#also i have some morrowind ideas to draw so i hope i make them when i get back

[muscariii]

Hi guys!! Not dead!! :D

I'm currently away from home because I'm doing art school stuff (I don't know how to say plener in english so just yeah the thing where you go and you paint outside). I've been busy with all the new stuff and I didn't have much time to draw unfortunately but I haven't forgotten about tumblr. And since I'm in another town currently (or rather mountains and fields) I don't have access to digital so I'll post something when I get back.

Also!! It's my birthday today :)

I painted a cow when I was out today :)

[forevervobla]

Too Much Information: Character Interview - Maurice

Thank you for tagging me, @fenriael! Reading about Valien inspired me a lot,so, full of dedication I started to write the answers. I decided to write about Maurice because,I,probably,know the most about him,it was quite difficult to get in a right mood,but I hope,at least,I gathered up some information. Also,maybe,some of you will be interesting to write in this format,it suits pretty for any game setting @shinglescat, @dunmeri-bitch, @thedaedricdoll, @iamthekingofsass, @arideya, @feeling-artsick, @guidethisonekalahira , @jowain92 ***

Warm evening light was streaming thought the lace curtains;the room was all covered up with carpets and soft pillows. There was a petite figure of an elf sitting behind the table.This person turned round, giving the visitor the charming smile of ruby lips,"Well, hello, sweet! "His earrings clanged as he moved his head,"Don't be shy, come here and have a rest." He made a generous inviting gesture.His movements were smooth and gentle as he was dancing.Embroidery of his dress was shining under the window light, no doubt this outfit is his own work and he put a lot of effort in it. Desaturated shade of lavender worked well with his ashen skin, "Do you want some tea, or, maybe, a glass of wine will cheer you up." He learned closer, cheerfully smiling still, bright makeup on his long face was making every change of his emotion even more drastic.He put a teapot and a bottle of wine on the already served table.It was really touching to see how he cared about the visitor. "Are you sure this is all you want from me, just an interview?I want to make it clear before we start,hon,otherwise you'll have to pay me twice." Even saying this, the tone of his voice was kind and polite, a subtle smile didn't leave his face even for a moment, "Fine then. I'm all yours then in the most of the innocent meaning if this sentence. I'm here to tell the truth otherwise Azura will not forgive me."

 Name -> “Maurice Morris, if you heard me right, but I you can call me any name you want, sweet, I'm quite curious what would you came up with.”

Are you single? -> A dreamy smile appeared on dunmer's face,” My heart happily belongs to the most amazing person in the world.I promised to be honest with you, so,I can swear, I've never felt anything like this in my life. I can't stop thinking about him even for a moment. He's like everything to me and everything reminds me of him;even in hands of other men, I can find something familiar," his red eyes were wide open as he dreamingly looked somewhere up, "You might say it's an obsession, and I'm happy to be obsessed."He placed his hand on his cheek, drawing a line under his eye with a thumb, then straightened up and looked unto interviewer's eyes, "I see that sceptical look on your face, are you jealous of my dedication? Maybe I can do something to cheer you up after our conversation",he concluded with a playful wink.

Are you happy? -> “Happier than ever!”

Are you angry? ->  “Maybe it's something wrong with me,but I can't remain anger for a long time.It's unprofessional to fulfill negative emotions.I know the anger,but I'm more familiar with a sorrow or fear. ”

Are your parents still married? -> “My parents?Still?” Maurice looked confused, "do you know anything about them? I hope my family is fine, " he looked at his knees, "after everything I've done... I guess,you were asking about my biological parents?I honestly barely remember my mother's face...and..I have no idea who is my father.So,I think,I can say "no". "

NINE FACTS

Birth Place? ->  “I was born in Blacklight,you know,the last jewel of Morrowind, raised from ashes.”

Hair Colour? ->  "The nicest shade of the dark chestnut."

Eye Colour? ->  "Red rubies in a cherry wine."

Birthday? -> “It might sound strange to you,but I don't really know.When I was a kid, we celebrated my birthday in the month of Hearthfire,8. It took me a lot to realise it wasn't actually the day I was born,but the day I got a new family,my mother didn't bothered to give any information about me except my name. I used to celebrate this date. I find it the most accurate and even symbolic."

Mood?-> “I'm excited what else will you ask me.”

Gender? ->  “I'm a man, can't you tell?" He leaned closer,drawing with his index finger the line of his jaw in the direction of beard growth, giving a charming smile,then his face suddenly became serious,"How many times I've been asked this question,but I never knew what to say,I am what I am and what I feel comfortable with.I know lots of people who will disagree with me.If you want someone else's opinion,ask them.”

Summer or winter? -> Maurice raised his eyebrows like it was the most unexpected question:"Spring.I love to see when the life starting to spread all over again. I love spring flowers. They are the boldest ones.”

Morning or afternoon?-> “Afternoon is the funniest part of the day,” he answered, taking a sip of wine.

 EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

Are you in love? -> “Yes! I'm in love and I am the love.Aurelius, that's what the name of my passion,sorry,if I forgot to mention this at the first time.This fact is too obvious to me. Sometimes he says our relationship exists only because I produce an amount of love enough for two of us,” Maurice giggled: "My honey-mouthed bard is too shy to admit how much love we give for each other.Have you ever seen him playing his lute? Just imagine what these fingers can do in bed. Oh, I'm sorry,you didn't ask me about this.”

Do you believe in love at first sight? ->“I don't want to boast,but all my loves were from the first sight.Sometimes there wasn't a chance for a sight.Most of them didn't last long,but we are talking about the concept here.”

Who ended your last relationship?-> Maurice thought for a moment,then laughed: "A bottle of wine! It was such a strong crush I couldn't believe I'll ever be capable to love anyone again."

Have you ever broken someone’s heart? -> “Is this a question?I had to tell someone hundreds of times the real love can't be bought.” Maurice avoided eye contact, behaving cautiously:"I'm not sure they loved me for real,otherwise I feel sorry for anyone I hurt unintentionally."

Are you afraid of commitments? -> "A whole lot.My life experience showed me I'm far from a reliable person,but I do my best to not disappoint my loved ones.Love is a good motivation for an improvement."

Have you hugged someone within the last week? -> "Yes," a sly smile appeared on Maurice's face, "but I need to give the most important hug of this week,if you,if course, don't mind,to you".

Have you ever had a secret admirer? ->  “What's the point of the secret if I know about his existence?Oh, you mean, this kind of.Yes,but let them stay secret.”

Have you ever broken your own heart? -> ”Of course," he exclaimed with an excitement, "Oh, of course", he added in a more tragic tone. 

SIX CHOICES

Love or lust? -> “Yes.”

Lemonade or iced tea? -> “Tea. I see you don't drink yours!”

Cats or Dogs? -> “They are both cute.Maybe,I myself feel more connection with cats.”

A few best friends or many regular friends? -> "What do you mean by that?All my friends are the best!"

Wild night out or romantic night in? -> “Sweet, all the options you suggest are so good! A younger me will prefer a wild night, but now I'm fond of more intimate actions. I feel older after this question..”

Day or night? -> “Night.Especially those nights I spend together with Aurelius.”

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

Been caught sneaking out? ->  "I'm guilty!As a little child I started sneaking from my family's caravan when we were staying in the city.I've been improving my skills ever since.Did I get any better in it?Who knows,but practice makes perfect.”

Fallen down/up the stairs? -> “Well yes?Also,I've been dropped down the stairs a few times,but I don't want to recall these moments of my life.”

Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ->  “You're asking the right person about it.”    

Wanted to disappear? -> “There were plenty of time I met someone at the wrong time.Ohh,a joy of life... These moments sounds fun only when you tell about them as a story.”

FOUR PREFERENCES

Smile or eyes? -> “Smile.”

Shorter or Taller? -> “If you haven't noticed before,I'm myself far from tall.I'm the happy one; everyone around me are tall and strong,such a sight to see! Maybe I'd like to be taller,so it'll be easier to find partner's lips,” he added with a grin, "but I don't mind those parts which are closer to me."

Intelligence or Attraction? -> “Attraction.Without it an intellect becomes an evil.”

Hook-up or Relationship? ->  “Both are fine.“

FAMILY

Do you and your family get along? ->  Maurice stared down at his hands,”I don't like this question," he looked so nervous, nearly crying, "I love everyone I consider my family.I know the most of them I disappointed and rather betrayed," he took a big sip of wine, waving his other hand to dry tears.It would be cruel to continue a conversation,but he suddenly added: "Somehow life gives me a chance to start again and again.I love Salome.After a long time I felt at home with her.She's like an elder sister to me, wise and strong,she won't let me to fall again.I believe so, even though I'm not agreed with some of her decisions. Also,after the day I met Aurelius my life has taken on a new meaning."

Would you say you have a “messed up life”? -> “I had to start my life from zero a few times,all because of my... selfishness,no, because of my fragile lustful heart.I lost my family,then I lost my name,I lost myself and I almost lost my life. I really hope nothing like this will ever happen again.”

Have you ever run away from home? -> “It was a common practice for a little Maurice, who liked to change his name every time.Coquette Falena, Sweet Sevyni, Daring Malvi and many other girls were sneaking out to learn all secrets of an adult life. When these girls grew up there was no chance to hide their names, everyone knew Maurice, a young charming actor with long lashes and strong hands. Under this name I once sneaked out with one wealthy admirer, and nobody saw Maurice on the stage ever again,” he concluded in a sad tone.

Have you ever gotten kicked out? -> “I have a talent to visit places where I'm not welcome.”

FRIENDS

Do you secretly hate one of your friends -> “Of course,no!”

Do you consider all of your friends good friends ->  “As I said it before,my friends are the best.”

