This is the mod I am using Vampire Hunting - Order of the Virtuous Blood at Oblivion Nexus - mods and community (nexusmods.com). As you can see it merges the original Order of the Virtuous Blood Expanded with Kendrel the Vampire Huntress and another mod that takes you to Caldera.

I used to load the OVBE version but having never fully played through the OVBE version I included the VH-OVB version because added in Kendrel as a bonus. It was a good choice in my opinion.

No rest for the weary partiers! Urg, I'm remembering why I left KotN out of my line up after playing through it once.

20220321 KotN. Umaril the Unfeathered
Taking the road south, we left Cheydinhal early in the morning. An hour down the road we decided to stop by the Old Cottage to visit our friend Aradiel Dae’Nai, the local representative of Adonnay’s Elven Weaponry.

“Good to see you again, my friends,” Aradiel Dae’Nai cheerfully greeted us. “Please come in.”

“Good to see you too, Aradiel. Oh we just stopped by to to do a bit of business. We’ve encountered quite a few of your excellent wares during our travels recently. Thought maybe you’d like to buy them back?”

“Certainly, especially if you would autograph them,” Dae’Nai said. “Your personal mark etched on such beautiful weapons would fetch a premium from collectors.”

“Glad to help an old friend. I’ll drop some off the next time we pass by.”

After a short visit we continued our journey to the Priory of the Nine.

It took us until late the next day to reach the Priory of the Nine. Amazingly, we arrived just in time to be immediately escorted to the Chapel to attend a sermon being given by the Prophet. Upon seeing us the Prophet anointed me the Divine Crusader and bestowed upon me the Blessing of Talos. The Prophet then charged us to go to Garlas Malatar and do what the "glorious knight" Pelinal Whitestrake could not, obliterate the spirit of Umaril the Unfeathered.

“Glorious Knight, my eye,” Kaleah said as we watched the fired-up Knights race to be the first to face Umaril in Garlas Malatar. “The White Snake was nothing more than an insane butcher. Ask any Khajiit.”

“Can’t say Umaril was any better,” countered Elenya. “One Ada as bad as another other I’d say.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “But, we can’t let one loose upon the world for fear the other will return to balance things out, so to speak.”

With that we set off far Garlas Malatar. The path to the Ayleid ruin Garlas Malatar took as through Anvil, west along the Gold Coast just past the HM2 Silverpine Forest Gateway. There we a broken bridge crossing the sea took us to the entrance Garlas Malatar.

“Look!” Elenya exclained as we crossed over to the entrance. “My Jandaga, you can see Emma’s Fisherman’s Shack from here.”

No horses tethered outside told us that the Knights of the Nine had not arrived yet. No need to wait on them, my Ladies and I entered Garlas Malatar. Good thing we did because by the time we reached balcony of the first room the Knight came rush past us like a tsunami. Headlong down the staircase to the floor below they charged without thought. There they engaged several Aurorans in battle. Zealots, make the worst allies and the most dedicated foes.

Our hand forced my Ladies and I joined the battle. It was over rather quickly and when all was quiet I unlocked the gate leading to a long hallway taking us to another room. After defeating eight more Aurorans we spend some time to recover before opening the Ayleid door to Ceysei.

Entering Garlas Malatar Ceysei we once again find ourselves facing a dozen Aurorans. Something strange is going on here. Methodically we chop the Aurorans down only to see them rise to fight again. Then I notice a flash of magical light emanating from above. Something or someone on top of that balcony is resurrecting the Aurorans. It must be stopped.

Pym caught my attention. The look she gave told me she knew what I planned to do. She extended her sword to me. Agamir’s Assassin’s Blade, sharper than the finest razor, imbued with deadly drain willpower and drain endurance enchantments. Very similar in power to the spear I used to kill Vivec. It was an offer I could not refuse.

No time to lose. Accepting the powerful sword, I left my Ladies and the Knights of the Nine to fend for themselves. Racing away I searched for the way up to the top where I saw the flashes of magical discharge.

It's a game
What a game
No time to lose
No time to lose
No time to lose
No time to lose
Go with the flow
Never let go
No time to loooooose
The Tarney-Spencer Band

The urgency of the beat drove me on, up a flight of stairs until I came to source of the magical emanations, a pulsating Dark Orb. No time to lose. Mumbling a prayer to the Mother of all Creation, I reached out in an attempt to turn it off. At my touch the Dark Orb exploded!

Time froze, all the Aurorans and Knights faded from view. This may have discombobulated most but the being of the Mystwalker class I felt right at home with the time stoppage. (I knew my custom class Mystwalker since Daggerfall would be of a benefit one day) The only thing in focus was a gate leading to Garlas Malatar, Carac Abaran. I moved quickly through the frozen time.

By the time I entered Carac Abaran my Ladies had recovered enough to join me. My Ladies fought with the Aurorans within Carac Abaran giving me cover to continued on until I came to a large room with a shallow liquid pool in the center. Stepping into the room a force field of hard water sealed the doorway behind me, preventing my Ladies from entering.

I watched as a staircase rise up from the floor. When it reached the upper level the giant golden figure of Umaril descended menacingly down the stairs toward me. The legendary Ayleid king must have lost a step or two while being trapped in the spirit world. One strike with Pym’s life stealing Assassin’s Blade and he went right on down. Umaril fell to the floor dead.

Trapped! Umaril is dead but I’m still trapped in this room. I could see my Ladies trying to get through the magically blocked doorway. They were shouting something but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. That’s when I remembered the spell. I cast the Blessing of Talos.

Holy moly! This is not what I expected. Umaril’s spirit world is little more than a cloud in the sky high above Cyrodiil. After an exchange of magical attacks we engaged with our swords. Spirit Umaril fared no better than his physical counterpart. Dodging out of the way of Umaril’s ponderously slow attack I countered. Faster than a viper strike it was over. Umaril’s severed spirit floated silently away into the void, leaving me to search for a way back home.

I found it alright only I didn’t like what I found. I was… falling!

Cyrodiil was reaching up to squash me like a bug and there was no way I could stop it.

You know there are times when all you can do is to call out to the unknown for someone to save you, just be careful who you call for.

“Mother of all Creation save me!” I cried out.

Then everything went white!

Yes. OVB gave us something to do for many months (years, maybe) it extended the original quest far beyond, it was the first major quest mod I installed and actually enjoyed. I never wrote any of it up though, so that's the treat we received as Jandaga and his party

Whoa. They're about to take Umaril on, whoa. Is that where we encounter the Unfeathered? I totally forgot about going all the way to the coast.

I thought today's song is from The Guess Who? Never heard of Tarney-Spencer.

Whoa, that's Umaril. Barely remember that guy. My paladin character at the time really prepared well for that final battle. She bought that expensive sword sold by Jensine (Akaviri Blade or whatever), brought a whole bunch of potions, and so on. Sounds like Jandaga one-shot-killed the monster.

Basically, all the training I'd received in the Tomb Raider games, in which fighting the final boss often consisted of using whatever chamber or plain it lived in, came in handy while fighting Umaril. I remember using the entire room to run around and hide-while-healing and so on. Sounds liek Jandaga got a oneshotkill though.

No Time To Lose has a serious running around in panic beat to it. Plus the lyrics fits the Jandaga character very well.

Every day I walk in shadows
I know not what it is
Heading for
And as the evening lies dying
A gentle heart dies near me sighing
It's still the same
You'll never change
You can never understand
We can now be like water
Don't need more to find our way
Just get on where we came
It's a game
What a game
No time to lose

Just as you did, the Jandaga came well prepared for a long drawn-out affair only to be shocked at how quickly it ended.

The Knights of the Nine probably got overdosed on zealotry by that Prophet. Kaleah's right to be unimpressed.

Uh-oh, resurrecting Aurorans - that can't be good.

Well, Umaril proves once again the bigger they are the harder they fall.

20220326 KotN-The End. (and in the end the game I played is equal to the game they made)

I found myself floating in the great void.
- - -

The force field barring entrance to room where the Jandaga fought the physical form of Umaril suddenly dissipated allowing the Ladies to enter. Racing to the center of the room they gathered around the body of their beloved leader. Kaleah gently removed the Jandaga’s helm and very delicately caressed his brow, her razor sharp nails left nary a mark, so gentle was her touch.

“Is he…” Elenya couldn’t finish the question.

“No,” Kaleah answered. “He fights on in Umaril’s spirit realm.”

At that moment the Knights of the Nine rushed in pushing the Ladies to the side. Without the protective influence of the Jandaga the knights saw the ladies for what they are. Weapons drawn the knights formed up, placing themselves between the fallen Devine Crusader and the Jandaga’s Ladies. Sir Thedret, the self proclaimed leader of the knights cried out, “In the name of the Nine we command you, demons begone!”

