I am Lena Wolf, Lena's life as it happens Options

[Lena Wolf]

27 Second Seed - 1 Midyear, 4E202 - Windhelm murders - Dawnstar Sanctuary

"Well, we should look into these murders, since I promised" - Lena said at breakfast. She and Lucien spent the night in the underground lair guarded by the vampire thrall. It was far more secure than Candlehearth Hall.

"The last victim had deep cuts on her body" - said Lucien in reflection. "And although I spotted bite marks on the neck, they were somewhat old - not the cause of death."

"Agreed" - Lena nodded. "Her murder is probably unrelated."

The thrall walked into the dining room carrying more food.

"Susanna used to come here sometimes" - he said. "The old masters wouldn't have killed her."

...

They walked around town, asking questions. Tova Shatter-Shield gave them the key to her late daughter's house that had so much blood near the door. They found a necromancer's laboratory in there, and some journals. So, it was necromancy - the women were being killed for the tissue in their bodies. But who was the necromancer?

"It's the court wizard, it's got to be!" - several people said. "He is named The Unliving for a reason!"

But Lena didn't think so. She spoke to him before - he was an old mage, very quiet and experienced, he would not be caught out quite so easily. No, it was someone else. He gave her a clue as to when the killer might strike again - and where - the murders were ritualistic, dates and places of importance. And he was right - the killer had struck a victim right in front of a guard, and for some reason it was up to Lena and Lucien to chase and kill him. The guard just stood there, gawking. Too busy to assist.

"And this is why this city is going to the dogs" - Lucien said in disgust when they left the Palace. "Not only are they not investigating a murder, they are not even pursuing a murderer when he strikes in front of their eyes!"

"Perhaps then this is the perfect setting for a new Sanctuary?" - Lena turned to him with a smile.

"It would have been, but with so many Dunmer around, Morag Tong is never too far away" - Lucien shook his head. "Better not step on their toes."

"Then let's return to Dawnstar" - Lena said as they entered the underground lair.

"Tomorrow."

28 Second Seed

"All this place needs is a bit of a clean up" - Lena walked around the Dawnstar Sanctuary, straightening out a few things here and there. "And to strengthen that glass."

The big stained glass window in the common room was very impressive with the light of the icy cave behind it shining through. And although it wasn't completely shuttered, it had some cracks - large enough for Lucien to squeeze through. Still, it was keeping the snow out.

"Not my idea of security to have a window to a cave with an exit to the surface" - smirked Lucien. "This is how the intruders got in - as well as all these animals that the troll was feeding on."

The cave was littered with carcasses of the unfortunate deer and goats that fell into the opening. If it was big enough for a deer to fall through, then a person would have no problems getting in either.

"Of course with the Sanctuary being abandoned for so long, nobody was bothering with it, but should we return, things will have to change" - Lucien's face looked decisive. "I have a report to write - let's hope there's still ink and parchment here somewhere."

...

Writing of the report took three days. With Dawnstar so close, they restocked their kitchen and other necessary supplies. They were in no rush to leave - there were books to read, garden to tend to, clutter to straighten out... and lots of love to give. After all, they had two hundred years worth of catching up to do. Cyrodiil could wait.

1 Midyear

"We should be getting back to Cyrodiil" - Lucien said at breakfast. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, let's" - Lena smiled. "I've had enough of snow in summer."

"Give Hauk my regards, will you?" - Lucien smiled too. "I hear he's back on Legion duty. Tell him our previous arrangement still stands."

"Arrangement?" - Lena asked in surprise, but then thought better of it. "No, never mind. He mentioned your paths had crossed during the War - that's all I need to know."

Lucien nodded.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 05:21 PM

[Lena Wolf]

1-2 Midyear, 4E202 - Lake View - Cheydinhal

"I bought a plot of land on the moors" - said Geralt at dinner. Lena and Lucien stopped at the Lake View on their way back to Cyrodiil. "I am having a house built."

"Wow, that's great news!" - Lena beamed. "Here - take this money" - she dropped a heavy purse in front of him. "Courtesy late Thieves Guild."

Gerald grinned.

"I can certainly put it to good use" - he lifted the purse. "But doesn't your Brotherhood require a dividend from the job?"

"We do" - confirmed Lucien. "That isn't all that we recovered."

This job was unusual. It was Lena who performed the Black Sacrament for the members of the Thieves Guild, and the Night Mother wisely gave the contract to Lucien. The payment for the Brotherhood would be of no issue, they were certain. Between the Thieves Guild and the bandits that they cleared along the way, the surplus was significant, and it was now on the table.

"Make sure to leave a large empty room for Yen's megascope" - Lena winked at Geralt. "And that other thing."

"Oh no - she is not bringing that! It won't go on a ship!" - Geralt protested.

"No, I suppose it won't" - Lena agreed. "Which is why I sent you mine from Cyrodiil. I expect you will soon hear from the shipping company."

Geralt looked up in surprise.

"You didn't!"

"I did" - Lena gave him a broad grin. "It's got Hircine's blessing, so be gentle with it. It was the only unicorn in Cyrodiil."

Geralt shook his head, laughing.

"Count yourself lucky she'll never make you use it" - he winked at Lucien. "The only thing even less suitable is a live unicorn!"

"Oh I wouldn't mind, myself" - Lucien grinned complicitly. "But not to worry - there's always the Shadowmere."

2 Midyear

They rode straight to Cheydinhal - they both had paperwork to complete.

"What's next for you?" - Lucien asked at dinner. They were back at his fort.

"Necromancers and ruin crawling" - Lena grinned. "I'm not sure where I'll be - Traven is bound to send me all over the place."

"Well, in that case..." - he took her hand. "Why don't you stay here tonight."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 05:22 PM

[Lena Wolf]

2 Midyear, 4E202 - A woman's scorn

"She will die for it" - Rayenna muttered under her breath. She saw them - she peered through the trapdoor of Lucien's fort and saw him and Lena make love. She watched long enough to see Lena's face - this was important, Lucien never brought women to his fort. This wasn't just any woman - this was Rayenna's rival, and she had to die. Too bad she was a Sister - Sithis would just have to accept it. Rayenna was another Speaker's Silencer. "How could he choose her over me?" - she thought with scorn. She had been making advances towards Lucien for a few years now, and she was such a striking looking woman, what was he thinking? To prefer this child?

"You should leave now" - Sa'sinar touched her shoulder. "Let's say you never came here at all."

Rayenna jerked.

"You followed me?" - her eyes narrowing.

"A Speaker must take care of his Silencer" - Sa'sinar smiled. "Your infatuation with Lachance is not exactly a secret." His ears went back and his eyes narrowed, too. "Sa'sinar hopes Rayenna is not planning anything foolish. Wolf is her Sister, and Lachance's Silencer!"

"You..." - Rayenna looked at Sa'sinar with suspicion. "You didn't look - how did you know?"

"Sa'sinar hears things..." - his ears went up again. "The Night Mother knows. You should leave them be."

But when was the last time a Redguard woman took anyone's advice? Or accepted defeat?

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 05:24 PM

[Lena Wolf]

3 Midyear, 4E202 - Rayenna

"I have to speak to the Night Mother" - Rayenna insisted. "There is a traitor in our ranks."

"The Night Mother speaks only to me" - Ungolim's face was impenetrable. "And I speak to the Speakers. Why are you here? Are you accusing Sa'sinar?"

This wasn't going according to plan. The Dark Brotherhood had a strict hierarchy, and Ungolim - the Listener - was not about to allow Rayenna to break it.

