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

[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

[Acadian]

Ooooh, Maglir! He needs a one hour paralysis spell administered at the door to the dungeon to keep him outta the way methinks! I'll admit Lena exercised a lot of patience.

[Lena Wolf]

12-14 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Mages Guild in disarray - Fighters Guild babysitting - Lindai crown

"So, it is perfectly possible to ride from Anvil to the Arcane University in one day" - Lena was patting Roach on the back. "And no, magic isn't cheating" - she grinned. "I just gave you a little boost, is all."

Arch Mage Traven looked crestfallen.

"The Council of Mages is in disarray" - he said. "We could not agree how to handle the Necromancers - and I fear that we've lost a lot of good people." He paced around the chamber. "Two of our most senior mages took important artefacts for 'further study' - whatever that might be. You need to recover University property and return it here."

"I'll see what I can do" - said Lena, turning to leave.

"We have come to really depend on you, you know" - Traven said, as if to himself.

...

"Come on, Roach - it's not that far" - Lena wanted to go to Chorrol now. It has been a day of riding. Reluctantly, Roach agreed.

They arrived rather late in the evening, Roach visibly tired, and Lena feeling a little guilty. It was too late to go to the Fighters Guild, so she left it for tomorrow.

13 Mid-Year

"I've got a mission for you" - said Modryn Oreyn. "But it's a bit hush-hush." He looked around. "I need you to take Viranus Donton out into the field and show him a good time."

"Excuse me?!" - Lena cried with indignation.

"I don't mean that!" - Modryn looked stern. "He needs some field work to boost his confidence, so I am sending the two of you on a contract to find some poor idiot in Nonwyll Cavern. Your job however" - he looked at Lena with significance - "is to protect Viranus and to make sure his mother the Guildmaster doesn't know about this until after the fact. Which is why he must stay alive! Do I make myself clear?"

He did. Modryn Oreyn had a way with people, but not a particularly nice way. Lena's new rank of Protector clearly meant "babysitter".

Viranus Donton was a nice enough young man. He was ready to leave when Lena stressed that the poor missing person might well be in mortal danger, so they had to make haste - no time to check in with Mother.

Nonwyll Cavern was empty, apart from the corpse of the unfortunate person that they were supposed to find. A broken shield lay next to him, and it looked like he'd been dead for some time.

"This is strange - what killed him?" - wondered Viranus.

"There were trolls in this cave some time ago" - Lena recalled. "My friend and I cleared them out. It must have been them. I seem to remember seeing this poor man already then."

Well, there was nothing else to do, so they returned to Chorrol.

"Hmm, suspicious" - Modryn didn't like it. "But none of our business. Well done keeping Viranus out of trouble." He handed Lena an enchanted dagger. "Here is your reward - off the books. And while you are here..." - he looked her over. "Maglir has defaulted on a contract again - now in Bravil. And it wasn't even that hard a job! Go there, fulfill the contract, find Maglir and..." - he clenched his fists - "send him to me!"

"Wow!" - Lena thought. "Those sanguine eyes can positively glow! Something tells me - Maglir won't be coming."

...

She had lunch at Oak and Crosier, considering her jobs.

"Fort Ontus for Traven, South West from here; Fort Teleman also for Traven, all the way near Leyawiin; Bravil for Modryn; Leyawiin for Ocheeva... oh - and Lindai for Umbacano, and that's nearby..." She poured over the map. "May be I should just do that first, Roach is in no shape to travel today anyhow."

Of course Lena could simply buy another horse, but she didn't want to. Lindai it was then.

14 Mid-Year

Lena returned to Chorrol at 5 a.m. Lindai wasn't a very large ruin, but it had many dread zombies that took a long time to put down. There was also no shortage of other interesting undead.

Lena found the crown - just as the collector predicted. It had a strong enchantment.

"I wonder whether Mr. Umbacano is going to know that this is the wrong crown" - Lena thought. But whether or not to steal the original for him was a decision for another day. Motierre House was quiet, and Lena could finally relax.

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

[Lena Wolf]

Ooooh, Maglir! He needs a one hour paralysis spell administered at the door to the dungeon to keep him outta the way methinks! I'll admit Lena exercised a lot of patience.