Who is your best friend -> “Well,I already said about Aurelius and Salome...So,I'd say Elic.He is an amazing person!," Maurice started to bend his fingers: "He saved my life, maybe,even more times than Salome did,his hugs are very soft,also,the way he holds his spear...It's just a delight to see him at work.I recommend him as a very qualified friend.”

Who knows everything about you -> “Ask me a few more question and this person will be you”,Maurice laughed. then continued after a short pause;“Salome and Elic are my two main pillows to cry in.I think,if you unite the knowledge about me they have,it would be pretty much everything.Sometimes I feel they know me more than myself, even though we don't see each other really often.”

[profanetools]

what draws/drew you to the tes series? most of your thoughts on characters and lore seem to be based on your rewritten universe and in general, it seems like you don’t care for the existing lore of tes/morrowind. i’m just curious if there’s a particular reason that you’re attached to the tes universe conceptually as opposed to taking your rewritten/headcanoned tes worldbuilding and applying them instead to an original story/universe that would inherently be more to your tastes from the beginning

i meant to answer this this morning (i received this at 6am) and i apologise for the delay but this deserve a full response. i apologise for the meandering nature of this reply.

i think this is a fair question but two things deserve to be considered:

1. what is ‘lore’?

2. what does being a fan of a series entail?

regarding the first question, i have just an atrocious memory for facts and figures. i regularly forget what is commonly considered ‘common knowledge’ amongst lore buffs; largely because lore buffs pride themselves on remembering facts - something i am just not skilled at. i forget the fiction beyond the general details and end up making shit up based on a presumption that turns out to be wrong - that’s something that happens all the time. it’s a demoralising experience to be constantly corrected on what is assumed to be common knowledge - even though i fail to actually retain that information 9 times out of 10 - so i largely post with warnings like ‘this isn’t canon compliant!’ because I can’t really be doing with being correct on minutiae when that isn’t the point of what i’m trying to express.

what i am trying to explain - badly - is that lore is often reduced to a recollection of facts without really a depth of understanding of other aspects of the fiction. for example, i think the strength of a lot of RPGs in particular is that it actively invites the viewer to contribute and complete the fiction by creating their own characters and narratives using the skeleton of the world. RPGs are not a fictional narrative with one authority figure - an auteur in cinematic terms - dictating  how things go (no matter what MK tells himself, lmao). that is as important as the history established (through second hand accoutns, no less) of the fiction. the player completes the lore with their own interpretation of events; it is not a one sided view of things. furthermore, i think people tend to view lore as a collection of facts and fail to acknowledge the themes and emotional ressonance that a selection of incomplete second hand accounts may possess. i am a big fan of the lore in so much as the first council is about themes of loss, themes of tragedy, themes of compromise, and what that entails, politically, and an exploration of betrayal and trying to do the best while under threat, while besieged by enemies, with the looming threat of colonisation and conquest by enemies is at one’s door. i adore  the themes of Morrowind - i adore the dreamlike narrative, i adore the questioning one is invited to do as a player when playing the game. i adore how much agency it gives you in figuring out an ending to the question it poses - are you nerevar? are you more than your past life? what does it mean to be ‘nerevar incarnate’? have you risen to standard? have you defied it?

i am a fan of the fiction. perhaps i am not a fan of the lore in so much as it is a set of facts but certainly, regarding morrowind i am a fan in how much it invites the reader to give their own input and contribution and really that is in large part what i am offering here. my own input and contribution. in fairness, this is based on the backbone of other headcanons others more knowledgable annd well versed in the facts have provided, but part of the reason i talk about the lore in the way i do is because i just do not think the actual facts of the fiction are not necessarily the most important thing. i think the feeling and the mood and the sense of mystery and the general ambience is as important to the lore. and perhaps i do not capture that mystery in my writing but i certainly try and capture that sense of tragedy at least.

referring to question two now:

2. what does being a fan of a series entail?

this isn’t the first time i have been asked ‘why don’t i make my own original universe?’. i used to be a big fan of the star wars series and i used to engage in a similar way; inventing my own AUs, playing fast and loose with canon, ignoring what i didn’t like, and so on. because ultimately, and this ties in with question 1, i think we have a tendency to try and... since the creation of copyright and the idea of writing as Property of One Author, we look down upon interpretations and perceptions of existing universes, we ask, ‘dude you have so many ideas why can’t you make your own universe?’ and creative response to existing fictional works has been discouraged because of copyright infringement, and it has been lowered to a secondary realm of fiction-making, fanfiction. there is a certain level of judgement there, in that fanfiction is almost certainly low literature, and that is unfair because previously there have been several creative responses to fictional unverses, taking elements of the fiction and completely ditching others and spinning them their own way, Arthurian legend perhaps being the most well known example in literature written in English, but hardly the only one.

what I am trying to express is what I am doing is not actually that novel, i am taking and choosing elements i like to create my own thing, and perhaps yes i will pick and choose and write my own novel from it, but why must i have to? is it not enough to exist in the same universe? is it not enought to grapple with the same themes, the same underlying ideas, about what it means to be mortal or not, what it means to be loyal or not, how much does a betrayal cost? even if i am working under my own framework that rejects some bullshit writing, why should i have tocreate my own universe, when there are so many references buried deep to different historical events in-universe, why should i have to extrapolate that? how the fuck do i explain Lorkhan outside of the context of the elder scrolls? why should i have to do that?

i think in part some of this comes from a lack of confidence in my own worldbuilding, if i am honest, i don’t know if i would be able to create a fully fleshed out world beyond some silly idealistic commie fantasy. a lot of my characters are an extension of me and lean in a certain way and i don’t know if i’d be able to create more than a personal story and i don’t knwo if i’d be able to create a whole world. in part that’s why i rely on fanfction. because it does that work for me and i can just focus on the parts i like.

but also like. i can enjoy the fiction thematically - and i adore morrowind, thematically, and i try to replicate that, thematically - without paying fervent attention to the facts. and the fact that i create what seem like to be whole fictional world offshoots does not mean i should translate that to an original setting.

i hope this answer isn’t too confusing and that this answer has clarfied some things for you anon.

[suntiger745]

Skyrim characters

Got into Skyrim again, and in the usual order of things I now have ten or so characters and just one of them has visited the Greybeards...

Telavi An asari commando that got warped into Tamriel when “something odd” happened during a transition through a mass relay.

Made mostly because I thought it would be funny to have an asari in Skyrim really. She is adapting well, her commando training quite useful, and her biotics seem to react with what the natives of this world call magic. From her point of view, it seems like some people, and particularly these “dragons” have absorbed Element Zero in some way. Now they are calling her ‘dragonborn’ and she’s trying to figure out what that means exactly, and if it can be something that helps getting her home. The mod that adds the asari as a race isn’t perfect, there’s a slight gap between the scalp ‘helmet’ and the actual head, though it usually isn’t visible. Due to the scalp being a separate item, sometimes it will appear very clearly against the skin, and sometimes the transition seems almost seamless. It was the only asari mod I found though, and in general it works fine.

Stingray Based on Anjali Bhimani’s character in We’re Alive: Frontier. Instead of having to deal with US zombies and raiders, she has to deal with Skyrim draugr and bandits. :P Partially done just to see if I could make a decently close resemblance to Anjali in the game, but it has been quite fun to RP a bit as if Stingray really had been transplanted to Tamriel. She’s not sure quite who to trust yet, and frankly neither these ‘imperials’ or ‘stormcloaks’ seem very trustworthy, but she can and will help the little people she comes across. And deal out some damage to those that would prey on them. Also a picture of her without the hood.

Fryda Ironhand Fryda died over sixhundred years ago, a thane of Whiterun who had some ability with the Thuum and who fell in battle against sixteen bandits, buying time with four others to allow her jarl to escape. Now she has awoken, though she doesn’t know how or why, and there are gaps in her memory. She fought other draugr as she made her way out of the barrow she awoke in, trying to communicate with them at first, but realizing none of them were able to speak as she could. She is debating to sek out the living in order to find out when this is and how and why she awoke, but is uncertain how to approach anyone without them attacking her on sight.

I got the idea of playing as a draugr randomly and checked the Nexus for a mod. Lo and behold there was one, and very well made too. Armor that makes your body withered, and a ring that gives you the draugr eyeglow.

Meleria Although not common knowledge among mortals, the succubi of Thanatos have laws and regulations, and people to enforce those regulations. Meleria is one such law enforcer. Although feeding on strong emotions like all other succubi, she usually handles problems with a two-handed sword rather than seduction or mental manipulation. She has come to Tamriel to hunt down a lawbreaker, who also happens to be her younger sister. She’s getting quite annoyed with the mortals though. If they don’t oogle her boobs they comment of her Enforcer uniform as being “stupid” or “lacking in protection”, as if her skin wasn’t enough to deal with most mortal weapons. Still, she is at least grateful that they don’t run screaming at the sight of her, which the mortals did on the mission she went on three years ago.

Teleria A succubi from Thanatos, currently on the run to the mortal planes for breaking the laws of her people. Intelligent, cunning, ruthless and good with both magic and blade if the need arises, she is quite enjoying her time in Skyrim. None of the mortals she has come across so far have been able to resist her manipulations or been able to see through her disguise to see her for who and what she really is. Really, the only issue is that the authorities put her hellhound of a sister on the case of capturing her, so now she has to build a power base and amass sufficient resources and allies to get her sister to step off or get killed. Fortunately she has encountered a group of rebels calling themselves the ‘Stormcloaks’ who seem to be perfect candidates to wrap around her little finger and subvert their fervor in her favor instead.

Both Meleria and Teleria are from the Succubus race mod.

Sha-kala A simple story for a simple girl. Sha-kala is an orismer from a big family, the next youngest of five siblings. She has come to Skyrim to seek her fortune, hoping to join the famous/infamous Companions in Jorrvaskr. The first meeting seems to have gone well and she’s been invited to the longhouse to say hello to their leader, or elder.

