Today in Cyrodiil, spoilers version, TES: 4 Oblivion character accounts & stories Options

[Lena Wolf]

“Ayrn à Valenwood haes gaen awa’;
Wolf prowls in the city of the upright cats;
White Haired one holds Bruma safely in his hand.”

Well, someone has got to keep an eye on all those wild kids! Always good to know.

[Renee]

"It’s been raining and the water has risen up to the door stoop." -- Sounds like you've got the Better Cities option for flooding in Leyawiin!

That's neat how those ladies show up one by one like that. What is Karrizy holding in her hand? Looks like a light source?

[Lena Wolf]

"It’s been raining and the water has risen up to the door stoop." -- Sounds like you've got the Better Cities option for flooding in Leyawiin!

I thought it must have been intentional somehow. But the same thing happened in my game once - Leyawiin was half-flooded, and I didn't have Better Cities. Turned out, it was a bug introduced by the Anvil Bay Extension mod (WTF? Anvil!). So I had to install pumps and get it cleared (err, go into the CS and fix Anvil Bay Extension ).

[macole]

"It’s been raining and the water has risen up to the door stoop." -- Sounds like you've got the Better Cities option for flooding in Leyawiin!

That's neat how those ladies show up one by one like that. What is Karrizy holding in her hand? Looks like a light source?

Yes, it is the Leyawiin Better Cities Flooded option. I always thought of Leyawiin as being like New Orleans. I would have preffered a more marshy delta region but can't have every thing.

The only issue I have with Better Citites Leyawiin is the plyer's home sits in the slums and right at the edge of the flooded area.

Karrizy is holding potion bottles that are reflecting light from the torches Pym and Elenya carry. Could it be that we caught Karrizy mixing up a potent batch of skooma? Probably.

This post has been edited by macole: Jan 11 2022, 07:13 PM

[macole]

20220113 ElsweyrAnequina SmallQuest15 "The Pasiphae Syndrome"
“Some shortcut, warm sands my eye! Sand gets under everything,” Kaleah complained as she constantly readjusted her outfit.

She’s right. What should have been a quick trip through Elsweyr Anequina started off well. The road east from Rimmen was well maintained, fast and easy to travel until we reached the abandoned Fort Valley Guard at the edge of the Saimisil Savannah. Here we made the mistake of trying to avoid the heat of the desert by head north through the mountain forests.

We hadn’t gone very far at all when we came across a small camp, Treeshadow Camp. Thinking the camp abandoned we each took a tent for the night. Around 2:30am the owners of the camp returned demanding their tents back. A brief discussion ensued.

While searching the bodies of the late smugglers Elenya grabbed my arm preventing me from pocketing a bottle of skooma. Elenya sternly warned, “No, that’s an instant bounty here in Elsweyr!”

A smuggler’s camp sitting in plain view of an Imperial fort, abandoned or not, kind of put a damper on a peaceful stroll through the woods. Perhaps it would be less stressful to leave the mountains. We turned west into the Saimisil Savannah eventually finding ourselves standing in Orcrest.

“I know, best laid plans o mice and men gang aft agley” I answered Kaleah. “Might as well make the best of it and check in on Eloine. It shouldn’t take long and then we’ll be on our way.”

Well what do you know? Eloine’s little rendezvous with the Minotaur has turned into a serious romance. They want to get married. There’s only one little detail, Eloine hasn’t told her father, yet. She’s afraid of how her father will react, and has asked me to speak to him on her behalf.

It’s a family matter and I know I shouldn’t get involved. I consider say no and moving on but my Ladies are swooning over the love story. Thinking ahead of many long cold nights should I say no? I relent. We’ll try and persuade Salaun that the marriage is a good idea.

As I anticipated Salaun Brigette was outraged. He swore he would never ever let his beloved daughter dishonor the family by marrying a beast. At first he wanted us to dispose of the minotaur. He offered us a reward should we murder the beast.

That we would not agree to. With a calming influence my Ladies and I charmed him sufficiently to where Salaun hung his head saying that he would pray to the Nine to save her perverted soul.

Seeming to be a religious devout man perhaps all I need to do is to somehow prove to him that this marriage is not as unnatural as it seems. Perhaps I should consult a priest to find out if there is any sort of precedent or religious objections for this strange marriage.

