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Tired of long, arduous classes on the alchemical properties of butterfly wings or long-winded lectures on wards? Hop to the top of your class at the prestigious College of Winterhold by getting extra credit the fun way! Description Pretty straightforward: speak to the inhabitants of the College of Winterhold to have sex and raise your skill level in whatever their specialty is by one. At this point, everyone but one will only allow it one time each (although the other students will be happy to sleep with you as much as you want - you just won't learn anything from them). -
Hey, it's Destana again. Last time, I closed the loop on my revenge plot and got into some light bondage. And then my daughter Runa became a member of the Dark Brotherhood. When presented with three victims, I was told later that she killed all three. Apparently, they were all very, very bad people. I don't feel much better about her getting into my business of killing lots of people, though. It's 2E 210 now, winter in the beginning of the year. Current events are: - Ulfric is getting pretty pissed at the other holds since the Stormcloaks (and me, occasionally) have cleared out nearly all the Imperial forts, improved five of the holds with war funds, and still the moot hasn't met. - Lots of Thalmor activity on the borders. - Even more dragon activity. Maybe if there was some kind of High King who could talk me into investigating the return of Alduin, I'd push forward on it. But I have my family to consider right now. We showed up to the sanctuary the same morning as Runa's shack trial and I let her open the door first. "What is the music of life, sister?" "Oh they fixed the door to not call everyone brother," I muttered. "Silence, my brother door," Runa said, and the door opened for her. I chuckled. Brother door. That's what I said when I entered it for the first time! It shut behind her, then opened automatically for me, seeing me as a member. "Well I'll be damned!" Nazir said from the doorway, "It's been an era since you were here, sister. I was wondering if you'd quit. But Astrid seemed to want to leave you alone." Astrid was talking with Runa now. "Say, how do you guys keep afloat? I mean, either you eventually kill everyone in Skyrim or you go bankrupt," I asked. Nazir chuckled, "How very astute. No, we're the only brotherhood sanctuary now. We take contracts all over the continent. We charge a hefty premium for jobs very far away. Maybe you'd know that if you ever showed up." "Nothing in Morrowind though, I assume? Because of the Morag Tong..." I trailed off, then looked over to Astrid, "Where did Runa go?" "I sent her to mingle. You should, too," Astrid was back to looking at her table-chart. As I passed by her, she added, "Also, she's going to spy on the jester." "She acting weird? I mean, weirder?" I asked, "Runa is not great at stealth." "Might want to teach her something about it," Astrid said as I walked down the stairs. I peered around the common room, and greeted a few of the long-time members who'd only seen me a few times. "We all knew you were away doing business," Babette said, "Astrid told us you're the Thieves' Guildmaster and you were a member here to sorta... keep our communication lines open with them. Delvin hasn't been in communication with us in a while. Seemed legit." Babette hadn't aged a day since I last saw her. It was strange, since she only looked a couple years older than Runa when I adopted her and now Runa could almost pass as an adult but Babette never changed. It must be sad being a vampire sometimes. "Oh gods! Talos!" I heard a voice shout. It was Runa! I rushed, others in tow, into the room where the call came from. "What? What treachery!" Cicero was yelling at the open coffin, the Night Mother's twisted wreck of a form displayed for everyone to see. And underneath her - Runa. "What did you do?" I said as I entered. "She has violated the sanctity of the Night Mother!" Cicero's eyes were burning with anger, "Speak worm!" "Darkness rises..." Runa replied, "As silence falls." "What?! That's... impossible..." Cicero said, "Who told you this?" "She spoke... to me..." Runa replied. The Night Mother Spoke? I blinked. What were the odds she was waiting for some poor sap to be locked in the coffin with her? But no, I'm sure Cicero had tried that in her years of 'caring' for the NM. "Those... those are the binding words, written in the ancient tomes. Secret words. A neophyte like yourself would have no access to this knowledge. Unless... unless," Cicero giggled a little, "A cruel joke played on noble Cicero by the Night Mother herself." With that, Cicero started to dance, "She's back! She has chosen a Listener!" Astrid rushed in, "Where is the accomplice? Reveal yourself!" "Oh I spoke only to the Night Mother! I spoke but she didn't speak. She only spoke to the Listener! Her!" She pointed at Runa. Astrid and I exchanged a glance. "It's true! The silence has been broken!" Cicero continued dancing. Runa walked over to Astrid. "If she spoke to you, what did she say?" Astrid asked. "Go find Armand Motierre, in Volunruud." "Never heard of him. But Volenruud I know," Astrid sneered, "For the time being, do some jobs for Nazir while I sort this out." She looked at me, and I just shrugged, "I'll help. Down for some mother-daughter time?" We cleared out of there and in the common room, Runa said, "You're... surprisingly okay with this, mom. I mean, that was kind of a big deal in there, right?" "Yeah!" I smiled, "But really, if you are the Listener, is there a more safe position in the Dark Brotherhood? You'd just be the mission giver, not the person in the field. I never do crimes FOR the Thieves' Guild anymore. They're doing crimes for me and giving me a cut. Those boys know how much they owe me. I made them rich." "So, ready to go do some bonding? Or would you like to divide and conquer?" I chuckled as we got over to Nazir on the side stairs. "What you got for us?" I asked. "Perfect timing for you to get back into the game," he responded, "I'm starting to get more of these by the day. Two contracts. One easy, one hard." I definitely was ready to do the hard one and leave the easy one for Runa. "Lurbuk, an orc bard and Hern, a vampire. He's been blending into society for years. But he also has a mate." "Two vampires?" I asked, "I'd probably better take that one. You think you could handle a bard?" "Probably," Runa replied, "I'll get him drunk, invite him outside, then cleave him in half with my greatsword." "That's my girl. Of course, there's something to be said about precision and subtlety," I mused, "Alright. I can handle two vampires. Meet back here tomorrow morning. If the other doesn't come back, go looking for her. Trade orders and read." "That is damn smart," Gabriella said from behind me. I nodded. Runa (who told me about this later) talked to Lurbuk and expressed an interest in having a private concert. I'm not sure if I should be skeeved by this - she's 15, but looks like she could pass as a slightly short 18 or 19. She led him to the hill overlooking the town. While he played she walked around behind him and speared him through the chest with her greatsword, just like she said. My job was equally unchallenging. Rather than fight two vampires I decided I wanted to fight no vampires. I silently used a high level rage spell on Hern. A passing by guard and his own woman fought him and killed him. It only took me a couple of hours to finish my job (significantly closer) so I waited with Astrid in the receiving room. A few hours later, Runa walked in. "Easy, right?" "Yeah," she said. "Alright," Astrid said, "I don't know what's going on. But I've decided you should go to Volunruud. Figure out what's going on. It's pretty far to the northwest." Runa nodded, "Still got a lot of daylight left." We set out and got there by noon. "Go ahead, you take point this time," I said to her. Immediately inside there was a dead imperial with notes concerning the ruin. I tucked it away for later (seemed like this dungeon had a crawl to do, later), and we ventured further in. She turned left and opened a wooden door. No stealth. I should've expected as much. "By the almighty divines! The Black Sacrament actually worked!" Amaund said, guard next to him. "The Night Mother answered," Runa said. "Yes, well, I'd like to set up a contract. Several, in fact." "Who?" I asked as I entered. "You should know these targets are a means to an end - the most important target - the Emperor." "You want us to kill the Emperor - of Tamriel?" Runa asked. "No small feat, of course. But you represent the Dark Brotherhood. This is what you do, no? This is the result of much planning and preparation. But I have many more preparations still to make. Rexus! The items!" Amaund clapped, and the guard produced a satchel for us with a sealed letter and jeweled amulet for fencing, to pay for expenses. We returned to the sanctuary, arriving in the rain around 10 PM. "What's the target?" Astrid said, leaning against the post in the entryway. I could tell she'd been waiting there with bated breath. "He wants us to kill the Emperor," I spat. "You're joking," Astrid replied. Runa