Two distinct scenes, and both very enjoyable.

* Scene 1

“If I were to give Recommendations to just anyone, some worthless Associate like yourself could go and blow up the Arena!'
No worries. I think he is referring only to she-Khajiit. . . with white fur and red hair. . . .

“Falcar!” A voice cried out indignantly, carrying the telltale hiss of Argonian. The Altmer in front of me then shut his eyes tightly in exasperation.'
I found this wonderful, and so easy to visualize Falcar closing his eyes.

“I’m Argonian, I know my water breathing quite well,” Deetsan replied, handing the ring back to me.'
I loved this! And ahah! I see now why you lingered in Weye to go fishing.

* Scene 2

I'm glad you showed us this scene. In the game Deetsan sort of tells you about having the confrontation whilst you were floundering in the well, but to actually see it from Deetan's perspective was a treat!

“Yes, is there some astoundingly important reason for you to waste my time, Associate?”
Right off the bat you etch Falcar firmly in our minds! Excellent!

another Altmer so full of himself that if he took one more breath of hot air he’d be floating.


keep your scales straight.
A wonderful setting-friendly phrase!

The following scene with Deetsan and Falcar was fantastic! Like Acadian said, we always see it referred to, but never actually get to be a fly on the wall as it happens. Very cool, and very ominous! You really make Falcar seem much more villainous than he is in the game.

nits:
Deetsan didn’t reply immediately, she was deeply concentrated on the ring… which I noticed was now glowing. There must be more to the thing than being just a simple memento. When Deetsan finally looked back up at me, she wore an expression of shocked amazement.
“Why didn’t you tell me this ring allows you to breathe underwater?” She inquired indignantly.
The hungry forum ate the space between your paragraphs. The moderators really need to feed it more often...

I agree with the others, the second part told from Deetsan's POV is very powerful stuff. It really brings home the nastiness that is Master Falcar.

Too bad Julian wasn't standing behind Deestan during this confrontation. Would Falcar have dared to treat her like that with a former pilus watching? There is no question in my mind that had he done that in front of Julian, superior or no superior, she would have stepped in. That is the impact the scene you wrote had on me.

Good Job!

And, another Oblivion-centric fanfic I'm finally caught up on. Glad to have done so, as I find myself oddly fascinated by Derelas. His handling of the situation in Chorrol, the people watching him, his interactions with Sera Dresdan...

I particularly enjoyed his reaction to finding out that his new ring is enchanted. Perfect for those deep sea dives, or convincing a particularly aquatic Argonian to train a person in Alteration.

@mALX: Yup, there indeed be another plug at the misadventures of Maxical in here. Your kitty is one of the many inspirations to this story, and one of the reasons it continues.

@Acadian: I was actually struggling a bit with how I was going to write that segment, I just didn't know how I could add my own twist to the Falcar quest. Then I thought, "what if we could actually see what happened down there while you were blubbering away?" I then finally had my outline.

@SubRosa: My goal was to have Falcar be your generic villainous arsehole, so I'm glad I got that across.

@haute ecole rider: If only Julian was there...

@Captain Hammer: Welcome, and glad you find the characters endearing, O' good nemesis of Dr. Horrible!

@all:I'd just like to get this out of the way, I am adjusting the lore pertaining to the East Empire Company in this segment. In the game, the company folded after the disaster at Raven Rock, but I'm changing that. Instead, Carnius got fired for corruption and embezzlement and the company sustained heavy losses after Raven Rock went busto. They are compensating by raising tariffs on Morrowind goods. It just didn't seem completely realistic that a company with as much wealth and influence as the East Empire Company would be allowed to just die.

next: Derelas returns from beneath the well, and discovers the immediate fallout of Falcar's dramatic exit...








“What in the name of Arkay are you doing down there?”

The voice of an Imperial rang downwards into my ears, echoing off the damp stone walls.

“Trying… to get… out… of this… thing.” I replied through gritted teeth. Every pull of my arms caused my muscles to scream in protest as if I had an anvil tied around my waist. I had found Falcar’s ring; turns out it was enchanted to make it that much heavier. It also turned out Vidkun had found it too… it was a sight I would rather not see again in my life. His body was pinned to the ground by the ring in his pocket, his arms and legs dangling feebly upwards in a ghostly shadow what was once a once desperate struggle for air. I reached upwards for the next rung on the slippery ladder… but felt my hand slip on the moist metal. Next thing I knew, I had fallen back into the water with a tremendous splash. Thank the Gods Aelwin’s ring worked… I had swallowed quite a bit of it.

“You alright?” The Imperial guard’s voice rang downwards once again.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I called back upwards, my voice heavy with aggravation now that I had to start that blasted climb all over again.




----




As I finally reached the lip of the stone wall, I removed the ring from my pocket and, with immense difficulty, tossed it over the side to ease my burden. It fell with a loud *CLANG* followed by an indignant “Ow!” I had dropped it on the guard’s foot.

“What exactly is that thing made of?” He asked incredulously, kicking the ring off his steel boot with difficulty.

“Brass, I think,” I replied simply, fighting for breath after finally escaping from the well’s depths, “but it’s been enchanted to make it incredibly heavy.”

“I’ll say,” the guard replied bemusedly, rubbing at a brand new dent, “that’s the first time anyone’s managed to stub my toe in these boots. Anyways, would you mind telling me what you were doing down there? It’s dangerous to go swimming in the wells, you know; you could’ve drowned.”

“And it’s thanks to this ring I didn’t, actually,” I countered, holding my left hand up to show him Aelwin’s ring. “Anyways, I think you should know there’s a body in there. He looked like a Nord, went by the name of Vidkun.”

“Come again?” The guard asked, “There’s a body down there?”

“Yes, like I said, his name is Vidkun,” I repeated.

“No wonder the water’s been tasting funny recently…” the guard mumbled. I made a silent note to thank him for giving me a very good reason never to drink anything offered in this town ever again.

“He drowned trying to obtain this ring,” I quickly continued, pointing to the brass loop now twinkling innocently in the midday sun, “and I believe it was the intention of the person who asked me to find it that I follow the same fate….”

“Murder is a very serious accusation, citizen, and not one you should throw around lightly,” the guard cut me off in a rather pompous manner, “I trust you have the evidence to back it?”

Let’s see, there was the fact that the ring was so heavy it kept Vidkun rooted to the floor of the well, completely helpless. Then there was the fact Falcar didn’t even bother to warn me about the ring’s nature; in fact, he didn’t even bother to tell me anything about Vidkun’s disappearance at all. I think I had all the all the evidence I needed, with one exception.

“I might,” I replied once I finished gathering my thoughts, “we just need to get this ring back to the Mages Guild. If my suspicions are true, Falcar has a lot to answer for.”

“I’d better come with you, then,” the guard added, “If you’re right, we best end this as soon as possible.”

And if I’m wrong, less distance for you to travel to reprimand me, I finished in my head.

“Fine,” I finished, heaving the ring into my hands with a grunt.




----




“By the Gods, what happened to you, ma’am?!” The guard cried out as Deetsan opened the door. Her appearance was shocking, one of her eyes was swollen half shut and she was clutching at her ribs.

“It was Falcar,” she replied simply, confirming every suspicion in my mind. “He attacked me. He also killed one of our members and just tried to kill this one,” she finished indicating me. I noticed the guard’s gaze turning towards me. Told you so, I thought.

“I’ll inform the city watch to keep an eye out for him,” the guard quickly recited, “If he’s anywhere around here, we’ll find him.” With that, he hurried off, his boots clanking loudly on the paving stones. Deetsan closed the doors behind me as I returned inside.

“What should I do with this thing?” I quickly asked her, indicating the ring that was now threatening to tear a hole in my hands.

“Oh, just drop it anywhere,” Deetsan replied, “I don’t think Falcar really cared about it, it was probably some sort of sick joke on his part.”

I quickly let the ring go with a sigh. It made an incredible thud when it hit the stone floor and caused an Altmer woman to look up, startled, from her potion brewing.

“Vidkun’s dead,” I told Deetsan. Best get the bad news over with now. Deetsan responded by dropping her gaze and shaking her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, I just knew this had happened,” she began, her voice a low hiss of anger, “I should’ve known better than to keep my mouth shut about all this. I should’ve reported Falcar when I had the chance! How could I let this happen under my nose?”

She then made a lengthy pause, which I felt would be best not to break, before turning back to face me.

“I take it your talk with Falcar didn’t go very well?” I inquired once I felt she had straightened herself out. “You look like you’re in a lot of pain.”

“Just my pride,” Deetsan brushed off, unconvincingly clutching at her ribs at the same time, “but no, it didn’t. He just dismissed me like he always does… at least until I threatened to report him to the council for covering up Vidkun’s death,” she broke her gaze with mine, and I noticed her voice was getting higher and starting to shake, “I thought he was going to kill me, he got so angry! I couldn’t even understand most of his ranting, all I could tell was that he screamed that our days were numbered and then he stormed out.”

I shook my head incredulously. It was hard to believe how horrible a person could be sometimes. Killing a highwayman to preserve your own life pales in comparison to trying to murder someone in cold blood… and succeeding. This trip to Cheydinhal was nothing if not gruesomely enlightening.

“Anyways, I don’t think he ever intended to write your recommendation, Associate,” Deetsan then continued, breaking the brief silence, “I am deeply sorry you had to get caught up in the middle of this, but thank you for your help in bringing his crimes to light.”

“It was my pleasure,” I replied, “and I’m sorry about Vidkin.”

“Yes, it’s such a shame,” Deetsan answered quietly, her gaze dropping to the floor once again, “he didn’t deserve to die like that. But, no use crying over it now, it happened and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Anyways, with Falcar gone, that leaves me in charge of things here,” Deetsan then revealed to me, “so, if I say so myself, I think you’ve more than earned a recommendation from me.”

“Well, thank you very much, but are you sure the council will acknowledge it?” I asked, handing her the parchment slip that now contained Teekeus’ signature.

“Well, I do need to get a report written up for them about what happened here, so I’m sure they will,” Deetsan answered, grabbing a nearby quill and inkpot. “Now, I have enough time to give you a quick tour of the guild before I have to get to work, so let’s not waste time.”




----




“…and this is the basement level. We have some extra public beds in that room over there in case you need them,” Deetsan indicated a small wooden door opposite the entry stairwell, “and over there is the Magister’s quarters.”

“Falcar’s quarters,” I added, suppressing a cringe.

“Well, they technically belong to me now, but yes, that is where Falcar slept.” Deetsan replied, though I had the feeling it would be quite a while before she slept in the same bed as he did after what happened today.

The guild hall was actually rather small, at least smaller than the one in Chorrol. The building was constructed of plastered stone and lined with rosewood, with hard oak floors upstairs and tiled floors downstairs. The ground floor contained several desks in alcoves for private studies, as well as an alchemy booth with several tools an apparatuses. The female Altmer, Eilonwy, whom I had startled when I returned with Falcar’s ring, was still engrossed in her potions there when Deetsan introduced me to her. Next to the stairwell leading to the upper floor was the dining room, which at this point contained several bowls of fresh fruit, including some very strange berries.

“They’re called Comberries,” Deetsan replied when I asked her about them, “they come imported from Morrowind. They’re very popular here in Cheydinhal because of how close to the province we are, though they are a bit expensive thanks to all the tariffs the East Empire Company imposes on them.”

Upstairs was the community dormitory, where I was greeted by a Redguard named Trayvond as I entered. Another High Elf named Orintur was studying in a corner of the room. Most of the windows in the building also opened up to this floor, providing ample light by which to read by, as well as helping to mask the relatively small size of the hall in comparison to the number of people dwelling inside.

“So, that’s about it. It’s not much, but it’s served us quite well over the years,” Deetsan concluded once she had shown me the basement bedroom. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get started on that report.”

“Do you want someone to clear out Falcar’s things?” I offered. “You know, since he’s obviously not going to be coming back?”

