Of course Weebam-Na couldn't afford to eat there, he just heard the story from the ex-customers, and embellished it a bit.

Another fun segment, this one focused on Gudrun and a new office in the IC.

A nice mixture of the familiar and new.

'He walked off as only a ghost can, through the wall.'
How perfect is this?!?

"After all, I don't want Timo getting rusty!"
Goodness no! One must take proper care of one's tools.

I'm experiencing "Modder's Block" at the moment. I have a quest for the player to fetch some water from the Grove of Reflection at Milchar, but I just can't decide what the problem will be with the apparently simple fetch task. So to distract myself for while I've written up the next tale from the earlier part of the story, as that seems to be well-settled now.

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

Heidi's Tale

"Would you believe it? I have a recruit!" exclaimed Gudrun. "Her name is Heidi, and she comes from just over the border in Skyrim. But why don't you let her tell you her story, and see if you think she'll make a good Rider for us. I'd like a second opinion."

Heidi was siiting on the bench near the corner. A Nord as tall and as blonde as Gudrun, a little less tanned, but conspicuously top-heavy to more than make up for it. She stood up and walked over.

"Hi! I'm Heidi. They all call me 'Hidy' Heidi, because everyone notices me, especially the men. I've always wanted to be a Bear Rider, and when I heard that they were recruiting, I came here to apply". She paused briefly before continuing. "I haven't done much riding. I feel wobbly when I'm up on a horse, but bears are wider, aren't they? And I'm really good with a claymore. My Blade teacher says I'm a natural swordswoman. It's just something I can do without thinking about it. Which is good, because I think slower than most."

He asked about the 'thinking slowly' part, and she did so, before replying "Yes, that's my only problem with joining. I don't have good academic qualifications, because I don't do well in exams. It's all because I don't have enough time. I don't get the answers wrong, but I don't finish enough to get good marks. It also means I can't do much magic, because I can't think of the right spell fast enough. Healing is my best, because I can take my time."

She brightened up a little as she added "And I have a good memory for what people say to me, even if I don't understand it at first. That lets me think it over until I do."

Gudrun seemed to think that she might not be right for patrol duties, as you needed to think quickly for that. "I can't see us squeezing her into the regulation cuirass either, although half the Legion would volunteer to help us try!" But it didn't matter, there were other jobs she could do.

It appeared that Gudrun had already decided, and a second opinion wasn't required.

Heidi wanted to know what she would be wearing, if the regular uniform wouldn't fit.

"With her Blade skill, she doesn't need armor so much as support and restraint." Gudrun reasoned "And nothing's better for that than good strong steel. Gin-Wulm in the Market District should be able to make her something like mine, ... only roomier.''

Gudrun gave Heidi a note to take to Gin-Wulm that would authorize him to make a custom uniform, and send the bill to the Legion. "He made mine, so he'll know what's needed".

Heidi headed off across town and went into the Best Defense to find Gin-Wulm. Despite offers of help from both his assistants, the Argonian Master Armorer took her measurements himself. He pulled a pair of boots from a rack and had her try them on.

"Good, that's one item we won't have to make specially for you."

The rest would have to be uniquely crafted, but only the cuirass would take any significant work. She should return in a day, and they would have something ready for her to try on.

Leaving the shop, she paused outside the door and looked around. She could either return to the Waterfront and spend another night at the Bloated Float, or she could look for an Inn here in the Market District. That would save her walking all the way across the city and back, but she didn't really know this area well. She'd have to ask the Legion Guard for directions to an Inn.

Before she could reach the guard post at the gate, however, a well-dressed man came up to her. "I haven't seen you around here before." he said. "Are you new in town?"

Heidi replied that she was, to this part at least, and she was looking for the nearest Inn, so she could rent a bed for the night.

"I was just on my way there for a drink," he said "Let me buy you one, and I'll take you there."

Heidi smiled to herself. This wasn't the first time she'd been invited to the tavern for a drink, and it wouldn't be the last. She decided to make the most of the situation. "Lead on".

At the Market Inn, Velus Hosidius showed them to a table in the corner. "Since he's paying, I won't ask for Tamika's 399" she joked, "just an ale will do". The man ordered the same, and they sat down together and started to chat.

--------

The table was full of empty bottles, and they were the only ones left in the bar. Heidi raised her mug, and drank the last of her ale. When she lowered it again, the man had disappeared. Standing up, she walked around the table to find him lying on the floor next to his chair.

"I'll be needing a room for the night" she announced to Velus "And I'll pay for that myself, since he won't be sharing." She passed across the twenty drakes for the room, and walked up the stairs, with only the slightest unsteadiness.

Velus watched her appreciatively and chuckled. It's not easy to out-drink a Nord, but the fool had tried it anyway. He'd spent a lot more than he'd expected in the process, without getting anything but tomorrow's hangover.

-------

As she sat eating a sweetroll the next morning, Heidi was thinking about something strange the man had said. He was slurring his words a lot by then, and his small-talk wasn't really worth listening to, but she had heard "dawn is breaking". That made no sense to her, and she resolved to ask Gudrun about it when she got back to the office with her uniform.

It was nearly time to go over to the Best Defense and check on their progress. She needed to buy a sword as well, so her first stop was at "A Fighting Chance", just next door to the Inn. She told Rohssan that she needed a Silver weapon. "Legion standard?" she asked.

"Yes," replied Heidi, "but I need a claymore, not a longsword. It's for the Mountain Riders"

Rohssan showed her a selection, and she picked one that was slightly longer than the others. It felt well-balanced, and as she swung it a few times, Heidi knew that this was the right choice.

"Looks like you're handy with a blade" Rohssan remarked. "Not many are that quick with a two-hander."

Despite the flattery, Heidi haggled hard and got a good price. Then she set off across the street to the Best Defense.

Gin-Wulm had not only made her armor already, but it fit perfectly without needing any adjustment. The steel he'd used was thin and light, with a slight blue sheen. It had a comfortable lining built in, so she wouldn't need to wear anything underneath it. The lower half was somewhat minimal, but she wouldn't get arrested. Not that there was a lot to the top if you took off the pauldrons, but it provided all the support she needed.

It would need to be enchanted as well, or even a Nord like her would feel the cold, and that would provide further magical defense. She'd have to take it to the Chironasium at the Arcane University for that, but Gudrun hadn't provided the orders yet. Thanking Gin-Wulm again for his efforts, she headed back to the Waterfront.

---------

Back at the office, Heidi told Gudrun and the Hero of Kvatch about the events of the previous evening. He recognized the phrase "Dawn is Breaking" and asked her to accompany him back to the Inn to look for the man. On the way he told her what he knew about the Mythic Dawn and their plot.

Velus Hosidius at the Merchants Inn remembered Heidi, but not the man she was with. He'd had his back to the bar, and Velus had been more intent on watching Heidi anyway. After Heidi had gone upstairs, the stranger had been carried out by two other men. Velus didn't recognize any of them. "At least they paid," he remarked.

No-one else remembered the man. Heidi had drawn everyone's attention, and he'd gone almost unnoticed. The trail had gone cold. Back to the Waterfront.

