Clark in Skyrim, A continued report from across the border. Options

[ghastley]

Acadian: I find Wylandriah knows where her stock of spellbooks is, because she's not using those. It's the things she uses that she's always putting down and forgetting.

And the main quest is getting closer still ...

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

Previously: Gilda had gone off to Irkgnthand, chasing Mercer Frey, with Brynjolf and Karliah. Clark had returned to Whiterun, from where he'd seen dragons fighting at the top of the Throat of the World.

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Part 20 - Dragonsreach

The next morning Clark headed for Dragonsreach. He'd been meaning to talk to Farengar Secret-Fire, the court mage, about the dragons, and now was the perfect opportunity.

Half-way there, a guard came up to him and told him that Jarl Balgruuf wanted to see him. He was summoning all his Thanes to advise him on the latest dragon situation. So the heads of the Grey-Mane and Battle-Born clans would be there, too. Clark recalled that they rarely agreed on anything, so Jarl Balgruuf would be asking him to cast any deciding vote.

---

"Diablita?" There weren't many people you could confuse with the red-skinned, horned, tailed, and hooved woman talking to the Jarl. As far as Clark knew, she was the only example of her race, whatever that was.

"Clark? How are you still alive after all these years?"

Clark worried that now the Jarl would know how old he was, but it occurred to him that Balgruuf would have no idea how much time Diablita was talking about. He ignored her question and asked one of his own.

"What brought you to Skyrim? I thought you and Angeline had settled outside Chorrol."

"You know this woman?" Jarl Balgruuf interrupted.

"Oh, yes," Clark confirmed. "I knew her in Cyrodiil, before I came to Skyrim. Why has she come to your court today? Did you summon her?"

"No, she's the reason I brought all the rest of you here. She wants to use the old dragon trap on the balcony to catch a dragon. I don't see how we can take that risk while the Civil War is still going on. As soon as either side sees we're busy with the dragon, they'll make a move."

"Perhaps I can persuade the Greybeards to host a peace conference," Diablita suggested. "Both sides respect the Greybeards, and regard them as neutral."

"Aye, Dragonborn, they do. But do you have enough influence with the Greybeards? I know that they summoned you to High Hrothgar after you helped Irileth slay the dragon at the watchtower, but I know little of what's happened since."

Did the Jarl really call her Dragonborn? Clark decided he needed a long chat with Diablita, as soon as possible.

Balgruuf wanted the Thanes' opinions on her idea. Clark's vote was for, and he was surprised that it was unanimous. Perhaps everyone did believe in the Greybeards' ability to pull this off. Of course, she'd have to convince General Tullius and Ulfric Stormcloak as well.

Well, they were both men, and Diablita had everything she needed to make a good first impression. Clark remembered the first time he'd met her and her sister, as they climbed out of his basement back in the Imperial City Waterfront. She hadn't changed much in the two hundred years since. Her chains and piercings were gold now, and of finer workmanship, but they were still just about all she wore.

---

When the meeting broke up, Clark and Diablita left together. He needed to find out how she'd become the Dragonborn that everyone had been talking about, ... and everything else that had happened in the last couple of centuries.

"I came to Skyrim to learn mage armour spells," she told him. "You know I don't like covering myself up, and I got tired of trying to adapt regular armour to suit me. When I heard about the magical alternative, I wanted to give it a try."

"When I crossed the border, I got caught up in an Imperial ambush that captured Ulfric Stormcloak. I guess they thought I was part of his group, because they hauled us all off to Helgen to be executed. That all got interrupted by a dragon attacking the town, and some of us got away, including Ulfric, Tullius and his Thalmor advisor, and a Nord called Ralof, who took me down to Riverwood with him. He stayed there, while I came here to warn the Jarl."

"When a second dragon was spotted near the watchtower, the Jarl sent me out with Irileth. I was the only one who'd even seen a dragon before, apart from the guard from the watchtower, so it made sense."

"We killed the dragon, and that was as much the Nords' doing as mine. I absorbed some kind of power from it, and learned to use the Unrelenting Force shout. I'd found the first word on a wall in Bleak Falls Barrow, but I didn't know how to use it before."

"That's when one of the men told me I was Dragonborn. Apparently leaning Thu'ums is hard for normal people, and if you can just absorb them from dragons, it's special."

"So it has nothing to do with your horns, and looking a bit like one?" Clark asked.

"You haven't seen half of it," she responded, and cast a spell. Wings sprouted from her back. Leathery ones, that looked just like a dragons' wings.

"You couldn't do that before. Where did you get that from?"

"Nocturnal gave them to us." Diablita looked sad when she said that. "Angeline, my late half-sister, got some, too. We'd retrieved the Ring of Hircine for her, from a werewolf who was terrorising the Gold Coast, and she noticed me looking enviously at one of her Seducer Guards' wings. Or maybe Angeline doing the same. We agreed on a lot of things, after all."

"I wonder why Nocturnal didn't ask Minx and I to get the ring?" Clark asked.

"I think she said you were in Skyrim at the time. Something about a draugr in a cave, and Nightingales. It didn't make a lot of sense at the time, but then we didn't even know what draugr were back then."

"What happened to Angeline?" he asked.

"Died at a ripe old age, surrounded by her family. Our family, really, as it was always dubious who anybody's father was, so we shared. We settled at Weatherleah with the Jemane twins, and had our matching daughters. Born a few hours apart, just like their mothers. I have no idea which of the twins was Elys' father, and Angeline would have told you the same about her Emelie. Then Angeline had twin boys, who looked a lot like their fathers, except that their hair was as blond as their mother's."

"Since three of the four kids were hers, she tended to stay at home and look after them, while I went out adventuring on my own. And of course, she was a round-ear, and aging faster than I was. The Nords all call me an elf because of my pointed ears, and I seem to have their lifespan, too. I still don't know what I am, so Dragonborn is a good a term as any."

"Most of the children and grandchildren etc. were Angeline's, and there were a lot of twins in the mix. Elys and I were the odd ones out, even though we were always close to our respective siblings, the cousins and so on were more distant. I would take Elys with me on my dungeon-diving trips, and we'd be away from the farm for long periods."

"I think Elys went to High Rock some time before the war with the Aldmeri Dominion. I haven't heard from her in a long time. And Angeline's line are too numerous to track; they'd be all over the continent by now."

"Did you have your wings out when the dragon came to Helgen?" Clark asked. The thought had just struck him that the dragon might have seen them.

"Yes, I have to cast the spell again to retract them, and my hands were bound so I couldn't do that. And I wondered myself if that had anything to do with the dragon coming. But it seemed to be attacking everyone, and I wasn't getting any special attention, so I've discounted that idea."

"It might have got me extra attention from Ralof, but then so might a couple of other things. There was an Imperial soldier who wanted to help me escape, too, but I saw him guiding a child out of the town instead. I wonder where the kid ended up?"

They were almost at the door of Breezehome by this time, and Clark invited Diablita to stay. But she was intent on going to Solitude as quickly as possible. She had to persuade General Tullius to attend the peace conference. Once he'd agreed, she thought Ulfric would have no choice, or he'd be seen as the unreasonable one.

Clark wished her luck, and watched her leave through the main gate.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jan 29 2015, 04:44 AM

[Grits]

That’s so handy, I had no idea that Honeyside came with three portions of void salts to upgrade the Nightingale gear. I guess Allek my Nightingale who lived there must not have been into Smithing.

It was really neat to see the uproar at the Throat of the World from down in Whiterun. Having the main quest in the background is lots of fun.

Oh my gosh, Diablita the Dragonborn, and she has wings!! This is just getting better and better. I loved hearing about her and Angeline’s family in the last couple of centuries.

