The Gweden report, A story of the story of the stories. Options

[Acadian]

‘Clark told the Daedric Princess.’ - - I smiled over this as I imagined you wrestling with the ‘lore correct’ unisex terms ‘Daedra Lord’ or ‘Daedric Prince’ – both of which sound like crap when applied to a being who walks like a woman and talks like a woman. I always took pains to weasel out of making that choice, but I applaud you for taking it on and applying the term Daedric Princess to Nocturnal.

Yay for Uzgash and her frost-enchanted panties! Er. . . I mean . . . armored battlethong!

Off to Fingerbowl Necrocave then!

[Grits]

Moonshadow sounds gorgeous, I can’t wait to go there. And not just to get into Azura’s pink portal. I love the symmetry of the Crescent’s and Star’s purposes.

"Why does everyone always ask the Khajiit when something is stolen?" He could read the movements of her ears, and knew that she was bluffing.

Lol. Lhasi is quite endearing.

Then back to Nocturnal…

"It's not clear whether they're hiding it, or they don't even know they have it," she replied.

I love this line. It shows Nocturnal’s limitations.

"Chameleon and paralysis. Must use a lot of magicka, so I expect we've got an Altmer here. Of course we won't know for certain until the chameleon fades."

How fun to hear a matter-of-fact discussion about a magical crime!

"She likes a big battle-axe, doesn't she?"

Not a big hammer? The frost shield thong made me smile. Memories of Clark and the bear riders.

[ghastley]

@mALX: I'd used one of the empty captain's quarters cells for holding Claudia, and that left two more lying idle. It struck me that a thief that could reliably sneak in there would just love the irony of living above the watch. Then I got the idea that a fence would like it even better. Only competent thieves could reach him to do business!


@Acadian: I had Azura herself use the term "Deadric Prince" when she was referring to her class in general. I get the impression that Azura and Nocturnal both prefer a female aspect all the time, and Clark is respecting their wishes.

Uzgash continues to strip off in this episode. She wants freedom to move that she doesn't get in armor, and she's trying to get back some of the speed that a big weapon takes away.


@Grits: The crescent idea came from the fact that she's been handing out the star since Daggerfall at least, and her statues always show her holding the star in one hand and the crescent symmetrically in the other. So she regards them as equal, and opposite, and this was the only thing that made sense.

Thieves using magic is as logical as all of SubRosa's mundane uses. That's a feature I like in her work, as it makes the world more credible.

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

Previously: Clark had asked Uzgash to come with him and Minx to find Chrysamere in Fingerbowl Cave. Nocturnal had seen necromancers there (using her crystal ball) and Clark felt they needed a fighter on the team.

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

Nocturnal - Part X

Just then, Methredhel came in to the room. "What's that you're wearing?" Uzgash asked her.

"This Huntsman's Vest, you mean? That's a bit of a euphemism for just a leather bra with padded shoulders. The pads are there for carrying game, but it would give you somewhere to rest that axe." Methredhel gestured at the battle-axe Uzgash was leaning on.

"Where can I get one?" Uzgash asked.

"I doubt that Divine Elegance stocks this design, but the other merchants in the Market District should have them. I hope they have your size."

Clark guessed that the reference to Divine Elegance was a comment on Uzgash' dress. She was wearing the one that Gudrun had given her, in trade for the bear riding outfit. The red and green velvet and all the glittery piping looked totally out of keeping with the ebony battle-axe. There was a good chance that Gudrun had bought it there, on one of her trips to the city office, and she probably didn't intend to pair it with her claymore.

Uzgash hadn't much else to wear. She had a uniform at the Red Dragon Club, and a black robe that she wore to sleep in, and that dress. She could do with buying a few more things, so a visit to the Market District was overdue. Uzgash, however, was the complete opposite of Gudrun. She wasn't at all interested in shopping; she'd buy things when she needed them, but not before.

---

As they walked across the city, Clark discussed the possibility of having the bra/vest enchanted. He'd found the spell reflection on his outfit indispensable, and thought everyone could benefit from that. Uzgash wasn't convinced. "I expect to wear some form of protective gear, and I already told you that I prefer magic to steel, or any other material. But using reflection would make me lazy. I want to do all the damage myself. It just feels right that way."

Clark's opinion, of course, was that giving back the damage your opponent intended for you was even more "right", but he admitted that her argument had its merit. Perhaps if his offensive skills were higher, he'd feel the same. He was more than proficient in blocking, but he'd never trained blade to any significant level.

"What about absorption, or resistance? You have only frost resistance at present; what if they throw lightning or fireballs?"

"I intend to silence them with my axe before they get the chance. But that gives me an idea. Do you know a silence spell? You have quite a bit of illusion skill, and it's a great way to disrupt spell-casters, such as necromancers."

Clark hadn't given that much thought. He'd learned invisibility only when Freija had suggested it. Both that and silence were journeyman level spells, and he'd reached that level with completely different ones, like charm and light. Invisibility was a defensive spell, which fit his style, but silence would be his first step into using illusion as a weapon.

"If you don't have a mage on your side, it's a nice safe one to cast. It won't cause any harm if you hit the wrong target. Better yet, you could learn an area spell, and hit everyone anyway."

"Another one you could consider," Uzgash continued "is a spell to command the necromancers' own summons to turn against them. That's a bit trickier to manage, as you need higher skill than the conjurer, or he'll summon something you can't control. And if you fail, you've just wasted a spell."

Clark thought that command spells might be a bit of a gamble, but silence did sound like a good idea. He could check with Calandil, and Edgar Vautrine, and see what they had.

---

Uzgash had no trouble finding her Huntsman's Vest, but neither magic shop had the silence spell. Calandil pointed him at the Arcane University instead. "I think Raminus Polus can teach you that one, even if you're not enrolled there."

Raminus could teach him Mute, but that was an expert level spell, and Clark was just a little shy of the requirements to use it. "Buy it anyway," Uzgash advised. "You can practice on the way to Fingerbowl Cave. Just cast a simple light spell enough times."

"Start now," Raminus concurred. "You're close enough to expert that you'll reach it before you get back to the Waterfront."

---

Minx was waiting for them when they got back, dressed in her adventuring gear. Clark had seen it before, when they went into the deadlands, but they'd spent most of their time invisible, and he really hadn't taken much notice of it. It was all dark leather, with some kind of enchantment to make it even more stealthy.

Minx noticed his scrutiny and explained where she'd got it. The Champion of Cyrodiil himself had given it to her, when they'd met in Cheydinhal one time. He'd just purged the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary there, and this was their standard equipment. It didn't bother Minx that she might get mistaken for an assassin. "Most folk aren't going to see me anyway, and those that do will keep out of my way. And I might not approve of the DB's methods, but they do know a thing or two about leather straps. And stealth, of course."

