Fabulous!

The conversation with Marius was great for several reasons. It showed more of how Teresa now moves comfortably within Bravil. It tied back to the talk of war and presented the impact on local Altmer as they suffer some persecution. It told us His Pompousness was out of town! And finally, we get to talk with another one of the few good Bravil guards.

The scroll was wonderful as well. A nice tie to Ungarion (where she got it), a linkage to Aela's summoning of Aedra, and a very fine description of how a scroll might work.

Gosh, we haven't even gotten to the trolls yet and already this episode is tightly and beautifully woven!

'Even as the missile spiraled down the road, she was reaching for her next arrow.'
Yes! You go, girl!

Great fight. And FOUR of the beasts! Oh Mara! I'm so glad Teresa had some help from the salamander, her friend nightshade and most of all, Marius. Lingering just a moment to describe the horses running for safety was a great decision you made! And *gulp* the fight is only half over!

Nits:

[i]'So he thinks it will be a up to the Council and the Conclave to work something out.'
Delete the 'a'?

'There just as Imperial as you or me.'
They're?

'In its wake a golden serpent bust to life. '
As evocative as the image of a golden serpent's bust may be, I suspect you may have wanted 'burst'?

Gripping cliff hanger!

Nit. I'd use cry instead of cried.

"Teresa!" the Nibenean exclaimed as he turned from facing the Green Road. "I'm half surprised I didn't hear a splash!"

Nice to see some friendly teasing from a Bravil Guard., and a friendly response from Teresa.

Very exciting troll attack, and the salamander was spectacular! I also wonder why the trolls aren’t a natural creature. I never noticed the fur before, probably because they move so fast. I always thought they had gross mottled slimy skin. Somehow they’re creepier with fur.

Sprinting down the road the way she had come, she dug into a belt pouch with her free hand. Pulling forth a small, glass vial, she felt it slip from her fingers as she took a hard footfall. A moment later it shattered on the stones of the road under foot, spraying golden liquid across the pavement.

I found it very believable that Teresa fumbled a potion while being chased by the troll. Also a demonstration of why not to poison arrows on the run. The troll grabbed Marius’ shield! Perfect, those claws look very grabby. Yikes, they’re still in the middle of the fight!!

haute ecole rider: I thought the same thing about ogres. They always have that big smile on their faces though, so apparently they are happy slow-motion football players! I always want to jump off that bridge at Bravil's entrance. It is hard restraining myself when I do not have a character who can breathe water.


Olen: Well, Marius warned her about trolls 5 miles to the north, not right next to the city. As we will learn later in this chapter, that is unheard of in Cyrodiil (in the TF of course, in the game you are in a gladiator school as soon as you step outside the gates of any city).

If trolls were natural animals, they would not be attacking Teresa. I always thought of them as being unnatural. Maybe in part because the wiki categorizes them separately. But I think mostly because like imps and will-o-the-wisps, trolls have magic powers, where wolves, bears, etc... do not. Plus when I look at trolls, they do not seem at all like a product of nature. They look corrupted to me. Perhaps for the TF I will say they are warped versions of the apes of Valenwood?


Acadian: You caught all the things I wanted to convey in Teresa's conversation with Marius. With the use of the scroll too, as this is the first time Teresa has ever used one (Simplicia used the one Morcant gave her back during the Oblivion Crisis).

Nits all picked. Here we saw the skills Teresa had such difficulty putting on display during the Tournament of Archers.


MyCat: Cry indeed. Thank you for helping me fix that. And poor cliff, hung again! I am afraid the end of this segment will be little different.


Grits: Isn't it nice to see that Teresa can get along with at least a few local lawmen? Of course Teresa remembers Marius from when he let Aia into the tournament. I am glad the dropped potion felt right. It strikes me as a very difficult thing to do while running full speed, especially when wearing gauntlets. I did not want Teresa to be able to do it all the time with ease.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: Out last episode saw Teresa have a brief conversation with Marius Helvius outside the main gate of Bravil before setting off west down the road. But she was attacked by trolls while still in sight of the city walls, and has retreated to join up with the guardsman outside of Bay Roan Stables.

Chapter 37.2 – Redemption

The massive beast jerked as the mithril point drove into its breast. But it continued forward with frightening speed. Teresa thought of running again, but that would leave Marius alone in hand-to-hand combat against both trolls. She could not allow that to happen. As quickly as she could, she drew a second arrow, set it to her bow, and pulled the string all the way to her cheek.

There was no time for aiming. It would be on her in seconds. The dark green hide of the monster filled her vision, and she simply loosed. Again, its body jerked a moment as the missile slammed into its chest. But it did not falter in its course, and a moment later its claws were flashing toward her face.

Reflexively, Teresa raised her bowstave to ward off the attack. The troll's hooked claws were stopped by the yew shaft. But the force of the monster's charge carried it into her body, throwing her to the stones below. She barely had the presence of mind to hold her head up, so that her skull did not slam against the pavement. As it was she fought to retain her breath as the troll raged atop of her.

The creature pressed down hard against Teresa, claws still caught upon the stave of her bow. Its hot breath stunk of rotten flesh, and its three eyes gleamed like obsidian in the afternoon sun. She struggled with all of her might to shove the beast away, but to no avail. It was just too heavy, and too powerful. Its jaws gaped wide, filling Teresa's vision with rows of jagged teeth. Then its head darted toward her face. With a strength she did not know she possessed, Teresa pulled her bow up into the path of the oncoming jaws. An instant later the teeth of the monster clamped shut around the wooden shaft, and snapped it in two.

Teresa dropped the ruined pieces of her bow and thrust out her right arm to hold the creature at bay. At the same time her left hand reached for one of the mithril daggers strapped pommel-down over her chest. She had it in hand when the troll's mouth darted toward her face once more, in spite of her efforts to hold it back. There was no time for Teresa to get the dagger up in time. All she could do was jerk her head to one side.

A scream filled Teresa's ears as the troll's fangs sunk deeply into her left shoulder. Even through the terrible cry, she could hear her bones crunch and grind under the monster's teeth. Her eyes were filled with brilliant white light, and her body felt as if molten metal had been poured into it. She was only vaguely aware of the beast shaking its head from side to side, flinging her about under its teeth.

Teresa knew she only had seconds left. Without conscious thought, the symbol for her Burning Hand spell leapt in her mind. Flailing about with her right hand, she found rough fur and grabbed hold. Gritting her teeth, she pulled the magicka from within her and unleashed it into the spell.

An inferno blossomed above her, and the troll let go of her shoulder. Now a new scream filled the air. A deep, bestial sound, it drowned out all other noise. Teresa could now see the troll rear back, its head wreathed in fire. Its paws furiously swatted at the flames, in a vain attempt to brush them off. The magical blaze would not be so easily subdued however, and the left side of the troll's face vanished in smoke.

Teresa took advantage of the time to glance to her left. Her shoulder was a mess of torn leather and rent flesh. Worse than that, jagged ends of white bone jutted out in several places. She tried to move her left arm, but it was a leaden weight attached to her body.

Then the troll leaned down once more. Its face was a blackened mass of charred flesh, and two of its eyes had boiled away. Yet even as she stared, Teresa could see its skin slowly healing, changing from black to pink, and new fur growing over where it had been seared away. It's regenerating, she knew. Pappy had once told that was what made trolls more dangerous than almost any other monster.

Yet he had also said that fire was the best weapon against them, and she had that. As its jaws gaped for her head, she thrust her good arm forward. Her fingers clamped onto its face, and she threw the last of her magicka into her spell. A great gout of fire burst from her hand, and she felt its flesh burn away, till there was nothing but bone under the fingers.

Digging her fingers into its empty eyesockets, she pushed the corpse aside with all of her might. The troll's body collapsed to the stones beside her, flames still licking from its head and shoulders. She stared at the bare skull of the monster for a moment, and breathed a sigh of relief. She was alive!

But she knew that could change in an instant. There was still another troll. Casting her eyes about, she saw it standing nearby, swatting at a human holding a pitchfork. Teresa imagined he must have been one of the hands from the nearby stable. As she watched, she saw the monster snap the man's makeshift weapon in two with one swat of its paws.

The stablehand turned and fled. The troll followed, but stopped a moment later. Its body jerked as if struck hard, and the feathered shaft of an arrow seemed to magically grow from one of its shoulders. Teresa noted that it was pointed at a downward angle, as if fired from a great height. The beast turned toward the city walls and leapt up and down. It shook its arms in the air as if in challenge, and let forth a bellow of fury.

Teresa took that time to clamber to her feet. She reached down for more of her magicka, but found she had none remaining. Her left arm hung limp and useless at her side, and she could not see where her dagger had fallen. Drawing her second blade with her right hand, she limped toward the creature. Her vision blurred around the edges, and it seemed as if the world had become a tunnel with the monster at the far end.

Every step was agony, but Teresa pushed her body forward, toward the unsuspecting beast. She had to kill it. No matter what. Then something Pappy had once said sprang into her mind. "…best of all is a stab up into the braincase. That is instant death." She knew that she could not grab the creature's head and pull it to one side as her guild commander had shown her. But she would just have to do the best she could.

She stepped up behind the troll, which was still fixated on something Teresa could not see. She raised her long parrying dagger and waited for it to hold still for a moment. Then her mithril blade flashed in the sunlight, and slid up to the crossbar in the monster's neck, blade pointed upward. The troll collapsed to the pavement like a puppet whose strings had been cut, and yanked the dagger from Teresa's hand as it fell.

Teresa felt a faint smile creep to her lips. Yet it was short-lived, as an instant later she felt something strike her hard in the chest. It felt like a mule had kicked her. She staggered under the force of the blow, yet managed to keep her feet.

Staring down, the wood elf discovered the feathered shaft of an arrow rising from the right side of her chest, angled sharply upward. How had that gotten there? She reached out and touched the brown and green fletchings of the arrow to reassure herself that she was not imagining it. Yet they felt quite real, as did the hard wooden shaft from which they sprouted. She coughed, and felt hot, salty-tasting liquid upon her lips.

Falling to one knee, she spat blood on the stones before her. With every breath she took, pain shot through her chest, competing with the agony of her shoulder. She struggled for air. Somehow it seemed as if it had grown thin, like at the top of a mountain. Then she felt herself collapse to the stones.

She fell on her side, and stared across the pavement of the Green Road. Before her was the body of a guardsman. His mail armor had been ripped apart, and his helmet tossed aside. His blood-soaked head lay bare upon the road, empty eyes staring back at Teresa. They did not blink once, nor did his chest rise or fall. He was silent and still as a statue.

Marius would rise no more.

The forester heard faint voices, as if from far away. Then a pigskin shoe planted itself in front of Teresa's face, and its twin followed a moment later. She felt herself being rolled onto her back, and her view swung to the blue sky above. A man clad in worn flax loomed overhead. She could see that his lips were moving, but she could not make out the words over the pounding of blood in her ears. A glance down showed the arrow still sprouting from her chest. Lying on her back, it now reminded her of a tree with brown and green leaves.

She struggled to catch her breath. It felt like the man was sitting on her chest, for no matter how deeply she tried to inhale, she just could not get enough air. Was she going to die here, without having the chance to give Simplicia her home, or being able to tell Tadrose how she felt?

She could not let that happen. She tried to rise, but her body refused to obey. Curling her fingers into a fist, she tried to focus on the symbol of her healing spell. Yet it was so hard to picture herself healthy and whole. Even after she had locked that image firmly in her mind, when she felt for her magicka, she found none left. She had used all of her energy in her attack on the troll.

Her fingers fell open. She tried to tell the human above her to go through her pouches for her potions. Some would heal, others would give her the magicka she needed to do it herself. But instead of words, she could only spit foaming blood.

Then another man came into view. He wore the shining mail of the city guard, and his olive-skinned features looked serious as he stared down at her. His hands wrapped around her, and she felt herself rising into the air. She wanted to scream as her shoulder exploded in agony, but nothing would come out. The world swam before her eyes, and everything went black.

Oh no! Shot by accident, or something more sinister? A gripping battle, I was on the edge of my chair. So sad to lose Marius. The Bravil guard is already short on good guys.

Now Teresa needs a new bow, a new cuirass, a new lung, and a new shoulder. Yikes, trolls. I wonder why they attacked so close to the city?

Well new cuirass I suspect I know the source of, bow... hmmm well I suspect I can guess what she wants, but will she get it?


Will this, coupled with my suspicion above, be a big enough half brick to get her to say something? Only time will tell though if my guess is correct she'll have plenty time to see Tadrose in the upcoming parts.

More generally, and taking a step back, wow! I didn't see that coming, there's ways to make your characters seem less godlike and throw the reader off balance and you certainly managed that. Just when things were going along nicely a massive spanner in the works to cange everything and keep it fresh before I'd detected any staleness. Excellent bit of writing there (as usual). I didn't expect Marius either. A cliffhanger with an unexpected result.

I'm interested to see how you do healing in TF. Very interested actually.