Flames danced in Kaleah’s heterochromia eyes as she hissed, “Foolish Yokudan, your pitiful words cannot keep me from my Feache. Prepare to die.”

Kaleah reached for her sword but a touch by Pym stayed her hand. Looking deep into the vacant eyes of Pym, Kaleah saw what needed to be done.

“Yes, you are right,” Kaleah relented. Kaleah linked arms with Elenya and Pym, and in a blink they vanished.

Exalting in their presumed victory over the evil Daedra, the Knights reverently carried the seemingly lifeless body of their fallen commander, to the Priory of the Nine. Arriving at the Prioy, the knights they laid the body of their commander in the center of the Undercroft. Here the body of the Devine Crusader would safely lay in repose until they could find a fitting sarcophagus.

Early the following morning a small precession solemnly marched into the Priory of the Nine.

“Who are they?” the knights whispered amongst themselves.
“Followers of some ancient order,” one knight guessed.
“Could be members of the Order of the Lily, from the House of Dibela,” another said.
“Sisters of Lord Have Mercy,” drooled one new recruit when he saw the precession. “Man, I’ve joined the wrong order,”
“Did you see the eyes of the Jingle Dancer?” whispered one knight to another, referring to Pym. “They’re vacant like those of a Moth Priest.
“What eyes?” the other replied.

Even the female knights expressed their thoughts but they ran more in the order of “If we ever have to war against the likes of these, we’re lost before we begin.”

Undaunted by the banter, the Ladies continued in silently to the undercroft, where they found the body of the Jandaga laying on the floor in the center of the room. That struck a nerve. Removing her hood the tall sister’s ebony horns glistened in the flickering torchlight.

“The floor!” Kaleah lashed out. “Couldn’t find a suitable catafalque to rest him on? And those ghosts, beseeching my Feache to awaken in the name of the Nine. They have no idea what they’re dealing with. At least they left him dressed in his armor. It’s time to set things right.”

Gathering in a circle around the body of the Jandaga the Ladies began the ritual. Selina the Witch took the Jandaga’s portable sacred shrine. Holding it close she whispered a word into the shrine and passed it on to the next. Around the circle the shrine went, with each Lady doing the same. When all had said their intentions, Kaleah placed the shrine on the floor at the Jandaga’s head.

In a bowl filled with rose petals, Elenya poured blessed water from the sacred spring. Dipping a sachet of lavender flowers in the water, Elenya used the sachet to sprinkle the Jandaga with the lavender water. The Dragon Spirit in the armor hummed in satisfaction at the soothing touch of the floral water. Pym dipped her fingers into the water and traced strange runes on the forehead of the Jandaga.

Spreading her wings wide and Kaleah raised her hands high and called out. “In the name of the Mother of all Creation, we humbly beseech, return Tlalok Hopopchak to us.”

Standing on either side of Kaleah, Fiona the Witch and Claire the Sorceress forcefully struck the floor with the butt end of their staves. The resulting shockwave shook the walls of the Undercroft, scattering the relics of the crusader, and blowing away the ghosts

“Look,” Maeva exclaimed. “His eyes, they’re opening!”
---

“Sorry my child it is time to return,” the soothing voice in the void spoke. “You are needed still.”

---
My eyes opened to the sight of the Ladies wildly rejoicing.

I could hear Elenya shouting joyously, “There is harmony in nature and all things are in balance again.”

Kaleah clasped my face in her hands, her heterochromia eyes flashed golden as she half sarcastically asked, ”Well, did you have a nice little vacation? Anyways, it’s about time you got here. These knights and the ghosts are most insufferable.”

“She held me in the palm of her hand,” I said grasping Kaleah’s hand. “The Lady smiled. She sent me back. To you, to all of you.”

When I Need Good Loving I Always Come Home To You
You Free My Lifetime Of The Blues
Yes I Got That Old Time Feeling Burning Deep Inside My Soul
And I Am Yours And Baby I'm Home
And It's A Good Feeling To Know It's Such A Good Feeling To Know
Oh It's A Good Feeling To Know Somebody Loves You!

Trying to stand, my knees gave out. In their effort to keep me from falling, six heavenly bodies nearly crushed me in their effort to comfort. Guiding me to a place where I could sit, the Ladies hovered about like a butterflies over a flowering bush. It was a tad bit embarrassing, really.

Sir Thedret rushed into the undercroft. Ignoring the presents of the Ladies he exclaims, "Lord Crusader! How can this be? You... you're alive! It's a miracle! I heard voices in the undercroft and I came to investigate...”

Foolish Thedret. Following Sir Thedret as he ran out to tell the others, we stepped out into the courtyard to be greeted by the assembly of the Knights of the Nine. Sir Thedret gave a long winded speech proclaiming the power and glory of the Nine, to which the assembled knights gave a great cheer.

“Ale for everyone!” The second cheer was greater than the first. The knights quickly cleared the courtyard.

Turning to my Ladies I said, “Let them wallow in their delusion of glory. I’ve had enough of these idiots, let’s get away from here.”

So just like Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Lion down the road we skipped.

Looking over my shoulder as I write Kaleah mumbled, “Really Feache! A Scarecrow, a Tinman, a Lion, and someone named Dorothy; what kind of fantasy world is this?”

Wow, Macole - your game wasn't equal to the original, it was far superior to the original! I enjoyed it very much.


Priceless!!


Yes, really. I remember being annoyed with that. Like with so many other bits in that "adventure". May the Knights forever wallow in self-pity for having joined the wrong order!

Yay! The Jandaga is back, safe and sound. Gosh, it is clear indeed that the Sisters of the Lord have Mercy Order beats the surcoats off that ragtag Knights of the Nine Bunch.

"Uh-oh, Twinkle. . . we're not in Kansas any more."

Fun to read and poignant as well.

Lena Wolf and Acadian Thank you for you appreciation. KotN was not on my to do list. I played it once along time ago and I really don't like it but I want to see if Losing My Religion worked properly. I thought of just advancing the whole thing to the end and being done with it. Then I thought of an ending and said to myself "What the heck."

20220403 Losing My Religion, Kvatch Rebuilt, Gweden Lodge

Oh, how good it feels to be away from the Priory of the Nine. Fiona leads us to Shadowcrest Vineyard. She’s eagerly breaks out her latest herb infused attempt of recreating the famous Shadowbanish Wine for us to sample. She described it as Lusciously Sweet with a Delightful finish. After sampling a glass or two we decide it would be wise to spend another day before attempting to travel.

It was two days later or was it three, can’t seem to remember that clearly, when we felt confident enough that our feet were touching solid ground. Saying their farewells to Fiona, the Jandaga and his little band of field hippies left for Anvil. Claire was eager to resume her studies on the artifacts we have stored in the secret room of Benirus Manor so we passed by Skingrad. The time seemed to fly by and soon we were at the crossroads to Kvatch.

Kvatch is as good a place as any to stop for dinner. We were also curious to see the progress made in the rebuilding of the city. It was kind of disappointing to see everyone still living in tents. During dinner, Procis Douarus told us of the problems they’ve been having in getting supplies delivered from Anvil. Since we were going to Anvil we told Procius we’d be happy to look into the situation for him.

We left for Anvil bright and early the following morning. Wish I could say we had a restful night’s sleep but not only did the rain keep us awake most of the night, my Ladies, bless their little hearts, complained the entire time about the dampness and that the two-man tent was not big enough for the five of us.

Upon our arrival in Anvil we made the usual stops, Morvayn's Peacemakers, Mages Guild, and the Fighters Guild all in an effort to lighten the load and to find out what’s been going on.

Before Claire retired to Benirus Manor we paid a visit to the Chapel of Dibella. What a change has taken place since the fall of Umaril. It is good to see everything is back to normal.

Our visit to the Chapel left us hungry. A stop at the Count’s Arms for a bite of lunch sounded good. While there we inquired about any news concerning the missing Kvatch shipment. Wilbur suggested canvassing the docks. One of the longshoremen may know something.

Wilbur was right, we found one Staron Hawker who told us that crew of men pickup the stock. He had an uneasy feeling about them as they took the road north to Kvatch. He suggested to follow the road to Kvatch and to keep an eye out for anything unusual.

By now it was getting late in the afternoon. It’s been raining all day and the roads are going to be a muddy mess. Why not find a place to stay the night and start out in the morning sunshine, hopefully. Gweden Farm sounds like just the spot. Besides we should check on how the business is going.

Business is doing great. In fact it is so good that Tsarrina commissioned the building of a second house. The additional girls have out grown the farmhouse and the new building, Gweden Lodge adds some upscale atmosphere. Plus, due to Tsarrina’s ingenious labor wage payment plan it rather cheap to build.

