The story of Ann Thraxx, a survivor of Kvatch Options

[Lady Saga]

Good day fellow Chorrolmates. I am Lady Saga, and today I'd like to talk about the saga of Ann Thraxx.

I originally posted all of the text of posts 1 and 2 over at Bethsoft's Oblivion: general area. Forgive the crudeness of some of the early text, for I was not originally writing Ann's tale as a true story yet. In Post #2, this starts to change. Post 1's text was originally in the Where are you Now #7 thread, and Post 2's text came from my own thread in OB: General.

This character is probably my deepest Oblivion roleplay to date. Originally I wanted her to be "Renee Gade III", which means she'd be some sort of heroic figure. But as Ann Thraxx evolved, it was apparent she's going to have a story much different from what I had originally conceived.

Although I'm on PS3, I performed a couple little tricks which I like to call pretend-mods. I used another character's game save, so that Ann never had to go thru the Tutorial part, then I fast-traveled her to just outside the Imperial City...Chestnut Handy Stables, to be exact. I had no idea why her game started here, though. That was not made known to me, yet. I also didn't know who Ann was, exactly. All of this becomes apparent during the massive text below.





Name: Ann Thraxx

Race: Imperial

Sex: female.

Class: peasant (custom).

Starsign: Atronach

D&D alignment: Chaotic Neutral


Ann Thraxx the wayward peasant has just arrived at Chestnut Handy Stables outside the Imperial City. She arrived here by carriage, and it is nighttime...dark and rainy. She's wearing nothing but one of those horrible Cyrodiilic bras and some sack cloth pants. No shoes, no shirt.

Ann has heard there's a place to stay in "some house on the Waterfront" * so she's walking there now.

* I think there's a free bed in one of the houses on the Waterfront. if there is, no problem. A "friend" told Ann there's a place she can stay. But if there is no free bed, Ann will have no place to stay.

Her family is no more, and she is sad. I'm thinking she was a farmer of some sort, perhaps, and lost her farm. Her husband got killed perhaps, and Ann is right now in serious depression, serious culture shock. She's been to the I.C. before, but never actually lived here. She's used to the wide open plains of the West Weald.

She is poor, but she is also fortunate to have 58 gold in her pocket, along with a soul gem and a few minor things which can be sold. How she got all this stuff? We shall find out, won't we?

Ann Thraxx arrived at the Abandoned Shack, which is anything but abandoned! It was about 6am Cyrodiilic time, and Hillod the Outlaw and a dark elf male (forget his name) immediately rose as Ann walked in the door. Oops...

"Please, I didn't mean to startle you" she said to the dark elf. "I am Ann Thraxx. I have been sent here and was told I could spend the night. I've lost my home and my family..."

What was interesting was the dark elf's greeting had something to do with losing his job or being out of work or something. This fit right in, so that Ann and the dark elf had a short conversation about finding work.

The situation in the Abandoned Shack was awkward as the 2 males stood around staring at Ann. This isn't what she expected! Ann "got to know" Hillod and dark elf, and gave them more than half of her 58 gold (she basically bribed him so she can stay in the Shack). But the guys wouldn't leave!

Ann took a short walk outside, deprived of sleep and getting dizzy. She found a couple beggar beds which were open, but there's no way she's gonna stoop that low.

Finally she made her way back to the Abandoned Shack. It's now 8 am and Hillod + the dark elf are both gone. Finally.

Ann sets off to sleep. When she wakes, she's going to see about looking for work in the Imperial City.

.

This post has been edited by Lady Saga: Apr 12 2012, 07:45 PM

[Lady Saga]

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Chapter XII

Heartfire 6, 3rd Era, Year 433, 12:36 pm

As her dream faded, this time she did not scream or roll across the floor. But Miss Thraxx still reacted.

She sits now upon her bed, her face a rivery mess. Crying tears and sniffling nose.

"What has become? Oh Mara...what has become?"

