Full Version: The Gweden report
One of my favorite quests anyway, but with Clark involved it gets even better! Loved this rendition, and Diram's comment at the end had me rolling! Awesome Write !!!
Great teamwork with the invisible bear! I enjoyed the liberation of Aleswell from their condition. Funny about not being able to tell if the rings did anything.
Free drinks for all but still just one free bed. The need to share it is probably part of Diram’s reward.
Free drinks for all but still just one free bed. The need to share it is probably part of Diram’s reward.
After a pause while I explored Skyrim (and researched some of its newly revealed history) I'm back in Cyrodiil to try and complete the Evergloam mod and its story.
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@Acadian: I couldn't figure out how the sheep could wear them, or the whole village would have received rings of their own.
@mALX: It was so adjacent to the cave I picked out, I just had to include it.
@Grits: The ring does work. On the one occasion I didn't use it, I lost ten points of Luck. Which is probably why I didn't remember to use it.
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Previously: Clark, Minx and Uzgash went for a drink in Aleswell, but had to deal with its problems before they got any.
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Nocturnal - Part XIII
"Are you coming with us to see Nocturnal?" Clark asked Uzgash.
"No, I want to get back to the city, and see if I can find Ulliceta gra-Kogg. I haven't met with her since I was a child, and she was the Master Restorer at Gortwog's court. I'd like to let her know how this all worked out, too. Maybe she can put those necromancers I chopped up to good use!"
"You did leave them in pieces, ready for her to re-assemble," Minx grinned. She'd been a bit put out by the violence at the time, but she was the first to agree that necromancers deserved all they got. "Perhaps it will help her case with the Mages Guild if she's seen using dead necromancers for her research."
Clark reminded her that the Arch-mage had already made his decision.
"It still can't hurt her case with her colleagues. He's not the only one that needs convincing if she's to get back her standing. Reputation is important to scholars. It's not the Thieves Guild, where we relish anonymity."
"That reminds me," Uzgash interrupted. "Taminwe told me that someone's been asking around the waterfront about the Gray Fox. A Redguard woman in a uniform, with the Sentinel emblem on the tabard."
"I haven't used the cowl, since I got it from Count Umbranox," Minx mused. "She's probably expecting a man. I might get someone else to deal with her, when we get back from Evergloam."
Clark had a suspicion who that would be.
---
Minx handed the bag of holding to Nocturnal, who was quickly able to confirm that they had indeed recovered the Chrysamere.
"I'm not sure what to do with it now," she confided. "It's not Daedric in origin, so there's none of my brethren waiting for its return. It's not something just anyone could use, either. There aren't many heroes that are capable of wielding it, and the one we all know of doesn't really need it. Still, it's better knowing where it is, and I didn't relish the thought of the Thalmor getting their hands on it. From what you've told me, and what I've discovered for myself, they'd probably have destroyed it in some attempt to topple the Towers of Mundus."
"Why do you care about the fate of Mundus?" Clark wanted to know. "You're safe here from anything they get up to."
"We don't know that," Nocturnal replied. "If they do have a way to achieve their goals, fantastic though they appear, then who knows what else they'd be capable of. You can journey here, and have an effect in my Realm. Most of that is because I permit it, but I don't control your actions when you're here, except by threat or persuasion. If the Thalmor got in, they could be a lot more of a nuisance than the vampires."
"So what are they trying to do?" Clark asked. He had the impression that they were just another group trying to grab power in the vacuum left by the lack of an Emperor, but Nocturnal was implying something more.
"Their intent is to return the time before the worlds existed, the perfect - in their opinion - situation where only the Aedra and Daedra were, and mortals had not yet been created. In their fantasy, they'd be the new gods, or something like that."
"Sounds like another version of what the Dwemer were doing," Minx chimed in. "But without any roots in reality. At least the Dwemer were only trying to raise themselves to that level, not to destroy everything else in the process."
"Yes, the destructive part almost makes me think that Mehrunes Dagon is involved again. He likes to break things, so he can put them together in new ways. Except that he usually leaves that last little detail to someone else."
Clark recalled the only report he'd had of the events in the Summerset Isle. "Lathenil believed that Dagon was responsible for the destruction of the Crystal Tower, not the Thalmor, even though he blamed the latter for making it possible. Dagon certainly made it easier for the Thalmor to rise up and take credit for his defeat, ignoring the events here in Cyrodiil, as if only the Summerset Isle mattered."
"To the isolationist Altmer, that's the truth," Nocturnal pointed out. "The ones that migrated to other provinces would have had a more open mind, but parochialism is strongest in those with no sense of adventure. In the wake of a disaster like the fall of the Crystal Tower, especially when it was at the hands of invaders from outside, it's easy to whip up a common enemy of all outsiders to rally against. The Thalmor played that hand well. Too well, perhaps, for me to believe it was all their own work."
"Are you saying you suspect one of your brethren, other than Dagon?"
"Yes, but I have no idea which. Mehrunes Dagon was probably too busy with the Mythic Dawn, and for this to be a follow-up part of the same plan is way too complex for him. It has to be one of the others, or even more than one. Cooperation is rare, however, and if Sheogorath is involved, more likely an illusion. And it's still possible that it's all the Thalmor's idea, and they just have support from a powerful ally that sees an advantage to be gained."
"But I imagine you'd like to see what you brought me. It's time we unwrapped this thing."
Nocturnal cast a telekinesis spell on the sword, and it rose slowly from the table. It started to rotate and the cloth wrapped around unwound on to the floor. Eventually, the last of the cloth fell away revealing a wooden plank, with a detachable lid covering the sword. Nocturnal let the plank back down onto the table and opened the lid.
The sword was in pieces. Not broken, but taken apart, with the cross-piece laying next to the blade, and the halves of the hilt next to that. The pommel was unscrewed from the end of the tang and also separate in the box.
"See how the tang is a dull, dark colour, although the blade is glowing blue?" Nocturnal pointed out. "I'm beginning to understand how this was made, and it's pure genius!"
"The base material is Adamantium. It was popular in High Rock for a while for making armor, as it's known to be a stubborn metal. Hard to forge, hard to damage, and hard to enchant. Heavy isn't the word for it, either. Nobody would have considered making a greatsword of this size from it, as it would be almost unusable with its excessive weight. You normally couldn't enchant enough feather on it to compensate, as Adamantium doesn't enchant easily."
"The genius part here, is that the armorer tempered the blade with Stahlrim! That's almost the exact opposite of Adamantium. It's light, enchantment-friendly, and a bit fragile, being essentially a form of ice, held together by magic. Adding the two together was nothing short of brilliant, but the way it was enchanted made the most of the combination. The sword only gets lighter for a Master swordsman. That concession allows the effect to be more powerful, as the wielder has to contribute his own skill. There's spell-synergy here too. The effect provides defence, unusual on a sword, but it serves to reduce the wielder's need to use heavy armor, so more of his encumbrance can be spent on the sword itself. I'm impressed, especially as this was a mortal-made artifact."
"How are you so sure it's not Daedric in origin?" asked Minx.
"Because there's always a little of themselves in anything my brethren create," Nocturnal replied. "I sense none of them in this."
Clark picked up a piece of the hilt, and weighed it in his hand. "I won't even try and lift the blade, if this is Adamantium."
"If you have some blade skill, the blade won't be quite as heavy as it looks, but you have the right idea. This really is a sword for Champions Only."
"You said that Adamantium comes from High Rock, so where does Stahlrim come from?"
"Skyrim, and in particular, the island of Solstheim. It's a rare material, and not often used alone. It would be plated over other materials on armour, or used as axe-heads and arrow-points with a strong magical component. It's not strong, but it holds a lot of enchantment. You can use that effect to strengthen it, too, but then you use up some of the benefit."
"I just came from Skyrim, and I've not seen anything like this," a voice said from behind them.
"Ah, Dralsi, you've arrived!" Nocturnal introduced the newcomer to Clark and Minx. She was a Dunmer, and her features were quite a bit more elven than Minx's, who'd clearly had a few humans among her male ancestors.
"Dralsi is the daughter of Barenziah and Drayven Indoril, who was also called 'the Nightingale,'" Nocturnal told them. "I'm forming a new organisation to take things beyond the Thieves Guilds, and she's one of the first Trinity."
"The only surviving one," Dralsi continued ruefully. "My two colleagues were killed trying to clear the draugr from the cave we intended to use as Nocturnal's shrine in Skyrim. We accounted for most of them, but there's one stubborn old warlord we couldn't handle. Ogrim the Restless isn't your usual draugr, he uses the thu'um! I managed to get out of his chamber and close the gate, but only after my two companions fell."
"Draugr, thu'um? I don't understand either of those terms," Clark objected.
"You're familiar with zombies in Cyrodiil?" Dralsi asked him. Clark nodded
.
"Imagine those wearing armour, carrying enchanted weapons, and casting spells at you. Those are draugr. The ancient Nords embalmed their dead with a process that was close to necromancy. It was intended to preserve them for Sovnguard, so they'd be whole in that afterlife. However, it actually just left more behind to cause problems in the tombs."
"Some of the draugr were preserved naturally. A body that lies in permanent ice decays very slowly. The Nords copied that idea, and inadvertently produced a copious supply of potential undead for anyone or anything that could raise them. The tombs of Skyrim are full of them."
"Thu'um, or the Voice, is a form of magic delivered by shouting. Again, it's a Nord thing. They claim to have learned it from the Dragons, before they disappeared from Tamriel. Some of the draugr retain this power from life, and Ogrim's one of them."
Clark recalled Shulassa, the Khajiit at Gweden, telling him some of the tales she'd learned from her Nord grandfather. Now the "princess in a block of ice" was a completely different possibility. She would likely have been a draugr!
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@Acadian: I couldn't figure out how the sheep could wear them, or the whole village would have received rings of their own.
@mALX: It was so adjacent to the cave I picked out, I just had to include it.
@Grits: The ring does work. On the one occasion I didn't use it, I lost ten points of Luck. Which is probably why I didn't remember to use it.
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Previously: Clark, Minx and Uzgash went for a drink in Aleswell, but had to deal with its problems before they got any.
-------
Nocturnal - Part XIII
"Are you coming with us to see Nocturnal?" Clark asked Uzgash.
"No, I want to get back to the city, and see if I can find Ulliceta gra-Kogg. I haven't met with her since I was a child, and she was the Master Restorer at Gortwog's court. I'd like to let her know how this all worked out, too. Maybe she can put those necromancers I chopped up to good use!"
"You did leave them in pieces, ready for her to re-assemble," Minx grinned. She'd been a bit put out by the violence at the time, but she was the first to agree that necromancers deserved all they got. "Perhaps it will help her case with the Mages Guild if she's seen using dead necromancers for her research."
Clark reminded her that the Arch-mage had already made his decision.
"It still can't hurt her case with her colleagues. He's not the only one that needs convincing if she's to get back her standing. Reputation is important to scholars. It's not the Thieves Guild, where we relish anonymity."
"That reminds me," Uzgash interrupted. "Taminwe told me that someone's been asking around the waterfront about the Gray Fox. A Redguard woman in a uniform, with the Sentinel emblem on the tabard."
"I haven't used the cowl, since I got it from Count Umbranox," Minx mused. "She's probably expecting a man. I might get someone else to deal with her, when we get back from Evergloam."
Clark had a suspicion who that would be.
---
Minx handed the bag of holding to Nocturnal, who was quickly able to confirm that they had indeed recovered the Chrysamere.
"I'm not sure what to do with it now," she confided. "It's not Daedric in origin, so there's none of my brethren waiting for its return. It's not something just anyone could use, either. There aren't many heroes that are capable of wielding it, and the one we all know of doesn't really need it. Still, it's better knowing where it is, and I didn't relish the thought of the Thalmor getting their hands on it. From what you've told me, and what I've discovered for myself, they'd probably have destroyed it in some attempt to topple the Towers of Mundus."
"Why do you care about the fate of Mundus?" Clark wanted to know. "You're safe here from anything they get up to."
"We don't know that," Nocturnal replied. "If they do have a way to achieve their goals, fantastic though they appear, then who knows what else they'd be capable of. You can journey here, and have an effect in my Realm. Most of that is because I permit it, but I don't control your actions when you're here, except by threat or persuasion. If the Thalmor got in, they could be a lot more of a nuisance than the vampires."
"So what are they trying to do?" Clark asked. He had the impression that they were just another group trying to grab power in the vacuum left by the lack of an Emperor, but Nocturnal was implying something more.
"Their intent is to return the time before the worlds existed, the perfect - in their opinion - situation where only the Aedra and Daedra were, and mortals had not yet been created. In their fantasy, they'd be the new gods, or something like that."
"Sounds like another version of what the Dwemer were doing," Minx chimed in. "But without any roots in reality. At least the Dwemer were only trying to raise themselves to that level, not to destroy everything else in the process."
"Yes, the destructive part almost makes me think that Mehrunes Dagon is involved again. He likes to break things, so he can put them together in new ways. Except that he usually leaves that last little detail to someone else."
Clark recalled the only report he'd had of the events in the Summerset Isle. "Lathenil believed that Dagon was responsible for the destruction of the Crystal Tower, not the Thalmor, even though he blamed the latter for making it possible. Dagon certainly made it easier for the Thalmor to rise up and take credit for his defeat, ignoring the events here in Cyrodiil, as if only the Summerset Isle mattered."
"To the isolationist Altmer, that's the truth," Nocturnal pointed out. "The ones that migrated to other provinces would have had a more open mind, but parochialism is strongest in those with no sense of adventure. In the wake of a disaster like the fall of the Crystal Tower, especially when it was at the hands of invaders from outside, it's easy to whip up a common enemy of all outsiders to rally against. The Thalmor played that hand well. Too well, perhaps, for me to believe it was all their own work."
"Are you saying you suspect one of your brethren, other than Dagon?"
"Yes, but I have no idea which. Mehrunes Dagon was probably too busy with the Mythic Dawn, and for this to be a follow-up part of the same plan is way too complex for him. It has to be one of the others, or even more than one. Cooperation is rare, however, and if Sheogorath is involved, more likely an illusion. And it's still possible that it's all the Thalmor's idea, and they just have support from a powerful ally that sees an advantage to be gained."
"But I imagine you'd like to see what you brought me. It's time we unwrapped this thing."
Nocturnal cast a telekinesis spell on the sword, and it rose slowly from the table. It started to rotate and the cloth wrapped around unwound on to the floor. Eventually, the last of the cloth fell away revealing a wooden plank, with a detachable lid covering the sword. Nocturnal let the plank back down onto the table and opened the lid.
The sword was in pieces. Not broken, but taken apart, with the cross-piece laying next to the blade, and the halves of the hilt next to that. The pommel was unscrewed from the end of the tang and also separate in the box.
"See how the tang is a dull, dark colour, although the blade is glowing blue?" Nocturnal pointed out. "I'm beginning to understand how this was made, and it's pure genius!"
"The base material is Adamantium. It was popular in High Rock for a while for making armor, as it's known to be a stubborn metal. Hard to forge, hard to damage, and hard to enchant. Heavy isn't the word for it, either. Nobody would have considered making a greatsword of this size from it, as it would be almost unusable with its excessive weight. You normally couldn't enchant enough feather on it to compensate, as Adamantium doesn't enchant easily."
"The genius part here, is that the armorer tempered the blade with Stahlrim! That's almost the exact opposite of Adamantium. It's light, enchantment-friendly, and a bit fragile, being essentially a form of ice, held together by magic. Adding the two together was nothing short of brilliant, but the way it was enchanted made the most of the combination. The sword only gets lighter for a Master swordsman. That concession allows the effect to be more powerful, as the wielder has to contribute his own skill. There's spell-synergy here too. The effect provides defence, unusual on a sword, but it serves to reduce the wielder's need to use heavy armor, so more of his encumbrance can be spent on the sword itself. I'm impressed, especially as this was a mortal-made artifact."
"How are you so sure it's not Daedric in origin?" asked Minx.
"Because there's always a little of themselves in anything my brethren create," Nocturnal replied. "I sense none of them in this."
Clark picked up a piece of the hilt, and weighed it in his hand. "I won't even try and lift the blade, if this is Adamantium."
"If you have some blade skill, the blade won't be quite as heavy as it looks, but you have the right idea. This really is a sword for Champions Only."
"You said that Adamantium comes from High Rock, so where does Stahlrim come from?"
