Locke's Journal, Or: The Ramblings of a Dunmer Criminal Options

[BobV]

I am Locke, a man of the Dunmer race, or a Dark Elf as anyone without dark skin and pointy ears would say. The goal of this journal is to serve as a chronicle of my exile to Vvardenfell- and to perhaps provide those who would engage in various acts of unlawful nature with bits of advice and experience.

Thrown into the Imperial Prison for stealing everything that wasn't nailed down or on fire wherever I happened to be, my punishment was, after a month of waiting, a lifetime exile to the island of Vvardenfell. Vvardenfell was, to my luck, not a desolate prison island. It was, however, a hellhole filled with danger. And opportunity, to people with the wits to seize it... I like to count myself amongst them.

The boat ride to Vvardenfell was pleasant enough... I spent most of the time sleeping in the hold, and unlike what most people think, I find the rolling of a ship to be quite comfortable for one seeking to sleep. The constant creaking, on the other hand, is a bit less comfortable, but I digress.

I arrived at the small port town of Seyda Neen at dawn. A typical seaside hamlet, it reeked strongly of fish. It is a mix of stone cottages and fisherman's huts, with the Imperial Census Office and Arrile's tradehouse being the only two-story buildings. As I gazed about the town, a scruffy little bosmer bumped into me, seemingly engrossed in searching for something.

"Excuse me, sir" , the Bosmer began in that voice all Bosmer seem to have, and which I greatly hate "I've lost my ring...have you seen it? An engraved ring of healing, it's an uh...family heirloom of mine."

In fact, this ring that the wood elf spoke of was amongst the many other unguarded valuables I had liberated from the Imperial Census Office. It was a minor magical bauble and I had intended to keep it for a while. However, despite his nondescript and somewhat annoying appearance I had a feeling he might be of use to me, and I have learned a long time ago to look past appearances. Therefore, I took the ring out of one of the bags I had filled with my findings and handed it to the bosmer, who took it and began to do a little dance, until I cleared my throat, returning his attention towards me.

"Thank you, thank you!" , the wood elf began, excited. "You're now my favorite friend! Name's Fargoth, by the way. I'll be sure to tell my friend Arrille, who runs the tradehouse around here. Uh, what's your name?"

I then realized a cover identity would be useful, and that getting in good with the local merchant would be just as useful.

"Veldur Sedrani" , I replied. Fargoth nodded and ran off into the Tradehouse, from which he returned moments later, giving me a sly wink. I walked into the local Tradehouse, and was politely greeted by the owner, one of the High Elves.

"You're the one who helped Fargoth, aren't you? Veldur Sedrani, I presume. I am Arrile, owner of Arrile's Tradehouse. I barter for goods or coin. Can I interest you in anything of my inventory?"

I was able to make a deal for a suit of armor made out of the shell of something, lacking greaves, a shortbow made of the same material, a quiver of iron arrows, dual steel wakizashis, and some tools of the trade in exchange for the silverware I had stolen from the office and the money I had acquired or had been granted as a bit of aid in getting a new life... Or rather, resuming my old life of crime.

Thus equipped, I decided to get acquantainced with more of the locals, and headed upstairs to the bar. A burly nord in Imperial Legion armor, with some local alcoholic drink on his breath, motioned me closer.

"I 'ear ye are a friend o' Fargoth." , the Nord began. News seemed to travel fast in these parts. "Tha's good, aye it is. Ye fancy makin' yeself a bit o' coin?"

When I confirmed this, the nord continued. "Grea'. Ye see, I 'ad a bit o' bad luck playen' noine-holes, an' I'm in a bit o' debt with Ganciele. Usually o'd be able t'afferd it oot'o' tha money th' locals pay us fer...pretection...but some o' de buggers be holdin' oot on me, 'specially tha' wee cur Fargeth. I know 'e be hidin' 'is money some'ere, bu' I done searched 'is 'ole cottage an' dinna found nothing. I think 'e is hidin' it summere aroond town. Wait ye till night falls, aye, and take ye position on top o' th' Lighthouse, where ye gots a great view on things. Observe Fargeth frem there, watch 'is movements, an' when ye've found his spot, take ye th' stash. Bring th' money ta me - I'll be lettin' ye keep a third o' et, an' wha'e'er else ye may find. Be we 'avin' a deal, Veldur?"

