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

[treydog]

"Besides, it's there, what other reason do we need?"

Teresa (Mallory) speaks!

"I am glad you talked me into coming," the older woman sighed. "I had almost forgotten how wonderful it is up here, how beautiful the world can be."

With that Teresa smiled. She could not have hoped for more.

This entire episode was lovely and lyrical, as you always are when describing nature. And it is a joy to see Teresa becoming a "wise-woman" in her own right, as she heals her mentor. It is also a wonderful description of why we need, from time to time, to go the mountains or rivers.

“...and that it natural for him to hunt other animals,”

Editorial eye items:

Apparently, Tsume ingested a “was” from between "it" and "natural" with his meal.

“…and when once she found herself nearly slipping along a nearly sheer cliff –“

The nearness of the “nearly’s” bothers me here. Suggested- "and when she once almost slipped crossing a nearly sheer cliff-"

This post has been edited by treydog: Sep 22 2010, 09:04 PM

[haute ecole rider]

The back road between Bruma and Cheydinhal (that goes by Azura's shrine) is my favorite way to travel between the two cities because it takes you up the mountains, and from there it is just a short way to the roof of the world. The view from there often is some of the best in the game (the Valus Mountains south of Cheydinhal have their own charm). You have captured the wonder I feel standing on top of a Jerall peak looking out over Cyrodiil. Well done!

[Destri Melarg]

Taygete? Wasn’t she the one nymph who got away? I bet Zeus is still mad over that one.

The description of the ascent was excellent. And the description of the mountains of Skyrim gives an almost mythic feel to the region. It is easy to see why sight of them would take Teresa’s breath away.

I really enjoyed the reversed roles that the two women played in this chapter. Now it is Teresa playing the mentor role to help mend Morcant’s troubled heart.

The last thing they wanted was for her to think was that they were threatening her young ones.

I think I found the 'was' that treydog was talking about

[Acadian]

With that Teresa smiled. She could not have hoped for more.

Oh, I'm with you, Teresa. This was beautiful!

I love Teresa's appreciation for nature and wildlife, and the subtle ways she respects it.

As soon as you said potions made with sacred lotus seeds, I thought resist cold, then a few words later, you gently rewarded my memory. Nice touch.

I quite like Morcant - I have since you first introduced her. I am so pleased she and Teresa are growing closer and learning from each other.

Just a wonderful day! Oddly, I know how hard Teresa and Morcant worked to get up there, but I found it very relaxing.

[SubRosa]

D.Foxy: Thank you arctic fox, that was exactly the kind of feeling I was hoping to create.


hazmick: Thank you haz. One of the reasons I started writing fan fic was so my characters would not be attacked by every living animal on the planet!


treydog: Thanks Three Dog. I could not resist quoting Mallory and his three most famous words in climbing! As ever thanks for reining in Tsume's ravenous appetite.


haute ecole rider: I always try to take that same path, circling around north of Gnoll mountain, going up its eastern side, then coming down and passing Sedor. It is one of my favorite walks in Oblivion.


Destri Melarg: I think whether Taygete got away depends on which version of the tale. She either escaped from Zeus because Artemis turned her into a deer, or she was raped and Artemis turned her into a deer. Either way, she turned into a deer, which is why I used her name.

I am glad you are not the only one to note the reversal of roles between Teresa and Morcant in some of this chapter. It is one of the things I worked on trying to convey, as Teresa is doing her best to step up and be a good friend.

As always, thanks for finding where that wolf put my word.


Acadian: Yep, you called it on the Lotus Seeds. I actually got my idea for the use of the potions from Buffy's use of a frost enchantment to make a portable refrigerator. I thought the reverse would be perfect. Besides, this way no one has to wear that ugly fur armor!

You will have an answer to your question (and Destri's from a while back) about summoning this segment.


Next: Teresa and Morcant have climbed Mount Taygetus, next they make their way back down, and make a discovery along the way.

* * *

Chapter 16.6 - The Temple

After a brief meal of bread, olive oil, and cheese they made their descent. As amazing as the view was, neither wanted to remain on the peak when night closed in. The way down the ice and rock was even more difficult than the ascent, and Teresa's weary muscles protested every step. Yet while looking down to find a foothold, a curious sight came to her eyes, and she had to look again to be sure she was not imagining it.

Far below and to the west, at the edge of the treeline, a small plateau jutted from the mountainside. Nestled into the very slope of the rock was an outcropping of white stone. Not rough and natural, but with very even, straight lines. It was a building, of a type she had seen many times before: Ayleid.

"What's that over there?" Teresa asked, risking freeing one hand to point out the mysterious site.

"I don't know," Morcant's voice floated down from above. "I never went over there."

"Why don't we go have a look?" Teresa said, and began to inch in that direction as she moved down the slope once more. "There might be something interesting."

