The Gweden report, A story of the story of the stories. Options

[Acadian]

I quite enjoyed the references to in game events/people like the murder of Peronia Draconis and the temper of Alval Uvani.

"Why is your pocket glowing?" she asked him.’
I thought surely this was the beginning of a bawdy joke like ‘Is that a Varla stone in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?’ Then I remembered Clark's crystal ball.

‘Taminwe welcomed Uzgash to the club, and the two women went off planning how to add dancing to the entertainment in the bar. Enilwen was getting interested in that idea, too. Perhaps it was a Bosmer thing?’
Oh yes! Bosmer love to dance. Especially in moonlit meadows or under waterfalls!

[Grits]

I just had to check the wiki to find out the dirt on Lyra Rosentia. Like Acadian, I really enjoyed the mentions of game events and personalities. It gave me that cozy Cyrodiil feeling.

Clark has gone from an observer to right in the middle things, I love it! He is in great demand. If he’s not careful, he’ll have his pockets full of glowing balls summoning him all over Tamriel.

[mALX]

I'll third liking when you mention known game characters and their known personalities - kind of brings everything home!

If Hafid hired Orc dancers, he wouldn't need to hire bouncers too - the women that danced could do all the bouncing too!

Great Write !!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Your mention of waterfalls reminds me that I just added a feature to the companion mod that has the sisters find the waterfall near Barren Cave between Cheydinhal and the Ring Road. When you speak to either of them, they'll ask about taking a shower, and run under it if you agree. That was the only one I found in Tamriel that has path grids the NPC's can use to reach it.

@Grits: I can't tie into much in this episode, as they're off to their private worldspace again.

@mALX: What do you mean, bounce? Jiggle, maybe.


All: I'm posting a little early in case I lose power. Sandy's headed straight for me!

-------------

Return to the Island

When he arrived at the Count's Arms, he found the sisters were already there. Varulae hadn't trusted the one method of summoning them, and had sent a courier to Arborwatch as well. She seemed distressed at something.

That something was Giant Mudcrabs. She'd caught a glimpse of them in the crystal ball when Terranis had sent his distress call. The laborers had taken shelter in the wreck with the Argonians, but that wasn't going to be much good if they couldn't get out to gather food. Nobody had expected problems like this, so they hadn't taken any weapons with them, and Mason's tools aren't much use for fighting.

Her crew were ready to take them to the island and rescue the laborers. They'd help fight the crabs, too, if need be, but they didn't have much skill at it.

He counted himself among the unskilled, but the sisters had been getting a lot of practice. He noted that they'd both armed themselves with heavy warhammers for this job. "But we don't intend to let them get close,"

Angeline declared. "Diablita's pitchfork is going to be backed up with a few more fireballs from me. We should cook them before they get near."

---

They arrived just around sunset, and managed to kill one of the crabs with fireballs from the deck of the Serpent's Wake even before they anchored. But the others slipped beneath the waters of the bay and avoided their barrage. It did give them a breathing space to get the laborers out of the wreck and onto the ship, where they could watch the action, and help spot where the crabs were coming ashore.

Calban rowed them to the jetty again. He had no armor, so they told him to go back to the ship and keep lookout for the crabs with the others.

They walked along the edge of the water, looking for tracks that might show them where the crabs had gone. A large shape loomed out of the bay and headed towards them. They backed inland, letting the crab follow until it was clear of the water, and they could get a good shot at it with their fireballs. The reporter looked in the direction they were going and saw a wraith drifting down the slope towards them. They were caught between the two!

But the wraith wasn't coming for them. A blast of frost flew over their heads, and froze the crab in place for a moment. That made it easier for the sisters to hit it with their fire spells. The alternation of cold and hot was clearly even more effective than either would have been alone, and the giant crab soon collapsed dead in the surf.

The wraith glided silently along the beach towards an outcrop of rock. Another crab was just coming around it, unseen by the sisters. It wasn't obvious how the wraith had known it was there either, unless it was using a life detection spell. If it was, it had a longer range than his, which hadn't shown him the crab at all.

Again the unspoken tactics went into play. Frost, then fire, then frost again until the beast's armor cracked and it went down.

Three more times they did this, and then the wraith turned inland. It stopped, seemingly waiting for them to follow. At the top of the beach, near some rocks, it stopped again and pointed.

A small barrel was wedged between the rocks. The top was still sealed, but it opened easily enough. All it contained was a book, one of the series on Sheogorath's dealings with the other Daedric Princes called "16 Accords of Madness". This one was about Azura.

Sixteen Accords of Madness Volume I

Azura's Tale

Sheogorath came to Azura with a proposition. He had just receieved a challenge from Mehrunes Dagon to pit two of his Dremora against two Golden Saints. He needed a piece of neutral ground for the contest, and perhaps a little assistance.

