Sleeper in the Cave, a Morrowind fanfic Options

[mALX]

Oh, pish," Aurane waved her hand dismissively. I scowled at the gesture. Clearly, this was someone who had no idea of the horrors flower-picking entailed

I loved this whole section, knowing the person was about to ask a "favor" - knowing what Adryn had just been through in a flower-picking expedition, ROFL !!!

I supposed, I could do the same for getting to the lower levels with my amulet. However, I hadn't reached the point of throwing myself off high places with only an untested magical artifact of dubious provenance between me and certain death.

I've never played the game, but even I knew getting around Vivec was a maze - was looking up Vivec the living god and instead found pages of "hints to get around in Vivec," ROFL! I am so glad you included this in the chapter, but this particular line had me rolling!

Awesome Update !!!


*

Next:

I'd heard that Argonians lacked tear ducts and couldn't cry, but judging by the sounds he was making they could at least manage a very good impression.

Every single description of this Argonian has had me in hysterics right from the start, I couldn't stop reading long enough to quote anything! From the drooping head-frill down, I haven't been able to stop choking - "Not-Eddie's" song had me dying! Thought I recognized it, I used the "Daggerfall Rude Song" all through mine, lol.

Between your inserts of "Not-Eddie's performances and Miun-Gei's dialogue (with the its/her/she) - you have outdone yourself here, this is so absolutely perfect I am humbled by it!

I love this whole chapter, most def on my list of all time favorites!

[Kazaera]

I am glad Miun-Gei struck a chord with people! This is how I always imagine him during that quest, I feel so sorry for him! I'm also glad people liked my descriptions of Argonian body language because I puzzled a little over how to represent that.

@haute - Haha, I think outbreaks of altruism is a common protagonist problem (why *else* would you agree to some of those quests?) The hilarious thing for me is that Adryn tells herself she's all tough and cynical and selfish, to the extent that when I started writing her I believed that was what she was like. But then it was all "...Adryn, why did you agree to go get flowers for Ajira when you just want to hide in Balmora?" "Adryn, why did you just agree to rescue someone from kagouti when you have no combat skills?" "Adryn, why did you..." until I realised that wait, no, something isn't adding up here. The joys of writing an unreliable narrator!

@mALX - I find it amazing that you were looking for Vivec (god) info and ended up with "how to get around in Vivec"... yes, it is really that confusing! Also, thank you for telling me about the Daggerfall Rude Song - I hadn't realised those lines were from an in-game book and laughed a lot after I looked it up! The funny thing is that I hadn't *planned* on not-Eddie singing bawdy songs, but it seems like there isn't actually much else...

Last time, Adryn met a very beleagured enchanter, who asked her to get rid of a certain wannabe actor laying siege to his shop with horrible acting and worse music and making it totally impossible to get business done. After he gave her a tip for getting around Vivec without getting lost, Adryn agreed. Now, finding her way around Vivec - second attempt!

Chapter 7.6

*****

Miun-Gei's advice worked.

The outside of the canton was far, far less confusing than the inside. The main issue was that the ramps to get from level to level were well-hidden indeed - it took quite a bit of me circling around in confusion before a stray draft caught my attention. But after that, navigating the canton became much easier and in what felt like no time at all I'd reached the bottom level.

In front of me was a broad marble bridge, leading to the next canton - one that looked very, very similar to the one I'd just exited, with perhaps one less level and more decoration in the form of hanging red flags depicting some sort of stylised insect. To the side, there was a rickety wooden platform with stairs leading down to the water. Wandering over, I saw a small dock and a ladder leading down to a maze of wobbly rope bridges and rickety boardwalks which connected the cantons with wooden platforms and anchored boats of all shapes and sizes.

I looked down at the web of pathways spanning across the water, then looked up at the other canton.

There really was no decision to make. At least in one of the labyrinths, I'd be able to see the rest of it.

A while later found me glad for the choice, because I was making actual progress for once. Although I had to admit that the upkeep of the paths was not always what it should be. My birthsign and its gift of agility came in handy more than once when I had to bridge gaps or climb up to a platform, and on occasion I even found myself having to reach into the last remnants of my magicka pool for my water-walking spell - one I try to avoid using if I can. Standing on waves makes me queasy, and Alteration spells like that have a tendency to suddenly wear off when you're not expecting it.

(Not, I feel the need to point out, that I'd know from experience. There was never an incident where I was showing off my new knowledge and forgot to keep track of the spell, and it definitely did not end with me falling straight into the river and Fjaldir needing to fish me out. And he most certainly was not laughing the entire time.)

Even with the poor maintenance, I was by far not the only one who'd decided to brave the water rather than the cantons. And overall the others seemed more... well, my sort. Less people wearing fancy robes, more in plain clothes suitable for an honest (or dishonest) day's work. The snatches of conversation I overheard had less to do with the price of enchanted items and more with the price of bread or the day's fishing... along with rumours of some sort of serial killer having struck in the Arena canton, a place I immediately decided to avoid. At one point I even snagged the wrist of a young Dunmer girl, the hand it belonged to being on my purse at the time. I let her go with an admonition and a few tips on pickpocketing technique, which I told her to go try out on people who weren't me.

(To paraphrase a well-known saying: give a street kid a drake and she'll be hungry again in... actually, she'll never stop being hungry. Teach a street kid to steal and she can get her own drakes - and get them from purses fat enough that their owners really ought to be donating to soup kitchens anyway, for that matter. Everyone wins!)

There were a lot of Dunmer around, a fact that first surprised me, then followed that up by surprising me through having surprised me (an underhanded move I felt should be made illegal in the art of cogitation). After all, I was in Morrowind. I was even beginning to get used to that fact. Seeing a crowd mainly of my race shouldn't be so shocking. But...

Thinking back, so far almost everywhere I'd been had been dominated by other races. I still remembered realising that little Llavani was the first Dunmer I'd seen after having spent several hours in Seyda Neen. In fact, the only other I'd met in my whole time there had been Darvame. Less than half of the Balmora mages were Dunmer, even if you counted me - and if what I'd seen at breakfast and at the Vivec guild was any sample, then that proportion was if anything even smaller in other guilds. From what I remembered, the crowds in Balmora had been similarly diverse... the ones in the canton I'd exited earlier definitely had been. Yet here, at least four people in five were Dunmer.

As if to emphasise my discovery, I heard a language I didn't recognise showing up in conversations around me. It must be Dunmeris, which I'd read was still widely spoken in Morrowind. But if it was so widely spoken, why was this my first time hearing it?

I really should get around to reading up on local politics. I had the sneaking suspicion that they were important.

My stomach growled again.

All right, there were a few things that were more important.

When I reached a Redguard street vendor, I immediately spent a few drakes on roast slaughterfish and greens wrapped in flatbread and garnished with a spiced lemon sauce. It was delicious - the sauce was flavourful without being overwhelming, the fish was tender and juicy and the greens gave a very satisfying crunch when I bit into them. Never to mention that the taste of someone attempting to approximate northern Hammerfell cuisine with totally unsuitable ingredients was quite nostalgic, although I had to admit this man was doing a rather better job than Charon (whose many attempts at a barley-based couscous substitute are not among my happiest culinary memories).

I asked the vendor about his recipes and spent most of my lunch being regaled with talk about the Sentinel-Morrowind trade lines and how a good friend of his outside Almalexia on the mainland was having some success growing citrus trees. When I was finishing, the conversation had just turned to his disgust for a local tavern's kitchen practices ("they'll keep slaughterfish magically frozen for months before they finally serve it! Me, I have a deal with some of the local fisherfolk down near St. Olms', I swear to Zenithar everything I sell is fresh out of the sea-"). After I gulped down the last of the food, I managed to interrupt with another question.

