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

[Acadian]

I very much like how Joan considers and adjusts her appearance and presentation carefully based on mission and tactical considerations. Like wearing a Daria bug hat cuirass.

More subterfuge it seems, but at least Joan is more prepared today to defend herself.

"And how fares thee on this blustery day?"
- - Skillfully and efficiently done, sharing with us that that it is a blustery day via dialogue rather than describing the weather via narrative.

And now, off to hunt down a heretical book.

[WellTemperedClavier]

Morrowind does have a way of hardening the visitor, and it looks like it's finally happening to Joan, at least a little bit. The province is definitely one where you have to watch out for yourself (not that Cyrodiil is devoid of such areas, *cough cough* Bravil *cough*).

On the plus side, she is making progress. Wonder what she'll think about the whole Nerevarine thing as she gets more involved?

[Renee]

Life's been busy, and sometimes we gotta attend to these events, right? Daughter's back in college, basically. But besides all of that, the final part of Vivec Informants took an incredible amount of time.

@SubRosa: Not just a random NPC, but one of the random NPCs which I added to Vivec's outdoor cantons. I don't know how to make quests or dialog yet for Morrowind, nor am I interested in learning at the moment. So that was pretty bizarre.

@Acadian: My characters (some of them) are concerned about what others think. Hera Tyych for instance is part of Morag Tong, which is similar to Dark Brotherhood. Whenever she's on a writ to assissinate her next target, my gosh does she put a lot of thought into changing clothes, wearing helmets, and so on. It's quite a lot of fun from my perspective.

And yes, blustery! It's Sun's Dusk after all!

@WellTemperedClavier: You said it, man. Vvardenfell can really harden an Outlander. No silly Cyrodiilic conversations to chuckle over, no goofy faces behind those counters, and Joan (who was practically an adult when she was a child) is finding herself growing up even faster.

I appreciate everyone's attention. Next chapter should be up in a few...

[Renee]

Chapter XXXII -- Vivec Informants III: Addhiranirr

18 Sun's Dusk (Day 95), early morning


The final tryst on Caius's list is with Addhiranirr, a Khajiit Thieves Guild operative who supposedly dwells in St. Olms Canton. She'd already been to St. Olms a few days ago, yet was unable to locate this particular cat-person, nor was she able to even find the Thieves Guild.

"Good morning!"
"How are you today?"

She breaks her night's fast on the 18th day of Sun's Dusk with a meal of kwama eggs and saltice. Today she'll need to look for Addhiranirr again, this time focusing on any sort of cornerclub which resides within the canton. One thing’s for sure, if the Thieves Guild is nestled somewhere in Vivec, they aren’t going to be in the habit of advertising their location. But the nefarious organizations of Vvardenfell seem to be in the habit of residing within these so-called cornerclubs.

She dons a new, second cuirass made of boiled leather (which she'd bought the day before) and decides to wear boots. She puts the Imperial gauntlets she'd worn the day before into her personal Fighters Guild chest, again fearing she’ll be noticed by the wrong person perhaps, if she’s wearing anything Imperial-made. She grabs her Daggar of Judgment and her cheap iron mace, and also her bagful of potions. Off she goes.

Starting down one of the long Foreign Quarter ramps, Joan remembers the dream she'd had the night before. In it, she'd been approached by an ominous gold-masked figure. The figure tried to cast some sort of magic, but the rest was vague. That was all she could recall. But it's the overall feeling of the dream which now catches her attention. It was not a good one.

She walks briskly, then she slows.

Something is wrong.

She rounds the corner to the left, walks halfway across the canton's second tier, and begins down one of its lower ramps.

"Haaaa!"

Somebody's rushing toward her, up the ramp from below! ... Whoever it is, he catches Joan off-guard. Again, this is the metropolis of Vivec. Who would expect to be attacked right here in the city?! She can see he’s an elf, a Dunmer who draws his weapon. Her first instinct is to fall back, which is a good choice in such a situation, because you never know who's about to trounce. It doesn't appear the elf wears any armor at all. But still, is her opponent some sort of grand master of weaponry? ... Best not to find out the wrong way.

