That's a cave to behold, nice pics! Looks like that one must be careful not to make a false step and fall down to the chasm below...

Arrowshaft Cavern is actually inside Cyrodiil, Lena.

Oh!! And I've never been there... Adventure looming, methinks... I wonder what of Macole's version I'll recognise...

Thank Kynareth for Twinkle during some of those very dark traversals.

Haha, those orc adventurers really get around.

After all that darkness, hazards and tricky navigation, they finally arrive at the beautifully compelling entrance to an Alyied ruin . . . dead end!

Sorry, unless you're using Snus Dungeons you will not see any areas from the "20210807 Snus Dungeons-Arrowshaft Cavern Exterior and the Lost Ruins".
The "20210803 VH-OVB Arrowshaft Cavern- Snus Dungeons the bad" is not too bad, only the last level chamber is altered slightly..

That's what I thought. So, I shall rephrase my statement. It's not so much about travelling outside Cyrodiil that requires various forbidden spells from the Telvanni school, but rather it seems that the eruption of the Red Mountain caused wide-spread earthquakes in your world which led to all those cave-ins, both putting boulders in your way and opening up new chasms and passages. Didn't happen here yet, or may be we just don't know it because we've never been to the Arrowshaft Cavern!

I tried Snu's Dungeons long ago, but it changes the layout of some of the vanilla places we'd been far too much, which kinda broke immmmmmmmersion for me. Other than that, yes Snu did an incredible job.

Nice, I always wanted to find a valley full of teepees in one of these games. Well, not consciously, but ya know... who doesn't want to discover a valley full of teepees?

Anyway, this phrase made me chuckle.



Lol. I also like the part when the bandit slips off his own bridge, and into the abyss. That always makes me chuckle, too. Well I Mean, that bandit WAS trying to kill my carefully-created character, whom I spent hours pondering even before I made it into chargen with him or her, right? Right???

I also liked this...



... You are really funny macole, when you put your mind to it!

Very close to the near death experience I had when I suffered heart failure on 01/01/2008. Heart stopped six times that morning. I would come to on my own each time but each stoppage was a little longer than the one before. It was the one time in the emergency room when I had the vision. I was gone little over a minute, when I opened my eyes people were all in a big commotion. Someone was calling my name and the tech was inches away from hitting me with the paddles.


Some say I lost my mind long ago.

Thank you everyone for all the comments. I am glad that you have enjoyed some of the more exotic portions of my game world as the Jandaga searches for evidence of the elusive Fae.

I miss stepped a couple of times which resulted in having to do the whole thing over again.

For sure, Twinkle has become a valuable member of the band.

I understand now what you are saying and I like your approach to the game.

You're lucky. I never had one to begin with.

20210812 The Collector, Fanacas
After the disappointment of finding the broken door at the Lost Ruins in the Shining Citadel we roamed round a bit. Satisfied that nothing was uncovered we teleported to our Cheydinhal home. Exhausted we crashed for the rest of the day.

It was the next morning during breakfast when Elenya asked, “You did remember to set the Astral Gate mark, right? You know, just in case you ever realize your dream and want to go back there again.”

“Yeah, I did. Who knows maybe someday my magic will be strong enough to activate the door and the world of the Fae will be opened to us.”

“Dreamer,” Kaleah commented. “You got to stop running around the countryside like a truant school boy to do that.”

“Yeah and what would you do if I did spend all my time at a desk writing a scroll of CS magic?

“Oh I’d think of something,” Kaleah added. “Maybe have Pym massage your neck and shoulders so you don’t get writers’ cramps.”

The cracking sounds of Pym flexing her fingers brought back memories of the last time. Before I could say that that wouldn’t be necessary Faves Andas, the OVB Cheydinhal Chapter House trainer/recruiter entered the dining room.

Saved from an impossible lose, lose situation, the conversation quickly changed to what Faves had to say. Faves claimed he had evidence of vampires taking up residence in the nearby Ayleid ruin of Fanacas.

That got everyone’s attention. Vampire questions started flying towards Faves. After getting all the information concerning Fanacas that we could from Faves we made preparations to depart.

Consulting Elenya’s map showed Fanacas to be fairly close by. Strange how the Fanacas marking stood out compared to other Ayleid ruin markings. It’s almost like the map is trying to tell us something.

Following the map it didn’t take us long before we were standing at the entrance of Fanacas. Kaleah wrinkled her nose and declared Faves to be correct. There are vampires here to be sure.

Fanacas is on the small side for Ayleid ruins. Exploring the two half-flooded rooms, each surrounded by overhead walkways was quick and easy. A set of blade traps and five vampires were the only obstacles we found.

Light of Dawn eagerly took care of the vampires. She now has extracted her vengeance upon 243 vampires. An impressive number but she hungers for more.

“Come on Ladies, we got what we came for why hesitate?” I called out.

Only it didn’t feel right to me. Staring at the water in smaller northern room I wondered, why? It didn’t feel right to Elenya either.

“The water hides the truth,” she cried as she dove into the water.

Never wasting an excuse to go swimming Kaleah and Pym followed Elenya into the water. Of course I joined them just to be sure they kept minds on business. A playful lap around the room revealed a submerged stairwell.

The stairs led to a small alcove containing… well of all things! There sat an Ayleid Statue. Umbacano will pay handsomely for this.

I see your Umbacano has not yet been overcome with the urge to become the new King of Nenalata. What madness.

