Place: Fort Neugrad

Hold: Falkreath

Date: Loredas, 4:27 PM, 17th of Morning Star, 4E. Year 201

In this situation, fellow mages, there were two sections to this fort known as "Neugrad". I managed to clear the first section easily, but found myself betwixt during the second, which featues two stories, both of them open towards the entrance of the place, as well as a narrow hallway. Walking into the place, a lone mage with no big weapons to speak of is at an immediate disadvantage.

I am now going to feature an easy-to-follow step-by-step. Study with purpose, and perhaps some-day, you too can find your-selves, "Turning the Tables".

1). Entered door. Up ahead is a man, a bandit. He readies his axe and before I know it, he's upon me. He only has maybe 20 to 30 feet to travel to get to me.

2). Run! Knowing my skills are at a disadvantage, that any spell I could possibly cast at that moment would be aimed wrongly, I simply leave the fort.

Now,, a lesser mage who has not advanced his or her spells can possibly keep running. There is no harm in this. It is self-preservation. Enemies in Skyrim typically do not follow us outside of dwellings as they do in Cyrodiilic-fashioned melees, for the Skyrim enemy knows he could lose his proper comfort zone.

If all you have got in your roster are a Candlelight and a Summon Wolf, it is best to run in thus situation. But for you more-advanced sorts who are skilled in multiple disciplines, read on...

I ran outside initially, then formulated a strategy. Since I now had a moment to strategize.

3). Protect yourself. In my case, I cast a Stoneflesh. If you have more-advanced flesh spells from the Alteration school, you can use what you haev. But beware, for as you know, stronger spells require greater magicka!

Now, I re-entered Fort Neugrad.

4). Turn the Tables. "If they tread thou with hatred, show them affection" once said an anoymous elven poet from the 3rd Era. For this step, I aimed, and then cast a Calm spell. Thus, the bandit came to me with hatred, and I showed him the errors of his ways. Taking care of this first bandit, causing him to be basically ineffective as a guard, proved to be the very key to opening the door to the place, and further taking down the rest of the enemies therein.

Calm is an under-rated spell, College mages. If you happen to be studying its effects, let it be known that amongst non-undead, Calm spells can immediately turn the tables.

With the first bandit calmed..

5). Time for a summons! A Flame Atronach can easily be cast, while the calmed bandit now walks around. Flame Atronach magic can be upped to Frost and Storm, have you the knowlege to cast them. But again, more advanced magics usually equal a greater magikca cost.

But the fight was still young, as there are other enemies about in Neugrad.

6). Lay a trap!. Rune Spells work great magic, and can be placed passively in a strategic area. Lay your rune upon an area in which it is guaranteed an enemy will need to tred. A narrow hall or causeway is an example and two. Putting a Rune on the side of a large room is risky. Chances are the enemy will never cross a wrongly-placed rune.

7).Use your position to cast furher spells from a distance. With one bandit calmed, several more fighting a summoned being, and a Fire Rune trap layed should anybody dare to get too close, the mage now has an advantage, so long as nobody gets near him or her. Firebolts, Calms, Fears, Furies, Ice Storms, and dozens of other ranged spells now come into play.

Let us complete a summary for our first lesson, mages.

>Protect your flesh before battle
>Calm or otherwise illusize your enemy
>Summon a creature
>Lay a trap
>Keep your spells in effect.
>Use your position to keep enemies at bay.

From this moment on, you have Turned the Tables upon your enemy. All of the spell effects mentioned above can easily be cast and re-cast, as our enemies struggle about.

I realize this first lesson is a slap to the face for those who have never been dungeon-eering. So let us break further chapters into morsels we can more-easily bite and digest.

.

Nice to hear Crystal's methods and get a glimpse into magic during the Fourth Era.

Lots of solid tactics here. Speak wise one!

Oh I really liked this! It was different but still lots of fun to read.

I didn't write it. Beth did Well, I wrote it, but she's the one who's head is filled with ideas like this. We originally were writing this in the Skyrim Happenings thread, and it just kept getting longer and longer...

I"m like: "Beth, do you want to write a book?" And she wasn't sure. But she wanted to write a chapter though.

But as I gamed with her tonight, she did think of a few new ways to present her "book", in a consise manner that the College's NPC's can safely understand. You'll see what I mean...

I can just see Beth at the Winterhold College speaking to some new apprentices.

The thing about Beth is she's pretty much an independent person. She's only joined the College because of the learning experience; she has no desire to "help" them figure out what to do with the strange, floating blue ball that now resides in the Hall of Elements. Therefore, she will not ever finish the main College questlines. She will not ever be Arch Mage. And she doesn't want this title.

She is not a leader, she is not really a follower either. She makes her own rules, and fills her own roster with activities. Her "main" quest right now, for instance, is to buy the house in Solitude. I have no idea why she wants it; it's ridiculously expensive.

