Alas, this is one you prolly don't want to touch. I was going to type a detailed reason for this, but will keep it simple and say that if you know the mod in question (The Elder Council) and its creator's stance on others altering his esp's, you'd understand. Now, there's little or nothing he could say or do about someone creating a "patch" that alters things without actually changing the original esp. (I imagine he has no objection to that approach whatsoever, but don't quote me.) To do it justice, you'd need to supply voice acting to the NPC involved, as that's one of the things the creator was very good about, in contract with the vast majority of Oblivion modders who don't bother with voicing NPCs at all. (This seems to have changed with Skyrim, where voicings seem somewhat more prevalent.) Not that its mandatory mind you. You'd need to figure out a ...well, you'll see. I'd say that to keep it at the level of what's there already it will be a bit complex, but.... OOOPS, I meant to keep this short and sweet.

Oh, The Elder Council. Yes, I agree, I don't want to mess around with Engineering Guild stuff; chances are it could get complicated, and I don't want to throw away an entire afternoon on that, and come back with what would amount to be a huge mess.



Nah, I wasn't thinking of going that far, especially with voice acting..

Awhile back, I did add a simple quest mod into Kvatch Rising; I added an NPC who is supposed to be a steward to the count of Kvatch. I had to do it this way, since I needed the quest to start and end within Kvatch's worldspace. But man, what a headache it turned out to be. I don't remember specifics, but it seemed like the simplest things (which have worked in other cells / worldspaces) required a lot of 'figuring' to work in Kvatch Rising. So...

... Yeah I know mirocu, we're off-topic.

Following lunch at the Wawnet, my decrepit avatar dropped his ward off at the Manor, changed into Champion's greaves and chestpiece, leather boots and groves, and headed out on his own to clear a section of Imperial City sewer. He spent the entire afternoon and part of the evening at it, amassing a decent amount of loot, then returned home in time for a late supper. Belly full he got in a bit of star gazing on his third-floor private balcony before retiring to his bed for eight hours of shuteye, from which he has just woke. When last seen he was about to dress, wake Vil, and walk with her to IC to gather assignments for their patrol of the Gold to Anvil. My avatar normally lets her sleep in while he gathers assignments, but their Dragon Statue blessings expired the day before. She will therefore accompany his so that both can get them renewed. That's the plan at any rate.

How long does that blessing last, Decrepit?


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

Lothran has just returned to Skingrad after a brief visit to the Imperial City to offload loot. He took the route back via the woods and visited the Isolated House along the way. He has currently spent a night at the Fighters Guild and is now sitting in a chair in his room, awaiting his companion's return.

Quite long. In all these years I've never scientifically timed it. They visit IC often enough to renew those blessings when they near expiration, without recourse to a special trip to do so. That said, seems to me one blessing lasts them roughly an entire patrol cycle, assuming they don't dawdle overlong between individual road patrols. Then again I might be way off on this. If my feeble brain is up to the task I'll try and pay more attention once they visit the Temple of the One before heading out to Anvil, which should occur next time I see 'em.

Lothran is enjoying Easter time in Skingrad. He roams the West Weald and nearby Colovian Highlands as well as agitating some dungeon inhabitants. Good times overall

Lothran has Easter in his game? Are there eggs hunts and bunnies too? Sowwy.


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

Sundas, mid-morning, Sun's Dusk 4, 3rd Era

Level: 5
Days Passed: 70

Joan of Arkay is in Bravil, where she's never been before, and therefore she's exploring the place. Since it's Sundas, she spends most of the day in the Great Chapel of Mara, in worship of the Nine. She's never had a lot of money yet, and is thinking of supporting herself along the way south to Leyawiin by raiding a few dungeons. She passed by a couple caves on her way to Bravil; in one of these, she knows there are imps.

Imps are annoying buggers, by the way, always flitting about. But they're easy to kill, and Joan already knows that imp lairs (for some reason) always seem to have somewhat better loot than some other places. She's hoping she'll find a magical item, or something worth a lot of coin, but which is useless to her. She'll then sell this item for hundreds of gold, or at least this is what she's hoping for.

