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

[ghastley]

@Acadian: considering that it was a collection of discarded notes from writing the individual stories, it did come together better than I thought it would.

Does anyone remember the ancient B-movie (and record) that I stole the title from? All I remember is the title!

-----

Love Potion #9

The young reporter for the Black Horse Courier had been sent back to Gweden. Apparently Tsarrina had some important news, and she'd specifically requested that he come down and get it. He tried to appear reluctant to do the long journey, but not too much. He didn't want anyone else takng this assignment, just some cover if it took him longer than they expected.

He'd lost out on doing the report on Skingrad's food and wine, just like he thought he would. One of the Khajiit brothers had taken that assignment himself. At least he'd brought some wine and sweetrolls back to the office and shared them with the rest of the staff. The wine traveled well, but sweetrolls are always better when they're still warm from the oven. He'd have to stop on the way to Gweden, and if he left the city at the right time, he'd arrive at Skingrad at dusk and have to stay the night.

He wouldn't mind staying a few nights at Gweden, too, if he could find an excuse.

---

"If you ask Maeva, she'll tell you that some of her customers remind her of her late husband." Tsarrina told him. "But fortunately most of them can get it up." She grinned. "She won't be able to crack that one any more, because of this!"

Tsarrina held up a potion bottle, containing a bright blue liquid. "It's miraculous stuff. Works almost instantly, and lasts long enough to make the girls very happy. And we have exclusive commercial use here at Gweden."

That explained why Tsarrina wanted the story told, but he'd need to know some more about this potion. What was it called? Where did she get it?

"Silanu's cousin Miranu makes it. She hasn't given it a name yet, it's just number 9 right now. She sent some to us, and some to Silanu's sister for her own use. Apparently Falanu's going to test a different application than we can here."

That at least gave him an excuse to spend some time with Silanu, getting her side of the story. She'd want something in return, of course, and he'd be happy to meet her demands. He wondered how many of the others had any information.

When he left the following morning for Skingrad, he had several pages of notes.

Miranu's secret laboratory was somewhere near the old All Things Alchemical, and he'd need to get a key from Falanu. He'd already decided he needed to interview her. Silanu had suggested that her testing of the potion wasn't going to be quite the same as they were doing at Gweden, and he was curious.

He already knew about her taste for necrophilia. He found out about it on the way to Gweden on his first trip. Silanu had given him the whole story of how she got started on that, but he'd never asked her directly for her own viewpoint. This would be a good time to fill in that gap, as well as find out more about the potion.

Falanu was working on making an ointment from the potion, for those who, for any reason, couldn't drink it. (That was a delicate way of putting it, they could even print that!) She'd made up a batch and her initial tests had been disappointing. It could just be that she needed to make a stronger mixture, but she didn't know if the effect was preserved in the ointment at all. It didn't affect her, so there was only one way she could test it.

He wouldn't get the key to Miranu's lab until he'd helped her find out. The things a reporter has to do for a story! She reassured him that he didn't need to be dead for this. She needed him to tell her what happened, and how it made him feel, and that needed a live subject.

He pointed out that the initial effect wasn't any true indication; if she did that with any ointment, he'd have reacted the same way.

He was sure that the rest of the effect wasn't just her. It had taken a couple of hours to wear off, and that was way past his normal capabilities, even after the training they'd given him at Gweden. Fatigue was still an issue, so she gave him potions to fix that problem. She didn't seem to need any, which probably explained her strange habits.

His legs were weak as he walked out of Skingrad towards the city. He hoped Miranu wasn't as amorous as her cousins. You can have too much of a good thing!

It was starting to get dark as he arrived at the old shop, and he was getting a bit concerned that the laboratory entrance was going to be hard to find in the gloom. He need not have worried, as a bright glow soon caught his eye. It was the dying embers of the fire from a small forge. An area of stone slabs, surrounded by a low, crumbling wall, appeared to be the remnants of an old fort. The tower was long gone, but a weathered trapdoor was set in the floor. The key he'd been given fit the lock.

The short ladder led down to an ancient-looking corridor. The stone walls were rough near the entrance, but quickly gave way to much better masonry as he walked farther in. He called out to announce his arrival, and a female voice answered.

"If Falanu sent you, you're more than welcome. Come on down."

He reached the top of a broad flight of stairs leading down to a large chamber. At the near end, two large tanks held a green, slightly glowing liquid. At the other end two massive stone columns stood at the foot of another flight of steps that led up to a balcony. There were chains hanging from the columns with large shackles on the ends.

In between, a screened-off area enclosed a bed, and some chests and shelves. Presumably Miranu lived here, as well as using it for her research. He heard her voice again. "Up here, on the balcony."

He crossed the chamber, and walked up the stairs. Overlooking the chamber she had a row of tables covered in alchemical apparatus, with retorts and alembics bubbling, and calcinators fuming. Brightly-colored liquids were arranged in bottles of all sizes on the shelves at the end, Miranu was fixing a label to another one, and setting it in its place. She was almost a twin to her cousin Falanu, except for a greenish shade of skin.

Miranu

He introduced himself and told her why he was there. "Oh yes, potion #9, one of my luckiest discoveries!" She replied. "But not the one I was looking for. That's a long story, and you should probably meet Boo before I start on that."

She called out, and a deep voice answered from beyond a pair of heavy wooden doors on the far wall of the chamber. Soon they swung open, and out walked a Minotaur!

