The Saga of Joan of Arkay, A Morrowind Main Quest Story Options

[Acadian]

Was thinking about the title Primate. . . . Were I ever to rise in the church to a lofty title, I'd much rather be called Optimus Prime.

That knight didn't seem too knightly beyond his shiny armor. Who would want Joan assassinated? Surely it couldn't be from collecting marshmellows and kitchenware for questgivers?

[SubRosa]

Jane has some marshmellows, how nice! Oh wait, those are those... other things. Oh well, you make the best with what you have.

I see the Imperial Guards are as much help in Morrowind as they are anywhere else. It looks like Joan will have to take matters into her own hands if she wants to resolve this issue with the Dark Brotherhood.

The Imp Cult may have her doing step and fetch quests. But at least its not rats, like in the Fighters Guild.


@Acadian: The best part of that title is when you get to say Autobots! Roll out!

[Renee]

How about Liberty Prime, Acadian? Then you'd get to be a giant robot which walks around and smashes stuff. Rawr!

And Yeah, what good are those Imperials? Dark Brotherhood make them flinch? Fer crissakes.

It looks like Joan will have to take matters into her own hands if she wants to resolve this issue with the Dark Brotherhood.

Sometimes, THIS is what the bulk of Elder Scrolls games are about, right? "Hey, you get to do all the things everyone else is too afraid to!"

[Renee]

13 Frost Fall (Day 59), 3rd Era, Year 427

Caryarel




On Frost Fall 13 they approach the village of Gnaar Mok, which is a fishing port, similar in size to Hla Oad. It has taken three days to get here from Seyda Neen. As they enter the town, Joan relaxes. No more bandits, no more nix hounds, and no more cliff racers to watch for.

But this doesn't mean she won’t need to prepare a strategy.

Joan is by nature a shy person. A quiet person. She just as easily could’ve become a custodian of books, or an administrator of personnel, if she did not also possess her range of talents, skills and spells (not to mention her devotion to the Aedra). But this does not mean she cannot learn to become more loquacious. Over the past few weeks she'd been practicing her abilities to simply speak to the others she interacted with. Studying social cues, maintaining the right amount of eye contact, attempting to boost their confidence in her, and so on.

So it is on Frost Fall 13, as she approaches the village of Gnaar Mok, she begins to look forward to her meeting with Caryahel, the Altmer who is suspected of stealing a bowl made of limeware. And here’s the strategy: Joan's investigation into this matter should begin not with Caryarel himself, but with all the other people living in Gnaar Mok. Try to get their opinions of the elf, first and foremost. This is Joan's plan, at least.

Things do not always go as planned, of course. The very first person she meets as she steps into the village’s common area is an Altmer, who walks directly toward her. "My patience is limited," he says smugly. The Altmer is tall, and wears nice clothes.

"I am here in regards of the Imperial Cult sir, and come from the town of Ebonheart. I have been sent to speak to Caryarel. Might you know of him?"

The elf looks at her with nothing but hatred. "Yes, I was treated for swamp fever at the Imperial Chapels in Ebonheart," he says with smarm. "But I don't know anything about a Chapel Limeware Bowl. So go away. And leave me alone!"

"Ah, but there has forthwith been no mention about the bowl," Joan of Cyrodiil says smartly. Her turn to be smug. “It is you who have broached the subject. Might we then also assume it is you who might have some insight, pertaining to the Ebonheart cult’s missing bowl?”

Stalemate. The elf refuses to discuss the matter further. Joan's plan, her original plan, was to speak to Gnaar Mok's peoples first, get their opinions and thoughts on Caryarel, and maybe then find the elf's home, confront him there. She hadn't expected to quickly find him, walking about.

A Dunmer female walks by, and Joan decides she'd like to speak to her. "Morning, madam. I am Joan of Cyrodiil. Might I take a few moments of your time?"

"I'm Nadene Rotheran," says the Dunmer. "Never seen you here before. First time in Gnaar Mok?"

"It is my first time here, yes."

"Let me give you a little advice," says Nadene. "We aren't used to visitors here, and we don't like what we aren't used to. So don't be surprised if people don't like answering a lot of questions. But you seem an okay sort."

