#dunmer home mod

[mikatesmods]

ASHUBIRNIRAM - The Dunmer Home in Tundra

[trickstarbrave]

TCS FRIDAY BABEYYYY

i just wanna talk about steren because i love him. sorry for what will no doubt be rambling u_u @the-elder-polls i will be including art and stuff as necessary bc i love my boyyyyyyy and ive drawn him a lot

he's technically a nerevarine. he isnt nerevar's reincarnation though, instead nerevar (trans) and voryn had a kid by accident and well. steren is the reincarnation of THAT child.

first lifetime in his early life he was born at kogoruhn and raised in house dagoth. The cover story is nerevar was on a pilgrimage for azura and voryn had a drunken affair with a woman. steren is born, voryn fakes the death of the random woman, now he has a son. very few people know the truth. nerevar wanted to raise him but he was originally born a commoner and while he's strong enough to protect himself, he wouldn't put it past anyone with a grudge to target a literal infant just to spite him. nerevar still visits often though, under the guise that of course he'd be nice to his closet friend's son

steren was born a few years before the war of the first council though. tensions were getting high between the chimer and previously quiet dwemer, and house dagoth being the spies for the chimer by and large discovered what kagrenac was up to. you know the rest (mostly). nerevar and voryn die, the tribunal become gods, the dwemer vanish, everyone becomes dunmer except ayem and half of vivec... tribunal had caught on though that steren was nerevar's son as well though and they think it is particularly cruel to kill nerevar's only child just because he's of house dagoth blood. so they pretty much wipe his memories for the most part and have him raised in house indoril.

steren grew up in house indoril, and eventually realized he was of house dagoth. he confronts vivec who had become a sort of mentor to him, and vivec tells him to leave it in the past. he was spared because he was an innocent child. house dagoth were destroyed because they were traitors. they had to be purged from morrowind. there is nothing in the past that will give steren the answers and comfort he wants and will only lead him to his doom. this goes over as well as you would expect with him leaving house indoril and looking for answers alone. at some point he got married and had a kid, but his mission was about uncovering the secrets of house dagoth the tribunal tried to bury and learn more about his parents. he's killed during a collapse of some ruins. his wife takes the kid and promptly leaves morrowind, fearing what the temple may do now that steren is dead

family line continues for a while, and during this time nerevar's ghost has been watching over them. he felt too bad leaving his son all alone in the world, so he silently watched over him, heartbroken. then steren died and nerevar followed his child, his child's child, and so on. up to the third era where steren is reborn to a dying woman on the run from some illiac bay nobleman. after she dies, steren goes to an orphanage. unknown parents, born under a certain sign, fulfilling the prophecy. he's arrested when, after leaving a house he was robbing, he stumbles upon a dead body at the completely wrong time. the trial is shit because this is the TES universe (guilty until proven innocent is canon fsr, dont let me ramble about why we'll be here all day) and he develops a fear of large crowds having their eyes all on him (idk what thats called). he stays 3 months in prison before being pardoned and shipped to morrowind. despite it being his home province he never heard great things about it.

he follows the storyline pretty closely. except that this is my world so mods like tamriel rebuilt are canon for me. he joins house hlaalu and the mages guild. he's really freaked out by all the sleepers who know him by name saying weird shit calling him 'prince' or some shit so he decides to take the opportunity to visit the mainland when the mages guild asks him to. on the mainland he does a bunch of stuff but finds vissamu and an ancient tome from house dagoth. he doesnt know why but he cant let go out of the house dagoth stuff. its familiar. but it also makes his heart ache.

more importantly though on the mainland is he comes across a dunmer who didn't know what house or family he was from. a nearby temple has you gather ingredients for a ritual to summon an ancestor spirit. steren does it correctly and then after seeing the guy happy to know who he is and able to build a relationship with his deceased family, asks the temple to do the same for him. an ancestor spirit is in fact summoned but before they can reveal who steren is, nerevar shoos them away. all steren knows is it fails but the priest sees what is clearly saint nerevar watching over him and tells him he doesnt know why it failed but that he is watched over well. steren hears a voice urging him to go outside and does so. there, nerevar reveals himself, able to communicate with him now, and tells him he stopped the spirit. she wanted to come and talk to him, but she was a woman of house dagoth (voryns mom specifically) and nerevar feared what might happen if his lineage was revealed to others. steren is kinda freaked out, asking if he'll go insane like some of the sleepers he sees, but nerevar assures him he wont let that happen.

back on vvardenfell steren continues his questing. gets corprus, cures corprus. goes to kogoruhn and finds at the old family hearth a bottle with what was originally his baby teeth as well as locks of hair from both parents, typical things to leave near the family hearth for protection. steren takes it with him, not knowing why he's so attached to it.

after getting the ring though he gets his past life memories back and realizes he's not nerevar reborn. he has memories of "uncle nerevar" in his first life. he demands answers, crying, and nerevar comes clean that no, he isn't nerevar reborn. nerevar didnt want him doing this either, but azura has no other options because nerevar refused to reincarnate and apologizes to steren. but steren asks how he can wear the ring then and nerevar is quiet before explaining that while he was alive he asked azura to modify the enchantment so that nerevar and his descendants can wear the ring. that steren's other parent was always nerevar, but nerevar couldnt be open about that fact because he couldnt bear the thought of his own child being killed

fighting dagoth ur is particularly painful because dagoth ur recognizes steren as his son but well. he's still insane. dagoth ur thinks steren is too corrupted and blinded by the tribunal who stole him away and brainwashed him, but dagoth ur can kill and remake him, just like he did his brothers. then he can bring back nerevar, purge the empire from morrowind, and live together as a family, proud and openly. defeating him was not easy emotionally or physically tbh, but steren did win.

also at some point he got trueflame. i havent figured out when he did the tribunal dlc quite yet. it might be while he was on the mainland if im being honest but i feel like almalexia would def spill the beans on who he is. maybe he takes out the assassins, comes back, gets the ring, and then goes to deal with the rest of the stuff from tribunal.

after daogth ur's defeat, azura comes to usher nerevar to moonshadow. spirits arent supposed to remain in the realm of the living for too long and he risks being completely destroyed. nerevar is worried, but steren assures him he'll be fine, and nerevar goes to rest. then azura says she'll give steren any gift within her power to him as a reward for doing such a difficult task, and steren says he just wants to be with his parents again. azura frowns and says she cant bring back the living. steren knows. azura is even more upset because steren is not that old for dunmer and is already asking to die. but instead of killing him she sends him to another world where his parents ARE alive. and also 200 years in the future where theyre together in hopes steren can be with his parents and live happily there. she's going to let this worlds nerevar and voryn have the memories of steren's world too so it wont be weird.

mephala though intervenes with the reasoning "you can just send people to different worlds and time periods. you'll fucking break the dragon." and drops him off not in mournhold but in blacklight, outside of a brothel where the reincarnation/child of vivec (named vivienne, who belongs to @wellthebardsdead) is currently being kept. in this world nerevar was the nerevarine, azura restored him to his status, voryn reincarnated, i wrote about them getting together here. steren, strongly resembling voryn, is taken in by force and fed poison to both diminish his strength and keep him from healing the injuries from dagoth ur. but he and vivienne save up money from tips and escape. steren couldnt take his ring or sword but he figures the brothel madam probably pawned them off and he should just gtfo of morrowind before the temple figures out theres two copies of nerevar's ring and sword and if theres an impersonator running around. they hop on a boat like a day or two before voryn and nerevar track down the brothel in blacklight to look for steren.

they get off the boat in.... SKYRIM!!! surprise, vivienne is the dragonborn too. he and steren are very close but very shy about admitting the fact theyre in love. theyre both traumatized and afraid of hurting the other or being rejected. im sure you can imagine.

look at how cute they are...

