thorn that had been slain stayed in there."

"So it's likely she died trying to close the gate," Minx surmised.

"Do you suppose Nocturnal can see into Dagon's realm with the ball?" Clark wanted to know.

"If she can, and she finds it, then retrieving it doesn't appear to be a thief's job. She'd most likely put the challenge to another archer, who'd be able to use the bow. I don't expect I'll hear from Nocturnal until she moves on to the next artifact."

But Minx was wrong. Amusei came looking for both of them, with a message from Nocturnal. She'd located the bow in the Deadlands, and the Bosmer woman she'd given the bow was there too, ... and alive!

---

Nocturnal greeted them at her castle, and told them what she knew. "Cyndil must have been dead when the gate closed, but she's not dead now," Nocturnal remarked. "The only thing that makes sense of that is if Dagon brought her back to life. He has that power, and sometimes he does so, if he was sufficiently impressed by the deceased's skill. Of course, he then expects loyalty in return, and he doesn't always get it. I suspect Dagon gave her to his Dremora to play with, when she refused to join him"

"The Dremora wouldn't dare to kill her again, after Dagon has restored her to life. But they're a cruel bunch, and they have other ways to exact their revenge, especially on a woman."

"So it's no longer just a matter of getting the bow back. This has become a rescue mission, as well. The bow, and the Bosmer's armor, are still where she fell. The scamps usually gather up the gear of fallen foes, but the bow has repelled them. They don't like going near other Daedric Prince's artifacts, for some reason. Perhaps they sense the 'otherness' of their power."

"The reason I want both of you to go, is that it will need your combined skills. Minx has the ability to sneak past the Dremora guarding Cyndil, but won't be able to get her back out without Clark's help. She'll need to be calmed, and probably healed. She has to be able to sneak back out with you, too, and it will be hard to persuade her that it's possible."

"It seems to me that we'd want to find her equipment first, so that she has something familiar to use when we try to get her out," Clark reasoned. "What does the enchantment on the bow do for her?"

"It's a fast bow, so she can get off more shots in any amount of time than she would with a regular one, and it silences the target, as well as adding health damage. That makes it a good weapon against spell-casters. The Dremora all include spells in their offence, so it was a good choice for someone entering the deadlands," Nocturnal told them.

"And her armor?" Minx added.

"She was wearing mithril, mainly for looks if you ask me, but she'd had the foresight to enchant fire shield and shock shield on some of the pieces. Again, I can't fault her preparedness. It surprises me that she was taken down."

"But nothing for stealth?" Minx persisted. "It seems to me that we won't be able to just sneak her back out again, even if we do get in undetected."

"There will be issues for us going in, too. The deadlands has fire towers, and those don't rely on seeing you." Clark could remember his trip into Molag Bal's realm. The fire towers there had unnerved him the first time one fired at him. The fireballs were slow, and easy to dodge, but any creature with intelligence would wonder what set them off. He'd had Freija with him to deal with those. This time Minx would be trying to stay undetected, too.

Nocturnal reassured them that she'd only seen lesser daedra outside the towers. The crystal ball had revealed Dremora, but only in the citadel itself. There would be no fire towers inside, so they'd only have to avoid the guards once they got that far.

Clark still felt they'd be safer taking a fighter with them, but violence wasn't Nocturnal's way of doing things.

"Just take some extra jewellery with chameleon for Cyndil, and you shouldn't have to fight at all."

"Do you have any?" he asked Minx. "I only have my invisibility spell, and no chameleon at all."

Minx had a single Ring of Shadows. She also preferred to cast invisibility and only used the ring when she had to open doors.

"I know the Champion has at least one ring, as Claudia told me about his using it to get in and out of the watchtower. I wonder if we could borrow that," Clark mused.

"Borrow, or steal?" asked Minx.

"Borrow," Clark stated firmly. "He obviously finds it useful. Come to think of it, both Goldie and Cybeline also mentioned him using it."

"OK, let's go back to Tamriel and ask him."

---

The Champion had the Ring of Khajiiti, a Grand Ring of Shadows, an amulet that he'd enchanted with a Sigil Stone, and a whole pile of lesser rings that he'd found. "I had enough to make me completely undetectable," he told them, "but once I'd collected that, it seemed like every enchanted ring I found had more!"

