Clark in Skyrim, A continued report from across the border. Options

[ghastley]

My latest meeting was with Kothet, who's a very large Dremora dressed in Legendary Daedric with matching set perk, and carrying an enchanted Daedric Warhammer. He has maxed out Barbarian, and 100 skill in two-handed.

I think the kill-cam was started even before the conversation.

That quest never made sense to me. The "Old Orc" is apparently much younger than a lot of other Orcs you meet in the game, as the grey hair shows up on a lot more than Urag. And he had nothing as a reward until I added the spell tome with my mod. I always felt it must have been part of some cut content we just have no clue about.

And several of my characters have killed his twin brother, or triplets, ...

[ghastley]

Previously: Lydia found another Stone of Barenziah in Whiterun, and Brelyna and Mjoll found two more.

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

Part 78 - Riften

Clark now had three more of the Stones to deliver to Gilda, so went down to the Ragged Flagon, to see if anyone knew where she was. He ran into Sapphire, who had a disgusted look on her face.

"Vipir's hitting on me again," she explained. "You'd think he'd have given up by now, the number of times I've turned him down."

"Well, there's two reasons he's doing it," Clark told her. "The first is the obvious one, that he'd like you not to turn him down, and the second is that he knows all about your past, and why you're saying no."

"But if he understands, why does he keep on doing it?"

"Because every time you decline his generous offer, you're a little bit more confident that you're in control. He's helping you recover, and of course, he wants to be the beneficiary when you do. It's a lot of effort, but he thinks you're worth it."

"I'm not so certain he'd get what he's hoping for. I mean, I might panic, and cut his throat, like the last lot."

"I take it that was the traumatic part of it all, killing them all afterwards? And you joined the Thieves Guild because they don't kill, but are outside the law, so you felt you belonged with them?"

"I guess so, but I never really thought about it that way. I just needed another family, because mine were all dead, I thought. I never knew that my father and uncle were members, that's just an amazing coincidence."

"So the Guild has become more family than ever. Doesn't that help?"

"No, I'm still haunted by what that all made me do. I just can't trust myself in any - um - intimate situations, not to over-react."

"And of course, you can't find out how much intimacy is comfortable without taking the risk that you'll harm him, so you don't even get started."

"Yeah, that just about sums it up. It's not that I don't like Vipir, but I'm not letting him get close enough to like him more. Does that make any sense?"

"Of course it does, and doesn't. Yes, it makes sense that he's stuck at arm's length, but it doesn't make sense that you have to keep him there. We need to do something about that."

"But what can I do? I like him enough not to want to harm him, but that's not enough for what he wants. If I start to let him get closer to me, I don't know when he'll step over some line and I'll do something I don't want to."

"You could start by telling him why you're saying no. Give him the hope that it won't always be no, if he helps you work through it. Apologize for teasing him, and ask for understanding."

"And then he'll give me a big hug, and I'll stick a dagger in his ribs."

"Not if you're careful. Like telling him when there's a table in between you, so he can't, and you can't. And maybe I should take your dagger away, just in case."

"Then I'd feel nervous all the time. This is part of feeling that I'm in control. If I had something else that would do the job, then I could do without the dagger, but I don't."

"Hmm, maybe there is an alternative. Something a bit more specific to your fears. I need to talk to Brelyna about this, but I'll get back to you soon."

---

Gilda was in the Cistern when Clark went in, discussing mundane business with Brynjolf. She was delighted to see the three extra Stones of Barenziah, and rushed off to count how many they had now.

"That makes twenty-two! There's only two more that we haven't found."

"Well, judging by the recent finds, they could be at bottom of distant dungeons, or right here in Riften. There doesn't seem to be any pattern in where they all were hidden. So the chance of finding them all remains slim."

Clark wasn't holding out too much hope of the complete set. It was even possible that the others would be in shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea, or taken out of the province entirely. He'd asked Clarisse if she'd ever seen one, and she hadn't, but that meant little. She hadn't been everywhere in High Rock, any more than Clark and his associates had been everywhere in Skyrim.

"I'm not giving up," Gilda affirmed. "With only two left, it might be time to actively look for them, instead of just letting them turn up. I'm going to mark the places we've already found them on a map, and then all the places we've been where there weren't any."

"Or where they were, but we just didn't notice them," Clark interrupted. "They could have been buried in rubble in most of the tombs I've seen, and we'd never know."

"It's still worth telling a few more people that we're looking for them. More eyes can only help."

---

"Brelyna, do you know anything about a spell that ..." Clark described the one that Morgiah had told him about. The one that would let a man pretend he wasn't interested in a naked Rinalla, or her mother for that matter. He'd learned one he could cast on himself, but that wasn't quite what Sapphire needed. Neither Morgiah nor Rinalla had actually used it, so he'd not even seen that version working.

(link to story)

"Wait, are you talking about the Queen of Firsthold, and her daughter? When did you get into those circles?"

"A long time ago, of course. I have no idea what happened to either of them much after they reached Mournhold. We lost contact when the Red Mountain erupted, and the events after that made it impossible to re-connect. But don't forget that Morgiah is also Dralsi's half-sister, and Karliah's aunt."

"I didn't know that. But I do know the spell you're talking about, at least the version you cast on others, which is the one a woman would use. Why do you want it? I assume it's not for yourself."

"I think Sapphire, one of the Thieves Guild members, would benefit from knowing it, even if she doesn't have to use it. It would make her feel safer, knowing she has an extra option for awkward situations."

"I'd agree with that. I just wish that there was one that worked the other way."

"You're supposed to do that without help. And there is a potion for it, if there isn't a spell." Clark described Miranu's potion #9 and his part in testing it. Including Falanu, and her unique ointment.

"I'm not sure you should have told me that, but the academic in me is fascinated, even if the Dunmer is appalled by it. You know how the departed are revered in Dark Elf society. If there's a potion, then there's a magical effect, and it ought to be possible to create a spell. Maybe I need to recruit you as an experimental subject again."

