Buffy the Bowgirl, Book 1, Thread 4, Do You Know the Way to Kvatch? Options

[SubRosa]

the beautiful brown eyes that were deep enough to hold my dreams.
This was a wonderful passage. Those kinds of dreams always end too soon!

There are some nice little bits here that reveal Buffy is a hunter. The doeskin robe, the wolfskin to warm Ursanne's feet, etc... Good little things that support what you have written about her.

Here we see the seed you planted in the Tournament of Archers sprout. Buffy knows that Aleron borrowed heavily from Jabba the Hut to bet on Daenlin, and lost it all. Now that he has disappeared, I am sure she knows exactly where to start looking.

Did the fact that humans lived their short lives so quickly make them creatures to pity or treasures to cherish?
This was a subtle reminder of the differences in lifespans between humans and elves. Although in this case, I think the grey is from because of Ursanne's no-good husband, rather than Father Time.

Finally, another mention of Buffy's favorite guardsman, and the explanation for why she sees him so often at the front gate. It's not easy being a god cop in a bad town.

[Thomas Kaira]

It appears I have a lot of catching up to do.

I haven't had much time to read lately, what with my late computer's death throes and the need to order replacement parts, and with general life stuff that required precedence over time spent here. I've also been thinking long and hard about a few ideas I've been having.

I'm back to reading now, though I can't say for sure when I'll be finished playing catch-up.

[Acadian]

Episode 116 began with Buffy being interrupted from a dream of Savlian Matius. Her morning visitor was Ursanne Loche, desperate to find her missing husband, Aleron. After agreeing to try and help, Buffy considered the likelihood that Kurdan gro-Dragol was involved.

Rider- Thank your kindness in highlighting Buffy's hospitality. She has known Ursanne all her life and was clearly uncomfortable with the older woman deferring to her knighthood. I suspect Buffy was overcompensating and, without realizing it, displaying some 'servant-leadership' almost to the point of washing Ursanne's feet. I know you are familiar with the reference. Regarding the perplexingly dark web that is politics in Bravil, I'm leaving efforts at sorting that out to the impressive skills of you and SubRosa. I don't expect Buffy will ever understand too much more about what goes on inside the castle than the observations and hearsay that she can sometimes share with us.

KC- Thank you. I guess Buffy's dream was not surprising after spending the day thinking of Savlian and falling asleep with his letter. Much better than dreaming of being eaten by clannfears!

mALX- Well, Kurdan may be big and mean and cunning and dangerous, but considering how well they got on during their first meeting, what could go wrong? *gulp* Thank you!

hazmick- I'm so glad Haa-Rei made it through that quest! We will take some liberties with it (of course), but it should remain pretty recognizable. I think Kurdan outwitted and outgunned Buffy the last time they met; I hope she does better this time.

Grits- I knew you would note the dual meaning of that episode's title. I hope Buffy doesn't expect the real deal to be so ziplessly perfect - particularly when it gets to the sock drawer stage. You nailed Buffy's dilemma regarding Kurdan of course; she's going to have to somehow deal or compromise with his cunning nastiness to learn what she seeks. Gosh, I hope the episode title is not also a foreshadow of another greaves-peeing episode!

MyCat- Thank you. Once Buffy gets to arrow-nocking time, she will certainly heed your wise, cautionary advice.

ghastley- I join you in having a feeling that by the end of the quest, Buffy will need her entire repertoire of hard-earned skills. I'm so honored that you liked how we eased Buffy into 'Caught in the Hunt' in such a way that it made sense for her and fit within this storyline. It's a great quest, but in working it into Buffy's story we found that several more upcoming tweaks were necessary to have it make sense.

SubRosa- Thank you for enjoying Buffy's dream. It was a real challenge to write. I confess that even a day after posting it, I tweaked it to soften things a little bit. That was in between the time that hazmick and Grits read the episode. I am much happier with it now. Thank you for noting the trappings of a hunter in Buffy's home. I agree that after the gambling of the tournament, Aleron's misfortune was a natural progression here. As is so often the case, you nailed what we are trying to show in Bravil: For reasons beyond Buffy's understanding, there is something going on in the castle that results in selective law enforcement; yet, there are a few 'good cops' and, not surprisingly, those are the ones that Buffy calls friends.

TK- A warm welcome back! Best wishes with the computer and managing those pesky real life considerations. I look forward to the fruits of your in-progress creative ideas!

