Clark - Second Era Options

[Acadian]

I’m sure Aurelia was glad to be free of the threat of becoming the property of one of those loser squires.

I hope I didn’t imply a negative impression of Isobel. In fact, she would certainly be my second choice as a companion after Mirri. For Buffy, we just wanted a companion that was more worldly.

I like how you are embracing quite a bit of the way ESO actually works, such as the guilds, companions and even quests. It feels very familiar and comfortable.

The Morrowinder and High Isler have quite a bit of Tamriel to explore!

[Grits]

Interesting take on why Isobel can’t join the Guilds. I like it. Swapping gear with Isobel and carrying her old stuff made me think about a character who could be her squire. Hmm.

That was a fun trip through Toothmaul Gully. You described it well enough that I would have known it without the name.

I am enjoying these travel adventures!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: More exploring coming up.

@Grits: Travel adventures are what Seryn is supposed to be doing, if Azura has her way.

-----

Previously: Isobel got her knighthood, and she and Seryn have gone to Elden Root to start raising their guild ranks (and get paid for it).

-----

Bathing

t had been a long day, so we wasted no time traveling back to Elden Root. Isobel wanted to wash off the stink of goblin, but I persuaded her to wait until we could use the tub in my Vivec apartment. We collected our pay from the Undaunted, the Mages and the Fighters, and went to Vivec to sell the loot and count up our earnings.

Isobel was surprised at just how hot the bath water was. "I couldn't get into that, I'd be jumping right back out again. How can you stand it?"

"Probably because I'm a Dunmer. We're resistant to fire spells, so hot baths are no problem."

"I'm used to bathing in the sea, and if it got this hot, we'd not need to cook the fish," Isobel replied.

Isobel got herself a room for the night in the same inn - with a cooler bath, she informed me. We met up for breakfast the next day and went over our accounts. The guilds paid well, and we'd made even more from selling off the things we'd picked up from chests, and crates, and dead enemies along the way. My crafting writs had paid well, too. I did a few quick calculations.

"I reckon in about a week, if we do the same daily quests, we could buy that Bosmer pod house near the Elden Root entrance. Then we'd be right next to the stables, for our riding lessons, and pretty close to the Undaunted Enclave. I can make bedrolls, and fur-pile bedding to put them on, so we could use it as a base. It's larger than my inn room, so there's space for storage chests, and other things I don't currently have room for."

"Walking distance to the Enclave sounds great," Isobel thought, "but if we can only do one delve a day, what's the point of saving time?"

"I can only get one quest, but you could go along with any of the other Undaunted who wants help. I noticed you preferred their dailies to the other two we did, so maybe you could do more of them while I'm doing my crafting writs. We both need to do the Mages and Fighters dailies for the ranking, so we can learn their skills."

And that's what we did. Snugpod effectively became Isobel's home. The Vivec apartment was mine and Clark's and that hot bath was one thing we both liked, even if Isobel wasn't convinced. Since we could travel instantly between them it was an ideal arrangement.

---

Our daily routine was first to take a riding lesson from Galolion, and then pick up the daily delve quest from Bolgrul at the Undaunted Enclave. At the first landing in the tree, we'd get the guild dailies, and I'd pick up the crafting writs. Depending on where the daily quests took us, we'd go do those, and then return to Snugpod.

Isobel would go turn in Bolgrul's quest, while I did the same for the other two. She'd ask around if anyone needed a swordswoman's help with their Undaunted daily, while I made all the items for the crafting writs up in the tree. After I finished those, I had to take them out to the quartermaster's crates near the bridge, before returning to Snugpod to meet up with Isobel. Then we'd go off and find somewhere new to eat.

Most days we both finished about the same time. Some of the Undaunted quests took you further from the wayshrines, so they took a bit more travel time than others. If I got a sealed Master writ to do, then that would take me extra time to make, as I'd have to travel to the crafting station that made that set. So it wasn't unusual for one of us to be waiting around for the other to turn up.

---

When Isobel finally did arrive, she had a silly grin on her face that told me she hadn't just been fighting in a delve. "Come on, spill the beans," I told her.

"You remember Snegh, the Orc aspirant back on High Isle? The one I said was a typical Orc, because he just hit everything with his axe? Well, I just met an Orc who was the exact opposite of Snegh," Isobel began.

"When I went to the Enclave, he was standing near Bolgrul, who was looking up at him, and giving him his daily task. He wore no armor, unless you count the metal armbands and collar, just regular cloth pants and shoes, and he carried a staff on his back. He was showing a lot of muscle for a mage.

"I was curious, to say the least. I asked if he needed a sword-wielding companion to assist in the delve, and he agreed. We headed off for Mehrune's Spite, a cave in the North of Auridon. It was full of daedra, a lot of them stinky little banekin, but with clannfears and flame atronachs as well. There were the usual cultists, but the boss we were after was a Dremora mage.

"None of it was particularly difficult, especially as I'm used to working with a mage like yourself. So we didn't work up much of a sweat. However, daedra in a confined cave still left us rather odorous, and I was eager to get cleaned up. We came out of the cave and I ran down to the nearby beach to clean my armour, and bathe.

"Bud, the big Orc, followed me. He seemed surprised that I was going to bathe in the sea. He told me that where he came from in Wrothgar, the sea had Ice floating in it, and nobody even considered going in deliberately. You'd only get hot water in the bathhouses, and generally they had separate times for male and female bathers. So he wasn't expecting me to strip off and dive in.

"I told him that on High Isle, most people bathed in the sea. Nowhere was far from a beach, and the water was nicely warm, like it was there in Auridon. And of course you bathed naked, if you were trying to get clean.

"Apparently, he appreciated what I was showing. I'd always thought I was a bit too well-muscled for Breton tastes, but Orcs think differently. He told me that some of the Orc women take it too far, and end up looking like men, but I was properly smooth. Curves, not lumps. I was tall for a Breton, and that helped, too.

"So it's my fault that he needs to loosen his pants. After a quick dip to clean off, that problem hadn't gone away. It was my duty to do what I could, or we wouldn't be able to go back to the enclave with him in that condition."

"And you would have done a thorough and diligent job of it," I snickered. "A Knight should always try to excel, right?"

Isobel laughed. "What took all the time was that he had the same ideas, and made sure I got what he thought I deserved, too."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but when we left High Isle, I was convinced you preferred women," I told her.

