The Saga of Laprima Donnaugh Options

[Acadian]

The drums of war! That will certainly put her niece’s scandal on Elisef’s back burner. And an internal power struggle in Solitude in which Elisef shows her stuff pretty impressively – reasonable decisions and forcefully enacted.

Laprima also shows herself to indeed be of noble blood as she volunteers for emissary duty to Dragonbridge.

Bearclaw certainly does not live up to his name as his lack of courage and support for his Jarl in the presence of Tullius’ mouthpiece pales in comparison to both Elisef and Laprima.

[WellTemperedClavier]

So Chamany's in jail. Well, if it's any comfort, that's how most TES protagonists got started.

But it looks like he's got bigger problems than just being a convict. Someone wants drugs, or drug money.

Yeah, it always starts off looking lucrative. Like you'll all be on easy street after this score. But it's never that simple in actuality.

Laprima's in a more comfortable situation at least. But what's this surprise that Tricky has?

Ah, a luminosity device is the sort of thing magic ought to be used for. Flashy pyrotechnics have their place, but this sort of thing can change a society.

Unfortunately, I ran into the same issue as SubRosa regarding the note. But with what happens next, I'm guessing that it was telling her of her husband's arrest?

Hm, what kinds of legal advocates does Solitude have, I wonder?

That's right! Her husband's misdeeds could affect her status in Skyrim, as well. Things get so tangled with family, particularly when you're in a society like Tamriel's.

Archery does sound nice about now. I liked the little mini-fantasy she had. Certainly would be preferable to the reality.

Okay, she's laying down the law. Good!

The last chapter did make it seem like Chamany wasn't overly concerned with the arrest. But the bigger issues might be court gossip. Nobles have it better than most, but they don't have it easy by any means.

Not surprising that Laprima assumes the shout has something to do with her husband's misadventures. Must be a relief that they're not the subject of conversation.

Whiterun sacked! Okay, so did the Dragonborn side with the Stormcloaks? This is ominous.

And now they have to figure out how to deal with refugees from the city. Jarls are ostensibly in charge of their cities, but I do wonder how much authority they actually have at the end of the day. Certainly both the Empire and Ulfric are pretty comfortable throwing their weight around.

Ah, so Tullius is in charge.

"Furlongs of trouble." I like that turn of phrase.

Interesting. Chamany's going to be a weight around Laprima's neck, especially in court. But if she proves herself useful, she might be able to dodge that, or at least minimize the damage. And all that training with Sirdasa might indeed pay off.

Devices that droned music? So is that the soundtrack we hear in-game?

Laprima may have done this a bit impulsively, but I can see Elisif's perspective here: she can't get Bolgeir to do the job, and she needs someone who represents the court's power. Laprima hasn't been idle; Elisif might not know everything Laprima's been up to, but she knows Laprima has gone out of her way to do something other than sit around. So yeah, Laprima's not a bad choice at all.

Heh! Nice outburst. She has the authority, so she may as well exercise it.

I like that she saw herself as the betty netch.

Falk's being a jerk. He's correct--but ultimately, so far as Elisif's concerned, it doesn't really matter too much as to why Laprima volunteered. Just that she did.

[Renee]

I do comments tonight. Tomorrow morning I post the story! Just works out better that way.

@SubRosa Florens: Ha ha yup! It's the BIG secret being kept for probably close to a year now!

I get a few things wrong in your story, mostly events and a few people, so no worries. My problem is I tend to blurt stuff sometimes without thinking through. Apologies for those moments.

Yeah, just imagine the dynamics in that room: Elisif versus Tullius, yet neither leader wishes to be in the same room as the other. Instead they send representatives back and forth. Like a passive-aggressive struggle for leadership. Anyway, all of that came from a random comment I heard from a Solitude guard. Guy said "Elisif is just a puppet" and oh boy... let's see about that!

I didn't do research on that part though, now that I think of it. Is there a battle in Dragon Bridge? I can't remember! I don't think there is, though. *goes to UESP* RIGHT. Dragon Bridge is not mentioned, so phew. I didn't step on any lore!

Gonna turn the Quote-a-Rama on..

I say theoretically because I don't know how bloodthirsty the Stormcloaks are in your tale. Are they the type to go on a looting and killing spree in a captured town? Or not?

Naw, probably won't go that far. The main focus is on Laprima and her life, the war is just for background. She won't become a soldier, for instance.

Ha ha yeah FUDDLES! .. Kahreem used to say "fokke" all the time, so that is the Imperial's version of F.U.

Nope, that wasn't a mistake! Nords in Skyrim say chahhge, not really pronouncing the R so much. Feel free to point out nits in the future, though. I missed an ending quotation mark in that last chapter, for instance.


@Macole, Vampire Hunter: Yeah. So I started TSOLD (The Saga Of Laprima Donnaugh) in winter of 2022. All this time, I've known she'd eventually get out of Solitude, but originally she was supposed to get Kidnapped!

That's right. Original story had Chamany getting killed, Laprima getting accused for this (and thrown in jail) and after Elisif got her out, she'd then kidnapped into Fort Hraggstad. And then I was gonna set it up so that she had to fight her way out of Hraggstad. 🏰 But my original computer with ALL my notes on it went kaput in 2022. And in a way this is good. I like the rewrite much better.


@Acadian the Paladin: Absolutely, and War... War changes everything. ⚔ Though (like I said) Laprima herself won't get personally touched by it so much, I do plan on roughly following the events my two CW characters took part in: Sir Vyvoor (Stormcloak and Dragonborn) and Claire Voyance (Imperials' side).

So right now we're up to Battle of Whiterun. Next would be the Battle of Dunstad and some sort of Rescue from Fort Neugrad, events which won't register in LPD's life at all. Other than: I do have a rather brutal mod which adds random battles between Stormies and Impies throughout the countryside. I haven't decided if I'll make it so Stormies ignore or attack LPD, but they WILL fight any guards my gal is with, assuming she's traveling with Imperial-faction'd soldiers.

Bearclaw is eager to go anywhere outside the palace, as long as he gets no further than the Skeever! 🍾


@WellTemperedPianoPlayer: Ha ha true! If I were to play Chamany Lacroix as a videogame character now I know how he got into jail!

I make 'luminosity devices' for all my games: Oblivion, Fallout 3 (where they're just normal light switches) and now Skyrim. Took me over two hours to make the one for Skyrim because it's not just scripting, you also have to make the proper properties for each item. So one stone of the device enables three chandeliers as well as a bunch of invisible lightbulb markers (which I gave a blue color in the Creation Kit). The other stone disables them. 💡 I like making it so character bedrooms can be as dark as possible when they go to bed. 🌙

Hm, what kinds of legal advocates does Solitude have, I wonder?

Nothing in the base game, of course. But Daggerfall does allow us the choice to have our crime tried before a judge, so I'm thinking something like that. The advocate (in my mind) doesn't have much say, really. He/she just makes sure the perp knows what's going on, legally. All guards are psychic, even if they're not as blatantly so as they are in Oblivion. Guilt and innocence doesn't work in the same way as it does here on Earth.

Small spoiler: Chammy won't have it so bad in jail. He'll have privileges and such.

Okay, she's laying down the law. Good!

Oh yes. Glad one of y'all mentioned this! Laprima's had enough with the lies and the excuses.

Whiterun sacked! Okay, so did the Dragonborn side with the Stormcloaks?

In my tale, Sir Davor Vyvoor (pictured above in Acadian's section) is Dragonborn. I had a DB for fun early in my Skyrim days, but Vyvoor is my canon DB. 🐉 Dragonborn (and dragons) will get mentioned in the next chapter.

Devices that droned music? So is that the soundtrack we hear in-game?

Okay, let me explain that. In all Bethesda games (except Arena) I turn the music off. Only exception is in castles and palaces, or a few rich people homes such as Umbacano in TES IV. I actually PHYSICALLY pause the game just so I can turn music on and off.

A few of your other insights regarding Elisif and Laprima shall get answered in the next chapter.