What an intense fight! Fast and overwhelming, as such fights usually are (I've fought enough mean dogs to know). Your description of her injuries sound pretty accurate for the most part, though I would expect more internal damage from the shoulder wound if that troll shook her. Still, it was pretty darn good writing!

Oh, she got hit by friendly fire! It was the first thing that crossed my mind as she was limping toward the last troll. *No, you'll just get shot!* Still gotta give Teresa credit for being so determined to kill that fetcher herself.

And I find myself saddened - deeply so - by the death of Marius. It was a shock, like Olen said.

Now I wonder why trolls are coming so close to the city walls?

Wow. Just wow. I could visualize every bloody, fiery painful moment!

'Teresa thought of running again, but that would leave Marius alone in hand-to-hand combat against both trolls. She could not allow that to happen.'
Exactly. I find fights where one is tied to an ally (or precious black mare) to be the most dangerous. Otherwise, our characters could run (or disappear in Buffy's case). It does show us what Teresa is made of though - and she is of impressive stuff indeed. Very important passage.

That was certainly some fine bow and dagger work by Teresa. Blocking cost her bow but saved her life. And I'm so glad she remembered Pappy's dagger lessons!

'Then a pigskin shoe planted itself in front of Teresa's face, and its twin followed a moment later.'
This was simply brilliant in helping us visualize Teresa's perspective with perfect clarity. A superb little passage.

Unless I'm mistaken, this may be Teresa's first near death lights out experience. Not surprisingly, her thoughts turn to Simplica and Tadrose. Just as her refusal to abandon Marius, this again shows us Teresa's character and priorities.

In such a short time, you have made us care enough for Marius that his loss is painful. That is some fine development of a supporting character given how little we knew of him!

I too am curious about the high angle arrows. Especially the second one. From the city walls or towers perhaps?

Well, whereever we were headed is now on hold for some serious healing and fixing.

Chapter 34.1
Woohoo! TOA!

Teresa has been dwelling on Tadrose quite a bit in this chapter so far. I think she’s going to find out how receptive Tadrose is pretty soon.

That is when she noticed that the rain had stopped. The clouds opened, and the rays of Magnus streamed forth to create a rainbow in the sky above the surface of the water. With more than a faint smile, the wood elf stepped into the lake and began to swim.
Nice imagery

Chapter 34.2
Oh those pesky guards getting all worked up over citizens swimming into the city or jumping off of bridges. That’s not questionable behavior at all. lol.

I had a feeling when this section started that the tournament wasn’t going to be Teresa’s idea, BUT not that Pappy had her signed up when she wasn’t even in town! Oh Teresa’s reaction is just great! My head would swim too that’s for sure if I were in her position!

Teresa’s been watching Tadrose a bit too closely for it to go unnoticed I’d say. I wonder about the subject of this conversation.

Chapter 34.3
Tadrose tried to put some confidence in Teresa, but Teresa’s mind wasn’t on the tournament.

Chapter 34.4
Meeting a contestant. Neat description of Valenwood.
Typical of Teresa. She’s as bad as a teenage boy!:lol:

37.1

Teresa displays an excellent tactical sense in her handling of the trolls, at least until she fell down. All those training sessions bear fruit once again. I thought the best part of this chapter was the common sense she showed in knowing when to turn tail and get the ‘blivion out of there. I guess Pappy was right when he told her that she had more sense than most.

37.2

The second part of her fight against the trolls more than lived up to the promise of the first part. The description of what it is to be bitten by a troll was vivid and spot on. I wondered if she would remember her capacity to cast spells in her adrenaline laced panic. I was so glad when she started to pan sear that troll that I started cheering at my screen.

*Note to self: Massive cheering in earshot of others is NOT recommended.*

Then you had to kill the mood by showing Marius’ body to me. What the hell happened??? Usually a city guard is more than a match for any troll one on one. If this was your way of showing us that the trolls in the TF are no joke, then congratulations . . . it is duly noted.

Now I am left asking what if. What if Teresa had taken Marius’ warning more seriously and taken another path? What if she had decided to walk around the stables to go visit Silverbridge? I know that these questions will plague Teresa when she finally regains consciousness, but none of that will do Marius any good.

What are the lessons learned here, Teresa? Potions sitting in the bag don’t do a damn bit of good! And I think it’s high time you looked into ON TARGET spells . . . and maybe a good shield!

Grits: The reason for those trolls being so close to the city is part of a story arc I began several chapters ago, and has been slowly building. It will take a while, but what is going on will eventually be clear.


Olen: I am glad this all came as a shock. I was hoping this chapter would be a powerful one.


haute ecole rider: I am glad you saw that last arrow coming. I was hoping to foreshadow it when I showed the troll being shot by an arrow coming from the direction of the walls.


Acadian: Teresa came close to being killed during the Oblivion Crisis in Jensine's shop, but not this close! This is indeed the first time she has been hurt so badly she lost consciousness.

Now you see why I did not want to use Gladius, Gaius, or Caccian rather than Marius! I have been planning this ever since I introduced the character, way back when Teresa first walked into Bravil and saw him standing guard at the bridge.


King Coin: Well, Teresa is a teenage girl after all! She turns 19 in a few months. So her hormones are definitely often in charge!


Destri Melarg: I did want trolls to seem like a real threat. But if you are low level and lack magic items, they still are in the game. One of them nearly killed my latest character yesterday, who was only level 6, and had no magic weapons or armor.

More than that though, Marius' death will fuel some rather unhappy character development for Teresa. And it is also meant to show that in the TF, good people are not immune from having very bad things happen to them. We haven't seen one of the good guys die since Bruma.

This event was actually one of the very few that happened to me in the game. The only major difference was that there was only 1 troll in the game, and Teresa did not get shot by the city guard at the end. But it did kill the guard at the front gate, and chase Antoine away as well.


Previously On Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa was badly mauled by a troll, and then shot by the city guard (perhaps by accident? perhaps on purpose?). Her guardsman friend Marius Helvius was killed in the battle as well, and Teresa lost consciousness as another guard filled her vision. Next up, we find Tadrose Helas having lunch, oblivious to the life or death struggle that has just taken place.


Chapter 37.3 – Redemption

Tadrose smoothed down the back of her skirt and sat down. Leaning back against the planks of the wooden bench, she lifted one of her legs and draped it over the other at the knee. Reaching into the small bag she had brought with her, the dark elf drew forth one of Nilawen's wraps. Taking a bite of the juicy chicken shawarma within, she savored the spicy taste of the Redguard-styled pita sandwich.

The shouts of children brought her head up. She stared across Lady Square to the pack of youngsters that raced around the statue of the Lucky Old Lady. They were playing a game of Breton Bulldogs, and a tow-headed Nord appeared to be the first dog in the center of the square. As Tadrose watched, the other children all ran past him to the opposite side of the square. Yet the Nord was able to tag a slow Breton during the race, who then joined him as the second bulldog.

As always, her eyes fell upon one of the three Dunmer girls in the group. Tadrose watched with rapt attention as the ten-year old laughed and raced with the others. A smile as faint as any of Teresa's graced the armorer's lips, and she felt her heart fill with a warmth that was only matched by the deep sense of longing that always accompanied it.

All the others might know that little girl as Seryne, and indeed, she only knew herself by that name. But she would always be Sere to Tadrose. She would always be her daughter of love and peace.

But Sere was a name for another time, and another world, Tadrose thought. Along with names like Tyrela, and Indoril. They had no place here, thank Mara. At least in Bravil her baby girl would grow up never knowing the murderous politics of Morrowind's Great Houses. She could be an ordinary girl, and grow up to lead a quiet life. Hopefully it would be filled with a love of her own, and a family to surround her.

The pounding of feet and jingle of steel rings pulled Tadrose's eyes from the children. Looking back along Lady Street, she saw a city guardsman racing in her direction. The tall Nibenean's shield had been discarded, and he carried a woman cradled in his arms. She wore brown leather armor that had been torn to shreds at one shoulder, as were the flesh and bone underneath. The green and brown feathers of a city guard arrow sprouted from the woman's stomach, and the Nibenean was forced to hold her awkwardly, lest the missile press against his own body. There was blood everywhere, on the woman, the guardsman, and in a trail behind him.

It was not the torn armor, blood, or arrow that made Tadrose's heart lurch however. It was the hair of the injured woman. For it was a brilliant shade of red. The kind that only came from henna.

Teresa!

The shawarma wrap fell from her nerveless fingers as Tadrose leapt from the bench. She thanked Mara that she was wearing a short skirt as she sped after the guardsman. Those long gowns the Imperials loved so much were impossible to run in. The crowds along the street parted for the guardsman and his charge, and she quickly closed the gap between them. She was about to call out to the soldier, when she saw the towering spire of the Benevolence of Mara before them.

He's taking her to the chapel for healing, Tadrose realized. Once again she thanked the goddess. She came alongside of the pair and got her first good look at the injured woman's face. It was indeed Teresa. Her eyes were shut, and Tadrose prayed that she was only unconscious, and not worse.

Please Mara - Tadrose fought the tears from her eyes - do not let them take her away as well.

As much as she wanted to reach out and pull the wood elf from the guardsman's arms, Tadrose steeled herself not to. While the woman inside of her might cry out to touch Teresa for what might be the last time, the fighter in her knew better than to interfere. If anything, that would only injure Teresa more.

Instead she ground her teeth together and set her eyes ahead. Focus on what you have to do, Tadrose told herself, precious little as that was. Putting all of her energy into her legs, she raced ahead of the Nibenean and his charge. Taking the chapel steps two at a time, she bounded to the massive oak doors at the entrance and pulled them apart.

The guardsman clanked through the open doors a moment later. Tadrose followed him into the soft light within the basilica. To either side was a row of columns, while directly ahead lay the apse. A half dome rose up high there, inset with a pebble mosaic of the Mother Goddess in the classic pose of her holding two cords knotted together. Beneath lay the great hexagonal altar, draped in red velvet, and holding a golden chalice.

Men and women of all races could be found within the chapel, dressed in everything from shining brocade to threadbare flax. All turned to stare at the dramatic entrance, and many faces blossomed with the same horror that Tadrose fought within herself.

"Great Mother!" a voice rang out from within one of the arcades. A moment later a buxom Nord wearing a worn linen dress appeared after it. Sparing only the quickest of glances at the newcomers, she raced away down one aisle, waving a hand for them to follow. "Quickly, to the infirmary!"

Olava, Tadrose thought as she fell into line after the guardsman. Thank Mara it was her. The only better healer in the benevolence was Marz. Now if only the Argonian was there as well, Teresa might still have a chance…

Olava led them from the main hall to a long, narrow chamber that nearly ran the length of the basilica. A line of windows filled the room with sunlight and fresh, cool air. Between each aperture was a bed, most of which were empty. A quick glance revealed an orc with his chest bandaged, a sleeping Khajiit, and a Nord holding up his foot for a seated Argonian.

But Olava did not motion them to the beds of the ward. Instead she ushered them into a smaller side chamber that was lit by brilliant glowstones. There the guardsman laid Teresa down upon a table in the center of the room and stepped back. There were several smaller tables and cupboards around the walls of the room, containing things such as basins of water, potion bottles, bandages, shears, and knives.

Olava was beside the injured wood elf a moment later, and pressed both of her hands upon Teresa's cheeks. Closing her eyes, the living saint breathed deeply in and out. A white glow sprang from her fingers and spread across not only her body, but Teresa's as well.

"Come on Teresa, breathe with me," Tadrose heard the Nord priestess murmur. "In and out, you can do it."

The forester's torso rose sharply toward the ceiling, and the sound of her gasping for breath filled the room. Olava moved one hand down over Teresa's chest, and as if just from her touch, it settled into a gentle rhythm of inhalation and exhalation.

Tadrose bit her lip, and instantly thought of all the times she had seen Teresa do exactly the same thing. She was always so beautiful when she did that, the armorer thought. So innocent and awkward, and unbelievably captivating.

Another priestess darted into the room, a young Colovian wearing the white robes of the goddess. "Bring Marz," Olava instantly told the newcomer. As the girl darted back out the door, the living saint turned to Tadrose and the guardsman. "You two have to leave. You'll only get in the way. Don't you worry, she's breathing well now."

Tadrose knew she should do as the healer bade her. Yet her feet had become stones set into the floor. All she could see was Teresa, her ivory skin now splashed crimson. It was not until a scaled hand laid itself upon her shoulder, and an Argonian face interposed itself between her and the wood elf, that Tadrose was able to tear herself away.

"Go now," Marz said softly, in that raspy voice of all the lizard folk. "You have done your part. Now let us do ours. We will take good care of your friend."

Tadrose stumbled back into the ward. She realized that her face was wet, and raised her fingers to find tears streaking her cheeks. Furiously wiping them away, she forced her vice-commander's face across her features. She would not show her feelings to anyone else, she vowed. She was better than that, stronger than that. Yet inside, her heart was a bottomless pit.

Please Mother Mara, she prayed, don't let it be like Bruma. Not again, not with Teresa.

Absolutely awesome!

