It helps that they have a long history of pranks and teasing outside the Skyrim game, so some of the outrageous statements could be jokes. Also some of them are true, like the one he says about bringing some Dwarven thing back to the Arcane University. The real Darnand is not quiet or reserved around just Jerric, and he does have a sense of humor that is not completely unlike Marcurio. Like his “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you” line cracks Jerric up every time. And “This might be interesting if I wasn’t already an expert on Nordic ruins” is another one that gets a snort from Jerric. He takes that to be pretty much the opposite of what he’s saying, since it’s Darnand who would be impatient to crawl around in the ruins. Like when a friend drags you to a movie that you don’t really want to see, and in line they say “I can’t believe you made me come see this with you. When did you become such a Dwayne Johnson fan?” when you know THEY’RE the one with a poster of The Rock in their living room.

I have more trouble in Darnand’s game where Argis is Jerric. Argis doesn’t say much. But some of his otherwise strange remarks can come across as jokes, too. Like today Darnand (in his game) was wearing jewelry that helped him try to keep a Ward up long enough to stay alive. I forgot what that darn necklace means. So we had this:

Darnand: If you are finished playing with the wolves you might put a few more of these mountain flowers in your pockets. And here, this book is getting heavy.

Jerric: An Amulet of Mara. You’re looking for marriage, then?

Grits: D’oh!! FFS.

Darnand: Keep it in your trousers, Nord.

That is so funny, I can picture both of them saying those lines! That is Awesome that you have found such similar personalities in game! Very cool, Grits!

Wow, so you are making Bethesda's NPCs into your PCs? Did I get that right? So Darnand is really one of your characters?

Man, that's creative.

-------

There was definitely a thief in Whiterun! And guards didn't have a clue where to look for it! No wonder since most of their own coinpurses mysteriously disappeared as well!

First one who noticed something strange was Elrindir, proprietor of The Drunken Hunstman. At first he thought that his brother Anoriath took some gold from their strongbox but when his brother told him that he hadn't touched it, Elrindir knew they had been robbed!

Ulfberth War-Bear almost yelled at his girlfriend Adrianne Avenicci because he was convinced that she took his coinpurse by mistake. But he stopped because Adrianne accused him of taking her coinpurse. It was then when they realized that someone else had taken both of their coinpurses!

There was hustle and bustle at Jorrvaskr when one morning all mighty Companions found out that their gold is gone! When Brenuin the beggar heard about that, he said:"And they claim to be true warrios! Pfff! They can't catch even a common thief! Pfff."

The only one that 'knew' who the thief was, was Olfird Battle-Born, patron of the great clan Battle-Born, a name I'm sure you know well. The Gray-Manes of course! It couldn't be anyone else! And guards seem to do nothing, absolutely NOTHING about it. It was a high time that he and his son Idolaf do something about it! Olfrid and his family were robed as well but from them a thief took more healing potions than gold.

But that thief was a daring one indeed! Just this very night it obviously paid a visit to The Dragonsreach. Imagine, the palace of Jarl Balgruuf the Greater himself! Well, luckily it didn't dare to enter Jarl's private quarters since most of valuables and gold were guarded day and night yet it took something...unusual. A guard armor from a display case in a hall! Now why would a thief need a Whiterun's guard armor?

Nobody knew an answer to that.

Except one person.

The thief of course.

The thief who goes by the name of Tamala Christophe and who decided to mark the end of her thieving career in Whiterun by stealing an armor. But not just because of that. She really liked yellow color. And while guards were looking for a thief and gathering possible clues, she was counting her income. But not all of her gold was stolen. No, she also did some wood-chopping and earned some honest gold for honest work! In the morning she decided to give some of her gold to Lucia, the begging girl. Then it's time to search for a mercenary that would accompany her to Riften. Or perhaps she should venture back to Riverwood and asked Sven to accompany her? That blonde bard who accompanied her to Whiterun. He was quite handsome but didn't look like a seasoned warrior. Speaking of which, she remembered one tough-looking Dark Elf lady at The Drunken Hunstman. Perhaps she's for hire.