"I'd recommend you use Minotaurs, instead. And I'll save that story for later, because I may need Miranu's permission to tell it."

Now Brelyna was totally intrigued, and wanted to know more, but Clark changed the subject back to the spell for Sapphire. "We already know that one exists, and she needs to learn it."

"Are you volunteering to help with that? She'll need to cast it on someone, and confirm the results. She's not going to believe that it works, until she sees it."

Clark hadn't thought of that. She was going to need a target, wasn't she? However, until she knew the spell, and believed in it, she might be a bit dangerous. Maybe this was a job for Vipir?

This post has been edited by ghastley: Mar 30 2016, 10:21 PM

[Acadian]

"And then he'll give me a big hug, and I'll stick a dagger in his ribs."

What a fun conversation with Saphire!

And they're into the home stretch – or perhaps point of diminishing returns – on Berenziah’s stones.

Eeep! I should think that dear Bre’s spell crafting record is a bit. . . unpredictable.


Nit: ’Clark now had three more of the Stones to delver to Gilda,...’ - - Deliver, of course.

[Grits]

Oh my gosh, the Old’s Orc’s Hulk spell is perfect for Aerin! I love it!! Your solution to the old orc encounter is so much more satisfying than the game’s. Most of my characters who could best him in combat would rather take him adventuring to find his good death than just kill him themselves, and the others can only leave him there waiting.

Great solution for Sapphire to have a safety spell on hand when she warms up to Vipir. I wonder what will happen to him if Sapphire actually has to use it?

[ghastley]

Acadian: Brelyna's rather like Ancotar. When she's experimenting with new spells beyond her knowledge, they don't always work. She's perfectly safe with known ones, unless she's your follower, and she has an AoE spell. But all follower mages do that.

In this case, it's a well-known spell with a single target. However, you'll perhaps note that I have Gilda learn it as an intermediary. Clark's not taking too many risks!

Grits: Sapphire has to learn it first. Vipir will probably prefer the spell to the dagger.

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

Previously: Clark has decided to help Sapphire deal with Vipir's attentions. They're also getting close to completing the set of Stones of Barenziah.

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

Part 79 - Spells and Paintings

It took a while to get all the pieces in place. First Brelyna taught the spell to Gilda, and of course she practised on Clark, whether he liked the idea or not. It was going to be her job to teach it to Sapphire, as she could use her authority as Guildmaster to persuade Sapphire and Vipir to co-operate.

They all met in Honeyside for the next step. Gilda told the two thieves that she was aware of their interactions, and she needed to resolve the situation for the good of Guild discipline.

"And despite the need for that, we're going to take our clothes off," she announced. "Now, you'll notice that Clark is dutifully acknowledging my magnificence, as he should. Observe what happens when I cast this spell."

"Now I'll show you how to do the same, Sapphire. Fortunately it appears that Vipir thinks just as much of you, and I'm sure he won't mind assisting."

"Er, how long does the effect last?" Vipir wanted to know.

"Long enough for anyone to get the magicka back and cast it again," Clark told him, as much for Sapphire's benefit as his. "But not so long that it spoils things if she changes her mind."

"Do I have to get close to cast it?" Sapphire asked.

"No, but I'm also going to teach you how to use it without using your hands, in case anyone tries to stop you that way. I'm afraid that Vipir's going to have to put up with a lot of demonstrations before we're through," Gilda replied. Clark suspected it wouldn't just be Vipir, as he couldn't be expected to be ready every time Gilda had something more to show Sapphire. And naturally Gilda would be making the most of the opportunity for having some fun herself, and she could be totally wicked.

---

"I don't think it could have gone much better," Clark told Gilda. "I wasn't expecting her to get near to him, let alone make any contact."

"A lot of that was because we were there with them, so Sapphire had support. And she was obviously trying to make up for what she'd just done to him with the spell."

"Next time it might be more than just holding hands, don't you think?"

"It was holding hands naked, this time. And he managed to look into her eyes, with all the other distractions. I think she appreciated that."

Clark didn't say anything. He knew that Gilda was particularly aware of men's wandering eyes. But then, she had plenty of reason for them to wander.

"What do you think the next step is for those two?" Gilda asked. "Do you think they need any more help from us, or can we leave them to it, now?"

"You'll be in a better position to observe how they're getting on. They'll have their ups and downs. Maybe I should have phrased that better, but you know what I mean. Hopefully Sapphire can act normally again, and sometimes that's going to mean that he'll say something unguarded and she'll over-react. But she shouldn't kill him, and I'd expect them to enjoy making up after it happens."

"So do I get properly rewarded for all my efforts? This was your idea, Clark."

"Only if I get proper compensation for your casting unpleasant spells on me."

"I could start by making sure the effects have worn off, couldn't I?"

---

"Remember when you told me that the other Stones were just as likely to be in Riften as anywhere else?" Gilda asked Clark a few days later. "You're not clairvoyant, are you? Mjoll just got back from a chat with Wylandriah and she knows where they are!"

"Really? Are you sure Wylandriah wasn't mis-remembering something? She does do that, when she's deep in her experiments and not listening to what people are telling her."

"No, she's seen them. Jarl Laila has one in her chambers, and Wylandriah recalls her giving another to Maven. Unless Maven went off and hid hers in a cave, and we've already found it, those will be the last two."

"I hope they both think of them as worthless trinkets, and it won't be hard to obtain them. Those are probably the hardest places for the Thieves Guild to retrieve them from."

"I think if Laila really valued it, she wouldn't keep it in her chambers. She probably knew what it was worth, which even when you had a pair of them, wasn't much. If she thought Mjoll would like it, she'd probably give it to her. I know she appreciates what Mjoll does for the city."

"But then there's Maven, isn't there?" Clark mused. "She's probably more than aware that the Thieves Guild is collecting them, so she'd hold out for way more than reasonable compensation."

