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> Kothet's Story, A dremora in Skyrim, and his housecarl.
ghastley
post Sep 5 2016, 04:47 PM
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Acadian: Further foraging required, as he still needs to provide Alchemy and Enchanting. He doesn't have the Moonstone, Quicksilver, Gold, or the Grand Soul Gem yet.

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Previously: Kothet built enough to find a spell book, and summoned his housecarl. She's the strong, silent type.

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6 - Soljund's Sinkhole

When I woke the next day, she was gone from her position, but a delicious aroma from the floor below told me where. I'd constructed the cooking fire when I made the lights, as that end of the room would have been dark without it. I suppose I might have used the spit, too, eventually, but I was more used to cooking game out where I hunted it. She'd looked in the barrels and found enough to make some vegetable soup. She set a bowl of it in front of me, and went back to stirring the pot.

When I left to go looking for the remaining materials, she followed, keeping her distance behind me, where she could watch my back for danger. Or avoid talking to me, which she seemed to be good at. I was headed for the mining village we had seen from the tower, or rather, smoke from its smelter. Hopefully they had moonstone. I had no idea where the quicksilver would come from, but although the Reach was known for silver, I knew they had at least one gold mine, too. Soul gems were a mystery to me, and filling them even more of one.

I spotted the wolf on the road ahead, and drew my mace. I didn't get the chance to use it, however, as she ran up and flamed the creature to death before it reached me. I did get the next one, as it jumped off a rock at me before she could see it.

"She's a housecarl, so she's protecting you," I thought to myself. "This is not a competition." I did note that she'd used destruction spells rather than summoning a weapon. That meant that she wouldn't be getting in my way in a fight.

It took both of us to kill the bear that we met after we passed Old Hroldan. It had killed a merchant and her miner lover at a little camp just above the settlement, so it deserved its death. We found a small cache of items in a hollow tree near them. Perhaps it was theirs, but more likely, someone else had left it there. I'm sure they would have used the sword to defend themselves.

In Soljund's Sinkhole, they had no moonstone. The mine was closed, because they'd broken through into an old tomb, and the mine was full of draugr. If I wanted to go in there, I was welcome to do so, but they wouldn't until the Legion got here and cleared the place. Perth would buy any extra moonstore ore I dug up, he informed me, but it was clear that he wasn't expecting that to happen.

We would go in, I decided. The chances of the Imperial Legion coming down here from Markarth, while there was a war on, were next to none, and I wasn't inclined to wait for my moonstone. Besides, what better than fighting draugr to prove my worth to my lovely companion?

---

"Is someone there?"

So she did speak, when she needed to. I could hear the creaking of a draugr coming from the tunnel to our left and led the way into it. I attacked the nearest, and was pleased to note that she was attacking the one on the ledge above us, out of my reach, but not beyond her flames.

One more, a little farther in, and all fell silent again. There were two veins of moonstone ore here, and some chunks that had already been dug up before the draugr had forced them out. There was probably enough for my purposes without mining any more, but Perth had offered to buy it from me. If a Grand Soul Gem was as expensive as it sounded, I might need all the gold I could raise. So I spent a few minutes with a pickaxe, while my housecarl silently watched.

We took the other tunnel, expecting to find more draugr, or moonstone, in that direction, but all we found was a deep pit. It was likely that this was where the floor had collapsed into the tomb, and released the draugr. I didn't see a way to climb up, but it wasn't too far to drop down.

She probably thought I was being reckless, jumping down the hole with no visible way to return, but if the draugr had done it, I was certain that I could. There must be another path somewhere that they'd used.

Whatever she thought, she didn't follow immediately, and I had to deal with the first three of them alone. Not that it was hard for me, but she wasn't there to witness it.

By the time I reached the next turning in the tunnel, however, she was behind me again. I hadn't heard her jump down, but she must have done so.

We came to a gate, with a lever on a pedestal in front of it. This looked like a trap to me, and I could see the holes in the walls where darts would fire out if the lever was pulled at the wrong time. I knew that there was usually something else I'd need to operate before the lever would be safe, so I started to search the area. I found another lever on the wall, looked around for dart holes, and since there were none, I pulled it. I looked towards the gate, and saw that she'd found another lever on the opposite side. When she pulled that one, the gate opened without using the central one at all.

Beyond it was a spiral staircase leading up. That was a good sign, as it meant we'd be regaining the elevation we lost when we dropped down the hole. If we were back at the same level, there was a good chance that we'd find a route back into the mine. The same one the draugr had used.

There was nothing of interest up the first side-tunnel we tried. I doubled back and had difficulty passing her in the narrow tunnel. Squeezing past was quite enjoyable, but it really shouldn't have been needed.

The next one lead to a large chamber, and as I stepped into it, a statue at the far side glowed red and spat a fireball at me. I dodged back, thankful that she wasn't following close enough to block my way again. A draugr wearing a helmet appeared from the far side and rushed towards me. He stopped at the entrance to the tunnel I'd moved back into, as if he wasn't able to leave the chamber. He swung his greatsword, but I was beyond his reach.

"NO, don't push me!" I roared as she tried to run at the draugr. I took out my bow and showed her how this situation should be handled. Maybe it wasn't the Dremora way to stand back, but it was by far the best strategy for an enemy that can't reach you.

He was steadily being whittled down by my arrows, and I was anticipating an imminent end to this confrontation, when the other statue glowed green, and healed him. Not all the way back to full health, but enough for me to realise that I'd run out of arrows before he fell.

So I put the bow away again, and held my mace while I considered the options. That gave her room to pass me and rush out into the room. She wouldn't stand a chance against him alone, so I was forced to get his attention. I at least had some armor, and she just had that tantalising robe.

Well, maybe a little more, as I noticed a glow around her that could be a shield spell of some nature. Since we hadn't spoken, I had no idea what she could cast, beyond the flames she'd already used.

He turned towards her, and the first statue glowed again. The fireball, which it directed at me, hit the draugr instead, as he was in between me and the statue. I resolved to keep him there, if I could, but I also wanted his attention back. My mace got that very quickly, and I had to act swiftly to block his response.

Meanwhile, it appeared that her flames were having an extra effect on him, perhaps because they were combining with those from the fireball. Whatever the reason, it gave me hope again.

I'd just started to worry about being hit by a fireball if he fell at the wrong time, when he did. The red and green glows of the statues went out with the blue glow of his eyes, and I breathed again.

