Jerric's Story, A Nord's Adventures in Cyrodiil Options

[SubRosa]

He had to admit he felt better with an armored back of any size in front of him.
Darnand sounds like pretty much every mage or archer here. Its always comforting to have a tank around like Jerric, Mazoga, or Tadrose whom you can hide behind!

The mention of Arkay's Law was a good lore friendly touch on your part. As was Darnand's concern for the people his summoning had slaughtered.

But the Khajiit’s ears remained forward, and her tail stayed low keeping graceful time with her steps.
A wonderful description of a calm kitty.

Something skittered between the trees ahead. Something big.
Uh oh, I don't like things that skitter. Or throw lightning. A Spider Daedra?

Sometimes I hate being right. Oh my, this is even worse. A horde of spiders? Ewwwww! Call Orkin! Or call Orcs in.

A nice description of Darnand's fight to retain control of his back-shot Fire Daedra. Plus I love the way you worked the Frost Astronaut's abilities. From flinging arms as missile weapons, to flowing around trees like water.

“That swarm was summoned. I said kill the big one!”
This had me laughing!

He may want to look for a Gate, Darnand realized.
I was thinking that too. That Daedra had to come from somewhere.

All in all, that episode was a fun romp. It was well worth the extra word-length. Once it got going, I did not really notice.

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Sometimes I hate being right. Oh my, this is even worse. A horde of spiders? Ewwwww! Call Orkin! Or call Orcs in.

Aaaaahahahahahaha!

[Colonel Mustard]

I'm all caught up! I'm all caught up!

And god DAMN is this good! I mean, seriously, you have an incredible talent for character-driven writing; Jerric, Darnand, Lildereth and Abiene are all excellently written, well rounded, complex characters, and the way they interact with each other and the world is an absolute joy to read. Your world-building is excellent and well thought-out, your action scenes are exciting, fast-paced and realistic, the consistent thread of humour throughout is great and your everything is just so...everything! I'm even sure what that means!

Also, the Aravi cameo for the last couple of chapters has been great. Love that kitty!

[King Coin]

The detail on Darnand’s hands at the beginning was fun. I like the idea that healing magic is much more complex than it is represented in the game.

Yikes, Darnand really got the lust for battle with the vampires. His actions with the care of the bodies would definitely help Aravi trust him. Genius with the envelopes!

But the Khajiit’s ears remained forward, and her tail stayed low keeping graceful time with her steps.


And then the fight! Oh this was so much fun to plan out with you! Pulling her tail was absolutely brilliant! I still laugh about it! And then the spiders just for Aravi! We are cruel.

“What the fetch! Madman! You set me on fire!”
Not what Darnand was expecting!

...And then Aravi! Covered in spider innards. She probably wants to scream right now. Her reaction to Darnand and Jerric was perfect!

Great chapter Grits.

[McBadgere]

So much to love!!...

A truly incredible chapter...

Ishckrihk!!!!!...*Sighs*... ...Finally... ...I absolutely loved that whole thing with him shooting his arm off, and the flowing around the trees in order to cut the distance...

Oh, I also thought that it was cool that it seemed to be entirely from Danand's POV this time...*Applauds*...

Laughy bits ahoy!!...

“Arkay’s balls!” cursed Darnand.

One hand scraped against an armored hip, the other closed around something warm and furred. With horror, he realized he had fallen into Aravi and was pulling her tail.

Aravi’s yowl sounded over his own surprised squawk.

“Spiders!” she hissed. “Nords! Bretons!”

...Oh my, they were too funny...

I hope there's not going to be another gap after this flurry of excellence... ...

Looking forward to much more...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

[Darkness Eternal]

Valley of Hope, part four: The entrance to this spooky place had me on the egde. It is great to see all these characters together! Aravi did some good killing here. Love that shot with her bow.

I enjoyed this particular detail here:

If they were vampires their flesh would rapidly decompose once the energy that had animated them faded. Old vampires would fall into dust, but fledglings would only wither.

