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

[macole]

I didn't expect Jowan to use such drastic measures.

Do you mean against the Orc or to close his cuts? Both were possible in Dragon Age. There he would summon a daemon from the Fade, and that surely is equivalent to a Spider Daedra and a Lich. Paralysis came as a freebie with the daemon. But it would take almost all of his blood, nearly killing him - which is why Lena and Hauk were fussing over him that much. Jowan shouldn't be doing it too often, but you know, he's not very level-headed...

It was against the Orc. I haven't played Dragon Age in a long time so Jowan's use of the blood magic was unexpected. Really didn't know it would take so much.
This is one reason why I like reading other's accounts on the use of magic. Seems like everyone takes a slightly different approach to how the spells work and how the casting affects the caster.

[Lena Wolf]

It was against the Orc. I haven't played Dragon Age in a long time so Jowan's use of the blood magic was unexpected. Really didn't know it would take so much.
This is one reason why I like reading other's accounts on the use of magic. Seems like everyone takes a slightly different approach to how the spells work and how the casting affects the caster.

There is a lot of blood magic in Dragon Age but almost none of it is available to the player because Jowan could not be recruited into the team. However, some rules are spelled out, the most important being that while a blood magic powered spell is active, the donor cannot be healed. The donor not necessarily being the caster... in fact, for more powerful spells like summoning a demon, so much blood is required that the donor usually dies. Some spells take the blood of several people...

But Jowan isn't evil, so he wouldn't use another person's blood unless it was unavoidable. He is prone to go for spectacular effects though... and being in the arena, he just couldn't resist.

Not all spells require so much blood of course. In fact, most spells only require a little - blood acts simply as a Fortify Magicka stimulant. So when an opponent draws Jowan's blood, Jowan can use it to his advantage to cast a stronger spell of the usual kind. Effective, if not spectacular.

There is blood magic in Skyrim (Equilibrium spell) to convert health into magicka, but in Oblivion you could only get a much weaker version to fortify magicka without replenishing it. And fortify magicka spell costs too much magicka to cast to be useful.

[Lena Wolf]

I realised that I had not introduced Jowan properly into this thread. Jowan is from Ferelden (Dragon Age Origins). He messed things up so badly, that there was nothing left for him to do but to board a ship - any ship - and leave Ferelden hoping to arrive Elsewhere.

What follows happened a few months back, soon after Lena met Jowan in Anvil. Jowan tells Lena about his past.

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

28 Morning Star, 4E202 - Conversations - Jowan reminiscences

"Turn over and let me treat your back" - Lena was saying to Jowan at the inn after their expedition to the Bramblepoint Cave. "Not wearing armour has its disadvantages. Those minotaures got you pretty bad."

Jowan was covered in deep cuts from minotaures' horns, and although his general health could be restored with healing magic, the bruises had to be treated with aloe vera to avoid infection. Lithnilian noticed Jowan's bruises, as well as Jowan's scars.

"Scars over the veins - you are a Blood Mage, aren't you? Not from Tamriel? Fascinating!" - There was no judgement in Lithnilian's voice, just interest. An Altmer sorcerer not of the first youth, he knew of many things not from Tamriel. "I would be thrilled to hear from you about Blood Magic, we know so little about it here. Perhaps tomorrow, when you are feeling better?"

Jowan was a bit taken aback, but Lithnilian seemed genuinely interested, so why not - one mage to another, they could have a conversation. Lena didn't mind hearing that too.

"Oh, you are a mage as well, of course" - Lithnilian looked at Lena with understanding. "And more. The Sufferthorn blade, the Black Band, the Spelldrinker amulet... Yes, so much more..." He was as discreet as he was observant.

"The potions you gave me will be extremely useful, thanks" - Lena referred to very strong Resist Magic potions that Lithnilian gave her as thanks for retrieving his notes. "My birthsign is the Apprentice."

"Indeed!" - Lithnilian beamed. "I'm glad I guessed right."

...

The next morning after breakfast they sat outside the inn enjoying lovely mild weather and beautiful views over the South bank of the Silverfish River. Lithnilian wanted to know how blood magic worked in practice - if blood was a material representation of life force, then of course it could be converted into magicka to power spells, or may be it could be used as is for some special rituals, not unlike Necromancy spells creating animated undead out of corpses. How much magicka would blood actually yield? Would it not kill the mage in the process? Oh - a mage could use someone else's blood instead of his own, you say? That opens up so many new possibilities, of course! And yes, I see why the Tevinter Magisters got so involved with that... But does that not corrupt one's spirit? Oh yes, Sithis will have claimed them long ago... And so on, and so forth.

For Jowan speaking about Blood Magic freely was not just strange - it was unreal. It turned his life upside down and ended any possibility of freedom back in Ferelden, and even though it carried no such punishment in Cyrodiil, it was a non-topic, something that wasn't spoken of. If Necromancy got banned by the Mages Guild, then surely Blood Magic would have been banned even earlier, had it been better known here.

"Well, I don't think Necromancy should have been banned" - said Lithnilian. "I'm not a member of the Mages Guild, so I don't speak for them, but as a fellow mage, I think it was a short-sighted move by the Arch Mage - look how many mages quit and were forced to devote all their time to Necromancy instead of just dabbing in it now and again. Mannimarco does not tolerate part-time members. Surely, Hannibal Traven must have expected this to happen. He must be going for an all-out war, and it is the mages on both sides that are to fall in it." Which was exactly what happened in Ferelden with the war against Blood Magic. Lena made a mental note to try to stay alive.

...

It was mid-afternoon when the discussion came to a close, and the innkeep declared that she was out of crab sandwiches, grapes, pears and oranges - she wasn't missing a beat in keeping her guests well fed.

"I'd like to take a walk now" - Jowan turned to Lena. "I feel a bit heavy with all the memories. Shall we see what's on the other side of this bridge?"

Nothing like a nice walk to clear your head. Wandering through the woods and enjoying filtered sunshine, Jowan was visibly relaxing, and other memories were coming to the fore.

"I got myself into a right mess back in Ferelden" - he told Lena. "I was just in my early 20s, I should have been graduating, but the First Enchanter kept pushing back the date. I thought he didn't trust me to deal with the demons in the Fade, but now I see that he was trying to protect me from the fate awaiting a Blood Mage, which is death. If it wasn't for my so-called girlfriend at the time, I would have talked to someone, but I never said a word of my worries, not even to my best friend, let alone the First Enchanter."

"Your so-called girlfriend?"

"She was an Initiate with the Chantry - you know, she was going to be a Priestess, and so had taken a vow of celibacy. Except that she came to regret it and apparently thought to herself to find a mage willing to go rogue for her and help her escape from the Chantry while in the process completely ruining his own life. That mage was to be me. Well, she was pretty" - he added defensively. "Very... umm... not like a nun." He smiled. Lena knew what he meant. "I was completely smitten, I admit."

"But she wasn't actually in love with you, was she?"

"No, I found out about her plan later... When I was waiting to be executed, or made tranquil, or something... My best friend saved my skin in the end, I should have trusted her with everything, but how do you talk to a girl about another girl? It was awkward, you know. I made such a mess!"

It was hard to argue with that. Lena just walked silently next to Jowan, letting him tell her what he chose.

"My best friend, she... Well, we've been friends since we met at the Tower as children, aged five or six or so, our respective parents having abandoned us for being mages. That was normal in Ferelden, by the way, there was no other way. You either was taken to the Tower or you became an apostate - a rogue mage, and that wasn't a life either. As we were growing up, we remained best friends. We each had adventures with others - you know, short-lived little things, nothing serious... except may be Elisa's flick with that templar, Cullen... but I think it was far more serious on his side than on hers, and he was older too. May be I was jealous and so didn't tell her about Lily's plan to elope until the very end..."

Lena had a few thoughts on what Elisa would have said to that plan, but she remained silent. Jowan continued his story.

"So when the plan went wrong, Lily immediately backed out of everything calling me a 'Blood Mage' and looking stricken with horror - which didn't help to reduce her sentence for breaking her vows, by the way... At that point I did something stupid - I used blood to boost my magicka to help me escape, and in doing so I proved to everyone that I was in fact a Blood Mage."

Ouch. He must have regretted it the moment he'd done it.

"Of course the templars caught up with me after some time... I found I could not live on the run. I got myself into more mess... Then at some point Elisa walked in - she didn't know I was there, it was a coincidence. It was thanks to her that I wasn't executed then and there..."

"She was a good friend" - Lena ventured.

"Yes... Well... She..." - Jowan was struggling. It was obvious that he wanted to tell this story, and he trusted Lena enough for that, but it seemed that he was confused by his own feelings on this... on what he was about to put into words, for the first time even to himself.

"I had misunderstood her for years. When she came to see me in prison later, she offered a way out for me - I could join the Grey Wardens, the group she joined after Lily's and my escape plan failed. But there was more... She said she had loved me for years, that she'd just been waiting for the right time to say it, and, well, we were still so young then. I felt cornered. If I were to refuse her offer, I'd be executed, but if I were to accept it, how could I not accept her love as well? If she hadn't said anything about her feelings, if she'd only offered to join the Grey Wardens, I would have gone with her - she was my best friend, what a better place for me to be than by her side? But love changed everything..."

The sun was starting to set and the sky in the West was coloured pink. Soon the pink turned red, filling more and more of the sky. The red turned sanguine. And finally the night swallowed all.

