I just love how you write Kahreem´s story, Renee! Including the dialogue from the NPCs and whatnot adds so much to the story´s (gasp!) immersion!

Kahreem of Weet

Level: 5

Days Passed: 70
Bounty: 90

Fame: 0
Infamy: 7
Days Jailed: 17
Items Stolen: 558



"STOP! THIEF!"

"You're not supposed to be in here!"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?"

Kahreem of Weet awakes slowly from a dream, where voices echo in his head.

"Ahhh fokke!"

He knows where he is, and it's not paradise. Halfway-hidden in a rush of tall grasses, he had collapsed with earlier exhaustion, his daily Redguard's Adrenaline Rush sapping all his previous strength.

"Damn soldiers and their damn silver arrows."

The full story comes back to him now. He had managed to break into the Count's Manor once again, but had quickly been caught, once again. He had evaded multiple guards shooting silver arrows as he fled Leyawiin, and wound up in this marshy area, safe from their pursuit. And here on this hillock he had collapsed.

When he'd begun his sleep, the morning was sunny and warm, but he now awakes to a cool and dreary fog. As a nearby mudcrab suddenly notices him, and decides Kahreeem might make a better meal than whatever detritus it had previously been scavenging upon, he gets up fully from his hiding place, and trudges back to Leyawiin, armed with yet another plan of action.





4:04 PM

"Who will help a poor old beggar?"

He's tried playing the part of a knowledgeable travelling 'spice merchant'. He's tried pretending to be a 'mail scout'. Now Kahreem decides he'd like to attempt Leyawiin with a different approach.

"'Scuse me sir I gots nothing to eat!"

Half-covered in grass-seed and burdocks, and wearing peasant's clothes, Kahreem not only looks the part, he also feels it. He is poor, after all. He is also feeling a bit disheveled and rundown. His spirits are low. And he needs help.

"Spare me some coin, oh pompous traveler?"

Once again, Kahreem had assumed he'd be approached and questioned by a guard upon re-entry into Leyawiin, but nothing of this sort occurs.... "I must have the best luck", he says as he makes his way towards the Five Claws, where he rents a room. The Five Claws is for poor people, after all. To further his new disguise as a beggar, it's best to live like one, as well. He can't afford the Three Sisters Inn right now, and with just 4 lockpicks in his pocket, attempting to pick the lock to his room (and breaking even just one) would not be good.

Kahreem sleeps many hours after eating a single pear.



7:02 AM

"What's your story?"

Once again, Kahreem encounters a stranger in his room. This time, it's a Nord. He feels his pockets, making sure everything is there, and it is. The Nord calmly munches a piece of bread, unaware that the Redguard who's just awoken from the bed is rather agitated.

"I'm Eitar," he says, reeking of one of Kahreem's favorite odors. Kahreem looks to the table Eitar sits at, and yes, there is a bottle of Cheap Wine there. "Saaay, did you hear what that Argonian said? What's-his-name? You know who I'm talking about?"

"I do not," Kahreem says with a smirk. He really wants that wine. Just a sip'll do.

"He said any Argonian can kick any Khajiit's butt to breakfast any day of the week," Eitar continues. "You believe that? I think he's wrong."

Kahreem is so surprised by the Nord's statement, he bursts out laughing, and it feels good to laugh. Kahreem feels suddenly happy to have Eitar the Nord in his presence.

"I think he's wrong. I KNOW Khajiit can kick Argonian butt. Any time! Any where! And you can tell everyone I said so."

Feeling as if he's made a friend, Kahreem of Weet spends the rest of the morning with this 'Eitar', learning a few things about Leyawiin as they drink, and (of course) while sharing some Cheap Wine. One of the things Kahreem learns from the Nord is that Countess Caro's maid-servant has been known to be easily flattered from time to time.

"Heh! All it takes is a few pretty words and a few come-ons, and she's like putty in your hands! Every Nord in Leyawiin knows this!"

As the drinks pour and the conversation rambles, Kahreem somehow manages to remember this one statement before passing out in a drunken stupor.





Tirdas, 11:30 AM, Sun's Dusk 5

"Oh my! Are you an adventurer?" ...says Hlidara Mothril, as a nearby Argonian hisses.

"No m'lady. My name's Eitar. I'm the new blacksmith here in Leyawiin Castle."

Kahreem spent all morning just outside of town gathering more ingredients for sale. During his walk, he managed to find a nearby cabin. Unfortunately, this cabin was inhabited by a couple of mean-looking fighters, and Kahreem is glad he'd snuck out of the place, since he was only armed with a rusty old daggar at the time. Outside of this cabin were several crates & barrels, and in one of these, he found a blacksmith's outfit. He graces the court with his presence, trying on yet another approach, with a new profession.

"Gotta locate m' spurs and hammers, and I'm afraid I'm a bit lost! Leyawiin's a big place!"

"I am Hlidara Mothril. Lady Leyawiin's chaplain and chief advisor," the elf says calmly, completely unaware of whom she is speaking to. "I assist Her Ladyship so that her enlightened policies might achieve the greatest possible influence upon the affairs of County Leyawiin."

"So I've heard. I've heard you assist her with other things as well, like smashing Redguard ruffians with your fists," Kahreem mutters, and immediately wishes he hadn't. But it doesn't matter.

"Nothing I would tell you. Get lost!" Hldara says, scrunching up her face in anger.

"My apologies m'lady, for I am Redgaurd, but my profession is a legal one. Might ye offer me some humble assistance, so that I can begin my day's work? The ingots won't smith themselves, now will they?"

"This better be good."

For the next hour or so, Kahreem butters up Caro's hand-maiden and serveant with his words. ..."Such adventures, how I envy you!".... In full view of the rest of the Court, he also managed to charm them as well, telling of tales of blacksmithing he's heard from a variety of smiths and stable-hands over the years. ...."I salute you! Most impressive!".... After some time, he's noticing Hldara has completely cheered up towards him, her previous scowling nowhere to be seen. "...yah! I get it!...." So again, he tries...

"...you know, we blacksmiths talk, and I have heard this castle's got a dungeon that would outmatch any other, including a torture room! ... I have only heard such rumors, of course. But as a smith, I'd be ever-so-delighted to see the iron-workings in such a place."

"Shhh! It's dangerous to be heard talking about that," cautions Hlidara the hand-maiden. "The Countess has a secret passage somewhere in the basement that leads to her private quarters. That's where the torture chamber is. Sometimes I can hear the screams of the prisoners when I'm in my chambers." she says, her voice quivering.

"You don't say!" Kahreem says, feigning shock. "Well ya know, maybe I'll steer clear of that place. But there's something else I'd like to ask you about?"

"Say what you're going to say."

"Rumor has it there's a ring which belongs to the Lady, a ring of metal so fine, it's all-the-rage amongst us blacksmiths. Mind if I inquire of such a ring, then I'll be out of your hair, m'lady."

"Countess Caro is so relieved to have the ring back! It's been missing for many years. She wears it constantly. Well, not all the time, I mean, she puts it in her jewelry box for baths and at night. No proper lady would wear her jewelry to bed."

"And on that note, I feel I've wasted enough of your time, m'lady. I beg of thee good tidings, and shall take my leave to forge some steel."

"I think I hear milady calling!" Hlidara says with forced glee, as the Weet Bandit plans his next move.

Interesting that Kahreem does the role of a beggar this time, considering he almost is one anyway!

That Nord is quite fun, I actually took a few pixies when he had that conversation with Lothran.

Heya Talking Crow. Yeah, Eitar cracks me up! This is going to be a fun tale. I'm still gaming/playing so I think I've got an hour or two left in me before I get breakfast

Well, Arravyne's arrived in Cyrodiil, and so let the spoilers begin!

The First Step.