I made that sound as if I was preparing for more work, not expressing relief. There were more moonstone veins in the room, and I went to work on those. Then I checked the chest and the items scattered on the table, or was it an altar? I found a large soul gem, but only a Greater one, not the Grand I needed. And it was empty, too. Still, they had value, and were light enough to carry. A few enchanted weapons, which I was collecting in anticipation of being able to learn their magics. A few ingredients to use in alchemy, once I had a lab. A decent enough haul.

I'd picked up a couple of ingots of refined moonstone along with the ore, so I sold all the ore to Perth when we left the mine. He gave me the money he'd have used to pay the troops for clearing the mine, too. Perhaps I'd be able to buy that gem, after all.


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Acadian
post Sep 5 2016, 06:15 PM
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Some good traveling and dungeoneering as Kothet seeks some moonstone and learns more about his housecarl. She does indeed seem like an arcanist. Good teamwork beginning to develop. A few bumps are to be expected of course.

’I made that sound as if I was preparing for more work, not expressing relief.’ - - Yeah, sure. . . . whistling.gif

You're doing a great job of balancing Kothet's dremoraness while giving him a personality showing that he puts on his hat one horn at a time. smile.gif


Nits:
’Perth would buy any extra moonstore {moonstone} ore I dug up, …’
’I was collecting in anticipation of being able to learn their magics {magicks?}.’


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Renee
post Sep 7 2016, 02:16 AM
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Yes! dremora versus draugr! viking.gif I love how all this is going down just to find a grand soul gem.

Mining ore is fun. I have a character who mines ore, but he's not adept (or interested) in dungeoneering, which makes for a rather awkward, sleepy roleplay.

Do you use any mods for the mining part? I found one mod which makes veins inexhaustible, but it also takes more time to find a chunk of ore. The rarer the ore, the more time it takes.

This post has been edited by Renee: Sep 7 2016, 02:17 AM


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ghastley
post Sep 12 2016, 02:14 PM
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Acadian: Kother has noticed her bumps, and he' sure he'll get used to them. biggrin.gif

Renee: No mining mods. The closest I came to that was with my Argonian Hearthfires mod using mining animations to clear the rubble before building.

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Previously: Kothet got the moonstone he needed for his crafting table from Soljund's Sinkhole, but he still needs a lot of other materials.

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7 - Kolskeggr

I still needed other metals for that crafting table, so we headed towards Markarth, looking for the gold mine I'd heard about. The signposts only pointed to the towns and cities, of course, and I had no idea if there was a town at the mine. And unless they'd named it "Goldtown" or something similar, it still wouldn't help.

As we walked, me in front, her behind, in complete silence, we encountered a few travellers coming the other way. I exchanged pleasantries with them, but heard nothing from her. I thought I'd heard her say something when one of them turned out to be a bandit who wanted to rob us. Something about "enjoying this", as she set him on fire.

It appeared that my enemies deserved her words, but I didn't.

---

We reached a fork in the road, and apparently both directions led to Markarth. One went up the hill, and the other down into the valley. I'd heard from a traveller that the Reach had "Silver in the hills, and Gold in the valleys" so I chose the road downward. There had to be some basis in truth behind that saying.

What it didn't say was that there were hostile locals wherever you went. More of the fur-clad people that I'd had to clear to reach the tower were ahead of us. They'd taken up a position where the road crossed over a bridge, and there was a small house beyond it. Unlike the bandits at Valtheim, they weren't extracting tolls for using the bridge, just attacking anyone who came near. And that was now me, and my housecarl.

Their bows weren't accurate enough at this distance to cause any harm, but it didn't stop them trying. Mine wasn't either, and I was the only one with a ranged attack. We needed to get closer, without getting hit.

So as any good Dremora would do, we charged. We both shouted defiance, and ran across the bridge. Not in a straight line, of course, and fortunately the road was wide enough to zig-zag, and spoil their aim. And by staying behind me, she didn't get in my way.

Lightly armoured as they always were, they stood little chance. Not that we were wearing much more, I reflected. I really needed some kind of breastplate over this studded kilt thing I was still wearing. I'd taken that off the Imperial Captain, and hadn't found anything better. I was torn between showing my muscles to my housecarl, and showing her I had the sense to wear armour. At least she could see that I was looking for better. A mage doesn't wear any, so there was little danger that she'd spoil my view.

With the things I took from our slain foes, I had about as much as I could carry. So when we saw the path that lead to a mine behind the house at the bridge, I didn't immediately take it. I could come back and check out the mine, once I'd traded this mediocre equipment for something better. I suspected that if they'd taken over the mine, they'd have it better guarded than the bridge.

It made sense to head for Markarth first, and come back better equipped.

At the top of the rise, there was a farm to the right, a bridge across the stream to a mining village to the left, and ahead was the stables outside the city. I could see several people standing outside the mine, so I went over to ask what they mined here. If it was gold, maybe they'd trade for some of the things I was carrying, and save me some walking.

This mine produced iron, but one of the men, Pavo, told me he'd just arrived from Kolskeggr mine, where they'd been driven out by the Forsworn. That was the name for those fur-clad bandits we'd just encountered, and presumably the mine we'd passed was the one he mentioned. I asked what they mined there, and it was gold.

He warned me not to tackle them, as they had axes, and magic, but it didn't sound like more than the ones I'd already defeated, reaching the tower. And we'd aready killed the first three, outside. When I showed Pavo the "armour" and weapons I'd collected, he confirmed that it was the Forsworn.

So now I knew where to mine gold, but I'd have to clear out these Forworn first. And I wouldn't be able to carry any gold until I sold some of the things I was carrying. We headed up the road to the city.

When we entered the gates, I heard the word Forsworn again. Off to my right, there was a commotion, as a man in miner's garb knifed a woman in the market. I decided not to get involved, as I'd noticed a smelter in the opposite direction, and I assumed there'd be a forge, and a smith, nearby.

The smith was an Orc, and she was berating her Imperial apprentice as we approached. I told her I'd look out for the book she wanted, and eventually got round to trading. She had some steel to make myself a breastplate, and she bought the other weapons and armour in return. I made a few improvements to my mace too, while I was there, and had the materials.

Feeling better equipped, and lighter, we headed back towards Kolskeggr Mine.

---

When we arrived, the remaining Forsworn were all still inside. It seemed that we hadn't alerted the others when we killed the bridge contingent. So that meant we'd have the chance to employ stealth.

The Dremora preference is to challenge and charge, but as a hunter for these many years stuck in Tamriel, I'd learned that it's not always the best way. You won't get a second deer if the rest of the herd have all been scattered.