* * *

117 The Tournament of Archers, Part 33- Caught in the Hunt

"My name's Buffy. Who are you?"

The Khajiit I found upstairs at The Lonely Suitor Lodge wore a light set of unadorned mail. The curved ear of an elven bow and a small forest of arrow tails bristled above his shoulders. He eyed me suspiciously, then flattened his ears and said, "This one is called Ra'jhera the Keeneye. What do you want?"

"I'm looking for Kurdan gro-Dragol," I replied. "I have business with him."

His feline eyes traveled to the weaponry that rose above my own shoulders, then wandered down my blouse, buckskin greaves and boots. He pushed a door open behind him, turned his head and announced into the room beyond, "Kurdan, new prey."

A moment later the orc filled the doorway, tugging the drawstring on a pair of flax pants with one hand. Rubbing his eyes with the other, he said, "You got a death wish, elf? It ain't even noon yet."

"Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot the other night," I said, "but Ursanne Loche tells me Aleron is missing and she's worried sick about him. Since I suspect he owes you money, I'm hoping you might know his whereabouts and be willing to help poor Ursanne."

"Yeah, I know where he is." He scratched his bare chest and yawned. "What's it worth to you?"

Oh just great, I thought. Here we go again. "I don't wish to insult you, Kurdan, but I'm not going to sleep with you. My heart belongs to another."

"Bah!" he scoffed. "You missed your chance. I got me a nice Dunmer back here," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "and she ain't no frigid little bark biter like you. Start talking gold if you want to deal."

"Perhaps I could make good on Aleron's debt," I said, ignoring the insult. "How much does he owe you?"

The figure Kurdan quoted made me glad that I still had quite a bit of gold from the treasure that Alawen and I had shared from the Panther River. "I can cover that as soon as Aleron is safely back with Ursanne."

"It don't work that way. I'll tell you how it's going be and if you don't like it you can just take your skinny butt right out of here." One orcish eyebrow raised in challenge.

I felt outmaneuvered, but was determined to keep my temper under control. "I'm listening."

"That's better," said Kurdan. "You give me the gold now. Then, Raj here takes you by boat out to one of the local forts where I left my family axe. You retrieve it and Raj will bring you back. When I get the axe in my hands, I'll tell you where Aleron is."

"Why doesn't 'Raj' just get the axe for you?" I asked with a suspicious frown.

"This one doesn't like closed, dark spaces," said the Khajiit.

"Yeah, that's right," added Kurdan. "Make up your mind. If you agree, Raj'll take you out there right away - before you can shoot off that little mouth to your pals like Gladius Maro. I got dirt on Captain Lerus, but there's a handful of her guards that even she can't keep in the box."

I didn't trust Kurdan any farther than I could throw him of course. The problem was that I didn't really see any alternatives if I wanted to learn where Aleron was. After a sigh, I nodded in resignation, then started counting out gold.

"Good choice, elf." Kurdan said.

With a much lighter coin purse, I was led by the Khajiit out of The Lonely Suitor. The rain had stopped and clouds were yielding to late morning sunshine. We quickly arrived at the docks and an awaiting empty sailboat. The craft looked big enough to carry almost half a dozen, yet small enough to be crewed by one. Ra'jhera untied the boat as I stepped on board. He then joined me. After pushing us away from the dock, he unfurled the sail into a gentle breeze.

As we glided out of the city to join the Niben Bay, I remarked, "It's turned into a lovely day. Which fort are we going to? Do you think we'll be back by lunch?"

The Khajiit's eyes studied the horizon ahead of us while one paw made small adjustments to the rudder. His ears looked relaxed, but the tip of his tail flicked slowly back and forth.

I tried again. "Do you know what this axe I'm supposed to fetch looks like?"

Only a gentle flap from the sail replied.

"Um, Ra'jhera, I saw a mud crab out here the other day. They have sharp claws, but the meat is pretty good. Don't you agree?"

Silence.

I gave up trying to learn more of what lay ahead. We continued wordlessly.

After perhaps half an hour, the silhouette of old fort appeared ahead of us. As we drew closer, I could see it was on a small island and the gray stone walls were still glistening darkly from the preceding night of rain. I now recognized our destination as Fort Grief. The abandoned outpost was on my map, but I had never explored it. With no bridge leading to the island nor boats on the shore, I imagined the fort was probably abandoned except for perhaps a few mud crabs or water rats. How hard could it be to find Kurdan's axe? The item seemed important to him and, perhaps once it was in my possession, I would have a bargaining tool to make sure the orc lived up to his end of the bargain.

