keleren-ie

[keleren-ie]

The scarab prince & the runaway dragon pt22, part 21 here*

———

Vivienne: *eyes sparkling as he stares up at the trees towering over them, his gaze trailing down to the deer frolicking through fields of flowers, foxes peeping out of burrows and salmon leaping from the streams, all beneath an endless clear sky* it’s- breathtaking here.

Steren: *paying more attention to him than where his horse is going* yes, breathtaking. *jumps as his horse lurches slightly*

Teldryn Sero: *grabbed it by the reigns and turned it back onto the path* alright stick to the path your highness before you end up in a wolf den.

Steren: *blushes and grabs the reigns properly again* r-right.

Farkas: *on foot up ahead of them, leading a dark horse named Kiai saddled with supplies not his own* hm… *pauses and reaches into her saddle, grabbing a piece of cloth and sniffing it before looking across the river to an abandoned ruin* our guy is here. I’m sure of it.

Vivienne: *tilts his head slightly as he looks to the ruins* in? There? I imagined the Thalmor would’ve picked a less- hazardous location. That building looks set to go over the waterfall at any moment.

Farkas: aye, with what I think they’re doing in there I’m sure that’s what they’re hoping for. *starts crossing the river*

Steren: *looks to Vivienne before dismounting his horse, his gem following suit along with the rest of the group*

Taliesin: …We’re not seriously considering crossing wild, rapid, steep waters next to a raging waterfall are we?!

Teldryn Sero: what? Don’t tell me you can’t swim.

Taliesin: …

Teldryn Sero: YOU LIVED ON AN ISLAND?! SURROUNDED BY WATER?!

Taliesin: water infested with homicidal Mer intent on killing any high elf on sight! My life was on the line! The world would be such a grim- what are you doing?! PUT ME DOWN!

Teldryn Sero: *unbuckled Naomi’s saddle and lifted Taliesin off so he couldn’t escape by moving her away* If I drown carrying you across I’m taking you down with me.

Farkas: *glances back at them* shove an apple in his mouth and slap him on the ass he’ll stop complaining fast.

*several minutes later*

Farkas: *crouched ahead of the group, sword drawn and ears trained on every sound, immediately halting as he hears a familiar voice up ahead, weak, pained, but familiar* pup… *steps into the holding cells and bristles as he sees a young man shackled to a wall, back exposed and raw with blood as a member of the Thalmor ‘interrogates’ him* Kaidan… *looks back at the group* we’ve got him outnumbered bu-

Taliesin: *waltzes past, fixing his Thalmor robes having quickly pulled them over his current outfit, his hand tapping Steren on the shoulder with a nod and a glance that says all he needs to know*

Steren: *nods and creeps after him, hiding behind a pillar, his eyes glancing back to see Vivienne no where in sight* Vi- *jumps as he looks beside him to see Vivienne hugging the pillars edge having followed him silently like a ghost*

Vivienne: *holds up his finger to his lips before disappearing into thin air like a ghost with the wave of his hand*

Steren: *heart skipping a beat as he disappears, his ears flicking to attention as taliesins voice cuts through the silence*

Taliesin: *steps into the cell, grimacing as he catches a full view of the man chained to the wall, his back raw and bloodied* Hard at work I see, Cyrelian.

Cyrelian: Who in the- ah, Piper, I thought you were stationed off in Falkreath.

Taliesin: *walks around him, making him turn his back on the door* My placement there is complete, I was headed north to assist Ancano in Winterhold and thought I’d make rest here for the night amongst, familiar company…

Cyrelian: *sighs with an annoyed expression on his face* fine, I’m sure you can bunk up with one of my- *pauses, noticing taliesins gaze isn’t completely directed at him, but instead behind him* … *looks over his shoulder and immediately spins around seeing Steren charging for him* Shi- *coughs up blood as the tip of a spear punctures through his ribcage, Vivienne appearing behind him silent as a ghost*

Steren: *cleaves his head off as Vivienne’s spear breaks through his bones, the two standing In silence as the body slumps down to the floor, dead* it’s done. We-

Vivienne: *let go of his spear, already by the wounded man, picking the locks of his shackles* it’s alright, I’m a friend. We’re with Farkas.