Just a month ago, she had been living a normal life. Waking up whenever she felt like it, chatting with the stable-hands or a Kvatch guardsman. She picked flowers, she had a life of complete temperance. Soaking in sun and playing in the rain. What had become of all this?

She spends a few moments in contemplation. One thing about this room she's rented from Luther Broad: it is really quiet in here. It's even quieter than the Kvatch's Chapel. For this reason, it's easy to think.

And think she does.
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After some time passes, Ann considers her options.

1). She could go back to the Waterfront. Nice folk down there, not quite at snooty.

2). She could suss out the "sewer patrol" business Edgar Vautrine had described. But first, she would need a suitable sword. And lots and lots of flaxseed or magicka potions, to counteract her Atronach Starsign deficiency. At present, she has just 18 gold. Nowhere near enough to afford any of this. She did have sword stashed away back at Kvatch, but it (no doubt) had either been taken or ruined by now.

3). She could consider the business with Thoronir, although truthfully, she has no idea where she should begin. Shadow him. Follow him around. That's what the lady (Jensine? Yes, her name is Jensine) had suggested.

4). Or, she could do something which she already knows how to do: identify and pick flowers and mushrooms.

Ann chooses number four.

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She leaves her room and walks downstairs. As she does so, she's not surprised to see Luther staring up at her, as if he's just waiting for a chance to finally use the giant hammer (or whatever it is) on his back. What a fetcher.

Ann pays him no mind, and walks outside to a stormy day.

"...If you've got to travel, by the Nine Divines, stay on the road. The wilderness just isn't safe anymore. We've had sightings, you see. The Daedra."

At this, Ann reacts with a start. Isn't that what the guard in her dream had also said? No. That guard had confused his words. He had said Eight Divines. Eight. Not Nine. But then the man off-stage had corrected the the terrible actor with the correct number of Divines.

"Is there a better book-seller in the city than Phintias?" the guard now rambles onto another topic.

"Phintias has a fine selection of books! He's also got some rare books, as well." says a Breton man.

Ann hears this, and cannot comprehend how a man (an IMPERIAL GUARD) can just go from talking about Daedra, to talking about some stupid bookstore.

"What has become of Cyrodiil? What has become, in-deed?" Ann says under her breath.

"I suppose I have a moment. What is it?" the Breton asks Ann, apparently hearing her comment. His name is Kastus Sintav.

"What is it citizen?" asks the guard, barely giving enough time for Ann to answer the Breton's greeting.

"You! You spoke of Daedra just now!, Ann says to the guard. "Tell me what you know?"

"There's evil afloat, and no idle time for chatter. What is it?" says the guard. Ann can already sense he's not interested in answering her question.

"The Daedra! What sayest thou about Daedra? Tell me! My name Ann Thraxx. I was present in Kvatch when thas't city was attacked! What do you know?" she can't help her emotions. Try as she might, she simply cannot keep them in check.

"If you've got to travel, by the Nine Divines, stay on the road. The wilderness just isn't safe, the guard repeats.

"Oh". Ann says, backing away from the guard.

She doesn't know what she had hoped she would have wanted him to say. What could she have hoped for? That he would tell her something new? That another city had been attacked? What would the point be? How long did they all have here in their safe Imperial City before they too were suddenly attacked without warning?

"Well, I already knew about traveling upon the roads, sir. I would not never in a thousand eons travel through wood-lands or praries, 'specially not by me-self. But I thank thee."

"Long live the Empire!" the guard says with pride.

The Empire..bah! Just how long would "the Empire" live? Ann realizes this is the true question. Indeed.

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Chapter XIII

Heartfire 6, 3rd Era, Year 433, 2:51 pm

After raiding a few more crates and barrels in the Elven Gardens District, Ann found a couple nicely-folded cloths, and another repair hammer. Who leaves all this stuff behind? she thought.