Anvil, Docks

There was still fog in the air, though it made little headway inland, instead clinging to the waves. The early morning sunlight wasn't yet warm enough to burn the fog away, but it had some warmth to it, and Arravyne was glad of it, the sea breeze might be refreshing, even after being on a ship for days, but it did carry a chill. The docks were relatively quiet, the bustle of the day not having started yet, and Arravyne savourd the quiet as he walked towards the gate to the rest of Anvil. After days surrounded by the chanting and cursing of sailors, and the continual sounds of the ship underway, he longed for a little peace and quiet.

The first thing Arravyne did after leaving the docks was to find a guardsman, and ask about the mages guild. The guardsman was clearly used to such questions, and gave him directions in the weary tone of one who has repeated them far too often. And sure enough, Arravyne found the place without any trouble. Immediately upon entering he was met with the sight of an Altmer woman behind a sizable desk, and so asked about joining the guild. As it turned out, her name was Carahil, and she was the head of the Anvil branch of the Mages guild. Arravyne had to answer abrief questionnaire about his magical background, but was accepted into the guild immediately afterwards. And after Carahil told him what was required to gain access to the Arcane University, she wasted no time in setting him a task to earn her recommendation.

The task was simple; go to the Brina Cross Inn, posing as a merchant, in order to lure a rogue mage who's been attacking traders into the open, where a pair of guild battlemages will deal with her. Dangerous, but not if done right, and Arravyne had done something similar in the past. Arravyne spent some time practising alchemy, since he'd have to stay the night at the inn and it wasn't even afternoon yet. He'd researched Cyrodiil before leaving Vvardenfell, and wanted to make sure he'd gotten the basics right. About midafternoon he set out on foot for the inn, but didn't get far. Before he'd covered a third of the distance he came across a magnificent black steed being attacked by a wolf. He'd heard of these Black Horse Couriers, and assumed the rider had fled from the wolf, so started hurling flares at it, but the wolf would not be dissuaded from it's target until Arravyne burned it to the ground. Then Arravyne caught sight of a motionless figure on the ground ahead, the body of the Courier. He rummaged through her saddlebags, looking for something to identify her, but found nothing but copies of the news she delivered. So he helped himself to one of each of the six different papers she carried and decided to take the horse with him. Riding swifter than he thought possible, but the horse was well trained, and did most of the work in keeping from falling. So Arravyne reached his destination safely, if a bit shaken.

Inside the Inn Arravyne met one of the battlemages, a Breton woman called Arielle Jurard, who was disguised as a traveller, and she told him to rent a room and head upstairs. Arravyne spoke to the innkeeper, but before he could head up was intercepted by an Altmer woman, clearly terrified at the prospect of leaving the inn with a killer picking off merchants. By the time he made it to his room Arielle was already waiting for him, and gave him the specifics of the plan, then told him to get some rest. Which Arravyne did, after a good meal, anyway. The next morning it was raining heavily, a problem because Arravyne only carried two hoods; one a mages hood, kind of a giveaway, and the other didn't go with his jacket. Fortunately the rain cleared up befoe long, and Arravyne strolled down the road to Kvatch, certain that he was watched by the battlemages, even if he couldn't see them.

He was surprised to see the Altmer woman from the previous night standing in the road, but the foul expression on her face told him what she was doing there before she threatened him. On cue the battlemages burst into view, hurling spells at the Altmer, but she managed to avoid the worst of them. Arravyne cast a shield spell to protect himself from her bound axe, and waded in to get her attention. She focused on him for just a moment too long as her spell was absorbed by his Atronach gift, leaving her vulnerable to a lightning hurled by one of the battleages, Arravyne didn't know which. Not that it mattered, the mission was completed Arravyne checked her for valuables, finding a trio of strong healing potions and a pair of strong magickal restoratives, the battlemages told him to keep them, since they didn't need them. With his part done Arravyne returned to the Inn, collected his adopted horse, and rode like the wind to Anvil, where he reported his success to Carahil, who was thrilled by the news. Having secured his recommendation and bought a few new spells, Arravyne rode back to the Brina Cross Inn, where the owner was so pleased to hear of the rogue mage's death he let Arravyne stay the night for free.


Went a bit mad with the pictures with this one, not really sure why. They're not as good as I'd like, since I'm taking a picture of my TV with the camera on my phone, but that's the best us consolites can do. The updates not as good as I'd like either, but I'll tey and make the next one better.

Nice to read about Arravyne, looks like I'll be frequenting Chorrol more because I want to read about him.



Disagree & disagree, pics are ok, I think nobody excepts to see ultra-super shots from a console, and the update is a nice recollection of events.

Maybe I'll also write about Raven here on occasion, although I'd first need to introduce him somewhere, since he's been around for some time. I'll have to check for 'Show us your characters' thread if there's any.

Hey! The pics are great, no worries, CT. I like cell phone pics. They are a PITA to deal with (getting them from camera to email to here) but they offer something PC screenshots cannot--they don't look as 'sterile'. Cell pics are often slightly blurry. Or a bit more contrast-y than a PC shot, and for this reason they have a look that entices me. I don't even know what I'm trying to say; it's hard to explain what I mean.

I mean don't get me wrong, I've seen some bad cell pics, too, but the ones you posted are fine. They are sharp and have some dark/contrast areas that are eye-catching.

Glad you guys like the pics

@Renee: I get what you mean though about the difference between pics and screenshots. Unfortunately I can't think of a good way to describe it either

Well, glad that's settled. On the subject of pics, I posted a bad one up above just now, in the latest Kahreem story. All the faces are washed out, see? I would usually discard such a pic, but it helps portray the flow of the story (plus it looks kinda funny, especially since I caught Hlidara's text as she was speaking) so I'll keep it up.

Well, there's not actually any spoilers in this update, but the long updates seem a little out of place in the "Today in Cyrodiil" thread, so I figure they're better off here. No pictures this time, but I'm happier with this update than the last.

Outside the Brina Cross Inn, The Gold Road, North of Anvil

The rain slashes down, a storm that has raged since the early hours of the morning. There is no thunder, but the hammering of rain on the window has awakened Arravyne, who dons his Mages robe and hood before venturing out into the storm. It's foul weather, but he needs to get to Kvatch, there's likely a branch of the Mages guild there. He spends a few moments gazing wistfully at the magnificent black steed across the yard, sheltered from the rain, and shakes his head sadly. Though Arravyne would love to take such a fine horse with him, everything from the saddlebags to the reins carries the mark of the Black Horse Courier, as does the horse itself. If he's seen riding it he would probably be arrested for theft, maybe even accused of killing it's late rider. Reluctantly he leaves the Inn, following the Gold Road towards the next city.

Arravyne looks around constantly as he walks, leaving the road to climb hills to gain a better view of his surroundings. He's looking for signs of Ayleid architecture, he's read about the Ayleid wells, and having expended the majority of his magickal energies the previous day feels their absence acutely, like a part of him is missing. He's also looking for wayshrines. Since the collapse of the Tribunal many have turned to the Nine, just as others have turned to the Daedra Lords. Arravyne worships neither, though acknowledge the existence of both groups. Fortunately both the Nine and the Daedra Lords consider this to be enough, so wayshrines will still grant him the blessings of the Nine, and the Daedar Lords will still offer tasks for certain favours. After a short while he finds what he seeks, and makes for it single mindedly. Just as he reaches it an arrow plunges into his arm.

He looks around for signs of his attacker, but his view is obscured by the thick plantlife around, and two more arrows narrowly miss him before he finds his assailant, a lightly armoured Bosmer with a bow. The Ayleid well forgotten for the moment, Arravyne calls forth a weak shield spell, before rushing at the archer, expending his remaining magicka on a trio of touch based spells that heal him even as they harm the foe. His enemy defeated and his wound healed, Arravyne takes a moment to memorise the sounds that emanate from the well, hoping it might help him find others in the future. He does not listen for long, feeling the near total absence of magicka weighing terribly upon him, and reaches into the sparkling blue mist, revelling in the feeling of the energies coursing through him once more. Gorged on magicka he makes his way back to the road, a little unsteady as he continues on his way. Before long he finds a wayshrine to Zenithar, and burns through his magicka practising a basic healing spell before asking Zenithar for his blessing, revitalizing him once more. He finds little to trouble him before reaching Kvatch, only a wolf that he dealt with by summoning a skeleton. At Kvatch, however, he found something that astonished him.

