Yeah, I think that is why they sealed themselves in there, so they couldn't attack anyone anymore; but when people found their way in the vampire beast within came to life smelling blood and attacked. They prayed for whoever came to be stronger than the monsters they had become, at least that is how I always saw it on that quest.

Time to catch up on Lothran...

Nice that he resorted to the Magic of Respawning by putting a lot of his stuff in the crate, so it simply vanished with time, I mean, it was probably taken by other travelers. I do think as well that it's more eemirsive to play with only those items that your character needs instead of carrying entire assortment of weapons and outfits all the time.

It's a shame that he killed the Unicorn but honestly I'm glad you didn't reload your game or resurrect the Unicorn. It makes more sense this way and in a way it made Lothran a different, maybe a better person. Wearing the Savior's Hide to remind him of the mistake is a nice touch.

I wondered how he handled the Sanguine's Quest and evaded the authorities afterwards.

I very much agree. Even now he does tend to carry more than one would be able to, at least sometimes when he dungeon dives, but I let that slip through. After all, we have Feather magics as well, right?


Yeah, it sure is a shame. But like you say that whole thing may have made him a better person elf and without it, maybe he wouldn´t have started to work more consciously to help others. I have thought about resurrecting the unicorn via console but I think that would take away the sense of responsibility and the whole cause and effect thing. And also, it would alter Lothran´s history even if I roleplayed it was a different unicorn and I don´t like that idea.


To be completely honest, I don´t actually remember if he evaded them or got caught and served a sentence. I think he was able to flee with the help of invisibility but I can´t say for sure.

In my lore hunt for Hircine I came across this. I skimmed through it before one time but I never noticed you wrote it. I enjoy the addition of the virgin. Unicorns and virgins are told in the old stories and folklore.

Lothran has four Ayleid statues and they´re all decorating his Bruma home. He added one to his collection this year in fact but I don´t remember where he found it. Another three statues are at Umbacano´s manor in Talos Plaza so in total he has found seven out of the ten out there. Always awesome when there´s more to be discovered, I never fully want to find everything as I always want something to strive for. Lothran doesn´t dungeon dive as much anymore but knowing there´s three statues left gives him a reason to maybe go check that ruin over there after all...

As for Umbacano himself, well, he is now a permanent resident of Nenalata. Things didn´t go quite as he had expected but hey, at least he gets to sit in the throne for all eternity Lothran was very much surprised when he found out the dark side of Umbacano as he had seemed to be such a nice guy before that. Always so friendly and welcoming. Always so generous paying up for every statue he brought to him.

The big battle that ensued deep in the old ruin prompted Lothran to take the Ayleid crown of Lindai off Umbacano as a reminder that even the nicest of persons can have a dark side to them and that it´s best to always be careful around even close friends. You never know who they really are deep down...

That's a nice approach to those statues. That way, as you say, Lothran knows there's still a few out there waiting to be found.

I was getting eager for a new Lothran story.

Anyway, so nice that he still has something to search for despite being present in Cyrodiil for so long. There's certain charm in that, I agree. Too bad how things turned out for Umbacano but I guess he didn't have many options.

It´s a good motivator to dungeon dive that´s for sure


Well, I have pretty much covered what I wanted to cover by now...


Writing about the statues and Umbacano has been on my mind for awhile and this morning it felt like I should. I hesitated since I didn´t have much to write on the subject and I did come up short, but I still wanted to add that little snipet of Lothran history. Adding more details on Umbacano would merely serve as filler and I didn´t want that.

Anyway, glad you guys liked it

I think it’s great that there are still some surprises out there for Lothran to discover. Thank you for sharing some of Lothran’s hard-won insights! I always smile to think of his hair color changing to reflect the depth of his experiences.

Indeed

He rarely discovers new things but when he does it´s like Christmas and b-day all at once!