"Skyrim, and in particular, the island of Solstheim. It's a rare material, and not often used alone. It would be plated over other materials on armour, or used as axe-heads and arrow-points with a strong magical component. It's not strong, but it holds a lot of enchantment. You can use that effect to strengthen it, too, but then you use up some of the benefit."
"I just came from Skyrim, and I've not seen anything like this," a voice said from behind them.
"Ah, Dralsi, you've arrived!" Nocturnal introduced the newcomer to Clark and Minx. She was a Dunmer, and her features were quite a bit more elven than Minx's, who'd clearly had a few humans among her male ancestors.
"Dralsi is the daughter of Barenziah and Drayven Indoril, who was also called 'the Nightingale,'" Nocturnal told them. "I'm forming a new organisation to take things beyond the Thieves Guilds, and she's one of the first Trinity."
"The only surviving one," Dralsi continued ruefully. "My two colleagues were killed trying to clear the draugr from the cave we intended to use as Nocturnal's shrine in Skyrim. We accounted for most of them, but there's one stubborn old warlord we couldn't handle. Ogrim the Restless isn't your usual draugr, he uses the thu'um! I managed to get out of his chamber and close the gate, but only after my two companions fell."
"Draugr, thu'um? I don't understand either of those terms," Clark objected.
"You're familiar with zombies in Cyrodiil?" Dralsi asked him. Clark nodded
.
"Imagine those wearing armour, carrying enchanted weapons, and casting spells at you. Those are draugr. The ancient Nords embalmed their dead with a process that was close to necromancy. It was intended to preserve them for Sovnguard, so they'd be whole in that afterlife. However, it actually just left more behind to cause problems in the tombs."
"Some of the draugr were preserved naturally. A body that lies in permanent ice decays very slowly. The Nords copied that idea, and inadvertently produced a copious supply of potential undead for anyone or anything that could raise them. The tombs of Skyrim are full of them."
"Thu'um, or the Voice, is a form of magic delivered by shouting. Again, it's a Nord thing. They claim to have learned it from the Dragons, before they disappeared from Tamriel. Some of the draugr retain this power from life, and Ogrim's one of them."
Clark recalled Shulassa, the Khajiit at Gweden, telling him some of the tales she'd learned from her Nord grandfather. Now the "princess in a block of ice" was a completely different possibility. She would likely have been a draugr!
Nice to see you back in Cyrodiil!
Heh, I like how you depicted Dagon’s appetite for destruction without the pesky need for cleverness or subtlety.
I enjoyed the details of Chrysamere’s construction.
And tales of Skyrim, complete with yelling draugarian zombified Nords!
Couple spelling nits:
-"Taminwe told me that somone's been asking around the waterfront about the Gray Fox.”
-‘There aren't many heros that are capable of wielding it,’
Heh, I like how you depicted Dagon’s appetite for destruction without the pesky need for cleverness or subtlety.
I enjoyed the details of Chrysamere’s construction.
And tales of Skyrim, complete with yelling draugarian zombified Nords!
Couple spelling nits:
-"Taminwe told me that somone's been asking around the waterfront about the Gray Fox.”
-‘There aren't many heros that are capable of wielding it,’
Previously Clark and Minx have been shown the pieces of Chrysamere and introduced to Dralsi, Barenziah's secret daughter, and founder member of the Nightingales. The other two members were recently killed by Ogrim the Restless, an ancient draugr who's occupying the cave that Nocturnal wants to become her new shrine in Skyrim.
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Nocturnal - part XIV
"The reason Dralsi's here," Nocturnal was saying, "is that I think you two would be the perfect replacements in the Nightingale Trinity. So I wanted her to meet you and give me her opinion."
"Nocturnal has told me about your exploits so far. Minx is clearly qualified by her background in the Cyrodiil Thieves Guild. Clark, I'm not so sure about. Those are a different set of skills than I'm familiar with. I need more time to decide, and I still have Ogrim to deal with. Perhaps Clark can help me with that problem, and convince me that way?"
Clark thought for a few moments. He hadn't encountered thu'um before, but if it was a form of magic, then his outfit should reflect it. He felt confident enough of his blocking ability with his shield, so if the women could add enough offense, then Ogrim should be within their combined capabilities.
"Then I'll open up a portal to the Twighlight Sepulchre, and Dralsi can show you around before you meet Ogrim," Nocturnal announced.
---
"Through here?" Clark asked.
"Yes, just give a tug on that chain, and the gate will open. Ogrim's probably back in his coffin on that platform in the middle of the room," Dralsi responded.
The gate screeched noisily open, and a pair of horns poked up from the coffin. Ogrim clambered out of his resting place as the three entered. Minx had already cast invisibility, and was creeping around to outflank their foe. Clark tossed a weak fireball at Ogrim to get his attention, and stepped into the clear space in the middle of the room. Dralsi moved sideways, her bow at the ready, making sure that Ogrim couldn't target all of them at the same time.
Their plan was to have Ogrim concentrate on Clark, whose defensive enchantments and skills could theoretically withstand Ogrim's attacks. Any spells he used would be reflected, and hopefully he would do their job for them.
"They remove the brains when they do the embalming, and put them in jars beside the bodies. Same with the lungs. I have no idea how they still manage to shout without lungs, but they do act like they don't have any brains, most of the time. If you get him mad enough at you, he'll ignore us while you're still alive. That will probably mean he'll keep casting, even after you reflect his first spells."
That's what Dralsi had said, but after Ogrim found his first frost spell reflected, he stopped using it. He stood next to his coffin, glaring at Clark, and gathering his force for his next move. Thu'um!
A blast of wind swept Clark off his feet and sent him flying backward into the air. The last he knew was a blow on the back of his head as it hit the wall of the cave.
---
Clark came to in a comfortable bed, with someone leaning over him. As his eyes regained their focus, he made out a rather attractive Nord woman, with the usual abundance of cleavage. Showing a lot of leg, too, he noticed. He tried to sit up for a better look, but the pain in his head wouldn't let him.
"He's awake, my Thane!" the woman announced.
"Thank you, Fjotra," Dralsi's voice came from somewhere near the bed. Clark was still having problems seeing clearly, and the pounding in his head wouldn't stop.
"My turn," announced Minx, and Clark felt her touch deliver a healing spell. Not quite enough yet, but he could probably sit up now. As he did so, Dralsi handed him a healing potion.
"What happened?" Clark wanted to know. "Why didn't the thu'um get reflected, and how did I survive?"
"I'm not sure either," Dralsi replied. "He used the Unrelenting Force shout on you, which isn't an elemental damage, like you normally would be reflecting. Perhaps that's why it affected you, not him. And he blew you up onto a ledge where he couldn't reach you. That didn't stop him trying, and he just ignored me as I filled his back with arrows. Everything I said about having his brain removed was true. He didn't give a thought to where his real threat was, all he wanted was to attack you."
Now that Clark was able to see more clearly, he noticed that the two Dunmer women had also changed into "something more comfortable". Fjotra wasn't the only one showing him what she had, it was just that a Nord has more to flaunt than most other races. He suspected a bit of competition among the women.
He made an appreciative remark, to let them know he was getting back to normal, and asked Dralsi how Fjotra was involved.
"She's my house-carl," Dralsi replied, as if that explained everything. When she saw the blank look on Clark's face she continued. "She was assigned as my personal assistant by the Jarl, when he made me Thane of Falkreath. A Thane can become a land-holder within the Jarl's domain, and so I build myself this place. Fjotra also acts as steward of this homestead. She looks after the place while I'm on Nocturnal's business, and acts as a bodyguard if I need one."
"She's always worn her armour around the house until now," the Dunmer continued. "I didn't even know she had another outfit until you arrived."
"I like yours better than that black scale you had on before," Clark responded. "is that your normal housewear?"
"Never mind what we're wearing," Fjotra interrupted. "Why weren't you wearing a helmet? Even the draugr wear helmets, and they don't have any brains to protect!"
Clark started to laugh with everyone else, but had to take another drink of potion. That blow to the back of his head still hurt. Dralsi was glaring at Fjotra. "You don't wear a helmet, so why are you lecturing others?"
"It is my duty to protect, and to carry other's burdens. That's why it was me that carried him in here, and undressed him, and put him to bed. "
"Is there any more of that restoration potion?" Clark asked. He had almost recovered from the collision with the tomb wall, and one more draught should do it. He liked the taste of the Skyrim recipe, too. Most of the Cyrodilic ingredients for restoring health were roots and things, that left an earthy aftertaste. The one he'd just drunk had a fresher taste, although he had no idea what it was.
Dralsi handed him another vial, but this wasn't the same mixture. "What's in this?" he asked.
Dralsi didn't remember. Something like feathers and butterfly wings, probably. Or toadstools; there were an amazing variety of those, all with different effects. Some ingredients were available everywhere in Tamriel, like vampire dust, garlic, or bonemeal, but most of the plants and fungi were unique to the regions they grew in. The more valuable ones would be traded with other provinces, but the common stuff wouldn't be worth carrying far. And some needed to be used fresh, and wouldn't last long enough to ship to other provinces.
Not much grew up in the Jeralls; most of the ingredients would have come from the valleys further into Skyrim. Clark guessed that they were close to Falkreath, and he hadn't been much north of there. Certainly not far enough to encounter any new ingredients. Dralsi confirmed his estimate. "We're about half-way between Falkreath and the Twilight Sepulchre, which is almost on the Hammerfell border, a bit north of the road to Elinhir. Far enough out of town to be private, but close enough to the places that matter."
"We'll go back to the Twilight Sepulchre and use the portal there to get back to Evergloam," she continued. "Clark may be feeling better, but I'd prefer to get Nocturnal's opinion on that. She has insights no mortals can match."
Fjotra offered to accompany them. It was her duty as house-carl, she said.
Dralsi refused. "It's better if you don't know the location of the Sepulchre. Clark and Minx need to know, but you don't."
---
On the short walk back to the tomb, Clark asked Dralsi if she'd ever met her half-brother and sister, Helseth and Morgiah. "No, my mother left me with a wet-nurse as soon as she was able, and I never knew her. I didn't know who she was, until my father told me, and I didn't find my father until quite recently, after a lot of searching. Siblings weren't even something I considered as a possibility."
Clark hadn't met Helseth, either, but he did know Morgiah rather well, and her daughter, Rinalla. "I'm an aunt, too?" Dralsi was surprised.
"Twice. Morgiah also has a son called Gorathir. I haven't met him, and he may still be in the Summerset Isle. The others are all in Mournhold at the moment, I assume."
"Do they have the same red hair? My father told me mine was just like my mother's."
"I think Morgiah always had black hair. Rinalla did too, when I met her, but it's possible she dyed it to match her mother's. They were hoping to pass for sisters, at the time." Clark recounted the story of their trip across Cyrodiil, discreetly leaving out a few of the details.
"How did you get that job?" Dralsi wanted to know. "It doesn't appear to be a Thieves Guild one."
"Oh no, Clark's not even a member," Minx put in, confusing Dralsi further. "Although we do treat him like one. He runs the Red Dragon Club in the Imperial City, among other things."
"Which is?" Dralsi asked.
"A discreet gentleman's club." Clark replied.
"You mean a whorehouse!"
"Not exactly, although that sort of activity does take place. Especially when Ocato comes to visit Taminwe for a briefing. But there's also a bar, and dancing, and ..."
"Just to add a semblance of legitimacy, I assume."
Clark decided not to explain everything. He wanted to steer the conversation back to Morgiah. "I was sent to keep Rinalla entertained. She's almost twenty, and I'm sure you understand what that means."
"It means almost anyone male, and still breathing, could have done the job. So why you?"
"As Earl of Gweden, I had enough rank to be acceptable to Morgiah. Plus, Ocato wanted to gather any information he could while the pair were in Cyrodiil. I'd been a reporter, and knew about collecting the facts."
"You wouldn't get anything useful from a twenty-year-old Dunmer woman. She's only got one thing on her mind. Her mother, however, ..." Dralsi paused while the pieces fell into place. "I'm beginning to see some parallels with my father. His relationship with my mother started off as just a job he was hired for, and then turned into something else. He told me that it made it possible to leave when he did. He could tell himself that the job was finished, even if he'd have preferred to stay."
"I'm sure Nocturnal sees it the same way," Minx added. "It's not just physical items that need stealing. Sometimes it's hearts."
---
Dralsi was starting to wonder about Nocturnal's motives. She understood why Minx was a candidate to replace one of her late colleagues, but was Clark really a different kind of thief, or was the Daedric Princess just amusing herself with match-making? Yes, he was attractive. Fjotra certainly thought so. The way Minx acted, Dralsi was sure she'd spent some time in Clark's bed, and not just in her promiscuous youth. Did Nocturnal expect them to be that sort of team?
It didn't matter. Minx had a point when she said that there was more than one kind of thief. She could work with Clark, and see what else transpired.
---------
Nocturnal - part XIV
"The reason Dralsi's here," Nocturnal was saying, "is that I think you two would be the perfect replacements in the Nightingale Trinity. So I wanted her to meet you and give me her opinion."
"Nocturnal has told me about your exploits so far. Minx is clearly qualified by her background in the Cyrodiil Thieves Guild. Clark, I'm not so sure about. Those are a different set of skills than I'm familiar with. I need more time to decide, and I still have Ogrim to deal with. Perhaps Clark can help me with that problem, and convince me that way?"
Clark thought for a few moments. He hadn't encountered thu'um before, but if it was a form of magic, then his outfit should reflect it. He felt confident enough of his blocking ability with his shield, so if the women could add enough offense, then Ogrim should be within their combined capabilities.
"Then I'll open up a portal to the Twighlight Sepulchre, and Dralsi can show you around before you meet Ogrim," Nocturnal announced.
---
"Through here?" Clark asked.
"Yes, just give a tug on that chain, and the gate will open. Ogrim's probably back in his coffin on that platform in the middle of the room," Dralsi responded.
The gate screeched noisily open, and a pair of horns poked up from the coffin. Ogrim clambered out of his resting place as the three entered. Minx had already cast invisibility, and was creeping around to outflank their foe. Clark tossed a weak fireball at Ogrim to get his attention, and stepped into the clear space in the middle of the room. Dralsi moved sideways, her bow at the ready, making sure that Ogrim couldn't target all of them at the same time.
Their plan was to have Ogrim concentrate on Clark, whose defensive enchantments and skills could theoretically withstand Ogrim's attacks. Any spells he used would be reflected, and hopefully he would do their job for them.
"They remove the brains when they do the embalming, and put them in jars beside the bodies. Same with the lungs. I have no idea how they still manage to shout without lungs, but they do act like they don't have any brains, most of the time. If you get him mad enough at you, he'll ignore us while you're still alive. That will probably mean he'll keep casting, even after you reflect his first spells."
That's what Dralsi had said, but after Ogrim found his first frost spell reflected, he stopped using it. He stood next to his coffin, glaring at Clark, and gathering his force for his next move. Thu'um!
A blast of wind swept Clark off his feet and sent him flying backward into the air. The last he knew was a blow on the back of his head as it hit the wall of the cave.
---
Clark came to in a comfortable bed, with someone leaning over him. As his eyes regained their focus, he made out a rather attractive Nord woman, with the usual abundance of cleavage. Showing a lot of leg, too, he noticed. He tried to sit up for a better look, but the pain in his head wouldn't let him.
"He's awake, my Thane!" the woman announced.
"Thank you, Fjotra," Dralsi's voice came from somewhere near the bed. Clark was still having problems seeing clearly, and the pounding in his head wouldn't stop.
"My turn," announced Minx, and Clark felt her touch deliver a healing spell. Not quite enough yet, but he could probably sit up now. As he did so, Dralsi handed him a healing potion.
"What happened?" Clark wanted to know. "Why didn't the thu'um get reflected, and how did I survive?"
"I'm not sure either," Dralsi replied. "He used the Unrelenting Force shout on you, which isn't an elemental damage, like you normally would be reflecting. Perhaps that's why it affected you, not him. And he blew you up onto a ledge where he couldn't reach you. That didn't stop him trying, and he just ignored me as I filled his back with arrows. Everything I said about having his brain removed was true. He didn't give a thought to where his real threat was, all he wanted was to attack you."
Now that Clark was able to see more clearly, he noticed that the two Dunmer women had also changed into "something more comfortable". Fjotra wasn't the only one showing him what she had, it was just that a Nord has more to flaunt than most other races. He suspected a bit of competition among the women.
He made an appreciative remark, to let them know he was getting back to normal, and asked Dralsi how Fjotra was involved.