"But did you love her too?" - Lena asked after a long pause.

"I don't know, is an honest answer. I was so confused, I still am. I thought I loved Lily, but after her betrayal, I definitely didn't, so did I just stop loving her or had I never loved her? Love is such a volatile thing... How do you manage it?"

"You don't. It manages you."

The stars were abundant, and Secunda showed its pale face in full. Lena and Jowan settled on a hill looking into the sky from high grass.

"So how did you escape execution?" - Lena asked, hoping to move away from love woes.

"Cullen - the templar that Elisa had a flick with - he got me out and helped me onto a ship. He said he did it for Elisa, because I was her friend, but I think he did it for himself, because he wanted Elisa and this good deed would put him closer to her. Whatever his motivation, I'm grateful - I'm alive."

Love was a weird thing, and there was no getting away from it. They sat there, looking at the stars, each thinking of the people in their lives, and what they meant to them. Was there true love among them? The stars weren't giving any answers.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:50 PM

[Lena Wolf]

26 First Seed, 4E202 - Hame

"Where to next?" - asked Jowan stretching in the fresh air outside of the Deserted Mine where they had spent the night. It was safe but stuffy.

"That way" - Lena pointed vaguely North. "Into the mountains."

It was a lovely morning, and they walked on the slopes enjoying the view and trying not to slip into the canyon below.

"Wait - are those Ayleid stones on the other side of the canyon?" - Hauk pointed East. "Shall we go see?"

If there was ever an invitation to adventure, this was it.

...

Hame housed necromancers.

"Mages Guild necromancers" - pointed out Hauk seeing a Mages Guild banner in one of the halls. "Well, ex-Mages Guild now, of course. I wish we didn't have to fight them."

But there was no way around it - the necromancers were bitter for having been cast out like that, made to live in ruins... They would not tolerate explorers.

After the first encounter, Lena changed into her black robes, crouched, dipped an arrow in poison...

"Let me go first, hang back a bit" - she told Hauk and Jowan. "It'll be easier that way."

The ruin was spacious and dark, with mist hanging low. Bluish light from the Welkynd stones lit up the mist hiding everything from view, torch light included. Lena cast a night eye spell with life detection.

"Ah-ha! There you are" - she muttered under her breath. Shadowhunt sent out an arrow.

"Aaww!" The arrow found its target. The fight didn't last long.

They went through several halls in this manner, the only thing to watch out for being the traps.

"Now I've seen the Assassin" - Jowan was looking at Lena in admiration. "That must be some poison."

"I am not taking any chances" - she replied. "Traps are already bad enough."

Traps were bad here. Two rising floor traps in sequence: one flat and one with spikes, so if you didn't get squashed to death, the impaling would do the trick. There was a necromancer on the other side whom Lena shot with a poisoned arrow. He ran towards her... and... well... you'd think he'd know better than that, but no.

Getting through the traps unharmed was nearly impossible. Both Hauk and Jowan got caught out, even though they did try to follow Lena and jump over the corners. Jowan passed out and had to be pulled off the platform to avoid getting crushed indefinitely. Hauk's armour took most of the damage, and now looked it.

"Here - lie down on this slab" - Lena told Jowan when he came to, moaning.

"I'm not lying down on a slab!" - he protested. "That's a sarcophagus!"

"Oh come on, she's not going to turn you into a zombie!" - Hauk joined in, and Jowan reluctantly agreed.

His ribs were crushed, his limbs were broken in several places, and he was only keeping himself alive with magic. They spent some time casting bone repair spells and rubbing salves into most of his body. One of the traps was still rising and falling rhythmically next to them, with the weight of the dead necromancer triggering the mechanism.

"You don't want to end up like him" - was all Lena could say. "Have you thought about wearing armour?"

"I have" - Jowan admitted. "But light armour wouldn't save me here, and I am no good with heavy - it slows me down. I have been practicing shield spells instead."

Well, it was something. They continued into the ruin.

...

"Oh - look at this great hall!" - exclaimed Lena stepping into a hall in Hame Silasel and turning to Hauk and Jowan just behind her... and watching a grid rise from the floor cutting her off. "Oh."

This was a great hall indeed, with a fire brightly burning in the centre, which made everything else appear even darker. Lena lit up a torch. The hall seemed to be deserted. There was a table with some food in the corner, a Mages Guild counter with alchemical equipment in the middle, and not much else. The door on the opposite end was locked, requiring a key.

"I hate these magical locks" - thought Lena fiddling with it with Nocturnal's skeleton key. "No, it won't give. I need to find the real key. What a bother."

The key could be anywhere... this was like searching for a needle in a stack of hay in the dark with a donkey munching on it. Sooner or later the donkey would swallow the needle.

"Ok, here's one of those Ayleid buttons" - thought Lena. "As good a start as any." She pushed it and heard a wall panel sliding down and a groan behind it, with the stench following - no, preceding it.

"Ugh, a dread zombie. Better not come close!"

She summoned a clannfear and shot a few fire balls at the zombie - job done. In the depth of the hidden corridor was another Ayleid button. She pressed it and heard another wall panel sliding down on the opposite side of the hall. No groans came from there, just chill.

"A wraith, perhaps?" - Lena thought summoning a clannfear. Clannfears are not brilliant against wraiths, but they are fast and can sense danger in the dark. The clannfear ran across the hall but did not enter the now open second hidden corridor. Was it afraid of the icy cold coming from within?

Perhaps. And anyway, it found something else to play with - a couple of skeletons. Correction: a skeleton champion and his summon.

It took several clannfears to lay to rest the champion. The final clannfear stood there looking at the shattered bones, then edged towards the hidden corridor - the icy cold was still emanating from within. The clannfear ran and hid behind Lena.

"Ok, ok, good dog" - Lena patted it. "I'll call Toothy to deal with the wraith." She summoned a daedroth.

The daedroth could barely fit under the low ceiling of the hidden corridor, but he caught attention of the wraith. A few frost spells and Toothy was banished back to Oblivion. This was a Gloom Wraith without a weapon - a wraith of a powerful mage. Very dangerous.

"Just one of those frost spells would kill me" - thought Lena. "Better not get hit. And Toothy will need help."

She summoned another daedroth, and started shooting fire spells at the wraith using the daedroth as a cover. The battle was long, with Lena jumping out of the way of spells and summoning daedroth after daedroth. Eventually the wraith was defeated. Behind it in the depth of the hidden corridor was another Ayleid button. Lena pressed it. Another wall was sliding down.

"Here we go again" - she thought. "What now? A lich?"

The hidden corridor behind this sliding wall opened onto a chamber. Someone was inside.

"So, they locked themselves in. They are not going to be happy to be disturbed!" She remembered the Benirus Manor and the way Lorgren Benirus had locked himself in the basement while transforming into a lich. She shuddered.

She dipped an arrow in poison and crouched, ready to shoot.

"Wait a minute" - a voice said in her head. "What if the key to the exit is in that room somewhere? Like on top of a chest or whatever they've got inside? You shoot this guy, he'll start shooting back and your clannfear will make a mess of it all - you will never find the key! Better go in quietly first and look around."

Lena put away the bow and cast an invisibility spell. Still crouched, she sneaked past the guy - a necromancer of course - and looked around the room. She spotted a key ready to slip from a book it was on. Now or never.

She grabbed the key, dispelling her cloack, then quickly cast the cloack back on and moved. A powerful shock spell hit where she had just stood. She ran out of the room - still cloacked - and summoned a clannfear. No need to hide any longer, the battle was on.

You cannot silence a mage with a staff but you can still stab them. Lena wondered why he had locked himself in like that, but figured there must have been a reason. She also wondered if he was planning to ever come out - and then how - since there was no obvious way to lower the sliding wall from within. Key or no key, he would not have been able to get to the door to begin with.

"Suicide or murder?" - she wondered. But it mattered not.

...

"Finally!" - Hauk rushed towards her hearing a door being unlocked not far from where they had entered Hame Silasel. "When we got cut off by that grid, we backtracked here and found this locked door. We figured that was the exit. What happened?"

"I'll tell you later" - Lena looked pale and tired. "There was some food and beds near the entrance - I need to lie down. There was a wraith" - she looked at Hauk, and he nodded. He too remembered Benirus Manor.

"Will you take blood this time?" - he asked, checking her eye colour.

"'You might need blood to recover from a bad fight'" - Vicente's voice echoed in Lena's mind. "I'll try not to" - she said turning to Hauk.

...

The way back to the entrance was complicated, they took a wrong turn and found more necromancers. The chamber looked like a zombie laboratory.

"A decomposing body on a slab, tied down and freshly decapitated" - Lena had never seen necromancers at work. "Oh, and here's the head. And a silver warhammer at the ready in case things went wrong, I guess."

"But they didn't expect any trouble from the living" - Hauk observed. "I still think it was wrong to ban Necromancy. These mages were meticulous in their work, and the bodies they used were no recent kills. We've just murdered some decent folk" - he added with regret looking at the dead necromancer.

"Yeah, it's too bad they tried to kill us" - Lena reminded him.

Jowan was looking at all this in silence. He was still struggling to understand why some of the Necromancy practices were classified as Conjuration and thus allowed, while others would get you banned and hunted.

"How is summoning undead or raising a revenant any better than making zombies?" - he asked, not really expecting an answer.