"Yes, we have..." , I replied. Already I had formed the plan to doublecross the nord and just keeping the whole of it. I then engaged in conversation with two scouts- one was a female redguard, Elone, who gave me directions to nearby settlements. Another one, a nord called Raflod - Raflod the Braggart, the locals call him - told me that this area, the Bitter Coast, is a haven for smugglers due to its many secluded coves, caverns, and bays. He also told me that there is an interesting establishment in the town of Suran, called the House of Earthly Delights, that I should visit whenever I'm there. It sounds promising , and I think I know just what sort of establishment it is. This whole Suran sounds like a suitable town for me to commit 'business' - though my destination is Balmora, a city that sounds very promising and is not that far away. My mind filled with new information and schemes, I gave the locals my goodbyes and exited the tradehouse.

[To be continued - I hope my attention span allows me to]

[BobV]

As I left the tradehouse with my newly bought equipment and proceeded to traverse the rickety wooden bridge out of town, I bumped into an old altmer hag, with the typical arrogance of her race that I was glad Arrile didn't have.

"I haven't seen your Dunmeri face around here before" , she exclaimed haughtily. "Would you like a little advice outlander?"

Controlling my anger, I nodded, and she continued. "You look like you can handle yourself. Why don't you go take care of those dreadful smugglers at Addamasartus cave? It's just on the other side of the silt strider...But those guards! Someone must have paid them to ignore what's going on over there!"

As I continued on my way I thought about this. The Guards in this village looked like they were put here from punishment - most likely they were taking bribes from local smugglers because their wages were low. I readied my bow and opened the door leading into the cavern, and found a Dunmeri woman next to a campfire. She did not have friendly intentions, however, as she immediately ran for me with a drawn weapon. I fired a volley of arrows at her but missed, and as she got close and scratched me on the shoulder - good thing I was wearing pauldrons - I unsheathed my two wakizashis. Blocking her blows with the one in my off-hand I repeatedly slashed at her, and she soon fell down dead. I searched her body and exchanged my prisoner rags for the relatively unscathed clothing she was wearing, which despite the fact it was a bit small was better than the prisoner's garb. I also took some coins and a key, and continued on my way, being careful to hide in the shadows.

On a platform further in the cave behind me, a lone cloaked figure stood. I nocked back an arrow, which impaled itself in the figure's shoulder. Cursing, he ran towards my position and chanted in the daedric tongue, causing magical fire to wreath all around me. If it was not for the resistance to fire my Dunmer blood gives me, I might very well have ended up dead by that. I took out my wakizashis and repeatedly stabbed the caster, preventing him from being able to cast any more spells. He turned to run but I ran my blades through his back. I did a quick search of the body but he had nothing of value and the cloak was too messed to use. Continuing on, I was met by a Dunmeri woman who rapidly threw throwing stars at me. They did not deal any serious damage, and I was able to get close enough to make short work of her. A search of her body yielded a lockpick and a probe which might come of use in the future.

I have done a search of the cavern and have found various goods that I may sell to Arrile. I have also found some special goods - moon sugar and skooma - for which I will need to find a less scrupulous merchant. My search of the cave also yielded something very interesting: Slaves. Two Argonians and a Khajiit, stuck in a cage of sorts. It turned out they are bound by magical bracers and that the key I took from the woman near the entrance could open their bracers. Ignoring their pleas for release I proclaimed they were now my property - they will serve to earn me some good coin on the slave market. I will stay in these caves for a few hours, to let my wounds heal, then I shall sell the legitimate goods to Arrile, take Fargoth's stash, and then leave with the less legal goods. Suran sounds promising, I will try to sell them there.