“If you wish to do so, Associate, feel free, but I really do need to get started on that report,” Deetsan finished, closing the basement door behind her with a snap on the way back up.

Falcar didn’t keep much inside his room, just a few changes of clothes in the wardrobe and a couple potions on his desk, but I quickly found myself puzzled by a rather innocent chest of drawers being locked tightly shut. Was Falcar trying to hide something in there? Too bad I didn’t have any lockpicks, I thought, so I guess I’ll need to find the key… if he didn’t take it with him, that is. I decided it might be worth a shot to try under the dresser, though in all likelihood it wasn’t there.

Nope, nothing. Besides, that would’ve been too easy and predictable. Well, maybe I’m just being paranoid, I thought to myself as I flopped down on the bed, he probably was just your run-of-the-mill fetcher who… wait… where is that clinking sound coming from? I quickly sat back up and lifted the pillow I was resting my head on… and there it was; a plain brass key. I quickly snatched it up, thrust it into the dresser’s lock, and was greeted by a satisfying click as I turned it. Now, let’s see what you’ve been hiding in here, Falcar….

I agree that it seems odd that a state-sponsored company like the East Empire Company would just fold up like that after one bad venture. They have other operations all over Morrowind, and hold a monopoly on trade in things like ebony, glass,and stalhrim, not to mention favorable tariffs on the other stuff. Besides, depending on how you play Bloodmoon, you can end up in charge of Raven Rock. Unless Bethesda means to imply that it is the player character's incompetence after Bloodmoon that puts the colony out of business!

What's that? Derelas fell down the well? Sorry, I could not resist.

This trip to Cheydinhal was nothing if not gruesomely enlightening.
Indeed it has been. Hopefully now Derelas has gained a new perspective on killing.

Now what might Falcar have in that chest? His subscription to Playorc?



nits:
Then there was the fact Falcar didn’t even bother me to warn me about the ring’s nature;
I think you have a me leftover from an earlier edit.

He appearance was shocking
That fetcher Falcar absconded with Deetsan's "r" on the way out!

I absolutely love what you have done to this quest! The struggle to get out of the well was one of those perfect details you saw that most miss - HUGE Write !!! Awesome Chapter !!!

Here is the Chevy Silverado to help you get out of the well:



Silverado - Timmy In The Well

I'll have to read this one too, but I think I'll come back later when I have more time to sit and read.

I thoroughly enjoy Derelas' take on things here so far. You have brought the guild nicely to life. I'm so glad we now have Deetsan in charge!

“No wonder the water’s been tasting funny recently…” the guard mumbled.'
I'm so glad you managed to work in this wonderful line from the game!

“Fine,” I finished, heaving the ring into my hands with a grunt.'
Um. . . Dere, it doesn't work so well when one fella tries to use in on another.

Nit?
'Another High Elf named Honditar was studying in a corner of the room. '
Although nothing on Nirn says you can't modify things and take license as you deem appropriate, I suspect you meant Eilonwy's sweetie Orintur here? As you know, Honditar is in Chorrol. I know those high elves are so darn tall, it can be hard to see their faces up there in the clouds.

@SubRosa: Quick, we need Lassie... err... Chevy! That section was rather unintentionally well timed.
Nits picked.

@mALX: I pride myself in noticing the little things others tend to miss. Like, for example, how insanely difficult it would have been for your character in-game to get out of that well thanks to that ring. Who needs ladders when we have such technology as load-screen teleportation?

@King Coin:Take your time and enjoy yourself. Glad to see you jumping in.

@Acadian: That was not a fine in that sense, but a fine in that other sense. You know, the sense where fine would not work, but at the same time sorta work... Ahh, who cares. It stays!
The name, however, is changed. It is not the first and certainly won't be the last Elder Scrolls name I mess up.

@all: I think it's about time we refer back to that hungry beast known as plot. This chapter will hopefully add a bit of perspective on the significance of Falcar's work in Cheydinhal.

next:We pay a visit to Guilbert, and sit down to a nice dinner with our Cheydinhal guildmates.






Well wasn’t that a waste of time, the drawers were completely bare inside, not even a speck of dust as far as I could tell. Falcar must’ve cleared them out before he left. I’ll give him this one, he’s sneaky, alright, and intelligent. Well, no use worrying about this any longer, I thought to myself, tossing the key aside. Just another worthless red herring. I returned to gathering up what was left of Falcar’s clothing to move it to the communal wardrobe upstairs.




----




“Derelas, could I have a quick chat?”

I turned away from hanging up the clothing I brought from the basement to see Trayvond standing behind me, a book wedged under one arm and a soft smile upon his face.

“Sure,” I replied, shutting the closet door and moving to sit at a small table in the middle of the room with a small bowl of fruit in the center. Trayvond followed me.

“I just wanted to thank you for helping to get rid of Falcar,” Trayvond told me once he had found a comfortable seat. “He was a most unpleasant magister, as you have no doubt witnessed.”

“I’m sure, I only knew him for five minutes and I utterly despise him,” I returned. “I take it he liked to bully people around a lot?”

“Particularly the newbies,” Trayvond explained, frowning, “it was especially hard for me to put up with him. I didn’t come all the way from Hammerfell to be held back by some stuck-up fetcher who doesn’t give a cliffracer’s beak about his subordinates.”

“Sounds like I, well, me and Deetsan that is, did you a favor, then?” I wondered, reaching for a strawberry from the bowl in the center of the table.

“Very much so,” Trayvond replied. “He must’ve been pulling a Telvanni, because he wouldn’t even let me speak to him. That means no recommendations… and therefore no future,” he concluded bitterly, helping himself to a small bunch of comberries.

“Really, why?” I inquired, pulling out a strange, pointy leaf and examining it.

“Probably because my people tend to look down on magic users,” He answered, popping one of the small, red berries into his mouth, “We see it as an affront to life, tampering with others’ minds and stealing souls. A Redguard wizard is more often than not considered weak or wicked back in Hammerfell.”

“So that’s why you traveled to Cyrodiil,” I finished, returning the odd leaf to the bowl.

“Yup, the mages guild doesn’t have that much influence back home in Dragonstar, so here I am,” he placed another berry into his mouth before continuing. “I’ll admit, I’m not very partial to practitioners of Conjuration and Illusion. Age old prejudices die hard, I guess.”

My heart sank, my only real magical skill lay in Illusion. I decided to nip this bud early so it wouldn’t come back to haunt me later.

“Well, that’s a shame, Illusion is my preferred magic,” I told him, hoping he wouldn’t think any less of me for it.

“Well, then just don’t use your hocus-pocus to suggest I start dancing around the town square in a tutu and we won’t have any problems,” he informed me with a smirk.

“Anyways, what have you been doing around here?” I asked once I finished laughing. “You must’ve kept yourself busy somehow, why not leave if Falcar was so unreasonable?”

“Well, mostly because Alteration is my preference and Orintur has been giving me some private tutoring,” Trayvond responded. “He’s been helping me work on my shield spells, and I’m getting pretty good at them now. Alteration is the focus of this hall, after all; I didn’t want to leave until I was sure there was nothing left for me here.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be on your way soon,” I replied, rising from my seat. “Now that Falcar is gone, you can finally finish what you started here.”

“And I very well plan on it,” Trayvond added, downing the last comberry. “Say, will you be staying for dinner? I’m sure the rest of the guild will want to meet the man who saved them from a lifetime of misery.”

“That sounds lovely,” I told him, “but I have a couple things to do around town first. Erm… you wouldn’t happen to know anyone with the last name of Jemane now, would you?”

“Hmm…” Trayvond brought a hand to his mouth and began to rub it in thought. After a few seconds, he looked back to me. “Well, there’s a Guilbert Jemane around these parts. I’d imagine you could find him over at Newland’s Lodge. Why, do want to see him?”

“Very much so,” I answered, turning towards the stairs. “I’ll be back soon, thanks for the help.”




----




“Yes, I am him, can I help you with anything?”

Guilbert Jemane greeted me warmly upon my approach. Six bells had rung from the city chapel as I made my way through the city, signaling dinner. Guilbert was seated at a small table eating from what I could only describe to be a giant egg with a very thick shell. How he was even going to go about such a feat eluded me completely. I made a quick note to ask about it when I returned to the guild.

“Well met, Guilbert,” I replied, giving him a quick nod, “I don’t want to take up too much of your time so I’ll try to be brief. Does the name ‘Reynald Jemane’ mean anything to…”

“Wait,” Guilbert cut me off, shock spreading across his youthful face, “Say that name again.”

“Reynald Jemane,” I repeated, “I met him in Chorrol.”

“You met him?” Guilbert inquired, voice filled with amazement and perhaps joy, “you mean… he’s alive?!”

I noticed my knees suddenly seemed less willing to support me. Whatever I was expecting as a response from him, it was not that. Guilbert thought he was dead? He seemed right as rain when I saw him… well… in his own special way, I guess. What might have happened between them to bring Guilbert to that conclusion?

“I can’t believe it; I was told my mother and brother never survived!” Guilbert ecstatically continued, “This is incredible! Where did you say you saw him? Chorrol?”

“Umm… yes.” I bemusedly replied, still trying to steady my suddenly rapidly beating heart, “Yes… in Chorrol. Are you… are you going to go see him?”

“I’ll leave first thing tomorrow,” Guilbert answered, abandoning his giant eggy dinner, “You have no idea how happy you’ve made me to tell me that friend! Excuse me, I have to pack my things.”

Guilbert then hurried upstairs, leaving a most confused Bosmer in his wake.




----




“And so he just ran off… zoom. I still don’t understand half of it.”

It was now dinner time at the Cheydinhal chapter, and I had just finished telling the table about what had happened with Guilbert Jemane. They had all given pause when I told them about how he thought Reynald was dead, but they were quickly recovering.

“Very strange,” Eilonwy slowly replied, helping herself to a bowl of cheddar grits, “I wonder what might’ve happened to make him think that?”

“Giants, maybe?” Orintur chimed in beside Eilonwy. He was eating one of those same eggs Guilbert was; Kwama eggs, he said they were. Off-white and roughly five times the size of a chicken egg, he had used a special knife with its point tapered forward to cut a small portion of the shell off. He then picked up a soup spoon and scrambled around whatever was inside. The result was… well… some kind of gelatinous, muted red goo. It looked utterly disgusting, but seeing the way he savored every bite, I thought I’d reserve judgment on those things. “Or perhaps ogres?” He added, “if they lived in the wilderness, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Might’ve been Daedra,” Trayvond quipped, causing everyone at the table to stare at him with eyebrows raised.

“What?” He exclaimed, “It’s not that far-fetched anymore. The Septim bloodline was the only thing sustaining the Aedric Compact. Without the dragonfires, Mundus is just begging to become a hunting ground. I’m surprised we haven’t been attacked already!”

“You and your conspiracy theories, Trayvond…” Eilonwy responded, lightly shaking her head. “If even half of them came true, Mundus would be a flaming ball of nothing by now.”

“I’m just trying to be plain,” Trayvond countered, raising his hands in mock surrender, “it wouldn't be completely unexpected for something like this to happen now.”

“Then let’s be glad it hasn’t,” Deetsan proclaimed, bringing a piece of beef to her mouth. “We’re in for hard enough times already. Skyrim’s already rattling their sabers, in fact. They’re threatening secession if a new Emperor can’t be crowned soon. I’d imagine things are pretty tense up in Bruma right now.”

“Well, then maybe I’ll have to leave them for later,” I commented.

“You never said you were leaving so soon,” Deetsan exclaimed, setting her fork down with a light clatter, “You’ve only just arrived. Why not stay here for a couple days and rest?”

“I never said I was leaving tomorrow,” I answered, “I really do need some rest from traveling… and I do need to give my back a break after lugging that ring around all day.”

“Speaking of that ring,” Orintur intersected, raising another bite of strange egg-soup to his mouth, “we need to do something about it. We can’t just leave it laying on the floor. Knowing how heavy it is, someone could trip over it… or slip on it.”