"But we still might be able to trade for it. What have we got in the stolen art line she might like?" Gilda suggested.

---

"I was expecting this to be stolen goods," Maven told Clark, "but I wasn't expecting you to be quite that dumb about it. Who could be so stupid as to try and offer me a portrait of my own father?"

"Well," said Clarisse, from the doorway behind her, "I'd say the prize for stupid goes to Maven of Shornhelm, for admitting her identity in front of so many witnesses, when she has a bounty on her head that would make your eyes water."

"You don't have any sisters, do you?" Clark reminded her. "There was only one daughter, and no sons. As I recall, the subject of this painting would have taken his elder brother's place as heir apparent, if the assassination had been successful. And the king was rather old, and your father not in the best of health either, so it wouldn't have been long before somebody here got a new job."

"It's a long way back to High Rock, so you'd better get used to the shackles as soon as possible," Clarisse continued. A sailor stepped forward with the irons, as several more moved in behind her.

Maven leapt at Clark and tried to scratch his eyes out with her fingernails. When he caught her by the wrists, she dug them into the palms of her own hands and went limp.

"Poison!" Clarisse gasped.

"And probably a trick," said Karliah, moving swiftly into the room. "I suspect it's the same as I prepared for Mercer Frey."

"And used on me," Gilda added from behind her. "It almost stops the heart, so you'd think she was dead. But as long as the antidote is administered soon enough, she'll survive."

"The antidote's nothing like as hard to prepare as the poison, so I've been carrying some around with ever since Snow Veil Sanctum. Help me pour this into Maven, and stay clear of her nails!"

Before Maven came around, her wrists were shackled behind her, and the residue of the poison had been washed off. Needless to say, the shackles would also prevent her from trying to cast any spells. Her legs were also immobilised, and they put her on a stretcher to take her the Red Witch.

"Ugly, isn't he?" Clarisse pointed at the painting. "Do you think he actually was her father?"

"Well he did marry her mother, so there's some chance of it. And he thought she was his daughter, which was the important part," Clark replied. "It really doesn't have any bearing on the crime, does it? Maybe it adds a little extra deception to the whole plot, but Maven still plotted to kill the heir to the throne, whoever she really was."

This post has been edited by ghastley: Apr 6 2016, 08:23 PM

[Acadian]

Things go up. Things go down. Just like magic.

A happy ending for the Viper as Sapphire learns how to become a snake charmer.


An absolutely brilliant plan to ‘out’ Maven.

And how funny when Maven poisoned herself!


Nit: "I don't it could have gone much better," – missing word before ‘it’.

[Grits]

Woo, nice trap for Maven! Fun to see her hauled out of town on a stretcher.

I’m sure Vipir was a great partner for Sapphire to learn that spell. He is after all Vipir the Fleet.

[ghastley]

Acadian: Maven poisoned herself deliberately to feign death. If she'd actually been about to die, I'm sure the others would have let her do so. Administering the antidote was to mostly to let her know she'd failed.

Grits: One hopes that Sapphire will learn to just slow Vipir down a little. I suspect that Brelyna is already researching that aspect.

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

Previously: The Black-Briars are starting to fall. Maven inadvertently admitted her identity before witnesses and was arrested for treason. It's time to round up the rest.

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

Part 80 - Black-Briars

"Jarl Laila let Mjoll have her Stone of Barenziah, so the only one we have to find is Maven's. Do you think it will be in her home in Riften?" Gilda asked.

"More likely out at her lodge. She has that place guarded round the clock, inside and out. I'll take Iona and Mjoll over and see if we can't persuade the guards to leave. Now they don't have anyone to pay them, they might not feel so employed any more." Clark responded.

"And if not, you've got Iona and Mjoll, both in fully improved Ebony Plate, to help them decide. I think I know what I'd expect them to do."

"Exactly. Karliah doesn't want to move on her home in town yet. She doesn't think Hemming or Ingun know Maven's been taken yet, so we'll have the chance to catch them doing something illegal without her to cover up for them."

"What about Sibbi?"

"He's already convicted, isn't he? The only reason he wasn't executed was that the headsman suddenly quit his job, and there was nobody to swing the axe. I think we might be able to find a volunteer now."

"You've got someone in mind for that, haven't you?"

"Yes, Karliah tracked down Svidi, the woman whose brother Sibbi murdered, to the tavern in Ivarstead. She's been working there under an assumed name, fearing that the Black-Briars would come after her. Now that's not going to happen, I think she might like the chance to get revenge for her brother."

---

"Sibbi was saying the only thing he's missing in prison is a woman's touch." Clark remarked to Lynly Star-Sung, the bard in the Ivarstead tavern.

"Sibbi Black-Briar? I wouldn't touch that man with a ten foot pole."

"Understandable, but how about with a six-foot axe, headsman issue? The 'only reason' they didn't execute Sibbi was that the executioner suddenly felt that he needed to be somewhere else, and there was nobody to carry out the sentence. You could volunteer to fill that post temporarily."

Lynly/Svidi liked that idea.

---

Clark and his friends managed to smuggle Svidi into the Riften prison. They handed her the executioner's outfit and she started to put it on. "Wait a moment, where's the top half?"

"On the table - the black hood."

"That's not going to cover me. I'll be showing the whole world what a good mother I'd make!"

"Well, you will have the crowd on your side. And that's not a bad thing. Besides, nobody will recognise you with the hood on. They won't even see if you're blushing."

"Sibbi might; he's seen these before."

"Then, if he does, chop his head off!"

"And if he doesn't, he ought to, so chop his head off!" Mjoll laughed. That seemed to convince Svidi to do it.

"Iona, stay in here while the execution's going on. You're about Lynly's size, so some of the townsfolk will assume that it's you. Mjoll, same for you. And of course Gilda can go and watch."

---

"We need to deal with Hemming next," Karliah told Clark. "Any idea how?"