A Dremora approached as we entered the Lodge and gave me a notice from Raminus Polus. Well actually he walked up and said “take this” as he shoved the note in my hand. Reading the note, it seems a young mage “friend” of Virgilia has gone missing. Raminus wants us to find out what Virgilia knows.

Vigilia is concerned about her missing friend, Randonil. He was on his way to Gweden and he has gone missing. We’ll be passing through the Imperial City soon. We tell Virgilia we’ll talk to Raminus about Randonil and see what we can do. I try to dissuade her but Virgilia insists on traveling with us.

After a restful night, as we were getting ready to leave Tsarrina asked if I could find another Khajiit girl. She’s spending most of her time taking care of the business she is finding it difficult to find the time to do any business. Oh well.

Kaleah, Elenya, Pym and I leave for Kvatch with Virgilia in tow. Stopping every so often to allow Virgilia to catch up slowed us down considerably. Just passed Gottshaw Inn as we neared the Order of the Hour Headquarters we come across a large blood stain in the middle of the road. How we missed this obvious clue on the way to Anvil is beyond me.

Elenya says it’s the ghosts of the slain teamsters pushing the covered up blood to the surface in a call for vengeance.

Following the blood trail took us to a small encampment outside the entrance to Laughing Stand Cave. By the number of shipping crates scattered throughout the camp, this had to be where the Kvatch shipment had disappeared to. A sudden attack by Valenwood operatives all bit confirmed our suspicions. We entered Laughing Stand Cave.

Well, what did we step into this time? Two rival factions Valenwood MOO bandits and the followers of Vible the Cruel are in a hot turf war. Neither side wanted to negotiate with us which in a way made it easy on us. We don’t have to take time to decide friend from foe. Just cut them all down.

Sadly, we were too late to save the teamsters.

Laughing Stand Cave is now clear of the Valenwood MOO Faction, and the followers of Vible the Cruel. The Gold Road from Anvil to Kvatch should be now safe for shipments to resume. Procis Douarus in Kvatch should know of this right away. Thank goodness Kvatch is not far away.

Procis Douarus is thrilled with the news. If he wants, he can salvage what is usable from the cave while he waits for a new shipment from Anvil,

Once again we’re on the road to the Imperial City.

Funny how those bloodstains can only be seen from a certain angle... or after you talked to a certain person... Seems you've got to know about them to see them...

The Order of the Hour Headquarters - is that from Losing My Religion? I installed it too, but as we've been hanging around the Southern provinces lately, I haven't seen it yet. I did notice those headquarters on my map though.

Yes, Order of the Hour Headquarters just west of Kvatch is from Losing My Religion. LMR doesn't add any quests but the atmosphere is provides is worth the addition.

'the Jandaga and his little band of field hippies'

‘Grats on getting the Chapel of Dibella back to looking nice.

Nice to see Gweden is doing well.

Too bad about those workers lugging gear to Kvatch, but at least the troublemakers were dealt with.

I find myself wanting the atmosphere more than the quests... I tell my own stories. We're heading back to Cyrodiil ASAP. Holidays in foreign lands are all well and good but we're getting home sick.

heterochromia, that's a new word for me. "A difference in coloration in two structures or two parts of the same structure that are normally alike in color" says Dictionary.com

Yeah, probably a good idea for Jandaga's party to not get into it with the Knights. We don't want the Jandaga getting stuck in that void.



Hmm, no idea this time. That's neat how they all gathered together and revived their leader. Jandaga sounds like a perfect Lion.

Heterochromia iridium, a genetic condition where the iris of each eye is a different shade or color. Kaleah's eyes are of different colors. The right is pink or red while the left is more violet. When I was in high school I knew a guy with one blue eye and one brown eye.


Poco A Good Feelin' To Know https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPMadlXtfE0

Yep, I know one too: David Bowie. Requiescat in pace.

Heterochromia also comes in parts: my left eye is green-brown, my right eye is darker brown on the left and light blue-grey on the right... My mother's eyes are brown, my father's eyes were blue-grey, I've been always told that I got out of my mum's belly too soon - the colour didn't have the time to mix properly. But mind you, I was already two weeks late, apparently... couldn't really wait much longer, could I?

Renee: "A perfect Lion" I like that. Although he doesn't feel all that perfect.

20220410 Gweden, Rumple

The trip to the Imperial City except for Virgilia stopping to chat up every male we pass on the road, was uneventful. It was still early when we entered the Universitum Arcanorum lobby. Raminus Polus sitting there reading when we approached to inquire about Randonil.

“Well, Raminus have you any word on Randonil?”

Or it could be that he heard that I was in town and that he was laying in ambush waiting for me to arrive.

“My search party hasn’t sent any word back yet,” Ramonis said. “As soon as I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

That’s when Raminus sprung his little trap. A stack of financial reports as tall as Pym suddenly appears. Yes, it’s that time of the year and empire wants a full accounting.

“I need you to sign off on these,” Raminus gleefully continued. Then with a glance at Virgilia he added, “While you’re busy with that, why don’t we see about waiving the recommendation waiver and get this poor child accepted into the Mages Guild. Then we can have Delmar enchant her armor with a shield spell. Such a delicate flower needs all the protecting she can get.”

Virgi smiled, brushed up against Raminus, and demurely says, “Oh, you are so kind.”

When she talks like that even the tough guys tumble. With an arm around her waist, Raminus guides Virgilia to his doom, err office.

An hour or so later the financials were all taken care of except for the Cheydinhal office. There is the matter of filling the vacant seats on the Council of Mages. The signature of the Head of the Cheydinhal Guild Hall is required. Deetsan’s acting head status will not do. Deetsan’s promotion to Warlock is ready for my authorization and she is definitely qualified to be made permanent Head of the Cheydinhal Guild Hall so why wait any longer? A little vacation trip to the Garden City can fix it.

Raminus and Virgilia finally emerged from his office. With a sly smile, Virgilia stood by clinking a good sized pouch of gold coins as Raminus said, “She passed all the requirements with such professionalism that she has earned the rank of Battlemage Staff Sergeant in the Order of the Lamp. You can take her to Delmar in the Chironasium now.

Delmar was most obliging, maybe a little too much so. Enchanting Virgilia’s armor will take 24-hours When he offered to let Virgilia stay and… ahem, learn a few things, I grabbed Virgilia by the hand dragged her out to the supposed safety of the courtyard.

“What’s wrong with the mages at the University?” Kaleah commented. “Did they never learn to summon seducers, as students?”

Having had enough of the Universitum Arcanorum, I cast the Take Me Home to Cheydinhal spell. We arrived tired and hungry. A little dinner and then retired for the night.

Next morning after the morning devotion I put on my best robe (got to look like the Archmage you know) and walked over to the Mages Guild. Virgilia tags along while my Ladies Kaleah, Elenya, and Pym remain behind. They want to catch up on some beauty rest.

Deetsan was thrilled to accept her promotion Warlock and appointment as permanent head of the Mages Guild Cheydinhal Hall. Then I gave her the foot thick report to authorize. By her enthusiastic response, I’m certain the Cheydinhal Mages Guild has been placed in the right hands.

After the congratulations were over Deetsan mentioned a possible candidate for one of the open positions on the Council of Mages. Deetsan thinks Orgul gro-Kurak a Battlemage Wizard from High Rock has what it takes to become an excellent member of the Council of Mages. Such a highly recommended prospect deserves an interview.

An Orc with such a depth of magical experience was an unexpected surprise but I must say Orgul gro-Kurak has all the credentials of a promising candidate. What was most impressive was his organization and analytical skills, which in my opinion is more important on the Council than raw power. My only concern is his intense hatred of necromancers. That may be a hindrance in the future but for now Orgul gro-Kurak has offered to help us find Randonil.

The three of us return to my house to prepare for the journey back to the Imperial City.

As we were leaving the Mages Guild, Deetsan intercepted us. She informed me of a pretty Dumner girl staying over at the Newlands Lounge. With a wink Deetsan suggested I go speak to Dervera Romalen about the girl.
When it comes to getting on the Archmage’s good side, Deetsan learns fast.

A quick visit to Newlands Lodge proved to be unrewarding. Dervera told me that the girl in the strange uniform had been arrested for brawling in the street. I was going to let it go but the mention of a strange uniform piqued my curiosity. A peek in the jail house was needed.

There she was standing in the jail cell. The guard said that she told some outlandish story about being a bear rider of some mountain patrol. Oh yeah, I remember now. I inquired about setting her free.

“Pay the fine and she’s yours,” the guard said. “I don’t care what you do with her after that.”

Any girl that can slap around a big Orc needs to be patrolling the mountain passes. I paid her fine. I told Ystrel that she was free to go but she insisted on following me around until I escort her to Bruma.

