Postcards from Tamriel, Stories and such that fall somewhere between a snippet and a thread Options

[Grits]

Hi folks!

My characters are getting unruly, so I thought I’d make a place where I can hide from them while they fight it out. I mean, while I figure out what to do. The first time this happened, I posted Home for the Holidays, a very short story about Abiene’s Saturalia visit to Leyawiin in the year 3E432. I should have made this thread then, but at the time I still thought that every word I wrote would be the last. Someday I hope to make an offering at The Temple of Lore, but for now I’m still too guilty of undisciplined sprawling. I’ll start a story in the next post.

As always, comments and discussion are very welcome!

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jun 23 2019, 03:31 AM

[SubRosa]

Very neat to see the Who's Who of the Jerricdyll. I keep similar notes on all the major characters in the TF, along with little things like how stuff works, what things cost, holidays, a tamriel calendar with birthsigns, food, etc... But I do not go to the length of listing every named character who has ever appeared. Here are my FG entries:



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Fighters Guild

The leader of the entire guild is Vilena Donton, and her title is Guild Master. Her second is Modryn Oreyn, the Guild Champion. Local Chapters are led by a Guild Commander, and their second is a Vice Commander. Rank and file members are simply known as Fighters.

Full members of the FG are identified by a amulet which all are given in the shape of the FG logo, a red kite-shaped shield with a white sword pointed downward. These also have a minor (5%) Shield enchantment on them. THey always wear them while on official business.

The FG has a branch in the Imperial City, located in the Arena District. This is led by Vilena Donton in addition to her duties are head of the entire guild. her second, Modryn Oreyn handles the day to day operations of the IC chapter. Because of this the Chorrol chapter has entirely new characters as Commander and Vice Commander.

The Bravil FG participated in the Defense of Bruma. There they lost most of their chapter. The only survivors were Pappy, Tadrose, and Vincent (Tavian did not go).

The Fighters Guild typically does the following types of jobs:
Armed and Unarmed weapons training.
Bodyguarding and security for short-terms (i.e. not permanent)
Capture of wanted criminals when regular authorities are not able to (bounty hunting).
In addition, according to the charter with the Empire, all FG members are expected to capture known criminals if they are given the opportunity.
Killing magical beasts/goblins/minotaurs that threaten remote communities
Working with people during kidnappings, either delivering ransoms or making covert attacks to recover victims.



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Gaius "Pappy" Vitellus
Gaius "Pappy" Vitellus leads the Bravil FG, having the rank of guild commander. He is in his early forties, with short black hair gowing grey at the temples. His eyes are blue, and he is handsomely featured. His body is lean and trim in spite of his age, with perfectly sculpted muscles. He was born from a rich commoner family in the Imperial City on the 25th of First Seed (March) 3E390.

He is a former Primus Pilus who was run out of the service because of his chronic insubordination and freewheeling attitude when it came to scrounging supplies for his troops, especially illegal Nordic Whiskey. He joined the legion at 18 (3E408), his father securing him a centurion's position in the Fifth Legion in Cyrodiil, leading the Cohort on the Waterfront. He was transferred out after making enemies with then Legate Titus Vibius. He went to the Sixth Legion in Skyrim. During an uprising in the province, Pappy took command of the garrison of Whiterun and held the city against attacks by a vastly superior rebel army. Because of this the rebels were unable to sieze control of the province, and the next year a relief army from Cyrodiil came to his rescue. For this he was awarded the Grass Crown.

He was transferred to High Rock after that, receiving a promotion to Primus Pilus in the bargain. However, he punched the legate of his Legion, and found himself transferred to Elsweyr. Near the end he took another legate for all his money in a poker game (rumor has it he slugged that legate too, but he did not). He was finally forced to resign in 3E423. Afterward he went to the Fighters Guild and rose through their ranks because he is smart, resourceful, a natural leader, and just plain good at killing things. By 3E427 he was the Guild Champion. However, he did not get along with the Guild Master Vilena Donton at all because of his cockiness, dislike for authority, and free-wheeling attitude.

In 3E429 Modryn Oreyn engineered his downfall by convincing several members of the IC chapter to come forward and file formal charges against Pappy, claiming he favored certain female members with choice contracts in return for their sexual favors. It was true that he slept with more than one member of the IC chapter, but he never assigned contracts on that basis, only on the ability of the members. That did not matter though, as it gave Donton the pretext she needed to remove him and pack him off into semi-exile in Bravil - the least desireable chapter in Cyrodiil. In the meantime Modryn took Pappy's place as Guild Champion.

