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Posted by: ghastley Jul 18 2016, 05:06 PM

Kothet was a (dead) character in the Gweden Brothel mod. He was the Dremora Valkynaz who owned http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=4822&view=findpost&p=133192, before she killed him and escaped. I resurrected him to be the test character for the http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/74171 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.

Posted by: Acadian Jul 20 2016, 06:30 PM

Welcome to Kothet! What an interesting background he has.

I’m enjoying his unique perspective on things, and you’re doing a great job of giving him a personality that makes us want to read more. I love the tutorial at Helgen and never tire of reading how others experience it. I was greatly pleased to see Kothet cut down everyone’s favorite Legion Captain.

I’m also glad he ended up in Riverwood after all.

Posted by: hazmick Jul 22 2016, 02:29 PM

Now this promises to be an interesting take on things. I look forward to reading more.

Posted by: mALX Jul 26 2016, 01:51 AM

Wait, so if I take something like the "Naughty Nightie" (but a TES version of it) and make it "wearable by Dremora;" I could see a Dremora in a girl's sexy nightie? Where do I sign in?


And I refreshed myself on Prizna and was suddenly reminded how it came about that the keyboard on my laptop became broken in the first place = YOU and CLARK !!!

But more than that; I was so touched to once again see the early Clark; when he was the innocent and easily embarrassed reporter taking notes on the girl's stories as they entered the Brothel. He has remained on top with some of my most favorite characters of other people; along with Buffy; Teresa; Jerric and Darnand; etc.

It is really going to be sad for me when you stop writing him.

BWAAHAA!!!

Oh, I knew your Dremora was going to have more personality than any other in existance, lol. Like Slof's Dremora? I guess we will see!!!!

I am catching up on Gweden. I tried following that link; and it listed the chapters but didn't have links to them that I could find.

I'll check it out again when I figure out which chapter I left off on.

Awesome Write, but I knew it would be going in! I always expect a fun ride when you are writing!

Posted by: Darkness Eternal Jul 28 2016, 12:55 AM

You know it isn't everday we hear about a Dremora's time in Tamriel. I look forward to seeing more of Kothet in Skyrim. Fascinating that he was involved in Kvatch(or should I say Ganonah?), but that's to be expected knowing Dremora are immortal, in a sense.

I haven't gotten to read your other stories fully, shame on me, I know but I'll get to that eventually

Posted by: Grits Jul 29 2016, 03:29 AM

Oh this is great, I love to see Skyrim from different perspectives. Kothet’s take on the familiar Helgen events make them fresh again. I never get tired of seeing that Imperial Captain meet Gunjar’s axe, a jet of flames, or both! Yay for bare-chested dremoras. I’m looking forward to Kothet’s story!

Posted by: ghastley Aug 8 2016, 01:54 PM

Acadian: The Captain opportunity is why I decided to send him out with Ralof. He needed the bottom half of her uniform, in case I wanted screenshots.

hazmick: This will be heavily driven by the mod, but should have its own slant.

mALX: I had considered using my Greek goddess outfit in this, but couldn't find a justification for it.

DE: Kvatch/Ganonah, and in my game, Bravil, too.

Grits: And if he'd been a woman, he wouldn't be bare-chested. That's not like me.

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

Previously Kothet's cave was invaded by Stormcloaks seeking a hideaway, and he got swept up by a Legion round-up that grabbed Jarl Ulfric. Despite just wanting to return home, he found himself in Riverwood.

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2 -Bleak Falls Barrow

Even before I reached the barrow itself, I'd slain a wolf on the path, and three bandits in a tower a little further up. That archer should have learned to make her first shot count. Instead, it just alerted me to their presence when it hit the rocks by my head. They only had furs, and crude iron, nothing much worth taking, apart from the arrows and lockpicks that are always useful, especially as they weigh so little. There was a bit of gold in a chest there, but not enough to make me rush back to town and spend it.

I saw the bandits at the ruin before they saw me, so the archers didn't get a chance to shoot and miss. The third bandit, the one with the iron warhammer, took a second hit to dispatch, and I considered taking his weapon. But I'd damaged the shaft, and it wasn't significantly more damaging than my steel mace. I liked having one hand free for spells, too. I'd found a spell tome in Helgen that had taught me Sparks, or rather, reminded me of a spell I'd forgotten, and a style of fighting I hadn't used for nearly as long.

Now if it had been at least a steel warhammer, things might have been different. That's a proper strong man's weapon. It gets respect when an opponent just sees it on your back. A Daedric one would be even better, but when did I last see one of those?

---

The bandits inside didn't have one, that was certain. It appeared that one of them had been killed by skeevers, as his body still lay among theirs near the door. The two that were alive (briefly) had only fur armour, and iron weapons.

None of these, of course, had the claw I was looking for. That bandit must be further in, and I assumed he'd be the leader of the group, and better-equipped.

---

Apart from one bandit, who set off a dart trap and died for his stupidity, I saw nothing but skeevers on my way further in. But then I heard someone calling for help around the next corner. This pathetic weakling couldn't be the one I was looking for, the one who'd taken the claw, but he was at least alerting me to whatever danger was threatening him. That turned out to be a giant spider, and the caller was trapped in a silken shroud behind it.

When I cut him down, he ran off before I could demand his assistance in finding the claw. He was round the corner before I could pull out my bow, or he'd have paid for his ingratitude there and then.

He paid only a few moments later, as he ran into a number of draugr, and a spiked gate, on which I found him impaled. The draugr were useful practice, but carried little of use. Their weapons were old, and brittle, and that was about all they had.

I searched the cowardly bandit, expecting to find just as little, and was surprised that he had the claw. Not only that, but his journal suggested it had a purpose other than mere decoration, and that it was connected to something valuable deeper in the tomb.

It wasn't the Clannfear Claw I'd suspected, but a cast metal item with a set of symbols in the palm. The wrist end was bent up in a curious fashion that made it look like a handle to turn something. Perhaps it would make sense later.

---

I encountered more of the draugr in the passages of this labyrinth. The tomb seemed to have been built as a winding tunnel into the mountain. Presumably it followed weakness in the rock, because otherwise the twists and turns made little sense. Sometimes it had walls covered in dressed stone, and at other points it was bare rock. Perhaps they'd joined up some caves to make it into a tomb?

Eventually, however, I found myself in a long hallway, with a large metal door at the end. There were three rings bearing symbols that looked like the ones I'd noted on the claw. I took it out for another look.

Yes, the symbols were the same. There was clearly a right way up, as they were pictograms of animals and birds. The order of the symbols on the door was different, however.

I discovered that the rings moved, and revealed other symbols. Turning each one in turn got me the same arrangement as I saw on the claw. And in the centre was a disc with small holes that looked like the claw would fit into them.

Now it made sense why the claw had a handle. I fitted the claw into to the disc, and used the handle to turn it. The door started to slide down, and I removed the claw.

Beyond the door was a large cave with a stream running through it. On the other side of the stream was a platform, and beyond that, a wall covered in strange lettering, an inscription in a language I didn't know.

One of the groups of symbols, presumably a word of this language, glowed as I approached.

There was magic at work here. The glowing of the word had obviously been triggered by my approach, and I wondered what else was to come. I could hear chanting, although there was nobody else there, and it didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular. Maybe it was being produced inside my head by the same magic. And I could hear the word, even though I couldn't understand its meaning. This stone wall was trying to tell me something, and I didn't know what it was.

Perhaps it was just trying to tell me to look behind me. I heard a breaking sound and turned to see the stone lid coming off a coffin on the platform. A horned helmet popped up, and an armoured draugr climbed out of the coffin. He held a large two-handed sword, and intended to use it on me.

At last, a worthy opponent! And one with a trick I wasn't expecting. He shouted at me, and magic pushed me back. So my first blow missed him, and he tried to take the initiative with a swing of his own.

But I'd recovered by then, and blocked it easily. His weapon was slower than mine, and I pressed that advantage to make up for my relative lack of armour. He staggered, and I knew I had him. With a roar of triumph, I shattered his dry bones with my mace.

There was a chest beside the coffin he'd emerged from, and it contained a decent amount of gold and other items. No weapons I'd use, but his own greatsword had an enchantment of frost on it, and I knew there was a way to learn that enchantment. I took that with me also. His helmet and armour appeared to have become fused to his remains, and couldn't be removed. The only other thing he carried was a stone tablet, with markings on it that appeared to be in the same language as the wall. I took it out of curiosity, as it didn't appear to be valuable.

There were stairs next to the wall that appeared to lead nowhere, but a handle at the top revealed a door in the wall when it was turned. It lead out to a small cave, with another chest, and an exit to the side of the mountain. I looked out over the same river that flowed through Riverwood, but quite a bit further upstream.

That meant I'd have to go back through the town, so I decided to return the claw, or key, or whatever it was, to the shopkeeper. I'd probably get more for it from him, than any merchant in Whiterun. Then I'd go there, and try to find out if the stone tablet meant anything, or this foreign word I had stuck in my head.

And I'd like to sell some of the things I found and buy some armour, and maybe a better weapon.

---

The shopkeeper was happy to get the claw back, but seemed completely uninterested in what it really was. It was just important to his family to have it back, a peculiarly mortal consideration, if you ask me.

His sister was also grateful, but didn't offer to reward me in the way I'd have liked, so I left the shop and headed for the city. I considered checking the smith, to see if he had anything worth trading for, but all I could see near his forge were iron, and steel. Nothing better than I already had.

So I kept most of the items I'd found for trading in Whiterun. Ralof had mentioned that there were better smiths there than anywhere in Skyrim.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 8 2016, 07:54 PM

A nice retelling of the Bleak Falls Barrow interconnected pair of quests. I like how Kothet more 'remembers' the magic he finds in a spell book rather than learning a new spell.

Off to Whiterun with that curious tablet. When he gets there, perhaps the general trader will be more willing to sell his sister than the Riverwood trader was.

Posted by: Darkness Eternal Aug 8 2016, 09:22 PM

When Kothet mentioned looting the bandit I imagined at once his Daedric weapon. No Dremora is complete without his deadly gear! After some bandit-hunting he finds a claw, one with value that may bring gold . . . to buy a better weapon. Something we both agree on.

Posted by: ghastley Aug 15 2016, 01:42 PM

Acadian: Yes, one problem with an immortal character is explaining why he starts from scratch. In Kothet's case, he's been living as a subsistence hunter, and forgotten it all.

Belethor can make the offer more easily, as he doesn't have one to object.

DE: Kothet lost his Dremora equipment (which is rated well below Daedric) when he decided to wrestle a bear in the hope of being resurrected in the Deadlands. He'll eventually decide he has to make his own, which will be better than the mass-produced uniform stuff. He gets the chance to make Dremora-specific items at Steel and Advanced levels, on the way.

-----------

Previously: Kothet had taken the route through Bleak Falls Barrow as the less boring one, and found more than he expected. He's headed to Whiterun for better equipment.

-----------

3 -Whiterun

The guards at the gate were keeping strangers out, but changed their minds when I mentioned the dragon at Helgen. "The Jarl will want to hear of this. You'd better go in, and seek him out up at Dragonsreach, at the top of the hill."

Since that was why they let me in, the only honourable course of action was to go and report to the Jarl first. I could trade afterward. Perhaps he'd direct me to the better smiths, too.

The Jarl took my report of the Dragon incident at Helgen, and directed his housecarl to send troops to secure Riverwood, in case it attacked there. He had a further task for me, as his court wizard was investigating the stories of dragons that had begun to circulate, and I had some actual facts to report.

Farengar had information that there was a map of dragon burial sites inscribed on a stone tablet, and he'd like to obtain it and compare it to modern maps. It was said to be held in Bleak Falls Barrow, and he'd like someone to go and fetch it, if it was indeed there.

"This tablet?" I asked, handing him the one I'd found.

"You found it already! This is the Dragonstone! You're cut from a different cloth than the usual fools the Jarl sends to me."

Some people have a knack for stating the obvious, and I didn't react. Even if I'd wanted to, Irileth, the Jarl's housecarl, had come running over to summon both of us back to the Jarl. Apparently, another dragon had appeared, near the watchtower.

The Jarl wanted us, well, Irileth and myself anyway, to go and investigate the dragon, and kill it or drive it away if we could. I was the only one who had experience of dragons, as I'd at least met the one at Helgen.

"Take as many men as you need," he told her. "I'd rather it was dealt with away from the city."

He turned to me and handed me a pair of good elven boots. "This is for finding that stone for Farengar," he told me. "And I wish you luck with the dragon."

The Kyn do not rely on luck, but the sentiment was well-meant. I left with Irileth, and we picked up a number of guardsmen to join us. I went to the smith by the gate to trade for equipment while she briefed the troops on our mission.

Adrianne Avenici didn't have any armour that fit me, but she did have an Orcish mace, and an Elven bow, that were better than the ones I had. I bought some Elven arrows to go with the bow. The greatsword I'd taken from the draugr wasn't worth much, so I kept it, planning to learn its enchantment later.

I was eager to match myself against a dragon. That was a foe I'd never encountered in battle. The one at Helgen had arrived while my hands were bound, and had gone before I had a chance to look for it. But it had clearly managed to destroy much of the town, and hold its own against all the people there. I don't know whether the Imperials and Stormcloaks were able to unite against it, or whether they continued the idiotic squabble between them even while it breathed flames on both sides. I do know that it flew off afterward, as we saw it leave as we came out of the cave. It didn't appear to be fleeing, just moving on to whatever it planned next.

This could be the same dragon, or another. We wouldn't know until we got to the watchtower. If it was the same one, I wasn't certain if I thought of it as an ally, rather than an enemy. It had secured my release, and prevented the inconvenience of my execution, but that probably wasn't anything more than coincidence.

It wasn't the same one. The first had been larger, and black. This was more grey, and a bit smaller. It did share the same habit of breathing flames over everyone, and of course it was flying around out of the reach of anything but arrows.

And spells, I was quickly reminded. Irileth carried no shield, and that was because her left hand was for casting lightning. I had a shorter-range spell, with less power, so I used my bow instead. The greater pull and heavier arrows I used made mine more effective than the ones the guards were using, and it wasn't long before the dragon knew that. He swooped down and landed near me, intending to concentrate his fiery breath on his strongest opponent.

But in landing, he'd enabled us to use other weapons. The guards all switched to axes and hammers, and I to my mace. Irileth was now using her sword as well as the lightning spell, and had become twice as dangerous to the dragon. He wheeled towards her, and gave me an opening.

"Dovahkiin, No!" I heard him cry as he collapsed.

"What's happening? Everyone get back!" Irileth ordered.

The dragon was beginning to disintegrate. Its flesh appeared to be burning away like dead leaves, leaving only a skeleton. And a swirl of magic was encircling the dead dragon and myself. I heard again the word that had entered my head when I approached the wall in Bleak Falls Barrow, but this time it had a meaning - Force! This was what that draugr had shouted at me to push me back, but somehow it felt stronger, as if I knew the word better than he had, if that makes any sense.

I had a duty to report this back to the Jarl. After taking everything we could from the dragon's remains, Irileth and I set off back to Whiterun. She left the remaining guardsmen there to hold the ruins, in case any more dragons showed up.

---

As we approached the gates a loud rumbling that sounded like a mixture of thunder and several voices shouting in unison hit us. It seemed to be saying "Dovahkiin" - the same word the dragon had spoken before it died.

I mentioned that to the Jarl, and he seemed to know what it meant. "We translate it as Dragonborn," he told me. "and he obviously meant you."

"But I am Kynaz - Dremora - so I was never born. How can that make sense?"

"The dragons are equally immortal," he told me. "The one you killed can be raised again, and will need to be killed again. The word means that you are like a dragon, but not one. A relative, perhaps. There were mortal dragonborn before you, including Tiber Septim, who is now Talos, and has become immortal after being born mortal."

"The second time you heard the name, it was the Greybeards calling. They are summoning you to High Hrothgar, and you should go there, and find out what they want of you."

The Jarl's Steward, Proventus Avenici, found it unlikely that any of this could be true, but the Nords all agreed with the Jarl. This was well known in Nord tradition, even if the Imperials from Cyrodill hadn't heard about it.

---

I left the Palace with another gift from Jarl Balgruuf, this time an enchanted axe. He told me it would be my badge of office, as I was now a Thane of the city. And I had a housecarl, and the right to purchase property in the hold. The housecarl was a woman called Lydia, and although she appeared reasonably armoured, and swore that she'd defend me and my property, I left her behind as I walked out of the city gates.

The path up the mountain to High Hrothgar began on the far side, in the town of Ivarstead, in the Rift. Since I was going in that direction anyway, I didn't have to make up my mind whether to make the climb until I got to that side of the mountain. I crossed the White River and headed East.

A bunch of bandits had taken over a pair of towers and a bridge by the road, and were extracting a "toll" for people to pass. I refused the toll-taker's demands, and suggested that my payment would be leaving them alive. She declined that offer and swung an axe at me. An arrow from the tower above hit the road where I'd just been standing, as I dodged out of the way and took up my mace.

With the first bandit lying dead in the road, I entered the tower to go look for the archer. There was nobody in the lower level of the tower, but more bandits were crossing the bridge as I climbed the stairs inside.

After dispatching the archer, I went back down to confront the bandits from the other tower.

I arrived at the door at the same time as the first of them, and stayed just inside, out of the range of the archers on the bridge, until he was beaten down. He was a bit more effort than the first two, as he had better armour, and a shield. I took the shield, and used it to stop the arrows as I chased the others back over the bridge.

After I'd killed the last archer, I searched the far tower, and found a few items of interest. There was a book that taught me a little more about archery, always a useful skill, and a couple of enchanted weapons. Although they were only made of iron, the enchantments could be useful.

A few potions and a little gold were the only other items I could find. It seems their toll scheme hadn't been all that lucrative.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 15 2016, 10:43 PM

Wow, Kothet is not half-stepping it regarding the Main Quest.

I loved that part of him considered the Helgen dragon an ally for securing his release. I’ve always felt that way too.

Stupid bandits. I like how Kothet pointed out that their enterprise did not seem to be prospering even before he put a mace into the works.

Posted by: hazmick Aug 16 2016, 12:42 AM

I always feel sorry for that first dragon. He's been minding his own business for hundreds of years and then the first time he shows himself a Dragonborn pops up and devours his soul.

Looking forward to learning more about Dremora Dragonborn.

Posted by: Renee Aug 16 2016, 12:57 AM

This is fun to read. You make playing a dremora very seamless, and natural.

Posted by: mALX Aug 21 2016, 11:21 AM

2 -Bleak Falls Barrow - Wow, this is a totally different write coming from you than I am used to! Excellent write, most especially the first paragraph - that was spectacular! You did an excellent job of bringing us into Kothet's mind frame in this, I def feel the difference in thinking between the mind of a Dremora and how their thinking might be different from a mans.

Kothet lacks the playfulness and fun Clark adds to every story he graces; but he is still very interesting as a character; and it is really cool how you are developing a Dremora culture and thought process here!

Posted by: mALX Aug 21 2016, 11:39 AM

3 -Whiterun

Aw, I thought the people of Whiterun would have been freaked out by seeing a Dremora coming in!

This was the greatest thing I have ever read or heard in regards to that moment in the game! You took what was a great moment in the game and made it spectacular!!!!! I wish Bethesda had added that touch of Epic you just gave that scene here!!!!!!

Awesome Write! I've never seen you serious before, you carry it off very well !!!

Posted by: ghastley Aug 22 2016, 01:44 PM

Acadian: Kothet thinks in military terms. If he's attacking my enemies, he's an ally, ... for now.

hazmick: Kothet's been waiting a long time himself. And he wasn't the one who attacked a watchtower the moment he was awakened.

Renee: Don't mention seams to someone who makes outfits for Skyrim characters.

mALX: I'm sure Kothet can't keep a straight face for too long. And the people of Whiterun only get freaked out by curved swords.

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

Previously: Kothet discovered that he was "dragonborn" - a term that made little sense to him. He declined Lydia's offer to accompany him, and set off for his cave in the Rift.

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

4 - Lost Valley

I hadn't gone much further up the road, when a courier came running up to me, and handed me a sealed letter. He left immediately, headed back towards Whiterun.

I broke open the seal and read the letter.

I knew that there were other Dremora in Tamriel, but we were few and widely scattered. We'd not made any attempt to gather, as we were held in great suspicion individually, and a group of us would immediately have been considered a threat. So it was a great surprise to discover that the letter was from the Kyn.

I read that part again. It didn't actually say that these Kyn were in Tamriel. I'd just assumed that, because I'd been given the letter by a courier here. Perhaps there was a way they could have sent it from Dagon's Deadlands. It wasn't clear.

The letter told me of a Nordic Tower, in the hills of the Reach, bordering High Rock and Hammerfell. If I'd go and fix the place up, and furnish it as a home, then I'd get a Dremora for a housecarl. Someone who'd fight alongside me for the right reasons, to command respect. And not a pale Nord woman who didn't even have her horns yet.

Wait, they don't grow horns, do they? It's not a sign of immaturity to be without any, it's just normal for them. Still, a companion of my own kind would definitely be preferable.

The Tower was back in the direction I was coming from, so did I really want to turn around and retrace my steps? My cave, and High Hrothgar, were both in the direction I was already going.

"My cave" was the home I'd known for years, but it wasn't exactly a palace. And it didn't come with a housecarl, not even a mortal one. High Hrothgar could wait, too. I turned around.

---

A dirt path led off the road toward a small stream flowing from a pond. The pond, in turn, was fed by a waterfall from a long way above. I could see stonework up at the top, but it was too far to make out any buildings. Some mudcrabs were lurking near the ford, as if they were guarding the Nirnroot that grew there. Their shells are useful for alchemy, so I harvested them, and their Nirnroot.

The path continued up some stone steps and crossed the falls between one cascade and the next. I could now see another cascade ahead, not part of this one, and it came from an artificial structure that channelled the water away from the path. Perhaps this path was the original route of the water before someone diverted it? Or maybe it just flooded too often.

I mounted another flight of steps, and still didn't see any signs that this place was inhabited. But it was bare, and rocky, with steep cliffs, so maybe everyone was up at the top. There had to be some level ground somewhere, or why build here at all?

Further up, I found evidence that someone had been here reasonably recently. There was a tripwire strung across the path, and I'm sure that would have been broken by a deer or a goat before long. Someone has to restring those, and reset the traps.

I broke it deliberately, and watched the boulders roll across the path. The noise of that should have brought the inhabitants to investigate, if they were close enough. And if not, at least it wouldn't be a danger when I came back down.

I was beginning to get impatient for combat. It would be easier to defeat whoever lived here if they came at me one or two at a time. I knew they'd be hostile, even before I encountered them, as friendly people don't set traps for their visitors. I didn't have to wait long. A man dressed in furs, and wearing the horns of a deer, came rushing at me with a couple of stone-toothed swords. He proved remarkably resilient to my mace, and took a couple of blows to subdue.

It was almost a pity to kill the woman archer who opposed me next. Her furs covered even less than the man's and she appeared to be quite shapely and fit. She'd have made an excellent slave, if only she'd yielded when I told her to do so.

Now I was climbing between walls, rather than bare rock, and there were more signs of habitation. A grindstone was next to the path, presumably down here so they could sharpen their weapons after battle without going all the way back up. On it was a man's body, dressed like one of the local Nords, rather than wearing the fur garb I'd seen on those attacking me. Perhaps he'd climbed up here before me and found himself equally unwelcome.

And I was now having to dodge arrows, fired from the walls above me. More of the sword-wielders ran down to greet me, also. No, that one had an axe in one hand, but still it's two weapons at once. I knew how to deal with that style already, and sword or axe makes little difference.

The archers again were female, one quite remarkably so. Those breasts were worthy of a Dremora, and almost burst out of her inadequate furs. She didn't wish to yield, either.

The area I'd reached, which I estimated was about half-way up, was flat and partially paved. Most of it, however, was taken up by a large rectangular pool. There were steps leading down into the water, and I could see fish swimming in it. Clearly they caught and ate the fish, as several were hanging up to dry out on a nearby rack. And there were hide tents around, so at least the fishermen must have slept down here.

Some of the walls turned out to be channels for the water from the pool, which fed the waterfalls below. Most of the others were apparently fortifications, and provided vantage points for the archers. None of them seemed to form part of any inhabited buildings, and certainly nothing that resembled the tower I was supposed to find.

The waterfall that fell into the pool appeared to come from between two stone pillars, and there was another stone structure in the middle, which was hard to make out in all the spray. It didn't look like anything anyone could live in, and from down here, I could not see how you could reach it.

Steps to the left of the pool led further up, so that's the way I went. As expected, there were more tripwires, and more opposition. And these people lived in hide tents, too. There was a forge, and other crafting equipment up here, so I'd have expected buildings, not just defensive walls.

The man that came at me next looked a little different from the ones before, and it took a moment before I saw why that was. He only had a sword in one hand, and the other was gathering flames to hurl at me. The Kyn live among flames, so that was little threat, but presumably it was the only destruction spell he knew. Or else, he'd never seen one of us before, and knew no better. Probably that, as he started to gather a frost spell when the first proved ineffective.

I didn't let him finish. Not that I fear frost, but there was no point in prolonging his life. I didn't care if he wanted to yield, after all. I noticed as I checked his corpse for loot, that he had no heart. It had been removed, and a piece of plant material put in its place. I took this briarheart, as I assumed it had magical power.

As I climbed what looked to be the last set of steps, I could see the top of the waterfall. There was a small ridge of islands dividing the river in two, connected by bridges to each other and the banks. The central bridges ended at a platform overlooking the pool below. That was the structure I'd seen from below, and I still had no idea of its purpose.

In the other direction I could hear chanting, and it didn't seem to be human voices. Or elven, for that matter, or Khajiit or Argonian. Whatever the creatures were, they had nothing to do with my reason for being here, so I crossed the bridge to continue looking for the tower.

And there was one right ahead of me, with a brazier burning at the bottom of a ramp that led up the outside. It looked like someone was already living here.

Something, I should have said. Although it might have been a human once, this looked more like a bird. One that threw fireballs, too. I ducked back out of the door and avoided the blast. It didn't get another chance, as I ran in and struck with my mace before another fireball could be readied. The claws she - yes I think that's the right word - used were nearly as bad, and I needed to heal myself after I'd finished her. I climbed up the stairs inside, and after nearly being hit by a gem trap throwing shock, reached a tiny platform at the top, where I found nothing but a bird's nest with an egg in it.

And a view of another tower, just a bit further up the mountain. This was not the tower I'd been looking for. That was. Hopefully emptier than this one.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 24 2016, 03:03 PM

I enjoyed Kothet’s realization that the pale Nord women simply didn’t grow horns – even as they matured.

And off to a potential new home in the Reach. Gotta deal with the fur-busting archerettes, briardudes and Ravencrones first. His climb felt quite familiar - Lost Valley Redoubt perhaps? Even without referring to the episode's title, it seems pretty similar.

Posted by: Renee Aug 27 2016, 04:24 AM

Nice to be in Forsworn territory. This made me want to fire up Skyrim again!

Posted by: ghastley Aug 29 2016, 01:58 PM

Acadian: Kothet's map doesn't name it, so he didn't. I felt that Redoubt means Forsworn (or at least fortification) too clearly, and he would be expecting the opposition, instead of finding it as he went along.

Renee: It's Dremora territory now!

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

5 -Dremora Tower

I began to wonder, when I found a brazier and an anvil on a landing at the top of the stairs inside. But nobody, and nothing, was defending this one, so I climbed further. The ramp outside led up to a doorway into an empty room. No sign of habitation here, but there were more stairs, wooden ones this time, not like the stone ones below.

At the top of those I found a workbench, and a chest. On the workbench was a book, that confirmed I'd found the right place. It gave me some instructions on how to start rebuilding the tower, suggesting I might fix the floor first. That would take timber, and I didn't see any lying around up here. There were a few items in the chest, blocks of stone, leather strips, some clay, and a few iron ingots, but no planks or boards.

I went down again, carrying what I'd taken from the chest. It looked like I had enough material here to make a smelter, and a tanning rack, and I knew I'd need those to make more materials. Once I'd constructed those I looked around to see if there were any trees I could cut.

But it appeared I'd not need to. There was a pile of logs just beyond the smelter I'd just put up. Either I'd not noticed it on the way in, behind that rock, or they'd appeared there by magic. Stranger things do happen, so I asked no questions. Nobody here to ask, anyway.

I only had enough iron to make nails for the floor. I needed more, if I wanted to put a roof at the top, and close off a bedroom. There was a vein of ore not too far away, and one of corundum near the entrance to the other tower. So once I had a pickaxe, I could make a lock, if I needed one. I didn't see much point in making a door yet, as there was nothing of great value to lock inside. I'd be very annoyed if someone stole the anvil, but if they wanted one, they'd take it from the camp lower down, and not bother coming all the way up here. And I needed a pickaxe before I could mine the iron or corundum.

I decided to go and look for more iron, down at the forge. I hadn't noticed any ore veins as I climbed up here, but I hadn't searched all the chests, and they might have some stored away to make their weapons.

They might even have a pickaxe.

As I crossed the bridge over the river, I got the urge to try the quick way down. The waterfall was almost vertical down to the pool below, and that lookout point at the end hung out over the falls. What was the worst that could happen? If the fall killed me, it wouldn't be long before I found myself back in Skyrim, and now I knew the way here.

Perhaps it was the confident way I leaped off the planks at the end that made me land safely in the deepest part of the pool. I climbed the steps out to see a ghost in front of me, with a lute in his hands. He told me that I'd just jumped off Bard's Leap, and that he'd done so too, if not so successfully, after reciting the entire Poetic Edda at the top.

The ghost disappeared and I noticed a chest behind him. It had a lock that was hard to pick, and didn't contain any iron. I did find a minor gem, and some gold, and a potion that might be handy later.

No pickaxe, no iron, or even ore. I did discover some silver veins, not that I need silver for anything, but it's more valuable than iron, and I could trade.

It looked like I needed to go back to Whiterun, or Riverwood, and buy some iron ingots. I took anything that looked valuable from the corpses and their camp, and headed back down the path. That dead archer looked even better without her armour. Why couldn't she have yielded?

I took a wrong turning on the road back to Whiterun and ended up in somewhere called Falkreath instead. There was a merchant there, and a smith, so it turned out just as well. The merchant had the goat horns I was going to need to make lights, and glass, and straw to stuff the mattress. He told me that there was an iron mine between there and Riverwood where I'd find a pickaxe, if I didn't mind clearing out the bandits first. "Check with Valga at Dead Man's Drink first, there might be a bounty for them, too. She mentioned that the Jarl's men had brought in a flyer last time I went in for a drink. Doesn't interest me, but you might like the job."

I thanked him and did just that. There was indeed a bounty on the bandits. And Valga was good to look at, and so was the woman she had selling drinks, so it was well worth the visit. I almost wished I'd arrived later in the day, and could stay overnight to see what else they had to offer. But it was early morning, and I had some bandit-clearing and mining to do.

Embershard mine was almost all the way to Riverwood, and of course I passed a couple of iron veins on the way, without a pickaxe. It put me in a foul mood, which was much the best mood to be in before a good fight.

The bandits weren't much of a problem, and I found a pickaxe next to the first vein of ore. I didn't need to retrace my steps at all, mining as I went, and killing bandits when they heard me and came looking. They'd made a couple of ingots already, although I didn't see a smelter anywhere, and they had a forge where they could use them. Someone had left a book on making light armour on the workbench, and I learned something new from reading that.

Apart from that, there was a fair bit of their loot scattered around the place, on tables, shelves, and in chests. Nothing major, but all worth collecting. I took their better weapons and armour with me, too, and went back to Falkreath to sell it and collect the bounty, mining as I went.

There was no smelter in the town, either, but since iron ore and ingots are equally heavy, I could wait until I got home. To the tower, I meant. It wasn't a home yet, but I had all the material to make it one, so it wouldn't be long.

I still needed moonstone, and quicksilver, and gold for the crafting table, but that was going to take a grand soul gem, too, and I couldn't even afford an empty one. That would be the last thing I made.

---

It was starting to get dark when I returned, so I made the important things first. The roof, the partition to enclose the bedroom, then the bed itself. A wardrobe to stow some of the miscellaneous items in until I made a chest. I only had one corundum ingot, and the lock I made from that would be used on the main door. I made that next.

By now, it was really getting dark, so the next items to make should be lights. Half of my goat horns made a small chandelier for the entrance, and most of the rest a lamp stand on the middle floor. The last one would light my bedroom, but first I needed something to stand it on.

When I made the side tables, and put the lamp on one of them, I noticed that a book had appeared on the other. I hadn't put it there, so how did get there?

It had an Oblivion gate symbol on the cover. That usually indicated that it was a book about conjuration, and some of them taught you spells, or increased your skill. That seemed useful, so I took a look inside.

This would teach me a spell, and unusually, I had a choice. There were three spells available, each to summon a housecarl. A Dremora housecarl, who could be male or female, and there were two choices of females.

Lydia had explained what a housecarl was, someone to guard me and my property. I didn't need guarding, but this tower might. And a male would obviously do that better than a woman. Women weren't fighters, although the Nords seemed to think they were, or they wouldn't have offered Lydia. And come to think of it, my woman had proved no slouch. She hadn't even been wearing armour when she defeated me.

I shouldn't have thought about her. It probably swayed my thoughts from the rational decision I should have made, to the impulsive one I did make.

The book disappeared, and left me wondering what had just happened.

I didn't try the spell immediately. I had still had materials to make more furniture, and I wanted to complete as much as I could before I summoned her. I expected respect, but I also wanted it to be justified. Her first view of this tower would be as impressive as I could make it.

So the dining table and bookshelf were made, and weapon racks, an armour mannequin and I still had enough iron for a good quantity of nails. The platform that I constructed at the top of the tower had a commanding view over the entire valley. The strategic advantages of such a lookout position couldn't be lost on anyone, and that was where I finally summoned her.

She was almost as tall as me, and wore a simple robe wrapped around her, and tied at the waist. When she turned to face me, I wasn't disappointed with what I saw. She said nothing, unlike her Nord counterpart, who'd accosted me with a little speech about how she was sworn to serve. This woman just looked into my eyes as if I'd be able to read everything in hers.

"It's late, time for me to go to bed," I announced, not really knowing what I expected of her. When I went down the stairs towards the bedroom, she followed, but stopped outside the curtain, and didn't follow me in, as I'd hoped. She was still saying nothing.

I got into bed and waited. I'd learned the spell that promised me hope of a companion, rather than just an ally, and she certainly looked like the woman I wanted, especially the breasts that threatened to fall out of her robe. I'd managed not to stare at them too much. Just to let her know I'd noticed, and no more.

She didn't move from her position. Perhaps she was on guard there, perhaps I just didn't deserve her yet. All I'd proved so far was that I was a competent laborer, after all.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 29 2016, 06:00 PM

’Either I'd not noticed it on the way in, behind that rock, or they'd appeared there by magic. Stranger things do happen, so I asked no questions. Nobody here to ask, anyway.’
- - I like how you embrace what the game delivers rather than always try to make eminent sense out of it. I remember dear old bobg used to insist that Angel (his character) accept the world she lived in without him influencing her thinking based on his own experience and perceptions.

Bard’s leap!

’That dead archer looked even better without her armour. Why couldn't she have yielded?’
- - What’s the fine for necrophilia in Skyrim? Or the Deadlands for that matter. Just askin'.

Nice foraging expedition to Falkreath and Embershard Mine.

Progress at the tower house is coming along well. And he has his horned housecarl now!


Nits:
- ’There was a vein of ore not to {too} far away, …’
- ’I hadn't noticed any ore veins as I cimbed {climbed} up here, …’

Posted by: ghastley Sep 5 2016, 04:47 PM

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.

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

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

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

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.

Posted by: Acadian Sep 5 2016, 06:15 PM

Some good traveling and dungeoneering as Kothet seeks some moonstone and learns more about his housecarl. She does indeed seem like an arcanist. Good teamwork beginning to develop. A few bumps are to be expected of course.

’I made that sound as if I was preparing for more work, not expressing relief.’ - - Yeah, sure. . . .

You're doing a great job of balancing Kothet's dremoraness while giving him a personality showing that he puts on his hat one horn at a time.


Nits:
’Perth would buy any extra moonstore {moonstone} ore I dug up, …’
’I was collecting in anticipation of being able to learn their magics {magicks?}.’

Posted by: Renee Sep 7 2016, 02:16 AM

Yes! dremora versus draugr! I love how all this is going down just to find a grand soul gem.

Mining ore is fun. I have a character who mines ore, but he's not adept (or interested) in dungeoneering, which makes for a rather awkward, sleepy roleplay.

Do you use any mods for the mining part? I found one mod which makes veins inexhaustible, but it also takes more time to find a chunk of ore. The rarer the ore, the more time it takes.

Posted by: ghastley Sep 12 2016, 02:14 PM

Acadian: Kother has noticed her bumps, and he' sure he'll get used to them.

Renee: No mining mods. The closest I came to that was with my Argonian Hearthfires mod using mining animations to clear the rubble before building.

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

Previously: Kothet got the moonstone he needed for his crafting table from Soljund's Sinkhole, but he still needs a lot of other materials.

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

7 - Kolskeggr

I still needed other metals for that crafting table, so we headed towards Markarth, looking for the gold mine I'd heard about. The signposts only pointed to the towns and cities, of course, and I had no idea if there was a town at the mine. And unless they'd named it "Goldtown" or something similar, it still wouldn't help.

As we walked, me in front, her behind, in complete silence, we encountered a few travellers coming the other way. I exchanged pleasantries with them, but heard nothing from her. I thought I'd heard her say something when one of them turned out to be a bandit who wanted to rob us. Something about "enjoying this", as she set him on fire.

It appeared that my enemies deserved her words, but I didn't.

---

We reached a fork in the road, and apparently both directions led to Markarth. One went up the hill, and the other down into the valley. I'd heard from a traveller that the Reach had "Silver in the hills, and Gold in the valleys" so I chose the road downward. There had to be some basis in truth behind that saying.

What it didn't say was that there were hostile locals wherever you went. More of the fur-clad people that I'd had to clear to reach the tower were ahead of us. They'd taken up a position where the road crossed over a bridge, and there was a small house beyond it. Unlike the bandits at Valtheim, they weren't extracting tolls for using the bridge, just attacking anyone who came near. And that was now me, and my housecarl.

Their bows weren't accurate enough at this distance to cause any harm, but it didn't stop them trying. Mine wasn't either, and I was the only one with a ranged attack. We needed to get closer, without getting hit.

So as any good Dremora would do, we charged. We both shouted defiance, and ran across the bridge. Not in a straight line, of course, and fortunately the road was wide enough to zig-zag, and spoil their aim. And by staying behind me, she didn't get in my way.

Lightly armoured as they always were, they stood little chance. Not that we were wearing much more, I reflected. I really needed some kind of breastplate over this studded kilt thing I was still wearing. I'd taken that off the Imperial Captain, and hadn't found anything better. I was torn between showing my muscles to my housecarl, and showing her I had the sense to wear armour. At least she could see that I was looking for better. A mage doesn't wear any, so there was little danger that she'd spoil my view.

With the things I took from our slain foes, I had about as much as I could carry. So when we saw the path that lead to a mine behind the house at the bridge, I didn't immediately take it. I could come back and check out the mine, once I'd traded this mediocre equipment for something better. I suspected that if they'd taken over the mine, they'd have it better guarded than the bridge.

It made sense to head for Markarth first, and come back better equipped.

At the top of the rise, there was a farm to the right, a bridge across the stream to a mining village to the left, and ahead was the stables outside the city. I could see several people standing outside the mine, so I went over to ask what they mined here. If it was gold, maybe they'd trade for some of the things I was carrying, and save me some walking.

This mine produced iron, but one of the men, Pavo, told me he'd just arrived from Kolskeggr mine, where they'd been driven out by the Forsworn. That was the name for those fur-clad bandits we'd just encountered, and presumably the mine we'd passed was the one he mentioned. I asked what they mined there, and it was gold.

He warned me not to tackle them, as they had axes, and magic, but it didn't sound like more than the ones I'd already defeated, reaching the tower. And we'd aready killed the first three, outside. When I showed Pavo the "armour" and weapons I'd collected, he confirmed that it was the Forsworn.

So now I knew where to mine gold, but I'd have to clear out these Forworn first. And I wouldn't be able to carry any gold until I sold some of the things I was carrying. We headed up the road to the city.

When we entered the gates, I heard the word Forsworn again. Off to my right, there was a commotion, as a man in miner's garb knifed a woman in the market. I decided not to get involved, as I'd noticed a smelter in the opposite direction, and I assumed there'd be a forge, and a smith, nearby.

The smith was an Orc, and she was berating her Imperial apprentice as we approached. I told her I'd look out for the book she wanted, and eventually got round to trading. She had some steel to make myself a breastplate, and she bought the other weapons and armour in return. I made a few improvements to my mace too, while I was there, and had the materials.

Feeling better equipped, and lighter, we headed back towards Kolskeggr Mine.

---

When we arrived, the remaining Forsworn were all still inside. It seemed that we hadn't alerted the others when we killed the bridge contingent. So that meant we'd have the chance to employ stealth.

The Dremora preference is to challenge and charge, but as a hunter for these many years stuck in Tamriel, I'd learned that it's not always the best way. You won't get a second deer if the rest of the herd have all been scattered.

As soon as we entered the mine, I crouched down, and looked back to see if my companion did the same. No, but at least she was staying back, and walking quietly. Her outfit made no noise, at least.

I peered around the corner, and spotted one of the Forsworn patrolling the tunnel. I nocked an arrow, and took careful aim. This bow had a heavier pull than my old Imperial one, and the elven arrows promised more damage than plain iron ones, so I was hopeful of a clean kill.

Yes! he dropped without a sound. One good thing about that fur armour of theirs is that it doesn't clatter when they drop. Nothing should have alerted his comrades ahead of us.

I was equally lucky with next one, but there were two of them together, this time, and the other saw her fall. Fortunately, this wasn't an archer, and he had to close the distance before he could attack. An arrow, and my partner's firebolt, took him out before he reached us.

Wait a moment, firebolt? She hadn't used that before. Just flames, so we had to get closer. She must have just learned that, although I didn't understand how, and I certainly didn't expect her to tell me.

We hadn't met any mages yet. The one I'd met on the way up to the tower was a tough opponent, and it was likely that we'd have the same fortune here, and he'd be the one waiting at the end. Hopefully, alone.

The Kyn do not rely on luck, and it's just as well, as he wasn't alone. I charged at the briarheart, as a firebolt flew toward the archer. I didn't look to see if it was sufficient, as the frost spell the briarheart cast clouded my vision, as well as slowing me down. I swung at where I thought he was, and felt my mace make satisfying contact. But a blow from his axe also glanced off my new breastplate, making me very glad that I'd made it. Perhaps luck is a matter of being properly prepared.

It took a few more blows to finish him, but at least he wasn't able to use that frost spell a second time. And that firebolt next to me warmed me back up, as well as removing the other threat.

"We can tell Pavo that it's safe to return," I announced, but got no response from anyone. I wasn't expecting one, but it would have been appreciated.

There were a couple of gold ingots on a table, as well as some already-mined ore. That was enough for what I needed, but I decided to mine some more, while we were here. I could make the gold into jewellery, which would be good smithing practice, and once I could enchant items, I'd be able to make something useful to a mage. Perhaps a circlet, or a ring, or an amulet to hang between those wonderful...

I needed quicksilver and a Grand Soul Gem before I could even think about enchanting, so I put that idea out of my head, even if she kept putting it back. It was the way she stood there, watching me dig the ore, at just the right angle to draw my attention. That's probably why I hadn't noticed that her robe was shorter. It used to reach down to her ankles, but now I could see the tops of her boots.

Posted by: Acadian Sep 12 2016, 03:42 PM

Good teamwork between Kothet and his beautiful but quiet housecarl.

It was a good call to find the mine then go reprovision before taking it on.

Nice job of displaying what Kothet knows (good tactics and fighting equipment) vs what he doesn’t know (fur-clad wild humans = Forsworn) – as one would expect of a Dremora.

Enchanting jewelry? Methinks Kothet is enchanted by his housecarl.

Posted by: Grits Sep 14 2016, 01:07 PM

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.

Here’s a perfect example of Kothet’s Kyn-ness. That’s what I love most about this story. It’s great fun to see the familiar and beloved through completely new eyes.

I’m enjoying Kothet’s internal struggle with his Housecarl’s silence. Funny how when you’re building you’d rather find iron than silver!

Posted by: Renee Sep 15 2016, 01:22 AM

I really love reading this, as it's whetting my appetite for Skyrim. It's neat that (as a hunter) Kothet is thinking outside the box, compared to most other dremorea. Hmm hmm ha haaa!

Good point, I never thought of it this way. Hmm. And also the part when Kothet's follower learns that spell spontaneously. I love noticing stuff like that.

Posted by: ghastley Sep 19 2016, 02:36 PM

Acadian: Kothet decided to provision for the fight, and Clark and Vicuña decided not to let the Forsworn prepare for them. It's probably more due to Kothet having all he could carry, and Clark having all his loot on the cart.

Grits: Just about anyone finds the things they're not looking for. He's just particularly good at it.

Renee: Kothet has the advantage of not being a native, even if he has been there longer than any Nord.

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

Previously Kothet and co. had cleared Kolskeggr mine, and he now has the gold for his crafting table.

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

8 - Markarth

I smelted the ore down to ingots right outside the mine. Unlike iron, smelting gold reduced the weight, and I could carry more that way. We headed back to Left Hand Mine, to tell Pavo he could return.

Pavo paid us for our trouble. I wasn't expecting that, nor was I expecting the Orc with him to announce that he'd tell the Strongholds about me. I'd be welcome there in future, and not treated as an outsider, whatever that meant.

He didn't tell me where any of these strongholds were, so I asked Ghorza, the Markarth smith, when I went to use her forge. She pointed out four of them on my map, scattered at the four corners of the province, and told me a bit about life there. If she'd have stayed in one, she'd have been forced to marry some "lowly chieftain" as she put it, and probably become his third wife, or less. She had more status as a smith, as the Orcs respected that calling. Her brother was one, too, up at the Jarl's palace in Understone Keep.

Making some jewellery from the gold reduced the weight I was carrying even more, and I found I was able to improve my armour once I was done with it. It would appear that working on the smaller items had improved my detail work, and my results were better with the larger items too.

I asked Ghorza if she had any quicksilver, but she didn't. "Moth might have some, he does work for the elves if they pay him a bit extra. He doesn't like making elven, but he can do it well enough."

---

Moth had used up what he had. And he was reluctant to talk about the special project the Jarl wanted him to do. "He wants me to make a sword for him, and it takes a special ingredient. A Daedra heart."

Well at least he was honest. I told him that although I was very unlikely to be obtaining one for him, if I did recover one from someone who shouldn't have it, I'd consider his request. A daedra's heart should not be just wasted, and becoming part of a weapon was at least noble.

"It took courage to even ask," I reminded myself. "These Orcs are good people."

---

So we wouldn't be getting any quicksilver here, but I'd made a good quantity of jewellery with the gold, so I should see what they'd fetch at the merchant's. Maybe I'd have enough to buy the Soul Gem.

Arnleif and Sons was run by Arnleif's widow, Lisbet, who didn't have such a gem in stock. In fact, she didn't have much at all. But she did buy a lot of the rings and amulets, and told me that if I could just find the Statue of Dibella she'd ordered, she might be able to recover some of her recent losses. The Forsworn had probably stolen it, and she had an idea where they might have taken it.

---

We'd had enough of the Forsworn for now, and it was becoming clear that I wasn't going to find quicksilver in the Reach. I decided that we should head back to Whiterun, instead. The book that Ghorza wanted was in a fort on the way, and we could check that out as we passed.

So of course, the fort was up on a cliff we couldn't climb, and we had to go around to the other side of the hills to reach it. And when we did, we found the place full of ... more Forsworn!

There didn't appear to be any briarheart mages among them, so they weren't as difficult as they might have been. Still, there were more of them, and they were behind walls and barricades, which made it tiresome.

I read the book we'd come to find, and learned a bit more about smithing from it. It made sense that it would help Tacitus, too. Assuming, of course, that he could read.