As it transpires, she should have frozen him solid when she had the chance - there's more Maglir trouble brewing!

[Lena Wolf]

12-14 Mid-Year, 4E202 - The Anvil lighthouse - Cheydinhal investigation

"Oh, this is interesting!" - Rayenna noticed some oddly shaped bricks in the lighthouse cellar in Anvil that she was renting. "I've never noticed them before." She never looked behind the tapestry before, either. "What's that - they come out!"

Two bricks appeared loose and could be removed, revealing a cavity behind them. It was dark inside, but Rayenna thought she saw something. She put in her hand and retrieved an old journal. There wasn't much written in it, but it contained several folded sheets of parchment. Rayenna swallowed her dislike of spider webs and thrust her hand all the way in, feeling for any other objects inside. She found more folded sheets of parchment and a scroll. She laid out her finds on the table and set down to study them.

First her attention was drawn to the old scroll with a wax seal. The seal had been broken long ago, the parchment dried out somewhat, fraying at the edges. She carefully unrolled it and read:

Last Will and Testament of Greywyn Blenwyth, Assassin

I, Greywyn Blenwyth, a servant of Sithis, hereby entrust my estate Deepscorn Hollow to Lena Wolf - the young daughter of my distant paternal Cousin Lillian 'Lily' Delafere, my only direct relative. Should Lena Wolf not survive to adulthood, I then entrust the estate to Mathieu Bellamont, a distant maternal Cousin of Lillian Delafere. My intent hereby is to pass on the Sanctuary to another Assassin, so that it may be used to its purpose. I have no doubt that little Lena will follow in her mother's footsteps.

May they walk in the shadow of Sithis.

Dated: 2 Second Seed, 3E 421

Next she examined the journal - it was disappointingly empty. Just some scribbles as if someone was cleaning their quill. The folded sheets of parchment however were letters - and what letters! A correspondence between a certain Lena Wolf, Assassin, and Mathieu Bellamont, Speaker.

Allow me to welcome you to the Brotherhood, dear Cousin, and let me congratulate you on your rapid progress. Your mother's blood runs thick in your veins - aa well as your Great-Uncle Greywyn's. Please forgive my liberty - for we are quite far removed in the family tree connected through our mothers, yet our choice of occupation speaks volumes. Our Breton heritage wins over all else, and so I feel as your true Cousin. I pray you may accept me as such.

Extending my warmest regards --

Mathieu Bellamont

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

It is pure joy to hear from you, Sir, and to learn that I have a Cousin! No matter how far we are removed in the family tree, we are still family, which is all that counts. Please rest assured that should a situation arise where my loyalties come to be tested, you can count on my unreserved support in your every endeavour.

Sincerely yours --

Lena Wolf

These appeared to be the oldest of the letters and the ones that were best preserved, perhaps cherished - they were inside the journal. The other sheets of parchment seemed to have had water damage that washed away the ink in places, some were torn, some had singed edges, looking like they've been salvaged from a fire. With her best effort, the most she could decipher were just a few words: "dead drop replaced", "bonne chance", "Lachance" and "Applew..." - the last part of the word had been washed away. She wasn't even sure it was "Lachance" she was reading and not "la chance", as correspondence between two Bretons was likely to be peppered with Breton expressions anyway. But "Lachance" gave her a jolt, so she settled on that.

"Who was Mathieu Bellamont?" - Rayenna wondered. "He must be dead because I haven't met him... These letters look old - is this the same Lena Wolf as that floozy in Lachance's bed? Probably not - surely, she isn't old enough!"

Rayenna was confused. Normally quick-witted, she sensed the importance of these papers and of those scraps of words... If only she could link them together! But the Dark Brotherhood Archives were not even open to Listeners, let alone Silencers, so she had no chance of finding out anything there. But perhaps there was another way... After all, they were all citizens of the Empire. Wasn't there a friendly Captain of the City Guard in Cheydinhal? She heard rumours he was partial to ladies...

13 Mid-Year

"No, I need to speak to the Captain himself!" - Rayenna was adamant. "It is a sensitive matter!"