Lopov: No Lopov. Lopov! I hereby SUMMON THEE to appear this week! Shee-zamm!!!

ALL: The next story is kind of long and I thought of breaking it into two. But I'm also really eager to get my posh gal outside of Solitude, and it'd be awkward if she's doing what she'll do at the end of this week's chapter and then all the sudden she's outside.

Alright, I go to bed now, and post the story later.

[Renee]

.
___________________

.Zenithar Himself

___________________

It’s funny, how Luck sometimes plays a small, yet grand, unknowing part in our daily lives.

-Take, for instance, the luck involved with what’d become known in the Blue Palace kitchen as The Caper of the Missing Forks. Millicent ‘Risky’ Gertrude, younger sister of Trinia ‘Tricky’ Gertrude, was obsessed with stealing random pieces of silverware, but mostly forks, and only a small amount of these tined instruments. Despite being at her current age of eight, she had a knack for knowing when too much was too many.

“Awww, you’re gonna get in BIG, humongous trouble!” -- A typical warning from her sister Tricky.

But because of Risky’s innate caution (she never filched handfuls at a time), discovering if anyone was guilty of the missing cutlery never became top priority. Maybe these pieces were simply getting misplaced by staff or royalty. And it wasn’t as though her juvenile efforts would place the Blue Palace’s bankrolls into foreclosure, right? So it was not until some months later, when Risky had already become bored with such petty thefts, that one day the palace’s cook realized the issue seemed to have resolved itself. Counts of silverware at day’s end began to equal those at day’s start.

By then, Risky had an entire hoard of forks and other metalware, stashed behind a loose stone, located just beyond the dresser beside her bed.

On the day the town’s masons came through the palace, looking for areas to patch and caulk, dust and pebbles which’d discreetly settled below walls, and other telltale signs which indicated repairs need be made, a large rat was running amok within the children's bedroom. An exterminator (a magician who eventually zapped the rodent) was called instead. The masons weren’t too eager to examine the orphans’ bedroom after that. Which meant Odar the Cook continued to notice silverware counts continued to be short during the Year 201 and into 202. Especially forks.

--There was also the time when the local gang of Haafingar Forsworn partially uncovered who had really been responsible for the latest enormous batches of skooma pervading Skyrim as of late. Initially, the name ‘Chamany Lacroix’ was not known to them; the only description they had to go by was ‘a dark-haired man with a handlebar moustache’. This initially caused the rouser who’d gone into Solitude’s tavern (dressed not in the usual Forsworn garb of furs, skulls, and bones, but clothing which allowed him to blend) to mistake Barre Bakkh, the Skeever’s cook and libations expert, as the man they were looking for. The initial plan was to somehow capture the moustached Nord, or somehow extort money from him.

But by then, information revealed that Bakkh couldn’t possibly be the one they were after. Because the grand importer of moon sugar products was supposed to be an inhabitant of the Blue Palace, according to the skooma-sucker whose word was being trusted. The server behind the Skeever’s counter never went anywhere near the palace; he was never sighted beyond the town’s market area to shop for meats and vegetables. Nor did he don upper-class clothes.
So this was another example of Luck. Barre Bakkh (and Chamany himself, initially) dodged the proverbial missile by that much.

By the time they finally were about to snatch the tosser they were after, it was too late. Sir Chamany LaCroix was already being apprehended.

---And so it was with Lady Donnaugh. Even after gaining her newfound assignment of Solitude Ambassador, she continued to worry. She tentatively made her way into her temperamental aunt’s bedchambers just minutes after being contracted for Dragon Bridge, fearing that Elisif the Fair was about to be anything but fair. Such a measure had to be done, though. Let’s get this over with.

“Whiterun,” the jarl stated somberly.

“Aye. Fills the heart with trepidation,” Laprima answered quietly.

Elisif continued: “Always had a feeling something was amiss with Chamany,” she said casually, changing subjects before her expensive wall-mirror, fussing her hair a bit. “Just … a notion, I suppose. Moments when the man just seemed too charming. Too gregarious, perhaps. No offense to your potential romance-seeking abilities, niece.”

“Mm. About Chamany. Might we broach upon the subj–”

"Can you hand me that sachet?” Elisif interrupted with an open palm. “That’s a dear! Thank you.”

Lady Elisif, unconcerned? Can this be? Falk Firebeard had warned Laprima that ‘the Wrath of Elisif’ would’ve commenced, were it not for this business with the Stormcloaks and Whiterun. Yet here was auntie, rummaging about her room; any sort of ‘wrath’ faraway and absent for the moment.

“I… So listen," Laprima blurted. "I was also involved, Aunt Elisif.”

“Involved?”

“With the import, that is.” –’Tis the right thing to do; she mused, urging herself to continue. -- “Chamany got caught, and is being regarded as prime villain from what I’ve been hearing from the dungeoneers of Castle Dour. But I was also involved. On the Mongrel. That ship I rode upon. There were all these crates and barrels...”

“Nonsense, Laprima.”

“Sorry?”

“I said nonsense,” Elisif turned to face her younger relative. “Stop it, please. Just… stop.”

Laprima stopped.

Aunt Elisif (rather than Jarl Elisif) stood before her niece, her tone confidential (rather than commanding). --- “Listen. I can only take a guess as per how it must be, the love of your days locked behind bars, unknowing of his fate. But do not be foolish,” she said slowly, placing her hairbrush on the counter. “I will not accept any wishes you have toward any sort of co-implication with that… with Chamany Lacroix, for any reason. Are we clear?”

Are we clear? Niece Donnaugh did not reply.

But then, auntie was gone. The woman silently transformed her posture. Solitude’s jarl had returned. “Now. To the task at hand. Tomorrow. YOU are going to have an ambitious day on the morrow,” Jarl Elisif announced, glancing back toward her mirror. “A day like none other. For: Dragon Bridge; they must be allowed the choice of safe harbor. Understand? And this shall be your role, as just accepted.”

Laprima nodded, half-reluctantly. "Can you at least ensure that he will not be executed?"

Auntie returned, Jarl stepped away. "I can do that, yes. Despite his enormous mishaps," her voice squeaked. Obviously she was holding back. "I can personally guarantee such a thing, Laprima. There shall be conditions placed upon him surely by the magistrate. But I can make sure that his life shall remain intact, should he remain within whatever conditions are enforced."

"Ehm... thank you."

“This war, if it is indeed to continue, is bigger than any foibles Chamany committed. You must comprehend this,” Elisif burnished her upper eyelids with fresh shadow. “Am really proud that you have stepped toward the mantle in this regard, that you wish to represent our fair city.”

“Right,” Laprima said. “Represent.” And maybe it’s for the best, she thought.

Because Chamany himself warned that it’d be better if I stay unincarcerated. ‘They do not know of your assistance with the importing of skooma’, he said to me, in so many words.

Elisif continued: “Make sure you gain the relevant papers. I’ll have Ophelia drop them off into your quarters.”

“Splendid. Thank you.”

“Hmph. Chamany,” Elisif chuckled sadly. “Who would’ve ever thought the magnificent skooma culprit would be him?”

Beyond this statement, Jarl Elisif moved decidedly past Laprima, returning toward the court. And so it was done. The matter of her betrothed man’s arrest was closed, and Laprima was convinced that maybe it should stay this way. Because as Chamany himself stated (in so many words): what good would it do if both of them were jailed?

---So this, in a way, was Laprima’s daily dose of Luck. Pure Luck, as if Zenithar himself had blessed the young adult now standing alone in auntie’s bedchambers.

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

Laprima was exhausted by then, of course. She’d gotten maybe a couple of hours of sleep the night before, before being awakened by that child. It was already afternoon by then; too late to head to work. And how could she serve customers with her mind so heavily roiled in thought?

Tomorrow would be a big day, her first official excursion outside of Solitude, so she could take part in some very Official Business in the hamlet of Dragon Bridge, a place she’d never-ever seen before. She was wearied. And yet, too nerved-up for any sort of rest.