Sheogorath knew that Dagon's satisfaction came from the destruction of the battle, and he had little regard for its outcome. Just letting it happen would be conceding a victory to Dagon, and that wasn't in his plans. With Azura's help, there would be no battle.

Azura had no love for Dagon, so she listened attentively to his ideas. Her realm of Moonshadow, with its permanent misty twilight, was the perfect venue. And yes, she could provide the Seducers to complete the plot.

The Seducers are a wide range of related Daedra. Sheogorath's own Dark Seducers are permanently of human form, while Azura's Winged Twilights have bat-like wings at all times. The majority can shape-shift anywhere in between, by a magic that seems to combine Alteration and Illusion to transcend both. It is hard to tell which of the many forms they take is their true one, if that even exists.

A particularly skilled Seducer can tailor her appearance to the tastes of her victim, making herself totally irresistable. Azura chose two of her best for this, and helped them prepare.

On the appointed day, the Dremora arrived early, as Sheogorath had predicted. They like to scout the area, and seek out any advantage they could gain from holding higher ground, or attacking from cover. One of them was clad in heavy Daedric armor, with a shield amd longsword. The other wore a black robe, with a staff on his back.

They weren't the first arrivals, but the two women waiting for them weren't Golden Saints. They carried no weapons, and wore no armor, and not a lot of clothing, either.

Azura had chosen their aspects carefully. One was a pale-skinned blonde with huge blue eyes. She looked innocent in a way that hinted that she was anything but that. And if she personified temptation, her companion personified challenge. She had horns like a Dremora, deep red skin, hooves and a tail. Curvacious to an extreme, with an attitude that dared you to take her on. Naturally, she was the spokeswoman for the pair.

"We came to watch the fight," she said. "That's such a turn-on, especially if we get to reward the winners".

"That will be us", the armored one responded. "without a doubt."

"If you're that certain, then we could give you your reward right now." she suggested. "Your opponents aren't due to arrive for a long time yet. Assuming, of course, that you can handle the extra effort."

The plan was that the Golden Saints would arrive while the Dremora were naked, tired and helpless. The Seducers normally operated in a similar manner, except that they would transform and attack as soon as their prey disarmed. This time they were to drain their victims' fatigue in the most enjoyable way, and make their defeat even more inevitable.

The Dremora would be forced to surrender without being able to put up a fight, a particularly maddening experience for one of the Kyn. Worse, they would have accepted a reward they did not deserve, a mark against their honor.

The Seducers weren't sure when they all collapsed into sleep, but when they woke, the Dremora were gone. There was no sign of any Golden Saints, but they assumed that the plan had worked. In Moonshadow, the passage of time was hard to reckon, so they had no idea how long they'd slept. They'd find out when they flew back to Azura.

Except that they couldn't sprout their wings. They appeared to have lost their ability to transform. Azura sensed their fear and came to them instead. She quickly diagnosed their problem.

"You're both pregnant," she told them. "which means that you just slept with mortals, not Daedra. I have a suspicion that Dagon wasn't involved in this at all. It's well within Sheogorath's powers to disguise two of his mortal minions well enough to fool you."

"The spell to prevent conception is so simple, but you have to know you need it. Maddening, isn't it? You'll have months of discomfort to consider that fact. And you'll be stuck in your current form until you give birth, which will be an additional annoyance. Probably not enough to drive you into Sheogorath's clutches, but close."

"Your babies will be mortal, and grow to resemble your current selves, as a child always takes after its mother in appearance. However they won't have your ability to change."

Azura wondered if that was the additional anxiety factor that would take the mothers into insanity, or whether it was the daughters that Sheogorath had in mind. If they truly resembled their mothers, they'd be irresistable to most mortal men, and not have their mothers' defences. They'd have to learn spells to make up for that. And Azura would just have to watch this play itself out over their lifetimes.


When they looked up, the wraith had already faded from view.

Since all the giant crabs were now dead, they returned to the ship to talk with the mason and his men. They'd seen fire on the horizon the previous night, out where the latest island was. It seemed that there had been a fresh eruption, and maybe that was what drove the crabs in their direction.

But what had made them grow so large? It wasn't just illusion magic, as they'd remained large when they died. Alteration could do it, but who'd have cast such a spell? The reporter had a theory. The far island was almost in the straights between the Summerset Isle and Valenwood. Dagon's forces had caused storms and other disruption in that area during the Oblivion Crisis. Some of that magic could easily have spilled out and affected the crabs.

If he'd been as paranoid as Lathenil, he'd have blamed them on the Thalmor. He couldn't rule that idea out, however.

The rising sun was just catching a ring of columns up on the bluff where the graves were. It wasn't a complete ring yet. there was still one more to go up. And then there would be a circle of stone placed on top of them. But they could see already what a magnificent sight it would be.