Goes to show that these guys are walking fossils! Jerric will make short work of them!

The team-up here is awesome. The imagery of Jerric running into the room with an atronach behind him had me laughing, but also painted a pretty cool picture.

"You need someone to hold your hair back like a woman.”

It was nice and wise to see that they stopped to consider that the vampires could have hoarded the material possessions of their prey. Out of sentiment and the need to deliver proof, bringing these things back to the villagers would be a nice touch. You added humor, action and a bit of drama all in one! Hooray!

Part five:

Talk about lack of communication skills here. Poor Aravi! More spiders for her! I am a sucker for well-written battles and you delivered. Kudos.

Arkay's Law made a mention! Sticking to lore like Subrosa said. I like this a lot. You are a good writer and I regret not checking this story out before. I can learn from you, Grits! Truly, I can.

Once again this chapter has humor on it that actually had me laughing. This part had me digusted.
Khajiit stood in the scattered spider parts, a sword clenched in each quivering hand. Black ichor dripped down her face and chest. Her eyes were wild, ears flattened back, tail rigid and bushed out.

This post has been edited by Darkness Eternal: Apr 6 2013, 11:57 PM

[Grits]

Previously: Jerric, Darnand, Lildereth, and Aravi finished their business in the vampire lair. Aravi agreed to camp with them, and they went to find a site she knew near warm springs. On the way they encountered a spider daedra. Aravi and her screenshots appear with the cooperation and generosity of her creator King Coin. Thank you so much, KC!!


Elisabeth Hollow: Thanks!

Acadian: That was a fun scene to write, especially on the heels of the vampire fight. Lil appreciates the sympathy. Her skills prevent big messy fights, so her successes could be written as, “…and no one suspected a thing.” Thank you, Acadian!

ghastley: Yep, Darnand is a loose cannon these days. More power than practical experience (Apprentice birthsign) and more confidence than judgment. He didn’t know that Aravi was shooting much less where she was behind him when he summoned. Jerric will report on his hair status shortly. And yes, Aravi is not a fan of spiders! Thanks, ghastley!

Lopov: Welcome to the story, Lopov! Thanks, and I’m glad you’re reading.

mALX: I’m glad you enjoyed the spiders and tail-pulling. We had a blast writing them. Aravi and Darnand had a rough time on this adventure! This whole part reminds me of the fun we had sending our characters to clear dungeons in Aravi’s Oblivion thread. All they needed was for Maxical to pop up with that bow and arrows that she found!! Thank you, mALX!

SubRosa: Darnand is still coming to grips with killing people, so I’m glad you pointed out those lines. Even in his own POV I wasn’t sure if that was coming across. Teresa’s story has inspired me to think harder about how magic works in Jerric’s world, especially the possibilities with summoned astronauts. Thank you, SubRosa!

Colonel Mustard: You caught up!! Wow, and yay! Your kind words have me grinning and blushing. This has been quite a learning experience. Thank you so much, and I’m glad you’re reading!

King Coin: I was just looking over our notes for this section and giggling like a fiend about it. Writing this together has been tremendous fun! And thankfully it seems our characters did not all storm off in a huff over the trials we gave them. You really picked up on how Darnand’s summoned dremora fueled his recklessness when he was already enjoying his own fire a little too much. Thank you, KC!

McBadgere: Finally the Ishckrihk episode!! I’m so glad you liked it. After I didn’t show him being awesome against the vampires I wanted to yell, His Big Part Is Next!! (Er… that didn’t sound quite right. ) But I waited. Thank you so much, McB!!

Darkness Eternal: Thank you for your vampire advice! I like the way different areas of Tamriel have their own kinds of vampires, and I wanted mine to make sense. Also as a PS3 player my characters can’t cure vampirism, so not knowing a cure was a little dig at Those Who Failed To Fix The Game. I’m glad you enjoyed the fights. There aren’t many so I tend to stress over them. Thanks, DE!


Next: Let’s go camping, for real this time. This is the fifth of five segments featuring King Coin’s Aravi.