[Soulseeker3.0]

not bad Bob.

[Neck' Thall]

Nice...hey are you Nord Locke of Morrowind from the ES Forums?

[BobV]

No. Locke seems to be a frequently used name :/ I think I stole it from someone

And now for ze next installment:

I emerged from the cavern in the evening, legitimate goods in tow. Hurrying myself to the local Tradehouse, I was able to make a good deal with Arrile, earning 320 septims and a quiver of chitin arrows. I then headed for the lighthouse, where I lingered a bit reading a book (which I stole. I'm trying to start a book collection - reading was always something I liked.) about the gang of a female orcish ex-bandit attempting to ruin her marriage. The battle scenes in the book provided me with some insight in fighting without armor - something which I have very little skill in. As it grew dark, I climbed the lighthouse, spotting a sneaking figure with a torch. Fargoth should take a great many lessons in stealth. Fargoth skulked around town, stopping for a while at a hollow tree in the middle of a murky pond, doing something - he had extinguished his torch, so I couldn't see what exactly he was doing - then returning home. As soon as the Bosmer was out of sight, I nonchalantly walked up to the hollow tree, snatching a bag that the bosmer had put in there. Opening it, I found three-hundred septims, a lockpick of better quality than most I had acquired in my very short time on Vvardenfell, and the healing ring I had given him earlier.

This gave me a good bit of starting coin, and I headed back into the cave, picking up the slaves and skooma. Chaining the slaves to eachother, I headed out into the night, the mist providing me with an excellent cover. The journey was uneventfull as I passed the town of Pelagiad -where I put my torch away just in case- and several farmhouses and plantations, with the inhabitants sleeping. I arrived at Suran at dawn, and by a stroke of luck the first building I saw was labeled "Suran Slave Market". I was able to get 500 septims for the three slaves - not a lot, but it is something. As I write this I am in a room in the Suran Tradehouse. I shall rest a bit, then have a look around the town. This house of Earthly Delights certainly seems interesting.

This post has been edited by BobV: Aug 11 2005, 04:42 PM

[Kiln]

You've done a really good job with telling exactly what he's doing and I really liked the way you started this story. *Applause*

[Soulseeker3.0]

very nice, I almost (not ver much BUT a little) feel sorry for the slaves.

btw can you really sell slaves in morrowind? not meaning to mess with your story but I would love to try and sell them myself.

[treydog]

Good start- interesting choice to sell the slaves- of course it fits with Locke's personality.

[BobV]

I have a mod that allows people to give orders to those that have a high disposition to them or are of a lower rank than the PC in the same faction (Dracandros' voice) It was a matter of consoling their dispositions to 100, commanding them to follow me, going to suran, commanding them to stay, and console 500 gp into my inventory.

Cheating, in a way, but it's ICly justified cheating.

And here is the next part:

No rest for the wicked, they say. While my first day was quite hectic, I was able to find a good rest at the Suran Tradehouse after parting with the slaves. I slept until midday, after which I entered the town refreshed. My first stop was at the local tailor where I purchased a bit expensive clothes, colored blue and in local style. I then went to the House of Earthly delights, where the first thing I saw was a threesome of young girls - a redguard, a nord and a breton - fully naked and performing a somewhat erotic dance on platforms. I identified the owner of the establishment - a breton female, only a few years older than the dancers - by the fact she was only half naked. Walking over to her, I noticed the moon sugar they were serving and I was able to sell her some, though she had far from enough money to buy the whole lot. Lightheaded - which might have had something to do with the unclad dancers and my examination of her uncovered breasts as we made the moon sugar deal - I inquired about the availability of intimate services.

"They're occupied" , she said, grinning. "I'd do you a turn myself, if the money was right, but I've got an establishment to run. Some other time, though..."

