[X] My Assistant

[Lena Wolf]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum - just moved from Bethesda.net which is closing. I have been writing Lena's story for the past half a year or so, she travels in Cyrodiil and Skyrim, does stuff and lives her life. This is not a novel - it has a beginning but no end, until she dies, which is hopefully not for a long while yet. It is a saga, a feuilleton - as they used to say in the old days - the story develops as it is being written, bit by bit. I hope you like it.

I have more than a hundred entries written already, so I am not going to repost them all here, unless you really want me to. They are all published in my blog: MasserAndSecunda.wordpress.com which I started as a way to keep track of things for myself and keep everything in one place.

I shall now repost a few of those entries here, so as to introduce you to the characters and some key points that get referred to later on.

The running story takes place in the 4th Era, taking off in year 4E201. I had to twist the arm of the lore a bit to correct false accounts on a few things that allegedly took place in the 200 years since the Oblivion Crisis. But we all know how easily false accounts become "historical thruths", so I have no qualms about that. 😀 And yes, a lot of people that Lena met back in the day, were still around 200 years later. Considering how much mixing has been going on in Cyrodiil between men and mer for thousands of years, most people have some Elven blood in them, so the question of life span becomes rather academic.

Thank you for reading and I hope to engage with you all! You'll see me around - and I'll be reading so many good stories that people have posted here!

Yours -
Lena Wolf

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I am Lena Wolf. I was born on the 17th of Sun's Height, 3E417, in Cyrodiil to a Breton mother, and therefore was declared Breton. I have never been to High Rock, so when Hadvar promised to inform High Rock of my execution in Helgen later on, it made no sense at all. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. When I was 4 years old, my mother died of swamp fever, and our Argonian neighbour took me in. She was old already then, so we called her Gran. Gran always hinted that my unknown father was not unknown at all, just that it was best to keep it quiet until time comes. Time for what? Who knows. Wait and see.

As I turned 16, Gran got older still, and one day said there was something very important that she had to impart to me before her passing. She still couldn't name my father, but, she said, when the time was right, I should go to Skyrim to find out. How was I to know when that would be? Oh, not for a while yet, not for a long while. And she died.

Freedom at 16 proved exhilarating at first and cold and hungry soon after. Having tried this and that without much success and having had enough of goblins stealing my sweetrolls, I walked into Bravil's Mages Guild hoping to steal one of theirs. Instead, I found myself being thrust at a dinner table and loaded with all sorts of food, sweetrolls included. The mages took me in, taught me magic towards which I appeared to be inclined, taught me alchemy for the body, soul and enemies, and gave me a reason to venture into the caves in search of wisp stalks. The guards kept joking seeing me returning from my expeditions with yet another rusty sword or piece of armour, but the local smith fixed them up for me and taught me a few moves. Finally the goblins were getting their come-uppence!

Fighters Guild was not for me. Yes, I dealt with the headmistress's son in Chorrol and with the cowardly elf in Skingrad, and yes, the lich took some effort and lots of Freds to defeat, but I got bored with the routine and sort of quit. Well, got busy elsewhere. Free-lancing with Dark Brotherhood proved infinitely more fun, they didn't mind my vampirism, and Oblivion gates needed taking care of, too.

That disaster sorted, life got back to normal. Of course by then I found a cure for vampirism and joined the Arcane University, right on cue to face the King of Worms. Fortunately, Uncle Sheo decided to look in on us right about then, and the Shivering Isles provided a spot of sanity in a world gone mad. I still spend every autumn there.

So what do I do these days? I live. I potter about. I keep my home free from goblins and rats. I roast dreugh for dinner. I occasionally take a contract for another Ayleid sculpture or another bag of Welkynd stones. There's always a lich in someone's basement or a bunch of scamps needing a good home. And one day I'll go to Skyrim to find that important thing, but the time hasn't come yet.

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28 Last Seed, 3E433 – Lena’s Story begins

Lena Wolf's story begins at 16. Being quite young and still inexperienced, that last sweetroll she stole finally landed her in the Imperial Prison, and the story of the Oblivion Crisis was set in motion.

Everyone knows how that went, so we'll skip the details. Lena delivered the Amulet of Kings and was sent to Kvatch to fetch Martin, but went to Bravil first, stopped by the Mages Guild there hoping for a sweetroll that wouldn't land her back in Imperial Prison, got caught by the mages, but not handed over to the guard but fed and accepted into the guild instead... And what with one thing and another, she got completely side tracked by everything happening at once, including closing many Oblivion gates and fighting necromancers and vampires. She didn't realise what the Porphyric Hemophilia thing was until one morning she woke up a vampire herself! The mages still treated her well like before and she could progress in the guild, but the Fighters Guild wouldn't even talk to her - "We don't want your sort here!" The same with most merchants, but not all - for example the chap at the Main Ingredient in the Imperial City wasn't afraid at all and traded as normal, so we always shop there whenever we're in town.

Lena must have killed some non-bandit by mistake because Lucien turned up at night, and there of course at the Sanctuary she met another vampire and no one was bothered by her occasional feeding (although she usually didn't feed on guild members but rather on beggars and often went hungry as it came with benefits, not just curses). So eventually she progressed far enough in the Mages Guild that the Count of Skingrad hinted that perhaps they could help each other...

By the time she cured her vampirism and got to finally ousting Mehrunes Degon out of Cyrodiil, nearly 3.5 years have passed, bringing it to Sun's Dawn 3E437. The 3rd Era was coming to an end. Then Uncle Sheo decided to look in, and a mad prophet turned up in Anvil.

The Oblivion Crisis affair had her run around a lot and win a prestigious title, and I guess she should carry that title with pride, but in truth she'd rather forget about the whole thing, as well as Martin's panicked reaction there. Some Emperor he turned out to be! Perhaps it's true that you need to grow up as one.

With the Dark Brotherhood she advanced rather far, although not quite to the top. She only joined because Lucien said that being a vampire was fine and also he knew her mother. He probably lied about that, but who knows. She didn't mind the work, I guess she is not a do-gooder. So she wasn't even considering questing for the Knights of The Nine and simply killed the prophet. Oops! He, err, ate something rotten, it appears.

But the one title she enjoyed was that of Lord Sheogorath. What fun we had! Sanguine practically moved in to the New Sheoth palace, and Hircine had the time of his life running around the countryside chasing Gnarls. Why, even Vermina melted seeing the whole population of Dementia having nightmares all on their own. Meridia of course had to lecture everyone on their lack of virtue, so we sent her packing. But then Sheo himself returned, and in his usual charming manner first joined in and then kicked everyone out, Lena included. Jygg messed up his head, I'm telling you.

As for the Thieves Guild, Lena declined their every invitation. She's no thief. Gosh, I think I found a virtue!

The 4th Era saw Lena venturing out again, from now on always avoiding to deliver any suspicious amulets, and being watchful of the Hemophilia thingy. She had plenty of dealings with daedra - no, the closure of the Oblivion Crisis did not in fact prevent the daedra from entering the Mundus in the future, but it did cool things off a bit.

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12 First Seed, 4E195 - Flotsam

Lena Wolf returned from her stay in the Shivering Isles only to find that nearly 200 years had passed in Mundus in the meantime. She was no longer a "current" citizen, having missed the census for so long, and all her property had been repossessed by the Empire. Even her Mages Guild membership had been revoked. This was more than upsetting, and Lena boarded the first ship out of Anvil. It was bound for the Northern Realms.

The Northern Realms were kingdoms on the other side of the Great Maelstrom of the Middle Ocean. The journey was long and perilous, and even time itself was said to dilate along the way. People rarely made the journey more than once in their lifetimes, except for the ship's crew of course. Those sailors were tough, and inspired confidence. Lena was leaving.

The Northern Realms were at war. A constant war with each other and with the Southern kingdoms where Nilfgaard was building an empire. This had been going on for so long - for centuries - that people mostly ignored it, except when the menfolk got drafted to fight for the current king. The people still kept to the old country names, paying no heed to the king in charge.

Lena found herself in a small border town named Flotsam. It was a port on a major river and proved as refined as its name suggested. But the town had no resident healer, and Lena saw an opportunity. Her skills in magic and alchemy could be put to a good use, and with the help of a local herbalist she updated her herb knowledge and opened a practice.

Despite all odds, life in Flotsam proved quiet and largely uneventful. Trade flourished and there was no shortage of work for a healer. One day an old witcher walked in, badly wounded, looking to buy some herbs.

"I can't let you go anywhere" - was Lena's response. "I've got a bed free, you need to rest."

But despite Lena's best efforts augmented with the witcher's special potions, the witcher was not recovering. His wolf medallion kept buzzing - magic or danger, it was both, and he was dying.

The old man knew something though, or had seen something. He gave Lena his medallion and said that she should search for a white wolf with the same sort of trinket, and that it would make her complete once she found him. And then the old witcher died.

Wait, didn't we hear such a story before? First her Argonian grandmother telling her on her deathbed to search for something extremely important in Skyrim, and now this story about a medallion-wearing wolf?

But one day at the market Lena bumped into a fellow with white hair, and a shiver went down her spine. Yep, he wasn't looking where he was going and got her with the tip of his enchanted sword. A few choice recommendations were ready to roll off Lena's tongue when she spotted a wolf medallion around the fellow's neck. So, instead of giving him a piece of her mind, she politely enquired whether Master Witcher would be good enough to stop by her practice after hours because she needed his expert advice on a small, ah, matter. Flattery will get you everywhere, and come evening, the White Wolf turned up at her house.

"I am Geralt of Rivia - at your service."

Recalling the words of the old witcher, Lena was expecting a certain turn of events that would make her complete, at least for the night. But boy was she mistaken. The shiver that went down her spine back at the market, wasn't from any sword enchantment - it was her wolf medallion buzzing like mad near Geralt (Lena took to wearing the medallion because it went with her last name so nicely). The old witcher had re-enchanted the amulet with her essence, so it responded quite violently to another being with a similar essence. Lena and Geralt were related.

Having talked through most of the night, they got through a lot of Cyrodillic Brandy and Argonian Bloodwine, and having eliminated the impossible, the only remaining conclusion, no matter how far-fetched, was that they must be siblings. Having given up her first child with the unknown but obviously important Nord, Lena's mother kept the second child, and swore to raise her daughter in ignorance of the great heritage that made her son into the White Wolf and hoping that the little girl would be spared world-shattering responsibilities. Ha!

Since that chance meeting in Flotsam, Lena and Geralt never really lost sight of each other, although never paraded their connection either. As both of them were in the habit of regularly freaking out local world leaders, church heads and powerful sorcerers, it seemed prudent not to aggravate matters too much.

Geralt got embroiled in local politics despite his best judgement, then the war broke out for real with the Nilfgardian Empire invading the North. Death and destitution was everywhere. Lena made her way to Novigrad and boarded a ship back to Cyrodiil.

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Hauk Serc-Hanssen

Iver and Hauk Serc-Hanssen were twins born under The Lord on 21 First Seed 4E151. They were Nords, and as such were expected to become warriors. Nords value their traditions, and Nords living in Cyrodiil do so even more, although admittedly many of them have taken in too much of the mildness of Nibenay to be called sons and daughters of Skyrim. So when the boys started showing above average abilities in magic, their parents blamed the very soil of Cyrodiil for "mellowing" their children. The Serc-Hanssens were definitively the Nord sons of Cyrodiil.

"Well, if they are going to be mages, let them be battlemages at least" - was their father's verdict. And the boys were enrolled into education with the Mages Guild as well as training with the Legion.

At twenty, Iver and Hauk had joined both the Arcane University and the Imperial Legion, and have completed their Battlemage training. Then the Great War broke out. Iver was drafted into regular forces, but Hauk was sent to Skyrim to a special unit - scouts, messengers, liaisons, logistics, that sort of thing. At least, this was the official designation.

Nobody knows what that unit actually did in Skyrim, and those who know will never tell, so it's safe to assume they were maintaining a covert front behind the enemy lines. The unit wasn't large, so it was easy to disperse it without a trace after the war. Some even claim that the unit never existed - after all, Hauk had been seen on the front lines of many official campaigns... or was that Iver? Who could tell! They were twins, after all...