Ultimately, she's headed toward a place called Deepscorn Hollow, which she heard about in rumors, from some folks up in Chorrol where her main home is.

Edit: she found not one but FOUR magical items in Robber's Glen Cave: a Cuirass of the Bear, War Axe of Sparks, and Cuirass of the Chameleon will all be sold, along with the usual smattering of potions and scrolls. But the best item Joanie found was a Base Amulet of Reflection! Wow. It's worth 5,620 gold but she's keeping that one. Reflect Spell at 14%? Oh yes.

Joan goes from 77 gold to 759, just like that, after just one dungeon-dive.

Well, not really. He just happens to be there when we have Easter in our world

Nice haul, btw. Lots of goodies for Joan. But did she find any Easter eggs...?



Lothran is now at Gottshaw Inn and is making his way to Anvil. Lots of fun and nice sceneries in Anvil county

I find it interesting to compare prices between the games. My current Morrowind character just took an unenchanted Daedric dai-katana off an enemy, and it's valued at 120,000 septims. No merchant in the game has more than 10,000, so you can't just sell that kind of item. You end up making complex swaps of equipment, and coming back when they re-finance. Some stuff has silly prices, so that you don't even think of buying it, like the higher filled soul gems (60,000 each!).

In Oblivion, just about the only stuff you can't sell is the unique artifacts, that you'd want to keep because you'll never see another.

In Skyrim, prices are lower again, and most items can be sold, provided you don't want to sell everything to the same merchant at the same time.

But the general clutter items seemed to be about the same, 1 septim or worthless., in all of them. So it's not a case of deflation.

I don't remember what prices were like in Daggerfall or Arena, except that I could sell Daedric stuff, so maybe the merchants had unlimited gold back then (?)

It is rather strange, the fact that nobody has more than 800 gold in the base game (1200 with one of the DLC). I mean, I can understand if maybe the merchants are trying to "cap" their expenditures, only paying out what they know they can sell quickly, but even during quests, nobody really offers a huge amount of gold. Yet, we all manage to get insanely rich if we stay at it.

mirocu: Sarah the flying vampire was just at Gottshaw not long ago. Nobody had any adverse encounters there though, thankfully. So Lothran is good to go. Now in the Fo'Ci'Cle, on the other hand....Sarah has struck in there multiple times.

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


Sundas, Second Seed 12

Days Passed: 259
Location: Skingrad

Warm day, though rain moved in as the afternoon commenced. Renee and Fel spent most of this day in the chapel, and in the taverns. From the Nine to the Wine, ha ha.

Morndas was not much different. A lazy day in Skingrad. Renee managed to turn in one of her bandit leader rings for 500 gold to the requisition agent in Skingrad's barracks (mod). She also remembered to stop by Gunder's shop, to see if he had any more bear pelts for sale. And yes, he did. While in his shop, She could not remember how close she was to acquiring the 20 pelt's she'd need to rejoin the Fighters' Guild. Pretty close, though.

My decrepit avatar and his ward stand in Weye Manor foyer, about to depart on their patrol of the Gold to Anvil, with stops en route to delivery goods to Skingrad and collect taxes-due at Brina Cross. They have already walked to the capital to gather assignments and renew blessings at the restored Temple of the One. A quick breakfast was consumed at the Wawnet. Not all was smooth sailing. Walking the halls of White Gold Tower after grabbing commissions, they came upon an in-progress battle between Tower guards and invading bandits. My avatar was able to finish off three invaders with help from the sole remaining guard but was not, alas, in time to save his two comrades.