also since steren isn't the dragonborn he doesnt do much of the msq. he is more like a follower but he has some side content he does. he joins the companions, contracts lycanthrope (thanks hircine, not helping steren's opinion of daedra at all), ends up doing the forsworn conspiracy and after breaking out of the mine the forsworn take over markarth. vivienne does the thieves guild and steren helps with that bc he does know some dwemer from being taught it by both nerevar as a ghost and voryn when he was a kid. also he did the mages guild in morrowind so he knows a lot of dwemer stuff. oh steren also got fucked up by the heart of lorkhan a little and during the peace talks he did make the throat of the world start shaking when he got violently angry. steren is also not at all impressed with delphine (he already didnt like the blades for obvious reasons)

oh they also adopt a scrib. named mr scribbles. its later revealed scribbles is a girl but (sorry i cant draw bugs well)

alduin is defeated and vivienne comes back. steren was worried sick but is happy to have his beloved back. they confess, its cute, and steren gifts him a necklace he made with traditional house dagoth craftsmanship

shortly afterwards though miraak's cultists show up and despite what they want they have to go to solthsheim and deal with it..... ugh. while all this is going on nerevar and voryn arrived in skyrim and were trying to track their son down sort of on a wild goose chase. by the time they catch up steren and vivi are on their way to solstheim.

on solstheim they try to keep a low profile. steren uses a bandana to keep the big red star on his face covered. vivienne ends up getting turn grey and cold like vivec which doesnt help the vivec allegations. after he's turned steren starts getting some gold patches on him too (i forgot the red star like an idiot sorry)

one of vivienne's clients though survived the purge that voryn and nerevar did. his name is sen dres and he's been hiding out on solstheim getting enough political power to either go to skyrim and find vivi or get vivi when they come to solstheim. sen hates steren thinking steren is the one who convinced vivi to leave and his plan is to kill steren and take vivi back to morrowind to live with him forever. when he finds out vivi is the reincarnation of vivec he wants to force him to become vivec too because then he can have a god as his slave/husband. i hate sen dres so much. anyways he manages to get steren and vivienne alone and convinces vivi if he comes quietly they'll leave steren alive. only to promptly stab steren straight through the stomach and leave him there to bleed out while vivienne is gagged so he cant shout and drugged.

nerevar and voryn do arrive in time to help steren and heal him up. they were told by the house hlaalu dude actually what sen dres' plan was because that guy saw steren had the tattoo of a house hlaalu grandmaster and he doesn't want a potential high ranking member of house hlaalu to die. they get steren to safety and with the rest of the dragonborn gang rescue vivi and the two of them are happy together again while recovering :))) and steren gets to see his parents

steren and vivi also end up getting married eventually. yay!!!!!!

other stuff i couldnt figure out where to put it-- at first the good three think vivi is vivec. mephala sent steren to vivi to see if he'd betray steren to alleviate his own suffering. but vivienne did not, instead he took care of steren and wanted to escape with him. boethiah and azura both try to kill vivienne though. and molag bal thinks vivienne is vivec and should be married to him ugh. do you see why steren hates daedra.

[darkelfguy]

Morrowind Mod of the Day - The Song of the Grazelands

One of the largest regions in eastern Vvardenfell, the rolling hills of the Grazelands, known to the Dunmer as the Sunna Guradan, are a scenic vista of verdant hues, in stark contrast to the hulking dark shadows of Red Mountain.

Home to tribes and camps of Ashlanders, the Grazelands are divided into two, with the rolling graceful hills of the Sunna Guradan to the north, and the rising plateaus and hackle'lo groves of the Mora Guradan to the south.

And that new southern geographic feature is the subject of today's Mod of the Day, for today we're showcasing the beautiful, the transformative, the vista of verticality - The Song of the Grazelands by Kalinter and DimNussens.

An utterly gorgeous landscape overhaul, this mod adds a series of mesas cutting across the terrain of the southern Grazelands, covered in trees and hackle'lo plants, a visually stunning sight with a dominating horizon of verticality with the new landmark of the Ald Sunna Vosya, the sacred tree, standing above all.

With four new quests, new adventures and dangers to encounter, and an eye towards compatibility, the Song of the Grazelands is one of the most awe-inspiring landscape improvements to come out of the 2024 Morrowind Modathon, and it is absolutely worth adding to your game!

[acrowwithakeyboard]

Skyrim OCs

Decided to put my LDB OCs on here for posterities sake (and my friend's recommendation), since I have a bad habit of mass deleting screenshots and would like to remember them as accurately I can. PC player so there are mods.

Full name: Ieama Stormblood

Alias: Rhiatrice Adrati

Nicknames: Silver, Candle, Rhin

Race: Reachmen (Boldclaw and Bear-heart Clan, Mother was from the former, father the latter) Werewolf

Faith: Hircine

Background: Raised in the wilds of the Reach, took to hunting/crafting to make a living making jewellery (scrimshaw and bone hawk jewellery are her specialty). Uses alias to sound more Breton and heavy hoods and masks to avoid the general Reachmen biases amongst the local population. Eventually took to traveling outside the Reach and ran into various individuals who quickly became friends, then one night at the Inn in Helgen changed the course of her life forever. (Alternate perspective mod)

Fighting: Offensive destruction and restoration spells are her main magic schools when fighting, alteration and conjuration secondary, archery is a steady back-up when the situation (lack of magicka) calls for it.

Current followers: Remiel, Xelzaz, Gore (❤) , Auri, Redcap and Val Serano (have yet to get a good photo of them all)

Home: Camp near Dushnikh Yal in the Reach

Full Name: Vathyr

Alias: None

Nicknames: None yet

Race: Dunmer

Faith: The Reclaimations (Mephala specifically)

Background: An Ashlander who left home to explore the world, hoping the excursion would cure his wanderlust. He made a stop at Solstheim only to pick up a Dunmer mercenary before setting off to Skyrim. Has a less-than-trusting disposition towards people and tends to think the glass half empty, but once he considers someone a friend he will do whatever he can for them. Very skilled with poison and daggers and more than ready to hide if the guards come knocking.

Fighting: Dagger/sword combo with a LOT of poison, and some alteration and illusion magic goes a long way. Bows are used liberally with his poisons and when the enemy is too big to take down in close combat.

Current followers: Teldryn, Val Serano, Jenassa

Home: Renting Emberbrand Celler in Windhelm

Full Name: Ynhethune

Alias: None for now

Nicknames: Yenna, Yin

Race: Snow Elf

Faith: Auri-El

Background: Born some unknown time shortly after the Dwemer disappeared, Ynhethune sustained herself by hiding in the various cave systems dotting Skyrim's landscape and scavenging the wilds. Going above ground granted the opportunity to gather what is otherwise unavailable to the various Falmer settlements and allowed her a place as a traveling merchant amongst the hives. She is a common sight in Riften, but since she goes to various Falmer hives to trade she isn't often in the city too long. Though most leave her alone, the civil war has made travel difficult so she recently hired a mage to accompany her on her travels as she wants to set up trading relations further to the Reach and needs to make a stop at Helgen.

Fighting: Restoration against undead, conjuration for convenience, illusion for avoiding conflict, alteration for quick getaways, and destruction against everything else. A mage through and through.

Followers: Marcurio (more to be added)

Home: Blackreach, rents at the Bee and Barb regularly

Full Name: Drea Windseer

Alias: None

Nicknames: Didi, Dia

Race: Nord

Faith: Kyne

Background: Raised in Helgen, Drea is quiet and kind to her neighbours. She helps the local blacksmith by smelting and tanning raw materials she finds while on hunts to supply the inn. The guards warn that the recent patrols from the Thalmor have been... disappearing on the roads between Falkreath and Ivarstead with bandits a suspect as bodies that are found are stripped of belongings quite thoroughly. Drea has taken it upon herself to help the guard, letting them know when she finds recent attack sites. If the blacksmith notices her bringing back more smelted ore and tanned leather at night than usual after her hunts, he isn't going to complain. She gives him a good price and he hates the Thalmor as much as she does.