As soon as we entered the mine, I crouched down, and looked back to see if my companion did the same. No, but at least she was staying back, and walking quietly. Her outfit made no noise, at least.

I peered around the corner, and spotted one of the Forsworn patrolling the tunnel. I nocked an arrow, and took careful aim. This bow had a heavier pull than my old Imperial one, and the elven arrows promised more damage than plain iron ones, so I was hopeful of a clean kill.

Yes! he dropped without a sound. One good thing about that fur armour of theirs is that it doesn't clatter when they drop. Nothing should have alerted his comrades ahead of us.

I was equally lucky with next one, but there were two of them together, this time, and the other saw her fall. Fortunately, this wasn't an archer, and he had to close the distance before he could attack. An arrow, and my partner's firebolt, took him out before he reached us.

Wait a moment, firebolt? She hadn't used that before. Just flames, so we had to get closer. She must have just learned that, although I didn't understand how, and I certainly didn't expect her to tell me.

We hadn't met any mages yet. The one I'd met on the way up to the tower was a tough opponent, and it was likely that we'd have the same fortune here, and he'd be the one waiting at the end. Hopefully, alone.

The Kyn do not rely on luck, and it's just as well, as he wasn't alone. I charged at the briarheart, as a firebolt flew toward the archer. I didn't look to see if it was sufficient, as the frost spell the briarheart cast clouded my vision, as well as slowing me down. I swung at where I thought he was, and felt my mace make satisfying contact. But a blow from his axe also glanced off my new breastplate, making me very glad that I'd made it. Perhaps luck is a matter of being properly prepared.

It took a few more blows to finish him, but at least he wasn't able to use that frost spell a second time. And that firebolt next to me warmed me back up, as well as removing the other threat.

"We can tell Pavo that it's safe to return," I announced, but got no response from anyone. I wasn't expecting one, but it would have been appreciated.

There were a couple of gold ingots on a table, as well as some already-mined ore. That was enough for what I needed, but I decided to mine some more, while we were here. I could make the gold into jewellery, which would be good smithing practice, and once I could enchant items, I'd be able to make something useful to a mage. Perhaps a circlet, or a ring, or an amulet to hang between those wonderful...

I needed quicksilver and a Grand Soul Gem before I could even think about enchanting, so I put that idea out of my head, even if she kept putting it back. It was the way she stood there, watching me dig the ore, at just the right angle to draw my attention. That's probably why I hadn't noticed that her robe was shorter. It used to reach down to her ankles, but now I could see the tops of her boots.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Sep 12 2016, 02:16 PM


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Acadian
post Sep 12 2016, 03:42 PM
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Good teamwork between Kothet and his beautiful but quiet housecarl.

It was a good call to find the mine then go reprovision before taking it on.

Nice job of displaying what Kothet knows (good tactics and fighting equipment) vs what he doesn’t know (fur-clad wild humans = Forsworn) – as one would expect of a Dremora.

Enchanting jewelry? Methinks Kothet is enchanted by his housecarl. tongue.gif


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Grits
post Sep 14 2016, 01:07 PM
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Whatever she thought, she didn't follow immediately, and I had to deal with the first three of them alone. Not that it was hard for me, but she wasn't there to witness it.

Here’s a perfect example of Kothet’s Kyn-ness. That’s what I love most about this story. It’s great fun to see the familiar and beloved through completely new eyes.

I’m enjoying Kothet’s internal struggle with his Housecarl’s silence. Funny how when you’re building you’d rather find iron than silver!


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Renee
post Sep 15 2016, 01:22 AM
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I really love reading this, as it's whetting my appetite for Skyrim. It's neat that (as a hunter) Kothet is thinking outside the box, compared to most other dremorea. Hmm hmm ha haaa!

QUOTE
Yes! he dropped without a sound. One good thing about that fur armour of theirs is that it doesn't clatter when they drop.


Good point, I never thought of it this way. Hmm. And also the part when Kothet's follower learns that spell spontaneously. I love noticing stuff like that.



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ghastley
post Sep 19 2016, 02:36 PM
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Acadian: Kothet decided to provision for the fight, and Clark and Vicuña decided not to let the Forsworn prepare for them. It's probably more due to Kothet having all he could carry, and Clark having all his loot on the cart. tongue.gif

Grits: Just about anyone finds the things they're not looking for. He's just particularly good at it.

Renee: Kothet has the advantage of not being a native, even if he has been there longer than any Nord.

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Previously Kothet and co. had cleared Kolskeggr mine, and he now has the gold for his crafting table.

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8 - Markarth

I smelted the ore down to ingots right outside the mine. Unlike iron, smelting gold reduced the weight, and I could carry more that way. We headed back to Left Hand Mine, to tell Pavo he could return.

Pavo paid us for our trouble. I wasn't expecting that, nor was I expecting the Orc with him to announce that he'd tell the Strongholds about me. I'd be welcome there in future, and not treated as an outsider, whatever that meant.

He didn't tell me where any of these strongholds were, so I asked Ghorza, the Markarth smith, when I went to use her forge. She pointed out four of them on my map, scattered at the four corners of the province, and told me a bit about life there. If she'd have stayed in one, she'd have been forced to marry some "lowly chieftain" as she put it, and probably become his third wife, or less. She had more status as a smith, as the Orcs respected that calling. Her brother was one, too, up at the Jarl's palace in Understone Keep.

Making some jewellery from the gold reduced the weight I was carrying even more, and I found I was able to improve my armour once I was done with it. It would appear that working on the smaller items had improved my detail work, and my results were better with the larger items too.

I asked Ghorza if she had any quicksilver, but she didn't. "Moth might have some, he does work for the elves if they pay him a bit extra. He doesn't like making elven, but he can do it well enough."

---

Moth had used up what he had. And he was reluctant to talk about the special project the Jarl wanted him to do. "He wants me to make a sword for him, and it takes a special ingredient. A Daedra heart."

Well at least he was honest. I told him that although I was very unlikely to be obtaining one for him, if I did recover one from someone who shouldn't have it, I'd consider his request. A daedra's heart should not be just wasted, and becoming part of a weapon was at least noble.

"It took courage to even ask," I reminded myself. "These Orcs are good people."

---

So we wouldn't be getting any quicksilver here, but I'd made a good quantity of jewellery with the gold, so I should see what they'd fetch at the merchant's. Maybe I'd have enough to buy the Soul Gem.