It was an interesting thing to do but I feel I made the change too early. Now all I can do is make him more wrinkely and bald and I don´t want that


Glad you enjoy it

Wait, if Lothran only turned in 7 statues, how is Umbacano living in Nenalata? I thought he only went there after he got the full collection! Or, maybe you just get the 10,000 gold bonus if you turn all 10 in. (?)

I never knew you could complete the questline without finding them all !!! But if so, yes - awesome that one day you will find the others !!!

Yeah, that´s the problem. They are two different questlines actually and you can complete the Ayleid crown thing before you complete the statues collecting one, thus eliminating your chances of ever finishing it.

Aw, heck! Is it stuck in your journal? I always wait till I have collected them all, then sell one to trigger that quest to start. That way I turn in all the statues at once before starting the second half of that questline ("Nothing you can Possess"). I never realized you could end the second before the first was over!

Yeah it´s stuck there but I don´t care. The quest sections of Lothran´s journal just collect dust now anyway

After getting the game on PC - I played about 5 games or so, then I spent most of my time in Oblivion playing with mods or modding the game myself rather than actually playing the game. But I had played well over 18 full games from the tutorial dungeon to finding every last wilderness chest on the 360 before getting the PC; and several games on the PC too before getting into playing other people's mods. Then when I started making my own mods - it kind of was all I wanted to do; make a mod and go visit it/play in it, lol.

It´s now a tradition for Lothran to go to Pale Pass and hunt ogres on Christmas. Just yesterday he packed up his things and in the early morning he set out. He usually carries the same stuff every year; a frost enchanted bow with 40 arrows, Goldbrand and of course Snowflake, the present from Buffy
He also carries 20 self-made poisons.

This is about the only time of the year he uses a bow so it´s something he looks forward to and this year he has a new strategy; get the ogre´s attention with the bow and follow up with a spell he got in Shivering Isles this year called Icy Blaze, a spell that (obviously) does both frost and fire damage. In other years he has usually followed up with Goldbrand but this way was a bit quicker and he didn´t need to constantly switch weapons. The ogres take good damage from the initial shot from a hidden position so all it takes to bring them down is two hits from the spell.


It´s always a special feeling to return to Pale Pass. This is the place I remember the most from Lothran´s early days which, I guess, is why we always want to return. The tradition to go every Christmas is a few years old but I don´t know exactly when it started. A rough guess is around 2010-2011, and like many traditions it started by pure coincidence. I wanted to return and it just happened to be at Christmas, and the following year I remembered making a save on the 23rd by the ruin in Pale Pass and thus, the tradition was born

He doesn´t bother with the ruin however. He knows it´s empty and quiet and there´s no need to go through it again and disturb the peace. He does have fun in the snowy valley though


Setting up camp on the usual spot
Let the hunting commence

Oh, I like Lothran’s camp. Pale Pass is a great place for a winter visit. It’s neat to have these traditions.

So nice to see Lothran conducting his normal Christmas ogre hunt. I hope he makes it back safely to the fire in his cabin in Bruma with plenty of ogre teeth to help make the season bright!

Gosh it looks cold there! Brrrr!

I knew he goes to Pale Pass once a year but I didn't know it's a Christmas tradition. I like his camp as well, how about a peak inside the tent?

Looks like Lothran is visiting Persephone at her tower!

Thanks for your comments, guys


And Lopov, pics are in the screenshot thread as of soon now

That is such a neat idea! What an awesome way to celebrate Christmas.

Thank you! I really like this tradition and Lothran is quite happy he gets to use a bow again


This year he got 17 ogre teeth in total, but I could swear he got 18 last year...

Lothran's houses

As many already know, Lothran has three houses; one in Bruma, one in Bravil and the shack in the Imperial City waterfront. I would have preferred to have just one house or maybe two, but Lothran insisted on one more and as I could see where he's coming from I agreed to it.
I should mention that technically he has a fourth home, the manor in Anvil, but he has never used it and he never visits it. The only reason it's listed in his stats is because it had a quest attached to it, and he was interested to see it through. But as far as we both are concerned it's not owned by him and has been donated to the city of Anvil.