After the war, Iver and Hauk left active service with the Legion and returned to the Mages Guild, doing smaller assignments, training new apprentices, and generally settling back into a civilian life style. Iver got busy with the Guild and the University, while Hauk... well... Hauk kept disappearing from time to time, for several weeks or even months on end, then suddenly coming back looking like he had spent all this time outdoors and in cold water. Hauk looked out of place among mages that never left the comforts and security of the walls of the Imperial City, so he left his Mage's Staff and a few other important things with Iver at the University and joined the Legion again. Or had he ever left?

Years later, when Travis became the Arch Mage and banned necromancy, Hauk got into an argument regarding limiting the types of spells available to battlemages - the "code of conduct" was Travis' idea and Hauk disagreed. But arguments with the Arch Mage are doomed to failure, so not wanting to be banished from the Guild altogether, Hauk boarded a ship to Antaloor and was gone for several years - enough time to cool things off. Upon his return he was made to understand that although formally he would still remain a Mages Guild Evoker, he did not need to expect any assignments or promotions from the Guild.

At 50, Hauk found himself bored with nothing to do, and no family to take care of. Neither he nor Iver ever married, but Iver was still busy with the University and with the Guild, while Hauk... he wasn't exactly too old for the Legion, but there were no wars going on, apart from the usual regional conflicts that were as repetitive as they were pointless. Would he be interested in training up some recruits? No, thank you. Well, then... exactly. They had nothing of interest for him either.

One day Hauk stopped by the Arcane University to see Iver when he spotted a new member - a new apprentice, he was told. She didn't look new, she looked like she had done it all before and was simply going through the motions. She was also making some custom spells that were much too complex for a new apprentice. Who was she? Things didn't add up.

A few enquiries with the older members of the Guild made it very clear that whoever she was, Lena Wolf was not a novice and not a youngster, despite her youthful appearance. There was mystery there, some darkness perhaps, but Hauk was not a shiny new penny either. Lena was muttering to herself about doing some adventuring to raise funds for a house... raiding some Ayleid ruins in search of ancient statues and Welkynd stones... doing some contracts for the Fighters Guild - the sorts of things that "regular" warriors would rather avoid, like fighting liches and wraiths... What fun! Hauk would introduce himself and offer to join her. Let the new life begin.

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5 Sun's Dusk, 4E201 - Lena and Hauk meet

Skyrim can wait. Back in Cyrodiil Lena still has a lot to do. She needs to get back her house in Bravil which got repossessed by the county under the feeble excuse that Lena had been absent for a couple of centuries. So what! She had business in the Shivering Isles - time passes differently there, and longevity is not an issue for a vampire anyway... ex-vampire... What does it matter?!

The house got taken, and there's nothing left to do but to buy it again. Which requires funds, which in turn requires some serious adventuring.

Thinking these serious thoughts, and possibly muttering to herself, Lena spent some time at the Arcane University making custom spells and picking ingredients in that lovely garden of theirs, as well as shopping in the Market District. There, quite absent-mindedly, she bumped into something shiny. Looking up and shielding her eyes, she realised that she was looking at a highly polished suit of steel armour, probably the best looking steel armour in the whole of Tamriel. Inside it was a tall Nord on the better side of 40.

Hauk Serck-Hanssen was a Mages Guild battlemage, currently doing what all soldiers do in peace times - nothing. Hauk was a Mages Guid Evoker, just like his twin brother Iver (who insisted on dropping his last name out of false sense of modesty), but unlike Iver, Hauk was not a "proper" battlemage. "It doesn't become a battlemage to meddle with schools of Illusion or Conjuration - such mind-altering magic is for vampires and necromancers!" - you'd think Arch Mage Travis would have outlawed those schools along with Necromancy, given half a chance. Hauk took no notice of this new order of decent behaviour, and as a result his assignments became far and few between.

Picking up Lena's muttering about "needing to raid a few Ayleid ruins for Welkynd stones" and "going goblin hunting in Skingrad County", he put on his most gallant expression and introduced himself - "On behalf of the battlemages, may I welcome you to the Arcane University--" and then cleverly did not say "Recruit" or "Apprentice". Because this is not how you get into the good books of a young and pretty Breton who somehow does not seem to be in her early 20s as her looks might suggest.

But instead: "Can I be of some assistance on the goblin hunt, not that you would need any, of course?"

Why, what do you know! Adventuring with a friend is so much more fun! Lena's University life just got more interesting.

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24 Sun's Dusk, 4E201 - Dragons - The White Wolf

Later at Olav's the conversation was light, both Lena and Hauk avoiding the topic of dragons. Then Hauk could avoid it no longer.

"Tell me about the dragons in Skyrim."

"Well, there isn't that much to tell. I went over the border about a month ago - just before we met, in fact. You've heard about the Skyrim bandits that used to terrorise the border regions, well, I read they were finally defeated - again, so probably not for the last time. But it was safe to cross just then. My adoptive grandmother told me on her death bed that there was something important I had to do in Skyrim, but I never knew what. To do or to see or to find out - that was all unclear. I've been to Skyrim before a few times and nothing particularly important happened, so I didn't think this time would be any different.

"But this time it started strange and it continued even stranger, which is why I returned to Cyrodiil within a week.

"Firstly, as I was crossing the border, I got arrested by the Imperial Legion and sentenced to beheading - although they admitted that I was not on the list."

"That sounds a bit harsh!" Hauk interjected, although he could believe it perfectly. "Did they at least know what you've supposedly done?"

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was captured together with Ulfrick Stormcloack - the rebellion leader. He was the one they were after, and everyone else - me and another fellow - was coming along for the ride."

"Sounds about right. So how is it that you're still alive? Although I can see now why you are not in Skyrim."

"Oh, that has nothing to do with it. Just as they were getting started with the executions, a dragon attacked and sent everyone running for cover. It was breathing fire and chaos was complete. One of those rebels was trying to pull me to come with them, but I followed an Imperial soldier instead."

"That seems like a strange decision considering that the Legion was going to execute you!"

"Not really. The Legion is methodical and prefers to err on the side of caution - better execute one too many than one too few - but they are also level-headed, and I figured they'd reconsider my sentence, especially since I wasn't on their list to begin with. The rebels on the other hand, looked hot-headed, and anyhow I did not want to get embroiled in Skyrim politics."

"So who sent the dragon?"

"No one knows. But I think no one sent the dragon. I think this was a coincidence and the dragon business is unrelated to the rebellion. They also have Thalmor patrols everywhere searching for the cult of Talos - and that too is unrelated."

"Yes, we got ourselves in a right mess with the Thalmor."

"Well, that Imperial soldier took me to a nearby village - his uncle was a blacksmith there, and they made me welcome, I don't see why. But apparently helping the guy fight the rebels back in Helgen counted as 'saving his life', although I was mostly trying to save mine."

"I bet you fought bravely and impressed him, plus you didn't put an arrow between his shoulder blades. That counts for a lot in Skyrim."

"I suppose so. They asked me just to do one thing for them - to go to their local town and inform the jarl about the dragon, ask him to send some guards to this village in case a dragon turns up there. Ok, that's the least I could do. Plus, I ran into my brother there, and figured I'd be staying for a while."

"You have a brother?"

"I do. It's a long story for another time. He stayed in Skyrim, so if we go there together, you can't avoid meeting him."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world! When are we leaving?"

"Not tonight."

"I see" - Hauk felt that there was more. More about the dragons, more about the brother, much more of everything. Perhaps the best thing was just to let it develop at its own pace. Too bad that Nords are not blessed with patience... "Well, let's get back to the dragon then. Did you go to see the jarl?"

"I did. He thanked me and mentioned some errands that I might do for him, in case I was in need of coin. Fine, life was getting back to normal. Until a couple of days later a dragon attacked a watchtower causing chaos in the jarl's palace. Of course they will never admit it was chaos, but why else would they ask me of all people to help fight the dragon? 'You survived Helgen, you know more about dragons than anyone here!' I knew how to run away from one... but sure, I joined them."

"So how do you fight a dragon?"

"How do you fight any flying creature? With arrows or spells, what else can you do? We got it down and got it killed. An I absorbed its soul."

"Whoa!!" That was something else. It wasn't just about slaying a fearsome ancient monster, it was about taking over its power too. "You are Dragonborn?" Hauk knew exactly what it meant, what it implied and why Lena needed time to get her head around it. Each Dragonborn throughout history had a mission to accomplish, and choices to make, and none of it was easy.

"Yeah, that's what I discovered." Lena was relieved that she did not have to explain what it meant. She wasn't sure herself yet. "The Greybeards called me, but I haven't gone to see them, not yet anyway. Instead, I returned to Cyrodiil to get my head in order."

"And your brother?"

"He is not Dragonborn, if that's what you're asking. But he'll be there for when I am ready to go to Skyrim to find out more."

That wasn't what Hauk was asking, and they both knew it. But should Lena drop another bomb by saying that her brother was the White Wolf? Did Hauk even know who that was? Yeah, he probably did. He seemed to know a lot of things...

"My brother needed some time for himself. He's been through a lot in the last few years, so he came to Skyrim to get away from it all for a time, to get his own head in order. Our father was a Nord - that much we know - so Geralt figured Skyrim would be a perfect destination, a perfect change of pace."

"Geralt?" Yep, Hauk knew that name.

"My brother is the White Wolf."

Things were making sense now. The famous witcher was not Dragonborn, but it took more than an average person to become a witcher at all, and Geralt was quite a character. The news of the Northern Realms did not reach Tamriel very promptly, but eventually things became known, and some of them were even true. Hauk heard of the Wild Hunt that was tormenting the Northern Realms, and of the frost and ice that the Wild Hunt left in its wake. They were said to be wraiths - but what would wraiths want with the living? Why would they abduct whole villages at a time? Hauk thought it more likely that they were beings of flesh and blood coming from another realm looking for slaves, and the frost was simply their magic. The witchers would fight them, and it was said that an apocalyptic battle recently took place. The Wild Hunt was gone. For now or forever? The White Wolf was involved somehow, some said it was he who defeated the Wild Hunt king, other said no, the White Wolf was captured and was a prisoner himself, and someone else had to free them all... Whatever of it was true, it wasn't a walk in the park, and if the White Wolf was now here in Tamriel, then the Wild Hunt must have been dealt with. It wasn't in his character to run away. "His Nord blood wouldn't let him" - Hauk thought. "He finished his mission and came to seek out his roots."

"So what now? Are you going back to Skyrim at all?"

"Yes, I'll have to, I need to find out more, at least. But there is no rush, and my home is still here."

"Yeah, in Bravil" - Hauk remembered the effort that Lena put into getting back that house.

"Yeah."

The publican had been topping up their ale and mead for a long while already. Whatever those two were discussing, was keeping them drinking, and there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, they mentioned Skyrim - what better topic could a Nord wish for under his roof?

The regulars were finally going home, but Lena and Hauk didn't feel like sleeping. The conversation still hung in the air, and they just sat there, drinking silently for a while. They were getting more and more at ease with each other, no longer needing to talk.

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31 Evening Star, 4E201 - Lucien Lachance

"What did Lucien want?" - Asked Hauk at breakfast at Count's Arms.

"He... I thought you were asleep!"

"I was, until he banged the door on his way out. Who else comes to visit you in your sleep?"

That was solid logic, and there was no point arguing.

"He wanted me to rejoin the Brotherhood" - Lena conceded.

"Rejoin?"

"Yes. I was suspended after I refused to kill everyone in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary."

"And you lived?" - that was most unusual. The Dark Brotherhood wasn't just another Guild, transgressions came with a death sentence.

"Oh, they were sending assassins after me for a time until it transpired that the traitor was much higher up than anyone in the Cheydinhal Sanctuary - he was a Black Hand, and he was out for revenge after Lucien personally. That's a completely mad story" - Lena shook her head. "Then I was no longer the target and they let me be. Now they decided it was time I returned to the family."