Nice to know that Lothran, Renee and the Decrepit Champion are still patrolling Cyrodiil

My decrepit avatar and Vilja stand in Brina Cross Inn, having collected taxes-due there for the Empire. They are, of course, nearing completion of yet another patrol of the Gold to Anvil. Their journey between Weye and Skingrad proved blissfully uneventful. Good weather. Neither nefarious beast nor criminal scum harried the roadway save one lone, easily disposed of bandit. Vil not being hungry, they stayed in Skingrad only long enough to deliver a package to West Weald Inn and show proof-of-delivery to Tamika for a recent wine transport. (They also accepted a new assignment from her, this time to Pell's Gate.) No sooner did they exit Skingrad, reclaim their mounts, Groucho and Wolfgang, and resume their ride than did the sky cloud over, followed soon by rain that persisted almost to Brina Cross. The road itself seemed to harbor peril at every turn, with many a hostile encounter ere reaching Brina. Still, they haven't made bad time and should reach their final destination in time for a decent night's sleep at Berinus. I doubt, however, that there will be time for a "formal" dinner before bedtime. They are more likely to gobble down a casual repastl at Count's Arms ere retiring. Depending on the hour, they might not deliver two shipments, one for the Merchants Guild, one for Gold Horse Courier, until next morning.

Sad that those soldiers fell to the bandits, but at least their deaths were swiftly avenged!

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

Lothran is enjoying his time in Anvil county. Messing with outlaws and taking in the scenery. And of course, reminiscing about that fine hunt with Buffy all those years ago. Buffy is now long gone to other adventures but in spirit she was there with him today. At least it felt like it...

Absolutely. Buffy needn't worry at all about that area of Tamriel.

Early morning, Sun's Dusk 9

It's a dark, rainy day, rather chilly for the Blackwood area. Joan of Arkay rides south on her paint horse. She's just defeated the imps of Fort Nomore. Again, wow, just wow, at all the loot she found. I mean, she's only at Level 5, yet she's got all this uncommon stuff showing up as she loots creature-lairs, especially. This time, she found a Base Ring of Steelskin (resist paralysis), Base Ring of Willpower, and a set of Gauntlets of the North, which are guaranteed to resist 15% of all frost attacks.

She's not anywhere near Leyawiin yet. By the time she gets there, she's going to be freekin' rich, though!

As she passes by a Wayshrine of Stendarr, she dismounts her horse so she can feel the power offered by this deity.

Not to mention Braden. Limping along on sore feet as he adapting to life 'on the lamb.'




Braden is now 6 level and has only found a silver longsword. Lol. Sounds like PC gaming rewards you better.

Nope, Joanie's game is on Xbox, so no mods. Matter of fact, in my PC games, I've got a couple mods configured so that the better loot doesn't show up as often.

Braden should try creature lairs, specifically imp lairs, seriously.

Renee-

I have just realized the problem. I am actually role playing so much that I forgot that I am using the auto lock pick instead of using the tumblers myself and opening chests. Understandably, Braden does not have many of the thief skills that my other characters have, so what I do is use 3-5 auto picks and if the lock does not open I leave it like that for later when his skills are better. What it means is that plenty of average chests are left unopened.

I cannot believe I forgot that I am doing that. Hopeless I am...

Joanie is not a thief either, and so I also use auto-pick when rolling with her. She's been finding most of this better loot in unlocked chests and such. I'm telling you: imp lairs. You see imps (annoying buggers) flitting about outside some cave? Try diving into there IF Braden happens to agree with this.

Had an idea earlier that I had to write up.

From the journal of Gideon Draconis:

I will never forget my first experience in the Arena.

With the exception of the training areas, the Bloodworks of cool, dim, and quiet. The Arena is anything but.

Stepping out onto the sand it all strikes like a battering ram, so much you can't take it all in at once. The sudden, glaring brightness. Thousands of voices raised in exultation, thrumming across the skin like waves and sending tremors through the ground. A wall of heat, that almost seems to throb with the heartbeats of the crowd. The smell of blood and death, hanging in the thick air shaken and battered by the roaring crowds. And above all that, the thunderous cries of the Announcer, the only one audible in the entire Arena once the combatants step out of the Bloodworks.

