Kothet's Story, A dremora in Skyrim, and his housecarl. Options

[ghastley]

Kothet was a (dead) character in the Gweden Brothel mod. He was the Dremora Valkynaz who owned Prizna, before she killed him and escaped. I resurrected him to be the test character for the Dremora Hearthfires mod for Skyrim, and he hung around a bit longer than expected.

Since a Dremora in Skyrim normally only wears a special version of Daedric armour (with reduced stats) he can't use most regular armour, so his story reflects that limitation, and the gear he does use is the same as the houscarl can use in my mod, which was of course added to the game as wearable by a Dremora.

The housecarl's combat style and equipment are set by the mod to complement the abilities of the player character, so a mage, defined as a player who has higher magicka than health or stamina, wil get an archer housecarl. An archer ( a non-mage with Marksman skill above one- or two-handed) gets a melee housecarl, and others get a mage. Kothet's preference is two-handed, although he starts off using a one-handed weapon with a spell in the other. The spell-book offers three choices of housecarl - male, regular female, and sexy female. The last of those wears skimpier outfits, and has the sultry voice rather than the commander voice.

Kothet's story is already well under way, and I'll start to post more episodes here once I finish posting Clark's. There's a link at the top for those who've forgotten about Prizna's interview with Clark. I linked to the copy here, not the one on my site with the nude picture of her.

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1 - Helgen

I can understand the Stormcloaks deciding to hide in my cave. The entrance is well-concealed, which is why I chose it. And it stays that way, if I'm careful how I enter, and don't leave obvious footprints outside.

I can understand how the pursuing Imperials found them, too. What I can't understand is why the Imperials think I'm one of them. Seriously, how many Stormcloaks have horns?

I'm not talking about helmets here. My horns are on my head, just like any of the Kyn. But we are few in Tamriel, so maybe they've never seen a Dremora before.

Whatever they were thinking, we all ended up on the same cart headed for Helgen. I presume I was vocal about the Imperials' incompetence in including me, because I don't remember much about the journey, just waking with a sore head as we approached the town. By that time, I'd given up trying to make our captors actually think. They were military, which would generally mean that thinking was for officers only.

---

I know this because once, I was an officer. In Mehrunes Dagon's forces, I led the attack that took Ganonah, the city the locals call Kvatch. Which is why I got the blame when it was taken back, even though I wasn't there at the time. I was the officer, so I should have forseen the possibility, and not left the place under the command of a subordinate . Even though Dagon himself had sent me elsewhere, on an assignment beneath my station.

To make matters worse, the woman I'd been given as a reward for my success at Ganonah had turned on me. Admittedly, I'd probably been unfair in the way I treated her. Anger at Dagon can't be directed towards him, and she probably got the worst of my frustration. I was on guard duty - me, a Valkynaz, on guard duty! - inside the gate we'd opened near Bravil. That's where she killed me. A mere woman struck me down, with shock spells to weaken me, and a final blow from a mace! I was so proud of the way she did it, but of course, unable to tell her until I was restored.

And then, equally, I was in no position to do so, because I was somewhere else in Tamriel. I have no idea how long I was in the heatless flames of Oblivion waiting for restoration, but I expected to be restored in the Deadlands, in familiar territory. Clearly I'd lost even more of Dagon's regard by being slain by my own woman, and he'd sent me to guard another gate, this time from the outside.

I'd only been there a few hours, when the fire in the gate suddenly ceased, meaning the gate was closed, and I was stuck in the mortal world until Dagon decided to recall me. Given his recent actions, I did not imagine that happening soon.

---

Two centuries later, I'm still here. Each time I die, I'm restored to Tamriel, not the Deadlands. So stripping off my armour and wrestling a bear wasn't as much use as I thought it would be. It just lost me some useful equipment, and I had to replace it with lesser things that mortals had made. Since then, I've learned to make my own.

When these Imperial clowns have finished with me, I'll need to make some more, as they took everything when they put us on the carts. Since I'd just crawled out of my bedroll when the Stormcloaks arrived, I wasn't even wearing my armour, and they gave me some crude sack-cloth things to cover myself.

I can see Helgen gates now, so it looks like we'll be there in a few minutes. Hopefully there will be a competent officer in charge, and I'll be released.

---

The horse-thief the soldiers had rounded up with us didn't have any confidence in officers, and tried to run as soon as we got off the carts. He died in a volley of arrows.

There was a legionary calling the roll of prisoners, and lining us up for the General. I'd heard of this Tullius, and he seemed like a man who could think. I was confident that their mistake would soon be rectified.

Obviously, my name wasn't on their list. They didn't even know it yet, because I hadn't told them. The unthinking grunts hadn't asked; it wasn't their job. The legionary asked his commander, a woman, what he should do. This was as it should be, pass the decision-making up the chain, and do not take responsibility on yourself. I expected her in turn to ask Tullius, but she decided that she didn't need to bother him with this level of decision, and arbitrarily condemned me to join the others in line for the block.

Part of me admired her confidence in her own decisions, but most of me just wanted to kill her. I stared at the Captain, learning her features so I would know her if we met again. No, when we met again. Even if I had to return from the dead to kill her, and of course I would do so.

