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

[ghastley]

@mALX: Clark is just anxious to make sure his friends are well. And a meeting with a bear rider means a clear trail ahead.

@Acadian: Those Foresters up by Bruma are a real nuisance. Before I made Darwen essential, I found her dead with their arrows in her corpse several times.


----------

Black Queen's Gambit - Part 7

Two-Decker camp was an unusual arrangement, with the campfire next to the trail, and a couple of small tents nearby, but a larger tent was up on a rise further away. There really wasn't enough flat space in either location for all the tents to be pitched together, so it was the best anyone could do. Being right on the trail, and one with a bear patrol to boot, you'd have thought it would have been unpopular with the bandits. Pala had remarked, however, that she'd have to clear it every few days. Apparently there just weren't many alternative sites they could use, so they kept coming back to this one.

"The only other one I know of is right up at the top of Gnoll Mountain," she'd told him. "I never bother going up there, as you can't do anything but turn round and come back. If there were any bandits, they'd have nobody to steal from. And my job's to keep the trails open for travellers. None of them would go that way, so I don't."

Clark knew that this was likely to be the last night he had Morgiah and Rinnala to himself. They'd probably reach the Morrowind border the next day. Morgiah had apparently abandoned her idea of departing at random, in favor of making quicker progress. Although he expected they'd camp before going across, it was likely they'd meet their guides for the next part of the journey.

They were apparently thinking the same thing. The two women were whispering to each other, and glancing in his direction. He wondered what they were cooking up between them. He turned back to feeding the campfire, and awaited their decision.

---

He woke up on a bedroll in the tent, with his hands and feet securely tied to the tent-poles.

"Rinnala was just saying how lucky she was that the Orcs had sent you to look after her," said Morgiah. "Too good to be true, was how she put it. And that made me think it might just have been too perfect. And then suddenly, it all made sense. You weren't sent to guard us, you were going to kill us. So before we kill you, you're going to tell us who sent you on this job."

Clark needed to stall for time. "If that was the plan, why would I have waited this long? We've been travelling alone for days. I've more than enough chances to kill you before now, if I'd wanted to."

"Well, I assume you were having fun when we .. had fun, and didn't want that to stop. But that wasn't the only reason. Tomorrow would be the ideal opportunity to blame the Commona Tong for the killing."

"This isn't Morrowind, even if we are getting closer. Where would I find anyone from that bunch here? They're not creatures or undead that can just be summoned. And if I wanted someone else to blame, there have been enough bandits."

Morgiah was silent for a while.

"He doesn't know, does he?" Rinnala accused her mother, who was looking a bit perplexed.

"Know what?" asked Clark.

Morgiah didn't answer, so Rinnala did. "About the guys from the Commona Tong that are going to take us across the border. They usually smuggle Skooma, but they'll take anything that pays. They're waiting at the next camp."

Rinnala glared at her mother, who was pacing at the entrance to the tent. "Don't interrupt me, I'm thinking" Morgiah snapped at her.

After a short amount of further pacing, Morgiah apparently came to a conclusion, and turned to address Clark. "I told you at Atrene Camp that I assumed you'd been sent to see to Rinnala's needs. I'd asked the Orcs to get us a guide, but I know Rinnala would have mentioned her wishes as well. And I think you were being honest when you told me that your local knowledge was more important than your fighting ability. At least,for getting us across Cyrodiil. So most of your actions on this trip have been above board."

"But I'd had far too much of a good time myself to think that was just a coincidence. I like to keep a cat as a pet, and it amuses me to see the way they play with a mouse when they catch one. I was starting to think you were just playing with your prey."

"I'm so sorry I misjudged you," she wailed and started to untie him. Rinnala started to help her mother but was shooed away. "No, I've to apologise properly. You go and make our supper while I make amends."

When Rinnala left, Morgiah brightened up. "That didn't end too badly. I've got you to myself after all!"

Clark was starting to wonder if this hadn't all been Morgiah's plan all along, but he said nothing about that. What had him more interested was this Commona Tong connection. He'd always thought that House Hlaalu had good relations with them. It made sense that they'd be involved with smuggling the two across the border. What didn't make sense was that they'd suspect him of trying to blame their murders on them. He didn't see who'd gain from that. When he got the chance to ask Morgiah, she didn't know either. But anyone who wanted to weaken House Hlaalu would try to drive a wedge between the two, wouldn't they?

"If we were still in Wayrest, I'd have suspected Elysana, but she's got no interest in the affairs of Firsthold or Mournhold. They're just too far away to affect her."

She'd considered Indoril and Redoran, too, but the only motivation there would be revenge, and there would be no need to involve the Cammona Tong. Morgiah was convinced there was some other faction involved. Perhaps the one that was causing unrest in the Summerset Isle, whoever they were. Those people had something really big planned, she was sure of it.

"And I was wrong, wasn't I?", she admitted. "You weren't trying to harm us. But I'm still not feeling safe until we get to Mournhold."

She wasn't changing her plans to go with the Commona Tong tomorrow. Clark had already told her he didn't know Morrowind, and they did. Especially how to get across the border, now that the Valus Passage was blocked.

Clark had heard Ystrel's story about the Mythic Dawn that had captured her there. The Champion and Pala had rescued her, and tried to hide the torture instruments they were intending to use. She'd seen enough to have nightmares for weeks after that. It made him think about what he'd been told of The Beautiful in the Summerset Isle. Had that been what happened to the King of Shimmerene's daughter? Was there any connection between The Beautiful and the Mythic Dawn?

Rinnala's voice interrupted his musing. Supper was ready.

---

"What will you doing once you get to Mournhold?" he asked them as they ate. "We haven't heard a lot from Morrowind, and I've no idea of the situation there. Are you sure you won't just be turning round and coming back?"

"A lot depends on how secure my brother's hold is on the Hlaalu territories. I've heard that the Daedra devastated some of the other houses, and their neighbours are fighting over the remnants. I expect those areas will remain unstable for a while, but Mournhold itself should be safe. Redoran has problems with Skyrim, so they won't be an issue until they get those sorted out."

"Helseth renouncing the slave trade has caused major changes, hasn't it? I thought Hlaalu was among the most dependent on their slave workforce."

"Possibly, but I think it was inevitable that he'd need other sources of trade than agriculture. And it kept him dependent on House Dres for the slaves. They mostly arrived by boat, around the coast, where Dres was in control. That move changed the balance of power, as much as the Daedra had. I doubt it bought him much support from Elsweyr and Black Marsh, but it might keep them neutral."

"Mother will probably want to stay in the city, but I'd like to travel as much as I can," Rinnala stated. "It wasn't safe to leave Firsthold, even without the Daedra at our door, and this trip across Cyrodiil has been an eye-opener. I want to see more of the countryside, and they tell me Morrowind has scenery like no other province."

Clark glanced over at Morgiah, expecting her to tell Rinnala that it wouldn't be possible. But, instead she just shrugged. "Maybe, we'll have to see when we get there."