The Laywoman smiles briefly. "Well, many thanks to you, Nadene."

Joan spends a few moments chatting with Nadene. About her life, her background, what it's been like growing up in this remote fishing village, and so on. She then makes one attempt at flattery toward the Dunmer and is surprised to hear her words reciprocated with a smile.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Nadene says. Nadene then divulges as much information as she can about Caryarel, pointing Joan to the shack where the high elf lives.

"Many thanks," says Joan to the Dunmer, before turning to her guard. "I shall take my leave of you sir," she tells him. She says this because she's suddenly unsure whether what she's about to do is considered legal, or not.

"Stay out of trouble and you won't get hurt," the guard answers.

She walks to the shack pointed out by Nadene, which of course, is locked. And it becomes a major ordeal just to get inside.

After all is said and done, Joan Marie cannot help but wonder what all the fuss was about. The bowl she finally retrieves is not one made of any sort of precious metal, nor has it got any particular enchantment, Aedric or otherwise.

"Perhaps there is some value of sentiment," she tells her guard, as both of them later struggle to find a proper place to rest.

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

Walking the Bitter Coast

Confronting Caryhrel

Pwning a Breeding Netch -- Normally we'd never fight one of these giant gas bags, they're just so peaceful! 🎪 But netches can be aggressive when they're breeting, and the villagers wanted somebody to do something about them. Guess who this 'somebody' was?

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

Notes: I had to cheat a bit to finish this quest, which was pretty distracting, and I didn't feel like writing it all up. That's why today's story just sort of *ends*! ... Since Joan is no thief, I used the console to Unlock the high elf's door, then RP'd that her guard was able to take authority here, and demand the elf open his shack.

As usual, finding the limeware bowl was tricky, despite the fact that his shack is very small. Always the last place we look...

[macole]

Putting the guard to use was a good move for Joan. Not everyone is a thief or a alteration mage, so those who aren't have to find other ways, Strong arming Caryarel to open the door is classic
.
I never understood the significance of the limeware bowls either.

[Acadian]

Well, that quest wasn't too painful for Joan or her guard. Nice to see her practicing her speechcraft, since that seems to generally be her first and preferred approach to things.

[SubRosa]

Joan has been putting points in Speechcraft I see. Hopefully it will pay off with her religious vocation.

Oops, Joan's plans have instantly gone awry. But Caryahel seems to have given the game away with his slip of the tongue about the bowl.

So Joan got it the old fashioned way. She stole it! In so much as stealing something back from a thief is stealing. Recovering then.

That breeding Netch is actually part of a quest. I think it might be from the Fighters Guild questline? Or maybe it was the Imperial Legion one. I forget.

[macole]

That breeding Netch is actually part of a quest. I think it might be from the Fighters Guild questline? Or maybe it was the Imperial Legion one. I forget.

My first thought was Fighters Guild since in my latest play through I only did Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, House Tevanni, and part of Imperial Legion. I was wrong. The Breeding Netch quest is near midway through the Imperial Legion quest line. Radd Hard-Heart at Moonmoth Legion Fort will give you the quest. But, you can get the quest outside of Imperial Legion. On their own, the townspeople of Gnaar Mok will ask you to help them with a pair of netch that are harassing them.

[Lena Wolf]

That breeding Netch is actually part of a quest. I think it might be from the Fighters Guild questline? Or maybe it was the Imperial Legion one. I forget.

But, you can get the quest outside of Imperial Legion. On their own, the townspeople of Gnaar Mok will ask you to help them with a pair of netch that are harassing them.

Hauk had to deal with that breeding netch as well, just as he was approaching Gnaar Mok. There was this huge fight with all the townspeople joining in trying to get the netch by punching it... So wishing to reduce the number of casualties, Hauk had to join in. After that, people commented on him getting rid of that netch, even though technically it wasn't just him - the guards were there too, although not having any bows or arrows, they weren't much help. Why can't these people get proper weapons, I wonder?

[WellTemperedClavier]

I remember this quest!

Good to see that Joan had more luck with Morrowind's bizarro "persuasion" system than I did. Oblivion's was odd, but at least you had some control over the outcome. Likewise, happy to see that she's a bit nonplussed about there being so much fuss over a bowl.