Fighting Style: The most reckless two handed swordswork you will see in this lifetime, heavy armour and heavy hitting, if she is caught unawares without her weapons her fists can substitute for a short time. When hunting game, her bow is an extension of her arm.

Followers: Xelzaz, Remiel (more to added)

Home: Was Helgen Modded home (used in tandum with alternate perspective) Currently nomadic due to Alduin

Edit: forgot a nickname Edit 2: editing again, story time: I had a mod for snow elves but had to get rid of it due to texture issues, Ynhethune was supposed to be an in-between of current Falmer and Merethic Era Snow Elves and I just figured out how to recreate that somewhat. Her background changed as well because of this. Edit 3: New character! Edit 4: Housing costs too high, changed a few homes

[valraelo]

Height chart of both of the mods' elf ocs. Extra info below! (art by mod Cine)

Lillandlas (Cine) Male, Altmer, 84, werewolf An elf raised in a noble family, he is calm and collected, sometimes to an uncomfortable degree. He prefers manipulating people over physical altercations, which means others often make the mistake of thinking he can't fight.

Cyreman (Bal) Male, Altmer, 83 A Thalmor Justiciar with an affluent background. He is a powerful wizard, specialising in Destruction magic. He is proud of his heritage and happy to utilise what he learned throughout his education to serve his home of Alinor. His slender, pretty looks mask the malice that lies within.

Valrandil (Bal) Male, Altmer, 322, vampire An elf of high social standing, valued for his skills as a painter. He is one of few in a close-knit circle gifted with immortality by way of vampirism, to outlast the already extensive longevity of his kin so that he may eternally preserve history through his works.

Valyom (Cine) Male, Altmer/Dunmer, 122 The elf equivalent of wet pasta. He is not even the protagonist in his own life as he mostly reacts to others around him rather than do anything himself. He is meek, weak and quiet, but he isn't stupid, though people often assume he is.

Danaem (Cine) Male, Bosmer, 100, former werewolf One of the oldest of 12 werewolf pups, he likes to keep the tone lighthearted and enjoy his time as a travelling bard as best as he can. The only thing that can ruin this elf's spirits is seeing someone from his family.

Araelo (Cine) Intersex, Bosmer, 53, werewolf One of the youngest of 12 werewolf pups, he tries his best to keep a smile on his face and not let others know what really goes on in his head. He is very good at taking insults and not letting them get to him, or at least that's how it seems from the outside.

[sylvienerevarine]

Morrowind Architectural Digest: House Tours

(this week we visit the Nerevarine herself, Sylvie, and her country manor Ohishiran in Molag Ruhn. Formerly a den of slave-trading bandits, this ancient Velothi tower is now a gorgeous retreat for a modern lady with far too much money)

"The first thing I did, after driving out the bandits and killing all the rats in the basement, was hang a proper welcome banner outside the front door. I wanted to make it clear to passers-by that they're allowed and encouraged to stop by for a drink, unless they're ash zombies."

"Honestly, the foyer barely needed any updates at all. All I did was add in a few tapestries and plants, plus a bit more lighting, and it was perfect. Side note, did the ancient Dunmer just hate windows? Someone should look into that."

"I've got a great little area to display interesting weapons I've gathered but can't be bothered to use...and yes, that's a painting of a betty netch. They're adorable."

"My dining room table might not seem all that fascinating, but see those green goblets? Those are punavit glasses, made for consuming a liquor only available to high-ranking Indoril. Punavit itself is disgusting and makes your ears ring for hours, but the goblets are amazing. You can't buy these in shops, but luckily, I have no qualms about stealing from slaveholding Indoril.

And yes, the Ebonheart Bellman's latest headline is about yours truly."

"The fireplace was imported from Skyrim, the painting was done by an artist in Balmora, and the ebony vases definitely didn't come from Tholer Andas' manor in Andothren."

"I turned this little area into my craft room, complete with a mannequin for displaying my most interesting clothes."

"When I first got here, there was some poor Argonian chap being held prisoner in the basement. I freed him, obviously, and turned the cell into a charming guest room for if he ever decides to come back and visit."

"My home office is where I write strongly worded letters to politicians and create weird potions."

"My bedroom is another area where I barely needed to make any changes, except this little washing-up area here. Isn't the mirror with cat ears adorable? I got it as a gift from a Khajiiti prince.'

(tagging @dirty-bosmer as a big thanks for introducing me to some dope decorating mods. this is my life now)

[setarmare]

Skyrim Follower Photodump: Taliesin, Caryalind, Nebarra, Varrick + 2 modded player homes

First time having Varrick on the team! He's the perfect balance of entertaining and badass. From what I've gotten about his personality and backstory so far, I love that he's not someone "destined for greatness" or whatever, but he's a normal guy who's had a hard life and gained his strength with his own two hands, which is a refreshing narrative every now and then and makes him all the cooler.

(Location here is the modded home, Ebongrove. Cozy, unique. I headcanon that it's my dunmer DB, Anfortas', place. Like a little cove in the middle of nowhere.)

I'll post photos of Yazakh too when I take them. Maybe a Whiterun photoshoot for the golden plains. Or a shoot by the lake. Or... Sky Haven Temple? It's kind of hard to find fitting locations for a Yazakh shoot. If you have suggestions...

*points aggressively* WOULD YOU TRUST THESE MER WITH YOUR HOME?

I wouldn't. I have dumped screenshots of Cary and Tally struggling to bake bread in the kitchen. Very hesitantly assigning these three as housemates, because instead of gathering all my followers in one laggy castle, I've just downloaded a bunch of custom homes and scattered them across Skyrim. And uh, these three in particular are best equipped to handle each other.

But goodness, Tally is a handsome mer when he's enchanting, huh? I headcanon that he teaches the younger followers on enchantments (Remiel, Secunda...): great for skill building, terrible when you catch them building an unholy magical fork that can kill a dragon and duplicate cheese wheels.

(Location is the modded home, Elysium Estate. Perfect size for a large family without being a castle. Customizable too here and there. Fits the Whiterun aesthetic while being unique.)

Should also do a Xelzaz shoot. An Eris shoot. Gore. Inigo, buncha companions really... I'm open to location ideas; though I can't pose them outside of vanilla idles because I can't install FNIS or anything.

[zenjestrr]

some of the characters I made in the Skyrim Nolvus Ascension mod

Auriela. altmer dual wielding spellblade. first character I realized I could modify with the new body slider. as such I gave her a Pixar mom body, obviously. and like giga tall. like her forehead touches the doorframe tall. like I have to sneak in order to fit thru some places tall lmao.

also I gave her glowing freckles

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this dude was made using the Sarpa - Beyond Skyrim: Argonia mod. for those that don't know, Argonians also have different subspecies like the Khajiit. bird-like Argonians are called Sarpa (they're an ESO creation, they never existed before that). I think this is a fan interpretation of how they'd look like and I think it's super cool. His name is Steals-Your-Spoons. fore roleplay purposes I am obligated to steal any spoon I come across. I won't be actively looking for them but I will have a drawer in one of my player homes that's just crammed with spoons because this name decided to come to me while showering lol. in combat, he's gonna be a frontline archer that uses summons and followers to tank instead of being a stealth archer because we've all played that style to death. this mod actually added an acrobatic archer playstyle that's really cool. you know that backflip scatter arrow move you can do in Dragon Age: Inquisition? yea that's possible here with this mod

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Kanaheda the bosmer. initially I planned on making her a stealth mage since the mod's new perk system allows for a stealth mage playstyle by giving magic attacks sneak damage......but then while messing with the CC I realized I could give her glowing body tattoos and then the plan changed. she's now a naked brawler. she literally just runs in there shrieking beating people into paste with her fists. cuz I wanna see the tats lol. this is supported cuz this mod brings back the Unarmored skill from Morrowind and the Hand-to-Hand skill from Daggerfall/Morrowind/Oblivion.

