#but keep in mind shes not a stormcloak because she thinks ulfric would make a good king

[incorrectskyrimquotes]

Ulfric Stormcloak: You know what I think the problem is? I need to show people I need to be High King.

Eryn: You don't.

Ulfric Stormcloak: They probably see a man like me and think "well he's got it all!"

Eryn: They don't.

Ulfric Stormcloak: I know it's mostly just a title, but I don't ask for much.

Eryn: You do.

Ulfric Stormcloak: And that idea is the one thing that makes me feel happy.

Eryn: You aren't.

Ulfric Stormcloak: I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I feel like I really vibe with everyone in Skyrim.

Eryn: You don't.

Ulfric Stormcloak: I mean, I'm one of the best men in Skyrim, if I went missing there would be a panic.

Eryn: There wouldn't.

Ulfric Stormcloak: Because I'm a nice person,

Eryn: You're not.

Ulfric Stormcloak: I'm the Jarl of Windhelm,

Eryn: So?

Ulfric Stormcloak: And I can't think of one reason why I shouldn't be High King!

Eryn: I can.

Ulfric Stormcloak: Well, thank you for listening, Eryn.

Eryn: I had no choice.

[umbracirrus]

oooo for the uncommon oc asks, 15, 21, 38, and 42 for any oc(s) you want, and A and F for yourself!!

Oooh, thank you!!

I may have gone over the top and answered for three OCs, but I’ve been gushing over Ingja and Edwyn a lot over recent days, and I kinda can’t do those two without bringing in one of my dragonborn OCs Elyse because she’s their daughter 😊

15. How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

Ingja – very blunt, first thoughts to her head she blurts out without much of a care. The only times where she will think about what she is saying (to some extent) is when she is talking to somebody who she either a) values or b) thinks deserves a bit of respect. Over the years she gets better at thinking before speaking (thanks to Edwyn’s influence on her), but definitely has her moments where she will say the first thing in her mind. She also loves to say ‘fuck’ (she overheard her father say it once when she was a child, and it stuck).

Edwyn – does like to think before speaking, but there are times where his mind goes over the place when he does start talking. If his mind starts straying from the topic at hand, it’s likely he’ll either stop talking to think about that instead, or he will keep following his train of thought whilst speaking (though if he realises his mind is wandering, he’ll quickly go back to the initial topic). He prefers to be able to articulate his thoughts properly, though if he is going through a rough patch or if his brain gets a bit frazzled that goes all out of the window and he splutters and stumbles over words a lot.

Elyse – likes to think that she knows when is best to think before speaking, though is occasionally a bit off the mark when emotionally charged (e.g. the time she called Ulfric Stormcloak ‘an absolute swine’). She can ramble though, and definitely takes after her father in ‘following the train of thought when speaking’.

21. Why do they get up in the morning? 

This was a lot harder to answer than I thought it would be at first!!

Ingja – to live her life. She just likes doing things and being active.

Edwyn – for his wife and daughter, they are his everything. And to read and learn!

Elyse – to make the most of the world that she had saved. Also because she has to.

38. What memory do they revisit the most often? 

Ingja – the day that Edwyn finally succeeded in teaching her how to cast a fire spell. She had never been inclined towards magic, and being a resident of Winterhold she had been raised with a bitterness towards mages, yet he had remained patient with her as he helped her with learning that not all mages are bad or malicious, whilst also teaching her the basics of magic, and she actually ended up falling for him in the process. After she had successfully created a flame in her hands, in the excitement afterwards, she ended up kissing him. That flame wasn’t the only thing ignited that day.

Edwyn – he has two moments in particular: meeting Ingja for the first time, and the day that Elyse was born.

He met Ingja because he had been in the ice fields around Winterhold trying to train his wolf familiar. He didn’t know that Ingja had been hunting, had noticed the spectral wolf, and was trying to get it… and ended up injuring herself when some ice and stone beneath her feet ended up crumbling beneath her and made her fall some distance to the ground. He had heard the scream from her, went to investigate, and upon seeing her on the ground in pain he didn’t even hesitate in rushing over to her to heal her up with what little he knew of restoration magic. He wasn’t physically capable of getting her back to Winterhold (he’s a bit scrawny and a lot more magically inclined than physically), but he did his best to take care of her until she was able to do so herself. In particular, her words spoken to him when they got back there had always stuck with him – “I thought that all mages were bad… but I think that you’ve proven otherwise. And I owe you for what you’ve done. What do you say to a drink?”

And honestly, Elyse being born was just his first ever ‘proud dad moment’. His little baby girl that he just knew would grow up to do great things (though he definitely didn’t have being a dragon slayer in mind when it came to that.)

Elyse – has a few memories she looks back on often, some good, some bad. She will always remember the day where she helped to kill the dragon with the Whiterun guards and learned that she was Dragonborn, it was a life-changing moment after all. Also tied into that was the day after she had returned to Whiterun after defeating Alduin – Lydia had decided to prepare a celebration for her return, and the two of them spent most of the day in Breezehome eating freshly baked cakes and pastries and getting drunk on spiced wine and Cyrodilic brandy. They even managed to persuade Jarl Balgruuf to join them for a time when he stopped by after hearing that she had returned but had never gone to Dragonsreach to let him know.

There was also the day where she witnessed that her parents were not as infallible as she had always assumed them to be – her mother had done her best to teach her survival skills for if she couldn’t fall back on magic to help her (as using magic was Elyse’s default as it came naturally to her like it had done her father), but on one of those days, she saw her mother straining herself badly simply trying to maintain her bow to the point that she had started crying in frustration because it was hard to (and hurt to) move her fingers and joints. That was the first time that she had a) seen Ingja cry, and b) realised that her parents were not as young as they had once been.

42. How badly do they want to reach their end goal? 

Ingja – her end goal is, like many Nords, to be able to go to Sovngarde. However, she doesn’t want to go there alone, so in reality her end goal is for Edwyn (a Breton) to go to Sovngarde with her. She is desperate for that to happen because what is an eternity of celebration and mead without the one you hold dearest by your side?

Edwyn – his goal is to be a master of conjuration magic, but he no longer wanted to reach it as badly as he had done once he had a family of his own – especially when he realised that Elyse took to magic with a lot more ease than he had ever done (he felt that he could live the dream through her by supporting her as best as he could instead).

Elyse – like her mother, she is desperate to reach her end goal. Her end goal? To have just ONE peaceful day with nothing on her plate. Just one.

And the asks for me…

A) Why are you excited about this character?

For Elyse, it’s because she was one of the first dragonborn characters that I made in Skyrim where I began to actually come up with backstory, justifications for actions, etc. She was also really fun to play as – a heavy armour conjuration-focussed mage is fun.

As for Ingja and Edwyn, it’s because they just came to be when I was plotting out information about Elyse. And honestly, I love the thought of a couple who are in a way distinct opposites that are like a pair of lovesick puppies who are deeply in love (Ingja being the muscular, headstrong, blunt warrior/hunter Nord and Edwyn being the quiet scholar and mage Breton). I’m a sucker for the ‘opposites attract’ trope at times.

F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)?

Elyse is my precious bean, I love her, even if I put her through far too much chaos and drama :)

Ingja and Edwyn, I just can’t stop gushing over them because of said trope above. Plus there’s little pieces of me in their characters, particularly Edwyn, with his awkwardness and tendency to put a lot of thought into things even if said thoughts are off track.

Thank you!! That was fun to answer!!

[p-artsypants]

I’ll Handle This (12)

In Which Lila Learns about Skyrim

Ao3 | FF.net

Sorry for taking a bit with this chapter. It isn’t even very long. But I was in the hospital recovering from surgery. We’re coming up close to the end of the story, but there’s maybe two more chapters after this. 

(Psst this chapter has hints to the next story I’ll publish after this one...as long as my ideas don’t change lol)

--

Lila was fired. It was immediate when they found out. Everyone sat in class, the lecture normal and lulling everyone into a soft state of sedation. 

Then Lila screamed. The scream was the worst thing Marinette had ever heard. Immediately, everyone turned to look at her in horror. 

She started bawling. Huge gasping sobs of someone who’d been shot. 

“Lila?!” Miss Bustier gasped in shock and concern. “Are you okay?!” 

“I’m so sorry, Miss Bustier!” She wailed. “I just wanted to peek at my email and—and—Mr. Agreste fired me!” 

Plagg had to bite his tongue. He knew she was going to twist this somehow, but her sobbing was so beautiful to see. 

“Oh Lila, I’m so sorry. It hurts a lot to lose a job. Especially when they don’t tell you to your face. That’s no fair.” 

“He-he-he said that Marinette told him that I was making Adrien uncomfortable! She got me fired!” 

Gasps, all around. 

“What?!” Barked Marinette. “I had nothing to do with this!” Not exactly the truth...

“But that’s what Mr. Agreste said!” 

Plagg stood, placing his foot on the seat, the spurs on his cowboy boots ringing with the motion. He put his cowboy hat back on (since Mrs. Bustier had asked him to remove it for violating dress code...again.) “well now. Sounds like we got ourselves in a gosh darn pickle.” 

Nino snorted. 

“Adrien! You never said I made you uncomfortable! Marinette must have lied to your father!” 

He flicked the rim of his hat. “Now slow your roll there, Buckeroo. I know my old man, and even if Marinette was mentioned in his email, it’s likely that he just wanted to place the blame on someone else.” 

Yes, throw the old man under the bus. He still deserves it, even with whole hearted apologies. 

“But you know, I do feel awfully bad for you, Lila. Losing yer job and all. How’s about I make it up to ya? I’ll come sit by you for a while. Keep ya company and cheer you up. Cain’t have gettin’ all akumatized up in here, you reckon?” 

Not that Lila getting akumatized was even a concern anymore. But the world wouldn’t know about Hawkmoth’s surrender until Emilie’s fate was resolved. Adrien’s family deserved that much at least. 

“Oh Adrien!” Lila cried. “You really are such a wonderful friend. But I couldn’t bear to make you move on my behalf. You need to focus on your work.” 

“A cowboy needs to be exceptional at multitasking. That is, as long as Mrs. Brassiere is okay with it.” 

Miss Bustier pinched the bridge of her nose. Usually, she was a very calm and level-headed teacher, compassionate and understanding. But Adrien’s antics were stressing her out massively. “Yes, Adrien, I suppose it’s fine if you move to—what did you call me?”

“Much obliged, Madam. If’en you’ll excuse me...” 

Marinette watched with fascination as Plagg gathered up his materials and moved to the back of the class to sit next to Lila. Then she glanced in her purse, where Tikki and Adrien were hanging out. They both shrugged. 

Due to the retirement of Hawkmoth, Adrien was now allowed to spend time away from the Miraculous without consequence. Plagg assured him that once the final condition was met, no matter where he was, his soul would return to his body. 

So he spent the school day with Tikki, and the evenings with Marinette. It was a sweet deal, and it really gave Adrien the time to bond with her without school or akumas in the way. 

He had even spent the night with her the night before, curled up next to her on her pillow, and purring every time Marinette’s hand glanced his fur. 

Nino leaned back in his seat. “Do you know what he’s up to this time?” 

“No idea...but I am eager to see where this goes.” 

Nino shook his head with a shrug. Two nights ago, when Plagg was arrested, Nino gathered all the money in his savings and went down to the jail to bail him out. 

Only to find out he was already let go. 

So he went back home, and called Adrien’s phone relentlessly, hoping for an answer. 

Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, Chat Noir returned and explained that he was going home now, thanks for having him, he had to watch the mansion because his sort of repentant father was going to Tibet to resurrect his dead wife. 

Nino gave up on logic and understanding, and just made sure Plagg had everything he had brought. 

Now he would wait until the whole situation blew over, and hopefully Adrien himself, in his own body, would explain it all to him. Plagg seemed to oversimplify everything to the point it became vague. 

Marinette, on the other hand, was very curious to see where this was all going. After all, Adrien’s previous tactic of being nice to Lila hadn’t worked. So what was Plagg hoping to gain from the same approach?

Wrassle her with his randomly appointed cowboy charm? 

In science, two classes later, Plagg had elected to sit next to Lila still, despite her protests. 

Marinette was close enough now to hear what Plagg’s master plan was. 

“So there’s like several types of Mer, right? But not like mermaids. This has nothing to do with mermaids. These are mostly elves, but not all. So there’s Dunmer, right? Those are dark elves. And Bosmer, wood elves, and Altmer, high elves. The Falmer are snow elves, but they’re all twisted and savage, because of the Dwemer, which are dwarves!” 

Marinette snorted a bit too loudly, drawing attention from the teacher. 

“Miss Dupain-Cheng, is something funny?” 

“No ma’am, I had a tickle in my sinuses.” 

“Ah, I see. Anyways, as I was saying...” 

Lila always sat in the back of the class, despite her many alleged disabilities. This was probably to get away with the fact that she rarely paid attention during class. 

It was the ideal place for Plagg to harass her and not get caught. 

Poetry in motion. 

“So you get to pick what race you want to be, but you’re always the Dragonborn. Despite the description, you don’t look any different. So a Dragonborn is someone that can devour the souls of dragons so they don’t get resurrected by Alduin. Let me back up, Alduin is an evil dragon that used to rule the world, and he’s resurrecting dragons so he can take over. There’s another dragon though, named Paarthanax, and he’s a good guy. He helps out the Tongues on the Throat of the World. Or the greybeards. Some call them Tongues, but in the game they’re called Graybeards. And the tongues are the monks that teach you to shout. And different shouts teach you different things, right? The dragonborn and the tongues are the only ones that are supposed to know how to shout, but there’s this other dude named Ulfric Stormcloak, and he knows Unrelenting Force, that’s the Fus Ro Da shout I was talking about earlier? He used it to kill high king Torygg to start a war. Oh yeah, so there’s nine holds with Jarls, right—“ 

The day ended, and Lila stood quickly. “Well Adrien, thank you so much for keeping me company today. I’m feeling a lot better. You can move back up to your old spot tomorrow.” 

“Well, you shore are welcome, Pardner. But sittin here in the back has been mighty nice. I think I’ll stay! You don’t mind, do ya? It’s awfully fun to have you as company!” 

Lila’s eye twitched, but she was aware that most of the class was watching them. “Yeah. That’d be...great.” 

“Darn tootin’! Well, you look like you’re in a rush, don’t want to hold you up!” 

“See you tomorrow!” She chirped, before hurrying from the room. As she passed Marinette, a dark look came over her face. The look of someone seething with rage and hatred, but trying to hide it. 

Marinette would have been scared, if Lila hadn’t been dealing with Plagg instead. 

Marinette went home, Tikki and Adrien talking to her from her collar. 

“I don’t know. Plagg was successful with the first two tasks, but I don’t know how he’s going to turn Lila over to the good side.” Marinette mused. 

“I don’t know if he has to. The condition is to just get her to leave me alone. He said he was doing some Pavlovian Jedi mind trick on her.” 

“Well, I sure hope it works. Speaking of, where is Plagg?” 

Adrien’s ears flicked. “He left pretty suddenly after class. I didn’t see him go. Hopefully, he went back to the mansion.” 

“Do you want me to call him?” 

“No, I trust him. He’s got things under control.” 

“Glad to hear it! Ready for snack time?” 

“Oh heck yes!” 

—

Lila had to actively stop herself from stomping all the way home. Frustration rolled off of her in waves, and she mildly wondered why she hadn’t been akumatized yet. 

Adrien Agreste was the most annoying person she had ever met. And oblivious too! He never picked up on any of her subtle hints to get him to shut up! She really didn’t want to be rude, because his friendship looked great on her, but wow. No wonder he didn’t have any friends. No wonder Gabriel was so protective of him. If he wasn’t cute...his personality was like a wet sock. 

And he was weird. Weird mannerisms, weird speech pattern, just weird. Hopefully she could either get used to it, or Adrien would get a clue to stop being so obnoxious. 

Finally, she reached her apartment. 

“Home mom!” She called. 

There was laughter in the kitchen. Her mother had a guest. While not uncommon, there was just a hint of dread that hung in the air. 

Lila walked to the kitchen, only to see Adrien sitting at the table, talking to her mother! How?! How did he beat her here?! How did he know where she lived?! What the hell was he doing?!

“Adrien?” Lila gawked. 

He rubbed his head awkwardly. “Sorry for popping in uninvited. I just...I was worried about you! You’ve been akumatized twice, and I didn’t want it to happen again since you were fired.” 

Lila’s face paled as her mother gave her a stern look. 

“I think you’ve got some explaining to do, Missy. I didn’t know you were modeling. And you never told me about being akumatized!” 

Adrien gasped. “Oh no! She didn’t tell you? I’m so sorry! I didn’t know that was a secret! I won’t say anymore!” 

“Any more?” Mrs. Rossi asked. “There’s more?” 

“Adrien.” Lila bit, in warning. 

“Well...I mean, you knew she was meeting with my father right? Something about being his muse?” 

Mrs. Rossi looked horrified. “What! You were talking to a grown adult man?! Were these visits supervised?!” 

Lila opened her mouth to answer, but Plagg beat her to it. “I don’t think so. Father is a very private person.” 

“Lila Giselle Rossi! You are sooo grounded! No offense to your father, Adrien, but meeting up with an adult man, unsupervised? And to what, be his muse? What does that even mean? It sounds gross!” 

“I swear nothing happened! He just wanted my opinion-”

“On what? What reason would he have to ask a 14 year old’s opinion?”

Plagg winced and looked at Lila. “I’m so sorry, Lila. I came here to help, but...” 

Lila shook with rage. Her mother was a complete pushover and believed everything she said. Now Adrien had sewn the seeds of distrust in her and she wouldn’t get away with any white lies ever again. 

“You’re dead,” She mouthed at Plagg. 

“Adrien, thank you for coming here and telling me all of this. I’m very grateful. But I think it’s best if you head home now. Lila has some chores to do.” 

“I understand, Madam Rossi. Again, I’m really sorry...I just wanted to help.” 

“Oh don’t worry, you did. This is for Lila’s own good.” 

He sheepishly looked to her. “See you tomorrow?” 

Her eye twitched. “Yeah.” 

And Plagg swiftly walked from the apartment, concealing his evil laughter until he got to the door. 

—

The next day at school, Marinette, along with Tikki and Adrien in her bag, arrived at school just a few minutes before the bell rang. 

Plagg was sitting at the front of the room, wearing a Pikachu onesie, and looking absolutely devastated. Nino sat next to him and had a hand over his face, doing his best to conceal whatever emotion he had. 

Everyone else in the room was avoiding them like they had the plague. 

Alya spotted her and came quickly, looping an arm through hers and escorting them out into the hall. “Girl, big news. I know you love Adrien, so this is going to be a blow. But here’s the thing...Lila told us this morning that Adrien came to her house yesterday and told her mom about her modeling job. Apparently, her mom didn’t want her working, and got upset that Lila lied. Adrien’s been insisting that it wasn’t on purpose, but everyone is kind of pissed at him anyway.” 