When I'm writing from a single POV, I've always struggled with how to write events that occur beyond the protagonist's ken. When my characters are disabled, unconscious, or otherwise out of the storyline temporarily, how to continue narrating the events? When the entire story is a single POV, I've hated to introduce a second POV. But you've already done so with Simplicia and (be still, my beating heart!) Volsinius.It's about high time you did it for Tadrose, and what a time to do it in!

It's great to see some things revealed about Tadrose. She has a child, yet she can't be that child's mother. She suffered while in Morrowind, and came to Cyrodiil to escape the intrigue there. It adds some serious depth to an already deep character. That she has feelings of some sort for Teresa is of no surprise. Just how deep those feelings go, and which way they run, remain to be seen.

The adrenaline and emotions here are just exciting and enthralling as the troll combat in just the last two posts. Tadrose really showed her colors as a fighter, opening the doors for the guardsman carrying Teresa.

Ahh, the guardsman. Wonder who he is? Is he one of the remaining 'good' guardsmen left in Bravil? Or one of the corrupt ones? Hmm . . .

Another powerful part in what's becoming a defining chapter. Powerful indeed.

The change of PoV worked well. I had wondered if we would have Teresa wake up a time later, but given the freedom the medium of posting online offers I should have known you'd take every bit of this oppertunity. The glimpse of Tadrose's history worked well without revealing much. We knew she's left Morrowind with no desire to return, and the rather exciting politics there seemed a likely reason. But this daughter... she could be Tadrose's, she's the right age if Tadrose had fled with her on the way or newborn. But then what made her give her up? Much more depth and mystery revealed.

The surprise was very well written and the subsequent section tight and fast paced. It certainly drew me in. The section changes and freshens the way it's written with the different PoV and less well known character in much the same way its events have shaken the plot.

As for whether Tadrose feels anything. The answer is yes. I think those feelings run towards romance, but I'm not sure she realises it. Why could be a whole other question.

You've certainly thckened the plot in this chapter, it's like adding narrative cornflour.

Old business: Ah, I see now. As much as I will miss Marius, I thank you for sparing Gladius, Gaius and Caccian - for they still have chores to do in BF!


And now, a masterfully done POV change. I agree that it was very effective here and what better vessel to report events during Teresa's unconsciousness than Tadrose?

You painted a wonderfully serene yet mysterious picture as Tadrose contemplated her own daughter. Then it was shattered as the nature of what the guardsman carried dawned on Tadrose.

I'm so glad that Olava and Marz were in the chapel!

'Tadrose bit her lip, and instantly thought of all the times she had seen Teresa do exactly the same thing. She was always so beautiful when she did that, the armorer thought. So innocent and awkward, and unbelievably captivating.'
I'm sure you had more than a faint smile on your face as you wrote this! And so we come full circle as Tadrose echoes the same thoughts that Nerussa did so long ago during a beautiful Weye morning. You have also removed 90% of my doubt regarding Tadrose's feeling for Teresa. The 10% that remains stems partially from the Dunmer's unknown age. For all we know, her affection for the young wood elf could be maternal - although, like Teresa, I would like to believe Tadrose's interest involves areas well below her heart. The other concern I have is that Tadrose may be paralyzed by a fear of believing anything she loves will be lost (daughter, guild mates at Bruma, perhaps other lost loves?).

Nit: "Come on Teresa, breathe with me," Tadrose heart the Nord priestess murmur. "In and out, you can do it."
You'll want to replace 'heart' with 'heard' here of course.

Oh, I love how you showed us this episode through Tadrose’s smoldering eyes! Her reluctance to pounce on Teresa is now forgivable. It seems that she has sacrificed her old life for her child’s safety, and that makes me wonder if her past issues might somehow endanger Teresa. Plus she would have to decide what to say about Sere, or decide to not tell/lie about her. Then there’s the whole opening her heart after Bruma issue.

I do wonder a little about the age difference between Tadrose and Teresa, and between Teresa and Sere. Nineteen is nearly twice the age of Tadrose’s daughter, but is also only nine years older, not long in elf years. Then again, if Tadrose has not raised a child, nineteen might not seem so young to her. I think letting us know some things about Tadrose that Teresa doesn’t know will add a delicious layer to their interactions.

A powerful and very moving episode.

Turns out that the ton of bricks wasn’t needed. All it took was a troll and an arrow! I agree with what everyone else said about the change in POV. I was also surprised to hear of this daughter that Tadrose watches with such longing. To be in the constant vicinity of a cherished child that you cannot even acknowledge must be the very heart of torture. I can only imagine the depths of strength and will that keep her from shouting the truth from the spire of Mara’s Chapel. I get the impression that she is protecting Seryne. Given what we know about the Dunmer Great Houses and their willingness to employ the Morag Tong for any number of offenses, it isn’t hard to read between the lines.

I find myself breathing easier after this chapter. With both Olava and Marz in the room, Teresa couldn’t be in better hands.

If you think that life's predictable
With storylines as straight as can be
You mistake life with fable
Or the trunk of a tall tree

If you think that love's unavailable
And destiny's passed you - See,
You mistake love's dark sable
which hides what's in store for thee

Life runs in directions you'll not foresee
Love comes, ready or not, for thee
Even while death life nearly does miss
Even there, you may be awakened with a kiss -

So now wake to life and love, sweet miss
And feel the unforgettable texture of this kiss
And hear the chuckle of Cupid's surprise
For each day's a mystery after sun doth rise.

haute ecole rider: I was originally going to write this entire chapter from the pov of Teresa, but once I started writing the middle scenes, I realized they would work better from the pov of Tadrose. I have been planning to write something from her pov for some time now. It was just a question of what. So this was perfect. As you said, it was about time.

One of the reasons I do not write first person is that you cannot change pov characters. You are stuck with the one, and that is it. I saw a piece over at the Beth forums where someone tried telling a first person story from multiple povs, but it was very confusing, even with the pov character's name at the start of every scene.

Of course the advantage of writing first person is that you can use the word "I", which gives you a much greater amount of intimacy with your character. I have spent a lot of time wrestling with trying to bring a similar level of intimacy to my characters with the limitation of third person pov.


Olen: There will be more about Tadrose's daughter eventually, and why she left Morrowind. It will probably all have to come from her own thoughts, like in the last segment, because I doubt she would even tell any of it to Teresa, let alone anyone else. That was one of my prime reasons for switching to Tadrose's pov here. The other of course being that I wanted to show Teresa from an outsider's pov while she was unconscious and makes her initial recovery (which is next).


Acadian: You said a long time ago that I said that if you are going to change pov characters, make it worthwhile. I cannot remember if I really did say it, but I am happy to take the credit anyway, because I do agree! This was one of those times it was definitely worth it, given the things can only come out from Tadrose's thoughts.

Tadrose's age is a good point you bring up. It is something I wrestled with initially, because I did not want her to be too old, yet still old enough to have a half-grown child. She was born on the 9th of Hearth Fire (September) 3E404, that makes her just turned 29. Teresa herself will turn 19 in Evening Star (December).

Oh, and we will learn the identity of Teresa' saviour this coming episode.

Grits: Like I said to Acadian, the age differences is something I spent a lot of time working on. I was originally going to make Tadrose even younger, around 26, but after further reflection a decade does not seem like much for elves. After all, a 20 year old elf and an 80 year old probably look exactly the same. I think to them the levels of maturity individuals possess would be the more important thing. Thanks to Teresa's life on the street, maturity has always been something she had had no shortage of, in spite of her inexperience with the world.


Destri Melarg: Don't put those bricks down just yet! The following episode will show that someone else might need them. I agree that it must be brutal for Tadrose to stand by while someone else raises her daughter. Her only consolation is that her child is truly safer, and better off that way. Plus she has had ten years to come to terms with it. In the game other NPCs remark that Tadrose is a serious workaholic, working relentlessly for her guild. I sat down to try to think of what would make her turn to work to escape from life, and this just sprang up.

You are not far off the mark in thinking of the Tong. Although in Tadrose's case it was being handled in the House itself. This was actually partially inspired by a movie I saw set in Victorian England, where a poor wetnurse switched her daughter with that of a wealthy socialite. Her motivation being so that her daughter would not grow up in the slums, with no future.


D.Foxy: Thank you Fox. We will see next episode if Teresa awakes with a kiss or not.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: Our last episode saw a switch to the point of view of Tadrose Helas, who watched the girl who is secretly her daughter play with the other children while having lunch. Her meal was interrupted by a city guardsman rushing a critically wounded Teresa to the Benevolence of Mara, and he led the way for him into the chapel, where Olava the Fair and Marz took charge of healing out wounded forester. Next we remain in Tadrose's pov as Teresa awakes. This episode it a little longer than I would like, but there was no good place to break it into equal pieces.


Chapter 37.4 – Redemption

"Tadrose?"

The vice-commander's eyes sprang open at the sound of Teresa's voice. Failing to stifle the yawn that escaped from her lips, the Dunmer could not keep from stretching her limbs as well. How long had she been asleep? Too long, if the soreness in her neck had anything to say about it. Straightening up in her chair, Tadrose turned to look at the wood elf laying in the bed beside her.

Teresa's emerald green eyes were open now, and she turned her head one way and another as she took in the ward room. A moment later the forester rose to a sitting position, causing the sheet that had covered her to fall into her lap. Her skin was bare in the morning air, exposing not only her small breasts, but firm muscle as well. There did not seem to be an ounce of fat upon the wood elf's frame. Her cheeks were gaunt, and the lines of her ribs were plainly visible. Her left shoulder was completely encircled by angry red scars, and a large, round scar now graced her right breast as well.

But at least she was not only awake, Tadrose thought, but moving. That was so much better than how she had lain silent and still for the last day, skin as cold and white as snow.

"Teresa!" Tadrose smiled. "I am sorry, I must have nodded off. How are you feeling?"

"Tired, and hungry," the wood elf replied. Her words were a dull monotone, and her eyes were as barren of feeling as a desert. She looked down at her naked frame, eyes lingering over the new scars. Fingers tracing the scars that covered her shoulder, she cautiously moved her arm.

Tadrose was relieved to see that her left arm appeared as healthy as ever, as the forester turned it this way and that. She was just as thankful to see not a trace of pain on the other elf's features. In fact, she saw no emotion in Teresa at all. Not even embarrassment from her nakedness.

"Marius?" Teresa asked, and now Tadrose wondered if she detected a rasp in the Bosmer's voice.

"He was beyond aid." The armorer shook her head slowly and stared at the floorboards. Then she lifted her eyes back to Teresa's and forced a smile to her lips. "You were very lucky yourself. If Gaius Prentus had not carried you here as quickly as he did, you would not have made it either."

"Maybe I shouldn't have…" Teresa mumbled. She stared down at her lap and sighed, and Tadrose felt her heart ache.

"Don't say things like that." Tadrose rose to her feet, and could not help but to momentarily reach out to touch the wood elf's fiery red hair. After realizing what she had done, she let her hands fall, and instead gathered the sheet and pulled it up over Teresa's chest.

She knew how close Teresa and Ancondil were. The last thing she wanted was to do was get in the way. They made an excellent couple after all, even if they kept it very discreet. Tadrose could understand the latter. Given the juvenile nature of some of the other guild members, their relationship would doubtlessly become the fodder for a great deal of jokes and teasing.

"How is our fighter today?" The harsh, rasping words caused both women to look up. Standing before them was an Argonian wearing the white robes of a priestess of Mara. Most of her scales were a soft shade of brown, that brightened to orange as they rose along her face, and finally created lines of gold that swept back over the top of her skull. Her only adornments were a handful of golden hoops that fell from her long, pointed ears. As with all Argonians, her face was an expressionless mask. "I am Marz. I am one of the priestesses who healed you."

"I have to use the pot," Teresa said bluntly, "and soon."

The priestesses ears lifted ever so slightly, but otherwise she showed no reaction to the wood elf's plain-spoken response. "That is normal. You have been unconscious since you were brought in yesterday. I will have one of our priestesses bring a pan for you to use shortly. If you can wait until then, I would like to look at you."

Before Teresa could answer, the Argonian stepped to the other side of the bed, and slid the sheet down from the wood elf's shoulder. "Can you move your arm?" she asked. "Does it cause you any pain?"

"No," Teresa said plainly as she lifted her left arm and twisted it one way and another. "It feels fine."

"Excellent," Marz said. "You were very lucky. If you had not been wearing your armor, your arm and shoulder would have been torn off. As it was, you suffered massive damage to your bones, muscles, and ligaments. Olava and I were not sure if we would be able to restore the full range of motion to your arm, if any at all."

Teresa said nothing. She simply stared at the palm of her left hand. Tadrose wondered what she might be thinking? Was it about how near she had come to being maimed? Or was it about Marius Helvius?

Marz continued with her examination, and stepped behind Teresa. "Breathe in deeply for me, then out again," she said, laying one ear on the elf's back.

Teresa did so, and Marz stepped back a moment later, nodding to herself.

"How long will she need to stay here," Tadrose asked.