The Imperial City shack

This one was purchased because of its closeness to the Arcane University and because Lothran spent so much time in the City in his early days and he wanted a place to call his own. He also desperately needed a place in which to store things before he went to Bruma to find Ongar. Don't ask why he needed to find him though

Dinner table area
Bed and fireplace


The Bruma home

Not much is needed to say about it I reckon as I've already talked about it quite a bit. It's his only "real" home and he decided to get it before he even passed through the gates to Bruma. He has spent hours decorating and organizing it. It's a beautiful home

Welcome!
Just a small display
The kitchen
Collection of all the Bruma handbills
Downstairs
Downstairs 2
The study
Sleeping area
Thanks for stopping by!


The Bravil home

The last house to be purchased by the Dunmer. Careful consideration very much preceeded it but like the other homes it has served its purpose well. It was needed because of the sudden appearance of the Shivering Isles in the Niben Bay and Lothran needed a place close by where he could store all the trinkets and gadgets that he found there. But as it has turned out it´s also a very good place to stay when he's in the deep south, or at least on his way to it

Please hang your coat here
To the left
To the right
And there´s the bedroom


The tent

And yes, he does have his tent as well. It has been with him all over Cyrodiil, from the warm parts south of Skingrad to the frozen land in Pale Pass and it has even been a shelter to him in the Shivering Isles. But it's actually his second tent. The first one was bigger and had more things in it, but he repeatedly had problems with it (he couldn't exit) and so it had to go. That one was also something he had to carry around while this second one is summoned, utilizing his skills as a conjurer.

The inside

What a nice tour of Lothran’s properties!

Buffy always thinks of the Bruma cabin as Lothie’s main home and is so happy that he got the fireplace fixed several years ago. She knows how beautifully cozy it is inside, replete with a pumpkin from Mooch and a spare bear pelt for Buffy to curl up in when she visits.

I believe Lothran’s small Bravil house is similar to the one Buffy used to own in the City of Mara. The view of the canal from that part of town is wonderful.

I’m glad that he didn’t keep the Anvil Manor. Last we checked, little Angel (bobg’s young mage) was still using it as her family home.

Buffy never understood why Lothran wanted the Waterfront home except that it is on the water. The University has plenty of spare beds after all. Of course, Buffy doesn’t really know much (or perhaps chooses not to know) of some of Lothran’s darker dealings where that house could come in handy.

And every elf needs a tent, of course! Lothran’s looks simple and strong enough to keep the weather at bay.

How fun to learn about and see some pictures of Lothran’s homes! The waterfront shack and Bruma house are my favorites. I look forward to seeing Lothran’s little house on the water.

The Bruma house is basically his only home, the others just serve as storage units with sleeping arrangements

And that bear pelt is still there in case Buffy suddenly decides to pop by


Oh, Lothran´s dealings aren´t really that dark. In the past he just did what he felt was necessary. He doesn´t deal with it now though, but he´s glad for all the friends he got when he did

The University might have many beds for Lothran when he´s in the City, but it doesn´t have much peace and quiet compared to the Waterfront shack


Thanks!

Yeah, I´ll add some pictures later. Sucks that I don´t already have taken them.

Literally just spent the past half hour binge reading all of your updates! I'm loving reading this and it's so interesting getting some insight into Lothran and your adventures together over the years!

Oh. You... want a refund..?


Thank you

I´m glad that you got some joy out of reading it

Well. He certainly did not go wrong in real estate. The Bravil home was intelligent on his part; store in Daedric loot with no delay in returning to get some more. More practical. You know, as much as I love these homes, what stood out to me the most was the tent. That's a great place for an adventurer like Lothran to be at because it is in the wilderness, and while adventures at home can happen(like if you have a magic paintbrush or something), outside is where its at.

Pictures of all the houses have been added

Oh, thanks for the new pix and letting us know about them!