Note to self: Take up this offer

"BARKEEP!" , came a slurred voice from the corner. As Desele - as I learned the name of the owner of the establishment was - walked over to the corner I turned my gaze there, seeing a bald, aging, and very drunk breton dressed in some sort of local leather armor. "Shtupid shlaves" , he muttered as Desele put some local liquor on his table. This comment piqued my interest, and I walked over to the table. "It's on me" , I said, and the Breton brightened visibly. As I sat down, he started blurting out a flood of words.

"Thank ya. Ya hash a heart o' gold, I tell ya that. Daric Beille'sh th' name. Shtupid slaves. Been trackin' one for who knows how long now...Haj-ei, the bugger's called. Even hired me a tracker - Hides-His-Eyes, an argonian too, but o' a good sort. He even showed me thish place - he seems to prefer the tradehouse though. Lizard don' know what he's missin'. Tell ya sommin...It may seem like a longshot, but ya know what? Ya get me Haj-ei and I'll reward ya."

This seemed like a good enough way to earn some coin for myself, so I agreed. Being only a novice in the business of slave trading I saught out the town's resident expert on slavery - Dranas Sarathram, owner of the Slave Market whom I had sold my first slaves to just a few hours ago. After greasing his palms a bit with some septims, I related the tale of Daric and Haj-ei. As I finished the tale, I noticed a twinkle in Dranas' eye.

"Heh. Shall I tell you something? Haj-ei translates directly to Hides-His-Eyes. That Breton of yours is being fooled."

As he finished saying this, we both roared with laughter. Thanking Dranas - it was always good to have a friendship with a knowledgable and influential slave trader -I left the slave market with the intent of relaying this information to Bielle.


This post has been edited by BobV: Aug 11 2005, 09:08 PM

[Neck' Thall]

Nice...but u havent aswered my question...

ohh i also like your little laugh with the slave trader...i never did this quest cuz my char against slaves cuz he's a Khajiit.

[BobV]

I put the answer above the chapter In any case, back to telling more of the life and times of Locke the Dunmeri Criminal.

Daric shrugged in disbelief as I informed him that his guide was the slave he saught. He still gave me the promised reward - 150 septims - , stating that he was able to get credit here for a while longer. Casting a last glance at the naked dancers and at Desele's ... womanhood, as I have taken to calling it, I decided to leave Suran before Haj-ei found out. To this end, I decided to take a silt strider. A native, gigantic insect domesticated by the Dunmer and used as a transportation device through manipulation of the Silt Strider's organs, if I remember the driver's explanation correctly.

In any case, the ride in the silt strider from Suran to Balmora took several hours which I used to write the events in Suran.
As I arrived at the city of Balmora - the first time I have found a settlement on Vvardenfell worthy of the name 'City' - I decided to do what I usually do when in new territory: Getting acquainted with the locals. To this end, I entered a commoner's tavern called the Eight Plates. As I entered my attention was drawn towards a scene at the bar- the owner and the patrons , all native dunmer, were giving a somewhat attractive Imperial woman a hard time, laughing at her when she asked for a bed for the night. I smirked a bit as the owner grudgingly agreed to give her a spare room.

Ordering some flin, I saw the Imperial woman return and took a position in the shadows - I can be quite stealthy when I wish to. She asked for something to eat, and the owner of the establishment, whom I realized as quite the shrew by now, told her there was nothing left. A savage-looking Dunmer came out of the shadows somewhere and shared words with the shrew, who sent him a hateful glare and went to prepare some eggs. The woman went to her room, followed not too long after by the savage who carried her food. My well-trained mind calculated the possibility that the savage would attempt to get the Imperial to use the bed for a very intimate meeting with him. I did not see a practical use for this information so I left the establishment after finishing my flin.