Luckily for her there's an Ordinator nearby. -- "Halt right there, scum!" he calls, rounding the corner at full gallop, golden armor clanking. Joan sidesteps to the right to let the guard by, and though she readies her blade, the fight is over within three seconds, - "Ugh!" - with her adversary falling to a quick death.

The Ordinator sheaths his weapon, then turns to her. "If you're here for trouble," he says with his gravelly voice, "you'll get more than you bar-gained for."

Joan is too stunned to reply. The guard continues his patrol, as if nothing just happened. As he walks away, the Cheydinhalian tentatively decides to loot the prowler's body. Because at the moment, she's only got 36 gold to her name. If her attacker had anything of value, every little bit helps. Oddly, he hadn't been wearing any clothes or armor (he'd attacked wearing underclothes!) but he'd been wearing a helmet made of rare orcish material upon his head, which Joan quickly removes, and puts in her rucksack.

She continues on toward St. Olms, questions arise. Who was the elf who'd just surprised her? And did he have anything to do with Caius’s quest for information?

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

Joan reaches St. Olms by early afternoon when the sun's at its highest. First person she meets is a Nord who lives in a single room on the base of the canton. This Nord is an outlander like herself, named Hroa. Because Hroa seems to be in the same predicament as Joan (both of them are from outside the province), she decides the Nord is safe enough to speak with.

"Might you have knowledge regarding one local Khajiit by the name of Addhiranirr?" Joan cautions after some initial small talk.

"That sneak? She'll be here in St. Olms somewhere, although if the heat's on, she may not be parading around in public," Hroa informs, scoffing a bit. "Ask around. Perhaps someone else has seen her."

Ask around? Absolutely not. Too risky. Exactly what Caius warned she shouldn’t do. But it is interesting that the cat's name is known to the very first person Joan speaks to.

As she continues her search, she learns that St. Olms is a canton dedicated mostly to residencies. Elves, people, and beastfolk can purchase their own homes here, and this gives Joan an idea. Perhaps the Khajiit is holed up in one of the canton's many apartments and flats. If so, he'll be easy enough to find; there aren't very many of his kind in Vivec, after all.

She hasn’t much luck, though. She checks all the residences, all the shops, all the trade halls and unions. Overall, it takes seven more days to locate the Thieves Guild operative. Her search takes her deep into St. Olms's Underworks, but thankfully not past any locked doors. When she finally spots Addhiranirr, it’s merely while the aloof thief standing in an open section of the Underworks, right next to the smelly canal itself, not really hiding at all.

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

25 Sun's Dusk (Day 102), early morning

"Great. So Caius says to you, 'Speak with Addhiranirr.' And you have done this thing."

"Aye," Joan says. “As you have discerned, I am sent from Caius.”

"You are speaking with Addhiranirr. But Addhiranirr will not talk to you about the Nerevarine or the Sixth House cult. And because why?"

Joan the aspiring Blade does not reply, but she’s expecting some sort of roadblock here, some sort of reason why she cannot just ask her questions, get some answers, and move on. Everybody wants something, after all. Question is, what does the cat want?

"Because Addhiranirr is, at the moment, very distracted by a nice Census and Excise agent. Who also wants to speak with her."

Joan smiles briefly. "I ascertain some involvement concerning craftiness might be reckoned, eh? To put it shortly, perhaps something can be arranged regarding the agent?”

Everybody wants something. Addhiranirr tells Joan there's a Census and Excise agent here in St. Olms who wants to find her, apparently for getting in trouble with the law somehow. "Addhiranirr wants Caius's friend to make the agent go away. Get rid of himmm."