The IC shack is wonderfully cozy and it's waterfront property!

The Bravil house is also very cozy and it's great to see how Lothie decorated it - brings back memories of when Buffy used to have an eerily similar house there in Bravil.

I really love the Bruma one because it is Lothran's primary home - and his attention to decorating there really shows.

Tent. What can you say? Convenient and dry!

Bravil does look cosy.... Even for a town they smells like waste and mold and Skooma-suckers hehe.

Very nice house pictures. I especially like Lothran's Bruma house collections and decorations. Thank you for sharing them!

I´m glad you guys like the pictures as much time has indeed been spent decorating

Nowadays Lothran doesn´t do much in the department, but I guess it´s because he likes how it is. As do I.

Like most characters out there, Lothran has always been on the sneaky side of things when it comes to dungeon diving. Early on it was out of necessity and because I, his mentor, have always enjoyed that gameplay style. Now it´s more out of habit and because I still like it. What he usually does is employ 60% Chameleon with enchanted trinkets with an optional Chameleon spell that raises it beyond 100%, although that´s mostly not needed. Then when encountering a foe he summons his Spriggan friend and lets her and her bear have some fun while he sits back and enjoys the show. The reason for the high Chameleon is simply to ensure that the invisible orchestra that follows Lothran doesn´t change tune


First exception:

I´ve mentioned recently in the Update thread how he runs in, throws his Scout spell to attract those inside and then runs out and jumps up on a big rock. Then when whoever comes out he summons his Spriggan and watch the spectacle. This habit has really put Lothran in the same category as the classic warlock standing on a hill letting his minions fight the battle. While Lothran isn´t evil it really is appropriate since he is Warlock rank in the Mages Guild. I don´t know if this "stand back and summon Spriggan" thing comes from that classic image of a warlock or because either him or I have become lazy and can´t be bothered to fight so much anymore, but I think it suits him. Not to mention it´s quite fun


Second exception:

Sometimes he throws a long-lasting light spell and goes in with horns and trumpets. This is especially the case with Plundered Mine near Bruma. There´s just so much fun to be had with the goblins and how they focus solely on the Spriggan even though Lothran is standing right there, all luminous with his shield raised. This practice comes from one particular occasion when he wanted to see what he went for, so to speak. He wanted to use everything he had; potions, Great Powers, spells and weapons, and see how he fared against multiple (and tough) enemies at once.

Anyone wanna guess how it went?

I agree, the wizard standing at the top of the hill (or standing anywhere) while not moving much is a classic mage-y, Hollyweird image. I've had a few who do this as well.

And yes, the "lots of light" method is great too. I first tried this long ago with my paladin, Dyan phor a'Cauz. She would intentionally go into lairs while NOT sneaking, and using lots of light. Partially this was so she can see, but partially it's also to piss off the enemies who live in there. They don't want all this light in their lair!



I can't guess other than to say Lothie prevailed over all. But you tell us!

What a fun peek into some of Lothie’s tactics, trappings and thinking!

I think Buffy can understand some of it as she has been known to buff her nails while in stealth as a frenzy spell causes foes to beat themselves up. Spriggans are so neat though and a summon who summons a summon can’t be beat I figure.

Coaxing foes outside is pretty clever too.

The idea of just running willy nilly into a dungeon with lights ablazing sounds terrifying though!

All I can say is, he was the only one leaving the cave afterwards


Especially if they are vampires and it´s daytime


Lothran never did play around with Frenzy spells and I don´t think he will. Though I do like the idea behind it very much


I bet Buffy is proficient enough to employ a strong enough Shield spell to pull it off, but then again as a mystic archer that approach doesn´t quite suit her. She does her own thing a lot better I´d say


Always fun to learn how others work

Long time no post, so here we go!