[Acadian]

And Diablita the Dragonborne enters the story!

Nice job of tying her past, Clark’s past and the Skyrim main storyline all together. And giving her wings! If she can shout and cast in flight, that’s got to be a massive equalizer when fighting dragons.


Nits:
- ’...but it occured to him that Balgruuf would have no idea how much time Diablita was talking about.’ - - Unless it’s a British spelling I’m unfamiliar with, I think you want occurred?
- ’I know that they summoned you to High Hrothgar after you help Irileth slay the dragon...’ - - Here, I’m sure you wanted ‘helped’ instead of ‘help’.
- ’I guess they though I was part of his group,...’ - - Thought vs though.
- ”Apparently leaning Thu'ums is hard for normal people, and if you can just aborb them from dragons, it's special." Learning vs leaning. Absorb vs aborb.

[ghastley]

I thin I ned a keboard that doesn't drop charcters so much.

And a spell-chequer that understands homophones.

[Destri Melarg]

Hey, back again and all caught up.

I agree that keeping the Skyrim main quest in the background is a great idea! It gives the story a richness that it might not have otherwise. I liked Diablita’s narrative of the game’s opening and I like the fact that she gave us some insight into Hadvar’s fate after she decided to follow Ralof. So he backtracked from the barracks door in order to spirit Haming out of the city, eh? That must have been fun with Alduin still flying about.

[ghastley]

Grits:

Alchemy supplies in Honeyside are listed on its wiki page. It also has two of the fire salts that Balimund wants, but it's the expensive way of getting those!

Yes, Diablita is the Dragon born, and we've already established that Gilda becomes TG master, and Brelyna is on her way to becoming Arch-Mage. Clark will only get slightly involved with each of the quest-lines, as is his custom. He'll meet Serana only after the Dawnguard quests are done (by someone else, of course). Diablita has to be the one to go to Solstheim, as that line of quests is only for the Dragonborn, but Clark will visit, with a friend or two, at various times, and get involved in (or just observe) some side-quests. I couldn't pass up an opportunity for Clark to meet Neloth, for example.

Diablita's wings resulted from downloading the Animated Dragon Wings mod to check it out for the Daedra Seducers in Nocturnal's realm. I'd seen them in Victoria's Screenshot thread, and she'd used the same horns I'd used for Diablita (although without any hooves or tail), so she tried them and liked them. They don't let the character fly, but do let them jump higher, and fall softer. There's another mod for flying, and the wings have animations to support it, but I didn't get that one. The spell to sprout or hide them is part of the mod. Hers are retextured to remove an excessive glow, and better match her "outfit".

Acadian:

Diablita's wings aren't strong enough to fly on her own, or she wouldn't need a ride from Ohdaviing (or Sarotaar, once she gets to Solstheim). The "sprout on demand" part is what made me think of the Daedra Seducers from Daggerfall (and Oblivion if you have Evergloam).

Destri:

When you leave Helgen with Ralof, you don't encounter Hadvar on the way, so he must have taken another route out. Since Haming turns up again in the shack of his grandfather Froki, we know he got out. Gunnar Stone-eye is never seen again, so I assume he didn't survive. Adding the two suggests that Hadvar went back for him after failing to find Tullius, who'd already fled.

Both Hadvar and Ralof have to escape Helgen, as they're with you during the CW quests, and you haven't chosen a side yet. The coin-toss put Diablita the Dragonborn with Ralof, although it was biased by Hadvar having the alternative story with Haming.

Having all the quest lines done by someone else is what Clark is all about. He was created in The Gweden Report as "the junior reporter from the Black Horse Courier" to detail the activities of the CoC in my Oblivion mods, and developed into Clark, Earl of Gweden, spy-master to Potentate Ocato. His name was bestowed by the folks here, and worked into the story.

Although he rarely got involved with any vanilla quests, he started to participate in some of my mods' quests along the way, especially the later ones for Nocturnal. His friend Minx had become the Guildmaster of the Cyrodiil Thieves Guild, with a little help from Clark, and she was a partner for some of them.

The mod with Diablita and her sister Angeline never got released, mainly because I wanted voice acting beyond what was possible, but everything they did happened in my game with Clark as the player-character.

Previously: Clark discovered that his old partner Diablita is the Dragonborn, when he met her at Dragonsreach - for the first time in two centuries. She's gone to persuade Tullius and Ulfric to come to a peace conference at High Hrothgar.

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Part 21 - Dragonsreach Balcony

A couple of days later, Gilda arrived from Irkgnthand. She showed Clark a huge gem, one of the Eyes of the Falmer that Mercer Frey had been after. The other one had been sold to Delvin Mallory, but she'd kept this one for herself.

"I take it that Mercer Frey is dead?" Clark asked.

Gilda nodded. "And Karliah and Brynjolf survived. We all had a close call when the chamber flooded, but I found a passage at the top, and we all got out into a cave by the lake. Mercer was already dead at that point. I killed him myself, so I know it. I had to, as he'd made Brynjolf and Karliah fight each other with some spell he cast."

"We all went back to Riften afterward. Karliah wanted to give me her bow as a reward, but of course, I can't use it, so she's keeping it. They're considering making me Guildmaster, once I've done enough thieving jobs to qualify. What do you think, Clark? Should I do those, and take over the guild, or just stop now, and let someone else do it?"

"If Karliah and Brynjolf don't want the job, then it should be yours, if you want it," he told her. "Don't forget about Maven Black-Briar. The Thieves Guild needs a leader that will stand up to her."

"I had forgotten. I was thinking that Mercer Frey was the enemy we had to defeat, but he was just a symptom of the real disease. I have to take the Skeleton Key back to the Twilight Sepulchre in any case. I should speak to Nocturnal when I'm there, and get her advice, too."

---

Before Gilda returned from the Twilight Sepulchre, Clark was summoned again to Dragonsreach. Jarl Balgruuf had returned from the peace conference at High Hrothgar with the Dragonborn, and they were preparing to capture a dragon.

Clark hadn't noticed Balgruuf leaving Whiterun. That wasn't too surprising, as that might have been the cue for a siege. They'd have naturally kept it as secret as possible.

Diablita gave Clark the story. The imperial side had brought Elenwen as an observer, and Jarl Elisif the Fair, and Legate Rikke had accompanied General Tullius from Solitude. Ulfric had brought along Galmar Stone-Fist, Rikke's counterpart in his forces. Balgruuf of course was present as a neutral, and Delphine and Esbern of the Blades were also there as technical advisors on the dragon menace.

Clark was familiar with the Blades as the Imperial bodyguard at the end of the third era. He was aware that they'd taken over espionage after the Red Dragon Club spies had disbanded after Ocato's assassination. But he thought that the Thalmor had wiped them out at the start of the war.

"They're the last two remaining," Diablita told him. "We went to their old Skyrim headquarters at Sky Haven Temple and found it deserted. However, that's where we found Alduin's wall, the history of how he came to this time and place. It's what put us on the path to defeating him."

"The negotiations opened with a nasty confrontation over Elenwen's presence. She made the point that she was there only to make sure the peace treaty didn't conflict with the White Gold Concordat, and would otherwise not interfere. Ulfric's reaction to that was pure hatred of all elves, and having pointed ears myself, I let her stay. I think I was fair to Ulfric's side the rest of the time, but he didn't get off to a good start with me."

"Ulfric demanded control of Markarth, or he wasn't going to sign. We persuaded him to swap it for Winterhold, instead of just having it conceded. And Tullius got reparations for a Stormcloak massacre of civilians. That was an incident I hadn't heard about, and it just confirmed my dislike for Ulfric and the Stormcloaks."