"And will you?"

"Already have."

Hauk wasn't surprised. After Lucien's visit the night before, Lena disappeared for 24 hours. She returned during the night. Lucien's ways were rubbing off on her.

"So, if you were given a contract on my life, would you kill me?"

"First of all" - Lena was getting cross - "they would not give me a contract on a friend unless this was a test or a Purification Ritual. And second of all, this would be against my principles, so I'd kill the contract giver instead, and they know it. So you're quite safe from me" - Lena smiled.

"You put friends above your oath?"

"I do not serve Sithis. I have rejoined because Lucien did know my mother - he hadn't lied. When I refused to purify Cheydinhal, he exclaimed 'Just like her mother', and I learned later that indeed their paths had crossed."

That was as much as Lena was willing to tell, that was obvious. So Hauk dropped the topic.

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5 Morning Star, 4E202 - Lucien's offer

I've been promised the abandoned house in Cheydinhal for keeping a cool head and sparing them all back then. I was to perform the Purification Ritual with which I would break the tenet to never harm a brother. But were I to refuse, I would break the tenet to never refuse a contract. I did not believe the "evidence" and chose to refuse the contract. Another assassin was sent to perform the Purification, and failed. I had to face the Wrath of Sithis, but it wasn't my first wraith... Living assassins were sent after me, all in vain. Then the "evidence" that I discarded, was proven to have been fabricated. The traitor was much higher up and he was after Lucien Lachance personally, which of course broke a tenet of the Brotherhood. I was cleared, but it was considered best for me to stay away. Until now.

Lucien came to see me a week ago - they wanted me back. But they owed me, not just their lives, but their continued existence as members of the Brotherhood. Would I accept a promotion? Surely, I would make a superb Black Hand. No, thank you. I do not serve Sithis, and I dare to say it - I'll kill his wraith again if I have to.

"You are just like your mother. And your great-uncle, he too went rogue." Lucien hadn't lied, I received my great-uncle's will - he left me his sanctuary near Leyawiin. But he served Sithis, and I don't. I just want a normal house.

"A house? I think we can arrange that" - Lucien brightened up. "The Count here is not keen to have an ugly abandoned house in the city, but we are very persuasive. Plus, he still remembers - less than fondly - Morag Tong from his native Morrowind. I think he would be pleased if the house was no longer abandoned. But would you be willing to allow access to the Sanctuary through it?"

As I am the only member who likes to use that door, it isn't much of a problem. New members have to earn the right to use direct access, so new members need that route through the house, but I was the last new member to join, and that was 200 years ago. I would not worry. After the traitor used a new member - me - to try to get to Lucien, Lucien has been reluctant to accept anyone else.

"Go see the Count in a couple of days. What do you want to call the house?"

"The Wolf Sanctuary."

"How befitting" - Lucien smiled.

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5 Sun's Dawn, 4E202 - A visit to Lucien

Lena knew where Lucien lived and how to get there bypassing the guards. Of course she did, she spent a lot of time there herself. It was time to let Lucien know about her little enterprise. Lucien knew what's been done already and guessed rightly that she had plans for more.

On a piece of parchment Lena wrote a list of names.

She sealed the letter and left it on the table.

She returned a few days later. There was a brand new silver dagger where the letter had been. The barrel with poisoned apples had been unlocked. A bouquet of flowers lay on the bed: goldenrod, morning glory, lily of the valley, blue hyacinth. Good fortune, my dear - yours, always.

"The choice of a lily is... unusual" - Lena thought. "I would have expected something more neutral..."

She took the flowers. She knew that Lucien would see them in the Wolf Sanctuary kept fresh and understand her acceptance. But she wasn't laying ambrosia fruit on her bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

14 Sun's Dawn, 4E202 - Death and Resuscitation - Wolf House - Prince Sheogorath

"This isn't as crazy as I thought it might be" - Hauk was saying at breakfast.

12 Sun's Dawn

Having breakfast at noon is not crazy at all if you only went to bed at 4 a.m. as they did. They brought the tongs and calipers to Tove, and he paid Lena 5 septims for each one, resulting in a very tidy sum.

"Oh I insist - for your trouble."

"That wasn't crazy after all to drag them all the way to here" - Hauk started to see sense.

After that they had a job to do at Xedilian.

"Now that I had to kill the Gatekeeper again, I need to fix Xedilian" - Lena was trying to explain it to Hauk. "It will attract people that don't belong here and make them belong."

Xedilian was overrun with grummites. They had removed the resonator crystals and attached them to their magic staves which made them so much more dangerous. At one point four Deathbringers and a Magus swarmed on Lena and Hauk from all directions and got them surrounded. Lena was using a lot of poisons but they weren't as effective on these grummites as they were on the ones in the hatchery. The battle was ferocious and Lena got knocked out - and couldn't get up. When Hauk finally dispatched the last of the grummites, Lena was still on the ground. Not unconscious but dead. One of the Deathbringers apparently kept hitting her after she lost consciousness - he was determined to live up to his title.

Hauk tried healing spells on Lena, cure poison and cure paralysis, smelling salts and aloe sap, to no avail.

"Ok then, it's the old-fashioned way again" - he thought removing her armour for CPR.

Resuscitation was successful. Lena sat up, still dizzy but alive.

"That was some battle... Thanks for bringing me back" - she said watching Hauk sorting through a pile of potions, clothes and pieces of armour that he dropped in the rush to get her heart beating again. He was still casting healing spells at her and at himself, and the sweat on his torso was shimmering in the mist of restoration magic.

"We'll need to take a break now" - he said wrapping Lena in some robes from their pack. "You need to warm up - don't bother wearing these, you'll be warmer in a wrap."

Being a Battlemage was clearly different from being an Adventurer, and having gone through the Great War behind the enemy lines taught Hauk survival skills like no training ever could. He actually knew what he was doing.

...

After a rest with some food and drink, they put their armours back on and decided to continue going through Xedilian. After all, they seemed to be nearly done.

"So this is the frog that got me?" - Lena stood over a grummite that lay where she had gone down.

"That's the one" - Hauk confirmed. "He just wouldn't quit which probably saved my own life - I would have been overwhelmed by an extra one joining in."

"I'm glad you weren't" - Lena looked at Hauk realising that were the roles reversed, she would have done everything in her power to bring him back.

13 Sun's Dawn

Xedilian was restored and the first group of adventurers was taken care of. Knights of Order appeared too, and were dispatched. Lena and Hauk stood outside again, it was mid-morning. They hadn't slept, but neither of them wanted to just now.

"What's next?" - asked Hauk.

"We could walk back to Passwall and rest at the inn there for a while" - Lena pointed West - "or we could start towards New Sheoth and get distracted along the way" - she pointed North East grinning.

"East" - said Hauk and started walking.

...

It didn't take long and they ran into another ruin and decided to investigate. Xalara housed some zealots, and obviously had to be thoroughly searched for the Fork of Horripilation.

The Fork wasn't there, but they found some substantial loot in an urn held by a statue.

"Good thing real Hungers aren't nearly as big as this one" - remarked Hauk admiring the statue. "Very decorative though."

He was definitely getting into the spirit of the place.

Xalara was a bit of a labyrinth with traps, sliding wall panels, collapsed sections and newly dug out bypasses. They kept coming out near the entrance which would normally be welcome, but in this case it wasn't because Lena was determined to search every nook and cranny for the Fork. Of course it was all for naught, but you wouldn't know it until you'd done it.

Exhausted, they decided to eat the zealots' food and sleep in their beds. It was getting quite late anyway.

14 Sun's Dawn

In the morning they set off for New Sheoth, this time intent on getting there without distractions. The landscape was swampy, but the water wasn't deep, and they didn't expect any creatures apart from baliwogs. Then suddenly Lena got knocked out.

"Whaaa-?" - Hauk heard her yelp but couldn't see what attacked her. Summoning a dremora just in case, he felt a little like that Orc adventurer that fell victim to Xedilian's magic - how do you fight the unseen?

The next moment Hauk was hit from above by a Skulking Scalon - a creature with a power to turn invisible and jump high and far. So this was what knocked out Lena - a scalon's touch also carried an electrical charge.

Hauk staggered, but his dremora swung into action, and soon the scalon lay defeated.

"Ugh, those scalons can really surprise you" - Lena was saying wringing out her skirt. The swamp wasn't deep to walk in, but it did get you thoroughly wet if you fell in.

New Sheoth wasn't far, and they didn't tarry and longer.

...

"We need to go see the Prince about Xedilian but not in these wet clothes" - Lena said as they entered Crucible. "There's a house here that we can use - it was left to me by a chap I did a favour for." There was no need to explain what the favour for Hirrus Clutumnus was.

When Hirrus left Lena the house, she went to have a look and didn't like it. Too much blood, torture tools and self-flailing in there. But now her wet clothes under her iron armour were chilling her to the bone, and she was ready to make use of the house even with Hirrus' spirit still hanging about.

They entered. Someone had redecorated. Gone were the torture tools, blood stains and cobwebs. Gone was the gloomy atmosphere - it's amazing what a few tapestries can do. It was still a Dementia house, but it was now clean and welcoming.

Dylan. It had to be.

But Dylan himself wasn't there, so Lena and Hauk spent some time in the Wolf House - as it was now known - to freshen up and rest. There was food, good wine and mead, and even fresh sweetrolls... nothing that Hirrus would have kept there.

In the afternoon they went to see the Prince. Lena put on a Red Finery dress that she had found in the cupboard. Hauk couldn't take his eyes off her.

The Prince was galant, as always, making jokes and never letting you forget who was in charge. Lena let him get on with it, not argueing or reminding him of things past. They both knew it was just a façade. He sent her to get acquainted with the new Duke and Duchess - Thadon and Syl, again? Well, yes, the same ones, or may be their twins... But they won't remember you, so don't you worry. But didn't I cut Syl's heart out last time? Yes, you did, but we don't let such minor details get in the way. Off you go now and enjoy your felldew.

Coming out of the Palace, Lena noticed that the Flame of Agnon wasn't burning - the Saints and Seducers must have been quarreling again. She had work to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

15 Sun's Dawn 4E202 - Another letter from Lucien

"Before I get embroiled in Shivering Isles politics, I need to return to Cyrodiil for a bit" - Lena was saying to Hauk at breakfast. "There are a few things I need to take care of, on my own." She looked at him somewhat uneasy.

"Of course" - Hauk nodded. "Give Lucien my regards. I'll stay here - can I use this house?"

"Please do" - Lena gave Hauk a long look. He was planning something. "But I don't think I'll be meeting Lucien" - she added.

"You'll see."

...

Returning to Cheydinhal, Lena found a letter waiting for her on the table at the Wolf Sanctuary. It was from Lucien:

Darling Wolf,

Come and see me at your convenience. We have business to attend to.

Yours -
Lucien

She went in the evening, planning to sleep at the fort if necessary, while waiting for Lucien to appear. She didn't have to wait long.

"I need you to go to Skyrim" - said Lucien pouring the wine. "There's a group there that calls themselves the Dark Brotherhood and is taking on contracts, but we don't have a branch in Skyrim and the Night Mother does not talk to anyone there. Go see what they are all about."

Lena heard of them when she went to Skyrim before, but because the Dark Brotherhood had a regional structure, she didn't expect to know any of them. Now it turned out they were imposters, which went some way to explain why they tried to kill her - and didn't know who she was. No one verified their contracts, obviously.

"How do you want me to approach them?" - she asked Lucien, helping herself to cheese and grapes.

"We'll bait them - we'll spread a rumour that you've gone after one of their contracts. They'll be in touch."

"If the Night Mother doesn't speak to them, then where do they get their contacts from?"

"From rumours, mostly. People know how to summon us - the real us - and so they perform the Dark Sacrament over and over, thinking that more is better, no doubt. Then, when no one comes, they start talking about it, and sure enough, soon afterwards someone appears."

"Your friendly neighbourhood assassin, here to help" - grimaced Lena.