True. I did the entire quest for Umbacano years ago and this play through is primarily to do things such as quest mods I always include in the gamed, I never touch or completed. So, unlike the the search for Shadowbanish Wine, Umbacano and his mad motive for collecting the statues has been on the back burner for some time. Now and then I do stumble on a statue pick it up just to get the money.

Only a short break before the group is back to vampire slaying for the OVB. Neat that Kaleah can sense the presence of vampires. Elenya had the right of it - an underwater staircase! Another 'Umbacano' statue.

My Ladies have been running around Cyrodiil in my game for a long time now. Looking back at the pages I wrote when they were barely an outline, back in 2017, I see a growth in the ladies’ personalities. Especially since I joined Chorrol and have been influenced by the great writers in this community. Hopefully I’ve succeeded in giving them some personality traits that make them a little more interesting.

(Kaleah and Elenya are sitting by the campfire paging through a huge tome titled USEP WIKI. The Jandaga has no idea what that could be, the Ladies will not let him touch it.
Dust pixies danced around the fire as Kaleah slams the tome shut. Rising from their seats the Ladies in unison demand, “Who gave whom what? We’ll see about that “little interesting” stuff. Oh you’re so going to pay for that one!”
The Jandaga hangs his head, ‘It’s going to be a long night.”)

20210816 Aerin’s Camp, Beast’s Maw, Frostfire Cave

It was still daylight when we left Fanacas. Taking the path that led back down the mountain we intended to return to Cheydinhal. Night was coming quickly, on an impulse we turned right heading back up the mountain. Not far along the trail we arrived at a small campsite. There we shared the warm fire with the occupant of the camp.
The following morning after the daily devotions I gazed up to snow cover peaks. There was something odd up there.

“Kaleah, do you know what that is sticking out from the mountain peak?” I asked.

“Foolish Men and Mer call it Dive Rock,” Kaleah replied. “They walk up, seldom walk down.”

“Hmmm, I’ve never found my way up there. Perhaps sometime soon we’ll explore the mountains around here. But, first let’s take care of the vampire business in Underpall Cave.”

After packing up our gear we left Aerin’s Camp. Traveling west through the country as we passed by Lord Rugdumph’s Estate I mentioned to the Ladies how I thought so odd that an Orc held such a position.

It was getting late in the day and we were starting to think of finding a place to spend the night when we came across a suitable looking cave. Entering The Beast’s Maw we had hoped to find a secure and warm spot to throw down some bedding and get some sleep. What we found were giant land crabs, a spriggan, and bears. Lots of bears!

Ho Lord, look at the size of that bear!

Well now that the Beast’s Maw was quiet we at last had a dry place to spend the night. The next day we woke early and continued our trip west, searching for Underpall Cave.

Nearing Frostfire Glade we decided, while we were in the vicinity, to stop in and find the Garridan’s Tears for S’drassa. (for the fun of it even though it’s not on my to do list.)

There wasn’t much opposition in Frostfire Cave, a few wolves was all until we entered Frostfire Glade. There we encountered the Frostfire Atronach Glade Guardian. As we neared the misty center of the glade the Glade Guardian attacked us with hard frost spells.

As I drew the Glade Guardian away from the misty center Kaleah struck. Using her bow and fiery arrows she melted the frost atronach down to its base salts. (Be careful where you kill the atronach. Once I had the hardest time finding the fifth tear because the atronach had fallen on top of it.)

With the Glade Guardian out of the way we approached the icy mist. There on top of a large rock formation in the center of the mist stood the Ewer and Garridan encased in a block of ice, forever locked in battle.

Our search in the freezing mist for Garridan’s Tears began with a warning. As soon as I felt the freezing effects of the mist I warned my Ladies to gear up for the extreme conditions.
Did they listen to me and wear a warm fur robes and cloaks or at least pull on some warm leggings? Of course not.

Like stubborn school girls they insisted on looking good. Even though they spent most of their time complaining about the cold and bickering over who would find the most Tears I really did appreciate their help with the search.

Still it felt like most of the time searching was spent casting warming convalescence spells on the Ladies.
The five Tears S’drassaa required were collected and we left Frostfire Glade.

(After all this time I’ve realized I don’t like the snow texture. At a distance the snow looks… well, white as snow. But when I walk the snow underfoot turns a muddy brown. Using my meager talents I spent some time in an attempt to brighten the snow. It’s not a great job as it has some flaws but I think it looks a little whighter.)

I was once told that frostbite doesn't tend to improve the looks, even though it does result in a very distinctive black patchy pattern. But not the right kind of black apparently - and not in vogue. You tell your ladies that.

Don't fancy walking in the snow in those stilettos either. Although very practical in battle, I'll give her that.

I do, from the very distant past, recall that quest and that it could indeed be both dangerous and tricky. Nice job to the ladies and their Jandanga.

Though Buffy dislikes the cold, she actually tolerates it pretty well. Her secret is a toe ring adorned by a butterfly and enchanted with resist frost gifted to her by Jerric (Grits' character) long ago. I'd imagine between the Goddess Store and Mages Guild, something similarly appropriate for the ladies could be worked out.

Leave it to Jerric to gift a girl a toe ring.

All this time, and none of my characters have ever been to Dive Rock. I don't even know where it is! Although by now I know it's somewhere northeast.

That is a HUGE bear. Looks like something packed in the Smithsonian.

Most of the time I play in third person, but the Garridan's Tears quest is one exception to this. It's easier to see those stupid tears in first person, as they blend into the ground way too well.

20210823 VH-OVB Underpall Cave

It took a day and a half of travel before we arrived at the entrance to Underpall Cave.