"Well, I grew up with Aurelia, so she was like a step-sister, and I did have a bit of a crush on her at one point. And you saw what the choice of men was like back there. Langley, Mortens, Nilsmon, and Snegh were the cream of the crop! So at that point in time, you were probably right."

"Does this mean you'll be looking for him at the Enclave again tomorrow?" I asked.

"Just that I won't mind if I find him there," she grinned. "But there's quite a few other guys I like doing a delve with. It's just that the circumstances haven't conspired so well before."

"Tell me about the others over dinner," I suggested. "I'm starving, and the tavern opposite has a special tonight that I want to try."

---

So Isobel told me about the other mages she'd been out with. The elderly Breton that had her wear the dancing girl costume so that the enemies would underestimate her. "And I expect he enjoyed the show, too," I inquired.

"Probably, but he never tried anything. I suspect he was a bit afraid of me, just like the other squires back in High Isle. We all bathed naked at the beach after our training sessions, but they soon learned that even if I did look tempting, they'd get hurt if they tried anything.

"There's another guy that likes me to wear a costume, too, but only when we're being social. In the delves, he doesn't care what I look like, but he thinks I should look elegant in company."

"So you just go delve-clearing with guys?" I asked.

"Mostly. The women are looking for a male companion, or just don't want one, because they have something to prove."

---

So now, whenever I'm at the Enclave, I'm looking around to try and guess who else Isobel knows. And noticing a few of the others in the process. There was one Reguard man that caught my eye, with a greatsword (curved, of course) on his back, but wearing a fancy costume that made him appear to be a wealthy merchant, not a delve-diving adventurer. I asked him where he got it, as I hadn't seen anything quite like it before.

He didn't remember. It could have been Hew's Bane, or Sentinel, or even Stros M'kai. None of those were places I'd ever been, but he'd never visited Morrowind, and my Ashlander outfit was just as exotic to him. He'd started his adventuring life on Stros M'kai, so come to think of it, that probably wasn't where he got the costume. If he ever had enough gold, he'd go back there and buy a big house to live in. But he spent it as fast as it came in, so that wasn't likely.

I asked Isobel if she knew any of the places he'd talked about. She'd heard of them, but not been there herself. They all had ports, so she'd been told tales by ship's captains that worked for her parents. Hew's Bane was full of thieves, but was generally safe if you stayed in the docks area. Sentinel was a major city with more than one dock area. Veloise shipping used only one of them, so she didn't know much about the rest. Most of the trade there was minerals, as so much of the kingdom was desert. Stros M'kai was pirate territory, but the Redguard king was making progress in cleaning them out. It was a small island, so that could happen quite quickly.

"But it's strange you should mention that place, because I just heard from Aurelia. She's gone there, on her travels, and had a ring I gave her stolen. She wants us to meet her there, and try and get it back."

"Is it a special ring?" I wanted to know.

"Well, yes. It's a Veloise family signet ring. I gave it to her because I wanted to show her that she was family to me. And not just like a sister. I may have understated that crush when I told you earlier.

"The problem now is that somebody could use that ring to impersonate a Veloise Mercantile agent, and really do my family business some harm, financially, or to our reputation, which comes to the same thing in the end."

[Acadian]

Very nice job developing the partnership between Seryn and Isobel. Isobel’s good in a dungeon and the facts that she loves clearing them and is an Undaunted fangirl help.

The two have a profitable system worked out.

Buffy fully understands Isobel’s ‘water makes her clothes fall off’ habit.

Speaking of lots of water, it seems there’s trouble afoot on the island of Stros M’kai with Isobel’s family business signet ring and Aurelia. Hmm, didn’t Seryn say that Redguard she met at the Enclave came from Stros M’kai?

[Grits]

It was fun to hear about some of other mages that Isobel has worked with, and especially the reasons for some of the outfits.

To Stros M’kai, where the water is probably perfect for bathing!

[Renee]

A bathing chapter. Those are fun to write, right? Yes that makes sense; dark elves are going to want really hot bathwater, to the edge of toleration for them would be scalding for any other race.

Bosmer pod house sounds cute. Snugpod!

I love the orc finding it strange to bathe in the sea. Because I wouldn't think orcs would even have a preference, being brutal types, mostly. And Bud the orc also, oh gosh. Oh gosh, that's ... he loosens his pants. Yikes.

"And you would have done a thorough and diligent job of it," I snickered. "A Knight should always try to excel, right?"

Oh gosh. Yikes. Think I'm too young for this chapter. Unless my mind's insinuating stuff not intended by the author. Could be that, yeah.

Redguards: They've got curved swords.... Curved swords.

Hopefully the ring won't get used to impersonate, but chances are that's exactly what'll happen.



This post has been edited by Renee: Apr 28 2025, 07:04 PM

[ghastley]

@Acadian: Isobel likes the Undaunted daily delves in particular. I may have to bend the ESO story a bit, or she won't do the pledges.

@Grits: Outfits are fun, as they have nothing to do with what you actually wear.

@Renee: What Bud needed was a cold shower, but only a warm sea was available.

-----

Previously: Various events happened while bathing.

------

Port Hunding

It wasn't too hard to find a ship going to Port Hunding. Nobody was sailing to Saintsport, because that's where all the pirates were. It appeared that the cleanup had started, but was only half-complete. Rumour had it that Headman Bhosek was a "reformed" pirate, but there were enough of the King's agents present to keep him reasonably honest.

Aurelia had been staying at the Screaming Mermaid, not too surprisingly, as it was the only inn in town. We met outside, and she had another familiar (to Isobel) face with her. "That's Captain Marso. He works for my parents," Isobel told me.

What had happened was that Aurelia had let her guard down, and a thief named Kiv had got enough information from her to let him get access to her room, and steal several of her possessions, including the ring.

"It looks like he ran off this way, dropping things as he sorted through his haul," Isobel exclaimed, picking up a jar of something smelly, and dropping it again, with a disgusted look on her face.

We took a guess at which direction he'd headed, and soon found an engraved arm band of no particular value. So we continued in the same direction, and found he'd dropped his journal, which suggested he knew he was being pursued, and couldn't spare the time to pick it back up. It also confirmed that he was heading for the docks.

He'd dropped a sweetroll on the docks, but I steered Isobel past picking it up, and rushed to ask the shipping agents if they'd seen him, or knew what ship he was on. We'd just missed the boat he'd taken, which was headed for Seyda Neen.