"Quite. Ham or mutton?" - Lucien was taking roast off the spit.

"Mutton, please, and some of that orange chutney on top."

Two old friends sat down for dinner. Nothing unusual about that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

19 Sun's Dawn, 4E202 - Back to Skyrim

Skyrim calls. But Lena wouldn't leave without seeing Hauk first, after all he was waiting for her in the Shivering Isles, and she didn't know how long she would be gone.

"And this time I am coming with you!" - Hauk was adamant. Ok, let's go.

Lena and Hauk crossed the border to Skyrim and reached Riverwood without anything significant getting in their way.

"Hello, brother" - Lena noticed Geralt on the porch of Sven's house. "Have you been talking to Sven's mother again? You know she spreads rumours."

"Yep, and where else do you think witchers get their contracts from?" - Gerald grinned. "Good to see you, sis. And I see you brought a Nord to Skyrim" - he nodded at Hauk.

"This is Hauk, we've been adventuring together back in Cyrodiil. Is there any food at the cabin? It's been a long way."

Lena always kept the hunter's cabin well stocked with supplies when she was around. She hoped that Geralt didn't leave it empty. He didn't, and soon the three of them were sitting by the fire with mead and roast.

"Hadvar is back in Riverwood" - Geralt remarked casually. "Something must be going on by the border. He claims he is on leave, but I don't believe him. He asked about you."

"Did he now? In what way?"

"Either he was sent to get you to join the Legion, or to prevent you joining the Stormcloacks."

"Well, there's no danger of that - I have no wish to meddle in Skyrim politics."

"Too late for that, I'm afraid. They all want you now - you're the Dragonborn. Why are you back, actually?"

"I need to find out more about this Dragonborn business, why I never noticed anything before, what it does exactly, except letting me shout, which is kind of neat but not world-shuttering. I mean, other people can shout too, and they are not proclaimed to be Dragonborn. Didn't Ulfrick kill the High King by shouting at him? Yet no one calls Ulfrick Dragonborn."

She didn't say anything about her investigation for the Dark Brotherhood. This was her business alone. Hauk was watching the exchange between Lena and Geralt and thinking how close they seemed, even though he knew they could not have spent that much time together - they only met fairly recently. And the difference in years... Geralt was much older then Lena, as he didn't "skip" nearly two centuries as Lena did while residing in the Shivering Isles. Yet he wasn't 250 years old as he should have been... Time must pass differently beyond the Great Maelstrom. Geralt looked just over 50, but was probably pushing 100 - you can't tell with witchers. His age only showed in the things he said - wisdom coming from experience.

The roast was significantly diminished and the mead bottles around them were nearly all empty, when they heard footsteps coming their way.

"Hadvar!" - Geralt saw him first. "I see you've heard Lena is back. Come and join us, before all of the roast is gone."

"This is--" Lena started introducing Hauk.

"Hauk" - Hadvar didn't look surprised at all. "Hello, old friend!"

Was that a secret handshake or some such that they exchanged?

"We've met during the Great War, but Hauk returned to Cyrodiil afterwards and I stayed in Skyrim" - Hadvar offered, making it clear that this topic was now closed. This meant only one thing - there was so much more to that!

The conversation turned to lighter things, to stories of recent adventures in Cyrodiil - Ayleid ruins, caves, battles with beasts and undead, comparisons of draugr of Skyrim with skeleton heros of Cyrodiil, that sort of thing. It was already dawning when Lena finally declared she needed a nap and went into the cabin, and Geralt went to Sven's house where he was staying - Sven's mother insisted he should use their spare bed. Hauk and Hadvar stayed by the fire a bit longer.

"How do you know Lena?" - Hadvar asked.

"Met her through the Mages Guild."

"Tracked her down?"

"No, that was a real coincidence. I spotted her at the Arcane University, thought she looked out of place somehow, made some enquiries... Then introduced myself and we've been adventuring together ever since. I was getting pretty bored without any work, you know. I didn't know she was Dragonborn until later."

"That she is, but it doesn't mean much in itself, I think we both know that. It's what she does with it, if anything."

"Is that why you're here?" Hauk didn't believe that Hadvar was hanging around exclusively on Legion business.

"Well..." - Hadvar looked a bit uneasy. "The Legion is not going to interfere unless she tries to join the Stormcloacks, which we don't believe she will."

"And?" - Hauk was not to be put off that easily.

"And... Are you two... Should I leave her alone?" Finally! The real reason.

"We are just friends at this stage" - Hauk wasn't about to burn any bridges either. "But she is not wearing an Amulet of Mara."

She wasn't, not at that point anyway. It wasn't that long since Lena returned from the Shivering Isles, found her citizen rights suspended, went to the Northern Realms, met Geralt, came back to escape the war there, ran around the Imperial bureaucracy to get her rights reinstated, and she was still in the process of recovering her repossessed property, and now also this Dragonborn affair added on top. Lena's life was too tumultuous right now for the Amulet of Mara! Perhaps later. Hadvar and Hauk both saw that, and each was willing to wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

20 Sun's Dawn, 4E202 - Hauk and Lucien

Jarl Balgruuf had made Lena a thane of Whiterun, granted her permission to buy a house within the city walls and assigned her a housecarl - Lydia.

"This is all extremely inconvenient" - Lena noted thinking over her investigation for the Dark Brotherhood at breakfast. "I hope the group here isn't going to be spooked by my status and will still take the bait and contact me."

Lucien had arranged for rumours to be spread that Lena was the one who murdered the woman at the orphanage in Riften in response to some young lad's summons. One small detail however: it happened before Lena returned to Skyrim, but Lucien summised correctly that the group of Skyrim assassins wouldn't know the difference. Information wasn't their strong suite. All Lena had to do now was wait for them to take the bait and contact her, and being a thane - even just in title - was very inconvenient for that.

"Jarl Balgruuf just wanted to be the first to claim the Dragonborn" - Hauk seemed to have read her thoughts. "You are here for Lucien, aren't you? No, no, don't tell me - it's your affair." He broke five eggs for an omelette.

"How did you know?" - Lena needed some answers now, and Hauk saw that.

"I didn't, but I guessed. You had no intention of going to Skyrim before, in fact in the past four months you've repeatedly said you were not ready. Then suddenly you were leaving immediately. It stands to reason you got an assignment to follow through, and that could have only come from Lucien."

"It could have come from any number of sources - the Fighters Guild, the Mages Guild, the Legion, the... what do I know!" - Lena wasn't satisfied as yet. The omelette bubbled and squeaked in the pan filling the hunter's cabin with enticing aromas.

Hauk gave her one of his looks taking his eyes off the pan for a moment - oh please!

"The Fighters Guild does not operate in Skyrim, they are terrified of the Companions, so no. The Mages Guild or the Legion - I would have known, as I'm a member of both, and in fact you haven't joined the Legion yet, so don't exaggerate. What is left? A personal favour for someone? Possible, but I doubt it would have carried this urgency."

"Ok" - Lena conceded that he could have just deduced that, accepting a plate with half an omelette that Hauk handed to her. "But how did you know I was going to meet Lucien when I left the Shivering Isles? I didn't know it myself, I was just going to do a few things and come back."

"I know Lucien."

"How?"

Lena was pretty certain that Hauk had never been a member of the Dark Brotherhood. Of course one did not need to be a member to have heard of Lucien Lachance, but Hauk's knowledge of him seemed to be more than hearsay.

"Our paths have crossed during the War. No, he wasn't after me and I wasn't after him, but we appeared to have had the same target, although with a slightly different purpose. I wanted information, and I reached the target first. Admittedly, there wasn't much left to do for Lucien when he appeared, but I let him fulfil his contract. We had a chat and parted ways. So I got the feel for the man."

"Which doesn't explain how you knew I'd be meeting him" - Lena wanted to know more, Hauk's delicious omelette disappearing quickly.

"When Garrus mentioned that someone gave you flowers that you carefully kept fresh in an urgently ordered urn, I knew it was from Lucien. Garrus was teasing me of course, but I knew just why you kept them - a reminder of things past, a recognition of his gratitude, more than gratitude - lily of the valley, was it? Of course you kept it, regardless whether you felt the same or not. And goldenrod and morning glory - back to business, sister. You've been promoted, whether you know it or not, so a special assignment wasn't far off. I wasn't certain of course when it would come exactly, but I didn't think it would be too long."

Lena suddenly saw a whole different side of Hauk. There was a lot more to him than met the eye, even after some four months of adventuring together, all the fights, the wounds and the campfires shared. With everything he just said, he still hadn't told her a thing about his duties during the Great War - that information wasn't his to give, the Legion was keeping its secrets. The same as Hadvar - be convincing without revealing anything of importance.

"I see..." - Lena started thoughtfully, picking at a bunch of grapes, deliberately, one by one. "Well, since you've figured out that much, you won't be surprised when something odd happens. Come with me to High Hrothgar, I need to follow up on that Dragonborn business anyway, and I could use the company while... well, I could use your company" - she concluded firmly, looking straight at him.

"Not taking Lydia with you then?" - Hauk gave her a wink, slicing up some cheese. "'I'll protect you with my life!' She's very eager, you know."

"'I am swooooorn to carry your burdens' - yeah, right" - Lena was particularly annoyed by that line. "She'll only get in the way and get herself killed. I'm not the kind of thane she was hoping to get assigned to. Although you might have been one - we can bring her along, if you like."

Was it time for another one of Hauk's looks? Perhaps. But he kept it to himself and just laughed.

"Ask Wolf to come too" - he said. "I think he's had enough of Sven's mother."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Jul 8 2021, 07:19 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Nice job of painting Phillida's last moments.

Thank you, Acadian! This is how I played it. Cloak and dagger. Illusion and Alchemy are great schools of magic.

[Lena Wolf]

17 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Leyawiin Sanctuary, a prelude

"I see you still honour Arkay" - Lucien joined Lena on a pew in the chapel in Leyawiin. "Phillida?"

Lena nodded. They sat quietly for a while.

"Any news?" - Lena asked.

"Not yet, but we need to warn Fenris."

"Let's go."

...

"Mistress! You have returned" - Fenris kneeled before Lena as she entered the Leyawiin Sanctuary. Then, remembering that she had told him not to kneel, he looked up but didn't rise. Lucien stood behind Lena.

"Hello Fenris, good to see you" - said Lena, lifting Fenris up by the shoulders. "You look well." She smiled at him.

"You will find poisons in the chest, and I have been learning making potions too" - said Fenris, glancing at Lucien sideways. "I shall prepare dinner for you."

She let him leave.

"I like what you've done with the place" - said Lucien, looking around. "Much better than the way it was on my last visit." He smiled. His last visit was over two centuries ago - when the Dark Brotherhood came for the Crimson Scars and he killed Lena's great-uncle.

...

They came into the dining hall just as Fenris was dressing the table. He kept his head low and was shooting sideways glances at Lucien.

"Fenris, this is Lucien Lachance, my Speaker and friend" - said Lena.

Fenris froze, looking into Lucien's face, now that Lucien had removed his hood.

"I believe we've met before" - said Lucien. "You were one of the young recruits that escaped right after our first visit. We never found you again."

"Until now..." - Fenris' voice sounded hoarse.

"Oh, I've known about your existence for a long time already, do not worry" - Lucien smiled. "You have been absolved."

Fenris relaxed, then dropped to his knees before Lena again.

"Thank you, Mistress - I know this is your doing."

Lena looked at Lucien in exasperation, then lifted up Fenris by the shoulders again.

"I told you not to worry" - she said. "With Rowley Eardwulf's death Purification has been completed. Please - let us have dinner. There is something we need to tell you, Fenris."

They sat down for dinner and Lena told Fenris that an assassin had been making inquiries about her - with unknown intentions. Fenris looked shocked.

"It is quite possible that they will come here looking for documents or anything else that they think they could use" - said Lucien. "How are your fighting skills, Fenris? That assassin is skilled."