---

Whiterun was closer than Markarth now, so we continued there. Adrianne didn't have any quicksilver, but Belethor had the gem and he knew where I could mine the ore I needed. "There's a vein near the Battle-Born farm, just outside town. Just the one, not like the whole mine full, up in Dawnstar. If you don't need a lot, I'd go there."

Naturally, when I went and mined the quicksilver, I also found a corundum vein, and one of gold, too. If I'd known about the gold, I wouldn't have had to go to Markarth. But then I wouldn't have made all the jewellery, and perhaps I couldn't have afforded the gem. Or made the breastplate, or improved my mace.

I didn't need to go back into town, as I could smelt the quicksilver at the tower. That was the next stop, and I'd be able to make the crafting table when I got there. And that was just about the last piece of furniture I needed to make. That, and a couple of chests, which would need locks, and I'd just found enough corundum for those.

---

The crafting table was a complex item to make, and used more different materials than the rest of the house put together. It was particularly pleasing to have my housecarl watch the whole process, as this was the ultimate proof of home-making skill.

She didn't show any admiration, but I didn't expect any. I was just doing what I should.

Now I could enchant or disenchant, and make potions and poisons. I had a collection of iron weapons with minor enchantments, and a few pieces of armour, too.

Of all the enchantments I learned, the ones that seemed immediately useful were fire damage, which I wanted to add to my mace, and fortify carry weight for my boots. I'd hoped to find something among them that I could apply to jewellery for a mage, but unless she wanted a circlet of archery, or a ring to fortify one-handed, it would have to wait. I knew that enchantments existed to improve magical skills, or magicka regeneration, but we hadn't collected anything yet.

I moved the dragon bones and scales out of the wardrobe into the new chest, and picked up the alchemy ingredients at the same time.

---

I made several potions to restore Health, and Stamina, as I used them all the time, and didn't always find enough ready-made. I didn't use spells much, but I made a couple of potions to restore Magicka and offered them to her. She shook her head, which was the closest we'd had to a conversation so far.

It was already dark, so I climbed the stairs to the bedroom, expecting her to take her guard position outside. Instead, she walked in and lay down on the bed. With her robe on, and her back to me. I joined her, lying as close as I could without actually touching.

When I woke, my arm was around her, and she was holding it in place. Not quite where I'd have liked, but close. And her back was against me, touching now.

Had I put my arm there, or had she? I hadn't dreamed anything like that; not last night, anyway.

She woke, too, and slipped from under my arm, and went downstairs without saying anything. I wished she would, even if it wasn't something I wanted to hear.

I know I'm being tested. It is Dagon's way. Every adversity is a challenge to be overcome, and I'd only be better for having done so. Her silence is part of that challenge. She's not permitted to assist me in understanding Dagon's will. That's the part I have to achieve for myself.

But she has spoken. Apparently she's allowed to warn me of the presence of enemies, and to challenge them, just as I would. If I want to hear her voice, I'll have to go looking for a fight!

Posted by: Acadian Sep 20 2016, 06:43 PM

Nice how crafting jewelry improved Kothet's heavier metal work.

Oh noes! Leave Markarth to get away from the Forsworn. . . only to clear a fort full of them!

Nice progress on his tower home. As for his housecarl, Frustratia the Silent, well. . . things are still going slowly.

Posted by: Renee Sep 22 2016, 01:31 AM

Congrads on getting that crafting table fixed up. Crafting & smithing is way fun, in a grindy sort of way.

It's pretty neat how the story focuses around mining and other such mundane activities. It's actually inspiring to me.

Posted by: ghastley Sep 26 2016, 02:13 PM

Acadian: He finally gets some variety in his foes this time. However, he might not be too happy about what he gets instead.

Renee: Well, we're done with the mining. mostly, but he will be doing some more smithing. He wants his Daedric outfit before he goes to High Hrothgar.

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

Previously: Kothet completed his crafting station, so he has everything made at the tower. Now he's looking for some combat that might evoke a comment from his companion.

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

9 - Sunderstone Gorge

So we took a very round about route to go back to Markarth. I needed to deliver the book "Last Scabbard of Akrash" to Ghorza, for her apprentice to read, but it wasn't an urgent job, and we could visit a few caves and ruins on the way.

When we passed Fort Sunguard the first time, I'd seen a road leading off directly away from it, and wondered where it lead. Now would be a good time to find out. It meant that we started out heading in exactly the opposite direction, but I hoped the road would lead around the mountains behind our tower, and maybe we'd find another way to reach it.

After ducking a wayward arrow fired by a hunter, and watching him chase off after the deer we'd just passed, we continued a bit further south and found a trail leading to a cave. It really didn't matter what was in it, I was just looking for a chance for some combat, and some more of my housecarl's voice.

A woman dressed in a black robe saw us approaching, but before I could hail her, she fired a cloud of frost in our direction. It wasn't just the Forsworn that attacked on sight in these parts.

My companion raised a ward, the first time I'd seen her do that. It appeared to block the effect of the magic from the black-robed figure, so she turned her attentions to me. As I charged, I noted that she was being hit with sparks from behind me, and she was unable to continue her frost attack. The pitiful iron dagger she pulled out was no match for my mace, and she fell at my first blow.

When I removed her robe, I caught a disgusted look from my housecarl, but this garment was enchanted, and I wanted to learn its secrets. The wearer's secrets were nothing to write home about.

We entered the cave, and I was hopeful that we'd find more of these magic-users inside. I wanted to find some more equipment with enchantments useful to a mage, as I still had a gold amulet waiting for something to make it special.

The passage was trapped in various places, and guarded by both the mages and their skeletal thralls. I noticed a preference for fire spells, which a Dremora resists quite well, so progress was relatively easy, if a bit slow. We were frequently stopping to wait for burning oil to burn off, where it had spread across the floor and ignited.

I spent much of that time opening chests and collecting the potions and alchemical ingredients the mages had in them , and on the numerous shelves around their quarters. I found a bit of coin, too, and some soul gems, which I might need for enchanting later.

The iron door lead into what I assumed was the main room of this place. It was certainly larger than the other rooms we'd been through. Two more of the mages, perhaps the senior members of this group, were waiting on a balcony at the top of some stairs opposite. The spells they used were more powerful then we'd encountered so far, but again fire-based, so less effective against us than most. As we approached, a flame atronach appeared, but whether it was summoned by the mages, or otherwise, wasn't clear.

The flame atronach didn't last long, but as we approached the mages, and they could at last see what they were dealing with, they changed their tactics. Instead of the firebolts, I was hit with something that knocked me back, and weakened me. Not fire; not frost; not shock. I wasn't sure what it was, but they were using it against both of us. My housecarl was down on one knee already.

As I regained my balance, and charged at the nearest mage, I saw the other cast again, and my companion disappeared in a small burst of sparks. My anger at that was enough to ensure that neither got the chance to cast anything more.

I stood staring at the spot where she'd disappeared, half-expecting her to return, but I saw now that the spell was intended to send Daedra back to Oblivion. It had affected me, but wasn't powerful enough to undo the summoning of Dagon himself. My housecarl had only been summoned by me, and I wasn't much of a conjurer.

I was vaguely aware of a chanting sound from behind me. Another of the walls of Dragon-writing was in the corner of the room, just like the one in Bleak Fall Barrow. Like that time, a word was glowing, and trying to put itself into my mind. "Yol", it said. Somehow I knew that it meant Fire, but not how to shout it. Did I need to battle another dragon before that would happen? It wasn't until Murmulnir died, that I properly understood "Fus".

I turned back, and she still hadn't re-appeared. Could I summon her again? Or would the spell give me someone different? I didn't want someone different.

I decided that casting it at the spot she left from was the best way to get the result I wanted. If Dagon was watching me, at least I'd be giving him some indication that I was paying attention. And it couldn't hurt my chances.

To my relief, the same woman re-appeared. I think she was wearing the same robe, although this one did look a little shorter. Maybe I was imagining that, or maybe I was just more aware of her now. She was instantly on guard, as she'd left while the battle was still in progress, but soon noticed that all was quiet, and relaxed again. Did I see a brief smile?

She stopped at the remains of the conjurer or necromancer that had banished her. I'm not sure if she was pleased or not. The look of revulsion she gave it may have been caused by the way I'd attacked the man with renewed rage. A jagged mace doesn't leave a pretty corpse, and I may have hit this one a bit more than was necessary.

We found a back way out of the room, and collected more potions and ingredients on the way. I also picked up some spell scrolls, gems, and a couple of weapons to sell. And just as we dropped down to the passage where we'd entered, I found some veins of silver. I still had my pickaxe with me, so that added to our haul.
A silver ring with a nice stone would look good on her hand. Maybe a red stone to match her eyes? No, it couldn't glow like they do.

---

We resumed following the trail outside, and when it forked, chose the path to the West. I wanted to head back towards Markarth, and was hoping to find a back way to the tower in the process. Instead, we found a stockade with an Orc standing on guard outside.

Was this one of the Strongholds that the Orc at Left-hand Mine had mentioned? If it was, I was supposed to be welcome here.

Apparently, it wasn't, as the Orc was charging at us, with his war-hammer raised. That looked like a better weapon than I had, or at least it was one I'd like to have. I had the better armour, and my mage companion backing me up, so I soon had the opportunity to take it from his corpse.

With that on my back, I pushed open the gates of the stockade, and looked inside. There were a couple of crude wooden shelters, and a guard-tower, down here, but it looked like most of the settlement, if that's what it was, would be at the top of the wooden stairs that led up the rocks at the back. As we started to climb up, a couple more Orcs appeared at the top. The longer reach of my new hammer helped dispatch those, and we were soon looking at a forge and smelter on the plateau. A door led into what I assumed would be a mine, as there was a smelter just outside.

It would be an Orichalcum mine, judging by the ores and ingots outside. Or possibly iron, as some of the weapons laying on the table by the forge were made of that. I saw an armorer's workbench, but no grindstone. A pity, as I'd have liked to try and improve this war-hammer. There was almost enough material lying around to make another, but it would be no better than this one.

Maybe there would be a grindstone in the mine. I'd want to go in and take some more Orichalcum back to the Tower, anyway, as I wasn't sure where else to find it.

---

There wasn't a grindstone in the mine, just an irate Orc bandit chief who didn't like visitors. His armour was much better than the furs and hides that his men had been wearing, and it took a significant effort to best him. But we did, and took the key to his treasure chest. There wasn't much in that, except for a strange spherical gem, and a few coins. The gem glowed slightly, and made me suspicious. I decided it was probably a trap, and left it. The book on Smithing that I found on a table further down was a much better reward. I decided to take that one to Ghorza, too.

The mine yielded quite a lot of Orichalcum, as I'd expected. I had to smelt it here, as there was too much for me to carry if I didn't. I really needed to go back to the tower and use the grindstone there, and leave the excess ingots in a chest.

I'd taken a good look at the chief's armour. It was Orcish, as you'd have expected, and quite decent stuff. Fairly light, as heavy armour goes, and comparable in quality to what I was wearing. If I hadn't been almost overloaded, I might have taken it to sell. I never really considered wearing it, as I didn't want to look like I was an Orc.

I climbed up on the rocks, and looked around. I could just about see the pillars of the stonework at Bard's Leap from here, but there seemed to be no way to get through. It was all too steep. Maybe you could come down where you couldn't go up, and reach this mine from Bard's Leap, but we'd have to go the long way around to get home.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Sep 26 2016, 05:15 PM

I remember exploring that side of the mountains along the southern road to Markarth and being disappointed that it was so hard to get across the "border" here. I'll have to fire up Skyrim again and explore that area once more . . .

Posted by: Acadian Sep 27 2016, 12:07 AM

Hee! This is turning into a Dremoran love story! Kothet stripping the robes off that first mage, thereby impressing his housecarl as a perv did not help move things along. It was touching - in a Dremoran kinda way - that he wanted to resummon the same housecarl. And I must admit that I was glad that he was able to do so. I don't think she quite gathers that much of what he is trying to do is for her benefit.

Very fun to read!

Posted by: ghastley Oct 3 2016, 02:11 PM

haute: I haven't been round there with one of Skyrim's spider-horses that can climb sheer cliffs, but the path between Bilegulch and Bard's Leap is one-way on foot. At the back of their tower, you can get the "You cannot go that way" message walking on one corner of the ramp, so I'd expect a lot of that in the area.

Acadian: I suspect he hopes to be getting some benefit himself in future.

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

Previously Kothet has cleared Sunderstone Gorge and Bilegulch Mine, and almost lost his housecarl in the process.

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

10 - Understone Keep

I now had two books on Smithing to deliver to Ghorza, and I'd learned enough from them to turn the Orcish warhammer into quite a decent weapon. Now I had a companion to cast spells, I didn't need a hand free for that, so I could use both for a bigger weapon. I'd soon catch up on my skills with it after a little practice.

We set out for Markarth again, still looking for new trails, but this time we'd leave the caves and other dungeons for the way back. I had quite enough to carry already. We passed a large Nordic temple and a few caves, before the path lead us to another stockade.

This time it really was one of the Orc strongholds, called Dushnikh Yal. I was welcomed in as Blood-kin, and told that if I wanted to help them mine Orichalcum, they'd buy all the ore I could dig up. So now I knew two Orichalcum mines, and only yesterday I hadn't known any. Gharol, the forge-wife, told me of the other Orc Strongholds: Largashbur, Narzulbur, and Mor Khazgur. The last had another Orichalcum mine, and Narzulbur was next to Gloombound Mine, which produced Iron and Orichalcum, but mostly Ebony.

"What about Largashbur?" I asked.

"They don't mine there, but there are Dwarven ruins nearby where you can collect Dwemer metal and smelt that down for making Dwarven weapons and armour. Mostly they hunt. It's a good area for most wildlife."

---

Ghorza was delighted with the two books, especially as she'd only asked for one. She taught me some more about smithing, and let me try out my increased skill at her forge. Since I'd just improved my war-hammer, I wasn't expecting to do much more to it, but I surprised myself with the improvement. Possibly it was just that I'd learned something specific to Orcish weapons, but it made quite a large difference.

Ghorza confirmed that. "Each material needs a different level of skill. I doubt that Tacitus will get much beyond Steel, but that's a useful enough skill to serve the needs of the guards here. You'll want to learn to forge Ebony next, and beyond that is Daedric. Keep practising, making things and improving them, and you'll get there. I can't train you any further, you'd need to go to Balimund in Riften if you need that. And to get to Ebony, you'll still have to do some more work on your own."

She recommended that I make Dwarven bows, if I wanted to develop my skills. The material was plentiful, if I didn't mind battling the automata in the ruins. We both grinned when she said that. She knew I'd like that sort of a challenge.

---

Some time in the not too distant future, too, I needed to go to High Hrothgar and find out what Jarl Balgruuf meant about the Greybeards, and my being "Dragonborn". I was reluctant to do that before I had a proper set of Daedric Armour, though. They would be expecting a Dremora that dressed like one. The Jarl had spoken of them with awe, and I wanted them to get the right impression of me.

My lovely companion would probably be naked by then, as she seemed to wear less every time I improved my armour. That wasn't why I wanted a full set of Daedric, of course, but it was a pleasant prospect to think about.

---

"So where do I get the material for Dwarven bows?" I asked Ghorza. "You mentioned ruins near Largashbur, but that's the other end of the province. Isn't there somewhere closer?"

"You don't even need to leave the city," she replied. "There's a Dwemer ruin right here, up in Understone Keep. Just turn left when you go in, and look for Calcelmo. He's been excavating it, and he might be able to use some strong assistance. I heard that there were spiders causing his workers problems, and they'd closed the dig for the time being."

We climbed back up to the Keep and went looking for Calcelmo. He was glad to have someone volunteer to deal with Nimhe. That was the name they'd given to the giant spider that had invaded the dig.

"Giant Spider? Just how big is she?"

"Taller than you, and of course a lot wider. But that at least means she can't get down the tunnels and escape into the city. However, she's breeding smaller ones. And they're the main nuisance that has stopped us digging completely. I need you to kill Nimhe, and mop up any others you find." Calcelmo coughed and returned to his studies. "Oh, yes, you'll need the key, won't you?" he said as an afterthought, handing it to me.

He didn't provide any directions, but it was safe to assume that the large door on the other side of the bridge was the entrance to the dig. Calcelmo had referred to the ruin as Nchuand-zel. and that was written (in Dwemer letters of course) above the door. The key fit, too.

There were no signs of spiders in the hall we entered. In fact it seemed to be in as good condition as the chamber we'd come from. Less rubble, and the floor looked as if someone had swept it. The exits from it, however, were all blocked with rubble, save for one, which we took. It lead along a corridor, whose size had me slightly worried. If Nimhe wouldn't fit down this, how big was she? Hopefully, there was a narrower section further in.

Instead it opened up to a natural cave, or maybe mine. The floor was dirt, rather than than paved, and a path spiralled down past ore veins and broken rock. She noticed the spider at the bottom before I did, and shot a firebolt at it before I could nock my bow. Fortunately, the loud explosion as it died didn't bring any more to investigate.

"That's one of the smallest," I told her. "Around the Rift, they get about as big as bears, but they're lighter built, and a bear can handle one without too much trouble. I haven't seen more than about three at a time there, but this place may be different."

Naturally, she said nothing, but she stepped around the dead creature as if it still held some threat.

I heard a scuttling noise up ahead in the tunnel leading off. I held up my hand to indicate that we should stop, and crouched down to move forward more stealthily. As usual, she didn't copy me, but she did at least hang back a bit further, and readied another firebolt, just in case.

Around the next corner, I saw two more of the spiders, one a bit larger than the other. I loosed an arrow at that one, hoping to kill it before either detected me. It collapsed into a heap of tangled limbs, and the other looked frantically around for the source of the arrow.

That one was easily dispatched with my second arrow, as I still had the advantage of picking my shots. It looked like those were all for this chamber, so I beckoned her on in. She picked her way in carefully, avoiding all the webs, and giving the dead spiders a wide berth.

The way out was reassuringly narrow. Or maybe not, as it was also likely that this was the choke point that Nimhe couldn't pass. We could run into her at any time now.

I had to clear a thick net of spider web that closed off the tunnel. I pulled as much as I could off the walls, so that she'd have room to pass without touching it, but she was still reluctant to follow. It didn't matter much, as I could see a chamber up ahead that looked like Nimhe's den. There were webs all over, and egg sacs on most of the floor.

But where was Nimhe? Just in time, I thought to look up, and saw that there was a large round hole in the roof, and a spider-shaped shadow was descending. I ducked back into the tunnel, as I knew she couldn't reach me there.

She couldn't reach me, but she could spit poison. A noxious substance that made my eyes sting, and made it hard to focus on my archery. On the other hand, she was a huge target, and I couldn't miss, even with my vision impaired. It took a lot more arrows than I thought possible to dispatch her, and she managed to spit more poison before I was done with her.

I heard the sound of flames behind me, and turned back, expecting to find her in battle. Instead, she was clearing the walls as she advanced, leaving no sign of spider. I stepped aside, and let her continue to the entrance to Nimhe's den.

She took one brief look at the giant spider, and ran back up the tunnel. Then she turned, with a fire spell still ready in each hand, to take another look. I could see her steeling herself to face the dead creature again. She looked away from it, and starting clearing a path across the floor, well away from the corpse.

I'd been completely focused on the spider, but she'd noticed another door on the far side, covered in spider silk, and a body lying near it. Since I didn't have to clear my path quite as much as she did, I reached it first and read the note I found next to it.

It appeared that the dead man was a guard for a group of mages that had gone into the ruins beyond the door. It wasn't clear from the note if they'd gone in before Nimhe appeared, or after. I suspected that it was before, and this Alethius fellow had been her first victim, as he tried to return through the dig site.

I decided to return to Calcelmo, and get any information he might have about this expedition. He owed me for Nimhe, and the reward might be useful for what lay ahead.

Needless to say, my companion was delighted to leave the dig site, but most unhappy when I wanted to go back in. I compromised, by taking all the dwarven metal I'd picked up off to the smelter, and converted it all to bows before we returned. Then I converted the bows to coin, and spent some of it on a room at the Silver-Blood Inn.

The bed was small and hard, and although she let me hold her, I think that was only so she'd feel safe from spiders. I tried hard not to behave like one.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Oct 3 2016, 02:58 PM

Neither have I! Typically we leave the horses on the roads or on fairly level surfaces. My Skyrim characters have become quite good at mountain climbing and we've discovered some cool spots (and views) along the way . . .



So She has a phobia! Not so tough or inscrutable now, heh?

Posted by: Acadian Oct 3 2016, 08:16 PM

Like Rider, I found it sort of nice to know that Housecarl has some sort of feelings - even if all we have so far is fear of spiders.

Kothet's progress with smithing is interesting to see as he sets his sights on (not surprisingly) full daedric gear.

I love Nchuand-zel and bet there's plenty of dwemer metal to be had in there!

Posted by: Renee Oct 8 2016, 06:13 AM

Spiders ... yicch! Good thing she let him hold her.

There we go. This is the ghastley content I've seen in pictures so far.

Posted by: ghastley Oct 10 2016, 03:17 PM

haute: Kothet regards a "good view" as a strategic advantage, rather than something aesthetic, which is why he likes his new home.

Acadian: She's not really afraid, it's more revulsion. This ruin will help her work it out.

Renee: At least Kothet found some advantage in her dislike of spiders.

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

Previously: Kothet went to Nchaund-Zel to look for dwarven metal to advance his smithing, and found spiders. His housecarl doesn't like those.

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

11 - Nchuand-Zel

I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't want to go back to Nchuand-zel, but we had unfinished business there. And I knew that we'd be meeting Frostbite Spiders all over Skyrim, so the sooner she got past this spider problem, the better.

Fortunately, Calcelmo's workers had already made a good start on eradicating all signs of Nimhe and her brood. The first time we saw any webs was when we got to the door where we found Alethius' body. When I opened that, beyond it was a clean Dwemer hallway, with no sign of spider at all.

She shuddered, and took a deep breath, but the expression on her face brightened considerably. We were out of spider territory, but what were we into?

The first of the Falmer was waiting on a bridge ahead of us. I'd been proceeding slowly, just in case there were still spiders to be found, and I saw him long before he detected us. I drew my bow and crouched. One carefully aimed shot dropped him over the edge, into the water below.

Creeping silently forward, I spotted another waiting a bit further ahead, and repeated the process for him. I looked back, and saw that she'd followed me out onto the bridge, and was looking down to see where the Falmer had dropped. Heights didn't seem to have the same effect on her as spiders.

From up here, I could see a number of doors leading into other parts of the ruins. Somewhere behind any one of those, the lost expedition of mages could be huddled in hiding from the Falmer, or more likely lying dead. Without any indication of where we should start, I opted for the door on the top level. But first there was another Falmer to deal with, on the ledge near the door.

I readied another arrow, but she'd caught up with me, and seen the Falmer, too. A couple of firebolts, one from each hand, quickly dropped him. My arrow wasn't wasted, however, as the noise of the firebolts brought another Falmer up the ramp to investigate, and he wasn't expecting to be shot the moment he appeared.

When we got to his body, I took a look down the ramp to see if there were any more below. I wasn't intending going down there yet, but it made sense to make sure we wouldn't be followed. Nothing was moving, so we proceeded to the door.

Before we met any more Falmer, I found some dwarven metal scrap lying around. From clearing the dig site the day before, I'd discovered which was worth taking, and which were just too heavy to be worth the effort. The solid bars were twelve times the weight of the plates, and only yielded double the ingots, if that. The struts weren't worth carrying either. Large and small plates, and the bent scrap, seemed to be what we wanted.

Sorting through the pieces almost made me miss the Falmer creeping in, but my companion had been watching diligently, perhaps looking out for spiders. A firebolt flew past me, and I pulled my warhammer from my back in time to crush the skull of a Falmer that was rushing at me with a raised sword. Another firebolt finished the archer behind him.

We had a choice of two paths forward, and I chose to go down a level first, mostly because I could see there was nothing down there. I expected more Falmer around each corner,

It wasn't long before we found the corpse of one of the mages. But before we reached it, I heard "an expression of displeasure" from behind me, and noticed a frostbite spider coming towards us. The creature seemed to explode before it got half-way, and it wasn't anything either of us had done. I suspected it had triggered a trap of some kind, and quickly looked around for more. Just in time, too, as I was about to step up onto the platform at the top of the stairs, and there was a circular mark on the floor that looked ominous. I stepped back, and tossed a piece of scrap metal onto it, and was rewarded with the same kind of explosion that had killed the spider.

The explosions brough a couple more of the Falmer out of hiding, but we were ready for them. Stromm had a journal that described some of the expedition's problems with the Falmer, but suggested that they had split up, and were working in different sections of the ruin. That seemed like a bad idea to me. It clearly worked out that way for Stromm.

I ignored the chest as a possible trap, and concentrated on collecting smeltable scrap. Nothing else appeared to impede us, until we retraced our steps and tried the other path. As expected, Falmer were waiting along the passage, and the group of four proved quite an obstacle.

Beyond them, another Falmer had a spider pet with him, but only a small one, and they crush nicely beneath a war-hammer. I caught a look of approval when I did that.

There didn't seem to be any way out but the way we'd come in, unless we wanted to jump down into the water. Since I had no idea how deep it was, I didn't think that was a good idea. So we back-tracked out to the ledge, and took the ramp down.

We had to swim across to the door of the next section, as the entry ramp was now beneath the water. As expected, we found the same mixture of dwarven scrap and Falmer waiting for us, but this time, we encountered something new. As I passed what looked like a sealed vent on the wall, it opened, and a dwarven automaton, resembling a spider, dropped out and attacked.

This kind of spider didn't have the same effect on my companion as the live ones, and she rushed to engage it. I found that the metal ones crunched just as nicely as their cousins, although it took a bit more effort with my war-hammer. Metal is a bit harder, after all.

There was another dead mage, alone again, in this section. He had a diary too, so I added it to my collection. This one was apparently Erj, and he was here for treasure, rather than scientific reasons. Perhaps that was why he was prospecting on his own; and why he was now dead.

Leaving the ruin and going back out to the next ramp, we found another body. Krag had had the sense to stay with the guards, and set up camp away from the Falmer, but it appeared that they'd been overwhelmed in the night. At least one of the guards lay dead just a little beyond him. His journal made mention of Erj staying behind to try and pick locks in the Armory, which was presumably the section we found him in.

Standing near Krag's body was a giant metal man, in a frame that looked like it would feed power to him if it were active. Since Krag and the guards had been content to camp with it watching over them, I felt no unease. I wouldn't like to have to fight one, if it ever was activated. One arm was a war-hammer larger than my own, and the other an axe of similar proportions.

I picked up a book from on top of one of the bedrolls. "Sithis", it was entitled. Reading it explained some things about alteration I hadn't known before, so I took it with me. Such books often fetch a decent price.

We hadn't found the fourth mage yet, the leader of the expedition. Krag's journal didn't make it clear if he'd been with them when they camped for the night, but then it hadn't mentioned anyone other than Erj. Stromm might have been with them, and fled back to where we found him, or he might also have lingered behind as the others moved ahead.

But it wasn't too far to go before we did so. We'd encountered both Falmer and Dwarven Automata in this "Control" section, so it wasn't suprising that one or the other had killed him. His diary made it clear that Stromm had been left behind to study the area we'd found him in. Staubin made reference to a student being with him, but we'd not seen a second body. It also revealed that he'd escaped the attack that had killed Krag, and gone into this part of the ruin to try and re-activate the Dwarven guardians. That told me that the attackers had been Falmer, and why the guards had trusted the centurion wouldn't be a problem.

I now resolved to carry out Staubin's objective, and set the automata against the Falmer. If nothing else, they'd wear each other down, and not prove a threat to Markarth, or Calcelmo's workers just outside the ruin.

There was quit a lot of scrap metal in this area, and the Falmer were busy trying to convert the guardian automata into more. The latter, of course, were trying to exterminate the Falmer vermin. We let them battle each other before mopping up the survivors, and I gathered metal as we went.

The lever in the room beyond looked like it was the one Staubin was trying to reach. I looked around to see if any of the huge centurions were waiting to stride out of their frames when I pulled it, but saw none. I did pick up everything worth taking before I pulled the lever, just in case.

The door ahead lead back out to a ledge above the ramp where we'd entered. I could see that the centurion we'd passed was now active, and battling a Falmer or two. We decide to move on quickly before that skirmish was decided, one way or the other. If that metal monster lost, I didn't want to face anything that could defeat it!

It didn't lose, and came after us. Fortunately, it was down to a fraction of its health, and an arrow from me, and a firebolt from my companion, sent it toppling over the edge into the water below.

Ahead, on the bridge where we first came in, a Falmer was fighting a Dwarven Sphere. This was a closer contest, and we watched it play out before adding our contributions. The sphere produced a small plate that would be useful.

Posted by: Acadian Oct 12 2016, 11:47 PM

As I've said, Nchuand-Zel is one of my fave dungeons and it was fun to hear Kothet describe his exploration of it. Lots of open space for good range and an interesting mix of foes.

I'm glad to hear the Housecarl with No Name (yet) is not squeamish about metal spiders.


Nit: ’There didn't seem to be an {any} way out but the way we'd come in,’

Posted by: Renee Oct 16 2016, 11:41 PM

That makes sense, carrying only the most useful metal scraps. I like that term: "expression of displeasure". I don't think she would last very long in my basement, that's for sure.

Posted by: ghastley Oct 17 2016, 02:01 PM

Acadian: The metal spiders have the extra annoying factor of magic resistance, even if they're less "real".

Renee: If the spiders in your basement are the size of the ones in Tamriel ...

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

Previously: Kothet and company have found the diaries of the (dead) researchers in Nchuand-zel, and a lot of scrap metal.

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

12 - Broken Tower

I presented the diaries and journals to Calcelmo, who recalled the expedition. He'd been intending to pay Staubin's team for their research, but since they wouldn't be coming back to collect, he gave the gold to me instead.

I was glad to receive payment in gold, rather than goods, as I was just about at the limit of what I could carry. I needed to smelt all this scrap into ingots, and make some bows (and sell them).

The ingots somehow weighed more than the items I'd melted down. I could barely walk, as I carried the metal back up to Ghorza's forge to make bows. I bought her entire stock of iron ingots, too, and made more bows than the entire guard here could ever use. Ghorza told me to keep enough dwarven metal to improve them, too, as that would give me even more smithing practice.

And the bows I made were heavier than the metal. I still don't understand that. But since I sold about half of them to Ghorza, I had the strength to take the others down the ramp to the market, where Lisbet at Arnlief's bought the remainder. She asked if I could look out for a statue of Dibella that she'd ordered. It had been stolen by Forsworn on the way to her, and she had an idea where they might be holding it.

I didn't have any Orichalcum, or I'd have tried upgrading my warhammer here in Markarth. All that forge-work should have raised my skill level a bit, but I'd have to find out later. Maybe we could go back to the Tower past Dushnik Yal, and I could mine some there. No, the statue that Lisbet wanted was in the other direction. I checked my map, and another Orcish Stronghold was in that direction, so maybe we'd continue on to that instead.

---

Broken Tower Redoubt was right next to the road, and one of the Forsworn was on guard outside. She was dressed like all the archers I'd encountered before, but this one was wielding dual swords. She was hit by at least two firebolts before she reached me, and fell at the first blow of my warhammer.

But now the archers on the redoubt walls had seen us, and arrows were starting to rain down. We needed to get inside, and engage them on level terms. The door wasn't locked, and nobody was waiting inside, so we got a chance to heal, and for my companion to cast her armour spell, before we resumed battle.

A couple more of the Forsworn women were stationed in the hall we entered. One on the balcony above us had a bow, and the one on our level had an axe and a sword. Engaging the latter took me out of the fire of the former, who was getting a firebolt attack, anyway.

Before leaving the area, I took a look around for Lisbet's statue. I found one, but it wasn't the right one. I took it anyway, as it looked valuable, as well as decorative. I wasn't sure if it was made of gold, or just gilded, but it was well-made, and I liked the choice of subject, too.

---

It seemed that all the Forsworn we encountered in the redoubt were women. There were archers, mages and sword- and axe-wielding foragers, but they were all female. And in that skimpy armour of theirs, obviously so. I knew that the boss of the Forsworn parties was likely to be one of the briar-hearts, and I'd only encountered males who'd undergone that. Would we meet our first female briar-heart here? Or would it be just one lucky (and probably tired) male?

Whichever it was would probably be behind that door, in the last tower of the redoubt. We'd taken the last of the women by surprise, and she'd dropped quietly, so we had a chance of sneaking in unannounced. I crouched, and tried the door. It wasn't locked.

Up ahead, I could see the (male) briar-heart, standing in front of a large statue of Dibella. Even from this distance, I could see that it was daubed with blood, and clearly part of some nasty ritual. It made sense why this particular bunch would have taken Lisbet's statue, too.

I nocked an arrow, and signalled for my companion to hold her fire a moment. The arrow staggered him, but didn't kill him outright. Nor did the firebolts that followed it, and he started to fire lightning back at us. That appeared to stop her from casting more firebolts, but it didn't stop me from shooting another arrow. He staggered again, and I reached for my warhammer to finish him off.

Just in time, I realised that there was a trap on the floor between us. Going back to the bow, I fired again, as a weak flame from behind me set off the rune trap. The blast of ice from it caught the briar-heart just as my arrow struck. I brushed frost from my face, and saw that I didn't need another arrow.

It was now safe to search the area. I found a key on his body that opened a cell at the far side, but there was nothing in that. A side-room, however, had a chest containing Lisbet's statue, and a number of other valuable items. I picked up a necklace from the table, and found a book on Conjuration back in the main chamber. Not a bad haul.

If I'd been alone, I'd have probably stripped the corpses of the women, and taken their armour to sell, too. Something told me that would not be a good idea now.

And if I'd done that, I'd have turned back to Markarth, as I wouldn't have been able to carry much else. As it was, there was no real reason not to continue on to look for Mor Khasgur, the next Orc Stronghold. That was closer than Markarth, although according to the map I had, there was no road, and we'd be travelling across country.

The map didn't show much in between here and Mor Khazgur, but caves, camps and other such places weren't usually marked, until I added them myself. It really just showed the main towns and cities, and the roads between them. A few trails were marked, too, but according to the map, they didn't lead anywhere. There were a couple of these trails to nowhere between here and the Stronghold, crossing our route. And one that lead in the right direction started just outside Broken Tower Redoubt, and headed north-west, the way we wanted to go. What was at the end of it, we'd soon find out.

---

The trail forked, and in the rocks above, I could see the entrance to a cave. Neither branch of the trail seemed to lead to it, so I ignored it for now and continued north-west. We soon saw a number of Stormcloak soldiers and the smoke of their campfires. This was just a temporary camp, so it made sense that it wouldn't be on the map.

Beyond it was a shallow area of the river, where another trail forded across it. I had the choice of going West or North on the trail. According to the map, the trail to the west would follow the river, and not take me to Mor Khazgur. The trail to the north would veer to the north-west, but it ended well before reaching there. Still, it was the right direction, and who knew what was at the end?

It turned out to be a Dragon Mound. Crossing the mound took us onto relatively level ground, and although I couldn't see the Orc Stronghold yet, it appeared that there was nothing in between here and there.
Other than some sabre-cats and wolves, that is. It made the journey exciting, even if we didn't exactly need the pelts.

The Orcs were friendly, and I was encouraged to mine as much ore as I liked. They'd be happy to buy all I could dig, as mining is a tedious and heavy labour, and having someone else do the work is always welcome. I mined more than I needed for my own use. The price they offered was good, and making new allies is always worth while.

As I expected, I managed to improve my war-hammer and armour a little. It would not be long before I could start thinking about a trip to Narzulbur, for ebony.

---

I asked where the trail outside the Stronghold led to. "Nowhere of any significance," the Orc smith replied. "There's a couple of Nordic ruins in that direction, probably occupied by Forsworn or other bandits by now. Then eventually you'll get to the old road between Solitude and High Rock. You can't cross the border any more. The pass was blocked by a landslide a long time ago, and they never bothered digging it out. All the trade goes around by ship these days."

"If you go back the way you came, but head east at the river, you'll get to Dragon Bridge, and another road to Solitude. On the other side of the bridge, the road divides, and goes to Morthal one way, and towards Rorikstead and Whiterun the other." Those were all places on my map, and I could see the roads she was talking about.

I knew that Solitude was the headquarters of the Imperial legion, and they weren't my favourite people after Helgen. So Dragon Bridge looked the more appealing, but where then? I hadn't been to either Morthal or Rorikstead before, so the curiosity factor was about even. Morthal was the seat of the Jarl of Hjaalmarch, so it had the prospect of being a more interesting place than Rorikstead, which looked on the map like just a tavern stop along the road.

Eventually, we'd need to return to Markarth, and take Lisbet's statue back to her, but I'd seen the carriages waiting at the stables and knew that they served the major cities. Perhaps we'd be able to take one from Morthal back to Markarth?

Posted by: Acadian Oct 17 2016, 10:00 PM

I chuckled as Kothet pointed out that finished ingots weigh more than rough scrap and that the final crafted product weighs more still.

Another favorite dungeon in Broken Tower Redoubt! I never really noticed it before but, by Azura, you are right that all the Forsworn there are women except the final Briarheart.

Then on to Mor Khazgur. In our later days in Skyrim, Buffy followed a pretty similar ‘circuit’ clockwise around Skyrim with each Orc Stronghold on the route.

I’m very much enjoying this story!

Posted by: ghastley Oct 24 2016, 02:47 PM

Acadian: Dwarven stuff has to get ridiculously heavy somehow!
Routes will be rather dependent on side-quests, and how urgent they are. This episode will add more.

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

Previously: Kothet has picked up a couple of statues of Dibella from Broken Tower Reboubt, one of which has to go back to Lisbet in Markarth. He's headed elsewhere, intending to take a carriage.

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

13 - Morthal

Of course, once we reached Morthal, we discovered that the carriages will take you there, but don't pick up. If we wanted to hire a carriage, we'd have to go to Solitude, or Markarth, or Whiterun. The guard mentioned a couple of other cities way to the east, too. Riften and Windhelm were so far away from here, it was almost a joke.

Whiterun was actually the nearest, but there were the mountains in the way. The pass through them was just the other side of the old Nordic complex of Labyrinthian. The guard didn't recommend going through there, as there were frost trolls in some of the old buildings.

"You'd be safer out in the swamps," he told us. "Nothing worse than a few frostbite spiders out there."

A glance at my companion told me that she preferred trolls.

We stayed the night at the tavern, the Moorside Inn, and managed not to inspire the Orc bard to sing. He played the lute well enough, but the tavern-keeper, Jonna, warned us that his voice drove her customers away. "He won't sing while we're chatting, so I like to keep my customers in conversation, for their own good."

She told us all the local gossip, particularly about the fire that had destroyed Hroggar's house, and killed hs wife and daughter. "Hroggar says it was a hearth fire, but some folks say Hroggar started it himself." The Jarl would like to know the truth, and there might be a reward if someone could find it.

Her own theory was that Alva was involved, somehow. Hroggar had moved in with her the day after, and she wasn't just being charitable, and giving him a roof over his head. Alva wasn't that kind of woman.

I discovered that the town mage, Falion, was her brother. He lived in the house just beyond Alva's, overlooking the swamp. For some reason, he was unpopular with the townsfolk, who were suspicious of his night-time activities. Whether their relationship had anything to do with the slow trade at the inn wasn't clear. "Gorm comes here for dinner every evening, so at least one person isn't listening to the rumours," Jonna offered.

---

In the morning, we ate breakfast before Lurbuk rose, and got out before he started singing. When the Jarl's longhouse opened for business, we went in and asked about the burned-out house. Jarl Idgrod Ravencrone gave us the task of investigating. She shared Jonna's suspicions about Hroggar, but couldn't take action without proof. "Perhaps an outsider like yourself has a better chance to find some," she suggested.

At the Jarl's suggestion we started with a search of the remains of Hroggar's house. Parts of the walls were still standing, and in one corner was a ghost! Not an antagonistic one that wanted to drive us away, but a lonely little girl who wanted someone to play with her. I assured Helgi that although I was strange, being a Dremora, that wasn't the same as a stranger, so I could be her friend, if she wanted. We asked her about the fire, but she couldn't tell us there, in case someone was listening.

She wanted to play hide-and-seek, but we'd have to wait until it got dark, so "the other one" could play, too. "If you can find me first, I can tell you." Then she disappeared, going off to wherever she'd chosen to hide, I supposed.

We had quite a bit of time to kill before it got dark, so we wandered around the small town and checked out the only store, an alchemy shop known as the Thaumaturgist's Hut. Lami, the proprietress, was the wife of the mill-owner, Jorgen. She'd started the business when she read a book called "Song of the Alchemist" and she'd love to have her own copy. I promised to look out for one, and bring it to her if I found it.

We also met Alva, the woman in whose home Hroggar now lived. She flirted with me, although I got the impression she did that with all men. She dressed that way, showing almost as much cleavage as my lovely companion, and with a skirt slit up almost to the waist. But something was bothering me about her.

Something seemed fake, but I just couldn't place what it was. She wandered off towards the Moorside Inn, presumably to have lunch.

Idgrod the Younger was watching her little brother Joric, to make sure he didn't get into trouble. "Please don't mind Joric. He's not mad, really he's not." I asked what was wrong with the boy, and she told me "My brother is... sensitive. He has trouble focusing his attention on things. We were taking him to the Temple of Kynareth in Whiterun, just so the healers could make sure he was in good health, and they say he's fine."

We talked a while longer and I discovered that "visions" affected the whole family. Jarl Idgrod had them, and considered them a gift. Her own were a bit more erratic, and didn't really give her any insights. Joric just found them confusing and unsettling.

At some point I must have mentioned Whiterun, because she asked me "Are you heading to Whiterun? Could you take this letter to the priestess, Danica Pure-Spring? It's a note about Joric's health."

I took the note. It was certainly likely that I'd be going back that way. I told Idgrod that it might not be soon, but she reassured me that it was more important to deliver it safely than immediately. I'm not sure why she chose to trust it to me. Perhaps she knew that a Kyn's promise was a solid guarantee.

---

The sun was getting low, so we started looking around for likely hiding places for the little ghost girl. At the edge of town was a small cemetery, where it was likely that she, and her mother, would have been buried. We could see, as we approached, that someone had been digging here recently, as there was a shovel sticking up from a hole in the ground, and a small coffin had been disturbed.

When we got just a bit closer, someone came around the rock, dressed in a black robe like the conjurers had worn in the cave where I nearly lost my housecarl. Just like them, she attacked us on sight, using a spell that I didn't recognise, but which seemed to drain my health. It wasn't as effective as my companion's firebolts, which quickly dropped her next to the defiled grave.

The coffin was Helgi's, and that's where she was hiding. She told us that Laelette had started the fire, but had kissed her on the neck so she wouldn't feel the heat. She'd still been 'all burned up' and she was tired, and wanted to rest, but couldn't.

---

"Laelette!" exclaimed a voice behind us. I turned to find Thonnir, who operated the lumber mill for Jorgen, standing behind us with a torch. He told us that the dead woman was his wife, who he'd thought had gone off to join the Stormcloaks. She'd been spending a lot of time with Alva, and was supposed to meet her the night she disappeared. Alva had told him that she never showed up.

"Perhaps she did meet Alva," I suggested. "Somebody made Laelette a vampire, and maybe that was when it happened."

"But that would mean that Alva's a vampire, too! I refuse to believe that. You have no proof!"

He rushed off in a huff, leaving us to put Helgi's coffin back in its grave. I considered burying Laelette, too, but decided that Thonnir would probably want to do that himself.

"Let's take a look in Alva's house," I decided. "She's probably not there at night, and Hroggar should be asleep. If there's any proof to be found, it will be there."

---

Hroggar wasn't asleep, and attacked us when we opened the door. We found a key on his body to the basement, where we found an open coffin, and Alva's journal. This was the proof we needed, as it detailed her plot to make all the town's inhabitants cattle for the vampires, and how she had Laelette deal with Hrogar's wife and daughter.

We took it to Jarl Idgrod, who recognised the name of Movarth, the ancient vampire who'd turned Alva. She raised a posse of men and women from the town to go with us to Movarth's lair outside town, but at the mouth of the cave, they all stopped, reluctant to enter. Most of them fled back to town, except for Thonnir, who I could tell was only there because he wanted revenge for Laelette. When I assured him that I'd do that for him, he left, running after the others.

Vampires don't like fire, so my housecarl dealt with them, as I cracked their thralls' skulls with my war-hammer. Movarth himself was a bit tougher than the rest, and needed attention from both of us. Among the bodies, as we searched the place, we found Alva. Whether the other vampires had killed her, or we had, it was hard to tell.

I collected quite a lot of vampire dust (including from Alva), as well as gold coin. I could have brought out quite a large assortment of boots and shoes, too. One of the vampires must have been collecting them.

As we left the lair, Helgi's ghost appeared again at the exit. She thanked us for helping her finally rest, and I'm sure that my silent partner had a tear in her eye when she disappeared again.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Oct 24 2016, 03:44 PM

I loved this murder investigation in Morthal! Otherwise I generally avoid the town, as it is quite possibly the dreariest spot in the whole province.

The way the game handles the kids really pulls at my heartstrings. It brings out the "mother" in me (I have no kids, and no desire to have any, nor regrets that I don't have any, but still . . .) and I want to adopt every one of them, even the ghosts, and bring them home! Alise did adopt six children in one play through - Lydia had her hands full with them! And Rayaa just tried to scare them into submission by scowling at them, but that didn't work. And they kept bringing home stray mud crabs and puppies . . .

Quite the full house in that game. Alise and Argis had to go dungeon delving just to get some peace and quiet!

Posted by: Acadian Oct 24 2016, 10:06 PM

Nice telling of the mystery of Morthal!

Buffy lost interest in the town except for her friend Idrod the Younger when all the townspeople chickened out, leaving the little elf to take on Movarch by herself. I'm glad Kothet had his fiery spider-fearing housecarl with him.

Yes, little Helgi tugs at one's heart and glad to see Kothet's Dremoress is not immune either.

Posted by: Renee Oct 28 2016, 12:34 AM

This is true for pretty much all my characters who have visited Morthal; none of them have ever done any quests there. But that will change this winter, I'm sure. That quest does sound quite interesting, lots of twists & turns.

I was always disappointed that the orc bard never sung (not in the vanilla game, anyway). I wanted to have a good laugh at his singing.

Posted by: ghastley Oct 31 2016, 11:06 PM

Acadian: I almost had the housecarl do all the chatting to Helgi, but decided to stick with the player character Kothet. The two probably preferred not having the townsfolk in the way in Movarth's lair, especially as most of them are people who they might not want killed. Jurgen has part of Mehrunes Razor, Lami is the only merchant in town, and Thonnir sells lumber. Benor will brawl with you, if you need a quick 100 septims. Kothet's more likely to do that than Buffy, of course.

Renee: There are few reasons to go to Morthal. The Mehrunes Razor quest, and the Vampire cure are the only ones that send you there, but it's also somewhere on your map that needs "collecting".

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

Previously: Kothet did the "Laid to Rest" quest in Morthal and picked up a request to go to Whiterun.

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

14 - Gildergreen

Rather than wake the Jarl in the middle of the night just to tell her, we went back to the Moorside Inn for the rest of the night. We told Jonna what had happened, and she brightened up as we told her of Movarth's death. That would make her brother's life a lot easier, if he didn't have to keep the vampires away from the town any more.

She advised me to take a Cure Disease potion, if I hadn't already. You could catch vampirism from fighting them, and although Falion knew how to cure it, it was a process one would want to avoid. I didn't have one, but I could ask Lami how to make one in the morning.

---

After telling Jarl Idgrod the news, (and receiving a decent gold reward), we headed over to the Thaumaturgist's Hut to make some Cure Disease potions. Lami told me I could use the Vampire Dust to make them, as long as I had another ingredient, Mudcrab Chitin, or Charred Skeever Hide. "If you've got any Hawk Feathers, you don't even have to make a potion. Just eat them."

I had plenty of mudcrab remains, and soon had a good supply of potions. I drank one, and handed another to my housecarl. She took it and drank it immediately, without a word. I offered her another to carry, but she shook her head.