We didn't need to follow on a ship, as I knew the wayshrines on Vvardenfell. So we talked a bit more with Aurelia and Marso.

Coming to Stros M'kai had been Marso's idea. Aurelia had wanted an adventure, and this seemed to him like the right place. Port Hunding was pretty safe, (Kiv excepted) but the island provided opportunities for exploration and adventure that were not too scary for a beginner. And he could do some trade to justify the trip, as Dwemer artifacts were starting to emerge from the newly opened ruins of Bthzark.

Aurelia thought it would be best if Isobel kept the ring if we got it back. Now that she understood what it could be used for in the wrong hands, she didn't want to risk this happening again. She had ideas on how she could limit the damage, and she and Marso would go back to High Isle and work on those.

On our way to the Port Hunding wayshrine, to get to Seyda Neen, Isobel explained that Marso was an old family friend, as well as an employee of her parents. They always took his ship when they went on family trips, and on many of those they took Aurelia with them, as she and Isobel were such close friends. So they'd known him since they were teens. He wasn't a lot older, as he'd been quick to rise to Captain. Her parents promoted on ability, not seniority.

As we reached the wayshrine, I remarked "I'm glad we're picking up this wayshrine, as I wouldn't mind coming back here to look around. I like the exotic architecture, and the dry climate."

"Me too," Isobel replied. "Maybe it's because of growing up on one, but I like islands. You're never far from the beach."

"And we know what you do on beaches, don't we?"

---

Of course, Vvardenfel is an island, but a much bigger one. And Seyda Neen doesn't have a beach, so much as mud flats and swamps. We headed for the tavern, as that's usually a good place to start making inquiries. Before going in, we asked the woman standing outside if she knew anything about Kiv Lindres.

Galedra Athram not only knew about him, she was looking for him herself. He'd got her fired from her job at the inn, because she'd vouched for him, and then he'd pulled the same kind of stunt he had in Port Hunding, and robbed one of the patrons. He'd left a bag behind in his rush to escape, and we were welcome to look through it.
The only clue that gave us was that a man named Julles Laurdon was another likely victim, and he was in Wayrest.

"I know the wayshrine there," Isobel announced. "Another family business trip when I was younger. I can get us to quite a few of the major cities around Tamriel. If they have a port, it's likely Veloise Mercantile has an interest."

---

"I should go check at the bank while I'm here," Isobel remarked. "If Kiv Lindres has tried to use the ring as proof of identity, that's the first place he'd try, and I want to make sure he fails."

As luck would have it, we ran into Julles Laurdon outside the temple on our way there. He was about to go looking for Kiv, too, as several items of value had gone missing, and he knew Kiv had at least one of them, because he'd handed it over himself. He had found a note from someone called Goldleaf, and he thought Kiv had gone to Belkarth to meet with him. He suggested we all go there, too, and try and warn this Goldleaf about Lindres.

With four of us, there was little problem using the wayshrine to reach Belkarth, and we were soon walking up to the local inn, to go find this Goldleaf fellow.

We found him in the upper lounge, and for once we'd got there first. He'd received a letter from Kiv Lindres, telling him that Kiv was now working with Veloise Mercantile, and so he could put a lot more business his way. They were due to meet in the basement later.

"Why the basement?" Galedra asked.

"Kiv presumably needs the storage space, now he's trading on a bigger scale," Goldleaf suggested. "Seemed legitimate to me."

We told him about the stolen ring, and that we believed the basement was probably a trap. The four of us would go in his place, just in case.

We weren't wrong, Lindres had a couple of mercenaries with him, but they were bright enough to be able to count. They didn't like being outnumbered and promptly quit, leaving Lindres alone. He still drew a sword on us, but was quickly subdued.

He didn't have the ring on his person; he didn't trust Goldleaf enough for that. He told us where he'd buried it, and we'd just have to trust that he wasn't lying. We could, however, make sure that he couldn't just go fetch it from any other place he'd hidden it. Both Geladra and Julles had idea on what to do with Kiv.

Galedra would like to try an alchemical experiment. She had a potion she'd made, that should turn Kiv into a skeever for a time. Long enough for us to go dig up the ring, at least.

Julles wanted to send Kiv to a monastery, where they'd reform him. He'd be there for a year, or more, he told us.

Isobel and I were of the opinion that Kiv would just talk his way out of Julles' monastery, so we let Galedra have her way. She poured a bottle of something over Kiv, and he turned into a spider.

"Not a skeever? I must have used too much spider silk in the mixture," Galedra exclaimed.

She reassured us that the transformation should last as long as she'd told us, even if the form wasn't right. We'd have time to find the ring before the spider turned back.

---

Surprisingly, the ring was where Kiv had told us it would be. Perhaps he wanted to be sure nobody else found it, and he'd know where it was if he got the chance to go looking for it again. Isobel felt that the only safe place was with her parents.

---

As we walked back to the wayshrine in Gonfalon Bay, after leaving the ring with the Veloises, I asked Isobel what other places she could take us. I knew that Azura wanted me to travel, so perhaps I should indulge her, and see a bit more of Tamriel.

"Just port cities, as I mentioned before, and we've already seen most of them. We haven't been to Sentinel, though, want to go there?"

[Grits]

He'd dropped a sweetroll on the docks, but I steered Isobel past picking it up

How satisfying to have the people he’d duped all confronting Kiv. Wise decision to go with the alchemical option. I can see Kiv creating havoc at a monastery.

Ooo, Sentinel! So much to see and do there!

[Acadian]

The trail begins in Port Hunding. Aurelia and Marso are able to fill in some of the gaps and provide a name. The hunt is on!

Knowing Isobel’s sweet tooth, steering clear of that sweetroll was probably wise.

Isobel, being a beach bunny – er – involved in her family’s mercantile business -explains the wonderful fact that she is familiar with so many port city wayshrines. Very handy for Seryn as she wants to travel more of Tamriel.

Several cities later, with Kiv learning how to be a spider, the ring is found and delivered to Isobel’s parents. Nicely done.

On to Solitude, is it?
Edit: Oops, I meant Sentinel.

This post has been edited by Acadian: May 5 2025, 04:10 PM

[ghastley]

@Grits: Seryn already knows about Isobel and sweetrolls. And banana muffins, taffy, ...