Our first thought was to ask Gra-uush Bonekeeper of the Shrine of Malauch just outside Orcrest.

“Go find a human priest for the human gods!” Gra-uush spat. Oh, did he give us an earful. Malauch will have nothing to do with the perversions of man.

Hoping we wouldn’t have to go all the way to Cyrodiil to find a priest of the Nine we searched around Orcrest first. Lucky Sai led us to Brother Lapeo’s small chapel.

Brother Lapeo told us the tale of Saint Alessia's love for Morihaus the bull. This story appears to sanction Eloine's strange desires. He has also agreed to discuss the matter with Salaun. In the meantime Brother Lapeo requested that I travel to Riverkeep Fort and obtain an authorized church copy of the book A Song of Pelinal, v5. This volume contains a rare account of Alessia's love for the divine bull.

“Riverkeep Fort? There’s nothing in Riverkeep Fort?” I murmured as we left Orcrest.

The wistful dreamy look on the faces of Kaleah and Pym broke.

“You better not be saying you forgot our night under the stars up on the roof of Riverkeep Fort!” Kaleah demanded.

“No… I… um…“ I stammered under the baleful gaze of Kaleah and Pym. “I just meant to say that I don’t remember a chapel being there.”

“Ah, my Jandaga you’ve really stepped in this time,” laughed Elenya.

The way Pym and Kaleah turned and stomped out of the gates of Orcrest said it loud and clear. One doesn’t need to be a mystic to foresee many nights of sleeping alone on cold stone floors.

The trip to Riverkeep Fort went by without further incident. The clear blue skies and sun drenched warm sands of Elswyr seem to ease everyone’s spirits.

Arriving at Riverkeep Fort we found the priest of the Fort’s chapel, Municia Bellisarius. When we described the situation Municia allowed us to take her copy of the book, A Song of Pelinal, vol5.

“Tell Brother Lapeo that I will look forward to him personally returning it to me,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Returning to Orcrest we ran into Salaun Bridgette while on the way to Brother Lapeo’s chapel. Eloine’s father has already talked to by Brother Lapeo but he is still not happy about the marriage. Giving him the book and after reading about Saint Allessia’s love affair Salaam gives in to the marriage.

His once proud stance slumped as he said, “If the Church approves and this book proves it, then there is little I can do. I will not stand in the way of Eloine's marriage. You can tell her she can pack her things and move out.”

After delivering Municia’s message to Brother Lapeo we informed Eloine of the good news. As a reward Eloine gave us an old treasure map left to her by her mother's father. Oh well, we’ve already stayed in Elsweyr longer than anticipated one more day won’t make that much difference.

We set off to follow the treasure map.

This post has been edited by macole: Jan 13 2022, 11:11 PM

[Acadian]

Buffy well remembers those Elsweryian sandstorms!

Playing match maker it is. Clever to reference Morihous and St Alessia to help assuage daddy a bit.

[macole]

20220119 a Hidden Cave, KotN Faithful Squire
Eloine’s treasure map led us to a small Hidden Cave in the Alabaster Hills.

Entering a room defended by a ghostly pahmar tomb guardian we discovered a skeleton lying-in-state on a stone catafalque. Without a tail the skeleton certainly was not Khajiit. It was quite possibly a Breton, Elenya thought.

Laid out with the skeleton were several items; two giant talons from some unknown beast, a Khajiit hunting dagger, a Khajiit tribal shield, a enchanted bonemold helmet of Morrowind origin, and a shock enchanted Khajiit sword named Manslayer.

Who was this Breton to have been interned with such trophies? And just how did he get them? Will he suffer shame from his granddaughter’s wedding? We may never get the answers.

We left Hidden Cave taking the road up through Elsweyr. This time though we passed Orcrest by; not stopping until we reached Riverhold. Spent a night at the inn and set out for Cyrodiil early the following morning after breakfast.

Talking to the publican of the inn we mentioned that we had notice a new bridge.

“Yeah,” he said. “A mahout lost control of his mount. This big and when I say big mean really huge bull elephant kept banging its head on the crossbar support. The elephant got frustrated and lost went on a rampage. The bridge was ripped to splinters before the mahout regained control. The crown hired a bridge builder from the far north, someone used to dealing with mammoths I think, to reconstruct the bridge. Been working pretty good ever since.