Terranis took them there and showed them what had been done so far. They'd made good progress, and even with this interruption, he expected his original estimate to be accurate. He had a few ideas how he could make use of the local rock to add a few details, too. He'd keep that as a surprise for when they came back to see it complete.

In their cabin on the way back to Anvil the sisters read the book again. The resemblance betwen the Seducers described and their mothers was uncanny. The reporter was naturally comparing them to the sisters themselves. He reasoned that whoever wrote the book had seen some relatives of theirs. Maybe he'd even known their mothers, and it had inspired his writing. He was sure that it was fiction, like most books about Sheogorath, but the sisters would have none of that.

They liked the idea of having Daedra for ancestors. They'd met Prizna, and Nelrene, and Goldie at Gweden, and those were people they could identify with. But they were content with being mortal, too. They'd like to have children someday. He just wished they hadn't looked at him that way when they said it.

[Acadian]

What a clever and fun story about how the sisters came to be! That Sheo is a damned stinker!

[Grits]

Yikes, I hope you get through the storm OK!

Woo hoo, giant mudcrabs and warhammers!! This sounds like a beach party in the making. Crab roast!

I love the origin story for the sisters. Finding a book like that is my favorite kind of quest reward.

[mALX]

LOVED the "Sixteen Accords of Madness Volume I" - the whole story of how the sisters came to be - Awesome! This is one of my favorite chapters of all !!! Awesome Write, inspired!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Sheo's always good for an explanation of things that don't make any sense. Or biscuits. No, definitely things that don't make sense. Except when they seem to.

@Grits: The Jersey Shore got a lot worse than a few giant mudcrabs, but I'm inland in Pennsylvania, and all I got was a week-long power outage.

@mALX: As the reporter reports, it's likely to be a work of fiction, but the sisters like it. It's part of the mod, but may be contradicted by another bit I'm still working on.

----

Return from the Island

When they got back to the mainland, the sisters went back to Chorrol, while he hurried off to see Taminwe and Uzgash at the Red Dragon Club. Taminwe thought she might have a job for him soon, but he should wait at his shack until the time was right. There was still a chance that people would remember the reporter he'd been before his "death". That would give him some time to get on with writing his book.

She'd sent Lathenil back to Tsarrina and Silanu. He'd turned invisible before he left the club, and she'd opened the door for him. He was still living in fear of the Thalmor. Taminwe was inclined to believe that they did pose a threat - to Lathenil. "He's clearly a target for them," she told him, "but I don't think it's any more than a local Summerset Isle dispute. They're rational people down there, and it should all sort itself out without us worrying about it."

---

He went back to the Waterfront, where all the talk was about the new captain of the watch, a man by the name of Servatius Quintilius. He didn't believe the Thieves Guild existed, and was a lot easier to deal with than his predecessor. Being new to the job, he didn't want to cause any waves that might get the attention of his superiors.

"What happened to Hieronymus Lex?" he asked.

"Re-assigned to Anvil," he was told. "He wasn't too happy about that."

"Serves him right," one of the dockworkers interjected. "I lost a whole day's pay when they threw that curfew on us last week." He remembered that happening before, but all he'd lost out on was a night with Carwen, and he'd made up for that later. This had apparently been a much bigger deal, with all the shacks searched, and watchmen drafted in from all the other Districts.

He asked around and found out that the Thieves Guild had taken advantage of the lack of security in the rest of the city to pull a few big robberies. One of the targets had been the Arcane University, where they'd stolen Hrormir's Icestaff from the Arch-mage's quarters. The Mages Guild weren't happy about that. Raminus Polus had sent a summoned Dremora to the Waterfront with a message for Lex, the first time anyone there had seen one. Lex had been ordered to call off his manhunt for the Grey Fox, and things had returned to normal.

Nobody knew if that incident had anything to do with his re-assignment, but the timing was suspicious.

---

He continued with his writing. It was a collection of short tales about the Imperial Legion Mountain Riders, each one focusing on one of the Bear Riders.

He'd started with Claudia, because she was the first one he'd met, and her story had been the inspiration for the book. He'd written down the one she'd told him. The one with the Champion in it, and the Watch Captains, not the one with a reporter on his way to Falkreath. That might be more memorable, but it was also more personal.

Unna's story of the Oblivion Gate and the death of her first bear was a sad counterpoint to it, but it all resulted in the Champion of Cyrodiil closing the Gate, and her getting a new bear, so the ending was just as happy.

Now, should he tell Pala's or Svana's account of the building of the Lodge? They'd both been involved, and had told him different parts of the narrative. He'd think about that, and work on Ystrel's next.

