Buffy - Book 4, Drodda the Icewitch Options

[Kane]

Took a little bit of time but I just finished reading book four up to where Buffy is now. The summary for the other three books was very helpful, Acadian, or I'd likely still be burning through book one! I love the idea of Buffy and her paladin friend being intertwined on such a deep level. The idea of having a constant friend and companion like that, no matter where one is or what's happening, adds a powerful layer of companionship. And I adore Buffy's creed involving those she loves - Linneá feels just as strongly about her friends and family.


At the time, I didn't realize what you had meant about Chorrol having another story do with Kyne when I started posting my own saga. It's interesting how we can all interpret these characters differently and yet still have them be similar. For instance, your version of Kynareth more closely resembles Mara in my series; blonde hair and blue eyed, to be specific. My version of Kyne has long auburn hair and emerald green eyes, and while she loves her champions and her family just as Kynareth loves Buffy, she's more of a guiding hand, or a shepard watching over the flock. She offers advice and will always listen, but she rarely displays her power. (I say rarely because our heroines have had a similar experience involving combat and a grievously wounded arm. Kyne had to step in or Seeking Solace would have ended very differently.)


The pathway into the Second Era was very well done and I'm enjoying her camaraderie with Mirri, whose name I swear I recognize. I played ESO off and on a few times, but it didn't grab me like other TES games have, or I'd probably have had a few stories in that time. The opportunity to spin a yarn in such a large sandbox is enticing, but I just wasn't a fan of the MMO mechanics.


I'm curious to see if she ever does get back to her preferred use of bows - her transition to a mage role with Kynareth's help was very well done, but sometimes it's hard to let go of the past. Seeing her find a home in Elden Root is very heartwarming though, and I get the feeling she will be in the Second Era for a long time. I'll be looking forward to each episode!

This post has been edited by Kane: Feb 23 2025, 03:45 AM

[Renee]

Explanation of tribes = fascinating. You could seriously start a whole Buffylore wiki page on some site, if one doesn't already exist. So Jerric gifted a ring, what about Lothran? I know mirocu's elf and yours wrote letters for awhile, did they ever exchange gifts?

Whoa... blood and sap intermingling... And sounds as though Buffy's essentially protected from vampirism. Cripes, my mind is blown.

Dunmeri blush!

“Be at ease,” I said, “for we mean you no ill, nor do we have designs on your belongings.”

Love the way she says this. So in our words, this might become "Hey, whoa, easy bud! We're not here to hurt you, or take your stuff!"

--- Ah here we go. Bert needs a task fulfilled: a crystal needs recharging, *Quest Added*. Always there's a moment of anticipation & maybe excitement when someone unable asks us for assistance.

Mirri is eating kwama eggs! That brings back some memories of kwama mines from Vvardenfell.

I thought this, too. All my Morrowind characters eat kwama eggs, even the pretenditarians like Fay Daway. Kwama jelly, too. Fay won't eat nix hound meat or scrib jerky though, blecch!

This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 24 2025, 07:54 PM

[Acadian]

Previously- With at least a day before Buffy might be scheduled to see Arch Mage Galerion, she and Mirri decided to practice their skills and perhaps augment their coin purses by accepting a task for the Undaunted – an intrepid organization of dungeon delvers. The pair met their research mage contact just outside Wormroot Depths in northern Grahtwood who gave them a crystal to charge at an Ayleid well inside the nearby Daedra-infested ruins.

*

Lopov- Never played Morrowind but have certainly heard that Dunmer seem to like Kwama eggs. . . and Mirri’s a Dunmer from Morrowind, so. . . . There are indeed numerous quests in ESO involving kwama mines.

Grits- Thank you! I’m trying to pace the growing friendship between Buffy and Mirri as it continues to gradually deepen into mutual reliance via trust and shared experiences. Today's episode will move them along another significant notch.

SubRosa- I’m glad you endorsed how we used the blood bonding between the tree and its elves. Carefully dancing around her past indeed as Buffy tries to balance her words between Kynareth’s urging for discretion about time travel and the truth.

Rider- Thanks for catching the spelling on Malabal Tor. Buffy fully embraces her own ‘girliness’ of course so it’s fun showing how Mirri is rather awkward or even a bit embarrassed about hers. In game, Mirri is quite supportive of Buffy’s flower and herb picking, often saying, “You can never have too much of that.”

Kane- I’m so delighted that you have joined us on Buffy’s adventure! Thank you for reading. I’m thoroughly enjoying the rather similar view of Kynareth/Kyne you portray in your own fiction. Acadian is like a constant rock, serving to help anchor the flighty elf, or at least be a metaphorical shoulder to lean on. Mirri is very helpful in that she serves as another mature anchor for Buffy with the advantage of really knowing her way around 2nd Era Tamriel, not to mention the steel and skills to protect Buffy. I often say the fact that ESO is an MMO is a drawback I readily live with due in part to its sheer mass and scale; it is also quite solo friendly and we’ve learned to appreciate how the world quite realistically changes and evolves over time. I think Kynareth was wise to gently steer Buffy from a bow-using mage to a staff using-mage, as ESO is kinder to the latter. That said, with determination and practice, bow + magic can be quite effective even, and surprisingly, as a healer. So, yes, I do anticipate Buffy returning to her roots as a mystic archer sometime after this book.