Kaleah didn’t have to say anything about vampires. She didn’t have to, all the evidence of the danger we faced was clearly written on the walls of the very first cavern room we entered.

“Would you look at all those coffins!”

Passing quietly through the coffin room so as not to disturb the dead, we had just entered another dark tunnel when we heard a noise coming from behind us. Expecting undead to be sneaking up on us we turned back to face the danger. Imagine our surprise to see an overly eager Bosmer with flaming red hair running to catch up with us.

“Just what do you think you’re doing? Trying to get yourself killed!”

Claiming to be a new OVB recruit from the Leyawiin Chapter the Bosmer told us a strange tale. His Leyawiin trainer had trainer wished he’d to go to the Imperial City for further training. After some time in the Imperial city Roland suggested he that maybe he could assist with the Underpall task. And so here he is.

The way the eager recruit went on and on and on reminded me of one annoying fan we met outside the Arena. I think I understand why Roland sent the recruit out into the field.

His non-stop yakking got to Kaleah. She gave the redhead Bosmer her best daedric fang filled smile and suggested he stay here and guard the chamber. I don’t think he understood Kaleah’s smile. Not one bit. The little idiot chose a spot to stand guard and began singing praises to the greatest vampire hunter ever.

Kaleah and Elenya burst out laughing. Pym clapped her hands over her mouth and doubled over.

“I think he’s talking about you, Jandaga,” Elenya giggled.

“Not a very bright fellow, is he?” Kaleah chided after composing herself. With a wink to Pym and Elenya she continued, “He doesn’t know an Elf Lord is nothing without his Ladies.”

Into the next dark tunnel we went. The short tunnel took us a second large room. It looked like a cemetery in front of the stone walls and gate of a roundhouse keep.

We entered the keep to be greeted by a small force of skeletal warriors and other undead.

A thorough search of the North and South Wings revealed little. Although our expedition was greatly hindered by a seemingly inexhaustible horde of undead, aside from some very interesting wall sculptures (SNUS) in the South Wing we found very little evidence of the reported vampire activity.

Compared to the South Wing the North Wing was rather plain. That doesn’t mean it’s lacking undead to fight. One very powerful necromancer, a Master of the Dead (OOO) and a few nether lich summoned enough monstrosities to make things interesting. Still there were no vampires.

Kaleah doesn’t understand. She can sense them and the Light of Dawn trembles in my hand in anticipation but where are the vampires?

“Here’s another passage way we’ve overlooked,” Elenya calls out.

How did we miss this one, I don’t know. Down the hall we go fighting our way until we reach the gate to the Underpall Reflecting Chamber.

(It was here after going through the North and South wings I wanted to see how different Underpall looked without SNUS enhancements. So I went looking on YouTube and in the UESP. That was interesting but the biggest change dealt with Knights of the Nine. It’s been over 10-years since I played KotN that I forgot that KotNine adds an ancient artifact and an additional five wraiths to Underpall Reflecting Chamber. By the Lady, I’d hate to see what OOO and MOO does with that.
I’ve spent a few days trying to decide if I wanted to advance KotN in order to get the full effect of the final battle. After all, as an artifact hunter searching for the relics would be something that the Jandaga conceivably would do. In the end, not being a big fan of KotN I decided not to and continued on as is. Good thing too. The final battle was bad enough as is.)

Hey, I've been gaming with Renee Gade III this month and she just passed by Underpall! Didn't go in, though. One of these one of mine will collide with Jandaga. We've done so with Lothran a few times over the years.



That was my first thought! Uh oh, here he comes! That elf seems too big to be the Fan though.

Underpall + Snus does sound rather scarier.

Maybe he's the Adoring Fan's taller red-headed brother? Either way, seems like Roland is wise:
'I think I understand why Roland sent the recruit out into the field.'
Seems like the Jandanga and his Ladies are too kind to simply assign the fellow to point duty for the dungeon delve.

Oh, now I got to do it again to see what happens if he comes along.

20210827 VH-OVB & OOO Underpall Cave Reflecting Chamber

The door opened and we entered Underpall’s Reflecting Chamber.

“The night is young and full of possibilities.
Well, come on and let yourself be free.
My love for you so long I've been savin'.
Tonight was made for me and you.”

“Can you hear her, Kaleah? She sings so sweetly.”

Kaleah grabbed a rare stake from her pack. As it burst into flame she mumbled something about “sticking it in her eye”. At least I thought she said eye.

Quietly we crept though the corridor, turned left at the first intersection, passed a large marble crypt, before we pushed opened a small wooden door. Stepping cautiously we could why the Reflecting Chamber got its name. An altar with several burning candles stood on the rocky banks of a subterranean lake. The bright candle light danced on surface of the lake reflecting up to give the cavern roof an eerie glow.

One of VH-OVB’s femme fatal trio didn’t allow us time to reflect on the wondrous looks of the chamber.
The second of the femme fatal trio, a vampire archer joined her sister but we were too strong and they fled toward the lake. My Ladies and I gave chase.

As we neared the altars by the lake something unexpected happened. The two female vampires raced toward altars where sat three male necromancers. The necromancers rose up to join the vamps and the five turned to face us.

What kind of unholy alliance is this? It didn’t take long to find out.

These are not your ordinary run of the mill necromancers. They come from the powerful MOO and OOO Necro schools. The necromancers began cutting angry runes in the air. Soon the chamber was full of undead machinations; ghouls, mummies, skeletons, spectral warriors, wraiths, and draugr. To even the odds a bit, I called the Sisters of Insanity and a Dremora Lord.

I’m glad Markie came rather than Markus. Markie is so much more fun to watch.

