Aravi in Skyrim, her video story Options

[Grits]

I like this quest a lot. Aravi is a great choice to solve Morthal’s mystery. I can really imagine her quietly talking to the townspeople. Little Helgi’s appearance is quite a surprise. She has great lines. Shiver-inducing but not too specific.

Clues! Wow, Dawnbreaker says: undead! That was neat. How funny, Aravi didn’t break in! She really is awesome. After all, she's been entrusted with uncovering the truth, and that is not a licence to bust down the door and start swinging steel around.

I liked the tune that bard was playing, and the night sky was beautiful! In all of my hours, I have only seen the blue and purple aurora once. Good catch!

Gosh, I really like this video!

[King Coin]

@SubRosa: Kitty! Freya is cute! Thanks for sharing!

At least in this one, the little girl isn’t the antagonist. The idiot came running up the hill and found the vampire and his babbling drowned out what the little girl said. I did that one a couple of times and he interrupted each time. Thanks SubRosa!

@mALX: It is an excellent quest, I had a lot of fun with it. Thanks mALX!

@Acadian: I’m glad that the little girl wasn’t the evil one like SubRosa mentioned. I had a lot of fun with this quest. Thanks Acadian!

@Grits: You are so right! I wasn’t expecting a ghost in the house, and you know something terrible happened to the little girl, but she doesn’t understand. Aravi tries to be diplomatic when she can, but she finds in this next video that the house is never unlocked. Thanks Grits!


########################################

Aravi tries to get into Alva’s house again.

9:15

Alva’s Journal


~~~~

I wrote this scene to take place after this video and before the next. Because it was pretty short (less than 800 words), I decided to pair it with a video instead of posting it on its own.

~~~~

“I want to do this myself.”

“You can’t, this one will not allow it!”

Aravi looked at Kharjo, her eyes wide ears perked forward in surprise, then her ears flattened and she narrowed her green eyes. She stated in a firm, clipped tone: “I will do this myself. You can either stay here” she pointed at the table they were seated at in the Moorside Inn, “or you can return to your caravan” her finger pointed to the door.

Kharjo ignored her ultimatum and pressed on: “You can’t take an entire clan of vampires by yourself. This one does not care if you hunted them in Cyrodiil. You do not know how many there will be in this cave! This one goes with you. You can’t force him to wait here while you are devoured! ”

“You will not follow me.”

“And why not?” he demanded, his voice rising again. “This one has fought vampires at your side before. Why is this any different?”

He saw Aravi cast an annoyed glance around the inn. His outburst must have attracted attention. Kharjo didn’t care.

“Because you will be killed if you go along. If not in the fighting, then when it ends. You will be infected with the disease. A small dose is easy to cure like any other disease but you will be infected many times over and a spell or potion will not be enough to save you.”

“This one will accept that risk like before.”

“I will not. This is different. There is an Ancient here; a vampire of enormous power that has lived hundreds of years.”

“What of you? You plan on suicide?”

“I know how to fight these monsters. I’ve destroyed clans like this before in Cyrodiil without help and this time I have Dawnbreaker” she said referring to the magical sword she received from a Daedric Lord, Meridia, which is especially potent against the undead.

Kharjo was doubtful, but he continued to his next point. “And then you will catch the disease and turn into a vampire.”

Aravi said in a quiet voice, “my blood will not allow the disease to take hold.”

Confusion, then realization swept through him. “Dovakiin?” he asked in a whisper, conscious of her preference to keep it secret.

“Yes. It protects me from the disease. I cannot be turned into one because of it.”

Kharjo looked down at his armored hands flat on the table. The ebony that encased them might as well have been wool for what good it did him against this foe. It wards off blows better than anything he’s worn before, but these particular vampires did not need to touch him. They could rip into his blood and consume it from a distance, unimpeded by his heavy plate armor. It frustrated and scared him. Almost as much as the small Khajiit woman sitting across from him, wearing nothing stronger than leather, going to fight them alone. His hands were clenched and he forced himself to relax.

“You shouldn’t go. Even if you can’t be turned, they’ll still kill you. You are the Dragonborn, you already have to kill dragons, leave this nest of vampires for someone else.”