"At that point, both sides were feeling that they'd got a bad deal, which probably proves it was fair, but it nearly stopped the agreement being signed. It wasn't until Esbern made a speech about his research on the dragons that everyone got back on track. He told us that if Alduin wasn't defeated, the whole world could end. That put the Civil War into a different light, and it was quickly agreed that the dragons were more important."

"I was feeling really pleased with the outcome at that point, but then Delphine spoiled it by demanding that I kill Paarthurnax."

"Who's that?" Clark wanted to know.

"He's the dragon who taught the Greybeards, and me, the Way of the Voice. How to use the Thu'um."

"I take it you're not going to do as she asked." Clark remarked.

"Of course not. I ignored her, and went over to talk to Elisif instead. She hadn't said much during the conference, and I was curious why Tullius had brought her. I know she's Jarl of Solitude, and the widow of the late High King Torygg, but she's really not part of Tullius' entourage. Back in Solitude, she lives at the Blue Palace, while Tullius occupies Castle Dour, and there isn't any traffic between them."

"She wasn't sure why he brought her either. She told me that she knew Tullius was only supporting her as Jarl because he wanted a puppet. A strong Jarl would have been replaced by an Imperial governor, and she didn't want that. So she'd acted like a distraught widow as long as she could, and was gradually establishing a new persona as someone who was still learning the job. She'd managed to pass most of the decision making to trusted advisors who were a little further from Tullius' reach, and continued to act like the blond bimbo Tullius expected."

"I told her that she might have revealed more of herself than she intended at the conference. She hadn't said much, but it was well-stated, and showed a greater understanding of the political situation than she might have liked. However, I don't think Ulfric or Tullius was paying any attention to her."

"Elisif told me her greatest asset was that she looked like the dumb blonde that was the Imperial stereotype of Nord women. She flaunts her breasts as much as she can get away with. Not as much as I do, of course; she still has to be the Jarl. Just enough to confirm Tullius' prejudices, and get her dismissed as harmless. And they do distract men's attention from what she's saying."

"I get the impression that she's lonely without Torygg. You should go visit Solitude, Clark. I think you could do some good there."

---

It seemed that Clark was going to be busy in the next few months. If Thongvor Silver-Blood had replaced Igmund as Jarl of Markarth, then the power shift there was going to need some attention. This peace treaty might just have undone everything the death of his brother had achieved. Doubtless the Thalmor presence in Understone Keep would have gone, but what of the other "foreigners"? Thongvor was a "Skyrim for the Nords" type, and the Orcs and the few other elves in the city might be having a hard time. Imperials, Redguards and Bretons, too, if they were too obvious about their race.

And if Diablita was pointing him in the direction of Solitude, he should follow up there too. He'd worked with her long enough to trust her judgement.

---

The business of the moment, though, was the dragon. Diablita had a name - Ohdaviing - that Esbern had found in his researches. The idea was to call it out as a challenge, to see if the dragon responded to his name.

"And what if he comes? How do you bring him down to the trap?"

Diablita told them all about the shout Dragonrend, that she'd learned at the Time Wound atop the Throat of the World. It was a shout powerful enough to bring down Alduin himself. She'd proved that the hard way, battling the elder dragon before he'd fled to Sovngarde.

Balgruuf grew alarmed at that. He'd watched, as they all had, as the lightning and flames had engulfed the top of the mountain. "That was mostly Alduin's doing, and he won't be here," Diablita assured him.

"However, while a lesser dragon than Alduin, Ohdaviing will certainly have his own flames or frost, so non-combatants should not be out on the balcony to watch."

"I think she means you," Balgruuf addressed Farengar, who'd being quietly sidling towards the stairs. The mage sheepishly returned to his quarters.

"Irileth, come with me. The rest of you, wait here." Balgruuf included Clark in that. He wanted all his Thanes safely in the main hall, in case anything went wrong.

---

The whole palace shook as the Dragon and Dragonborn shouted at each other. Then again, as the huge beast landed on the balcony. The rumble of the trap closing seemed peaceful by comparison.

Clark noticed Farengar rushing up the stairs towards the balcony, and decided to follow. If nothing else, he might keep the mage out of trouble.

Diablita was standing in front of the captured dragon, negotiating.

Clark tapped Farengar on the shoulder, startling him. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I just wanted a sample of the beast's scales," he replied. "I may never get a chance like this again."

"The dragon may be trapped, but he's not muzzled. If he breathes fire over you, you certainly won't get any chances. Besides, you can buy some dragon scales from Belethor if you need them."

"Belethor? Where did he get them?"

"Irileth sold them to him. She got them from the dragon that was slain at the watch tower. Some bones, too, if I recall correctly."

Farengar face-palmed. Why hadn't he asked Irileth if there had been any more remains? He'd just assumed that the Dragonborn had absorbed the whole dragon. That was the way the guards had described it, and he hadn't thought to question the details.

The chains rattled above Clark's head, and he turned to see the great yoke being hauled back off the dragon. It seemed that Diablita had persuaded it to fly her to find Alduin. "Take me to Skuldhafn, then" she commanded.

Diablita blew Clark a kiss. "See you when I get back. I might have time for you then."

---

"Where's this Skuldhafn?" Clark asked Balgruuf as they watched Ohdaviing fly off with Diablita riding on his neck.

"I have no idea, but I heard the dragon say there was a portal to Sovngarde there, and it was the only path to reach Alduin. The only way to get there is to fly, and I gather those wings of hers wouldn't be strong enough for that."

"She tells me they're only useful to slow her when she falls, or to help jump across ravines. They don't have the strength for her to lift herself with them." Clark concurred.

[Acadian]

Yay for Elisef! I knew there must be some reason that Buffy and I like her so much. Those innocuous-looking blondes can be full of surprises.

And Diablita Dragonborn is off, on the wings of a dragon, to fight Alduin!

[Grits]

That scene with Odahviing on the balcony is one of my favorites in the game. I’ve imagined what it must look like to the Dragonborn’s follower who gets left behind. I loved seeing it through Clark’s eyes in your story.

Farengar’s antics had me grinning, especially his face-palm moment. How very like a mage.

[ghastley]

Grits: Of course, I only get the option to tell it from Clark's viewpoint here, as that's the theme I've constrained myself to using. How much Diablita tells him later is her choice.
Farengar's desire for dragon scales is part of the regular game, but since most of my characters have sold some to Belethor, it made sense for Irileth to have done so, too.

Acadian: Elisif starts to shine in this one. The way she's portrayed in the game is exaggerated, and my take on it is that it's a deliberate ploy on her part to act dumb. That's easier for a blonde with cleavage, of course.

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

Previously: Diablita has flown off to Skulhavn on the back of a dragon, but before she left, she suggested that Clark should go to Solitude.

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

Part 22 - Solitude

After a couple of days of waiting in Whiterun for Diablita to return, Clark set out for Solitude with Gilda. Although his main intention was to investigate Elisif, Gilda had a Thieves Guild commission there, and she was an excellent distraction.

"We'll go to the Blue Palace to buy a spell tome from Sybille Stentor," Clark told Gilda. "That will give us a chance to look around a little, and maybe find an opportunity for something else."

"Theft, or what?"

"Anything that gives us greater access to the court. If any of the major players, especially the Jarl, has any work for us, that would be perfect. Otherwise, we play it by ear."

---

They arrived late in the evening, and took a room at the Winking Skeever. Gilda, in her tight leathers, got more than a few glances from the men. Then they'd look at Clark, and wonder what he'd got that they hadn't. The women would look at Gilda, know what she'd got that they hadn't, and then wonder about Clark.

They spent most of the following morning wandering around the market. Then it was time to head for the palace.