Once Uzgash had put on her outfit, using Clark's shack as a changing room, they were ready to set out for the cave. You've never seen a more odd-looking band than those three. Clark was dressed in his fancy upper-class outfit that held all the spell reflection enchantments, and carried a sturdy shield and a glass shortsword. Minx was all in leather, carrying just a dagger. Uzgash was showing more skin than most women had. Her thong was barely legal, and the huntsman's vest looked a lot skimpier on her than it had on Methredhel. The leather boots probably covered more of her than all the rest put together. And on her back was that huge axe.

"We'll take the trail around the Island, and cross to the mainland over the north bridge," Minx announced. "We'll get too much attention going around the Red Road, looking like this. We'll cross the road near Aleswell, and the cave's just to the north."

"You do have Nocturnal's bag of holding, don't you?" Clark asked. "We wouldn't want to have to trek all the way back to fetch it, and that sword's supposed to be really heavy without it."

"Heavier than this axe?" Uzgash asked, surprised that a weapon would be too much for one person to carry.

Clark explained that it wouldn't be heavy if you were a Master of Blade. Which none of them were. That made sense to Uzgash. She was familiar with the way that Mastery would stop armor from being an encumbrance, and clearly the same would work for weapons. She'd used war-hammers and battle-axes for so long that they didn't seem heavy to her now, but she could recall her early years when she found it hard to even lift one. "Was I just smaller and weaker then, or was it a lack of skill?"

Clark couldn't imagine Uzgash being small. And she was big in all the right places.

[Acadian]

Gosh, my elf and I were completely enthralled. The beautiful interface between fashion, illusion and killin’ necrodudes is so dear to our hearts!

Uzgash squeezing into a huntsman vest conjures quite the image!

I like that the source of Minx’s DB outfit was the Champion pulling it off the cold, dead carcass of an assassin.

Great fun, and looking forward to seeing the necrofun in that big Fingerbowl Cave.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Oh no, The Champion wouldn't have given her one off a corpse! They usually have battle damage. That was an intact spare suit he found in a chest. They all have zero retail value, so giving it to someone who could make good use of it was the best thing.

-----------

Previously: Clark, Minx and Uzgash had set off for Fingerbowl Cave to retrieve a bolt of cloth that was believed to contain the legendary Chrysamere.

-----------

Nocturnal - Part XI

After taking care of a couple of wolves guarding the entrance, they stopped outside the cave to review strategy. "Minx is here to get the sword, and nothing else. You and I are taking out the necromancers," Uzgash announced. "So she should probably go invisible right away."

Clark pointed out what they'd learned in the deadlands. An invisible ally is in danger from their own side. "What if I hit her with silence, and she can't re-cast?"

"I'll stay behind you," Minx responded. "Just keep your spell-casting pointed forward, and there won't be a problem. I'll need you up front to open any doors, or I'll lose my cover."

"I thought you had a ring of shadows for that. Didn't you wear it?" Clark asked.

"No, I'm using detect life and night-eye rings instead. I don't want any skeletons or zombies creeping up on me. And if they've trapped the place, invisibility doesn't help with those."

"That should work," Uzgash agreed. "So I want you, Clark, to prevent them using spells against us. I can handle any minions they manage to summon, and any creatures that might be sharing the place. But if they start flinging spells, I'm getting behind you."

---

The first part of the cave contained undead. Mostly skeletons, including a pesky archer that targeted Clark as soon as they entered his part of the cave. Or maybe he was aiming at Minx, who was hiding behind him. He couldn't turn to see if she was still invisible. Whichever it was, Clark's shield was collecting arrows at quite a rate until Uzgash reached the skeleton. Clark wished there was an enchantment for reflecting arrows.

They had a choice of side-passages, and not much information to decide between them. Nocturnal had sketched a map of the part of the cave that showed in the crystal ball, but it didn't seem to match any part of the current level. And they hadn't met any necromancers yet.

"Let's try this way," Minx suggested. "It smells worse, so that's probably an indication of necromancy."

---

Clark reluctantly agreed to Minx scouting ahead using her invisibility. Only the necromancers would be able to detect her, and she'd run back to the others as soon as she saw anything being summoned. That seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction for them.

The smell was coming from zombies, but they weren't summoned ones. No necromancers in that part of the cave, either. They went back up the ladder, leaving the zombies to themselves, and tried another direction.
Clark and Minx were both using detect life rings, but they didn't have a lot of range. Enough that they wouldn't blunder into enemies around the corners, but it was likely that the necromancers would detect them first, if they suspected anyone was coming. So that meant staying really quiet. Clark was glad that Uzgash was using enchanted clothes instead of amour, and not just because of the delightful view. Plate or even chain is hard to sneak in successfully, and sneak wasn't her strong suit.

Clark was in the lead, as his spell reflection made him the best candidate, so he was the first to detect the pink glows of three figures around the next corner. He stopped to see how they moved. It was about the only way to tell a zombie or skeleton from a necromancer. None of them had the lurching gait of the undead, so it was likely they'd found their targets at last.

A few whispers set their plans in motion. Clark crept forward and targeted the middle one with his new silence spell. They were all close together, so it should affect all three. As it struck, Uzgash ran forward, swinging her axe. The necromancers all wasted time trying to summon, and two of them fell to Uzgash's assault before the final one could fire off a spell. His fireball was aimed at Clark, with predictably fatal results when it reflected back at him.

Minx faded back into view. She'd gone around the wall to the chamber exit to check that nobody was coming from further in. "Nothing in range," she reported. "And I believe I can detect further than they'd be able to hear. That fight was a bit noisy, but I think we got away with it."

The next two rooms went much the same, but the final one was another matter. Clark could see the chest and the bolt of cloth over in a corner. He could also see that the hooded necromancer was carrying a staff. That meant that he'd be able to use it even when Clark hit him with silence.

"I'll aim the silence at him," he whispered to Uzgash. "Hopefully that will draw his attention, and he'll fire the staff at me first. But the others are well-scattered, and I probably can't get them all with one cast."

"Then I'll have to be quicker than normal with my axe," she replied. "It may be worth going berserk. That should mean it takes less whacks to kill one, and I can move on to the next sooner."

Minx was detailed to go grab the cloth bolt. "Stay away from the battle," Clark told her. "That corner's out of the line of fire at present, but things are likely to change rapidly".

Minx nodded, and cast her invisibility. They gave her a few seconds to get clear of them, and then Clark stood up and fired his silence spell at the adept with the staff. Uzgash cast her berserk power and ran at another of the necromancers, close enough to the adept that he'd probably be silenced, but far enough that the adept wouldn't think she was targeting him.