She sold her items to Thoronir, who had said "Good to see you", but his face told a different story. She could have gone into see Jensine; but the problem is Jensine would no doubt ask Ann if she had addressed the "Thoronir situation" yet? Ann had felt a momentary dread about having to report back a negative, here.

"Be-sides. Why cannot Jensine just asketh one of the guards for assistance?"

The idea seems completely plausible. Why can't the guards take care of this? But since Ann has been given the task (and since she's got a streak of honor in her blood) she simply feels the onus is hers. She's the one who must solve this. Somehow.

She walks outside the Market District door. The rain had stopped, but now it picks up again. As Ann walks to her left, she notices the hill.

Cyodiil has some mighty steep hillsides, and this one is no exception. As she looks down the hill, she sees absolutely no ingredients or flowers or mushrooms she can pick. But there's gotta be something around her somewhere. Right?

Ann goes walking around the perimeter of the Imperial City. But the hillside is way too steep. As she walks, she stays up near the wall. The rain falls steadily. Ann climbs over bolders steadily, and tries not to slip upon the wet grasses.

"Oh...this is pointless!" she scoffs. There is absolutly nothing to gain here. No flaxseed. No cloud funnel mushrooms. No peonies or columbines. Ann misses Kvatch at that moment. She's so homesick as she walks (crying yet again), she doesn't realize it when...

"Psst..you. Yeah you! C'mere! I've got what you need!"

It's a figure wearing a black hood. Ann immediately mistrusts him. Why is he standing out here all by himself?

She steels herself for a fight, but the man does not raise his blade.

"They call me Shady Sam. You need something...special? Check out my wares! You will not find any of this stuff at your local general store, that's for damn sure". he says.

He's got something 'special', alright. Mostly poisons. And lockpicks. And skooma.

Skooma. It's something Ann had had the pleasure of trying just a few times in her life. The feeling was incredible, but lasted just a short time before it was all over. And as it left the body, Ann could remember feeling as if the world had come to an end.

"Um...mayhap not, sir Sam. I have not the coin anyways".

All of his 'special' stuff is way too pricey for Ann to afford, she notices, even if she tried to bargain for it. As Ann starts to walk away, and Shady Sam closes his 'special' black case, he says..

"Come see me any time. I'm here day and night".

Ann says nothing. Skooma may be quite the drug, but it is also illegal. Ann thinks of reporting Sam, but then changes her mind immediately. What would the point be? If they were barely able to address the current situation of Cyrodiil, its roads and daedra attacks, what would the point be in reporting a skooma-seller?

"City guards prob'ly will not heed him any mind, any-ways".

Ann leaves him now, feeling dejected. She's not finding anything to sell. Not out here. The sky gets dark, and the rain keeps falling.

But just moments later, she comes upon a group of horses. It's Chestnut Handy Stables! She feels better at once just seeing them all, and goes to pet a fine bay horse. And this time, the stable-hand (Restita) does not come rushing over; she merely stays under cover holding a torch, probably due to the rain.

Ann walks over to Restita to have a chat, but as she does so, she realizes it's not Restita. It's that mean Imperial: Brielus Gawey.

"Oh. How fares thee, sir?" she asks, trying to sound cheerful despite the rain.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering ...umm....where's your mate? Restita?" she asks this because she has no idea what to say to the man. She'd rather not speak to him at all, but of course, it's too late for that now, isn't it?

Ann is not surprised when Brielus merely tells her the Fighter's Guild "is recruiting again". As he speaks his diatribe, Ann holds her temper in check. There is no Fighter's Guild in the Imperial City, so why is everyone dispensing this lame advice?

.... Brielus also then mentions something about "orcs and horses" again.

Orcs and horses. What of this?

It's rainy. It is dark. It is just like the day Ann Thraxx first stepped foot off that carriage to make her way to the Waterfront. As she tries the door to Chestnut Handy Stables, she finds it is unlocked.

She steps inside to get out of the rain, and maybe have a chat with whoever runs the place.

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This post has been edited by Lady Saga: Jan 3 2020, 05:50 PM