After a few moments of dawdling in her personal bedroom she decided on a change of clothes, clothes which weren’t so obviously noble. She grabbed one of Chamany’s hoods to cover her face. – If only I possessed a pair of man’s trousers she thought, refusing to search her fiance’s wardrobe further. – Along with a bulky overcoat. Then surely, I sha'n’t be noticed. She donned one of the sets of gloves she’d purchased at the Raiment. Rich woman’s garments, which could potentially give her disguise away. But they’d just have to do.

“Taarie will surely complain about my attire should she make sighting of me,” Laprima smirked. “Fuddles to her, if so.”

Next, she picked up the shortbow given to her by the Shrew, along with the quiverful of arrows, which she strung around her shoulder. Off she went, headed straight to Castle Dour’s training plaza.

THUNK! went the very first arrow a quarter-hour later, piercing the training target toward the end of Archer’s Row.

….THONK!!! went the second.

And CLONK! as a third arrow of wrought iron slammed the same target. Such a release! As she’d expected, shooting into a dummy was already proving to be a great way to temper her enormous anxiety. A great way to relieve the stress and worries which’d concerned her over the past twelve hours or so.

She was breathing in and out with inspiration, her facial expression fierce as a warrior's, picturing Sirdasa the Huntress. As she pulled the bow's string, Laprima was using the 'two fingers and thumb' method taught by the Shrew. Apparently there were several ways to position which fingers and/or thumb held the back-end of the arrow. Sirdasa also mentioned there were separate methods of archery preferred by the wood elves of Valenwood, as well as the Khajiit of Elsweyr, though she hadn't gone into details. Apparently she'd taught Posh Lady the easiest, most common technique, often utilized by soldiers: nock the arrow's posterior side into the string, draw the bow partially. Aim. And finally, draw more firmly before loosing. A partial draw was recommended because it would not tire the archer's arms, back, and shoulders with maintaining constant tension, while also aiming.

Laprima notched and stretched a partial draw. Moved backward a few paces, so the target was further away, not so easy to hit. Aimed, pulled with more tenacity, and...

…THUNK!...

Straight into bull's eye!

“Nice shot!” one of Dour’s Finest commented with applause, just as she thought someone would. Truthfully, archery seemed a lot easier up here, on a flat stone surface with perfect visibility. Snowfall and other precipitation absolutely nil. Nearby fire pits keeping the plaza warm. After a few more successful looses, the entire garrison of soldiers present at the moment were taking notice.

“Try strafing a bit,” one of them suggested with a downhome accent, indicating he could’ve been any random neighbor of the Donnaugh household in the Imperial City.

“Strafing?”

“Ya know, movin' side to side,” the soldier said. “Not that a lady such as yourself shall ever need concern, but as archers wrangle into combat against other archers or spell-casters, it’s advisable to be able to strafe left and right, avoiding projectiles aimed your person. While, of course, still being able to hit your same targets. For …. obvious reasons.”

So Laprima began to do just this. She imagined the dummy as a moving target as best she could. Notched an arrow; aimed her piece. Closed her eyes momentarily (to simulate occasional blind spots such as trees and rocks) and then loosed more arrows. At first, of course, she missed the dummy entirely, or inadvertently hit the wrong dummy. But eventually she began to get the hang of it.

“That’s the proper way of the archer!” one of the soldiers bellowed with a salute. “Don’t let our Watch Captain see you. He’ll be trying to recruit an actual dame into our troop!” he nudged his partner, while a few of the garrison chortled their bellyfuls.

“Well, if the gauntlet fits,” Laprima muttered under her breath.

THONK!

—-------------------------------------------------------------

Straight to Target

"Archery increased to 20" (she now needs to sleep, so she can level up to 3 after multiple shots)

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

Notes: I installed Training Dummies Provide XP, which allows the PC to gain melee, casting, or Marksmanship experience outside of actual combat.

Training with a dummy is something I've never tried before. But it helps a lot! Especially since I prefer combat in 3rd person.
.

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 11 2024, 02:22 PM

[Acadian]

It seems Elisef is wise enough to insist on not knowing the sordid details of Laprima’s involvement in Chamanay’s skooma smuggling and is not going to boot her from the palace. I’m proud of Laprima for voluntarily stepping up to her noble duties and serving as the Jarl’s official envoy to Dragon Bridge.

She’s getting to be quite the Bowgirl and I expect that will serve her well outside the walls of Solitude and with the possibility of war ahead.


It seems Elisef is wise enough to insist on not knowing the sordid details of Laprima’s involvement in Chamanay’s skooma smuggling and is not going to boot her from the palace. I’m proud of Laprima for voluntarily stepping up to her noble duties and serving as the Jarl’s official envoy to Dragon Bridge.

She’s getting to be quite the Bowgirl and I expect that will serve her well outside the walls of Solitude and with the possibility of war ahead.

[SubRosa]

Sounds like some Risky business here.

A large rat is on the loose? Call the Fighters Guild!

Haafingar always makes me think "Half Finger".

Rule #1 is never talk to cops Laprima! Even Elisef knows that there are things she does not want to know.

Hmm, the storyteller in me is hinting that with Cham being an outlaw in prison, and the city about to fall under siege, there just might be an opportunity here. It might be that in the trying times to come Solitude might have need of a charming rogue who is well-placed in the underworld, a thief, and a spy, and scoundrel? Perhaps Chamany might have some part to play in the city's defense? One that might earn him a pardon?

And some archery practice. Laprima might need those archery sills in the near future.

[Renee]

Hello Acadian. I actually think Elisif might suspect Laprima was also involved, and maybe her "wrath" would've shown up, had circumstances been different. Maybe if Whiterun hadn't occurred she wouldn't have had anything much to do, and would've asked more questions.

But as things stand, she was in a bind. It's her desire to help the people of Dragon Bridge. Niece stepped up at the right time, and so the jarl decided to go with the flow in this case. She's inclined to think the best of her relative, as long as niecey does what she says she's going to do.

I was hoping the fact she's chosen Archery would bode well with you!


Hullo SubRosa, ha, I forgot all about the Fighters Guild rat quests for new guild members! Dang. That would've made for some Lol moments.

Hmm, the storyteller in me is hinting that with Cham being an outlaw in prison, and the city about to fall under siege, there just might be an opportunity here

Nice. Very astute. In fact his influence behind bars will probably increase in the long run. I actually had a different plan regarding how he could possibly get out of prison. That won't happen for a while, if it ever does (this season).

The thing about this story, as well as Goblin Lady, Vicious, and all the other stories (and probably Teresa and Buffy's tales) is there is some variability involved. I know what's supposed to happen in the dialog & quests, but the random encounters are an unknown. For instance, she's about to head to Dragon Bridge. Will she need to use her bow for protection, even though she'll be traveling with guards? I don't know. But she (and I) both intuit that it's better to be proficient at some sort of weapon skill in the long run.

I'm hungover again. So the story will either get posted pretty soon, or maybe I'll take a nap first. I'm pretty psyched to get this story moving, though.

[Renee]

.
______________________________

.Here our Lady Approaches

______________________________


. Tirdas, 16th of Sun's Dusk, early morning


Laprima awoke early, surprised she’d been able to gain any sleep at all. She rolled out of bed. Grabbed her journal. Wrote a few scattered notes about a dream she’d been living just moments before, a dream in which she was waiting with a group of others for some sort of vessel to come.

Vessel, that’s the word which came to mind. A large, shiny container of some sort, perhaps made of metal, in which everyone present embarked upon. Embarked. A good way to put it. She scribbled into her journal. Once inside the ‘vessel’, she realized everyone was packed in tight, which made her uncomfortable. Some folks were sitting upon benches, while she was forced to stand. The vessel headed south, then turned to the east upon a road of sorts. Suddenly (in the way of dreams) she realized that she was on the wrong vessel. She was supposed to embark upon a separate vessel, aimed the opposite way. Whatever that meant. A moment of panic ensued.

