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

[Acadian]

The Dark Knitting Circle! And they have the goofy armor to back it up.
May I ask your inspiration for Babette? Her character seems familiar somehow.


Plenty of traveling as Lena's crew continues on to Riften then Windhelm.

[Lena Wolf]

The Dark Knitting Circle! And they have the goofy armor to back it up.
May I ask your inspiration for Babette? Her character seems familiar somehow.

Plenty of traveling as Lena's crew continues on to Riften then Windhelm.

The characters of the Dark Brotherhood are the real deal! And the armour too. Most of the dialogue is taken directly from the game. I didn't invent almost any of it... Not even Arnbjorn with his "I don't like you - I love my wife" line. I wonder what he'd say to a male Dragonborn? But he really seems to think that she's coming on to him... some ego there.

The whole Dark Brotherhood line in Skyrim is a parody of the line in Oblivion, and I don't mean it nicely. Which is why I have a "solution" in mind.

The Dark Knitting Circle is not my idea either. It comes from a mod that replaces all loading screens with Uncle Sheo's wisdom. So yeah, Lena heard Uncle Sheo's voice in her head. It's all true!!! I don't write fiction.

[Lena Wolf]

1 First Seed, 4E202 - Dawnstar

Going West from Windhelm and aiming for Morthal, they somehow ended up in Dawnstar.

"This doesn't look like a moor" - Geralt noted looking over the frozen landscape. "Are you sure we're going in the right direction?"

"It's Dawnstar over there" - Hauk pointed at some houses in the blizzard ahead. "We've veered North too much."

"We followed the road!" - Lena protested. "But since we're here, let's at least stop for lunch."

Dawnstar was a nice little village... err... hold capital. It did have a port however, with a longship moored in it and with a passenger boat taking you to Windhelm. They also had a blacksmith, an alchemist, an inn and a... Mythic Dawn museum.

"Oh, that brings back memories" - Lena grimaced. "I don't think I need to visit that - it might end badly for the owner."

They went to the inn for lunch.

"Why did you not mention that you were an Optio?" - Lena asked Hauk making short work of her roast potatoes.

"The same reason you never wear your Imperial Dragon armour" - Hauk smiled at her. "I am not an open book, and neither are you."

True. May be this is why they liked each other so much.

"While we are here, by the way" - Hauk changed the topic - "we might want to take a short detour North - there's an old Sanctuary there, from the time when the Dark Brotherhood still had branches in Skyrim."

Lena raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I know about that" - Hauk continued before she could ask anything. "I also know that it's been abandoned for a very long time. The enchantment on the door should still hold though, because no bandit was ever able to make it into their home - and no undercover Legionnaire either." He winked. "But you might be able to enter - or not, if the current group hadn't managed to break the enchantment yet."

This was interesting and warranted an investigation - they would ride there after lunch and stay the night in Dawnstar.

"Pardon me - I am a priest of Mara" - a dark elf approached their table. "I wonder if I could ask for your assistance."

"We are not looking to get married just yet" - Lena looked at him suspiciously. She didn't like priests of Mara, finding them too interfering in people's private affairs.

"It is not about that" - the priest didn't take offence. "This town is suffering from nightmares - perhaps you've heard, and I believe they come from an old shrine of Vaermina nearby. I was hoping one of you would come with me there - there will be fighting to be done, no doubt, too much for me alone."

"Do you know what exactly is going on?" - asked Lena, still eyeing him with suspicion.

"Not exactly, no, but I have an idea which needs verifying" - the priest was evasive.

"Who is Vaermina?" - asked Geralt with interest.

"A Daedric Prince of nightmares, in a nutshell" - answered Lena. "Well, a female Prince, but they don't call them Princess for some reason. Too cute, probably." She grinned.

"This sounds interesting, I'll go" - Geralt agreed. Then turning to the priest he added: "Let me finish my lunch and I'll come and find you."

The priest walked away.

"You two can take care of your respective business here in the meantime, and I won't be getting in your way" - he added shooting a glance at Lena and Hauk and returning to his stew.

It was true that Lena had business in Dawnstar, but she did want to go to Morthal first to get that horn from the crypt and be done with it. But it was not to be. Ok, Dawnstar first then.

...

Geralt went with the priest to a tower nearby. The priest was more than evasive - he was clearly hiding something. He also seemed to know too much about Vaermina, and mostly about Vaermina followers and their secret rituals. Geralt tried asking some careful questions, but got no satisfactory reply.

Then everything became clear. A group of orcs had attacked the tower wanting to kill everyone inside for the nightmares that they were having. The people inside were no match for the orcs, and after heavy losses they decided to seal the tower and place everyone inside in suspension in order to protect Vaermina's artefact. Geralt was to pass through the magical barrier and face the devotees and the orcs inside. There he was to find the artefact and the priest would then destroy it to lift the nightmares. Why the nightmares had started just now was unclear, since the artefact had been there for a very long time. Geralt wanted answers.

Inside the suspended realm, Geralt found three people deciding to erect the barrier, one of whom looked familiar... yes, it was the priest, and Geralt was looking through his eyes. He had been one of Vaermina's followers, yet he ran at the last moment leaving his companions to die in suspension with no means to escape or get help.

"And Mara accepted him as her priest just like that?" - Geralt thought, his opinion of Mara dropping markedly.

There were choices to be made. Kill the priest or spare him, destroy the artefact or claim it for yourself. Either way, the nightmares would be lifted, Vaermina said.

Geralt could never refuse a woman, so he killed the priest and took Vaermina's artefact.

"A crystal skull..." - he thought turning the staff in his hand. "Reminds me of a raven's crystal skull... another time, another realm... lilac and gooseberries..." He inhaled deeply - he could almost smell it. He never told Yennefer where he'd gone to. He was wondering whether she'd find him anyway.

...

With the business taken care of, our three friends gathered at the inn. It was only early evening, and although the sun had set, the aurora and the moons were giving plenty of light. They decided to ride to the old Sanctuary.

"Well, there's the door, but it won't open" - said Lena, having tried to unlock the enchantment. "My enchantment from Cyrodiil won't work of course, and the local group hadn't been able to break it either. Good."

The Sanctuary in the South that Lena had visited, also carried an enchantment - but it had been tempered with. It was secure enough to keep casual trespassers out, but it wasn't the original thing - Lena could tell. It felt wrong. The enchantment on this door however felt different, so it could well have been original. Whether anyone could still open it, remained a question that even Lucien wouldn't know the answer to. But the Night Mother would.

There was nothing else to do here, so they returned to Dawnstar. The news of Geralt's adventure in Vaermina's tower spread fast - no one cared for what happened to the priest, they only wanted the nightmares to be lifted, and with the skull in Geralt's possession, they were all sure their troubles were over. You'd think they would all rush to their beds for a good sleep, but no - celebrations were running into the small hours, and our party could hardly get any sleep at all. But they would still ride to Morthal in the morning.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:34 PM

[Lena Wolf]

2 First Seed, 4E202 - The Moor - Ustengrav

Riding West from Dawnstar, they soon saw the landscape change - they were coming onto the moors. Ustengrav was on the Eastern edge, and they decided to explore it before going into town. But first Geralt wanted to walk around the moor. It was obvious - the place touched him.

"It is cold, yet not freezing, there's the mist over the water, the buzz of dragonflies and the splashing of fish" - Geralt was getting poetic. "And rambling of walking bones right over there!"

A rogue skeleton put to rest, they continued wandering and trying not to get their feet too wet. The horses seemed to like it well enough, grazing on deathbells and nightshade. They were Nord horses - those mild toxins didn't harm them.

"I could well retire here, you know" - Geralt said looking at Lena.

"You? Retire? Whatever would you do with yourself?" - Lena couldn't quite imagine her brother chopping wood and making stew for the next couple of centuries.

"Well, provided Yen gets here, of course" - he looked into the distance with a longing.

"Did you tell her where you were going?"

"No."

Lena put her arm around Geralt's shoulders.

"But the djinn was gone, yet you both still felt the same, yes? Well then, she'll find you. She is a powerful sorceress."

"But what if..." - he didn't want to continue.

"Was that another test?"

"Ciri wanted her in Nilfgaard."

"Ciri is now the Empress - she made her choice. And what she said when she went to fight that Elf - did you forget?"

Ciri was Geralt's ward, and a daughter of an Emperor. She was also - in Lena's opinion - a selfish brat. Geralt had revered her though, which is why Ciri's disdainful remark to him was so painful: "What do you know of saving worlds? You are but a witcher." Lena could not forgive Ciri that, and Geralt of course could never forget it.

After that epic battle when their world was saved, Ciri took over the throne from her birth father and became the Empress of Nilfgaard. She decided she wanted Yennefer by her side as her adviser, and what Ciri wanted, Ciri got. Yennefer however wasn't that easy to manipulate, not even by Ciri - her unofficial ward. Lena believed that Yennefer would choose Geralt over Ciri in a heartbeat.

"Come, Wolf, you know her, she'll find you" - Lena stood before Geralt with her hands on his shoulders. "Give it time - it's not that easy."

A spectacular appearance of Yennefer stepping through a portal would have been nice right now, but it didn't happen. Finding Geralt on the other side of the Great Maelstrom was going to take time.

...

Ustengrav was just another crypt. Yes, it was extensive, and it had many draugr walking around, and even a remarkable waterfall grotto with an open sky and a Word Wall. It was all very impressive and a nice adventure in itself, but nothing looked like a test for a Dragonborn.

Then they came to an interesting setup of three stones and three consecutive falling gates. As you approached a stone, its associated gate was raised, and all three had to be raised for you to pass, yet you could never stand close enough to all three stones.

"Ok, you stand by that stone and you by this one" - Lena told Hauk and Geralt to take positions.

No, that didn't work. The stones wanted the same person to activate them all.

"So this is the test, then" - Geralt observed. "Do you have a trick to stretch yourself from here to there, Dragonborn? You don't even have a tail."

"I don't need a tail!" - Lena was feverishly thinking what to do. She stripped most of her gear and tried sprinting between the stones, which worked and got all the gates lifted at once, only to drop back to the ground by the time she got to the passage. She tried that again. And again. Hauk and Geralt stood there with their arms folded watching her with amusement.