“We could probably just throw it back in the well,” I replied, raising a forkful of mashed potato to my mouth.

“Well, let’s not worry about that until tomorrow,” Deetsan injected, “but if you are so willing, Orintur, why don’t you do it?”

“Why me?” He indignantly asked, his eyebrows arisen in surprise, “You know I don’t have the strength to carry it!”

“Are you not an expert in Alteration?” Deetsan coolly replied, “just feather the ring; shouldn’t be too hard to carry then.”

Orintur’s golden skin became tinged with pink as he silently turned back to his dinner.

“Anyways, thank you again for your help today, Derelas,” Deetsan continued, turning back to me. “It has been a long time since we’ve been able to have a pleasant conversation here.”

“Hear hear,” Eilonwy added her approval, sending a smile my way.

“You’re welcome,” I replied, scooping the last of my own piece of beef of my plate. “I think I’ll take some leisure tomorrow, maybe get to know everyone here a little better, but I do want to finish off these recommendations before Spring term starts.”

“I understand,” Deetsan told me as I set my fork down and rose from the table, “If I may, I would recommend you go to Bravil next. The magister there, Kud-Ei, is a good friend of mine, and very reasonable… well… so long as you don’t make life difficult for her girls.”

“Then I’m sure she’ll be pleased to hear I helped you out of a rather tight squeeze, then,” I replied with a grin, and getting a light chuckle in response.

“Yes, I’m sure she will,” she said, returning my grin.

“Anyways, it’s been a busy day for me, so I think I’ll bed down early,” I finished, bidding the table good night. They chimed their chorus alike as I made my way upstairs to find a spare bed.




----




“I trust you didn’t leave anything incriminating behind,” the red-eyed figure said, his face masked in shadow by his light-eating cloak.

“Pocketed what I could, vanished the rest,” the Altmer replied, holding out two gems, one darker than Oblivion itself, the other glowing with a light to match the hooded figure’s eyes. “Your ring did its job, by the way.”

“Shame you couldn’t obtain the second,” the red-eyed man commented, pocketing the gems, the gleam in his eyes intensifying as anger boiled through his blood.

“He had a few tricks up his sleeve. It is lucky that I planned ahead, you know, otherwise the gems might be in his possession now. Or worse,” he then added, “the Council’s.”

“I did tell you not to break the bow on him, you know,” the bite of anger in the red-eyed man’s voice lashed through the air like a whipcrack, snapping the Altmer’s tongue to his teeth. “His life was not yours to take, and you should have waited on another. Why not that Redguard? You know very well they can’t magic their way out of a paper sack!”

“Apologies, master,” the Altmer immediately sank to one knee in a deep bow of repentance, “I have done wrong.”

“You did do better than I would expect of most, however, so I will spare you from the blood halls… for now,” the man the Altmer called Master then added, his voice changing to that of joy as he began toying with the glowing red crystal. “I did not expect this ploy to bear as much fruit as it has. I assume all of our puppets are in place?”

“Of course,” the Altmer replied, relief spreading throughout his face as he rose back to his feet, “Everyone you wanted is ready and waiting.”

“Good,” the cloaked man answered, “That is all, Falcar.”

The cloaked man turned away from the Altmer scurrying off into the darkness, and brought his eyes to a nearby chessboard, which was set for a game. He slowly reached out with a long-fingered hand, grasped a Bosmer-shaped pawn, and moved it forward two squares.

“White moves first…” he quietly muttered to himself, returning to his throne, his hand then came to grasp a small scroll on the armrest, and he squeezed it gently.

“Your play, Dagon.”

Do I understand that last scene correctly??

Mehrunes Dagon and King of Worms are in cahoots???

Boy, this is starting to make me go hmmm!

who doesn’t give a cliffracer’s beak
An excellent phrase!

suggest I start dancing around the town square in a tutu
Yowie! Please do not do that! Save it for Vigge...

A nice, quiet episode that gives us a moment to take stock of Dere's situation. Not to mention some nice bits of world-building with the kwama egg. Yuck! Also another mention of the death of the Emperor, and the logical repercussions from that. Not just with Trayvon's dire predictions, but the more nirnly matters of secession (once a little more time goes by in the TF, we will see provinces begin to fall away there).

Finally, another intriguing bit of conspiracy at the end. Falcar taking the black soul gems with him was good. As was a bit of an explanation for why he killed Vidkun (that never made sense to me in the game). Unlike Schrodinger's Cat Rider, I do not think that Mannimarco has joined forces with Marooned Dragon. Rather I simply think he knows that the Lord of Destruction is on the move, and is trying to take advantage of the situation. Or he is simply playing chess with the Daedra Lord.


nits:
I did tell you not to jump the gun on him, you know,
I saw several modern colloquialisms, but this was the most blatant. You might want to rethink changing some to more setting-friendly terms, like the cliffracer's beak comment. It would make the entire piece more immersive.

For clarification:

I am deviating from the game's questlines in here, mostly with the Mages Guild's quest. What you saw happen in the game is most definitely not what is going to happen here. Due to Julian's background presence being made known in 1-2, I'll be leaving the main quest alone so that we don't get any nasty conflicts between here and Old Habits, but everything else is fair game.

Don't expect things to play out as you think they might.

As for those slang terms, I've ironed a few of them out. That should make the piece feel a little more setting-friendly. The creative phrasing segment of my brain was a little out of tune this week, due to essay writing and a small modding stint. Thank Akatosh it's the weekend, now I can get my head on straight again.

Ooh, a mystery. How exciting!

Loved the part about feathering the ring to move it around, and reminding us all why arcane knowledge and common sense are not, in fact, inseparable. Deetsan continues to remain one of my absolute favorite Argonians, and you just reinforce that feeling.

Nit:


You repeat "away" in the same clause, and it comes off kind of clunky. I had to re-read that sentence three times to make sure I understood it, which I normally reserve for tricky logic-problems. Your choice, but I wanted to bring it to your attention.

WOO HOO! Awesome foreshadowing in the segment of conversation between Trayvond and Eilonwy!




GAAAAAK !!!



The whole last segment was AWESOME !!! KOW playing chess with people's lives ... with DAGON - This ROCKS !!! What a creative mind you have, I can't wait to see you unfold it for us !!! WOO HOO !!!!!

All caught up again now. This story has definitely got me hooked!

...Eilonwy slowly replied, helping herself to a bowl of cheddar grits...
Being a southerner, any line that mentions grits is worth noting And I do love my cheese grits!

“Giants, maybe?” Orintur chimed in... (insert kwama-goo eating here) “Or perhaps ogres?” He added, “if they lived in the wilderness, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
A nice segue to the balance of the Jemane quest?

Keep it coming TK....awesome!

Double post ... sorry ... internet issues from time to time here

Nice development of the Cheydinhal guild. Good chow too (well, except for the eggoos).

It was refreshing to see Falcar not forget to take his incriminating black soul gems with him.

Like you, it seems, I like Deetsan as well.

Good to see that Derelas planted the seed to reunite the Jemanes.

“Well, then just don’t use your hocus-pocus to suggest I start dancing around the town square in a tutu and we won’t have any problems,” he informed me with a smirk.'
Oh noes! Don't turn me into a chicken!

"The magister there, Kud-Ei, is a good friend of mine, and very reasonable… well… so long as you don’t make life difficult for her girls.”


What a tantalizing mystery you tease with at the end! Hmm, it harkens to the first paragraphs of your very first chapter, methinks.

Nits?

'Guilbert Jemane greeted my warmly upon my approach.'
I suspect you want the first 'my' to be a 'me'?

'Without the dragonfires, it’s Mundus is just begging to become a hunting ground.'
This wording is not clear to me. I think dumping the 'it's' fixes it.

Well wasn’t that a waste of time, the drawers were completely bare inside, not even a speck of dust as far as I could tell. Falcar must’ve cleared them out before he left.
I like the hint that things will not go as we might expect.

“Very strange,” Eilonwy slowly replied, helping herself to a bowl of cheddar grits, “I wonder what might’ve happened to make him think that?”
My favorite!

Before we continue, this statement:
I am retracting it. I appear to have picked up some bad juju with its utterance, so, begone!

@boxy kitty rider: I would comment on that... but that would be telling. All will be made clear in time. This is a mystery, after all, so it would seem I'm doing my job if you are indeed going "hmm."

@SubRosa: I always look for new and creative ways to grab my readers' interest. I originally wanted to work those gems into the plot, but discovered it would actually make more sense to my overarching plot if he took them with him. This also resolves the issue of adding my own unique twist on the quest, as well, so that would be two cliff-racers with one arrow.

@M.C. Hammer: Indeed an exciting mystery. I'm glad you took notice of Orintur's little slip-up, and glad you saw the tiny message between the lines.
Nit be picked.

@mALX: Foreign food can be quite strange until you get to know it a little better. Take Japanese for example. I used to not be able to even fathom why someone would even want to eat raw fish... and now its one of my absolute favorites. As we spend more time in Cheydinhal, Dere will eventually come to experience a few of these Dunmer delicacies himself... whether or not he's barfing down the well after that, we'll just have to wait and see.

@TheOtherRick:Not exactly the person I was baiting with that line... I'm glad you took such notice of it anyway. Thank you for your kind words.

@Acadian: Indeed, that scene refers back to my hook in the very first post. These shadowy figures are key to the plot, so I won't be forgetting them any time soon. How important are they? Well, that's all I can say right now. You'll just have to keep reading to find out.
Nits be picked.

@Grits: ...and as soon as your game fish takes the bait, 'tis important to give the line a sharp tug in order to set the hook, and then quickly reel it in.

@all: Thank you all for your support! Derelas appreciates it as much as I do, and your kind words keep him going. At 67 pages long now in my word processor, I think I can safely say this Fic has definitely become serious business for me.

next: Darkness takes hold....








“I told you… I told you this would happen!”

“Please, Trayvond, now is not the time for gloating.”

“I’m not gloating, magister, I’m just bringing to light that I’ve said this was bound to occur all week…”

“…and now it has happened. Thank you very much, Trayvond, but I am in no mood to massage your ego any further. Please quiet your tongue.”

My eyes opened to a completely empty bedroom. A strangely familiar compression filled the air, compressing upon my chest and bringing with it the tension of unrest. The intense debate downstairs had given way to a silence so stiff that it might’ve broken if you dropped it. After quickly dressing, I made my way downstairs to discover the dining table empty… and given the morning light streaming through the windows, that certainly didn’t strike me as good. I then noticed that everyone was tightly knit around a table in the opposite room. There was a stack of newspapers upon that table, and everyone was reading so intently from them they didn’t even notice my approach. I took one of the papers from the pile, and noted a familiar insignia. My stomach plummeted; whatever I was about to read, it was probably bad news.






“Daedra? Oblivion? This can’t be possible,” I said to myself, my mind reeling. “They destroyed an entire city?!”

“Eilonwy was beside herself when she heard,” Orintur interceded, his expression somber. “She has family in Kvatch; she left the moment she set the paper down. I tried to talk her out of it, but… well, you should’ve seen her.” He then turned his gaze to the floor. “I’ve never seen her so upset in my life…” he finishes slowly shaking his head in disbelief.

“Oh, dear, this is horrible,” Deetsan added in a shaky voice while slowly folding her paper. “I can’t even begin to imagine what might be going through that poor girl’s mind right now.” She then leaned forward to match Orintur, her expression a confused mess of shock, horror, and sorrow.

“I really do hope her parents are safe,” Trayvond said after a brief silence, his head resting on folded hands, and his darkened eyes betraying the grief his voice attempted to mask. “She’s far too young to lose them now.”

Indeed she is, I thought, there is never a good time to lose your parents…




----




“Where are you going, dad?”

“We’ve had a breakthrough on one of our digs,” a dark-haired Bosmer in traveling leathers responded, checking a short steel blade for nicks and testing its sharpness. “We’ve uncovered a new entrance to an ancient ruin. Your mother and I have been tasked with leading a small party to clear out any nasties that might have taken up residence inside and to recover any notable artifacts.”