"It's not Sa'sinar" - she replied, looking away. "But remember what happened last time there was a traitor? He played on the rules and the hierarchy - and this is what got several Black Hand members killed. We have to consult the Night Mother."

Ungolim remembered all too well what happened last time - he was one of the intended victims. He was attacked on several occasions, and had to kill several of his brothers and sisters in self-defence. The Night Mother didn't blame him or them - they didn't know who he was - but Ungolim still felt like he was betraying the Brotherhood. But to summon the Night Mother this early... No, he would need to have proof first.

"Very well, if you want to keep it between us, I'll allow it" - he looked at Rayenna, searching. She was a fairly new member, joined after those dreaded events. She didn't even know that Ungolim was around then. "Bring me the details and some proof, then we'll see." He wouldn't dismiss her claims just because she was fairly new, after all, it was a fairly new member that found the traitor last time.

Details and proof was something that Rayenna didn't have, for the simple fact that there was no traitor. She wanted to confront the Night Mother for allowing a Speaker and his Silencer to be romantically involved. She was going to argue that it undermined their efficiency and was bad for business. It was a weak argument, but worth a try.

But now Ungolim wanted details and proof - and Rayenna had worked herself into a corner. If she admitted that there was no traitor, she would be punished for attempted subterfuge. If she did nothing, Ungolim would start an investigation suspecting her to be the traitor. If she carried on and fabricated some details and proof... well... she hoped she'd never be discovered.

"I shall bring you proof" - she said, looking determined. "Give me some time."

Right, Rayenna - start thinking, she told herself. She went back home to Anvil - the sea always helped her to keep calm. Her father used to work at the docks, she didn't know her mother - her father refused to tell her who she was. "She left you when you were but a babe and scampered to Hammerfel with that lover of hers - and good riddance!" - he'd say, looking dark. "You have me, that should do."

They lived in the Castle, like many dock workers - the Countess kindly allowed working folk to use the cellar. "Better in the Castle under the watchful eye of the Guard, then out in the caves with the smugglers" - she used to say.

When Rayenna grew up and started earning a living of her own, she rented the cellar of the Anvil lighthouse.

"You seem a nice young woman" - Ulfgar Fog-Eye was careful who he rented the cellar to. He heard of some trouble in the past... Some said the place was cursed - but surely, that was just superstition?

Rayenna worked at the docks with her father at first, but then when he died, she started venturing out into the wilderness. She would run into bandits, kill them, take their loot. Nobody cared - those were bandits who'd kill for the loot as well. So... how was she different? She became a bandit herself - she'd ambush and kill anyone who came into her "hunting grounds" as she called them. She fancied herself a lioness stalking her prey.

One day a Khajiit came to see her. She attacked him, but he easily disarmed her, pinning her down.

"Khajiit could kill you now, but he will not, for Khajiit has an offer for you" - he said.

"But who are you?" - Rayenna breathed on awe.

"This servant of Sithis is called Sa'sinar. He wishes to invite Rayenna to join his family."

He knew her name. This was an offer she could not refuse.

...

Rayenna took her new duties seriously. She was determined and careful, executing her contracts with precision. She was praised by her superiors and quickly rose through the ranks. Once she made Assassin, her contracts became more complex, requiring planning, preparation, patience and stealth. They were testing her abilities - only a small number of assassins would ever make it to the Elite. Of course, there were no openings, but the Brotherhood always kept a shortlist of candidates ready for the times when an opening appeared. One day Sa'sinar offered Rayenna to become his Silencer.

"Sa'sinar's previous Silencer was killed while performing a contract, and Sa'sinar had to finish the job himself. He wishes Rayenna to take on this role. Does Rayenna accept?" - the Khajiit spoke formally, not something he did every time. Brought up in Cyrodiil, he was just as fluent in the Cyrodilic way of speaking as in the Khajiiti way, but he always used Khajiit for serious matters.

"I shall be honoured" - Rayenna beamed.

Being a member of the Black Hand meant that Rayenna was introduced to the other Black Hand assassins. If the Brotherhood had learned anything from the last traitor business, it was that the Black Hand had to know each other. The reason that attack went on for as long as it did, was that the Silencer that was being set up to murder the other members of the Black Hand, had no idea who they were. That would never happen again.

Introductions were made, but they didn't go beyond a handshake and a name - no background information was shared. Thus Rayenna knew that Ungolim was the Listener, but she had no idea how old he was or how long he had been with the Brotherhood. He didn't look old, and she didn't stop to think that for a Bosmer, that said nothing about his age.

Like everyone, Rayenna had heard of Lucien Lachance. Like most, she believed him to be dead - until she met him during the introductions. No, he wasn't dead, and he didn't look old, either. He looked in his prime, and his quiet confidence completely won her over. He was polite, welcoming her to the Black Hand and wishing her every success in her endeavours.

"Sa'sinar is known for his wisdom" - he said, smiling warmly. "I can see he chose well."

Rayenna melted. Those damned Imperials had a way with people.

Lucien Lachance had become Rayenna's personal project - he was the man for her, she decided. She was a lioness, and she was stalking her prey.

Rayenna met Lucien on many occasions - she made sure to create them. It was always business-related, but she would add an informal element to it too - a dinner or even a shared trip. Lucien never tried to evade her, and although he did not respond to her attempts at flirtation, she was sure he'd come around eventually. She just had to keep at it.

"Your attention to Lachance has become quite obvious" - Sa'sinar told her one day. "You would do well to be more discrete."

"But I am not doing anything!" - Rayenna protested, blushing a vivid shade of red. "We have common projects, that's all it is!"

Sa'sinar smiled a toothy grin, baring his fangs.

"Khajiit has seen this before" - he said, fixing her with his gaze. "Redguards are passionate, Rayenna is passionate, but Lachance must not be the object of her passion."

Rayenna stared at him, lost for words.

"I'm just saying - leave him alone" - Sa'sinar softened his tone. "He is your Brother - remember that."

Rayenna respected Sa'sinar, he was her mentor, he was her Speaker, and he seemed to see right into her soul. But she could not stop.

Lachance was popular with women, she discovered. Women that had nothing to do with the Brotherhood, women that didn't tend to ask questions. Oh, he was no monk. She didn't mind that - those women didn't matter, and otherwise he was unattached. She found his fort, found the hidden entrance directly to his living quarters. There was a crack in the trapdoor - one could just peer inside. It was a comfortable place, she thought, nice furniture, a fire, everything one would need... plus, undoubtedly, laboratory equipment in the other corner of the room. And no evidence of a woman. Good.

Rayenna was satisfied. She was taking it steady and slow, and she was sure of her success, eventually. And then...

"Hello, I am Lena Wolf" - a new Silencer was being introduced to the Black Hand. Lucien Lachance's Silencer. But she was just a slip of a girl! Early twenties, no more. What was he thinking? And why some of the Black Hand acted as if they'd met her already?

"I've met them already" - Lena smiled brightly, noticing Rayenna's confused looks. "Just last week - there was another meeting. But it is so good to finally meet you too."

Her smile was charming... irresistible... infectious... One couldn't not instantly like her... It was as if she used a charm spell, except of course she didn't... Surely, Rayenna would have noticed a spell being cast! Well...

Rayenna smiled back, feeling euphoric. Something about that girl wasn't quite right...

Rayenna never met a vampire before that hadn't turned into a beast. Or an ex-vampire still in possession of her powers. She fell for it - she was in love.

...