"We'd better keep looking for him. Heidi can stay here and take over the recruiting duty as her cover." Gudrun had the beginnings of a plan. "It will leave her plenty of time to look around the city in case the agent re-appears. Besides, I've done all the shopping I need to for a while. It's her turn!"

So Heidi moved in to the Waterfront office, and Gudrun headed back to Bruma, with another collection of bags.

Yay! Slow thinking, hard drinking, wobbly Heidi! A nice introduction to her!

Nit: 'Not that was a lot to the top, if you took off the pauldrons, but it provided all the support she needed. '
This is unclear. Inserting the word 'there' between 'that' and 'was' and deleting the first comma will clarify it I think: Not that there was a lot to the top if you took off the pauldrons, but it provided all the support she needed.

Just got done reading all of them, good back story. I am looking forward to the completed mod.

GAAAH!!! Your links are broken to the mod now!!

Timo's Tale is hilarious !!!

Gudrun has me in stitches with all her shopping !!! This sounds great so far !!! I've seen your bears in action in one vid, but they were acting up that day, lol.

They were broken, because I temporarily had no fixed IP address. I have fixed that and you can now find everything again via ghastley.org*. I have already updated the links in my posts, but I can't change the quoted versions in others' posts. There are a few updates to the content, but it will be clear what's still in progress, as quite a few of the quests will just be outlines.

*Yes I registered a domain and connected that to my new fixed address.

http://ghastley.org/oblivion/docs/bear_riders.html

see also Gweden Brothel - I started building that mod after the Riders' one, but it's close to full release now, just needing a few bugs squashed.

Looks great, ghastley!! Lots of fun.

Thanks !!!

Mod construction is progressing and I've made a few updates to the "wiki" on the site. Latest addition is loading screens using this picture.



I'll be using it for the Riders Lodge, and the Valus Passage cave, with different texts. Trying to come up with one for the SI part, where I've added a ruin or two.

I'm getting close to having it playable enough for some people to test if they'd like. There are a couple of quests that have no real conclusion, E.g. After the Oblivion gates are sealed with Order Crystals, what happens next? However, it should be playable enough to get the feedback I need to complete it. And when the stories all connect, I can write it all up here.

Fabulous loading screen!

I'm so glad the mod is coming along well for you!

I've been thinking of making a partition on my hard drive for some games that run better on Vista (don't look at me I don't know why). I could put on oblivion and give it a whirl.

Will Shivering Isles be required for the mod to work? GAAAAH!!!!

By the time I release it, I'll most likely have split it into two. One that doesn't and one that does. The first half doesn't, but the post-Coc/Madgod quests all take place in the Isles.

Oh WHEW! I'm glad to hear that, lol. Thank you !!

I haven't posted anything for ages, because I've been trying to get the last few quests finished. This one was only half-done in the version King Coin has been testing, stopping at the end of the demo.

I still have the problem of the last quest in the Isles being a big anti-climax, and I haven't yet split the SI stuff from the base, so I can repackage and release it. But this piece at least is sort of done.

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

Malandil's tale

At last it was finished. The Dark Welkynd stone had been installed in the trap, and the complex incantion had transferred the spell. The other mages were all looking at her.

"Go on, test it" one of them prompted. "You're the Master Conjurer, after all."

"All right, but you'll all have to leave the room in case anything goes wrong." She called out to the apprentice at the switch to close the pillar. As the huge slabs of marble slid into place around the trap, the door unlocked and the mages filed out.

In a few moments, a line of eager faces was at the gratings along the corridor, eagerly peering into the chamber. The switch was operated once more, and the pillar slid back open.

Malandil moved into the corner, so that the creatures she summoned wouldn't get behind her. She started by summoning a Scamp. The stone glowed with power, and the Skull of the Mountain spell destroyed the hapless creature in an instant with a huge bolt of lightning that almost made her jump out of her skin.

"That seemed to work" she said, once she could breathe. "Now for something shock-resistant."

Malandil summoned a Storm Atronach, and once again the Dark Welkynd glowed. This time the Skull of the Mountain's massive ice blast sent the creature back to Oblivion.

The logical test to follow that was a Frost Atronach, which disappeared in an intense fireball, confirming that the spell covered all the elements.

That was enough testing for now, and the apprentice, Eugenie, operated the switch without being asked. Malandil noted that. She'd made a good choice in her young assistant, even if she wasn't an Altmer like herself. Bretons were always good with Magic, but Eugenie had the wits to go with it. She'd make a good mage, if she could concentrate on her studies, and not get too distracted by boyfriends.

Malandil gathered herself and met the rest of the mages at the chamber entrance. She was calmer now the test was over. The trap had done exactly what it should, firing only at Daedra, and using the most effective elemental attack for the target. The power it employed still amazed her, and she wasn't surprised that no mage could use the spell.

She knew she'd be the one who'd have to demonstrate the trap. None of the others in the team could summon all the Daedra, even though each of them could manage one or two. High Chancellor Ocato would expect to see it in action, so she'd have at least one more show to put on. The Arch-mage, fotunately, was more preoccupied with the Necromancers, and she'd just have to provide a report to keep him content.

---

The performance for Ocato went smoothly, too. Malandil was left thinking that the High Chancellor and other Council members had made her more nervous than any concern about the dangerous spells flying around.

So when Tar-Meena introduced her to the Hero of Kvatch, she offered a demonstration without being asked. Tar-Meena had told her that he'd found the book that described the spell, so of course he should see what became of that effort.

He followed her into the Practice Rooms, and down into the basement. She activated the portal to the chamber and when they arrived, he remarked on the stone disk it connected to. "Is that one of those Ayleid Steps?"

"We think so," she replied. "The portal in the basement was originally intended to take you to Wellspring Grove. After the Necromancers killed two mages in the cave that leads there, it was thought safer if we used a portal instead. The University end was installed, and a Varla Stone placed to power it. Before its companion at the Grove end was complete, however, it lit up to show it was already operational. Someone was brave enough to go through and find this chamber at the other end."

"So where exactly are we?"

"We don't know. There are a few Ayleid Steps that lead into caves and ruins that have no other way out. We can't be sure if they're in Tamriel, or somewhere else entirely. If the Daedric Princes can open portals between Realms, maybe the Ayleids could, too. The Step, and it looks just like one, so we assume it is, is now bound to the basement portal by the power of the Varla stone. If it had another destination before, we'll never know."

"That's one reason we need the trap," she continued. "This chamber could be anywhere, and Ayleid ruins are full of hidden doors and sliding walls. We feel safer now it's guarded, if only against Daedra."

Malandil opened the door to the chamber and walked to the corner near the viewing corridor. Eugenie led the Hero to the other side of the grating where he could watch safely, and then opened the pillar with the switch on the wall. She hurried to take her place at the next grating. This would be an impressive show of spell-power and she didn't want to miss any!