"You may want to strip some more" - Hauk was being helpful. Lena wanted to punch him in the ribs, but again he was wearing armour, so she just glared at him instead.

Oh, wait. The Greybeards taught her this shout... It might just do the trick.

The Whirlwind Sprint shout got her through the gates, but only just. She'd been running back and forth for a good half hour before she finally cleared the gates and pulled on a chain from the other side to lock them open. Phew, what a test.

"So then, a Dragonborn is supposed to be swift, first and foremost" - Lena summarised her experience while getting dressed. "I'm ready for a snack now."

"Let's pass through those gates first" - Hauk was examining the mechanism. "They are not going to stay open for long."

Through the gates and up the corridor, more draugr were waiting, but eventually they found a suitable chamber for a lunch break.

"I was expecting something where you'd have to breathe fire" - Hauk said disappointedly. "Not run around in your knickers - as amusing as that was."

"I can't breathe fire" - said Lena defiantly.

"Isn't that what Firebrandy is for?" - Geralt chimed in.

"Well, if you are going to make fun of me, then at least pass me the cheese." She was going to be teased about this for the rest of her days, she just knew it. Best laugh it off then.

...

"Oh, that is an impressive hall - and there's an alter at the end!" - Lena exclaimed when they entered what looked like the main chamber. "The horn must be here."

There was a horn-shaped cradle on the alter, but no horn. Instead, there was a note asking the Dragonborn to come and see a "friend".

"What? In Riverwood?" - Lena was furious. "Is it the innkeep or the barmaid, do you think? And I thought you had to be Dragonborn to get here!!"

Hauk and Geralt backed off - Lena was almost breathing fire.

Alas, there was nothing else to do but to pack the note and leave.

"Whoever they are, they didn't make any friends here" - Hauk said to Geralt in a low voice. "Your sister has got quite a temper."

Geralt watched Lena put down a small crowd of draugrs with fire and rage.

"She'll cool off eventually" - Geralt said, keeping his distance. "This is what I must look like when I'm angry" - he thought to himself. He knew exactly how she felt.

...

It was quite late when they came out of Ustengrav, rather disappointed with the whole adventure. There was a fire pit and some bedrolls by the entrance, and they decided to camp right there for the night rather than go to Morthal. Lena was still fuming.

"I'll take the first watch" - she said. "I don't feel like sleeping."

Some hours later Geralt got up to take over, but instead of sleeping, Lena walked off into the moor.

No, she wasn't suicidal. She had spotted an abandoned shack nearby, and wanted to check whether that was indeed the place where Astrid had taken her. She still had the key.

The shack was covered in blood outside.

"Deer blood" - Lena noted, tasting it. "How theatrical."

Inside it was as she remembered it - damp, dark and dirty. The corpses of the subjects that she had killed were still there, now starting to smell. She looked around for a trace of the teleport.

"There it is" - she saw a faded imprint of a rune. "A single use portal. Astrid must have an activator with her, or a special spell. Their mage is really something."

This was clearly a custom spell created specifically for this purpose. Hauk was right - this was their training ground. Lena made a note to pay more attention to the mage next time she was at the Sanctuary, even if it did mean sitting through more of his stories of greatness.

She returned to the camp, now relaxed. She didn't have the horn, but at least she learned something at the shack, so the trip wasn't a complete waste. She could sleep now.

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

3 First Seed, 4E202 - Delphine

The road to Riverwood was uneventful. Lena was unusually quiet and pushed on without distractions, Hauk and Geralt followed, sensing that it was best to let her be. In Riverwood Lena went straight for the inn.

"I am here to rent the attic room" - she told the barmaid.

"Well, we don't have an attic room, but you can have this one on the left" - replied the barmaid taking her money.

"This better be good" - Lena thought to herself going into the room and closing the door.

She didn't even have time to sit down when the barmaid came in asking her to follow. They crossed to the room opposite, where the barmaid opened a secret door leading to a cellar.

"Close the door and follow me" - said the barmaid in a commanding tone. She was no barmaid.

Lena decided to play along for now and see where this was going.

The cellar was set up as a small command post - armour, weapons, medicines, poisons and other supplies where here, as well as the crafting stations. There was a map of Skyrim on the table with some locations marked on it. It wasn't about the Civil War.

Delphine the barmaid gave Lena the horn and said that she was with the Blades. That figured. Elite troops who behaved like elite, weren't Lena's favourite people, and Delphine certainly fitted the profile - superiority incarnate.

"And if you prove to me that you are Dragonborn, I promise to tell you everything" - she said with an air of making an offer that Lena could not refuse. And this is where she was wrong.

"Thanks for the horn. I don't have to prove anything to you. Good day" - Lena said coldly and left.

The Blades weren't just the Emperor's personal guard, they were also dragon slayers, or had been, when there were still dragons around. There weren't many of the Blades left - the Thalmor were very thorough. But any troops can be rebuilt, and the Blades were no exception - fighting skills could be trained, no one was born a swordsman. What they needed however was a Dragonborn - someone who could permanently destroy dragon souls. The Blades' interest in Lena was obvious - they wanted her to fight and destroy dragons, now that the dragons were returning. They weren't interested in anything else. Lena didn't need to hear Delphine's story to figure it all out. She didn't know who else was around and how Delphine planned to rebuild the Blades, but she didn't care either. Find some other Dragonborn.

Thinking these thoughts, Lena returned to the hunter's cabin where Hauk was making stew.

"Well? Did you get the horn?" - he asked, stirring.

"Yes, here it is" - Lena turned it over in her hand. "It's a hunting horn."

"It's not what it is, it's where you got it from that matters though" - noted Hauk. "It was the barmaid, right?"

"Yes. She's with the Blades" - replied Lena rather reluctantly. She was annoyed and didn't want to talk about it.

"Yeah, I thought so" - Hauk smirked. "Never seen a barmaid command the ale to stop fermenting before."

Geralt returned with some venison and rabbit, and the mood much improved. They would have to go to Ivarstead again, but at least for now they could relax.

...

"I've got a house West from here" - Lena said at dinner, looking at Geralt. "In case you've had enough of Sven's mother. I hear she doesn't let you out of her sight when you are in Riverwood."

It was Geralt's turn to get annoyed.

"True - the woman is very persistent. Where is this house and why have you not said anything before?"

"It's not that far, but far enough" - Lena pointed down the road West. "It's by the lake there, near Pinewatch, if you know it. But I haven't been there in a long time, it might have squatters now. Pinewatch is a bandit base, after all. The Jarl granted me rights to the Lake View in exchange for some favours." Lena looked up from her bowl, and seeing a bemused expression on Geralt's face, she hastened to add: "Bandit removal favours. The Jarl is not very scrupulous who he associates with, and has regular disagreements that need 'resolving'. He wanted to make me a Thane, but I refused."

"Yeah, the Jarl of Falkreath has quite a reputation" - Hauk adding grinning.

"Well then, we need to ride there and see what it's like" - Geralt liked the idea. "I could use a break from Sven's mother."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:36 PM

[Lena Wolf]

4-5 First Seed, 4E202 - Lake View - Helgen - Ivarstead

"This is brilliant!" - was Geralt's comment when he saw the Lake View house. "And there is even a necromancer down by the lake for my own personal pleasure."

"Well, the house is yours to live in if you want it" - Lena laughed. "Be gentle with the necromancer though - I think it's just a novice conjurer."

Geralt looked tired. Something was bothering him, and Lena thought it was probably Yennefer - that she hadn't followed him yet. But he didn't tell her where he was headed! Finding someone on the other side of the Great Maelstrom was difficult even for an accomplished sorceress like Yennefer, and you had to think of looking there in the first place. But logic was useless in the matters of the heart.

"Why don't you stay here while Hauk and I go to Ivarstead" - Lena suggested. "We'll come and see you before going back to Cyrodiil."

Geralt agreed.

4 First Seed

The way to Ivarstead went through Helgen. The Western gate was unlocked, and after dispatching a few bandits, Lena and Hauk decided to look around.

Wooden houses were all destroyed - burned by the dragon or just collapsed under its weight. The watch tower still stood, with the Imperial banner moving slightly in the breeze. Even the execution block was still there. Lena shivered - she did not cherish that particular memory.

The Southern and Eastern gates were locked, and there was a lone Imperial soldier on the Southern wall.

"Shall we walk over to him and see why he is there all alone?" - Lena suggested, thinking he might need help.

"No, not like this" - Hauk patted his steel plate armour. "Not unless we're dressed in Legion armour. He is confused, he'll think we are hostile - I've seen a lot of that during the War. I'll send word from the next camp."

They slipped quietly towards the Eastern gate and unlocked it.

"Ralof!"

Ralof was standing on the other side, looking lost.

"Hello" - he said. He didn't recognise Lena. It's been months and months since the dragon attack.

"What are you doing here? Why don't you go to the camp just up the road?" Lena remembered a Stormcloak camp nearby.

"Camp? What camp? Why?"

Lena looked at Hauk but he only shook his head.

"Well, there's food in the tower" - she turned to Ralof.

"I'm Ok, there are rabbits here. And snowberries."

She noticed a small campsite under the trees by the wall. Ralof would be Ok for a few more days, then she'd take him to his sister in Riverwood if he was still there on their way back. The Legion might do it if they got there first. She thought of letting the Stormcloaks at the camp know, but recalling their last encounter, she reconsidered. If the Stormcloaks were resorting to robbing passing travellers for food, then Ralof was better off on his own.

...

The innkeep in Ivarstead was glad to see them again, they stayed the night and Lena would go up to High Hrothgar in the morning.

"I don't have a double bed for you love birds, but I think you won't mind" - the innkeep winked at them.

They didn't mind. Skyrim beds were wide enough for two people, and were far better than scant bedrolls that they had to share so many times before. Love birds - no, friends - yes.

5 First Seed

"I'll go with you this time" - said Hauk in the morning. "Sanguine might not appear every time, and dremora churls aren't that powerful against frost trolls."