For a newcomer to the Arena, that moment is the first and most dangerous opponent.

And it is one we are not warned of.

The Announcer's call to lower the gates had been met by renewed cheering from the crowd, the roar becoming a blanket of sound that muted all else. Even my own thoughts seemed silent in the face of that maelstrom. Had my opponent not been as inexperienced as I, the fight would have ended before I could even have drawn my sword. But the Bosmer I was to fight was experiencing the same disorientation as I.

I let the clamour wash over me, all thought swept aside by the whirlwind's kiss. I drew my sword, readied my spells, and charged.

Combat, for me, had never been so mindless.

Nor victory, so sweet.

The way it reads, "it" is the Announcer (or maybe the voice). You need to re-establish the ambience, clamour, culture shock, (or whatever) as the current subject, maybe as "that ambience" (or whatever) instead of "it"?

It's not until Skyrim that "The Voice" becomes dangerous.

9/10 - reload and try again.

Nice job Callidus!

I've little to report. The gang is about to depart Anvil. They have decided to visit Chorrol and transfer the contents of Groucho's loot pack to their "Champion's Second-Hand Sales and Service" shoppe coffers before returning to Weye. (They also accepted two package deliveries to Chorrol.) Whether they can accomplish the entire Anvil-to-Chorrol-to-Weye trip in one day remains to be seen. If not, they'll likely spend the night at Chorrol's Fighers Guild hall.

I wonder if they can do all that in one day. Sounds like a lot.

----------


Tirdas, Second Seed 13[

Days Passed: 261
Location: Skingrad



Fine, pleasant, late spring day. The party is gathered: Renee Gade III, Felrika, Jada, Array, and newcomer Kendrel, who decided to show up and stick around this time. Everybody gets ready early (before the shops open, even!) and then heads out of town. By mid-afternoon they arrived in Oranstad Township. Pleasant place, out of the way. Decided to stay here a few days.

(really, I'm having problems with all these NPC followers of RG3's. Some of them have a habit of becoming unruly, and have assaulted innocent road-travelers and guards. Despite the fact that I've zeroed out their bounties, guards keep coming up to attack the party. RG3 has to tell everyone to "cool it" over and over {tcai command} which gets annoying. I need to have everybody go somewhere for 3+ days, so hopefully the game's guards all reset themselves.)

Oranstad is awesome because the lady who runs the alchemy shop there recharges items AT ANY TIME. Because of this, Renee was able to get her enchantment-heavy Bane of Kvatch flaming longsword recharged, as well as her Claymore of Burning. Gold went from just over 2,300 to only 591, but this would be good gold spent.

My Oblivion installation has suddenly gone crash-crazy. It black-screens far too frequently, depending on what my avatar and his companions are up to at any given moment. Black-screens oft occur within a few minutes following a save. Twice they occurred during the save process itself, corrupting them. Wrye Bash finds no save bloating. I'm nowhere near an a-bomb. No new mods have been added that need esps/esms. Nor have I updated any such existing mods in some time. Hopefully this will eventually work itself out.

Be that as it may, I managed to observe the gang travel from Anvil to Chorrol and on to Weye, all within a single Nirn day. I questioned my avatar's wisdom in deciding on the Chorrol side-trip rather than riding the Gold straight home, suspecting there couldn't be enough pilferage in Groucho's loot pack to adequately restock their Champion's Second-Hand Sales & Service shoppe coffers ere a cleansing of Rockmilk, which won't occur until an upcoming patrol of the Green to Leyawiin. Turns out he's smarter than me in such matters. He made trip after trip between Groucho and the shoppe receiving bin, to the tune of over 51k adjusted net profit worth of saleable goods. That certainly doesn't compare to a successful Rolkmilk run, but is nothing to sneeze at either. Vil asked to grab a drink at Grey Mare. They stopped there for a quick supper before continuing on their way. This proved something of a disappoint. The inn was out of booze, forcing my avatar to rely on drink from his personal storage pack. Food wasn't an issue, my avatar ordering beef, potato, corn and sweetcake off the inn menu.They arrived home circa 2000, changed into comfy attire, walked to the Lake, and began an evening swim under a crystal clear night sky, capped by a meteor shower.