From Riverhold we traveled to the Priory of the Nine. There’s been some changes made to the Priory of the Nonsense, um I mean Priory of the Nine, since the last time we visited. It seems all sorts of wannabe knights are showing up to offer their services.

We had barely stepped foot into the Priory when a young Redguard announced himself as the squire to the late Sir Roderic, hero of the War of the Bend'r-Mahk. He told us the tale of his lord’s quest to put the ghost of Sir Berich Vlindrel to rest.

During their travels they learned Sir Berich was last been seen entering Underpall Cave where they discovered the crypt of Lord Vlindrel in the Reflecting Chamber. They found the Greaves of the Crusader in the crypt but not the Sword of the Crusader. The sword found them when the cursed wraith of Lord Berich Vlindrel attacked wielding the Sword of the Crusader. Sir Roderic perished in the ensuing battle.

Sir Roderic’s final order to this faithful squire was to flee to the Priory of the Nine with the Greaves of the Crusader, which he did. Surrendering the greaves to me, Lathon asked to accompany us to Underpall Cave to avenge his lord.

Underpall Cave of all places. We told Lathon we had seen this tomb of which he spoke when we cleansed Underpall Cave of vampires some time ago. I wiped a tear from my eye as I recalled the vision of the most beautiful vampire I’d ever seen.

Feeling somewhat responsible we apologized for missing the wraith of Lord Berich Vlindrel when we cleansed the cave of vampires. Sir Roderic may still be with us today had we been more diligent. For that and against my better judgment I might add. I granted Squire Lathon’s boon to accompany us to Underpall Cave.

Traveling with Lathon was tedious. He kept dismounting to fight every creature we came across. Tired of the annoyance we gave up and traveled quickly to the cave hoping he would catch up.

Arriving at Underpall Cave early in the afternoon we waited for Lathon. Waking up the following morning we were eating breakfast when we saw Lathon riding up the mountain.

“What’s cooking?” Lathon asked as he dismounted.

Frustrated by his lackadaisical attitude I laid into him, “I’m already beginning to regret bring you here! It’s a squire’s duty to tend to the camp. I let you wear the armor but until you prove yourself to me you’re still a squire. Got it? Good! So get our gear ready and be quick about it.”

I had to chuckle as I watched my Ladies tease Lathon as he laid out their armor. Kaleah’s silky soft voice commenting on his technique as he polished her breast plate didn’t help Lathon’s complexion any.

When all was ready we entered the cave. Unlike the first time when vampires lurked around every corner, all was quiet. Well except for Lathon’s constant cries of “For Sir Roderic” every time he saw a rat.

Knowing the layout of Underpall we went straight away to the Reflecting Chamber and the tomb of Lord Vlindrel.
There we found the body of Sir Roderic. The sword was missing. Cautiously we entered the large chamber with the reflecting pool.

The cursed wraith of Lord Berich Vlindrel and his five spectral attendants attacked almost immediately. The battle was fierce but ended in our favor without any casualties and a search of the battle ground yielded the Sword of the Crusader.

Inspecting the sword Elenya pronounced her judgment, “Evil! Its balance will need to be restored at the altar of Arkay in Cheydinhal.”

On our way out of Underpall we were met by a courier who delivered a message from Kvatch. They want us to return as soon as possible.

For his service I declared Lathon a Knight and sent him off to the Priory of the Nine while the Ladies and I take the sword to Cheydinhal.

Why my word alone is good enough for the Priory of the Nine to accept Lathon as a Knight I don't know but it is. Doesn’t make any sense to me.

edit for Kvatch clarity

This post has been edited by macole: Jan 19 2022, 07:23 PM

[Acadian]

The Elsweyr mod did a great job with pahmer.

Polishing Kaleah’s breast plate doesn’t sound like such bad squire duty.

Poor Sir Roderic.

[Lena Wolf]

Loved the story of the elephant in Riverhold! We were rather dismayed seeing it ourselves, I must say. How did the elephant get onto that bridge in the first place since both ends had those supports in place? It's a mystery. Hauk's theory was it was the rat. The elephant saw a rat on the bridge, so it ducked under the bridge end, stomped on the rat, then straightened up and found itself trapped. Poor thing. Yeah, it did go on a rampage afterwards... Phew.