"Well, she appears to have recovered very quickly." Marz said, looking first to Tadrose, then Teresa. "The direct harm has all been healed magically. However, you lost a great deal of blood, much of it into your lung. It appears we have drained the latter successfully though. Still, it will take your body some time to replace it. The same with your body's other nutrients."

"Other nutrients?" Teresa asked.

"Like natural healing, magical healing requires energy," the priestess explained. "Most of this is provided by the spell, but some must come from the injured person. You will note that you have lost nearly all of your body fat. Your tissues needed the energy stored within to regenerate. Now you will have to rebuild that. It is very important for you to do so. Your body is in a very precarious state right now."

"Drink a great deal of water and juice in the coming days, that will help replace the volume of blood you lost. Still, it will take weeks before your blood returns to its normal potency. During that time I also want to you eat more. Meat, bread, raisins, spinach, beans, and eggs will all help. Most of all rest. No exercising, and no fighting! If you become dizzy, just lie down for a while. Your body has been through a great deal, and will need time to recover."

"We will make sure she takes it slowly," Tadrose insisted, "and I am sure Gaius can find a way to put some more meat on her."

"I know you will," Marz said, looking from one elf to the other. "In that case, I see no reason for you to remain."

"Thank you Marz," Teresa said. "For all that you have done. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing at all," the Argonian replied. "As I am sure you recall, your guild does a great deal for our temple, so our assistance is free of charge. Although perhaps you might start coming to services on Sundas? Your vice-commander might enjoy not being the only member of your guild to do so."

Tadrose saw Teresa nod, and wondered what the wood elf was thinking. She had never known the other elf to show any interest in coming to the temple. Some even said that she was a Witch. The Dunmer never really saw what the difference was between the two, although the Imperials certainly did. Yet in many ways, she knew that Teresa was an Imperial at heart, thanks to her upbringing.

Tadrose made herself useful, and produced an extra set of clothing that she had brought for Teresa from the guild hall the night before. In the meantime the wood elf availed herself of a chamber pot, and then dressed with Tadrose's help. As the Dunmer's eyes lingered over the archer's too-lean frame, she had to fight the urge to do more than help her with her clothing.

Goddess, how strange it was to feel so for another after so many years! It had not been since Morrowind, when she had been Teresa's age. But she had been younger then, and foolish enough to let her feelings rule her body. Balen Dres had taught her the folly of that. Had that been only a decade ago? Sometimes it felt like a lifetime had passed since she had lived in Mournhold.

But Teresa was more an Imperial than an elf in any case, Tadrose told herself silently. She would not be interested in other women. Especially not considering her relationship with Ancondil. It was difficult to miss the amount of time she spent alone with the Orismer in his room, or that she had cooked meals for him when he returned to the guild hall late due to contracts. Then there were all the plays they had seen at The Globe together. Teresa had invited her as well, but it had never felt right to get in the way of the wood elf and orc. They obviously had a good relationship, and she did not want to cheat them out of any of their moments together.

So it was with a heart steeled against Teresa's charms that Tadrose led the other woman through the temple and into the streets of Bravil. She tried to make small talk with the forester, telling her how many people had come to visit her while she had been unconscious. Besides Ancondil and the other fighters, it seemed half the Mages Guild had visited as well, most notably Kud-Ei, Henantier, and Ardaline. Then there had been Ungarion from A Warlock's Luck, Gaius Prentus of the city guard, and an old man from Silverbridge named Decimus. Even the Lady Scaurus had just happened to appear in the temple and find her way to Teresa's bedside. Purely by coincidence of course.

Yet Teresa said nothing as Tadrose spoke. She simply stared directly ahead, eyes as empty as those of a doll. Not even Aia - who was waiting for the pair on the steps of the temple - could cheer her up. The three of them walked to the guild hall, and at Tadrose's suggestion they stopped at a Khajiit street vendor to eat hard tortilla shells piled high with refried beans and green vegetables.

Naturally Aia would not accompany them into the hall, in spite of Tadrose's invitation. She knew how much Teresa liked the beggar, and had hoped the aging Imperial would join them. Yet Aia clearly had a strange quirk about entering buildings, as Tadrose had never even seen her in one.

Teresa's return to the hall brought more fussing, with Ancondil's emerald frame the first of several to wrap themselves around the wood elf in a warm embrace. As always, Tadrose did her best to ignore the pang that cut through her heart whenever she saw the two of them together. She had no right to feel jealous after all, they had every right to be happy together.

In spite of the attention, or perhaps because of it, Teresa did not remain in the sitting room with the others for long. After only a few moments she walked out with nary a word, and ascended the steps to the second floor.

Tadrose traded a long look with Gaius. Clearly, he had seen the same thing in Teresa that she had. After Bruma, they had both possessed that same empty, unfocused look in their eyes that the forester now had. Should she leave Teresa be? Tadrose wondered, or should she follow?

Tadrose found herself biting her lip. That only reminded her of Teresa, and without further thought, she also stepped from the room and made her way up the stairs. The second floor of the guild hall was lined with the doors of the fighter's individual sleeping chambers. While in the past few months a sense of raucous life had returned to the hallway, at the moment it felt just as lonely and dead as the day she had returned from Bruma.

Tadrose stopped at Teresa's door. A lifetime ago this had been Seridwe's room. As she knocked gently upon the door frame, the vice-commander could picture the high elf in her mind. Tall and slender, Seridwe had possessed a striking heart-shaped face and always the most impeccably styled blond hair. Tadrose half-expected the Altmer to answer as the unlatched door slowly glided open under her fingers. The armorer found Teresa sitting motionless on her bed, staring out the window, and imagined that she was not the only one seeing ghosts.

Like all of their quarters, Teresa's bedroom bore a simple rattan bed, along with an armoire, dresser, and a dressing table with a mirror. An arming rack against one wall held her leather armor, with the exception of her cuirass. Unlike most of the other rooms however, Teresa's was filled with potted plants. Short-stemmed aloe vera, purple cylamen, tall green snake plant, ivory sacred lotus, and soft blue flax all combined to form a miniature forest. A low case of cherrywood held numerous books, ranging in from subjects such as Arimer history and alchemy, to Juno Austenius' works and all five volumes of the unauthorized biography of Barenziah. Upon one wall hung an oil painting showing a breath-taking view of the Larsius river with the mountains in the background. Upon another was a portrait of Teresa and several of the other guild archers who had competed in the Tournament of Archers: Kurz, Lum, and Parwen.

"Reman for your thoughts," Tadrose said quietly, shutting the door behind her.

Teresa said nothing. The wood elf did not even look at her.

Tadrose sighed. It was worse than she had thought. Before she knew it, the armorer found herself sitting on the bed next to the archer. Laying one soft hand upon the younger woman's leg, the Dunmer studied her face intently.

"Talk to me Teresa," she finally said.

But the wood elf only shook her head, and continued to look away. Tadrose sighed. You could lead a guar to water, but you could not make it drink. She would just have to wait until the archer was ready to reach out to another person, and try to be there.

The vice-commander rose and stepped to the door. She had opened it and was stepping through when Teresa's voice stopped her.

"Did you ever make a mistake, that you just cannot make right?"

Tadrose stopped and shut the door in front of her. Turning around, she found that Teresa was now looking back at her.

"Yes," Tadrose said. She thought of Sere, who would never know who her true mother was, let alone her real name. "Yes I have. Did you make a mistake?"

"Marius is dead because of me." Teresa stared down at her hands.

"No," Tadrose was across the room in an instant. Taking the wood elf's pale fingers in her own, she caressed them gently. "That is not true Teresa. It is not your fault."

"Isn't it?" the wood elf's green eyes looked up at Tadrose. Where they were usually bright emerald sparks, now they were as dark and shadowed as the slopes of Red Mountain. "I led the trolls right to him. If I hadn't done that, if I hadn't ran away, he'd still be alive."

"Teresa, you did the right thing by withdrawing to the main gate." Tadrose sat down on the bed beside the forester once more. "In fact, that was a very smart decision on your part."

"Not for Marius," Teresa murmured.

"It is not your fault he was killed," Tadrose sighed. "He never should have been standing guard there alone. At any other city there are two fighters outside the main gate, two more just inside, and more within the gatehouse. This Count is too cheap to hire the men the city needs to protect it. That is why Marius is dead. Mara's blood, there wouldn't even be trolls right next to the city walls if they were doing their job! At any other city, the guard would be patrolling the area for at least a day's ride in all directions. This never should have happened, not anywhere. "

"I should have just stood my ground," Teresa said, as if she had not heard a word. "But I ran, like a coward. He was a good man Tadrose, and now he's dead because I was too afraid to fight."

"You are not a coward Teresa." Tadrose tapped one finger against the wood elf's forehead. "You are one of the bravest people I have ever met. Not many people could have done the things you have. Come up from the streets, compete in the tournament, and stand up for what is right like you do. How many people do you know that heal bears, or fight packs of smugglers? How many call out the city guard for being corrupt? How many willingly go into those Arimer sites, or wander the forest alone?"

"You are just saying that to try to make me feel better."

"I am saying it because it is true," Tadrose insisted. "What if you had not retreated to the city gate? Those four trolls would have killed you. What then? Do you think they would have just vanished into thin air? No, they would have gone west to Silverbridge. How many farmers do you think they would have killed? Ten, or fifty, or all of them? They cannot fight monsters like that. Or the trolls would have gone east, just like you did. They would have killed Marius just the same, and everyone in the stable to boot. I know you do not want to see it right now, but the fact is that what you did saved lives."

"Not Marius'."

"No, not his," Tadrose sighed. "Teresa, people die. That is just reality. We do as much as we can to prevent it, but we are not gods. We do not hold the fates of every living being in our hands. By Oblivion's fires, not even the gods can do that."

"You lived Teresa," Tadrose went on. "He did not. You are going to have to learn to forgive yourself for that."

"How?" Teresa nearly shouted, her eyes now watery with restrained tears. "Every time I close my eyes, I see his dead face staring back at me! I see the Emperor's. I see all those people from Jensine's shop. Everyone I've failed."

Tadrose slipped an arm around the wood elf and held her tight. "There are no easy answers Teresa. You just have to go on with your life, and remember that there are still things worth living for, still people who care for you. Someday you will be able to look back at the ones you have lost without feeling like you are now. Time is like a river. If you will let it, it will wash away the pain, and leave only the good memories."

It seems that Tadrose is just as blind as Teresa is!

The empty feeling Teresa is feeling is pretty much what I expected her to experience after her ordeal with the trolls and seeing Marius dead. One moment they're chatting without a care in the world, the next he's torn to pieces and she's not that far behind him. I'm trying to remember, so I have to ask - is this the first time Teresa lost a friend like this? I know what she went through during the Oblivion Crisis, but all of the people she had connected with in Jensine's shop survived, even brave Vols. So I can't remember another person that she had been on friendly terms with dying like that.

It is good that both Pappy and Tadrose had survived the horror that was Bruma - they recognized what she is going through right now, even if the others don't. I'm sure they will keep the other guildmates from overwhelming Teresa as she comes to terms with what happened and her role in the events. And Tadrose is right, it isn't her fault. But it doesn't change how she feels about the way things turned out.

Survivor's guilt, indeed. The fact that Marius would be grappling with the same emotions if he had lived and Teresa had died makes his death all the more moving.

Oops, I was completely wrong about Tadrose’s age. I thought she was about sixty or so, purely my own wrong assumption. I agree, nineteen would pretty much be the same as twenty-nine for an elf.

She knew how close Teresa and Ancondil were. The last thing she wanted was to do was get in the way. They made an excellent couple after all, even if they kept it very discreet.

Oh dear. I didn’t see that coming.

Teresa’s room sounds lovely. It’s sort of her first apartment.

At any other city, the guard would be patrolling the area for at least a day's ride in all directions. This never should have happened, not anywhere.

Aha! It goes all the way back to bad management at the top. I don’t think Teresa is going to just let this go. It’s sad to see her so disheartened. I hope she finds her spark again soon.

I second this.

Whatever her shortcomings when it comes to matters of the heart (Really Tadrose? Ancondil? ), Tadrose knows what she’s about in discussions of the warrior’s mentality. We can put that pile of bricks aside for the moment. I am glad that she is there for Teresa. Her presence should help the healing process as much as whatever Pappy pulls out of the larder. Teresa will be fat(ter) and smiling faintly again before you know it!

Careful what you say! We don't want to introduce Anorexia to Tamriel.

She'll be sleek, smooth and rounded, not fat.

Old business: Thanks for helping with Tadrose's age. I agree completely that a decade is nothing among elves.

I enjoyed that for one more episode here you lingered inside the mind of Tadrose. Your brief departure from Teresa's POV for these episodes has indeed been worth the readers' while! We now know a much bigger picture than either of the elves do.

I was heartened to learn that is was Gaius Prentus who swiftly carried Teresa to safety - he's one of the good ones. That helped to slightly soften the confirmation that of course Marius did not survive. I know his death will weigh heavily on Teresa for a long time, despite Tadrose's sage assessment of Teresa's tactical actions and choices.

