Teresa of the Faint Smile, Adventures of a Stringy Bosmer Options

[Acadian]

By Mara, there is so much goodness stuffed into this episode!

The flashback to Simplicia was great and set the scene for the role that Aia would play in this episode. The hangings and crucifixion were powerful stimulants for Teresa to avoid a life of crime. And a very very early sighting of her raven spirit!

Marius’ funeral was sad. Who was there and who was not spoke volumes. The presence of Antoine the stable hand brought me a faint smile.

Cassius the ghost. Although I did note the stars in his eyes, I attributed it to Teresa’s drinking. What a magically wonderful twist!

’She did not have to tell Olava that she was not, no more than the living saint truly needed to ask. Yet the wood elf still understood the polite compassion that lay within the formality.’
This adds a beautiful richness to the simple exchange between Teresa and Olava.

You and I have discussed the backgrounds of both Aia and Cosmus (the two Bravilian beggars) and it was such a delight to finally see Aia's story on display!

I totally enjoyed both Olava’s and Teresa’s thoughts and feelings about our Goddess of Love.

I wanted to cheer when Tadrose basically said, “If Teresa said it, then it is true.”

Loved it all!

[Olen]

A fine couple of episodes to come back to. Sorry for the missed reply, RL ate me.

Hitting the bottle made sense, it shows that she's still human (bosmer? you know what I mean) in spite of her fame and power and that she has human reactions. It also ended about as would be expected given her weight, drinking habits and recent injury.

Except she got the talking to she needed, and given the source I doubt she'll ignore it. It was a good way to tie in Aia's background, as well as bringing a little more of the mystical into the story. When he said 'everyone in Bravil knows you' he certainly meant it!

The flashback at the start of 37.6 was good. I caught Simplicia's parenting to a tee, very strong lesson and well meant if possibly poorly thought through. I think more shadow facing might happen soon, and this carries on the theme of missing parents and some of Simplicia's less useful lessons needing unlearnt.

It's nice to see Olava maintaining her presance in the story, she's a good character. She seems to have considerable depth we haven't seen yet and I suspect she'll appear more whether it's planned or not. There was a lot in that section, makes me want to see what happens in the next.

SGM.

[Captain Hammer]

By the Golden Gaze of Akatosh, has it really been that long?

Guess so. Maybe I need to start praying for some Dragon's blessing before all time gets away from me.

I continue to see why Olava really is called the Living Saint of Bravil. Personally, I never interacted with her, since I spent so little time in that city, so it's nice to see some of the characters I don't spend much time with getting into the lime-light.

Speaking of Olava, I do have one large question: Why is Marius' funeral prayer offered to Mara?

I ask because I generally default to standard ElderScrolls lore unless otherwise cited in a particular work, and I haven't seen you fundamentally alter the nature of Arkay as the Patron Divine of the Dead, Funeral Rites, and Burial. Further, Teresa's experience in the Temple of Zenithar (Best Bank in Cyrodiil!) indicates that at least one order in the pantheon keeps operations going across the province, so why not another, particularly one with a steady demand for service. You've made the scale of the TF much bigger and more populous than the game's mechanics could support, so why not a larger Temple staff with a few priests for the other Divines' functions, or why not allow Olava to perform the rite in Arkay's Name?

I don't mean to contradict anything you happen to be making, but I'm a metaphysicist when I can afford the luxury, and the TF doubles as a useful commentary on the topic. Thus, when I read the passage, the conundrum rakes my brain until I can resolve it. I figure one of my above premises doesn't apply as I believe it should in this case, and I'd like to know which one (or which ones) need adjustment for this particular setting.

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: The occasional crucifixion by the gates, or outside the prison, would be a good touch. Especially of captured Mythic Dawn members after the main quest ends.


Grits: Olava has always been a challenging character to write, specifically because of her being a living saint. Exemplifying a deity in your day to day life is such a tall order to do, even just writing about it!


Destri Melarg: Scared Straight indeed! I was thinking of exactly that when I wrote the flashback. Don't forget those vampires under the city too!


ghastley: Have no worries, Teresa will still have plenty of more time to spend brooding in the following chapters.


Acadian: I thought you might recognize Antoine! He was the man with pitchfork during the battle with the troll, and the one who rolled Teresa over at the very end. But she has still never learned his name.

Thank you so much for collaborating with me on Aia's background. It was nice to finally be able to reveal what we had worked to create so long ago. I have plans to feature Cosmus in a few chapters as well.


Olen: I hate when RL does that. It has almost devoured me too in the last few weeks. Work has been a nightmare, and I have not been able to keep up with everything. I am glad someone picked up on the fact that while Simplicia's parenting was with the best of intentions, it did indeed fall short in many areas. Teresa has a lot of issues she has to overcome thanks to what Simplicia taught her. In fact, that is where her Shadow is rooted, although probably not in a way most will expect.


Captain Hammer: I know Akray is the funeral/death god in the official lore. I was originally going to write the funeral that way. But it just felt... alien. When I decided to write it as I did, with it being a prayer to Mara by Olava, it all felt natural. So I went with it.

There are a couple of reasons why. One is that Arkay never really felt right to me. There is an in-game book that says he was a mortal who Mara somehow elevated to godhood. But the creation tales all say there were eight divines, which is in opposition to that. The bigger reason is the way I have been emphasizing the element of reincarnation in the TF. IMHO, a single deity being the source of new life, and the receiver of old lives, fits the setting I have created much better. In this coming chapter Daenlin will give us the Valenwood view on it all, which is a lot more general, but reinforces the same pattern.