Viper The last thing people who encounter her often never see. A young woman from Morrowind who was trained as a hunter by her mother and more or less accidentally fell into doing assassinations. The Morag Tong does not appreciate freelancers though, and she had to leave Morrowind, rather quickly. She operated in Cyrrodil for a year, but made a few key mistakes that made her a wanted woman in most of northern Cyrrodil. So she came north to Skyrim, hoping to pass herself off as another refugee. Bad luck struck again though, and she was captured along with a group of nord rebels, for once just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. After a dragon “saved” her from the chopping block, she went with one of the rebels for a bit and is now considering joining the Stormcloaks, hoping there will be safety in numbers instead of trying to stay out of the imperials’ (or Tongs’) reach alone. Viper isn’t her real name of course, but she hasn’t used her real name in years.

“Cassia” Valina Ellonis Micella Arantius, the Crimson Domica (after the Domica Redwort flower) of the Imperial City, famed courtesan and dancer, has found herself forced to flee Cyrrodil after being framed for the death/assassination of a Thalmor official in the Imperial City. Newly arrived in Skyrim, she has to draw on the archery training she did as a girl and her magical talent, mostly used as part of her dancing performances to try and stay alive and fed. She has adopted the alias ‘Cassia’, a common imperial name, but after arriving in a middle-sized village she i rapidly realizing that she has to ditch her fine silks and leathers for something more rough and rustic if she has any hope of blending in. She doesn’t really like these ‘Stormcloaks’ she has heard of, but the imperial legion is too tied to the Thalmor who might send Justicars or assassins after her for her to go to them for protection. There’s a merchant in town who wants help with retrieving a golden luck charm though, so perhaps she can earn a bit of coin and get some new gear that way.

Lauria An aureal of Sheogorath, Lauria has been sent to Tamriel to fetch a few things for her Daedic Prince. A collection of Skyrim cheeses, an Orismer head preserved in vinegar, a pet skeever, a cabbage, a baby mammoth and two hagraven feathers. He dropped her out butt naked in front of a barrow “To make it a bit more of a challenge!” The cold was a bit annoying, but Lauria is one of the best fighters among the golden saints and quickly acquired some weapons and armor and set out to do her mission.

Alva Sunhair She considers herself a nord patriot and resent the imperials and Thalmor for interfering in who people worship. She and her family have been worshiping Talos for generations and isn’t about to stop now. She has been working with the Stormcloaks for a while and after her brother got thrown in prison for being a Talos worshiper she is now looking to join them more actively.

Aurora An altmer from Summerset Isles, though it has been many years since she was home now. In these day and age something of an anomaly in Skyrim, an altmer who isn’t part of any of the major factions vying for power. She is in fact a vampire hunter and has come to Skyrim because she heard that the Dawnguard was going to be resurrected, and she wants in on it. Calm, competent and with references from other key people in Tamriel also part of her trade, she has so far managed to not get into any scrapes with the locals, which is fairly rare for an altmer mostly traveling alone.

Mixi A bosmer who grew up in Bravil, in Cyrrodil. She didn’t want to become a hooker like her dad, or an “alchemist” like her mom who made skooma but used half her produced volume herself, so she ran with the street rats when she was a kid and begged, cajoled or, when having gotten a lucky break, paid for fighting lessons from passing mercs. She left Bravil when she was sixteen, telling her parents “Bravil is a swampy shithole of a town, and I’m not going to be one of the dead rats floating in the sewer they call a river in five years!” They were surprisingly understanding and wished her good luck and she’s been making her way around Cyrrodil, High Rock and now Skyrim for five years, working as a mercenary, thief, courier and other odd jobs. She’s still quite angry at the world, a short ball of attitude and sarcasm, which costs her jobs sometimes, or gets her into fights. She does pride herself on always completing the jobs she do get, and has a very good success rate. Partially due to her choice of weapons. Everyone expects a bosmer to be good with a bow, and she is, but she also has a ring of strength she found in an old fort that she uses to fight with a big two-handed sword. Few except such a seemingly slight mer to be as effective as she is with such a large weapon.

[dankar-camoran]

So last night I was thinking about how I’ve got a soft spot for Caius Cosades but also tintael’s theory about the Empire making sure that they milked the conflict with Dagoth Ur to gain more control and influence in Morrowind, and how Caius would have to inevitably have been involved in that. That makes it harder to like him, and I think part of this headcanon I developed is fueled by my Caius apologism.

The idea that Caius is nothing more than an operative looking to ensure that the Empire comes out on top, no matter what happens in Morrowind, is absolutely a fantastic take, but what if he wasn’t actually fully in on it?

According to Mehra Milo:

“ "Caius is a dear friend. Like me, he admires the best traditions of the Temple, charity for the poor, education for the ignorant, protection for the weak. He is a Westerner, bur he has come to love our land and our people. But like me, he distrusts the arbitrary power of the Ordinators, and like the Dissident priests, he suspects the Temple is hiding something. He serves the Emperor, but he also loves Morrowind, and he sees the failing virtues of the Temple as a threat to Morrowind's political stability." 

This woman seems pretty sure that Caius is supportive of Morrowind. She could just be naive, and Caius could just have a lot of practice in deceiving people, or maybe even he really does love Morrowind, he’s just more loyal to the Blades.

But Caius himself doesn’t seem like he’s knowingly in on any scheme to exploit Morrowind. He’s certainly fond enough of Mehra Milo to emphasize to the Nerevarine not to put her under any suspicion. “She's a friend, so be careful, and don't get her in trouble.The Temple is suspicious of outlanders, and wouldn't be happy to find Mehra talking with you about religious matters.“ And he’s even more emphatic in the note he gives you about the same quest:

“Do NOT ask anyone at the Hall of Wisdom and Justice about Mehra Milo. I don't want to draw attention to the fact that she is talking to an outlander. Mehra Milo is a particular friend, and I don't want her to get in trouble.“

But hey, Caius can care about one Dunmer enough to not want anything bad to happen to her, while still working towards further Imperial dominion over Morrowind. and hell, maybe his sympathies towards Morrowind never extended far enough for him to even consider going against the Empire. but his relationship with the Nerevarine on the other hand..

As tintael mentioned in the aforementioned theory, the first two assignments given by Caius could be interpreted as him making sure he’s got blackmail material against in case they go rogue. Pretty shitty thing to do there, Caius, why would anybody stan you after seeing that?

Well, keep in mind, as these are the first two quests he gives out, he’s still just getting to know the Nerevarine. In his mind, this is just some nobody recently released from prison who he has to not only babysit as a rookie Blade, but turn into some ancient prophesied Dunmer hero. He’s got absolutely no faith in them, but he knows it’s his ass that will be on the line if they try to dip out of the Emperor’s plan, so he makes sure he’s got something he can hold against them to keep that from happening. This is someone who just got out of prison, how can he be expected to trust their honor that they won’t bail on him?

But he never needs to blackmail the Nerevarine, because they deliver, time and again. And every time they successfully complete a mission and then come back awaiting more orders, he starts to respect them, and worry about their safety. He goes so far as to give them a dwemer artifact as a way to bribe the one person who has a hope in hell of curing them when they catch corprus. This is treason, which he fully admits to,  but he’s willing to pull whatever strings are necessary to allow it in order to make sure it happens:  “ Yes, I know it's treason to trade in Dwemer artifacts, but don't worry about it. I'm a big-shot Imperial Spymaster, remember? And, yes, it's worth a fortune. But you're worth it. “

 But I mean, it could also be interpreted as him covering all his bases and doing his damndest to ensure that the Nerevarine remains a viable piece on the table, and knowing that a little bit of treason in furthering this endeavor will be forgiven.

But it’s a little convenient that he got recalled right after this. It’s almost as if his superiors started to get concerned that Caius was too sentimental. They had long suspected as much considering his Morrowind sympathies (which they absolutely must have known about), but now here he was showing an awful lot of concern for the Nerevarine. a game piece who they really primarily needed to end the threat of the Sixth House, and disrupt the Tribunal along the way. As soon as they didn’t need the Incarnate anymore, they could just get rid of this asset, possibly even by way of the blackmail material Caius arranged for them. But what if Caius couldn’t be trusted to do something like that? What if, upon being given the order to burn the Nerevarine, he decided to betray the Empire for the sake of his  protégé?

So they recalled him, and they did it in the most clever way they could think of. In his mind, it was officially because of “Internal politics. Some concern about my sugar.“ but he immediately suspects that the real reason is the very pressing issue of the potential succession crisis looming as the Emperor nears death. And because this is such a grave issue, Caius focuses entirely on it being the key reason why he’s being pulled back to Cyrodiil, and never once considers it’s because his superiors think that he’s too friendly with the Nerevarine and Morrowind.

Like I said at the beginning, I have a soft spot for the old shirtless hunk, so maybe I just am incapable of conceiving him as being an intelligence operative with unshakable Imperial loyalty. But it’d be deliciously tragic if, after being kept busy for a few years, Caius started to realize just how much the Empire was playing him and the Nerevarine, and now he’s not in much of a position to do anything about it. And he can’t even count on the chance of ever seeing his young ward again.

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

It's coming to an end. There's frustrations, celebrations, good ideas, terrible ideas, complete lack of ideas... it's been a journey.

I can't remember where we left off. I think it was the blandly decorated asteroid space station. I had finished the interestingly designed reactor level. Now we're on the dock...or something. Anyway, at some point the game says, “There’s too many, I’m going to have to use stealth” (paraphrase). I got excited because I love stealth. This section gave me some Deus Ex vibes, sneaking through vent shafts and such (which always give me MGS vibes...which gives me GoldenEye vibes...).

The first bit was challenging. some guard kept hitting the alarm, but I couldn’t tell where he was. When I finally figured out which alarm he was using, I was able to quickly kill the guards and get to the alarm. But the guard never showed up. Still, it was a nice change of pace. I wish the entire game had a “stealth” option.