I think the world of Ancondil and agree with Teresa that he would be a fine mate if her loins leaned in that direction. It was a surprise however to learn of Tadrose's perception and it explains much. Given that perception, I was half-expecting the Vice Commander to soundly rip into Ancondil for neglecting his elf. You accounted for that by ensuring our wonderful orc was first in line to hug Teresa upon her return. I expect Tadrose saw this as confirmation of her perceptions of a discrete romance between Ancondil and Teresa.

Nice touches regarding the heavy toll and aftermath of the successful massive healing effort by Marz and Olava.

'But Teresa was more an Imperial than an elf in any case, Tadrose told herself silently. She would not be interested in other women.'
Paired with an early passage where Tadrose attributes much of Teresa's behavior to being raised by an Imperial, this highlights how much she still has to learn about our wood elven Arimeric Imperial-raised young Witch. And we certainly now know that Tadrose is indeed attracted to Teresa; I view this as a significant milestone in your story.

Very good handling of how Teresa is beginning to deal with the aftermath of the troll tragedy.

Well I didn't see that coming. Ancondil, I suppose it makes sense though she might wonder at such discretionm especially living so close to them, but qually having decided it was the case it would stop her making any passes. It does rather suggest that it only needs proof that Teresa is not with Ancondil, or sufficent wine on either's part, for them to realise.

I wonder if you can drink while on magic...

You blended Teresa's survivor's guilt very well with Tadrose's thoughts into a part which had a lot of emotional character building in it. I agree that this would work far better from Tadrose's perspective, and clear up the exact nature of the confusion.

I suspect that confusion's time may be short though. There is rather a lot about Teresa Tadrose doesn't know if she's only heard some say Teresa is a witch. You're setting up an interesting section, especially with fighting ruled out for a while at least I can see a lot of intregue and character interaction. I look forward to it.

Ooh I caught up I caught up I caught up!

The latest installments are if anything even better than the ones I read before (which must be some sort of paradox, because how can you improve on perfection? ). I love reading Teresa making friends and... *cough cough* more than friends , in the Fighter's Guild. The forest is still where she's in her element, but she's getting more comfortable and confident and sociable outside of them as well, which I love seeing.

Also, Tadrose's pov is amazing and explains a lot about what's going on - previously I'd thought that Tadrose must know how Teresa felt but wasn't saying anything for some reason. Ah, two elves who are too unsure of themselves to see what's right in front of their noses - a match made in heaven! I look forward to see how this particular chain of misunderstandings plays out.

Another note: Simplicia the investigator was absolutely inspired, and I was alternating between grinning and holding my breath with suspense that whole chapter!

haute ecole rider: This was indeed the first time one of Teresa's friends died in front of her. There was the Emperor of course, but he was not a friend, but rather more of an icon. She knew Gelephor, who died in Jensine's shop, but he was not really a friend either. Just someone she knew.


Grits: I went back and edited things a bit to make Tadrose's age more clear, along with other things as well.

Goddess, how strange it was to feel so for another after so many years! It had not been since Morrowind, when she had been Teresa's age. But she had been younger then, and foolish enough to let her feelings rule her body. Balen Dres had taught her the folly of that. Had that been only a decade ago? Sometimes it felt like a lifetime had passed since she had lived in Mournhold.


Destri Melarg: You did not expect Tadrose's thought that Teresa and Ancondil are doing the mattress dance? Since you were not the only one, I went back and edited things a bit to show the reasons for Tadrose's faulty leap of logic.

The situation is actually one based on something that happened to me a long time ago. At the time I had a very close friendship with another woman. We spent a lot of time together, gave each other massages, spent hours on the phone almost ever night, etc... We never were lovers, but more than one person assumed that we were, including her husband. Of course I was the last person to learn what everyone else thought.


ghastley: Given what I have seen of most of the female body mods, eating disorders are already part of Tamriel. Not to mention breast implants.


Acadian: There is indeed a great deal Tadrose does not know about Teresa. Most of the events that have defined our stringy wood elf were away from Tadrose, and in many ways Teresa is just as close-mouthed about her private life as Tadrose is. The two of them have a long way to go if they will ever have a relationship.


Olen: Sufficient wine is often the culprit! Speaking of drinking, we will see some of that this coming episode.

Most people do not know about Teresa's religion. Teresa is still figuring it out herself. It was not until her throwdown with the city guard that she openly declared that she was a Witch. Before then, the only times she ever did anything Witchy was with other Witches, like Morcant and Aela. Plus the time she healed the bear, but Witchcraft is not the obvious conclusion for everyone to jump to there, although it would probably get some to start wondering.


Kazaera: Teresa and Tadrose, perfect for each other, and perfectly clueless. It is a lot of fun to write that almost, not quite, relationship. That chapter with Simplicia, Methredhel, and Vols was also a pure delight to write.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Tadrose brought Teresa back to the Fighters Guild, where they had a quiet talk about Teresa's feelings of guilt over the death of Marius. Next, we find Teresa looking for answers in all the wrong places.


Chapter 37.5 – Redemption

"That is enough of you twig!"

Strong hands shoved Teresa through the door of the Lonely Suitor Lodge. She stumbled along the porch of inn. Then the boards fell away under her feet, and the next thing she knew she was rolling across the cobblestones in front of the three-story dive.

She blinked her eyes when she finally came to a stop, and lifted her head from the street. Now who had put those stairs there? What a silly idea that had been. Thankfully her fall had not given her any bumps or bruises, at least none that she could feel through the haze of shein that fogged her brain.

Her legs felt wet however. Looking down upon herself, she found that she was still clutching a redware bottle of the cheap comberry wine. Half of it appeared to have drained out across her plainly-stitched leather trousers though. With widened eyes, she lifted the lip of the bottle so that no more of the precious shein could escape onto her clothing.

Sparing only a glance at the other revelers coming and going from the South Island inn, Teresa rose on unsteady feet and staggered away into the night. With one hand clutching the neck of the shein bottle, she used the other to brace herself against the walls of the buildings she passed by. The pedestrians she came upon along the way all gave her a wide berth, along with disgusted looks and muttered admonishments.

Then the hard stones of the street vanished from under her feet, and she felt grass beneath her instead. The sound of rushing water came to her ears, and she stumbled as the ground suddenly sloped under her toes. Tumbling down the embankment, she did not come to a stop until she was a dozen paces from the river that cut through the center of Bravil.

But she still had her bottle. That was all that really mattered. Lifting the red pottery to her lips, she poured a mouthful of the sour liquid down her throat. Setting down the nearly empty bottle beside her, she lay back and stared up at the stars overhead.

Each one was a hole rent in the fabric of Mundus, she knew, made by the Aedra who had created the world. They had not found it to be a place of beauty however, but rather an abomination. No, to them it was a mound of blood, gore, severed limbs, and mangled corpses. Nirn was nothing less than an abattoir of gods, a slaughterhouse that they had created themselves, of themselves. No wonder they had fled in horror.

Teresa wished that she could flee it as well. Yet the rotting flesh of Mundus held her tight. There would be no escape for her. She closed her eyes, and saw the dead face of Marius Helvius staring back at her.

"What is that you are drinking?" a voice floated through the darkness, "hemlock?"

Teresa opened her eyes. Looming above her was a city guardsman. Only unlike Marius, he still walked. She sat up, and found that it was not grass beneath her, but blackened dirt. It seemed as if it had been scorched by some great heat. Glancing about, she saw cheap, wood-framed houses looming to either side, and before them a wooden walkway connecting the homes to the docks below.

"Go away," Teresa growled. "I'm not in the mood for you."

"No, it looks more like you are in the mood to drown your sorrows." Instead of leaving, the guardsman sat down beside Teresa with a jingle of steel rings. He leaned down to sniff at the bottle sitting between them, and wrinkled his nose. "Only wine? Why not flin, or whiskey?"

"Because those taste like minotaur dreck." Teresa muttered. "Besides, you can't stay evenly plastered on whiskey."

"And you cannot on wine either I see," the guard countered wryly. "Do you have some place to go to sleep it off? You're just a few feet away from going for a permanent swim."

"I'm not as drunk as you think I am!" Teresa cried. She reached down for the bottle, and once again upended it over her mouth. "Not drunk enough at least."

"Enough for what?"

"To stop seeing him," Teresa mumbled. "Hey, shouldn't you be out protecting skooma dealers? Or other gangsters?"

"I have no better place to be than here," the man said. His hair seemed to be light, but his skin was darker than a Nord's ought to be. Still, it was night, so it was hard for her to be certain. Especially when his face kept swimming in and out of focus…

"You're not Gaius," Teresa said, "and you're not Marius. Marius is dead after all. So which one are you?"

"Cassius," the guardsman said. "Cassius Longinus, at your service."

"I'm-"

"Teresa, yes I know," the guardsman said, and the forester was now sure he was a Colovian. "Everyone in Bravil knows you."

"Do they know Marius Helvius?" Teresa said. "I knew him. I talked to him almost every day. But I didn't know him at all. I don't know if he had a family, or who his friends were. I don't know if he was even from Bravil. I didn't know a thing about him, and now he's dead because of me."

"Marius is dead to sure," Cassius said, "but not because of you. His fate was his to make, and he did exactly that."

"Spare me the sermon," Teresa spat. "I've heard it already. No flowery words will change the fact that he's rotting meat."

"Teresa, why do you think we join the guard?" Cassius asked. "Fame? fortune? adventure? No one ever finds those things under this surcoat. Even the ones in the skooma paychest are not rich. They just are not as poor as the rest of us."

"You just like to lord it over people, and push them around when they're down," Teresa murmured.

"If you look, you will find guardsmen like that," Cassius admitted. "But you will also find people who are dedicated to our community. Even the crooked ones are mostly just trying to make things better for their families. They've just lost the belief that they can make a difference is all."

"Marius wasn't in the moon-sugar paychest," Teresa said.

"No, he was not," Cassius said. "I knew Marius. I have seen many like him in my years. He came to Bravil for redemption, and you gave it to him this afternoon. I know that might sound ridiculous to you, but it is true."

Teresa stared at the guardsman. She squinted to see better, but it was of little help. She wished that the ground would stop spinning. It would be easier to focus on him if she was not fighting to keep from falling off it all the time.

"Marius came here a month before you did," the guard continued. "He never spoke much of his past, but I could see it all in his eyes. He was from the Imperial City. He had been there during the Oblivion Crisis. He lost his nerve then, and people died. He came here to set things right. With himself, if no one else."

"You see Teresa, no matter how far you run - how much of that you drink -you cannot escape from yourself." The guardsman pointed to the bottle of shein. "Marius found that out when he came here. So he dug in his heels, and he did what he knew was right. His spirit rests easy now, because by giving his life, he found himself again. In the end, that is the best anyone can ever hope for."

The guardsman rose to his feet. Staring up, Teresa saw that his towering frame seemed to glow against the backdrop of the stars. He was surrounded by a nimbus of energy, like those that sprouted from the Arimer star wells. When she looked in his eyes, she saw the stars themselves, tiny holes leading the way to Aetherius.

The wood elf shook her head violently. Looking back, she saw that Cassius was just an ordinary Colovian.

"Time to dig in your heels Teresa." His hand reached down to her, and she found herself reaching out to take it. The next thing she knew she was on her feet once more. She leaned against the guardsman, and smelled the mineral oil that protected the steel rings of his armor. "Come on, let's get you back to your guild hall. Tomorrow is a new day."

Julian is asking where in 'blivion was this Cassius Longinus when she was drunk and stoned in Bravil??????? She could have used a helping hand then, instead of the cold glare from Viera Lerus!

Very well written scene, and totally fitting of our redheaded Bosmer bowmer. Somehow I am not surprised to see her having this much trouble with Marius's death - after all, she had connected with him, and now he's dead. I can understand her logic, even when I know it's wrong.

And good on Cassius for taking the time to talk to her about Marius, to tell her a little bit more about him so that she can come to terms with his death. It still won't be easy, but it's no longer impossible, it seems.

This was beautifully done! Nothing good happens at the Star Wars Cantina Lonely Suitor Lodge as the dejected, rejected and ejected tipsy Teresa learned. You showed us her excess with the wine very well. Cassius was a lifesaver and his chat with Teresa was truly inspirational. I hope it sticks - or at least starts to. Wonderful background on Marius.

Nit: 'She reached down the bottle, and once again upended it over her mouth.'
I recommend inserting a 'for' after the word 'down'.

Oh dear, a bender. I’m sure her friends at the FG would have been happy to get her drunk, but I would expect Teresa to go off on her own this way.

Each one was a hole rent in the fabric of Mundus, she knew, made by the Aedra who had created the world. They had not found it to be a place of beauty however, but rather an abomination. No, to them it was a mound of blood, gore, severed limbs, and mangled corpses. Nirn was nothing less than an abattoir of gods, a slaughterhouse that they had created themselves, of themselves. No wonder they had fled in horror.

I found these thoughts very interesting. It’s how I think a Mythic Dawn cultist might view the world. Of course, I really hope that Teresa’s view changes again after the hangover wears off!