handed her the letter and amulet. "You're not joking," she said, amazed, "The brotherhood hasn't done anything like this in centuries. I'm not sure what's going on here." "Are we going to accept?" Runa asked. "You're damn right!" Astrid said back, "If we pull this off, the brotherhood is back! They will fear us again." "So what now?" I asked. "We need to have a meeting. Think about our next moves. And have that amulet appraised." "I've got a guy," I said, "You stay here, Runa. Sit in on the family meeting." I traveled all night and slept in my bed in Honeyside, then ventured down to the Ragged Flagon. "Oi! If it isn't our lovely guildmaster, gracing us with a visit!" Delvin called out to me from the ladder. He was sitting at his usual table. "Hey boss!" Vex shouted from the room full of faces; some old, some new. "Dude, I show up at least once a week," I folded my arms. "Yeah, but it's always to get your cut. Never a, 'hey Delvin, how's business, how is everything going, got a girlfriend?" "Okay, that's fair," I said, "How's business." "I would tell you we're making a killing, but I heard you started working with the brotherhood again, so I figured that'd be in poor taste. We're doing very well," he replied. "How is everything? Got a girlfriend?" I asked. "Now you're just pandering. But yeah, me and Vex finally made it official. Y'know, after that pretty boy she recruited got sent the right 'message,' if you know what I mean. Backed off real nice," he smirked. "I'm happy for you," I said, "Got a question for you, since you're the official liaison for the brotherhood." "Shoot," he said. "I have this from a job," I produced the amulet. "Where oh where did you get this? My, my. This is an amulet of the Emperor's Elder council, specially crafted for each member. Worth a small fortune!" "Can we fence it?" I asked. "Fence? An Elder Council amulet?" He thought for a minute, then got a grin, "Oh yes. Yes, indeed. And here is a letter of credit for Astrid, per our usual arrangement." "Anything I should know about? Being guildmaster and all," I asked. "You're more of the executive producer down here. You know, ever since you stopped doing jobs for us. We keep the wheels spinning. You ride the cart. Ever heard the saying, 'I don't need to know how the sausage is made?" Delvin smirked. I chuckled, "As long as you don't knife me while I sleep, you guys run it however you want to." "Fine by me," Delvin chuckled back, "We're all rich down here. I got no qualms with your ways." I clapped him on the back, went to see the new magic shop by the old bunkroom (we had a veritable black market down here now) then I went back to the Sanctuary. "So will Delvin buy?" Astrid asked. "Yeah," I replied, producing the letter. "Alright. First target. I hope you have something nice to wear. You're going to kill Vittoria Vici at her wedding." "Well, the trick is not to be seen. Though we both do look pretty amazing," I said, "Where is it?" "Solitude," Astrid replied. I tilted my head, "What's her relation to the emperor?" "First cousin," Astrid replied, "So the Emperor will have to show face in Skyrim to clean up the mess." I turned to Runa, "I'd like to deal with this one. An imperial royal in Solitude. Couldn't be more tailored to me. Unless the minister was an Aldmeri official." She shrugged, "I'm alright with that." Astrid nodded, "You might as well hang out and watch her work, though. She's pretty good." When we got there, I led her to the Castle Dour wall to get a good vantage point. Resting my foot on a gargoyle, it started to move. "This is right above the bride," Runa said, "I wonder..." "You have a good eye," I pushed it, and she helped. It rolled down and crushed the little wooden archway they'd been standing in. People screamed and ran. "Huh, looks like it didn't finish her off. Probably just broke her legs," I said, "Too easy." Runa drew her bow, "How about I finish her off?" "Don't hit any bystanders," I got out my bow as well. "Oops!" She said. Then, "Oops," again. I plunked the bride in the back, definitely causing her to be dead. "Looks like they noticed us," I smiled, "Gotta run!" We charged out of there, running across the walls. Eventually we jumped from the edge and landed in the Sea of Ghosts. It took us nearly a day round trip back to the Sanctuary. "Gods, everybody's talking about it! Crushed under a gargoyle statue!" Astrid laughed, "Go see Gabriella. She's got the next phase." We walked up to the Alchemy station two rooms over in the cave and found her. "Ah! Hello. The Emperor is definitely coming to Skyrim now. We're going to break the head of his personal guard, a man by the name of Maro. You will slay his son, and plant evidence on him implicating him in a plot to kill the Emperor. He's leaving Dragon Bridge and inspecting each city for security." "Aren't we enemies with the Empire now that we've flushed them out?" Runa asked. "I imagine Skyrim wouldn't want to provoke an all-out war with the Empire with their full might," I folded my arms. "Won't this put them on guard?" Runa asked. "It will make the commander weak; prone to manipulation and mistakes. And it'll lull them into a false sense of security, thinking the plot to assassinate the emperor has been foiled," Gabriella replied, "You get a bonus for killing him in a hold, but not in Dragon Bridge. So the letter is discovered faster." We walked outside. "You know we can slow down if you want. This speed of completing missions can take its toll on someone inexperienced," I said. Runa shook her head, "I'm enjoying being the special one, even if the Night Mother only spoke to me once." "Well good thing we're doing this together. Makes it much easier," I said as we got on horses, "You know, we should check Dragon Bridge to see if there's an itinerary there. The Imperials love their schedules." We rode to Dragon Bridge. As we neared the bottom of the ridge, we paused. "Father, you worry too much. I'll be fine," Gaius said. "Just remember what I taught you. Stay safe," the Commander said. "See you soon," Gaius replied, hurrying off. Runa shut her eyes, "Suddenly, I feel less good about doing this." "I understand. Something to remember though, is our enemies are all people too. They have families. They have lives. They fight us knowing what can happen to them," I said. "I guess. These people aren't our enemies though, in a personal sense. This mission is all political maneuvering. And I don't know if it's going to help humans fight the elves either," Runa said. "You're very persuasive. But we do have a job to do. I'm not sure what the Night Mother is, but disobeying something like that sounds like a bad deal. We're pretty deep in this now," I replied. After Gaius walked away, I walked into the guard station on my own (somehow still a station for the Penitus Oculatus). "What are you doing here, citizen?" "Oh, I was just wandering around. Did I walk into the wrong house?" I asked, playing dumb. I quickly readied a Calm spell and fired it, then slipped the paper into my pocket, having glanced at it while I was talking. Then I walked out to rejoin Runa. We jogged down the road. And there he was, on foot. "I guess we really didn't need the itinerary. I didn't figure we'd actually just meet him on the road," I said, "We can just tail him to the next hold. Says here he should be in Solitude tomorrow morning. That's not too far from here." "Does he know he's going the wrong way?" We followed him for a couple hours. At midnight, he stopped in the road. Then he did a 180 and walked back the way he was going. "What an idiot," I said, "Been walking the wrong way for hours. Finally checked his map." We had to hide, of course. He proceeded to walk back the way he came, then back over the bridge at Dragon Bridge, through the town and toward Solitude. "How about this, we go to the Solitude stables and wait for him here," I said. Geez, this guy just walking around 24 hours a day makes me want to kill him already. Runa nodded. We rushed to Solitude. She pointed out a rock overhang where she could see down the road a fair distance, climbed up there and sat, "I'll keep lookout." "Good thinking. Shout to me if you see him coming," I said, then laid down nearby, nestling into the leaves. He finally passed by after an agonizingly long amount of time. I let Runa take point. "We need to work on your stealth. Even if you are a greatsword-wielding bruiser, you can use subtlety," I said. "Too bad I can't shout down doors." "That's why lockpicking is essential," I said. We went ahead of the man into the city and continued to wait for him to go into a building where his demise wouldn't be easily seen. We perched up on the wall again, this time in a different spot (thank the divines nobody actually saw us when we pulled that stunt a few days ago). He went about checking the fortifications. Looking at the guards' armor. Looking at the walls. Et cetera ad infinitum. I guess we could've just killed him and ran again, but I wanted to teach her patience. And we had time to talk. "So what's with you and dad?" She asked out of the blue. "What do you mean?" "He seems like he's changed a little," she replied. "Well, he is an immortal daedra. He's probably bored," I