"I've not been to Morrowind yet," Clark told Rinnala, "but I've heard others say the same. If you do get to travel, write and tell me about it."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Morgiah interrupted. "What if someone intercepts the courier? Then they'd know where she is."

Clark could see two flaws in Morgiah argument. "If they knew where to intercept the courier, they'd probably already know where Rinnala was. And I'm not suggesting she sign her name and let the world know. If she writes anonymously, it will just look like any tourist writing home about their travels."

"If you two want to keep in touch, I'd want a more secure method than writing letters," Morgiah insisted.

"I might just know of one." Clark saw an opportunity here that he hadn't expected. He described the flash signalling system that Uzgash had devised. "We'd need to deliver one to you in Mournhold, but then you or Rinnala would have a way to communicate with me that you could trust to be secure."

"Whoever operates it would need to be someone trusted, but that's the same as trusting a courier. And Rinnala would have to come back to Mournhold to use it, but that's not an issue." He could see that Morgiah had figured out that it would make Rinnala dependent on her for the use of the machine, and she liked that. Rinnala might also have seen that, but she wasn't saying anything.

[mALX]

For a minute there I thought we'd lost Clark !!! GAAAAAAH !!!! WHEW !!! Awesome Write !!!

[Acadian]

It was fun to hear Clark describe the familiar Two-Decker camp in the northern Jeralls. I agree with Pala; camps right on the road lack a certain sense for bandit use.

The way poor Clark was awakened really shows how paranoid Morgiah is. Despite Morgiah’s skill in a bedroll, Clark seemed quite forgiving for having his service rewarded by such mistrust. Methinks he needs to trade these two in for a bear rider.

[Grits]

"Well, my brother and I started quite young. Kids are always getting into fights, and my mother wanted to be sure we'd win!
A very practical approach to parenting.

My mother had told me that one attribute men like in a woman is depth."


I've heard others say the same.
I always smile when you work familiar bits of dialog into your story. Another one was the bears steer clear of them.

[ghastley]

@mALX: I think he was getting a bit worried, too, but he won't be in an real danger until a few weeks from now.

@Acadian: Yes, Morgiah's definitely been spooked by the events in the Summerset Isle. Since Clark knows that, and it's his job, she's getting a lot of free passes.

@Grits: I might have dropped another quote in here, too.

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

Black Queen's Gambit - Part 8


"You really surprised me when you asked Rinnala to keep in touch with you," Morgiah told him as they travelled towards Walker Camp. "Most men are only too pleased to let a young woman go after they've had their fun. But then again, this was the first time I've know her sleep with the same man she's already seduced once. Perhaps she'll learn something from that!"

"I don't think either of us would regret a rematch," Clark agreed. "But I doubt we'll get much chance for that. I want her to know she's made a friend, and not just a memory. And I really am curious about Morrowind. I've heard a lot of tales, but most were from before the Daedra came. The rest weren't much help, as they just went on about what had been lost, and told me nothing of what remains."

Morgiah, being Queen of Firsthold, tended to see everything from the political viewpoint, and undoubtedly there was the same bias in all communication she received from her brother, Helseth. "The deaths of Dagoth Ur, Sotha Sil and Almalexia would have been the bigger disruption, and the Daedra had nothing to do with that, as far as I know. My brother's decision to renounce the slave trade wasn't either."

"I'd heard that Ald'ruhn was destroyed, much the same as Kvatch was," Clark pointed out. "That was entirely the result of Dagon's invasion."

"And many are saying that they took Vivec from us," Morgiah conceded. "But that's as likely to have been the Nerevarine's doing. The power struggles after all that will be with us for years."

"These are turbulent times in the land of the Dunmer," Clark agreed, "but I have to see things from a larger perspective. The Guild of Prostitutes, who sent me on this trip, have interests in all the provinces, and they're getting worried about the same Altmers that have you concerned. There's a disruptive force in all of Tamriel that we can't pin down, and the more we find out, the better."

Morgiah's interests were more narrowly focused, but she agreed that keeping each other informed about those Altmer was useful to both of them. "How do Rinnala and I contact you once we part company at Walker Camp?"

"You can always reach me through the Red Dragon Club," he told her. "They never close, and there's always someone who can pass on a message to me. If we can get one of the signalling devices set up for you, it will be even easier."

"There's still a privacy issue about that method that concerns me. I can trust a courier, at least of my own, not to open a letter he carries. Whoever operates the signalling system sees the content they're sending."

"So use it yourself, it's not complicated."

"But how do I know it's you, and not a servant, at the other end?"

"Well, for the few times you need to be sure, just ask me a question to which nobody else knows the answer. Such as details of this trip."

Morgiah seemed satisfied with that idea. He wondered what she might want to tell him that needed that kind of security, but it was likely she was just being careful. Sometimes it paid to assume the worst that could happen.

Clark made a point of telling Rinnala the same, and let her know that her mother was agreeable. If Morgiah wanted to change her mind later, a bit of pressure from Rinnala might make a difference.

---


They were starting to come down below the tree line, and Morgiah was wary of what might be waiting for them among the trees. She cast a Detect life spell and saw a small cluster of life signs in the distance.

"What's over there?" she asked, pointing.

Clark sighted along her outstretched arm. "The Azura Shrine is in that direction, and there are always a small group of worshippers there. It's up a side trail, and we can check again when we reach it. This trail goes around it, without ever getting any closer than this."

"We'll also be passing the Temple of the Ancestor Moths, and the Rugdumph Estate, later. They'll both be off the trail, and nobody should be aware that we're going by," he continued. "And we turn off to get to Walker Camp well before we reach Cheydinhal."

"What about that one? It seems to be on our path, and coming our way."

"It could be Svana, another of the Bear Riders. This is her patrol route, and we haven't passed her yet. Or it could be a wild animal. She's mentioned wolves, bears and even mountain lions in the area."

It was Svana, and she reported that the trail was clear ahead of them. At least to the Temple turn-off, she didn't patrol past there. "But then you're getting close to the Rugdumph Estate, and Ystrel's patrol starts just beyond that at the Ayleid ruin. It's not likely you'll run into anything."

The ruin was Fanacas, a little beyond Walker Camp, so they most likely wouldn't see Ystrel.

"Oh, yes you might," Svana corrected him. "The trail goes to both, so Ystrel has to pass near the camp to get there."

---

Ystrel was at the camp, chatting to the Camonna Tong. "Don't let me catch you with any skooma, and we won't have any issues," she was telling them. "My job is keeping the trails safe, not collecting duties. Do we have an understanding?"

"We're just the couriers, so half the time we have no idea what's in the crates we're moving across the border. It doesn't pay to be nosy, and look inside them, if you know what I mean."

"So if you don't know what you've got, it's most likely skooma?"

"Something like that. But we don't ask."

"They know what they've got this time," Morgiah announced as she strode into the camp. "And I'm sure Rinnala won't mind if they peek inside the wrappings."