That one was going to take some careful narrative. He didn't want to make the Newlands Lodge sound like a dangerous place. A young woman could get indecently propositioned, without trying too hard, if she wanted. And yes, there were fights there, but Dervera didn't allow any weapons to be used, and everyone ended up drinking together afterward. The guards weren't as bad now that Ulrich Leland wasn't running things, and they'd keep things in check without arresting everyone.

He'd interviewed the Orc she'd hit. "When I came round, I didn't know if I was in pain, or in love," he'd said. "She certainly made an impression! My fault for starting it, not that anyone listened."

---

A few days after that, Amusei knocked on his door. The Argonian was better dressed than the first time he had seen him, in a respectable, and dark, suit of leather armor. Amusei was looking for Minx. He had a message for her from the Grey Fox.

"Yes, I joined the Thieves Guild eventually," Amusei told him. "It did take me several attempts. Perhaps that's why they use me as a messenger, rather than give me actual thieving tasks."

His wry smile admitted he was grateful for any employment. Amusei told him that Minx had rescued him from a Vampire in the Cheydinhal jail, while she was looking for a book she had to recover. He was even more grateful to her, and he'd like to thank her again, now he was a Guild member, too.

He didn't know where Minx was, but he assured Amusei that he'd tell her to look out for him, if she did turn up.

---

He ran into Minx again in Bruma, of all places, when he went to get some missing details for Pala's story. He'd not been able to remember which fort the book was in, although he knew it was somewhere along her patrol route. Since the Champion had traded that book with Ocato for the Lodge, it was an important part of the story.

Minx asked him if he knew where the Temple of the Ancestor Moths was. He'd never been there himself, but he had a good idea how to get there. Svana's regular patrol ended at the foot of the path up to the Temple, and she'd described the area to him in good detail. It was easy to find if you just followed the road out of town towards Cheydinhal, but turned north and took the trail through the mountains.

She wouldn't tell him why she was going there. "Guild business" was all he got. He asked if Amusei had found her. But she was already on her way and didn't answer.

---

It was about a month since Terranis and his men had started on the construction work. He'd told them that the crab invasion didn't slow them down at all, so it should be finished by now. He wondered if he should contact Varulae to see if she'd had any news. He'd given back the little crystal ball. It hadn't been as useful as they'd expected the first time, as it couldn't convey much of a message.

First, though, he needed to check in at the Club. "This just came for you," said Brienne, handing him a note. It was from Varulae. She'd sent another to the sisters at Arborwatch, so he should come directly to Anvil, and they'd all meet at the Count's Arms.

---

Varulae had seen the completed monument already. Terranis had held up the crystal ball so she could look through. The view was obviously a bit distorted, seen that way, but ...

"No I shouldn't tell you anything now. You need to go see it for yourselves. Go see Zishara on the Serpents Wake."

---

When they stepped out of the rowboat onto the little jetty, the sisters rushed up the path towards the shrine. They'd seen it being built, of course, so they had some idea of the scale, but that was on a cluttered building site, and it had all been cleared and tidied up. It just looked bigger and more magnificent this time.

Terannis and his men were waiting to greet them. He led Angeline and Diablita to the bench seat just inside the ring of columns. That was something new. It wasn't on the rough drawings he'd shown them when he started. Nor was the big bowl-shaped planter in the middle. He'd carefully dug up the flax plants from the graves, and replanted them there, so that the ground inside the ring could be paved over. He'd used local rock for that, so it blended perfectly with the surroundings.

The three simple gravestones they'd erected when they buried the parents were gone, and in their places were three tall stone obelisks, each marked with a name. He noted that Terannis had copied his lettering style from the originals. A nice touch.

There were a lot of other thoughtful details. The paving had also been laid in a ring around the outside of the circle of columns, but then covered up again with the sand. "That will stop anything but grass from taking root there," one of the workmen told them. "That way, it won't need any maintenance to stay looking this way."

The centre paving was slightly higher then the ring of stone that surrounded it, and it was almost imperceptibly domed, so that rain would run off. The centre was open to the sky, like the original in the city, with just a ring capping the columns, so sunlight and rain could get to the planter in the middle. The gaps between the pavers had been filled with a very fine sand, too, to make it more impervious to the weather.

"Actually, that's not sand," Terranis corrected him. "We ground up the shells of those Giant Mudcrabs for that. It will harden into a mortar that will be completely rain-proof, but flexible enough not to crack in the tropical sun."

He was glad to find that the Giant Mudcrab incident hadn't been a complete waste. There wouldn't have been enough of the small ones to do this.

Terranis and the girls went back to the Serpents Wake arm in arm. He had a shrewd idea that the mason was going to be well rewarded for his extra efforts.

--------------

I was quite tempted to quote large chunks of the Bear Rider's stories in the middle of this, but didn't. I'm not sure it makes sense if you didn't read that thread, though.