Alas, the game black-screened not far into their swim. I decided to call it quits.

@Renee & Decrepit - Sorry to hear your games are acting up. Hopefully the problems will resolve themselves so that you can enjoy your gaming sessions

Gideon has too much going on with him for anything short of a fanfic(yeah, I'm gonna take another stab at one, consider yourselves warned ), but it turns out an old friend of mine's found his way back to Cyrodiil:

The Imperial City Waterfront never slept. It was said that as much coin changed hands each night along the Waterfront as in the Market District each day. Along the docks, soldiers of the Legion marched through the streets, grim-faced and with hands never far from weapons, their armour clanking with every step. Sailors at various points along the road to drunkenness made their way from one tavern to the next, looking for their next drink, a warm bed that didn't rock and sway, or a warm body to share it with. Whores displayed their wares on every corner teasing sailors and taunting Legionnaires as they passed. Cutpurses strolled through the streets along the docks, furtive eyes searching for their next mark, fingers flexing to fight off the night's chill. Beggars called for coins, sharp eyes darting from one passerby to the next, noting every detail to pass onto thieves for a few coins.

And in the warren of darkened alleyways that made up the bulk of the Waterfront district, fences spoke in hushed tones to thieves of every description, watched over by their guards. Clubs and maces were readied by shrouded figures waiting in the shadows, to prey on those that crossed their paths, be they lost, drunk, or lured by false promises of illicit pleasures. And dealers of those delights sought to sell their wares before their customers found misfortune, not that they were above separating them from their coins after their dealings were complete.

Even with all this activity, the late-night approach of the Marie Elena did not go unnoticed. The same could not be said, however, for the figure that slipped over the side, sack in hand, with nothing more than a glimpse of moonlight on scales. The figure disappeared beneath the waters, and did not resurface until it crawled out onto the beach just out of sight of the Docks. There he was met by an Orc carrying a pack and a bow, that he placed at his feet as the Argonian approached.

"You the one I'm waiting for?" The Orc's voice was a harsh croak, legacy of a vicious scar across his throat, and he paused to spit before continuing. "I was told yer name."

"I am Sal. And these are your goods." Sal replied, holding out the sack. The Orc took it, gave it a slight shake, brow furrowed in concentration. Satisfied, he nodded and placed the sack at his feet.

"No trouble? If anything's broken in 'ere, it's on you."

An Argonian smile is no more pleasant a sight than an Orcish one, but Sal smiled anyway. "Slow and clumsy slaughterfish are no match for an Argonian."

"Good. I got your payment here. One o' them blue bags them mages wear and some other clothes, some food, arrows, and coin. And I got that fine steel bow you asked for." The Oec gestured to the pack on the ground, nodded to Sal, then picked up the sack and walked off. Sal pulled the robe, matching hood, and some doeskin shoes out of the pack and dressed, before making his way to the Waterfront.

The Imperial City awaited.






Huh, that was longer than I'd been expecting

Nothing from me, other than that the game now black-screens so frequently it's not worth bothering with. I tried the old three-day sleep trick to no avail. Just while ago I moved all saves made since sometime 22 Apr (when the gang was stopped in Brina Village en route to Anvil) out of the official save directory. That's a couple of saves on the safe side of the final save in which I am positive the problem had not yet materialized. Gonna wake the game at that point later tonight or sometime tomorrow, if I can drum up the courage. Gotta admit I'm scared that this too won't fix whatever is wrong. If it doesn't I've no more ideas to try. At least none comes to mind at the moment.