Arnleif and Sons was run by Arnleif's widow, Lisbet, who didn't have such a gem in stock. In fact, she didn't have much at all. But she did buy a lot of the rings and amulets, and told me that if I could just find the Statue of Dibella she'd ordered, she might be able to recover some of her recent losses. The Forsworn had probably stolen it, and she had an idea where they might have taken it.

---

We'd had enough of the Forsworn for now, and it was becoming clear that I wasn't going to find quicksilver in the Reach. I decided that we should head back to Whiterun, instead. The book that Ghorza wanted was in a fort on the way, and we could check that out as we passed.

So of course, the fort was up on a cliff we couldn't climb, and we had to go around to the other side of the hills to reach it. And when we did, we found the place full of ... more Forsworn!

There didn't appear to be any briarheart mages among them, so they weren't as difficult as they might have been. Still, there were more of them, and they were behind walls and barricades, which made it tiresome.

I read the book we'd come to find, and learned a bit more about smithing from it. It made sense that it would help Tacitus, too. Assuming, of course, that he could read.

---

Whiterun was closer than Markarth now, so we continued there. Adrianne didn't have any quicksilver, but Belethor had the gem and he knew where I could mine the ore I needed. "There's a vein near the Battle-Born farm, just outside town. Just the one, not like the whole mine full, up in Dawnstar. If you don't need a lot, I'd go there."

Naturally, when I went and mined the quicksilver, I also found a corundum vein, and one of gold, too. If I'd known about the gold, I wouldn't have had to go to Markarth. But then I wouldn't have made all the jewellery, and perhaps I couldn't have afforded the gem. Or made the breastplate, or improved my mace.

I didn't need to go back into town, as I could smelt the quicksilver at the tower. That was the next stop, and I'd be able to make the crafting table when I got there. And that was just about the last piece of furniture I needed to make. That, and a couple of chests, which would need locks, and I'd just found enough corundum for those.

---

The crafting table was a complex item to make, and used more different materials than the rest of the house put together. It was particularly pleasing to have my housecarl watch the whole process, as this was the ultimate proof of home-making skill.

She didn't show any admiration, but I didn't expect any. I was just doing what I should.

Now I could enchant or disenchant, and make potions and poisons. I had a collection of iron weapons with minor enchantments, and a few pieces of armour, too.

Of all the enchantments I learned, the ones that seemed immediately useful were fire damage, which I wanted to add to my mace, and fortify carry weight for my boots. I'd hoped to find something among them that I could apply to jewellery for a mage, but unless she wanted a circlet of archery, or a ring to fortify one-handed, it would have to wait. I knew that enchantments existed to improve magical skills, or magicka regeneration, but we hadn't collected anything yet.

I moved the dragon bones and scales out of the wardrobe into the new chest, and picked up the alchemy ingredients at the same time.

---

I made several potions to restore Health, and Stamina, as I used them all the time, and didn't always find enough ready-made. I didn't use spells much, but I made a couple of potions to restore Magicka and offered them to her. She shook her head, which was the closest we'd had to a conversation so far.

It was already dark, so I climbed the stairs to the bedroom, expecting her to take her guard position outside. Instead, she walked in and lay down on the bed. With her robe on, and her back to me. I joined her, lying as close as I could without actually touching.

When I woke, my arm was around her, and she was holding it in place. Not quite where I'd have liked, but close. And her back was against me, touching now.

Had I put my arm there, or had she? I hadn't dreamed anything like that; not last night, anyway.

She woke, too, and slipped from under my arm, and went downstairs without saying anything. I wished she would, even if it wasn't something I wanted to hear.

I know I'm being tested. It is Dagon's way. Every adversity is a challenge to be overcome, and I'd only be better for having done so. Her silence is part of that challenge. She's not permitted to assist me in understanding Dagon's will. That's the part I have to achieve for myself.

But she has spoken. Apparently she's allowed to warn me of the presence of enemies, and to challenge them, just as I would. If I want to hear her voice, I'll have to go looking for a fight!


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Acadian
post Sep 20 2016, 06:43 PM
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Nice how crafting jewelry improved Kothet's heavier metal work.

Oh noes! Leave Markarth to get away from the Forsworn. . . only to clear a fort full of them!

Nice progress on his tower home. As for his housecarl, Frustratia the Silent, well. . . things are still going slowly. tongue.gif



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Renee
post Sep 22 2016, 01:31 AM
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Congrads on getting that crafting table fixed up. Crafting & smithing is way fun, in a grindy sort of way.

It's pretty neat how the story focuses around mining and other such mundane activities. It's actually inspiring to me.


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ghastley
post Sep 26 2016, 02:13 PM
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Acadian: He finally gets some variety in his foes this time. However, he might not be too happy about what he gets instead.

Renee: Well, we're done with the mining. mostly, but he will be doing some more smithing. He wants his Daedric outfit before he goes to High Hrothgar.

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Previously: Kothet completed his crafting station, so he has everything made at the tower. Now he's looking for some combat that might evoke a comment from his companion.

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9 - Sunderstone Gorge

So we took a very round about route to go back to Markarth. I needed to deliver the book "Last Scabbard of Akrash" to Ghorza, for her apprentice to read, but it wasn't an urgent job, and we could visit a few caves and ruins on the way.

When we passed Fort Sunguard the first time, I'd seen a road leading off directly away from it, and wondered where it lead. Now would be a good time to find out. It meant that we started out heading in exactly the opposite direction, but I hoped the road would lead around the mountains behind our tower, and maybe we'd find another way to reach it.

After ducking a wayward arrow fired by a hunter, and watching him chase off after the deer we'd just passed, we continued a bit further south and found a trail leading to a cave. It really didn't matter what was in it, I was just looking for a chance for some combat, and some more of my housecarl's voice.

A woman dressed in a black robe saw us approaching, but before I could hail her, she fired a cloud of frost in our direction. It wasn't just the Forsworn that attacked on sight in these parts.

My companion raised a ward, the first time I'd seen her do that. It appeared to block the effect of the magic from the black-robed figure, so she turned her attentions to me. As I charged, I noted that she was being hit with sparks from behind me, and she was unable to continue her frost attack. The pitiful iron dagger she pulled out was no match for my mace, and she fell at my first blow.

When I removed her robe, I caught a disgusted look from my housecarl, but this garment was enchanted, and I wanted to learn its secrets. The wearer's secrets were nothing to write home about.

We entered the cave, and I was hopeful that we'd find more of these magic-users inside. I wanted to find some more equipment with enchantments useful to a mage, as I still had a gold amulet waiting for something to make it special.

