20210605 Naked Nord, OOO A Path of Iron
Leaving Merendin early the next morning the four of us traveled cross country northward in search for Marsh-Punk Camp where J’roga was last seen chasing after the axe stealing witch.
“If we’re lucky, J’roga has returned to Marsh Punk and he’ll be able to help us find the witch that stole the Nord’s axe. Tell me Elenya, how did you hear about this quill?”
“As you direct,” Elenya began. “Needing supplies for the Whitewing I made the trip to Menedin to pick up some things. There this big hulk of a guy with a wolf trotting at his side came in seeking information on Valenwood. He had long conversations with Merendin’s officers Tesserayiel, Karashivuel, Kanaane, and Zerrehju. Didn’t catch everything but the words quill, and Feyfolken kept popping up. Crazy thing is, the wolf did most of the talking.”
“Hmmm, that is strange. We’ll keep that in mind.”
Arriving at Marsh Punk Camp proved that we’re not that lucky. Marsh-Punk Camp has been taken over by a group of Dunmer dealing in the illegal Argonian slave trade.
The sight of the slavers triggered Elenya sense of evil and she reached for her sword. Kaleah caught Elenya’s hand.
“You will follow the Jandaga’s lead,” Kaleah said sternly.
A parley with Chief Derahed Faylu, the leader of the slavers informed us that they've been camping here now for short time. Chief Derahed Faylu’s explains that Marsh-Punk Camp looked like a tornado had torn through it when she and her crew first arrived. Cleaning the place up and making it suitable for their purposes took quite a bit of time too.
“Go ahead and search all you want. You might find a clue or two of what happened to your friend J’roga but I doubt it.”
A balance had been struck. For now Elenya accepts the situation.
Circling the camp searching for anything that might lead us to J’roga, we found tracks leading southward.
Placing her hand on the trodden plants, Elenya concentrated for a moment. “Gaia shows the way, Shattered Scales Cave.”
Not far from Marsh-Punk sat the mid-sized Shattered Scales Cave. On our arrival we were taken aback when Bog Ogres came out to greet us. It wasn’t that there were ogres there that shocked us as much as it was the size and ferociousness of the Ogres was unexpected.
Of course it got worse once we entered the cave. (this is one cave where Snus Dungeons over does the vegetation). Big ferocious and ravenous ogres attacked us at every twist and turn of the cavern. Pym and Elenya didn’t seem to mind too much as they jumped right on into the fray.
Stepping through the door that led to the Long Run was probably the most harrowing. It looked bad for Pym when she was caught by a huge ogre. Elenya was quick to slay the monster from behind.
The cave was quiet now. At the far end of the Long Run was a fairly large room its floor covered with the scattered bones of man and mer. The “Ogres’ dining room” Kaleah called it.
In the midst of the scattered bones were two fresh bodies; an Argoinian smuggler and a Dunmer slaver (both from OOO). There was also a third body of an Imperial adventurer, Rinfal Vrethhu. Past all the carnage in a far corner of the room lay the Greaves of Melius Petilius (OOO A Path of Iron). Magically bound to the cave floor, we were unable to pick them up.
“Melius Petilius?” Kaleah questioned. “He’s the guy we met pray at a gravesite near Brindle Home. Maybe we should tell him the greaves are here?”
“Surely that adventurer came looking for the Greaves of Milius Petilius,” added Elenya.
Searching the subdued cave we found a lot of stuff but no J’roga. Then Kaleah called out she had found a bell rope hanging from the roof. Giving it a tug opened a secret door revealing a hidden chamber. Yep, there we found the body of J’roga.
As we stood wondering why J’roga’s body was behind a secret door, a wizard appeared from out of the shadows.
He made a statement that our interference was no longer to be tolerated and then attacked. My ladies don’t like prying eyes hiding in dark corners. He won’t be making that mistake again.
Now it was our intention to continue north and take care of business there but this wizard has made things personal. We had better go south to Leyawiin and finish this matter.
Full Version: Today in Cyrodiil, spoilers version
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QUOTE(macole @ Jun 6 2021, 07:46 AM) 
There this big hulk of a guy with a wolf trotting at his side came in seeking information on Valenwood. He had long conversations with Merendin’s officers Tesserayiel, Karashivuel, Kanaane, and Zerrehju. Didn’t catch everything but the words quill, and Feyfolken kept popping up. Crazy thing is, the wolf did most of the talking.”
Ooh, that is crazy. Was that the wolf that had renounced drinking blood? We've come across one like that recently... It also tends to talk our collective ears off.
QUOTE
“Melius Petilius?” Kaleah questioned. “He’s the guy we met pray at a gravesite near Brindle Home. Maybe we should tell him the greaves are here?”
Wait, last time we ran into the chap, he was still wearing his armour... I wonder how he managed to lose it so far away from home.
With a little schooling, Elenya is working into the group nicely. 
She sure seems to be a good tracker!
She sure seems to be a good tracker!
QUOTE(Lena Wolf @ Jun 6 2021, 05:23 AM)
QUOTE(macole @ Jun 6 2021, 07:46 AM)
There this big hulk of a guy with a wolf trotting at his side came in seeking information on Valenwood. He had long conversations with Merendin’s officers Tesserayiel, Karashivuel, Kanaane, and Zerrehju. Didn’t catch everything but the words quill, and Feyfolken kept popping up. Crazy thing is, the wolf did most of the talking.”
Ooh, that is crazy. Was that the wolf that had renounced drinking blood? We've come across one like that recently... It also tends to talk our collective ears off.
Yes, pretty sure it's the same one. I didn't come up with the idea on my own, you know.
20210608 Naked Nord, chasing down the witch
Casting the Take Me Home spell we teleported to our Leyawiin home. Being rather late we decided on a light dinner, get some sleep, and pay a visit to the Blackwood company HQ tomorrow afternoon.
The next day before we left the house a message arrived telling us that Eloine has had her rendezvous with the minotaur. The message gave no hint as to the outcome. We’ll have to remember to ask her next time we’re in Orcrest.
A little bit of cashing in loot at the local shops and then it off to Blackwood Company. Ar’ahnir was saddened to hear the news of his friend J’roga. Unfortunately Ar’ahnir had no inkling as to where we could find the witch. He gave us 100 gold for our trouble and told us should we find and kill the witch to please let him know. Ar’ahnir intended to hold a service honoring his friend at our return with good news.
Taking the money we held it as a retainer we leaving Ar’ahnir and the Blackwood Company. Yes, we will find this witch but how? We have no idea where to start looking.
It was getting on late afternoon when we stepped out into the streets of Leyawiin. Kaleah off handily asked, “Doesn’t the Mages Guild Hall’s rose window glow particularly beautifully in the afternoon light, Arch-Mage?”
Looking at the hall I was about to say it reminded me of our magical nights together under the clear starry Elsweyr night sky. Then I realized what she had done.
I laughed and gave her little nudge. If one wants to know something about magic users, ahem like a witch, where would one go to do a little research? The Mages Guild, of course!
Yaranil, the Hidden Elf Guild Guide assigned to Leyawiin by the Stranded Light was standing outside the Mages Guild door. As we passed by I stopped and asked what she knew about witches. Not much it seems. Her suggestion was to talk to Raminus Polus at the Arcane University.
While we were talking Yaranil shared the one thing that irks her about Leyawiin. The waterway connecting the Niben to the sea is non-existent (vanilla game) or at best barely big enough to allow a large ship to pass through (Better Cities).
“One little thing irks me about Leyawiin,” Yaranil said. “Wasn’t there supposed to be a connection between the sea and the Niben? This whole town is blocking it currently. This won’t end well. I tell you!
Well, not my business if the flood comes. I can walk on water. If the pelanni can, we’ll see.”
Others inside the Mage Guild gave the same answer to our witch inquiries, go see Raminus Polus. With each answer My Ladies grew more and more excited.
Using the services of the Guild Guide Yaranil we are transported us directly to the Universitum Arcanorum.
Raminus, as usual is found pacing around in the lobby. To our surprise, when we explain the situation to Raminus we find out he is already aware of the issue. In the past several weeks there have been several incidents about a witch attacking men in Cyrodiil. The last two attacks resulted in the deaths of the victims. His prime suspect is a renegade mage, Viola Tarensa.
Raminus Polus said, “There are three victims in Leyawiin as well? Two weeks ago similar attacks were reported to us for the first time. There have been multiple male victims. First, the famous dark elf Ganthor Darben became her victim on the bank of the Canulus Lake, on Middas last week. On the next Loredas she seduced an Argonian near Morahame, a Redguard only one day thereafter in the ruins of Fort Redwater. Chances are she has also to answer for the two unclothed dead Bretons that were found in Bedrock Break yesterday.”
Raminus asked for our help in tracking down this renegade mage. He gave us what information he knew Viola Tarensa. She was the favorite student of Clara Astatius. Clara unfortunately no longer resides at the university and has moved to Anvil. If we could talk to Clara we might get a clue as to whereabouts of Viola Tarensa. I agreed.
Turning to My Ladies I asked, “Witches or vampires, who do you, want to tackle first?”
“GODDESS STORE!” their reply was deafening.
Casting the Take Me Home spell we teleported to our Leyawiin home. Being rather late we decided on a light dinner, get some sleep, and pay a visit to the Blackwood company HQ tomorrow afternoon.
The next day before we left the house a message arrived telling us that Eloine has had her rendezvous with the minotaur. The message gave no hint as to the outcome. We’ll have to remember to ask her next time we’re in Orcrest.
A little bit of cashing in loot at the local shops and then it off to Blackwood Company. Ar’ahnir was saddened to hear the news of his friend J’roga. Unfortunately Ar’ahnir had no inkling as to where we could find the witch. He gave us 100 gold for our trouble and told us should we find and kill the witch to please let him know. Ar’ahnir intended to hold a service honoring his friend at our return with good news.
Taking the money we held it as a retainer we leaving Ar’ahnir and the Blackwood Company. Yes, we will find this witch but how? We have no idea where to start looking.
It was getting on late afternoon when we stepped out into the streets of Leyawiin. Kaleah off handily asked, “Doesn’t the Mages Guild Hall’s rose window glow particularly beautifully in the afternoon light, Arch-Mage?”
Looking at the hall I was about to say it reminded me of our magical nights together under the clear starry Elsweyr night sky. Then I realized what she had done.
I laughed and gave her little nudge. If one wants to know something about magic users, ahem like a witch, where would one go to do a little research? The Mages Guild, of course!
Yaranil, the Hidden Elf Guild Guide assigned to Leyawiin by the Stranded Light was standing outside the Mages Guild door. As we passed by I stopped and asked what she knew about witches. Not much it seems. Her suggestion was to talk to Raminus Polus at the Arcane University.
While we were talking Yaranil shared the one thing that irks her about Leyawiin. The waterway connecting the Niben to the sea is non-existent (vanilla game) or at best barely big enough to allow a large ship to pass through (Better Cities).
“One little thing irks me about Leyawiin,” Yaranil said. “Wasn’t there supposed to be a connection between the sea and the Niben? This whole town is blocking it currently. This won’t end well. I tell you!
Well, not my business if the flood comes. I can walk on water. If the pelanni can, we’ll see.”
Others inside the Mage Guild gave the same answer to our witch inquiries, go see Raminus Polus. With each answer My Ladies grew more and more excited.
Using the services of the Guild Guide Yaranil we are transported us directly to the Universitum Arcanorum.
Raminus, as usual is found pacing around in the lobby. To our surprise, when we explain the situation to Raminus we find out he is already aware of the issue. In the past several weeks there have been several incidents about a witch attacking men in Cyrodiil. The last two attacks resulted in the deaths of the victims. His prime suspect is a renegade mage, Viola Tarensa.
Raminus Polus said, “There are three victims in Leyawiin as well? Two weeks ago similar attacks were reported to us for the first time. There have been multiple male victims. First, the famous dark elf Ganthor Darben became her victim on the bank of the Canulus Lake, on Middas last week. On the next Loredas she seduced an Argonian near Morahame, a Redguard only one day thereafter in the ruins of Fort Redwater. Chances are she has also to answer for the two unclothed dead Bretons that were found in Bedrock Break yesterday.”
Raminus asked for our help in tracking down this renegade mage. He gave us what information he knew Viola Tarensa. She was the favorite student of Clara Astatius. Clara unfortunately no longer resides at the university and has moved to Anvil. If we could talk to Clara we might get a clue as to whereabouts of Viola Tarensa. I agreed.
Turning to My Ladies I asked, “Witches or vampires, who do you, want to tackle first?”
“GODDESS STORE!” their reply was deafening.
QUOTE(macole @ Jun 9 2021, 05:10 AM)
Turning to My Ladies I asked, “Witches or vampires, who do you, want to tackle first?”
“GODDESS STORE!” their reply was deafening.
Sounds like a dangerous store if it sells both!
QUOTE(Lena Wolf @ Jun 9 2021, 01:46 AM)
QUOTE(macole @ Jun 9 2021, 05:10 AM)
Turning to My Ladies I asked, “Witches or vampires, who do you, want to tackle first?”
“GODDESS STORE!” their reply was deafening.
Sounds like a dangerous store if it sells both!
The Goddess Store is an emporium for ladies specializing in exotic clothing, armor, and accessories. Exceedingly dangerous to one’s bank account. Given a choice to go fight witches or vampires the ladies chose shopping at The Goddess Store.
I’ll see if they give virtual tours for those unable to visit the store (mod).