As they entered the audience room, and climbed the stairs, they could hear someone petitioning the Jarl for assistance. There were strange noises coming from Wolfskull Cave, and lights in the night. The petitioner was from Dragon Bridge, some way from the cave, but he was clearly disturbed by the phenomena.

Elisif was earnestly listening to the man, while glancing at her advisors for clues to their reactions. Her proposal at the end of his pitch caught Clark by surprise.

"We will immediately send a legion to scour the cave and secure your town. Haafingar's people will always be safe under my rule."

Sybille and Falk talked her down to a lesser course of action, of just sending an extra guard or two to Dragon's Bridge. Somebody would take care of the cave, too.

Clark saw his chance and suggested that he and Gilda should go and take a look. Varnius Janius left, happy that the matter was in safe hands.

"You didn't have to volunteer, you know," Falk told them. "The Jarl and I have this routine well-oiled now. She promises the moons, and I bring her down to Nirn again. Everyone loves her for it, because they think she means everything she says. And what they actually get is quite enough to satisfy them."

"Well, we're looking for an excuse to explore the area, so this is no problem for us. And you never know; there just might be something behind that tale of his."

Falk doubted it. That cave had a tradition of being haunted for as long as he could remember, and there was no reason to believe something new was happening.

"But don't let me stop you going there. The caves that everyone avoids are the ones that still hold their treasure, aren't they?"

Gilda whispered in Clark's ear as they left the palace. "I think Falk Fire-Beard and Thane Bryling have something going on. Did you see the way they look at each other?"

"No, I was watching Elisif." Gilda elbowed him in the ribs. "And not just her cleavage. She's quite an actress, and she's playing for high stakes, here."

"What do you mean?"

Clark explained what Diablita had told him. Elisif had to appear weak as a Jarl, so that Tullius wouldn't have her replaced. At the same time, she had to do the job as well as she could. Hence the coded interplay between her and Falk. She'd just told him that she thought something needed to be done about Wolfskull Cave, and probably how much. Falk had scaled it down appropriately, but not changed the basic decision to send more guards to Dragon Bridge, and investigate the cave.

---

The presence of two skeletons guarding the entrance to the cave was evidence that this wasn't a wild goose chase. Something had to have animated those two, and recently, as that kind of magic fades quickly. That something was most likely still in the cave.

"Skeletons usually indicate necromancers," Clark thought. "I wonder how long before we meet one."

As they might have expected, the novice whose job it was to keep the guard in place was stationed not far into the cave. And further in were more experienced colleagues who'd re-animated draugr to assist them. Finally, they came to what appeared to be a dead end. The chamber had a pit in the floor, but the only other exit was back the way they'd come.

Clark peered down. "I don't see any way to climb back up. But this can't be all there is. We didn't pass anything of interest, and there didn't appear to be any accommodations for the necromancers. I can't believe that they come here every day from somewhere else."

Gilda shrugged. "So we go down, and hope there's another exit. That looks like a paved floor down there."

"That's true. And since there isn't one up here, it didn't just fall there."

It wasn't far to drop, and when they landed, they could hear something up one of the tunnels. "It sounds like chanting," Gilda said. "Come on!" She set off down the tunnel with Clark close behind her.

They emerged on a ledge overlooking a cavern. Blue lights were swirling around a tower in the centre, and the sound of chanting they'd heard was coming from the top. "There must be a side-passage back there that leads down, and we missed it." Clark guessed.

Gilda shushed him and pointed. A faint glow was coming from somewhere just behind them. It outlined an opening in the passage wall that they hadn't seen before. The glow was getting brighter, as they watched.

Gilda guessed that someone was approaching, carrying a torch. She crept towards the light, readying a flame spell. An ice spike came back in response, but an explosion of fire ended it. Clark looked down at the pool of burning oil the necromancer had stepped into. "Nice timing," he told Gilda.

"However, I'm sure the others will have heard that, so..." Clark cast Ebonyflesh and readied a ward, too. His other hand held his fiery soul trap sword.

"We summon Potema." The chanting was now close enough for them to hear the words. But it wasn't coming from the draugr that faced them, or the necromancer behind him. As they fought their way around the spiral of stairs and ramps leading up the tower, they could hear another voice being added to the ritual.

"Yes, yes! Return me to this realm!"

"As our voices summon you, the blood of the innocent binds you."

"Summoned by words, bound by blood" The last chanted in unison by several voices.

"What are you doing? You fools! You cannot bind me!"

"Summoned by words, bound by blood" The chorus came again from the necromancers.

"You don't have the power!" Potema's voice mocked.

"Something is wrong. There is an intruder" a single voice interrupted, presumably one of the necromancers near the top had spotted them.

The chanting stopped, and several necromancers came down the stairs, firing spells in their direction. Clark had his ward up, in anticipation, and blocked most of it. Gilda hacked past the ward with her blade, and one by one the necromancers died.

At the very top, one lone necromancer stood trying to continue the ritual. Once she was dead the blue lights stopped swirling, and disappeared through a hole in the roof, and an eerie silence fell. Clark searched around, and found a book, which he handed to Gilda. "Read this. I think I recognise it as a skill book you'd find useful."

Gilda meanwhile had found a lever, that dropped a drawbridge to another tower, set against the side of the cave. There was a chest on the top, with a decent amount of loot, but more important, it lead to a path out of the cave.

---

Back at the Blue Palace, Falk asked what wild animals they'd found. He was convinced that Varnius had just heard wolves howling or something equally innocuous. When Clark told him about the necromancers' ritual, his jaw dropped.

"You stopped them, didn't you? Don't tell me they brought Potema back to life!"

"We stopped them," Gilda replied. "Assuming that was all of them."

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

Edited to add a picture of Elisif's cleavage. Because in the unmodded game she's not showing any.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Aug 5 2016, 03:17 AM

[Acadian]

"You didn't have to volunteer, you know," Falk told them. "The Jarl and I have this routine well-oiled now. She promises the moons, and I bring her down to Nirn again. Everyone loves her for it, because they think she means everything she says. And what they actually get is quite enough to satisfy them." - - Wonderfully done, ghastley! This one statement really supports that theory about Elisef. Not only that, by referencing multiple moons and Nirn, your familiar metaphor fit right into TES. You continue to do good service to one of my favorite NPCs.

I love the Potema quest at Wolfskull Cave. It was great to hear how Clark and Gilda cleared the place.

If Clark's not careful, he's gonna end up getting thaned again and find himself with yet another beautiful housecarl - and a blond one at that!

[ghastley]

Acadian: Clark's already admitted that he's collecting housecarls, but only the female ones. Of course, that shouldn't be read as implying that he's restricting himself to housecarls, either.

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

Previously: Clark and Gilda had investigated Wolfskull cave and interrupted an attempt to resurrect Potema.

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

Part 23 - Solitude Docks and Temple

"I need a drink after that," Clark said to Gilda, "and one of the unique drinks that Solitude has to offer is Evette San's spiced wine. Have you tried it yet?"

"It's not one of those sneaky drinks that doesn't seem very strong, but then you wake up in a strange bed realising it was, is it?"

"No it isn't any stronger than regular wine, just tastier. If anything you drink it more slowly, because you want to savour it."

"Then let's get some!"

Evette had a problem. "Sorry, I just sold the last of what I had, and I can't make any more until I get the spices. There's a shipment come in, down at the East Empire Company warehouse, but Vittoria Vici's not releasing it. You couldn't go down there and persuade her to change her mind, could you?"

"If that's the only way we'll get any spiced wine, we'll do that." Clark promised."Will she be down at the docks, or at her house in town?"

"Down at the docks at this time of day. And you'll need to see her there, because that's where she'll book it out."