The passage was trapped in various places, and guarded by both the mages and their skeletal thralls. I noticed a preference for fire spells, which a Dremora resists quite well, so progress was relatively easy, if a bit slow. We were frequently stopping to wait for burning oil to burn off, where it had spread across the floor and ignited.

I spent much of that time opening chests and collecting the potions and alchemical ingredients the mages had in them , and on the numerous shelves around their quarters. I found a bit of coin, too, and some soul gems, which I might need for enchanting later.

The iron door lead into what I assumed was the main room of this place. It was certainly larger than the other rooms we'd been through. Two more of the mages, perhaps the senior members of this group, were waiting on a balcony at the top of some stairs opposite. The spells they used were more powerful then we'd encountered so far, but again fire-based, so less effective against us than most. As we approached, a flame atronach appeared, but whether it was summoned by the mages, or otherwise, wasn't clear.

The flame atronach didn't last long, but as we approached the mages, and they could at last see what they were dealing with, they changed their tactics. Instead of the firebolts, I was hit with something that knocked me back, and weakened me. Not fire; not frost; not shock. I wasn't sure what it was, but they were using it against both of us. My housecarl was down on one knee already.

As I regained my balance, and charged at the nearest mage, I saw the other cast again, and my companion disappeared in a small burst of sparks. My anger at that was enough to ensure that neither got the chance to cast anything more.

I stood staring at the spot where she'd disappeared, half-expecting her to return, but I saw now that the spell was intended to send Daedra back to Oblivion. It had affected me, but wasn't powerful enough to undo the summoning of Dagon himself. My housecarl had only been summoned by me, and I wasn't much of a conjurer.

I was vaguely aware of a chanting sound from behind me. Another of the walls of Dragon-writing was in the corner of the room, just like the one in Bleak Fall Barrow. Like that time, a word was glowing, and trying to put itself into my mind. "Yol", it said. Somehow I knew that it meant Fire, but not how to shout it. Did I need to battle another dragon before that would happen? It wasn't until Murmulnir died, that I properly understood "Fus".

I turned back, and she still hadn't re-appeared. Could I summon her again? Or would the spell give me someone different? I didn't want someone different.

I decided that casting it at the spot she left from was the best way to get the result I wanted. If Dagon was watching me, at least I'd be giving him some indication that I was paying attention. And it couldn't hurt my chances.

To my relief, the same woman re-appeared. I think she was wearing the same robe, although this one did look a little shorter. Maybe I was imagining that, or maybe I was just more aware of her now. She was instantly on guard, as she'd left while the battle was still in progress, but soon noticed that all was quiet, and relaxed again. Did I see a brief smile?

She stopped at the remains of the conjurer or necromancer that had banished her. I'm not sure if she was pleased or not. The look of revulsion she gave it may have been caused by the way I'd attacked the man with renewed rage. A jagged mace doesn't leave a pretty corpse, and I may have hit this one a bit more than was necessary.

We found a back way out of the room, and collected more potions and ingredients on the way. I also picked up some spell scrolls, gems, and a couple of weapons to sell. And just as we dropped down to the passage where we'd entered, I found some veins of silver. I still had my pickaxe with me, so that added to our haul.
A silver ring with a nice stone would look good on her hand. Maybe a red stone to match her eyes? No, it couldn't glow like they do.

---

We resumed following the trail outside, and when it forked, chose the path to the West. I wanted to head back towards Markarth, and was hoping to find a back way to the tower in the process. Instead, we found a stockade with an Orc standing on guard outside.

Was this one of the Strongholds that the Orc at Left-hand Mine had mentioned? If it was, I was supposed to be welcome here.

Apparently, it wasn't, as the Orc was charging at us, with his war-hammer raised. That looked like a better weapon than I had, or at least it was one I'd like to have. I had the better armour, and my mage companion backing me up, so I soon had the opportunity to take it from his corpse.

With that on my back, I pushed open the gates of the stockade, and looked inside. There were a couple of crude wooden shelters, and a guard-tower, down here, but it looked like most of the settlement, if that's what it was, would be at the top of the wooden stairs that led up the rocks at the back. As we started to climb up, a couple more Orcs appeared at the top. The longer reach of my new hammer helped dispatch those, and we were soon looking at a forge and smelter on the plateau. A door led into what I assumed would be a mine, as there was a smelter just outside.

It would be an Orichalcum mine, judging by the ores and ingots outside. Or possibly iron, as some of the weapons laying on the table by the forge were made of that. I saw an armorer's workbench, but no grindstone. A pity, as I'd have liked to try and improve this war-hammer. There was almost enough material lying around to make another, but it would be no better than this one.

Maybe there would be a grindstone in the mine. I'd want to go in and take some more Orichalcum back to the Tower, anyway, as I wasn't sure where else to find it.

---

There wasn't a grindstone in the mine, just an irate Orc bandit chief who didn't like visitors. His armour was much better than the furs and hides that his men had been wearing, and it took a significant effort to best him. But we did, and took the key to his treasure chest. There wasn't much in that, except for a strange spherical gem, and a few coins. The gem glowed slightly, and made me suspicious. I decided it was probably a trap, and left it. The book on Smithing that I found on a table further down was a much better reward. I decided to take that one to Ghorza, too.

The mine yielded quite a lot of Orichalcum, as I'd expected. I had to smelt it here, as there was too much for me to carry if I didn't. I really needed to go back to the tower and use the grindstone there, and leave the excess ingots in a chest.

I'd taken a good look at the chief's armour. It was Orcish, as you'd have expected, and quite decent stuff. Fairly light, as heavy armour goes, and comparable in quality to what I was wearing. If I hadn't been almost overloaded, I might have taken it to sell. I never really considered wearing it, as I didn't want to look like I was an Orc.

I climbed up on the rocks, and looked around. I could just about see the pillars of the stonework at Bard's Leap from here, but there seemed to be no way to get through. It was all too steep. Maybe you could come down where you couldn't go up, and reach this mine from Bard's Leap, but we'd have to go the long way around to get home.


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haute ecole rider
post Sep 26 2016, 05:15 PM
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QUOTE
The wearer's secrets were nothing to write home about.
laugh.gif tongue.gif

I remember exploring that side of the mountains along the southern road to Markarth and being disappointed that it was so hard to get across the "border" here. I'll have to fire up Skyrim again and explore that area once more . . .


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Acadian
post Sep 27 2016, 12:07 AM
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Hee! This is turning into a Dremoran love story! tongue.gif Kothet stripping the robes off that first mage, thereby impressing his housecarl as a perv did not help move things along. It was touching - in a Dremoran kinda way - that he wanted to resummon the same housecarl. And I must admit that I was glad that he was able to do so. I don't think she quite gathers that much of what he is trying to do is for her benefit.