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Titania the breton. based her on my favorite paladin from the Fire Emblem series: Titania from Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn

while in the overworld, I'll ride around on the horse and swing my axe around to replicate the FE cavalier playstyle. obv in dungeons and stuff I'll have to stick to being on foot but that's fine cuz I love the new battleaxe animations in this mod. very meaty

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Zenandrayda the dunmer. initially made her to be the stealth archer but since the new combat mechanics are more similar to Elden Ring I just decided to be a weapon + shield knight sort of character with her. 100% because I found this purple shield lmao. she also sprinkles in some illusion magic before fights.

oh and this mod adds bladestaffs to the game. they literally have the same moveset as staves do in Dragon Age 2/Inquisition

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Zen-Ma will be a pure mage most likely. her armor is the Ancient Argonian Armor made by 4thUnknown. I fell in love with this armor the moment I saw it. massive Twilight Princess Fused Shadow vibes + I love that Argonians get some love cuz they're probably my favorite race in the series

it doesn't come across in screenshots but the lights glow in and out (just like the Fused Shadow lol)

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Zenaida the redguard. might go back in the CC and change her body tattoos. the armor below is 4thUnknown's Mythic Dawn Armor.

I also made 2 Khajiit, a male Bosmer, and an Imperial lady but I don't have any screenshots of them. the character creator is insane so I'm probably gonna make like 20 more characters. the CC even has a sculptor feature so if you have the patience you can literally mold your character however you want.

[late-nite-scholar]

Aug 7th (Day 3): Prompt- Starlit / Teeth

Day 3: Teeth- Azuri tells Kharjo the story of how she was taught to fight by Nerevar. I’m sure I’m way off canon with some of my ideas, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. Also, Kharjo loves to use pet names because he is the actual sweetest. 

Translations: yi daelha- my love (Dunmeris), ahziss siir- my [heavenly, holy] light (Ta’agra), serush- beautiful (Ta’agra)  

Dunmer LDB x Kharjo

Warnings- None

Wordcount- ~1600

(Description in alt text. Azuri is wearing the Seer Robes from the Skyrim Outfitters: Vestoriam Magus mod. Kharjo is wearing Khajiiti Chain Armor from the Khajiiti Armory mod.)

***

It was late when Kharjo finally trudged back up from the jarl’s house to the College. The sun had set and Jone and Jode were out, both waning. Dagi-raht moons. But at that moment he wasn’t looking at them, he was focused on getting back to the Archmage’s Quarters and his beloved. 

But the Archmage's Quarters were empty. 

“Azuri?” 

He checked all the rooms, and found the small door that led up to the roof open. He followed up the spiral staircase until he was outside once again.

She had shed her robes and wore only a soft shirt and pants. Her hair was tied up in a messy knot on top of her head, eyes narrowed in concentration. In her hand she held a staff, but she whirled and thrust it like a spear. Her style was not one he was familiar with, but she obviously well practiced. 

As she turned, she noticed him standing by the door. It startled her for a brief second, her hands tightening around the staff. But then she relaxed, and smiled. 

"You're home, yi daelha!" She ran over to hug him. "How was work?" 

"The jarl's new guards grow more skilled each day. Khajiit already plans to train them harder now, and the jarl agrees. But the day was not supposed to go on so long. Kharjo is sorry he is so late." 

As he leaned down to kiss her forehead, she chuckled. “It’s okay. How many times have I been stuck on a long job? But things are going so well! I still can hardly believe Korir came around the way he did, but I’m glad he did.”

“As is Khajiit, ahziss siir. Now, do tell Kharjo, what are you doing? You fight with that staff in a style Khajiit has never seen. Who taught you this?”

“Nerevar did.”

“You were taught by your First Era warlord?”

“Yeah. You know he’s my ancestor guardian, and while he has a hard time manifesting in our world, we talk quite often in dreams. Let me tell you the story.”

They sat together on the roof, and Azuri began. 

*** (Then) ***

"Azuri!" He greeted. They met as they always did, in a field of flowers and bright sun, though he was certain she’d never been to such a place in the waking world.  

She sobbed as she threw her arms around his waist and hugged him hard. "Nerevar! I… I need your advice. Really bad. I need someone wise to show me if I'm right or not." 

"Of course!" He pulled back, putting his hands on her shoulders. "What troubles you?" 

"Will you swear not to tell anyone else?" 

"Of course, Azuri. I will always respect your privacy." 

She dropped her head. "I want to leave." 

"Leave where?" 

"This House. Mournhold. Morrowind. If I am to escape, I have to go far away where my parents can't find me." 

He nodded. "Where do you plan to go?" 

Her head flew up again. "You aren't going to stop me? Or talk me out of it?" 

"Well I can't actually stop you, and I see no reason to talk you out of it. You've told me more than enough for me to know that going out and getting some independence would be good for you. I don't know how your parents expect you to have any kind of destiny with the way they keep you sheltered." 

Azuri was crying happy tears now, and she hugged him again. "Thank you, Nerevar! Can… can you help me plan? What should I take? What's the best way to get out? I… I think I'll start in Cyrodiil, then make my way… I'm not even sure where. Maybe Skyrim? It's more isolated there but I'm not prepared for that yet." 

"You've been thinking about this. That's good that you recognize where your weaknesses might be. I will help you as much as I can. It's been a long time since I walked the world, but some things don't change." He crossed his arms thoughtfully. “First we’re going to start with how to defend yourself.”

“I… I can use an axe. Like… like the Nerevarine did.”

He gave her a gentle smile. “Ah yes. Rilenna is uniquely skilled with an axe. But you, my dear, are more likely to carry a staff. And my first weapon was a spear. So we will start there. Tomorrow night. I will teach you to fight and we will plan your escape.”  

++

The next night they met again. This time a circle had been cleared in the grass and flowers. Nerevar held two spears, one of which he handed to Azuri. 

“Now then. Make sure you practice this when you can in the real world, too. Any stick or staff or even a curtain rod would work. Now then, hold it like this, and do what I do.”

Azuri did, but soon her shoulders sagged. She let out a frustrated cry. “I’m never going to be as good as you, Nerevar! How can I learn to fight like you?”

He gave her a sigh and a gentle smile. “Do you think I was any good when I first learned to fight?”

“Weren’t you?”

“Azura’s mercy, no! It took a long time, and a lot of dedication, to get to where I was in life. Like everything, it takes practice. And you can do this. You have the will and the strength of mind. Let’s try it again, and then we’ll talk about supplies you should start stockpiling.” 

++

It took time, but Azuri worked tirelessly and began to improve. So Nerevar started to push her harder.  

They were sparring, staves clacking and whirling, when he suddenly slipped around her. Using his greater height, he slipped his staff over her head and used it to pin her arms. He chuckled. 

“What do you do now? I’m bigger and stronger, how do you break free?”

“Magicka?” 

“That will work. How else?”

“I could kick you?”

“Okay, one more.”

“Umm… I don’t know?”

He let her go and came back around. Setting the butt of his spear on the ground, he leaned on it. “You use every tool and weapon your body has. Magicka, feet, elbows, knees, nails, teeth, whatever you can.”

“Teeth? Like, bite them?”

“If it’s you or them? You’re damn right. I’m not here to teach you to fight so it looks pretty. I’m here to teach you to fight so you’ll survive. Fight dirty, and don’t be afraid to. Even if you have to bite them.” He grinned. “But you’re coming along well. I think you’ll be ready by your birthday like you want to be. Now let’s run through that again.”