Renee- Thank you! You’ve seen mirocu often mention the dagger called Snowflake that Lothran carries – it was enchanted and gifted to him by Buffy long ago. The tree sap is actually redundant vs vampirism in Buffy's case; one of the four abilities shared by all paladins in Buffy lore is ‘Protection from Evil’ which protects her spirit from corruption by such things as vampirism or lycanthropy. Incidentally, the three other paladin abilities of Buffy lore are: Laying on of Hands, Holy Light (to identify oneself as a paladin) and Detect Evil. Those four paladin abilities are inspired by 'The Deed of Paksenarrion' by Elizabeth Moon with a sprinkle of D&D. Though Acadian discussed them with Buffy back in Book 3, I appreciate the opportunity to review them. Thanks also for quoting the ‘old world’ language Buffy used in her opening words to Bert. Language like 'How does the day greet you, milady?' is one reason I love medieval fantasy.

* * *

Episode 28

Mirri and I rode the short distance to the entrance of Wormroot Depths, where we unsummoned our mounts and slipped into the ruins.

It was, as Bert had advised, of Ayleid construction. Crystal formations provided adequate light as we peered down the once alabaster, now grime-covered, walls of the passage in front of us. “Remember, Buffy, we’re here to charge Bert’s crystal and we want to get you back to your guild by this evening. I’m sure we’ll encounter some resistance, but perhaps we should sneak past foes we don’t need to waste time on?”

I nodded and we stealthily began to make our way. Our complementary skills continued to serve us well. Mirri commanded the attention of the scamps, clannfears and atronachs we could not bypass. I delivered damage and made sure we remained buffed and healthy.

Finally, we reached a large chamber. Along its back wall a pale blue glow announced the Ayleid well of power we sought.

“There is a strong aura of evil near,” I remarked.

“More evil than every other fetching thing in here?” Mirri whispered.

“No, but stronger,” I replied pointing toward a figure guarding the Ayleid well.

We crept closer until we could clearly see that what stood between us and our objective was a dremora. Heavily armored and wielding mace and shield, I noticed our foe was left-handed.

“Let me engage before you reveal yourself,” directed Mirri. She crept forward until the dremora alerted to her presence. At that point the two charged each other while I continued to sneak closer. At the last moment, Mirri sidestepped her foe and inflicted a wicked slash across the back of the dremora's legs as the two passed each other. When the dremora spun to face their attacker, I noted that Mirri had quite elegantly taunted our opponent and turned it away from me with her opening move.

By now, my Cleansing Ritual was on the ground around us and my first Blazing Spear in the air.

Mirri continued to demand the dremora’s full attention while skillfully blocking every swing of its daedric mace. That the dremora seemed equally adept at blocking Mirri’s blade was countered by the damage I inflicted.

I settled into alternating Blazing Spear with heavy attacks from Carsomyr.

When Mirri missed a block and was staggered by a solid blow to her right upper arm, I quickly cast Healing Ward on her which rendered the dremora’s follow-up attack harmless. By the time the ward’s short duration expired, Mirri had recovered and resumed the block and parry standoff. I noticed, however, that her right – sword – arm did not seem to have the speed or precision I was used to seeing.

I refreshed Cleansing Ritual as needed between attacks. Eventually the dremora fell.

As Mirri turned to me, I remarked, “You took a pretty good blow to that right arm.”

She frowned. “It’s different fighting a left hander, and I missed a block. Thanks for the healing. I think it’ll be fine with some time.”

“Let me be the judge of that. Hold still,” I ordered. I laid hands on Mirri and established a bond of healing. After assessing her arm, I allowed the bond to fade and removed my hands.

“Well?” she asked.

“Mirri, the bone of your upper arm was badly broken. My spells healed it and kept you in the fight but, ranged healing lacks the precision of touch. The bone ends were misaligned when healed.”

“I’ve heard of such a thing,” she said, “when a serious break is allowed to heal improperly. That can mean rebreaking the bone and realigning it – involving a lot of strength and pain. I figure I can take the pain, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have the strength to rebreak and set a healed bone.”

I replied soberly, “You’ve got the right of it, partner. I don’t have the strength but, with Kynareth’s power flowing through my hands, my magic does. And I think I can protect you from the significant pain involved as well. The longer we delay, the more difficult repairing that arm will become.”

Mirri nodded. “Well, let’s do it then. Our partnership is just getting started and I don’t want you trading me in over a bad sword arm.”

I looked around. “We’ll be vulnerable and distracted during the process and this is not the safest place. I don’t like the delay, but I think we’d be wise to retreat to Bert’s camp for this.”

Mirri glanced at the corpse near our feet. “This dremora’s gear will fetch a good price. How about you charge up that crystal while I loot our foe? Then we’ll get out of here.”

“I think that will be fine,” I replied as I retrieved Bert’s crystal from my mage pouch. After charging and returning it, I turned to see how my partner was faring. Though the bald head, horns and heavy armor had given little clue, the soon naked body of the dremora clearly revealed her gender. I summoned my storage trunk so Mirri could stow the exotic armor, shield and mace.

We made our way out of the ruins without further combat and rode the short distance to Bert’s camp.

After he thanked us for the fully charged crystal, I explained, “Bert, Mirri took quite an injury to one arm and I need to heal her. May we use one of your tents?”

His gratitude yielded to concern. “Of course!” He pointed to one of his tents. “Here, use my sleeping tent. The other one’s full of supplies.”

“Thank you,” I said as Mirri and I stepped inside and I closed the flap behind us. “This will work best with nothing between my hands and your skin. Can we get this armor off your upper arm?”