"A theatre troupe?" he asked, frowning. "You an actor?"

I shook my head. "I'm looking for... someone else, as a favour." I decided not to go into detail. It wasn't really important, and poor Miun-Gei didn't need his misfortune trumpeted around the city.

"Well, in that case - I've heard Crassius Curio is looking for actors to perform one of his new plays. He's up in Curio Manor, in Hlaalu canton."

I found myself torn. On the one hand - that was a lot easier than I'd expected. On the other... in Hlaalu canton. I'd just escaped the hell that was trying to navigate a canton, I was not at all eager to go back.

"How hard is it to find?" I asked warily.

"How h- oh, of course, you're a newcomer. Not hard. Curio Manor is on the plaza at the very top, the open part. You can almost see it from here, actually."

I craned my neck and stared in the direction he indicated. Indeed, unlike the canton I'd spent my morning in, the one he was pointing at had no dome at its top - it might very well be open to the sky, I couldn't tell from my perspective. It looked very similar to the first canton in all other respects, so Miun-Gei's advice should still work...

Although really, it couldn't be much past noon. There was plenty of time to go sight-seeing first, surely?

I was still trying to gather the willpower I needed to voluntarily set foot in a canton again when a raindrop hit my nose. Next to me, the Redguard groaned and retreated underneath an awning. Apparently the weather's compassion had grown thin.

Curio Manor it was, then.

*****

Notes: The description of Vivec is inspired by the Vivec Expansion mod (screenshots!), which has massively affected my mental image of Vivec.

(ETA) There doesn't seem to be any mention of Dunmeris as a language in lore, and definitely none in-game. That said, the history of Morrowind and how it became part of the Empire makes it seem highly unlikely to me that it wouldn't exist and still be spoken, at least among certain people (Telvanni, Temple, Redoran, Camonna Tong, etc.). Ergo, here it is.

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: Jul 13 2013, 08:34 PM

[mALX]

Adryn's inner thoughts through this whole chapter had my rolling, especially her admonishment to the pickpocket! - but this had to be the best example of it:

(Not, I feel the need to point out, that I'd know from experience. There was never an incident where I was showing off my new knowledge and forgot to keep track of the spell, and it definitely did not end with me falling straight into the river and Fjaldir needing to fish me out. And he most certainly was not laughing the entire time.)

Absolutely LOVED this little short chapter (way too short, now you'll have to write another right away to make up for it, lol). Awesome Write, and loved the screenshots!

[Kazaera]

@mALX - okay, I post a longer chapter just for you in seriousness, I think I've been focusing too much on not having the sections be too long and too little on finding natural breaking points lately. I'd rather not split the next scene in half and posting it whole means I'll reach a very good stopping point just before I head on holiday, so have a long installment!

Glad you enjoyed! I feel as if Adryn's treatment of that pickpocket and version of the 'teach a man to fish...' saying says a lot about her view of the world

Last installment, Adryn managed to escape the canton, had lunch and got the tip that Crassius Curio was looking for a theatre troupe. We last saw her heading off to his manor. Now, we meet her returning...

Chapter 7.7

*****

The guards stationed at the manor door snickered as I left. I tried to glare them into submission. It would probably have worked better if my face hadn't been burning.

One last wave of chuckles came when I stumbled over the doorsill and almost fell. Poor showing for someone with my birthsign, but it's hard to watch where you're going when you're busy fleeing a place as if the hordes of Oblivion are on your heels.

At this point most people would say that comparing a relatively short, chubby Imperial to a Daedric army might be unfair. And indeed, it probably was - to the Daedra. I'd heard Ogrim, for instance, were supposed to be quite straightforward creatures. They wanted to crush you to goo, and they went about that in a clear, honest way (by attempting to crush you to goo). They did not pinch you (except as it pertained to crushing you to goo) and definitely did not pinch a body part where the only thing I wanted to touch it was the seat of a chair.

And, of course, no Daedra had ever called me...

"Dumpling. Dumpling. I'll dumpling him! He'll wish he'd never even heard of dough when I'm through with him. He'll be petrified by pots. Cry when he sees a cook. Hide under the settee at the swing of a spatula-"

I noticed people were giving me wary looks and a wide berth, a fact that might have to do with the way I was muttering angrily to myself while clenching my fists. Moreover, several Ordinators were standing off to one side watching me. The sight of so many of those blank masks turned in my direction served to cool the worst of my rage.

I leaned against a wall and took stock of my situation.

On the Aedra's side, I'd accomplished what I came for. Crassius Curio had apparently spent some time and effort trying to put a theatre troupe together. When I'd told him about an actor looking for work and given him the leaflet, he'd sent someone out to collect the man straight away. Quite frankly, I wasn't sure if I should be happy because they deserved each other or afraid that they'd end up making each other even worse, but in any case Eddie's magically-created offspring (what woman would go near him?) was now out of Miun-Gei's spikes.

On the Daedra's, after Curio had sent his servant out, there had been... remarks. Suggestions. Gestures. Nicknames. Pinches. All of which I was going to erase from my mind as contaminants right around... now.

So really, this had been a roaring success, bar certain incidents I seemed to have come down with a strange case of amnesia about. I should head back to Miun-Gei's and collect my reward. The rest of it, really, since Curio had already given me a thin book during the course of a conversation I'd mysteriously forgotten the details of. I'd been starved for reading material of late, I wasn't going to turn down...

What sort of a title was The Lusty Argonian Maid?

I cracked it open for a skim-

Oh.

Horrible memories of That Night In Suran danced, cackling, in my mind.

You know, there were people who would appreciate this... work of art far more than I would. Places, too. The sea outside came to mind. Or possibly the sewers. It would be positively selfish of me to keep it from them. Of course, it was a hard decision - there were also numerous possibilities involving privies...

First, though, Miun-Gei's.

A thought went through my mind, one where I was sure I hadn't the slightest idea what spurred it:

The reward for this one had better be good.

*****

I blinked at the sign in front of me, pondering the universe. In particular, its sense of irony in the way you only find what you're looking for once you've stopped actually looking.

In between being told to solve one of the greatest mysteries of Tamriel, raising the art of getting lost to towering new heights, hunting for theatre troupes, and finally getting accosted by pinching nobles with a penchant for pastry-based namecalling, I'd entirely forgotten the reason I'd originally come to Vivec. After finishing up with Miun-Gei, I'd planned to head back to Balmora straight away.

Alas, his tips for navigating cantons didn't help much with the interior. I hadn't managed to find his shop again. Instead, I'd wound up here.

I looked at the sign again. There it was: Jobasha's Rare Books.

I shrugged. If the universe wanted to help me out for once, I wasn't going to complain.

Down a flight of stairs, I found myself confronted by bookshelves. Jobasha was likely behind them, I should go and ask him-

He had a complete set of The Real Barenziah! The Windhelm library had been missing the fifth volume, and I'd been very bitter about never finding out how the story ended. And - was that a biography of Pelagius the Mad? It would be interesting to know more about the emperor who gave rise to the holiday I'd loved when I was living in Daggerfall. And over there, a book on Akavir!

"Jobasha wonders if the Dunmer is interested in buying anything?"