As he climbed the road to the city, an Altmer ran towards him, his clothes charred and his face twisted with terror. Something had attacked Kvatch, the Altmer claimed, daedra had flooded the city from portals and some monstrosity had led them.* Arravyne thought him crazed with terror, and dismissed his ramblings, only to hear similar tales from those people he found further up the road, living in tents, the sky above still lit by the glow of the burning city. He continued up the road as it wound towards the city, the sky grower darker as he climbed higher, the red glow strengthening to a crimson glare as he reaced the plateau on which the city was built. What he saw there beggared belief. Twisted stone that had no place being there stretched from the ground, wrought into ugly, impossible formations. Wooden barricades, their crudeness speaking of the haste with which they had been thrown together, and a handful of men clad in chainmail with white coats made grey by ash and soot. And behind them, and before the city gates, something which had no right existing at all. A gaping wound torn in the air, radiating fell power and vomiting daedra onto Nirn. The fighters rushed the scamps that were spat into existence, dispatching them with the weary ease of men who have far too much practice of late. As their apparent leader caught sight of Arravyne, he shouted at him to stay back, but Arravyne ignored him, moving for a closer look at the fiery portal.

He got too close to it, and was yanked off his feet as it dragged him in, hurling him into a dry, dead land, the air choked with soot and the stench of death, the sky lit by the same hellish glow he had thought to be from the burning city. Below he saw another figure in the livery of Kvatch, as he assumed it to be, and moved to help him, and to see a little more of this place. The guardsman dispatched a trio of scamps, aided by a skeleton Arravyne summoned, before fleeing back thorugh the gate. With is magickal energies once more depleted, Arravyne followed. He decided he could do nothing about the portal, not even understand it, but would inform the Mages guildhall in the next city, in the hope that someone from the Arcane University might be sent to deal with it. As he walked he was harvesting any plants he recognised, so far mostly aloe vera, but once he started seeing flax flowers growing along the road he collected seeds from every one he could find, along with peonies and nigtshade plants. Three times he had to fight off bandits, the worst of the fights forcing him to fight a pair of Khajiit with nothing but a club and a novices shield spell. He spent the night in a tent in one of their camps.

The next morning he continued on his way towards the next city, Skingrad he thought, but wasn't certain. Shortly after the city came into sight, or at least the towers of it did, a sight even more welcome greeted Arravyne, another Ayleid well. Arravyne rushed over to it, his hands trembling in anticipation of the return of magicka, and this time he didn't spend time listening to it, desperately plunging his hands into the mist, biting back a moan as the energy filled him once more. He made his way to the city in something of a daze, taking a few moments to collect himself before entering the city.


*I've often wondered about this, when Hirtel says "There was a huge creature... something out of a nightmare... came right over the walls... blasting fire." You can see in front of the city what looks to be the wreckage of a great gate, but the description given doesn't fit with the siege engine used to attack Bruma later in the MQ. So what was it that attacked Kvatch?

I like that Arravyne did enter the gate but then returned back, one doesn't read often about that so it feels refreshing.

I think that 'creature' was the siege crawler but Hirtel probably mistook it for another creature. Never trust a man with a voice like his.

Time: 8:50 pm Sun's Dusk 6, 3E433

Location: Castle Leyawiin Servants' Quarters

Days Passed: 72
Bounty: 90


"Hello".

"So tiresome".

It's early in the evening as Kahreem of Weet, now playing the role of Kahreem 'the Blacksmith', makes his way once again through the bowels of Castle Leyawiin. Out of all the castles he's been in so far, Leyawiin is certainly the most interesting. It is certainly a place full of surprises and secrets.

"You look lost"...says a guard.

Kahreem chooses not to make eye-contact as he replies "well, yes, I am lost. I'm the new blacksmith, come down from Bravil. Just getting a feel for this place; getting to know all the ins and outs. Pretty soon, I won't be lost anymore."

His new ploy involves playing the part of a blacksmith, as was just stated. "Hope you guys don't mind if I take a look at the irons on this chest," he says to the room full of guards he's now standing in. "I won't be in your way. As the new blacksmith, I'll just be making a note of any ill-fitting hinges, locks, and the such that I see. I'll make my repairs later."

The guards in the room say nothing in reply as they take their break, eating bread, grapes, and boar's meat. They have no idea that the Redguard in their room is the same Redguard who's wanted for breaking & entering into the Lord's Manor twice now.

"Hmm. A little rusty here. Guess we'll have to fix that!" Kahreem says, pretending to make a note on a piece of parchment.

After an hour (or so) of goofing around, the guards finally leave. Then, he finds what he is looking for: yet another change of clothes.


6:14 pm
He ditches his blacksmith's outfit for this new set of clothes mostly because he is not sure if blacksmiths are actually allowed in the castle's private areas. And also, if anybody figures out he's the same Reguard thief who's wanted by the law, he doesn't want to blow his blacksmith's disguise for any future encounters he might have with the town's law or royalty.

Once again, he spends hours cautiously making his way from the castle's basement & storage rooms to Caro's secret torture room. By now, the thief is absolutely confident, as he makes every twist and turn almost by rote. As he re-opens the secret door which leads directly to the Lord's Manor he suddenly crouches down, as he hears Imperial voices coming from somewhere nearby. He peeks his head out of the opening the doorway now makes, and sees nobody. So he climbs several sets of stairs, keeping in mind that the voices he heard could be anywhere, but (again) he sees nobody. As he nears the Lord's lobby, (pleasant music flowing throughout), he ducks into the alcove which leads into this room, and quickly closes the door before him.

"Phew."

Now, he waits. He waits for the sound of anybody, or anything. It's important not to get caught off-guard this time, thinks the Redguard. Time is of the essence, but it's more important to actually get this job done, even if he needs to wait all day for Countess Caro to put her stupid ring back.

"Actually, that's a question. Will the ring actually be there if she's not at home? .. I think that's what Hlidara said; that she sometimes wears it on her person. Fokke!"

As he waits, the castle's music never ceases, making it hard for him to hear his surroundings. But there are times he hears a door open close by, or the sound of footsteps making their way back and forth. Sneaking the 50 or so feet from his hiding spot, through the lobby area, and into the Count's bedroom is the most difficult thing to do. Once he's actually in this room, however, he can apparently wait here as long as he pleases. As long as he stays silent and does not move, of course.


8:45 pm

"What do you think, Hlidara, the red dress or the blue one?"

"I'd go with blue", says the hand-maiden to her employer. And in all her years in the employ of Lady Caro, her answer has always been the same. "They bring your eyes to the fore with brilliance!"

"Excellent, and quite contentious, if I might say so. Once again, you have shown yourself to be an excellent maiden," Caro says, congratulating herself more than the high elf before her.

"Milady," says Hlidara carefully. "Might I broach the subject of that Redguard thief? The one who made his way into your 'secret' torture room, and up into this court, not once but twice now?"

"What of him, humble servant? I fear him not, as you have shown yourself to be quite excellent, as you pummel him with your fists."

"You aren't afraid he might break in here again?"

"Oh come now, Hildara, grow yourself a set, eh?" scoffs Alessia Caro impatiently. "If he makes his way in here again, he's through. Do you hear me? THROUGH!" she suddenly shouts, breaking her usually-polished countenance. "He's got a bounty which already matches no other, I am sure, and with this in mind, I'd gladly catch him myself. Just you wait and see! Why, I'll tie him up meself, tie him right up to my iron maiden! Listen to his cries of pain as I torture him gladly! Now, no more on the subject, eh? Let's try and have a decent evening, free of this talk of Redguards and rings!"