Any visit to the Imperial City is an excuse to go shoppping at the Goddess Store. Buffy enjoyed shopping there but so much of the stuff had to be altered fit her. Thank the Goddess for the B-cup partial conversion of that mod. 
I wonder if the crew will be off to Anvil to visit Clara next?
I wonder if the crew will be off to Anvil to visit Clara next?
The Goddess Store is a great mod. It has some really fantastic outfits. But at 3.66 GB it is a bit large for my aging computer to handle. Loading too much data can make Oblivion unstable for me. So when I want something from the Goddess Store I extract the meshes and textures and recreate the items in a brand new mod. I stick the items in a barrel or add them to an existing merchant and then uninstall the Goddess Store .esp - until I need something else from the mod.
Thankfully that old saying "depends on the character" applies here, for me. Some of my characters can't stand some of the risque stuff Goddess Store sells, and they never walk back in there again. 
Saga's a good example. She usually wants stuff that'll help her blend in once she's out in the wilderness. Other characters (like Renee Gade III *PIC*) get rather addicted to the place. And so they'd better have over a thousand gold pieces going in there, or else!
But from my perspective, one thing I like about Goddess Store is it's open 24/7. One of the goddesses can always repair our stuff, and I believe another one enchants. As eternal goddesses (I assume) they never go anywhere. They don't have to eat or sleep or disappear.
Convenience, especially for a vampire I had a few years ago who could barely shop during the day.
Saga's a good example. She usually wants stuff that'll help her blend in once she's out in the wilderness. Other characters (like Renee Gade III *PIC*) get rather addicted to the place. And so they'd better have over a thousand gold pieces going in there, or else!But from my perspective, one thing I like about Goddess Store is it's open 24/7. One of the goddesses can always repair our stuff, and I believe another one enchants. As eternal goddesses (I assume) they never go anywhere. They don't have to eat or sleep or disappear.
Convenience, especially for a vampire I had a few years ago who could barely shop during the day.
QUOTE(Pseron Wyrd @ Jun 9 2021, 04:26 PM)
The Goddess Store is a great mod. It has some really fantastic outfits. But at 3.66 GB it is a bit large for my aging computer to handle. Loading too much data can make Oblivion unstable for me. So when I want something from the Goddess Store I extract the meshes and textures and recreate the items in a brand new mod. I stick the items in a barrel or add them to an existing merchant and then uninstall the Goddess Store .esp - until I need something else from the mod.
Ripping out an outfit or weapon from a larger shop mod, such as Robert's Armory, to create my own mod is something I've done in Morrowind but I haven't tried in Oblivion.
Since I've play a male character the question is why do I include the Goddess Store at all. It's the female companions, although the Gaoddesses aren't too bad to look at either. With up to 8 companions, not all travel with me at once, the ladies need some R&R and the Goddess Store provides a excuse for the ladies to enjoy themselves.
Over the last ten years it's become the running joke in the game. Arrive at the Imperial City, cash in a ton of valuable loot. Ladies run off to go shopping at the Goddess Store. We leave the I.C, flat broke.
QUOTE(macole @ Jun 10 2021, 05:47 PM)
Over the last ten years it's become the running joke in the game. Arrive at the Imperial City, cash in a ton of valuable loot. Ladies run off to go shopping at the Goddess Store. We leave the I.C, flat broke.
You wouldn't know what to do with those riches anyway. The ladies are doing you a favour of preventing your untimely demise through being crushed under too much gold.
20210620 the Goddess Store
Leaving the University we made a quick stop to check my account balance before heading to the Waterfront.
“Well what an unexpected pleasure it is to see the Psychadelic Warrior,” Venus the Goddess of Love and Beauty greeted us as we entered the Goddess Store. “I’m sure the Field Hippies will be pleased to see you. Perhaps you can help a friend make a decision?”
Field Hippies, now what did she mean by that?
That fleeting thought was interrupted by a familiar voice, “Does this make me look fat?”
Spinning around I came face to um, face with Vilja. She was trying on pirate outfits and the one she had on certainly didn’t make her look fat.
Seeing Vilja in her new pirate outfit Kaleah, Pym, and Elenya waste no time in trying on some of Goddess Venus’ evening wear.
Looking around the main floor of the Goddess Store, I… uh oh, I’m not getting away on the cheap this time. It wasn’t just Vilja; all my Ladies were here. They were milling around Venus and Isis like a crazed Black Friday mob at a Door Buster sale.
So, this is what they do when I’m not around to supervise.
Thank the Goddess; I don’t see Fiona and Yesmin. Never mind, I found them on the second floor, being fitted with armor by the goddesses Athena and Hecate.
Going back to the main floor I find the Ladies are gone. Oh no, they wouldn’t!
Yep, they did. There they were downstairs in the Serpent Goddess Chamber browsing the exotic offerings of the goddesses Sekhmet, Wadjet, and Kali.
It’s definitely going to be one of those days. Giving up, I changed out of my armor for something more comfortable and went downstairs to the bar. Three Goddesses can be found hawking their wares in the barroom; Bast, Freya, and Diana.
After a few bottles of wine, I told the bartender, the goddesses Bast to wake me when the frenzy was over.
The goddesses didn’t have to wake me. The raucous, the Ladies made with all their chattering over who got the better deals, was enough to wake the dead.
Kaleah, Maeva, and Elenya wanted to show off their new armor kits.
Kaleah and Maeva bought theirs from the Goddess Bast. The armor may be stylish but the shiny vinyl gave them a cheap look that I didn’t care for.
Elenya was wearing an armor outfit she purchased from Diana. The leather biker jacket, blue jean hot pants, and boots I really liked but the outfit seemed so out of place.
“But this is what all the famous tomb raiders wear,” Elenya said indignantly.
I was about to mention something to Kaleah, Maeva, and Elenya when a sudden thought of clarity stopped me.
After a thought reset I shouted,”Drinks are on me.”
The party lasted well into the wee hours of the night. After which we all stumbled down to the Bloated Float where my good friend Ormil found places on the floor for us to sleep.
Leaving the University we made a quick stop to check my account balance before heading to the Waterfront.
“Well what an unexpected pleasure it is to see the Psychadelic Warrior,” Venus the Goddess of Love and Beauty greeted us as we entered the Goddess Store. “I’m sure the Field Hippies will be pleased to see you. Perhaps you can help a friend make a decision?”
Field Hippies, now what did she mean by that?
That fleeting thought was interrupted by a familiar voice, “Does this make me look fat?”
Spinning around I came face to um, face with Vilja. She was trying on pirate outfits and the one she had on certainly didn’t make her look fat.
Seeing Vilja in her new pirate outfit Kaleah, Pym, and Elenya waste no time in trying on some of Goddess Venus’ evening wear.
Looking around the main floor of the Goddess Store, I… uh oh, I’m not getting away on the cheap this time. It wasn’t just Vilja; all my Ladies were here. They were milling around Venus and Isis like a crazed Black Friday mob at a Door Buster sale.
So, this is what they do when I’m not around to supervise.
Thank the Goddess; I don’t see Fiona and Yesmin. Never mind, I found them on the second floor, being fitted with armor by the goddesses Athena and Hecate.
Going back to the main floor I find the Ladies are gone. Oh no, they wouldn’t!
Yep, they did. There they were downstairs in the Serpent Goddess Chamber browsing the exotic offerings of the goddesses Sekhmet, Wadjet, and Kali.
It’s definitely going to be one of those days. Giving up, I changed out of my armor for something more comfortable and went downstairs to the bar. Three Goddesses can be found hawking their wares in the barroom; Bast, Freya, and Diana.
After a few bottles of wine, I told the bartender, the goddesses Bast to wake me when the frenzy was over.
The goddesses didn’t have to wake me. The raucous, the Ladies made with all their chattering over who got the better deals, was enough to wake the dead.
Kaleah, Maeva, and Elenya wanted to show off their new armor kits.
Kaleah and Maeva bought theirs from the Goddess Bast. The armor may be stylish but the shiny vinyl gave them a cheap look that I didn’t care for.
Elenya was wearing an armor outfit she purchased from Diana. The leather biker jacket, blue jean hot pants, and boots I really liked but the outfit seemed so out of place.
“But this is what all the famous tomb raiders wear,” Elenya said indignantly.
I was about to mention something to Kaleah, Maeva, and Elenya when a sudden thought of clarity stopped me.
After a thought reset I shouted,”Drinks are on me.”
The party lasted well into the wee hours of the night. After which we all stumbled down to the Bloated Float where my good friend Ormil found places on the floor for us to sleep.
Haha! That really got into a 'fitting frenzy'. The old coin purse should be a lot lighter now. A LOT.
Buffy recalls several of those outfits but she required quite a bit of tailoring down to get them to fit. Screenshot
Buffy recalls several of those outfits but she required quite a bit of tailoring down to get them to fit. Screenshot
That is a very nice picture of Buffy in the black dragon robe. Too bad I'm not a very good tailor as there are a few nice items that don't fit well. Some of the armors either clip of give the ladies a thick tree trunk neck.
It's a good thing I have plenty of houses; one in every city and several extras. The ladies need plenty of closet space.
It's a good thing I have plenty of houses; one in every city and several extras. The ladies need plenty of closet space.
You've outdone yourself, macole. 
What a silly episode this was. Psychedelic Warrior indeed. 
I do really like the red, black, and blue they're wearing in that first shot. I could see Renee Gade III wearing something like that in her off-time.
See, now you know why Vampire Hunting was so awkward when Renee was doing that questline, especially the random vampires part. She'd always *not* be wearing armor in her off-time. Instead she'd be in some ridiculous dress and be totally unprepared when she spotted one of those vampires, and then she'd always want to attack and un-life the vampire anyways.
EDit: yes, Buffy fits in that black one-piece. She actually looks taller than usual!
What a silly episode this was. Psychedelic Warrior indeed. I do really like the red, black, and blue they're wearing in that first shot. I could see Renee Gade III wearing something like that in her off-time.
See, now you know why Vampire Hunting was so awkward when Renee was doing that questline, especially the random vampires part. She'd always *not* be wearing armor in her off-time. Instead she'd be in some ridiculous dress and be totally unprepared when she spotted one of those vampires, and then she'd always want to attack and un-life the vampire anyways.
EDit: yes, Buffy fits in that black one-piece. She actually looks taller than usual!
QUOTE(Renee @ Jun 23 2021, 06:59 AM)
You've outdone yourself, macole.
What a silly episode this was. Psychedelic Warrior indeed. Thanks, hope you don't mind a bit of silly. The Goddess Store page was for those who don't or can't use mods so that they can get some idea of what the store is like.
I've tried being serious. I don't think I'm good at it. It brings back dark depressing memories of my "lost years", '68 through '70.
QUOTE
See, now you know why Vampire Hunting was so awkward when Renee was doing that questline, especially the random vampires part. She'd always *not* be wearing armor in her off-time. Instead she'd be in some ridiculous dress and be totally unprepared when she spotted one of those vampires, and then she'd always want to attack and un-life the vampire anyways.
It's a little easier for male characters, I think. There's very little of what I consider good looking clothing available for the males.
20210627 Sutch Village, Fort Sutch completed
One by one my Ladies left the Bloated Float to return to their respective stations.
Maeva, headed southeast to Crementine Temple Cathedral to protect Lilia the White Wing from the evil sisters of Athena, and to instruct her in the gentle ways of the Cute Elves.
Fiona left for the wine presses of Shadowcrest Vineyard. Yesmin, Claire, Elenya, Pym, Kaleah, Vilja, and I traveled with her as far as Shadowcrest Vineyard. There we parted ways with Fiona, leaving her at the vineyard as we continued on to Anvil.
While escorting the ladies to Anvil a courier delivered a couple messages. It appears that things have been happening around Cyrodiil and elsewhere while I was trapped in the ladies fashion emporium. The first message reminded us that we could now return to Orcrest and find out how Eloine’s rendezvous with the Minotaur went.
The second message was to inform us that Fort Such was now totally complete
It was late when we arrived at Benirus Manor. Clair immediately went downstairs to the secret vault to inspect the artifacts we had stored in Lorgren’s tomb.
The five remaining Ladies drew straws to see which two would share the only bed.
I didn’t bother, I’d just lose anyways. I always do. Us losers settled for not so comfy spots on the floor to curl up and sleep.
The next morning I escorted Vilja to Dunbarrow Cove. Once there, without having to be asked twice Vilja took charge of the pirating operation.
Back in Anvil, I took Kaleah to Morvayn’s Peacemakers to trade in all the excess arms and armor she’s been carrying. In appreciation of my masterful mercantile skills and for being freed of all that junk Kaleah wrapped me up in her arms and soft wings for a big hug; much to the dismay of Morvayn.
I could feel Morvayn’s intense pinched-eyed stare of disapproval on my back as we walked out the door. I guess worshiping “good daedra” is not the same thing as a show of affection by one.
From Morvayn’s our next stop was the local Mages Guile Hall where we spoke to Carahil. Aware of why we were there Carahil was prepared to hand us the key to Clara Astatius’ house. As she was showing us the location of the house on a map Carahil mentioned that we were expected.
Well would you look at that, Sutch is on the way to Clara Astatius’s house. We can check out the new Fort Sutch along the way.
“Come on Kaleah let’s get the others and go see the new Fort Sutch.”
Pym and Elenya were eager to be on the way. As expected Claire to want to remain in Lorgren’s laboratory.
Yesmin also had decided she wanted to stay in Anvil for a while. She was having thoughts about taking the Flounders Flourish out and sail around the bay.