Gnaar Mok was an odd place. There was a lot going on there for being such an out-of-the-way town. Even more (seemed) to be going on if you got the place mixed up with Hla Oad (like I did, on more than one occasion).

[Renee]

That's the wonderful thing about being on PC, macole. One of the first things I sensed Joan wanting was somebody to travel with, and I quickly found a mod to support this. Initially she chose a guard for protection. I did not know there'd also be some "pretend roleplay" moments as well.

I did the same Limeware Bowl quest 2 or 3 years ago with Sir Galarad on Xbox. No guard can follow us without mods, but this was okay, since we can still bash locks in the vanilla game. Galarad simply smashed his way in! But it would feel incorrect for do-gooder Joan to do it like this.


I love Speechcraft, Acadian. Speechcraft is like clickbait for me in this game. I love clicking Persuasion and then Admire with NPC after NPC in Joan's world. She's at the point where over half the time, she gets positive results. But we also have to be careful, because some people immediately take a dislike to Joan. If Disposition gets below 40 as she's Speeching with them, that becomes a slippery slope downward with some NPCs.


Thank you, dear Rosa. I appreciate your words, because the Nine are very important to my pious go-getter. She is all about those Nine. ♥

No, not stole! Recovered. There that's better.


I can totally see Hauk getting into it with those floating balloons with tentacles, Lena. 🦄 But wow, the entire town of Gnaar Mok got involved. That's so awesome Hauk got the credit anyway!


Exactly, Clavier, in Oblivion we've definitely got more control over Speech as we try to influence people. OB allows the greater possibilities of roleplay because of this, imo. We can make people hate us, but we can also just as easily make them like us.

In ES3, it's easiest to make them hate us. Speech is harder in Morrowind, but I liken this to the fact that it's a harsher place overall. You know, like if we go into some countries here on Earth for instance, there are some places which we'd possibly be treated with disrespect, suspicion, etc, by most of its residents.

Hla Oad and Gnaar Mok are really similar, this is true. 👍

This post has been edited by Renee: Jul 2 2022, 02:45 AM

[Renee]

13 Frost Fall (Day 59), 3rd Era, Year 427

The Imperial Legion

Location: Gnisis


"We could use a few recruits here in the Deathshead Legion garrison. See General Darius."

An orc clad in armor tells Joan this, and this orc is the first person she meets in the town of Gnisis. Finally, she can attempt to join the Imperial Legion, which she has been wanting to do for months now. Ironically, she’d been sent to this town by one of her Imperial Cult superiors to collect some sort of special muck. She had completely forgotten that Gnisis is the town where the legion can be joined.

"Many thanks for your time. And where might I inquire in regards to joining?"

The orc repeats what he just said – "We could use a few recruits here in the Deathshead Legion garrison. See General Darius, " – causing Joan a moment of embarrassment.

"I do apologize. It has been a rough journey," she explains to the orc. "Fetid onslaughts of bandits, and strange creatures do inhabit the countryside…"

Indeed. Joan and her guard spent several days traveling from Gnaar Mok to Gnisis, facing enemy after enemy head-on. Joan's guard had a silver sword which broke while fighting a bandit. And Joan herself stretched the limit of her magics as she'd struggled to heal herself, and find places to rest in the middle of nowhere. Her supply of potions and food had waned quite a bit as well.

On top of this, she and her guard (the same guard she had ‘recruited’ from Fort Moonmoth) had not been getting along. After many weeks of close quarters and open travel, occasionally she’d try to converse or inquire or compliment, and he would snap at her. "I haven't got all day, you know," he’d say occasionally. Another favorite quip: “What is it now?”

"I do appreciate all that you’ve done, as you’ve maintained unbidden duty concerning my pursuits,” she finally tells him, as both of them wander into Gnisis's outdoor market. “But now, as we’ve re-entered upright society, I must impart one final request. Sir? You are freed of my companionship. Have you have found your fortune along the way?" she asks. "You have. As well, you have conquered. You have engaged your adventures. And righted wrongs. And now, I bid you farewell."