Malandil took her time conjuring each of the Daedra she knew. Scamp first, then Flame Atronach, and on to Dremora, Clannfear, Frost Atronach, Daedroth, Spider Deadra, Storm Atronach, each dispatched in one blast from the Dark Welkynd. Finally she paused to let her Magicka build up for a special spell. Xivilai were able to absorb spells, and she hadn't tried one here before. She knew that her skill would produce a strong example, and the trap would need a collosal discharge of energy to kill it in a single cast.

The sound of the lightning was almost deafening, and she was glad the Xivilai had not chosen to stand near her. Eugenie needed a few seconds to gather her wits and go work the switch again to let her out. She took that time to cast a small Calm spell on herself.

The Hero was amazed by the performance, and asked if there was anything he could do in return. Malandil was hesitant to ask, but Eugenie asked for her. "If you could find Priapus for us, we'd be really grateful".

"Prietus, I mean" Eugenie corrected herself, blushing profusely. "I call him that because, well..." Malandil stepped in to save her further embarassment.

"I sent Prietus, my other apprentice, off to look for rare books in the Ayleid ruins. That was mainly because he and Eugenie can't concentrate on anything but each other, it seems."

She drew the Hero aside so she could talk without Eugenie hearing the rest. "Eugenie's been acting strangely recently. She's all but throwing herself at him, but he tells me that she's also refusing his advances. We suspect she's under some kind of spell compulsion that stops her from that. Her father's a powerful mage, and I think he's quite capable of that kind of spell."

"For Prietus, 'No' means No, whether he believes she means it or not," she continued. "Until they can find a way around their problem, they're better off kept apart. However, I am getting a bit worried that we haven't received any word from him in several days. That's not like him at all. The last note said he was going to Sardavar Leed on the Red Ring Road."

---

While he was gone, Malandil decided it was time to confront Eugenie about Prietus. "You've been behaving very strangely with that young man" she said accusingly. "why are you leading him on, just to turn him down at the last moment? Are you trying to drive him mad, or something?"

"I don't want to turn him down," pleaded Eugenie, "but when I open my mouth to say 'yes' I hear myself saying 'no' instead. I don't understand what's happening, and it's driving me insane too. I was hoping my actions would speak louder than my voice, but he's too confused to do anything now!"

"Could your father have anything to do with this? I know he's a Master of Illusion, and quite capable of casting a Command spell on you to make you act this way."

"Perhaps, but I couldn't just get it dispelled it if he had. That wouldn't be right."

"But you're trying to get around this compulsion in other ways, what's the difference?"

"I think it's as much a test, as it is an attempt to protect me from myself. So we have to solve it ourselves, to prove we've grown up enough."

---

Not long after that, a panting Prietus ran into the Practice Room looking for Eugenie. Malandil made him stop and get his breath back, and tell her what had happened.

He'd run into Conjurers and Daedra as soon as he entered Sardavar Leed. There were too many of them for him to handle, and he'd had to run deeper into the ruin to escape. Eventually he'd hidden in an empty room. He lay in the dark until the chase subsided. When he tried to leave the room, however, he'd found the door locked. He'd been stuck there until the Hero let him out.

They'd talked about his problem with Eugenie, and the Hero had hinted that he was asking the wrong questions. If Eugenie could only say "No", then he had to make sure that was the answer he wanted. He was eager to try that experiment, so where was she?

Malandil told him about the chamber. "Eugenie should be down there still. She finds it a quiet place to study. Her own private space." A slight stress on "private" was meant as a hint to Prietus, and he broke into a run again.

---

The Hero arrived at a more leisurely pace a while later. He described Prietus sprinting out of the ruin like a Clannfear was chasing him. "He really did seem quite eager to get back here to Eugenie. I assume that he's with her now?"

"And I'm sure that he's asking her if he should stop." chuckled Malandil. "I do hope they manage to dispel whatever was holding her back, or they may have the same problem in reverse."

Malandil was pleased to have her assistant back, and offered the book Prietus had recovered from the ruin as a reward. "We already have a copy of this text in the Mystic Archives, but it's a skill book you may find useful - Limnal Bridges, one of my favorites."

They chatted for a further half hour before Malandil decided not to wait for Prietus and Eugenie to return. They'd need to eat eventually, wouldn't they?

Why am I smiling? Because this story involving Malandil was clever, cute, funny, endearing and well-told in a delightfully light manner. Well done!

No means no. Do you want me to stop? No. They have to come up for food. . . don't they? No.

This mod must be AWESOME !!! Your imagination in these storylines is great !!! Acadian already quoted my favorite line, Great Write !!!

I'm trying to get myself thinking about this one again, so let's see a piece of the story from another viewpoint.

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

Eugenie's tale

She particularly liked it when Prietus did that. "Don't stop now," she pleaded, but he was no longer paying any attention to her. He was staring at a glowing disc that had just appeared in the far corner of the chamber beyond the grating. When a Clannfear emerged from it, he was snatching up his robe, and running for the exit.

"Come back, you coward" she shouted. He didn't know the chamber was sealed whenever the trap was open, but she'd forgotten that. She jumped a little when the shock spell killed the Clannfear, it was so loud and so close, and she was so naked. She picked up her own robe and pulled it around her, and walked round the corner to the gate.

She watched as a Scamp, and a Dremora came out of the portal and each was killed instantly. But then a pair of women in strange dark armor emerged together. One died almost immediately, but the other dodged back into the gate before the stone could recharge.

Shortly after, a strangely dressed man appeared from the fiery disc. The trap did nothing, so this wasn't another Daedra. He walked calmly over and addressed her.

"My name is Haskill, Chamberlain to the Lord Sheogorath, who is presently in Cyrodiil," he said. "Perhaps you would be so good as to convey to him that he is needed. Here. As quickly as possible".

Eugenie didn't know any Lord Sheogorath, but Haskill described the man she knew as the Hero of Kvatch. And he was visiting the University that very day. She ran off to find him.

The Hero knew who Haskill was. As he walked together back to the chamber with Eugenie, he tried to explain to her how he'd inherited the title of the Daedric Prince. He could see she just didn't believe half of the story. "That's just too weird!"

When they reached the gate, the Hero had her close the trap, so he could go through. He spoke briefly with Haskill, and then picked up the body of the Mazken, as he called her, and took her with him into the glowing disc. Haskill just disappeared, startling Eugenie a little.

---

She went looking for Prietus. She was still mad at him for running off and leaving her, even though she knew she hadn't been in any real danger. The point was that if he didn't know that, he should have stayed to protect her. She found Malandil instead.

Malandil listened to her thoughtfully. Eugenie didn't know about Prietus' previous encounter with Clannfears, so she didn't know why they were a special nightmare for him. She told her all about his ordeal in Sardavar Leed, and reminded her why he'd been sent there in the first place. And her part in that.

"But that wan't me, that was my father's spell," protested the apprentice. "Although I suppose I am judging him too harshly."

"We'll go look for him together," suggested Malandil. "I think we might cure him of that Clannfear phobia, if I just teach him to summon one of his own."

"But that's an Expert spell, isn't it?" asked Eugenie.

"Yes, and he's nearly ready to learn it. Don't forget that Conjuration is his major field of study, so he's more advanced than you. Just as you're further ahead with Destruction."