Exactly. Darnand and Jerric are both my characters and they each have their own Skyrim game (on the PS3). AND they are in each other’s games as vanilla NPCs that I have imaginary-modded into my characters by giving them specific equipment. (Argis is a great battlemage if you give him the right staves.)

So when I talk about Darnand and Jerric (Argis) that’s Darnand’s game, and Jerric and Darnand (Marcurio) is Jerric’s.

It occurs to me that this might be a topic to bring up in the Roleplay Ideas thread. I’ll go there when I have a chance to write more coherently.


Lopov, I love the way you wrote Tamala’s Whiterun crime spree!

One last question Grits. Are you Xbox characters in a different reality than your PS3 ones? This is how I do my games. So Crystal Beth and Claire Voyance (PS3) will not have heard of Lord Haaf-Mersey and Mycharonna (Xbox).

I'm sure I have screwed this up a few times, but generally, this is how I roll.



Me too.

Lopov I don't know if you're familiar with Stephen King, but the style of writing you just used is similar to several books he wrote, in which one by one each character seems to know something is wrong, but since they all do not discuss together, nobody figures out what's really going on. Not for a while, anyways.

Of course, Stephen King might spend several hundred pages telling his tales. You manage to do the same thing in several paragraphs.

I'm a little concerned that there is health potions located near the potty buckets XD

I like how you do that! It’s neat to recognize one of your other characters when you write about them.

My characters are like a mosaic, their relationship doesn’t make sense if examined too closely. I have the characters from my fan fic (Jerric and Darnand so far) who are on the PS3 because I don’t have Dawnguard on it. Their Skyrim is also Jensa’s, only it’s at the very beginning of the 4th Era for them (so no dragons in their games). Jensa is the Dovahkiin of their future. After that it could be confusing.

My other characters are played dead-is-dead (mostly, that is to say the newer ones), and they all live in pretty much the same world. I don’t try to prevent characters from pursuing quests and such that other characters have already done, so there are multiple Dragonborn in my version of Skyrim. I don’t have the problem of Alduin dying more than once because so far none of them have lived long enough. One thing I’ve done is built Helharchen Hall the same way in different characters’ games as a property for the use of the Companions. So Jensa , Mikke of Green River, and Jerric (200 years in their past) have all crashed at the same wolf lodge. Only a few characters have settled into the same houses, and so far no one has tried to marry someone else’s spouse.

Now here’s where it might seem complicated. Jensa lives on the PS3, but she is also on the Xbox. This is because her PS3 game is on its knees and she's not done yet. Plus she wanted to kill some vampires, and Dawnguard is on the Xbox. Anyway it’s the same Jensa in both games. Married to Stenvar, lives at Hjerim, Stormcloak, Dovahkiin, the works.

And then there’s Jerric who lives on the PS3, my laptop, and the Xbox in Oblivion and so far has only infiltrated Skyrim through the PS3. Same guy, except he grew a beard in the Northern Province.

I guess it’s like looking in at the same house through different windows.


That’s for the folks who have gotten sick from eating cave beef.

WHAT THE HELL IS CAVE BEEF?!

Exactly! It's the "mystery meat" that can't be identified, but you suspect the source lived in a cave.

I really like this approach some of you are using, with parallel characters living in the same world.



Coincidentally, just in today's message that I sent you few hours ago, I mentioned you Stephen King. Yes, I'm quite familiar with him and it's possible that I was subconsciously inspired by his books of which Buick 8 is my favorite.

My friends and I are having a discussion on what it could be XD

Jerric eating (Cyrodiil) cave beef: Summon Ketchup.

There’s a screen somewhere of Aravi gagging over Skyrim cave beef, I’ll see if I can find it.



EDIT: It's in this post in King Coin's video thread!

Which implies that it isn't always rat. You're not always that lucky.

Too true! You've inspired a future line: "I hope this is rat."