I straightened guiltily from where I was perusing the books. "I'm sorry, I got sidetracked. Yes, I'm looking for..." I fished the scrap of paper I'd used as a list out of my pocket. "The Ascadian Isles volume of Dilavesa Seloth's Guide to the Flora of Morrowind, Saryoni's Sermons, Cantatas of Vivec, Doors of the Spirit, and..." I remembered the incident in the Mages' Guild this morning. "Do you have any introductory texts on the Dwemer?"

"Yes, yes," Jobasha said from behind a bookshelf. He'd started running around fetching books when I listed the first title. "Two suitable for a beginning student, Jobasha thinks. Antecedents of Dwemer Law, it is about the Dwemer legal system and how one can trace it to the Aldmer. Very accessibly written, with a lot of remarks about general Dwemer culture. Ruins of Kemel-Ze, that is different - it is a report by an archaeologist, on the excavation of a Dwemer ruin. Not a scholarly text by any means, but the descriptions are very detailed, good to get an overview, and of some... historical interest. Jobasha thinks it could be quite... illuminating." Jobasha seemed on the verge of saying something else, then changed the subject. "You are studying the Dwemer?"

"What? Oh - yes, I'm a new member of the Mages' Guild. An alchemist, really, but some of the higher-ups thought it would be a good idea for me to, ah, learn about the Dwemer as well. My name is Adryn," I introduced myself.

"So you are Adryn. I see. I see." Jobasha's whiskers twitched.

My hackles rose. "You've heard of me?" How and why could he have heard of me? I had trouble thinking of any reason that would end well-

"It is quite simple. Jobasha had a very good friend, one who was so close she could have been his sister. When she died some years ago, Jobasha grieved very much and promised her spirit he would look after the daughters she left behind." Jobasha sighed. "He has not always done so well at that as he would like, but he does try to look in on Ajira when he can. The last time he did so was Turdas, when he had some business with Dorisa Darvel in Balmora. Ajira was full of news of her new friend Adryn, who had helped her with her experiments the day before and was gathering ingredients for her just then."

All right. That worked.

I relaxed. "I forgot - Ajira mentioned you. Yes, she's a good friend of mine."

"Jobasha is pleased to hear that," Jobasha said. "He is of the opinion that Ajira could use more friends. She disagrees, but - kits. They always think they're already grown and don't need anyone's help."

If Ajira wasn't my age, she couldn't be more than a year or two younger - hardly what I would call a 'kit'. I suspected trying to argue the point would only get me put into that category with her, though, and forced myself to remain diplomatically silent with an effort of will.

After a moment, Jobasha turned back to the books. "Will that be all, or are you interested in anything else?"

I looked at the stack on the table. After a brief but vicious internal struggle (I lost), I added the fifth volume of The Real Barenziah to it. The resulting pile looked slightly higher than I could really afford. Following some perusal and hard thought, I removed Cantatas of Vivec - it seemed interesting, but epic poetry was not entirely to my taste and the other two books Ervesa had recommended looked more useful as introductions to the local religion.

"And the book under your arm?" Jobasha inquired.

I blushed. I'd entirely forgotten that I was still lugging Curio's magnum opus around with me.

"It's not yours - it's, er, I encountered Crassius Curio earlier today and he gave it to me-" I found myself eager to disavow responsibility.

"May I see?"

"Quite frankly," I said, passing it to him, "you can have it. Although I'm not sure you'd want to."

Jobasha leafed through it. His face betrayed nothing, a fact that already made him a better actor than Eddie's cousin. "Yes, yes - definitely Curio's work. The man is well-known as an amateur writer, quite an... enthusiastic one. Well, there are some interested."

"Seriously?" I asked, then bit my lip. Although I think of it as a perfectly sensible question, asking things like this often nets me any number of unpleasant reactions, from disbelief to ridicule and outright mockery. Worst, I think, are the ones who dismiss me by telling me I'll understand eventually - as though I, a grown adult, am a child to be patted on the head and told 'when you're older, sweetie'!

Luckily, Jobasha took it in stride. "Quite. Jobasha has a section set aside specifically for such works." He nodded to a bookshelf in the corner, set somewhat apart from the others. "In fact, I have the uncensored version of The Real Barenziah available there, if you- no? Very well. In any case, I will happily take the script to make up a portion of the price."

His eyes roved over the stack of books on the counter, then over me. I straightened and tried to look like an tough, hard-bitten bartering veteran, someone who would haggle a highwayman down to 'a quarter of your money or a nonlethal wound in a limb of your choice!'

"That will be one septim and eighty drakes in total."

I gulped.

In the end, I argued him down to a septim and a half. I felt more than a twinge of reluctance when I passed him all the money Ajira had given me along with one large gold septim coin from my pouch. Silently, I cursed my literary addiction, in particular how it had led to me spending almost half the money I had on books. I needed to find some sort of regular income - maybe I could strike a deal with Ajira? I hadn't exactly enjoyed selling potions (understatement), but it was better than ending up destitute.

This made it even more important to find Miun-Gei's. Even if the reward ended up only being copious thanks, if I sold that amulet I should still be able to end the day with more money than I'd started it with.

Wait, Jobasha was getting something from one of the bookshelves behind his desk.

"And of course, there is this. A chronicle of events at a Dwemer settlement in the First Age - this edition was translated from Aldmeris into Tamrielic in the early years of the Third Era."

I looked at the thick book Jobasha laid on the desk. In particular, I looked at the aged, cracked leather of the cover and the flaking gold-leaf letters inlaid in it which spelled out "Chronicles of Nchuleft". It reminded me of some of the books I'd seen in the Windhelm library - seen, not read, because those were the books the senior librarian refused to let you within a ten-foot distance of without a letter from someone like the Archmage of the Skyrim Mages' Guild attesting that you were both desperately in need of consulting them and would treat them like they were made of glass (and not the volcanic kind). Alas, she'd been very good at spotting forgeries.

"That looks a little out of my price range," I admitted. I suspected it would've been so even if I hadn't spent a drake since arriving on Vvardenfell.

"Oh, Jobasha is expecting it is," Jobasha said while carefully wrapping it in an oiled cloth. "Even you could afford it, he would not sell it. Edwinna Elbert of Ald'ruhn asked him to find it for her, has already paid him handsomely for it. The shipment just came in yesterday, and now Jobasha needs someone to deliver it to the Ald'ruhn Mages' Guild for him. You are a member of the guild, you know how to treat books - you would not believe the clumsy oafs Jobasha has had the misfortune to hire for such work in the past-" Jobasha shuddered, I assumed at a dreadful memory involving book destruction. "Edwinna should give you a few drakes for the delivery. And if you are careful with it and the book gets to Edwinna by Tirdas at the latest, Jobasha will not object if you do some reading of your own."

That was a generous offer. Too generous. How did Jobasha trust me not to run off with it? Ajira's assessment could only go so far. Especially because much as we'd been instant friends, at the time she'd told Jobasha about me we'd known each other for less than a day.

"You'd trust me with a book that valuable?" I blurted, then mentally kicked myself. When would I learn that certain thoughts were best kept to oneself?

Jobasha looked at me without answering, green eyes distant. The silence stretched until I started to shift uncomfortably beneath his gaze.

"Jobasha was not entirely honest with you at the beginning," he finally said. "He has heard of you from Ajira, yes. But he has also heard of you elsewhere. Jobasha has friends in many places, you see, and one of them is in the Thieves' Guild."

My blood turned to ice.

"And those friends, they tell him things. They tell him things like this: the one who calls himself the Thief-King of Skyrim, he is looking for someone. He is looking for a young Dunmer, a red-haired girl named Adryn."