“Dangerous work…” I concluded, looking to the floor with a sinking feeling in my chest, “Please be careful.”

“I always am, son,” My father responded. Noticing my edgy tone, he then placed a calming hand on my shoulder. “I would never leave you alone in this world.” Satisfied with the condition of his blade, he then slid it into its sheath. “Now, your mother and I really must leave, it’s a three day journey to the site. We shoul… will be back before next Sundas.”

“Take care of yourself, dad,” I called out to his retreating back.

“And you, Dere,” He responded, closing the door to our treetop home behind him with a wave good-bye.




----




“I have to go,” I suddenly voiced, dashing for the stairs and startling everyone out of their brooding reverie.

“Really, Derelas, you said you were going to have a day to yourself today!” Deetsan indignantly called out as I briskly made my way upstairs to pack. “Why do you have to leave now? Kvatch is on the other side of the province, for Mara’s sake!”

“I’m sorry Deetsan, I can’t stay any longer,” I replied, slinging my rucksack over my shoulder to cover my bow-staff. Deetsan then opened her mouth to protest further, but she must’ve seen the pain in my eyes, because she slowly closed it again before turning her head back to the floor and nodding. “Besides,” I added, making my way to the door, hoping it would at least make her feel more at ease with my parting, “I’m not going to Kvatch, but to Bravil.”

“But why leave now?” Deetsan repeated, looking back up at me with a mingled expression of relief and confusion, “That can wait until you’ve rested up, can’t it?”

“I’m afraid it can’t,” I replied somberly, “some things are just too important for me to ignore right now.”

“Very well,” Deetsan concluded, coming to grips that my mind was made up. “Do please be careful, though. If Kvatch fell so quickly to Daedra, I fear what could happen if they ambushed you on the road.”




----




The gray overcast grew to a light drizzle as the grand walls and rosewood-paneled spires of Cheydinhal disappeared from view behind a new wall of low trees and stacked rocks matching the dreary sky in color. The leaves did not dance for me on this day, but remained ever still in the stagnant air left over from today’s early morning fog. As the road wound its way through the rolling hills of the ever-expansive countryside, the rain intensified from a light, pleasant shower to something more akin to standing under a waterfall. My shirt was soon soaked through completely, and I found myself longing for the shelter that would be provided by the yew forest I could make out just south of me.

By Y’ffre, this rain is terrible, I thought to myself, twiddling with Aelwin’s ring. If it got any heavier, I would probably need this ring just to walk. It was then, without warning, that all of the water clinging to my skin and clothing decided it was no longer interested in keeping me company, and it fell into a giant puddle beneath my shoes with a huge splash barely audible in the pouring rain.

Well, that was odd… though certainly not unwelcome. I would guess this ring is also capable of instantly drying the user as well as allowing him to breathe underwater. Quite handy, if I might say so. Aelwin certainly was a generous man, I’ll need to pay him a visit sometime and thank him again for his wonderful gift.

Despite the fact that I could now walk without my shoes slogging, I still yearned for the protection of the ancient yews against the percussion being played upon my skull from the pouring heavens. It was now raining so thickly I could barely see my hand in front of my face… and it was starting to thunder. OK, that’s enough of this, I thought, I’m getting under that natural canopy. The trees would keep the rain off my head, and hopefully keep this humble Bosmer from being instantly crisped in a violent white flash… or at the very least avoid sending my hair skyward and turning it strange colors. I veered south off the stone walkway as I reached a small bridge leading across a now overflowing mountain stream.




----




Cacat! Where is he going?

The Dunmer brushed a sodden lock of raven-black hair from her forehead, her ruby eyes focused intently on the traveler who had just veered unexpectedly from the road.

I don’t think he has any idea how dangerous that forest can be, she thought to herself, closely examining his progress. It’s not just monsters in there… you would be fighting with the land itself to venture within; all the more perilous from the dense foliage covering soil and sky. There are cliff faces you would never notice until you’ve already fallen in, obviously much too late.

A bright flash cracked through the sky, lighting the entire hillside in a dazzling and frightening display, soon after the very air exploded, causing the Dunmer to jump and lose her gaze. Gritting her teeth at the distraction, she turned her eyes back to the stream… but the Bosmer was gone.

Dammit! This just keeps getting worse! She then leapt out of the sheltering cave mouth into the pouring rain after the Bosmer who was now unknowingly venturing into the inhospitality and treachery of the Ancient Yews.

And while Derelas has not yet participated fully in the MQ, but instead is pursuing his own path, the BHC provides us with a useful reference to events going on in Nirn. The destruction of Kvatch roots the reader firmly in the events of the game, and provides us with some kind of familiarity. I for one, appreciate it.

And we see a little more of his past. I get the feeling that his flashback is the last time he spoke to his father. If I'm right, then that's not the first time I'm saddened by being right.

I liked what you did with the different mages in Cheydinhal. Your development of their characters really brings them further to life.

S.G.M.

I really like the use of the paper to keep us abreast of the Oblivion crisis.

Looks like Faith is tagging along still, and she has me curious about the yews.

Another great write!

I echo the fabulous use of the Black Horse Courier, both in content and layout/appearance. Your indirect coverage of the Oblivion Crisis is very neat.

When reading, I tend to focus on the character, the journey and the moment, not the destination (or plot, if you will). There are wonderful word images, rich descriptions and endearing characters here. I quite like Derelas' journey.

How cool that he was raised in a treehouse!

You imparted a wonderfully foreboding feeling regarding Derelas' stormy entrance into the forest, highlighted by the most welcome appearance of his Dunmeri guardian.

Another good episode. As the others have said, the Black Horse Courier was excellent. As were Derelas' memories of his lost parents. What I imagine was the last time he ever saw them.

or at the very least avoid sending my hair skyward and turning it strange colors.
And so was born the Adoring Fan!

Wow. Talk about getting proved right. I wonder if Trayvond will get more appreciation for his accurate predictions, or less. Should be interesting.

Though I wonder who will end up needing help through these dangerous ancient yews. After all, on the one hand, we do have on our hands a skilled Dunmer with obvious experience in handling dangerous opponents. And on the other, we have a Valenwood native that's at home in the trees, and not without his own resourcefulness.

PM me to find out odds! Losers have to write installments for the winners' assorted works. But hey, at least the house isn't taking a cut this time!

The leaves did not dance for me on this day, but remained ever still in the stagnant air left over from today’s early morning fog.

What a moody, rainy walk through the hills. Aelwin’s ring is handy indeed! I wonder what’s in those yew trees.

Hugely powerful impact in this chapter! The use of the Black Horse Courier was well done !! Awesome Write !!!

@rider: High praise indeed from you. I wasn't expecting to be S.G.M'd this early on. Thank you for that.

@Rick: Thank you for your kind words, You'll find out more about the yews, and what they hide, very soon.

@Acadian: I, too, recognize the importance of a good main character. When it comes to the plot, I enter each chapter, act, and full story with a beginning and an end in mind, but nothing else. I don't bother to outline the individual chapters, since this story is that of my character's. I want his voice to come through, and his experiences, not mine, or how I felt it should play out. Just having that start point and end point does do a lot, though, and allows me to build towards an ultimate goal. I have a very good memory, so although I may not have penned all my ideas, my musings for this story go all the way to the final climax at this point. Rest assured I will see it through to the end.

@SubRosa: Indeed, that was the last time he saw them.

@Hammerzeit: Ask Trayvond! The new hit carnival show! As for your little game, I'd place a wager, but I'm afraid I would have to be disqualified for obvious bias... and may perhaps with my omnipotence, I might just already know the outcome.

@Grits: Yes, what is in those yews? Trolls? Giants? Flesh-eating tomatoes? You'll find out soon enough.

@mALX: Your kind words are always appreciated. Let me reiterate my happiness for your good news with Dixie here. I hope she enjoyed her doggie-treat from Simone!

@all: I see I've gathered a lot of praise for my usage of Black Horse Courier. One of the trademarks of this story is the fact that Dere has very little interest in the Main Quest, and thus we learn about its effects indirectly. This is quite a departure from the nature of the game, so I'm glad to here it's working out so well. Expect to see more from Hassiri as we progress.

next: Our travels within the Ancient Yews begin...






The world had ended. My eyes were staring across a vast, rocky rift in the landscape all but concealed by the dense forest undergrowth. Thank the Gods I didn’t fall in, that would’ve been a nasty plummet. The stream I had been relying on to guide me now tumbled over the cliff with a roar rivaling the deluge I had fled from outside. The ledge was far too high to jump from, and even then, there was no telling how deep the tiny pond below would be. I had no choice in the matter, I would have to find a way around.

Lightning flashed violently overhead as I made my way across the top of the cliff face, and the thunderclap that followed not long after sent chills down my spine, not because it was so loud, but because of how unnirnly quiet it was. Despite the torrent overhead, the entire forest was utterly still and completely silent. It was like the towering yews had stolen the voice of the heavens, and all that existed now was within their gnarled branches and broad trunks. The longer I spent within, the more I felt I was venturing not into the unknown of the wilderness… but into the iron shackles of a prison. I briefly paused to string my bow and load the quiver at my hip.

Time itself had become a nonexistent entity, and so it escaped me exactly when I finally met the stream again. It was still swollen from the deluge above that still had yet to abate, but now the sound of its babbling had become mixed with another… a faint shrieking wail. Was this some new undiscovered sound of the storm above? Was it some strange new forest sound? The light wail then slowly rose in crescendo to a screaming shriek, dispelling any idea that it was a sound of the storm. Not long after, the swirling black cloud of a new storm, one of bats, came surging through the still shadow.

I threw myself to the ground with a yell as the swarm of bats passed overhead, shrieking themselves hoarse and their wings a such furious flutter they might have knocked each other out of the air with a touch. Every so often, one would brush against the exposed skin of my arms, greeting me with the bone-chilling brush of their furry bodies and the occasional pinpricks of needle-sharp teeth. By the time they were finally gone, my entire body was covered in their souvenir nibbles.

Before I could rise, however, a new sound greeted my ears… that of footsteps in the grass. My eyes rose to meet a familiar raven-haired, ashen-skinned face. I felt my face beginning to burn, this was not how I would’ve wanted her to find me, sprawled on the ground after having just become bat-food.

“What in the name of Kynareth are you doing in here?” Faith’s disapproving voice came sharply through the brambles as she returned her bow to her back. Not even an echo resounded through the trees. “What are you doing down there?” she then added as I got to my unsteady feet.

“Having an early dinner with some new friends,” I retorted snidely, coaxing a small healing spell to my fingertips. The open nibble marks on my arms promptly vanished, though an itchy feeling remained behind. It wasn’t all that powerful a spell. My parents taught it to me when I was a child so I could ease my pain if I got hurt until I got back home so they could see to the wound properly. Apart from that, it wasn’t much to speak of.

“Aren’t you the party boy,” she returned, her voice heavy with that same disapproval as she moved in to grab the arm I just healed, “come on, I’m taking you out of this place.”

“What’s to run from?” I asked rather aggressively, pulling my arm out of her reach, “I can take care of myself, you know.”

“Like you did with those bats?” Faith argued back, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Brilliant, inspired, I’m sure General Phillida will be most astounded by your hereto unknown tactical genius.”

“Slaughterfish bite your butt?” I scathed back to her, stung, “Perhaps you might wait and see for yourself before you make any judgement?”

Our increasingly heated argument was then cut short by a rumbling growl, followed by a throaty bark that broke the stagnant air like a whipcrack. A huge, black-furred wolf pounced from the nearby bushes right for Faith. Caught unawares, it threw her to the floor, its toothy maw a vice upon her arm as she yelled in shock and surprise.

My right hand dove to my quiver as I filled my lungs with the forest air. Slowly, I let half of it go as I nocked a steel-headed arrow and drew the string back. I quickly tensed my muscles, listening to the creaking wood as the bow staff followed, my eyes deeply focused upon the dark creature savaging the elf. Then, satisfied I would strike true, my fingers upon the flaxen string loosed.