ADDENDUM: Potential good news. Fired up the game this evening. Watched the gang travel from Brina to Anvil to Benirus Manor (for an evening snap and sleep), to turn in both shipping consignments and breakfast at Count's Arms, to the City Gate, where they now stand. Nothing exciting about any of this, except that the game didn't Black Screen the entire time!!!! The session didn't last long enough to totally confirm the problem has disappeared, I got too late a start, but it's a hopeful sign. Gotta admit I was on pins and needles the entire time. Whenever they'd do something that has been triggering Black Screens I couldn't help but close me eyes for fear of seeing it happen again...as if doing so would make a difference...LOL.

A worry. Black Screen crashes might be solved, but that doesn't remove the possibility that they will occur again. Whatever triggered them before set in either during the ride from Anvil to Chorrol or immediately thereafter. They still have that ride to make. I gotta hope that whatever caused the crash epidemic was a one time fluke and won't repeat itself. Heh

Fingers crossed, Decrepit!

Ha! I knew it was Sal the Argonian! What is he up to now?

Decrepit: I think I had a black screen problem happening in one of my games. I believe I also found a solution to my problem. I'll have to look it all up later though, because I'm not at my home computer. One thing I've been doing right over these past 4 years is any time I have a problem, I've been documenting whatever I did to fix it.


Oh it was no prob. All I had to do was have RG3's party hole up for 3 days in that inn, so the respawn timer could do its thing. Problem solved, ha ha.

Funny you should ask...


The Waterfront was a confusing place for Sal. Cyrodiil was the heart of the Empire, a place he'd never seen before, yet for all it's supposed wealth and pride it seemed so very similar to what he had seen of Morrowind. The settlements of the Great Houses had been replaced by the ancient stone of the Imperial City, but beyond the walls lay the same squalor, the same crimes, the same desperate struggle to see the next sunrise. People, it seemed to Sal, were the same, no matter where he went. These living along the Waterfront may not have been slaves, but had they any more freedom than he himself had once had?

Spotting a beggar nearby, a hunchbacked Imperial with ragged sackcloth clothes and straggly grey hair, Sal sat down beside him, doing his best to ignore the stench, and drew a few coins from his coinpouch. The beggar's eyes lit up at the sight of them, more coin than he's likely see in an entire week, even if he were fortunate. "Tell me something," Sal hissed "I wish to find a place to stay for the night, one where questions will not be asked. Where could I find such a place?"

The beggar dragged his gaze from the coins in Sal's hand. "The Tiber Septim Hotel asks no questions, if you've the coin to pay for it. But most what pass through the city quietly head for the Elven Gardens District. Luther Broad's Boarding House sees plenny o' people, and the innkeeper don't ask questions. Some say there's those what pay him not to. It's got so's the Legion doesn't even bother to keep an eye on him anymore."

Sal dropped the coins into the beggar's outstretched hands, rose to his feet with a single, fluid bound, and walked away without so much as a backward glance. Had he bothered to do so, he might have seen the hooded figure that stepped from the shadowed mouth of a nearby alley, and dropped a pouch of coins at the beggar's feet as he passed.

Uh oh.

-----------


Morndas, Second Seed 22

After several days in Oranstad (necessary to make the game reset all its cells, haha), the party now heads back to the Imperial City. They start early, just as the sun is rising. The weather becomes warmer throughout the day, to the point that it feels hot & dry (sort of like summer in my imagination) by the time everybody reaches the Imperial City.

Renee leaves three of her followers at her Maple Cottage home, and eventually returns to Roland Jenseric, who was glad to hear that the three vampire leaders in the Skingrad area have been slain. RG3 then sold an entire sack-full of vampire dusts, 19 of them in all.

"Excellent. Another vampire has been slain. Here's your reward." (....repeat that 19 times, lolz!!!).

Next place the Order wants Renee and her gang to go will be to Water's Edge, south of Bravil. Apparently, a farmer down there was found slain and naked in his home, and the locals suspect that some blood-sucking monsters are the culprits.

Decrepit - I hope your black screens remain at bay.

CT - Sal the Argonian? I have visions of friend Renee renaming him Sal A. Mander. Oooh, a mysterious stranger.