I suppose this means I demoted Arkay. But maybe I will find him a job somewhere else. To be honest, many of the ES gods feel artificial and forced to me. Stendarr never made sense to me. It was only when I tied Zenithar to banking that he finally began to work. Kynareth feels wrong to me too. As both goddess of the wild animals and of weather, she is sharing powers of both a sky deity and an earth deity, which shouldn't be happening. Also, I am more accustomed to seeing a male deity in both areas, such as Cernunnos as the Lord of the Wild Beasts, and any number of gods like Zeus or Thor as the sky god. Plus they also seem to be missing some of the generic archetypes, most notably a god of magic like Hermes, Hekate, or Odin. You would think that in such a magic-centric setting, they would have a magician's deity. Perhaps I will give Akray that job instead?


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa attended the funeral of Marius Helvius. Afterward she discovered that Cassius Longinus in fact died 30 years previously, after rescuing Aia from a burning building. The same fire killed him moments later, along with the rest of Aia's family. She has never set foot in a building since. Next, we find Teresa at the Fighters Guild nearly a week since she was attacked.


Chapter 38.1 – Ravenfeeder

25th - 26th Frostfall, 3E433

"So did you ever find out which one of the guards shot you?"

Teresa blinked, and looked up from her book. Staring across the sitting room, she saw Vincent, Chance, Ancondil, and Storm Tail sitting at one of the small, round tables that dotted the room. Each had a row of colored tiles stacked up before them. Teresa watched the quartet, wondering which of them had spoken. Then Chance tossed one of his tiles into a pile at the center of the table.

"Two of bamboos," he said.

"Hey, I've got a meld with that!" Vincent declared, scooping up the piece and laying it down with two other tiles of his own.

"No, I never did," Teresa finally said. Then she turned her face back down to the pages of Magic From The Sky.

"If someone shot me, I'd want to know." Now that she was paying attention, Teresa was sure it was Vincent who had spoken.

"I am certain it was an accident," Ancondil said. "The shot hit her just a moment after the last troll fell. It must have been fired while the beast was still standing."

"You'd think an archer would know better than to walk into a field of fire then," Vincent murmured. His voice was low, but not quiet enough for Teresa's elfin ears to miss.

Then Ancondil picked up a tile discarded by Storm-Tail. "Mahjong!" He declared, turning all of his tiles face up.

"Damn, he did it again," Vincent grumbled. "This game doesn't make any sense to me. Let's play whist instead."

"Mahjong is part of our guild's tradition," Storm-Tail finally spoke. "It has been so since the guild was created during the Potentate, when it was made up of the Tsaesci."

"Someone's been reading his History of the Fighters Guild again." Vincent rolled his eyes.

"Well, I think Ancondil must be at least half Tsaesci himself!" Chance declared with a laugh. "Otherwise how could he be so good at this crazy Akaviri game?"

"I assure you gentlemen, that I have no vampiric tendencies. Nor serpentine ones." Ancondil smiled. "The fact is I used to play this with Trayvon and my parents when I was a child."

"Hey, have you all seen the news?"

Now all five of the mercenaries looked up as Tavian burst in from the foyer. The brown-haired porter held a copy of the Black Horse Courier in one hand, which he furiously waved in the air.

Screenshot

"Well we can't see it with you waving it around like that now can we?" Chance said dryly.

"Is it Summerset?" Ancondil asked gravely. "Has something transpired?"

"No, this is even bigger!" the Imperial declared with wide eyes. "It's the Arena grand champion. He was killed in a match! There's a new champion!"

"Agronak was killed?" Vincent's eyes widened.

Chance whistled beside him. "Damn, I thought the Grey Prince was unbeatable. Who killed him, Akatosh?"

"No, it was Sulesa," Tavian set the broadsheet down upon the table, atop the scattered mahjong tiles. "She's the new grand champion now."

"Sulesa?" Storm-Tail responded. "This one did not think that one was such a skilled fighter. Was that one not defeated by the champion last year?"

"Hey, never count out a Redguard," Chance winked. "The Empire made that mistake with Cyrus too…"

"So how did she beat him?" Vincent leaned over the copy of the Black Horse Courier. "Did she come up with some new move?'

"No," Tavian said. "It sounds like he didn't even really fight. He just stood there and she cut him down."

"Suicide then?" Ancondil finally commented, and Teresa could see his eyebrow arch from across the room. "I do not keep appraised with the Arena, was this Agronak that troubled?"

"Who knows?" Chance said as he looked over the broadsheet. "The article doesn't mention why he didn't fight back. It says here that Sulesa has a challenger already though. Morghak gra-Durug."

"Was there not talk of that one and the Grey Prince being more than friends?" Storm Tail rasped.

"Yeah, I heard that too," Vincent said. "I'd like to see that match. I bet there won't be no quarter given there, no matter what the sponsors say."

Teresa rose from her couch and shut her book. She could not understand how they could take such relish in the Arena. Was there not already enough violence and death in the world already, that people had to kill one another for entertainment? She knew that only one in five matches actually ended in death, but even still, that was one in five pointless wastes of life.

If only Marius had one more chance, even just one chance in five.

The forester sighed and tucked her book under one arm. She did not want to hear any more about gladiators. She caught Ancondil's face out of the corner of her eye. The emerald giant seemed no more enthusiastic about the talk than her. The next thing Teresa knew, he was walking from the room with her.

"I was thinking I might take Glacier out for some exercise around the parade grounds," Ancondil said. "Perhaps you would care to join me? You have yet to meet my trusty four-legged companion."

Teresa thought about the parade grounds. The empty space had hosted the tournament. It also sat right beside the North Bridge, across the Green Road from Bay Roan Stables. Exactly where Marius had almost always stood on watch.

"Not this time," she said, trying to fight the lump forming in her throat.

"Very well then." Teresa could see the disappointment in the Orisimer's eyes as he turned to the front door of the guild hall. She knew that he was just trying to cheer her up. But what if she did not want to be cheered?