It worked. The adept's staff fired at Clark, and the spell reflected. Except that nothing happened. Clark was puzzled for a moment, and then it dawned on him that the necromancer had just tried to silence him! Uzgash's axe made it a moot point just seconds later, and she and Clark closed on the last of the necromancers just as the silence spell dissipated. Clark got close enough to be spattered with blood as a berserk-driven axe sliced the man in two.

"Sorry about that," an apologetic and rather unsteady Uzgash said. "Berserking makes me stronger, but it leaves me dizzy, and not very accurate. I just aim at the middle of 'em and hope."

Minx appeared by the chest and announced that she'd got the sword. "At least I assume I have. I cast the spell on the cloth bolt and it disappeared."

"Check the chest, in case the sword's in there. If it isn't, we can be pretty sure it's in the bag."

"I already opened the chest. I am a thief, you know. Nothing but a bit of gold and a potion of restore agility."

"Give that potion here," Uzgash demanded. "I need something to stop my head spinning."

"It helped, but I still feel a bit wobbly," she continued after downing the contents.

Clark put an arm round her - to steady her, he said. "Women are supposed to be a bit wobbly," he told her. "Or at least, parts of them are."

[mALX]

@ Ghastley - Ah, I remember those gorgeous Red Dragon Club uniforms!

Perhaps if his offensive skills were higher, he'd feel the same. He was more than proficient in blocking, but he'd never trained blade to any significant level.

Clark is very skilled with his blade, just not the one Uzgash was referring to, lol. Loved Uzgash's advice on honing up his skills by casting a light spell. Maxical has cast charm on pigs and horses trying to vamp up her skills before, was tickled to see she is not the only one, lol.

ROFL !! Clark's thoughts had stayed off sex too long, finally at the end of the chapter he starts noticing her figure, ROFL !!! Loved this chapter, even more loving this mod and all you've done !!



Next Chapter:

What a great fight you have going on here! Amazing spell reflection on the Silence, what a great twist that was!

I have to love Clark's protectiveness over a berserking Orc here, you had me in hysterics as his immediate response after the battle is over is to return his thoughts to sex, ROFL !! What an awesome character he makes!

[Acadian]

‘Only the necromancers would be able to detect her, and she'd run back to the others as soon as she saw anything being summoned. That seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction for them.’ - - Gosh, isn’t that the truth?!?

This was a great dungeon crawl. Those black robes are pesky indeed. Silence is helpful, but each and every necrodude gets issued exactly two scrolls. With good luck, you get hit by something like disintegrate armor; but a fireball or lightning bolt hurts!

Getting blood splattered from a friendly orc’s melee frenzy is so reminiscent of fighting alongside Sir Mazoga. Uck.

Loved Clark’s wobbly closing comments!

[Grits]

Uzgash sounds like quite a sight. I enjoyed the characters’ thinking on how the game perks work.

But if they start flinging spells, I'm getting behind you."

How fun to hear this from Uzgash of the giant axe. Clark is a worthy adventuring team member. Fun trip through the dungeon!

Clark put an arm round her - to steady her, he said. "Women are supposed to be a bit wobbly," he told her. "Or at least, parts of them are."

[ghastley]

@mALX: Clark's mind never leaves the subject. Now he's running the Red Dragon Club, that's his job.

@Acadian: The necrodudes' inventory always seems to include the spells your character is vulnerable to. Mages run into silence spells, tanks get disintegrate weapon, etc. It's random, but as psychic as the guards!

@Grits: Clark has the spell reflection, and Uzgash's not dumb (or blonde).

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

Previously: Clark, Minx and Uzgash cleared the necromancers out of Fingerbowl Cave and retrieved what they hope is Chrysamere, the legendary sword of heroes. Uzgash used her Berserk power, and is feeling the after-effects.

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

Nocturnal - Part XII

Uzgash unwound Clark's arm from around her. "I need a drink, not that," she told him. "Didn't we pass a tavern just the other side of the Red Road?"

"There was one in Aleswell, if that's where you mean," Minx replied. "And I could use a glass of wine, too."

Uzgash hadn't been thinking of daintily sipping wine, she wanted something more like an ale, or several. Now that he thought about it, Clark was feeling a bit thirsty, too.

The three left the cave and headed back south.

---

Aleswell was apparently deserted, but Minx pointed over to a corner of the vegetable patch in the middle of the village. "I can see a pink glow of some animal over there, but I can't see the animal itself." As they got closer, they could hear a sheep, but they still couln't see it.

"Strange," Clark mused. "Why would they have an invisible sheep here?"

The door to the tavern was close, so they went inside to ask. There was a pink glow behind the bar, but no visible barman. He came around the bar and addressed them.

"I expect you're wondering why you can't see me. Or anyone else in town. So are we. It all started a couple of days ago, and we think Ancotar has something to do with it."

"Who's Ancotar?" Minx asked.

"He's the local wizard. He lives in Fort Caractacus, just down the hill from here, and he's been a nuisance ever since he moved in. If it wasn't loud explosions frightening the sheep, it was strange summoned creatures coming up the hill. We went down there to complain, but we weren't able to find him. And now it's this. It was amusing for a while, but now it's become a problem. Who wants to stay at a haunted inn?"

Before they knew it, they'd agreed to go and find Ancotar. "He's probably going to be just as invisible as the villagers," Clark surmised. "Minx and I should keep our rings of life detection on."

---

The large pink glow rushing towards them as they walked down the path didn't look like it was Ancotar, and it sounded a lot like a bear! Clark lit it up with a flare spell, so that Uzgash could see it, and her battleaxe answered its charge.

"Good thing that didn't make it up to the village," Minx remarked.

Most of the other animals they encountered on the way down were rats, but a wolf attacked just as they entered the tower. Clark managed to account for that one on his own. Uzgash had her axe off her shoulder, but couldn't see anything to swing at, and Minx had only her dagger.

"So can you detect Ancotar anywhere?" Uzgash asked.

"There's something up on the next level," Minx reponded. "I hope that's him, and not a troll."

It was indeed Ancotar, completely engrossed in his experiments, and oblivious of the commotion below him.
They had to tap on his shoulder before he noticed them.

"Go away! If you're selling something, I don't want any!"

Clark explained why they were there.

"Invisible? All of them? Well I was working on an invisibility spell. One that would last longer than usual. I wanted to avoid those complaining villagers, and it seemed like a good idea to be invisible."

"How much longer than usual are we talking about?" Clark asked.

"Oh, it will wear off in a year or two," Ancotar reassured him.