The forester thought she heard the older woman mutter something about curiosity and a cat, but she could not tell in the wind that gusted around the rocks. Yet the Witch did follow as Teresa slowly but surely made her way down the mountain to the ruin.

It was full dark by the time they reached the treeline, and as much as Teresa imagined what wonders the site might hold, even she did not have the energy to continue on. Instead she ungracefully plopped herself down against the trunk of a fir tree and groaned.

"Mountain climbing is hard work!" Teresa found herself exclaiming. She heard Morcant laugh as the older woman sat beside her. After a light dinner of more bread, olive oil, and water, she found herself dozing off into a deep sleep filled with dreams of soaring eagles and deer with great, spreading antlers.

The two of them slept late, and the sun was well over the eastern horizon as they put it to their backs and set out through the forest once more. It was past noon when they came to a narrow path through the pines and firs. Following it to the west, it brought them to the small plateau Teresa had seen from above. Jutting from the side of the mountain, a sheer cliff face dropped off to the west and south. Yet the ground sloped more gently in the direction of the path, which now turned from simple hard-packed dirt to a jumble of broken white stones.

Seeming to grow directly from the face of the mountain before them was a squat, white building. It was not very large, only the size of Morcant's cottage. Its face bore no windows or other decorations, but was cut by a single entryway of the usual Ayleid style: a pair of double doors bearing semicircular handles where they met, forming a complete circle midway up the entrance.

She heard the whoosh of magic, and turned to see the yellow disc of a Shield spell fall about Morcant's form. "Just being careful," the older wood elf explained. "You never know what might lurk in a place like this."

Teresa nodded, and took the time to string her bow. By the time she had finished, she heard another hiss of magic, and this time a towering grizzly bear took form behind a falling disc of blue energy. The mighty animal sniffed the air, and after only a momentary glance at Teresa, he sat down upon his hind legs, just as an elf or human would. The wood elf had to stifle a smile at the sight.

"Sorry, no fish for you," Morcant said to the massive animal as she reached out to stroke its brown fur. "Hopefully nothing at all."

"Is that a real bear?" Teresa found herself asking as she stared at the grizzly. "I mean, did you pluck one out of a forest somewhere and bring it here?"

"Oh no, summoning does not work that way," the Witch explained. "At least not nature summoning. It is the very idea of the animal that you summon, its symbol, that is a part of all our Lower Selves. Think of it as a spirit guide given flesh, if only for a half-hour or so."

"So if he dies, he's not really dead then?" Teresa asked, and felt a flood of relief when the Witch nodded.

"He can't die," Morcant explained as she rubbed the fur underneath the great beast's chin. "No spirit can. He is as eternal as the sky. His flesh might be rent, and the spell broken, but he lives on in us forever."

"Can you teach me to summon a bear?" The forester edged closer to the mighty predator, who still paid her no heed. "Your scroll came in really handy in the city. It saved my life in fact, and a lot of other people's. I have been meaning to thank you for that by the way."

The Witch merely laughed. "Summon a bear?" she chuckled, then nodded her chin at the weapon clutched in Teresa's hand. "Tell me, how long have you been using that bow?"

"About ten years," Teresa answered, already knowing where the Witch's question was leading.

"And how long did it take you become good with it," she asked. "I mean really, really good, so that you could hit a moving target at range?"

"Years," Teresa answered honestly. "Many years."

"Magic is no different, my young seeker," Morcant's voice was quiet and patient, and Teresa wondered how many times the older woman had said the same thing to other young hopefuls such as herself. Probably more than she could remember, Teresa imagined. "It requires the same level of discipline and commitment. Only through years of constant effort will your skills evolve to the point where you can call up animals as powerful as our friend here."

"Do not feel bad." Now the Witch stepped away from the bear and took one of Teresa's hands. Pulling her back to the grizzly, she laid the young elf's fingers into the thick fur along the back of the massive animal. Teresa's found her hand moving almost of its own accord, stroking the soft, brown hairs of the grizzly. "You have an entire lifetime to learn. Just keep doing what you are, one little step at a time, and you will get there someday. When you are ready, your spirit guide will show you how."

Teresa barely heard the other woman's words, so entranced was she by the great beast in front of her. Its powerful musk filled her nostrils, and the solid bulk of its muscles rippled under her fingers. She could not imagine trying this with a wild bear, not even with her Bosmer power to control animals.

Yet she had thought the same about wolves, and the first one she had met after leaving the prison sewer had proved her wrong. So why not? she wondered. She was a wood elf after all. So long as she respected them, the animals of the forest were her friends rather than her enemies.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Sep 24 2010, 05:37 PM

[haute ecole rider]

Loved this chapter - from the mountain climb to the descent toward the mysterious Ayleid ruin, to the summons of the great bear.