But the bottom-line is this. Even though College mages do occasionally get out for some "field work", Crystal Beth really has all of them beat (she assumes) when it comes to getting out in the world and surviving. She thinks she's basically better than they are. See what I mean? Because she doesn't stand around the Winterhold/College area all day like they do.
.

This is really neat, Saga. Your character has something to share, and the two of you figured out how to do it!

Oh wow. I've never read anything like this before, but I LOVE IT!

I love the concept of Beth teaching through use of her own personal experiences, and she also has a quirky kind of wit in her writing which keeps me very interested and eager to learn more from her!

It's a mess, to be honest. I know this. I wrote it off-the-cuff immediately as inspiration struck,...slam-bam...in a half hour most of the text was done. HOWEVER it is also supposed to be somewhat of a mess, somewhat disorganized, and open for criticism from other College mages.

Beth is writing this chapter by chapter while she's "on the road", you see. She's not a scribe who spends entire days writing in a quiet study; instead, most of these writing are being done as Beth travels from inn to inn, dungeon to dungeon. It shows. But it's supposed to show.

On this date, Crystal Beth arrives at the College of Winterhold, and promptly presents the very first draft of the first chapter of what may become the very first "strategy guide for College mages" that she knows of. Sure, there are other books out there in publication (or out of it) written specifically for magic-users, but Beth's plan is to scribe up the very BEST of these. A guide any aspiring mage can open, read, and possibly use "in the field", to successfully survive amongst those multitudes of enemies.

She presents her writings directly to Arch Mage Aren himself, a bold move that Beth performs with outward confidence, but inward insecurity.

Pic: Savos Aren studying Crystal Beth's Journal

Being a High Elf helps at moments like these; there is an opinion amongst some of the Humans of Tamriel that the Altmer simply make the best mages. Beth uses this opinion to her advantage at times, without really trying very hard. Savos Aren is not a Human, of course, which is why Beth is a little nervous. She already has a reputation as an aspiring adventurer amongst the other College mages, Skyrim's guards, Skyrim's townspeople, and Skyrim's helpless. Even the Dark Brotherhood (and now the Thalmor) have taken keen notice about Beth's actions out in the lands. She knows this because every so often, she is attacked by a DB agent, or a group of Thalmor. These enemies always carry little notes about how to find and recognize their target.

Most of the early text Beth scribed up for her strategy guide was written in Falkreath, Beth concentrating over the usual singing bard, townie conversation, and other typical tavern noises. She managed her text without a door upon her room as well. Despite these problems, Beth wrote it up anyways. Inspiration does that sometimes.

As she approaches him, he looks up from his seat and says

"What you learn here will last you a life-time. Several if you're talented".

"Arch-Mage Aren. I apologize for barging in like this, but I've got something you might want to see"....

Arch Mage Savos Aren reads it over, raising his brows at points as Beth stands before him in his private chambers.

Savos Aren: "Nice! Very nice! EXCELLENT in fact! You my dear have provided an excellent first chapter!"

Crystal Beth: "Do you really think so, sir?"

"Abso-lutely! You have shown yourself to be an excellent talent! Why, this could be just the very thing we need to promote farewell of The College towards the average Skyrim citizen!"

"Of what do'st thou speak, Arch Mage?"

"As you may know, after the unfortunate circumstances which happened within recent years, most of Winterhold has been destroyed. It is because of this, and because The College itself somehow survived the unfortunate circumstances, that the majority of the Nordic population mistrusts us mages. We need everything we can possibly attain to perhaps perform a more positive image for us, here at the College."

"I do not understand".

"This book, when it is done, shall possibly display to the average Skyrim citizen that we here at The College are firmly commited to banishing any sorts of evils scourging the lands of Skyrim itself. As mages, we therefore have a responsibility. This is proof, wolf-sarah, that College mages, can, in fact, help keep Skyrim free! Free of bandits! Free of necromancers! Free of enemies! A free Skyrim, indeed!"

"Why...I..I do not know what to say", Beth says truthfully.

"You now have an assignment, my dear. Finish this book! Finish it at your leisure! And as you provide chapter after chapter, I myself shall be scribing copies right here in my chambers, for all the College mages to study and read!"

"I. Well, I did not expect this! But I shall take your heed. I shall take it with seriousity, sir".

"That's my girl! Now...go...go with haste, and provide not waste, my dear!"


Crystal Beth now walks from the Arch Mage's chambers, a small, confused smile upon her high elf face.
.

I LOVE it! It's such a different format to what fan fics usually look like, but it really works!

I'll definitely be passing on some snippets of Beth's book to my own mage, Flying Snow. She sometimes is overwhelmed by enemies, and resorts to dual daggers, one given to her by a friend. She definitely needs to increase her spellbook.

Beth found a publisher! Woot!

Thank you both. I much appreciate it, and Lady Mara II, glad you've made it over here. The next chapters will be easy for me to write up, so they'll be up soon.