"They can't wait that long," Clark responded, and explained the problems that the invisibility was causing. "Isn't there some way of reversing it?"

"Well, if you must, here's a scroll to reverse invisibility. Just stand in the middle of town and read it."

"Are you sure this will work?" Minx wanted to know. "Your invisibility spell didn't quite go as planned."

"Yes, I know, but that's the whole thing about experimental magic. You don't learn anything new if you don't go beyond the boundaries of what's already known. Sometimes things do go wrong, so that's why I made these."

Ancotar pulled a handful of rings from his pack. "These are rings of protection. If anything goes wrong with my experiments, they absorb the adverse effects."

"And I don't suppose you gave any to the villagers, did you?" Clark asked, picking a few from Ancotar's hand. "We'd better wear them when I use this scroll."

---

The scroll did what it was supposed to do, and the villagers, and their sheep, became visible again. It wasn't clear if the rings of protection had done anything, but Clark gave his to Diram Serethi, the publican at the tavern, just in case Ancotar did any more experiments.

"Hey what about us?"

"That's my sister, Adosi," Diram said. "I wouldn't have minded if she and Urnsi, my other sister, had stayed invisible, but it's too late for that."

Minx and Uzgash handed over their rings of protection, too.

Diram was grateful, even if his sisters didn't appear to be. He gave them all free drinks, which reminded them it was what they came for in the first place, and promised a free bed if any of them should need one in future.

"It's not large enough for three, mind you," Diram whispered in Clark's ear.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Oct 15 2013, 04:11 PM

[Acadian]

Clark’s little gang had to work for their drinks!

A delightfully 'Clarkified' rendition of the Aleswell quest. Using multiple rings of ‘protection’ made sense, and you cleverly carried that one step further as the three rings made their way onto the fingers of the publican and his two sisters.

Nit: "Well, if you must, here's a scroll tof reverse invisibility.” - - ‘tof’

[mALX]

One of my favorite quests anyway, but with Clark involved it gets even better! Loved this rendition, and Diram's comment at the end had me rolling! Awesome Write !!!

[Grits]

Great teamwork with the invisible bear! I enjoyed the liberation of Aleswell from their condition. Funny about not being able to tell if the rings did anything.

Free drinks for all but still just one free bed. The need to share it is probably part of Diram’s reward.

[ghastley]

After a pause while I explored Skyrim (and researched some of its newly revealed history) I'm back in Cyrodiil to try and complete the Evergloam mod and its story.

----------

@Acadian: I couldn't figure out how the sheep could wear them, or the whole village would have received rings of their own.

@mALX: It was so adjacent to the cave I picked out, I just had to include it.

@Grits: The ring does work. On the one occasion I didn't use it, I lost ten points of Luck. Which is probably why I didn't remember to use it.

---------

Previously: Clark, Minx and Uzgash went for a drink in Aleswell, but had to deal with its problems before they got any.

-------

Nocturnal - Part XIII

"Are you coming with us to see Nocturnal?" Clark asked Uzgash.

"No, I want to get back to the city, and see if I can find Ulliceta gra-Kogg. I haven't met with her since I was a child, and she was the Master Restorer at Gortwog's court. I'd like to let her know how this all worked out, too. Maybe she can put those necromancers I chopped up to good use!"

"You did leave them in pieces, ready for her to re-assemble," Minx grinned. She'd been a bit put out by the violence at the time, but she was the first to agree that necromancers deserved all they got. "Perhaps it will help her case with the Mages Guild if she's seen using dead necromancers for her research."

Clark reminded her that the Arch-mage had already made his decision.

"It still can't hurt her case with her colleagues. He's not the only one that needs convincing if she's to get back her standing. Reputation is important to scholars. It's not the Thieves Guild, where we relish anonymity."

"That reminds me," Uzgash interrupted. "Taminwe told me that someone's been asking around the waterfront about the Gray Fox. A Redguard woman in a uniform, with the Sentinel emblem on the tabard."

"I haven't used the cowl, since I got it from Count Umbranox," Minx mused. "She's probably expecting a man. I might get someone else to deal with her, when we get back from Evergloam."

Clark had a suspicion who that would be.

---

Minx handed the bag of holding to Nocturnal, who was quickly able to confirm that they had indeed recovered the Chrysamere.

"I'm not sure what to do with it now," she confided. "It's not Daedric in origin, so there's none of my brethren waiting for its return. It's not something just anyone could use, either. There aren't many heroes that are capable of wielding it, and the one we all know of doesn't really need it. Still, it's better knowing where it is, and I didn't relish the thought of the Thalmor getting their hands on it. From what you've told me, and what I've discovered for myself, they'd probably have destroyed it in some attempt to topple the Towers of Mundus."

"Why do you care about the fate of Mundus?" Clark wanted to know. "You're safe here from anything they get up to."

"We don't know that," Nocturnal replied. "If they do have a way to achieve their goals, fantastic though they appear, then who knows what else they'd be capable of. You can journey here, and have an effect in my Realm. Most of that is because I permit it, but I don't control your actions when you're here, except by threat or persuasion. If the Thalmor got in, they could be a lot more of a nuisance than the vampires."

"So what are they trying to do?" Clark asked. He had the impression that they were just another group trying to grab power in the vacuum left by the lack of an Emperor, but Nocturnal was implying something more.

"Their intent is to return the time before the worlds existed, the perfect - in their opinion - situation where only the Aedra and Daedra were, and mortals had not yet been created. In their fantasy, they'd be the new gods, or something like that."

"Sounds like another version of what the Dwemer were doing," Minx chimed in. "But without any roots in reality. At least the Dwemer were only trying to raise themselves to that level, not to destroy everything else in the process."

"Yes, the destructive part almost makes me think that Mehrunes Dagon is involved again. He likes to break things, so he can put them together in new ways. Except that he usually leaves that last little detail to someone else."

Clark recalled the only report he'd had of the events in the Summerset Isle. "Lathenil believed that Dagon was responsible for the destruction of the Crystal Tower, not the Thalmor, even though he blamed the latter for making it possible. Dagon certainly made it easier for the Thalmor to rise up and take credit for his defeat, ignoring the events here in Cyrodiil, as if only the Summerset Isle mattered."

"To the isolationist Altmer, that's the truth," Nocturnal pointed out. "The ones that migrated to other provinces would have had a more open mind, but parochialism is strongest in those with no sense of adventure. In the wake of a disaster like the fall of the Crystal Tower, especially when it was at the hands of invaders from outside, it's easy to whip up a common enemy of all outsiders to rally against. The Thalmor played that hand well. Too well, perhaps, for me to believe it was all their own work."