"Well okay", Hlidara Mothril says reluctantly, noticing that her Lady has been so agitated as of recent, she hasn't even left her quarters all day.

What she doesn't notice is the Redguard thief, the same one from before, as he sneaks his way slowly towards the Countess's bedroom, hears the conversation above, and hides back into the alcove, waiting for royalty to go to bed.


12:07 am
Finally, he does it. After a long time of waiting, nibbling on food which he's stolen from the basement, he makes the move which will further his career as a thief-of-employ.

As he opens the door to the lobby area, he hears footsteps. A guard walks right by Kahreem's hiding place! He walks towards Caro's bedroom, turns around, and then walks the opposite direction--down a set of stairs, through the lobby (passing the Thief for the second time) and then up a second set of stairs. After this, he is gone for a long set of seconds, so Kahreem makes a daring move; quickly sneaking up through the lobby area. As he sneaks, he makes sure to walk backwards this time, and it's a good thing, too. Within seconds, the guard is now pacing back into the lobby. Kahreem barely has a moment to glimpse the man, before he glides silently into Caro's bedroom, and closes the door.

"Fokke!"

Lady Caro is just getting in bed beside her husband, as Kahreem enters the room. He waits a moment, and (sure enough) hears the footsteps of the guard, who fails to notice that the door which he had walked by just a minute ago is now closed.

Kahreem sneaks through the bedroom slowly, and waits behind a desk until he hears the guard make his rounds past the room once again. He notices that the items which he had strewn across the floor on one of his previous visits (an hourglass, a ceramic plate, etc.) are now back in their place.

"Ha! Someday I gotta get me a place, just like this!" he whispers. "Lots of servants to wait at my very hand, foot, and word."



Once he hears the guard walk past, the Weet Bandit makes the final stretch, and inserts the Countess's stolen jewelry box key into its home socket.

*Tinkers with posts*




I don't know, I'm somewhat inclined to believe him. There's nothing at the city to suggest the use of a siege weapon, the walls and gate are still standing, as is the Chapel where Martin is. If they'd brought along that they could have leveled the whole city. I think the siege crawler was a one-off for Bruma, a full battle, rather than the massacre of Kvatch.

My theory is that it was actually Mehrunes Dagon. We only ever see one Great Gate, though it seems there was one at Kvatch as well, so I think that between the death of the Emperor and the Great Gate, he was able to break through briefly, only to find he couldn't kill Martin. This explains why he doesn't try to attack personally again and why Kvatch wasn't utterly annihilated as it should have been. The attack depended of Dagon tearing the place up, but he wasn't able to. Frankly since Dagon and Camoran's plan hinged on killing all of the Septim line, the fact that Kvatch wasn't reduced to a smouldering crater simply doesn't make sense, unless something went very wrong.

But all of this is just supposition.




He would have investigated further, but coming from Anvil meant he didn't have a supply of self made restore magicka potions, and he ran out of magicka. Since he had no idea what was going on, he decided to play it safe, something fairly unusual for my characters.

Edit: Hmm, I seem to have quoted a post that doesn't exist. ???

Not at all, CT, you're not crashing "my" thread, you're just the first one to also start posting stories here, and I'm glad to have you. Nobody owns this thread, it's open to all. But like I said, most everyone else here has their own fanfic pages, and I imagine most fanfics center on one character at a time. It wouldn't make sense for me to do this because I've got ... 4 characters mentioned so far in this thread. Imagine if each of these had his or her own fanfic? That ... could get ugly.

Enjoy the Kahreem story up above. It's finally done.

I sure did As always you did some great writing there, Renee!

The pictures taken with a cell phone have the feeling of being very much right in the action, since there’s no freezing and posing on consoles. I still remember Lady Mara’s Nord (arghh, but his name escapes me!) grinning at Forrester during their midnight target practice session outside the Ill Omen.

I’m enjoying Arravyne’s adventures, Callidus.

The Weet Bandit has the key in the lock at last! Hlidara may not get to pummel him with her fists again!

In Grits news, I’ve made an NPC version of Jerric for Darnand to travel with. So far he looks good but needs an attitude adjustment. Darnand defeated Lorgren Benirus with no help from Jerric at all. That was NOT the plan!

Still, Benirus Manor. It was a good day.

Poor Darnand! Hee! Perhaps the mage should have told his large Nordic (redundant) friend that Lorgren Benirus had a ham sandwich in his pocket?

Scarsdale? Skarsgard! I remember because it was like Stellan.




Doh! I guess Jerric must have gotten distracted by a bottle of mead. Or maybe some comely Breton lass down at the Mages Guild...

Awesome, this sort of thing (creating PCs into NPCs) seems so advanced to me. Are you able to adjust Darnard's aggression at all, so that this doesn't happen?



Yep, Skarsgard. The winner of the Vanilla Male (or at least a runner-up, I don't remember exactly) in the Hot/Not 2012 contest.

Ahh, the Hot or Not contest. Such great fun it was!

When was this?

It was on a thread co-hosted by Renee over on the Bethesda Softworks forum. She ran one the year before over there as well.

http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1418247-am-i-hot-or-not/

There ya go. There used to be a website called www.amihot.com where people posted up pics. Once the pics were up, somebody could view them and vote from 10 (hot) to 1 (not), so that's where the silly idea came from, except I axed the 1 to 10 system.

Here is the results post: http://forums.bethsoft.com/topic/1429283-t...rds/?p=21917920

Wow. Grits actually had three males win Vanilla Male. Skarsgard was tied for #3 with Darian. Interesting.

Time: Sun's Dusk 10, 3rd Era 433, 7:30 am

Days Passed: 76
Active Quests: 17
Quests Cmptd: 5
Bounty: 90


"Hello."

"Good to see you!"

As day breaks early here in Leyawiin County, one guard arrives at his post and greets another. The morning is so gloriously sunny, it's amazing there ever was a day of fog or rain on Topal Bay.

"What's new with you?" asks Leyawiin guard #1.

"If I had a question about Heavy Armor, I'd probably ask Varnado at the best defense'," answers the other.

"Well, if you MUST have heavy armor, go see Varnado. So heavy, so ugly. But it's your choice."

The two guards stand awkwardly, unsure who will bring up the subject first. Technically, Guard #1 is supposed to be starting his break, while Guard #2 is slated to begin his time at the watch. But both guards stand still a moment. Suddenly, both also speak at the same moment.

--"So that Redguard who"----"Do you remember that Redguard"--

Both look at one another, and then down at the ground, a feeling of guilt and shame passing between them.

"The blacksmith..."

"Blacksmith? I was speaking of the beggar I saw."

"He ..."

"Was he?..."

Both guards stand a moment longer, while time dawdles by. They've already wasted too much of it, making what should have been a simple shift-change into a virtual gossip-fest.

"Go take your break."

"It's about time!"



7:30 am, Castle Leyawiin Lord's Manor

"Good morning!"

"How delightful!"

Words of forced comfort pass between Marius and his wife, Countess Alessia Caro, as they arise from another platonic night of marriage.

"Have you heard any word about--"

But Marius is already gone. He has left the room, eager to make his way to court, once again.

Countess Alessia spends a moment feeling dumbfounded on a few subjects: Her marriage to an older man, the over-running of Leyawiin by a host of beast races, and (most of all) the thing she does not want to admit, the fact that her 'secret' torture chamber is no longer so much of a secret anymore. Not only this, but somebody has been using the passages below her very bedroom to infiltrate her precious solitude. Not once but twice now.

"'Tis no wonder I spend so many of my days travelling north. Buggered botherations!" the Countess scoffs, as she rises and perfumes herself slowly. "Mischiefs and ministrations! Perhaps Hlidara was right. Perhaps I should take matters further...oh but what am I saying? Leyawiin's guards will take care of it all, sooner or ...."

