Where Are You Today? Options

[PhonAntiPhon]

About two weeks have passed since Eilidh acquired her new home and she has in that time been busy, I can tell you.

The first few days were spent rooting around in the various rooms and caves and nooks and crannies that doted the old manor house. She uncovered all sorts of secrets and items simply left where they had been dropped or thrown into storage. Many of these things were to prove useful...

Bathing in the underground pool proved hazardous owing to the presence of a pair of Slaughterfish. She dispatched these but had by then discovered in the vast attic space a fine old bath and some rather lovely bathing screens. The bath looked as though it had never been used. Quite what the previous occupant had done for cleanliness she couldn't imagine. Presumably they had used the pool.

She spent some little time roughing out on a sheet of parchment just exactly what changes she required and so armed travelled the relatively small distance to Weye to hire the local fisherman, the closest man she could think of.
He did not speak her language, nor she his, but fortunately they both spoke Money.
Using 1000 gold of her 5000 savings she contracted him to clear out a fair amount of junk for her and went with him to the Imperial City to sell it at market, for a good price as it turned out.

Aelwin - (the fisherman) - then assisted her in the tracking down of several burly subjects who were keen both on coin and interior design, again, for a cheap price.
One just has to know how to manage commoners. If you are used to money, it does not really matter if you don't have much, because the fact that you have had it shows through. You just need enough to ensure one person's loyalty.

The fisherman proved so good and <ahem> loyal, that she hired him on the spot as steward, albeit on a part time basis. He was amenable to this, particularly since 1000 gold coins was considerably more than he had earned in the last 2 or 3 seasons of fishing. His first recommendation to her was to hire his daughter Elabyth to teach her the common tongue.
It seemed a good plan.

So it was that the big house was filled with the sounds of carpentry, cleaning and the moving of furniture.
Elabyth began to teach Eilidh the common tongue, fixed meals and became - virtually - chambermaid, whilst her father bestrode the workmen, Orcs and burly Nords, like some administrative colossus.
"Oi din't know moi farther 'ad it in 'im!" Remarked Elabyth to one of the workmen one morning.
The Nord chewed thoughtfully on the strip of jerky that was his morning meal.
"Well, she's paid 'im ain't she? More'n us too. 'sides, way he looks at 'er, alls she 'as to do is flutter them eyes of 'ers." He grinned and they both stopped to watch as Eilidh sashayed past, dress swishing on the rugs, her coppery hair reflecting the sunlight as it streamed once again through the freshly cleaned windows.
The workman nudged the young chambermaid.
"I would." He said, raising an eyebrow. "I wonders if she's blue all over...?"
Elabyth tutted and poked him with an elbow.

During all of this Eilidh herself had not been idle. She had found maps and books, and was spending her time planning out her next moves, reading up - (with Elabyth's help) - about the empire, what made it tick, who - and what - lived in it.
She knew though that in order to really get to know the place, she would have to immerse herself in it.
Yes it was partly what her father wanted, but it would be on her terms, and not his.
There was also the issue of money; there was plenty to be had it seemed, she just needed to figure out how to get it; some contacts were in order, she felt.

Yes, it was a busy time all round and she knew she should also not forget the Fighter's Guild; much as they were a bit amateurish, they had influence and should she rise to the top well then, so would she...

In the back of her mind though was the constant realisation that she had limited time. Eilidh knew her father and she knew that she could could provide him with the moon on a stick but if she did so one moment too late, well then it would all be for naught.
The days were moving on apace and she must not waste them.

[Callidus Thorn]

He looks serious! He's got white horns on his head, too.

Say, what's that rectangular box towards the bottom of the screen? .. The box next to the flare spell?

Damned if I know. It just turns up when I start playing, and for some reason the inside moves as he turns.

I've no idea what it's for though, so I just ignore it

[Acadian]

CT - Nice shot of Drinks of Milk Magic!

Phon - I see Elly's experiencing the 'joys' of home ownership.

[ghastley]

Say, what's that rectangular box towards the bottom of the screen? .. The box next to the flare spell?

It's a piece of electrical tape, with a dynamic texture mod.

[mirocu]

Third night is over and Lothran´s shift is done for this time. Nothing to report from patrols and now he´s at home, trying to get some warmth back into his body before going out to do his waiting errands.