"Are you saying you suspect one of your brethren, other than Dagon?"

"Yes, but I have no idea which. Mehrunes Dagon was probably too busy with the Mythic Dawn, and for this to be a follow-up part of the same plan is way too complex for him. It has to be one of the others, or even more than one. Cooperation is rare, however, and if Sheogorath is involved, more likely an illusion. And it's still possible that it's all the Thalmor's idea, and they just have support from a powerful ally that sees an advantage to be gained."

"But I imagine you'd like to see what you brought me. It's time we unwrapped this thing."

Nocturnal cast a telekinesis spell on the sword, and it rose slowly from the table. It started to rotate and the cloth wrapped around unwound on to the floor. Eventually, the last of the cloth fell away revealing a wooden plank, with a detachable lid covering the sword. Nocturnal let the plank back down onto the table and opened the lid.

The sword was in pieces. Not broken, but taken apart, with the cross-piece laying next to the blade, and the halves of the hilt next to that. The pommel was unscrewed from the end of the tang and also separate in the box.

"See how the tang is a dull, dark colour, although the blade is glowing blue?" Nocturnal pointed out. "I'm beginning to understand how this was made, and it's pure genius!"

"The base material is Adamantium. It was popular in High Rock for a while for making armor, as it's known to be a stubborn metal. Hard to forge, hard to damage, and hard to enchant. Heavy isn't the word for it, either. Nobody would have considered making a greatsword of this size from it, as it would be almost unusable with its excessive weight. You normally couldn't enchant enough feather on it to compensate, as Adamantium doesn't enchant easily."

"The genius part here, is that the armorer tempered the blade with Stahlrim! That's almost the exact opposite of Adamantium. It's light, enchantment-friendly, and a bit fragile, being essentially a form of ice, held together by magic. Adding the two together was nothing short of brilliant, but the way it was enchanted made the most of the combination. The sword only gets lighter for a Master swordsman. That concession allows the effect to be more powerful, as the wielder has to contribute his own skill. There's spell-synergy here too. The effect provides defence, unusual on a sword, but it serves to reduce the wielder's need to use heavy armor, so more of his encumbrance can be spent on the sword itself. I'm impressed, especially as this was a mortal-made artifact."

"How are you so sure it's not Daedric in origin?" asked Minx.

"Because there's always a little of themselves in anything my brethren create," Nocturnal replied. "I sense none of them in this."

Clark picked up a piece of the hilt, and weighed it in his hand. "I won't even try and lift the blade, if this is Adamantium."

"If you have some blade skill, the blade won't be quite as heavy as it looks, but you have the right idea. This really is a sword for Champions Only."

"You said that Adamantium comes from High Rock, so where does Stahlrim come from?"

"Skyrim, and in particular, the island of Solstheim. It's a rare material, and not often used alone. It would be plated over other materials on armour, or used as axe-heads and arrow-points with a strong magical component. It's not strong, but it holds a lot of enchantment. You can use that effect to strengthen it, too, but then you use up some of the benefit."

"I just came from Skyrim, and I've not seen anything like this," a voice said from behind them.

"Ah, Dralsi, you've arrived!" Nocturnal introduced the newcomer to Clark and Minx. She was a Dunmer, and her features were quite a bit more elven than Minx's, who'd clearly had a few humans among her male ancestors.

"Dralsi is the daughter of Barenziah and Drayven Indoril, who was also called 'the Nightingale,'" Nocturnal told them. "I'm forming a new organisation to take things beyond the Thieves Guilds, and she's one of the first Trinity."

"The only surviving one," Dralsi continued ruefully. "My two colleagues were killed trying to clear the draugr from the cave we intended to use as Nocturnal's shrine in Skyrim. We accounted for most of them, but there's one stubborn old warlord we couldn't handle. Ogrim the Restless isn't your usual draugr, he uses the thu'um! I managed to get out of his chamber and close the gate, but only after my two companions fell."

"Draugr, thu'um? I don't understand either of those terms," Clark objected.

"You're familiar with zombies in Cyrodiil?" Dralsi asked him. Clark nodded
.
"Imagine those wearing armour, carrying enchanted weapons, and casting spells at you. Those are draugr. The ancient Nords embalmed their dead with a process that was close to necromancy. It was intended to preserve them for Sovnguard, so they'd be whole in that afterlife. However, it actually just left more behind to cause problems in the tombs."

"Some of the draugr were preserved naturally. A body that lies in permanent ice decays very slowly. The Nords copied that idea, and inadvertently produced a copious supply of potential undead for anyone or anything that could raise them. The tombs of Skyrim are full of them."

"Thu'um, or the Voice, is a form of magic delivered by shouting. Again, it's a Nord thing. They claim to have learned it from the Dragons, before they disappeared from Tamriel. Some of the draugr retain this power from life, and Ogrim's one of them."

Clark recalled Shulassa, the Khajiit at Gweden, telling him some of the tales she'd learned from her Nord grandfather. Now the "princess in a block of ice" was a completely different possibility. She would likely have been a draugr!

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jan 6 2014, 05:00 PM

[Acadian]

Nice to see you back in Cyrodiil!

Heh, I like how you depicted Dagon’s appetite for destruction without the pesky need for cleverness or subtlety.

I enjoyed the details of Chrysamere’s construction.

And tales of Skyrim, complete with yelling draugarian zombified Nords!


Couple spelling nits:
-"Taminwe told me that somone's been asking around the waterfront about the Gray Fox.”
-‘There aren't many heros that are capable of wielding it,’

[ghastley]

Previously Clark and Minx have been shown the pieces of Chrysamere and introduced to Dralsi, Barenziah's secret daughter, and founder member of the Nightingales. The other two members were recently killed by Ogrim the Restless, an ancient draugr who's occupying the cave that Nocturnal wants to become her new shrine in Skyrim.

---------

Nocturnal - part XIV

"The reason Dralsi's here," Nocturnal was saying, "is that I think you two would be the perfect replacements in the Nightingale Trinity. So I wanted her to meet you and give me her opinion."

"Nocturnal has told me about your exploits so far. Minx is clearly qualified by her background in the Cyrodiil Thieves Guild. Clark, I'm not so sure about. Those are a different set of skills than I'm familiar with. I need more time to decide, and I still have Ogrim to deal with. Perhaps Clark can help me with that problem, and convince me that way?"

Clark thought for a few moments. He hadn't encountered thu'um before, but if it was a form of magic, then his outfit should reflect it. He felt confident enough of his blocking ability with his shield, so if the women could add enough offense, then Ogrim should be within their combined capabilities.

"Then I'll open up a portal to the Twighlight Sepulchre, and Dralsi can show you around before you meet Ogrim," Nocturnal announced.