*** (Now) ***

“How long did you train with Nerevar?” Kharjo asked. 

“I’ve never stopped. We still talk about it to this day. He always seems to think of new things to tell me, new tricks to put up my sleeve. But before I left Mournhold, we trained for the better part of a year. I actually did have a curtain rod in my room I used to practice with.”

“And how many have felt the wrath of your teeth?” 

She laughed. “I’ve bitten my fair share of enemies. And what he taught me works well because fighting styles have changed so much, so it throws opponents off when I start pulling out Chimer spear tactics and gives me an advantage. And he taught me how to survive outside of fighting, like how to make a camp and how to just be in the world. I owe him everything. I never would have gotten out otherwise.”

“Then Khajiit is grateful also. Would… would you teach Khajiit your Chimer fighting style? Kharjo will teach you what he knows of the styles of his homeland in return.”

Eyeing up his plate-armored form, she raised an eyebrow. “You want me to teach you how to fight? I mean… I certainly can, but...” 

“Khajiit would rather train with no one else.” He butted her gently with his forehead and kissed her cheek. “But for now, Khajiit would like supper and a bath, preferably with his serush.”

She kissed him back. “I’d like that, too. How about we start the training tomorrow?”

“That is perfect. Khajiit looks forward to it. It will be rather exciting to spar together.” 

“Well, I hope so. But I’m also rather excited about this idea of supper and a bath.”

“Ah, then let us go now, Moonbeam.”

Hand in hand, they descended the stairs until they were back in the inviting warmth of their chamber. They went first to the bathing room, steam rising as she turned on the tap and the tub began to fill.

Smiling at Kharjo as he began to strip out of his armor, Azuri said a silent thanks to Nerevar. It had been her parents' pride and ambition that had led to the Hortator himself being her guardian. But he'd been everything to her that her parents weren't; he'd encouraged her, helped her, loved and believed in her. He'd helped her to win this freedom, this life she'd built. And that was more valuable than anything on Nirn or in any other plane of existence.

Kharjo's purr of her name brought her out of her thoughts, and before she knew it she'd been swept up into his arms and kissed. "By the Moons, you are most beautiful when lost in thought. But perhaps you will join Khajiit in the bath now?"

"Of course, my heart." She giggled, pulling off her cold, sweaty clothes and following him into the steaming tub.

And it was wonderful.

[genesisreach]

My personal ranking of homes in Skyrim:

Lakeview Manor: Easily #1. Fairly secluded with a wonderful view of Lake Ilinalta. In the woods, so you can go hunting right out your front door. However, troubles include a neighboring conjurer (possible necromancer?), occasional bandits, and occasional giant.

Breezehome: #2. Would place at #1 if not for LM's seclusion. The OG starter home. Whiterun as a whole is beautiful. Farms and wild game all around so you don't have to worry too much about food. Very competent and wise government with Balgruuf as Jarl. Just don't get involved in the Grey-Mane/Battle-Born dispute. Trust me. Also, house is made of wood and in a dry environment. Be wary of stray flames.

Heljarchen Hall: #3. Basically on Whiterun/Pale border. Again, be wary of flames. Wide, open land so you can hunt fairly well. Or start a farm (Heljarchen Farm mod is right beside Heljarchen Hall).

Proudspire Manor: #4. Beautiful architecture. In Solitude, so you are arguably in the safest city. Real-estate price is egregiously high, though. Politics are fairly mild aside from the war, and Falk is a pretty competent steward. Just avoid Erikur at all costs. 100% recommend attending the Burning of King Olaf festival.

Windstad Manor: #5. Hjaalmarch is mostly swamp to the North and snowy mountains to the South. Windstad Manor is on the Northern end of the swamps on the coast, so be ready for exceptionally cold winters. Beautiful view of Solitude and the Sea of Ghosts, though. (Additionally, neighboring the Windstad Mine mod area.) Be wary because it has the High Gate Ruins on one side and Ustengrav on the other. The swamp is also filled with frostbite spiders and the occasional chaurus.

Severin Manor: #6. Large, spacious interior with wonderful Dunmer architecture. All utilities you could need. House Redoran is a fairly competent local government. However, almost no work since the mine closed. Ash is everywhere from Red Mountain, so be sure to have something to cover your mouth and nose. Also, try not to wake up working on some strange shrines against your will.

Hjerim: #7. Beautiful architecture. Windhelm as a whole has wonderful architecture and rich history. However, it is very cold and the other residents are very unpleasant. If you're looking for an empathetic population, do not come to Windhelm. Additionally, beware of a killer on the loose.

Honeyside: #8. Only below Hjerim due to the presence of the Thieves Guild and the Black-Briars in Riften. Otherwise, very nice home. Back door leads right out the the shore of Lake Honrich, so prime fishing spot. Most likely humid with occasional rotting wood, though.

Vlindrel Hall: #9. Dwemer architecture is fascinating. However, doesn't really have anything else going for it. Forsworn are all throughout the Reach, including inside Markarth (don't let the guards lie to you). The Silver-Bloods are arguably worse than the Black-Briars. More likely to get killed than in Windhelm, and more likely to end up in prison than Riften. Plus, Thalmor actively reside in Understone Keep. Avoid Markarth unless absolutely necessary.

Winterhold: No home in Winterhold. Residence at the College doesn't count. 0/10.

[fabeong]

Last Lines Tag

Thank you to the wonderful @argisthebulwark for the tag! I'm also in-between about 4 WIPs at the moment so I'm going to pluck the best suited quotes from a variety of them. Most fic writers I know on here have already been tagged, so I'm going to leave this as an open invitation - hop on this tag if you haven't had a chance yet!

A line from your fic that made you laugh (from Death and Glory) Somehow Florentius made it to the dining table and collapsed onto a bench, folding his arms on the softly worn wood and dropping his aching head to their embrace. “You look like shit.” “You know, I always thought there must be some reason Breton hospitality was so famed across Tamriel.” Florentius lifted his head and tried and failed miserably to scowl at his greeter. Across the table Celann smiled, wry and exasperated and fond all at once.

A line from your fic that made you sad (from A New Home) “You were only a child.” Ysolda couldn’t help it; looking at her sweet, kind, and bewildered wife all she could see was the stories she’d already heard of a young elf taught in everything from the way she’d been named, what she’d been permitted to eat, the restriction of her education and now to where she slept that she would never truly be valued as much as the children by blood. Ysolda hadn’t even realised that tears were pricking at her eyes until Daefi was suddenly before her, looking more distressed than ever as she cupped her wife’s face in her gentle, scarred hands.

A line from your fic you're proud of (from Dear Revyn. The line where I felt I'd finally nailed Ryesandeii's voice and eventual motivation) And so I am preparing myself to face this World-Eater. If all goes well he shall never return. Whether I shall is unclear to me. But I have run from my past and my fears for too long, and if there is even the slightest of chance that I may prevent the world from meeting a terrible end then even my meagre effort must suffice.

A line from your fic you think could've been better (from Dear Revyn - I think I actually cut this line from the published version. I wanted to show Ryesandeii not wanting Revyn to hold onto him if it was obvious he'd died, but it just ended up feeling too clunky) I can do little more but apologise for my persistent cowardice, if no longer in an apparent heroic destiny than in relationships, that I never could summon these word whilst with you. (...) In all irony however if this declaration pleases you I beg you again to forget it, in the event it becomes evident I have lost my life, as no thing as petty as my ghost should make an obstacle to your wonderful life.