They sorted through the spare rings. They'd have problems with not being able to wear two identical rings at the same time, but they managed to put together three pairs of rings that would each provide 45-55%. The strongest set they marked as Cyndil's, as they both had invisibility spells they could use.

---

In Evergloam once more, Nocturnal led them up to her bedroom. She opened a secret door in the wall and they followed her back down to an apparently empty basement room. Nocturnal waved her hand, and a portal revealed itself in one corner. "That will take you to Dagon's realm, close to the pathway where you'll find Cyndil's equipment. Once you find it, you'll have to back track, and look for a doorway. The cave it leads to takes you up to another path higher up the island, closer to the tower. You'll go through one more cave before you emerge on the approach to the citadel. There will be fire towers and mines along the paths. My crystal ball showed no Dremora on the paths, or in the caves, but expect the tower to be full of them. The mages may be capable of detecting life, but it's not a spell they normally use. Good luck!"

Minx took Clark's hand, and they stepped through the blue flame of the portal together.

[mALX]

This quest sounds really exciting and fun! I haven't even gotten to play the mod yet, or even turn my game on since you released it - busy week + storming all week. Really can't wait to do this quest! Somewhere in game Maxical has a zero weight chameleon outfit she could use.

I loved Nocturnal's comment about the Mithral, lol. Guilty of that myself, it is good looking armor, lol.

I am absolutely LOVING this storyline you have made for this mod! Awesome Write!

[ghastley]

I hope I haven't implied that you need to use stealth in the mod. Clark and Minx are both keen to avoid combat, and so they're taking that route. Burk gro-Balrog, my test character for this, just waded in with a huge enchanted battle-axe.

I loved Nocturnal's comment about the Mithral, lol. Guilty of that myself, it is good looking armor, lol.

Cyndil's mithril isn't exactly the standard fare, and is tailored for appearance. You can't wear it in the mod, because Cyndil needs it to give her a chance to get out with you.

[mALX]

I hope I haven't implied that you need to use stealth in the mod. Clark and Minx are both keen to avoid combat, and so they're taking that route. Burk gro-Balrog, my test character for this, just waded in with a huge enchanted battle-axe.

I loved Nocturnal's comment about the Mithral, lol. Guilty of that myself, it is good looking armor, lol.

Cyndil's mithril isn't exactly the standard fare, and is tailored for appearance. You can't wear it in the mod, because Cyndil needs it to give her a chance to get out with you.

Lol, Clark can remove it later, and Maxical sneak in and steal it like a thief in the night while they are occupied? ROFL !!! (just kidding).

I discovered in Fallout 3's Mothership Zeta that if you kill the Samurai for his armor your chances of getting through the final battle drop to zero, my character is still stuck in there in Fallout 3, lol.

Have you set up different responses for players to discover if their characters don't do what they are supposed to? (I'm terrible for experimenting in game = "I wonder what would happen if I did this..." - I mean, how many of us playing Fallout 3 didn't shoot Daddy James immediately when he gave us the gun at age 10 just to see what would happen? Lol. )

[Acadian]

Woot! A good old fashioned rescue the Bosmeri maiden mission! Only this one seems to reward sneaksters more than mouthsmashers. In the typical manner of a Daedra Lord, Nocturnal’s instructions are: ‘Here’s the portal to get there. Find your own way back. Oh, and try not to get killed.’

[ghastley]

@mALX: If the player tries to wear Cyndil's armor, it behaves like the Amulet of Kings. The Bow of Shadows can be kept by the player, and Cyndil can be given another weapon (or not). If Cyndil chases someone into the lava, taking the bow with her, that's allowed for, too. That was one reason for making her an archer, as they don't tend to "do a Farwil" so much.

@Acadian: In the mod, it's not necessarily a sneak mission, but that's the only way Clark and Minx can pull it off, at least on the way in. Once they have Cyndil, she can add some firepower for the return trip.
If Daedric Princes didn't make their quests tricky, everyone would be doing them!

-------------

Previously Clark and Minx have gone into Mehrunes Dagon's Deadlands to try and retrieve Nocturnal's Bow of Shadows, together with the Bosmer archer she gave it to.