I eventually make it to the Doom Giver, or whatever it is, and Luke is fighting Desann. for a moment I thought they were gonna kill Luke, or make him look ineffectual against an enemy the player would later kill. I don’t like Kyle well enough to accept him as more capable than Luke. Luke waves goodbye as we ride off on the Doomgiver. Our job is to slow it down, if not destroy it, before it can reach the Jedi temple on Yavin.

These levels were a bit more linear. It was harder to get lost, but I did get confused. There was an interesting, but horrifying, point where I could open hangar doors to suck out the guards into space. I’m impressed they had it in there, though it was horrifying.

There’s an interesting bit where there’s a large room with smaller rooms (shacks) inside. Each designated by a color, Red, Green, and Blue. You have to find the right code-symbol for each room. I’m not sure how Kyle got the code, but it was revealed in the menu (after I spent many minutes trying to figure it out). To “crack it”, you have to go to this basement area with cube-rooms suspended from the ceiling. There’s three floors of these cubes. Each a color: red, green, and blue. Some rooms have bridges connecting them, and some don’t. It was a neat area, as you had to Jedi jump to different floors and rooms. Each room had a code symbol (color coded). When you found the right symbol, you activate it. then Once you’ve activated the Red, Green, and Blue symbol, you head upstairs and activate them.

It’s super gamey--but also a great way to represent finding a code and hacking the system. Silly, unrealistic, but fun!

Eventually we get to a boss fight. Dude has a shield. It reminded me of Borderlands. It was a bit of a challenge. But not too bad. i finally used those “attack drones” they give you. Some times I’d get lucky and the boss would be distracted.

Then the gravity gets blown out and I have to float around in zero grav. It’s kinda fun but also silly--since I’m basically swimming through space.

OH SHIT--and we rescue Jan, cause she’s not dead. I sorta suspected this, but it’s more a shame that she’s been absent from the whole game until I could rescue her. I forget how isolating 90′s games can be. I remember playing Uncharted on PS3 for the first time, and other characters actually participate in solving puzzles and fighting bad guys. Mostly they just follow you around, but it FEELS competitive. And now games have added more cooperative NPCs, but it makes it playing these old games feel “weird” when your buddy keeps finding excuses not to be in the same room with you.

So we land on Yavin and Jan and Kyle kiss (ew). I mean, romance is fine--but it was just awkward. Hilariously so, actually. While the mouths move on the cinematic models, there’s zero expression. So Kyle and Jan kiss for like 10 seconds and then suddenly they pull apart and Jan is just blank. No expression what-so-ever. Funniest part of the game.

The “swamp” level was kind of interesting. After playing Dark Forces 2 and Mysteries of the Sith, it was nice to see this series handle nature well. Plenty of foliage and tree diversity. The rock-textures were just pictures--but they finally did nature some justice.

I think I’m getting better at lightsaber dueling, but it’s still a mess. The best I can tell, you just dance about hoping for an opening. I know there’s deeper moves and stances, but it seems to really be the luck of the draw. And several enemies resist light saber damage--which pisses me off. Lightsabers cut through shit, that’s the deal. Reminds of playing Morrowind and I swung a sword, watched it clip through an enemy’s head, and then the battle report said: “Miss”.

Still, they’re more tolerable than Dark Forces 2 fights that were just shit.

After the swamp, I came to a canyon. It was filled with troopers at AT-STs. I suspected that I might be able to avoid a fight. So I did. I just ran for it. I killed 1% of the enemies present and even skipped a few lightsaber duels.

What was interesting is the game is starting to feel “epic” with New Republic Forces fighting stormtroopers. I kind of help. It’s not...very impressive, like in Jak 2 when all hell breaks loose in the city. But it’s pretty cool. Still, Mysteries of the Sith captured this on the first level, so I’m less impressed by it here.

I got to the Jedi temple and several Jedis were fighting dark Jedis. It was kind of neat (less work for me). I felt bad when they died though. :(

I’m at the end of this level now, and will then be on the final level. I’m looking forward to putting this game behind me. And while I’ve needed a guide, I’ve yet to cheat my way through. As tempting as that can be. Once I’m done with this game I may take a break on Star Wars for a while. I’m really interested in picking up Elder Scrolls and getting into Final Fantasy 14.

[aod4909]

Who’s your favourite OC that you’ve made? And if you’ve made any new ones who would be your favourite new one

Oh boy, that’s a hard one :| and if you wanted a short answer I’m so sorry (but not really cause I love talking about my children ;) still I’ll keep it as short as I can………………….

Like, even when I don’t like them much, or I get bored of them (I lose interest so fast, you can tell by my posts) I still get feels whenever I randomly think about them or see a picture of them… Like seeing an old friend you used to have great chemistry with but you got separated for a couple years and then you are suddenly strangers and it hurts inside…But you know if I have to choose I guess I’ll have to go with those I can’t get out of my head… 1 is an impossible number…

Arrow  I mean duh….

Ebony again duhhhh…

The Ash'Llanyth Family  

I believe I haven’t actually talked about them here…So when I first played Morrowind and my English were… nonexistent… I made Verevil or Vily for short (but don’t call him that, he can and will kill you) and I had no idea what the game was even about I just enjoyed jumping around or whatever… so he was basically just a name…Years later when my english became… existent and I got back to it I made Viniriel or Vini for short (but don’t call her that, she can and will kill you) who is now my canon Nerevarine. But the name rang a bell and then it hit me… so I brought back Verevil and made him a powerful immortal who used to be friends with Nerevar and is the personification of House Telvanni so he built himself an invisible tower floating on water in the middle of nowhere where he could brood, read, make potions and knit in peace… (pretend you didn’t read the last part….) and you know everyone just presumed he was… well… dead. Ok maybe Divayth Fyr, Vivec, Dratha and some other people knew better but whatever.Long story short Viniriel literally hit the invisible walls of his tower, they met, they eventually had a son who hated magic (only because he sucked at it and was jealous af) but he would make a good assassin so his mom got him a job with the Morag Tong (that kid basically had all the connections but he was too stupid to take advantage of anything…) He also resented his parents who at some point left for Akavir. He had a son, who also became a member of the MT but then his wife died :’c But it’s ok cause he found another one and had a daughter! At that point Vily appears out of nowhere and says “this child is to take her grandma’s name and I’m gonna be mentoring her from now on deal.with.it.” Viniriel 2 Got to spend most of her time with her grandfather and a little with her brother and eventually she somehow found herself in Skyrim but that wasn’t weird to her cause she was getting visions from Azura since she was a child and would occasionally wake up at random places but Vily was usually with her and this time he wasn’t… Until she finds him in Solstheim sipping tea with Neloth…But Arrow is my canon Dragonborn so depending on Bethesda’s next game that will come out when I’ll be close to Vily’s age, things might change… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

As for Vily in Skyrim… I wanned to play as a male dunmer and he kinda looked like what I imagined Vily to look like so it’s kinda like me just playing around with my boy cause I love him… and I’ll probably make him a follower so he can keep company to his granddaughter as he’s supposed to but offer nothing but his wisdom… no he will not help you with that dragon, he’d rather observe it’s behavior and make a shitty comment about your conjuring technique that he actually taught you….

Giovanni

(I tried to find some sketches of him but my sketchbook is currently mia send help) Giovanni is a very… dear… idk how to call him tbh… He started appearing in my head at high school and yeah… I really don’t know how to describe it but he’s special… Like he’s really his own thing… He was like a back voice in my head for a few years and I wrote a short horror story with him in class (cause I was either writing, drawing or reading novels in class…and somehow I had good grades and got into uni ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) called “The two-faced mug”? (sounds cool in greek I swear) It was around the time I started struggling with my own personality disorder, I just had no idea personality disorders were a thing back then :c And he got me through some shit… and I’m grateful to him for that and I miss him a lot… and that reminds me I need to get back to writing but drawing requires black magic and writing is a process where you stare at a screen for 48hours +black magic for a chapter and maybe sacrifice your firstborn to actually finish a story… and art school is the goal (I guess) so yeah…

Jane M. Shepard

My maladaptive daydreamer ass things about her and Garrus every.signle.day. no exceptions… I don’t mind… like at all…. but I’d really want to sit said ass down and actually write her story too cause bOi do I hAve coNtenT for 50 bOokS by nOw….

So yeah these are my “always in mind” ocs (except for one that is kinda… an other story I won’t tell probably????)But I have so many nice ones like Hailey and Rebekah and Mor and Amanda and Moira and Olivia and Eleon and Morpheus and Mouse and Lucius that I think about frequently…AND there is my last sim I hope will work out and keep me invested but I doubt it and it’s a shame :\

[mazurah]

Lost in Time Ch. 5: Memories - An Elder Scrolls Fanfic

Chapter Summary: Ma’zurah and Fayrl have a much needed conversation that cements their alliance, and Fayrl learns more than he ever expected to know about Ma’zurah.

Cross posted from Ao3. Chapter Rating: M for language, non-explicit sexual situations, and brief accounts of attempted assault and sexual harassment.

First Chapter - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

Lost in Time Chapter 5: Memories

Ma'zurah held open the door to the inn and she and Fayrl walked inside to the sound of a lute and a cheerful greeting from the bar. Ma'zurah made her way toward the bar to inquire after a room.

Fayrl trailed very leisurely behind her, taking in all of the patrons around. There was already a bard here; that wouldn't do. He needed to find a way to earn more coin. He made a note to speak with the fellow when he took a break from his next set.

He could see there seemed to be mercenaries here too. Useful to note as well.

As Ma'zurah busied herself with the innkeeper, the bard took a bow to scattered applause and made his way to a table for a break. Fayrl smiled. How fortuitous, he thought as he slipped past the other patrons around the fire and slid in front of the man, seating himself on the table in front of the bard.