Edit: Since I was adding links for the Bear Rider stories, here's one to a screenshot of the shrine.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Oct 19 2018, 09:55 PM

[mALX]

Loved the whole section on the Thieves Guild background, as soon as I read Lex had already been transferred I knew what stage that questline was in, so really enjoyed the reminders of the quests that led up to his transfer - made me miss doing that questline, lol.

Reading about Claudia makes me think she has a little secret, BWAAHAA!

It would be better to add links to the bear stories, that way people can click over and read the whole story if they hadn't already. (imho).

Loved this chapter, Great Write!

[ghastley]

It would be better to add links to the bear stories, that way people can click over and read the whole story if they hadn't already. (imho).

Now that's a good idea! I'll do that. I've done that.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Nov 6 2012, 08:05 PM

[Acadian]

I think you got the mix and amount of review just right regarding the bear riders. Enough to tweak memories but not enough to feel like rehashing. mALX’s idea of providing links was indeed an excellent one!

So Minx is working her way up to the top of her guild in a pretty recognizable way! I have always liked the idea of other characters rising to high positions while the primary character leads a less epic life in Cyrodiil and perhaps helps around the edges.


Nit: ‘Lex been ordered to call off his manhunt for the Grey Fox, and things had returned to normal.’
Seems like this is missing a word. Perhaps you want to add a ‘had’ between Lex and been?

[Grits]

I got here after you added the links, very nicely done.

Minx has been busy! I love the progression of the TG quests running through this part.

The monument on the island is full of thoughtful details. I really like it.

[ghastley]

@mALX: My Claudia was a little secret, until the Champion found her in the watchtower. Thanks for the link idea, it works much better that way.

@Acadian: In this story, just about everything gets done by somebody else. I even left the protagonist behind in this episode while the sisters went off to do all the hard work at Fort Grief!

@Grits: Minx has been busy, and this part is no exception. As Acadian pointed out, somebody else is doing all the quests, and in the case of the Thieves Guild, it's her. And I need them done, for parts of this story that are coming up soon.


-------------

Return to Cyrodiil

Back in Anvil, he noticed that Astia Inventius had almost finished her painting of the lighthouse. He asked her what she was going to paint next. "Another one of the same, I suppose," she replied. "I've painted the same phallic symbol about a dozen times, trying to give my stupid husband Pinarus a hint, but I'm just not getting through to him. He's lazy with all his household chores, and that includes the bedroom!"

The word around town was that he wasn't so lazy when it was someone other than Astia in the bed with him, but he said nothing on that topic. "Have a word with Varulae about a vacation trip," he suggested. "There's a nice tropical island she knows, and you might find a new subject there. Or there's always the sailors on the ship."

He left her puzzling out what he might have meant by that last part about sailors. She didn't paint portraits, only landscapes. She wondered if it rained much on the island. That was the one thing that really interrupted her painting here in Anvil.

---

The sisters wanted to take him down to Bravil. The last time they'd visited the town, they'd met Ursanne Loche, who was worried about her husband's gambling. She'd asked them to talk to an Orc called Kurdan, to whom Aleron apparently owed quite a bit of gold. They'd done so, but it was like talking to a stone wall. Perhaps he'd do better than they had?

When they arrived, Ursanne was even more concerned than before. Now Aleron had gone missing, and she was sure that Kurdan was involved. He went over to the Lonely Suitor and spoke with the Orc, and it took most of his skill to get anything from him. But eventually he'd managed to persuade Kurdan to tell him where Aleron was. There was a boat moored on the canal that would take them to Fort Grief, where he'd sent Aleron to look for the Axe of Dragol, an heirloom belonging to Kurdan's family. Returning that would pay off Aleron's debt, and he didn't care who found it, as long as he got it back.

"We'll take the boat over there and fetch it," offered Diablita. "You go comfort Ursanne, that's what you're good at. Tell her we'll be back with Aleron before you know it."

Ursanne wasn't in her house when they went to look for her, so the sisters took the rowboat while he went into the nearby Mage's Guild to ask if anyone knew where he could find Ursanne. He met Fathis Aren, the Castle mage, who seemed glad to be out of the tedium of the court for a while. They chatted for a time, and he discovered that Ursanne was probably in the Chapel. She spent a lot of time there recently, praying for Aleron's safe return.

Fathis also revealed that he'd recently met Minx. She'd obviously made a good impression on her fellow Dunmer, as he couldn't stop talking about her. He'd been particularly amazed by the way she'd just appeared from nowhere in his secret tower outside town. "I assume she used invisibility to get past all the conjurers and Daedra that guard the place for me," he said. "That, or I managed a better conjuration than ever! I can teach you a bit about that, but I'm not suggesting you'd be able to summon her. I wouldn't mind being able to do that again myself."