Lothran has been to the Isles a few times. A good estimate would be four times, the latest I think was last summer. First time he went there could have been in 2008 or possibly 2009 and it was a blast to explore a whole new area again after having domesticated Cyrodiil. He did a bunch of quests, but as always ignored the MQ, and collected a range of things to take back home.
He spent a lot of time exploring both sides of the Isles and the towns, buying new spells, talking to new people and just enjoying all the things he saw. Traveling unfamiliar territories again really pushed both of us back to the early days of 2007 when we crawled out of the sewers into a huge world where we didn´t know what to expect.


Second time he went to the Isles he had a need to simply vanish, go underground so to speak. I think this was because of recent events in Cyrodiil. While not having become an outright criminal, he felt it was best to lay low for awhile and what better place to do that than in another realm? He took refuge in Hale as he felt comfortable there even though that settlement is not the furthest one from the Gate. This is what I remember mostly about this journey but as always exploring caves and collecting things was on the table as well.

Third visit was the one I reported from in a quite elaborate way, with each update having its own grand title like "Trail of a Madman", referring back to an episode from the original Wolfenstein 3D. Don´t remember much more about it so I´ll just leave it at that.

Last summer´s visit was because we both felt a need to tie up some loose ends. We needed to find an ingredient we didn´t have, pick up a few more things to complete collections, find items previously unfound and also to finish up the quest where we had to deliver an Elytra for Mirili. The reason we needed to do this was because she had been standing on Cyrodiil´s side of the Gate for quite some time and we thought that by ending this particular quest she would stay put in Highcross. Haven´t checked but I think she´s still there.

So there were a bunch of reasons to his last visit and since those have been taked cared of I don´t see when Lothran will return to the Isles. But I´m positive it´ll happen again eventually.






As for what region of the Isles Lothran prefers I´d say both. It can vary from visit to visit but overall he likes both regions equally. As for the towns; Crucible hands down. The layout and the stores are a bit more interesting but he likes it mostly for its bigger feel and the bleak atmosphere. Also, when he first got there he entered Crucible first and I think that might have left an impression on him. The Mazken do their part as well since they´re much more polite and nice to be around than the Aureals.


Better depressed than maniacal!


Thanks for reading

How fun to see another update to the neverending adventures of dear Lothran! I completely understand how he likes both sides of the island the same - as different as they are, they are both neat in their own way.

You are right that the Seducers are nicer than the Saints but Buffy's so awestruck by what she considers the Saints' beautiful armor and look that she prefers them despite their more haughty attitude.

Thanks again for the update!

I still haven't had anybody ever go to the Isles. The part when he vanished for awhile, what was that all about?

Well, she does look very good herself in that armor. Can´t deny that


Really? Bout time then, I say!


If memory serves me, I think he had been doing some shady things and sort of felt an imprisonment was imminent and thus a preemptive escape was necessary.

As for what sort of shady business it was, well, I´m not at liberty to discuss that...

Aww shucks.

Neat to read about Lothran’s different trips to the Isles. I also like both Mania and Dementia and don’t see a need to pick a favorite. Thank you for the update!

Thank you for reading

I was surprised to learn that I hadn´t already written about the Isles.

Blimey, krikey, O'Reilly. Has it really been a whole decade since I first started to play this game? Ten full years?
I suppose it has, judging by my join date at Bethsoft. I started to play in February 2007 and joined up in December the very same year in order to ask anyone who wanted to answer me how to fix the Abomb issue I had been suffering under for weeks, if not months. I tried to overlook it as long as I could but eventually I was desperate enough to start up my 56K modem and go online in hope to find the cure which thankfully I did. I remember falling on my knees and thank whoever was listening when the animation worked properly again...


Lothran was not called Lothran initially. I gave him my real name but after some time I began to wonder if he didn't deserve his own name as he had grown his own personality by this point, something I had not expected. I remember thinking about it at work many times without finding something suitable, but then one day it came to me quite out of the blue; Lothran. Of course! There it is! And the rest is as they say history.