"You play beautifully," Fayrl said with a smile like a cat waiting for a fish.

Ma'zurah discovered that although her Khajiit-ness was suspect, her coin was acceptable, and she paid for a room, then turned to find Fayrl. She discovered him near the bard with a predatory look in his face. What was he up to now? She swiftly walked toward him and took his elbow. "Oh husband dear, they have a room for us. Pester the bard some other time." She gave him a tight smile and started trying to drag him by the arm toward the stairs.

The bard seemed to be intrigued by the interest, but not particularly sorry to see Fayrl dragged away. "I'll find you later, my muse!" Fayrl called to him.

Once they were out of sight, Fayrl dropped the act and followed without any problem. "Sorry, I am just so desperate to have a lute back in my hands."

Ma'zurah closed the door to their room firmly behind them. "Ma'zurah is sure that Fayrl can find a lute without doing whatever it is he was planning on doing to that poor bard. Now. Fayrl and Ma'zurah need to have a little chat." Ma'zurah crossed her arms.

Fayrl sighed. He did like the look of the lute, but the sound could have been richer. He would have to find a lute maker instead. "Of course, what should we discuss?"

"First off, what the fuck is this?" Ma'zurah gestured between herself and Fayrl. "Ma'zurah does not appreciate such blatant falsehoods without her consent."

Fayrl raised an eyebrow. "There's no need for harsh language. I am simply lubricating the social interactions. If we appear have a romantic connection, then there are many questions which no one will ask. It is simply a matter of easing our passing through." Fayrl spoke as if this was the most obvious and natural fact in the world.

Ma'zurah narrowed her eyes at him. "The best lies are ninety percent truth. Ma'zurah wonders if Fayrl wishes to be caught. Ma'zurah cannot keep track of every single story Fayrl tells! And she questions the need for lies here in the first place! We are in a new place with no idea what is going on! Better to stick to the truth whenever possible so we do not accidentally cross one another. Does Fayrl wish to be allies or no?"

Fayrl reached behind his head and began to remove the many pins and clips holding his hair in place, letting it down before he spoke. He placed the many items on the table in near Ma'zurah.

"Where I come from there is nothing safe,” he explained. “There is always someone trying to drop something in your drink, a blade they wish to stick in you, a spell they wish you to succumb to. I do not tell lies which matter to the people I am telling them to. I have stuck to the same story for those we will see again while we are here, but knowing these people and the lives they lead, they won't recall one way or the other after they've had their next round of mead."

He picked up one of the hairpins, spinning it between his fingers. "I will not lie to you about anything to do with our survival or finding a way out of this time. My success depends on yours. Allying myself to you is my only hope of escape."

He slid the end off the pin to reveal a sharpened tip that looked coated in something. "If anyone grows suspicious, I have ways to keep them from turning on us."

Ma'zurah took Fayrl's wrist and took the pin out of his hand carefully, putting it back on the table. "Ma'zurah has seen enough death. Ma'zurah would rather not see more. Especially before we know what our situation truly is.”

Fayrl made no move to stop her as she took the pin from him. "It is a sleeping draught. I never said anything about murder. I have dream elixirs and truth serums. All manner of little potions to convince naughty Nords to do as we need."

Ma’zurah pressed her lips together. “You know, Fayrl does make a good point. His survival does depend on Ma'zurah. But so far, he has not done much to make Ma'zurah trust him. This place is not the place Fayrl came from. Nobody knows us here." Ma'zurah sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "So come. Tell Ma'zurah who Fayrl is without the web of intrigue he had surrounded himself with. Without the friends or enemies or resources."

Fayrl thought about trust. It was a funny thing indeed. It was needed to survive, yet giving it to the wrong person for even a moment could be disastrous.

He laughed suddenly. "You are right not to trust me. I am a shifty fellow. I make my living by spinning lies and soothing secrets out of others. I rarely do anything worth placing trust in." He sighed at the thought. "Though I suppose that is little comfort for you right now." He sat down beside her on the bed. "Would you even be able to believe me if I told you the truth? I think the lies are easier to swallow. More believable too."

Ma’zurah tapped her nose in thought. "Ma'zurah asked Fayrl why she should trust him, and he replied that he must be allies with her in order to survive, and Ma'zurah believes this. Ma'zurah also believes she does not need Fayrl in order to survive. It is therefore in Fayrl's best interest to be as honest as possible with Ma'zurah. However, if Fayrl is hesitant to do so, Ma'zurah will tell him something about herself that may make it easier for him to trust Ma’zurah."

Ma'zurah took off her necklace and unclasped it, withdrawing two rings and slipping them onto her fingers before placing the necklace back around her neck. She held out her hand to Fayrl. "What does Fayrl see?"

The first of the rings looked familiar to Fayrl. A stylized silver oval with a midnight blue stone at the center, flecked with spots of white like stars. He had seen it in a history book somewhere perhaps? The ring felt like something important that he just could not quite recall.

But the other--he almost recoiled from the sight of it. There was no way it could be before him. His mother had spoken of the ring when she taught him as a boy from the stories the Ashlanders had told to her. He had seen pictures of it: a crescent moon with a five pointed star superimposed over the widest part. He’d heard its tales.

Suddenly everything came together, like a fog lifting. He inhaled sharply. "Who are you?"

"How familiar is Fayrl with the prophecies of the Velothi people?"

"I have certainly spoken with Velothi before and heard tales here or there."

Ma'zurah paused and sighed. "Ma'zurah's full name is Indoril Hlaalu Ma'zurah Nerevar Mora, depending on who you ask, and if you want to be technical."

Fayrl stared at her. "I don't understand." He tried to figure out how all of those elements might somehow come together. No matter how he tried, he couldn't. His mind rejected the conclusion it kept drawing.

Ma'zurah sighed in frustration. "Ma'zurah hoped Fayrl would understand better, especially since he is a follower of the True Tribunal. But Ma'zurah can be more explicit. Ma'zurah is the child of Azurah. The Incarnate. Indoril Nerevar reborn." She watched Fayrl’s reaction carefully.

Fayrl put his hands up to his face and rubbed his temples. "Are there any other connections to deities I should be aware of before we continue?"

If she was telling him the truth, which, by the Three, it was a big pill to swallow, then all his actions... Oh, he didn't even want to think of how rude he had been. Claiming to be husband to the child of his god, the ancestor of his own ancestors. Wait, that would make them related to some degree, wouldn't it?

Suddenly his own complicated background seemed less so.

Ma'zurah coughed. "Ai, well… That depends on what Fayrl means by connections. And deities. This one defeated the Sharmat. This one was also forced to kill Almalexia when she went insane and murdered Sotha Sil. And this one considers Vivec to be a great companion, albeit an untrustworthy one." Ma'zurah looked uncomfortable. "And this one honors all of the True Tribunal, not just Azurah. But Ma'zurah was also raised to honor the ways of the Khajiiti Clan Mothers, and shows reverence to all gods as is appropriate. This one has spoken to many gods."

Fayrl couldn't understand. "Almalexia is dead?!" He could feel his heart racing. She was the one who had sent him on his last mission to kill the traitors in exchange for his life. He has spoken to her not so very long ago. Though now centuries had passed. The great "Mother Morrowind", now no more.

He tried to let that sink in, but there was so much. "She killed Sotha Sil? Is… is Almsivi no more?"

He had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, he did not believe they deserved the power they had stolen. But they were still gods. Almalexia had kept his city safe. His father reported directly to her. He had spent a great deal of time in her presence; fought in her army under her command.

He may not have followed her spiritually, but for the good of his home and his people he did follow her. He was torn about this news. Far more than he would ever have suspected himself to possibly be.

"If not Almsivi, then who are our people following? Vivec alone?" He could not even listen to this, it was too much.

Worse, there was a very real possibility he was stranded here. Left in the future for good. What had become of his family? His son? Oh, by the Three, what would happen to Sildras if he could not return? If the Tribunal Temple collapsed, surely his House would fall apart. It was remotely possible that in Ma'zurah's time his son could still be alive, though quite aged. But... was he? He could not speak further. He could not ask that question, though she might not know his son regardless of his fate.

"Ma'zurah was in the process of assisting Vivec in returning the people's faith to the True Tribunal," Ma’zurah answered gently. Seeing Fayrl's distress she scooted closer to him and put one arm around him and took his hand.

Fayrl tried to understand what she was telling him. Then he felt Ma’zurah’s touch, and a series of images began to flash before his eyes. His body froze stiff, as Ma’zurah’s memories began to take over his consciousness.

He was being cast out. Exiled for something he couldn’t help. He looked over his shoulder at the small jungle village along the waterway. He was overtaken with a crippling sense of loneliness. An elderly Khajiit woman led him away as he cried silent tears of grief.

The elderly Khajiit woman lay dead in her bed. He sobbed over her body, feeling grief stricken and utterly alone in the world.

He was kissing an Imperial boy. The boy began groping his breasts and taking his clothes off. He eagerly assisted, and began taking off his trousers, exposing white furred thighs and a stiff, pink-skinned erection. The boy became angry. He didn’t understand. The boy tried to hit him. He cast an invisibility spell and fled, angry, lonely, and afraid.

He awoke on a boat, scared. He did not know where the boat was taking him. He did not know why he was there. A Dunmer with a scarred face and a missing eye tried to soothe him. They had just arrived in Morrowind, the Dunmer said; he was sure they would let them go. It was not comforting.

A figure with three eyes in a golden mask shaped like a sunburst taunted him and tortured him in his dreams. Deep bells tolled. He awoke naked, sweating, with damp fur, only to be attacked by a creature that used to be a mer, now with only a grotesque hollow where its eyes and nose should be.

A handsome Dunmer was yelling at him, calling him n’wah, accusing him of being a traitor, a spy for his enemies. “You betrayed me, and I will never forgive you!” the mer screamed. He felt heartbroken and angry at the same time.