"Teresa!" The voice of Tadrose caused her Bosmer ears to perk up. "I am glad I caught you. Could you come down to the forge for a few minutes?"

Teresa looked down the corridor that led deeper into the guild hall. There stood Tadrose. The dark elf was dressed in the same dark leather breeches, simple flax tunic with rolled-up sleeves, and heavy apron that she always wore when working in the armory. Yet for a change her face and hands were not grimy. She must be about to start working, Teresa thought. Or doing something without the furnace, like stitching leather.

Screenshot

"What for?" Teresa wondered aloud.

"I need a hand with something. A woman's hand. Come, you will see." The armorer waved for Teresa to follow her, and stepped to the door that led to the forge below. Teresa shrugged her shoulders and followed. Part of her remembered that at one time, she would have been ecstatic to be invited to follow Tadrose anywhere. Now she found that she could not feel a thing. Just as in every other moment of every day since Marius had died.

"Ah Teresa, it is so good to see you up and walking around again."

The soft male voice belonged to Henantier, whom Teresa found waiting in the armory below. The slender Altmer was clad in his customary blue Mages Guild robe, and a smile was etched upon his lean features. Beside him was what must have been an arming rack, or a seamstress' dummy. Teresa could not tell which, because it was covered by a sheet.

"Do you remember how you did a… favor for me when you first came to Bravil?" The high elf waited for Teresa to nod before continuing. "Well, I said that I wanted to do something in return. Here it is!"

The Altmer mage yanked the sheet away with a flourish, revealing a full suit of miran-talurn armor upon the stand beside him. The light green miran plates gleamed under the glowstones, like leaves that had been recently watered. The vines and leaves embroidered across them seemed so lifelike, that the wood elf half expected them to sway in an imaginary breeze. The darker shade of the talurn under-suit contrasted with the brighter miran pieces above, reminding Teresa of the trunk of a mighty tree.

Teresa looked from the Altmer magician to Tadrose. "This is the same armor you were working on a few weeks ago, before I went to Bawn?"

"It is," Tadrose nodded. "You nearly stopped my heart when you walked down here that day! I thought our surprise was ruined. At least now we know it will fit you perfectly though."

"Indeed," Henantier said. "Why don't you try it on now. I would love to see you in it."

"Henantier, I can't," Teresa found herself taking a step back from the other elves. "This is too much."

"Of course you can," Henantier insisted. "You did more than save my life that day, you helped me find the resolve I had always thought I lacked. Thanks to you, I shall be attending the battlemage program at the University when the Winter Term begins next Morning Star "

"But Henantier, this is worth…"

"A pittance, I assure you." Henantier waved Teresa's protest away with a slender hand. "I have more money than I know what to do with, thanks to my enchanting. It was a true joy to create something for a friend for a change. I only wish that the leaves had come from Valenwood a little sooner. Then perhaps things would have gone a little better with that…"

The high elf's words trailed away as Tadrose shot him a look. Teresa turned her head away. She knew what he meant. Things might have gone better against the trolls. If her arm had not been crippled, could she have killed her troll quicker? Would she have been able to go to the aid of Marius sooner? Could she have saved his life?

Then a soft hand touched her shoulder. The same shoulder that the troll had nearly ripped out with its teeth. Teresa could still remember it, shaking her like a dog with a ragdoll. The words of Marz rang though her mind: "If you had not been wearing your armor, your arm and shoulder would have been torn off."

Teresa blinked away the memory, and saw Tadrose standing before her. The armorer was holding the dark talurn vest in her hands, and offered it to Teresa. The Bosmer felt magicka brimming within the soft, almost rubbery material, and looked up at Henantier.

"You enchanted it?"

"Of course! I do have a reputation for having some small skill in that area after all." the high elf winked. "I should step outside for a moment while you change though. Then I can tell you all about it."

The next thing Teresa knew, Tadrose was helping her take off her clothing. She recalled the last time the same thing had happened as if it was a dream. It seemed so long ago. She could remember her excitement at feeling the dark elf's hands running over her body. It had been so hard to remain in control of herself then, and refrain from throwing her arms around the Dunmer.

Now she found that she did not feel a thing. It almost felt as if she was different person from that young wood elf who had stood in this same room just two weeks before. She did not say a word as the last of her clothing fell to the floor, nor as the armorer helped her slide into the dark talurn. First came the greaves, then the tunic, with the long sleeves of its arms already laced to it. Then finally came the lighter plates of hard miran all around. She found that the armor did indeed fit her perfectly, even in the arms and shoulders this time.

She took a step away from Tadrose and stared down at herself. The armor felt light. Lighter than her leather. It felt more flexible as well. The dark talurn fit her like a glove, and the hard plates of miran bent with her as she twisted and turned her body. Steel plate could not do that! Yet when she rapped against one of the shoulder pieces, it rang out with a sharp clack under her knuckles. It was as solid as if she had struck the trunk of a tree.

Screenshot

"May I come back down?" Henantier's voice rang from the top of the stairs.

"Yes," Tadrose said. "Come see our forester."

"My stars!" Henantier practically gasped when he looked at Teresa once more. "You do look fantastic. Step over here, I want to show you something."

Teresa stared at the high elf. That kind of invitation from a man instantly put her on her guard. But she knew that Henantier was no prankster or deviant. Especially not with Tadrose standing right there! So as he had asked, she walked across the room to where he stood at bottom of the steps.

"Did you hear that?" Henantier asked.

"Hear what?" Teresa wondered aloud.

"Exactly!" the high elf grinned. "The boots and the other pieces are enchanted so they will not make a sound. Your leather would have creaked as you moved, and your old boots would have scuffed along the floor."

Teresa stared down her leaf-clad feet. Henantier was right. She had not made a sound, and she had not even been trying to be stealthy!

