No one can be told, what the Matrix is...

Just a brief update update...

I considered taking a stab at actually writing this out as a narrative, but I just don't trust my paltry skills.

After finishing up in Bravil, Bob made the trip down to Leyawiin. He'd been there before, but only long enough to disrupt the Countess' dinner party, then do his time in jail. He'd met Mazoga, since he got sucked into that when he went by the throne room to meet the Count and Countess and try to get some details on the party, but he didn't have the time then to do much with her other than fetch Weebam-Na for her. He was a bit put off, but really didn't consider it much, since he was distracted.

So I was curious to see how he was going to react to her when he had a chance to give her his full attention, and was sort of surprised when he got along fine with her.

I could feel it immediately when he started talking to her - when she poked at him, he poked right back at her. When she started going on about Fisherman's Rock, his attitude was something like, "And... what? You need me to hold your hand? You don't know which way north is?" And I could hear it clear as a bell when she said, "What are we waiting for?" He at least thought, and likely said something like, "Well... I'm waiting for you - my arthritic gramma walks faster than you do." It wasn't malicious though - to him, they were just ribbing each other.

If anything, he was a bit disconcerted when she turned nice after the fight at Fisherman's Rock - I think he was actually getting into the whole trading jabs thing, and that sincerity caught him a bit off guard. I'm not sure that he didn't actually prefer the mouthier Mazoga.

But anyway - they got on just fine, and now it's a couple of days later and he's parked on the east side of town, ready to set out for Fort Blueblood. He's not quite clear on why he's even going there, but it has something to do with the crazy woman at the Mages Guildhall and the amulet she somehow lost. Mostly it's something that Agata wants him to do, and after the fight with Audens, he has a bit of a thing for Agata.

Reminds me - he had a definite positive reaction to Ardaline in Bravil too, but he almost immediately tried to squelch that, since he didn't want to come across as just another creep, what with the whole thing with Varon Vamori.

I have been busy with life, I wanna read about more Sir Bob! But first, I must see what Kahreem is up to.

Middas, 5:28 am, Rain's Hand 17, 3rd Era 434

Level: 12

Location: Aleswell
Bounty: 1,500

Days Passed: 234
Days Jailed: 69




The rain had stopped, several hours before. As day turns to night, and the world's rim glows orange on its crust, the sun begins its slumber. Night life begins... birds stop diving for worms, for instance, while moody owls begin hooting. Kahreem of Weet guides 'his' horse up the hill, past Fort Empire, riding slowly, his horse nowhere near to accelerating. He makes his way into a small village he'd passed several times in the past. With a bounty on his head, and no other places to rest, this village, named Aleswell, becomes a target of interest.

His horse is dismounted. The Redguard expects he'll have a pleasant evening's stay, but within seconds his reverie is interrupted.

"Excuse me." It's an elven voice. "We have a small problem that we hope you can help us with. You may be wondering why you can't see me. We are all wondering the same thing."

"You....you can see me? If you can see me, why can't I see you?" Kahreem had forgotten he'd been wearing his Ring of Shadows for hours now.

"Everyone in Aleswell suddenly became invisible several weeks ago. It was sort of fun at first, but the novelty has definitely worn off now."

"Ha heh, so you are saying all you guys here in Aleswell found one of these invisibility rings as well?"

"You can imagine how difficult it is to run an inn while INvisible. Once you get a reputation as a haunted inn, you can just forget about it."

"Hmm. Guess I never thought of it that way. Why can't you just take your rings off though?"

"So we've all been keeping quiet, hoping the spell will wear off. But we're running out of patience."

For a moment Kahreem could not think of any sort of reply. "Hey look, I'm just looking for a bed. I don't care if you guys want to play magic games, I used to be afraid of magic, especially invisible people. But I'm actually okay with these sort of games now. But as I was saying, I just want a bed. How much for a room? If your invisibility has been driving off customers, you should have plenty of rooms, right?"

"We're sure it was Ancotar's doing, but we can't find him. If you can help us, we will be extremely grateful."

"Ancotar? Who in oblivion is that? Again, I'm just looking for a place to stay, and by definition, you are still running a place to stay, right? Really, I got all this gold to spend. You like gollllld, don't you?"

"He's a wizard who took up residence in the ruins of Fort Caractacus a couple years ago," says the unseen elf, desperately ignoring the Redguard before him. -- This 'unseen elf', Diram Serethi, had been waiting for days and weeks for somebody to stop by who could help them. The guards (so far) had been no-true help. But this Redguard, who was also invisible, might be his only hope. "He's caused us no end of trouble with his magical experiments, but nothing as bad as this. We've tried to find him, but had no luck. If he's still living in the fort, he's hiding from us, and no wonder."

"Uh huh."

"If you could find him and get him to remove this cursed invisibility, we will all be in your debt."

Kahreem held up his hand, and the invisible man before him is suddenly respectfully silent. "Enough!" he says.

Diram makes no reply.

"Look, I don't know or really care about this wizard and what he's done to you. Sorry to say so, but look. All's ah want is a room."

Diram makes no reply.

"A room. You know ... three walls and a door, with a sturdy ceiling? And a bed. Definitely a bed. If I were you, I'd wait until Dyan phor a'Cauz or Lothran or Lady Saga comes through town. I'd ask one of them to help you. How's that for an idea?"

"We're pretty sure he's still hiding ...."

"Ahhh fokke." The Redguard palms his face. "You want some gold? Here's some gold. Here's a whole palmful of gold for you," he says, grabbing 62 pieces without paying much attention.

"We understand each other perfectly."

"You bet we do. Gold never does get old. Now can I see my room?"

"It's just to the southeast of here."

"My rom is just to the southeast?"

"Follow the path down the hill."

"....down the hill? Wait a minute."

"But watch out for invisible monsters that infest the ruins!"

"INFEST the ruins? Fokke that, I'm getting out of here."

"Good day!"

I hope Khareem watches out for the invisible rats in his room! But maybe Lady Saga will come along to fix things first!

That was great.

Kahreem seems to be a good example of the difference between listening in order to actually understand what other people are saying and listening just enough to know when it's your turn to talk.

-

Nothing really notable with Bob last night - he went through Fort Blueblood, then closed the gate outside Leyawiin just because it was bothering him that it was so close to the city (I think he particularly likes Leyawiin, which is something I woudn't have expected). Then he started the long haul back up to the IC.

Thanks you two, yeah this one turned out pretty funny! I had a feeling it would.

I'm reading your Bob "monologue" and cracking up myself! I love all the parts especially when all this crazy stuff is going on, but people are just chatting away in the next room and stuff.

Gpstr - Yes! There's something about dear Mazoga.

Renee - Kahreem stops at the Aleswell Inn-visibility! I loved how he recommended they seek out the help of some real hero - like Dyan, Saga or Lothie!

Ha-haa! Lothran was mentioned in a Kahreem update!



I remember Fort Blueblood. It was one of the very last forts Lothran discovered and it was as late as two years back or so.

@Renee - it was strange. That's why I started composing that monologue in my head - it happened just like that - the Arenims seemed to simply have no clue that a fight had just happened in their living room, much less that Ulen Athram was now lying there dead. Bob couldn't sort that one out at all, and I could visualize him trying to get it straight in his head, and it just went from there.

@mirocu - I doubt that Bob would've ever found Fort Blueblood on his own. He's just not the exploring type, and particularly not somewhere as dank as Blackwood. I think he just doesn't have enough imagination to wonder what's over the next hill - he just has a place he needs to go, and he goes there. And as I think about it, I don't think he could ever have a career like Lothran's. He pretty much only goes where he's pointed, and notably doesn't even do that all the time - he avoids some of the things that other people want him to do. But left to his own devices, he doesn't seem to have much of an urge to do much of anything.