“Good morn to you, Lady Laprima,” a young page, a girl (but not Tricky) startled. “Just wanted to let you know they’re already ready already for you!”

“Graci. Give a few moments please, while I prepare and become properly dressed.” …Really need to have a lock affixed into my door…

“I'm Paige. Might I be of any assistance? I know how to twist hair into a Colovian knot!”

“You may.” And what a good idea. Better to not have her coif mussing all over the place, blown about by wind and matted by possible deluge. Laprima was planning on wearing Chamany’s hood for the journey, but what if she wanted to take it off at some point? Like, what if the sky was actually sunny?

She sat before her bedroom dining-table while the child began scrambling her hair. Upon the table, someone had placed the scroll which was to be taken to Dragon Bridge. Which made her curious, of course. What had been written upon it? But the scroll had been stamped, sealed with wax, which meant it was to remain furled until given to Commander Maro, or someone designated to break the seal. See, already she knew she’d be good at her new(est) job.

“All done, milady. Ciao!”

“Graci, lass. Have a coin, and have a biscuit.”

“Ooooh!” And out the door she went.

Laprima was now alone. Unexpectedly, a moment of pure and absolute dread fell over her being, like a boat-anchor dropped into sea. Not exactly the Darkness, not exactly the odd moments of terror she’d felt during her school years, but a certain doom and gloom for sure.

What exactly is it I am doing?

Worry and doubt zinged her nerves, a dozen thoughts at once. Why in Oblivion had she volunteered for this? Surely, doing so had been a rash decision, mostly caused by her desire to (subconsciously) sidestep the trouble she feared she was in. She’d been wondering if she was about to get deported, or thrown in jail just like Chamany. Because of this, she hadn’t been thinking rationally. And just look at what she’d gotten herself into.

The Heartlander actually shuddered.

But then, she calmed herself. One notion at a time, thought she, while packing the scroll into her handbag. She could do this. She could make this journey, and present before whatever court Dragon Bridge had in store. In fact she’d better do so, with Elisif the Fair’s entire entourage now expecting affirmative results. And truthfully, part of her was looking forward to getting outside the town and discovering a new one; was looking forward to the adventure of it all.

So firstly: what should she don for the journey?

After shooting arrows the previous day she then’d gone to the Raiment. There she bought several new frocks and garments, all of them common and inexpensive, which made Endarie snootier than ever.

“Oh, let me just drop everything,” the town’s premier clothing merchant chided, nose upturned. “I don’t mind, reeeally.”

“Then eradicate thy lippy comments, fashionista.”

Not that it mattered. She could’ve bought the most expensive items in the Raiment, and the store’s pompous high elf would continue to lay out her thinly-veiled insults. Laprima hadn’t been going for fashion or folly this time though, she wanted selections which would keep her warm, yet would also be presentable before the leaders of Dragon Bridge. Hmm. Maybe she should bring two outfits, the second one fancier, to be worn before the village’s council. Perhaps some commoner’s garb might be seen as an insult to the Dragon Bridge court. Aye that. Such things could and did happen, at times.

Laprima also visited Solitude’s Fletcher, surprised to learn the town had its very own dedicated archery shop. Here she purchased some arrows of steel at 2 gold apiece, because several of the cheaper arrows given to her by the Shrew broke. Surprisingly, the Fletcher (as well as Solitude’s smith) did not sell any gauntlets lighter than steel. She’d been hoping for some fur or some leather to keep her hands warm and safe, while not encompassing them into stiff and heavy metal. Ah, well. Gloved hands for a proper aristocratic female it would be.

She got dressed, packed a second, more elegant outfit for Dragon Bridge, picked up her bow and her quiver, grabbed into her nightstand for a few potions. Grabbed a handful of coins. Left her room behind.

And walked into court, magical music droning from places unseen. “Morning,” Bolgeir Bearclaw greeted, his Nordic accent thick, barely cultured. “Jarl Elisif has nawt arisen just yet,” he said with a wink and a smile. “Take the opportunity to just mosey right through, I’d say.”

Laprima smiled too. Said nothing. Because moments of small relief such as this one were best shared without words. Truthfully though, it'd be best to get moving. Best to get to Dragon Bridge before dark; Jarl Elisif could be a talky one, for sure.

“Just wanted ta also say that da guards you are to sojourn with have been stationed in da lobby,” he pointed. “Just down da stairs. Dey shall travel with you, as for safety’s sake.”

“Graci,” she answered. “Many thanks.”

She clomped down the stairs, eager yet nervous about the day to come.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

“And lo. Here our lady approaches,” one of the assigned guards nudged the other as their charge strode near. “Told’ja it was her. Which means, you owe me a pint once we’re down in Dragon’s Bridge!”

“Yea, sure,” the other guard answered, rolling his eyes. “One pint it shall be.”

“You was there yesterday,” the first guard said to Laprima. He was taller than his partner, and from Cyrodiil for sure. Both of them were wearing a mish-mash of light and heavy armor, most of it bearing Imperial crests and badges, she noticed. The first guard carried a sword. His partner, the one who owed a pint, also carried a sword, but complimented his weapon with a proper shield. He was Nordic, wore a fully-masked helmet and hood, while the first man's head was bare. Despite their Imperial garb, they seemed unconcerned about the contingent of Stormcloaks camped just outside of town. Or maybe they didn't even know about the Stormies.

“That was you, shootin’ up at Castle Dour.”

“Surely I was, yes.”

“Say, you was pretty good, for a lady, that is. And I mean… a Lady, as in, with a capital L to start. We had no idea you was royalty.”

“Not true royalty,” Laprima answered, already hoping there’d be no need to explain the difference. “Ehm. So how about today, let us perhaps pretend we’re all equals, eh? That I am just one of your set. I imagine it’ll be easier not to become distracted by the usual nuances of Class and rights-of-way and such if we do so, eh?"

But the second soldier, the Nord was having none of this. “Oh no, oh no,” he wagged, putting two and a half fingers to the area where his lips would be, if his face wasn't completely covered by metal. “You may be an adequate shot up on Archer’s Row, but you needn’t lift a finger with Peters and Mansonn (he pointed to his taller partner) at your side, a-right?”

“Right,” the man named Mansonn, the one who was owed a pint, agreed. “Not a finger. Or two fingers. Or even three. Or how ‘bout all ten of ‘em?”

Hmm.

Nobility and royals sometimes went around carrying bows and arrows, the ‘Lady’ realized at that moment. This was a sight not completely unseen down in Cyrodiil. However, upper classes usually only did so if they were going off hunting. Only did so if they were headed to some safe and nearby wilderness, hoping to bag a fox or a rabbit. Never for protection, or any sort of defensive measures against men or monsters, by the Gods no!

Still, she was not to be deterred. Laprima refused to leave her weapon and quiver behind. She was a Lady, yes; which meant she was ‘a woman of high social economic class or position’ according to the terminology of the day, but this did not mean she would just blindly follow typical social mores. During that first time she’d visited Sirdasa they had been attacked by a wolf, as well as a dog-sized canine of some sort. And the Shrew had alluded to the fact that there were greater threats deeper into wilderness, if one were to trek that far. So there it was. She was not taking chances, despite their insistence that she leave it all to them.

"Just kiddin'. If that's what our Lady wishes, for her to be considered equal to lowly guards such as ourselves, then it shall be done. But if you is one of us, that means you gotta buy us BOTH a pint once we get down to Dragon Bridge. Uh, it's tradition. For new soldiers, that is. To buy each of their garrison pints, first round."

"Surely," Laprima smiled. "I have not a problem with any of that, although I do suspect this 'tradition'," she moved her fingers to mime quotation marks, "might just be a bit of made-up cattle dung, eh?"

"Pshawww!" the guards nudged each other. "A quick one, our Lady is. Anyhow, let us commence."

Mansonn and Peters led the way.

The trio left the palace, striding swiftly through town. Weather was gloriously sunny, but who knew how long this would last? As they walked by Bard's College, another moment of panic: I am supposed to attend rehearsal today, she realized.For the play. What shall be said about my absence?