"She's my house-carl," Dralsi replied, as if that explained everything. When she saw the blank look on Clark's face she continued. "She was assigned as my personal assistant by the Jarl, when he made me Thane of Falkreath. A Thane can become a land-holder within the Jarl's domain, and so I build myself this place. Fjotra also acts as steward of this homestead. She looks after the place while I'm on Nocturnal's business, and acts as a bodyguard if I need one."
"She's always worn her armour around the house until now," the Dunmer continued. "I didn't even know she had another outfit until you arrived."
"I like yours better than that black scale you had on before," Clark responded. "is that your normal housewear?"
"Never mind what we're wearing," Fjotra interrupted. "Why weren't you wearing a helmet? Even the draugr wear helmets, and they don't have any brains to protect!"
Clark started to laugh with everyone else, but had to take another drink of potion. That blow to the back of his head still hurt. Dralsi was glaring at Fjotra. "You don't wear a helmet, so why are you lecturing others?"
"It is my duty to protect, and to carry other's burdens. That's why it was me that carried him in here, and undressed him, and put him to bed. "
"Is there any more of that restoration potion?" Clark asked. He had almost recovered from the collision with the tomb wall, and one more draught should do it. He liked the taste of the Skyrim recipe, too. Most of the Cyrodilic ingredients for restoring health were roots and things, that left an earthy aftertaste. The one he'd just drunk had a fresher taste, although he had no idea what it was.
Dralsi handed him another vial, but this wasn't the same mixture. "What's in this?" he asked.
Dralsi didn't remember. Something like feathers and butterfly wings, probably. Or toadstools; there were an amazing variety of those, all with different effects. Some ingredients were available everywhere in Tamriel, like vampire dust, garlic, or bonemeal, but most of the plants and fungi were unique to the regions they grew in. The more valuable ones would be traded with other provinces, but the common stuff wouldn't be worth carrying far. And some needed to be used fresh, and wouldn't last long enough to ship to other provinces.
Not much grew up in the Jeralls; most of the ingredients would have come from the valleys further into Skyrim. Clark guessed that they were close to Falkreath, and he hadn't been much north of there. Certainly not far enough to encounter any new ingredients. Dralsi confirmed his estimate. "We're about half-way between Falkreath and the Twilight Sepulchre, which is almost on the Hammerfell border, a bit north of the road to Elinhir. Far enough out of town to be private, but close enough to the places that matter."
"We'll go back to the Twilight Sepulchre and use the portal there to get back to Evergloam," she continued. "Clark may be feeling better, but I'd prefer to get Nocturnal's opinion on that. She has insights no mortals can match."
Fjotra offered to accompany them. It was her duty as house-carl, she said.
Dralsi refused. "It's better if you don't know the location of the Sepulchre. Clark and Minx need to know, but you don't."
---
On the short walk back to the tomb, Clark asked Dralsi if she'd ever met her half-brother and sister, Helseth and Morgiah. "No, my mother left me with a wet-nurse as soon as she was able, and I never knew her. I didn't know who she was, until my father told me, and I didn't find my father until quite recently, after a lot of searching. Siblings weren't even something I considered as a possibility."
Clark hadn't met Helseth, either, but he did know Morgiah rather well, and her daughter, Rinalla. "I'm an aunt, too?" Dralsi was surprised.
"Twice. Morgiah also has a son called Gorathir. I haven't met him, and he may still be in the Summerset Isle. The others are all in Mournhold at the moment, I assume."
"Do they have the same red hair? My father told me mine was just like my mother's."
"I think Morgiah always had black hair. Rinalla did too, when I met her, but it's possible she dyed it to match her mother's. They were hoping to pass for sisters, at the time." Clark recounted the story of their trip across Cyrodiil, discreetly leaving out a few of the details.
"How did you get that job?" Dralsi wanted to know. "It doesn't appear to be a Thieves Guild one."
"Oh no, Clark's not even a member," Minx put in, confusing Dralsi further. "Although we do treat him like one. He runs the Red Dragon Club in the Imperial City, among other things."
"Which is?" Dralsi asked.
"A discreet gentleman's club." Clark replied.
"You mean a whorehouse!"
"Not exactly, although that sort of activity does take place. Especially when Ocato comes to visit Taminwe for a briefing. But there's also a bar, and dancing, and ..."
"Just to add a semblance of legitimacy, I assume."
Clark decided not to explain everything. He wanted to steer the conversation back to Morgiah. "I was sent to keep Rinalla entertained. She's almost twenty, and I'm sure you understand what that means."
"It means almost anyone male, and still breathing, could have done the job. So why you?"
"As Earl of Gweden, I had enough rank to be acceptable to Morgiah. Plus, Ocato wanted to gather any information he could while the pair were in Cyrodiil. I'd been a reporter, and knew about collecting the facts."
"You wouldn't get anything useful from a twenty-year-old Dunmer woman. She's only got one thing on her mind. Her mother, however, ..." Dralsi paused while the pieces fell into place. "I'm beginning to see some parallels with my father. His relationship with my mother started off as just a job he was hired for, and then turned into something else. He told me that it made it possible to leave when he did. He could tell himself that the job was finished, even if he'd have preferred to stay."
"I'm sure Nocturnal sees it the same way," Minx added. "It's not just physical items that need stealing. Sometimes it's hearts."
---
Dralsi was starting to wonder about Nocturnal's motives. She understood why Minx was a candidate to replace one of her late colleagues, but was Clark really a different kind of thief, or was the Daedric Princess just amusing herself with match-making? Yes, he was attractive. Fjotra certainly thought so. The way Minx acted, Dralsi was sure she'd spent some time in Clark's bed, and not just in her promiscuous youth. Did Nocturnal expect them to be that sort of team?
It didn't matter. Minx had a point when she said that there was more than one kind of thief. She could work with Clark, and see what else transpired.
’The gate screeched noisily open, and a pair of horns poked up from the coffin.‘ - - Uh oh, this can’t be good!
I chuckled at the observation about shouting without lungs. And the impact of having one’s brain in a jar upon tactical decision-making.
"Why weren't you wearing a helmet? Even the draugr wear helmets, and they don't have any brains to protect!" - - That’s a good question. I mean Clark doesn't have big elven ears to get squashed. And I should think that he would hardly be concerned about ‘helmet hair’.
Clark, of the Nightingale Trinity. That has sort of a nice ring to it.
I chuckled at the observation about shouting without lungs. And the impact of having one’s brain in a jar upon tactical decision-making.
"Why weren't you wearing a helmet? Even the draugr wear helmets, and they don't have any brains to protect!" - - That’s a good question. I mean Clark doesn't have big elven ears to get squashed. And I should think that he would hardly be concerned about ‘helmet hair’.
Clark, of the Nightingale Trinity. That has sort of a nice ring to it.
I thought the construction and enchantment of the Chrysamere was fascinating. As ever I love how you weave world events into the story.
Clark and Minx as Nightingales! I love it!
"She's always worn her armour around the house until now," the Dunmer continued. "I didn't even know she had another outfit until you arrived."
Perfect.
I enjoyed Fjotra’s scolding about the helmet, especially when it came to light that she doesn’t wear one.
Clark and Minx as Nightingales! I love it!
"She's always worn her armour around the house until now," the Dunmer continued. "I didn't even know she had another outfit until you arrived."
Perfect.I enjoyed Fjotra’s scolding about the helmet, especially when it came to light that she doesn’t wear one.
@Acadian: Clark doesn't wear armor, but he has a set of Green Finery from SI that's enchanted with spell reflection, as well as rings that do the same. He carries a sword to benefit from the Necklace of swords, which with the Escutcheon of Chorrol gives a fair amount of physical damage reflection, too. A helmet just doesn't go with that outfit.
In Skyrim, the members of the Nightingale Trinity were Dralsi's daughter Karliah, and two shorter-lived human men, one of whom is already dead, and needs replacing. I'm assuming that Nocturnal would want a mix of mer for continuity, and men for new blood, and both genders. Clark will be long dead before 4E201, and Minx is roughly the same age as Dralsi, so she'd have retired, at least, before that time.
@Grits: I couldn't resist commenting on the TES V house-carls' immutable outfits.
We're going in the opposite direction for links to other TES games, and connecting with Daggerfall again, via the book "Night falls on Sentinel".
-----------
Previously: Clark and Minx took a brief trip to Skyrim to look at a potential site for Nocturnal's new shrine, and Clark had his first encounter with a Thu'um-using draugr. He hopes it will be the last.
-----------
Nocturnal - Part XV
Clark and Minx returned to the Waterfront. Nocturnal would send Amusei to get them if anything new came up.
"There's still that Redguard woman asking around for the Gray Fox." Minx told him. "The one in the foreign city guard uniform. You're probably the only one that can deal with her."
Clark had to agree. You couldn't expect any of the Guild to deal with a city guard, even one from another province.
He found her eating dinner in the Bloated Float. She appeared to be around thirty-five years old, not that he was an expert judge of Reguards. There were enough customers filling the place that it wasn't unreasonable for Ormil to seat him at her table, and Clark was able to start a conversation.
Her name was Haballa, and Clark knew the insignia on her tabard was that of Sentinel, in Hammerfell. She confirmed that she'd been sent by King Lhotun on her current mission.
"Which is?" he inquired.
"I'm looking for a stolen painting. It went missing from the cellars of the Sentinel Palace some time ago. It didn't look like anything special, which is why it wasn't on display, but the King believes it was enchanted. He'd like it back so he can find out."
"Why do you believe it might be in Cyrodiil?"
"We heard about another painting that went missing from Chorrol Castle, and wondered if the same art thieves were involved. That's why I was trying to contact the Gray Fox. If the Thieves Guild here are anything like the one in Hammerfell, they don't appreciate anyone else operating in their territory. I thought I might get some co-operation in tracking them down."
"And you came in uniform?"
"It, and a spare, are all I brought with me. I suppose I could buy something else, but I don't know how long this investigation is going to last, and I need to use the coin I have carefully."
"So you didn't bring a reward for the painting's return, I take it?"
"No, I'm either to take it back without one, or else just open the negotiations, depending on how things work out, and who has it. Stolen art often ends up being sold to unsuspecting nobility. If it has already found a buyer, I notify them that it's stolen, and put them in touch with King Lhotun's treasury. If the thieves still have it, then there's no haggling, just punishment."
"None of the Guild will deal with you in uniform," Clark told her. "I could either act as an intermediary - I do have a few contacts - or I could lend you a change of outfit. Either way, it might be better if we continue this conversation in a less public place. Why don't you come back to Imbel Manor with me for dessert and a brandy? I found a large selection of women's clothing in storage there when I bought the place, and something's likely to fit you."
Haballa considered for a few moments. "All right, lead on."
---
It didn't take long to walk through the tunnel to the Temple District and then into Talos Plaza. Soon they were entering the big front door of Imbel Manor, and heading for the stairs to the upper floor. Clark pointed to the doors of two adjacent rooms. "There are closets in those two rooms where you might find something to fit you. Take a look while I pour us each some brandy and slice the fruit."
The rooms belonged to Angeline and Diablita, of course. The wardrobes were stuffed with garments they'd found on their adventures, and he'd never got round to selling for them. Without enchantments, clothes just didn't fetch the same prices that armor and weapons did, so it was hardly worth the effort of taking them across town. There were probably a few pieces of their own, but Diablita wore very little except chains, and Angeline's outfits weren't likely to appeal to someone who was content wearing a uniform all the time.
"Is this what you had in mind?" she asked him, holding up a thin dress that was little more than a veil. It was most likely one of Angeline's. She usually wore a lace dress you could almost see through - this was one that you definitely could see through.
"Perhaps not for negotiating with the Thieves Guild, but it would look good on you."
"Well, if that's what you brought me here for..." Haballa said, putting her arms round Clark's neck and kissing him.
Clark noticed a glow of green and purple, and Haballa went completely stiff. It only took him a second or two to work out that she'd just tried to paralyze him with her Lover's Kiss, but it had backfired because of the enchantments on his outfit. "Well, if that's the game..." Clark thought.
He ducked out of her frozen embrace, and unfastened her cuirass, lifting it over her head. Her raised arms made it easy, even though she was stuck in the one position. It was fortunate that she'd left a gap between her hands.
He lifted her out of her boots, thinking to himself as he did so that if he'd been a little shorter, she wouldn't have lifted her heels. A couple of small daggers fell out of the boots.
Her greaves concealed another dagger, and a small, but heavy, cosh. Clark slid them to the floor, lifted her out, and then pulled the undershirt up over her head. Another dagger dropped out of her hair as he did so.
Haballa had another small knife tucked into her underwear, which was as utilitarian as the rest of her uniform. She clearly didn't use sex as a weapon, although she was well-armed in that respect. The underwear and weapons all joined the growing pile, which he kicked out of reach into a corner.
Then he ducked back into the same position he'd started in. Except that, without her underwear, he assumed she'd appreciate a bit of support. "I do hope she has a sense of humor," he thought as he felt the stiffness leave her muscles, and he returned the kiss she'd started. If her Plan A hadn't worked, he wondered what she'd do next.
Haballa had been completely conscious all through Clark undressing her. Her initial panic when the spell failed soon gave way to other concerns, but she soon understood that he meant her no harm. And he did at least have warm hands.
Clark, too, had noticed something about her arsenal of concealed weaponry. It was all a little less than lethal. Sure, you could cut an artery with one of those knives, and let the victim bleed to death. But if you had the skill to do that, you'd also have the skill not to. He'd want to ask her about that, later. Right now, he had a different concern.
"Is she checking I'm unarmored before using her knee, or has she selected Plan F?" he wondered.
---
Once they had got to know each other better, Haballa felt she ought to explain. "When I saw all the paintings you have here, I thought you might have been the one who had it stolen. I planned to tie you up, and give this place a thorough search."
"Have you ever tried to tie up someone who's paralyzed? You can't move their limbs any more than they can."
"No, you wait until it wears off, and then tap them on the back of the head with a blackjack. That's when the ropes go on."
"I'm glad I stopped you at the first step. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun."
"It could be worse. There are more permanent alternatives. I just don't use those. My job for King Lhotun is to make sure people learn to obey the law. Dead people don't learn. People in some degree of discomfort do, as long as the pain doesn't become the only thing they're aware of. I've learned just how much stimulation is enough to get the results I need."
Clark had noticed that. That was a skill they shared, even if they had acquired it with different goals in mind. And she'd just made it clear that she understood all its possibilities.
"Can you tell me more about the painting, and when it was stolen?" he asked her.
"We're not sure when it was taken. King Lhotun only called for it when the Emperor was assassinated, and that's we found it was gone. The painting was supposed to be enchanted to show important events, and nothing was more important than the death of an Emperor."
"When the painting was put into storage, by the late Queen Akorithi, it depicted the chaos of the Warp in the West. It was hard for anyone to understand what they saw, and they all thought the enchantment had failed. King Lhotun thought they might have been wrong, and he requested it be brought back out, and the divining spell re-cast."
"Wait a minute," Clark interrupted. "I think I've heard of this before. Wasn't it stolen from Wayrest in the first place?"
"Obtained from Wayrest. It was before I was born, and I have no idea how Queen Akorithi got it. For all I know it was purchased, not stolen. I've also heard it said that it didn't originate in Wayrest, even though that place is conventionally associated with it."
"Why did Akorithi want it?"
"She used it to determine the truth about the death of King Lysandus of Daggerfall. That had been blamed on just about everybody from every little kingdom in the Illiac Bay. Some said the Orcs did it, others that it had been the King's own son. It was even rumored that the King was still alive, and a double had died in his place."
Clark reflected on what Medora had told him. She'd been among the suspects, too. She hadn't been able to tell him much about the events after Lysandus died, as she'd been confined to Direnni Tower.
Haballa was too young to have any first-hand information, either. She'd been a small child when it all happened.
She'd entered Lhotun's service after the plague killed his mother, and elder brother Greklith, and he took the throne of Sentinel. She'd been trained to track down and eliminate the people who'd abducted his other brother. It seemed to be an obsession of Lhotun's, and he couldn't concentrate on ruling Sentinel until she brought him closure by dealing with Jomic, the last of the abductors. She'd never seen the painting; it was already locked away in the palace basements by the time she joined the service.
"Didn't he think of consulting the painting about Arthago's death?" Clark inquired.
"That was too far in the past. The painting shows the most recent event of sufficient significance. You don't get to choose what that is. So it would still have shown the Miracle of Peace, Warp in the West, Numidium Incident, whatever you want to call it. It wasn't until Uriel Septim died that Lhotun believed the image would have changed."