[Grits]

.

Chapter 16: Valley of Hopes, Part Six

Jerric stood at the pool’s edge, knee-deep in soft ferns. The water was just warm enough to bring early spring to this sheltered grotto. Cold air flowed down from the mountain, sending mist off the surface in slow tendrils. Frogs trilled in the reeds. The stars bathed him in cool light.

“I wish I had a tail,” said Jerric.

Darnand snorted. “If you had a sixth appendage we would never get anything done. You took so long in the bushes I thought you had fallen into some crevasse.”

“It was that Hope Valley sheep’s cheese,” Jerric laughed. “It made me costive.”

“It was a Khajiit and a Bosmer vying for your imagination.” Darnand knelt in the pool’s shadowed end, but Jerric could guess his expression.

“It’s a shame but that’s all I have to work with,” Jerric replied, bouncing on his toes. “All that sweet tail back at the campsite, and you’ve had your hands on both of them.” He leaped up onto a boulder and back down, trying to land silently. “That reminds me of a joke.”

“No tail jokes tonight, if you please,” said Darnand. “It might be racially uncomfortable. And for the love of Stendarr put on some trousers if you must prance about. Some of us can see in the dark.”

“Are you still shaving? What happened, can’t find your other chin whisker?” Jerric hopped back up on the rock. “Anyway Lildereth has pointy ears and you’re slim as a maiden but we don’t avoid the subject. I guess it’s the same with a tail.” A breeze whispered through the tall firs and curled around him like Kyne’s softest kiss. “Gods, it’s good to be alive tonight!”

Darnand splashed out of the pool, shivering. He lunged for his pack. “Wh-when were you in danger?” He quickly dried himself with the cleaner side of his mages robe. Towels had been among the casualties when they re-packed Jerric’s armor.

“Well the vampires went down pretty quick, but then some Breton tried to burn my face off. Again.”

“Apologies. We should add to my practice drills. Casting under duress.” Darnand’s head disappeared as he scrubbed his hair with the robe.

Jerric considered giving him some immediate duress. One leap would carry him halfway across the pool, but he would have to flounder the rest of the way to the Breton. Darnand would have too much time to react.

“Speaking of which, how is your..?” Darnand made a vague gesture, head still under the robe.

“My what? Face? Don’t worry, the spiders took the worst of it. Besides I can grow another beard, and what’s the real point of eyebrows?” He scratched across his belly, still sparsely furred thanks to Darnand’s fire scroll two weeks ago. “You know if I had absorbed your spell, I would also have protected the spiders.”

“I know, though at the time it did not occur to me. My knowledge is largely academic. It is imperative that we expand its practical applications.”

Jerric pondered that statement while Darnand combed his hair. “Yeah,” he finally said.

Darnand tugged his robes into order, then hefted the pack onto one shoulder. “May I guess as to the nature of your first conversational offering at dinner? You are going to ask if I enjoyed my piece of tail.”

“Uh,” said Jerric.

“I fear that Aravi will misinterpret your jest as an inappropriate advance.”

“Ha! I never make unwelcome advances.” Unless they might annoy you, he thought with a grin.

“If she slaps you it will hurt more than usual,” Darnand warned.

Jerric jumped down into the ferns. “How’s your head? Any claw marks?”

Darnand gave him a look. “I shall see you back at the campsite.”

It didn’t take the breeze long to dry him. Jerric pulled on his clean tunic and leggings.

The frogs fell silent as a night heron landed at the edge of the reeds. It squawked at him irritably.

“All right, don’t get your feathers in a bunch,” he told it. “You sound like a Breton. I can’t find my damnable camp shoes.”

Jerric made his way through the fir trees to their campsite tucked between a ledge and a steep rockfall. They had a view over the valley, but the valley also had a view of them. Thus the need for a night watch.

The smell of stew cooking made his stomach gurgle. He heard Aravi’s and Lildereth’s voices alternating in conversation. Jerric tossed his soiled clothes at his pack and joined them beside the fire. Darnand passed him a cup of cold water. His face told Jerric to sit down and keep quiet.