Hmmm, I suppose I have time to escort Ystrel to Bruma.

When I tell My Ladies the plan to escort Ystrel to the Bear Riders Lodge they decided they wanted to stay in Cheydinhal and will wait for my return.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning the Ladies watch as the Jandaga leaves Cheydinhal with Virgilia, gro-Kurak, and Ystrel bound for Bruma.

“You’re letting him go alone?” Elenya asked Kaleah.

“Yes, he needs time to relax and think,” Kaleah replied.”He’s been putting off a very difficult mission. A little distraction should do him wonders.”

I like their idea of "alone".

A Bear Rider gracing the jail of Cheydinhal! Well, we can't have that. I wonder what kind of trouble the Jandaga will get into without his Ladies' oversight. An orc-mage, irresistible Gweden Gurl and pantsless bear rider - what could go wrong?

I like that Poco song, almost sounds like a mixture of country and soft rock.

I knew somebody long ago with heterochromia eyes, too. Gosh, it was so long ago, I can't even remember which school / age this was.

This is a weird story, macole. There's a lot of innuendos.

20220419 Gweden, Rumple, Midas Magic
The thought was that by leaving through the East Gate and taking the mountain trail to Bruma there would be much less male traffic to distract Virgilia. Less distraction equals less stoppage time thus our travel time would be cut in half.

Only problem was getting to the East Gate. Between the cat calls directed at Ystrel’s Bear Rider Strut and Virgi stopping to chat up every guy we passed on the street, it’s a wonder we ever got out of the city. After the second delay, I took Virgilia aside and told her firmly that while advertizing Gweden’s services was good this was neither the time nor the place.

We didn’t have any more unscheduled delays but that didn’t stop the hoots and whistles.

The trail north through the forested mountains was really very enjoyable. It took us past Lord Rugdumph’ s estate and Azura’s Shrine before leading us high into Jerall mountains.

The pleasantness of the trip changed as the trail wound its way up into the Jerall Mountains. The trail soon filled with ice and snow making it difficult to climb. Nearing Silver Tooth Cave we were ambushed by a Skyrim bandit champion.

The lone champion was nearly on me when Virgilia intercepted him with a deadly ranged spell.
“Hey baby, wanna date?” Virgilia called out in a silky voice that could melt the frozen heart of Atmora.
Virgilia’s devastating charm spell stopped the Skyrim bandit dead in his tracks. That gave Ystrel’s big sword enough time to make certain that he truly was dead.

I looked at Virgilia for a moment wondering if she had any nymph blood running through her veins. Calling to her in the Nymph language I learnt in Daggerfall got no response. Hmmm, that really doesn’t prove anything though.

Further up the mountain trail we came across Pala, one of the Bear Riders. A pant raiding party, White Witches from northern Skyrim, had ambushed Pala and now she and her bear were locked in a fierce battle with the witches. But, why had two White Witches ganged up on Pala? The bear rider’s uniform may be flashy but it is rather short in the pants department.

Could that be it? Could the Bear Rider’s itsy bitsy teeny weenie panty armor be a collector’s item? I could see it if they came in yellow with polka dots.

Joining in on the fight we helped Pala defeat the witches. With nary a word of thanks Pala mounts her bear and rides off south toward Silver Tooth Cave.

Being close to the summit of Gnoll Mountain we continued up the mountain until we reached Frostcrag Spire. Tired and hungry from the long trek up the mountain we spent the night. Bruma can wait until tomorrow.

A night at Frostcrag gave me some time to ponder unsolvable questions like; why do they call this place Gnoll Mountain when I’ve never seen a gnoll in Tamriel or on Nirn for that matter? I don’t know.

It’s a new day and it’s still snowing as we leave Frostcrag Spire. Something is bothering me. Turning my eye toward the ruined Oblivion Gate I felt rather than saw shadowy finger-like tendrils reaching out to touch me. A smoky smooth voice, softer than a raven’s feather spoke to me.

“Come, you of the elder race. So alone in the world you are. Come seek comfort in the shadows of my embrace.”

The soft voiced words danced in the frigid air like falling snowflakes luring me across the bridge and past the burned out oblivion gate. Across the snow covered ridgeline I went until there I stood facing an ominous rune marked Gate of Khaza-dun.

The glowing runes pulsated and the door hummed with magical energy hummed louder and louder as I reached out to open the gate…

~~~~~~

Far away in Cheydinhal, Kaleah and Elenya awoke from their slumber with a start as the ever silent Pym stood ridged in the center of the room screaming like a banshee.

~~~~~~

Placing a steadying hand on my shoulder the Battlemage Wizard Orgul gro-Kurak asked, “Archmage, what is this place?”

Breaking free of the door’s spell, I told him, “Khaza-dun. Midas told me of this place. He warned of a shadow of great power from another time and place residing within.”

With clear thought, I decided that investigating Khaza-dun while on babysitting duty, was not such a good idea, I turned away from rune-gate vowing to return with my Ladies.

Disaster averted we headed west down the mountain. We made it all the way to the Bear Riders Lodge without further incident.

Reporting to Gudrun; Gudrun takes us out to meet Ystrel’s newly arrived bear. When Ystrel attempts to mount the bear take one sniffs, and turns away. With a snort Ystrel's bear won't let her mount. Maybe it was the bear snorting at Ystrel that made me think maybe Ystrel doesn’t smell right?

Discussing this with Gudrun we came up with a couple possible solutions. Possibly adapting Ystrel to a the local northern diet will change Ystrel’s scent and the bear will be more receptive. Gudrun suggested that a splash of ale behind the ears might work. Gudrun will report back to me in a week or so.

That taken care of I gave Gudrun the potion to cure Timo of the Lesser Lycanthropy with the instruction, DO NOT administer during the full moon.

What a day. Orgul gro-Kurak, Virgilia and went to Bruma for dinner and a quiet night’s rest.

To acknowledge memory of ‘she wore an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini. . . .’ is to revel much about our age.

I believe it is ghastley’s rule of inverse enchanting that established the smaller the item the more potent the enchantment. Perhaps the bear riders’ panties are so enchanted?

Probably wise to pass up that scary door without the Ladies.

And mission complete up at the bear riders lodge!

Age like time, is relative but ummm, yes it does reveal a bit much.


I agree with the rule of inverse enchanting. Back in the Bethesda forums my original 2012 signature read as thus:
Macole - vampire hunter,
• Basic Laws of Enchanting #1. Strength of enchantment raises exponentially as the area of metal enchanted decreases. Therefore assuming the metal and enchantment level used are constant, an enchanted chainmail bikini will provide considerably more protection than a set of full plate when enchanted with the same spell.

Goodness! Perhaps it is actually macole's rule!

20220428 Fort Linchal – OOO & MOO Necromancers, Gweden

After a night of restful sleep we left the Bruma house and returned to the Bear Rider Lodge. There wasn’t a full moon and assuming that Gudrun gave the potion to Timo, I was curious to see if it worked. Good news, it did!
Timo is cured or so he says, he can tell because he no longer wants to scratch his ear with his foot. It is good to leave Bruma knowing that Bear Riders Lodge is in a happier state.

The trip to south to the Imperial City was uneventful and we made good time. Our first stop, the Universitum Arcanorum, was where we found Raminus Polus lounging in the reception lobby.

“Good news,” Raminus announced as we entered the reception lobby. “We’ve received news on the whereabouts of Randonil. The bad news is that he’s’ been abducted by necromancers. Our informants tell us that they’re headed for Fort Linchal.”

I thanked Raminus for the information. As soon as we stop by the Chironasium to pick-up Virgilia’s armor we’ll be on our way. Gro-Kurak, eager to go smash heads as soon as he heard necromancers were involved, ran off to the Lustratorium to stock up on potions while I took Virgilia to see Delmar.

Virgilia’s newly enchanted looks the same but Delmar assures us it will offer significantly more protection. With Virgilia strutting around in her newly enchanted armor we left the Chironasium find Orgul gro-Kurak in the outer courtyard.

“Come on,’ I told Virgilia and Orgul gro-Kurak. “We need to hurry to Fort Linchal.”

Well, I'll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full
And you happened to call

Approaching the ruins of Fort Linchal old fears returned when i saw the familiar altar.

Had we interrupted something? Seven necromancers led by one of those listed on MOO Wanted posters, Kelkemmeriil Highor, were attempting to bind a Bosmer man-eater to the altar. That could mean only one thing. Resenting the intrusion the unappreciative necromancers attacked us.

Calling for the Sisters of Insanity to assist us in our fight against the necromancers must have caused considerable confusion for the sacrificial victim. The poor deluded Bosmer made the mistake of grabbing a blade and attacking my friends from the Shivering Isle. Bless her heart, at least she didn’t end up trapped in a black soul gem.