I see the Jandaga and the ladies are still having fun with the wannabe knights. Kaleah must be allowed some fun, I think! Polishing the breastplate, indeed. Was she wearing it at the time? Well, good luck to you with the rest of it - the knights only get more and more obnoxious as the quest progresses! But you remember that, of course.

Oh, by the way. There is apparently a vampire hunter in Dune wishing to outsource his activities. We found his request in the chest of odd jobs at Under the Influence. He even wanted a subscription! Of course Lena had to go hunting - that infestation of rampant vampires under Dune had to be brought under control. They were definitely not civilised. Just saying.

[Renee]

Who was this Breton to have been interned with such trophies? And just how did he get them? Will he suffer shame from his granddaughter’s wedding? We may never get the answers.

I often do this too. Wonder who somebody was / who built this fascinating room / who painted that artwork?

I remember Lathon! Yeah, that guy is frustrating!

[macole]

20220125 Rumple, VH-OVB Night on Bald Mountain
“Are the Knights of the Nine all like that?” Kaleah asked as we walked along in the direction of Chorrol.

“Like what?”

“Obnoxious,” Kaleah answered. “I mean Lathon was using marshmallow crème to polish my cuirass! At least I wasn’t wearing it. What was he thinking… no don’t answer that.”

“Yeah I know, myself I’d prefer banana cream. Anyways, it does confirm that as a succubus you still got what it takes.”

Kaleah’s hand shot out to give me a whack but stop short as she exclaimed, “Oh!”

Kaleah threw back her shoulders and with head held high proudly strutted along the road to Chorrol.

A brief lunch break on the banks of small lake near Shadow’s Rest Cave gave some time to relax and enjoy the soothing sound of the waterfall. During our discussions on the location of the vampires that are plaguing Chorrol the same question kept coming up, “what do we know about this place?” Other than being ‘high on a mountain top overlooking Chorrol’ we didn’t have a clue.

Sancre Tor and Cloud Top came to mind. My first thought was to go the Chorrol first, ask around and see what flushes out. The Ladies weren’t keen on the idea of going all the way to Chorrol only to possibly come all the way back to Sancre Tor, which is right above us.

What better place for a vampire to hide than a cursed ruin full of undead. We decided to investigate there first.
By the number of undead roaming around outside of Sancre Tor we had high expectations. Once inside though things changed. There were about a dozen or so ghosts and wraiths floating about in the dusty halls and that was it. Sancre Tor turned out to be a dead end, not one vampire!

What do we do now? The thrill of adventure had taken hold and all thought of going to Chorrol had disappeared. Our second candidate for investigation was Cloud Top. I wasn’t too thrilled with Cloud Top. The area is too much in the open to satisfy vampires. They like it dark and dusty.

Elenya pulled out her map and we gathered around to study it. There are areas in the mountain peaks above Cloud Top that we haven’t explored, perhaps we should?

Best way to do that by the map would be make a short trip east and then head up to the northern trail that runs past Hermaeus Mora’s shrine. Doing that, we were soon traveling west on the northern trail. It was cold this close to the Skyrim border and a recent snow made footing treacherous as we passed Mora’s shrine. It wasn’t until we came to a T-junction and we turned south to descend into Colovia that the trail became less treacherous.

The snow had given away to hard rocky ground as we descended when we came upon Unna, a Bear Rider patrolling the trail. She had dismounted for some reason and was now having difficulty getting her bear to stand still long enough for her to remount.

We stopped to ask her if she knew anything about vampires threatening Chorrol. Unna doesn’t patrol that far south so she knew nothing about that. To thank her I gave her a goose, err boost-up to help her up on her big white bear.

“Such warm hands on a chilly day are a treat deserving of reward. Follow me, I know a place,” Unna cooed.

We followed Unna down the mountain trail until we came to the T-junction. Turning off the southern trail Unna took us westward up toward another steep mountain peak.

How many times have we passed by here and not taken this trail west? The higher we climbed this steep rocky trail the more it began to show signs of white marble chips mixed amongst the ordinary brown stone. The chips gave way to large slabs recognizable as Ayleid construction.

“This is as far as I go. Lipsand Tarn lies ahead,” Unna said pointing up the trail. “Good luck, you’ll need it.”