Farkas: *hurries to their side helping free his other bonds* it’s alright Kaidan, we’re here now.

Kaidan: *blearily opens his eyes* Farkas?… *stares up at Vivienne, his vision clearing to see the dual toned beauty before him* wow…

Vivienne: *tilts his head slightly, smiling at him* it’s okay now, I’m Vivienne, I’ll- I’ll heal you up.

Steren: *face flushing slightly as an unfamiliar feeling settles over him. Jealousy* actually I have a healing potion that’ll work better-

Taliesin: *walks to kaidans side, nudging Vivienne away as Farkas gets him loose from the chains* no he’ll need more than that. Leave it to me these won’t be the first lash wounds I’ve healed.

Kaidan: you- thalmor scum.

Taliesin: hm? *looks down at his robes* I’m a deserter.

Kaidan: l-lying dog, I don’t believe a word out of your filthy mouth.

Taliesin: keep barking dear at least I’ll know you’re still alive while I work. *starts healing him as Farkas comforts him*

Vivienne: *watching closely before looking back at Steren and smiling shyly* you did great.

Steren: *unable to maintain his pout in Vivienne’s presence* you were better… *pulls the spear from the justiciars body and hands it to him* lets… see if there’s anything worth looting and be on our way.

Teldryn Sero: *walks in holding several copies of the lusty argonian maid* wanking between torture are all members of the dominion such perverts?

Inigo: I found a signed copy!

[keleren-ie]

Have you ever seen a violinist going APESHIT?!

Be sure to check out IAmDSharp!

[keleren-ie]

mother morrowind

Again just wanted to draw somebody in a nice outfit… I wonder what she was like in her earlier life.

Uncolored under the cut wahaha

[keleren-ie]

Always a good time to burn down yet another village!

Patreon

[keleren-ie]

ANOTHER WIP how many hundos of dollars have people spent on copies of Skyrim when the best elder scrolls game is less than ten dollars with 12 polygons to go around. Like what if Shakespeare wrote Dune. What if the epic of Gilgamesh was written by Guillermo del Toro. Ramayana, but it's a telenovela. The taxi system is a big docile bug. Play Morrowind.

[keleren-ie]

Funniest (fantasy) way to find out you're trans I think. Assigned male by ancient prophecy

[keleren-ie]

Juan Brufal

Mood

[keleren-ie]

The Gala

very short but it is done. I am not a fashion person at all.

----------------------------

It was inevitable, some would say, that the new emperor would be invited.

Almost the moment the invitation arrived an urgent request had gone out to Palonirya, noting the invitation's existence and asking for her to present herself at the palace at her earliest convenience. A note was added that they could not possibly rely on another tailor, because of not only her reputation but also because as an Altmer she would surely know the significance and importance of this particular gala.

"What is the theme?" was the first thing she asked after the formalities were over.

"Daedra and divines," Haj-deek said, "The invitation was for both...the emperor and myself. We were thinking of doing some sort of paired costume, but of course we're willing to bow to your wisdom. Fashion is your domain, after all, and given your reputation the emperor is willing to go with whatever you come up with."

After a short discussion in which she gave various ideas, which the two of them debated over, Palonirya finally settled for saying, "Akatosh and Lorkhan. The emperor is famously fond of saying you complete him, and while Mara is held to be his wife...this is not a mere costume party. Of course the challenge lies in the many ways Lorkhan can be portrayed..."

The gala was not to be held for several months yet, so there was time for Palonirya to do sketching, and present them with ideas for the dual costume once the measurements of both were taken.

The two sketches were laid before them a week later.

"I expected these to be much flashier - not that I think you're gaudy, it's only that..."

"Fashion in the Summerset Isles can be as gaudy as here, or in Morrowind." Palonirya drew their attention first to Martin's outfit. "But elegance..."

----------------------

"I'm not ready for this," Martin said, as the master of ceremonies was rattling off his titles. "I look ridiculous."

The fabric of his robe was a golden silk that seemed to darken the further down one looked, with a scaled cape of lighter hue hanging from his shoulders. The blood colored Amulet of Kings drew attention, naturally, but it was his head and hands that got the most looks.