The forester thought she heard the older woman mutter something about curiosity and a cat,

Ain't that the truth!

The mighty animal sniffed the air, and after only a momentary glance at Teresa, he sat down upon his hind legs, just as an elf or human would. The wood elf had to stifle a smile at the sight.

And so did I!

Just one teeny nit, more a quibble really. Bear fur isn't really all that soft - it's coarse and oily, more like a husky's coat (minus the downy undercoat). Think German Shepherd on a much greater scale and I think you have it. It's up to you whether or not you want to change it in your story. The idea of such a terrifying, grand beast having touchable-soft fur is appealing in its own way.

[Acadian]

Another beautiful day!

"I don't know," Morcant's voice floated down from above. "I never went over there."

I enviously point out how much I like this speech tag.

Curiosity killed the cat. Very clever, and so typical of your wonderful dry humor that emerges naturally from the situation.

I quite loved how you handled Teresa's very natural questions about the nature of summons - at least nature ones. Buffy and I have pondered the same questions. Simply a beautiful and compelling explanation. I was also pleased (sorry, Teresa) that Morcant pointed out that grizzly bears are not for beginners, and why. That said, I hope Teresa soon learns to summon furry helpers - and that she progresses quickly from rats to at least wolves. I agree with Moracant, that things like bears and cave lions can wait.

Your portrayal of Teresa and Morcant continues to be a joy to read. Morcant clearly is the older and wiser elf and I am delighted to see Teresa so receptive to that and eager to learn. Yet, I am also pleased to see Teresa teaching a few things to the lovely older witch.

Again, despite the bitter cold and aching muscles, I again find myself relaxed and at peace in the mountains. Away with the elves, as it were.

[treydog]

The way down the ice and rock was even more difficult than the ascent,...

True, as anyone who has impetuously free-climbed a rock face has discovered!

Seems Teresa is attracted not only by water, but by white marble ruins!

And you force me to quote a large block of text, for its wisdom, its beauty, and its power:

"Oh no, summoning does not work that way," the Witch explained. "At least not nature summoning. It is the very idea of the animal that you summon, its symbol, that is a part of all our Lower Selves. Think of it as a spirit guide given flesh, if only for a half-hour or so."

"So if he dies, he's not really dead then?" Teresa asked, and felt a flood of relief when the Witch nodded.

"He can't die," Morcant explained as she rubbed the fur underneath the great beast's chin. "No spirit can. He is as eternal as the sky. His flesh might be rent, and the spell broken, but he lives on in us forever."

I hope this expedition will bring some measure of healing for Morcant- I know reading about it has brought peace and pleasant thoughts to me.

[Destri Melarg]

So if summoning a grizzly takes years, does that mean that Teresa will start with a chipmunk or something? I can just see her, ten years from now, standing on the banks of Lake Trasimene with the Ebon Moon bearing down on her yelling: “Fly, my monkeys, fly!”

Great chapter, ‘Rosa. The roles have shifted back to the norm I see. The way magic works in the TF (especially nature magic) is so much better than what is presented in the game. Who wouldn’t want to be able to summon a grizzly for a half-hour’s worth of protection? Being an elf, Teresa certainly has the years to spare to learn all that she needs to know. That is, as long as she can refrain from checking out every abandoned ruin that crosses her path!

[hazmick]

Morcant is awesome, shield spells and bear summoning? I thought she was just an old alchemist!

I loved the bear, I could imagine it's huge, hulking form standing with the tiny Bosmer. Will Teresa be learning any summoning skills in the future? I hope so.

More of this Ayleid ruin please, it sounds exciting!

[SubRosa]

h.e.r. Thank you. Whenever I see a bear sit like that, plopped down on his butt with back straight up like a human, it always makes me smile. I did not know that about bear fur. I have never touched a live bear, but the bear-skin rugs I have touched have all been very soft. Is that softening a byproduct of the tanning process then?


Acadian: Thank you. I had to wrack my brain on figuring out the summoning mechanics, because I realized that if you did call a real animal to you, Teresa would never want to do it. If it got hurt, or worse killed, because she summoned it, she would not be able to live with herself. Also, if magic were able to reach out and teleport an animal to you, it would also be able to do the same to a person. Then we would have people summoning one another all the time, which would really screw up how the world works imho.


treydog: Indeed, Teresa is drawn to those Ayleid ruins for some reason. We will eventually learn why at a much later date.


Destri Melarg: Teresa will not be starting with a chipmunk. Actually the critter should be rather obvious. Just think about what small animals she has the strongest relationship with. It will be a while before she starts doing that however, she had other lessons to learn first, and skills to hone.


hazmick: Morcant is indeed a lot of fun to write. Being an accomplished magician is why the nearby goblin tribe learned to leave her alone! Not to mention why bandits like those formerly of Vilverin trade with her rather than attack her. Besides, she created a summon grizzly scroll for Teresa, so she would have had to be able to summon one to do that.