Pappy makes an excellent father figure for Teresa, in no small part because he is such a reprobate. But also because he genuinely cares for the people under him and feels responsible for them. His experience gives him a wisdom that youngin's like the others in the FG cannot match. He calls the young FG members meatheads while he is teaching them all the sneaky tricks of how to beat the enemy and stay alive that they do not teach in Legion school.

He is also a superb chef. He learned to be because as he will say himself "When you are stationed in as many gods-forsaken holes as he as been, you either learn to like the taste of stale hardtack and weevils, or you learn to make something else to eat." Being a resourceful person, he learned. I think his specialty is seafood. Clams, crab, fish, etc...)

In combat he wears a Legion cuirass with a grass crown etched upon the breast (enchanted with 12% Shield Spell), a legion helm, and Orcish boots, greaves, gauntlets and shield (enchanted with a 12% Fire Shield spell) and carries a Nordic broadsword named Hardrada (Nordic - Hard Counsel)(enchanted with Disintegrate Armor). It has a long double-edged blade with Nordic runes going down the center reading "The Warrior's Wisdom is Hard Counsel". The handgrip is made of grooved whalebone, and the wide crossguard is of carved gold, and the wide pommel of a lobed design. He wears a Ring of Firewalking that gives him a 30% resistance to fire, cancelling out his weakness to it.

He knows some Apprentice level Restoration spells, including Cure Disease, and Fortify Strength and Endurance. He was born under the Lord birthsign, giving him the ability to Restore Health 6 points for 15 seconds (90 points total) multiple times per day (at a cost of 50 magicka - very efficent). It also gives him a weakness to fire at -25% (note that his Ring cancels this out).

Pappy's Rule #2 - Never pass up an opportunity.
Pappy's Rule #3 - Don't push your luck after you've won.
Pappy's Rule #5 - If you can't out-talk them, outguess them. If you can't outguess them, outrank them.
Pappy's Rule #10 - Never fight a battle you cannot win.





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Tadrose Helas
Tadrose Helas a 29 year old Dunmer armorer at the Bravil FG, having the rank of guild vice-commander. She was born on the 9th of Hearth Fire (September) 3E404. She is orignally from Morrowind, and unknown to anyone she is a member of House Indoril. Her real name is actually Tyrela Indoril. She is the daughter of the House leader, and was being groomed to take her place. She has raven-black hair styled in elf-braids, and the blue skin and red eyes of all her race. Her body is scarred. She has one on her left forearm from a dagger stab, gotten in a knife fight. She has an arrow scar in her stomach. There is another scar from an axe in her upper left leg. The skin over the small of her back is discolored, too light for the rest of her skin. That is from a lightning bolt she suffered at Bruma.

In 3E421 (when she was 17) she fell in love with Balen Dres the son of House Dres' leader, and a year later she was pregnant. Sort of a Romeo and Juliet kind of situation. But one where there would not only be a scandal, but the child would actually be in the position to inherit the leadership of both houses. That would be something that both were willing to kill to prevent. They were found out by her own house, but the circumstances were hushed up to avoid the scandal. Her child was to be killed after birth, as it was so far along that aborting it would endanger Tadrose as well. She gave birth to Sere on the 15th of Evening Star (December) 3E422. But in fact her maid Arvela (who was skilled in illusion magic) switched her child with that of an already dead infant, so that it appeared to be a still-birth. Her real child was sprited out of the country in secret by Arvela.

On the 1st of Morning Star (January) 3E423 Tadrose left Morrowind, supposedly in self-imposed exile. But in reality she was leaving in order to be close to her child - now named Seryne - who was taken to Bravil by Arvela. Arvela changed her name to Marilesa and joined the Mages Guild. A year later she married a Dunmer man named Tolvele Sathendas in the city, and they have raised Seryne together ever since. Only she and Tadrose know the true circumstances of Seryne's birth. Tyrela took the name Tadrose, and never told her family she was going to Bravil. Taking a circuitrous route, she has done her best to make sure her family have no idea who she really is. But she is still afraid they might someday find her, and that is why she is not raising her daughter herself. To protect her, she is letting Arvela/Marilesa raise Seryne as her own, never to know that Tadrose is her real mother and what her actual heritage is.