He was angry. So incredibly angry. The handsome Dunmer had been taunting him! He decided to taunt the Dunmer right back. He took off his clothes and masturbated in the mer’s face. The mer hid in his bedroll. He went to his own bedroll and lay there for a while with an uncomfortable erection before sighing and finished himself off. He sobbed for half the night, feeling heartsick and utterly lonely.

He had a horrible illness. He was going to die. No one ever survived. His fur was falling out in chunks, and his skin was covered in boils. He couldn’t even think. The handsome Dunmer looked at him in horror and poorly disguised disgust, and he felt like he was becoming a monster. He did not want to die alone.

He was at a party, but the guests were all dead. Another dream. Another attack. Another horrible creature. And bells. Always bells!

He was in a cave. A horrifying enemy with tentacles instead of a face fought him. He was hurt badly. The handsome Dunmer dragged him to safety and ran back in to defeat the creature.

He was running frantically through a foyada in an ash storm. His fur was caked with ash. His clothes were covered in ash. He was crying and his tears were filled with ash. He was sick with worry. He swiped the tears from his face frantically, trying to continue searching the walls of the foyada through ash reddened eyes.

He was in a cave. A swarm of ghosts were attacking the handsome Dunmer. He screamed at them to stop, terrified for the mer. The ghosts demanded blood.

Bells haunted his dreams over and over, always heralding the arrival of another attacker in the waking world. He forced himself to wake up and fight.

He awoke suddenly, with a creeping sense of dread and the certain knowledge that he and his lovers were not the only ones in the room. He glanced at the handsome Dunmer and the beautiful Dunmer girl with long red hair who lay naked beside him. They were exactly where they were supposed to be, sleeping peacefully, but an assassin in the dark still stalked him. He cast a shield just in time to block the first blow.

He was in the crater of a volcano. Red Mountain. There was magma far below him, and a huge animunculi rising from the center of the crater. Four other people accompanied him, including the handsome Dunmer and the beautiful Dunmer girl, all with and grim expressions. The figure in the golden mask attacked them. “What a fool you are!” the figure mocked in a voice that reverberated in his skull and rattled his teeth. “I am a god! How can you kill a god? What a grand and intoxicating innocence. How could you be so naive? There is no escape.” He was terrified.

Sotha Sil, dead. Strung up by long wires in his own Clockwork City. Horror gripped him. There was a voice behind him--Almalexia in her war mask. “Here it ends. This Clockwork City was to be your death. You were to be my greatest martyr!”

Almalexia, dead on the ground. He reached out one white furred hand and removed her war mask. Her face was so vulnerable underneath. So mortal. The handsome Dunmer skittishly stalked Almalexia’s body as though he thought she might come to life again. Beside him the beautiful Dunmer girl with long red hair wept on her knees. He wept as well.

He awoke slowly, filled with a prickling horror. He wasn’t where he had gone to sleep. He opened his eyes to see a figure twirling a spear. The figure had a head like the skull of a deer. He listened to the figure with horror. He was still in his sleeping clothes. He had no weapon except his magicka. He had been kidnapped. He was trapped. He was prey. He was going to be hunted.

He was in a huge ice cave. He fought an ice giant by himself. His sleeping clothes were torn and dirty. He still had no weapon except his magicka. The ice giant fell. The figure with the head like the skull of a deer appeared again. Now he had to fight the figure too. That was even more terrifying than the ice giant. He was exhausted. He was not sure he could survive any longer.

Fayrl did not speak. His body shook slightly in Ma’zurah’s arms. Tears welled in his eyes and his face contorted in anguish. He gave a soft hiccuping sob. Ma'zurah drew back and looked at him. "Fayrl? Are you alright?"

Fayrl only stared ahead at nothing, trembling imperceptibly. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Ma'zurah peered into Fayrl's eyes worriedly. "Was it something Ma'zurah said?"

Fayrl gasped suddenly, as though he had just surfaced from a long underwater dive. His chest heaved and he drew in ragged breaths. He shook his head, unable to speak as he caught his breath again.

He opened his mouth, but a sob came out instead of words. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small flask, downing the contents. It seemed to get him under control.

"I am very sorry. I have not had such an intense reaction in a very long time, and I was not prepared. You must forgive me. I did not mean to worry you."

Ma'zurah blinked at him, confused and concerned. "Alright..."

"I am afraid that you have unwittingly shared far more with me than you may have meant to."

He looked away from her. The sight of her face pulled at the memories that were still dissipating from his mind. He could still feel her anguish.

"I have been granted a gift, though it is not an easy one to bear. And from it I see the secrets, the hurts, and the sins, of other people through their own memories when I touch their skin."

Comprehension dawned on her face and she leaned back, wrapping her arms around herself, and looking away, embarrassed. "Ai... Ma’zurah is sorry... she would not wish her worst experiences on anyone else. She meant to comfort, not hurt."

Fayrl wiped the tears from his cheeks, a smile already twitching at his lips. He set a hand upon her shoulder.

"I am sorry for the pain you have suffered in your life. I can see why you feel the need to have me prove my trustworthiness. And as much as I can trust a person who I have only known a few hours and have traveled to the wrong century with, I do trust you, Ma'zurah."

He pulled from under his tunic the pendant of Azura which his mother had given him to protect him. It had protected her, and she had given it to him when he had completed his apprenticeship and officially become an adult.

"I have little with which to show my trust, save this. It was mother's." He placed it around her neck. So long as you have this, I will do as you ask. It is the most precious thing I have besides my life. I promise I will answer any of your questions honestly."

Ma'zurah blinked in surprise. "Thank you..." She touched the pendant and examined it, then glanced back up at him. She couldn't be angry at him for lying anymore. She smiled hesitantly, and reached out to him, but paused. "It doesn't happen everytime you touch someone, does it?"

Fayrl's smile widened. "After the initial time it does not affect me unless I permit it to. It is the strongest the first time."

"Okay!" She hugged him.

Fayrl was surprised by the action, but the feeling of her warm arms around him was nice; comfortable.

Ma'zurah drew back, smiling. "Alright. So. What should Ma'zurah know about Fayrl?"

Fayrl look a breath. "Where should I even begin? My full name is Indoril Fayrl Indoril, son of Indoril Mehra Indoril. My wife Urtisa, may the Three have no mercy upon her devious soul, plotted against me and my House. She was of House Hlaalu. She tried to control me, and when I would not cooperate, she attempted to have me assassinated. I escaped to Skyrim, where I spent six years before encountering my brother by chance and learning I had a son by her who she was submitting to the same controlling fate. I returned and denounced her, and reclaimed custody of my son, Sildras. My wife is now sentenced into the service to Almalexia until she dies, and I have been continuing to work for the Temple ever since."

Ma'zurah nodded. "As a spy and assassin?" She glanced at the hair ornaments on the table. It seemed like the only reasonable conclusion she could draw based on what he had told her thus far.

He nodded. "Indeed. A position I had held within the House for many decades before that."

"Ma'zurah understands. She was an Imperial Blade for a while, even if she was not the greatest at keeping it secret. What else?"

Fayrl was surprised by how quickly Ma'zurah seemed to accept all of this. "I don’t know, what else there is? I follow the True Tribunal, but my personal affiliation is to Mephala. It is she who granted me the gift which you saw earlier. And, if all goes well, my loyalty to her will give us a shot at returning home. The boy in the keep--he has some connection to Mephala, I felt the strong pull of her touch upon him."

Ma'zurah grinned. "Excellent. Ma'zurah would like to come when Fayrl goes to see him. Does Fayrl have any questions for Ma'zurah?"

Fayrl immediately thought of one question, though he worried it might be insensitive, so he decided to talk around it.

"Is there anyone you left back in your time? Anyone you wish were here with you now?"

Ma'zurah immediately sobered. "Ma'zurah has a girlfriend and a fiance, and she has friends she wishes she could see."

"Then I am sorry you do not have their company now." That answered the question of who it was he had seen in the memories.

He did have one other very sobering question. "Ma'zurah, do you think there is any chance we may actually be able to get back to our own times?"

"Of course! Ma'zurah will break down the doors to all the Daedric realms if she has to. She has killed two gods and defeated a third, she does not fear Daedra."

Fayrl was a bit unsettled by her confidence. She seemed to truly believe that she could do it. And if she had killed two gods and defeated a third... he needed to follow her instructions. He had seen what Almalexia could do to a mortal body. He had watched a mer ripped apart by her divine light from the inside out once. If Ma'zurah could take her on and win, he stood no chance against her.

Ma'zurah glanced around the room. "We still have to figure out when we are, and honestly, Ma'zurah is not even sure what the hour is right now. We could ask around for a calendar or an almanac or something, or go to that Companion place, or meet this boy you mentioned. Ma'zurah thinks we should stay together though. If one of us finds a way back, the other one does not need to become stranded."

Fayrl nodded. "The Companions invited us for dinner. I say we see what we can learn while being given a full belly of food. If they are anything like they were in my time, a good song of their glories in battle and they will be like dogs on a lead."

Ma'zurah raised her eyebrows. "Maybe do not say that to their face.”

"Obviously I would never say such things to their face. You are a friend, so I am merely sharing some information."

Ma'zurah nodded. “So you are a bard? Ma'zurah was in training to become a Wise Woman with the Ahemmusa, but she is not sure how useful that will be in Skyrim."

Fayrl reached into his bag again and pulled out a comb and began to run it through his hair. "I have been a bard, almost as long as I have been a spy. It is one of the ways I make money. If I had a lute, I would play a song for you. Alas, my beautiful lute is back in my time."

He stopped combing to throw himself dramatically back upon the mattress. "I am sure that it will have been stolen by now, along with Tel, my guar, and all of the rest of my belongings. Maaah, I am so naked without it!"