At first, Joan thinks the cat wants her to kill the agent, which is simply not going to happen. Joan of Cheydinhal is not trying to become any sort of murderer, after all. Thankfully, this is not the case. Addhiranirr doesn't tell Joan the name of the agent (which leads to some confusion...), but Joan eventually locates him. His name is Duvianus Platorius, and he tends to frequent the main plaza of the canton's Waistworks.

After speaking with Duvianus for a few minutes (including her usual attempts at charisma-boosting), Joan broaches the subject of the missing, sneaky Khajiit everyone's looking for. Turns out, she doesn't need to kill the Census Agent to "get rid of him", she can just use words to convince the guy, who hasn't got a clue the cat-person can be found literally two stories below. But she does need to make a moral decision. Should she tell the agent where Addhiranirr can be found? Or should she lie?

Thankfully, the agent is reasonable.

"What a disappointment," he says. "But thank you for your time. I was just heading back to the mainland myself, anyway..."

She is able to persuade him by making a few misleading statements. Though she feels conflicted about this, Caius's orders must be met, which means the greater good must prevail.


Later that day…

"So. You are the one Addhiranirr must thank for getting rid of the annoying Census and Excise agent?"

"Consider thyself pardoned," Joan of Cheydinhal answers.

With the agent distracted for the time being, the floodgate of information begins. About the Nerevarine Cult: The thief tells her to tell Caius the Nerevar is nothing but ‘a bunch of silly superstitions’. "Fuzzy tales for fuzzy little kitties," as she puts it.

But concerning the Sixth House, she has more to say. "This … Addhiranirr knows about, because it is about smuggling. Some smart smugglers are suddenly too busy for their old clients…"

Smugglers?

The smugglers the cat speaks of no longer smuggle, and it's because they are now involved with the Sixth House, which is known to pay them handsomely.

"But what do they smuggle now? Addhiranirr does not know, because they are very secret. The smugglers hush-up now, like fat-belied kitties full of sweet meats."

The thief also tells Joan that smuggling is big business here in Vvardenfell. The Imperials have outlawed the trading of illicit substances such as skooma and moon sugar, but also non-lethal items and materials such as ebony, Dwemer artifacts, exotic weapons and armor, and (sadly) slaves. Because of these limits, smuggling has become more prolific...

Which makes those who've decided to stop their illegal trade to join the Sixth House all the more intriguing.


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

The dream of the golden mask

Joan’s strange Vivec city attacker (I was too slow with the Printscreen button to get a good AcTiOn shot.

Joan proudly water walks!

Random Dunmer tells Joan more about the Sixth House (this guy just walked up to her in the middle of Balmora and started blabbing nonsense).

—------------------------------------------

Notes: She'd been in Vivec now for five days by the time she started looking for Addhiranirr, which means she spent almost two weeks in Vivec. Much more time than we thought. From my perspective of course, it’s because I refuse to go on UESP to look for answers…

But other than that, this was one of the most frustrating quests. Because for example: never does the kitty-cat say the name of the Census and Excise agent. Which made us think it's the guy we first meet in Seyda Neen. Yeah... I wasted an entire game session there, folks.

But better news: The prowler Joan got attacked by was a blessing in disguise. He was carrying an expensive Orcish helmet, which Joan looted and sold for about 500 drakes. Because of this extra money she was able to buy her new Water Walking spell, use a Spellmaker to make it easier to cast (30 seconds instead of a full 60), purchase a second cuirass, and generally fund her way (meals, potions, etc.) as she got stuck here in Vivec.

This post has been edited by Renee: Sep 13 2022, 02:25 AM

[SubRosa]

I think one of the points of a Thieves Guild is that outsiders are unable to find it...

Now Joanie is thinking right. Forget the libraries, check the speakeasies.

Now that was interesting. Someone just attacked her on the street. I do not think that has ever happened in any of my games.

Addhiranirr has a wonderfully obtuse way of speaking.

