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R.I.P. neildarkstar. Haven will miss you dearly.
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The Measure of a Woman; Serana's Tale
Topic Started: Sep 6 2017, 09:48 PM (650 Views)
neildarkstar
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Heh, you shoulda seen the one they fixed up to play a junkie in the TV show "Breaking Bad"... Only I actually know a tweaker who looks a lot like that one.
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Rick
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Jarl
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Neil's pic......lets see pointy chin, pointy ears......yep.....Altmer on Skooma ;)
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Serethil
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Three: Next....

I decided that I’d have to leave the Castle. If I stayed there, I’d never get any further than just - wishing for a cure. And Valerica would of course continue to assume that I was her.... adjunct - forever. I couldn’t have that. I couldn’t BE that.

The twins were there at that time, trying to talk to the Ideal Masters about Durnehviir - and not incidentally making it possible to move from the main part of the Castle to Valerica’s laboratory and study without having to crawl through the ruins - or change into a cloud of bats. As things became more - tense - with Valerica, I began to think that the twins might be my best option for getting away from there.

Eventually they talked to the Masters, and at that point I asked Vaerlon to allow me to accompany them as they returned to Morthal. He seemed - to be fine with that. Terlinna - wasn’t. But since her brother had accepted me, she forbore to cause issue. Oddly enough, her distrust did not have the flavor of “I want to kill the vampire” - more that she simply didn’t trust me at all no matter what I was or was not. I suppose it might have been a protective instinct for her brother - but I didn’t ask.

The upshot of my removal to Morthal was threefold: Tiercel and Verinne helped me sort out what I needed to do to find a cure, and where I might come by it - Cyrodiil to start - and suggested Bruma, where I might find places to stay out of sight while I searched; I learned to ride and to care for a horse, which would make my journey much easier - and that was all due to Tiercel; and.... I discovered that the High King was actually a human being with a heart - and practically no use for being High King! I must admit that last was amusing, to me at least.

This world was so different from the Skyrim I knew at fourteen. So long ago.... and yet - I was still a bit less than two years older. It’s difficult in the extreme to come to an understanding that while you are not quite sixteen, the world is five millennia or so farther along. Assuredly, had I not been entombed with the Elder Scroll, I would be as old as that myself - vampires being undead of course - but the simple fact that I’d been shut away for so long left me.... without a solid referent for time in this world today.

For instance - the Empire. In the time that I was imprisoned, Talos of Atmora sailed to Skyrim, and subsequently (as I understand it) conquered the whole of Tamriel, became the Emperor, and became a god: a god the Thalmor (if not all of the Altmer) have denied, and whose worship is considered anathema - while his Empire is now reduced to making a Concordat with those same Thalmor simply so it can keep existing. And that is only one of the many changes, shifts, that happened over the time I was entombed.

Life is very strange, I think.
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Areial
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Great read! and I would think that.. life would be strange indeed!
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Serethil
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Yep. Just stop to consider what it would be like to have been born in China 5000 years ago, living to your early teen years, then just - stopping. Going into stasis in a Bronze Age environment, then awakening today? What would you think?

Thanks Sis!
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Areial
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Et'Ada
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:x:
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neildarkstar
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:pop:

Sometimes I feel like that... I mean, I remember 5000 years ago when wrist watches all had dials with hands and had to be wound, and when people listened to their Walk-Man and had to use pay phones to call mom when they were going to be late getting home.

Only dinosaurs could use portable phones because the phones were so big... The sound of the velociraptor's phone ringing just as he was ready to leap saved me from being eaten more than once, eh?
;)
Edited by neildarkstar, Sep 11 2017, 12:55 AM.
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Kane
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Heh, my current watch is mechanical and needs wound.
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Serethil
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I don't wear watches. Husband prefers digital, but does have a manual-wind "dress watch" - which he can't tell time from. *sigh*
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Areial
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Et'Ada
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I have my fit-bit... and a digital that tell's Military time or you can look at the hands
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Kane
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I keep all my stuff on 24hr clock. Drives the missus nuts.
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Would do for me too. I "can" manage mil time, but I do NOT really want to.
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Areial
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Et'Ada
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Military time "clicked" with me.. and I actually have to stop and think about standard time..
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Serethil
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Heh. The mind is a wonderful thing. If we were all alike, well - life would be VERY boring.

Hmmm. I could do without terrorists though. Maybe boring has some.... options....
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Serethil
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Four: Crossing into Cyrodiil

Tiercel gifted me with the horse BannDar for the journey to near Bruma. That was a princely gift in itself, for it meant that I could make better time even in the dark. Tiercel also pointed out that different clothing would make life much easier; she gave me some items, Verinne gave me others, I bought some things, and the High King gave me a beautiful cloak.

“Your Highness - I can’t take it. It’s - far too nice; and you know I don’t feel the cold....”

He chuckled. “Once you’ve found your cure, you’ll need it - I guarantee it. The Jeralls can be colder than most of Skyrim you know. We have cloaks aplenty, won’t miss it. You’re - younger in real years than my daughters - take the cloak so I don’t have to worry about you.”

These people - amaze me. They all know what I am, and no doubt have killed as many vampires as they needed to in order to keep themselves and their people safe - and yet, they are making my search for a cure as easy as possible. It’s a world I never knew before - and.... I’m glad to have come to it.

So, two seven-days later, here I am looking down into Cyrodiil from a height above Pale Pass. Masser is full, and Secunda is waning; the wash of red over the snow is a reminder of what I am attempting to do.

Soon it will be day, and I will retreat into this cave behind me. I will stake BannDar in a nice grassy area beneath some trees, and hope no one finds him. Then tonight I will find my way down the mountains, away from any people who may be living out this far: I saw a light toward the east of my cave, and heard laughter - perhaps there is an inn. A good place to avoid, if so!

I know this is likely to be a long process, but I would like to be able to find someone who knows of a cure before long - for one thing, the herbs I’ve seen so far are very different than those of Skyrim. This could be a real problem.
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neildarkstar
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:thumb:

I wonders, I does... I've been known to summon the occasional Bandar at need...
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Serethil
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Summon a Bandar? Is that from a game? I thought it was a monkey in the Far East.... Thanks neil!
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neildarkstar
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Since you don't apparently know, I suppose it's a moot point, but according to ancient lore (not a game) a Bandar is sort of spiritual guardian (or demon depending on your outlook) who watches over sorcerers and practitioners of magic as they perform their operations.

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Serethil
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Ah. No, I hadn't ever run across that anywhere. Interesting. So I wonder if (or how) that relates to the monkey....
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neildarkstar
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The Bandar may take any form, often a dog or nocturnal creature, but in Eastern traditions often takes the form of a monkey... or so they say. The monkey has an advantage in that it could hold a sword. The inference is that the monkey you see may not be the monkey you get, eh? ;)
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