Mirri nodded. “It’ll take some doing though.” We removed her gauntlets first, then undid several fasteners that connected her breast and back plates to each other along her sides. I then helped her lift them, as one assemblage connected by her pauldrons, over her head. After unbuckling her belt, we were able to remove her long shirt of mail. Finally, we slipped her right arm out of the cloth doublet she wore under the mail, exposing her bare arm and shoulder.

“Lay on your left side, please.”

I knelt in front of her, placed both hands on her arm and established my bond of healing. “Guide my hands, Kynareth.” I channeled magic into the bone. When it finally separated along the faulty repair I nearly cried out. I had spoken truly to Mirri though, for it was Kynareth and I who absorbed the significant pain involved in such a traumatic repair. I magically aligned the bone and precisely mended the ends together. I was sweating and exhausted by the time I let the healing bond fade.

Mirri tentatively moved her arm around some, slipped it back into the doublet, stood and swung her sword a few times – careful not to cut the tent. “Good as new, Buffy! That didn’t hurt a bi–“ Only then did she realize I was still kneeling where I had healed her. She dropped to her knees beside me and placed an arm around me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I replied. “Such healing is . . . demanding and I’ll need a few minutes to rest.”

“You’re shaking, Buffy. I’m no healer but I think I know why I felt no pain as you healed me. You absorbed it, didn’t you?”

“N-not all of it,” I replied. “Kynareth shared much of it with me.”

She put her chin on top of my head and held me close. “Thank you, Buffy. I. . . I’ve never known anyone who’d do such a thing for me. You rest as long as you need.”

Mirri proceeded to get back into her armor unassisted. Once done, she opened the tent’s flap and stepped outside, returning a few moments later with a bowl of Bert’s stew. After she fed me a few mouthfuls, I was able to take the spoon and eat some more. I then returned the spoon to the now half full bowl and said, “You finish it.” She handed me a metal cup of cool water, then finished the stew.

Within the hour I was fine. We took our leave of Bert and started our ride back to the wayshrine. A thought occurred. “Mirri, this might be a perfect opportunity to try my ability to recall to Elden Root and learn if you’re able to travel with me as I do so, yes?”

“Good thinking, partner. If it doesn’t work, I’ll meet you at Elden Root’s wayshrine,” she said as she dismounted and unsummoned her horse.

I did the same. “Take my hand.” I lowered my free hand and beckoned to the ground. Oak leaves, in the full spectrum of autumn colors, appeared around my feet and followed the swirling of my hand as I gradually raised both my hand and the spinning leaves. My feet turned translucent gold as they faded and the effects traveled upward with the leaves. As this continued, I raised my eyes, following the effects up my still swirling arm that now pointed to the sky. When the glow reached my fingertips, I felt the familiar disorientation of teleportation magic. A moment later, I was standing near the Elden Root stable just outside the tree. I was elated to realize Mirri was still holding my hand. We stared at each other, then both grinned. “It worked!” I exclaimed needlessly.

As we made our way to the Undaunted enclave, we reviewed our combat together, agreeing that we made a good team, even as we discussed small refinements.

After collecting our reward and selling the dremora’s armor, we parted ways and I returned to the mages guild with a heavy coin purse.

*
Screenshots of Buffy returning to her tree:
One
Two
Three
Gone!

[Lopov]

A keen observation about their foe being left-handed.

A female dremora even!

Buffy and Mirri complement each other well during fights.

Buffy the "magical" surgeon!

That's a beautiful teleportation.

[Kane]

I love watching these two bond. I suspect Mirri won't forget what Buffy is willing to put herself through and that she won't hesitate to return the favor.

[Renee]

Oh nice, I didn't know Snowflake was from your elf. Pretty sure I read some Elizabeth Moon long ago. Anyway, cool.

Agree: ESO is solo-friendly, that's one of the things I liked about it back in COVID times. I expected tanks and casters "griefing" my characters left and right if I didn't "grind" well enough, but it's not like that at all. We can pretty much ignore other players (etc).

While I do miss Buffy as a bowgirl in Book IV, one of the things I didn't like in Online was Archery. The inability to make long range shots, especially. From what I hear, this can be improved, but I never got that far. Anyway...

Buffy and Mirri tagteam some daedra! Complimentary skills are fun.
Whoa, a left-handed NPC. Love the part when Mirri takes a blow and right away, gets healed by your Bosmer.

I looked around. “We’ll be vulnerable and distracted during the process and this is not the safest place. I don’t like the delay, but I think we’d be wise to retreat to Bert’s camp for this.”

This captures some of the Online feel, in a way. Not sure if you intended this, but this almost seems like the feeling I got playing ESO just after pwning a boss.... there's this unsure feeling. Because at any moment, everything starts respawning again. It's like we had to constantly keep moving, the very opposite of SP games.

What a magnificent description of the after-effects of healing. Honestly, I've never even seen or considered that: healing spells which truly leave the healer drained (and not just of mana).

Love the teleportation spell! Flliiiiiinnnnnng!!!


This post has been edited by Renee: Feb 26 2025, 05:58 PM

[SubRosa]

Sneak past foes? But we don't get the experience points for killing them then!

Buffy is making sure they stay buffed, as it should be...

Not just a dremora, but a sinister one at that.

Looks like the tag team is working out well, with Mirri getting stuck in with the the dremora, leaving Buffy free to sling the damage like the glass cannon that she is.