The trip to Sutch took the rest of the day. It was nice to see the reconstructed Fort Sutch.
The interior was very nicely done but there was one tiny detail that bothered us.
As we took in the view from the ramparts of the fort Kaleah leaned close and whispered, “Why are the trebuchet and ballista artillery directed at the village?”
Accepting an offer from Julius Gareun whom I supposed was the fort’s commandant, we spent the night at Fort Such.
The accommodations were more than satisfactory and I should have slept soundly but Kaleah’s question bothered me throughout the night.
One by one my Ladies left the Bloated Float to return to their respective stations.
Maeva, headed southeast to Crementine Temple Cathedral to protect Lilia the White Wing from the evil sisters of Athena, and to instruct her in the gentle ways of the Cute Elves.
Fiona left for the wine presses of Shadowcrest Vineyard. Yesmin, Claire, Elenya, Pym, Kaleah, Vilja, and I traveled with her as far as Shadowcrest Vineyard. There we parted ways with Fiona, leaving her at the vineyard as we continued on to Anvil.
While escorting the ladies to Anvil a courier delivered a couple messages. It appears that things have been happening around Cyrodiil and elsewhere while I was trapped in the ladies fashion emporium. The first message reminded us that we could now return to Orcrest and find out how Eloine’s rendezvous with the Minotaur went.
The second message was to inform us that Fort Such was now totally complete
It was late when we arrived at Benirus Manor. Clair immediately went downstairs to the secret vault to inspect the artifacts we had stored in Lorgren’s tomb.
The five remaining Ladies drew straws to see which two would share the only bed.
I didn’t bother, I’d just lose anyways. I always do. Us losers settled for not so comfy spots on the floor to curl up and sleep.
The next morning I escorted Vilja to Dunbarrow Cove. Once there, without having to be asked twice Vilja took charge of the pirating operation.
Back in Anvil, I took Kaleah to Morvayn’s Peacemakers to trade in all the excess arms and armor she’s been carrying. In appreciation of my masterful mercantile skills and for being freed of all that junk Kaleah wrapped me up in her arms and soft wings for a big hug; much to the dismay of Morvayn.
I could feel Morvayn’s intense pinched-eyed stare of disapproval on my back as we walked out the door. I guess worshiping “good daedra” is not the same thing as a show of affection by one.
From Morvayn’s our next stop was the local Mages Guile Hall where we spoke to Carahil. Aware of why we were there Carahil was prepared to hand us the key to Clara Astatius’ house. As she was showing us the location of the house on a map Carahil mentioned that we were expected.
Well would you look at that, Sutch is on the way to Clara Astatius’s house. We can check out the new Fort Sutch along the way.
“Come on Kaleah let’s get the others and go see the new Fort Sutch.”
Pym and Elenya were eager to be on the way. As expected Claire to want to remain in Lorgren’s laboratory.
Yesmin also had decided she wanted to stay in Anvil for a while. She was having thoughts about taking the Flounders Flourish out and sail around the bay.
The trip to Sutch took the rest of the day. It was nice to see the reconstructed Fort Sutch.
The interior was very nicely done but there was one tiny detail that bothered us.
As we took in the view from the ramparts of the fort Kaleah leaned close and whispered, “Why are the trebuchet and ballista artillery directed at the village?”
Accepting an offer from Julius Gareun whom I supposed was the fort’s commandant, we spent the night at Fort Such.
The accommodations were more than satisfactory and I should have slept soundly but Kaleah’s question bothered me throughout the night.
What a crew! Probably a good thing that the number of ladies traveling with the Jandanga was thinned down some during their travels.
Given her new outfit, of course Vilja would take charge of that pirate village.
Hmm, why are the siege engines aimed at the village indeed?
Given her new outfit, of course Vilja would take charge of that pirate village.
Hmm, why are the siege engines aimed at the village indeed?
QUOTE(macole @ Jun 27 2021, 02:32 AM)
I have always assumed they belonged to the invading forces that destroyed Fort Sutch.
20210630 SutchVillage OysterBay, NakedNord ClaraAstatius
We left Fort Sutch early the following morning. We declined Julius Gareun’s offered to have breakfast delivered from the Silver Star Inn. When we mentioned we’d like to see how Paj Meel was doing, Julius agreed that that was a wise choice. Not only would the food be hotter but deliveries to the fort can be very slow.
Over breakfast we discussed how to get to Clara Astatius’s house. The house is supposed to be on the banks of the Brena River. The road heading west from the village appears to cut through the mountain range behind Sutch Village. We leave the inn hoping that the road takes us to the banks of the Brena.
The road west cuts a narrow path through the mountain range. Exiting the cut we continue down the slope until we come to the small deep water port of Oyster Bay (Sutch Village). Talking to some of the residents reveals some interesting facts about Oyster Bay. The little settlement has a storied past from the days of old when Anvil itself was still ruled by pirate kings.
Nowadays, with Sutch as its major trading partner, Oyster Bay appears to be much more respectable. Oyster Bay’s lucrative contracts with Sutch to ship ebony ore from the Sutch mine to prime ports in Hammerfell has turned the once pirate haven into a respectable port. That’s the official story.
Unofficially we got the impression that something is going on under the table. Talking to the residents of Oyster Bay we heard comments like; “A veritable haven to collect all kinds of delicacies from the rich waters” and “Fishermen? Ha ha, no. While a few do enjoy it our main source of income is the trade routes”. Code phrases for pirating, I’m sure.
As long as Oyster Bay lives up to its agreements and does not disrupt ebony shipments, the undermanned garrison stationed at the fort is willing to ignore the pirating. Why upset the cart and lose the valuable trade. For the time being anyways.
Walking around Oyster Bay we could see Clara Astatius’s house high on a cliff overlooking the Brena River. And near impossible to get to from Oyster Bay. We’ll have to go back up the road to Sutch and circle around.
When the road to Sutch cut through the mountain the sight of Fort Sutch loomed over the town of Sutch. Seeing its artillery directly in line with us gave me the answer to Kaleah’s question. The citizens of Sutch do not trust the pirates of Oyster Bay.
Should pirates or for that matter any other invading force attack Sutch from Oyster Bay they would be constricted to this narrow pass. Well placed stones shot from a magically enhanced trebuchet could pin invaders here, giving Sutch time to mount defenses.
It was a walk but on the far side of Silver Star Manor and Vineyard we found a path taking us to Clara’s house. The key we were given worked and we entered. There was a very brief glimpse of activity and the lights went out. Someone had cast a darkness spell.
I summoned Twinkle to counter the datkness. In the resulting twilight my Ladies severely admonished three bandit wizards for their complete lack of manners when greeting guests. The wizards learned their lessons well and I’m certain they will never misbehave again.
Fearing the worst we searched the house for Clara. On the second floor we found a magical fire, you know the kind that burns flesh but nothing else, had been set blocking a bedroom door. A woman’s voice pleading for help could be heard on the other side of the door.
Thinking only of putting out a fire I grabbed a bucket from the basement, raced down to Oyster Bay, filled the bucket from the river, and raced back again to douse the flames.
I was near collapses, exhausted, huffing and puffing like a blacksmith’s bellows.
My sweet lovely supportive ladies stood there arms akimbo, eyes flashing and toes tapping.
“You know you could have just teleported down to Oyster Bay and back again with the water and been back in seconds,” scolded Kaleah. “Instead you go running off like a ninny.”
“OK, ok. I admit I panicked.”
With the fire extinguished Clara Astatius stepped out of the room to talk with us. She told us more of the story. Clara was shocked but not surprise to hear the news of her once prize student, Viola Tarensa. Giving us her journal Carla suggested that a location may be found within. Fort Goldthroat was mentioned as a favorite place of Viola Tarensa. This may be significant. We need to return to the Imperial City and inform Raminus.
“First,” suggested Elenya. “Let’s go back to the Silver Star Inn for dinner and a room for the night.”
We left Fort Sutch early the following morning. We declined Julius Gareun’s offered to have breakfast delivered from the Silver Star Inn. When we mentioned we’d like to see how Paj Meel was doing, Julius agreed that that was a wise choice. Not only would the food be hotter but deliveries to the fort can be very slow.
Over breakfast we discussed how to get to Clara Astatius’s house. The house is supposed to be on the banks of the Brena River. The road heading west from the village appears to cut through the mountain range behind Sutch Village. We leave the inn hoping that the road takes us to the banks of the Brena.
The road west cuts a narrow path through the mountain range. Exiting the cut we continue down the slope until we come to the small deep water port of Oyster Bay (Sutch Village). Talking to some of the residents reveals some interesting facts about Oyster Bay. The little settlement has a storied past from the days of old when Anvil itself was still ruled by pirate kings.
Nowadays, with Sutch as its major trading partner, Oyster Bay appears to be much more respectable. Oyster Bay’s lucrative contracts with Sutch to ship ebony ore from the Sutch mine to prime ports in Hammerfell has turned the once pirate haven into a respectable port. That’s the official story.
Unofficially we got the impression that something is going on under the table. Talking to the residents of Oyster Bay we heard comments like; “A veritable haven to collect all kinds of delicacies from the rich waters” and “Fishermen? Ha ha, no. While a few do enjoy it our main source of income is the trade routes”. Code phrases for pirating, I’m sure.
As long as Oyster Bay lives up to its agreements and does not disrupt ebony shipments, the undermanned garrison stationed at the fort is willing to ignore the pirating. Why upset the cart and lose the valuable trade. For the time being anyways.
Walking around Oyster Bay we could see Clara Astatius’s house high on a cliff overlooking the Brena River. And near impossible to get to from Oyster Bay. We’ll have to go back up the road to Sutch and circle around.
When the road to Sutch cut through the mountain the sight of Fort Sutch loomed over the town of Sutch. Seeing its artillery directly in line with us gave me the answer to Kaleah’s question. The citizens of Sutch do not trust the pirates of Oyster Bay.
Should pirates or for that matter any other invading force attack Sutch from Oyster Bay they would be constricted to this narrow pass. Well placed stones shot from a magically enhanced trebuchet could pin invaders here, giving Sutch time to mount defenses.
It was a walk but on the far side of Silver Star Manor and Vineyard we found a path taking us to Clara’s house. The key we were given worked and we entered. There was a very brief glimpse of activity and the lights went out. Someone had cast a darkness spell.
I summoned Twinkle to counter the datkness. In the resulting twilight my Ladies severely admonished three bandit wizards for their complete lack of manners when greeting guests. The wizards learned their lessons well and I’m certain they will never misbehave again.
Fearing the worst we searched the house for Clara. On the second floor we found a magical fire, you know the kind that burns flesh but nothing else, had been set blocking a bedroom door. A woman’s voice pleading for help could be heard on the other side of the door.
Thinking only of putting out a fire I grabbed a bucket from the basement, raced down to Oyster Bay, filled the bucket from the river, and raced back again to douse the flames.
I was near collapses, exhausted, huffing and puffing like a blacksmith’s bellows.
My sweet lovely supportive ladies stood there arms akimbo, eyes flashing and toes tapping.
“You know you could have just teleported down to Oyster Bay and back again with the water and been back in seconds,” scolded Kaleah. “Instead you go running off like a ninny.”
“OK, ok. I admit I panicked.”
With the fire extinguished Clara Astatius stepped out of the room to talk with us. She told us more of the story. Clara was shocked but not surprise to hear the news of her once prize student, Viola Tarensa. Giving us her journal Carla suggested that a location may be found within. Fort Goldthroat was mentioned as a favorite place of Viola Tarensa. This may be significant. We need to return to the Imperial City and inform Raminus.
“First,” suggested Elenya. “Let’s go back to the Silver Star Inn for dinner and a room for the night.”
Reading such stories makes me daze out into the distance... I see a day in the future when Lena's Cyrodiil might move to PC... and open the borders to other lands... and pirates... and new settlements...
I snap back to reality. May be one day. There's still lots to do in Lena's Cyrodiil as it is, without opening borders. Gods know what might come in, once you do...
I snap back to reality. May be one day. There's still lots to do in Lena's Cyrodiil as it is, without opening borders.
Gods know what might come in, once you do...
Oyster Bay is lovely! For Buffy’s fiction, we quite developed the seagoing trade routes, including the trading companies, routes and even ship names. Did not use any mods to support that though. Even had to pretend the lower Niben had sea access via Leyawiin.
Twinkle makes a great counter to a darkness spell.
Running down to the bay to fetch a pail of water? How pedestrian.
Twinkle makes a great counter to a darkness spell.
Running down to the bay to fetch a pail of water? How pedestrian.
QUOTE(Acadian @ Jun 30 2021, 01:52 PM)
Oyster Bay is lovely!
Yes, it is. And it meshes perfectly with Tamriel Rebuilt's Stirk island. My previous character started the game on Stirk, swam over to Oyster Bay (they are within sight of each other), traveled from Oyster Bay to Sutch, and from Sutch to the Fighters Guild in Anvil. That journey was a perfect way to ease gradually into the vanilla game.
QUOTE(Acadian @ Jun 30 2021, 12:52 PM)
Running down to the bay to fetch a pail of water? How pedestrian.
It's a good thing Jill wasn't with me. I might have fallen into something.
QUOTE(Pseron Wyrd @ Jun 30 2021, 01:13 PM)
My previous character started the game on Stirk, swam over to Oyster Bay (they are within sight of each other), traveled from Oyster Bay to Sutch, and from Sutch to the Fighters Guild in Anvil. That journey was a perfect way to ease gradually into the vanilla game.