He'd laughed at that, but he didn't feel like laughing when the sisters returned. They'd found Aleron, all right, but it had turned out to be a trap, with him as bait. They'd been forced to run a maze full of traps, and been hunted by a number of men who'd apparently paid Kurdan for the privilege. All of whom were now dead, as were Kurdan and his Khajiit bowman accomplice. But so was Aleron. They'd seen Kurdan kill him as they emerged from the fort, before they could do anything to stop him.

Now someone had to tell Ursanne, and they were looking at him.

---

He returned to the City and paid his usual visit to the Club. Surely Taminwe would have something for him by now?

"Not yet, but did you hear about the Earl of Imbel?" she asked. "You know, the one who lives in the big manor across the street from here."

He hadn't. He'd just got back to the city from Anvil and Bravil.

"It seems he was a vampire, and someone broke into his house and killed him!" she exclaimed.

"Really a Vampire?" he wanted to know. It sounded just like the story he'd reported on in Bruma. Bradon Lirrian had been slain by a man who accused him of being one. That had turned out to be completely false. The Champion had seen through that and killed the murderer, Raynil Dralas. He'd seen enough copycat crimes as a reporter to get suspicious.

"Yes, they could clearly see fangs on the corpse." Taminwe assured him. "And he wasn't the only one. The Watch Captain said there were several other vampires in a tunnel off of his basement."

"That would explain why I'd never seen him around during the day," he reasoned. "Although I've run into his butler, manservant, or whatever he is. Gemellus Axius, his name is. I often see him in the Market District buying supplies for the manor."

"Not recently I hope," Taminwe was quick to remind him that he was supposed to have died.

"He wouldn't notice me anyway," he replied. "If you're not nobility, that one doesn't think you exist."

---

He made his way back across the city towards the Waterfront. In the Temple District he bumped into Amusei, who was apparently looking for him. Amusei handed him a card. It was finely made, with gold edges, and clear black print.

"The Thieves Guild requests your presence at a celebration of the installation of its new Guildmaster, " he read. The directions were to the Garden of Dareloth, behind the abandoned shack, which didn't make a lot of sense. That was where he'd gone with Minx to meet with Armand, and it had been anything but a garden, more like a rubbish heap. But the time indicated was only a hour from the present, so he went back and changed into his better clothes, and set off to find out.

He was astounded to find a set of steps and a door that hadn't been there before. The garden, which hadn't been anything like one previously, was now planted with primroses, and looked much more neat and tidy. He went up the steps and knocked. The door was opened by Armand, who escorted him through the basement and up into a large room, lined with bookshelves. Armand pointed to another staircase across the room. "Take those stairs. The Guildmaster is waiting"

The room at the top was as large as the one below, and furnished as a comfortable town apartment. Minx was there, in a slinky black robe that really made the most of her slender curves. She'd had her hair done, too, in a formal style that matched the sophistication of her outfit. "Were you invited to the celebration, too?" he asked.

"In a way," she replied. "Count Corvus Umbranox invited me, when he gave me all those special jobs to do." He recalled that the Count had been missing for the last ten years. Where had she found him?

She explained that it was the opposite; Corvus Umbranox had found her. He'd been the Grey Fox for those ten years, under a curse that prevented anyone from recognising him. Even his own wife, Millona, hadn't known who he was. He'd asked Minx to steal a number of special items, including an Elder Scroll from the Imperial Palace Library, and she'd done all that for him. And now he was reunited with Millona, and he could hand on the post of Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild. "To me!"

"You're the new Guildmaster?"

She nodded. "Do I look the part?"

He had no idea what a Master Thief should look like. Probably completely unremarkable, so you wouldn't give her a second glance. In that respect she was a complete failure. He couldn't help looking at her, especially as her robe was sliding to the floor.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Nov 13 2012, 01:21 AM

[Acadian]

A fun little opening interlude with Astia and her bedroom woes.

Then a quick rendition of ‘Caught in the Hunt’ down in Bravil!

Minx is the new Thieves Guildmistress! I’m sure she gives a whole new meaning to the term Gray FOX! When all is said and done about the Thieves Guild questline, I have always thought it to be a very nice love story.

[mALX]

GAAAAH! I LOVE the Pinarus/Astia part !!! Love all these little catch-ups on quests in here - all my fave characters and their quests given attention - really nice! Especially liked how you described the steps and door just appearing at the end of the TG questline - like they stole the door and steps and broke into Dareloth's, ROFL !!! After the first time I did that quest, I tried to find that door before the end of the quest - it isn't there.

These catch-ups on all these quests makes me homesick to play again! Awesome Write!

[Grits]

Oh my gosh, I was rolling over Astia’s dilemma.