"It isn't" - Hauk replied. "Traven re-classified it, or he'd lose the entire Council of Mages rather than half of it."

They left the room shaking their heads.

Once again they navigated the two rising floor traps, getting caught out, cursing and casting healing spells. By the time they reached the hall near the entrance, the improvised bedroom looked exceedingly welcoming.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:51 PM

[Acadian]

I enjoyed your reflections on necromancy. As a healer, Buffy will quietly admit that her craft is not complete without at least an academic knowledge of necromantic principles. A lifebringer must understand the process of death to fully grasp her craft. Not to mention necromantic insights on repairing dead or heavily damaged tissue.

[Lena Wolf]

A lifebringer must understand the process of death to fully grasp her craft. Not to mention necromantic insights on repairing dead or heavily damaged tissue.

Exactly. Which is why Arkay is the God of both Life and Death. There is not one without the other.

Of course Traven has a personal vendetta with Manimarco. Considering how easily Traven sacrifices the lives of Guild mages who happened to practice a bit of necromancy, I would call him evil.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Jun 9 2021, 09:08 PM

[Lena Wolf]

27 First Seed, 4E202 - Cold dream - Shopping in Cheydinhal

Lena was cold. She was lying on a bed in an Ayleid ruin. All was quiet, save the breathing of Jowan and Hauk sleeping on the bedrolls nearby. Lena was hungry, too.

She got up to get some food. Next to the bed was a crate serving as a table with parts of a skeleton on it. And blood stains. Blood.

Icy chill enveloped Lena - she was now shaking. She remembered the wraith she'd faced the day before - a Gloom Wraith with devastating frost spells. Lena didn't get hit by those spells, but the cold emanating from the wraith was enough to freeze the blood in her veins. Perhaps Lena had underestimated the effects.

She tried to put those visions out of her mind and to warm up by moving around. She sprinted into the next chamber and stretched. A dead necromancer was lying against the wall. Was he still warm?

"I'll just--" she was at his neck before she could finish the thought. No, the necromancer was already cold. That wouldn't do.

"But his flesh must be still rich..." - she caught herself thinking, unsheathing her dagger.

"You will always be mine, little one" - a voice said gently in her head. "Don't fight it now."

"Namira!" - Lena cried. "No!"

She forced herself to sheath the dagger and move away from the corpse.

"You'll see" - the voice replied. "With time."

Lena had to clear her head and to warm up, somehow. She ran down the stairs, past Jowan and Hauk, still sleeping. She was very quiet. It was the hall with the traps. Blood. The slabs were covered in blood from yesterday's attempts to cross them. The room started spinning... already dim lights went dimmer still... blood shone brightly on the first slab - it was warm, it was steaming...

...

Lena woke up on the bed in the first hall. She was warm. She remembered the strange dream she had... cold... hunger... corpse... Namira's voice... steaming blood... She shivered. An arm pulled her closer. Hauk.

"You fainted by the traps - it's a wonder you didn't get crushed. You were ice cold. We got you on the bed and I've been trying to warm you up" - he said in her ear. "Don't do that again."

So... it wasn't a dream.

...

It was a chilly morning with overcast skies as they stood outside Hame.

"Which way now?" - asked Jowan. "Can you even walk?"

"Of course I can walk, stop fussing over me" - Lena snapped without conviction. "We need to find an inn or a town - we are out of food." They ate the last bits of fruit for breakfast.

"We also have expensive loot to sell" - added Hauk pointing at their bulging pack. "And the prongs of that Ayleid statue are tearing holes in the bag."

"Cheydinhal then" - decided Lena pointing North West. "Through the mountains."

...

They reached Cheydinhal in the afternoon, their legs sore from climbing. The two inns by the gate had enough food, mead and wine between them to cover several meals. Lena bought it all. Borba was pleased to see her, and bought all the rings, scrolls and potions that Lena cared to sell. They took the Welkynd and Varla stones to the Mages Guild.

"Oh my goodness - nineteen Welkynd stones and five Varlas!" - Eilonwy was extatic. "Don't you want to keep them for yourself?" - she paused at the Varla stones. "It's much cheaper than recharging with gems or... mmm... here." She shot a glance at Uurwen.

"No, that's fine" - Lena replied. "We've got plenty of gems, too..."

Eilonwy's eyes widened as she saw a bag full of gems.

"In fact, I wanted to sell these smaller ones..."

...

They stopped at the smithy to drop off their armour for repairs.

"You want this fixed?" - Tertia Viducia was holding up Hauk's cuirass that looked like a sieve. "I can do it, but it'll cost you! You might be better off buying a new set."

"No, I don't want a new one - this one's already worn in. It actually fits" - Hauk insisted. "Fix it, please. And... polish it" - he smiled.

"All right, but it won't be ready until tomorrow" - Tertia took the armour into her workshop.

Lena decided not to add her armour to the work, Tertia had enough to do as it was. She stopped by the Fighters Guild. The porter wouldn't let her past the door.

"Hey, I'm a member, you know!" - she had to remind him.

"I have no contracts for you, meat!" - Burz gro-Khash was his charming self. "Go see Azzan in Anvil."

"Shut it, gro-Khash" - Keld of the Isles was equally courteous. "I've got a thick skin, but he's rough" - he turned to Lena. "If you choose to spend your time with me..."

"Ahem" - Hauk came in and now stood behind Lena.

"Ah, well, I'm a Guardian, you know" - Keld continued in a more neutral tone. "Didn't get to this rank by picking fights. I'm cautious."

The porter finally conceded to repair Lena's armour, and soon they could leave.

"Why do you even bother with them?" - asked Jowan, having watched this whole exchange with increasing scepticism. "Does it at least pay well?"

"No, it doesn't" - confessed Lena. "I... I am not even sure! Azzan in Anvil is nice, but the rest of them throw nothing but insults at you. Just like the Skyrim assassins" - she looked at Hauk. "I wonder why I bother."

With the shopping done, they finally made it to the Wolf Sanctuary. It was time to eat, bathe and relax - they've done enough adventuring for one day.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:52 PM

[Renee]

Hauk's story is really interesting, being a special forces sort of guy, going off on missions and maybe not coming back for days or weeks. Yes, I wonder if Hauk and Iver might have traded places on occasion...

Back in Cyrodiil Lena still has a lot to do. She needs to get back her house in Bravil which got repossessed by the county under the feeble excuse that Lena had been absent for a couple of centuries.

I like how Hauk first notices Lena making some advanced magics in the AU, and then wonders who she is.

"You have a brother?"

She has a brother? This is a wild story, Elena. Especially how Hauk knows who the White Wolf is even before she is able to tell him.

I just finished that part where they are drinking in the inn, Hauk and Lena. One of these days I'll finish Post 1. It's looking like that'll be some time around Christmas. Okay, Thanksgiving, if I really buckle down.

This post has been edited by Renee: Jun 10 2021, 05:05 PM

[Lena Wolf]

Hauk's story is really interesting, being a special forces sort of guy, going off on missions and maybe not coming back for days or weeks. Yes, I wonder if Hauk and Iver might have traded places on occasion...

That's an interesting thought... Iver has more to him than meets the eye, I'm sure. After all, they are brothers. But they disagree on a few points, Necromancy being one. Or may be Iver is just more cautious - he wouldn't be seen crossing the Arch-Mage. I hope Lena can tell them apart, though!

[Lena Wolf]

Especially how Hauk knows who the White Wolf is even before she is able to tell him.

The news from the Northern Realms don't reach Tamriel very quickly, but eventually they do, and some of it is even true. ;-) The White Wolf is famous in several different ways (not all good), so of course Hauk had heard of him.

I just finished that part where they are drinking in the inn, Hauk and Lena. One of these days I'll finish Post 1. It's looking like that'll be some time around Christmas. Okay, Thanksgiving, if I really buckle down.

As long as you don't specify the year, you're fine. That first post is just a few bits to introduce the story, you might have read them on Beth already (unless you missed them there as well, that is) - but no pressure. The story does get wilder still, if you think what you've read so far was wild... then buckle up!!!

[Lena Wolf]

28 First Seed, 4E202 - Shrine of Azura - Sedor

"Well, now that we are in Cheydinhal, why don't we go North" - Lena suggested at breakfast. "I've always wanted to explore those ruins along the Northern road to Bruma."

"Have you been to the shrine of Azura?" - asked Hauk. "A sight to see."

"North it is!" - chimed in Jowan with enthusiasm.

The views were so beautiful that Lena didn't even insist on going at a run.

"For once!" - Hauk sounded relieved.

They got to the shrine of Azura - someone told Lena that the worshippers there were friendly. Well, they didn't attack, that's a plus.

"Do you mind - I'm trying to concentrate!" - one of them cut off Lena rather abruptly.

"Oh, Ok." She tried another one. "Hello!"

"You are in a holy place! State your business!"

"Umm..."

Did this go for "friendly" these days? Jowan turned around and walked off to enjoy the view of the mountains - he wasn't that patient.

"Tell me about this shrine" - asked Lena.

"People are filled with malice and prejudice these days. I won't speak with you unless you convince me of your good intentions" - said the worshipper, squinting in suspicion.

Lena turned around.

"Sheesh... speaking of malice and prejudice..."

No, Azura could sort out her own troubles, if that's what her worshippers were like. There were plenty of other adventures to be had. They turned West.

...

"Oh look - a cave" - Jowan noticed a wooden door in a rock. "I wonder what's inside - since there are no signs of anything here."