@Acadian: Isobel and beaches could become a theme.

-----

Previously: Seryn and Isobel went to Port Hunding to help Aurelia.

------

Tourists

Sentinel was like a much larger version of Port Hunding. Bigger docks, bigger buildings, especially the Royal Palace, where King Fahara'jad lived. The architecture was the same, just on a larger scale. Many of the buildings were eerily familiar, as the builders had used the same plans when they constructed the same kind somewhere else. So the Sisters of the Sands Inn was just like the Screaming Mermaid that we'd lodged in on the island, and the Crossroads Tavern in Belkarth came to mind, too.

We walked out to the edge of town to return to the wayshrine, and I looked out across the sands, which stretched as far as the eye could see. There were rain-catchers like the one by the wayshrine clustered in the distance, but beyond them was just more sand. Too much desert for my tastes. The few palm trees I could see were around the edge of the city or the rain-catchers.

We took the wayshrine to Daggerfall, the other port that Isobel knew. The Breton buildings were just like those in Wayrest, and it didn't help that it was raining there when we arrived, making them look even greyer. The Rosy Lion was cheerful enough, and we got offered the chance to buy a room, just like we did in Vivec City. It may even have been the same woman who made the offer. I don't remember clearly, as Clark made all those arrangements.

That got me thinking about homes, and not just exploration. I'd bought Snugpod in Grahtwood as a base, partly because it was so cheap, and partly because of its location. I asked Isobel where she'd like to live, if she could choose anywhere she knew.

"Would it mean giving up Snugpod?" she wanted to know. "That might not be my idea of Home, but I wouldn't want to lose the access it gives me to the all the Guilds."

"No, I mean what else do you want from a Home, with the capital H?"

"I'd want it to be on an island, because I like bathing in the sea. And that means warm sea, of course, so no houses in Wrothgar or Eastmarch.

"The bigger the better, but only up to a point. I grew up in a castle, and that's too big to be a Home. You only get to live in a part of one, and there's servant quarters, barracks, and stuff where other people live, so it's not all yours."

We continued discussing the idea, and soon discovered that we both preferred sandy beaches to swamps and mud-flats. We visited Khenarthi's Roost, one of the few places I knew that Isobel didn't, but neither of us liked the way Khajiiti buildings were either stone ruins, or unstable-looking wooden ones up on poles.

I admitted to her that I felt I'd outgrown The Vivec apartment I shared with Clark, and I wanted to find something bigger for us. Since he wasn't here to ask, I was getting my second opinion from her.

"Who's Clark?" she asked.

I had been avoiding mentioning Clark, because I couldn't tell her about him without also giving her the whole story, and that meant Azura, too. I wasn't sure if Azura wanted her to know about sending me to High Isle in the first place.

Of course, she was listening. A winged twilight materialised silently behind Isobel. Nobody paid it any attention, as mages summoned them all the time.

"Perhaps I can help answer that," she said. "Seryn is well-known in Morrowind as the Champion of Azura, as Clark is Vivec's Champion. The two of them saved Vvardenfell from an impending disaster. They're here in the West for a well-deserved vacation, but it seems that neither of them knows how to relax."

"I think I heard something about that," Isobel exclaimed. "Didn't Vivec's Champion clear daedra from the temple in Mournhold, too? Did Seryn have anything to do with that?"

"Yes, Clark was part of that, but no, it was Divayth Fyr with him on that occasion. There's also a lot more to the stories that you won't have heard, and I'm not at liberty to divulge. The Tribunal aren't telling, and nor is Azura."

That pretty well covered all that the public knew, and did match any facts Isobel might dig up. Vivec had announced Clark's title publicly, and Azura's method was a bit more theatrical, but just as public, when she told me. I still miss that feeling of power!

I admitted to Isobel that I wasn't sure what Clark was up to on Summerset. I did know that Azura wanted him to go there, and for me to go exploring somewhere else. He'd been back to visit in Vivec City whenever he could, which was another reason she had Snugpod to use.

"So your trips back haven't just been about hot baths?"

"Hot, yes; baths, no" I confessed.

"And he hasn't told you about what he's doing there?"

"Not much. He's mentioned a few well-known names, like Queen Ayrenn and her Eye, Razum-Dar. He has described some of the places he's visited since I left him at Shimmerene, but nothing that tells me what's really going on. Much like I'm not telling you any more about what really happened back on Vvardenfell, because it's all on a need-to-know basis for our own safety.

"And if it's anything like last time, I'm sure it wouldn't make any sense until it all plays out, anyway."

"So did Azura send you to High Isle, or were you just a tourist?" Isobel wanted to know.

"I was a tourist at her suggestion," I replied. "It was her idea, but not a directive. She'd persuaded me that I needed to travel more, and learn new skills, and that was an opportunity for both. Plus I needed a combat partner while she borrowed Clark, and you fit the bill. I don't know if she has any plans for you beyond that, as she hasn't told me."

"If she does, she'll tell you herself," the twilight added. "That's the way she does things." And she disappeared again.

We decided to go and eat our evening meal at the Screaming Mermaid on Stros M'kai, as we'd both liked the food there on our last visit. Maybe we'd stay the night there, too, and look around in the morning on our way to the wayshrine. We did want to get back to Elden Root and do our dailies for the guilds, but they didn't usually take long, if Isobel avoided beaches..

The innkeeper told us that the big house just to the south was for sale, but it wasn't just a case of coming up with the gold. Pirates could do that, and the King had enough of them. You'd have to prove yourself as honest citizens of the Daggerfall Covenant first.

That was a bit daunting for me, as I now owned property in the other two alliances, and could consider myself a citizen almost anywhere except the Covenant. Isobel, however, was a Breton, so maybe it wasn't an impossible task. The innkeeper pointed out that the honesty part was the important one, as whoever bought the house became a citizen that way.

It turned out that we were part way there anyway. We'd cleared delves, and closed anchors, and a number of other things along the way that had all been noted, The other encouraging aspect was that anyone else who wanted to buy had the same hoop to jump through, so perhaps we had the lead in any race for it.

Now our interests were piqued, Isobel and I went for a tour of the property. "It's on its own island!" Isobel exclaimed, as we walked over the bridge to the imposing front gate.