Suddenly, the Countess stops. She opens her jewelry box, and stops.

"Good morning, milady! How are you today?"

"Hlidara, have you seen my ring?"

"Ring milady? What ring?"

"What ring? MY ring! The ring I have been wearing so proudly as of late! MY ring!!!"

Hlidara Mothril (of course) knows which ring her Lady speaks of, but she cannot help but feel confused, her temper rising just a notch. That blacksmith! "Ohhh milady, but you have so many rings! Perhaps you've simply misplaced the one you speak of, perhaps you've just got them mixed up!"

"I did NOT get them mixed up and I am NOT confused! ... MY ring! It's GONE! Do you hear me? GONE! I Know of it! I did place it in this very box last night, as I always do!"

"It's gone? Is it really gone? But how can this be?" As Hldara now stands aside Countess Caro, she also looks into the jewelry box, the empty jewelry box, and is unpleasantly startled. ... "Wait'll I get my hands on that Redguard SCUM!" Hlidara glares! "Don't you fret, milady! We'll have this all sorted out in a rat's hair of time! Why, he's probably idling down in the Castle's dungeon as we speak!!"

"He's not a very good thief, is he?" Caro says, her temper vanishing. "Yes, you're right. Perhaps he is already caught, and we have not a thing to worry."



Sun's Dusk 10, 2:30 pm

"HAAA!!! You dare impose the might, OF THE IMPERIAL LEGION!"

As Kahreem of Weet now rides a half-mile north of Leyawiin, safely following an Imperial Guard (who's just taken the time to rid the path before them of a mudcrab) he bounces the ring engraved with the countess's name in its band firmly up and down in his dark hand.

"Not bad for a day's work," he says. "Ahdarji, here I come."

Skarsgard!! Thank you. I remember his shirt-optional tavern tour of Cyrodiil. That would be a fun event to organize someday. Everyone visit the same tavern in their game and post pictures with a review.

That was a fun contest. Some of my characters have retired, died, or migrated since then, but those three vanilla guys are still going strong. Darian (with his expanding entourage) and the original Jerric are on the PS3 and Selador is on the Xbox. Funny.

I figured out why NPC Jerric was letting bandit dogs chase him all over the Gold Coast. His aggression was right, but a mod was dictating his behavior. D’oh!! Got him straightened out. Plus I learned a lot about how a few things work while I was checking every single thing that could be wrong except for the actual problem. But I guess the solution is always the last thing you try.

Anyway Renee, don’t let my floundering around dissuade you from making your own NPCs! There are some good tutorials out there to read and watch, and the simple followers that I’m making are not difficult. I’m so delighted to finally put my characters face to face.


A sunny day for Kahreem! Maybe the next time that Legion Rider dismounts he’ll say “I’ve fought mudcrabs more fearsome than you.” Kahreem saw it happen.

Yeah you know? Perhaps what I'll do is gather up all of Lady Mara's writing for Skarsgard, and ask her if she wants me to organize them into a thread here at Chorrol (with those lovely pics). This way, his entire story will be in one place. At present, they're all scattered about in a bunch of Where are You Now? threads.



Sweet!



Oh I see. Actually, I have heard it's possible to get almost any NPC a follower via mods, right? The ability to just hire any NPC will be amazing enough for me. Lady Saga especially has been wanting to have somebody to travel with. She used to go around asking a variety of NPCs to follow her, even though I knew this can never happen in vanilla.


It makes me laugh that a guard starts yelling taunts and insults to a creature that can't even comprehend anything greater than its next meal.

I think she mentioned doing that herself at some point. But since she´s no longer active with Oblivion I guess the idea itself has... well, fallen into Oblivion!


Pun so intended!

Lucien Lachance has been observing Raven ever since he had arrived to Cyrodiil. He knew more about his past than anyone else except Raven himself and he was also familiar with his father, Adalard Venderaux, who had been a powerful necromancer and a cruel murderer until his own son ended his life. His messengers told him about Raven's massacre at Hackdirt, murder of the bounty hunter close to Pell's Gate and other black deeds that Raven performed, convinced that he's doing it for greater good. But Lucien Lachance knew that Raven has a dark side inside him, only waiting to be waken and unleashed. And now the time to finally visit him, had arrived.



Not a sound could be heard when Lucien Lachance arrived to the deserted town of Hackdirt. All houses were in the dark except for one dim light coming out of the upper window at now abandoned Moslin's Inn. Lucien wickedly smiled, now familiar with Raven's whereabouts. Cloaked by his chameleon spell, he made his way to the inn, silently opened the door and went upstairs to Moslin's private room. Soundlessly, he entered the old room, careful not to wake Raven up. He saw him lying in his loincloth on the double bed but something was wrong...

...Raven's sleep was restless, he was tossing and turning in bed, mumbling some words that Lucien Lachance couldn't understand. As he stepped closer and looked at his face, he saw that Raven was sweating heavily and assumed that he had a fever. Then he saw a dark stain on his forearm and when he leaned closer to check it out, he saw a fresh, deep wound. Lucien Lachance was familiar with many different wounds and he immediately recognized this one to be from a zombie.

"Caught a disease, have you?" thought Lucien."Rockjoint? Astral vapors? Don't worry child, you'll survive it. I actually prefer you in your...weakened state."

He casted a frost spell in the air, chilling the entire room and then bursted a weak shock force to Raven's body, waking him up instantly. He quickly raised his head and stared at Lachance. His face was pale, his eyes blurred and he was breathing slowly.

"You sleep rather soundly for a murderer. That's good. You'll need a clear conscience for what I'm about to propose."

He looked at Raven and expected to see a surprise in his eyes but he didn't see any, the Breton was looking at him like he wasn't even sure whether he was an apparition or a real person. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly said:

"You...explain yourself" *exhales heavily* "Now."

"In due time, dear child. In due time. First, an introduction. I am Lucien Lachance, Speaker for the Dark Brotherhood. And you, you are a cold-blooded killer, capable of taking life without mercy or remorse. The Night Mother has been watching, and she is most pleased. And so, here I am. I come to you with an offering. An opportunity... to join our rather unique family."

Raven's head fell back on a pillow and he closed his eyes. Lachance at first thought that he had lost his consciousness but then Raven slowly turned his head against him and opened his eyes, his gaze still distant. This time he said nothing so Lachance continued:

"So, I have your rapt attention. Splendid. Now listen closely."

Lachance went on and told Raven about the Inn of Ill Omen ("I remember it, I've been there...Manheim...Minerva"), a man named Rufio ("unfamilar name"), kill Rufio ("kill? kill?"), initiation into the Dark Brotherhood ("Initiation? Why? No, I'm...")

"No!" shouted Raven and raised his head. His response surprised Lachance. "I'm...not...a murderer."

"No? The Night Mother seems to think otherwise. Allow me to grant you a gift, in case you reconsider."

Lachance handed him the Blade of Woe and Raven managed to gain enough strength to sit up. He looked at Lucien, confused, and then slowly took the blade in his hands. With one hand he held its pommel, with the other one he was slowly and gently feeling its sharp tip.

"His dark side is waking up, I see it... I feel it," thought Lachance.

"It is a virgin blade, and thirsts for blood. May it serve you well, as does your silence. Now, I bid you farewell. I do hope we'll meet again soon."

Raven looked up at Lachance and saw two faces resting on his shoulders. The face on his left was the face of his father Adalard, who smiled at him. That's odd, since his father never smiled.

"Go on, son," said his father and nodded. "Go on. You thirst for blood. Your body thirsts for blood. Make me proud."

Then Raven looked at the other face, this one of a woman. She was pale and had long black hair that were hiding most of her face. Raven knew why...she was hiding her bruises. And although he couldn't see her face clearly, he saw tears running down her cheek.