Lena had told him how she was surprised when Sanguine appeared instead of a churl last time she went to High Hrothgar.

"There might not be a frost troll there this time" - Lena objected. But then changed her mind: "But still, I'd be glad of your company."

She was uncomfortable with this whole Dragonborn business. She didn't like Delphine but felt that she would not be able to avoid her for much longer. Lena still remembered quite vividly the disdain of the Blades last time around - during the Oblivion Crisis. They made her an "honorary" Blade, meaning: you are not good enough to be one of us, but we have to follow orders. Yet it was she and the "mere" city guards that were closing those damned Oblivion gates while the Blades stayed away in the Cloud Ruler Temple. She never wanted to deal with another Blade ever again, but it looked like she had to this time.

And the Greybeards. Wise old men? Or monks keeping secrets from the unworthy populace? Why was the Thu'um so important to the Nords in the first place? They never explained it properly, always saying evasive things like: "Follow the path of the Voice". Which path was that? The one with a frost troll along the way, it seemed.

She asked Hauk about the Thu'um but he didn't know any more than anyone else. He could tell her the legends and stories that every Nord child grew up with, but he didn't know where they came from, exactly.

"You will probably need to follow up on this and see where it leads you, if you want to find out" - he said. "I've got a feeling you'll get embroiled in everything along the way, Civil War included. Can't say I envy you there."

"Do you think I should join the Legion sooner rather than later?"

"I would not rush that" - Hauk looked at her searching. "You have other business as well. General Talius does not approve of Lucien Lachance."

"They would not need to know."

"Oh, they already know. Why do you think Hadvar is here? They are keeping an eye on you."

Lena would never join the Stormcloaks but this surveillance by the Legion wasn't exactly pleasant either.

"So what about that execution?" - she suddenly remembered the Helgen incident. "Did they actually mean to behead me?"

"No, not then. You were not Dragonborn yet" - Hauk seemed certain. "They don't want to behead you now either - they need you. And if you behave yourself and keep Lucien out of Skyrim, they may even forgive you your little hobby."

"Ok, I promise not to assassinate any important generals" - Lena joked.

"Be careful with that. Wars bring a lot of work for any group of assassins, even one as mediocre as Astrid's."

What?! How did he... Lena opened her mouth in surprise but Hauk was already laughing, so she didn't say anything.

...

"Ok, since you already know, I'll tell you" - Lena stopped her horse and turned to face Hauk. "These assassins are strange. Strange that they don't know - or don't care - that I'm Dragonborn, strange that they have no idea that the Dark Brotherhood is not dead... and now they think they've got the Night Mother here because Cicero brought with him a woman's corpse. It seems too ridiculous for anyone to believe."

"Wishful thinking, perhaps?" - you didn't need to be with the Dark Brotherhood to know that the Night Mother wasn't a mortal woman.

"It's as if they use our name and symbolism to get work - I doubt they'd get any otherwise" - Lena looked uncertain. "They've taken over an old Sanctuary but it isn't theirs by right. They say they've done away with the old ways in order to survive, but I think Astrid simply used the name to build a brand new group that has nothing to do with us. There have never been any 'old ways' here - it's just Astrid and her rule."

"You don't like it."

"I... no."

"You could change it."

Lena looked at Hauk wondering what he was suggesting.

"I don't want to build my own group, even under the Night Mother, if that's what you mean" - she said slowly. "I am an Assassin, not a Listener. That's a very different job."

"I know just how you feel" - Hauk said after a pause. "The same reason why I am an Optio and not a Legate."

"Yeah - field work. Offices are not for us" - Lena said smiling complicitly.

They had already been to High Hrothgar to deliver the horn - and nothing noteworthy happened. They were now headed back to the Lake View where they would spend the night and set off to Cyrodiil in the morning.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:37 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Note about Ralof

Poor Ralof is actually really standing by the Eastern gate of Helgen in my game, feeling lost. I started this playthrough with an alternate start (Fast Alternate Start for PS4) as a Dark Brotherhood assassin, so I didn't go through the Helgen tutorial. However, "Before the Storm" quest is still started when you go talk to Alvor, and there you find Hadvar saying you saved his life. So this is then the default. Ralof however is left in Helgen and never moved to Riverwood as he would be normally if you followed Hadvar.

Of course this gives me an idea. I didn't like existing Helgen rebuilt alternatives, so I might come up with something myself. Also, Ralof would make for an interesting friend with a good story, as long as you don't pair him up with Hadvar... hmmm...

[Lena Wolf]

7 First Seed, 4E202 - Report

Lena was gone for three weeks, and now once again she was sitting at dinner with Lucien. She brought her report on the Dark Brotherhood group in Skyrim.

"It's a bunch of murderers. They kill for the pleasure of killing."

"Well, an assassin should not be avert to killing" - Lucien smiled. "What do you mean, exactly?"

"Exactly what I said: the only thing that drives them is the pleasure that they derive from taking a life. They don't care who or why. They don't serve Sithis or anyone else - only their own Pleasure."

"You don't serve Sithis either, or so you said."

"I don't. I serve the Brotherhood though."

"Yes."

Lucien gave Lena a long look.

"I was one of the young assassins sent to eliminate any and all of the members of Crimson Scar - your great-uncle's group" - he said still keeping his eyes on Lena's. "We were warned that the Crimson Scar members were superior to us in strength and skill, partly because they were vampires. For once, we were told to come back alive - retreating if necessary. 'Kill just one of them and come back' - we were told. 'There will be many more visits until we've killed them all.' It was a very unusual approach for the Dark Brotherhood."

Lucien was watching Lena's reaction. He knew that she had read her great-uncles journal and was aware of the events.

"In the end I killed your great-uncle."

Lena didn't divert her gaze.

"He was a crazy man and Sithis would have been pleased with either outcome. Whoever spills more blood. But Uncle had turned on his brothers first by turning some of them to his side, and thus he betrayed the Brotherhood. You were right to kill him."

"You do not blame me then?"

"No, Lucien."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Why did you disobey my order back then and refused to perform Purification?" - it seemed that Lucien had wanted to ask that question for a long time.

"I did not trust the 'evidence'. It didn't make sense to me. I could not see anyone in Cheydinhal to be traitors or why I should be above suspicion. I thought you might have been framed to give that order. I didn't trust where it came from. I served my family."

"And paid dearly for that. I am glad however that you proved to be a better assassin than the ones that were sent after you."

"Is that why you wanted me to rejoin?"

"You are my Silencer, I never replaced you" - Lucien answered simply.

"But... I refused your order! I was exiled, I never made it past Assassin" - Lena protested. "And I'm still climbing up through the ranks all over again."

"When you refused and several other assassins failed to purify Cheydinhal, the traitor panicked. He started substituting dead drops for Silencers of the other Speakers, and indeed several important people were killed before we figured out what was happening. But because it wasn't my Silencer doing it, and because I myself was exiled at the time - oh yes - when the others found the traitor, found his diaries, everything, my exile was called off, as well as the hunt for you. You were already gone - to the Shivering Isles, as we now know. I made you my Silencer then."

He got up, took a package from a chest and put it in front of Lena on the table.

"Of course, you didn't know it. Now you do. These are yours."

"Black Hand robes!" - Lena touched the folded robes as if to ascertain they were real. The cloth felt smooth, the enchantment tickled.

"Your current climbing through the ranks is just a formality, and because you refused a promotion - remember?" - he smiled.

"I asked for a house instead" - Lena smiled back. "But what good was it to you to have an absent Silencer?"

"I didn't want anyone else. I would wait for you to return - and you have."

"You've waited 200 years."

"It was worth it."

Lena looked up, then continued patting the robes, smoothing out the wrinkles, sliding her hand into the glove.

Lucien brought another bottle of Tamika West Weald - Lena's favourite.

"So what of the Skyrim group - should we eliminate them?"

"No, leave them be. They keep the name of the Dark Brotherhood known in Skyrim" - Lena raised a toast. "Here's to your ghost, Lucien - they believe you to be dead along with everyone in Cheydinhal!"

They drank and tried not to choke with laughter.

"My ghost?" - Lucien was amused.

Lena snapped her fingers and a Spectral Assassin appeared before them.

"You summon me again, sister" - he said. He did look a little like Lucien. He looked around, didn't see any threats, and just stood there, with his arms folded.

"Their mage came up with this spell."

"He doesn't recognise me" - said Lucien. "Whose ghost is it?"

"I have no idea" - said Lena. "I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't anyone's ghost at all. Their mage is quite gifted, this apparition could be completely synthetic." She dispelled the Spectral Assassin.

History books recorded the Purification of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary as completed with the Dark Brotherhood collapsing some time after that. But we all know that history books have little to do with reality. It seems that the Skyrim group imagined themselves to be the only surviving Dark Brotherhood group, and Cicero only confirmed their belief. Cicero however had never been a member of the Dark Brotherhood, just as the Night Mother could not be killed because she wasn't any one woman.

Lena didn't want to speak of the Skyrim group any more.

"Astrid told me to join the Thieves Guild to help deal with the fines and jail sentences. Me - Thieves Guild!!"

"I can see you doing it with only one purpose, and that won't be to deal with the fines" - Lucien nodded.

"Despicable" - they said together and laughed. More wine and cheese followed.

"I..." - Lena started hesitantly. She had to get something off her chest. "I wasn't away all of this time..." - she fidgeted. "I was coming and going... especially in the beginning. I had things that needed taking care of."

"I know" - Lucien didn't sound surprised. "The cure for vampirism being one."

"Yes" - that was not all, clearly. Lena continued to fidget. "And... I came here many a time, and I stayed here while you were away."

"And took some of my poisoned apples, yet left other excellent poisons behind. I know. I wasn't always away."

Lena knew of course that Lucien could just disappear, yet she had never checked to see whether she was alone.

"Is that why you replaced that narrow cot by this double bed? Added other furniture? I was expecting to run into someone else here, but never have, and after a while decided you just wanted more comfort."

"I came in late one night and you were asleep in my bed. This was the first time I saw you after you'd disappeared. I slept on the floor, and left before you woke up. Borba was very accommodating regarding the furniture. She's very discreet, too."