Uh oh, a mis-healing arm with its attendant issues. I liked how you used this to add some depth and stakes to what is otherwise a simple affair in the game: applying healing and damage numbers disappear. This feels a lot more real, and potentially threatening.

And Buffy shows some true grit as she not only does the heavy lifting of healing Mirri, but also of taking the pain of doing so at the same time.

[Grits]

“More evil than every other fetching thing in here?” Mirri whispered. I do enjoy Mirri’s direct way of speaking. She makes me laugh!

By now, my Cleansing Ritual was on the ground around us and my first Blazing Spear in the air.

And here we see the power and the glory of Kynareth’s Paladin at battle! Whoop!! I love that Buffy’s trust in Mirri lets her stand and fight when such is called for.

“Mirri, the bone of your upper arm was badly broken. My spells healed it and kept you in the fight but, ranged healing lacks the precision of touch. The bone ends were misaligned when healed.”

Uh oh. Even healing carries a risk. Great description of Mirri’s armor. Buffy’s willingness to go through the ordeal of empathetic healing for Mirri speaks so highly of her. There was so much to love in this episode!

Of course my favorite moment has to be this:

She put her chin on top of my head and held me close.

[Acadian]

Previously- Buffy and Mirri completed their Undaunted task of recharging an Ayleid crystal for a research mage. During the final battle with a dremora, Mirri’s sword arm was broken. Buffy’s combat healing spells mended the arm during the fight, but the bones were misaligned due to the imprecision of ranged healing. Back at the research camp, Buffy had to lay on hands to magically rebreak, realign and properly mend the bone. Buffy was able to spare Mirri the significant trauma of such a repair by absorbing much of the pain herself. Once the pair was recovered, they decided to test Buffy’s ability to recall to Elden Root – specifically to see if, by holding Mirri’s hand, the two could travel together. The attempt successfully returned them to Buffy’s tree.

*

Lopov- Thank you. When I walked through it, a heavy blow to Mirri’s right arm seemed much more likely from a left handed foe, given that Mirri’s shield is in her left hand, partly to make blocking right handers easier. That teleport animation option Buffy uses to her tree is quite appropriate for the little tree elf.

Kane- Exactly! Forging their bond under fire was our focus. Buffy won’t forget how safe it makes her feel when Mirri both taunts and turns a dangerous foe away from her. And I’m sure Mirri will long remember the selflessness displayed by her 'pocket hearler’. Someday, they’ll achieve the ultimate in girl friendship: the willingness to hold your friend’s hair back out of the way as she throws up.

Renee- Not doing that detailed healing inside the dungeon was because they bypassed some foes in order to help ensure Buffy could get back to her guild by the end of the day. Dropping their guard to focus on healing while there were foes still in the dungeon would have rightfully earned an admonishment from Rider. Thanks so much for appreciating the intensity and empathy with which Buffy heals when laying on hands.

SubRosa- Thank you. As Kynareth warned, ranged heals are rather generic in nature – helpful during combat but lacking the precision in both diagnosis and healing available via the paladin’s laying on of hands. Fortunately, Kynareth helps the fragile elf by absorbing some of the empathically generated pain of healing serious wounds or injuries. Laying on of hands is Buffy’s true superpower.

Grits- It’s fun trying to capture Mirri’s personality and some of how she speaks. Your very true assessment that playing a magic templar was ‘glorious’ is what prompted Buffy to try that as one of her paths. Mirri’s armor reflects the need for taking serious hits while retaining a bit of stealth. Rather than full plate, she wears plate pieces that do not overlap or ‘clink’ as she moves. Hence the need for some light mail underneath to protect the areas not covered by plate. It was fun having Buffy try to describe it since heavy armor is so foreign to her. Thanks for pointing out the touching moment when Mirri held Buffy. The two ladies are steadily moving toward becoming ‘pals’ like Buffy and Sir Mazoga!

* * *

Episode 29

The guildhall was bustling with mages. I caught the Guildmagister’s eye and he waved me over. “As you can see, Buffy, the Arch Mage and his entourage have arrived.” He looked harried and spoke quickly. “Our beds are full. I assure you there remains room for you, but you’ll have to use one of the score of cots we’ve set up to accommodate this temporary influx.”

“And I shall be grateful for it, Guildmagister.”

He smiled briefly. “Even I have surrendered my office and quarters to the Arch Mage. Oh, that reminds me. I did speak to him on your behalf and he can fit you in tomorrow morning after breakfast. Report to my – his – office then.” Before I could reply, he exclaimed over my head, “No, no, Andorie! We only need one storage locker for each cot. And two cases of bread is simply not enough!” I received an apologetic glance before he rushed off toward the pantry and cooking area.

*

The following morning, after Mirri wished me luck at breakfast, I reported to the office of the displaced Guildmagister and said to the mage posted outside, “I’m Buffy and I believe I’m expected by the Arch Mage.”

The young Altmer consulted his journal then nodded. “Wait here, please.”

He parted the heavy hides covering the doorway and disappeared as I nervously smoothed the skirt of my mage robe. After a moment, he reemerged, holding the draping door open for me. “Go on in.”

I slipped under his arm and found myself in an irregularly shaped chamber that appeared to have been coaxed from the walls of the tree by one of my tribe’s tree singers. It was adequately lit by a number of small branches growing from the walls, each hosting a glowstone. The room was dominated by a large desk with numerous books and scrolls arrayed over its surface. Several chairs were scattered about and numerous rugs covered most of the floor. One nook was partially shielded by a folding screen, but I could see part of a bed.

