Where Are You Today? Options

[ghastley]

For a newcomer to the Arena, it is the first and most dangerous opponent.

The way it reads, "it" is the Announcer (or maybe the voice). You need to re-establish the ambience, clamour, culture shock, (or whatever) as the current subject, maybe as "that ambience" (or whatever) instead of "it"?

It's not until Skyrim that "The Voice" becomes dangerous.

9/10 - reload and try again.

[Renee]

Nice job Callidus!

[Decrepit]

I've little to report. The gang is about to depart Anvil. They have decided to visit Chorrol and transfer the contents of Groucho's loot pack to their "Champion's Second-Hand Sales and Service" shoppe coffers before returning to Weye. (They also accepted two package deliveries to Chorrol.) Whether they can accomplish the entire Anvil-to-Chorrol-to-Weye trip in one day remains to be seen. If not, they'll likely spend the night at Chorrol's Fighers Guild hall.

[Renee]

I wonder if they can do all that in one day. Sounds like a lot.

----------


Tirdas, Second Seed 13[

Days Passed: 261
Location: Skingrad



Fine, pleasant, late spring day. The party is gathered: Renee Gade III, Felrika, Jada, Array, and newcomer Kendrel, who decided to show up and stick around this time. Everybody gets ready early (before the shops open, even!) and then heads out of town. By mid-afternoon they arrived in Oranstad Township. Pleasant place, out of the way. Decided to stay here a few days.

(really, I'm having problems with all these NPC followers of RG3's. Some of them have a habit of becoming unruly, and have assaulted innocent road-travelers and guards. Despite the fact that I've zeroed out their bounties, guards keep coming up to attack the party. RG3 has to tell everyone to "cool it" over and over {tcai command} which gets annoying. I need to have everybody go somewhere for 3+ days, so hopefully the game's guards all reset themselves.)

Oranstad is awesome because the lady who runs the alchemy shop there recharges items AT ANY TIME. Because of this, Renee was able to get her enchantment-heavy Bane of Kvatch flaming longsword recharged, as well as her Claymore of Burning. Gold went from just over 2,300 to only 591, but this would be good gold spent.

This post has been edited by Renee: Apr 27 2017, 05:08 PM

[Decrepit]

My Oblivion installation has suddenly gone crash-crazy. It black-screens far too frequently, depending on what my avatar and his companions are up to at any given moment. Black-screens oft occur within a few minutes following a save. Twice they occurred during the save process itself, corrupting them. Wrye Bash finds no save bloating. I'm nowhere near an a-bomb. No new mods have been added that need esps/esms. Nor have I updated any such existing mods in some time. Hopefully this will eventually work itself out.

Be that as it may, I managed to observe the gang travel from Anvil to Chorrol and on to Weye, all within a single Nirn day. I questioned my avatar's wisdom in deciding on the Chorrol side-trip rather than riding the Gold straight home, suspecting there couldn't be enough pilferage in Groucho's loot pack to adequately restock their Champion's Second-Hand Sales & Service shoppe coffers ere a cleansing of Rockmilk, which won't occur until an upcoming patrol of the Green to Leyawiin. Turns out he's smarter than me in such matters. He made trip after trip between Groucho and the shoppe receiving bin, to the tune of over 51k adjusted net profit worth of saleable goods. That certainly doesn't compare to a successful Rolkmilk run, but is nothing to sneeze at either. Vil asked to grab a drink at Grey Mare. They stopped there for a quick supper before continuing on their way. This proved something of a disappoint. The inn was out of booze, forcing my avatar to rely on drink from his personal storage pack. Food wasn't an issue, my avatar ordering beef, potato, corn and sweetcake off the inn menu.They arrived home circa 2000, changed into comfy attire, walked to the Lake, and began an evening swim under a crystal clear night sky, capped by a meteor shower.

Alas, the game black-screened not far into their swim. I decided to call it quits.