As the boat slid to a stop on the sandy beach, I scrambled out to tie it down. We then approached a closed gate that punctuated the fort's circular outer wall. Ra'jhera moved the foliage of a bush aside and turned a hidden handle. In response, the gate swung open with a groan. Suspiciously, I stopped and asked, "Why are there gate controls on the outside of the fort?"

The Khajhiit finally talked again, "As you can see the handle is cleverly hidden. Ra'jhera imagines the builders provided for such access in case the fort ever fell and needed to be recaptured."

"Well, I guess that makes sense, but you come with me, at least into the bailey."

After a moment, he nodded and the two of us passed through the gate.

No more than a few paces inside the courtyard, I chirped in surprise, "Aleron!" I quickly added with a sense of relief, "As soon I find Kurdan's axe, we'll take you back to Ursanne." A groaning sound and sobering metallic click behind me caught my attention. I sprinted back to the now closed entrance. The Khajhiit had quietly slipped out during my excitement at seeing Aleron and now stared at me from the other side of iron bars. I snapped, "Ra'jhera! Open this gate!"

This post has been edited by Acadian: Jun 29 2011, 01:18 PM

[Ceidwad]

As we glided out of the city to join the Niben Bay, I remarked, "It's turned into a lovely day. Which fort are we going to? Do you think we'll be back by lunch?"

The Khajiit's eyes studied the horizon ahead of us while one paw made small adjustments to the rudder. His ears looked relaxed, but the tip of his tail flicked slowly back and forth.

I tried again. "Do you know what this axe I'm supposed to fetch looks like?"

Only a gentle flap from the sail replied.

"Um, Ra'jhera, I saw a mud crab out here the other day. They have sharp claws, but the meat is pretty good. Don't you agree?"

Silence.

I gave up trying to learn more of what lay ahead. We continued wordlessly.

Highly amusing passage here. Getting words out of Ra'jhera poves to be most difficult. After trying and failing to get useful information out of the cat-man, Buffy resorts to small-talk, which itself gets a blank response. Finally she gives up. Nice use of a line from the game there - gave me some laughs.

[King Coin]

As we glided out of the city to join the Niben Bay, I remarked, "It's turned into a lovely day. Which fort are we going to? Do you think we'll be back by lunch?"

So very Buffy!

I wonder how this little quest will turn out for Buffy. Hopefully she'll have enough room inside the fort to take them out one by one.

Good chapter!

[ghastley]

I like the change from the boat with an auto-pilot to using Ra'jhera to take her there. It never made sense that the boat knew the way on its own.

[Zalphon]

So...when does Buffy get published? I demand an answer because I want to know where to go for the book signing!

[haute ecole rider]

I had to laugh at Buffy's take on a certain infamous dialogue from the game. The fact that even that failed to elicit a response from Ra'jhera fits what we've seen so far of this tailed folk. That twitch of his tail is a nice touch. It usually signals conflict in cats - they want to but they don't want to in a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation. It makes me wonder about the conflict Ra'jhera is feeling here. Likely nothing more than just minding his own business rather than smashing a grapefruit into Buffy's face for her small talk.

Your version of the beginning of the Hunt quest totally fits your story line and Buffy's character. Of course she would try to pay Aleron's debt and get him back that way, of course she got outmaneuvered from the get go. She's bright enough to know that, but maybe not quite bright enough to be wary of Ra'jhera's (and Kurdan's) intentions.

I look forward to the conversation between Buffy and Aleron. I also look forward to how she handles the rest of the questline.

[hazmick]

Buffy seems to have made a new friend! Sort of. He's the kind of friend who doesn't talk much then locks you in castles.

The old "I saw a mudcrab earlier..." line. That's when you know a conversation isn't doing well.

[Glargg]

"Fort Grief." Nothing unpleasant about it, apart from the blood-smears on the wall. Sure, let's go in!

[Daedralord357]

Just finished reading my way through the first thread, and it's awesome work. I knew you and Buffy wrote a journal from the BethSoft forums, but I didn't quite expect something like this. It's a really good read.


Although she doesn't quite agree with Buffy's (sometimes) brutal choices, Sarah is starting to see Buffy as a sort of role-model.

*Reads thread two*

[Grits]

"Yeah, I know where he is." He scratched his bare chest and yawned. "What's it worth to you?"