---

Since we now had two reasons to head for Whiterun, to deliver Idgrod's note to Danica, and to take the carriage back to Markarth, we set out for Labyrinthian, and the pass. A couple of the smaller frostbite spiders blocked the road ahead of us, briefly, as a fireball quickly flew in their direction and dealt with them in short order. It seemed that my companion had a new, more powerful, spell in her repertoire.

She also had longer legs, or a shorter skirt. Whichever it was, I approved heartily.

---

The same fireball spell proved useful against the frost trolls we met at the ruin. Although I got caught in the blast a couple of times, fire was not a problem to me, and the frost trolls certainly didn't like it at all. Not that they liked being hit with my warhammer, either.

We passed through the ruin without being too tempted to investigate the various doors we saw. We could come back later, after we'd dealt with our current quests. Likewise, there were several side-trails leading into the hills that we ignored. I was already struggling to remember what unfinished business we had, without starting more.

After crossing the tundra, and discovering that my housecarl could also surround herself with a shield of flame when a pack of wolves attacked us, we arrived at the Whiterun stables. I almost hired the carriage to go to Markarth, but just in time, I remembered Idgrod's letter to Danica. I needed to deliver that first.

Danica Pure-Spring was sitting under the old tree in the middle of town when we found her. She paid me for the delivery, and we started talking about the tree. This was the Gildergreen, and the temple to Kynareth had been built here because of the tree. But it was dying, and could only be revived with the help of sap from its parent tree, the Eldergleam. That would be hard to do, as there was only one way to get that sap, using a special knife called Nettlebane.

I'm not sure when my fascination with the story turned into an agreement to get this knife from the hags at Orphan Rock, but that's what happened. It was in the opposite direction from Markarth, too.

On the other hand, this wasn't an urgent matter. The Eldergleam had been growing for thousands of years, and its daughter tree for hundreds, so a few days wouldn't even be noticed.

---

We rode the carriage back to Markarth, and I delivered the statue to Lisbet. She was delighted, and gave me a sum of gold that was way more than I'd expected. It made me wonder what the second statue I'd found was worth, but she soon dashed my hopes. Gilded and solid are nowhere similar in value.

I decided to keep mine. I should be able to find somewhere to put it, back at the Tower.

---

Ghorza asked how my smithing was progressing. I confessed that I hadn't done much recently, not since my visit to Mor Khasgur. "I have a couple of ebony ingots, If you want to try making something," she told me.

"Not yet," I replied. "It's a big step from Orcish to Ebony, and I still have some way to go."

"You should go to Riften, and have Balimund train you," she suggested. "You'll need to go east for the ebony, anyway."

I needed to go east for Nettlebane, too, and Danica had mentioned that the grove where the Elderglem grew was also in that direction. It looked like we'd be going east.

"Everywhere in Skyrim's east from Markarth" Ghorza reminded me.

---

The road from Helgen towards Orphan Rock was familiar for some reason. Then it dawned on me that this was the way we'd come in on the cart, that day with the dragon. Except now I was going in the opposite direction, and I had much better company.

Yes, she was quite the opposite of Ralof. He'd kept up a constant steam of comment, even as we'd been supposedly sneaking past the bear in the cave on the way out.

Orphan Rock was guarded by witches who liked to use shock spells. That was unfortunate, as a fire mage is at a bit of a disadvantage when she has her magicka drained that way. A war-hammer is an appropriate counter-measure, however, to which they have no answer.

The final hag, and the hagraven that held Nettlebane, preferred fire spells, and that played into our strength. They had little to offer, apart from the dagger itself. A few potions, some ingredients, and a bit of gold. Nettlebane itelf didn't appear valuable, and was rather heavy, for just a short knife. But it was its unique ability to harvest sap from the Eldergleam that made it special, and we had to return to Whiterun to find out how.

---

There was a pilgrim in the temple when we took it to Danica, a man called Maurice Jondrelle, which I think is a Breton name. He'd come to see the Gildergreen, and been disappointed at its current state. When he overheard that we were to travel to the parent tree, he asked if he could come with us.

Since I'd cleared the bandits from Valtheim, before rebuilding the Tower, I knew that most of the road between here and Darkwater Crossing would be safe, apart from the usual wolves and other wild creatures we might run across. So I agreed that he could tag along. We'd not be responsible for his safety once we got there, as I had no idea what to expect when we reached the Eldergreen Sanctuary.

Apart from one incident where the idiot Breton tried to tackle a sabre-cat with his bare hands, and was only saved by a well-timed fireball, we reached Darkwater Crossing without too many problems. The miners there pointed out the way to the Sanctuary, through a cave entrance out among the hot springs.

The entrance tunnel brought us out into a large grotto, where light poured in through a hole in the roof of the cave. The light fell on a huge tree to one side of the cave, and spilled over to a lush green area with a steam flowing through it. A couple of other pilgrims were here ahead of us, admiring the flowers and shrubs by the streamside. The water was warm, and the air in the cave was heavy and moist, making growing conditions perfect for a lot of the tender plants that grew there.

The tangled roots of the great tree were everywhere, blocking the path up to its base. I pulled out Nettlebane and hacked at the nearest root, to see what happened. Would it give up its sap?

Instead the root lifted out of my way, letting me climb further up the path. I repeated the process at the next root, and the next ...

Maurice was horrified at this, and stopped me before I could cut into the trunk of the tree. He told me there had to be another way, and I allowed him to try his alternative first. If it didn't work, it would be back to the original plan.

After a few moments of silent prayer to Kyanreth, he got up off his knees and pointed. There, in front of the tree, was a small sapling, in a pot. "You can take this back to Danica. Tell her it's a daughter of the Eldergleam, just like the one she's trying to resurrect. The true blessings of nature are in renewal, not maintenance. This can become a new Gildergreen, in time."

I could see his point. This was not Dagon's way, but it was the way of this world. Everything dies, and is replaced by something younger, rather than being destroyed and rebuilt every so often. Since the Kyn do not have children, we tend to forget the ways of mortals, and see things a different way. Danica was a mortal, so I imagined that she'd see things more like Maurice did.

Posted by: haute ecole rider Oct 31 2016, 11:57 PM

I really like this observation of Kothet's. While he is Lord Dagon's minion of sorts, he is not living in Lord Dagon's realm. As such, he understands that when one is in Rome, one must do as the Romans do. If you don't like the Roman way, get the hell out of Rome. Apparently Kothet likes Skyrim just fine for now, and is adaptable enough to accept the way things are in Skyrim. And this little segment right here gives me a great deal of insight into Kothet's character. I like him even more now than I did before!

Posted by: Acadian Nov 1 2016, 02:29 AM

A busy pair of Dremora! It is great fun to follow their progress across Skyrim.

So many temptations passing the troll-infested Labyrinthian area. . . .
'I was already struggling to remember what unfinished business we had, without starting more.'

Back to Markarth to turn in that statue. . . .
"Everywhere in Skyrim's east from Markarth" Ghorza reminded me.'

The Gildergreen quest! I love Kothet’s perspective, choice and how he listened to the Breton. It is so different when doing the quest as a Bosmer who knows way more about trees than any human named Maurice.

The Eldergleam Sanctuary is such a beautiful area.

Posted by: ghastley Nov 7 2016, 02:51 PM

haute: He's different, but not too different, I hope. That is, he thinks the same way, but starts from a different place than any mortal.

Acadian: I'm sure the pair would rather have taken a Bosmer with them, but he was all that was on offer.

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

Previously: Kothet and co. have gone to Eldergleam Sanctuary to collect sap from the great tree, but they've picked up a sapling instead.

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

15 - Riften

We left him at the Sanctuary, and headed back to Whiterun. I presented the sapling to Danica, who wasn't too happy. She'd been expecting the sap, and to get the old Gildergreen back. I told her what Maurice had told me, and she began to see the point. When I added my own insights, especially the comparison between Dagon's methods and Kynareth's, she came around. It wouldn't be the same tree, but it would be young and fresh, and could grow into a new Gildergreen, given time.

---

That was the last of my obligations fulfilled, except for the trip to visit the Greybeards. I wasn't going there until I had my Daedric armour, and I still couldn't make ebony. What had Ghorza told me? Balimund in Riften could train me further, so that is where I should go next.

We took the carriage. I'd already walked half-way there before, twice, and it was the destination, not the journey, that mattered. I expected we'd find reason to explore the area nearer Riften after we got there. It would not have surprised me to find that this Balimund would need me to do something before he'd give me training.

Well, he did have a request, but it wasn't a pre-requisite for anything. His forge needed fire salts, and he'd like me to bring him ten units of the stuff. If I had the coin, he'd train me, but higher-level training costs more, and I couldn't afford as much as I'd have liked. Still, the ability to forge ebony was getting closer. He warned me that he couldn't train me that far. I'd still have to do more work on my own.

Two of the townsfolk had requests to make that fit in with my plans. I needed to collect dwarven metal, so that I could make more bows, and practice my smithing. Mjoll gave me directions to a dwarven ruin in the north where she'd lost her sword, Grimsever. An Argonian woman, down at the docks, had the opposite to ask me. She wanted an item taken back to a dwarven ruin. Avanchnzel was closer, so we went there first.

I must admit that I quite like dwarven ruins. Perhaps it's just the way that the metal rings when I crush one of the automata with my war-hammer, or that it's particularly effective against them.

My companion doesn't appear to share my opinion. They resist her spells, and the spiders remind her too much of the live ones. At least I assume that's why she glares at them with obvious hatred. And although they resist the fire, when a fireball hits them, they fall apart quite nicely. So she hits the spiders, and I take the spheres.

We found ghosts in the ruin, but they weren't hostile, Maybe apparitions would be a better description, too, as one of them appeared to be From-Deepest-Fathoms, the woman who'd sent us her. She didn't appear to be dead, when we'd talked to her in Riften. Or did Argonians get restored, like the Kyn? I didn't think so. The Nords don't, and two of the ghosts were Nords.

We saw them several times as we worked our way through the maze of hallways and chambers. They'd clearly encountered the automata, too, as we overheard comments about the dormant creatures as we progressed. Apparently, they'd been woken up by this party, and we were having to deal with more than they did. There were four of them, and only two of us, but we were Dremora, so that counted for more. I hoped it was enough, as the ghosts seemed to be having an increasingly hard time of it.

We did have the advantage that they'd marked a few of the traps with their dead bodies. We found Drennen first, but it wasn't clear what had killed him. Perhaps the automata had caught him, when he left the group to turn back.

Watches-the-Roots, the Argonian who was apparently leading the expedition, had fallen to a blade trap on one of the ramps. Seeing his body lying at the end of a long slot on the floor made me suspicious, and I'd gone down to investigate along the wall, staying as far from that slot as I could. A lever at the end turned the whirling blade on and off. A couple more steps, and he'd have reached it. Perhaps one of his companions had, as the other two must have passed here.

The final "trap" was a huge dwarven centurion, guarding the lexicon stand we'd come to find. The body of Breya lay at his feet, where she'd fallen, as From-Deepest-Fathoms had escaped up the stairs beyond.

Another centurion lay broken next to her. I wondered if she'd managed to defeat that one, or if it had been like that when the first party arrived.

We had only one to deal with, but those things are big! It appeared to shrug off the fireballs that struck it, and stomped in our direction. I pointed to an alcove for her to duck into if the thing fired anything back at us, and I charged. Its blast of steam went over my head as I connected with my first swing. A fireball exploded above me, too, helping to put the machine off-balance. I kept swinging, as hard as I could. I aimed at the joints, hoping at least to cripple it in case I needed to withdraw.

Fortunately, I didn't. Our combined attack had been enough, or perhaps just well-enough timed, and it fell. I placed the lexicon on its stand, and looked back to see if I was alone. That blast of steam hadn't been aimed at me. Her head appeared around the corner she'd ducked behind, and she ran to catch up again.

The cube of the Lexicon had opened, and the inner sphere was spinning and glowing. It felt like I was learning something, but I wasn't sure what it was. The feeling was not unlike what I'd experienced at the word walls, where I'd learned words of the Dragon language. I wasn't hearing anything in my head, this time, just getting the same sensation of extra knowledge.

And it had something to do with smithing, I was sure. This had been the right place to come first.

---

We didn't need to go back to Riften before continuing to Mzinchaleft. It would have been quicker, perhaps, to go back and take the carriage, but we had some exploring to do on the way to Dawnstar. I hadn't been to Ivarstead, the village at the foot of the seven thousand steps that led to High Hrothgar. Although I wasn't planning to make the climb for some time, I'd like to see what it looked like from the bottom. From there, we could travel north and cross the road that we'd taken from Whiterun to Darkwater Crossing. If I recalled the signs, we'd be headed for Windhelm, but I suspected we'd meet the road to Dawnstar before we got there.

A little before we could see Windhelm, the weather started to get cold, and the first flakes of snow began to drift down. My armour kept me fairly well insulated from both heat and cold, but a certain lady had been wearing progressively less, and I was wondering if she'd return to something warmer.

Apparently mages can keep themselves warm by magic, as she didn't cover up, and she wasn't shivering. Perhaps it's an enchantment on the robe? I hoped there wasn't any illusion involved. I wanted what I was seeing to be real!

We'd passed a mill, and several side-roads that may have led off to other adventures, but we hadn't taken them. Now we were approaching another mill, and we hadn't met anything more challenging than a couple of wolves all the way here. That made me uncomfortable, as it usually meant that life was saving up trouble to throw at us all at once.

As if to confound me, an Argonian in tight leather approached, with two swords drawn, and murder on his mind. He didn't even get close enough to swing, as a fireball knocked him backwards before I could get the war-hammer off my back. I found a note on his body that said that the Dark Brotherhood had a contract to kill me. They didn't know who wanted me dead, just that the ritual had been performed. That made no sense. Killing me wouldn't achieve very much. Did they think they were dealing with a mortal?

It did make me ponder for a while, though. I knew that I could re-summon my companion if she was taken from me. I would do all I could to prevent that, however, as I was sure she'd prefer not to have that experience too often. But if I had to be restored, would I still have that ability? Did I need to preserve myself for her? From what I'd seen fighting conjurers, their summons were dispelled when they died, so the same would probably happen for us.

Posted by: Acadian Nov 7 2016, 07:53 PM

Glad that Danica was happy. Gildergreen is a nice quest.

’… it was the destination, not the journey, that mattered.’ - - By Azura! Such sacrilege!

Avonschnitzel! Also a wonderful quest. Like Kothet, I very much like Dwemer dungeons. And how nice for Kothet that returning the lexicon helped out his smithing.

Mintchelcleft for Grimsever up next! With some detours en route of course.

’Apparently mages can keep themselves warm by magic, …’ - - My little mage tells me this is quite true.

Intriguing thoughts by Kothet about his and Huskarla’s mortality and possible interdependence. He’s smitten – in a dremoran kinda way – no doubt about it. I know. . . I'm a hopeless romantic.


Nits:
’Still, the ability to forge ebony was geting {getting} closer.’
’An Argonian woman, down a {at} the docks, …’

Posted by: Renee Nov 8 2016, 12:13 AM

Yes, I noticed that too Acadian, the destination > the journey! Then again, if you've done it twice already....

I really like the whole lair-dive in this one, especially when he has to bash that one dwemer with all his might, that's exciting!

Maybe they're after him because he is not mortal.

Posted by: ghastley Nov 14 2016, 02:53 PM

Acadian: Kothet has been stuck in Tamriel without a female Dremora for two centuries. Of course he's smitten!

Renee: They're after him because that's their business.

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

Previously: Having quests to two Dwarven ruins, the pair selected Avanchnzel first, and now they're moving on to the second.

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

16 - Mzinchaleft

More wolves before we passed the Nightgate Inn, and several other roads we did not travel. As we passed an entrance to a Nordic ruin a short way further up the road, a bandit warned us to stay away. At any time in the past, I'd probably have attacked him for his insolence, but this time I just laughed, and carried on walking up the road. It wasn't worth my time.

Fort Dunstad couldn't be overlooked, as it blocked the road, and almost filled the valley. We headed around it, but the bandits weren't in the mood to be ignored, and came out to greet us. The gap between the wall and the rocks, however, was narrow, and prevented too many of them from attacking us together. With her behind me, sending firebolts over my shoulder, I was as much of a block to them, as the fort was to us.

I was glad that she was using the lesser spell. I wasn't blinded by the explosions that fireballs produce, and she'd be able to keep up that barrage as long as she needed to. It was sufficient to keep the archers and mages suppressed, and I could deal well enough with the others. The battle was long and tedious, though, and I'd used up most of my stamina potions by the time it was done. We back-tracked a little and went through the fort, looking for more.

I didn't find many, but at least they had an alchemy lab, and I could make some. I don't have the skill to make strong ones, but it's improving slowly.

---

We continued into Dawnstar, before turning back to take the other road. I didn't want to get involved with any other quests until I'd completed Mjoll's, but knowing what was here would be useful. I'd heard about the Quicksilver mine from Belethor, when he told me about the vein near the Battle-Born farm. Now I knew where it was. I also knew that there was a smithy here, and an alchemist's. And that reminds me, stamina potions!

The trail off towards Mzinchaleft was marked by a cairn of stones, and a couple of wolves. It was likely that they waited there in ambush, as deer used the trails at least as much as people did. A grateful rabbit fled the other way after we killed them.

The dwarven ruin was down in a hollow, and I suspected that this was just the entrance to something larger, and mostly underground. Avanchnzel had had almost no visible structure near the entrance, and had been almost entirely beneath the hills. Nchuand-Zel was an exception of a sort, as either it was entirely underground, or the whole city of Markarth was its entrance.

There was enough above ground here to make a decent home for bandits, and that was who greeted us as we arrived. They'd left an archer on guard outside, but most of them were camped in the buildings behind him. We met about half-a-dozen of them, one at a time. Fortunately, they didn't have the coordination to attack as a group.

That probably meant that their leader, if they had one, was inside the ruin proper. I opened the door cautiously, not knowing if the fighting outside had alerted anyone within. Apparently not; these thick doors must shut out all the noise.

The bandits inside were just as disorganised, and we dealt with them in ones and twos. No sign of any leadership yet. The last one had a key labelled "Maluril's room" which opened the door he'd been guarding. There was no sign of Maluril, just a diary, left on the table. He'd been their leader, of sorts. A "scholar" looting the Dwemer artifacts from the ruins for sale, who'd hired the bandits to protect him. Maybe we'd find him deeper into the ruin.

I say the last, but in fact he was just the last we had to deal with. There were a few more not much further down, but they were battling the dwarven spheres behind the next gate, and we let it all work out before we opened that.

The spheres had won, but didn't have a lot left. I soon dispatched each of them with a swing of my war-hammer. One of them yielded a large plate I could melt down. I looked around the room for more scrap, but found none.

Mzinchaleft had less traps than Avanchnzel, but just as many automata guarding it, and like we did there, I handled the spheres while she took care of the spiders. There was one unique feature here, an elaborate puzzle gate with multiple levers to pull in sequence, before I reached a valve that turned it all off. That gave us access to an elevator that took us down into Mzinchaleft Depths.

This would be different. Just outside the elevator at the bottom, was a dead body. It was a Falmer, like we'd met in Nchuand-Zel. There was also a broken dwarven spider, so most likely they'd be fighting each other down here. That's if we were lucky. If not, one side would have won, and we'd be the only adversaries.

We had to fight our way past several Falmer to reach the next building, and there were more inside. Mjoll had told us about the centurion that had nearly killed her, so had these blind elves dealt with that? If so, they would be tough to beat.

We emerged into a courtyard, where more of the Falmer tents had been erected. It looked like they were in control in this part, too. There was a barred gateway to the left, with no visible way to open them, and a ramp to the right. Maybe the control to open the gate was up there? We'd have to pass the ones in the tents to find out.

A fireball into each tent had the weakened occupants coming out to meet us. They all wielded bows, and so I rushed the nearest, trying to put him between myself and the other two. If I could just keep them lined up, I could handle them one at a time. The two at the back knew that, and spread apart. A well-timed fireball spread them even further. By the time they recovered their balance enough to raise their bows again, I was on the next one, and the last was getting her full fire.

I found another Falmer up in the tower, guarding the switch. He couldn't fire down where we'd been, directly below him, or we'd have been in trouble. I knocked him over the balcony to join his late fellows.

The gate bars rattled down when I used the switch. If we'd been trying to sneak into the next area, we wouldn't have got far. However, we weren't trying to sneak, and the nearest Falmer had come over to investigate, leaving the other behind. Separately, they were less trouble than they would have been together, not that the boss was easy. He threw frost at us before he drew his sword, and took several good blows from my hammer before he fell.

Beyond him, a ramp led up to a large door, and I could see both Falmer corpses, and broken dwarven automata lying around, as if there had just been a major battle here.

---

Through the door, there was no sign of Falmer, but I could see an active centurion standing in his charging frame at the far end of the hall. Since we'd dealt with the one in Avanchnzel, I believed we could handle another, as long as we used the right tactics. I needed to get in close, below the steam blast he could use, and she needed somewhere to get out of its way.

We had one more thing going for us here. It hadn't seen us yet. That meant we could each get a long-range shot in before he came for us. Then we could retreat back around this corner, and wait until he got closer.

Yes, my plans included retreating. The Kyn do not retreat, ever. Except when we do, and then we don't talk about it after.

Strategic withdrawal. That sounded much better than retreat, and it fit the situation better. Anyway, it was what we needed to do, and so we did it. Both of us, although I'd worried that she'd charge in like she had against the Draugr in Soljund's Sinkhole.

It turned out that we'd also left a dwarven sphere out of the fight by luring the centurion to us. That popped out of its hole in the wall as we got closer. On its own, it wasn't a major threat, but in the middle of fighting the big guy, it would NOT have been welcome.

Mjoll's sword, Grimsever, was just lying on a bench near the centurion's charging frame. That may have been exactly where she dropped it, or it might have been put there by a spider worker clearing up. But it was in one piece, and we'd found it!

I'll be honest, I was almost as excited by the amount of usable scrap metal I'd been able to collect as we went along. I had some malachite, and I intended to give Grimsever a tune-up before I handed it back, but dwarven work was taking me closer to my goal of proper daedric equipment.

Posted by: Acadian Nov 14 2016, 07:39 PM

Another of my fave Dwemer dungeons! This was fun because I knew exactly where Kothet was all the time and chuckled over some of his observations.

Between you and me, I think the Falmer are cranky all the time because there seems to be no women Falmer.

’The Kyn do not retreat, ever. Except when we do, and then we don't talk about it after.’ - - The words 'advance to the rear' came to mind until Kothet chose to call it a 'strategic withdrawal'.

Aww, Mjoll will certainly appreciate getting her mighty blade back. Why, I hear that just the sight of it can cause bandits to soil their greaves.

Posted by: ghastley Nov 21 2016, 02:57 PM

Acadian: "Aww, Mjoll will certainly appreciate getting her mighty blade back." - Yes, she will.

And there are women Falmer, sort of. The shamans are supposedly female!

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


Previously: Kothet and co. had travelled to Mzinchaleft to retrieve Mjoll's sword (and gather metal).

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

17 - Shor's Stone

To describe Mjoll as happy to get Grimsever back would be an understatement. I was hugged and kissed in a way that would have been most enjoyable if we hadn't both been wearing armour. I could hear Aerin and my associate discussing whether our cuirasses would crack like nut-shells under the onslaught.

"If you didn't already have a companion, I'd have to offered to follow you for a while. I clearly have a lot to learn," she told me.

I pointed out that she was a two-handed tank like myself, and what either of us needed more as a follower was a mage. Since she had a magical enchantment on Grimsever, her perfect match would be a healer. Especially if she fought with similar exuberance.

She agreed. "When I was younger, I was fearless, and took too many risks." She told me all about Aerin finding her outside Mzinchaleft. She'd already told me that whole story before we went there, but she clearly liked telling it again, and perhaps she needed to remind him that she remained grateful to him, as well as me.

---

We all went into the Bee and Barb for a drink or two to celebrate. The four of us chatted for hours, and it wasn't until we left that I realised my companion had managed to do that without ever actually speaking to me.

---

Riften didn't have a smelter in town, so we headed out to the nearest mine, in Shor's Stone. a village not far to the north, on the road to Windhelm. So of course, there was a problem they'd like sorted out, first. And it had to involve spiders, didn't it?

"I'll go do this. You wait here," I told her. She not only doesn't talk to me, sometimes she doesn't listen, either, and despite her spider issues, she followed me into the mine.

I don't think I managed to hit any of the spiders before a fireball blew them out of reach. It's probably cathartic for her to do that, so I don't mind. And we did have the whole mine free of spiders in just a couple of minutes. I mined some iron while I was there, so I'd have enough to go with the dwarven metal. After reporting back that the spiders were gone, I set myself to making more bows.

If I hadn't been able to sell half of them there in Shor's Stone, I wouldn't have been able to carry them all back to Riften. Selling the remainder to Balimund meant that I had enough cash to have him train me, as far as he was able. "You should be able to work with ebony soon," he told me, and I knew just where I needed to go.

---

We passed another Dwemer ruin on the way, at Mzulft, but it was locked beyond my picking abilities. However, I did manage to get into a storeroom outside that had a fair amount of metal, and a couple of chests with other useful items.

At Narzulbur, or rather, Gloombound mine, I mined ebony and iron, and a little Orichalcum, too. Making a couple of Orcish bows was all I needed to reach my next skill level, and I could finally make ebony items. I put a bit of extra value into my war-hammer before I sold it to Dushnamub, and set into making an ebony one to replace it. The Orc smith was impressed. He didn't make much of the ebony himself, as the tribe preferred tradional Orcish, but he knew it was hard to work, and needed a lot of skill.

"I don't have a lot of gold to buy what you're making," he warned me. "Don't make more than you can carry."

He had a good point. While I wanted to make as much ebony weapons and armour as I could, to raise my smithing skill, maybe I shouldn't do it here. I'd given Balimund, back in Riften, most of my gold to pay for lessons. He'd be able to afford to buy it, so I should use the forge there instead.

Balimund could teach me just a little more, now that I had the materials, but Daedric was beyond his abilities. He could afford to buy the things I made, however. I made mostly bows, as I was holding off from making ebony armour. Although it would be better than what I was wearing, it wouldn't have the look I wanted. My heavy armour skill was high enough that most of my defence was independent of material, anyway. And if I didn't make a complete set of armour, the mis-match reduced the benefits, too.

The problem I was going to have in making Daedric was that it required Deadra hearts. You can imagine my reluctance to seek out those.

Posted by: Acadian Nov 21 2016, 08:04 PM

Wonderful job of showing us the motormouth enthusiastic Mjoll we all know and love. The mystery continues regarding Kothet's fireballing housecarl. She will follow him and protect him even against his orders but will not speak to him. . . but will speak to others. How curious. His smithing is certainly coming along. Dremora hearts. I should think a Dremora would have no qualms harvesting them. It would seem that they prize dominance and power more than loyalty to their own kind. Less Dremora = less competition in the realms?

Posted by: Renee Nov 22 2016, 12:21 AM

Gotta love Motormouth Mjoll. Just when you think she can't possibly tell you again how much she 'misses adventuring like dis."

Seeking daedra hearts probably won't be fun.

Posted by: ghastley Nov 28 2016, 02:54 PM

Acadian: Gathered hearts mean karmic demotion for the providers. He'd prefer opponents that don't deserve that.

Renee: He won't have to seek Deadra hearts, as it turns out.

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

Peviously: Kothet returned Grimsever, his housecarl cleared Redbelly Mine, and he's advanced his smithing to the brink of Deadric.

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

18 - Dawnstar

I'm not sure if fate, or Mehrunes Dagon himself, solved that problem for me. Probably the former, as he undoubtedly wouldn't have any influence with Vaermina, who also played a part.

A courier handed me a flyer advertising a new museum opening up in Dawnstar, and I had no significant quests to complete that would stop me going there. I still had half the fire salts to find for Balimund, but they could be anywhere. I'd picked up almost all I had in the one conjurer den, the one where I almost lost my housecarl. Was that a reason not to look for more?

Anyway, we did head for Dawnstar, and the museum turned out to be one of relics of the Mythic Dawn. Silus Versuius was apparently the descendent of a member of that faction. His knowlege of the history was a bit lacking, and coloured by his nostalgia, but he had managed to assemble a decent amount of items to tell his story.

I was amused to hear it all from the perspective of a mortal. Mankar Camoran had been Dagon's puppet, but Silus seemed to believe he'd instigated the entire plot. He revered the "Commentaries" more than the original Mysterium Xarxes, too. I was surprised to find that he had a piece of that. I'd have expected that Lord Dagon would have taken it all back, but perhaps it was serving a new purpose here.

Silus was eager to recruit my help in adding to his collection. He knew the locations of the remnants of Mehrunes' Razor, an artifact of Lord Dagon that had last been seen at the end of the third Era. It had been broken up, and the parts scattered around Skyrim, but Silus had tracked them down.

Of course, they were guarded, which is why he needed help. He gave me a book about the keepers of the parts, and asked me to return when I had anything.

---

I also discovered that Dawnstar had another problem. Everyone was getting persistent nightmares, and only one person, a priest of Mara, had any idea what to do. He was convinced that the source of the problem was a temple on the hill overlooking the town. Vaermina was the instigator of the nightmares, and it was her temple. He seemed to know a lot about the place that he wasn't telling me, but I trusted him enough to agree to help. He was at least trying to assist the people of Dawnstar, and I couldn't see any treacherous angle in what he proposed.

I was agreeing for the two of us, of course, but a glance in her direction had been met with a nod. That was about all I ever got, so I took it as enthusiasm.

---

When we reached the temple, it was guarded by sabre-cats. The snowy variety that are stronger than the tundra ones, and harder to see against the snow. Fortunately, the three of us had the right combination of offence to handle that issue. Erandur, the priest, told me that he'd had to fight spiders the last time he came here. I'm sure someone I know would prefer sabre-cats.

"Your companion will have to remain outside, I'm afraid," Erandur told me. "I have placed warding spells to protect myself, and my shrine to Mara, that would harm her."

"Won't they harm me, too?" I asked.

"Perhaps a little, but I can prevent that. I don't have enough magical skill for both of you, however."

We entered the first chamber, and I could see the shrine he'd mentioned. There was also a large statue, or wall-relief, of Vaermina. What I couldn't see was any other exit from the room. How would we enter the rest of the temple from here?

"Give me just a moment, and I'll have this open," Erandur said, playing a spell over the statue. It looked like a regular flames spell, but I'm sure it wasn't. Whatever it was, the statue faded and revealed a doorway. We stepped through the now insubstantial statue and entered the temple proper.

We walked around the curved corridor until we reached a point where we could look down into the central shaft of the tower. "There is the source of the nightmares," Erandur told me. "Behold the Skull of Corruption. We must get down there to the inner sanctum, and destroy it."

Naturally, it was easier said than done. Not only did we find two Orcs recovering from the effects of what Eraundur called "the Miasma", a gas the priests had used to put everyone to sleep, but the way was blocked by a magical barrier we had no way to remove.

Erandur knew another route. He had a key to the library. When I asked him about it, he admitted having been one of the Priests of Vaermina himself. He'd switched his allegiance to Mara after fleeing the Orc attack on the temple.

"Be careful once we enter here. There are undoubtedly more of the Orcs awakening inside, and probably the priests as well. Neither will be making us welcome."

We did have to fight both, but at least they weren't cooperating against us. We could let them fight each other for a while before finishing off the survivors. Once we had the library to ourselves, Erandur asked me to try and find a volume called "The Dreamstride". It would have the likeness of the Vaermina statue on the cover. Whether this was a true representation of the Daedric Prince wasn't known, of course, but I'd know the book when I saw it.

It was back up a level, and hidden in a corner, but I found it at last. Erandur read through it, evidently looking for a particular part. "Mara be praised, there is a way past the barrier. It involves a liquid known as Vaermina's Torpor."

"A potion, I presume."

"Yes, and there's a good chance we''l find a sample in the alchemy laboratory just up ahead. It will be in a tall red bottle, and should be clearly labelled."

The laboratory turned out to be full of recovering Orcs and Priests, and we had more fighting to do, before we could start our hunt for the Torpor. Erandur looked upstairs, where the lab benches were, while I searched the lower level, among the ingredient shelves. I found several more fire salts for Balimund, and to my horror, two Daedra hearts. How they'd been obtained, I didn't want to know, but if I'd had any sympathy for the priests before, it had just disappeared.

The bottle I needed was on the bottom shelf of the last rack, next to some ice wraith teeth, and more fire salts.

Erandur now wanted me to drink it. "As a sworn priest of Mara, it will no longer work for me," he claimed.

I wanted to know what would happen if I did so. He told me I'd dream, and in that dream I'd travel to the other side of the barrier. He couldn't tell me much more, but asked me again to trust him.

I drank the potion, and found myself looking through the blurred vision of someone else. A priest of Vaermina, it appeared, as I was in conversation with two other priests, deciding to release the miasma, as a last resort to stop the Orcs. I was addressed as "Brother Casimir" and told that it was my job to go and release it.

I set off through the battle. None of the fighting orcs and priests paid me any attention, as they were too busy, and I reached the chain, and pulled it. The blur receded, and I found myself staring at a soul gem that appeared to be sustaining the barrier. I took it from its holder, and the barrier disappeared.

Erandur was waiting on the other side. He told me that I'd just disappeared when I drank the Torpor, and he'd come here hoping that I'd found a way to disable the barrier, and he could come and assist.

We battled our way through a lot more of the orcs and priests on our way to the inner sanctum where the Skull stood. Erandur unlocked the door, and we went inside, to find two priests waiting for us. They were the same two I'd seen in my dream, vision, whatever it was when I drank the Torpor. And they addressed Erandur as "Casimir".

He acknowledged that name, but told them he was Erandur now. Veren and Thorek denounced him as a cowardly traitor, and he admitted fear at the time that he'd fled during the Orcs' invasion. But he had Mara's guidance now, and he was here to finish things.

Veren and Thorek attacked, with maces, and with magic. Each was the equal of Erandur, but my different skills turned the tide in our favour, and soon Erandur was able to start the ritual to deal with the Skull of Corruption.

Vaermina tried to intervene, speaking to me, and trying to persuade me to kill Erandur, and take the Skull for myself. While it was a Daedric artifact, and therefore obviously valuable, I didn't see it having any direct usefulness to me, so I did nothing. I had a suspicion that the nightmares would have continued if I'd taken the staff, and the people of Dawnstar might be grateful if they ended.

I'd found enough in the chests in the temple to reward me for the work I'd done, and the fire salts and Daedra hearts were more important than the rest. The former would be going to Balimund, and the latter meant that I didn't have to gather them myself, to make my armour.

Posted by: Acadian Nov 29 2016, 01:06 AM

I’ve never done the Mehrune’s Razor/Museum quest so I’m interested in hearing about it from Kothet.

I’ve done the Vaermina/Mara quest multiple times though and thoroughly enjoy it.

Heh, When Erandur said no followers in the temple, I wondered if Kothet was going to take his quiet housecarl and walk away. I was pleased to see him take the quest and, ultimately, his choice at the end. In his own way, Kothet is kind of a good guy. You know, for a Dremora.

Posted by: ghastley Dec 5 2016, 03:17 PM

Acadian: Not much detail on the sub-quests, I'm afraid, as they really don't say much about Kothet. He just does that kind of mindless slaughter without really paying much attention.

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

Previously: Kothet found two Daedra hearts in the temple of Varemina, while helping to stop the nightmares in Dawnstar. He's started a second quest there.

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

19 - Dagon's Shrine

Finding the pieces of Mehrunes' Razor was a tedious trip across most of the province, but the bandits who held the blade shards, and the Hagraven with her Forsworn minions who held the pommel stone, were at least satisfying enemies to deal with. I already had enough issues with both factions to take pleasure in recovering those parts. The hilt, however, was held by Jorgen, the mill-owner in Morthal, and I had no quarrel with him. I hoped he could be persuaded to hand over the last item without any conflict.

Since Silus had paid me for the first two, I was able to simply buy it from him, and for less than Silus was paying me.

I took the final piece back to the museum. I wanted to ask Silus why he wanted the Razor's parts in his collection, as they had nothing to do with the Daedric invasion of Tamriel in which the Mythic Dawn had taken part. Yes, the two had Mehrunes Dagon in common, but this was supposed to be the museum of the Mythic Dawn, not of Dagon.

He told me that he intended to take the pieces to Dagon's shrine and ask the Deadric Prince to restore the artifact. He already had the scabbard, and with all four parts, he was sure that Dagon would listen to his plea.

I didn't think that was a good idea. And I did know Mehrunes Dagon better than any mortal could. He wasn't to be dissuaded, though, and set off at a run for the hills. We followed behind him, hoping to avert what I suspected would be a nasty situation.

---

We found him at the shrine, with the pieces laid on the altar, trying to talk to the Daedric Prince, who wasn't listening. He implored me to try. "Just put your hands on the altar. I'm sure he'll listen to you."

I did so, and wasn't surprised to hear Dagon's voice. "You are worthy to listen to. You reclaimed the pieces of my Razor, unlike this mortal."

"He helped me, and he did find the scabbard himself," I replied.

"Nevertheless," Dagon replied. "I do not declare a winner while there is a pawn on the board. Kill Silus, and I will restore the Razor for you."

"I don't think I want it restored," I told him, "and I'm surprised that you're considering it. Surely the whole point of destroying it was that something better could take its place."

That seemed to annoy the Daedric Prince. Although I sensed that I was right about the Razor, it was my implicit refusal to kill Silus that irked him.

"I have spoken. Kill Silus, or I will crush you!"

I let the frightened Imperial grab the pieces and make a run for it, back to Dawnstar. I had a feeling there was more to this than just the matter of Silus.

Two summoned Dremora appeared from nowhere, with weapons already drawn. However, they were far enough from me and my companion that we were able to prepare ourselves for battle. And neither was higher than Caitiff, if my estimate of their skill was accurate. A Valkynaz, or rather ex-Valkynaz, like myself, should be able to handle them alone. I wasn't alone, and they were resistant to her spells, so I did have to defend for two, but not for long.

I was astounded to see their bodies remain on the snow when they fell. Surely they should have immediately returned to the Deadlands, as any summoned daedra would. I couldn't take their armour, but their hearts were available. Had I just passed one of Dagon's tests?

Each of them also had a key to the shrine, so it was likely that they had just been moved outside, rather than coming from Dagon's realm. Perhaps these were like me, stuck in Tamriel after the doors to Oblivion were closed by Martin Septim's sacrifice.

I used one of the keys, and we found two more of their number inside, one of them a mage. This time, however, we had the advantage of surprise, and they were soon lying dead on the icy floor. Two more Daedra hearts, enough to make my armour, and a weapon.

I collected several ingots of gold, and ebony, as well as various enchanted pieces of armour and jewellery. I turned to show one of those to my companion, but she wasn't there behind me, as she usually was. Had Dagon recalled her while I was busy fighting his minions?

I looked outside the shrine, but she wasn't there either. Then I walked all the way back to Dawnstar, in case she'd decided that Silus needed escorting back. She was an intelligent woman, and would have seen the possibility of Dagon sending another Caitiff after him. She wasn't there, and Silus was safely back in his museum.

---

I took the ebony and Daedra hearts back to the Tower, and put them in a chest by the anvil. Tomorrow, I'd see if my smithing was up to making Daedric equipment, but first I needed to rest. She still hadn't re-appeared, and I was worried, so I wasn't sure if I could actually sleep.

I also wasn't sure if I should re-cast the summoning spell. If she was still in Tamriel, what would happen? I knew that being "banished" was quite unpleasant, and I didn't want to put her through that unnecessarily. On the other hand, I didn't want to go to bed without her. Even if nothing ever happened, she belonged there beside me, and it wouldn't feel right. I cast the spell.

I'd conjectured that when I finally made my Daedric armour, she'd be naked. I'd only gathered the materials to do that, and there she was. She didn't seem to be in any way surprised by her new outfit, or lack of one, and was smiling at me in a way she'd never done before.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked.

After all that time, it was my turn to say to say nothing. I think she understood.

---

We woke about half-way through the following day, having thoroughly exhausted each other the night before. "Are we going to catch up on all the gossip, or are you in the mood for more?" she asked me, with a huge grin on her face.

"Both," I assured her, "but we have all the time we need. Let's start with you telling me what happened back at Dagon's shrine. Where did you go?"

"Dagon brought me back to the Deadlands, and asked me whether I thought you'd passed his test. Since I wasn't really sure what he was testing you for, it took a while to figure it all out. He was pleased that you'd found the courage to defy him, and your reasoning about the Razor was in line with his own. That was a failed experiment, and he should forge some new weapon to take its place."

"I presume it's over now, since you can talk to me?" I asked.

"Yes, that's true. I wasn't allowed to give you any clues about it, not that I really ever knew what I wasn't supposed to be telling you."

"Perhaps you weren't supposed to know either. It could have been both of us on trial."

"I hadn't thought of it that way. I was just told not to talk to you, so I didn't. And when Dagon called me back, he told me that was over, and I could."

"OK, so now explain why you appeared totally naked when I summoned you. I'd noticed that your outfits seemed to be getting smaller as my smithing skill increased, and I'd wondered where that would end. Was there any connection?"

"No, silly! I was just getting more comfortable being with you, and if I couldn't talk, it was one way I could provide some encouragement. But the naked part was just because you summoned me here in the bedroom. That's how I knew why you wanted me. That you wanted me, not just someone to help even the odds in a fight."

"I wanted you before. I've wanted you for a long time. What changed?"

"When I wasn't allowed to talk to you, I didn't trust myself not to say anything when ... you know, my mind was on other things. And I'd be telling you what I liked, or didn't, even if I wasn't saying anything. I wasn't sure if that counted as communicating."

"Oh it definitely does. And you seemed to know what I liked, without me telling you, so it works both ways."

"I got some of that from talking to Prizna," she told me. "Dagon sent me to find out all she could tell me about you, before you got that letter. He's quite pleased with her, you know. She broke all the rules by rebelling against you, and Dagon thinks they needed breaking, because the Dremora women are much more confident now."

"Yes, he does like to see things get broken." I rubbed the back of my head, remembering where she'd hit me with that mace. "But it seems that it's always someone else's job to put things back together."

"I didn't remake you. You did that yourself. I was just the monitor, to report on your progress."

"So what went into your report?" I asked.

"Things like your decision at the Eldergleam. You thought that one out, and made the decision you thought was right, not just doing what Danica had asked, but what she really needed. And all the other choices. You don't just react these days, you think."

Posted by: Acadian Dec 5 2016, 07:32 PM

’I didn't think that was a good idea.’ - - Eeep! Me either!
Sure enough, Silus chose poorly.

I was worried when Silentia the Housecarl disappeared.

Woot! She’s back, in naked, speaking glory. And she knows how to use both. So the long mystery of Kothet's housecarl has been solved and, you know what? They do make a great couple.

Oh. . . and now he can ask her name. . . .

Posted by: Renee Dec 10 2016, 03:27 PM

That part did seem sort of like a test, a trick from Mehrunes Dagon. Kinda neat how Kothet knows some of these tricks, because of his background.

Posted by: ghastley Dec 12 2016, 03:06 PM

Acadian: We solved the mystery of the "no talking to Kothet" part, anyway. There's more to work out.

Renee: If he doesn't know Dagon better than mortals do by now ...

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

Previously - The housecarl speaks, Kothet is speechless. Fade to black.

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

20 - High Hrothgar

"Wait a moment," I said. "You mentioned talking to someone called 'Prizna', and it sounded like you were talking about a woman who used to belong to me. Does she have her own name now? I've got used to the mortals naming their women, but she was Dremora."

"Yes, didn't you know? Oh, no, I suppose you haven't been back to the Deadlands since all of that happened, have you? Of course it was a mortal that gave it to her, and she needed it because she was going to be living in Tamriel, where all the women have names."

"You'll be living in Tamriel, too, if I'm still stuck here. Did Dagon say if my exile is over?"

She shook her head. "No, he didn't tell me anything about that. I think he wants you to work that out for yourself. Maybe you have the choice of staying here or going back."

"And of course, I don't know Dagon's terms for my return, so I have no way of knowing if I want to do so. If it meant losing you, I wouldn't want it." I thought for a while. "And if I'm staying here, you'll need a name, won't you? Do you already have one?"

"No, and Dagon didn't say anything about one. Does that mean he doesn't expect me to stay here?"

"No, just that he wasn't telling you something that we have to work out for ourselves. I think you need a name, so we should choose one."

"I'm glad you said we should do it together. You've been here among the Nords long enough that you'd give me one of theirs. You know the kind I mean. Like Uthgerd the Unbroken, except that I'd probably end up as Jane the Jiggly, or something rude like that."

"Well, if I called you something as common as Jane, they'd have to explain which Jane they meant, and they'd add on whatever's memorable about you. But you need a proper Dremora name, which will avoid that problem."

"But there aren't any Dremora names for women," she reasonably pointed out.

"There are words in the ancient tongues that might be suitable," I countered. "What about 'Zahra', which means flower, or beautiful like a flower? Then you've got a name, and it already describes you."

She seemed to like that one, and I perhaps shouldn't have spoiled the mood by musing further. "Soft pink petals, overflowing with nectar ... why are you hitting me like that?"

---

This was the last thing I'd been waiting for: now I had my Daedric Armour, and she had a name, I could go and introduce us to the Greybeards. Of course, she wanted to know what she should wear. She didn't have any Daedric Armour, and we didn't have the materials to make her any.

"You're a mage, so wear mage clothes. Do you have something a bit more formal than your usual outfit?"

"You think that might be a bit too much for a bunch of old men?"

"Too little, maybe?"

She cast a small spell, and a black silk robe, trimmed in red, appeared around her. It covered her completely, but clung close to her curves.

"Is that warm enough for the top of a snow-covered mountain?"

"Of course. It's enchanted with frost resistance. They'll see that it's thin, and be able to work that out for themselves."

---

"And so, a Dragonborn appears at this moment in the turning of the age. I am Master Arngeir; I speak for the Greybeards."

"You call me Dragonborn, but how can a Kynaz, who was never born, be one?"

"Because that word is but a poor translation of 'Dovahkiin'. The Nords aquire their kinship through birth, which is why they use that term. Kin, Kyn, kiin - it is all the same word. You have a familial connection to the dragons, the same as you do to other Dremora."

"But what does that mean?"

"One aspect is that you learn the dragon language more easily than others. You have already learned 'Fus' and probably more. Let us taste of your voice."

I assumed that the old man knew what he was doing. I shouted "Fus" in his direction, and he staggered backward.

"It is true, then. You do have the power of the Voice. But it needs to be trained, if you would reach your full potential, and fulfill your destiny."

"What is my destiny?" I asked.

"That is for you to discover. We can show you the way, but not the destination. Master Einhart will teach you the next word of Unrelenting Force."

Another Greybeard stepped forward and spoke a single word "Ro". It didn't knock anyone around, perhaps because it was spoken alone, without the preceding "Fus". It did, however, cause a glowing word to appear on the floor, so I could read, as well as hear it.

Arngeir explained that it took them years of meditation to fully understand a word of power, but the Dovahkiin could learn one in moments, absorbing that knowledge from a dying dragon, as I had with Murmulnir.

I didn't have to kill any dragons to learn "Ro", as Einhart let me tap into his own knowledge of the word. It was much the same experience, and the understanding was just as complete.

They tested me further, creating phantom targets on which to use the greater two-word shout. When Arngeir deemed my progress enough, we went outside for the next stage. He wanted to see if I could learn a completely new shout.

Master Borri taught me the first word of Whirlwind Sprint, "Wuld", in much the same way as Einhart taught me "Ro". Then I had to demonstrate that shout, too. Finally, Arngeir sent me to collect the Horn of Jurgen WIndcaller from his tomb. I suspected that this would require me to use these shouts, in a practical trial of my ability.

---

"So, Zahra, what did you think of the Greybeards," I asked her.

"I prefer them to spiders, but they're still a bit creepy," she responded. "They way they look at you, but don't say anything, apart from that Arngeir."

"That reminds me of someone else," I pointed out. "And it's because their voices are too powerful, now. They don't want to blow us off the mountain."

"Where do we have to go to get this horn? I didn't recognise the name of the place."

"It's just a bit north of Morthal, and the vampires' lair we cleared out."

"The place where the guard said there were spiders out in the swamp?"