"I can fight" - Fenris looked up. "Although I shall have to practice" - he looked into the distance. "It has been over a century since my last job, but I am still a vampire" - he smiled. "I shall go slightly hungry to sharpen my reflexes."

"Good" - Lucien nodded. "One of our Brothers will join you - Teinaava, and..." - he put an enchanted dagger before Fenris - "this might help, too."

"Paralysis?" - Fenris touched the dagger.

"Indeed" - Lucien smiled. "If you can capture the intruder instead of killing her, it would be ideal. Yes, we believe it is a woman, but at this point it is still just a suspicion. We could be wrong. Be careful - she is not after you, but she won't hesitate to kill."

"I shall be discrete" - Fenris smiled, clipping the dagger to his belt.

...

"The main entrance to the Sanctuary is under water" - Lena turned to Lucien after dinner. "Was it like that when you were here last?"

"No, it must have sunk later." He looked into the water, barely making out the door. "But don't you have another pool here too?"

"Indeed" - Lena smiled, leading him to the purifying pool with a salt formation next to it. "We don't need the salts but the pool itself is quite nice for regular bathing. And Fenris stays away from it like from the plague" - she winked.

"Well then" - Lucien closed the door. "We should test the waters."

[Lena Wolf]

18-21 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Phillida's message - Imp hunting - A letter from Hauk

"I shall return to Cheydinhal" - said Lucien during breakfast at the Leyawiin Sanctuary. "Teinaava should arrive here today, then all we need to do is wait. He will return to Cheydinhal once an intruder has been caught. Fenris will be able to keep her subdued after that, I trust?" - he looked at Lena with a question.

"Never fear" - Lena smiled. "Fenris will need to feed after a fight like that, especially since he'll go hungry before it. Have you not seen how much blood Vicente keeps in store?"

"Very well, then there is nothing to do here for us until then" - Lucien nodded. "What are your plans now?"

"Imperial City - Phillida job is not quite finished yet" - she winked. "Then Chorrol Fighters Guild, then wherever they send me, but I suspect it will be Bravil."

"Good, makes it easier to send word when it's time."

19 Mid-Year

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" - the new Commander of the Imperial Watch opened his desk first thing in the morning and saw a finger with Phillida's signet ring where he expected to find his inkwell. He poked the finger with his quill. "Disgusting."

He looked around, making sure no one had seen him, then, without touching the finger, he rolled it off his desk with a couple of quills, dropping everything into a basket and covering with crumpled bits of parchment.

"Yuck!" - he shivered. "But I get the message!" - he told someone unseen. "I have just as much desire to touch you people as I like to touch that finger!"

The door to the Imperial Legion Offices opened and closed silently, although no one was seen to go in or out.

...

"He quit, did he?!" - Modryn Oreyn was livid as Lena brought him the news of Maglir's switch to the Blackwood Company. "We took him in when no one else would, and this is how he repays us!! Unbelievable!"

"Not so unbelievable" - Lena thought to herself, as it was out of the question to actually say anything to Oreyn right now. "Maglir had been trouble from the start - my trouble!"

"Well, you'll have to fulfil his contract" - Oreyn looked at Lena angrily. "Don't just stand there, go to Bravil Mages Guild and see what they wanted! Now!!"

Lena turned around and left without another word. It appeared that fire-breathing dragons were back in Cyrodiil too.

...

"Imp gall! I need imp gall!" - Aryarie was pacing the Guild Hall nervously. "I am stuck because of this damned Fighters Guild!"

"Ah, it must be her" - Lena thought, entering the hall. "Aryarie, I'm here on behalf of the Fighters Guild" - Lena said to her with a smile. "Was it imp gall that you wanted?"

"Yes! Finally!" - Aryarie turned around, she did think the voice was familiar. "Oh! Warlock... sorry, didn't realise you were with the Fighters Guild too..." - she blushed a bit. "But I am rather stuck, so if you don't mind..."

"Of course" - Lena beamed at her. "Imp gall it is." She turned to leave, then changed her mind. "For some reason once you pass Conjurer, the Mages Guild stops paying you for your work."

She walked off, leaving Aryarie seriously doubting her ambitions to make Magician.

20 Mid-Year

Hunting imps was a breeze, even if it did take all day. Lena took it steady and slow, taking care to extract the gall carefully, and to check for any chests along the way - caves like that were often used by smugglers. The chests didn't disappoint, and there was even a minotaur to play with.

"I'll need to remember this cave" - Lena thought to herself. "Lots of imps in here, and they will be back, no doubt."

Aryarie was delighted with the imp gall, even more so because Lena actually knew how to cut it out without destroying it and how to keep it fresh.

...

"I have a letter for you" - an out-of-breath courier stopped her as she was leaving the Mages Guild. "Something I'm supposed to deliver... Let's see now..." - he fumbled in his bag. "Oh - here, marked 'urgent'!" He handed her a sealed parchment. "Well, better be off!"

"But - who is it from?" - Lena cried after him, but he only waved and disappeared around the corner. "Hmmm..." - Lena thought, breaking the seal. Something told her, it wasn't good news.

If you are reading this, I have been taken into Boethia's Realm. It is unlikely that I will return. It has been a privilege to walk with you. Goodbye.
-Hauk

"No!" - Lena's first reaction was to panic, but she steadied herself, folded the parchment and went home. "Think it over first, something isn't right."

Lena thought the letter sounded strange, not quite how Hauk would put it. Her first instinct was that this was a trap, so the thing to do was to go to the Imperial City to look for him. Lena decided to leave right away, even though Roach disliked travelling at night. She arrived before sunrise and went straight to the Bastion, but the guards told her that she had to wait for the morning. She checked his house and most taverns to pass the time - she didn't really expect to find him, but she couldn't sleep anyway.

21 Mid-Year

In the morning, Hauk was still not around, and no one at the Legion Offices would tell her anything. "Should have expected that!" - she thought. Yes, he could simply be away on Legion business. Or he could be in Boethia's Realm. Would she take that risk? No, she wouldn't.

Cursing for the lost time, she bought a daedra heart and set off for Boethia's shrine in the Valus Mountains. She approached the statue, the heart in her hand.

"I wish to enter your Realm" - she said.

"Compete in my Tournament, win, then you can roam my Realm" - answered Boethia, opening a portal.

Lena entered without thinking.

The Realm consisted of an arena. There were no prison cells, no changing rooms, no training grounds - and Hauk wasn't there. Perhaps there were other islands in this sea of lava? If so, she could not see any.

"Boethia does not take captives" - her first opponent told her. "We are here to fight - one of each race. If your friend is not among us, he isn't here."

One of each race... She would have to wait for the Nord. And then? What if it was Hauk?

[macole]

Boethia's quest, at the time I couldn't rationalize doing the sacrifice in order to gain entrance to her realm so I never did this one. Looks like you have a very good reason to perform entrance ritual.

This should be interesting.

[Lena Wolf]

Boethia's quest, at the time I couldn't rationalize doing the sacrifice in order to gain entrance to her realm so I never did this one. Looks like you have a very good reason to perform entrance ritual.

This should be interesting.

I think you might be confusing it with Mephala's or with Skyrim. Here it just required a daedra heart to be brought to the statue - and you're in! (And you had to be at least level 20 to have at least a miniscule chance of surviving it. )

EDIT: Unless of course something else happens. I am just about to touch the statue in the actual game, and I've never done it before!

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Jul 23 2021, 04:25 PM

[macole]

Boethia's quest, at the time I couldn't rationalize doing the sacrifice in order to gain entrance to her realm so I never did this one. Looks like you have a very good reason to perform entrance ritual.

This should be interesting.

I think you might be confusing it with Mephala's or with Skyrim. Here it just required a daedra heart to be brought to the statue - and you're in! (And you had to be at least level 20 to have at least a miniscule chance of surviving it. )

EDIT: Unless of course something else happens. I am just about to touch the statue in the actual game, and I've never done it before!

Yes, I was thinking of the Skyrim Boethia quest.

Either way, it'll be fun to revisit this one.

[Lena Wolf]

21 Mid-Year, 4E202 - The Tournament of Ten Bloods

An arena lay before Lena. She would fight one of each race, and hope that the Nord was not Hauk. Boethia's Chosen... Hauk did not worship Boethia, but he did have the mace of Molag Bal - may be this was Boethia's revenge?

"Focus on the fight" - she told herself, brushing these thoughts aside. "The first one is an elf - definitely not Hauk. Survive!"

The elf made short work of Lena's clannfear - he was a mage... and a fighter... the worst kind. Lena went down twice...

"Focus!" - she told herself angrily. "There's nine of them still to come! You won't get far this way!"

Nine or ten - she wasn't sure whether she'd have to fight a Breton or not. It didn't matter.

Lena wasn't a warrior, she was a stealth assassin preferring ranged attacks from cover. There was no cover here - this tournament would be her death. Unless...

Coming to, she wasted no time summoning another clannfear. It wouldn't be deadly, but it was fast and charged the elf, giving Lena an opening. She poisoned her blade, cloaked and crept from behind...

"What?!" - the elf spun around in surprise, feeling the wound, sensing his life energy ebbing away, with great fatigue taking over his body. "Where..?"

"...is she?" - Lena finished his sentence in her mind while her clannfear delivered the final blow. The elf couldn't heal fast enough.

"One down..." - Lena thought going through his pockets and picking up healing potions. She would be needing those.

There was no time to rest. Lena's boots were shattered already, so she kicked them off and pulled on a pair of shoes. Her iron cuirass and grieves were weakened but still held, and of course nothing could break the shielding enchantment... she hoped.

Another elf... a mage. She poisoned her blade again and cloaked, dodging the shock spells. He was using a staff, so he wouldn't be silenced. His skeleton was engaging the clannfear. "Hero or Champion" - Lena thought, noticing that the clannfear wasn't winning.

Lena crept up behind the mage, came quite close, still cloaked and almost ready to strike, but he sensed her then. "Life detection?" - she thought, but it didn't matter, invisibility was not going to work. She lunged with her sword.

"Aauww!" - the elf spun around, a warhammer in his hands.

"How..?" - Lena caught herself - "Don't stop to wonder!" He was a battlemage. Dodge, lunge, paralyse, apply more poison...

It wasn't a fair fight, but you didn't get points for fairness.

"Eighty six healing potions!" - Lena went through his pockets once he was down. "This explains the robes - and the noise he was making. Well, they didn't help..." She didn't take the potions - she had enough of her own, and didn't want to be slowed down by all the extra weight.

An Imperial... a Khajiit... a Nord... Lena was hit, poisoned and burned, but her poisoned blade always found its mark. Her armour was all but shattered now, but the enchantment still held. There was no time for repairs.

"A Nord?" - she looked into the face of a young woman she just defeated. A wave of relief washed over her - it wasn't Hauk. So... this was a trap. She wasn't done yet, there were more opponents to come. How many? She lost count.

"I am disappointed" - she heard Boethia's voice. "She was quick and strong, I shall miss her."

"What?" - Lena turned around, but of course Boethia wasn't showing his face. "Oh" - she looked at the Nord girl again. "He must have liked her... I wonder if this means that things will get tougher from now..."

It did. The next opponent was an Orc. She dispatched Lena's clannfear in a single hit, and when Lena tried paralysis, the spell was absorbed. The Orc retaliated - and Lena went down, over and over again. What now? Vanish and Heal potion bought Lena a little time, but the Orc had fully healed herself by then. "Dessos" - Lena thought, preparing to summon her dremora. She needed cover to apply poison again - twice or three times, and of different kinds.

The fight was fierce, and Dessos was banished twice, but in the end the Orc could not heal fast enough, with three poisons ravaging her body. She died, but not before Lena was bruised and cut beyond simple healing.

"Whoever said that axes were blunt, never felt one on their own flesh" - she thought, wincing at the pain. She gulped down another potion - it took the edge off the pain and made her feel stronger, but she wasn't fooled. Lena's wounds were deep, it seemed she could not stop the bleeding, not all of it, anyway. Yet, she still had a long way to go... "Better get on with it - I won't last much longer" - she thought.