As I did so, I struck up a conversation with a guard just about to enter the tavern after getting off duty. The topic quickly came to be House Hlaalu, the ruling house of the city, which the guard served. It piqued my interest: House Hlaalu was a house of shrewd businessmen, he said, and friendly to outlanders. They allow outlanders to join - some of their council members are outlanders, even - and I will do this next thing to morrow. I have found accomodations at an outlander tavern called the Lucky Lockup, and am now going to sleep.



By the way...

Dibs on position of hlaalu head honcho in the Trey-Minque- continuity!!11!one!

[minque]

Hoah!! Finally got around to read this one....and did i not spot something rather familiar? I must say.....I´m flattered..Serene´s ordeal at Eight Plates in another guy´s version..great i´d say.

A very good story this, I can´t wait to see an update....

[BobV]

I think I'm doing a pretty fast pace, and I'm glad to see there are people out there that don't hate my writing. I'll also try to make it shamelessly cross over with other fanfics whenever possible.

[minque]

He..you do that..I like it very much..so feel free to "meet" with Serene whenevar you want!!!

[Neck' Thall]

Hey nice one Bobv, But hey minque u didnt say anything about my mention of u in mine...

[Soulseeker3.0]

great two additions Bobv


its okay Neck' Thall...

[BobV]

Minque...Just be sure to have Serene take notice of the shifty-eyed cloaked dunmer she keeps seeing everywhere. That is, if she can actually see him, because he is quite stealthy.

Oh, and yet another update. Ain't I the greatest...?

I left the tavern a few hours after dawn. Entering a local shop, I purchased a black armored cloak from a bosmer, along with some black clothing and light netch leather boots... A perfect outfit for those who seek to remain unseen. Clad thus, I left the establishment and walked around the city for a bit. After some searching, I came upon a hill which seemed to house the homes of the better-off. I saw the Imperial woman - I caught her name, Serene it was - entering the local tailor, but paid her no heed as I entered a large stone building, proudly named the House Hlaalu Government Building. Inside two dunmer and a female high elf were going about their business, with a middle aged dunmeri woman giving them directions occasionally. Recognizing a leader, I adressed the Dunmer female, who introduced herself as Nileno Dorvayn, saying that she kept things running in Balmora in the absence of the ruling Hlaalu councilors - which was most of the time, she added.

"Are you here to join House Hlaalu?" , she asked.

"Yes" , I responded.

"Good. I will need your name."

"Locke" , I responded. Nobody'd be able to connect me with Veldur Sedrani - and nobody had reason to.

"Excellent...I hereby declare you a Hireling of House Hlaalu. When you are ready for it , we may discuss business and your advancement in the house."

I grinned. "I'd like to discuss ... business ... right now."

Nileno's eyes narrowed in thought. "Say that again, Locke."

"I'd like to discuss ... business ... right now." , I repeated, somewhat puzzled. Nileno gave me a satisfied, approving smile.

"How wonderful...You sound just like Felsen Sethandus, a member of House Redoran who did...uh...just recently. Best not to dwell on that. His House does not know of his death, which is an opportunity that we could make good use of. Felsen was disfigured in battle, you see, and always wore a helmet that obscured his face. I happen to posses the helmet. If you're willing, you could use it to disguise as Felsen and intercept some orders for the settlement of Maar Gan from Neminda, the redoran taskmistress. You'll need to tell her you're an orphan of Arnesia - Neminda's a young female redguard, by the way. Then bring the message to me. You'll be rewarded well."

Taking the full faced, rather heavy helmet, I nodded and told Nileno I'd return with the documents in hand. I left the building, pondering the best way to convincingly pose as this Felsen Sethandus fellow, who no doubt had been killed by the hand of my new found house. I looked up from my pondering as I saw several guards near the tailor's establishment, dragging off a man. I smirked. Caught attempting to steal clothes, most likely.

[Soulseeker3.0]

good job kiln's guy?

[BobV]

Yuz. If anyone's curious how he looks, by the way, here's a picture.

Locke, as later painted by a Hlaalu artisan

[Soulseeker3.0]

not bad at all, he looks cool