Clark made the introductions, but it appeared that he wasn't getting names for the two from Morrowind. Ystrel was happy to see him again, but she didn't have any time to stop and ... be social ... now. Perhaps she'd see him at the Lodge? She made sure Clark knew when she'd be off-duty next.

Ystrel's bear was sniffing curiously at the two women. They looked a little alarmed at the huge creature's interest, but Ystrel was quick to calm their fears. "He's just deciding if he likes you. He did that to me the first time we met, and it was a week before he'd let me ride him. He'd trained with Nords, and hadn't got used to Dunmer. I had to eat like a Nord, and drink like a Nord before I smelt like one, and he'd accept me. Now he's used to me, it's a different story."

"The way Gudrun explains it, it was sleeping with a Nord that made the difference," Clark laughed.

"Can't just be that, or he'd never let me go out on patrol," Ystrel retorted. "He'd insist that I spend more time with Timo."

Rinnala continued to be amazed that Ystrel was prepared to spend as long as she did away from the Lodge. The two young Dunmer chatted a bit longer before Ystrel really couldn't stay, and mounted her bear again.

"I couldn't do her job," Rinnala said.

Morgiah reminded her that she had a different destiny at court. "She probably couldn't stand being stuck inside a palace all day. And entertaining boring old dignitaries from other provinces, and all the other things you'll be doing."

"It's not that appealing to me either, but I know I can do it if I have to. I'm glad I've had this trip to get away from all that, and I hope you'll let me see a bit of Morrowind too."

"That will have to wait until we know the situation at Mournhold. It will be safer than the Summerset Isle, or we wouldn't have left, but how much, I don't yet know."

"You'll let me know, too, won't you?" asked Clark. "I'd like to keep in contact with Rinnala."

"We'll keep in touch," Morgiah assured him. "Send me one of those things you mentioned, as soon as you can."

Clark took the hint that she didn't want the Camonna Tong to know about those, at least until she understood what advantage they gave her. He nodded, and reluctantly left the camp to head into Cheydinhal.

[Acadian]

Helseth renouncing the slave trade and the reminder about turbulent times in the land of the Dunmer are fun reminders of in-game rumors that help neatly bridge story and game with a welcome familiarity.

Nice to see Ystrel and her bear again.

So Clark helps the noble duo get to Walker Camp and is done, for the moment, with his escort duty. Methinks he needs an ale at Cheydinhal.

[Grits]

I've heard a lot of tales, but most were from before the Daedra came. The rest weren't much help, as they just went on about what had been lost, and told me nothing of what remains."

This is exactly how I feel when I'm trying to learn about a place for a setting. OK, so these things were burned to the ground, but what is it like there NOW? Very well said!

And also, yay bears!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Clark prefers the wine at the Red Dragon Club, but that may have something to do with the company that comes with it.

@Grits: The rumors don't give much detail, so I may have to make some up later. Especially about Thalmor activity in Morrowind and elsewhere. But that's for the next part.

Previously: Clark has escorted Morgiah and Rinnala from Anvil to the Morrowind border, using the scenic route that avoids all the cities. He's persuaded them to take one of the flash signalling devices, so he can keep in touch with Rinnala, but it needs to be delivered.

------

Black Queen's Gambit - postscript


"How did you get past Shurgak?" Taminwe asked the Argonian.

"Can I mention using the rear entrance, or will you take that the wrong way?" Amusei smiled. "I don't want you charging me for services I haven't had!"

She laughed, but nobody was supposed to know about the way in and out through the sewers. Still, the Thieves Guild knew a lot about getting into places they weren't supposed to. She'd asked them to provide a good messenger to take the signal apparatus to Morgiah and Rinnala in Mournhold, and Amusei was the one they'd sent. He'd just proved his worth in that respect.

He must have picked the lock on the outside grate, too. That was no ordinary lock, and she was impressed. Amusei told her that Minx had insisted he get extra training on his lock-picking. She'd noticed that he was good at knots and his dexterity should be an asset. He followed orders well, too, and he could execute a plan if someone else made it. He just wasn't much good at making plans of his own.

"Knots?" Taminwe asked. She knew about Minx's little fetish from Clark. Argonians can't blush, but Amusei did look a little uncomfortable.

"Amusei does perform a few services specifically for the Guildmistress," he admitted. "Perhaps that is why she takes an interest in his training. Apparently it is not just his rope-work that meets with her satisfaction."

He'd aroused more than just her curiosity. "I think you'd better tell me more about that."

---

Clark had told Taminwe all about Rinnala and Morgiah and the Khajiit bandit. She knew he'd be as eager as she was to know what their first message on the flash communicator would be about.

"I'm betting that she won't mention Amusei," Taminwe said. "After all, they'll be sending it to you."

"Well, I think you're wrong. Morgiah won't want anything too important in the first communication. But she'll want to tell us a secret that she can check up on later. Amusei may be the perfect subject for that."

"I see what you mean. If she hears the same story from anyone but you, she won't trust this channel of communication with anything major."

"Precisely. So I really hope that Amusei doesn't want to brag about his adventures in Morrowind, assuming he has some. No, I know Rinnala, he'll have them. And if Morgiah knows about it, then he may get a lot more than he expected."

---

It took a few days for the Argonian to reach Mournhold. A few more before he got access to the intended recipients. It was over a week before they'd let him leave again. Despite that, Amusei was back in the Red Dragon Club to report the success of his mission before the ball first glowed. He was there in person when it did.

"Was M or R first with K?" That was the challenge question that would reassure them that it was really Clark at this end.

"R, but only first." he replied.

"M first with this apparatus. R first with A."

Everyone turned to look at Amusei. Again he looked embarrassed, but he just nodded.

Clark asked Morgiah why they'd waited so long before using it. She replied that she'd wanted to practise the code before sending her first message. It wouldn't be good to send something garbled, because they messed up. So she and Rinnala had used tankards and candles, just like he'd described the inventors using, until they were confident enough.

"R here. M busy with A, too. There was a lot of silk rope involved."

Amusei explained that a thief carries silk rope because it's quieter. That's important when you're trying to scale the outside wall to an upstairs window.

"And it can be useful after you get there?" Taminwe raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps. It depends on who you meet."

Rinnala wanted to know who to thank for sending Amusei. Her first Argonian, and according to her mother, more than just an ordinary one.

"Does she know about Minx?" Taminwe asked Clark.

Clark didn't recall mentioning her at all. He decided to avoid Rinnala's question.

"Thanking Amusei himself was enough," Clark sent. "He's here, if you have any message for him."

"Just remind him to be discreet." It was clear that Morgiah was back at the key. She soon signed off without passing on any more details. Now Amusei was back, they could get it all from him.

"So who do you prefer?" Taminwe asked. "Does Minx have some competition now?"

"The one you are with is always the best," he replied. "And unless she knows otherwise, she's the only one!"