There. It is done. Err...

"Many apologies for leading you astray from your post back at Moonmoth."

"Good bye," her guard says. Just two words. And now it is done.

Within an hour she locates General Darius, who oddly does not stay within Deathshead Garrison; she finds him in the lowest floor of Madach Tradehouse, which seems to be Gnisis’s all-purpose networking hub. Why does Darius live here, and not the town’s proper fort? Perhaps he has stationed himself in the Tradehouse for some sort of strategic reason.

"Are you here to join the Imperial Legion?" Darius asks Joan, after she speaks to him with confidence.

These are the words she’d been wanting to hear weeks ago, first in Pelagiad, then in Fort Moonmoth. "Yes. I am here to enlist. And I seek whatever notion of employ might be factored by the Legion, sir." .... She knows she’s got both of the requirements preferred in new recruits: the ability to endure long-lasting, physical pursuits, and abilities to speak, sway, and persuade others.

And just like that, Joan Marie of Cyrodiil becomes a member of the Imperial Legion. Why has it been so important for her to join? She's not entirely sure, yet. Perhaps it’s because the guards and soldiers stationed throughout Vvardenfell remind her of home. Or perhaps she senses that most of all, it’s the legion which shall provide the greatest calling for her.

– Being a part of the Imperial Cult, for instance, has been mostly a cerebral effort. She has (so far) become a completionist of errands for superiors within the Cult. It makes her feel good to collect tithes, locate stolen objects, and fetch random ingredients for them. But these are minor efforts, not really part of any grander schemes. She has (so far) barely felt the glory of The Nine as she’s participated in Imperial Cult activities.

– Being a part of the Fighters Guild has sent her off to several locations. But as the name of the guild suggests, ultimately it is fighting she then becomes involved with. Being a fighter ultimately means being a killer. Though she is not adverse to bringing someone down, especially if that 'someone' gives her no other choice, killing also contradicts Joan's motivations and personal beliefs.

– And then there are the Blades, which she’s also supposedly a member of. Dealing with Caius Cosades has caused her to follow a series of vague pursuits, of which she’s not entirely sure about. She's sensed that the Divines themselves might wish for her to be part of the Blades, but taking orders from a known user of skooma?

With the Imperial Legion, Joan hopes to make some sort of immediate difference. She attains the rank of Recruit. She is also given a cuirass of chainmail, which she is to wear whenever she's appearing in any official capacity as a representative of the Legion.

She receives her very first quest, which (honestly) bothers her a bit. She is to go find a Dunmer lady named Vabdas, who owns a farm just outside of town, and has recently been widowed. She is then supposed to convince the lady to give up her land. "Get me that land deed," General Darius commands of Joan, "and don't take 'no' for an answer."

The Legion’s newest recruit discovers that she does not like Darius’s tone, which is arrogant and forthright. How can he demand this of somebody who's experienced such recent suffering? Things seem off to a bad start.

But, Joan also decides she'd like to find Widow Vabdas anyway, and speak to her. Maybe all of this can be resolved in some other way.

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

Note: I did this quest on Xbox a couple years ago with Sir Galarad, who simply carried out his orders, without any of the conflicting thoughts Joan is having.

[SubRosa]

Honestly, I don't want to join a legion called "Deathshead". Sounds kind of sus, considering other military units that have shared that same name.

Maybe it is time for Joan to go beyond having a guard shadow her? I guess it is. Maybe she should learn some summoning spells if she wants someone else to help in a fight?

I think Joan might find the Vabdas quest a little more to her liking than it first appears. As I recall, there is an opportunity to do some good there. More than just killing some rats or re-stealing recovering kitchenware.

[Acadian]

Joan get to Gnisis and lets her guard go. Was he a Legion guard? If so, he seems rather weak in the speechcraft department.

And that orc Legionaire seems a bit short in that department as well since he offers no info on General Darius of a locational nature. But she finds him nonetheless.

Interesting reflections as Joan shares her assessments of the Imperial Cult and Fighters Guild – hoping the Legion is an improvement.

She gets her wish of joining the Legion only to be handed a rather questionable quest. It’ll be interesting to she what she encounters at widow Vabdas’ farm.