And Joanie gets the Census and Excise agent to shoo himself away (everyone always wants them gone, don't they?) and gets the goods from Addie. Smugglers now smuggling... who knows what from the Sixth House. That sounds nefarious.

[Lena Wolf]

I see you're doing it the hard way, Renee - and gosh, Vivec is hard! Completely infuriating! I think I got about where you are now in the main quest when I tried playing Morrowind years ago, then I spent days and days and days of actual real time getting lost in Vivec... Never mind finding what I was looking for, but just figuring out where I was! That and the walls of text for dialogue was what killed that game for me back then. I am taking it easy with Vivec now that Hauk is doing Morroblivion, I don't want to get lost again quite as badly... Good thing he isn't doing the main quest. At least not very far in, although he did get just that assignment from Caius the other day... We'll see. Perhaps I'll just follow Joan around.

[Acadian]

Attacked by a Dunmer in his skivvies with a helmet. . . well, I suppose that’s no worse than being attacked by some dude in the loo wearing a giant rat head. Regardless, the Dumbner successfully commits suicide by Ordinator.

Joan finds her elusive feline target and, after the obligatory favor, gets the cat to spill some beans.

’The thief also tells Joan that smuggling is big business here in Vvardenfell. The Imperials have outlawed the trading of illicit substances such as skooma and moon sugar, but also non-lethal items and materials such as ebony, Dwemer artifacts, exotic weapons and armor, and (sadly) slaves. Because of these limits, smuggling has become more prolific...’
- - Some things never change, regardless of time or place. Making something illegal is a superb way to enrich the black marketeers that inhabit every civilization.

[WellTemperedClavier]

Poor Joan. She doesn't yet know that the only way to get an Ordinator's attention is to wear their armor. Granted, it's probably not the attention she would want, but it is a pretty reliable means.

Finding anything or anyone in Vivec ends up taking forever. But she managed the situation reasonably well. I always liked how Morrowind justified the massive presence of smugglers by having them be pawns of the Sixth House. Shows how it spreads like a cancer within Dunmer society.

Of course, if she'd been searching around St. Delyn, she might've gotten a much closer encounter with the Sixth House...

[macole]

Ah yes, fond memories of Vivec City. I’ll go back there someday.

Eventually after years, I got use to the layout. Open cantons would have made Vivec City much better. Always want to try one of those mods but didn’t cause I heard they need a beast of a PC.

Why didn’t the agent find Addhiranirr? Because, as you said it's the smell. Like a dead skunk in the middle of the road it stinks to high heaven. No one goes down there unless they have too.

[Renee]

I'm nervous about reading today's comments for some reason I think I know what's coming.

@macole: I've memorized the layout of ALL the cantons by now, by golly we back 'n' forthed them so many times. After a while, I finally figured out where all the ferrymen are. 🚣‍♀️ They help a lot with cutting down travel time.

Yes an Open Canton sort of mod for Vivec sounds scary. Open Cities for Oblivion works well, but the open city mod I used for Skyrim messed up my game for a while. So ... let's stick with closed cantons. I honestly don't mind.

That's clever what you say about the sewers. Never thought of it that way.
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@Clavier: Very true, it can take all day (in-game) if we have to go to a canton, and then go back all the way because we forgot something. And it is REALLY easy for me to forget stuff.

The Sixth House is a huge mystery for me, since it's my first time playing the main quest!
----------------------
@ Acadian: Ha ha, that's true! At least there aren't any mouse costumes in MW.

Yes sir, what the Imperials have done has only made things worse. I especially get sad about the slaves part. Their life is hard enough, but being smuggled into a strange land makes things even worse.
----------------
Lena: Mm hmm I hear ya. It definitely takes a lot of patience, discipline even, for me to figure out this game sometimes. In a way, I don't mind the challenges, but I definitely would have written some things different if I were a dev.