"I have an idea," Mjoll interrupted. "Wylandriah's always complaining about him propositioning her, so she might like to help us."

"Do you think she'd be prepared to act as bait for trapping him? If so, we can probably use her help to lure him out of town. We don't want to tip Ingun off, or she might try to interfere."

---

Wylandriah didn't just want to help, she had her own ideas on what to do. "I sometimes go out collecting ingredients and things for my experiments, and it just so happens that last time, I left a few items in various places that I need to collect. So I'll have a predictable route that Hemming could follow, if he knows about it. That can easily be arranged."

"How are you going to protect yourself?" Karliah wanted to know.

"Well, I'm not without a few defensive spells, and they include the one Brelyna taught Gilda, to teach to Sapphire. Yes, we mages do gossip among ourselves, but mostly it's just about the spells, not the menfolk." She smiled at Clark as she said that.

"So Hemming won't be able to do anything, but his heavy-handed associates might try something else."

"Then they'll get a nasty shock. Rather literally, as I do prefer the lightning over the flames or frost. But I doubt that they'll be allowed to try to hurt me before Hemming gets his turn. I'm quite looking forward to humiliating him in front of his own thugs."

---

It didn't quite work out the way she'd planned it, as most of the mercenaries were left outside the cave they took her to. Their leader paid them off for the successful job of capturing Wylandriah, and they left. So just the three of them, Wylandriah, Hemming and the mercenary boss, entered the cave.

Or so they thought. Clark, Karliah, Mjoll and Iona crept in behind them, muffled and invisible.

Wylandriah let herself be shackled to the wall of the cave, and didn't do anything when Hemming undid the belt of her robe. She wasn't wearing anything underneath it.

"She looks a lot younger than I imagined," Clark whispered to his daughter.

"She's an elf. We don't age as fast as humans. She's older than me, but not much."

Hemming was taking off his clothes. "Now, he does look his age," Karliah whispered back.

As he stepped towards Wylandriah, they could see his expression change from triumph to surprise, and he looked down. "I think she just cast the spell," Clark announced.

The mercenary boss was beginning to laugh uncontrollably. "Stop that, and do something," Hemming demanded. But before anyone could move, a wall of lightning formed around the mage, blocking anyone from reaching her.

"That's not what you paid me for, so think again." He made no move to leave. This was too good a show to miss, and he wanted to see how it worked out.

The invisible crew felt that it was an appropriate time to reveal themselves. Hemming's one-time henchman's hand went to his sword, but he didn't draw it. And he didn't intervene when Mjoll and Iona grabbed the naked man, and put irons on his wrists.

"Go ahead and take him. My contract's fulfilled, so unless you need help taking him in, this has nothing to do with me."

Wylandriah released her wrists from the shackles. "Yes, I could have done that at any time, but I wanted Hemming to think I was at his mercy. After all, you needed proof of his intentions, so you could press the appropriate charges. It's pretty clear what he was after."

"It's still clear, and it's still pretty," Clark pointed out. "Don't you want to cover yourself up?"

"Not while I'm being appreciated. And I think this man deserves some reward for doing the right thing, and not siding with Hemming. You go on ahead, while I do that. I think I can remember how," she said to Mjoll with a wink.

[Acadian]

A nice romp through Riften!

Lynnly the topless executioner! Priceless.

I had visions of someone sticking their finger bits into an electrical Wylandriah socket and getting the shock of their life. The shock wall was a great idea though.

[ghastley]

Acadian: I probably wouldn't have thought of the shock wall if I hadn't just encountered Otar the Mad who lays one down with his staff, and uses Lightning Cloak. Nasty when they combine.

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

Previously: Sibbi and Hemming have been dealt with, the former rather permanently. Lynly and Wylandriah are satisfied.

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

Part 81 - Riftweald Club

"We stil have Ingun to deal with, not that she's ever done anything. Her love of alchemy, especially poisons, has me worried that she might, though." Karliah said, when they got back into town.

"And we just removed all her family, so if she is going to do anything, it might be now." Clark agreed. "But I think we're just going to have to wait for things to work out. Gilda needs to find out from Vex what to do with the Stones of Barenziah, now we have them all, and we also need to do something with Riftweald Manor. It's a waste having a property like that lying empty in the middle of town."

"Did you have any ideas?"

"Well, we could make a start on moving the Guild back into normal society. You've run games of chance before now, dice, cards, that sort of thing. Run them fairly, and people will pay for the entertainment, even if they know the odds are against them."

"So we open a gambling club?"

"Maybe not just gambling. The Guild of Prostitutes might want to join in, and add their services to the mix. Though I suspect most of the profit will come from selling drinks."

"Won't the Bee and Barb object to having extra competition?"

"They'd get a different crowd. Keerava prefers the renters and diners to the drinkers. And they'd probably welcome the loss of Maramal's diatribes. He'd be one of Riftweald's regulars, for certain."

"You've run a brothel or two before, haven't you, Father?" Karliah asked. "What does it take to get one running?"

"First thing is a licence from the Guild, and I can get Vicuña to come here from Markarth and do the official inspection. We'll need staff, and I know a few likely recruits. Security is less of an issue, and the Thieves Guild will provide that for the gambling side anyway."

---

Threki was all for the idea. "I'm innocent, not naive. You get me out of this jail, round up some customers, and of course I'll do it."

"What did they put you in here for, anyway?" Clark asked.

"Supposedly being an Imperial supporter, but probably for Sibbi's benefit. I think they were supposed to put me in the cell next to his, so there would only be the bars in the way, if you get my drift. I did have a bit of a reputation, so ..."

"And if they had...?"

"Not with Sibbi. A girl does have standards, you know."

Svana Far-Shield wasn't hard to recruit either. Her aunt Haelga was just a slut, because she didn't ask for money. Letting men have it for nothing was just wrong. Didn't she think she had any value?