The door was behind me, and I'd have to weave past bookshelves and run up stairs to get to it. The desk was between us, which was a point in my favour, but Jobasha looked fit for all his greying fur and Khajiit were notoriously acrobatic... and then there was me, still out of shape from prison. If I bolted, I didn't think I'd make it outside before he caught me.

Not that it mattered either way, because he had friends in the Thieves' Guild and he knew who I was-

"He wants her alive, it is said... but from the way he is asking, once he has her this girl will not remain so for very long. From the way he is asking, she will wish it was not even that long."

Despite the warmth of the day, I felt very cold.

Jobasha regarded me for a long moment, claws drumming on the table, then heaved a sigh. "Breathe. The things Jobasha has heard about the Thief-King are... not good. He is not inclined to do that man a favour. And," his tone hardened, "I disapprove of torturing children."

Apparently I'd ended up in the 'kit' category after all. This was probably not the time to protest that my nineteen years made me an adult.

"I- thank you-" I felt light-headed and stopped to take a deep breath. I hadn't even noticed I'd been hyperventilating.

Jobasha continued as though he hadn't even noticed my interruption. "All the same, Jobasha hopes you understand he cannot help but worry, when he learns Ajira's new friend is such a person. From her stories, you are... harmless. Whatever stories Jobasha may have heard about why that man wants you," I felt the blood drain from my face, "they do not fit, he thinks. Especially because from the things Jobasha has heard, it would not be the first time he spread lies for his own gain. Still. Jobasha does not know for certain this is so. And although Jobasha may not approve of torturing children... hurting Ajira, that he approves of even less."

I straightened indignantly. "I wouldn't-"

Jobasha held up a hand to silence me. "So it behooves Jobasha, does it not, to keep an eye on you? To see whether this fugitive is really serious about making a new life here, becoming a productive member of her new guild, being friends with his little Ajira. Thus, the errand - to start. And as to why Jobasha trusts you to fulfill it... well."

He paused. I wiped sweaty hands on my robes.

"From what Ajira has said, the one thing you are definitely not is stupid. And making Jobasha angry? This would be a very, very stupid thing for you to do. Do you understand?"

I croaked my confirmation.

Jobasha gave me a smile that showed all his teeth. "I am very glad we had this talk. Please get the book to Edwinna no later than Tirdas."

I barely remembered to take it before I fled.

*****

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: May 16 2020, 02:41 PM

[mALX]

GAAAAH! We are not going to get the story of her actual meeting with "Uncle" Crassius Curio? I haven't played Morrowind, and even I know about him, ROFL!

Okay, well at least we got Adryn's impressions of her meeting with him, ROFL !!!

Oh, Jobasha's story was so sweet!

When would I learn that certain thoughts were best kept to oneself?

Loved this line! And I suspect the answer is "never," lol.

Holy Crap! The past has a way of catching up with one, doesn't it? Jobasha is a good one to have on her side, it seems. Knew I liked him.

Awesome Write !!!! Gotta add this one to my favorites, between Crassius and Jobasha (and Adryn's inner running at high speed dialogue) I have absolutely loved this chapter!

[Kazaera]

@mALX - thanks! I was going to write "Adryn meets Crassius Curio", but then I realised no attempt of mine would do the scene justice! Instead, Adryn's thoughts on leaving really say it all...

(If you've read about Curio on the wiki - just imagine what would happen if I had her join House Hlaalu! truth be told, the first character I ever tried RPing in Morrowind had her advancement in Hlaalu stall completely at that point...)

And I'm glad you like Jobasha! I think I like him too - he pulled this on me from out of nowhere when I was writing. That guy is wily, man!

Last installment, Adryn fled Crassius Curio and found Jobasha's. A leisurely shopping trip and gossip about Ajira, who it turns out is pretty much Jobasha's honourary niece due to his close friendship with her mother, took an unexpected turn when her past caught up with her. Jobasha said he wasn't going to turn her into the man hunting her, but warned her that he'd be keeping a close eye on her because of her friendship with Ajira. Now, Adryn has another encounter as she's sorting herself out outside Jobasha's shop.

Chapter 7.8

*****

Once out of the shop, I stopped and stared at the corridor wall.

In my mind's eye, two faces floated in front of me. I drank in the imagined sight of Charon's wiry black curls, once again escaping from under his cap, the nose that still bore a bump from the time he'd broken it when we were eleven, the dark brown eyes twinkling with humour. Of Ingerte's scattering of freckles, the long ash-blond hair she'd braided into a coronet around her head, her face beautiful as a china doll's which had distracted many a person from the sharp gleam of intelligence in her blue eyes-

"I miss you," I whispered. Their features grew blurry. "I miss you, I miss you, I'm sorry-"

I squeezed my eyes shut to hold back tears, feeling the memories hovering at the edge of my mind. If I let them, they'd overwhelm me. Instead, I reached forward and let my fingers trail along the wall, let my thoughts become absorbed by the tingle of rough stone against my fingertips, the soothing pattern of the circling motion...

Once I had myself firmly back in the present, I let my hand drop and opened my eyes. Forget Miun-Gei, I should head back to Balmora as soon as possible. Correction: to Balmora by way of Ald'ruhn. Jobasha had given me a full three days to deliver the book, but it would really, really be better not to risk-

"So. I was right."

I winced when I realised that I'd been so absorbed I hadn't noticed someone else enter the corridor. I really needed to stop being so sloppy about that.

Wait, why did that angry voice sound vaguely familiar?

I turned around and bit back a groan at the sight of an Ordinator's mask. I'd so hoped never to run into Master Grumpy again.

"Innocent tourist? Pah. I knew better from the moment I saw you. Rebel. Abolitionist, that's what you are."

It was really quite impressive how Master Grumpy's air of barely controlled fury made the painted, immobile blank expression of his mask seem like an angry scowl- wait, what?

"Buying books is rebellious now?" I asked, incredulous.

"Oh yes, I've been watching Jobasha. A more obvious seditionist I've never seen in my life, even if Commander Andas insists we don't have the evidence to bring him in and I should leave him be-"

I gulped. Apparently Master Grumpy was even more paranoid than the norm for an Ordinator. I wasn't sure whether I should find that relieving or worrying.

"So, outlander." I had the distinct impression that Master Grumpy was smiling under his mask. For some reason, it made me even more uneasy than his normal demeanour. "You are wanted for questioning regarding subversive activity. And once you confess, I'll finally have enough to arrest that fetcher Jobasha."

"Now- hey- wait a minute!" I yelped, dodging as he tried to grab me. "I haven't even done anything!" Which is something I really wished mattered more with law enforcement. I glanced at Master Grumpy to see if I could make a break for it-

My eyes widened. "Behind you!"

I winced as my upper arm was captured in a hard, armoured grip. "How stupid do you think I am? That's the oldest trick in the book. You..."

His voice trailed off, he began to sway on his feet. The pressure on my arm vanished as his hand grew limp and fell away. I managed to jump back just in time to avoid being crushed when Master Grumpy collapsed with a clatter.

The Dunmer woman I'd seen come up behind him bent down to retrieve her dagger from the gap in the armour between his pauldrons and his gauntlets. Only the tip was wet, she'd barely nicked him... but the angry red glitter of a destructive enchantment along its blade, not to forget the heap of unconscious or dead Ordinator on the floor, made it clear that in this case a nick was enough.

Instead of straightening, the woman reached for Master Grumpy's mask to wrench his head back. My mind must have been working slowly, because I only realised what she was doing when blood sprayed.