The text walls don't really bother me, what I was really surprised about is the way the game's dialogs have so much cut 'n' paste! That's something I'm missing from latter games: each named NPC in OB and Skyrim might not have as many topics as MW, but they've all got their own unique dialog. Even generic NPCs have a long list of random sayings. In Morrowind, hundreds of people have the exact same responses.

That's great Hauk is in Morroblivion.

[Renee]

Chapter XXXIII: The Apprentice Returns


The middle-aged Grand Spymaster awoke early. Had a sip of room-temperature (day-old) sujamma, and reached for his pipe. His skooma pipe, that is, until he physically stopped himself. -- Urk! -- This was a bad thing, his frequent use of the drug, and it was only getting worse. First thing in the morning... was this how it was going to be for the rest of his days?

Partially it was a good way to stave off boredom, partially he’d begun quietly using the stuff to keep from standing out. Lots of folks used the stuff here on the east side, you see. But as days turned to weeks which turned to months, the demons he had heard of all his life in an academic sort of way became more an everyday reality.

On the other hand, it was difficult for him to spend so much time waiting for word from Cyrodiil. It was the sort of thing which could drive a lesser, more impatient man bonkers. Moon sugar products definitely did fill up those hours.

But Caius Cosades knew he could not maintain his illicit needs and habits forever. His stocky frame and magnificent health, amassed through decades of hypertrophic discipline, would eventually diminish if he kept this lifestyle going. He had a lot going for him physically of course, and to some extent he could continue as he was for a while..

Caius decided he had to come up with some other ways to fill his time during his current stint as an Emperor’s Blade-hiding-in-plain-sight.

He increased his reading, and began spending more hours outside his hovel. He wandered the streets east of the river, watching its residents, speaking to the class of Balmora’s inhabitants he felt safest amongst, learning local lore. Turns out, he could keep himself freer from his addiction just by maintaining these habits. Even though it was not part of his assignment, he also began to spend more time just listening to chatter in the streets.

There were plenty of provincial tales to be told, which in turn kept the aging Blade amused for hours on end. An example happened just a couple years prior, according to one of Caius’s neighbors.

The Fighters Guild was sometimes contracted to get rid of rats here in town, and usually the task was given to those who’d just joined the guild. Well in one of these instances, two members had purposely been given the same extermination job: one an apprentice, the other a veteran of the guild.

The apprentice, a young man, was eager to prove himself. He strode off immediately to find the invasive rodent. The veteran, a middle-aged Nord, complained the assignment was far beneath him; he should at least be given guard duty. But eventually he complied with the task. Both guild members discovered the location of the giant rat, but by the time they had, a third party (a Khajiit who had nothing to do with the guild) had been the one to rid it!

Another of Caius’s recent habits was people-watching. He’d spend hours sitting on his stoop, watching the comings and goings of Balmora’s residents. Lately he’d been noticing a red-haired Breton on his side of the river. As days passed, he saw her more and more often. She’d be gone a few days, then he’d see her milling about. She had fair skin and strikingly brilliant crimson hair. It was obvious to him (and to others on the east side) she was a newcomer to town.

Eventually he learned her name from a chapman who lived nearby: Hera Tyych. The chapman also informed Caius that Hera was rumored to be a member of Morag Tong.

One day Caius spotted Hera, and decided to follow her, see where it was she headed to. Her destination happened to be the home of Balyn Omarel, who Caius later learned had recently gone missing. Again and again Hera, who was known to be an assassin, would return to Balmora, spending her nights in the home of a man who’d abruptly disappeared. Talk about putting two and two together, eh?

It was anecdotes like this which kept Cosades occupied for brief moments at a time. He'd pore over these notions for hours, thinking of this and that, keeping his mind active...

But, news from Vivec was about to arrive. As the month of Sun's Dusk headed toward Evening star, he began to get the sense the apprentice would soon return.