It was still a long climb up the deteriorating Ayleid stairway before we found ourselves starring at the Bird and Mer statue rising up above the gates of the ancient Ayleid ruin, Lipsand Tarn.

“I know the legend of this place, Pa told me the tales that had been handed down through the generations that spoke of birdmen that once lived here long before the Altmer arrived.”

In silent awe we stood there trying to imagine a Birdman stepping out onto his roost, spreading his wings, and soaring high above the valley below. Sad to think of how life must have been before the Altmer came and drove them from their nests. Gone to the wild, harpies are all that is left of what once was. Topal came as a friend, his fellow countrymer would come later as invaders.

Kaleah broke our trance when in a hushed voice she declared, “This must be the place. It simply reeks of vampires.”

We pushed the gate open and entered Lipsand Tarn.

[Lena Wolf]

Banana creme? Ok.
Lipsand Tarn awaits! I hear harpies have vampiric tendencies too, how very befitting. Geralt always gets worked up about them. Or may be it's their attire that is to blame... who could tell. But harpies are all but gone from Tamriel, are they not?

[Acadian]

Unna the bear rider! Ghastley introduced us to her years ago, and great to see her again!

Nice take on the history of Lipsand Tarn.

Well, it smells encouraging at least. Uh, for vampire hunters that is.

[macole]

Lena: Maskar’s adds harpies all over the place but they appear most often in the Colovian Highlands.
Acadian: Ghastley’s mods do add some atmosphere to the game. And as for my take on the history of Lipsand Tarn and Tamriel in general I like reading the thoughts of others as long as there is no whose right and whose wrong argument going on.

20220125
(At some distant time in an Elsweyr caravanserai, a fantasy game of Arena – Battle of Heroes was just starting.)

A heated discussion was raging at the Arena - Battle of Heroes gaming table as players placed their bets on their chosen combatant. The boastings of whom could best whom was getting loud and animated when a male Pahmar-raht strolled in on all fours as Pahmar are want to do when at ease with themselves.

Hearing part of the discussion the Pahmar-raht rose up on two legs showing his true height and impressive physique.

“The Aelf lord is nothing without his ladies!” he roared loud enough to shake the caravanserai walls. Challenge issued he slammed a stack of coin on the table. Ignoring the safer bet of Wolf/Hauk he placed the stack all on Hauk.

The beautiful Ohmes-raht female that accompanied the Pahmar-raht blushed, hugged herself with arms and tail, swayed back and forth, and with a dreamy voice she purred, “But insult any of his Ladies and Ladies will watch as Khajiit quickly relearns all the manners Khajiit’s mom tried to teach.”

As if remembering old injuries, the big Pahmar-raht slumped down to the floor, buried his nose in his forepaws and whimpered like a kitten.

The gaming table nearly tipped over as stacks of coin shifted.

[Lena Wolf]

Ignoring the safer bet of Wolf/Hauk he placed the stack all on Hauk.

Hauk versus Kaleah... Oooooh!!!

The crowd exploded in an applause. They started circling each other - let's dance!

"What does Hauk's tattoo actually mean?" - a female Khajiit asked her companion, her drooling noticeable even in the dark.

"Well" - he moved his elbow a little further away from her, - "the one on his back looks like wings, the one on his chest looks like a ribcage, but they are one and the same. That's no angel."

"Kaleah has wings too" - a Dunmer moved his chair closer. "That's not an angel either."

"And the rest?" - the female Khajiit wasn't taking her eyes off Hauk. "An all-seeing eye, that's obvious - he's a mage" - she noted, clicking her tongue. "But what's that red star on his left side?"

"He got stabbed there, they say" - the male Khajiit said very quietly. "And died. Then returned from the dead."

"No!!" - the female Khajiit and the Dunmer exclaimed in unison. "No one returns from the dead!"

"But he did" - the male Khajiit nodded assuredly. "Someone went to fetch him from the Void before he got to Sovngarde."

"Who?" - the Dunmer moved closer still.

"Who do you think?" - the Khajiit smirked and left it at that.

"All right" - the female wasn't interested in the "who" question. "What's with the bracelet around his right arm then?"

"Oh that" - her companion got another jug of mazte. "That's just a Nord thing. His nickname, you know - The Animal. That's what it means. It's from the war."

