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R.I.P. neildarkstar. Haven will miss you dearly.
| Tiercel's Peregrinations | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 10 2017, 09:00 PM (4,168 Views) | |
| Brambleberry | Mar 9 2017, 10:26 PM Post #361 |
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Jarl
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The well of inspiration is often hidden deep. What bubbles up quite often surprises us as it flows on to the page! Very nice interlude. I'm glad you've brought Bard magic back. ;) I wish that were an integral part of the TES series. |
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| Serethil | Mar 9 2017, 10:30 PM Post #362 |
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Et'Ada
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Yeah, me too. Obviously, bards are an afterthought in TES. For me.... bards are an integral part of any RP game, because in the quasi-medieval settings of most of them, if you didn't have bards, you wouldn't have news - or intrigue. Bards were the first "newspapers". And the first spies. It's - something I can at least acknowledge in story-spinning.... Thanks Bram! |
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| Areial | Mar 10 2017, 01:39 AM Post #363 |
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Et'Ada
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Short, spare in words.. but it say's sooo much. |
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| Serethil | Mar 10 2017, 10:07 AM Post #364 |
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Et'Ada
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Thanks sis! I myself am rather wondering just where he went.... |
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| Serethil | Mar 10 2017, 08:51 PM Post #365 |
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Et'Ada
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50 - Never pretend a bard is ineffectual Da sauntered into the Hall before we’d got through talking it all over. So that solved the first issue. “Yon git - er.... sorry, Vartain, I know he’s your brother - took me to the Manor. What an idjit. He didn’t seem to think I’d even know a place I lived for three decades....” Da shook his head. “I have to believe that Bal’s addled his brains. How else?” Var’s brows wrinkled. “How did you get away then?” Da grinned. “I pulled a bit of ‘bard’s magic’ - enough to hide me in shadows as I hummed . And he was so involved in beating me - he thought - he never knew I went out the back door and hoofed it over the marshes. Guess you got all the brains between you, lad!” Var had that poleaxed look on his face again. But he had the wit to pull me next to him. “So. What then? How long do we think he’ll stay there? And - Bal.... He’s probably taken up residence again....’ His voice faded, and he paled a bit around the mouth, under his mustache and above the beard. “What is it, love?” “I.... just remembered something that.... might be one reason why this is happening....” “Well, let’s hear it then, boy!” G’da might be elderly but he certainly could make himself heard when he wanted to! I winced, but Var just slanted me one of those lovely warm amused glances. “Well, sir. It’s a tale, it is, and I’m no bard.” “Hmph. Just tell it, I’ll do the bard thing eventually.” And da shot me one of his bright laughing glances. Surrounded - I’m surrounded.... “Well, here’s the way of it then. Not long after we twins were born, our mother began to sicken and fail of health. She’d never been - robust - but I think our father thought that she’d a problem after birthing two huge boys. So he got us a wet-nurse, and from what he said before he died, spent the next couple of years trying to find someone who might know why our mother never recovered - apparently from the birthing. “He spent a great deal of time - in and around being a piss-poor High King I might add - and gold, and got no further on. Now, he never came right out and said he’d had dealings with the princes (as really, we never had any reason to meddle in their affairs - and I do wish I didn’t have either....) - but Seliga our nurse mentioned various times (supposedly not in our hearing) that had himself not made bargain with that devil’s tongue things would have been better for all. And other sorts of imprecations along those lines over the years she was with us. “I’d rather forgotten it all, after Vintan wound up in an Imperial prison down in Cyrodiil. I rather forgot him too. Both - well, bad ideas do seem to go in pairs.... So I’m thinking that our father may have made contract with Bal, to save our mother’s life....” “And did it, Vartain?” G’ma’s voice was velvet-soft, and throbbed with compassion. He shook his head. “No. Of course not. She wasted to nothing, and died when we were just past two. And ever after, as we grew, Vintan made it obvious that he hated the fact that I was the eldest. Really, it meant nothing. Our father was High King - but it’s not hereditary, so there was no reason for him to assume me being the elder would get me crowned at a moot.... “And that’s not what did either! What got me named as High King is the simple fact that I’m not inclined to meddle in Hold issues! Well, unless and until someone - like Tier - comes to me for help with a major problem - at which point, I will do what I can, but once asked to remove myself from the situation, I’m going to immediately do so.” Da grinned. “Well, no one here’s asking you to leave. And if your da got involved with Bal - or any other prince - well, we’re glad for the information, and that’s an end of that. So.... we all need to think on this. Are you staying here tonight?” His merry eyes raked me, and then Var. I smiled. “Aye. We are. We’ll talk in the morning.” I led the way up the stairs, wishing I could just go to the inn for a real bath. |
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| Brambleberry | Mar 10 2017, 10:11 PM Post #366 |
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Jarl
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This story is going amazing places Sere. I enjoy reading each chapter and interlude. ;) |
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| Serethil | Mar 10 2017, 10:21 PM Post #367 |
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Et'Ada
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Aw Bram, thanks! Way more than half the time.... I have NO CLUE where something's going. So - I really appreciate your appreciation! <3 |
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| Areial | Mar 11 2017, 01:11 AM Post #368 |
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Et'Ada
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Lovely read! Tier's father is... Foxy...but thats a Bard..
