Good job Trey and with the thoughts about the Goblins please keep it up

Nice update Trey, I like how your character deals with things going on around him. You make us understand what he feels, your story is a definite must read for anyone who likes fan fiction. Update when you can

Nice man. I have a feeling that soon there will be alot less gobbos in the world very soon.

The fight with the goblin, Thrud's help, and Trey's subsequent deduction from the goblins' attire were all perfect.

Just a suggestion: Maybe the first paragraph could be broken down to more for an easier reading? The new ones might begin with "My fears were confirmed...", "It was not courage that...", "Just as I reached the trapdoor...".

Good point. Fixed.

Much easier to read with the new spacing. The only thing I would like to see from this story is more freelance. Make up a personal quest for your character even if it's as simple as getting new armor or something. Of course, you don't have to but I'd like to see a few more goals set by the character, rather than strictly in game quests.

That's all I gotta say, your story is great, update when possible.

Should be a new installment later today or tomorrow. Until then, here a a couple of screen-shots to give hint of what is to come:

Trey and Goblin

Trey and Durzog

Body healed and mind clearer, I thanked Thrud for saving my life and promised him that I would do all I could to find his friend. In truth, I feared that Dilborn had long since become goblin fodder, but I had no wish to tell the simple Nord of my doubts. The rain had stopped, but the streets still gleamed with moisture, and puddles stood in places. No one had yet closed the trapdoor leading to the sewers, which was a blessing. There would be no sudden splash of light or telltale creak to warn the goblins of my entrance. Before going once more into the gloom, I considered what I was about to do. Going up against four or five goblins at once was a dangerous proposition, even with the aid of magic. That being the case, I made sure that my amulet of Almsivi Intervention was ready to hand. If things got too difficult, a quick trip to the Temple might save my life. Of course, getting close to Almalexia’s base of power might present its own problems, but that was a worry for another day.

As quietly as I could, I slipped down the ladder. Splashes of blood on the walls and floor told of the struggle that had occurred and I felt a bit queasy when I realized how much of that blood was mine. Movement in the shadows near an arch warned me and I quickly swallowed a potion of levitation and floated upward to the ceiling. Comfortably out of reach of any goblins, I conjured a longbow and changed from hunted to hunter. Tough as they were, the earthbound goblins were no match for a vengeful, flying Breton with a Daedric bow. The fact that I finished the hunt with four dead goblins and no new scars pleased me beyond measure. Just to be thorough, I also dispatched a couple of rats that were unfortunate enough to cross my path. Casting Beggars Nose to make sure that no more enemies lurked in the shadows, I proceeded further into the tunnels. The spell soon set up a tingle that indicated enchanted items in a side passage not far ahead. When I peered through the metal grate, I found a surprise.

At the far end of the passage, a strange tableau presented itself. A nearly naked Breton was surrounded by a group of Dunmer, whose every mannerism shouted “criminal syndicate.” The Breton was restrained by a pair of slave-bracers, whose magic-damping properties made them useful for controlling magic-users as well as slaves. With a sinking feeling, I realized that this must be Dilborn and that I had walked into a very bad situation. A joyful shout of “Dilborn!” from behind me confirmed my guess, and also indicated that Thrud had decided he didn’t want to wait for me. All of which meant that the bad situation had gotten worse. There was no way now for me to simply say, “Oops, wrong sewer,” and duck out. Beyond the fact that something stirred deep inside of me at the sight of a ragged Breton wearing slave bracers, I owed Thrud my life. Rogue and thief I might be, but I paid my debts. I would not turn my back on a friend, no matter what the cost to myself. The arrogant Dunmer wearing a partial set of glass armor that I could only envy spoke at last,

“Welcome to MY world, where we do things MY way. My name is Drathas. I run a little game down here. That's right, Breton. We indulge in a bit of gambling from time to time, away from the prying eyes of the guards, you know? Dilborn is one of our best customers. He currently owes... if my memory serves me right... yes, Dilborn owes me the sum total of 3,000 septims. And he's not leaving here until he pays his debts.”