“Who else is there? Those guards? That ridiculous Nord claiming to be the best warrior? You saw his equipment.” Her ears were flat again.

“This one does not know!” he said in exasperation. “Don’t go.”

Aravi didn’t say anything. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Aravi started to get up.

“Don’t go” Kharjo said and grabbed her hand.

Aravi paused, gave his hand a small squeeze, and then slipped from his grasp. Kharjo didn’t move. When he heard the door open behind him he said “If you do not come back, this one will go get you.”

He almost thought she had left before he heard her speak.

“Thank you.”

The door closed.

Kharjo looked at his moon amulet, given to him by his mother when he was just a cub. Stolen by bandits and recovered by a stranger in an unexpected act of kindness. He’d offered his service to this stranger. She’d taken it. As they traveled she took something from him without either of them realizing it. He felt a dull pain in his chest with each heartbeat. He sat alone for what felt like hours, the Nords giving him a wide berth when they passed his table. He had no idea how much time passed since she left, but he felt it was too long.

He got up and went to her.

[Lycanthropic-Legend]

Aww, but they make such a cute couple.

And here we start with Alva the hottie seductress of men. A pity we cannot marry her in the game, though I found her history and Movarth's influence quite fascinating. That was an epic battle with the forest dragon in the video( I didn't even realize they had those ). Kharjo seems to have a true relationship with Aravi and seems genuinely concerned about her safety, and she is in turn is brave to face the vampires at his chagrin. This will be interesting.

Let the hunt begin!

Refreshing to see two khajiiti friends brave the fangers!

[mALX]

2 dragons! Looks like she only got one though.

The new journal format makes it hard for my (blind bat) vision to see what spell Aravi used on that guy after she broke into Alva's house, or see his status. Was he an enemy? Did she assault him? I thought it was funny how she scurried downstairs right after that.

LOVED the journal, thank you for including that as a link - that tells a whole lot, lol. Awesome Vid!

I didn't know the Dovakin could not get vampirism !!

OMG, this write was HUGE !!! You captured Kharjo's personality so well, and all Aravi's cat-like ear and eye positions. I absolutely LOVE this chapter you wrote !!! Kharjo's heart - Awesome Write, KC !!!!!!!!!

[Acadian]

Great vid. A surprise dragon fight – and two of them! I wonder what happened to the second one. . . unless Aravi scared it so badly it turned into a mudcrab.

So Alva is a vampire. That journal was pretty damning. Poor Aravi. . . she thought she left all that behind in Cyrodiil.

And a written bonus! You really capture the Aravi and Kharjo we know and love so well with your words. Their concern for each other comes through loud and clear. Superbly done!

[SubRosa]

That cat webcomic is so true!

A dragon attack on the city! I was not expecting that. I never see that kind of thing in my games. How many arrows did Aravi put into that thing? Twenty? Finally that thing is on the ground. Now that Aravi has her swords out, this will not take much longer. There can be only one...

That was kind of funny in the next scene, when the two guards were gawking over the dragon's skeleton!

A good use of the Calm spell in Alva's house. Riddick Eris just did this same quest, and she used her daggers instead...

I actually read the story part first. It looks to me like Aravi is planning on going all werewolfy in the vampire's lair to me. It also looks like Kharjo is becoming quite attached...

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 8 2012, 01:31 AM

[Grits]

Whoa, two dragons! I do enjoy a nighttime dragon fight. What kind of Shout do you think it was using? I’m sure it was not fun for Aravi to have them blowing up around her, but they looked really neat! That was very close at the end. Yikes!

That was kind of Aravi to Calm Hroggar while she was gathering clues. Turns out he’s a victim, too. Jarl Ravencrone does not mince words.

I love the scene with Kharjo! As Acadian said, their characters and feelings for each other came through beautifully. I was so pleased to see how much Kharjo respects Aravi. He had all of the right arguments, but of course she went anyway.

So, I think it’s her beast blood that will keep the vampire disease away, even though she said it’s the dragon business. I wonder if Kharjo is going to see a wolfy surprise at the lair.

She has his heart!!

[King Coin]

@LL: Thanks. Eventually Aravi and Kharjo will couple, but that needs some more time.