[WellTemperedClavier]

Playing Morrowind can be a lot like real life sometimes, in the sense that it's really hard to find a good job that you can tolerate. And it seems like Joan's run into this as well. Predictably, each faction lets her down in a unique way. It's also good to see Joan's particular critiques. Caius does seem pretty sketchy (though maybe that's, realistically speaking, inevitable for spies).

I'm still enjoying the way you incorporate the stilted in-game dialogue. Highlights how odd a lot of it actually sounds.

It's never been clear to me exactly how the Empire organizes its legions. Probably something Bethesda never put serious thought into. Like saying the Deathshead Legion is in Gnisis makes it sound like it's more of a garrison, given that Gnisis isn't that big of a town. Do we then assume that Balmora, Pelagiad, Ald'ruhn, Ebonheart, and Sadrith Mora all have legions of their own? I'm probably overthinking this.

Plus, I just like Gnisis. It's one of the game's more distinct towns.

[Renee]

That's true. Deathshead Garrison. What a name! Yeah, let's get right to the point, here.

Oh no, Rosa. No conjuring for Joanie! Foul, smelly, dead things! One of my other characters, Hera Tyych, is quite the conjurer. Conjuring undead is pretty much her default "answer" to most enemies she comes across. ... Joan sees conjuring as an act of Eeeeeeeeevil though.

YES, the Vabdas quest is SO AWESOME! I really am pleased by how it turns out. ⚔ We'll get to it in a minute.


Yes, Acadian, he was a Legion Guard. Actually Joan usually has a pretty good Disposition to guards. Those two just spent too much time together. In a way, it's just like real people who get on each others nerves after awhile.

I loved writing assessment of all the guilds and factions she's a part of. Really enjoyed that part.


Joan of Cyrodiil is just hard to please, Clavier!

Thanks (in regards to the in-game dialog). I mostly use use the standard dialog found in the game for this story. For other stories (like Laprima) I write half the dialog into in-game quests.

Yes, Gnisis is a nice off-the-way town. Very clean. No ash storms. All the facilities we'd ever need, pretty much. 👁‍🗨 Yes, you are right, the Empire is being very heavy-handed into this part of the world.

[SubRosa]

Well you know, there is a certain mod out there that allows you to summon animals, rather than undead or daedra...

[Renee]

Sure, I'll take a look at that mod, hon. And if you know of anything which modifies body morphing, too. Joan's supposed to be a B-cup at most. Yet another Lara Croft syndrome with her...

I hope this next chapter isn't too long. I was about to break it up as I was editing last night. But that would disturb the flow.


Chapter XXV: The Plight of Widow Vabdas


22 Frost Fall (Day 68)




Joan had yearned for her chance to join the Legion. And now that she's in, she’s finding the organization’s first assignment for her to be questionable. Find a recently widowed lady named Vabdas, and convince the widow to give up her land.

Before signing on as a new recruit, she’d had a few ideas for what might become her first task. Maybe she’d be stationed at Fort Darius for a while. Maybe she’d be told to keep a night’s watch of the town for a week. In her most dramatic fantasies, maybe she’d be sent off to rescue some poor hostage. Or go on a mission to cure a village of sickened natives. – But being demanded to force some poor lady from her land? – Not at all what she expected.

Fortunately for Joan, there's a story (an explanation) as to why Vabdas had recently been widowed. The lady tells her tale to Joan Marie, a devotee who is always ready to listen.

Apparently, the reason why her husband, whose name is Mansilamar, died has something to do with an eggmine, located right here in Gnisis. The widow suggests that the answer to Mansilamar's death might somehow free her from General Darius's greedy land-grab. "Go to the eggmine," she says in a trembling voice, "and find the truth."

“I shall do so,” Joan promises. “Your plight shall come to redemption.”

With these words, she heads off to locate the Gnisis Eggmine, with her new guard companion in tow.

... One hour later…

"Do I know you?"

An officer asks this as Joan and her guard approach the mine.

“I am Joan Marie of Cyrodiil. I am Darius's newest recruit. And I have come to make inquiries regarding the death of–"

“Shhh!” the officer cautions. "Since you're in the Legion, I can give you a key to the mine,” he says, handing her one. “But be careful."