"This way, Gilda, there's a back way down the stairs here to the other side of the dock bridge. It's a bit shorter than the other route, so if she does leave work early, we'll meet her coming the other way."

---

"The tarrif is how much?" Clark asked.

"I just told you, 2000 gold."

"But that's more than the shipment's worth, and a lot more than Evette can afford. She can barely afford her stand in the market."

"Well I do like her spiced wine, and if she's run out of the spices ..." Vittoria was caught between her greed and her taste for good wine. "Fine, tell Evette San her shipment will be brought up shortly."

---

They took the good news back up to Evette, who handed them a couple of glasses. "I thought you said you'd run out," Clark reminded her.

"Of bottles, I have, but there's a small cask under the counter that has some left in it. We'll finish that off, and then I'll go home and start processing another batch. Come by tomorrow and pick up a couple of bottles."

There was quite a bit in that cask, and the sun was getting low when a courier approached them. "I have a note from Falk Firebeard, at the Blue Palace. He said it was important that I get this to you, even if you'd left town."

Clark read the note. It appeared that the events in Wolfskull Cave hadn't been the end of the matter, and something else had come up. Falk would prefer to tell them in person, so could they come back to the Palace?

Falk sent them to Styr, at the Hall of the Dead, for more information. It appeared that Potema hadn't disappeared entirely after the abortive summoning, but had resurfaced in the catacombs beneath the Temple of the Divines.

Styr told them that she'd used those catacombs when she was Queen of Solitude, and had raised armies of undead there in her lifetime. "Did you know that if she were alive today, she'd probably be the Empress? She's one of the legitimate Septim line, with a much better claim than the incumbent. Fortunately, though, she's not alive, at least not yet. Her necromancer minions may have summoned her spirit, but that's well short of a full resurrection. You still have the chance to prevent that. Bring me her remains from the catacombs, and I can make sure they're sanctified and thus put out of her reach."

"How do we get to these catacombs?" Gilda asked.

"Through the Temple. One of Potema's servants knocked a hole through into the undercroft. We've locked that part off, to keep her at bay, so you'll need this key. And take this spell, too."

Styr handed Gilda a spell tome for Turn Undead.

---

"I expect we won't be finding more necromancers down here. They wouldn't be able to get into the catacombs. It will be draugr, vampires, and the odd skeleton or two. All raised by Potema herself. She may have some ability to use magic against us directly. We won't know until we get closer to where she was buried."

Clark used the key he'd been given to open the gate that lead to the breach in the undercroft wall. The pile of rubble still lay on the floor, and he was half-expecting to find the corpses of those who'd made the hole. But on reflection, they were dealing with Potema. She'd reuse those who fell.

"I don't know how long she has to wait before she can raise a draugr again," he remarked to Gilda, "If she has the same limitations as the other necromancers, a fresh body will fall into ashes if it's killed again after being raised. And she doesn't have access to live ones here."

"So we should only have to kill anything once?"

"I'm never sure with vampires. I think they can be re-animated, even though they're undead. Twice at most, though."

"Then let's hope she doesn't have a large supply of vampires."

Potema's voice greeted them at the entrance to the catacombs. "You've arrived at last. The ones who prevented me from being bound return to my fold. I have much to thank you for, little ones. When you die I will raise you and you can take your place by my side."

They ignored the voice and pressed on. The first draugr was waiting just around the corner, and a vampire was lurking at the foot of the stairs in the first room. "Wait a moment, I want to see if Potema raises her." Clark didn't want any enemies behind them.

To play safe, he set light to the pool of oil on the floor, and watched the body burn up.

They ground their way slowly through the catacombs, slaying mainly draugr. That seemed to be what Potema had in the greatest quantities, and even those were thinly distributed along the tunnels. Presumably, she'd used a lot of her supply in her earlier life. One small consolation for them in their tedious progress.

Potema took every chance to taunt them, when she had any concentration of foes to throw at them. At one point, she raised several draugr and a vampire in a small cell, with closed doors. Fortunately, that took her some time to do, and they were able to attack each one as it raised.

"If she'd done that before we got here, they'd have been more of a problem," Gilda remarked.

"Not so," Clark returned. "They'd have been vulnerable to a fireball from outside. Potema had to wait until we were in the room, too."

"She's probably learned from this. I'd expect she'll have the strongest gather round her at the end."

"You didn't have to say that out loud," Clark reminded her.

Gilda whispered in Clark's ear that she was trying to set up the best situation for that fireball. She knew he couldn't throw many before he ran out of magicka.

---

"This must be the last section, and if I'm not mistaken, we'll find Potema and her guards behind that door." Clark pointed at a solid iron door that seemed more substantial than the others they'd passed through. "Whoever put her behind that meant her to stay put."

He glanced over at Gilda, and gasped. "What happened to your jacket?" Gilda was always threatening to burst out of it, but now she had.

"A buckle let go during that last skirmish. The leather's improved up to the point where it will turn a Deadric blade, but it looks like I neglected the fittings."

"That's not the best timing. You don't want to be vulnerable now."

"I don't think it makes much difference," Gilda replied. "It's not the leather that protects me, so much as the magic of the forge. Armour always has gaps, and it's magic that fills them. You're not using armour at all, are you?"

"No, but the spells I use don't work if I wear any armour."

"This is probably a different kind of magic. I don't think most smiths even think of it that way. They just do the work they've learned, and the armour gets more effective. But consider the facts. Dwarven armour is made from softer metal than steel, but it protects more. That's because it's more magicka-friendly than steel. And look at the materials you use for the really high-end stuff. Daedra hearts, void salts, and so on. Stahlrim and dragon scales are almost pure magicka, if you think about it."

"Yes, I've added a bit more leather when I've improved mine, but sometimes I've removed some, and it's still been an upgrade. It's all in the working of the material, and I'm convinced it's the same as casting a spell."

"Well, if draugr get distracted by that sort of thing, we have one big advantage," Clark noted.

"Count again," Gilda laughed.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Feb 18 2015, 02:59 PM

[Acadian]

I don’t mention it that often, but I do appreciate writers (like you) who precede a new episode with a tiny summary of ‘In our last episode. . . .’

As much as I like reading Clark’s adventures when he’s engaged in unfamiliar territory (like thieves guild stuff), I think maybe I enjoy reading about familiar quests even more. I'm always fascinated by how other players and their characters approach the same situations that Buffy and I know well. All the Solitude stuff Clark and Gilda are doing fit into this category,

I appreciated Clark and Gilda’s concern about the threat posed by leaving dead bodies behind them in the lairs of those who can resurrect them. Although Buffy doesn’t resurrect the undead to fight for her, she does have the ability to raise them momentarily – just long enough to ‘spoil’ their corpses into ash to prevent use by others against her.

I had to smile at Clark and Gilda’s discussion of how ‘less is more’ when it comes to armor and how a daedric bikini trumps full steel plate.

Oh noes, a wardrobe malfunction! Leave it to Clark and Gilda to ferret out a possible of advantage of Gilda Unbound -
"Well, if draugr get distracted by that sort of thing, we have one big advantage," Clark noted.
"Count again," Gilda laughed.’

[ghastley]

Acadian: It should be obvious where this is all headed, (no Jordis ... yet) but reminding myself how far it got is just as important for me. The bit I'm writing and the bit I'm posting are getting further apart.

Daedric bikinis aren't going to appear, as they're self-contradictory. Using Daedric material implies that the substance matters most, so you'd use as much as you can. Wearing a bikini as armour indicates trust in the enchantment, rather than the material, so you'd use something more comfortable. Gilda wears nice supple leather. She likes the fortify carry on the Thieves Guild cuirass, even if she can't get the right size. The housecarls don't do magic, so they wear full heavy armour.