---------------

Nocturnal - Part V

On the other side, Minx let go of Clark's hand to cast her invisibility spell, but he stopped her. "Wait a moment. Once you're invisible, and I am too, we could get separated, and not know it. Keep hold of my hand and try the spell. If it still works, we'll have less of a problem staying in contact."

She did, and they both became invisible. Clark wasn't expecting that, but it was a bonus if either of them could cast for the two. But now letting go of his hand dispelled the invisibility. It seemed that you didn't get something for nothing, even with magic.

There was only one way they could go from the entrance, so they set off along the path. A daedroth stood near a bend up ahead of them, but the path looked wide enough there to pass without any issue. Clark renewed their invisibility while they were still far enough away that the creature couldn't see him cast.

It seemed to him that he hadn't breathed until they were as far away on the far side of the daedroth. It had been completely unaware of their passage, but the same would not be true of the next obstacle. A fire tower loomed over the edge of the path, a short way ahead of them.

"When the top starts to spin, it's about to shoot a fireball at us," he told Minx. "As soon as it does we go left, and the fireball should miss. Then we run like crazy to get out of range. It takes a few seconds for it to recharge, and we can be beyond it before that happens."

"Left, right," Minx responded. "I mean, got you, left"

"And then run."

Of course, when they started to run, Minx's hand was pulled from his own, and they became visible again. It made no difference to the fire tower anyway, and there weren't any creatures there to see them. "We'd better be more careful if we encounter a tower and a daedroth together."

"There's the doorway we need to use after we find Cyndil's gear," Minx interrupted. They'd almost walked past it without noticing. Clark considered dropping something as a marker, but thought better of it. He contented himself with taking note of what landmarks there were.

A clannfear they found next was no more problem to avoid than the daedroth had been, but around the next bend was something Clark hadn't seen before. Scattered around the broad area were small crown-like objects, just lying on the ground. Perhaps these were the mines that Nocturnal had mentioned, whatever they were.

As they got closer, one rose up off the ground and started to spin. Clark guessed that it meant the same as it did with the fire towers, and told Minx to dodge left again. Sure enough, the thing exploded, and a fireball hurtled towards where they'd just been standing.

Minx looked around, and remarked that there weren't any creatures around. "Maybe these things are dangerous to them, too. And with nothing watching us, I can try something."

She let go of Clark's hand and fired off a flare spell at one of the more distant mines. It exploded, without shooting back at her, and triggered off several more of the others. Now they could see a clear path across the open area, that should be safe for them to cross.

"Nice," Clark told her, taking her hand and casting invisibility again.

There was nothing on the far side to greet them, and they could see the end of the path ahead. A blood well stood on a large rock next to the path. Clark had encountered them before, so he knew it wasn't dangerous. In fact, it would restore some of your health, if you could ignore what it contained and just let it work. This might have been what Cyndil was trying to reach.

As they got closer to the blood well, they could see the small pile of items next to the rock that marked where she fell. There was the bow, on top of a quiver, and several pieces of mithril. And it had to be the Bow of Shadows. It had that same "dark glow" that had been so unsettling when Nocturnal appeared in the Guildmaster's quarters.

Everything fit in Clark's backpack. The armor was light, and the quiver was almost empty, so it wasn't a heavy burden for him to carry alone, and they didn't have to consider splitting it between them. A complete set of Daedric armor might have been a different situation.

"Only the clannfear to avoid on the way back," Minx said brightly. "The mines won't come back, and the fire tower was the other side of the doorway."

"Plus whatever's in the cave, or on the next pathway, or the cave after that."

"And in the citadel. You don't have to remind me. I was just trying to be positive."

"Well, I'm just trying to be cautious. We don't have any slack on this mission."

---

The mines turned out to be the only ones they encountered. There was one new trap, some falling rocks that rolled across their path near the top of the island shortly before they reached the tower. Those would have been a problem if they'd been going faster, but the need to keep a grip on each other's hand kept them down to a much slower pace.

There was a fire tower near the citadel door, but plenty of room for them to skirt around out of its range. Nothing else was guarding the entrance.

"We can't open the door and remain invisible," Minx reminded Clark. "Time for the rings."