Borba. Of course.

"You kept my flowers" - Lucien said after a pause.

"I... I was surprised at the lily of the valley" - Lena said. "Are you sure?"

"That I love you? Of course." He paused. "I require nothing of you, you keep your freedom. But if you ever... I'm here."

...

Lena was overwhelmed. She stood looking at Lucien, not able to move or say anything, and she didn't know what she would say. Tears ran down her face, yet she was smiling, her heart beating fast. She took a step forward and stretched out her arm - and touched Lucien on the shoulder. It was as if she had expected him not to be there. No, he was there, she hadn't dreamt it.

Lucien watched Lena's reaction in silence, giving her time to regain control. When she didn't, he stepped towards her and pulled her into a tight embrace - the way friends do after a long separation. For this was what they were first and foremost - old friends.

"Stay here tonight" - he said wiping her tears. "You need a good rest. I'll vanish and give you peace."

"I..." - Lena found her voice. "No, Lucien, don't go."

She got into bed and fell asleep, exhausted. It had been a long day.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:38 PM

[Renee]

I am going back to the beginning, just because it'll answer some stuff, and flesh out some other stuff. Over at Beth's forums we were deep into Lena's story, so let's find out how it starts.

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.

Awesome! This is like a lot of 16 year-olds who have been thrust onto the streets, I'd imagine. Just so you know, Acadian's Buffy also grew up in Bravil.

Oh okay good. So she gets taken in by the Mages Guild. Could she perform any magic at that point? Or I suppose they saw something in her, and wanted to take her in; steer a young Lena on the right path.

She went to jail for stealing a sweetroll.

And became infected with vampire's disease. Mages Guild had no prob with this, but the FG kicked her to the curb!

I am glad she told Thieves Guild to fokke off. Not that they haven't got their place in Tamriel, but for some reason I don't think being in TG suits her.

Did you (and her) enjoy closing Oblivion gates? How long did she spend doing so, roughly? I'll let you know later why I ask these things.

I like how you continue her story into the 4th Era. As you know, I have done this with basically most of my PC characters, as well. A lot of my characters on console (PS3 or Xbox) lived in the 3rd Era, and did most of those quests in the vanilla game, whereas a lot of my characters on PC live in the 4th Era. It's how I explain all the modded content in their games, which weren't around before!

Whoa, she meets Geralt! As in THE Witcher.

This post has been edited by Renee: May 30 2021, 03:53 PM

[Lena Wolf]

So she gets taken in by the Mages Guild. Could she perform any magic at that point? Or I suppose they saw something in her, and wanted to take her in; steer a young Lena on the right path.

She might have been able to do some simple magic, she was rather gifted, being a Breton and her mother having been a mage. Not that she remembered her mother really - she died when Lena was four. But I think mostly the mages saw some potential and tookher in, you know how Kud-Ei is.

She went to jail for stealing a sweetroll.

Not just a sweetroll, or rather this wasn't the first time she got caught. It was the famous "one sweetroll too many" situation. The City Watch had figured that a short stay in jail might make her think twice next time.

Did you (and her) enjoy closing Oblivion gates? How long did she spend doing so, roughly? I'll let you know later why I ask these things.

It took about 3.5 years to get it all sorted... If anyone tells you that the Oblivion Crisis was over within a week, just laugh in their face. But of course there were other things going on as well, and as a vampire, she had to stay out of the sun... She closed a LOT of gates. It was easy enough once her illusion skill got so high that she could get 100% chameleon with rings and spells, but the sun was always a problem, or molten lava as is the case in Mehrus Dagon's realm. On the flip side however, Xivilai blood proved very nutritious. If you could get them to sleep first, that is. Or paralyse them for long enough. Dremora too - Sanguine is still being careful.

But did she enjoy it? It was fun at first, but became tedious after some time.

[Lena Wolf]

8-10 First Seed, 4E202 - Dark Fissure

After that long conversation with Lucien the night before, Lena still felt overwhelmed. She was vaguely aware of Lucien moving around the room while she slept, so he didn't leave. He was making breakfast when she got up, and he didn't look tired - he must have slept too. It seemed this wasn't the first time, as he said, but it was the first time that Lena became aware of what she had been doing: staying in someone else's home without their permission. This was going to have consequences.

8 First Seed

Lucien finished cooking. A classic fry-up with a bloody steak for Lena.

"You look pale" - he said.

Last night, when he hugged her, his neck was so close to her face... and all she could think about was how good that vein looked... and that scent...

She had been drained, overwhelmed and exhausted - the things they discussed literally turned her world upside down. Two hundred years was a long time to wait. He must have been part-elf, because he didn't age much and he wasn't a vampire. An Imperial with a Breton name...

Lena's mind was mulling over these thoughts while she finished her steak. She was feeling better now, and the visions of Lucien's veins faded away. She looked up. Lucien met her eyes, smiled and nodded.

"What?"

"Your eyes are back to amber" - he said.

...

It was time to get going, Lena had things to do, and Lucien probably did as well. She tried on her new Black Hand robes. Yes, she would be using these today. They were just like mage's black robes, almost the same, no insignia, nothing like the flashy outfits of Skyrim assassins that made them stand out a mile and be noticed - and perhaps that was the point.

"No need for advertising here" - she thought.

9 First Seed

It was almost 9 a.m. but Lena hadn't slept yet. With her business in the Imperial City completed, she stopped by the Arcane University to make some custom spells and to plunder their garden. She then went to her house on the Waterfront to practice the spells and brew poisons and potions. She was going to travel alone for a while and wanted to be prepared. She hadn't noticed that she'd been up all night.

"Well, I can sleep there" - she thought. The Mages Guild wanted her to do some surveillance and it could well take days on end, even a week if she was unlucky. She packed a bedroll and some provisions and set off to the Dark Fissure.

10 First Seed

Midnight came, and Masser was in Revenant. This meant that Masser stood just at the right angle in the sky to send a beam of purple light. What luck that it happened on the first night! It was a weekly phenomenon.

The necromancers had set up an alter to convert grand soul gems into black ones under this light. Lena observed the ritual from the one place where the necromancers weren't looking: above them.

After that she decided to have a closer look at the alter. One of the alcolytes was still there.

"Unwise" - Lena thought. "My black robes are not the same as your black robes."

She had enough information for Raminus Polus, but she was tired and decided to spend the day in Cheydinhal. She was also due at the Sanctuary to report on her job in the Imperial City. Raminus could wait another day.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:39 PM

[Lena Wolf]

10 First Seed, 4E202 - Family

"Precise and discreet, as usual" - said Ocheeva handing over the bonus. "We expect another contract soon, if you want it."

"I do" - Lena looked determined. "I've been away far too long."

"Nonsense" - Ocheeva smiled warmly. "He always knew you'd be back."

Lena looked in Ocheeva's amber eyes and saw her adoptive grandmother before her. She too could see everything plainly.

"How..." - she hesitated. "Why did the others allow him to appoint an absent Silencer?"

"He didn't give them any choice. The Night Mother reluctantly agreed, the others followed. He was very busy doing everything himself, especially during the War there was a lot of work."

Lena fidgeted.

"I suppose I should be going... I'll be around, just leave a note upstairs when you need me." She stood up to leave.

"Oh" - she sat down again. "There's an ex-Shadowscale among the Skyrim assassins. Claims to be the last of his kind. I thought you might want to know. I'll be going back there at some point, in case you need anything."

"Thank you, dear" - Ocheeva smiled. "He's just a fool. His cell collapsed or else he was made to believe that it collapsed, and now he thinks he's the last one. They probably put him there on purpose too - without him knowing it. Not all Shadowscales are blessed with brains, you know. But I'll send word, all the same."

Ocheeva took Lena's hand.

"Those robes suit you. Don't worry about anything, dear. Things will fall into place when the time is right, and it isn't for a while yet."

Was that Lena's grandmother talking? Or was it just the Argonian way?

...

The news of Lena's reinstated rank spread quickly through the Sanctuary, not the least because she was wearing her Black Hand robes.

"Good to see you're really back, sister" - Antoinetta Marie greeted her. "I'm glad you didn't get killed... err... you know!" - she beamed at Lena. "I still think I should have Ocheeva's job, and I don't mind telling you this, since you know talent when you see it, too."

This had become a running joke in the Sanctuary over the years. Antoinette Marie was ambitious, and believed herself to be an exceptionally talented assassin. While she certainly had her merits, she was... shall we say... too talkative. And her cooking made Vicente ill.

"I thought you were gone for good" - Gogron joined in. "I was probably the only one surprised when you reappeared. I'm not that subtle!" - he chuckled. "Is it true that you're a Silencer? Have been all this time? Is that why Ocheeva and Vicente were out on jobs more often than usual? To fill in?"

Gogron was definitely not subtle - and not trying to be, either. "Bonus - what bonus?" - he used to say and chuckle. But he never missed his mark, doing things his way.

"Don't you start, Gogron" - Telaendril gave him a tender look. Then turning to Lena, she added, smiling: "He's such a brute! We're all glad you're back, wearing those robes. Even M'raaj-Dar, although he'll still say that the new recruit isn't fit to polish his boots..."

"We are also all glad to still be alive" - Teinaava hissed into Lena's ear. He was the only one to mention the failed Purification. "After that Argonian heart, I wouldn't take my chances against your Sufferthorn, Silencer."

Vicente was crossing the hall when he saw them talking.

"If I could have a word..." - he smiled at Lena.

She followed him to his quarters.

"I know you cured your vampirism, but that cure has some negative effects, does it not?" - he smiled again. "And I don't mean the looks - you obviously fixed that. That cure also leaves you weakened, your blood doesn't regenerate as well as it should. You noticed it, no doubt."

Lena was thinking of all those encounters with ghosts and liches that seemed to affect her far worse than anyone else. Like those ghosts in the Benirus Manor, and Hauk offering his neck to her afterwards. May be he wasn't joking.

"You are no longer a vampire, but you can still drink blood - and assimilate it into your own, like a vampire. You don't need it to survive, but you can still use it."

That explained those sudden urges... It seemed Hauk wasn't joking.