I was the second to the block. It had me thinking that I might even be returned before all the executions were complete, and how beautiful would be the justice if I could place her head on this very block in my next life. But then the dragon came, and everything was confusion.

---

I found myself running into a tower with one of the Stormcloaks. My hands were still bound, and he had nothing to cut the ropes. How he'd got his own free, I wasn't sure. We went looking for weapons, and eventually found some. With my hands loose, and an axe in one of them, I could determine my own fate.

And fate led my nemesis to me. The same Captain led a small group of Imperials into the chamber, and my Stormcloak allies helped me deliver justice. I took her armour, adjusted the straps to suit my very different shape, and put it on. Her ample chest meant that she wore a size large enough to protect a male, but it wasn't quite the right shape. I discarded the top half, even though it was plate that might have melted down. There was no smelter or forge here.

Ralof laughed when I tried it on. "We'll no doubt find you some more as we go further in," he predicted. "Probably not plate, but the regular Imperial armour isn't too bad. Of course, I can understand you not wanting to be mistaken for one of them. Especially not for a woman!"

I felt the thought he hadn't expressed. The hope that I wouldn't get the chance to take any Stormcloak amour. He didn't want to find any fallen comrades on our way out.

---

Some did fall, but they were crushed by the collapse of part of the buildings just after we passed, and out of our reach. I managed to add a basic long bow and some iron arrows, from an Imperial archer, but didn't bother to trade any armour. His covered more, but was thinner. We both picked up some potions, lockpicks and minor items as we passed through the cave beyond the dungeons. Some of those arrows went into fighting spiders and a bear.

Ralof and I parted company at the exit to the cave. He was going to head for another small town called Riverwood, where his sister lived. I was more inclined to try and head back towards my cave. I'd survived well enough in Tamriel by keeping away from the people, so going into town wasn't my first choice.

But I wasn't familiar with this part of Skyrim, so I ended up finding myself in the same town I was trying to avoid. It seemed that all the trails on this side of Helgen lead to the same place.

---

I went into the general store, hoping to trade some of the Imperial military junk I'd picked up for something a bit less tied to one side of the Civil War. I walked into the middle of an argument betwen the shopkeeper and his sister about something that had been stolen. Since he didn't seem to want to discuss trade until that subject was dealt with, I found myself agreeing to look for the missing item. I really had no intention of going to look for it, but his description intrigued me. It seemed to resemble a Clannfear Claw, something I hadn't seen for decades. I wondered if it actually was one that had been gilded as a trophy.

I got a decent trade for my goods, so apparently my agreement had put him in a good mood. His sister pointed out Bleak Falls Barrow on the hills at the other side of the valley as the likely place it had been taken. The map I'd bought put it on one of the trails that crossed the hills towards Whiterun, and I had to pass near that city to get back to the Rift and my cave. It was a bit longer that way, but why not take a look?

I suppose I was also looking forward to the prospect of some combat. There would be bandits this way, the ones that had stolen the claw at least, and the other route was a well-used road that would be relatively boring. I headed for the hills.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jul 18 2016, 06:07 PM

[ghastley]

Acadian: Further foraging required, as he still needs to provide Alchemy and Enchanting. He doesn't have the Moonstone, Quicksilver, Gold, or the Grand Soul Gem yet.

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Previously: Kothet built enough to find a spell book, and summoned his housecarl. She's the strong, silent type.

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6 - Soljund's Sinkhole

When I woke the next day, she was gone from her position, but a delicious aroma from the floor below told me where. I'd constructed the cooking fire when I made the lights, as that end of the room would have been dark without it. I suppose I might have used the spit, too, eventually, but I was more used to cooking game out where I hunted it. She'd looked in the barrels and found enough to make some vegetable soup. She set a bowl of it in front of me, and went back to stirring the pot.

When I left to go looking for the remaining materials, she followed, keeping her distance behind me, where she could watch my back for danger. Or avoid talking to me, which she seemed to be good at. I was headed for the mining village we had seen from the tower, or rather, smoke from its smelter. Hopefully they had moonstone. I had no idea where the quicksilver would come from, but although the Reach was known for silver, I knew they had at least one gold mine, too. Soul gems were a mystery to me, and filling them even more of one.

I spotted the wolf on the road ahead, and drew my mace. I didn't get the chance to use it, however, as she ran up and flamed the creature to death before it reached me. I did get the next one, as it jumped off a rock at me before she could see it.

"She's a housecarl, so she's protecting you," I thought to myself. "This is not a competition." I did note that she'd used destruction spells rather than summoning a weapon. That meant that she wouldn't be getting in my way in a fight.

It took both of us to kill the bear that we met after we passed Old Hroldan. It had killed a merchant and her miner lover at a little camp just above the settlement, so it deserved its death. We found a small cache of items in a hollow tree near them. Perhaps it was theirs, but more likely, someone else had left it there. I'm sure they would have used the sword to defend themselves.