Clark was a little worried that Svana had an inflated idea of her own fair price, but she was apparently content to accept Guild guidance on that. She knew that she wasn't allowed to trade without their licence, so she hadn't tested those waters yet.

"But you have ...?"

"Well I had to thank the man that brought me here to Riften when my parents died, and before that, there were a few young men who taught me how. That's before I knew there was gold to be made, or I'd have saved myself, and got a premium."

Niluva Hlaalu would have to do something about her skooma habit before she'd be suitable, but Clark let her know it was a possibility. That might be the only incentive she needed. She did seem surprised that he thought her attractive enough for the job.

"You're not, but that's because of the skooma. Nobody looks their best after doing that to themselves. I think you could be, once you're clean."

---

When the Riftweald Club opened, nobody was expecting the first applicant for a job. Ingun wanted to know if they had an opening for a bar-tender. "I mix a really good variety of cocktails, and no, they're not poisonous."

Brynjolf was suspicious. "How did you find the time to learn that side of things? You seemed to be spending all your time learning to create poisons."

"Well, if you're going to make poisons, you need to make the antidotes first, in case you have accidents. And so you learn to make to make beneficial potions at the same time. There's also the issue of taste. A successful poison is one that the victim drinks completely, not something he spits out because it tastes foul. So you learn what flavours go together, and what makes something taste innocuous, when it isn't," she responded.

"My grandmother naturally thought that everyone should be drinking her mead, so she didn't exactly encourage me in any of it, although she did pay for my alchemy training. Now she's not around, those funds have dried up, and I need to put my skills to use earning my keep."

"Ah, so Elgrim and Hafjorg have kicked you out?" Brynjolf asked.

"No, but they weren't paying me, and I can't afford more lessons if I don't have an income. They don't need anyone else to help run the shop. It barely does enough business to support the two of them."

"Hmm, we weren't actually planning to have a bar as such. It takes up a fair bit of space, and we want as much as possible for the gaming tables. All the rooms upstairs will be in use for other services, of course. Drinks would be brought out on a tray from the back room, so we could use a waitress to do that."

"So I'd be taking the orders, making the drinks out back, and then bringing them out and delivering them?"

"Right. That way the gamblers don't have to get up from the games to go fetch their own drinks. They'd never leave their cards behind, and the others wouldn't trust them not to come back with a better hand, so they'd only be able to do that between rounds. And you couldn't deal another until they got back, so it would slow play down."

"Won't the gamblers think a waitress is just another of the ... upstairs women?" she asked, slightly worried about where this was leading.

"I won't try and pretend that won't happen. But it's your choice whether you play it that way or not. If you choose to join the Guild, and I don't mean the Thieves Guild, then you'd be allowed to combine the jobs. If not, you're strictly serving drinks, and we'll make sure the customers know that. Maybe give you a uniform, so they can easily tell the difference."

[Acadian]

The Clark Casino, makes preparations to open on the world famous Strip of Las Riften!

As ever, your ideas are well and creatively thought through. I especially liked Clark’s understanding of why casinos prefer to bring drinks to gambling customers, thereby keeping them at the tables while loosening any inhibitions regarding their coin purses.

[ghastley]

Acadian: Did someone say strip?

-----------

Previously: Clark had recruited some staff for the new club, and one of those who applied was Ingun Black-Briar!

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

Part 82 - Ingun

When Ingun came back the next day, Brynjolf handed her an apron, and a small starched hat. "Try these on, and we'll see how you look."

He was a bit surprised when she took them into the next room to do so, but even more when she came back wearing nothing else!

"You really want this job, don't you, lass?"

"I really NEED this job," she replied.

"That's a nice bribe she's offering," said a voice behind him. Clark and Gilda had just come in from Honeyside.

"But accepting it would be corrupt, wouldn't it?" Gilda mused, giving Clark one of those looks.

"Certainly, if there's a quid pro quo involved. And that would get her in trouble with the Guild of Prostitutes, too. She's not a member," Clark pointed out.

"So she's not offering you anything, Brynjolf," Gilda resumed. "Just letting you know what kind of talent she has. In case it influences your decision to hire her."

"I'm not?"

"No you're not," Clark agreed. "If you've got the skills you say you have, they'll be enough without resorting to this sort of thing. So no cheating; go mix a few drinks, so we can check out the results. That's what the job requires, and not what you're showing us now, informative though it is."

Ingun re-appeared a few minutes later with a tray of wineglasses. She'd put her dress back on, under the apron.

"This one is flavoured with Snowberries, which means you can't taste much else," Ingun explained. "It can be as weak or as strong as you need, ... or even poisonous." She looked over at Brynjolf as she said that. His glass was already half-empty.

"You wouldn't, because you need this job," he decided, and finished the glass. "And if you did, it would be Gilda's, not mine," he continued, grinning at the Guildmaster.

"I'm tasting something else, even past the Snowberry," Clark remarked. "What else is in it?"

"Some Jazbay, which doesn't cause any reaction with the Snowberry, just smoothes out the taste a little. The base is a light wine, which doesn't contribute a lot, just makes it a bit alcoholic. You can mix in brandy if you want it stronger, and it will taste about the same."

"So you can make them progressively stronger, or weaker, and nobody would notice?" Brynjolf inquired. He could see the advantages of doing that.

"The other thing that would be useful is a drink to sober someone up in a hurry," Gilda added. "Do you have one for that?"

Ingun nodded. "The pale green one. If he's really far gone, he might have trouble keeping it down, but that can help get the cure started. Flush out the stomach and then this gets a chance to work without competition."

Clark took a small sip. It didn't taste bad, but then, he wasn't drunk, either. Again, some of the flavours were familiar. "Some of this is a regular Restore Health, isn't it? What did you add?"

"There's a bit of a Resist Poison effect to counter the alcohol, or skooma. I use both Blue and Yellow Mountain Flowers, which is why it comes out a bit green."