A fleshy thud greeted my ears as the arrow buried itself deep in the wolf’s torso. This was immediately followed by a loud yelp, and then the body went limp. After several seconds, Faith pushed the creature off of her, a vicious curved dagger in her uninjured hand dyed red by the creature’s blood. Replacing my bow onto my back, I moved over to help Faith up.

“I did tell you I knew what I was doing,” I stated simply, holding out my hand to her.

“Well, aren’t you my glowing hero,” Faith replied, voice heavy with irony. She quickly got to her feet, refusing my hand, and quickly checked over her arm. The bite had gone deep, straight through the hardened leather clad upon her skin, and the wound was bleeding freely. She quickly reached into a side-pocket of her own rucksack, removed a small vial filled with swirling red liquid, bit off the stopper, and drained it.

“I hope you see why we can’t stay here, now,” Faith continued, tossing the empty bottle to the ground and examining her now uninjured hand, “Shadow Wolves aren’t even close to the most vicious creatures you’ll find in these woods.”

“Point taken,” I replied icily, “right back the way we came in, I presume?”

“Naturally,” Faith answered, wiping her dagger on the wolf’s dark fur before sheathing it and grabbing her bow off the ground. “We’d better get moving before it gets… wait, what was that?”

A dull thudding noise was now making its way towards our little grove. The sounds were synchronized, which indicated more footsteps. Something very large indeed was approaching; probably because it had heard the racket that enormous wolf made, or perhaps it could smell the fresh blood.

I turned my gaze back in the direction Faith had proposed, but the undergrowth was so dense and the tiny trail so confused it was impossible to see anything within a few feet away. Nevertheless, my ears told me the creature was coming from there.

“Whatever it was, it’s coming from the way you want to go,” I repeated aloud, though at not much more than a whisper. *THUD* “And it’s getting closer,” I added not long after, nocking a second arrow and tensing my bow’s flaxen string.

“And you’re going to fight it?” Faith whispered back in bemused disbelief, “What are you going to do, stub his toes?”

“I’m going to be prepared, unless you have a better idea,” I retorted sternly. *THUD* Why did she find it so hard to just bite her tongue and trust in me right now? Didn’t this wretched place make it obvious enough we would need to work together to get out of here?

*CRASH*

An enormous, furry, three-eyed monstrosity smashed his way through the bramble thicket we were staring at so intently. He took one glance at us, then opened his maw filled with glistening sharp teeth and let out a throaty howl, beating his long, clawed arms to his chest.

“How about run!” Faith cried out. I didn’t need telling twice, quickly returning my arrow to quiver, I turned tail and dashed away as quick as I could in the opposite direction of the creature, Faith not far on my heels.

Our feet took us through bramble thickets with treetops so thick no rain could even hope to penetrate their suffocating, tangled branches and tiny clearings. Saplings had mysteriously managed to take hold in what little light they provided, and their roots were drowning in the torrent from above. Every so often, one of us would glance back, but the sight was always the same. The giant creature in hot pursuit remained ever present upon our eyes. The noise he made in his pursuit was deafening, be it crashing through overgrown hedges or tearing his way through the tangled mesh of low-hanging branches. Despite the racket, it still amazed me how none of our sounds seemed to echo. It was like the shadows within this forest were feeding off of them.

My clothes were being torn to shreds by the constant diving through the leafy thickets and thorny brush, and I was using my bow more than I would have liked to shield my face from lashing branches, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was to keep that thing from killing me right now. I danced my way through the city of trunks, gently hopping the many exposed roots. If my foot were to be caught in one, I knew it would be over. I don’t know how long I ran, but I soon reached another clearing. This one much larger than the tiny holes in the canopy we passed last. There was but one problem, the world had ended… again.

I barely brought myself to a skidding halt upon the slick, water-smoothed rocks of the brand new cliff face, fighting for balance. If it weren’t for Faith quickly grabbing hold of the scruff of my shirt and pulling me back, I might have gone over. I noticed her make a quick motion with one of her hands, a small trail was on the other side of the stream, winding its way uphill. Wasting no time, we quickly leapt across the swollen, roaring stream and dashed our way along.

A deafening howl sounded from behind, telling us we still had not managed to shake the beast. Ignoring the protests of my heart and lungs, I pushed myself to just continue running as fast as I could. It wasn’t hard to find motivation, not with death hot on my heels.

“There, get in that cave!” Faith shouted back to me, indicating a small hole in a nearby rock face big enough to admit us, but not our assailant. As quick as we could, we sprinted to the entrance, and dove inside.

“Stay there!” Faith commanded me, conjuring a small flame into her hand to light a torch as she made her way back to the mouth of the cavern.

“Are… you… insane?!” I shouted after her, panting deeply, “what on Nirn… do you think… you’re doing?”

The three-eyed beast had rumbled his way to the entrance. He took one look inside, then let out another low howl before pounding a gigantic clawed fist against the rock, sending vast thickets of dust tumbling from the ceiling. After quickly stepping back to avoid being possibly crushed, Faith then continued forward until she was as close to the creature as she dared, and waved her torch violently.

“GET AWAY!” She screamed, brandishing the torch as if it were a sword, “BACK! BACK!”

The creature gave another low howl, but flinched violently away from the flaming stick held by the Dunmer. She swung at it again, and he staggered back, staring intently at the flickering fire with an unmistakable fear in his three eyes. One more swing, and he stampeded away.

Breathing deeply, and clutching a stitch at her side, Faith then tossed the torch down on the cave floor at the mouth and returned inside.

“Troll,” she replied to my quizzical expression, “quite strong, but they come with a mortal fear of fire.”

“And a voracious appetite,” I added, wind and voice slowly returning to me, “fast, too.”

“Okay… well, looks like we don’t have much choice anymore,” Faith began thinking aloud, wiping her brow clean of sweat and rain, “We’re too deep into this forest now, and that troll will be waiting for us to go back the way we came. We’re just going to have to go south and hope for the best.”

She sighed deeply, then turned to look to me. Though I expected hatred and dislike in her eyes for the predicament we now found ourselves in, what I saw instead surprised me. Concern filled her gaze, as well as a relentless determination. I found myself silently thanking her for having sense enough to not toss blame around and spread discourse and hatred when lives most obviously depended on cooperation. It may have been a ludicrous thought, but perhaps she was genuinely worried for my safety?

“Looks like you got your wish,” she then said flatly. “I hope you kept your wits about you in our little jog, you’re going to need them. We’ve got two days of this nightmarish woodland in front of us now.”

And so an entirely new adventure begins!

I'm looking forward to where this takes us. Out of the usual, that's for certain!

What a scene !! This paragraph surpasses reading and brings us into experiencing it with the character - Awesome detail and description !!!

The whole chapter is filled with these moments that lift us into the story that we can experience it firsthand - HUGE WRITE !!!!!

Bats, a black wolf, and then a troll make for a very adventurous sojourn into the yews. And now Faith and Dere are paired up instead one stalking the other. As h.e.rider said, I can't wait to see where this is going. Great installment!

Lovely description of the Ancient Yews. It really comes across as a dark, foreboding place. With a thunderstorm to punctuate the creepiness no less! I take it that it is a mod? In any case, it is good choice in the name. The yew is the tree of death, as it is poisonous. Hekate was said to put slips of yew her cauldron.

I figured that critter was a troll. Only a giant, dinosaur-size one! And now it looks like Derelas has found himself in quite the adventure!

Again, I am left wondering about Faith's true motivations. At best she could be a creepy stalker, as she is following Dere around Cyrodiil. But I do not expect the best. Rather I have a creeping sensation that she is working for Mannimarco...


nits:
The longer I spent in within,
I think that in is a holdover from a previous edit.

“Having an early dinner {with} some new friends,”
I think you wanted a with where I inserted it above.

Our feet took us through bramble thickets with treetops so thick no rain could even hope to penetrate their suffocating, tangled branches and tiny clearings where saplings had mysteriously managed to take hold, their roots drowning in the torrent from above.
This is a really long sentence. You might want to think of breaking it up into two, around the point of the tiny clearings.

Mod.

As you can see, I didn't choose the name, but it was fitting enough that I decided to keep the one that already existed.

A delightfully foreboding place, full of danger. This was fun to read. I liked how the troll yielded to the torch. So it looks like the odd couple will be stuck with each other for a time. What a neat setting for some mystery!

Hey, nobody needs to know about your bet. That's why I said PM me, and we can talk about splitting the haul later

Impressive use of topography here. i don't meant that to sound belittling, because i seriously meant that the environment you describe and utilize is amazing. The one thing I always hate about shows or movies filmed "in the woods" is that they only ever film in apple orchards, and that actual wilderness is a much rougher and more treacherous place than many will acknowledge. I've seen people seriously injured while hiking because they didn't give their due attention to their surroundings.

This chapter worked great on many other levels as well. The frantic chase followed by seeking shelter, coupled with the fact that trolls would recognize and fear something that is so harmful to them, is a great sequence.

@rider: We shall take yo to the farthest ends of the earth... and back again. In the meantime, though, we are definitely not having a usual Elder Scrolls solo adventure, as I'm placing heavy emphasis on this forest bringing about character growth for both of them. Treasures will be few and far between, most likely, what is there to find in a dank, deadly yew forest, after all?

@mALX: Many thanks. I strive for my descriptions to be as immersive and enriching as I can possibly make them. Thankfully, I have a decent vocabulary, so that definitely helps.

@Rick: [cliche]Don't worry, Danger is his middle name![/cliche]

@SubRosa: That's your optimism? Still seems mighty pessimistic to me, perhaps Faith could be on the good side, you know? Anyways, I do like myself a female lead with mysterious intentions, so I'm glad that she is indeed a mysterious person to you.
Nits be picked.

@Acadian: A very mysterious place indeed, the Ancient Yews. We shall see many of the secrets it holds over the course of our little adventure.

@Mjolnir: I live in the wilderness, so I have plenty of experience walking riding such dangerous terrain. Indeed, the untamed wild can be quite treacherous, and I've seen enough on my trail-rides to come to have a great respect for just how treacherous they can be. Terrain is also a less-explored way of adding danger to a scene, so I'm glad it worked out so well.
PS: I wonder how long I can go before I run out of nicknames for you?

@all: Thank you all for your continued support.

next: Time for a bit of spelunking...






“This is not going to be an easy journey,” Faith mused, warming her hands on a small fire constructed from wooden torches, lighting the tiny antechamber in its flickering orange glow. Bedrolls had been laid out to one side, for Faith was quick to declare that we would be staying here for the night. “To make sure that troll doesn’t come back,” she told me.

“We’re going to need to check this cave, then,” I replied to her desire to stay. “Who knows what could be living in here besides us?”

“Indeed,” Faith replied, giving her dagger a brief pull to unsheathe it slightly. After a quick inspection to make sure no blood had dried onto the silver blade, she then returned it to its sheath. “Now that we have a fire going, it should be safe enough here, though we are going to need to take sleep in shifts.”

“Should we go together to look around?” I then asked.

“No,” she returned bluntly, “I can move far quieter on my own. Besides, I need you to watch the camp and keep the fire from going out.”

“Very well,” I replied, a mild hint of dejection in my voice, though I could see her point. “Just try not to bring anything back with you if it isn’t shiny, okay?”

Faith responded by rolling her eyes before turning towards the deeper shadows of the cave behind us.




----





Nothing dampens his spirits, Faith thought. She then surrounded herself in a bright green mist with a whispered incantation and watched as her hand faded to become one with the rocks. Good for him, but it does tend to… grate after awhile. Sometimes it’s best to know when to just hush up and let the people who know what they’re into get the job done. Oh, well… that’s a Bosmer for you. Isn’t it ironic how they can hardly ever see the forest for the trees when they’re inside of one?

As she cast another green spiral around herself, the entire cavern ahead became brilliantly visible in a deep blue veil upon her eyes. The passage twisted its way downward into Nirn’s infinite depths. Stepping quietly, but deliberately to avoid prying ears, Faith slowly made her way forth.