"Wait... what?!" - Rayenna caught herself fantasising about Lena. "You fall for women now?" - she said sternly to herself. No, Rayenna wasn't falling for women, she was sure of it. But she couldn't help herself. "Should cut down on the brandy" - she finally decided. "Better go see what Lachance has been up to - haven't seen him in a while" - she thought. Surely, that would provide a diversion.

...

"She will die for it" - Rayenna muttered under her breath. She saw them - she peered through the trapdoor of Lucien's fort and saw him and Lena make love. "Traitorous scamp!" The charm vanished, replaced by hatred. "How could he choose her over me? She's but a child! Oblivion take her" - she thought with scorn.

"You should leave now" - Sa'sinar touched her shoulder. "Let's say you never came here at all."

...

Sa'sinar was right - Rayenna should be cautious. She wanted Lena removed, yes, but she still wanted Lucien for herself. That required careful planning. An obvious murder wouldn't do.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 05:25 PM

[Lena Wolf]

3 Midyear, 4E202 - Adamus Phillida

Lena was walking around the Imperial City looking for Hauk. He wasn't at home, not at the Tiber Septim Hotel, and not at the Foaming Flask. He did mention that the Legion wanted him back on duty, but what would that mean? Perhaps she should try the Bastion.

She found Hauk in the Legion Offices talking to Adamus Phillida.

"I just know it - who else could have gotten inside the Imperial Prison and out again, completely unseen?" - Phillida was saying. "It's the Dark Brotherhood - they got both Valen Dreth and J'baana."

"But you are not even certain they were both murdered!" - interjected Hauk. "What's your proof?"

"Dreth was found with a poisoned arrow stuck in his neck - I'm pretty sure he didn't do it himself!" - Phillida was getting agitated. "J'baana... he died apparently of a heart attack, but I don't believe it. Poison, more likely - there was a small cut on him. Not unlike Fathis Ules and Othrelos, and he was Thieves Guild too."

"Ok, this does look suspicious" - Hauk conceded. "Someone seems to be after the Thieves Guild."

"It's the Dark Brotherhood, I tell you!" - Phillida spun around and finally noticed Lena standing at the door. "Good morning citizen, how can I help you?"

"My apologies, I was just looking for Optio here" - Lena greeted Hauk. "On a Mages Guild business" - she hastened to add.

"And you are..?" - Phillida's eyes narrowed.

"Lena Wolf, Mages Guild Warlock, at your service" - Lena gave him a bright smile. Some titles were more convenient than others.

"Oh... I've heard of you" - Phillida softened. "Handled some necromancers recently, have you?" - he shuffled some papers on his desk. "We've had some reports of graveyards being dug up, and Traven insists it's necromancers, but the corpses were still there, it's the jewellery that went missing" - he smirked. "So unless they are making zombie amulets, I think it was something else."

"Do you still need me for anything, Commander?" - Hauk turned to Phillida. "You know where to find me if you do."

"No, thank you, Optio, sorry for taking up your time" - Phillida was courteous. After all, Hauk's rank was higher. "I was just hoping that with your experience in covert affairs, you might be able to help me see what I'm missing... There must be a way to pin them down somehow!" - he clenched his fists. "But every time we identify a Dark Brotherhood assassin, it is only when we find his corpse! Well, at least they are not immortal - that's a consolation. Oh what would I give to see one standing before me!" - he glared at Lena and Hauk, then caught himself, rearranging his face in a smile.

"You never know - you might get your wish" - Hauk said, shaking his hand. "Good luck to you."

...

"Good to see you" - Hauk turned to Lena when they were back in the City proper and could drop the act. "Lunch?"

"Let's."

The Feed Bag had a few people in, having lunch, drinking mead and wine, discussing shopping and the latest fights at the Arena - all providing a comfortable din to drown out a conversation.

"So, you've been busy" - Hauk smirked. "J'baana! Right under the noses of the Imperial Watch, too! There's no hiding from your Brotherhood, is there?" He laughed. "Masterfully done! Better than Valen Dreth, I must admit."

"I didn't have much choice with Valen Dreth - I shot through the bars. But you're right - it was too obvious." Lena made herself a crab sandwich. "What did Phillida want from you?"

"To help him find evidence in a collection of statements and crime scene sketches. But all he's got is a string of suspected murders, and even if he thinks it might be the Dark Brotherhood, he can't prove anything. And even if he could - he doesn't know who you all are!" Hauk attended to his own crab sandwich. "Completely futile, if you ask me."

"Ocheeva worries about him though" - Lena mused. "Several assassins were killed recently while performing a contract - or attempting to perform a contract, I should say - and they were wearing our armour, even had some papers on them... Ocheeva was livid about the papers, because now Phillida knows what our armour looks like."

"That's the drawback of having a uniform" - Hauk agreed. "Which is why I never wear Legion armour on assignments."

"I doubt you carry any Legion papers, either" - Lena smiled.

"No, of course not" - Hauk smiled back. "And don't you worry - Phillida will get no help from me. I am not with the City Watch."

"Oh I am not worried" - Lena bit into an apple. "Lucien sent his regards."

"I heard The Ratway turned to blood recently" - Hauk was starting on the cheese. "The Riften City Guard had to call in the Legion to help clear it up" - he chuckled. "Even though the Jarl supports the Stormcloaks!"

"Let me guess - the Stormcloaks do not do the dirty work of hauling corpses out of the sewers, do they?" - Lena poured herself some wine and passed another bottle of mead to Hauk.

"No, they don't" - Hauk laughed. "The entire top of the Skyrim Thieves Guild taken out! Maven Black-Briar was livid."

"Maven is lucky to be alive" - Lena noted. "We only spared her because she doesn't like Stormcloaks."

"So, what's next?" - Hauk hovered over the cheese selection, then picked up a piece of creamy goat cheese.

"Lie low for a bit" - Lena turned to a bowl of berries. "Do some adventuring - Mr. Umbacano has been reminding me about that High Fane job that I agreed to do. Months and months ago! It seems Claude Maric has been dragging his feet too."

"Dangerous ruin?" - Hauk's eyes lit up.

"Undoubtedly" - Lena grinned. "Although how it compares to other ruins, I am not certain."

"Well, there's only one way to find out!" - Hauk emptied his mead bottle. "When do we leave?"

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 05:26 PM

[Lena Wolf]

4 Midyear, 4E202 - Lena's romance

"I missed you" - Lena kissed Hauk good morning. "But if we want to get to the East edge of the Nibenay Basin by tomorrow, we should be getting out of bed."

They spent the night at Hauk's house in the Imperial City, having done all the preparations for the trip the day before. They would just stop by the Tiber Septim Hotel next door for breakfast, and be on their way. Jowan was still staying in Bravil, and they were glad to spend time together, just the two of them.

After that intense trip to Skyrim with Lucien, Lena felt the need to relax and unwind - and Hauk was so easy to relax with. She would have to choose between him and Lucien eventually, but she wasn't ready to choose yet. In fact, she was even more confused about her feelings now than she was before the trip. She was ready to go to Oblivion and back for either of them, she'd done it already and would do it again, both friendships would remain intact. More than friends, they were family. But romance... that was on an entirely different level.