"Yes, but they wouldn't be any bigger then the ones you killed at Shor's Stone. It's too cold up there for the larger ones. What is your problem with spiders, anyway? You aren't afraid of anything else, even when you should be."

"It goes back a long way. I've always found the spider daedra a bit disgusting. When somebody told me about them sucking the insides out of their victims, and then putting on the skin if it was prettier than the one they had, it freaked me out completely. Especially as he implied I'd be a prime target for them."

"Well he was right about you being prettier than any of the spider daedra, but they don't actually feed like that. Or change their skin," I explained. "Real spiders, the ones here on Nirn, do feed that way, because they don't have any alternative. They don't have any way to bite, or chew. All they can do is stab with their fangs."

"Spider daedra just look like them, but they're not the same thing at all. They're not women, either," I continued. "And being ... cautious ... of spider daedra is just sensible. They're a mean and unpredictable lot at the best of times."

"You're making Nirn spiders sound worse than the daedra ones," she pointed out.

"They're less intelligent, can't do magic, and they don't like fire. What have you got to be afraid of?"

"Well, put like that, nothing but my own imagination. And I can get past it if I make myself angry enough. I just don't like them, and never will."

Posted by: Acadian Dec 12 2016, 04:50 PM

Jane the Jiggly! Oops, I mean Zahra.

Good description of how Kothet can be ‘dragonborn’ and it fits well.

Fun discussion also into Zahra’s fear of spiders and how she came by it.

Posted by: Renee Dec 17 2016, 07:36 PM

Posted by: ghastley Dec 20 2016, 11:07 AM

Aacadian: Not fear, disgust.

Renee:

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

Previously Kothet and Jane the Jiggly Zahra visited High Hrothgar and were sent to Ustengrav.

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

21 - Ustengrav

We had to cross the hills to get to Morthal, and at the top of one of them, we found a dragon, roosting on another of those word walls with the dragon writing. He shouted frost at us, but I fired arrows back, and Zahra threw fireballs, until we brought him down. Then my war-hammer proved mightier than his jaws.

The wall taught me "Zun", which means weapon, so now I had two words that I could unlock with the dragon's knowledge. Neither really called me to turn them into a shout right away. "Yol" would not give me any more fire damage than Zahra could produce, and one of the Kyn would not be happy taking advantage of his opponent by disarming him with a shout. Besides, the dragons are the strongest foes, and they carry no weapons.

I knew that I could wait, and use this later. There might be another word wall where we were heading, and I'd have yet another option.

---

We met the road between Morthal and Dawnstar, and it looked like we could follow it for a while before we need to cut off towards Ustengrav. We'd met frostbite spiders on this road before, but it seemed to me likely that we'd see more going through the swamps.

We passed the point where we'd previously turned off to Labyrinthian, and the pass, and instead found the small mining community of Stonehills. I had no need to stop, so we continued northward up the road. Not much further, we came across a couple of conjurers being ambushed by bandits. They were dead before we reached them, and the bandits turned on us. Stupid mortals!

We didn't find much worth taking on the bandits, and the conjurers didn't have anything better. A few ingredients, and some potions was about all. I'd expected more, as they had a horse (dead now) and a wagon, and could have been carrying quite a load.

This was about where we'd need to turn off west towards Ustengrav. I looked for a trail, but didn't find much, so I was quite surprised to find us approaching a Stormcloak camp. The guard eyed me suspiciously, but said nothing as we passed.

At the foot of the rise, I could see the ring of a nordic barrow. There was a campfire nearby, and a crude shelter, suggesting a bandit camp. Why they didn't just use the ruin itself was puzzling, but perhaps they didn't have the place to themselves. There might well be draugr inside.

The bandits, as ever, were hostile, but not for long. I noticed that Zahra was sporting a cloak of flames as she ran down the hill to engage them. That should keep the spiders away!

---

Inside, steps led down to a larger chamber under the hill, where some more of the bandits had fallen into the clutches of necromancers, who had raised them as thralls. One of the necromancers was complaining about their sluggishness as we approached. Zahra gave them more to complain about with a fireball in their midst, and I charged in with my warhammer.

We picked up a few useful potions and things, and then looked around for a way to go farther into the tomb. A side passage echoed with the sounds of fighting, so we followed it to find out what was going on.

The draugr I'd been expecting were doing battle with more of the necromancers. We let them thin each others' ranks before joining the side that was winning. Naturally the draugr were ungrateful, and we had to finish them as well.

They weren't the last of them, of course, but we didn't encounter another group of that size again. Ones and twos weren't a problem to us. Eventually we emerged into a large grotto, on a ledge overlooking the main chamber. The passage we had to follow had a fire trap, but that doesn't mean much to Dremora.

The skeletons we encountered next were a nuisance, as there were quite a few of them, all armed with bows, and they all seemed to notice us at once. After running around and eliminating them, we headed down the ramp to a word wall at the bottom, by a small pool.

The word I learned this time was "Feim", part of "Become Ethereal". I thought about this one for a while, and decided to unlock it with my dragon knowledge. I could use this to pass through traps and turn them off for Zahra. She didn't seem to be able to dodge them as well as I do, perhaps because she's a mage, rather than a fighter.

This area appeared to be a dead end, with no way to progress, so we walked back up to the middle level to look around more. There was a bridge over to another area we hadn't explored, so we crossed it, only to come under fire from another skeleton archer. His bones flew apart as one of Zahra's fireballs found its mark.

There were three small pillars rising from the floor. As I approached one, it started to glow and a gate at the end opened. I walked on to the next one, and it, too, started glowing. A second gate, behind the first, opened up. But when I continued to the third, the first gate closed again, just as the third one opened.

I backed up until the first gate opened again, but by then the third one had dropped again. It appeared that I couldn't open all three gates at once, because I couldn't stand near all three pillars. Zahra's presence didn't affect them. This was my trial, so it was all tuned to me. At least that's what I imagined. She's as real as I am, so there can't be any other explanation for it.

Walking up and down, I noticed a slight delay between the pillars' glow ceasing, and the gate closing. I might be able to run past all the pillars, and get through the gates, if I used that Whirlwind Sprint shout the Greybeards had taught me.

Of course I ran into the gates at full speed a couple of times before I got the timing right. Zahra was trying so hard not to laugh, as she sauntered through after me. Of course the gates stayed open for her after I'd done all the work.

Then we came to a large area of fire traps, the kind that blast flames up from the floor. While we resist fire well, there were just too many of these to ignore. But I noticed that they were not all a uniform shade. A quick experiment showed that the darker ones produced flames, but the paler ones didn't. I told Zahra what I'd discovered and instructed her to follow in my footsteps. Without pushing, please!

There had to be spiders, didn't there? Fortunately, she just stopped and turned on her fire cloak, instead of trying to run back. Then she hurled fireballs, even after they were dead. She's getting more composed when it's spiders, but we still have a way to go.

Naturally, she let me clear the webs off the door ahead before she was prepared to pass through it. It led into a large flooded chamber, with a path up the middle. As we entered, dragon head statues rose out of the water, with a lot of noisy grinding of stone on stone. Nothing else, though. No draugr popping out of coffins, or any of the usual stuff.

At the top of the coffin at the end of the path was a stone hand, holding up a note, rather than the horn I was expecting to find. It was addressed to me, or at least "Dragonborn", and told me to rent the attic room at the inn in Riverwood. I presumed whoever left the note had the horn now, so I had little choice but to do as it requested.

Posted by: Acadian Dec 20 2016, 02:27 PM

Bandits vs Necrodudes vs Druglords – Ustengrav’s an interesting place.

I like Kothet’s careful management of where he focuses his limited dragon resources.

That door/speed puzzle is hard!

’Then she hurled fireballs, even after they were dead.’ - - Buffy does the same thing when panicked.

Darn! All that work and the horn’s been stolen! I hope Kothet has some words (maybe even a warhammer) for whoever took it.


Nit: ’But I noticed that they were not all a usniform shade.’

Posted by: haute ecole rider Dec 20 2016, 04:24 PM

You know, the first time I did this, and again a few times after that, I kept expecting a big, knockdown drag-out fight for that stupid horn, and was surprised that those dragon heads were all that was there ...

Posted by: ghastley Dec 30 2016, 03:54 PM

I've been in England (and cut off from the internet) for a couple of weeks, so this one's a bit overdue.

Acadian: I'm not sure why they added the necromancers to that mix. It doesn't change the story at all, and just having bandits at the entrance, and draugr further in, would have worked as well. Perhaps there was cut content that made the necros relevant?

The way the gates and pillars work when you have a follower never made any sense to me, until I had the idea that it's all tuned to the dragonborn. I've done it once with two words of Whirlwind Sprint, and it's much easier then. I suspect that was the intention when it was designed.

h.e.r: That was exactly the expectations I think they they intended. However, I still want to know how Delphine barred the doors behind her on the way out.

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

Previously: Kothet and co. went to Ustengrav for the Hprn of Jurgen Windcaller and got just a note.

-----------

22 - Blades

"So you're the one they're calling Dragonborn," the innkeeper said, as she gave me Jurgen Windcaller's horn. "Follow me down to the basement, so we can talk privately."

Once we got down there, through a secret door in the back of a wardrobe, she started to question me. "Is it true? Are you really Dragonborn? Can you kill a dragon permanently by devouring its soul?"

"Yes, I'm Dragonborn, and when I defeat a dragon, I do absorb power from it. But that's not its soul, any more than the so-called soul trap spell gathers souls from slain enemies." That was a very mortal notion. Since they don't get restored, they have this strange idea about what happens at death.

Magicka and knowledge are almost the same thing, and they get passed between generations of mortals while they're still living. You can't destroy knowledge, only forget it, and someone can always give it back to you. If your magicka and knowledge are powerful enough, like Daedric Princes, you can restore a lesser creature to life, and that's what happens for the lesser Daedra.

They don't always do it directly. The Saints and Seducers of Sheogorath have the Wellsprings (creations of the Daedric Prince of course) that do so on his behalf, and Dagon has a similar arrangement involving fire, rather than water.

But they can't create life, only restore it. The Aedra chose a dfferent path for this world, of continous creation, but permanent death. Of new growth, rather than rebuilding. The mortals are just as jealous of our lives after death, as we are of their ability to have children, but the paths are equal, if different.

I failed to convince this Delphine, even of my really being the Dragonborn. She wanted to see me defeat a dragon, and what happened after, with her own eyes. And she knew where that was likely to be possible. She told me that the dragons were being raised from their burial mounds, as she'd found them empty, and she'd seen a pattern in it that suggested the next would happen at Kynesgrove, near Windhelm.

Delphine told me that she was the last of the Blades, of whom I'd heard. They had been the bodyguards of the Emperor of Cyrodiil, back in the previous era, but had been almost wiped out by the Thalmor at the start of the Great War. She claimed that their true purpose was as dragon-slayers, but that had been put on hold when the dragons disappeared from Tamriel. Now they were back, it was time for the Blades to rise, too.

---

I agreed to meet her at Kynesgrove. Although Delphine struck me as a fanatic with a warped notion of reality, she was intimately involved with the dragon situation, and therefore probably a key to my destiny, as the Greybeards put it. I had to find the path on my own, as they'd pointed out, and she might provide me some clues.

First, however, I needed to complete my task by returning the horn to High Hrothgar. Hopefully the path up the mountain was still free of wolves, bears and trolls.

---

I mentioned Delphine and the Blades to Arngeir, and he scowled. "The Blades have always tried to turn the Dragonborn from his true path. Do not listen to her." I assured him of my skepticism, and he seemed at least partially reassured.

The Greybeards taught me the final word of Unrelenting Force, "Dah". I was then formally recognised as the Dragonborn, in a ceremony that involved a lot of shouting, mostly at me. I found I could understand what they were saying, even though it was in the dragon tongue, perhaps because I'd become a bit more dragon myself.

---

Then it was time to meet Delphine at Kynesgrove. As Zahra and I arrived in the small village, the innkeeper ran out to warn us of a dragon nearby, circling over the old mound at the top of the hill.

We went up there, and found Delphine crouched behind a rock, waiting for us. A large black dragon, one I knew, was circling overhead, as if he was waiting for us, too. He shouted at the dragon mound, which broke apart, and a skeletal dragon emerged.

As we stared in disbelief, the skeletal dragon formed new flesh and replied to the other dragon, in their language, of course. I didn't understand much, but I caught the names Alduin, and Sahloknir, which were the large black dragon, and the one he'd just raised.

Alduin addressed me directly, and accused me of arrogance, for taking the name "Dovahkiin". I hadn't taken it, it was what Murmulnir had called me, as it if was already mine.

I was not at all surprised when Alduin instructed Sahloknir to kill us, and flew off. The lesser dragon's latest life was a short one, as Zahra and I, and I have to admit Delphine too, soon put it down. As expected, The dragon taught me his knowledge as he passed, with the usual swirl of light I'd seen before. I'm sure Delphine could see it, too.

"I guess I owe you a few answers," she said.

---

Delphine didn't actually have many to give. She didn't know as much about the dragons as I'd hoped, and her conjectures seemed to be just more paranoia. She was convinced the Thalmor must have something to do with their re-appearance, as who else would benefit from it? I was tempted to say "the Blades", as they'd just regained their lost purpose, but I didn't.

I was now particularly curious about the big black dragon, Alduin. If the dragons were daedra like myself, then his ability to restore them must mean he was an avatar of a Daedric Prince, or at least the agent of one. But which? A further confusion arose from the fact that both Peryite and Akatosh are associated here with a dragon's form. One Daedric, one Aedric, and neither seemed to fit with this Alduin.

Delphine was convinced that the Thalmor knew more about the dragons, and although she didn't present a very convincing case, it was all I had to go on. I agreed to meet her later, in Riverwood. She was going to try to find a way to get me into the Thalmor Embassy to take a look around.

---

It turned out that I'd already provided her with an opening. Since I was Thane of Whiterun, that was enough to get me invited to one of Elenwen's regular parties. Delphine could get my weapons and armour smuggled in, and I could collect them once I was there. She directed me to a Bosmer agent of hers in Solitude, to give him what I would need on the inside. She could provide suitable attire for the party.

It also dawned on me that I'd need something else to wear between Solitude, and Katla's Farm, which is where I'd be picked up by the carriage. I found a spare mage robe that I'd taken, and found that I already knew its enchantment. It was bland and inconspicuous enough for this purpose.

"What do I do while you're in the Embassy?" Zahra asked.

"Keep an eye on Delphine for me. I don't completely trust her in this. It might just be a scam to get hold of my armour, or something like that."

Posted by: Acadian Dec 31 2016, 02:31 PM

Welcome back from your trip!


"Yes, I'm Dragonborn, and when I defeat a dragon, I do absorb power from it. But that's not its soul, any more than the so-called soul trap spell gathers souls from slain enemies." That was a very mortal notion. Since they don't get restored, they have this strange idea about what happens at death.’ - - I love Kothet’s understanding of ‘soul trap’.

Likewise, I enjoyed his thoughts on the differences between Aedric and Daedric life/death.

His non-mortal ideas fed perfectly into making Delphine’s demands to see for herself. Nicely done, that.

To top it off, Kothet’s thoughts about Alduin perhaps being of the Daedra was a fascinating observation. You are getting such fabulous mileage out of Kothet’s unique perspective.


Nit: ‘The Aedra chose a dfferent path for this world, of continous creation,’ – spellingx2

Posted by: ghastley Jan 2 2017, 01:24 PM

Acadian: You are surprisingly perceptive for a mortal. Of course Kothet's viewpoint has the weight of greater experience, so it must be the correct one.

Back to the regular schedule ...

-----------

Previously: Kothet met Delphine, and wasn't impressed. However, she was the only clue he had to the dragons/dragonborn situation.

-----------

23 - Esbern

I handed my armour, my war-hammer, and a carefully selected collection of potions to Malborn, the Wood Elf agent in the Winking Skeever. He set off for the Embassy, while I walked down to where the carriage was waiting. I changed into the more formal party gear Delphine had selected for me, and boarded the carriage.

Elenwen met me just inside the door, and she knew my name, even if she didn't know my face. I was surprised, as she must have seen me at Helgen, and I should have been conspicuous, as the only Dremora. I'd was certain that I'd seen her there, talking to Tullius as we were carted in. Like all Altmer, she was tall, slender, and quite attractive in an elven way. Which probably made her quite unattractive to the average Nord, who likes his women more ... cuddly?

Malborn interrupted us, mainly to get my attention, I think. When Elenwen wandered off back to her other guests, he asked that I should try and create a distraction, so he could sneak me into the off-limits part of the building, where my equipment was waiting.

Obviously, that distraction couldn't include me, or everyone would be looking my way. That was enough of a problem already, as most of the other Jarls and Thanes there had never seen a Dremora before, and were curiously peeking in my direction whenever they got the chance.

I had a few options. There was the Thane of Solitude, Erikur, who was apparently attracted to the Bosmer girl serving drinks, and could probably be goaded into making a nuisance of himself with her. I was reluctant to do that, however, as it might get her into trouble, too.

Most of the other choices were just as bad, but the half-drunk Redguard merchant who came in at the same time I did, a man name Razelan, looked like my best bet. I delivered him another drink, and persuaded him to stir a bit of life into the proceedings. He wasn't enjoying himself there anyway, and didn't mind getting tossed out.

After he'd managed to insult Elenwen, and most of the others, the guards all swarmed in to apprehend and eject him, blocking everyone's view of me. I took the opportunity to slip through a door behind the bar, with Malborn.

He led me through the kitchen, and I found my equipment waiting in a chest in the pantry. There was a door at the back of that, providing access from the private quarters, and my entry to the same. Malborn closed and locked the door behind me, warning me I'd be on my own.

I searched the rooms I now had access to, dealing with a few interruptions from Thalmor guards as they blundered in. I found nothing of interest, and headed out the door into the courtyard, hoping to find something in the Solar opposite. Of course, that meant dealing with more guards on the way, which I must admit, I quite enjoyed.

By the time I entered the Solar, I was wondering why I hadn't just stormed my way in to begin with. The Thalmor guards didn't put up much opposition, and it would have avoided all the masquerade of the party invitation. On the other hand, the party did keep Elenwen herself out of the way, and perhaps that's what Delphine had in mind.

In the Solar, I found Rulindil, the torturer in charge of the Thalmor dungeon, talking to a Nord informant, name Gissur. After eliminating them, I had a key to the lower floor, where I imagined I'd have a better chance of finding something useful.

There was a single Thalmor soldier guarding the cells. She didn't last long. Now I wanted to check out any containers, free any prisoners and generally disrupt things. I found a number of documents that I suspected Delphine would like to read, especially as one was about her. Another concerned Ulfric Stormcloak, but the third was on another man I'd never heard of; someone called Esbern.

Just then, some more soldiers came in at the top of the stairs, and they had Malborn with them. Before they could do anything to him, I attacked, and soon had a key to an exit that I suspected we'd quickly be needing. I freed the only prisoner I could find, and together we opened the trapdoor that led out.

It opened into a cave, and I could hear something animal-like ahead. I kept the others behind me, and it was well that I did, as it turned out to be a Frost Troll. As I struck at it, a fireball flew in from the mouth of the cave and helped put it down.

"Zahra! How did you know where I'd be?"

"Delphine mentioned that you'd be coming out here, so I was waiting outside. When I heard the troll, I came in."

"So where's Delphine, now?"

"She went back to Riverwood. You need to collect the rest of your gear there, at the Sleeping Giant. She took it all with her."

Malborn and the prisoner, a Breton named Etienne Rarnis, ran off in different directions. While Etienne had thanked me profusely, Malborn was complaining that he'd be a fugitive for the rest of his life. As if he hadn't anything to do with that situation.

---

Since I had my armour, and a change of clothing, even if it was a bit ostentatious, I didn't desperately need to go there right away. I re-read the dossier on Ulfric, and wondered if there was enough material here to extract a bit of gold from him. It did imply that he'd been quite informative, when he was their prisoner, and I suspected that Elenwen had a hand in that. Or some other part of her body.

Delphine would, I'm sure, be quite pleased with hers. It made her look much more important than I suspected she really was. But the one on Esbern was intriguing. The Thalmor clearly believed he was the key to knowledge of the new dragon situation, and had made him their highest priority. Perhaps he should also be mine?

The dossier mentioned Riften, but that wasn't very precise. Since Delphine was one of the Blades, perhaps she'd have a better idea where in Riften to start looking for him. I'd better go to Riverwood next, after all.

---

Delphine was surprised to discover that Esbern was still alive. She'd thought herself the sole survivor of the Blades. As for finding him, she told me that he'd most likely be in the Ratway, which is where the Thieves' Guild headquarters were. Anyone who wanted to hide would be down there. She gave me the impression that there was as much of the city down there as there was on the surface, so it didn't narrow my search much.

In Riften the entrance to the Ratway wasn't hard to find, but I imagined we were entering a hostile labyrinth, and the rest of the hunt wouldn't be easy. Getting attacked by a couple of low-lifes in the first tunnel just confirmed that.

There was a raised drawbridge blocking our way just a little further in, and we needed to jump down and find a way around it. Presumably a Thieves Guild member would be able to lower that drawbridge, or maybe there was another entrance somewhere that they used. I just hoped that it all connected together, and we weren't in the wrong part.

We encountered less skeevers than I'd expected, but that was mainly because they had low-lifes preying on them, and an abundance of traps. It all made progress slow and tedious. Eventually, however, we reached the Ragged Flagon, which seemed to be a Guild-run tavern, although they were unconcerned that we weren't members. Presumably just getting here was enough. A door at the back led further into the tunnels.

It wasn't long before we encountered some Thalmor soldiers, who were also looking for Esbern. That made sense, as we already knew that the Thalmor suspected he was in Riften, and they wouldn't have found him up in town. Why they attacked us wasn't as clear, but they did, so they died.

---

We finally came across a door that had multiple bars, and locks, and seemed more like a fortress than a beggar's cell. This was probably where Esbern lived. I knocked, and a voice told me to go away. I asked the voice if he was Esbern, and he denied it, of course. So I mentioned the 30th of Frostfall, and Delphine, and that changed his mind.

Once we were inside his little home, he explained that it was the date the Great War started, and he and Delphine had been at Cloud Ruler Temple, in Cyrodiil at the time. The two of them had separated, and had been on the run from the Thalmor ever since. When the Dragons re-appeared, he'd seen that it was futile to continue, and retreated down here.

"Why futile?"

"Because this is the beginning of the end-times. Without a dragonborn, there's no way to stop Alduin, and the world will inevitably come to an end."

"But I'm dragonborn, or at least the Greybeards tell me I am. I find it hard to believe, being a Dremora, but they assure me it's possible."

"Well, this changes everything. You need to take me to Delphine immediately. Or at least, once I've gathered what I need for the journey. Just a moment." He started to hunt around his cell, stuffing various items into his pockets.

"I think that's all," he said, "Let's go!"

Almost as soon as we went out the door, we ran into another group of Thalmor. The mage among them summoned a flame atronach, and I smiled at the poor choice. To add to their woes, Esbern countered with a frost atronach of his own. This man wasn't the frightened rat I had taken him for.

Esbern also knew all the shortcuts to get out quickly, dropping down grates in the floor, and ducking down side-passages that I wouldn't have considered. Soon we were standing back outside the Ratway entrance in Riften.

I decided to take the carriage to Whiterun, and walk to Riverwood from there. The carriages never seem to get attacked, and the road from Whiterun to Riverwood was about as safe as any. I'd cleared most of the area around it myself.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 2 2017, 08:22 PM

Kothet is making some fine progress in the main quest. He’s further along now than Buffy was ever interested in going.

Buffy can verify that most Nords don’t consider elves good breeding stock. Slender hips, small teats, can only produce a tiny number of runty little knife-eared young. . . . Nords do seem to want ‘sturdy’ women who can birth lots of big bearded baby boys.

Kothet’s Dremoran observations continue to delight due to their interesting perspective.

Very neat how Zahra the Jiggly was right there when he needed her.

Posted by: Renee Jan 6 2017, 12:57 AM

I've fallen behind on Kothet's story 'cause of the holidays but I enjoy bits like the one above. Lots of subtle humor in this! The part when he runs into the gates at full speed had me lol'ing! I've probably had a character in the past who did the same thing.

A lot of insight in the second part I'd missed (with Alduin and Delphine Jend).

Posted by: ghastley Jan 9 2017, 03:23 PM

Acadian: I'm playing Morrowind at the moment, and there's a quest where the leader of an Ashlander tribe wants a high-born Telvanni bride, with just those features. I was tempted to create a mod to substitute a Nord. Kothet's not into breeding, but he likes his women robust for other reasons.

Renee: Kothet's just being Dremora again. He likes to point out where the Kyn are superior to the ordinary folk.

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

Previously Kothet had found Esbern in the Ratway in Riften, and escorted him back to Riverwood.

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

24 - Dragons

In the secret basement of the Sleeping Giant, Esbern pulled out a copy of an old book, that detailed the activities of the ancient Akaviri dragon-hunters. He told us that everything they knew about Alduin had been recorded on "Alduin's Wall" which was in a place called Sky Haven Temple.

Delphine and he compared notes, and she decided that his description matched what she knew of the Karthspire, a Forsworn citadel in the Reach. "We can go there together, or split up. I'll make sure Esbern gets there, if you want to travel separately. That might be better, as would attract less attention from the Thalmor."

We'd already been in the area, but hadn't taken that fork in the road. I also wanted to go back to the Tower, and drop off some surplus supplies, maybe make a few more potions for the battle against the Forsworn - I just knew that they wouldn't be friendly and let us through.
---
"Kothet, what are you expecting to find at Alduin's Wall?" Zahra asked me.

"I don't have any idea, but if it gives me any more information about Alduin and the other dragons, it has to be useful. I don't trust these Blades any more than you do, but they're on our side at the moment, so I'm going along with them."

"Even though it means fighting more Forsworn? I though you were getting tired of that."

"You'd prefer that I'd find some more spiders?"

She gave me that look.

---

Actually, the one good thing about the Forsworn is that they generally don't keep spiders as pets. And I do enjoy combat, wherever I can find it. Even if a dragon gets involved, as it did this time.

We were just crossing the bridge that led to the Karth Valley, when it attacked from the mountains behind us. After blasting frost at us, it moved on to attacking someone else, a bit further up the road. That turned out to be Delphine and Esbern. When we united against it, it flew on a bit further, and attacked the Forsworn, instead.

That was helpful, and we stopped to let it do our work for us. However, it wasn't long before it landed on the hills above the camp to recover. The Forsworn turned their attention to us, and we'd have to fight through them to reach either the dragon, or the cave we were seeking.

I could have ignored it, but Delphine insisted that we deal with the dragon. Once the Forsworn were dealt with, we discovered a hagraven between us and the place it had landed. Since the dragon didn't appear to want to get involved, we had to deal with her to get to it. As usual, she attacked with fireballs, and our fire resistance was decisive. The dragon, however, was breathing frost, and was now finally stomping in our direction as he did so.

By this time, however, Esbern had caught up to us, and was contributing his frost atronach to the fray. That creature is immune to frost, of course, and so was able to ignore the dragon's shouts. Zahra switched to firebolts, so that she could be more accurate at the expense of power, and I waded in with my war hammer.
With another dragon's knowledge gathered, we could now turn around and look for the cave entrance.

Naturally, it was all the way over at the far side of the camp, on the other side of the valley. And there were more of the Forsworn inside. They can't have been able to hear the commotion outside, or we'd have dealt with them earlier.

Past that entrance chamber, however, we were on our own. The only things left were puzzles and traps, left by the Blades to ensure only their people could pass.

Esbern recalled the symbols on the pillars at the first puzzle, and explained their meanings to me. The one meaning "dragonborn" would be the obvious key, so I turned the pillars to all show that symbol, and a drawbridge lowered to allow us further in.

In the room we reached next, the floor was covered in tiles with the same symbols. Something about them reminded me of the flame traps I'd seen in other ruins, so perhaps it would only be safe to tread on some of them. A quick tap of my foot on the first one with the dragonborn symbol seemed to confirm they were safe, so I told the others to stay where they were and set off across the room, being careful to step only on those.

The path didn't lead to the exit, but there was a pull-chain on the pillar where it did end. I pulled it, and stepped on another tile, this one with a different symbol. Nothing happened, so either I'd just disarmed the trap, or there never was one. Whichever was the case, we could all walk through safely, now.

The chamber we entered next was larger than the others, and a large stone head stood on the opposite side, beyond a strange spiral pattern on the floor. Esbern told me the face was that of Reman Cyrodiil, and the spiral was a blood seal, and my blood was the key to opening it. Just a little of it, not all of it, he assured me.

A few drops from a cut finger was all it wanted, and the stone head revealed itself to be a door. It swung up out of the way, and we could see stairs in the passage behind it.

---

Delphine and Esbern spent some time lighting the braziers with their torches, and soon there was enough light to see the wall we'd come here for. A huge bas-relief, depicting dragons and soldiers, and with symbols in a strange language among them. They didn't look like the dragon language I'd seen on the word walls, but Esbern told me that they were Akaviri, and he had some knowledge of that tongue.

I found out from what Esbern read, and things he already knew, that the dragons had not been united in the past. In the dragon wars depicted on the wall, there was an Atmoran faction, known as the Dragon Cult, who had joined one of the sides, and revered "their" dragons as avatars of Akatosh. Mostly, of course, they were just using the dragon conflict to advance their own mortal interests, and seize power on the newly-settled Tamriel.

The group of Nords that rebelled against the tyranny of the Dragon Cult also had dragons on their side, and learned the use of the Thu'um from them. The wall showed them shouting against Alduin, and apparently defeating him. But since he was now back in Skyrim, it was apparently not permanent. The wall also didn't give any indication what shout was involved.

Without Alduin, the dragon war had ended, with the Blades hunting down the dragons remaining. That part didn't make sense to me, as some of them were also depicted as allies earlier. But the Blades were Akaviri, not Nords, and presumably advancing their own agendas while they had the chance.

This fit in with what I already knew. If Alduin was the only one capable of restoring a fallen dragon, then without him, they'd be easily eliminated.

---

Since nobody knew what shout had been used against Alduin, it appeared that I'd need to go back to High Hrothgar to start my investigation. Nobody knows more about shouts than the Greybeards. Delphine seemed very reluctant to ask them for help, but my opinions and hers don't have much in common.

Arngeir reluctantly decided that this was all now beyond him, and I'd need to talk to Paarthurnax to progress any further. He was the leader of the Greybeards, and lived in solitude on the very top of the mountain. The path up was impassable to any without the right shout to dissipate the freezing winds that blew across it.

They could teach me that shout, because I was the dragonborn, and so capable of learning it, but that was the last they'd be able to do for me. Anything further would have to come from Paarthurnax.

I was surprised to encounter goats along the way, but it seemed that they were as vulnerable to the cross-winds as any other creature. They just had the ability to climb up the slopes, and weren't confined to the path as I was. And there were Ice Wraiths, that lived in the areas between the "wind traps" and preyed on the goats.

When Paarthurnax turned out to be a dragon, I wasn't entirely surprised. I knew from Alduin's wall that the dragons weren't all on the same side, but he explained that the dragons of that time didn't really have any affinities with each other, apart from temporary alliances to gain a transient advantage. Each dragon was out to establish its own place in the pecking order, and Alduin had held most of the cards. He was the "eldest" - first-formed - and moved swiftly to consolidate his position above the others.

The humans - joor in the dragon language - were the ones that banded together in their struggles. The Nords that opposed the Dragon Cult (allied to Alduin) had turned to him for assistance. He'd taught them the Thu'um, to put them on an equal footing with the others, and they'd developed a new shout to use against Alduin.

"Can you teach me that shout?" I asked.

"Krosis. Apologies. I cannot teach you that shout, because it is not known to me. It cannot be known to me, because the concepts it holds are inimical to dragons, and that is why it can only be used against them, and not by them. The mortals devised it to use against Alduin, and it has not been heard since."

"Then how can I possibly learn it? It seems that I will need it, or Alduin will be victorious, and the world will come to an end."

"Is that necessarily a bad thing? Is this world not just the egg of the next Kalpa? Perhaps the world must end, so that the next may come to pass."

"I have reason to like this world the way it is," I told him, glancing over at Zahra. "The next world will have to take care of itself."

"A valid reason," Paarthunax concurred. "There is a way you might learn that shout. The humans used an Elder Scroll to cast Alduin adrift on the winds of time. Time itself was broken by that act. That happened here, on this mountain, and that is why I have been waiting here for his return. I believe that if you were to read that same scroll here, at the Time Wound, then you might be taken back to that time, and learn the shout from those who first used it."

Paarthurnax couldn't help me find an Elder Scroll, either, but he did suggest that mages at the College of Winterhold would be the ones to ask. Esbern might also have clues from his study of the history of the Dragon Cult, although knowing where it had been in the past might not be helpful in the present.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 9 2017, 07:14 PM

’Actually, the one good thing about the Forsworn is that they generally don't keep spiders as pets.’ - -

This is great fun seeing the main quest play out since Buffy was never Dragonborn.

Posted by: ghastley Jan 16 2017, 03:44 PM

Previously: Kopthet has found Alduin's Wall, and discussed the implications with Paarthurnax. Now he finds he needs an Elder Scroll...

-----------

25 - College of Winterhold

"Why are you chasing around after this Alduin?" Zahra asked me. "Is it just because the Nords are all in a panic about the end-times?'

"Well, I assume there's fire behind that smoke. Legends are usually based on facts, even if they have got half of it wrong. But mostly it's because Jarl Balgruuf asked me to do so, ... and because that's why the Kyn gave me the spell to summon you."

"So we're headed for the College of Winterhold next?"

"Yes, I'd ask Esbern, but he seems to have the same illusions that Delphine has about needing to eliminate all Dragons. It's the way he was trained, and he knows no better, but it clouds his judgement."

"What about the Greybeards?"

"They have little contact with the rest of the world. How would they know where to find anything? The College is supposed to have a major library, and they might even have the scroll itself."

---

When we reached Winterhold, we found a senior mage waiting at the entrance, to screen potential applicants to the College. She wanted me to summon a Flame Atronach as proof that I had the skills of a mage. I pointed at Zahra. "I summoned her, and she's better than an Atronach." Zahra proved my point by turning on her flame cloak, and Faralda laughed.

"I think that qualifies both of you," she agreed, and admitted us both. "Report to Mirabelle Ervine when you reach the courtyard."

Mirabelle was certain that they didn't have any Elder Scrolls at the College. "But ask Tolfdir, the senior lecturer. He's just starting a new class in the Hall of Elements, and you might find that useful, too."

I assisted Tolfdir with a demonstration of wards, and then asked him about Elder Scrolls. He confirmed what Mirabelle had told me, that there were none at the College. "But we're all on our way to the excavation at Saarthal. That's just started, and there's no telling what it will turn up. Perhaps even the scroll you seek. Why don't you join us?"

---

At Saarthal, Tolfdir had us each search a section of the site for magical artifacts. The only one who found anything was a timid young Dunmer named Brelyna, and she found more than she was expecting, when a gate closed behind her, trapping her in a small section. Her shriek of surprise brought the rest of us running.
Tolfdir asked her what had happened.

"I pulled an amulet off the wall, and the gate closed behind me."

"Then perhaps the amulet is the key to opening it again," he suggested. "Put it on, and see what you can do with it."

Brelyna did so, and when she cast a flame spell at the place where she'd taken the amulet, the wall collapsed, revealing a passage. At the same time the gate opened, admitting the rest of us.

Tolfdir led the way into the passage with Brelyna following, and Zahra and I close behind. The other students stayed where they were, reluctant to risk the unknown.

We emerged into a small chamber, and a flash of light. "Did you see that?" Brelyna asked us.

"The flash of light?" I asked.

"No, the Psijic monk that just spoke to me. He said something about danger ahead, and the Psijics watching me."

"When did all that happen?" Zahra asked her .

Brelyna thought a moment. "I did notice that you all appeared to be frozen while the monk was speaking to me. He must have stopped time for you, which is why you didn't see anything but the flash."

Tolfdir decided that we ought to continue, and we could discuss the Psijic intervention later, back at the college. This section of the ruin had been sealed for some time, so there would likely be draugr in it, and we should all be careful. The moment he finished saying it, a coffin lid fell and a draugr stepped out to attack us. We encountered several more as we proceeded, and the source appeared to be a chamber with a remarkable number of coffins stacked up as far as we could see.

Tolfdir wanted to stay and examine the chamber, but urged the three of us to continue, and try and find out where it all led. "And the way out again, I hope," Brelyna added.

There were traps, and puzzle doors, which Brelyna appeared to be quite adept at solving. There were draugr to battle, which suited me better, as a big daedric hammer works well against ancient bones.

Tolfdir caught up with us just as we were about to open a large wooden door. Brelyna did so, to reveal a glow coming from the middle of a large chamber below us. As we got closer we could see that it came from a huge magical orb floating just above the floor. It appeared to be guarded by a draugr, who rose from his seat as we approached. I stepped forward to deal with him, but my blows had no effect at all!

Magic from my mage companions was equally ineffective, until Tofdir had the idea of turning his spells on the orb. Using a shock spell seemed to drain power from it, just as it would from a living mage, and the draugr's protection was gone.

He didn't last long under a barrage from the rest of us, and Brelyna got another amulet from him when he fell.

"I'll stay and guard this orb," Tolfdir decided. " You go back to the College, and notify the Arch-mage. This is something he'll probably want to examine personally. Quickly, now. This is important, even if we know exactly what it is."

There was a door behind the orb, and we went through it, rather than retrace our steps. It was a long way back the way we'd come, and there was the hope this would be quicker. The passage led to a word wall, and a chest. I learned a word of "Ice form" and we got a bit of miscellaneous treasure from the chest. No Elder Scrolls, though.

---

Brelyna reported our discovery to the Arch-mage, who set off for Saarthal, and directed us to the librarian, Urag gro-Shug, for anything he could dig up about Saarthal's past.

Urag didn't have anything. "Not any more, after Orthorn ran off with those books. If you want to get them back, you'll have to go find him."

We asked about Elder Scrolls. "If I had one, it would be locked away, but I don't. I do have a couple of books about the Elder Scrolls that you can look at. They may be of some help."

The two books he brought us weren't very helpful. One just described the effects of them on the reader, and the other was incomprehensible. I remarked on that to Urag, and he laughed.

"Yes, that one was written by Septimus Signus. Not many people can make any sense of his work. He's the main authority on the Elder Scrolls, or he's completely insane. Nobody's quite sure which. You can ask him yourselves, if you can find him. He went off north a while ago, looking for something, and we haven't seen him since."

Brelyna went to look for Orthorn, and we went looking for Septimus.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 16 2017, 08:44 PM

Nice observations from Kothet on the Blades vs Graybeards vs College.

I loved how you adjusted the early College entry and questing to suit your purposes. Giving the 'lead' role to Bre at Saarthal was a grand idea.

Posted by: Renee Jan 18 2017, 09:12 PM

I notice this too, how Brel stole the show in your game.

Kothet seems to be taking it all in stride though. He seems to be quite a patient dremora. Not that he should be impatient with Brelyna, but he's patient with tracking down an Elder Scroll.

I had a bunch of half-dreams with Kothet in them. No real plots in any of them, but my subconscious mind kept scrolling over him for some reason. In my dream though, he was an American from coal-mining country (Kentucky, West Virginia...) and wore big boots. He drove a dirty old black Trans Am too. Weird.

Posted by: ghastley Jan 23 2017, 03:12 PM

Acadian: Brelyna is the obvious choice, because she's the only one there for the education, and she's already at Apprentice level, while her colleagues are just Novices.

Renee: Kothet may end up wearing big boots, but there is no black Trans Am in his game.

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

Previously: Kothet and Zahra and looking for an Elder Scroll. Their search started at the College of Winterhold, which has its own issues. They left Brelyna to deal with those.

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

26 - Septimus

I think Brelyna made the better choice. Septimus' outpost was on an island in the middle of the ice, well off the coast, and it was quite an unpleasant trip for those who prefer the heat to the cold. And Septimus himself was quite as obtuse as his writings. He'd found a Dwemer lock-box that he was convinced held the heart of Lorkhan, but he couldn't open it. We had to wait for him to finish rambling about that before we could bring up the subject of Elder Scrolls

We were able discover that he knew the location of an Elder Scroll, deep under Skyrim in an area he called Blackreach, a huge cavern you could only get to through the Dwarven ruins. And then only if you had the key, which Septimus could provide if we did a task for him at the same time. He wanted the Dwemer knowledge from the ruin that contained the scroll, and gave us a cube to record it. He said it would allow him to open the Dwemer lock-box.

---

"If Septimus knows where the scroll is, and he needs its knowledge to open the lock-box, why doesn't he fetch it himself?" Zahra wanted to know.

"Because it will be guarded by the Dwemer automata, and you know how magic-resistant they are. He needed someone like me to do the job for him. And I expect only mages from the college know how to find him, so I'm the first to turn up."

We weren't sure where Alftand, the Dwemer ruin Septimus had told us was the closest, actually was. We wandered around the coastal area a bit and headed inland when we got the chance. The valley led not to a Dwemer ruin, but a word wall with a resident dragon. At the foot of Mount Anthor, I learned a second word of Ice Form.

Except that "Slen" wasn't just the second word of Ice Form, it was also the first word of the shout that Alduin had used to restore Sahloknir at the burial mound above Kynesgrove. That was "Slen Tiid Vo" if I recalled it correctly. The other two words were still without any meaning to me, but now I knew that "Slen" meant "flesh", even if that wasn't all I needed to know about the word before I could shout it.

This was something I needed to discuss with Paarthurnax. If all the words were going to be on word walls for me to find, did he have any clues where I should go? And what other shouts would I need?

I'm sure Angeir would have reminded me that finding out my destination was part of finding the path. I didn't really know yet what I was trying to achieve. I'd got started on all this because I'd made a promise to Jarl Balgruuf, and the Kyn keep their word, but it had all grown beyond any reasonable expectations.

No, that wasn't the real start. That was when Alduin interrupted the Legion's executioner. Without that, it all would have taken a different course. I had become inextricably linked to that dragon, and I needed to find out why.

And I must admit, it was a change to have someone other than Mehrunes Dagon steering my life. Serving the Lord of Chaos does make for a confusing existence, and I much preferred this, even if I wasn't sure what this was. And a large part of my preference for this was Zahra, naturally.

---

We found Alftand at last. The surface buildings were a bit scattered, and the entrance to the underground part appeared to be through an excavation that wasn't actually part of the Dwemer buildings. Presumably the original entrance was now buried under the ice.

Apart from an encounter with a skooma-addicted Khajiit near the entrance, Alftand was just another Dwemer ruin, like Nchuand-zel or Avanchnzel, except the latter had no Falmer to deal with. This one had plenty, and the usual complement of spiders, spheres, and at least one centurion. The expedition before us had apparently dealt with one already. At the end, however, we encountered the last two members of that expedition, engaged in a fight over something. When the woman emerged victorious, she decided to turn on us, even before we'd hailed her. Not a very bright decision.

We presumed that the fight had been about where to go next. It appeared that there was a lift out of the ruin, and a mechanism in the middle of the room with a receptacle for the spherical key that Septimus had given us. The dead woman didn't have one, so I can only assume they intended to try and force the mechanism open.

It wasn't exactly clear how it would open, and whether it involved any of the traps the Dwemer seemed to like. I told Zahra to stand well back while I placed the sphere into the receptacle.

Not exactly a trap, but the floor around the "lock" did fall away when I did that. It actually dropped to form a staircase down to a lower level, but if you were standing in the wrong place, it wouldn't have been good for you.

We went down to a short corridor, and a door that led out into a huge cavernous underground city. This was presumably the "Blackreach" that Septimus had told us about. Mzark was just one of its towers, and we needed to find the right one.

We had to deal with a Dwarven Sphere, and a Falmer, almost as soon as we emerged. Rather than wander around just hoping to find the tower, I decided to check the nearest building, in case the place was inhabited, and we could ask for directions.

I was almost right. The place had been inhabited, but the alchemist Sinderion was long dead, and we found his skeleton on the floor. The number of dwarven arrows lying among the bones told me how he died. We knew his name, and his trade, from the journal we found, still clutched in his skeletal hand. There were ingredients all over the place, including some growing in containers. The Crimson Nirnroot was the focus of his studies, and the journal suggested that it grew only down here in Blackreach.

"Someone should follow up on that research, but it won't be us," I announced. "I'll take the journal with us, at least."

Zahra had found some other books. "Read this one, it will teach you something about alchemy," she told me, handing me a copy of De Rerum Dirennis. I did make use of the extra knowledge to turn some of the ingredients into useful potions before we left.

What I hadn't found, but wanted, was a map, or at least directions to Mzark. I cheered myself a little by reflecting that if Sinderion didn't have one, perhaps he didn't need one, and this place wouldn't turn out to be too big.

When we came back out of the building, I picked a direction to explore almost at random. We'd follow the roads, on the assumption that they'd lead to towers and other buildings, rather than Falmer camps.

Almost immediately, we found the entrance to a lift back to the surface. It was barred by spears, that retracted when I pushed a button on a plinth outside. There was no sign of any similar mechanism inside the lift itself, so you could come down and find yourself with no way out except back up to the top. If we found any more of these, it would be a good idea to open them.

Mzark was naturally on the other side of the cavern from where we entered. We were attacked by Dwemer automata, and Falmer, and their chaurus pets, but not in large enough groups to cause us major issues. There was a giant down here, too, but we just avoided him, and nothing happened.

The tower, when we finally found it, was a bit of an anti-climax. There were no defenders to battle through, just a ramp up around a huge spherical room that contained some complex Dwemer contraption with multiple buttons and a lexicon pedestal. The latter was the simple part, so we put the cube Septimus had given us into it, and two of the buttons opened and started to glow.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 23 2017, 11:46 PM

I enjoyed Kothet’s musings about ‘the meaning of life’ and ‘why am I doing this?’ type questions as he and Zahra the Jiggly searched for Alftand. As ever, he brings a unique perspective to things.

Poor Sinderion.

Blackreach is so easy to get lost in and the in game map doesn’t help much.

Posted by: ghastley Jan 30 2017, 03:23 PM

Acadian: I'm not sure I'd actually call the map of Blackreach a map. You can't find anything on it.

-----------

Previously: Kothet and Zahra had gone down to Blackreach, looking for the Tower of Mzark.

-----------

27 - Learning

Nothing else happened. We'd have to push the buttons, and find out what they did. I pushed the first(?) one. The one nearest to the lexicon pedestal, anyway. I had no idea what order the buttons needed pushing, or even if I had to push more than once. The large spherical part in the middle rotated when I did that, but nothing gave me any clue what to do next. Was this a better position for the sphere, or worse?

The second button did much the same as the first, except that the sphere rotated in a different direction. I decided at this point to look around the rest of the room, in case there was a book or note with instructions. I found instead the skeleton of someone who'd died trying to work the device. His notes just left me thinking it might be impossible.

He did write that more of the buttons became usable if the sphere was in the right position, whatever that was. I pushed the first two a couple more times, at random, to see what happened, and the third button did uncover, and light up. The lexicon cube also opened up and glowed.

"Ok, leave the first two alone now," I thought, maybe out loud in case Zahra decided to help. I pressed the third one, and the sphere didn't move, but the apparatus above it re-arranged itself a bit. I pressed it again, and got a new arrangement, this time more symmetrical. The light from above now flowed through the lenses, and it appeared that the lexicon was doing ... something.

The final button was also now opened, so I pressed that, and a container moved down into the centre of the apparatus, and then opened, revealing the scroll we had come for!

I went down to take the scroll, and indicated to Zahra that she should pick up the cube, as we needed to take both back to Septimus. When I had the scroll, I looked back to see that Zahra was frozen with her hand on the cube, and light was swirling around her and the pedestal. And then it stopped, and the cube closed and she took it.

I asked what she'd experienced, and she was unaware of anything. "I just picked up the cube, like you asked," she told me. "But I do have this feeling that I learned something. I'm just not sure what it was."

That was exactly what had happened to me in Avanchnzel, when I put back the lexicon there. In my case, it had been a lesson on smithing (dwarven, of course). Just what I needed at the time, as it happened. I hoped that Zahra had just learned something useful.