After many a dark moment, a rapid scuttling bristled upon the Dunmer’s pointed ears. Cacat, she thought, spiders. She slowly turned the corner, and her fears were confirmed. Two massive arachnids, both easily the size of a chicken, skittered along the moist stone floor, venom dripping menacingly from their rapidly clicking pincers. Faith repressed a shiver, she hated spiders.

Within but a few seconds, the two spiders’ days of skittering legs were ended by two feathery shafts in their hairy abdomens. Grinning faintly to herself, Faith grabbed a small empty bottle from her pocket and brought it to the pincers of one of the arachnids. Devastatingly poisonous, especially when combined with Nightshade or Peony. Also quite valuable, she recited to herself in her mind as the venom slowly dripped into the tiny flask. Once satisfied with the amount, she sealed the glass vessel and shifted her way past the curl-legged corpses.

One brief moment later, the small corridor opened into a massive cavern. Within its black depths rendered clear as day in the blue veil of Night-Eye, Faith could make out many animals… they looked like boar. Wow, we might actually be able to eat well tonight, Faith thought as she drew another bronze-tipped arrow from her quiver.

As she slowly drew the silk string of her bow to her ear, a low roar quickly made Faith do a double-take. She then investigated the shadowy corners closer for the source of the noise. It was a massive brown bear, who then proceeded to yawn loudly, stretching its forelegs out in front of him as his voice echoed throughout the stony chamber.

Perfect, Faith thought, slowly easing the tension from her bowstring. No fresh meat this time, it seems. That damn bear will smell the kill before it even strikes the ground.

At that point, something very odd struck the Dunmer hunter, those boar were not being very subtle about their presence, so why wasn’t that bear defending his home? As quickly as the thought crossed her mind, a new beast crossed into Faith’s vision….

Wait, that’s no beast… is that a person? What in Azura’s name is she doing down he… is she petting that bear?!

Faith vigorously shook her head, convinced that her Night-Eye must be conjuring images… but the Amazonian woman remained ever present. Finally assured that it wasn’t her imagination, the Dunmer then proceeded to slowly back away, utterly stunned by what she just witnessed.




----




“You are not going to believe this,” Faith said, announcing her return in a low, quiet voice that made me jump. “There’s someone already living here.”

“Someone?” I asked, wondering what hidden meaning she must be placing into her words. People don’t live in caves… at least, not in any place I’ve known.

“Yes, it was definitely a person,” Faith replied, “with a pet grizzly, to boot.”

“You’re not trying to yank my chain, are you?” I quickly returned. Perhaps it was possible for people to live in caves nowadays, but I knew it was impossible for them to keep an actual pet bear… unless they were a powerful mage. And why would a mage of such renown want to live in the middle of nowhere? Wait, scratch that, I think I just answered my own question. “Sorry, don’t answer that,” I quickly added.

“Anyways, she seemed to be deep enough inside that we should still be able to stay here for tonight,” Faith then began to reason, “We’ll just need to keep the smoke outside and the noise as low as we can. I really hope you don’t snore.”

“I’ll be sure to ask if we’re still alive in the morning,” I replied, collecting a travel ration from my pack. “I’ll take the first watch.”

“Trying to be noble?” Faith then asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I’m just trying to be a team player,” I rebutted. “Besides, you need the rest more than I do right now.”

“And your reasoning for that is what, exactly?” Faith continued, now with her other eyebrow raised.

“Because of my birthsign,” I explained, “the Steed. Believe me, it was a good run, but it didn’t tire me out nearly as much as you might think.”

Faith then moved to stoke the fire. The light of the dancing flames licked her face in their gentle glow, one that her eyes did not return. Her energy was clearly spent, and she definitely needed the sleep, despite her insistence that she didn’t.

“Look,” I continued, “You’re obviously the more experienced adventurer here, so I think keeping you rested is pretty damn important. I’m not trying to be noble, I’m trying to keep things in perspective. If we don’t stop arguing with each other over who does what, we’re both going to end up troll-food come tomorrow.”

“I know,” Faith replied, holding up a hand to stop me. “I just find it hard to trust someone who’s never been someplace dangerous in his life...”

“And your point is what exactly?” I cut her off, “You, of all people, should know that you can’t think straight when you’re tired, which you are.”

“Hey, I’m not the one who needs protecting here,” Faith retorted, her voice beginning to rise, “I didn’t get us into this mess in the first place.”

“This is childish,” I sighed, shaking my head, “I know you know that you’re exhausted, I can see it in your eyes. You really need to put the superiority complex aside for a minute….”

“This has nothing to do with superiority!” Faith argued, voice rising further, “This has to do with keeping us alive.”

“Which I’m trying to say you can do that much better if you’re rested!” I countered, growing exasperated. Why did she have to make this so difficult? We’re arguing over who gets to sleep, by Mara’s sake!

“Fine!” Faith then snapped, making a beeline for her bedroll and tossing herself in to look towards the wall. “We’ll do it your way then. Gods preserve us that we may make it out alive!”

I needed some air. Taking my still yet to be eaten travel ration, I made my way to the mouth of the cave and found a seat. Faith was obviously not thinking straight; she was so engrossed in protecting me that she didn’t seem to care about protecting herself. Despite the fact she probably wasn’t going to talk to me for some time, I was glad she finally saw reason. As the shadows of the forest became complete with the last rays of an unseen sun dipping beneath the land for its long slumber, I wondered to myself if all women could be this stubborn.

I gave my head a quick shake, putting the thoughts out of my mind. She’ll come round, sometimes it’s just best you let someone seethe. All I could hope for now as that she would be willing to put our differences aside come tomorrow and just concentrate on leaving this place.

Ewww, spiders! Yuck. An interesting little cave-dive by Faith, with some intriguing discoveries.

What in Azura’s name is she doing down he… is she petting that bear?!
Sounds like Teresa made a crossover into the DF!

Finally, an amusing little argument, ending in the infamous "F" word! Poor Derelas, that is what he gets for letting the stalker chick tag along with him!


nits:
Nothing dampens his spirits, Faith thought to herself as she surrounded herself in a bright green mist with a whispered incantation.
This sentence runs out a bit. You might think of splitting it into two sentences, like this:
Nothing dampens his spirits, Faith thought. With a whispered incantation, she surrounded herself in a bright green mist .

That cave-woman makes me think of Ayla and Baby. Hmm . . .

Anyway, I enjoyed the brief peek inside Faith's mind as she explored the cave. Ugh, those spiders sounded disgusting, much like Shelob.

I see you fixed the sentence Sage Rose pointed out. It reads much better now.

And I want to see what happens next!

An interesting setting and some fine character development here.

I liked Faith's use of some cave diving magic.

The woman with the bear is very intriguing!

Here, let me help you out. My birthday is the Third of Second Seed, so which movie featuring a hammer-wielding leader of awesomeness comes out just a few days after? Score!

There's a hammer in The Elder Scrolls that keeps showing up.

Translated to Latin, it reads "Dux Malleus." ('Dux' was a generic term for 'leader' with no set rank or station attached.) Since that gives us the English 'Duke' we simply need to see what comes out ON my Birthday (Double Score!). The fact that I am fond of destruction-magic-overkill, or 'nuking', adds to that...

Shorten 'Malleus' to 'Mal.' Add that to 'Captain.' Add the wonderful and unbelievably awesome Nathan Fillion for a role that was too popular, but cut too short...

Heck, Nathan Fillion!

AND, his current character on TV.

...Oh, and a Buffy-verse role of said actor that was just plain creepy (maybe we should let Acadian have that one).

I'm sure there's more, but now you've got (1,2,3...6) at least six more installments before you have to think up some more. Incidentally, we could start a game called "Six Degrees of Captain Hammer's Nicknames." I wonder if we can incorporate a Bacon-index in it somewhere...

But I digress. On to the post itself.

Are the spiders added by a mod, and if so, which one? I keep some Daedra Venin for it's poison effects, but after finishing the main quest I lose the ability to harvest more and end up relying on the Arch-Mage's chest of duplication for more.

The argument itself was well done, and I found myself recalling a number of times when I foolishly believed in the truth of the f-word. Poor Derelas. May he find the way to see the truth past the words.

I suspect the bear-hugger's last name is Draconis, lol. I'm surprised Faith's shouting didn't rouse her to come attack the two of them! Great Chapter !!! Derelas really seems to be coming into his own now !!!

Great bit of character building. These two are going to be a joy to follow. My guess for the cave-dwelling bear-handler is her name starts with an Sprig and ends with a gan. I suspect that the spiders might be modded? Only because I have never seen one. Either way, I am with SubRosa on this...YUCKO! I detest spiders!

Looking forward to the next installment...

@SubRosa: There be plenty of creepy-crawlies out there for you in this one. If you would wish it, I can warn you in the future if there might be some arachnophobic segments so you can be prepared for them.

@rider: Have you been reading dirty literature again? Naughty Haute!

@Acadian: The bear-woman is rather central to this set of chapters, as you will soon find out.

@Volendrung: The mod in question is MMM. If spiders freak you out, you can also turn them off if you wish. Yes, the F-word (as I learned in middle school) definitely contains hidden, but obvious meaning. Never trust a man or woman who uses it too much.

@mALX: Have you been eavesdropping on my PMs again, you minx?

@Rick: Again, if enough people wish it, I will post warnings for when there is a spider-heavy chapter in the works. Please let me know if I should.

@all: I believe it is time we brushed up on a bit of the lore involved in this story. I did my best to ensure it would connect and play nice to all the other Bosmeri stories already posted, so I hope you enjoy it.

next: We meet two new very important figures... and a bear.






*ROAR*

My reverie of boredom was shattered by a glass-shattering guttural noise. I turned to a paralyzing sight. A giant bear was stood upon his hind legs, dwarfing the ashen-skinned woman who’s hand now instinctively swung to her hip for her blade.

“The nature-hater has slain our kin. Teddy will eat sweetly tonight!” a cackling voice rang through as the bear came crashing back to all fours. The sheer weight of his landing caused Faith to stagger back skittishly. With another loud roar of indescribable rage, the great mammal swung his paw upwards, claws gleaming in the fire’s dying glow.

“STOP!” I cried out instinctively. I then watched in utter amazement as the bear gave pause, turning to blink in my direction. Then, miraculously, he lowered his paw to the ground and stood stark still. A young woman dressed in furs then appeared from around the creature’s hindquarters, a look of confusion upon her shadowed face.

“The Tree-Lover has commanded Teddy still,” she began, her voice matching her face, though oddly bearing with it no vestiges of insanity. “Why does he deny me vengeance?”

“Vengeance?” I repeated bemusedly, my eyes darting to Faith. She had done a very good job of turning herself into statue, as she was now standing just as still as that bear. She still hadn’t bothered to even lower her dagger.

“My darling scuttle-bugs,” she replied tearfully, “They were murdered by this one’s feather-bolts and robbed of their glitter!”

“Wait, those giant spiders were your pets?” Came Faith’s astonished voice at last.

“Be silent, Ash-Breather,” the strange animal-woman snapped coldly, “you are a thief and a murderer. You deserve not the life that was given to you.”

A low growl was beginning to emanate from the bear’s raised hackles, informing me that he was fast losing interest in his complacency. I would need to think fast if I wanted to keep things from becoming any messier.

“Listen, miss,” I began feverishly, desperately racking my thoughts so I might head off the woman’s rage. “She obviously didn’t know those spiders meant something to you. We’re just two travelers lost in the woods, driven into hiding by a troll. Believe me, we want to leave here as much as you want us gone.”

“Someone must pay for my scuttle-bugs!” The woman cried out. “Their glitter is robbed! They have no hope for survival in the next world!”

“Glitter?” came Faith’s bemused response, “what do you mean, glitter?”

“Their venom, you fool!” The woman almost screamed back, pointing an accusing finger at the Dunmer, “How do you expect a spider to survive without venom?!”