…Of course, there was absolutely no question which path she should take; this business with Dragon Bridge took priority, far and beyond and obviously. But what of her role in Headmaster’s Trial? Her role was a ‘bit part’ according to the other actors, but still.

Too late. She considered stopping into the college so she could alert them to her upcoming absence. But that would steal away precious time. Especially if that mouthy fellow Viarmo got involved in the conversation. The sun was already perched high into sky, and she wasn’t sure how long this journey would take. Laprima did ask the guards to halt twice though, first so she could buy some meats and apples from the outdoor vendors, and secondly so she could continue her quest for warmer gear.

Enough with the Raiment, this time she tried Bits and Pieces, the town's general merchant for all things. Here she was delighted to find a helpful face behind the counter, without the attitude! Furthermore, Laprima purchased a travel cloak made of linen, which she donned over her shoulders. The cost? Just eighteen coins. Bits and Pieces didn't have any gauntlets for sale, damnit. Otherwise, she was ready to go.

Uh oh, maybe not just yet. Because here she comes...

“Huh, look at that,” Taarie the elf quipped, observing Laprima as she emerged from the shop, wearing her newly-bought cape. "You, a denizen of the Blue Palace, wearing the clothes of a commoner? Well, I'll be."

"Make up thy mind, am I supposed to dress more poshly because I 'might be headed to the Blue Palace'? Oh! Here's something to ponder. I shall be spending my coin at Bits and Pieces, now on. Got this cape for just eighteen gold. Eighteen! Have any thoughts or insights regarding that?"

Taarie rolled her eyes. If she could turn her nose any more diagonally, she might just fall over backwards.

They neared the town’s inner gate (the Skeever to their right), and stepped through. "What was that all about?" asked Mansonn, the Imperial.

"You wouldn't know, would you? Consider yourself lucky. Perhaps she doesn't accost fellows as she does women of supposed leisure, such as myself."

"Huh. Wouldn't know anything about that, you're right!"

They walked past the town’s outer gate then, headed down the hill. Sirdasa’s camp would be roughly a mile to the left. For once, it seemed as though the Weather Gods of the Great Skies seemed to be cooperating for a change. The sky stayed sunny! Laprima removed Chamany's hood.

“Say, have you heard? They say one of the Stormcloaks is Dragonborn,” Mansonn said with a tinge of what sounded like a combination of fear and awe.

“Dragonborn?” asked Laprima.

“Aye. Means the man was born with the soul of a dragon, or some such. Don’cha know about the dragon attack near Whiterun? They say the man they calling Dragonborn was able to fight it off, by shouting it to death! Which only a Dragonborn can do. Ulfric Stormcloak himself is said to be Dragonborn as well.”

“Ulfric,” she replied. “He’s the man who shouted High King Torygg apart.” Now the term made sense, sort of.

“Aye, Ulfric, sleazy doofus at the helm of Windhelm, yet he’s one of them. An unfair match. Torryg had no chance! And so like I said, there’s a Dragonborn on the side of the Stormcloaks. Which could mean…” Mansonn left the sentence unfinished. “Anyway. Wonder if we’ve got one in our ranks,” he continued. “A Dragonborn, that is. Hope we do.”

“As do I,” the second soldier, the one who owed Mansonn a pint, added. Laprima found herself unable to recall the second soldier’s name.

Suddenly, both the guards were on the alert. They both drew their weapons, so Laprima grabbed her bow, though she couldn't yet see what they were concerned about.

"Something up ahead," Mansonn said ominously. "Be ready with that bow, Lady Donnaugh."

Lady Donnaugh nodded, her face grim. But she also made a quick mental note. She was certainly now being considered as one of their set, not just some denizen of the Blue Palace in posh clothings. All for one, one for all, as the saying goes.


—---------------------------------------------------

Laprima got a new 'do

Yet another child invades her bedroom

Assassin's Creed Laprima

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

Notes
1). Laprima leveled up to 3! I boosted Stamina and gave her a point in Archery called Overdraw. Already she'll do 20% more damage to any opponents.

2). Paige (actually called herself ImPaige) was one of the Aussie gals I used to chat with in Xena's chatrooms under the name Xenaclone, way back in 1997 when the Internet was young, wild, and mostly unmoderated. ImPaige and a lot of others in the chats were proud of Lucy Lawless of course, all of them being from Australia or New Zealand. ImPaige and I eventually had a virtual, online marriage.

3). I did Laprima’s hair in-game (well, the child did, wink-wink). Was told about ShowLimitedRaceMenu by a kind fellow over in Nexus's forums, which is yet another script fragment found in the Creation Kit. It works in-game just like the Face Sculptor in Riften’s Ratway. Yay.

4). For this chapter I used my very own mod idea: Traveling with an NPC. This allows the NPC to lead, while the PC follows. I came up with this idea over a year ago, because it wouldn't make sense if Laprima leads the party, if she's never been to their destination before.
.

[SubRosa]

Laprima had a dream about taking the subway, which turned into a nightmare because she took the wrong train!

So now Laprima has a Page, named Paige. Very appropriate. And she knows how to do hair. That is a good start.

That is a really sweet story of your time in the wild days of the early internet, back when it used to be used to bring people together.

She is having some quite understandable second thoughts, given that she is about to set out for what might soon be the front lines in the war. But there is no backing out. The die has been cast. Her place at court is dependent upon her behavior now.

With the navigation of fashion snobs and attirical attentions attended to, off we go!

Uh oh, what is this up ahead? Dragons? Or Dragonborn?

[WellTemperedClavier]

Somehow didn't see these updates! Sorry!

I like this intro bringing in two other characters. This sort of thing helps the place feel more alive, and Risky seems like an interesting character.

So Risky's still stealing silverware well into 202. Sounds, well, risky.

Yeah, the Forsworn uniform (if that's the right term) would probably attract too much attention.

Definitely a close call for Bakh.

Okay, so it looks like Laprima's trying to come clean. Chamany's at fault, but being his wife means she can't distance herself as much as she'd like. Being open about this is probably easier than hiding it, especially given her position.

But it seems Elisif just wants to move on from that. Which makes sense, I think. She controls the situation in court (mostly), so she can make the problem go away if she wants.

Chamany didn't seem too worried. Was he in more danger than he thought? Or is Elisif simply running with this to make it seem like she's doing a big favor for Laprima?

Probably wise to not look through Chamany's wardrobe. The pockets might have contraband, and that would not be helpful.

Looks like she's learned well from Sirdasa.

Laprima's right about training being much different from the real thing. Not to say that training doesn't help, but it only goes so far. Smart of her to take advice from the professionals around her.

And Archery up to 20! Good work.

I just got back home from my trip, so I'm a little beat. I'll finish the next chapter tomorrow or Tuesday. Glad to be catching up!

[macole]

I hope it's not a Dragonborn. The way the two guards were talking I'd be concerned.

That's an interesting mod you have there. It might be fun watching the Ladies drag me around from shop to shop.

[WellTemperedClavier]

Sounds like a classic anxiety dream that Laprima had, though the talk about vessels couldn't help me think of the beginning of Morrowind.

"Well, not even last night's storm could wake you. I heard them say we've reached Morrowind, I'm sure they'll let us go."

Anyway, back to Skyrim.

Hm, does a Colovian knot go well with a Colovian fur hat?

Oof, that moment where anxiety hits Laprima rang very true for me. Always sneaks in when you're on your own. Now for the doubt and recrimination. But ultimately, this is the only way she can take control of the situation, and I think she realizes that. Even if it does feel like she's burying herself deeper.

"One notion at a time." Very good.

I'm surprised Sirdasa didn't tell her about the fletcher. Sirdasa's definitely familiar with the place, though not necessarily as a buyer...

Smart to pick a nice outfit. This is a diplomatic mission.

I like the description of the armor. The mix of Imperial and normal armor is a good metaphor for Solitude's political situation.

Smart of Laprima to insist on bringing her own weapons. You can never be too sure.