"Where do you get Yellow ones from?" Gilda wanted to know. She'd seen Red, Blue and Purple just about everywhere, but not Yellow.

"Serana found them in Dayspring Canyon, which isn't far from here. There's isn't a large supply of those, but they are useful for the special potions.

Ingun had a number of other mixtures, all of them good to drink. Well, except one. As she explained, only Argonians like the Nightshade tea. Its effects on the other races were unfortunate, to say the least. Mostly just nausea-inducing, but apparently High Elves had a particularly bad reaction to it, perhaps because of their weakness to magic in general.

"So do I get the job?" Ingun asked.

"You've impressed me as much with your clothes on as you did with them off, lass," Bryjolf replied. "But it's the Guildmaster who has the ultimate decision-making authority. I just advise."

Gilda looked over at Clark. "So, which do you think? Better with them off, or with them on?"

"I think she deserves the job," Clark replied, avoiding the question. "She'll have to keep her clothes on until Vicuña gets here and signs her up, or her motives will be suspect, anyway. However, if she really wants to clinch it, I have one more thing she could do."

"What's that?" Ingun asked.

"You know Niluva Hlaalu? The Dunmer with the skooma problem? If you can help her clean up her act, you both get jobs. Mix her up a batch of Fortify Resolve potions, because that's what she needs."

---

Gilda and Clark had just returned from visiting Vex, to find out more about the Stones of Barenziah. Her story about the thief breaking up the Crown to cover his tracks seemed a bit suspicious. How did she know about that? Did she have any connection to that thief? Best not to ask. It can't have been long ago, and it might have been a member of the Thieves Guild. Mercer Frey came to mind, although they couldn't see any reason for Vex to cover for him.

Whatever the truth was, Vex had pointed them to Tolvald's Cave, not far to the north, which was reputed to be full of Falmer.

"Not unlike Irkngthand," Gilda noted. "I'm getting even more of an echo of Mercer Frey here."

"And so it's going to be a job for the sneaky, rather than clanking tanks like Iona and Mjoll. Neither of them are Thieves Guild members, either, so there's no reason for them to help."

"Other than Iona being your housecarl, and Mjoll her best friend," Gilda reminded him.

"Still, it might be better to ask Brynjolf and Karliah to accompany you again," Clark reasoned.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Yes, of course. This whole collection is as much my project as yours. I just meant that I wasn't there the first time, in Irkngthand."

"It would have been much easier if you were," she replied, ruefully. "We really could have used some wards when Mercer was tossing his Illusion spells. The Falmer mages were a major pain, too."

[Acadian]

What a delightful delve into bartending, TES style! As ever, your detail is very well thought out and logical.

Uh oh, looks like more Falmer Fightin’ ahead.

[Grits]

I love the Skyrim-style magical cocktails! Clark is a genius to put Ingun to the task of cleaning up Niluva.

Ooo, I’m glad Clark is going to Tovald’s Cave. That’s one of my favorite locations. How fun to go there with Brynjolf and Karliah!

[ghastley]

Acadian: Waitress/Cocktail maker is about the only thing Ingun can do now. Leaving her around saves me trying to re-purpose the Black-Briar house, too.

Grits: Clark may not think Tolvald's is fun by the time he gets out.

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

Previously: Clark, Gilda and Brynjolf interviewed Ingun for a job as waitress at the club, and then they set off for Tolvald's Cave with Karliah, to look for Barenziah's Crown.

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

Part 83 - Tolvald's Cave

The first part of Tolvald's cave was full of bears, but Karliah and Bryjolf succeeded in felling them before they even noticed the intruders in their den. Both archers shooting at the same bear made sure it died before it could alert the next one, and these two had obviously worked together before.

There were several dead hunters lying in the cave, who hadn't been so successful, and an even larger number of bear traps, most of which were curiously still set. Perhaps the hunters had relied too much on the traps, forgetting that bears can easily detect the scent of a human on one, and avoid it.

They encountered more bears (and more dead hunters) in the tunnel leading from the entry cave.

Before long, they started to see signs of Dwemer and Falmer construction in the rock passages, and it wouldn't be much further before they met some of the Falmer inhabitants.

"This room looks like a dead end," Gilda remarked. "You don't think the crown's in that chest, do you?"

"No, I think that's probably a trap," Clark replied. "We haven't seen any Falmer yet, but we know they're here somewhere. I'd guess that the way out is hidden, And the Falmer are waiting just beyond."

"You're right about a trap," agreed Brynjolf. "Look at these dart holes all pointed at the chest. I don't see any way to disarm it, though."

"Well, this chain will either do that, or open the door to go further," Karliah announced.

"Maybe both," Clark agreed. "just let us all get clear of the chest before you pull it."

Two hidden doors, not one, opened when Karliah pulled the chain. Clark checked for signs of life in each direction before picking one at random. They followed the tunnel round in a circle and came back to the same room with the chest, before doing it again, and taking a different turn half-way. The second time around there was a Falmer waiting for them, but Clark detected him before he could do anything and the archers made sure he didn't.

"And I'm detecting a lot more of his friends just up ahead. I'll go first, with my ward and shield. Archers right behind behind me, please, and Gilda, guard the rear. If there are any more hidden doors they could get behind us."

Clark rapidly discovered that he was the least sneaky of the party, especially when using his ward. That made him everybody's target, and when the shaman blinded everyone's vision with a cloud of frost, it was hard to see the incoming arrows, or to send ones back. Yes, Karliah and Bryjolf had taken two of the Falmer archers out of the picture, but just about all of them had a bow.

Clark already knew that arrows hurt you twice, as they needed to be pulled out before you could heal. He was reminded that cursing all archers wasn't a good idea when half your party used a bow.