"That is amazing," Teresa breathed.

"Only the beginning," Henantier smiled. Teresa could tell that the high elf was enjoying this. His happiness was infectious, enough so that she almost felt the urge to smile, however faintly. But the memory of Marius Helvius' dead face quashed that in an instant.

"The gauntlets have been enchanted to fortify your strength," the high elf explained. "That will allow you to use a stronger bow. The greaves are enchanted with a fire shield, the cuirass with a shock shield, and the hood with a frost shield. While you will not be immune from these elements, it will take the bite out of magical attacks. It will also make those hot summer days and cold winter nights much more bearable."

"Aldariel." Teresa felt the enchantments that folded around her body, just as the miran and talurn leaves did. "What does that mean?"

"Daughter of the Trees." One of Henantier's eyebrows lifted in interest. "How did you know the name I gave the armor?"

"I… felt it." Teresa shrugged. "It was like it told me somehow, but not in words."

"Not many people can sense the names of enchanted weapons or armor." Tadrose said. "Unless of course it is plainly written upon them. Usually only trained magicians - or armorers with some magical skill - can sense it within the enchantment."

"Obviously there is more to our Teresa than meets the eye," Henantier said.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Aug 26 2011, 12:22 AM

[ghastley]

Well if the armor still fits perfectly, it would appear that she's got back in shape. Is she still on the "no strenuous exercise until you're fully healed" regimen?

[Destri Melarg]

I remember Morghak from the pictures that you have shown us. Is Sulesa one of yours too? I always enjoy those moments when you incorporate your previous characters into the TF.

I think that even the ghost of a faint smile is enough for right now. Tadrose and Henantier probably wanted more, but it is too soon for Teresa. The fact that both of them went to so much trouble just confirms what I have already begun to suspect. Teresa may have been raised on the Waterfront, and she may see home as anywhere Simplicia happens to be, but she now lives in Bravil.

Aldariel is just another reason for me to be jealous of you PC users. It looks great on Teresa. Here’s hoping she finds reason to get use out of it soon.

[haute ecole rider]

I agree that it looks fabulous on Teresa! It is one of the nicest armor mods I've seen, too. Not ugly with spikes and 'bad-a$$' carvings all over (all I can think of is that they can catch weapons on them! If one of those weapons happens to be an armor-piercing point - haste la vista, baby!), or so ridiculously skimpy that they belong in a BDSM chamber rather than out in combat.

It will continue to be hard for Teresa to head out the North Gate. BTW, there is a Southern Gate, if you have Better Cities Bravil installed. It is awesome - more buildings crammed together (I think I even saw Aia's old house down by the river canal!), more ramshackle than ever, and with a real harbor outside the southern city walls. I kept thinking about Teresa as I was exploring this new place! And yes, there are gallows/gibbets on the North Bridge and near the Southern Gate, complete with rotting corpses. So now when I think of Teresa's Bravil, this is what I think of. And when I explore Bravil, Teresa is what I keep thinking of. More than Buffy, the city and Teresa are so well suited for each other. I wonder if I will see Buffy when Tallei gets to the Arcane University and meets Boderi?

Anyway, I'm glad that they were making it for Teresa! I had a feeling it was going to be hers, but I didn't suspect Henantier being the one to give it to her! She richly deserves friends like these!

[Olen]

An intreguing title you have there. Ominous almost, I wonder what else is going to happen in this section. I was sure the armour was for Teresa, especially after her last suit was ruined, but I'm surprised they gave it to her so soon after the troll incident given that she's meant to be resting and is still in mourning and suffering guilt.

Her sensing the enchantment's name was great, I'm not surprised she could though. I suspect her awareness of such things is better than most peoples, indeed as far as I know this is he first time she's sensed an enchantmented piece's name, did she even know that it was possible?

I'm interested to see where out still under-the-weather Teresa goes this chapter.

[Grits]

Well, considering what ravens eat, I’m guessing there might be some blood in this chapter. Then again, it could be someone who gives them corn.

Chance whistled beside him. "Damn, I thought the Grey Prince was unbeatable. Who killed him, Akatosh?"

Nice. The world goes on.

The armor is beautiful, how lovely that Henantier gave it to her. I think the game reward (6 scrolls?!) is pretty lame. If Henantier had hopes of becoming a battlemage, now I see why he would have included the minotaur test.

"Obviously there is more to our Teresa than meets the eye," Henantier said.

Between this ability, her visions of the ruins when they were in use, and her appearance, I am very interested in learning about Teresa's origins. I expect she is, too.

[Acadian]

I’ve been chomping at the bit for some time for Teresa to get that armor! How exciting. Nothing like a new outfit to cheer one up – and that is what Teresa surely needs now. I so hope she is able to move beyond second guessing herself with ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda.’

That is indeed a wonderful set of armor and more importantly, it suits our forester to a tee!

Interesting side line about the Grand Champion. Sounds like Sulesa helped Agronak find his heritage. If only he had left the Arena before this happened.

Great screenshots!

This post has been edited by Acadian: Aug 26 2011, 01:00 AM

[D.Foxy]

just a quick note - Subrosa, that armour is BEAUTIFUL!

[SubRosa]

ghastley: Well Teresa does not have to get into shape, so much as get out of shape! Quite an irony there.


Destri Melarg: Sulesa was not a former character, she was created just for this chapter and another.

Teresa does indeed live in Bravil. It really is where she belongs.


haute ecole rider: I just roll my eyes at most of that silly-looking monster armor, not to mention those ridiculous g-strings or Mistress of Domination outfits that people claim are armor. Funny how no one ever posted a speedo for male characters, and called it heavy armor with an Armor Value of 50 and 1000 health...