The new Grey Fox! Neat to see the new guild through the reporter’s eyes. I was equally astounded the first (only) time I did that questline.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: I'm sure Minx will add to the legend ... in her own way.

@mALX: I guess the bit about "rewriting history" is what allows it all to change without anyone else apparently noticing the sudden appearance of the door. But I'm not thinking about that too much, or I'd have to explain how one person has managed to notice.

@Grits: It's getting quite hard to avoid actually getting him involved in the game's quests, except as reporter of someone else doing them. I came perilously close on the Bloated Float, and had to twist the story there. So I owed it to Minx to let her do something according to the script.

We left our ex-reporter in the Thieves Guild headquarters where Minx has just revealed (among other things) that she's the new Guildmaster.

--------------

Minx's Tale

"You were the one who got me into the Thieves Guild in the first place," Minx reminded him. "I admit that Amusei wasn't the greatest competion I could have had, but your help gave me the confidence to win that contest."

"And then you took to me to Carwen to get me some training. You could have just taken me back to your shack for a celebration, but you didn't. You were thinking of me, not yourself, and I appreciate that."

He pointed out that he'd got twice the fun that way, and she laughed. "That wasn't your decision, if I recall."

She'd thought, at the start, that thievery would just be a job to do, but she liked the Guild. Especially that they frowned on killing people. The other thieves were nice folk to work with, helpful and cheerful. And she'd learned quickly. She seemed to have a talent for it, and she'd taken to heart what Methredhel had said at the Bloated Float, that a thief thrived on distractions.

He confessed to being completely and delectably distracted. "What were you saying?"

Minx continued telling him about her rise through the ranks of the Guild. "And all that time, I hadn't killed anyone. That ended when they sent me to Skingrad, to find a lost book. The beggars there said that Amusei knew where it was, but he was in jail. I bribed the guard, it only took money this time, and got let into the dungeons. When I went looking for Amusei, his cell was empty and there was a trail of blood leading from it, down to the cellars."

"I didn't know Amusei well, but I remembered that he was the other candidate when I joined, so I was kind of grateful to him for losing that night. And I don't like people getting hurt, so I followed the trail, hoping I could do something. I found the blood wasn't Amusei's, but it soon could have been joined by his. There was a Vampire taking prisoners from the jail and killing them, and he was her next victim."

"I suppose it made me angry, and that's why I fought her. I'll admit I didn't expect to win, either, it was just something I had to try and do for Amusei. I did remember that Vampires have a weakness to fire, and that helped. "

"Was that when Amusei joined the guild?" he asked. "He mentioned to me that you saved him in Skingrad."

She nodded. "Soon after, anyway. He came right back here with a new determination to try again. He'll never be a good thief, but he's an excellent messenger."

"The only other time I had to kill was another Vampire," she continued. "I'd learned a spell to make myself invisible, so most of the time I could just walk past people, instead of fighting them. Some of the men I didn't want to pass by, of course. There were much more pleasant ways of dealing with them. Fathis Aren, in particular, although that tower of his isn't the most comfortable of places for it."

"But Jakben Imbel was a different proposition. What he wanted, I wasn't prepared to provide. So we ended up fighting, and you probably know the rest. I let the Watch kill the other vampires, they needed the exercise!"

"And all this was because the Grey Fox was sending you on these missions?" he asked. "How did you meet him? And when did you discover that he was Count Umbranox?"

"Well, to answer the last one first, I didn't know who he was until right at the end. I couldn't have known, because if he took off that cowl, nobody knew who he was! That was the curse he was trying to lift. It stopped even his own wife from recognising him. He told me that he'd sat in her court every day, and she'd treated him like a stranger. He WAS a stranger, until the curse was removed."

"And I met him, as the Grey Fox, when Methredhel sent me to him. That day in Bruma, when you gave me directions to the Temple of the Ancestor Moths. He'd been at another Guild member's house, and given me that task."

"That reminds me, I need to thank you for that help, too."

---

He was relieved that her story-telling was giving him just enough time to recover between her showing her gratitude. She'd become really good at that part of her skill too. She took a deep breath and got back to the tale.

"The hardest quest was the last one," she told him. "The Grey Fox had determined that the only way to undo the curse was to rewrite the Elder Scroll that recorded it. You can actually change history that way, because of the magic they contain. So he needed the one that had the right events in it, and the things he had me steal were the ones we'd need to obtain the Scroll."

"The stone I took from the monks let him see into the Palace, and find the secret way in. Fathis Aren had the key I'd need, and the Earl of Imbel had boots that would provide me extra jumping ability. I couldn't have reached the goal without them."

"I had to enter the Palace through an old catacomb, and the only entrance to that was in a locked section of the sewers. The ironic thing was that the whole chain started in the Palace, only a few floors from where I needed to go. The only way to unlock the sewers was to activate an hourglass in the basement."