There Tadrose joined the Fighter's Guild and learned to fight, so that she would never be helpless again. In time she became an armourer as well. She completely throws herself into her work, as it takes her mind off what happened. Her only escape is that she usually takes her lunch near the Lucky Lady statue, where she watches Seryne and the other children play. She will have nothing to do with men thanks to what happened. Still, in spite of all of this she remains a friendly, and generally positive person. She is glad that she can at least still be near her daughter and watch her grow up, and most of all that she will be safe.

In combat Tadrose wears a full suit of Elven armour and carries a Claymore of Flames named Anganar "Forge" (Elven Claymore as base plus fire damage), and her boots have the Water-Walking ability. She know the Apprentice Level Restoration spell - Heal Major Wounds, and the Apprentice Level Alteration spell Defend (shield 15%), an Apprentice level Lightning Bolt, and an Apprentice level Recharge Item. She does not have a great deal of magicka however, and using any of these spells depletes most of her energy. As a Dunmer she has Fire Resistance of 75%, but as she has changed her name and renounced her family, she cannot summon an ancestor guardian spirit. She was born under the Lady birthsign, giving her heightened endurance and willpower. As an elf, she has her period only twice a year, on the solstices.

Tadrose's room at the Fighters Guild
The Dunmer's chamber contained the same, plain furnishings that all of their rooms did. There was a bed, dresser, mirrored wash basin, and combination dressing table and desk. Her elven armor grew from an arming rack in one corner, and Anganar was sheathed beside it. There was little else however. The walls were bare of adornment, but for a single low bookcase packed with worn volumes. A ceramic vase stood atop it, sprouting bright yellow flax. Alongside it lay a bared arming sword of ordinary grey steel. Its handle was wrapped in pewter wire, and its pommel was a simple disc of metal. The single window in the room faced west, and through it Teresa could see the lowering sun filling the mountains with red and orange light.



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Vincent Galien
Vincent Galien is a 19 year old Breton male with long, wavy brown hair and brown eyes at the Bravil FG. He was born on the 22nd of Last Seed (August) 4E414 He is one of the only surviving members of the Bruma campaign, although he had only joined the guild shortly before that. He is a light-hearted person and likes to joke and otherwise act the fool. In battle he wears a full suit of steel armor and shield, and carries a fine steel longsword. Out of battle he wears a Forester's tunic, huntsman's pants, and pigskin shoes.

He knows the Novice level Restoration spell Heal Minor Wounds. As a Breton he has a Resistance to Magic at 50%. He was born under the Warrior birthsign, giving him a bonus to his strength and endurance.

Vincent's bad jokes:
Two ogres are eating a jester, one looks to the other and says "does this taste funny to you?"
Why was the werewolf arrested in the butchers shop? He was chop-lifting.
Which monster eats the fastest? The goblin.
What do you call a mosquito in a tin suit? A bite in shining armour.
Why do vampires have no friends? Because they're a pain in the neck.
What do vampires cross the sea in? Blood vessels.
A blind rabbit and a blind snake ran into each other on the road one day. The snake reached out, touched the rabbit and said, "You're soft and fuzzy and have floppy ears. You must be a rabbit." The rabbit reached out, touched the snake and said, "You're slimy, beady-eyed and low to the ground. You must be a conjuration teacher."
How do wraith's like their eggs? Terror fried.
Why did the troll eat candles? For a light snack.
What do you get if you cross a troll with a cat? A town that is free of dogs.






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Tavian
Tavian is the FG porter in Bravil. He is a teen Imperial boy who is anxious to grow up and become a hero. Pappy and the other fighters have taken him under their wing and are teaching him the trade, and keeping him out of trouble. He wears a green wool shirt, light brown linen pants, and pigskin shoes.






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Storm-Tail
Storm-Tail is a male Argonian at the Bravil FG. He was born on the 12th of Sun's Dawn (February), under the sign of the Serpent. He is a new recruit of the Bravil FG. He wears a suit of elven armor and shield and wields a Akaviri Katana, all of which belonged to his father. It is an enchanted Akavari Warblade, damaging health, fatigue, and magicka. Out of combat he wears a Forester's shirt, black pants, and cowhide shoes. His father was a member of the Bravil FG who died at Bruma. Storm-Tail is trying to live up to his father's name and be someone that he would be proud of

At the beginnng of the story he knows the Novice level Illusion spell Illuminate (Light in a 10' radius). As an Argonian he has a resistance to disease, is immune to poison, and can breathe water. Born under the serpent, he can poison others on touch.