Atop his head was an ivory helm that put one in mind of the commonly available Elven variety, but which instead of wings had horns that extended backward, between which were linked golden chains set with small rubies to simulate blood dripping from the tips.

On his forearms were carefully segmented gauntlets of some bony look, set at the end with jet black talons. But amidst the ivory was a snaking of black-painted filigree - in fact starting from the very spot where Haj-deek would hold to his arm.

"You look like an emperor."

"This is all very wasteful," he whispered back, "Even at my worst, I never spent this sort of coin on clothes."

"This is not about clothes." Haj-deek said. "And you know that. When it is all over you can auction it off to some wizard at the college, if you've a mind to. Besides. I think you look wonderful."

"You are the more beautiful one," Martin replied.

"You always say that."

"And I am always right."

Her gown was nearly all black or shades of other colors so dark they may as well be black, giving a snakelike appearance--with four exceptions. The gown cut somewhere around her knees, and an inch or two above that spot began to appear the rubies, sewn in to simulate, as they did with Martin's horns, the bleeding. The rubies followed the cut, and framed a look at the scarlet shoes she was wearing.

At her waist was a tied belt comprised entirely of linked golden scarabs, one end of which draped three or four inches too long. On her black lower lip was pressed a single golden dot.

And finally, from the black gloved hand that would hold to Martin's arm was threaded a sort of pearlescent thread stitched as though it followed her veins - leading directly to where her heart lay.

(Both would argue later, several times, over whose outfit drew more looks. Both would insist the other had shone more brightly. Both would agree to disagree.)

[keleren-ie]

Just posted the first chapter of my Nerevoryn-focused fic - the next two parts are almost ready to go, so I'll get them up soon! Almost 8k words so far and I'm really proud of myself for actually sitting down and writing.

I hope y'all enjoy it. Be gentle with me, I haven't written this much since I was in college 😅

[keleren-ie]

*on my knees crying banging my head against the wall* PLEASE LET ME HIT JUST ONCE MY LORD

[keleren-ie]

Severed Destiny, pt. 27

There are many rooms in the House of the Master. Be easy, for from the hands of your enemies I have delivered you.

The room was dark where she was, lit in corners high above where it didn't do her any good.

Haj-deek remembered being here before. The figure in the golden mask, that she knew as her father, said the words always in this dream. Then he was gone, and she saw herself laid out on a table with candles.

She always woke up when she touched the body. Not so now.

"This isn't real," she said, "If I was dead I wouldn't be here."

The body opened its eyes and drew in a breath, even sat up. But still she slept, or whatever this was.

The other her met Haj-deek's gaze directly.

"Where are we?" it asked.

"I don't know," she said in reply, "A dream, I think, but I always wake up. Maybe...maybe I am dead after all, and this is just...my mind trying to distract itself."

The other her reached out, and she reached her hands back. Both sets of hands clasped - hers were withered as if with heavy burns. The other Haj-deek looked like she might have once had the same wounds, but they were long healed. Not gone, but healed up, the skin paler than the rest. Scarred in places.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"A friend," the other Haj-deek said. There was a smile.

"Not me. You look like me."

The dreamscape shifted around them, but the other her didn't let go.

Somewhere else, it felt like Red Mountain yet didn't, at the same time. She looked down, and saw her unmoving body. Shadows moved around them, some leaning over the body, some not.

"I...I am dead, after all." She took in a shaky breath, and clenched the other her's hands. "I should have known I would fail. I didn't have any help. I didn't have anyone to tell me what to do."

"And yet you did it."

When she looked up the other her wasn't her anymore. The her, or him now rather, looked like the drawings of Nerevar she'd seen Vivec make up now and then. Golden, barechested, with an enormous scar on that same chest. His voice was older than she thought it might be, though.

This scar was open as if torn, and yet it wasn't bleeding.

"This doesn't make any sense. If I was awake you'd be dead from all the bleeding."

"I am dead. And I'm not. Just as you are right now."