A Redguard... Lena could swear the opponents were getting tougher and tougher. His strike was so strong, he paralysed the clannfear, banishing it with the next hit of his mace. Dessos didn't fare much better, although he didn't get banished that fast. Poison seemed to glide off the Redguard's skin doing barely any damage...

"It cannot be!" - Lena thought. "There must be a way..."

No, he had no weakness for Lena to exploit and the fight was wearing her down. But the Redguard was but a man, not a god, with his only weakness being his mortality... The poisons got him in the end - his heart ripping apart as if of electrocution.

"Phew" - Lena sighed, kneeling to check his pockets. "Nothing. You ran out of potions, my friend." She would be soon running out of potions too.

But who was next? Lena didn't see anyone, but summoned a clannfear nonetheless - and saw it burn. An archer. The clannfear charged - and was banished before it could reach its target. She summoned another - the archer had moved and Lena lost him again. A Bosmer? This wasn't a forest, yet he seemed to hide in plain sight. Lena had to be quick. She poisoned her sword, cast life detection and charged.

"Huh?" - the Bosmer was still shooting arrows at the clannfear. But the poison took away his stamina first, and he couldn't lift his heavy battleaxe to get to Lena. The clannfear found him, he banished it with another fire arrow, but Lena had the time to apply more poison onto her blade...

The Bosmer went down with a sigh. She won another battle, but the tournament wasn't over.

Lena was feeling tired. She could barely walk, from pain and exhaustion. She started shivering - how could she be cold on this island surrounded by bubbling lava? Red mist wafted into her vision, black spots started replacing the fires... She would pass out soon... Surely, that would count as a failure, she would be left for dead... No, she could not allow it - there was one more thing she could do. Blood.

Borba's bottled blood cleared away the mist, but Lena was still shivering. Another bottle. She felt warmer. How many more fights were still ahead? Better not be too many, she had no blood left...

"Showing your face here was the last mistake you'll ever make!" - a hoarse voice brought Lena out of her near-stupor. Quick, another opponent!

Lena had barely any strength left, but she willed herself on her feet, summoning her dremora. While Dessos was engaging the opponent - an Argonian - Lena poisoned her blade, flanking her. She hit without conviction - that was the best she could do. She hoped the poison would work... Or would it? Weren't Argonians resistent to such things? Ouch.

The poison didn't do much, but Dessos managed to land a few strikes with his fire-enchanted claymore, and the Argonian tried to run back and put some distance between them, switching to a bow. A single arrow banished Dessos in a cloud of red mist - it was enchanted. "Damage Health and probably everything else for good measure" - Lena thought, shuddering. She summoned a clannfear again - for speed, then hesitated selecting a poison. "Let's try one with an elemental effect" - she thought - "since Influenza Subita didn't do much. Oh, here - Napalm."

She ran up to the Argonian hoping and preying that clannfear would still be holding her opponent's attention - Lena's magicka was nearly out. She hit once or twice, then cloaked with the last of her will, and waited. Would the poison suffice?

She was feeling weak, she could barely stand. She fell to her knees, her armour weighing her down. Red mist was swirling in from all sides again, and darkness closing in... She heard Boethia's voice, but could not make out what he was saying... "...Breton..." Breton? Did he say Breton? So then, she won!..

The darkness closed in and she was gone.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Jul 28 2021, 09:54 AM

[Acadian]

Wow, what a nailbiting series of fights! Sounds like Lena won but barely. Whew!

[Lena Wolf]

Wow, what a nailbiting series of fights! Sounds like Lena won but barely. Whew!

She may have won... But did she survive?

[Lena Wolf]

22 Mid-Year, 4E202 - The Tournament of Ten Bloods, the aftermath

"Sanguine?" - Lena opened her eyes with difficulty and saw a dremora kneeling over her. "What... happened?" Her tongue seemed to have doubled in size.

"Bloody Boethia - whatever possessed you to enter his tournament? This isn't the Imperial City Arena!" - Sanguine was casting healing spells at Lena. "Look at you - you're a mess!"

"But... I won" - Lena tried to smile, but her mouth wouldn't stretch.

"You won..." - Sanguine shook his head. "You were the one still barely alive while the others lay dead, yes. And all of it for what? A sword! Unbelievable."

Lena raised her head and looked around. She was lying in a clearing, it was early evening. A gentle breeze moved through the light foliage around her. She smelled a campfire, heard the birds chirping. It seemed familiar.

"Where are we? This isn't near the shrine."

"No, you never made it out of Boethia's Realm" - Sanguine sat cross-legged next to her now, stroking her face. "I brought you to one of my islands."

Lena's face felt better, she could speak almost normally now.

"What do you mean - never made it out? How did you..?" No, speaking was still painfully difficult.

"Boethia does not care for his contestants. You won the fight, yes, but you still had to walk through the gate on your own, and you couldn't. As to how I knew..." - Sanguine smiled. "Dessos. He took quite a beating himself." Sanguine jerked his head towards the fire. Lena turned and saw a dremora tending to his wounds, his armour in a heap next to him.

"Oh I am so sorry!" - she cried, although it came out more like a growl. "I was mostly summoning clannfears, but sometimes I just needed help..." She tried to get up, but her legs refused to cooperate and she fell back onto the bedroll with a thud. "I am a mess, you're right" - she admitted.

"You mortals are too fragile for this" - Dessos said without turning. "Yet you are undaunted. Strange."

"Yeah..." - Lena smirked. "That's us."

She felt drowsy - Sanguine gave her a potion.

"You need to rest now" - he said, getting up. "Was anyone with you?"

"No" - Lena mumbled, falling asleep. "This was my own foolish idea..."

This wasn't entirely true - Lena had been tricked. That letter wasn't from Hauk - it was sending her to her death. Murder by Boethia's Tournament... A stroke of genius, she had to admit. It's just... she didn't like to be the target.

...

Lena woke up on a clearing, turned to her side and saw two dremoras and a Mazken sitting by the fire. She was still in Sanguine's Realm. Her body felt as if every bone was broken, but she was alive.

Sanguine heard her move and turned around.

"Ah, you are awake!" - he smiled. "Good. You need better healing than this, Dylan will take you to the Shivering Isles."

"Wait - before we go" - Lena sat up, wincing. "Here - take a look at this" - she produced a blood-stained letter from an inner pocket. "This is why I was there. This was a trap - the letter is a lie. Lucien needs to know."

Sanguine read the letter, his face turning grim. Dylan clenched his fists. Dessos put on his armour.

"Someone wants you dead" - said Sanguine.

"I know" - Lena nodded. "That's not new. Tell Lucien to speak with Ocheeva - this is an intrigue, not a plain murder, and we still have no proof. Tell him..." - she winced at the pain again. "Tell him that if I find him dead when I return, I'll go into the Void and make him come back. Sithis can't have him yet."

She tried to get up, but again her legs wouldn't cooperate. She swore.

Dylan came up to her, lifting her up and holding her around the waist, her feet barely touching the ground.

"Ready?" - he asked, preparing to cast a spell. She nodded, he opened a portal and they disappeared into it.

"She would go against Sithis?" - Dessos looked at Sanguine in surprise.

"And she would likely succeed, too" - Sanguine grinned. "A lot of passion in this one..."

[Acadian]

Ahah, nice followup. Saved (sort of) by Sanguine. Handy to know, Sanguine is. You mortals are too fragile for this!

[Lena Wolf]

Ahah, nice followup. Saved (sort of) by Sanguine. Handy to know, Sanguine is. You mortals are too fragile for this!

Sanguine is still a Prince, he's got powers, even if he's drunk most of the time. He's very fond of Lena, may be one day she'll tell the story... Or may be he will, if he stays off felldew long enough.

[Lena Wolf]

22 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Bernice's Taphouse

"Aquanostrum is what she needs - Aquanostrum!" - Sickly Bernice was proclaiming between the coughs. "That's what's keeping me alive!"

"She's not wrong, you know" - Ushnar chimed in. "But once you start drinking it, you'll never stop - it's worse than skooma!"

"Skooma?" - a voice piped up from a heap of rags in the corner. "You've got some skooma? Friend? Pal? To share? Oh pass the skooma already!"

"There's no skooma here, Caldana" - Ushnar cut her off.

A disappointed sigh came from the rags and Caldana went back to sleep. The gathering in Bernice's Taphouse went quiet for a moment, everyone trying to think of something that would help Lena heal.

"Why don't you take her to the Wellspring again?" - asked Earil, looking at Dylan. "It worked last time, didn't it?"

"It doesn't heal" - Dylan shook his head. "It regenerates. There was no disease to cure last time, no wounds to close. It simply regenerated her skin. I'll take her there if she keeps any scars after this, but she needs to heal first."

"It's too bad that Muurine is dead" - Cutter said with regret. "She was a gifted Necromancer, she would have known what to do."

"What?!" - Una cried in disbelief. "Necromancer! We want to keep her alive, not turn her into a zombie!"

"Una" - Cutter started speaking slowly, as if explaining things to a child. "Necromancy deals with life as well as death - they are one and the same. Muurine would have been able to find the cause of her illness." Cutter rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "It can't be just wounds - I cut myself all the time, and I've never needed anything beyond simple healing."

"Sticks! Fresh sticks! As long as they are fresh, there's nothing better!.." - Gloorolros' voice trailed off as everyone stared at him.

"Aw, fribble!" - Bolwing swore, trying to pick out Big Head's fork from a pile of cutlery on the table. "This... Yes?" - he looked at the others. "Is this the right one? Can you understand me?" They nodded. He brightened up and continued. "Where is Ahjazda? She's not here. She's an alchemist - a good one. She knows potions that heal wounds of the soul, too."

"Keep that crazy cat away from me!" - Ushnar shuddered. "I would not take anything from a cat!"

"We know, Ushnar" - Una patted his arm. "Calm down now, come and see me at the museum again - we'll keep the cats out" - she spoke soothingly.

"Oh, of course, dear... err... Una, I mean" - Ushnar mumbled. It was his luck that Orcs didn't blush much.

"Wounds of the soul" - Arctus mused, looking into the distance. "I always knew she was Demented, yet she lit the Great Torch for Mania this time - that must be the wound in her soul."

"No, it's not!" - Tilse walked in. "What? Don't stare - we care for her just as much as you do." She joined them at the table with a challenge in her sanguine eyes. "It's love, don't you see?" She looked around the table. "Why did she go there? To save someone. Bring him to her, and she'll recover" - she concluded triumphantly.

Everyone looked at Dylan. "You know her best. So?"

"No" - Dylan shook his head. "She knows he wasn't there, she's not worried about him. And..." - he looked at Tilse - "he's not the one she loves."

"I wish I had friends like this" - Earil sighed. "That would go to Oblivion and back for me..." - he looked wistful.

The room fell silent again. Bernice refilled everyone's goblets with her summer wine, adding a goblet for Tilse.

"Hey, this is good!" - Tilse looked up, having sampled the wine. "I should have trusted Ahjazda, she keeps bringing it over, but I..." - her voice trailed off as she felt everyone's stares. "What? Didn't you know? About Ahjazda and me? Oh..." - she blushed, visible even on her dark Dunmer skin.

"Love, eh?" - Earil grinned. "I see where you are coming from, sister!"

This lightened up the mood, so Bernice put smoked balliwog legs on the table and everyone suddenly realised that serious discussions called for sustenance.

"But what are we going to do?" - Arctus felt they had to make a decision. "About the healing?"

"Well" - Earil started firmly. "Heal the wounds first - that's the easy bit. Then we'll see. May be Ahjazda does know something we don't" - he looked at Tilse - "since she's... you know..."

"What?" - Tilse rose from her chair slightly.

"...more open-minded than most of us" - Earil finished his sentence. "Carrying on with a Manic like that."

Tilse snorted but didn't say anything. Everyone started reciting their favourite healing recipes, the ones that closed the wounds of the physical nature. Somehow they were all pretty much the same... and Dylan knew them already. He didn't learn anything new, and yet he felt more at ease and almost certain that the treatment would work. Why was that? The ways of the mortals were strange indeed.