[mirocu]

@Renee & Decrepit - Sorry to hear your games are acting up. Hopefully the problems will resolve themselves so that you can enjoy your gaming sessions

[Callidus Thorn]

Gideon has too much going on with him for anything short of a fanfic(yeah, I'm gonna take another stab at one, consider yourselves warned ), but it turns out an old friend of mine's found his way back to Cyrodiil:

The Imperial City Waterfront never slept. It was said that as much coin changed hands each night along the Waterfront as in the Market District each day. Along the docks, soldiers of the Legion marched through the streets, grim-faced and with hands never far from weapons, their armour clanking with every step. Sailors at various points along the road to drunkenness made their way from one tavern to the next, looking for their next drink, a warm bed that didn't rock and sway, or a warm body to share it with. Whores displayed their wares on every corner teasing sailors and taunting Legionnaires as they passed. Cutpurses strolled through the streets along the docks, furtive eyes searching for their next mark, fingers flexing to fight off the night's chill. Beggars called for coins, sharp eyes darting from one passerby to the next, noting every detail to pass onto thieves for a few coins.

And in the warren of darkened alleyways that made up the bulk of the Waterfront district, fences spoke in hushed tones to thieves of every description, watched over by their guards. Clubs and maces were readied by shrouded figures waiting in the shadows, to prey on those that crossed their paths, be they lost, drunk, or lured by false promises of illicit pleasures. And dealers of those delights sought to sell their wares before their customers found misfortune, not that they were above separating them from their coins after their dealings were complete.

Even with all this activity, the late-night approach of the Marie Elena did not go unnoticed. The same could not be said, however, for the figure that slipped over the side, sack in hand, with nothing more than a glimpse of moonlight on scales. The figure disappeared beneath the waters, and did not resurface until it crawled out onto the beach just out of sight of the Docks. There he was met by an Orc carrying a pack and a bow, that he placed at his feet as the Argonian approached.

"You the one I'm waiting for?" The Orc's voice was a harsh croak, legacy of a vicious scar across his throat, and he paused to spit before continuing. "I was told yer name."

"I am Sal. And these are your goods." Sal replied, holding out the sack. The Orc took it, gave it a slight shake, brow furrowed in concentration. Satisfied, he nodded and placed the sack at his feet.

"No trouble? If anything's broken in 'ere, it's on you."

An Argonian smile is no more pleasant a sight than an Orcish one, but Sal smiled anyway. "Slow and clumsy slaughterfish are no match for an Argonian."

"Good. I got your payment here. One o' them blue bags them mages wear and some other clothes, some food, arrows, and coin. And I got that fine steel bow you asked for." The Oec gestured to the pack on the ground, nodded to Sal, then picked up the sack and walked off. Sal pulled the robe, matching hood, and some doeskin shoes out of the pack and dressed, before making his way to the Waterfront.

The Imperial City awaited.






Huh, that was longer than I'd been expecting

This post has been edited by Callidus Thorn: Apr 30 2017, 03:17 PM

[Decrepit]

Nothing from me, other than that the game now black-screens so frequently it's not worth bothering with. I tried the old three-day sleep trick to no avail. Just while ago I moved all saves made since sometime 22 Apr (when the gang was stopped in Brina Village en route to Anvil) out of the official save directory. That's a couple of saves on the safe side of the final save in which I am positive the problem had not yet materialized. Gonna wake the game at that point later tonight or sometime tomorrow, if I can drum up the courage. Gotta admit I'm scared that this too won't fix whatever is wrong. If it doesn't I've no more ideas to try. At least none comes to mind at the moment.

ADDENDUM: Potential good news. Fired up the game this evening. Watched the gang travel from Brina to Anvil to Benirus Manor (for an evening snap and sleep), to turn in both shipping consignments and breakfast at Count's Arms, to the City Gate, where they now stand. Nothing exciting about any of this, except that the game didn't Black Screen the entire time!!!! The session didn't last long enough to totally confirm the problem has disappeared, I got too late a start, but it's a hopeful sign. Gotta admit I was on pins and needles the entire time. Whenever they'd do something that has been triggering Black Screens I couldn't help but close me eyes for fear of seeing it happen again...as if doing so would make a difference...LOL.

A worry. Black Screen crashes might be solved, but that doesn't remove the possibility that they will occur again. Whatever triggered them before set in either during the ride from Anvil to Chorrol or immediately thereafter. They still have that ride to make. I gotta hope that whatever caused the crash epidemic was a one time fluke and won't repeat itself. Heh

This post has been edited by Decrepit: May 3 2017, 03:31 AM

[mirocu]

Fingers crossed, Decrepit!