//////////////////

29 Sun's Dusk (Day 106) high noon

"Are you here to discuss your orders, Joan of Cyrodiil? Or is there something else you want?"

Finally, the Apprentice was here, which would fill a few hours for sure. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been upbeat and jokey, teasing him for always being shirtless.

"I am ready, Caius."

But today, she is different... 'I am ready, Caius', she begins; just four words. Caius stared at her a moment. She appeared pensive and somber, completely unlike the way she was a month ago. Where was the loquacious, teasing young lady from before? Gone, that's where. Maybe gone for good. And Caius certainly knew why.

"I have your report," he started dryly, "and I'll make copies of your notes from Huleeya and the 'Progress of Truth.' Give me time to read and digest all of this..."

It's because of what she had seen, and experienced, while she was in Vivec. Bad things. Two attacks on her life were at the top of that list. Subterfuge and caution. She'd had to improvise and devise new tactics, stuff she probably hadn't been trained back in Cheydinhal. The twinkle in her eye from before was not here today.

But she'd also done well in the city. She had, in a way, done exactly what a Blade laying low should do. Keeping the chattiness to a minimum, for instance. Not attracting attention to herself, by not being herself. That must not have been easy for an eloquent sort such as her.

It was time for the Apprentice to move up in rank.

"You're doing good work Joan Marie, and so I'm promoting you to Journeyman."

She smiled briefly, and that was all.

"Here are 200 drakes," Caius handed her a sack-full of coin. "Go out and treat yourself to a new pair of shoes," he joked.

The Grand Spymaster had no current orders from Cyrodiil for her, so he suggested she go back into the world. Do a few more tasks for the guilds. She would eventually 'know' when to come back to him.

The pair of Blades spent the next several hours together, talking in low tones.


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

Hera Tyych is one of my other characters. Here she is on her way about to assassinate somebody. Notice her garb. Every time Hera's got a new writ and is closing in on her target, she drastically changes clothes to throw off witnesses! Even though the Morag Tong operates legally in Vvardenfell, she still feels it's necessary to change her looks.

Here she is water-walking.

Here she is in Ald Velothi (I think).

That is what she normally wears while traveling: chain cuirass, expensive pants (the color varies) and whatever boots she's bought latest. Oh, and she often wears those Dark Brotherhood gloves. Those are from the DB guy who comes after us, early in the game.

[SubRosa]

Unfortunately, Caius has found that going undercover as a drug addict, tends to just make you a drug addict.

Hypertrophic - now you have me looking up words.

You have me smiling at Caius reminiscing over the exploits of Kavon the Mighty, Fox, Willow, and J'dash Ratslayer...

For a moment I wondered if that red-haired Breton might be Blood Raven. But no, it is Hera Tyych! That is a name I have not heard in a while.

And Joan comes back older, wiser, and harder than before.

[Acadian]

I too believe I heard about Balmora's latest ratcapades.

I see shoeless Joan's teasing of the shirtless Caius comes full circle.

Hmm, I wonder if Caius' assessment of Joan's more subdued demeanor is accurate?

[WellTemperedClavier]

Loved the POV section with Caius. I love how Morrowind was able to create such an intriguing character with very little in the way of exposition. He's an old spy with a drug problem (maybe) who also happens to have fantastic abs. I'd always envisioned him as someone who was effectively addicted to skooma, but whose biochemistry had reached some level of equilibrium with it (how long this equilibrium lasts is another question entirely).

Appreciate the reference to the rat job! Though you might want to have Caius recall that the Khajiit who killed the rat was actually the guy who hired the guild in the first place. Another example of how shoddy the guild has become.

Good seeing his appraisal of Joan. She's become much more skilled in navigating Morrowind, and that sort of thing will show. But like always, Joan has to match her cover story, which means more time doing guild work.