The Minotaur was wearing a blacksmith's apron. It was apparently his forge that he'd passed on the way in.

"I'm pleased to make your aquaintance," said the Minotaur. "My name is Bucephalus. Miranu calls me Boo, for short. I gather you've come here to get our story for the Black Horse Courier?" Boo had seen the notebook he was writing in, and reached the right conclusion.

The reporter explained that his report was originally to be just about potion #9, but he could see there was a much bigger story behind it. He'd be glad to get all the details, but he couldn't guarantee what would appear in print. That was the editor's decision, not his.

"All the details will take a long time to recount," Miranu pointed out. "You'd better stay the night, and we'll tell you everything tomorrow. You can use the bed over there."

He'd only seen the one bed, so he asked her where she'd be sleeping. "In Boo's cave, as usual. I hardly ever use that bed these days."

"You might want to read some of the books on the shelf there," she continued. "That will give you a bit of the background, and what we tell you tomorrow will make a bit more sense."

She took Boo's arm and they disappeared back through the doors into the cave.

On the shelf he found a book about Alessia, the first Empress of Cyrodiil. That didn't help much, until he remembered what he'd heard about her consort Morihaus. It was said that the statue bearing his name in the Arena district was nothing like him. He wasn't even human, but a winged bull, a demi-god son of Kynareth! Belharza, their son, had been a Minotaur, as well as becoming the second Emperor.

Another was her lab notes. The green stuff he'd seen in the tanks on the way in was Hist Sap, and she'd been trying to separate the active ingredients from it. He didn't understand much of it, not being trained as an alchemist, but he saw several references to potion #9, as well as a few others with promising effects.He'd have to ask her what it all meant in the morning.

That's when it struck him. Miranu and Boo were lovers! All the Minotaurs he'd seen were male, except that they weren't. Oxen, rather than bulls. Boo had been wearing that apron, so he hadn't seen any difference.

At least he'd be getting a good night's sleep without any interruptions from Miranu. He was still recovering from her cousin's attentions.

----

This post has been edited by ghastley: May 6 2012, 02:49 PM

[Acadian]

Potion #9! I love it!

Nice job tying in Falanu and her infamous predilections. An ointment! So one sister likes ‘em dead and the other likes ‘em minotaurish. Clever indeed. Well, at least our reporter will get a decent night sleep. Hmm, I wonder. . . will noise be a problem? Perhaps he could offer Miranu some of Pelena's potion of quiet passion to ensure his sleep is not disturbed?

Nice screenie of Miranu. By Kynareth’s wings, that white peasant blouse with the brown quilted bodice sure doesn’t look like that on my little woodster!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: - It's probably the green skin that makes it look different on her.

---------


Love Potion #9 - part 2

The following morning he was woken by the sound of Boo's hooves in the tunnel leading up to the exit, and the distant creak of the trapdoor's hinges.

Miranu confirmed that Boo was indeed an entire male. That's what got her attention in the first place. "They're human you know. Not just human-like, their parents are Imperials just like you."

He was shocked at that, but she explained that he probably wasn't of a royal enough bloodline to have Minotaurs in his family. And those that did wouldn't talk about it, either. But someone directly descended from Alessia and Morihaus through both parents could be born a Minotaur, if they were male, of course.

The majority were abandoned by their parents in the wilderness, after a small operation. She supposed that some didn't even get that mercy. Bucephalus was a rare find indeed.

He'd been brought to her lab under a succession of Command and Paralysis spells, until he could be chained to those pillars over there. She'd administered potions that she hoped would calm him, but had little success. Even when he did cease his struggles, she couldn't communicate with him.

Then there had been the incident at the Blackwood Company Headquarters, down in Leyawiin. The Fighters Guild had discovered a Hist Tree in the basement and destroyed it. She'd bought the remainder of their stock of Hist Sap, and had it hauled here. If the stories about the sap, and its effects on the mind, were to be believed, this could help her find a way to cure Boo's animal behavior.

The raw sap was likely to cause hallucinations, or even provoke a violent frenzy, but there was a chance she could refine something more specific from the complex mixture. Her early attempts didn't produce much of any use, until she realized that all her standard Alchemical methods involved heat. Distillation and especially calcination were probably destroying the very compounds she was trying to find.

She reasoned that Fire wasn't the only force she could employ. Frost would also change ingredients, and allow her to separate liquids by freezing out the less volatile ones. She'd also seen an experiment where a mage had used Shock to separate metal and air from a liquid.

Her first uses of freeze-distillation had given her some promising results, These had included a potion to tranquilize her subject, so she could remove the shackles.That had let her start to train him. He responded better to reward than to punishment, perhaps because his size made the punishment less effective. Food was only a useful reward when he was hungry, so she used others. That was one of the reasons she was keeping her laboratory a secret. Not everyone would approve of those methods, and they'd have suspected her motives.

Major improvements in his behavior got major rewards. She admitted that she was rewarding herself, too. Boo was beginning to communicate with signs, and she could read his facial expressions. This was becoming more of a collaboration than the solo effort that she'd started. It just felt right to celebrate the breakthroughs together.

He'd become used to being asked to drink strange potions, and report on their effect. Potion #9 didn't need him to use any sign language. She could see what it did right away! He was a little annoyed that she made him wait to see if the effect wore off quickly. She asked him if it made his head hurt, or feel nausea, or anything else bad. He shook his huge head, and reached for her.