"Ah - but you no longer have the fangs. Or do you?" - Vicente seemed to have researched this topic very well. "Janus Hassildor and I had a long talk with your cure potion on the table. When Janus' wife could not be saved by it, he had to rethink his own existence. He offered me the cure too - we go a long way - but neither of us wanted it in the end. We had no one among the living that we would want to grow old with."

Lena was listening, and wondering just why she had been so eager to take that cure back then. She was young and inexperienced, she had assumed the cure would make her like before... and was bitterly disappointed when it didn't. This was a lesson in not assuming anything and not giving in to wishful thinking. The witch had never promised to make her like before - she only promised to make her mortal.

"I just wanted to say" - Vicente saw shadows passing over Lena's face - "now that you've taken that cure, you might need blood to recover from a bad fight."

Hauk wasn't joking.

"I have bottled blood here, as you know, just ask when you need it. Sister."

Sister. Lena was really back with her family. And Hauk... he knew what an ex-vampire would need... and was willing to provide it. Lena finally knew who her friends were.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:40 PM

[Lena Wolf]

12 First Seed, 4E202 - Othrelos

"Someone killed Othrelos in his house in the Imperial City" - Garrus was saying to Lena over dinner. She had returned to Cheydinhal and bumped into him in the street. Garrus was just coming off duty, so they decided to catch up.

"Othrelos?" - Lena raised an eyebrow. "Who was he?"

Garrus smirked.

"It's Ok, I'm off duty, I won't tell anyone" - he winked at her. Garrus Darelliun was the Captain of the Cheydinhal City Guard, and Lena's friend. "He had a small non-fatal stab wound, but mostly his heart ripped apart as if from electrocution. His girlfriend found him."

"While holding the bloody dagger, no doubt. Was he seeing someone else?"

"He was, but they never found the dagger" - Garrus confirmed. "Leave the dagger there, next time. Or leave some dagger, anyway, I doubt you'll part with yours." He pointed at her Sufferthorn.

"So, she zapped him then" - Lena wasn't giving up.

"No scorch marks. It was poison, just like Fathis Ules. We are not all idiots, you know" - Garrus looked at her smiling. He was such a tease!

"Poor man... Othrelos, you said?" - Lena smiled back. "Scornful women can be quite dangerous, as Fathis Ules also found out."

"I wonder who's next" - Garrus mused. "They seem to be going for the Thieves Guild, and there have been reports of a peculiar wraith haunting the abandoned house in Anvil. Appeared fairly recently."

"Peculiar - how so?"

"It speaks - whispers - of the wrath of Sithis."

"Sithis?"

"Oh please! I know it's your doing" - Garrus looked Lena in the eye. "I am not Adamus Philida, and this is Cheydinhal, so don't worry - this is not going on report."

Lena wasn't worried about it going on report, but speaking about Dark Brotherhood business was against the rules. Except in this case.

"I heard Countess Umbranox put out a contract on her husband's life" - she said. "He didn't stay with her very long after he was unmasked as the Grey Fox a long time ago. Apparently he got bored with honest life and disappeared on her. So here's another scornful woman."

"I've heard the same" - Garrus nodded. "But what's with the wraith?"

"I hear the lady wanted him to be afraid first, a quick death being too merciful for her liking."

"That explains the deaths of the other Thieves Guild members, too. Very good indeed!" Garrus did not approve of the Thieves Guild.

"How do you like your Captain's duties, now that you are no longer stuck patrolling the throne room all day?" - asked Lena changing the topic.

"Much better!" - Garrus refilled their goblets. "That Regina Regis is also whipping the guards into shape as I never could. As a second in command, she runs the barracks now, while I... why, I get to stroll around town and talk to passers by!"

...

"So where are you off to next?" - Garrus asked after a while.

"South. To face some necromancers for the Mages Guild at Nenyond Twyll and to retrieve something from a tomb at Water's Edge for the Fighters Guild" - Lena went through her journal.

"Is Hauk with you?"

"No, he's been called away."

"Well, if you'd like company..." - Garrus put on his most charming smile - "I'm sure I can get time off."

It's been a month since their last adventure together, and Garrus was getting bored. Lena couldn't refuse him, even if she wanted to.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:41 PM

[Lena Wolf]

What follows happened over a month ago - this is how Garrus and Lena met.

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

2 Sun's Dawn, 4E202 - Garrus Darelliun

Garrus Darelliun was pushing 40. Born too late to fight in the Great War, he grew up in its shadow, admiring the great heros and wishing he'd be just a bit older to join them. Instead, he joined the Imperial City Watch.

The Imperial City had many attractions for a young man, many attractions in female form. He was quite the ladies' man and was having the time of his life until one of the ladies turned out to be a rich heiress not willing to share. He heard the wedding bells ring, dropped everything and ran - he applied for a transfer to Chorrol where there was an opening at the Castle.

Chorrol was boring. After the pleasures of the Imperial City, Garrus was suffering from the lack of entertainment. Chapel services on Sundas and getting drunk at The Grey Mare was just not cutting it for him. He started looking at the castle maids... Quite shapely girls, for the most part. Garrus' life improved for a short while until the Captain took him to one side and said that the Countess did not appreciate such libertarian tastes in her guards, and Garrus was either to stop it immediately, or else to seek transfer.

"I'd choose transfer" - advised the Captain. "The Countess is very pious. Emfrid and I have to sneak around so much to keep our relationship under wraps - we don't really want to get married, not now anyway. But in Chorrol you are either married or you practice abstinence. If I were you, I'd choose Cheydinhal - it is basically a Dunmer and Orc city, they have very different ideas of propriety. You'll fit right in."

The Captain was right. Cheydinhal was a bit strange at first, but Garrus quickly found his pace. The ladies were very friendly indeed.

That was 15 years ago. The ladies were still friendly, and Garrus was still popular, but he started to wonder whether he was missing out on something in life. Marriage and family? Nah, that couldn't be it. His own house? But as the second in command, he had his own room at the barracks and was quite content, so that wasn't it either. Something intangible, something to do with the heroes of the Great War that he used to admire as a boy... Something that Borba mentioned about that new girl in town - an adventurer, she said. Adventurer...

Garrus was pondering this and that standing guard in the throne room of the castle, when Lena walked in saying that Aldos Othran had lost it, attacked a guard and was killed, and now Llevana Nedaren wanted to finish Ulrich Leland in retaliation for her friend. Oh no! Garrus wouldn't stand for murder, but had no issues with a bit of snooping around. He gave Lena a key to Ulrich's room and hoped she had the skill to remain undetected. She did - she brought the evidence that put Ulrich in prison and promoted Garrus to Captain. Lena got her reward and left, and Garrus resumed being bored.

Adventurer... what was it like? Who was this girl? She looked so young, but somehow seemed to be older...

One big boon of being the Captain of a City Guard was an almost unrestricted access to the Imperial Archives, in particular if you had an excuse. Lena taking over the Abandoned House was a good excuse to request her file, even though the Count didn't ask for it for some reason.

Lena's file made for interesting reading. Born some 20 years before the Oblivion Crisis... with a string of petty thefts - mostly food... was briefly jailed at the Imperial Prison... turned up in Kvatch and Bruma... was a registered vampire but no assaults... member of the Mages Guild... some unconfirmed rumours of... reducted... then nothing. Vanished. Disappeared from the face of the Nirn. And then almost 200 years later she reappeared, started reclaiming her citizen's rights. There was no reason to refuse, and she was no longer a vampire. Proceedings took time, but now she's fully reinstated. Age? Unknown.

When the renovations of the Wolf Sanctuary were complete, the Count asked Garrus to verify that the building was conform planning regulations.

"Planning... regulations?" - Garrus never heard of them before.

"Well, you know, it's been abandoned for so long, and there is that well behind it, and I hear there's a passage in the basement that needed to be blocked - just see that it's all safe to use, will you? We don't want any accidents to befall our citizens, do we?" - The Count looked at Garrus with significance. Could the rumours be true? That there was a reason for that house to be abandoned? And if Lena now owned it, it must mean that she... Oh!

If an inspection of a sensitive nature was to be made, Garrus was the man for the job - the Count knew his people. Garrus didn't disappoint.

"You are always such a welcome sight!" - he greeted Lena when she came to see him in the throne room in response to his note. He was genuinely glad to see her, glad for the opportunity to make her acquaintance. As the Captain of the Guard, it was not normally his duty to guard the throne room 13 hours a day, but the Count hadn't yet appointed a replacement, and Garrus was stuck in the castle until 10 p.m. But in this case he didn't mind.

"Can I come after 10 p.m.?" - He didn't have a choice, and Lena couldn't refuse.

The inspection went well. The well hadn't been touched and looked completely abandoned, like before. Lena didn't need it because she had plumbing done in the basement. Oh yes, that door was locked, and she hadn't seen anyone coming or going... Better not ask if she had the key.

Lena showed Garrus around her new home. It was simple and comfortable.

"You called it the Wolf Sanctuary" - said Garrus. "I can see the sanctuary in it. I hope to never see the wolf."

He smiled. Lena smiled back. He stayed for dinner.

...

"I've got to run - I'll be late for duty" - the bells on the chapel marked 6 a.m.

"When was the last time you were on leave?" - Lena asked.

Garrus could not remember. He was sure he was owed some. Definitely.

"I'll speak to the Count, he is waiting for my report anyway. Come and see me at the castle... after you've had some sleep. I'll be patrolling the throne room."

...

Some time in late morning Lena went to the castle. Garrus was standing in the throne room wearing a set of ebony armour.

"I got time off!" - he beamed. "The Count got someone new to patrol the throne room - a certain Regina Regis, my newly appointed second in command. She looks just like me - it's uncanny."

Garrus looked at Regina sideways.

"The Count was happy with my report and when I mentioned that I might travel with you, he immediately declared that I could have as much leave as I wanted. I hadn't taken any in 15 years! So I went to Borba's - she wasn't happy to wake up this early, I can tell you - but she softened up a bit when I said I was there for this armour. I've been eyeing it for months, but had no use for it until now."