In Skyrim, the members of the Nightingale Trinity were Dralsi's daughter Karliah, and two shorter-lived human men, one of whom is already dead, and needs replacing. I'm assuming that Nocturnal would want a mix of mer for continuity, and men for new blood, and both genders. Clark will be long dead before 4E201, and Minx is roughly the same age as Dralsi, so she'd have retired, at least, before that time.
@Grits: I couldn't resist commenting on the TES V house-carls' immutable outfits.
We're going in the opposite direction for links to other TES games, and connecting with Daggerfall again, via the book "Night falls on Sentinel".
-----------
Previously: Clark and Minx took a brief trip to Skyrim to look at a potential site for Nocturnal's new shrine, and Clark had his first encounter with a Thu'um-using draugr. He hopes it will be the last.
-----------
Nocturnal - Part XV
Clark and Minx returned to the Waterfront. Nocturnal would send Amusei to get them if anything new came up.
"There's still that Redguard woman asking around for the Gray Fox." Minx told him. "The one in the foreign city guard uniform. You're probably the only one that can deal with her."
Clark had to agree. You couldn't expect any of the Guild to deal with a city guard, even one from another province.
He found her eating dinner in the Bloated Float. She appeared to be around thirty-five years old, not that he was an expert judge of Reguards. There were enough customers filling the place that it wasn't unreasonable for Ormil to seat him at her table, and Clark was able to start a conversation.
Her name was Haballa, and Clark knew the insignia on her tabard was that of Sentinel, in Hammerfell. She confirmed that she'd been sent by King Lhotun on her current mission.
"Which is?" he inquired.
"I'm looking for a stolen painting. It went missing from the cellars of the Sentinel Palace some time ago. It didn't look like anything special, which is why it wasn't on display, but the King believes it was enchanted. He'd like it back so he can find out."
"Why do you believe it might be in Cyrodiil?"
"We heard about another painting that went missing from Chorrol Castle, and wondered if the same art thieves were involved. That's why I was trying to contact the Gray Fox. If the Thieves Guild here are anything like the one in Hammerfell, they don't appreciate anyone else operating in their territory. I thought I might get some co-operation in tracking them down."
"And you came in uniform?"
"It, and a spare, are all I brought with me. I suppose I could buy something else, but I don't know how long this investigation is going to last, and I need to use the coin I have carefully."
"So you didn't bring a reward for the painting's return, I take it?"
"No, I'm either to take it back without one, or else just open the negotiations, depending on how things work out, and who has it. Stolen art often ends up being sold to unsuspecting nobility. If it has already found a buyer, I notify them that it's stolen, and put them in touch with King Lhotun's treasury. If the thieves still have it, then there's no haggling, just punishment."
"None of the Guild will deal with you in uniform," Clark told her. "I could either act as an intermediary - I do have a few contacts - or I could lend you a change of outfit. Either way, it might be better if we continue this conversation in a less public place. Why don't you come back to Imbel Manor with me for dessert and a brandy? I found a large selection of women's clothing in storage there when I bought the place, and something's likely to fit you."
Haballa considered for a few moments. "All right, lead on."
---
It didn't take long to walk through the tunnel to the Temple District and then into Talos Plaza. Soon they were entering the big front door of Imbel Manor, and heading for the stairs to the upper floor. Clark pointed to the doors of two adjacent rooms. "There are closets in those two rooms where you might find something to fit you. Take a look while I pour us each some brandy and slice the fruit."
The rooms belonged to Angeline and Diablita, of course. The wardrobes were stuffed with garments they'd found on their adventures, and he'd never got round to selling for them. Without enchantments, clothes just didn't fetch the same prices that armor and weapons did, so it was hardly worth the effort of taking them across town. There were probably a few pieces of their own, but Diablita wore very little except chains, and Angeline's outfits weren't likely to appeal to someone who was content wearing a uniform all the time.
"Is this what you had in mind?" she asked him, holding up a thin dress that was little more than a veil. It was most likely one of Angeline's. She usually wore a lace dress you could almost see through - this was one that you definitely could see through.
"Perhaps not for negotiating with the Thieves Guild, but it would look good on you."
"Well, if that's what you brought me here for..." Haballa said, putting her arms round Clark's neck and kissing him.
Clark noticed a glow of green and purple, and Haballa went completely stiff. It only took him a second or two to work out that she'd just tried to paralyze him with her Lover's Kiss, but it had backfired because of the enchantments on his outfit. "Well, if that's the game..." Clark thought.
He ducked out of her frozen embrace, and unfastened her cuirass, lifting it over her head. Her raised arms made it easy, even though she was stuck in the one position. It was fortunate that she'd left a gap between her hands.
He lifted her out of her boots, thinking to himself as he did so that if he'd been a little shorter, she wouldn't have lifted her heels. A couple of small daggers fell out of the boots.
Her greaves concealed another dagger, and a small, but heavy, cosh. Clark slid them to the floor, lifted her out, and then pulled the undershirt up over her head. Another dagger dropped out of her hair as he did so.
Haballa had another small knife tucked into her underwear, which was as utilitarian as the rest of her uniform. She clearly didn't use sex as a weapon, although she was well-armed in that respect. The underwear and weapons all joined the growing pile, which he kicked out of reach into a corner.
Then he ducked back into the same position he'd started in. Except that, without her underwear, he assumed she'd appreciate a bit of support. "I do hope she has a sense of humor," he thought as he felt the stiffness leave her muscles, and he returned the kiss she'd started. If her Plan A hadn't worked, he wondered what she'd do next.
Haballa had been completely conscious all through Clark undressing her. Her initial panic when the spell failed soon gave way to other concerns, but she soon understood that he meant her no harm. And he did at least have warm hands.
Clark, too, had noticed something about her arsenal of concealed weaponry. It was all a little less than lethal. Sure, you could cut an artery with one of those knives, and let the victim bleed to death. But if you had the skill to do that, you'd also have the skill not to. He'd want to ask her about that, later. Right now, he had a different concern.
"Is she checking I'm unarmored before using her knee, or has she selected Plan F?" he wondered.
---
Once they had got to know each other better, Haballa felt she ought to explain. "When I saw all the paintings you have here, I thought you might have been the one who had it stolen. I planned to tie you up, and give this place a thorough search."
"Have you ever tried to tie up someone who's paralyzed? You can't move their limbs any more than they can."
"No, you wait until it wears off, and then tap them on the back of the head with a blackjack. That's when the ropes go on."
"I'm glad I stopped you at the first step. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun."
"It could be worse. There are more permanent alternatives. I just don't use those. My job for King Lhotun is to make sure people learn to obey the law. Dead people don't learn. People in some degree of discomfort do, as long as the pain doesn't become the only thing they're aware of. I've learned just how much stimulation is enough to get the results I need."
Clark had noticed that. That was a skill they shared, even if they had acquired it with different goals in mind. And she'd just made it clear that she understood all its possibilities.
"Can you tell me more about the painting, and when it was stolen?" he asked her.
"We're not sure when it was taken. King Lhotun only called for it when the Emperor was assassinated, and that's we found it was gone. The painting was supposed to be enchanted to show important events, and nothing was more important than the death of an Emperor."
"When the painting was put into storage, by the late Queen Akorithi, it depicted the chaos of the Warp in the West. It was hard for anyone to understand what they saw, and they all thought the enchantment had failed. King Lhotun thought they might have been wrong, and he requested it be brought back out, and the divining spell re-cast."
"Wait a minute," Clark interrupted. "I think I've heard of this before. Wasn't it stolen from Wayrest in the first place?"
"Obtained from Wayrest. It was before I was born, and I have no idea how Queen Akorithi got it. For all I know it was purchased, not stolen. I've also heard it said that it didn't originate in Wayrest, even though that place is conventionally associated with it."
"Why did Akorithi want it?"
"She used it to determine the truth about the death of King Lysandus of Daggerfall. That had been blamed on just about everybody from every little kingdom in the Illiac Bay. Some said the Orcs did it, others that it had been the King's own son. It was even rumored that the King was still alive, and a double had died in his place."
Clark reflected on what Medora had told him. She'd been among the suspects, too. She hadn't been able to tell him much about the events after Lysandus died, as she'd been confined to Direnni Tower.
Haballa was too young to have any first-hand information, either. She'd been a small child when it all happened.
She'd entered Lhotun's service after the plague killed his mother, and elder brother Greklith, and he took the throne of Sentinel. She'd been trained to track down and eliminate the people who'd abducted his other brother. It seemed to be an obsession of Lhotun's, and he couldn't concentrate on ruling Sentinel until she brought him closure by dealing with Jomic, the last of the abductors. She'd never seen the painting; it was already locked away in the palace basements by the time she joined the service.
"Didn't he think of consulting the painting about Arthago's death?" Clark inquired.
"That was too far in the past. The painting shows the most recent event of sufficient significance. You don't get to choose what that is. So it would still have shown the Miracle of Peace, Warp in the West, Numidium Incident, whatever you want to call it. It wasn't until Uriel Septim died that Lhotun believed the image would have changed."
I enjoyed the familiar feeling when you reminded us about Amuesi's use as a messenger. Similarly, tying the theft of that painting to the art theft incident at the castle in Chorrol.
Having Clark’s enchantment reflect Haballa’s Lover’s Kiss was brilliant, and funny as can be!
Hidden daggers from head to toe!
A painting with powers of divination sounds pretty neat.
Nit: ‘It it has already found a buyer,’ - - I figure you meant 'If' instead of the first 'It'?
Having Clark’s enchantment reflect Haballa’s Lover’s Kiss was brilliant, and funny as can be!
Hidden daggers from head to toe!
A painting with powers of divination sounds pretty neat.
Nit: ‘It it has already found a buyer,’ - - I figure you meant 'If' instead of the first 'It'?
The shower of daggers was funny, especially since Haballa made it possible with her own plan backfiring.
"Is she checking I'm unarmored before using her knee, or has she selected Plan F?" he wondered.
Thanks for mentioning the book at the beginning. I gave it a quick read to learn about Haballa and get up to speed on world events. Context makes it even more fun.
"Is she checking I'm unarmored before using her knee, or has she selected Plan F?" he wondered.
Thanks for mentioning the book at the beginning. I gave it a quick read to learn about Haballa and get up to speed on world events. Context makes it even more fun.
@Acadian: The Wayrest Painting in Daggerfall is described thus: The scene in the painting shifts and twists. You can clearly see the inside of a tent. Several men in the livery of Wayrest are intensely debating with a man bearing the coat of arms of Daggerfall. One of the Wayrest men slips behind the Daggerfall man, draws a dagger and casually slides it between his ribs. The image fades as the life ebbs from his body. It's supposed to be an animated cut-scene in the game, but it doesn't work in mine. 
Retrieving it is one of the quests in the MQ line, but its background isn't explained much. So this episode will do that.
@Grits: The book was in Morrowind and Oblivion, and it's in Skyrim, too, so Bethesda think it's worth keeping.
--------------
Previously: Clark met a Redguard named Haballa, who tried to use the Lover's Kiss power against him. She still managed to persuade him to go look for the Wayrest Painting for her, but perhaps that's what Clark intended anyway.
--------------
Nocturnal - Part XVI
Clark travelled to Chorrol, expecting to find the sisters at Arborwatch, and ask them if they knew anything about the theft from the castle there. He was told that they were most likely out at Weatherleah with the Jemane twins. So he went to Chorrol Castle, and spoke with the herald, Laythe Wavrick.
"The Countess has recently lost a painting, a portrait of her late husband. You'll have to speak to her about that."
Countess Arriana Valga told him that the only people who had access to the painting were her personal staff, i.e Laythe Wavrick, Orgnolf Hairy-legs the porter, Orok gro-Ghoth the steward, and Chanel the court mage. Bittneld the Curse-Bringer, captain of the guard, could answer any questions about the men he'd assigned duty that evening.
Laythe Wavrick hadn't been there. He'd been on duty in the main hall at the time. He suspected Orgnolf, as the man had a drinking problem. Orok gro-Ghoth confirmed that aspect, but told Clark that he'd confronted Orgnolf about it, and got him to quit. He himself had been in his room all the time, as the heavy rain had prevented him taking his usual walk in the town.
Orgnolf too, complained about the rain that evening. He'd been bringing in a shipment of wine, and the delivery boy had dropped some of it and broken the bottles. Clark asked about the drinking. "If you had my job, you'd drink too," was the reply. "Except I can't afford to, so I've quit."
Bittneld had done the inside duties himself that evening. "One of the privileges of being captain is that someone else patrols the town when it's raining." He'd seen the incident with Orgnolf and the wine being dropped. He wasn't surprised that it made Orgnolf angry. "He's fond of his wine, whether he's drinking it himself, or serving it to others." He hadn't seen either Orok or Chanel, and assumed that they'd stayed in their rooms.
Chanel claimed to have been observing the stars for her astrological charts. She didn't mention the rain that everyone else had told him about. Clark left her room, and went looking around the castle.
It was soon clear to him that someone on the staff was a painter, but they didn't want anyone to know. He found a half-completed canvas in one of the towers, and paint stains on a carpet. Clark guessed that Chanel had been working on her painting that evening, but couldn't tell him that.
He opened Chanel's door and cast invisibility. She wasn't there, and he was able to search the room undisturbed. A palette and paintbrushes were in a lecturn on her desk, suggesting that she was the secret artist. Clark waited in her room until she returned. He let her know what he'd found, and waited for her to respond.
"Yes, I took the painting," she told him, "but you need to know the whole story."
"The Count knew I was a painter, and he encouraged me in my hobby, even sitting for that portrait. His wife was only interested in art as an investment. If a painting didn't have the right artist's signature, it was worthless in her estimation. When the Count died, I was able to arrange for my portrait to be hung in the main hall as a memorial to him. Anonymously, of course."
"The Countess didn't like having an unsigned painting hanging in the hall. The quality of the work didn't matter to her, it was all about the artist's name. She couldn't have the work of an unknown on display like that."
"But she did like the picture. She had it moved into her private quarters, and made a kind of shrine of it. With candles lit in front of it, instead of proper daylight. Needless to say, it was soon sooty and grimy. I took it to clean it, but she noticed it was gone, and I had no choice but to keep it until I got a chance to put it back."
"Where is it now?" Clark asked. Chanel pointed at a painting hanging on her wall.
"I wrapped another painting around it, and put it back in the same frame. It's only the painting itself that anyone remembers."
It was obvious to Clark now that this "theft" had nothing to do with the Wayrest painting, but he asked Chanel anyway, if she knew anything about that.
"The theft, of course not, but I can tell you quite a bit about the painting itself. The mage who taught me Alchemy painted it."
"She often had me grind pigments for her paint; she said it was good practice. You need the same fine grind, whether you're making potions or poisons, or pigments. And she'd discovered that mixing ingredients from the two schools sometimes produced very interesting results, like paints that glowed in the dark, or whenever anyone came near them. That had started her on an investigation into using alchemy deliberately as part of her art."
"You're probably aware that most spell effects are available through alchemy. Resistance potions and damage poisons for each of the elemental forces; increasing or draining skills and attributes; feather and burden and so on. She reasoned that some of the less obvious ones such as charm, frenzy and others of the illusion school would also have alchemical equivalents, and they'd most likely turn out to be paints."
"Some of her results were novelties, like a paint that turned invisible when you cast a certain spell." Clark knew about that one. There were a number of paintings at the Red Dragon Club, apparently of quite respectable ladies, whose clothing could be made to disappear in that way. Their innocent poses were quite the opposite when undressed.
"The Wayrest painting was the ultimate development of that idea. It was composed of many layers of the special paint, in tiny dots that might or might not be visible. There was no specific picture. It would form itself according to the influences of the caster's mind. At least, that was the idea. For her, it would never show anything but a very unflattering portrait of her ex-lover."
"She tried to get me involved in her work, but I didn't want anything to do with the Illusion magic. Redguards are never happy with magic, and Illusion is the perhaps the school we think is the worst. I learned Restoration, and Alchemy, which are what got me the job here, and of course I learned to paint. Some of her apprentices became painters, and others ended up as mages. A few did both."
"Do you know what happened to the painting?"
"It was stolen from her house at some point. She wasn't really paying it any attention, as she considered it a failed experiment. Whoever took it must have known the spell that went with it, or it wouldn't have been any good to them. Her conjecture was that one of her ex-apprentices took it, but she never suggested who that might be. That was all some time before I joined her school, so I wouldn't have known them anyway."
"Did she ever paint another?"