Next: The final segment of this chapter. Teresa and Morcant have descended from Mount Taygetus, and found a mysterious Ayleid ruin. Next, Teresa deepens her spiritual bonds with Nirn as she prepares to explore its depths.


* * *

Chapter 16.7 - The Temple

But she had not come here to pet bears, she found herself thinking. There was an Ayleid ruin to explore. Turning from the magnificent animal, she drew an arrow from the bag at her hip and set it to her bowstave. Stepping closer to the ruin, she saw no signs of habitation. No campfires, no footprints, no cast-offs. If anything was living inside, it did not venture out very often.

"I wonder what it was?" Teresa thought aloud as she stepped up to the door, Morcant in tow. "I mean, was it a fortress? or a tavern? some hunter's house? I wish there was some way to tell."

"Why don't you ask?" the Witch suggested, her tone completely serious. When Teresa gave her a befuddled stare, the older wood elf gestured at the ruin before them. "Ask the spirits of this place, let them show you what it once was."

"How do I do that?" the younger elf wondered, but as the Witch began to speak, she cut her off. "No, I know. In my temple, right?"

"Indeed." Morcant smiled and gestured for Teresa to sit. "Go ahead, I will keep watch out here."

Setting down her weapon, Teresa found a reasonably comfortable spot beside the Ayleid building. Putting her back to the wall, she sat down and dug her fingers into the dirt beneath her. Closing her eyes, she let herself relax, and began the Tree of Life exercise. As before, she could feel the energy of Nirn coursing up through her body, cleansing her, and finally flowing back to the ground beneath her feet. She was no longer a separate entity, but rather a part of the world, just as the soil and rivers were.

In time she visualized the forest spreading out around her, and the great World Tree stretching up before her. She ran into its gnarled roots without hesitation, and plunged headlong into the darkness that shrouded them.

Then she was back in her grotto. This time Raven did not come to her, as he had so often before. Looking around the shadows of the walls, she called out to the spirits of the ruin, to the mountain itself. Not with words, but with feelings. Reaching out into the darkness, she found the shadows rippling under the fingertips. As they stilled, images formed before her eyes.

She saw the mountain, as if she were an eagle soaring high above. As she spiraled downward, a wide road of white stone came to her eyes, winding its way through the forest that blanketed the base of the rise. Following it, she came to the plateau. Not the tiny thing that she and Morcant currently stood upon, but rather a wide shelf that ran for nearly half a mile, rimmed with evergreens.

Within she found not a single building, but rather an entire complex of structures great and small, all of the same white stone she knew so well from the Ayleids. Many were painted in bright murals depicting deer and flowers, and some were decorated with vines of bronze and leaves of gold. Pale-skinned elves clustered around the open meadow at the center of the settlement. There a great pole rose from the ground, like the mast of one of the great, ocean-going vessels that docked at the Waterfront of the Imperial City. Elves danced around it in a circle. In their hands they grasped strings that led to the top of the pole, trailing brightly colored streamers along their lengths. They sang and laughed as the danced, slowly wrapping the pole with their brilliant cords.

When they were finished, and the pole was completely covered in a riot of color, a man and woman stepped forth. The man wore a cloak of deerskin, and his head was covered in antlers, so that he appeared to be half-beast, half-man. The woman wore a gown of green and brown, and her long hair was bedecked with flowers of all kinds, as if she was the forest itself. The pair held hands as they walked among the celebrants, singing something whose words the wood elf could not understand. Yet the meaning of the song was clear in her heart. It was a celebration of life itself.

After making a complete circuit of the pole, they stopped at a stone altar. There they each drank from a wide cup of glowing meteoric glass. From this they poured small drops into a row of other, smaller cups that appeared to be filled with wine. These were in turn passed among the gathered elves. After all had drunk, the man turned to the woman, and she wrapped her arms around him. His lips found hers, and the pair fell to the ground in one another's arms. Most of the celebrants did likewise, and Teresa could feel the same ardor begin to flow hot through her veins just from watching…

* * *

"Sedor!" Teresa gasped as her eyes flew open. Morcant loomed above her, and the small plateau was as quiet and empty as before. The summoned bear had vanished, and the sun had slipped far from its zenith above.

"This was Sedor," she went on, realizing that she was not only out of breath, but flushed. "It was a temple of Taygete and Cernon. They had fertility rites here every Spring. You should have seen it! It was big, so much bigger than this. But it was abandoned thousands of years ago, and then most of the plateau was washed away by wind and rain, taking all but this building down the cliff."

"I know," the Witch said with that little, all-knowing smile of hers.