Renee - Lolz indeed on the vampire dust dialoguex19. Reminds me of Count Leyawiin when you bring him a large batch of black bows.

After visiting Skingrad again, Lothran went north to the Colovian Highlands and he's currently back in Chorrol in search for ingredients and for the nice surroundings.

He made sure to stop by Pillaged Mine to practice some population control on the local goblins. A combination of heavy attack spells, arrows and Spriggan took care of them nicely




Edited for bad wording

"population control"


Yeah totally. I usually sit there and giggle the entire time Roland dispenses his money for each batch of dust he collects.

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

Morning, Sun's Dusk 14, 3rd Era 434

Days Passed: 80
Level: ...... 5
Fame: 1
Infamy: 0


"Speak while the sands are warm."

"Oh, I wish you could have been there, S'kasa. You could have gone with. The divine satisfaction of erasing and banishment, you with your bow, me ... my magics and fiery sword."

"Have you been to Rosentia Gallenus's house recently? Smells horrible ... like she left some meat out to spoil."

"Noted. Well, per'aps next time, eh?"

Joan of Arkay awakes from the bed she's been sharing in the Fighters Guild with S'kasa, an archer Khajiit who would make a perfect backup-companion, if she'd ever leave the dratted place. The day before, Joanie returned to Leyawiin from Fort Redman. Being an agent of Arkay, Joanie tries to do whatever she can to rid the menace of undead, freeing these miscreants from their eternal unlife.

It doesn't hurt though that in the final boss chest of this lair, she found yet another magical ring, this one granting its user a bonus of better hand-to-hand combat. Since Joan has no use for such a ring, she sold it to Gundalas for a tidy 330 gold. Even after all the looting and delving done by other Third Era adventurers over the past year, there are still nice, salable treasures like this to be found.

Her real quest down here in Leyawiin though is to find Deepscorn Hollow, a place which Joan had scribbled about in her journal for some reason. Something about a long-lost relative.

"Could you accompany me, S'kasa? Your bow would become a mighty asset, for scribings and tales of Deepscorn Hollow are few; I have not the knowledge of what I might uncover."

"Good hunting," S'kasa answers, apparently uninterested.

My decrepit avatar, his ward and Groucho are about to exit Chorrol, reclaim their mounts and Wolfgang at the City Stables, and ride the Black to Weye.

I began observing them as they exited Anvil, battled an inept assassin at that city's stables, rode to Chorrol, stocked their Champion's Second-Hard Sales and Service shoppe coffers with loot amassed during recent road patrols, and grabbed a quick casual early supper at the Oak and Crosier. (My avatar had a Beef & Leek Savory Pie, an ear of corn and bread, washed down with Lady Blue Lager. Vil ordered on her own.) They hope to be home in time for an evening swim before bedtime.

(I keep this short if not sweet, having observed this exact journey not long ago, prior to too-frequent black-screen crashes forcing me delete a number of saves. I am happy to report that, if this session is any indication, the issue, whatever is was, is resolved.)

Blimey, it really does seem like Lothran and your gang has joined forces for lo and behold, my Dunmer has just left Chorrol unexpectedly and is currently back in the Imperial City. And last time they left Anvil at the same time, what forces are at play here??

Again not much to report. The gang made good time between Chorrol and Weye, arriving home in time for a quick evening snack at the Wawnet and a swim in Lake Rumare before turning in. (It was well they weren't overly hungry. Wawnet has to be one of Cyrodiil's most consistently under-stocked inns. My avatar had to settle for no-label mead and a sweetroll. No big deal, they having consumed a decent meal in Chorrol not long before. But still...)

They have decided to devote the bulk of their day to cleansing at least one the Imperial Isle's cave systems. My avatar meant them to breakfast at Wayshrine Tavern en route, but as Vil wasn't hungry they marched straight to Dzonot, entering just before I left them.


With timescale at "10" they can, even at a walking pace, depending on what sort of time they make on the road and what needs to be done in Chorrol.