[PhonAntiPhon]

Third night is over and Lothran´s shift is done for this time. Nothing to report from patrols and now he´s at home, trying to get some warmth back into his body before going out to do his waiting errands.

I love that you're doing this.
You and Decrepit should team up!

[mirocu]

I love that you're doing this.
You and Decrepit should team up!

It is rather interesting that they´re both working as guardsmen...

And they have teamed up! Lothran takes care of Bruma and the roads in the Jeralls, and Decrepit´s avatar takes the rest!

[Renee]

Say, what's that rectangular box towards the bottom of the screen? .. The box next to the flare spell?

It's a piece of electrical tape, with a dynamic texture mod.

:

I just laughed so hard it HURT!

[Renee]

Snaat Rayag the dark elf from Morrowind is still alive, and I am rather proud of this because this means he's surviving in a more challenging world than my Xbox characters.

I've been piecing together his backstory slowly. What I know so far is that for the last year, he had been living around the Niben Bay area. He's got some sort of 'cred' amongst all the bandits and marauders in this region, and Snaaty is allowed full access into their lairs. Once he is inside, he doesn't just loot chests like an adventurer, instead he only takes what he needs: a repair hammer here, some food there. How did he get this sort of cred? I am not sure, but I think he may have been dealing skooma.

Bandit and marauder factions are often at war with one another, yet Snaat Rayag is able to slip between these two factions freely. Somehow, he has become a member of the Maruader faction, with the rank of grunt, but I'm not sure if one of the mods in his game introduced this or not.

He got into some sort of trouble with the law in the past, which is why he was in jail at the beginning of the game. His bounty was 999 gold, and though he was pardoned by the Emperor, he's still wanted by the law. His bounty is over 4,500 gp now. His in-game Infamy ranks at 7 already, mostly due to stealing horses! ... Edit: he just served his time, which went from Heartfire 4 to Frostfall 18. Wow, a whole month and a half for all his crimes. Slap on the wrist, really.

He is also a questless character, which means (yes) he is doing absolutely zero quests. He was contacted by the Dark Brotherhood, but has no desire to join them, and I'm okay with this. It's been awhile since I've had a char who doesn't do quests.

[Vital]

Snaat sounds like a true thug! He must have been involved in some pretty serious stuff for all the gangs to respect him...

A month and a half in jail

I mean... Of course, that's not much for him

Questless characters must be much easier with the mods. I don't think I've ever had a character who hasn't completed any quest (excluding the tutorial dungeon one)...

[Renee]

+

Questless characters must be much easier with the mods. I don't think I've ever had a character who hasn't completed any quest (excluding the tutorial dungeon one)...

Funny thing is I've never been able to have a questless char. in Skyrim (just can't do it for some reason), but I've had two in vanilla Oblivion: first was a Redguard woman named Wanda Bone who only lived in the Imperial City. She was illiterate and therefore could not read any potion bottles, scrolls or books. She was a thief and her goal was to break into every establishment and home inside the I.C. itself. This was cool because there's a few secrets in the I.C. that I learned about while with her.

She had a constant bounty (just like Snaat Rayag) and occasionally had to flee into the sewers to avoid guards. She was so good at running into the sewers that she could actually lose them! Occasionally she would get tired of running and then she'd allow herself to be arrested. She liked this. She was one of my characters who actually LIKED jail.

Wanda was contacted by the Thieves Guild but during the very first quest (the one in which she's supposed to retrieve that book) she gave up. She preferred be freelance. I remember this because at the time I really wanted to start the TG questline, but she had no interest in it. Weird, huh?

My other questless character was Luci Pheria. She was a dark elf witch based upon the Wicked Witch of the West (Wizard of Oz). Her backstory was long and interesting, but one of the things about Luci was she was literally insane. She would grunt and ramble when she spoke, and could not comprehend normal conversations.

Like a true storybook witch, she lived in a run-down cottage out in the woods (Weatherleah) and occasionally would sneak into town to harass and scare the locals! ... She was good with poisons, and would roam the Great Forest & West Weald constantly for ingredients. Again, I believe she had an offer to join the Dark Brotherhood, but because she was insane she had no idea who the man wearing black in her dream was, or what he said to her.