Indeed the outer walls of the property did enclose the whole island. At the very back, away from the "mainland", there was no wall, but nothing overlooked the beach except a number of large uninhabited offshore rocks. In one direction you could just see Saintsport, but the other direction was open sea to the horizon. We'd been told not to try to swim out too far, as there were slaughterfish in the deeper water, but they didn't come in close enough to be a nuisance. They would, however, make short work of anyone trying to swim in from outside the property. As private a beach as you could ask for.

The house itself had a large courtyard, surrounded by walls tall enough to cast a good shade to sit in. There were a few awnings already in place to provide more, and it would not be hard to add to them. The building was airy and open inside, effectively all one large room on two floors. There were domes at the top where heated air could escape and a very gentle breeze came in through vented walls to keep the place cool. The lack of interior walls helped this circulation, and made the interior very comfortable.

There were several towers whose only purpose was to support the exterior wall, but a larger one on the beach side of the property was big enough for one person to live in, having as much floor space as Snugpod. You could climb up that one and get a very good view of the bay.

There was a stable, a rain-collecting pool, and various other amenities, and plenty of room to add more. We liked this place. The price was a bit more than we had, but with what we'd earn doing quests to qualify for it, it was in reach.

I decided that I wouldn't tell Clark that I intended buying it until it happened. There was a chance somebody else would beat us to it, after all. And maybe I'd wait a little longer, as it would need furnishing, and I wanted to do that myself, too.

[Acadian]

"Who's Clark?" she asked.’
- - I’ve kind of been waiting for this. A winged twilight arrives to provide the answer – clever and convenient!

Not surprisingly, the ladies are drawn back to the warm seaside charm of Stros M’kai. And it seems an unused palatial island home might be available if they can pass the quests to get it. . . .

[Grits]

Nice observation that the Sentinel buildings can be eerily familiar. I often feel the same way, especially in the various inns.

"Who's Clark?" she asked.
That was a good recap from the winged twilight.

"Hot, yes; baths, no" I confessed.

Sounds like they found an excellent potential Home. I hope they get it!

[ghastley]

@Acadian: I'm trying to work "who's Seryn?" into Clark's narrative, too. I'll be able to go back to his viewpoint when I have.

@Grits: Qualification starts after a short interruption.

-----

Previously: Seryn has decided she'd like to buy Hunding's Palatial Hall, if she can.

-----

Finding Aurelia

"I got a letter from Dame Jourvel," Izzie told me. "You know she was trying to get Aurelia to go get a life of her own, and now she's upset because that's what's happened. We should go visit her at Castle Navire and try to do something."

It made more sense when we talked to the Knight Commander herself. The problem was that Aurelia hadn't told her where she was going, and had left rather suddenly, too.

"Aurelia can be a bit impetuous," Izzie agreed. "I wonder if this has anything to do with Kiv, and the ring."
Dame Jourvel suggested we start by finding Nilsmon, her aide. She doubted that Aurelia had gone anywhere with him, but the man was infatuated with her, and was probably more aware of her movements than anyone else we could ask. "I haven't seen him around the castle in a while, so go check out his bunk in the barracks." she told us.

The scraps of "poetry" we found confirmed his obsession with Aurelia. "Maybe she's just trying to avoid him," I suggested. "Especially if he's a habitual drunk, like all these bottles imply. If she thinks he's drinking because of her, she might also think he'd stop if she wasn't around."

Izzie didn't believe Aurelia would reason that way. And she probably didn't care what Nilsmon did to himself, either. The bottles did give her a clue, however, as that brand of rum, All Flags, was a local brew of Gonfalon Bay. It wasn't good enough to be worth shipping anywhere else. It was likely that we'd find Nilmon there.

---

The "poet" was well-known in the Ancient Anchor. We'd started there, as they sold the rum, and it was right by the wayshrine if we needed to go anywhere else. Someone had seen Nilsmon heading towards the docks, so we did the same.

A trail of empty bottles confirmed this, and another page of "poetry" that it was indeed Nilsmon. We found him on the beach, swigging from a tankard, and staring out to sea. He wasn't exactly what you'd describe as coherent, but we did figure out that he'd seen Aurelia getting on a ship. Which one, and where it was going, we'd not find out from him, in his drunken state, but it wouldn't be hard to ask the shipping clerk about the recent departures.

It took a small bribe, of course, but the only ship that had sailed was headed for Rivenspire. "Is that Northpoint?" Izzie asked. "I can take us there, if it is."

She explained that Northpoint wasn't really much of a commercial port. Northsalt, where the docks were, was more of a fishing village than anything. The whole coast was a bit rocky and dangerous, with several lighthouses warning ships away. Northpoint was built around one of them, and one of the local Dukes had his manor there.

---

We could hear the commotion on the beach from the wayshrine. Someone was in a fight down there, and Izzie knew who. "That's Captain Marso's voice," she told me. "We should go help."

He'd have preferred us to have arrived a bit earlier. He'd dispatched the two brigands that had attacked him, but
not without taking a wound himself. "Isobel, thank Leki! Quickly, Aurelia is this way," he called out, as he limped along the beach ahead of us .

Around a large rock we found his first mate struggling to his feet. "Two more of them jumped us, and they've taken Aurelia. Threw her in a boat and headed down the coast."

We talked with Marso about what had happened. It appeared that Aurelia had had people looking into Kiv Lindres, the thief that stole the ring. Although Veloise Mercantile didn't do any business in Rivenspire, Kiv did, and he had debts here he was trying to pay off. He'd sent letters here, pretending to work for Iosbel's family, but it's not clear how he was going to get access to the funds he needed. Aurelia had come to find out.

Izzie hadn't told Aurelia about the whole story of our dealings with Kiv, just that we'd got the ring back, and it was safe with her parents. Aurelia probably felt that Kiv deserved some payback, and clearly she had a good idea of what he could get up to, even without it, if she'd found out about this situation.

Marso didn't have any more details. Aurelia hadn't told him much, just that she needed his help, and Veloise Mercantile interests were involved.

---

Finding where they'd take Aurelia was complicated by there being a state of civil unrest in Rivenspire. One of the factions was preparing to besiege the town, and we had to skirt around their forces on the beach. It wasn't easy to tell which camps were theirs, and which was the one we were looking for. The only way we'd know is that it would be the one with Aurelia in it.

When we found it, there was only Aurelia in it. Her captors had tied her to a post, and gone off somewhere, possibly foraging for food, and hadn't come back. Maybe they'd run into the same soldiers we'd seen in the other camps.