Ann's story, by the way, is also coming, but the other day there was a scheduling conflict between me and my kid and my mom, which meant I couldn't devote adequate time to Ann's game. Unlike Beth, Ann's game requires I set aside a lot of time, since she's got a much heavier roleplay.

I normally wouldn't comment on a Skyrim or Morrowind fan-fic, because I don't have either of those games, but I liked the idea of this one too much to stay out. It's a brilliant concept, I just hope you can keep it up with Ms Thraxx's demands on your time.

BTW it's not "Illusize", it's "Illude" (really!)

Thank you, ghastley. I know illusize is not a real English word; that's one of Beth's words. She uses some strange ones.

YAAY! The Arch-mage loves Beth's journal? AND he is going to make copies by his own hand?

Beth must be over the moon!

When Jessika is in Skyrim, she doesn't really speak to the Arch-mage as her aunt Mirabelle has warned her not to approach him unless it's absoloutly neccesary: but this has shown me that he is a nice guy



Jessika agrees with this.

Although she is studying and only studying restoration, the journal might come in handy for future mages!

If it is alright with Beth, might Jessika request a signed copy of the journal once Aren publishes it ;P hehe

Great stuff, Lady Saga

Hello all. This next chapter was written as Crystal Beth spent 3 days in a row at The College. Arch Mage Savos Aren himself gave her the green light to start her book, and promised it would be used somehow at The College.

After writing Chapter 2, Beth then brewed her usual batch of potions, gathered up all her coin ( 19,000+ gp ) and then headed for Solitude, where she had even more coin stashed! She used this money to buy Proudspire Manor, where she's planning to hopefully write even more chapters, in the quiet and safety of her own home. She's not about to give up adventuring, however! She still needs to decorate Proudspire to her liking!

Also, this chapter is dedicated to the man who taught Tae Kwon Do at the rec center in my neighborhood when I was a kid. I was really into Tae Kwon Do from ages 13 through 15, went every Saturday morning, got to green belt. I eventually started flaking on it (being a teenager and all) and I have forgetten my teacher's name at the moment, but I'll never forget one of the most important lessons he ever taught.





As an aspiring writer and travelling sorcerer, I agonized a bit over which chapter should come next. And I also apologize to ye Mages who may have become a bit betwix't during my first chapter; I do know it may have been a lot to take in. So let us advance now more slowly, and begin by doing so now.

This chapter shall contain ideas which no College instructor shall ev'r instruct: Illusion, Destruction, nor Restoration. Nor willst thou find such instructions within thee usual current books of publications. I am about to teach ye a few lessons which will someday save lives perhaps. College mages, as ye adventure and go about the lands, take heed of these lessons. And be forwarned: such instructions as follow have absolutely nothing to do with magics.

We all are in knowing of the big, burly, brutish warrior types are we not? He carry'th his weapons, wear'th his armors, and must always be prepared for a battle: weapon to weapon, weapon to armor, and perhaps weapon to flesh. What I am going to teach you today, many a warrior already knows by instinct.

As a warrior swingeth his weapons about, knowing as such that at any moment he could be taken down to Sovengarde or wherev'r such place he may go should he pass this life, the warrior know'th about stamina. Stamina to warriors is as valuable as Magicka is to us.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Stamina is to warriors as Magicka is to mages.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

What may happen if the warrior loseth his Stamina? I shall answer: He shall then lose the abilities he so proudly bear'th in battle, should he lose his stamina. His swings shall have no punch. His stance shall have no strength. And he shall lose his ability to escape, should he need to finally run.

Now, a warrior needs to perhaps always be aware, College Mages, of his stamina. A reserve of stamina, you see, shall guarantee an easy escape, as the warrior can now sprint if the need ariseth, since a good sprint shall drain'th this reserve of Stamina.