Diablita does the magic armour only thing, because she couldn't get physical armour that fits her. Some of it is Gilda's problem, and some is the hooves. Swinging a big sword keeps everyone out of range, too.

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

Previously: Clark and Gilda had entered Potema's catacombs to investigate new activity there. It appeared that necromancers had succeeded in raising her spirit, but hadn't yet brought her back to life. Gilda had experienced a wardrobe malfunction, but she wasn't going to let that stop her.

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

Part 24 - Potema's Tomb

A ghostly shape was floating in the center of the chamber, up near the roof. It was hard to see what it was, as lightning was crackling around it, and flaring randomly at the walls. Potema's voice was coming from the same direction, so they assumed it was her spirit energising it.

Several coffins standing around the periphery fell open when the lightning passed, and draugr emerged and advanced on Clark and Gilda. The first wave were weak, probably just a probe to test them.

"Impressive, but don't applaud yourself too soon!" Potema's voice announced another wave of draugr. Or maybe she'd just noticed Gilda, Clark thought to himself.

There were still draugr lying there from the first wave, and Clark tried an experiment. He raised one of them himself, and sent it back to fight its brethren. That seemed to cause them some confusion, as it was no longer obvious which side any draugr was on. Gilda caught on quickly, and added to the mayhem by using her Turn Undead spell. Clark continued raising any draugr that fell. It was a weak spell, and didn't take much magicka. The reanimated undead were also feeble, but their main task was to be a distraction, and that they did well.

Clark soon noticed that he was taking Potema's cannon fodder away from her. The draugr wouldn't raise a second time, and she was running out of allies. Gilda and he concentrated their offense on the tougher opponents, and let the others beat on each other. Since both of them were mainly using their blades for that, it didn't stop them raising and turning the rest with their other hand.

The final draugr lord shouted Clark's blade out of his hand. But he couldn't repeat that for Gilda, who struck before he could raise his own weapon. She kept him reeling back, unable to regain his balance, until he slipped over the edge of the stairs, down to where Clark was standing.

"Oh, that's where it went!" Clark gleefully grabbed up his sword. The draugr was just getting back on his feet from the fall, when a blow from Clark's weapon set him on fire. Clark kept him falling back, as Gilda jumped down to help.

A soul filled one of Clark's gems as the final draugr lord died. But the greater swirl of magicka was passing through the door at the end of the room. Potema was retreating to her throne room, and they needed to pursue. Clark could see a skull on the throne, presumably hers. He grabbed for it, but was pushed back by a ghostly shape which had to be Potema herself. Not entirely substantial yet, but she was already able to affect the mortal world, and the sword in her hand was real.

"If she can affect us, we can hurt her," Gilda reminded him. She hacked at the ghost, and her blade glowed as it absorbed health from the spectre. Clark could see Potema fade as that happened, and he added his assault to Gilda's. Finally there was no more resistence, and he picked the skull off the throne.

"I thought that someone had put a circlet around the skull, but it looks like these jewels and gold bands are embedded in the bone. I wonder what that would have felt like if she came back to life." Clark mused.

"I, for one, am glad I don't get to ask!" Gilda replied. "And I hope that door is the way out, and we don't have to go all the way back to the Temple. I don't think the priests would like me flashing my breasts there!"

"You can use both hands to hold your jacket in place now. We should be done with fighting."

"I still need to go somewhere I can fix it before we go back to the Temple. Open the door and see where it leads."

"There are a couple more draugr out here, but I don't think they'll be any trouble now Potema's gone," Clark called back to her, "and the next door leads out to the mountainside."

Out in the relative safety, Gilda rummaged through her backpack until she found a leather strip that she could use as a temporary fix.

"That still looks delightfully precarious," Clark told her, "but it won't give the guards an excuse to arrest you."

---

After a short side-trip to Beirand's forge for a more permanent repair, they made their way back to the Hall of the Dead with Potema's skull. Styr was intrigued with the way her followers had encrusted it with jewels. He wondered if that had had any influence on her return. Gemstones were often reservoirs of magicka, and that might have been part of their plans. He didn't detect any magicka now, and he'd remove the gems before the skull was sanctified.

Falk was delighted. He presented them with a Shield of Solitude and a decent amount of gold. "The Jarl would prefer this be kept quiet. You can imagine the chaos that would have ensued if Potema had succeeded in returning. Elisif will be much happier if the people don't start speculating about that!"

Gilda took the coin purse, and handed the shield to Clark. "I need to go back to Riften," she announced. "I have Guild work I should be doing."

"Before you go too," Falk addressed Clark, "there's another small matter that Jarl Elisif would like you to consider."

Elisif beckoned Clark over to the throne, and spoke to him quietly, so that her voice wouldn't carry too far.

"When my husband died, I made offerings to each of the Divines at the Temple. I couldn't make one to Talos, of course, and that's important to a Nord. Since I can't leave the city without a Thalmor escort, could you take Torygg's war horn to one of the shrines in the wilderness? Most of the members of my court are under too much surveillance to do it, but you're a travelling merchant that won't arouse any suspicion."

Out of the corner of his eye, Clark could see Bolgeir Bearclaw, her housecarl, nodding in approval. The White Gold Concordat was observed, but parts of it regularly ignored, in most of Skyrim. Whiterun was nominally under Imperial control, for example, but it still had a shrine to Talos in the Cloud District.

Clark asked if that wouldn't be a better location, but Elisif marked a specific location on his map. "There are reasons for sending you there. And also for my waiting until Gilda left before asking you. We know she's in the Thieves Guild."

"She may be its Guildmaster before we speak next," Clark confirmed.

"Then maybe I need not have worried. They'll be less of a concern under her control. Regardless, the horn is a unique item, and if it wanders from the shrine, that may provide useful intelligence. People who see it will remark on that, and other people may overhear."

---

Clark left with the horn and headed for Whiterun. Elisif had as good as told him that she expected him to be tailed by Thalmor spies, and probably some of her own. Only the former were of any concern, of course. He'd like to have Lydia with him when he went out to the shrine. If the Thalmor were going to do anything, that was the most likely place he'd encounter them.

What they weren't expecting to meet were a dragon, and giants. The latter were herding a couple of mammoths down the valley, and heading away from the shrine. The dragon seemed to be coming from the mountain to the north, headed towards the Throat of the World. The giants saw it, and reversed direction to see off the threat, which placed them between Clark and Lydia, coming from the west, and the shrine, to the east.

They paused, watching to see what unfolded. The dragon circled once, tempted by the mammoths, but then continued on its flight towards the Throat of the World. The giants stared after it for a while, then turned back towards their original path. Something else, however, drew their attention. Clark could see them shaking their clubs at another threat, this time on the ground.

After a minute or two of inaction, the giants resumed following the mammoths. But now it was clear to Clark and Lydia that there was something up ahead, and they were ready for it.

"Bears, do you think?" Lydia suggested.

"I doubt it, you usually hear them first. They'd rather warn you off than fight. No, this is something that likes to stay silent, and hidden. Bandits, for example."

Clark knew who he was really expecting, of course, and he wasn't wrong. A Thalmor Justiciar and a couple of soldiers were loitering near the shrine. They attacked without provocation. It seemed that just visiting that location was reason enough.

Clark did little other than block the wizard's spells with his ward. Lydia, in her carved nordic armour and with her recently-enchanted sword, tore through them without any real effort.

"Hey, this fiery soul trap really makes a difference!" she enthused. "I should have let you do this a long time ago."

"You improved the sword at Warmaiden's too. How do you know that wasn't the main factor?"

"Well, I don't. Not for certain. But the flames certainly intimidate the others. Hit one, and the others back off!"

"The soul trap didn't do anything, though," she added after a moment's thought.