replied. "You know, Damien wants to visit the college," Runa said. "Yeah, I've been meaning to take him," I replied. "Maybe while I do a job or two for the DB you can take him to learn magery." "Well, if everybody's going on a field trip, where should I take Fenrir?" I asked. "Well, either leave him with dad. Or take him to see Ulfric," Runa shrugged. I nodded. Alright. Then she pointed, "Look! He's going into Castle Dour!" We hopped down and went into the front entrance. When we got in, he was sitting in the guards' room where I'd gotten Dragon Oath. "Now?" Runa asked. "Looks like they're all asleep but him," I replied, "Think you can be quiet about it?" "I'll do my best," Runa said. She took a step forward, then I stopped her, "There's a guy sitting in the chair across the room. They're both facing this way. Better wait." The guard got up. I thought he might leave the room, but he sat across from Gaius, with his back to us. I nodded to Runa, "I'll take the guard." I bonked him on the back of the head while Runa rushed over to Gaius. "Excuse me, citizen..." was all he got out before she skewered him in the chest, then placed the damning evidence. We'd been pretty quiet. Well, I had. At least Runa didn't scream a warcry or anything. But, the guards didn't seem to wake at that so we ran out of there and back to the Sanctuary. "Good, I was expecting your return. We have a situation below, though," We went down to the common room. "Just try to relax and let the potion do it's job, Veezara," Babette was saying. "Good, you're back. Cicero went berserk and attacked Veezara!" Astrid said. "She was ranting and raving, saying the Night Mother was the true master and Astrid was just a pretender," Nazir added. "Best search her room and figure out where to look for her. And go after her. Arnbjorn chased her and he's still gone," Astrid said. "Bested by the fool. Now who's the fool?" Veezara sighed. Runa and I headed to the Jester's room and tore it apart. "Her journal!" Runa said, flipping through it. She rushed over and gave it to Astrid, who flipped through as well. "The Dawnstar Sanctuary? Whatever for?" "Don't worry. We'll go get her," I said. "Oh, hey. Take Shadowmere, my horse," Astrid said. We went outside and climbed on this shadow horse that rose from the black pool, together. This boy had amazing speed and got us across Skyrim extremely fast, stopping for a moment to admire how good Dawnstar was looking these days. We came around the cliffs and found the black door. Arnbjorn was sitting there, bloodied, but not dead, "Should've figured Astrid would send you. The dynamic mother-daughter duo. I gave as well as I got. I'll be fine, but I'm pretty sure I severed an artery in her. She's tougher than I expected." "What's the passphrase?" Runa asked. "No idea," he replied. "Astrid told me," I replied. I walked up to the black door. "What is life's greatest illusion?" The door whispered. "Innocence, brother door," I replied. We ventured inside. As we walked, Cicero's voice echoed through the sanctuary, "Listener? I knew you'd come. This isn't at all what mother would want! Either the Listener or the Keeper dies." We kept on, silently, killing the ghosts of brothers long fallen. Two ghosts emerged in an open room and I stopped Runa. As they tread forward, two barrels of oil fell from the ceiling and ignited into flame, killing them. We waited until it dissipated. "Idiotic jester," I said. We kept pressing on, into an ice cave she'd added (somehow), with a troll we felled together. "I respect your skills, but could you maybe, move a little slower?" Cicero bellowed through the halls. Then, "I must admit I did attack that harlot and the lizard got in the way, but the Night mother is the true master!" After we'd slain a swathe of ghosts and bypassed traps (thanks to my thieving skills), we reached the final door and walked in. "You caught me. I surrender," she said, lying there in a heap, bleeding from Arnbjorn's wound. Runa walked closer. Neither of us said anything. "Oh, the Listener prefers to listen, eh?" Cicero said, "Listen to this - don't kill me. Just lie. I will disappear. Nobody needs to know." "What do you think?" I folded my arms. "Hmm.." Runa sat down next to her, "I want to let her go." I raised an eyebrow, "You know... this could come back to bite us later." "Yeah," she stood, "We've killed a lot of people. And I'm sure we'll kill more. Maybe someday, she could be an asset." I sighed, "Alright. I hope you know what you're doing, Listener." When we got back, I told them we'd killed her. And we had one more target to get to the Emperor. Well, two, actually. Question Anton Virane about the Gourmet to find his location and kill him, then kill the Gourmet and take his or her place. Word doesn't travel instantaneously in this world. It's a four day ride from Solitude to the Imperial City, but that time had passed to inform the Emperor of the wedding, then four more days to get the word back to check the security. From the time Gaius Maro's death was reported, it would've taken four days to inform the Emperor. Then probably another week to recheck the security. And four more days for the ride here, or three by boat. So about two weeks from now the Emperor would be here. And it should be right before the Gourmet goes to serve the Emperor when we actually kill him. "So how about it?" I asked Runa, "Do you want to stay here until then and meet up at Anton Virane the Morndas after next, or go back to Windstad with me?" I asked. "I think I'm going to go off and train a little bit," Runa said, "I don't think I would've made it through this without you, and I want to be able to stand on my own." "Don't get killed," I said, "Stay away from dragons. If you face a huge force or something you can't handle, just run." She nodded. I took Shadowmere and rode to Windstad, which only took a few hours rather than a whole day. What's more, we saw a pack of wolves on the way and I got off and unsheathed my sword only to find Shadowmere ripping them apart even without my help. The murderous gleam in the beasts eyes locked onto mine. I wasn't sure but it seemed the horse was smiling. I'm not sure what a horse smile looks like. Anyway, the first thing I got when I walked in was, "Ma! You're home!" From Fenrir and Damien. They were both dirty and scuffled. "You two been fighting?" I asked, stern look in my eyes. "No!" They both said, and ran off to their rooms. Those boys. "Took you long enough," Sanguine said from the table in the great room, "Runa alright?" "Yeah. We killed a lot of people. Next thing is in a couple weeks. Only thing I want is a good fuck right now," I said, splaying out on the big bed. Afterwards, he rolled over and looked at me. "I know that look. What is it?" Sanguine sighed, "I think... I need to go away for a while." "Go away?" I asked, "How long? What's happening?" "There's something brewing. You know, mostly we daedric lords keep to ourselves. But Hermaeus Mora seems to be gathering a lot of cultists to him in Solstheim. I don't usually get involved in such things, but some of the others are saying he's going to be making a play for other Oblivion realms," Sanguine said, "As for how long... who knows..." I sighed, "I wondered..." "Wondered what?" "How long you would stay with me," I said, "I knew this day would come." "What 'day?" he asked. "You measure time differently than I do. You might not be back here in my lifetime. Before you came on this little jaunt, how long had it been since you visited Nirn?" "Two hundred years," he replied. "Welp, guess I need to find the secret to immortality," I said, chuckling. After a silent moment, I said, "You better tell your sons. They're going to be heartbroken." I had already readied myself for this moment, but they had no idea their father's history (other than that he was a Daedra). "I intend to," he replied. It was hard. He'd planned on leaving when I got back from this trip. He talked to Damien and Fenrir, and said he would find Runa before he left. It was a tearful goodbye, and then he got on the road. "Why did he have to leave?" Damien asked, eyes full of tears. "Don't worry. He'll be back," I said. But I was lying. "Soon?" Fenrir asked. "Not soon. It's going to be a while," I said, not technically lying. "But you know what?" I said. "What?" Damien asked. "I have something for both of you," I replied. "What's that?" Fenrir asked. "Because I want you to follow your hearts and chase your dreams, and I can't seem to get you both past the point you're at - I want to offer you both a place to go to get better at what you want to do with your lives." "What do you mean, mom?" Damien asked. "Well, you, I'm going to take to the College at Winterhold. You can go to classes and become a proper mage," I said, "Their entry test is easy enough I think you can pass it." "You mean it?" Damien asked, excited. "And I have a second surprise. I heard about a secret magic school you can only access by teleportation. When you get good enough, you can attend classes there as well," I continued, "Double dipping to be the best sorcerer in Skyrim!" "That's so cool!" Damien wiped his eyes, "But I think you mean in the world!" I patted him on the head. "What