A line from your fic that makes you want to punch a character (from Dear Ryesandeii. There's a reason I've installed a mod to make this fucker unessential.) “What d’you think you’re doing, grey-skin?” Rolff Stone-Fist spat in his face, one fist grabbing the front of Revyn’s shirt while the other came down hard. White-hot pain exploded on Revyn’s cheekbone and stars popped in his vision. Like some sickly, twisted, drunken wolf Stone-Fist was snarling. “Ought to teach you a lesson you won’t forget…”

A line from your fic that makes you go 'aww' (from Death and Glory. This bit is actually a flashback, Isran doesn't realise he's been pining for years lmao) The two sat in silence for a few more seconds before Florentius lowered his hands where they had been risen in prayer and smiled at Isran again, the sight taking his breath away more than the sunset ever could. “And besides, isn’t it beautiful?” Isran wasn’t looking at the sky. “Yes.”

A line from your fic that's full of symbolism (from Dear Ryesandeii) It had been weeks since Revyn received the letter, and yet he still turned it over in his hands. The yellowing page was curling at the edges now and the ink softly smudging, wearing down with each press of the Dunmer’s fingers whenever it wasn’t kept in the inner pocket of his jacket, close to his heart. He opened it several times a day if not more, tracing his narrow fingers over the halting, spider-like lettering as if doing so could summon its author.

A line from your fic that contains an easter egg (from Death and Glory) "Yes of course, and you are...?" Florentius trailed off, ensuring the smile stayed resolutely on his face as his gaze fell to the weapons at their sides. They were unlike any he'd seen before in Skyrim or Cyrodill, gleaming with a shimmer far more precious than steel or iron could achieve. "The Silver Hand!" The soldier on the left declared. Beneath the helm he wore his face was still chubby with youth and his heavily-accented voice fierce with adrenaline. "We just attacked Jorvas-" "We have just dealt a serious blow to the werewolf scourge in this land." The leader interrupted, cutting a stare like daggers towards his younger companion before looking back to Florentius. "And we intended to continue doing so. Did you see where that beast went?"

A line from your fic that's shocking (from Death and Glory.) But you don’t care enough, do you?” His voice had fallen from uncontrolled fury to a horribly hollow edge Isran recognised with the numb realisation that he had gone too far. Again. “You just want everyone to be as paranoid, as scared, as isolated as you are, and you drive everyone who’s ever cared about you away. If you keep up this way you will die as alone and as friendless as you’re determined to live, and I certainly won’t come back to bury you.” (Isran how much have you fucked up to the point a priest of Arkay refuses to bury you)

A line from your fic you want to talk about more (from Death and Glory) "It all happened before I knew you." Florentius sighed. "It was... a long time ago, and it would be easy to blame it on that, say I was young, say I was scared. Whatever it was, I… I ran away. I shoved my connection to Arkay deep down in my mind, snuck out from the priory at night, stole a horse from my grandfather’s stables and I ran.” Isran leant back, his mind reeling. "Why were you scared?" he ventured. Florentius chuckled, the sound bitter and somewhat hollow but it was better than nothing. “Let’s see. I was thirteen years old with the god of death talking in my head, Isran, you take a guess. I suppose I was beginning to realise what it, what…all of this,” he gestured loosely around his head, “would mean for the rest of my life. For a life being close to death itself, being exposed to people at their most vulnerable and hurtful, being a target for those who see Arkay's realm as a challenge. For a life of being called a madman, amongst other things." (ugh I could talk for hours at how fascinating Florentius is, and how it must have been for him to live with this connection to Arkay from a young age, knowing as he grew up that whatever gifts it brought him it would also create an irreversible distance from others.)

[rainpebble3]

Stressed out Sunday

AKA SOS.

So, I’m feeling quite stressed, and feeling very sorry for myself, so I decided to jump back into my oldest fic, the one that started my monstruously huge stories. I can’t describe how happy I felt reading about my little brat, irritating her lecturer at the Arcane University. Seeing as I’m over 50k into book 3 of that series, I think I’ll share the one that started it all.

This story can be found on AO3 and is called:

The Flames of Justice

Before she was the Dragonborn, she was Ailith Copperwing. An overachieving mage with a talent for embarassing her teachers.

A moment of carelessness throws her into the Imperial City Prison at 15 years old and face to face with a savage, locked up for public disturbances and wild drunken behaviour. Torban Thrice-Banished believes he is untouchable and confesses to murder while clamping his bloody hands around Ailith's neck. Ailith is terrified and appalled that he can confess to hideous crimes knowing he'll be unpunished. With the loving support of her parents, Ailith begins her journey to find power and enough of it to finally get Thrice-Banished put behind bars for good.

As well as her parents, Ailith quickly forms bonds within the Fighter's Guild and with the mysterious Khajiit, Theranni. He is equally drawn to Ailith and pledges to help her hunt down the evasive bandit. With him fighting by her side, Ailith feels invincible. But is she?

Inspired by characters created in the Skyrim Romance Mod and Beyond Skyrim: Bruma. This is the story of my Dragonborn before she faces Alduin and meets Bishop.

Chapter 1: The First Arrest

The Arcane university was a beautiful and imposing building, it rose above the south side of the Imperial City and the energies of the hundreds of mages inside would hum over the city with any breeze. Officially it was known as the home of the Synod, however many still called it the arcane university. Students from all corners of the continent would flock there to improve their skills in relative peace. There were no age barriers and classes were organised by ability. The oldest current student being an Altmer of over a hundred years, and the youngest being a gifted Argonian at eleven.

Like some students of her age, Ailith had very little interest in her studies. Following on from the pressure from her mother, Ailith had been developing her magic skills since she was old enough to speak. Now at fifteen years old she was ahead of her class, even the teacher sometimes and she couldn't understand why she had to waste her time in these lessons. Especially as she was separated from her friends to enter this group. They were still in some lower level classes, while Ailith had been dragged into Advanced. She was on track to become a researcher or even a Master.

She looked around her classroom, there were several elves and a few humans, and from her perch at the back of the room Ailith studied them as they were hunched over parchment taking attentive notes from their teacher. Her own sheets were pristine and untouched. It wasn't even a proper lecture; they were just being given overviews of the main fields of study and why it was important to pick just one area. Ailith yawned loudly and smirked as her neighbour, an elderly Dunmer with spectacles, glared at her. She tapped the parchment and the Dunmer looked away with a quiet growl.

Ailith ran her hands through her hair and frowned when her fingers tugged on some knots. There was also some hardening ink in her hair from a nap she took in the morning. The blackness made her hair look slightly charred at the tips. Ailith rubbed it between her fingers, watching the dry ink drift onto the perfectly white parchment. The shapes the ink fell into were far more interesting than this lecture. They looked remarkably similar to Daedric runes.

The room around her stank of troll fat after an alchemy accident the day before and it made Ailith's head pound. Her nose wrinkled in disgust and frustration as she looked to the unopenable windows. She resentfully noted that it was a beautiful day outside the cold stone walls of the University. She leaned back in her seat, feeling miserable while the teacher droned on about choosing a specialty within the schools of magic, it took everything she had not to roll her eyes. The Synod didn't care about preserving Mages health, they wanted to limit the power of their students and stop anyone from disrupting the status quo.

As the daughter of the University's Master of illusion, she was expected to simply follow in her mother's footsteps. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, when she was young her mother had recognised her early talents and encouraged her strengths in all schools of Magika, with plenty of focus on respecting her limits. She couldn't help but snort, illusion spells were so dull compared to the rush of manipulating the elements. Ailith used to love magic and learning, she began her university career as an enthusiastic and attentive student but when the other Masters would just assume that she would focus on illusion skills and make pompous comments at any interest she had in other schools, she felt like they were slamming her into a box. Every day Ailith felt herself hardening as she distanced from university life. The daily patronising discussions with teachers had crushed her love of magic, now she just didn't care.

She especially didn't care when she had to endure these lectures on specialising in a field of magic. Maybe if she could conjure a small flame atronach, they would let the class out early... Her fingers twirled gently over the parchment, absently tracing a summoning circle.