Heh, a few beers is a cheap price to pay.

Taarie's being quite irritating here.

Hm, the Dragonborn being a Stormcloak is ominous news indeed. I'll admit that when I played, I sided with the Empire partly because the game seemed to be going out of its way to make me want to side with the Stormcloaks. I can be contrarian, sometimes.

All right, looks like we'll soon see how well this arrangement works out. And neat story about Paige!

[Acadian]

Paige is another fun castle kid! By ‘biscuit’ did Lady Donnaugh offer her a savory perhaps buttermilk one or was she referring to the British / Australian usage of the word (cookie)?

For Mara’s sake! The Radiant Raiment really needs a Quinn. . . .

A cloak was a wise purchase methinks.

Uh oh, trouble ahead?

[Renee]

Look at this, 4:48 in the morning. ⌚ Wish I could get half as motivated about cleaning out our storage room...

Indeed Florens, she's on some sort of public transport. It's a reality bleedthrough, similar to what I tried to bring up during Silverlight's sermon. My character's stepped into an alternate reality, similar to ours, which turned into an anxiety dream, due to what's been pushed into subconscious.

I made a Facial Reconstruction Artist (as Elisif would call it) long ago when I began this story. The FRA dwells within Radiant Raiment as we speak; I named her May Bellene. Laprima and Chamany were supposed to get married, and then I'd transform Laprima's gothic looks into something more plain-Jane, as my goth gal transforms into the High Fantasy equivalent of a surburbanite.

And then the story would've partially focused on Laprima as she deals with her aunt's wishes, trying to balance them with her own as a twentysomething in a brand-new town. None of that ever happened, because my original computer died 2 years ago and the entire story is different now. Anyway, I assumed changing looks in-game would be this incredibly difficult process (because this is Skyrim's Creation Kit, in which everything is more difficult) but adding a looks-changer was one of the easier things.

That is a really sweet story of your time in the wild days of the early internet, back when it used to be used to bring people together

It was kind of awesome, right? I try to explain to younger kids what it was like: not as many visuals and videos, but also sort of wilder. What I miss most are the lack of pop-up ads. And talking to folks on the other side of the world was such a novel thing, as well, because it was New!

The Aussie gals looked up to Xenaclone, because she/I had discovered a secret. A lot of trolls would show up in Xena's chatrooms, and I mean, these idiots would really go out of their way to destroy our pleasant chats, talking about how big their p3n1ses are or whatever. The 'net was full of just random idiocy like this, I bet you also witnessed your share back in the day. But most of these dolts chose not to register their stupid names. So while the trolls would start trolling, I would open a second Internet Explorer window (edit, actually a second monitor. I worked nights at a place which rented computers), and register their name mid-chat. This caused them to *POOF* suddenly lose the ability to speak.

...I was Xenaclone! Banisher of all Flamers and Trolls! A-yee-yee-yee-yee!!!

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

It's okay, Clavier. I recently joined AFK Mods and Emma's site (the same Emma who made Vilja). People don't comment on each others' stories and posts as much at those sites, instead there's a heavy use of Notifications. So that's something I love about Chorrol; we actually mostly "talk" to each other.

One of the very first NPCs in the beginning of this story is from that same Forsworn group; the guy who greeted Laprima when she first walked into the Skeever, that is. He walked into the place still wearing Forsworn gear, which I suppose could actually be okay, as long as he doesn't do anything drastic. I haven't followed through on that angle of the story, but it might go there in the future.

Indeed. As I replied to Acadian last week, things would've been different, if this business with Whiterun hadn't come up. Elisif wouldn't've had anything much to do, in that case. Since the entire court had been alerted to Chamany's arrest, Elisif would've been motivated to grill her niece, if only for something to do. Everyone present would've been expecting the jarl to go into some sort of tirade. So my gal dodged an arrow, there.

Chamany didn't seem too worried. Was he in more danger than he thought? Or is Elisif simply running with this to make it seem like she's doing a big favor for Laprima?

Cham's not worried because he feels safer where he is. And he also knows a few things about how the Justice system works; he's been in trouble before. In fact, I've come up with some new ideas on Chamany's end which are actually gonna be fun to write!

Exactly, we've all had those anxious moments in life, that's what that is.

Hm, the Dragonborn being a Stormcloak is ominous news indeed. I'll admit that when I played, I sided with the Empire partly because the game seemed to be going out of its way to make me want to side with the Stormcloaks. I can be contrarian, sometimes.

Sure, that's fine. I played the Civil War on both sides; Sir Vyvoor (my Stormcloak guy) appeared as Dragonborn in my vision of him, and in my own personal canon/lore the Stormies ultimately won. ⚔ Even though I think Ulfric is a douchebag, the idea of the Empire getting bent to the will of the Aldmeri Dominion is even douchier, imo. Were it not for them, maybe I'd be more in favor of the Empire.

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

macole: Oh, the ruckus up in front of them? No, that's not the Dragonborn (or A Dragonborn). I do have a mod which adds extra Adventurers and Travellers upon my Skyrim's roads, which has one of those Mod Configuration Menus, so that I can add as many Adventurers and ordinary Travelers, as many Robbers and as many Dragonborns as I want. I think I did add just one DB into my game. Not sure if I've ever come across him or her. But the disturbance up ahead is not DB.

Traveling With An NPC will never appear on Nexus (I'm too afraid of breaking other peoples' games, so I write tutorials instead) but it is fun in a way, because NPCs tend to sometimes take different routes to a variety of places. Such a thing might be reaallly difficult to pull off in Oblivion though. NPCs in TES4 have a tendency to go flying off into the wilderness at the slightest wolf or boar, right? Next thing, your Field Hippies would have to be found via console commands!

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

Acadian: Yeah, writing up dialog for children is fun. They say things in a different way than adults. Which can be charming, as long as they're not being little brats. A lot of the children in Fallout 3 ARE quite bratty & annoying. But in TSOLD and Skyrim itself, they're mostly fun little diversions, dialog-wise.

By ‘biscuit’ did Lady Donnaugh offer her a savory perhaps buttermilk one or was she referring to the British / Australian usage of the word (cookie)?

Probably a sweetroll. 🍪

Ha ha ha, yeah, Quinn is at least nice most of the time!

Alright, let's see what happens next. Gosh darn it's early. Where's my coffee?

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 24 2024, 03:36 PM

[Renee]

.
_______________________

.A Sodden Act of War

_______________________

Tirdas, 16th of Sun's Dusk, mid-afternoon


The trio came to a halt. “Something up ahead," Mansonn stated ominously. "Be ready with that bow, Lady Donnaugh."

“Aye. Am so.” She realized her heart was racing, even though she couldn’t see whatever or whomever or whichever was there.

“You ever killed anyone?” Peters, the Nord, asked. "Or shot your bow at anyone?”

Laprima thought of concocting some sort of ‘explanation’ just then. Something to validate why she’d insisted on bringing her weapon along. I had an uncle down in Cyrodiil who fought the Great War, whatever. Maybe Chamany could’ve come up with something just then. But for her, this was no time for misdirection. She’d never been so good at fabricating tall tales on-the-spot, hence her arrest down in Cyrodiil, after getting caught after-hours in the Market District’s long-established Red Diamond.

“Ehm, um, well, uh… actually, I have not.”

Mansonn and Peters would see right through a lie, that’s what she was thinking. So don’t even try. She’d appeared on their turf (up at Archer’s Row) just the day before, out of nowhere. Was not a soldier, was not a guard. Maybe they could already intuit her lack of combat experience.

“Alright,” Peters continued. “Real quick. Not the same as shooting targets and dummies. For Mansonn and me, we’re trying our best to disable limbs, sever muscles, break apart bones. Slow’s ‘em down; sometimes the battle’s already done if we can do any one of these things."

"I see," Laprima replied. Her blood, my how it stirred within!

"For you, as an archer, you’re gonna want to go for central mass.”

“Central mass?”