"If we meet another group further in," he decided, "We'll try another tactic. Instead of using my ward to counter the shaman, I'd like you two to prevent the blinding spells before they get cast. Since this outfit also gives me a lot of magicka regeneration, I'll use fireballs to follow up your arrows. Hopefully it will make it hard for them to fire back with any accuracy. I know you can't blind a Falmer, but fireballs are also loud, so maybe they'll have the same effect."

It worked, but maybe not as well as he'd hoped. He couldn't send fireballs in all directions, and once the initial disorientation of the attack had passed, they were soon shooting at him again. However, now he could at least see the incoming arrows, and had a chance to dodge, or deflect them with his shield.

After passing under a waterfall, the passages were becoming more Dwemer ruin, and less cave, again. They were starting to see pipework, and the floor was paved, although more like a street than the floor of a hall. They were probably passing between buildings, rather than through them, although there's less of a distinction underground.

And Clark guessed that they were quite close to Morrowind, now. They'd been travelling East, as well as down, for some time. There were signs that this tunnel might have been used as a route between Morrowind and Skyrim. He recalled that Valus Passage, the cave where the Mythic Dawn had held Ystrel, had been used that way until it collapsed. That had lead from Morrowind to Cyrodiil, of course, but it was in part of the same range of mountains as this one.

He noticed a mouldy journal lying next to a skeleton near the path. It told him that the party had indeed come from Morrowind, fleeing the effects of the Red Mountain eruption. It looked like they'd run into Falmer, and their Chaurus pets. It was hard to tell a Falmer skeleton from a Dunmer one, but the empty shells of the Chaurus were unmistakable.

Another journal, perhaps written just before their final battle, noted that they'd decided to take a stand in the large room the party had just entered. There did seem to be enough debris to suggest a major convoy had been ambushed here, with broken carts and chests lying all around. A skeleton's outstreched hand appeared to be point to something.

"Is that the Crown?" Gilda exclaimed, noticing a glint of shiny metal in the heap of debris.

Karliah could see it too, and she was closer. Brynjolf lifted a big chunk of broken timber, and Karliah reached under and pulled the shiny object out. As she did so, three spectral figures appeared in the room, and attacked!

They appeared to be the ghosts of the caravan guards, as they were dressed in Elven Armour. At least one was a battlemage, and Clark was regretting his decision not to use his ward at all times. It took a few vital seconds to raise it, and they'd been taken by surprise.

But the Dunmer ghosts were out-numbered, and out-matched. Clark's shield served well enough, and everyone in his party had an enchanted weapon, and better armour than their adveraries.

"Now we have to find our way back out," Brynjolf reminded them, "without paying a visit to Morrowind."

---

"That went a lot easier than I expected," Karliah told her father. "Detecting the Falmer with that spell of yours meant they didn't get to drop down behind us, like they usually do."

Clark rubbed the sore spots on his shoulder that reminded him it hadn't been easy for everyone. "But Gilda and I wouldn't have been able to deal with them so easily without your bows. So bringing you and Brynjolf along was just as important."

"Having the right team for a job, always makes it easier, lass" Brynjolf concurred. "And that's why Nocturnal wanted us for her Nightingales."

"You were a Nightingale, once, weren't you, Father. Why did you give that up?"

"Because of you. Your mother and I retired to raise you. Dralsi went back to being a Nightingale after, but I didn't. I'd become one before I was made immortal, and it was part of the oath that you'd serve Nocturnal after death, which no longer applied. Since she was the one, or rather one of the two, who did that, I figured that she'd anulled my oath. Azura had an equal claim on me, too."

"So you're still bound to Nocturnal, but in a different way?"

"I wouldn't call it bound. She deserves my devotion, so she gets it."

"Do I deserve some?" Gilda asked.

"Not until we get home," Clark responded.

[Acadian]

This was great fun to read because Buffy clears Tolvald’s cave for fun with some regularity (I have dungeons set to respawn every three game days), so it is pleasantly familiar. Always interesting to see how others deal with the same challenges she faces.

Poor Clark was kinda screwed at one point. He needed his ward vs that shaman, but enemy archers just love foes who toss up such a nice bright target (ward). Clark does have a talent, however, for choosing the right party with the right skills for the job – and this dungeon crawl was no exception.

Nice job!

[Grits]

The gang may have seen the remains of my Riften guard Sergeant Gregor Gregorsson in there. Tolvald’s Cave is where he fell to a snow bear.

Clark’s dilemma of how to curse only certain archers made me chuckle. Jerric can relate. Ooo, Bear Riders reference!

I love following Clark’s reasoning as he thinks through the challenges. Definitely more fun for me than for Clark, as reading the adventure did not give me a sore shoulder.

[ghastley]

Acadian: Clark appreciates having choices.

Grits: Lots of remains in that place. It would be hard to distinguish fresh ones from older ones. Clark is used to being a pincushion when archers are around, but he doesn't like it.

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

Previously: Clark and Gilda had finished collecting all Stones of Barenziah, and then took Brynjolf and Katriah with them to collect the crown from Tolvald's cave.

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

Part 84 - Arkngthamz

Vex was delighted to see the Crown again. "I'll get Madesi to help put this all back together again, and we'll put it on display down in the Cistern. It will be just the thing to boost Guild morale."

"You've got quite a collection down there already, haven't you?" Clark inquired. Gilda had already told him about the things she'd gathered for Delvin.

Vex admitted that part of it was to restore the balance, so that Delvin wouldn't get all the glory, but the Crown was supposed to have magical properties in its complete state, that would be particularly helpful to the Guild. Something about the Crown attracting gems, so they'd find more in their loot.

---

"Doesn't it bug you that you did all the work, and Vex and Delvin take all the credit?" Clark asked Gilda.

"No, because I'm the Guildmaster, and they're doing it for the Guild. Each collection is their responsibility to organise, and who does the collecting is secondary. It's just a coincidence that I found everything in Delvin's set. Any of the others could have brought things in. And I only found a few of the Stones. I think you found more than I did."

"True, and Jordis, Brelyna, Mjoll and Lydia aren't even in the Guild. They all found stones for us."