“When you first spoke to me, that was Ta’agra?” Aravi asked Lildereth. She drew her claws through the end of her tail like a comb, picking off burrs.

“Yes.” Lildereth looked into her cup.

Jerric stilled himself.

Aravi’s voice sounded mildly curious. “How is it that you speak the Khajiit language?”

Lildereth’s brows came together. “How is it that you do not?” she snapped.

“I am not from Elsweyr.” Aravi gave Lildereth a level look.

“I’m sorry.” Lildereth spoke in a rush. “I’m being rude, and there’s no call for it.” She bit the corner of her lip. Her eyes found Jerric’s. “Is the stew ready?” she asked a little wildly.

“Not yet. We have some time.”

The fire crackled. Crickets chirped in the ferns. An owl called from the firs overhead and was answered by another down in the valley.

Then Lildereth spoke. “I’m from Valenwood. My village was on the banks of the Xylo River, at the border with Elsweyr. We lived in the trees right over the water. It never grew cold there. Fruit and fish practically fell onto our plates. Athay wasn’t far, and we could get there without ever touching the ground. They had a harbor.”

She took a trembling breath and continued. “You’ve heard of the border wars between the Khajiit and my people.”

Darnand nodded. “The Five Year War.”

“That’s what some call it. I don’t suppose any of you were born yet.”

Jerric searched his memory. His childhood stories had largely featured questing knights and wicked sorcerers, and he had parted ways with formal education before the history lessons left the First Era.

Aravi looked puzzled.

“Assume I didn’t get far in school,” Jerric told Lildereth.

“It was right before the turn of the century,” Lildereth said. “For a time the war didn’t touch us. We heard of battles and a truce, but day to day our lives were the same. Of course there was some tension when we saw our Khajiiti neighbors, but we had always lived so close together. It seemed that the war was for outsiders and we river folk would weather it as we had every other storm.” She looked over at Aravi. “So you see, I’ve always spoken Ta’agra. For a time I heard it every day.”

Darnand spoke. His tone was more gentle than Jerric could have imagined was possible. “What happened during the war?”

“They sacked Athay,” said Lildereth. Her eyes grew wide and blank.

Jerric felt as if a fist had closed over his chest. She lost everyone, he remembered.

“It was our Khajiiti friends,” she continued. “I don’t know what they thought we had done. They came at the front of their army like a great wind through the trees. I had just been found worthy of a gin-jiru bow. My first kill was an Ohmes-raht. I knew her. Her name was Nahdari.”

Jerric glanced at Aravi. The Khajiit sat perfectly still, arms wrapped around her raised knees.

“We fled while the forest burned. I couldn’t think because the trees were screaming, and all I could see was the hate in Nahdari’s eyes. Later folk said the Khajiit had dagi with them. Spell casters. I didn’t know about any of that. I wasn’t yet considered an adult, and I still lived with my parents. I was thirty, the age of… well it translates to ‘the age of stupid decisions,’ so I’m not surprised that Cyrodilic doesn’t have a word for it. My life had been one long summer.”

Lildereth took a sip from her cup.

“Go on,” Darnand murmured.

“We ran to Vindisi, a little town sheltered down in a valley. Khajiiti followed us the whole way like furibari in the trees. Like bad spirits. It was dark, and we could see the smoke in the sky lit up red and orange from the fires below. Our tribe only had three children, and none of them made it that far.”

Lildereth put down her cup. “My people have a way of living, nunkadai. It means ‘I am because we are.’ A person is only as separate from others as a branch is from the tree’s trunk. There is no self without the whole. I cannot speak about what happened next. All I can say is that when the ritual began, I fled. I ran away from my people, my responsibility, every purpose there could have been for my being.”

Jerric looked over at Darnand.

“The last Wild Hunt,” Darnand said. “It is said that every monster in the world is a remnant of a Wild Hunt. But the account I read claimed that they… that your folk… were all destroyed.”