Lena's life did not resemble a typical young woman's life. It started out ordinarily enough, as a young girl Lena had her friendships and childhood romances, then youth romances up to the point when she caught vampirism at the age of seventeen. She was instantly shunned, all her young friends abandoning her in horror. Only the Mages Guild was still treating her like before - but they were all older people, her mentors and advisers, and certainly no one interested in romance. Her fellow young associates and apprentices were shunning her as well. At times Lena felt that her only option was to find a vampire coven to join, but ironically the vampires that she met, treated her with hostility - she was too "fresh", she had to prove herself first. Would she succumb to the disease mentally and turn into a beast? Many vampires did, and no coven was ready to accept a young fledgling risking to develop into a liability over time. One older vampire took pity on her and gave her a book - Manifesto Cyrodiil Vampyrum. "Follow it, if you want to be one of us" - he said. "Come back in twenty or thirty years, then we'll see." She had to survive that long, and not allow her personality to be destroyed. Fortunately, the Oblivion Crisis kept her busy, providing the necessary distraction.

How long was it before Count Hassildor offered her help finding a cure? She couldn't say for sure, but it was at least four years - or may be more? It was difficult, and took a long time to get everything that was needed - perhaps another year? Two? It didn't matter. Eventually the day came when the witch gave her the potion - "Drink it and you will be mortal again." She drank. Yes, she was mortal again - her eyes were no longer red and her fangs had retreated. But she looked like an old woman, stooped, wrinkled, covered in sores. And she was weak.

The one thing that Lena was longing for the cure to restore was her place in society. People were no longer afraid of her, true, and she could shop wherever she wanted, but she was still in her twenties, yet her youth was gone. Young people continued to shun her just like before. Loneliness persisted.

And then a miracle happened - Dylan took her to the Mazken Wellspring and Lena's looks were restored. She looked to be in her early twenties again.

In the Shivering Isles that didn't really matter. The Shivering Isles had no problems with Lena's vampirism before or with her old woman's looks afterwards - but everyone there was too consumed with the Greymarch destroying the Realm. And Lena was too busy.

Lena's return to Mundus some twenty or thirty years later proved to be a bit of a shock, and not because nearly two centuries had passed there in the meantime. She was suddenly getting a lot of attention - romantic, erotic, vulgar - all sorts. It was flattering while it was novel, but became annoying soon afterwards. None of it relieved the loneliness either, and Lena was no longer in her twenties. She soon tired of casual fun.

She went about restoring her life in Cyrodiil - her Mages Guild membership, her house in Bravil, her citizen's rights. "You will no longer be alone, child" - Dagail told her. "I have seen this." She proved right - Hauk appeared a month or so later, not entirely without Dagail's help. They struck a friendship, went adventuring together, then gradually grew to like each other more and more, and now Hauk was Lena's closest friend - a friend she could be intimate with.

Lucien was a different story entirely. She had known him for all of her adult life - since he came to offer her a place within the Dark Brotherhood. Oh, she fancied him straight away - but he was the head of her group, and therefore off limits. And of course he was a much older man - Lena wasn't even eighteen at the time. She told herself to forget it.

Then the traitor made his move, setting events in motion, and Lena couldn't just walk away. She sensed who the attacks were aimed at - the traitor was after Lucien, and she could not allow it to happen. Oh, the traitor was going to destroy her whole Cheydinhal family in the process too - and she couldn't allow it either. Things she had done to protect them all... closing Oblivion gates paled in comparison. And then she was gone - to the Shivering Isles. At first it was to avoid the assassins - she was still being hunted. She would come to Mundus sometimes, and would go to Lucien's fort - to make sure he was all right, she told herself. She didn't dare to go to the Sanctuary. After a while she noticed that the hunt had been called off, yet still she didn't go to the Sanctuary, but just kept coming to Lucien's fort. One day there was a change of furniture - his narrow cot was replaced by a nice double bed, with other conveniences added. Yet there was no sign of another person living there, and Lena chose not to think about it, completely ignoring her suspicions. He was off limits.

And then he wasn't. That revelation truly turned her world upside down. All those feelings, her longing, her passion, her shame for ignoring the obvious, came rushing in - and overwhelmed her. That evening Lucien helped her deal with it - whatever else was going on, he was her oldest friend and her Brother. She went with that.

When Hauk died and Lena went to the Fade to get his spirit to come back, she faced many demons. Twice was she tempted by a demon pretending to be Lucien - she escaped the first time, but the second time, after Hauk's spirit returned to Mundus, she let the demon have its way. She got what she longed for.

"Leave him alone - he isn't your lover" - Geralt told her when she and Lucien stopped at the Lake View on their way to Riften. Was it that obvious? She wouldn't be forward, not with real Lucien... But Geralt could see through her - he was no stranger to passion himself - and one to break the rules for it. Did they get it from their father or from their mother? Or from both?

"But next time you come to my home and decide to stay overnight, I won't pretend not to be there" - Lucien told her that morning. He was her lover now, as well as her Brother and her intimate friend. Life was complicated.
_____________

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 05:27 PM

[Renee]

"Skyrim is shielded - you cannot summon any of your clannfears or daedroths, but dremoras do come through

Clever explanation.

That frost troll on the side of High Hrothgar is particularly tough, I remember the first time one of mine almost got his or her ass kicked by it. There's some explanation, like it's high in level, or scales far above the player or something. Interesting that she summons somebody who knows who she is!

Post 20-- Yes I can see staying in Ivarstead a few days, especially with its pleasant autumn weather & golden sunshine. The crypt across the road makes for some definite adventuring fun too, without needing to trek anywhere for supplies. Only a couple things are missing. In my Skyrim, I added a smith area outdoors and also a cottage whose owner buys & sells. Now it's even tougher to leave, sometimes.

Woo, I've read Page 1!

This post has been edited by Renee: Jul 17 2021, 01:08 PM

[Adella]

"Skyrim is shielded - you cannot summon any of your clannfears or daedroths, but dremoras do come through

Clever explanation.

That frost troll on the side of High Hrothgar is particularly tough, I remember the first time one of mine almost got his or her ass kicked by it. There's some explanation, like it's high in level, or scales far above the player or something. Interesting that she summons somebody who knows who she is!
Snip

Just an aside…With Mr. Troll being so slow you can use any rock/tree or just sufficient wide space to circle and get past without taking a hit.

To end Mr. Troll when you are too weak to battle him….Just lure him into High Hrothgar where the Greybeards will dispatch him for you.

Warning! Enter the monastery just before the Troll gets to the entrance steps….otherwise he will spawn inside, infront of you and then you are screwed!

You can….and I have (with an extra spawns mod) get Seven of them into High Hrothgar all at once. The chaos is fabulous.

Right…Sorry, lets get back to reading Lena

A.

This post has been edited by Adella: Jul 17 2021, 01:22 PM

[Renee]

too weak to battle him….Just lure him into High Hrothgar where the Greybeards will dispatch him for you.

I never thought of this. Only problem is, if we're going up that mountain and it's our first time, we don't know where the Greybeard temple is, yet. Or if there are other trolls ahead which are just as tough as that one.

[Lena Wolf]

Chapter 3

Choice and Judgement

4-5 Midyear, 4E202 - Fort Entius - Malada

"It is good to be back on the road, my friend" - Lena turned to Hauk as they stepped onto the long bridge across the Niben. "And not to expect assassins on every corner." She winked.

"Indeed" - Hauk grinned. "Assassins or... whoever."

The bridge was stretching before them. They pressed on.

...

"Oh look - someone had the good grace to restore Crestbridge Camp!" - Lena exclaimed as they approached the location. Last time they were passing there, there was nothing but an empty fire pit there. They stopped for lunch.

"Malada is a distance East from here" - Lena was pouring over the map. "We could take the road South and spend the night at the Imperial Bridge Inn, then take North East from there... or we could try going cross country." She looked up at Hauk with a question.