----

A few days later, the little ball was flashing again, and this time it was Rinnala. Once she'd established that it was Clark at the other end, she posed her question.

"If I told you I was pregnant, how would you react?"

Taminwe was watching, and she'd caught that last transmission. The look on her face was of total horror.

"I'm no Tiber Septim. It would all depend on how you felt about it," Clark responded.

"How can you take this so calmly?" Taminwe was almost shouting. "If Rinnala's expecting, we have a major problem on our hands!"

"That was a hypothetical question," Clark assured her.

"I don't see how you're so certain. Dunmer don't know when they're becoming fertile, and it usually comes as a surprise."

"They may not see it coming, but that doesn't mean that others don't. Morgiah had noticed that she'd gone from her early phase of wanting all the men to have sex with her, to wanting them to fall in love with her first, and then have sex. Apparently I was the first one she'd gone back to for more, and she'd remembered that turning point from her own younger days. Barenziah naturally had her own reasons for telling her daughter all about that. So Morgiah had been extra-vigilant in making sure that Rinnala was being careful, before she needed to."

"Oh, right Barenziah's there in Mournhold! So that's what the Tiber Septim reference was about."

"Exactly."

Rinnala couldn't hear what they were saying, of course. She still wanted to know if that would affect how Clark felt about her.

"Of course a man feels differently about the mother of his child," he replied. "And he might feel another way about a woman who was pregnant with somebody else's. And it matters whether he has a wife already, or if he's an Emperor or a beggar."

"Stop teasing her," Taminwe told him. "She doesn't want general answers. This is about you and her."

"Not if we're discussing pregnancy," Clark corrected her. "Once she admits that she isn't, we can get personal again. And she's the one who started the teasing, so she can take the consequences."

"Not the best turn of phrase in the - hypothetical - circumstances. Don't tell her that!"

"I'm not, but I've been talking to my grandmother about her young days, and the first time she was expecting."

"Told you so."

"And I imagine your mother knows that," Clark sent. "Did she suggest your line of inquiry?"

"I'm assuming that Morgiah wants her to move on to the next phase, of wanting men to fall in love with her, so she can control them. That's where Morgiah herself seems to be stuck," he told Taminwe, as he waited for Rinnala's response.

"So that Rinnala can control them, or does Morgiah expect to be doing that?"

"Good point, but there's not a lot of difference until she starts to assert her independence."

"Actually it was both mother and grandmother. I think they both see some advantage in having a string they can pull in Cyrodiil. Or is it Orsinium? Who do you work for, anyway?"

"I'm never sure if it's Sanguine or Dibella," he replied. "The Red Dragon Club pays me, but my loyalty is to my friends."

"Am I a friend?"

"Now you've stopped pretending to be pregnant, you are."

This post has been edited by ghastley: May 27 2013, 04:57 PM

[Acadian]

How wonderful that you used Amusei here! And you really portrayed him true.

"Was M or R first with K?" - - Okay, I give. You’ll have to tell me who K is? I followed the rest of the ‘code’ well enough.

"The one you are with is always the best," he replied. "And unless she knows otherwise, she's the only one!" - - Why, Amusei! You’re way more clever than we thought!

Urp. Methinks M & R are rather high maintenance. I wonder if Clark regrets sending them the comm equipment.

EDIT: Thanks for the answer below! Ya know, I thought about the Khajiit, but couldn't think of his name. Makes sense now. Thanks again!

This post has been edited by Acadian: May 27 2013, 08:13 PM

[ghastley]

Clark had told Taminwe all about Rinnala and Morgiah and the Khajiit bandit

I never gave him a name in that episode.

This post has been edited by ghastley: May 27 2013, 07:15 PM

[mALX]

Black Queen's Gambit - Part 8:


Loved the bit of Lore here, and the discrepancy in how Morgiah and Clark view the events via rumors and conjecture! I am loving this whole questline!

Black Queen's Gambit - postscript:

Rinnala wanted to know who to thank for sending Amusei. Her first Argonian, and according to her mother, more than just an ordinary one.

SPEW!

Oooh, will there be little Clarks running around the Palace? Aw, it was a guise, oh well, lol. Is this the end of the questline? I loved this one (the questline), Awesome Write throughout!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: In the game, Amusei always comes across as incompetent, yet he becomes the Grey Fox's personal messenger. He must have seen something positive in the Argonian, so Minx would have seen that, plus any personal interests in his skills.

@mALX: Yes, end of the Morgiah/Rinnala quest, although I've deliberately left an opening for more contact later. They should be a useful conduit for news from Morrowind.

And now on to the next quest. Again based on the mod, but without the limitations of the game.

----------

Medora - part 1

When Clark and Taminwe needed to discuss anything, they always went to one of the bedrooms at the Club. There wasn't an office, and the bar was too public for what they usually needed to talk about. While he was just a reporter, and an under-cover agent, it made sense that they appear to be just a working woman and her client.

And in the earlier days, it was training, as much as debriefing. He'd needed to practice doing that and thinking at the same time. Even when his partner was distracting as Taminwe could be. The same applied to her, of course. She needed to hone those skills as much as he did, and much appreciated his help!

Now he was manager of the Red Dragon Club, they didn't need to. They still did, but the original reason had long ago been overtaken by a better one.

Clark was used to a continuous stream of chatter from Taminwe, even during sex. The only time she was quiet was when she ... no, she was often noisy then too, it just wasn't talk. After that, maybe she'd quiet down, especially if she was tired. But then he'd be tired too, and maybe fall asleep and miss that precious silence.

He'd almost fallen asleep this time, when Taminwe suddenly sat up with a shocked expression on her face.

"There's someone in my head!" she exclaimed.

There was indeed. Telepathy is a bit disconcerting, the first time. Taminwe was familiar with the concept, but she'd not had the patience to take the training for it. You needed to meditate in a darkened room, clearing your mind of everything, so that it could become receptive to the thoughts of others. Taminwe's mind was always too full of intrigue and plots, except when that had all been flooded out by ...

"Sorry, Medora, my mind's rambling." she said. "I'm surprised I didn't break the connection."

"Who's Medora?" asked Clark, but Taminwe shushed him back to silence.

"Yes, we had just been doing that," Taminwe said, apparently in response to her telepathic partner. "Are you getting everything I feel, as well as think?" Clark had never seen her blush before.

"Yes, he is rather special. Of course, I didn't know your Lysandus, so I can't compare, but I imagine they have a lot in common."

"Do you really think so? That would certainly explain why we understand each other so well. We always thought it was the other way round, that we each knew what the other was thinking because we spent so much time together. Can you do telepathy unconsciously like that?"

Clark was beginning to hear the other side of the conversation, too. The woman's voice was soft, but resonated like she was in a much larger chamber than this small bedroom. He felt compelled to announce that he was becoming part of the discussion.

Medora replied directly to him. "So you can hear me too? Excellent! Taminwe's told me so much about you. More than she intended, I'm sure."