Lildereth shook her head. “Many escaped the valley. I saw from where I hid up high in the rocks. The army was upon them when the horde burst free of the temple. The things that my tribe had become devoured the Khajiit and then turned on each other. It’s said that they were trapped by an avalanche, but that’s not true. I saw the shapes in the moonlight, moving away through the trees. I heard the cries. And I remember.”

For a time nothing spoke but the crackling fire.

“Mara’s moon blood,” said Jerric. He let out an explosive breath.

Lildereth gave a shaky laugh. “Aravi, I promise I will not become a wild beast tonight. I’m sure that’s more than you ever wanted to know about wood elves.”

Aravi sat in wide-eyed silence. Jerric wondered if she might simply stand up and walk away after Lildereth’s revelations.

“That is whom you are hunting,” Darnand said to Lildereth.

Lildereth picked up her drink. “Yes.”

“Where did you go when you ran?” asked Jerric. “You were still a kid by your reckoning, right? Who were the Imperial couple you told us about in Arenthia?”

Lildereth stood up. “The stew is ready.”

Jerric took the hint and climbed to his feet. “Breton, will you scoop it out for us? I’ll get the wine.” He walked a short distance with his back to the fire. After a moment his eyes adjusted, and the hilltops took shape dropping away in the distance. No other campfires were visible. And no angry orange glow from a Gate.

Lildereth appeared beside him.

“I guess that puts me at the age of stupid decisions,” he told her.

“A Nord’s thirty is a Bosmeri sixty,” she said. Jerric could hear the smile in her voice. “You can’t blame your age any more.”

“Today, in the ruin. When I saw you standing there with your little arrow and Darnand on the ground.”

Lildereth found his hand. “I’ll let you have that arrow and you can see just how little it is. Where would you like me to put it?”

“I’m not a vampire. You know what I mean.” A small squeeze told him that she did. “Anyway, you didn’t run.”

When Lildereth spoke she sounded somehow defeated. “I was going to use you.”

She wasn’t talking about the vampires any more.

“Now I know why you need us,” said Jerric. “I wondered. We both wondered.” He pushed down all the promises he couldn’t keep. “I hope you’ll stay with us. I’m running out of time, but I hope I get a chance to be what you want.”

Lildereth turned her face up toward him, pale in the starlight.

“You trusted us with this,” Jerric told her. “I can’t think of a greater honor.”

She slowly shook her head. “I would have let you—”

“But you didn’t. You told us. That’s more than I’ve been able to do. I guess you have an idea my sword is spoken for.”

“The Blades.”

“I can’t tell you more.”

Darnand’s voice carried to them from the campfire, but Jerric couldn’t make out the words. He wondered if Aravi’s quiet presence had triggered Lildereth’s confession. No doubt it had been building for some time. Perhaps the Breton could find the words to thank Aravi.

Lildereth hugged his arm. “I miss them so much,” she whispered, wiping her nose on his sleeve.

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I wish we could go home.”

Back at the campfire they admitted that they hadn’t brought any wine. Jerric sat cross-legged and tucked into his stew.

“These clouded funnel caps make the meal,” he said to Lildereth. “Thanks for murdering them for us.”

The Bosmer rolled her eyes at him.

“You might have chopped them a little finer,” Darnand told him.

“Teeth are for chewing,” said Jerric. He watched Aravi blow on a spoonful before she ate it.

“I did not notice cattle in Hope Valley,” Darnand mused. “Where do you suppose they got this beef?”

“It’s probably cave beef,” said Jerric. “It sure isn’t mutton.”

Aravi paused, spoon raised.

“Cave beef?” asked Darnand.

“Yeah, same as sand beef. Rat. Not corpse-fed tomb rat, just good old cave-dwelling, cairn bolete stuffed— Are you all right?”

Aravi put down her stew, coughing. She took a gulp from her cup.

“He is jesting,” Darnand said, wrinkling his brows. His spoon became a delicate probe as he investigated his bowl.