The battle raged, flowing from one end of the chamber to the other.

And then I saw her, The Prettiest Bloodsucker I’ve Ever Seen (that really is her in-game name). With my Ladies busy with the other vampire vamps, necromancers and several spectral warriors, I forgot all else thinking only of chasing chase down Miss Pretty.

I soon had Miss Pretty cornered. Tempting thoughts of sheathing my sword, taking her up in my arms, and ravishing her crept into my mind.

“My Jandaga, don’t look into her eyes!” I heard Elenya scream.

“Don’t listen, don’t look, next you’ll be saying don’t touch!”

“Only until it is dead, then you can fondle its dust all you want,” Kaleah’s voice echoed throughout the cavern.

Out of the darkness, Fayth Noor the most powerful of the three necromancers appeared suddenly just as I was about to ring Miss Pretty’s bell.

That mace Fayth Noor carries packs quite a wallup. Good thing he’s less of a fan of melee than I am, he summoned a nether lich and an ancient wraith and then promptly disappeared under the cloak of invisibility.
The lich and wraith dealt with I continued my pursuit of the pretty vampire. She was attempting to get a sword from the altar when I caught up to her.

Kaleah saw her chance to stick it to Miss Pretty but failed when Vyctabyth Coopersley, a MOO Necromancer interceded. Again the pretty vamp escaped.

Vyctabyth had Kaleah and Elenya down. My pursuit of the pretty vampire had to be put aside. I couldn’t leave Elenya and Kaleah in their time of need. Rushing to their aid I was able to keep the necromancer at bay giving my valiant Ladies time to recover. Once they recovered enough to resume the fight, I left it to them to put an end to the necromancer.

The Prettiest Vampire I’ve Ever Seen didn’t get far. I caught up with her at the docks. An Argonian skeleton warrior was with her. Feelings of sorrow and guilt washed over me as I rang her bell.

The feeling of regret for having to destroy such a beautiful creature continued as I helped My Ladies tackled Fayth Noor. He was a particularly difficult necromancer. It took all of us whaling away on him before he succumbed.

When all was said and done I examined the items on the shrine altar a blood stained note and a sword. The note addressed to Lady Noor mentions the sword Soul Wail craves the blood of the Archmage. It was signed by Mannimarco.

Well my old friend Mannimarco is going to be a wee bit disappointed that I the Archmage got the sword before Fayth Noor could use it. Manni is also slightly confused. Fayth Noor is no lady. Fayth Noor is a male. Unless he means The Prettiest Vampire I’ve Seen. Well anyways the sword will be added to my artifact collection.

The morgue shot: Vampire Scout, Prettiest Bloodsucker I’ve Ever Seen, Vampire Archer, Vyctabyth Coopersley (MOO), Keeper of the Dead (OOO), Fayth Noor (OOO), Mummy (Creature Diversity).

Gosh, no shortage of adversity here! The eruption of the Red Mountain really messed up your world - look at all those outworldly creatures! Mummies! Ouch. Must be a rift to another dimension somewhere. Meanwhile Lena is still having trouble with Minotaure Lords, so good thing we have no such rifts here.

Lena is right! That was quite a battle, with your masochism-inducing mods.

“Only until it is dead, then you can fondle its dust all you want,” Kaleah’s voice echoed throughout the cavern.'
- -

Well, it ain't over till the Prettiest Vampire's bell rings. Well the next time the Jandanga encounters a pretty bloodsucker, he should realize that beneath her veil of illusion, she's probably a 3000 year old hagraven. In the meantime, I'm sure his Ladies will help keep him focused.

Lena: It's those pesky necromancers that keep summoning foreign undead creature.Actually when I played Skyrim I got so tired of the draugr, draugr, draugr thing when I found Creature Diversity I had to have it.

Acadian: That was a fun one. I replayed it 4 or 5 times just for the fun of it. And the Ladies do have their ways of keeping their intrepid leader focused.

20210830 Moranda, The Collector

“I am not spending one more minute in this unholy damp cave!” insisted Elenya.

Who could blame her, we were all tired of this place. A glass of wine and a soft bed was what we needed. Leaving Underpall Cave we headed in the general direction of our new home in Sutch. The evening was clear and calm perfect for reflecting on life and the nature of things. Deeply moved by having to slay The Prettiest Vampire I’ve Ever Seen, I poured out my feelings to Kaleah.

(VH-OVB quest message)
“I have to admit, the blond vampire woman really was beautiful, and her companions weren't that bad-looking either. But beauty is as beauty does. Such heartless cruelty to all those men who were too deep into their cups. But on the other hand, maybe the men were out to take advantage of a beautiful young woman. I don't even know what is right anymore. I kill and kill and kill, and tell myself I am righteous. What if I am actually a monster?”

“My Jandaga, you are no monster,” Elenya said firmly. Then she matter-of-factly added, “The dragon spirit within your armor will devour you should you become one.”

With that Elenya traced a symbol on the palm of her left and pressed on the brow of the golden dragon embossed on the breast of my cuirass.

“He is a good aelf, take care of him.”

The golden dragon squirmed uncomfortably as if it was trying to pull itself out of the cuirass before it settled down and became once more just a golden decoration.

Kaleah looked down at me, shook her head and said, “Feache, the mere fact that you have such empathy and concern for others that you would ask this question proves that you are no monster. A monster would never think to ask sucquestion its purpose.”

Pym slid her hand in mine and the four of us walked in silence for awhile. Slowly, quietly at first Kaleah began to sing.