Luci wound up getting killed by a simple, stupid bandit, unfortunately.

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Feb 2 2014, 09:42 AM

[PhonAntiPhon]

Eilidh rode into the Imperial City fairly early in the morning, and took herself to see Umbacano.
She figured she'd wear the full armour, to make a better impression.
Umbacano amused her somewhat because he had even more of a sense of himself than she did of herself, so obviously they rubbed each other up the wrong way!

She must have impressed him though because he gave her some decent gold for what she had on her and even charged her with finding more. Eilidh was actually quite pleased at this. Even during her brief time in Cyrodiil she's gone from hating everything about it to actually being quite impressed with it's scenery and sense of faded grandeur, a task like this will allow her to have a reason to poke about the landscape a little more.
And that's no bad thing.

Following meeting him and a light lunch at the Tiber Septim, the food isn't quite what she's used to but the Sheep's head broth - (special on that day) - proved a treat, she took herself out into the wilderness surrounding the city on the island. It is a place of ancient ruins and secluded shrines and, apart from the unsavoury odours emanating from the the sewer gratings smells pleasantly of flowers and trees, Oak and Ash and Birch.

It was getting dark when she arrived back at the Talos entrance and she was a little tired and looking forward to getting back to her room at the Septim for a long bath and glass of Surillies - quite palatable as it goes.
Plans were changed however by a petition from one Ralsa Norvalo regarding a meeting that had been set up with her in mind. For obvious reasons this piqued her interest, although not without a certain puzzlement.
With that in mind, she returned to the hotel, ordered a bath and having been bathed by the maid and suitable fed and watered, changed into a decent frock and after having buckled a blade around her slender waist - ( as insurance you understand) - went off to see what was what.

++++

[continues HERE] - spoiler thread

++++

The next morning dawned bright and clear, warm sunlight bathed the marble of city, setting it aglow.
Eilidh awoke at 7 and 30 of the clock, ordered breakfast, and dressed in her armour.
She had planned to journey south along the road orbiting the City, but upon awaking had amended her plans to head north and take a more direct route to a city called Chedynnehal...(?) Anyway there was a thyr there in the Mage's Guild - (this concept still makes her laugh) - who apparently had some work for willing adventurers, it sounded promising and also fitted with her Fighters' Guild ambitions.

She made the most of the maid; breakfast, wash, dress, and a very generous tip of 3 gold. Thus refreshed she headed out to the stables at the head of the causeway and the city defences and reclaimed her horse...

[Renee]

Why did Eilidh go to see Umbacano?

mirocu - Lothran and Hamfat are doing a great job.



This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Feb 2 2014, 04:10 PM

[PhonAntiPhon]

Why did Eilidh go to see Umbacano?

mirocu - Lothran and Hamfat are doing a great job.

Because Umbacano, she has heard, is an avid collector and will pay good money for... collectibles.

[mirocu]

mirocu - Lothran and Hamfat are doing a great job.

It´s interesting that two characters are so devoted to the safety of Cyrodiil

Why did Eilidh go to see Umbacano?

Because Umbacano, she has heard, is an avid collector and will pay good money for... collectibles.

I can relate to that....

--------

Lothran has spent the day clearing out Plundered Mine. He could see the battle between rival goblin tribes outside of it from miles away and that, if nothing else, was his que.

And what riches he found! The mine was full of silver nuggets and valuable weapons to sell back to Fjotreid! This was really a good thing as his coinpurse was quite light and as many Septims will be needed when making new spells at the universaty later.

[Renee]

That's awesome. Silver nuggets (or any kind of nuggets) can be rather rare sometimes. I'm pretty sure they don't respawn, too. Not in the vanilla game.

Snaat Rayag already has a 720 gold bounty. He's a skooma dealer too, just as I suspected. He's made his way slowly south, starting at Fort Nikel and working his way down to Bravil. He's got four skooma bottles on him*, and as he approaches various NPCs there's a 1 in 6 chance he'll get a sale. Yes, I roll dice for this.