Eugenie wasn't anywhere near Expert in Destruction, so she was impressed.

---

A couple of days later, a large Nord woman, wearing the skimpiest armor Eugenie had ever seen, came to the University asking for her. She'd been sought out by one of the worshippers from Sheogorath's shrine, telling a tale that was too strange not to be true.

The hero wanted her to go through the portal in the Ayleid Chamber and join him in the Shivering Isles. "Is that where it goes?" Eugenie asked.

"Not directly" was the reply. "There's a plane of Dagon's Deadlands in between, but the Mazken have that guarded now, so it's the quickest way to get there."

There was that "Mazken" name again. Eugenie knew they must be Daedra, as the trap had killed one, but they seemed to be on the wrong side. Heidi (that was the Nord woman's name) explained that they were Daedra from Sheogorath's realm, not Dagon's, and not really on anyone's side but Sheogorath's. Like the Aureals, except that they were in conflict with the Mazken. Eugenie was now even more confused.

"Dagon's sent his Daedra to fight against Sheogorath's Daedra. Since the Hero of Kvatch, and Champion of Cyrodill, is also currently acting as Madgod of the Shivering Isles, he's trying to toss Mehrunes Dagon out of there, too."

Eugenie wanted to know how Heidi was involved. "They've found a Mythic Dawn agent plotting with the Zealots and they think it's someone I know." she replied. "I need to go and identify the body."

By this time, they'd reached the chamber. Heidi stepped through the flames and was gone. Eugenie went to the switch and opened the trap up again.

---

A few days later the fiery portal disappeared as mysteriously as it came. One moment it was there and the next, it wasn't. There was no sign that anything had been there. The bodies of the Daedra had been removed long ago, and the Scamp skin, Clannfear Claws and Daedra Hearts were already made into useful potions in the Lustratorium. Life had returned to normal.

Except that Prietus had learned to summon Clannfears, and was working his way back into favor with Eugenie. He was helping her with her Destruction practice. He'd summon a Scamp and she'd dispatch it with a shock spell or two before it could turn on them. They couldn't do that continuously yet, neither had the Magicka for it, so there were times when they just had to wait around for it to regenerate. And what do two young mages do while they're waiting?

---

She particularly liked it when Prietus did that.


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

Those who've worked on advancing their Conjuration and Destruction know that the latter is much slower to increase. You can get experience with Conjuration just by repeatedly casting a simple spell, but Destruction needs a live target or it doesn't count. So it's a bit less impressive than Eugenie thinks. Of course, she's not thinking clearly where Prietus is involved.

'She particularly liked it when Prietus did that.
Opening AND closing the episode with this was brilliant, and provided a wonderful sense of unity to the many pieces and places you covered.

Interesting interface between Cyrodiil and the SI that you wonderfully present some glimpses into via Eugenie's limited perspective.

And Haskill! And Mazkin!

Great to see Heidi again. This was quite fun to read!

The updated mod is now on TesNexus here. The final quest in the Isles still doesn't have an ending, but you can play it all. It's divided into two esp's, so you can just install the first part if you don't have SI. Easiest install is using Wrye Bash, as the installer is set up for BAIN.

I also updated Gweden Brothel and the Warrior Nuns mod with some bug fixes, and wrote another piece of stuff for here.

We're in SI now, so the Hero has become the Madgod. He's still a nondescript Bendu Olo of no specific build, trying not to get in the way too much.

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

Dyus' Tale

Dyus was uncertain, a state he found most distressing. He'd lived his very long life with the ability to calculate all the events in the Shivering Isles, but that had faded with the arrival of the new Madgod.

He realised what was happening, of course. The Realm was changing to suit its new ruler, and the old rules, the basis of all his calculations, no longer applied. He knew he would, in time, change with it. Right now, unfortunately, it was changing faster than he could adjust.

The Mazken that came to him was no surprise. He had calculated that Haskill would need help as he, too, adjusted to the new order. No, "Order" was not the right word to use. That was a concept of the past, and one he hoped was gone with the old Jyggalag. Would there be a new Jyggalag? He was pleased to tell himself that he didn't know.

He followed the Mazken as she led him to New Sheoth. The path was familiar to him, but there were signs of change all around. Fewer balliwogs than expected, less decay in the mushroom trees. He might like the new Realm if he lived to see it.

That was another new point to ponder. The old Sheogorath had forbidden him to die, at the same time as confining him to Knifepoint Hollow. Would the new Sheogorath renew that decree? It seemed likely, but uncertain. He didn't like uncertain, although he liked the direction the Realm was taking.

Haskill met him at the Palace, and confirmed his recent predictions of Jyggalag's eventual defeat. The differences in detail from his projection were minor, and he began to feel that his abilities weren't entirely gone. If he could just incorporate this new random element into his formulae, ...

The randomness didn't appear to bother Haskill, but he'd dealt more with the Sheogorath side of the Madgod than with the Jyggalag aspect. He would not have seen the patterns in the Madgod's mind that made him just as predictable in his madness as he was in his ordered mood.

Haskill had further troubling news for him. Mehrunes Dagon had opened gates in the Isles, and he'd just returned from one. He'd been able to contact the new Madgod, and left Mazken guarding the path through the Deadlands.

Dagon was another factor he'd never had to consider before. A new challenge, but a new reason for his continued existence. He felt needed again, which was not an unpleasant feeling.

The new Madgod was expected to arrive shortly, but first Haskill had something to show him. "It's a game called Backgammon," the chamberlain explained. "It incorporates aspects of randomness and calculation, in a way that might help you adjust to to the way things are now."

A reasonable proposition, and it might help pass the time until the Madgod arrived.

---

The game did indeed help, as he reformulated his understanding of the new Realm, but he realized that something more was required. He reached his new conclusion just as the Madgod entered the palace. There was one person who had the ability to help him process this new situation, to reach valid conclusions from insufficient data. That was Syl, and Syl was dead.

"No matter," he thought to himself. "We can build a new one. The Mazken have the body, Relmyna has a copious supply of hearts, and Ciirta's other eye will help bind them together and enhance the vision she needs."

He explained his conclusions to the new Sheogorath, who actually seemed to be paying attention to what he said. A distinct improvement over the prior one.

When the Madgod left to start gathering the pieces for the new Syl, he resumed his work on recalculating the events to come. There was still a troubling aspect of the new Syl's personality that was eluding him.

---

Relmyna arrived at the Palace and summoned Herdir to help her prepare for the rebirth of Syl. They moved out the old Syl's torture cage, and put a stone tub in its place. When Dylora and the other Mazken brought Syl's body to the palace, he directed them to Relmyna and her preparations.

Everything was in place when the Madgod arrived with the eye and the heart. Dyus followed into the Ducal palace to watch the ceremony. It was a simple process, similar to the one that rebuilt the Gatekeeper, but on a smaller scale. Relmyna spoke an incantion, and at the appropriate times, the eye and the heart were added to the tub, while the swirling contents churned and bubbled.