Ever hear a Daedra sing? Not all can. Take a clannfear for example; with that beak of theirs they can’t do much more than whistle with a few clicks tossed in here and there. But, with a seducer like Kaleah, when the mood hits her it’s like listening to a full symphonic orchestra. Every instrument, every note, perfectly rendered. Soon we were marching along to the sound of Bolero.

Dang that girl’s got a voice. Dances kind of nice too. Had me mesmerized.

Repetitive yes but time and distance dissolved into nothingness by the mesmerizing song and dance. As we neared the Ayleid ruin of Moranda Pym began tugging me toward the entrance. Knowing it was nearing 10:00pm I just assumed she was tired and looking for a place to sleep.

Being on the smaller side of Ayleid ruins Moranda wasn’t hard to clear out. Just a few bats, mystic imps, wolves and a troll or two to take care of and we had a safe haven to spend the night. And the price was right too. We were happy enough with all the treasure laden Ayleid chests and reliquaries we found scattered throughout the ruin but when we discovered a varla stone we thought we had struck the mother lode. Nothing could top that.

Wrong ! There in a little alcove tucked neatly away behind a gilded gate sat an Ayleid Statue. A sweet little bonus for spending the night.

A full multimedia story now as you add music to your screenshots and words.

I figure the Jandanga's spirit is well girded by the magical and protective wardings of his Ladies.

Varla stone and an Ayleid statue - not bad for a free night stop.

Might be a tad silly and years from now when I read this journal I might say to myself, "What was I thinking?"

I think your figures correct. The Jandaga doesn't realize just how well he is thought of and cared for. I've also been thinking of expanding on Jandaga's reaction to Elenya's warding in my private edition. Nothing too drastic, just something like " a startled look comes over his face and he exclaims "What did you do?"

20210901 VH-OVB HQ, turn in 2 get 2 in return

A new day has dawned. During breakfast the usual question arose, where to go next Chorrol, Sutch or the Imperial City? Kaleah said she missed having lunch at the Feed Bag. Besides we have business in the I.C. to attend to so the Imperial City it is.

Shortly after morning devotion we left Underpall. It was raining and for the first half of the trip the Ladies fussed mightily about their hair. Why? I don’t know. Did they forget how to cast the umbrella spell or did they just want something to fuss about?

Thankfully the rain didn’t last long. By the time the Imperial City came into view Rainbow was flashing her multi hued smile across the sky.

We enter the imperial City through the main gate and headed directly to the Order of the Virtuous Blood headquarters. Reporting our successful completion of the quests Strengths & Weaknesses and the Trio of Temptresses brought compliments from everyone.

Gilen Norvalo repeatedly asked if Miss Pretty really was the prettiest vampire I’ve ever seen. Like a fisherman’s tale she became ever more beautiful with each confirmation. At the end Gilen was drooling as he lamented that I had to kill her.

Grey-Throat had a strange but uniquely Argonian outlook on the Trio of Temptresses. “Warm-bloods are easily manipulated by people they regard as beautiful. I don’t know exactly how that feels.”

Roland didn’t have much to say about Strengths & Weaknesses and Trio of Temptresses other than thanking me for completing them. He did have something to say about the eager recruit, though. “He was puttering around headquarters making everyone nervous. So I sent him to you. Hope you don’t mind?”

“No, why should I mind?”

Failing to see the sarcasm, Roland gave us a new quest, “Beware the Panther”. Seems a vampire clan has made their home along the Panther River. Their leader is Hindaril, one of the strongest vampires in all of Cyrdill.”

“Oh, just great.”

Roland took my comment as an acceptance then told us the Publius wanted to talk to me at my convenience. Well now is as good a time as any.

Publius Scipio informs us he has come across an odd piece of news. All the sanctified spirits in the Chorrol Chapel Undercroft have been killed. Plus, the priests at the chapel report that hemophillia cases have increased.

Now that is strange indeed. Kaleah wrote down Stand Ye In Holy Places in the quest book. We will have to look into it but first there is other business in the Imperial City that we need to attend to. Starting with dinner and big soft bed at the Tiber Septim Hotel.



That would be fun. Don't worry about the Ladies. They may appear cold and heartless but they'll warm up to any of yours, eventually

So, its off to The Imperial City. And what a beautifully welcoming view of it! I hope the crew enjoys some time luxuriating in the IC before heading off again to. . . I imagine perhaps the Panther River.

20210904 The Collector, The Naked Nord, Gweden


It was mid-morning when we arrived at Umbacano’s manor. Of course he was overjoyed to find that we had found the remaining Ayleid Statues. He paid us 500 for each statue plus the 5000 completion bonus. There is something very peculiar about those statues and the way he calls them the Ten Ancestors. It’s like he treats them as if they are alive. Oh well, none of my business.

While we were there Umbacano inquired on the status of recovering the carving from the High Fane. Oops, we told him that we had a good lead as to where it is and are working on it. To tell the truth we had forgotten all about it.

From Umbacano’s we went shopping. Starting in the Market District and ending at the Goddess Store on the Waterfront my Ladies tore through the shops like a tornado leaving no outfit untouched.

After a relaxing dinner on the Bloated Float it was on to the Universitum Arcanorum. When we arrived Raminus Polus was still in the lobby. We gave him a brief update on the Naked Nord Affair, as students at the academy have jokingly dubbed it. Leaving him with Clara Astatius’ journal to read, we retired to the Archmage’s quarters for the night.

In the morning after devotions and a light breakfast we found Raminus in the lobby.

“A most interesting read, Archmage,” Raminus said. “So it is likely we will find Viola Tarensa in Fort Goldthroat. Very well! This is just the information we needed.”