about me?" Fenrir asked. "First, I'm going to take you to meet your father," I said. "But, dad just left," he replied. "Not that father. Your birth father," I explained. "My..." Fenrir looked at me like he'd never thought about it before - why'd I'd never taken him to see Ulfric before. I'd of course told him, but different families are different. "I have two weeks before I need to get back to what I was doing with Runa. Why don't we go in the morning?" I asked. The kids cheered. I know, mom of the year, sending all her kids away. But really, they both needed proper schooling in something. I am not the most responsible or present parent, but I'm decent at getting people the things they need. The three of us rode on Shadowmere, who seemed to snort at being used as a kiddie ride. "Wow! That horse is so cool!" Damien shouted when he saw it. Shadowmere seemed to smirk at that - again, if horses can smirk. We reached Winterhold by 9 AM, only about half the time it would take on a normal horse. I led Damien and Fenrir up to the bridge. Faralda waved to me, "Who are these youngsters?" "These are my sons, " I said. "Just showing them the grounds?" She asked. "Well, actually..." I started, then Damien shouted, "I want to be a mage!" "Spirited lad, that. Tell me, what can you do, kid?" She asked. "Give him the same exam as you did me," I said. "Alright," she thumbed her chin a bit, "Cast a Magelight spell." "Go on, I showed you that one," I smiled. Damien gathered power and casted a magelight. Easy. "All right. Well, you're in," Faralda nodded, "Go talk to Mirabelle." As the kids and I were walking in, Damien whispered to me, "That's it? They must be hurting for membership." "That's what I said! I didn't even know the spell she asked me for and they still let me in," I said as we got to Mirabelle. "Hey! Haven't seen you in a couple weeks," she said. "Have they figured out that orb thing yet?" I asked. "Nah. And the Psijics aren't willing to help either," she replied, "What have we here?" "This is Damien and Fenrir, my sons," I replied. "Pleased to meet you," Mirabelle said, sounding stodgy and stiff like a scholar. "Damien wants to become a member." "Oh really? Get past Faralda?" "Yeah. He's got more skill than I did when I started here. Half my age too," I explained. "Hmm... since you're so young, I wonder," Mirabelle said, "What's the strongest spell you know, kid?" "I know Banish Daedra." "Whoa!" Mirabelle exclaimed, "How old are you?" "Eight. I haven't really been able to practice it, for obvious reasons," Damien said sheepishly. "He can share my room if you need the space," I said, "And I have a tome for you." "What's this?" Damien asked. "I mean, read the cover. This is a spell to Teleport to Manantis. It's the other magic school I was talking about." "Ah," Mirabelle said, "I think that school is better suited for children. Maybe you should start there and transfer here at a later date." I thought to myself, 'Well, they do have better magic in Manantis, but ok.' Come to think of it, I have no idea how Manantis came to be so good. Maybe, because you have to have a certain amount of knowledge (call it worldlyness) to access the spell, a certain level of skill to use the spell, and, I presume, a certain level of natural giftedness to enroll. And, of course, you can access the worldspace (our word for demi-planes) from anywhere in Nirn, so I guess out of every magic user in the world the hundred or so students lucky enough to be enrolled there would have access to the best magic around. After some discussion with Savos Aren, Tolfdir and Mirabelle they agreed to let him stay there and help him prepare for entry to Manantis, then allow him to come back when he was older to round out his education. I made Damien promise he would come back to visit even after he got into Manantis. Fenrir and I got on Shadowmere and trotted over to Windhelm, making it there by lunchtime. Ulfric and his most trusted men were sitting down to a feast when we walked in. "Stormblade!" Ulfric shouted, and the men all cheered, raising their mugs. "What brings you here?" He asked as we neared. He eyed the boy warily as he stepped down from his throne. "How old are you, Ulfric?" I asked. It might've broken the ice, because he looked a little confused by this. "Uhh... 55," he replied. I blinked. Now I was taken aback, "Wow, really?" "I was seven when they sent me to train with the Greybeards. Nine years later I joined the Imperial Legion. I was with them for five years before the White-Gold, in 175. It's 210 now, thirty-five years later, but not my birthday yet. Hard to believe it's been so long," he explained. "Well, I'm 27. Not my birthday yet either," I paused, "Old man." "Ugh!" He reacted like I'd stabbed him in the side, jokingly. "Anyway, the point is, why did you never take a wife? Start a family?" He blinked, "That's pretty personal. Are you proposing to me?" We were each taking our turns saying shocking things to one another. I replied, "No. I just wanted to know if you wanted to meet this boy." Then I leaned in and whispered, "Teach him a little bit about courage and believing in something." Ulfric pursed his lips, "Sure." He stood up from his throne, "You're Fenrir, right?" He nodded, meekly. "I am Ulfric Stormcloak, son of Hoag the Great Bear of Eastmarch," he said. "Wow, your dad was a bear?" Fenrir asked. "No," Ulfric chuckled, "That's just a nickname. Like your mother was called Stormblade during the campaign. Or you might be called Shadow Wolf." "Is that an official nickname? A Jarl's decree?" I smiled. "Alright. You will be known as Shadow Wolf, Fenrir," Ulfric started to walk with him. "I like it," he said, "But how can I live up to it? I'm not brave like you or mom." "Heroes are forged in the crucible of battle," Ulfric was leading the boy into his war room, "Courage will come with time. The challenge is not to be without fear, but use your fear as a weapon." "You're... not allowed to sit there," Jorleif said to me (Ulfric's steward). I'd settled onto the throne as I watched them walk away without even thinking. "C'mon, Jorleif. If anybody was allowed up here, it would be me. I'm just keeping it warm for him," I joked. He raised an eyebrow sternly, folding his arms, "No. Not allowed." I groaned, getting up, "Sorry. Accident." "Jorleif!" Ulfric shouted from the war room. Out of spite, as he left the room I sat back down. The whole party came back into the room, Ulfric first. "I think you make your intentions clear," Ulfric chuckled. "Oh really?" I asked, "Truth be told, it was an accident. I was just tired of standing." He walked up to me, picked me up, and sat under me, laying me on his lap. "That's better," he said, "I think I'm going to conduct business like this today. You can keep me warm. An old man would call for a blanket. But, this is better." I laughed, "Yes, it is." "Fenrir, please, pull up a chair. Between court proceedings your mother and I can tell you stories of old," Ulfric said. "Wow! Well what about the Rebellion?" Fenrir asked, sitting in a cushioned chair Jorleif got for him. We sat there the rest of the day, taking in dinner and watching over court proceedings. At the end of the day, Fenrir got a small bed and I slept with Ulfric. In the morning, I packed up. "So, you're leaving, then?" Ulfric asked. "I can't stay still for long," I said. "You have a husband to get back to, right?" "He's gone," I replied. He shook his head, "What kind of man abandons..." I stopped him, "It's not like that. But, suffice to say, I don't have a husband to go back to." "You can leave the boy with me. I'll teach him to be a man," Ulfric said. "Well, not forever, of course. And don't you teach him to hate Argonians and Dunmer and such." "Yeah, well. You're a Redguard. I think your influence has swayed me quite a bit. My father never agreed with my views on the mer and others." I strapped my weapons on. "Hey, Destana..." Ulfric started. "I'll be back," I said, back to him, "Don't worry about that." I walked down to Fenrir's new room. "Mom, are we leaving?" He asked, reaching for his stuff. "You're going to stay here a little while," I said, "I'll be back in a couple weeks." "Promise?" He asked. "Promise," I replied, then I took something out of my pack. I stood it up against the wall, "This is for you." "This is the Sanguine Rose. This is the staff your father... your other father gave to me before we were married. You can use it to summon a daedra." He raised an eyebrow, "Why give this to me? Damien is the mage." "Very soon he's going to learn to summon them without aid," I held it forward to him, "Use this and it summons a daedra that works for your dad. You can give it a message to take to him. If you ever need his help. Also, it takes no skill to use a staff." He took it, putting it with his stuff. I hugged and kissed my boy, then I got on the road. One more day, another day of adventuring. So, I guess I no longer had an excuse to avoid pursuing this dragon problem. So I did what any logical person would do. I went over to Helgen.
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Entry 12: Markarth, Not-Safest City in Skyrim
EnragedBard posted a blog entry in Destana is NOT the Dragonborn!