Ma'zurah snorted. "Your guar is named Tel? Is he very tall?" She eyed the comb jealously.

Fayrl laughed, sitting up and holding the comb lightly in his hand. "Truth be told, I was given him with the name already. He is not so much taller than other guar, but I can attest to his standing out amongst guar. He has good stamina and speed, as well as power. And a good temperament to boot."

Noticing Ma'zurah's gaze, he offered the comb to her. "Did you need a comb?"

Ma'zurah swiped the comb and ran it through her hair and fur. "Many thanks. Ma'zurah does not have any of her grooming brushes with her. She did not expect to be in Oblivion long enough!" She carefully sleeked down the fur of her face, and her tribal scars, a line of dots under her eyes, became more apparent once her fur was more in order.

Fayrl smiled and pulled out a soft bristled brush as well. "If there is anything else you need, I have oils and conditioners as well as perfumes."

He took out the small kit of vials and slid one side of it off, putting the other one back in. There was a variety of small containers and vials. "This is all of my oils and makeup, if you should have need for it. But I would advise staying away from the other side. The poisons and potions are labeled so as to mislead."

"The thing Ma'zurah needs the most is probably a curry comb. But smaller than the kind they use for horses. It is the most useful tool for keeping Khajiit clean when water is not available..." She brightened. "Oh! Ma'zurah saw a Khajiit caravan camped outside! They may have one. Ma'zurah wishes she could go check, but she doubts the guard would let her back in... and... now that she thinks about it, it is probably dangerous here for Ma'zurah on her own. Gods... Why Skyrim, Azurah?"

Fayrl recognized Ma’zurah’s look. It reminded him of his husband, Qau-dar, not long after they had first met. He remembered the kit of combs and brushes he kept for his fur, and how fastidious he was about keeping it clean. "I don't have anything like that on me, but I am sure we could search the markets to find something." Fayrl did not know what else to say to help ease her distress, so he tried a joke. "Could be worse, we could be on the Emerald Isles."

"The where now? Is that in Summerset?" Ma'zurah took a soft bristled brush and began smoothing down the fur of her tail.

It was a poor joke, he had known that. But it went over even worse than he had thought. Fayrl thought he should offer some comfort; it hadn't been as though she had meant to send them here. How they even ended up in the same time and place in Oblivion was its own mystery.

He reached out and hesitated. "If it is alright, I could massage your shoulders. It’s one of my hard earned talents that hardly sees any use to those who deserve them."

Ma'zurah smiled and looked down. "That sounds lovely." She turned around with her back toward him and removed her tightly woven scarf from around her neck.

"If Fayrl doesn't mind her asking, may Ma'zurah inquire what Fayrl was doing before he got trapped in Oblivion?"

Fayrl got on his knees behind her, using his thumb to work the base of her neck, the rest of his fingers wrapped over her shoulders and working with slightly less pressure there.

Fayrl paused when he heard the question, then continued. "I hope you will not think poorly of me, but I was disposing of the evidence of a crime I had committed."

Ma'zurah laughed. "That depends on the crime and why. What did Fayrl do? Steal an Elder Scroll? Free slaves? Infiltrate a Telvanni Master's tower?"

Fayrl took a deep breath, moving his hands across her shoulders. "I killed a man."

"Ma'zurah has done that too. Though they were usually smugglers. Or slavers. What did that one do?" Ma'zurah leaned into Fayrl's hands.

"He was selling information to our enemies in exchange for slaves which he would sell to the same people he was extracting secrets from. He also sold young, naive Pact citizens to brothels in the Convenient." Fayrl switched from using his thumbs against the knots in her shoulder to the base of his palm, working deeper into the muscles.

He moved back towards the spine and walked his palms down to the small of her back, glided them up to her shoulders before repeating again. "He was convinced I was a potential target he could bring out to a secluded area, drug, and then sell."

Fayrl could still remember the joy the man had every time he tricked some poor young mer or Argonian or Nord into coming with him under promises of a job or cheap opportunities to travel, or any number of similar excuses. He could feel the fear that each of those slaves had once that bastard had them shackled and began to evaluate them for market, taking his chance to test their various abilities if he so chose. He could feel those greasy hands on his body.

"I switched our glasses and pretended to succumb to his paralysis potion. And then when it took effect on him instead, I got up and I slit his throat. I had touched him, and I saw enough that I may have been rather angry with him. There was little left to recognize when I dumped his body in the ruins for the cultists to use as they like." A shiver ran through him.

"He sounds disgusting. Ma'zurah hardly thinks that was a crime."

"He was worth less than the air he breathed or the ground upon which he trod."

He had to let the thoughts of the vile man go and concentrate on the task at hand. He worked in wider lines, going further out over Ma'zurah's back.

Ma'zurah began purring. "Ma'zurah does not know too much about the Ebonheart Pact. Ma'zurah mostly studied only magickal history at the Arcane University, not political history. Something about Morrowind being invaded by the Akaviri, so the Argonians, Dunmer, and Nords banded together and drove them out. Not much more than that." She sighed at the relief Fayrl's hands were working on her body.

"Yes, the Pact was formed after Akaviri invaders tried to capture Skyrim. They took Windhelm, but were pushed out by a force led by King Jorunn, so they made a deeper bid for Morrowind. Perhaps they didn’t expect the Nords to pursue them into Morrowind. Almalexia's armies were joined by reinforcements from the Nords and Argonians, and managed to run the entire fetching horde into the sea.”

“After that, we agreed as peoples to come together to defend against future need. Morrowind agreed, as part of the signing, to release their slaves. The Telvanni refused to be a part of the Pact, and the Dres managed to convince the grand council that they only needed to release the slaves that were a part of the Pact, while turning their former slaves into servants, who they treat no better than before. Skyrim was also divided. Only four of the holds joined us. Black Marsh joined for the chance to earn their freedom, though it has been a slow process to dissolve the occupational government."

"Hmpf,” Ma’zurah scoffed. “The Houses in Morrowind that Ma'zurah knows are honestly not much better. At least the Dres were not on Vvardenfell. Ma'zurah joined the Hlaalu when she first got to Vvardenfell because they were supposed to be the most friendly. Hah. No, their leadership had been corrupted by the Camonna Tong. When Ma'zurah became Hortator, she got rid of that corruption by getting rid of the Camonna Tong leader. There is still rumors though about increased writs against Redoran for some reason. No idea. Ma'zurah spent most of her time in the Ashlands or the Grazelands at that point. She was more interested in the Velothi."

Fayrl sighed. Sometimes he wished he had grown up in the Ashlands instead of the city. "I do not know how time has changed them, but the Hlaalu in my time were always two faced and ready to support any two-bit organization that would bolster their power base. They were money hungry and power greedy. It is a surprise they managed to subsist into your time at all."

Fayrl did not hold back the tension in his voice. He had a scar on his shoulder from where a Hlaalu assassin had tried to kill him. The poison had kept it from healing entirely. It was the first time he had ever come face to face with any of those attempting to take his life. The fetcher had been hired by a Hlaalu who did not appreciate the way his mother was voting in the grand council.

"Ma'zurah half wishes she never joined at all. Indoril and Hlaalu both claim her, and there is no convincing either out of it. Nobody needs a Hortator anymore, the Sharmat is gone. The only good Ma'zurah was doing was religious guidance."

"Morrowind must be a very different place. In my time if you are part of a House, you are only part of that one. If you switch, you are supposed to swear your loyalty over to the other, though in your situation, I can't imagine what the rules might be."

Ma’zurah sighed and moved to stand up. "Perhaps we should at least walk around the market. Ma'zurah is dying of curiosity to find out about the world here."

Fayrl released his hold on Ma'zurah, getting to his feet to let her off the bed. "That is a good idea. We should procure your combs before shops close for the night. One second, let me fix my hair."

Ma’zurah watched as Fayrl carefully put all the pins back into his hair. She fidgeted, smoothing the fur of her tail. "No, see Indoril claims this one because of Nerevar, and Hlaalu claims this one because of Ma'zurah even though she has never been particularly active in the House. It is all just a mess, and this one would rather wash her hands of it."

"Well, I suppose so long as we are here, you don't have to worry about it." He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”

Ma'zurah smiled and hooked her hand under Fayrl's arm, and the pair walked out of their room.

As soon as they got downstairs, Fayrl spotted the bard again. He was leaning back at his table with the lute slung over the back of the empty chair besides him. It would be so easy to just go over there and take it for himself.

Ma'zurah leaned in closer. "Ma'zurah sees Fayrl eyeing the bard's lute. Ma'zurah is sure they have other lutes in this city. Fayrl has not even checked."

Fayrl pouted, mostly for show. "But that one would be easy to take. Besides, how can I be the inn's bard if he and his lute are already occupying the position?"

Ma’zurah looked amused and led them around the fire. Fayrl did not protest. "I suppose I will look elsewhere for one," he sighed as they walked out into the late afternoon sunlight.

Ma'zurah raised a whiskered brow at him. "Elsweyr is rather far to look. How about that shop Ma'zurah sees there." She nodded to a building across the market labeled general goods.

Fayrl laughed. "As you say," he replied and gestured for her to lead on. He would gladly follow her unless she planned to sabotage his efforts to return home.

Ma’zurah bit her lip. “Does Fayrl think perhaps the guards will let us back into the city if we were to try to visit the Khajiiti caravan?”

"It may be risky to get back in once the guards see us leave. If you think of a way to get back in, I know I can slip past them." If the same guard was still on duty as before, she would not let them back in. She had that look about her.

Ma’zurah sighed. "Not unless we want to climb the wall."

Fayrl chuckled. "I was planning to slip by unseen, but nothing like climbing a wall to get you ready for the evening, I suppose."

Ma’zurah began walking across the market square, but was intercepted by one of the Companions, Ria, the young Imperial girl who had been fighting the giant. She called out to them.