The chameleon effect on the rings would also help make the opening of the door less noticeable to anyone inside. Despite its huge size, the door operated silently, and they stood in the hallway undetected. To either side of them a corridor led off, each ending at a door that presumably led to higher levels of the tower. In front of them was a circular pit of lava in the middle of a large empty space that went all the way up the middle of the tower. Around the walls at this bottom level they could see cages containing prisoners. Any one of them might be Cyndil.

There weren't any guards in sight, but they kept their chameleon rings on, and stayed together as they went round checking the cages. Several of the prisoners were female Dremora, and Clark recalled Prizna telling him that the women were often punished just for disrespecting the kyn. One or two were in chains, as well as being inside a cage, and Clark wondered what they'd done.

There was a male Breton, and a Dunmer, but no Cyndil. She was further up the tower, it seemed. Did that mean anything?

---

There were a few Dremora guards on the next level, but no prisoners. They seemed to be there as a barrier between the entry level and the next, which again might mean something, or not. It wasn't hard to sneak past them, but they didn't want to have to deal with these on their way out. Hopefully Cyndil would have enough sneak ability that they wouldn't be an issue then, either.

The corridor led them out into the central hollow of the tower again, and they followed the ramp up to another door.

The corridor behind it led up to a small room, not much more than a landing, before doubling back on itself to go up a level further. As they neared the top of the second slope, they could hear the rattling of chains around the corner. Casting invisibility on top of the chameleon, they crept closer to see what it was.

The chains were holding the pale thighs of a woman up in the air, and they could see a darker pair of hips thrusting between them. The woman's body was hidden from them around the corner of the pillar, so they could not see if this was Cyndil.

That was soon answered for them. A second Dremora approached, asking the first "How do you like the Bosmer?"

"I liked her better when she struggled. She was tighter then, too. Soon she'll only be fit for the scamps."

He was soon finished, and the two wandered up to the other end of the room. The scamps they'd mentioned were busy with the woman there, and the Dremora wanted to watch.

Cyndil's eyes opened wide with shock as Clark whispered in her ear. He clamped a hand over her mouth, in case she made any noise to attract the Dremora back again. "We're here to get you out," he told her. "Minx is unlocking your shackles, and I'll heal you."

"Where is she? I can't see anyone"

"We're using chameleon. I have a couple of rings for you, once we get you down from these chains."

"Can you restore strength? My legs are weak from being chained up like this. I'm not sure I can even stand."

"I'll try, once we get the pillar between us and the Dremora. They can't see us, but they could see the spells."

A groan of pain, and two unsympathetic laughs from the far end of the room indicated that the Dremora were fully distracted, so he took the risk of casting a healing spell. Cyndil gasped, as the circulation was restored in her legs, and they started to tingle. Clark took her weight off the chains, and Minx released the shackles around her thighs.

Before she went to work on the ones around her wrists, Minx slipped the rings onto her fingers, and Cyndil became as invisible as the other two. Then Minx undid the one on her neck, and she was free.

"We have your armor, here in my backpack, but we should get out of this room before they notice you're missing. Hold my other hand, and don't let go until I tell you. We'll stop and get you dressed as soon as we're out of sight."

Minx peeked around the pillar to make sure the Dremora weren't looking in their direction, and then cast invisibility as a precaution. The three slipped back down the ramp to the small landing room, and stopped to let Cyndil get dressed.

"You found my bow, and some arrows too!" she exclaimed as Clark pulled it from his pack. "That makes a big difference to my plans. If I have a weapon, I'm not letting those two live!"

"No wait," Clark grabbed her and spun her around. "If you don't kill them both with a single arrow, the other will raise the alarm, and we'll have to fight our way out. What are your chances of doing that?"

Cyndil wasn't too daunted by the prospect of battling all the Dremora in the deadlands, if she could get her revenge, but she owed her rescuers enough to do as they asked. "All right, we do it your way. For now."

---

Screenshot of Cyndil - with her armor But it probably looks better on her than it would on Clark

[Acadian]

A wonderful review of the Deadlands, with its foes, traps and good ways to deal with it all. Found the gear and rescued the Bosmer!

Poor Cyndil. She doesn’t even get to slaughter her two Dremora abusers. For now.

Nice looking mini-mithril armor!