Yes it would be a perfect start. I'll try to remember that should I ever start again.
202107 Sutch Village - Wine, Women, and Song
Nearing the Silver Star Inn we received a message informing us that Elliot Levitius, the owner of the Silver Star Manor, has gone missing. Perhaps we should talk to Paj-Meel about this.
“Isn’t that the big house with the vineyard we just passed?” Elenya asked. “I couldn’t help but pick a couple grapes as we passed by. They are very good.”
During dinner Paj-Meel explained about the message. It seems no one has heard from Elliot Levitius in months. It’s like he just packed up and left in the middle of the night. According to the charter his house and all it contains, including the vineyard and servants is for sale.
The asking price of 40,000 is high but it’s a lot of house and property to consider. I told Paj-Meel we’ll think it over and give him an answer in the morning. We then rented a room for the night.
It was breakfast time when Elenya got back from an early morning walk to visit the vineyard. All she could talk about how the fabulous grapes were. Why with Shadowcrest Vineyard and Silver Star Winery, we could equal or exceed Tamika and Surilie Brothers combined.
Balance in nature is everything according to Elenya. Until it comes to dominating the completion, that is.
That settled it. Calling Paj-Meel over, we completed the purchase of Silver Star Manor by the time breakfast over. Paj-Meel’s eyes popped when Kaleah dropped a sack of gold coins on the table.
“She’s a… she’s a… she’s a,” was all he could say. Like he’d never seen Daedra Seducer before.
Transaction complete, we went straight away to inspect our new enterprise.
There it was, Silver Star Manor sitting atop the hill high above the town of Sutch. The way the sunlight struck it gave the house an eerie look.
“House on Hunted Hill,” I said absent mindedly.
“Bates’ Motel,” countered Elenya.
Pym started drawing blazing runes of protection in the air while Kaleah, the one who laughs in the face of danger, started singing.
“We’re gonna lay around the shanty, Feache, and put a good buzz on.”
That broke the tension. We opened the door and stepped on into Silver Star Manor.
Contrary to our first impressions once inside the manor everything seemed perfectly normal. Well, aside from the creepy looking caretakers, that is. As described the manor and vineyard came completely furnished and in good working order. After introducing ourselves to the creepy couple, Gill immediately brought up business matters necessary to keep the winery operating.
The Anvil delivery contracts had gone into default after Elliot Levitius vanished. We need to go to Anvil and renegotiate new wine delivery contracts with the local inns.
Popping over to Anvil, we first try our negotiating skills at the Count’s Arms. Despite My Ladies best efforts to entice Wilbur into signing, the publican refused to negotiate citing unreliable delivery concerns.
We left The Count’s Arms with a new understanding. Every merchant in town believes that Silver Star is an unreliable business partner. This is going to more difficult than anticipated.
Walking out to the docks, Elenya suggested trying the new Black Flag Tavern. No luck there, being a BC franchise they wouldn’t even discuss it.
Our efforts at The Flowing Bowl brought another rejection along with a lead to try Norbert Lelles. Ah yes, my old friend Norbert. If he won’t take an order no one will.
Norbert made an offer alright, for twenty percent of the sale. We also had to agree to a firm weekly delivery schedule. More than two days late on a scheduled delivery and the contract is terminated. What a friend. Had us over a barrel and he took advantage.
We hurry back to Silver Star Manor to make arrangements for the first shipment. Thinking of it now having to rush back here every week is going become a serious scheduling issue. Knowing of my predicament the house servant, Gil proposes that for the miniscule fee of 5 percent of the sale he would ensure that the weekly shipment is met.
What could we do but agree. I guess 75% will have to do. Besides, if the wine takes off we’ll just raise the price a bit.
Staying the night in our new manor, we fell asleep trying to figure out how long it would take to recover our investment.
Nearing the Silver Star Inn we received a message informing us that Elliot Levitius, the owner of the Silver Star Manor, has gone missing. Perhaps we should talk to Paj-Meel about this.
“Isn’t that the big house with the vineyard we just passed?” Elenya asked. “I couldn’t help but pick a couple grapes as we passed by. They are very good.”
During dinner Paj-Meel explained about the message. It seems no one has heard from Elliot Levitius in months. It’s like he just packed up and left in the middle of the night. According to the charter his house and all it contains, including the vineyard and servants is for sale.
The asking price of 40,000 is high but it’s a lot of house and property to consider. I told Paj-Meel we’ll think it over and give him an answer in the morning. We then rented a room for the night.
It was breakfast time when Elenya got back from an early morning walk to visit the vineyard. All she could talk about how the fabulous grapes were. Why with Shadowcrest Vineyard and Silver Star Winery, we could equal or exceed Tamika and Surilie Brothers combined.
Balance in nature is everything according to Elenya. Until it comes to dominating the completion, that is.
That settled it. Calling Paj-Meel over, we completed the purchase of Silver Star Manor by the time breakfast over. Paj-Meel’s eyes popped when Kaleah dropped a sack of gold coins on the table.
“She’s a… she’s a… she’s a,” was all he could say. Like he’d never seen Daedra Seducer before.
Transaction complete, we went straight away to inspect our new enterprise.
There it was, Silver Star Manor sitting atop the hill high above the town of Sutch. The way the sunlight struck it gave the house an eerie look.
“House on Hunted Hill,” I said absent mindedly.
“Bates’ Motel,” countered Elenya.
Pym started drawing blazing runes of protection in the air while Kaleah, the one who laughs in the face of danger, started singing.
“We’re gonna lay around the shanty, Feache, and put a good buzz on.”
That broke the tension. We opened the door and stepped on into Silver Star Manor.
Contrary to our first impressions once inside the manor everything seemed perfectly normal. Well, aside from the creepy looking caretakers, that is. As described the manor and vineyard came completely furnished and in good working order. After introducing ourselves to the creepy couple, Gill immediately brought up business matters necessary to keep the winery operating.
The Anvil delivery contracts had gone into default after Elliot Levitius vanished. We need to go to Anvil and renegotiate new wine delivery contracts with the local inns.
Popping over to Anvil, we first try our negotiating skills at the Count’s Arms. Despite My Ladies best efforts to entice Wilbur into signing, the publican refused to negotiate citing unreliable delivery concerns.
We left The Count’s Arms with a new understanding. Every merchant in town believes that Silver Star is an unreliable business partner. This is going to more difficult than anticipated.
Walking out to the docks, Elenya suggested trying the new Black Flag Tavern. No luck there, being a BC franchise they wouldn’t even discuss it.
Our efforts at The Flowing Bowl brought another rejection along with a lead to try Norbert Lelles. Ah yes, my old friend Norbert. If he won’t take an order no one will.
Norbert made an offer alright, for twenty percent of the sale. We also had to agree to a firm weekly delivery schedule. More than two days late on a scheduled delivery and the contract is terminated. What a friend. Had us over a barrel and he took advantage.
We hurry back to Silver Star Manor to make arrangements for the first shipment. Thinking of it now having to rush back here every week is going become a serious scheduling issue. Knowing of my predicament the house servant, Gil proposes that for the miniscule fee of 5 percent of the sale he would ensure that the weekly shipment is met.
What could we do but agree. I guess 75% will have to do. Besides, if the wine takes off we’ll just raise the price a bit.
Staying the night in our new manor, we fell asleep trying to figure out how long it would take to recover our investment.
Ah yes, the lives of adventurers and merchants are probably not so compatible. . . . Methinks the best your little band can do is luck upon a very solid manager for the winery to capably handle week-to-week operations.
20210708 I-SL Missing Tax Collector
Leaving the winery operations in Gil’s presumably capable hands, we made preparations to leave the Silver Star Manor. I did wonder about Gil though. If he was so capable, why didn’t he keep the shipments going when the original owner vanished? He could have pocketed a fortune.
On the plus side it shows that he’s honest and trustworthy. Don’t really buy it but what else is there to go on.
Being a little tired of all the running around we walked down to Oyster Bay and hired one of the pirates, um merchants to sail us to Leyawiin. From Leyawiin we took the Yellow Road north until we reached the Blankenmarch settlement.
There, under the cover of being lost and asking directions we slyly gathered information concerning a certain tax collector.
Oh yes, the residents of Blankenmarch had some things to say the tax collector. None of it good! Thief they called him. Over charging and pocketing the excess. Glad to see someone on his case they eagerly informed us that he had continued north.
It was about 6:00PM and we were getting ready to leave Blankenmarch when Shivaya, the Khajiit Scout that Do’Leandra wants us to spy on, walked into camp. With some effort we get her to talking and learn that she is looking for Dar’jones, last seen at Harlan’s Watch. As soon as we got that information we left Blankenmarch in the hopes of catching the tax collector.
Following the Yellow Road north we stopped by Nocturnal’s shrine to ask if anyone saw the tax collector. The only answer we got was “Protect the Key.”
The information we got from Karrizy was that the tax collector never made it to the mouth of the Panter River. He could be holed up anywhere between here and there. The Ayleid ruin Arpenia stood out as a likely place to stop for the night.
The small Ayleid ruin turned out to be rather uneventful. Other than some nice treasure chests and some odd light emitting crystals there wasn’t much to Arpenia. We quickly cleared it of raiders and spent the night in the quiet ruin.
The next morning we continued our journey north. As we neared the Panter River sounds of fighting could be heard. We picked up the pace and soon we could see an Imperial Guardsman engaged with a huge ogre. The ogre struck the guardsman down before we could get there.
My Ladies took care of the ogre while I tried to tend to the fallen guardsman, Gagrath gro-Uzkul. I was too late. With his dying breath the Gagrath gro-Uzkul said two words, “west, gold”.
Certain that Gagrath gro-Uzkul was the personal bodyguard of the tax collector we began to search the area. It was very difficult to find the blood trail covered by the dense foliage but we did eventually pick up the trail. The blood trail led us down to the banks of the Niben. There we found the tax collector floating in the river.
He was dead but the tax money was not on his body. Whoever did this must have taken the money.
The a sound of someone approaching startled us. Turning around to face whoever is approaching we see a familiar face. It’s Kanaane, the Aureal from the Stranded Light.
A great sense of relief washed over us as I called out, “Kanaane, come quickly, we could use some help.”
With our guard relaxed, we were momentarily stunned when Kanaane summoned golden saint armor and attacked. Once we recovered the fight was over quickly as Kanaane prove to be
no match for the four of us.
“Too long sitting at a desk makes one weak and slow,” Kaleah stated
With the battle over a quick search Kanaane’s body surrendered a large pouch full of gold coins.
“Why did she attack us? I have no idea but it looks like we’ve recovered the taxman’s ill gotten coin.”
“My Jandaga,” Elenya said. “We should take the gold and report back to the Stranded Light. The balance feels wrongly tilted. Something really strange is going on with Kanaane.”
“You’re right. This could be serious. Tesserayiel needs to know immediately.”
With a wave of a hand I sent us back to Merendin.
Leaving the winery operations in Gil’s presumably capable hands, we made preparations to leave the Silver Star Manor. I did wonder about Gil though. If he was so capable, why didn’t he keep the shipments going when the original owner vanished? He could have pocketed a fortune.
On the plus side it shows that he’s honest and trustworthy. Don’t really buy it but what else is there to go on.
Being a little tired of all the running around we walked down to Oyster Bay and hired one of the pirates, um merchants to sail us to Leyawiin. From Leyawiin we took the Yellow Road north until we reached the Blankenmarch settlement.
There, under the cover of being lost and asking directions we slyly gathered information concerning a certain tax collector.
Oh yes, the residents of Blankenmarch had some things to say the tax collector. None of it good! Thief they called him. Over charging and pocketing the excess. Glad to see someone on his case they eagerly informed us that he had continued north.
It was about 6:00PM and we were getting ready to leave Blankenmarch when Shivaya, the Khajiit Scout that Do’Leandra wants us to spy on, walked into camp. With some effort we get her to talking and learn that she is looking for Dar’jones, last seen at Harlan’s Watch. As soon as we got that information we left Blankenmarch in the hopes of catching the tax collector.
Following the Yellow Road north we stopped by Nocturnal’s shrine to ask if anyone saw the tax collector. The only answer we got was “Protect the Key.”
The information we got from Karrizy was that the tax collector never made it to the mouth of the Panter River. He could be holed up anywhere between here and there. The Ayleid ruin Arpenia stood out as a likely place to stop for the night.
The small Ayleid ruin turned out to be rather uneventful. Other than some nice treasure chests and some odd light emitting crystals there wasn’t much to Arpenia. We quickly cleared it of raiders and spent the night in the quiet ruin.
The next morning we continued our journey north. As we neared the Panter River sounds of fighting could be heard. We picked up the pace and soon we could see an Imperial Guardsman engaged with a huge ogre. The ogre struck the guardsman down before we could get there.
My Ladies took care of the ogre while I tried to tend to the fallen guardsman, Gagrath gro-Uzkul. I was too late. With his dying breath the Gagrath gro-Uzkul said two words, “west, gold”.
Certain that Gagrath gro-Uzkul was the personal bodyguard of the tax collector we began to search the area. It was very difficult to find the blood trail covered by the dense foliage but we did eventually pick up the trail. The blood trail led us down to the banks of the Niben. There we found the tax collector floating in the river.
He was dead but the tax money was not on his body. Whoever did this must have taken the money.
The a sound of someone approaching startled us. Turning around to face whoever is approaching we see a familiar face. It’s Kanaane, the Aureal from the Stranded Light.
A great sense of relief washed over us as I called out, “Kanaane, come quickly, we could use some help.”