At the end of the ritual, a naked Syl stood where the Tub of Rebirth had been. She appeared to be less troubled by her nudity than the old Syl would have been. To her, it would have triggered feelings of vulnerability, and provoked some kind of violent reaction to her fears. The new one apparently took the blame for her condition on herself.

"Have I been naughty?" she asked. "Naked is naughty, isn't it?"

"Not if you've just been born," replied the Madgod. "In your case, born again. But you should go and put some clothes on. Do you remember where the Duchess' quarters are?"

The new Syl didn't remember much about being the Duchess at all, but she did know the way. She soon returned wearing part of one of the Duchess' dresses. She'd left off the flamboyant skirt and collar, and just wore the body suit, exposing more cleavage than the old Syl ever had.

Especially at the back. She bent over to make sure he'd noticed. "Please spank me, I know I must have been naughty! If I get my punishment, it will all be accounted for, and I won't have to worry any more."

Dyus recalled his prior misgivings about the new Syl. "I've created a monster!". He was certain of that.

is this the same version I have, or should I redownload?

No it's now properly split into SI and non-SI parts, and has some updates and bug fixes. However the split may have introduced some new bugs.

If you do download again, make sure the second (SI) esp loads right after the first. BOSS doesn't know about it yet.

The main addition is the completion of the "Trap demo" quest with the rescue of Priapus Prietus. Your copy ends when the firework show does, and that quest has no conclusion.

Unless you have a character who is both CoC and Madgod the SI quests aren't available, so the bugs in that part will only be found by the dedicated few.

The last quest in SI just stops after the gates are sealed. I'm still trying to think of an ending that's not a complete anti-climax, but maybe that's the right thing to do. An "is this really the end?" ending.

Very clever weaving of the Oblivion Gates and new Madgod into the SI via Dyus' perspective. The idea to rebuild Syl was great! Matched only by your description of it and what followed. A monster, indeed!

Nit: 'When Dylora and the other Mazken brought Syl's body to the palace, he direct them to Relmyna and her preparations.'
I expect you wanted 'directed' here.

I played the old mod. I'll play the new one. While it is not really my cup of tea it so far is worth playing. Plus the original concept is awesome.

Malandil's tale had been a bit of a roadblock until I finished the part of the mod it's based on, so the next couple of parts were drafted before.

Now its the (new) Syl's turn

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

Syl's Tale

"I don't remember dying. Do you know why I died? Did I do something naughty?"

The new Syl clearly didn't know much about her old life, or was it really her before? This one had a new heart, did that make a difference?

"I remember being naughty. I enjoyed that. But when I was a little child, I didn't like being punished for it . When I got older, it was even more enjoyable, and nobody could punish me, because I was the Duchess"

She did recall something of her previous life, then, but had she changed?

"I was always afraid that someone could, so I was really careful. But that meant doing bad things again." The new Syl cast her eyes down as she said that, and noticed her nakedness for the first time. "Why do I have no clothes? Am I being naughty again? I don't want to be punished before I have the fun!"

The new Madgod, (almost as new as she was) reassured her. "It's normal to be naked when you're born, or in your case, reborn."

"Does that count? Really, if I was naughty, a little bit of punishment would be all right, just so I know it's all over. Maybe a spanking, or something like that? Just enough to make them red and tingly?"

The Madgod sent her to get dressed. The new Syl might not be paranoid like the old one, but she did belong here in Dementia.

---

For the first few days, the men of the courts indulged her. Kithlan was particularly happy to find that he could look in her direction without Herdir being summoned. The novelty soon wore off even for him.

The court healer thought the old Syl had returned, after she made the mistake of soothing her reddened posterior with a restoration spell. She just didn't know what she'd done wrong. Syl stormed off to sulk in her chambers and left her alone in her bewilderment.

Syl was supposed to be helping Dyus find the other Oblivion gates. They knew only of the one in Dementia, near the village of Fellmoor. There had to be at least one more, as the Madgod had seen another gate, and a Sigil Tower, when he passed through the Deadlands. That gate had to lead somewhere else, probably in Mania, and it was the key to reaching the Tower and taking the Stone.

But she couldn't concentrate. She was restless, and the crystal ball wasn't revealing anything. The cool stone of the chair against her bare behind just reminded her that she hadn't been spanked for at least half an hour. Everyone was getting tired of her demands, and refusing to help.

---

Haskill was talking with the Madgod about her problem. He suggested that a good line of inquiry might lead through the old Sheogorath's private retreat. "He may have been mad, but he was neither a fool nor a monk. He maintained a retreat in Mania, where he could indulge himself away from the Court of Madness and its attendant complications. I could mark it on your map if you wish to pay a visit yourself. The Mazken and Aureal there may have something to contribute to this matter. You'll also need this key to gain entry."

Dyus also had something to contribute. "Syl's crystal ball needs to be upgraded, and that will require water from the Pool of Reflection. You have been there before, of course, so it should be an easier task this time."

---

Syl woke up from her nap in the Duke's quarters on the Mania side of the palace. She'd decided to sleep here, away from that annoying crystal ball that mocked her inablity to scry anything useful.

There was a Golden Saint standing next to her bed. Not the usual scowling female guard, but a smiling male, who seemed to appreciate what he was looking at. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

He replied that he had been specially trained to provide for her needs, and that was his duty from here on. "I'm rather confused about that. It appears that my Lady requires me to punish her for being naughty, but expects me to assist her with being naughty in the first place?"

Syl was glad they'd understood the whole picture, but she still had some misgivings about this.

"You were trained for this? How?"

"The training was even more confusing. The Aurig made me watch while she spanked a female prisoner. The prisoner seemed to be enjoying it, even though the Aurig was hitting her quite hard. But when I asked if I should try to please the Aurig in the same way, she just told me to shut up and watch. When she was done, she made me satisfy both of them, as a test of my ability."

"Who is this 'Aurig' you're telling me about?"

"She was the chosen playmate of the previous Sheogorath, no less. I could not help noticing that the Aurig had larger breasts than the other Aureals. She told me that it was because that was the will of Sheogorath. She said that uniformity was what Jyggalag preferred, and so Sheogorath hated that. It was the only thing she said that made any sense."

Syl smiled, at last.

"I've kept you from doing your duty all this time with my questioning. How naughty of me."

---

---

Feeling much better, she made her way back to the Dementia quarters to make another attempt at scrying. However, the crystal ball was quickly forgotten when she found a Mazken counterpart to her new Aureal spanker had taken up his post in her bedroom.

This one had a similar story to tell.

"I was trained by Sheogorath's personal playmate. We are always in awe of the female Mazken, but this particular Grakedrig was chosen by Sheogorath himself! She left me in no doubt why that was so."

"The Grakedrig started my training by spanking me. She said that I needed to learn that it could be enjoyable, and didn't stop until I agreed. Then we exchanged positions, but I wasn't allowed to spank her, this part was all about balancing the pain with pleasure. My pain, her pleasure, of course. Repeated until the Grakedrig was fully satisfied, and she is not easy to please!"

She was eager to find out if the training had produced the right results. It had.