It took a long time for the effects to wear off. She was glad she'd held him off for as long as she did, or she was sure they'd have injured themselves. She made a note to dilute it next time.

She probably spent longer getting the dosage just right than she should have. On the one hand, this was going to be a significant commercial product, and it would finance all her research. She needed to be careful to produce the most return on her investment.

On the other hand, it wasn't the potion she was trying to make; one that would permanently boost Boo's intelligence.

She thought she'd found one later, but it wasn't as effective as she'd hoped. Boo could speak at last, but his words were child-like and simple. She was running out of possible combinations of ingredients, at least the ones she could get in Tamriel. Even the more exotic ones from the Deadlands, such as Harrada and Bloodgrass, had proven no more useful.

Then the Champion of Cyrodiil had paid her a visit, only a few weeks ago. He'd heard about potion #9 from Tsarrina, and Falanu had directed him here. "Just like she did for you".

The reporter wondered if the Champion had to negotiate for the key the way he had, but he said nothing.

The Champion had just returned from a trip to the Shivering Isles, the realm of Sheogorath. There were ingredients there that you just couldn't get in Tamriel. She actually had a few of them already, as they'd been found on the island in the Niben Bay, and her sources had obtained some for her. She'd heard stories of others, though. Mind-altering ones called Felldew, and Greenmote. She wasn't sure if they were real, as all people coming back from the Isles were known to be insane.

The Champion assured her that they were, he'd seen them himself. He had some of the Felldew with him, and he could get some Refined Greenmote in only a few days. He warned her about the effects he knew of the raw ingredients. He didn't think they could be combined with anything. At least he didn't have the Alchemical skill to do so.

She had limited success with the Felldew. Its effects were temporary, and harmful when they wore off. That was true even when she managed to separate it and react the fractions with other ingredients.

The Greenmote, when he returned with that, was quite a different proposition. That could have permanent effects. Fatal ones, if she wasn't extremely careful.

A few rats died keeping Boo safe. The mixture that eventually worked included fractions from both drugs, and some from the Hist Sap, too. It appeared to be an ultimate Restore Intelligence potion, capable of reversing even the damage that had been done to Boo. She tried a little herself, but she had no damage to restore, and it did nothing. It didn't make the rats smart either, so there wasn't any Fortification going on.

She was glad, because it meant that Boo really was as clever as he turned out. Her theories were right, he was an Imperial in a bull-shaped body, not just a beast with hands.

But she wasn't so glad when he started to talk about having a career. She'd been planning on keeping him to herself, not on giving him his independence.

And to make it worse, they'd had that misunderstanding. He'd mentioned becoming a gigolo, and she'd totally flown off the handle. Fortunately that was when the Champion returned to see if she'd had any success. He talked to Boo, and found out what he'd really said.

Boo didn't want to become a gigolo, he was just trying to tell her that it was the only job he'd been trained for! That was doubly embarassing for Miranu, but she wanted to make amends. Of course he needed other training, and she could do some of that herself. But she could only train Alchemy, and he'd need more options than that.

She didn't like the idea of him going to the Arcane University to learn other magical skills, there were way too many pretty young girls apprenticed there, with firm bodies, and tight.... And she didn't want him wandering around Cyrodill looking for other trainers, when he could be happier here.

"Skill books, then," the Champion had suggested. "You have taught him to read, haven't you?"

She had, and she knew he liked to tinker with metal. Perhaps the Armorer skill, so he could become a Smith? Alchemy goes well with that, making better alloys for armor, and harder edges for blades. She could use some better apparatus, too, if his skill would take him there.

He had a nice little collection of books now. Five in all. With that start, he'd been able to build himself a forge and start repairing things. Soon he was making weapons and armor from scratch, and that apparatus Miranu had wanted. She could make much more of the profitable potions now.

"Oh that reminds me" she said. "I found this other compound that I want Tsarrina to try out for me. It's really slippery stuff, and it cures disease, too! I'm sure she'll find a use for it!"

The reporter was more than happy to volunteer to take it there. And he really ought to report the results, too. Tsarrina would want that.

He began to compose a letter to his editor. He might not make it back the Imperial City for some time, and they'd need a first report soon. He wondered how many he'd get away with before he was ordered back.

[ghastley]

Oops, double-post.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Apr 24 2012, 12:17 AM

[Acadian]

My Baldur’s Gate I & II are showing – When I see the name ‘Boo’, I think of a giant space hamster. Miranu’s Boo is likely a better bed mate however.

My goodness, this was graduate level alchemy! Freezing reagents and exotic ingredients requiring the attention of the Champion himself. Even test rats. No simple freeze and dispel here!

Our poor reporter may never get home to the BHC.

[Lady Saga]

Interesting story, certainly different. I"m up to post 15 on the first page. Does such a mod require the user prove he/she's over 18? That's actually a serious question, not a joke! I'm curious.

[ghastley]

The mod doesn't introduce anything that's not already in the game, as the concept of Gweden being a brothel is already part of the existing Sirens Deception quest. There is no visible activity at the farm, other than a lot of standing around chatting. All the quests are about finding the "staff" for the place, which are pretty regular fetch/rescue/steal etc quests.

The dialog's at about the same level of innuendo as the vanilla game, so pretty well anyone who comfortable with that won't get additionally corrupted.

[Lady Saga]

Coool. I wasn't implying anything, just curious.

That is one of those things that cracks me up, too. Those brothel siren NPCs swivelling their hips around, trying to attract other NPC men down on Anvil's docks.