Entering Fort Linchal we quickly silenced the lone door man. Taking the first right turn we continued on until we faced great double doors leading to the Hall of Knights. Cautiously we entered and quietly crept through the dark corridors of the Hall of Knights until we came to a large well-lit room. The Putrid Hand Master Necromancer and four other necromancers stood blocking our path to the exit on the opposite end of the room. To get to Randonil we were going to have to fight our way to the other side.

Showing her inexperience Virgilia charged headlong into the welcoming necromancers and their summoned wraiths and spectral warriors. In typical bull-headed Orcish “No Woman is going to upstage me” fashion, Orgul gro-Kurak obstinately followed Virgi.

As if that wasn’t enough, Laredra Nightsky of the MOO necromancer faction came running down the staircase to join in the fray. She brought a few friends with her. Three additional initiates would not have been any threat at all had it not been for the wraiths they summoned.

“Aw, bummer!” I was left we no choice. Adjusting the fit of my helm, I drew the Light of Dawn, and with a wicked sneer strode confidently into the thick like the Knight of Hope (skip the first 5-minutes) from ages past.

The fight was tough. Even with the aid of my summoned forces, Virgilia and Orgul gro-Kurak were in danger of being overwhelmed. Casting Healing Cloud from atop the center dais placed a healing mist over the most of the room allowing me to concentrate less on healing others and more on fighting. It took some time but eventually we prevailed over the necromancers.

The Hall of Knights now quiet, up the staircase we went, around a corner, and through a dart trapped room to a door. Opening the door we stepped into the Temple of War to find ourselves standing in a long hallway filled with necromancers. Unfortunately they saw us and summoned ancient wraiths to send against us. To counter, I once again summoned the Sisters of Insanity and the Midas Angel.

While my little army distracted the necromancers, I located the jail cell holding Randonil and set him free. Randonil could hear the sounds of battle and was highly agitated. As soon as the gate was unlocked Randonil conjured arms and armor, cast a chameleon spell and raced off to join the fray.

"Impressive! Skilled, confident, and willing to take charge," I thought. "This guy has potential."

With the necromancer threat eliminated we took our time looting both the Temple of War and the Hall of Knights. Along with the numerous chests containing treasure we discovered one particular item of interest.

On the dais in the center of the Hall of Knights I found an invitation addressed to the Brother of the Tomb. Could Brother of the Tomb refer to the Putrid Hand Master or Laredra Nightsky? Since neither can say anything at the moment, we may never know

The interesting thing about the invitation is that it calls for the Putrid Hand to return to Wendelbek, recover something of import, and then crush Eregor of Valenwood and his Sylvan Rangers. Well whoever the Brother of the Tomb is, he can forget about Wendelbek. My Ladies and I applied extreme unction to the Putrid Hand stationed there quite some time ago.

Tired and aching the three of us rested as best we could. The next morning Virgilia, Orgul gro-Kurak, and I left for Anvil. There's a more comfy bed waiting there for me.

You be careful with those folks of mine. I don’t usually make anyone essential, just balance them to the quests they are in.

Virgilia and Orgul gro-Kurak posing together is certainly a beauty and the beast moment!

Oh my, another age revealing song. I feel younger if I listen to the Judas Priest version rather than dust off the Joan Baez original.

Your Knight of Hope vid was a moving example of chivalry at its very finest.

Any day spent killing necrodudes is a good day.

Not to worry, even though I couldn’t tell them to remain outside and let me handle it, they acquitted themselves quite well. I do have one concern though. The orc mage Orgul gro-Kurak would not follow me out of the fort (I tried several times, no luck). I thought that to be rather odd. Should I be concerned? Hope not.

Judas Priest does up the tempo quite a bit but it’s missing the haunting loneliness that I feel dungeon diving in the dark should impart. The cover by Blackmore’s Night is another good one; closer to the Baez original but a little brighter and more orchestrated.
There are many crossroads in life (67-72) when decisions are made and paths separate. Looking back allows doubt to creep in and one questions his choices. Some songs convey that lonely feeling better than others. It is up to the listener to decide which song to dance to.

20220506 Gweden Getting Randy

After a night’s rest Virgilia, Randolin, and I left Fort Linchal hoping to reach Anvil before nightfall. Orgul gro-Kurak decided not to join us in our trip to Anvil. He decided that he was going to the Imperial City and once decided he refused to discuss the matter any further. I hope he knows what he is doing.

On the way south we paid a visit to Kvatch. Not having heard any news from Kvatch in awhile I thought I’d stop by and see how things were going. Imagine my shock when I found the city residents camped at the base of Mount Kvatch like they were during the Daedra invasion. Fearing the worst we raced up the mountain to find all was well. The city was closed for major reconstruction. I remember now, two weeks.

Talking to the refugees confirmed they were just waiting for the construction crew to give the OK to return home. Had me worried there for a moment.

Leaving Kvatch we continued on to Anvil.

It was early evening when we entered the gates of old Anvil. A street troubadour collecting pennies in an old hat performed in the circle. The sound of his singing echoed throughout the plaza. We stopped to listen.

Anvil, where hearts were entertaining June
We stood beneath the amber moons
And softly murmured "Someday soon"
We kissed and clung together
Then,
Tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say
Now,
When twilight dims the skies above
Recalling thrills of our love
There's one thing I'm certain of
Return, I will, to old Anvil.

“Arch-mage,” Carahil blurted out in surprise as we walked through the Mages Guild door. Her hands flew over her desk as she hastily transformed a scattered mass of papers into neat orderly stacks. Recovering her composure she continued, “An unexpected pleasure to see you, Arch-mage. I do hope your journey was a pleasant one. It’s early for me but you must be hungry and thirsty. Would you care to join me at the Count’s Arms?”

Over dinner we discussed the possibility of Carahil taking one of the vacant seats on the Council of Mages. While honored by the offer Carahil is reluctant to accept the position before someone is found to replace her as head of the Anvil chapter..

“I have someone in mind. What do you say Randolin? The hours are long and the pay is low but you will be near a certain local attraction. Do you want the job?”

With Virgilia sitting demurely next to him, Randolin nearly spilled his soup as he without hesitation cried out, “Yes!”

“Then it’s settled. Randolin is the new head of the Mages Guild, Anvil Chapter. Carahil, I’ll see you at the university.”

With that we raised a glass to toast the new appointments. As soon as the empty glasses fit the table Carahil was out the door racing to get packed. Randolin and Virgilia took a more leisurely stroll through Anvil. Meanwhile I returned alone to Benirus Manor to spend the rest of the evening with Claire and Yesmin.

The following morning I gave the Mystical Unicorn scratch behind the ears, said goodbye to Clair and Yesmin, and left for the Univeristum Arcanorum to inform Raminus of the new council members.

I started off on foot but there was a growing feeling about walking around without my Ladies accompanying me. Yes, I was even beginning to miss their constant jabs at my infrequent mishaps. To hurry this task along I used the Mages Guild transporter system to take me in an instant to the doors of the Universitas Arcanorum.

Arriving at the university I first checked in with Raminus. He was sitting in the lobby reading as usual. Raminus had nothing to say about either Carahil or Orgul gro-Kurak so I went searching for them.

(Here is where things start to get a little out of kilter.)

Must have spent hours looking all over the university grounds and the many offices without a glimpse of either one of the two newly appointed council members. It was just after 1:00PM when I entered the Common room through the Lobby portal. There I found Carahil, Orgul gro-Kurak and Carahil again.

What? Two Carahils! Oh no, doppelgangers!

For a moment I was stunned. How do I tell the real Carahil from the doppelganger? Not knowing what else to do I questioned them on the necromancer situation.

The first Carahil didn’t have an answer.

“I believe that the threat will diminish in time,” the second Carahil replied. “Now Mannimarco is gone, the remaining groups should die out on their own. We should not let our guard down, however. Randolin is proof of that!”

Orgul gro-Kurak forcefully offered his opinion, “The Guild must remain vigilant in case of further attacks, but without a leader, they are much weaker. Having a full Council again will help.”

The Carahil doppelganger appears to be benign. What’s important though is that the Council of Mages is back at full strength and ready to deal with any resurgence of the Necromancer threat. All’s well that ends well, I guess.

(Well the “Gweden Brothel” quest “Getting Randy” came to an end but it didn’t go as smoothly as it should have. There’s a Carahil conflict between the mods “Gweden Brothel” and “Universitum Arcanorum”. I feel that one of Carahils should be removed. Which one and how? I don’t know.)

I don’t not remember if that dialog with Carahil in the AU is required to complete the quest. If so, you would need to keep her.