Teresa's Bravil has a southern gate too. It is the one the ships use to enter and exit the city. I looked at the Better Cities Bravil a long time ago and did not like it. At that time the docks at the southern end of the city was a seperate mod too, which I also tried and did not like. I vastly prefer vanilla to both.


Olen: We will be meeting the title of the chapter this coming segment. Teresa's ability to sense the enchantment's name was something that just popped into my head as I was writing the outline, ages ago. It just felt right, and it ties into the way IRL weapons and armor would often be given names by their wielders. Harald Hardrada's armor was called "Emma" because the mail skirt hung so low.


Grits: The in-game reward for that quest is really lame. It would have been much better if he gave you a magic item based on your highest skill (high Blade, a sword, high Destruction, a staff of fireballs, etc...).

I am not so sure Teresa really wants to learn who her parents were anymore. She is afraid of what she might discover... Like it or not though, it is in the outline.


Acadian: It was pretty obvious that she was going to get that armor at some point, was it not? Otherwise I never would have put it in the story after all. Agronak is indeed much happier in the BF then here in the TF. Rest assured though, we have not heard the last of the drama between him, Sulesa, and Morghak.


D.Foxy: It was gpstr from the Beth forums that turned me on to that armor. It is the Sturdy Miran Talurn armor from Shdw Armor Pack 2. One of his characters was wearing it in a pic, and I fell in love with it at first sight.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode, Teresa and the other fighters heard the news that the Arena Grand Champion - Agronak - was killed in a match. Then she received a gift of a suit of enchanted Miran-Talurn armor from Tadrose and Henantier. Next, she gets a visit from Pappy.


Chapter 38.2 – Ravenfeeder


Teresa stared down at the blank piece of parchment before her. Her quill sat poised above the page, slowly dripping ink into a small, black pool. How could she tell Simplicia what had happened? How could she phrase it so that it would not seem that she had been just a hairsbreadth from being eaten by a monster? How could she tell her that a good man was dead in her place?

A knock at the door to her room rescued her from the unwritten letter. Setting the quill down, she rose from her combination dressing table and desk. A glance in the mirror above it showed that her hair was still a mess from the hood of her new suit of armor. Snatching up a comb from the table, she attacked her fiery tresses with a vengeance. Only after they had submitted did she step to the door and open it.

She found Pappy standing outside. As was often the case after his afternoon training sessions, his chest was bare and beaded with water. A towel was draped around his neck, into which his soaked hair dripped more water. He probably dumped a bucket of it over his head, Teresa imagined. She had seen him do that the first day they had met.

"Got a minute kid?"

"Sure, old man." Teresa shrugged and walked deeper into the room.

"I see Henantier's been here." The Colovian guild commander followed her inside and looked at the green miran-talurn armor that now hung from her arming rack. "How do you like it?"

"It fits." Teresa was about to sit back down in the chair in front of her dressing table. Then she realized that would leave Pappy nowhere to sit but her bed. One look at the water dripping from his muscular frame changed her mind. Instead she sat down upon her rattan bed, which would now remain blessedly dry when she went to sleep later that night.

"Not in the mood for celebrating are you?" The Colovian pulled the high backed chair out from the dressing table and spun it around. He straddled the chair and sat down upon it backwards. Crossing his arms across the headrest, he set his chin upon his wrists and stared back at the wood elf.

"Losing a friend is never easy," Pappy continued. "Especially the way you did. Right now I bet you're playing the could'a, would'a, should'a game with yourself."

"Tadrose already gave me the talk," Teresa murmured.

"I know," Pappy said. "I know what fat little good it ever does too. I'm not here to blow sunshine up your butt."

"So what are you here for?"

"Listen kid, I know what it's like. I've buried friends from one end of Tamriel to the other, and some of them are in those holes because of me. If I've learned anything, it's that everyone deals with this alone, in their own way. Vincent makes bad jokes and plays the fool. Tadrose spends her life in the forge. You do whatever you have to, so you can live with yourself again. You gotta find your own way. If not, it'll destroy you."

"Is that why you chase eighteen-year olds?" Teresa asked pointedly.

"Naw," Pappy winked. "I do that because it's fun!" Then his face took a serious tone once more. "I make moonshine, drink too damn much of it, and I box. How about you kid?"

Teresa shrugged. She did not know anything anymore.

"When's the last time you were out in the woods?" Pappy asked. "It usually seems like you'd rather be out there than anywhere else."

Teresa just shrugged again. She had not stepped beyond the walls of Bravil since Marius had died. She wondered if she ever would again?

"You having second thoughts about the guild?"

"Why would I?" Teresa said.

"It's only natural," Pappy said. "You've seen the silt strider. Now you know just how bad things can get. That's enough to make most people rethink what they are doing. In the legion, a mule doesn't have a choice. He just soldiers on, like it or not. But the guild is different. You can quit anytime you want. A lot of people do when they get to this point."

"Is that what you want me to do?" Teresa stared intently at the human. What was he after? "Do you want me to quit?"

"Akatosh's flaming balls no kid!" The Colovian rolled his eyes. "You're a damn good hand. Damn pain in the neck too! But a good hand."

Teresa knew that at one time she would have smiled faintly at the older man's remark. Now she could not fathom why. "So?"

"So what are your plans?" The Colovian asked. "Are you staying? Or are you going back to the Imperial City?"

"I can't go back," Teresa said. "Not now, not yet."

"So you're staying?" the guild commander said. "Damn kid, if I knew I'd be fishing I'd have brought Aleron Loche!"

"I'm staying," Teresa said simply. She remembered what Cassius Longinus had said: "No matter how far you run, you cannot escape from yourself." She knew well enough that Marius' face would stare at her in the Imperial City - or anywhere else - just the same as in Bravil. Likewise, she knew that would not change whether or not she stayed in the guild. As the long-dead Cassius had also said, there was nothing for her to do but dig in her heels.