Very fun to read!


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ghastley
post Oct 3 2016, 02:11 PM
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haute: I haven't been round there with one of Skyrim's spider-horses that can climb sheer cliffs, but the path between Bilegulch and Bard's Leap is one-way on foot. At the back of their tower, you can get the "You cannot go that way" message walking on one corner of the ramp, so I'd expect a lot of that in the area.

Acadian: I suspect he hopes to be getting some benefit himself in future.

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

Previously Kothet has cleared Sunderstone Gorge and Bilegulch Mine, and almost lost his housecarl in the process.

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

10 - Understone Keep

I now had two books on Smithing to deliver to Ghorza, and I'd learned enough from them to turn the Orcish warhammer into quite a decent weapon. Now I had a companion to cast spells, I didn't need a hand free for that, so I could use both for a bigger weapon. I'd soon catch up on my skills with it after a little practice.

We set out for Markarth again, still looking for new trails, but this time we'd leave the caves and other dungeons for the way back. I had quite enough to carry already. We passed a large Nordic temple and a few caves, before the path lead us to another stockade.

This time it really was one of the Orc strongholds, called Dushnikh Yal. I was welcomed in as Blood-kin, and told that if I wanted to help them mine Orichalcum, they'd buy all the ore I could dig up. So now I knew two Orichalcum mines, and only yesterday I hadn't known any. Gharol, the forge-wife, told me of the other Orc Strongholds: Largashbur, Narzulbur, and Mor Khazgur. The last had another Orichalcum mine, and Narzulbur was next to Gloombound Mine, which produced Iron and Orichalcum, but mostly Ebony.

"What about Largashbur?" I asked.

"They don't mine there, but there are Dwarven ruins nearby where you can collect Dwemer metal and smelt that down for making Dwarven weapons and armour. Mostly they hunt. It's a good area for most wildlife."

---

Ghorza was delighted with the two books, especially as she'd only asked for one. She taught me some more about smithing, and let me try out my increased skill at her forge. Since I'd just improved my war-hammer, I wasn't expecting to do much more to it, but I surprised myself with the improvement. Possibly it was just that I'd learned something specific to Orcish weapons, but it made quite a large difference.

Ghorza confirmed that. "Each material needs a different level of skill. I doubt that Tacitus will get much beyond Steel, but that's a useful enough skill to serve the needs of the guards here. You'll want to learn to forge Ebony next, and beyond that is Daedric. Keep practising, making things and improving them, and you'll get there. I can't train you any further, you'd need to go to Balimund in Riften if you need that. And to get to Ebony, you'll still have to do some more work on your own."

She recommended that I make Dwarven bows, if I wanted to develop my skills. The material was plentiful, if I didn't mind battling the automata in the ruins. We both grinned when she said that. She knew I'd like that sort of a challenge.

---

Some time in the not too distant future, too, I needed to go to High Hrothgar and find out what Jarl Balgruuf meant about the Greybeards, and my being "Dragonborn". I was reluctant to do that before I had a proper set of Daedric Armour, though. They would be expecting a Dremora that dressed like one. The Jarl had spoken of them with awe, and I wanted them to get the right impression of me.

My lovely companion would probably be naked by then, as she seemed to wear less every time I improved my armour. That wasn't why I wanted a full set of Daedric, of course, but it was a pleasant prospect to think about.

---

"So where do I get the material for Dwarven bows?" I asked Ghorza. "You mentioned ruins near Largashbur, but that's the other end of the province. Isn't there somewhere closer?"

"You don't even need to leave the city," she replied. "There's a Dwemer ruin right here, up in Understone Keep. Just turn left when you go in, and look for Calcelmo. He's been excavating it, and he might be able to use some strong assistance. I heard that there were spiders causing his workers problems, and they'd closed the dig for the time being."

We climbed back up to the Keep and went looking for Calcelmo. He was glad to have someone volunteer to deal with Nimhe. That was the name they'd given to the giant spider that had invaded the dig.

"Giant Spider? Just how big is she?"

"Taller than you, and of course a lot wider. But that at least means she can't get down the tunnels and escape into the city. However, she's breeding smaller ones. And they're the main nuisance that has stopped us digging completely. I need you to kill Nimhe, and mop up any others you find." Calcelmo coughed and returned to his studies. "Oh, yes, you'll need the key, won't you?" he said as an afterthought, handing it to me.

He didn't provide any directions, but it was safe to assume that the large door on the other side of the bridge was the entrance to the dig. Calcelmo had referred to the ruin as Nchuand-zel. and that was written (in Dwemer letters of course) above the door. The key fit, too.

There were no signs of spiders in the hall we entered. In fact it seemed to be in as good condition as the chamber we'd come from. Less rubble, and the floor looked as if someone had swept it. The exits from it, however, were all blocked with rubble, save for one, which we took. It lead along a corridor, whose size had me slightly worried. If Nimhe wouldn't fit down this, how big was she? Hopefully, there was a narrower section further in.

Instead it opened up to a natural cave, or maybe mine. The floor was dirt, rather than than paved, and a path spiralled down past ore veins and broken rock. She noticed the spider at the bottom before I did, and shot a firebolt at it before I could nock my bow. Fortunately, the loud explosion as it died didn't bring any more to investigate.

"That's one of the smallest," I told her. "Around the Rift, they get about as big as bears, but they're lighter built, and a bear can handle one without too much trouble. I haven't seen more than about three at a time there, but this place may be different."

Naturally, she said nothing, but she stepped around the dead creature as if it still held some threat.

I heard a scuttling noise up ahead in the tunnel leading off. I held up my hand to indicate that we should stop, and crouched down to move forward more stealthily. As usual, she didn't copy me, but she did at least hang back a bit further, and readied another firebolt, just in case.

Around the next corner, I saw two more of the spiders, one a bit larger than the other. I loosed an arrow at that one, hoping to kill it before either detected me. It collapsed into a heap of tangled limbs, and the other looked frantically around for the source of the arrow.

That one was easily dispatched with my second arrow, as I still had the advantage of picking my shots. It looked like those were all for this chamber, so I beckoned her on in. She picked her way in carefully, avoiding all the webs, and giving the dead spiders a wide berth.

The way out was reassuringly narrow. Or maybe not, as it was also likely that this was the choke point that Nimhe couldn't pass. We could run into her at any time now.