The forest dragon was added by a mod I’m running that both strengthen the dragons and puts some new ones in the game. I think Kharjo’s had his eye on Aravi for a while now, but that’s the first time I was really able to demonstrate his feelings for her. Thanks LL!

@mALX: The other dragon disappeared sometime during the fight with the first.

The guy in the house was hostile and Aravi used a calm spell on him. I’m not sure if she incurred a bounty doing any of that or not. The jarl didn’t seem to mind.

I’m glad you enjoyed the written portion and that my novice efforts are readable. Thanks mALX!

@Acadian: The second dragon must have flown off. I wonder if it was Alduin making an appearance… Aravi’s definitely not escaped the vampires. It seems that where ever she goes, there will always be the blood sucking parasites.

And thank you for your kind words on the written portion. I’m happy it came out as well as it did. Thanks Acadian!

@SubRosa: That attack was a surprise! I don’t know how many arrows she used, but I’m not as good a shot in Skyrim as I was in Oblivion. Aravi’s better than that. Whenever you down a dragon all NPCs nearby always run over to it to gawk.

You said it twice before I believe. “Someday I’m going to marry that girl.” Thanks SubRosa!

@Grits: I have no idea what that shout was, but I’m sure it was one that is unique to that mod I’m using. That was really close, which is why Aravi usually goes for the side or the wings. She felt badly that she was breaking into Hroggar and Alva’s home, so that’s why she was careful to calm him. If someone busted into her home at night, she’d react poorly too.

I’m so glad their feelings came through, that is what I was and am most nervous about when writing. It’s easy to just write, but not easy to cultivate those emotions. Aravi was decided before she went to Kharjo so he was bound to lose that argument. Thanks Grits!

#################################

Aravi goes to Movarth's cave to deal with him and his followers. Alone.

10:09

[mALX]

Dear gods, was that Kharjo at the end? Holy Crap !!! That scared the crap out of me, BUSTED !!! URK !!! Totally AWESOME Vid !!!! Holy Psijic Crap what a vid !!!!! Awesome !!! Now I'm scared for Aravi when Kharjo finds her, Urk !!!! Oh SH__T !!!!!

[SubRosa]

I see the posse got there before Aravi. The brave posse. Well, not exactly brave.

Ugh, spiders. I have modded them out of my game. I found skeevers in that first room instead.

That is what I expected. Aravi is going to use her Breast Form against those vampires. Wow, how differently this plays out compared to how I just did it with Eris. Where she sneaked through and backstabbed them all one at a time, Aravi just goes all balls furballs out and eats them!

"You're nothing!"
Slap, slap, slap!

And Kharjo arrives to view the carnage. Good thing he did not get there a few minutes earlier!

[Grits]

What a rampage! Clearing out a vampire lair is an excellent job to give to the beast. I have to admit, I was worried the whole time that one of those villagers would finally summon the nerve to go into the vampire cave only to have a werewolf eat them. But at least I was not worried about Aravi catching the disease.

Oh wow, that ending was just perfect! Kharjo charges in ready for battle, and Aravi is going to have some explaining to do…

The scene you wrote works beautifully with this video! I absolutely love it!

[Acadian]

I’m loving Aravi as a werewolf and cheered for her all the way through this! Wow! Such power, grace and. . . blood. I had headphones on when I watched it and the sounds were so cool. Guess she showed ‘em! No warning, no quarter for those damn vampires.

What a splendid surprise to see Kharjo at the end come looking for her! I’ll bet the wolf’s out of the bag now whether Aravi likes it or not. And you know what? I figure Kharjo will not be deterred by it (once he gets over his initial reaction).

Grits is so right: The synergy you have going between your writing and vids is wonderful. That last piece you wrote magnified the significance of Kharjo’s arrival here many fold. Well done, my friend!

[liliandra nadiar]

Oh my... I've never been able to get my werewolves to be that BA. Though you know, I have heard a charging power attack in beast form will do serious damage.

Have to wonder what the villagers outside the cave thought about all the roaring coming from within, this is, of course, on the tail of a dragon attack on their homes.

But yay Kharjo! Very, very well put together video!

[King Coin]

@mALX: Yes that was Kharjo at the end. Busted for sure! Glad you enjoyed it so much, Thanks mALX!