Three individuals stood before me. One was a Dunmer who, judging from his youthful appearance, open journal in one hand and quill in the other, was some sort of assistant or perhaps scribe. One was a Breton in steel armor which was adorned with glowing turquoise glyphs. Her brunette hair fell no lower than her jawline in a bobbed style and I could see the beginning of age lines flanking the corners of her mouth and brown eyes. She appeared to be more than merely a battlemage or guard. Though she carried no visible weaponry, I suspected she could quickly remedy that. The Arch Mage towered over both of them. An Altmer in his prime, he was wearing a mage robe that was as meticulously tailored as mine. His light brown hair was perfectly parted in the middle and fell to his shoulders. All three pairs of eyes were on me.

“I’m Vanus Galerion. This is my Palatinus, Dame Praxedes Rousseau. She coordinates the efforts of the guild’s Order of the Lamp.” He apparently deemed the young mage beside them too inconsequential to introduce.

“I am Buffy and pleased to meet you.”

“What is known?” the Arch Mage said to the Dunmer.

The young mage consulted his journal and reported, “According to the Elden Root Guildmagister, the Bosmer calling herself Buffy recently arrived from Leyawiin, stating that she is a member of the guild and a paladin. She further claims to be on a quest for Kynareth that you should be aware of. A check of the Leyawiin chapter’s membership does not show her name so I checked the guild’s master roster. Her name appears nowhere.”

Vanus Galerion turned a disapproving gaze to me. “Are you a member of the guild or simply a brazen opportunist seeking some form of favor? And what’s this about being a paladin? You are certainly not a Knight Arcana, for my Palatinus or I have designated each of them and you are unknown to us. Choose your words carefully, young lady, for if they do not interest me I shall dismiss you. If they do interest me, I shall ask my Palatinus to confirm their veracity.”

I took a deep breath. “My claims are true, Arch Mage.” I conjured the guild’s symbol in one hand as I added, “As you can see, I am indeed a member of the guild.” After dismissing the glowing magic, I said, “I am also a paladin in the service of Kynareth.” With that I called upon the aura of light known to all paladins. A white glow encompassed me from head to toe as it notably increased the chamber’s brightness. I dispelled it and continued, “Though I am both a guild mage and paladin you are, of course, correct that you have not designated me as a Knight Arcana. . . and I have made no such claim.”

He glanced at his Palatinus who said, “Excellency, there is no reason for me to verify what Dame Buffy has said thus far, for she has demonstrated the truth of her words.”

“Leave us, scribe,” ordered the Arch Mage with a dismissive gesture. After the young Dunmer scurried out, the Arch Mage fixed his gaze upon me and continued, “I grant the facts of what you are, but that leaves open still who you are and where you come from.”

“Neither of which is important nor relevant to my quest, Excellency,” I replied. “I am an instrument of Kynareth, chosen to stop the growing danger posed by the rogue wizard known as Drodda the Icewitch. I have come to you as a courtesy since she is a former member of the guild. While your support would certainly ease my task and be appreciated, its absence will not deter me.”

Vanus Galerion visibly bristled and glared down at me.

I did not wilt as I looked up and steadily returned his gaze.

“If I may, Arch Mage,” injected Praxedes, “Drodda has been a thorn in our side for quite some time. Our best chance of seeing her stopped is with the direct intervention of one of the Divines. It seems Kynareth has favored us enough to take an interest in Drodda’s growing power. I would not question the instrument she has chosen to send us.”

The Arch Mage broke our staring contest by turning to his Palatinus. “What you say has some merit, Praxedes. It would certainly further my goal of ensuring the responsible use of magic to see the rogue Drodda stopped. Even more so if accomplished under the banner of our guild. . . . I am still troubled, however, by the mystery surrounding this young paladin before us.”

“Vanus,” she replied, “there is much magic beyond that which is known or understood by the guild. You have asked me to advise you on Divine matters and that is exactly what I see before us. Dame Buffy is right; how she came to be here is unimportant and seems to be a matter between herself and Kynareth. I would urge against continuing to intrude. She has demonstrated she is both a paladin and guildmage. These are precisely the prerequisites you require for the guild’s Order of the Lamp. As you know, the number of Knights Arcana in the guild is small. Should we ever wish to tender her an offer to join the Order, I expect she will remember what level of support the guild provides her current quest.”

The Arch Mage looked at me for several long moments then slowly nodded. “Very well, what do you ask of the guild to help accomplish Kynareth’s quest?”

“Thank you, Excellency. I would like to begin my hunt for Drodda by interviewing some of the mages at our guild’s chapter in Windhelm. Your endorsement of my efforts would be most helpful.”

The young Dunmer scribe appeared in the doorway. “Forgive the intrusion, Arch Mage, but you have another meeting very soon with King Camoran Aeradan in his court chamber. Your masters of arms and incunabula are waiting just outside.”

“Scribe,” replied the Arch Mage, “send a missive to Windhelm instructing the Guildmagister to fully cooperate with Dame Buffy’s imminent visit.” He then turned to his palatinus, “Praxedes, I don’t need you for this next meeting.” With that, he swept out of the chamber with the scribe on his heels.

“Palatinus,” I asked once we were alone, “is he always so. . . difficult?”

“Difficult? That’s a tactful way of putting it, and please call me Praxedes. Vanus’ vision for the guild is brilliant, as is his command of magic. It seems the price he has paid, however, is to be cursed with an oversized ego and the manner of a toad.”