How natural that she would try to deal with loss this way, I think many can relate to it. I love that she had the talk from another guardsman. I hope she remembers it in the morning.

Nit: brace herself against the walls of the buildings

A lot of life's rituals are partly for the onlookers, and the ceremonial drunk to mark a passing is no different. Hopefully Teresa will feel she's completed it now, and move on to the next part - doing good in memory of Marius. Especially as she's found another guard in the plus column.

This segment was wonderfully written, and I thought that Cassius simply shined. But, and I admit that it might just be me, everything seemed a little rushed somehow. Maybe it was the brevity of Teresa’s ‘bender’, or the fact that it happens the very same night that strains credulity a little. Such benders are more the result of self-loathing than self-pity. And that kind of self-loathing is not fostered by a single event, but by a long train of perceived abuses. Wouldn’t the Teresa that we know and love distance herself from Bravil for a time? Wouldn’t she retreat into her beloved forest, away from any pitying eyes or ghosts dogging her steps?

I can see why she might be afraid to venture into those darkened woods so soon. And I can see how that might serve as another factor forcing her to seek solace in the bottle, but that wasn’t really dealt with here. I acknowledge that all of those things might still be in the offing, but for a character like Teresa turning to the bottle would be a last refuge . . . not a first. I understand if you didn't want to mine ground already well-tended by Julian’s time in Bravil. But ‘I was near death this afternoon; and borderline catatonic by nightfall. . . Damn I need a bottle!’ just doesn’t seem to fit.

haute ecole rider: We will find out just where Cassius was in this next episode.


Acadian: Nothing ever good ever happens at that cantina indeed! Teresa did indeed need that for, she must have drank it by accident.


Grits: I don't think the Mythic Dawn does see the world in such a grim light. Mankar Camoran claims that Mundus is Lorkhan's Daedric Realm, and that the Nine Divines are usurpers who overthrew him and took over for themselves. So I think that would mean refusing to acknowledge the Aedra's sacrifice in creating the world.

It is obviously the Aedric view, as they are the ones who fled in such a hurry as to rip holes in the fabric of reality. I expect it is more of an elven view than any other. The elves are said to hate Lorkhan for robbing them of their divinity. So on some level they apparently can remember or feel their connection to the Aedra who created the world (whom they and everyone else are really just little pieces broken off of). Humans appear to have no recollection of once being Aedra at all, and so easily accept Lorkhan.


ghastley: So that's where that ings went to! I think Teresa spilled it out with half of her shein bottle when she fell down the river embankment.


Destri Melarg: Teresa is usually not one to overindulge in wine, but this was indeed a special case for her. As you noted, she does not have her usual outlet for relieving stress (the forest). I would have liked to have put that in directly somewhere, but there just was not a place where it would naturally come out in the scene. It will be noted by another character in the next chapter however.

For most of this chapter, and the next, I have wanted to avoid showing too much of Teresa's internal thoughts. Instead I am hoping to convey them more with her actions, or inactions. My hope is that the combination of that and people's prior knowledge of Teresa will fill in all the blanks.


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa got drunk and thrown out of the Star Wars Cantina Lonely Suitor Lodge. Finding herself by the river in the center of town, she met a helpful guardsman named Cassius Longinus. From Cassius she learned a bit more about Marius, including that his death was a form of redemption. Next, in the final episode of this chapter, we find Teresa reliving a moment from her past.


Chapter 37.6 – Redemption

"I want to be a thief!" Teresa exclaimed, "just like the Grey Fox!"

Simplicia's face blossomed into an expression of horror before the young elf's eyes. With one hand, the old woman reached out and grabbed hold of her arm. Old she may have been, but there was still strength in the Imperial's fingers, and they dug painfully into the wood elf's skin.

"Don't you talk like that!" the beggar hissed. "It's that girl you met - Methredhel - she's the one filling you with crazy ideas like this isn't it?"

"I like Methredhel!" Teresa cried, "and I don't want to be a beggar! We can have everything we want, and live just like everyone else, if we just take it."

"And you'll end up in a prison cell," Simplicia declared, "or worse! You get those ideas out of your head right now little girl! Do you hear me! There are no rich thieves. Only dead ones!"

"But what about the ones that pay us to watch places?" Teresa said. "They have money."

"For how long?" Simplicia asked. "A few years? They think they're so smart, but they all end up the same."

"What about the Grey Fox?"

"The Grey Fox is a fairy tale," Simplicia sighed. "He's nothing but wishful thinking. Do you see some prince of thieves stealing from the rich folk and giving it to us poor ones? Imp dreck, that's what that is. You keep your head down Teresa, and stay out of trouble. Else trouble will find you, that is for sure!"

"But Simplicia I-"

A dark look from the old woman caused the words to evaporate in the young wood elf's throat. She felt much smaller than her four and a half feet as the Imperial stood up. Towering over her like the insulas to either side, Simplicia pulled Teresa to her feet and dragged her from the alley.

Without saying a word, the aging woman pulled her across Market Way to the arcade of shops that included Jensine's Good As New Merchandise and The Feed Bag. Cutting through an alley off the line of shops, they emerged upon Commerce Street. From there the old woman cut a path through the crowds to the Market Gate.

After making their way through the brooding stone gatehouse, they stepped back into the light of the sun outside the city walls. To the right the road wound away out of sight, curling around the hill upon which the Imperial City sat. Before them stood a bridge linking the city to another, smaller hill. There stood a fortress of dark stone, and it was to this that Simplicia dragged the young elf.

Teresa saw a line of gibbets standing beside the massive bronze gates of the prison. Hanging from them were half-a-dozen corpses in various stages of decomposition. Some were so rotten that she could not even tell what race they had been in life. As Teresa stared, a crow cawed out loudly, causing her jump. Turning, the wood elf found the bridge behind her lined with the dark birds, all of them seeming to look at her.

Simplicia shooed her hand at the crows, and they leapt to the sky with a chorus of guttural cries. She turned Teresa's head back to the corpses, and one final horror unveiled itself before the young elf's eyes. Rather than hanging from a noose, one figure was splayed out upon a cross. His hands were nailed to the crossbeam, and his feet to the vertical post. Naked, his legs were covered in urine and feces, and his skin buzzed with flies. As Teresa stared in shock, his head turned to her, and one eye opened to meet her own. His lips moved, but no sound came forth.

Teresa screamed, and buried her head in Simplicia's stomach. She felt the old woman's arms fall around her and hold her tight. In her ears came the sound of the old woman's voice. "Keep your head down and stay out of trouble cherry blossom, and this will never happen to you."

* * *

"Mother Mara, endowed with great compassion, endowed with foreknowledge, endowed with divine eye, endowed with love, affording protection to sentient beings, please come forth through the power of your great compassion. Oh Compassionate One, you who possess the wisdom of understanding, the love of compassion, the power of doing divine deeds, and of protecting in incomprehensible measure. Marius has passed from this world to the next. The light of this world has faded from his eyes. He has gone into the vast silence between death and birth. Be to him as his mother, and lead him to new life once more."

Teresa stared down as Olava's words faded into the wind. Then the pallbearers lowered Marius' body into his grave. He was swathed in white cloth from head to foot, but somehow the wood elf could still see his face looking back at her nonetheless. His empty eyes stared at her, just as they had the day before on the road.

Did you find your redemption Marius? Teresa wondered. Or did you find… nothingness? Was there a difference?

Teresa pulled her face away as the groundskeepers began shoveling dirt over the guardsman's corpse. The few people who had come for his funeral broke apart and began going their separate ways. Teresa was surprised at how few there were. Just two guardsmen - Gaius Prentus and another Teresa did not recognize - had attended. Then there was of course Teresa herself, Tadrose, Aia, and a Breton from the stables outside of the city. Teresa thought it might have been the same one she had seen trying to fight off one of the trolls the day before, until his pitchfork had been snapped in two. He may have been the same who had leaned over her just before she had fallen unconscious as well, but she could not remember for certain.

She had expected there to be at least more guardsmen. As one of the few honest ones, she had not imagined Marius to be popular. But she had at least thought there would have been a larger show of solidarity for one of their own. Could it be because of her? Teresa knew that she had made many enemies among the Bravil City Guard after her outburst in their headquarters the week before. Had they purposely stayed away because they knew Marius was her friend?

Teresa felt the strong hand of Tadrose on her back, leading her toward the Benevolence of Mara. Then the name on one of the headstones leapt out at Teresa, and she stopped. Taking a step closer, she went down on one knee in front of the stone marker to get a better look. It was old, and its stone face was chipped and weathered by the elements. But someone had placed fresh sunflowers upon the grave, and arranged them so that the morning sun lit up their orange-red petals with a flourish of color. A chill ran down her spine as Teresa saw it was indeed the name she thought, and she shivered in spite of herself.

It was the headstone of Cassius Longinus.

"What is it Teresa?" Aia's thin voice came from behind her. "Find something have you?"

"This man, I know him." Teresa rose and turned to her two companions. "I spoke with him last night."

"Teresa, you had a lot to drink last night," Tadrose said. "You know you shouldn't have, after losing so much blood."

"Aye," the old Imperial agreed. "Long in his resting place is..." Aia's voice trailed off as she stared down at the headstone. A strange look came over her face, which Teresa could not read. Then the beggar looked away, and without a word she hastily made her way to the entrance of the cemetery.

"What was that all about?" Tadrose blinked as she stared at the beggar's receding back. "All she did was look down at the headstone."

Teresa watched Aia exit the graveyard, and vanish into the traffic on Chapel Way. Then she saw a flash of auburn hair out of the corner of her eye, and the forester sprinted to catch up with Olava as she ascended the back steps of the Benevolence of Mara. Unlike her usual simple homespun attire, today the living saint of Bravil wore white robes of silk, belted around her waist with cloth of gold.

"Olava!" Teresa cried. The Nord turned her ruddy features to face Teresa, and she saw that the usual cheer was vacant from the priestess' eyes.

"Teresa." The forester could see that the smile which crested the living saint's face was forced, as its joy did not reach her eyes. "I hope you are well this day."

Teresa nodded. She did not have to tell Olava that she was not, no more than the living saint truly needed to ask. Yet the wood elf still understood the polite compassion that lay within the formality. At that moment Teresa realized the full enormity of Olava's position as not only a priestess, but also a living embodiment of the goddess. Her life was not one of simply assisting in the births of horses and presiding over harvest celebrations, or even of healing those in need. Rather she was the compassionate mother of the entire city, every moment of every day. How could she give so much of her heart, and still have any left for herself?

"I hope you are not taking Marius' death on your shoulders Teresa," Olava said. "He is with the goddess now, and one day she will lead him back to this world."

"I… I know," Teresa said, feeling a knot form in her throat. With an effort of will, she forced herself to continue. "There is a man buried near him. A guardsman. I was wondering if you knew him?"

"All of the city guard are buried in that one area." Olava said. "Who was it?"

"Cassius Longinus," Teresa said. "He was a Colovian. Tall, with blond hair."

"Well I know of him, if that is what you mean," Olava said. "Everyone in Bravil does. Or did at one time. He died thirty years ago."

"Teresa says that she saw him last night," Tadrose said quietly, so that her voice would not carry beyond the trio. "But she had been drinking."

"Teresa! You should know better than that!" Olava cried. To emphasize her words, she stabbed a finger into the wood elf's chest. "If you were not so big I would take you over my knee! You are in no condition for drinking. You need rest, and juice, not spirits!"

Teresa felt her face turn red. She felt as if she was ten years old again, and Simplicia had caught her helping Methredhel pick pockets.

"I did see him," the forester insisted. "I talked to him. He told me about Marius, and he helped me walk back to the guild hall."

"Where did you see him?" Olava asked, her brows now furrowing in thought.

"Over there." Teresa turned and pointed past the looming edifice of the Mages Guild. "It was on the South Isle, on the riverbank. You can't see it from here, but there's a line of houses near the water, just off the docks. There was an empty spot between them where I was sitting."

"That's where it happened alright," Olava murmured. "At least from what I have been told."

"Where what happened?" Tadrose asked.

"Where he died," Olava said, "along with Aia's family."

"Aia's what?" Teresa felt as if her eyes were ready to pop from their sockets.

"You didn't know?" Olava said. "I thought you did, with the way you spend so much time with her. But then she has never been able to talk about it…"

"What happened to them?" Tadrose asked.

"There was a fire late one night. No one knows what started it. Perhaps a candle was knocked over, or a curtain blew against a lamp, just an accident I am sure." Olava shrugged her shoulders. "Aia and her family were asleep inside. She was married then, and had three children, and a dog too. Cassius Longinus was the first guardsman on the scene, but by the time he got there, the entire building was up in flames. They say he stormed inside anyway and carried Aia out a few moments later. She was nearly unconscious from the smoke, and her family could not have been any better. Cassius went back inside, in spite of the neighbors trying to stop him. The entire place collapsed a moment later. No one survived."

"So that is why she won't go into buildings," Tadrose said quietly.