"You knew!" Teresa exclaimed. The other elf offered her a hand to help her up, and Teresa took it and sprang to her feet. "Then why didn't you say so?"

"Some journeys we must take on our own, or their value is lost." The Witch said serenely. Her expression was one of pride however. She fairly beamed with it. "You have done well young one, very well. You have an open heart, it brings you close to the spirits. That is what this place was all about, nurturing the bond between the physical and the spirit. It is too bad the Ayleids turned away from their love of Nirn for darker pursuits…"

"Is there anything you don't know?" the forester said with a shake of her head.

"Plenty," the Witch sighed, her eyes glancing away into the trees. "The more you learn about the world, the more you discover how much you don't understand."

She was thinking of Attius again, Teresa realized, and suppressed the urge to sigh herself. But perhaps it was for the best after all, she thought. It was not like the Witch would ever forget him, or was going to be able to go on with her life as if nothing had ever happened at all. She remembered what Morcant had said about her nightmares after Vilverin, that they were the mind's way cleansing itself. Perhaps grief was the same way, and it was only by enduring it that it could ever be washed away? Teresa hoped she would never have to find out.

Before she began brooding herself, Teresa shoved the stone doors open, allowing the dank, musty air within to flow over her. She knew that it had only been a storehouse when the temple was still in use. But there was still no telling what might have moved in during the last few months.

As it turned out, nothing had. At least not recently. She was not surprised, this far from settlements and roads, there would be no reason for bandits to inhabit it. Nor would animals have been able to open its doors to make dens there, let alone close them again behind them. As far as necromancers, or conjurers like those in Belda, who could fathom their motivations at all?

So with no loot to speak of, Teresa and Morcant emerged from the depths of Nirn shortly thereafter, with nothing but more dust on their clothes to show for their exploration. It was all just as well, Teresa thought, with the memory of what the mountain had shown her still so clear in her head, she probably would not have been able to focus very well in a fight anyway.

So from there they trekked back through the forest in the direction of Morcant's cottage. Tsume joined them after a few days, and escorted them the rest of the way. Teresa was glad for his company, as once again Morcant had sunk into her sullen brooding. Although the wolf tried to lighten her spirits, even he could do little to alleviate her dark mood.

The day after their return, Teresa found the Witch filling her pack with food and other supplies once more. Only this time she left the ice-picks and crampons behind. Instead she was taking much more food, and the forester even noted a heavy purse clinking with what could only be coins go into the bag.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yes," the Witch responded, her face a dull, blank mask. "You were right, I need a change of scenery. Someplace where I do not see… him, everywhere."

"You're going to see your mother then, in Anvil," Teresa guessed.

"Yes," Morcant nodded. "Your intuition serves you well. One day you will be quite a Witch I think, if that is where you choose to take your life."

Teresa put her arms around the other woman and held her close. Silently praying to Mara, she hoped that Morcant would find the peace she so desperately needed with her mother. As for herself, she could not wait to return to Simplicia and tell her about everything she had done and seen. But perhaps first she would venture south of the Blue Road, and see what lay in those hills she had spied out during her last trip…


Note: Since Morcant seems to be a popular character, would people like to see a chapter devoted just to her in Anvil? (as I have done a few other Vols-only chapters?)

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 30 2020, 02:33 AM

[haute ecole rider]

Absolutely, I would love to see Morcant in Anvil!

This was a wonderful chapter, and I loved how you brought an Ayleid ruin to life. By your description, I had suspected Sedor, and was happy to see my guess was correct.

Those places are both creepy and beautiful and awesome and downright scary all at once.

And we see that Morcant is still struggling with grief. As a writer who has written more than one character with the same problem, I love how you have captured the ebb and flow of mourning and the perfectly natural reaction to leave the place of so many memories that are yet painful to bear.

Will Morcant be giving this lovely cottage by Lake Trasimere to Teresa? It would make a wonderful base for her alchemical collection and her metaphysical journey.

I am torn between that part of Tamriel and the coastline around Anvil as the most beautiful places to spend time. You have only increased the conflict in my heart!

[hazmick]

I love it! eresa is getting quite good at this 'inner temple' stuff and Morcant makes me smile. The vision of Sedor in the past was brilliant--a group of Ayleid elves, drunk on life (and wine) who end up having some group love.

A chapter about Morcant's holiday in Anvil sounds awesome, I look forward to hearing more!!

[Acadian]

A leftover from the previous story regarding how summoning wild creatures works in TF - I chuckled as you explained your logic. Partly because it makes perfect sense, and partly because I was quite convinced that was exactly your intent. Just as Buffy would never soul trap a deer if she thought she was imprisoning its spirit, Teresa would never summon an animal if she thought it would die in her service. That is such a natural part of Teresa's makeup. I could almost see the little Teresa and SubRosa wheels turning to craft that wonderful bit of TF lore. Wonderful!