“Means the main part of their bodies. Their torso, their shoulders, their chest. It’s best you aim for their center, see? Because that’s the greater target for you, from a distance. Hands and arms and legs are movin’ round too much.”

She nodded.

“Bows pack a wallop, if they able to pierce through armor, that is. That’s what you going for. And unlike our weapons, once an arrow's inside a body, it usually's gonna stay in there, becoming a distraction as the fight continues. We can place a slash or a blow, but then it's over until we connect again, hopefully. Therefore in a way, archers have powers us swordsmen do not."

"Right."

"Have no worries, Lady Donnaugh. They are belong to us.”

Laprima nodded. “'They', you say. So there are people ahead? Are they Stormcloaks?”

“Nay. Looks like a couple’f road bandits. Typical scum. Waitin’ for someone unsuspecting to come along so they can rob and pillage.”

“Bandits?” Laprima asked, incredulous. “But Elisif and the others said the way to Dragon Bridge is well-guarded, well-patrolled!”

“Welcome to life on the roads of Skyrim."

"I must admit a pair of ruffians this close to Solitude does seem brazen," Peters added. "Anyway, enough with the lesson, It's killin' time.”

“Alright.”

“One more thing," Mansonn added. "Make sure to flank ‘em...which means, aim at them from the sidelines, not directly behind Peters and me. Basically, try to hit them with arrows, not us!”

“Right.” Her heart was hammering with such ferocity, she could hear its beats punctuating her breath. ...huh...huh...huh..

Impromtu lessons over, the party moved forward, tentatively so. One step, two steps, three, and four. Laprima nocked an arrow. Recalled a smidge of Sirdasa’s advice just then; something like ‘it’s best for archers to sneak upon their prey.’ If so, it was then possible to affect them with greater damage. Enemies were unable to prepare for incoming missiles, if they didn’t see them coming.

Laprima hunkered down, preparing for a sneak-attack.….But both the men were already rushing forward.
The fight had begun! --- There were two of them: a male and a female, both donned in furs. The male bandit brandished a weapon, while the female cast some sort of spell.

"I'll slit ya belly open like an old woman's purse!"

Armed with just a short blade, the man swung his weapon at Peters. Silly measure, really, the Nord soldier was easily able to block this attempt with his shield.

"Do your worst!"

Both soldiers ganged upon bandit-man, while bandit-woman zapped a shock spell upon the soldiers! As she did so, she was in a stance which kept her feet from moving. The witch was standing mostly still, an obvious target! Laprima took advantage of this, nocking an arrow, taking a full second to aim and get into a stance of her own, before loosing her projectile!

Afterward she stood still, transfixed and watching; too curious about whether her arrow would strike; or had she missed? Too enthralled, waiting to see the woman's reaction to nock a second arrow.

... What seemed to be an hour later (one of those moments when time slowed...), bandit-woman stumbled! She'd been hit!! Laprima could barely see that she'd shot the offending female. My very first.... Solitude's newest archer felt a moment of apprehension for just a split second, before remembering to notch a second arrow, for the fight was still ongoing. ... And someone else was shooting as well; Laprima saw another arrow fly towards the witch, high over her head. One of Solitude's gate-guards (or perhaps an ordinary citizen) was shooting from behind.

By then, the fight was already half-over. Her guards had downed the first bandit, and were running toward the second. Laprima fired again, but the witch skirted wildly across the road, dealing with the soldiers with some unexpected, fancy footwork as she tried to avoid. Mansonn and Peters began slashing at the mage with their swords! Because of all this, Laprima's second arrow missed. Flew off into the snow.

"I cannot best you!"

Eager to assist, Lady Donnaugh rushed toward the melee, nocking her third. She aimed desperately, but Peters was in the way. Flank us... she did just that, running a half-circle around the men so she could properly aim. But by that point the fight was over. The witch-lady in furs crumpled to the ground with a sad little yelp, whatever life she'd led before this moment, whether all of it was nefarious or not, over and done for.

“Anyway,” Mansonn spoke nonchalantly, “as I was saying. Hope we got a Dragonborn on our side.” The Imperial was calmly cleaning his sword into a nearby snowbank, changing the snow from white to red.

"Aye," stated Peters. "Would only be fair, that."

“Huh? Sorry?” Laprima grimaced, flustered. Hands shaking, mouth gone dry, eyes darting, nerves tingling with an overload of adrenaline, next arrow already notched and ready, apparently unrealizing that the battle was finished. Time had stopped, just like it had two weeks prior, when the Shrew had attacked Posh Lady in the woods. "A Dragonborn, on our side?"

“Of the war, I mean,” Mansonn answered, speaking patiently. “If the Stormcloaks really got a Dragonborn, it’d only be fair if so did we, us Empiralists, that is.”

“Oh. Right.” He's continuing conversation from where it left off! Laprima noticed a wide swath of Mansonn's armor was the color of crimson, an injury had been gashed into his side. Without a shield, he'd been more seriously wounded than his partner. Didn't these fellows know how to heal themselves?

The archer offered both soldiers some potions, but they refused.

“Anyhow, ready to continue onwards?”

"Ehm, a'right. Sure."

But before she did, she couldn't help but check bandit-woman first, the witch who'd just been throwing shock magic from the side moments ago, just to see. And yes, one of the steel arrows she'd bought casually the day before from Solitude's Fletcher was right there, stuck deep within the mage-woman's shoulder.

Well, what did you expect? thought she. This was caused from you, Lady Laprima, caused during a sodden act of war.

She was mesmerized, almost in a hypnotic state as she stared down. That was mine. I did not kill the woman outright of course, at least three others had assisted. But I did have something to do with her demise, for sure. A part, which ended this poor woman's life.

"Aye, you'll never forget this moment," Peters stated, causing Laprima to jump as he broke her reverie. "My first, I was just a lad of fourteen years. Had to take down a drunken ruffian who'd been tryin' to steal our livestock," he said somberly.

"I... ayuh... I..."

"But you'll get used to it," the Nord continued. My advice: don't spend too much time getting sentimental. It would've been them or us. That's the reality of Skyrim's roads."

()()()()()()()()()()()

By then it was mid-afternoon. There were perhaps four hours of daylight left. Sensing Mansonn was especially more hurt than Peters, Laprima made sure to travel nearer to the Imperial's side. She became more alert, studying the road ahead for trouble. If she could see something before they could, some enemy or creature, she'd try to be readier with her bow. Maybe she could impart the first shot, injuring whoever or whatever or whichever before the fight even began.

Unfortunately, their next encounter involved an individual who sighted Laprima before she could sight him. A man, but a Khajiit this time, wearing what looked to be studded fur. He'd slipped out of the bushes so fast, the archer barely had time to grab her bow and nock a fourth arrow.

"Hand over yoor valyabals!" the Khajiit said, "or I will GUT yoo like a *OOF*!"

He'd been quicker than she when it came to ambush, but she'd been faster at arms, her arrow slamming the road-robber before he could finish his taunt. By then, the guards (who'd not even noticed the initial confrontation) had begun to react. Peters came rushing to slam the road-robber's back!

Realizing she was too close, the archer reverse-stepped quickly. The Khajiit wielded a pair of daggars, and begun dual-slashing at Laprima with both of them.... swip! swip! swip! almost like a dancer. Out of nowhere, the fight became fast and furious, with the robber refusing to turn away from her, despite repeated blows from both guards.

This time, her guards weren't getting as damaged, while Laprima herself was taking the brunt.

"You'll pay for that!" Mansonn cried.

Twip! went her bow, causing the robber to stagger with second impact. Both guards were dealing blows upon the stupid Khajiit, who continued to ignore them.

It'd taken another twenty seconds or so before the three of them could take down the robber, alluding to the fact that some enemies could be much tougher than others. Again, Laprima was flustered after the fight. She was more seriously wounded this time, so she took a few moments to gather her breath, and cast the beginner's healing spell she'd learned during youth.