“Is that like mountain oysters?” laughed Lildereth.

“Yeah,” said Jerric. “Only the opposite.”

Aravi pressed white knuckles against her mouth. Her shoulders heaved.

“Gods,” said Jerric. “I was only jesting! It’s beef from the valley, I swear it. They buy calves every spring and graze them in the meadows, but they don’t overwinter like the sheep. Igren told me all about it. They dry the meat to preserve it, that’s why the stew took so long to cook. Aravi, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you sick.”

Darnand spooned another bite into his mouth. “You are a brave man if you sleep tonight, Nord.”

“Anyway rat meat is more stringy,” Lildereth said to Aravi. She raised her eyebrows in an encouraging manner.

Aravi just stared at Jerric, shaking her head.

Jerric waited as long as he could. Lady Luck favors the bold, he decided.

“Uh, Aravi, if you’ve really lost your appetite…” He nodded at her abandoned bowl. “That is to say, are you going to finish that?”

.

This post has been edited by Grits: Apr 8 2013, 04:48 PM

[Elisabeth Hollow]

That was some intense stuff from Lildreth's past. But she told them! That's a step in the right direction!

[mALX]

Anyway rat meat is more stringy,” Lildereth said to Aravi. She raised her eyebrows in an encouraging manner.

Very visual line - and funny picturing it! Absolutely LOVED this chapter! Some one on one time between Jerric and Darnand was so missed! Lildereth’s finally confessing her secrets, how Jerric must feel the similarity of what they’ve been through and where they are headed - except the enemies aren‘t the same ones, and Jerric‘s sword is spoken for. (hopefully he meant only the sword that hangs at his side). I knew the second Aravi abandoned her bowl Jerric would pounce on it like a hungry leopard, ROFL! Spectacular chapter, and Awesome Write!

[Acadian]

A wonderful two part episode.

First, we have the boyz and their bath. Here, you so totally capture both of them with their own words:
“I know, though at the time it did not occur to me. My knowledge is largely academic. It is imperative that we expand its practical applications.”
Jerric pondered that statement while Darnand combed his hair. “Yeah,” he finally said.’

Don’t feel bad, Jerric. Buffy wishes she had a tail too sometimes. Something about always wishing for what you don’t have.

*

Ah, then back to camp for part deux -

‘The fire crackled. Crickets chirped in the ferns. An owl called from the firs overhead and was answered by another down in the valley.’
Another magnificent bit of Grits painting the scene – only this time with sound. Oh, and a beautiful screenshot, thanks to KC!

Very cool to hear Lildereth open up about her past. Loved hearing about her Valenwood. Aravi’s having a good influence on her.

Poor kitty’s patiently endured having her tail pulled, spiders dropped on her and now rat / not rat stew.

[SubRosa]

A breeze whispered through the tall firs and curled around him like Kyne’s softest kiss.
This was a particularly wonderful metaphor.

what’s the real point of eyebrows?
To keep sweat from dripping down into your eyes? This reminds me of an interview I once saw with Peter MacNicol, who starred in Dragonslayer. His face was singed in one scene, and his eyebrows completely burned off. He mentioned the part about the sweat falling into his eyes after that. You learn the strangest things from movies...

“Ha! I never make unwelcome advances.”
Now that is spoken like a true male!

Another wonderful Aravi picture for the campsite.

I loved your description of Lil's old home on the banks of the Xylo, especially the part about being able to walk to the city without stepping on the ground. It is hard to imagine it now, but the entire eastern U.S. seaboard was like that at one time.

“Assume I didn’t get far in school,” Jerric told Lildereth.
This reminds me of The Chronicles of Riddick. "Pretend you're talking to someone educated in the Penal System. In fact, don't pretend."

Lil's description of the sack of her home was a sobering examples of the horrors of war. Not just any war, but a civil war, where the people killing and being killed are friends. I loved the fact that you included so many Bosmer words in your description. It makes their culture come alive as being real and distinct. Especially small touches like "the age of stupid decisions" - sounds like 15 -20 for a human.