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Chance
Chance is a male Redguard at the Bravil FG. He is also a new recruit in the Bravil FG. He is young, and stowed away on a ship from Sentinel in Hammerfell seeking adventure. He wound up in Bravil with no money and no where to go, so he joined the FG. In battle he wears steel armor and an orcish shield and carries a Dwemer mace named Ncharcasti. Out of battle he first wears a dark shirt, black pants, and cowhide shoes. Later when he gets money he upgrades to a burgandy linen outfit. As his name implies, Chance is a gambler, and will bet on nearly anything. He also has a very high Luck attribute, although things do not always go his way.

Being from Sentinel originally, Chance's family were Lhotunic (progressive followers of King Lhotun - http://www.imperial-library.info/content/p...gada-hammerfell ). His father Destri was a warrior in the King's service. Basically just a grunt. He was stationed in Dak'Fron, which is on Sentinel's border, at the edge of the Alik'r Desert. Ayaan-si, High Prophet of Elinhir, had called upon the True Crowns of the north to rebel against Lhotun, and financed a number of forays against the borders in Bergama and Dak'fron. He also stirred up dissent in Dak'Fron itself, resulting in a group of protesters haranguing a lone Redguard warrior guarding a supply depot in the evening. A Lhotonic officer saw what was happening, and took more men to reinforce the lone soldier. Destri was one of them. Things turned ugly, and the crowd began throwing stones. No one is sure who struck first, but in the end the protestors were massacred, with thriteen dead and twice that seriously wounded.

Afterward the city was on the verge of exploding into rebellion, and it was called the Dak'Fron Massacre. To keep the peace, King Lhotun ordered a scapegoat. Destri, unliked by his captain, was picked. He was summarily tried and convicted of murder and inciting a riot, and was scheduled for public execution in Dak'Fron. However, his old compatriots did not like what was happening, and broke him out of the prison the night before his execution. He only had time to give one a quick word to pass along to his family. Then he fled into the desert, taking with him his Dwemer mace - Ncharcasti - which had been a family heirloom since the days of Cyrus.

He knows no spells at the beginning of the story, as as a Redguard he resists disease and poison at 75%. He also has the adrenaline rush power that he can use once per day to fortify his strength, speed, endurance, and agility by 50 points each. He was born on the 4th of Last Seed (August), making his birthsign The Warrior.

Chance is popular with women, and has even been known to date two of them on the same night, at the same time. However, he keeps going back to one girl, Eutropia, who is a chambermaid in the castle. He will never admit that he loves her though.





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Ancodil
Ancodil is a 19 year old male orc at the Bravil FG. He was born on the 18th of Sun's Dusk (November) 3E414. Unlike other orcs, he was raised by two Altmer, Eilonwy and Orintur of the Cheydinhal Mages Guild. As an infant he was found on the doorstep of the Cheydinhal Chapel one day, Eilonwy and Orintur took him in and raised him as their own child. As such he has been given an exceedingly good education, and is a refined gentleman through and through. He greatly enjoys poetry, plays, music, and dancing. He is even learning to play the lute (although not especially good at the beginning). He has absolutely no talent for the use of magic however, much to the disappointment of his parents. He did learn he has a talent for something however. Crushing things. At over 6'6'' tall and a mountain of muscle, he carries a Warhammer of Rending (Elven Warhammer- disentegrate armor) that is named Persuader ("Lambercuru" in elvish). and a Stalwart Cuirass (Dwemer Cuirass- Fortify Endurance), plus a regular Dwemer boots, greaves, and gauntlets. Out of combat he commonly wears a blue silk outfit.

He knows no spells and has never been able to successfully cast one, in spite of having spent a semester at the Arcane University. He flunked out. He was a disaster at all forms of spellcasting, and his attempts at alchemy left a horrific odor in the classroom. As an Orc he has a resistance to magic at 25%, and he was also born under the Atronach birthsign, giving him a 50% spell absorption as well.