So I was dead wrong on what cave beef was XD

What did you think it was? There was also the beefcake joke going on.

I figure that is for those folks who might die like Elvis. The healing potion is a last chance to save themselves.

Now the ones I love are the Fortify One-Handed and Fortify Two-Handed potions by the toilets...


Oh, and a Cave Beef Burger!

Hah!! So far as his novels go, I love Tommyknockers the most (alien ship buried under the ground). Needful things is a close second. Salem's Lot, too. Favorite short story is probably Secret Garden, Secret Window.

The thing about Stephen King is his (older) books are gold, but the movies they made from these books are mostly terrible. The Shining is one exception, though. Jack Nicholson is just perfect for the role of what's-his-face.

Mercy! I don't know how you keep track!

-turns deep red-

Nothing.

SPEW! You owe me a monitor, a keyboard, and god knows what else - I lost hot cocoa everywhere! ROFL !!!

Fredas, 8:02 AM, 27th of Sun's Dawn

Days Passed: 194
Level: 37



"I'm in the mood to siiing! What about you, friend?"

Mycharonna is supposed to kill Lubruk, a bard who stays at the Moorside Inn in Morthal. This bard happens to be unique in Skyrim. Why? He is an orc! This is why.

I must admit I really wanted to hear the orc sing. I got all psyched to hear a singing orc, but he never sings! Maybe it it good that he never sings. It will make it easier for Mycharonna to 'remove' him. Her desire to hear a singing orc (...one who doesn't just sing the "someone had to die" song) intrigued her. And her fascination with this concept (a singing orc) was getting in the way of her contract.



"Jarna. Do you think the townspeople are warming up to my serenades?" asks the orc.

"No they aint. And if you weren't paying for your room, I'd have thrown you out of here a long time ago", answers Moorside's barkeep.

"Yes but they'll come around eventually you'll see!"

"Hah, I wouldn't be surprised if they do come around, and if you're never seen or heard from again.

"Ha ha! I'm in the mood to siiing!" the orc passes by Mycharonna, who wishes he would just do so.

So...Kayla visited her house, and when she got there, she was nearly knocked aside with a HUGE GREEN EXPLOSION.

A GIANT SMACKED HER.

And Onmund threw some wicked spells at him and killed it before she could even get Dawnbreaker out. I screamed and accidentally dropped the controller lol

Surprise! A nice welcome home, isn't it?

Cool update, I'm curious how will her conflicts resolve and whether the Orc will sing in the end.

First test was passed - Brand-Shei had been accused of theft and taken to prison. To pass the next test, Tamala had to find The Ragged Flagon in The Ratway, dangerous sewers under Riften.

As she closed the door leading to The Ratway, Tamala immediately crouched . After only a few steps she heard a conversation between two men in the distance. And unfortunately for her, one of them decided to check on the entrance. She didn't have many spots to hide so she quickly moved behind a wall in a small tunnel. She could hear him approaching...will he spot her? Then she saw him - a tall, strong Nord and obviously an archer since he was carrying a big bow on his back. Although he stopped only a few steps away from her, he didn't see her. Tamala wasn't sure whether he'd attack her or not but she didn't intend to find out. He looked mean and strong and not one to be triffled with. Nord eventually turned around and ventured back where he came from, only to return a few minutes later and stopped at a same spot as before.

Now was the time! Tamala could only hope that his friend was not somewhere close. Still crouched, she silently ran behind him down the dirty tunnel...only to bump in his friend who was standing behind a corner! This one looked even more dangerous and obviously didn't have any intention to be nice with Tamala as he pulled out his mace and struck her! Tamala wanted to avoid the fight, she wasn't even sure that she could defeat these two thugs. She continued running and hoped that they'll lose her or that perhaps...perhaps someone would come to her aid. After a few sharp turns she saw an opening down in front of her. Not having any other choice, she jumped down and Nord with a mace did just the same!