"Outlander." I tore my eyes away from the now definitely, unmistakeably dead Ordinator on the floor to find the woman's fixed on me.

"You- you know," I said, voice shaking, "I think all of you could, could really do with some lessons in peaceful conflict negotiation. You know. Learning how to talk your problems over instead of resorting to vi-" I gulped and tried not to look at the bloody heap that had been Master Grumpy, "to violence. I'd love to give you some tips on the matter but I seem to have forgotten an urgent appointment, I'll just be going now-"

"Dagoth Ur does not want you here, outlander."

My heart fell to my stomach, kept going, and ended up somewhere near what felt like my ankles as the woman began to walk towards me. Now don't get me wrong, I very much disapprove of murder. My preferred method of conflict resolution happens to be talking, with running away a close second. Lethal violence appears nowhere on the list, and the casual way this woman had slit Master Grumpy's throat made nausea rise in my stomach. I would just have liked to disapprove from a nice, safe, thoroughly uninvolved distance, never to mention I much preferred disapproving of murder that wasn't my own.

My perception of the world sharpened in the way extreme unadulterated terror sometimes does to you. Suddenly, every brick on the wall came into sharp relief. Every scar on the woman's face, the sway of her blood-red hair, the blank, glazed look in her eyes engraved itself in my memory, and the woman's already dragging, listing approach slowed to a crawl... really, I almost thought she was sleep-walking. (Sleep-murdering?)

Well. She didn't seem amenable to talking. Running looked like an increasingly good option, except-

I bit back a curse when I felt stone at my back. I'd backed into a corner, Ysmir damn it. I could still try to rush past her, sluggish as she was, but with that knife all she had to do was scratch me and I'd be done for.

Really, this was ridiculous - my second life-threatening experience in three days. Only this time I had to doubt a floating Armiger would be by with a timely rescue.

Wait, what was it about Ervesa...

The spell! Running away was still an option.

Okay. Focus. Focus on something not the approaching spectre of death. Reach into your magicka pool, draw out a rope, throw it out and latch onto the beacon-

I gritted my teeth as my first attempt went straight into the void. Considering this city was supposedly the home of a living god there had to be a Temple here. Try again.

This time my rope hit something close by- wavered- slid off-

My approaching death in sleep-murderess form was getting uncomfortably close.

Finally! A solid hit. Now use the connection to pull yourself from here to there-

With no warning, the link I'd created stretched almost to breaking as the beacon I'd latched onto suddenly went from a nice stable fixed point to an arrow shooting off into the distance. I threw myself towards it, desperate-

The world dissolved.

*****

End of chapter

Notes: See, I realised last week that if I gave you the entirety of Jobasha's scene in one go I could leave you on a cliffhanger reach the end of the chapter just before I was going on holiday for two weeks! Giving everyone time to catch up to the latest installment! Aren't I nice to you?

*...ducks rotten vegetables*

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: Jul 27 2013, 10:56 AM

[Black Hand]

Much to comment upon.

Miun-Gei

The sight of a grown Argonian crying and failing the enchantment spells each time the actor...(whom may have faced a fatal fate upon a character or two's hands, which Miun-Gei seemed to secretly appreciate more.)... misplayed their instrument, was reminiscent of the Marx Brothers.

Post Curio Manor

This is one of those things that Bethesda just got right. Quite the Apropos reaction. I loved the idea of inducing culinary post-traumatic stress.

Jobasha

Has always been one of my favorite characters. I absolutely love the fresh and comedic, yet deadly serious portrayal here. In my game, Huleeya and Jobasha became very good personal friends of my main character. I even wanted to make a mod once upon a time that would have turned Huleeya into a follower and made him into a dark-scaled Argonian with a 'Shadowscale' mod someone made.

It turns out I can't script for scrib jelly and my eyes were bigger than my stomach...mouth even.

The Vivec Murders

I did a much less well written version of this, and yet find it hard to be overly sympathetic for Mister Grumpy. Especially as he was about to abuse his authority to probably abuse our anti-heroine.

Love the description of the Sleeper Woman. Loved it. The dagger was...'meh' in-game, much preferred your version of it as well . Much better in the Morrowind Rebirth mod. A retextured Mehrunes Razor with the ash statue texture I'm guessing. Perhaps put up a screenie later.

And take my advice, ask for the belt! It's like the least used slot, and seriously would come in handy when you got twenty ordinators chasing you across Dren Plantation screaming that you have sealed your fate.

Your watch commander gave me the armor!!

[haute ecole rider]

Having never played MW, a lot of this is new to me.

Loved the encounter with Jobasha - I could see/hear him talking thanks to your writing! Yikes, so he knows Adryn's less-than-delectable history? Small world!! (or would it be Small Nirn??)

So Mr. Grumpy decided to go all PAPD (see post #10) on our Adryn? Good thing that Dunmer woman was there to stop him! Ruh-roh, maybe not!

[mALX]

*

I squeezed my eyes shut to hold back tears, feeling the memories hovering at the edge of my mind. If I let them, they'd overwhelm me. Instead, I reached forward and let my fingers trail along the wall, let my thoughts become absorbed by the tingle of rough stone against my fingertips, the soothing pattern of the circling motion...

This is an outstanding paragraph! What imagery you have created here!

My eyes widened. "Behind you!"

I winced as my upper arm was captured in a hard, armoured grip. "How stupid do you think I am? That's the oldest trick in the book. You..."

BWAAHAA!

My perception of the world sharpened in the way extreme unadulterated terror sometimes does to you. Suddenly, every brick on the wall came into sharp relief. Every scar on the woman's face, the sway of her blood-red hair, the blank, glazed look in her eyes engraved itself in my memory, and the woman's already dragging, listing approach slowed to a crawl

Really great detail here!

Notes: See, I realised last week that if I gave you the entirety of Jobasha's scene in one go I could leave you on a cliffhanger reach the end of the chapter just before I was going on holiday for two weeks! Giving everyone time to catch up to the latest installment! Aren't I nice to you?

*...ducks rotten vegetables*

BWAAHAA! NO VACATION FOR YOU! GET BACK HERE! GAAAAAH!

This was a great chapter! Don't know how that spell works, so was a little hazy on the rope thing, but got the gist. So the 6th house has decided poor Adryn is offensive, lol. I have to go read up on how much of this is Morrowind and how much your outstandingly creative imagination, I guess I have two weeks to accomplish that!

Have a wonderful time, you deserve it! <3



*

[Grits]

The sight of so many of those blank masks turned in my direction served to cool the worst of my rage.

I just love this line.

The description of the spell was fantastic, and I love that it doesn’t always work. It was great fun catching back up, and this last chapter is a favorite of favorites!

[Kazaera]

Chapter 8: 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8

And I'm baaaack! Tired, slightly sunburned despite best preparations, toting what I hope will be some gorgeous pictures (also, a giant pile of dirty laundry that is currently sitting and looking at me chidingly) and bearing more Adryn!

Just so you know, I'll probably move to weekly updates now instead of twice-weekly, seeing as my pre-written material ends shortly after this chapter.

@Black Hand - glad you enjoyed!

I hear you about modding eyes being bigger than one's stomach - I keep playing with the idea of an Ervesa companion mod (or a *spoiler* one, for two characters who I'm currently playing/pretending to play due to lack of companion mod Tamriel Rebuilt with who'll become quite important later on), but that's definitely too big of a job for me.