"No, it wasn't what she was trying to do. The images it showed weren't really artistic, so much as they were factual. Plain and boring, really, unless you had a particular interest in the subject. Or in the case of her ex-lover, the exact opposite. She wanted to produce a painting that did what any artist strives for, to show the subject's personality, and not just their likeness. I think I achieved that with my portrait of the Count."
"Thanks for reminding me; we have to do something about that. How long would it take you to put it back the way it was?"
"Half an hour, at most. But then what? Where will you say you found it?"
"I'm going to find it hanging in the county hall where it should be. It will take a bit of chameleon, and maybe a distraction or two, but I think I can get it back in place unnoticed while the Countess is eating dinner tonight. Who will normally be there with her?"
"Her herald will wait at table, and Orok gro-Groth usually dines with her. Bittneld is usually patrolling the town at that time, so he'll post some other guard in the dining room. Where do you want me?"
"I think you should be in the dining room, too, so the Countess knows you're not involved."
---
At about eight that evening Clark walked into the dining room. "Lady Arriana, would you come and look. It appears the missing painting has been returned."
They all rushed into the hall to see the painting back on display where it had originally hung.
"Did you find anything out about who stole it?" the Countess wanted to know.
"The only theft I was able to track down was when it was taken from the people of Chorrol by the Countess," Clark replied.
Laythe Wavrick was horrified by this response, but Lady Arriana just raised an eyebrow. "Well, without a full explanation, I can't offer you the full reward. Besides, I need to give half to whoever restored it. It hasn't looked that good in years."
"The only reward I'd really want is any information you have about the so-called 'Wayrest Painting'. It's been stolen from Sentinel, and I was hoping you might have heard some rumors from the art market."
"I know the painting. I saw it myself once, before Akorithi decided it was broken. But nobody's heard of anyone trying to sell it. I'd mentioned it to Count Indarys the last time we were all in the Imperial City a couple of years ago, but he thinks only his precious Rythe Lythandas is capable of painting anything, so he didn't pay any attention. I forget what brought the subject up, we hadn't been talking about art in particular before that. Countess Umbranox was fascinated by the idea, but I always enjoy talking with her, because she agrees with me."
---
Not much of a lead, but Clark needed to go down to Anvil and talk to Count Corvus Umbranox anyway. He'd been the Gray Fox at the time the painting must been stolen, so if it had come to Cyrodiil, it was likely he knew about it.
"It certainly wasn't a Thieves Guild job. That much is certain. But there have always been freelance thieves, and the art market is one where a solo operative could make a successful career." Corvus pointed out. "The smugglers' caves below the castle here handled goods from Guild and non-guild sources alike, so it's even possible it came through and I was completely unaware of it."
Clark hadn't known about the caves. "Here, let me show you," the Count offered.
They walked into the dining hall and met Millona on the way. "Where are you two off to?" she inquired.
"I'm just taking my friend here to see the old smuggler's passages below the castle. He didn't know they were there until I just mentioned them."
Millona came along with them as Corvus opened a secret door in the wall. Behind it was a dimly lit hallway. A set of stairs on the left lead down to the caves. "In the other direction," the Count pointed, "past that door that I don't remember, is the passage up to the Royal Quarters. Millona, what's behind that door? I don't think it was there before I became the Gray Fox."
"No it wasn't," she replied and took a key from her pocket. "I had it added a few years ago."
The three of them entered the small room. A painting hung on the wall, showing Corvus taking off the grey cowl and revealing himself to the Countess. A few chairs faced the painting, which was well-lit, and tables at either side of the room held drinks and refreshments. It was clear to Clark that the whole purpose of the room was viewing the painting, but he didn't understand why it wasn't on public display.
And then suddenly it made sense. This was the painting he was looking for. But it now showed the scene that was most important to the Umbranox's.
"Did you have this painted?" Corvus was asking her.
"No, she didn't , but that's not quite the right question." Clark told the Count what he'd just figured out. "You must have cast the spell again, since you were reunited, because this painting only shows the past." This was addressed to Countess Millona, who nodded.
"Yes, I got tired of looking at those two blank faces: the old man on his deathbed, and the younger one taking the package from him. I cast again, and this is what appeared."
"Those must have been myself, and the prior Gray Fox!" Corvus exclaimed. "I never knew who he was, of course, or else I forgot immediately I found out. That was the way the curse worked. Even this magical painting couldn't show our faces, because we were erased by Nocturnal's power."
"And I just realised - you had this stolen to try and find me! My straight-as-an-arrow Millona actually commissioned a theft!"
"I just wanted you back. I'd have done anything for that."
Retrieving it is one of the quests in the MQ line, but its background isn't explained much. So this episode will do that.
@Grits: The book was in Morrowind and Oblivion, and it's in Skyrim, too, so Bethesda think it's worth keeping.
--------------
Previously: Clark met a Redguard named Haballa, who tried to use the Lover's Kiss power against him. She still managed to persuade him to go look for the Wayrest Painting for her, but perhaps that's what Clark intended anyway.
--------------
Nocturnal - Part XVI
Clark travelled to Chorrol, expecting to find the sisters at Arborwatch, and ask them if they knew anything about the theft from the castle there. He was told that they were most likely out at Weatherleah with the Jemane twins. So he went to Chorrol Castle, and spoke with the herald, Laythe Wavrick.
"The Countess has recently lost a painting, a portrait of her late husband. You'll have to speak to her about that."
Countess Arriana Valga told him that the only people who had access to the painting were her personal staff, i.e Laythe Wavrick, Orgnolf Hairy-legs the porter, Orok gro-Ghoth the steward, and Chanel the court mage. Bittneld the Curse-Bringer, captain of the guard, could answer any questions about the men he'd assigned duty that evening.
Laythe Wavrick hadn't been there. He'd been on duty in the main hall at the time. He suspected Orgnolf, as the man had a drinking problem. Orok gro-Ghoth confirmed that aspect, but told Clark that he'd confronted Orgnolf about it, and got him to quit. He himself had been in his room all the time, as the heavy rain had prevented him taking his usual walk in the town.
Orgnolf too, complained about the rain that evening. He'd been bringing in a shipment of wine, and the delivery boy had dropped some of it and broken the bottles. Clark asked about the drinking. "If you had my job, you'd drink too," was the reply. "Except I can't afford to, so I've quit."
Bittneld had done the inside duties himself that evening. "One of the privileges of being captain is that someone else patrols the town when it's raining." He'd seen the incident with Orgnolf and the wine being dropped. He wasn't surprised that it made Orgnolf angry. "He's fond of his wine, whether he's drinking it himself, or serving it to others." He hadn't seen either Orok or Chanel, and assumed that they'd stayed in their rooms.
Chanel claimed to have been observing the stars for her astrological charts. She didn't mention the rain that everyone else had told him about. Clark left her room, and went looking around the castle.
It was soon clear to him that someone on the staff was a painter, but they didn't want anyone to know. He found a half-completed canvas in one of the towers, and paint stains on a carpet. Clark guessed that Chanel had been working on her painting that evening, but couldn't tell him that.
He opened Chanel's door and cast invisibility. She wasn't there, and he was able to search the room undisturbed. A palette and paintbrushes were in a lecturn on her desk, suggesting that she was the secret artist. Clark waited in her room until she returned. He let her know what he'd found, and waited for her to respond.
"Yes, I took the painting," she told him, "but you need to know the whole story."
"The Count knew I was a painter, and he encouraged me in my hobby, even sitting for that portrait. His wife was only interested in art as an investment. If a painting didn't have the right artist's signature, it was worthless in her estimation. When the Count died, I was able to arrange for my portrait to be hung in the main hall as a memorial to him. Anonymously, of course."
"The Countess didn't like having an unsigned painting hanging in the hall. The quality of the work didn't matter to her, it was all about the artist's name. She couldn't have the work of an unknown on display like that."
"But she did like the picture. She had it moved into her private quarters, and made a kind of shrine of it. With candles lit in front of it, instead of proper daylight. Needless to say, it was soon sooty and grimy. I took it to clean it, but she noticed it was gone, and I had no choice but to keep it until I got a chance to put it back."
"Where is it now?" Clark asked. Chanel pointed at a painting hanging on her wall.
"I wrapped another painting around it, and put it back in the same frame. It's only the painting itself that anyone remembers."
It was obvious to Clark now that this "theft" had nothing to do with the Wayrest painting, but he asked Chanel anyway, if she knew anything about that.
"The theft, of course not, but I can tell you quite a bit about the painting itself. The mage who taught me Alchemy painted it."
"She often had me grind pigments for her paint; she said it was good practice. You need the same fine grind, whether you're making potions or poisons, or pigments. And she'd discovered that mixing ingredients from the two schools sometimes produced very interesting results, like paints that glowed in the dark, or whenever anyone came near them. That had started her on an investigation into using alchemy deliberately as part of her art."
"You're probably aware that most spell effects are available through alchemy. Resistance potions and damage poisons for each of the elemental forces; increasing or draining skills and attributes; feather and burden and so on. She reasoned that some of the less obvious ones such as charm, frenzy and others of the illusion school would also have alchemical equivalents, and they'd most likely turn out to be paints."
"Some of her results were novelties, like a paint that turned invisible when you cast a certain spell." Clark knew about that one. There were a number of paintings at the Red Dragon Club, apparently of quite respectable ladies, whose clothing could be made to disappear in that way. Their innocent poses were quite the opposite when undressed.
"The Wayrest painting was the ultimate development of that idea. It was composed of many layers of the special paint, in tiny dots that might or might not be visible. There was no specific picture. It would form itself according to the influences of the caster's mind. At least, that was the idea. For her, it would never show anything but a very unflattering portrait of her ex-lover."
"She tried to get me involved in her work, but I didn't want anything to do with the Illusion magic. Redguards are never happy with magic, and Illusion is the perhaps the school we think is the worst. I learned Restoration, and Alchemy, which are what got me the job here, and of course I learned to paint. Some of her apprentices became painters, and others ended up as mages. A few did both."
"Do you know what happened to the painting?"
"It was stolen from her house at some point. She wasn't really paying it any attention, as she considered it a failed experiment. Whoever took it must have known the spell that went with it, or it wouldn't have been any good to them. Her conjecture was that one of her ex-apprentices took it, but she never suggested who that might be. That was all some time before I joined her school, so I wouldn't have known them anyway."
"Did she ever paint another?"
"No, it wasn't what she was trying to do. The images it showed weren't really artistic, so much as they were factual. Plain and boring, really, unless you had a particular interest in the subject. Or in the case of her ex-lover, the exact opposite. She wanted to produce a painting that did what any artist strives for, to show the subject's personality, and not just their likeness. I think I achieved that with my portrait of the Count."
"Thanks for reminding me; we have to do something about that. How long would it take you to put it back the way it was?"
"Half an hour, at most. But then what? Where will you say you found it?"
"I'm going to find it hanging in the county hall where it should be. It will take a bit of chameleon, and maybe a distraction or two, but I think I can get it back in place unnoticed while the Countess is eating dinner tonight. Who will normally be there with her?"
"Her herald will wait at table, and Orok gro-Groth usually dines with her. Bittneld is usually patrolling the town at that time, so he'll post some other guard in the dining room. Where do you want me?"
"I think you should be in the dining room, too, so the Countess knows you're not involved."
---
At about eight that evening Clark walked into the dining room. "Lady Arriana, would you come and look. It appears the missing painting has been returned."
They all rushed into the hall to see the painting back on display where it had originally hung.
"Did you find anything out about who stole it?" the Countess wanted to know.
"The only theft I was able to track down was when it was taken from the people of Chorrol by the Countess," Clark replied.
Laythe Wavrick was horrified by this response, but Lady Arriana just raised an eyebrow. "Well, without a full explanation, I can't offer you the full reward. Besides, I need to give half to whoever restored it. It hasn't looked that good in years."
"The only reward I'd really want is any information you have about the so-called 'Wayrest Painting'. It's been stolen from Sentinel, and I was hoping you might have heard some rumors from the art market."
"I know the painting. I saw it myself once, before Akorithi decided it was broken. But nobody's heard of anyone trying to sell it. I'd mentioned it to Count Indarys the last time we were all in the Imperial City a couple of years ago, but he thinks only his precious Rythe Lythandas is capable of painting anything, so he didn't pay any attention. I forget what brought the subject up, we hadn't been talking about art in particular before that. Countess Umbranox was fascinated by the idea, but I always enjoy talking with her, because she agrees with me."
---
Not much of a lead, but Clark needed to go down to Anvil and talk to Count Corvus Umbranox anyway. He'd been the Gray Fox at the time the painting must been stolen, so if it had come to Cyrodiil, it was likely he knew about it.
"It certainly wasn't a Thieves Guild job. That much is certain. But there have always been freelance thieves, and the art market is one where a solo operative could make a successful career." Corvus pointed out. "The smugglers' caves below the castle here handled goods from Guild and non-guild sources alike, so it's even possible it came through and I was completely unaware of it."
Clark hadn't known about the caves. "Here, let me show you," the Count offered.
They walked into the dining hall and met Millona on the way. "Where are you two off to?" she inquired.
"I'm just taking my friend here to see the old smuggler's passages below the castle. He didn't know they were there until I just mentioned them."
Millona came along with them as Corvus opened a secret door in the wall. Behind it was a dimly lit hallway. A set of stairs on the left lead down to the caves. "In the other direction," the Count pointed, "past that door that I don't remember, is the passage up to the Royal Quarters. Millona, what's behind that door? I don't think it was there before I became the Gray Fox."
"No it wasn't," she replied and took a key from her pocket. "I had it added a few years ago."
The three of them entered the small room. A painting hung on the wall, showing Corvus taking off the grey cowl and revealing himself to the Countess. A few chairs faced the painting, which was well-lit, and tables at either side of the room held drinks and refreshments. It was clear to Clark that the whole purpose of the room was viewing the painting, but he didn't understand why it wasn't on public display.
And then suddenly it made sense. This was the painting he was looking for. But it now showed the scene that was most important to the Umbranox's.
"Did you have this painted?" Corvus was asking her.
"No, she didn't , but that's not quite the right question." Clark told the Count what he'd just figured out. "You must have cast the spell again, since you were reunited, because this painting only shows the past." This was addressed to Countess Millona, who nodded.
"Yes, I got tired of looking at those two blank faces: the old man on his deathbed, and the younger one taking the package from him. I cast again, and this is what appeared."
"Those must have been myself, and the prior Gray Fox!" Corvus exclaimed. "I never knew who he was, of course, or else I forgot immediately I found out. That was the way the curse worked. Even this magical painting couldn't show our faces, because we were erased by Nocturnal's power."
"And I just realised - you had this stolen to try and find me! My straight-as-an-arrow Millona actually commissioned a theft!"
"I just wanted you back. I'd have done anything for that."
A new custom class of mage: Alchemical Artist! Very creative, ghastley. Loved the naughty, bawdy uses of such paint found in the Red Dragon Club. Hmm, makes one wonder about body painting. . . . Oooh, and enchanted tattoos!
Clark at his best as he spares Chanel and returned the painting of Count Chorrol.
Then the plot thickens, ranging from mention of Rythe Lythandas of Cheydinhal to Count Corvus Umbranox and his Lady Millona. The TG/Gray Fox angle is a logical lead to follow.
And it just gets better! Aww, the TG is my fave questline because it is, after all, a love story and I much enjoyed how you continued in that vein with Corvus and Millona.
Clark at his best as he spares Chanel and returned the painting of Count Chorrol.
Then the plot thickens, ranging from mention of Rythe Lythandas of Cheydinhal to Count Corvus Umbranox and his Lady Millona. The TG/Gray Fox angle is a logical lead to follow.And it just gets better! Aww, the TG is my fave questline because it is, after all, a love story and I much enjoyed how you continued in that vein with Corvus and Millona.
I like how Clark resolved Chanel’s situation. What a sweet story with Corvus and Millona!
@Acadian: I agree about the TG quest-line, and have always been disappointed that there's no follow-up on the Corvus/Millona story. Now there is.
@Grits: Canvas the Castle has always been a rather unsatisfying quest, so I adjusted it a little.
@All: I'm still building this quest, but the parts described below are solid enough, and all the undecided bits will be in the next episode.
------
Previously: Clark had resolved Haballa's search for the Wayrest/Sentinel Painting when he found it had been acquired by Millona Umbranox to help her look for her missing Corvus. He's not sure if Nocturnal was involved in that diversion, but it did concern a theft, so anything is possible.