There was no other option now - the angry Nord obviously wouldn't let her go at any cost and his friend with a bow probably wasn't far behind either. Having no choice, she pulled out her steel dagger and the duel ensued! Nord was strong and was wearing a shield with which he successfully blocked Tamala's attacks. However he was big and bulky while Tamala was slim and agile so she was jumping from side to side or running around him and hitting him whenever he exposed himself too much.

"No more, no more! I yield, I yield!" yelled the Nord and fell on his knees.

"Now's too late for that!" shouted Tamala, surprised at her own words. She stabbed the Nord for good but in the next second an arrow flew over her head! The archer! He was standing in a tunnel above and was getting ready for another shot. Tamala quickly hurried to a small tunnel with a locked door, hoping that she would be able to unlock them. But the lock was too much for her and it required an expert skill in lockpicking to open it. She was in a dead end. For a few seconds everything was silent and then...

*THUD*

The Nord jumped down! If he came to the tunnel, he would spot her...Tamala readied her bloody steel dagger with whom she killed a man just a few moments ago. But the archer didn't spot her! He was walking up and down over the room, talking to himself but he didn't see her. Eventually he sheated his bow and Tamala heard him walking away. That was close! She decided to wait for a few more minutes just to be sure that he had really left. When everything around her was silent, she began slowly walking out of her hiding place. There was no way to climb back and only one way led out of the room (apart from the heavily locked door). As she entered the other tunnel, she noticed something unusual ahead...it looked like there was someone lying on the floor. She continued slowly, readied a dagger until she realized there was a man ahead. And he seemed dead. Even more...he had a bow on his back! Was this the archer from before?

She hurried to the man and saw it was him. He was dead. Who killed him? But afther she took a look around, she realized the correct question was "What killed him?". There were signs of some trap that was obviously linked to the door and as the archer opened the door, the trap (whatever it was) killed him. "Hmmm...you should really stay guarding the entrance, Nord," she thought while being glad that she didn't need to kill him herself. She took some gold and garnets of both corpses and then carefully continued, on a lookout for more traps.

It was not long after and she met another resident of The Ratway. An Imperial, judging by his appearance, who placed bear traps all over his room. Even more, he was armed with deadly gloves. He spotted Tamala immediately and attacked! At first she had hoped to lure him into one of his own traps but after a few good punches quickly changed her mind. This time Tamala didn't dare to run around him since there were many traps but apart from his powerful gloves the Imperial didn't carry any armor protection and Tamala dealt with him in three acts.

Act 1-> Act 2-> Act 3

After she carefully deactivated most of the traps, Redguard thief continued down The Ratway. Some time later she met another resident - another Imperial. She was turned with her back towards her, obviously looking at something on a table and Tamala sneaked after her. She was good at it and only after she had to make a jump over a wooden cart, a lowlife heard something. She began her search for a possible intruder but it was too late...Tamala already managed to sneak down the stairs and opened the wooden door.

Second test was passed - Tamala found The Ragged Flagon.

Author's note - as you probably noticed, Tamala avoids fight whenever possible so my today's experience in The Ratway was very fun, especially when she found the second bandit already dead. I like it when such spontaneous little things happen!

The Ratway is fun, aint it? Lord Haaf-Mersey actually went down there to "cleanse the Ratway of its riff-raff" (totally non-quest related) but once he got to the Flagon he decided he could not really "cleanse" the folks who dwell down there, not without just cause for doing so.

Wow, those are great pics! Miss Cristophe is frickiin' beautiful as she swings her weapon, holy [censored].

College of Winterhold


Gestor,

You are hereby directed to cease and desist all discussion of your missing apprentices with the College’s new members. Two of my group investigated the barrow Hillgrund’s Tomb on your advice in an effort to locate them (and no doubt impress each other as the youngsters do). Onmund’s death will certainly bring trouble to our institution, as he was our sole Nord applicant since those twins disappeared. Thankfully young Denelle Jeline had no family, so no one should notice her passing.

As I tell my students, safety first. A suit of armor does not make a battlemage, a thought no doubt shared by Onmund in his final desperate moments. So put a sock in it, Phinis.