“Here,” Faith quickly and somewhat fearfully replied. She pulled a small, glass flask out of her pocket, “Their venom is in here. You can have it if you want it.”

“Did I not tell you hush?” The woman scathed, sending Faith’s jaw snapping closed once again. The bear-woman then approached Faith slowly, a hand reaching out for the bottle. When Faith made no protest, she snatched it from her hand and clasped it lovingly in her own. She then turned back to me, the fires of anger in her eyes now dispelled.

“Perhaps the Ash-Breather has some humility,” she said, gently caressing the bottle of venom. She then slipped it into the folds of her furs and turned to face me. “Very well, Bosmer. I will let her be… for now.”

“Wait, that’s it?” I then asked apprehensively.

“Not in the slightest,” she responded, “But if you wish it, she will be spared.”

“Thank you,” I replied, my body fighting the urge to soar away with difficulty as the bear retreated into the shadows. Now that I wasn’t so focused on that furry monstrosity, I could get a proper look at the woman who commanded his respect. Her hair was long and brown. She wore it lank and though it bore no sophisticated styling, was not unkempt. Her deep brown eyes seemed to bore into your soul with their intense gaze, one I was fairly certain kept that bear docile. Her face bore no markings of age, and her body was well toned and bristled with feminine strength.

“My name is Sibylla Draconis,” she then introduced herself to me. Her voice now much calmer and more concise. “I am a shepherd to the many creatures of Kynareth in these woodlands. I have devoted my life to His will, and so bear no worldly possessions one might call ‘civilized.’”

“Well met, Sibylla,” I returned holding my open hand forward with my palm facing her in the traditional Bosmer greeting. She then reached forward in the same way and touched her hand to mine, thus declaring herself friend. “I hope you can forgive the misgivings of my friend here, she does tend to think with her tongue before her brain.”

Faith responded to this with a blatant scoff, but earned a chuckle from Sibylla.

“Anyways, what brought you up here?” I continued, “Did you hear the argument?”

“Teddy heard,” Sibylla replied, returning to the bear’s side and leaning up against his massive hindquarters, “And when we were on the way up I found my darling scuttle-bugs… well, you call them spiders, had been killed. I don’t like that word, by the way, ‘spider’,” she then veered off, her gaze drifting. “Too vicious, too fearful a word.”

She then turned back to me. “I apologize, I may have come off a bit loopy when we first met,” she turned her gaze downward. She might have been blushing from embarrassment, but it was hard to tell by the dimly flickering light of our small fire. “I tend to get that way when people kill my woodland creatures.”

“I understand,” I replied, “it’s hard to lose a pet.”

“As it is your family?” Sibylla then revealed, quietly so that only I might hear her words. Her response startled me half to death. She knew?

“How do you know that?” I asked indignantly, shock heavy on my tongue.

“It would seem your guide deigned to tell,” she responded. “He must have been expecting us to meet.”

“My guide?” came my confused reply.

“Your spirit guide; every Bosmer has one.” She explained, “Usually they take the form of an animal such as a raven or lion, but you can occasionally find a few with a human guide, though they are rare.”

“So who is mine?” I asked.

“Does your birthsign not tell all?” She responded in a mysterious tone.

“The Steed?”

“Equine,” Sibylla corrected, “Spirit of the Horses. He has blessed you with his heart and lungs, and to this day has guided your footsteps. I believe he wanted us to meet, what else might have drawn you here into this accursed grove?”

“How did you speak to him, then, if he is my guide?” I then asked, still very perplexed. My gaze met Faith’s and she seemed to be just as lost as I was over all this.

“Why don’t you ask him?” was her only reply. I had to restrain rolling my eyes with immense difficulty. How was I supposed to know how to communicate with someone who, until now, I didn’t even know existed?

"Really now, it’s a lot easier than you think," I jumped almost a foot into the air when I heard the response. The voice sounded so familiar, faintly nagging… no, more like a mild whinny behind the vocals. This must be him.

"Equine," I thought, "is that you?"

"Yes, it is," came the response. "I believe this is not the first time we spoke, as well."

My mind streamed backwards. A dead Khajiit, blood spilling upon the sun-kissed stone road. The keen steel edge in my hand bathed in the weeping red sorrow of stolen life. The feeling of my very soul being rent in two. "I remember," I told him.

"Very good, and it would seem you have," Equine returned. "I hope you’re visit to Cheydinhal was fruitful?"

"I got what I went there for, so I would believe so," I answered. Even if it was a rather unpleasant stay. Silence then followed. Faith was still rooted in place, likely extraordinarily confused as to what was going on. Sibylla, on the other hand, was smiling.

“See?” she broke the silence with a voice filled with approval, “He always listens, you need only ask.”

“That was incredible,” was all I could muster up in reply, my voice still rather shaky. There was still one question on my mind for Equine though: 'why did Sibylla allow Faith to live?'

"You may think her not much more than a creepy stalker right now, but she is much more than that," Equine quickly responded. "Things will become clearer once you leave the Yews. Sibylla knows this, as I have told her just how important she will become to your life. She respects those who love and live with nature."

“Now come, both of you,” Sibylla then commanded. “If you are going to live to find your way out, you will need my assistance.” I was quick to follow, but Faith still needed some time to figure out she wasn’t a stalagmite before she came along.




----




“You can rest in here for tonight,” Sibylla directed us to lay our bedrolls down by the fire built within her cavernous living chamber, smoke streaming through a small hole dug into the ceiling nearby. “We will discuss your travel options come morning. Oh, and by the way, Ash-Breather,” she turned to Faith with a scathing look in her eye, “try not to kill any more of my flock while you are here.”

“I resent that name, you know,” Faith mumbled to herself, dropping her bedroll. Sibylla ignored her. She proceeded to continue her silent treatment as she flung herself into the folds. I however, couldn’t hope to sleep, not with all the questions I had for my newfound guide. Why did you want me to meet Sibylla? Did you have anything to do with me coming to Cyrodiil? Does this have something to do with my parents? And what about those strange dreams with the red-eyed man?

"Calm yourself, young Elf," came the soft whinny of Equine’s voice in my head, "you have twelve human lifetimes ahead of you still. We have always been connected, but you rarely found the moments where you would actually reach out and speak to me. I guided you to Sibylla so you might understand our link better. It is very important that you do."

"Why didn’t my parents tell me about you," I then asked. "Why did they keep your existence from me?"

"They didn’t. They were taken from you before they had the chance to forge the bond."

"What do you mean, forge the bond?"

"Our bonds are forged through the hunt," Equine explained, "When a Bosmer makes his first kill, he opens the door to his guide. You’ve done this already, with the Khajiit. Most do not meet their guides for the first time until they are of twenty-five years upon Mundus. The First Hunt is a rite of passage for all Bosmer, opening the doors to their guides and showing the world that they have grown. I do regret that this opportunity was stolen from you, but I am glad you found your way to me nonetheless. Even if it was by a path most might never follow."

"And what did Sibylla have to do with that," I then wondered. "How did she communicate with you if you’re my guide?"

"Nothing," Equine responded, "she just… showed you the way. Her affinity with Kynareth makes her a friend of Y’ffre. In fact, Kynareth is Y’ffre, or rather the Bosmeri version of Him; all Tamrielic deities take the form of the Aedra. I can speak to her through him, and that is also how she knows my name."

"And she can hear you? I thought the only people who can hear the guides were their Bosmer companions?"

"We are not exclusive, we simply choose one to follow. Any can communicate with us if they wish it. By the same coin, we may communicate with any we wish. However, only those who understand the ways of nature, such as Sibylla, might understand our words. To others, we simply sound like any other animal."

"Just one more question, then. What about the red-eyed man I’ve dreamt of since my arrival?"

"Ah, that I know nothing about, but that Sera Dresdan is deeply involved. As I said, bear with her until you have left the Yews. Things will become clearer then. Sleep now, Derelas of Elder Root. You need your rest as much as she does now."

________________________________________________________________________________



Post Script: Kynareth is normally depicted as being female in the game, but not here. Kynareth is male in this Fic, and this is due to my specific lore that all of the Tamrielic deities that have been created by the races of Mundus refer back to the eight Aedra who created Nirn.

However, if you would, the gender of Kynareth will actually be disputed in this fic. Nature lovers, such as the Bosmer and Sibylla, depict Kynareth (AKA Y'ffre) as male. The Imperial sect (I refuse to call it the Imperial cult), however, depicts Kynareth (incorrectly) as female.

Ash-Breather
A good epithet!

I am a shepherd to the many creatures of Kynareth in these woodlands. I have devoted my life to His will,
His ? Kynareth is depicted as being female. Was another deity supposed to be in there as well? Or did you give Kynareth a sex change? Ahhh, I see you did in a manner of speaking, along with a name change, at the end.

Quite a bit going on here, with Derelas meeting not only the bear-girl, but also his fairy godfather.


nits:
You may think her not much more than a creepy stalker right now, but she is much more than that, Equine quickly responded. Things will become clearer once you leave the Yews. Sibyilla knows this, as I have told her just how important she will become to your life. She respects those who love and live with nature.
I think you meant for quotation marks in the dialogue here?

Really cool chapter here. It keeps the hook firmly set, and I am certainly not fighting being reeled in!

mALX gets the kewpie doll for the correct guess on the bear-hugger's identity. I was way off!

WTG with the Lore! I envy those that are Lore savvy. I am so Lore-illiterate that I am constantly using the UESP Wiki for reference.

nits -

...well, you call them spiders, had been killed. I don’t like that word, by the way, ‘spider,’” she then veered off, her gaze drifting.
This should be 'spider',"

The other nit was already pointed out by SubRosa. Except that instead of quotes, I believe that Italics should have been used for Equine's words.

This brings me to another point, and this is a personal point only, as I am no expert in writing by any means. You have used Italics for several different things. They have been used for dream sequences, for the thoughts of both Faith and Deetsan in scenes that dealt with them, and for entire scenes dealing with the evil side story going on.

I assume that the conversations that occur between Derelas and Equine happen via telepathy, and that Derelas is not speaking aloud. A less confusing way for this to happen might be using Italics for Derelas' side and a different font for Equine's side. Or a different color. Again, this is only a personal preference, but I tend to associate Italics with the uses that you have already used, and now we have a new one. Just food for thought.

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

EDIT - I'm reading too many stories...LOL. I have corrected 'Felisa' to 'Faith'.

Remember 'Til Death do we Part? I am not throwing a new use for italics at you, I am recycling one that has already been used. I will consider changing this if people start getting confused as to who is talking to whom, but I'd prefer to leave it as it is for now. If I do change it, I will likely be Italicizing Dere's thoughts, as well, because I reserve font changes for writings within the writing.

EDIT: I've tried a few things, the fonts will need to remain italicized due to the fact that the conversation is occurring through telepathy, and that adds a problem. Most of the fonts available on this board look too much alike when italicized to make any sort of difference. I tried single quotes, but that was too subtle...

I'm going to try italicized quotations now, that might be the best option.

EDIT AGAIN: I've switched to italicized quotations for Equine and Dere. This way I can play things out like regular dialogue between them, but the italics mark that the conversation is occurring telepathically. Hopefully that should clear up any confusion.

Very interesting to read. And enjoyable. I particularly liked the manner of speech you infused Sibylla with; it seems perfect for her.

And Derelas gets a spirit guide!

'I was quick to follow, but Faith still needed some time to figure out she wasn’t a stalagmite before she came along. '
Wonderful comparing Faith to a stalagmite!

On Dere's communication with Equine, it seems they both communicate telepathically to each other. Take some time and fiddle with things if you like, get opinions from readers. There are surely many options. I think the important thing is consistency, which I'm sure you know. I followed things fine, but my elf is very used to having a voice in her head too, so you may not want to listen to us. Lol.