Hi, it's me, Destana. Last time I did some work for the Riften Jarl, the Thieves' Guild and the Dark Brotherhood, attended a class at Winterhold, and then I was on my way to Markarth. And what do you know, when I arrived in Markarth, it was being attacked by Lost Valley Forsworn, with a Mammoth and Giant. I jumped in, managing to take a couple down with my bow and sneaking into the guard tower to continue my onslaught of arrows. Really, the guards kept them busy while I killed everything (though it took probably 50 arrows for the giant and mammoth, and a few potions because of archers getting wise and firing back). I walked up to the gate to find all the Markarth gate guards piled in a charred heap. Guess they'll need to hire more. Had I been to Markarth before at this point? I don't think so. First impressions are crucial. I walked in and witnessed a murder not five seconds after I thought I was safe within the city walls. The murderer yelled something about the forsworn. So, I guess I'll put it on my list to find out about these forsworn guys. A guy handed me a note and assured me he had no idea what was going on but the note said to meet him later. But I had more important things to do. The Silver Blood Inn was right in front of me so I went and talked to the DB contact first - Muiri. She wanted me to kill a guy in an old dwarven ruin. He used her. Her body also. That's a murder I can get behind. And bonus, she wants me to kill a woman in Windhelm as well. I'm sure I'll be back there eventually. "I will be done," I said, meaning, 'I'll get to it when I get to it.' (EDIT): I totally forgot about this, but I walked into a house while I was there and Molag Bal contacted me. A Bro of Stendarr was there with me. Apparantly Molag Bro told him that it was him or me. Before he could even finish drawing his weapon, he was stabbed. I went to the basement and found Molag Bal's statue, who spoke to me. He asked me to find a priest and destroy him. Which... I nodded my head, and to this day have still not done. I did, however, find three Daedra at the entrance to the house on my way out. And... wondering if they all measured up to Sanguine, I enticed them and got them to show me. If you know what I mean. They don't, by the way. (/EDIT) Next, I went to see Calcelmo, into the dwarven ruins that served as a hold for the Jarl. As soon as I entered, a robed man and a nord were having a disagreement. Apparently the inner dwemer ruins are locked. I approached him, feeling like I was going to be drawn into the ruins here eventually anyway, "What's wrong?" "People have been showing up with bite marks when coming out of the Hall of the Dead. You look like an adventurer, want to take a look?" "Geez, you barely know me and you're offering me the keys? Sure," I said, taking the keys. I continued through a passage to Calcelmo. "What do you want?" He didn't even look up from his notes. "I'd like to buy some spell tomes," I said. "Magic, always magic. Never history!" He seemed unusually angry. "Well, I am curious about history too. I've been told you're an expert on the Falmer language," I said. "Yes, yes I am," he said. "Could I see your texts?" "You're crazy. It's my life's work," he said. "Surely I could pay you for your time," I replied. "Being a scholar, money isn't my highest priority," he sneered. "..." I waited a few seconds, thinking I should formally train my speechcraft, "I'll give you a blowjob." The old man looked at me with a little disgust, then he smirked, "It's been years. I guess I could let you into my lab." So I did. I'm good at using my mouth to convince people, one way or another. He handed me the keys to his lab, then I said, "How about the ruins proper? I'd like to explore. I'm kind of a dungeon connoisseur." "Hmm... if you deal with a nasty giant spider, then sure," he said, handing me another key. I went to kill the spider first, judging it to be a quicker task. And, indeed, I sliced through a few small monstrous spiders with my sword and killed the big boy with my bow before he got to me. After the spider was a journal with a corpse, detailing an expedition that'd been lost, I presumed. Urgh! The breadcrumbs! I wrote that down in my quest log and continued in further. Once inside, I had my first encounter with the Falmer. Disgusting creatures. Because I was completely silent and now getting very good with the bow, I made short work of most the targets I came across, though a Chaurus Reaper was a little tougher. I gathered journals of the other expedition members and turned on the defenses of the area, at which point I was attacked by a very strong golden dwemer ghost who summoned a large centurion. Sensing I was beyond my depth, I hopped down to a previous door and ran out between the remaining falmer fighting the now awakened dwemer defense systems. I then ventured into the museum, ready to have this over with. A guard tried to stop me, but I showed him the key. While I was walking away I remember him saying, "This is Markarth, traveler, safest city in the Reach." I almost burst out laughing. I nearly got killed twice just trying to get in the doors. I passed some guards and books about dwemer, then tried to open the doors to the lab. The key I had didn't open, so I used my own key. Easy lockpick. I walked in further to find more armed guards, but not the hold variety. Looked like freelancers. They immediately drew weapons on me. "Help! Intruder!" The woman in heavy armor shouted, coming at me with sword and shield. "I'm here for Calcelmo!" I shouted, but she wasn't hearing it. I used my shield to knock her sword out of the way and gave her a few good slashes, sending her down. A man behind her followed up, getting the same treatment. I took keys and gold from their bodies. Strange. I went up some stairs and found two more guards looking at some mechanism. Not chancing it this time, I put the left guard down with an arrow to the back of the neck. The right guard hadn't even reacted before he got the same treatment. I continued on and a third walked toward the scene of gore. I jumped out from behind him and slit his throat. Wondering if I was going overboard, I walked up to another guard a few rooms later sitting in a chair. He immediately drew weapons on me and attacked, so I killed him too. Another joined the battle and I put him down, then a third, who'd been firing arrows into the room. I shot her in the leg and finished the job with my sword as I closed the distance. Who were these guys? And for that matter, why were they so weak? They seemed like amateurs. The next room I snuck in quickly before anybody saw me and slit a guy's throat. A wizard sitting at a table and more guards drew so I booked it out of the room. When the first guard turned the corner he got an arrow to the face, an arrow to the knee, a shield to the side of the head, then a blade to the chest. The second guard (single file, I guess) got an arrow between the eyes and died instantly. I peeked into the next room to find the wizard aiming spells at me. "Why are you attacking me? I'm just trying to find something and I'll go!" But he kept shooting. I buried an arrow in his chest, which nearly immediately killed him. Guess I didn't know my own strength. Then he started to run. I stepped into the room and aimed the last arrow in his back. Were these guys trying to rob Calcelmo or something? I mean, that's not to say I wasn't taking the stray valuables as I trekked through. I shrugged. I've killed people for less. I continued in to Calcelmo's Tower. Before me, a balcony. I jumped up onto the balcony to find the slab I'd been looking for. But I didn't have anything to record the data. I ventured through the balcony's door and found come charcoal and paper to take a rubbing. I did the deed and found a few more of the mysterious guards approaching. My first thought was just to kill them. But I realized I could just shut the door behind me, cast Lock, wait for them to pass by the balcony and just slip out unnoticed. One of them stayed to guard the door and I aimed my bow at his head. But then he also walked into the room. I slipped out. Seeing that it was night and feeling the sleep deprivation hit me, I told Calcelmo about the spider and gave him the journals. I played at the Silver-Blood Inn and slept until noon the next day. But honestly, who sleeps on stone beds? Terrible. I was talking with the innkeeper about rumors and he said Helgen'd been attacked and destroyed, and bandits had taken residence there. An entry for later. On the way to Windhelm, I stopped at Raldbthar and killed Muiri's target. Hardly worth a mention - a group of bandits and some random dwemer constructs (found myself a Bandit Skull Shield), then to Windhelm where her secondary target was. I walked in and talked to her, offering her comfort in the form of sex. The thing about Windhelm is there aren't a lot of private places, but I was able to do the deed in an alley and stash the body out of sight. Then I continued to go north to Enthir and Karliah with that rubbing from earlier. He asked how I got the rubbing, to which I told him I blew the old man. And he asked for one too. Sigh, whatever. Spread debauchery. After he translated the text we found Mercer had desecrated something called the Twilight Sepulcher. Karliah gave me a Nightingale Blade and told me to meet her at the guild so we could explain what was happening. I figured I would get those books the Archmage wanted while I was here. The Librarian said the books were gone, taken by a mage to a place called Fellglow Keep. Wait! I already killed everything there a few weeks ago. Smiling, I decided I would take a detour and just collect the things on the way to Riften. I slept in my college bed before going. Good thing I have a horse, I'm doing a lot of traveling. ...Or not! I showed up at Fellglow Keep to find a group of wizards having moved in. This was bound to happen after an area is cleared out. What's more as I drew near voices came from behind me. A bunch of thugs who'd been hired to hunt me down! First thing I did was run off into the open plains so the wizards didn't follow, then have a long drawn-out fight with the thugs (stronger by far than anything I'd been fighting recently). After downing two of them, one of the mages started shooting at the last thug. I was confused by this, but maybe the mages weren't immediately hostile to me. When the thug was down, the mage nodded to me calmly, then readied a spell. I sighed, drawing bow and dealing the last hit to him. I ventured inside, ready for more of the same. I killed the first bandit by shooing him between the eyes, killing his pet spiders in short order and the bandit mage sitting at a table easily. I went into a hallway to find a Goblin Shaman and an Apprentice Fire Mage fighting. The Goblin kept eying me as I was sneaking behind the mage, like he knew I was going to kill whoever won. He was right, of course. But the mage stepped on a dart trap and killed himself, so it saved me the work. The next room held a jail with vampire fleglings and I threw all the levers, letting them all out. They