With our guard relaxed, we were momentarily stunned when Kanaane summoned golden saint armor and attacked. Once we recovered the fight was over quickly as Kanaane prove to be
no match for the four of us.
“Too long sitting at a desk makes one weak and slow,” Kaleah stated
With the battle over a quick search Kanaane’s body surrendered a large pouch full of gold coins.
“Why did she attack us? I have no idea but it looks like we’ve recovered the taxman’s ill gotten coin.”
“My Jandaga,” Elenya said. “We should take the gold and report back to the Stranded Light. The balance feels wrongly tilted. Something really strange is going on with Kanaane.”
“You’re right. This could be serious. Tesserayiel needs to know immediately.”
With a wave of a hand I sent us back to Merendin.
As ever, I'm in awe of your graphics when it comes to lush foliage - showcased in several of your screenshots here. Wow, sounds like that corrupt tax stuff has long tentacles. . . .
20210717 I-SL Merendin – Missing Tax Collector, Breaking the Monopoly II
Arriving at Merendin we spent the next couple of days discussing the implications of attacking us and her subsequent banishment. Is this an indication of defections within the ranks of the Stranded Light?
The first thing we noticed upon entering Merendin was that there were now eight portraits adorning the entrance wall. A sure sign that the expected new spell creator had arrived.
Sad to think that Kanaane, the artist who creates all the Stranded Light themed paintings found in Merendin and throughout Cyrodiil, may no longer be around to create any new portraits.
Being just past midnight, the reception lobby was empty except for an unfamiliar Maomer sitting crossed legged on the floor meditating. Ahtize, the newly arrived Maomer spellmaker, stirred from her meditations to acknowledge our greeting. She told us how happy she was to be here in Merendin. It’s so much better than the half-submerged cave where she had been hiding.
Leaving Ahtize to her meditations we looked forward to nice soft bed and a good night’s sleep. Faint noises coming from an adjacent room got our attention. Curious to know who else was still up at this late hour we went to investigate. There in a corner of the next room applying paint to canvas stood… Kanaane!
“Why are you looking at me like this?” Kanaane asked.
“You attacked me.”
“I did?” the Kanaane in front of me responded. “My prices are very reasonable. I’m no cutthroat merchant. Besides you get a discount due your rank in the Stranded Light.”
She definitely misunderstands so I explain the encounter and how I banished her by combat.
“Err… that can’t be,” Kanaane began. “Otherwise one of us wouldn’t be here. What makes you think… ah. I understand. Them. You need to talk to Tesserayiel.
With that we found a bed and went to sleep. The next morning we spoke to Tesserayiel. Tesserayiel was shocked to hear how we were attacked by Kanaane. She launched into a vigorous defense of Kanaane only to stop in mid-sentance. Then much like Kanaane did the night before Tesser abruptly changed direction and suggested we talk to Karashivuel about doppelgangers.
Asking Tesserayiel about Ahtize the new Maomer spellmaker Tesser explained, “Ahtize is a great help to our cause. People who can’t get into the Arcane University now come to us. You should see the faces of the high and mighty Altmer though. A Xivilai? No problem. Her kind? Ouch.”
Tesser had one last word for us before we left to find Karashivuel. She warned us that those Khajiit scouts, Karrizy and Shivaya are evil Renrijra Krin. Best to do what Do’leandra says.
Karashivuel had a lot to say about doppelgangers. According to her some Daedra especially Daedra Seducers are so highly proficient in shape changing that they can assume the features of someone else. Kara said she’ll take some time to think on how to deal with such a threat.
“Doppelganger what? As if invisible foes aren’t bad enough! Now like in a house of mirrors we'll be fighting ourselves in the caves!”
Taking Tesserayiel’s advice we talk to Do’leandra. She insists that we take the tax money to the Count of Leyawiin. “One must understand that we’re in Leyawiin County. One wouldn’t want the authorities mad at us.”
Do’leandra also thinks there’s something fishy about Shivaya wanting us to track down a missing Khajiit.
Do’leandra suspects the missing Khajiit is a spy and request that we inform her immediately if we should happen to find this spy.
Since Karashivuel mentioned Daedra Seducers we decided to pay a visit to Teshekru’s bar for a drink and get her thoughts on doppelgangers and Daedra Seducers.
Staring intently at me, Teshekru smiled widely and exclaimed how happy she was to see us. She got kind of flirty and for the briefest of moments her face darkened.
“That one’s been trapped in a soul gem too long,” Kaleah mumbled to herself as we left Teshekru. “Can’t hide her wings, can’t fly. Just who does she think she is chatting up MY Feache like that?”
A few unintelligible expressions later Kaleah calmed down a bit. “At least she’s not as dangerous as that thing Turumerin at the 19 Voids.”
Passing through the lobby on our way out of Merendin we found shy little Jo’beala silently dancing in a corner of shadows. Normally timid and full of self doubt the Ohmes-raht stopped her dancing to rush over to us.
Excitedly Jo’beala blurts out she’s been learning a lot about enchanting. Now she thinks she will be able to enchant items as well as any Telvanii. All she needs is something she called a “Focus Crystal”. Supposedly this crystal aids in transferring the magical energy from soul gems to the item. It also reduces significantly the chance of destroying the soul gem.
She knows where to find a crystal. Jo tells us, “I've heard that a Focus Crystal was lost while being transported from Cyrodiil to Sentinel. The delivery was attacked by undead, dragged into Niryastare. It's an Ayleid ruin in western Cyrodiil, near the Hammerfell border, south of where the Brina River splits.”
“I’ll look for it the next time we pass that way.” Jo’beala danced delightfully away, beaming at the thought that she had proved herself useful.
Now that there is no one left to delay our departure any longer, we left Merendin to take the taxman’s bag of gold to Leyawiin.
Arriving at Merendin we spent the next couple of days discussing the implications of attacking us and her subsequent banishment. Is this an indication of defections within the ranks of the Stranded Light?
The first thing we noticed upon entering Merendin was that there were now eight portraits adorning the entrance wall. A sure sign that the expected new spell creator had arrived.
Sad to think that Kanaane, the artist who creates all the Stranded Light themed paintings found in Merendin and throughout Cyrodiil, may no longer be around to create any new portraits.
Being just past midnight, the reception lobby was empty except for an unfamiliar Maomer sitting crossed legged on the floor meditating. Ahtize, the newly arrived Maomer spellmaker, stirred from her meditations to acknowledge our greeting. She told us how happy she was to be here in Merendin. It’s so much better than the half-submerged cave where she had been hiding.
Leaving Ahtize to her meditations we looked forward to nice soft bed and a good night’s sleep. Faint noises coming from an adjacent room got our attention. Curious to know who else was still up at this late hour we went to investigate. There in a corner of the next room applying paint to canvas stood… Kanaane!
“Why are you looking at me like this?” Kanaane asked.
“You attacked me.”
“I did?” the Kanaane in front of me responded. “My prices are very reasonable. I’m no cutthroat merchant. Besides you get a discount due your rank in the Stranded Light.”
She definitely misunderstands so I explain the encounter and how I banished her by combat.
“Err… that can’t be,” Kanaane began. “Otherwise one of us wouldn’t be here. What makes you think… ah. I understand. Them. You need to talk to Tesserayiel.
With that we found a bed and went to sleep. The next morning we spoke to Tesserayiel. Tesserayiel was shocked to hear how we were attacked by Kanaane. She launched into a vigorous defense of Kanaane only to stop in mid-sentance. Then much like Kanaane did the night before Tesser abruptly changed direction and suggested we talk to Karashivuel about doppelgangers.
Asking Tesserayiel about Ahtize the new Maomer spellmaker Tesser explained, “Ahtize is a great help to our cause. People who can’t get into the Arcane University now come to us. You should see the faces of the high and mighty Altmer though. A Xivilai? No problem. Her kind? Ouch.”
Tesser had one last word for us before we left to find Karashivuel. She warned us that those Khajiit scouts, Karrizy and Shivaya are evil Renrijra Krin. Best to do what Do’leandra says.
Karashivuel had a lot to say about doppelgangers. According to her some Daedra especially Daedra Seducers are so highly proficient in shape changing that they can assume the features of someone else. Kara said she’ll take some time to think on how to deal with such a threat.
“Doppelganger what? As if invisible foes aren’t bad enough! Now like in a house of mirrors we'll be fighting ourselves in the caves!”
Taking Tesserayiel’s advice we talk to Do’leandra. She insists that we take the tax money to the Count of Leyawiin. “One must understand that we’re in Leyawiin County. One wouldn’t want the authorities mad at us.”
Do’leandra also thinks there’s something fishy about Shivaya wanting us to track down a missing Khajiit.
Do’leandra suspects the missing Khajiit is a spy and request that we inform her immediately if we should happen to find this spy.
Since Karashivuel mentioned Daedra Seducers we decided to pay a visit to Teshekru’s bar for a drink and get her thoughts on doppelgangers and Daedra Seducers.
Staring intently at me, Teshekru smiled widely and exclaimed how happy she was to see us. She got kind of flirty and for the briefest of moments her face darkened.
“That one’s been trapped in a soul gem too long,” Kaleah mumbled to herself as we left Teshekru. “Can’t hide her wings, can’t fly. Just who does she think she is chatting up MY Feache like that?”
A few unintelligible expressions later Kaleah calmed down a bit. “At least she’s not as dangerous as that thing Turumerin at the 19 Voids.”
Passing through the lobby on our way out of Merendin we found shy little Jo’beala silently dancing in a corner of shadows. Normally timid and full of self doubt the Ohmes-raht stopped her dancing to rush over to us.
Excitedly Jo’beala blurts out she’s been learning a lot about enchanting. Now she thinks she will be able to enchant items as well as any Telvanii. All she needs is something she called a “Focus Crystal”. Supposedly this crystal aids in transferring the magical energy from soul gems to the item. It also reduces significantly the chance of destroying the soul gem.
She knows where to find a crystal. Jo tells us, “I've heard that a Focus Crystal was lost while being transported from Cyrodiil to Sentinel. The delivery was attacked by undead, dragged into Niryastare. It's an Ayleid ruin in western Cyrodiil, near the Hammerfell border, south of where the Brina River splits.”
“I’ll look for it the next time we pass that way.” Jo’beala danced delightfully away, beaming at the thought that she had proved herself useful.
Now that there is no one left to delay our departure any longer, we left Merendin to take the taxman’s bag of gold to Leyawiin.
Doppleganging shape shifters open up all kinds of concerns. A spell to detect them seems in order.
And it's off to Leyawiin, then possibly Niryastare?
A spell to detect them seems in order. And it's off to Leyawiin, then possibly Niryastare?
Really love that purple top the maomer is wearing as she meditates. I could see myself wearing such garb when I was younger. 
That conversation had me laughing. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "You attacked me!"
Let me ask: how many Current Quests does Jandaga have? Right now?
That conversation had me laughing. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "You attacked me!"
Let me ask: how many Current Quests does Jandaga have? Right now?
QUOTE(Renee @ Jul 19 2021, 07:01 AM)
That conversation had me laughing. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "You attacked me!"
Let me ask: how many Current Quests does Jandaga have? Right now?
Yeah, it is part of the mod dialogue and I laughed at that conversation too.
As of today Jandaga has 55 open quests and has completed 234. He has found 433 places and has acquired fame of 134. I'm sure I won't finish everything but there is still some vampire hunting to do.
20210720 What next, decision in Leyawiin
Now after talking to everyone we left Merendin to take the taxman’s bag of gold to Leyawiin.
Reporting the death of tax collector Trittilius Pentius Count Mario Caro repeated over and over again, “This can’t be. This can’t be.”
Producing the heavy pouch of 500 gold septims broke his spell of bewilderment. His eyes practically popped out of their sockets. Suddenly it’s “Oooh, let’s forget about all that stuff. We’ll just put this in the Watch Fund, shall we?”
(That closed the book on the Stranded Light, Missing Tax Collector. Stranded Light is more extensive than I had anticipated.)
Yeah like there really is a Watch Fund.
With that we were quickly dismissed and ushered out of the hall, Elenya spoke out, “My Jandaga, there is no Watch Fund. The greedy bastard is just going to pocket the ill-gotten gold. We must right this wrong.”
“It’s the human nature. All the people of Blackenmarch know is that the crooked taxman thief has met a just end. The way they see it is that they’d be paying one way or another anyway, so who cares? Strike one injustice down and another will just take its place. Same goes for the Mer, Khajiit, Orcs, Argonians, and all the other intelligent races of Nir. Better to strike down the big wrongs and let the little things settle on their own.”
Kaleah just shook her head, “Sometimes Feache, you surprise even me. May you never change.”
We all had a laugh and went to Best Goods and Guaranties, and the Dividing Line to sell a ton of stuff we’d never use. With our pockets struggling to hold the weighty gold, we stopped by the Five Claws Lodge for drinks and dinner. Afterwards we retired to our home and OVB Chapter House for the night.
It was around 10:30 the following morning when we walked down to the river to get a late breakfast or early lunch at Admiral Cosmos’ Tavern. On the way to the tavern our conversation turned to what to do next.
While crossing the Leyawiin draw bridge over the Niben, Kaleah let her bias toward witches show when she voiced her opinion in favor of proceeding straightaway to Fort Goldthroat and deal with the witch Viola Tarensa.
Not that simple, Elenya countered by pointing out that we were expected to inform Raminus first. Elenya voted for investigating Niryastare for Jo’beala’s crystal. Niryastare is less than a day’s walk from Oyster Bay. We could, she suggested book passage aboard a ship and enjoy a nice relaxing cruise on the way to Oyster Bay.