This post has been edited by mirocu: May 3 2017, 05:48 PM

[Renee]

Ha! I knew it was Sal the Argonian! What is he up to now?

Decrepit: I think I had a black screen problem happening in one of my games. I believe I also found a solution to my problem. I'll have to look it all up later though, because I'm not at my home computer. One thing I've been doing right over these past 4 years is any time I have a problem, I've been documenting whatever I did to fix it.

@Renee & Decrepit - Sorry to hear your games are acting up. Hopefully the problems will resolve themselves so that you can enjoy your gaming sessions

Oh it was no prob. All I had to do was have RG3's party hole up for 3 days in that inn, so the respawn timer could do its thing. Problem solved, ha ha.

[Callidus Thorn]

Ha! I knew it was Sal the Argonian! What is he up to now?

Funny you should ask...


The Waterfront was a confusing place for Sal. Cyrodiil was the heart of the Empire, a place he'd never seen before, yet for all it's supposed wealth and pride it seemed so very similar to what he had seen of Morrowind. The settlements of the Great Houses had been replaced by the ancient stone of the Imperial City, but beyond the walls lay the same squalor, the same crimes, the same desperate struggle to see the next sunrise. People, it seemed to Sal, were the same, no matter where he went. These living along the Waterfront may not have been slaves, but had they any more freedom than he himself had once had?

Spotting a beggar nearby, a hunchbacked Imperial with ragged sackcloth clothes and straggly grey hair, Sal sat down beside him, doing his best to ignore the stench, and drew a few coins from his coinpouch. The beggar's eyes lit up at the sight of them, more coin than he's likely see in an entire week, even if he were fortunate. "Tell me something," Sal hissed "I wish to find a place to stay for the night, one where questions will not be asked. Where could I find such a place?"

The beggar dragged his gaze from the coins in Sal's hand. "The Tiber Septim Hotel asks no questions, if you've the coin to pay for it. But most what pass through the city quietly head for the Elven Gardens District. Luther Broad's Boarding House sees plenny o' people, and the innkeeper don't ask questions. Some say there's those what pay him not to. It's got so's the Legion doesn't even bother to keep an eye on him anymore."

Sal dropped the coins into the beggar's outstretched hands, rose to his feet with a single, fluid bound, and walked away without so much as a backward glance. Had he bothered to do so, he might have seen the hooded figure that stepped from the shadowed mouth of a nearby alley, and dropped a pouch of coins at the beggar's feet as he passed.

[Renee]

Uh oh.

-----------


Morndas, Second Seed 22

After several days in Oranstad (necessary to make the game reset all its cells, haha), the party now heads back to the Imperial City. They start early, just as the sun is rising. The weather becomes warmer throughout the day, to the point that it feels hot & dry (sort of like summer in my imagination) by the time everybody reaches the Imperial City.

Renee leaves three of her followers at her Maple Cottage home, and eventually returns to Roland Jenseric, who was glad to hear that the three vampire leaders in the Skingrad area have been slain. RG3 then sold an entire sack-full of vampire dusts, 19 of them in all.

"Excellent. Another vampire has been slain. Here's your reward." (....repeat that 19 times, lolz!!!).

Next place the Order wants Renee and her gang to go will be to Water's Edge, south of Bravil. Apparently, a farmer down there was found slain and naked in his home, and the locals suspect that some blood-sucking monsters are the culprits.

[Acadian]

Decrepit - I hope your black screens remain at bay.

CT - Sal the Argonian? I have visions of friend Renee renaming him Sal A. Mander. Oooh, a mysterious stranger.

Renee - Lolz indeed on the vampire dust dialoguex19. Reminds me of Count Leyawiin when you bring him a large batch of black bows.

[mirocu]

After visiting Skingrad again, Lothran went north to the Colovian Highlands and he's currently back in Chorrol in search for ingredients and for the nice surroundings.

He made sure to stop by Pillaged Mine to practice some population control on the local goblins. A combination of heavy attack spells, arrows and Spriggan took care of them nicely




Edited for bad wording

This post has been edited by mirocu: May 5 2017, 09:28 PM

[Renee]

"population control"

Lolz indeed on the vampire dust dialoguex19. Reminds me of Count Leyawiin when you bring him a large batch of black bows.