For us mages, such a reserve is not so important. A mage can have not buil't upon his or her Stamina over time, and still find him-self or her-self effective. But do not confuse. We mages still, at times, shall need to vacate an area of melees, especially as strong, fast weapons are upon us!

~~~~~~~~~~~HOW TO RUN~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ye mages of The College mustn't necessarily master this one (especially as your skills in magic's rise) but at times, ye ability to run is just as importante for survival as ye ability to cast.

Clothes: The Skyrim mage has a vast advantage ov'r a necromancer or a Cyrodiilic-styled mage. Thanks to an infusion of design concepts (Altmer, Nordic, and even Khajiit), our clothes do not inhibit the movements of our legs. Our robes typically are not long ones, and because of this, nev'r shall we suddenly take our leaves while falling upon our noses!

To run, ye must only concentrate. Just as if ye concentrate upon yer spells. Place thee staff (should ye possess one) into its satchell. Place thee daggar (should ye possess one) into its holster. With thee arms and hands now free, running now comes much more easily.

With our typical conjured beings, illusory effects, and other such magics, rarely shall be the day that thee may need to sprint like a common warrior. However: If thou need'st to partake of a sprint, there is no shame.

Run. Ye may be call'd a coward, but an alive coward ye shall certainly be!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~WHEN TO RUN~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To knoweth when to run and when not to run, thee must only knoweth thine enemy, College Mages. Let us begin.

A simple bandit. He wears animal furs for clothing, and carry'th a simple, iron axe. Such a bandit can be taken down easily; a well-placed Fire Rune explodeth in his face? Perhaps half his strength is already gone.

.....But what of three such bandits? What of five?

For some of us, such a group can easily be handl'd with a variety of working spells (see Chapter I). Should such spells be maintain'd, and should such spells happen all at once, even such a group as three or five can be taken to their afterlives, and often proudly so.

But ever'y so often, the moments come when our spells fail us. We aim, but the spell happens to miss. We lay a rune (perhaps) and our enemy somehow manages not to tred upon its width. Such moments do happen, College Mages. They do happen, in-deed. And when as such they do, we must prepareth to vacate. And vacate with heed.

Some final words to those more advanced sorts who may someday find him-self or her-self betwix'd upon such a situation. Leaders can be deadly. Ever'y bandit camp, every band of dusky necromancers, every barrow full of draug'rs, has a leader.

Leaders can be more menacing, more deadely, and more powerful than the average pawns who perhaps surround him, her, or it.

'tis important to avoid direct come-upances with leaders, at all costs, College Mages. Formulate a strategy if you need to, but always keep thee avenues of escape upon your options, should you encounter an enemy leader.

For those who do manage to formally (and successfully) strategize thous't situations, I bid this next and final section

~~~~~~~~~~~~~WHERE TO RUN~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I scribe this final section, me hands and wrists grow tired, College Mages, as I know thee eyes must also be! Me fingers are stained with inks of a variety colors as well. Writing can be much more tiring than adventuring! We must find a way to create a spell that transmits our thoughts instantly upon the paper itself! But alas, such magics would be rarely in demand.

For those how have taken such opportunities, and have opted to run from battle, it is just as important to know where to go, as well as how and when. NEVER walk into a room thoust have nev'r been, without knowing its exits, College Mages. Take a moment or few, and Study thee options. Make note mentally of places to turn, doors to shut, and areas to become. Note any enemies about if ye can, as well, before you get into battle.

Distance is a friend at such moments. As long as the mage can put some distance between him-self or her-self, and any wretched enemies about, as long as the mage can exact into a safe location, advantage can be re-established! Tables can be turn'd upon their very surfaces!

High elevations are key areas to exact, assuming ye can find places as such, especially out-doors in the wilds.

As I recently was chas'd by a mean bandit leader locat'd at Volkheim Towers, an orc carrying what seem'd to be one very large enchanted Dwarven weapon, I eventually found me-self upon the top of a boulder. Had the orc manag'd just a few strikes upon my person, I might have been dead. But I knew'th where to go, and as such, one more mean orc is now dead.

In-doors, other strategies must now come into play, and I promise I shall further elaborate upon these in up-coming chapters. For now, often is the moment when the mage must run through many hall-ways and doors through which have already been pass'd through, running in such a manner as to easily confuse. 'tis important to know where thee must go, and whether to exact a moment now to turn back, and face ye menacers.

Now I shall conclude this lessone, College Mages. As needed, ye should practice running as often as ye practice spells.

.....And not to mind for those who will joke upon ye.

I enjoy your opening ‘what’s going on’ comments to get right back into the story.

Love Crystal’s comparison of a mage’s magicka to a warrior’s stamina – most apropos. Great insights! Oops, gotta run now!

Ahh, I thank thee sir! *curtseys*

Nice strategy guides there miss Saga

Just a couple of things, ye olde type speech, while I can understand it, throws me off balance. If you do want to write the story that way, please feel free to do so.

Nits: I can't quote cause I'm on a phone, but here goes;

Spelling: thee instead of thy, autocorrect would not have helped you there, as both are words.

Couple of grammar mistakes and some formatting notations.

All in all, good work and keep it up:D

WOWOW!
Another fantastic chapter from my favourite Altmer

I found her comparison with Stamina and Magicka to be very well pointed out (although Jessika relies on both with her being a paladin )

I loved how you made such a simple act as running into such a wonderful and informative chapter!

Well done!!!!

Andrea: thanx, there's more to come.

Hey has anybody ever done any automatic writing? It's supposed to be a technique where the writer goes into a trance, summons a spirit, and the words just flow. Initially when I wrote Chapter 2, I'm not gonna say I "channeled" or anything like that, but I did sort of step aside, and whatever words flowed thru my mind, I wrote. It was beautiful stuff. SMASHING. It was not any of my typical styles of writing. I got the first 3 paragraphs done.

And then...of course, POOF* it was all gone. I hit the "back" button or something. All the text was gone. I was so mad. The text that is extant now is merely a compromise in comparison to what was originally there.