"Come on then, my handsome knight!" - Lena smiled. "The world better watch out."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:42 PM

[Lena Wolf]

13 First Seed, 4E202 - Shadowhunt - Robes - Arena

While Garrus was arranging his time off, Lena decided to take care of some chores and to test her new bow - a bonus from the last job. It was an unassuming but exceptionally light steel bow named "Shadowhunt" with a quad enchantment: weakness to poison, damage health and magicka, and turn undead. Good both for necromancers and their creations. So she went to the Dark Fissure again to clear it out.

The bow worked wonders. It also had an exceptionally high charge: 115 uses, 6700 units of charge.

"How do you even make that?" - she wondered. "A grand soul gem can only hold 1600 units, and the same for a black gem that can take sentient souls. What kind of a soul gives 6700 units of charge? A god?"

Let's hope not. She remembered Feyfolken - a book she read about a quill enchanted with an unusually large soul. Too bad no one knew whose soul it was.

...

Dark Fissure had a large chain of caverns with necromancers and undead, as expected. Shadowhunt performed admirably, delivering a poisoned arrow from stealth for maximum effect. Although necromancers could rarely be silenced, they would become confused when their zombies turned around and ran away. Even liches who were normally immune to turn undead spells, stopped their approach, although did not retreat.

The caverns inside Dark Fissure looked ordinary except for one where someone made a home, guarded by a couple of wraiths and liches. This must have been some important necromancer!

Unfortunately he or she was not at home, and Lena decided not to abuse their hospitality.

"Somehow I don't think they would take it as kindly as Lucien did" - she thought, blushing slightly at the thought of her trespassing on Lucien's privacy all these years. She felt uneasy about it now, but it was much too late for that!

She was enjoying her new robes as well. It was clothing, so did not hamper magic, and although it did not provide any shielding, it had a five-fold enchantment to raise her skills of blade, marksman, sneak, illusion and speechcraft. In addition, the boots were so light and quiet, that they gave no penalty on sneaking at all.

"Nice not to have to sneak barefoot over these sharp stones" - she thought.

She took a closer look at the necromancers' robes and hoods. Black robes with a necromancy symbol on the front, no enchantment. But gosh were they heavy! And the hoods - as heavy as the robes.

"Whatever they are made of!" - Lena wondered. "This hood alone weighs as much as my robe, boots and gloves taken together." She patted the fabric. The necromancer robes felt soft. "Oh, this is velvet!" That was quite luxurious, and explained the weight. Her own robes were silk, however.

...

Having finished clearing the Dark Fissure, she returned to the Imperial City - she needed stealth for her next assignment and decided to enchant a plain black silk robe and hood with chameleon so that together with rings and spells she could get full concealment. Problem was - she didn't have a black silk hood to go with the robe.

"Well, I could use this blue mage's hood - it's nice and light" - she thought. "But blue doesn't go with black."

Oh girl - you are enchanting with chameleon! No one is ever going to see the colour of that robe or hood! But no, she knew what colour it was, and that was enough to put her off. So, where does one get a black silk hood? Because obviously, a black velvet hood from the necromancers set was not going to work with a black silk robe...

...

"Pssst, over here!"

Someone called out from behind a bush.

"Huh?" - Lena turned to look. She had just left Roach at the Chestnut Stables and was walking towards the Market District along the City Wall - much quicker to walk on the outside than through the city districts.

"Pssst, look what I've got for sale! You won't find this at your local store, that's for sure!" - Shady Sam beckoned her to see his wares. Potions, poisons, lockpicks and skooma.

"Ummm... I see" - Lena said, looking him over. He was wearing a black silk hood. "I want your hood, and I'll even pay for it" - she said.

"What - are you with the City Watch?!" - cried Sam, drawing his sword.

...

"So, one black silk hood sorted" - Lena thought picking up the hood. "Idiot."

...

The rest of the day was uneventful. Lena finished her chores - shopping, enchanting, spell making - and stopped by Hauk's house to say hello - she missed him. But Hauk wasn't at home, he'd been called away on Legion business after their trip to Skyrim, and was being kept busy still. Outside the Tiber Septim Hotel Lena ran into Jowan who was still staying in the Imperial City. He looked busy and a bit bashed up.

"What have you been up to?" - she asked, looking over his bruised face.

"Arena."

"What? You are competing?"

She thought it was probably unwise. Jowan was a mage, not a fighter.

"Yeah, I watched some fights, placed some bets, lost a lot of money" - he said, looking up. "Then I thought - I can do it just as well as they can. And yes, now I'm competing."

"Well, you are obviously not dead yet" - Lena was dubious about this whole idea. "Try to stay that way, will you? If you need money, you can always come with me - wraiths and liches might be a safer bet than angry Arena combatants."

"Ah - but they don't realise I'm a blood mage" - he said, grinning. "They draw my blood and think they are winning, and that's where they go wrong..." He lifted up his tunic to show some poorly healed gashes. "But you are right - this is getting too much. I'll need to take a break and let it heal first."

They agreed to meet up again soon, and parted. Lena was shaking her head. "Well, I hope you're still alive next time I'm here" - she thought to herself about Jowan. He was clearly getting himself into trouble again.

She picked up Roach and rode to Cheydinhal. Garrus was probably already waiting - they would set off South in the morning.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:43 PM

[Acadian]

I like Lena's analysis of the merits of silk vs velvet for her robes. And the need for a matching hood of course.

[macole]

Poor ole Shady Sam, should've sold the hood when the price was right.

[Lena Wolf]

I like Lena's analysis of the merits of silk vs velvet for her robes. And the need for a matching hood of course.

A girl has to have style. Even when in 100% chameleon.

Poor ole Shady Sam, should've sold the hood when the price was right.

She tried to persuade him but he just got so angry... and you'd think he'd be able to tell who is who. I mean - in his line of work!

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

14-16 First Seed, 4E202 - Arkved's Tower - Charcoal Cave

Lena and Garrus set off from Cheydinhal going roughly South West towards the White Rose River following up on a job for the Mages Guild. Going through the forest, they were passing close to the shrine of Vaermina.

14 First Seed

"I happen to have a black soul gem" - said Lena. "What say you if we go talk to Vaermina and see if there's anything she wants doing?"

"Isn't that unwise?" - Garrus never dealt with a Daedric Prince before. "Aren't they all out to kill you?"

"Nah, not all of them" - Lena tried to sound reassuring. "Vaermina is all right."

Garrus was still not convinced but Lena marched to the shrine and placed a black soul gem on the altar. Vaermina had a task for her.

...

"See, it's not as bad as that! We just need to clear this fort" - Lena was saying as they entered Arkved's Tower. "The man really made a home for himself here!"

The first chamber was set up as a dining room with fine furnishings and silver tableware. They continued on. The second chamber appeared empty, only furnished in cobwebs.

"Ok, this is a little weird" - Lena conceded looking up. The room wasn't empty - there was a dining room set up... on the ceiling, suspended upside down. "He's a mage all right, but that's just silly."

The third chamber had two Xivilae waiting for them.

"Finally!" - Garrus exclaimed drawing his claymore. "Now you die!"

No, Xivilae weren't impressed. They summoned a clannfear each, and soon Lena and Garrus were both knocked out. Getting up and trying not to attract attention, Lena summoned a daedroth, stepped back and took up the Shadowhunt. Poisoned arrows with the heavy enchantment from the bow found their mark, and Garrus saw one xivilae going down and taking his clannfear with him. With the forces evened out, the other xivilae went down fairly quickly too.

"Who were they?" - asked Garrus standing over the corpses.

"Xivilae" - answered Lena with regret, cutting out the hearts. "Proud creatures, it's a pity to see them bound in Mundus like that. It seems we are in for more daedra."

...

Arkved had created his own piece of Oblivion in the tower, complete with a rocky oasis amid a sea of lava. Daedra were numerous and fierce, apparently rather annoyed to be stuck there. Garrus was having the time of his life.

"Was it like this during the Oblivion Crisis?" - he asked Lena, walking among the corpses.

"Yeah, except that the corpses were mostly of mortals, not daedra" - she answered, trying not to step into too much blood. "But inside the Oblivion gates it was all red with lava like in that oasis. And full of daedra."

"Have you closed a lot of gates?"

"I... yes." She didn't seem to want to go into the details. "Come on - we're not done yet."

The decor in the tower had changed - there were now decomposing corpses everywhere, ready to be raised as zombies. There were traps and more daedra. In the final chamber they found Arkved, sleeping. He used Vaermina's orb to enter eternal sleep with eternal dreams. He did not fear the nightmares.

"What will happen to him now?" - asked Garrus when Lena picked up the orb.

"He will die in his sleep, eventually. It will happen anyway, whether the orb is here or not. He won't wake up because he doesn't want to."

...

Vaermina was pleased to have her orb back and gave Lena the Skull of Corruption.

"It's yours again" - she said. "Do try not to lose it like last time, will you?"

"Last time?" - Garrus looked at Lena suspiciously. "When was that?"

"A while back" - she answered, sliding her hand over the staff. "In another life." It certainly felt that way. The Dunmer at the shrine smiled in understanding.

16 First Seed

It was 5 a.m. when Lena and Garrus stood on the bridge by the Charcoal Cave looking at the Imperial City. They haven't slept the previous night, having cleared Fort Sejanus and the Charcoal Cave on their way towards the Faregyl Inn that should be close to Nenyond Twyll - their actual destination.

"Well, Faregyl Inn isn't far" - Lena said checking the map. "But the Imperial City is right there - and my house on the Waterfront. We could drop off the loot, get some sleep and still not lose much time."

"I could use having my armour repaired as well" - Garrus was looking at the dents and scratches. "Those Xivilae with their clannfears weren't joking."

"Clannfears make for very good dogs" - Lena laughed walking North to the City.

...

By the time they got to her house and had a bite to eat, it was past 6 a.m. Getting up from the table, Garrus looked rather stiff.

"You seem to have a broken rib" - Lena said watching his movements. "Let me help you out of your armour."

"I thought you'd never ask!" - smirked Garrus risking another broken rib.