"That doesn't make sense," Haj-deek replied. "You don't make sense, but nothing does anymore. What am I here for? What are you here for?"

She expected him to say something about how she was asking too many questions, but he merely shook his head, in that way she had seen Im-Kilaya do when she was small and doing the same thing with him.

"I am here because in all the time I have been here, no one but you has spoken to me."

Silence.

She looked away.

"I don't understand."

"You don't need to."

She blinked, and his appearance shifted again. This time he was a tall Imperial with a short black beard, dressed in golden armor. Moths began to flutter around him.

"I have to let you go soon. Extended contact with me is...hazardous to your health."

"What is this about? Do you want something?"

Another blink. A knight this time, in a winged helmet and a suit of armor with a red diamond on the front.

"I want you to help me."

"How? I can't even help my own family. I can't fix what's wrong with my father. How am I supposed to help YOU?" Haj-deek's eyes began to mist over, but she couldn't reach a hand up to wipe the welling tears away. "I'm just...I'm just me."

The moths began to multiply around them.

"You are, and you aren't." The man, now old, bearded, and wizardly, spoke with a scratchy, aged tone. "When you touched the Heart, you became everything you were, are, and could be."

"Other people have done that. Why didn't you speak to them?"

"They didn't listen."

"What--what is it you want?"

And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold, that when brothers wage war come unfurled!

She felt the words, rather than heard them. Or maybe she heard them, but she would swear the sound hadn't actually been there.

"I will be, once again. If I help you, will you help me?"

Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, with a hunger to swallow the world!

"Help you with what? Killing Alduin?"

The burning in her hands she'd felt before on using the tools started up again.

"In not becoming him."

Silence. The crowd of moths grew so thick she was beginning to feel stifled.

"Before I agree--why should I listen? How do I know I'm not hallucinating? How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know I didn't fix my father's mind and you're just some daedra trying to get my soul?"

A cloud of ash. Now he was a cloud of ash. It made no sense at all!

"You don't."

She knew. Gods, did she know.

"What do you want?" He was the Imperial again.

"I want a father. I want a family. Not one that's dead and dark and...and all that stuff with tentacles growing out of their face. It's not their fault my father got broken."

Then a pause. Neither of them could let go, despite that searing pain getting worse.

"And what do you want?"

"Not to become the horror you want wiped from your family's mind. Use me as you will, but make sure that when I come again, I will be ready to fight that same madness that seized your father's mind."

The last thing she heard from him before he let go was: "The darkness is coming."

----------------------------------------------

There was a jumble of memories, after that, that were more unfocused than what had come before. Any sense of self was no sooner found than wiped away.

A redheaded woman with a smile that turned sharp, a friend turned foe, an apology whispered through blood.

Me? Is this me?

A meeting on the road. A spear in hand, a noble, gold skinned elf before.

He does not want you.

The Bad Voice.

"He doesn't want me," she said, echoing the words to try and figure them out. And then, suddenly, she saw something else, and the sensation of self shifted again. No. That other person was gone. She was HERE now. When. Then. Staring down at a tended wound in the leg, and weeping. "He doesn't want me. It's Nerevar he wants."

A sight of (HIM) from far off. Agony. Within or without, she didn't know. Maybe both.

A dream?

"It's always been Nerevar..."

A sight of Nerevar - a ghost? No. That made no sense. It didn't make sense. She needed to Get Back Somewhere. But where did she belong? Every time she thought she knew the spot seemed to move beneath her feet.

Have to make stay. Have to--

Father.

That word, father.

The Others didn't see fathers. They were dead. Hers--

The golden mask appeared and vanished several times, but she kept coming back to it. Yes. Father.

"Sorry," she said, when it vanished again, and didn't return as quickly as it had before. "Failed you. Failed everyone. Just wanted to help."

Then the ash man again.

And then darkness.

[keleren-ie]

Mother morrowind as akatosh/auri-el/etc for the @tes-gala <3 the dress is heavily inspired by the mugler hummingbird dress(hopefully this gives dragon instead,,,)

[keleren-ie]

Local Hortator leaves miraculously her little chitin tent for reasons beyond her, hoping her social skills do not call for alcohol during this event.