"You don't have a black soul gem. You need one of those to trap a person's soul."

"Are Thalmor people?" she asked, almost seriously.

Clark didn't reply. He reverently laid the war horn that Elisif had given him on the shrine. It wasn't an ostentatiously decorated piece, but the workmanship was fine, and distinctive. He could understand what Elisif had said. Anyone who saw it would talk about it.

[Acadian]

I’m continuing to really enjoy the Court of Solitude-related quests here. Loved the humor break when Clark considered that Potema’s ‘impressive’ comment may have referred to Gilda Unbound. Nice ‘quest building’ with the bits about Potema’s skull being encrusted by jewels instead of wearing a circlet.

I liked your treatment of the horn/shrine of Talos quest. There certainly is plenty that can be read into the nature of Elisef’s request.

Oh, and nice reminder that there be dragons about!

"Are Thalmor people?" - - My elf even wonders the same thing.

[Grits]

It was fun to watch Clark’s tactics against Potema’s horde. Having Potema’s skull encrusted with gold and gems rather than just wearing a circlet that mysteriously can’t be removed was a great touch. “Delightfully precarious” made me grin.

Elisif’s request is my favorite part of getting to know Solitude. I enjoyed Clark’s journey to the shrine, especially Lydia cleaving those Thalmor with her newly upgraded sword!

[ghastley]

Acadian I could never understand why Elisif sends you to a shrine in the wilderness, so I made up a reason. More dragons this time, too ... and Jordis!

Grits: It was the way the skull is shown in the load screen that inspired that. The circlet is way too tight on the skull, and looks embedded. So I ran with the idea.

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

Previously Gilda and Clark finished off Potema, and took her skull back to Styr, and then Lydia and Clark delivered Torygg's War Horn to a shrine of Talos outside Whiterun.

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

Part 25 - Proudspire

As Clark and Lydia walked up to the main gate, back at Whiterun, the guards were excitedly gathering on the battlements and pointing towards the Throat of the World. The two joined them, and saw a number of dragons flying around the peak. They could hear the great beasts chanting, all their voices in unison. They couldn't understand what was being said, but it was clear that some important ceremony was taking place. Did this have anything to do with Diablita and Alduin?

A visit to Dragonsreach confirmed that she hadn't returned that way. How long had she been gone now? A week?

"Time in Sovengarde may not pass as swiftly as it does here," Jarl Balgruuf reminded him. "Eternity's a long time, no matter how fast or slow it goes. And I'm certain that she prevailed, or Alduin would have been back for vengeance before now."

---

Clark needed to report back to Elisif, so he didn't wait for Diablita's return. She might not go back to Whiterun, anyway. Clark couldn't imagine her not telling Balgruuf what had happened; not after he'd put Dragonsreach at risk for her. But she might have other tasks to attend to before that could happen. He just didn't know.

---

He handed Elisif the orders that he'd taken from the Justiciar's corpse. They named the agent as Lorcalin, not a name she recognised. But the signatory was Elenwen, the Thalmor First Emissary. They didn't mention Elisif, or Clark, but just told him to kill anyone going to the shrine.

Elisif passed the orders to Falk Firebeard. He read them, too, and put them in his pocket. Nobody said anything.

"I'm considering making you a Thane of Haafingar," Elisif announced, as Falk nodded his agreement. "You'll need to purchase property here in Solitude, but I already have reports that you've done enough to help my people. Proudspire Manor is available, isn't it, Falk?"

"It is, if you have the 25,000 gold for the building. It comes with a housecarl, of course, since you'd become Thane. There's only a minimum of furnishing there at the moment, enough to be able to use the place while you upgrade. I can supply better furnishings when you have the funds."

"Then let me pay you for the building now, and we can do the formalities. I'd like to see the place before I know what needs changing," Clark decided.

"Jarl Elisif, Clark is now a property owner in your city. There is no longer any impediment to his becoming Thane, and you have my recommendation."

"Then by my authority as Jarl, I pronounce you Thane of Haafingar. You'll have duties here at the court, but those will be shared with Bryling and Erikur, my other Thanes. We'll let the guard know about your new status, so they won't treat like you were one of the common rabble. And I'll give you a tour of the Blue Palace, so you'll know your way around."

"You're most likely only familiar with the entrance, hallway and the audience chamber, the one we're in now. Follow me to the private sections."

Clark followed Elisif into the corridor at the side.

"The rooms here belong to Sybille Stentor, my court mage, Falk Firebeard, the steward, and Bolgeir Bearclaw, my housecarl. My own is the one at the end." Elisif paused to make sure Clark had registered that.

She turned and led him down the back stairs. "On this level, you'll find the staff quarters, the kitchen and the guest quarters. Bolgeir often sleeps down here, I suspect he likes being close to the kitchen." They walked along the corridor, to emerge at the hallway. Elisif pointed. "Across there is the Pelagius wing. We normally keep that locked, as it's supposed to be haunted. The staff go in and clean from time to time, but reluctantly."

Elisif turned and retraced the corridor to the stairs. "There's one more level below here. We have guests from Markarth staying there at present. Ex-Jarl Igmund and his immediate retinue relocated here after the peace conference. Let's not disturb them right now."

They walked back up the way they'd come down, and Elisif pointed out where Bolgeir usually stood when he was on duty. "He's quite dedicated. Sworn to protect his Jarl, and his wife, and continuing to do so, even now she's a widow. He makes sure nobody disturbs her rest."

Clark got the distinct impression that the arrangement wasn't entirely to Elisif's liking. She made several references to Falk's relationship with Bryling, and the fact that he might not be sleeping at the Palace every night. Sybille was a bit of a night-owl, sleeping most of the day, but you could rely on her staying in her quarters at night.

The final hint was that Elisif's door was never locked. "The Jarl should never be shut away from her people, should she?"

"I'd better go and take a look at Proudspire Manor before I do anything else," Clark reminded her. "I presume my housecarl will be waiting to give me the tour there."

---

Jordis the Sword-Maiden was a blonde version of Iona or Lydia. She had the same basic steel armour that they'd worn when he first met them, and the same introductory speech about protection and burden-carrying, but it stopped there.

That was because she had to show him around the house, and the opportunity for the other part would unfold as she went. She opened the door at street level, and handed him the key. "We're entering at basement level," she told him. "There's not a lot down here at present, just my little room here on the right. Single bed, not enough room for two. On the left there's space for an alchemy lab, and enchanting facilities, if you choose to have them installed."

The housecarl's room was clean and tidy, if a bit sparsely furnished. Comfortable enough, if you only wanted somewhere to sleep, and stash your gear. Clearly, Jordis had just arrived and hadn't had time to tidy any more of the house. The other side was piled with crates and barrels, and straw was scattered everywhere.

The stairs led up to a main floor with an entrance hallway, dining room, and living room. The main door led out to a stairway down to the street, but there was another door that led out to a patio, overlooking the harbour. Most of this floor was devoid of furniture, with just a few broken crates lying among the cobwebs.
On the upper floor was a small living space, with the bedrooms leading from it. The smaller one was empty, and the larger contained just a simple double bed. This floor, too could do with a good cleaning.

"This is the only double bed in the house." Jordis pointed out, sitting on it. "So I assume you'll be using it. Where would you like me to sleep? There's nothing fixed in my duties, but I'm amenable to persuasion."

"Your choice, of course. I should point out that I am Thane in Whiterun and the Rift as well as Haafingar, so I won't always be here. I'm also likely to have duties at the Palace that may continue into the night. In addition, I'd like to get this place cleaned up and refurnished first. That bed looks like it may already have occupants. Ones that bite."

Jordis got up quickly from the bed, and dusted off her posterior.