This post has been edited by Lady Saga: Apr 24 2012, 08:02 PM

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Miranu was always intended to be a real Master Alchemist, who's advancing the knowledge of the subject. I tried to make her methods match the game in using the known forces of Fire, Frost and Shock to act on the ingredients. If I'd managed to make a reasonable-looking piece of electolysis apparatus for her lab, she'd have done more with that. As it was, I was stretching a bit to have her consciously separate, instead of just mix, although that's what an alembic does to purify the result.

@Lady Saga: the women won't have to visit the docks now that the Black Horse Courier has a an edition to tell everyone where the farm is! Besides, that's Mirabelle Monet's territory.

----

Taminwe

The young reporter from the Black Horse Courier was still at Gweden helping to test the slippery stuff. When the first edition of his report arrived, he missed the Champion reading it. He was sharing the bathtub with Darwen at the time.

Tsarrina told him that the Champion had asked her about the article, just before someone delivered a letter from Ocato. He'd looked a little annoyed about having another Courier edition mentioning him, but Tsarrina had done her best to make sure it was all about Gweden, so he couldn't be too mad about it. And the letter distracted his attention even more.

All Tsarrina could tell him about the letter was that the Champion had been asked to expand into the Imperial City, and take over a men's club there. He'd left immediately to go and talk to the High Chancellor.

She was sure he'd tell her more once the deal was sealed, and her role, if any, became clearer. She hoped she wouldn't have to run both places, this one was quite enough work for her.

She did have a name for the place - the Red Dragon Club - so he decided to track it down when they finally recalled him to the office. He thought he had a little time left, as they hadn't published his report on potion #9 yet, and he was still writing the one about the slippery stuff. He'd had to re-write that a few times already, as it was hard to describe the possibilities in a way that wouldn't cause outrage in some parts of society. That might also be holding up the printing of his previous report, come to think of it.

When the inevitable recall finally came, he asked around the Market District if anyone had heard of the Red Dragon Club. Only the men told him anything, and they just knew it was somewhere in the Talos Plaza District, but it was closed now. Count Goldwine of Kvatch had run it, and he'd died in the siege.

He had to go looking for it on his own time, as this wasn't an official assignment. Fortunately Urjabhi thought he was looking tired, and gave him the weekend off. If Urjabhi had only known why, he might not have been so lucky.

Even with clues given to him by the people who lived in the Talos Plaza District, it wasn't easy to find the right alley that lead to the door to the club. You couldn't see the red light outside from the street, and the alley itself looked like all the others. He realized that it must be right behind the Tiber Septim Hotel, although the two were probably not connected in any way. And if it had been closed, it wasn't now.

The door opened onto a flight of stairs that wound down to a corridor in the basement. In one direction was a closed door, and in the other he could hear the sounds of a lively bar. But between him and the bar was a large Orc who wanted to know who he was.

Showing his press card was not the right thing to do, and he was on the brink of being forcibly ejected when an Altmer with the longest legs he'd ever seen intervened. Her name was Taminwe, and she was obviously in some position of authority here, as the Orc put him down. She asked if he was the reporter who'd written the Gweden dispatch.

He decided to admit that, which was apparently a better decision than his earlier one. She then asked about all the other details that hadn't made it into print. What did he know about the women at Gweden?

She led him away from the bar, through the closed door. He saw now that it led to the bedrooms, and she took him to one of them, instructing the Orc to have some wine sent from the bar.

It was quickly apparent to him that he had a lot to learn about getting information from others. He was answering far more of her questions than she was of his. And he felt lost without a notebook while she was completely confident in her memory.

But he had to admit that it was anything but an unpleasant experience. The wine, when it arrived, was Tamika's. They clearly had good taste in common. He remarked on that, and how Tsarrina at Gweden kept it on hand. "A couple of glasses will loosen lips" said Taminwe, "and a few more will loosen other things. But we really don't need to drink that much, do we?" She kissed him briefly. "I want you to show me your prostitute-interviewing technique, and if I'm not mistaken, you'd like that too."

He didn't feel quite so over-matched in the next part, but she was definitely impressive, and continued to catch him off-guard with questions when he wasn't even expecting her to talk.. But he was learning fast, and got more from her than he had earlier. He found out that there was more to the Club than met the eye. Yes, it was the brothel he'd expected, but it was something more.

Taminwe seemed to be on the brink of revealing what it was, but he couldn't talk, let alone ask questions, in that position. Her reactions gave him hope that she would later, as she did seem to like what he was doing.

Later she told him that she was quite impressed by his performance. No, not just the sex, but the way he'd only told her things she should know anyway, or could get from other sources. He'd revealed little about himself, other than his tastes in wine and women. "Both excellent, but then I'm biased, aren't I?." So she'd decided that he could be trusted with some additional information. He'd have to agree to her conditions before she'd reveal what that was.

He felt that he trusted her, even though there was a nagging doubt that he was being manipulated by a better operator than himself. He agreed to consider her terms.

"We'll need you to become part of our organisation, before you get the whole story," she told him. "As you probably guessed by now, I'm not just one of the whores in a city brothel, and this isn't just a brothel. And you aren't going to be just a reporter any more. You already work for the High Chancellor on the Courier. Now you'll have other duties in his employ."

"The main one will be information-gathering, just like you do now. You'll need to decide whether that information is for public consumption or not. Judging by the way you worded that article about Gweden, I think you understand that well. But instead of just keeping the unpublishable parts to yourself, you'll pass everything back to us for analysis. In return, you'll get leads that aren't available to others."