---

We left Blackreach through another lift in this tower, and found ourselves at a campsite somewhere in the mountains. It wasn't clear where we were, but following the path down the hillside eventually took us into familar territory, near Fort Dunstad. Now we had to trek back to the north, and Septimus' hideout again.

On the way, Zahra and I discussed the lexicon, and the way it absorbed and dispensed knowledge. Septimus had given us a cube he described as empty, and asked us to fill it with the knowledge from Mzark,. That meant that whatever it had taught her came from the contraption at the tower, and was presumably part of what Septimus wanted to know. However, she couldn't tell me anything new about opening boxes, and thought it was probably something related to spellcasting. "I think I'm using my spells more efficiently now, so perhaps it will just let Septimus do whatever he's doing better."

---

Septimus told us he didn't need the scroll itself. "The knowledge is inscribed in the cube now. Give me that, and I can read it."

I didn't see how he could do that, without one of the Dwemer pedestals, but Septimus revealed that he had help. Hermaeus Mora was guiding him, and was helping him with this task. The Daedric Prince also wanted the contents of the Dwemer lock-box, or at least the facts about what was in there. And the cube had revealed that it will take the mixed blood of each of the elven races to open the cube. Well, Dwemer blood alone would have worked, but you can't get that any more. The mixture would have all the parts that had been lost with the Dwemer, and would be an adequate facsimile.

He gave me an "extractor" to collect the blood. It appeared to have separate containers for each race, connected together by an apparatus that presumably sorted what it received. Having quickly instructed me on how to use it, he urged me back out to continue the work.

We were stopped by something that materialised in the passage. A blob of writhing tentacles, and eyeballs and a voice from elsewhere. Hermaeus Mora was speaking to me, telling me that he'd chosen me to replace Septimus as his agent in this realm. As soon as the box was open, he'd no longer be of use.

I heard him out, and agreed to what he demanded. After all, I couldn't get out of the cave until I did so, and from what I knew of Mora, he'd just take the facts he gathered back to Apocrypha, and file them away. He rarely did anything disruptive, but just poked his nose (tentacles, eyeballs?) into everything, and generally got in the way. Mortals, however, would have a harder time, as he considered them expendable, and if they got in the way of his quest for ever more facts, they'd probably get killed.

I decided that I should forget Septimus' request for now. Filling his extractor would only hasten his demise, if Mora had already decided he didn't need him any more. And using the scroll was much more important to me.

---

"Are we headed back to Paarthurnax now?" Zahra asked.

"Not immediately. I want to go back to Riften, first. There's a loose end there to clear up."

When From-Deepest-Fathoms had given me the lexicon to return to Avanchnzel, she'd implied that returning it would fix her problems, but I was beginning to doubt that. I now had a better idea of what the cubes and their pedestals did, and a little more would be needed.

"Have you been to Avanchnzel yet?" she asked me as soon as she saw me. "You must take the lexicon back, so these voices in my head will stop."

"I did take it back, but you need to return there yourself, if you want the memories to go away."

"No! I can't! That thing will kill me, like it killed Breya."

"I destroyed it. It won't kill anyone. And we can go in the back way, so you don't have to pass all the traps that killed Searches-the Roots."

"But why do I have to go back?"

"Because you didn't finish what you started. The lexicon was trying to teach you something, but you didn't give it enough time. The voices or memories are an incomplete lesson that doesn't make any sense. That's going to leave your mind confused, trying to sort out what you learned with half of it missing."

She didn't seem convinced, but was desperate enough to try anything. We led her out of town and back to the ruin.

"I thought you said we were going in the back way. This is the entrance we used the first time."

"It is, but we'll take a different turn at the first hallway."

Soon she brightened up. "This is the way I came out, but I went out that door over there."

"So you know that the other door takes us to the lift. We'll be right back at the pedestal with the lexicon when we get off at the bottom."

She hung behind us as we entered the room and walked down the steps. "Is it dead?" she asked, pointing at the centurion.

"Broken, incapacitated, destroyed, but it was never alive, so ..."

"Breya's dead, though. I thought I would be, too. I should have helped her fight that thing. Maybe together, we'd have been able to kill it."

"I doubt it. I barely managed myself, with much better armour and weapons. But don't concern yourself with what might have been, we're here for the lesson." I took her hand and placed it on the cube.

She froze, just like Zahra had done, while the knowledge flowed from the cube or the pedestal to her. And maybe something flowed the other way, too.

"Strange," she said when the light stopped swirling. "I learned how to use my bow better, but also how to safely harvest Harrada in Dagon's Deadlands. What use is that to me?"

"You might also find it in Cyrodiil. There were a few growing around the old gates there, and I've collected some myself." I realised that the information had come from me, the last time I was here. The cube had collected the new information, and wanted to pass it on.

"And the voices in your head?" I continued.

"Gone! And I understand what they were trying to tell me, now. The little pieces that wouldn't fit, now they do. But I have nothing to give you for what you've done for me."

"Perhaps you do," Zahra told her. "Kothet, you and I should see what the lexicon learned from her."

We took turns using the cube. If I had a tail like an Argonian, I'd now be able to swim much faster. And maybe my alchemy would be better, too. I hadn't known how many useful potions you could make from fish.

Posted by: Acadian Jan 30 2017, 08:26 PM

I was curiously awaiting Kothet’s encounter with Mora. I think it makes sense that he considers the slimeball with eyes to be relatively harmless. After all, compared to Daddy Dagon just about everyone’s harmless!

Brilliant tangent to close business with Fathoms! Ever so much more clever and fulfilling than the vanilla treatment of her lexicon problem. And Kothet even learned how to use his tail to swim better. . . oh, wait.

Posted by: Renee Jan 31 2017, 07:18 PM

Whoa, Sinderion makes it to Skyrim in the 4th Era? Wow... I had no idea.

Yeah, that's not very bright at all. I love that part at the end of Learning. All those useless things they learn.

Posted by: ghastley Feb 6 2017, 02:54 PM

Acadian: I haven't yet decided if he'll encounter Mora again, but he may visit Sheogorath.

Renee: Yes, Sinderion is there, but he's a long-dead skeleton.

-----------

Previously: Kothet learned to swim properly.

-----------

28 - Throat of the World

"You have it! The kell - the Elder Scroll. You must read it at the Time Wound, and perhaps it will take you back in time to when the joor - the mortals - used Dragonrend against Alduin."

Parrthurnax landed on the ruined wall at the Throat of the world and gestured towards the swirling vortex next to it. This was the Time wound - Tiid-Ahraan - caused by the first use of the scroll.

"But can I learn that shout? You told me you could not know it because you were immortal, and the shout would be incomprehensible to you. I'm immortal, too, so won't I have the same problem?"

"Krosis, I was not clear. It is not just the immortality that's the issue, it's being a dragon. While you are dragonborn, and share some of our thought processes, we are not the same. The shout will make it hard for Alduin to fly, and he is invulnerable in flight. You do not fly, so it will not harm you in that way. And there are many more differences, that I cannot comprehend, but you will."

"Are you certain this is the right scroll?"

"See how the Time-Wound reacts to its presence? That is all the proof you need."

I was still apprehensive. That's not a very Dremora frame of mind. We're usually decisive, to the point of foolhardiness, but I wasn't just doing this for myself, or because I had orders to do it. A lot of others were counting on me to do the right thing. An entire world of others, if Esbern was right about Alduin and the end-times.

But I also saw no alternative. I had to do this, and see what consequences there were. Paarthurnax reminded me that Alduin would also be able to sense the presence of the Elder Scroll at the Time Wound, and was probably already on his way.

---

I had intended to ask about the risk of going blind from reading an Elder Scroll, but that opportunity was lost. I could easily understand how it happens, as the vision I had of the three Nord heroes battling with Alduin was so vivid and clear that it replaced anything my eyes were gathering.

I saw Alduin being forced to land by the Shout, but he was still a formidable foe, even without his invulnerability. Hakon was unable to make any impression with his battle axe, and Gormlaith was bitten, shaken, and tossed aside. Finally Felldir produced the scroll, and used it to send Alduin forward in time, to this era. Making him my problem, instead of theirs. Thank you, Nords!

But I had heard them use the Dragonrend shout. Now I knew the words, Joor Zah Frul, and somehow had enough understanding of them, perhaps because it was a mortal-created shout, that I needed no dragon knowledge to use it.

---

My vision did clear again, and not a moment too soon, as I could see the black shape of Alduin approach. He addressed me as "mortal" - clearly not knowing the difference between a Dremora and the men and mer he'd fought before.

"Die now, and await your fate in Sovngarde" Clearly he was assuming I was a Nord.

Paarthurnax interrupted and took to flight himself. "Lost funt. You are too late, Alduin! Dovahkiin! Use Dragonrend, if you know it!"

I needed no prompting. I shouted it at Alduin, who still managed to circle the summit once before crashing to the ground in front of me. I attacked with my war-hammer, beating aside his attempts to bite, so he summoned a shower of metors instead.

That was threatening Zahra, too, so I quickly used "Clear Skies" to stop it, then switched back to Dragonrend to keep Alduin grounded. Paarthurnax and Zahra were contributing their fire, but I don't believe they were having much effect on him. Perhaps he resisted fire like I do.

My war-hammer, however, was having an effect, and enraging the big black dragon beyond rationality. He should have been retreating, and using more of his magical powers, but he wanted to make this personal, and beat at me with his wings, and tried to bite.

Just when I thought I had him, however, it seems the rules changed. "Meyz mul, Dovahkiin. You have become strong. But I am Al-du-in, Firstborn of Akatosh! Mulaagi zok lot! I cannot be slain here, by you or anyone else! You cannot prevail against me. I will outlast you... mortal!"

Still he was calling me mortal. But it appeared he was right about my inability to finish him here on the mountain. Even with Dragonrend, I couldn't prevent him from flying off. And like the mortals with whom he was confusing me, I couldn't fly after him.

---

"Now what? Where did he go?"

Paarthurnax didn't know, but he did have an idea. Alduin had many minions among the dragons who might know where he'd flee, and if I could only capture one, maybe I could extract that information.

So of course I needed to know how to capture a dragon. Had that ever been done before?

"Yes," Paarthurnax told me, "the palace at Whiterun was built to hold a captive Dovah. Ask the Jarl, and he'll tell you." He went on to reminisce about the sad plight of his captive fellow dragon. "He couldn't even remember his own name," he told me.

---

Jarl Balgruuf was, to say the least, incredulous. "You want me to trap a dragon in my palace? In the middle of a civil war, when all either side wants is to find me distracted? Think again."

"So what if there was a truce in the civil war? If I can convince both sides that Alduin is a greater threat, they might hold off until that is dealt with."

"Best of luck with that. And don't suggest that this would be a good place for peace talks. Both sides think I'm their enemy."

"Actually, I'm hoping that the Greybeards would agree to be the hosts. Both sides respect them, and neither feels threathened by them."

Jarl Balgruuf raised one eyebrow, but didn't contradict me. He'd believe it when it happened.

---

Of course, Arngeir was appalled at the idea of the belligerants meeting at High Hrothgar, but he could see the logic in my request. This was the only place in Skyrim where it could happen. He didn't believe it was possible, though. Neither Ulfric Stormcloak nor General Tullius would possibly agree to it.

Telling each of them that the other would be there, and not showing would be a sign of weakness, got me what I wanted. Now it was just(!) a case of steering the negotiations in the right direction.

A couple of things helped: First, Elenwen decided to come along to ensure that nothing agreed would contravene the White Gold Concordat. That ensured that there would be an argument over her presence, which I could turn to my advantage. Second: I'd read her dossier on Ulfric, and knew some things about him that he thought were secret.

After I'd permitted Elenwen to stay, which Tullius regarded as a point in his favour, Ulfric demanded control of Markarth as a minimum condition for his agreeing to a ceasefire. I noted that he asked for "Markarth" and not "The Reach" even though that was what he meant. I sent Zahra over to tell Ulfric that I'd try and limit Tullius' conter-demands, and went over to confer with the General.

I knew that Ulfric's need for control of Markarth went well beyond the strategic. He wasn't thinking rationally in that respect, although if he could actually control the Reach, he'd have isolated Haafingar, and effectively would have the hold under siege. In practice, the Forsworn would become his problem, and he'd also have to supply Markarth from the opposite coast, so his grip would be weak.

I told Tullius "Ulfric will be expecting you to ask for Riften in exchange, and I know that Maven Black-Briar effectively runs that hold already. So you'd actually be better off with Dawnstar and the Pale, as a replacement supply route to Haafingar from Cyrodiil. Demand Riften, and let me talk you 'down' to accepting a minor hold, and some non-territorial consideration. He'll think he has the better deal, and won't push his luck further."

"That leaves both sides reliant on a neutral Whiterun as a supply corridor," Tulius noted. "The legion needs it South to North, and the rebels East to West. So we'd both defend it from the other side. I suppose that's your angle, as Thane of Whiterun?"

"It's part of it. My main purpose remains the situation with Alduin, of course."

Posted by: Acadian Feb 6 2017, 07:19 PM

That was funny when Alduin taunted about sending the ‘mortal’ Kothet to Sovngarde! Silly dwagon.

I guess bouncing Alduin into the future again was out of the question.

Kothet the diplomat!

Posted by: ghastley Feb 13 2017, 03:37 PM

Acadian: Kothet is not a mortal, so he'd be there the next time, too.

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

Previously: Kothet had persuaded Ulfric and Tullius to negotiate a temporary truce at High Hrothgar, and was steering the terms to make the war harder to restart, and to give both sides a reason to protect Whiterun.

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

29 - Trapper

And that's about the way it worked out. Ulfric was still reluctant to sign, but fortunately Esbern spoke up and reminded everyone of the greater threat. He also had the answer to a problem that had been worrying me: how to get a dragon to come to Whiterun and be captured.

"Every dragon's name is made up of three words of power. It's a Shout, that the Dragonborn can use to get its attention. It won't be compelled to come, but it should be enough of a challenge for it to want to investigate. And I've found, in the Akaviri archives, the name of at least one dragon whose burial site we can identify. Since that burial mound is now empty, it's one that Alduin has raised."

"The name is Od-Ah-Viing, which means something like 'Winged Snow Hunter' in the dragon tongue. Call that name from Whiterun, and I'm sure the dragon will appear."

Jarl Balgruuf nodded to Arngeir, who took the opportunity to firm up the terms of the treaty. Arrangements were made for the displaced Jarls to move to Windhelm and Solitude, and new ones were agreed to replace them. Elenwen had to agree to move her agents out of Markarth, so it was a good thing we had her stay.

---

Of course, Balgruuf wanted to know how I proposed to subdue the dragon once I'd called it. I told him about dragonrend, and how that would force the dragon to land. It was then just a matter of luring it into the trap that was already built in to the palace. The balcony was small, and there wasn't anywhere else it could go, so I had confidence of doing that.

Back in Whiterun, he issued orders that just he and I, and a few guards that had volunteered to operate the trap, would be allowed on the balcony. Not even his housecarl would be with us, although it was clear that she was chafing at the restriction. I was impressed that Balgruuf was doing this himself, and not delegating the responsibility.

---

We only lost one guard in the process. He'd foolishly run out with his bow to take on the dragon when it appeared, despite being told to stay back and leave it all to me. The whole point was to make this a one-on-one battle between the dragon and myself, so I'd have his complete attention. Once I had him grounded, I backed up into the building and he followed.

The Jarl gave the order at the right time, and the yoke descended onto the unsuspecting dragon's neck, and locked around it.

"You've gone to a lot of effort to put me in this humiliating position," he told me. "What is it you want of me?"

I asked him if he knew where Alduin had gone, after our battle at the Throat of the World. He'd heard about that, and had started to wonder if Alduin really was as powerful as he'd presented himself.

"He has gone to Sovngarde, where he feasts on the fallen Nords to restore his power. It is his privilege, which he guards jealously, as the source of his ascendency over the rest of us. The portal is at the temple of Skuldhavn, which can only be reached by flying. Can you fly?"

I could see his point. Unless I set him free again, and he flew me to Skuldhavn, the knowledge itself was useless. We haggled a bit more, and I agreed. I needed a little more from him, in particular his neutrality at least in any further conflict.

So now I had a means to reach Skuldhavn, and presumably Sovngrade from there, but Odahviing could only carry me. What about Zahra?

"Summon me when you get there. It's less unpleasant than not being there, and worrying about what might be happening without me. As your housecarl, I'm supposed to be with you."

Balgruuf said nothing, although I noticed that Irileth had joined him as soon as the trap had been sprung. And now I was opening it again, and he wasn't sending her away.

---

"This is as far as I can take you. Krif voth ahkrin. I will look for your return, or Alduin's."

I summoned Zahra immediately, and as soon as she appeared, she was hurling fireballs at the draugr archers guarding the entrance. They were soon joined by a dragon, which I brought down with dragonrend, and a number of sword-wielding wights. I needed to stop and heal before moving on.

Around the first corner there was another dragon, and more draugr, but now we had space to back up and draw them to us. Zahra could stand back out of their range, and pick off the stragglers, and it wasn't quite the frantic scrabble it had been at the beginning. I looked around the walls looming over us and planned our approach.

As soon as we could, we went up a level, and started to clear the walls. I didn't want any of the draugr getting behind us. We picked up a few helpful potions from chests, and managed not to use them all right away!

It appeared that the portal we were looking for was on the other side of the Temple, which may have been built through the tops of the mountains. There was certainly no sign of it from here.

---

It was about half-way through that temple that I started thinking: how did this all get here? Having time to think about things like that in the middle of battle can be a good sign, because it means that the fight has become routine, and the enemies aren't demanding my full attention. On the other hand, I'm also more likely to be interrupted by something I wasn't expecting, because my attention isn't focused as it should be.

But this was relevant to the task: it would give me some clue as to what was ahead. I was fighting draugr, the remains of men who clearly hadn't flown up here on their own. Had they been here since the Dragon Wars, just waiting for someone to visit? And who had built this temple? It wasn't something dragons did, and the style was definitely Nordic.

One possibility was that it wasn't as isolated in the past. Even mountains fell occasionally, and the path to get here may have been destroyed long ago. And if there was a portal to Sovngarde at the other end of all this, maybe some of these draugr were the ones who couldn't get in, and had to turn back.

---

I had more time to think now. What lay before me wasn't more draugr, but another of their puzzle gates. They usually left the key for anyone with an active mind to read, as they were there to separate the thinking from the unthinking. Yes, there above me were the symbols I needed. Except that there were four of them, and only three pillars to turn.

But there were also two gates to open. The two pillars nearest their clues stayed set, while I turned the third pillar first to one setting, opening one gate that led nowhere, and then the other, which opened the path forward. I ignored the chest behind the first gate, as I had no need to carry anything more.

Because I was in a thinking mood, I also recalled that these sorts of puzzles usually separated the parts where the enemies were numerous, but low-level, from the parts where they were fewer, but more dangerous. I shared that with Zahra, although I suspected she'd had the same thought herself.

As we progressed, I also started to notice a couple of things about our opponents. First, that a significant number of them knew how to Shout. More than the proportion of the living Nords, certainly. Perhaps that was because they'd lived in a time when the dragons were more numerous, and there was more opportunity to learn them. Although the Greybeards had told me it takes a long time meditating on the words of power, it appeared that some were easier to learn than others. Unrelenting Force, the first one I'd learned, was common knowledge among the draugr, and quite a few also knew at least the first word of Disarm.

The second insight was that the draugr exhibited little or no coordination as a fighting force. Each one attacked as soon as it saw us, usually targeting whoever was nearest. They also tended to do stupid things like trying to Disarm Zahra, who was only using spells. It didn't work on me, either, as I'd grown too strong for that, but at least it made sense to try, when the War-hammer I carried was doing so much damage.

Perhaps some of this was because they were all officers, wearing the horned helms that appeared to be a badge of rank. If the noises they made were language, perhaps they were all issuing orders and there was nobody of lesser rank to obey?

Posted by: Renee Feb 13 2017, 03:45 PM

Awesome seeing how you get around the game's limitations like this.

That is funny too, those draugr trying to disarm an opponent who doesn't use weapons.


Kothet the strategist, as well.

Posted by: Acadian Feb 13 2017, 09:08 PM

It is great fun to read of the mid/latter stages of the MQ since I never did that.

’They also tended to do stupid things like trying to Disarm Zahra, who was only using spells.’ - - I used to love it when draugr wasted their time trying to disarm a mystic bow.

As ever, I enjoy Kothet’s observations regarding his foes. In this case speculating that the uncoordinated efforts of the draugr was perhaps the result of too many leaders and not enough followers.


Nit: ’It told him about dragonrend, …’ - - I vs It.

Posted by: ghastley Feb 20 2017, 06:07 PM

Acadian: It has been pointed out that the draugr have had their brains removed, and place in jars. That probably accounts for a lot.

Renee: There's the extra limitation of my using a non-standard race here.

----------

Previously: Kothet hitched a ride to Skuldhavn and then summoned Zahra to join him.

----------

30 - Sovngarde

Eventually we emerged on the other side of the Temple, or rather, the same side but higher up. We'd opened the door using one of those dragon claw keys, which we'd had to take from the draugr guarding the door. More of the high-level draugr were waiting outside, and a couple of dragons with them, but the final guard was a dragon priest.

As he saw us approach, he turned to retrieve his staff, which apparently was holding the portal open, as it closed as soon as he picked the staff out of its socket. However, that was just as I reached him, and he didn't have time to use it. I have no doubt that it would have cast some nasty spell, so I'm glad my timing was right for once.

I put the staff back, and the portal re-opened. There was an obvious discharge of energy around it, much like the flames in one of the gates we opened between the Deadlands and Tamriel. But this wasn't flame, which meant we probably weren't going into somewhere hot, like Dagon's Realm.

I picked up the priest's mask, unsure why I wanted it. Perhaps I wasn't sure I'd ever be back here, and wanted a souvenir, or proof to show to others. It was enchanted with a considerable Fortify Magicka, so I offered it to Zahra to use. She looked rather offended that I'd want her to cover her face, and suggested that I needed it more than she did. I'm not sure what she meant by that.

I stowed it in my backpack and headed down the steps into the portal to Sovngarde. Or somewhere. I hoped it would be where I could find Alduin, or all this fighting would have been for nothing.

---

I wasn't sure where we arrived, as a thick mist obscured everything from view. I could just about make out a paved path, so we set out to follow it. And when the path forked, I picked a direction at random.

We came across a Nord legionary, sitting on a rock next to the path. He told us that the mist was Alduin's doing, intended to prevent the dead from finding Shor's Hall and safety, while he flew above it and swooped down to prey on them. We let him follow us for a while, but when I turned back to ask him a question, a large black shape swooped out of nowhere and carried him off.

We were in the right place, then, and Alduin was definitely here, but we still had to find a way to bring him to battle. Perhaps locating Shor's Hall was the first step.

We blundered into the right location a short time later. Across a small stream, the mist was thinner, and we saw a very large man guarding the entrance to a bridge, which appeared to be have made from the skeleton of a whale. He hailed us as we approached, and told us his name was Tsun, tasked by Shor to decide who could enter.

Naturally he was surprised to find a Dremora asking for admission. "By what right do you claim that privilege?"
"As the Dragonborn. I come pursuing Alduin."

"Since you are not dead, you must face me in a warrior's challenge to gain admission," he told me, and unslung a huge axe from his back.

I nodded and did the same with my war-hammer.

He swung at me, faster than I though someone of his size could manage, but I managed to deflect the blow, and countered with a whack on his leading knee. It would have been enough to cripple any mortal warrior, but he just laughed and told me I'd proved myself.

He stood aside and let us pass. I glimpsed back from the bridge and was amused to see him rub that knee.

---

On the other side was a VERY large building with doors that reached up into the mist. I was surprised that the door I tried opened without much effort, although something that massive necessarily moved slowly.

Inside, we were greeted by a Nord in ancient armor, who introduced himself as Ysgramor, a name I'd heard somewhere, although I couldn't place exactly where. He told me that three of his fellow Nords had been waiting patiently for a chance to deal with Alduin, but Shor had given orders that they should wait for me.

They turned out to be Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Hakon One-Eye, and Felldir the Old, the same three that had sent Alduin forward in time to become my problem. But also the same ones who had unknowingly shown me the shout I needed to finally defeat him. I would be glad of their help in dealing with the dragon. Their unfinished business was mine too, now.

---

We re-crossed the bridge, and together shouted "Clear Skies" to blow away the mists, hoping to reveal Alduin. They did clear, but a shout from the distance restored them again.

"Again!" Gormlaith called out, and we did so. Once more the mists were gone, only to re-appear as the dragon responded with his own shout.

Hakon was a bit discouraged by this apparent impasse, but I'd noticed that the mist wasn't as thick as before, and apparently Gormlaith had seen that too. "He's weakening! Once more, and he'll have to face us!"

We all shouted a third time, and now he saw the futility of trying to sustain the mist and flew down to engage us. Naturally he ran into four shouts of Dragonrend, but we got a rain of his fiery meteors in response. Felldir used Clear Skies to stop those, and we closed on the dragon.

It wasn't much of a fight after that. I'd bested him alone, and these three had equaled him when we separately encountered him before. Together, we were much more than he could handle. Much as with any other dragon I'd defeated, his flesh dissolved into leaves of flame, and dissipated, but now his skeleton did something similar, and the usual swirl of light that meant I was capturing his knowledge was absent.

Well, this wasn't Tamriel, so perhaps things happened differently here. I still had that vague feeling that I'd changed, even if I didn't know what it was. I didn't get to "unlock" a new Word of Power and learn a new Shout, but something was altered. Perhaps Paarthurnax would have some idea, when I went back.

---

Now that the mists were gone, those who'd been lost in it could find their way, and a straggling group was approaching from the valleys. At their head was a tall man dressed in regal clothes, that everyone else seemed happy to follow.

This turned out to be Torygg, the late High King of Skyrim. He'd not long passed from Tamriel, and was eager to tell someone about it. I'd heard the Nords' stories, which seemed to depend on which side of the Civil War the teller was on. They both agreed that Ulfric had challenged Torygg for his throne, and gone on to use a Shout to defeat him. Whether that was lawful or not, was a matter of debate.

Torygg told me that he'd been happy to accept the challenge, and would have been equally happy to lose, if it had been the duel that the tradition required. It was supposed to be a formal contest with blunted weapons, held at a mutually agreed neutral location, with the Jarls as judges and referees of fair play.

Ulfric had attacked him as soon as he'd accepted the challenge, right there in the palace. Torygg had been wearing no armor, and had only the ceremonial sword he used for official business. "If that was sharp, I'd have to be careful not to nick anyone's ears when I laid it on their shoulder," he pointed out.

He'd also lead with the only Shout he knew, Unrelenting Force, knocking the king down, even if it didn't actually injure him. A legal duel wouldn't have permitted Shouts, or any kind of magic. "But I didn't get the chance to stand back up. He was on me immediately, and thrust his sword through me before anyone could move. The duel, if it ever was one, would have been over as soon as I fell."

I'm sure that Ulfric would tell me a completely different tale, but there was a lot in this one that rang true. I'd read about the formal duels in a book about Orsinium, and what he'd described matched well. It was also very reminiscent of the way disputes were settled among the Kyn, although we didn't have to concern ourselves so much about letting the loser live, as he'd be restored anyway. The whole point was to allow rightness to determine the victor, and to eliminate all other inequalities from the process.

We chatted for a while about what he thought Ulfric had been trying to achieve. Did he really think he could take over the throne that way, or was he just trying to eliminate Torygg completely?

"I don't know," he told me. "I never quite understood his motives. We both wanted Skyrim to be free of the Thalmor edict against Talos-worship, but differed completely on how to achieve it. I preferred to wait, and let the Empire regain its strength, especially as the elves were quite ineffective, and Talos was perhaps even more popular now. But Ulfric had something else against them that he wasn't sharing with the rest of us, and now I'll never know what it was."

Posted by: Acadian Feb 20 2017, 09:21 PM

Poor Kothet. Offered that mask to Zahra the Jiggly because he is sweet on her and it only upset her.

'… his flesh dissolved into leaves of flame, and dissipated, …’ - - Very nicely put!

This felt very epic as Kothet and his ancient Nordic pals finally put down Alduin – hopefully for good.

Posted by: ghastley Feb 27 2017, 03:00 PM

Acadian: It ain't over 'til the big guy shouts! Tsun sends them back in this one, and it still ain't over.

----------

Previously: Kothet and company defeated Alduin in Sovngarde.

----------

31 - Return

Tsun came over to congratulate the team on their defeat of Alduin. And the three Nords, and everyone else who had come out of the mists were thanking me and Zahra. It wasn't clear to me what it was, but something about this realm restricted their capabilities. Alduin had been exploiting that, and it didn't apply to me or Zahra, so we had been able to break his hold. Another thing to discuss when we got back.

That was the next thing on our agenda. Tsun told us he could send us back as soon as we were ready, but first he had a gift from Shor, a Shout that would summon one of the three heroes that had helped me defeat Alduin. I expected the usual swirl, but again nothing. The words just appeared in my mind, and I knew how they worked. I didn't even get to see them in writing, as I had on the word walls, or when the Greybeards showed them to me. Even Parrthurnax had lit up the word he taught me in the ruined wall at the summit.

Things clearly followed different rules in this different realm.

Tsun shouted at us, and we found ourselves back on the Throat of the World, at the Time Wound. Paarthurnax was apparently expecting us, and had invited a large number of his friends ...

---

"You know, that was a lot like when the Greybeards proclaimed you Dragonborn. All that shouting, and the ground shaking, and you in the middle trying not to become deaf."

I laughed. "I suspect the idea is that everyone else knows what happened, even if they're miles away. Why send a courier when you can shout that loud?"

Zahra considered that for a moment, as we walked back down the path towards Ivarstead. "Talking of shouts, are you going to try that new one, that Tsun taught you?"

"No, because I can only have one summoned companion, and I prefer you to any of them."

"Not even that Gormlaith Golden-Hilt? If she fills that armour of hers, ..."

I changed the subject. "I didn't get to discuss shouts with Paarthurnax, like I'd hoped. He flew off as soon as the ceremony was over. And Odahviing only stayed long enough to tell me I could call him again. It seems like the dragons have a new order to establish among themselves, before I'll get to spend any time having a conversation with them."

"So what do we do now?"

"I want to go to Windhelm, and have a few words with Ulfric Stormcloak. Now I've heard Torygg's side of that story, I'm getting more curious about Ulfric."

---

"I'm here to report on the progress of my campaign against Alduin, which of course determines the extent of the current truce. I can report that Alduin himself has been defeated, although I had to follow him to Sovngarde when he fled there. The other dragons he raised remain a threat, however, so I don't consider this over."

"You went to Sovngarde?" Galmar Stone-Fist interrupted. "No-one returns from there!"

"No mortal returns," I replied, "which defines what it means to be mortal. I, however, am Dremora, which means that I can, and do, return. Perhaps this eventuality was foreseen when I was selected by the gods for this task."

That appeared to make sense to the Nords. Ulfric paused for the briefest of moments before asking when I thought the dragon menace would be ended, and he could get back to attacking the Legion.

"I do not know how many other dragons he restored, nor whether they still feel themselves bound to his cause. I need to consult with those who might have that information, some of whom may themselves be dragons, and thus hard to track down."

Galmar was still intrigued that I'd seen Sovngarde, and wanted to know more. "Is it full of heroes, and mead, like they tell us?"

"Or heroes full of mead, like you'd want to imagine yourself? Yes, it is. I saw Ysgramor there, and Jurgen Windcaller, and Gormlaith Golden-Hilt - you'd like her - among others. And I even met with High King Torygg, newly arrived from Solitude. He told me a lot about Ulfric, and the way he died."

"Why did you do it that way?" I asked the Jarl. "Did you suspect he knew something about you and Elenwen?"

Galmar's eyes widened, and he looked at his Jarl, as if he suddenly didn't know the man. Ulfric, however, looked like he was about to explode.

It takes time to utter all the words of a Shout, and Unrelenting Force is built up and released on the final word. That gave me time to raise a ward. (Thank you for that lesson, Tolfdir.) The ward and the shout cancelled each other out, leaving Ulfric rushing at me with his sword drawn.

Ice Form is a different Shout. With the first word, Iiz, Ulfric slowed considerably, and the second, Slen, stopped him completely. Nus froze him solid where he stood.

"The fourth word is 'Shatter'", I announced, pulling my Daedric War-hammer from my back, and Ulfric duly did so.

Galmar's eyes were still as wide as they could be, and I saw him reach for his axe, before a glance at Zahra, who was showing just a hint of her flame cloak, made him decide not to.

We turned and left without a further word, knowing nobody dared to try and stop us.

---

"So, does General Tullius get to win the war, or do you have something similar in mind for him?" Zahra asked.

"Neither. I don't believe it was ever the Emperor's intention to let Tullius defeat the Stormcloaks. That would leave the Nords feeling they'd been conquered, and what the situation needs now is for the uprising to subside naturally, without its head."

"However," I continued, "I'd like to be sure of that, so I want to take the opportunity of his visit to Solitude for his cousin's wedding to talk to him."

"And let him handle Tullius?" Zahra presumed.

"Who better? Tullius won't like it - all Generals want victories, even if they aren't the best outcomes, but he'll obey orders, like a good soldier."

"I have another reason for visiting Solitude," I added. "I'll tell you more about that when we get there."

---

"So Vittoria Vici is the Emperor's cousin, and her bridegroom-to-be is a Stormcloak?" Zahra sounded confused.

"When you're rich, those differences aren't the life-and-death ones everyone else has. It's more a question of where you deem it more profitable to invest than anything else. They'd prosper whatever the outcome of the conflict, and will probably regret the loss of business supplying the two sides when it ends."

Word had got out about my and Zahra's roles in the defeat of Alduin, and the wedding had become a bit of a celebration of that as well. So we found ourselves sharing the balcony as guests of honour when she addressed the crowd. The Emperor was conspicuously absent, as there were rumours of an attempt on his life, sponsored by someone yet unidentified on the High Council. We'd all be going to his ship, the Katariah, for the reception after this.

It struck me that if he'd been here, this was the perfect set-up for an archer to get a good shot at him. Even with the bride and groom standing in front of him, a patient assassin would find their mark. I stood up, and moved to the front of the balcony to look, ... and got in the way of an arrow headed for the bride.

In my Daedric Armour, which I was wearing to impress the crowd, I was well-protected from a broad-head arrow meant for a soft target. It clattered down to the flagstones below, and I hastily ushered the bride and groom to safety, as Zahra hurled a fireball towards the battlements where the arrow appeared to originate.

"Did you see the archer?" I asked, when we were all inside.

"No, but there weren't any guards up there either, so I used a wide-area spell that didn't need to be accurate. I still have no idea if it hit anyone. Our would-be assassin probably got away."

Posted by: Acadian Feb 28 2017, 01:16 AM

Back to the land of the living.

By Azura! Even with provocation, Ulfric was unwise to take on a Dremora who happens to be The Dragonborn! Nicely done, Kothet; I smiled at the prospect of Ulfric and Torygg continuing their duel in front of a mead-enriched crowd of dead Nords in Sovngarde.

Yup, I think an audience with the Emperor may be a good idea. Just gotta keep him alive I guess.


Nit: ’…a Shout that would summon one of the three heros…’ - - heroes?

Posted by: ghastley Mar 6 2017, 03:20 PM

Acadian: Well, there's alive, and there's "presumed dead", and they could be the same.

-----------

Previously: Kothet got in the way of an arrow meant for Vittoria Vici, and being armoured, with no ill effect. Now he gets to meet the Emperor.

-----------

32 - Katariah

The party going over to the Katariah was smaller than it would have been before the arrow incident, but Zahra and I had earned our place among the guests twice over, now. We were among the few permitted to keep our weapons. Although, how you disarm a mage is beyond me.

The reception on board was sumptuous, and with fewer guests than originally planned, it was much easier to meet everyone. Titus Mede II indicated that he'd like us to stay after the others left, and he'd discuss the situation when everyone had gone.

Vittoria and Asgeir were of course the first to leave. They had a honeymoon to start. The other guests all had to leave together on the next boat back to the docks, which left just Zahra and myself.

We followed the Emperor back to his cabin at the stern. He shooed out the guard, telling him we had matters of state to discuss. "And I can pour the wine myself, you know." As soon as we were comfortably seated, he did so.

"Tamika's?" I asked, after my first sip. "This brings back memories of guarding a gate outside Skingrad. The one Dagon left me at, when they all closed."

The Emperor was impressed by my knowlege of wines, but Tamika's Vineyard was one of Tamriel's finest even before the Oblivion crisis. Her planting of vines on the area scortched by the gate was a stroke of genius, and the wine from that patch was famous above all others. The effect had faded over the years, and this wasn't one of that vintage, but it was still distinctive enough for even me to tell the difference.

---

My assessment of his strategy with the Civil War proved to be accurate. He'd constrained Tullius by limiting his reinforcements, to make sure he could contain Ulfric, but not defeat him, or provoke a larger uprising. Now perhaps, it was time to draw down the Legion presence further, and maybe recall the General to a front where he'd be happier.

"But what of the dragons?" Titus asked. "I'm sure Tullius will cite those as a reason he should stay."

"They don't represent a threat any more," I replied. "Without Alduin, they're independent, and frankly care nothing for the affairs of mortals. They can be induced to take sides when it benefits them, but I don't see anyone having the knowledge of their desires to do so. If anything, they may be a reserve asset against the Thalmor, whose aims definitely do not seem to concide with the dragons'. And I may be able to gain their respect as the conquerer of Alduin."

"Your main threat seems to come from your own people," Zahra added. "Kothet and I are certain that archer at the wedding was sent there to assassinate you."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me. I'm only too aware that my succession is being plotted all the time. I have no legitimate heir, so everyone and his dog feels they could take my place, if there were to be an accident."

"Then I'm surprised that you're not taking more precautions," Zahra continued. "A guard using a Detect Life spell, or better yet, a ring with that enchantment, should be with you at all times."

She demonstrated the spell. "If there is anyone around, you see them, even through walls, like that guard outside your door."

"I sent the guard away. If there is someone outside, they shouldn't be there."

As we watched the glowing shape, it approached the door, and silently opened it. We saw the glow enter the room, but nothing else. Zahra cast another spell at the glow, and revealed ... a naked Bosmer woman carrying a dagger, with a bow and quiver on her back. She froze when she realised we could see her. Zahra and I were between her and Titus, so she'd never have reached him if she tried.

"Oh, she's beautiful!" exclaimed Zahra.

"No, that's not beautiful," replied the Emperor. "Beautiful is for putting on pedestals, and standing back and admiring. Most of the ladies of my court are like that. The further back you stand, the better.

"No, this young lady is what I'd call pretty. The kind of looks that make you want to get closer. In her case, extremely pretty."

He turned to address the newcomer. "Why don't you put those weapons down on the table there, and find yourself a robe in the closet? We have a lot to discuss, don't we?"

"And I'll take whatever you're using to give you chameleon," Zahra added.

Titus poured another glass of Tamika's for the Bosmer. "What's your name, pretty young lady?"

"Gaenathilwen, or G'wen for short. But you can call me 'failure', because this is the second contract I've messed up. I was supposed to kill Vittoria as a warning, and then you."

"You haven't completely failed yet," Titus replied. "I have need of your services, but not quite in the way you'd expect."

He explained what he meant. The Emperor can't just step down without naming a successor, and frankly there wasn't anyone else fit to take the job. "The Empire would actually be better off with an internal struggle to replace me than if I picked sides. Concentrating the remaining power of the Empire in anyone's hands now would just encourage them to waste it."

"So I need to go away and leave them to their own devices, and that apparently means I have to be considered dead. So you will report your success, even though it didn't exactly happen. No body to confirm it, of course. You'd have dumped that over the stern into the river. The mudcrabs will strip a corpse in a couple of hours, and the bones will wash away in no time."

"So all we need to figure out is how you killed me. I'd like it to be something special, out of the ordinary, and a topic of conversation. That will help convince people that it's true."

"I think she'd have poisoned her nipples," replied Zahra. "You wouldn't have been able to resist that temptation."

"And I'd have died happy," Titus laughed. "That's a great idea, as it also accounts for why she got rid of my body. Poisons leave traces that a competent mage can identify. That can help track down the source of the poison, and thus the assassin, or her sponsors."

"Why did you come looking for me naked anyway?" he continued. "I know I have a bit of a reputation in that regard, but I don't think that was what you had in mind."

"I had to swim out to the ship, which got my leathers totally soaked. When I noticed that I was leaving a trail of drips that anyone could follow, I left all my wet gear down in the hold. I figured that with full chameleon, nobody was going to see me, so why not?"

"And with those rings of yours, I can leave this ship with Kothet and Zahra. But don't worry, G'wen, there are plenty of places for you to hide here, before you get away. I had a lot of them constructed so I could disappear if this ship was ever boarded, and even the crew don't know most of them. You'll be safe until the hunt dies down, and quite comfortable, too. I wasn't planning to suffer while I was confined, after all."

"What are you intending to do, if you're not Emperor any more?" G'wen wanted to know.

"I'm going to become a pirate. I have a ship waiting off the coast, and we'll be harrassing the Thalmor supply lines to Skyrim and High Rock. Keeping them in check that way will be more effective than the big confrontation everyone expects from the Empire and the Legion. That threat is still needed, though, to tie down their main forces on the borders."

"Can you trust whover gets control after you to see it that way?" I asked.

"No, but without a decisive advantage, they'll have no choice but to sit it out. If they find a way to defeat the Thalmor that I haven't seen, that's all to the good, but I doubt that will happen. And likewise, the Generals won't let them do anything too stupid, and let the Thalmor win. It's that inevitable stalemate that's making me want to go do something about it."

We continued discussing the arrangements, and firming up the details of the fake assassination, to make sure we had a story that was watertight. G'wen would be reporting most of it back to the Dark Brotherhood, who'd been given the assignment. She also had to try and contact the person who'd made the request in the first place, as the Emperor would prefer that they'd have their plans disrupted, too. "If you get to kill him, he can take my place for Sithis, can't he?"

G'wen wasn't used to wearing just a thin silk robe, and she kept having to wrap it back around herself, whenever she noticed that it had fallen off her breasts. Half the time she didn't, and she was quite distracting. Perhaps that was why Zahra's robe, which was usually magically fixed in place, was also falling open from time to time.

The Tamika's could possibly have been contributing, too, although none of us were drinking that much. We needed to be coherent to make our plans, after all. But we did all feel quite relaxed.

Zahra was pointing out that the two of us had to have left before G'wen arrived, as the Emperor would naturally have employed me as his taster, just in case. As an immortal, the poison would have been an inconvenience, at best. "You know you'd like that job," she laughed.

"But would you let me take it?" I asked her.

"Do I get to choose? You're the one who summons me, aren't you? You do what you like."

"What I like is a contented housecarl. So your opinions matter."

That was what she wanted to hear. "You go ahead and taste G'wen, and I'm going to taste Titus. It's only fair to her."

Posted by: Acadian Mar 6 2017, 07:22 PM

How do you disarm a mage indeed? I always liked to imagine the use of McB’s invention ‘null iron manacles’ and pretended that is what TES used in their ‘start as a prisoner’ openings.

Ahh, enjoyed the tribute to Tamika’s fine wine!

Clever plan to fake the Emperor’s death.

That Kothet quite cares about Zahira shows in his comments and manner.

Kothet, safety taster for poisoned nipples!


Nits (spelling):
-’…If anything, they may be a reserve asset against the Thalmor, whose aims definitely do not seem to concide with the dragons'. And I may be able to gain their respect as the conquerer of Alduin." - - Coincide. Conqueror (unless conquerer is a UK spelling I’m not aware of).
- "Can you trust whover gets control after you to see it that way?" - - Whoever.

Posted by: ghastley Mar 6 2017, 07:26 PM

I'm thinking we both should have meant whomever?

Posted by: Acadian Mar 6 2017, 08:08 PM

Heh, it is dialogue so I'll leave that to however you want to portray Zahira's level of grammarian correctness.

Posted by: Renee Mar 8 2017, 04:58 PM

[censored], I've fallen so far behind. Been busy, and all that.

Ha ha Zahra "looks offended" because of the mask. That's lovely. Whoa, I didn't know we can clear mists with a shout. To this day, only one or two of my characters have used shouts, but that's about to change soon.

That's also neat we get to see Torygg in Sovngarde. Even though all of this is spoilers to me, I don't really care atm. My memory's pretty bad; chances are when I finally do the main quest I won't remember what happens.

I'll have to catch up on the next two chapters later on. Fun to read so far, though!

Posted by: ghastley Mar 13 2017, 02:11 PM

Acadian: Since Titus is only there for the DB quest, and Kothet wouldn't be doing it, this was about the only option that fits. History will show an assassination, and Kothet's story can continue. G'wen is a useful tool for probing the Kothet/Zahra side, too.

Renee: Who you meet in Sovngarde is a bit random, and a bit "who's dead already". You might meet any dead Nord - Ulfric or Rikke if you completed the CW quest line, or the poet Svaknir if you did the Bard's College quest. Torygg is pretty well guaranteed, but may be hard to find, as he's out in the mist. Ysgramor, Jurgen Windcaller, and a few others are in the hall, and easy to locate.

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

Previously: Kothet and Zahra visited the Emperor on his ship the Katariah, and prevented an assassination.

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

33 - Madgod

We delivered the Emperor Titus to a remote location on the northern shore, where a small boat was waiting.

"Bring G'wen here when she's ready to join me," he told us. "I need her by my side, not unbalancing the succession struggle in my wake."

I suspected that wasn't his only motivation. After Zahra had helped him break the ice, Titus and G'wen had got along very nicely. And that's all I'm saying, even if I did have as much fun as he did.

We'd told G'wen how to find our Tower, in the remote hills of the Reach. Although we hadn't been spending much time there recently, that was mainly because we'd been busy with Alduin, and it wouldn't hurt to just relax there for a while and wait for her.

First, however, she had to report back to the Dark Brotherhood, and deal with the person who made the contract with them. That gave us time for a side-trip on the way there.

---

"Titus left orders for Tullius to be recalled to Cyrodiil," I told Zahra, "but he has no control over the Thalmor, and in particular, Elenwen. I can do something about her, I believe."

I'd noticed the mad beggar in Solitude ranting about "the Master being on vacation", and I had a pretty good idea what he meant. I soon got directions to the Pelagius wing of the Blue Palace, and permission to investigate its haunted nature.

"Torygg's widow is a looker, isn't she?" Zahra goaded. "Do you think Titus features in her past adventures?"

"She's discreet enough that it doesn't matter," I replied. "Torygg certainly didn't know, or didn't care."

I continued into the clutter of the abandoned wing of the Blue Palace, removing the spider webs without drawing attention to them. It wasn't long before we walked through the portal I'd been expecting and found ourselves somewhere else.

Two men were seated at a dining table in the middle of a clearing in a wood. One of them I knew to be the Daedric Prince Sheogorath, with his characteristic divided suit of red and blue, but the other was a complete stranger to me.

The Madgod introduced us to his guest, King Pelagius III, whose wing of the Palace we'd just left. He was a bit surprised to find Dremora coming from Tamriel to find him, but no matter. We were there now, and we could help with his current task.

I noticed that I was now wearing a suit of fine clothes, just like I'd worn to Elenwen's party, and my armour was nowhere to be seen. Zahra had had a change of outfit too. Sheogorath has a really dirty mind, if not two. It looked good on her, although I got the impression that she was a little annoyed at not having been consulted.

Sheogorath handed me a familar staff. It was the Wabbajack, one of his special toys. Apparently, whatever he wanted me to do, this was all I had to do it with.

"Pelagius needs to cheer up a bit. He's been depressed for too long now, and the other side needs its turn. You're going to help him. Now run along, and see what you can do."

I looked over at Zahra, and couldn't help thinking she'd cheer anyone up, but Pelagius was a special case, and this would take more than that.

There were three arches around the clearing, and it didn't seem to matter which way we went, so I picked one at random. I found a bed in the middle of the forest with Pelagius sleeping in it. It seemed that I was now a part of his dreams, and various enemies appeared to attack me. As each materialised, I hit it with the Wabbajack, and it turned into something harmless. Sheogorath's voice told me I'd done what was needed, and I should move on.