"I see,” Joan says, her voice quieter. “Widow Vabdas says her husband met his demise within this mine. Might you have any notions pertaining–?"

"I already gave you the key," the officer glares. "Now get lost before they see us talking!"

“Right.”

She realizes the officer's trying to warn her. Whatever occurred in there had been a messy situation it seems, now requiring a delicate approach. Joan backs away from him. She readies her new Light spell within her mind, says a quick prayer, and walks right in.


Early Evening
Once inside the eggmine she tells her new guard to wait, while she forges ahead. Anything too dangerous, all she'll need to do is fall back. The place is populated by eggminers of course, all who dole their own stern warnings. But they allow Joan to explore.

The mine splits into two paths: an upper section and a lower one. A thin layer of mist hangs in the air, with the scent of damp earth pervading. Joan delves downward, as she senses this is the way toward any answers. After a walk of 50 meters or so, she comes to a banner, hanging from the mine's stone ceiling. The banner has a glyph painted upon its surface. Due to her past schooling (particularly a class she’d attended in Morrowind’s history) Joan is able to discern it displays the Dunmeri glyph for ‘Danger’.

Undeterred, she presses on, deeper into the cave. Eventually she comes to a three-way intersection, with one branch leading to a door. Her guard is now far behind. Joan of Cyrodiil walks to the door. Opens it, and walks into a darkened passageway.


Mid-evening

"You're not supposed to be in here," a large and muscular male orc says as soon as she walks in. "I'm-a gonna count to ten. And if YOU still here when I am done, you gonna be in BIG trouble!"

Joan notices the orc wears an Imperial Legion cuirass with all the correct regalia. He is therefore not an eggminer, he is a sworn member of the same organization she is. Despite this, he refuses to listen to words. So she decides to heed his threats, for now. Perhaps any clues to Widow Vabdas's husband's death can be found elsewhere in the mine.

… So she goes back to the intersection, and searches the eggmine's remaining portions. But there's nothing suspicious to find. No corpse, no recent bloodstains, no items bearing Mansilamar's name. All she sees are more miners, more kwama foragers, and of course, more egg pods. She speaks to a few miners, none of whom are forthcoming with information.

She’s going to need some assistance. The orc she’d met not only threatened her, he probably outranks her. And it’s this fact alone that causes her to return to the mine's entrance to fetch her guard.

Back inside the passage with the burly, threatening orc, she walks with more confidence. Steps right to the bully, who warns her a second time.

“I have been given a task to inquire and scrutinize the recent death of one of this mine’s workers,” she tells him. “You must allow us to pass.”

Again he gives her ten seconds, after which he brandishes his axe, and starts swinging. Bad idea! With the more-experienced guard now at her side, the orc himself doesn't last ten seconds! … *Bang.* *Crash!* *Bang.* Joan’s guard swipes and stabs the threat with his shiny silver sword, while Joan bashes with her mace. Surely if she had taken him on by herself, the fight would have lasted much longer.

“Such a shame it had to come to this…”

Exactly. Why was it necessary to brawl about this, and come to blows? Again, she’s been forced into combat, which seems (to her) could have been avoided. She senses this whole situation with Widow Vabdas has something amiss. Something not right here. And it is her aim to correct whatever wrongs have been committed.

The mine contains other dangers. Joan and her guard are attacked again, this time by kwama warriors, three of them in total! These beasts shoot bolts of lightning as they attack! Within seconds (and despite her Bretonic ability to partially resist magic), Joan's health is failing. She must leave the fray to rush into the mine's previous passage. She quickly heals herself while her guard clashes and screams with the monsters! – Once she has done so, she bravely rushes back, readying her new ‘holy flames’ spell for battle. – But the spell is not needed. Just after she casts the first blast, her guard skewers the two remaining warriors.

Adrenaline, it surges within her! But she mustn’t become impatient, she must not lose her temperance. She takes a few moments to calm herself with thoughts of Arkay, the Aedric Lord associated with mortality, birth, and death, before setting off again. Arkay, the God of Cheydinhal’s chapel, where she had spent so much time in her youth, shall sort all wrongdoings from here.