"He's not just obeying orders," she thought. "He's enjoying this as much as I am. Is that just his Mazken devotion to duty? Do I care?"

---

---

Both of them were quite worn out when Dyus entered the room. She was sitting at her crystal ball, as much for the cool of the seat as any attempt at scrying. She wasn't at all startled when Dyus poured the contents of a bottle straight through the glass surface into its interior. Today was just a magical day, after all.

Dyus replaced the ball in its stand, and she looked into it. A faint glow appeared in one corner. But spheres don't have corners, what's going on?

She looked closer. The corner was in the scene that was coming into focus in the ball, and the glow was an Oblivion Gate! There were rocks, and trees, and a piece of shoreline. She was beginning to recognize the location. Mania, near the northern coastline. Between Cylarne and Brellach.

Dyus handed her a map. She marked a cross on it where the gate would be. The Madgod had arrived in her room, too, and Dyus handed him the updated map.

"I found it. The Mania Gate! I deserve a nice long spanking for that! Oh, wait, I just had that, didn't I?"

She heard the Mazken standing in the corner trying not to laugh out loud at her understatement. Dyus felt no such inhibition, and nor did the Madgod. Soon her face was as red as ... anything else.

Well, I'll be spanked! A pretty creative background going on as the crystal ball gets upgraded and Syl finally gets to divine the location of a gate.

'Syl smiled, at last.
"I've kept you from doing your duty all this time with my questioning. How naughty of me."
This was delightful!

The Madgod sent her to get dressed. The new Syl might not be paranoid like the old one, but she did belong here in Dementia.

No kidding. A magical day indeed for the new Syl, as well as a satisfying day’s work finding the Mania Gate.

Acadian already quoted my favorite line, displaying how you can bring out a character's personality in a very short space of time, you do an Awesome job with your characters !!! Through it all, your ability to weave a storyline is my favorite part of all - unbelievably creative imagination !!

Very nice mod! And you really did a great thing telling the stories of all the women! Nice touch..

But I have one comment

Since you have given the women really "big attributes" it might be terribly painful for them to wear a steel bikini-bra! I mean the darn thing will definitely cut into their flesh....iiihhhh! Maybe you want to either give them a bit smaller "you know what" or change the material in the bra!

Of course you must do what you feel like, but to be more realistic....steel bras are not very comfy!

My understanding of the TES world is that magic is part of everyday life. So women will be using Illusion and Alteration to make themselves look younger, and enhance their shape. (Men will, too, but not admit it). Statistically, half of them aren't really as big as they look, and the other half aren't as heavy as they should be if they were "original equipment".

The few who got theirs the old-fashioned way need help to carry them around, and they'll use magic to assist. A feather enchantment on the bra, for example. There are undoubtedly ways to use magic to make it more comfortable than it looks, as well as looking skimpier than it really is.

Since the rules of the game allow enchantments to contribute more defense than the plain physical armor will provide, I assume the people are aware of that, and use magical defense whenever they can afford it. Steel is still cheaper than a shield spell, but it wears out in use, and it's heavier, and gets in the way of spell-casting. The Legion needs armor in bulk for its troops, so it uses cheap physical armor for most uses, and only applies magic in special cases (like the Bear Riders, there's only a few of them). They also use weapons that don't use up a charge, but can still affect etherals, being Silver (cheaper than Daedric!)

The trade-offs will be that enchantments stay with the item, so that they go away if it's unequipped. Spells cast on the person have a limited duration and must be cast again, except that spells can be used in conjunction with training to obtain permanent effects more easily (drain before you train).

That's why everyone's in such good shape - staying fit is a lot less effort on Nirn. There are presumably ways to finesse "optimum" growth with Alchemical or cast-spell assistance, so that everyone's as intelligent, full-bodied and strong as they can afford to be. They won't always be able to stop at "enough", especially if they neglect Willpower!

"Larger than life" women in skimpy armor are just a natural consequence of the existence of magic.

BWAAHAA !! I love this !! Enhancements via magic - the feather enchantment on the bra (and I'm picturing BBB of course!) ROFL !!! This had me rolling !!

I just noticed that I'd never put up the final(?) chapter of this story. This was written even before I'd finished packaging the mod. Better late(!) than never.


Kaneh's Tale

Aurmazl Kaneh was confused. She'd come back to Brellach much sooner than she'd expected. When she died at Cylarne, as she always did at this point in the Greymarch, she expected to remain in the waters of Oblivion for some time before the chimes called her to return.

Not only was she back early, but the Realm was intact. Everything was still alive and growing. The obelisks were all shut down, as if the Greymarch had never started. What was going on?

Then she had been sent here, to a mysterious archway filled with flame, halfway to Cylarne. She had orders to guard it, and kill anything that emerged from it, but to wait for the Madgod before she entered. Only he would know how to deal with it.

Two figures emerged from beneath the mushroom trees and strode towards her. She recognised one as the adventurer she'd met at Cylarne, when Lord Sheogorath sent him to collect the Flame of Agnon. He'd taken part in the battle, and shown fighting skills that had impressed her.

She didn't know the woman who was with him. She was almost as large as herself, larger in places, if not quite as tall. Her armor was plain steel, not golden like her own, or black like the infernal Mazken wore. She carried a claymore on her back, and wore no helmet, so her pale flaxen hair showed. Probably a Nord from Tamriel, she guessed.

The man came over and announced that he was the new Lord Sheogorath, and that the Greymarch had been stopped. He had defeated Jyggalag, and the new era would be different from before.

"What did happen before, anyway?" he asked.

Kaneh described what had happened in the earlier eras. When Jyggalag became Sheogorath once more, he would wander a dead wasteland until the gnarl emerged from the Fountainhead, and then he knew where to rebuild New Sheoth. As the gnarl cultivators started to replant the Realm, he'd search for the ruins of Brellach and Pinnacle Rock, and use the chimes there to summon back the fallen Saints and Seducers. "I don't understand why he'd want the Mazken back, but that is his will".

The landscape would be bleak at this time, with only small saplings sprouting here and there. The first baliwogs would possibly have hatched, and some scalons might have emerged from the seas. There was little for them on the land yet. The surviving Elytra would stay in their deepest burrows for the same reasons.

The Aureal and Mazken would see to the shutting down of the obelisks, and destroying any remaining knights of order that still roamed the Isles. The priests, too, although they'd shed their robes and hoods. Any mortal still in the Isles could only have been one of Jyggalag's traitors. The forces of Order would have slain anyone else.

In time, there would be a few new arrivals from Sheogorath's shrines in Tamriel. If one proved capable of operating Xylarne, the resonator would bring more. Eventually another would be able to help Relmyna make a Gatekeeper and the Realm would return to its usual state, if not exactly "normal".

But a fiery Gate wasn't usual or normal, and they had to do something about it. Now he was here, she and her two cohorts could do something about it.

"What is this other mortal doing here?" asked Kaneh.

"My name is Heidi, and I've closed an Oblivion Gate before," she said. "I can help."

The Madgod hadn't known about that, so she told them all the story.