I know. It throws me off-balance, too. And I know some people are face-palming as they read it. To be honest, I'm really on the fence about it, especially since the first chapter was "translated" from Beth's dialect to ours.




Yes, thank you. Next chapter is gonna be interesting.

Your tongue-in-cheek humor shows through in your writing, all of it is good but this line had me in hysterics:



Keep up the great work !!!

"19,000+ gp"
Richy Rich!

Onto the chapter, I am glad to read the warrior's weakness after he loseth his stamina! It was a nice touch that shows even a warrior is supceptible to exsaustion. And you also show how mages have a touch of superiority about them, as they aren't burdened by such concerns. It's crazy how some of these things tie in to actual gameplay, like a fire rune exploding in a bandit's face depletes half of his strength or that the leaders are the toughest ones. "Distance is a friend"-Oh yes it is. Yes it is. I always keep away from enemies with my mages. Range is always safer.

Yes, DE...you GET IT! That "superiority" thing is exactly what I was trying to go for. She really thinks being a mage with no background in melee combat is the superior choice!

Thanks maLX, too. It's funny, Beth wasn't really trying for humor at that moment. But glad you found it funny anyways.

Ooh, this is good; not only is it a very entertaining, interesting and amusing read, I've picked up one or two useful hints for my own spellsword character, which is exactly what Beth is writing this for! That's like a double win or something.


Now that's where her style and my spellsword's differ; when she runs out of magicka, she runs. When he does, the response is merely 'Summon bound swords. Initiate Conan Mode.'

Also, I've done a fair bit of automatic writing in my time as well; never found it was anything as far-fetched as putting myself in a trance and summoning a spirit, I just managed to capture what I wanted to write in my head and put it down on page. The only problem is I need no distractions too, and the world seems determined to shove them in my face like a particularly determined terrier that just has to jump up and say hello...

And while I'm here, loving the ye olde speake!

How do you summon bound swords when you have no magicka?

I can't hear you right now; I'm in Conan Mode and too busy shanking up bear man den, innit.

Plus Bound swords need hardly any Magicka as it is. I mean, they cost an absolute pittance.

Sorry to drop this during a time when the FanFic page is so busy. I wanted to do so at a time when things slowed down a bit, but I'm on a real computer at the moment, and I'm not sure when I'll have time and access to one this weekend.

Anyways, welcome back for the next segment of the saga of Crystal Beth, her new book and new life. I hope you enjoy this read.

Recap: Travelling sorceress and Mage's College Associate Crystal Beth decided to write a "guide for College mages" while doing some adventuring in Falkreath. She figured it would be a diversion to her usual adventuring, a bit of mental exercise. She's hoping her guide will eventually become something any College mage can possibly use to gain the upper-hand amongst the typical enemies of Skyrim during combat situations....indoors or outdoors.

She presented the first draft of the first chapter of what may become her first book to the Arch Mage himself. He approved of her work, and urged her to write more.

After addressing the Arch Mage, Beth wound up spending a brief bit of time at the College. And after this, she gathered up all her coin (19,000+ gp) and headed off to Solitude to become the proud owner of Proudspire Manor, where she plans to write even more.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Midnight, 16th of Sun's Dawn, 4th Era, Year: 202

While our Altmer sorcerer Crystal Beth sorts her new life (and new house) in Solitude, things are getting ... interesting back at The College of Mages.


..."and I realize this first lesson is a slap to the face for those who have never been dungeon-eering. So let us break further chapters into morsels we can more-easily bite and digest.....

"Well. What do we think of this?" asks the group's unofficial leader, Mirabelle Ervine.

It is late at night, and Mirabelle has just finished reading one of the hand-written copies of Crystal Beth's tome-in-process to a group of the College's females. The Arch Mage himself took the time to scrawl out five copies of the first chapter, using an old-fashioned pen on parchment. He then distributed three of these copies: one to Mirabelle Ervine , one to Tolfdir, and one to Crystal Beth herself (for approval purposes). He kept the other two copies for himself. Now that Beth's work is out for anyone to read, Mirabelle has decided to take initiative, and make an example of Crystal's writings, to further her own agenda.

"What do we think of this so-called 'writing sorceress'?" she asks the group now.

Mirabelle is wearing her usual drab-colored robes, and has a small smirk upon her face as she takes measure of each and every present member. She stands before the group in the center-rear of the Library itself, while Nirya and the others are all seated at various tables. Tea has been brewed, and sweetrolls provided.

After reading their copy hours ago, Mirabella and her confidante (another high elf sorceress named Nirya) decided it would be a good idea to have a little "meeting". This meeting would take place late at night in the Mage's Library. This way, it would guarantee a lack of possible interruptions, as everyone would most-likely be asleep.

...Also, this meeting would females-only, so as to keep out 'furthering opinions' any of the males could generate.