"Anything you can say to the Captain, you can say to me" - Regina Regis was not giving up. "I am his second in command, and it is my duty to deal with public complaints first."

"This isn't a complaint" - Rayenna grinned. Where direct assault didn't work, charm might do better. "It's a personal matter. Of a delicate kind" - she winked to Regina. "I'm sure the Captain would like to hear about it from me rather than from someone else."

"Oh, I see" - Regina smiled. "Well, he is in the habit of dining at the Newlands Lodge, you can try talking to him there. If you get a chance" - she added, grinning.

...

"Captain" - Rayenna approached Garrus Darelliun at the Lodge. "It is Captain, isn't it? I haven't mistaken you for someone else, have I?"

"I am Captain Garrus Darelliun" - Garrus rose from his seat. "How can I be of service?"

"I wonder if I could have a word..." - Rayenna put on her most charming smile - "in private. I have a... ah... delicate matter I would ask your help with. A most delicate matter" - she looked at him with significance, blushing slightly. "I took a room in this Lodge - come with me, please?" She looked at him pleadingly.

"Certainly, my lady" - Garrus smiled. "I'll do my best to assist."

Several people in the room followed them with their eyes. "Well, that's the Captain gone for the night - let's just hope he won't be late for duty tomorrow!" - they chuckled and went back to their drinking.

...

Rayenna didn't find it hard to get Garrus to relax and start helping her with her delicate matter. She massaged his ego as well as his torso, and soon he was eating out of her hand. Or so she thought.

"I was looking around Cheydinhal and discovered that one of the houses is called the Wolf Sanctuary" - she said nonchalantly, falling back on the cushions. "That's a strange name for a house!"

"Not really" - Garrus replied, turning to look at her. "It belongs to someone named Wolf. It's a Nord surname, I believe."

"Oh how exciting!" - Rayenna sat up. "A Nord! He must be tall and strong, with those blond braids - and wearing furs of course!" Her eyes glazed over with a vision, her mouth half open.

Garrus laughed. "Actually, it's a girl - and she's a Breton."

"Oh" - Rayenna tried to look disappointed, but Garrus noticed a grin of satisfaction on her lips. "A Breton with a Nord surname?"

"It happens" - Garrus became evasive. He had suspected that Rayenna's motive was exactly as she had said - she needed help with a delicate matter - getting classified Imperial information out of an unsuspecting Captain of the Guard. He wanted to know what it was she was after - yes, he too could play the game. "Forget that girl" - he whispered, nibbling on her ear - "You still have spots I haven't fully explored yet..."

Information gathering did have its pleasant aspects, and besides Rayenna still had all night to question him...

14 Mid-Year

"So, this is the house of Lena Wolf" - Rayenna picked the lock and stepped inside. All was quiet - Lena was out of town. "Let's see if I can find anything of interest."

She went through all the drawers, knocked on the walls looking for loose bricks, pulled back every rug and every tapestry - and came up with absolutely nothing of interest, except a solid door in the basement with an equally solid lock that she couldn't pick.

"That house stood abandoned for a very long time" - Garrus had told her at some point. "It had a hole in the wall in the basement leading to a cavern - rats were coming out of it by the legion. We didn't want to brick it over in case it flooded again, so we fitted a heavy door. It's as good as a wall, that." A cavern... Rayenna wondered about that. But then again, it wasn't unheard of...

She had to admit that her expedition to Cheydinhal didn't yield the results she was hoping for. Borba wasn't making a secret of supervising the works on the house.

"House refurbishments is what we do!" - she beamed. "We offer the best quality goods and the lowest prices in all Cyrodiil!" - she added proudly.

"So what can you tell me about Lena Wolf?" - Rayenna decided to be blunt. After all, she was talking to an Orc.

"She's with the Mages Guild" - Borba bared her fangs. Was that a smile? "Quite high up, I believe - a Warlock or something!"

Rayenna knew that - that was public knowledge. It seemed that public knowledge was the only type of information that Rayenna was getting in this city. Were they hiding something or was there simply nothing to find? She couldn't read Orcs or Elves and she melted before the Imperials... she would have to think of something else.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:03 PM