They tried the door, but it was locked.

"Another one of those magic locks" - said Lena stashing away Nocturnal's skeleton key. "Forget it - let's move on."

The continued along the mountain path.

"Isn't that an Ayleid ruin up ahead?" - Hauk pointed at some pillars. "That's more like it!"

Sedor housed ogres. Particularly large and ferocious ogres. The fighting was intense, with Jowan having to dash around to avoid getting hit - one hit by one of those ogres would definitely knock him out, if not crush his skull. Hauk took most of the crushing blows, and his armour was now dented all over again. Lena used a lot of poisons, and that was a big help, but still it wasn't easy.

Then, when they thought they were done, an arrow came from behind and got Jowan in the neck.

"Aaww!" - he spun around. "Bandits! Where did they come from?"

"Never mind that!" - bellowed Hauk. "And now you'll pay!" - he charged at them.

That arrow was poisoned, and Jowan was out of the game until the effects wore off. Lena pushed him into a side chamber and followed Hauk, summoning a clannfear - "Go get them!". Finally Jowan managed to get the arrow out of his neck and clear the poison - he was ready to fight again.

A scream and a thud made him jerk, then he heard people running in panic. He ran into the hall and saw Hauk on the ground with a dagger stuck to the hilt under his arm at an angle. A puddle of blood on the floor was quickly deepening.

"They got his heart" - he thought.

The screaming continued - it was Lena going against three bandits at once, one with a warhammer...

"Not good!" - Jowan thought. "She'll be next."

He slit his wrist and cast a spell. Everyone fell to the ground. Time seemed to stand still.

Hauk was dead.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:54 PM

[Lena Wolf]

28 First Seed, 4E202 - Hauk is dead - The Fade - Demons

"Send me after him! Send me into the Fade!" - Lena failed to resuscitate Hauk. "I've repaired his heart but he hasn't returned!"

"If he went to Sovngarde, there is no way back" - said Jowan grimly.

"He can't have! Not that fast! I don't believe it - I refuse to believe it! Send me there - I need to see for myself" - Lena was pleading now. "If he tells me he wants to stay, I'll let him."

"You've never been to the Fade" - Jowan was dubious. "You might not find him there, or the way back for that matter. I shall not be able to help you."

Lena was kneeling over Hauk's body. He fell in battle with the bandits, he wasn't just knocked out - one of the bandits had pierced his heart. Hauk was dead. Seeing him fall and not getting up, Lena was filled with rage and lost all caution. Jowan saw it and thought she'd be next to die. He slit his wrist and cast a mass paralysis spell. Everyone fell to the ground, as if time itself froze. Jowan threw the bandits into the side chamber and locked the gate. Paralysis was wearing off.

Lena was silently crying.

"I've got to try. Send me into the Fade. If I don't return, then so be it."

"All right" - Jowan was giving in. "But you realise that someone will have to die to let you do it? The ritual takes that much blood, and I can't give mine - I need to keep the portal open."

Lena looked at the groggy bandits in the chamber.

"Is the one that pierced his heart in there?" - she said with a hiss. "Use him! Use two, if you have to." Her icy look made the bandits stop groaning. "I won't be praying Arkay for their souls. Sithis take them."

...

Lena was walking through an icy landscape, struggling to stay upright against the blizzard. She could hardly see a thing. How would she find Hauk here? But she must try.

She noticed something ahead, glowing. A fire. She came closer. A campfire was burning cheerfully, with a pot of stew bubbling over it. The ground was warm, grassy. There was no blizzard, no wind. Hauk was sitting on a bench by the fire.

"Come and join me, Wolf!" - he called. "The stew is almost ready."

Was it that easy? Lena was wary - she knew of the illusions in the Fade, of spirits and demons that would try to bind her and keep her there, Jowan told her, he tried to prepare her as best he could. But this was Hauk, he was here, alive, smiling, she could just sit down with him on the bench and never leave...

"No" - she said, backing into the blizzard again. "You are not Hauk" - she sounded uncertain.

"Oh but I am!" - said Hauk, taking off his cuirass. "Look - here is the scar where you fixed my heart."

Lena took a step forward against her will. She had to see it, touch it, be sure.

"Come" - Hauk took her hand, pulling her gently towards him. "Kiss me."

"No, you are not Hauk!" - Lena screamed. "He'd never say that, never like this!"

She jumped back.

Hauk's face changed, he grew taller, he had a whip. It wasn't Hauk.

"You dare resist me, mortal?!" - the demon cried with Hauk's voice. He cracked the whip.

Lena ran into the blizzard.

...

"'You won't be able to fight in there as you are used to'" - Jowan's voice sounded in her head. "'You won't have your weapons' - that's what he said" - she thought trying to figure out what to do. "But magic? What about magic? What did he say about magic? 'Spells might not work the way you'd expect.' Oh" - she recalled. The danger she was in, started to dawn upon her. And the fact that she would probably wander in the Fade forever. Jowan wasn't exaggerating.

The blizzard lightened up, she saw a cave. Snowberries were growing by the entrance, bright red against the snow.

"As red as the blood I spilled in Whiterun that night" - Lucien came out of the cave. "Come inside."

She entered.

It was Fort Farragut.

"Come, let's have dinner" - Lucien waved towards the table. He walked over to the fire, started taking roast off the spit. "Ham or mutton?"

"Mutton with orange chutney, please..." - Lena murmured, recalling this scene. "You are not Lucien."

"Am I not?" - Lucien turned around, smiling. "But I am an assassin, sister."

He bared his dagger, advancing.

Instinctively, Lena drew her Sufferthorn. Wait, Jowan said she wouldn't have any weapons, so how..?

She was holding flowers - goldenrod, morning glory, lily of the valley, blue hyacinth.

"Ah, you kept my flowers" - Lucien said, his dagger vanishing. He was now close, pulling her into an embrace. "I love you." He kissed her.

"Lucien..." - she could hear herself say, or think. She so longed for him. At last...

"No, you are here to rescue Hauk, and this is not Lucien anyway" - a voice said in her head. "Lucien would never do that!"

She brushed the voice away. She didn't care.

"No, wake up!!" - the voice was getting stronger. "Now!"

A sharp pain in her neck made her jerk. A vampire.

She tore herself away, pushing the vampire with all her force. Her neck was bleeding profusely, a chunk missing. The vampire looked famished, his hunger fuelled by the sight of fresh blood.

"Run!!!" - the voice screamed in her head. She ran.

She was back in the blizzard, there was no cave and her neck wasn't bleeding. "Hauk, where are you?" - she thought looking around. Every direction looked the same.

...

"Stay sharp" - a voice said behind her. She twisted around. Hadvar. "Come on - this way."

Hadvar beckoned her to follow, he seemed to know where he was going. She followed.

They walked through the blizzard for a while, Hadvar leading, Lena not seeing how he knew the way. But Skyrim was his home, so she figured, he must have ways. They came to a crypt.

"In here" - he said. "I've set up camp, we can wait out the blizzard."

Lena was tired, frostbitten and hungry, so she agreed. She could not go back into the blizzard now anyway, she'd just die there. Hadvar passed her a bowl of stew.

"What are you doing back in Skyrim?" - he asked. "Not joining the Stormcloaks, I hope?" The polish on his Legion armour was reflecting the fire.

"Stormcloaks? No, not me" - Lena answered, eating and sensing that something was odd. But what?

"General Talius will have them all hang one day" - Hadvar said, looking straight at her. "The Legion always prevails."

"Where is Hauk?" - Lena asked, surprising herself. She didn't expect an answer.

"Oh, he was here" - Hadvar replied. "He wanted to stay in this crypt, but I told him it wasn't his time."

"What?!" - Lena jumped up. "So where did he go?"

"Back out" - a draugr was sitting where Hadvar had been. "To Sovngarde."

Lena ran towards the exit, then returned. Something that draugr had said...

"It wasn't his time, you said?" - she turned to the draugr.

"Sit down" - he resumed stirring the stew. "There is no rush, he won't get there yet." The draugr's piercing blue eyes were fixed on Lena's. "Why have you come?"

"I..." - Lena started, uncertain. "He fell in battle, and I was too late to bring him back."

"Then you must let him go" - the draugr said. "A Nord must die in battle."

"Perhaps, but not yet - it is not his time, you said it yourself!" - Lena felt that the draugr was tricking her.

"And who are you to him to demand his return?" - the draugr's gaze was hard to bare.

"I..." - she stumbled. "'Wolf is not ready to make any choices or decisions yet, it's not the time'" - Hauk's voice sounded in her head. Was it the time to make decisions now? Here, in the Fade?

"No, it's not the time" - another voice said in her head. "Get up and leave - this draugr won't help you."

"I am his friend, and I shall find him" - she said firmly and got up. The draugr followed her with his icy blue gaze.

...

The blizzard had stopped. A bright aurora was colouring the sky green, reflecting in the ice. The moons made the night into day. Lena was standing on a mountain top, overlooking the land below. She saw a camp by the water, with people gathered around the fire. She hoped they were hunters rather than bandits, and approached.

Several people sat by the fire, chatting and passing mead around. She saw Hauk - a pretty Dunmer girl was next to him, he was holding her close. They kissed, then went into a tent, lowering the door flap.

"They've been at it for days now" - one of the hunters said, looking at Lena. "Come and sit with us, you can wait for him if you like, but it might be all night" - he laughed, winking at her.