I had to clear a thick net of spider web that closed off the tunnel. I pulled as much as I could off the walls, so that she'd have room to pass without touching it, but she was still reluctant to follow. It didn't matter much, as I could see a chamber up ahead that looked like Nimhe's den. There were webs all over, and egg sacs on most of the floor.

But where was Nimhe? Just in time, I thought to look up, and saw that there was a large round hole in the roof, and a spider-shaped shadow was descending. I ducked back into the tunnel, as I knew she couldn't reach me there.

She couldn't reach me, but she could spit poison. A noxious substance that made my eyes sting, and made it hard to focus on my archery. On the other hand, she was a huge target, and I couldn't miss, even with my vision impaired. It took a lot more arrows than I thought possible to dispatch her, and she managed to spit more poison before I was done with her.

I heard the sound of flames behind me, and turned back, expecting to find her in battle. Instead, she was clearing the walls as she advanced, leaving no sign of spider. I stepped aside, and let her continue to the entrance to Nimhe's den.

She took one brief look at the giant spider, and ran back up the tunnel. Then she turned, with a fire spell still ready in each hand, to take another look. I could see her steeling herself to face the dead creature again. She looked away from it, and starting clearing a path across the floor, well away from the corpse.

I'd been completely focused on the spider, but she'd noticed another door on the far side, covered in spider silk, and a body lying near it. Since I didn't have to clear my path quite as much as she did, I reached it first and read the note I found next to it.

It appeared that the dead man was a guard for a group of mages that had gone into the ruins beyond the door. It wasn't clear from the note if they'd gone in before Nimhe appeared, or after. I suspected that it was before, and this Alethius fellow had been her first victim, as he tried to return through the dig site.

I decided to return to Calcelmo, and get any information he might have about this expedition. He owed me for Nimhe, and the reward might be useful for what lay ahead.

Needless to say, my companion was delighted to leave the dig site, but most unhappy when I wanted to go back in. I compromised, by taking all the dwarven metal I'd picked up off to the smelter, and converted it all to bows before we returned. Then I converted the bows to coin, and spent some of it on a room at the Silver-Blood Inn.

The bed was small and hard, and although she let me hold her, I think that was only so she'd feel safe from spiders. I tried hard not to behave like one.


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haute ecole rider
post Oct 3 2016, 02:58 PM
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QUOTE(ghastley @ Oct 3 2016, 08:11 AM) *

haute: I haven't been round there with one of Skyrim's spider-horses that can climb sheer cliffs, but the path between Bilegulch and Bard's Leap is one-way on foot. At the back of their tower, you can get the "You cannot go that way" message walking on one corner of the ramp, so I'd expect a lot of that in the area.

Neither have I! Typically we leave the horses on the roads or on fairly level surfaces. My Skyrim characters have become quite good at mountain climbing and we've discovered some cool spots (and views) along the way . . . biggrin.gif

QUOTE
She took one brief look at the giant spider, and ran back up the tunnel. Then she turned, with a fire spell still ready in each hand, to take another look. I could see her steeling herself to face the dead creature again. She looked away from it, and starting clearing a path across the floor, well away from the corpse.

*snip*

Needless to say, my companion was delighted to leave the dig site, but most unhappy when I wanted to go back in. I compromised, by taking all the dwarven metal I'd picked up off to the smelter, and converted it all to bows before we returned. Then I converted the bows to coin, and spent some of it on a room at the Silver-Blood Inn.

The bed was small and hard, and although she let me hold her, I think that was only so she'd feel safe from spiders. I tried hard not to behave like one.


So She has a phobia! Not so tough or inscrutable now, heh? laugh.gif


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Acadian
post Oct 3 2016, 08:16 PM
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Like Rider, I found it sort of nice to know that Housecarl has some sort of feelings - even if all we have so far is fear of spiders.

Kothet's progress with smithing is interesting to see as he sets his sights on (not surprisingly) full daedric gear.

I love Nchuand-zel and bet there's plenty of dwemer metal to be had in there!


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Renee
post Oct 8 2016, 06:13 AM
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Spiders ... yicch! Good thing she let him hold her.

QUOTE
My lovely companion would probably be naked by then, as she seemed to wear less every time I improved my armour. That wasn't why I wanted a full set of Daedric, of course, but it was a pleasant prospect to think about.

There we go. This is the ghastley content I've seen in pictures so far. hehe.gif



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ghastley
post Oct 10 2016, 03:17 PM
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haute: Kothet regards a "good view" as a strategic advantage, rather than something aesthetic, which is why he likes his new home.

Acadian: She's not really afraid, it's more revulsion. This ruin will help her work it out.

Renee: At least Kothet found some advantage in her dislike of spiders.

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Previously: Kothet went to Nchaund-Zel to look for dwarven metal to advance his smithing, and found spiders. His housecarl doesn't like those.

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11 - Nchuand-Zel

I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't want to go back to Nchuand-zel, but we had unfinished business there. And I knew that we'd be meeting Frostbite Spiders all over Skyrim, so the sooner she got past this spider problem, the better.

Fortunately, Calcelmo's workers had already made a good start on eradicating all signs of Nimhe and her brood. The first time we saw any webs was when we got to the door where we found Alethius' body. When I opened that, beyond it was a clean Dwemer hallway, with no sign of spider at all.

She shuddered, and took a deep breath, but the expression on her face brightened considerably. We were out of spider territory, but what were we into?

The first of the Falmer was waiting on a bridge ahead of us. I'd been proceeding slowly, just in case there were still spiders to be found, and I saw him long before he detected us. I drew my bow and crouched. One carefully aimed shot dropped him over the edge, into the water below.

Creeping silently forward, I spotted another waiting a bit further ahead, and repeated the process for him. I looked back, and saw that she'd followed me out onto the bridge, and was looking down to see where the Falmer had dropped. Heights didn't seem to have the same effect on her as spiders.

From up here, I could see a number of doors leading into other parts of the ruins. Somewhere behind any one of those, the lost expedition of mages could be huddled in hiding from the Falmer, or more likely lying dead. Without any indication of where we should start, I opted for the door on the top level. But first there was another Falmer to deal with, on the ledge near the door.

I readied another arrow, but she'd caught up with me, and seen the Falmer, too. A couple of firebolts, one from each hand, quickly dropped him. My arrow wasn't wasted, however, as the noise of the firebolts brought another Falmer up the ramp to investigate, and he wasn't expecting to be shot the moment he appeared.