Yeah totally. I usually sit there and giggle the entire time Roland dispenses his money for each batch of dust he collects.

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

Morning, Sun's Dusk 14, 3rd Era 434

Days Passed: 80
Level: ...... 5
Fame: 1
Infamy: 0


"Speak while the sands are warm."

"Oh, I wish you could have been there, S'kasa. You could have gone with. The divine satisfaction of erasing and banishment, you with your bow, me ... my magics and fiery sword."

"Have you been to Rosentia Gallenus's house recently? Smells horrible ... like she left some meat out to spoil."

"Noted. Well, per'aps next time, eh?"

Joan of Arkay awakes from the bed she's been sharing in the Fighters Guild with S'kasa, an archer Khajiit who would make a perfect backup-companion, if she'd ever leave the dratted place. The day before, Joanie returned to Leyawiin from Fort Redman. Being an agent of Arkay, Joanie tries to do whatever she can to rid the menace of undead, freeing these miscreants from their eternal unlife.

It doesn't hurt though that in the final boss chest of this lair, she found yet another magical ring, this one granting its user a bonus of better hand-to-hand combat. Since Joan has no use for such a ring, she sold it to Gundalas for a tidy 330 gold. Even after all the looting and delving done by other Third Era adventurers over the past year, there are still nice, salable treasures like this to be found.

Her real quest down here in Leyawiin though is to find Deepscorn Hollow, a place which Joan had scribbled about in her journal for some reason. Something about a long-lost relative.

"Could you accompany me, S'kasa? Your bow would become a mighty asset, for scribings and tales of Deepscorn Hollow are few; I have not the knowledge of what I might uncover."

"Good hunting," S'kasa answers, apparently uninterested.

This post has been edited by Renee: May 6 2017, 04:51 PM

[Decrepit]

My decrepit avatar, his ward and Groucho are about to exit Chorrol, reclaim their mounts and Wolfgang at the City Stables, and ride the Black to Weye.

I began observing them as they exited Anvil, battled an inept assassin at that city's stables, rode to Chorrol, stocked their Champion's Second-Hard Sales and Service shoppe coffers with loot amassed during recent road patrols, and grabbed a quick casual early supper at the Oak and Crosier. (My avatar had a Beef & Leek Savory Pie, an ear of corn and bread, washed down with Lady Blue Lager. Vil ordered on her own.) They hope to be home in time for an evening swim before bedtime.

(I keep this short if not sweet, having observed this exact journey not long ago, prior to too-frequent black-screen crashes forcing me delete a number of saves. I am happy to report that, if this session is any indication, the issue, whatever is was, is resolved.)

[mirocu]

My decrepit avatar, his ward and Groucho are about to exit Chorrol, reclaim their mounts and Wolfgang at the City Stables, and ride the Black to Weye.

Blimey, it really does seem like Lothran and your gang has joined forces for lo and behold, my Dunmer has just left Chorrol unexpectedly and is currently back in the Imperial City. And last time they left Anvil at the same time, what forces are at play here??

[Decrepit]

Again not much to report. The gang made good time between Chorrol and Weye, arriving home in time for a quick evening snack at the Wawnet and a swim in Lake Rumare before turning in. (It was well they weren't overly hungry. Wawnet has to be one of Cyrodiil's most consistently under-stocked inns. My avatar had to settle for no-label mead and a sweetroll. No big deal, they having consumed a decent meal in Chorrol not long before. But still...)

They have decided to devote the bulk of their day to cleansing at least one the Imperial Isle's cave systems. My avatar meant them to breakfast at Wayshrine Tavern en route, but as Vil wasn't hungry they marched straight to Dzonot, entering just before I left them.

I wonder if they can do all that [ride from Anvil to Chorrol, do business in Chorrol, ride to Weye] in one day. Sounds like a lot.

With timescale at "10" they can, even at a walking pace, depending on what sort of time they make on the road and what needs to be done in Chorrol.

[mirocu]

Lothran is currently roaming the Heartlands and more specifically just south of the Imperial City. He's having some fun antagonizing the local riff-raff in his usual way. The sky is overcast and I have to say, it's something very soothing and inspirational about that kind of weather

[Acadian]

Mirocu - I know exactly what you mean - especially with that wonderful in-game music in the background.