---

"Through here?" Clark asked.

"Yes, just give a tug on that chain, and the gate will open. Ogrim's probably back in his coffin on that platform in the middle of the room," Dralsi responded.

The gate screeched noisily open, and a pair of horns poked up from the coffin. Ogrim clambered out of his resting place as the three entered. Minx had already cast invisibility, and was creeping around to outflank their foe. Clark tossed a weak fireball at Ogrim to get his attention, and stepped into the clear space in the middle of the room. Dralsi moved sideways, her bow at the ready, making sure that Ogrim couldn't target all of them at the same time.

Their plan was to have Ogrim concentrate on Clark, whose defensive enchantments and skills could theoretically withstand Ogrim's attacks. Any spells he used would be reflected, and hopefully he would do their job for them.

"They remove the brains when they do the embalming, and put them in jars beside the bodies. Same with the lungs. I have no idea how they still manage to shout without lungs, but they do act like they don't have any brains, most of the time. If you get him mad enough at you, he'll ignore us while you're still alive. That will probably mean he'll keep casting, even after you reflect his first spells."

That's what Dralsi had said, but after Ogrim found his first frost spell reflected, he stopped using it. He stood next to his coffin, glaring at Clark, and gathering his force for his next move. Thu'um!

A blast of wind swept Clark off his feet and sent him flying backward into the air. The last he knew was a blow on the back of his head as it hit the wall of the cave.

---

Clark came to in a comfortable bed, with someone leaning over him. As his eyes regained their focus, he made out a rather attractive Nord woman, with the usual abundance of cleavage. Showing a lot of leg, too, he noticed. He tried to sit up for a better look, but the pain in his head wouldn't let him.

"He's awake, my Thane!" the woman announced.

"Thank you, Fjotra," Dralsi's voice came from somewhere near the bed. Clark was still having problems seeing clearly, and the pounding in his head wouldn't stop.

"My turn," announced Minx, and Clark felt her touch deliver a healing spell. Not quite enough yet, but he could probably sit up now. As he did so, Dralsi handed him a healing potion.

"What happened?" Clark wanted to know. "Why didn't the thu'um get reflected, and how did I survive?"

"I'm not sure either," Dralsi replied. "He used the Unrelenting Force shout on you, which isn't an elemental damage, like you normally would be reflecting. Perhaps that's why it affected you, not him. And he blew you up onto a ledge where he couldn't reach you. That didn't stop him trying, and he just ignored me as I filled his back with arrows. Everything I said about having his brain removed was true. He didn't give a thought to where his real threat was, all he wanted was to attack you."

Now that Clark was able to see more clearly, he noticed that the two Dunmer women had also changed into "something more comfortable". Fjotra wasn't the only one showing him what she had, it was just that a Nord has more to flaunt than most other races. He suspected a bit of competition among the women.

He made an appreciative remark, to let them know he was getting back to normal, and asked Dralsi how Fjotra was involved.

"She's my house-carl," Dralsi replied, as if that explained everything. When she saw the blank look on Clark's face she continued. "She was assigned as my personal assistant by the Jarl, when he made me Thane of Falkreath. A Thane can become a land-holder within the Jarl's domain, and so I build myself this place. Fjotra also acts as steward of this homestead. She looks after the place while I'm on Nocturnal's business, and acts as a bodyguard if I need one."

"She's always worn her armour around the house until now," the Dunmer continued. "I didn't even know she had another outfit until you arrived."

"I like yours better than that black scale you had on before," Clark responded. "is that your normal housewear?"

"Never mind what we're wearing," Fjotra interrupted. "Why weren't you wearing a helmet? Even the draugr wear helmets, and they don't have any brains to protect!"

Clark started to laugh with everyone else, but had to take another drink of potion. That blow to the back of his head still hurt. Dralsi was glaring at Fjotra. "You don't wear a helmet, so why are you lecturing others?"

"It is my duty to protect, and to carry other's burdens. That's why it was me that carried him in here, and undressed him, and put him to bed. "

"Is there any more of that restoration potion?" Clark asked. He had almost recovered from the collision with the tomb wall, and one more draught should do it. He liked the taste of the Skyrim recipe, too. Most of the Cyrodilic ingredients for restoring health were roots and things, that left an earthy aftertaste. The one he'd just drunk had a fresher taste, although he had no idea what it was.

Dralsi handed him another vial, but this wasn't the same mixture. "What's in this?" he asked.

Dralsi didn't remember. Something like feathers and butterfly wings, probably. Or toadstools; there were an amazing variety of those, all with different effects. Some ingredients were available everywhere in Tamriel, like vampire dust, garlic, or bonemeal, but most of the plants and fungi were unique to the regions they grew in. The more valuable ones would be traded with other provinces, but the common stuff wouldn't be worth carrying far. And some needed to be used fresh, and wouldn't last long enough to ship to other provinces.

Not much grew up in the Jeralls; most of the ingredients would have come from the valleys further into Skyrim. Clark guessed that they were close to Falkreath, and he hadn't been much north of there. Certainly not far enough to encounter any new ingredients. Dralsi confirmed his estimate. "We're about half-way between Falkreath and the Twilight Sepulchre, which is almost on the Hammerfell border, a bit north of the road to Elinhir. Far enough out of town to be private, but close enough to the places that matter."

"We'll go back to the Twilight Sepulchre and use the portal there to get back to Evergloam," she continued. "Clark may be feeling better, but I'd prefer to get Nocturnal's opinion on that. She has insights no mortals can match."

Fjotra offered to accompany them. It was her duty as house-carl, she said.

Dralsi refused. "It's better if you don't know the location of the Sepulchre. Clark and Minx need to know, but you don't."

---

On the short walk back to the tomb, Clark asked Dralsi if she'd ever met her half-brother and sister, Helseth and Morgiah. "No, my mother left me with a wet-nurse as soon as she was able, and I never knew her. I didn't know who she was, until my father told me, and I didn't find my father until quite recently, after a lot of searching. Siblings weren't even something I considered as a possibility."

Clark hadn't met Helseth, either, but he did know Morgiah rather well, and her daughter, Rinalla. "I'm an aunt, too?" Dralsi was surprised.

"Twice. Morgiah also has a son called Gorathir. I haven't met him, and he may still be in the Summerset Isle. The others are all in Mournhold at the moment, I assume."

"Do they have the same red hair? My father told me mine was just like my mother's."

"I think Morgiah always had black hair. Rinalla did too, when I met her, but it's possible she dyed it to match her mother's. They were hoping to pass for sisters, at the time." Clark recounted the story of their trip across Cyrodiil, discreetly leaving out a few of the details.