"Miss Copperwing! Are we boring you?" The irritating voice of her teacher broke into her fantasy as he slammed a book on the desk at the front, making everyone jump. She felt the rest of the class eyeing her, hoping to see her taken down a peg or two. Ailith knew they didn't like her... they hated that she was better than them. She also knew she was the youngest in the group by at least ten years which was hugely resented, and she loved showing off in class.

Ignoring her classmates, she smirked at the stuffy Altmer at the front of the classroom. She released a heavy sigh before answering him. "Just a bit, Mr Spellock..." she drawled. As an added insult, she began to chew on a ragged fingernail.

She could almost taste the disapproval from her classmates as it rippled towards her. They tutted and shook their heads. She didn't care, they were dull morons and she enjoyed watching her teacher squirm. Despite beings an arrogant ass and always talking down to her, he wasn't even a master of anything, he hadn't earned the right to teach anyone.

"Well," he frowned for a second. He ran a hand through his golden hair before smirking, "I suppose, to perhaps save us some time, you wouldn't mind explaining to the class what the consequences of magika burnout are?" The class stared silently between the two mages.

"Burnout, hmm..." Ailith picked at an invisible thread on her robes, sounding bored. She gnawed on her lip and sighed more dramatically than necessary. "I guess that would be when you spread yourself out over too many fields causing rapid fatigue, hindered recovery and impaired casting. It could cost your life if you get too carried away or potentially weaken your abilities permanently... Oh! And we have to mention caster's flu, that's a nasty... nasty consequence there." She finished by sucking a breath through her teeth.

Ailith's mother had explained this to her when she discovered her daughter aged ten surrounded by spellbooks from all of the magic schools and practising novice level spells from each of them. Ailith's smirk widened into a grin as Mr Spellock shook his head and took a moment to compose himself. He was getting quite annoyed with her, but now it was the time to put the cherry on top. She stood up and stretched. Everyone blinked at her curiously.

"However, being well versed in many schools could save your life. A good example of this, would be the spell Equilibrium, belonging to the Alteration school I believe," she directed this sarcastically to her teacher, needing no response as she knew damn well Equilibrium was part of the Alteration family of spells.

She rolled her sleeves up and extended a palm to show a vivid red glow that was beginning to flutter like weak flames, "Now I can use this to drain my own life force to fuel my magic," the red glow became brighter and crept up her arm. Ailith watched her classmates as they stared at the almost demonic redness. The effects of the spell were instant, she felt herself grow tired and her bones began aching as power was drawn from them. Looking around the room at her audience, she knew it was worth the weakness and pain to see them in awe of her. Her teacher was speechless, and his golden skin had developed a pink hue, maybe he was having a stroke...

"You can see as the glow moves up my arm, I'm growing weaker. It would be very easy to accidentally kill myself doing this, but..." she extended another palm to show a golden glow, "as I am pretty good with restoration," she winked, "if I have any healing spell cast then I will recover my lifeforce while still charging magika. Very useful in desperate situations." The golden glow began to spread up her other arm a bit more quickly, balancing the two spells.

Ailith grinned around the class, her classmates were muttering to each other, sounding impressed. She caught the eye of one of her bigger critics, Frida an elderly Nord who had run away to Cyrodiil to learn about the arcane arts. Ailith shot her an arrogant wink while the older woman's face crinkled.

She was taken by surprise when Mr Spellock slammed another book on his desk. The librarian would be pissed if he damaged any of these tomes. Ailith tilted her head to peek at the spines of the books. They seemed to be ok.

"Enough! ENOUGH!" he yelled. Ailith closed her palms, ending the spells as she quirked an eyebrow at the irritated Altmer. "I can't stand another minute of this spectacle. I am the teacher here! Leave Miss Copperwing, and I will speak to your mother about this!" He raised his hand, pointing to the door. His hand trembled and glowed an ominous shade of orange.

Ailith blinked, playing the mother card was unexpected, and once she got over her shock, she snickered. "Let's see who speaks to her first, Spellock." Leaving her untouched parchment and inkless quill on the desk, Ailith strode out of the classroom without looking back.

She strode down the back stairwell, avoiding the teleportation stones used by most students. Ailith decided it was wise to avoid other mages for the time being. She left the university grounds, crossing the bridge into the city and entered the Arboretum. Dozens of citizens strolled the around the district, admiring the statues of the eight divines, however, no one paused at the young oak tree that replaced the old Talos statue. It was growing slowly in the centre of the Arboretum and almost completely concealed the cracked stones where Talos had stood. As she passed the tree, Ailith could see the shadows along the walls that were too dark to be anything other than Thalmor justiciars, ensuring that no one was stupid enough to openly worship Talos. They were using some form of concealment magic and they were almost invisible to non-magic users. Ailith glanced around and counted at least six shadowy figures spaced around the arboretum. She looked away from the walls, wanting to avoid being noticed by the Thalmor. This was the cost of peace and they just had to live with it. Ailith continued to walk around the arboretum towards the gate leading to the Arena district. Out of habit, Ailith paused at the statue of Julianos and pressed her hand on the cool marble.

Other mages passed the statue at the same time and also rested their palms on the statue, muttering their thanks to Julianos for his wisdom and their powers. Ailith ignored them and silently asked for help. She wanted to love magic again, but she didn't know how. Slowly, she dropped her hand and walked away. Ailith decided to visit the market district and maybe the bookshop could provide some inspiration.

It was shaping up to be a hot day, but that was hardly surprising for the middle of Sun's Height. As she felt the sun sink through her skin, it was warming her and restoring her energy. Showing off like that was more taxing than she would admit to anyone. When Ailith overexerted herself, she always felt chilled to her bones. Her boots thudded softly over the cobbles and she followed the sound of the busy marketplace. Her robes fluttered around her knees and she pulled the sleeves down over her hands to help warm up quicker. She arrived at the front door for the First Edition bookshop, but it was closed, according to a sign in the window the owner was away visiting family. Ailith tutted quietly and walked back towards the main marketplace.

She came to a stop and sat on a moss-covered wall to watch the people pass by. Ailith always marvelled at her home city, its strong stone walls bore many scars. The city had survived Daedric invasions and war, but the people of the city always endured. Their will to live kept the market busy and the people browsing stalls now were not too different from their ancestors who rebuilt their lives after the Oblivion crisis. Distracted from her earlier confrontation, Ailith smiled, she was always fascinated with people watching, each person was absorbed in their own world, barely aware of others around them.

The hum of activity quietened as a procession of people walked past. Ailith watched them as they passed through crowds of people. They strode past in their resplendent robes, ignoring the people around them and continued into the heart of the city. They must have been politicians, Ailith thought as they disappeared. Merchants and customers moved in the opposite direction, silently lost to their own thoughts and the flow of people began again. Ailith watched the people passing through, some were sombre and discussing their worries, and others were jovially chatting to their friends. The world outside may be shifting, but the market seemed to stay the same.

It had been many years since the last great war with the Thalmor and to Ailith, it seemed that the land was recovering nicely. There were whispers of rebellion in other provinces, but that seemed far away from her and these busy shoppers. She tipped her face towards the sun, enjoying her freedom and gently swung her feet, tapping her heels on the wall. She kept thoughts of the University away by humming tunelessly. There would be consequences for her behaviour later, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Ailith pushed the hooded part of her robes down and shook out her dark hair. The heat from the sun provided healing warmth and Ailith was feeling better after her use of Equilibrium, she was certainly feeling recovered enough to try a new spell that she had been practising at home. She found it in a book from the library, called Telekinesis, it claimed to be more advanced but Ailith was confident she could cast it. She could use it to steal a book right out of Spellock's hands in their next class, she chuckled to herself.

Clearing her mind, she raised her palm and watched an orange light drift from her fingertips towards an apple in one of the vendor's barrels, it left a misty trail as it moved. As she concentrated, she watched the apple wiggle in the barrel. Feeling sweat dribble down her face, Ailith used her other palm to cast Equilibrium to give her magic a boost.