It seemed ebony armour could not stand up to Xivilae's warhammers for very long - Garrus had serious injuries, and his Atronach birthsign kept absorbing much of Lena's healing magic. She used what potions and salves she had at hand rubbing into the bruises, much to Garrus' delight. But jokes aside, by the time she was done, they were completely exhausted, fell into bed and slept well into late afternoon.

...

It was nearing 8 p.m. when all the chores were done and Lena re-packed her bag again.

"Arrows, bows, daggers, Honorblade, silver blade, staff, poisons, potions, provisions, wine, robes, shadow gear, gems, repair hammers. It's all here, I guess" - she checked her pack. Necromancers were not to be taken lightly.

"Those robes" - Garrus pointed at a set of black robes - "you changed into them in the Charcoal cave when we got separated, right? I practically walked into you - couldn't see you at all."

"There were too many bandits for me to battle head-on" - she said. "I went quietly. Black robes don't stand out in a dark cave" - she smiled.

"There's more to it than that" - he gave her a long look. "You move differently in them and fight better, more powerful and precise. And that bow - I've never seen a steel bow take out a massive orc with two shots."

"Well, that arrow was poisoned" - Lena smiled. "And, well, this is professional gear."

Garrus laughed.

"Professional. Of course" - he laughed again. "The Count is right not to interfere."

...

The sun already set when they crossed Lake Rumare on their way to the Faregyl Inn. They would spend the night there and go looking for Nenyond Twyll in the morning.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:45 PM

[Lena Wolf]

17-18 First Seed, 4E202 - Nenyond Twyll - The Leyawiin Sanctuary

"What are you doing here?" - Fithragaer greeted Lena and Garrus as they entered Nenyond Twyll. "All the other battlemages are dead - the necromancers were waiting for us! I'm the only one left - follow me!"

And he charged into the ruin without looking.

"Wait!" - Lena tried to stop him. "Ruins have... traps... oh no!"

Fithragaer promptly ran into a rising floor trap.

"Battlemages are not used to Ayleid ruins" - she said turning to Garrus. "Hauk told me. They just charge in, and get caught out like this one. What a shame!"

"It's a good thing you're not on your own then" - Garrus said checking his blade. "It sounds like the necromancers mean business. Come on, let's be on our guard."

...

After much fighting, they found the mage that had infiltrated the necromancers. He had been found out, and turned into a zombie. Lena killed him again - there was nothing else she could do. It was sad news to bring to the Mages Guild.

...

"The Mages Guild can wait" - Lena told Garrus when he suggested to return to the Imperial City with the news. "Their battlemages are dead, their informant is dead, and the necromancers are dead, so there is no rush. I cannot believe they would send battlemages into an Ayleid ruin without preparing them for what might lie within."

"May be that's why they sent you to Vahtacen and not the battlemages" - Garrus reminded her of that adventure. "I wasn't prepared either, but at least you knew what to expect."

They were walking towards Bravil. Lena wanted to rest, re-supply and continue South.

18 First Seed

They got up late, and by the time their errands were done, it was past midday.

"Let's just travel to Leyawiin today, and see about the Fighters Guild business tomorrow. It's just outside the city" - Lena was ticking things off on a list. "There's an old Sanctuary nearby that is supposed to be refurbished now, we can hopefully spend the night there."

"Hopefully?"

"Well, it is a bit odd. It was my great-uncle's, who went rogue from the Dark Brotherhood and became a vampire. He then changed his mind and found a cure, but the Dark Brotherhood had caught up with his group. That was over 200 years ago, but they had only just released it to me. It was empty last time I visited, but should be furnished now. I am not sure what to expect" - Lena explained. She looked up from the papers, and saw Garrus looking at her in amazement.

"Wow! Of course we should go see!"

...

"Shhh, it's all right" - Lena and Garrus entered the shrine of Sithis at the Leyawiin Sanctuary. There was someone there, kneeling. He jumped up, dagger in hand. Garrus took up his claymore. "Rest with Sithis" - said Lena.

"Mistress!" - the vampire kneeled before her.

"Where did you come from and what are you doing here?" - she asked. Last time when she came here with Jowan, the place was empty.

"Rowley Eardwulf brought me" - he kneeled again. "Said the Sanctuary was being brought to life. I'm yours to command, Mistress!"

"Then get up and answer my questions properly" - Lena was getting annoyed, yet she could also sense that the vampire was terrified. Garrus still held his claymore at the ready. A silver claymore.

"Rowley Eardwulf was with your Uncle" - the vampire managed to control his shaking. "He escaped before the Dark Brotherhood came here, so he wasn't killed. He took a few young recruits with him, myself included - he wanted to build his own group... he knew the Dark Brotherhood would come for your Uncle..."

"But he is not a vampire" - Lena recalled Rowley's features. Old, but not a vampire. Perhaps an ex-vampire. She took a dislike to him from the start.

"No, he took the cure, Mistress!" - the vampire kneeled again, then got up, remembering that he was told not to kneel. "His group did not do very well... the others were all killed, I'm the last one. So he sent me here... I haven't killed anyone in a hundred years!" - he said with horror. "Sithis will have my soul."

"All right, come with me" - Lena said, putting her arm around his shoulders and looking pleadingly at Garrus to put away his claymore. She remembered all too well what it was like being a solitary vampire. "How old are you?"

"Probably three hundred. I lost track of time..." - he said, sensing the warmth of her mortal blood and... something else. "You... are not a vampire... but you were, once."

"Yes" - she answered. "I am about your age, but not entirely. It's complicated."

They came into the dining room. In the brighter light the vampire saw Lena's robes.

"You are a Black Hand!" - he kneeled again, covering his head with his arms in defence.

"Yes" - Lena said, lifting him up. "But I am not here to kill you."

The Sanctuary didn't have a proper bed - there was just an ornate coffin. Lena had no intention of sleeping in it.

"I shall be changing a few things around here" - she told the vampire. "You can have that coffin or would you prefer a normal bed?"

"I..." - he wasn't used to be asked his opinion. "I... whatever you decide, Mistress..."

"Right..." - she looked at him shaking her head. It would take some work to make him into a person of his own, but she wasn't giving up on him. "Stay here - I see you've got someone to feed on" - she pointed at a sleeping prisoner. "Don't feed on anyone else - some Orcs will be bringing new furnishings, I'll warn them about you. I'll be back later, then we'll see." She turned to leave, then stopped. "What is your name?"

"Fenris Bero."

"House Hlaalu?" - Lena raised an eyebrow. The family name was famous.

"Once" - Fenris looked embarrassed. "Not since I... turned." House Hlaalu disapproved of vampires.

"All right" - she said, now really turning to leave. "We'll talk more later. I am Lena Wolf."

...

"Well, that was interesting" - Garrus looked at Lena with mixed emotions once they were outside again. "Mistress!"

"Yeah, I didn't expect anyone there" - Lena admitted. "That Rowley character was only going to furnish the place. With the very things that he had removed from it after the Dark Brotherhood was done there."

"So what are you going to do about that vampire?"

"I'm not going to kill him, if that's what you are asking" - Lena shot Garrus a glance over the shoulder. "Rowley will have to explain the meaning of this, first. Then..."

"Rowley won't be missed" - Garrus said, touching Lena on the arm. "I can see where your loyalties lie."

They were about to enter Leyawiin.

"Garrus" - Lena started, turning to him. "I am not a model citizen, and your association with me might well cost you your career. Just tell me if you'd rather we never met."

He looked her in the eye, then smiled.

"The Count would rather have someone around who knows what's going on" - he touched her robes. "I am not spying on you, and you would never take me on a job, but those Ayleid ruins need exploring, and weren't there necromancers to be kept in check? You are not just an assassin."

He took her hand and they entered Leyawiin.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:45 PM

[Lena Wolf]

19 First Seed, 4E202 - Water's Edge

At the Three Sisters Inn the usual happened. It was nearing midnight, and all three sisters were sitting in the dining room, chatting. Lena and Garrus walked in, looking to rent a room and have something to eat.

"They have very nice rooms, but the hostess is a bit odd" - Lena told Garrus before entering. "You'll see."

As they entered the dining room, Shuravi got up to greet them.

"If you are looking for a room, I've got just the thing for you - all the comforts... oh, it's you" - she recognised Lena. "Sharing with yet another man, I see?" She looked Garrus over head to toe.

"And still no wedding ring" - smiled Lena. "Hello, Shuravi. We'll take the suite, and some dinner too, please."

"Well, you can have food, but no wine! There's enough going on as it is."

Garrus and the other two sisters were watching with amusement. In the suite, Garrus couldn't resist.

"Sharing with yet another man, eh?" - he laughed. "Some lifestyle you've got!"

She was about to punch him in the ribs, but alas, he was wearing armour.

"If you don't want to share with me, you can sleep out in the hall" - she said instead.

"Oh, I am not complaining" - he said unclipping his sword. "What's for dinner?"

...

In the morning they went to see Biene Amelion in the village of Water's Edge about the Fighters Guild job.

"I need my grandfather's ceremonial armour and sword from the family tomb" - she said - "to pay off my father's gambling debts... Some people came and dragged him off into the night, and now I fear I'll be next! That debt is over 1000 septims!"

A voice in Lena's head said: "Just give her the money and skip the tomb visit." But Lena brushed it aside - skip the tomb visit? What a strange idea!

The tomb was just on the other side of the water and seemed to have quite a lot of warriors buried there, or rather left unburied in their rickety coffins. No wonder that they were now walking around brandishing their weapons!

Garrus cursed under his breath and started punching them.

"Why are you punching them?" - Lena asked between the fights. "What's wrong with your sword?"

"Nothing" - Garrus smiled. "They are just not worth dulling the blade. Besides, punching wraiths doesn't even scrape your knuckles."

As they progressed through the caverns, Lena started spotting pieces of ceremonial armour lying in the dust. Gauntlets, shield, boots...

"This is odd" - she turned to Garrus, picking them up. "It looks like they belong to the same set, and they are definitely ceremonial - mighty heavy and not that protective, but surely pretty. This may well be what we're looking for. But why is it all disjointed like that?"

"I blame the skeletons" - Garrus replied, shifting a pile of bones to the side. "I bet the armour pieces were not entombed but just laid onto a slab. The skeletons must have dragged them all over the cave. We'll probably need to make sure we've got them all."