The College's males mostly seemed to like Beth so far, and while not exactly praising her work as the Arch Mage had done, neither did they seem to properly critique or have any drastic opinion on it. Not that Mirabelle or Nirya could tell, anyways. Mirabelle noticed their behavior, she particularly noticed the "lack of contrary-ness" amongst the males. She decided they would simply not be invited to this midnight meeting. Better to control the room, this way.

"Confusingly scripted, terribly-written, and most of all, I think it is simply un-couth that she presented her crude writings directly to the Arch Mage him-self. And she's a simple Associate, at that. Who does such a thing?!" asks Nirya. She's got her usual highbrow tone of voice, as if she's not to ever be doubted.

"Exactly", agrees Mirabelle. "I myself have spoken to Beth numerous times, telling her 'not to bother the Arch Mage, unless absolutely necessary'. "This", Mirabella speaks, shaking the Roll of Paper that is the Prologue and Chapter I of Beth's upcoming book in her hand, "..this is not a reason to bother the Arch Mage".

"Further-more, I think Beth is lying" Nirya continues. "I do not think she has visited all the places she claims to have plundered. Nor has she taken down entire groups of bandits, necromancers, and other such enemies, as she asserts to have done".

"Lying? You think she is lying, do you? And why do you think thus?" asks a new voice. It's Faralda, the Destruction trainer. She asks this as though she's curious and slightly bewildered.

"She has to be lying!" Nirya barks. "Every-body knows Skyrim's treasures have long been looted! Every-body knows Skyrim's barrows, forts, and caves have all been gutted! Look at the lack of findings after Sarthaal! OH...there is some sort of 'mysterious' artifact we've located, but what of the so-called treasures? Shall we line our pockets, then, with bone dust and wooden spoons?" she asks sarcastically. ....."Simply no evidence has been found. And I will conclude: it is not possible for a single sorceress to take on an entire group of enemies by her-self, as Beth has claimed in her text, using such a vari'ty of spells. Simply not possible. She would be killed for certain".

"How do you know? When was the last time you took your-self into Skyrim's wilds? Fought an actual enemy? How long has it been? Let us all hear from the 'great Nirya herself! Fess up!" challenges Faralda.

"It is truth, that of which Nirya speaks". Mirabelle now counters in a calming voice. ...."When that group of mages, Tolfdir and Beth included, visited a nearby ruins known as Sarthaal, they found absolutley nothing of interest, other than the strange glowing artifact which now resides hauntingly in our very own Hall of Elements. Other than this artifact, the place was littered with bones and empty chests"

To her, the discussion is closed. As she looks to Nirya for the next item on the agenda: Figuring out what to 'do' about Crystal Beth, another female elf with a high but pleasant voice speaks up.

"You are wrong!"

It is Brelyna, a young Assocaite mage who's budding talent had been hampered by a few botched spells recently. Her voice wavers a bit as she finds her confidence. ....."I was at Sarthaal, yes I was in-deed! And although a lack of true treasures was located, I have seen sacks of gold Beth has been stashing away. I have seen them, in-deed! Each one, filled with a-thousand coin at least! She must be having successes with her adventuring, otherwise she would not be able to bring in so much!"

As she says this, a couple mages gasp.

"Rubbish" Mirabelle dismisses. "Perhaps she has been storing sacks, but I'd wager these are filled with nothing but foodstuffs!"

"Rubbish? Are you calling me a liar?"

"No. I am calling you what you truely are: naive and impetulant. But you are young, Brelyna. You are young and youth has plenty of mis-steps along the way. 'tis okay to be wrong, some of the time", she says this with a smirk.

"I am not! ... I am not wrong! I speak truth upon what I have seen, me lady!" she says, suddenly standing out of her seat.

Mirabelle looks to Nirya, her tea ( imbued with traces of moonsugar for 'enhancement purposes' ) starting to go cold. Nirya's face hardens as she gazes cautiously back at Mirabelle, and she shrugs her shoulders just a tad. Nirya apparently didn't expect any contrary opinions, either.

"The discussion is closed" Mirabelle decides. "I have nothing more to say to any of you, on this subject".

She orates this publicly to the other females, but as she speaks these words, she suddenly looks again to Nirya, sending her a mental wave she hopes nobody else will be able to pick up.

"Very well, then. But I know what I saw." says Brelyna, sounding defeated. ...She's so eager. So eager to be "included", thinks Mirabelle. Such naivety. I was like her once thinks Mirabelle...only I was not as mis-harbored as she.

One of the other females now sighs heavily before speaking.

"This discussion is not closed", she says firmly.

It is the Breton woman with the bowl-cut brown hair. The Cleric. She is the only one present not wearing a typical mage's set of robes. Instead, she is dressed in stuffs made much more crudely: leather armor and leather boots. Only upon her head does she wear something which is possibly magical: some sort of fortifying circlet.