I could not find details for UA’s use of her, but a lack of dialog means she’s probably not needed for a quest right now

Edit: In about twenty quests' time, Carahil will be needed at AU for the "Exterminate!" quest. That's late in the Red Dragon Club series.

I think putting Carahil on the Council of Mages is a wise choice.

Glad you're finally rid of the Worm King. After killing him in the 4th Era, Buffy traveled back to the 2nd Era to kill him again!

Not surprising! He's a lich, after all, they always rise again. He'll be back in the 5th Era again, mark my words.

Two Carahils, how strange. I wonder how that happened? In my Fallout 3 game on PC there were two Jerichos in Megaton for awhile but this is due to me screwing up with the GECK.

Anvil, where hearts were entertaining June
We stood beneath the amber moons

Don't recognize this chapter's lyrics...

This chapter lyrics: see here. Lovely paraphrasing, Macole!

Hee ha Sinatra! I can see Jandaga digging some Sinatra.

He prefers the Pink Martini version, (I use to be able to Samba) but I can still sing the Ray Conniff movie theme version.

20220516 Midas Magic Khaza-dun
Confident now that the Council of Mages is back at full strength and ready to deal with any resurgence of the Necromancer threat, I took some time to relax. That lasted less than a day. Sitting alone in the Arch-Mage quarters eating dinner I wondered what my Ladies were doing in Cheydinhall. I packed my things and made ready to leave in the morning.

As I was passing through the lobby on my way out of the university, Salaha the lobby receptionist for the past 400 years handed me a message. The message reminded me that Ystrel should ready to try riding her bear again. I should go and see how it turned out. Using the Take Me Home spell I traveled to Cheydinhall

~~~~~

A loney Daedric Seducer Ka-Ata-Killa sat starring into the glowing embers of the Cheydinhall Manor’s fireplace. An uneasy feeling like a deep hole in her soul had its dark grip on her, pulling her mind down into the bottomless pit of despair. Something important was missing. Wings drooping, shoulders sagging, she buries her face in her hands and moans, “He said that he needed me, never would go. Oh, oh. Now I find myself sitting here all alone, oh, oh. Oh, my fantasy boy, ooh I…”

“… miss my fantasy girl.” A familiar voice sang behind her.

Kaleah spun around to see her Feache. For the briefest of moments her face lit up in a broad smile and her eyes flashed like the sun. Then just as suddenly the moon shut out the sun. Arms akimbo she declared, “Be back in a couple of days, you said! Can take care of myself, you said!”

She took a couple of steps forward, “If only you’d write me or call. A word of explanation, that's all. It would stop me climbing the wall.”

The Jandaga’s back was against the wall and Kaleah was still laying down the law as Pym and Elenya raced down the stairs from the second floor. Jumping in between Kaleah and her mark, Elenya and Pym nearly crushed the Jandaga with their welcome home hugs.

Turning to Kaleah, Elenya wagged a finger in Kaleah’s face and scolded, “What are you complaining about? You’re the one that sent him off on his own with that professional.”

Thoroughly admonished, Kaleah softened and it was hugs all around.

~~~~~

Favas Andas, the head of the Order of the Virtuous Blood, Cheydinhal Chapter joined us for dinner. He was as enthralled as my Ladies were as I recounted the highlights of my journey with Virgilia and Ystrel. They were especially attentive as I described Khaza-dun.

Only Favas was hesitant to idea of exploring Khaza-dun. Not being the adventuring type, Favas was content to stay in Cheydinhall and tend to the Chapter House. And so it was that the next morning, my Ladies and I left for Bruma with a stop by Khaza-dun on the way.

It was uneventful trek up the mountain trail to Frostcrag Spire where we spent the night. The next morning, well rested and anxious to get going we gathered up our gear and went in search of Khaza-dun.
The sound of snow crunching was the only sound we made as I led my Ladies across the frozen peak to Khaza-dun. The gate of Khaza-dun was in sight when we were attacked by a small patrol of Goblins guarding the entrance.

“Khaza-dun?” Elenya mused aloud. “Sounds familiar and has an uneasy feeling to it.”

Entering Moria Mines, we traveled along the long dark tunnel of the Goblin topaz mine. We expected Goblins and we weren’t disappointed. From the dark depths of the mine, wild eyed and screaming battle cries they came at us. By the way they fought it felt more like they were fleeing and we’re in the way.

“Jandaga,” Elenya, who can understand some goblin, called out to me. “They’re yelling Valarauko or Valaraukar. It means demon.”

The Mine of Moria tunnel eventually led us to the gates of the Ayleid structure, Khaza-dun. Ayleid it was, I couldn’t help but wonder why would they hide it so far underground? What treasure is it protecting?

In typical Ayleid fashion, Khaza-dun was maze of deadly blade traps. Aside from the traps a couple of goblins and a few trolls was all Khaza-dun offered to stop us.

The maze of Khaza-dun came to an end at the stone door leading to the Great Chamber. Here in the dark distance we could see the giant creature of flame. The towering inferno was battling a small army of goblins many of which lay dead on the Great Chamber floor. So this is why the goblins were so fanatical in their attempt to get passed us.

“Balrog!” Elenya and Kaleah exclaimed in horror.

It must have heard us. With a finale sweep of its flaming blade the Balrog swept away the last of the goblins and turned its attention toward us. The battle was on. Kaleah readied her bow while Elenya and Pym raced to meet the beast of fire and shadow. After summoning the Sisters of Insanity, an angel, and a Dremora Lord I joined in with my most powerful ranged lightening attacks.

The battle was a long and difficult dance. The hope that fighting with the Goblins would have weakened the demon was lost early on. Showing no sign of injury the Balrog kept us hopping with the extreme reach of his flaming sword. The Balrog laugh as we darted in and out but we persisted and eventually the little cuts at the knees took their toll. As the Balrog slowed my aim with the lightning bolts improved with devastating effects. The beast fell and all was quiet.

Well, all except for the tussle between Angel and the Sisters of Insanity over bragging rights on who got the most hits. That went on until their summons timed out (happens all the time).

“My, my. So this is where the White Wizard dropped you,” I said, looking down at the smoldering body Duria’s Bane.

We collected some pretty good stuff off the Balrog, Duria’s Bane; his large Flame Sword, a Balrog Horn, and the Key to Oblivion.

The name Key to Oblivion gave Kaleah the shivers. She wanted nothing to do with the Key. When we found a door and I decided to open it with the key she became very tense. To be honest, she wasn’t alone.

All of us were on edge as the key turned and the door swung open. A sigh of relief echoed throughout Khaza-dun when all we saw was a red crystal floating above an Ayleid font, the Prime Morpholith. Midas certainly would like this. He might even have a recipe or two requiring it.

Later, as we were walking back to Frostcrag Spire Kaleah stepped up alongside me and cooed sweetly, “Well, my wanna be bard, that was one fine pickle you got us into. Couldn’t you have at least given us a song to dance to?”

“I wanted to but all I could think of was… "

“I don't want a pickle,
I just want to ride on my motor-cicle.
And I don't want a tickle,
I'd rather ride on my motor-cicle.
And I don't want to die
I just want to ride on my motor-cy-cle.”

A fun reunion! Great to see the gang all back together again. And it took the whole gang, augmented with some summons to defeat that balrog. Pretty good loot though.

20220523 Mafreseli
(A Dungeon and Player Home mod that’s been collecting dust just sitting in my collection since 2012, about time I go see what it looks like. Almost certain Mafreseli conflicts with HESU’s Skyrim Temple which I’d like to see, maybe next time. Two issues; at first the snowy peak was muddy brown, I was able to fix. next, two Ayleid Steps are suspended high in the air. That will take some time.)

After spending the night at Frostcrag Spire we packed up and left for Bear Rider Lodge outside Bruma. The uneventful trip went quickly. Half a day later we strolled into the Bear Rider Lodge were we found Gudrun in the common room eating lunch. Sitting down at her table we asked Gudrun about Ystrel and the hesitant bear.

The report is good. After a week of eating like a Nord, drinking like a Nord, and sleeping with a Nord (that was Ystrel’s idea, Gudrun told me) the bear now accepts Ystrel as its rider. Ystrel is now able to mount her bear and is eager to begin patrolling the Valus Mountains.

Ystrel had joined us at the lunch table as I was talking to Gudrun. I could hear her telling my Ladies about the value of scent.

“There's more to that scent thing than I realized. After a few days of Nord diet, the Nord men seemed a lot more attractive then before.”

After awhile, as we were leaving the Bear Rider Lodge Ystrel offered me a gift for helping her with the bear, a stuffed white teddy bear. Too cute.

With the Valus Patrol quest taken care of the rest of the day was spent touring the Bruma shops and relaxing at Olav’s. Then at the end of the day we retired to our Bruma home where I was greeted by the heady scent of fresh cut flowers. The house filled with fragrant cut flowers.