In Soljund's Sinkhole, they had no moonstone. The mine was closed, because they'd broken through into an old tomb, and the mine was full of draugr. If I wanted to go in there, I was welcome to do so, but they wouldn't until the Legion got here and cleared the place. Perth would buy any extra moonstore ore I dug up, he informed me, but it was clear that he wasn't expecting that to happen.

We would go in, I decided. The chances of the Imperial Legion coming down here from Markarth, while there was a war on, were next to none, and I wasn't inclined to wait for my moonstone. Besides, what better than fighting draugr to prove my worth to my lovely companion?

---

"Is someone there?"

So she did speak, when she needed to. I could hear the creaking of a draugr coming from the tunnel to our left and led the way into it. I attacked the nearest, and was pleased to note that she was attacking the one on the ledge above us, out of my reach, but not beyond her flames.

One more, a little farther in, and all fell silent again. There were two veins of moonstone ore here, and some chunks that had already been dug up before the draugr had forced them out. There was probably enough for my purposes without mining any more, but Perth had offered to buy it from me. If a Grand Soul Gem was as expensive as it sounded, I might need all the gold I could raise. So I spent a few minutes with a pickaxe, while my housecarl silently watched.

We took the other tunnel, expecting to find more draugr, or moonstone, in that direction, but all we found was a deep pit. It was likely that this was where the floor had collapsed into the tomb, and released the draugr. I didn't see a way to climb up, but it wasn't too far to drop down.

She probably thought I was being reckless, jumping down the hole with no visible way to return, but if the draugr had done it, I was certain that I could. There must be another path somewhere that they'd used.

Whatever she thought, she didn't follow immediately, and I had to deal with the first three of them alone. Not that it was hard for me, but she wasn't there to witness it.

By the time I reached the next turning in the tunnel, however, she was behind me again. I hadn't heard her jump down, but she must have done so.

We came to a gate, with a lever on a pedestal in front of it. This looked like a trap to me, and I could see the holes in the walls where darts would fire out if the lever was pulled at the wrong time. I knew that there was usually something else I'd need to operate before the lever would be safe, so I started to search the area. I found another lever on the wall, looked around for dart holes, and since there were none, I pulled it. I looked towards the gate, and saw that she'd found another lever on the opposite side. When she pulled that one, the gate opened without using the central one at all.

Beyond it was a spiral staircase leading up. That was a good sign, as it meant we'd be regaining the elevation we lost when we dropped down the hole. If we were back at the same level, there was a good chance that we'd find a route back into the mine. The same one the draugr had used.

There was nothing of interest up the first side-tunnel we tried. I doubled back and had difficulty passing her in the narrow tunnel. Squeezing past was quite enjoyable, but it really shouldn't have been needed.

The next one lead to a large chamber, and as I stepped into it, a statue at the far side glowed red and spat a fireball at me. I dodged back, thankful that she wasn't following close enough to block my way again. A draugr wearing a helmet appeared from the far side and rushed towards me. He stopped at the entrance to the tunnel I'd moved back into, as if he wasn't able to leave the chamber. He swung his greatsword, but I was beyond his reach.

"NO, don't push me!" I roared as she tried to run at the draugr. I took out my bow and showed her how this situation should be handled. Maybe it wasn't the Dremora way to stand back, but it was by far the best strategy for an enemy that can't reach you.

He was steadily being whittled down by my arrows, and I was anticipating an imminent end to this confrontation, when the other statue glowed green, and healed him. Not all the way back to full health, but enough for me to realise that I'd run out of arrows before he fell.

So I put the bow away again, and held my mace while I considered the options. That gave her room to pass me and rush out into the room. She wouldn't stand a chance against him alone, so I was forced to get his attention. I at least had some armor, and she just had that tantalising robe.

Well, maybe a little more, as I noticed a glow around her that could be a shield spell of some nature. Since we hadn't spoken, I had no idea what she could cast, beyond the flames she'd already used.

He turned towards her, and the first statue glowed again. The fireball, which it directed at me, hit the draugr instead, as he was in between me and the statue. I resolved to keep him there, if I could, but I also wanted his attention back. My mace got that very quickly, and I had to act swiftly to block his response.

Meanwhile, it appeared that her flames were having an extra effect on him, perhaps because they were combining with those from the fireball. Whatever the reason, it gave me hope again.

I'd just started to worry about being hit by a fireball if he fell at the wrong time, when he did. The red and green glows of the statues went out with the blue glow of his eyes, and I breathed again.

I made that sound as if I was preparing for more work, not expressing relief. There were more moonstone veins in the room, and I went to work on those. Then I checked the chest and the items scattered on the table, or was it an altar? I found a large soul gem, but only a Greater one, not the Grand I needed. And it was empty, too. Still, they had value, and were light enough to carry. A few enchanted weapons, which I was collecting in anticipation of being able to learn their magics. A few ingredients to use in alchemy, once I had a lab. A decent enough haul.

I'd picked up a couple of ingots of refined moonstone along with the ore, so I sold all the ore to Perth when we left the mine. He gave me the money he'd have used to pay the troops for clearing the mine, too. Perhaps I'd be able to buy that gem, after all.