Her name is Claire, and she's a cleric from one of Cyrodiil's provinces. As a cleric, she supposedly uses religious persuasions to enhance her work, mostly those persuasions of Mara. Mirabelle grasps her memory for the woman's name. Ahh. Claire Voyance the Cleric of Chorrol is her full title.

Claire Voyance had moved to Skyrim (according to her) to help the Imperials as a sort of "nurse", being adept at both Restoration and blunt-weapon combat. But now that she had arrived, Claire had taken more of an interest in learning spells other than healing types; and hence, she showed up here at The College. of Mages.

Now that she was here in Skyrim, Claire was having doubts about the Imperials and their causes, and had (so far) declined to help them at all out in the field. Like Crystal Beth, Claire Voyance is also a newcomer in search of learning a few things about magics. But Claire's crude dress, and also the fact that she is from Cyrodiil, have made her a bit of an outsider here at the College: Welcomed by some, ignored by others, and looked down upon by a few more.

"What? What say you, Cleric? Speak." Mirabelle says haughtilly.

"Listen. While I am not saying that her methods have been proven by me, me-self, I am saying that it is pointless to de-bunk Crystal Beth on these words, only". She gestures now, dramatically towards the chapter of text Mirabelle is holding. "I my-self have been to a few barrows and subterrnean areas. They are in-deed, packed with golds and treasures at times..."

"Nonsense" Mirabelle says, really getting irritated now, and trying her best not to show it. She's losing control of this "meeting", and it's not even 15 minutes young. ...."pure nonsense. You may have seen her stashing sacks away, but I'd wager those sacks full of nothing but food-stuffs!"

"No! It is true what I saw! All we have to do is get out there! Get into the world itself! We can find what she has, and show our strength and goodness for all of Skyrim's peoples to notice. And in so doing, we shall also line our walls with our riches. Praise Julianos!"

"I think she's right! And I believe Beth and her words!" ....It's The College's Restoration expert: a Breton named Colette Marence. She speaks up now, her voice also a little wobbly. None of these women had ever been forced to openly challenge Mirabelle, you see.

"Oh! Let us hear it from the healer!" Nirya scoffs. "And supposing you find your-self deep inside a draugr-barrow, what magics can you dis-pence upon your enemies?! HA ha ha ha!!!!" she snickers.

"Restoration is a perfectly valid form of magic, and I'm not going to let anyone else tell me otherwise!" Colette argues back.

"Perfectly valid for what? Healing up thy enemies in the midst of battling?" Nirya adds.

"Have you the power to turn such a draugr upon itself, backing it away into a state of confusion?"

"No! I have the power to utterly destroy such a draugr!"

..."And while we're here discussing", Colette realizes, "I have a question. Where have all my research materials been disappearing? I demand to know!"

....But her voice is not heard while several women now speak at once, talking over one another like a group of beggars at a feast.

Claire Voyance, Faralda, Colette Marence, and Brelyna Maryon seem to be taking sides (more or less) against Mirabella and Nirya, and the meeting loses whatever 'order' it had, quickly and firmly. This is not how things were supposed to go.

After speaking with Nirya the elf privately some hours before, it had been Mirabelle's plan to present her opinions to the rest of the College's females. She had assumed she would not be doubted, as it seemed quite obvious to her that Crystal Beth's claims were simply too far-fetched to be true.

In the process, Mirabelle had also planned this meeting for political reasons.

There had been some talk at The College lately of the Arch Mage somehow losing his position. When ( if ) he did, indeed, step down or get ousted, Mirabelle was hoping that she would be the one to take over. And why not? She has both the savvy and the cunning to lead this wretched place. Lead it to glory. Who would dare say otherwise?

In her mind, the fact that she's also a Breton, and not dark elf, is also something to consider. Obviously, the problem is that most of Skyrim's population is Nordic, and therefore, human. If an actual human was to lead The College of Mages, word would quickly spread, and soon opinion would grow more favorably.

As the ladies bicker and doubt one another, a dark, hooded figure now 'approaches the prey'. The figure manages to hide a few moments; trick of the light, and now strides openly into the Library's center without immediate notice.

"J'zargo thinks Crystal Beth's tome is to be taken seriously, and with heed". says the College's solitary khajiit. "J'zargo also agreeees all that Beth claims, is true".

"What is this? Who let this cat-person into the bag?" Nirya demands, her cheeks growing rosey. "This meeting was to be women-only!"

"J'zargo wonders how long Nirya will keep her head in her rump. J'zargo also wonders why the Arch Mage, nor any of College men, were not consulted about this meeting. Such things make him curious", he admits.

"The Arch Mage?" says Mirabella with a smrik. "And what say you about the Arch Mage, cat-person? What makes you think he needs to be present at every meeting we call to order. We can certainly handle our own here."

"J'zargo thinks this human's tone of voice is in-appropriate. J'zargo is also eager to prove that he is ready to claim what is rightfully his", he says vaguely.