The Jandaga paused in the middle of the bridge as he pondered the options.
To this point Pym was quiet as usual. But she simply grabbed me by the chin, turned my head to face northeast, and emphatically pointed in that direction. She then marched at a very determined pace, to the Yellow Road City Gate.
“Well now, that’s settled. Come on, what are we waiting around here for? There are things to do and artifacts to find.”
Now after talking to everyone we left Merendin to take the taxman’s bag of gold to Leyawiin.
Reporting the death of tax collector Trittilius Pentius Count Mario Caro repeated over and over again, “This can’t be. This can’t be.”
Producing the heavy pouch of 500 gold septims broke his spell of bewilderment. His eyes practically popped out of their sockets. Suddenly it’s “Oooh, let’s forget about all that stuff. We’ll just put this in the Watch Fund, shall we?”
(That closed the book on the Stranded Light, Missing Tax Collector. Stranded Light is more extensive than I had anticipated.)
Yeah like there really is a Watch Fund.
With that we were quickly dismissed and ushered out of the hall, Elenya spoke out, “My Jandaga, there is no Watch Fund. The greedy bastard is just going to pocket the ill-gotten gold. We must right this wrong.”
“It’s the human nature. All the people of Blackenmarch know is that the crooked taxman thief has met a just end. The way they see it is that they’d be paying one way or another anyway, so who cares? Strike one injustice down and another will just take its place. Same goes for the Mer, Khajiit, Orcs, Argonians, and all the other intelligent races of Nir. Better to strike down the big wrongs and let the little things settle on their own.”
Kaleah just shook her head, “Sometimes Feache, you surprise even me. May you never change.”
We all had a laugh and went to Best Goods and Guaranties, and the Dividing Line to sell a ton of stuff we’d never use. With our pockets struggling to hold the weighty gold, we stopped by the Five Claws Lodge for drinks and dinner. Afterwards we retired to our home and OVB Chapter House for the night.
It was around 10:30 the following morning when we walked down to the river to get a late breakfast or early lunch at Admiral Cosmos’ Tavern. On the way to the tavern our conversation turned to what to do next.
While crossing the Leyawiin draw bridge over the Niben, Kaleah let her bias toward witches show when she voiced her opinion in favor of proceeding straightaway to Fort Goldthroat and deal with the witch Viola Tarensa.
Not that simple, Elenya countered by pointing out that we were expected to inform Raminus first. Elenya voted for investigating Niryastare for Jo’beala’s crystal. Niryastare is less than a day’s walk from Oyster Bay. We could, she suggested book passage aboard a ship and enjoy a nice relaxing cruise on the way to Oyster Bay.
The Jandaga paused in the middle of the bridge as he pondered the options.
To this point Pym was quiet as usual. But she simply grabbed me by the chin, turned my head to face northeast, and emphatically pointed in that direction. She then marched at a very determined pace, to the Yellow Road City Gate.
“Well now, that’s settled. Come on, what are we waiting around here for? There are things to do and artifacts to find.”
Count Leyawiin needs that money. He went nearly broke paying Mazoga for all those black bows.
Haha, the Count does indeed need a large Black Bow reward fund.
Wise of Jandanga to share his philosophy on choosing which injustices to focus on trying to correct.
Looks like you have a nice mod to help deal with the Niben being able to flow into Topal Bay.
Pym in charge and off they go!
Wise of Jandanga to share his philosophy on choosing which injustices to focus on trying to correct.
Looks like you have a nice mod to help deal with the Niben being able to flow into Topal Bay.
Pym in charge and off they go!
QUOTE(Acadian @ Jul 21 2021, 08:52 AM)
Looks like you have a nice mod to help deal with the Niben being able to flow into Topal Bay.
If I'm not mistaken that is Better Cities. It is an essential mod in all my own playthroughs.
QUOTE(Pseron Wyrd @ Jul 21 2021, 09:42 AM)
QUOTE(Acadian @ Jul 21 2021, 08:52 AM)
Looks like you have a nice mod to help deal with the Niben being able to flow into Topal Bay.
If I'm not mistaken that is Better Cities. It is an essential mod in all my own playthroughs.
Yes it is Better Cities updated to version 6.0.8. I've been using Better Cities since 2010 at least.
QUOTE(Lena Wolf @ Jul 21 2021, 03:14 AM)
Count Leyawiin needs that money. He went nearly broke paying Mazoga for all those black bows.
You got that right!
20210726 a walk along the Silverfish, Lost Boy
It was a pleasant day and with a quick pace we were soon at the spot where we found the dead tax collector. The body of the slain bodyguard still lay in the middle of the blood stained road like some dead skunk, stinkin’ to high heaven.
A little further on up the road, as we crossed the bridge over the Panther River we could see the broken wreckage of a ship. Our curiosity piqued we had to go and check it out.
Of course the wreckage was haunted. Ghosts and wraiths of various ranks inhabited the bones of the ship, fighting us on every deck of the ship. There is a room we can’t get into. It’s locked with a mechanism that requires a key. Double checking every nook and cranny we searched for the key but to no avail. Barred from entering the locked room we left the Emma May to the river spirits.
From the Mouth of the Panther we continued north on the Yellow Road until we reached the Silverfish River.
Just before the Silverfish Bridge, Pym turned off the road onto a narrow foot path that ran eastward alongside the southern bank of the Silverfish River. This area is not new to us, we’ve been here before. A stepped trail branches off to the south leading up the mountainside to Vigilacian’s Vantage and the Overgrown Spire. We pass it by continuing east.
As we crossed a rope-n-plank bridge strung in front of the impressive Stredia Falls a nagging little thought began to grow louder and louder until it became a voice.
“Where are we going, Pym?”
Pym looked at me with those big vacant eyes as if I should know. With a shrug she produced an arrow. Breaking the arrowhead and handed me the shaft. That jogged my memory back to the OVB report of vampires coming from Arrowshaft Cave.
“Ah, I remember now.”
The trail continued on passed Peryite’s Shrine where it became so overgrown that we lost it. As we wandered around blindly in the dense forest searching for Arrowshaft Cave, the jungle canopy began to close around us, funneling us toward a cavern entrance. We had stumbled upon Lost Boy Cavern. Or, as Elenya believes, did the jungle guide us here?
“Nature could find a home here if it was properly cleansed and balanced,” declared Elenya as we stood before the entrance of Lost Boy Cavern.
Just outside the cavern entrance we found a Weathered Journal belonging to someone named Vangaril. The journal describes Vangaril’s realization that his friend Erandur has become a lich. “I learned he had become a miserly disciple of the Worm King, a cunning wraith. A Lich,” he writes.
Rebuked by the Mages Guild, Vangaril’s pleas for assistance to cleanse the Lost Boy Cavern and save the soul of his friend went unanswered. Armed with rites of cleansing, on his own Vangaril took on the grave duty to purge the fearsome Lich and set free the soul of Erandur,
The journal closed with the statement, “I leave this testament behind, lest I may never return from these depths; as a warning to those who may follow my path.”
The fact that we found this journal outside the cavern doesn’t bode well for Vangaril’s well being, I’m afraid.
“Well Elenya,” I ask. “This looks like a big one. Do you still think this place could be a home for nature?”
The cute little aelfa adjusted her feathered headdress and with a steeled look upon her face drew her sword declared. “Does not the grass have blades? Do not the stars shoot?”
Sounds like Elenya has a bone to pick with Lost Boy Cavern. Hearing no objections from Kaleah or Pym, I’m guessing we’re taking on the challenge.
It was a pleasant day and with a quick pace we were soon at the spot where we found the dead tax collector. The body of the slain bodyguard still lay in the middle of the blood stained road like some dead skunk, stinkin’ to high heaven.
A little further on up the road, as we crossed the bridge over the Panther River we could see the broken wreckage of a ship. Our curiosity piqued we had to go and check it out.
Of course the wreckage was haunted. Ghosts and wraiths of various ranks inhabited the bones of the ship, fighting us on every deck of the ship. There is a room we can’t get into. It’s locked with a mechanism that requires a key. Double checking every nook and cranny we searched for the key but to no avail. Barred from entering the locked room we left the Emma May to the river spirits.
From the Mouth of the Panther we continued north on the Yellow Road until we reached the Silverfish River.
Just before the Silverfish Bridge, Pym turned off the road onto a narrow foot path that ran eastward alongside the southern bank of the Silverfish River. This area is not new to us, we’ve been here before. A stepped trail branches off to the south leading up the mountainside to Vigilacian’s Vantage and the Overgrown Spire. We pass it by continuing east.
As we crossed a rope-n-plank bridge strung in front of the impressive Stredia Falls a nagging little thought began to grow louder and louder until it became a voice.
“Where are we going, Pym?”
Pym looked at me with those big vacant eyes as if I should know. With a shrug she produced an arrow. Breaking the arrowhead and handed me the shaft. That jogged my memory back to the OVB report of vampires coming from Arrowshaft Cave.
“Ah, I remember now.”
The trail continued on passed Peryite’s Shrine where it became so overgrown that we lost it. As we wandered around blindly in the dense forest searching for Arrowshaft Cave, the jungle canopy began to close around us, funneling us toward a cavern entrance. We had stumbled upon Lost Boy Cavern. Or, as Elenya believes, did the jungle guide us here?
“Nature could find a home here if it was properly cleansed and balanced,” declared Elenya as we stood before the entrance of Lost Boy Cavern.
Just outside the cavern entrance we found a Weathered Journal belonging to someone named Vangaril. The journal describes Vangaril’s realization that his friend Erandur has become a lich. “I learned he had become a miserly disciple of the Worm King, a cunning wraith. A Lich,” he writes.
Rebuked by the Mages Guild, Vangaril’s pleas for assistance to cleanse the Lost Boy Cavern and save the soul of his friend went unanswered. Armed with rites of cleansing, on his own Vangaril took on the grave duty to purge the fearsome Lich and set free the soul of Erandur,
The journal closed with the statement, “I leave this testament behind, lest I may never return from these depths; as a warning to those who may follow my path.”
The fact that we found this journal outside the cavern doesn’t bode well for Vangaril’s well being, I’m afraid.
“Well Elenya,” I ask. “This looks like a big one. Do you still think this place could be a home for nature?”
The cute little aelfa adjusted her feathered headdress and with a steeled look upon her face drew her sword declared. “Does not the grass have blades? Do not the stars shoot?”
Sounds like Elenya has a bone to pick with Lost Boy Cavern. Hearing no objections from Kaleah or Pym, I’m guessing we’re taking on the challenge.
As ever, I'm constantly amazed how beautiful and lush your game can look. In this case, the wreck in the Panther River is stunning.
“Nature could find a home here if it was properly cleansed and balanced,”
- "Go for the eyes, Boo! Rangers everywhere, rejoice!"
“Does not the grass have blades? Do not the stars shoot?”
- Wonderfully creative, this. ^
“Nature could find a home here if it was properly cleansed and balanced,”
- "Go for the eyes, Boo! Rangers everywhere, rejoice!"
“Does not the grass have blades? Do not the stars shoot?”
- Wonderfully creative, this. ^
QUOTE(Acadian @ Jul 26 2021, 07:17 PM)
As ever, I'm constantly amazed how beautiful and lush your game can look. In this case, the wreck in the Panther River is stunning.
“Nature could find a home here if it was properly cleansed and balanced,”
- "Go for the eyes, Boo! Rangers everywhere, rejoice!"
“Does not the grass have blades? Do not the stars shoot?”
- Wonderfully creative, this. ^
Yes that’s Jaheira from Baldur’s Gate. At times the comments from Companion Sound Sets v1.0 by brucevayne fit the scene so well, it surprises me. Except for Pym, it works well.
20210728 Lost Boy Cavern, OOO A Path of Iron
What a dangerous maze this cavern turned out to be. The first three chambers of the cavern; The Cavern, The Canyon, and the Yawning Halls were crawling with necromancers and nether lich They weren’t the problem, the army of undead they commanded were the problem. Summoned specters, spectral wolves, and spectral warriors coupled the necromancer creations; zombies, skeleton warriors, and other such ghouls made exploring Lost Boy Cavern exceedingly difficult.
It’s not like My Ladies weren’t having fun though. You could hear Kaleah’s laughter “Ah Hahahahahaha!” and Elenya exclamation, “Foul creature, die your final death!” echoing throughout the cavern. Even the ever silent Pym would let go an unexpected faint, “Whoopee!” now and then.
We had some unexpected help too. Our good friend, the intrepid Orc Adventurer lent us his aid in the first section of the cavern. He declined to accompany us any further into the depths of the Lost Boy Cavern. He stayed in the room filling his backpack with treasure for Gortwog.
Entering Lost Boy Canyon we receive more unexpected help by way of the terrain. Many necromancers fell, often with a little help, into the jaws of the chasm. Their crumpled bodies could be seen lying at the bottom of the deep gorge.
While looting of The Canyon we found a rickety scaffolding staircase (Snus Dungeons) leading down into the dark depths of the chasm. At the first landing, about a third of the way down, there was a tunnel dug into the chasm wall. The tunnel exited on a second platform.
That was it. No chest of riches, no unique magical trinket, no elusive Ayleid or fae artifact, just a platform in the darkness too far from the chasm floor to do us any good. That and a rope ladder leading back to the top of the chasm. We left the Canyon to continue our search for artifacts until we found the entrance to the Yawning Halls.