Oh, and I expect you to arrange for the return of their bodies. Under no circumstances are you to resurrect them. Especially not that sweet young girl.

On second thought, Faralda can do it. You are to leave my apprentices both living and dead ALONE!

Tolfdir

RIP Denelle and Onmund

How do you investigate their disappearances? Is it the same group that did the glove in the Midden?

No, it’s a different group. There’s a piece of dialog from Phinis (I think) that doesn’t actually start anything, but you can find the bodies out in the world with personal items that identify them. Looks like an unfinished quest.

I made it a quest by closing my eyes, jamming my finger into the map, and saying to Denelle and Onmund using Phinis’s voice, “Saaaay, one of them said they were going to check out Hillgrund’s Tomb. Gosh, I hope they’re not lying there injured… waiting for rescue…”

And away they go.

(Just kidding about the voice. )

Wait, I had to rescue Onmund from some powerful necromancer or mage or something - he was being held in an old fort where other mages from the college had disappeared.

Onmund was with Denelle as a follower. Poor guy. He’s no Argis the Bulwark. (Also she shot him. Oops.)

Was the rescue guy Onmund or Orthorn at Fellglow Keep? That’s part of the Winterhold questline. Orthorn is in a cage next to some wolves.

Oh. Well, their names both started with "O," it is possible I ... er ... uh ... well, you might be right.

They wear the same kind of robe and hood, and it’s really dark in there!

Not that dark! XD

ROFL !!! Seen one NPC in a robe, seen them all, ROFL !!!

@-}---------

And I liked Denelle too. Her name is almost the same as mine.

So Kayla picked up The Black Book...

She's decided to go back to Skyrim.

The black books are cool though!

Not this one, lol

She's not one for tentacles.

Denelle is going to get another life (Denelle Deuxième ). I miss her too much. Plus she’s the character who looked like The Girl, and The Girl was not happy about the draugr situation! This time she wants her lookalike to be a redhead, lol. It should be easy to recreate Denelles' face, since I remember that she was very close to the bald preset.

I’ll give her an imaginary alternate start: run her through the tutorial and BFB, then take her on the carriage to Riften where she’ll get kicked out of the orphanage on her birthday.

Kayla's been playing around with followers, and...Jenassa won't do CRAP. She stays behind and won't go anywhere. Marcurio is a suicidal tank. That's as far as I've gotten, lol

Yesterday Hrafn liberated Skyrim with the Stormcloaks. She spent today building in the Pale. Afterward she fast traveled to Dragonsreach, and walked down through the city. When she got to the front gate, she found a 3 man Imperial patrol slugging it out with the Stormcloaks who now stand guard there !?! Naturally she joined in, and killed two of the Impies. Did the surviving guard thank her? No, she gave Hrafn a 40 gold bounty for assault!




Yay for Denelle 2.0! It sounds like she was a resident of Little Lamplight!

The Jarl of Whiterun has granted Uber Kness a housecarl, so I finally get to meet the famous Lydia. This makes me happy. I've heard so much about her.

Uber is supposed to go meet the Greybeards, but I want to avoid doing the MQ with him, and instead try to keep focusing on the Civil War stuff. The MQ is intriguing me now, but Uber just isn't the right character for it. I am thinking of making yet another character for the Main Quest, one who has a background which is more fleshed out and serious.

Uber Kness is kind of a lunky guard from Cyrodiil; a meathead who calls a lot of the other NPCs "citizen". He's puzzled why several of these citizens are now refering to him as "Dragonborn".

Wow, Lydia is hot! Uber Kness let Jenassa keep a lot of things, like her dual staves and elven armor. He also gave her 100 gold before 'parting ways' with her.

Anyone ever wonder where we get the septims from the scantily-clad Forsworn and Falmer? Where do they HIDE this stuff?!

Same with the goblins in Oblivion lol

Loincloth folds. Wash your hands after handling the Septims.

Ever seen those horse rides where children can stick the coin slots?

Yeah?