"Well, it's only just past midday, so we have time" - he looked around. "Let's try cross country. Besides, there might be other interesting things along the way" - he winked and grinned. They were going to get side-tracked.

...

"Oh look!" - they came to a fort next to a bridge across the river. "Shall we?"

Fort Entius was quiet, except for a few rats.

"What? Nobody there?" - Hauk was disappointed. "No vampires or necromancers or not even beasts?"

The lower part of the fort was flooded, but they found some nice loot in old chests. Then...

"Ouch!" - Lena got hit by a powerful shock spell, nearly knocking her out.

"Stay back!" - roared Hauk, summoning a daedroth. Lena summoned a clannfear and focussed on healing. The room ahead was ablaze - someone was casting inferno spells, along with the bolts of lightening. This was not a place Lena could survive...

When the inferno blasts stopped, she cautiously advanced and saw that Hauk had forced a mage into a corner. The mage was constantly healing herself and Hauk wasn't getting very far.

"Let me..." - Lena thought, crouching and dipping her Sufferthorn in poison. "This will soon be over."

She didn't need to get the heart, but she did it anyway.

...

They took the bridge over the river and found a dirt road going East. They followed it and soon they saw white stones of an Ayleid ruin.

"This must be it" - Lena pointed at the ruin. "But what's with the advance guard?"

There was a camp nearby with two occupants in full top-notch armour.

"Beautiful countryside, isn't it?" - they said in a greeting. "We are just here for the fresh air."

...

"Claude Maric's men" - said Hauk when they were out of earshot. "They'll attack us when we come out. Be ready."

But first they had to be ready for whatever lay within.

First, there were beasts and traps.

"That's too easy" - Hauk looked suspicious, even though the fighting was nothing like easy. "You remove that carving and all Oblivion will descend onto us." He pointed at the panel that Umbacano wanted.

"Well, there's nothing else for it" - Lena said, resigned. "Ready?"

She pulled on the carving and it came away with ease, causing the wall behind it to collapse and two side pockets to open at the same time. If the skeleton Champions and their summons were not bad enough, the Nether Lich behind the rubble added a certain spice to it all.

The rubble prevented the summons from getting to the lich, and Hauk was too busy fighting five skeletons - the lich's summon appeared in front of the rubble.

"Well, there's nothing else for it" - Lena thought, rubbing her Spelldrinker amulet and downing a spell absorption potion. "I'll go down of course, but hopefully not before I manage a summon."

She readied a clannfear spell, took out her Sufferthorn and climbed over the rubble.

The lich shot a blast from his staff and Lena went down, but her clannfear was already charging the lich. Lena never got a chance to use her Sufferthorn.

...

"Ugh!" Lena felt wet sandpaper rubbing her cheek. The clannfear. "Good dog" - she patted the clannfear, just before the summon was banished. Hauk stood among two piles of bones, casting healing spells.

"It never looks quite as bad afterwards" - he said, pointing at the bones. "Just the two piles now... no one would believe me if I said there were five of them!"

"No one who never fought the undead" - Lena corrected him, smiling. "But we know better. Come on - there's a door behind that lich."

They could have just returned the way they came in, but here was a door previously concealed behind a wall... How could they resist?

...

"Oh no! This is bad" - was all Lena had time to think before darkness swallowed her and she went down. Gloom wraiths.

Cold, so cold... Lena came to, shaking. She scrambled to her feet - quick, a summon! A Hunger should do it...

Freezing cold was bracing her... She came to again. Something was wrong - the wraith was growing stronger.

"Hunger is a living creature!" - Lena thought. "The wraith is leeching its life energy... I need something else..." She summoned a headless zombie. Remarkably effective, if rather mundane.

"Hush!" - a second wraith screeched, hitting Lena with a freezing silence spell. Darkness again...

...

"You are not dead, so rise!" - a voice sounded inside Lena's head. "Let the cattle know their place!"

"But wraiths are not cattle?" - Lena thought to herself, but decided not to argue. She rose, feeling stronger. The wraiths were extinguished - Hauk sat in a far corner swallowing potions, looking pale. She rushed to him.

"Here - let me" - she started casting healing spells. She had more magicka somehow.

"Thanks... Oh!" - Hauk looked up. "Wow."

"What?" - she stopped casting.

"You are a vampire."

"Temporarily... I hope" - Lena smiled weakly. "Ever since I resumed drinking blood, it's been getting stronger every time. The wraiths must have triggered it."

Hauk started taking off his cuirass.

"What are you doing?"

"You need blood."

"No, not now" - Lena stopped him. "And not from you - you've lost enough of it to the wraiths" - she pointed at several deep cuts that were only just closing. "There is a welcoming committee outside - remember? They are not expecting a vampire" - she winked. "Let's rest here."

5 Midyear

"Hello there!" - Claude Maric was waiting for them by the entrance. "You are getting rather good at it" - he smiled. "I am even starting to like you. Now hand over the carving."

"Oh, it's no trouble" - Lena beamed at him. "I can carry it to Mr. Umbacano myself, thank you."

"Are you sure?" - he raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was... foolish. Kill them!"

Three mercenaries attacked, Claude Maric vanished.

"The sun is rising, I need blood" - Lena thought feeling a slight tingle on her skin. It was nearly 6 a.m.

Leaving two mercenaries to Hauk and his daedroth, she led away the third, paralyzed her, pulled off her daedric helmet. The woman looked up in horror watching Lena bare her fangs. She felt Lena's hand gently turn her head to the side, exposing the vein...

...

"Ah, I needed that!" - Lena rose, a drained corpse at her feet. The sun tickled her face, but did not burn. She heard battle noises and ran towards them, summoning a clannfear. Hauk was still fighting - Lena was only gone for a few minutes.

...

"Well, that's the three of them" - Hauk turned around, sheathing his claymore. "Maric is gone though. Oh, you look better!" - he smiled at Lena. "Had your fill?"

"I have" - she grinned. "Maric's horse is here though. If we lead it away and then release it, it should return to Maric, in theory."

"In theory, yes" - nodded Hauk. "Or it might walk all the way to the Imperial City stables, for all we know. But it's worth a try, I suppose."

They followed the horse for a while but it was headed straight for the Imperial City, so they left it alone and turned South West hoping to reach the Imperial Bridge Inn by the evening. But they came upon the Nayon Camp on Lake Canulus first.

"It's lovely here, let's stay a while" - Lena was looking into the distance. "We haven't slept the night, so why not here."

Why not indeed! It was already late afternoon anyway.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: May 13 2024, 05:04 PM

[Lena Wolf]

"Skyrim is shielded - you cannot summon any of your clannfears or daedroths, but dremoras do come through

Clever explanation.

Yeah, after the Oblivion Crisis, Skyrim invested in extra security. Too bad they didn't think to make it dragon-proof too.

Interesting that she summons somebody who knows who she is!

Well, she summoned a random dremora... You never know which one will turn up.

Woo, I've read Page 1!

Woo-hoo! You're getting on with it!!

[Lena Wolf]

6-8 Mid-Year - Oblivion - Home - Imperial City

"Oh look - there's a bridge across the river over there" - Lena pointed at a hanging bride in the distance.

"This is the shrine of Peryite" - noted Hauk. "But something is wrong with the worshippers - they are not moving."

Lena touched the statue.

"My foolish worshippers have transported their souls to Oblivion wishing to be close to me" - Peryite spoke. "I would have you go after them and make them return. Planes of Oblivion are no place for mortal souls."