Edited by Areial, Mar 11 2017, 01:12 AM.
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| Serethil | Mar 11 2017, 11:21 AM Post #369 |
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Et'Ada
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Yup. I ADORE bards.... |
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| Andra Hawksdaughter | Mar 11 2017, 07:51 PM Post #370 |
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Jarl
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Wonderful Sis! I do love the bits and pieces we're finding out about Vartain! And Tier's family are so fun! Maybe not to her, but fun to read. *giggle* |
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| Serethil | Mar 11 2017, 08:10 PM Post #371 |
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Et'Ada
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Thank you Sis! I'm actually having a good deal of fun myself with this.... |
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| Serethil | Mar 11 2017, 09:04 PM Post #372 |
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Et'Ada
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51 - Let’s try this again.... Morning brought consensus - more or less: the only way to fix the unfixable is just to do it. Var ran a hand through his hair and muttered “Look. This isn’t getting us anywhere.” This after an hour of quasi-arguments and dead ends. “Tier, let’s go back to the Manor’s back door and try it again. Let’s take Rendir with us - he can (I hope) manage shields - and healing but let’s hope we don’t need it. I think Vintan’s stark crazy by now with Bal as a three-day guest, and if nothing else, killing him will put him out of his misery.” Da glanced at Var. “A ‘three-day guest’? What do you mean by it?” “Oh.... must be something you haven’t run across? It’s an old saying: ‘Fish and guests begin to stink after three days.’ It’s a way of saying that unwelcome people - or in this case a daedric prince - are as bad as or worse than rotting fish.” My father the bard.... he was suddenly howling with laughter. “Oh - I’ll have to do that one up right, I will! Thank you, Vartain! If you have any other gems like that around....” Var just shook his head, bemused. I laughed to myself - welcome to my family, my love! Ma put up the usual arguments, but even more violent and shrill, with something an edge beyond hysterical. Da shut her up somehow. G’ma and g’da offered advice if they thought it pertained. “So then. Tonight? Soonest begun, soonest done, after all.” And I did want it done. Because we still had Meridia to deal with - no telling how long she’d wait before starting to dig at me.... and - I had a wedding to plan, after all! “Tonight” g’ma said. “It needs to be over. Being held hostage in our home - more or less - is getting beyond a joke!” Nods all around, except, predictably, from ma.... Dusk found us approaching the tunnel-mouth from the north near the ruins. Rendir had been more than agreeable to coming along - after all, his son had been hurt by Vintan. I hoped ma hadn’t been on him about helping, but he said nothing himself so I didn’t bring it up. By this point, I was ready to finish Vintan and simply run away to live with Var, just to get away from my mother. She seemed so much worse all of a sudden.... Oh.... I stopped the two men. “Var, Uncle Ren - now, I know you, Var, don’t know ma well. But Uncle Ren.... she’s.... different. Suddenly, and drastically.” A stunned look crossed his face. “You’re.... right. How did we not notice?” Var whispered “What are you thinking, Tier?” “That - we shouldn’t be here - because the problem may be closer to the Hall!” Ren muttered “You think Bal jumped from Vintan to your mother. To what end?” “To get close enough to Var to make sure Vintan takes over as High King. Of course, that means we all have to die, you realize.” Said baldly, it made us all wince. “I’m betting that even if Vintan’s here, Bal isn’t. And yes, removing the head of the snake does eventually produce the desired result.... unless the body is still wiggling....” “Look. Uncle Ren, go back to Morthal. Take Vigilant, he’s the fastest. Var, we need to see if Vintan’s still here - and if so, deal with him. If not, well, back to Morthal for us as well, and hope none of us is too late.” What I wouldn’t have given for enough magics right then to do something huge - like fly us all back home, or send da a message.... Ren took off at a run - good thing he was still pretty spry. Var and I stared at each other soberly. “If we wind up still alive, tonight the bedding will be for real. What if - we never knew each other?” He pulled me close and kissed me gently. He wasn’t like some - he didn’t just pat my head and tell me everything would be fine. Because both of us were by now all too sure nothing was going to be fine. |
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| Areial | Mar 11 2017, 10:20 PM Post #373 |
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Et'Ada
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Oh... dang it.. that is truly a Bal way of thinking thing's through.. and ouch.. Great read on a twisty path. |