"How did you get that job?" Dralsi wanted to know. "It doesn't appear to be a Thieves Guild one."

"Oh no, Clark's not even a member," Minx put in, confusing Dralsi further. "Although we do treat him like one. He runs the Red Dragon Club in the Imperial City, among other things."

"Which is?" Dralsi asked.

"A discreet gentleman's club." Clark replied.

"You mean a whorehouse!"

"Not exactly, although that sort of activity does take place. Especially when Ocato comes to visit Taminwe for a briefing. But there's also a bar, and dancing, and ..."

"Just to add a semblance of legitimacy, I assume."

Clark decided not to explain everything. He wanted to steer the conversation back to Morgiah. "I was sent to keep Rinalla entertained. She's almost twenty, and I'm sure you understand what that means."

"It means almost anyone male, and still breathing, could have done the job. So why you?"

"As Earl of Gweden, I had enough rank to be acceptable to Morgiah. Plus, Ocato wanted to gather any information he could while the pair were in Cyrodiil. I'd been a reporter, and knew about collecting the facts."

"You wouldn't get anything useful from a twenty-year-old Dunmer woman. She's only got one thing on her mind. Her mother, however, ..." Dralsi paused while the pieces fell into place. "I'm beginning to see some parallels with my father. His relationship with my mother started off as just a job he was hired for, and then turned into something else. He told me that it made it possible to leave when he did. He could tell himself that the job was finished, even if he'd have preferred to stay."

"I'm sure Nocturnal sees it the same way," Minx added. "It's not just physical items that need stealing. Sometimes it's hearts."

---

Dralsi was starting to wonder about Nocturnal's motives. She understood why Minx was a candidate to replace one of her late colleagues, but was Clark really a different kind of thief, or was the Daedric Princess just amusing herself with match-making? Yes, he was attractive. Fjotra certainly thought so. The way Minx acted, Dralsi was sure she'd spent some time in Clark's bed, and not just in her promiscuous youth. Did Nocturnal expect them to be that sort of team?

It didn't matter. Minx had a point when she said that there was more than one kind of thief. She could work with Clark, and see what else transpired.

[Acadian]

’The gate screeched noisily open, and a pair of horns poked up from the coffin.‘ - - Uh oh, this can’t be good!

I chuckled at the observation about shouting without lungs. And the impact of having one’s brain in a jar upon tactical decision-making.

"Why weren't you wearing a helmet? Even the draugr wear helmets, and they don't have any brains to protect!" - - That’s a good question. I mean Clark doesn't have big elven ears to get squashed. And I should think that he would hardly be concerned about ‘helmet hair’.

Clark, of the Nightingale Trinity. That has sort of a nice ring to it.

[Grits]

I thought the construction and enchantment of the Chrysamere was fascinating. As ever I love how you weave world events into the story.

Clark and Minx as Nightingales! I love it!

"She's always worn her armour around the house until now," the Dunmer continued. "I didn't even know she had another outfit until you arrived."

Perfect.

I enjoyed Fjotra’s scolding about the helmet, especially when it came to light that she doesn’t wear one.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Clark doesn't wear armor, but he has a set of Green Finery from SI that's enchanted with spell reflection, as well as rings that do the same. He carries a sword to benefit from the Necklace of swords, which with the Escutcheon of Chorrol gives a fair amount of physical damage reflection, too. A helmet just doesn't go with that outfit.

In Skyrim, the members of the Nightingale Trinity were Dralsi's daughter Karliah, and two shorter-lived human men, one of whom is already dead, and needs replacing. I'm assuming that Nocturnal would want a mix of mer for continuity, and men for new blood, and both genders. Clark will be long dead before 4E201, and Minx is roughly the same age as Dralsi, so she'd have retired, at least, before that time.

@Grits: I couldn't resist commenting on the TES V house-carls' immutable outfits.

We're going in the opposite direction for links to other TES games, and connecting with Daggerfall again, via the book "Night falls on Sentinel".

-----------

Previously: Clark and Minx took a brief trip to Skyrim to look at a potential site for Nocturnal's new shrine, and Clark had his first encounter with a Thu'um-using draugr. He hopes it will be the last.

-----------

Nocturnal - Part XV

Clark and Minx returned to the Waterfront. Nocturnal would send Amusei to get them if anything new came up.

"There's still that Redguard woman asking around for the Gray Fox." Minx told him. "The one in the foreign city guard uniform. You're probably the only one that can deal with her."

Clark had to agree. You couldn't expect any of the Guild to deal with a city guard, even one from another province.

He found her eating dinner in the Bloated Float. She appeared to be around thirty-five years old, not that he was an expert judge of Reguards. There were enough customers filling the place that it wasn't unreasonable for Ormil to seat him at her table, and Clark was able to start a conversation.

Her name was Haballa, and Clark knew the insignia on her tabard was that of Sentinel, in Hammerfell. She confirmed that she'd been sent by King Lhotun on her current mission.

"Which is?" he inquired.

"I'm looking for a stolen painting. It went missing from the cellars of the Sentinel Palace some time ago. It didn't look like anything special, which is why it wasn't on display, but the King believes it was enchanted. He'd like it back so he can find out."

"Why do you believe it might be in Cyrodiil?"

"We heard about another painting that went missing from Chorrol Castle, and wondered if the same art thieves were involved. That's why I was trying to contact the Gray Fox. If the Thieves Guild here are anything like the one in Hammerfell, they don't appreciate anyone else operating in their territory. I thought I might get some co-operation in tracking them down."

"And you came in uniform?"

"It, and a spare, are all I brought with me. I suppose I could buy something else, but I don't know how long this investigation is going to last, and I need to use the coin I have carefully."

"So you didn't bring a reward for the painting's return, I take it?"

"No, I'm either to take it back without one, or else just open the negotiations, depending on how things work out, and who has it. Stolen art often ends up being sold to unsuspecting nobility. If it has already found a buyer, I notify them that it's stolen, and put them in touch with King Lhotun's treasury. If the thieves still have it, then there's no haggling, just punishment."

"None of the Guild will deal with you in uniform," Clark told her. "I could either act as an intermediary - I do have a few contacts - or I could lend you a change of outfit. Either way, it might be better if we continue this conversation in a less public place. Why don't you come back to Imbel Manor with me for dessert and a brandy? I found a large selection of women's clothing in storage there when I bought the place, and something's likely to fit you."

Haballa considered for a few moments. "All right, lead on."

---

It didn't take long to walk through the tunnel to the Temple District and then into Talos Plaza. Soon they were entering the big front door of Imbel Manor, and heading for the stairs to the upper floor. Clark pointed to the doors of two adjacent rooms. "There are closets in those two rooms where you might find something to fit you. Take a look while I pour us each some brandy and slice the fruit."