"I was just arriving from Skyrim, headed for Bruma," she began. "I was walking down the trail past that farmhouse, Applewatch isn't it? Anyway, I saw this big fiery arch on the hillside behind it, just like the one here. I hadn't seen anything like that before, and I didn't know what it was, so I went over to take a closer look."

"As I got nearer, I heard sounds of fighting, but that stopped before I got there. When I arrived, there were several Daedra lying dead on the ground, and one dead Bruma guard with them. I realized that the other men had gone through the flames into the Gate, and they were now a man short."

"I picked up the dead guard's sword and shield. I took off my dress and put on his boots and greaves, too. The cuirass wouldn't fit because I was too big for it, so I cut the front to make room for my breasts. I think I cut a bit too much.

Captain Burd and the rest of his men were just inside fighting some more Daedra. He thanked me for joining them, even looked me in the eyes when he said that! Mentioned something about improving the men's morale, as well."

"I soon swapped the guard's sword and shield for a dead Dremora's claymore. With my big breasts hanging out of my cuirass, I was doing big swings whether I wanted to or not. It made sense to be using an appropriate weapon."

"By the time we reached the Tower, it was just Captain Burd and myself. I pointed out to him that he'd been losing men because they couldn't heal themselves. He said that they probably hadn't learned, because they always had the Castle healer at hand in their normal duties. He'd been a Legion patrolman before he got the guard job, so he'd needed the skill."

"Burd told me that you were the one that showed him how to close the gates. The one we closed was the last one near enough to Bruma to endanger the town, but there were others he'd heard about near the trails in the mountains. He said if I really wanted to help, I should apply to join the Legion, maybe the Mountain Riders? There was a recruiting Captain at the Lodge just outside the town."

"Of course, Captain Gudrun wasn't at the Lodge when I went there, she was in the Imperial City opening the new office. So I followed, and that's where we met."

"And I didn't find that Mythic Dawn agent you left me looking for in the city, because he'd come here to the Shivering Isles. I suppose he was the one that helped open the gates here. As I understand it, Dagon couldn't open them from his realm, they needed someone on this end to do it?"

"Well, the agent's dead now, so I suppose there won't be any more opening up. We still have to close that last one, though," Heidi reasoned.

Kaneh agreed with that assessment. They all followed the Madgod into the gate.

---

Kaneh didn't like the deadlands. They reminded her of the Isles after the Greymarch, with destruction everywhere, and little growing. Worse, there was lava where there should be water, and fires burning all over the place. The red sky was just ugly!

A creature looking like a scalon without fins attacked them, spitting a fireball in their direction before it charged. The new Madgod identified it as a Daedroth, one of Dagon's creatures.

Most of their opponents however, were humanoid Daedra called Dremora. They all appeared to be male, and they were all dressed in the same reddish obsidian armor, and carring swords and shields of the same material. Some of them wore no helmets, and she could see they had horns. They all had the same arrogant belief in their own superiority that she so despised in the Mazken. And with less justification; at least the Seducers were almost the equal of the Aureals, or they'd never have given her any problems at Cylarne.

The Dremora, however, were no match for the Golden Saints, and the party soon arrived at the Tower and climbed to the Sigillum Sanguis. The Madgod was about to take the stone and close the gate when Heidi stopped him. "I have an idea," she said.

"Now you're the new Sheogorath, you've also got some of Jyggalag's power, haven't you? At least as much as his priests had. So couldn't you "Order" the deadland, and show Dagon a lesson?"

The Madgod had a Heart of Order with him, and Heidi suggested replacing the Sigil Stone with the Heart, to see what happened. There was certainly an immediate effect. The red sky turned grey, and the fire column changed from orange flame to a blue-ish purple. They all remained in the chamber, rather than being transported outside the gate, as usually happened when one closed.

As they left the Tower, they could see Crystals of Order starting to push up across the landscape. The fire towers had shut down, there was an Obelisk near the path back to the gate. And was the lava starting to cool?

As soon as they stepped through the gate back into Mania they heard a crunching sound as crystals replaced the flames in the arch, sealing the gate. Was that it? Was it all over?

Haskill and Dyus didn't know either. Syl might have been able to find something more in her crystal ball, but she was ... a bit distracted ... as usual. They'd have to ask her later.

Kaneh wanted to know more about what had happened, and why the Gates had appeared. Dyus explained all about Sheogorath's scheme to give his power away before he became Jyggalag. Kaneh had never known about him. She was always in the waters of Oblivion awaiting recall when Jyggalag walked, so she'd never seen him, or the destruction of the Isles. She'd only seen the results, when she returned after it was all over.

Without the full power of the Madgod, Jyggalag had failed this time. The man Sheogorath chose to hold the throne had succeeded against all odds, and had broken the cycle. This same man had also helped defeat Mehrunes Dagon's attempt to invade Tamriel. That was why Dagon had attempted to seek revenge by opening Gates in the Isles.

Kaneh was still confused. Was that man truly the Madgod?

"He holds the Throne of Madness, and therefore he has the power associated with it," replied Haskill. "Doubtless when Jyggalag resumes his normal form, he will return to ask for it back. That was his plan all along. Whether the present office-holder hands it over or not is up to him. He is of course a mortal, and I assume that even with the Madgod's power he will not last forever. He has, however, thoroughly deserved his current position, for as long as holds it"

Dyus recalled Arden-Sul. The first time Sheogorath attempted the strategy, he'd become the Duke of both Mania and Dementia, but had succumbed to the madness in each. His personality was just as divided as Sheogorath's - perhaps one reason he was favored for the task - and he'd left contradictory suicide notes in Bliss and Crucible. When the new populations arrived, they'd found them and instituted the two rituals of succession. Arden-Sul hadn't survived to see Jyggalag, he'd predictably taken his own life before the change.

"I had calculated that the same would happen again. That Sheogorath was incapable of devising a plan that he could not himself defeat as Jyggalag. But I was wrong. Because Sheogorath himself underestimated a mortal's abilities, I did likewise."

"Jyggalag has never known defeat before, so he is bound to be affected by the experience," Haskill offered. "This may really have been the last Greymarch. It remains to be seen whether the previous Sheogorath returns, or something else. Without his customary power, he may not be able to return in the same form."

GAAAAH !!! I'm totally out of sync with this mod now, have my head in the Red Dragon Club !!! Urk !!! The writing is great as ever, but in order to connect it I'd need to re-read the previous chapters. Anyway, Great Write !!!

What fascinating take on the whole SI thing from the historical perspective of a Golden Saint. It was very wise of the Champion to bring the Big Guns (Heidi) to the gate closing party. And how clever to replace the sigil stone with a heart of order. I really enjoyed the result.

There was one more quest in the mod that never had a tale attached to it, the main reason being that it was another one around Ystrel, and I'd already given her her own story. And there was Pala, who'd been mentioned in Svana's tale of the Lodge construction, but hadn't had one of her own. So I bent things together a little and let her tag along with the Hero on this one, even though she normally doesn't.