A sale means the bandit, marauder, or ordinary citizen has paid Snaat Rayag 100 gold*. So far, he's only made one sale, to a Breton bandit standing outside of that fort near Pell's Gate. It was really cool RP wise because one of the Nords in Pell's Gate got REALLY angry at Snaaty for no apparent reason. He was like "why do you bother me?!" It's as if he already knows Snaat Rayag for his seedy reputation.

He wound up getting attacked in the forest by some rats, and 'his' horse ran away, so right now Snaaty's on foot. He's just outside of Bravil. He's going to try to make it down to Greyland, where (I'm roleplaying) they brew the stuff. Since skooma is actually to be found in Greyland, this is where I will use the console to stick a bunch of skooma for 'sale'. Snaaty will buy these bottles for somewhere between 20 and 50 gold (depends on quality) and then make his way slowly back north.

Right now he is outside of Bravil. He's sneaking in the grass, trying to get inside Anutwyll, where he will stash his current skooma. After he hides it, he's going to allow himself to be arrested. This way he gets to do some more legitimate business when he's released from jail, and I get to see Better Cities/Bravil from the inside.

* added with console

[Renee]

We have freezing rain in Maryland tonight, and I'm pretty sure I won't have to go into work, so I'm giving myself some extra gaming time.

Snaat Rayag is headed north. He just left a fort across the river from Bravil, and I'm forgetting the name of this fort. He managed two skooma sales here, and at some point the next morning was met by an Imperial road patrol who (for whatever reason) pardoned my dark elf of all his crimes, despite the fact that his Infamy is 9!

I just got Basic Primary Needs working in Snaaty's game, which is one of those im.. immm.. immersion mods. Food, sleep, thirst, disease, drunkenness from alcohol, this list goes on and on; this mod is it. It's THE mod I've been looking for ever since starting Oblivion 5+ years ago. Snaat Rayag's health is precious, his world feels dangerous at times; and it's the opposite of all my other characters, since they haven't got the option of running to the nearest bandit or marauder lair for safety.

It is crazy how satisfied I've been by the Oblivion experience lately.

[haute ecole rider]

It is crazy how satisfied I've been by the Oblivion experience lately.

I hear you! I love Basic Primary Needs myself. That, Realistic Fatigue and Real Sleep Extended (for the portable bedrolls) are the best immersion mods ever! I also love All Natural for the weather effects, Sounds of Cyrodiil and Slof's Horses (with some kind of horse command mod, currently I'm using Command Mount, which is very basic but all I really need). Those are my non-negotiable mods. COBL is always part of my load order.

One new mod I found that is pretty cool is Skyrimized Water. What I like about it is that it uses the default water shader that comes with Oblivion, but tweaks its parameters so it is much more realistic.

I'm so glad you are having so much fun. I played Oblivion on the console (XBox 360) too, and after about four or five playthroughs I started wishing I could do more. That's what made me bite the bullet and install Win7 on my Mac Pro. Haven't looked back since. So I'm totally sure you will continue to enjoy Oblivion with Snotty and with many other characters as well.

[PhonAntiPhon]

It is crazy how satisfied I've been by the Oblivion experience lately.

One new mod I found that is pretty cool is Skyrimized Water. What I like about it is that it uses the default water shader that comes with Oblivion, but tweaks its parameters so it is much more realistic.

We are using this, it's Awesome!

And for myself I would like to echo Renee's statement.

[Renee]

Phon: I initially had Natural Hunger going for my game, but it's simply not enough for me because it only affects hunger. NH is a cute mod for somebody who doesn't want to be as hardcore, and was a good way to get introduced to this side of gaming, but after awhile I was also wanting to see sleep matter, and other things. Anyways, it's great!

I am liking the sound of Skyrimized water. I don't want water to be exactly like it is in Skyrim, but it would be decent to see something different here. Does this mod introduce water currents?

Slof's Horses or maybe the command mount one also sound very im. Immm.. IMmmersive. SOrry. I have trouble saying that word, immersion is the most over-used word so far as gaming goes, but sometimes you just gotta use it. The Horse Command mod might be good for me, I don't really want to go too over-the-top with horses, but the idea of commanding horses might be cool. I'll have to look into that.

I want to look into HUD Status Bars, which is supposed to be a great compliment to Basic Primary Needs.