------
Nocturnal XVII - Azura's other quest
Clark was vaguely aware of a pink glow in the corner of his bedroom as he woke from a good night's rest. It faded and he paid it no attention, until a voice came from the same general direction.
"Excuse me, are you Clark?"
Clark rubbed the sleep from his eyes, which began to focus on a dark-skinned female figure where the pink glow had been. The wings and tail told him it was one of Azura's Winged Twilight messengers.
"Azura wants you to come back to Moonshadow. She said that if you didn't want to, I should persuade you any way I could. Would you like to be persuaded?"
"As long as she's not in any hurry."
---
"What kept you?" asked Azura.
Clark thought the Twilight was blushing, but it's hard to tell with their dark complexion. He answered Azura for her.
"You told her it was important, not urgent. She did her utmost to make sure I'd come."
Azura raised an eyebrow.
"Now I'm here, what do you need me to do?" Clark continued.
"I need you to help me find my guard captain. She's a Daedra Seducer, of course, like the others; just one with a bit more initiative than usual. Normally, that's a good thing, but it seems that it's given us a problem to deal with."
"When you brought my Crescent back, I may have monopolised the males of the court a little, making up for lost opportunities. And she's the sort that doesn't complain, she just does something about it. In this case, we think she went off looking for alternatives around the island. There are a few caves and tunnels that harbour imps, and possibly she's found a male one."
Clark had only encountered the small neuter imps, and he wasn't familiar with any others. Azura explained that imps were like ants, bees and termites. Most of them were sexless workers, but there were a small number of males, larger than the usual ones, that served the queen. Azura wasn't sure what a queen imp looked like. It could be just a larger version of the regular ones, or something gross and bloated like a queen termite. Anyway, she wasn't the issue here. The drone imps were about human-sized and male enough for the Seducer's purposes.
"The Daedra Seducers have magical capabilities that make them almost irresistable when they use them. I'd expect they'd work as well on an imp as a man or mer. That's how they hunt, when they need to, but keep them well-fed and they'll just do it for pleasure. The unknown in all this is what the male imps can do. You know that the workers use elemental damage spells, so we'd expect some use of magical powers, we just don't know what that would be."
Clark recalled an encounter with one of Nocturnal's Seducer guards. She'd used her spell on him, thinking he was an intruder in the palace. His outfit had reflected it, and she'd found herself helplessly attracted to Clark. Nocturnal had "rescued" him by dispelling the magical compulsion, but it had been fun while it lasted.
He told Azura about that incident, and the Daedric Princess looked alarmed. "What if the imps can reflect spells? Who knows what would happen. You'd better find her quickly!"
Clark suggested that he ask Nocturnal to use her crystal ball to help them search, but Azura didn't want to bother her sister with this. "She's too busy with her hunt for Artifacts, and we can do it for ourselves. You know how to use a scrying ball, don't you?"
Clark had to admit that was not one of his capabilities. He'd never learned the spell, as he'd not had any use for it before. "Then I'll teach you," Azura declared.
Azura had one of the Twilights fetch a crystal ball, and she placed it in Clark's hand. "Now put your other hand here. Feel the difference - hard, cold and resistant; soft and warm and compliant. You need to make the crystal ball more like the other. Bend it to your will. Now concentrate!"
"But what if I..."
"Got it all backwards? Do you really think I'd let you even start to make that mistake? This will help you concentrate on getting it right, and it lets me know how you're doing. Of course, with your slight telepathy, and my being a Daedric Princess, I'd know anyway. ... Good, now look into the ball and see what's showing for you."
"I think your plan has backfired after all," Clark told her. "All I can see is a pair of rather large, and uncovered breasts. Not yours, but they do look rather inviting."
Azura slipped back into his mind and helped him adjust his field of view. "I have to see this through your eyes, as the crystal ball is yours now, and only you can see through it. That's her, but I don't recognise where she is. It looks like a cave, but that could be anywhere on the island."
Azura pondered a moment and continued. "Your describing them as merely inviting, rather than compelling, or anything irresistable, suggests to me that she's not using her power. Still, it might not work through the ball, and you do have your spell reflection to protect you. Who knows? Regardless, if she's showing her wings, and all that, then she's aroused, or hungry. There's not a lot of difference."
"I can't see anyone else. Is that a limitation of the scrying, or does it mean there's really nobody with her?" Clark wanted to know.
"Partly. The scrying spell keeps her at the center of your attention, but it doesn't prevent anything else from showing, if it's in the right direction. See if you can change your viewpoint. She looks just as good from the rear."
Clark wasn't certain if Azura was helping him with that, but he did manage to do what she asked. It was as if he was there in the cave with the Seducer, invisible, and walking around peering through the distorting optics of the ball. He could only look in her direction, but he could do it from any angle, close up or more distant. What he really wanted was to look into the tunnel she was facing, but her wings were in the way. He thought he could see another pair of wings in the shadows of the tunnel, but he wasn't sure.
"If there are other wings, it's probably an imp, like we thought. What's she doing?"
"Just staring into the darkness. She doesn't look angry, or frightened, or anything that gives me a clue how she feels."
"So we don't know if she's being kept under a compulsion spell, or if she really wants to be there. You'll have to go and find out."
@Grits: Canvas the Castle has always been a rather unsatisfying quest, so I adjusted it a little.
@All: I'm still building this quest, but the parts described below are solid enough, and all the undecided bits will be in the next episode.
------
Previously: Clark had resolved Haballa's search for the Wayrest/Sentinel Painting when he found it had been acquired by Millona Umbranox to help her look for her missing Corvus. He's not sure if Nocturnal was involved in that diversion, but it did concern a theft, so anything is possible.
------
Nocturnal XVII - Azura's other quest
Clark was vaguely aware of a pink glow in the corner of his bedroom as he woke from a good night's rest. It faded and he paid it no attention, until a voice came from the same general direction.
"Excuse me, are you Clark?"
Clark rubbed the sleep from his eyes, which began to focus on a dark-skinned female figure where the pink glow had been. The wings and tail told him it was one of Azura's Winged Twilight messengers.
"Azura wants you to come back to Moonshadow. She said that if you didn't want to, I should persuade you any way I could. Would you like to be persuaded?"
"As long as she's not in any hurry."
---
"What kept you?" asked Azura.
Clark thought the Twilight was blushing, but it's hard to tell with their dark complexion. He answered Azura for her.
"You told her it was important, not urgent. She did her utmost to make sure I'd come."
Azura raised an eyebrow.
"Now I'm here, what do you need me to do?" Clark continued.
"I need you to help me find my guard captain. She's a Daedra Seducer, of course, like the others; just one with a bit more initiative than usual. Normally, that's a good thing, but it seems that it's given us a problem to deal with."
"When you brought my Crescent back, I may have monopolised the males of the court a little, making up for lost opportunities. And she's the sort that doesn't complain, she just does something about it. In this case, we think she went off looking for alternatives around the island. There are a few caves and tunnels that harbour imps, and possibly she's found a male one."
Clark had only encountered the small neuter imps, and he wasn't familiar with any others. Azura explained that imps were like ants, bees and termites. Most of them were sexless workers, but there were a small number of males, larger than the usual ones, that served the queen. Azura wasn't sure what a queen imp looked like. It could be just a larger version of the regular ones, or something gross and bloated like a queen termite. Anyway, she wasn't the issue here. The drone imps were about human-sized and male enough for the Seducer's purposes.
"The Daedra Seducers have magical capabilities that make them almost irresistable when they use them. I'd expect they'd work as well on an imp as a man or mer. That's how they hunt, when they need to, but keep them well-fed and they'll just do it for pleasure. The unknown in all this is what the male imps can do. You know that the workers use elemental damage spells, so we'd expect some use of magical powers, we just don't know what that would be."
Clark recalled an encounter with one of Nocturnal's Seducer guards. She'd used her spell on him, thinking he was an intruder in the palace. His outfit had reflected it, and she'd found herself helplessly attracted to Clark. Nocturnal had "rescued" him by dispelling the magical compulsion, but it had been fun while it lasted.
He told Azura about that incident, and the Daedric Princess looked alarmed. "What if the imps can reflect spells? Who knows what would happen. You'd better find her quickly!"
Clark suggested that he ask Nocturnal to use her crystal ball to help them search, but Azura didn't want to bother her sister with this. "She's too busy with her hunt for Artifacts, and we can do it for ourselves. You know how to use a scrying ball, don't you?"
Clark had to admit that was not one of his capabilities. He'd never learned the spell, as he'd not had any use for it before. "Then I'll teach you," Azura declared.
Azura had one of the Twilights fetch a crystal ball, and she placed it in Clark's hand. "Now put your other hand here. Feel the difference - hard, cold and resistant; soft and warm and compliant. You need to make the crystal ball more like the other. Bend it to your will. Now concentrate!"
"But what if I..."
"Got it all backwards? Do you really think I'd let you even start to make that mistake? This will help you concentrate on getting it right, and it lets me know how you're doing. Of course, with your slight telepathy, and my being a Daedric Princess, I'd know anyway. ... Good, now look into the ball and see what's showing for you."
"I think your plan has backfired after all," Clark told her. "All I can see is a pair of rather large, and uncovered breasts. Not yours, but they do look rather inviting."
Azura slipped back into his mind and helped him adjust his field of view. "I have to see this through your eyes, as the crystal ball is yours now, and only you can see through it. That's her, but I don't recognise where she is. It looks like a cave, but that could be anywhere on the island."
Azura pondered a moment and continued. "Your describing them as merely inviting, rather than compelling, or anything irresistable, suggests to me that she's not using her power. Still, it might not work through the ball, and you do have your spell reflection to protect you. Who knows? Regardless, if she's showing her wings, and all that, then she's aroused, or hungry. There's not a lot of difference."
"I can't see anyone else. Is that a limitation of the scrying, or does it mean there's really nobody with her?" Clark wanted to know.
"Partly. The scrying spell keeps her at the center of your attention, but it doesn't prevent anything else from showing, if it's in the right direction. See if you can change your viewpoint. She looks just as good from the rear."
Clark wasn't certain if Azura was helping him with that, but he did manage to do what she asked. It was as if he was there in the cave with the Seducer, invisible, and walking around peering through the distorting optics of the ball. He could only look in her direction, but he could do it from any angle, close up or more distant. What he really wanted was to look into the tunnel she was facing, but her wings were in the way. He thought he could see another pair of wings in the shadows of the tunnel, but he wasn't sure.
"If there are other wings, it's probably an imp, like we thought. What's she doing?"
"Just staring into the darkness. She doesn't look angry, or frightened, or anything that gives me a clue how she feels."
"So we don't know if she's being kept under a compulsion spell, or if she really wants to be there. You'll have to go and find out."
I’m still enjoying how you weave game quests together and add your own twists and turns.
This whole episode had me rolling, especially the early parts. When Clark finally got to Moonshadow and asked what Azura she needed him to do, I thought Azura was going to ask for some ‘persuading’.
Crystal balls, boobs, wings and a cave – sounds like Clark’s next destination.
This whole episode had me rolling, especially the early parts. When Clark finally got to Moonshadow and asked what Azura she needed him to do, I thought Azura was going to ask for some ‘persuading’.
Crystal balls, boobs, wings and a cave – sounds like Clark’s next destination.
I love the social structure you’ve given imps. How fun to have the guard captain’s spell backfire. Especially fun for the imp.
I laughed at Azura’s crystal ball lesson. Good thing Clark can still think with his hands full of globes.
I’m looking forward to playing this quest!
I laughed at Azura’s crystal ball lesson. Good thing Clark can still think with his hands full of globes.
I’m looking forward to playing this quest!
@Acadian: Given what Azura wanted last time he was in Moonshadow, Clark was rather disappointed that he has a real dungeon job this time. I think Azura knew that.
@Grits: I needed larger males than the regular imp, so the hive insect model fit best. I hope the quest works for you. I only did one test run through it, so I may have had no problems only because I knew how it worked.
-------
Previously: Azura had taught Clark how to enchant a crystal ball for scrying, and he'd used to locate the Daedric princess' missing guard captain, in an imp lair.
-------
Nocturnal XVIII - Azura's other quest - part 2
Azura had warned him that he would probably be up against a formidable spell-caster. The Seducers had their own spell reflection, not at the level Clark used, but significant enough that they didn't need much other magical resistance. So if she was under a Command spell, it was a powerful one. She would possibly be hostile to him, at least until he could kill the imp. Clark's outfit would reflect her spells, and Azura didn't want her hurt.
He'd have to scout the cave using invisibility, and hope that they couldn't use detect life against him. But eventually he'd have to cast the spell that Azura had given him, and then he'd be seen.
That spell should switch the Captain's enthralment to Clark, and let him lead her out of the cave. The Imps were likely to be too much for him to handle, so this trip was just the rescue, not the retribution.
---
When Clark reached the cave, he cast invisibility, and crept quietly inside. The first chamber appeared empty, but he ducked behind a pillar to cast invisibility again. There was just a chance that the imps were invisible, too. He thought for a moment, and put his life detection ring on, cursing himself for not doing that to start with.
The next chamber was equally empty, but around the corner he could see a glow. There was a locked gate between him and the glow, so he tried another direction. Soon he came to another short tunnel leading down, and he followed it, casting again as a precaution. Two glows came into view this time, and he slowed his approach in case anyone else was detecting life.
Around the next corner he was able to see what the two shapes were. One was the Seducer Captain, and the other was the largest Imp he'd ever seen. He was flapping around apparently searching for something. It was clear that he couldn't see Clark, but maybe he could smell something strange in his cave.
Clark hugged the wall of the cave, trying to get closer to the Captain. When the Imp turned his back, Clark quickly read the scroll Azura had given him. That dispelled his invisibility, of course, but it was important that the Captain could see Clark when the spell took effect. As Azura had predicted, the Captain's adoring gaze turned to him, as control passed from the Imp to Clark.
Naturally, the sudden removal of his spell alerted the Imp, and he turned and hurled a fireball at Clark, then howled as it reflected back to him. Clark backed away from the Seducer, as the Imp's spell had covered quite a wide area. Even though the Imp had taken the damage, she'd still get hurt if she was too close to the next one.
She followed, unthinking in her enthralled state, but fortunately, the Imp had learned not to throw spells. He attacked with his claws instead, forcing Clark to raise his shield in defence. That shield reflected damage, but not as completely as his outfit reflected magic. The Imp screeched again, but continued his attack. Clark's shortsword hacked at the Imp, not doing a lot of damage, but enough to get a loud reaction, and a more frenzied attack.
Clark could have used some assistance from the Seducer, but she was completely under the influence of the spell. Azura hadn't been able to explain it very precisely. It was the Seducer's special hunting spell, that made the target follow, and removed all aggression, and apparently self-preservation, too.
It appeared that the Imp's rage made him forget Clark's reflection of his first spell, as he backed off and cast a huge shock spell. The Imp dropped from the air, dead, but Clark was horrified to see the Seducer twitch as the lightning bounced to her. Then he breathed with relief, as a purple glow replaced the arcs of lightning, and the dead Imp's body jerked again. Seducers reflect, too.
She didn't look hurt, but Clark cast a minor healing spell on her. She reflected that, also. And yet she hadn't reflected the spell from Azura's scroll. Deadric Princesses clearly understood magic better than mortals did.
---
Back at Azura's hall, the Seducer Captain was quickly dispelled of all the magical compulsions. She looked Clark over as if seeing him for the first time. Her expression changed from disgust, to shock, and slowly to more ... thoughtful .
"I am deeply ashamed at having to be rescued by a mortal. I cannot believe my own stupidity in assuming the Imp would have no defence against me, especially the same defence as my own. And you did so alone, which I find quite surprising. There must be more to you than I imagined."
Azura wanted a full account of what had happened. "As well as you can remember. I understand that you won't recall much of the events after your spell went wrong."
"I assume you've guessed why I went to the cave in the first place. When I got there, it was swarming with drone imps, just as I'd suspected. I used my Allure on them, and they became docile, and didn't give me any problems. Until I got further into the cave, that is."
"I noticed one of the Imps was a little larger; in the way that interested me, too. So I left the others, and walked towards him. He cast a buff spell of some variety on himself, something the others hadn't done before trying to fry me, freeze me, or shock me. I took that as a sign that he was a bit more clever than they were, too."
"As you've probably worked out by now, he was casting a reflection spell, and my Allure completely backfired on me, leaving me in his control, instead of the other way round. I could see a huge grin cross his ugly face as his evil little mind saw the possibilities. My recollections are a bit vague from that point on."