*

Another beautiful episode.

You continue to spoil us with interaction between Teresa and Morcant. Yes, she is a popular character, for good reason. Your own knowledge of witchcraft seems to bring these two elves right off the page. Spending an episode with Morcant, perhaps in Anvil, would be lovely!

I admire how Teresa allows herself to be used as a vessel to draw out the best in others - not just Morcant, but a long list of TF NPCs. It is something we strive for also. Must be another wood elf thing.

Your description of the elves and their 'maypole' festivities was great fun. Hmm . . .

Pale-skinned elves clustered around the open meadow at the center of the settlement.

Being well aware that this description fits Teresa perfectly and her interest in things Ayleid, do I detect some foreshadowing here?

[Destri Melarg]

At first I thought that I had ventured into some alternate version of Tamriel. I am so glad that you clarified that the Ayleids you were depicting were from an earlier age. They certainly do not jibe with the description found in The Adabal-a:

Men were given over to the lifting of stones, and the draining of the fields, and the upkeep of Temple and road; or to become art-tortures for strange pleasures, as in the wailing wheels of Vindasel and the gut-gardens of Sercen; and flesh-sculpture, which was everywhere among the slaves of the Ayleids in those days; or, worse, the realms of the Fire-King Hadhuul, where the begetting of drugs drawn from the admixture of daedrons into living hosts let one inhale new visions of torment, and children were set aflame for nighttime tiger sport.

Not exactly dancing around the maypole, eh?

Perhaps grief was the same way, and it was only by enduring it that it could ever be washed away? Teresa hoped she would never have to find out.

This is another example of how much Teresa has grown in her understanding of the nature of things. I wonder what this young forester would say if given the chance to speak with that scared girl wandering half-blind through the sewers under the Imperial City dungeon. And, unfortunately, I detect a bit of foreshadowing in that cryptic second sentence.

As for Morcant's adventures in Anvil: Yes, please!

[treydog]

You add a great deal of depth, not just to your characters, but to their world- which has become a character in its own right. This was a thoughtful, enjoyable episode- a pleasant interlude in which Teresa develops her skills.

As to Morcant in Anvil- absolutely.

[Remko]

I would love to read more about Morcant. In fact- I'd love to read anything you can sling at us

[SubRosa]

haute ecole rider: Morcant in Anvil it is then. I will put that on the To Do list.

I love the Ayleid sites best of all in Oblivion, for exactly the reasons you mentioned. They are just awesome to behold, and have the creepiness factor ramped way up. It is one of the reasons I like doing this Ayleid arc with Teresa.

Morcant will be hanging on to her cottage though. While she may visit Anvil, Lake Trasimene is still her home. Besides, she could not leave Tsume there all by himself forever.


hazmick: Yes, Teresa is indeed embracing her spirituality. As someone who really has no anchor in life, and spent most of it being treated with contempt, her spirit-guide, and her relationship with Nirn itself, provide with some much needed grounding and support.

The vision of Sedor was once a common thing irl, typically performed between the local king and high priestess (although there were many variations, depending on where you were). Generally known as the Sacred Marriage, it was cemented the bond between the mundane world and the spirit world, ensuring the continuing health and fertility of each. It is still done symbolically in most neo-pagan rituals today.


Acadian: Would I foreshadow things about the Ayleids, and Teresa's interest in them?

One of the things I really enjoy about Teresa is what you noted about her ability to bring out the best in people. Really, starting with Simplicia when she was just an infant. I never really thought about it, but she is like Emperor Uriel that way. Only not as direct and overt about it as he was.


Destri Melarg: Flesh-sculptures? Ewwwww! Although to play devil's advocate, North Korean soldiers are all told that Americans not only torture and kill everyone they take prisoner, but also drink their blood as well (all of us being vampires after all). Wartime propaganda is always overblown, so a grain of salt is wise. Not to mention that many Ayleid city states allied with Alessia. So either they really were not all that bad, or she did not mind humans being not only enslaved but tortured and killed for entertainment so long as her allies were doing it.

Not that I am trying to portray the Ayleids as being nice. Morcant described it all when we first met her. They were the most preeminent necromancers to ever walk Nirn, and in the end the planet itself wanted them dead. Still, it took them time to turn their backs on their original gods and fall into darkness, as this was meant to show.

Would I foreshadow things like Teresa losing someone important to her?


treydog: Thank you Three Dog. I always do strive to make the setting come to life.


Remko: More slinging right now!


Next: Teresa and Morcant have gone their separate ways. Now Teresa is on her way back to the Imperial City, but she has a few stops to make along the way.