-

Not a whole lot last night, but he did have one fairly momentous, if disconcerting, experience, but I'll get to that in a bit here.

He made it back to the IC, but it was fairly late in the afternoon. He'd made a fair amount of gold over the past few weeks and has been looking forward to being able to buy the shack and stop having to keep his stuff hidden in that treestump in the Market District, and stop having to pay for a bed. So he swung by the Office of Imperial Commerce and paid for the shack, but then when he went by Three Brothers, Sergius was nowhere to be found. He had planned on taking some time and getting moved in, then maybe checking in at the AU the next morning, but since it looked as if he was going to have to put that on hold for a while, he decided to go by the AU after all.

So he made the trip out and talked to Raminus, but since it was fairly late by then, he decided to put off going to pick up the wood for his staff until the next day. He made his way back across the bridge to the Arboretum, and the moment he came through the door, he was attacked by not one but two Mythic Dawn assassins. And was surprised when it turned out that he not only didn't have to fight them, but couldn't have even if he'd wanted to, just because there were so many people rushing to his rescue - Dynari Amnis was there, along with some mage he didn't recognize and an Orc that might've been Luronk and at least two Imperial Soldiers. He pulled his sword, but could barely even see the assassins in the middle of all the people who were beating on them, so he ended up just standing there.

So... just when he was starting to come to terms with the bizarre fact that apparently nobody else even saw those assassins that kept attacking him, everybody else saw the assassins that attacked him. Which must mean... something. Best not to think about it too much, really.

Spent the night at Luther's, then swung by Three Brothers the next morning, got his new shack furnished, then spent the rest of the morning moving in. And now he's parked just outside his door, finally ready to set off for Wellspring Cave.

... yeah, and it's probably good that he didn't get involved in that fight. That's all Bob needs, is to hit an innocent bystander and next thing you know he's got a guard in his face.

Lots with Bob, but none of it very interesting (or at least to anyone other than he and I).

After wrapping up business with the Arcane University, he enchanted a new sword and a new bow, then made the trip cross-country to Sancre Tor. That's one of the better dungeons in the game, and we had a good time working through there. Then he took the Armor of Tiber Septim back to Martin and checked in with Jauffre and set out to round up some allies for Bruma. He went down to the IC first to drop off loot, then hiked out to Cheydinhal and rescued Farwil. While he was there, he found out about Azura's Shrine, so he hiked up there and did her quest and got the Star, then he swung back by the IC to drop off more loot and then made his way down toward Bravil. He followed the west bank of the river on the way to Bravil and discovered Vergayun (Arthmoor's village) and ended up rescuing them from an Oblivion gate, then made it down to Bravil and closed their gate, and he's now parked just outside the entrance to Bravil, ready to set out for Leyawiin.

He's gotten pretty confident in the Deadlands, but he still tends to take the easy way a lot of the time. I don't feel that urge to explore everything that I get from other characters - he likes good loot, so he'll go look at something if it looks fairly short and promising, but if it looks too complicated, he just avoids it. And he loves the attention he gets as a hero - I don't think I've played another character who got into the whole hero thing so much.

Some characters don't like exploring, this is true. Kahreem gets spooked too easily, and he tends to think he can just make a living as a thief, for instance, why should he go down some holes and try to kill some monster which can easily kill him?

This story is rather long. I thought of breaking it up, but it wouldn't really work if I did so. Plus, I kinda want to get to the next few episodes.


Fredas, Heartfire 28, late night.

The man who had intruded Summitmist Manor left Skingrad as the sun went down, hanging his head low. He knew he'd face plenty of tirades, and plenty of criticism. But it hadn't been his fault. There was nothing which could have been done, not by him, anyway. Should he just leave Cyrodiil altogether? He asked himself this, but knew the answer would be "no". They would find him, surely.

He had walked back to Fort Istrius, knowing the next few hours would not be easy.

And they hadn't been easy, but at least he had lived. Tayka had not ordered him killed on the spot, like that other fellow. The man, whose name was Delas, had explained that he'd made it into Skingrad just as the sun was going down, without incident. He'd been wearing the rather foppish clothes loaned to him, so that he would look like some sort of trader, rather than some sort of necromancer. Everything had been going well. Then he'd gone into Summitmist Manor, using the key given to him by Tayka.

At first, Delas had had to wait. The sky outside was getting dark, but Sarah Phimm was not home. No problem. Perhaps she was still working at her job. Tayka had told Delas the lady had some sort of steady employment, at one of the town's inns. No problem. Delas had made himself comfortable, removed a chair which had been placed oddly on a table, and settled in for what he hoped would be a short wait.

His 'short wait' did, in fact, come true; was interrupted within a few minutes, after he'd felt a palm upon his shoulder. Delas has jumped. He'd not heard any footsteps approaching from behind, and he'd soon learned that this palm was not Sarah's. It belonged to a middle-aged man wearing dark noble's clothing. This man had told Delas Sarah was no longer living at Summitmist, nor was she in Skingrad at all. This man also seemed to know a few things about Tayka, and told Delas to give Tayka a message:

"Sarah may come back, I hope she does come back. If so, you won't be dealing with her, you'll be dealing with me. Tell Tayka that Farnacas Collins says so. This is now my home, and you and your company are not welcome to it."

Tayka had shuddered after hearing this information.



Sarah Phimm awakens from a horrible dream in which she had been back in Skyrim, and back in Solitude, basking in sunlight. She had felt the sun's warmth and its heat, and had felt her body become refreshed. The count's son, and all its inhabitants, were friendly to her in this dream, which was otherwise uneventful.

But then she had woken up, back to damp and darkness, back to pain, and that odd mixture of hot and cold upon her body. She looks over to her left, where the fire beside the bedroll she'd found herself on hours ago still burned.

She takes some time to explore her surroundings, which are mostly dark passages full of nobody, and full of nothing, other than a few old chests and barrels. She finds some gold in these chests, and takes it, just in case she happens to get out of here. After getting lost and sick several times, fainting and then crawling the nearest wall back to her feet, she finds the initial chamber she'd wakened in, its fire still roaring. She decides it's probably best not to leave this chamber again.

Eventually, she does walk the opposite direction of this chamber though, and finds a door. Which is locked.

"Well hello there," says a lady with a Bretonish accent.

"Hargh!" Sarah screams a high-pitched note.

"Did I scare you? Hmm. Well. My name is Serty."

Sarah is so frightened, she cannot even reply. The lady before her is wearing expensive, golden armor, has hair the color of pure darkness, and appears to be middle-aged. It seemed as though she had appeared out of thin air.

"So," says the woman named Serty. "You must be wondering where you are. Why you're in some dark cave instead of your cozy palace? I am Farnacas Collins's top subordinate. And I have been waiting for you to awaken so all can be explained further."

Sarah still can't find the will to reply.

"You were transported by horseback to a place you'll soon come to know, and even love. And I have been assigned to help you in your 'becoming'."

"My ... becoming?" her voice rasps dryly. "The man ... the man who invaded my home...the .. v-v-vampire."

"Ahh, I can see it's all coming back to you know," says Serty. "Well do not be afraid. Soon, you'll be with us, enjoying the vampire's life... or un-life, if you will."

"No! ... I .. I can't!'

"Oh, and don't even think about getting out of here. You're locked in, as you just found out, and the place is full of others like me, other vampires, that is. We've all found our way here over time, and have re-established ourselves, now that the great adventurers of the 3rd Era have either perished, or moved on from Cyrodiil."

"But I can't... please, I would like to go home."