The next thing Teresa knew, the Dunmer's hand was clasped in her own. The wood elf took comfort from that, and held on tightly to the armorer. Poor Aia! How could she have gone on after that? Teresa wondered. How could anyone?

"Aye," Olava said. "She's not set foot inside a building since then. Not even the benevolence. I have to come out here to give her blessings. She puts flowers on Cassius' grave. Sometimes wild ones she gathers up from outside the North Gate, sometimes flowers she steals from other graves. We all pretend we don't notice that!"

"What about the house?" Teresa asked. "Did anyone ever rebuild there?"

"No," Olava shook her head. "No one will. People say that spot is haunted. They say on some nights you can still hear the flames, and the cracking of the timbers as they gave way. Sometimes they even say you can see them out of the corner of your eyes: Aia's family, and Cassius. But then when you look again, there is nothing there. Just ghost stories really."

"Maybe not all of them are stories it seems." Tadrose said, looking at Teresa.

The wood elf blinked. "You believe me?"

"If you say you spoke to him, then you spoke to him," Tadrose insisted. "What did he tell you?"

"He told me about Marius; why he came here, and what he died for." Teresa fought the lump that threatened to steal her voice. "He told me to dig in my heels, and do what I knew was right."


Note - Olava's prayer is a shortened version of a Buddhist funeral prayer.

Well, to the best of my knowledge, Julian never quite fell down the river embankment when she was deep in her cups (and skooma pipes). So no wonder she never met Cassius. This latest installment just adds further depth to Teresa's ability to sense the history of a place (I'm recalling how she can see the Arimer ruins at the height of their glory).

Loved how the story started with a memory of her childhood, and how it scared her off a life of thievery. That crucifixion is something I've missed from the game. If it's supposed to be medieval, I can understand, but the Empire has so many correlations with the old Roman Empire that I rather would see an occasional cross with a rotting corpse nailed to it during my wilderness adventures, or even outside the Arena.

I doubt the Mythic Dawn has a grim view of Tamriel. Remember that Camoran's Paradise is supposed to be a representation of what Tamriel would become under the rule of Dagon - beautiful on the surface, but wild and destructive underneath. If you speak to any of the ascended Immortals in Paradise, you'll hear bitterness and betrayal from them - for they expected something similar to our concept of heaven, and got something closer to Bosch's vision of hell. Just sayin'

At that moment Teresa realized the full enormity of Olava's position as not only a priestess, but also a living embodiment of the goddess. Her life was not one of simply assisting in the births of horses and presiding over harvest celebrations, or even of healing those in need. Rather she was the compassionate mother of the entire city, every moment of every day. How could she give so much of her heart, and still have any left for herself?

This struck a chord with me. It made me think of Simplicia and her daughter Teresa. I doubt that Simplicia tried to hold back part of her heart for herself.

It was wonderful to hear the background of Aia’s mystery, as well as the story of Cassius.

"On our next episode of Scared Straight: Imperial City Edition we fight mudcrabs, rats, and goblins as Simplicia leads us into the deep dark catacombs of the dungeons!"

I love what you did here! Redemption carries many layers. In addition to Teresa we have Marius, whose actions saving Teresa gave him a chance to atone for past failure. And Cassius, who is compelled to ‘save’ Teresa (who in turn is so close to Aia) on consecrated ground where he ‘failed’ to save Aia’s family so long ago. His words may very well have spared Teresa from sharing Aia’s fate. Now we can see how Teresa’s new understanding might lead her to bringing Aia the peace she so richly deserves. I am wondering if, having heard the briefest allusion to Tadrose's circumstance, we will see more coming from that strand? Beautiful.

Just out of curiosity, did anyone guess that Cassius was a ghost in episode 37.5? I tried to leave some hints, both in his knowledge of Marius (which he shouldn't have, after he said Marius never talked about his past) and especially when Teresa saw the stars in his eyes. I also did not want them to be too overt, so I tried to make it look like it might be Teresa's only drunken imaginings as well.

I had no idea!! Total surprise.

ETA: Your clues gave me an Aha! feeling, rather than a WTF moment. It was perfect.

I agree with Grits. Your clues were clear enough, but they only became apparent in hindsight.

Me three. It's the best kind of surprise, though.

Except for Looking back, she saw that Cassius was just an ordinary Colovian. I'd started to wonder, but that killed off my theory.

But I was also thinking this was a few days later, not so soon after the event, after Teresa had had more time brooding (and doing nothing much else to write about), so I'm easily confused.

By Mara, there is so much goodness stuffed into this episode!

The flashback to Simplicia was great and set the scene for the role that Aia would play in this episode. The hangings and crucifixion were powerful stimulants for Teresa to avoid a life of crime. And a very very early sighting of her raven spirit!

Marius’ funeral was sad. Who was there and who was not spoke volumes. The presence of Antoine the stable hand brought me a faint smile.

Cassius the ghost. Although I did note the stars in his eyes, I attributed it to Teresa’s drinking. What a magically wonderful twist!

’She did not have to tell Olava that she was not, no more than the living saint truly needed to ask. Yet the wood elf still understood the polite compassion that lay within the formality.’
This adds a beautiful richness to the simple exchange between Teresa and Olava.

You and I have discussed the backgrounds of both Aia and Cosmus (the two Bravilian beggars) and it was such a delight to finally see Aia's story on display!

I totally enjoyed both Olava’s and Teresa’s thoughts and feelings about our Goddess of Love.

I wanted to cheer when Tadrose basically said, “If Teresa said it, then it is true.”

Loved it all!

A fine couple of episodes to come back to. Sorry for the missed reply, RL ate me.

Hitting the bottle made sense, it shows that she's still human (bosmer? you know what I mean) in spite of her fame and power and that she has human reactions. It also ended about as would be expected given her weight, drinking habits and recent injury.

Except she got the talking to she needed, and given the source I doubt she'll ignore it. It was a good way to tie in Aia's background, as well as bringing a little more of the mystical into the story. When he said 'everyone in Bravil knows you' he certainly meant it!

The flashback at the start of 37.6 was good. I caught Simplicia's parenting to a tee, very strong lesson and well meant if possibly poorly thought through. I think more shadow facing might happen soon, and this carries on the theme of missing parents and some of Simplicia's less useful lessons needing unlearnt.

It's nice to see Olava maintaining her presance in the story, she's a good character. She seems to have considerable depth we haven't seen yet and I suspect she'll appear more whether it's planned or not. There was a lot in that section, makes me want to see what happens in the next.

SGM.

By the Golden Gaze of Akatosh, has it really been that long?

Guess so. Maybe I need to start praying for some Dragon's blessing before all time gets away from me.

I continue to see why Olava really is called the Living Saint of Bravil. Personally, I never interacted with her, since I spent so little time in that city, so it's nice to see some of the characters I don't spend much time with getting into the lime-light.

Speaking of Olava, I do have one large question: Why is Marius' funeral prayer offered to Mara?

I ask because I generally default to standard ElderScrolls lore unless otherwise cited in a particular work, and I haven't seen you fundamentally alter the nature of Arkay as the Patron Divine of the Dead, Funeral Rites, and Burial. Further, Teresa's experience in the Temple of Zenithar (Best Bank in Cyrodiil!) indicates that at least one order in the pantheon keeps operations going across the province, so why not another, particularly one with a steady demand for service. You've made the scale of the TF much bigger and more populous than the game's mechanics could support, so why not a larger Temple staff with a few priests for the other Divines' functions, or why not allow Olava to perform the rite in Arkay's Name?

I don't mean to contradict anything you happen to be making, but I'm a metaphysicist when I can afford the luxury, and the TF doubles as a useful commentary on the topic. Thus, when I read the passage, the conundrum rakes my brain until I can resolve it. I figure one of my above premises doesn't apply as I believe it should in this case, and I'd like to know which one (or which ones) need adjustment for this particular setting.

haute ecole rider: The occasional crucifixion by the gates, or outside the prison, would be a good touch. Especially of captured Mythic Dawn members after the main quest ends.


Grits: Olava has always been a challenging character to write, specifically because of her being a living saint. Exemplifying a deity in your day to day life is such a tall order to do, even just writing about it!


Destri Melarg: Scared Straight indeed! I was thinking of exactly that when I wrote the flashback. Don't forget those vampires under the city too!


ghastley: Have no worries, Teresa will still have plenty of more time to spend brooding in the following chapters.


Acadian: I thought you might recognize Antoine! He was the man with pitchfork during the battle with the troll, and the one who rolled Teresa over at the very end. But she has still never learned his name.

Thank you so much for collaborating with me on Aia's background. It was nice to finally be able to reveal what we had worked to create so long ago. I have plans to feature Cosmus in a few chapters as well.


Olen: I hate when RL does that. It has almost devoured me too in the last few weeks. Work has been a nightmare, and I have not been able to keep up with everything. I am glad someone picked up on the fact that while Simplicia's parenting was with the best of intentions, it did indeed fall short in many areas. Teresa has a lot of issues she has to overcome thanks to what Simplicia taught her. In fact, that is where her Shadow is rooted, although probably not in a way most will expect.


Captain Hammer: I know Akray is the funeral/death god in the official lore. I was originally going to write the funeral that way. But it just felt... alien. When I decided to write it as I did, with it being a prayer to Mara by Olava, it all felt natural. So I went with it.

There are a couple of reasons why. One is that Arkay never really felt right to me. There is an in-game book that says he was a mortal who Mara somehow elevated to godhood. But the creation tales all say there were eight divines, which is in opposition to that. The bigger reason is the way I have been emphasizing the element of reincarnation in the TF. IMHO, a single deity being the source of new life, and the receiver of old lives, fits the setting I have created much better. In this coming chapter Daenlin will give us the Valenwood view on it all, which is a lot more general, but reinforces the same pattern.

I suppose this means I demoted Arkay. But maybe I will find him a job somewhere else. To be honest, many of the ES gods feel artificial and forced to me. Stendarr never made sense to me. It was only when I tied Zenithar to banking that he finally began to work. Kynareth feels wrong to me too. As both goddess of the wild animals and of weather, she is sharing powers of both a sky deity and an earth deity, which shouldn't be happening. Also, I am more accustomed to seeing a male deity in both areas, such as Cernunnos as the Lord of the Wild Beasts, and any number of gods like Zeus or Thor as the sky god. Plus they also seem to be missing some of the generic archetypes, most notably a god of magic like Hermes, Hekate, or Odin. You would think that in such a magic-centric setting, they would have a magician's deity. Perhaps I will give Akray that job instead?


Previously on Teresa of the Faint Smile: In our last episode Teresa attended the funeral of Marius Helvius. Afterward she discovered that Cassius Longinus in fact died 30 years previously, after rescuing Aia from a burning building. The same fire killed him moments later, along with the rest of Aia's family. She has never set foot in a building since. Next, we find Teresa at the Fighters Guild nearly a week since she was attacked.


Chapter 38.1 – Ravenfeeder

25th - 26th Frostfall, 3E433

"So did you ever find out which one of the guards shot you?"

Teresa blinked, and looked up from her book. Staring across the sitting room, she saw Vincent, Chance, Ancondil, and Storm Tail sitting at one of the small, round tables that dotted the room. Each had a row of colored tiles stacked up before them. Teresa watched the quartet, wondering which of them had spoken. Then Chance tossed one of his tiles into a pile at the center of the table.

"Two of bamboos," he said.

"Hey, I've got a meld with that!" Vincent declared, scooping up the piece and laying it down with two other tiles of his own.

"No, I never did," Teresa finally said. Then she turned her face back down to the pages of Magic From The Sky.

"If someone shot me, I'd want to know." Now that she was paying attention, Teresa was sure it was Vincent who had spoken.

"I am certain it was an accident," Ancondil said. "The shot hit her just a moment after the last troll fell. It must have been fired while the beast was still standing."

"You'd think an archer would know better than to walk into a field of fire then," Vincent murmured. His voice was low, but not quiet enough for Teresa's elfin ears to miss.

Then Ancondil picked up a tile discarded by Storm-Tail. "Mahjong!" He declared, turning all of his tiles face up.

"Damn, he did it again," Vincent grumbled. "This game doesn't make any sense to me. Let's play whist instead."

"Mahjong is part of our guild's tradition," Storm-Tail finally spoke. "It has been so since the guild was created during the Potentate, when it was made up of the Tsaesci."

"Someone's been reading his History of the Fighters Guild again." Vincent rolled his eyes.

"Well, I think Ancondil must be at least half Tsaesci himself!" Chance declared with a laugh. "Otherwise how could he be so good at this crazy Akaviri game?"

"I assure you gentlemen, that I have no vampiric tendencies. Nor serpentine ones." Ancondil smiled. "The fact is I used to play this with Trayvon and my parents when I was a child."

"Hey, have you all seen the news?"

Now all five of the mercenaries looked up as Tavian burst in from the foyer. The brown-haired porter held a copy of the Black Horse Courier in one hand, which he furiously waved in the air.

Screenshot

"Well we can't see it with you waving it around like that now can we?" Chance said dryly.