@SubRosa: Aravi kind of left the posse behind. Aravi hates spiders too and would probably love it if I modded them out. I’m not going to do that though.

I bet it was totally different! Aravi is completely wild in beast form. I loved that kill on Alva, I hadn’t seen that one (or the decap for that matter) before. Thanks SubRosa!

@Grits: Aravi let the beast out for a reason, but I think you are right, it did an excellent job destroying the vampire and his retainers. If a villager did go down, they would have been killed and eaten. I didn’t even think of that. I’m so glad you think the scene works so well, that was my intention. Thanks Grits!

@Acadian: The beast is a lot more brutal and strong than Aravi is. It cleaned out the vampires quickly, I suppose they weren’t expecting anything like that. Kharjo does catch up with her when he was tired of waiting.
I am very happy you think the scene works so well too. That was why I wrote it. Thanks Acadian!

@Liliandra: Werewolve’s standard attack isn’t very strong by itself, you really have to use the power attacks and the charging attacks when you can. Aravi didn’t have a lot of room so the charging attack would have been difficult to pull off. Funny, I thought the same thing too about the villagers! Had they hung around, they might have thought there was a dragon in the cave! Thanks Liliandra!

##############################

Just a few face shots of Aravi. She’s been wearing Elven armor recently and I think it is gorgeous on her.

One

Two

Three

[Grits]

These are beautiful! Two is my favorite, I just love her expression. The Khajiit helm with ears free is perfect! Wow, these are great!

[mALX]

I thought 'One' would be my fave till I saw 'Two' - LOVE that shot, it is my absolute fave of the three! ('One' comes in second, lol). Great shots !!!

[SubRosa]

Those first two are just gorgeous. I cannot decide which I like better. The first one is filled with warm light, but the second has an almost soft focus to it that makes it just amazing.

[Acadian]

Wow, Aravi always looks gorgeous, but I absolutely love how her helmet lets her little ears (well, little by Buffy and Superian standards) stick out! Just the perfect thing to avoid ‘helmet ears’. The subdued lighting in that third shot really makes the scar on Aravi’s right cheek jump out.

[King Coin]

Thanks everyone! I’m kind of surprised Two was the favorite, I was sure One would be. Acadian, you pointed out exactly why I liked Three. My favorite is One, I liked the way her eyes looked in that one.

##################################

I was intending for this to be short like the first scene I wrote, but it quickly grew to a full sized chapter on its own. I hope you all find it acceptable.

##################################


Kharjo crept past the bodies of two giant spiders, broken arrows left behind as evidence of Aravi’s passing. Kharjo smiled to himself. She’s always hated spiders. Now where is she? He moved into the narrow passageway that no doubt lead to lair of the vampires.

The feeling of foreboding that started at the inn spiked within the narrow passage. Those are her swords! And her pack! Sheathed and resting against the rough stone wall of the cave was her swords and next to them was her pack. Why would she leave her things here? Chills danced up and down his spine and tail. This was wrong. She would never leave her stuff like this. She needed her swords to fight. He took the rest of the passage nice and slow, listening for anything. The passage opened up into a room ahead.

He found the first body. Kharjo had seen plenty of violence in his life, especially after he started following Aravi. He wasn’t sure if he should be proud or ashamed that the sight of the dead rarely bothered him. This one was different. The man’s head had been torn off, and the body had been shredded. He felt sick and looked away, taking deep breaths through his mouth so the smell of exposed guts wouldn’t be as strong. What did this? Where’s Aravi?! He fought away of the image of Aravi’s body torn to pieces that leapt unbidden to his mind and pulled his axe from his belt. He knew if whatever killed that man was still alive in the cave, then Aravi couldn’t kill it, and he was going to die too.

The next room held more bodies. A man, shredded and torn like the first, lay beside a shallow grave containing old corpses. The vampire’s food. Kharjo took only the time to confirm that none of the dead were Khajiit before moving on. His nerves were almost shot and the silence of the cave did not help calm him at all. This place is a tomb. If she was alive, wouldn’t he be able to hear something? He wanted nothing more than to run forward as fast as he could calling for her. Calm down Kharjo.