And I'm taking a lot of leeway with enchanted items etc. - not using mods precisely, because Adryn isn't actually playable as a game protagonist because she's a noncombatant (oops) but going with how I figure items were meant to work - in this case, the information we get in-game about how the murders happened means this is the effect they were going for. (Related, I've also scaled up the Damage Fatigue ability of Adryn's Lover power to knock her out good!) And re: which reward to take - I hear you! I think I also made the mistake of taking the armour exactly once. (Couldn't they have made him give you a different item that looked the same and with the same stats but without the associated script? Or just scripted it so you could wear the armour after finishing this quest?) As for Adryn... you'll see.

@haute - I'm glad you're enjoying despite not having played Morrowind! I am definitely riffing off in-game quests here - in particular, the sudden appearance of the murderer is from the Mysterious Killings in Vivec quest, although I tried to foreshadow it a bit via Adryn hearing rumours about a serial killer so it wouldn't come entirely out of nowhere for people who didn't know about that quest. And yeah, that Ordinator *definitely* needed a talk about abuses of power...

@mALX - thanks! And whoops, just realised I didn't specify which spell I meant /o\ it was Almsivi Intervention, for teleporting to the closest Temple - Ervesa taught it to Adryn, it was responsible for their misadventure in Suran. I might see if I can edit in an explicit mention seeing as not everyone is going to have those events as vivid in their memory as I do! And I am very much riffing off in-game quests here, although she definitely didn't get into this one in the standard way.

@Grits - thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed! I'm especially glad you enjoyed the spell description, I'm having a lot of fun figuring out better descriptions of magic than "I wiggled my fingers and there were appropriately coloured sparkly lights and a whooshy sound effect!"

Last chapter, Adryn's day out in Vivec met with obstacles - ranging from Archmages of the Mages' Guild expecting her to solve one of Tamriel's greatest mysteries, angry Ordinators, overwhelmed enchanters and nobles who should really have been arrested for sexual harassment to blackmailing booksellers and finally culminating in her getting attacked by a strange serial killer with a dangerous enchanted dagger. Adryn cast Almsivi Intervention just in time to get away, so everything should be fine now... right?

Now, Adryn learns just how badly a teleportation spell can go wrong.

Chapter 8.1

*****

This time, the teleportation was a lot more violent. Instead of the smooth shift of before, it felt rather as if some giant had picked me up and tossed me through the realms of Mysticism in what must be the direction of the nearest Temple. I staggered and almost lost my balance on the 'landing' and made a mental note never to teleport under stress again. Well, at least now I was away from the serial killer and safe at a Temple...

I opened my eyes.

Oh, Ysmir's balls.

Judging by the style of interior decorating, the large hall I'd landed in was no Temple, especially since the one I'd seen had tended to the sparsely furnished. Here, on the other hand, the rich decorations - ranging from the very expensive magicka-lit chandelier over gleaming swords with gem-inlaid hilts hanging on the wall to exquisite paintings, all of scowling armour-clad Dunmer - made all of my thieves' instincts spring into high alert.

Rich person's home. Rich person who would probably not be too happy to come home and find an ex-thief in the middle of their manor. I seriously doubted "oh, so sorry, teleportation accident" would fly - I barely believed that story myself and it had actually happened to me. At least there was no one around right now-

"Who in Oblivion are you?"

I turned around, swearing to myself that one day, one day I would learn not to think things that provoked the universe to immediately prove me wrong. "I'm really sorry, this was an accident, I-" I blinked when the angry nobleman I was expecting to face turned out to be a Nord in simple dark clothes. Holding a lockpick.

"I've waited weeks for the perfect opportunity to do this - finally the family's all out at some dinner party, I manage to bribe the maid to put sleeping potion into the guards' food, everything's going according to plan and then some witch decides to pop out of nowhere. Damn it all to the Deadlands, the Sarethis weren't nearly this much trouble."

The man had swapped his lockpick for a dagger - it seemed to be made out of the glittering green material Fasile had called 'glass', which under other circumstances I'd have been curious about. In this case, however, I found my attention much more caught by the fact that it looked sharp and was pointing at me. Why did everyone I met today want to stab me? Had I accidentally left the Mages' Guild with an 'Adryn: now doubling as a pincushion' sign stuck to my back?

"Now," the Nord continued, "tell me what you're doing here or else-"

"Teleportation gone wrong. Would you mind not waving that in my face? Besides," some sense of professional pride reared its head, "you don't look that green, surely you know not to kill someone on a burglary. You know - thieves' honour, not to making the profession look bad, avoiding guardsmen coming after everyone with sharp objects, the usual. And what are you even planning on doing with the bod-"

"Did I ask you how to do my job?" the man snapped. "No! I didn't! And- teleportation gone wrong, you expect me to believe that? Everyone knows that doesn't actually happen." Oh, thank you so much for telling me. I bow to your superior skills and experience. Clearly this is in fact a Temple and I'm just hallucinating. Happens all the time. "What's to stop you from running out and getting the guards right now?"

Well, for one the fact that I had no idea where 'out' was. There were several doors I could see and I hadn't the slightest idea which one was the exit. But he didn't need to know that. Instead... "If I were going to do that I would have already, surely? Honestly, I don't want any trouble. I'll just leave now and you can pretend I was never here-"

The Nord scowled. "Not a chance, witch. I don't want to risk that you'll call the authorities, either on purpose or by blundering into them." My back stiffened in indignation - this greenhorn insulting my stealth skills? - but he continued. "No, you can just stay right here with me while I finish my business, and I'll figure out what to do with you when we're both out of here."

That, like a lot of the things the man had said so far, sounded remarkably short-sighted - and believe me, when I'm the one saying this, it really means something. "What, you're planning on dragging me with you while you search for the jewellery box? Seriously, just let me go and I'll-"

A meaty hand grabbed my forearm. "No, you're coming with me. It won't be long. I heard Venim bragging about some priceless treasure he had locked up in his home, and dear Vendrela from the kitchen was so helpful in telling me that there's two guards always loitering about here." Indeed, he was steering me towards a suspicious-looking tapestry flanked by two collapsed figures. Sleeping potion, hadn't he said? I couldn't fault his planning for this heist, even if I did have to fault his attitude. "And then the whole world will know of Allding, who broke into two Councilor mansions! A feat the Grey Fox or the Gentleman would have been hard-put to manage!" And his discretion. Really, I pondered as Allhotair pushed aside the tapestry to uncover a (badly) hidden door, if I were his guildmaster I'd have kicked him out long ago just for excessive boasting. "Then Aengoth will promote me for sure." Or for being utterly pathetic.

He had to let me go to pick the lock on the door, which would have been the opportune moment to make a run for it. I didn't, because I still didn't know where "out" was or, for that matter, what "out" was. (Was I even in Vivec anymore?) Besides, I knew that make of lock and it wouldn't take him-

Good grief.

I winced as one of his picks snapped in the lock and he fumbled for another one. Scratch the boasting, who on Nirn had hired the man? With that dexterity he ought to be a juggler - you know, the kind that makes the audience laugh because of their sheer incompetence, whose ultimate trick is knocking themselves out by accident.

"Oh for- let me, or else we'll be here all night." I reached over and grabbed the picks out of his hands. "I refuse to let myself get arrested because you're too incompetent to manage a simple lock."

By the time he closed his mouth I already had the first pick in the lock. Pretty lousy quality, and the lock was a bit more difficult than I'd guessed, but-

"Hey, what do you think you're doi-"

Snick.

I felt a smug smile spread across my face as his mouth dropped open again. "Opening the door. Since you were having such trouble with it. By the way," I was feeling magnanimous - definitely magnanimous, it most certainly wasn't gloating, "don't jerk the picks suddenly in a Vicici style lock. The tumblers are positioned in a way that makes them snap easily. Increase the pressure gently, you don't need much."