Looking back and forth between Thrud, Dilborn, and Drathas, I tried to think what to do. I didn’t have 3000 drakes, or any idea of how to raise that sum quickly. The daggers held in the hands of Drathas’ henchmen made clear what would happen to Dilborn if I started something. But if Drathas was a gambler, maybe he was a sporting man, as well. Calling on every bit of persuasion I had, I pleaded,

“Look, I have 1000 drakes right here. You know Dilborn doesn’t have the cash, and Thrud won’t be able to come up with it. Take the thousand and we’ll get out of here. You won’t be likely to get a better offer.”

Drathas’ sneer turned to a thoughtful frown,

“Well... I hesitate to set a precedent... but only because I can't abide his constant whining, I'll reduce his ransom to the inconsequential sum of 1,000 septims. Now, are you going to pay for little Dilborn or not?”

With a sigh, I passed over every bit of money I had, much to Thrud’s elation. Drathas ordered one of his cohorts to remove the bracers, and we trooped out. When we reached the surface, Thrud danced a happy jig and then presented me with a worn volume that he proclaimed was his “favorite book.” It seemed an appropriate gift since the title was “Trap,” and it purported to be about the misadventures of a thief in Vvardenfell. Realizing how much meaning such a gift had for Thrud, I acknowledged it in a way that I hoped would please him. Pulling out a quill and ink, I opened the book to expose an endpaper and wrote out a few lines. Then I presented the quill to Thrud and said,

“It is traditional when giving a book to write a dedication and sign it. I took the liberty of writing the dedication for you. Now all I need is your signature.”

Shyly, the Nord ducked his head and mumbled, “Thrud can’t write. Not even his name.”

I had anticipated this and was ready for it.

“Well, that’s all right. A lot of folks can’t write, so they just make their mark. All you have to do is make an ‘X’ where I show you.”

Thrud happily complied and then the unlikely pair took their leave, with Thrud exacting a promise from Dilborn that he would never go down into the sewers again. As for the book, I still have it. It has a prominent place on my shelf and I often read the inscription,

“To my friend, Trey. Read all the words. Thrud. X “

I really like this update, wonderfully well written and I love the symbolic signing of the book and the mention that Trey still has it(For some reason that was important to me.) I get the picture of someone that is old and alone recounting long gone adventures as I read the last part, very nice, update soon.

wow that one was nice, really good addition Trey, now go back down and extract revenge on the “criminal syndicate”

Such wonderful update.....I feel sympathetic to the simple Nord and that Trey shows compassion and kindness.

I also enjoyed the part about the book and the dedication....

Once again treydog has shown us all what a great writer he is.....

Pursuasion was a good way to solve the dilemma and free Dilborn. I remember getting into a fight resulting in poor Dilborn ending up dead.

I agree with Kiln regarding the book. You're a master in evoking those images in the reader's mind with little details like Trey keeping the book.

I killed the dudes and saved dilborn but then Trud got stuckin the door(i didn't know about RA) so i kiklled him but Dilbornattacked me to...im sad and im sry that i messed up...l

Hehe, i just paid the guy the trifling sum of 3000 septims and went about my business

Grat update Treydog

So now I was stuck in Mournhold, with no money nor any prospects for earning any. I briefly considered recovering my thousand drakes from Drathas, but dismissed the idea. While I might succeed in such an endeavor, chances were that the repercussions would affect Dilborn and Thrud, and that was a result I did not desire. After all, Drathas was probably just one part of a larger criminal enterprise. Now that Dilborn was safe, though, I could investigate the sewers further. Perhaps I could find out what the goblins had been doing down there; perhaps I could find some merchandise lying around loose, just waiting for an enterprising individual to pick it up and sell it. Even though the problem of the goblins had nothing to do with me, it was a puzzle. And I didn’t like to leave unsolved puzzles- they have a way of making your life miserable. At any rate, it seemed that this section of the sewers should be fairly safe now, with the exception of Drathas and his crew, who I intended to leave strictly alone.

