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R.I.P. neildarkstar. Haven will miss you dearly.
| The Measure of a Woman; Serana's Tale | |
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| Topic Started: Sep 6 2017, 09:48 PM (647 Views) | |
| Areial | Oct 11 2017, 07:21 PM Post #81 |
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Et'Ada
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Good read! I bet horse and rider were both equally as surprised.. as the witch.. wasn't |
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| Serethil | Oct 11 2017, 07:23 PM Post #82 |
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Et'Ada
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Yep. Been there done that one.... thankfully, no one was hurt. |
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| Kane | Oct 11 2017, 07:32 PM Post #83 |
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Overlord
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Fortune favors the bold. It's good that Serana is out and about during the daytime, too. |
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| Serethil | Oct 11 2017, 07:36 PM Post #84 |
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Et'Ada
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Well.... hmm. It was nearly dusk - should have put that in there somewhere. The dimness was why they didn't see the woman until almost too late! I'll have to edit that. |
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| Kane | Oct 11 2017, 07:49 PM Post #85 |
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Overlord
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Eh, no worries. I only just realized that in the part of Cain's tale that involved the treasure hunt, I kept calling it Loreius Farm, instead of Pelagia. |
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| Serethil | Oct 15 2017, 08:05 PM Post #86 |
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Et'Ada
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Eleven: Waiting on a witch.... taxes my patience. Now - I do have patience for some things - concocting the false-blood and other exacting potions.... reading a book new to me.... But waiting to talk to the Wisewitch sent me into a fever of impatient pacing. Finally, I settled to a book - The Words of the Wind. It was a small collection of blank verse poems attributed to Ashlander Wise Women. I - didn’t at all understand some of the feelings that the words caused in me, but I wished to at some point. This business of becoming human again - well, I wasn’t always sure how to react.... The woman walked into the “living area” of the Serpent’s Trail just before middle-night. She bowed slightly then said “You may call me Velithra. It - is one of my names; and it is one that none in Bruma will know.” I understood that to be cautionary. I couldn’t blame her. If it became known that she had converse with a vampire, likely her life would be forfeit. “I am Serana - I suppose my other name would be Volkihar. My parents - chose to take Molag Bal’s version of vampirism, so as to become ‘royalty’ among other vampires; and then they - gave me - to him as well....” She glanced at me suddenly - I thought it likely to see if I might be lying to gain her confidence. But then she said, surprising me “Ah. I remember what it was like! I thought I should die. And then when I did not die, I chose to - never forget - what was done to me. Now, it had not somehow occurred to me that there might be others - like me. That is, given willingly to that rapine by something of evil. But - I see that I was shortsighted. “So. The “cure” is a compound of various physical components to cleanse the body of the taint, and a - mental/emotional cleansing of the rape and infection, which.... requires a certain strength of mind and body. I - think - you have the will to do this. You must come to humanity again on your own. I will write out the method - but you must accomplish it yourself; no one else can assist with it.” I nodded. “I had the feeling it would be thus. I knew it could not be the simple cure that is used in Skyrim and Cyrodiil - for the lesser breeds. I am sorry you had to endure this - but thankful that you have found a way to help me forward to being fully human again.” She studied me soberly. “Are there - many - like you? I mean, sent to Bal unwilling in the extreme.” I nodded. “Aye. In Skyrim at least, I estimate perhaps some hundreds over the centuries.” “Centuries! How - how many?” “Somewhere in the vicinity of five millennia.... since my parents gave me to that monster.” She paled, and sat suddenly upon the furs beside the fire. “You are - so old then?” I laughed grimly. “Oh aye - so many centuries, but still not quite sixteen. Not long after I survived Bal’s - ministrations - my parents had a falling-out over a prophecy supposed to give Volkihar vampires the ability to kill the sun. My mother and I were - more than alarmed. She entombed me with one of the scrolls holding part of the prophecy in a place in the earth; and put herself into more or less voluntary imprisonment in the Soul Cairn with a second of the three scrolls. “Before you leave, I would like you to hear the entire tale, as it will give you some insight into those fully human who yet helped me this far.” It was nearing dawn when I finished telling the tale, then answering her questions. She stood and bowed; “It is of great interest to me that you, a royal vampire, have the good will of the High King and his family. To me, that says that you are worthy in more ways than I can name. Should you have issues at any point, come here again, and fly a crimson banner from the height. I will attend you so that we may discuss any problems. “Serana - you will need to consider a life’s worth of helping those in your same situation to humanity, if they truly wish it.” I bowed in turn. “Velithra, it had already come to me that I bear a geas to help others similar.” On that we parted, I thought friends rather than just chance-met acquaintances. My life, once I was human again, would have shape and substance moving into the future - and for that I was grateful to Velithra the Wisewitch, as well as for the instructions for curing myself. |
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| Areial | Oct 16 2017, 12:14 AM Post #87 |
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Et'Ada
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:clap: Great read!! I love it! It's good that Serana know's that it isn't just "take a potion and cured"!! |
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| Serethil | Oct 16 2017, 08:53 AM Post #88 |
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Et'Ada
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Thanks Sis! |
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| Lapuaboy | Oct 16 2017, 01:12 PM Post #89 |
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Thane
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Nice! Serana not only meets with her Wisewitch but finds her to be a kindred spirit...so to speak :) |
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| Serethil | Oct 16 2017, 02:51 PM Post #90 |