rushed past me and wreaked havok on the mages in the next room, both sides decimating each other. Maybe I hadn't cleared this area. Lots going on here. I went into the next room that had dead vampires splayed out on tables. Forget books - I was interested in what was going on here. Next room was filled with dead goblins and mages. Then after that, pyromancers testing fire spells on vampires in cages, which, I killed the mages. Another jail room, with the mage who stole the books. I let him out, but he couldn't tell me where the books were, only with the Caller. Right. Just another person for me to kill. "Want me to follow you around and help you find them?" He asked. "You should get to safety," I replied, not really in the mood to talk to anyone. "You're sure you don't need my help?" He asked. "If you don't get out of my face I might kill you myself," I replied. "I hope the caller turns you inside out," he replied. I growled, took out my sword and swung it at him in immediate rage and took his head off. Whoops!! I clenched my teeth. I may have reacted a little bit overboard. I was just mad and trying to scare him. I sheathed it and said to myself, "Yeah... those bandits are unbelievable. Why would they behead him...?" I stepped into a crypt, making short work of skeletons and necromancers, keeping my search going. Finally, I reached the Caller, who told me she would let me leave even after I'd killed her men, but would not give me the books. Wrong answer. I drew my bow and she started summoning, and she was dead before her lackeys came in to help her. They followed soon after. Gods, I am on a roll. From there I headed to Riften to the Ragged Flagon. Karliah and I showed the guild the proof that Mercer is a scumbag, and they checked the vault. Everything was gone. So they tasked me with getting in to Mercer's house in Riften. I leapt over the gate and instead of reasoning with Vald I opted for the stabbing him to death - the same method I used with all of Mercer's guards (which, do these people just wait here all the time and just draw a paycheck? He never comes here). I got the plans, a mountain of gems and somehow all his traps are super sensitive as I was not able to bypass them. I found he had a secret path back to the Flagon, which I used to get back there. Karliah told us to meet at the Twilight Sepulcher, which seems like a good thing for doing immediately. Blessing of Nocturnal, here I come. Maybe it was her that was looking after me during my early days. I went over to the Shadow Stone and we dealt with a couple random necromancers before Karliah led us into the Sepulcher. We took the oath. Now I'm a Nightingale, whatever that really means. So my next mission is to kill Mercer and get the Skeleton Key. "We had a long discussion before you arrived," Brynjolf started as he came down from his pedestal, "Somebody needs to take Mercer's place as guild leader." "Okay," I said, "That's obvious." "Because of you we were able to root out this cancer in the guild. We think you should replace Mercer." I raised an eyebrow as high as I could, "I've been in the guild three, maybe three and a half months. Why don't you do it? You're the obvious choice." "I've been at this a long time. I might even be one of the best. But I don't want to lead. Never desired it, never cared for it. Don't want it. Once we establish the foothold we need and we do this one big job, you're it." "Alright. I guess," I said, "I mean, I am the boots on the ground. I am like 70% of the guild's income." Brynjolf laughed, "That's the spirit. Mercer is in Irkngthand. We'll meet you there." I walked back to Riften and to the Jarl's palace. "I sorted out that Skooma den," I told her. "You're a boon to this city. Like Mjoll, you've done service to the members of this community. I'd like to offer you the title of Thane. Honeyside is available for purchase if you'd like it." I turned to the steward to make the arrangements. I handed her a huge sack of gold and said, "Please, add a children's bedroom. Do I get my own housecarl?" "Her name's Iona." "She sounds lovely," I replied, headed to sleep in my new home. It would take the Nightingales a couple days to get to that ruin I still can't pronounce. In the mean time, I decided it was time to raise that army! -
Hey, I was wrong. Very wrong. I remember now. This Skooma ring was supposed to just be a few bandits, with some gamblers and randos. But Cragslane Cavern also had an equal amount of Mistwatch members. Oh yeah, it's me, Destana. So I killed the guard at the door with arrows. Not much trouble. I snuck into the cavern proper, standing on a wooden ramp with cover and plugged a woman with two arrows, killing her. I looked down and saw probably a dozen guys drawing their weapons. For reference, this was before I mastered stealth. I was good, but not that good. And as they came up the ramp, I could tell there were more than I imagined. Probably twenty. I took a couple swings at the guy in front and RAN. Outside I strafed around things, using my crossbow to not get surrounded. This battle ultimately ended up back in the cave, where I thought I might lose them. To my surprise, not all the bandits had followed me outside and I was now pinned between two groups. I threw up my hands and surrendered. As I had already killed four of their number, they were out for blood. They had their way with me. When they were done, I collapsed in a heap. I knew there would be a second group (maybe a third?) So I stood and dealt death to two more of them and slipped back into my brotherhood clothes. I ran outside again. We went through the same song and dance, the others wanting a piece and me running and strafing. Unluckily for me, the last two got the drop on me after I'd killed nearly all the others, and they got their turn with me. But, bandits don't tend to be very smart. I wondered later if they intended on sticking me in a cage and using me later. But I did the same to them. Throats were slit when they got off. The Dark Brotherhood training wasn't a waste of time after all. I reconsidered my general 'doing things alone' that day. As even a random bandit hold can decimate me, I guess. Thankfully, I avoided death again. That's the day I got the Tally Marks on my stomach. I decided that in the future I would look into bringing companions to dungeons. I washed off and continued north. My body'd taken punishment, but I was used to it at this point. I reached Snow Veil Sanctum and Mercer was waiting for me. This was a start for companions, and I ventured in with him. The first few rooms were weak draugr. The pathways had stronger ones, including one that shouted foreign words and sent Mercer flying. (I couldn't help but laugh at him as I finished the thing off). But... Fus ro dah? What does that mean? What language is that? We trekked further in and between the two of us we felled scores of draugr and ghosts. I found another rune wall... word wall? Our word of the day: Zun. Same thing happened with the weird light. Not sure what it all means. Mercer was playing catchup at the time but I doubt he would've seen it even if he was closeby. Eventually we reached a puzzle door, which Mercer was able to disarm. Then I stepped through the doorway and got shot and paralyzed. So it turns out Mercer killed the last guildmaster. Karliah escaped, and then Mercer stabbed me. So I guess, not all companions are worthwhile. I woke up, grasping for my body to check for wounds. Karliah had saved me from dying and it seemed I was okay. Any wounds had been healed while I slept. I pulled out a red bottle and drank it. A pregnancy test. It was sweet. Everything was okay. I would need to reconsider who I would trust from now on. "So what's the deal here? Trying to take down Mercer?" I asked as I got up. "I paralyzed you to save your life. It was meant for him, but I never got a clear shot at him. I think he brought you on purpose as a human shield." "How can I help expose him?" I growled. I was out for blood now. "I have Mercer's journal. It's in Snow Elf though, you'll have to get it translated." "I wonder where somebody who knows that could be," I mused. "The College of Winterhold. Enthir," Karliah responded. "Excellent. I'm a student there. I was on my way back after this anyway," I said. Speaking of which, I looked up at the sky, "Crap. It's almost dawn. I need to go." I took the journal and called my horse, "I'll talk to Enthir." I set down my things in the college and rode to Saarthal. You may ask why I went to such lengths to make it here on time. I would say it's because I've never been a part of any structured organization in my life and it was nice to have goals. Mercer thought I was dead, so he wouldn't be looking for me. When I got to Saarthal the class was waiting for me in the snowstorm. It's always storming here. We went inside. I sighed. Hopefully this would be a quiet class without any sort of weirdness or combat. Of course, when is that ever a thing? "How was your weekend?" J'zargo asked as we walked. "Oh, you know. The usual stuff. Raided like three tombs. Became a Thane of Riften. Joined the Dark Brotherhood." "Wait, wha.." "Shh!" Onmund said, "Tolfdir is talking! Class started." Tolfdir handed out jobs to people. I was told to help one of the researchers. Weak draugr immediately attacked and we made short work of them. I picked up artifacts and was trapped in a room when I took an amulet off the wall, and the wall opened up when I casted Frostbite at it (I've learned a few more basic spells). Curious, Tolfdir and I ventured further in. An image appeared to me of someone from the Psijic Order. Tolfdir couldn't see. It said that a chain of events had been set in motion and I would need to deal with it. Gods, I am such a weirdness magnet. I described it to Tolfdir, who told me who the Psijics are. Or were, since they hadn't been seen in a hundred years. We decided to venture forward a bit and explore the tomb. While we did, Tolfdir helped me train in Alteration and taught me a couple more useful basic spells. Alteration really is the most convenient school what with spells like Slowfall, Solve, Lock and Unlock. Two draugrs leapt out of nearby tombs as we walked and I blasted with Frost while Tolfdir did Flames. After a few seconds I thought, 'To hell with it' and stabbed the remaining one with my dagger. I'd need a lot more practice to equal my fighting skills with magic. Next room, four draugr popped out. Tolfdir made a show of buffing himself, but they were weak and all four were dead by my bow before Tolfdir even engaged. "My word, you're pretty good with that thing," he commented, "Sure you're a mage?" "Novice mage, master thief. I have many talents," I said, continuing forward. "I'd like to stay here and have a closer look at this area. You go on ahead," he said, "You seem to be capable of taking care of yourself." I pursed my lips. Alright. Here we go again. I hadn't even slept and I had done three dungeon crawls in the last 24 hours. Though the bandit/skooma cave could be described as a "dungeon crawls on top of you." I went through the next couple