Marinette said nothing, but bit her lip. She knew that this absolutely was on purpose. 

“I’ll leave your actions up to you, but people are pretty mad at Adrien. Just letting you know.” 

“Who’s side are you taking?” 

Alya scoffed. “None. I’m staying out of this. Both people are in the right. Obviously Sunshine just wanted to prevent her from being akumatized. He was with her all day yesterday. It’s admirable, really.” 

“It is.” Marinette said with a smile. Though she was smiling for a completely different reason. There were no akumatizations anymore. Everyone was safe now. 

“We better get back in there, class will start soon.” 

So they returned. Miss Bustier was in, and ready to begin the lesson. 

Then Plagg raised his hand. 

“Yes Adrien?” 

“Before we start class, I want to say something.” 

“Go ahead, Adrien. The floor is yours.” 

He stood, and looked to Lila in the back of the room. “Lila, I know I apologized yesterday, but I’m really really sorry about outing you to your mom. I had no idea she didn’t know about your rendezvous with my father. I was just really scared that you were going to become akumatized, and I didn’t want that to happen. My friends are all important to me, and losing you would be like ripping out a piece of my heart. Could you ever forgive me?” 

Marinette glanced Nino’s face, which twitched to hide a smile. Then she looked at Lila, who looked calm, but her hands were balled into fists. 

After many breathless minutes, Lila smiled slightly. “I understand, Adrien. Of course you’re still my friend. I treasure you too! I’m sorry I got so mad.” 

“Hugs?” Plagg raised his arms. 

Lila could pretend to be happy and calm, but the paling of her skin could not be hidden. “Hugs!” 

Plagg brought her in for a squeeze, and the class ‘aww’ed at their make up. 

Except Nino, who let out the tiniest snort. 

Marinette flicked open her purse to look at Adrien. He mimed a gagging gesture back. 

And then Plagg took those last couple steps and joined Lila on her bench. No one tried to stop him. No one spoke up and said, “hey, maybe you should give her some space anyway.” 

They just all let poor, socially awkward Adrien push boundaries and take his seat. Because he had apologized so earnestly for trying to help. And she had forgiven him. So everything was fine now. 

Right?

As the lesson started, Marinette paid attention to the teacher. But occasionally, she’d hear the faintest whispers of Adrien’s voice (Plagg’s voice now). 

“...so it’s commonly believed that the Nord’s came from Atmora with Ysgramor, but they believe that they settled Skyrim, so they’re kind of racist to everyone else. But also, the Empire came in out of nowhere and tried to upheave their way of life, and even told them which Gods they were allowed to worship. High King Torygg was playing cordial with the Aldmeri Dominion, and some of the other Jarl’s didn’t like that. So Ulfric Stormcloak, the Jarl of Whiterun shouted him to death. Just like the Dragonborn can. Though it’s never explained why he knows how to do this. So this started a whole civil war…” 

Marinette chanced a glance behind her, and noticed that Lila had her head in her hands, and she looked absolutely miserable.

[electronicdelusionstarlight]

Boethia’s Bidding

Many people remember Mephala’s cut quest from Skyrim, about Baalgruf’s kids being corrupted by the Daedric Prince’s whispers and slaying their own father. It leads to a general worsening for the hold since Baalgruf’s brother is a far worse Jarl than him, even if he does instantly join the Imperials as soon as he gains power, and ends with you betraying one of the few Jarls who trusted in you from the very start in a far worse way than you would be able to do in Vanilla by siding with the Stormcloaks.

Everyone knows about that cut quest.

But how many people even ever heard about Boethia’s Bidding till this post came along?

Boethia’s Bidding is a cut continuation quest for the vanilla Boethia’s quest, Boethia’s Calling. After slaying her former champion and gaining the Ebony Mail, the prince will appear to you and ask you one final show of power and loyalty to them.

You will need to go to Solitude, and slay Jarl Elisif as she’s wrecked by Paranoia and fear at the plots happening all around her.

It’s a very stealth/speech oriented quest. Boethia’s machinations have left Elisif a nervous wreck, locked up in her room and armed in fear of potential assassin, unwilling to see anyone, the security in the palace tripled.

You will either sneak inside (in which case if they find you in a “forbidden” zone the guards will turn hostile) or you can talk your way inside to the steward, and convince to let you talk to her as her friend/thane, or even become her personal bodyguard, all the while being escorted by at least ONE guard.

It seems like an interesting, stealth/assassin oriented quest honestly, but I’m not here to talk about this.

So, you get inside Elisif Room, posing as her bodyguard, and she tells you this.

Image Description: Elisif Direct Quote from the cut quest: "I'm glad they finally believed me. About the assassin I mean. It's been so hard since my Torygg passed. No one takes me seriously. So how's this work exactly? Do you just kind of stand there on the look out? That's what Bolgeir does. Well, he sort of looms more than stands. Bolgeir's loyal, but even he doesn't do what I ask. Case in point, this whole assassin thing. Well at least I have you now. Look at me ramble... Well, I guess I'll go about my business sulking in here. You can stand over there in the corner watching for assassins."

No one fucking takes Elisif seriously. Ever. The steward will berate her suspicions when you ask him about assassins, and everyone will simply go “grief must have make her go mad, poor girl.”

Everyone underestimates her and shit, and you MIGHT think this quest is trying to remedy on that, especially since her worries are funded, instead it seems the only way you can end this quest is by killing Elisif.

After you do it, Boethia will appear and congratulate you for your doing, and... seemingly give you nothing but their respect. Erikur (The thieves guild plant) will become the new Jarl of Solitude, hence him having Jarl dialogues and the Jarl title in game (I always assumed he was supposed to be the Stormcloak Jarl, but this makes it even worse somehow).

The quest is unfinished so we don’t know what would Elisif’s death bring to the also unfinished Civil War questline.

We have to keep in mind a couple things tho, such as Boethia’s shrine being very close to Winshelm, and Stormcloak Alligned guards and soldiers commenting on how their cause seem to have been favoured by “Daedric Nobility” itself... when they are not calling Elisif a bitch rotting in oblivion that is.

Since we know for a fact from Elder Scrolls Legends lore that Boethia was directly supporting the Thalmor War Effort, it’s not difficult to say who actually asked the prince for Elisif’s death, or why would they decide to support the Stormcloaks in such a way. Erikur, the new Jarl who has close commercial ties with both the Dominion, the Empire, the Thieves Guild AND the Stormcloaks, is ALSO heavily implied to have had an hand in the assassination, without however tying it to the Dark Brotherhood for some reason.

We can also be glad they didn’t decide to add this quest to the game either. Elisif is already an INCREDIBLY wasted character in Vanilla, to waste and ruin her even more by simply fridging her out of nowhere and with no reward, only to then have her be cursed by her enemies as the man who plotted her murder seats on her throne all smug about it.

There is also another thing we need to keep in mind however, and that’s for the possibility that this, again, unfinished quest is missing other possible options. Boethia tells you a very specific line when you finish this quest after all:

Image Decription: “Remember always this: You need answer to no authority, neither mortal, nor divine... As you will it, so it shall be.”

The divine part is particularly important. Boethia is demanding for you to do their bidding (title drop), yet at the same time they claim everything should be done by your own free will. Maybe there IS a way to finish the quest without killing Elisif, to spite the Deadric prince by your own free will and not kill her.

Erikur is involved, so say there actually IS an assassin in the Blue Palace among the many, seemingly useless thanes and housecarls in Elisif court, among all her servants or guards? Maybe you have to beat them to the time to kill Elisif, or in turn you can also save her from them. You save Elisif, expose Erikur who is put in Jail/executed, his sister becomes the new Thieves Guild Plant for their missions, and Elisif now either trusts you alot and is willing to follow your advice and shit, or better yet has finally understood that she needs to be her own woman and shit, meaning that if this happens before season unending in season unending she will be far more assertive and will be far more proactive alongside Tullius, but in case of Stormcloak victories she will also die (In which case Erikur gets in power) as she attempts to assassinate Ulfric and probably dies in the process. (which you can stop or not, in which case the rebellion is in shambles even if Skyrim is indipendent now, and everything sucks even more than it would under Ulfric since the next in line for the throne is Galmar).

Either way after you find the second assassin and actually save Elisif (Maybe have hearts and apples involved for some nice Snow White symbolism? Important for later), either gaining her trust or making her a shrewder ruler as a result, maybe even both, Boethia will appear to you when you are finally alone.

They will congratulate you to have “outplotted” the lord of plots, much like Hircine congratulates you for hunting the hunters during his own quest, and for having followed your own free will, especially after having literally murdered a guy who had started doing the exact same thing (following his free will rather than Boethia’s orders), which would make you either incredibly stupid or incredibly far sighted, since now Elisif is on the path to become a ruler following the spirit of Boethia’s teaching, if indirectly, and you will be her trusted advisor, the only one who believed her when she realized there was a traitor in their midst, giving you (and Boethia as her champion) much power in turn.

Of course, this is me giving Todd way too much credit. The quest was probably as set up as it was in the scripts to the letter because Bethesda can’t stand the thought of a Girlboss winning, it was just never implemented, and all this new way to end it was never intended to exist, but you know, it’d be really nice if we did something with Elisif outside of the way she’s already treated in canon.

It’d be cliche in a way, and it’d be not as well written as I wished it was, but it would still be SOMETHING MORE than the way she’s treated in canon.

You know... Elisif the Fair... becoming Elisif the Girlboss. Under Boethia’s blessing. And with the Dragonborn kneeling at her side as her vizier and enforcer.

A Wicked Hunter befitting of the Fairest Queen of them all.

Wouldn’t that be rad?

[ladydaedra]

Scouting the Camp

Part: 11/?

Pairings: Ulfric x Dragonborn; Brynjolf x OC; Cicero x OC; Ondolemar x OC

Warnings: Descriptions of violence and gore: Skyrim takes on a bit of 'Game of Thrones' feeling; may contain controversial themes.