"Is it Summerset?" Ancondil asked gravely. "Has something transpired?"

"No, this is even bigger!" the Imperial declared with wide eyes. "It's the Arena grand champion. He was killed in a match! There's a new champion!"

"Agronak was killed?" Vincent's eyes widened.

Chance whistled beside him. "Damn, I thought the Grey Prince was unbeatable. Who killed him, Akatosh?"

"No, it was Sulesa," Tavian set the broadsheet down upon the table, atop the scattered mahjong tiles. "She's the new grand champion now."

"Sulesa?" Storm-Tail responded. "This one did not think that one was such a skilled fighter. Was that one not defeated by the champion last year?"

"Hey, never count out a Redguard," Chance winked. "The Empire made that mistake with Cyrus too…"

"So how did she beat him?" Vincent leaned over the copy of the Black Horse Courier. "Did she come up with some new move?'

"No," Tavian said. "It sounds like he didn't even really fight. He just stood there and she cut him down."

"Suicide then?" Ancondil finally commented, and Teresa could see his eyebrow arch from across the room. "I do not keep appraised with the Arena, was this Agronak that troubled?"

"Who knows?" Chance said as he looked over the broadsheet. "The article doesn't mention why he didn't fight back. It says here that Sulesa has a challenger already though. Morghak gra-Durug."

"Was there not talk of that one and the Grey Prince being more than friends?" Storm Tail rasped.

"Yeah, I heard that too," Vincent said. "I'd like to see that match. I bet there won't be no quarter given there, no matter what the sponsors say."

Teresa rose from her couch and shut her book. She could not understand how they could take such relish in the Arena. Was there not already enough violence and death in the world already, that people had to kill one another for entertainment? She knew that only one in five matches actually ended in death, but even still, that was one in five pointless wastes of life.

If only Marius had one more chance, even just one chance in five.

The forester sighed and tucked her book under one arm. She did not want to hear any more about gladiators. She caught Ancondil's face out of the corner of her eye. The emerald giant seemed no more enthusiastic about the talk than her. The next thing Teresa knew, he was walking from the room with her.

"I was thinking I might take Glacier out for some exercise around the parade grounds," Ancondil said. "Perhaps you would care to join me? You have yet to meet my trusty four-legged companion."

Teresa thought about the parade grounds. The empty space had hosted the tournament. It also sat right beside the North Bridge, across the Green Road from Bay Roan Stables. Exactly where Marius had almost always stood on watch.

"Not this time," she said, trying to fight the lump forming in her throat.

"Very well then." Teresa could see the disappointment in the Orisimer's eyes as he turned to the front door of the guild hall. She knew that he was just trying to cheer her up. But what if she did not want to be cheered?

"Teresa!" The voice of Tadrose caused her Bosmer ears to perk up. "I am glad I caught you. Could you come down to the forge for a few minutes?"

Teresa looked down the corridor that led deeper into the guild hall. There stood Tadrose. The dark elf was dressed in the same dark leather breeches, simple flax tunic with rolled-up sleeves, and heavy apron that she always wore when working in the armory. Yet for a change her face and hands were not grimy. She must be about to start working, Teresa thought. Or doing something without the furnace, like stitching leather.

Screenshot

"What for?" Teresa wondered aloud.

"I need a hand with something. A woman's hand. Come, you will see." The armorer waved for Teresa to follow her, and stepped to the door that led to the forge below. Teresa shrugged her shoulders and followed. Part of her remembered that at one time, she would have been ecstatic to be invited to follow Tadrose anywhere. Now she found that she could not feel a thing. Just as in every other moment of every day since Marius had died.

"Ah Teresa, it is so good to see you up and walking around again."

The soft male voice belonged to Henantier, whom Teresa found waiting in the armory below. The slender Altmer was clad in his customary blue Mages Guild robe, and a smile was etched upon his lean features. Beside him was what must have been an arming rack, or a seamstress' dummy. Teresa could not tell which, because it was covered by a sheet.

"Do you remember how you did a… favor for me when you first came to Bravil?" The high elf waited for Teresa to nod before continuing. "Well, I said that I wanted to do something in return. Here it is!"

The Altmer mage yanked the sheet away with a flourish, revealing a full suit of miran-talurn armor upon the stand beside him. The light green miran plates gleamed under the glowstones, like leaves that had been recently watered. The vines and leaves embroidered across them seemed so lifelike, that the wood elf half expected them to sway in an imaginary breeze. The darker shade of the talurn under-suit contrasted with the brighter miran pieces above, reminding Teresa of the trunk of a mighty tree.

Teresa looked from the Altmer magician to Tadrose. "This is the same armor you were working on a few weeks ago, before I went to Bawn?"

"It is," Tadrose nodded. "You nearly stopped my heart when you walked down here that day! I thought our surprise was ruined. At least now we know it will fit you perfectly though."

"Indeed," Henantier said. "Why don't you try it on now. I would love to see you in it."

"Henantier, I can't," Teresa found herself taking a step back from the other elves. "This is too much."

"Of course you can," Henantier insisted. "You did more than save my life that day, you helped me find the resolve I had always thought I lacked. Thanks to you, I shall be attending the battlemage program at the University when the Winter Term begins next Morning Star "

"But Henantier, this is worth…"

"A pittance, I assure you." Henantier waved Teresa's protest away with a slender hand. "I have more money than I know what to do with, thanks to my enchanting. It was a true joy to create something for a friend for a change. I only wish that the leaves had come from Valenwood a little sooner. Then perhaps things would have gone a little better with that…"

The high elf's words trailed away as Tadrose shot him a look. Teresa turned her head away. She knew what he meant. Things might have gone better against the trolls. If her arm had not been crippled, could she have killed her troll quicker? Would she have been able to go to the aid of Marius sooner? Could she have saved his life?

Then a soft hand touched her shoulder. The same shoulder that the troll had nearly ripped out with its teeth. Teresa could still remember it, shaking her like a dog with a ragdoll. The words of Marz rang though her mind: "If you had not been wearing your armor, your arm and shoulder would have been torn off."

Teresa blinked away the memory, and saw Tadrose standing before her. The armorer was holding the dark talurn vest in her hands, and offered it to Teresa. The Bosmer felt magicka brimming within the soft, almost rubbery material, and looked up at Henantier.

"You enchanted it?"

"Of course! I do have a reputation for having some small skill in that area after all." the high elf winked. "I should step outside for a moment while you change though. Then I can tell you all about it."

The next thing Teresa knew, Tadrose was helping her take off her clothing. She recalled the last time the same thing had happened as if it was a dream. It seemed so long ago. She could remember her excitement at feeling the dark elf's hands running over her body. It had been so hard to remain in control of herself then, and refrain from throwing her arms around the Dunmer.

Now she found that she did not feel a thing. It almost felt as if she was different person from that young wood elf who had stood in this same room just two weeks before. She did not say a word as the last of her clothing fell to the floor, nor as the armorer helped her slide into the dark talurn. First came the greaves, then the tunic, with the long sleeves of its arms already laced to it. Then finally came the lighter plates of hard miran all around. She found that the armor did indeed fit her perfectly, even in the arms and shoulders this time.

She took a step away from Tadrose and stared down at herself. The armor felt light. Lighter than her leather. It felt more flexible as well. The dark talurn fit her like a glove, and the hard plates of miran bent with her as she twisted and turned her body. Steel plate could not do that! Yet when she rapped against one of the shoulder pieces, it rang out with a sharp clack under her knuckles. It was as solid as if she had struck the trunk of a tree.

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"May I come back down?" Henantier's voice rang from the top of the stairs.

"Yes," Tadrose said. "Come see our forester."

"My stars!" Henantier practically gasped when he looked at Teresa once more. "You do look fantastic. Step over here, I want to show you something."

Teresa stared at the high elf. That kind of invitation from a man instantly put her on her guard. But she knew that Henantier was no prankster or deviant. Especially not with Tadrose standing right there! So as he had asked, she walked across the room to where he stood at bottom of the steps.

"Did you hear that?" Henantier asked.

"Hear what?" Teresa wondered aloud.

"Exactly!" the high elf grinned. "The boots and the other pieces are enchanted so they will not make a sound. Your leather would have creaked as you moved, and your old boots would have scuffed along the floor."

Teresa stared down her leaf-clad feet. Henantier was right. She had not made a sound, and she had not even been trying to be stealthy!

"That is amazing," Teresa breathed.

"Only the beginning," Henantier smiled. Teresa could tell that the high elf was enjoying this. His happiness was infectious, enough so that she almost felt the urge to smile, however faintly. But the memory of Marius Helvius' dead face quashed that in an instant.

"The gauntlets have been enchanted to fortify your strength," the high elf explained. "That will allow you to use a stronger bow. The greaves are enchanted with a fire shield, the cuirass with a shock shield, and the hood with a frost shield. While you will not be immune from these elements, it will take the bite out of magical attacks. It will also make those hot summer days and cold winter nights much more bearable."

"Aldariel." Teresa felt the enchantments that folded around her body, just as the miran and talurn leaves did. "What does that mean?"

"Daughter of the Trees." One of Henantier's eyebrows lifted in interest. "How did you know the name I gave the armor?"

"I… felt it." Teresa shrugged. "It was like it told me somehow, but not in words."

"Not many people can sense the names of enchanted weapons or armor." Tadrose said. "Unless of course it is plainly written upon them. Usually only trained magicians - or armorers with some magical skill - can sense it within the enchantment."

"Obviously there is more to our Teresa than meets the eye," Henantier said.

Well if the armor still fits perfectly, it would appear that she's got back in shape. Is she still on the "no strenuous exercise until you're fully healed" regimen?

I remember Morghak from the pictures that you have shown us. Is Sulesa one of yours too? I always enjoy those moments when you incorporate your previous characters into the TF.

I think that even the ghost of a faint smile is enough for right now. Tadrose and Henantier probably wanted more, but it is too soon for Teresa. The fact that both of them went to so much trouble just confirms what I have already begun to suspect. Teresa may have been raised on the Waterfront, and she may see home as anywhere Simplicia happens to be, but she now lives in Bravil.

Aldariel is just another reason for me to be jealous of you PC users. It looks great on Teresa. Here’s hoping she finds reason to get use out of it soon.

I agree that it looks fabulous on Teresa! It is one of the nicest armor mods I've seen, too. Not ugly with spikes and 'bad-a$$' carvings all over (all I can think of is that they can catch weapons on them! If one of those weapons happens to be an armor-piercing point - haste la vista, baby!), or so ridiculously skimpy that they belong in a BDSM chamber rather than out in combat.

It will continue to be hard for Teresa to head out the North Gate. BTW, there is a Southern Gate, if you have Better Cities Bravil installed. It is awesome - more buildings crammed together (I think I even saw Aia's old house down by the river canal!), more ramshackle than ever, and with a real harbor outside the southern city walls. I kept thinking about Teresa as I was exploring this new place! And yes, there are gallows/gibbets on the North Bridge and near the Southern Gate, complete with rotting corpses. So now when I think of Teresa's Bravil, this is what I think of. And when I explore Bravil, Teresa is what I keep thinking of. More than Buffy, the city and Teresa are so well suited for each other. I wonder if I will see Buffy when Tallei gets to the Arcane University and meets Boderi?

Anyway, I'm glad that they were making it for Teresa! I had a feeling it was going to be hers, but I didn't suspect Henantier being the one to give it to her! She richly deserves friends like these!

An intreguing title you have there. Ominous almost, I wonder what else is going to happen in this section. I was sure the armour was for Teresa, especially after her last suit was ruined, but I'm surprised they gave it to her so soon after the troll incident given that she's meant to be resting and is still in mourning and suffering guilt.

Her sensing the enchantment's name was great, I'm not surprised she could though. I suspect her awareness of such things is better than most peoples, indeed as far as I know this is he first time she's sensed an enchantmented piece's name, did she even know that it was possible?

I'm interested to see where out still under-the-weather Teresa goes this chapter.

Well, considering what ravens eat, I’m guessing there might be some blood in this chapter. Then again, it could be someone who gives them corn.

Chance whistled beside him. "Damn, I thought the Grey Prince was unbeatable. Who killed him, Akatosh?"

Nice. The world goes on.

The armor is beautiful, how lovely that Henantier gave it to her. I think the game reward (6 scrolls?!) is pretty lame. If Henantier had hopes of becoming a battlemage, now I see why he would have included the minotaur test.

"Obviously there is more to our Teresa than meets the eye," Henantier said.

Between this ability, her visions of the ruins when they were in use, and her appearance, I am very interested in learning about Teresa's origins. I expect she is, too.

I’ve been chomping at the bit for some time for Teresa to get that armor! How exciting. Nothing like a new outfit to cheer one up – and that is what Teresa surely needs now. I so hope she is able to move beyond second guessing herself with ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda.’

That is indeed a wonderful set of armor and more importantly, it suits our forester to a tee!

Interesting side line about the Grand Champion. Sounds like Sulesa helped Agronak find his heritage. If only he had left the Arena before this happened.

Great screenshots!