Note to self- never assume anything is safe.

Postscript to note- never assume anything at all.

Because I believed that all of the actively hostile creatures had been removed, I did not take even the most fundamental precautions, such as casting Beggars Nose. Thus, the first clue I had that anything was amiss was the sound of several quite large “somethings” splashing through the waters of the sewers and coming closer. Startled, I turned to see what was causing the noise and beheld a nightmare creature. The beast was a sickly green color, ran on four legs, and sported a massively-armored head equipped with four sharp, slightly curved tusks. In the gloom beneath the streets, I could only estimate the size, but it appeared to be some 15 to 18 feet long from snout to tail-tip. And it did not seem friendly. At last, the efficient little botanical/zoological portion of my brain combined all of the sensory input, compared it to the catalog of known or described creatures and presented a conclusion- Durzog. Also known as a “sludgepuppy,” the Durzog was used by the goblins as a sort of huge war-dog. The beasts were quite loyal, excellent trackers, and extremely hard to kill. They were also said to be somewhat smarter than the goblins who handled them. Just as the “Pocket Guide to the Creatures of Nirn” portion of my mind started to list the alchemical properties of Durzog flesh and speculate on the possibility of creating armor from Durzog scales, a different portion, the one devoted to keeping me alive, interrupted with some pungent advice. That advice took the form of: “Run, you idiot!”

Suiting action to thought, I darted back through one of the arches and began to frantically look for a defensible position. I knew that levitation would probably be an effective defense again, but I wanted something more. A pile of collapsed masonry and stone columns gave me an idea- I wanted the Durzog to be able to see me, to think it could get to me, and I wanted to be safe if the levitation wore off unexpectedly. A potion took me to the top of the pile and a muttered “bogha tromhad” conjured the longbow I needed. In an instant, the Durzog had rounded the corner, where it met with an arrow in the soft flesh at the base of its head. The resultant roars were nearly deafening, but the goading of the arrow ensured that the creature would not lose interest and get out of range. It required several more carefully placed shots before the beast finally collapsed. In the meantime, its hunting roars had alerted a couple of friends, which fortunately met a similar fate. It occurred to me that I was soon going to need more and perhaps better arrows if I intended to spend much time in Mournhold. The Dark Brotherhood armor and enchanted silver long sword that had served me well enough in Vvardenfell were barely adequate. Stealth and marksmanship were going to have to serve me- I could not win hand-to-hand battles with the creatures I was seeing here.

Before entrusting myself to the walkways of the sewers again, I cast Beggars Nose to make sure there weren’t anymore four- (or six- or eight-) legged surprises waiting for me. The spell revealed nothing of interest and my explorations confirmed that impression. As for the goblins and their pets, all I found were a few indications that they had been there- but nothing that pointed to any sort of camp or bivouac. If not for the unmistakable evidence of the bodies scattered around and the new scars on my leg, they might never have been here. The signs did seem to originate from one area, a flooded passage that apparently went into some other section of Old Mournhold. I stared at it for a long time, my desire to solve the mystery warring with my distaste at the idea of submerging myself in that noisome pool. At last I turned away, firmly reminding myself that my business was not with the goblins. Little did I know that I would soon be swimming in even darker waters, both literally and figuratively.

Here Ends Chapter 1

With a tip of the biorraid to OverrideB1- you're right, spells are better with words.

Great ending to Chapter 1 Trey! great job indeedGreat ending to Chapter 1 Trey! great job indeed

Awsome job! Heh makes it even better cause I have no idea whats going to happen!

Just joined the forums, partly so I could post in this thread. The story of Trey was one of my favorite stories on the official forums, and I'm ecstatic that Trey's adventures in Mournhold are being chronicled as well. Chapter 1 was great; I'm looking forward to chapter 2.