“It pains me to say that I have seen what you mean, Praxedes. Thank you by the way; I expect I would have been summarily dismissed without your wise and timely intervention.”

She smiled. “There are few enough paladins that we can ill afford to not support each other. You stood up for yourself with grace and firmness. Few can do so in the presence of Vanus Galerion. I simply coaxed him in the right direction. He struggles with the idea that anyone or anything – even the Divines - could possibly possess magic which he can neither fully understand nor master.” She pushed one side of her bobbed hair behind a round ear. “I urge caution as you pursue Drodda; she’s a dangerous mage who has eluded us for quite some time.”

“I’ll heed your counsel,” I replied.

“Alas,” she sighed, “though I’m not required for Vanus’ current meeting, I shall doubtless be expected at his next. Would you please excuse me, Buffy?” She extended her hand, which I readily accepted. “I know dealing with our Arch Mage is difficult, so please don’t hesitate to call on me should you need additional support from the guild.”

“Of course. Thanks again, Praxedes.” I slipped out of the office.

The crowded guildhall still resembled a hive of bees. I needed someplace quiet to think.

[SubRosa]

Well the big muckety-muck has finally come to town, entourage in tow. Now everyone has been turned out to make room. You capture the controlled chaos of the head spell-slinger as he tries to take it all in stride and accommodate all of the sudden dislocations created by such a prestigious visit.

Well, here we go. *Deep breath* Good luck Buffy!

Galerion calls her out on the irregularities of her existence in a different Age. Given that there are grifters in all times and places long on stories and bad faith, and short of substance and earnestness, he is prudent to do so.

At the same time, Buffy does not disappoint when she answers the challenge!

Praxedes does not disappoint either. She might consider a job in the Fighters Guild, since she obviously has the stones for it!

Well, the Arch-Mage's curtness aside, that went well. Buffy has gotten what she wanted, as well as an ally in Praxedes.

[Grits]

one of my tribe’s tree singers

Buffy’s tribe! I’m still so pleased about that.

Ooo, Dame Praxedes seems interesting.

As much as I instantly dislike the Arch Mage for his manners, I can’t blame him for being suspicious.

Yay, Buffy! I wanted to stand up and cheer at her composure under questioning. Then she calmly put Vanus in his place and won his staring contest. This Instrument of Kynareth vs the Arch Mage scene ranks high in my favorite Buffy moments!

Ok, Praxedes really is that cool. And she’s already subtly recruiting!

She pushed one side of her bobbed hair behind a round ear.

What a lovely little reminder of Buffy’s elven-ness.

[Lopov]

There were a few seconds of tension as Vanus Galerion demanded explanations from Buffy. Nicely written!

Though the Arch-Mage is definitely difficult to cope with, one should in a way understand him being a bit too suspicious. He probably wouldn't be able to rule the guild so successfully if he were too gullible.

I bet that Buffy's actions will with time soften his hard manners.

I really enjoyed the depiction of Vanus Galerion.

[Kane]

That was a fun interaction. I remember being amused at Vanus' incredible self-importance while playing ESO. You nailed that part!

[Renee]

OOh, the Arch Mage is here.

Glowing turquoise glyphs, Nice. ~ Yeah, "no visible weapons" isn't a problem. Just summon something!

He apparently deemed the young mage beside them too inconsequential to introduce.

That's so cold!

Her name is nowhere yet she's going to ultimately be the chosen one, or whatever term is appropriate. That's my guess. I'm really loving this scene. The tension. So that's interesting.

Hmm. Buffy's name is unknown to Vanus, yet they've still given her an interview, know what I mean? So someone within the AM's entourage made this decision; said "there's this unknown elf trying to gain audience with us." This didn't seem preposterous to them, they didn't just shrug her off, know what I mean? She must've struck a chord with the Arch Mage, or someone within his organization. "We must at least address this unknown elf," came the final decision.

"Excellency"... Guess she has to call him that ... Probably everyone does.

Nice writeup, Acadian!

[Acadian]

Previously- Buffy met with Arch Mage Vanus Galerion and found him difficult to deal with. Fortunately, the guild’s Palatinus stepped in to mediate. Ultimately, the Arch Mage agreed to endorse Buffy’s quest and to ensure the mages of the Windhelm chapter would cooperate as Buffy sought information about Drodda’s whereabouts.

*

SubRosa- You’re right that some skepticism on the part of Vanus is understandable. His dismissive rudeness, even to his own scribe, lost Buffy early on though. She hates the fact that she’s getting pretty good at dancing around the truth of how she seems to have ‘appeared’ with no history, or reputation – not even on the guild roster. I’m proud of her for controlling her temper and leaning into the fact that she is a paladin of Kynareth for the strength and conviction she needed to navigate this meeting.

Grits- Thank you. This was a powerful encounter. Buffy acquitted herself well but I’m not sure she would have obtained the outcome she did without the very able intervention of Praxedes. I’m so glad you already see Praxedes as ‘really that cool’. As Palatinus of the Mages Guild’s Order of the Lamp, she will continue to compare favorably to her 3rd Era counterpart, Boderi Farano. Thanks also for noting Buffy’s subtle elven perspective as she notes Praxedes is a round ear.

Lopov- I’m glad the meeting’s tension came through clearly. I think perhaps Buffy is a bit too focused on her quest and Vanus’ boorish behavior to see what SubRosa, Grits and you wisely point out about him being justified in his suspicions.