rooms, stealth killing draugr with my sword and bow. You know, I think this is near when I was crossing a threshhold in which my stealth skills were so good people would start to lose sight of me if they didn't keep their eyes on me constantly. It certainly worked on weak draugr. More weak draugr, meet headshot. I'll tell you something I did learn that helped, though. I summoned a familiar to distract and divide as I picked them off. I found a puzzle room, which was just playing matching, then another weird door puzzle. Two lightning runes were obviously on the floor in front of me. I sighed. Though I'd trained in the art of not setting off pressure plates, I really needed to learn dispel magic. I activated one - healed myself, activated another - healed myself. Then the nord puzzle. Easy. Were these considered hard back in those days? I stepped forward and two draugr were around the corner. "High time I caught up with you!" Tolfdir shouted as he came up behind me as I snuck at them. Fortunately, he set off the pressure plate that peppered them with darts. I gave them an arrow each to put them down for good. Last room, a giant glowing orb and an angry, invincible draugr. Tolfdir thought fast and shot lightning at the orb, disabling the shield around the draugr. I took him down with sword and shield. After the fight, the power of the ruin washed over the both of us. I felt the draw, and so did he. So the old man and I took our clothes off, and he showed me some tricks using telekinesis and holding me up while he slid me onto him. This old man still has a few tricks. Afterward, he asked me to go tell the Archmage about the orb. Alright. I found another word wall. Liz. I really need to figure out what these things are. A treasure chest with gold and a nice Scale Helm. I ran back to the college. First, to talk to Enthir, then to the Archmage. Well, Enthir was at the tavern. He sent me to Calcelmo in Markarth. The Archmage is going to go look at the orb and asked that I do research. I do like books, but I figured there are more pressing things to do. It seems like classes are not in session for the time being until they deal with this orb thing. Instead of going straight to my destination I took care of a few side jobs: 1. Headed to the west to Dawnstar and kill Beitild. I talked to her and told her I could relieve her stress. Led her behind the inn and gave her a little bit of heaven, then killed her. 2. Headed to the south past Windhelm to Anga's Mill to kill Ennodius. At this point, it was just after midnight. I happened upon him sleeping so I just stabbed him. Easier. I think being gangraped again may have led to me wanting to stab a few people with extreme prejudice, with less remorse than before. And if other people want these guys dead, all the better. 3. Headed more south to Iverstead to kill the beggar Narfi. I merely used stealth and killed him (it was early morning now). I wouldn't have used a sex kill for this - he looks pretty dirty. Return to DB Sanctuary and get more contracts. I walked down the stairs to find everybody congregated in the Sanctuary around a box. And a strange jester. She's very cute. I turned in contracts and picked up my first big job from Astrid, in Markarth! If there's one thing I like, it's quest efficiency. Don't bother me to go to a place until I have at least two things to do there. As I exit the Brotherhood Sanctuary, I consider my plans. It's almost time that I contributed to the civil war for real. I have a plan in mind to keep me safe in battle: to gather an army of followers. But first, on to Markarth to talk to Calcelmo about the Falmer language and implicate Mercer and talk to a Dark Brotherhood contract. New Mods
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Hey, it's me. Destana. Big news from last time. I was pregnant. Time counter: about three months in Skyrim. I decided I would find what I believed to be Sanguine's human form, Sam Guevenne. So I went to Rorikstead, which I'd been blathering about in my drunken state. I bought a horse from the Markarth stables and headed out, avoiding all uninteresting conflict. I got to Rorikstead after having traveled through the night and put up in the Frostfruit Inn for the night, after playing a set on my lute. Got some food and drink, then went in search of ... whatever it was I needed to find here that I'd done wrong. It didn't take me long for someone to recognize me. "Hey, you!" A man yelled, "You've got a lot of nerve showing yourself in this town again. What do you have to say for yourself?" "I'm sorry," I said, I was wondering if he'd remember me, but obviously I'd transgressed against him pretty fiercely. "Sorry's not good enough! Not while my Gleda is still out there, alone and afraid. You kidnapped her and sold her to that Giant." "Did I say anything about where I left a staff?" I asked. I remembered Sam had said something about the Sanguine Rose (name of the staff and the picture still tattooed on my butt). "You mentioned something like that... when you were running off with my goat! Tell you what - you bring back my goat, and maybe I'll give a damn about your staff," he replied. "Help me retrace my steps and I'll pay you for the goat," I offered him a sac of septims. "Nope. 1000 gold," he replied. "A thousand??" I shouted. I pulled out a bigger sack and handed it over, sighing. The East Empire's money floweth. "Fine, but I'll still be missing my Gleda. Doubt I'll ever have a prize winning goat again. Most of what you said was gibberish but you left a note. The only bit I could read was 'after repaying Ysolda in Whiterun." So I took my horse and rode to Whiterun as fast as I could travel. Took the better part of the day. At nightfall, I found Ysolda. "So, you're finally back. Look, I've been patient, but you still owe me," she said, immediately recognizing me. "Owe you??" I said harshly, figuring I was going to go broke pursuing this venture. "Aw, what's wrong? Did the engagement fall through? Look, how about we call it even, as long as you bring back the wedding ring? That's really a shame - I was so looking forward to the wedding. You said you'd have all the most interesting guests," she replied. "Do you know what I did with it? Things are kinda fuzzy. Also three months will do that." "You went right to give it to your fiancée! Don't you even remember where you left him? And after you told me that sweet story of how the two of you met in Witchmist Grove! I can see why he left you." "That's pretty harsh. And I was very drunk," I considered my options. This time maybe I could appeal to her sympathy without actually spending more money, "I just need to get to the wedding. Please..." "You must have had a wild night if you can't remember that. But I suppose everyone gets the jitters before their wedding. And I did say you could take a bit of time paying me back. You said the ceremony was going to be at Morvunskar. Don't forget..." I walked away. Thinking to myself, I realized that my 'con' was actually me being sincere. I actually wanted to find Sanguine. I had put on a mask to play pretend that was my own face. I smiled silently, walking towards the gate and my horse again. Wait, what is Morvunskar? I took out my log and map. Actually, not far from here. I rode there and dismounted far enough away. I said to myself, "I wonder if with illusion magic I could sneak past all the bandits or necromancers or monsters here. I should really consider learning more magic than the basic handful of spells I know. Make me a better thief." I know not every engagement with enemies needs to be described, so, suffice to say, I'm just going to say I overcame this area (mostly through sneaking). What I remember is some banter between bandits and a necromancer who talked to herself. Eventually I found a portal, just hanging out in the ruin. It transported me to a version of Sanguine's realm. This time, I imagined it was fully dialed down to the lowest level. I mean, I was still stripped naked, my clothes in my pack from the get-go. I walked through the green grass and trees and found where all the torture devices and cages were a nice table, chairs and some food and drink there. Probably a dozen men were there, and as I looked between them, noticed that they were not only wearing the same thing, but looked like copies of one another. No Sanguine. I looked between them. The calm that'd fallen over the group ended, and they started to drink and eat again. What would Sanguine do (WWSD)? Spread debauchery. "Who are you guys?" "Just a bunch of commoners. Don't concern yourself with us," the one nearest me said. "Well uh..." I pondered, "Want to have... group sex?" "How many we talking, here?" One of the other ones said, with the same exact voice. "I dunno, I guess..." I mentally counted them to be seven, now that I was paying attention, "Four on one, then three on one? That seems pretty even." The four nearest me got up, and I had my answer. As they surrounded me, a figure turned the corner from the woods, in his Sam guise. He stopped for a minute, watching before he approached. "Oh, no, don't stop on my account. Enjoy," he smiled, "Of course you found me out. I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it." "Did you say..." I trailed off as one of the 'commoners' went down on me while the others were using their six hands to fondle me, "You needed something to repair the staff, by the way?" "Oh, you can throw all that out," he chuckled, "We're waaay past that stage in our relationship. This was meant as an introduction before you came to the more... risque version of this place. But, I mean, this does have it's own joys. Please, go ahead. I can talk while you sample the pleasures." "Who..." I gasped as two of them sandwiched me between them, rubbing both ends for penetration, "Who are these guys? This is super weird." "Don't worry too much about it. Bearer of my staff," Sanguine dismissed his disguise, this time in full daedric armor, and he sat on his throne to continue watching us. "Be honest," I moaned in between my words as they began to thrust. Four-on-one. "Why did you choose me?" I asked between breaths. "I don't always think my decisions through. But you... you're going places. Maybe a little influence from your old uncle Sanguine could help adjust your course a bit..." "Please...don't...call yourself... an uncle," I gasped. A few minutes of thrusting and the group let me down. "So you're all in, then?" He asked. "All... in," I smirked, weakly standing up. Then I realized I had the three more who were now approaching me, "Talos bones." "Could you... think of curses that use my name, now that you're my adherent?" He asked. "Sanguine's sack!" I shouted as I was taken again. He clapped, "Bravo!" It was about a half hour of fun and then I reappeared in Morvunskar, sticky enough that I needed a bath. I immediately cursed to myself. He'd sent me back and I hadn't even accomplished what I wanted to. Still, maybe he knew already and was just messing with me. "Okay, maybe if I go back the other way," I said to myself. But as I got outside, I considered