My house-sitter, Kiyana the Ohmes-Raht, was talking in whispers with My Ladies and by the sideways glances they were giving me I knew the four of them were plotting something. Seeking to escape their schemes I went to bed to get some sleep and inadvertently fell into their trap.

It was during the rather late breakfast the next day when I asked my Ladies, “Is there anything you like to do before we check in at Merendin and tackle the Grey Maybe?”

“You promised to take us to Dive Rock,” was their reply. How could I refuse? We packed our gear and left as soon as we were ready.

Where is Dive Rock? Somewhere high in the Valus Mountains, I’m sure. We saw it once high above us when we were at Aerin’s Camp. With a vague idea on how to get there we took the northeastern mountain trail intending to stop at Cheydinhal before climbing up into the Valus.

It was beginning to get dark, when we arrived at Frostcrag Spire. It occurred to me then that since we were already high in the mountains that might be possible to travel along the ridgeline to get to Dive Rock. It surely wouldn’t hurt to take a detour to Khaza-dun to take a look. From a vantage point just east of Khaza-dun a ridgeline route does look promising. We’ll spend the night at Frostcrag Spire and give it a try tomorrow.

“If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there.”

Traveling the ridgeline was rather easy. We were making very good progress and the hopes of finding Dive Rock this way was beginning to look very promising when we were struck by an unexpected sight. High on a Jeral peak we found the ruins of an Ayleid villa.

“Is that Sanfrancisco?” Elenya asked.

“What?”

“You’ve been singing about going to a place called Sanfrancisco all morning, is this it?” Elenya restated.

“Umm, no, SanFrancisco is a mythical land filled with love, peace, and happiness and other such broken dreams. I remember the tales sung by the family bards in the days before my family was massacred. They never said where it was so I doubt it truly exists.”

We didn’t see any activity outside but still we approached with caution. The door of the first building we came to was open. Seeing no one about, we entered an Ayleid building, Mafreseli, Nagasel. It’s a mausoleum; well maintained and currently occupied. Amazing!

The lighting was had an eerie green tinge to it and the air was frosty, not unbearable but enough to cause goose-bumps.

Ayleid,” Kaleah said. “I haven’t been to an occupied Ayleid villa in ages. Such parties, we used to have back then.”

Spotting a couple of Mafreseli’s occupants, we called out a friendly hello. Apparently they do not take well to strangers in Mafreseli. Their response to our hello was muscle numbing frost spells. Not liking the frost effect on their hairdos, My Ladies launched a successful counterattack.

“Something’s not right,” Kaleah said as she was trying on a set the newly acquired chain armor. “These Ayleid, look at them. It’s like they’ve been transformed. Ooh, I like the way these greaves fit. What do you think?”

I’ve learned that saying “Looks Good” is always best. That way if she decides she doesn’t like it then it’s not your fault. Unless, of course she’s asking “Does it make me look fat?” then nothing works.

At the end of the mausoleum hall an Embellished Door opened to Morisel. Five Transformed Ayleid fighters gave us an enthusiastic reception. While fighting the Transformed Ayleids we quickly learned to hug the wall and avoid the edge of the pool deck.

Yes one could fall off the platform into the dark pool of water and drown but that wasn’t the problem. The real danger was the twelve Dark Red Welkynd Stone traps that hung suspended over the dark water. Get within their range and they’ll quickly turn you into an ice sculpture with they’re frost spells.

Having neutralized the first group of Transformed Ayleids the walkway crossing the pool became available to us. But, there’re a couple issues. First, there’s a series of gates that need to be opened in order to cross. The other thing is that there’re more Transformed Ayleids waiting their chance to stop us from crossing. Clearing the bridge takes time, time enough for the dark red welkynd stones to target and begin firing.

After being beat back a couple of several times, we retreated back to Nagasel to review our options.

Brilliant idea, Ystrel! I wonder if she will want to stop doing that after just one week? Perhaps the bear was just an excuse...

That Mafreseli mod looks fantastic! And difficult... "Not suitable for characters under level 25"! Still, got to have it, when I'm back from Morrowind. But I too have HESU Skyrim Temple and a Dwemer Ruin just North of it, so some patching seems to be required. I don't have Ayleid steps though.

DISCLAIMER: the Like A Nord line is from the nod creator Ghastley. So good I had to include it.

Difficult? Yeah, I'm level 34 and I'm taking a beating but it sure does look nice.

Mafreseli definitely looks beautiful and deadly. Not gonna 'meet some gentle people there.' Have you tried running the dungeon with flowers in your hair? Just a thought.

Flowers in my hair, now there's a thought. Like Ystrel said, the scent is everything.

20220605 Mafreseli
After retreating to Nagasel we rested to repair and recharge body and weaponry, we discussed tactics. It was not lost upon us that the transformed were not having any cold issues. A check of their armor showed why, every piece in the set had a 10% Frost Shield enchantment. No wonder they didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold.

I donned the frost shield enchanted armor and back into the Morisel room we went. It’s light armor and I don’t feel well protected but the frost shield enchantments made the difference. The frost spells of the dark red welkynd stones became little more than a nuisance as we explored the area.

The containers we discovered held small items; rings, amulets, and other such things. Some were enchanted and valuable though most were not. There were a few items Umbacano would have paid dearly to see had he not already died trying to use the crown of Lindai in Nenalata. Ayleid statues were everywhere. The most intriguing item we found was the red varla stone. Kaleah and Elenya proclaimed the red Mafre Varla Stone to be cursed.

Placing the stone in my pack I thought, “Sova at the Archeology Guild might be interested in this.”

Opening the gates we crossed the bridge over the dark pool of water. The winding corridor led us to a staircase leading up to a room. We could hear more of the Transformed talking as we approached the top of the stairs. They heard us and attacked. Fighting in the confines of the staircase did not go well. We were beaten back time and time again. After several attempts we retreated from Nagasel, back to the open air to recover.

Walking around the outer courtyard of Mafreseli we marveled at the structures. There were three large cathedral-like buildings flanking a huge marble and crystal statue of Azura, a lighthouse, and two smaller outbuildings the larger of which, Nagasel we had just exited. The central cathedral’s promenade was lit by large purple lanterns. The warm purple light invited us to enter Arpenasel.

“Look Feache, are hose Ayleid Steps floating in the sky?” Kaleah said pointing out the seemingly impossible situation.

Arpenasel was just a long hallway or the antechamber to Malasel. We had interrupted two Ayleids. Don’t know what they were doing but they separated quickly and as expected attack. My Ladies made short work of the two and we pressed ahead to an embellished door.

The embellished door opened to the great hall, Malasel. Large braziers burned brightly to the left and right of us while ahead of us a wide staircase rose up to a central dais. On either side of the staircase were open arches leading to an anteroom. Malasel definitely has the look of an impressive throne room.

At first we thought the place was vacant, and then as we proceeded across the hall we noticed movement, Transformed could be seen pacing back and forth through the openings of the anteroom. Someone on top of the dais moved to the head of the staircase.

They spotted us. The four Ayleids, an Archeologist, an Excavator, and their bodyguards charged. One Ayleid woman stood out from the others. Wearing armor that turned my ladies green with envy, Treana the Archeologist drew her sword and all hell broke loose.

The slightest touch from that glowing green sword dropped Elenya like a stone. Well more like a feather as she kind of floated to the ground where she lay paralyzed unable to move for the longest time. While Kaleah and Pym were distracted by the two bodyguards, the two females advanced upon me. They both wielded glowing green swords. It was time to call for my usual reinforcements. The Sisters of Insanity and Marcus arrived just in the nick of time.

With aid from the Sisters and Markus, my Ladies and I defeated the Ayleids. Racing up the stairs we found a throne set before an Ayleid Well. I imagined the king of Mafreseli sitting on the throne using the power of the well to the benefit of the city or was it more diabolical in nature as Kaleah says, blood sacrifices to the cities Daedra patron god. Oh, that’s a gruesome thought but she could be right.

Quickly we crossed the bridge to the stairwell on the other side. Here we took the hallway to the right which led to the doors of Aranesel, the King’s Hall. Of course it was occupied by the male counter parts to the female Excavator and Archeologist we encountered in the throne room.

Equally as dangerous as the pair in Malasel, here in Aranesel the Head Archeologist and Excavator were at a disadvantage; they had no bodyguards. The fight was so much easier without the distraction.

Having defeated the Head Archeologist and Excavator we searched Aranesel, King’s Hall. At the west end of Aranesel we found enchanting and spell making stations. Small statues of Azura stood in the font of each station. The east end of the room was the sleeping chamber; a double bed fit for the royal couple. The center section contained a desk. On the desk sat a red cursed varla stone and a mysterious crystal skull.