It meant that all we had to do was untie her, and wait for Marso to catch up, which was only a few moments.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked us. "I'm so glad you found me; I have so much to tell you."

Aurelia explained to all of us, Marso included, what she'd been doing. She'd written to everyone she could think of that Kiv might have been able to swindle. In most cases, she'd shut things down before they could even get started, but this one was only apparent when the account in Northpoint was accessed. She'd enlisted Marso's help, and they'd been attacked when they approached Northsalt, which told her they'd stumbled onto something bigger than expected.

Marso chimed in with "I know, I know. It's all a bit unusual. But I wouldn't have come all the way out here if I didn't think there was something to Aurelia's story. This business is worth looking into, I think."

"You're going to continue to help Aurelia with her investigation, then?" I asked him.

"I will. Aurelia has a caring heart. She was so ashamed after that day on Stros M'Kai. She acted the fool, even if she's too proud to say as much. She is bound and determined to right the wrong she created. And I'm honored to help."

---

"Marso seems to be quite fond of Aurelia, if you know what I mean," I remarked.

"I noticed that, too. And it seems it goes both ways. When Aurelia and I were travelling with him before, he would always have been mindful that I was the boss's daughter, and treating us both very carefully. Now that constraint doesn't apply."

[Grits]

Nilsmon! One of my favorite documents in the game is Langley’s Note to Nilsmon Booklover. “You stink of rum and sorrow.”

You’ve captured the hunt for Aurelia beautifully. She’s in real danger, but she charms everyone so thoroughly that it’s hard to believe she’ll come to harm.

Nice observation that without Izzy around Aurelia and Captain Marso can openly show their interest.

[Acadian]

I quite enjoyed Isobel’s questline in game and it feels wonderfully comfortable and nostalgic as you take us through it.

I was glad to see Aurelia’s interest in Marso because it helps Isobel move beyond her own adolescent crush on Aurelia. Nice also to see Aurelia and Marso trying to squash any further damage by Kiv to Veloise Mercantile.

[Renee]

I've fallen behind Clark's story! What happened to once a year updates?

Kiv's bodyguards decide to quit because they're outnumbered. Just like that!

Man, turning someone into a skeever. You know how many bosses I've had which would receive that treatment? Shazzam, would you like a treat Bryan? No? Okay, your loss.

don't remember clearly, as Clark made all those arrangements.

Yikes, whoa. All this time I thought Clark is the "I" in the story. So what is Clark's relationship to the protagonist? --- Alright here we go. "Who's Clark?" she asked.

"Seryn is well-known in Morrowind as the Champion of Azura, as Clark is Vivec's Champion."

Alright, thank you Winged Twilight.

I'm trying to work "who's Seryn?" into Clark's narrative, too.

And Seryn = the protagonist, correct? Hey at least I'm not the only one asking questions!

[ghastley]

@Acadian - Izzie is growing up fast. Hopefully, the travel is having an effect on Seryn, too.

@Grits - I still can't believe Aurelia's propensity for getting tied up. Maybe she takes after Minx?

@Renee - Yes we're letting Seryn continue her part of the story, as Clark is busy on Summerset Isle.

-----

Previously: Seryn and Isobel have rescued Aurelia from bandits, after she went investigating Kiv's activities in Rivenspire.

------

Spearhead

We went back to Port Hunding, to see what we might do about the house. From what the innkeeper had told us, some 'good deeds', like we did for the Undaunted, were the thing, but there wasn't an Enclave on Stros M'kai.

We did run into a Redguard sea captain who told us a bit more about Headman Bhosek. Kaleen's ship had its crew mutiny, and she suspected Bhosek was behind it. The King had ordered a stop to the harrassment of Breton shipping, as they were all part of the Covenant now, but Bhosek hadn't wanted to give up his main source of profit. A lot of her former crew had backed him against her, and although she had the ship back, she was short of a crew right now. All that remained were Lambur, the Orc First Mate, and Nicolene, the cabin 'boy'.

There were a number of likely recruits, but they all had matters to straighten out before they could join her. Jakarn was in jail, having got on the wrong side of Bhosek. Neramo was trying to get into Bthzark, to retrieve some Dwemer schematics his brother had located. Crafty Nerisa had lost her own ship to the pirates, but might have some of her own crew available, if they could join forces.

If we could get them all to join her, Kaleen thought she had a way to get back at Bhosek, and it would help us (and her) with our reputation with the King.

---

Bhosek's jail was a place known as the Grave. There was an entrance off the river not far from the docks, but a lot of traps between there and the cells, keeping the prisoners in, and visitors out. We probably would not encounter guards inside the Grave, but prisoners who'd got loose might be just as much of a problem. We walked down there, and found an Altmer woman waiting outside, telling everyone that her Jakarn was innocent.

Talking to her gave us a good idea what sort of person Jakarn really was. Kaleen had described him as a thief, and she wanted to recruit him for those skills, but con-man was closer to the mark. Irien believed that he was a Prince, from Westtry in Glenumbra. She was convinced he'd take her back there with him, if he could just get out of the Grave.

"Another Kiv Lindres, do you think?" I asked Isobel, as we made our way past the fire and spear traps in the entryway. She paused to let the spears fall before stepping over and giving me an answer.

"I'll tell you what I think, once I've met him. Some women hear what they want to hear, not what was actually said."

We ran into quite a few loose prisoners, who had found themselves some weapons, and were running around in the corridors. All hostile as soon as they saw us, presuming we were guards, I suppose. We fought our way through to some locked cells at the end, one of which contained Jakarn. He didn't think we looked like guards, and wanted out.

I asked if he had really stolen a gem from Bhosek. He admitted that, but said he was getting it back for the merchant Bhosek stole it from in the first place. Bhosek had tossed the merchant in here too, when they caught Jakarn, and he presumed he was dead.

"Why would Kaleen want a thief who gets caught?' I asked him.

"Because most times, I don't. And this time I think the merchant dropped me in it when they went back to him about the gem."

"Did you give it back to him?"

"Never got the chance. I had to drop it off somewhere safe while I waited for the right time, and it never came around."

"And tell me about Irien."

"The Altmer girl? I told her I'd get her off this rock if she was nice to me. And I still will, if I get the chance. Selling the gem should have bought us both passage out."