Wordcount:

~~~~~

"It's night, I say we wing it," Xaliyah argues from their spot on the hill above the Thalmor camp between Morthal and Solitude. They have set up camp and have been scouting the camp for two days now. 'just to make sure' is Taliyah's excuse for constantly scouting the camp, "I work best under the cover of shadows anyways,"

"We don't yet have the guard's shifts down and where they patrol," Tal explains, not looking up from the journal she brought to keep track of said things, the light of the fire flickering across her features, "and I am not going to have Ayla kill me when I tell her that you died trying to steal important information from a camp filled with Thalmor," she adds, looking up to give the thief a pointed look, telling her to not continue that train of thought.

Xaliyah sighs, falling back on to the ground, "I thought this was going to be a week-long thing," she admits and Taliyah chuckles.

"Miss him already, do ya?" the brunette asks and Xaliyah turns her head to the side to give the assassin a confused look. It has only been a few days since the kiss she shared with Brynjolf and that is all she can think about. Mainly because there is nothing to do but scout the Thalmor camp.

"That female wizard has returned to the main entrance while the male guard that was there goes to the back entrance," Taliyah points out before jotting it down in the journal, "it seems that during the nights there are only three guards posted. One at the main entrance, one at the back, and one in front of the tent that the leader sleeps,"

Xaliyah sighs from her spot on the ground, "so going at night is easier," she says before sitting up, "got it. I'll be back soon,"

"I know you're excited to steal something, but we don't know exactly where this information is or what it is exactly," the assassin says before Xaliyah can stand, "we cannot risk being reckless right now, you know that more than I do. You are the leader of the Thieve's Guild and they need you and you're the one going into danger. We need to do everything perfectly,"

Xaliyah grits her teeth before standing up, "I'm getting some sleep," she says before Tal can accuse her of disobeying her and going to the Thalmor camp, "seeing as all you want to do is check out Thalmor soldiers,"

Xaliyah smiles as she enters her tent, hearing Tal mumbling to herself, "I am not checking them out," she hears Tal mutter loudly as she climbs into bed.

~

"So I go in through here and leave the back way while the guards are switching posts?" Xaliyah asks Tal a few days later. It is midday and the group hasn't left their little campsite since they arrived. Too busy forming a perfect plan for Xaliyah to sneak in and out undetected.

"Yes and no," Tal explains, shaking her head, "the assassins surrounding the camp will lure each guard out one by one. There they will kill the guards and leave the camp defenseless. That is when you move in and steal any valuable information you can find,"

Xaliyah stares at the map of the Thalmor camp Tal drew in the dirt. It was a good plan and Xaliyah is glad she listened to Tal and waited for the assassins to show up from Dawnstar. There were five in total. A Redguard who calls himself Nazir and Tal's second, a little girl that is a vampire, as well as three recruits.

"When do we do this?"

"Tonight if you think you're ready for it," Tal replies, smiling at the thief's reaction. Even though she tries not to show it, the group knows that Xaliyah is excited to be done with this and return back to the base where Brynjolf is. Tal can only hope that the thought of returning to him doesn't cloud the thief's mind.

"But keep in mind that you will be alone in there," Tal adds and Xaliyah nods, "you may have to kill someone should they catch you,"

Everyone knows that the Guild tends to not kill their targets, regardless if they're caught. But Xaliyah has killed people before. This war was an example, but so was Mercer Frey. She flinches inwardly when she thinks of that weasel. How he separated her from Brynjolf and Karliah so long ago in that cave. How Brynjolf slipped from the ledge he and Karliah were on and how Frey focused on killing Brynjolf instead of her. The anger in Xaliyah at seeing the redhead targeted in such a vicious way.

"I can do it," she assures the assassin, who nods in response, "and I can do it tonight," that is when Tal decides to slow things down.

"Xaliyah, if you're trying to rush this to return to Brynjolf-"

Xaliyah shakes her head instantly, "it isn't, I promise, Tal," she explains quickly, "I want to get back so we can help with the war at the base. Who knows what has happened in our absence. The sooner we get this done, the better,"

~

Xaliyah crouches in a bush, looking at the camp, her eyes trained on the guard standing in front of the entrance. It is night and she is waiting for the assassin nearby to lure the Thalmor soldier into the woods. She glances up at the cliff above her where their camp is before she turns back to the Thalmor camp.

A stone hitting wood fills the area and this catches all three guard's attention. Xaliyah lowers her head when the targetted guard walks into the woods, sword drawn as he scans the area. He walks past her and she can soon hear a neck snap followed by a thud. Guard one has been taken care of.

She doesn't leave her bush until an arrow lands in front of her. The other two guards were disposed of. Game time. Taliyah walks towards the camp in a crouch, hood over her head. The fire has died down immensely and she can hear the shuffle of Thalmor soldiers in the two nearby camps.

It doesn't take Xaliyah long to find the main tent, which houses a tent with a table inside. A map sits on the table and there are red and blue flags on it. They've been following both sides of the war. She assumes that the Thalmor in this camp were assigned here to make sure if the Stormcloaks capture this hold or not and then report it to the Embassy.

Dirty bastards, Xaliyah thinks as she picks the lock of the chest nearby. She does so the first time and slowly lifts the lid. She pauses in her spot. There were so many documents in this chest. How could she possibly carry them all? She pulls out her sack and begins to stuff as many as she can in there until it was full. Shit.

Thank goodness there was another sack nearby. So now, she is emptying the chest of its contents before an arrow lands on the post of the tent she is in. She freezes. That means there is movement from the other Thalmor. She quickly grabs the last two documents before slowly closing the lid and hurrying out of the tent and into the darkness.

"Hey, who are you and state your business!" the Thalmor snaps when she steps right in front of him. She blanks, eyes wide. There was no lie she can come up with to explain why she is carrying two documents that obviously came from the camp.

"I...uh..." she stutters as the soldier draws his blade. Some thief she is. But before the Thalmor can swing, he falls to the ground, dead. Behind him stands a Redguard man, a bloody dagger in his hand. He smiles down at her and extends his hand.

Xaliyah hesitantly takes it and he pulls her up onto her feet, "you need to be more careful," he states as they begin walking back to camp, hidden by the dark forest, "if I hadn't been there, the mission would have failed and we would be hauling your body back to Ayla's base,"

Xaliyah looks at the man, brows furrowed, "you know Ayla?" she asks and the man chuckles a low chuckle.

"Everyone knows the Dragonborn," he replies as they near the camp, "I met her through Taliyah. The Dragonborn helped us with taking on a few contracts herself. If I had it my way, she would be in the Brotherhood, not leading a rebellion,"

"Thank goodness you're okay," Tal says as she rushes forward and hugs Xaliyah before stepping back and examining the Nord female, "and good, you got the important stuff. Which is a lot," she adds as she helps Xaliyah take the bags off and carries them into her personal tent.

"Thank you, Nazir," Tal says upon returning to the group, "I do believe the Guild owes us a debt since you just saved its leader," she says with a smug smile at Xaliyah, who rolls her eyes at the comment.

Nazir chuckles again and Xaliyah watches as Tal goes a bit stiff at the sound, "you asked me for my help with this mission and I was honored to, Listener," he says with a small bow, "I believe I will soon be discussing my payment with Delvin in the near future," he adds before walking off, "give me the word when you're ready to move out,"

Xaliyah waits until the Redguard is out of sight before smiling at a flushed Tal, "you like him," Xaliyah gushes, enjoying the fact that she can now tease the assassin on her love life. Tal glares at the thief and sighs.

"Do not," she says as she walks back to the camp and begins packing things up, "and besides, I am his boss and he is my second. It would be wrong to commit to such a relationship," she explains with a smug smile at an annoyed Xaliyah.

"Say what you want, but I saw how you reacted around him," Xaliyah replies as she begins helping Tal, "why are we packing up? Why not wait until morning?"

"And give the Thalmor below a chance to find us when they're searching for their missing soldiers? No thank you," Tal says as she begins tying one of the two tents to the back of her painted mare, "if we leave now, under the cover of darkness, we should be halfway to the base when they wake,"

Xaliyah doesn't reply, instead, she focuses on tying the two sacks to Caper's saddle before climbing onto it. She waits for Tal and the two trot out of the forest and onto the main road, where four assassins join them. Xaliyah glances at the newcomers and recognizes Cicero humming to himself and Nazir, who looks ahead of him with a neutral expression on his face. Beside him is a little girl who looks like she should not be an assassin and behind her is a blond Nord.

Xaliyah returns her gaze ahead of her and smiles at the thought of returning to the base and to Brynjolf.

[drunkdaisychains]

Aera the Fair

full story updated regularly  @

https://www.wattpad.com/story/258839356-aera-the-fair

Pairings: OCF/OCM, OC/Brynjolf

Warnings: Smut, killing, theft, fluff

Summery:Between the Butcher murders, lovers spats, and the war going one, it’s a wonder that there is any peace in Windhelm. Valun Stormcloak, son of  Ulfric, has taken an interest in a fair maiden adopted into clan Shattersheild. But she has an incriminating secret. Can she keep her man, avenge her family, and keep her secret or will she be cast out of the city, never able to see her family again.

An excerpt from Chapter 4

"Stop! Assassin!" The Markarth guards chased her towards the city gates. She had successfully planted the incriminating letter on her target but was caught sneaking out of his room in the keep. She dodged and swerved people as she sprinted from the scene. She just needed the shadows of the night to conceal her. As she stepped briskly down the steps and away from the city she tried not to concentrate on the burning building in her legs. Farther and farther they carried her as she dipped and dodged arrows flying from the guards bows. She finally saw it, the shadows along the side of the road that she'd slip into. As quick as she appeared she vanished, not even an invisibility spell needed tho she did have that power. As she controlled her breathing she heard the crunching of dirt as guards flew past her. 

"Damn. We lost her," one said after a moment of looking around. After another bit of sniffing the air they turned to return to their posts. She waited with a hand over her mouth until she couldn't hear them and her shoulders relaxed. She decided it was best to stick to the shadows the rest of her way back to the sanctuary. Forsworn had been attacking travellers for months and she knew they attacked in numbers. She was skilled but not against an army. Her journey was uneventful aside from the occasional wildlife, she made record time back to the sanctuary. Little did she know as she passed through the door, she would be met with aftermath. She was able to piece together the scene in moments and listened anxiously as the family discussed the moments that had just transpired. 

Oh Cicero. You should have waited until I got back. Thought to herself as Astrid had furiously turned to her. Her objective was simple, she wanted her husband home and alive… and avenged. 

"Take Shadowmere. You'll notice he's one of us," she suggested and Aera turned on her heel. She needed to get to her friend before that werewolf did and she needed to fix this. As she approached the black pond outside the sanctuary doors it began to boil. The sounds of galloping could be heard mixed with the bubbling and finally with a grand rear, Shadowmere appeared. 

"That's showy, even for you," she giggled at the horse. Shadowmere was more apart of the brotherhood than Astrid but Aera was not about to let on that she knew it. The Dark steed had been fabled in the Brotherhood as he was Lucien Lachance's ride. Shadowmere was family quite literally and had always wondered why she was not the one to inherit him. For her surname was LaChance, she was always destined to be an assassin like her ancestor. She dropped the last name,in favour of her nickname given to her in Bruma, when she crossed over the border. She didn't know that it was the same as the Jarl in Solitude but to change it after would have been suspicious.

She mounted Shadowmere and kicked him in the direction of Dawnstar. 

Upon arriving she was met with the scene of blood and a clearly injured Arnbjorn. She gave him a healing potion from her satchel and offered him Shadowmere. 

"Oh don't worry about me. I'll make it back, just make sure that bastard regrets it." He muttered before stalking off. 

"What is life's greatest illusion?" The ghostly voice belonging to the door asked. 

"Innocence, my brother," she answered. 

"Welcome home," as it opened toward her. The sanctuary was in rather nice shape for being abandoned. Desolate and home to only spiders but she could find comfort here if she had to. She summoned her ancestor to fight alongside her, greeting him as an old friend. 

"Ah Listener, the Night Mother has told me of your devotion," he growled. She was in awe but had no time to be struck as a spectral assassin materialized from the wall. Cicero's voice could be heard taunting her. She hoped he hadn't turned on her as well. She sliced through spectral assassin after spectral assassin, nearly being run through by traps set or set on fire. The cold ruins of whatever tunneled into the sanctuary made her breathe freeze. She could hear a weird growl before Lucien jumped past her and began fending off the troll. Once she shook off her shock she too joined in the quarrel. Finally after a gruelling tour through the snow and cobwebs, she burst into the door where Cicero's voice was clearest she had heard since she stepped through the door. She sheathed her swords and rushed to his side. Her friend was in a bad way and could use a potion. She dug through her satchel and uncorked the small red vial handing it to him to drink. 

"I won't kill you," she confirmed. Cicero had warned her that Astrid was a traitor and she had more reason to trust him than her. Lucien mumbled about a purification, much like the Cheydinhal she had begun at despite it being considered the Bravil chapter. 

"You must leave Cicero here so Astrid believes I am dead!" He exclaimed. 

"She'll have no choice but to believe me. I just hope she doesn't come check for herself," she said out loud. 

"Go now! Go tell the traitor you killed Cicero," he said scooting closer to the fire. She nodded and turned on her heel to make the journey back. 

While the journey back wasn't as bad now that she was on the best steed for an assassin to be paired with, she was worried about Cicero. When she wasn't worrying about his well being her mind wandered over to Valun. She would reminisce their tumble together and how he gave her what she couldn't find in Brynjolf or the sailors who would always propose to her. She had even considered Thrynn before he showed how belligerent he was on mead. They all had excitement and mystery. They would all be able to give her a fair life, but whether they wanted to or she wanted them to was up for debate. But with Valun she also received a comfort she had never had. It was easy to be with him and forget about her secrets with him. It was just when she would think of them again they would hit her like a ton of bricks and he would be right there kissing away her worries, trying to convince her to be his bride. 

Thankfully Astrid not only believed her, but sent her on the next step for the grand scheme they had planned. She had to find the author of the popular cookbook "uncommon taste" and steal his identity. First she needed to go to Markarth to locate him. She used her travel time on Shadowmere to prepare her alibi and to make her travel decisions. She would prepare for the possibility of an extended time away while they dealt with the final mark. Killing the emperor was no small task and she wanted to ensure there was no way she would be compromised if she had to stay away longer. The chef in Markarth was easy to get the information from, and simply having the kitchens closed off already while he slept made it perfect to stuff a cloth in his mouth when she took his life. This job was far too easy, the cook, innkeeper, and even the bard at the inn almost jumped at the opportunity to tell someone the orc was in their basement room. Foolish of them to not be more discrete. Lugging the large Orsimer into the hiding place was the hardest part. It made her arms burn to pull herself up the ladder after. It was finally time to make history. She rode up to the Solitude gates, Jarrin root in her pocket. She had changed into fine clothes and a chef's hat so to look the part she was playing. 

The writ worked to allow her access and soon she was in the kitchen with the regular castle dour cook stirring away at the base of a potage le magnifique. She took some creative liberties while cooking before placing the Jarrin root into the stew and watching it dissolve quickly. The cook picked up the pot and carried it painstakingly slowly into the dining room where the Emperor sat with nobles from all over Skyrim. She placed herself on the side of the table closest to the door for a quick escape. When his face landed in his bowl she was already turned around and sprinting to the door. Unfortunately that's where she would be stopped by Commander Maro, angry and vengeful. 

"As of right now your sanctuary is being put to the sword," he growled, the words were like fire in her ears. Her last home, destroyed by the Empire. She must have looked as crazy mad as Cicero did because there was an unsure look in Maro's eyes as she ran up to him with her swords drawn. Immediately she used both blades to slice his head off, as if he were softened butter. It rolled down off his neck and to his guards feet as she sheathed the bloody blades and sprinted down the tower steps. She dodged soldiers left and right knowing she had to get to the sanctuary as fast as she could. She used the city walls the same way she had when she killed the Vicci girl at her own wedding. The walls were able to limit her exposure to flying arrows and pursuing guards, her lungs burned as she pushed to keep going as fast as she could. 

She burst through the gate doors before they could lock them and took a running start at Shadowmere, who seemed to know exactly what to do as he began trotting in the other direction before launching into a sprint before she was properly seated. 

"We have to go home Shadowmere, they need us," she said to the steed as she fumbled with a stirrup to give relief from the bouncing. Her eyes watered both from the worry and from the wind. When she made it up to the sanctuary she could see the horses and soldiers waiting. Shadowmere charged them, rearing and attacking them as Aera hopped off. She spun with her blades out, cutting through the skin exposed from where the armour couldn't protect. She whirled around ensuring no one but her and Shadowmere would survive this fight. Finally as the soldiers lay in pools of their own blood she turned to the door and rushed in. 

Fire, oil that was used to cause the fire, and bodies were everywhere. She stabbed the two soldiers who advanced on her almost as if they were an afterthought and rushed deeper into the burning hall to find survivors. Veezara and Festus' bodies were burned and almost unrecognizable. Gabriella and her spider were nowhere to be found and Arnbjorn was a werewolf, attacking a group of soldiers at once before succumbing to his injuries too. She rushed to the dining hall to find Nazir fighting more of the assailants and she immediately joined in. 

"You're alive!" Nazir yelled over slashing and clashing. 

"Can't say the same for everyone else," she yelled back clearly distraught. The last soldier was run through with a final slash of her sword and she was able to turn to the blood splattered Alik'r. They both launched into a search for survivors until she heard the ghostly voice calling to her. She was in the night mother's room and she was requesting her to step into the coffin. Aera was hesitant but obliged as she is the chosen listener.  She closed her eyes trying to block out the heinous trauma that had just occurred. 

  "Sleep…" the voice soothed.

[varricmancer]

Intertwined | 2

*** Cross-posted on AO3 ***

Pairing: Farkas x F!OC

Summary: A child of Mara was a soul blessed and bound to its mate for all eternity. Elizabeth Williams is summoned to Mara as a lost soul, only she’s from modern America and her mate is somewhere in the wilds of Skyrim.

A/N: Quick note - Don't worry! I don't plan on rehashing the script the entire time. This part was just essential so that Elizabeth recognizes where she is and what's going on.

***

She’d gone to college so she’s woken up to some horrible things before - puke in the bed, strange houses, dates that were definitely a product of beer goggles. She couldn’t ever remember feeling this horrible, however, not even during the worst hangover in her memory.

Elizabeth’s entire body ached, from the pounding in her head to the sharp stabs of pain in her ankles. The pain was amplified every time whatever she was in would hit something and bump her. If she was in a car they were the slowest drivers of all time, and they had the top down. The sun was piercing through even her closed eyelids. She tried to bring her hand up to shade her eyes from the painful light, only to realize she couldn’t.

She tried to crack open her eyes instead, but she was still groggy and her vision slightly blurred. She took a sniff instead, immediately recoiling. Overwhelming amounts of body odor, spoiled food, and what certainly smelled like shit of both human and animal variety.

Where the hell was she?

Someone groaned next to her and she finally managed to focus enough to see clearly. She looks up into the grim face of a strange man. His blonde hair was scraggly and clearly hadn’t been washed in ages as it hung around his face. He wasn’t ugly, just kinda dirty. Like, Kurt Cobain after a roll around in some dirt.  

“Hey, you’re both finally awake. You were trying to cross the border right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush same as us and that thief over there.”

She looks around, finally noticing that she’s in the back of an old rickety wooden wagon, the kind that they usually put in old westerns or other period movies. There are several men stuffed in the back with her, all of them with their hands tied in thick rope. The one nearest the back of the wagon is even gagged. She looks down at herself and notices that she is indeed tied up too, but she also has an extra rope tying to her the man next to her. The one blinking up at her groggily with red eyes set in a face of grey.