"From time to time, we'll also need someone who can persuade a woman to provide more information than she's comfortable with, or even take actions that she otherwise wouldn't. I believe you can be particularly useful there. Even for an Imperial, I haven't seen that kind of natural talent often."

She'd already told him enough to fill in the gaps. They wanted him to join their den of spies, for which the brothel was just a cover. He agreed and she told him more.

He'd need to become a regular customer at the Red Dragon Club, coming in whether he had information to report or not. She herself, or one of the other designated women she'd introduce him to right after this, would take him to one of the bedrooms and "swap notes" with him. If he had nothing for them, then any of the other staff would just serve their client as usual. Shurgak, the bouncer, had special greetings to let him know when there was something they needed to tell him, and then he'd select the appropriate woman for his session.

The Courier would get instructions from Ocato through their own channels to send him where he was needed. He'd have to provide news for the Courier as well as whatever other information was sought, but that would not often be a problem. The Khajiit brothers could be trusted to filter his reports correctly and pass anything on that they thought of higher interest, but his was the first cut.
They would not know that he was working directly for the High Chancellor, so leaving a liitle in his reports that was too hot to print would not be a bad thing.

He wondered aloud if potion #9 had become a state secret, as he hadn't seen anything in the Courier yet, and it now seemed certain that Ocato knew about it. Taminwe had to laugh at that idea. Her theory was that Ocato wanted to leave that decision to the Champion of Cyrodiil. After all, he had to run this place as a viable brothel, and not send all its trade to Gweden, or else there would be no cover for them. She suspected that he was negotiating with Tsarrina on the equitable merger of the businesses right now. Once Tsarrina felt that the Red Dragon Club was part of her domain, she wouldn't mind having #9 here, too. And then it could be announced to the world.

"You don't seem to need it," Taminwe remarked, looking down.

"With you, of course not." was his chivalrous reply.

Taminwe thought about that remark for a few moments before slipping on a black robe and cracking open the door to the corridor. He heard her call to another woman who answered and came over to speak to her, Then she closed the door and took the robe back off. Shortly there was a patterned knock on the door and Taminwe let in the others.

"I was just thinking of the short introductions right now," Taminwe told him, "but since you appear to be ready for the full ones, why don't we get started?" She beckoned to the blonde Imperial."Miranda, you go first."

He was fortunate that Miranda had to be back on duty in the bar very shortly, so she "passed the baton" to Tilasa before he was completely exhausted. The young Dunmer was not in any hurry, did not have any of the bizarre tastes of the Hlaalu cousins, and slowed to his pace contentedly.

Taminwe put her robe back on and slipped quietly out of the door. She'd just remembered that Ocato was due here for a briefing in less than an hour. She needed to freshen up.

After Ocato left, she went looking for Tilasa, but didn't find her. The door to the room where she'd left the reporter was still closed, so she assumed he was in there asleep. Perhaps Tilasa was too.

When the two of them finally emerged, if was Tilasa who looked tired. She reported to Taminwe that he didn't talk in his sleep, and was clearly more of a morning person than she. That made Taminwe and the reporter laugh, as it was quite late in the evening, but they knew what she meant. Since Tilasa had the night shift in the bar, her idea of time was the opposite of everyone else's.

[Acadian]

Cloak, dagger, slippery stuff and potion #9! What a fun way to introduce the Red Dragon Club. The leggy Altmer, Taminwe seemed like the perfect mer to run it! You did a great job of displaying that our reporter was slightly outgunned in the info gathering department.

[Grits]

I don’t know about the movie, but the song about the gypsy Madam Ruth with the gold capped tooth is very familiar. We sang it in junior high school show choir about a million years ago. I haven’t thought about that in a long time!

Apparently Falanu's going to test a different application than we can here."

Oh my. Yep, by the time we got to her ointment, my mind was already there. The whole Falanu encounter was delicately hilarious!

I love the alchemy and lore in Mirau’s part. You had me digging through the Imperial Library again. The potion bottles look great, nice to see Number Nine safely stowed on the top shelf. The Lab Notes link didn’t work when I tried it, but I remember reading her notes some time ago.

The young reporter from the Black Horse Courier was still at Gweden helping to test the slippery stuff.

It’s always nice to start off with a grin. What a fun introduction to the Red Dragon Club. The young reporter is learning his lessons well!

[mALX]

Yeah! The Red Dragon Club makes its debut! And the young reporter from the Black Horse Courier too! Oh, if those women slipped a drop of that potion in everyone's drinks they'd be rolling in Septims in no time (as if they wouldn't be without it, ROFL !! )

I was tickled to see the story of Miranu and her Minotaur again, too !! Great Write !!



This post has been edited by mALX: May 6 2012, 06:27 PM

[ghastley]

@Acadian: So you noticed her guns too! Of the course, the reporter is paid to notice all the details.

@Grits: Yes, and the learning is continuing, although with a new subject added. Taminwe can teach him interrogation in ways they don't in school. He's already inquisitive, and she'll be developing his skills to suit her own purposes.

I fixed that link.

@mALX: On the contrary, if the customer doesn't need #9 he'll just take longer and they won't have time for more clients! Tsarrina can be trusted to apply her advantage judiciously. She just has to ask Maeva who needs it, and who doesn't.