There was nothing sleepy about the Yawning Halls. Three necromancers and two MOO Plaguebringers led an army of zombies, skeletons, specters, nether lich, and powerful ancient lich as they tried to make our final day filled with fun and excitement. Didn’t work out the way they planned but it was fun and exciting.
Standing in front of the entrance to Lost Boy’s Hidden Bastion we thought we knew what to expect and prepared ourselves for another brutal fight. Still when we entered the Hidden Bastion we were surprised at the presence of corpus stalkers (Creature Diversity) and a mummy.
Past the now truly dead creatures we climb a marble staircase to enter an ancient temple of Ayleid design. Here again we’re surprised to see beer bottles lying scattered about on the floor. Glancing above revealed a dead drunk goblin, beer bottle in hand, hanging over a ledge (OOO).
“Is that a treasure chest on the ledge with the goblin? Just how is anyone supposed to get to it?”
“Take my hand and we’ll soar to heights unimaginable.” Kaleah whispered.
That delicious thought lasted just long enough to allow a ghoul, an ancient ghost, and a couple of nether lich led by a Keeper of the Dead (OOO) to launch an attack. As my Ladies danced with the lich and necromancers, something upstairs attracted my attention.
From the upper landing I could see movement by two robed figures at the far end of the walkway. It soon became obvious that spectral warriors were charging down the runway.
There are two ways to deal with conjurers. First is to fight the summoned creatures in the hopes that the conjurer runs out of magicka before you run out of life. The second is to ignore summoned creatures and kill the conjurer before the summoned creatures kill you. I like door number three; summon the Sisters of Insanity to distract the summoned creatures while I dispatch the necromancers.
Works every time! The Lord of the Dead and his consort, Cruth Sailathil (MOO) were soon dead and their creatures vanished.
My Ladies having won the dance contest arrived just in time to help me go through several treasure chests. Funny how that happens.
A pair of boots stood in a prominent spot among the treasure chests. The Boots of Melius Petilius (OOO A Path of Iron) wouldn’t budge when we tried to pick them up.
At an alchemy station we found notes written by Vangaril and the lich Erandur. From these notes we were able to piece together what had happened. Vangaril was only partially able to defeat the lich. Somehow the malignant soul of the lich Erandur was able to merge with the soul of Vangaril. The combined souls have formed the lich Erandur-Vangaril that now threatens to kill every member of the mages guild.
A locked double great door stood before us. A key was found in one of the chests near the Boots of Melius Petilius, I decided against using it. Instead I opted for a long rang unlock spell. A horde of undead led by the lich Erandur-Vangaril poured through the unlocked doors.
The ensuing fierce battle ended in our favor. Erandur-Vangaril is dead.
Several minutes of restoration spells were needed before we could move. As we were leaving the Hidden Bastion we discovered an entrance to the Canyon. This led us to the chasm floor we had unsuccessfully tried to reach.
The pockets of the Master Necromancer (MOO) and other necromancers were well worth the time.
Tired we sought a place to sleep. Though the sleeping stones were cold and hard sleep came quickly. The next morning we left Lost Boy Cavern in search of Arrowshaft Cave.
In the final tally, we did pickup a couple MOO runeskulls; Runeskull of Mist and Runeskull of Rupture.
What a dangerous maze this cavern turned out to be. The first three chambers of the cavern; The Cavern, The Canyon, and the Yawning Halls were crawling with necromancers and nether lich They weren’t the problem, the army of undead they commanded were the problem. Summoned specters, spectral wolves, and spectral warriors coupled the necromancer creations; zombies, skeleton warriors, and other such ghouls made exploring Lost Boy Cavern exceedingly difficult.
It’s not like My Ladies weren’t having fun though. You could hear Kaleah’s laughter “Ah Hahahahahaha!” and Elenya exclamation, “Foul creature, die your final death!” echoing throughout the cavern. Even the ever silent Pym would let go an unexpected faint, “Whoopee!” now and then.
We had some unexpected help too. Our good friend, the intrepid Orc Adventurer lent us his aid in the first section of the cavern. He declined to accompany us any further into the depths of the Lost Boy Cavern. He stayed in the room filling his backpack with treasure for Gortwog.
Entering Lost Boy Canyon we receive more unexpected help by way of the terrain. Many necromancers fell, often with a little help, into the jaws of the chasm. Their crumpled bodies could be seen lying at the bottom of the deep gorge.
While looting of The Canyon we found a rickety scaffolding staircase (Snus Dungeons) leading down into the dark depths of the chasm. At the first landing, about a third of the way down, there was a tunnel dug into the chasm wall. The tunnel exited on a second platform.
That was it. No chest of riches, no unique magical trinket, no elusive Ayleid or fae artifact, just a platform in the darkness too far from the chasm floor to do us any good. That and a rope ladder leading back to the top of the chasm. We left the Canyon to continue our search for artifacts until we found the entrance to the Yawning Halls.
There was nothing sleepy about the Yawning Halls. Three necromancers and two MOO Plaguebringers led an army of zombies, skeletons, specters, nether lich, and powerful ancient lich as they tried to make our final day filled with fun and excitement. Didn’t work out the way they planned but it was fun and exciting.
Standing in front of the entrance to Lost Boy’s Hidden Bastion we thought we knew what to expect and prepared ourselves for another brutal fight. Still when we entered the Hidden Bastion we were surprised at the presence of corpus stalkers (Creature Diversity) and a mummy.
Past the now truly dead creatures we climb a marble staircase to enter an ancient temple of Ayleid design. Here again we’re surprised to see beer bottles lying scattered about on the floor. Glancing above revealed a dead drunk goblin, beer bottle in hand, hanging over a ledge (OOO).
“Is that a treasure chest on the ledge with the goblin? Just how is anyone supposed to get to it?”
“Take my hand and we’ll soar to heights unimaginable.” Kaleah whispered.
That delicious thought lasted just long enough to allow a ghoul, an ancient ghost, and a couple of nether lich led by a Keeper of the Dead (OOO) to launch an attack. As my Ladies danced with the lich and necromancers, something upstairs attracted my attention.
From the upper landing I could see movement by two robed figures at the far end of the walkway. It soon became obvious that spectral warriors were charging down the runway.
There are two ways to deal with conjurers. First is to fight the summoned creatures in the hopes that the conjurer runs out of magicka before you run out of life. The second is to ignore summoned creatures and kill the conjurer before the summoned creatures kill you. I like door number three; summon the Sisters of Insanity to distract the summoned creatures while I dispatch the necromancers.
Works every time! The Lord of the Dead and his consort, Cruth Sailathil (MOO) were soon dead and their creatures vanished.
My Ladies having won the dance contest arrived just in time to help me go through several treasure chests. Funny how that happens.
A pair of boots stood in a prominent spot among the treasure chests. The Boots of Melius Petilius (OOO A Path of Iron) wouldn’t budge when we tried to pick them up.
At an alchemy station we found notes written by Vangaril and the lich Erandur. From these notes we were able to piece together what had happened. Vangaril was only partially able to defeat the lich. Somehow the malignant soul of the lich Erandur was able to merge with the soul of Vangaril. The combined souls have formed the lich Erandur-Vangaril that now threatens to kill every member of the mages guild.
A locked double great door stood before us. A key was found in one of the chests near the Boots of Melius Petilius, I decided against using it. Instead I opted for a long rang unlock spell. A horde of undead led by the lich Erandur-Vangaril poured through the unlocked doors.
The ensuing fierce battle ended in our favor. Erandur-Vangaril is dead.
Several minutes of restoration spells were needed before we could move. As we were leaving the Hidden Bastion we discovered an entrance to the Canyon. This led us to the chasm floor we had unsuccessfully tried to reach.
The pockets of the Master Necromancer (MOO) and other necromancers were well worth the time.
Tired we sought a place to sleep. Though the sleeping stones were cold and hard sleep came quickly. The next morning we left Lost Boy Cavern in search of Arrowshaft Cave.
In the final tally, we did pickup a couple MOO runeskulls; Runeskull of Mist and Runeskull of Rupture.
A bonanza of undead! I've heard that Snus dungeons can be really (really) lush. It just occurred, is Pym normally so quiet? Perhaps I had just not previously noticed. I like the Jandanga's door #3 approach to conjurors.
QUOTE(Acadian @ Jul 28 2021, 12:33 PM)
A bonanza of undead! I've heard that Snus dungeons can be really (really) lush. It just occurred, is Pym normally so quiet? Perhaps I had just not previously noticed.
Yes if you like your caves dark, dank and dusty or dripping with wet limestone, Snus Dungeons can be overly lush. I can ignore all the seemingly misplaced greenery for the chance of finding things like the scaffold staircase in Lost Boy Cavern.
Pym doesn’t speak, never has.
In-game she has sworn to never reveal the great secret she shares with Kaleah. It’s all about the relationship between Kaleah, Pym and the Jandaga. (more on that later if I can ever write it up properly).
Since she has taken a vow of silence Pym communicates via sign language (read sub-titles). She’s often a little more physical with the Jandaga, grabbing him by the chin to turn his head so he sees what she wants him to see, that sort of thing.
Technically, there are two reasons why Pym doesn't speak.
First, other than a few high pitched squeaky battle cries (Japanese or Korean that sound like wahoo, yessa, yep) her creator did not include a voice for Pym’s custom race, Pym2. In fact I had to correct an error to the voice folder naming structure just be able to use the sounds that were included in the mod.
Second, the companion sound set that I use doesn’t work for Pym’s custom race. Adding a new race to the set isn’t that hard, I’ve done it before years ago. I had intended to do so for Pym but I got to where I like her battle cries and without a suitable voice to match I left her mute.
Ahah. Her cryptic sign language indicating Arrowshaft Cave a couple episodes ago falls into place now.
QUOTE
It’s not like My Ladies weren’t having fun though. You could hear Kaleah’s laughter “Ah Hahahahahaha!” and Elenya exclamation, “Foul creature, die your final death!” echoing throughout the cavern. Even the ever silent Pym would let go an unexpected faint, “Whoopee!” now and then.
I love that part.
Your explanation for why Pym is so quiet is also something I might come up with. An in-game explanation for something technical.
20210803 VH-OVB Arrowshaft Cavern- Snus Dungeons the bad
Our search for Arrowshaft Cavern continued. Further north we went, taking us past the remains of an Oblivion Gate. A little used trail took us high into the mountains overlooking the Silverfish River valley. It was about midnight when we eventually found the cavern we were looking for.
Remember the OVB’s advice is to attack during the daytime and stake the vampires while they sleep. That’s the big conundrum. Do we wait outside until dawn or enter now? Either way you’re taking a chance on encountering a nasty wide awake vampire. We went right on in.
At first we wondered if we were in the right cavern. Wild boar and Minotaur were all that we found in the first two sections of the cavern. Then there was the morning glory that impossibly grew in the darkness (Better Dungeons).
It was when we entered the Subtarrane things began to change.
“They’re here,” warned Kaleah. “Be careful.”
Kaleah may be able to smell them but there was no physical evidence to be found. Crossing a narrow bridge that spanned a deep pit we cautiously followed the tunnel as it twisted its way deeper into the mountainside. A noise came from up ahead. Cautiously turning a corner we came face to face with the first living thing we had seen in a long time, a huge minotaur.
After defeating the minotaur and a troll we relaxed a bit allowing two vampires to suddenly flash into existence before us. Had they been following us cloaked in invisibility and had chosen this time to attack? A couple of bites from the Light of Dawn prove them wrong and they vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Soon we came to the end of the tunnel as it opened up to a good sized room. From the entrance one coffin could be seen sitting next to a large boulder.
“There’s supposed to be three. I only see one,” I whispered.
“The coffins are behind that boulder,” Kaleah pointed out a huge dark boulder (Snus Dungeons, The Bad, much as I like Snus there are times when it collides with other mods.)
Well they can run but they cannot hide from the Light of Dawn. We’ll just cast Passwall (TCL or Disable Object to simulate Arena spell) and force them out.
Feeling that this would best be done alone, I asked my Ladies to guard the entrance to the cavern room so I would not be disturbed as I worked the magic. As I approached the boulder that shielded the vampires I could hear Kaleah and Elenya singing the Waiting Prayer while Pym tapped the meter on the stone walls.
My love you march to war defiant,
May Nir returneth you triumphant,
And you'll be brave, be strong, be true, my love
And I'll be waiting for you,
Forever…
Passwall (TCL) allowed me to step inside the boulder to reveal the two coffins within.
One at a time I opened a coffin and to stake the sleeping vampire. That didn’t work out exactly as planned. The vampires did not die immediately and having to reset the Passwall spell (toggle TCL) gave them time to recover.
That wasn’t too bad considering it allowed Light of Dawn to consume the souls of the vampires Gretel the Unjust, Bruno the Mighty, and Gelyndor the Wizened.
On the flipside the vampires brought their thrall (MOO) to the fight. This was serious business as often times the thralls proved to be tougher than the vampire.
Bruno the Mighty brought Andriel Bluehollow,
Gretel the Unjust brought Seliulus Galseus an Argonian,
Gelyndor the Wizened brought Sinsoud Khakar a Khajiit.
The big cheater Gelyndor the Wizened also summoned a skeleton. Didn’t do him any good though, he ended up appeasing Light of Dawn’s hunger just like Gretel and Bruno before him.
The three vampires that had been terrorizing the Silverfish River valley have been given the final cure and are now dead. All we need to do is inform Roland at the OVB HQ.