I told him that Captain Kaleen had sent me for him. That she had a job for him, that could provide that chance.

"Let me out, and I'll help however I can."

I decided to believe him, for now.

We didn't have a spare weapon for him, so we agreed to meet up at the entrance. He made himself invisible to sneak out, while Isobel and I walked back, cleaning up any murderous inmates we'd missed on the way in. At the entrance, we found him listening at the door.

"We can't go that way, Irien is out there. And guards, lots of guards. We'll have to use the side entrance.'

That was a ladder leading up to a trapdoor near the stables. When we were all outside, Jakarn told us what he'd done with the stolen gem.

"You gave it to goblins?" Isobel exploded.

"Safest thing to do,' Jarkarn explained. 'They won't sell it, and nobody else will take it from them. Bhosek's men will never consider the goblins might have it. Of course, it won't be easy for us to get it back, but I'm resourceful, and I've got you helping me. It will be easier than I'd originally thought.'

"We might get some credit for reducing the goblin population, on top of whatever comes from Kaleen's scheme," I reminded Izzie. "They may not be pirates, but I'm sure they count for something."

Jakarn had found himself a weapon by now, but he was still going to use stealth rather than the direct confrontation Isobel and I would be employing. I could tell that Izzie considered that un-knightly, but Jakarn wasn't claiming to be one, so I didn't care, even if it offended her a bit.

I found it telling that Jakarn trusted us to retrieve the gem, while he dealt with the goblin guards. Isobel didn't. Of course she could be trusted, she was a knight!

We met Irien outside the Screaming Mermaid when we went to meet up with Jakarn. She was livid with him, as she'd overheard him telling a Redguard girl that he was a ship's captain, and he could transport her off the island.

After returning the gem, I asked him about that. He'd actually said that he had a ship, meaning that he'd have access to Kaleen's once the caper was complete, and could ask her about taking another passenger. Irien had inflated that the same way she had when he'd told her his father was the mayor of the town when he was born.

Because Summerset towns are the fiefdoms of Kinlords, not run by democratically elected, term-limited citizens, she'd made assumptions. She always did, and never questioned them.

I noted that he hadn't got around to correcting her, but said nothing.

Nicolene came in to ask if we were going for Neramo, or Larisa, next. She gave us directions for both, just in case, then went back to report progress to Kaleen.

This post has been edited by ghastley: May 20 2025, 04:07 PM

[Acadian]

Great fun watching Seryn and Isobel working through the Captain Kaleen quests on Stros M’kai. Trust your instincts, Seryn! Jakarn is indeed a con man. A smooth talking skirt chaser, but a con man nonetheless. That all said, you've done a great job at showing how roguishly smooth and not quite evil he is.

This really epitomizes Isobel:
‘Jakarn had found himself a weapon by now, but he was still going to use stealth rather than the direct confrontation Isobel and I would be employing. I could tell that Izzie considered that un-knightly, but Jakarn wasn't claiming to be one, so I didn't care, even if it offended her a bit.
I found it telling that Jakarn trusted us to retrieve the gem, while he dealt with the goblin guards. Isobel didn't. Of course she could be trusted, she was a knight!’

Time for some goblin huntin’ it seems.

This post has been edited by Acadian: May 21 2025, 12:28 AM

[Grits]

And guards, lots of guards.

I am cackling over Isobel having to deal with Jakarn, and Jakarn utterly failing to charm Isobel. If not for Seryn’s influence, those two could never work together!

I enjoy the Stros M’kai quests very much, and Seryn’s account is making me want to go do them.

I love your portrayal of Jakarn. His explanations sound reasonable, but I’m still left not quite sure of the truth. Which is very Jakarn!

[ghastley]

@Acadian, @Grits - Yes, Jakarn and Isobel play nicely off each other. I couldn't resist the contrast.

-----

Previously: Seryn and Isobel have started to do something about buying Hunding's Palatial Hall.

-----

Spearhead 2

We went looking for Neramo next, as he was nearest. We found him camped near the Dwemer ruin of Bthzark.

Neramo had ascertained that there were a pair of crystals outside Bthzark, that could prove useful for getting inside. The problem was all the wolves and assassin beetles prowling around them. He needed help retrieving them, and that could be Isobel and myself. He could reach the entrance, if they were distracted by us going for the crystals, too.

So we did that, and found out what he had in mind. The crystals were the components he needed to restore a Dwemer spider, that he could control enough to get it to open the door for us. Once inside he handed the control rod to me, and asked us to get the construct to restart the generators, so the inner door could be opened. Of course there would be other hazards to deal with, like hostile constructs, but they shouldn't hamper his spider, as they'd see it as one of their own. It was a pity the control rod had such a short range, or we wouldn't have to go with it.

Dwemer spiders aren't the nastiest of the automata, and Izzie and I had dealt with enough of them doing Undaunted quests to know how to handle them. We soon met up with Neramo again in front of the door to the inner part of the ruin. There was a chest on a pedestal in the chamber beyond the door, and enough evidence for Neramo to decide that the schematics he was looking for had once been in it. "They must have taken deeper into the complex," he decided. "Keep looking, while I try to find any clues to where they might have been moved to."

We had a choice of two doors out of the chamber, well three if you counted the one we came in. We considered taking one each, but there was no guarantee we'd be able to find each other again if we did. Arbitrarily taking the right-hand one put us on a bridge with steam and spark traps blocking our way. Those are just a matter of timing. Once you know how often they fire, you just pass while they don't, and you're good. It did take a good bit of time, but eventually we were on the other side.

The chamber we entered had another door leading out to the other bridge, the one we didn't take. Dwemer spiders were swarming all over that, more than enough to be a real nuisance. I decided we'd made the right choice of bridge.

Inside, we crossed a pit to an area where a Dwemer Sphere was guarding something, on a pedestal behind it. I couldn't see what it was from where I was standing, but once we got close enough for it to notice us, and attack, it looked like it might be the schematics.

The sphere was tough. It didn't deal a lot of damage, but it could take a lot. Isobel and I were pounding on it for ages before it went down, and then nearly got caught by a spider coming from near the exit. At least we got those schematics, but where was Neramo?

We found him waiting for us just outside the door. He took a look at the drawings, and confirmed they were the ones he wanted.

"So that means you're free to help Kaleen?" I asked.