Back to the story, and this episode ties in to the mod again with Uriel's cousin. The reporter can't take a role in it, but he does hear about it afterward.

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

Taminwe - part 2

Taminwe had a few words for the reporter before he left. "Expect a trip to Leyawiin soon, There's something going on down there and the Champion and I will be paying a visit before long. We'll need you to pick up any ripples from the main splash, if you know what I mean."

The assignment came in on the same day he was due to visit the Red Dragon Club again, so he went there first. Shurgak's greeting told him that he should ask for Miranda's services. and after taking a glass of Tamika's from Tilasa at the bar, he followed Miranda down the corridor to a private room.

Miranda spent the first few minutes dutifully attending to her client before she said anything. The way she grinned like a cat told him she was really enjoying this part of her job, and she didn't stop when she passed on her information. He'd already been told that he was going to the Castle to report on the death of a mysterious stranger in the servants' quarters, but Miranda already knew the truth behind the mystery. The stranger had been a forger, hired to produce a fake document to support the claim of Alessia Caro's cousin to the vacant throne.

The unfinished document, together with the seal they were going to use to make it look authentic, were now in the hands of the Elder Council. The Champion of Cyrodiil had been forced to kill the forger when he attacked him, but Taminwe had got the rest of the story straight from the cousin in Senchal. Having experienced her methods, the reporter could imagine how she did that!

They hadn't been able to pin anything directly on the Countess, so that's why he was needed. If any rumours or clues had been missed, the Council needed to know. The announcement of the plot's discovery in the Courier would help suppress any further attempts along similar lines, so his report there was equally important. The more detailed it was, the better the deterrant.

One more thing. They already knew that the beggars had seen the Countess with the forger, but that couldn't be used in his article. If anyone else had done so, then it was good to print. That made sense to him. The general public wouldn't trust the word of a beggar, but on the other hand, they were a source to be protected because they were so reliable.

---

When he got to Leyawiin, he spent most of his time inside the castle. The locals really hadn't noticed the stranger in their town, especially as he'd disappeared into the castle almost as soon as he arrived. The beggars spot strangers right away, as they're more likely to cough up a coin the first time they're approached. Everyone else ignores them.

Only the private areas of the castle seemed to have any guards, and he was able to enter the servants' quarters without challenge. They seemed to have been built for a much larger staff than were currently employed, so it was easy to imagine the stranger finding a vacant room he could use. He had to ask which one it was, and he was shown a small chamber at the end of a corridor, opposite the door to one of the towers.

Apart from a bloodstain on the floor, there was little evidence of the occupant. He'd only left a quill and inkwell on top of an empty crate. The reporter already knew that the document that the forger had been working on was taken by the Champion, along with the fake seal of Pelagius IV that he was going to use on it. He asked if anyone had seen the man alive, talked to him? No, they'd only seen his body, and they might not have found that if the guard hadn't heard the fight. Nobody came down to this end of the place unless they needed something from the stores in the tower, and they couldn't remember the last time that happened.

Further chat with the servants gave him the impression that there was even more to the maze of rooms and corridors beneath the castle than he'd been able to see. There were parts that nobody visited, and rumours of secret passages, and ghosts, and noises in the night. All of which would provide excellent cover for any illegal activities anyone wanted to perform. But nothing told him what, if anything, actually was taking place.

He was able to talk briefly with On-Staya Sundew, the castle steward, and ask her if any official documents had gone missing. After all, a forger might be trying to replace a land grant with a larger one, or something like that. He really wanted to know if there were any documents here that might have born the seal that the forger had copied. She reacted by checking the ones she was concerned about, just as he'd hoped. None of them were old enough to have a seal before Uriel VII's, and most only bore a city or provincial seal anyway.

He'd have liked to talk with Hildara Mothril, the Countess' maid, as well, but Alessia Caro was visiting her mother in Chorrol, and Hildara was with her. Nobody else had access to the private quarters, so he had to leave that part of the castle unchecked.

Back in town, most of the talk related to the background rivalry between the Khajiits and Argonians. That was all at a low level and didn't represent anything significant. They'd always contested the city in the past, and having a buffer of neutral territory now let them jeer at each other without having to do anything serious.

If anything, they now had some common ground. Both sides seemed to resent the Countess and her Imperial ways, but held the Count in better favour, perhaps because he was at least doing something about the bandits. He didn't seem to be as distrusting of other races as his wife. He'd even made that Orc Mazoga a Knight-Errant and had her helping with the bandit problem. The reporter had his own suspicions that the Black Bow Bandits were too convenient as a distraction from other affairs.

Nobody told him anything that related to the forger, or that plot. Either they hadn't noticed, or they didn't think it was that important.

That all left him with a problem of what he could write for the Courier. He had the evidence of the quill and inkwell to confirm a forger at work, but couldn't disclose the nature of the actual document.

He could, however, take all the possibilities and print them, and see which ones provoked further tips from the public. Was the document connected to smuggling, or the Black Bow Bandits, or illegal immigration from Elsweyr and Black Marsh? Was the castle involved, or just a convenient warren for the forger to hide in? A good full-spectrum speculation was the right kind of article here.

---

Back at the Red Dragon Club, Taminwe gave him a long and vigorous debriefing. She was delighted at how well he had done in noticing all the little details. She took particular note of his conclusion that the seal had been made elsewhere. The reporter had noticed that the forger had had no materials or tools for creating it, so he must have brought it with him. He'd also need an impression of the real seal on a document, to make the fake seal match. There wasn't one in Leyawiin, as he'd discovered.