She sat down. What was she going to do? She had no claims on Hauk, she couldn't deny him a romance if that's what he wanted... Those slanted sanguine eyes always made him melt...

"What, here, in the Fade?" - a voice in her head sounded sceptical. "A bit too convenient, don't you think?"

"A Desire Demon?" - she thought, recalling Jowan warning her about them. "I think I met two of them already..." - she blushed to herself. "But if that's a demon there in the tent, then is that the real Hauk that she's seducing?"

"Or perhaps the whole scene is entirely for your benefit?" - the voice suggested. "A Rage Demon trying to get you jealous? A Despair Demon trying to make you give up?"

Was there a way to tell?

She looked at the hunters. They were chatting, drinking mead, roasting slaughterfish and salmon, and not paying her any attention. Wait, one was different... White hair... Amber eyes... Cat eyes...

"Come with me" - he said, pointing at another tent. "You asked for help at your practice" - he smiled, fingering his wolf medallion. "I am at your service."

She knew him, she was sure she knew him, but how? She could not recall. She was drawn to him... Another Desire Demon? She wasn't sure... she had to follow.

"I can teach you to fight better than anyone, I can make you into the Ultimate Assassin, I can give you more magicka than you can imagine, even rid you of the curse of the Apprentice" - the man with cat eyes said. "And of course" - he snapped his fingers - "I can give you any luxury you could possibly dream of." The barren tent was now overflowing with velvets and silks, fruit, wine, fine food - anything. "Just say the word. And you can have it all - there is no need to choose" - he smiled, inviting her to join him on the cushions.

"No need to choose..?" - Lena repeated, looking at him. "And what would you want in return?"

"Nothing!" - he laughed. "Stay here, enjoy yourself, learn, grow, or just relax and lay back - it's your life! Have it all."

"And... what about my friends?" - Lena was fighting a nagging feeling that something was off.

"Friends?" - the man looked at her in disbelief. "You mean the ones that thrust you here without a way out? Or the ones that turned away because you were a vampire? Or may be the ones that just wanted you in bed? Because why else would they bother? Which ones do you mean?"

A string of memories rushed through Lena's mind. Yes, she knew exactly who he was referring to. But wait, was it really that bad? What about... this other guy... what was his name again? Why was she here anyway? And where was "here"?

"Here is in this tent in Skyrim" - the man answered, as if he'd read her thoughts. "Your face speaks volumes - I don't read minds" - he smiled.

It all made sense now. She was lost, but now she found a place where she was wanted. The man was nice, he wasn't making advances, he was offering her food and drink, books to read and spells to learn. Why not stay a while. Relax.

She let herself fall on the cushions and closed her eyes.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:55 PM

[Lena Wolf]

28 First Seed, 4E202 - The Fade - Memories

"Wake up!" - a shock spell zapped Lena. "Up, up, on your feet now!" - a voice shouted in her head. She'd heard this voice before.

"What?!" - she got angry. "I'm warm and well fed, and the cushions are soft, what do you want from me? I'm not going anywhere! I am done!" She fell back onto the cushions, her anger fizzled out.

"Up, I said!" - the voice shouted, a shock spell zapping her again.

"Aaww! Get away from me!" - Lena rubbed the singed spot and went back to sleep.

"Now!!" - the voice bellowed and a rather more powerful shock zapped Lena.

"Hey!!" - she was on her feet. "I'll show you! Get lost!!"

The zapping continued, coming from the Ether itself, it seemed, as Lena could not see her opponent. She ran out of the tent.

The land around the tent was barren - not icy, not covered in snow, not even rocky. It was just grey, dull, stretching in all directions as far as the eye could see. She turned around to go back to the tent, ready to forget this interruption - there was obviously nothing to come out for. Zap! A lightning bolt got her to whip around.

"This way!" - a voice said and another lightning hit a bit further on. "March!" Zap.

"Ok, ok, I'm going" - Lena mumbled. This was the easier thing to do. Go see what the voice wants, then get back to the tent and sleep.

The voice led her for a while, showing the way with lightning bolts and zapping her into obedience.

"How much further?" - Lena complained. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to find yourself!" - the voice replied. "Surely, the Sloth could not have sucked all of it out yet?"

The Sloth... The man with cat eyes? The nice tent to rest for as long as she wanted... Yes, the Sloth Demon... "'He'll make you forget everything you knew, you'll sleep in his domain forever - be watchful'" - Jowan's voice sounded in Lena's memory. "'Friends? What friends?'" - she recalled the man with cat eyes. "What have I forgotten?" - she thought with horror.

...

The landscape changed in the distance. Lena no longer needed the lightning to show her the way, she went towards the change. Swamps. Overcast skies. Stench. Corpses everywhere - soldiers. A battlefield. She looked around - she was in the middle of it.

She saw fire in the distance. Not a steady burning campfire, but flashes of it, as if someone was using fire spells. She walked towards it. A different stench mixed into the stench of corpses - rotten flesh. Walking rotten flesh. Ghouls. One man was fighting a whole pack - a witcher.

He was successful. He stopped, turned the last ghoul over with his boot. Looked around, found the nest, put a bomb inside. "Filthy beasts" - he muttered. Then fell to his knees, exhausted. He was bleeding. White hair, amber eyes. Cat eyes. Wolf medallion.

"Geralt!" - Lena remembered the scene, remembered finding him there, pouring a potion down his throat.

"Hello, sis" - he had said.

She rushed to him now, she'd do it all over again, she grabbed his shoulders... he wasn't there. The vision faded away like smoke. The land around her was barren and grey again.

...

"He made me forget my brother!" - Lena was getting angry at the Sloth Demon. "But that wasn't all. What else?"

"Don't get caught out again, if you want to return" - a voice said in her head.

"Return? Return where?"

Wait, this was important. If she had to return, she first needed to remember why she had left, and where she was now. Because she must have had a purpose... Do something and return.

The voice was silent. She had to work it out on her own. At least she didn't need to be zapped into doing it now.

She started walking, doesn't matter which way, she already figured out how this place worked, whatever it was. You walked, things appeared.

...

She saw a fort in the distance. A crumbling wall around it, but the tower still intact, like any old fort in Cyrodiil or Skyrim. She entered. Something was different, but she didn't know what.

"Here we go again" - she thought. "What kind of demon now?"

She went through some passages and entered a large well-lit chamber. A strange contraption occupied most of free space: three tripods with mirrors and crystals, focussing a beam of light in the centre. A dark-haired woman in black and white was fiddling with it.

"No, he isn't there" - Lena heard her mutter. "Perhaps Philipa would know?"

She cast a spell and an image of another woman appeared where the beams crossed.

"Gosh, you look dreadful" - was her greeting.

"And nice to see you too, Philipa" - the woman in black and white said. "Do you know where Geralt has gone to?"

"Why would I?" - she looked indifferent. "I'm not the one who's desperate to sleep with him. Swallow your pride and ask Triss."

"I have" - the black-and-white woman answered. "She doesn't know. And I checked - he isn't with her."

"Well" - Philipa raised an eyebrow and looked around the room. "Perhaps you need to search somewhere else entirely. Since you've left our realm already. Why don't you ask her?" - she pointed at Lena and disappeared.

Lena was watching it and thinking that surely, she must know who they were... Who the woman in black and white was, at least... Geralt... she was looking for her brother. But why?

The woman in black and white spun around and saw Lena standing there, not recognising her. She zapped her with a shock spell. "Wake up! Remember me!" - her voice was familiar. Yes, somewhat changed, but it was the voice that's been following Lena around, and the shock spell only confirmed it.

"Stop zapping me" - Lena said. "I know you but I can't remember."

"Damned Sloth Demon!" - the woman clenched her fists. "Follow me" - she commanded and walked out. Lena followed.

...

"Well, if this doesn't work, then I don't know what will" - the woman gave Lena a steaming potion. "It's a memory potion. If it works, it will likely overwhelm you, all memories rushing in at once. You'll faint, but I'll be there, and when you come to, eventually, you should be all right. And remember everything."

"Should be?" - Lena didn't like the sound of it too much.

"Oh, just drink it! What have you got to lose?"

What, indeed? She drank. She fainted.

...

Lena woke up in a bed in a circular chamber, probably a fort. A dark-haired woman in black and white was sitting at a desk with her back to her. A faint scent of lilac and gooseberries filled the room.

"Yen?" - Lena sat up. "Are you a vision?"

"Not a vision, and it's good to have you back!" - Yennefer jumped up. "You remember me, what else?"

"Geralt is waiting for you" - Lena remembered Geralt's tired face back in Skyrim.

"But where is he? I searched everywhere..." - Yen broke off. "No, we'll talk about this later. What else do you remember? Do you know where we are?"

"'Send me after him! Send me into the Fade!'" - a voice echoed in Lena's mind, and she saw herself kneeling over Hauk's body. Now she remembered.

"The Fade. I am here to find Hauk."

"And not to succumb to demons" - added Yennefer smiling. "But I think you've learned a thing or two by now. Come, I'll help you."

"Thank you" - Lena took her hand. "Wolf is in Skyrim, he misses you."

The fort vanished. Yennefer had pushed Lena into a portal.

...

Mountains. Lena stood on a slope of a mountain, she was high enough so that all was white around her, but below, in the canyon, she saw grass and trees in bloom. This wasn't Skyrim - these were the Jeralls in Cyrodiil.