Literally just found out today about @tes-gala and had an urge to draw Mez, I already had an old sketch of her with her hair done like ESO's bust of Mephala and she's a Morag Tong assassin with a pet spider from the Skein so the Mephala theme was a no brainer (sorry to Azura but the Nerevarine just likes spiders ig), I had sketches from a few AUs a friend and I have that fit a more modern gala setting but wanted to make some proper-tes stuff that really showed clothes tied to her Ashlander roots (gave up on the bg and just used an old screenshot ngl)

[keleren-ie]

My part for Halsin week 2025! Day 5: Protection. Unwise to poke a bear and mess with his grove!

[keleren-ie]

TES Gala: Voryn

i was going for a kyne/kynareth inspired outfit for voryn because of my fanfic (and to match nerevar here) but i fear this isn't really serving "kyne" very much.

oh well. an effort was made. i did suffer through painting all of those feathers. i was also going to draw voryn and nerevar together but i don't know if i'll have time bgehbgher

[keleren-ie]

TES Gala: Nerevar

for @tes-gala. theme is daedra and divines so i picked nerevar to go as lorkhan (debated on whether he is a daedra or divine. but im sure he fits into one of those categories)

im not entirely happy with the execution i will not lie. it is very messy but i was rapidly running out of time especially bc i still have voryn to work on. in my defense i didn't draw like 2-3 weeks and that normally makes my first few pictures afterwards very stiff and awkward

but i dont hate the design i came up with even if i don't like the execution. i tried to lean more heavily in the "moon" theme because lorkhan is a lunar god, but. some stars inevitably snuck in. i was going to go for more fox stuff but i thought keeping it simple might be best

i chose lorkhan because obviously if you know me you know i am insane and firmly on the "nerevar was a shezzarine train". and my fanfic only elaborates on it more. but its very funny how hard it is to push pure "lorkhan" on nerevar and have it look still pretty on brand for nerevar

obligatory close up as well

[keleren-ie]

Lil Nerevar 10

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53198734/chapters/171767812

Nerevar was her favorite person.

Mama was Mama, but Nerevar was Nerevar. He was big and tall and she could look her papa in the eye when she sat on his shoulders. She knew her papa liked him - mama said papa loved Nerevar as much as he did her - so maybe that was why he understood when she told him he couldn't marry Nerevar because she was going to.

"But don't you like your father?" Ulen asked her one day soon after her declaration.

"Yes, but he's just papa."

It had taken some getting used to. Papa was busy being a god a lot, but after mama and Nerevar talked to him a lot he started to sit with her during her lessons - he had even taught her the Feather spell, so she could carry her chest of toys wherever in the volcano she wanted it.

Mama said he wasn't used to being hugged, so she didn't do it very much. It was hard to do it anyway, since he was so tall.

Papa also didn't like to go outside because serjo Lorkhan's heart needed to be protected all the time...so it was usually Nerevar to go with her. He said she was very small and could get lost easily, even with Ulen always watching her.

"What do you want to see out here?"

"I dunno," she replied, "I just want to go outside. I wish there was water like in Eb-on-heart."

"Maybe I should talk to your papa about letting it rain, would you like that?"

Nerevar stopped when she gasped.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"Nerevar! There's an EGG! Go over there!"

Nestled on the ground, and slightly cracked on one side, there was indeed an oblong egg. She wriggled until he let her get down, and picked it up.

He cast some kind of spell, then on seeing her look saying it was Detect Life.

"Cliffracer egg, it looks like. Maybe its mama kicked it out of the nest, it looks like it might be broken. You could have it for breakfast--"

"Noooooo!" Haj-deek protested and held it close. "It doesn't have a mama!"

No matter what he said, Nerevar couldn't put her off. She looked at the little egg and thought how much like her it was. She didn't always have a mama, and then papa brought her mama back and now she did.

She thought she had to do the same thing. If the egg did not have a mama, now she was its mama.

Nerevar finally gave in; he usually did. They went back to the room with the Heart and he helped her make up a nest to put it in.

Papa understood. She couldn't see his face but he sounded like he was smiling as he reminded her the egg needed to be turned.