Leyawiin castle was the perfect place for the forged document to be "discovered", but that was no clue as to why it had to be created there. Perhaps they didn't want to risk any courier being intercepted by bandits or highwaymen?

Taminwe agreed with him about the article for the Courier. Stirring up talk about all the various issues in Leyawiin was the best way to make use of the current dead end. She had a few other pieces of information to add that he might find helpful.

The Champion had investigated the theft of a painting at Chorrol castle a while back. If the forger had been working there at the time, the investigation might have made him move on in a hurry. It was also possible that the document with Pelagius' seal came from Chorrol. The castle had had other thefts in the past, and the Honorblade had only recently been returned. One of those thefts might not have been what it seemed, especially if it involved a document.

This post has been edited by ghastley: May 14 2012, 11:41 PM

[Lady Saga]

I started this story over because I want to read it with fresh eyes. I'm up to the part where he's preparing to leave Skingrad (the reporter, that is). Pretty cool how there's all these vague traces of the "Champion" having been in town, yet nobody can relate a definite memory or story of him. I like that.

Bookmark: P51

This post has been edited by Lady Saga: Mar 28 2013, 03:17 PM

[Acadian]

More cloak and dagger. As ever, I love the wonderful references to known people/places/events. In this case ranging from dear Mazoga, to Countess Imperial White Bread, to paintings and Honorblades moving about in Chorrol. Great fun to read!

[mALX]

This mod sounds fun, seeking out new false leads to the throne, I'd really like to have seen some screens of Senchal !! Your mods are all interesting and fun, and tying them together through the Red Dragon Club (and Ocato, lol) is so cool !! Kind of like a series of new quest DLC or something!

As always, enjoyed this addition to the report!

[Grits]

How funny that Alessia Caro was visiting her mother in Chorrol. That woman is never in Leyawiin when you need her!

[ghastley]

@Lady Saga: The Champion hasn't actually been in any episodes yet. I did have to decide that he was male, but he's of indeterminate race so far. The reporter is assigned to write a story about him, but never quite manages to do so.

@Acadian: This one's more "Cloak and Arrow". With a touch of Mysticism!

@mALX: In the mod, Senchal is left to the imagination, especially as that's where Taminwe gets some action. She just relates her success in the cousin's bed when she comes back, without being too explicit.

@Grits: If she didn't go off on those trips, you wouldn't be able to follow and watch her being chased by Land Dreugh and Will-o-the-wisps! (From a safe distance of course).

---

This next part follows the already-written mod, but after that I'll reverse the method: I'm currently adding a piece to the mod to match an episode or two that I'd written for here. I'll put more detail in the Mod Announcements section as it develops.

---

Enilwen

The reporter asked if all this meant he was going to Chorrol next. No, just that when he did have reason to go there, he'd know what to watch and listen out for. There were more urgent issues that might need his attention right now. One was the rumor of a plot to assassinate the Mane. He hadn't heard anything about that in Leyawiin, had he?

Since he hadn't, they'd have him ask around in Bravil. The Champion was already on his way to Skingrad to investigate there. Little was known at this stage. It was assumed that the conspiracy originated outside Elsweyr, as the Mane was almost universally respected as a uniting influence by the Khajiit themselves. While they still had differences between their tribes that caused periodic friction, none of them blamed any of that on the Mane. Rather, it was his mediation that kept it down.

However, any outsiders with designs on Elsweyr's territory would love to see civil war break out there, and the removal of the Mane could let that happen. Valenwood was the first "usual suspect" but they wouldn't act from there, or the war might not become a civil one if direct Bosmer involvement was found out. It could also be part of a more elaborate plot to start another war between Valenwood and Elsweyr, but that scenario was less likely to target the Mane in particular.

Taminwe herself couldn't take any part in the investigation, because she'd be busy with the representative from Shornhelm - the kingdom that Andorak Septim had been granted when he renounced his claim to the throne held by Cephorus II. The royal family there were distant cousins, but the Septim line had all but disappeared. The more remote fragments warranted some time, especially if the ambassador was worth her attention. He was here as a result of the Elder Council's formal request; Ocato was hoping she could make him a useful source of future information from High Rock. That province had been peaceful since the "Warp in the West", but no-one really knew if that could last.

That was a lengthy briefing, and he began to wonder if Taminwe really needed to tell him that much, or was just prolonging their cover activity. Not that he minded,

---

Bravil turned out to be an exercise in futility. The talk down there was all about the Archery Tournament, either the results of the last one, or else speculation about the next. There was a sprinkling of scandal at the extent of the skooma trade, which wasn't surprising with a den in the city itself, and the Count's son an addict. None of that was anything new, and the Mane didn't get a mention. There weren't any strangers in town, and all citizens were present and accounted for.

He returned to the Club to report that nothing, and was intrigued when Shurgak steered him to a new member of the staff. "Give her a try," he said, "I think you'll like this one."

Enilwen took him down the hallway and into the last room. She was a Bosmer, but fuller in the chest than most. Not to the point of making Nords jealous, but she wouldn't get overlooked among the others here. The rest of her was just as slender as you'd expect, which made them more noticable, especially in the Red Dragon Club uniform.

Enilwen in uniform

She explained that she'd just joined the staff and Taminwe had wanted her to introduce herself as one of his briefing crew, by giving him the details of the Mane plot. That had all gone down in Skingrad while he was covering Bravil.