* * *

Chapter 17.1 - Learning The Hard Way

28th - 30th Sun's Height, 3E433

Teresa rose from the waves of Lake Hysiae with strung bow in hand. A mudcrab scuttled across the sandy beach, pincers reaching out greedily for her flesh. The wood elf stepped back, set an arrow to her bow, and skewered the creature. Withdrawing the arrow from the abdomen of the crustacean, the forester inspected its wooden shaft. Not finding any warps, she wiped the steel head clean and tucked it back into her arrow bag.

Lifting the remains of the crab by the legs, she carried it further ashore before depositing it in the grass. That would make for a good lunch, Teresa thought, but first things first. Nagastani waited for her.

The ruins of the ancient city loomed before her. Graceful white stones rose high into the sky, forming what had once been a great circular structure. Yet now the roof was long gone, and large ovals set within the walls gaped wide in the breeze coming off the lake. Shattered buildings flanked the once mighty edifice, nothing more than a partial arch here, part of a wall there, or a few blocks of stone laying scattered across the grass.

Thanks to the spirit of the lake, Teresa knew that this had once been a modest Ayleid city-state. Yet now that she looked upon it with her flesh and blood eyes, she found it hard to believe these few tumbled down stones could have once been a settlement bustling with life. Where were the bright stained glass windows filling the palace with color? Or the brilliant bronze-shaded tiles covering every roof, throwing back the light of the sun in a fiery display? Where were the once great boulevards and their crowds of elves and beasts? Where were the high walls ringing the city, or the stone quays reaching out into the blue waters of Hysiae?

All gone, the forester thought to herself, the victim of time and elements. Until she had seen it happen to Sedor, she never would have imagined how devastating ordinary wind, rain, and plants could be. But now she could not escape the truth that no matter what mortals constructed, it would all be taken back by Nirn one day. The thought warmed her heart. It was good to know that the world would always go on, healthy and whole, regardless of what mortals did to it.

Circling around the ruins, she found a row of steps leading up to the entrance of the central building. The mighty bronze doors that had once sealed off the palace had long since vanished, and looming within the walls of the stone edifice was a once mighty statue. It showed an armored mer from waist up, holding a sword high overhead in both hands. Yet the blade of the sword had snapped eons ago, along with the wings of his helmet, and neither were anywhere to be seen. Coated in moss, the elf's body was now green as the grass that grew through the stones under the archer's feet.

Teresa's heart quickened its pace as she heard a creaking from within the structure. It sounded like leather, and was accompanied by a slight whooshing noise, like that of a sail catching the wind. Drawing forth an arrow and poisoning it from the jar of nightshade at her waist, Teresa nocked her bow and slinked forward. Coming to the edge of the palace entrance, she peered within, and saw the source of the noise.

It looked like a scamp, with rough brown skin, two arms, two legs, and a misshapen head. This creature was much smaller however, perhaps only half the size of the Daedra. Most different of all, it hovered in the air on a pair of leathery wings that flapped in a slow, steady pace. Even though they were large, Teresa wondered at how such wings could keep a creature of its size and obvious weight airborne. It must have been magic, she imagined.

An imp, the wood elf thought. She had heard plenty of stories of them from bard's tales. It was said that in spite of their appearance, they were not Daedra. Yet they hardly seemed like animals of good green Nirn either. She had heard some say they were the result of magical experiments upon goblins. Others claimed that they were once mortals cursed by the gods, as the Orisimer had become orcs, or the Chimer the dark elves.

Those thoughts slipped away from Teresa's mind as the red eyes of the monster fixed upon her. It stretched out a hand, and she saw fire grow from its fingers. She needed no further prompting to draw her bowstring to her cheek and loose. The imp crashed to the ground with a screech even as its own bolt of fire streaked from its hand. The forester had been ready however, and easily stepped aside while the slower-moving fire rushed by.

The wood elf readied another arrow as she approached the creature. It flopped around on a staircase that wound downward around the statue. Yet the imp seemed unable to rise into the air again, or even track her own movements with its eyes. She drew her bowstring to her cheek to finish the creature, but it fell still before she could loose.

Stepping closer, she nudged the monster with the toe of her boot, ready to leap back in case it was only playing dead. Yet the creature did not stir, and its crimson eyes stared glassily into the blue sky above. Teresa put the arrow back into her bag and drew forth a knife. She knew that she could brew new poisons from its bile. Some even said you could use it to create magical fire.

She stopped herself however. This was not the time, she realized. There were probably more nearby. It would be foolish of her to start cutting the imp up while another might be sneaking up on her. She could always do it when she was finished exploring the ruin, she decided. Besides, a little imp gall was nothing compared to what she hoped waited in the darkness below…

So drawing forth her arrow once more, Teresa followed the stair down to an open double door. Venturing within, she pulled her Night Eye goggles down over her eyes and slowly made her way through the depths of the palace. She found more imps within upper passages. Some were alone, others in small groups. She picked them off one by one, firing unseen from the darkness. She did not even need the nightshade at her hip, as most died instantly. The others only needed a second arrow to finish their lives. A welcome change from enemies such as the Daedra who had attacked the Imperial City, or the Ebon Moon and their minions.