"Well, I think the College is due for a change in leadership." Mirabella ignores, subconsciously changing the subject.

"Yes, and when the change in leadership comes, J'zargo will be ready to take it. Then we all can benefit from the wisdom of the Khajiit."

Suddenly, Mirabelle places her hand to her head. She's got what we here on Earth know as a "migraine". Mirabelle simply cannot take any more of this loss-of-control.....

"I have had ENOUGH of this nonsense!" she says, now giving up hope of properly addressing the "Crystal Beth" situation here and now. "This meeting is adjourned. Now..be OFF with you, cat-person! Be off with ALL of you!" she nearly screams, realizing her anger is starting to get the best of her.

Good thing The College's walls are sturdy and thick. As she loses her temper, Mirabelle has full confidence that Arch Mage Savos Aren (who is sleeping just yards above) will not awake to see what the commotion is.

As the ladies and the single khajiit look at one another, shrugging, and then striding off down two sets of stairs, Mirabelle calls Nirya over to her side. She sips on her now icey-cold moonsugar-laced tea, and wrinkles her face with disgust! Then, Mirabelle throws the cup across the room! Good thing the orc is not here. He would no-doubt be worried about any of his books getting damaged, and might even attack to defend them.

"We have some things to discuss, Nirya".

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4:20 am, 16th of Sun's Dawn...

"Are you sure you have checked every drawer? The end-table? Her wardrobe?"

"Yes, I have. Her gold is no longer there".

"But perhaps she placed it under her bed? Or in another room? Or perhaps the Cleric was wrong with her claims."

"She always kept her gold in her room. I know this. She kept it in the center cab'net between the two wardrobes. I did not wish to speak this in the meeting itself, but the Cleric is right. The elf we know as Crystal Beth has in-deed been bringing in some gold, and storing it into her very own room. I saw it with my very own eyes, me-self, but 'twas a few weeks ago when I saw this. How much gold has she? I do not know. But she is poss'bly quite rich by now".

"Why was I not informed?" demands Mirabella. "And wher'st is this gold now?"

"I know not" Nirya speaks truthfully. "She must have taken it all horse-back, last time she left Winterhold".

"Dammit to OBLIVION!"

After the "female-only" meeting was ended, the two ladies made a plan. Nirya was to sneak into Crystal Beth's room, make sure everyone was asleep (especially that darn cat-person!), and investigate Beth's now-empty room. She did so, yet could find no traces of gold, nor any other sorts of treasures. Just a few empty soul gems, books, and notes had been left behind. No gold.

Both ladies are now in Winterhold's tavern, having their own private meeting. It is quite late, yet neither is starved for sleep. They both refused any food or drink when the tavern owner inquired, telling him to "be off!"

As the tavern owner looks at them now from across the room, he says "Curses to you College-goers for destroying the grace which was once Winterhold" under his breath, and then immediately regrets what he said. What if they had some sort of super-hearing spell? If so, they could possibly have heard him, and could possibly incinerate him on the spot! Or worse! They could placate him and then incinerate him! He starts to sweat. But as they discuss in an intense manner, he realizes there is no super-hearnig spell going on. Or perhaps they're simply not using it.

"Not selling any goods to these ladies!" he complains, now that he knows he is safe to do so. "Stupid mages".

Mirabelle is now seething. She's not sure whether or not 'Crystal Beth' is speaking truth with her adventures, and Mirabella doesn't particularly care at the moment. She's wondering about the gold. In her mind, she believes this gold to be stolen, if it indeed exists in such great quantities. Two people now (one being her friend, the other a College newcomer...the Cleric woman) have so far attested to Crystal Beth's wealth. So if it's true she has become so endowed, this wealth could possibly be stolen.

No. MUST be stolen. It MUST be! For Beth could not possibly be galavanting about the countryside all by herself, taking down all sorts of enemies, and then claiming their winnings. Overall, Mirabelle does not doubt there are lots of enemies out there. She simply doubts Beth's methods of obtaining.

...But if Claire's words and Nirya's words were both to be trusted, if in fact Beth had thousands at her disposal, this would mean she is surely quite the thief.

....In fact, if she did have thousands stashed as Claire Voyance eagerly attested, the possibility is that Crystal Beth could be the thief. One of the very best thieves Skyrim has ever seen. Should Tolfdir and the Arch Mage himself be alerted to such? That's a question Nirya and Mirabelle both ask at various times during their private meeting.

As Mirabelle and Nirya leave Winterhold's dark, depressing tavern to yet another snowy, depressing morning, they have nothing pleasant to say or think on the subject of Crystal Beth.

Chapters of Beth's book mixed with plot(ting) is great. I see you've pulled in some of your other characters as well. J'Zargo popping in on the women's meeting has to be my favorite part.

Wow, nice to get some of Beth's perspective as she's been the part of the trio of Isaac, Hugh and herself doing magey things.