Okay...so she guesses she’s still dreaming? Her head really fucking hurt and she could barely think straight, but she felt like she knew what was going on. If only her head would stop pounding enough for her to concentrate.

“Damn you Stormcloaks... Skyrim was fine until you came along! Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn’t been looking for you I’d have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell. You there, “ he nods towards the grey man next to her, who stops glaring at his ropes long enough to lift a questioning eyebrow at the angry brunette man. “You and me, we shouldn’t be here. It’s these Stormcloaks the Empire wants.”

“We’re all brothers and sisters in binds now,” says dirty Kurt.

“Shut up back there!”

Elizabeth startles at the sudden shout, turning to look at the drivers themselves. They were wearing what looked like medieval armor. She even spotted a glint of metal on their hips, like they were carrying real swords. She gulped and spared a look at the grey guy still tied to her, noting that he looked just as freaked out as her even if the proud tilt of his head remained.

“What’s wrong with him, huh?” The angry brunette man snorts and nods his head towards the large gagged man in the back.

“Watch your tongue! You’re speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King.”

Apparently, dirty Kurt had said something truly terrifying, because angry brunette looked ready to piss his pants. “Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You’re the leader of the rebellion... if they’ve captured you... oh gods, where are they taking us?”

“I don’t know where we’re going, but Sovngarde awaits.”

“No, This can’t be happening! This isn’t happening!”

Angry brunette looked on the verge of a panic attack and she was afraid his terror was infectious because she was starting to freak out herself. Her mind was finally clearing of the painful fog and she realized she knew this scene. She’d seen it play out a million times. She could quote it word for word if asked.

“Hey, what village are you from horse-thief?”

“Why do you care?”

“A Nord’s last thoughts should be of home.”

“Rorikstead. I’m from Rorikstead.”

“General Tullius sir! The headsman is waiting.”

Everyone in the wagon turns to watch as two official-looking men meet to talk. Elizabeth swallows thickly when she recognizes Hadvar. Fucking Hadvar.

“Good, let's get this over with.”

“Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh! Divines, please help me!” Angry brunette mutters loudly, rocking back and forth in his seat. What was his name again? Something with an ‘L’ she thinks.

Dirty Kurt - who she now realizes is Ralof - scoffs at the men. “Look at him! General Tullius, the Military. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. Damn elves, I bet they had something to do with this.” He pauses and looks around the filthy little village. “This is Helgen... I used to be sweet on a girl from here. I wonder if Velod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in... Funny, when I was a boy Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe.”

Elizabeth feels her breath hitch as they turn the corner, the little scene where the father is ushering his child into the house so he wouldn’t witness the deaths scarily familiar.

The wagon is slowing even more, and she looks around, amazed that she could recognize everything. There’s Hadvar, waiting with his list. There’s his bitch of a Captain. There’s the chopping block. There’s the tower where Alduin...oh fuck.

“Get these prisoners out of the cart!”

The wagon stops with a jolt and she struggles to keep her balance. The grey guy (Dunmer, she recalls. Dark Elves) is someone that she doesn’t recognize but seems nice enough since he pushes his shoulder against her to keep her from falling over. She smiles timidly in thanks, and he nods briskly. She realizes he’s been silent the entire time. Could he be the Dragonborn? It would be a giant fucking joke on the entire world if she was.

“Why are we stopping?”

Ralof looks at the angry brunette with pity shining in his eyes.“ Why do you think? End of the line. Let’s go, we shouldn’t keep the gods waiting for us.”

Ralof stands bravely and leads the way out of the wagon, despite angry brunette’s panicked whining.

“No! Wait! We’re not rebels!”

“Face your death with some courage, thief.”

To be fair to the guy, Elizabeth was starting to feel like breathing was becoming difficult. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel her entire body shaking. To be honest, she was probably in the middle of both a panic attack and whatever shock did to the body. She felt almost detached and yet this still all felt almost too real.

“You’ve got to tell them we weren’t with you! This is a mistake!” angry brunette continues ranting.

“Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!” the female Captain shouted. Elizabeth glanced around nervously. Any moment now she was going to wake up. Hopefully, before she had to put her neck anywhere near the wooden block still stained with past kills.

Hadvar clears his throat and adjusts his papers before turning towards the gagged prisoner.

“Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm.”

They all turn to watch as the large man walks defiantly towards his place in line.

“It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric,” Ralof nods his head towards the man.

“Ralof of Riverwood,” he moves to his spot in line proudly.

“Lokir of Rorikstead.”

“No! I’m not a rebel! You can’t do this!”

Elizabeth flinches as angry brunette tries to make a run for it. She’d always thought this part was fucked up.

“Halt!” the Captain yells at him.

“You’re not going to kill me!”

Horrible choice for your last words, she thinks.

“Archers!”

Elizabeth observes in horror as the arrow flies through the air. Surprisingly enough it landed in his knee instead of his head or gut. He rolled around on the ground, groaning. Elizabeth thought she might be going a little crazy if all she wanted to do was giggle and make jokes about guards and arrows to the knee. Maybe the guard in Whiterun was angry brunette the whole time.

The Captain glares at the rest of the prisoners. “Anyone else feel like running?”

Hadvar crinkles his nose and looks at the Dark Elf man next to her.

“Wait... You there. Step forward.”

The man did his best to walk up to Hadvar without pulling her too much. He subtly eases her behind him and quirks an eyebrow at the soldier.

“Who are you?” Hadvar questions, glancing between him and the list in his hand.

“Sundrose Droleno,” the Dark Elf answers, his voice refined and currently sounding very bored and unimpressed with the entire affair. If Elizabeth hadn’t noticed the fear flashing briefly in his eyes while they were on the wagon, she would think him unaffected entirely.

“Another refugee?” Hadvar sighs. “The Gods really have abandoned your people, dark elf. Captain, what should we do? He’s not on the list.”

The woman sneers at him and shrugs. “Forget the list. He goes straight to the block.”

Hadvar frowns, obviously trying to hold back saying something. Finally, his shoulders droop and he looks at the dark elf, apology shining in his eyes but meaningless as everyone now knew how unfair this entire thing was.

“By your orders, Captain. I’m sorry. We’ll make sure your remains get returned to Morrowind. Follow the captain, prisoner.”

Hadvar finally notices Elizabeth behind the Dark Elf, frown deepening as he notes the combined rope.

“What’s going on here?”

“He tried to stop us from taking her,” one of the soldiers that drove the wagon answered. “Figured he’d come along easier if he had his...lady friend,” the soldier snorted, showing exactly what sort of friend he thought she was.

“Enough!” the Captain shouts. “Take care of her next. Whether she’s accomplice or camp whore makes no difference. She was with the rebels. Collect her name and stand her in line.”

“Captain, I don’t think…”

“Exactly. You’re not to think. You’re to follow orders. Or do you want to join them? Don’t think I’m not aware of where you’re from. A childhood friend of yours, perhaps?”

“No, Captain,” he swallows, shutting his eyes briefly before calling her forward.

“I’m sorry. What is your name?”

She swallows to wet her dry throat, answering softly, “Elizabeth Williams.”

Hadvar raises his eyebrow but scratches down the name. “And where do you hail from? High Rock?”

Elizabeth merely nodded her head, knowing that any other answer like, “Planet Earth,” or “Arizona,” would probably get her a trip to an interrogation chamber rather than waiting out here for the inevitable outcome.

He then waves for her to join the dark elf, no one thinking to bother untying them from each other before sending them to the block, apparently. As she steps up to her place, she searches the skies frantically for signs of Alduin. Unless her being here has changed things he should start heading over here soon. Hopefully, before they made her walk up for her turn.

She hadn’t realized how much she was shaking until the dark elf - Sundrose? - placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He leaned over slightly and whispered in her ear, “Don’t let them see your fear. Head up, little one.”

She exhaled harshly and nodded, squaring her shoulders as she resumed her search. That’s right, she’d be okay. This man next to her was the Dragonborn. She was going to live.

General Tullius walked towards Ulfric, his eyes burning with hatred and fanaticism.

“Some here in Helgen call you a hero, but a hero doesn’t use a power like the voice to murder his king and usurp the throne.”

Ulfric growls warningly from beneath his gag, but the General ignores him.

“You started this war, flung Skyrim into chaos. And now the Empire is going to put you down and restore the peace.”

Finally, the sound that Elizabeth had been waiting for rang through the skies. The far-off roar of a dragon.

Hadvar looked around nervously. “What was that?”

“It’s nothing. Carry on.” General Tullius snapped, eyes never moving from Ulfric.

Captain Bitch salutes him. “Yes, General Tullius!” She turns to the priestess they’ve so thoughtfully provided. “Give them their last rites.”

The drably clothed woman nods and turns towards the line of prisoners.

“As we commend your souls to Aetherius, blessings of the 8 divines upon you-”

“For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with,” one of the Stormcloak soldiers snaps and marches towards the chopping block. Elizabeth swallows nervously, because holy shit, was she really about to see someone decapitated?

The priestess stops and stammers, looking at the soldier with a mixture of confusion and pity. “As you wish.”

“Come on! I haven’t got all morning!” The soldier bellows. Some of his fellow soldiers snicker, not seeming surprised by this turn of events at all. He takes one last look at Ulfric and they share a nod before he drops to his knees and presses his face to that horribly stained wood.

“My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?”

Elizabeth holds her breath as they step on the man to hold him down, and she watches in horror as the axe falls and -

A hand quickly grabs her head and turns it towards the side, and she finds shelter in the dark elf’s shoulder. Unfortunately, she could still hear the moment metal met flesh and the horrifying thud as they simply kicked the body to the side like trash.

“You Imperial bastards!” One of the Stormcloak’s yelled at the executioners, spitting into the dirt.

The gathered crowd of villagers were screaming a different tune - “Justice!” and “Death to the Stormcloaks!” were the most common. The first taste the game gave you of differing views and sides.

Ralof sighed and she peeked out of Sundrose’s arm to watch him stare proudly at the corpse. “As fearless in death as he was in life.”

Captain Bitch stood at attention, smirking gleefully at Sundrose. “Next, the dark elf!

The distant roar of a dragon grew closer.

You’re an asshole, Alduin, but right now I’d really like you to hurry and get here, she thought.

Hadvar dropped his hand to the hilt of his sword, searching the skies himself.

“There it is again... did you hear that?”

Captain Bitch ignored him, too power-mad to pay attention to anything else.

“I said... Next. Prisoner.”

One of the Imperial soldiers grabs Sundrose’s arm, yanking him forward.

“To the block prisoner. Nice and easy.”

To her horror, they still hadn’t untied her, so she was pulled right along with him and expected to stand at his side as they executed him. She definitely wasn’t picking Imperials this playthrough.

Sundrose knelt gracefully, turning his head to face her.

“Close your eyes, little one,” he said softly, watching her as the headsman raised his axe.

“No need. He’s here,” she grinned, even as terror filled her at the very real Alduin flying close and landing on the stone building behind them. He roared, sending everyone around them into a panic.

“What in Oblivion is that?!” Hadvar yelled.

Elizabeth waited for Captain Bitch and the General to be caught up in the panic before reaching down to help Sundrose to his feet. They both stood there watching as Alduin set the little town ablaze, killing most of their would-be executioners instantly.

Suddenly Ralof appears and grabs Sundrose’s arm, tugging him towards one of the buildings.

“Come on! The guards won’t give us another chance! This way!”

They both run along after Ralof, with the still gagged Ulfric not far behind them. They rush into one of the still mostly intact buildings, slamming the door behind them. Ralof pulls a dagger off of one of the bodies inside, using it to slash all of their ropes. Elizabeth sighs and rubs her burning wrists in relief.

Ralof turns to Ulfric, his eyes wide in wonder - and though he would probably never admit it - a touch of fear.

“Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?”

Ulfric finishes untying his binds and spits out his gag. “Legends don’t burn down villages.”

Alduin’s roars outside rattle the building as he nears their location, all of them looking worriedly at the walls.

“We need to move, now!” Ralof bellows, gesturing for them to follow him upstairs.

They all run until they can’t anymore, finally facing a dead end. The rest of the stairs had been smashed off by Alduin, leaving nothing but a giant hole in the stone wall.

“See the inn on the other side?” Ralof asked, turning to the two behind him. “Jump through the roof and keep going! We’ll follow when we can!”

And here she was, the end of Skyrim chapter one. She startles as Sundrose suddenly jumps without a word. She rushes towards the hole, watching in awe as he neatly lands with a slight roll, before standing up and dusting himself off.

He looks up with a charming grin and reaches both of his arms out.

“Jump, little one. I’ll catch you.”

Elizabeth gulps and walks trepidly towards the edge. She steels herself by taking a few deep breaths, staring at Sundrose as she launches herself from the edge.

Time suddenly stood still as she registered the roar of the dragon was far too close for comfort. She could feel the sweltering breath as he opened his mouth, the stench of sulfur bringing tears to her eyes. Then came the scent of searing flesh as her pained screams filled the air. The last thing she heard was the cry of horror from the man below her.

She supposed as far as ways to die went, this was probably up there. Death by video game. That wasn’t a video game. And it wasn't a dream. Because she was in Skyrim and she was very, very, awake.

***

[tes-trash-blog]

So, uh, a while back you mentioned making a post about how Prisoner McNord might affect the player experience/perceptions of the "default" and I would be super interested in reading that

So!

I have a few thoughts already on what is considered “default” in Skyrim to be expanded upon in a future shitstorm rant (it’s on the list, between Almalexia Is Interesting Actually and Even More Crying About Snow Elves Part 17: My Tears Have Become Sentient And Are Also Crying).

And as always, keep in mind that Skyrim is coming up on 9 years old, elements of it have not aged well, and this is in no way, shape, or form meant to be a “If you like Skyrim then you’re Bad” rant. In case you haven’t noticed, I kind of love that game. It has flaws; all games do, and frankly it’s a miracle this game is as solid as it is. The writers are that, writers. They had deadlines to make, hardware limitations to consider, and above all else, worked for a company that wanted to make money.

To keep this relatively short I’ll focus on how your perception of Skyrim is influenced by the first few minutes of the game via Ralof, the Nordiest Nord to Nord since Ysgranord, and how the writers really, really really wanted you to hold on to that perception.

Overanalysis and spoilers (Metal Gear Solid, Borderlands, and Bioshock respectively yes this will all make sense in context) under the cut.

Part 1: How To Make A Perspective In Three Easy Steps

As the saying goes, first impressions are lasting impressions. This is evident in.. well, every bit of media you can find. The first chapters of a book, the first episode of a show, the first 15 minutes of a video game, all as a general rule:

1.) Introduces the setting, a part of the main plot, and with these two, sets the tone of the medium (high fantasy movie, light hearted TV show, mystery series, horror game, etc.). Exceptions exist, especially in horrors, mysteries, and certain visual novels, but even these exceptions rely on setting a tone so they can subvert your expectations later on.

2.) Give you an idea of what is going on. This is normally accomplished with exposition of some sort; Star Wars had its famous screen crawl expositing the dark times in the Galaxy, Borderlands literally begins with “So, you want to hear a story..”, Metal Gear Solid briefs Solid Snake (you, the player character) on a vital mission to save two hostages and end a terrorist threat, so on and so forth. And again, there are exceptions: Bioshock purposefully disorients you with a plane crash in the middle of the ocean so you’re inclined to trust the first person who talks to you.

This all serves to suspend disbelief, immerse you, and earn your trust. This is a new world, you have no idea what’s going on, so you’re gonna take cues from someone who does. Combine points 1 and 2, and that..

3.) Gives you an idea of what is “good” and what is “bad”. Damn near every story has a central conflict, you gotta pick a side, and there’s gonna be a bias as to which one is superior or morally just. Using Bioshock again, this mysterious man named Atlas guides you through the first level, and tells you how to fight and survive in the hostile environment of Rapture; meanwhile, Andrew Ryan taunts and belittles you, and also has a giant golden bust of himself. The shorthand is: Atlas is humble, helpful, and good, while Andrew Ryan is a megalomaniac who wants you dead. Leaning on Borderlands again, the first voice you hear is literally a guardian angel telling you not to be afraid, and that you are destined to do great things. Once more with Metal Gear: Your organization and your commanders are good, you are good because you’re saving innocent people, and FOXHOUND is bad because they’re terrorists who have the means to launch a nuclear warhead.

Keeping all this in mind, let’s do a quick runthrough of the first, let’s call it 15 minutes of Skyrim. No commentary on my end, just a play by play of the beginning of the game.

Part 2: First Impressions In Action

You wake up on a cart. Your vision is hazy, and you are clearly disoriented. You see a man bound and gagged, another man in rags, and several men dressed like soldiers. Everyone on the cart is tied up, and the people driving the cart are wearing a neat, vastly different uniform.

Then comes the famous line: “You! You’re finally awake! You were caught trying to cross the border, got caught in that Imperial ambush same as us, and that thief over there!” The thief bitterly remarks how these damn Stormcloaks had to cook up trouble in a nice and lazy Empire. The Nord who first spoke with you nobly says that we’re all brothers and sisters in these binds.

The presumed Imperial tells you all to shut up. Undeterred, the thief and the Stormcloak provide more exposition: The gagged man is the leader of the resistance, is supposedly the true High King, and since he’s on the cart, it’s clear that everyone on board is bound for the executioner’s block. The thief is terrified; the Nord accepts his fate, but takes a moment to opine on better days when he flirted with girls and “when the Imperial walls made him feel safe.” There is also a remark about General Tulius and the Thalmor agents; the Nord, in a rare bit of anger, damns the Elves and insinuates they had a hand in this capture.

It’s execution time. General Tulius gives a speech about how Ulfric started a civil war and killed the former High King; Ulfric, being gagged, cannot say a word in defense. A Stormcloak is executed to mixed reactions (“You Imperial bastards!” “Justice!”, etc.). The thief runs away; he is shot by Imperial archers, demonstrating the futility of escape. It’s your turn. The Nord in Imperial armor states you’re not on the list; the Imperial captain doesn’t care and orders you to the block anyway.

You see the headsman’s axe rise up when, as if the gods intervene, a dragon appears and interrupts your execution. In the chaos, you run with the Stormcloaks. The game does not give you the option to run away alone, or with the Imperials; until you meet Hadvar again in the fire and death, you take orders from Ulfric.

Part 3: The Crux

A lot happens in the first few minutes of Skyrim. You’re disoriented from being unconscious, and that’s compounded by your two near death experiences (point 2), the first person you meet is a calm, almost reassuring mouthpiece of exposition while the other side, at best, doesn’t care if you die (points 2 and 3), one major aspect of the plot is revealed (point 1, and the tone is that this is a classic Rebellion story).

And people love rebellion stories. Americans especially; we spend billions on the day when a bunch of white guys said “fuck you” to a bunch of other white guys. With the additional layer of when Skyrim was developed, by who, and in what landscape it was written.. Yeah. There may be two ways to go for the Civil War questline, but for most players (myself included!) their first gut instinct is going to be “side with the guys who didn’t just try to kill me.”

It’s the same song and dance. In Bioshock, your instinct is to trust the Irish guy who wants to help you get out of Rapture alive, but he needs your help first. In Borderlands, your instinct is to trust the woman who is literally called a guardian angel, and she shows her compassion by asking you to help the people of Fyrestone and the poor robot who got hurt in a gunfight. In Metal Gear, your instinct is to shut down the threat because terrorists are evil and these ones are not just terrorists, they’re deserters. Hell, even in other Elder Scrolls games the plot is laid out by helping hands: you’re a prisoner being contacted by your murdered friend, and given the goal to stop Jagar Tharn (Arena), you’re a Blades agent tasked with putting a vengeful spirit to rest that leads you to a weapon that can secure the Empire’s power (Daggerfall), Azura literally tells you not to be afraid, and that you destined to stop an old threat (Morrowind), and a soon-to-be-assassinated Emperor voiced by Actual Grandpa Patrick Stewart recognizes you in a prophetic dream (Oblivion).

Where Skyrim departs from these games, and even the other Elder Scrolls titles, is how much it enforces the first thing you see as solidly good and evil, and how little it tries to subvert that perception. Remember point 2, when the game makes it clear that this person is trustworthy? Therein lies the bread and butter of psychological horror, mysteries, and heart wrenching plot twists: that trust gets tested, and often broken.