“Are you going to stop her?” that was both a question and an order.

"As soon as possible, be assured Archmage.”

“Good. My Ladies and I have other business to attend to in the area perhaps we will stop by and see how things are going.”

“As you wish, Archmage,” Raminus bowed and left to make the arrangements.

Now with all our business in the Imperial City concluded we made one final stop at the Market District to make a bank deposit with what little coin we had left. Then it was out the gates, cross the lake, and turn south on the Ring Road.

The Imperial troopers were busy today. Two skirmishes with Skyrim bandits or rebels as some call them made things interesting. After a couple hours on the road we approached the burned out husk of the original All Things Alchemical. A thorough search of the well there produced Mythic Dawn documents detailing the authorization the assassination of Tertius. This should be enough to prove Silanu’s innocence. Maybe she’ll decide to work at Gweden.

Taking the evidence for future use we continued our journey south where we have three objectives. Find some Ayleid art in Malada, supervise the witch hunt at Fort Gold-Throat, and eliminate the vampires along the Panther River. Should be a snap.

Say hi to the armour-clad adventurers camping outside of Malada. There always seem to be some, taking in the sights and the fresh air.

Nice to spend a spot of time in the IC, touching base with the University and the Goddesses. Wow, good thing the Jandanga maintains a journal to help with keeping track of multiple quests and making expeditions relatively efficient.

Is Vilja still with Jandaga? She probably does fuss about her hair.

Goodness, look at that rainbow...

Wow, they are still doing OVB quests, eh? I have a dim memory of the Panther River one. It's so funny how little I remember of Vampire Hunting. Only at the very end do I have really strong memories of what happens. You'll see when you get there...

Umbacano... what a pest!

What happens at the end, when he speaks to Raminus? I mean, is that mod-added? Gah, my memory.

Vilja has taken command of the pirates in Dunbarrow cove. And yes she probablly would have something to say her hair.

yes, still doing OVB. I'm not sure how many more quests to go, 2 or 3?

That is added by the Naked Nord mod. We will see what happens soon I suspect.

20210907 Vanua

Nearing the intersection of the Red Ring Road and the Yellow Road, I asked “Elenya, check your map. Which direction do we take?”

Not getting an answer I turned around to find my Ladies in a heated shouting match. Hand signals, facial expressions, and foot stomping were flying so fast between them that I was afraid a serious falling out had occurred.

“Stop! What is going on here?” I just hate getting in the middle of things, someone, like me, could get hurt

“Pym wants to go to Vanua. There’re artifacts there she thinks you would want. I told her no, that you don’t follow the Nine but she won’t listen,” Kaleah replied.

“The Nine may not aid you but the Princes haven’t necessarily been falling over each other to help you either,” added Elenya. “That is of little consequence, as Headmaster of the Archeology Guild is it not your duty to recover lost artifacts for posterity?”

“I see no need to go looking for artifacts of the Nine. Elenya, mark the location and we’ll pass the information on for someone to recover it.”

As we were discussing the issue, Pym was passively guiding us to a spot on the lake near the great bridge.

“So this is Vanua,” I said while looking at marble structure shimmering beneath the waves.

Turning to Pym intending to insist that we leave I found it impossible to maintain a firm attitude as I stared into Pym’s Little Orphan Annie eyes. I hesitated and that was all it took for Pym to push me into the water. Yep she did it; took me to river and dropped me in the water.

Finding myself on the bottom of the lake staring at the door to Vanua, I thought, “What the heck, if finding a relic here and there will shut up the old fool in Anvil then why not.”

I opened the door and we entered to be greeted almost immediately by the murderous undead of Vanua.
By the numerous breaks in the walls and excavation tunnels it was evident that previous explorers had little regard for the sanctity of this lost shrine. No wonder the undead of Vanua were restless and extremely unhappy.

Other than having to fight the numerous Vanua undead, it wasn’t long before we were looking down into a dimly lit room. There was an iron gate to the south and one to the west. The balcony at the north end of the room was bathed in light. The light seemed to radiate from something sitting on an altar.

With no stairs to the balcony I briefly considered levitate over to the balcony to see what’s there but Kaleah suggested finding a less mentally taxing way first.

“You’re just no fun for a day or two,” warned Kaleah.

In the center of the room skeletal remains were sprawled out on the floor. Jumping down into the room we examined the skeletal remains of Sir Amiel. Among his Sir Amiel’s effects were his ring, his journal, and a key. Reading the journal we decided that Sir Amiel, the sanctimonious fool deserved his fate. Perhaps if he had shown the slightest reverence for the shrine he may have fared better. The key we found opened the two iron gates in the room.

I know we had to but we sure didn’t want to open the gates. On the other side of each gate several nasty lich were trying to get at us. By the number of spectral warriors they summon these weren’t the ordinary run of the mill variety lich.

That’s alright for we have a plan. Summon the Sisters of Insanity in such a way that they materialize on the other side of the gate. The Auriel and Mazken sisters can soften up the undead foes a bit before we unlock the gates. Worked like a charm.

The lich taken care of we entered the gated areas. The first, the gate to the south led to an exit. The gate to the west took us where we wanted to go, the Lost Catacombs. The catacombs weren’t too challenging and we quickly found ourselves standing on the Shrine of the Crusader balcony.

There on the altar sat the Helm of the Crusader.

"Not very flashy is it? Hardly seems worth it." My Ladies agreed with my assessment.

Snatching the helm, we hopped the railing (no need to take the long way around), and left via the south gate exit.