[Lena Wolf]

25 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Hauk in Crucible

"Dylan" - Hauk nodded a greeting as he entered the Wolf House in Crucible. Dylan was making potions downstairs. "How is she?"

"Sleeping" - Dylan looked up from his work. "Or resting, anyway. She will be glad to see you."

Hauk dropped off his gear in the corner and changed out of his armour into a robe.

"Here - take this to her, it's nearly time" - Dylan handed him a potion.

...

Lena was awake. She was sitting up in bed, trying to read, but the words on the page kept moving, making her dizzy. She heard voices coming from downstairs... familiar voices. Hauk? She strained to hear.

Hauk softly opened the door and looked in.

"Ah, you are awake!" - he smiled. "Here - drink this" - he handed her the potion.

Lena was going to say something, but he thrust the potion into her hand.

"Drink this first" - he said firmly.

Lena sighed and obeyed. Then, as Hauk bend towards her to take the empty vial, she leapt up, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're alive" - she whispered.

...

"If I didn't know better, I would have said you shouldn't have done it" - he smiled. "But I know you" - he sighed, stroking her cheek. "So I'll say: you need to be better prepared."

"There is no preparing for something like that" - Lena shook her head. "Well, may be for the fights themself... But if I had known what this Tournament was... that I would have to fight one of each race, if I had understood what the letter implied - that I would have to fight you... I don't know what I would have done" - she looked at him with horror. "The nightmares of that possibility are still haunting me."

"But it didn't happen" - Hauk was holding her hand in his. "Put it out of your mind, don't let that assassin win."

Lena nodded slowly. "Dylan has been saying the same thing, but it isn't that easy." Then she looked up, remembering something. "How did you find out? Sanguine?"

"Yes" - Hauk nodded. "I saw Lucien too."

"Then... you probably guessed" - Lena smiled uneasily. "I've made my choice" - she said with difficulty.

"Yeah... I guessed" - Hauk was still holding Lena's hand. "I must say I was expecting it" - he smiled softly. "You be happy with him."

Lena leaned forward, grabbing Hauk's arm as if to stop him from leaving.

"Oh, I am not going anywhere" - he said firmly. "It is now twice that you've gone to Oblivion and back on my account - you are not getting rid of me that easily. Besides, I didn't think that Lucien was keen on Ayleid ruins, so you need me." He gave her a broad grin.

Lena smiled too, letting go of Hauk's arm.

"Dagail was right" - she said, her voice trembling slightly. "This time I have friends."

[Lena Wolf]

16-19 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Rayenna's investigation

"Where is Deepscorn Hollow?" - Rayenna was pouring over a map, not finding it. "It was his Sanctuary, so it would have been secret, but not in a town since it's an estate." Cyrodiil was too large to search every possible cavern. She wasn't having any luck. "Well, it isn't surprising really that it's not on the map." She folded it away. "Ok, let's try something else: who was Mathieu Bellamont? And what are these scraps of paper? And why did I find it all here?" She stared at the papers that she had retrieved from their secret hiding place behind the tapestry in her home, but the papers didn't answer. "There must be some clue that I'm missing..."

The sea always helped Rayenna to think, so she went out the door of her rented lighthouse cellar and strolled along the pier. It was a hazy morning and the Castle of Anvil was only showing its outline.

"Morning, Rayenna" - Ulfgar Fog-Eye greeted her. "Still getting up early, I see? It's good to see you back here, I already started to wonder whether you still wanted that cellar."

"Of course I do" - Rayenna smiled. "This is my home." She looked him over, taking in his worn clothes - he wasn't a rich man. "Say, Ulfgar" - she started tentatively. "Would you sell it to me?"

"I would, but I can't" - he looked at her with regret. "The Countess owns the lighthouse and the cellar now, and although she lets me rent it out, she won't sell it, not after what happened here before."

"What happened here before?" - Rayenna was unsure what he meant. She grew up here on the docks, surely she would have heard all the rumours by now?

Ulfgar looked around, checking that no one was listening in, then he came close to Rayenna and said as quietly as he could manage: "The Dark Brotherhood. There was a madman living here, he was a member but tried to destroy them from within." Ulfgar looked over his shoulder again. "They say the cellar is cursed - that his spirit still dwells in there."

Rayenna looked shocked.

"The Dark Bro..?!" - she cried out, but Ulfgar quickly put his hand over her mouth.

"Sshhh..." - he looked horrified. "Are you trying to get us killed? They are everywhere!"

"You have no idea" - Rayenna thought, relaxing. Ulfgar let go of her. "When was that?" - she asked in a low voice.

"Oh, some two centuries ago" - Ulfgar scratched his head. "But people remember. Not many even want to come near it now." He looked at her with a worried expression. "You are not going to move out, are you? Now that you know?"

"Of course not" - Rayenna assured him with a smile. "I never noticed any curse, I think it's just stories."

...

Rayenna didn't think those were just stories - she now had a lead. She didn't believe in an angry ghost in her cellar - she knew there wasn't one - but she suspected that the madman from the Dark Brotherhood might have been that traitor that she heard talk about. She never knew his name - could he have been Mathieu Bellamont? That would explain so much...

She went around the port, greeting everyone and carefully fishing for that old legend about a curse in town. She heard a lot about the Benirus Manor, but not much about the lighthouse. She brought it up at the Flowing Bowl. Maenlorn froze, then quickly caught himself.

"Oh, that's just old superstition!" - he beamed at her. "You don't want to listen to such nonsense!"

"Wait - he's an elf" - Rayenna thought, searching his face. "He was probably around then." And she asked with a smile: "How long have you been running the Flowing Bowl, Maenlorn? I've known you all my life..."

"Oh, we've been here longer than that" - he smiled evasively. "Caenlorn is still talking about leaving, but we are well settled in here by now. Valenwood is not for us."

"He's changing the topic" - Rayenna noted. "I won't get anything out of him. But what about his brother? Perhaps he's more talkative."

She found Caenlorn wandering around the city, looking bored. "Ideal" - she thought. She walked with him, carefully steering the conversation towards old legends. It took a lot of manoeuvring, but eventually he told her something that she wanted to hear.

"Bellamont was his name - a Breton" - Caenlorn was looking into the distance. "I remember him because he always used to argue with Maenlorn about the food. Not good enough for him. Then he vanished one day, and the Countess took possession of the lighthouse. The man had been mad - you should have seen his cellar when we cleared it out... Blood everywhere... bones... And a severed head - flesh decomposed beyond recognition! It was a shrine of some sort, you could tell. A shrine to the severed head! Mad, I'm telling you..."

Caenlorn shuddered - it wasn't a pleasant memory. Rayenna learned what she wanted. Bellamont was the traitor whose name was not spoken. And he was Lena's cousin - a cousin to whom she had pledged loyalty. Surely that meant that Lena was a traitor herself? Except... that was two centuries ago, and the girl in Lucien's bed was in her early twenties.

"She's an imposter" - Rayenna decided. "She must be. She was a Breton, they are not that long lived. Even if she did have an Altmer for a Great-Uncle" - she remembered that mention in Greywyn Blenwyth's will. "Even if she was still alive, she would have looked older. No, it can't be her."

Now Rayenna had to prove that Lena Wolf was an imposter. "Why is it that with every question answered, I get another that's even harder to figure out?" - she thought in frustration. "How am I going to prove that? Unless..."

Deepscorn Hollow was the key. Whether Lena Wolf was an imposter or the original, she would have papers, documents, journals, something - she must! And she would be keeping it in Deepscorn Hollow. Rayenna had to find it. She didn't know where to start, so she decided to start with what she knew - the living Lena Wolf was with the Mages Guild, so why not start asking about her there.

...

"Lena Wolf?" - Carahil was looking at Rayenna in surprise. "She's a Warlock now, has been helping the Arch Mage fight the necromancers." Carahil looked proud. "She might not be the most powerful mage in the Guild, but she's resourceful, and we need people like her. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason" - Rayenna smiled, trying to charm Carahil.

"Your charm spell needs work" - Carahil scowled, unimpressed. Rayenna made a quick exit. May be it wasn't her brightest idea to use magic against the head of a Mages Guild chapter...

17 Mid-Year

"Bruma - I should try Bruma" - Rayenna thought, riding North. "The Nords can't keep their tongues on a leash after a few rounds of mead, and why would they anyway - I might learn something there."

The Mages Guild hall looked strange with the skull and bones banners adorning it.

"This Guild Hall specialises in Necromancy, as it always has" - Jeanne told her proudly. "It is just another magic school - we are no threat to anyone."

Rayenna didn't get a good feeling about the place, and there were no Nords here, so she decided to try a tavern instead. Olav's Tap and Tack looked the part.

"Lena Wolf?" - Olav scratched his head. "Oh, you mean that Breton girl that always shows up with that Nord in tow?" - he grinned. "I even put a double bed for them in one of the rooms. Inseparable, they are."

"The Nord?" - Rayenna asked hopefully.

"Oh I see now" - Olav winked. "It's not the girl you're after" - he laughed. "A battlemage - Hauk. He's with the Mages Guild, of course. As is his twin brother, sometimes people confuse them." He laughed at a memory.

"Are they close?" - Rayenna decided to look jealous. "Hauk and Lena, I mean?"

Olav nodded. "They are. I hate to break it to you, but you better look for another Nord" - he winked and smiled.

"Oh great" - Rayenna thought, looking him over. She didn't like Nords that way, so she hastened to thank him and leave. But now she had a name.

She wasn't sure what to do next, but decided to ride to the Imperial City - the main road out of Bruma led South. She passed a shrine of Namira along the way.

"Daedric Princes send mortals to perform dangerous tasks for a reward" - she remembered how it worked. "Some tasks are more dangerous than others... Perhaps even too dangerous... Say... it's worth a try!"

19 Mid-Year

The First Edition in the Imperial City had what she wanted - The Book of Daedra. Rayenna settled down in a far corner of the All Saints Inn to study it. She purposefully chose the quietest inn in town so that she could be undisturbed.

"Boethia's Tournament of Ten Bloods... hopefuls have to fight one of each race to become Boethia's Chosen, who then fight new contestants in future Tournaments... fights to the death..." - she read. "That's it! She's an assassin, not a warrior, she won't survive one of each race" - Rayenna closed the book. "I know I wouldn't" - she shuddered. "Especially if she panics and goes unprepared..."

She got ink, quill and parchment out of her pack. "Let's see now..." - she took the quill in her left hand, made a few trial scribbles, then wrote:

If you are reading this, I have been taken into Boethia’s Realm. It is unlikely that I will return. It has been a privilege to walk with you. Goodbye.

Hauk

She folded the parchment, sealed it, and wrote an address:

To Lena Wolf, Warlock of the Mages Guild - URGENT

The Black Horse Couriers were known for their speed and efficiency. Rayenna took the letter to their offices, paid the urgency surcharge without negotiating, and left, smiling softly.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Jul 26 2021, 10:24 AM

[Lena Wolf]

20-21 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Rayenna's trap

Rayenna spent the night at the All Saints Inn in the Imperial City. She felt relieved that she had finally found a way to get Lena Wolf killed without attracting suspicion to herself, so she allowed herself a day of rest. The Imperial City always fascinated her - such grand structures, so well preserved after thousands and thousands of years since they were built. How was it that these buildings still stood in their full glory while all the other Ayleid structures were reduced to rubble, at least above ground? It was an interesting question to ponder. She spent a relaxing day and returned to the All Saints Inn for another night.

21 Mid-Year

Rayenna was a light sleeper. She was awakened by some knocking downstairs, she strained to hear and realised that someone was trying to wake up the innkeep. Then she heard voices... She opened her door a crack and listened intently.

"So you haven't seen him?" - a young female voice was saying, sounding agitated.

"Seen whom?" - the innkeep was sleepy, struggling to understand what the woman wanted.

"A Nord battlemage... in Legion armour... no, probably rather in steel armour... Was he here?"