Hauk and Kaleah started exchanging warning shots. A flash of light here, a fireball there, nothing out of the ordinary. They were keeping eye contact, and that seemed to be what kept the balance. Then, with a flick of her wrist Kaleah threw off her upper armour, if you could call it that. Hauk's concentration was broken, his gaze instantly shifting down. A shock bolt got him right in the star, and he rolled on the ground, but got up, steadying himself on his sword.

The audience was extatic. It was hard to tell whether it was the fight or the view that got them there, but this show was without compare!

"All right" - Hauk mouthed to Kaleah. "You want to play dirty, then. You're on, Seducer!" He snapped his fingers summoning a Xivilai.

"Oooooh!!!" - the public exploded in applause again. A Xivilai wasn't a common sight at the arena. He ran his fingers along his body, smoothed his hair and turned to Kaleah.

"Hello, sweetheart" - he whispered, but everyone heard him. "I've got a present for you!" His battleaxe was fast, he used it as a pole. Kaleah stumbled.

"Oh no, you don't!" - she screamed, bearing her fangs. "Not this time, darling!" She hissed, and a slender creature appeared before her. "Go get him" - she prodded it. A Hunger jumped on the Xivilai, a battle ensued, and soon both were banished.

"Well, it's you and me now, precious" - Hauk looked Kaleah in the eye. "Your charms have reached their limit."

A good sword fight was always welcome at the arena, and a good sword fight was what the public was getting now. These were seasoned fighters, each with a different style, but both relentless and equally matched. They were wearing each other out, they were both wounded and bleeding, something had to give soon.

"So, his back tattoo is really the same as his chest tattoo" - the female Khajiit was still talking about that. "But what do they mean exactly?" She shot a quick glance at her companion, not wishing to miss any of the action in the arena.

"They say each line stands for a dead enemy" - the Khajiit said, not taking his eyes off the fight. "And it looks like he's going to add another line tonight."

Kaleah was losing. She made a mistake and got a deep wound that was draining her strength. But this Seducer wasn't done yet - she had wings. She soared into the sky and came crushing down on Hauk from above. Did she grow talons all of a sudden? Or did she always have talons hidden in those high heeled boots? Or was it all just an illusion?

When the dust settled, the public saw a Nord on his back and a winged Seducer on top of him in the middle of the arena. Were they both dead?

"No, I'm not dead" - they heard the Nord's voice as he rolled over, turning the Seducer onto her back. "How do you fold those wings so they don't break? That would be a pity." He grinned, and Kaleah grinned back.

"I don't" - she said. "I open them and fly away."

When the dust settled again, the arena was empty.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Jan 25 2022, 09:46 PM

[macole]

Hauk versus Kaleah... Oooooh!!!

A young couple robed and hooded entered the gaming floor as the combatants were being announced. One would think they were just an ordinary couple out on a date. But a closer look at their finely tailored clothing and one knew otherwise. Their attire spoke of great wealth, which in turn would make many of the patrons of this particular gambling house think here’s an easy mark.

Yet no one seemed to notice them at all. The crowd just simply parted as they moved to the front row. One Altmer mage turned to object as the couple slid past to stand in front of him. The offended Altmer recoiled when he saw the face and eyes underneath the hood. He quickly put some distance between them and quickly turned his attention elsewhere.

Standing silently, they intently watched the match.

“Tas my ghraih,” Pym said. “This is so wrong. 1st-Moir is not well versed in destruction magic. Should of used her bow, Hatred’s Soul. Where is her bow? She’s faster than that Lego-las guy, any day. A couple of hits with those Inferno Arrows would’ve have done him rightly. I tried to teach her that Finger spell you like to use but she doesn’t have your power. A fireball would’ve been better. Why didn’t 1st-Moir use her tail when that nord had her down.”

“Modern dueling rules, dear one.” Goodness, after 200 years of silence Pym gets a voice and now like little child she won’t stop talking. “Death matches have been outlawed and choke holds are forbidden. I’m more concerned about where she took him. She could be in serious danger if she went to a Daedric realm. Lorekhan Inquisitors are ever waiting their chance. Go quickly, gather your moirs, especially the witch Fiona. She may be needed.”

With a tiny pop Pym vanished.