"You do not understand, woman. Right now this IS your home. As you can see though, we've tried to make things pleasant ... for you. We've built this magical bonfire, and also placed your bedroll beside the fire. Enjoy that, I guess." Serty shrugs as she says this last sentence, apparently already knowing that Sarah can immerse herself completely within fire without feeling pain, and that this would be the last thing Serty would ever want to do.

"Where am I? Can you at least tell me?"

"That is not for me to say. I know conditions are stressful for you, as a human in the midst of becoming, all alone in this big dark cave, but my master has known of your presence in Skingrad for weeks now."

Sarah can't reply to this, though she wonders if every bad person in Cyrodiil somehow knows that Sarah Phimm, formerly anonymous scullery maid, has moved from Skyrim to Cyrodiil. What comes next? would she be contacted soon by a gang of orcs? Or goblins? Or ghouls?

"I am going to infect you further with what's known in the books as porphyric hemophilia, though. And don't worry, you'll get used to it. You'll get your strength back, for one thing," Serty informs her with a smile. "Soon, you will rather enjoy it, even."

"No...."

"Farnacas will be staying in your precious manor while you're here. He will be one of us, but hiding out in plain sight, in a town we've longed to penetrate. The count of Skingrad, if you're not aware, is also a vampire. Not that it's any of your concern, but eventually, we plan to .... oh never mind."

"But ... Serty, you do not understand... I cannot...."

"You have access, by the way, to this entire cave. Once your transformation is over, you'll be allowed into the upper portions where the rest of us are. Until then, don't try to escape, not that you can, with the door up there locked. Now, chin up, and smile. This will all be over soon. And after it's over, you'll then be able to live forever."

Sarah can't reply to this. She feels her life energy is at her lowest, while the black-haired woman before her casually tells her it'll all be okay.

"Now, hold still, while I -- HEY, come back here!"

Sarah does her best to run away, she paces quickly down the corridor, past the fire, past the bedroll she'd found herself upon, before being tackled by Serty.

"Well that was foolish, you trying to get away from me! That will never happen, I can promise you. Your former life as a human, basking in mortal ineptitude, is now over. Hold still, while you drink the blood of a true vampire's maven"

Sarah holds still, but only because she has absolutely no strength left. Serty bites into her own wrist, tearing a small cut there, and forces Sarah's mouth upon it. Though Sarah keeps her lips closed, it doesn't seem to matter. Within seconds, she feels a sort of lightness. Her head swims a bit, and then she notices all the pains in her body are gone. And she hears a sound, sort of like singing, coming from far away. High voices, sweetly singing. Mot of all, she feels a rush of energy, her heart begins to pound, but it's a delightful feeling. Sarah cannot ignore it, and cannot

"See that? Yes, I can see what my blood is doing to you, woman." She lets go of Sarah, who stumbles backwards, dazed. "We're going to do this right. There are lots of vampires in Tamriel, despite the efforts of witch-hunters like that Raimond Venderaux fellow, we continue to thrive. There are also lots of vampire types in Tamriel..."

Sarah stumbles, feeling confused, yet elated. Hearing the woman before her ramble on, yet barely able to concentrate on her words.

"... most of us are mindless dolts, blinded by the wants which ravage their minds. While some of us are more sophisticated than that. We can fit, and blend into the society of humans at large, for instance. And YOU are going to become one of these more 'sophisticated', more intelligent types. Trust me. Farnacas knows what he's doing with you. ... Perfect resistance to fire, eh? ... You'll become one of the most potent, and most feared types of vampires, then."

The elation Sarah had felt after tasting the woman's blood is short-lived. As soon as she is done her monologue, Sarah feels her 'human-ness' start to return, with a small stab of coolness running down her spine.

"Good day," Serty says sarcastically. The torch in Sarah's hand suddenly burns out.



Sarah passes out from exhaustion

Can this be happening?

But then she meet Serty, the woman who furthers her vampirism.

And there's no way out, except for the door that's locked.

I think I know how Bob feels then, because my Champion of Cyrodiil Oberon also enjoyed being in a role of the hero, I think he was fighting against Daedra not just out of the kindness of his heart but because he was respected, recognized and hoped that books would be written about him.

@Renee - Ohoho, a reference to Raven! I love it!



My thoughts exactly. Looks like lots of evil factions are interested in Sarah, first Tayka, now Farnacas, who knows who's next? Though I have a feeling that Farnacas won't let anyone else too close.

You did a good job with Serty's "good mood" as she talks about becoming a vampire being something completely normal.

Does Farnacas plan to "take over" Skingrad? Lopov certainly thinks so.

Turned by Certified the Vampiress!

'Sarah can't reply to this, though she wonders if every bad person in Cyrodiil somehow knows that Sarah Phimm, formerly anonymous scullery maid, has moved from Skyrim to Cyrodiil. What comes next? would she be contacted soon by a gang of orcs? Or goblins? Or ghouls?'

What a fun and interesting direction this is taking. That a vampire might covet flame resistance to counter their. . . condition's weakness is a natural fit here.

Looks like Sarah is going to be a certified vamiress soon too!

Lopov, did I spell Raven's real name right?

Thanks guys & gals. The next episode is one which could have been even longer than the last one, but I think it'll be better if I break it into two chapters. The next one's going to be intense, and plus the whole Halloween thing coming up .... Sarah's story just sort of goes with the season, ya know?

-----------------

Loredas, 9:46 am. Heartfire 30, 4th Era Year 5

The woman wearing new, glinty armor said her prayers, and knelt before the altar. She'd come to consider this altar one of the most sacred, in all of Tamriel. Her pert mouth voiced what sounded like a small chant for a minute or so, and then she stood up, feeling that the gods had smiled upon her. This was a special feeling, unaccompanied by any sort of spell effect, as most such feelings might be. It was as though she just sort of knew she'd been favored. It wasn't something anybody else might notice.

She sat down for awhile, maybe fifteen minutes or so, and closed her eyes. And then she stood again, eyes open and bright and brimming. Headed out the door, and back toward what she knew best, back toward what she'd become most famous for, over the last few years. And all the while, it seemed the gods were smiling upon her.





Sarah Phimm, formerly anonymous scullery maid and serving wench, died on the 30th of Heartfire, in the fifth year of Tamriel's fourth era. There was no service for her death, nor was a gravestone set into ground. Nobody came forward to mourn, nor was she really remembered much at all, after disappearing from Skingrad several days earlier.

Those who had seen her most recently were her usual customers, such as Eyja, Agnette the Pickled, and Oorly, all of who'd been last served by her at Two Sisters Lodge, unknowing the fate which would soon befall her. Sarah did not show up for work on the morning of Heartfire 28, but another girl had. Conveniently, this other had come asking for a job, and Mog gra-Mogakh hadn't hesitated at all in hiring her. Though Sarah had been steady, Mog had never much liked the Breton, all fair and witty, sitting and staring like a zombie into one of Mog's fireplaces, sometimes for hours. She'd been okay with customers, but Mog personally did not like her. For one thing, Sarah had mysteriously inherited the old Summitmist Manor, clear and legal, preventing Mog from making any money back from renting Sarah a room.

So Sarah Phimm was now history, and this new girl (who seemed less dreamy and less pretty) was in.

"You need someplace to rest?" Mog asked her new wench. "I can rent you a room for 10 gold a night."

And so began the scheme, all over again. The room is rented for 10 gold a night, not much money for some, but for the girl before her, the catch would be making more than 10 gold a day. The girl would have just enough money to get around town, buy a new dress, or buy a meal (from Mog or from West Weald) but not enough money to buy a horse, and then go moving off to somewhere else. This ensured Mog would always have somebody under her thumb, to cook up venison & mushroom stew, or whatever was on the menu that day.