"So what would you like me to do for you now?"

"Just come with me to the Palace, and we'll arrange for the upgrades. I doubt that it will take long for them to move everything in. While they're doing that, we'll go to Beirand's and see what he has. You'll need better equipment than you have at present."

[Grits]

"You're most likely only familiar with the entrance, hallway and the audience chamber, the one we're in now. Follow me to the private sections."



Woo, Jordis sounds accommodating. A blonde for Clark’s Housecarl collection. I love Proudspire’s patio. Actually I love the whole manor. I can see Clark getting comfortable there.

[Acadian]

Another nice reminder of that pesky main quest as dragons dance and sing at the top of the world. Perhaps the mystery of Diablita Dragonborn will remain just that – a mystery.

Wonderful touch that, after ‘thaning’ Clark, the Jarl would give him a tour of the rest of the Blue Palace. Oooh! Elisef dropping some amorous hints Clark’s way!

Then on to Proudspire and the Sword Maiden! And she’s dropping rather unsubtle hints as well.

Grits is right - Proudspire seems like it would suit Clark quite well.

Clark is managing all the attention as deftly as ever.

[ghastley]

Acadian: Clark now has to decide whether to give Elisif priority over his housecarl, who's sworn to carry his burdens etc. Not a hard decision, but he does need to make a few preparations.

Grits: Jordis will explain everything in the episode after this one.

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

Previously: Clark has bought Proudspire Manor, and been Thaned again. Both Elisif and Jordis have dropped heavy hints in his direction.

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

Part 26 - Blue Palace

"Ooh! This one's enchanted!" Jordis enthused.

"Then I doubt that's one of Beirand's own. He usually leaves that to his customers. Probably something he bought from an adventurer, and there's no knowing who made it. I'd keep looking, if I were you."

"Quite right, and I thank you for your trust in my work," Beirand chimed in. "But there's one piece I have here that's not of my making, that I think you should consider."

He showed them a steel sword, looking much like one he'd have made himself. Clark looked at it closely. "Is this Skyforge steel?"

"You're a true connoisseur," Beirand told him. "Indeed it is. The woman who sold it to me had a greatsword to match it. Her reason for selling was that she never used it, just its larger brother. So it hasn't seen any battles, except as an observer."

Clark handed it to Jordis. "Give it a swing, see how it feels."

"Better than mine, but that wouldn't be hard. And it does have a good edge," she continued, feeling it with her thumb.

"It should keep that," Beirand told her. "Skyforge steel doesn't blunt easily, like ordinary steel can."

"We'll take it," Clark told him. "And if they've delivered the enchanting station, I can do the rest."

---

Jordis was bubbling with excitement as Clark took her new sword down to the enchanting station. "How does fire damage and soul trap sound?" Clark asked.

"You can do two enchantments?" Jordis didn't believe her luck.

"No, it's one of the rare combination ones that works for weapons. Most of them are for mages' robes. And because the soul trap part will let you recharge often, I don't need to use a large gem. The fire part isn't major, but it does make a big difference, especially when you get multiple hits in a row, and the damage stacks. It's what I use on mine, and Lydia in Whiterun has it on hers."

New steel plate armour, new Skyforge steel sword, now with an enchantment. Jordis was wondering just how good she had to be tonight to deserve all this. She must have wondered out loud, because Clark told her it wouldn't be tonight. He had work to do at the Blue Palace, and she'd have to wait a day or two. "If you're feeling energetic, go whack the training dummy, and see if your new armor needs adjusting. You don't want to wait until you're in the middle of a fight to do that."

---

Clark entered the Palace, and cast invisibility before he slipped up the back stairs and along to Elisif's chambers. The reason for the invisibility was two-fold. First, so that nobody else would know he was there. Elisif had hinted that her housecarl was apparently trying to keep her faithful to her late husband, ignoring her feelings in the matter. The second reason was that there was a slight chance that he was her second string, and he'd find someone else there before him. Better not to embarrass her by interrupting anything.

He found her sitting naked on her bed, gazing hopefully towards the door. Although she couldn't see him, she did see the door open and close, and she stood up. "Is someone there?" she asked. She made no attempt to cover herself, even though she had no idea who had just entered.

---

"What if it had been someone else?" Clark wanted to know.

"That would have been my second choice. But I only invited you, didn't I?"

"And didn't you think I'd like to watch you undress?"

"Games like that are for when it's not urgent."

"So that's why we've only just come up for air."

"Speak for yourself," Elisif told him and went back to persuading him to do it again.

---

Much later, as she lay exhausted in his arms, Elisif had more time to chat. "I hope I didn't call you Torygg, you did remind me of him a couple of times."

"Good times, I hope."

"Oh yes, it was always good times with Torygg. And I miss him so much. Especially when I have to make decisions that affect Haafingar. Falk's a great help, when Bryling's not distracting him. And I suppose she is, too. Sometime I need to talk about women things."

"So the only one of your Thanes who's completely useless is Erikur?"

"Oh, he's not useless. If I want to know what the Legion or the Thalmor are up to, I can count on him to reveal something. And he's just as useful for passing misinformation the other way. I just have to mention that I heard a rumour, and he's off trying to sell what he 'knows' to whichever side he thinks will pay the most. Sometimes both."

"He's also a merchant, so he gets reports from all sorts of places. My people can get copies of those fairly easily. He's the best spy I have, and he doesn't know it."

"So is he the reason for the dumb blonde act?"

"I'm not acting blonde, just dumb. And you've just checked that the breasts are real, too. No, some of that act is for the people. I can promise them the moons, and they blame the Imperial occupation when they don't get them. I'm not sure they take my gestures seriously, but the sentiment behind them gets across. The common folk may laugh at my antics, but they love the show, and Tullius and Elenwen know that."

"I haven't seen those two around the court. Do they ever visit the Palace?"

"No, Tullius doesn't leave Castle Dour unless he has to, and Elenwen's always at the Embassy, up on the next hill. She does throw frequent parties, though. That way anyone she wants to see comes to her, and they're in her playground. She'll probably want to check you out, now I've made you a Thane."

"Who goes to those parties?" Clark wanted to know.

"I'm usually there, just because the Embassy's in my hold, so I get an invitation automatically. Then she's normally invited the other Imperial Jarls, and their thanes. Prominent merchants, rich land-owners, anyone with influence to peddle."

"You didn't mention the General."

"No, it wouldn't be his style to accept. He's the single-minded strategist type who thinks of nothing but the war. And maybe Legate Rikke, too. The legion chose her to be Tullius' second in command on merit, but I suspect she has orders to help him relax a bit. Our dossier on her suggests that she'd be doing that anyway."

"Do either Tullius or Elenwen have spies in the Palace?"

"We assume so, although we have no reason to suspect anyone in particular. They may just send in someone like that Varnius character from time to time, to take a look and listen."

"Or me?"

"That wouldn't matter. I'm on your side now, anyway." Elisif gave Clark another kiss, and laid her head on his shoulder.

[Acadian]

What a fun episode – doubtless because it focuses on two of my favorite NPCs in Skyrim.

"Ooh! This one's enchanted!" Jordis enthused.’ - - Using ‘enchanted’ and ‘Jordis’ in the same passage is always a wonderful and accurate idea.

"I'm not acting blonde, just dumb.” - - Spoken like a true blonde! I’m glad to see Elisef ready to move on from her grieving. She is in an awkward position for companionship. Beyond the whole grieving widow of the king challenge, there is the problem that, as Jarl and potentially High Queen, she is too young to likely be enamored of those with appropriate credentials, and too high of station to really be courted by a young man who probably lacks Jarl or Thane-like credentials.

I wonder if Clark’s going to end up at a Thalmor Embassy party?