The young, hooded figure thought to himself. “I hope she didn’t go to the 19Voids in the Shivering Isles.” Dealing with Inquisitors would be so much easier than having to explain how the Nord ended up in that Daedric Seducer, Turumerin’s garbage dump. I only know of one who survived that. But then maybe she just took him to one of the south sea islands near Pyandonea. Let the southern heat and humidity take the Nord. He could even boast about how he fought Magnus and survived.”

A smile crossed the Aelf’s face.

“But I had better be ready just in case.”

The smile turned to quiet laugh.

Holding his hands in front of his face he spread his fingers wide. Doors opened and closed as glimpses of space and time turned like pages of a book before him.

“Where have you gone Ka-Ata-Killa?” the Mystwalker asked as he searched the Halls of Possibilities.

[Lena Wolf]

"WHAT?!" - a Breton in her early twenties was showing an unusual propensity for rage. "He did WHAT?!" - she glared at a male Mazken standing before her.

"Well, don't shoot the messenger!" - he protested, instinctively covering his face with his hands. "I only know it because I overheard a couple of drunk grummites commiserating on all the eggs they lost betting on the match. Apparently, they bet on the Seducer, but as both combatants vanished at the end of the match, the management declared a Win of the House, taking all the bets, for either side."

The Breton rolled her eyes.

"Drunk grummites? That's your source?" - she laughed and the Mazken knew that it wasn't a good sign. "What's next - embryonic baliwogs?"

The temperature in the clearing seemed to drop by a few degrees, with low mist wafting in. Such weather changes were not unheard of, but uncommon even in Dementia.

"What are you not telling me?" - the Breton's voice was crystal clear. Swamp tentacles turned to ice with a faint ping and snowflakes replaced fireflies.

"I... well, look here" - the Mazken hesitated. "She made me swear I wouldn't tell." He looked at the Breton apologetically, but didn't waver.

"I have the right to know what the father of my child is getting himself into" - she said slowly, making each word stand on its own. "And where he gets taken to as a result."

"The grummites didn't know that" - the Mazken shook his head. "What are you going to do? It'll be worse than the Tournament of Ten Bloods."

"I have no doubt" - the Breton nodded, smiling, and the snowflakes started to melt. "You stay out of it, she's one of your own. I'll take a different path." She smiled again, and a layer of ice started bracing the surface of the pond. The waters below it looked dark and ominous. The sun dimmed, as more mist filled the air. A scalon jumped out of the pond with a screech, and the ice quickly closed over. The Mazken shivered.

"She'll smell you even if you are made of ice" - he looked dubious, watching the Breton starting to transform.

"I won't be made of ice" - she smiled. "I'll travel under the ice. Then we'll see."

"You've been to the Volkihar again" - the Mazken's face darkened. "Not the best company to keep."

"Perhaps" - a gaunt red-eyed face of the Breton looked younger and older at the same time, it looked ageless. "I am not looking for a fight. But taking your own ice cover with you wherever you go is an excellent idea, you have to admit. Especially if my search takes me South of Pyandonea. He doesn't do well in the heat, I might not have much time."

"Then... what are you planning to do?" - the Mazken's face showed he had an idea, and didn't like it.

"Find him. Pull him out. Avoid another trip to the Void" - the Breton smiled. "He'll be fine under water, he's a mage."

"Well... Be careful" - the Mazken kissed her good-bye, he wasn't bothered by the fangs. "Take Fenris with you, just in case."

"Leyawiin is my first stop" - the Breton nodded and slid through the ice, disappearing into the dark waters below.

[Renee]

Unna the bear rider! Ghastley introduced us to her years ago, and great to see her again!

I remember her too. I knew that name from somewhere, and the fact that she's on a bear as well!

Good luck, Vampire Hunter, you're gonna need it in Lipsand. We have full confidence, of course. And gaming 'round the table is where it's at. That's where all this began. Don't forget the chips & soda.

[Acadian]

Exciting duel between Hauk and Kaleah!

[macole]

Did she grow talons all of a sudden? Or did she always have talons hidden in those high heeled boots? Or was it all just an illusion?

Kaleah's talons are definitely not an illusion as proven by the countless times the Jandaga has had to repair her boots, whether they be leather or armored. A stomp of her foot and the talons will protrude capable of ripping through most everything. Usually happens when she is aggravated with the Jandaga.