Deeper into the mine, they arrive at a door marked Eggmine Streams, which they open and walk through. Once inside, Joan suddenly hears a voice.

....”Do not fear me, Breton."...

It's the voice of a Dunmer man.

..."Listen, and I will tell you how I was murdered by the orc you just downed... Lugrub gro ... Ogdum.”...

As always, Joan Marie of Cyrodiil takes the time to listen. "Please, speak thy words." Are these words being spoken by Mansilamar Vabdas himself?

She peers into the darkness before her, to see if somebody's playing a trick. Maybe one of the eggminers is trying to have a little fun. But nobody physical is here. Eventually she's able to see the figure of a spirit, floating about 10 feet ahead.

..."I came to the mines to get fresh kwama eggs for my family," the voice continues, from what seems to be another world. "Lugrub gro-Ogdum was sleeping, and I snuck past him. When I found enough eggs, I went back the way I came. Only this time, Lugrub was awake. He murdered me, so that no one would know he had failed in his duty."

"Continue, please," the Legion's newest recruit urges. From her perspective, it sounds as if the ghost's voice is being spoken through a tunnel, even as Mansilamar floats just in front of her.

..."He dropped the broken axe he used to kill me next to my body, in the water behind me."

Joan looks past the floating apparition for a moment, peering to see if any water is nearby. The path before her slopes downward. And surely, there is a pool another thirty feet or so.

"Take the axe from the water, and use it as proof of Lugrub's crimes."

The Cyrodiilian flashes a quick smile into darkness. For it looks as though she's going to attain what the widow informed her about: a chance to avenge Mansilamar's murder. Maybe even gain sympathy for his wife from the Imperials. Perhaps if she does all of this, General Darius will be more lenient about his quest for new territory.

There's just one problem: Joan Marie of Cheydinhal never learned how to swim!

Cheydinhal, one of the few towns in Cyrodiil which does not have a large body of water nearby. Sure, her home was partially surrounded by a moat, but the moat’s water was fetid. Nobody went in there, as moats are designed to keep invaders out.

But she is a brave one. "Wait here," she commands her new guard. She does not know how to swim, so now's the time for some quick lessons! "Let Stendarr guide my path."

She walks a few meters down the slope, and places her rucksack, belt, and weapons on the ground. She then begins removing her armor pieces: helmet, gauntlets, boots, and cuirass. Snaps unfastened and clasps undone. One thing she knows about water: heavy pieces of leather and iron will only drag her down. She cannot help but feel a bit shy about this, even as her back is turned. There's no room for privacy, and now is not the time for modesty. Joan considers removing her leg armor, then changes her mind. Her guard stands meters away and cannot see her, but the spirit of Mansilamar Vabdas still floats nearby.

She rotates her head (back still turned), so she can lock eyes with the spirit. "You shall be absolved of guilt," she promises, before carefully treading into the water.

Treading into water… water which is not shallow. In fact, it looks as though it goes rather deep. But, the water is also warmer than she'd expected. Warmer, probably due to some underwater lava flow, located nearby.

"Right. I'll just..."

She treads into the pool, then paddles a bit into it, as she'd seen small dogs paddle in some of Cheydinhal's nearby streams. She strokes her arms into the water, kicking her feet. She plunges her head under, to see how long she can hold her breath. It takes a few hours, but slowly and finally she is ready for the big dive.

It takes several dives actually, 'til she finds the corpse of Mansilamar Vabdas, which had sunk next to an underwater column of rock. The axe used to kill him is also right there. Several attempts are made to free this axe, which is partially lodged underneath the corpse's leg. Several attempts, and between each one she must swim back to the surface for air. She quickly learns that she can only hold her breath for a half-minute or so. After spending too long under a couple times, she feels her life-force beginning to dwindle! -- She must call upon the blessings of Mara for healing at these times.

She finally gets it done after many hours, finally returning to surface with the murderer's two-handed broadaxe.

"You have heard my story," the ghost says once she has dressed back in armor. "Do what you will. Show the axe to Darius."

"I shall do so," she promises, "and with haste."