Lena looked at Hauk.

"Well, I'll go. It's not as hard as that, and I've done it so many times before..."

Hauk nodded.

"All right. I'll wait here."

She touched the statue again.

...

Oblivion was hot, Peryite's Realm being much like Mehrus Dagon's. Lena cloaked in chameleon and moved around without fighting. One by one she found the souls and sent them back. Still, it took her all day.

"How was it?" - Hauk greeted her when she returned. "I saw the worshippers coming to life one by one."

"It was hot and now I'm thirsty" - Lena replied, rummaging in her pack for a bottle of mead and handing one to Hauk. "I need a snack."

They sat at the shrine for a while, eating crab sandwiches. Then they walked over to the Imperial Bridge Inn for the night.

"Oh hello" - Lithnilian greeted them. "I've been making excellent progress with the Welkynd crystals in the Bramblepoint cave since you kindly cleared it out" - he beamed at Lena. "I have also been able to persuade that Legion soldier to come with me and stand guard. So much better!" Then, turning to Hauk, he added: "I won't be going to bed for a few more hours, in case you wanted to retire early." He smiled.

"Why - thank you!" - Hauk beamed. "It has been a long day for us, indeed."

He looked at Lena. She got up and they went upstairs.

7 Mid-Year

"Why don't we go via Bravil" - Hauk said softly watching Lena look wistfully over the water. They stopped at Fort Grief to refill the stash, and Lena got home sick.

"Thank you" - she mouthed, squeezing his hand.

A short stop for a round of shopping and lunch was enough to lift Lena's mood, so they continued on to the Imperial City in the afternoon.

"We should take some time to rest and repair our gear" - said Hauk as they were approaching the Imperial City. "And it's too late to see Mr. Umbacano today, it will have to be tomorrow. Let's stay at my house."

Lena didn't argue. She was tired, her body ached all over and Hauk's house had a bath while hers didn't...

8 Mid-Year

They went to see Mr. Umbacano in the morning, receiving a reward for the carving and a task in negotiating with a rival collector. As they left the Umbacano manor, a Legionnaire approached Hauk with a message.

"Optio" - he saluted and left.

Hauk's face was impassable as he was reading the message, then he folded it and turned to Lena.

"I am being called away - I am sorry. I'll be gone for some time." He took her hands into his. "You take care of yourself in the meantime."

"You too" - they kissed goodbye. "Make sure I don't have to go looking for you in the Fade again."

They parted and Lena went to see Hannibal Traven at the Arcane University. It was time to finally tell him that Mannimarco had returned.

...

"What?!" - Traven was livid. "And you waited to tell me about it this long?! How dare you!!"

"I am so sorry, Sir" - Lena decided to appear frightened. "I thought you knew! I mean, even I could have guessed something like that, what with all the necromancers around, and you being the Arch Mage..." - she went bright red. "I just could not imagine you did not know!"

"Well..." - Traven softened his tone. "I suspected something like this, of course. And..." - Lena was looking pleadingly at him, such an innocent young girl that she was, so charming... "Well, never mind, my dear, it's fine. It doesn't make a difference, really..." He smiled warmly and stroked her cheek. She blushed, but kept her gaze down. "Innocence herself..." - Traven thought. He had not read her file - not important enough. He could see she wasn't a vampire...

"I need you to check on the Bruma Guild" - Traven shook off his trance. "We haven't heard from them for a while, it is unusual. Please see that everything is alright there."

"Of course" - Lena nodded, smiling brightly. "I won't be long."

She left.

"Such a bright young girl" - Traven thought looking at the teleport platform where she disappeared. "So pure... so unspoilt..."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 05:59 PM

[Acadian]

Oh, I remember Peryite's quest! Buffy used that quest as a 'training ground' to learn how to fight daedra and survive in the Deadlands before trying to help close the Oblivion Gate at Kvatch.

Lena knows how to push the right buttons with Traven.

[macole]

Peryite got some real bright worshippers. They ran off to the Deadlands of Mehrun Dagon. No wonder they're stuck.
I have to look at it that way otherwise if that was supposed to be Peryite's realm then I'm severely disappointed.

This post has been edited by macole: Jul 18 2021, 05:52 AM

[Lena Wolf]

Lena knows how to push the right buttons with Traven.

Lena went through the entire Oblivion Crisis as a vampire. She learned to live with it, mostly going hungry to allow the skills to sharpen (and to avoid biting too many necks). She would feed before going into town, but even so she could never blend in completely. So when she needed anything from most people, she would have to use her charm power to even get them to talk to her. She learned a lot about buttons... And Traven is too preoccupied with his personal vendetta to pay attention to anyone else.

Peryite got some real bright worshippers. They ran off to the Deadlands of Mehrun Dagon. No wonder they're stuck.
I have to look at it that way otherwise if that was supposed to be Peryite's realm then I'm severely disappointed.

I wonder whether he even has a Realm of his own. It appears he might be just working in the "generic" Oblivion - the "public space" created by Lorkhan. This would mean of course that Mehrun Dagon used the same space too. And may be he did! Who knows.

[Lena Wolf]

8-9 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Sanctuary rumours

The day was spent doing chores. Lena went to talk to the collector of Ayleid artefacts who was refusing to sell one of her items to Mr. Umbacano. She claimed that Umbacano was evil - seeking to waken up some dark power of the Ayleids, and her artefact was the key. She suggested that Lena should retrieve another similar artefact from a ruin that - oh look! - she happened to have a key to.

"Give him the substitute and he'll never know!" - she said, beaming.

Lena was doubtful that Umbacano wouldn't know, but decided to retrieve that other artefact first. But not alone, and not today, this would have to wait.

After that, Lena made a dash for Chorrol - her monthly payment for the supplies to the Battlehorn Castle was a week overdue. Emfrid didn't mind, but Lena made a mental note that it was getting tiresome. Perhaps she should switch to a quarterly schedule.

Then she was on the road again - to Cheydinhal. As the Imperial City came into view, Roach wanted a rest, so they stopped at Alleswell. The publican still had no food or drink to offer and his Most Unpleasant Sisters told Lena to go away. So she turned around, patted Roach on the back and promised her a nice long rest at the Roxey Inn instead. "And you can chat to your pal the Legion horse there as well" - she added.

...

Lena got to Cheydinhal by 10 p.m. She left Roach at the stables and walked home. As she was crossing the bridge by the chapel, she saw the Eastern gate. Beyond it was Fort Farragut - and Lucien.

...

Lena stood by the trapdoor, ready to enter, when a little voice in her head said quietly: "Perhaps you should knock." Wasn't that what people usually did before entering someone else's house? She knocked, then lifted the trapdoor slightly, looking in. Lucien stood below, smiling. "Come in."

9 Mid-Year

In the morning Lena went to see Ocheeva at the Sanctuary about another contract.

"What is he like?" - Antoinetta Marie pulled Lena into a dark corner as soon as she entered.

"What is who like?" - Lena looked at her, confused.

"Lucien. What is he like?" - Antoinetta's eyes burned with the hunger for gossip.

"He is an assassin" - Lena frowned, doubtful. "And our Speaker. You know that!"

"I don't mean that!" - she shook her head. "What is he like... a man - you know!" - she winked.

"What?!" - Lena went bright red. "How did you..?"

"Oh come off it - it's the talk of the Sanctuary! Someone saw you!"

"What?! Who? How?" - Lena was so taken aback, she wasn't making sense, not even to herself. They were careful - how could anyone have seen them?