But the thing is, Sarah's passing may have been quiet and hidden, but it had also not gone completely unnoticed.

"Hmm. Not awake yet."

"She's been down for hours, days in fact. I don't remember my change taking so long!"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Though Sarah had perished in some dark, lonely cave, it eventually appeared that her body had lived on. But this had taken some time.

During the early hours of her 'becoming', she'd simply collapsed, fallen to the ground, not even able to crawl into the bedroll they'd set for her.* She'd been famished and exhausted, and had begged Serty for some sort of sustenance. Serty had hemmed and hawed on this, but had eventually gone somewhere, to bring back some raw venison. Apparently, Serty had been a vampire so long, she hadn't understood the value of cooking. It was easy for Sarah to do so (she had a fire right next to her bedroll, after all), but once the meat was cooked, Sarah had found she had absolutely no appetite. She'd nibble at the food Serty had brought, but could do nothing more than this.

Before long, she was simply dying. Writhing around in the dirt, knowing her fate was soon. And when she died, somebody else had come to take the old Sarah's place.

OMG that almost threw me off my chair. I expected many things but this wasn't one of them. I had to write that, now I'm going to read on.

EDIT:
That's one shocking story. Wow! Will she now awake as a full vampire or is she gone for good? I know I'll get answers in due time but I can't help but ask them nonetheless. And who's the woman from the intro? Questions, questions.

EDIT 2:
Yes, you spelled Raven's name perfectly right.

I hope that Sarah is going to rise from the grave and wreak a terrible vengeance!

Oh how seasonal!

This was very spookily done and kept us guessing until we finally caught up with what Sarah was becoming. By Azura, the implications of a vampire that doth not fear fire are staggering!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!


She will be remembered in all our hearts. "Bwaaaaaaaaaah"


*mALX wipes tear away, puts screen of beloved Sarah Phimm on mantle*


So ... will she still be around, just ... undead?

Wow, that´s an interesting way to become a vampie. Almost brought the cutscne from Vtm:B to mind

mALX: Yikes! Sorry! Her story's supposed to be inspired from Dark Shadows, but I guess that part is more Anne Rice.

Thanks for all comments, they keep me going! Sarah's next episode's gonna be even more intense than the last one; and it's a good thing I did not mash it all into last week's tale, it definitely woulda been too much to take in at once.

My daughter's at a friend's house tonight, so I'm going to do a rare Friday night write-up. And I need to see what Kahreem's up to. His agent called me and related that he missed an episode in September, so he needs to make up for this, if he's to keep his contractual obligations as a Renee Gade t00n, ha ha.



11:33 pm, Rain's Hand 18, 3rd Era 434

Days Passed: 235
Days Jailed: 69

Bounty: 1750
Fame: 0
Infamy: 33

Horses Stolen: 18 (I thought this number would be higher than 18, considering he's been extant for 235 days. This shows that he tends to keep the horse he's got, for as long as he can. 235 / 18 = a new horse every 13.8 days. That's not very long, but he tries! Lol.



"It's all over lawbreaker, your spree is at an end," says the guard everyone in town knew as "Ailette." Ailette smiled, knowing his dull night was about to get much brighter.

Winter had been cold, and it'd been months since any wild teenagers had gone dancing in the streets. Ailette (and other guards) had had to break such matters up quickly, they had had never thought they'd see anything worse than what happened here in Cheydinhal. Then summer ended, and a man (a Redguard) had suddenly become the hot topic for all of them.

"Your spree as at an end. I'll take any stolen goods you have. The next move--is yours. Pay your--"

"No."

"--fine, or I haul you away."

"You can forget taking my money. No way, sir. But here, I will make things easy for you. Take me to jail, please."

The tension in Ailette the guard's body suddenly went slack. It was OVER. The Redguard, who'd been rumored to use a virtual catalogue of false names and disguises, who'd been rumored to be single-handedly advancing the Thieves Guild, yet who'd only been caught for petty crimes like horse theft, had just given up the chase. Turned himself in. Would not be trying to flee on Ailette's watch.

"Hope you rot, criminal scum."

"The thing is, though, that I won't. In fact you'll be seeing me out on the streets in maybe a week ... week and a half? And guess what? You'll have to then eat all these words you're throwing at me now. What do you think of that?"

But Ailette the guard has nothing more to say. Like all guards, he was now sworn to uphold the law, and the law stated that if an outlaw wanted to be submitted to jail, the guard would now have to take him or her there. And this 'criminal scum' had clearly given up, just like that. There'd be no bloodshed or Redguard-chasing tonight.




2:11 pm, Second Seed 6
18 days later, and he's free to go. Incarceration in Cheydinhal hadn't been as cozy as he'd remembered in the past. His cell was run-down for one thing, a cracked stool in one corner, and a bed with thin sheets in another. He'd spent most of his time a-lay on this bed, except when he was eating some jail-meat between his fingers.

But today is a new day. The weather outside is sunny, and absolutely ... breath-taking. Kahreem leaves the guard's barracks, removing the crummy clothes he'd been assigned, tossing these on the ground, right in front of the barrack doors. This leaves him in a green, middle-class person's shirt, sackled pants, and a pair of leather boots. 18 nights ago, he'd been careful to store a phial of skooma, his 50+ lockpicks, and the Dark Brotherhood hood & robe he'd taken from Lucien Lachance into a beggar's food sack. Kahreem explained to this beggar that he'd give him plenty of Septims, if he could keep these things in this sack.

"I'm only askin' for a single coin!" this beggar had stated.

"Uh huh. That's what you guys always say, 'a single coin'. I know how you work though. I've given you all so much gold over the past few months, you could start your own guild. Maybe even pay monthly dues to some sort of beggar guildmaster. It's outrageous! Luckily though, I really need somewhere safe to store some things, and you'll get plenty of money after my sentence is over.

"Blessings of Anu upon ye."

"Uh huh. What-ever."

True to his word, the beggar had kept Kahreem's things safe, meaning that the Redguard's ultimate disguise (a sleeky Dark Brotherhood hoodlum) had not been compromised. He does not put this outfit on now though. The guards here in Cheydinhal have never seen him wearing this particular disguise; best not to have them notice. In fact, the idea would be that nobody would notice this one.

"The Grey Fox is waiting for you," an elven woman says, as Kahreem passes by a rather posh-looking house.

"Shhhh, by the gods, woman. Not out loud. OH. YOU SAY 'I WOULDN'T KEEP YOUR DOGS LOCKED AND WAITING IF I WERE YOU?' HEY, that's smart."

"No, I said I wouldn't keep HIM waiting if I were you."

Kahreem palms his face. "Oh, you say your DOGS ARE IN THIS HOUSE? GUESS I'll HAVE TO HAVE A LOOK INSIDE, Won't I?"

"No, I said--"

"Ah, fokke. Does Mehrunes Dagon ever have to deal with moments like this? Does he? Fokke!"





4:12 pm
Inside the house it's cozy and warm. A couple dogs seem to rule the place, they walk around aimlessly as the Weet Bandit enters further. The door behind him closes without a word. Before him is the man with the odd grey hood, sitting by a fireplace.

"Have a seat, please."

"Okay."

"Come. We have much to discuss."

"I agree. But first, your hood, can you finally remove it? C'mon, just for a second."

"Further use of Savilla's Stone has revealed that I need another special item to move forward with my plans."

"[SIGH] No hood-removal today. I guess I'll live."

"I need the boots of Springheel Jak."

"... and you want me to steal them? Good. I like when you tell me to steal stuff. Because I keep getting better and better at it. I mean, back when I was a bandit, I thought I was slick just stealing some wine from some other bandit ... HA! .. Look at me now. Look at us now, I should say. I should tell you this story I heard once. It's like there was this guy, alright? and--"

"STOP TALKING!" the Gray Fox suddenly bursts. "Pay attention."