The rebel leader Atlas? He’s somehow more evil than Andrew Ryan, and has subtly controlled you the entire time with a command phrase (“Would you kindly..?”). You are unable to stop yourself when you bludgeon Andrew Ryan to death at Ryan’s command. “A man chooses,” he tells you. “A slave obeys.” His final words are him telling you that you are a puppet, only able to obey.

The end of Borderlands reveals that “Angel” was watching you the entire time.. from a Hyperion satellite. You were tricked into opening a Vault holding back a dangerous monster, and you don’t even know why. Borderlands 2 goes further into just what (or rather who) Angel is: a teenage girl and a powerful Siren, used by her own demented, evil, father, Handsome Jack, to manipulate the Vault Hunters and gain more power for himself. Her final mission given to you is simple: she wants you to set her free and end her father’s mad march to power by killing her.

Metal Gear Solid ultimately plays it straight in that you stop the terrorists and disable the nuclear threat, but you don’t emerge from the rubble as an action hero; you’re forced to kill your own brother, the terrorist cell is revealed to be composed almost entirely of people exploited by your organization, and you secretly carry  a virus designed to kill the people you were trying to save. War, as it turns out, is not as clear-cut as “we good, they bad”. The people you’ve killed without thinking are your genetic brothers. Sniper Wolf, the assassin who shot your commander’s niece, survived a genocide and has never known a life outside of war. Psycho Mantis’ telepathic gifts were exploited by both the KGB and FBI until he lost his mind. Ocelot is Ocelot.

Oh, but those are other games. What about The Elder Scrolls? Well..

In Daggerfall, your search for hidden correspondence leads you to finding the Mantella, a sort of soul gem that can power the superweapon everyone wants: The Numidium. There are six entities total who want the Mantella, some for their personal gain, one to make a home for his people, and one so he may finally die; the Underking’s soul is in that gem, you see, and he’s been trapped in this misery since the days of Tiber Septim.

In Morrowind, Dagoth Ur recognizes you not as a schlub with a dummy thick journal, but as his oldest and dearest friend. The Empire who guided you for so long? They’ve manipulated you into taking down the Tribunal, destroying the one weapon that could stand against their might, and depending on your interpretation of “then the Nerevarine sailed to Akavir”, have possibly killed you.

And what of everyone’s favorite game in the series to mock? Surprise! Oblivion isn’t even about you, hero! It’s about the actual chosen one, Martin Septim! Sure you can join the Thieves’ Guild and cavort about as Grey Fox, or uncover the traitor of the Dark Brotherhood, or run off and become the Mad God.. but none of those events actually acknowledge you. To be the Grey Fox is to literally be forgotten, by the time the Dark Brotherhood questline is complete there is effectively no more Dark Brotherhood, and to become Sheogorath is to lose yourself entirely. The Hero of Kvatch is one who is ultimately forgotten. Your actions were important, have no doubt, but such is the fate of the unsung hero: they’re not sung about.

Even Arena plays a little bit with your expectations in that the Staff of Chaos alone isn’t enough to stop Jagar Tharn; you need friendship (just kidding it’s a magic gem in the Imperial Palace). Skyrim.. kinda glosses over that. They land a few punches, but for them to stay with you, you have to keep an open mind.

Part 4: Why does that matter?

Because if your expectations are never subverted, your trust never tried in any meaningful way, then your perception of a very specific, spoon-fed worldview is never challenged. The trust you build with a group that is, in essence, a fascist paramilitary cult is never shaken in any way that’s meaningful. You get some lines intended to evoke sadness when you sack Whiterun, but by then it’s too late. Not that it matters; at the end of the Stormcloak questline, there’s not much question about who was in the right. You never lose friends or allies; the Jarls in the holds change, but is there much difference between Idgrod Ravencrone and Sorli the Builder? You might feel a little guilty when you see the Dunmer forced to live in the slums, but then the haughty High Elf says that she didn’t laze around and instead made a name for herself, or the Dark Elf farmer who complains about his snowflake kinsmen harping on about “injustices”. The Argonians seem decent until you meet the skooma addict/thief, and the Khajiit.. let’s just say that even if we disregard the two Khajiit assassins sent to kill you, there exist a lot of extremely harmful stereotypes that none of your friends dispel. They commit no horrific war crimes in your presence, the worst you hear is a Nord (normally a bandit) yell “Skyrim is for the Nords!”, or the clumsy Welcome to Winterhold script where a Dunmer woman is harassed by two Nords; one’s a veteran, by the way. Got run through the chest by an Imperial craven, or so the story goes.

Your only chance to rattle the Nord-driven story is to go against your gut feeling and side with the Imperials (the plotline is pretty weak, not gonna lie), or complete the optional quest No One Escapes Cindha Mine where you see what a Stormcloak sympathizer does to the Forsworn. Even if you complete that quest, the Forsworn still attack you. “They’re savages,” say the Nords, and the game isn’t too inclined to say otherwise.

When it comes to portraying the Nords in any light that’s not negative, Skyrim doesn’t deliver like it did in other games. You saw what life is like in Morrowind under Tribunal rule; it’s not great. The Houses are almost universally awful and they have slaves. You see the destruction in Cyrodiil and hear the rumors on how much the Empire is flailing with the Oblivion Crisis. Hell, even Arena tells you that life in Tamriel kind of sucks, but it’ll suck a little less when Tharn is dead.

That doesn’t happen in Skyrim. You are encouraged to join the sympathetic Stormcloaks, you find out your destiny as Dragonborn, and you set all these things right. Of course you do. You’re a hero, baby. Others have gone on about how storybook the Dragonborn questline is so I won’t go too much in, but that’s it exactly: Storybook. You’re Neutral Good. You’re going to kill the bad dragon that wants to do its job and eat the world. 

And that refusal to really examine the nuances and horrors of war, to consider what it means to be a hero that is never morally challenged or forced into a Total Perspective Vortex, to never challenge an extremely biased perspective or even explore its “logical” conclusion?

It leads to extremely dangerous ways of thinking if unchecked.

[ivisite]

DRAGONBORN 30 DAY CHALLENGE

Day 16 - On Skyrim

Is Skyrim for the Nords, or should anyone be welcome?:

Saoirse thinks Skyrim should be open to all visitors. She doesn’t like racism but even races aside, she likes money and the more people and wares that cycle through Skyrim, the better the economy. Business wise, having open doors would be a great thing.

Describe how they feel about the treatment of Dark Elves (especially in Windhelm):

She thinks it’s pathetic. There’s no reason that anyone should be cast aside like that in the first place but what’s worse, Ulfric doesn’t even send help to the Grey Quarter to keep it safe. What’s it matter what a person looks like? If they work hard or at the very least contributes in even the smallest sense, they ought to have a safe environment to live in.  

And the Argonians:

Also pathetic. Once again, she sees no point in keeping such strict borders between the races. Ulfric and the like of his type are just afraid of “outsiders” because they don’t take the time to understand them. Maybe it’s because she’s traveled all over Tamriel but she has no sympathy for the racists of her homeland after having visited and worked with all types of people/races. They deserve respect just as anyone else.

Do they think Khajiit should be allowed inside cities?:

She feels strongly about this topic in particular. Having ran off from her Father and being taken in by a Khajiit Caravan, she has a special connection to the Khajiit people. The moment she was old enough, the matriarch of the caravan trained Saoirse in the art of bartering and sneaking around so to prepare her for being sent into cities to sell the caravan’s wares. She’s always hated the stigma on Khajiits and will always help out caravans when she can. Whether it’s tracking down bandits that stole their wares or going into cities and selling their things for a cut of the profit, she’s all for Khajiit rights. 

Favourite hold and favourite city/town:

When she first returns to Skyrim and escapes Helgen, she might be heard saying that Whiterun Hold is her favorite of the holds. She avoids the Rift around this time, too, so one might could make the guess that the Rift was her least favorite. 

Once she decides to go pay off her debt and answer the Greybeards, however, she sets up shop in Riften. While Riften is a terrible city, save for a vague sense of sentiment, she falls in love with the Rift again. She wouldn’t have admitted it, but during her travels she was rather homesick and it was nice to return to her roots.  

How do they feel about secret Talos worshipers?: 

She pities them, if anything. Not one for religion, she thinks it’s stupid that they can’t pray and believe in what they want to believe in. The Thalmor are just as racist and bad as the Stormcloaks in this regard and the Empire by extension. Just because you can’t relate something doesn’t mean it’s bad. Once again, her motto of “minding your own and letting others mind theirs” takes over in this realm. 

I wanted to draw her outfits since I can’t seem to make up my mind on them OTL so here they are along with a small time-line.

gave up on shading ;;; OTL I had another idea mid-coloring and I honestly just wanted to finish. Writing is fun, turns out and this helps visualize it better.  I need to make a solid time-line for her since I’m writing her fanfic now, so I suppose this is...a rough start :’D

[eeveevie]

dragonborn challenge [10/30]

day ten - that blasted civil war

You knew this was coming– Legion or Stormcloaks? Or are they choosing to just stay out of it?:

Fiona stays out of the Civil War conflict—from the moment she arrives in Skyrim, while she’s saving the world from Alduin, and when she has a whole slew of other problems to solve—its not a high priority for her. Sure, it is an issue that she’s sure she could help resolve, but she doesn’t think it should be up to one person (especially her) to resolve the war.

Fiona is also a little…irritated with both sides of the conflict. As I mentioned before, if she had it her way, she’d make sure that neither Tullius nor Ulfric “won”. She works with the Greybeards to ensure that the peace treaty is upheld, though she has her doubts that either side will continue to abide by it—especially after Alduin’s defeat.

One of the main reasons why she stays out of the war is because it has followed her since she was a child, and she is sick of it. While you’d think that would mean she’d be eager to see its end, she can’t see a valid reason to support either side. But considering the Civil War forced her (and her family) out of Skyrim, and ultimately dragged her back in (to Helgen), she isn’t all that surprised that it continues on.

(I think this GIF is relevant to how Fiona feels about the situation)

Describe their feelings toward Ulfric Stormcloak:

Is *grumble, grumble* an emotion? Fiona understands and sympathizes with the idea of wanting religious freedom (she once told Ulfric how the Thalmor captured her parents on the suspicion of being Talos worshipers) but thinks Ulfric’s ideals are far too radical. (Not to mention racist—wtf Skyrim writers and their High Fantasy racism). Sure, Fiona is accepted into his ranks (she vehemently says no thank you) because she’s a Nord, but would it be the same if she weren’t? Fiona has nothing against being a Nord, or nothing against her fellow Nords, but Ulfric’s “True Nord” ways made her feel sick.

At first, the only reason Fiona goes to see Ulfric is unrelated to the Civil War and related to his time spent with the Greybeards. She valued his knowledge but found his personality off-putting. His dismissiveness towards any topic unrelated to the Stormcloak rebellion made Fiona realize that she was ultimately only a tool in his eyes—something she loathed. She even refused to become Thane of Whiterun for this reason.

And General Tullius:

Is *eyeroll* an emotion? Fiona has been tired of Imperial soldiers since living in Cyrodiil as a child. You’d think that would make her more accepting of the Empire, but she’s actually more inclined to see the corruption. Plus, she lived through the Great War and saw how this affected the Empire.

Through her interactions with Tullius, she simply does not understand why he is even in Skyrim. She knows it is likely that he was sent against his wishes, but it is clear that he is waging a war that he has no interest in winning. He doesn’t support the White-Gold Concordat (it wasn’t favorable to the Empire to begin with) and resents the Thalmor—something that he and Fiona have in common. And yet, he cannot see reason with Ulfric (or vice versa), which irritates the fresh-hell out of Fiona.

And Jarl Elisif, for that matter:

Fiona is fairly sympathetic towards Elisif, though by a small margin, as she is still at the end of the day, a political figure (and potentially a puppet of the Empire—Fiona is always skeptical of this but doesn’t believe this is the case with Elisif). But Fiona does give Elisif some credit with how she is managing court after her husband’s death. She feels that they are likely one in the same in how they internalize their emotional pain and thinks that the former High Queen is probably barely keeping it together under the surface and is probably very, very sad. For that, Fiona can’t help but feel a bit sad when she speaks with her and doesn’t mind carrying out the additional favor for the Jarl to help ease her mind.

Regardless of the Civil War’s outcome, Fiona would fight to ensure Elisif stayed Solitude’s Jarl, knowing that the woman does have the people’s best interests at heart.

Describe their feelings towards the Thalmor:

Considering the Thalmor captured and murdered her parents? Yeah, Fiona’s feelings towards the Thalmor aren’t that great. However, she can remove those feelings from High Elves in general. After the Great War ended, and the White-Gold Concordat treaty was created, Fiona was surprised at how favorable it was towards the Thalmor. Of course, she had no idea how difficult life would become for her in Cyrodiil in the years to come—first, her parents would be captured on the suspicion of being Talos worshipers, then she’d be sent away to relatives that didn’t even want her, soon after she’d learn her parents were dead.

When she arrives in Skyrim a decade later, Fiona isn’t surprised to find a Thalmor presence there either. However, she does have to be more careful with them as she is apparently on their “shit-list” as the Dragonborn…and apparently they make the connection to her being her parents’ daughter, which makes her double the target. Fiona isn’t afraid to fight back though if provoked, and each fight is a small revenge for what happened to her family.

previous |  ask about fiona

[everlock101]

Idea

This is an idea I’m developing for a Skyrim x Dragon Age Inquisition crossover. I can’t decide if I like it or not but I figured I’d share it. Tell me what you think. 

(Please remember that this is just an idea and is in no way a final product.) 

General Idea: 

Lucy Stormcloak ran away from her home in Windhelm at the age of seventeen and has been living on the run for over ten years. However, being at the wrong place, at the wrong time, she is scooped up along with a group of Stormcloak soldiers and sentenced to death for the mere fact that she is Jarl Ulfric’s daughter. However, before she can be executed a dragon attacks Helgen and she manages to escape but is sent on destiny’s path when she discovers that she is the Dragonborn, a legendary warrior. Under the direction of the mysterious Greybeards and with a little help along the way, she organizes the Inquisition, a powerful force created to deal with the dragon threat. With civil war brewing, a vampire menace growing, and the dragons coming back to life, she’s going to need all the help she can get.  

Main Characters

Cullen-Former vigilant of Stendar who left after experiencing major trauma and seeing the too vicious ways Vigilants sometimes dealt with suspected Daedra worshippers. He became a member of the Imperial army quickly rising through the ranks to become one of General Tullius’s most trusted commanders. 

Lucy meets Cullen during a meeting with General Tullius. Tullius, eager to have this dragon threat extinguished but unable to help much due to fighting the Stormcloaks, sends Cullen and some men to join the Inquisition. Cullen, due to his military experience, is chosen to be the Commander of Lucy’s forces. 

   Leliana-Spymaster for Jarl Balgruuf and former bard of the Bard’s College. Leliana also spent time in the temples of Mara but left before officially becoming a priestess. 

Lucy meets Leliana at the beginning of her adventure, shortly after arriving in Whiterun. Jarl Balgruuf, after testing Lucy’s abilities and discovering she is the Dragonborn, orders Leliana to go with her. Leliana is one of the founding members of the Inquisition and had a large hand in its organization.  

 Josephine-Personal ambassador of Jarl Elisef the Fair. Josephine came to this land as a child and was raised in the Blue Palace. She grew up a close friend of high King Torygg.

Lucy meets Josephine through Leliana. They are close friends and Leliana knew Josephine would come in handy. Elisef, eager to prove her loyalty and under the guidance of General Tullius, reassigned Josephine to the budding Inquisition to be the ambassador.  

 Blackwall-A wandering recruiter for the Dawnguard. He sends people to Fort Dawnguard to fight against the growing vampire menace. 

Lucy meets Blackwall after Lelliana discovers his whereabouts and urges Lucy to recruit him to the Inquisition. The Dawnguard are powerful warriors and having their aid could be beneficial. Blackwall personally decides to join but offers no promise that the rest will follow.  

Sera-A wood elf raised in the murky streets of Riften. While not technically a member of the thieves guild she’s had dealings with them in the past and her network of contacts makes trouble for nobles who treat the little people poorly.

Lucy meets Sera in Solitude when she sends Lucy a hidden message. Sera offers to join her inquisition in order to help stop the dragon menace but also wants to stop the Thalmor.  

Vivienne-Master wizard of the mage’s college who specializes in ice magic. She brought herself up from humble beginnings and has high ranking connections in every city. She is also close with the Thalmor but is not technically a member. 

Lucy meets Vivienne at the Thalmor Embassy after receiving an invitation from Madame De Fer. The arch-mage has asked her to help put a stop to the dragon menace and she is curious about this budding new power in the land.  

  Iron Bull- an Orc spy from one of the many strongholds. He runs a band of mercenaries who have become famous as being the best in Skyrim. Because his name is so difficult to pronounce he chose The Iron Bull to keep things simple. He does send reports back to the strongholds of any interesting going ons.

Lucy meets the Iron Bull and his band of mercenaries outside of Riften where they are clearing out a bandits nest. The Iron Bull offers his services under orders from several of the strongholds Chieftens but is honest about his role as a spy.  

  Dorian- a Breton noble and mage from High Rock, he came to Skyrim to investigate rumors of dragons and to check out the Mage’s College. He specializes in necromancy although he keeps that hidden as much as possible. 

Lucy meets Dorian while working to gain the aid of the other mages at the College. Aware of the threat and eager to prove that Bretons can be trusted, Dorian joins up with her. 

 Cole- a Daedra with memory loss, he used to be a Golden Saint guarding the realm of Shegorath but became more human as he spent time in Skyrim. His abilities gave him unique powers to see into other’s minds and vanish. He took on the memories of a young boy named Cole by accident and is wandering the land as a mysterious helper who unknots emotional pain before vanishing. He is a ghost story.

Lucy meets Cole during the battle of the Western Watchtower when he appears to aid against the attacking dragon. He saves Lucy’s life and helps her learn about her Dragonborn abilities. 

 Solas-a powerful wood elf mage with a strong connection to Atherius, the realm of spirits, dead, and gods. He harbors dark secrets and prefers to travel the land alone to discover new places in Atherius.

Lucy meets Solas in Riften after discovering that he is an expert on dragons and Atherius. She ends up searching for him off of intel from both Leliana and Cassandra. 

Cassandra- a former Blade with a strong connection to the Divine Stendarr. When the Blades were disbanded, Cassandra stayed in Skyrim as a guard in Jarl Balgruuf’s court but spent her time watching for the return of the dragons. 

Lucy meets Cassandra in Whiterun at the same time she meets Leliana. Desperate to stop the dragons, Cassandra is the one to present the idea of the Inquisition, an unbiased force to rise above the civil war and actually do something about the larger threat. 

Varric- one of the last dwarves in existence although he keeps that information a secret, pretending to just be a really short Nord. He is an official member of the thieves guild and deals mostly with shipping companies. His main home is in Whiterun and due to his wits and riches, has become a powerful noble.

Lucy meets Varric, who has been a thorn in Cassandra’s side ever since he got away with smuggling tons of goods through Whiterun, during her time there. Because of his familiarity with the Thieves Guild and the Ratways where Solas is apparently hiding at the moment, he offers his assistance in finding him.

Other Characters

Corypheus- a man who has been to Oblivion and back, he is the one raising the dragons, Alduin being his most powerful. He is determined to kill Lucy and rule as a God. 

Samson- a member of the Vigilants of Stendarr and a former friend and mentor to Cullen. The whole order was swayed by Corypheus when he promised to rid the world of Daedra. 

Dagna- another of the last dwarves and a member of the Mage’s College. Although she can’t practice magic she is the best enchanter in all the land. 

Krem- a member of the Iron Bull’s band and a Breton. He is the Iron Bull’s right-hand man, and a skilled warrior with abilities to dampen magical power.  

(Just to be safe, I do not own any of these characters.)   

[incorrectskyrimquotes]

The fallout from everything Eryn had revealed had been a bit disastrous. After the initial anger and shock, with both Thongvar and Thonar in Windhelm's prison until Ulfric can decide what to do with them, Markarth is left unstable.

Since Eryn had been the one to unravel the conspiracy, Ulfric sends her to Markarth to try and manage things. He even asked her if she would be a Jarl, which Eryn declined. (She has enough on her plate!). So he tasks her with finding the next one. He says he'll stop by the city soon enough, and they can both act like it was his choice in case things go south again.