"Wait, wasn't it where we got into that fight with the bandits?"

She looked around, yes, it probably was. A figure was standing on a mountain slope further ahead - a man, perhaps? She started towards him.

"Hauk!" - she was close enough to recognise him.

"Hello" - he said, with a blank face. "Nice view from here."

Lena was taken aback - this wasn't the reaction she had expected. He didn't seem to even recognise her, or if he did, he didn't seem to care at all. Was that another demon? Or was that Hauk after a demon was done with him? She had to be cautious. "Don't succumb to another demon" - she heard Yennefer's words in her head.

"Hauk" - Lena started carefully. "Have you eaten? There's a campsite nearby, I've got mutton on the spit."

She didn't know if there was a campsite nearby, but she figured it would appear, if she wanted it to. Roasted mutton was Hauk's favourite, if he didn't respond, it wasn't Hauk.

"Whaaa--?" - he looked around, as if seeing her for the first time. "Wolf? What are you doing here?"

"Roasting some mutton, it seems" - she smiled. "Come on." She took his hand. It was warm.

...

"Wake up, wake up!" - someone was casting healing spells at Lena. The room was spinning. Wait... perhaps she should open her eyes.

A face of a dark-haired young man was coming into focus. "Come on, you're back, you must be back!" He was pale, but still casting spells.

"Jowan?" - Lena recognised him. "You've done it!" - she kissed him. "Hauk?"

"Sleeping" - Jowan looked embarrassed. "He's been back for a while already... But you... What took you so long? I could barely keep the portal open."

"But you have" - Lena got up. "I... got side-tracked" - she said, blushing all over. "Demons..."

"Say no more" - Jowan smiled. "I've been there, you know. You help someone, you think you're done, you let your guard down, and that's when it happens."

"Yeah..." There was no need to specify which demon got her - again.

"You're back, that's what counts" - Jowan said firmly. "The rest stays in the Fade."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:56 PM

[Lena Wolf]

29 First Seed, 4E202 - The Hidden Camp - Bruma - Rubies

"Is it midday already? How long have I slept?" - Hauk was crawling out of a low tent in the Hidden Camp. "Is this Sedor?" - he pointed at an Ayleid ruin nearby. "I feel like I drank too much last night... The dreams I had - you wouldn't believe!"

He sat by the fire with Lena and Jowan, stretching.

"Careful with that" - Lena touched his side. "It hasn't properly healed yet."

"Whaa--?" - Hauk looked at her suspiciously.

"Some of those dreams..." - Jowan started cautiously - "they were not all dreams, I think."

Hauk stared at them.

"Ok, stop beating about the bush and tell me what happened."

"You... died" - said Lena. "I had to repair your heart - it was pierced - so be careful with that scar in your side."

"Riiiight..." - Hauk touched the scar. "Yes, I see. This explains Sovngarde. Except... they didn't let me in. Said someone wanted me back... They'd let me in if that person stopped searching."

Lena turned bright red.

"I am sorry, it wasn't easy... It took me such a long time... And I did stop... once" - she looked at Hauk apologetically. "I couldn't have done it without Yen."

It was Hauk's turn to go bright red.

"You went after me..?"

Now Jowan was getting hot under the collar.

"Stop it, both of you!" - he jumped up. "It was all my fault, I opened the portal! Sacrificed two bandits to do it, too! Sithis will be pleased now."

"What?" - Lena and Hauk said in unison, staring at him.

"The more I do it, the closer he gets" - said Jowan, sitting down. "It's not that I do it a lot... But I had to this time!"

They sat in silence for a while, letting it all sink in. Just what each of them was willing to do for the others, including Hauk of course - he died, remember?

"Well..." - Lena took their hands. "I think that makes us friends."

...

"Do you want to spend another night here?" - asked Hauk, getting up. "Or shall we get going?"

"Are you sure you're up to it?" - asked Lena, looking uncertain.

"I didn't say let's go fight some more bandits" - he winked. "I was thinking more along the lines of following the road to a town - Bruma or Cheydinhal - and spending the next night at an inn."

"I wouldn't say no to a bed inside a house" - seconded Jowan. "And I've never been to Bruma."

"Bruma it is then" - Lena got up too.

The road to Bruma was remarkably devoid of fights, not counting a few wolves. The views were magnificent and the fresh mountain air did everyone a lot of good. They reached Bruma in the early evening.

"Jerall View Inn, I think" - Hauk looked at Lena and Jowan. "They've got better beds."

"And food" - added Lena. "Unless you wanted to go drinking at Olav's first?"

"Drinks first" - said Jowan decisively. "Then eat and sleep" - he gave them a wide grin.

...

"Iver!" - a tall Altmer girl ran up to Hauk and squeezed him in an embrace, kissing him before he could say anything (he didn't try). "Where have you been? It's been ages!"

"Ummm..." - Hauk's attempt at replying got swallowed in another kiss.

Lena and Jowan were watching with amusement, as well as the rest of the clientele at Olav's.

"Ahem" - Olav touched the girl on the shoulder. "Camia? That's not Iver."

Camia jumped back as if she got burned.

"What?! How?"

She was shifting her gaze from Hauk to Olav and back, Hauk looked perplexed but otherwise rather pleased with himself. Olav cleared his throat again.

"This is Hauk, Iver's twin brother."

Camia went so red, it couldn't be healthy.

"Here - sit down" - Olav pushed a chair towards her. "They look completely alike, so don't blame yourself for the confusion."

"I am very pleased to make your acquaintance" - said Hauk. "And to find out that my brother has such a charming friend."

"Oh I'm so sorry" - Camia found her voice. "Gods know what you must think of me!" She went red again.

"I wouldn't worry" - said Lena. "Hauk gets it all the time."

The look of outrage on Hauk's face was enough to diffuse the situation. Everyone laughed.

...

"...and then he zapped that ogre with such a force, that it just fell over and died!" - Camia was telling the story of how she met Iver. Apparently, he saved her from some ogres out in the wilderness.

"Yeah, that sounds about right" - confirmed Hauk. "Iver was always good with his shock spells. But if I may - what were you two doing there in the first place?"

"Hauk!" - Lena protested. "What kind of a personal question is that? Ignore him, Camia."

"Well, we were looking for rubies, of course" - said Camia as if it was self-explanatory. "In the Red Ruby Cave? To bind Fire Atronachs with long term binding" - she explained seeing that it wasn't in fact self-explanatory. "I'm from the College of Winterhold. I met Iver here in Bruma - the Mages Guild kindly sent a battlemage to help - that was Iver."

"And did you find any rubies?" - asked Lena knowing that the answer would be "no". Cave names were never so obvious.

"No, strangely enough, we didn't" - said Camia, still surprised by it. "Just the ogres." She looked at them all and didn't see any of them surprised. "Say, you look like you know your way around caves..."

"Err... rubies are rare..." - Lena started.

"If we find any, we'll be sure to save them for you" - interrupted Hauk. "I'll have Iver bring them over to you in Winterhold. A trip will do him good."

Camia blushed but accepted the offer with thanks.

...

"So what are you going to do about the rubies?" - asked Lena when they were on their way to the Jerall View Inn for the night.

"I have a few at home" - winked Hauk. "From Skyrim, in fact. They are a lot more common there, but Camia didn't seem to know that. Iver needs to go see her, or else he'll be fit to join a monastery soon."

Did anyone think that Bruma was the city of romance? No? Then they should reconsider.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:56 PM

[Lena Wolf]

30 First Seed, 4E202 - Bruma Mages Guild - Walking in the Jeralls

The first thing to do in the morning was to stop by the Mages Guild and see if they had any poisons in stock as Lena had used up a lot of hers in all the fighting.

"No, we don't really sell poisons, you know" - said Selena. "They don't make the right impression on people, according to the Arch Mage. I have a few ingredients you could use, but even that..."

"Traven and his rules of good conduct again!" - fumed Hauk. "Does the man have any grasp of reality? We need poisons for goblins and ogres, for Akatosh's sake!"

"Well..." - Selena looked sympathetic. "There's a cave not far from here - the Silver Tooth Cave - it's full of wisp stalks and cairn bolete mushrooms, although it does have goblins inside. But there's quite a lot of milk thistle and wormwood along the way, too."

"Yes, we passed it yesterday..." - Lena looked at Jowan and Hauk. "There was a fort nearby as well... But you must promise to hang back and let me take the lead in the fighting" - she turned to Hauk. "Until you're fully recovered."

"I'm recovered!" - protested Hauk. "I'm a battlemage, remember - I've had my share of cuts and scrapes over the years!"

"Yeah, and how many times have you died from a dagger in your heart before?" - asked Lena not giving up.

"Dagger in your heart? That sounds dangerous" - Jeanne walked in. "Nobody can survive that."

"Quite" - Lena replied, looking at Hauk with significance.

"Of course a Warlock like yourself would have no problem repairing the tear, I'm sure" - Jeanne continued. "Still, I'd say it would be a very cruel practical joke. Unless of course Hannibal Traven thinks otherwise" - she smiled brightly. Selene shook her head, suddenly remembering that she had a potion to mix. Volanaro walked out of the room.

"What?" - Jeanne looked around, perplexed.

"Nothing" - Lena and Hauk replied, and Lena turned to follow Volanaro. He had some interesting spells on offer.