It was late and raining when we exited Vanua. Taking shelter under the Ring Road Bridge we waited out the stormy night.

Is there a reluctant Knight of the Nine in the future? I think the cuirass of that set is pretty spiffy looking.

Clever summoning the Sisters of Insanity on the other sides of those gates!

A very reluctant knight. He's thinking of just collecting the items letting someone else do the rest. His Ladies are resolved in seeing the Jandaga become the greatest Archeology Guild Headmaster of all time, whether he likes it or not.

Facing and standing right next to the gate when casting the summons usually will spawn one of the two on the other side of a gate, sometimes both. Doesn't work as often for single creature summons. When trying to summon a Dremora Lord, they always appear on my side of the gate.

I think it has to do with the size of the creature you're summonning. It is almost impossible to get a daedroth behind a gate, but a hunger or a skeleton manages it quite easily. I've done dremora lords too. You have to stand just at the right spot for it, and I found it isn't immediately with your nose against the gate but rather slightly back and to the side. And of course the space behind the gate must be large enough!

20210912 Umbacano NothingYouCanPossess
Morning came and had finally stopped. The overcast sky made traveling a bit more comfortable: a little cooler but no less humid. Following Elenya’s map we turned east on a path that will take us past Mackamentain and the Crementine Temple (Hentai Mania II).

It was starting to get dark as we passed Crementine Temple and we were beginning to think of stopping for dinner. The sight of an Imperial Pheasant was too much to resist. Haven’t visited the White Wing in a while, let’s take her dinner. With dinner in hand we spent the night as guests of the LiLia the White Wing.

Next day we continued our journey east toward Malada. The road crossed the Silverfish River were it soon changed to a foot path leading up into the Valus Mountains.

Haven’t we’ve been this way recently? There’s Arrowshaft Cavern is just to the north and Lost Boy Cavern is a short ways to the south.

Passing by an encampment Elenya mentioned that a wolf had told her to speak to the nearby campers. Good advice it surely doesn’t hurt to ask about the lay of the land. Then I thought most campers in Cyrodiil are a very private kind of people that take a dim view of being disturbed. I prepared for a rude welcome just in case.

Stopping at the camp for a chat, we spoke to Brucetus Fastinius and Rigmor. Asking about Malada, Brucetus told me that you have to be crazy to go in there. Both he and Rigmor claim they’re just here to enjoy beautiful scenery and fresh air.

After a short visit we continued on. Rounding a large boulder we ran into S’razirr. The Khajiit tells a different story. S’razirr says he and the other two have been hired by Claude Maric. He doesn’t trust Maric. He thinks that Maric is cheating him. S’razirr offers to aid us for a slice of the Umbacano’s reward.

His asking price is 50%. Kind of steep but my Ladies all agree that I can afford it. I think they don’t like Claude Maric too much and would like to cause Maric as much trouble as they can.

The arrangements taken care of we leave S’razirr and make our way to Malada’s entrance. We hadn’t taken two steps when a ground shaking roar erupted from the distant hillside.

“By the Mother of all things, it’s a dragon!”

Crashing down the hillside it came. Blowing a thick cloud of flame, it charged straight at us

Someone, I think it was S’razirr, yelled, “Run away!”

Determined to defend their Jandaga, Elenya and Pym raced to meet the threat while Kaleah pinned the beast down with her fiery arrows. This gave me time to run to Malada’s entrance.

Thankfully it was the standard Ayleid enchanted entrance that everyone knows how to open. A wave of my hand and a press of the correct key on the panel was all it took for the door to silently slide open.

Why when you’re in a rush do these things take so long?

Diving inside I turned and called for My Ladies. With a split second to spare Kaleah, Elenya, and Pym squeezed through the door just before it slid shut leaving us alone in the dark corridor.

Kaleah snatched me up in a great hug, “My gallant Feache, I knew you could do it!”

With my feet dangling in the air I whispered in her ear, “Better put me down so I can alter the door so the dragon can’t get in.”

My feet back on the ground I placed a hand on the stone entrance door and concentrated. The structure of the stone shifted, went soft and swirled briefly then snapped back to its original shape, only different. A voice silently boomed, “Master, none shall pass.”

Fro me, even with an extremely high Alteration skill locking a door is so much harder than unlocking one. So as expected, I staggered backwards in a faint.

Before I could hit the stone floor Elenya and Pym caught me. I rested in their tender support for the brief moment it took to recover. Had it not been for important matters at hand, I could’ve milked it a whole lot longer. But, we do have things to do.

Aside from a gas filled room that contained two Dark Welkynd Stones, Malada wasn’t too difficult to navigate. It didn’t take long for us to find the unique gate Umbacano had told us about. Opening the Ayleid gate with Umbacano’s key we stepped into a large room. There on the far wall hung the Ayleid Carving.

We stood there a moment thinking, “Well that was easy.”

Removing the carving from the wall opened the jaws of oblivion. There was a slow rising rumble coming from the wall that once held the carving. We jumped back avoiding being crushed as the wall collapsed. At the same time two secret doors opened releasing a horde of hideous monstrosities.

When the dust had settled we were faced with the door to Malada-Aldmerisel.

“We have what we came for, my Jandaga,” said Elenya. “Now, should we go for the gusto or settle for lite beer?”

“It’s late, everything is quiet. Let’s rest a moment and think.

Ooh, I like the dragon! Alduin has been busy, I see. Where did it come from?

Interestingly enough, we didn't meet S'razzir on our visit to Malada - there were just the "tourists" out for fresh air. He must have gotten lost taking in the sights.