It turned out that she also had a wicked sense of humour. When she had him in a particularly vulnerable situation, she told him that she was the one who had been recruited as the assassin!

They'd wanted an archer for the job, and naturally most of the best candidates were Bosmers. It would also be preferable if he or she were skilled enough in Alchemy to make poisons powerful enough for a single hit to be lethal. If necessary, the assassin could carry those in ready-made, but that was a risk they'd prefer not to take.

The problem with killing the Mane was that the thick covering of other Khajiit's hair that he wore was as effective as the best armor against any attack. It would stop any arrow, absorb any spell, and cushion any blow from a sword, mace or axe. But he had to breathe and eat, so his face was uncovered. A skilled enough archer could deliver a poisoned arrow that would do the job. One arrow only, as his guards would never allow a follow-up.

And the assassin would then have the problem of escaping. Invisibility gets the archer into position for the shot, but it dissipates immediately when the arrow is released. Only Chameleon would continue to protect the archer, and so she'd been working on that. She could cast the standard spell, and she'd found a leather cuirass enchanted at the same level. Not quite enough, but adding a ring or amulet would make all the difference.

Her contact, a Khajiit who refused to give his name, told her he'd try to get one for her. His master had a large network of agents he could call on. Again, she had no name for the master, but she knew he was male, and things the Khajiit said about him made her think he was of a different race.. She was curious, and pressed for more information, even sleeping with him in case that would loosen his tongue. It had helped, but not as much as she'd hoped.

He'd told her some of the things his master said. He obviously considered all Khajiiti to be inferiors, but there wasn't any suggestion that he was a Dunmer that wanted them back in slavery. The way the Khajiit refered to her made it obvious that she and the master were not the same race. He'd told the Khajiit at one point that he had more intelligence in the "tips of his ears" than her contact had in his head. That ruled out all the races of men, as well as the Argonians, and Orcs just wouldn't use that kind of language, because they didn't prize intelligence. So he must be an Altmer.

But back to the Chameleon. While the Khajiit, who she just called "Messenger", was off trying to get hold of her ring or amulet, she had a visit from the Champion of Cyrodiil. He'd found her practicing her archery out by the castle wall. She was shooting at long range, which was best done outside the city. He'd asked her if she'd ever used a Detect Life spell. She hadn't, as a good huntress doesn't need it. There are enough indications of prey or predator if you knew how to look and listen. She'd also heard that it made everything look fuzzy and unclear, not what an archer wanted.

He'd given her a scroll, and had her try it out. That's when she saw the flaw in her Chameleon strategy. The spell would not only make her visible, but they'd be able to see her lack of a tail, so she couldn't just merge into the crowd to escape. She didn't like the idea of being set up for a suicide mission, so she agreed to help the Champion instead.

They went back to the Two Sisters' Lodge in town, to wait for Messenger. He normally found her there when she ate her evening meal, so it was the logical place to start. He was already in there, and he had a ring for her.

She left the tavern following the Khajiit out to the sheep pasture beyond the vineyard. He wanted her to test out the new ring in combination with her cuirass and spell. If he judged it strong enough, she'd get her next round of instructions. The Champion followed at a distance, keeping her just barely in sight.

But the cat had keen eyesight, and spotted him. He attacked the Champion, expecting her to help. When she didn't, he commited suicide with a ring that set him on fire. They got no useful information from his corpse, either.

The Champion had quizzed her about how she was selected, and why she agreed to be the assassin. Messenger had seen her at archery practice shortly after she came into town and asked her if she wanted a well-paying job. He'd suggest that she join the Fighter's guild and get some training to further polish her skill - at his expense. Parwen has a good reputation as a trainer, although it's said she's not got the eyes to be a great marksman herself. "And it's true, she noticed little flaws in my technique right away." With the Khajiit, or rather his Altmer master paying, she took all the lessons she could.

It was quite a bit later that she found out what her target would be. As a Bosmer she didn't have any concern for the affairs of Elsweyr, unless it threatened Valenwood or the Empire. Messenger had implied that the Mane was a threat, but she was no longer sure who he meant was endangered. Probably just his master's interests.

Anyway, it appeared that the way she answered the Champion's questions, and her identification of the master's Altmer race, made him think she'd fit in here. He sent her up to the city to Taminwe, who had Ocato interview her for the job. She apparently made a good impression, enough for Taminwe to worry that she might not be Ocato's favorite any more!

Taminwe had told her that it was likely that there would eventually be an attempt on the Mane's life, but it would be harder for them to recruit another assassin once the Courier had published an appropriate report. It had to be made obvious that it would always be a suicide mission, and the brothers, all loyal Khajiits themselves, were composing an edition now. They could make it ring true for their own kind far better than any Imperial.

So the reporter had no immediate duties, apart from keeping Enilwen happy for a while longer, and getting to know her better.

[mALX]

You've got a lot of lore in this one between the Mane and the Khajiit slavery by the Dunmer - and LOVED how the deduction of race was made in this, it had me rolling !! Great Write !!!

[Acadian]

Oh dear Enilwen. You’ve simply got to lose those shoes!

Marksman training and talk of the Tournament of Archers! A productive trip to Bravil methinks. Yes, Parwen is a better teacher than archer, bless her big. . . heart.

Our reporter is getting quite worldly here, now covering matters even beyond the borders of Cyrodiil. Like mALX, I enjoyed the roundabout deduction of the ‘Master’s’ Altmerhood.