"Your path is clear. Send Rufio to his death, and the Dark Brotherhood will embrace you as family," said Lachance and both faces suddenly disappeared. Then he cloaked himself and headed out of the room. As he put his hand on a doorhandle, he felt someone grabbing his shoulder. He turned around and saw Raven, his eyes blurred...but there was something else, something that Lachance couldn't see yet.

"Do you have more questions, dark child?" asked Lachance and wanted to remove Raven's hand, but he grabbed him even stronger.

"This blade...it is still virgin...you say?"

"That it is, my child. It is only but waiting to be covered in blood."

"Then..." said Raven and Lachance didn't like his gaze anymore, it seemed like his eyes were becoming more focused. "...then let's it make it lose its innocence!"

With a powerful swing Raven stabbed Lahance into his chest but magical robe of the Speaker sustained a lot of damage.

"That was your last mistake!" shouted Lachance and pulled out his silver shortsword. "Prepare to die, traitor!"

"Traitor?" Raven and staggered back. "I'm not a traitor. But you're a murderer and a coward. And you called ME a murderer. That was YOUR last mistake."

"You see yourself as a saint, Venderaux? Ha, you have evil running through your veins! Written in your blood! Your father and your grandfather..."

"That is past! And you shall be past too!"

The battle between Lachance and Raven was fierce and at first it seemed that Lachance won't have any difficulties defeating him. Being still weak from the disease, he was often missing and his fingers felt too numb to cast a simple spell. As Lachance was inflicting him a wound after a wound, the face of the black-haired woman appeared again. This time there were no tears but a smile... a kind, warm smile.

Whether was it this smile or whether the disease-curing potion finally began to effect, Raven could feel energy returning to his fingers. He dodged Lachance's attack and touched him with his hands, unleashing his shock fury to the Speaker. Lachance was surprised and stepped back, and for the first time in many years he felt fear. Fear, because there was a slight chance that he won't be able to cope with Raven's magical talents. And he was correct.

Although he successfuly cut Raven a few more times, the Breton eventually sent sparks to his body again and Lachance felt powerless. He dropped the shortsword and fell on the back, knowing that he had only a few seconds before he'll join the Night Mother. Raven was standing above him, Blade of Woe still in his right hand, blood dripping from its tip and a victorious and angry look in his eyes.

"It can't be," whispered Lachance, "it wasn't supposed to end like this. You...you could achieve a lot, I saw it. You have it in your blood..."

"Nonsense! Time to end this little game" and Raven plunged Blade of Woe through Lachance's heart, ending the life of the infamous Speaker.

...

He didn't know how many time had passed while he was crouching next to Lachance's body, thinking of his deeds, his father and his future. The future which finally didn't seem so dark. For the first time Raven felt that he defeated something inside himself. Something dark, something malicious - by disobeying his orders, he finally defeated his father.

Although he still felt weak and his joints hurt badly, he decided to head back to Chorrol to heal himself properly. He slowly put on his clothes, took his stuff from the drawers and headed out of the inn, gasping for fresh air. As he was stumbling towards Chorrol, he looked in the sky and instead of Masser and Secunda, he saw two faces. While angry man's face was slowly fading away, the woman's was getting more intense and Raven could see her smile again.

"Thank you...mother."

Incredibly good writing, mr Lopov! And actually a very surprising twist!

Thank you, mr mirocu. I thought that you don't read so long updates.

I usually just read Renee´s because I like Saga and Kahreem, but I sometimes read up on Raven (boy) and this update caught my attention

An honor to be sure.

Yes Lopov, glad to see you made it here to Chorrol. How was your journey? Did you come from the North, South, East or West? If it's the South, I hope you didn't have too many troubles from the folks in a strange, Lovecraftian town? If it's from the West, hopefully the highwayman who usually resides at Fort Ash didn't try to take your hard-earned Septims.

Speaking of hard-earned Septims, here's a man who's lately been having a tough time earning any.

Kahreem of Weet

Level: 5

Days Passed: 76
Days Jailed: 17

Fame: 0
Infamy: 7
Bounty: 90

Note: as I start tonight's gaming session, Kahreem is still in Leyawiin, and is about to deliver Ahdarji's ring and get this whole nightmare over with. Before this happened though, my Bandit wound up harvesting some more plants for cash. As he walked to Gundalas's shop to make some deals, who did we find but Hlidara Mothril. The game had her glitched out, trying to enter Best Goods and Guarantees, but she couldn't enter the shop! She was running in place, too! I just couldn't resist!


"I hope I can help,"

...says the middle-aged high elf, turning to Kahreem of Weet, her eyes truly not seeing the man before her.

What are you blind? Kahreem thinks as she gazes at him. "No muhaki, taas buhaji," Kahreem answers as he avoids eye-contact. "Kooloo baashi ahh menahki."

At this bout of gibberish, Hlidara seems dumbfounded. She has no idea what to say to the Redguard who's just approached Best Goods and Gaurantees. Since he's now wearing his Sewer Battle Gear (and carrying a smelly wooden club at his side instead of a rusty knife) she doesn't even recognize the Redguard who not only broke into the Lord's Manor multiple times, but also managed to steal the coveted ring which started this whole mess in the first place. The man they're looking for was dressed in dark peasant's clothes (or possibly a blacksmith's outfit), and nicely-scented with a mixture of lavender and aloe vera. The man before her wears worn leather armor, and smells of blood and some sort of wine. Probably the Cheapest of wines.

"No speak See-ro-dill!" Kahreem says. "Mooloolaki daas vaahki See-ro-dill!"

Before Hlidara even fathom a reply, the Redguard is gone in Gundala's shop. "Phew. I don't think she knows it was me." He then sells his things to Gundalas, making sure to try to barter for the best prices, as is the usual Cyrodiilic custom.



Sundas, 11:48 AM, Five Claws Lodge

"Greetings to you!" says a Khajiits's voice.

Kahreem awakes to the sound of this voice in his own room, and this time, there is nobody invading his space. No Eitar and no 'Oatmeal'. He decided he'd stay at the Five Claws for the night, rather than the comfier Three Sisters Inn, because the Five Claws would be a better spot to finally meet his contact. After searching for hours the previous day for this beastfolk, and finally finding Ahdarji's house (which was locked with a 4-tumbler), Kahreem returned to the Five Claws, since he knows Ahdarji might finally show up here.

"How goes it?" asks a cultured Female Breton voice.

"Not bad. Have you heard any of Ahdarji's jokes?" asks the Khajiit.

"Terrible jokes! Just terrible!"

[AHEM] the Khajiit clears her throat of the living beetle she had just swallowed before this Breton interrupted her meal. "Have you heard any word about the other provinces?" the Argonian finally asks.

"Nothing I'd like to talk about."
"Hmph".

After an awkward moment, the Breton converses on, apparently trying to make some sort of point: "Witseidutsei runs a clean establishment! She really hates it when people mess up her place," the Breton finally asserts. Although she doesn't say it, she remembers the days when the Five Claws had a different name, was run by a stocky Nord, and did not attract beast-folk. It was a fine establishment back in those days, not the smelly, seedy place it has become.

"The Five Claws is a very clean place," says the Khajiit, trying to hold back her anger at the cultured, snobby Breton. "Witseidutsei would have it no other way," she finishes neutrally.

What the fokke is her problem? thinks Kahreem, as he gathers his things.

"So I've heard."

As Kahreem emerges from his small room, he is almost overrun by the very Argonian he has been looking for.

"Why does the prey approach?" says Ahdarji.

"Prey? A-ha-ha-ha, not something you want to say to Redguard, ye of swinging, furry tail and pointy ears."

"What doo yoo want?"

"I want to give you this," the Weet Bandit says. "Here. Take it. I will gladly see this stupid ... uh ... RING ... out of my hands," he says, not caring if anybody hears him this time. "My job is done, and I can leave this stupid town once and hopefully for all."