Kahreem doesn't reply. He tries to summon a new face from a different time, one which will cut a more imposing figure.

"Springhill Jak is a famous thief that died some 300 years ago. Legend has it that he was buried with his boots on. Find out where Springheel Jak is buried and bring me back those boots. Will you do this for me? It pays well."

"Oh, I can speak now?"

"Go ahead."

"'Will you do this for me? It pays well', you say. So you're basically asking me if I want more gold, right? What do you think the answer is to that question?"

"Capital!" exclaims the Gray Fox. "The Earl of Imbel is the only descendant of his line that I have been able to locate. His name is Jakben, and he lives somewhere in the Imperial City. There might be a clue in the Earl's house."

"Capital! I'll be on my way then. Imperial City you say? I am on it, boss. Capital!"

"Shadow hide you."

"Capital boss, capital! Hey though, like really, your hood, can I just--"

"You have work to do, get out of here!"

"Right. Guy named Jakben, Imperial City. I am on it. Already done, sir. Capital."

Later Kahreem would

I Sarah Phimm! She has to live, even if it is ... undead

You have nothing to worry about, my dear. I don't wanna spoil, but Sarah will be more alive than ever.

WOO HOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Capital! Capital!

What a funny story, I chuckled over Karheem's conversation with the Gray Fox. Clever that he hid his DB outfit in the beggar's sack.

Another Kahreem story? Capital!



Maybe he could make use of Sarah, considering Jakben´s... Uhm... condition..

Wow, Kahreem’s a registered RG toon under contract, eh?

“With a single coin I kin start me a beggar’s guild.”

Somehow I knew his post jail disguise would be his silky black DB jammies.

Capital!

Lopov: Just so you know, DON'T hide stuff in a beggar's food bag. They respawn! I only wrote the story that way, in reality, he put all his stuff next to the food bag / bed. And yes, I had to learn this the hard way. UESP was not clear enough about whether beggar bags respawn or not.

mirocu & Acadian: I am glad you two (and others out there) see the humor in Kahreem tales.

It is time for the next Sarah update. As we last saw, she had just become a full vampire, while locked up in some loathsome cave. I wonder what will happen next?



Days Passed: 34
Days Jailed: 6

Creatures Killed: 3
People Killed: 2 (note how low these stats are!)

Hours Slept: 379
Hours Waited: 53

Days as a Vampire: 1

The figure in glinting armor clambered down the hill. Saw the stone structure in the distance, and began to prepare. Said a quick prayer to the gods, stooped down, and crept forward.

<=======}--o

Time, unknown

"It's you. Hi."

"GO AWAY, I don't like you."

"Look at the pallor on you!"

After three days and three nights, meaningless to Sarah because she'd been locked in a cave, it had finally become time to allow Sarah out to meet the others. By now she'd become a full-fledged vampiress, and she'd found herself taking on a mixture of praises and slander from the others.

It had all began several hours after Sarah Phimm had regained her strength. The mortal Sarah had lost all of this, and had fallen some unspecified time ago. Eventually, the immortal Sarah had then risen, standing fully, examining her arms and skin. Reeling through the mind of the former Breton who'd inhabited this mind for the past 21 years. 'Sarah' was surprised to find out she'd retained all her former memories, and many random thoughts and opinions she'd held before her change.

Hours went by. Eventually, Serty had returned. Instead of finding a scared and starving human, she'd found a calm and patiently-staring non-human. Serty had observed Sarah Phimm from a distance for awhile, slightly shocked. Sarah Phimm was standing fully in the cave's bonfire, wearing absolutely nothing at all.

"Hey, what are you doing?! Put your clothes on, we're going to meet the others NOW!"

After seeing what she saw, Serty now had no doubt that Farnacas had made a rather interesting decision by kidnapping the red-haired barmaid. A vampire ... who could fully withstand the wrath of flames! ... Any doubts Serty had had about Farnacas's choice were immediately squashed. Serty and the others would need to rethink many things they'd formerly assumed were fairy-tales.

Sarah got dressed, and then walked up the way Serty had gone. The door at the top of the cave was no longer locked. On the other side of this door, Sarah found herself in some sort of stone chamber, with three separate rooms. The main room contained two coffins, and this room connected the other two, both of which were smaller. One of these smaller rooms had a door which led to an alcove, with a sleeping slab and a flaming wall sconce and a door which could be closed, for whatever privacy could be attained. The third room was not much more than a storage area, with a chest, several candles, and an empty sack up on a ledge.

"There's a gate over there," Serty had begun, "and right now it is locked. You will be able to stay in this set of rooms, or the cave below, until the others begin to trust you."

Sarah did not reply. She seemed a little dazed, a little out of it all.

"So. How do you feel?" Serty asked.

"I... hunger."

"Which is just as we anticipated. Tonight is your lucky night, Sarah Phimm. We have somebody here, just for you."

The man they brought in was some sort of rough guy, a brigand or an outlaw. He had that sort of look. He had come traipsing into their home, probably assuming it was empty of enemies, but full of loot. The FOOL! Instead of gold, he'd found himself overpowered by a couple of initiates who'd been standing guard. Normally, such a man might have been killed on the spot, but instead they'd brought him to Serty, for some sort of final decision.

And Serty's decision? Sarah would go first.

Some of the others had looked angry and jealous, as the tough guy was pushed into Sarah's rooms, and locked in. They'd been angry and jealous, but they had also wanted to watch Sarah take her first victim. The man had some strength, that was for sure. But Sarah found she had also had a new wrath of vitality and quickness, and had easily overpowered the man, just as Serty had overpowered her several days before.

"OH what's the matter, getting tired?" the others had taunted the man.

"Sink your teeth in Sarah, do it now!" Serty had encouraged.

Though Sarah had fumbled a bit as the man struggled, within seconds he was subdued. And Sarah was satiated. The other vampires would not allow Sarah to kill the man outright, though. Instead, now it was him who would be locked down in that cave, passed out from blood-loss. The others would have their turns, as his health regained and fell over the coming hours and days.

<=======}--o

"Hey, look at you!" Serty exclaimed several minutes later. "What a ...scrumptious specimen you are!"

Sarah Phimm said nothing, as the tough man's life-force had coursed through her body.

"Hello to you Sarah Phimm...the NEW Sarah Phimm. My name is Serty Fyd, vampire matriarch at large." Serty took a moment to look at the woman before her. Her hair was still red, but her face and eyes looked haggard. Even so, it was obvious Sarah now possessed a more stolid quality. Not so mousy, as before. "Now that you have fully .... commenced to a full vampire's regard, you are now under my wing, as the expression goes. Which makes things much easier, now that you've turned."

Sarah had nothing to say to any of this. No smile of triumph caused by conquering that mortal, for instance. She merely stood and stared.

"Ooh, you're a quiet one, hmm? A bit overwhelmed? Well, I am going to teach you many things. Firstly, I am going to show you how to not appear so feverishly obvious, how to not be so .. vampiric. If you could see yourself now, you'd know what I mean. Your eyes are red and blood-tinged."

"My eyes? They are red?"

"They are. And your skin has aged decades, as though you had actually died, and come back to life. Not to fret though, it happens to all of us. Your pallor is just lovely to a sort like me, but any human will see you and run for cover! I will show you how to address this, okay?"

"Yes."

Serty led Sarah up the small set of stairs, into the storage room with the chest in it, and she had showed the new vampiress how to conceal her true nature, with a simple bit of magic. After this, Serty had taught Sarah many things: how to become more familiar with negative planes of existence, of which all intelligent undead were well-acquainted. Nocturnal herself could be reached on one of these planes, if the querent was lucky enough.