"I remember him driving the other males out of the cave. It seemed that he wanted to keep me for himself. But then he took me to a gate at the opening of a tunnel, one leading further into the cave, and had me lock it. Thinking about it now, it doesn't make any sense, unless there was another entrance to the caves that way."
"Or he wanted to lock something in," Azura pointed out. "Maybe that was the Queen's lair."
"That could be," the Captain agreed. "I didn't see anything but males, but she'd have to be somewhere near them."
"Do you still have the key?" Clark asked, but immediately felt foolish. Where was a naked woman going to carry a key? The Seducer reached into her hair, which was tied at the top of her head, and produced one.
"Good, so now Clark can go and let her out!" Azura exclaimed.
Clark wasn't too pleased at that idea. What if she was angry at being locked in? He assumed that Azura didn't want her harmed, or he wouldn't have been asked to release her. If she started casting spells at him, she'd hurt herself. And what if she was grateful? That could be worse!
Azura giggled as she read what Clark was thinking. "If that happens, I'll let you summon help. Drelka here won't make the same mistakes twice." Finally, Clark had a name for the Seducer.
"What? You're giving him the power to summon me? I don't deserve that kind of punishment! It was bad enough being a temporary thrall to an Imp, but if you give him that kind of power, who knows what he'll use it for."
Azura had a fair idea of the possibilities, and she didn't think Drelka would take too long getting to like them. And she needed to spend some time with a mortal to get a better perspective on existence. Lesser Daedra had no fear for their own safety, because they'd return to their familiar bodies through any inconvenient deaths. Perhaps with someone else to fear for, she'd learn some caution.
There wasn't any real chance that Clark would abuse the new power she'd given him. Clark wasn't one to hurry his pleasure, and a summoning spell isn't long enough for that. He'd only call on her in an emergency, and he preferred to avoid those. He already knew how to summon Aureal and Mazken in the Shivering Isles, and he'd done that thoughtfully. Drelka had nothing to worry about.
Azura advised Clark that the other males were likely to have returned to the cave, now that the big one was dead. His original tactics of using invisibility would be appropriate again, and once the Queen was freed, she could deal with the drones. "If she does take a fancy to you, that's when you might need Drelka's help," she concluded. "I know you like two at a time, when you get the chance."
@Grits: I needed larger males than the regular imp, so the hive insect model fit best. I hope the quest works for you. I only did one test run through it, so I may have had no problems only because I knew how it worked.
-------
Previously: Azura had taught Clark how to enchant a crystal ball for scrying, and he'd used to locate the Daedric princess' missing guard captain, in an imp lair.
-------
Nocturnal XVIII - Azura's other quest - part 2
Azura had warned him that he would probably be up against a formidable spell-caster. The Seducers had their own spell reflection, not at the level Clark used, but significant enough that they didn't need much other magical resistance. So if she was under a Command spell, it was a powerful one. She would possibly be hostile to him, at least until he could kill the imp. Clark's outfit would reflect her spells, and Azura didn't want her hurt.
He'd have to scout the cave using invisibility, and hope that they couldn't use detect life against him. But eventually he'd have to cast the spell that Azura had given him, and then he'd be seen.
That spell should switch the Captain's enthralment to Clark, and let him lead her out of the cave. The Imps were likely to be too much for him to handle, so this trip was just the rescue, not the retribution.
---
When Clark reached the cave, he cast invisibility, and crept quietly inside. The first chamber appeared empty, but he ducked behind a pillar to cast invisibility again. There was just a chance that the imps were invisible, too. He thought for a moment, and put his life detection ring on, cursing himself for not doing that to start with.
The next chamber was equally empty, but around the corner he could see a glow. There was a locked gate between him and the glow, so he tried another direction. Soon he came to another short tunnel leading down, and he followed it, casting again as a precaution. Two glows came into view this time, and he slowed his approach in case anyone else was detecting life.
Around the next corner he was able to see what the two shapes were. One was the Seducer Captain, and the other was the largest Imp he'd ever seen. He was flapping around apparently searching for something. It was clear that he couldn't see Clark, but maybe he could smell something strange in his cave.
Clark hugged the wall of the cave, trying to get closer to the Captain. When the Imp turned his back, Clark quickly read the scroll Azura had given him. That dispelled his invisibility, of course, but it was important that the Captain could see Clark when the spell took effect. As Azura had predicted, the Captain's adoring gaze turned to him, as control passed from the Imp to Clark.
Naturally, the sudden removal of his spell alerted the Imp, and he turned and hurled a fireball at Clark, then howled as it reflected back to him. Clark backed away from the Seducer, as the Imp's spell had covered quite a wide area. Even though the Imp had taken the damage, she'd still get hurt if she was too close to the next one.
She followed, unthinking in her enthralled state, but fortunately, the Imp had learned not to throw spells. He attacked with his claws instead, forcing Clark to raise his shield in defence. That shield reflected damage, but not as completely as his outfit reflected magic. The Imp screeched again, but continued his attack. Clark's shortsword hacked at the Imp, not doing a lot of damage, but enough to get a loud reaction, and a more frenzied attack.
Clark could have used some assistance from the Seducer, but she was completely under the influence of the spell. Azura hadn't been able to explain it very precisely. It was the Seducer's special hunting spell, that made the target follow, and removed all aggression, and apparently self-preservation, too.
It appeared that the Imp's rage made him forget Clark's reflection of his first spell, as he backed off and cast a huge shock spell. The Imp dropped from the air, dead, but Clark was horrified to see the Seducer twitch as the lightning bounced to her. Then he breathed with relief, as a purple glow replaced the arcs of lightning, and the dead Imp's body jerked again. Seducers reflect, too.
She didn't look hurt, but Clark cast a minor healing spell on her. She reflected that, also. And yet she hadn't reflected the spell from Azura's scroll. Deadric Princesses clearly understood magic better than mortals did.
---
Back at Azura's hall, the Seducer Captain was quickly dispelled of all the magical compulsions. She looked Clark over as if seeing him for the first time. Her expression changed from disgust, to shock, and slowly to more ... thoughtful .
"I am deeply ashamed at having to be rescued by a mortal. I cannot believe my own stupidity in assuming the Imp would have no defence against me, especially the same defence as my own. And you did so alone, which I find quite surprising. There must be more to you than I imagined."
Azura wanted a full account of what had happened. "As well as you can remember. I understand that you won't recall much of the events after your spell went wrong."
"I assume you've guessed why I went to the cave in the first place. When I got there, it was swarming with drone imps, just as I'd suspected. I used my Allure on them, and they became docile, and didn't give me any problems. Until I got further into the cave, that is."
"I noticed one of the Imps was a little larger; in the way that interested me, too. So I left the others, and walked towards him. He cast a buff spell of some variety on himself, something the others hadn't done before trying to fry me, freeze me, or shock me. I took that as a sign that he was a bit more clever than they were, too."
"As you've probably worked out by now, he was casting a reflection spell, and my Allure completely backfired on me, leaving me in his control, instead of the other way round. I could see a huge grin cross his ugly face as his evil little mind saw the possibilities. My recollections are a bit vague from that point on."
"I remember him driving the other males out of the cave. It seemed that he wanted to keep me for himself. But then he took me to a gate at the opening of a tunnel, one leading further into the cave, and had me lock it. Thinking about it now, it doesn't make any sense, unless there was another entrance to the caves that way."
"Or he wanted to lock something in," Azura pointed out. "Maybe that was the Queen's lair."
"That could be," the Captain agreed. "I didn't see anything but males, but she'd have to be somewhere near them."
"Do you still have the key?" Clark asked, but immediately felt foolish. Where was a naked woman going to carry a key? The Seducer reached into her hair, which was tied at the top of her head, and produced one.
"Good, so now Clark can go and let her out!" Azura exclaimed.
Clark wasn't too pleased at that idea. What if she was angry at being locked in? He assumed that Azura didn't want her harmed, or he wouldn't have been asked to release her. If she started casting spells at him, she'd hurt herself. And what if she was grateful? That could be worse!
Azura giggled as she read what Clark was thinking. "If that happens, I'll let you summon help. Drelka here won't make the same mistakes twice." Finally, Clark had a name for the Seducer.
"What? You're giving him the power to summon me? I don't deserve that kind of punishment! It was bad enough being a temporary thrall to an Imp, but if you give him that kind of power, who knows what he'll use it for."
Azura had a fair idea of the possibilities, and she didn't think Drelka would take too long getting to like them. And she needed to spend some time with a mortal to get a better perspective on existence. Lesser Daedra had no fear for their own safety, because they'd return to their familiar bodies through any inconvenient deaths. Perhaps with someone else to fear for, she'd learn some caution.
There wasn't any real chance that Clark would abuse the new power she'd given him. Clark wasn't one to hurry his pleasure, and a summoning spell isn't long enough for that. He'd only call on her in an emergency, and he preferred to avoid those. He already knew how to summon Aureal and Mazken in the Shivering Isles, and he'd done that thoughtfully. Drelka had nothing to worry about.
Azura advised Clark that the other males were likely to have returned to the cave, now that the big one was dead. His original tactics of using invisibility would be appropriate again, and once the Queen was freed, she could deal with the drones. "If she does take a fancy to you, that's when you might need Drelka's help," she concluded. "I know you like two at a time, when you get the chance."
Kanet is presently escorting the captain to Azura. She’s pretty nervous about the scroll wearing off before they get back. (Kanet lacks Clark’s confidence in magical matters.) The captain looks like she could kick Kanet’s butt all the way back to Nirn! They are wearing pretty much the same outfit (sandals) and they have their hair in the same ponytail style, so Kanet hopes that there will be girl stuff to bond over rather than butt-kicking if they have a confrontation. Kanet is a lover, not a fighter. Also she can’t heal another person, so she’s keeping an eye out for imps.
I love how this quest rewards the non-violent. Clark could have charged in and killed the Imp Queen while searching for the captain, but that’s not his way. Now he has a chance to make another new friend.
Azura’s thoughts as she decided that Clark would not abuse his privileges with Drelka made me smile. Especially He’d only call on her in an emergency, and he preferred to avoid those.
That’s Clark!
I love how this quest rewards the non-violent. Clark could have charged in and killed the Imp Queen while searching for the captain, but that’s not his way. Now he has a chance to make another new friend.
Azura’s thoughts as she decided that Clark would not abuse his privileges with Drelka made me smile. Especially He’d only call on her in an emergency, and he preferred to avoid those.
That’s Clark!
Ooh! A solo Clark mission. Skulking through a dungeon navigating by pink glows – yup, we know how that is. Clark did a nice job – and so did you at making his actions (and reactions) make solid sense.
No imp chips?
And now it’s back to the same cave for another solo Clark mission.
No imp chips?
And now it’s back to the same cave for another solo Clark mission.
@Grits: I tried to build this quest so you could do it without killing any imps at all. And at the end, all the imps on the island cease hostilities.
@Acadian: The Imp Queen is quite prepared to glow pink of her own accord.
----------
Previously Clark has brought Drelka back from the cave. Now he has to go back and release the imp queen.
This episode just about wraps up his adventures in Cyrodiil, and I may have to find some way he can survive until Skyrim (or have a descendent chronicle the Dragonborn's adventures for the Courier).
--------
Nocturnal XIX - Azura's other quest part 3
At the gate once more, Clark looked around to make sure none of the drones was nearby. Just as Azura had predicted, the cave had filled with them, once they knew it was safe to return. As soon as he put the key in the lock, he'd lose his invisibility, and have to cast again as soon as he opened the gate.
The Queen Imp, an even larger creature than the one he'd killed, came rushing over at the sound of the gate opening. She paused at the entrance, sniffing the air. Did she know there was somebody there?
Whether she did or not, there were other matters on her mind. She flew off towards the cave entrance, chittering as imps do. A chorus of similar calls echoed back from the drones. Clark followed her, curious as to what would happen when they were reunited.
In the largest chamber, he found the Queen surrounded by her retinue. The males were obviously excited by her return, and surrounded her in a circle, eagerly jostling for position and hoping to be chosen. The Queen was slowly gazing around the circle, apparently making her choice, when her eyes fell on Clark.
That's when he noticed that his invisibility had expired, and they could all see him. He raised his hand to cast again, and looked frantically for the way out.
The Queen decided that he wasn't as interesting as any of her drones, and ignored him. The drones hadn't paid him any attention either, but once she made her choice, he imagined that all the others would be looking for something else to do. He finished casting while he had the opportunity, and ran out of the cave, all the way back to Azura.
---
Azura handed him a key. "I want Drelka to get to know you better, and you'll need a bit of privacy for that. This key unlocks the guest house on the next island. It's yours as long as you want it. I'm sure Drelka will want to stay there even when you're not around, so I've detailed a Winged Twilight housekeeper to keep the place clean. He'll also see to Drelka's needs when you don't feel inclined to visit. I don't want her wandering off again."
"I'll show you the way," Drelka told him. The seducer was back in uniform, so to speak. Her wings were gone, and she wore a gauzy skirt similar to Azura's, but red where hers was blue. Her breasts were covered, too, but the material was sheer like the skirt, so they might as well not have been.
Her attitude to Clark seemed to have changed somewhat, too. Whether she'd been talking to Azura while he'd been letting the Queen Imp out, Clark didn't know, but she was treating him with a lot more respect.
He recalled that when he brought Azura's Crescent back to her, she was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest touch. And slight touches were something Clark did well. If Drelka was expecting that sort of results, he'd have problems.
Or would he? Drelka had run off because she wasn't getting what she needed back at Azura's hall, so the situation wasn't all that different. Just a Daedra Seducer instead of a Daedric Princess, and that made it a bit easier.
---
Drelka surprised Clark with an eagerness and apprehension that reminded him of a virgin.
"Well it is my first time with a human I haven't enthralled first." she pointed out.
"So how is that different from having a Daedric partner?"
"I just don't know," she replied.
Drelka reminded Clark a lot of the Dark Seducers in the Shivering Isles, except that Sheogorath had balanced their arrogance with a sense of duty. Azura's minions didn't have that, and it was difficult for her to treat him as an equal. Clark began to suspect that was why he was here, as her teacher. Binding her to that summoning power was one step, and this was another.
Her wings were a minor problem, too. They'd sprout whenever she was excited, but they made it uncomfortable when she was on her back. Drelka would lay down, find her wings sprouting, and have to sit up again.
Clark quickly understood why Drelka wasn't used to being in that position. She'd normally be in control, either because she'd enthralled her victim, or by rank as Captain of Azura's guard. It had never dawned on her that she was cutting out half of the possibilities. Clark felt a sense of duty, even if she didn't. Drelka had a lot to learn, and he should be the one to teach her. This could take some time...
@Acadian: The Imp Queen is quite prepared to glow pink of her own accord.
----------
Previously Clark has brought Drelka back from the cave. Now he has to go back and release the imp queen.
This episode just about wraps up his adventures in Cyrodiil, and I may have to find some way he can survive until Skyrim (or have a descendent chronicle the Dragonborn's adventures for the Courier).
--------
Nocturnal XIX - Azura's other quest part 3
At the gate once more, Clark looked around to make sure none of the drones was nearby. Just as Azura had predicted, the cave had filled with them, once they knew it was safe to return. As soon as he put the key in the lock, he'd lose his invisibility, and have to cast again as soon as he opened the gate.
The Queen Imp, an even larger creature than the one he'd killed, came rushing over at the sound of the gate opening. She paused at the entrance, sniffing the air. Did she know there was somebody there?
Whether she did or not, there were other matters on her mind. She flew off towards the cave entrance, chittering as imps do. A chorus of similar calls echoed back from the drones. Clark followed her, curious as to what would happen when they were reunited.
In the largest chamber, he found the Queen surrounded by her retinue. The males were obviously excited by her return, and surrounded her in a circle, eagerly jostling for position and hoping to be chosen. The Queen was slowly gazing around the circle, apparently making her choice, when her eyes fell on Clark.
That's when he noticed that his invisibility had expired, and they could all see him. He raised his hand to cast again, and looked frantically for the way out.
The Queen decided that he wasn't as interesting as any of her drones, and ignored him. The drones hadn't paid him any attention either, but once she made her choice, he imagined that all the others would be looking for something else to do. He finished casting while he had the opportunity, and ran out of the cave, all the way back to Azura.
---
Azura handed him a key. "I want Drelka to get to know you better, and you'll need a bit of privacy for that. This key unlocks the guest house on the next island. It's yours as long as you want it. I'm sure Drelka will want to stay there even when you're not around, so I've detailed a Winged Twilight housekeeper to keep the place clean. He'll also see to Drelka's needs when you don't feel inclined to visit. I don't want her wandering off again."