"Does the hunter have this one's ring?"
"I said I did. Now here. Take this damn thing."

"My ring! All thanks to the claws of the Clan Mother. You have recovered it. Is that slimy Argonian dead?" Ahdarji asks as an afterthought. "Did he suffer long? I hope so."

"Is Amusei dead? Ha! How do you think I made this leather breastplate?"

"You have earned the reward. The Thieves Guild was always good to Ahdarji's dearest mate. I am grateful that the memory is still honored."

"Well, I am glad to have assisted," Kahreem finalizes. "I feel as if a great weight has been taken off my shoulders, and onto yours. You know the Countess is going to be looking for that ring, don't you? And that she's got a secret torture chamber located in the depths of her castle?"

"That's just talk!"

"Ha! I hope I hear you say that on this side of a jail cell, Khajiit," Kahreem warns. "You take care now, ya hear?"

"Swift hunting," Ahdarji says, meaning this in the most literal sense. She's just seen a mouse crawling in the corner after all.

Ha! So it looks like Kahreem is finally done with that darnified ring!

The Saga of Kahreem, chapter whatever

Location: Leyawiin, Five Claws Lodge
Current Gold: 127

Days Passed: 77
Days Jailed: 17

Bounty: 90
Fame: 0
Infamy: 7


Sundas 12:40 pm Sun's Dusk II, 3E433


"Spare a coin for an old war veteran?"

...asks Rancid Ra'dirsha as Kahreem of Weet steps outside the Five Claws Lodge, hopefully for the last time in a long time. Rain pours from the dark sky above.

"Ha! You? A veteran? Of what war? Of which faction, and under which ruler? .. Ha ha!! Just as I thought."

At these words, poor rancid looks to her feet. All alone, this one is, she thinks. This catches the Weet Bandit's attention. She looks so sad and dejected, he thinks.

"Ahh, no, don't look like that. Ahh, hey, c'mon! I was just joking, kitty-cat. Here. Have a coin. I won't miss it. It's yours. And actually, here. Here's more. Now go get something for eating, for Nocturnal's sake."

"Thank you, kind sir!"

As Kahreem walks away, striking his fist into the air in triumph, thinking he'll never return to this mosquito-infected city as long as he lives, Rancid Ra'dirsha smiles to herself.

"That one is not the ONLY one who can plaaay a good con!" she says, stepping out of the rain to dry her soaking fur.


*





1:55 PM
As Kahreem passes through Leyawiin's gate, the rain suddenly begins to abate, and then stops entirely.

"Cannot wait to get back to Bravil," Kahreem mutters as he walks towards the stables. "At least I've got a home there," he says, referring actually to City Swimmer's flat, at which he had been squatting all during his Bravil stay. "Wonder if anybody else has been in there. Wonder if they left any skooma!"

As the Redguard Bandit walks away from the stables, suddenly remembering that he's left his horse some what up the road a bit (to deter witnesses as he steals this bay once again), Kahreem spies a familiar figure. A figure whom he has not seen in a long, long time. Weeks, if not months.

"It's you! Aval Boobani or whatever! You remember me?"

"You get any closer and I'll turrrn your bones to ash! Back off!" the Dunmer says.

"Is that so? Well last time, I didn't have a weapon. LAST TIME, I did not have THIS!" he suddenly yells, un-shanking his smelly old Sewer Club from his belt. "Say hello to Sir Fokke-a-lot, pompous fool!"

Before Alval Uvani can reply, he's BASHED in the head with the Redguard's Sewer Club.

"HEY, come on now!! There's no need to get violent!" Alval yells, beginning to get violent. He picks out his daggar, poisoned with something which will lower this fool's Intelligence. As Alval remembers this fact, he also realizes that this Redguard's forte is probably not spell-casting, meaning he's just wasted a bit of poison on a dumb road bandit.

"HAAAAA!" Kahreem yells as he returns some blows. The strikes and blows come quick, and they come fast. Daggar versus Club, Club versus Daggar.

"HA!!!! I've fought mudcraaabs more feahhsome than you!!!" Alval informs.

"You are going down, Dunmer Boobani! Say it with me!!! .. Just say it: I am going down!"

But as the fight ensues further, and it becomes more and more obvious that none of the town's guards are going to intervene, and so Kahreem realizes that this Dunmer might have him. Back in the Imperial City months ago, nobody died during their previous fight, since it was quickly broken by the guards. But now, he may have possibly just met his fate.

"Did YOU DO TIME? DID YOU PAY AS I DID?" Kahreem screams at the Dunmer. "'Cause I did! Went to jail and did my TIME, blueboy!"

"LET'S GET THIS OVAH WITH!!!"

As the strikes and dodges come and go, Kahreem's health beginning to falter, and without any health potions in his pouch, he suddenly remembers his heritage. He remembers his powers, specifically his Redguard Adrenaline Rush, which has not been cast in several days. He raises his arm to the sky woooonnn, and feels the essence of his predecessors coursing through his body.

"NOW you're in trouble, Dunmer!"

"THIS ... ENNNDS .. HEEE-YAAA!"

As Alval step-dodges one of Kahreem's blows, he catches the Redguard from his side, pricking him and using more of his poison. He just watched the man cast a spell, after all.

"ARGH!" Kahreem lands a smasher right onto Alval's head a moment later, sending him spiraling in the opposite direction. Amazingly, still the guards have not somehow caught wind of this fight, which takes place just a few hundred feet north of Leyawiin. "HOOOGH!!" cries the Dunmer as the Weet Bandit slams him again from a difficult angle.

"Heh! YOU'VE NOT HAD ENOUGH I SEE!"

In another moment of inspiration, Kahreem spies a small bar of sand located just off the road, and this bar is separated by a small creek of water. And in this creek crawls a mudcrab. Kahreem scampers off the road, running into the water a bit, and stops just as he gets onto the bar.

crrddddllllll .. purrs the crab, suddenly taking interest in the two two-legged creatures fighting nearby.

Kahreem can see the Dunmer hasn't got much left, as he finalizes a few more beatings, but blocks a few more from Uvani's daggar. It is not Kahreem who steals the moment at which Alval Uvani, walker of roads near and far, pompously and arrogantly warning those who dare cross his path, takes his last breath as he falls face-first into the water. It's a lowly mudcrab.

"Mm hmm", says Kahreem. "So you've seen mudcrabs more fearsome than me, eh? ... Is this the mudcrab of which thou speaketh, me lord?"

He asks the dead dark elf this, loots through the man's pocket as the sunny sky above continues on, and walks proudly back to his stolen bay.

Awesome fight!

Lothran had plans to kill Alval too when he threatened him on the road between Bravil and Leyawiin. My Dunmer let him walk away a few hundred feet before deciding to turn around and attack him. But by the time he caught up to him he was already dead. The funny thing was there wasn´t anything around. No animal, no bandit, nothing that could have done it.

It must have been Kahreem who was already on his way off on his steed! Finally, it all makes sense!

Isn't it cool how it all worked out, and how each of our characters have a different method of dealing with Alval? Even my paladin Dyan somehow got Alval killed without affecting her 'Lawful Good' status as an adventurer. In other words, she somehow managed not to make the first strike, and so she did not get a bounty for fighthing the man.

I was thinking Kahreem should steal one of the horses in the actual stable (just for kicks) instead of walking back to where he had parked his stolen bay, but he thought better of it. I am glad he did, because then the guards would be after him, and the fight with Alval could not have been concluded the way it was.

I haven't done the DB line with many characters, but they all watched him getting killed by a bear outside Bravil. I was beginning to think it was scripted that way by Bethsoft, until the black bear became a brown one (I did the quests later with that character).

Wow, Kahreem's story is the best Alval death I've heard. A mudcrab! Priceless.

Something gets Alval pretty often on the hill outside Skingrad toward the IC in my games. He was roadside storage for more than one of my characters.