The next arch led me to an arena, with two viewing areas overlooking a pit where a pair of Storm Atronachs were fighting. On the other side, someone sat on a throne flanked by two bodyguards, and apparently my Atronach was fighting aginst his. I saw no point in interfering with that battle, as I didn't even know which was which. Instead I turned the Wabbajack on the bodyguards, as that was the sort of thing Sheogorath himself would do. They both turned into wolves, and attacked my "opponent".

"You're doing well, just one more trial"

The third arch led to another clearing where two men were fighting. One huge, who was apparently Pelagius' Anger, and one tiny, his Confidence . Sheogorath wanted me to change something, so I used the Wabbajack on each of them. And again, as every time the initially large one hit the little one, he'd shrink again. I was getting worried that the staff would run out of charge, but eventually I got them to swap sizes.

Sheogorath told me to return to the dining area for my reward. There, I declined his offer of keeping the Wabbajack, as I had something else to ask of him.

Actually there were two. First I wanted to know about how he'd given his powers to the Champion of Cyrodiil to help him defeat Jyggalag. "That was something like what you just had me do for Pelagius, wasn't it?"

"Yes, and no. Pelagius isn't a Daedric Prince, so he didn't need anything quite that drastic. Jayggalag, being me in a bad mood, was a Daedric Prince. And I'm much better off without him, especially as I got the Champion of Cyrodiil in his place."

I asked him to explain.

"When I was in my Jyggalag mood, I wanted perfect order, and the only thing that's perfect is nothing. So I'd destroy my entire realm, trying to achieve that. And when you try to achieve nothing, you usually succeed.

"Jyggalag's a nasty violent type, and the Champion was a nice ... violent type. But that's what I needed. I let him take over my realm and it changed while he was alive. When he died, I took over again, and it all flowed back to me. So he's part of me now, in place of Jyggalag. I can still get violent when it's needed, but not so indiscriminately.

"I have all his knowledge now, and the understanding, too. That's what Hermaeus Mora keeps forgetting. Facts don't mean anything if you don't understand them. The Great Library of Jyggalag did the same thing, collecting useless facts, so I had it destroyed. Kept Dyus, of course, as he was the understanding part. And he knew all the facts, anyway. They didn't need to be written down in books as well.

"Knowledge is something you can give to many people, and it's not divided; they each get it all. And maybe even more than that. If I divide an apple and give away the slices, each person gets a slice of apple. If I explain 'apple' to them, they each get 'apple', and if one of them knows 'tree' as well, he could get 'orchard'. And pigs to eat the windfalls, and yellowjackets to eat the ones that rot, and pretty soon, you can't live there any more."

Even though it was Sheogorath telling me, it made some kind of sense. I had some idea how Alduin might have come by his power, without being a Daedric Prince himself.

The second thing I wanted was to draw his attention to Elenwen. She'd just had her plans for a full-blown civil war in Skyrim fall through, and she might be in a delicate state of mind at present. Perhaps the Madgod would take a small detour on his way back to the Shivering Isles?

---

We found ourselves back in the Pelagius Wing of the Blue Palace. I was wearing my armour once more, but Zahra was still in the same outrageous outfit Sheogorath had given her.

"Are you going back into the main palace dressed like that, or what?" I asked. I knew she could summon her usual attire with a simple spell, but she hadn't, yet.

"I'm still wondering what he intended, and if I shouldn't humour him, at least until we what see the reaction is," she replied. "And I have this urge to ask Elisif for her opinion. Maybe she'll want to wear it."

I understood what she meant. Elisif had been culturing the popular belief that Torygg's death had made her a little eccentric. That was actually a clever ruse to have Tullius treat her as a harmless puppet, and not have her replaced. Now that need was over, who knew what she'd do.

However, I now had the mental image of Elisif sitting on the Jarl's throne in that outfit.

Posted by: Acadian Mar 13 2017, 05:53 PM

With the Emperor on ice, back to work for the Dremoran Duo.

Eeek! Sheo! Actually rather clever to ask for the MadDweeb's help to curb Elenwen.

"Torygg's widow is a looker, isn't she?" - - She certainly is.

"Jyggalag's a nasty violent type, and the Champion was a nice ... violent type." - -



Nit: 'Actually there two.' - - Missing some words I think?

Posted by: ghastley Mar 20 2017, 01:31 PM

Acadian: Kothet's more accustomed to working with Daedric Princes than most.

----------

Previously: Kothet paid a visit to Sheogorath (and Pelagius III) on his way home to his tower.

----------

34 - Return to the Tower

"Is it true that Tullius is going back to Cyrodiil?" Elisif asked. "I'd heard that the Emperor left orders for his recall just before that unfortunate incident on the ship."

"We can't say for sure," I replied, "The assassin waited until we'd left, but we had discussed that idea with him, so I know that was his intention. Perhaps the murder was an attempt to prevent it?"

"I hadn't thought of it that way. But I doubt it. Tullius isn't that kind of man."

"Elenwen, however," I suggested.

"Good point. She had her plans disrupted enough when Ulfric went mad and attacked you. I wouldn't put anything past her. And the way the assassin is supposed to have killed him makes me think that even more."

"Oh, how was that?"

"I can't say that in public. We should discuss this in my chambers."

---

It appeared that the story was making its rounds among the nobles, and was probably leaking down to their servants, too. It was just too good not to be told, and of course, it would always be a question of "don't tell anyone else, but ..." which ensured that it would spread like wildfire.

"So we know the assassin was a woman, at least," I mused. "Did your informants have any other details?"

"Well, the general conjecture is that she might be either a Nord or an Imperial. That's just going by the late Emperor's apparent preferences. And the bigger, the more poison, the theory goes, which supports it being a Nord." Elisif glanced down at herself and added "I hope nobody thinks it was me."

"If they do, we'll blame everything on Sheogorath," I told her. "The problems in the Pelagius Wing were all his doing. It's a wonder you didn't come under his influence yourself."

Elisif got the point immediately. "So things can get back to normal around the Blue Palace on all fronts? No more Tullius hovering around, no more Madgod in the Pelagius Wing."

"And Torygg avenged, if you care to look at it that way," Zahra reminded her. "A bit of closure settles the mind, doesn't it?"

"I can attest to the departure of Sheogorath, if anyone questions it. They should believe the Dragonborn, especially as I'm daedra myself. If you need me to add anything about yourself, we can work that out."

"I'm sure Sybille will ask you about that. Falk and Bryling are part of the charade already, so I'll fill them in on the latest developments. We'll need to figure out whether I make an sudden or gradual recovery. We have both options, and it will depend on what we think the people expect.

"I think they've got to like the crazy woman running the show, so perhaps I'll have an excuse for an occasional relapse whenever I want to let my hair down a bit. That could be fun."

---

As expected, we arrived back at our tower long before we anticipated G'wen arriving. We had time to sit on the platform on the top of the tower, and watch dragons fly past on their way to ... whatever they were doing.

"Do they hunt? And if they do, what do they hunt?" Zahra asked.

"I'm not sure. I think they enjoy chasing the goats on the mountains, but whether that's just for the sport, or because they're hungry, I don't know. Mostly, at least I believe so, they're looking for their place in this world. They were all raised by Alduin just recently, with a few exceptions, and it all must have changed a lot since they were here last."

"A few exceptions? Who, other than Paarthurnax?"

"We only know that he waited for Alduin's return at the Throat of the World. Some of those we encountered at Skuldhavn may have been waiting there. Most, of course, were buried here in Skyrim."

We sat and just watched the landscape for a bit longer. And then, "When do you think G'wen will show up?"

"When she's ready," I replied. "And I think she will. After all, she did report back as we'd planned, or we wouldn't have heard all the stories about the Emperor's demise."

"So when she's ready to deal with us, you mean?"

I must have looked puzzled, because Zahra continued. "Well, we did last see her in rather intimate circumstances, and she's probably wondering if we do that all the time."

"We do, but I see what you mean. We haven't involved anyone else before."

"Right, and she hardly knows us. And even if she knows anything about Dremora, we aren't exactly typical."

"So she has no idea what to expect. Not that she did last time, either, but you know what I mean." I was beginning to understand what Zahra meant, too.

"Yes, last time she knew she'd run into something she hadn't anticipated, and had to make the best of the circumstances. The sort of thing an assassin expects, especially with a contract like that. She'd prepared for it as well as she could, and I think she handled it all rather well. So she's going to be as prepared as she can be for this time, too. Which is why I'm wondering what she expects. She knows that Titus won't be here, to turn to for guidance."

"If she thinks it all out logically, she'll probably suddenly appear stark naked again, and hope it all goes the same as last time," I suggested. "G'wen, if you're listening ..."

"Listening to what?" asked the voice coming up the stairs behind us. "The door wasn't locked, so I came looking for you. Oh wow! What a great view you have from up here! I'm surprised you didn't see me coming."

I told G'wen about watching the dragons, and as I said that, another soared along the valley, roaring his challenge to any other that might be near.

"I imagine you were travelling a bit more quietly than they do, too," Zahra remarked. "We didn't hear you on the stairs, either, until you spoke."

"Walking silently is a habit now," she admitted, "and I do tend to walk in the shadows, without thinking about it. Maybe I shouldn't be too surprised you didn't see me."

"Certainly not as surprised as you were last time, when we could see you," Zahra reminded her.

"Yes, I'd meaning to ask. How did you know to cast that spell of yours? Did I do something to tip you off? After Kothet blocking my arrow earlier, I was being extra-careful not to give myself away. It's uncanny."

"No, it was just dumb luck," we admitted. "Nothing you did."

"And just as uncanny was the way Titus took to me. I've used sex to get out of awkward situations before, but that was something different."

"Well that probably was something you did. And it's likely just to be the way you do things, like walking quietly in the shadows. Whatever, it was, he liked it."

I had to add. "And if the Emperor and a couple of dremora wasn't 'different', I'd want to hear what else you've been up to!"

G'wen giggled. "We're all just people when we're doing that." Then she thought a bit and added "But it did make it a bit harder to know how and when to do anything. I was really glad when you started it all off for me."

Since the sun was setting, and we only had one bed, Zahra invited G'wen to join us. She knew where this was leading, and I think she wanted that as much as I did.

Posted by: Acadian Mar 20 2017, 07:51 PM

Yay, Elisef! And G’wen sneaks back in as well.

Let’s see. . . Torygg, Ulfric, Tulius and the Emperor all out of the picture. The future of Skyrim is wide open. The primary remaining power players appear to be the Thalmor, dragons and the Dragonborn.


Nit: ’We'll need to figure out whether I make an [a] sudden or gradual recovery.’

Posted by: Renee Mar 26 2017, 11:09 PM

Mm hmm, three subjects, one bed...I can see where that scenario is going too. Mm hmm. Some polygons gonna do some smashing, mm hmm.

I did some Wabbajack quest (or quests?) in Skyrim but this happened was so long ago. Love all the Sheogorath bits, and the perspective your dremora has with his knowledge of daedric feats and general lore fits well into this story.

Posted by: ghastley Mar 27 2017, 03:18 PM

Acadian: I think I originally wrote immediate and then edited badly.

Dragons are the big imponderable going forward. Kothet is trying to ponder, but he's in the middle of it.

Renee: Sheogorath just fit that part of the story in so many ways, Kothet had to do that quest, even if the quest itself was an irrelevance. It gives Elisif her excuse, It gives Kothet some insights, and generally moves it all along.

-----------

Previously G'wen arrived at Kothet's Tower, on her way to rejoin Titus.

-----------

35 - Words

I became aware that the women were treating this as a competition, and I was the playing field. It shouldn't have surprised me. Dremora are naturally competitive. It's our only avenue for improvement, as we can't just leave it to the next generation to correct our mistakes. And mortals, too, will compete, for much the same reasons.

It seemed to be one of those games where there weren't any losers, so I didn't really care, except to worry if I'd made myself enough potions to restore my endurance.

---

Lying there with an arm wrapped around each of them as they dozed, I found myself comparing the two of them. One small and mortal, one larger and immortal. One new and intriguing, one ... and there I stopped, as the only mortal word I knew - familar - had all the wrong connotations. Our relationship - no, that was a inappropriate mortal word too - connection(?) wasn't based on reproduction, and the structures associated with that. The term "camaraderie" didn't go far enough, and everything beyond that seemed to go towards families again.

Zahra and I worked well together because we fit each other's needs, and covered each other's limitations. We each seemed to know what the other wanted, and wanted it too.

Which all should have left G'wen as a bit disappointing, but it hadn't. Zahra's "unfair" advantage hadn't made things one-sided at all. She was adaptable, and a quick learner, as she needed to be in her chosen career as an assassin, and she'd done well.

So now I was thinking about the differences and the similarities again, as those were features I admired in Zahra, too.

And my thoughts wandered off along the linguistic thread, too. Did the lack of terms I found in mortal language mean that they couldn't understand immortality, and its consequences? Was this in some way related to why dragons couldn't comprehend Dragonrend? That brought me back to wondering, as I'd done before, how I could understand it. But G'wen had just reminded me that I had a lot in common with mortals, so perhaps it wasn't so impossible. I did seem to be uniquely positioned in between men and dragons, and thus able to live in both worlds.

And that thought suddenly made me realise why Dagon had left me here on Nirn. If he recalled me to the Deadlands, he could never send me back. If he wanted any representation here, he'd have to leave me, and any others like me who were here when the Gates closed. Letting me summon Zahra doubled his numbers, but he couldn't go beyond that. It also pleased me to understand that he couldn't risk splitting us apart for that reason. If he tried to substitute anyone else, I would not accept that, and he'd have one fewer dremora here.

That was a pleasant thought to fall asleep on.

---

I woke in the morning with another revelation. Pondering mortals and immortals had somehow improved my understanding of "Slen Tiid Vo". And somewhere in there was the hint that it was partly the complement to Dragonrend, which I could understand, but dragons couldn't. Was that why only Alduin used that shout? Was he different from the other dragons, but more similar to me? I wasn't too happy about that idea, as I saw nothing to admire in him.

---

My nose told me that the competition between the ladies had moved on to the provision of breakfast, as there were way more delicious smells of cooking wafting up than usual. I went down to find a significant spread on the dining table.

Now it was clear that they were waiting to see what I chose first. By carefully watching the reactions when I moved toward one item or another, I managed to fill my plate equally with contributions from both, and leave the "result" undecided. I probably could have guessed most of them without watching the cooks' faces, as G'wen had a bias to meat dishes, that Bosmers never seem to lose.

And it was a good thing to have a substantial breakfast, as we'd be travelling all day, and not really passing anywhere to stop for another meal. The most direct route to the landing, where we'd put G'wen on the boat, avoided any towns.

---

It probably started because the giant thought the dragon wanted to eat his cow. And when we passed by, the dragon thought we'd joined the giant's side of the dispute. Whatever the beginning, the end was a dead giant, and a dead dragon. The cow probably had the sense to run away, because we couldn't find it after.

I was reluctant to try it at first, as I wasn't sure what the result of a failure would be, but I shouted "Slen Tiid Vo" at the dragon's bones. Glancing sideways a moment to make sure I hadn't resurrected the giant, I looked back to see the flesh re-forming around the huge skeleton, and the familiar swirl of light as the magic happened.

A number of other dragons had heard me shout, and by the time this one raised his head once more, there were a circle of others to help him with his confusion at being restored by someone other than Alduin. I only caught a little of what they were saying, but "Dovahkiin" came up a lot.

Paarthurnax' name was mentioned, and I got the impression that they were taking this one to talk with him. That made sense, as who knew the whole story better? They all circled above us in salute before heading off towards the Throat of the World.

---

The rest of the trip was without any major incident. There are always wolves, of course, but we didn't even pass any bandits or Forsworn. They've generally learned not to tangle with us anyway.

The boat was waiting exactly where we'd sent off Titus a week or so before. I peered out sea, but as usual, visibility wasn't too far, and I couldn't see any waiting ship. We waved to G'wen as the sailor rowed her out into the mist.

---

When we reached the Tower again, we found Paarthurnax perched on the rocks near the top, where we could comfortable converse with him from the platform. He asked me when I'd learned the shout, and how.

I still didn't understand the how, but I'd heard Alduin use it several times, at Kynesgrove, and later at a couple more dragon mounds. So the words were familiar, and I'd participated in his final defeat in Sovngarde, where I might have picked up some of his knowledge of their meaning. And G'wen and Zahra may have helped me understand more.

"The words themselves are but a small part," Paarthurnax agreed. "Or else I would be restoring my fallen comrades to Skyrim. And there are few other shouts that I do not know. Dragonrend, of course, and perhaps this one is its kin. A Shout not made by the dov, but by someone else, perhaps Akatosh himself.

"And I fear that like Dragonrend, this is a shout I cannot learn. Perhaps no dovah can, although clearly Alduin was an exception. But he was first, so perhaps he was different from the rest."

"While Alduin was lost in time, there was none capable of restoring a defeated dovah," I reminded him, "and so the dragons disappeared from Skyrim for centuries. Only you remained, isolated on the top of the Throat of the World, where none but the Greybeards could go. If Dagon decides to recall me to the Deadlands, that can happen again.

"Alduin could not be defeated here in Skyrim, which is why dragons could never be eliminated by the Akaviri. Only when Alduin was cast adrift on the currents of time, could they do anything. I do not have that degree of permanence, except by Dagon's whim."

"Are the lesser Daedra that tied to their Princes? I thought that Seducers could be found in more than one of the Oblivion Realms."

"The Kyn, too. But each individual has to depend on a patron for restoration, and mine is Mehrunes Dagon."

"And is that immutable? Cannot another Daedric Prince take his place? Do any others court your allegiance? Have you done any favours that could be repaid?"

Posted by: Acadian Mar 28 2017, 07:07 PM

I very much enjoyed Kothet’s reflection on the pair of beautiful ladies and his relationship with the larger jiggly one vs the smaller long-eared one.

How revealing of Kothet to bring the vanquished dragon back to life and the subsequent conversation with Paarhurnax.

As a traveler in ESO’s Tamriel, I can attest that the lesser daedra can indeed inhabit differing realms. Plenty of winged twilights working under the patronage of several Daedric Princes.


Nit: ’We each seemed to to know what the other wanted,’

Posted by: ghastley Apr 3 2017, 07:17 PM

Today would have had Kothet start Azura's quest, but I didn't like the way it was going, so I'm re-writing. The presence of Dremora inside the Star with Malyn Varen has always suggested Mehrunes Dagon's involvement to me, especially as corrupting the Star itself needs more power than Varen probably ever had. I mentioned that in Clark's version, too.

That makes Azura the perfect choice to adopt Kothet as her Champion, as she'd appreciate the extra revenge offered by taking one of his own.

What derailed the story is my trying to tie up the loose end of Aranea, who's left without visions, and not much to do. Kothet doesn't want another follower, but he'd feel a duty to repay her for the disruption he's caused, in some way. I have some ideas, but they'll take a bit of working out.

Posted by: Renee Apr 15 2017, 03:50 PM

Ha ha this made me laugh! He's drinking endurance potions just to keep up!



I love this part. Because it almost seems like you just discovered this fact about Kothet as you were gaming, or maybe as you were writing this. Moments like this always add to the RPing experience, broaden it, and so forth.

Posted by: ghastley Apr 18 2017, 03:02 AM

Acadian: The post-Alduin fate of the dov is one of Skyrim's untidiest loose ends. In-game they keep respawning even after he's gone, without any explanation of the source. Now it's Kothet, and eventually they'll all be on his side. Aranea's a lesser, looser end, and we'll deal with her next.

Renee: It may have looked sudden on my part, but that was decided when I started to write Kothet's story. I suppose it might have been sudden then.

----------

Previously: Kothet was beginning to understand words, even if he'd never understand women. In particular, "Slen Tiid Vo", the shout that raised dragons. He'd discussed this with Paarthurnax, and decided he needed some insurance that he could continue to restore them in future.

--------

36 - Azura

Paarthurnax had a good point. If I could get myself adopted by one of the other Daedric Princes, perhaps I could ensure my continued existence here. Although I knew that Dagon would be reluctant to recall me to the Deadlands, and lose one of his few representatives here, the temptation to disrupt the dragons would be a big one for him.

So who were the candidates, and how do I go about making contact? I knew of a few of the other Princes' shrines. Meridia and Azura had statues that could be seen near Solitude and Winterhold, and I'd heard that Boethiah had one, too. If any of the others had shrines, they were hidden away, and I didn't know where to find them.

I had something in common with Meridia: a hatred of necromancers. But I doubted her ability to stand up to Dagon, if there was any dispute over me. Azura, on the other hand, was no friend of Mehrunes Dagon, and I know he respected her enough to defer.

So it wasn't a hard choice to make. It just remained to be seen whether she'd respond to my request.

---

Azura's Priestess, Aranea Ilenth, a Dunmer with a serious expression but sparkling eyes, was expecting us. She'd seen our coming in a vision that Azura had given her. I got the impression that she was disappointed about that, so I asked.

"Usually, when Azura gives me a vision, it's in a dream. She sends men to me to ask about their future, and if they make me tired and satisfied, I dream vividly, and tell them all about it in the morning. It's an arrangement that suits me well, and getting the dream without the ... preparation ... was a bit of let-down this time. But I can see why it happened that way." She looked over at Zahra, and I knew what she meant.

The vision involved a "fortress endangered by water, yet untouched by it" and finding an "elven mage able to turn the brightest star as black as night". Aranea told us that she believed the fortress was the town of Winterhold, and the "star" was none other than Azura's Star, the fabled indestructible soul gem that had been lost for decades. She believed that Azura wanted me to find that lost artifact, and return it.

Winterhold was hardly "untouched", but the destruction had been caused by the tremors and landslides in the aftermath of the eruption of the Red Mountain. The water was far below the town, and waves beat in futility on the cliffs. We had no idea who the elf would be so we decided to ask at the tavern, and the patron we chose to ask turned out to be the one we were looking for. Nelacar knew all about Azura's Star, as he'd been working with Malyn Varen at the College when the latter got possession of the gem.

The senior mage had been dying of some incurable disease, and had seen the Star as a possible way to preserve himself. If he could only adapt the Star to hold his own soul, he could effectively become immortal, he thought. Nelacar thought that this desperate attempt was what drove Malyn insane, or perhaps Azura did that, in revenge for what Malyn was doing to the Star. Whichever it was, he'd killed a student as part of his research, and got himself thrown out of the College. He'd taken most of his other students to Illinalta's Deep, an abandoned fortress at the edge of the lake in Falkreath Hold. Nelacar hadn't gone with them, but he'd been ejected from the College, too.

"Whatever you do, don't take the Star back to Azura. She'll drive you mad, too, just like she did to Malyn Varen. The Daedra are evil, ..." Nelacar had just noticed that he was talking to one, and his argument wasn't working.

---

Illinalta's Deep had been abandoned, because it was sinking into the lake. The door must have been submerged long ago, but there was a trapdoor on one of the towers that looked like it might lead somewhere. The water level inside wasn't as high as it was outside, so it looked like we'd be able to access the rest of the building without having to swim.

We knew that the place would be full of necromancers. Zahra has a justifiable fear of necromancers, as they have spells that can banish her back to Oblivion. So she treats them in much the same way she does spiders, which is to blast them with fireballs, even after they're dead. I didn't have to do much to help her, until we got to the stairs that led up the final tower. I had her wait behind me, as I feared that the blast from her spells would scatter everything, and if the Star was here, I didn't want to risk burying it in debris.

As it turned out, there was nobody in the chamber, just a skeleton seated on a chair, with a book at his feet, and the Star on top of it. I picked them up, and read the contents of the book. It appeared that the skeleton was Malyn Varen's and he'd completed his work. Which meant that he was now inside the Star.

It looked very much the worse for wear. The crystal was cracked and chipped, as if it had taken a powerful beating to get Malyn into it. Perhaps it had. I had to take it back to Azura, though, whatever its condition.

---

Back at the shrine, Aranea was as horrified at the condition of the Star as I had been, but told me to lay it on the Altar, and ask Azura what could be done about it. The Princess told me that nothing could be done until Malyn Varen had been evicted, and I would be the one to do that.

"I can send you inside the Star," she told me. "And I will watch over you while you are there. I cannot send your companion with you, however. You'll have to do this alone."

Actually, she probably could have sent Zahra with me, but only by breaking the spell that bound her to me, and she was sure I wouldn't want that.

---

Malyn Varen wasn't alone in the Star, and I didn't believe who he had with him. There were three Dremora mages waiting to defend him. Something told me that Varen didn't do this without help, and Dagon was likely involved.

The mages didn't disappear back to the Deadlands when they fell, either. And fall they did, as their fire spells had little effect on me, but my war-hammer had a lot of effect on them. Varen retreated further into the depth of the crystal, firing shock spells at me as he went. I followed in no particular hurry, as he was depleting his magicka with all that lightning, and I could bide my time until he ran out.

When he could run no farther, he drew a pitiful dagger, and made a brief stand. Soon, though Azura was thanking me, and telling me to gather anything I needed before she pulled me back out. I took the hearts from the mages, in case I decided to make any more weapons and armor.

---

When I stood again before Azura's altar, the Star was whole again. The cracks and chips were gone, and it glowed in a way it hadn't before. Azura addressed me as her champion, and told me that the restored Star was mine to keep.

She'd spoken to Aranea, too, who told me that she'd been informed that she'd received her last vision from Azura. She wasn't sure what she'd do now. Did I need another companion? She'd be proud to serve Azura through her Champion.

I don't need any more than Zahra. Even if she hadn't been standing there listening, I'd have told Aranea that. But has anything really changed, I asked her. Pilgrims will still come to the shrine, and she's still the priestess.

"But the men come for the visions, to find out their future. What happens now?"

"What sort of visions, or dreams, did you have?' I asked.

"It varied, but generally it was treasure for them to find. Most of them, anyway, but Azura wasn't always fair. It seemed that the ones who treated me poorly, and only satisfied themselves, were told of the best treasures.

"There was one man I really liked, and he always treated me well, but Azura would only tell me about minor things, like a farm that was for sale at a good price, or a small amount of gold in a lost chest. Still, it did mean that he came back for more. The others came here once, and I never saw them again. I suppose that's because they got all they needed the first time."

"Or that those treasures you sent them to search for were well-guarded," Zahra suggested. "Did the same treasures come up more than once?"

"I'd not really given it any thought, but you may be right!" Aranea exclaimed. "But that means, they didn't get them, did they? And they didn't come back because ..."

"So perhaps a cheap farm, or a small amount of gold, could be a better reward after all," Zahra continued. "I think that your farmer friend got what he deserved."

"Gets. He's the only one that I see here regularly. And what do I tell him now? Sorry, Azura's all dried up, and there's no more for you."

"Perhaps he won't mind," I remarked. "He could be coming here just to worship Azura."

That was enough to make Zahra collapse in a fit of giggles. Aranea didn't understand what she was laughing about.

---

I wasn't concerned at leaving Aranea at the shrine, now that we'd learned that Azura had made provision for her. Her Dunmer farmer would be there tomorrow, if he kept to his usual routine, and we were sure they'd work something out.

Posted by: Acadian Apr 18 2017, 08:38 PM

Yay, Azura! Excellent choice!

"Whatever you do, don't take the Star back to Azura. She'll drive you mad, too, just like she did to Malyn Varen. The Daedra are evil, ..." Nelacar had just noticed that he was talking to one, and his argument wasn't working.’ - -

Aww, nice to see that Aranea gets a happy ending.

And Kothet is the champion to a Daedra Lord who cares a little more about her followers than Dagon does about his.

Posted by: ghastley May 1 2017, 06:11 PM

Acadian: There aren't a lot of choices among the Daedric Princes that aren't a case of frying pans and fires. Nocturnal's a bit inaccessible if you're not in the Thieves Guild. Meridia's a possibility, but Dawnbreaker doesn't suit either Kother or Zahra, and he's already found and avoided her beacon.

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

Previously: Kothet had collected himself a new sponsor, and a nice-looking Star.

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

37 - Brelyna

We went back into Winterhold, to spend the night at the tavern before deciding where to go next. We were surprised to find Brelyna, the young mage we'd met the last time we visited the College, sitting at the bar.

She'd only just found out where Orthorn, the novice mage who'd stolen the books she needed, had fled to.

"He's gone to Fellglow Keep, an old fort between here and Whiterun. Apparently there were a number of mages expelled from the College, and he went off to join them. When people get thrown out, it's either because they did dangerous experiments they weren't allowed to, or they were doing necromancy. In this case, I suspect the latter."

"And you're still here, because...?"

"Because if it was just Orthorn I had to deal with, I wouldn't have a problem. Now I know there are experienced older mages there, I don't feel confident in going alone. When we all went to Saarthal, it was different. I had you two and Tolfdir to help me, and we still only just managed to deal with Jyrik Gauldurson, working together.

"I've been practising my skills, and I can cast a better armour spell these days, and conjure stronger atronachs, but I still don't have enough magicka to cast destruction spells as well. And that's even with Jyrik's amulet helping me. I have to use a staff for that, and worry about the charge running out when I can't afford it."

Zahra seemed to be interested in the idea of hunting necromancers, so we decided to help her again. We wouldn't have Tolfdir, the Master Alteration teacher, with us this time, but with Brelyna's higher skills we should manage.

It should be a workable team, then," Zahra agreed. "We'll plan the route over breakfast tomorrow."


---

As we ate our morning sweetrolls, we talked about spells and alchemy and enchanting. Brelyna had told us that one of her big problems was keeping her staff charged. She had enough magicka to re-cast her atronachs and mage armour whenever they ran out, but once the staff ran out, she couldn't afford to cast offensive spells 'by hand'.

I gave her a handful of filled petty and lesser gems I'd collected. "I don't use these, as my war-hammer's not enchanted, and Zahra doesn't use a staff. I have a lot more unfilled ones, but don't know the spell to fill them."

"You should learn it," Zahra told me. "Now you have Azura's Star, it would be a waste not to make use of it."

Brelyna was suitably impressed that I had the Star. "I know that spell, but only on touch, and I'm always too far away, if I have any control over the situation. What you really need is to have it enchanted on your weapon, so you don't have think about casting."

"But if you enchant the weapon only with Soul Trap, what benefit do you get? You want extra damage on it, too," Zahra pointed out.

"Two enchantments? That's something the expert enchanters can do, but it's well beyond me," Brelyna replied.

I wasn't too concerned. The war-hammer did quite enough damage the way it was. My smithing skill had seen to that, and every time I got the chance, I checked to see if I could improve it further. Still, being able to intimidate enemies with an obvious fire or frost effect, that they could see when I hit their comrades, would be a nice bonus. I think I'd prefer fire, as then Zahra's spells would stack more fire on top.

I made a mental note to look out for those enchantments on the lesser weapons I usually discarded. When I started out, I'd collect those, just for the added selling value, but lately I'd stopped concerning myself with mere gold.

---

Since we weren't going back to Azura's shrine, the road took us past Fort Kastav. We saw a skeleton patrolling the walls, and when it saw us, it raised its bow to take a shot at us. That didn't happen, as both Zahra and Brelyna hit it with fire and shock before it could release the arrow.

However, that brought necromancers running out from inside the walls, and one of them hit Zahra with a Banish Daedra spell.

We'd talked about it after the first time, back in Sunderstone Gorge, and Zahra had told me to summon her straight back into the fray, so I did. And that gave her the satisfaction of returning the compliment. Of course, nobody would be restoring the necromancer!

When the place was cleared, Brelyna asked me about it. "I thought you told me you didn't have much conjuration skill. But you can conjure a dremora mage?"

"She's special. I'm not so much conjuring her, as helping her return. She's my housecarl, which is more than just a summon. And more than just a mage, too. Much more."

---

There were wolves on the road, too, and bandits. Enough to slow us, so we wouldn't reach the Nightgate Inn before dark. Just before we got there, however, I noticed the smoke of a campfire on the other side of the road. "Why would anyone camp out, when they're that close to the Inn?" I wondered.

"Bandits, perhaps?" Brelyna suggested. "Someone who wouldn't be welcome at the Inn, anyway."

"Should we investigate?" Zahra asked me. I saw no reason not to, and now I was curious.

The two we found at the campfire weren't hostile, as we'd expected, although they weren't entirely happy to see us. Salma and Been-Ja didn't want to share the treasure they were sure was inside Ironbind Barrow with anyone else.

"So why haven't you gone in and collected it already?" Zahra asked.

"We were just asking ourselves the same thing," Salma told us. "Beem-Ja's being too cautious."

"We must gather our strength. Who knows what's inside?" the Argonian replied.

"Consider it gathered," I told him. "We're going in, even if you aren't."

That was enough to get them rushing in ahead of us, fearful that we'd get to whatever treasure the place held before them.

We found spiders guarding the ice tunnels near the entrance, so of course there were a lot of fireballs flying from Zahra. Fortunately, the Redguard and the Argonian weren't so far ahead that they were close to the spiders when they struck, but I did have to remind Zahra that these two didn't have our resistance to fire.

It didn't matter, as we were soon at the entrance to a Nordic tomb, and looking for a way to unlock the grating. Brelyna found a handle hidden in an alcove and turned it, and the grating opened without a key. No sign of spider webs beyond the next door, so perhaps the fireballs would be tossed more calmly as we proceeded.

Beem-Ja was delighted. This was looking more and more like the "Gathrik's Tomb" he'd hoped to find. Presumably he'd researched the place, and had some idea of what was ahead of us, and what treasure he expected to find, but he wasn't sharing the information with us.

Some of it didn't need telling. This was a Nordic tomb, so we were encountering draugr. And the usual traps, with spears thrusting out of holes in the walls, floor, and ceiling if you trod on the wrong stone, or picked up the wrong helmet.

I was a bit surprised not to find one of those puzzle doors, with its dragon claw key. The corridor we were in looked just like those that usually led to one.

The chamber beyond it had a word wall at the far end, so my guess was that we'd arrived at our destination, and I was expecting the next draugr to be a powerful one.

What we found, however were skeletons. Two archers, and a mage with the usual frost spells. We had them outnumbered, and they quickly fell.

That's when Gathrik finally took notice. The draugr got up from his throne facing the word wall, and came towards us, brandishing an ebony longsword. I moved to intercept him before he got to Salma. She was clad in steel plate, and her sword was steel, too. This draugr was likely more than she could handle, so Beem-Ja's reticence to come in here was justified. I, however, wear legendary daedric, as is my war-hammer.

He blocked my first blow with his shield, but the others all hit him with spells. All but Salma, who was thankfully holding back at this point. That prevented him from dealing much of a riposte, and I had a second chance to swing. This time he went down.

And got back up again. Raised by Beem-Ja, who clearly wanted everything here for himself. Zahra and Brelyna turned to deal with him, as I renewed my battle with Gathrik.

He wasn't as tough the second time around, although I did have to block a couple of swings of his sword. I looked down to where the others had cornered Beem-Ja, just in time to see him fall, too.

Salma was devastated that the Argonian had turned on us. "Father never trusted Beem-Ja," she told us. "Now I know why. Take anything you want. I'll just spend a while getting myself back together, and I'll be heading home."

I approached the word wall, to find out what this one would teach me. More of Become Ethereal, it turned out. The chest nearby had a few minor items in it, and there were more behind Gathrik's throne. The steel battleaxe didn't look too inviting, but Brelyna thought it was something special.

"It's got just the enchantment you need!" she told me. "A single enchantment that has both a soul trap effect and fire damage."

"That's one enchantment?" Zahra queried. "It sounds like two."

"No there are a few special ones like this. Such as on my robes. I have fortify alteration, and regenerate magicka together as a single enchantment. It's stronger than I can manage, as these college robes are made by more experienced mages, but I've found the same on the plain black ones, at lower levels."

"So is there a way to transfer it to my war-hammer?" I asked

"Yes. It means destroying the current axe, but I don't think you care about that. Once I know the enchantment from doing that, I can apply it to any weapon. I do need to use an enchanter's bench, though, and there isn't one here."

I kept the axe. We'd find the apparatus somewhere on our travels, I was sure.

Posted by: Acadian May 2 2017, 12:27 AM

I love how you brought the MG into this via Brelyna. She is such a likable character. As they talked about soul trapping, firery soul trap came to mind. When you mentioned Ironbind Barrow I really smiled.

That is so good that Kothet can resummon Zahira the Jiggly – bet that was a big surprise to that pesky necrodude!


Nit: "Kother, and Zahra.” - - Spelling of Kothet.

Posted by: ghastley May 2 2017, 05:19 PM

Acadian: I'd already brought Brelyna in about ten episodes ago, when K&Z had got directions to Septimus' outpost. She was supposed to go looking for Orthorn then, but it apparently took her all this time to find out where he went. I'd forgotten that they helped her in Saarthal, but I can't account for them forgetting, too. This episode may need a bit of adjustment.

Edit: changed the opening so they know each other.

Posted by: ghastley May 22 2017, 02:17 PM

With all that fixed, we can continue...

-----------

Previously: Brelyna had asked Kothet for help in her mission to retrieve some books for the College.

-----------

38 - Fellglow

They didn't have one at the Nightgate Inn, but they did have food, drink and a comfortable bed - for one guest. Zahra and I put our bedrolls on the floor, and let Brelyna have the bed.

We left the inn the back way, and headed south down the trail. We'd have to cross the ridge before we got to Fellglow Keep, but the road went way too far east, so the climb was still worth the effort.

At the top, at a place called Shearpoint, we found another word wall, and perched on it was a dragon. This was the first one Brelyna had ever seen, and she didn't know what to expect. I wasn't sure any more, either. Was this one going to be hostile, or had it been brought around by Paarthurnax, and his allies?

It turned out that we had more to deal with than just the dragon, and perhaps the dragon priest that rose from the coffin by the wall had some influence over the great beast. We were met with a fireball from the priest's staff, and a blast of frost from the dragon.

I told the mages to leave the dragon to me, and to try and suppress the priest's spells. Dragonrend gave me all the advantage I needed, but I'd rather fight just the one battle. We went in opposite directions, following our respective opponents.

The dragon circled back to land in front of the wall, which was really the only level ground he had available. I closed on him, trying to make his end as quick as I could. And then before the others returned from chasing the dragon priest down the hillside, I shouted "Slen Tiid Vo" at his bones, and brought him back.

---

"You let him get away?" Brelyna asked me, as I watched the dragon fly off towards the Throat of the World.

Zahra corrected her. She'd seen me do this before, and knew what had really happened. "Sent him away, is more accurate. He's gone to be re-educated, if I'm not mistaken."

"Talking of education, I wonder what this wall will teach me?" I countered, walking towards it.

It gave me all three words I could use for a new shout, except that this was almost the opposite of a shout. If I decided to make use of it, it would make my voice, and that's my normal voice, not another shout, seem like it's coming from somewhere else. I decided to leave it locked for now.

---

We were soon at Fellglow Keep, where we found a couple of mages, and a flame atronach guarding the entrance. Flames don't bother any of us much, but one of the mages knew some frost spells. Brelyna sent a frost atronach to deal with her, while we ganged up on the others.

We soon found that the main door wouldn't open for us, probably barred from the inside, but there was another door that would let us in through the old dungeons. We headed inside.

Zahra was particularly disgusted to discover that the mage we met next kept spiders as pets. There wasn't a lot left of him (or his pets) when we moved on. I hoped we wouldn't meet any more spiders as we went deeper into the ruins.

No, the next mage was keeping vampires, and they were prisoners, rather than accomplices, and rather resented their captivity. I pulled the levers operating their cell doors, and stood back and watched the mages get what was coming to them. A few of the corpses we passed in the next room weren't so fresh, as some of the vampires had already become the conjurers' victims. There were a couple of ash piles there too, as they'd apparently tried to resurrect some allies.

I was starting to think that we had a mixed bag of all the College rejects here, not just a coherent band of necromancers like I first thought. That could mean that they wouldn't be as united against us as Brelyna had feared.

We heard wolves just up the corridor ahead of us, and expected yet another variant of prohibited practices. We couldn't tell, as they were caged either side of an Altmer prisoner, who was wearing College robes. We guessed that this was Orthorn.

After dealing with his guard, and the wolves that he released to harass us, we found out that it was indeed Orthorn in the middle cage. "Aren't you going to release me?" he asked.

Brelyna considered that. She didn't really trust him, even though he obviously had been betrayed or rejected by the mages he'd followed here. "I think you'll be safer here," she told him. "We'll come back for you when we have the books."

Orthorn warned us that the Caller, the mage who ran the place, was dangerous, and we'd need him. We didn't think so.

---

The next door would have led us in to the keep itself, but it was locked. Again we had to detour around through more of the dungeon, and again we encountered conjurers and vampires. The latter were being used for target practice, and one was already dead. We didn't find out the fate of the other, as we left the conjurers as smouldering corpses and moved on into the keep.

The mages in the keep didn't appear to be conducting any banned experiments, but I didn't know all the College's rules and regulations. They were aggressive, however, and uniformly attacked us on sight, so whatever they were doing, they knew it was illegal. Most of them were wearing the robes we'd come to associate with necromancers. It was almost like a uniform for them.

The woman in the final chamber was different. a tall Altmer mage with an apparently calm disposition. Her blue robe was tied at the waist to accentuate her figure, and she exuded charisma. She was presumably the Caller, the one that Orthorn, (likely infatuated with her) had followed from the College.

She demanded to know why we were here, and Brelyna answered.

"So you're just one of Aren's lackeys? That's disappointing. You show real promise. You come here, kill my assistants, disrupt my work... You've annoyed me, so I don't think I'll be giving you anything."

That's when she attacked, summoning a flame atronach to assist her. Brelyna countered with a frost atronach of her own, and I moved in with my war-hammer, as Zahra flung fireballs. When she fell, it wasn't over, as the pedestals the books were on summoned more flame atronachs when we picked up the books.

A key we found on the Caller's body let us take a short-cut back down the tower, and find a good deal of extra loot on the way. When we released Orthorn, we asked if he'd go back to the College and ask to be reinstated. "You'll be going back to the College, then? I, uhh... I think perhaps I'll wait a bit before venturing there myself. Let this whole thing blow over, you know. Give certain parties a chance to forget what I may have done. Still, you've gotten me out of that cage, and I won't forget it. Thank you again, and good luck to you."

Brelyna didn't think she'd ever see him again, but she wasn't that concerned. The books mattered a lot more than Orthorn, and one in particular - "Night of Tears" - was related to Saarthal, and might provide the clues she needed.

---

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," Brelyna began. "Ever since I found out that Zahra's summoned, it's been worrying me. When I summon a frost atronach, for example, it's completely under my control, and has little, if any, free will. But I know that you and Zahra are, well, you know what I mean. Doesn't it worry you that it might not be as voluntary as it should be?"

I related to her the whole story of when I first got the spell, and how she wouldn't even talk to me for so long. Well, it seemed like a long time, but it probably wasn't. I didn't go into too much detail about what happened when she first got the chance to say yes.

"I think that's why it takes so little magicka to cast the spell," I told her. "When you summon an atronach, most of the power is used to control it.

"Besides, I'm not so much summoning her, as telling her it's all right to visit again. The compacts between the realms don't allow the inhabitants to pass between them without permission. I was brought here by the Mythic Dawn, back at the end of the Third Era, and Dagon left me here, as he could never send me back. Even a Deadric Prince can't just send an army where he wants it to go. But I can invite Zahra to come here, and that's allowed. You know that only the most powerful conjurers can manage a second summon, and I'm not among them.

"Dagon gets an extra representative here this way, so he helps it all along. I'm sure he had something to do with the creation of the spell, even if it's a bit more sophisticated than his usual schemes. It may even have been Zahra's idea in the first place, and he just added his power to make it happen."

Posted by: Acadian May 22 2017, 07:45 PM

Aww, nice that Kothet sent that naughty dragon off to Parthy’s school for wayward dovah.

Nice handling of Orthorn and the other misfits populating Fellglow.

More good character development as Kothet answers Bre’s question about the scope of his control over Zahra.


Nit - - ’If I decided to make use of it, it would make my voice, and that's my normal voice, not a another shout, seem like it's coming from somewhere else.’ - - An extra ‘a’ in front of another.

Posted by: Renee May 24 2017, 01:49 PM

Ha ha yeah, you know?

I like all the action in these last two chapters, and Brelyna often adds a nice touch, companion-wise. The dialog is killer too, especially anything that has to do with learning about Zahra.

You should post us a picture, if you can. I'd love to see your character + Zahra.

Posted by: ghastley May 24 2017, 02:47 PM

I thought I had, but looking back, there are only screenshots taken in first-person of Zahra. The only one that shows both of them is a bit bogus, as she's wearing armour (which she doesn't). I have more one picture of player+housecarl, but that was from another game with a female PC. They were the models for the pictures in http://ghastley.org/Skyrim/Docs/DremoraHousecarl.html, but those are all solo shots, and they both have outfits they never used in the story.

I'll want to add pictures to their story on my own site, so reloading their game and shooting some is on the to-do list.

Posted by: ghastley May 29 2017, 09:33 PM

Acadian: We'll be giving Bre a way to understand it first-hand.

Renee: Here's a picture of http://ghastley.org/Skyrim/images/KnZAtHome01.jpg on the platform at the top of their tower. I had to fiddle with it a lot in post-production, as I wanted them in shadow to let the glowing eyes show, but then you couldn't see the rest of them!

----------

Previously: Kothet and Zahra helped Brelyna fetch the books from Fellglow Keep.

----------

39 - Study

Brelyna wanted to study the books before she took them back to the College. If for no other reason than to determine why Orthorn chose these three in particular. They all had some connection with "the elves" but it looked like they were all written by men, and ones that didn't make any distinction between Altmer, and Bosmer, and Dunmer. Of course, some of it was historical, and those divisions hadn't been quite the same in those days. The Dunmer were Chimer then, and the Ayleids were still around.

Elven history may just have been Othorn's own area of study, rather than anything else. It could also, of course, have been what brought him into contact with the Caller in the first place, and if he was as infatuated with her as Brelyna presumed, then he'd expect her to have an interest in the same books.

"We did find them all in her chamber," Zahra pointed out. "He got that much right, at least."

---

We ended up back at our tower. That was the place Zahra and I felt most comfortable, and it was secluded enough for Brelyna to study in peace. When we arrived, Zahra and I changed into our usual house-robes, and turned to see Brelyna rummaging in her satchel for a change of clothes.

She pulled a five-foot staff out of the ten-inch square satchel and peered into its depths. then she reached deep down into it and pulled out a piece of soft, but wrinkled silk.

Zahra was looking on incredulously. "You're a conjurer, and you still do that by hand?"

It seemed she was just as surprised that Brelyna let her clothes get all messed up at the bottom of the bag, too.

Brelyna explained that she'd put all her effort into summoning atronachs as allies. "They can buy me the time to find the right staff for the circumstances, so it's more effective that way."

Zahra wasn't convinced. The little magic it took to swap your equipment, whether that was your outfit, or your weapons, was always worth spending first, before you started summoning allies, or casting fireballs. "Do you at least know the spells to do that?"

Brelyna admitted she'd never learned them, because others had taken priority.

"Then we should do something about that. A conjurer will find these easy to learn."

---

It appeared that Brelyna wasn't easily trained. She had a good understanding of magical principles, but needed to practice a lot before spells went according to plan.

"So what exactly did you just do?" Zahra asked her.

"I took off my College robes, put them in the bag, pulled out the silk one, and put it on." Brelyna answered. "What did I do wrong?"

"Those were all the right steps, but in the wrong order," Zahra explained. "Even with magic, it takes time for it all to happen, so between taking off the one set of clothes, and putting on the other, you're not wearing anything. And I mean nothing. Don't you have any underwear? Or are you just doing that to tease Kothet?"

I didn't mind being teased like that. Really. But I didn't say anything. Apparently I didn't have to.

"Look what you've done to him already," Zahra said, pointing at me.

If I'd still been wearing my armour, they wouldn't have noticed, although it would have been rather uncomfortable in that rigid shell.

"First, you're going to get that spell right, and then you're going to do something about Kothet," Zahra told her, in a stern voice that I knew she was using to avoid laughing out loud. "Now, first you summon out the replacement outfit .. go on, do it ... then you swap what you're wearing .. now do that ... and then you put the other one away again."

It took quite a few minutes of practice before Brelyna did it consistently right. So I got teased a few more times, and by the time Zahra decided she'd done enough spell-casting, I was ready for something else.

"Now you should see to Kothet," Zahra told Brelyna.

"Should 1? I mean, may I? What about you?"