"More than I thought I could tell," Taminwe admitted. "You can't express some things in words, but it seems like I didn't have to."

"I wish I'd made contact a little earlier." Medora's voice had a humorous, but wistful tone to it. "Apparently I just missed some major fun."

Medora explained that she'd lived alone in Direnni Tower ever since Lysandus died. He'd been the King of Daggerfall, and she'd been his court sorceress, and mistress. After his death, his wife, Mynisera, had banished her from the court. She didn't have any reason to stay at that point, so she left willingly.

She'd spent the next few years trying to resurrect Lysandus, but she'd only succeeded in raising undead all over the Island of Balfiera. The Tower itself was now populated entirely by undead; zombies, skeletons, liches, and ghosts. They were harmless to Medora, as they owed their existence to her, but they kept visitors away rather effectively.

At the time, she couldn't leave the Tower either. Nulfaga, Lysandus' mother, had gone mad when he died, and she'd falsely believed that Medora had contributed to her son's death. She'd put a curse on the place to stop her leaving. Nulfaga was as powerful a sorceress as Medora, although as a Breton, a shorter-lived one. Medora had been prepared to wait her out.

However, she had nowhere else she wanted to be. Without Lysandus, the Direnni Tower was as good a home as any other. She was able to research her alchemy and mysticism without disturbance, and for a time that had suited her. The whole Warp in the West had happened without her being aware of it, and it was only when she reached out later with telepathy that she found out about the new order in the Illiac Bay.

The Imperial agent she'd dealt with at the time had completely disappeared. He was one of the few people she'd been able to contact telepathically who wasn't of the Direnni clan. The late Nulfaga was another, and she'd mentioned contacting the agent, too. It seemed that some men had the capacity, but most didn't.

"Are you a Direnni?" Clark asked Taminwe.

"Yes, on the maternal side, which is where it counts for magical things," she replied. "But there's a lot of Dunmer, and Breton, and other races mixed in on the paternal side."

Clark certainly saw the Dunmer influence. She may not have had the compulsion to promiscuity that he'd just seen in Rinnala, but Taminwe made it no secret that she enjoyed her work. And her looks weren't as starkly elven as some other Altmer, so he appreciated the contributions of the other races.

"That would certainly account for my being able to reach her," Medora added. "You're the one that's a bit of a mystery, Clark. An Imperial's not normally a telepath."

Clark's parents had both been Imperial, although he didn't recall the races of his grandfathers, who'd both died before he was born. There was no guarantee that the men who'd married his grandmothers were actually his ancestors, of course. Plenty of opportunity for Altmer in his family tree, and quite possibly Dirreni. He just didn't know. Nulfaga was a Breton, and she'd been able to do it, so maybe it was a Breton thing in his case, too.

He'd aroused Medora's curiosity. Possibly more than that; he wasn't sure just how much she'd got from Taminwe. Medora wanted to come and visit them.

Balfiera and the Direnni Tower were a long way from the Imperial City, but Medora wasn't planning on traveling overland. She asked Taminwe to listen carefully, while she taught her a new spell. "You can listen in, too, Clark, but this one might need more magicka than you can muster at present."

Taminwe cast the Mark spell, and Medora seemed pleased with the result. Clark couldn't see that anything had happened, but that all changed as Medora cast another spell herself.

A small column of purple mist appeared in the corner of the room where Taminwe had cast her spell. It condensed into the figure of a tall, and rather elegant, Altmer. She had reddish-brown hair and green eyes, and a curvaceous figure that was well complemented by the purple velvet dress she wore. Clark could easily understand how this woman became a King's mistress.

"And all without Illusion," Medora said, obviously still reading his mind. "Thank you for those kind thoughts."

Now that they were all in the same physical location, they could converse in an easier, more conventional, manner. Clark was aware that more was passing between them than just the spoken words conveyed. That wasn't really anything new, he realised. Taminwe and he had been doing it unconsciously for a long time.

Medora had been nudged out of her reclusion in the Direnni Tower by contact from someone in the Summerset Isle. He'd warned her that some group of wizards calling itself the Thalmor had plans for the eventual destruction of all the Towers. It seemed that it was part of their plan to un-make the world, and return to a time of perfection, or some such clap-trap. He clearly didn't hold the same objectives himself.

She found out from him about the loss of the Crystal Tower. Although that had been the work of the invading Daedra, with the power of Mehrunes Dagon behind them, it was proof that the Towers weren't indestructible. Whether the Towers really did maintain the existence of Mundus wasn't clear, but if the Thalmor thought so, then they were a genuine threat.

"Are you still in contact with him?" Clark asked. "I've met a wizard from Sunhold who told me his own crazy story about the Thalmor. There are similarities here that add credence to an otherwise incredible rant."

"No, there's a lot of unrest in the Summerset Isle, and I gather that my respondent has become a victim of the violence. It's a pity, because I have little contact with my fellow Altmer these days. Most of that is with the locals in Wayrest, who have little real knowledge of the current situation in the other provinces. When he disappeared, I started seeking other contacts. Although I haven't established any new ones in the Summerset Isle, I have found you, which is promising."

"We're in the Imperial City, which is built around the White Gold Tower," Taminwe mused. "Do you think the Towers might help with the telepathy?"

Medora hadn't considered that. It might account for the difficulty she'd had, with the Crystal Tower no longer able to function in the same way. But the wizard had managed to contact her, so that couldn't be the whole story.

"I'm sure that was as much because of my state of mind at the time. I'd got over my loss of Lysandus, but I hadn't been ready to go back out into the world before that. I hadn't felt lonely in the Tower, because it was home to me, and I'd been burying myself in research. But that was beginning to wear off. I could tell from my dreams that some of the old desires were re-surfacing. That's probably why it was a male wizard, too."

"Now you've got me confused," Clark interrupted. "How did you link up with Taminwe?"

"Because she was feeling just the way I wanted to. And her mind was open, thinking about nothing else. Your presence helped both ways, as a male telepath, and as a contributor to her receptiveness."

Taminwe chuckled at that wonderful understatement. He'd just contributed, all right!

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

Link to the quest walk-through

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jun 10 2013, 04:47 PM

[Grits]

Black Queen’s Gambit: How fun to see Amusei. I like that he has developed a variety of skills.

Medora: What a great start! Medora is an interesting character already. I love the discussion of her history tied in with current events and the Towers.

Nulfaga was a Breton, and she'd been able to do it, so maybe it was a Breton thing in his case, too.

Hmm, because Bretons get +10 in Conjuration? The telepathy and teleport spells were my favorite parts.

Sounds like Clark might get some additional duties as Contributor To Her Receptiveness.

[Acadian]

Gosh, an elf who chatters nonstop and has voices in her head surely sounds familiar! Perhaps she needs a potion of quiet passion?

The use of telepathy and mark & recall magic was great fun to read.