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| Brambleberry | Mar 11 2017, 10:25 PM Post #374 |
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Jarl
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By Oblivion that's exciting! If I didn't know better I'd say Sheo is orchestrating the whole damn thing and sitting back laughing as they all scurry about! Excellent read Sere! :book: :D |
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| Serethil | Mar 12 2017, 12:47 AM Post #375 |
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Et'Ada
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Oh hells. I never even thought about getting Sheo involved! Thanks guys! |
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| Andra Hawksdaughter | Mar 12 2017, 05:36 PM Post #376 |
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Jarl
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Oh dear gods, they need something to distract Bal and move him on to something else! I love the convolutions here!! *grin* |
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| Serethil | Mar 12 2017, 07:12 PM Post #377 |
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Et'Ada
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Yeah. No kidding. Bal must have been bored to tears to begin with - and now.... how desperately bored he must be! |
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| Serethil | Mar 12 2017, 08:11 PM Post #378 |
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Et'Ada
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52 - You can’t avoid being sad when things go wrong no matter how you had it figured out. We slithered as quietly down the tunnel as we were able - me a bit more so than Var, but then he was male, much larger, and hadn’t ever (probably....) had lessons. Well, neither had I, but - ‘Damn it Tier stop DITHERING!’ So I told my over-busy intellect to shut the hells up as we got close enough to see the trapdoor into the basement. It was dark as ten hells in there. I moved quietly to the door into the kitchen, guiding Var with a hand in his. He whispered “I’m not much for darksight or creeping about, sorry!” “Don’t worry about it. One of us is good at both - that’s what counts.” I pushed the trapdoor open. There was sullen light from the main hall beyond, and no one close. We pushed the door closed behind us, very quietly; then we headed slowly toward the light. The sight that greeted us was.... sickening. Something.... and I had my thoughts about which something it was.... had thoroughly dismembered at least one body in the midst of the main hall. I had a sinking feeling about who that body was. I glanced at Var. He was white about the lips, and I could tell he was as shaky as I was. I whispered “Let’s.... see if we can....” He’d already found the only real remaining part of the body - its head. And it was Vintan. My eyes flooded with tears, and I turned away from the ugliness. He moved to me and gathered me into his arms. “Tier. We have to get back to Morthal.... we’ll - bury what we can eventually. And clean things up....” He shuddered. “Right. I’m sorry. I didn’t want this kind of end.... for you....” “I know. But we need to worry about the rest....” Aye. We did. So we went back down the tunnel (going out one of the main doors just didn’t seem - like a very good idea....) and mounting up, headed at that long walk for Morthal. I really needed to get Var one of our boys.... ‘Later Tier!’ I couldn’t keep focused on.... what might be happening.... You know how novelists talk about the “story arc”? Well, bards do too - and I’d heard it over and over all my life. So - reaching Morthal, we found.... nothing had happened. Uncle Ren had ridden hells for leather (probably for the first time in his life!) back home, and - nothing had happened. Yes. All to the good - but that left us all wondering where the next attack would land.... and chewing over the potential issue with ma. No one actually had any good input there unfortunately. She was - messing with new bed-linens, da said. Which got raised brows and odd looks all around. Eventually, we all went to bed - gods, it was something near dawn! And considering, yes.... The bedding was for real tonight. And NO I am not going to say any more than that! |
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| Brambleberry | Mar 12 2017, 08:33 PM Post #379 |
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Jarl
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:blink: :O :unsure: :bonk: :scared: yes, I do believe those emotes about cover it! :) Probably the worst thing ever to be looking over shoulders and around every corner just waiting for the trap to spring! Well done Sere. :book: |
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| Areial | Mar 12 2017, 08:40 PM Post #380 |
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Et'Ada
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Very nice... Bed Linen's huh... hmmm makes me wonder. |
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