Ghastley: that's weird, that Uvani always gets killed by a bear in your game. In my games, he always winds up getting killed in a variety of different spots. In Dyan's game for instance, I know it happened in Cheydinhal.

Gritsy: Roadside storage?

I wonder if Kahreem is going to wind up getting a visit from Lucien because of this? I mean ... he is not the one who actually killed Uvani. Hmm..

If Kahreem didn´t land the killing blow then Lachance will leave him alone.

Emperor’s Day Road Trip, Day One

Jerric and company traveled from Anvil to Brina Cross today. They got a slow start making sure everyone was packed up for the journey. The road was clear from Anvil to the Brina Cross Inn, probably because Jerric has been back and forth a lot lately. They followed a Legion Rider most of the way and finally caught up right outside the inn. There they also met a Black Horse Courier Rider and picked up some reading material.

The Brina Cross did not provide a lively evening. Accommodations were cramped and awkward. They all got plenty of sleep (sadly) and headed out into a misty morning. Destination Skingrad.

That's quite a convoy! Good to see the whole gang together, plus one. Who threw the pitcher at the inn? Did it run out of ale too quickly?

I noticed the floating pitcher too. I assume Darnand was practicing with telekinesis?

Wow I love those pics. Must be cool to have a gang like that, and I'm noticing that not all of them need armor, too.

That pitcher made me laugh. Jerric heard a door slam and then a crash while he was walking around the inn looking for Abiene. He found her sitting in there (NOT the room he rented) with the door closed. What the heck, woman!

Renee, it’s wild to have the whole crew. They haven’t had many fights, but two of them are summoners and Abiene heals everyone during and after combat (a mod gives her that behavior), so they could pretty much walk down the road in their underwear without much danger. The biggest issue so far is Lildereth shooting everyone.



Emperor’s Day Road Trip, Day Two: Brina Cross to Skingrad

After a peaceful stroll through morning mist Jerric decided it was time for a rest stop. He led the crew (Darnand, Lildereth, Abiene, and Shameer) into the Gottshaw Inn for refreshments. Nothing much occurred there since it was about nine in the morning, but at least the fog had lifted when they got back outside. Lovely views across to Anvil and up to Kvatch as they walked, and finally the pointy spires of Skingrad came into sight.

They only got to fight one bandit the whole way, providing very little to trade once they got to the city. Jerric was happy to dip into the IC shopping money in order to fund the wine sampling. And cheese sampling. And the beef and mutton.

But first they headed into the chapel as do all devout citizens and also those born under the Atronach looking to top up their magicka reserves at an altar. Inside Jerric made his way to the altar of Akatosh as is his custom. He was reminded by a voice that we imagine to be both Divine and mildly annoyed that he had not yet made a pilgrimage to Akatosh’s wayshrine (in this game). Oops. Then much to my surprise at the main altar he actually received a blessing! Oh, the wonders of bug-fixes. It is indeed a magical world in which he lives.

They made the rounds of the shops including a fruitless visit to Salmo the baker. That tease. Got a room and had dinner at the West Weald Inn because it’s known to be nice and then headed out for drinks at the Two Sisters because it’s known to be not as nice. Abiene and Jerric had a few quiet moments when she went upstairs to sit on a bench, but she didn’t do anything as forward as trespassing in someone else’s hotel room and then trashing the place like at the Brina Cross. Too bad.

At the Two Sisters Lil and Abiene went off to sit in chairs by themselves, so Jerric joined Darnand at a table. Possibly the girls were sad to have said goodbye to Shameer as he returned home to the vineyard. Shameer was good company. Anyway Jerric had the wine. Still not sure if he likes Tamika’s or Surilie Brothers best. He’ll have to return for another taste test soon. In this picture note the orc. There’s more about him later.

After more drinks than they should have bought (Jerric does not know about the new jewelry store in the IC, yikes) they headed back for a nightcap at the West Weald. That’s where things got interesting.

First I should explain that when they enter somewhere that they will stay for a while, Jerric gives the follower command that lets the others relax in the immediate area. They unequip weapons and armor and pretty much just eat, drink, and sit down at will.

Except as soon as Lil was told to make herself at home she crept behind the bar to pickpocket Erina Jeranus! Someone (an Imperial) said, “I didn’t see anything,” and then all hells broke loose. Lil turned invisible and ran away, Maglir and Erina attacked that orc they had seen at the other tavern who just appeared out of nowhere, then Else God-Hater got in on the fray when they all ran upstairs. A Skingrad guard dashed in and delivered the killing blow to the orc up in the guest rooms area. Jerric returned to the lower level stunned by the turn of events (and the wine) and terribly worried that Lil was lying stabbed under a table. Instead he found her changed out of her armor now and casually chatting with Vandorallen Trebatius in the bar.



Lil once pickpocketed NPC Jerric, but he didn’t mind. (She took a bottle of ale.) I need to take another look and figure this out. Pickpocketing is very much within her character, but the getting caught part could become a problem!

Grits, what a delightful peek into the adventures of Jerric and Co. Aww, glad that Jerric and Abiene got to spend a bit of time together. Be careful, Lil!

Lil's theft and the ensuing chaos was hilarious! Those wacky NPCs, you never know what they are going to do next!

It would appear that Lil doesn't have any food in her inventory, so she'll steal it when she has an Eat package. Change the NPC definition for her to have a negative number of apples (or whatever she likes to eat), and she'll always have something, and not need to steal. If you give her a positive number, she uses them up. Negatives indicate an inexhaustible supply that is not reduced by use. Probably a good idea to give her some negative wine to wash it down, too.

Or not, if you prefer her acting this way. Ongar the fence steals all the time, and he gets away with it. I did look at his setup once, and figured it out, but I've forgotten what his secret is. Something to do with factions and dispositions, most likely.

ghastley, thank you! I’ve been trying to remember the trick so that they won’t run out of food and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Awesome, now everyone has an emergency meal and drinks in their pack.


Emperor’s Day Road Trip, Day Three

Jerric, Darnand, Abiene, and Lildereth got a good early start from Skingrad. It was a great day for walking. Or running, as Abiene and Lil often do to catch up. They caught a goblin still out on his way back to the mine presumably after a night of creeping around too close to the vineyards and stable for comfort. Jerric always feels a little bad about killing them. Until he notices things like the arrow through his stomach, for once pointing in the right direction.

Legion patrols kept the road fairly safe. The friends paused for a moment to appreciate the sight of the White-Gold Tower coming into view. And to pick flowers. One can never have too many flax seeds.

There was some excitement along the hollow after which Jerric decided to counsel Darnand (via the CS) about the use of touch Destruction spells. Specifically that he should stop using them. Darnand gets critically injured in just a robe which draws Abiene in to heal him. Then she has to block with her little fists while Lildereth shoots her and Jerric tries not to cut off her head. Meanwhile the trolls (on fire from Darnand’s flame atronach and Jerric’s scamp) stomp all over everyone. Oh, and there was a will-o-wisp. Good times.

After the scuffle Jerric noticed that his new boots had somehow not been repaired in Skingrad. This caused him to make an abrupt detour to the shop near Pell’s Gate where he bought them to determine if they would repair the things they sold or if it would be up to him to handle it. This would be more of an issue if he decided to enchant them, as he can’t repair enchanted gear. Good news, they stood by their products and all is well.

Also they stopped by the Sleeping Mare for a bite to eat. No drinks because the proprietor didn’t have any. Jerric had some words with her while his friends enjoyed the beverages they brought with them.

Mid-afternoon they were attacked by what will become their dinner. Lil acquitted herself well as evidenced by the arrows sticking out of the boar and not out of Abiene. Probably because the boar targeted Lil and chased her while she shot at it. She was a hero. Jerric was very proud. Abiene looks pissed because she had to chase down the both of them to heal Lil. Abiene is not a fan of running after hostile wild animals. Or of running. For the sake of friendships these excursions will likely be few and far between.