"Oh, don't worry, I don't mean it badly" - Antoinetta touched Lena's arm. "It wasn't me, I don't even know how the rumours started, and anyway, it's not unheard of - Gogron and Telaendril have been at it for ages. I was that close but you got there first!"

Lena stood there, gasping.

"What? I... What do you mean - you were that close?" - Lena's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Antoinetta dear, I believe you owe me a septim!" - Telaendril was standing over her shoulder.

"Oh all right, she just got lucky!" - Antoinetta grimaced, passing the coin to Telaendril.

"Gossiping again, are you?" - Ocheeva joined them, looking at each of them in turn. "Shame on you, Telaendril, Antoinetta, for making bets like that! As if either of you ever stood a chance!"

"Can someone please explain to me what is going on?!" - Lena exploded cutting through the conversation. "What's all this betting about?" - she glared at Antoinetta and Telaendril.

"Well, since you put it this way..." - Telaendril grinned. "Antoinetta has a crush on Lucien, and she's been trying to get into his bed for... well... since before you joined the first time" - she winked. "Without success, or else everyone would have known."

"Like you never tried it yourself!" - Antoinetta looked angrily at Telaendril. "You forgot to mention that bit, I guess."

"Anyway..." - Telaendril raised her voice slightly. "As you were a vampire when you joined, we didn't think you stood a chance, but then you returned, looking all young and fresh, and Antoinetta here bet me a septim that she'd have Lucien first before you do! And she lost."

"That's enough of that now!" - Ocheeva said sternly. "You've had your fun, now leave it be."

"No, wait" - Lena rubbed her chin. "You said someone saw us. But we... well... we have been discrete. They had to spy on us to see us. This could be a serious matter."

"Then..." - Ocheeva looked pensive. "You have to tell us where they could have seen you."

"In Cyrodiil? Lucien's fort" - Lena offered. "In Skyrim... no, they couldn't have, I am certain."

"You have to tell Lucien - if his fort is compromised, it is indeed a serious matter" - Ocheeva wasn't smiling. Everyone went quiet - they still remembered the last traitor. "Antoinetta, Telaendril, I need the two of you to find out how the rumour started - and when. Especially since it isn't just a rumour. When did you..." - she sighed and smiled at Lena. "Sorry, dear, it's private, I know, but it could be important - when was the first time that they could have seen you?"

"When we returned from Skyrim" - Lena answered, looking at them in turn.

"So... It is either an incredible coincidence, or..." - Telaendril looked at Antoinetta - "there is another woman wanting to get into Lucien's bed."

"Count half of Cyrodiil, I think" - Antoinetta winked. "It is only this hard if you are with the Dark Brotherhood!"

"So... she's one of us" - Ocheeva said heavily. "She is an assassin."

They didn't like the sound of this. Antoinetta wasn't jealous of Lena, well, not jealous enough to do anything about it besides teasing, but who knew what that other woman was like.

"Night Mother preserve us from a woman's scorn" - Telaendril breathed.

...

Rayenna's plan was working. First, she was going to destroy Lena's reputation, then she would suggest ill intent. Judgement would be swift - Lena would be declared a traitor to the Brotherhood, and that would not only get her killed, but also get her out of Lucien's favour, bringing Rayenna to the fore. It could not fail.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:00 PM

[Lena Wolf]

9-10 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Bruma Mages Guild - Hannibal Traven

"I shouldn't delay that Bruma job" - Lena thought as she was leaving the Cheydinhal Sanctuary. "Better go there straight away."

The trip took her most of the day - she arrived in Bruma in late afternoon. Still, it wasn't too late to go to the Mages Guild.

"Good to see you!" - Jeanne Frasoric greeted her. She was wearing Necromancer robes, and the Mages Guild had Necromancer tapestries adorning the walls instead of the standard Guild tapestries.

"Oh wow, what a change of decor!" - Lena exclaimed, looking around. "How come?"

"Oh you know - if you can't beat them, join them!" - Jeanne beamed. "Mannimarco came around - such a charming man, so good looking! - and asked whether we wanted to restore our previous specialisation. Well, this was before my time, you see - Traven appointed me here, so I had no idea! Necromancy was what Bruma Mages Guild did before! How could I refuse - of course I agreed, it was only right, and so you see..."

Lena raised her hand trying to stop this flood of babbling.

"Please, Jeanne, not so fast!" Jeanne stopped talking abruptly. "Mannimarco was here? When?"

"Oh no that long ago" - Jeanne was evasive. "He came a few times..." - her eyes glazed over. "I was hoping he would stay here - I was ready to let him have my room even - but he insisted on leaving, don't see why really, surely some cave cannot possibly be as comfortable as a nice warm house..."

"Jeanne!" - Lena had to raise her voice to bring Jeanne out of her verbal trance. "So he came here and what? Did he threaten anyone?"

"No! Well, yes" - Jeanne fluttered her eyelashes. "He let slip that if I didn't agree he would have no choice as to remove me, you see... He is far more powerful than Traven! And so handsome..." Her voice trailed off.

"Right" - Lena shook her head. It was obvious - Jeanne followed whoever she thought held the power. Perhaps the others had more to say.

"Well yes, Bruma did specialise in Necromancy before Traven became the Arch Mage" - Selena confirmed. "We weren't killing anyone though!" - she hurried to add. "There's no need for that - old crypts are filled with bodies. But of course when you start driving people out of their homes because you disagree with their area of research, it does breed resentment..."

"And Mannimarco?" - Lena prompted her.

"He and Traven go way back - they were rivals at first, and became mortal enemies over time. Traven does misuse his position to scorn Mannimarco, and Mannimarco is obviously just as touchy and volatile for allowing Traven to get to him." She looked at Lena with regret. "And the rest of us are the victims in this clash of egos. Not worth dying for."

"Selena is primarily an alchemist, so it doesn't matter to her as much as it does to us" - Volanaro joined in. "But we had all our work ripped away from us and outlawed. When Traven took over, we had to either abandon everything and fall in line, or leave - and I mean leave civilisation. Many did that, and it mostly got them killed, but we stayed put, kept our heads down and waited. It didn't take that long for trouble to rise above ground level."

"So what now?" - Lena asked, turning to the sound of footsteps.

"Now we return to our old research" - J'skar appeared next to Volanaro. "We do not threaten anyone, but Traven is not welcome here." He gave her a toothy grin.

"Whether Mannimarco will win in the end or not" - Volanaro added - "we do not believe that Traven will remain Arch Mage for much longer. Tell him - the Bruma Mages Guild will not be destroyed."

Lena nodded, looking into their faces.

"Well, I'll certainly tell him that. He still thinks I'm just a young apprentice eager to please" - she grinned at them and winked. Jeanne looked surprised - she too seemed to have taken Lena's apparent age at face value.

"What of Jowan?" - asked Volanaro. "He is welcome here - he's not just a Blood Mage, you knew that, I suppose?"

"Yes, we've seen some of his spells" - Lena smiled. "He's been staying in Bravil - you know Kud-Ei, always the caring type."

"Well, tell him - we've got a place for him if he wants it."

Lena got a clear idea who was really the head of this Guild Hall - and it wasn't Jeanne.

10 Mid-Year

Lena spent the night at the Jerall View Inn and returned to the Imperial City in the morning.

"Traven is not going to like this!" - she thought. She was right, of course.

"They WHAT?!!!" - Hannibal Traven went white with rage when Lena told him that the Bruma Mages Guild went back to practicing its old specialisation. "How dare they!!! I'll have their heads!!!"