"It is our choices in life that define us." Now it was the Emperor's voice that came to her from across the barrier between life and death. He had made his choice. So had his son. How could she do less?

"In that case, I've got something for you." The Colovian stood up and slid the chair back to her dressing table. "I've been waiting to see if you were the right person to have it. Now I think you are."

Teresa furrowed her eyebrows together. And men said women didn't make any sense! She stared after the guild commander as he walked into the hallway. Her eyes nearly leapt from her skull when he stepped back in a moment later.

In his hands was a combined bowcase and quiver, like those Parwen, Daenlin, Dame Buffy, and Alawen carried. Yet where theirs had been made of cloth or varying forms of leather, this was made of several large, overlapping plates. An off-white in color, they looked like the carapaces from some sort of giant insects.

A forest of white and black fletched arrows sprouted from the arrow pockets of the bowcase. So too did a curved shaft of golden wood. Decorated with upraised designs of curling vines and leaves, the sila wood curved up to a straight tip, which Teresa could see was actually a second piece set into the end of the bow.

Screenshot

"This belonged to Hirtuleius." Pappy handed the bowcase to Teresa. "He was an old friend of mine from the legion. After Bruma… Well, he didn't have any next of kin to leave his things to. So I have been hanging on to them, and waiting for the right person to give them to. I think he'd want you to have this. It's name is-"

"Ravenfeeder." Teresa stared down at the golden sila wood under her fingers. Ever since she had first seen a recurved Valenwood bow at the tournament, she had wanted one. Yet it had seemed more likely she would walk upon the surface of Masser before owning one. Now here one was, in her very hands, and she felt nothing. "What is this the case is made from?"

"The gorytos?" Pappy looked at her with what the wood elf imagined was surprise. Whether it was from her knowing the name of the bow - or not knowing what the quiver was made of - she was not certain. "That is chitin, from Morrowind. The Ashlanders use it to make armor and weapons from. Hirtuleius was stationed in Vvardenfell with the Tenth Fretensis - The Legion of the Sea Straits. That's where I first met him."

Teresa drew the curved shaft of the bow from the gorytos, and carefully set the chitin case down upon her bed. She noticed that the quiver portion was divided into two separate pockets. She imagined that would make it easy to carry both broad head and pincushion arrows, and keep them from becoming mixed up. The outside of the case also held several pouches along its outer side, and after opening one, she found several strings of a glossy, silvery material within. Thinking back to how she had seen Parwen string her bow, she took one of the strings in her hand and looped it around the bottom ear of the bow. Then she set one foot between the string and stave, so the bottom siha leaned against her ankle. Bending the stave around her thigh, she tried to pull the other end of the string up to the top siha. Yet no matter how she strained, she just could not bend the stave far enough.

"Here, try it with this." She looked up to see Pappy holding out a ring made of the same dirty-white chitin as the gorytos. Unlike a normal ring, one side of it was longer than the other, and bore a long notch cut into it. She felt the pulse of magicka within the ring as the Colovian dropped it in her hand. "It's a thumb ring. Put it on your right hand, with that long part going out over the pad of your thumb."

Teresa slid the ring over her thumb as instructed, and now she found that the bow bent with ease as she fixed the string upon it. "It fortifies strength then," Teresa said. She raised the bow in her hands, and pulled the string back in her normal three-fingered grip. She found that the string pinched sharply into her fingers however, and gently eased it back.

"You can't draw it like an Imperial bow," Pappy said. "With a bow this short, you get too much finger-pinch. Hook your thumb around the string. You'll find it slides right into the notch in the ring. Now wrap your finger in front of your thumb, and pull it back to your ear."

Teresa did as instructed, and found that she could draw the string back with ease now. "What kind of string is this?" she asked. "It is not flax, or hemp."

"That is Argonian spider silk," the Colovian explained. "It's stronger than plant fibers, and won't stretch out when it gets wet."

"How big is the spider it comes from?" Teresa said.

"Believe me, you don't want to know!" Pappy grinned. Then he stepped to her bed, and drew one of the black and white fletched arrows from the gorytos. Teresa noted that rather than going back in a straight line, the feathers curled around the shaft of the missile in a spiral. It was exactly like those made by Daenlin. She also saw that the swallowtail-shaped head of the arrow gleamed with a golden sheen. That could mean only one thing. It was made of elvish steel.

"Now you don't nock these the same way as an Imperial bow either." The Colovian handed Teresa the arrow. "Don't set the arrow on the left side of your stave, but the right. Then pull it back under your ear, so you feel the feathers against the bottom of your chin."

Teresa did exactly as instructed, aiming at one wall. Like Parwen and most of the other wood elves at the tournament, she found that she could hold the bow at full extension for as long as she wanted to. She had barely been able to keep her longbow there for more than second! If only she had a strength enchantment sooner! Shooting would have been much easier.

Screenshot

"Come on." Pappy stepped to the door. "Let's go out back and you can try it out for real. Just a few shots though, I don't want Marz yelling at me because you blew out your shoulder! Later I'll go talk to Daenlin, and set up a time you can meet for some real pointers."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Aug 29 2011, 05:03 PM

[haute ecole rider]

That's a beautiful bow! Is that a mod you made?

It's good to see Pappy again. I was wondering when he was going to show up and beat some recovery into Teresa's self-confidence. She'll be more cautious in the future, but hopefully she won't lose her determination to always do the right thing.

I remember you and I talking about those bows last year. It looks so different when it's unstrung, but not as strange as the Korean bows. But both the Hun bow and the Korean bow are made very similarly - composites laminated together to form a very strong stave with a great deal of recoil. That certainly adds punch to the arrow at close range!