Serty taught Sarah how to get through those inevitable periods of hunger, when it was too risky to feed from a civilized man or woman. There were plenty of outlaws out there for instance, but if one could not be found, animals could also be fed from. An animal would not provide the ultimate sustenance that a more-intelligent being could, though. And some animals, Serty explained were off-limits. These were the creatures of the night: bats, owls, some cats and some rodents. These were known as 'familiars' in the vampiric community, meaning that they'd be beneficial in many ways. They could alert a feeding vampire to danger, or seek the presence of new victims.

Most of all, Serty tried to teach Sarah how to 'blend in' with normal society, since it was in Farnacas's plan that she'd eventually do so. Though Sarah Phimm had only left this society just a few days earlier, she could possibly go back as a ravenous monster, without proper foresight and training.


Sarah makes an ugly vampire

Thank the Nine, magic can save her appearance.

Sarah shocking Serty

A beggar ate Khareem's stuff!

The hollow tree stump in the IC Market District is safe storage, unless you are doing the Dark Brotherhood questline.

I suspect Sarah will now be tasked by "taking over" some town, maybe even Skingrad? And that's why she has to learn how to blend in normal society.

Well, she definitely changed, not just that she's a vampire but she's also become more silent.

OMG she really is an ugly vamp. She looks like a man dressed in woman's clothes. I'm glad that Serty knows some beautifying magic.

Thank the Nine is right, poor Sarah!!!!

Yah, she was pretty ugly, but check this out: the mod she's got in her game (Vampire Power) actually has an everlasting spell which can be cast to "show her true vampire nature", or hide it. THAT was really unexpected. Before I discovered this feature, I was planning on going into the console and doing a showracemenu or whatever it's called, so she can have her beauty back. Because vampires in lore often get frozen in time, so far as their looks go. They don't get aged and manly-looking (if they're supposed to be female). But the maker of Vampire Power really put a lot of work into it, meaning that I didn't have to mess around in the console at all.

That story was supposed to be longer than it was, but a lot of things went wrong behind the scenes, and I had a mental breakdown at like 2 in the morning. I was trying not to freak, while re-writing a bunch of stuff! Anyways, I was too tired to edit last night's story, so I'm doing so now. It'll be better after I'm done, for those who want to read it over.

I used a vampire mod that let you hide your vampire features too. In fact, you could change into a large bird, a vapor, or a wolf with it; you could feed standing up; hypnotize NPC's; make them your thralls; and start your own clan of followers of people you 'turn' into vampires.

So the fireproof Sarah is now enrolled in the Vampire Training Academy! Very clever to magically make her appearance more normal. Since they passed around and 'gang-drank' that bandit dude, it seems like they tend to keep human cattle around for feeding - at least sometimes.

I'm looking forward to learning more about the implications of Sarah's affinity to fire combined with vampirism. I'm sure that's what drew Farnacas' attention to her.

mALX: I think we've got the same mod then. Vampire overhauls, basically.

Acadian: Yeah, I've got a few really good plots coming up in her game, all regulated by quests and scripts. I just need to playtest stuff more thoroughly.

... It all began when Serty first walked up to Sarah (Hey, put your clothes on!) only instead of saying "put your clothes on, she said NPC HAS NO GREETING. As soon as I saw that I knew I was in trouble, because I didn't know what the heck that could be. Turns out, it has something to do with bringing a Shivering Isles NPC into Cyrodiil. Apparently, I must have edited a SI NPC, and even though this NPC had all-new information (new ID, new name, etc.) this is what caused it all.

So long story longer, I had to completely scrap everything I wrote, to write an entirely new, edited NPC who was definitely from the base game. So I did this (this stuff eats lots of time, as you can imagine), and the GREETING worked as normal, but then I was getting CTD after CTD.

Anyways, it all worked out, sort of. The next Sarah chapter will definitely be okay--I playtested it last night. I think Kahreem is taking another break this weekend because I really want to get the next chapter up.

The figure in glinting armor grimaced while nearing the old building. A lone dog had been guarding the place, but it was weak, and instinctively had known that it could not possibly be any sort of threat. As the dog scooted away, it had turned back and looked, and gave a grimace of its own.

It was harder to tell who had the more predatory facial expression: the dog, or the figure in glinting armor.

<=======}--o

Tirdas, Frostfall 2
An unknown amount of time passes. It feels like at least a day or two to Sarah. As this time passes, and with not much to do, she begins to feel impatient and curious.

"Where am I?" she asks Serty, as both women woke from yet another stretch of sleep. "Can you at least confer our location?"

"I can't tell you yet where you are." Serty answers. "You're new at this, okay? And we must learn to trust you. The gate to this room is still locked, and you have not proven to the others that you're trustworthy. Not to worry though. You will be allowed to pass through the gate soon. But first, you must SHOW US that you're committed to being one of us."

Sarah's sense of eagerness begins to dim at these words, but she says nothing. As a mortal, she'd never been the sort who shutters herself up in some house or room all day; she'd always had the desire to get outside. At least once per day. And she feels gratitude that she has retained this desire for the outdoors, in her new stage of life. Or unlife, as it were.

"It will be okay, my dear," Serty tries to console. "Now, I have a few things to tell you, very important things."

"Such as?"

"Farnacas is still at your manor-home, Sarah. He's been doing lots of reading, and told us that you were quite the journal-keeper in your former life."

"Farnacas ... looked through my diaries?"

"He did. Oh, don't be so distraught ... they're full of trivial thoughts, and the concerns of a mere novice, in comparison to the life you are to lead from now on. But not to worry, Sarah. Though you are no longer mortal, me and Sir Collins thought it might of help to you, if you would still like to do some mortal things."

Sarah nodded. "Mortal things."

"I have brought you a book," says Serty. "A quill and some ink, that you may still keep your daily thoughts to yourself. Go ahead, take these. We think they will help"

"Thank you." She strives to remember what it was like, writing her thoughts day after day, back in Solitude, and back in Skingrad. Though she has plenty of memories of this particular activity, the feeling of it all is no longer there. Sarah does take the items offered by Serty. She does so partially out of curiosity, but also, she thinks that Serty is probably right. Because being locked in her cell leaves Miss Phimm with not much to do. Truth is, even vampires can get bored.

"Now, would you like to feed off my wrist?" Serty offers. "Sure, you can do this. The ruffian in our cave has just about bled out, I'm afraid."

Sarah shakes her head no at this request. Even though it had been hours (maybe over a day) since she had fed off the captured man, she can still feel his life-force within her. "I think ... it is best that I not. And that I shall take to my room, then."

"Very well. Call if you change your mind," Serty says. "I won't be far."

Sarah smiles briefly, or tries to.

"Hey, you smiled! Mmm. Such a lovely smile you have, my dear."

Sarah does not answer, instead she turns toward her room. Though she seems to have smiled in response to Serty's gift, in reality Sarah realizes that things are about to change. Something radical is about to happen, within the next hour or so.

<=======}--o

Sarah retires to the room with the sleeping slab in it, and sits down. A wall sconce with a fire crackles in this room at all times, just like the magical bonfire she'd had in the cave they'd held her in. Although her sense of sight seems to have been altered as a non-mortal, it is still nice to have a roasting fire nearby, she discovers. Sarah can remember this much about her former life--sitting by a good hearth, or even a batch of candles, had always pleased her as she wrote.

As she makes a few practice scratches onto the paper, she notices the ink she's been given is a dark reddish color, and it doesn't take much imagination to figure out what this 'ink' actually is. She readies her new quill, and thinks about what she will put down for her first journal entry. She remembers that back when she was still Breton, she often rushed her writings. She wrote eloquently and with great flair, but she'd been somewhat sloppy while doing so. As a non-Breton though, one of the first changes she makes is to write much more slowly. She has all the time in the world to do so, after all.