"Oh! Hey! I was just coming to find you! I didn't know if you knew where to go. Would you like me to walk you to Jorrvaskr?"

Fayrl looked between the Ma'zurah and the new arrival. "Well hello, Companion. Hail and well met! We were just perusing the market for a good host gift before we headed over to Jorrvaskr. Though, we would certainly be happy for your assistance." He looked at Ma'zurah for help. He really did want to go shopping.

Ria laughed. "Oh no no, that's fine! You don't need to get us a gift! You can just head over now if you like."

Ma'zurah skipped forward. "Certainly! Ma'zurah has not eaten all day she thinks." She paused and turned to Fayrl. "Is Fayrl coming?"

"But dear, don't you think it would be rude not to bring something? They have been so kind to us so far." Just a peek into the shops would be enough to tell him if they had a lute.

Ma'zurah rolled her eyes and took Fayrl’s hand. "Ma'zurah thinks if that one says we should come now, then we should come now."

Fayrl sighed and allowed himself to be led through the city to the hall of the Companions.

End Notes:

Fayrl’s tumblr: @talldarkandroguesome

Fayrl’s husband, Qau-dar, belongs to @warmsandstraveler. Fayrl’s author has an ongoing, publically available RP going with him and several other people in an alternate timeline in which nobody gets lost in time.

You can read the journal of Fayrl’s ‘brother’, Avon, at @avon-m-dunaag. He participates in the ongoing, publically available RP with Fayrl, though his updates are not nearly as frequent.

Some of the memories of Ma'zurah's past that Fayrl accesses are stories that have not yet been written, but one of them can be read about in the story Betrayal and Reconciliation here.

Screenshot of Fayrl Screenshot of Ma’zurah Check out my art tag for more pictures of Fayrl and Ma’zurah.

Constructive criticism is welcome. We also really like it if you leave comments on Ao3.

[soulstealer1987]

Arc 2, Chapter 6

Ziist Grozein

Erandur and Gallus stop by the Shrine of Azura before heading out, and I should mention this now... just because Gallus doesn't see Karliah, doesn't mean she's not there. In fact, you should probably just always assume Karliah's around unless it's explicitly stated she's not. Of course, Gallus wouldn't know, so... just assume she's around.

Crossposted from AO3. Masterpost is here.

Arc 2: A Dream of Despair

Arc 2, Chapter 5 ~ Arc 2, Chapter 7

When Gallus and Erandur reach the Shrine of Azura, Aranea’s sitting on the steps waiting for them. She glances up as they approach, gets up, and smiles in greeting.

“You found the mage?” Aranea asks, although it’s clear from the way she asks it that it’s something of a rhetorical question. Gallus nods anyway. (Then again, she can see the future, apparently, so…) “Good. While you were gone, you should know that I received a vision from Azura.” The way she says that gives Gallus pause, but not Erandur.

“What was the vision about?” Erandur asks, quietly. Aranea smiles again, although this time sadly.

“Azura requested for me to accompany you on this quest, when you returned,” Aranea says in a small voice. “She assured me that the Shrine would not come to any harm while I was gone, but I…” She trails off.

“I know what you mean,” Erandur says, stepping up and offering Aranea a comforting smile. (Actually, come to think of it, they’ve been smiling a lot while they’re around each other… but Gallus figures that could be just because they’re close friends. There might be nothing more going on. And Gallus might be a Restoration mage.) “After Nightcaller Temple was cleansed, I had no plans to move on. But I’d agreed to help Gallus with something, and here we are.”

“I will come,” Aranea says with a sort of finality in her words. Even so, she sounds partially excited and partially miserable. Gallus couldn’t say which one’s more evident if he tried. “I just- I  need some time. This will be the first time I’ve left the Shrine since escaping Morrowind.”

Erandur nods.

“Take as long as you need, Aranea,” Erandur says gently. “We’ll wait down the path a bit.”

She nods, gratitude in her eyes before she turns. As she takes the steps back up to the shrine, Erandur and Gallus go back down the path just far enough for the Shrine of Azura to pass out of view. Erandur takes a seat on a rock, and after a moment, Gallus takes a seat next to him.

Later, Gallus might come to regret getting involved in his friend’s love life but, considering that it’s painfully obvious that these two have feelings for each other and he highly doubts either of them are going to make a move, he might as well try to help things along. Assuming priests of Mara and priestesses of Azura are allowed to have love lives.

(Well, considering that Mara is one of the two goddesses of love in the Imperial pantheon, and Azura is widely considered to be one of the more benevolent Daedric Princes, Gallus thinks there’s a pretty good chance this could work.)

“So,” Gallus begins, glancing Erandur’s way with a knowing look crossing his features. Erandur meets his gaze with one of confusion, and Gallus realizes far too late that maybe he was far too vague. He quickly adds, “You like her, don’t you?”

“Well, yes, she’s a close friend of mine and I…” He trails off as he realizes what Gallus actually means, and groans. “Damn. Is it really that obvious?”

“I’m pretty good at reading people, so it might not be,” Gallus shrugs.

“That’s encouraging,” Erandur mumbles, then glances back the way they came. “She’s coming.”

Fortunately for Erandur, she is indeed coming, but this is not going to be the end of this, not if Gallus has anything to say in the matter.

(He’s not actually sure why he cares so much about someone else’s love life, to be honest.)

(Maybe it’s because he can’t remember what his own was like, or if he even had one.)

(Maybe it’s because they remind him of someone, subconsciously, although it’s not like he would have any idea who.)

By some unexpected stroke of luck, the group - now comprising of Gallus, Erandur, and Aranea - makes it back to Winterhold just in time to catch the carriage heading back to Whiterun. The driver’s not particularly happy about taking passengers from Winterhold, and says as much, but a little extra coin as well as some well-placed flattery on Gallus’ part helps to improve his disposition quite a bit.

(Gallus isn’t at all certain why he’s so good at influencing people when he actually wants to and actually tries to - which isn’t actually all that often - but considering that he’s been at least decent at getting on people’s good sides as long as he can remember, and there’s certain other skills that come a little easier than they should… he can take a guess.)

He'd hoped they'd be able to keep making as good of time, but unfortunately they'd just missed the outgoing carriage to Falkreath, and the Winterhold driver seemed to be getting antsy.

“Look, I like you lot, I really do,” the driver says. “But taking you three back to Whiterun with me when I'm already going that way is one thing. Falkreath is not just way out of my way, but it's on another driver’s route. You’re going to have to get off here.”

“We understand,” Gallus says smoothly. He gets up, then looks to the others. “Erandur, Aranea?”

Erandur nods, then leans over to shake Aranea’s shoulder. Her head’s buried in her arms, and she's clearly asleep. Gallus wishes he was that relaxed.

“Aranea?” Erandur says gently. Aranea lifts her head, blinks back sleep, and looks particularly confused until her gaze falls on Erandur. “We’re here.”

“I- right,” Aranea stutters, and offers Erandur a smile. “Thank you.”

Gallus is the first out. While Erandur quickly turns and helps Aranea down - not that she needs it, but he hears her whisper a thanks - Gallus walks around to the front of the wagon.

“I really can't thank you enough for helping us get here,” Gallus says genuinely. The driver doesn't say anything in return, not yet, but Gallus catches a hint of a smile as he leans over and pats his horse on the flank. “But we’ve still got a long way to go. You have any advice?”

“Well,” the driver still doesn't meet Gallus’ gaze, instead reaching into the saddlebags and pulling out an apple, which he promptly gives to his horse, “you lot do look like you can take care of yourselves. Am I wrong?”

“No.”

The driver smiles, “Mages?”

“Kind of,” Gallus shrugs. “They are. I know a little magic, but I mostly use it as a backup.”

“A spellsword, then. Nothing wrong with that.”

“Well, I-  sure, I'm a spellsword,” Gallus says, despite having no idea what a spellsword even is. He’ll ask Erandur about it later. “What does this have to do with-”

“Right, right, just curious,” the driver says. “Well, if you follow the road and stop overnight in Riverwood or Helgen, it’ll take you about a day and a half to make it to Falkreath. The carriage would take only half a day, but I doubt it’ll get back for a few days, there's not a lot of traffic on the Falkreath route.”

“So you’re saying we’d be better off walking.”

“If you’re careful, and if you don't mind tangling with the bandits that tend to target travelers. There's three of you, so you might be okay, but keep your guard up once you’re past Helgen.”

The driver grins crookedly, and adds, “Of course, you didn't hear it from me.”

Getting to Falkreath is the easy part. Getting directions to Ilinalta’s Deep is significantly harder, and while Gallus pretends not to be unnerved by the prevailing local belief that the place is cursed, he's… definitely unnerved by it. He sincerely doubts that the place is actually cursed, but considering that travelers passing near have been known to disappear without a trace, there's definitely something going on.

“Necromancers,” Erandur concludes as they draw close to the shores of Lake Ilinalta. He sounds disgusted, and it's not hard to see why. “It all adds up.”

“Sounds like our friend Malyn Veren is continuing his ‘work’,” Gallus agrees. Before he can say anything else, Aranea whispers something under her breath in a language Gallus doesn't recognize - Dunmeris? Daedric? - and rushes forward.

“This is it,” Aranea says when the others catch up, although Gallus isn't certain if she's talking to him, Erandur, both of them, or maybe just herself. She turns to Gallus, and adds, “I've seen this place before, although I didn't realize its significance at the time. It's mostly dry inside, there should be a trapdoor somewhere on top.”

Ilinalta’s Deep, as it happens, is what results when an Imperial fort is built on the shores of a lake and part of the fort inexplicably collapses into said lake. The Imperial Legion abandoned the fort long ago, but as the group soon discovers, the interior is still very much intact. Aranea’s right, there is a trapdoor on top that they could use to get in, and did.

Unfortunately, Erandur’s hunch is also right: the place is crawling with necromancers.