Plunging into the sealed-off lower levels of the palace, Teresa found blade traps like those she had seen in Vilverin, as well as something new, poison gas. This she found welling up from spouts in the floor of several chambers. Cages of metal shaped like delicate flowing vines were suspended from chains above nozzles. It took the forester only a moment to realize what they were for, and she winced at the thought of what it must have been like for those consigned to the terrible fate of dying slowly in one of those cages.

Skirting the traps, she continued on, only to discover another old enemy. Zombies. She smelled the sickly-sweet reek of their withered flesh long before she saw them. With moldy skin, rotted clothing, and bits of armor rusting off of them, it was obvious they had been there for a long time. These were not so easily dispatched as the imps. Yet just as at Vilverin, she had little trouble staying out of the reach of the lumbering monsters while she filled them with arrows. She destroyed each in turn, until finally she reached the heart of the ruin.

There, in the royal storerooms, she found the treasure she had hoped for. An Ancestor Statue, glowing from the energy within the purple crystal of its central spine. Grabbing one of the four metal spines that surrounded the crystal, Teresa felt a chill seep from it, piercing even her leather gloves. She almost dropped the statue in surprise, yet in a moment the feeling passed, leaving the wood elf to wonder if she had only imagined it.

Teresa found that the sun had slipped far to the west by the time she rose from the depths of the once great city. The Ancestor was securely tucked away into her pack, along with numerous plundered welkynd stones, and several vials of imp bile. Washing her hands in the lake, she set about cooking her mudcrab with her Flare spell and ate dinner.

It was time to get back to the Imperial City, she thought, imagining Simplicia's face when she showed her the money she would make from just the Ancestor alone. One hundred gold septims! She had never even seen so much money in her life, and this was only the beginning. There were eight more statues to go…

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 30 2020, 02:34 AM

[Acadian]

This was a very tightly wrapped chapter. Teresa approached, pondered, conquered, explored, looted and ate lunch. Lots for one episode yet, at no moment did I feel rushed. Everything flowed with perfect pacing. I believe this is due to your choices about what to include and what not to. Well done!

I can feel Teresa's fascination with the Ayleids, their culture and cities.

I loved your insight regarding imps and the possibilities involving their heritage. Of course the best part is. . . IMP CHIPS!!!

Uh oh. It seems perhaps another meeting with the creepy source of coinage, Umbaccano may be in the offing. Teresa's intent to use the gold to get a place for Simplicia warms my heart.

I'm pleased that you intend, at your own pace of course, to let us come along with Morcant to Anvil. I look forward to it.

Nit?

Plunging into the still-sealed off lower levels of the palace,

I honestly don't know what is correct here, so let me simply share with you that I stumbled over it. In thinking about it, I believe shifting the hyphen's location would let it sing to me: 'the still sealed-off lower levels of the palace. This is an area of grammar where I am simply going by 'gut', so feel free to disregard.

[treydog]

Teresa’s thoughts on Nirn taking everything back into herself were quite pleasing. Of course, the disappearance of the bronze and other metals- and even some of the stones- may have an additional explanation. The Coliseum in our version of reality was used as a de facto quarry for many years. Still, the world has many ways of healing the “blemishes” mortals inflict upon her….

Equally interesting were her musings on the origins of imps- and how those stocky bodies are held aloft by their relatively puny wings.

Cages of metal shaped like delicate flowing vines were suspended from chains above nozzles. It took the forester only a moment to realize what they were for, and she winced at the thought of what it must have been like for those consigned to the terrible fate of dying slowly in one of those cages.

Teresa’s speculation about the purpose of those cages matches my own. But maybe we are both wrong and those fun-loving Ayleids just used the chambers to find an altered state of consciousness.

I wonder if Simplicia will react to the money as Teresa expects... or if she will be more concerned regarding the source?

Nits:

I also tripped on the phrase the Acadi-editor noted. And I endorse his suggested fix. Another option would be to delete "off" and render it as "still-sealed lower levels...."

…what mortal's did to it.

Those apostrophes are sneaking in again. It may be time to borrow Morcant’s friendly wolf to sniff them out and eat them. And when he shows up, Teresa can say- “So, Tsume.”

It was time to get back to the Imperial City, she thought, imaging Simplicia's face when she showed her the money...

"imaging" is acceptable there, I think... but I believe you meant to type "imagining" and that voracious wolf gulped up the second "in".

This post has been edited by treydog: Sep 28 2010, 06:20 PM