Activating the push-block on the wall separating the office area from the sleeping section opened a concealed door in the northern wall. Through the doorway and beyond a small waiting room a hallway leads us to the king’s private bath. A huge heated bath truly fit for a king!

After taking care of the pool monitors we had a nice relaxing soak in the steamy water before returning to the king’s quarters.

There’s a second push-block on the western side of the office area. Intrigued by the pool we wondered what marvel this switch would bring. With a push a doorway in the southern wall opened. Another extraordinary Ayleid statue on a pedestal sits in the center of a four-way intersection. Straight-a-way south we go, down a flight of steps, and through a door to a seemingly dead-end room. Activating a push-block switch opened a doorway in the wall.

Leaving the antechamber through the newly revealed doorway we found ourselves, much to our surprise, standing behind the altar of Mafreseli’s temple. Five worshipers didn’t take kindly to our sudden appearance. They quieted down considerably after a few moments of preaching from my Ladies.

A private entrance to the temple, hmmm. Makes me think instead of a king perhaps the Ayleid ruler of Mafreseli was also the high priest or priestess.

The impressive statue of Azura at the head of the altar confirms that Azura was the primary deity of Mafreseli. The question is what gods or should I say goddesses are represented by the other six statues.

“Jandaga, I feel this beautiful place fights against nature,” Elenya said. “We should leave it.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “I can't get a grasp on its song either. Let’s return to the King’s Hall, get some sleep, and we’ll leave in the morning,”

Not sure but Azura must be pleased with us ridding the temple of the Transformed. Touching the altar as I passed by I received a healing blessing.

On our return to Aranesel, my Ladies took the position of “loot first sleep later”. As my Ladies looted King’s Hall, I sat down at the desk to examine the cursed red varla stone and the crystal skull. Not liking the look of the blood red varla stone I ignored it and picked up the crystal skull. Touching it granted me the power to transport to Mafreseli.

“Feache, look at this.” Kaleah was holding out a book. “I took it off the corrupted Ayleid leader.”

Giving the book a quick glance told me that it’s a journal written by a Head Archeologist. Setting the book on the desk, I thanked Kaleah and told her I’d read it in the morning.

The beautiful but deadly big Ayleid ruin continues! So much marble. And those final statues of Azura and her attendants were absolutely huge, completely dwarfing the Jandaga and his crew!

20220610 Mafreseli – Burosel and Morisel – the way out

The book Kaleah gave me turned out to be a journal written by a Head Archeologist. Setting the book on the desk, I thanked Kaleah and told her I’d read it in the morning.

Up before everyone, after the morning ritual I sat down at the desk and began reading the personal journal of the head archeologist sent by Raminus to investigate the recently discovered site of Mafreseli. The Head Archeologist describes eight major areas of Mafreseli and the doom of his expedition. Imagine, mages of command rank being unable to manage a blizzard! Inconceivable!

According to the journal, we were wrong about the Ayleids in Mafreseli or at least I was at any rate. Kaleah was correct in saying that there was something wrong with these Ayleids. They’re not Ayleids. They’re all that’s left of the Mages Guild 50-man archeology expedition who are being transformed into Ayleids.

I’m not sure that’s accurate either. With their pale features and snow white hair the transformed bear little likeness to the few Ayleids we’ve encountered while working with the Stranded Light. Falmer or Snow Elves would be more like it. Who knows for sure? There are dark rumors of Dwemer betraying the Falmer and performing all sorts of depraved, evil rituals upon them.

Kaleah, who with Elenya and Pym, had risen and had come to stand beside me said, “Over the ages, there’s been more than one kind of Mer warring in these frozen peaks.”

The Head Archeologist in his journal offers no cause this transformation. He does however offer some clues; cursed blood sucking varla stones, a cache of strange blood-red soul gems, and a strange crystal skull (he was wrong to fear touching the skull). Could be that breaking the strange blood-red soul gems released the souls of captured Ayleids or as I like to think, Falmer. The released souls, having been corrupted by some evil (Dwemer?) force, then latched onto the living members of the archeology expedition.

Then the journal just suddenly ends, when he writes in Ayleidoon, “MAFRESELI NA ANGUE!”

“That’s it? No explanation?”

Suddenly Seymore, a light shown in the darkness. In all the major areas we’ve looted we’ve come across not one inkwell or quill. Not one and somehow the Head Archeologist kept a journal. Standing there starring at each other, our whisper reverberated throughout the many halls of Mafreseli… “Feyfolken.”

Leaving Mafreseli the way we came in, through the great hall of Malasel. Discussing the transformation dilemma and all the many possibilities on how it happened had a grip on our attention. So engrossed in the dreamland fantasy talk, we missed a turn and entered Burosel, "Servants' Hall".

Burosel by the name indicated this was the servants sleeping quarters. Of course the Transformed warriors stationed here objected to our intrusion. Mafreseli servants had it pretty nice here I was thinking as we looked over the sleeping quarters after all objections to our presence had been answered.

The door at the far end of the servants’ quarters opened to public bath. Unbelievably huge, the steamy pool was nearly as big as the private bath in Aranesel, the king's personal chambers.

Another set of doors opened outside to the courtyard. Night had fallen, tired we headed back inside to Burosel where there were beds enough for all of us.

The next morning trying to avoid the frigid cold outdoors, we retraced our steps back to Aranesel to leave Mafreseli through the temple Ageasel, "Hall of Wisdom".

“Jandaga,” Elenya asked. “Did you notice the Lamia statues in both baths?”

“Yes, I noticed. Kind of odd, I think. Wonder if there is any significance to it?”

It did seem kind of strange.

Well it happened again. Lost in thought, we took the wrong turn and ended up in the deadly trap-filled halls of Morisel. Were we just not paying attention or was something pulling us into Morisel? We didn’t realize our mistake until we entered a small room containing two of the Snow-Blood Welkynd stone traps.

One snow-blood welkynd stone trap is dangerous enough but two traps in one small room throwing paralyzing frost spells on alternating cycles is a recipe for disaster.

“Run, ignore the Transformed and run to the other door,” I ordered. Of course my Ladies obeyed me… after slaying the three Transformed warriors who got in the way.

Somewhere in the middle of Morisel’s maze of rooms we stumbled on another shrine dedicated to Azura. The fixation on Azura is one reasons I question Mafreseli being Ayleid.

Well there’s no one here to object, the Cursed Blood-filled Mafre Varla Stone and green Mafre Welkynd Stone sitting on the altar are free for the taking. Oh, how I’d like to get my hands on an inactive Snow-Blood Welkynd stone to take back to the Archeology Guild for Sova to study. There has got to be a way to disable them.

Fighting our way from one room to another Morisel’s winding hallways finally carried us to an exit to the outside world. Down the mountainside away from the main buildings of Mafreseli we found ourselves standing on the stoop of a small entrance to Morisel.

“Glad we’re out of that labyrinth,” Kaleah said with a sigh of relief.

“Labyrinth, that reminds me of story of Theseus,” I said. “Wouldn’t it be something if Mafreseli was involved with sacrificial tribute, six maidens devoured by lamiae.”

“That old myth? “ countered Kaleah. “Pure fiction!”

“Oh, it’s true enough but it was a Minotaur,” added Elenya with conviction . “Look, is that a campfire down there.”

“Yes. I think I know that place. Let’s go!

All thought of trying to make sense of Mafreseli vanished as we carefully make our way down to where we saw campfire smoke.

Great pics and neat exploration of that giant Ayleid ruin. What a fabulous bath! Looks like the mod author had tons of fun and put lotsa TLC into that ruin.

For Mafraseli (dang, spelled that wrong... MafrEseli) I like how you 'explain' their lack of issues with cold due to their armor.

Wow, look how clean Nagasei is. The specular shine (whatever it's called) seems enhanced. Wait, where are they? Is this Elsweyr? ... That's what the outdoor pic looks like, desert.

Archaeologists are dangerous! I like at the end when Kaleah brings Jandaga a book, and he's too tired to read it!

For The Way Out, wow, what a revelation, that these are not really Ayleids at all.

That pool of water they're swimming in looks inviting, but also really ... remote and spooky as well. Like, I'd be tempted to jump in, but worried something's gonna grab us as we're trying to relax.

EDIT: Congrats on getting to Page 100 of this Oblivion Spoilers thread, macole.

That's' the dirty snow that I have tried to brighten. It still looks bad under certain atmospheric conitions. I would not recommend using Oblion Reloaded. It does some things good and a lot of changes I don't like.


Thanks but it took more than just me to get here. I would like to share the cake with everyone who have left their comments. Thank you all, I hope you heave enjoyed the adventure.