"SARAH!" Serty was suddenly at the door. "Come quickly! I need your help!"

Sarah puts down her quill, and says nothing.

"Someone is here, about to invade this place, just like before. OH, it's so exciting! Can you feel it? I certainly can. I want you to witness this!"

Sarah does not reply. Merely stares.

"Quiet again? Well, it's probably nothing. Some nobody, just like that last bit of scum, the one you so-gladly feasted upon. Some lowlife who thinks he has found an old, empty fort, full of gold and treasure. Ha! He'll soon know his fate. Are you sure you don't want to come with me? I'll open the gate for you. You can come to the front, if you like."

Sarah continues to stare, her eyes unreadable. Without looking away from Serty, she begins to gather up her new possessions: her book, her quill, her inkwell.

"Thatt's better. Because just in case he's a bit stronger than he looks, it might help if you come. We know you can cast at least some fireballs, Sarah. You'd be helping us greatly. The others .... they'll be pleased!"

But Sarah says and does nothing. She does not rise from her chair.

"Alright. Be that way. I understand. All of this is new to you," says the matriarch. "But you'll learn. Yes you will. I will go ahead to see what the commotion's all about. The minions up front will probably take care of him, just like the last guy, and then we'll all feast on the poor sap together. I'll be back, Sarah."

"No, you will not."

"What?"

"You will not .. be back."

"WHAT?" How dare you! Explain yourself, woman!"

But Sarah does not do so. Would it be a good idea to explain to Serty that within the hour, her life (her unlife....) was about to come to a sudden, violent end?

"You have much to learn, you subordinate! Why ... if it weren't for Farnacas's orders that you stay with us..." Serty does not finish this thought. "You just wait until I get back, you'll get a serious talking-to, young woman!"

<=======}--o

Serty rushes out of Sarah's cell, locking the gate behind her. ...Oooh, that woman! Such temerity!... She locks this gate just in case Sarah changes her mind, and then tries to figure some sort of escape. Serty turns, then runs into the depths of the lair's interior, drawing her daggar, heading toward the lair's entrance area.

Indeed, there is some sort of skirmish going on. She sprints left and right, reaching the corridor which runs straight toward the place's entryway, following the noise her vampiric hearing had discerned. As she nears the melee, she sees what she (at first) thinks is a man with a warren of black hair upon his head. The man engages with the initiates who'd been posted as guards.

Can it be him?

At first, Serty assumes the man with dark hair might be Raimond "Raven" Venadeux, returned to Cyrodiil. In his day, Raven had been much feared and hated amongst the undead communities of Cyrodiil, but then he'd vanished. Rumor was that he'd gone north, to Skyrim. All of that had happened back in the Third Era, though. There had been others back in Raven's day too, such as Dyan phor a'Cauz, Lady Saga, and the Grey Wizard himself, but Dyan had retired up in Bruma, Lady Saga (it was rumored) had left for Valenwood, and the Grey Wizard had become the Arcane University's Arch Mage, rarely leaving the Imperial City.

None of these others matched the man Serty was seeing though, not even close. Who is that? And Serty's former assumption, that she would merely be facing some fur-armored neophyte, has been proven completely wrong. For one thing, the man fighting her initiates is winning the fight, very much unlike the tough guy they'd captured earlier that week.

....For another thing, he's not a man at all.

"BLOOD! I NEED YOUR BLOOD!" Serty cries, hoping to startle the intruder.

The man is actually a woman, and she's wearing what appears to be metallic armor, NOT fur. Expensive metallic armor. Her sword is magical, able to cause great bursts of fire each time she scores a blow against one of the minions. For the first time in years, Serty begins to grow worried.

<=======}--o

Within minutes, Serty's life (or unlife..) is over. Thirteen decades of existence extinguished, just like that. She tries her best to fight the woman in glinting armor, but a cheap daggar is no match for a fire-based longsword, which seems as though it's been prepared specifically against Serty's very kind. Serty had also not been practicing her magics with any sort of verve lately; she hadn't had to much, not with a fort-full of others to assist in these matters.

"By the tears and tempers of the Nine, I usurp thee from these unrighteous grounds!"

"Nooo!" Serty cries, and then makes a high-pitched sort of sound, as she begins to lose consciousness.

The dark-haired woman does a sort of pirouette, spinning with her weapon at about mid-height, knocking Serty to the ground. As Serty's life-force diminishes to a mere warble, the last thing she sees is this mortal woman, making some sort of gesture toward her. She makes this gesture, mumbles some sort of incantation, and before she knows it, Serty's darkness is invaded by an extensive wrath of light.

<=======}--o

On the other end of the lair, Sarah Phimm stands suddenly. Her altered hearing picks up the footfalls of an approaching figure. Sarah stands, leaves her room, and walks to the gate which Serty had locked not long ago. Sarah knows her spontaneous prediction has come true: Serty Fyd, her captor and trainer? She exists no more.

Sarah peers into the gloom, straining to see who has chosen to invade this place. After a few moments, a figure does approach. Gets nearer. This figure appears to have some sort of light spell going, or perhaps she's wearing a ring or piece of armor, which provides plenty to see by. The figure comes closer, and stands before the gate, gazing at Sarah Phimm in complete surprise. Sarah sees a woman she's met before, with dark hair, and shiny, magical armor.

"Hey! .... You are ... don't I know you?" the woman asks.

"Why yes! You do know me. I am Sarah. And you ... you not one of them?" She asks this question, already knowing the answer.

"No, I am not one of them. I am not a vampire. Sarah. I know now, who you are! You are the barmaid I met not long ago. From Skingrad? Two Sisters Lodge?"

"Yes, you are correct. I am Sarah, the barmaid from Skingrad. Oh, thank the Nine you are here! Can you help me?" she pleads. "Can you unlock this wretched gate?"

"In a way I can, Sarah. Stand back." The woman can't unlock the gate with an actual key, but she manages to bash it open with her green-colored sword. "Are you hurt?" she asks. "Did they infect you?"

"Infect me? ... I don't know. I do not feel sickness. I do not feel poisoned. Oh, such a dreadful night this has been! .... Can I ask where are we? And who are you? Your name? We have met, but it has been some time."

"I am Joan. Joan of Arkay, they call me. And you are in a place called Fort Carmala, which is one of Cyrodiil's many ancient military forts, built to stronghold men against the Ayleids from long ago. But that is no matter. This place is full of undead, mostly vampires. You do know this?"

"I ... vampires?"

Joan gazes at the red-haired woman before her, unsure for a moment. "Well ... yes, vampires. Did you not know this?"

"I .... I do not .... I cannot remember."

"Well, do not fret. It is no matter, either way. But listen to me: You must get back to safety, at once!"

"Oh, I shall. Thank you, Joan of Arkay!"

"I have managed to rid about half their numbers, and I know this place. I know Carmala. There are still two more likely chambers they could be hiding!"

Sarah does not reply. Instead, she tries to make a facial effect which displays fear. She tries, but is not entirely sure if she's successful at this.

"So listen: Carmala is just south of Chorrol, and Chorrol is where I often frequent. Climb the large hill to the north. As you crest this hill, you will see the walls of Chorrol, not far. There is a chapel up there. And it is very important that you bathe in the blessings of the Nine. You do not look as though you have been bitten Sarah, but it is of the utmost importance that you do as I say."

"Yes. I shall run to Chorrol. Up the hill, and find the chapel. I shall do so."