Kane- Given Vanus’ personality, I felt the role of his Palatinus as a ‘buffer’ was essential if Buffy was going to have any future in the Mages Guild.

Renee- I think what got Buffy in to see the Arch Mage was her claim to be a paladin on a quest for Kynareth that involved the Mages Guild. Glad you noticed Vanus deeming his scribe too inconsequential to introduce – that told Buffy a lot about his nature.

* * *

Episode 30

“The man is an ass, Acadian!” I leaned forward to pat Superian’s neck as we rode.

"Skepticism, given your lack of established credentials here, was to be expected I suppose,” the old paladin mused.. “His manner was condescending and rude, but you have dealt with such before. There is more than just his demeanor bothering you.”

“Part of our studies at the Arcane University was history of the guild, including its founder. Vanus Galerion was portrayed as a brilliant larger than life visionary. We were all in awe of him and I was so looking forward to meeting him.” I frowned. “To now realize that the Great Mage we all learned to admire is a pompous, dismissive, egotistical. . . well, at least I can admit that his vision for the guild was accurately recorded.” I heaved a sigh. “I’m just disappointed, I guess.”

“Histories contain the full spectrum of truth and untruth, as you have seen,” Acadian replied. “Where are we going? You quite stormed out of your tree and onto the road.”

“My tree. . . your reminder that I have a home and tribe now makes me smile. Anyway, mostly I just needed to get away and be with you and Superian for a time. Our destination is simply another wayshrine I saw on the map. Attuning myself to it is something useful to keep me out of that temporarily crowded guildhall.”

Our destination was closer than I thought and within sight of the same lake that caressed the roots of my tree. After attuning myself to the wayshrine, I heard a familiar sound. I coaxed Superian into following my ears until the small waterfall came into sight. It was a pleasant afternoon, so I doffed my robe and went for a swim. I then basked in the grass, allowing the sun to dry me off. I was watching a butterfly dance among the wildflowers that grew along the shore when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Superian lift her head from grazing.

Before I could turn to see what had piqued her interest, I heard, “Welcome to the Second Era, Buffy. I see that water still makes your clothes fall off.”

The voice of course was Kynareth’s. She now stood over me, presenting in her familiar form as a mortal Nord.

I stood and quickly dressed as she sat and patiently gazed out over the lake.

As I sat beside her, I said, “I’m so pleased to see you, Kynareth. I’ve missed seeing you so regularly. I’m afraid you quite spoiled me with so much time together before you conveyed me here.” As I leaned against her, she returned the favor. I was pleased to see that she seemed to enjoy the comfortable familiarity that she herself had asked for.

“You have been busy, Buffy, and skillfully dealt with the challenges of discretely adapting to your new time.”

“So many conversations,” I lamented, “where I must choose each word with care, trying to speak truthfully while keeping secrets. Thankfully there are those with whom I can be totally open – you, Acadian, Superian, Dagail, and, in time, perhaps Mirri.”

“As you develop your presence and reputation in this time, Buffy, curiosity about your background will ease. I trust the skills I taught you are serving well enough?”

“Magnificently! I’ve delivered a baby Cloud Dancer, healed Mirri’s badly broken arm and helped dispatch numerous foes.”

“Not all at the same time, I was pleased to see,” she replied with a laugh.

I then heard another laugh behind me and turned to see a small airborne creature circle in front of us and hover on four emerald dragonfly wings. From head to toe, she measured the length of my forearm. She had the body of a woman, sparsely clad in what appeared to be a combination of leaves, bark and chitin. Her face rather resembled that of an insect – with small mandibles, large eyes that looked like multifaceted cut emeralds, and a curved horn rising from each side of her head.

“Well, hello, little one,” I said softly, trying to avoid scaring her away. I noticed the front of her shins were each clad in chitin, ending in a vertical spike about the length of one of her tiny forearms. These protrusions rather unobtrusively followed the front of her lower thighs when her legs were straight but I imagined would present rather aggressively when her knees were bent. She bowed then did a graceful midair backflip.

“I was saddened,” I heard Kynareth say, “that your fox familiar did not travel with you. The find familiar spell used to summon her was unique to your late tribe. As that tribe’s tree won’t sprout for another century or so, the spell simply did not exist in this time. I have asked this nixad to travel with you and it seems she has agreed.”

I looked at the. . . nixad hovering in front of me. “I’m Buffy and pleased to meet you.”

The nixad sneezed, misting both Kynareth and I as the force of her sneeze propelled her back nearly an arm’s length. She then pirouetted gracefully, hovered over to me and landed on my shoulder. I felt tiny hands against my cheek and a small tendril of magic between us before she hopped back up into a hover.

“Her name is Willow,” I announced.

“Yes,” said Kynareth. “Willow is an emerald oak nixad – the smallest variety of her kind. She does not speak any language that you recognize but, as you have just experienced, she understands you fine and, in her own way, can communicate well enough. Do not expect her to vanquish your foes, but I believe you will find that she has some helpful abilities. Willow is a tracker, for example. If you offer her an object to examine that is closely associated with someone or something you seek, she will be able to divine your target’s location. You’ll also find her proficient at sensing the presence of traps and, with her small hands and arms, quite adept at manipulating the delicate inner mechanisms of locks.

Willow nodded then giggled as she continued to hover in front of us.

“Thank you,” I replied. “I think she’ll prove helpful indeed.”

Kynareth glanced toward the sun as it nestled into the western trees. “Darkness approaches so I will let you head back to your tree.”