They went through the caverns, fighting more undead and picking up a few more pieces of armour. In the final chamber they found a cuirass and a sword on a slab. Garrus seemed to be right. Collecting everything, they returned to Biene.

"Oh thank you so much!" - she was plainly ecstatic. "You have no idea what this means to me!"

Yet she only wanted the cuirass and the sword.

"Biene, you will need the whole set if you want to make any money on this" - Lena tried telling her, thinking to herself that there was no way Biene was going to raise 1000 septims even with the whole set. It was long out of fashion.

A voice in Lena's head said again: "You could still pay her debt and keep the fancy armour..." Light armour that was heavier than heavy with the protection of a cloth? Light armour that she wasn't skilled in? "But pretty!" - the voice said.

"No" - Lena said loudly. Garrus and Biene stared at her - no one else had heard the Voice. "Umm... no, you have to have the whole set" - Lena corrected herself. "We gathered it all anyway, so here - take it."

She dropped the remaining pieces before Biene, nodded to Garrus, and they left.

...

"That was a bit... strange" - Garrus said once they were back on the road, walking towards Bravil. "She didn't seem to know what she was doing there."

"Yeah..." - Lena was thinking of the voice in her head. "Oh wait, I think I know why."

She pulled him into the forest.

"There" - Lena pointed up the hill.

A statue of a dainty gentleman with a cane was surrounded by several people in varying states of undress.

"A shrine to Sanguine?" - guessed Garrus.

"No, Sheogorath."

The people were distinctly odd, as one might expect. The Prince would accept a lesser soul gem as an offering, provided it came with some yarn and lettuce. Lena didn't have any yarn, so she let it be. Summoning Sheogorath at the shrine while she could just go to the Shivering Isles was... well... a bit crazy. Besides, the Khajiit village nearby was still recovering from the burning dogs plague she had helped to unleash onto them last time.

"And this also explains your odd behaviour" - Lena turned to Garrus. "Punching the wraiths, indeed!"

...

They reached Bravil just before midnight. They were tired after a long trek and all the fighting, but glad to be back in the world of reason and clear thought. The skooma den was open as usual, and the gate to the Shivering Isles shone brightly in the night. Home at last!

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:46 PM

[Lena Wolf]

20-23 First Seed, 4E202 - Vanishing touch - Rowley - Borba

"That's been another great week" - Garrus said in the morning looking wistful. "I've got to get back to my duties."

"We haven't found all that much loot this time, I'm afraid" - Lena was looking at a couple of bows they picked up on the way, but there was not much else, really.

"Oh, don't worry about that" - Garrus was ready to leave. "You paid for my armour repairs, weapons, food, lodging, everything - so that's my share. I'll take your promise to come and find me again." He smiled.

"Without a doubt" - Lena got up to kiss him goodbye. "There are always more wraiths in need of punching."

...

"Well, now that he's gone, I should go about my own business" - Lena thought, going through her journal. "Fort Sutch... where is Fort Sutch... Oh, all the way on the Golden Coast. Right, never mind, Fort Sutch it is. Then Chorrol, Imperial City, and back to Cheydinhal. I better call Roach, that's going to take a few days..."

Roach was such a wonderful horse. You could whistle for her, and she'd come from gods know where, ready to travel anywhere in Tamriel (almost). But even she had a weakness: rum. Rum as they served it at the Bloated Float - and mind you, it was not on the menu. Whenever Lena stayed for any period of time in the Imperial City, and especially if Lena had taken the subway to quickly travel between the districts, Roach would disappear to the Bloated Float and stop responding to calls. There was only one thing that could get her to respond in such situations: better rum. Not the usual Captain McGee variety, but the feared Abecean Medusa dark rum. Which is why Lena made a mental note to stop by Anvil for a refill.

...

Lena called, holding a bottle of Abecean Medusa rum at the ready. Roach appeared. The bottle disappeared. They were off. Bravil - Skingrad - Kvatch - Anvil. Would they make it in a day?

...

The road from Bravil to Skingrad wasn't a road - Lena decided to ride through the forest to save time. Roach wasn't keen on that - there were always more beasts in the forest, and the ground was often rocky and difficult to navigate. True; but not if you were invisible.

What?

Yes. One of the custom spells that Lena had prepared. Vanish and run, on touch. She was getting quite good at Illusion.

They arrived in Skingrad in the early afternoon. Roach needed a rest and Lena needed to refill her restoratives and poisons - she had used up most of the stock on the necromancers. So she stopped by her house for a few hours. No, they wouldn't reach Anvil in a day.

The road to Kvatch had quite a few bandits, trolls and minotaurs out and about, but the new Vanish and Run spell worked a treat, leaving them all rooted on the spot looking around in confusion. Lena didn't bother to fight them, just rode on. But Anvil was still far, and the climb to Kvatch was steep and long, and so they turned off South West already before Kvatch and reached the Gweden Farm in time for the evening drinks.

21-22 First Seed

The next day saw Lena go to Anvil, Fort Sutch and Chorrol, taking care of business and staying at the Motierre House for the night. She was rather early paying for the next month's supplies for the Battlehorn Castle, but Emfrid didn't mind. In the morning Lena set off for the Imperial City.

22 First Seed

Hannibal Traven was saddened by the death of his informant, although not so much by the deaths of the battlemages, Lena noted with disgust. She wondered just why they had been so poorly prepared - perhaps that warranted an investigation. Traven seemed to wage the war on necromancy at the cost of many, many lives. Lena's ever rising rank within the Mages Guild started to lose its luster.

Shaking her head and not in the best of moods, she went about the other business in the Imperial City - to see the trader who refurbished the Deepscorn Hollow. That just wouldn't do.

"Hello, Rowley Eardwulf" - Lena said approaching him at the Wawnet Inn. "I have gone to see what you delivered to the Deepscorn Hollow. I have a few, ah, questions."

She sat down at the table next to him.

"Whatever you mean!" - protested Rowley. "It is all first class gear!"

"Really?" - she smiled, setting her elbow on the table and smoothing her glove. "Like the dirty old rugs and tapestries fit for the best of skooma dens of the Imperial City sewers, perhaps? Or like a dining table for just two in such a huge place? Or perhaps like a complete lack of beds? I believe my great-uncle used to have a group of assassins there, he wasn't living alone!"

"But you understand... That was over 200 years ago... Things perish over time..." - Rowley stuttered slightly, but still kept firm.

"Perhaps. However, you charged me for the unperished variety. I want half of that money back."

"But I haven't got it!" - he was starting to become nervous, the purse being the weakest body part of any trader. "I supplied you with a servant and a prisoner, almost free of charge!"

"Ah yes, about the servant" - Lena looked at him twisting her ring. "You never mentioned any servant last time."

"But he's there to please you! In every which way! He's a vampire, like you-- oh, like your great-uncle!"

"Opened your eyes now, have you? My great-uncle never kept slaves."

"Well, slaves... Slaves are good - slaves are obedient. Vampires make great slaves, surely you must know. He will do whatever you say, or just deny him blood - and I mean whatever you say..." - Rowley finally noticed Lena's gloves and rings. "Oh!"

"Ah, you recognise the robes" - Lena smiled. "Then I suppose you know why I've come."

...

She was back in Cheydinhal just before nightfall. A report to the Fighters Guild and to the Sanctuary on finished assignments, an to Lucien personally on a few other matters. A visit to Borba's would have to wait until tomorrow.

...

"I have completed the Purification of Crimson Scars" - Lena told Lucien among other business.

"Completed?" - Lucien looked up from the papers. "Did we miss someone?"

"Rowley Eardwulf."

"Ah" - Lucien sounded disappointed. "I've heard rumours that someone had escaped, with a few new recruits, but then they were all thought to have been killed through their own ineptitude. Apparently not so."

"Rowley was no longer active as an assassin" - Lena explained. "He stripped the Sanctuary after you were done and was running a small trade business of sorts. The recruits that you mentioned were indeed all killed, except one, whom he was employing in another capacity."

"Go on" - Lucien was listening with interest.

"As a slave. Fenris Bero is a vampire."

"Bero?"

"Exactly."

"Well, well! And now?"

"Now he calls me Mistress and I have no idea how to make him into a proper person again."

23 First Seed

"It is so good to see you again!" - Borba was remarkably friendly when Lena entered her shop in the morning. "I've seen you wear your new robes last night. So very elegant."

Oh! Of course. The robes. Borba was supplying Lucien's place, after all.

"Thank you, Borba" - Lena beamed. "I wonder if you could supply some furniture to a place near Leyawiin?"

"Refurbishing your great-uncle's Sanctuary, are you? That Rowley Eardwulf would rip you off blind and leave you with rubbish" - Borba grimaced. "Just as well he's been taken care of."

How on Nirn..? Yes, how did she know? But it was better not to ask.

"Yes, I shall need new furnishings, and also to take away some of the... odd stuff that's there."

She gave Borba a list.

"That's no problem, give us a week or so - it's a bit out of the way."

"Oh, and I must warn you: there's someone there" - Lena wasn't sure how Borba would react to a vampire - many Orcs were quite averse to them. "A servant. I told him to stay out of your way, but still you should know - he's a vampire."

"I see" - Borba said slowly, looking thoughtfully at Lena. "A servant you didn't quite expect, right? Yes, that would be Rowley's style... to shift them off his hands once he tired of them..."

"You mean - there are more?" - Lena was picturing a dungeon filled with slaves.

"Oh no, not now, but there were more - in the past. Then the Empire got really tough on slave trade and Rowley just kept them for his own pleasure... err... service. You know, he wasn't very kind hearted" - she added quite unnecessarily. "There's a prisoner there as well, I take it?"

"There is" - Lena confirmed, thanking Whoever for Borba's professional touch.

"Well, not to worry. We are not all afraid of vampires" - she smiled. "You could always shop here back then, too."

That was true. Borba was one of the few traders who had had no issues with Lena's vampirism at the time. Lena paid Borba with the funds recovered from Rowley - only rightly so - and left the shop with a light heart.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:47 PM