Kurdan’s nearly noontime appearance was vivid, amusing, and a little frightening. Thank goodness for that nice Dunmeri lass!


I felt outmaneuvered, but was determined to keep my temper under control. "I'm listening."

Yay, Buffy! A good time to keep the hands-on-hips and stomping foot on the inside.


"Why doesn't 'Raj' just get the axe for you?" I asked with a suspicious frown.

"This one doesn't like closed, dark spaces," said the Khajiit.

I love it! Kurdan is obviously too busy with his hammer to go look for his axe, and of course Buffy would ask why his employee couldn’t go. Ra'jhera referring to Buffy as “prey” earlier wouldn’t sound alarming, it just sounds Khajiit.


Suspiciously, I stopped and asked, "Why are there gate controls on the outside of the fort?"

The Khajhiit finally talked again, "As you can see the handle is cleverly hidden. Ra'jhera imagines the builders provided for such access in case the fort ever fell and needed to be recaptured."

Another excellent question, and a plausible response from the taciturn Ra’jhera. I love how you’ve neatly filled in the plot holes in this quest! I have to wonder if Ra’jhera rolled his eyes when Buffy resorted to mudcrab chat, or if he just let his tail tip do the talking. The whole boat trip was hilarious!


Buffy is a deadly hunter, and this year’s Silver Arrow winner. Kurdan could make a bundle on her, if he planned ahead. What a relief that she went to see Kurdan fully armed. At least she is dressed for an adventure. It makes perfect sense that she would wear buckskins instead of a dress, given his unwelcome attention on their last meeting. I hope she has a lot of poisons stashed in her blouse! I’m looking forward to some hunting!

[Thomas Kaira]

Buffy sure got duped this time!

And so the World's Most Dangerous Game begins. The hunter has become the hunted. But who is who? That is the question.

[mALX]

You have done an amazing job bringing Kurdan to life here!!! Two lines really caught my eye and made me laugh, both already quoted above, lol. The first, Kurdan’s nearly noontime appearance - vivid and gross! The second was Buffy's using probably the most famous random line from the game, "I saw a mud crab the other day..." - I rolled at that line !!! Awesome write and chapter, an absolute favorite from the start to finish !!!

[SubRosa]

I loved your descriptions of Ra'jhera (not to be confused with Ra'jirra). The forest of arrows was an excellent metaphor. Then his ears flattening was an excellent way of conveying his mood.

"You got a death wish, elf? It ain't even noon yet."
This made me think of an old roomie of mine, who never got up before the crack of 4pm...

The confrontation with Jabba the Hut is what I expected. *phew* that is one vile customer. His 'bark-biter' line was another excellent wood elf slang term. I will have to file that one away with 'leaf-sucker'. As others have noted, the classic mud-crab line from the game was hilarious.

"Why are there gate controls on the outside of the fort?"
Hmm, now that is odd, is it not?

[Acadian]

In Episode 117, Buffy acquiesced to a rather poor deal with Kurdan gro-Dragol in hopes of learning the whereabouts of Aleron Loche. After a boat trip to Fort Grief, Buffy found Aleron. She also found both of them were now trapped inside the fort.

Ceidwad- Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed Buffy's unsuccessful attempts at small talk/interrogation with Ra'jhera. It is indeed fun to squeeze a well known game line into the story when it fits.

KC- Thank you. How hard can it be to find some orc's family axe for him?

ghastley- Thanks for endorsing the changes we are working into this quest. I like the quest very much, but once we began writing it we discovered quite a few logic challenges that generated some changes.

Zalphon- Thank you! Publish? Oh noes! Then we'd have to worry about plot and keeping Buffy focused and stuff like that.

Rider- Thanks! I stole the idea of a boat driver from you of course. Yes, Buffy got outmaneuvered which, as you pointed out, fits her young and still naïve character. Julian never would have fallen for it and I still chuckle over the humor that our wise old Redguard employed during her much more successful verbal dueling with Kurdan.

hazmick- I'm so glad that Buffy's desperation, expressed by her mud crab line, got a laugh!

glargg- Fort Grief sure is well named! I hope you enjoy how Buffy tries to deal with it.

Daedralord357- I'm so delighted to have you join us and thank you for reading thread one. I suspect you will find that Buffy's hard edged moral compass will settle and soften somewhat as you continue reading her evolving nature. I hope that you will eventually find her to be a worthy role model for Sarah.