Now that she's back on dry land, Joan also promises something to herself: first chance she gets, she's going to head over to the Mages Guild to learn a water-breathing spell!


The next morning
After the situation had been resolved, it seems a difference could now be made, and that all she'd assumed about the Legion are not what they seem. Joan has learned a few things about her new employer; not everyone within it always does what is proper. Greed and passion can overcome, and lives can be ruined. But this does not mean she won't be able to change this around at times, to attempt to make things right, for those whose voices deserve to be heard.

"There are laws beyond the cities, friend."

Back inside the Madach Tradehouse, where General Darius asks Joan 'how's the land grab going?', in so many words.

"I have conversed at small length with the widow of Mansilamar Vabdas," she tells him. As she speaks, she holds the axe once owned by the murdering orc in both hands.

"Her land is prime for our expansion plans here," the general informs her with a smile. “I expect good news from you, Footpad.”

Ah. Here it comes, the moment of truth. “I am afraid the overall situation pertaining to Miss Vabdas has garnered some complexity, sir.”

"Oh?"

"Mansilamar Vabdas was murdered," she tells him. "And I have proof of this. The axe which was used, this very axe in my hands now, was located deep within a pool-full of water, just next to Mansilamar's corpse. My guard, who is present behind me, can also attest to this."

"And what sort of proof do you have?"

"Attend please. And closely narrow thy eyes upon the axe's haft, which bears the name of Lugrub gro-Ogdum."

"Hmm. Yes, this is Lugrub's axe," Darius says cautiously. "I can see how it's been damaged from hitting bone here and here."

Joan's eyes are full of intent, as she focuses on Julianos, the Aedric god most associated with law, wisdom and logic. This moment, right now, is going to set the tone for how influential she could potentially be with the Imperials. What sort of career might she have in the future, now that it seems she has possibly defied her very first order?

"With this," says the general. "I have no choice but to believe your story. Lugrub gro-Olgum is an outlaw. Find him and kill him! Then justice will be served."

"But the orc has already fallen, sire. My guard, again, can attest to this, as Lugrub attacked us both when we returned to investigate."

"So you killed Lugrub, eh?” A moment passes as Darius considers this. His brow smooths. A decision has been made. “Good. Now the Widow Vabdas is avenged, and justice has been served."

Amazingly, that is it, and it is done! The Imperial Legion's newest recruit has done exactly what she'd set out to do: She has made a difference.

"I have more orders for you, when you are ready."

Joan Marie of Cyrodiil knows it now, as she senses the forces of great things surround them all. Her future is secured to continue Good Works.

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

Gnisis Eggmine

Brawling with Lugbrub

Brawling with Kwama Warriors -- (omg, these things suck with their touchshock spells)

Modest madam

Testing the waters

Diving Deeper

The Axe of Lugrub

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

NOTES: ** I had to go into the CS and move the stupid axe over a bit, as its "grab box" was located just out of reach. Really hard to grab weapons from the ground in this game, sometimes. Under water it's even worse.

[Acadian]

Well, Joan’s speechcraft fails to assuage the now-dead orc. Good thing she has her mace and new guard as backups.

Ahah, so Lugrub was not a credit to the Legion at all!

Oh yes, a water breathing spell is a must going forward!

Nice resolution Joan makes to work within the imperfect Legion to improve it. And finally, with a bit of help from Julianos, Joan’s speechcraft comes through and she convinces Darius of the righteousness of her course.

A welcome thought indeed to realize that Joan is more likely to change the Legion than the other way around.

[Lena Wolf]

This is one heck of an assignment for a new recruit... Hauk had to do it as well just a couple of weeks ago (before I got stuck in the moors of Morthal). I was fully expecting him to have words with the Orc, but chance would have it that just as he entered, the kwamas took a dislike to the Orc and he was busy fighting them off! So Hauk spoke to the ghost first. Then of course the Orc had to go anyway... Problem is, in the heat of the battle the kwama queen got killed, and that wasn't good news. General Darius was not amused. However, he didn't blame Hauk for it (and it was all the Orc's fault anyway ).

Yeah, those shock spells are something else!

And on an unrelated subject: has Joan considered wearing a bra?