"Exactly. Now, what I'm going to do next, I do expect full recognition for."

---

"Here's something we could do together," Clark announced. "I picked this old book up in Ilinalta Deep when we went looking for Azura's Star, and I haven't found the place it mentions. It's one of the Dwemer ruins, and I thought we might ask Mjoll if she's heard of it."

"What's the name? I might even know about it myself," Gilda replied.

"Arkngthamz. I hope I pronounced that right."

"Better ask Mjoll."

Mjoll didn't know where that one was either. "But I see the book says it's in the Reach. I haven't done much ruin-hunting there. I was working my way west when I got interrupted at Mzinchaleft."

"We could ask Calcelmo," Clark suggested.

"Or Aicantar," Gilda added with a wistful smile. "He's a lot more helpful than his uncle."

---

"I'll take care of Clark while you go and see Aicantar," Vicuña told Gilda. "Take your time. He needs to check the books, too."

Clark hadn't been back to the Markarth brothel more than a couple of times since he bought it. The last time, Rhiada had just had her baby, and now he was just starting to try and walk. He was called Eltrys, after his late father, but the name "Junior" had stuck.

"I'm still working hard on the books, but I do get to lie down from time to time, now." Rhiada laughed, as she steered Junior around the table.

"How's Betrid doing?" Clark asked.

"She's still a bit difficult. Letting the men spank her for a few extra septims has helped, but she still complains that half of them don't know how to do it properly."

"So should we give a class, and maybe charge a bit for the lessons? Betrid would be happier, and we'd make some more income out of the problem."

---

Gilda returned several hours later to find a semi-circle of men watching Clark, who was sitting on a chair with Betrid across his knees. When Clark had finished the demonstration, and let the first of the trainees try his hand, she finally got to pass on what Aicantar had told her.

"There's a ruin out past Dushnik Yal, that's probably this Arkngthamz. It's starting to cave in, with the rock it was built into being eroded by the river than runs through it. Calcelmo decided it was too unstable to investigate, and he was too busy with Nchuand-Zel, anyway."

"I presume there will be the usual automata and Falmer to deal with, or were they bright enough to move out?"

"He didn't say. We should probably assume there are still some left."

---

When they found the ruins, the ground outside was shaking. Presumably, deeper in, something had just collapsed. They went in anyway. The entrance building looked solid enough and they'd evaluate the risks when they could see them.

Not far in, they heard a woman's voice, advising them to turn back. Not surprisingly, they didn't, as now they wanted to find out whose voice it was, and maybe help her leave, too.

When they emerged from the first few corridors, some of which were leaning over at an angle, they found themselves in a large cavern that appeared to be the centre of the collapse. Where one wall of the hall would have been, was now a deep pit, and rocks were falling from the roof into water at the bottom. They could hear the splashes, even before they reached the edge to look down.

And a ghostly figure had just materialised in front of them. "You're persistent," she told them, "but if you keep going, you'll end up like me."

She pointed down at a rock in the middle of the river. A woman's body, dressed in the steel armour that all housecarls seemed to start with, lay on the rock. "That's where I fell to. You'll probably want to read my journal, if you're intending to keep going. It will explain a lot."

They could reach the rock by walking down a fallen column that had wedged itself between the rock and the edge of the platform they were on. From there, other pieces of masonry and pipework could be scaled to go further into the ruin.

Katria's journal held a sketched map of Skyrim with this, and a number of other Dwemer sites marked on it. There were notes from her research, and a diagram of the front of a building in the ruin.

"That's the tonal lock puzzle I was working on when the Falmer interrupted me," Katria added. "I ran away from them, back into the main chamber, but lost my footing on a wet log, and fell all the way down here. I was so close!"

"This is deeper into the ruin, but it's above us?"

"Yes, once we go into this part of the building, we go up some stairs, and come out again further up. Then there are ramps along the walls of the cavern, and you reach another chamber above this one. I can show you the way, but I won't be much help against the Falmer or the spheres and spiders in the buildings. The best I can manage is to distract them. They can hear me as well as you do, I assume."

It turned out that she was quite good at that. If she fired an arrow in their direction, they could hear it, just as if a more solid archer had fired it. Then Gilda could sneak behind them and strike more effectively.

It took a long time to climb up through the large cavern, but eventually they reached the upper chamber. The roof of that had obviously caved in a long time ago, and trees were growing in the light that poured in from above.

"There's my bow!" Katria exclaimed. "Out there, on the log. That's where I fell from, so be careful when you fetch it."

Since Clark didn't use a bow, and Gilda couldn't, they probably would have just left it there, but Katria was so insistent that it was a special bow. And when Clark finally did retrieve it, she was right. Zephyr had an enchantment for rapid fire, a unique one that neither Clark nor Gilda had seen before. Katria didn't remember where she'd got it, or if it had any Daedric connections. "I probably found it in a chest in a cave somewhere. You know how that happens."

This post has been edited by ghastley: Apr 18 2019, 05:38 PM

[Acadian]

Gilda’s attitude about who gets credit for TG stuff speaks highly of her character and leadership.

When seeking an unknown Dwemer ruin, I like how they went to Mjoll who suggested Calcelmo for info. Then I laughed when it seems clear that Gilda finds Aicantar more. . . palatable.

Clark the spanking instructor.

Katria’s quest! Leave it to Clark to figure out how to best use the combat skills of a ghost. I wonder if the ghostly Katria will tempt him into necrophilia.


Nits:
- ’...Crown was supposed to have magical properties in its complete state, that would be particuarly {particularly} helpful to the Guild.’
- "We could ask Cancelmo, {Calcelmo?}"
- ’Cancelmo {Calcelmo again} decided it was too unstable to investigate, and he was too busy with Nchuand-Zel, anyway."

[ghastley]

Oops! I've been spelling Calcelmo's name wrong since part 11. At least I was consistent!