[mALX]

Clark's "contributing," ROFL !!! I love the sound of this new questline, I'm dying to know if Clark will hunt down the missing Imperial agent or the mysterious Wizard, and if they do will it lead them into (the Skyrim game or the Summerset Isle?) I love the border crossing and Lore (you always manage to touch on the different Provinces and your questlines are rife with Lore) - this chapter is a great example! For example, I didn't realize Dagon took out the Crystal Tower - I need to move Rumpleteasza out of it in my story, I guess, lol.

This chapter is among my favorites, it is full of mysteries and promise of questing and Medora shaking off years of abstinance with Clark, lol. The White Gold Tower may be blown into the sky, maybe it really wasn't the Thalmer that destroyed it, it could have been Medora getting "back on the horse," ROFL!

A couple episodes back Morgiah was talking about the King of Worms being inside her when she mated, now Medora is inside Clark's and Taminwe's while they are mating - I wonder how long she has been picking up on Clark's thoughts? Being from the Illiac Bay region, she may have picked up on his time with Morgiah and Rinnala, lol. Totally Awesome Write, I am excited already about this new questline!

[ghastley]

@Grits: "Her Receptiveness the High Harlot of the Red Dragon" - Taminwe likes her new title.

@Acadian: Taminwe can be quiet when she wants to, but she just doesn't need to with Clark in a private room.

@mALX: Yes, the Daedra took down the Crystal Tower. It's in the book Rising Threat in Skyrim (the one that Lathenil of Sunhold wrote. I borrowed him for a quest in the mod.)
Medora arrived in Taminwe's head a bit too late to participate.

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

Previously: Medora Direnni has teleported herself to the Red Dragon Club, with news of a Thalmor plot to destroy the Towers that sustain Mundus.

Medora - part II

"Apart from a bit of company, what brings you from your tower now?" Taminwe asked.

"That warning from the telepathic wizard about the Thalmor. I don't think they could do anything to the Adamantine Tower. It's not just a building; there's a core of pure Adamantium that can't be natural, and Direnni tower was built around it. It's said to be older than Nirn itself. But that might not stop them trying anyway. I need to be prepared, and my best defenses, apart from my undead armies, are my magical skills."

Medora continued. "I've heard of some major advances in alchemy by a Dunmer somewhere in Cyrodiil. I don't know her name, but she's apparently making all sorts of new potions from Hist Sap. I'd like to track her down and see if I can share her results."

Clark knew about those potions. He'd been among the first to try some of them. "I think I know who you mean, and where to find her. Her name is Miranu Hlaalu, and she has a laboratory in an old fort near Lake Rumare."

"Have you met her?" Medora asked, "Because if you have, we could try and contact her together."

"Why don't you and Medora make use of some of her potion #9, and see if that helps?" Tanimwe asked, with an innocent look that didn't fool Clark at all.

Medora looked at Taminwe with a rather puzzled expression, but that quickly changed as she read what Taminwe was thinking. Her mind was a jumble of emotions as she started to understand what Taminwe had just suggested, and Clark was getting some of it, even though she wasn't trying to send.

Medora declined the offer (reluctantly, Clark thought) and declared that she was confident they'd be able to contact Miranu anyway. "I will hold your hand, though, and yours, Taminwe. That should be all the contact we need for this."

Miranu was definitely not telepathic, and they were only able to leave her with a vague feeling that somebody wanted to visit. She'd probably dismiss it as a dream, anyway. Clark repeated Taminwe's offer, but Medora still didn't think it would be benficial. "It's Miranu that needs the help, not me."

"Well, we'll just have to travel over there and knock on the door," Clark said. "It's not far, although we do have to go around the lake to get there."

"Can you go first, and ask her if it's all right? She knows you, but she might react badly to a stranger. Once you're there, I can just teleport myself to you if she's agreeable."

Clark thought that was a bit of a strange request, but Medora certainly wasn't dressed for overland travel. He was sure he could borrow a cloak to fit her, but whatever, he could do as she asked.

---

Miranu was quite pleased to see him again, and Boo greeted him as an old friend. He was grateful for the books that Clark had sent them, as he was eager to learn. Miranu wasn't too keen on him going into the City to buy or borrow books; she preferred him to stay home with her.

Clark was slightly concerned that Miranu wouldn't welcome another woman into her laboratory, but the prospect of an alchemist of her own stature to talk to tipped the scales the right way. She'd be glad to work with one of the Direnni clan. They wrote the history of alchemy, after all.

He heard a grateful sigh of relief in his mind when Miranu said that. The swirling column of purple mist appeared again, and Medora emerged. Clark made the introductions, and went back outside to see what Boo had been making at his forge.

When he entered the hall again, the two women were busily opening barrels and hunting for something. "I don't think I have any left," Miranu was saying.

"Any of what?" Clark asked.

"Void essence," Medora told him. "It's a rare ingredient, and I'm not at all sure where it comes from. The merchants that sail into the Illiac Bay would bring it from somewhere overseas, but you certainly couldn't find it locally. I don't even know if it's of plant or animal origin, just its alchemical properties."

"That would be because it's from Sheogorath's realm," Clark responded. "I read about it in a book the Champion brought back from the Shivering Isles. He left his copy at Gweden Farm."

He didn't recall much of what he'd read in it, because Alchemy wasn't really his interest, but he did remember that void essence came from flesh atronachs, and apparently they were fairly hard to kill. The book had mentioned a few alternatives, some of which came from plants.

Miranu tried to explain that those other ingredients would work in some recipes, but not the one that she was trying to use. "Just trust me. I need void essence in particular. Ten samples of it. But if you want to bring those others, too, I can put them to good use."

He didn't recall volunteering to fetch anything, but apparently both the women were now expecting him to go to the Shivering Isles and get it for them.

---

His first thought was to ask the sisters to come and help, but when he tried to contact them through the flash signaller at the Red Dragon Club, he got no reply from Arborwatch. He tried Rosethorn Hall next, and Eyja responded that they'd told her they were going to Weatherleah. Apparently they'd become quite fond of the Jemane brothers, and were spending a lot of their time with them.

Tsarrina was at the Club, doing the accounting, and she suggested he ask Nelrene to go with him. "That one knows the Isles, of course, and she's not worried about going back now the Champion's the Madgod. This one can spare her for a few days."

"Oh, and if Miranu's got any new potions that are anything like that #9, you will try to get some for us, won't you?" Clark wasn't sure if all the teeth in Tsarrina's smile were an encouragement or a threat, but he agreed anyway.

---

Nelrene was quite pleased with the idea of taking a break from Gweden. She may have done the same palace guard job for millenia, but escorting Clark would be different. And she had to admit that she put on her uniform every now and then, for nostalgic reasons. It just felt good to wear it, which was probably the will of Sheogorath.

Relmyna Verenim's old ruin at Xaselm would be a good place to find flesh atronachs. It wasn't too far from the Gates out of the Fringe, and if you went in the main door, at the other end from Relmyna's laboratory, you wouldn't disturb her. There were a few other ruins to try, and the Zealots often had flesh atronachs in tow. Of course, they'd summon them, as well, and you wouldn't get any void essence from a summoned creature.