"I want you to do so NOW. I need to continue to rid this place of undead, for there are surely more to be found, and you are not safe to come with me as of yet. I need for you to walk through this gate, go straight until you cannot anymore. Take a left turn up the stairs, and follow the main corridor to the right. From there, run until you come to a pair of large, wooden doors."

"Yes. I will. Gladly, milady."

"Do not mind the fallen, as I said, several were there to greet me, yet they failed. Had I known you were in here, I would have prepared a small batallion of others to assist."

"I thank thee, Joan of Akay."

"Hmm. Maybe 'tis better if you do not leave Carmala outright."

"No?"

"No. Wait for me at those double wooden doors, yes? As I complete my riddance of the wicked, I shall come to join you at those doors. Then we shall leave this place together. Yes?"

"Yes, milady."

Joan of Arkay turns, unsheathes her sword, and then hurries off into the depths, while Sarah walks calmly through the now-unlocked gate. As she walks, she grins mischievously in the dark, knowing she has no intention of following Joan of Arkay's advice, or orders.




Serty tries to console Sarah

....and gives Sarah her very own book

Quest Update (one of several)

Not too long afterwards, a holy figure enters this place of the undead.

The vamps of Fort Carmala have met their match

Joan of Arkay unsheathes her custom-made sword

The battle begins!

togglelightbright experiment

I banish thee!

Serty joins the melee (she's wearing black robe)

By the powers of the Nine, Joan of Arkay triumphs supreme.

Power of Mara

Joanie comes closer

"Hey, I know you. Can you get me out of here?"

Joan of Arkay, here to rescue miss Sarah Phimm

* Sorry you are having trouble with your mod!

I have always used Lithians Nature Of The Beast mod as my base vampire mod. It has everything I wanted, but there were a couple other mods that added just a few extra touches; and Lithians is very good about playing well with other mods.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WVGXaLy81s






Your mods and stories are Awesome !!!!

It's Joan of Arkay to the rescue! Now Sarah Fire-Walker Phimm is free to haunt the land!

It looks like Joan won't be having any children, considering where some of those arrows are sticking!

Power of Mara is a cool purple effect.

Very good story!

I liked it in the beginning how just because Sarah is now a vampire, she's not immediately turned into a bloodthirsty monster.

Serty Fyd got what was coming to her - she won't be missed, certified.

Nice inclusion of Joan into Sarah's story, I did not expect that. I was curious who was the armored figure but I wouldn't guess it was Joan. However, it seems that Joan may soon hunt down another vampire because Sarah is now on the loose...

What a fabulous idea to bring in Joan of Arkay! I see Sarah is already gaining comfort using her ability to appear normal instead of like a bloodsucker. She is free but it is unclear the path she is now on. Great fun to follow this!

Thanks you all! Yes, I've had this idea (Joan saves Sarah, who pretends she's still mortal) rolling around my head for months now, but I had to get the quest part of it working 100%, just so I could show y'all some nice pictures.

I did some brief gaming with Sarah as a vampire (with the Vampire Power mod?) and must say I am very pleased. She did go to Chorrol briefly, and I had her enter the chapel there, and guess what? She almost died in there! Which is what I want. I want to see a vampire, in an Elder Scrolls game, face some actual traditional consequences, and not just sun damage.

I'll probably do some gaming with Kahreem tonight. I don't know if I'll post an update though, because still getting ready for Halloween.

Wow, Renee. You actually brought in another character of yours into Sarah´s game? Your creativity knows no bounds!

Thank you so much, mirocu. Yeah, I came up with that idea awhile ago.

Tirdas, 7:15 am, Second Seed 7, 3rd Era 434

"How goes it, stablewoman?"

"If you want to buy a horse, go inside and talk to Tovas."

"Actually, how about I talk to you? ... You know, sort of off on our own?"

"Take your time."

Kahreem of Weet gets ready to try to make some sort of deal with Mivryna Arano, Cheydinhal's dark elf stablehand. The Redguard had spent the night in Cheydinhal's Newlands Lodge, a place which might make one wonder why there isn't an Oldlands Lodge somewhere, as well? *ahem* but anyway, the proprietor of Newlands had told Kahreem "this is a dark elf bar...", then she had mentioned something about drinking, fighting, and ... spitting. Hmm, spitting? ... As in, somebody having a spitting image of somebody else? Or had she actually meant spitting, like when people actually spit?

Kahreem had never gotten to the bottom of that one. And now here he is, one morning later, trying to cordon Mivryna off to a quiet area, where no guard can see what's about to happen next.

"Okay listen. I'm going to give you some gold, and you're going to look the other way when I get on that bay that's in your stable, understand?"

"I see."

Mivryna will not take any money though.* Which makes things awkward. She smiles at Kahreem, but does not indicate whether she'd report him or not.

"Fokke. You won't take my gold?"

"'Bye!" she says.

"Hmm. Well, I warned her," the Weet Bandit shrugs.

Upon closer inspection, Kahreem sees that neither of the two dark-colored horses in the stable are bays though; they're both Cheydinhal black horses, the very fastest hooved beasts of all.

"THIEF! You won't get away with this!"

"Hey, hey there, I did offer you gold, didn't I? Put that away.... HEY!"

"You're pathetic!"

"No, you are. You could have just taken my gold, then spent the night in a nice luxury suite, with kipples and toast for breakfast, instead sleeping out .... here."

As she draws her mace and begins to swing it, she manages to land a blow on Kahreem, who kicks his heels into the animal's haunches, causing it to burst with speed, accelerating to no end. But the black doesn't get far.

"It's all over, lawbreaker. Your spree is at an end," one of the town guards booms, after he seems to pop out of nowhere. "I'll take any stolen goods you have. The next move--is yours. Pay your fine, or I'll haaaaul you away."

"I find that interesting, sire, considering that I'm on one of the fastest steeds in all Tamriel, and you are not. How are you going to keep up with me? This'll be fun and interesting to watch, from my perspective.

"Then PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD."

"In your dreams, sire."

The wind is instantly in the Redguard's face, as the guard and Mirvryna begin their chase. They try their best, but it doesn't take long before both of them are mere specks in the dust. On his way to Aleswell, Kahreem escapes guards, marauders, cougars, and two giant, horned beasts. He eventually trades his black horse for a bay (Bounty: 750), and is glad when a boar unsuccessfully tries to ravage his new horse.


* Mivryna Arano's disposition toward Kahreem is maxed, for some odd reason.

Kahreem is the spitting image of a certain horse thief I happen to know

Lots of funny sayings in this story. Imperial guards indeed pop out of nowhere when you commit a crime! They stood no chance against Kahreem on one of the fastest steeds, though. Why did he trade it for a bay?

Most bay horses will not go anywhere after they are dismounted. Blacks, chestnuts, paints, and white horses will immediately begin returning to whatever stable they were stolen from after they get dismounted, but most bays will not go anywhere, so these horses are preferred by him most of the time.

In this case though, he rode to Cheydinhal on a bay horse, but several days later we have no idea where this horse is. So he had to take a black one instead.

Renee, I found your comment about bays vs. other horses interesting.

One thing I do know - the Imperial Legion Bay Horse is different from all other bays in the game, and they always stay put no matter where their riders go.

Isn't Kahreem prone to stealing Legion Bays? If so, then the last bay he stole isn't one of the Legion Bays and would explain why he can't find it . . .

Just wondering if that's the case . . .

Bounty for horse stealing is 750 gold? Out here that'll git ya hung.

haute ecole rider: I'm pretty sure he wasn't riding an Imperial Legion horse, but it's possible I screwed up here, and he was actually riding a soldier's horse! Oops. I'm pretty sure he was on an ordinary bay though.

Acadian: He got on and off his latest horse (and was noticed) at least 3x! It's 250 gold per infringement.