"I hear she's headed for Betnikh next, and there are ruins there that I'd like to investigate. I'm in your debt, so I'd be glad to assist."

He offered us a portal back to town, but we were headed off in the other direction, towards Saintsport, to try and find Crafty Lerisa, and any of her crew that remained.

---

One of her crew found us. As we approached the wayshrine outside Saintsport, an Altmer named Telonil begged our help in rescuing the rest of them. The Sea Drakes had caused the Maiden's Breath to wreck off the coast, and the surviving crew had been captured. Only Lerisa and himself had escaped, and the Captain was hiding somewhere in town, looking for a way to release the others. He told us to look for Howler, the Captain's pet monkey, who would lead us to her.

"How's the monkey going to know we're not Sea Drakes?" I asked.

"Because you're not wearing the uniform," he replied.

Once we got into Saintsport, I could see what he meant. Everyone was dressed in the same armour, no matter if they carried a bow, a staff, a battleaxe, or sword and shield. The monkey wasn't, and fortunately, there was only one monkey.

We followed him, with a few skirmishes along the way, to a partly ruined building on the other side of the town square. It wasn't the only damaged-looking building. Most of them seemed to have walls broken, parts of the roof missing, or the doors torn off. The place had been thoroughly sacked at some point not too long ago.

We followed the monkey out the back of the building, and turned to find Lerisa behind us. She told us where to find the crew members she'd located so far, and suggested we take uniforms from the hamper so we'd fit in. "Or off dead Sea Drakes, which would be even better." Meanwhile, she was going to find a way to rescue Deregor, her First Mate, who was locked up on Captain Helane's ship.

We did take some disguises for the crew we were rescuing, but we hadn't seen more than two pirates together on our way in, so the sneaky approach didn't seem worth considering. Besides, Lerisa's crew would know we weren't Sea Drakes, and that might make it easier to release them.

---

With the three men on their way out of town, we headed for the beach near Helane's ship, where we'd agreed to meet Lerisa. A large fern suddenly became Lerisa as we approached. "Neat trick, huh?"

She'd got a key from the cabin girl, who she suspected was a slave, and sent her off to Port Hunding in disguise. Now she was going to settle the score with Helane, while we released Deregor from the hold.

---

With Deregor on his way to freedom, we dropped in to the Captain's cabin to see how Lerisa was doing. We found Helane with her Bosmer cabin girl.

"Wait, you're not ... did you poison me?" asked Helane, slumping to the floor.

The Bosmer cabin girl now looked rather different, exactly like Lerisa, if you asked me. And not like a fern at all.

Lerisa explained that she had indeed poisoned Helane, using one of her own poisons. Jarrin root was particularly nasty, as it killed slowly, and you were in pain for most of the time. Nobody used it, except for people like Helane.

We left Helane to her fate, and all met up on the beach outside Saintsport. With her own ship in pieces, Lerisa would gladly join Kaleen in her heist, in return for passage off of Stros M'kai. She could use the gold, too, if she was to raise enough to buy another ship to replace the Maidens Breath.

---

Back at Port Hunding, Kaleen laid out her plan. We'd be stealing Bhosek's shipping logs. They would be solid proof that he'd continued raiding Breton cargoes in defiance of the King's decree, and they'd get a substantial reward for turning them in to the King's representative at the docks. "Every illicit cargo, every bribe to Bhosek, will be in those logs. You can count on it."

The logs were kept in a lockbox at Bhosek's palace. The key to the lockbox was on a chain around Bhosek's neck. I'd need to get into the palace, get the key, and take the logs from the box. And there was a guard on the box that I'd have to deal with, too.

Neramo had a device that could disable the guard. It was an adaptation of the control rod we'd used in Bthzark, and it should cause a short-term paralysis. "Let me know if there are any convulsions, or other side-effects."

Jakarn could arrange for Bhosek's key to be available. He had contacts in the right places.

Lerisa could get me the right disguise for the job.

I told Isobel to wait with the others while I did this. It wasn't a combat job, after all, and I was going to be doing a theft, that she might not approve.

---

Lerisa met me outside Bhosek's palace, wearing a servant's uniform. I noticed several others wearing the same thing, and was not surprised when she handed one to me. I was told to ask Hulya where to find Bhosek, so I did so, and she pointed me out to the courtyard at the back. Jakarn was waiting out there, looking down on a sleeping Headman. "Headman Bhosek is sleeping off the attentions of these two delightful young ladies. I'm sure he won't be needing this key for a while."

I took the key and went back into the palace. On the upper floor there was a large Nord, obviously guarding something. I could see a box on the table behind him, as well as a few other items that could also have been valuable. I pointed Neramo's device at him, and pressed the button on the handle. The Nord fell down and twitched a bit, unable to move. I unlocked the box with the key, took out the papers inside, and strolled down the other stairs.

Once outside, I took off the servant uniform and headed for the docks. The others were going to meet me on board the Spearhead, but Kaleen was waiting at the foot of the ramp, talking to another Redguard in a shiny suit of armour. I handed her the papers, and she checked them and smiled.

"Here you are, Tharwab, the logs I was telling you about. Proof that Bhosek has been defying the King's decree."

Tharwab took the papers, perused them briefly, and nodded. Kaleen and I walked up the ramp onto the Spearhead.

As well as Lerisa's crew members we'd rescued from Saintsport, and Lambur and Nicolene, who we met at the start, there were several other familiar faces on board. Irien was there, avoiding Jakarn, but apparently getting passage off the island anyway. The Redguard girl from the Screaming Mermaid, who wasn't avoiding Jakarn. And were those two ladies the ones from the palace courtyard?

Neramo introduced us to Vimy Lecroix, a frequent collaborator, who had been on her way to help with Bthzark, but got delayed, and we'd done it all before she arrived. She and Neramo had plans for Betnikh, and they were travelling together this time.

Some of the sailors had apparently remained on the vessel all the time, and I hadn't met them before. Only a few, and not enough to work a ship of this size on their own. But with Lerisa's men, it was a different matter.
Kaleen asked Isobel and I if we were going to Betnikh with them.

"Is there a wayshrine there? If there is, we can always come back." Izzie reasoned.

"Several," Lambur replied. "All built after I left, or I'd have been back before now. I miss my clan."

"Then let's go," I agreed. "It's always good to find new places."

This post has been edited by ghastley: May 26 2025, 06:55 PM