"I'll do that. Thanks." The look Allboasts graced me with was quite a bit less hostile and more thoughtful than his previous. Perhaps he could be trained! Not too much of a surprise - I hear you can train monkeys, after all, and he seemed only a little less intelligent than one. "Say, you're not half bad." Why, thank you for noticing. Better than you, anyway. "Who are you, anyway? You Guild too?"

"I'm A-" giving my real name to a Guild thief who was curious about my skill was a very bad idea Adryn what are you doi- "-Arvese," I invented quickly, silently apologising to Ervesa. "And no, I'm... retired. Except when someone decides to drag me along against my will." I shot him a glare.

He shrugged, totally unapologetic. "I want you where I can see you. Now, let's see what beauties old Venim has hidden behind here - and don't you think you'll get a share..." he eased the door open.

The sight that met our eyes was definitely not one I was expecting.

*****

Next

This post has been edited by Kazaera: Sep 14 2013, 07:38 PM

[Black Hand]

Tee-hee!

Actually had to look up the exact definition for 'magnanimous' - "..being particularly forgiving towards a rival, or one less powerful.'

I like the quick nicknames she comes up with for people.

And I *do* know what lies behind hidden door number three.

How in Nirn did a teleportation spell go that awry?! Methinks Adryn is getting closer and closer to a particular Sixth House, without necessarily meaning too.

[Grits]

Ooo, what’s behind the door?! (I lost the ability to turn left or right before I got very far in Morrowind. Must sort that out some day.)

I love this adventure that Adryn’s fallen into. A ham-fisted Nord thief! Fun.

[haute ecole rider]

Between the Nord thief's Peter Sellers persona and Adryn's native sarcasm you had me rolling!

With that dexterity he ought to be a juggler - you know, the kind that makes the audience laugh because of their sheer incompetence, whose ultimate trick is knocking themselves out by accident.

What a delightful picture you paint here! I was instantly reminded of the Keystone Kops movies!

As I haven't played MW, I'm waiting to find out what's behind door number three!

[mALX]

I seriously doubted "oh, so sorry, teleportation accident" would fly

ROFL!!! LOVE that line!

At least there was no one around right now-

"Who in Oblivion are you?"

I nearly choked to death on this, ROFL!

GAAAAH! You ended on a cliffhanger! Urk, you can’t do this! More, More I say!

AWESOME Write !!!

[Kazaera]

No update today - sorry guys, I didn't realise that would be a cliffhanger for the people who hadn't played MW before! - but I do come bearing screenshots.

First off, I've been working on a little mod for the Balmora mages' guild to get it more in line with how it is in Adryn's verse. Some caps for that:

Adryn stands in front of Ajira's alchemy workbench in her new lab

(You know, I've used that head mesh for Adryn so often I can't imagine using a different one, but two things about it bother me: one, her skin is a little lighter than I'd like - sadly not fixable without creating an entire new Adryn-race, I think, and also it'd make her look weird since all Dunmer in-game are the same colour. In SitC-verse, there's a little more diversity among skin tones - light grey to dark grey and shading to blue, green, brown or just plain grey, for instance. Two and worse, she looks as if she's always smiling! I really think Adryn's default expression is far more along the lines of my icon... well, here she's in an alchemy lab so I guess it's excusable.)

Ajira also has research notes

Adryn Does Not Approve of Masalinie's reading material (that's a quality restore fatigue potion on the table, btw, being a guild guide is hard work)

A close-up of the offending book

(I'm really proud of my Photoshop work on that one, by the by, although I just realised I could've figured out something with a bump map to emboss the title... oh well, next time.)

There is a special chamber for practicing destruction magic. It has strict rules.

No one obeys them. (Those are summoning and fireball scrolls in the corner, by the way.)

Really, no one. (I'm quite proud of my Photoshop work on the scorched dummy, too.)

Outside of the Mages' Guild... I think I promised you all a screencap of Ervesa two years ago. /o\ To make up for the delay, have three.

Who could this chitin-clad stranger be? And why might there be a dead kagouti in the background?

A bit of a closer look (still with dead kagouti). AND Ervesa looks too serious for my tastes, which means I probably got their faces the wrong way around. OH WELL this is how it is now. (Also, I quickly consoled her some pauldrons after I realised she was bereft in the last screencap.)

Ervesa's hairstyle, which I had some problems describing. Ignore the fact that she's wearing her dangly earrings in the field for the moment - she really only puts them in in town, but that was a bit too much modding for me. :/

We conclude with...



BEST FRIENDS FOREVER.

ETA: Oh yeah also! Adryn is now on the wiki.

This post has been edited by Kazaera: Jul 31 2013, 10:55 PM

[haute ecole rider]

I enjoyed the screens! It's nice to put faces to some of the characters in your story. I don't think Adryn looks too pleasant in her screenies - there's that hint of sarcastic humor that we see so well in your writing in her smile. So I wouldn't worry too much about that expression.

I love Ervesa's hairstyle! It looks similar to the Daggerfall braid in SubRosa's Aela & Ungarion fic. Hmmm, let's see, something along the lines of Ashlander plaits? It reminds me of some of the hairstyles worn by warriors in the Asian historical dramas (K dramas, Chinese martial arts films, etc), and I always thought Ashlanders were like the Mongolians and other steppe tribes that lived north of the Great Wall of China.

As an inveterate romance writer, I had to laugh at the cover of Masaline's reading material! Granted, my taste in romances run more to Robert Ludlum, Zane Grey and Ken Follett rather than to Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Victoria Holt and Catherine Cookson. I haven't read bodice-rippers in years so I'm not up to speed on who the latest best-selling romance writers today are. Sorry, ladies (and the occasional gent!). Still I recognized the cover and cracked up laughing at it! Passes the time, you have to admit!

[Captain Hammer]

Okay, loving all of this. The world-building for Adrynverse, what with the Mages Guildhalls overhauls and the mazeworks of ramshackle construction is fantastic. You're not playing the same Morrowind games I played. Which is awesome. Keep at it.

Adryn's run-in with the *ahem* actor bring back the memories. Your time with Uncle Crassius could have been more fleshed out, but I'm just going to leave that to my demented imagination. I can only imagine the relief Miun-Gei will eventually feel, should you return to Vivec.

Which, of course, brings up our murderess and Adryn's escape. Her time in Ald'Ruhn will play out soon, but for now, I'm going to comment on her run-in with the crazy one. You've definitively used it to demonstrate Adryn's natural reactions, her 'Flight' preference in a Fight or Flight situation, and how it played off her recent experience with Jobasha. The juxtaposition of "Fear of my old life catching up to me" with "Fear of losing my life right now" was really nicely played up.

At least her pants weren't suddenly wetter than before. Small things.

[mALX]

I saw all these pictures days ago, but just now getting to where I can tell you how much I loved them. The book looks AWESOME stacked on a table, I love what you did with it! Love the one with Ajira.

Ervesa is gorgeous, now I can really picture those jealous cats at the Mages Guild thinking up romance over the bouquet of ingredients, ROFL!

The scorched dummies were so well done, it really looks like they received the damage exactly like they would have in that practice area (and loved the set up of that practice area too! That would keep Maxical from frying her friends while practicing!

The practice “Rules” had me rolling !!! Of all of these, I have to choose Adryn’s portrait as my favorite, she is absolutely adorably beautiful !!!