He owns a horse, a gelding named Glacier. He is a blue roan Bruma Quarter Horse. To help him carry his weight, Ancondil has a saddle enchanted with a Expert level Feather (400 lbs) completely negating his weight.





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Valerius Nasica
Valerius is an Imperial male in his mid twenties. He was born on October (Frostfall) the 8th. He has short black hair and black eyes. Valerius is a patrician, his family living in a manor in the Talos Plaza district. As such Valerius himself is a knight, and served at Bruma. After the battle Claudia Vinicianus developed a crush on him. Another patrician whose family was a friend of his own, she was sixteen and convinced she was in love. She tried to run away with him, but he would have no part of it. However, her older brother (and guardian) Flaminius learned they were together and tracked them down. He found the two together and assumed the worst. Valerius took full responsibility, and insisted that he had tried and failed to seduce Claudia in order to protect her honor. Flaminius called him out to a duel, and Valerius refused. Valerius was branded a coward, and blacklisted from high society. Afterward he became a mercenary to make ends meet.

Born under the sign of the Tower, he has natural-inborn armor the equal of leather. In combat he wears a full suit of glass armor, and carries a glass arming sword and shield. He also owns a Friesian gelding named Fidelis "Faithful".




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Morghak gra-Durug
Morghak is a 18 year old female orc. She was born on the 17th of Midyear (June) 3E315. She stands six and a half feet tall, and is bound in muscle. Her long, light brown hair is tied back from her head in a braid, and she has the yellow eyes of all orcs. She wears a necklace with a golden eagle pendant (the symbol of Trinimac). In combat, she wears a full suit of Orcish armor and shield. She carries a Dwemer hand axe as her primary weapon, plus two smaller throwing axes.

Morghak is from an Orcish noble family in the Wrothgarians. She grew up in the shadow of her older sister Urzoth, who was her mother's favorite. Everything that Urzoth did was always right, and everything Morghak did was always second best (at least so it seemed to her). Finally when Urzoth was made a knight in Gortwog's court, she could take no more of it. Running away from home, she made her way to Cyrodiil by chance as much as anything else. Like other orcs from Nova Orsinium, she follows the ancient elven god Trinimac (not Malacath).

There she became a gladiator in the Arena, rising to become one of the top seeds. It was there that she met Agronak gro-Malog, and the two fell in love. He entrusted her with finding the proof of his noble birth in the ancient castle of Crowhaven. Instead she discovered an Imperial who was a vampire, and killed him. She discovered a journal in the Lord of the castle's bedroom, and took it back with her, hoping it might have some clues to Agronak's birth. It explained more than she had bargained for. The vampire had been Lord Lovidicus, the master of the castle, and Agronak's father. Morghak did not know what to do, and went to Ysabel for advice, telling her everything and showing her the journal. Ysabel advised her to destroy it, and never say a word. Morghak agreed, and told Agronak that she found nothing in the old castle. However, a Redguard gladiator named Sulesa was eavesdropping on the converation with Ysabel. She stole the journal while Morghak slept, and gave it to Agronak. Afterward he became despondant and suicidal, and Sulesa challenged him for the championship. They fought on Frostfall (October) the 23rd. Agronak did not put up a fight, and let her kill him in the Arena, making Sulesa the new champion. Morghak immediately challenged her to a duel.

They fought on 30th of Frostfall (October) during the Emperor's Birthday celebration. Morghak won, and killed Sulesa with a combination of blows that first disarmed her, then delivered the coup de grace immediately afterward. This gave her the nickname 'Avenger'. It also created a controversy that the fight should have stopped before she killed Sulesa.

Afterward, Morghak was directionless. She had never mourned Agronak, as she had been too consumed by revenge. But killing Sulesa gave her no sense of catharsis. She only felt empty and numb. She quit the Arena the next day. The Arena managment decided not to investigate her killing of Sulesa, as they felt it would be bad for the business. Not knowing what to do with her life, and quickly becoming frustrated and overwhelmed by her fans in the Imperial City, she got on the first ship in the Waterfront. It turned out to be a packet bound for Bravil. She arrived a day later (4th Sun's Dusk - November), and went to the Fighters Guild looking for work.

As an Orc she has a resistance to magic at 25%. Also since she was born under the sign of the Steed, she has increased speed, endurance, health, and athletics.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 16 2012, 01:36 AM