While there, Eryn does her best to keep things together. With the sudden exit of the Silver Bloods, there is quite the power vacuum. Calcelmo had been a big help, even putting aside his Dwemer work to assist Eryn, but she knows he can't be Jarl, nor would he want to be. And even if he did, she gets the idea the people of Markarth would have trouble accepting an Altmeri Jarl. Though the city is, at least, much more tolerant than some other cities in Skyrim.

Eryn tries to run things for two weeks, during which she sends about ten letters to Ulfric asking him to please send someone who has experience in government or politics. This isn't her type of work, and she doesn't feel like she's doing a good job. And it keeps her so busy that she barely has time to think about who should be Jarl, she just knows it shouldn't be her.

Eryn really, really isn't built for politics and delegation and legislature. She's not actively fucking it up, but she is stressed out of her mind because she's scared she's going to.

Fortunately, Eryn does have allies in Markarth who help support her. Namely, anyone who would have been caught in the crossfire of the Forsworn and Silver Bloods. And it's not unknown that Ulfric Stormcloak, High King at this point, is almost always on Eryn's side. (Must be nice). Eryn is given Vlindrel Hall, but she doesn't stay there. She does give it to Rhiada, though. She still feels guilty about Eltrys.

Finally, Ulfric himself shows up. After being chewed out by Eryn for an hour, he calls the city together so he can announce the new Jarl. He says he's happy to allow Eryn to make the announcement, and he thinks it would be fitting. He doesn't know who Eryn has chosen.

Eryn just wants someone honest and courageous. Something that this city seems to sorely lack. Except...

"Margret, please step forward."

Eryn surprises everyone with that choice. Margret's history as an imperial agent is known now, so it seems odd that anyone would choose her to lead in a Stormcloak heavy government. But Eryn smiles, sure of a choice for the first time in a fortnight.

Margret was brave enough to tell Eryn, a Stormblade, who she really was, what she really was. Even knowing that Eryn could have reacted badly to learning there were still imperial spies and supporters around, she told the truth. Blood and Silver have long poisoned Markarth. There were too many lies to untangle, too much corruption to undo.

At first, Ulfric is skeptical (and pissed), but Eryn makes quite the case for Margret, citing her courage, honor, and integrity. Ulfric decides to trust Eryn's judgement, and at least the Reach is far from Windhelm.

And so, Jarl Margret (one of the first non-nord jarls!) Is able to fix Markarth. Vorstag becomes her housecarl, and Rhiada her Steward. And Eryn knows she made a good choice.

[ali-creates]

Fire and Night Chapter One (A Skyrim Fanfiction)

I’ve logged way too many hours into Skyrim to not write a fic about my character, Lavidia. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Skyrim Masterllist

All I wanted was a simple trip to Skyrim to visit the College of Winterhold, enjoy the aura in the clear starry night sky, explore the stone city of Markarth, maybe even climb the Throat of the World. I’ve even heard about some hidden moss caverns that stay beautiful year-round. The Rift looks like an autumn oasis during all the seasons. There’s even a rumor about a massive underground cavern hidden somewhere, filled with alchemical secrets I’ve only heard vague whispers of. I just wanted to explore a little, do some sight-seeing. But no, instead I somehow got roped into this damn civil war mess. I suppose that’s what I get for being a misinformed tourist. I should pay more attention to the barkeeps and their gossip. Maybe then I would’ve known about the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Army. I could’ve avoided Skyrim until the war ended. Then I wouldn’t be sitting here in the back of a jail cart next to the leader of the Stormcloak rebellion, Ulfric Stormcloak himself. I bet you’re wondering how in the hell did I end up in this situation. Yeah, me too. I was crossing the border into Skyrim from Cyrodiil. A snowstorm started sometime after I had left Frostcrag Spire, and I lost my way going through the mountains. I don’t know how, but I ended up way on the top of what I now know to be Froki’s Peak. As luck would have it, it happened to be slightly more sheltered from the blizzard than the rest of the peaks. So of course, that’s where I set up camp to wait out the storm. There I was, minding my own business, warming up by my fire and fending off frostbite. Enjoying my first glimpses of the starry sky in days, when the Imperial soldiers showed up. Four of them, brandishing their stupid swords and aiming their damn bow at me. Screaming about how I was violating the White-Gold Concordat. Demanding that I come quietly, or they were going to bring me in using force. That’s when I realized that I had been camping next to a Shrine of Talos, worship of which was illegal and punishable by death. Of course, they didn’t bother to listen to my lost, confused explanation of how I ended up there. Cold and startled, I let them strip me of my armor and weapons and tie me up to take to the jail in Helgen. Along the way, we met up with a convoy transporting several war prisoners. And that’s how I ended up riding to my death next to the leader of the rebellion, on my way to the chopping block because I wanted to see some damn lights. “And that’s how I ended up here.” I finished explaining to Ralof, another prisoner riding in the cart. “I’m sorry Skyrim’s beauty will be the cause of your death.” He sighed. “It’s a shame really.” “It is what it is, I suppose. That’s what I get for coming to Skyrim during the war.” I shrugged. By this point, I could see the walls of Helgen approaching. Our fate awaited us on the other side. “Wait, why are we stopping?” The thief, a cowardly fool, sounded absolutely terrified. “Why do you think? End of the line.” Ralof smirked sadly. “Let’s go, shouldn’t keep the gods waiting.” Ulfric stood up and jumped down from the cart, followed by the thief and then me. “No, wait, we’re not rebels!” The thief cried out. “Face your death with some courage, Thief.” “You have to tell them we weren’t with you!” “Hey, keep me out of this.” I held my bound hands up in front of me. “I may be here for an absolutely ridiculous reason but I’m still taking this like a warrior. Quit crying you milk drinker.” “Step towards the block when we call your name, one at a time!” A pretentious female voice called out, belonging to that of an Imperial captain. “Ulfric Stormclaok, Jarl of Windhelm.” A much softer, male voice sounded from in front of the group of prisoners. “It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric.” Ralof bowed his head. Ulfric said nothing, considering he was bound and gagged. He simply walked towards the chopping block. “Ralof of Riverwood.” The voice called again. Ralof bowed his head to me and followed Ulfric. “Lokir of Rorikstead.” “No! I’m not a rebel! You can’t do this!” The thief, Lokir, made a mad dash past the soldiers towards the gate. “Halt! Archers!” The Captain shouted. “You’re not going to kill me!” Within seconds, Lokir was crumpling to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his chest. “Did he really think he was going to make it?” I sighed and closed my eyes. “How was that any more dignified than just getting your head chopped off?” “Wait, you there, Breton. Step forward.” I turned my head to see the man with the soft voice was speaking to me. I smiled and stepped towards him. “Who are you?” “My name is Lavidia. I’m a traveler. I was born on the road, so I hail from nowhere.” I dipped my head to him. “I doubt you will find me on your list.” “She’s right, Captain.” He spoke softly after going down his list. “Her name is not on here. What do we do?” “Forget the list, she goes to the block.” The Captain huffed. Wow, damn bitch. If my hands weren’t bound I’d burn her to a crisp. “I’m sorry, Lavidia. Is there anyone I can send your remains to?” His eyes were soft and sad. “I’ll tell them the truth of your death.” “No, sir. There is no one.” I stepped closer to him. “Can I have the name of the last person to show me kindness before I die?” “Hadvar.” He put a hand on my shoulder and turned me towards the chopping block. “Peace to you.” “Thank you.” I walked forward and stood beside Ralof. The first Stormcloak soldier stepped up to the block and kneeled. The executioner raised his ax and brought it down to his neck, severing his head in one clean swipe. “As fearless in death, as he was in life.” Ralof stood solemnly, saluting his fallen comrade. A loud roar sounded in the distance. “What was that?” I leaned over to Ralof. “I don’t know, but it sounded huge.” “You there, Breton. You’re next.” The Captain ordered. The roar sounded again, this time closer. “There it is again.” Hadvar was looking around. “What is it?” “I said. Next. Prisoner.” The Captain put her hand on her sword and stared daggers at me. I took slow steps towards the chopping block. They hadn’t even bothered to move the Stormcloak’s body and head. I had to kick his body out of the way so I could kneel down and stare into his lifeless eyes and I rested my head on the block. I looked up at the executioner just as he swung his ax up, and saw a creature I had only heard stories about crash onto the tower behind him. A dragon, black as night, deadly creature of legend. Or, not anymore I suppose. It roared, and the executioner stumbled backward, dropping his ax in the process. “What in Oblivion is that?!” “Sentries! What do you see?” The Captain called. Are you blind and dumb? Does that big helmet cut off circulation to your brain? Can you not see the giant scaled beast perched right in front of you?? “It’s a dragon!” I took that as my chance and scrambled to my feet. All of the Imperial soldiers were distracted, staring at the dragon. Now is as good a time as any to make a run for it, considering they’re all not paying any attention to us. “Hey, Lavidia!” I turned to see Ralof crouching beside me. “This way! The gods won’t give us another chance! Hurry!” I followed him into a tower. Inside stood Jarl Ulfric, along with a few injured Stormcloaks. As Ralof closed the door I heard screams from the villagers. “Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing? Could the legends be true?” Ralof was leaned over, gasping for breath. “Legends don’t burn down buildings.” Ulfric’s voice was deep and authoritative. I could see how he could become Jarl of Windhelm and lead an army of rebels to take the throne. Any speech given with his voice would probably have me mesmerized. “We have to get out of here, now!” “Come on, up through the tower!” Ralof grabbed my arm and started pulling me up the stairs. “This would be a little easier if my hands were free.” I pointed out as I stumbled over my feet. “Give me just a second, I’ll help you with that.” Ralof was reaching into his sheath for his dagger as the wall in front of us exploded into the tower. He crouched and pulled me down beside him as the dragon popped in and breathed a stream of fire in front of us. “You know what, I’ve got it!” I twisted my wrists and pulled, and the rope slipped off. I rubbed my wrists, which were bleeding slightly from rope burns. “How did you-?” “My parents were traveling merchants. We got held up on more than one occasion and I had to learn to slip my bindings.” I shrugged.”You’re a soldier and you don’t know how to do it?” “That’s not really on the training regime...” Ralof pondered for a moment. “But maybe it should be. But now is not the time to discuss this! Jump through the hole into the roof of the inn!” Ralof pointed at the slightly smoldering building next to us. “It’s the only way out of here now!” “See you on the other side!” I patted Ralof’s shoulder and jumped down through the roof, bending my knees as I landed to reduce the impact. I rolled forward and sprang up, dodging holes caused by the floor collapsing. I dropped down through one of the larger ones and ran out of the house through a massive gap in the side wall. In front of me was Hadvar, crouched down and shouting for a young boy to run towards him. As the boy was running past him towards an older man, Hadvar noticed me coming up behind him. “Still alive Lavidia? Stay close to  me if you want to stay that way.” I nodded at him and crouched beside him. “Gunnar, get Haming to safety. I’m going to join General Tullius in the defense.” “Gods guide you.” Gunnar grabbed the boy and led him away from the dragon. I followed Hadvar across the path to the base of the keep wall. He stopped and thrust his arm out in front of me just as the dragon came crashing down onto the wall. Its wing came down right in front of me, and I had to fight the urge to reach my hand out and touch it. Imagine actually touching one! We stood absolutely still, hesitating to even breathe until it took off again. Hadvar dropped his arm and we ran between a few houses towards a group of soldiers. “Hadvar! Into the keep, we’re leaving!” General Tullius, leader of the Imperial Army, was at the head of the soldiers, shooting arrows at the dragon while they made their retreat. “Come on, Lavidia!” I followed Hadvar towards the doors of the keep, watching as the dragon came down and snatched up one of the soldiers. He flung him up into the air and he came crashing back to the ground, landing in a crumpled, bloodied heap. "Hin sil fen nahkip bahloki." The dragon roared in the background as we stumbled in front of the keep. “Ralof! Damned traitor. Out of our way!” Hadvar had his sword drawn and ready to strike. Ralof was standing in front of the keep door, having had the same thought as us to escape. “We're escaping, and you’re not stopping us!” “Fine! I hope the dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!” Ralof turned and extended his hand to me. “Come on! Into the keep!” “You’re not thinking of going with this traitor, are you?” Hadvar’s jaw dropped slightly. “I’m sorry Hadvar, but your people tried to have me executed without a trial. How do I know if I’m really safe with you? How do I know you won’t turn around and try to execute me the moment we’re safe?” I went to stand beside Ralof. “I’m sorry.” “Just go. Get out of here.” Hadvar gritted his teeth and turned away from us. I hesitated, and then followed Ralof into the keep.

[twitchesandstitches]

Tamitayo and a new adventure:

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(Happy Birthday!)

(It should be noted, that i don’t know EVERYTHING about your character, so i had to make some guesses along the way, also this takes place early game still, meaning that Tamitayo is still low level. (as i am/was writing this). While all the mods you have is still at play in this fic, some other mods that’s added are: ApachiiSkyHair, Better Cloth Enchanting, Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim and a few others you might notice along the way maybe.)

(Hope you like the story! :D)

(Shuvika-Nebuki, Nakila Kaythees and Ciinia Ivywood belongs to me.)

——————————————————————————————————————–

The giant dark elf called “Tamitayo” wandered around like usual. The large curvy lady found a bandit camp, and alongside her housecarl Lydia, she decided to go raid it. Though when they went in, they discovered there was already a battle at play. A large werewolf with tusks and grey-greenish fur was attacking the bandits alongside what appeared to be a female vampire lord. Judging by the vampires appearance, traits and abilities, she must be from the Volkihar clan, and a powerful one at that.

When the werewolf and vampire had killed all the bandits, they looked at Tamitayo and Lydia. Mistaking them for bandits trying to hide or escape, the two attacked them.

Tamitayo may have been bigger than the tusked werewolf, but regular werewolves were known the be able to knock giants around, and this one was definitely no ordinary werewolf, and Tamitayo was more of a magic user then a direct fighter anyway. The best Tamitayo could do was to keep her distance from the werewolf and fire spells at it, either until the transformation wore off, or the beast itself was slain. She seemed to have to go for the last one, as the werewolf would just hurry over to one of the corpses and consume it’s heart both to heal and contain the form for longer, and matters did not get easier when it called forth 2 ice wolf spirits to aid it. It was at this point Tamitayo knew she was dealing with an alpha. She had to admit that even a regular werewolf was she not prepared for, neither in gear, perks or skill, but against an ALPHA werewolf with so many corpses laying around? She knew she was done for, unless hit with HUGE amount of luck all of a sudden.

Lydia wasn’t doing much better, while she had her situation a bit better under control, mostly due to having a bit more experience the Tamitayo, the female vampire lord was almost as powerful as the tusked werewolf. Just like how the werewolf had summons those wolves for aid, the female vampire lord summoned a gargoyle to aid her, along with some bats just for good measure.

It was then that Hadvar came in. He had been sent out to spy on the fortress, as General Tullies had plans on recapturing the fort the bandits were in for future operations. Hadvar was quick to notice the tusked werewolf and Tamitayo and quickly ran over, telling them to stop fighting. Which was a good thing, because the werewolf has Tamitayo overpowered and beaten, but seemed to listen to what Hadvar had to say.

The tusked werewolf removed itself from the giant dark elf and waited for an explanation.

“This lady helped me escape Helgen and she helped Riverwood by warning the jarl as well as dealing with a few issues here and there. She’s no bandit, even if she dresses like one.” Told Hadvar to the tusked werewolf, who looked at Tamitayo and back to Hadvar before reverting back to its original form.

The werewolf turned out to be a strong female orc warrior. While she was no taller than the average orc, you could tell by her muscles that she was stronger than most. She was blind on one eye, while the other was the usual red color that orc eyes tend to be. The orc lady had warpaint on her face that resembled that of a dragon. A few scars ran over her face, one of them right over her blind eye, indicating she had been blinded against a beast of some sort. She had long wild black hair that went down her back and some of it was hanging down from her shoulders.

The orc warrior was quick to re-equip her armor and weapons, which was made in the wolf armor style but instead of being made of steel it was made of orichalcum, and her weapon was a giant legendary deadric/dwemer hammer. Ones the armor came on, Tamitayo could recognize who she was; She was the harbinger of the companions, Shuvika-Nebuki!

“Oh my gosh! You’re the harbinger, Shuvika-Nebuki! I’ve heard so many tales about you!” Tamitayo almost squealed, almost losing her usually flirty and dominating personality and getting it replaced by a child-like excitement.

“Yes-yes, i’ve heard that one a lot.” Replied Shuvika, as she lifted her giant hammer, Volendrung, onto her shoulder. “Sorry for almost killing you back there. Thought you were a bandit.”

“It’s no problem, really. I’m just glad we got that cleared.” she said and gave her a shaky smile.

Shuvika shaked her head a bit. “Hadvar, tell Tullies that besides a few bodies that needs cleaning up, this fort is ready for him to take over. I need to take your friend here for a moment.” She said as she grabbed Tamitayo and dragged her along.

Tamitayo was a bit confused at first and asked “What are you doing?”

“You have great potential, and a friend of Hadvar is a friend of mine. But you still have a lot of catching up to do, and i’m gonna try and help you out with that. First, we’re going to Solitude and getting you some REAL clothes to keep you warm, because i don’t want you to freeze yourself half to death! You’re a dunmer, you’re people deal better with hot weathers not cold weathers.” She said as she continued onward.

Tamitayo whined a bit, she liked showing a bit of skin, but Shuvika was dead-set on this, so she just followed along, and who knows, it might be better then she thinks.

When they arrive at Solitude began Shuvika and walk towards one of the shops. Tamitayo looked around before following. “I have a feeling something happened here…”

“There has. Just a few days ago, a man was executed for helping Ulfric Stormcloak escape.” Told Shuvika in a rather calm voice.

Tamitayo was shocked by this and decided not to ask any further questions about that.

Shuvika made her order for the clothes, though they had to be made from the bottom up, due to Tamitayo’s big size. Both in height and girth. Shuvika told her to send it to Whiterun when they were done, and soon told Tamitayo to follow along as they now were headed for Whiterun. It was a rather strange feeling for Tamitayo to take order from this smaller person and being the “rookie” of them as well.

They jumped on the back of the carriage driver and it slowly began to roll along the road. Tamitayo looked first at Shuvika, then at Lydia then over to the vampire who had transformed alongside Shuvika Nebuki. It was just now she realized she never got her name or who she was.

“I never got your name. Mind i ask what it is?”

The vampire looked up, still having her face covered by the hood, as they were in the sunlight. “My name is Serana. As you can tell already, i’m a vampire. I’m still not entirely sure how long i was locked away though.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone.

The giant dunmer wanted to continue the talk, but then notices that Serana was staring at her, hungryly and licking her lips. She felt herself blush when she saw that. She was not used to be on the prey side of things, and it was now she realized how MUCH she needs to catch up. Sure to the ordinary people and bandits she’s top pred, but for experienced and more advanced people like Serana? There’s no chance there, or at least not yet.

Tamitayo tried to act like she didn’t notice the smaller woman’s “hint” and wanted to change the subject. “So, besides being the harbinger of the companions, what else do you do?”

Shuvika looked up and replied “I’m also a thane of Whiterun. My housecarl, Nakila Kaythees, is currently with Ciinia Ivywood to help her out. Cii’ is still very new to this whole adventuring, but she has a lot of fire despite her worries and fear. I didn’t wish to see her get hurt, so i asked my housecarl to travel with her.”

“You’re a thane of Whiterun too? How did you earn it?” Tamitayo asked excited.

“I went into Bleak Falls Barrow and retrieved the Dragonstone, and later i helped killing the dragon Mirmulnir and absorbed his soul. Turns out i’m the Dragonborn. It was then i was promoted as thane of Whiterun and got Nakila as my housecarl.” She said, rather happy with Tamitayo’s attitude and completely oblivious to Serana’s “teasings” of the giant dark elf.

The big elf was in awe of this, this was the type of badass adventure she could become with the right training or knowledge. The thought made her so happy. “The way i got my title was not nearly as epic. I mostly helped out his people, you know clearing out bandits, finding lost things, stuff like that.”

“Still a good job nonetheless.” Said Shuvika and gave the curvy dunmer a friendly clap.

They arrived at Whiterun. Tamitayo knew the city pretty well, not as well as Riverwood, but still pretty well. Shuvika and Serana began to walk up to Jorrvaskr to hang out with some pals and to wait for their order. Tamitayo and Lydia followed along, and on the way they saw Ysolda, a trade merchant who she had helped out quite a bit and gotten pretty good friends with. Ysolda helped Tamitayo a bit with her speechcraft and likes to teach her a few things from time to time, and Tamitayo has sometimes helped Ysolda travel around safely inside her gut.