The Wild Hunt! Eeeps. I do not blame Lil for fleeing rather than take part in that. It may have been a betrayal of her people, but the Hunt itself is a betrayal of their own elfmanity as well. Now we finally see what is driving at Lil. It does a lot to explain her nature. Still, as dark a horror as it is to hunt down the monsters that your kin have become, at least she is not a Mythic Dawn agent!

“It’s probably cave beef,”
Oh noes! I know what that is!

[Elisabeth Hollow]

What's cave beef? I know what mountain oysters are... But...lol

[mALX]

What's cave beef? I know what mountain oysters are... But...lol

Cave beef is when Jerric is inside the cave, lol.

[Elisabeth Hollow]

What's cave beef? I know what mountain oysters are... But...lol

Cave beef is when Jerric is inside the cave, lol.

I don't get iiiiiiiit XD

[ghastley]

“That is whom you are hunting,” Darnand said to Lildereth.

The correctness of this sentence is just so Darnand.

And I note he's baiting Aravi as much as Jerric does. He needs to be careful, he might just get paid back in Skyrim.

[McBadgere]

I think that this was my fave Jerric episode ever... ...

On pretty much every level it was perfect...

Lildreth's story was hauntingly sad, yet the imagery beautifully rendered; the Jerric/Darnarnd banter at the start was funny as hell; the Jerric/Lildreth moment was just amazing, neither actually spelling it out loud...But still made me grin hugely in delight...

And then the joking at the end about the stew... ...

Your writing is just...*Sigh*... ...

So much I could quote, but this...

“Many escaped the valley. I saw from where I hid up high in the rocks. The army was upon them when the horde burst free of the temple. The things that my tribe had become devoured the Khajiit and then turned on each other. It’s said that they were trapped by an avalanche, but that’s not true. I saw the shapes in the moonlight, moving away through the trees. I heard the cries. And I remember.”

Just shiver inducing... ...

Let's hope there's some more very soon... ...

Pretty much perfect I say!!...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds most heartily*...

[Darkness Eternal]

No problem Grits, happy to help. I like that they have different types, too!

Yes Jerric, I wish I had a tail too!

The witty banther between Jerric and Darnard had me laughing. "How is what? My face?"



Lildereth's history was pretty cool to read. I echo the others. Xylo river, eh? A pretty exotic place. Then again, Valenwood is everything exotic compared to Cyrodiil and Skyrim or even High Rock. I enjoyed reading about her story about the Five Year War between the Bosmer and the Khajiit, and of course the Wild Hunt! One of the two Wild Hunt's in the ES.

I have to say what you're good at is writing dialogue. You have great skill in the pacing and the words that I sometimes struggle with! Good job on that

[haute ecole rider]

A little late to the updates, but I have finally caught up on your story.

It is as wonderful and immersive as always. Maybe better because of my prolonged absence.

Lildereth is just growing on me. She is turning into the star of this story for me, even though I still love Jerric and Darnand (and their interactions).

I really have enjoyed meeting Aravi. Especially enjoyed her arachnophobia. Though my own cats just watch the creepy-crawlies with bored fascination and little else of use.

[King Coin]

So sorry it’s taken me this long to comment, though you know I’ve read it long before now.

The imagery in the beginning is so beautiful. Cool air, a misty bath, shining stars, and frogs trilling.

Ah, all the reminders of Darnand’s troubles with fire. Their scrapping is so funny. Those two are so different.

Glad Aravi is spider-gunk free now. I’m sure she was the first to bathe.

Not yet. We have some time.
AKA “Keep talking!” Surprised that worked with Lil.

Now we finally learn what Lildereth is about. That was intense, and I see why she was nervous about trusting Aravi. And we see what she’s been looking for now.

Lildereth stood up. “The stew is ready.”
Aaand that’s it! No more from Lil now.

The stew jokes lightened it up nicely after Lil’s heavy revelations. Wonderful chapter and I very much enjoyed our collaboration together.