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


Pala's Tale

"'Gudrun, come quickly" cried Pala. "Ystrel's bear came back without her!"

Gudrun leapt out of bed, dressing quickly. This was bad news of the worst kind - almost. Ystrel wasn't dead, or the bear wouldn't have come back at all. It would hunt down the person or creature that killed her. Then it would stay with her body, to guard it until someone came to collect it. The bear wouldn't have come back for help if there was anything else it could do for her. That must mean she was trapped somewhere the bear couldn't go.

Ystrel had been following a rumor of someone moving in to Valus Passage, the old smugglers' tunnel through the mountains to Morrowind. The tunnel had collapsed a long time ago, and it wasn't thought safe to try and dig it back out. That left a section at either end that led nowhere, but could still offer shelter to anyone who was up there.

Bandits weren't interested in it, as the area was hard to reach, and just about deserted now that the smuggling route was cut off. About the only thing that made any sense was that one of the religious cults had taken it over and put a shrine in there. The Daedric cults especially liked obscure locations for their shrines.

Gudrun checked the bear, and found no sign that it had been in any fights recently, which made her feel a bit better. It seemed agitated, as you'd expect with its rider missing, but that was all.

"What's up?" asked a voice behind them. The Hero of Kvatch had come by the Lodge and seen them all gathered around the bear. Pala quickly explained.

He'd go look for Ystrel, and Pala insisted on coming with him. Even if it was her time off patrol, she didn't want to stay at the Lodge while her colleague could be in danger.

Valus Passage wasn't easy to reach, as there aren't any trails that high up in the Valus Mountains. One reason, of course, for the smugglers using it in the past. They arrived in daylight, and they looked around the entrance for signs of a struggle. They really didn't expect to find any, as Ystrel's bear would have been involved in anything outside, and that fight would have been a lot more than anyone bargained for.

The door was clearly too small for the bear to have followed Ystrel inside. So their assumption was that she'd gone in, and was still in there. They should expect someone to be watching the door, so the Hero put on his Ring of Shadows, and told Pala to wait outside while he scouted the entrance.

He came back out only a minute later, with blood on his sword, and a red hood in his hand. "Mythic Dawn" he told Pala. "The same ones who killed the Emperor". There had been only the one guard in the small entrance chamber, but he wasn't sure if he'd raised an alarm before he died. They should assume he had, and move quickly in case Ystrel was still alive.

Chameleon's not useful when you're fighting as a team. You're much too likely to get hit if your partner can't see you, so he left off his ring when they went down the trapdoor in the chamber floor. Nobody was waiting beneath it, so perhaps the guard hadn't raised the alarm after all.

The passage down had many turns, and they were expecting to find more Mythic Dawn around each corner, but they reached the end of the tunnel without encountering anyone. That made no sense, so they backtracked, looking for any hidden entrances they'd missed. Pala noticed a handle in a corner that they hadn't seen before. When he nodded, she gave it a turn, and a section of the rock wall slid down ... noisily.

Shouts from the chamber they'd just revealed made it clear that the cult knew someone had come to visit them. Weapons drawn, they stepped through the opening into a medium-sized cave where three acolytes with daggers and summoned axes charged at them. Either Pala or the Hero could probably have taken them all solo, as they had only their robes for armor, and they weren't particularly skilled at fighting. But they pressed the fight anyway, and soon paid for their fanaticism.

"It won't be this easy further in" the Hero told Pala. "Expect the guards to summon armor as well as weapons, and know how to use them."

There was only one other exit from the cave, and they followed the tunnel to a locked door. A side-passage just before it revealed another acolyte hiding at the end, and they took a key from her that fit the lock.

This time, there was nobody waiting when they opened the door. Pala was sure this was a good thing, as whoever had Ystrel didn't know they were coming.

The tunnel past the door was just as twisting as the first part, but not as empty. This time, they did meet Mythic Dawn as they progressed, and armored ones, just like the Hero had predicted. They hit another dead end, and backtracked a little, but soon they saw they were approaching a larger chamber. They could see a raised area at the end, and several guards rushing towards them.

Desperately hoping they weren't too late to save Ystrel, whom they still hadn't found, they engaged their foes, aided by a Clannfear the Hero summoned. The fight was short and loud, and if Ystrel was anywhere close, she must have heard them. Why didn't she call out?

The raised area they'd seen as they entered held a statue of Mehrunes Dagon, just like the one at the Lake Arrius Caverns. There appeared to be an altar in front of it.

When they climbed the stairs to the platform, they saw Ystrel lying on the altar, naked, and surrounded by several nasty-looking implements that revealed the Dawn's intentions. Pala nearly fainted when she saw the small spiked club and figured out how they were going to use it.

Ystrel was unresponsive when the Hero tried to wake her, but she wasn't dead. He cast dispel on her, and she opened her eyes. He'd guessed correctly that she'd been under a paralysis spell. That was a a favorite with torturers, as it didn't stop the victim from feeling any pain, just from reacting to it.

Pala discretely hid the spiky thing, so that Ystrel wouldn't see it. Ystrel got up quickly from the cold stone slab, and went over to the brazier nearby to get some warmth, so she didn't notice any of the other knives, hooks and tongs lying on the altar with her. Pala moved in front of them, and the Hero picked them up.

"Have you seen my armor and things?" asked Ystrel. "It's cold in here." While they were looking around, she told them what had happened.

She'd been hit with the paralysis spell as soon as she stepped through the door. The guard had called the others, and they'd carried her down here. Some of them had argued that she should be killed immediately, but the others didn't want to waste a potential sacrifice to Dagon. There were so few people that ventured this far up into the Valus Mountains, they might not get another chance for months.

So she'd been stripped, and laid on the slab. She could hear discussions on how the sacrifice should be performed, and she was glad that none of them had survived. She'd have done to them what they wanted to do to her, and she wasn't sure she could live with herself after that.

A chest at the base of the platform held the armor and claymore they were seeking, and soon Ystrel was back in uniform. The Frost Shield enchantment on her armor drove away some of the chill she felt, but it wasn't all physical, so she was still shivering as they left the cave.

Back at the Riders Lodge, Gudrun sent her downstairs with Timo to get warm. She told Pala that she'd get a bonus for her part in the rescue, including extra days off to make up for what she'd missed. But she wasn't authorized to reward the Hero, unless he was a member of the Riders. With a wink at Pala, she asked if he'd like to join them, as an honorary Rider.

When he asked what his duties would be, she rolled her eyes, and the two women dragged him downstairs to show him. As they passed Ystrel's door Gudrun called out to her."Give us an hour, and its your turn to rescue him!"

Whew! Glad Pala and the Hero got to Ystrel before any of those knives or tongs or spiky things did! Loved how Ystrel's enchanted armor warmed her up after the ordeal – but not completely. Timo will take care of that!

And our hero gets his just deserts for a good day’s work. Perhaps a bear hug?

It must be fun to have a bear rider as a follower! Scary times at the shrine, but everyone gets a happy ending back at the lodge.

I love these ridable following bears, I've seen them in Skyrim along with ridable sabertooth tigers, lol. Great Write !!