Grits- I'm so pleased that you enjoyed Buffy's encounter with Kurdan. As good as you are with details, I'm glad you noted how Buffy at least pointed out the oddity of gate controls on the outside of the fort. Like you, I'm glad that Buffy was wise enough to be armed and dangerous when she sought out Kurdan.

TK- Buffy did indeed get duped here. It's unclear whether Kurdan would have bargained more, but he masterfully convinced Buffy that he would not. Of course, Buffy is not without her own talents, nor is she afraid of dark places. So your question of who will be the hunter and who the hunted is astute indeed.

mALX- Thank you! I'm so glad Kurdan came to life for you. Nothing gray about Kurdan as the consummate villain! Glad you enjoyed the mud crab line!

SubRosa- Thank you for the observations on Ra'jhera the Keeneye. There are few enough Khajiit characters in BF that we really enjoy trying to work with what we envision as their mannerisms and speech patterns. Our tree hugging twigs are getting quite a collaborative collection of nicknames, no? I hope you will feel free to use bark biter, just as I hope someday to fit into BF: "It's raining wood elves!"

* * *

118 The Tournament of Archers, Part 34- The Hunters Become the Hunted

I stared through iron bars at the Khajiit who had locked me inside the courtyard of Fort Grief. After a moment, he spoke, "If the prey wants to survive, she will listen carefully. By the time this one gets back to the dock in Bravil, Kurdan will have the hunters ready to come out here. Today they will pay a great deal of gold to hunt wood elf. You will leave the soft human in the courtyard and enter the fort by yourself. Provide the hunters good sport. If you do not cooperate," he glanced toward Aleron, "that one dies. The game allows a small chance for you both to survive."

Torn between anger and fear, I managed to say, "Go on."

Ra'jhera the Keeneye continued, "Upon entering the fort's interior, you will find a small room containing a handle that can open this gate for you to escape. The door to the room is magically warded. One of the hunters will carry a key."

I narrowed my eyes. "If I survive this 'hunt', then Aleron and I can leave?"

He nodded, then nimbly stepped to one side - clear of any line of fire that I could manage through the iron bars. I heard his boots in the sand moving off toward the boat. At that moment, I knew if I lived through this, I would not rest until my bow had dealt both Kurdan and his feline henchman the same fate as Earana.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," said the soft voice behind me. "I see the orc lured you out here with his axe story as well."

I wheeled around to face Aleron and snapped, "You're sorry?!? How many lives are you trying to ruin with your stupid gambling? If we get out of this and Ursanne doesn't kill you, I will!" My anger was quickly betrayed by tears as I dragged a sleeve across my face. "Tell me what you know."

The Breton stared at the ground. "Kurdan told me if I came out here and got his axe for him, he would forgive my debt. When the Khajiit locked me in here, he said he was sure someone worthy of the game would be trying to find me."

Glancing up at the sun, I pondered aloud, "I figure those hunters will be here within an hour, maybe two. I've got work to do."

A burst of alteration magic could not unlock the iron gate. The handle outside the fort failed to respond to my telekinesis spell as well. A quick climb to the old fort's upper structures verified there was no way to escape over the walls. I then slipped on my detect life rings and entered the inner portion of the fort.

I let my eyes adjust to the dim interior. Tiny openings built into the fort provided a small amount of light and ventilation. Nevertheless, the cool, damp air carried the smell of death and decay. I quickly found the room Ra'jhera had described. My spells could not unlock the barred gate or budge the handle inside to free us from our prison.

Moving purposefully, I calmed several rats and sidestepped a number of traps as I mentally mapped out passageways and chambers. The more hazards I could leave intact for the hunters, the better. I thought that was clever thinking until one rat managed to nip my right hand just as I got my spell off.

The injury, although bleeding, was not serious. I could feel the onset of muscular weakness though. A healing spell quickly closed the small wound and allowed me to assess and confirm my suspicion of feeble limb. The disease could be serious for me since I had so little strength to begin with. It seemed that if there was some sort of sickness to be transmitted, I would usually catch it. Bosmer were extremely resistant to illness, but not me; another reminder of my Bretonic paternity. Fortunately, that same heritage, along with diligent practice, had helped me to recently achieve enough skill in restoration that I could cure myself without alchemical assist. As I draped myself in white magic, I felt my body being purged of disease and my strength returning.