"A Warlock, wow, congratulations! You've done well!" - Volanaro greeted Lena when they were out of Jeanne's earshot. "I remember when you came here for your recommendation... both times" - he winked.

"Yeah, these ranks keep stacking up" - said Lena - "even though it isn't magic that I do to earn them, but plain fighting. You'd think it was Fighters Guild. Doesn't feel right."

Lena looked at Volanaro - a mischievous smile was playing on his lips.

"Well, you remember that little joke we played on Jeanne? She was searching for her Manual for days... Can't cast a single spell without it, I think it is enchanted" - he winked. "But jokes aside, things might change here in a not too distant future. You do know why we are the only Guild Hall without a specialisation?"

"I do" - said Hauk. "But Wolf was away at the time, I think she might have missed it. I'll fill her in."

"Please do" - Volanaro shook Hauk's hand. "Considering her rank advances, she is likely to become involved."

Jowan remembered reading some books at the Mages Guild in Anvil.

"Oh, from before the..." - he caught himself. "Sorry. I read your charter - some pages were missing..."

"Exactly" - said Volanaro, looking at Jowan's wrists. "Come and join us after... you know. When things will have changed."

"Oh!" - Lena caught on. "If Kvatch was for Alchemy, then Bruma... I see. Yes, we shall probably see each other again then. Traven seems to think I'm his puppet."

"Does he know the colour of Warlock's robes?" - asked J'skar appearing next to Volanaro.

"He must be colour-blind" - said Lena, smiling.

"He is not" - replied J'skar. "J'skar thinks that Wolf has to be careful. Traven is trying to get her killed."

...

After some discussion, they decided to take another walk in the mountains, picking some milk thistle and wormwood along the way. Whether or not they'd make it to the Silver Tooth Cave, would become clear later on.

"We should take Jowan to the Frostcrag Spire" - said Hauk. "That's a sight to see!"

That was a good idea, and they could pick ingredients from the garden there too, although Lena admitted that she still hadn't furnished it.

"You own a mage's tower?" - Jowan was impressed.

"It was left to me by some long-lost relative" - she said blushing slightly. "Quite the eccentric, it seems, although probably not as evil as that other great-uncle."

The Frostcrag Spire was the same as last time: impressive on the outside and bare on the inside.

"And those teleports" - said Hauk shuddering. "Did I tell you how much I hate them? And here you have to use them to get from one floor to the next!"

"Yeah, not my idea of a home either..." - said Lena. "Perhaps we'll come across a mage who would be pleased with it."

It was nice to visit, but not to stay, and they continued their walk. They came to the camp on the Gnoll mountain and stayed there for lunch enjoying the views of Bruma. Then they took the Northern path back, passing by the Dragonclaw Rock.

"That is the way to Skyrim" - said Lena looking wistful. "Through the Pale Pass and onto Helgen."

"And you want to go there again" - said Hauk, reading her face.

"Yeah..." - she looked at him. "If you're coming with me. And no business this time, just exploring." She turned to Jowan - "This goes for you too, Jowan. There's a lot to explore in Skyrim."

Jowan looked at Lena and Hauk and shook his head.

"That's too cold for my liking. You two go, I'll wait for you here in Bruma" - he smiled. "I think Volanaro will make for an interesting acquaintance."

They returned to Bruma discussing preparations for the trip. They never made it to the Silver Tooth Cave - the goblins got off easy this time.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:57 PM

[macole]

"Yeah, not my idea of a home either..." - said Lena. "Perhaps we'll come across a mage who would be pleased with it."

Passing through Bruma I happened to read an add on the bulletin board. Thinking of picking up a suitable home for a mage I took advantage of the offer only to find that I too was underwhelmed by the tower.

[Lena Wolf]

"Yeah, not my idea of a home either..." - said Lena. "Perhaps we'll come across a mage who would be pleased with it."

Passing through Bruma I happened to read an add on the bulletin board. Thinking of picking up a suitable home for a mage I took advantage of the offer only to find that I too was underwhelmed by the tower.

I know. Lena is willing to give it away... almost free! She went to see what the upgrades were... Overpriced was an understatement. And all strictly for a single person without visitors or - gods forbid - friends who might spend the night. Why, there wasn't even a bathroom or a pool! It's almost like that Rowley Eardwulf character who clearly swindled her out of the actual contents of the Sanctuary - was a whole group of assassins supposed to share a single coffin? In particular AFTER they cured vampirism? Didn't think so. But then Rowley was a swindler, of course, whereas this Altmer lady in the Imperial City seems to have the actual stuff... Lots of magical artefacts, true, but so poor in life's comforts. So Lena figured it wasn't worth while. But someone might like it - with a few changes to the decor, I should think.

[Lena Wolf]

31 First Seed - 2 Rain's Hand, 4E202 - Holiday in Skyrim - Shimmermist Cave - Freezing cold

The day saw Lena and Hauk cross the border to Skyrim, turning West from Helgen to say hello to Geralt at Lake View. Lena had something to add to that, too.

31 First Seed

"I saw Yen" - she said at dinner.

Geralt dropped his spoon, splashing the stew on the table cloth.

"What?! How?"

"Umm... She's been searching for you" - Lena decided to circumvent the question. "I told her where you went, she'll be coming over now, I'm sure."

Geralt smiled, his scars almost fading. Then the looked grim again.

"You didn't answer me - how could you have seen her?" He correctly deduced that not answering was not good news.

"I... umm..." - Lena wasn't quite sure how to say that she went into the Fade after Hauk when he died.

"She went after me" - said Hauk - "to get me to come back after some bandit stabbed me."

"Riiight..." - Geralt was taking it in. "And you came back... both of you... obviously. How did you do it?"

"A blood mage opened a portal..." - Lena really didn't want to go into it. "It's not important! The important thing was that Yen was there, looking for you - asking Philipa to help for Akatosh's sake! You should have told her where you went... She'll have to exit the... Fade... and then make her way to here... It'll be a while still, but she's on her way, so be patient."

This all came out as a flood.

"The Fade?" - Geralt blinked. "She went into the Fade looking for me?"

"She... well... she said she looked everywhere, asked everyone... No one knew. I suppose she thought you might have died" - suggested Lena. "Or may be it was an easier way to search? Sort of like from above?" - she offered hopefully.

"Right, no more tests then" - said Geralt, still looking worried but lightening up. "I'll need to see about finding a house - my own house now. She'll be here in a few months."

Having Yennefer arrive after all that trouble and not find a suitable accommodation was a far more dangerous prospect than travelling through the Fade.

...

"What brings you two to Skyrim again?" - asked Geralt when they were sitting out on the deck drinking mead. The evening was beautiful.

"We just wanted to relax" - said Lena, looking at Hauk - "and Hauk needs to recover from his wound."

"I'm recovered!" - protested Hauk. "I think it is you who needed a holiday. How many demons did you face?"

"Too many" - agreed Lena.

"Well, that's what friends are for" - concluded Geralt. "Like Letho going after the Wild Hunt with me... Even when I couldn't remember anything, I still knew he was a friend. Such things stay with you no matter what." He looked at Lena and Hauk and smiled. "So you decided to come to Skyrim to fight some draugr for entertainment, have you?"

"Dwelmer automatons, we rather thought..." - Lena smiled. "Those ruins we came across last time? We want to explore a bit."

1 Rain's Hand

Lena and Hauk set off in the morning going North. They didn't have any particular plan, but knew that there were quite a few Dwelmer ruins in that direction. Passing on the East side of Whiterun, they spotted a path into the mountains and took it. It led them to a cave, skulls and bones on sticks announced the falmer inside.

"And probably chaurusses" - noted Lena looking at Hauk. "What do you think?"

"In we go."

The Shimmermist Cave lived up to its name - warm mist hung in the air, and it shimmered. Literally. Quite romantic, if it wasn't for the poison-spitting giant insects and vicious falmer, also looking like insects in their chaurus chitin armour. One of the passages even opened onto a Dwelmer chamber, complete with a Centurion spraying superheated steam.

"Wow, you broke it!" - Lena could hardly believe her eyes when she finally caught up with Hauk, having led away a falmer nightstalker. "I didn't think it was possible!"

"Of course it is possible" - Hauk looked rather pleased with himself. "Shock spells disrupt their crystals, you know."

"Yeah, that's if you manage to zap them before they squash you with the hammer or boil you alive."

The fun had begun.

...

Continuing further North, they stopped at the Nightgate Inn for the night.

"Oh, there are two Dwelmer ruins not far from here" - the innkeep said when he heard what they were after. "Just to the South."

2 Rain's Hand

The weather was bitter cold, with the blizzard so thick you could hardly see three steps ahead of you.

"Let's hope we find those ruins quickly and go inside" - said Lena shivering. Her iron armour left her arms exposed, and she was slowly freezing.

"Have you considered wearing some furs under that armour?" - asked Hauk, but Lena pretended not to hear.

...
Irkngthand looked impressive. A large courtyard with a three-story building, all promising an interesting exploration. By the time Lena and Hauk had dealt with the bandit welcoming party, Lena started looking like a frost atronach.

"You need to warm up - now" - said Hauk, pulling her towards the entrance. "There's a campsite with a good fire right over there."

"Wouldn't it be better to find the door and get inside instead?" - Lena protested, looking around.