[Renee]

Awesome, Clavier. I like blending character worlds sometimes; it just makes the story feel broader. I've probably had everyone here at Chorrol (and some folks from Beth's forums when they were open) in my stories in some small way here and there. Some facts got muddled that's true, but this can happen when tales are passed along over time.

Ha ha glad you caught the "shoeless" and "shirtless" bit there, Acadian! ... After the story was posted I realized I hadn't pointed that out, but maybe it's actually better that the references are subtle.

Joan (as she appears in Oblivion) is quite demure and steadfast. She's no longer a shy maiden trying to be chatty as she appears some earlier chapters of this story. I imagine that when she gets to Cyrodiil some 7 years later, she's a much different person.

I had to look up hypertrophic myself. I needed a word which describes somebody who has built up some muscles, but I didn't want to say "muscled" because I'd already used that word, and I didn't want to say "stacked" because that sounds too modern Earth-times. Too dude-ish. "Bro, you are stacked!" That just doesn't work in high fantasy.

Yes, Hera's my assassin character. I don't know enough about Branwen's exploits to write them up. But remember I did write up when January came to Megaton that one time, because you had some pictures which definitely had her passing through. Her armor is so wild, something nobody would miss.


Um, this next story is sort of lower inspiration, maybe a 5 out of 10 on the Inspiration meter. Not my best. But it does continue my Main Quest lady's development. And I've been slipping lately with the "weekly" stories, so here goes.

This post has been edited by Renee: Oct 9 2022, 02:21 PM

[Renee]

Chapter XXXIV -- The Snowy Crown

18 Sun's Dusk (Day 95), early morning





”During the career of any warrior, any magician, any paladin, any knight-in-training, there comes that moment when he or she begins to break away the plight of the novice, and enters the domain of the skillful. From that moment, these individuals can only continue to hone on toward mastery….”

These were the words of one of Joan’s instructors back home, and they came to the young Blade as she found herself striking down the giant creature before her, a mighty two-legged kagouti, just outside the town of Caldera … with just two strikes. After doing so she looked to her guard (who’d come rushing over to help) his sword of silver raised in mid-swing.

“Ehm. I suppose I handled that one,” she mutters, surprised.

The sudden shift of Joan’s stint as an outlanding crusader here in Vvardenfell began not at that moment, but two days earlier, after she entered the Mages Guild of Balmora. She’d just been paid by Caius for her efforts down in Vivec. Endowed with nearly 500 drakes, it was time to find somewhere to meaningfully spend it! She’d gone into the guild with the intent of having a new spell written by Estirdalin, one which would enhance her healing abilities slowly over time.

… But let’s just say she got a little distracted...

… Distracted by a shiny, golden mace sold by Galbedir, Balmora’s enchanter. The shiny, golden mace cost just over 400 gold; quite an expenditure for someone constantly struggling with coin. It was made of Dwarven metal, meaning it was more effective than her cheaper iron piece. It was guaranteed to do more damage. But it also could magically affect her enemies with frost damage, and quite a lot of it.

“Your opponents will not stand a chance against this!” Galbedir, a cultured Bosmer who'd probably never seen actual combat outside of guild sparring, promised. The weapon Joan Marie just bought is a very rare piece called the Snowy Crown. And it entirely changed her efforts at combat.

Over the past couple months she’d been using the short blades (knives, daggars, scabbards…) less and less, switching instead to an iron mace, which she purchased for just 35 drakes. Her new weapon was heavy and unwieldy, and she found she needed to build her strength just to effectively use it. It was quite an awkward and difficult diversion for her, to tell the honest truth. But she’d had a reason for the switch.

Short blades were the weapons of “rogues, thieves, and charlatans”, or so she’d concluded after encountering several bandits who preferred them. They were the weapons used by those who “dwelt within darkness, eschewing the light”.

Maces, on the other hand, were big and bold; they could be banged past the thickest of armor, smashed into skeletons, and wielded upon wastrels. Maces were the weapons of clerics: those who blended a mixture of healing and fighting skills. And though she herself was not specifically trained in the ways of the cleric, it was just before heading into Andrano Ancestral Tomb to retrieve that ghastly skull that the inspiration to switch weapon types came to her.