We have been on many adventures, Lothran and I. Though in the beginning we were sort of confined to the Imperial City on account of the computer I had at the time. It could play Oblivion on highest settings in dungeons and in the City which looked amazing, but going outside the gates provided stuttering like nothing else and my only option was to lower the settings, something I did not tolerate. So, while waiting for better and better graphics cards and more RAM, Lothran and I roamed the City for weeks, exploring every nook and cranny and completing quest after quest.


While Lothran has visited the Aetherius plane once or twice because of my carelessness and I've had to do a few reinstalls for reasons I have long forgotten, I have not once restarted him. While different from when he woke up in prison he is literally still the very same character I started a whole decade ago, the only thing that has changed is the computer I play the game on. I like Lothran and the history we have and I wouldn't dream of starting him over, create another character or stop playing the game. It's all too valuable to me.
We have been through so much, done so many things and as long as I can get hold of a computer that plays Oblivion I reckon we still have many hours left together



The unknown Dunmer
The now well-known Lothran
Adventure is always waiting for you to answer the call

Yup, TEN years! And I started OB only a few months after you.

Lothie is such a wonderful character - both endearing and enduring. Long may he travel Cyrodiil!

Holy [censored], Batman. Seriously, this is sort of shocking.

I was also kinda surprised that you stayed in the IC for so long because of computing limitations. It's ironic, since inside of towns is usually where the framerates drop, not outside. Then again, there was no Better Cities or Crowded Cities back in those days, bla bla bla...and you probably don't have these in your game even now.

I really love that final shot of him by the sea.



Who's telling you to start him over? I am guilty of asking for a second character, but it's only because I know how much seconds can enhance the experience of the first. Hard to explain. And no, I am not "going there" sir, I'm just explaining why I've asked this of you so many times in the past.

Anyways, here's a toast to Lothie. I'll be doing my 10th anniversary next year, October 24, 2018 to be exact.

Our very own Renee Formerly Knowns as Gade the Third found the poems I wrote on the official forums about two millennias ago, or in 2012, one of them being the (in)famous Ode to Mud Crab! Instead of making a poem thread which I believe would not be long-lasting anyway I'll just repost them here for your amusement. Thank you, Renee!


The adventure poem

From north to south,
from east to west,
I wander while wearing my Huntsman's vest

This land I see,
so lush and free,
to roam beyond the mountain's crest

Invasion or not,
a sinister plot,
Lord Dagon the daedra has not forgot

A hero feels the call,
"The portals must fall!",
he cries out loud with great appall

To save the land,
he raises his hand,
and wields his sword and power so grand

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

Ode to Mud Crab

Mud crab, oh mud crab
hated are thou
Though you make me bow

Mud crab, oh mud crab
sharp is your claw
It is without flaw

Mud crab, oh mud crab
tasty is your meat
Over your feet

Mud crab, oh mud crab
you creak as you go
down with the flow
Away from your foe

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

Ode to M'aiq

A feline who is really fast,
he certainly won't finish last
M'aiq is his name!
His Infamy's lower than his Fame

They call him "the Liar",
and yes, he is not a friar
He speaks weird stuff,
his language; a bit rough
He says hands are for slapping,
and sometimes for clapping

If you want him to talk,
it's useless him stalk
He runs and leaves you behind,
with little or no words to find

He appears everywhere!
But where is his lair?
In Morrowind, Cyrodiil or Skyrim perhaps?
To bring forth the truth, be sure to use FRAPS


(I wrote this during work hours, so this one I actually got paid for!)

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

A short one

This game is as good as it gets,
I play it, and with no regrets.
I roam 'round the land,
with a bow in my hand.
In Arena, I place all my bets!

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

Ode to Buffy

I know of this Bosmer who is really sweet,
she may not be tall, just a few feet

But she is a good friend and I'd like her to know,
that without her friendship, my life feels so low

She roams 'round the land with a bow in her hand,
with Superian, her friend, they stroll on Anvil's sand