something. He wants me out here, spreading the word. I don't really want to live in Oblivion, either, nice as it may seem with him. I don't actually have a house that is good enough for a child to live in. Not going to have a baby in the sewers. The problem, as I understand it, is there are limited parcels for houses in the cities as they stand. The people who own property are either the recipients of generational wealth (their grandfather owned it, etc) or they're politically connected and can either afford to buy the one or two vacant houses in the hold (possibly afffordable) or buy land and build their own (which was definitely out of my price range). In order to command that amount of clout, I would need to be made a thane of a hold. Most likely, Riften would be my best bet. Maybe Maven could make it happen if I did a few more jobs for her. Or an easier solution for the time being: maybe one of the guilds has actual living space. Not the Pit Fighters, Thieves, or Bards which I was already a member of. They all have common rooms. I doubted the Companions did for their new members. But the College of Winterhold! That was a possibility. I would just need to demonstrate the basic aptitude for magic and maybe I could weasel my way in. I mean, I know like, six spells. I'd always wanted to study magic. So I traveled back to Windhelm (slept awhile in the Inn while I was there). I told Aventus that I'd done his job. As much as it made me feel bad that I did it, it made the kid happy. I'd already seen letters going out to people advertising a revitalized adoption program set in motion by Constance, the younger woman at the orphanage. So, I guess I did some good, if a little heavy-handed with my actions. I then took the carriage to Winterhold, not wanting to tempt fate on the road. I arrived early in the morning and decided I would go ahead and talk to admissions, or whatever they had. When I got off the carriage I stepped into the middle of a blizzard. I walked through town, avoiding any distractions, and came upon the bridge. A mage from the college, Faralda, blocked my path, "What are your intentions in approaching the college of Winterhold?" "Uhh..." I thought about the least murderhobo response, "I just wanted to have a look around inside." "Ha! Humor is often in short supply here. But I sense that perhaps you're after more than just that," she replied, "How about a small test?" "Test?" "Yeah. Cast a healing spell on me." I frowned a little. The only healing spell I knew healed myself. I shrugged. "A newbie, huh? 30 gold and I'll teach it to you." "Done," I smirked. Drop in the bucket. She showed me how to basically modify the self healing spell to heal her, and I cast it. I get how some wizards just want to learn all the magic, because I felt that drive to collect them all at that moment. I smiled, and she stepped aside. "Go talk to Mirabelle. She should be in the courtyard. You should be able to get a tour and be able to make it to class if you hurry. I'm Faralda, by the way," she waved. "You mean that was the whole entrance exam?" "That's it," Faralda replied, "You'd be amazed how many people can't make it this far. The fact that you picked up a few spells on your own speaks volumes." Godsdamn I could get used to all this praise. I marched over to Mirabelle, who seemed to be just taking care of everything. Handing out orders, directing people (even those older than her). A damned Thalmor wizard was talking to her. "I believe I've made myself rather clear," she said to him, "You are a guest here. We'll not bow to your demands like the Empire." "Yes, of course," he replied snidely and walked off. She turned to me and said, "Welcome to the college. Are you here for a tour? Did you speak with Faralda?" I nodded emphatically. "Alright, we can make this quick so you can join the Alteration class in about an hour... in the Hall of Elements," Mirabelle walked briskly and explained as quickly as she could. She led me to a tower with a circle of rooms, "And here is your room. First on the right." I blinked. It was that easy. I opened the door and found enough room for a person to live and work and study. When I turned, Mirabelle was gone. I actually wanted to learn about magic, so I sped off to the Hall to find an older man getting ready to start his lecture. Tolfdir, the Alteration master. "Welcome!" Tolfdir shouted, "We were just about to begin. The first thing to understand about magic is by its very nature, it's volatile and dangerous. Unless you can control it, it will destroy you." Brelyna, A female student said, "We all understand that." "Of course, my dear," Tolfdir replied, "You all possess some innate ability in magic. True control, mastery, takes years." J'jargo, A khajit replied, "What are we waiting for? Let's get started." "Please, please. Your ambition must be tempered with caution..." Tolfdir started. A male student, Onmund interrupted him, "We've only just arrived. You have no idea what any of us are capable of." I looked at them with disdain. Tolfdir was a sweet aged man and they were showing him a lot of disrespect. "Maybe give us a chance to show what we can do," Onmund continued. "You've been quiet so far, what do you think?" Tolfdir turned towards me. "I think people should listen and learn when possible," I paused to let my rebuke take effect, then I said, "I think showing practical knowledge is good. Obviously some people here are masters already." "Alright, I suppose we can try something," Tolfdir responded, "We'll start with a ward. I'll teach you all a ward which you can use to block spells." He turned to me, "Would you mind helping me with a demonstration? Are you familiar with wards?" I pursed my lips, "Honestly, I don't know any alteration." "That's alright. I can teach you a basic ward for this purpose," he replied. He spent a few moments teaching me the hand motions and methods of casting it, then moved to an opposite pedestal. "Ready?" He asked. I put my left hand out, firing up a Lesser Ward. Not too bad. For like 5 seconds, then I dropped it as I was out of magicka. "You have to keep the ward up. I wouldn't want to hurt you." I could feel them chuckling at me under their breath. High crust brats. I kept my right hand open and held a magicka potion. I put up the ward again, as some magicka had come back. Tolfdir blasted me with a firebolt, which was cancelled by the ward. I didn't need the potion so I put it away. "Excellent start. Please continue practicing with wards," Tolfdir said, "I suggest we take a field trip. The college has excavated the ruin of Saarthal nearby. We should venture there tomorrow morning." "But professor! It's Fredas!" "OH, right you are, right you are! We'll pick this back up on Morndas. Don't forget, Saarthal, bright and early at sunrise on Morndas," Tolfdir said, dismissing the class. I went to the circle that held my room, and of course, I couldn't help but snoop around a little bit and see if anything valuable was just lying around. Behind people's locked doors. After about an hour I returned to my room. J'zargo was in the circle, looking at a book as he walked. "Hey," I said. "No time for talk. Need to get ahead," he said. "Quite the gunner," I folded my arms, "You guys should show some respect. He may be old, but he's a vast wealth of knowledge." "Peh, I need to get stronger now. I've no time to waste with this, or you," J'zargo didn't even look up at me, "Where do you hail from? The streets? You'd probably not even make a good fucktoy for J'zargo." "Are you kidding? I'd make an excellent fucktoy!" I said back. Wait. "Let us put that to the test then!" He shut his book, finally looking up to me. I backed up, stepping into my room, and he shut the door behind us. "Okay, I guess," I said, committing to this spreading debauchery thing. There was a nice rug to insulate my back from the stone floor. It was cold outside. "You seem to be excited to be here," I said when we finished. "Yes, J'zargo wishes to find things to make him a powerful mage. Hopefully small things that fit inside pockets that won't be missed." I smirked, "A cat after my own heart." He went back to his studies, and I wondered what I should do for the time being. It was only a few days. Sanguine could wait. And I was pregnant, but not *that* pregnant. I poked around the school for a few hours, buying various tomes and learning a few more novice spells before settling on making Illusion my primary school of focus (for obvious reasons). I was flipping through my quest log when I realized that dumb job the Stormcloaks gave me was just north of here. I went to Tolfdir and bought a very specific tome - a spell that protected me from exposure. I gathered some wood, got a wool cloak, walked to the tallest tower on the northern end of the College and looked down at the Sea of Ghosts. I could see the island the Ice Wraiths would be on, though this was going to be a bit of a trek. I casted the Warmth spell, drank a Cold Resist potion, then I did what any normal human being would do, I jumped. I landed in the icy water below and swam to shore. Immediately I took out wood from my pack and built a campfire, drying myself off. It took a few minutes but I was okay. I traveled north, jumping from icy island to island, making sure not to go in the water again. "What the fuck is that?" I saw a figure in the sky, looking like a distant bird, or other kind of flying creature, but it vanished as soon as it appeared. I shook my head. I reached the marked place on my map and decided it was a good time to practice what I'd learned. Sneaking (as always) I shot a Firebolt at the first Ice Wraith I saw, and I immediately realized I was not so great at magic yet. It took the blast and angry, came right for me. I drew Dragon's Oath and changed to Flames on my offhand. I slashed at the thing, pelting it with fire, until it went down. I wondered then if there was a way to sneak attack with spells - or at least cast them quieter. Whatever. I touched the Serpent's Stone while I was there. Then I collected what the Stormcloaks wanted (for another day to turn in) and made my way back to the college. It was late afternoon, as the wood gathering and preparation took longer than the trip, and I decided I would go ahead to bed. I did not wake up in the college.
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View File Tired of long, arduous classes on the alchemical properties of butterfly wings or long-winded lectures on wards? Hop to the top of your class at the prestigious College of Winterhold by getting extra credit the fun way! Description Pretty straightforward: speak to the inhabitants of the College of Winterhold to have sex and raise your skill level in whatever their specialty is by one. At this point, everyone but one will only allow it one time each (although the other students will be happy to sleep with you as much as you want - you just won't learn anything from them). Submitter jfraser Submitted 12/26/2016 Category Dialog Sex Requires Fuz Ro D-oh http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/14884/?, Sexlab Special Edition Compatible