Several types of dragons are added by Maskar's Oblivion Overhaul. I've only encountered two full grrown Shadow Dragons and young ones of the other types. My advice is when they breath that cloud of fire, "run away".

S'razirr was standing around not too far away but on the otherside of the trail.

The appearance of that dragon was certainly a surprise! Buffy knows that there are indeed dragons in Oblivion. Screenshot

Great picture of that Ayleid carving - thanks to Twinkle.

Uh-oh, another surprise as Daedra pour from a secret door.

The Jandaga and his Ladies have heard bards sing the tales of the famed dragonrider.

20210913 Malada - Adonnay’s Elven Weaponry
(Sometimes things within my game happen that are totally unexpected. There’s a shop mod that I’ve had in my install order for as long as I can remember. Beautiful swords and bow but way over priced, I hardly ever shop there. Makes me wonder why I keep it installed. Perhaps I just like the name, Adonnay’s Elven Weaponry. So from a shop mod I sure didn’t expect what happened next.)

“Go for the gusto or drink lite beer.”

Something about those words sent my mind a reeling. Pointing the Light of Dawn at the Ayleid gate I shouted,

“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!”
“Into the valley of Death
Into the mouth of hell
Ride like the six hundred.”

Elenya nudged Kaleah and quietly asked, “What is he going on about?”

“I have no idea,” Kaleah replied. “Battle fatigue, I guess. He’s not been getting the proper rest lately.”

“Oh,” Elenya said with a sly grin, “We know how to cure that, don’t we?”

“Yeah,” sighed Kaleah. Then after a long pause she added, “The Goddess Store.”

Pym gave the both of them a quizzical look and shook her head.

Entering Malada-Aldmerisel we were immediately rewarded with the discovery of a varla stone. What could be better than that?

A little further into Malada Aldmerisel we approached a long dark hallway. There was a strange green glow at the far end of the hall. The excitement of finding the Varla Stone passed as we wondered what could be causing the green glow.

It was a long, tension filled walk down the hall. Nothing happened, no sneak attacks, not even a mouse stirred on the floor. But there still was that something at the far end of the hall. Couldn’t quite make out what it was until we got much closer.

A giant stone statue of a sword maiden stood silently at the end of the hall. Nearly twice my height it even towered over Kaleah. It was amazing to look at. Whoever sculpted this statue was a master craftsman. It absolutely looked like it could get up and move about.

And then she did!

The Sword Guardian’s (Adonnay’s) head turned to face us making sounds like stones grinding together. The statue exhaled like someone who had been holding their breath for ages and then took an equally deep breath. Slowly at first she raised her sword high and took a step toward us. Her movements became faster and faster with each passing moment. With her sword flashing through the air with the speed of lightning, she attacked.

In the cramped hallway of Malada we had gotten ourselves bunched up together. The Sword Guardian bowled through us, scattering us like a rack of skittles.

She was tough. It took some time for the stone armored giant to succumb to our combined attack. In the end we were left feeling exhausted.

For the briefest moment at the end the stone armor faded from Sword Guardian, showing her as she truly was. With her dying breath she uttered, “I have failed.” Then the stone enveloped her again

I took the two handed sword “Ithildin” (Adonnay’s Eleven Weaponry) that lay on the floor next to the Sword Guardian and we proceeded to the next room of Aldmerisel.

There we were attacked by some sort of corprus beast. Stepping further into the room we beset by a horde of the demented beasts. They came storming into the room from a long dark hallway at the far side of the room.
With our backs up against the wall we prepared to accept the charging mass of death dealers. As the wave of death streamed into the center of the room the floor shot up to ceiling. When the floor dropped back down the army of monsters was vastly reduced.

I’ve never been so happy to see one of these Ayleid floor traps in action than I was today.

All that was left was a handful of undead creatures; corprus stalkers, a couple of lich, skeletons, and ghosts.

When that was over, we decided that we had had enough of this place. Eager to get out of Malada we made haste to get to the exit.

Stepping out into the late afternoon sun we were surprised to be greeted by Claude Maric. Denying his demand to hand over the carving, Maric called for his three hirelings to attack. Brucetus Fastinius and Rigmor charged us while true to his word S’razirr turned on Maric.

Sensing the deception Maric didn’t wait around to watch the slaughter. He mounted his horse and under a cloak of invisibility sped away. Wouldn’t hurt me if we never meet Maric again.

Before S’razirr walked off he reminded us of our bargain. “Tiber Septim Hotel, bring this one money.”

With that business done we spent the night resting at the now vacant camp once owned by Claude Maric’s mercenaries.

Early the next day after a comfortable night’s sleep we began journey south to the Panther.

Stone statues that begin to move are usually a bad thing. This battle did yield a nifty sword though it seems.

Neat indeed that an Ayleid floor trap worked in your favor for a change.

Too bad Maric got away, but at least it was empty-handed.

I was thinking of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) - Battle with Kali the whole time I was trying to describe the scene.

I know what you mean about keeping stuff installed but never using it. For Cyrodiil, this is truest with homes for me. Sometimes I'll install a home (or keep, or abandoned chapel...) but none of mine ever owns these places or even goes inside. It's more like these places just add to the landscape, they make a town feel more lively, and so on.

Go for the gusto or drink lite beer was a commercial, right?

Wow, that statue is spooky. Sort of like the draugr in Skyrim. Sometimes we walk right by them. And then when starts to move I always get goosebumps, man!

Oh YES sometimes traps can be a blessing! Getting enemies to walk into them always makes my day. SMASH!!!!