You do whatever you have to, so you can live with yourself again. You gotta find your own way. If not, it'll destroy you."

"Is that why you chase eighteen-year olds?" Teresa asked pointedly.

"Naw," Pappy winked. "I do that because it's fun!" Then his face took a serious tone once more. "I make moonshine, drink too damn much of it, and I box. How about you kid?"

How I've missed Pappy's trademark wisecracks. And so wonderful to see Teresa coming back into her own sense of humor. I knew Pappy would bring it out of her!

Like Pappy, I do hope she stays in the Fighters Guild. At least for a little while longer.

[D.Foxy]

Excellent screenshot. Only one nit - at full draw she should have been standing with her legs wide apart for stability! If she keeps her legs close like this, she'll rock like a rolling boat as soon as she releases the string...

[Destri Melarg]

Only Pappy could force a grudging bit of humor to escape from Teresa’s lips. At least we are finally starting to see her emerge from the swamps of melancholy. The fact that she was sitting at her combination dressing table and desk trying to write a letter to Simplicia is a good sign. That she was searching for the best way to word the letter is a better one.

Pappy's return is attended by his usual no nonsense approach to life (life that is, not eighteen year olds ). He is right, no one can bring Teresa out of the fog. She must find her own way to shore or risk a lifetime adrift.

Someone should have told her that walking on Masser isn’t the only way to receive a Valenwood bow. All one needs to do is play ‘feed the trolls!’ If only that applied to RL as well! I would be fully outfitted as much as I have managed to nourish the ones living in cyberspace!

Now all that is missing is a horse and a horde to make the best use of her new bow!

[ghastley]

How could she tell Simplicia what had happened? How could she phrase it so that it would not seem that she had been just a hairsbreadth from being eaten by a monster? How could she tell her that a good man was dead in her place?

Not too far from an earlier scenario in a shop in the city. Once she notices the similarity, it might help her tell the story.

[Grits]

Wonderful screenshots, Teresa is well-equipped now! I hope she can let go of any connection she might have made between her gifts and why she needed them. I know I’ve done such a thing, even though it didn’t make any sense.

As was often the case after his afternoon training sessions, his chest was bare and beaded with water. A towel was draped around his neck, into which his soaked hair dripped more water.

Of all the vivid, lifelike images you have shared, I think I like this one the best. I’m not sure though. Perhaps Chance would like to go swimming? Then I could compare.

"It's only natural," Pappy said. "You've seen the silt strider. Now you know just how bad things can get.

I am in awe of this ES-friendly expression!! The whole Pappy talk was as wise and frank as I would expect from him. And a new bow! To the forest!!

[Acadian]

A wonderful episode! The coulda woulda shoulda talk bore repeating and it seems like it is beginning to sink in. You do such a wonderful job with Pappy! I’m glad Teresa is staying in her guild and in Bravil - where she has 'family' that cares for her. And I so hope she will be able to move beyond the hollowness she is feeling now.

A lovely mention of some of the other fine archers of Cyrodiil!

What a fabulous rig Teresa has now! I know you will fine tune the description when next you comment, but I believe the bow is from a mod called The Bow of the Mongolian Horseman, only you have given it a lovely elven retexture instead of the brown wood that the mod comes with. Here it is, with its basic brown wood texture: Screenshot

And a thumb ring, new style, silk bowstrings and fabulous rifled arrows! I so hope Teresa allows Daenlin to offer her some advice. I assure you that he well noted the considerable natural talent she displayed during the tournament.

This post has been edited by Acadian: Aug 30 2011, 01:31 AM

[Olen]

I'd missed Pappy. His manner is exacty what Teresa needs, and he knows it. I suspect he hasn't seen her until now because he didn't think he could get through. Now he has I suspect and Teresa might do whatever she needs to to get over it. Go into the woods? Climb a hill? I wait with interest.

The conversation between them was spot on. Teresa's initial reluctance (though I did note than she brushe her hair before answering the door) slowly leaving into her asking questions and even a little humour. Very well done.

How could she tell Simplicia what had happened? How could ...

I believe it's called a half truth

"That is Argonian spider silk,"

What a brilliantly lore friendly thing to make waterproof bowstrings from.

Another thumbs up for the siltstrider line too.

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: I see Acadian beat me to the punch. That is indeed The Bow Of the Mongolian Horseman, which I further modded by replacing the texture with the golden one of the elven bow, and made for sale at The Archer's Paradox.

You will be seeing plenty more of Pappy in the next chapter, as he drives most of the events in it.


D.Foxy: You are going to have to tell Bethesda that, they are the ones that made the animations.


Destri Melarg: You know, one of the things I really miss about TES is that are no plains, and no plains nomads. Although I suppose considering their poor implementation of horses so far, that is a good sign. Still, I think orcs would make for great horse nomads. In the game Earthdawn that is what they were famous for.


ghastley: Simplicia was in the battle at Jensine's shop, so Teresa did not have to lie to pretend it never happened. When Teresa finally does fess up about the trolls, I expect there will be a lot of omissions...


Grits: Maybe we need the Boys Of The Bravil FG calendar? One can easily picture Chance rising from the waves like Daniel Craig, the usually shirtless Pappy, beaded with sweat from a workout, etc...


Acadian: We will be seeing some more mentions of the other archers from the tourney this chapter. Daenlin will make a large appearance in the final two segments. I hope you will enjoy seeing how I characterize him.


Olen: Of course Teresa stopped to fix her hair. Depressed or not, she is still a girl after all! I am glad the silt strider line worked for people. I was working for something like "seen the elephant" that would fit the setting.


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Pappy paid a visit to Teresa, and gave her more advice on dealing with the death of Marius. He also gave her the Valenwood bow that once belonged to Hirtuleius. Our next episode finds Teresa having some rather unpleasant dreams that night.