Nelrene didn't seem at all disturbed by the thought of battling the atronachs, so Clark began to feel a bit easier about the trip.

---

"She's immortal, so of course she had nothing to worry about," Clark reminded himself as he hobbled back around the Red Road. He'd spent most of his time in the Isles picking himself up off the ground and guzzling health potions. Although his outfit reflected and absorbed spells, it didn't do much against physical damage, and those atronachs had battered his shield into a shapeless lump of twisted metal. They seemed to know he was weaker than Nelrene, and always picked on him.

But they'd got the void essence. Ten samples exactly, as he had no intention of fighting any more of them than he had to.

He did have the rest of his pack filled with miscellaneous other ingredients. Nelrene had picked him out what she considered a good sampling of items: swamp tentacle, congealed putrescence, water root pod pits, blister pod caps. He'd made a point of re-entering the Fringe through the Mania gate, so he could balance that with a few things from that half: alocasia, red kelp bladder and worm's head. Miranu should be pleased.

He'd left Nelrene in the Isles. She had stayed on a day or two visiting Mania. In all the time she'd spent in the Isles, that side of the map had been somewhere a Mazken just didn't go. But there was a different Madgod now, and the rules had changed. She felt like exploiting that, and seeing a bit more of her world.

Clark upended his pack onto one of the benches, and sorted out the ten samples of void essence from the rest of the ingredients. Medora was excitedly picking up the strange new things he'd brought. She found the swamp tentacle especially interesting, and he caught a few stray thoughts about non-alchemical uses.

That seemed to jog her memory about something she wanted to discuss with him. While Miranu was busy cataloging the new ingredients, and storing them away in barrels, Medora drew him aside and whispered. "Do you know she's sleeping with that Minotaur? I thought he was just a pet when I first arrived, but it's a lot more than that!"

Clark was shocked. Not about Miranu and Boo, of course, but that Medora would react that way. "What's the problem? You wouldn't think twice if he were a Khajiit or an Argonian."

"No, but they're intelligent races, like us. It's not right to do it with an animal."

"Have you talked to Boo? He's a lot more intelligent than most people I know!"

"Well, no," Medora admitted. "He goes outside almost as soon as he wakes each day, and when he comes back in in the evening, he spends all his time with Miranu in the cave. I didn't even know he could talk, until you told me."

"And you haven't been out to his forge to watch him there? If you saw his smithing skills, you'd have no doubt of his intelligence."

"I don't go outside. I can't. The curse Nulfaga put on me makes me panic when I'm outside. That's how she kept me shut up in Direnni Tower all those years."

Now it made sense why Medora teleported everywhere. Clark had been told that Nulfaga had lifted the curse when Lysandus' ghost had been finally laid to rest, but Medora didn't seem to believe that. She still felt the same way when she looked out of an open door, and stepping over the threshhold would have been unthinkable.

She wasn't deliberately telling him that, but the fear flooded out of her mind in a torrent she couldn't control. He wasn't a strong telepath, but he didn't need to be.

"I'm hoping that Miranu and I can make a potion to lift the curse," she told him. "Nothing I've been able to produce has made any difference. Whatever spell I cast, or potion I drink, I feel the same after as I did before."

Clark left the two alchemists grinding ingredients and stirring mixtures, and returned on foot to the city. He didn't think there was any curse on Medora that wasn't of her own making, but he'd need help figuring out what to do.

Maybe Miranu could help her make a potion that was powerful enough to overcome her phobia, but he thought it unlikely. Medora was enough of a sorceress to counteract the effects of any potion that interfered with her view of what was "normal'. And her fear of the outdoors had become that.

Nothing is quite like trying to change a woman's mind.


--------

Link to the quest walk-through

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jun 10 2013, 06:29 PM

[Acadian]

Off to the Shivering Isles for Clark and his Mazken escort – good choice! The Isles are a treasure trove for alchemists and it was good of Clark to bring back a nice selection of various samples.

Nice to see and hear from some familiar faces from earlier parts of your story. Ah, makes sense why the lady teleports everywhere – nicely done!

’Nothing is quite like trying to change a woman's mind.’ - - Counterproductive, for sure. No worries though as they have an uncanny ability to change it at an alarming rate with no assistance.

[Grits]

He didn't recall volunteering to fetch anything, but apparently both the women were now expecting him to go to the Shivering Isles and get it for them.

Woo hoo, an adventure in the Isles!

"She's immortal, so of course she had nothing to worry about," Clark reminded himself as he hobbled back around the Red Road. He'd spent most of his time in the Isles picking himself up off the ground and guzzling health potions.

That’s been my experience there, too. I haven't had a character who lived long enough to realize the non-alchemical potential of swamp tentacle.

[mALX]

WOO HOO !!! The return of Miranu Hlaalu to the story, isn't that Falanu's sister that does the experimenting with animals? I Loved her story!

I like the little catch up of where all the characters are, and seeing Eyja in your story!

Clark seems out of his element with these two, like they are using mind control on him!

She found the swamp tentacle especially interesting, and he caught a few stray thoughts about non-alchemical uses.

SPEW !!!

Clark's last statement had me laughing, he figures out a lot, just hope Medora wasn't reading his mind then, lol. Awesome write, I am loving this questline!


** On another note, I am very excited over the Player being able to paint on the poster! That is AWESOME! Really sorry I got tied up with fixing that water and didn't want to add anything new till I had that down and working, if you tell me how to add it in I will; or if the ESP works with the Wobbly one and you want to let everyone just DL it - I'm def getting it for my game either way, lol.

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Changing a woman's mind is easy - just wait a few minutes. It's changing it in the right direction that's the tricky part.

@Grits: In the Rumple Mod SI expansion, the player fetches the "Tentacle of Intrusion" from a ruin for Relmyna. In return the player gets the replacement heart for rebuilding Syl. Relmyna says when you give it to her "Did you feel how it pulses and wriggles? Obscene, isn't it?" Then she tells you it's weak, and needs to feed. So she gives it to Nanette Don. Both women will tell you about the progress of that little experiment if you talk to them after.

@mALX: Yes, Clark has to be careful about Medora reading his mind, but for the next part he just has to act on his natural inclinations.

**aside** - everyone can download the poster and use it now, but merging it in saves a plugin slot.

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

Previously: Clark has taken Medora Direnni to visit Miranu, and the two Alchemists are trying to make a potion to cure Medora's fear of going outdoors. Since you can't make a Calm potion, it's not going to work.

Medora - part III

"If she's not being rational, then we'll just have to fight fire with fire," Uzgash reasoned. "And I don't know anything better than religion. The witches that brought up my mother had one that involved a lot of naked rituals, and weird ceremonies. It was all just an excuse for a communal feel-good session, but the way they did it made it exclusively their own. That reinforced the idea that they were special, and privy to secrets that others didn't have. The drugs they took made it easier for the participants to believe it all."