"Just get on with it before I change my mind."

---

Perhaps it was being back at our tower that gave Zahra the idea. "You remember the book you found here; the one that taught you to summon me?"

How could I forget? That was the best thing that ever happened to me, or at least the means to get it.

"Well, you may also remember that you had alternatives, and obviously chose the right one for you. But the others were real options, and there are two other dremora that were ready to come here if you made the wrong choice."

I think I detected a slight bias in the way she was describing it, but she was right.

"Let me try something," Zahra said, and began to concentrate. "There, back on the side-table."

I looked over, and saw what looked like the same book, back where I'd found it.

"It won't work for you again. You already read it, so you can't learn the spell twice. But Brelyna hasn't read it ... She'll have a different perspective when she chooses, too."

Brelyna didn't quite understand. She didn't know what the book was about, after all, but she was at least familar with the way spell-tomes worked.

"Oh wow! A new summoning spell! And I get a choice, too."

"Before you do, indulge my curiosity," I asked her. "I got three options, and chose Zahra. What choices are you getting?"

"Just two. Male, or Female. What would a third option have been?"

"Well when I had the choice, there were two female options: ally or companion. I was confident enough in my combat abilities to know which would be preferable."

"Does that mean that the male option might be a bit ... er ... unsuited to my tastes?"

"Just that he'd be primarily a fighter, and you'll have to train him yourself for anything else," Zahra assured her.

"You'll have no difficulty with that," I added. "but I do need to expand on that point. When you summon him, you won't be getting a fully-trained Valkynaz, encased in a complete set of daedric armour, like the summoning spell you've been aspiring to. He'll be a lesser rank, and ready to grow with you. When I summoned Zahra the first time, she didn't know a fraction of the spells she does now."

We'd obviously convinced her, as the book disappeared, and she eagerly cast her new spell.

We hadn't yet mentioned that where you cast it was important, so we had to deal with his initial disorientation. He - his name was Ranyu - was expecting to defend his new mistress from some imminent danger, and was not ready to find himself naked in someone's bedroom. At least everyone else was naked, too, and apparently not hostile.

I must say he handled it rather well. Especially as he had the further complication of being in the presence of a higher-ranking member of the Kyn, and having to reconcile his duties to his mistress with deference to me, and Zahra, as my companion. Still, I wish my introduction to Tamriel had been anything like this!

Posted by: ghastley Jun 5 2017, 02:11 PM

Previously: Brelyna learned to summon her own dremora, and she likes him.

----------

40 - Ranyu

We found out the following day that he was an archer. He wore the lightest of dremora armour, which delighted Brelyna, as she got to see his muscles all the time. I recalled when I was hoping I had that effect on Zahra. That wasn't all that long ago. How far we'd come in so little time!

The women sent us out hunting for fresh meat. Ranyu would probably do most of the work with his bow, but I had one, too, and knew my way around better than he did. We could stay in the hills, and hunt goats, or go down to the valley, and look for deer. I asked before we left which we needed, as that would give me an idea how long they wanted us gone.

Naturally, the first creature we encountered was a cave bear, and I had to summon my heavy armour and war-hammer for that. Bear meat's not the best, and we had enough pelts, so we just took the claws. They're light, and Brelyna would know if she wanted them for alchemy. I couldn't remember what they were used for, as it was a long time since I made any potions.

I think that was the last kill I made that day. Ranyu could see farther than I could, and was more accurate with his bow. I drew a heavier one than he did, but once you have enough strength to make the kill, anything else is wasted. I used mine for combat, not hunting, so I didn't much care.

And I could carry more of the meat and horns, so I did. When we got back, it looked like he was the hunter, and I was just the porter. Brelyna apparently thought so, anyway.

---

Zahra had been talking to Brelyna about how she'd have to adapt to Ranyu. She wouldn't be able to summon an atronach without sending him back, so she had to lose that habit quickly. And then there was the problem with her accommodations at the College, and the lack of privacy. With her Dunmer proclivities, and his eagerness to impress his new mistress, nobody wanted her to get thrown out for being disruptive.

Brelyna didn't think she'd be spending much time at the College, anyway. She had the impression that the orb that they'd found at Saarthal was going to become her main item of study, whether she wanted that or not. She'd been sent on this mission to fetch the books already, and was expecting more of the same when she got back. Which should be soon, or the Archmage would be getting annoyed with her.

"I can teleport myself back to Winterhold, but will Ranyu go with me?" she asked.

"If I don't, just summon me when you get there. That's what the spell's for," he reminded her.

I pointed out that Winterhold was a lot colder than here, so they'd both better remember to cover up a bit before they left.

"And remember how to cast that spell properly," Zahra added. "You don't need to tease him."

---

"There was something different about Brelyna , when we got back from hunting, but I can't quite put my finger on it." I looked at Zahra with a questioning expression.

"New hairstyle, for one. She wears a mages's hood most of the time for the enchantment, and so she wants a style under that which won't let it tangle. But when she takes it off, she wants a different style that looks good. So I taught her how to use alteration magic to change it."

"You're becoming quite the teacher. Should I take you to the College, and get you a job there?"

"Then the lack of private quarters would be our problem, as well as Brelyna's, wouldn't it? And I prefer the job I have, and I like it well enough here."

---

We had a visit from Paarthurnax a few days later. He was concerned about the "disturbance in the currents of time" that he could feel. He didn't have a clear picture of what was going on, but it involved me, and a lot of magic, and probably that Dunmer girl, Brelyna, and the College.

So her re-appearance on our doorstep at the end of the week wasn't a complete surprise. The pair of them looked different. Ranyu had a light cuirass on, apparently no longer needing to display to her, and she had a new robe, that didn't look like College issue.

And no hood, so her hair was more attractive than usual. She noticed me noticing, and explained.

"When I got back to the College, I found a Psijic monk waiting to speak with me. A real one, not a mystic vision. And after he had, I found this robe hanging in my wardrobe. It's got a much stronger enchantment than the College one, so I don't need to wear a hood any more. And the design on it is similar to the ones the Psijic was wearing, so I think he brought for me.

"Anyway, the monk told me to go talk to the Augur of Dunlain, who was down in the crypts under the College, and he sent me back to the Archmage, who sent me to Mirabelle, who sent me to Mzulft."

"And when did you find time to learn that new hairstyle?" Zahra asked her.

Brelyna looked a bit embarrassed about that. "It was supposed to be the style you taught me, but I got it wrong. Ranyu said he liked it better this way, so I kept it."

"But you've already been to this Mzulft and back?" I asked.

"Yes, but that accounts for just about all the time since we were here last. Everything else happened in the College itself, including the explosion that killed the Archmage."

"That sounds like things are getting serious. Paarthurnax' premonitions were right."

I had to explain who Paarthurnax was. I'd probably mentioned him to Brelyna before, but Ranyu needed to know, too.

And Brelyna needed to explain to us about the Eye of Magnus, and Ancano, and all the rest of it. She was full of praise for Ranyu's archery against the malevolent magical anomalies that had been spawned by the release of energy from the Eye. And he was just as effusive about her staff-wielding.

But they both felt that the next mission needed reinforcements. The Staff of Magnus, which was apparently powerful enough to control the magic of the Eye, was buried in Labyrinthian, guarded by who knows what.

"We hoped that you two would join us," Brelyna pleaded. "I've been learning frost spells, since I won't have a frost atronach for that, and this robe lets me use stronger wards and armour spells. But although I have one of the best possible archers by my side, or behind me, wherever he's supposed to be, I could still use help with melee and fire magic."

We took a lot of persuading. Not because we were reluctant, but because ...

Posted by: Acadian Jun 5 2017, 08:00 PM

Not sure how I missed an episode but catching up now. Thanks for the screenshot of the Dremoric Duo! Their appearance leaves no doubt that they hail from the other side of the planar vortex.

Yay, Bre got a Dremora BoyToyArcher of her own and (finally, thankfully) a more becoming hairstyle. And wardrobe conjuring is a skill every young lady needs! Nice how we learn that the MG questline has progressed.

Wow, Bre, Ranyu, Kothet and Zahra would be quite the fearsome foursome!

Posted by: ghastley Jun 12 2017, 02:20 PM

Acadian: Yes, they're a well-balanced team, with a bit of everything, as well as a good opportunity to compare Kothet/Zahra against Brelyna/Ranyu.

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

Previously: Ranyu had demonstrated his archery prowess during a hunting expedition, while the women talked hairstyles and clothes and other women stuff. Paarthurnax warned of troubles ahead, and Brelyna returned to confirm them.

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

41 - Labyrinthian

Brelyna had a strange torc that was supposed to be the key to opening the main door, so that's where we headed. A couple of frost trolls decided they wanted to stop us, but then they decided they didn't like fireballs and tried to run off again. Ranyu made up their minds for them with a couple of long-range arrows.

The torc fit into a curved slot on the door, and the ends connected with something that opened the door for us. It was rather Dwemer-like in its operation, but we didn't see any of their characteristic metal used anywhere, so it can't have been. Perhaps the ancient Nords learned something from them. That might account for the blade traps in some of these ruins, too.

The large hall we entered had a few glowing figures standing at one end, which appeared to be the ghosts of a group of mages that had come here looking for treasure. In particular magical artifacts that were rumoured to have been buried here in the age of the dragons. I started to suspect we'd be meeting one of those dragon priests.

We went a bit farther down the corridor, and found a closed gate with a lever nearby. I operated the lever, and the gate raised up, revealing a few skeltons patrolling a large hall. Ranyu fired his bow at the most distant one, to see if anything was lying in wait beyond the gate, to ambush anything coming through. We expected to see skeletons moving in from the sides to investigate, but we weren't expecting a skeletal dragon to rise up from the middle of the hall.

The gate fell again, just in time to block its icy breath. Since I was the one without a major ranged attack, I manned the lever, while the others prepared to send fireballs, arrows and lightning through the gate when I opened it.

"Ready? Three, two, one, now!"

The few skeletons that had approached the gate were either destroyed or knocked back by our attack, and unable to regroup before the gate fell again. This was worth repeating.

Pretty soon, the only adversary left was the dragon. It was way too large to reach through the gate, so its only means of attack was its frost breath. By taunting it into blasting the closed gate, we could open it while it regained its powers, and not be in any danger ourselves as we attacked.

We met up again with the party of ghosts. It seemed that there were fewer of them, and we heard one remark that they'd lost one of their number to the dragon. I wondered if it had been a live one when they came through, or undead even then.

In the Labyrinthian Chasm, my suspicions of a dragon priest were born out. A voice speaking in the dragon tongue, but not a dovah's voice, addressed us. A swirl of light enveloped us, and the women complained of having their magicka drained. I suppose it happened to all of us, but Ranyu and I are less concerned at that.
Brelyna's magicka was rapidly returning, thanks to the enchantment on her robe, but Zahra was not so lucky. Brelyna handed her a potion from her satchel, but she told her to keep it for later. We'd just wait here a little longer before we advanced.

As if to try and convince us otherwise, a frost spirit advanced from a frost-covered doorway to attack us. It was easily defeated, but some of Zahra's almost-depleted magicka had to be spent on a flames spell to open the door behind it.

And immediately after we passed through the doorway, the same draining happened again. The draugr we encountered didn't seem to have been drained, but their frost spells weren't a match for the war-hammer and bow the drain couldn't affect. And Brelyna had enough magicka back to cast some frost of her own. She handed her lightning staff to Zahra, and they both joined in.

The same would happen again as we descended, but somewhere along the way the voice switched to "this gutteral language of yours" and everyone could understand it. It seemed to believe we were Savos Aren, the late Archmage, come back to finish what he'd started.

The wispmother was a bit of an obstacle, especially with our fire-mage restricted by the fequent draining, but we passed her to encounter a flame spirit at a burning door.

---

Beyond this point, the draugr were spectral, and the traps began. Rune traps, spell-casting gems, fall traps in the floor. I used my Become Ethereal shout to clear them for my companions, but they slowed our progress nonetheless.

The dragon priest drained our magicka again, and Zahra was losing her patience. "I think I can see steam coming out of your ears, " I told her. Ranyu joined in with "Oh, no, won't her boobies deflate if the steam gets out?" We waited until her magicka regenerated, telling "My woman's so hot ..." jokes until Zahra couldn't keep a straight face any more. "Do you think Brelyna's are steam-powered?" I asked.

"Oh, no," Zahra replied. "I've seen Ranyu blowing them up the regular way."

We opened the doors before us to see a throne at the bottom of a flight of stairs, facing away from us, and towards a word wall. As we started down the stairs, a spectral draugr carrying a large axe rose out of the throne and headed up the stairs.

By the time he reached me, he'd been hit by a fireball (which had eliminated his Spectral Warhound companion), a blast of Shock from Brelyna, and several arrows. One blow of my war-hammer sent his bones cascading back down the stairs.

The word wall taught me a word of Slow Time, and we turned towards a corridor lined with columns.

"Wait a moment," Zahra requested. "This looks like one of those situations where that annoying dragon priest will do his drain thing again, and I'd like to get one step ahead of him."

She sent a huge fireball down the corridor, and several burning draugr emerged from behind the columns to confront us. As expected, the draining spell met us as we entered the corridor, but this time, we were ready. Zahra had Brelyna's staff, and Brelyna was using a cheap flames spell to capitalize on the fires Zahra had already started. She was regenerating her magicka faster than she was using it, so her depleted supply mattered little.

---

The party of ghosts we were following were down to only three now. One of them remarked that the final trial lay beyond the next door. "We're not going to make it, are we?" she asked Aren's ghost.

"We will if we stick together," he assured her. "and where else can we go but onward?"

---

We passed through the door to find a large chamber where two enthralled mages were holding an energy shield surrounding the dragon priest. It wasn't clear to me if they were protecting him or confining him. I suspected there wasn't a lot of difference, as we couldn't reach him, until the shield was stopped.

Trying to speak with the mages just turned them against us, and they stopped casting the spell that maintained the shield. I regretted having to kill them, but had no choice.

"No, I won't" Ranyu shouted, and he dropped his bow and ran back out of the room.

"Morokei's trying to control us," Zahra explained, as she, too ran after Ranyu.

Since he couldn't take over our summons, he produced one of his own, a Storm Atronach. It wasn't close to us, so I ignored it and ran to attack the priest directly with my war-hammer. Since he was using mostly anti-mage spells, I figured that his weakness would be plain old blunt force.

I wasn't wrong. He fled, and I was soon chasing him all around the chamber, while Brelyna, who had dealt with the stormie, took pot-shots at him with her staff. That made him maintain a ward, which stopped him using much of his own spells. He did, however, still have a staff of his own, and was using it whenever he got the chance.

The strange thing is that it didn't seem to harm me in any way. Maybe he was just draining the magicka I wasn't trying to use. With no effective offence, he was soon cornered, and beaten out of existence with my hammer.

Brelyna confirmed my theory about the staff. It was likely the source of the spell he'd used against us all the way in. The mask he wore was almost its antidote, providing 100 percent increase in magicka regeneration.

"Nice, if it wasn't so ugly" she remarked.

Zahra and Ranyu rejoined us, and we searched the room for any other items we might need. Brelyna was certain that she'd found the Staff she came for, but Morokei might have gathered other treasures.

We met Savos Aren's ghost once more on the way out, apologising to his abandoned comrades, and promising that their sacrifice was worth it.

And then we met a live one. A Thalmor mage named Estormo, who'd been sent by Ancano to make sure Brelyna didn't get back with the Staff. We let him make his little speech before Ranyu put an arrow through his throat, to make sure he didn't repeat it.

Brelyna tried to cast her teleport spell to go back to the College, but it wouldn't work. "We can reach Winterhold, though."

"We'd probably best all go with you, in that case," said Zahra. "Who knows what this Ancano is up to, if he has the College blocked off."

Posted by: Renee Jun 13 2017, 06:53 PM

Well. Brel certainly is blossoming into full NPC-hood. And Kothet is enjoying peeking at her by the sound of it, but now her own summon has garnered some interest. My gosh.

I haven't read Labyrinthian yet, but I will. And thanks for posting those pics. I don't think I've ever seen anybody like Zahra, especially.

Posted by: Acadian Jun 15 2017, 05:50 PM

A fun dungeon crawl, replete with magicka-draining curses vs steam-powered bewbs! Even a bone dragon. It is fun to see Bre progressing toward what I hope to be her arch mage destiny.

Posted by: ghastley Jun 19 2017, 06:55 PM

Renee: Brelyna has always struck me as the appropriate choice for Arch-mage whenever the Player Character doesn't want the job, so she gets it again. (She did that in Clark's story, too.) Giving her a summoned dremora of her own adds a different twist to what she was saying earlier about the relationship between Kothet and Zahra. Now she has to question her own motives, which is probably what Zahra had in mind.

Acadian: It's time for Bre to arrive! Bewbs and all (steam optional).

----------

Previously: The whole troop had been to Labyrinthian to fetch the Staff of Magnus. Now it's time to take it back to Winterhold.

----------

42 - Archmage

We found most of the mages from the College waiting on the bridge, near a magical barrier that seemed to encircle the entire building.

"Ancano's using the Eye," Tolfdir explained. "We don't know exactly how, or what he's trying to do, but we can't get in to stop him. Do you have the Staff?"

Brelyna confirmed that she did and stepped forward to use it on the barrier, hoping it would drain its power as it had done with ours. The barrier disappeared, and we all rushed in.

I handed her a couple of grand soul gems. "Make sure that thing's fully charged. I think we'll be needing it again."

---

We entered the Hall of the Elements, to find Ancano playing a shock spell over the Eye. "I have the power to unmake the world at my fingertips, and you cannot stop me."

Tolfdir flung a firebolt at Ancano, which did absolutely nothing. The Altmer nonchalantly returned a spell of his own, and all of us found ourselves paralyzed. All but Brelyna, who was apparently protected by the Staff she was carrying.

Ancano decided to up the stakes, and changed the spell he was casting on the Eye. It began to come apart, revealing a brilliant light inside it, which meant I was unable to see what happened next.

When I could see again, Brelyna was using the Staff to close the Eye again, and Ancano was busy defending himself from some wisp-like creatures that had apparently been spawned by whatever he did to the Eye. I could feel the paralysis fading, too, and I was soon able to add to his woes. Zahra and Tolfdir were busy defending themselves from more of the wisps, and I couldn't see where Ranyu had gone. Somewhere near the door, I think, as arrows were coming from that direction.

Ancano had apparently run out of magicka, and was trying desperately to fight off the wisp-things with his fists. I stood back and let them finish him off, then made sure the wisps wouldn't bother anyone else.

"What do we do now?" Brelyna asked Tolfdir. The old Master had no clue. "The Eye may be shut down for now, but I have no idea what Ancano did to it."

"Nor do we," replied a voice from behind me. Another Altmer, presumably a Psijic monk, as his robes resembled those that Brelyna was wearing. "It has become unstable, and must be removed from here before it does further damage, to this College, or the world.

"We will safeguard it, until such time that it can be stabilised again. The world is not ready for this kind of power."

He turned to Brelyna and addressed her directly. "You now have the opportunity to rebuild your College, Archmage. I'm sure that's what you wish to do."

And with that, the monk, his two companions, and the Eye, all faded away.

"Why did he call me Archmage?" Brelyna asked.

"I'm unsure," Tolfdir answered, "but I can't think of anyone better suited for the job." He handed her a key. "This will open the Archmages quarters. They're yours now. And you'll find the robes of office there, if you want to use them."

Brelyna was still stunned at this turn of events. She wasn't at all sure she wanted the position, but we persuaded her to at least go and take a look around the quarters before she decided.

---

Now I'm not saying that the only double bed in the College in any way influenced her choice, or the fact that she could lock the door and get as much privacy as she wanted. But the four of us did have a bit of a celebration of our victory, and the bed did survive the onslaught.

Being able to just walk across the room and make another restoring potion when it was needed may have swayed the choice, too. It certainly influenced my recommendation.

Brelyna was still resisting the idea of becoming Archmage, however. She didn't think that she was ready for it. And shouldn't one of the Masters take it?

Zahra wasn't a lot of help there, as she still had the traditional dremora attitude that women should control from behind. "Like Mirabelle probably did with Savos Aren. He was the Archmage, but she ran the College."

"Which meant that she was tied to the place," I replied. "Savos got to travel anywhere he wanted, and perhaps Brelyna would like that freedom."

"There are several other candidates to replace Mirabelle as chief administrator," Brelyna agreed. "And Collete Marence has just about convinced me that if any of the Masters became Archmage, then the other schools of magic would not get their proper respect."

"Doesn't that rule them out for the administrator job as well?" I asked.

"Yes, but I'm actually thinking of giving that to Enthir."

Several eyebrows went up at that.

"It's not as crazy as it seems," I added in support. "We know about him and the Thieves Guild, but nothing straightens a crook out better than giving him responsibility that's in everyone's gaze. He won't have any choice but to play this role straight."

"If he doesn't turn it down," Ranyu reminded me.

"He'll probably grab the opportunity before he sees what he got himself into," Brelyna remarked. "It's just the right trap for someone like him."

"And he'll already know how to juggle the conflicts that will arise. They just won't be the same ones that he's used to," I added.

Brelyna turned to me. "I think you've convinced me. The College needs someone who'll encourage scholarship and research, but be neutral as to school of magic. I'm not tied to any one in particular yet. I started out along the Conjuration path, but I already got my Dremora, so I can branch out a bit.

"I've heard about Master Neloth moving to Solstheim, so I might go over there and see what he's up to. My being Archmage might even persuade him to give me some of his precious time, and teach me some enchanting. Telvanni wizards don't share much with each other at the best of times, but since I'd technically be an outsider as Archmage of Winterhold, at the same time as being a Telvanni myself, things could be different."

---

Tolfdir brought the other mages together in the Hall of the Elements for the announcements. Enthir seemed to be just figuring out what he'd let himself in for, and Faralda and Nirya were taunting each other for their lack of advancement in this shuffle. I'm sure each of them though she should have had the Archmage's job herself. An Altmer thing, if I'm any judge.

Sergius Turrianus and Phinis Gestor were wondering if they'd get promotion to Master, or if Brelyna would be bringing in Masters to replace them. Savos Aren had been content to wait for them to reach that level on their own.

"When I heard you mention going to Solstheim, I was concerned that you were thinking of recruiting Talvas Fathryon as head of Conjuration," Phinis explained. "Of course, I doubt that Neloth would let him go, and I don't know if he'd want to come here."

Sergius didn't seem quite as concerned. We all knew that the Master of Enchantment here on the mainland was quite content as Priestess of Dibella in the Markarth temple, and Neloth was Neloth, going his own way and having no need of the College. Sergius wouldn't mind being allowed to study with Hamal, but it wasn't just Brelyna who 'd make that decision.

"Rank doesn't matter as much as the quality of your research," she told everyone. "Teaching is only part of your jobs. Another part is advancing the knowledge of magic, researching new effects, creating new spells, and testing them safely." She seemed to be looking at Arniel Gane when she said that last part. He looked a little embarrassed, but the rest of us didn't know why.

When Brelyna saw how Zahra was looking at her, she might have blushed a little herself.

Posted by: Acadian Jun 19 2017, 08:54 PM

Yay, congrats to Archmage Brelyna! Nice that Kothet and Zahra joined Bre and Ranyu to help celebrate and break in that double bed.

Methinks Bre is the one who should be embarrassed about testing spells safely. Buffy well remembers being turned green, then transformed into a variety of barnyard animals courtesy of dear Bre.

Please forgive me if I missed it, but at some point did you cover the old Archmage’s death (and Mirabelle’s)? Did that happen at some point prior to the Fearsome Foursome returning to the College and finding Ancano run amok?

Nit- ’I'm sure each of them though{t} she should have had the Archmage's job herself.’ – Missing letter as indicated.

Posted by: ghastley Jun 19 2017, 09:55 PM

Because Kothet and Zahra weren't there when it happened, all they got was:

"Yes, but that accounts for just about all the time since we were here last. Everything else happened in the College itself, including the explosion that killed the Archmage."

"That sounds like things are getting serious. Paarthurnax' premonitions were right."

Since they'd had little or no contact with Savos Aren (at least not the live one) it wasn't as much of an event to them, as it would have been to Brelyna, who was there at the time. And Mirabelle's death is only announced to the player if Tolfdir is asked. She's alive when you set off for Labyrinthian, because she's the one that gives you the torc. Again, Kothet and Zahra hardly know her, and wouldn't ask.

I considered putting in more, but had to wonder why Kothet would know or care about the details. I had to add the Paarthurnax visit to give him a reason to care at all.

Posted by: Acadian Jun 20 2017, 12:09 AM

Ah, as I figured, I simply missed a key piece. Thanks for the explanation!

Posted by: ghastley Jun 26 2017, 02:41 PM

Acadian: Brelyna will not be allowed to forget "dog incidents".

I think she has a lot in common with Ancotar in Oblivion - she wants to see what's just beyond the boundaries of known magic. However, she's usually aware of the precautions needed when experimenting. If she's not distracted, that is.

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

Peviously: Brelyna found herself with the job of Archmage, and started making the arrangements for the new regime.

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

43 - Winterhold and Dawnstar

"I gather Ranyu told you how I turned him into a dog, didn't he?" Brelyna confessed. "But I did do it safely, in the College, where I could get help if I needed it. And he's himself again, maybe even better for the experience."

"Actually, he hadn't," Zahra told her. "I was just thinking about how your spell-testing went back at our tower. Especially that first time you summoned him."

"But that worked perfectly!"

"it may have turned out well, but you didn't think about all the consequences before casting it, did you? He wasn't expecting to be summoned nude, or find himself in the middle of ..."

"Oh, right. I was just looking at it from my perspective. But I was used to conjuring atronachs, and if you think about calling them up to fight for you, it holds you back. And a woman's got to make a good first impression, hasn't she?"

---

I'd had the chance for a long chat with Ranyu about things like that. Zahra had developed from her traditionally subservient female role in the Deadlands, to one that made more sense here. His situation was a bit different, as he'd been summoned by a mortal female, but without the usual constraints of the short-term spell.

"Perhaps it's a good thing she was giving me a good reason to want to stay," he'd responded. "I really don't think about it. The original deal would have had me join you as a fighting team against Alduin, so this may not be as glorious, but it's a lot more fun!"

"And you've stayed because of your sense of duty?" I taunted.

"What else?"

---

Brelyna thought that her first task as the new Archmage should be to try and repair the rift between the College and the townsfolk of Winterhold. So she walked down to the Jarl's residence to speak with him. We followed behind her, intending to continue our journey back to our tower.

The two women who attacked us were dressed in what looked like College robes, but they also had steel gauntlets and boots, like a battlemage. I recognised that uniform. "Vigilants of Stendarr," I told Brelyna. "Fanatical persecutors of daedra, and any who associate with them."

I explained how they'd been the bane of my existence ever since the end of the Oblivion Crisis, but recently they'd had the sense to avoid direct confrontation. I'd got a bit beyond what they could handle.

"So am I going to have problems like this every time I leave the College with Ranyu?"

"Or you're carrying a Daedric artifact, like Azura's star, or you become a vampire or a werewolf."

"What do vampires and werewolves have to do with it?"

"Molag Bal and Hircine," Zahra replied. "Although the victims were once mortals, they have been corrupted by the Daedric Princes, in the eyes of the Vigilants."

"Even though they were infected here, by others who used to be regular folk themselves?"

"Yes," I continued, "and they seem to include the undead in their proscribed list, although the connections there are even more tenuous. Not to mention that they're starting to side with Meridia, another Daedric Prince. Fanatical cults rarely make sense."

---

Brelyna's discussions with Jarl Korir didn't go well. It was impossible to convince him that the tremors that sent most of the town into the Sea of Ghosts weren't the College's fault. Or that the magic that protected the College itself from destruction - which had been put in place precisely because they feared their own experiments could harm it - could not have been extended to the town.

She began to believe that Korir just needed a scapegoat for his own incompetence. There had been little or no attempt to rebuild. The ruined buildings were still standing to remind everyone of the past. Nothing had changed since the collapse, because he'd done nothing.

She was telling me all this back at our tower in the Reach. Zahra and I had become her unofficial advisory team, even if we hadn't volunteered for it. And also the reinforcements she sought whenever she had a tough task, in this case hunting for the Helm of Winterhold.

"I don't imagine retrieving it for Jarl Korir will make any real difference, but I thought I should at least try," Brelyna had explained. "As a gesture of reconciliation, if nothing else."

She explained that Korir had given her a list of locations where the Helm might be. "We can eliminate a couple of them right away," she said. "We've been in Saarthal, and Ironbind Barrow,and it wasn't in either of those."

"Most of the others are near Dawnstar, rather than Winterhold. Does that have any significance?"

"No idea, unless it was someone from Dawnstar that took it from Winterhold way back when."

---

The fanatics that attacked us in Dawnstar weren't the Vigilants, but something else. Their masks were something I hadn't seen before, and their robes were partially armoured. And it was clear that I was their target, rather than "Daedra and those who cavort with them". It was because I was Dragonborn, and that was offensive to Miraak, whoever he was. The cultists seemed to believe he was "the true Dragonborn".

We found orders on one of the corpses that indicated that they'd come here from Solstheim, on board a ship called the Northern Maiden, which traded between Raven Rock and Windhelm. I knew that Brelyna intended to make a trip over to the island to visit Neloth at some time in the future, so maybe we'd all be going.

After we found the Helm of Winterhold in Fort Fellhammer on the way towards Windhelm, we'd run out of reasons to stay on the mainland.

Perhaps this was a good thing. One of the Dawnstar guards had been injured in the cultists' attack and I didn't want anyone else getting sucked into this, whatever it was. Hopefully we'd be over there before Miraak sent any more our way.

Posted by: Acadian Jun 26 2017, 09:00 PM

Ahhh, life as Archmage. I wonder if Bre might consider using that Nord student as an emissary to Dawnstar to help ease things since he is a Nord. The town does seem rather dug in against the College though. Oh well.

Vigilantes. I'm not a big fan of them either.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 3 2017, 11:27 PM

Acadian: Onmund would probably end up agreeing with Korir.

----------

Previously: Kothet, Zahra, Brelyna and Ranyu were attacked a couple of times by cultists, The oone from Solstheim merited intervention.

----------

44 - Solstheim

It wasn't easy persuading Captain Gjalund to make another trip. The cultists had come aboard in Raven Rock and the next thing he knew, he was in Windhlem, and they'd disappeared, without paying their fare. We paid in advance, and convinced him he owed me a favour. Those cultists had attacked me, after all. And perhaps the news that they were dead helped, too.

The people in Raven Rock had me wondering if we did the right thing by coming here. They seemed to be distrustful of strangers, and even Brelyna, who was a Dunmer like them, wasn't from the right House. And when we asked about Miraak, we couldn't ge a straight answer from any of them. So we decided to head for Tel Mithryn, and Neloth. We did at least get decent directions to there.

We walked out on to the ashen trail that lead out of the Bulwark, with Ranyu and Brelyna in the lead. "Look how they're holding hands like a pair of teenagers," Zahra remarked.

"Not a good idea if we don't know what to expect on this road," I replied. "They're supposed to be watching out for danger, not distracting each other."

"If we were really worried about that, I wouldn't have let a pretty young woman walk ahead of you, " Zahra rejoined.

I think Brelyna heard her, because the sway of her hips became a bit more exaggerated. "And if I really want to distract Kothet, I do this." Her outfit briefly disappeared, just like when she'd been practising her spell.

I didn't get the chance to encourage her to do it again, because we all saw the creatures rise up out of the ground near the ruined farmhouse further down the road, and start throwing fireballs at the man emerging from it.

We ran to his aid, and quickly dispatched the things. "Ash Spawn" he called them.

Captain Veleth, of the Redoran Guard, was in charge of security in Raven Rock. When one of his men hadn't returned from a patrol to this farm, he'd come here himself to investigate. "I was just searching for clues when they attacked."

We naturally offered to help, and soon found a note in one of the piles of ash they'd left behind. "That's strange, this note is written by General Falx Carius, but he died over 200 years ago when the Red Mountain erupted and leveled this place. And he was an Imperial, the garrison commander at Fort Frostmoth. There's no way he could still be alive after all this time."

The Captain returned to Raven Rock to rally the guard, after telling us that the Fort lay between here and Tel Mithryn.

---

There were several more of the Ash Spawn creatures at the Fort, and of course, the main door was locked and we had to take the long route through the prison. More of them were inside.

But their main attack was those fireballs, and Dremora and Dunmer both resist fire well, even before that's enhanced with a bit of magic. They had weapons, but nothing approaching my war-hammer.

We came across the journal of a conjurer named Ildari, who was probably responsible for raising these ash spawn from the dead bodies of the imperial soldiers. It was likely that the General, too, was undead.

When we got into the main fort, we discovered that the General himself, Falx Carius, had a war-hammer of his own, and not an ordinary one. It seemed to have multiple enchantments, and dealt damage from all the elements, although thankfully, just one at a time.

So it became a test of skill. Who could block best, and react fastest. I'll confess that I quite enjoyed the challenge. My companions could not help; in the narrow corridor none of them could reach past me. It also meant that neither of us could really swing our weapons, so it took longer than it might have in the open.

I did eventually prevail, after starting to wonder if I might become an ash creature if I didn't. That might have been the extra spark I needed.

---

We debated for a while whether to return to Raven Rock first, or carry on to Tel Mithryn. The Champion's Cudgel that Carius had been using was too valuable to leave behind, but it was also rather heavy to carry with us. And as the strongest, I knew who'd have to carry it. I already had a full set of Daedric Armour, and my own war-hammer.

"Perhaps they'll buy it at Tel Mithryn," Brelyna suggested. "Neloth might be interested in that unusual enchantment. And even if he's not buying, I'd like to know more about it."

---

We continued in the direction of Tel Mithryn, and I noticed Brelyna and Ranyu holding hands again. This time I mentioned it directly to Brelyna, and she told me that it wasn't just the show of affection it appeared. She'd been getting a strange feeling that something was trying to control her. Apparently none of the rest of us could feel it, but she could. So she'd asked Ranyu to hold on to her, in case she tried to run off. "I don't know if I would try and run towards the source, or away, but I'd probably be able to run faster than any of you. So don't let me, please!"

"Where's it coming from?" Zahra asked.

"That's the problem. It's coming from everywhere. If I could identify a location, we could all go and do something about it, but I can't. It's not very strong, and I can resist now, but I don't know if I'm getting closer to it, or farther away."

"So there are most likely several sources, if not the entire island," I deduced. "Perhaps Neloth will have a clue."
Neloth did, and the whole thing had him fascinated. "It appears that you're safe from it here in the tower, so if I were you, Brelyna, I'd take a nap here while you have the chance. It's more likely to take you over when you sleep, so you won't want to do that anywhere else."

While she did that, he took the rest of us to see the Sun Stone, which was just along the trail to the north. Several men, completely oblivious to our presence, were laboriously constructing a stone edifice around it, chanting as they did so.

"These were a bunch of marauding Reavers until this happened to them," Neloth told us. "It appears that they camped too close to the Sun Stone, and its influence was too much. I'm almost immune to Illusion spells myself, so I don't feel it, but some of my staff aren't so fortunate. I've had to enchant some of their gear to compensate."

"Aren't you going to do anything about these people?"

"Stop them, you mean? Certainly not! I would be unable to see how this all turns out."

We asked him about Miraak, and he recalled the name, but not much detail. "Miraak ... it sounds familiar, and yet I can't quite place... Oh, wait. I recall. But it makes little sense. Miraak's been dead for thousands of years. There are ruins of a temple with that name in the middle of the Island, but I'm not sure there's any connection."

I still didn't understand why Neloth was not affected, and nor were we three Dremora. He believed it was because he'd developed a resistance to it, after it had been used on him a lot back in Morrowind. "The Telvanni are always trying to put one over on each other, and getting someone to do something embarrassing was a favourite trick."

That rang true. The three of us had probably been summoned hundreds of times in our earlier days, until we advanced beyond that. Even when mortal wizards learned stronger spells, the command component became less effective, and was replaced by our respect for the caster's skill. We'd all learned to resist it, and Brelyna hadn't.

Posted by: Acadian Jul 4 2017, 06:56 PM

Interesting and well-thought out idea as to why Bre is affected while the 3 Dremora are not. Kothet is a perfect Dragonborn to take on Miraak.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 10 2017, 03:35 PM

Acadian: The "learned resistance" seemed the complement to the magicka reduction when you practice a spell. If it can get easier to cast, it should also get easier to resist.

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

Previously: Kothet and crew arrived in Solstheim and made their way to Tel Mithryn. They left Brelyna ( and Ranyu) there, and went to check out Miraak's Temple.

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

45 - Miraak's Temple

So Zahra and I headed for Miraak's Temple, leaving Brelyna and Ranyu behind at Tel Mithryn. She was here on Solstheim mainly to visit with Neloth anyway, and Miraak was my business, not hers.

More of the thralls were working on the construction there, too, including a number dressed in thick furs, with an armoured woman trying to get their attention. She was the only one who didn't appear to be under the compulsion to build.

We found out that her name was Frea, and that she was the daughter of the shaman of the Skaal Village, to the north-east. She seemed to know more about Miraak, too, but we didn't get to hear it, as a number of the cultists came up from the lower levels to attack us.

That at least told us where the entrance was. The three of us - Zahra, Frea and myself - went in to see what we could find. Below ground, it looked a lot like the old Nordic ruins that we'd found dragon priests in, back on the mainland. "Expect traps," I told the women.

And traps there were, but the cultists seemed to have as much trouble with them as we did. The draugr we encountered were more of a problem, as they seemed to pop out of their coffins every few yards. Still, Frea with her pair of axes was a welcome addition to the party for dealing with them. Her armour stood up well, too.

There was one point where I had to use my "Become Ethereal" shout, or else dodge several sets of swing blades. The former was a lot quicker, so I did. I just hoped I wouldn't want to use it again right away. These traps were getting tiresome.

We seemed to have passed the point where cultists gave way to draugr, and from here on it was just like the mainland tombs. After finding a word wall, with an attendant guardian, I was expecting the next chamber to have a resident dragon priest.

But instead, it just had a number of regular draugr and skeletons, several of which we were able to lure into the traps. We left the chamber through a doorway at the other end and followed the passageway to a small room with a pedestal, on which was a mysterious black book.

I picked up the book and opened it, not expecting what happened next. I found myself in a strange realm with a greenish-yellow sky and what looked like stacks of books all around. Some strange tentacled creatures were standing, no ... hovering around, and a man in a mask climbed off a dragon and walked over to me. The mask looked similar to a dragon priest's, but somehow different. The lower half looked like tentacles, rather than a chin.

"Who are you to dare set foot here? Ahh... You are Dragonborn. I can feel it. And yet..." he began. "So you have slain Alduin... Well done. I could have slain him myself, back when I walked the earth, but I chose a different path. You have no idea of the true power a Dragonborn can wield!"

He shouted, and was covered in what looked like a suit of armour, but made of light. "This realm is beyond you. You have no power here. And it is only a matter of time before Solstheim is also mine. I already control the minds of its people. Soon they will finish building my temple, and I can return home."

He turned to the tentacled creatures and spoke to them. "Send him back where he came from. He can await my arrival with the rest of Tamriel."

I was struck by magical attacks from all of them, which must have included paralysis, as I could do nothing. I soon found myself blacking out, and regaining consciousness back on Solstheim. Frea and Zahra wanted to know what had just happened. So did I.

Frea told us that we needed to go to her father Storn Crag-Strider at the Skaal Village. He'd know more about this, she hoped.

I knew that I'd just been to another Realm, but it wasn't one I'd ever been in before. The books everywhere - and all the tentacles - suggested Hermaeus Mora, but I'd never heard about dragons in Apochrypha. They didn't seem to fit.

---

Frea believed that I'd just seen Miraak. That's what she told her father, anyway, and I had no reason to believe otherwise, especially as he'd admitted being the source of the mind control. And I'd figured out that the word wall in the Temple had taught me the first word of that Dragon Aspect he'd demonstrated, so that fit, too.

Storn told me that I'd need to learn more of the shouts that Miraak knew if I was going to defeat him, and the first should be the one from Saering's Watch, a dragon roost on the northern coast. I set off with Zahra, leaving Frea to help defend the village, in case we'd just stirred up more interference from Miraak.

Of course, there was more than just a word wall with a dragon on it. Saering's Watch had its complement of draugr for us to deal with, too. And when I brought down the dragon with Dragonrend and defeated it, Miraak appeared to prevent me from restoring it. He couldn't stop me learning the word of power from the wall, though, and that's what I really needed.

Storn told me that I could use the shout, "Bend Will", to cleanse the Wind Stone outside the village, and free the Skaal who were labouring there against their will. When I did so, a large creature rose up from the pool around the stone and attacked me. The tentacles marked it as another of Mora's minions, but it wasn't one of the floaty spell-casters. This one had a more physical attack.

When I returned with the Skaal to the village, Storn asked me to do the same for the other stones, and marked tham on my map. We already knew where the Sun Stone was, and the Earth Stone was just outside Raven Rock, the Beast Stone near Miraak's Temple, and the Water Stone was on the West coast.

"There is another stone, the Tree Stone, but that is part of Miraak's Temple and won't be freed until Miraak himself is defeated," Storn told me.

Zahra asked him if cleansing the stones, the ones we could, would be enough to lift Miraak's spell on all the people. He thought so, but it might only delay his plans. "At least it will slow him down."

"We should do so right away," Zahra told me. "Then Brelyna won't be stuck at Tel Mithryn."

I didn't feel she was exactly stuck there, but I knew what she meant.

The Beast Stone was nearest, so we went there first, and encountered one of the cultists supervising the work. Since he attacked us immediately, he was already dead when I shouted at the stone. The shout released everyone there, who seemed mostly to be small humanoid creatures that the one Skaal present named as "Rieklings". I hadn't encountered them before.

Another of the tentacled things - a "Lurker", apparently - was guarding this one, too. It got a number of the small guys before I could kill it. The rest ran off before I could talk with them.

The Sun Stone was next, and after we cleansed that, I went to ask Brelyna if the illusion spell had weakened. "A bit," she told me, "but it hasn't stopped completely."

We went back through Raven Rock, and cleansed the Earth Stone there, before heading up the coast towards the Water Stone. This time two of the Lurkers attacked, one emerging from the sea nearby.

Close to the Water Stone, we were attacked by a dragon, and this time Miraak didn't get involved. I used "Slen Tiid Vo" to restore him, and sent him on his way. Perhaps he'd help restore the balance here.

The Water Stone was being worked on by sailors from a ship that was anchored nearby. Another cultist had been acting as overseer, but the dragon had slain him before we reached the Stone. At least something was going our way.

Posted by: Acadian Jul 10 2017, 08:04 PM

I’m enjoying Kothet’s experience with Miraak, as Buffy walked away from Solstheim’s main quest part way through and never completed it. I’m interested to see how Kothet manages things.


Nit: ’When I returned with the Skaal to the village, Storn asked me to do the same for the other stones, and marked tham {them} on my map.’

Posted by: Renee Jul 14 2017, 01:34 AM

I am way behind, half way through Labyrinthian. Sorry, this summer's been hectic so far. It is pretty cool though, especially the part when they use the gate to get rid of enemies slowly, by opening and closing that gate over and over! I'm not sure how my characters handled this one; it's been so long since any of them have been in Labyrinthian.

Interesting, Brelyna becomes Arch Mage. Are you adding any content in your game, quest-wise? Just curious.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 17 2017, 01:43 PM

Acadian: I'll mostly be following the Dragonborn Main Quest as in the game, but there's an inconsistency that I intend to repair later.

Renee: Brelyna's been arch-mage before, in Clark's story. She just seems like the right candidate, as she's the only one interested in the College as a place of research. It's the same drive that's taken her to Solstheim with Kothet, to learn from Neloth and Talvas.

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

Previously: Kothet and Zahra found a Black Book at Miraak's Temple (and a Frea). They cleansed the All-Maker Stones, too, which released Brelyna from her voluntary exile at Tel Mithryn.

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

46 - Black Books

Storn told me that I'd need all of Miraak's powers if I was to defeat him, and some of those he'd doubtless acquired in Apocrypha, so I'd need to pursue him there. That would mean seeking out the Black Books that acted as portals to the realm, and finding all the word walls on the island. I'd learned "Bend Will", or at least the first word of it, to cleanse the All-Maker Stones, but I'd need the other words, and probably other Shouts. I also had a word of "Dragon Aspect", whatever that was, from the wall in Miraak's Temple.

Storn suggested talking to Neloth about the Black Books, as he'd contacted the Skaal on that subject before. So when we went back to see Brelyna again, we did so. Neloth had one, but he was sure it had nothing to do with Miraak. He knew of another Black Book, but it was at Nchardak, a nearby Dwemer ruin, and he hadn't managed to retrieve it. "With your help, however, I think we could do that."

With the All-maker Stones cleansed, Brelyna was now free of Miraak's influence, and able to accompany us, with Ranyu, of course.

As we passed near the Sun Stone, we flushed out another of the Ash Spawn. Despite what we'd achieved with the Stones, they were still a nuisance we'd have to deal with. One thing at a time, however. The Black Books and Miraak were the bigger problem.

---

Nchardak was essentially submerged off the coast, a little north of Tel Mithryn. There was a portion of the ruin above sea level, acting as an entrance, and that part had become the camp for a bunch of reavers. In that, it was quite similar to the Dwemer ruins of the mainland, where the entrance buildings were often the haunt of bandits.

With five in our party, and all but myself using ranged attacks, we quickly dealt with the reavers. I had to ferret out the last archer, who was hiding in one of the towers from the flying spells, but he offered little resistance when I found him.

It was clear that this Dwemer ruin was going going to be a bit different when Neloth produced a "control cube" to unlock the outer door. This was the first time I'd seen one of those. It looked a bit different from the lexicon cubes we'd used at Avanchnzel and Mzark, apart from being cubical, of course. And the receptacles they fitted in were different, too.

Neloth told us that it was the only one he had. He'd found it on his last trip, and had used it to lock the door, and keep out the riff-raff (presumably the reavers, but maybe it included more). He implied that they operated more than just doors.

He led us into the "reading room", where he pointed to a thick glass plate in the floor, through which we could see the black book. "It can't be accessed by any magical means. Believe me, I've tried, and if I can't, nobody can. However, I believe that if power can be restored to this room by restarting the boilers, then this switch over here will do the job."

We followed him through another door, and down an elevator to a deeper level, presumably well beneath sea-level.

"The last time I was here, I only explored a small part of the ruins. I was here alone then, and I find an assistant is absolutely essential for this kind of dirty, dangerous work," he told us as we walked along the corridors to the next chamber.

Neloth told us that history claimed that the entire city had been sunk deliberately to thwart the attacking Nords. It certainly was flooded to just below the level we were at now. Neloth walked to a railing overlooking the water, and put the control cube into one of the pedestals there. It turned on a pump somewhere, and the water level dropped considerably, revealing a platform lower down, where there were more of the pedestals, and some large Dwemer mechanisms.

"The pumps only operate when a cube is in the pedestal. And unfortunately, I have only one cube. These four boilers provide steam to the room upstairs. They're shut down, but they still respond to the control cubes. So, if we can find four more cubes, we can turn these boilers back on and restore steam power to the room upstairs. Then I should be able to open the book's protective case. Bring that cube. We'll need it."

---

We managed to find three more of the cubes on the same level, and they were guarded only by the small Dwarven Spiders we were used to from the mainland ruins. Some of them were activating traps, so taking them not only advanced our cause, but made our progress easier. I suspected we wouldn't be that lucky with all of them. Others operated pumps, and we found ourselves having to swim back through areas where we'd walked on the way in.

---

To find the fanl cube, we needed to access a lower level, so one of the cubes was used to activate another pump to drain the water in the main chamber further. We walked down the ramp, following Neloth, but he paused at the bottom of the ramp and let me take the lead. I soon found out why, as a heavy arrow bounced off my armour, and made me stagger.

Before I got my balance back, the Dwemer construct that fired at me was hit by a fireball, an ice spike and a bolt of lightning from the mages, and an arrow from Ranyu for good measure. I spotted its twin on the other side of the doorway, and ran towards it, keeping a pillar between us, as those arrows were dangerous!