We were about to backtrack through the cavern to the exit when I noticed light coming from the far end of the subterranean room.
Is this the way out?
“Come on Ladies, no need to rush but grab what you can carry and let’s go this way,” I called out.
Our search for Arrowshaft Cavern continued. Further north we went, taking us past the remains of an Oblivion Gate. A little used trail took us high into the mountains overlooking the Silverfish River valley. It was about midnight when we eventually found the cavern we were looking for.
Remember the OVB’s advice is to attack during the daytime and stake the vampires while they sleep. That’s the big conundrum. Do we wait outside until dawn or enter now? Either way you’re taking a chance on encountering a nasty wide awake vampire. We went right on in.
At first we wondered if we were in the right cavern. Wild boar and Minotaur were all that we found in the first two sections of the cavern. Then there was the morning glory that impossibly grew in the darkness (Better Dungeons).
It was when we entered the Subtarrane things began to change.
“They’re here,” warned Kaleah. “Be careful.”
Kaleah may be able to smell them but there was no physical evidence to be found. Crossing a narrow bridge that spanned a deep pit we cautiously followed the tunnel as it twisted its way deeper into the mountainside. A noise came from up ahead. Cautiously turning a corner we came face to face with the first living thing we had seen in a long time, a huge minotaur.
After defeating the minotaur and a troll we relaxed a bit allowing two vampires to suddenly flash into existence before us. Had they been following us cloaked in invisibility and had chosen this time to attack? A couple of bites from the Light of Dawn prove them wrong and they vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Soon we came to the end of the tunnel as it opened up to a good sized room. From the entrance one coffin could be seen sitting next to a large boulder.
“There’s supposed to be three. I only see one,” I whispered.
“The coffins are behind that boulder,” Kaleah pointed out a huge dark boulder (Snus Dungeons, The Bad, much as I like Snus there are times when it collides with other mods.)
Well they can run but they cannot hide from the Light of Dawn. We’ll just cast Passwall (TCL or Disable Object to simulate Arena spell) and force them out.
Feeling that this would best be done alone, I asked my Ladies to guard the entrance to the cavern room so I would not be disturbed as I worked the magic. As I approached the boulder that shielded the vampires I could hear Kaleah and Elenya singing the Waiting Prayer while Pym tapped the meter on the stone walls.
My love you march to war defiant,
May Nir returneth you triumphant,
And you'll be brave, be strong, be true, my love
And I'll be waiting for you,
Forever…
Passwall (TCL) allowed me to step inside the boulder to reveal the two coffins within.
One at a time I opened a coffin and to stake the sleeping vampire. That didn’t work out exactly as planned. The vampires did not die immediately and having to reset the Passwall spell (toggle TCL) gave them time to recover.
That wasn’t too bad considering it allowed Light of Dawn to consume the souls of the vampires Gretel the Unjust, Bruno the Mighty, and Gelyndor the Wizened.
On the flipside the vampires brought their thrall (MOO) to the fight. This was serious business as often times the thralls proved to be tougher than the vampire.
Bruno the Mighty brought Andriel Bluehollow,
Gretel the Unjust brought Seliulus Galseus an Argonian,
Gelyndor the Wizened brought Sinsoud Khakar a Khajiit.
The big cheater Gelyndor the Wizened also summoned a skeleton. Didn’t do him any good though, he ended up appeasing Light of Dawn’s hunger just like Gretel and Bruno before him.
The three vampires that had been terrorizing the Silverfish River valley have been given the final cure and are now dead. All we need to do is inform Roland at the OVB HQ.
We were about to backtrack through the cavern to the exit when I noticed light coming from the far end of the subterranean room.
Is this the way out?
“Come on Ladies, no need to rush but grab what you can carry and let’s go this way,” I called out.
Some serious vampire slaying going on there! I recall folks talking about such things as MOO and OOO but they always sounded too scary for me and Buffy. What a wonderfully handy spell Passwall is! Paired with Twinkle, I'm sure it makes exploring much more convenient.
What a wonderfully handy spell Passwall is! Paired with Twinkle, I'm sure it makes exploring much more convenient.
Acadian: used sparingly the old magic (passwall, levitation) can save your bacon when mods write over each other.
MMM,OOO and MOO or why I travel with so many companions.
20210807 Snus Dungeons-Arrowshaft Cavern Exterior and the Lost Ruins
(Snus, The Good - this is Snus Dungeons doing what it does best)
Into the light of day we stepped to be greeted by a peaceful valley dotted with teepees. Enjoying the peaceful moment of discovery didn’t last long. Answering the unspoken question of who lives here, roaring minotaur bulls came charging from the camp of teepees.
Fighting our way clear of the minotaur, we discovered a stone door at the far end of the valley. The door opened to the large subterranean chamber of the Lost Ruins.
With barely enough light to see the path in front of us we crossed a rope bridge spanning a chasm so deep the bottom was lost in the darkness. On the far side an enormous column of stone rose up from the inky black abyss to the roof of the cavern. Light from a campfire could be seen on the right hand side of the jagged column of stone.
The path wound around to the left taking us away from the campfire. Soon after crossing a stone bridge the path branched off in three directions. To the left is a wooden scaffold leading down into the abyss. Straight ahead the path leads to a stone bridge leading to ruins of what could be a temple to some long forgotten god or goddess.
Taking the right most path we arrived at the campsite we had seen when we first entered this chamber. An Orc adventurer was leaving the camp when we arrived. A few friendly words and he went on his way, disappearing into the darkness.
That old Orc hadn’t left much for us to pocket, just a few gold coins.
Backtracking, we crossed the stone bridge to the temple ruins. A group of bandits looting the temple ruins tried to stop us from crossing. The spray from the waterfall made footing treacherous. Lucky for us it was the bandits that slipped and slid off into the darkness.
If this was a temple there was not much left to indicate the deity it was dedicated to. Just a few welkin stones and a single varla stone was all that was left of any value.
Elenya closed her eyes and contemplated for a moment. A minute passed. Elenya opened her eyes, “This place was once held sacred to nature but, the spirit of this temple has long departed.”
Leaving the desecrated temple we crossed the stone bridge once more and turned towards the wooden scaffolding. I started to descend the stairs when Pym grabbed me and spun me around.
The sight set before me cried out to me, touching my soul. For an instant I felt my inner self being drawn to the shining citadel shrouded in mist. A voice, so far away, was it Kaleah who called out my name?. An angel caught me up her strong arms and tenderly brought me back.
My eyes opened to find myself laying in Pym’s embrace while Kaleah stood over me shouting my name over and over again. I could see Elenya nearby, her hands glowing brightly intent on giving me the shock of my life.
“What’s all the shouting about?” I said weakly. “I’m ok.”
“My gentle Feache,” Kaleah cooed as she caressed my cheek. “DON’T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!”
There was a small argument about going down into the abyss to find the citadel. My Ladies were adamant that place was too dangerous. Not worth the risk they said.
“Risk? Risk is what we do!” I explained. “Am I not the Archeology Guild Headmaster and the Archmage? Is it not my duty to boldly go where no… um? Sorry, got carried away. Anyways, it’s the memories of Grandpa telling stories of a great shining city shrouded in mist. It’s what I search for. I need to know what if anything is left of the fae or has the dream faded in the mist?”
My Ladies followed as I descended the scaffold stairs. The scaffold came to an end and we searched the landing until we found a rope ladder that took us down to the cavern floor.
Hours were spent crawling over the rough stone cavern floor or wading through chest deep water as we searched for a way to the citadel. We found bodies of the bandits that had fallen into the abyss during the fighting up above.
Where the blackish water was deepest we were attacked by a dreugh.
Just when we were debating whether to give up and leave this place, we turned a corner and there before us a marble staircase rose up as far as we could see.
Climbing the 1000 steps took us the Lost Ruins of the shining citadel of my dreams.
The excitement of this new find kept building until we found the entrance door. Not locked, the door is not operable and simply would not budge. Hmmm, it’ll take greater magic than mine to see what’s behind this door. (Kaleah suspects there is nothing there behind the door.)
(Snus, The Ugly – trying to save while in Snus altered portions of Arrowshaft Cavern (Subterran, Exterior, and Lost Ruins) always resulted in a corrupt file. I don’t know how or have the time to fix this. The best work around solution I found was to use the Midas Magic Astral Gate spell to set a mark which will allow me to return here. Then use the LAME Teleport Home spell to travel to my Cheydinhal home (any home will do) I was able to save the game. Yay! The Astral Gate returns me to the dungeon and I can now continue on. Cumbersome but it worked.)
MMM,OOO and MOO or why I travel with so many companions.
20210807 Snus Dungeons-Arrowshaft Cavern Exterior and the Lost Ruins
(Snus, The Good - this is Snus Dungeons doing what it does best)
Into the light of day we stepped to be greeted by a peaceful valley dotted with teepees. Enjoying the peaceful moment of discovery didn’t last long. Answering the unspoken question of who lives here, roaring minotaur bulls came charging from the camp of teepees.
Fighting our way clear of the minotaur, we discovered a stone door at the far end of the valley. The door opened to the large subterranean chamber of the Lost Ruins.
With barely enough light to see the path in front of us we crossed a rope bridge spanning a chasm so deep the bottom was lost in the darkness. On the far side an enormous column of stone rose up from the inky black abyss to the roof of the cavern. Light from a campfire could be seen on the right hand side of the jagged column of stone.
The path wound around to the left taking us away from the campfire. Soon after crossing a stone bridge the path branched off in three directions. To the left is a wooden scaffold leading down into the abyss. Straight ahead the path leads to a stone bridge leading to ruins of what could be a temple to some long forgotten god or goddess.
Taking the right most path we arrived at the campsite we had seen when we first entered this chamber. An Orc adventurer was leaving the camp when we arrived. A few friendly words and he went on his way, disappearing into the darkness.
That old Orc hadn’t left much for us to pocket, just a few gold coins.
Backtracking, we crossed the stone bridge to the temple ruins. A group of bandits looting the temple ruins tried to stop us from crossing. The spray from the waterfall made footing treacherous. Lucky for us it was the bandits that slipped and slid off into the darkness.
If this was a temple there was not much left to indicate the deity it was dedicated to. Just a few welkin stones and a single varla stone was all that was left of any value.
Elenya closed her eyes and contemplated for a moment. A minute passed. Elenya opened her eyes, “This place was once held sacred to nature but, the spirit of this temple has long departed.”
Leaving the desecrated temple we crossed the stone bridge once more and turned towards the wooden scaffolding. I started to descend the stairs when Pym grabbed me and spun me around.
The sight set before me cried out to me, touching my soul. For an instant I felt my inner self being drawn to the shining citadel shrouded in mist. A voice, so far away, was it Kaleah who called out my name?. An angel caught me up her strong arms and tenderly brought me back.
My eyes opened to find myself laying in Pym’s embrace while Kaleah stood over me shouting my name over and over again. I could see Elenya nearby, her hands glowing brightly intent on giving me the shock of my life.
“What’s all the shouting about?” I said weakly. “I’m ok.”
“My gentle Feache,” Kaleah cooed as she caressed my cheek. “DON’T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!”
There was a small argument about going down into the abyss to find the citadel. My Ladies were adamant that place was too dangerous. Not worth the risk they said.
“Risk? Risk is what we do!” I explained. “Am I not the Archeology Guild Headmaster and the Archmage? Is it not my duty to boldly go where no… um? Sorry, got carried away. Anyways, it’s the memories of Grandpa telling stories of a great shining city shrouded in mist. It’s what I search for. I need to know what if anything is left of the fae or has the dream faded in the mist?”
My Ladies followed as I descended the scaffold stairs. The scaffold came to an end and we searched the landing until we found a rope ladder that took us down to the cavern floor.
Hours were spent crawling over the rough stone cavern floor or wading through chest deep water as we searched for a way to the citadel. We found bodies of the bandits that had fallen into the abyss during the fighting up above.
Where the blackish water was deepest we were attacked by a dreugh.
Just when we were debating whether to give up and leave this place, we turned a corner and there before us a marble staircase rose up as far as we could see.
Climbing the 1000 steps took us the Lost Ruins of the shining citadel of my dreams.
The excitement of this new find kept building until we found the entrance door. Not locked, the door is not operable and simply would not budge. Hmmm, it’ll take greater magic than mine to see what’s behind this door. (Kaleah suspects there is nothing there behind the door.)
(Snus, The Ugly – trying to save while in Snus altered portions of Arrowshaft Cavern (Subterran, Exterior, and Lost Ruins) always resulted in a corrupt file. I don’t know how or have the time to fix this. The best work around solution I found was to use the Midas Magic Astral Gate spell to set a mark which will allow me to return here. Then use the LAME Teleport Home spell to travel to my Cheydinhal home (any home will do) I was able to save the game. Yay! The Astral Gate returns me to the dungeon and I can now continue on. Cumbersome but it worked.)
QUOTE
(Snus, The Ugly – trying to save while in Snus altered portions of Arrowshaft Cavern (Subterran, Exterior, and Lost Ruins) always resulted in a corrupt file. I don’t know how or have the time to fix this. The best work around solution I found was to use the Midas Magic Astral Gate spell to set a mark which will allow me to return here. Then use the LAME Teleport Home spell to travel to my Cheydinhal home (any home will do) I was able to save the game. Yay! The Astral Gate returns me to the dungeon and I can now continue on. Cumbersome but it worked.)
I see that venturing into lands outside of Cyrodiil can be a dangerous affair. Best spend some time with the Telvanni first to learn all those forbidden spells.
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