"All in all, they were a fairly harmless bunch of eccentrics. The good part was that their alchemical skills and magic were sharpened by their ritual practice into something that was actually useful. Not to mention all that dancing keeping them in shape. Mother learned a lot of good stuff from those witches, and I got it all passed down through a filter of cold reason. She could understand what they were doing better than they did, or at least most of them. I'm sure the priestesses had a clue, too; that's why they were in charge."

"But Medora's not a witch," Clark pointed out. "And she's intelligent enough, with this one exception. How do we convert her to witchcraft?"

"We only need to convince her that it's the basis of Nulfaga's curse," Taminwe told him. "That's what Uzgash meant about fighting fire with fire. If we can get Medora believing in witchcraft as the source of her problem, then she'll believe it's the cure as well."

"Was Nulfaga a witch?" Clark asked the obvious question.

"Medora seems to think of her that way," Taminwe replied. "I'm not sure if she actually believes that she was, or she's just using it as a mental dismissal of her adversary's magical ability. We also have to assume that Nulfaga knew something of Medora's mind. After all, they were both telepathic. She could have planted the idea that it was witchcraft, along with the fear, knowing it would make it harder for Medora to do anything. In any case, we can cast her in that light and Medora will accept it. The fact that she seems to count witches' skills as inferior will help our cause."

"So where do we get a witch?" he asked.

"Medora doesn't know me, so I'm going to be your beldam, or witch high priestess," answered Uzgash. "My mother's stories have given me a good idea of what I need to do, and Medora's likely to think of Orcs as witch material, coming from High Rock as she does. And you know I don't mind dancing around naked."

Clark was quite aware of Uzgash's lack of inhibition. As were most of the folk in Falkreath, and quite a few in Bruma, especially if they'd been to Olav's.

---

"Why do I have to be naked?" Medora asked again.

"Because it's an act of defiance," Uzgash explained. "You're telling everyone that you're equal to anything they can bring against you, without any weapons, without any armor, without anything but yourself. Don't think of it as a show of vulnerability, but of strength!"

Clark looked at Uzgash's naked body, and it wasn't hard to see the strength there. Medora was a bit softer, with smooth, gentle curves that were just as good to look at, only different. She didn't look weaker, so much as a more tempting target.

Uzgash grinned. "The other reason for being naked, of course, is the paint."

She handed Clark a pot of paint. Uzgash and Medora had ground up the plant material and minerals to make these. She'd explained to the sorceress the symbolism of each pigment, making it all up as she went along. Red was for fire, of course, and blue for frost, white for shock. The other colors were associated with health, and strength, and endurance, and... Clark had lost track of it all, but Medora had, too, which was just what Uzgash intended.

"I'm not sure of the exact meaning of each of these symbols," Uzgash was saying, "but they're the ones they used in all the ceremonies. They're intended to attract all the spirits that are needed to collectively raise the available magicka to the right level. The placement of them is equally important, so please hold still while we work."

Medora was finding it quite difficult to remain motionless for them. The soft hair of the brushes tickled her skin in a most arousing way, especially as they were painting there, and even there. Significant locations for the most significant symbols, as Uzgash explained it.

Clark and Uzgash wouldn't be wearing any paint, of course. It was Medora that the ceremony was all about, so she was the one that was decorated. All the magicka would flow to her, and she'd be able to lift Nulfaga's curse using the same witchcraft that had placed it.

"I think she's ready," Uzgash said. "Close your eyes, Medora, while I open the door and check if the moons are at their proper aspect."

Medora was glad that she didn't have to look outside yet. They'd decided that the tall, narrow alley leading to the Club was a good compromise between indoors and out. She'd have walls all round her, so It would seem less threatening, but it was still open to the sky. That was the fear she needed to overcome.

"Yes, it's nice and dark, and I can see both moons." Uzgash's voice sounded different, and Medora realised that it was because it was coming from outside the open door. She kept her eyes tightly closed as Clark guided her out into the alley to join her.

"Point her towards the moons" Uzgash instructed Clark. "Now Medora, raise your right fist, and shake it at the moons."

She had to open her eyes a little, to see where they were. She tried to make it as brief a glimpse as possible, but her knees buckled as she did that. Medora felt Clark's arms around her, holding her steady. She narrowed her eyes to look at the moons, and nothing else. The feeling of panic was still there, but she could handle it, maybe.

"Good, now hold that pose while we wash off the paint. The curse will have been absorbed into the symbols, and it will leave you with them. And it doesn't matter if you close your eyes again now."

Medora relaxed a little. She knew she was outside, and naked, but she felt safer with these people, who seemed to know what they were doing. And washing the paint off was quite a pleasant feeling. Well, more than just pleasant. After all, they'd painted some intimate places and Clark's hands were so gentle.

They reminded her of Lysandus, and of happier times at the palace in Daggerfall. She hadn't been living under Nulfaga's curse then, and she'd been able to stroll the palace garden with her King. And because it was a private place, away from Mynisera, it was where they often...

Medora opened her eyes and looked at the moons, lost in the memories of those earlier years. Clark could feel her trembling, but it didn't seem to be fear any more. Uzgash whispered in his ear. "I'll go inside now, and leave you to finish things. I'll leave the door open, in case she feels shut out with it closed."

---

"That ceremony thing was all a load of hooey, wasn't it?" Medora accused.

"Hey! It worked, didn't it?" Taminwe retorted.

"Well yes, but was it all necessary? I feel totally stupid now, and I must have looked ridiculous in all that gaudy warpaint."

"That's why we washed it off again," Clark quite reasonably countered. "I'm sure you'd agree that part was needed."

Medora glared at him, but it was hard for her to feel any ill will. "The part I really needed came after that, and I'd rather it had been on soft sheets, than up against a wall in an alley."

"You did seem to need it urgently. And you got your soft sheets when we came back inside." Clark had been kept rather busy, as Medora had been saving up her passion for some time.

Taminwe wanted to know why Medora had gone back outside afterwards to gesture at the moons again. "If you'd told me you were still going to be naked, I'd have kept the customers in the bar. Now they're asking if if it will be a regular show!"

"Well, the first time, it was all Uzgash's idea. She was right, being naked does feel empowering. I had to do it on my own, to tell myself that I was in control now, and I could beat that fear alone, if it ever came back. "

"If it does, we'll sell tickets for your next performance," Taminwe laughed.

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

Note: This is where the narrative differs from the mod. In the game you go to Bravil and get a new spell from Kud-Ei that combines Calm and Shield to make Medora feel safe. You cast it on her in Miranu's lab and lead her out of the door. If you get out before the spell expires, she's cured. If it's too late, she runs back inside, and you have to try again. Boring in comparison, but within the capabilities of the game!

This post has been edited by ghastley: Jun 18 2013, 01:49 PM