She felt the apple rise and watched the orange light wrap around it, quickly she retracted the spell in time to stop Equilibrium draining her completely. The apple landed in her hand with a beautiful thud, and she blinked through her dizziness. She sniffed deeply, it was crisp and smelled sweeter than any she'd had before. She bit into it with smug satisfaction. She was mastering advanced spells like a fish learning to swim, even if it didn't bring her the same joy as it had done previously.

"Stop right there!" a deep voice yelled from near the vendor she stole from.

Ailith's smile dropped, "Ah, shit..." She really should have made sure no one was watching, normally the Bosmer who ran this stall was too busy flirting with the Nord who owned the weapons one. Didn't guards have better things to do than hover around the market?

The guard reached her spot on the wall and towered over her, his hand resting menacingly on the hilt of his sword. The sun struck his over polished armour and it blinded Ailith. She rubbed her eyes as he stepped closer.

"Break the law on my watch, will you?! You better have enough gold to pay for that!"

Ailith glared at this pathetic man on his power trip.

"Oh yes, here's the one whole gold coin for the damn apple," Ailith spat, unable to control her temper. She angrily reached into her coin purse for some money to appease the guard. She was furious at herself for getting caught, and pissed at him for just existing... The guard glared at her as he took the money from her hand. He did a double take and added a vicious smirk to his nasty face.

"You're Gregory Copperwing's daughter, aren't you? He's a good man, honourable..." Ailith froze as he spoke, she was so used to disappointing her mum that she barely cared, but dad was another story... She watched him warily and let her hand slowly drop to the wall. She didn't like where this was going.

"... I wonder how he would feel about having to bail his daughter out of jail..."

Ailith went white as the guard finished, "You have no cause to arrest me, I paid for the goods," she spluttered, horrified at the turn of events.

"True, but you were incredibly disrespectful to a member of the Imperial Watch... I think you need to come with me." He extended an arm, inviting her to stand.

Ailith considered arguing, but she could see the guard's smug grin, practically daring her to make a comment. She sagged, her face flaming with shame as the market had all but stopped to watch her get arrested, over an apple. She stood quietly and left the cursed apple on the wall. As she let the guard bind her wrists, painfully tight, she kept her head high. Before being dragged off to the cells Ailith scanned the market for any familiar faces from her father's guild. There was no one. Her eyes burned but she wouldn't cry, she wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction.

The asshole took the longest route to the prison, hoping that plenty of people would see and report back to her father that Ailith had been arrested, it was certainly hot gossip. The daughter of two highly respected citizens in the city getting arrested. She was mortified and relieved in equal measure. If word got back to her father quickly, he could bail her out sooner. Her mother wouldn't hear about this until much later. She'd be locked in her study and Ailith knew she would never come down to the cells.

[totally-not-deacon]

Using mods to set follower's homes so I can collect all the handsome Dunmer to live with me in Lakeview manor

[this-should-do]

i did not see ask games until now. you mentioned Toxic Doomed Yuri…. pick one for each or do both cause idk anything about them..., many quetsions cause im curious 💀 - Does your OC have any phobias? 🍀 - What originally inspired the OC? 1. What's your oc's gender identity? What's their relationship to their gender? glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC's appearance? What's their distinguishing feature? hair: How does your OC wear their hair? Does it have some kind of meaning?

*clapping my hands like seal* yayayayay ask game participant

ill do them for each one :3333

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?: Moroth, as established by lore in oblivion, isnt allergic or weak to garlic as a vampire, however, she is like overly paranoid that she secretly is allergic to it and is grateful that garlic is a rare ingredient to see in morrowind so she doesnt have to find out Fjotver doesnt really have any phobias tbh, shes somewhat overly unafraid of the world to a dangerous degree

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?: both Moroth and Fjotver were originally created for specific play thrus of morrowind, Moroth to play as a vampire and play thru the vampire clan questlines and Fjotver was to both play as a werewolf as added by the bloodmoon dlc as well as a vampire hunting mod, however what solidified them as toxic doomed yuri was the song no children as it was popular at the time and i was enjoying it :)

What's your oc's gender identity? What's their relationship to their gender?: they both just consider themselves women, however have adapted, or havent, to the expected gender norms of morrowind. Moroth adopted the more traditional feminine performance of dunmer to better disarm and fly under the radar within the community as a vampire by reducing the amount of friction against her prescence by avoiding more traditional gender performance of the orsimer diaspora within morrowind, she isnt opposed to being more masculine by dunmer standards in line with orismer femininity but neither does she mind being more feminine in dunmer standards, she could do either or fjotver however sticks to the culture she grew up with in skyrim as a woman who (even by tes5 era standards, is somewhat breaks gender stereotypes by being masculine, since ht egender politics of skyrim is kinda ambiguous but generally conforms to woman feminine man masculine of our sensibilities even if some women are warriors, its a whole essay, just gender in tes is a dissertation tbh that i dont wanna get into too deeply here lol) is more masculine than many women back home and is proud and keeps that mindset in morrowind

glance: At first glance, what stands out most about your OC's appearance? What's their distinguishing feature?: Moroth's feature is definately her tusks, theyre obviously a less common feature in morrowind (or anywhere for that matter) but hers are noticably longer than the average tusk youll see in life Fjotver's most noticeable trait is her face paint, blood red in a triangle from her mouth to neck and a stark line aross her nose and cheeks

hair: How does your OC wear their hair? Does it have some kind of meaning?: Moroth wears her hair in a small top bun with 5 braids leading into it with the rest of her hair loose and long Fjotver pulls her hair back into a braid starting at teh crown of her head down her back,

heres a fun doodle of them to bring thier art into the modern era since i havent drawn them in a while

[veggieguy23-me]

I’ve spent the last, what has it been a month now? Time is stupid. Anyway, I’ve spent the last couple of weeks that might be enough to make up a month I’m not sure playing Skyrim. I learned about a mod that puts a museum for all the relics in the game which was awesome cause I was just sticking everything in a chest in winstead manor when I last played about, idk 5? 5 years ago. Now I want to try morrowind again.

Well, also oblivion but I don’t wanna play oblivion until after I play morrowind because I like to play game series in sequential order and I’m already breaking a personal rule skipping the procedurally generated Arena and Daggerfall (I heard it takes like 14 years to cross from one end of the map to the other in daggerfall, and well, I just don’t have 14 years)

anyway, I tried morrowind before but I ran into this problem where it felt like I was too stupid for the game. Like every single thing I was doing was wrong. Every choice I made was the wrong one.

I think it stems from my autistic desire to see everything in the game. I swear I think I restarted the game 15 times because I couldn’t decide what race to play.

I play a nord in Skyrim (decisions were easier when I was younger. I’m white so I play white guy) so do I play a nord in morrowind? But this is a different character… morrowind is home to the dark elves so do I play a dunmer? But wait, I’m a criminal from cyrodil right? The Imperials live in cyrodil so do I play an imperial? I don’t know what to do. In Skyrim I’m playing a nord named johann because Nord names seem Germanic and johan is the German version of John (like John smith, I am bad with names.)

I think tomorrow I’m going to boot up morrowind and try to just go. Ignore the bad thoughts. Play the game.

[mikatesmods]

Vals Veran Dwelling

Vals Veran is too bright a character in Skyrim and therefore he deserves his own home.

Of course, this house is located in the woods near the tomb, because Vals always needs fresh material for his research in necromancy.

Thus this Telvanian-style hut can become yours after completing the Golldir quest.

The hut consists of two rooms and it has everything that is necessary for the life of a magician. You can find the key in Hillrund's Tomb or look into the back yard of the hut, where Vals hid a spare key among the coffins.