I continued through the fort's two levels without further incident, noting the remains of numerous unlucky 'prey'. Most were but bones, armor and clothes, but a few were fresh enough to explain the smell.

Making my way back to the exit, I stepped into the midday sun that filled the fort's courtyard. "Aleron, there's no way out except to play Kurdan's game. His hunters should be here soon. When they arrive, I'll slip back inside the fort's interior. You stay out here - away from the gate. The Khajiit said you would not be harmed if we cooperate."

"Buffy, I feel terrible about the mess I've caused." he said.

My distracted and clipped reply was tinged with anger. "Fine."

"If. . . if you make it out of here without me, will you tell Ursanne I love her and how sorry I am?"

"You'll tell her yourself," I replied in a much softer tone.

"I see the boat approaching!" His voice was urgent as he peered through the bars. "There's several armored figures aboard."

"Get back away from the gate," I said. "Once I do what I must to get a key from one of the hunters, I'll be back for you and we'll get out of here." I quickly returned to the door of the fort and slipped inside. Melting into the shadows of a small alcove near the entrance, I waited.

Shortly, three pink glows joined me in the cool darkness. I overheard some of their words as they discussed how to search for their prey. From the voices, I assessed their races as Orsimer, Nord and Imperial. As the hunters began to move deeper into the fort, they gave no indication that they were aware of my nearness. I thanked Mara that they apparently lacked the magic to detect my life force.

Holding Slayer vertically and close to my body, I pressed my back into the shadowy stone wall. I willed my heart and breathing into slow silence. The fingers of my right hand were free, in anticipation of several spells I was prepared to cast if discovered.

As the trio passed by their hidden and frightened prey, a feeling of calm confidence began to wrap itself around me. I recalled the exact moment on the Planes of Peryite when, instead of cowering in fear from clannfears, I realized I was stalking and hunting them. So it was now, as the hunters became the hunted.

Before long, two of the glows disappeared into the lower level of the fort. I began stalking the one who remained on the upper level. A poisoned armor-piercing arrow penetrated the hunter's steel back plate with a tiny puff of orange magic. The impact drove him to the ground as sparks from Slayer's enchantment arced and danced around him for a moment. He managed to struggle to his knees, only to collapse again from my poison.

Searching the Nord, I gathered any lightweight valuables he carried but noted with disappointment that there was no key among his possessions. I didn't bother trying to free my arrow; its magic was spent, and the slender arrowhead no doubt badly damaged by its successful penetration of the heavy armor.

On the fort's lower level, I stalked the remaining two hunters and discovered them working together. I crept just close enough for a hidden strike. Poisoning another armor-piercing arrow, I slipped it into my boot sheath. I then pointed my fist at the farther of the pair. An emerald illusion swirled from my fingers and convinced one hunter to attack his comrade on my behalf. Reaching for the feathered tail by my right thigh, I set the nock to Slayer's silk bowstring.

Over the tip of my arrow, I watched the mortal dance, illuminated by the orange flicker of a torch that one of the hunters had dropped. The clashing of steel on steel was punctuated by curses and cries of pain. When one glow fell, I smoothly drew the arrow's feathered fletching to my ear and loosed it to lethally congratulate the wounded victor.

I searched the corpses, gathering anything of value that was small and light. Neither of the pair carried a key to escape the fort. Why was I not surprised?

[Doommeister]

*enthusiastically claps*

another masterpiece by the King of storytellers

You, Treydog, H.E.R, Malx and many others have inspired me to start my own story.


S.G.M

This post has been edited by Doommeister: Jul 3 2011, 02:11 PM

[ghastley]

Hey, not fair!

Whenever my characters do this quest, the hunters aren't close enough to each other to use illusion against them. But then they do carry a key, so I suppose that balances out.

[haute ecole rider]

@ghastley: But none of those keys are the one you really want. For that you have to fight Kurdan.

Acadian, you have done it again - put your own Buffy-ness on a well-known TES quest. Nearly everyone who has spent any time in Bravil has been suckered into Kurdan's game. I really liked how Buffy met the challenges of dealing with three hunters. It was a good call on your part to have the three arrive after Buffy reached the fort - it gave her the opportunity to scout the ruins. Julian didn't even have that!

Well done!

[King Coin]

I like how you adjusted the quest to make more sense. Those idiots probably were thinking "Wood elf: small, weak, timid, easy to crush. This will be fun." HA.

Kurdan and his goon will die next. This shall be fun.

Good chapter!