When we got to his body, I took a look down the ramp to see if there were any more below. I wasn't intending going down there yet, but it made sense to make sure we wouldn't be followed. Nothing was moving, so we proceeded to the door.

Before we met any more Falmer, I found some dwarven metal scrap lying around. From clearing the dig site the day before, I'd discovered which was worth taking, and which were just too heavy to be worth the effort. The solid bars were twelve times the weight of the plates, and only yielded double the ingots, if that. The struts weren't worth carrying either. Large and small plates, and the bent scrap, seemed to be what we wanted.

Sorting through the pieces almost made me miss the Falmer creeping in, but my companion had been watching diligently, perhaps looking out for spiders. A firebolt flew past me, and I pulled my warhammer from my back in time to crush the skull of a Falmer that was rushing at me with a raised sword. Another firebolt finished the archer behind him.

We had a choice of two paths forward, and I chose to go down a level first, mostly because I could see there was nothing down there. I expected more Falmer around each corner,

It wasn't long before we found the corpse of one of the mages. But before we reached it, I heard "an expression of displeasure" from behind me, and noticed a frostbite spider coming towards us. The creature seemed to explode before it got half-way, and it wasn't anything either of us had done. I suspected it had triggered a trap of some kind, and quickly looked around for more. Just in time, too, as I was about to step up onto the platform at the top of the stairs, and there was a circular mark on the floor that looked ominous. I stepped back, and tossed a piece of scrap metal onto it, and was rewarded with the same kind of explosion that had killed the spider.

The explosions brough a couple more of the Falmer out of hiding, but we were ready for them. Stromm had a journal that described some of the expedition's problems with the Falmer, but suggested that they had split up, and were working in different sections of the ruin. That seemed like a bad idea to me. It clearly worked out that way for Stromm.

I ignored the chest as a possible trap, and concentrated on collecting smeltable scrap. Nothing else appeared to impede us, until we retraced our steps and tried the other path. As expected, Falmer were waiting along the passage, and the group of four proved quite an obstacle.

Beyond them, another Falmer had a spider pet with him, but only a small one, and they crush nicely beneath a war-hammer. I caught a look of approval when I did that.

There didn't seem to be any way out but the way we'd come in, unless we wanted to jump down into the water. Since I had no idea how deep it was, I didn't think that was a good idea. So we back-tracked out to the ledge, and took the ramp down.

We had to swim across to the door of the next section, as the entry ramp was now beneath the water. As expected, we found the same mixture of dwarven scrap and Falmer waiting for us, but this time, we encountered something new. As I passed what looked like a sealed vent on the wall, it opened, and a dwarven automaton, resembling a spider, dropped out and attacked.

This kind of spider didn't have the same effect on my companion as the live ones, and she rushed to engage it. I found that the metal ones crunched just as nicely as their cousins, although it took a bit more effort with my war-hammer. Metal is a bit harder, after all.

There was another dead mage, alone again, in this section. He had a diary too, so I added it to my collection. This one was apparently Erj, and he was here for treasure, rather than scientific reasons. Perhaps that was why he was prospecting on his own; and why he was now dead.

Leaving the ruin and going back out to the next ramp, we found another body. Krag had had the sense to stay with the guards, and set up camp away from the Falmer, but it appeared that they'd been overwhelmed in the night. At least one of the guards lay dead just a little beyond him. His journal made mention of Erj staying behind to try and pick locks in the Armory, which was presumably the section we found him in.

Standing near Krag's body was a giant metal man, in a frame that looked like it would feed power to him if it were active. Since Krag and the guards had been content to camp with it watching over them, I felt no unease. I wouldn't like to have to fight one, if it ever was activated. One arm was a war-hammer larger than my own, and the other an axe of similar proportions.

I picked up a book from on top of one of the bedrolls. "Sithis", it was entitled. Reading it explained some things about alteration I hadn't known before, so I took it with me. Such books often fetch a decent price.

We hadn't found the fourth mage yet, the leader of the expedition. Krag's journal didn't make it clear if he'd been with them when they camped for the night, but then it hadn't mentioned anyone other than Erj. Stromm might have been with them, and fled back to where we found him, or he might also have lingered behind as the others moved ahead.

But it wasn't too far to go before we did so. We'd encountered both Falmer and Dwarven Automata in this "Control" section, so it wasn't suprising that one or the other had killed him. His diary made it clear that Stromm had been left behind to study the area we'd found him in. Staubin made reference to a student being with him, but we'd not seen a second body. It also revealed that he'd escaped the attack that had killed Krag, and gone into this part of the ruin to try and re-activate the Dwarven guardians. That told me that the attackers had been Falmer, and why the guards had trusted the centurion wouldn't be a problem.

I now resolved to carry out Staubin's objective, and set the automata against the Falmer. If nothing else, they'd wear each other down, and not prove a threat to Markarth, or Calcelmo's workers just outside the ruin.

There was quit a lot of scrap metal in this area, and the Falmer were busy trying to convert the guardian automata into more. The latter, of course, were trying to exterminate the Falmer vermin. We let them battle each other before mopping up the survivors, and I gathered metal as we went.

The lever in the room beyond looked like it was the one Staubin was trying to reach. I looked around to see if any of the huge centurions were waiting to stride out of their frames when I pulled it, but saw none. I did pick up everything worth taking before I pulled the lever, just in case.

The door ahead lead back out to a ledge above the ramp where we'd entered. I could see that the centurion we'd passed was now active, and battling a Falmer or two. We decide to move on quickly before that skirmish was decided, one way or the other. If that metal monster lost, I didn't want to face anything that could defeat it!

It didn't lose, and came after us. Fortunately, it was down to a fraction of its health, and an arrow from me, and a firebolt from my companion, sent it toppling over the edge into the water below.

Ahead, on the bridge where we first came in, a Falmer was fighting a Dwarven Sphere. This was a closer contest, and we watched it play out before adding our contributions. The sphere produced a small plate that would be useful.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Oct 14 2016, 09:46 PM


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Acadian
post Oct 12 2016, 11:47 PM
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As I've said, Nchuand-Zel is one of my fave dungeons and it was fun to hear Kothet describe his exploration of it. Lots of open space for good range and an interesting mix of foes.

I'm glad to hear the Housecarl with No Name (yet) is not squeamish about metal spiders.


Nit: ’There didn't seem to be an {any} way out but the way we'd come in,’


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Renee
post Oct 16 2016, 11:41 PM
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That makes sense, carrying only the most useful metal scraps. smile.gif I like that term: "expression of displeasure". I don't think she would last very long in my basement, that's for sure.


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