Lena stood there, watching him in amazement. She wasn't surprised at his reaction but at the threats - of death, no less.

"Well, I don't mean that literally, of course" - Traven caught himself belatedly, noticing Lena's stare (to which she prudently added a touch of horror). "So we can assume then that they have all resigned."

"Yes, I think that's the gist of it" - nodded Lena.

"Right. Well, this is more serious than I thought" - Traven said grimly, having finally gained control over his temper. "I'll need to think it over."

He paced the room up and down a few times.

"We have come to depend on you" - he stopped in front of Lena, looking into her eyes. She smiled timidly, lowering her gaze slightly. "Yes..." - Traven's voice trailed off. "Come and see Polus in a few days, he should have something for you then."

Lena left.

"Dirty old man" - she thought. She didn't care for the way Traven looked at her.

...

"Well, Roach, we've got a long road ahead of us" - Lena patted Roach on the back. "We are going to Anvil."

Roach heaved a sigh - you could just see her thinking: "And I hope you don't expect me to make it in one day!"

No, Lena didn't expect that at all. She was planning to stop in Skingrad for the night.

...

"Mistress, you have returned!" - Fenris Bero greeted Lena when she entered her house in Skingrad in late afternoon. "Will you be staying? I shall prepare dinner for you."

"Well, at least he did not kneel this time" - Lena thought. She smiled at him: "Yes, please, I'll be spending the night. How have you been?"

Fenris looked well, and not just physically. Spending time with Falanu seemed to have worked wonders.

"Have you been back to the Leyawiin Sanctuary at all?" - Lena asked, thinking of the captive there who needed food.

"Indeed I have - several times" - Fenris beamed at her. "I can even travel during the day now, if the sun isn't too strong. I never knew it was possible..."

Lena shook her head. "Of course it is possible, if you feed often enough..." She smiled, remembering her own discoveries back then. "But be careful - feeding too often makes you weak, takes away your powers. You need to find a balance."

Fenris was listening intently. He had been a vampire for so long, yet all he knew was constant hunger. This was a different life indeed.

"I bought you a horse" - Lena nearly forgot. "It's at the stables - just give them my name. It will make your travels easier."

"Thank you, Mistress!" Fenris dropped at her feet. "You are so good to me."

Lena stifled a sigh, thinking: "Here we go again." Then, lifting Fenris up by the shoulders, she said: "It's how life should be. You'll see."

...

Lena took time to bathe and rest, she had another long day of travel tomorrow.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:01 PM

[macole]

When I first played Oblivion, Jeanne Frasoric was my favorite character. I literally cried when she died in the destruction of the Bruma Mages Guild.

This post has been edited by macole: Jul 19 2021, 06:11 AM

[Lena Wolf]

When I first played Oblivion, Jeanne Frasoric was my favorite character. I literally cried when she died in the destruction of the Bruma Mages Guild.

Oh I am sorry, Macole! I guess my attitude to her showed now... but I still think she didn't have to die. And she didn't!

[Lena Wolf]

11 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Anvil thieves

Lena arrived in Anvil in mid-afternoon. Her armour needed repairs after all those fights with bandits, trolls and minotaures along the road, so she stopped by the Fighters Guild.

"Fancy meeting you here!" - Maglir greeted her in the hall. "Eager as ever, I see" - he looked somewhat disgusted.

"Actually, I just..." - Lena started, but the porter interrupted her.

"Azzan wants you in his office" - he said. "Go to it."

Lena rolled her eyes but went to see Azzan.

"We've got thieves trouble" - he said. "I hear you are the one to deal with such things." He smiled, looking at her expectantly.

"How did he..?" - she thought but didn't ask. "What can I do to help?"

"Rumour has it, they are holed up somewhere nearby, but we don't know where exactly" - Azzan shuffled some papers on his desk. "Find out. Then deal with them - and take Maglir with you. It's time he found out he had to work for his pay. Go to it."

He dismissed her.

"Wow, this isn't the Legion" - Lena thought. "I wonder if Azzan noticed?"

As Lena exited Azzan's office, Maglir was already waiting for her.

"Come on - let's get it over with and get paid!" - he said with a scowl.

"So, Azzan had told you about this job already, had he?" - Lena looked at him in suspicion.

"He wanted me to take it on my own but I refused" - Maglir said angrily. "I have no death wish! He said he'd find someone more senior to help me. And that fool is you!" He added triumphantly. "So let's get going."

"No" - Lena shook her head. "You wait here for now. I need to gather information first - the work of the mind, you know" - she smiled sweetly. "I'll come for you when I need brawn."

She brushed past gawking Maglir and into the living quarters. She needed to change into her robes - she had another job to do first. A job at the castle.

...

"Well, what do you know - another thief dying of a heart attack" - Lena stood over Orrin's corpse, checking that he was dead. "Thieving is a dangerous occupation."

"You look different" - Maglir looked at Lena in surprise when she returned to the Fighters Guild.

"I'm a mage - remember?" - Lena smiled. "Hrota Cave. Let's go."

...

"Stay behind me and don't rush ahead" - Lena told Maglir as they entered the cave.

"Don't tell me how to fight!" - he retorted with a scowl.

"I thought you didn't have a death wish?" - Lena said softly, raising her hood.

...

"Aauww, they are raising zombies!" - of course Maglir rushed into the fight and spooked too many thieves at once. And yes, they were all spellswords with enchanted weapons - and they summoned zombies. It seemed Maglir didn't count on that.

Lena sent a few poisoned arrows, and soon the fight was over.

"It's not fair!" - Maglir complained. He took quite a beating.

"Here - let me" - Lena started healing his wounds. "We are not here to play fair, we are here to win."

She offered him some of her poisons, but he refused.

"Suit yourself" - she shrugged.

The rest of this job went pretty much along the same lines: Maglir took the lead, letting his iron armour make as much noise as possible as he walked through the cave. Lena was sure the thieves could hear him from the moment they entered. So she crouched and tiptoed behind him, her bow at the ready, silently taking out the thieves with her poisoned arrows as they engaged Maglir and her clannfear.

...

"Phew, that was quite a fight!" - Maglir grinned contentedly, rising after a knockout. "I've shown them! Err... well... We've shown them, of course."

"Of course" - Lena smiled.

...

"Why do you mages insist on wearing robes?" - Maglir asked as they passed a mage they'd killed. "Surely, they don't protect you at all."

"We try not to get hit" - Lena pocketed some nice enchanted arrows from the mage. "Robes allow for easy movement, they don't make noise and blend into the shadows."

"Wait - that sounds like assassins, not mages..."

"That sounds like anyone wishing to survive against overwhelming odds" - she looked at Maglir. "How many spellswords were in this cave? Eight? Nine? Plus their summons? Against the two of us - that's hardly a battle I'd rush into head on, armour or not."

"Point taken" - Maglir nodded, massaging a bump on his head left by a mace that knocked him out. "Let's return to the Guild."

...

"Amazing job!" - Azzan was ecstatic. "I see great things for you two in the Guild!"

Lena and Maglir exchanged surprised glances.

"I hereby name you Protector!" - Azzan turned to Lena. "Report to Chorrol for duties."

He turned around and walked away, effectively dismissing her. Lena turned to Maglir who was laughing.

"You got the short straw! You've got duties!" - he was nearly crying with laughter. "I've got duties too - the tavern!"

Lena silently retrieved her gear and went to the Benirus Manor for the night.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:02 PM