Chapter 38.3 – Ravenfeeder

Teresa raced through an alley between insulas. The only light was the sanguine glow of Masser overhead, barely visible between the tall stones that rose to either side. Her rag-ensheathed feet splashed through puddles from the afternoon's downpour, and the damp still clung to the threadbare sack cloth that wrapped her small, slender figure.

She heard voices behind her. They were thin, cackling, and came in an infernal chorus. Teresa did not dare turn to look however. She had to run. To waste even a second by glancing back would let them catch her.

Turning a corner, Teresa skidded to a halt at the sight of a vast shadow rising up from the cobblestones in the middle of the alley. It loomed impossibly high, higher than the walls of the insulas, higher than even the stars. The shadow spread its wings with a sound like wet canvas rippling in the wind. The darkness inched down for her, blotting out the moon, and slowly reached for her pale flesh…

Teresa spun about and raced back the way she had come. As she turned the corner once more, she slammed into the hard frame of an older child. Her feet slipped from under her, and the next thing she knew the walls of the insulas to either side were wheeling past her eyes. She felt her back hit pavement, and her skull bounced off the hard stones a moment later.

Stars burst in her eyes, and her head felt like someone had stuffed it full of hot coals. When the world swam back into focus, she found that she was surrounded by the looming frames of older children. Dressed in flax and linen, they were clearly not from the streets, as she was. Given their dark hair and round ears, they were also all human as well.

They laughed and pointed their fingers down at her. Now she began to make out words in the raucous shouting. "Tree-hugger!" cried one. "Bark-Biter!" taunted another. "Freak!" came a third.

Then a foot drove into her stomach, and she doubled over as the air was forced from her lungs. Gripping her midsection, she fought for breath as pain filled her torso. Then came another kick, and another. All the while her ears were filled with the jeers of her tormentors.

"You're a worthless, tree-hugging beggar!" one cried above the others. "That's all you'll ever be freak. Crawl back into the sewer where you belong!"

The stamp of heavy feet and jingling of mail drowned out the taunts. The bullies vanished into the darkness like slaughterfish into the depths of Lake Rumare. When Teresa dared open her eyes again, she saw that now a lone silhouette rose above her. She instantly recognized the outline of the kite-shaped shield he clutched in one hand, the long line of a scabbard that fell from one hip, and the curve of a helm atop the figure's head.

A mail-clad hand reached down and pulled Teresa to her feet. The alley became brighter as a cloud passed away from the face of the moon, bathing the man-made crevasse between insulas with blood-red light. Now Teresa could see her savior clearly. He was an Imperial, wearing the surcoat of the Bravil City Guard. His eyes did not blink as he stared at her, but his lips did move, and the words that spilled forth turned the young Bosmer's bones to ice.

"I died for you," he hissed. "I died for you. Where is my redemption?"

Teresa stifled a scream, and practically leaped from her bed. Looking down at her shaking frame, she found that her linen night tunic was soaked in sweat, along with her pale skin. Brushing the scarlet tresses from her eyes, the forester rose on unsteady feet and walked to her window. Pushing the panes of leaded glass open, she let the crisp night air flood the room around her.

"Marius," she whispered, staring down at her bare legs. She shivered in the cold air, but did not step away from the window. Instead she stepped closer, and leaned her torso outside. The practice yard stretched out under her eyes, dark and silent. Beyond rose the eastern wall of the city, a featureless grey expanse in the wan light of Secunda. A single flickering light bobbed along there, as a guardsman made his rounds across the parapet.

Maybe it was Gaius Prentus? Teresa thought. One thing she knew for certain, it was not Marius Helvius.

Teresa could smell the dampness of Niben Bay beyond, and hear the gentle lapping of the waves against the other side of the city wall. Sliding down to the floor, she lay her head against the window frame and continued staring outside. Cassius had been right. There was nowhere that she could run where she could escape from herself. Nor from the dead eyes of Marius.

Raven help me, she thought, and turned her head to stare at the ceiling above. Please, help me. Closing her eyes, she sat there in the chill air, just breathing. It was not until the guttural cry of a raven broke the silence that she opened her eyes once more.

As if summoned by her thoughts, there was indeed a sleek, black raven perched upon her windowsill, just inches away from her. It turned its head one way and another, regarding Teresa with first one eye, and then the other. Then before she knew what to do, it leapt into the air. Teresa felt her heart sink as she stared after the black bird. First it soared across the practice yard. Then it turned back, and flapped toward her. Teresa could not take her eyes from the bird, and watched until it flew past the guild hall, and vanished somewhere in the night to the west, where the forest lay deep in shadow.

Then the smell came to her. A thick, powerful musk, it was the odor of a wild animal. Teresa closed her eyes, and let the scent fill her body. She knew that smell. It was a bear. Not just any bear either, but Barenziah. In her mind's eye, she saw the mother grizzly standing in the forest. The Larsius flowed by her feet, and the trees rose behind her in a green tapestry. Barenziah stood there at the water's edge, as if beckoning Teresa to join her.

The wood elf found herself reaching out, but before she could sink her fingers into the shaggy hide of the bear, the great beast turned away and shambled into the forest. Teresa stared at Barenziah as she paused at the edge of the trees. The bear waited there, and looked back at Teresa. Once more, the forester had the sense that Barenziah was beckoning her to follow. Then she vanished into the greenery.

"I can't follow you Barenziah," Teresa whispered in the darkness of her room. "I can't."

The forest was death. Teresa thought. It was trolls. They had killed Marius. They had killed Barenziah's cubs. They had nearly killed her as well. She could never go back. Never again.

Yet when Teresa opened the palm of her sweaty hand, she found that her fingers clutched a handful of soft, dark brown fur…