Tamitayo also saw Carlotta Valentia, one of the most beautiful woman in Skyrim. She herself had to admit she had a little crush on the small nordic lady, or at least small compared to her massive size at least. She helped her out by dealing with an annoying bard at one point, as well as making sure she gets some rest every now and then, even if she had to eat her in order to do it. Not that she complained, Carlotta was as tasty as she was beautiful, which is why she’s surprised why so far she’s the only pred to have eaten her when she has such a heavenly taste, and she’s not a pred despite her strong attitude. She’s almost like a sea turtle; big, strong, beautiful and can give a nasty bite, but is still a prey.

They all finally arrived at Jorrvaskr, where Shuvika told Tamitayo to sit down and relax and basically just chill. Throughout the whole time they were waiting for their shipment to arrive, did Shuvika not notice, not even once, that both Aela The Huntress, Serana and Njada Stonearm was giving Tamitayo hungry looks and licking their lips which caused the giant dunmer lady to blush. On one hand she kinda liked this feeling, on the other hand she wanna be top pred “again” so to say, so she had to get up in level fast. Or at least in her mind she needs too. Ria was one of the few people who didn’t look at Tamitayo that way. Tamitayo could tell that Ria was a pred to, but a shy one that still had much to learn. It wouldn’t be to hard for the tall dunmer to eat the small cutie, but that’ll have to wait for now.

Shuvika went up to Dragonsreach to buy some magic tomes from Farengar Secret-Fire. She bought from different schools of magic so Tamitayo could get a “taste” of what type of magic she’d use. Some of the spells that she bought included: Perilous Path, Raise Wall, Magelight and Wither from alteration. Soul Cloak, Bound Sword and Conjure Familiar from Conjuration. Ice Spike, Fireball, Lightning Bold and Rift Bolt from Destruction. Clairvoyance, Calm and Curse of the Silent from Illusion. And finally Healing Hands, Steadfast Ward, Sun Fire, Bone Spirit, Circle of Strength and Lamb of Mara from Restoration.

Shuvika was still away when the shipment arrived. The clothes that had been made for Tamitayo was a pair of Boots and gloves made in the thalmor style, which was pretty fancy despite how big jerks those guys usually are. Seriously why does the baddies always get the cool stuff? As for her actual attire, it was one of those “fine clothes” which were yellow-greenish with a fur pelt around the shoulders and other decorations. Lastly there was a gold circlet with 3 emeralds in it. Tamitayo tried it on and had to admit they were pretty nice and warm and didn’t look half-bad either. Now she didn’t need to waste magicka on keeping herself warm. Though she was quick to put two-and-two together and could guess that Shuvika would like to enchant said clothes when she get back. And she would be proven right when that happened.

Shuvike soon returned, both with the tomes and some armor she had made for Tamitayo’s follower and housecarl, Lydia. It was all nordic armor, along with a nordic shield and bow. The enchantments that had been put on said armor included Fortify Block, Health, Archery, One-Handed and various resistances to different magics. The nordic bow and sword she gave Lydia was both enchanted with Fiery Soul Trap and Chaos Damage. Basically, Lydia got one heck of an upgrade from Shuvika. She really wanted to make sure the two of them got a good start so they didn’t ended up in a bad situation, or at least not one they’d have a chance to beat.

Tamitayo gave Shuvika her new clothes so they could be enchanted as well. It was not long before she returned with them. The enchantments they got were mostly focused on health and magicka and regen, since neither of them still wasn’t to sure what type of magic she’d end up preferring. Shuvika also handed Tamitayo a shield. It was a Chitin Shield, which was an light armor shield that was better than elven shields. The shield had Fortify Block and Health on it. Shuvika also handed her the books so she could learn the spells.

Tamitayo pointed out why she gave her both a ward spell and an actual shield. The ward was most effective against magic while the shield was best against physical attacks. So this way, when fighting either mages or dragons, she’d have a ward to protect herself with, while when fighting against creatures or people who used either melee weapons or bows, she had a real shield to protect herself with.

Honestly, Tamitayo was almost close to crying. This “tiny” orc lady, again only tiny compared to her, was being so protective and friendly towards her. She had to admit, she had been kinda lonely up until she started adventuring, and feeling so loved and protected by someone was something she hadn’t felt for a long time, if ever. She hugged the orc close into her belly as she muttered out a “Thank you so much.”

“No problem you big guff.” Said Shuvika and patted the tall dunmer on the side. “Now let’s get started on a few quests to start your training and to get your new gear tested!”

They all 4 went out and walked towards the gate, when they saw one of the guards talk to some strangers.

“Look, you’ve already been told you’re not allowed here. Turn around and go back the way you came.” Said the Whiterun Guard to the strangers.

“We’re causing no trouble. All we ask is to look for her.” said one of the strangers.

“I don’t care what you’re doing, after what happened you’re lucky i don’t toss you in jail. Now get lost.”

“We will be back. This is not over.”

One of the strangers walked up to Tamitayo. “You there. We are looking for someone in Whiterun, and will pay good money for information.”

“Who are you looking for?” Asked Tamitayo, curious as to why these guys were here and what this was about.

“A woman – a foreigner in these lands. Redguard, like us. She is likely not using her true name. We will pay for any information regarding her location. We are not welcome here in Whiterun, so we will be in Rorikstead if you learn anything.”

“Why are you looking for this person?”

“It’s none of your concern. All you need to know is that we’re paying for information. If that doesn’t interest you, feel free to walk away.”

Tamitayo simply nodded and looked at Shuvika. The orc lady had a smile on her face. “Looks like you got yourself a quest Tami’. I’m not much of a detective, so i’ll find something else to do. But i feel like this is something you and Lydia can pull off on your own. So see you later.” She said, waving farewell for now and walked off with Serana behind her. Tamitayo kinda liked the new nickname “Tami”.

Tamitayo was about to turn around to look for clues as to who this redguard woman was, when she heard the gates open again and a cute and slightly chubby wood elf walked in, alongside a tall naga.

Dispite their namesake, nagas looked nothing like either the lamias of Daggerfall or the Tsaesci of Akavir. Nagas were a sub-specie of argonians, who were usually 7-8 foot tall, walked on two legs like their smaller cousins and carried many similarities with them, but had a much more aquatic appearance with fins and webbed hand and feet, as well as whiskers on their snout.

The naga himself was 8 foot tall, dorned in heavy Orichalcum, argonian style armor from head to toe. He carried a large shield, the Shield of Ysgramor, as well as a large powerful mace, the Mace of Molag Bal. He had a scar on his throat, which seemed pretty old. The chubby wood elf lady was wearing a white dress with a big red robe around it, both fitting her body shape pretty well. She also wore some thick boots and gloves, and on her head she wore a beautiful flower crown. Her hair was thick and bushy and reached her shoulders, and her eyes were a beautiful purple. She wasn’t much taller than the regular wood elf, which in Tamitayo’s opinion just made her look more hug-able.

Tamitayo took a moment and was able to put two-and-two together and figure out that these two were Nakila Kaythees, Shuvika’s housecarl, and Ciinia Ivywood, Shuvika’s friend. How jarl Balgruuf the Greater was able to get a naga to work for him was a big question, then again him and Irileth had been all over Tamriel and seen many outlandish things, so picking up a naga who had left the inner regions of Black Marsh may not be so crazy of an idea.

Tamitayo walked up to the small wood elf, which caused the naga to give the dunmer a look that clearly showed he didn’t really trust her.

“You two are Nakila Kaythees and Ciinia Ivywood right? I’m a friend of Shuvika-Nebuki.” She said while greeting them. The nagas expression changed slightly, but it was clear he didn’t really trust her yet.

“O-oh. Y-yes, t-that’s u-us.” Spoke Ciinia shyly. God could that woman be any cuter, thought Tamitayo inside her head. “W-we c-came here for a-a quick rest.” She finished off, looking down into the ground, being pretty shy around the giant curvy dunmer in front of her.

“Nice to meet you, but i have a question. Do you guys know anything about some strangers looking for a redguard woman here in Whiterun?” She asked.

“A-actually, w-we do. W-while t-travelling, we s-saw some Alik'r warriors t-talk to a-a woman, thinking it w-was h-her, u-until one of t-them pointed o-out that she d-didn’t have t-the s-scar. S-so w-whoever they’re l-looking for h-has o-one scar, n-no more, n-no less. A-a g-good place to s-start l-looking would b-be T-the B-bannered Mare.” added Ciinia. Nakila simply nodded in agreement, he didn’t seem to be the type to talk much.

Tamitayo thanked them both and headed towards The Bannered Mare. When inside she took a moment to look around, until Lydia clapped her a bit on the side and pointed at one of the workers in the in. She was a redguard woman, and she so happened to have a single scar on her face. Was Saadia the one those alik'r warriors were looking for? Only one way to find out.

The tall dunmer walked over to Saadia, remembering the description she’s gotten, there could be no better candidate for the one the alik'r warriors was looking for. Just to be sure, she wasn’t going to throw accusations right away and play it simple.

“Yes? How can i help you?” asked Saadia when Tamitayo approached her.

“Did you know some alik'r warriors are looking for a redguard woman?” She asked the smaller woman quietly.

“Are you sure?” Saadia asked, now sounding a bit scared. “Oh no! They’ve found me? I need your help! Please, come with me. I need to speak to you privately.”

Tamitayo and Lydia followed Saadia behind the kitchen and up the stairs into a bedroom, where Saadia pulled out a knife. “So, are you working with them?? You think you can take me? You so much as touch me, you’re going to lose fingers. I mean it! I’ll… I’ll cut you in half! So the alik'r know where i am? What did they offer you? Gold? How many more of them are coming? Tell me!”

“Relax, i’m not going to hurt you.” The giant dunmer who dwarfed Saadia respounded looking at the elven knife the redguard woman was holding in her hand. Lydia had not yet pulled out her sword, but was ready to do so.

“Then i need your help and there isn’t anyone i can trust here in the city.” Saadia said seemingly more calm.

“Maybe. What do you want?” Asked Tamitayo with a shrug that made her chest give a little giggle.

“I am not the person the people of Whiterun think i am. My real name is Iman. I am a noble of House Suda in Hammerfell. The men who are looking for me, the alik'r, they are assassins in employ of Aldmeri Dominion. They wish to exchange my blood for gold. I need you to root them out and drive them away before they find me and drag me back to Hammerfell for an execution.” Saadia, now revealed to be Iman, explained to the dark elf.

“How am i supposed to get rid of them?” Tamitayo asked.

“They’re mercenaries, only in it for the money. They’re led by a man named Kematu. Get rid of him, and the rest will scatter. I don’t dare show my face, lest they recognize me, so you’ll have to find out where they are.”

“Any suggestions as to how i can find them?” Tamitayo asked in.

“I heard one of them was just arrested trying to sneak into the city. If he’s locked up in the jail, perhaps you can get it out of him. Please, i know i’m asking you to do something difficult, maybe even dangerous. I just don’t know who else I can trust.” Saadia said pleading with the dark elf woman.

Tamitayo stood there for a moment, before asking “Why haven’t you gone to the guards for help?”

“You think i’d be in hiding if this was something i trusted the town guards to handle? These men are ruthless. Cunning, deceitful… they’ll pay off whoever they can. I can’t trust anyone here in Whiterun. Guards and jarls can be bought. And the Alik'r are close; I’m running out of time, si i’m choosing to trust you.”

Tamitayo ones again stood there, she felt bad for Saadia, or Imen. Though she still felt there was more to it. “Why are the Alik'r after you?” She asked.

“I don’t know for sure. I spoke out against the Aldmeri Dominion publicly; I suspect that’s why these men were hired to hunt me down.” Saadia said with a certain note in her voice.

Tamitayo decided that was as much she could get right now, and she thought it was enough too. She and Lydia left Saadia and walked out of the Bannered Mare, and went up to Dragonsreach. From there, they went into the area where the jail was located. Sure enough, they found the Alik'r who had been arrested. Tamitayo walked towards the caged door and saw the Alik'r prisoner approach. “I need to find Kematu. Where is he hiding?” She asked the prisoner.

“You have a death with, then?” The prisoner shouted out in shock and surprise. “If you know that name, you must know to meet him would be to meet your end. But it seems we both have needs, friend. Perhaps we can help each other out.” He continued in a much more calm tone.

“What is it that you need?” Asked Tamitayo curiously.

“I have dishonored my brothers by being captured, and so they have left me here. My life with the Alik'r is over now, but i have no wish to die in this gods-forsaken land. If i can be released from prison, i may start over. See to that, and i’ll tell you what you want to know.” The prisoner said with hope in his voice.

“How much to pay your fine?” Asked Tamitayo.

“100 gold will secure my release. You can afford that, can’t you? I suppose you’d better hope you can, if you want the information. Get the money into the hands of one of these guards, and i’ll tell you what you want to know.” He said.

Tamitayo was about to go to one of the guards, when a thought crossed her mind. “Why did they leave you here?” She asked.

“Because o was clumsy enough to be captured. Kematu always says we’re supposed to be the best of the best. I wasn’t.” The prisoner replied, clearly disappointed in himself.

Tamitayo approached one of the guards in the jail room, and bowed down a bit so they were at the same eye level. “I want to pay that prisoner’s fine.” She said.

“Done. Convince him to stay out of the city while you’re at it.” Said the whiterun guard annoyed.

Tamitayo went back to the Alik'r prisoner. “Let’s talk about how we can help each other.” She said to him.

“You buy my way out of here, and i’ll tell you what you want to know.” He replied, waiting for a response.

“You’re fine’s been paid. Now tell me about Kematu.” Tamitayo replied to him.

“Very well. Kematu is west of Whiterun. It’s an unassuming little cave called Swindler’s Den. You realize if you set foot there, you’re never coming back out. They’ll kill you. But that’s your problem, not mine.” The prisoner said.

Tamitayo was satisfied with this information and left. She could hear some banter between the guard, who was being pretty sassy, and the Alik'r prisoner.

Tamitayo and Lydia then left Whiterun and headed west. They travelled over some hills and rivers, and encountered also a few wolves on the way.

When they were close to Swindler’s Den, Tamitayo saw some familiar faces. Four of them. Shuvika-Nebuki, Serana, Nakila Kaythees and Ciinia Ivywood were all present. Shuvika and Serana looked ready for action, Ciinia seemed pretty nervous and Nakila seemed like he just wanted it over and done with and then go back to bed.

“Hey guys! It’s been a while, good to see you!” Tamitayo shouted, as she approached the others. Shuvika gave a quick greeting with a smile, Ciinia just waved shyly at the giant dunmer, Serana gave a quick chuckle and waved as well and Nakila just gave a handshake and a sigh.

“Good to see you too Tami’” Said Shuvika, the orc woman looking ready for battle. “So how’s it going on your quest?”

“Well, i’m looking for someone named Kematu. He’s the leader of the Alik'r warrior and is after this cute woman named Saadia, or her real name is Imen. According to Imen, is the Alik'r mercenaries, hired by the Aldmeri Dominion to hunt her down because she spoke out against them openly. Their leader is someone named Kematu and i was told he resides in Swindler’s Den.” She explained and pointed towards Swindler’s Den.

Nakila’s expression changed to confusion, and so did Ciinia’s and Lydia’s. True Lydia was there, but she didn’t really bother to put the pieces together until she heard it a second time. Neither of them said anything yet though, they wanted to go a bit further first, maybe they could get some info from Kematu.

After a bit of talking, they all decided to go there together, apparently Shuvika had two objective here; finding a mammoth tusk for Ysolda back in Whiterun again, for business, and to also find some ancient technology for Sorine Jurard of the Dawngaurds, most likely to either upgrade their crossbows or make new types of ammunition for them. Ciinia was just there, because Shuvika thought it would be a good opportunity for her to get a bit of experience.

They all went towards Swindler’s Den, and there was a few bandits outside, who they overmanned easily. Tamitayo ate one of them, since she was a bit hungry and forgot to eat anything before she left. After that, they all sneaked inside Swindler’s Den, keeping it low to see and hear anything of notice. They all heard two bandits talk.

“I’m not sure I like these Alik'r warriors hiding out here. They seem like trouble.” One of the bandits said to the other.

“Keep it to yourself. They’re not paying us to talk. They’ll be gone as soon as they’ve found whoever they’re looking for. And we’ll have all the more coin.” The bandit thug simply replied and went back to what they were doing.

This definitely confirmed that the Alik'r was here, and that they were paying the bandits apparently.

Shuvika counted down and all at ones they charged in. Shuvika and Serana remained in their normal forms this time. Swindler’s Den was quite large with a lot of rooms, and a lot of bandits. Shuvika swung around Volendrung and smashed bandits, outlaws and thugs left and right, she also used the fire breath shout at one point. Serana mostly used her powerful magics to deal with the bandits, only using her elven knife when they got a bit to close. Nakila was similar to Shuvika, smashing the bandits to bloody bits with the Mace of Molag Bal, while blocking incoming arrows with the Shield of Ysgramor. Ciinia was much more careful, keeping herself either at a distance or out of sight, as she shot one ice spike after the other at the bandits, while also summoning a flame atronach. Lydia stood close to Tamitayo to help her out, and switched between using bow and arrow and using her shield and sword. Tamitayo herself, used the chitin shield Shuvika gave her to block incoming arrows and melee, while using various of her new spells against them, such as “wither” to reduce their movements and damage, “stoneflesh” to increase her own defences, “soul cloak” so that when the bandits die, one of her soul gems gets filled up, “circle of strenth” to steal the stamina from hostiles that steps inside of it and “lamb of Mara” to steal a bit of the health that her foe is losing. When it came to Tamitayo’s offensive spells, she used both ice spikes, lightning bolt, firebolt and rift bolt, with the latter not just damaging the opponent, but also teleport them a bit backwards to give her some more space and distance.

After defeating the last of the bandits, with the last three being eaten by Serana, Tamitayo and Lydia, they began searching for where the Alik'r were. They searched for a while, but couldn’t find them. It was then Tamitayo remembered the “clairvoyance” spell she had learned. She activated it, and a blue-like mist immediately emerged and made a trail, almost looking like a giant mystical snake. It lead down to a small passage half filled with water with a waterfall at the end. There was a hidden pathway behind the waterfall.

Ones everyone had regrouped, did they all walk through the water and through the waterfall. If the Alik'r was on the other side, they would already know they were there, either by all the sound and noise from before, or by Tamitayo’s clairvoyance spell. Soon they entered the secret room. They heard Kematu yell “Alik'r, hold!” and they saw that the Alik'r had readied themselves, but did not attack.

“You’ve proven your strength, warrior. Let’s avoid any more bloodshed. I think you and i have some things to talk about.” Kematu said in calm, collective tone as Tamitayo and the others approached. “Stay your hand, warrior!” He said ones they were close enough. “It’s no secret why you’re here and you have proven your skill in combat. Let us talk a moment, and no one else needs to die. I think we can all profit from the situation in which we find ourselves. My men will not attack you, if you lower your weapons.” He said in gentle, requesting tone.

Tamitayo and the others lowered their weapons as he requested. “Why are you after Saadia?” Tamitayo asked.

“She sold the city out to the Aldmeri Dominion. Were it not for her betrayal, Taneth could have held its ground in the war. The other noble houses discovered her betrayal and she fled. They want her brought back alive. The resistance against the dominion is alive and well in Hammerfell, and they want justice.” Kematu explained to them.

Tamitayo sat there for a moment. She had known Saadia for a while now, usually she’d sit by the redguard woman and tell her about her latest quest or something she did. To think she’d done this would break her heart if it was true. “I’ve been sent here to kill you.” She simply continued on, trying to ignore the feelings.

“Of course, sent by… what is it that she’s calling herself these days? Shazra? Saadia? One of those, correct? Did she appeal to your sense of honor? Your greed? A more… base need, perhaps? It doesn’t matter. No doubt she’s convinced you that she’s the victim. But, do you know why we pursue her?” He asked them, clearly meaning besides what he’s already told them, that was pretty clear in his voice.

“Saadia told me - you’re assassins.” Tamitayo continued.

“Assassins? No, nothing so crass. "Saadia”, as you know her, is wanted by the noble houses of Taneth for treason. We were hired to see her returned to Hammerfell for her crimes. You can help us with that, and make sure no one else gets hurt.“ Kematu said with a welcoming tone.

Nakila began to talk in a way, and Tamitayo could now understand why he wasn’t much of a talker, because he CAN’T actually talk. The only sounds he was able to make was chirping sounds similar to that of birds and hissing sounds like that of a lizard, snake or crocodile. The cut on his throat had damaged his ability to speak so long ago. Ciinia and Shuvika seemed to be able to understand what he was saying though, and Ciinia began to translate what he said to Tamitayo.

"Nakila s-says that K-kematu h-has the s-stronger a-agument. There’s p-plenty of h-holes in S-saadia’s s-story. People o-often times s-speaks o-out against t-the dominion, e-especially in H-hammerfell, b-but for the m-most p-parts they just i-ignore it, o-or s-send justicars t-to make t-them m-mysteriously d-dissappear.” She translated.