Cool...Unfourtunatly for me by the time i got to Mournhold none of the dude could really hurt me...and i was a thief...

How do I post my story (I'm new so i got no idea what to do, i onlyjoined to post my story) Please help!

Treydog, this is HUGE! I am stunned by Trey's story so far, and love it! It will take me a while to catch up, but I am looking forward to the insights into the things Athlain said!!! This is Awesome!!!!

Thank you for reading- Mournhold is the "middle" section of my Treylogy.... It is darker than the first installment, but I also think it is better-written....

An excellent day!!...I remember it well!!...Nah, that's a lie...I've no idea what I was doing...

Anyways...This is what I meant when I said I was going from the start...And then I find that even this isn't the start... ...

Hey-ho...

Loved that first part...On this above second piece next...

*Adjusts backpack*...Reet...On with the long haul... ...

Nice one!!...



What? Waitaminute!!!...

Damn...I'm not original with the applauding?... ...Oh... ...

*Applauds heartily anyways*...

...

Oh... umm... Yes. Mostly because I wanted to do more writing, and also to answer someone's question "Where did Trey's wife come from?" (NOT looking at you, minque- nope)- I wrote the middle of the story after the other one was finished.

IF you want to inflict yourself with that first effort, it can be found HERE, along with some quite good work by some others.

As ever- thank you so much for reading.

I will, indeed inflict myself with that at some point...But, as a wise man is fond of saying, I've started so I'll finish...

Most likely I'll go through BOTM first though... ...

A couple of things I noticed as I was going through this though...

Firstly, it's all so long ago!!... ...2005-2007?!!...

I hadn't realised how long ago BOTM had started!...Blimey, I'm so far behind... ...

Secondly, while Seth and Blackie are so obviously their own men...Whether it's just a consequence of third-person narratives, but the two stories are so similar in style it's spooky!...

This first Trey chapter does definitely feel completely different to the Athlain chapters I've been reading from when I joined...Yes, passage of time/evolution of the writer etc...But just in general feel, it's more like Black Hand's Memoirs...

I know my own brief foray into Third-Person with J'Zirlo's Journal thing didn't feel like this... ...But hey, that's just me...

Oh, and how long before you dropped the man of mystery routine?...You're so quiet on some of these early ones... ...It's nice that you thank your readers, it's a nice thing to do, polite and all... ...So what changed? and when?...

Although, one thing that's not changed...Absolute brilliance...I've never played Morrowind...And given how brilliantly you write these quests out...I will never need to...

I think Kiln (again) asked you about writing something original for Trey to do...Did that ever happen or did you just leave that for Athlain and his charging about after Daedric Lords?... ...

Fair dues, I'll just nip back in time and applaud you some back then as well...You well deserved it!...

Nice one!!...

*Applauds heartily*...

The Man was my mentor and inspiration.



Treydog is humble and modest to a fault. So much so, he would not even admit that he is modest and humble. We both share a complex with compliments: Whether deserved or not, we don't know how to respond and never truly think that we are deserving of them.

Keep the 'Whhat?! Pish-tosh! You guys are great!" reaction saved, it's something that also drives us to improve and perfect our styles, and to not 'rest on our laurels' as it were.

What changed was that I beleive someone told him or he realized that the whole 'quiet' thing may have across the wrong way, when no offense was intended. I beleive he said: "I consider it spamming my own thread."

But, those compliments are appreciated all the same, believe it or not.

The best way to see it is as a beautiful sunset that moves you, though you may tell it it is so it cannot respond to you, and it simply is.

Thanks for the heads up that this is stand-alone, I couldn't precisely remember.

Reading this again, I'm left with the same impressions I was before. That forward has to be one of the most self-deprecating introductions I have ever read! (and it does nothing to dissuade the reader from knowing it will be a grand read; indeed, it just furthers anticipation)

I love your descriptions of Mournhold, its sewers, and the way you slowly build intrigue, while providing a perfect balance of plot and levity.