Moving through the next passage on silent feet, he concentrated on his hearing more than his sight. His ears flicked around nervously, trying to detect any sound. As he moved deeper, he thought he heard something. He stopped to hear better …Is that breathing? He moved a little farther in and listened again. Yes, it is! It sounded shallow and labored to his keen ears, it couldn’t belong to anything capable of tearing a man to pieces. He couldn’t help it, he abandoned stealth and ran. It was coming from a large chamber with a high ceiling and a long table in the middle of the room. And slumped on the ground next to a throne on the far end was Aravi!

“Aravi!” His elation quickly turned to horror. She was completely naked and covered from head to toe in blood. He ran to her and saw more details. She had partially healed weapon and frost wounds on her chest, arms, and thighs. While her entire body was covered in blood, he noticed her mouth and hands by far had the most.

“Aravi? Are you alright?” Her eyes were out of focus, she was miles away. She didn’t say anything. He took off a gauntlet and checked her wounds and didn’t find anything immediately life threatening. “Here drink something,” he offered her his water skin. Her eyes focused on him, then the skin, and she reached out to take it. It dropped to the floor with a splash of spilled liquid and Aravi hissed in pain. He recovered the skin, noting multiple cuts and swelling in her hands. He held the skin for her so she could drink. She sloshed the water around in her mouth and spit it out. That’s when he noticed the mess next to her. Raw, chewed up meat lay in a pool of blood and other juices. Later he thought to himself. Get her out of here first.

He gave her more water and she started shivering. “Can you walk?” She weakly shook her head. He took off his cloak and wrapped her in it. “Let’s get you out of this horrible place then.” Then carefully, he lifted her over a shoulder and took up his axe in his free hand. Then slowly and carefully, he carried her out the way he had come. She didn't say a word to him.

~~~~

Aravi abruptly woke from a dreamless sleep. She was disoriented at first, but quickly realized that she was in a bed at the inn.

“This one is sorry to wake you, but you need to drink these.” She heard a liquid being poured into a mug. “Can you sit up or do you need help?”

As she gingerly pushed herself up, her hands ached fiercely, and all the memories of last night came crashing down on her. Kharjo noticed. “We’ll talk about what happened later. You need to drink these potions and rest more.” He offered her the mug. “Drink.”

She drank, it was a cure disease potion. The taste was familiar to her. It was a waste, but she did it anyways. One look at Kharjo told her there would be no negotiating with him. He was seated at the end of her bed. He may have looked relaxed to anyone that didn’t know him well, but she could tell he was tense.

When she was done, she offered the mug back to him and he refilled it with another potion. After drinking that, the ache in her hands had vanished, and the mug was offered one more time. Cool water that she sipped at gratefully.

“Are you hungry?”

“No.” She was starving. The thought of eating made her feel sick however. Kharjo must have seen the lie for what it was and gave her a piece of bread. She nibbled on it carefully, and when it was gone, she accepted the rest of the loaf.

“What was wrong with my hands?”

“The alchemist said you had broken three fingers and your left wrist. The skin was torn away as well. She was the closest thing this town had for a healer, so she made sure the bones were in the right place before giving you healing potions.”

Aravi processed this and experimented with her fingers and hands. She shouldn’t have any trouble with her swords and bow. They sat in silence while she slowly finished the bread.

“You should get more rest,” Kharjo said when she was done eating.

Aravi shook her head. “No, I want to leave this place. Let’s go.”

“Are you strong enough for travel?” he asked doubtfully.

To demonstrate she got out of bed and stood up straight. The effect was ruined when she had to retrieve the cloak that fell to the floor and hold it over her form. Her ears flattened to the sides in embarrassment and she felt her face burning. She had just given him quite a show. “I need some clothes Kharjo.”

Kharjo chuckled and gestured to her pack sitting on the dresser up against the wall opposite her bed. He left the room and firmly shut the door behind him. As he left she saw a dagger belted to his waist. Kharjo thought she was dangerous. He had sat where he would be difficult to reach by someone waking up in the bed. The realization hurt her more than she expected and she sat on her bed, the corners of her eyes stinging. She let the tears fall, but did not make a sound. After a few minutes, she dried her face and pulled herself together. She stood, let the cloak drop again, and went to the pack. After dressing, a look in the pack verified what she had suspected: Kharjo had taken all her weapons.

She still had some of her potions and she chose one to restore some of her energy. She sighed and shouldered her pack, wincing at the aches and pains that flared briefly. She didn’t relish the conversation that was going to take place as soon as they were out of town, but she hoped he would trust her again.