I got this one myself. I hate to think what one of those over-sized arrows would do to an unarmoured mage, or archer. I asked Neloth what these things were, and he called it a Ballista. He'd apparently encountered them before, perhaps on his earlier visit here.

I still had two of the control cubes, and I needed to use one to unseal the door. The pedestal didn't keep the cube. It seemed that the red ones performed transient functions that didn't need the cube to remain there, like opening doors, or lowering bridges. The blue pedestals kept pumps working, or traps, and needed the cube to remain.

That meant that I only needed one of the cubes to operate the bridges in the Aqueduct. However, the controls worked multiple bridges at once, and it took a couple of tries to find the right sequence to get them all in position.

"That's it, Don't touch anything else!" Neloth commanded, and charged off across the first bridge. Of course he let me catch up as soon as the first Dwaven Sphere blocked our way.

There were several of those, and the path led us to an empty pedestal. Placing a cube in it drained the water from the chamber, and revealed a door at the other end. "I'll stay here and collect this cube when you've got the last one," Neloth announced, looking at me when he said it. I suspected that the last one would not be easy to retrieve.

And I suppose it wouldn't have been, without the "become ethereal" shout to simply walk through the many traps in the room. Most of them stopped when I put a cube in the red pedestal to open the door at the back, but taking the cube from the blue pedestal behind it stopped the pump that was keeping the water out of the room. I had to swim back out.

When he saw me returning, Neloth picked up the other cube and the waters rose even further, chasing us all out of the room.

---

Back up in the main chamber, we checked our count. Five cubes in total. The two we'd taken down to the Aqueduct, the one we'd found there, and the two that were keeping the pumps running. We could let this chamber flood back up half-way, but one of the cubes was needed to keep the water level below the boilers. That left one for each boiler control.

When I placed the last of the four cubes in the boiler pedestals, it did more than just start up the last boiler. A bridge lowered, revealing a large Dwemer Centurion, powered up and ready to attack. Fortunately, the others were all beyond the range of any steam blast, provided that I didn't let it cross the bridge. And those are best dealt with up close. They can't get a proper swing of those arm weapons if you're right in there. I'd prefer to be a bit further away to swing my war-hammer, too.

Aim for the joints, I told myself, and stop him advancing. I bashed one knee while I ducked his first swing and came up inside his next one. That stopped him, and he spun at the waist, whirling the axe and hammer over my head, without hitting me at all. I continued to beat on the central pivot until it seized and he fell.

All Neloth had to say was "I'm going to head back upstairs and see if the reading room has steam. If so, it should be a simple matter to release the book."

There was a chest in the space behind his frame, with a few useful items that I collected before following. I was the last to arrive back in the reading room, and the black book was already raised up on its pedestal.

To say I was apprehensive about reading the book would be an understatement. The last time I'd read one, under Miraak's Temple, I was ambushed. I knew that this book would also be a portal to Apocrypha, but would it take me to the same location, or a different one? And would Miraak know I was coming and lay another trap for me?

Although the last time had been unpleasant, I had returned to where I read the book, so if the worst of my imaginings came true, I'd be no worse off. I opened the pages ...

Posted by: Acadian Jul 17 2017, 07:03 PM

A tense passage through the watery grave called Nchardak. Good teamwork with Kothet up front, three ranged attackers and. . . Neloth.

Uh oh, into another of Slimy Morosa’s books!


Nits:
- - ’It was clear that this Dwemer ruin was going going to be a bit different. . . .’ – ‘going’ twice.
- - ’To find the fanl cube, we needed to access . . . .‘ – ‘final’.
- - ’Of course he let me catch up as soon as the first Dwaven Sphere blocked our way.’ – ‘Dwarven’.

Posted by: Zalphon Jul 17 2017, 09:52 PM

I am catching up to everyone else on this piece, but I am going to do try to do it quickly so that I can post more regularly in regards to this story.

I will be posting my reviews for prior chapters below in links and will be editing to add reviews until I am up to the current chapter to minimize disruption to the flow.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5g7Za-jVcf8bXJCZjNXVjI0Nzg/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5g7Za-jVcf8bE00RE8xN1dBOFk/view?usp=sharing

Edit: Added Review of Kothet's Story Chapters VI - X.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 24 2017, 02:33 PM

Acadian: The Black Books are a necessity for Kothet, or he might prefer to avoid them.

Zalphon: There are a few things to keep in mind when reading my writings here:

They are fan-fiction, so characters that everyone already knows aren't developed much, unless they exhibit significant changes from the way they behave in the game. So Brelyna, for example, is much the same character, but is given a bit more room to develop, although she is still constrained by the game's quests. I may also take a few swipes at the game mechanics, when appropriate. They don't always advance the story.

They are "commercials" for my mods - in this case http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5968 - and often detail what the test character experienced, rather than having an over-arching story in mind from the beginning. Some characters just take over - like Clark did in the Gweden Report.

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

Previously: Kothet and company had released the Black Book at Nchardak, and he'd opened it.

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

47 - Apocrypha

No welcoming committee this time, but no clear pathway, either. There's something in the middle of the platform that might do something if I knew how to use it. I reached my hand out to touch it, and a ball, tear-drop, or whatever fell into some waiting tentacles, and the thing closed up like a flower at night.

And as it did so, a bridge unrolled out onto the liquid sea that surrounded the platform. As I walked out onto it, a large whip-like tentacle ashed at me, but I'd already passed it and entered a moving corridor at the other end of the bridge. The other end of the corridor swung past a platform like the one I'd left, and I stepped off. In the middle of that platform was another of those scrye things I'd used, so this time it was less of a mystery.

I saw a second bridge unroll, from another platform nearby, but the only way to it was to ride the moving corridor again. So I waited until it swung past and took the trip. There was a book on a pedestal, and no way out except back the way I came. I assumed the book would be another portal, so I read it. "Chapter II" was ahead.

Sure enough, I was transported to another location, next to a book that appeared to connect back if I needed to retrace my steps. I glanced at the cover, which read "Chapter I".

---

The narrow passage led to another of those scryes, and using this one made the corridor ahead unfurl, and roll out flat. It became the floor of a large room, open to the "sky", if you can that greenish-yellow murk a sky. Around the edges, I could see some of the same creatures I'd encountered before. A Lurker, like the ones at the All-Maker Stones, and a couple of the tentacled floating spell-casters that Miraak had used in his ambush.

Since there had been no floor until I released it, they were well-spaced around the outside, so I could deal with them one at a time, if I was quick about it. I rushed at the Lurker, as he looked like the fastest-moving of the group, even if he was also the largest. I'd also had some experience of defeating them, so rather the enemy I knew ...

I didn't quite manage to defeat him before the other two - seekers, I believe they're called - caught up to me. But he fell just as the first spells hit me. I whirled around to face the others, and found that I had only one to fight, and the other was still a way off.

That didn't last long, as my first blow seemed to split the creature in two, and now I had a second opponent to deal with. Hoping this was a one-time thing, I struck again, and to my relief, both creatures fell. Perhaps the second had just been a decoy?

But I still had one more seeker to fight, and I drank my last health potion just as he arrived. That was enough to sustain me for that fight, but now I had none, and I wasn't done yet.

I found fonts of magicka and stamina, but none of health. Still, I knew a healing spell, so I cast it until I was out of magicka, and restored myself at a font. I'd need to look out for more as I progressed.

Another scrye opened the door out, and just down the corridor was another portal book to "Chapter III"

---

From this point on, it was just more of the same. I didn't encounter more than one of the creatures at a time (unless you count the dividing seekers), and the magicka fonts were encountered often enough to keep me going.

Until, that is, I found the final book that would return me to Solstheim. As I opened that, Hermeaus Mora materialised in front of me.

"You thought to reject me, and yet here you are. Your journey towards enlightenment has finally led you here, to my realm, as I knew it would."

I asked him what he wanted this time.

"You have entered my realm. You have sought out the forbidden knowledge that only one other has obtained. You are Dragonborn, like Miraak before you. A seeker of knowledge and power."

"Yes, I came here to learn what Miraak knows," I replied.

"All that he knows he learned from me. I know what you want: to use you power as Dragonborn to bend the world to your will. Here then is the knowledge you need, although you did not know you needed it. The second Word of Power. Use it to bend the wills of mortals to your purpose. But this is not enough. Miraak knows the final Word of Power. Without that, you cannot hope to surpass him. Miraak served me well, and he was rewarded. I can grant you the same power as he wields, but all knowledge has its price."

Here it comes, I thought. "So what's your price?"

"Knowledge for knowledge. The Skaal have withheld their secrets from me for many long years. The time has come for this knowledge to be added to my library."

"What if the Skaal refuse to give up their secrets?"

"My servant Miraak would have found a way to bring me what I want. So will you if you wish to surpass him. Send the Skaal shaman to me. He holds the secrets that will be mine."

Mora faded out, leaving me with the second word of Bend Will, and the book to return to Solstheim, which it turned out would also teach me something new, a power to reinforce one of my shouts. Since I hadn't ever used the ones on offer, I chose Dragonborn Force as the most likely to be useful.

---

Neloth and the others were waiting. "What happened? What did you see? Different people have very different experiences when reading these books."

I told him that I'd talked to Mora, and learned the second word of Bend Will. And that Mora wanted the "secrets of the Skaal" in return for the third. He'd also told me that I'd need it to be able even to reach Miraak, let alone defeat him.

"Hmph. What secrets could they have worth keeping from old Mora? Sounds like a bargain to me. Hermaeus Mora learns some fascinating new ways to skin a horker and you become the second most powerful Dragonborn that ever lived. Well, that gives me a lot to think about. I need to get back to Tel Mithryn. I have some ideas about how to locate more of these Black Books."

---

The ambush that hadn't happened in Apocrypha happened as we left Nchardak. A dragon swooped down and blasted us with frost. With a full party of mages, archer, and Dragonborn, the outcome wasn't in any doubt, and soon I was restoring Krosulhah and discovering that Miraak had somehow sent him to attack us. I didn't understand how Miraak, still trapped in Apochrypha, could influence dragons here.

Neloth presumed that he'd done it the same way he commanded the people to work on his shrines and temple. "There must be things here, like the Black Books, that communicate between the realms. Those Standing Stones served that purpose, until you did something to them, that I don't yet fully understand. Didn't you say that there was one still in Miraak's control?"

Posted by: Zalphon Jul 24 2017, 07:39 PM

Oh I see; I apologize for misunderstanding the endeavor's goals and will suitably change how I approach the story in my reviews.

Posted by: Acadian Jul 24 2017, 08:12 PM

Another creepy crawl through Moraland. I must admit that was an interesting place.

I’m sure Kothet was glad to be reunited with his gang.

Like Neloth suggests, I find it hard to believe that Mora’s motive for the ‘deal’ he posed was to learn a new method of skinning horker from the Skaal.


Hi, Zalphon! http://imgur.com/ZAxXq7L

Posted by: Zalphon Jul 24 2017, 11:19 PM

Long time, no talk, Acadian.

Want to hit me up in PMs so that we don't clutter the thread?

Posted by: Renee Jul 26 2017, 03:27 PM

I'm still behind, but now they are in Solstheim at least. Interesting the part when it says "we've been summoned hundreds of times," in response to inquiries about why they weren't feeling whatever it is that's bothering Brel

I never been to this island yet, so there are some creatures with tentacles? Yikes.

Posted by: ghastley Jul 31 2017, 11:06 PM

Acadian: Storn explains Mora's motive, as far as it's known, in this one. "Gotta have 'em all!"

Zalphon: No problem, it's valid criticism anyway.

Renee: Tentacles are a Hermaeus Mora thing. And only seen if you have Dragonborn installed. With that, the aspect of HM himself gets changed (and he has tentacles).

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

Previously: Kothet read another Black Book and visited Apocrypha again. He returned with a word of Bend Will, and an offer from Hermaeus Mora for the third.

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

48 - Skaal Village

We travelled back to the Skaal village to tell Storn what Hermaeus Mora had said.

"What are the 'secrets of the Skaal?'" I asked him

"Ancient lore, handed down from shaman to shaman since the All-Maker first gave us Solstheim. How to talk to the wind, how to listen to the earth - these are our secrets. Nothing of power or mastery."

"Why would Hermaeus Mora want your secrets?"

"We know him as Herma-Mora, the Demon of Knowledge. It is in his nature to horde secrets to himself. Their value to him is of no consequence. The very fact that the Skaal have kept knowledge from him has merely increased his desire to have it."

"My experience of him is that he thinks that knowledge exists only if you can write it down in a book. How could you ever write down your secrets?"

"That I do not know either, but since Herma-Mora doesn't know these secrets, he doesn't know what kind they are. Perhaps he believes they can be written."

I told Storn that I needed to do a lot more preparation before I was ready to confront Miraak, so any decision on the secrets wouldn't be needed soon. There were still more words of power to learn, and Black Books to read.

---

Now that the Earth Stone outside Raven Rock was cleansed, there was a good chance that the townsfolk would be a bit more willing to talk with us about Miraak. We headed back there to ask around for clues to more word walls and Black Books. We needed to tell Captain Veleth about General Falx Carius, as well.

Glover Mallory, the blacksmith, didn't know of any word walls or Black Books, but he did have a story to tell us about how he arrived here on Solstheim. He'd learned how to work Bonemold from a Dunmer over on the mainland, but didn't find any demand for it, so he'd come over to the island looking for work. He'd found enough trade supplying the Redoran guard, and stayed. He had a recipe for an improved version of Bonemold, but it had been stolen from him, and the thief had run off to the North.

"If you go looking for him, you might find some Stalhrim on your travels, too," he told us.

Brelyna had heard of that. "It's like ice, but it doesn't melt"

"If you've ever slipped and fallen on your ass, you'll know how hard ice is, even before you add magic. It would make great armour, apart from the melting. So mages tried to enchant it to resist heat. They failed, of course. It turned out you'd take a lifetime to do it that way."

"So how did Stalhrim happen?" she asked.

"Well, you know how when someone dies, there's magic left in them, unless they were soul-trapped? If you bury enough people together in the same tomb, that starts turning them into draugr. The Ancient Nords figured they could stop that, by sealing the coffins with ice.

"It actually worked, and there was another effect they hadn't expected. A dead person does have forever to turn ice into Stalhrim. But they don't know when to stop, so that stuff gets so hard you can't work it with a normal pickaxe. So they had to make special pickaxes to cut it. I had one of those, but I lent it to Crescius Caerellius while I fixed his, and he hasn't given it back. Could you persuade him it's about time he did? It's not like he's digging up anything in Raven Rock mine these days."

---

We went off into the mine to find Crescius. Grover had told us he was quite old for a human, so he'd probably know a lot about the island, having lived here all his life.

Crescius was a bit reluctant to return the pickaxe, doubting that Grover had obtained it honestly in the first place. I reminded him that he hadn't either, and he relented, but not before asking us if we'd help him out, too. He had evidence that the decision the East Empire Company made to close down the mine wasn't based on it being worked out, but something more suspicious. He had a key to some door down in the mine that his great-grandfather had left behind, but he'd never been able to find the lock that it fitted. That and a letter were all that he had to go on.

The letter had been written by Gratian Caerellius to the East Empire Company, but he'd never sent it. He'd been lost in a rock-fall in the mine before he could do that. It said that some kind of ruins had been found down there, and asked for an investigation.

The mention of ruins was enough to get my interest. That was the sort of place to find word walls and Black Books. I agreed to continue the search for him, and we set off down the main shaft. We could return Mallory's pickaxe when we came back out.

---

Zahra was not happy to find spiders in the mine, but she hurled fireballs and got it out of her system. She let me kill the skeever.

We didn't pass much except for empty crates and barrels. The ore veins seemed to be pretty well exhausted, and sections had already been boarded off. Since Crescius hadn't found anything down here, I decided that I'd look behind the boards, and knocked them down with my war-hammer. Just a bit further on, we found the gate that the key unlocked.

Beyond the gate, it didn't look like mine-workings any more. This was the ruin that Gratian had mentioned in his letter, and it was soon clear why the Company had seled it back off. It was full of draugr.

"And traps," Ranyu noted. "Nice of that draugr to point it out to us."

We let the spiked gate swing back, and trod carefully around the trigger, as we engaged the next wave of draugr. Nothing we couldn't handle, but there did seem to be a lot of them. Especially in the next room, where they were seated all around the walls,

I was glad we still had Mallory's special Ancient Nordic Pickaxe, as we found a Stalhrim-covered coffin against the wall in the next room. I hacked at it for ages, but eventually managed to collect the rare material. I wanted to take it back to the smith with the pickaxe, and see what he could do with it.

Brelyna and Zahra were more interested in the potions and ingredients on the tables, and took advantage of the alchemy table there to make a few more potions before we moved on.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 1 2017, 04:42 PM

Loved the insightful discussion about stalhrim.

Then the fearsome foursome does some dungeon crawling and actually finds some!

Posted by: Renee Aug 3 2017, 02:03 AM

Whoa, that's pretty intense. They seal them up with ice so they don't turn into draugr! I didn't know that they became undead in the first place as a group like that, but it does make a lot of sense.

Posted by: ghastley Aug 7 2017, 03:32 PM

Renee: Sometimes you have necromancers around, but they're usually fighting each other, so the draugr have to be doing it for themselves.

Acadian: I don't know why the developers decided to put one instance of Stalhrim down there, but they did. It gets another mention in this one. I think all the Stalhrim is placed as coffin-sealer, probably just so they'd only need the one mesh.

----------

Previously: Kothet and company had entered Raven Rock Mine to look for traces of Crescius' ancestor.

----------

49 -Bloodskal

There were a couple of spell-casting traps ahead, and I considered using my Become Ethereal shout to go and disarm them, but I let Ranyu try knocking the soul gems down from outside their range. He's a better archer than I am, by a long way, and soon had the problem solved.

The iron door beyond led to a chamber patrolled by some of the nastiest draugr I'd encountered so far, all equipped with ebony weapons and aware of our presence. I set Ranyu to keep the archer occupied, while I engaged the first of the sword-wielders. The mages would take whatever targets offered themselves.

Grabbing the initiative can make a lot of difference in a fight, so I charged the draugr, to make sure I got in the first blow. My heavy hammer made him stagger, so I had time to swing again. That still wasn't enough to finish him, but he was falling back each time and not able to riposte.

So this would be a question of whether I had enough stamina to keep up these power attacks, or whether he'd get his turn. If I took the time to swig a potion, I knew what would happen. When he fell, I did down a potion or two before looking around for the next one. I nearly had the archer fall on top of me, as Zahra's fireball knocked him off the bridge above.

So now they were down to one, and he'd sheltered behind a pillar from the barrage of spells. I went around behind him, and bashed him into the open. That was the last of him.

The nearby gate was locked, but Brelyna spotted a pedestal on the ledge opposite that looked like it had some kind of handle on top. I crossed the bridge and turned it, and the gate opened.

Past some more traps (but no more draugr) we came to a narrow passage that twisted and turned its way deeper underground. At the end, we emerged into a large chamber where waterfalls cascaded into a stream that disappeared underground. At the end of the chamber was a large ominous-looking door, and a skelton lying nearby.

We jumped down off the ledge before we really thought about how we'd get back up if that door wouldn't open. It probably wouldn't be impossible, if Ranyu stood on my shoulders, and the women climbed up that way, but we'd rather not have to do it. And that wouldn't have been an option for anyone who came here on his own.

The diary I found next to the skeleton suggested that was exactly what had happened to him. This was Gratian Caerellius, the ancestor of the old mine foreman who'd sent us down here. He come here with a companion, who fallen to the draugr somewhere back in the tomb. And he'd found an ancient sword, the Bloodskal Blade, also lying next to his skeleton, which had strange powers. He'd thought they were the key to getting out again, but, by the time he reached the door, he was too weak to use the sword. He had succumbed to the draugr before he could escape.

I picked up the blade and swung it, to see if it emitted the energy pulse that the diary described. Sure enough, a ribbon of light flew from the tip of the blade and struck the door. A piece of the surrounding rock slid aside. I swung again, and the energy was again released, but nothing changed on the door. Then I understood why. I'd swung the blade in the wrong direction. My swings had to match the glowing lines on the door-frame to make anything happen.

With everyone else standing well out of the way, I swung furiously at each of the lines, and soon the only one left was down the middle of the door itself. I was getting a bit short of stamina by this time, but I had just enough for the final swing. The door opened, to a long corridor of swinging blades.

"Become Ethereal" took me through them, and I used the lever at the end to turn them off for my companions. I just hoped I wouldn't need that shout again before we emerged, as it took forever to recharge.

When I used the lever, it had also opened the door into a large chamber, and I could see a word wall at the end of it. The majority of the room was flooded, but the edges were raised and we could move along next to the wall. However, before we got half-way, a dragon priest emerged from the central pool and attacked. Since my new weapon gave me a ranged attack, albeit a rather inaccurate one, I used it, while my companions hurled fireballs, frost and arrows.

Zahkrisos threw lightning back at us. Fortunately, most of it was directed at me, so the mages weren't hampered by any loss of magicka. It did make me rather eager to put an end to him, and I waded into the water to use the sword as a sword. It wasn't as deep as I feared, and we soon had him cornered, and weakening.

When he fell, I was able to approach the word wall, and learn a second word of Dragon Aspect, which was that armour spell that Miraak had shown me when we first met. If he thought it was important and impressive, I should take note of that.

One thing I'd already noted was that Dragon Aspect increased the damage of power attacks, which was a strange thing for a mage. I'd seen that Miraak carried a one-handed sword, but he also sported a staff, and wore robes, rather than armour. So it was clear which direction his preference lay. Perhaps this shout, and the sword that we'd just found, were the keys to defeating him.

---

I wasn't expecting to find a Black Book as well as a word wall, but perhaps Miraak's temple should have made me think differently. A pedestal on our way out held the book "Waking Dreams". I told Brelyna and Ranyu what to expect when I opened it, and did so.

Lurkers, seekers, scryes, and a book at the end, just like the one at Nchardak, except without all the "chapters". And this time I knew what to expect, and where to rest, and where to look for fonts. Progress was tedious and not what you'd call comfortable, but at least predictable. The reward at the end was pleasant and unexpected, however.

The book that let me return to Solstheim also taught me a new power - Companion's Insight - that meant that I'd never accidentally injure my companions in battle. That might prove important now I had the Bloodskal Blade. That energy discharge was a dangerous feature, as I had little control over when it happened.

---

The reavers inhabiting the ruins on the way out were a nuisance, but little more, to a party like ours. On the other hand, they didn't have any decent loot to collect, either.

Since Neloth had expressed an interest in collecting the Black Books, once I'd used them, we figured we might get more from him than we had from the reavers, and set off for Tel Mithryn as soon as we emerged. We stopped in Raven Rock on the way to return Grover's Ancient Nordic Pickaxe, and tell Crescius what we'd found out about Gratian's true story.

Crescius was delighted with our news and especially that the mine wasn't worked out as the East Empire Company had declared. "I knew I could still smell the ore."

Grover told us to keep the pickaxe for now, and maybe mine some more Stallhrim with it. He'd like to know what could be made from it, too. I was surprised that he didn't know, if he had the pickaxe. "Never found any Stahlrim to use it on," he told us. "I think it's all up in the northern part of the island."

I pointed out that I'd found it in the ruins beneath the mine.

"Well you won't catch me in any of those ruins, any more than trudging through the snows in the north."

---

We showed the Black Book we'd found to Neloth.

"Excellent! I'll just make a copy for myself. It's far too dangerous to carry the real book around. Of course, I'm sure you can handle yourself. Of course you can. Of course. Now, take this for your efforts, and we'll call the matter closed."

When asked if he knew of any others, he replied: "Yes. Hermaeus Mora is devious, but then so am I. Now, it's only a rumour of a whisper of a conjecture. But I think this is the place. Now, hurry. That book might contain the final secrets of Xarxes, for all we know."

---

White Ridge Barrow was well to the North, and West. There was also a ridge of mountains between here and there, and we'd have to go a bit further North to the only pass through it. That would take us to the familiar (to me and Zahra) territory near Saering's Watch on the way, so there was a good chance it was still clear of enemies.

Once we passed there, of course, it would be new lands, and we didn't know what to expect. Well, we should have expected Rieklings, I suppose. Zahra and I had met them while we were cleansing the All-Maker Stones, both on this side of the island and at the Beast Stone. However they seemed to be more numerous up in the North.

We declined to enter their lair at Benkongerike, and just passed by (for now). I suspected I might have to go back there at some time, but as long as the little creatures didn't attack me, I wasn't going hunting for them. Turning toward the ridge, instead of Saering's Watch this time, we soon saw White Ridge Barrow ahead of us.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 7 2017, 07:29 PM

More nice teamwork from the Fearsome Foursome!

Nice explanation regarding how Gratian perished by being unable to progress forward nor return the way he had come.

A productive delve! Bloodskal Blade, dragon priest, word wall and a black book.

No rest for this team however, as they prepare to enter White Ridge Barrow.


Nits:
’i {I} set Ranyu to keep the archer occupied, while I engaged the first of the sword-wielders.’
’A pedestal on out {our} way out held the book "Waking Dreams".’

Posted by: ghastley Aug 14 2017, 01:44 PM

Acadian: They're going to reach diminishing returns soon.

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

Previously: Kothet and co. are looking for word walls and Black Books to try and match Miraak's powers before confronting him.

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

50 - White Ridge Barrow

I knew as soon as we entered that Zahra wasn't going to like the place. There were spider webs everywhere, and ominous egg-sacs glowing in some of the corners. That suggested we weren't just going to be meeting the regular spiders she'd just about come to terms with, but something with a bit of magicka involved. They'd obviously killed a number of the reavers that had come to explore the place, as we found several bodies just inside.

The jumping, exploding fire spiders had her shrieking and hiding behind me. Brelyna and Ranyu took the lead, with Ranyu attempting to use his bow to neutralise the threat before the sacs could hatch. Any that escaped were quickly zapped with one of Brelyna's shock staves.

As we ventured deeper into the tomb, the good news was that the spiders had dealt with the majority of the draugr for us. The bad news was the spiders, and that the few draugr remaining were the tougher ones. Those were my job, as the others seemed to be dealing with the spiders well enough. Zahra didn't mind helping with the draugr, either.

We did encounter a survivor of the reavers, but he didn't appear to be grateful for our intervention, and attacked us. Now he's not a survivor any more.

---

In the next section of the ruin, things began to make some sense. We ran into a Dunmer sorceress who appeared to have some kind of control over the spiders, and have enthralled the reavers here too. They didn't look undead, but they didn't look normal either. The had a greenish glow about them, as well as the mindless aggression of a commanded minion.

Once we'd dealt with the mage, we found a key on her corpse, as well as a journal that hinted of a power deeper in the ruin. It suggested another dragon priest and possibly a word wall and/or Black Book, as well as some ex-colleagues of the sorceress, who were using the rather unique spiders in some kind of experiments. I assumed the key would open a door to the mages' laboratory, or something similar. The Ancient Nords went for more elaborate means for opening their inner sanctum.

By the time we actually found the laboratory, Brelyna was unable to contain her laughter every time Zahra scuttled behind me to avoid another spider. Despite what it said in Menlar's journal (she was the first sorceress we encountered) we only found one more of the mages and he was dead. Once we came across the key to the cage he was in, we read his journal, and discovered that his name was Servos Rendas, he was the other Dunmer's brother, and he'd been working on experiments with the spiders also.

Combining the spider pods with gems (and salt) imbued the creatures that hatched with magical properties, ranging from elemental auras to mind control. The latter accounted for all the commanded reavers we'd been fighting.

Neither of them had dared to open the passage through to where they'd heard chanting from "the main chamber", as he described it. That reminded me of word walls, and their attendant Dragon Priests. Since that was what we came here for, we weren't at all put off. I'm sure Zahra would prefer a Dragon Priest to a spider, anyway.

Brelyna was fascinated with the embuing apparatus and we had to drag her with us. "It will still be here when we come back," I reassured her.

---

There's not much to say about our fight with Dukaan, the Dragon Priest. Short, but intense, and at least this time the room wasn't flooded. The word wall taught me Cyclone, an elemental effect, and not one I considered particularly interesting. I hoped the Black Book on the other side of the room would be more useful.

"The Sallow Regent" was the title, which gave me little clue what to expect. The region of Apocrphya it took me to was dark, except for the little area under the floating lamp where I arrived. The darkness obscured any dangers more than a few dozen yards away, and also gave me no clue as to which direction I needed to proceed. So when the lamp started to drift away, I just followed it. It soon drifted off the edge of the platform, out over the "sea" that I knew would harm me if I tried to follow.

That's when I discovered that the darkness would do the same. Not as rapidly as the black water of the sea, or I'd have just tried to follow the lamp, but enough. I ran towards another lamp that seemed close, but narrowly avoided falling off the edge of the platform. With no light source of my own, and no way to proceed, I just opened the Black Book again, to return.

I discussed my dilemma with the others. I couldn't carry a torch, as I used two-handed weapons, and so I hadn't brought one with me. I didn't know any light spells, either. Brelyna did, but couldn't teach it to me.

"Could one of us go instead?" Zahra asked. "Ranyu would have the same problem with carrying a torch and using his bow, but I wouldn't"

"I don't think it would be a good idea for either you or Ranyu to try. None of us could die in Apocrypha. We'd just get 'banished' back to our own realm. But in your two cases, that would be the Deadlands, and neither I nor Brelyna would know that had happened. I'm pretty sure that I'd be sent back here, as that's always happened before, and of course Brelyna is a mortal who we know belongs here."

"So I could?" Brelyna asked.

I was reluctant to risk a mortal, but what I said about not dying in Apocrypha was true. You wouldn't really be there, because of the way the portal magic worked, and defeat would just break the connection, or something like that. I just wasn't sure what would happen to somebody who was summoned to this realm in the first place.

Zahra grabbed the book. She didn't want to risk Brelyna either. But the book wouldn't open for her. She reluctantly handed it over to Brelyna.

---

The Dunmer was back with us even faster than I'd returned. "You didn't say anything about tentacles!" she protested.

I hadn't seen any. It was much too dark for that, but apparently she'd cast a fairly strong light spell as soon as she arrived, which revealed a Seeker or two. And things with tentacles had much the same effect on Brelyna as spiders did on Zahra. She'd not seen any of them before, so the shock was heightened by their strangeness.

I carefully explained what kind of opposition she could expect in Mora's realm, with their strengths and weaknesses. The Lurkers would be susceptible to a good ranged frost spell, and would probably never get close enough to do her any harm. The seekers would be like any spell-casters, harmed and incapacitated by shock. Their only spell would drain her health, not her magicka. And I told her about their decoys, and to keep attacking the original.

Zahra held her laughter until Brelyna had opened the book again, but I suspect she heard, judging by the look she gave her when she returned. "OK, I won't laugh about you and spiders, if you won't laugh about tentacles. Deal?"

Brelyna hadn't found any word walls, or anything helpful against Miraak. She'd only had to deal with three or four of the creatures, and had done so comfortably at long range. The book at the end had given her an ability that reduced the cost of spells and enchantments. It could have given me a small boost to combat skills, but she doubted that I had any room for improvement there. Which was true; I couldn't raise my two-handed skill any higher, and that was what I'd be using.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 14 2017, 08:09 PM

More high adventure for the foursome. Poor Zahira the Jiggly and those spiders - it does make her seem more human though - you know, for a dremora. Clever idea and a fun twist to send Brelyna the Lightbringer into the darkness to find that book. And I agree that tentacles are as creepy as spiders!

Posted by: ghastley Aug 21 2017, 01:31 PM

Acadian: Belyna's going to have to learn to teach spells, then she can just say "no" next time.

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

Previously: Kothet and company visited White Ridge Barrow, where ... spiders! ... and then tentacles!

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

51 - The Third Word

We discussed why Zahra had been unable to open the book. My theory was that it was because she wasn't of this realm, in which case Ranyu would have the same issue. Apparently I was now considered a valid resident of Mundus, perhaps because Mehrunes Dagon had bound me here. Certainly whenever I needed to be restored, this was where it happened.

"Can you use a book twice?" Brelyna asked.

In response, I took the book and opened it. It put me back at the start, so I just re-read it to come back out again. For Brelyna, it took her back to the end-point. And as expected, Ranyu couldn't open it at all.

All that started us wondering what would happen if we tried to read one of Neloth's copies of the books. Presumably nothing, as they wouldn't have the portal spell. And it was time to take him this one, too.

---

Neloth didn't have any additional information about the Black Books, nor any useful opinion as to whether it would help me to look for more. The word walls were a more promising path to defeating Miraak, but we had no way to determine where they were. So far I'd only encountered one above ground, at Saering's Watch, and we'd covered a large portion of the island already. Looking for more would not be easy.

I had two of the three words of Dragon Aspect, which gave me boosts to both offence and defence. I suspected the former would benefit me more than it did Miraak, but I had no clue what the third word would give him. Did I need it before the final confrontation?

I decided to consult Storn again. His wisdom was well-grounded, and not as self-centered as Neloth's.

---

Storn reminded me that I'd only get the third word of Bend Will from Mora himself, and he suspected that the same would be true of Dragon Aspect. I'd most likely have to go to Apochrypha for that, and maybe I'd need all of Bend Will to get to it.

And despite all he'd been trying while we were gone, there was nothing to be done about the Tree Stone. It remained under Miraak's influence, and that would only end with his defeat.

All this had brought him to the conclusion that the only way forward was to do what Hermaeus Mora wanted. He'd have to go to Apocrypha and tell him that the Skaal's secrets weren't the kind he thought they were.

"So it falls to me to be the one to give up the secrets to our ancient enemy. I do not know if I have the strength to face him. The Tree Stone is still corrupted... the land is still out of balance. But with the other five restored... it may be enough. It will have to do. I'm sure Herma-Mora won't be pleased, but perhaps he'll see reason, and let you deal with Miraak."

Freya wasn't as hopeful. She regarded Mora as completely evil. "He doesn't even know what evil means," I told her. "Knowledge is all that matters to him, and the consequences of acquiring it are of no importance at all."

Storn added "Yes. The Skaal also tell of the day when we must finally give up our secrets. When Herma-Mora finally wins. As shaman, it is my duty to guard these secrets, but also to decide when it is necessary to give them up. I believe that time is now. If I am wrong, may my ancestors forgive me. Give me the book. I will read it, and speak to old Herma-Mora myself. I will make sure he lives up to his part of the bargain."

"I hope you know what you're doing," I told him.

"That is my hope as well. I am trusting you will make this sacrifice worthwhile."

Frea still wasn't convinced. "Father, you must not do this. That book is... wrong. Evil. Against everything that you have taught me my whole life."

"I must, Frea. It is the only way to free Solstheim forever from Miraak's shadow. There comes a time when everything must change. Nothing that lives remains the same forever. Do not fear for me, my daughter. This is the destiny that the All-Maker has laid out for me."

"I stand beside you, father, as always."

"I am ready for whatever the foul master of this book has in store for me."

Storn opened the book I had given to him. I had only watched someone else doing this once, when Brelyna had read the book at White Ridge Barrow, but Zahra had told me that the others had seen the same thing when I'd read the books. Tentacles had pulled me through the portal into Apocrypha, leaving only a transparent image behind.

This was different. The tentacles looked the same, but they didn't behave the same way. There were more of them, too. Most wrapped themselves around Storn, pinning him in place, but the last one reared back like a snake, and struck at Storn's head, piercing it.

Hermaeus Mora appeared and spoke to me. "Dragonborn, you have delivered me the gift I requested. In return, I keep my promise, as befits a Prince of Oblivion: I give you the Word of Power that you need to challenge Miraak. You will be either a worthy opponent or his successor, as the tides of fate decree."

As he disappeared, the tentacles enveloping Storn did so too, and he fell to the ground.

Frea screamed and ran forward. ""Father! What have you done!" and then, turning to me, "Go. My father sacrificed himself so that you could destroy Miraak and lift his master's shadow from the land. Go, then. Kill Miraak. Do not fail."

"This cannot be happening," I thought, but I picked up the book and read it myself.

Posted by: Acadian Aug 21 2017, 03:44 PM

Aww, poor Storn. I think he knew what was coming and felt the price was worth it to (hopefully) enable the destruction of Miraak. I bet Kothet is pissed and wishing he could destroy Mora as well! Grrrr!

Posted by: Renee Aug 23 2017, 06:36 PM

My gosh, that's so awful. He got pierced in the head by a tentacle? Kothet himself didn't seem entirely surprised, but even somebody of his ilk is not all-knowing.

Posted by: ghastley Aug 28 2017, 02:05 PM

Acadian: As I suggested before, the secrets of the Skaal aren't what Mora expected, and he wanted more. Kothet's disbelief will make more sense at the end of this part.

Renee: Kothet was surprised, but not quite the way you thought. More is revealed in this part.

----------

Previously: Storn read the Black Book and the tentacles attacked him. Then Kothet used the book to go to Apocrypha.

----------

52 - Summit

The book took me back to where I'd first encountered Miraak, but he wasn't there this time. In fact, the area was pretty much deserted. I'd have expected the Seekers to be left guarding the entry, but I didn't encounter any until I went a bit farther, into areas I hadn't seen the first time.

This was one of those areas that Mora had divided into "chapters" with book portals between them. The first Seekers were in chapter II. And not much else. I found a copy of "Heavy Armor Forging" which of course wouldn't help me at this point. Perhaps it would be useful to Ranyu. Although I suspected he preferred Light, the skill to make it is much the same.

However, just before I found the next chapter portal, I came across another book on a pedestal, entitled "Boneless Limbs". It didn't teach me anything, but the fact that it had been so prominently placed, (and that a door opened when I picked it up,) made me think it was important. I took it with me.

Chapter III was a maze, and I was starting to feel like a rat in a laboratory. Perhaps that was just how Mora was treating me, observing how I navigated his realm, and perhaps evaluating me against Miraak. There were a couple more books like the first, "Delving Pincers" and "Prying Orbs", each with a number of Seekers as guards, or distractions. I wasn't sure what Hermaeus Mora was intending from them, other than to slow my progress, so I could be observed for longer.

I'd found a couple of other skill books along the way, but of course nothing that would actually help me until I returned to Solstheim. Alchemy, or Enchanting meant nothing without the apparatus, and here there was nothing but books.

Chapter IV again contained Seekers and confusing pathways that lead nowhere. The ones that did take me forward refused to open until I'd gone in another direction first. Perhaps now Mora was trying my patience. Eventually I found the next book "Gnashing Blades" and a path lead me to a Lurker. I was almost glad to have a change of opponents.

Chapter V took me back to Seekers, and more of the futile dead ends, that had to be visited before the right path would open. Eventually, however, I reached a large room with a central pillar surrounded with empty pedestals. Most of those were guarded by Seekers, and I just knew that I'd have to use the pedestals to progress any further. It turned out that I needed to place the four books I'd found on the right ones to open the next chapter. The images on the pedestals were sufficient clues to get that right, and I moved on.

The final chapter took me to a large open space surrounded by what this realm has for a sea. Two Seekers were guarding a word wall at the other side, so obviously that would be a word I needed. It was the final word of Dragon Aspect, the one I'd guessed would only be available here.

As soon as I'd learned the new word, I naturally came under attack again. This time from a dragon, who'd swooped in from nowhere while I was distracted. I knew that I needed this dragon to take me to where Miraak was hiding from me, so instead of retaliating, I used Bend Will on him. He landed, told me his name was Sahrotaar, and, as I'd hoped, offered to take me to Miraak. I couldn't help reflecting on the similarity with my ride to Skuldhavn, in pursuit of Alduin, and that gave me extra confidence in the eventual outcome.

Sahrotaar was more easily distracted than Ohdaviing had been, and we didn't fly directly. There were a number of Lurkers and Seekers that he wanted to attack on the way.

Eventually, however, we flew up to a tall tower and landed on the top. Two more dragons were perched there, one of which had presumably brought Miraak, as he was waiting for me.

---

I'd been half-expecting Hermaeus Mora to make an appearance to tell the two of us what he expected from our confrontation, but he didn't. Instead I just got a taunting from Miraak, who told me that he'd soon be using my power to return to Solstheim. That because I was in his realm, I was subject to his power, and stood no chance against him.

I could have pointed out that this was Mora's realm, and we were both in the same position, but I didn't. Let him have his delusion, as he'd just come down harder when he saw his mistake.

Combat naturally started with each of us using Dragon Aspect. I think he was surprised that I knew it also, so the psychological advantage there was all mine. And from what I knew of its effects, the combat advantages were in my favour, too. He didn't have as much of a physical attack to be enhanced. He was smaller than I, so it's perhaps not surprising that he preferred magic.

I was glad that I'd chosen to use the Bloodskal Blade, as Miraak kept running away from me, and its ranged damage turned out to be as important as its melee power. I was certainly doing more damage to Miraak than he could do to me, but that wasn't the whole story.

As he weakened, he used something similar to the Become Ethereal shout that I knew. Instead of just pausing the fight for a while, however, it let him regenerate his health - at the expense of one of the dragons around us, who withered to bones as he did so.

I took the opportunity to swig a health potion myself. I hadn't come unprepared. So now we were both back to square one, and Miraak had two dragons left, and I had a lot more potions.

I assumed that Dragon Aspect would last as long for each of us, and probably for the whole time it would take to defeat him. Unless, of course, Miraak had some other unexpected tricks he hadn't shown me.

When Sahrotaar was sacrificed to keep Miraak alive, I began to wonder how I would get to leave. Was this how Hermaeus Mora intended it to end, with Moraak defeated, but myself marooned here, unable to leave? I kept attacking, regardless. I'd cross that bridge (or lack of one) when I got there.

And get there I finally did. Miraak made one last run back to the pool in the middle, where he'd previously used the recovery shout, and I was anticipating some new magic from him. But instead Hermaeus Mora finally made his appearance. A tentacle impaled the cowering Miraak, and raised him up near Mora's floating main eye. Mora told him he didn't need him any more, that he'd found a new Dragonborn to serve him.

Miraak wished me the same fate he was experiencing. A nice gesture of defiance, worthy of one of the Kyn, I thought.

As Miraak died, I experienced the same magical transfer that normally happened when I defeated a dragon. Except that this was somehow larger, passing on the knowledge of all the dragons that had fallen to Miraak. Including, I assumed, Sahrotaar, Knuzikrel, and Relonikiv, the three dragons whose bones now littered this arena.

Mora faded out without any word to me, but a pedestal bearing a black book rose up out of the central pool where Miraak had fallen. It appeared that the book was my portal out. Before I left, however, I wanted to restore the three dragons, especially Sahrotaar, who'd been my transport here, and didn't deserve the treatment he'd received.

As each re-assembled, in that "burning leaf" fashion I'd seen before, they faded from view. They didn't belong in Apocrypha, and had been returned to their own realm.

I picked up Miraak's equipment as proof of his demise. I thought the Skaal would appreciate the extra evidence, even if the termination of Miraak's influence wasn't proof enough. I declined the opportunity to adjust my skills, as I didn't think I'd made any wrong decisions on acquiring the ones I had. I just read the book, and returned.

---

When I emerged back at the Skaal village, I was still wearing the Dragon Aspect aura, which startled the villagers a bit. Frea was eager to hear that Miraak was truly defeated. She told me that she could feel the oneness of the land had returned, but wanted to hear confirmation from me, too.

"A pity that it took my father's sacrifice to achieve that," she reminded me.

I wasn't so sure about that. Before I'd read the book to re-enter Apocrypha, I'd had my doubts about what I'd seen. Hermaeus Mora should not have been able to act that way through a portal. So I acted on my hunch. I shouted "Slen Tiid Vo" at the lifeless Storn, and the villages were suitably amazed when he stood up and shook the snow from his hair.

"How did you know to do that?" he asked me. "Herma-Mora was convinced that I would remain his prisoner, until I revealed the true secrets of the Skaal to him. The ones that exist only in his imagination. But suddenly I find myself returned here."

"The shout I used is all about restoration," I told him. "I'd noticed when I restored the dragons in Apocrypha that it also restored them to the correct Realm, and I hoped it would do the same for you. Mora could not kill you unless you were bound to his Realm by your own choice. As Miraak had once foolishly allowed, in his greed for power.

"What we saw when you read the book was just an illusion. Your mind was transported to Apocrypha, but instead of your body simply fading here, he made it appear as if he'd killed you."

"I hope that didn't alarm everyone else too much" Storn responded. "I wasn't aware of what was happening here, just that I was marooned on an island in a corrosive sea with some tentacled beasts guarding me, and rendering me unconscious if I tried to leave. Mora told me he could wait until I gave him a clue as to where the 'true secrets' were written down. If I didn't know them then they must be in some hidden book, he assumed.

"I resigned myself to a very long wait, but it didn't happen that way. And now I can feel that Mora's influence is truly gone. The oneness of the land is restored, which must mean that the Tree Stone is cleansed as well."

"I will go and confirm that," I told him. "The last time I was at Miraak's Temple, I could see the remains of many dragons around the area, but did not have the capacity to restore them. Now Miraak's defeat allows me to do so."

Frea was apprehensive that we were about to replace the threat from Miraak with an equal one from dragons, but her father reassured her. "The dragons are not our enemies. Miraak may have bent their wills and turned some of them against us in the past, but that was not of their own making. We can live in peace with dragons in the sky."

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

Notes: Kothet had seen that defeat in Apocrypha just returns you to the realm you came from. You can't be killed there, as Mora doesn't have that power. Nor should he be able to do so through a portal, or Dagon wouldn't have needed the Mythic Dawn.

Miraak has bound himself to Apocrypha by his own choice, so is subject to Mora's power (of life and death). That he now regrets that decision, and wants out, but it's too late.

He sees when he restores the dragons that "Slen Tiid Vo" returns someone to their rightful realm, so it won't resurrect mortals (who are supposed to go to Sovngarde and other realms when dead) but it will bring back dragons, and presumably banish daedra if needed (there's a simple spell for that). Kothet uses it to pull Storn back to Solstheim before anyone thinks to bury him. Mora created the illusion that he'd died to stop anyone trying to come and rescue him.

This is basically the end of Kothet's story, but I'll probably post an epilogue where he and Zahra chat with Paarthurnax about how everything has changed. If I can just stop re-writing it ...

Posted by: Acadian Aug 28 2017, 07:22 PM

Finally the big battle with the Big Bad - and an epic fight it was! That Kothet figured out how to resurrect dragons and Storn shows keen reasoning and great judgment.

A wonderfully told tale, my friend!

An epilogue where we perhaps catch up with plans for the Fearsome Foursome would be lovely!

Posted by: Renee Sep 11 2017, 02:09 PM

Hey yeah, good point. It's easier for them to use humanoid counterparts in such cases, good point.


Well it feels good to read one of these fan fics in their entirety then. I originally started this one because it whetted my appetite for Skyrim last year, but I got hooked into it quick. Kothet really is in a unique sort of position compared to other dremora, in the sense that he's done so much more than any of them. I'm having trouble picturing Kothet slowing down into some sort of retirement, or other such non-active lifestyles.

This deserves a round of beverages. Cheers!

Posted by: ghastley Sep 20 2017, 04:26 PM

That's a problem for me, too. And my latest SE game has just wandered into Dawnguard quests, and left me thinking that Paarthurnax might be wondering why Durnheviir hasn't turned up yet. In my incomplete epilogue, he's talking to Kothet about all the dragons that were raised on Solstheim, previously victims of Miraak, that are now re-appearing on visits to the mainland. Kothet has been restoring every dragon he comes across, (that's his new job), and D was a major player in his time, if a bit unpopular for his methods.

I'm having troubles with the time-line and the sequence of Valerica/Serana disappearing, and the Dragon Wars. The former was "when there was no Empire in Cyrodiil" and the latter at the end of the Merethic Era. The Alessian Empire got going a couple of centuries into the First Era, and there are later gaps when the Empire fell. The dragons started to disappear after the Dragon Wars (and Alduin not being available to restore them), but it took a long time, and Paarthurnax may have not been the only survivor to hide out of reach.

I need to figure that out to determine Durnheviir's knowledge or otherwise of the Dragon Wars, and Miraak. Since DG was released before DB, he doesn't mention it in-game, just competition among the dov themselves.

So there's a chance I'll fire up Kothet's game again with Dawnguard, and see how he reacts to vampires. Since Zahra is summoned, he should be able to go around with both Serana and Zahra and see how they interact. I expect a lot of "friendly fire" problems with those two, however.