“Not to mention for a supposedly "ruthless Thalmor assassin”, Kematu’s not the one who pulled a dagger on you! Just remember how she claimed to not know of the Alik'r in Whiterun and then she tells you of the one in jail all of a sudden?“ Interrupted Lydia, which made Nakila slap her on the back of the head with his tail for interrupting. He continued to speak in his damaged animalistic language, and Ciinia translated.

"T-the r-redguards had a-a war with t-the Thalmor and n-no Redguard would e-ever s-support the Thalmor l-lest work f-for t-them. T-the T-thalmor have n-no i-influence in H-hammerfell a-as the R-redguards p-pushed them out d-during the w-war. I-it w-wouldn’t m-matter i-if s-she s-spoke out a-against the Thalmor b-because l-literally e-everyone in Hammerfell h-hates t-them a-already. A-also knowing t-the Thalmor, s-she w-would have b-been d-dead already i-if s-she was r-really being h-hunted by t-them, and c-considering t-that t-the Thalmor was c-constantly h-harrashed b-by the Alik'r d-during the war, i-i h-highly d-doubt that t-they would w-want to a-ask t-them of all people f-for help. K-kematu’s story m-makes m-more s-sense as w-well if y-you think about i-it.” Ciinia continued to translate for Nakila.

Tamitayo stood there for a moment. They were right, but it still hurt having to do this against Saadia, she had considered her a friend, but crime is still a crime, especially when it’s so big that it could change a war for the worst. “So, what do you wany me to do?” She asked Kematu.

“She trusts you, at least to some extent. She sent you after us, and has no reason to think that you’d do anything other than that. Convince her that we’ll be coming for her, and she needs to leave. Lead her to the stables outside Whiterun. We’ll be waiting to take her into custody. I’ll gladly share a portion of the bounty for your efforts in seeing proper justice done.” Kematu continued to explain to them.

“All right, i’ll do it.” Said Tamitayo with a bit of pain in her voice.

“Good. We’ll be waiting for you at the stables. It will be good to finally be able to return home.” Said Kematu happily, clearly he just wanted to go home by now.

Tamitayo and the others walked back out of the waterfall entrance. Shuvika just told Tamitayo and Lydia to go on ahead, as she still needed to find those schematics for Sorine Jurard and that mammoth tusk for Ysolda.

Shuvika, Lydia, Ciinia and Nakila all went back to Whiterun after a bit of walking. Tamitayo was still bothered of having to do this.

After a bit of travelling they reached the city. Shuvika halted for a moment and looked at Ciinia and Nakila. “I think i want to do this by myself.” She said in a sad tone.

The other two nodded and walked off. Tamitayo continued towards the Bannered Mare, and as she entered she walked upstairs and found Saadia waiting. She walked up to the redguard woman.

“Any news of the Alik'r?” Saadia asked worriedly.

“I was unable to defeat them all, and they’re coming for you.” Tamitayo lied to her.

“What? How? I thought they weren’t allowed within the city!” Saadia said shocked at the news.

“They’ve found a way in. We need to get you out of here.” Tamitayo continued to lie.

“But where will i go? I can’t keep running forever!” She said to Tamitayo and Lydia.

“There’s a horse waiting at the stables. I’ll make sure you’re safe.” Tamitayo said with a lie again.

“After all this, i have to pick up and leave again? If you really think this is the only way, i trust you. Let’s not waste any time.” Saadia said as she rose from the chair and prepared to head out for the stables. The word “trust” cut Tamitayo right in the heart, and made her feel bad for what she had to do.

Tamitayo and Lydia followed Saadia out of Whiterun and towards the stables. Here they were met face to face with Kematu and some of his Alik'r warriors.

“We meet at last, my dear lady.” Kematu said, with a voice like that of a hunter who’s happy that the hunt was FINALLY over.

“What is this? What have you done?” Saadia asked Tamitayo, who looked sad into the ground, but didn’t answer and was instead interrupted by Kematu saying “Of, come now. You didn’t really expect to manipulate people forever, did you? Your luck had to run out sometime.” before firing a paralyse spell on her, causing her to be stiff like a statue.

Tamitayo walked up to Kematu, and he looked up at the giant dunmer woman. “Now, we’ll take our friend here back to Hammerfell, where she wil pay the price of her treason.” he said.

Tamitayo looked down worried at Saadia and back at Kematu. “She won’t be harmed?” she asked.

“Not on the way back. Once she gets there, it’s not up to me to decide what’s done with her. And as for you, i owe you a portion of the reward, don’t i? Well, here you go. Spend it wisely, and if i may… Don’t allow yourself to be fooled by a pretty face. You’re better than that.” Kematu told her in a polite manner.

Tamitayo watched as the Alik'r left with Saadia. She felt bad and she was going to miss her a lot, but justice had to be done. She walked back into Whiterun and saw Ysolda. She had gotten quite a big belly, and Tamitayo walked up to the nord lady and asked “Who did you eat?”

Ysolda looked up at her giant dunmer friend. “Oh, Ciinia told Nakila to stay back in Breezehome to get the rest he deserves. Her plan was to go to the College of Winterhold so she could learn more about magic. She didn’t know the way so she asked me for help, and you know how persuasive i can be. Shuvika should be back in a bit, she’s on a little errand for me that i hope to get done before travelling to Winterhold with our friend here.” She explained to Tamitayo.

Soon enough was Shuvika and Serana back and walked up to Ysolda. “Here’s the mammoth tusk you wanted.” the orc said happily and handed it to her.

“Thank you Shuvika. Here’s a bit for your trouble.” She replied and handed Shuvika some gold.

Shuvika then looked at Tamitayo. “So what do you plan on doing now my big plump friend?” She asked.

“I’m not entirely sure which direction to go, though now that i think about it, i should maybe get better at using my magic.” The giant dunmer replied.

This gave Shuvika an idea. “Hey, why don’t you take with Ciinia to the College of Winterhold? That’s a place where you learn about different types of magic, how it works and all that” Shuvika suggested. “Just make sure you don’t make Urag gro-Shub mad. He’s the librarian of the Arcanaeum, and trust me, you will NOT win in a fight. Even the Archmage, Savos Aren is scared of making him mad, and even i could not take him on, and neither can Serana, so just for your own safety, don’t make that orc angry.” Shuvika suggested to keep her friend safe.

Tamitayo nodded, but has made up her mind. She was going. She looked at Ysolda. “Think you can take two more?” She asked the nord lady who simply nodded.

Ysolda may be tiny when compared to a giant like Tamitayo, but that didn’t stop her from swallowing both her and Lydia, ones that was all well and done, she began her travel to Winterhold with her passengers. They all said goodbye to Shuvika and Serana before they left.

Inside Ysolda’s belly had Ciinia and Tamitayo begun to talk about what they already knew about magic, and what they might want to wish to explore more of. Lydia just stood there and listened, didn’t say much. This helped taking Tamitayo’s mind off of Saadia.

After a bit of time, had Ysolda arrived at Winterhold. Here she let the three ladies out. “Thanks for travelling with the Ysolda caravan. Hope you had a good trip.” She said in a joking manner before waving goodbye and began to head home to Whiterun.

Tamitayo, Lydia and Ciinia began to walk into Winterhold, when they heard a roar in the distance, a dragon was nearby, and very close. It was actually going to attack the city.

Tamitayo, Lydia and Ciinia watched as the dragon attacked. The town guards grabbed their bows and weapons and began fighting back. Lydia found her bow as well, the one Shuvika had made for her, and began to shoot after the dragon. Ciinia summoned a flame atronach and began to fire spells after the dragon as well. Tamitayo summoned stoneflesh to increase her own endurance and began to use various of different spells, such as “wither” to lower the dragon’s movement and attack, when she was able to hit, “Raise Wall” to create a wall to help protect her allies that was to far away for her to use ward on, “Curse of the Silent” to drain the dragon’s magica when she was able to land a hit with it, “Lamb of Mara” to drain the dragon’s health, and “Circle of Strength” whenever the dragon landed to fight in melee. She switched between using her ranged magic for when the dragon was either flying or far away, to using her bound swords, where she dual-wielded them against the dragon.

The battle was fierce, and even with the guard’s help, the dragon would not go down easily. Eventually though, was the dragon so full of arrows and ice spikes, as well as overall damage by everything else, that it crash landed on the ground. It was angry, all it wanted, was to kill Tamitayo, so it charged directly towards her. She fired all the spells she could on that short while, before it fired a frost breath against her. She was able to block it with a ward in time, but it drained her a lot. Lydia and the guards arrived with bow and melee and helped out in the fight, and so did Ciinia and her flame atronach.

The dragon suddenly shouted “ZUN HAAL WIIK!”, and everyone that was hit by the dragon’s shout was ripped of their weapons, as the shout defied steel and metal. As if that wasn’t enough the dragon let out another shout, “FAAS RU MAAR!”, and everyone that was hit by it, felt terror like never before.

Tamitayo was now alone with this dragon, it was clear that it was a quite powerful one. And it wanted her dead. She tried to fight back, but it charged at her, and while she was good with her bound weapons, the dragon was to powerful for the tall dunmer to handle alone, and even with allies it was still difficult.

The dragon threw her into a building, and now he let yet out another shout. “MUL QAH DIIV!” As the dragon said this shout, it’s entire body was covered in some sort of ethereal armor, and Tamitayo could feel its power increase. The dragon had gotten a 25% increase it’s attacks, a 125% increase to it’s defence and endurance, a 25% increase for fire resistance and frost resistance, it’s shouts becoming more powerful and a 20% decrease in shout recharge time.

Tamitayo had to admit, there was no way, even in the dragon’s wounded stage, that she would win this fight, and she doubted she could even if it hadn’t used this specific shout. A howl could suddenly be heard, and Tamitayo looked out to the side, and saw a grey-greenish werewolf with tusks howling into the sky, summoning other werewolves as well as frost spirits, and besides the werewolf was a vampire lord who had summoned bats and a gargoyle. The werewolves, ice wolf spirits, the vampire lord, the gargoyle and the bats all charged the dragon with violent fury, clawing and biting at it, while the vampire lord used it’s magic against it. Meanwhile Lydia, Ciinia and the guards have managed to free themselves from the shout that filled them with terror. They all looked on as the werewolves attacked. They decided to use long range tactics while the werewolves had the dragon distracted, they could kill them afterwards.

Tamitayo got to her feet, and summoned her own familiar spirit, and began to fight against the dragon as well. The battle was fierce, bloody and intense. It lasted for a long time. Soon the dragon has had enough and ones again focuses on Tamitayo and charges towards her, but she was saved by Nakila, how looked very angry that he never can catch a break. He smacked the dragon in the face with the Mace of Molag Bal. However the dragon was able to hit him to the side and into a building hard enough to make him covered in debris. Nakila looked at the situation. He took aim, and threw his mace in Tamitayo’s direction. She was able to grab it in time, lending a powerful blow on the dragon’s lower jaw. She grabbed the side of it’s head and swung herself up on top of the dragon and first hit it in the eye with the mace. By this point, the mul qah diiv shout had run out, and with one final strike she smashed the mace down into the dragon’s skull so hard, it hit the ground and bounced up into the air again.

She jumped down and looked as the dragon’s body collapsed. However, as the dragon drew its final breath, it began to glow, and a whirlwind of colour erupted from it as it’s body began to burn, and surged towards Tamitayo. Ones it was all over, she felt new power and knowledge inside of her, and everyone around her looked at her in amazement, and she knew what it meant, just like Shuvika-Nebuki, she too was a Dragonborn.

After the amazement was over, had the werewolves and the vampire mysteriously disappeared, and everyone had helped patching and healing those who got wounded. Tamitayo was still in shock and surprise. She was really the stuff of legend, just like Shuvika! She couldn’t believe it. She was both excited and scared for what this would mean for the future. Speaking of the future, Tamitayo and Ciinia looked up at the College of Winterhold. True, she didn’t know what the future had in store, but she knew where she would start, and that would be at the college, alongside her friends Ciinia, who was going to study with her. Lydia, her housecarl who had sworn to protect her and has grown quite close to her. Shuvika, while they’ll not be at the same place, she knew their paths would cross again, and she had a feeling it would be quite often. Nakila, the naga argonian who had sworn to protect both Shuvika and Ciinia, while grumpy, was he still a good friend. And finally Serana, while she hadn’t had much interaction with her as with the others, she still felt kinda close to her.

She didn’t know what the future hold, but so far, it seemed to have gotten a good and interesting start.

[kiiruna-a]

skyrim verses to be added !

to honor my favorite game, a lot more muses are getting skyrim alternate verses! these verses can be interacted with by any muse that is from a medieval fantasy setting. lbr, we love doing it, but modern verses are the trend right now so it’s difficult to find someone to do it with. well, here i am! these will be added to the au page as soon as i find the time. these are the scribbles i have for what’s to come:

nemo : a nord vampire living undercover as an inn owner. considered to be charming, & has friends in many big, influential meaderies around skyrim. does not have any affiliations with other vampires, because he considers it to be too big of a risk to his lifestyle. his inn is located inside of solitude, & he uses the business hours for drinks as his excuse for sleeping & never having interactions during daytime. no one knows anything about his past, but the truth is that his family is still alive & well in riften, although they believe their son died many years ago.

ciaran : half nord half imperial, ciaran is a son of the might black-briar family. with great influence around the entire province, ciaran grew up spoiled, dripping in money, mead & men. he got anything he wanted. however, that carefree lifestyle soon caught up with him, once he started using his family’s money for betting. once he lost enough for his parents to notice, they were furious, & kicked him out of his home with nothing but the clothes on his back. “earn that money back, or don’t come back at all” they said. ciaran couldn’t fight, couldn’t hunt or fish, & couldn’t mine or farm, so the only thing left for him to do was to join one of the local bandit groups. it’s been years now, & he is still struggling to get his money back as he has to share with the other members of the group; so he has also picked up brawling, where he usually bets on himself to lose. no one has caught him yet.

kristoffer : kristoffer was raised on a tiny far in the middle of the pale, & he is the son of a nord father & a forsworn mother. no one knows about the forsworn side of his family, & they have fought hard to keep it that way. he never really thought he’d do much except taking care of his family’s crops until the day a giant stepped into their land & started destroying not only their very soil but also their house. kristoffer was busy protecting his younger siblings & neither of them knew how to fight such a beast. however, rescue wasn’t far away; companions emerged from the woods & fought the giant until it fell to the ground. kristoffer was astonished. he had heard a lot about the old companions, legends & tales, but now he stood face to face with them, his rescuers. from that day on he knew he wanted to learn how to fight so he, too, could join the honory path of the companions. four years later, & he has finally left home to settle in whiterun & learn their ways; although all he does for now is usually fetching weapons & mead for his superiors.

tabitha : a pure-blooded high elf vampire of the volkihar clan, tabitha resides in castle volkihar as a senior member of harkon's court. a very old & powerful vampire lord, tabitha used to be a corrupt sea captain who chased immortality for the sake of money & power. the outside world no longer remembers her, for she has lived with her clan on a secluded island for longer than any mortal has lived. she very rarely takes on a voyage outside of the castle. she takes very well care of the low ranking members of the court & acts as a “mother figure” for them. however, she is hot-tempered, & does not take kindly to anyone who acts as a threat towards lord harkon or any other vampires.

steff : a high-elf from a famous family of great wizards, who is currently residing & studying at the college of winterhold. steff has always been an outcast, mostly because of being the only high-elf with auburn hair that most people have ever met. they study destruction magic & care very little about being a great wizard, but has yet to see a way out of following in their parents’ footsteps. most of all steff’s passion is cooking, & wouldn’t mind becoming a high-end chef one day, maybe even at a jarl’s castle.

angel : together with steff, angel is also the child of the same powerful bloodline of high-elf wizards. angel studies restoration magic & is very passionate about his studies. however, being a wizard in winterhold is something he struggles with, as he hates how the townspeople & local nords wish him out of their sight as fast as he goes outside of the college. more than anything, angel would love to make friends, but somewhere between being from an influential family & being something of a childish person, he is a hard swallow pill for most people. as a result, angel’s closest friend is his cousin steff.

aleksanteri : a nord & captain in the stormcloak rebellion, aleksanteri is originally from winterhold, but spent many years in the companions, earning a good reputation for being a great & honorable warrior. however, when ulfric stormcloak killed the high king & declared war on the empire, aleksanteri felt that he was summoned to help the cause of returning skyrim to the nords. his grandfather was a soldier in the great war, & from him aleksanteri has gotten a big hatred for the thalmor. with his great leadership ability & history of winning fights, he has climbed his way up the ranks & now many men listen to his command. he is very dedicated to their cause, & will not hesitate to kill anyone who stands in it’s way.

tim : a petty thief, tim is a pain in the ass for any guard in riften, & while all of them know to look out for him, he has never been caught for what he is really meddling with; skooma. he is a young member of the thieves guild, & is known to take from the rich & give to the poor. not many people actually consider him a bad person, as he is actually very charming, but that doesn’t change the fact he doesn’t care about following any laws. he is a skooma addict & meddles with a lot of the illegal dealing that goes on around the rift. he gives it away to other struggling addicts, but uses it as blackmail & sells it for an outrageous prize to the influential, rich people he has come in contact with. many people think it won’t take long until someone pays to have the dark brotherhood take care of him.

seth : an imperial by blood, seth is born & raised in a tiny settlement outside of solitude, where him & his family worked for a farm since they migrated from cyrodiil. he has always carried a great deal of responsibility on small shoulders, as his grandparents are old & weak, & his father was hurt in a mining accident long ago, injuring his legs. he worked from early morning to late evening to scratch together the money to pay for medicine to the rest of his family members. however, sleeping outside started becoming more & more dangerous when all of a sudden the war broke out. his family escaped war a long time ago, & now it seemed to have followed them. the stormcloaks wanted his kind out of skyrim, & wanted to crush the empire which had managed to stop the last war & keep peace between the races. he was angry about this. so, with the safety of his family in mind, he joined up with the imperial legion, & while he has yet to be sent out on any real fights, he runs errands & does courier work to assist the commander in his mission to keep skyrim intact.

natanael : a struggling imperial wizard, natanael is currently studying alteration magic, & he has dedicated a lot of his life to it. he was raised by a single mother, a priestess of mara who practiced restoration magic, & he grew up seeing her kindly & selflessly healing the wounds of soliders & helping addicts get poison out of their system. to make her proud, he traveled to the college of winterhold, hoping to become a great wizard & pay her back for raising him all on her own. however, many of the scholars & other students at the college pity him; he seems to have little natural talent for the arts, & he struggles with his sleeping schedule from reading all the books he can find in order to make up for this fact. you can usually find him scratching his head & taking notes in the college library, or drowning his sorrows at the local inn.

[manidottir-aa]

Send in questions || Always Accepting

anonymous asked:

What type of weapon is Signe's favorite to wield? Does she still practice blacksmithing? What are her thoughts on Ulfric Stormcloak? Apart from the Dark Brotherhood, are there any factions she thought of joining?

Signe prefers to wield two one-handed swords. You’ll never find her without them, though she also enjoys using a bow when she can. Yes, there are a few blacksmiths throughout Skyrim that will allow her to use their forge. She makes and repairs all her own weapons. When she’s home in Windhelm she will help her father fill orders when she can. working at the forge relaxes her and keeps her mind off of things, She thinks Ulfric Stormcloak is an arrogant man and can’t stand to be in his company for very long. Though she tends to end up spending time with him fairly often because he calls on her. He likes how it looks to have the Dragonborn standing beside him for important meetings and gathering – like she’s some trophy he’s won. She holds no love for him though. Yes, the Companions are a faction she would very much like to join. She’s seen them about Whiterun – even has a small crush on Farkas – though she’s never had the time or courage to attempt to join. Her and Aela have spoken a few times in passing, and the other woman has told her to come to Jorrvaskr, she just hasn’t gone yet.

The Thieves Guild had been tempting – a certain guild member sweet-talking her didn’t help any but they’re a bit too open with their operations. Everyone in Riften knows who’s apart of the guild and the Dragonborn being associated with guild probably wouldn’t be a good thing. (especially if they also found out she’s the listener.)