"I'll show you the way," Drelka told him. The seducer was back in uniform, so to speak. Her wings were gone, and she wore a gauzy skirt similar to Azura's, but red where hers was blue. Her breasts were covered, too, but the material was sheer like the skirt, so they might as well not have been.
Her attitude to Clark seemed to have changed somewhat, too. Whether she'd been talking to Azura while he'd been letting the Queen Imp out, Clark didn't know, but she was treating him with a lot more respect.
He recalled that when he brought Azura's Crescent back to her, she was like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest touch. And slight touches were something Clark did well. If Drelka was expecting that sort of results, he'd have problems.
Or would he? Drelka had run off because she wasn't getting what she needed back at Azura's hall, so the situation wasn't all that different. Just a Daedra Seducer instead of a Daedric Princess, and that made it a bit easier.
---
Drelka surprised Clark with an eagerness and apprehension that reminded him of a virgin.
"Well it is my first time with a human I haven't enthralled first." she pointed out.
"So how is that different from having a Daedric partner?"
"I just don't know," she replied.
Drelka reminded Clark a lot of the Dark Seducers in the Shivering Isles, except that Sheogorath had balanced their arrogance with a sense of duty. Azura's minions didn't have that, and it was difficult for her to treat him as an equal. Clark began to suspect that was why he was here, as her teacher. Binding her to that summoning power was one step, and this was another.
Her wings were a minor problem, too. They'd sprout whenever she was excited, but they made it uncomfortable when she was on her back. Drelka would lay down, find her wings sprouting, and have to sit up again.
Clark quickly understood why Drelka wasn't used to being in that position. She'd normally be in control, either because she'd enthralled her victim, or by rank as Captain of Azura's guard. It had never dawned on her that she was cutting out half of the possibilities. Clark felt a sense of duty, even if she didn't. Drelka had a lot to learn, and he should be the one to teach her. This could take some time...
Loved the pink glowing Imp Queen screenie!
Uh oh. I thought Clark was going to get pressed into Imp drone service for a moment there.
Ah yes, the positional complications induced by having wings. I thought perhaps they might take a cue from dragons and try it in flight? Not for the feint of heart, that.
Uh oh. I thought Clark was going to get pressed into Imp drone service for a moment there.
Ah yes, the positional complications induced by having wings. I thought perhaps they might take a cue from dragons and try it in flight? Not for the feint of heart, that.
Yikes, Clark had a close call with the imp swarm! He made a well-timed exit despite his curiosity.
I’m sure he’ll come up with some ideas for Drelka’s wings. If not they can just ask the housekeeper.
I’ve really enjoyed Clark’s adventures, and playing these quests in your mod has been a blast. Perhaps Clark will find a cure for aging in one of the Daedric realms he visits.
I’m sure he’ll come up with some ideas for Drelka’s wings. If not they can just ask the housekeeper.
I’ve really enjoyed Clark’s adventures, and playing these quests in your mod has been a blast. Perhaps Clark will find a cure for aging in one of the Daedric realms he visits.
I think I may have found the cure for writer's block. After announcing the end of Clark's tale, I wrote about 15,000 more words this weekend. Most of it a bit too naughty for here, though, so I'll probably post it on my own site.
The basic idea came from Clark wondering what would have happened if the Queen Imp died. Nocturnal tells him that without her, the youngest worker imps would no longer be inhibited from developing their sexual characteristics, and there would soon be a new generation of queens and drones. Clark recalls that Sparky was but a hatchling when Thaurron brought him to the Anvil Mages Guild. He'd better warn them. Carahil is the only female there, so Sparky thinks she's the queen. She's back in Anvil, looking for a home, as Randonil replaced her as guild head. The only place on the market is Benirus Manor.
---
And I also have a page or two of notes for Clark in Skyrim, where he'll observe the activities of the Dragonborn and guild heads, while trying to avoid any danger to himself. It will be the same Clark, after Nocturnal and Azura decided to make him immortal, (did you read my mind, Grits?) rather than keep training new ones. All the standard quests can happen to someone else, including the Thieves Guild expansion I'm working on. Since I already made him a Nightingale, and introduced him to Dralsi in this thread, he can be Karliah's father (the couple retired as Nightingales when she was born), and not have to actually join the Skyrim guild.
His back-story is that he's a general merchant, specialising in things that won't get commandeered by the armies. Although the Red Dragon Club dissolved when Ocato was assassinated, the brothel business just fragmented to other establishments, and with his partner the CoC, there's a string of them all throughout the Empire, and the Aldmeri Dominion. All sides tolerate their existence, and don't want to take them over and give them an official stamp of approval. One of the side-lines is toys for the ladies, and horker and mammoth tusks are a big source of ivory, the other being the elephants in Elsweyr. Carving them is mainly done in the seaside towns of the Illiac bay, which is why you don't find the factories in Skyrim.
Clark has descendants on the Island of Balfiera, where Taminwe went to join her distant cousin Medora (i.e. there are a few good Altmer in his game), and among the Orcs, although he has no idea where they all ended up after the sack of Orsinium. There may be others, of course.
I won't start a thread on Clark in Skyrim yet, or I won't spend enough time making the TG expansion mod!
The basic idea came from Clark wondering what would have happened if the Queen Imp died. Nocturnal tells him that without her, the youngest worker imps would no longer be inhibited from developing their sexual characteristics, and there would soon be a new generation of queens and drones. Clark recalls that Sparky was but a hatchling when Thaurron brought him to the Anvil Mages Guild. He'd better warn them. Carahil is the only female there, so Sparky thinks she's the queen. She's back in Anvil, looking for a home, as Randonil replaced her as guild head. The only place on the market is Benirus Manor.
---
And I also have a page or two of notes for Clark in Skyrim, where he'll observe the activities of the Dragonborn and guild heads, while trying to avoid any danger to himself. It will be the same Clark, after Nocturnal and Azura decided to make him immortal, (did you read my mind, Grits?) rather than keep training new ones. All the standard quests can happen to someone else, including the Thieves Guild expansion I'm working on. Since I already made him a Nightingale, and introduced him to Dralsi in this thread, he can be Karliah's father (the couple retired as Nightingales when she was born), and not have to actually join the Skyrim guild.
His back-story is that he's a general merchant, specialising in things that won't get commandeered by the armies. Although the Red Dragon Club dissolved when Ocato was assassinated, the brothel business just fragmented to other establishments, and with his partner the CoC, there's a string of them all throughout the Empire, and the Aldmeri Dominion. All sides tolerate their existence, and don't want to take them over and give them an official stamp of approval. One of the side-lines is toys for the ladies, and horker and mammoth tusks are a big source of ivory, the other being the elephants in Elsweyr. Carving them is mainly done in the seaside towns of the Illiac bay, which is why you don't find the factories in Skyrim.
Clark has descendants on the Island of Balfiera, where Taminwe went to join her distant cousin Medora (i.e. there are a few good Altmer in his game), and among the Orcs, although he has no idea where they all ended up after the sack of Orsinium. There may be others, of course.
I won't start a thread on Clark in Skyrim yet, or I won't spend enough time making the TG expansion mod!
QUOTE(Acadian @ Jun 12 2014, 07:26 AM) 
Not for the feint of heart, that.
OK, it's a typo, but it also occurs to me that "Feint of Heart" would make a good title for a chapter of something. Unfortunately it doesn't fit anything I'm working on, or I'd steal it.
Clark going to Skyrim sounds great. Don't worry about having it make sense. Several folks just ignore the time stuff and simply walk across the border.
For Buffy, I'm debating between a magical passage via Pale Pass or perhaps being sent there from Frostcraig Spire. The key for me (and some others) is that the character can pass back and forth between the two games. The 200 year thing simply doesn't suit my purpose and I've never been one to feel entrapped by 'lore'.
Regardless, what you have planned for Clark's adventures sound perfect for him.
For Buffy, I'm debating between a magical passage via Pale Pass or perhaps being sent there from Frostcraig Spire. The key for me (and some others) is that the character can pass back and forth between the two games. The 200 year thing simply doesn't suit my purpose and I've never been one to feel entrapped by 'lore'.
Regardless, what you have planned for Clark's adventures sound perfect for him.
Oh I’m glad Clark’s adventures will continue. With the notion that children bear the racial characteristics of their mother’s race Clark will have an interesting assortment of descendants. Since he’ll look forever young he could get himself into trouble unless their mothers have named them all “Clark.”
I’m looking forward to Carahil the househunting imp queen and the history of the carved horker tusk market as Clark moves on to Skyrim!
I’m looking forward to Carahil the househunting imp queen and the history of the carved horker tusk market as Clark moves on to Skyrim!
I'm bringing this to page one so I don't miss it in my catching up reading - would have been catching up on it already if I had found it before now!
mALX, you might find it easier to read here, unless you prefer to read other's comments along with it, or add your own.
There are a few extra chapters there, too, and the naughtier pictures.
There are a few extra chapters there, too, and the naughtier pictures.
QUOTE(ghastley @ Jul 15 2016, 11:46 AM)
mALX, you might find it easier to read here, unless you prefer to read other's comments along with it, or add your own.
There are a few extra chapters there, too, and the naughtier pictures.
I am catching up on Gweden. I tried following that link; and it listed the chapters but didn't have links to them that I could find.
I'll check it out again when I figure out which chapter I left off on.
Edit: Okay, I think I found the links, now to find out where to pick up on it at!
Nocturnal - Part XIII
I have read/listened to this chapter several times and started writing a comment for it, then somehow lost them. Every time I re-read it though, the same thoughts come up!
This is one of your most spectacular chapters in Clark's history - surprisingly without Clark having sex with anyone!
First off, this line struck me every time I read this, and I quoted it in all my responses that got lost in either a laptop battery crash or blue screen:
QUOTE
"Perhaps it will help her case with the Mages Guild if she's seen using dead necromancers for her research."
From November 2014 through several readings and right up to today, every time I read/heard this line it has nearly choked me to death laughing!!! That is one of your best lines of all times, and that is saying a lot!
But the rest of the chapter is one of the best examples of how you weave Lore into your stories with such finesse that it just melds into your story perfectly! I have always loved that about Clark's story; but in this chapter you excelled/surpassed even your own self with the history - amazing job!!!
Then: Dralsi *mALX's head explodes*
Is this the child that disappeared en route to Wayrest? The one that was conceived during the Imperial Simulacrum when Barenziah had her affair with Jagar Tharn? You said "The Nightingale;" wasn't Jagar Tharn actually The Nightingale?
Okay, so this is (why it always takes so long to get my comment posted on this chapter and end up having my laptop crashing before I can post it because I end up researching this whole segment of time with Barenziah repeatedly; and her story has always been one of my favorites in Lore) - this is another of those places where Bethesda gives us two completely different versions of history and calls both accurate and blames the Dragon Break for splitting time and destiny?
Oh wait, I see. This character was added along with "The Nightengales" (3 volume book set) in the Skyrim game. Skyrim did a LOT of previous Lore busting, one of the reasons Destri stopped writing because it completely derailed the whole Lore his story was based on.
I have always taken "The Real Barenziah" as a true guide to that time period in Barenziah's life because it was chronologically detailed and viable with both time frames and placement of parties involved; while the other (Barenziah Biography) was kind of glossed over rosy view of everyone and no details whatsoever. But the history given for Drayven Indoril in this Nightengales set was all over the place, full of speculations, didn't take into account Symmachus, or make sense with anything we know of Barenziah, the timelines, or the Dark Elf culture.
I really wish they had just held to the Lore in this, because I do believe they could have convincingly made it that Nightingale could have been both Drayven Indoril and Jagar Tharn; because when Barenziah recognized him immediately as the Nightingale when meeting Uriel Septim VII during the Imperial Simulacrum - kind of had to be the same person for that to happen.
Not to mention that it would explain the mysteriously missing child from history that Barenziah was carrying when she left the Imperial City and was never mentioned again throughout history since just before her arrival in Wayrest on that same trip.
The Imperial Simulacrum is when she had the actual sexual affair with the Nightengale, and that is when she became pregnant with his child. She was 6-8 months pregnant when she fled the Imperial City to Wayrest. That child mysteriously disappeared from history somewhere on that trip.
That trip where the baby disappeared - Bethesda could very easily have made them one and the same and it be believable that the child was dropped off with some family members of Drayven Indoril and been raised to become the Dralsi to suit their new Nightengales story line. Why they had to completely revamp the past just floors me.
Or better yet - Bethesda could have made Dralsi Jagar Tharn's child (the Nightengale) - and had Barenziah and King Eadwyre drop the child of Jagar Tharn off with this Drayven Indoril so he became her father via adoption = anything but the way they raped the Lore with their new theory.
In my mind, that child that disappeared on that trip would have to be Dralsi then. Because it was made clear that no sex took place between Barenziah and Nightingale before the Imperial Simulacrum; she wanted him desperately and he used her lust for him to lure her into giving him the Staff of Chaos; but left her hanging = grabbed the staff and ran/disappeared when Symmachus showed up in crypt. She was left bereft, that was clear.
After Tiber Septim forced Barenziah to have that abortion, and her overwhelming desire for a child during the years previous to that staff incident = very doubtful she would have given her baby away or that Symmachus would have forced her to, he was kind of meek when it came to Barenziah.
BUT - when she became pregnant with Tharn during the Imperial Simulacrum; she already had Helseth and Morgiah; and King Eadwyre would not have wanted to also raise Tharn's child. Very well could have dropped it off on the trip to Wayrest, and hence Dralsi enters the picture.
At least that is how I see the history here. Anyway, this is what I love so much about your story = the Lore.
Then, on top of that - the making of that sword, and such detail in the materials, their uses, the weight and balance with skill - totally amazing !!!!! I love this chapter more than any other chapter you have written, and that is very hard to say!!! Especially since Clark didn't have any sex in this one!!!! Totally AWESOME Write !!!
And now you know why it has taken so long to comment this chapter,
My take on "The Nightingale" is that it really doesn't matter if Drayven Indoril was himself or Jagar Tharn impersonating him. Barenziah fell for a Drayven Indoril, even if he wasn't the real one. And Tharn would have had to cover his tracks with the real one in some way, maybe altering his memories.
There's also the chance that Barenziah was involved with both, thinking they were one.
Given that potential confusion, and that the Nightingale books are written by someone getting it all third-hand, contradictions are to be expected. I'd suspect the Jagar Tharn connection would have been edited out (by an in-game editor) in those, anyway.
Chrysamere is also an attempt to square the circle. In Daggerfall, it's blue, but described as Adamantium. In Morrowind, it's steel-grey and of indeterminate material. Oblivion doesn't have it at all (until now!) and nor does Skyrim, but that has Stahlrim to match the Daggerfall appearance. The enchantments naturally vary between games, too.
There's also the chance that Barenziah was involved with both, thinking they were one.
Given that potential confusion, and that the Nightingale books are written by someone getting it all third-hand, contradictions are to be expected. I'd suspect the Jagar Tharn connection would have been edited out (by an in-game editor) in those, anyway.
Chrysamere is also an attempt to square the circle. In Daggerfall, it's blue, but described as Adamantium. In Morrowind, it's steel-grey and of indeterminate material. Oblivion doesn't have it at all (until now!) and nor does Skyrim, but that has Stahlrim to match the Daggerfall appearance. The enchantments naturally vary between games, too.
QUOTE(ghastley @ Dec 30 2016, 10:28 AM)
My take on "The Nightingale" is that it really doesn't matter if Drayven Indoril was himself or Jagar Tharn impersonating him. Barenziah fell for a Drayven Indoril, even if he wasn't the real one. And Tharn would have had to cover his tracks with the real one in some way, maybe altering his memories.
There's also the chance that Barenziah was involved with both, thinking they were one.
Given that potential confusion, and that the Nightingale books are written by someone getting it all third-hand, contradictions are to be expected. I'd suspect the Jagar Tharn connection would have been edited out (by an in-game editor) in those, anyway.
Chrysamere is also an attempt to square the circle. In Daggerfall, it's blue, but described as Adamantium. In Morrowind, it's steel-grey and of indeterminate material. Oblivion doesn't have it at all (until now!) and nor does Skyrim, but that has Stahlrim to match the Daggerfall appearance. The enchantments naturally vary between games, too.
Yeah, I think when they kept veering from their own lore that they forgot the devout fans of that lore would remember every intricate detail and wonder what the heck was up with that alteration,
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