She described her long and dangerous journey through the dark catacombs beneath the White Gold Tower. They were filled with undead, and she'd had many close calls when she had to operate buttons, or open doors, and lost her invisibility for a few moments. She clung close to him when she recalled those scary parts, and it was his turn to interrupt the story. Minx was grateful for that.

---

She resumed by telling him the end of the story, when Corvus Umbranox was finally able to go back to Anvil and be reunited with his wife. She'd been there to see it, and it was quite the most romantic experience she'd ever witnessed.

That was the first time she was able to know who the Grey Fox really was, Count Umbranox of Anvil. The mention of Anvil tickled a thought that he'd had at the back of his mind since she started. She hadn't mentioned Heironymus Lex's re-assignment there, and he was sure now that it had been part of this.

"You know, I do vaguely recall going to Anvil for the Grey Fox," she responded. "It had something to do with a letter, but I just can't remember most of it. I had to meet somebody there, but that part's a complete blank. Sorry."

Well that at least told him he hadn't imagined it. He still had access to the Black Horse Courier's archives, so he could find out more later.

"So does this all mean that there isn't a Grey Fox any more? That he's now a respectable Count again, and the secret identity isn't needed?"

"Oh no," she explained. "Nocturnal's Cowl hasn't changed. Whoever wears it still becomes the Grey Fox, and can't be recognised as anyone else. That means that any thief can use it to become completely anonymous. I probably won't make any use of it, except to keep the legend alive. If the public starts to forget the Grey Fox, I'll pull some spectacular heist, and you'll report it."

That reminded him that he wasn't a reporter any more. He had a story that she needed to hear, too. But first....

---

Of course, when he told her that he was "dead", she had to mention Falanu. He was too tired to react. He'd have to get used to that anyway.

He told her about the two sisters he'd found in his basement here at the Waterfront. Carwen had told Minx about them, but she'd reported that they were his sisters, of course. "No wonder you could manage Carwen and me together, you'd had practice!"

He admitted that, but decided that he wouldn't mention any of the ones before his "death". The sisters were a part of his current life and she deserved to know about them. He'd told her he was writing a book about the Bear Riders, so she could assume what she wanted there. And she'd mentioned Fathis Aren, and other unnamed encounters she'd had. He wondered if any of them had been blind monks at the Temple. Minx appealed to all the senses.

---

The next morning, she woke before he did, and went downstairs to see to Thieves Guild business while he slept on. The first thing he knew was Methredhel bringing him a tray of breakfast goodies, and a note. It was from Angeline and Diablita.

They wanted to know what they were going to do with all the gold they'd accumulated.

"We could have it stolen, if you'd like," Methredhel told him helpfully. "That way it will go to people who really need it, not to the local Count in taxes."

She meant that. The Thieves Guild had always looked after the beggars, and made sure the truly needy ones got enough to live on. "Most of the ones you find sleeping in alleys aren't homeless, they're just afraid of sleeping indoors," she explained. "For example, Wretched Aia, down in Bravil, had her house burn down around her. Lost her whole family in the blaze. She hasn't entered a building ever since."

He knew most of the beggars of Tamriel, and he'd alway pass them a few coins when he could. They had been very useful sources when he'd been a reporter, and they were still useful to a spy. He hadn't done much of that recently either.

But he had a feeling the sisters were writing about more gold than Methredhel imagined. He knew how quickly they'd raised the asking price for Arborwatch. They'd already bought another place in Skingrad, and furnished it, so who knows how much they had now!

That's when he noticed the ebony diamond ring on Methredhel's finger. She didn't usually go for fancy items, being much more likely to wear a copper or brass ring. After all, they can all hold the same enchantments, which was the only reason she'd she'd wear one. But this one looked expensive, and it was on that finger. Did it mean...?

"Yes," she beamed. "And he didn't just buy it for me, he stole it!"

[Grits]

Those boots are one of my very favorite items in the game. I love the reunion in Castle Anvil. It would be worth doing the whole questline just to see the count back on his throne.

It sounds as if Minx and the reporter have a nice, informal arrangement. Unless she gets ideas when she sees Methredhel’s ring!

[mALX]

There were much more pleasant ways of dealing with them. Fathis Aren, in particular, although that tower of his isn't the most comfortable of places for it."

WOO HOO! Fathis has quite a way with the ladies! Lol. Loved this synopsis of the Thieves Guild, brief reminders of each quest so we can think back on the times we've played them! Great Write!

[Lycanthropic-Legend]

I must confess, I am enjoying this. The story is good, well-written and very funny, too. The fact that it's based upon a mod is even more interesting. I'll write up the reviews of the chapters I've read so far as soon as I can