~~~~

They left the dreary town behind and walked in silence for nearly an hour before Kharjo abruptly stopped.

“Aravi owes this one some answers.”

Aravi knew this was coming. “What did you see?”

“This one saw you in a cave full of dead vampires and their slaves. They had been torn apart and eaten. Your mouth and claws were covered in their blood. What did you do?” Kharjo’s voice was intense and he had assumed a fighting stance. He had all but drawn a weapon on her.

Aravi looked at her feet in shame and kept carefully still, her hands where he could see them.

“I’m a werewolf.” She cringed when she heard him draw his axe. Keeping her eyes on her feet, she said “I’m not a monster.” I hope.

Kharjo was silent. She stayed still and waited for him to say something. Or use his axe.

“So you are a werewolf. How does this one know you won’t kill him?”

“I wouldn’t, I can control the transformations. All of the Circle of the Companions are werewolves. They all live in Whiterun and they’ve never killed anyone in the town. We all can control when we change.”

“If you can control the transformations, then why did you do it last night?”

“I know what happens when I let it out. I wanted them to feel terror before they died. That’s why I didn’t want you with me. When I transform, I surrender my body and mind to the beast. Nobody would have been safe.”

Kharjo was quiet again. He still had his weapon ready. “You are sure you can control the transformation?”

“Yes!” Aravi said, looking at him, desperate for him to believe.

“How did you get this curse? And when?”

“The Companions invited me to join the Circle. To become one of them, a condition was to become as they were. Werewolves. I rejected it at first, but then I learned that werewolves were immune to every disease. Including vampirism. So I accepted.”

“But why? You said the dragon protected you.”

“I wasn’t honest with you. I carried the disease within me for a long time. In Cyrodiil I became infected with the disease too many times and I could not be rid of it. I could only slow it down. I came to Skyrim, I had heard that the cold climate would further slow it down. It worked, but I still wasn’t rid of it. Then this opportunity came along and I was desperate.”

Kharjo considered her words carefully. Then he belted his axe at his waist. Aravi let out breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“This one believes you. What choice does he have? If this turns to be a foolish choice, he will probably not live long to regret it.”

“Thank you Kharjo. I promise I’ll never harm you.”

“This one will hold you to it.” He flashed a quick grin before turning serious again. “Is there anything else you should share with this one? Think carefully. Anything like this again and this one will leave you and return to his caravan.”

“No, there isn’t.”

Kharjo’s voice was heavy with anger and sadness. “This one thought you had died last night. Don’t do that to him again.”

The pain in his voice shamed her and she looked back down at her feet. They resumed walking. Kharjo murmured to himself, “This one feels like he’s had to battle for every scrap of knowledge he has of her.”

After a while Aravi asked, “May I have my weapons back?”

His hesitation was barely perceptible before he handed them over. “So you were turning into a vampire when this one met you?”

Aravi thought about it as she belted her swords to her waist. “Yes, I guess you could say that. I had the disease for a very long time and I kept ahead of it with potions. I suppose it would have eventually won.”

“And you say it is gone now because of your new…” he searched for a word, “condition? How do you know?”

“It’s gone. I didn’t know for sure until you woke me this morning. I always had nightmares after fighting vampires when I had the disease. I didn’t have any last night.” She smiled at the thought.

“Was it worth the price?”

The smile faded. “I… I don’t know.”

This post has been edited by King Coin: Jul 14 2012, 12:05 AM

[mALX]

Holy Cow! This had me riveted from the first word to the last! Absolutely AWESOME fascinating chapter !!!!! You brought such a depth to both Aravi and Kharjo with this chapter !!!!

I loved Kharjo's reactions, every single line of them! And Aravi's explanations - things we didn't know about her, like the true reason she went to Skyrim, the struggles she's had to keep the vampirism at bay (we knew about that) - this chapter went a long way toward explaining why Aravi took the werewolf onto herself. It went a long way into showing us the inner Aravi we have only guessed at. Totally Awesome Write from beginning to end !!!

- HUGE WRITE !!!