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Et'Ada
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Very true. They did hit it off quite well.... Thanks Lappy! |
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| Serethil | Oct 19 2017, 09:15 PM Post #91 |
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Et'Ada
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Twelve: .... and marking time Now began a period of intense work. I had to find the ingredients, then take care to cure each properly for what it was as well as its place in the formula. And of course though I was a very good alchemist - this was my life in the balance, so I must needs be very particular about such things. One thing I knew from something Velithra had mentioned - if I made errors in any part of this effort, I could - probably would - die. Having real life again so close, I did not at all wish to lose it due to failure of care! And still, I had to be careful of the brigands and bandits and general lowlife who consistently moved into the Serpent’s Trail if I was gone more than a few days. It was becoming more than annoying when I finally decided that outright lies might suffice to deter the lawless idiots hereabouts. I really hated having to kill them over and over. So, using the dusk again to my advantage, I entered into low-voiced colloquy with a citizen or two of Bruma, mentioning that I had heard there were plague-wracked bodies in the old tunnel into Skyrim - a plague apparently none had seen before. How does this help, you ask? Well.... all those brigands are likely related to the citizens of Bruma.... so word should get around, I think.... And so it proved. I had to kill two more groups of bandits, but thereafter, I was undisturbed for weeks at a time. And that was a very good thing - because I was now too busy to be bothered with brigands and bandits. At this point I realized I could manage without my good BannDar. He wasn’t happy living in this dark space, and I was able to give him only marginal exercise. So. It was necessary to take him home. That would cut into the time I used for gathering and processing - but I could not allow Tiercel’s horse to pine and die. So I prepared for a trip back to Morthal. |
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| Areial | Oct 20 2017, 12:29 AM Post #92 |
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Et'Ada
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Nice!! Thing's to do, to take time away.. from the things that you really want to do. |
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| Serethil | Oct 20 2017, 09:17 AM Post #93 |
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Et'Ada
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Thanks Sis! Heh - before you can do the one thing you plan, you have to do a whole bunch of other stuff! |
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| neildarkstar | Oct 20 2017, 09:35 AM Post #94 |
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Overlord
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Ah, nothing like a good plague to clear the uhh... air, eh? Just ask Peryite! :) Good read! |
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| Serethil | Oct 20 2017, 09:39 AM Post #95 |
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Et'Ada
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Thank you neil! It's an especially good plague - because it's not really there! |
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| Serethil | Oct 23 2017, 06:12 PM Post #96 |
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Et'Ada
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Thirteen: Hmmm. After a little further thought, though, I changed my mind. I thought I could talk to the stablewoman just at dark so she couldn’t see my eyes, and offer to pay for BannDar’s care by the moon. I’d spin her some sort of tale - probably something about seeing how alchemy ingredients differed here from Skyrim - which was marginally true anyway! So the next evening a bit beyond dusk, I rode into the stableyard. The woman was just finishing up feeding the couple of animals there; it looked as if she’d have room for my horse. Dismounting, I started with “Good eve, madam. I seek to lodge my horse with you for some time; I’m writing a treatise on the differences between Skyrim herbs and alchemical ingredients and those here in Bruma. I may be at it for some time; therefore I would be pleased to pay you for a moon or more at a time.” Her face lit up like the sun was on it full. “I can do that. It’s 100 gold a moon, including feed, grooming, and mucking out.” Well, of course she could do that - highway robbery! But I couldn’t complain really, and it wasn’t as if I didn’t have the gold. So I paid her a moon, patted the horse, and left it to her to untack him. She watched me walk into Bruma; if she went looking for me at the inn, of course she wouldn’t find me. But that might just lead her to think I’d never be back for the horse, I didn’t know! I slid out the north gate and headed back to the Serpent’s Trail. With BannDar in a better situation, I could concentrate on gathering, preparing, curing and making meticulous notes on the entire process. It was painstaking, serious work, and I set to it with a will. Velithra stopped me on a time as I wended a moss-grown path looking for a particular sort of fungus. “So, you are progressing? I saw your horse at the stables; that’s likely a better idea, but how do you manage so the stablewoman does not know what you are?” “I am paying a moon at a time, so do not have to see her often - and I will go in only near dark. I gave out to her that I am writing a book about the differences in herbs and ingredients between here and Skyrim.” She nodded. “That’s a good idea then. Well, I will meet with you occasionally like this I am sure.” She went on her way, and I headed back to looking for Cairn Bolete. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to grow on cairns.... |
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| Areial | Oct 24 2017, 08:27 AM Post #97 |
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Et'Ada
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Very good read! And a good place for the BannDar..hopefully! |
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| Serethil | Oct 24 2017, 09:01 AM Post #98 |
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Et'Ada
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Thanks Sis! |
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| Kane | Oct 24 2017, 10:54 AM Post #99 |
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Overlord
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Elusive ingredients can be a pain. She might have her work cut out for her! |
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| Serethil | Oct 24 2017, 11:14 AM Post #100 |
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Et'Ada
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Well, she does - but she's determined! Thanks Kane! |
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