Thank you so much for sharing these, I loved them all !!!!

[Kazaera]

Thanks everyone for commenting!

@Black Hand - I did consider whether to go for something slightly less polysyllabic for a moment, but Adryn has a bookworm's vocabulary. Also, she'd like you to know that this was definitely the 'one less powerful' definition, not the 'rival' one.

As to how the spell went that wrong - half of the story is that she accidentally latched onto something that wasn't the Temple teleportation beacon, something that happened to be making a mystical connection to Ald'ruhn at the exact moment Adryn was trying to teleport *coughs* *looks towards the Mages Guild* *coughs*. The other half - and the big question - is really how on earth she managed to do that, and that's a question that will take some time to fully answer...

@Grits - I'm glad you're enjoying the new adventure! I assure you Adryn isn't. *g* And I honestly didn't realise how many people read my story without having played Morrowind - now I feel kind of guilty about the unintentional cliffhanger...

@haute - Thank you for that video link! it almost made me ruin my keyboard. And I'm glad you like the screens, and think Adryn's expression works for her. Ashlander plaits, hmm? There might be something to that - I'll have to think about it... I'm also very glad you liked the romance novel! I'm not actually much of a romance reader (although since my tastes run to pulp fantasy and YA, I really have no room for snobbery on that front) - I got the image via Googling covers and finding one that struck me as just right. *g* Although honestly, I'm now considering investigating bodice-rippers so I can write a proper Morrowindy version for the in-game book or maybe even make a couple more - this was just way too much fun.

@mALX - I'm glad you like the pics! (And the update, of course ) Ervesa is meant to look very pretty, so I'm glad that came across *g* and personally, I think the practice chamber for destruction magic is an EXCELLENT safety device... although knowing Maxical, her spells might just go out the door behind her and take a sharp turn to blast straight into the common room, lol.

@Captain Hammer - thank you! I'm glad you like the worldbuilding - I just keep thinking of little touches to make each place a little more homey and lived-in, and also Ajira gets her own lab due to authorial favouritism . I did really think of expanding the encounter with Curio, but was having trouble coming up with something that lived up to my expectations so thought it worked best left to people's imaginations. I'm also really happy you noticed the way the encounter shows how Adryn resolutely opts for Flight over Fight, because that's something I'm trying to bring out!

Last installment, Adryn managed to teleport herself to the manor of Bolvyn Venim, where she was immediately accosted by a thief who'd been busy robbing the place and wasn't particularly happy to have her pop up out of nowhere. He decided to drag her along to a hidden door where he thinks Venim has been keeping valuable items. Now, we find out what is actually behind the door...

Chapter 8.2

*****

"Well, about time. With all due respect, surely an essential part of kidnapping involves not letting your victim starve to- wait a minute. You're not the guards."

Allding and I stared at each other, then at the bare cell behind the door. Bare, that was, apart from the Dunmer occupying it.

He looked about my age, with dark hair in a spiky half-shaved haircut that meant he was probably trying to give his parents a heart attack. His clothes were rich velvets (the kind that act much like a sign saying "my purse is crushing me under its weight, I would be ever so grateful if you relieved me of it" for thieves) although they were ripped and rumpled - I guessed from his captivity, although the heavy chains couldn't have helped either.

"Are you here to rescue me?" It was almost painful to watch his eyes light up with hope. "My name is Varvur Sarethi, my father is Athyn Sarethi, the Councilor." I heard a small moan from Allincompetent. "He'll reward you. Please- no!"

I grabbed Allding's arm before he could close the door again. "What do you think you're doing?" I hissed.

He glared at me. "Women. Bleeding hearts. Don't see what business it is of yours, but I have no damn intention of getting involved in politics." He spat. "That's the kind of thing that gets people like us killed."

He was right, but. "It's my business because you made it my business, and guess what, we're involved now whether we want it or not!" I whispered furiously. "You think whoever lives here is just going to leave us alone now that we've found him? You think he's going to keep quiet about the two intruders who stumbled upon him? Or his father will be happy about this if he does get rescued?" The set of Varvur's face made it clear that if we left him here, he would make sure we regretted it if it was the last thing he did. "At least if we grab him someone in this mess will be on our side!"

I moved towards him. The lockpicks were still in my hand...

"No, I'm going to stay well out of this." Allcoward turned his back to the prisoner, clearly preparing to storm off. "If you're so insistent on playing with the nobility, you can-" He broke off abruptly.

"Well, well, what have we here."

I turned around.

There should really be an upper limit on the amount of misfortune someone can experience in a day.

The Dunmer now standing at the other end of the room looked a lot like the angry nobleman I'd been worried about earlier. Worse yet, he didn't even look like an angry nobleman of the pampered, helpless without his guards variety where you can at least try to intimidate them into letting you run for it. No, this looked like an angry nobleman who ate the former type for breakfast and followed them off with a rampaging snow bear for lunch. The full suit of - was that actually ebony armour? - left that impression. Of course, he also had two guards with him. The effect was rather like that of a tiger flanked by kittens.

Maybe it was my lucky day and he wasn't actually the owner. Maybe he was just - just passing through, and would be shocked to find a kidnap victim and I could pretend to have been on a benevolent rescue mission-

"A spy. In my home."

My last shred of hope fizzled and died.

Wait a moment, why the singular?

My eyes darted to the side. Fumble-fingered he might be, but apparently Alltraitor could move quickly when push came to shove. He'd managed to make it to the side of the cell, out of view from the main room, and was fumbling with a potion. He looked at me, clearly pleading for me not to say anything. I scowled at him.

That said, there were times for taking revenge on treacherous snakes and there were times to prioritise one's own hide, in particular the saving thereof. This was definitely one of the latter.

I opened my mouth to defend myself, then closed it when I realised I was currently bereft of any plausible explanation. Well, if the mer could just give a moment - sheer desperation had always led to my greatest bouts of what I called 'creative planning' and Charon called 'utter insanity' in the past, I was sure it wouldn't let me down now-

Alas, the nobleman didn't seem inclined to wait for me to come up with something. His eyes narrowed, then he snapped something in what I supposed was Dunmeris. I didn't understand him, but judging by the way the guards started moving forwards I thought I could guess at the gist.

Said guards were noticeably slower and more wobbly than I am used to guards being. The potion was clearly still in their system. Now, if I were even remotely skilled at combat, this might have made a difference. Sadly, even a Bosmer who's just smoked a full pipe of skooma and is actually trying to attack the glowing rainbow unicorn behind me is capable of physically overwhelming me. (No, I'd rather not explain how I know that.) And, as if to prove that things could still get worse, the two guards knocked out at the entrance to the cell started stirring. The commotion had probably managed to penetrate their drug-induced haze.

My eyes darted from side to side. Allcoward was gone - an invisibility potion, I guessed, and he hadn't brought enough to share. Well, I was sure there'd be plenty of opportunity to revenge myself on him for landing me in this situation once I got out of it. As I was going to figure out a cunning plan to do exactly that in a moment.

Any second now.

A hand on my wrist. Varvur. "Don't you have any Intervention scrolls or something?" he whispered.

Oh. Of course.

All things considered, it looked as if staying here would be much more detrimental to my health than casting that spell again.

When the nobleman saw me raise my hands into a casting position, he shouted something and started forward himself. The speed at which he advanced made it obvious he hadn't so much as sniffed the sleeping potion the guards had been given-

To Oblivion with carefully locating the nearest beacon. I just tossed a rope out and yanked.

*****

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This post has been edited by Kazaera: Aug 10 2013, 11:46 AM