As stated, it hadn’t been an easy switch. During her youth she’d been trained at blades because they were lightweight, requiring agility rather than pure strength, and back then she was still developing her form. After changing to blunt-type weapons, she found herself struggling against many encounters. Swinging but not always connecting, unable to take her opponents down, and that sort of thing. She needed to become more vigorous; she needed to build her fortitude and tenacity.

Joan started by giving small amounts of money to Fighters Guild trainers: 60 drakes, 75 drakes, whatever she could spare for a few hours of lessons here and there. She also began repairing her own weapons and armor pieces. Instead of giving her hard-earned gold to armorers, she purchased time to use their forges. And though she was not so good at fixing her own gear at first, over time her efforts had the side-effect of making her stronger.

Her adolescent form was becoming hardened, yet still maintained enough pliability so that she remained flexible and adept during her attempts at melee. Slowly, fight after fight, and Joan did find herself getting better at blunt weaponry.

And now, she has the Snowy Crown. Which she in fact feels a bit conflicted about.

Because it’s a weapon which is magically-enhanced, but not by the Gods themselves. The Snowy Crown is not like her Daggar of Judgement, which affects its enemies through those abilities governed by Stendarr: the abilities of an enemy’s strength, and his or her efforts to maintain endurance. This is initially a point of contention for Joan, the Blades’ newest Journeyman. How can she justify using a weapon which causes harm which is not filtered through the causes of Goodness against Evil?

But after actually using her new golden weapon during the next couple fights, striking her enemies down before her traveling guard even has time to react. After experiencing the prowess of what it means to be headed toward true mastery-at-arms, while those she encounters flail and fall before her. Well… her final answer on whether to continue using her new Snowy Crown? It is definite, it is clear.

"I shall strike this one down!" she says to her guard confidently, as the brigand they see up the road grabs his halberd in an attempt at intimidation and murder. This brigand, who'd been a smuggler before deciding to try his hand at highway robbery, has just twenty-six seconds to live.


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

Battling a Brigand

KILL-CAM!

"You have ascended to Level 9" -- Notice the x5 to Personality. That's from all those successful Speech attempts. 👭

[Acadian]

A wonderful depiction of Joan’s journey to master her new mace. I agree that ultimately, it will suit and serve her well. Plenty of hard work to get there but Joan’s not afraid of paying her dues. I suspect Stendarr would agree that it is the nature of the wielder, not the nature of the enchantment that sanctifies the weapon. It looks like adding to her healing repertoire will require at least another paycheck and a lack of shopping distractions.

[SubRosa]

Cool, Joan took down that Kagouti on her own. It looks like she might be outgrowing the need for a guard to accompany her?

I love that she gave up on the short blades because she did not want to be associated with the ruffians who often use them. It is like when you wear leather or fur armor in Skyrim and the guards comment that you are wearing the armor of a brigand (at least with the Guard Comments mod I have).

And the mace if of course the classic cleric's weapon indeed!

I can hear the theme from Rocky playing in the background as Joan toughens up to use her new mace.

[macole]

But the Snowy Crown is filtered through the causes of Goodness against Evil. The arm of the wielder is the filter and Joan of Arkay is Goodness personified.

[WellTemperedClavier]

Ooh, switching weapon types! That can be a pretty big step in Morrowind, but it sounds like she has the grit and the resources to pull it off. Blunt weapons do seem to fit her a lot better than short blades.

I liked some of her doubt regarding the Snowy Crown. While Morrowind has tempered her in many ways, it hasn't changed who she is. The Divines and the Empire still come first for her, and this will be reflected in her actions. Still, since she's helping the Divines and the Empire, a slightly dubious magical weapon is probably not too big of a deal.