"When?" - the innkeep finally woke up. "The last few days? No." He sounded irritable, not surprising considering that he was woken up in the middle of the night, but then he softened his tone. "Sorry, lass, no, I haven't seen anyone by that description here. You look tired, why don't you take a break from your search - you won't find him in the middle of the night."

"Thanks..." - the female voice sounded familiar. Was it... Lena Wolf? Rayenna got a jolt. "Thanks, but I couldn't sleep anyway... Sorry to have disturbed you."

She left. Rayenna heard the front door open and close and the innkeep sigh and settle down into his bed again.

"Yes!!" - Rayenna was ecstatic. "She took the bait! She'll be gone to Boethia's Realm by tomorrow!"

Rayenna's excitement kept her awake, but she didn't want to go to the common room. The Book of Daedra was next to her bed, and she picked it up again. The chapter on Azura was rather boring, and Rayenna soon nodded off to sleep.

...

"Masterfully done!" - a voice woke her up. She looked around - she wasn't at the inn. She was in a cave - a large cavern with strange luminescent mushrooms as the only sources of light. Something fuzzy brushed by her - she jumped back. Spiders. Giant spiders.

"Where am I? What is this place?" - Rayenna asked. She waited, standing still, but there was no answer. "It's a dream" - she thought. "It must be..."

Her eyes adapted to the darkness and she could now make out the rocks and the critters in the cave. They were giant spiders or something similar, but they didn't attack. The mushrooms looked familiar somehow...

"Blackreach" - Rayenna thought. "It must be Blackreach. But how? Does it extend all the way to Cyrodiil?"

Rayenna read travel accounts about Blackreach in Skyrim, saw drawings and colour plates of strange rock formations and these luminous mushrooms. No one knew how big Blackreach really was, there were some old Dwemer exits in Skyrim, but what if it was much bigger than that?

"And how did I get here in the first place?" - wondered Rayenna, carefully picking her way between the rocks towards a larger source of light. She wasn't yet sure what it was.

...

"Welcome, Assassin!" - a Dunmer sat on a throne in an Ayleid chamber. The centre was illuminated with a large wrought iron brazier containing aquamarine crystals. The light did not reach the walls.

Rayenna approached, her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"There is no need for that" - the Dunmer pointed at her hand with a nod. "We are no threat to you... today."

Rayenna felt the air move and heard the slightest noise coming from the darkness. They were not alone.

"Who are you and why did you bring me here?" - she asked, her voice even.

"I am but a messenger" - the Dunmer replied. "And we brought you here to convey a message from our Lord."

The Dunmer fell silent, waiting for Rayenna to ask the next question. When she didn't, he continued.

"Go to the shrine of Mephala, speak to His followers, summon the Prince. Hear His task, fulfil it, and your reward will be what you seek."

Rayenna raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know what I seek?"

"I do not" - the Dunmer fixed her with his gaze. "But My Lord knows."

"And if I refuse?" - Rayenna thought she already knew the answer, but decided to test the waters anyway.

"My Lord will not be denied" - there was fire in the Dunmer's sanguine eyes. "My Brothers will see to that."

A green light shot from the darkness, and Rayenna felt her muscles spasm, paralysed. She passed out.

...

"Well, that was interesting" - Rayenna came to on a cold stone floor. A rat was sniffing her curiously. "Shoo" - she flicked the rat on the nose, the rat recoiled in surprise, then jumped onto Rayenna with a hungry squeak. Rayenna's dagger slit its throat before it made contact. "Ugh" - she threw off the rat and got up. She was in an Ayleid ruin. "So, it wasn't a dream."

The ruin was in a poor condition, with many cave-ins. Rayenna stumbled and nearly fell, landing on a carved stone tablet with a scrap of parchment next to it. Someone was trying to translate the text. "Meridia... Terror of the Most Terror..." - she read. That didn't make sense, so she let it be.

The animals inside the ruin didn't present much challenge to Rayenna, but some mage was less fortunate - or less skilled - and was now but a corpse, lying next to another stone tablet. Past him was an old stone door, and it took all of Rayenna's strength to get that open.

The door led into a flooded cave.

"Oh great" - Rayenna cursed, she was hoping for fresh air, but instead she faced a minotaur. And another. Some imps, too. "How do they even get in here?" - she wondered, but that didn't matter. Eventually, she saw daylight coming through a wooden gate - she was finally outdoors.

Rayenna stood on the City Isle, it was late morning. She walked to the nearest gate - to the Market District - and then to the All Saints Inn.

"Good morning" - the innkeep saw her in surprise. "I didn't see you leave. Breakfast?"

"Yes, please" - Rayenna smiled. Thinking didn't work on an empty stomach.

[Renee]

I enjoyed reading about Lena's induction and introduction into the Dark Brotherhood. She certainly has a lot of questions about how they run things.

The Dark Brotherhood armour design was… err… unusual, to put it mildly. They had leather armour and mage tunics and trousers, some gloves, some boots, some hoods – you could mix and match as you wanted. Black and red design. The armour was skin-tight and made her look like a giant spider woman, the mage’s tunic had big triangles on the front and back, just like a jester, all with a big Black Hand on red background. “So much for being a secret organisation!” – Lena thought in disgust. “Or have they gone commercial?”

The 'so much for being a secret organization' part. *nods* Yes, I have always very much agreed! It's like--how much more can you stand out, while trying not to stand out? Ha.

[Lena Wolf]

The 'so much for being a secret organization' part. *nods* Yes, I have always very much agreed! It's like--how much more can you stand out, while trying not to stand out? Ha.

Of course that would explain all those "Pssst! Hail Sithis!" comments from perfect strangers. I mean, how on Nirn do they know that she's with the DB? Oh, yeah, the armour...

[Lena Wolf]

22 Mid-Year, 4E202 - In service of Mephala

"How am I going to do this?" - Rayenna was sitting at the shrine of Mephala, covering her face with her hands. Mephala had set her a task: go to the settlement of Bleaker's Way, find and kill the heads of the families, place false evidence on them to suggest another family's meddling, don't get caught. This required stealth, something that Rayenna still struggled with. She could creep up to her target for the kill, but stealth for the sake of stealing was not her strong suit. She wasn't sure how to obtain the fake evidence before she could start on the murders.

Well, there was nothing else for it - she had to try.

The village was busy, but eventually Rayenna found a moment when no one was around and broke into Hrol Ulfgar's house. She was good with the locks, just not with sneaking around - in her bandit days she would kill the owners first, then work on the locks without rush, but now the opposite was required.

"Better be quick about it - I don't want to be caught in this house" - she thought. She wasn't here for the riches, she needed something of significance. She looked around, trying not to make any noise, then finally spotted a signet ring on a dresser. "Ulfgar" was etched on it, this looked like a heirloom, so she pocketed it. She exited quickly and was glad that no one saw her.

It was several more hours before the village square was empty again and Rayenna could try the lock on Nivan Dalvilu's house. Finally, she was in. It was a small house and she quickly spotted an elegant dagger on a low table.

"Decorative more than practical" - she thought. "Dalvilu" was engraved on the hilt - another heirloom. She pocketed it. Suddenly she heard someone opening the door. She crouched in a dark corner - it was Nivan Dalvilu returning home.

It was only early evening but she planned to murder them at night, so what was she going to do? Sit quietly until he goes to sleep or murder him now? Was she even able to sit crouched for six hours without losing feeling in her legs?

She was pondering these questions when...

"What are you doing here?" - Nivan Dalvilu noticed her presence.

"I'm... Umm..."

Rayenna decided to bring forward the execution, then put Ulfgar's ring in Dalvilu's pocket.

She waited until past midnight before she ventured outside and into Hrol Ulfgar's house.

Hrol Ulfgar was asleep, and Rayenna crept up and stabbed him. She underestimated the Nord's skill however, and a full blown battle ensued. Good thing they were inside his house, so no one noticed.

"Phew, never underestimate a Nord!" - thought Rayenna when it was all over. She put Dalvilu's dagger into his pocket. "Now just to mention this casually to someone..."

The inn was still open, and Rayenna mentioned overhearing that Hrol Ulfgar had been killed by one of the Dalvilu... And the villagers were at each other's throats.

"Looks like they never really got on" - she thought. "It was like bringing a match to a haystack."

She didn't linger and returned to the shrine of Mephala.

"Well done, Assassin!" - Mephala's voice sounded from the statue. "You should consider joining my ranks. But now for your reward - you were promised that what you seek. Deepscorn Hollow lies East of Leyawiin on the shore of Topal Sea. Go now, Webspinner!"

[Lena Wolf]

23-28 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Rayenna at the Leyawiin Sanctuary

"East of Leyawiin, on the shore of Topal Sea" - Rayenna was pouring over a map at the Roxey Inn. "Well, there's nothing here, of course. I'll have to go and see."

The trip was going to be long and she bought supplies for the road. She could have reached Leyawiin in a day - her black horse was swift - but Rayenna was uncertain. She didn't know what she would find, and whether she would find anyone there or not. And what if she found no proof of Lena's deceit? She decided not to think about it. Just take one thing at a time - she was too far down this road to stop now.

28 Mid-Year

"Ok, I'll do it tonight" - Rayenna told herself. There was no point in delaying it any further. She had found a ruined farm house half sunken into the sea - it was the only point of interest along the shore of the Topal Sea, not counting Tidewater Cave filled with trolls.

Rayenna was losing her touch, or rather losing her head. She found the cave first and entered without an investigation. The next thing she knew was a troll kicking her in the ribs. She gathered her strength and ran towards Leyawiin gates with all the speed she could muster.

"Redguard adrenaline is not supposed to be used to run away!" - she told herself in shame, but shame was better than death. The guard outside the gates finished the troll.

"Don't you worry about that, Miss!" - he called after her.

It took Rayenna two full days to nurse her ribs back to health. She avoided the Tidewater Cave from then on and continued her investigation of the shore line, now a lot more carefully. The sunken farm house seemed abandoned, there were no trolls or any other animals around, and there was a small camp just North of it, without any bandits.

"This is strange" - she thought. "A nice camp like that would normally have tenants. Unless... someone clears them out every so often."

Back at the abandoned farm house, she took off her robe and dived into the water. The door seemed to function, the hinges were clear of rust, but it was locked. Rayenna pulled on it a few times, but without a waterbreathing spell or a potion, she could not keep her breath long enough to fiddle with lockpicks. "Perhaps there is another way it" - she thought. "This must be the place."

After some time she found a trapdoor a little distance away. It too was locked, but it wasn't submerged, and Rayenna set to work on the lock. A short time later it clicked.

"Strange" - she thought. "Why was it so easy?"

No, it couldn't be. She was the hunter here, not the hunted. She was the one setting traps. It could not have been a trap set for her! She refused to believe it. She checked her weapons and went through the trapdoor.

She stood in a short corridor leading into a chamber - she could tell by the light coming from it. She crouched and edged forward until she could peek around the corner. An Argonian stood with his back to her, reading a book. He wore... Dark Brotherhood armour. No! It was a trap. But it also confirmed her suspicions. She needed to enter, to search this place... She would kill her Brother for it. Once he was dead, no one would know what really happened. She attacked.

Teinaava was expecting her, and yet he was surprised - Rayenna was quick and quiet. "And that is why she is a Silencer and I am not" - he thought. But he was no novice either. They fought, Teinaava tried not to kill her - they wanted to capture her instead. He tried to give Fenris an opening to stab her with his paralysing dagger.

Rayenna was winning - Teinaava was bleeding heavily. Another assassin joined the fight - a Dunmer, she noticed. He wore clothes, not armour, his hood hid his face almost completely, but Rayenna saw the paleness of his skin on his hands. He was quick - he diverted her finishing strike from Teinaava, and stabbed her with the other dagger. She fell, paralysed. "Enchantment" - she thought. She would have been resistant to poison. "It shouldn't take long, I'll recover" - she readied her mind to pounce back. The Dunmer turned her to her side, kicking away her sword. He was behind her. A sharp pain in her neck seemed to cut through the paralysis, she wanted to move, but instead... she felt being drained until she passed out.