The rooms belonged to Angeline and Diablita, of course. The wardrobes were stuffed with garments they'd found on their adventures, and he'd never got round to selling for them. Without enchantments, clothes just didn't fetch the same prices that armor and weapons did, so it was hardly worth the effort of taking them across town. There were probably a few pieces of their own, but Diablita wore very little except chains, and Angeline's outfits weren't likely to appeal to someone who was content wearing a uniform all the time.

"Is this what you had in mind?" she asked him, holding up a thin dress that was little more than a veil. It was most likely one of Angeline's. She usually wore a lace dress you could almost see through - this was one that you definitely could see through.

"Perhaps not for negotiating with the Thieves Guild, but it would look good on you."

"Well, if that's what you brought me here for..." Haballa said, putting her arms round Clark's neck and kissing him.

Clark noticed a glow of green and purple, and Haballa went completely stiff. It only took him a second or two to work out that she'd just tried to paralyze him with her Lover's Kiss, but it had backfired because of the enchantments on his outfit. "Well, if that's the game..." Clark thought.

He ducked out of her frozen embrace, and unfastened her cuirass, lifting it over her head. Her raised arms made it easy, even though she was stuck in the one position. It was fortunate that she'd left a gap between her hands.

He lifted her out of her boots, thinking to himself as he did so that if he'd been a little shorter, she wouldn't have lifted her heels. A couple of small daggers fell out of the boots.

Her greaves concealed another dagger, and a small, but heavy, cosh. Clark slid them to the floor, lifted her out, and then pulled the undershirt up over her head. Another dagger dropped out of her hair as he did so.

Haballa had another small knife tucked into her underwear, which was as utilitarian as the rest of her uniform. She clearly didn't use sex as a weapon, although she was well-armed in that respect. The underwear and weapons all joined the growing pile, which he kicked out of reach into a corner.

Then he ducked back into the same position he'd started in. Except that, without her underwear, he assumed she'd appreciate a bit of support. "I do hope she has a sense of humor," he thought as he felt the stiffness leave her muscles, and he returned the kiss she'd started. If her Plan A hadn't worked, he wondered what she'd do next.

Haballa had been completely conscious all through Clark undressing her. Her initial panic when the spell failed soon gave way to other concerns, but she soon understood that he meant her no harm. And he did at least have warm hands.

Clark, too, had noticed something about her arsenal of concealed weaponry. It was all a little less than lethal. Sure, you could cut an artery with one of those knives, and let the victim bleed to death. But if you had the skill to do that, you'd also have the skill not to. He'd want to ask her about that, later. Right now, he had a different concern.

"Is she checking I'm unarmored before using her knee, or has she selected Plan F?" he wondered.

---

Once they had got to know each other better, Haballa felt she ought to explain. "When I saw all the paintings you have here, I thought you might have been the one who had it stolen. I planned to tie you up, and give this place a thorough search."

"Have you ever tried to tie up someone who's paralyzed? You can't move their limbs any more than they can."

"No, you wait until it wears off, and then tap them on the back of the head with a blackjack. That's when the ropes go on."

"I'm glad I stopped you at the first step. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun."

"It could be worse. There are more permanent alternatives. I just don't use those. My job for King Lhotun is to make sure people learn to obey the law. Dead people don't learn. People in some degree of discomfort do, as long as the pain doesn't become the only thing they're aware of. I've learned just how much stimulation is enough to get the results I need."

Clark had noticed that. That was a skill they shared, even if they had acquired it with different goals in mind. And she'd just made it clear that she understood all its possibilities.

"Can you tell me more about the painting, and when it was stolen?" he asked her.

"We're not sure when it was taken. King Lhotun only called for it when the Emperor was assassinated, and that's we found it was gone. The painting was supposed to be enchanted to show important events, and nothing was more important than the death of an Emperor."

"When the painting was put into storage, by the late Queen Akorithi, it depicted the chaos of the Warp in the West. It was hard for anyone to understand what they saw, and they all thought the enchantment had failed. King Lhotun thought they might have been wrong, and he requested it be brought back out, and the divining spell re-cast."

"Wait a minute," Clark interrupted. "I think I've heard of this before. Wasn't it stolen from Wayrest in the first place?"

"Obtained from Wayrest. It was before I was born, and I have no idea how Queen Akorithi got it. For all I know it was purchased, not stolen. I've also heard it said that it didn't originate in Wayrest, even though that place is conventionally associated with it."

"Why did Akorithi want it?"

"She used it to determine the truth about the death of King Lysandus of Daggerfall. That had been blamed on just about everybody from every little kingdom in the Illiac Bay. Some said the Orcs did it, others that it had been the King's own son. It was even rumored that the King was still alive, and a double had died in his place."

Clark reflected on what Medora had told him. She'd been among the suspects, too. She hadn't been able to tell him much about the events after Lysandus died, as she'd been confined to Direnni Tower.

Haballa was too young to have any first-hand information, either. She'd been a small child when it all happened.
She'd entered Lhotun's service after the plague killed his mother, and elder brother Greklith, and he took the throne of Sentinel. She'd been trained to track down and eliminate the people who'd abducted his other brother. It seemed to be an obsession of Lhotun's, and he couldn't concentrate on ruling Sentinel until she brought him closure by dealing with Jomic, the last of the abductors. She'd never seen the painting; it was already locked away in the palace basements by the time she joined the service.

"Didn't he think of consulting the painting about Arthago's death?" Clark inquired.

"That was too far in the past. The painting shows the most recent event of sufficient significance. You don't get to choose what that is. So it would still have shown the Miracle of Peace, Warp in the West, Numidium Incident, whatever you want to call it. It wasn't until Uriel Septim died that Lhotun believed the image would have changed."

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jan 15 2014, 12:26 AM

[Acadian]

I enjoyed the familiar feeling when you reminded us about Amuesi's use as a messenger. Similarly, tying the theft of that painting to the art theft incident at the castle in Chorrol.

Having Clark’s enchantment reflect Haballa’s Lover’s Kiss was brilliant, and funny as can be!

Hidden daggers from head to toe!

A painting with powers of divination sounds pretty neat.


Nit: ‘It it has already found a buyer,’ - - I figure you meant 'If' instead of the first 'It'?

[Grits]

The shower of daggers was funny, especially since Haballa made it possible with her own plan backfiring.

"Is she checking I'm unarmored before using her knee, or has she selected Plan F?" he wondered.



Thanks for mentioning the book at the beginning. I gave it a quick read to learn about Haballa and get up to speed on world events. Context makes it even more fun.