"Yeah, but do you see a door? Didn't think so" - Hauk was adamant. "We've scaled this side of the building several times now, and there is no door, well, there is one - but it's all blocked up. We'll look for another entrance later - once you've been defrosted."

He had a point. Lena had also conceded that her armour wasn't keeping the cold out, and pinched standard steel armour from the bandit chief. It was too big, but could be adjusted to fit her reasonably well.

"But it's so heavy!" - she complained. "Don't throw away my iron set - I'll see about padding it with fur later. And... can you carry it, please? I can't carry both..." Women.

Hauk sighed, but stashed her armour in his pack. Breton women were neither strong nor frost-resistant, but they did have certain other good points...

...

After a good rest and a meal, they decided to check whether the ruin could be entered from above - through a make-shift hatch in the roof. They found the hatch, but it was locked.

"Another one of those magical locks" - Lena gritted her teeth. "No, it's no use. What about that other ruin that the innkeep mentioned? Let's move on."

Raldbthar was just to the South East.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 01:59 PM

[Lena Wolf]

2-3 Rain's Hand, 4E202 - From Ralbthar to Ivarstead

2-3 Rain's Hand - Ralbthar

Slept inside, found some hay piles in falmer huts. The falmer had fires going, so cooked some food, too. Found an Aetherial Shard and a mechanism that we could not activate.

Took an elevator to the surface - the entrance is above the main entrance to Ralbthar.

3 Rain's Hand

It's still early, and cold. We rode East then South - found Mara's Eye pond. Beautiful. There's a small island in the middle, a boat moored on its shore. There must be something there.

Found a trapdoor, a small cave inside - also quite beautiful, if not for the vampires. But plenty of gold, so it's all worth while.

Hauk says I should have taken the vampire's armour - one red, one black, both sexy. Mmm... no. No, thanks.

Going South - passing Gallows Rock. Let someone else clear it out.

South of that - a shrine to Talos. Did you know that they now want you to pay 100 septims every time you want a blessing? It's not an "offering" if you get something in exchange, it's a purchase. I'll need to invest in Cure Disease potions.

Cradlecrush Rock. Don't want to get crushed today. Ride on.

Crossing the river, we see a spider, it picks a fight. Hauk zaps it. Spider spits venom. Hauk gets angry - "A true Nord never backs down!" This doesn't apply to true Nord spiders though because it tries to run away. Eight legs or not, but Hauk is angry and spider stands no chance. Note to self: avoid making Hauk angry.

We proceed South. Holiday is in full swing.

Stumbled on a path up the mountain with arches and steps - a crypt. Went to have a look-see. The door is unlocked, there's a young chap inside - Golldir. Seems nice. Asks us to help him deal with a necromancer - some family feud, and he decided to take it out on their dead. Goldilocks - err, Golldir - is terrified of the place, got locked up there as a kid or something. But he's brave enough to ask for help and admit a weakness, all good points in my book. We'll have a quick snack and go in. It's lunch time - Roach is already munching on thistle outside.

That necromancer was evil. But a strong mage! Used interesting teleportation magic - Dunmer. Telvanni? Probably not. I wish I had a friend in Morrowind.

We are headed to Ivarstead, but make a detour to see the geisers. Always impressive.

Mistwatch - bandits. At least they have the decency to warn. Leave them be.

Darkwater crossing. Volunteered to deliver a message to Windhelm. Wait, weren't we going in the opposite direction? What was I thinking!

Another detour to the Rift Imperial camp. Padded my iron armour with wolf fur, got rid of the heavy steel - the quartermaster was happy. "Oh look at this perfect sabretooth cat pelt!" - he said. "The commander will be pleased." We stopped for a meal because of course Optio Serck-Hanssen had to have a chat with the Legate. Well, at least it got us free mead.

Ivarstead - Vilemyr Inn. "Hello, love birds!" Oh, the innkeep remembers us. Ok, never mind.

Hauk's armour got scratched in the fight with the draugr, he spends the evening polishing it. I watch (he doesn't wear a shirt). Not sure how much sleep we'll get. But there's no rush to get up in the morning!

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 02:00 PM

[Lena Wolf]

4 Rain's Hand, 4E202 - Geisers - Windhelm - White Phial

There was no need to get up particularly early, and so they didn't. But eventually Lena was up - the smell of fresh sweetrolls tempting her out of bed. Hauk followed.

"Now that I promised we'd take this note to Windhelm, we actually have to go there" - she said, checking the saddle on Roach. "Straight through the geisers?"

"Let's go!" - Hauk was in the saddle going North.

...

"Straight through the geisers, she says!" - Roach was complaining loudly, even though Lena couldn't make out a word of it. "More like straight down the waterfall and off a cliff! For your information, there is no straight road between Ivarstead and Fort Amol!"

Lena was gingerly nudging Roach to descent down a nearly vertical cliff. In her defence, there were plenty of stepping stones and Roach didn't fall once.

"Do I look like a mountain goat?" - Roach wasn't going to let her indignation go unnoticed. "Or the Shadowmere? You've been around Lucien too much, that's what! It got into your head! Oh" - they stood on a road by Fort Amol - "and now someone zapped me!"

"I'll see you burn!" - a mage charged at them casting shock spells.

"Umm..." - started Lena unsheathing her sword, a fire playing in the other hand. "That's the wrong spell for burning."

But before she could do anything, the mage dropped dead at her feet.

"There's a perfectly good road down the mountain, you know" - Hauk said, putting out his own shock spell. "Do you want to clear out the fort?"

"Nah, leave them be" - Lena got into the saddle. "We are on holiday, remember?"

...

"If there ever was trouble, this is it" - Lena said nudging Roach away from the cabin. "The sort of trouble we should walk away from."

They found a riverside shack with a large bear sleeping peacefully inside, having dismembered and eaten the previous inhabitant.

"Shouldn't we avenge the unfortunate person inside though?" - asked Hauk moving away too.

"And what would that accomplish? It won't bring him back. Let's go."

The bear continued snoring.

...

In Windhelm they finally sold the loot that they didn't want to keep. War time prices meant that they didn't get much money for it. Still, it was enough for a meal and a room, and a few bits and bobs, too. They dropped off the note at the White Phial, sold their surplus ingredients and... got saddled with another fetch quest.

"If you don't want to help people, you shouldn't be asking them about their problems" - remarked Hauk when they were outside. "Wasn't there something else we needed to fetch from that very same cave? For another old alchemist?"

"A ring of perfect mixtures" - Lena recalled. "If this was a hidden laboratory of some alchemical genuis, then it is not surprising that it would contain several interesting items."

Back at the market a local farmer selling fresh produce asked Lena to deliver some nightshade extract to the court wizard.

"I'm stuck here manning the stall all day" - she said. "Would you be so kind? Gets you to see the Palace from the inside, too."

The woman was nice, so Lena agreed.

"How do you feel about going into the Palace?" - she asked Hauk as they approached the entrance. "Do you want to skip this one?"

"Whatever for?" - Hauk raised an eyebrow. "It's not like I'm wearing Imperial armour. And even then... Windhelm doesn't consist exclusively of Stormcloaks, you know."

"Not exclusively..." - Lena thought - "But close! Certainly among the Nords..."

But - what was it? "A true Nord never backs down!" Oh.

She needn't have worried though. Ulfric was too busy discussing the war with whoever he was discussing the war with, and the door to the upper level of the Palace was right by the entrance. The court wizard by the name of Wuunferth the Unliving (!!) turned out to be an elderly mage interested in any and all aspects of magic and no aspects of politics. Ulfric didn't need him, and he needed Ulfric even less.

"We are doing well leaving each other well alone" - he said. "Oh - the nightshade extract... thank you. Poisonous of course, but it also has other uses..." He didn't elaborate, and Lena didn't think it was her place to ask.

After the Palace of the Kings they needed a breath of fresh air and went to the Grey Quarter - the New Gnisis Cornerclub, to be precise. A lot less stuffy than the Palace, but instead filled with the air of discontent. The Dunmer were not treated fairly! No? No less fairly than the Nords in Morrowind. It goes both ways.

After lunch it was time to go find this treasure trove of alchemy - the Forsaken Cave.

The weather turned for the worse with the blizzard getting heavy, the icy wind howling. Lena's padded armour did a decent job of keeping the cold out, but her Breton blood wasn't sufficiently frost-resistant.

"You are turning blue again" - said Hauk. "You need a drink." He handed her a bottle of Nord mead. "It may not taste as sweet as Honningbrew or Black-Briers, but it keeps the cold out better."

Indeed, it worked. Lena felt warmer and the cold didn't seem to get at her so much. She made a mental note to buy Nord mead wherever she saw it, whatever the cost.

Forsaken Cave led to Forsaken Crypt, the burial place of that famous alchemist Curalmil. Of course, his draugr was guarding the phial.

"Umm... Curalmil does not sound like a Nord name" - said Lena looking at the pacified draugr. "What is he doing in a Nord crypt as a draugr?"

"Ancient Nords were more accepting of foreigners than modern ones" - said Hauk grimly. "If he made his life in Skyrim and was considered one of the people, they'd bury him in the Nord tradition. And it seems he was respected in life - he practically presides over this crypt."

They found the phial, but it was broken.

"Something tells me Nurelion is not going to be happy" - said Lena with regret. "Can't say I blame him. Well, let's take it back as it is."

They returned to Windhelm in the dead of night. The Candlehearth Hall was welcoming, as usual.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 02:01 PM