“I trust you know the progress of our quest, Kynareth?”

She nodded. “Thoughtful, steady and methodical, as I knew your approach would be. You are doing well, my paladin.”

“Thank you for the visit, my friend.”

Kynareth stood and, still smiling at me, dissipated as she rose into the sky – her domain.

The effect of her visit, combined with having ranted earlier to Acadian and meeting a new little friend who might be able to help me locate Drodda was powerful. My heart was light as I chose to ride Superian back to my tribe’s tree rather than using the nearby wayshrine. “Willow, you’re most welcome to travel with me and I’ll trust you to help me get to know you.”

That earned a giggle as she flew along beside us, occasionally darting underneath Superian’s girth strap, or landing on the saddle’s pommel to braid a section of the mare’s mane. She was quite curious, folding her wings along her back at one point and climbing all over me to investigate my hair, ears and clothing. At length, she discovered the mage pouch at my waist, opened it and disappeared inside, only to emerge a few moments later chortling her approval.

“You may shelter there whenever you wish,” I told her.

Once back at Elden Root, I did a bit of shopping before paying a call on the guildmagister to let him know I’d be leaving the following morning. I was rescued from the overfull guildhall by Valeria – my fellow tribemate and guildsister with the pale green hair – who insisted I stay with her that evening. On our way up the tree, we called in on the Treethane so I could advise her of my imminent departure.

Valeria and I spent a lovely quiet evening in her cozy pod. After some venison stew and bread, we sipped oak leaf wine and discussed the relationship between our tree and its elves. She taught me a couple tree magic spells and I returned the favor by showing her how to conjure several mundane but helpful items. Finally, I helped her hang a second hammock in her pod and we turned in for the night.

*

“Where in Tamriel did you find her?” gushed Mirri as I joined her for breakfast.

“Mirri, meet Willow,” I replied. “She decided to join me when Superian and I went for a ride late yesterday.”

The hovering nixad gracefully curtsied.

“You’re adorable, little one,” Mirri said. “I used to have a pony guar when I was young. Pon Pon was her name. . . I miss her.” Mirri glanced around, looking rather sheepish. “Yes, well how did you fare with the Arch Mage yesterday?”

“It was. . . challenging,” I replied, “but we should expect some degree of cooperation from the guildhall in Windhelm.”

“Well done, Buffy. When do we leave?”

“I’ve already advised both the guildmagister and my treethane that I expect to leave today. Is right after we finish these sausages and bread too soon?”

Mirri drained her wine goblet. “I thought you’d never ask, partner. Willow, do you like sausage?”

This post has been edited by Acadian: Mar 12 2025, 07:51 PM

[Lopov]

“The man is an ass, Acadian!”

What a beginning!

Nixads are cute little beasts, I just googled them up. And not only cute but also quite useful, it seems.

It is interesting, yes, how we sometimes look forward to meeting someone that we had always dreamed about of meeting and then we're sort of disappointed, when this person doesn't turn out to be the way we pictured it. But I have a feeling that future conversations between the Arch-Mage and Buffy will be more pleasant.

[Grits]

A nixad! Willow is such a charming addition to Team Buffy! Very cool that she can handle the lockpicking, since I suppose Buffy’s Latch Crack spells did not make the journey. And she’s already found a safe haven in Buffy’s mage pouch. Also, magical tracking! Whoop!

or landing on the saddle’s pommel to braid a section of the mare’s mane.

I love it! What a busy little creature.

a small tendril of macic between us

Is this a substance unique to nixads, or perhaps a tendril of magic?

I love that Kynareth can be the warm and supportive friend that Buffy needs, despite being an actual Divine. Yay for Valeria who brings her new tribe-guild-sister right into her home. Buffy has a solid foundation for her adventures in the Second Era.

[SubRosa]

Histories contain the full spectrum of truth and untruth
Quoted for truth.

OTOH, at least Kyne does live up to her reputation.

It is interesting that Kyne/areth knows that she sent Buffy here to the past from the future. It implies that the Divines do not experience time in a linear fashion, but perhaps instead in a holistic one, like Dr. Manhattan.

A pixie! I mean a nixad. Neat. I like her magic that can use an object to track its owner. It is classic sympathetic magic from the real world. Quite handy for those pesky traps and locks. I see we have the party thief.

If Willow does not like the sausage, I will have some!

[Renee]

No kidding. So the arch mage is portrayed in some books as this brilliant, maybe fair guy, yet meeting him in person, now she really knows his deal. In fact she could write her own description of the old puffer, maybe publish it anonymously. Then everyone in later era will wonder where this other account of Vanus (much more obscure, but some say this anonymous writer's got the better idea) has come from.

Ha, it's Kyne. And the sprite! Didn't the flying lady appear in Book 3 as well? Or one of the earlier books.

As that tribe’s tree won’t sprout for another century or so,

Love that part. Nixad, not sprite. And yeah, seems Willow was around before? Either way, yes or not, seems Willow will be a joy and an asset to Dame Buffy. Drodda herself, it seems.

[ghastley]

I like the "enhanced" nixad. Especially as you seem to intend that a non-combat pet will not just be a useless cosmetic. I wish the game would let them do at least something for you.

Since Vanus knew Mannimarco when they were both in the Psijic Order, I wonder how much influence that had on each of them. If I could remember where I left Ulliceta gra-Kogg, I'd get her opinion.

This post has been edited by ghastley: Mar 17 2025, 05:52 PM