"Would it be prudent for us to walk off the road?" she asked her companions, drained and exhausted and scared, her breaths hyper with agitation. "I know of someone who's got a camp, somewhere's down the hill there. We can take some time for respite..." she stammered.

Mansonn disagreed. "Dragon Bridge is just down the slope," he promised, and it was. In fact, now that he'd pointed it out, she could see the village's tallest roofs, poking just over the next rise.

"Right." The Heartlander breathed relief, her mind reeling and alert, still upset about being caught totally unaware by the knife-wielding kitty. "Let us go there, then."

This had probably been an average day for her protectors, but one heck of a day for her.

—---------------------------------------------------

Peters in Action

Bandit-woman zings her magic -- (Notice the arrows. One of those was Laprima, the other, some random NPC)

My archer's first Kill-Cam!!! -- (whoa, who shot Laprima in the arm?)

[SubRosa]

Welcome to life on the roads of Skyrim!

Good advice from the soldiers, to always aim for the center of the mass. I just wish the NPCs would take their advice about not shooting me in the back.

A quick and brutish fight, and it is right back to business.

I wonder who the extra archer was? Does Laprima have a secrete guardian following her?

I see Laprima has noted something I have as well. It's often safer off the roads than on them!

[Acadian]

Great advice from Laprima’s guardsmen. Aim center of mass with ranged weapons; that way if you are a bit off you should still hit your target somewhere. Taught to warriors and police all over the world. The rest of their advice was spot on as well. And, I see, Laprima quickly learned to instantly nock her next arrow the moment the current one leaves her bow. You handled her dealing with the realization that she contributed to killing another person very well. Fortunately, Lady Donnaugh is wealthy enough and fights rarely enough that breaking out a hunting knife for the bloody job of recovering her arrows is not something she really needs worry about.

During her second encounter, she learned that firing first makes you the primary target for your intended victim. And she has learned the challenge of trying to support your melee comrades when they are engaged while avoiding friendly fire. Overall, she has acquitted herself well.

[WellTemperedClavier]

Notifications are a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you can get acknowledgement from people who like what you wrote, and who might not do anything if that option weren't there. On the other, it's sometimes frustrating to just get a bunch of "likes".

So I actually joined Emma's forum a few years ago, thinking I might share my fanfic there. But the 'fic section looked pretty deserted, so I ended up not bothering. You're having some luck with it I hope?

Okay, onto the story.

Yeah, I imagine it can feel a bit awkward to carry a weapon for self-defense when you've never actually used one for self-defense. And I'm sure these guards are much more experienced with such things, so it's good they're sharing some training with Laprimma.

Heh, yeah I don't imagine the patrols go far beyond sight of the city. As per the norm for Tamriel.

I like how Laprimma's quite nervous going into combat. Guards are no, this is intense.

Oh yeah, Sirdasa's advice: "If you're playing Skyrim, do a stealth archer build." Granted, she worded it differently.

Tamrielic bandits seem to be on the reckless side. But good on Laprimma for scoring her first hit!

The guards resuming the pre-battle conversation shows how hardened they've become.

Understandable that Laprimma would have mixed feelings about taking a life, even if it was in self-defense. Peters is doing his best to help.

Laprimma reacted fast to this new bandit! But she didn't get through unscathed. Lucky for her, Dragon Bridge is near.

This chapter had a lot of action!

This post has been edited by WellTemperedClavier: Feb 29 2024, 06:05 AM

[macole]

Typical veteran guard reaction. "Tis but a scratch, I'll be right as rain (in a hurricane) after a pint o' ale or two."

Really like how you wrote "loosing her projectile". Bowmen loose, musketeers shoot. It's a pet peeve of mine.

I used to have an active account at AFK. I think they did some updating and the last time I tried I wasn't able to logon. I haven't visited Emma's site in a long time either.

[Renee]

This week was a stressful one, so that today's chapter literally is only half-finished. Maybe it won't get done, we'll see.

Hello macole.

Typical veteran guard reaction. "Tis but a scratch, I'll be right as rain (in a hurricane) after a pint o' ale or two."

Ha ha ha ha, that's Monty Python, right? The Dark Knight. So darn silly. Brings back memories of my father watching late at night, India Pale Ale in hand. Or a Sapporo. Maybe I should insert a reference to Spanish Inquisition at some point.

Truthfully, I didn't add any healing potions or spells to the two guards' inventories (didn't even cross my mind), and Laprima isn't experienced yet to heal others. I did add a script to them both this week though, which is supposed to add a Grand Potion of Healing to each of them after each fight, which may or may not work properly. We shall see. If it doesn't work, uh oh.

I can't promise I won't use the word "shoot" in reference to bows, just because after a while we begin running out of terms to describe the same actions as we write.

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

Hello Clavier,

Oh yes, The Saga of Janet Telia is being told over at Emma's. This was a story I posted way back in 2017 here at Chorrol, but it was mashed in with a bunch of other stories in the Fallout Wanderer thread. And I've been wanting to dedicate Janet's tale into her own thread, but it'd be redundant to re-post it here at Chorrol, since the story's already been told. I'm gonna post Sarah Phimm's tale (Oblivion) there as well; that was another story which is buried. I like Emma's so far.

By the way: (whispers: It's Laprima, with one M! ) Srrry!

Yeah, I imagine it can feel a bit awkward to carry a weapon for self-defense when you've never actually used one for self-defense. And I'm sure these guards are much more experienced with such things,

Add to that, I've never rolled an archer before in Skyrim. I've had plenty of fighters, mages, spellswords, a nightblade, one cleric. My non-story game right now, just for kicking back after work, is Celeste Yael, a healer. 🧙‍♀️ Which means she literally does not fight most of the time, she heals up the two warriors she travels with. But yes, it also made sense that the guards would realize they're with a Novice, so there's a need to educate her a bit.

Sirdasa taught Laprima one facet of using a bow (stealth-attacks) but did not cover them all. Because how could she know my gal was going to be doing what she's up to now?

The guards resuming the pre-battle conversation shows how hardened they've become ... This chapter had a lot of action!

I like this part, too. I'm not very "good" at writing action scenes, not very confident, I guess. If I were to critique my own work, the transitions back and forth from my gal's perspective to the guards to Laprima's thoughts (etc.) are a bit clunky. But maybe I'm too close to the story, and nobody else really notices. We're doing all of this ourselves, right? No editors, no outside rewrites, at least not in my case.

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

Hullo Acadian. ☕

I changed our very-familiar term 'center mass' to 'central mass' in the story. Trying to keep modern Earth terms out of High Fantasy. But yeah, that's something which occurred to me as I was writing & editing last week, how for archers, it's best for them to aim for the greater, least-moving target.

Cool, thanks (in regards to how I wrote up combat). I figured you'd know best how to describe Marksmanship as we engage into that perspective, so that's quite a compliment.

Fortunately, Lady Donnaugh is wealthy enough and fights rarely enough that breaking out a hunting knife for the bloody job of recovering her arrows is not something she really needs worry about

Hmm, (no spoilers, Renee...!)

But true, she won't need to recover arrows unless she really has to. Hold that thought...

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

Yo, SubRosa.

Good advice from the soldiers, to always aim for the center of the mass. I just wish the NPCs would take their advice about not shooting me in the back.

True, but I'm tellin' ya. As a gamer who's traveled around with plenty of NPCs over the years, the way to (try to) avoid this is constantly be aware of where they are, in relation to where our toons are. I usually let them take initiative as fights commence, and then position my character in such a way that he or she's not in anyone's way. It's 'in-the-moment' strategy of course, and things don't always go right.

But yah, I understand your points, too. Plenty of gamers loathe traveling with others!

Exactly. It's such an inside joke, when guards in Oblivion would say "STAY ON THE ROADS"!

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

As stated, I might need to post a rerun, this week was brutal. Dealing with my mom's dementia and some other issues. I lost a couple days of work running around with her, trying to get some stuff fixed. But I don't wanna lose momentum in this thread. So I might post an old story, we shall see.

This post has been edited by Renee: Mar 2 2024, 01:36 PM