Regarding lore for fan fictions. I think the beauty of fan fiction is to modify the TES world as you see fit. Most of us (very much including you) do so in a way that makes sense. Where it varies from 'by the book' TES lore, we explain within our story, then remain true to it. For example, you will never ever hear a reference to the Green Pact in Buffy Fiction, nor in Teresa Fiction for example. Both of us simply reject the concept and do not paint it into our characters' worlds. I do not recall any reference to spirit guides in TES lore yet, delightfully, we find them in Derelas fiction and Teresa fiction. Buffy will someday learn of her 'totem' stolen straight from 'Clan of the Cave Bear', not TES. I am certain that TES lore does not provide for women whose fate has been touched by Azura as vampire slayers either. I think all our stories are richer for this type of wonderful seasoning as we each cook up our own recognizable, but unique TES world. You will certainly never receive a complaint or nit from this reader for tweaking TES lore to suit your story.

4 down, (n) to go!

Sorry, I'm starting a little tally for the nicknames now, since this seems like it could be fun.

But on to the introduction of a quadrupedal spirit guide, and mistress of the forest. I found your introduction of Sibylla entertaining and original, and it wouldn't have been complete without her alternative viewpoint on the natural world. Particularly the "Scuttle bugs" and their "glitter." That's hilarious.



How long till she gets her payback for that one? Again, I'm offering my role as bookie...

I've read the conversation between Dere and Equine's in your different formats. While I agree that the font choice is limited to "more left or more right slanted italics," might I suggest a color change. Say, brown, dark green, or dark blue?

Experiment, see what works in the "Preview Post," and go with that.

This is absolutely my fave chapter of all so far, and that is saying a LOT that it overcame the chapter where he made his first kill. Your creative imagination is beginning a dance now, I can't wait to see where it leads us !!! AWESOME WRITE !!!!!!!

@SubRosa: As I explained in the PS edit, Kynareth is considered female by the Imperial sect, but male by the Bosmer and nature lovers (who refer to Him as Y'ffre). In reality, though, I consider the Aedra to be genderless. They are the immortal forces of creation and life. As such, like any god, they are above such petty biases. The Aedra are not living beings, but rather they are the manifestations of life itself. No one truly knows anything about them aside from them creating Nirn by Lorkhan's trickery, and what sphere of being they govern. They are a force, not beings, and as such are above the issue of gender.

@Rick: Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I hope the new format for telepathic conversation is a bit easier for you to read. If not, please let me know, and I'll think on it some more.

@Acadian: I was actually referring to yourself when I spoke of the spirit guides. "but you can occasionally find a few with a human guide, though they are rare." I very much consider a Bosmer's guide to be a part of their lore now, thanks to how well both you and 'Rosa manage them. I am also, as you noted, a big fan of modifying lore within the game, though I always try to maintain the Elder Scrolls feel to my lore modifications. You might find that heavily modding your game will make you a lot more flexible with changing things you don't like, as well.
And you too with the Auel books?! GAAAAAAH!!!

@Darth Maul: She's been living on her own for quite a long time, being that she is a druid. I tend to try to set the mood and idea of a character the moment you meet them, and I wanted to bring to the reader's attention that she was a bit off-key when it came to conversation, especially when emotions were clouding her judgement. Glad it worked for you.
Oh, and that is not a Star Wars reference (well, not completely), a maul is a type of large warhammer.

@mALX: You comments are much appreciated, as always.

@all: We are nearing our centennial post now. you have all been instrumental in keeping me going, and I think I may have finally hit my stride as a writer at this point. I hope to see my skills refined even further as I continue this, as I still have a ways to go yet before I will even consider myself on par with the veterans on these boards.

next: We're off again, on an adventure of extraordinarily mundane proportions.






“Move quickly southward, for the troll is bound to still be in the area,” Sibylla explained, fingering my map as she went. She had drawn several landmarks onto the parchment. The one she started tracing a path from was a small closed archway that she had labeled “Muck Valley Cavern,” meaning we were there. “Your path will take you west a small ways to avoid the river. Once you reach Mushroom Grove, turn southeast and continue until the sun’s rays darken. You will reach an old, ruined tower here,” she pointed to a small image of a castle tower. “You can wait for morning’s glow there, sheltered from the beasts of the woods.”

“And then after that, we should make the edge of the Yews by fall of darkness on the next day?” I inquired, retracing Sibylla’s directions within my mind’s eye and committing them to memory.

“If you pace quick and ride the breeze, yes,” Sibylla replied, “however, I would suggest putting at least a half-moon’s journey between you and the woods before you settle in.”

“So , about two hours, then?” Faith asked. Now that she was awake and alert, she had found her courage to speak once again. Sibylla eyed Faith with detest at her words.

“If you wish to be so mundane as that, yes,” she returned. “Now, Derelas, do you remember that prayer I taught you?” Sibylla then quizzed me.

“Though your life be taken,
To provide for our need,
Here it ends not,
For your spirit be freed,

Be in peace, my brother,
By wings of Y’ffre may you return to Him,
My body shall be your vessel,
And guide you to His waiting hands.”

“And don’t forget about the heart.” Sibylla told me after I finished my recitation. “You must give the wings and connect your spirit with his so he might find his way to the Everwoods. You remember how to do that, right?”

“Cut the heart from the body, draw two lines from eye to mouth on the head in the creature’s blood, then cut off a portion of heart… and eat it.” I finished, repressing a shudder at the last part.

“That is disgusting…” Faith butted in, pulling a face.

“That is tradition,” Sibylla retorted. “A time-honored Bosmeri ritual. If you wish to leave these woods alive, you would do best to keep the favor of the ones who watch them.”

Faith opened her mouth to argue back, but a throaty growl from Teddy made her reconsider. She closed it again soundlessly.

“Keep that spell I taught you on the front of your mind, you’ll need it if the troll finds you again,” Sibylla continued, turning back to me. “I know it’s not much, but trolls are guaranteed to leave you be if they know you have fire close by.”

“I’m sure it will be most helpful, as you have been,” I replied. “We should probably get moving now if we want to reach that tower before dark.”

“Indeed, you should,” Sibylla agreed. “Move light, but move cautious. If the troll returns, burn him. Safe travels, Bosmer.”




----




The first hours of our journey south passed in silence. The troll seemed to have gotten the message, though, because we saw not a glimpse of his matted, furry body. Faith was apparently still annoyed about what happened last night. This was reinforced by the odd clucking sounds she occasionally made with her tongue along with shaking her head.

“I gather you disapprove of Sibylla?” I voiced in annoyance after she did this again for the umpteenth time.

“You forget I’m not a druid, like you obviously are with your city-slicking ways,” Faith retorted snidely, voice heavy with sarcasm. “Ash breather… I’ll have her breathing ash if I see her again,” she then added under her breath.

“I’d tell you to lay off,” I then began in reply, “but… well, she did sick a bear on you.”

“How did you get her to stop, by the way?” Faith then inquired, abandoning pretense and apparently completely forgetting she was mad at me. “I know Bosmer can command smaller creatures to their will, but a grizzly? That’s unheard of.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know, either,” I returned, silently voicing the same question to Equine.

“You give yourself too little credit,” he responded, “You don’t yet know what you are capable of, and it is not my place to tell you.”

“Gee, thanks,” I voiced aloud, “very helpful.”

“Umm… who are you talking to?” Faith was looking at me with a raised eyebrow and a quizzical expression. I felt my face begin to burn, I hadn’t meant to say that aloud.

“Oh… uhh, my spirit guide.” I quickly replied.

“Oh, this again…” Faith scoffed unsurprisingly. “Listen, you can believe in whatever you want, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to take the word of some loony Druid at fa… WHOA!!”

As we passed into a large clearing, the first we’d seen in the past two days, a loud whinny announced the presence of a very startled wild horse. He then proceeded to rear. We both deftly jumped backward to avoid the thrashing hooves until he settled them firmly back down on the ground. With that, he turned tail and bolted, his gray mane tossed behind him in a fury of speed and he snorting his displeasure loudly.

“By the Gods,” Faith then softly exclaimed, clutching at her chest. “What is that horse doing in the middle of these woods… and all alone? And what are you grinning about?!”

My mind was not on the words spewing from Faith’s mouth, but rather on that horse. Somehow, I had a fleeting feeling how it got there, and could almost hear Equine laughing. “Show off.”

“It might do you best not to verbally assault my guide any more,” I told her. “He very nearly struck you down there.”

“I just can’t win, can I?” Faith returned exasperatedly, grabbing for the bridge of her nose in frustration. “Alright, I get it. I’ll let this go.”

“Good to hear,” I replied. “Anyways, do you think this is the clearing Sibylla told us about?”

“It’s got to be,” Faith quipped, pointing toward a large grove of mushrooms growing nearby. We then moved in for a closer look. Though rather small, their deep steel-blue complexion shone through the lush green grass with the rippling sheen of a small pond. One might almost see the sky through them if they looked hard enough.

“Steel-blue Entoloma,” Faith began reciting, kneeling down beside them. “Edible, but very hot. They also contain much larger Magicka pools than other plants; useful to alchemists.”

“You know, for an ash-breathing druid hater, you do seem to know your plants well.”

Faith responded by glaring daggers at me.

“Listen,” Faith began in a heavily aggravated tone, “I don’t care what that fetching woman says about me, but I do have a problem with her filling your head with the same dreck. Do you know what Ash-breather means? No? Well, figure it out! I’ve had enough of being ridiculed like I’m just some plant-burning, animal-slaughtering n’wah! Back off!”

With that, she stormed off. She left me standing alone, struck dumb, and blinking very stupidly as I wondered what nerve I had touched.




----




“Listen, I know this may be the last thing you want to hear, but I’m sorry.” It took me several minutes to muster up the courage to speak to Faith again after her outburst. When she was done ranting, she ran to the edge of the clearing and fell with her back against one of the yews, refusing to look anywhere near me. I don’t think I ever felt dumber in my life than I did now. Those words left me before I had a chance to even think of the implications. The sheer irony of this predicament was not lost on me either.

“Sometimes it just feels like the world hates me,” Faith then began to speak. She still refused to look at me, though, and didn’t seem to be addressing me either. “I stick my neck out at danger time and time again, and what do I get for it? ‘You’re a fool, you hateful Dunmer, you don’t deserve the life you have.’ Why do I bother with these people? If anyone doesn’t deserve to live, it’s those bunch of bigots down the way of Cyrodiil City. They don’t know what it’s like to live anywhere outside their marble mansions and pools of Septims….”

She then turned to look at me, and I was utterly shocked to see her purple-flushed face was streaked with tears.

“I thought you’d be different,” She continued, “that you would understand what it meant to be wronged by the world and never see another person give a cliffracer’s beak about it. I still want to believe that, but…I can’t see if I should anymore.”

Her words caused me more confusion than they did enlightenment. Different in what way? What exactly is she keeping from me? No… think before you speak, you foolish elf. The last thing she needs is to have her motives questioned right now. I sank to my knees next to her, “I meant no insult by my words, I didn’t know that ash-breather was really so bad a term.”

“It’s a lot like when someone calls you a tree-hugger,” Faith replied, wiping her eyes dry. “Do you like it when someone calls you that?”

“Not at all,” I replied, “I just… spoke before I thought. And don’t say what I think you’re about to say, I feel like enough of an idiot already.”

“What did you think I was going to say?” Faith then inquired, her eyebrows slightly raised, though this time not out of anger.

“Well, you know…” I began sheepishly, “about what I said about you when we first met Sibylla. How you speak before you think? I retract that, by the way, as I’ve proven quite well just now that applies much more to me.”

Faith responded with a light chuckle. “Oh, that. That didn’t actually occur to me, but now that you told me…” she finished, her eyes gleaming, this time not from tears. The impish grin spreading across her face certainly didn’t help matters, either.

“Save it for when we get out of here, please,” I requested, feeling my face growing hot once again. I then stood back up, offering my hand to Faith to assist her to her feet. This time, she took it.

“We can work out our differences later,” Faith said, agreeing with my silent thoughts. “We’ve lost enough time as it is. Now, which way did Sibylla say we go from here?”