Lothran is currently roaming the Heartlands and more specifically just south of the Imperial City. He's having some fun antagonizing the local riff-raff in his usual way. The sky is overcast and I have to say, it's something very soothing and inspirational about that kind of weather

Mirocu - I know exactly what you mean - especially with that wonderful in-game music in the background.

Huh? There's music in the background? .. Wait, what are you guys talking about?

:

Yeah, the invisible orchestra


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


Lothran just raided Fort Magia, first time in ten years! I don't know how we've not done this one before!


Anyway, haven't missed much, it was a very mediocre dungeon crawl. Some undead that are now fully dead, some minor loot, some slaughterfish, hey-ho..

I really shouldn't be writing at this time of night...




Luther Broad's Boarding House was everything Sal had been expecting.

The common room was half empty of people, but packed wall-to-wall with murk and gloom. The air was thick with the odours of stale ale and smoke from cheap candles, fighting a losing battle to mask the fetid undertones of old vomit and blood. The tables were old and battered, years of abuse and innumerable stains rendering them almost hazardous to patrons. The thick air turned quiet conversations into a muted grumble, words drowning and crumbling as they fought their way through the fug. Indistinct figures, many of them hooded, sat at tables in twos or threes, each keeping one hand near their waist, and one eye on the door.

Sal stood a moment in the doorway, noting the sidelong glances shot his way, and feeling the weight of eyes hidden beneath hoods and shadows upon him. Snorting, he shrugged them off and made his way to the bar.

"Don't see many of your kind in the city, Argonian." The barman, a balding Imperial with grey hair rumbled.

"I'm just passing through."

The barman snorted. "I said the same myself, thirty-odd years ago. This place is a trap. You don't get in without someone getting an edge on you, and then you're stuck." He dropped his gaze and shook his head, morose, before returning his gaze to Sal. "You'll be wanting a room I take it? Ten gold for the night." Sal placed a stack of coins on the counter. "Up the stairs, second door on the left."

Sal padded up the stairs to his room, eased the door open, and slid inside. He'd taken no more than a single stride before the door slammed behind him. He darted forward a step, snatched at his bow and quiver as he turned to face the door, and came up short as cold steel pricked at his throat, eyes locked on the hooded figure holding the blade.

"I've been expecting you, Argonian."

Stop it.



This snippet is great. Atmospheric and moody. I love the beginning. What do you think mirocu? ... Acadian? ... Anyone?

Renee is right! That is a very moodyatmospheric opening!

I just meant that getting my mind all worked up that late at night means I've got to wait a couple of hours for it to calm down enough for me to get some sleep

I'm glad you liked the opening. I'm on kind of a descriptive kick at the moment, having a lot of fun with it, though it does get frustrating from time to time. And it makes a change from my old combat-centric writing.

OH okay I got ya, CT. Sure, I know how it is, you get into some writing and get all worked up, next thing you know you can't sleep. I am

Well I am going to post another RG3 update. It's a shortie. The last one I've got written for springtime in her world.

--------

Tirdas, Second Seed 28, late afternoon

Party leaves Bravil, and begins heading toward Water's Edge. They spend so much time dawdling in town beforehand though that they are forced to stop travel by the time they reach Bawn. Not only is it getting dark, but rain falls hard, making visibility nearly impossible. Party stays at Bawnwatch Camp overnight.

I will probably have my last Oblivion session for a while now this evening. As of tomorrow I'll move to the cottage and thus gaming will only happen once in awile.

I'll have Lothran stay in the Imperial City as it's so central and from where he can reach all of Cyrodiil quite easily if need be. I reckon next time he's upp for Bravil which will be nice

What? NO gaming at the cottage? What is this madness????

Kidding. How long will Lothran be inactive, do you suppose? And Mirocu too, your Fallout 3 rich guy?

Dunno about Lothran. I'll game with him at random when it feels right. No schedule for him.


About FO3, I'll prolly game each Friday as usual