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Gremlaith Ulfricsdottar and the Lay of the Black Mask
Topic Started: Nov 17 2017, 12:03 AM (622 Views)
Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Prologue: No one loves a bastard

“So my father failed. That doesn’t surprise me. He failed at so many things.... like marrying my mother, acknowledging me as his daughter, finishing the Empire.... What do you think I can do about any of that?”

“Well.... there is another daughter. It might.... be a good idea to find her.... No no. She is not sister to you other than by Nord blood. But.... she is also a daughter - of mine. As are you. Your father - well, yes - he failed. But you should get beyond that, you know. The world - well, it goes on apace, and railing at the fate that befell....

“It’s not - useful.”

Grem turned to give Talos the worst of her temper. But of course he wasn’t there. She wanted to throw something, kick something.... KILL some.... one. But of course that wasn’t - optimal - at this point, or most like - any point.

And did she really want to kill Ulfric? What would that accomplish? Well, at the very least, it would give her some closure - as in....’Yah. Da. I’m better than you at much, or so it seems. But of course, you don’t own me, so it doesn’t matter.’

Then again.... None of that would have any value. It wouldn’t make her life easy - she knew that. It - wouldn’t bring Mam back from the wasting sickness, or her grave. It wouldn’t mean jackshit.

And, she finally admitted.... even if Ulfric named her daughter - it wasn’t enough. It could never be enough - because....
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Areial
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Et'Ada
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:clap: very nice!! Sometimes it's very hard to know exactly what we really do want.
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neildarkstar
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Overlord
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Hmmm... Alrighty then... ;)
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Heh. Thanks guys! We'll see where Grem gets to....
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Kane
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Ooh, another communer with Talos. Intriguing!

:pop:
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Yep. Though she'd rather do something drastic to him than listen! Thanks Kane!
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Chapter 1: If I could go back and do it over - would I?

Good question. Hasn’t an answer though - because - no one gets to do life over. Well, I suppose those who make bargains with some of the daedra might - but then they’ve given over humanity the moment they seal that deal. So it’s not really “redoing life” then, is it?

Pah. Why do I waste time on useless questions? Mostly.... because I have nothing but time, and might as well waste it in that way. This operation is a smooth machine which needs very little manipulation from me. Perhaps if I had to get deeper into the workings.... Then again, once authority dismembers it, I should be able to slither away without issue.

‘STOP that, damn you!’ Of course, Talos didn’t listen this time, any more than he ever had. Those little needles of sorrow that he sends my way whenever I don’t toe the line he drew.... well, he can be damned for all of me. No, it’s not legal, what I do. And it’s not clean, or kind. But it’s fun. Sometimes. And sometimes.... it’s anything but fun. Then again, I’m not the sow of some pig of a Nord, breeding Nord piglets which he may choose to say are bastards if he likes....

How did I wind up here you ask. It’s a tale to be sure. And I suppose it does not show me in anything approaching a good light. I’m not sure I care. If you like, I’ll tell you the tale. And if you decide you don’t like it - or me - well, be damned to you too!

But not tonight. Tomorrow is soon enough. Tonight, I need a lot of wine, and someone not Nord in my bed....
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neildarkstar
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So... She really likes Nords, she just has an odd way of expressing it? ;)

Intriguing though...
:thumb:
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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*snerk* Thank you neil!
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Chapter 2: Ask me no questions....

Still, I might lie. You just don’t know do you? Fascinating - you must really be interested in a wastrel’s life, since here you are buying my drink again tonight. And I thank you - though I have gold enough and more.... I could e’en buy this tosspot’s stew - or the whole damned town! - an’ I wanted....

I can see you don’t believe me. That’s neither here nor there - you will think what you will, and there’s an end of it. Oh no - I’m minded to tell you my tale, no matter that you thought I was.... annoyed.... Be wary though - when I am truly annoyed, I tend to - remove heads with my girl here.

So, once Ulfric got himself killed by the Dragonborn, you might I suppose think that made a deal of difference in my life. After all, I should have been happy to have the author of my bastardy dead and burned, right? Well, not so much. I - somehow - even then, wished he’d thought to own me as his child. It wouldn’t have bought me a loaf of bread when starving, true. But I did think it would have made things different in some way. By then, Mam was dying by inches, and most of the scroungings I managed were sold for what pittance they brought, to pay for bits and bobs of healing and herbs.

But finally, I went to the Talos priest with a last septim, and he said “Girl. I cannot further help your mother. Not even for the entire Imperial treasury could I heal her. I’m sorry. She’s too far gone.”

For a child, that’s devastating - to have a priest of the god you acknowledge tell you he can’t heal your mother. I shuffled back out into the cold streets of Windhelm as the snow thickened to the point where I couldn’t really see - only my feet knew the way, so I finally pushed past the curtains made of rags into the space we called home - to find Mam dead and colder than the snow in the streets.

The next day they burned her - in case she might have had something others could catch. And then the nasty little man who’d lived above the only home I’d ever known met me there and told me to bugger off - it was his now. Unless I wanted to warm his bed.

I left. And hid out above where he used to live, until middle night - then I slithered into my former home, slit his throat as he slept, and took anything of value with me. No one saw me fade into the dark.

I had no plan, nowhere to go. And Talos poking at me - though at that point I didn’t know what it was.
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Areial
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Et'Ada
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God read Sis.. I wonder who she's trying to convince?
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neildarkstar
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Childrens... You just can't trust 'em not to slit yer damned throat while you sleep! Little snakes, tha's wat they are! Good for a stew pot, and not much else...
;)

Now that's a right good beginning, eh?
:thumb:
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Thank you Sis and neil!
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Serethil
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Chapter 3: Heading for nowhere, with virtually nothing - especially coin

It didn’t occur to me right away that I could probably have stolen some coin somewhere. I just wanted out of Windhelm as quickly as possible, and to that end, I didn’t even think about anything but that. A couple of very cold, hungry days later, I was mentally excoriating myself for failing to think - period.

I was at least down into the steam pools area by then, but it was winter damn it, and you can’t sleep in the pools anyway.... Well, I can’t since I don’t know how to swim. There were a fair few naked folk in some of them, even deep into the night. Which of course, left me to slither around in the gloom and filch things - some marginally better clothing, some food left on plates in a tent or so. The coin if any was locked up in chests.

But I did find a pair of nice daggers.... which I could sell for coin unless I decided to keep them myself... I’d actually had some lessoning in rapier - one of my Argonian friends had been able to teach me quite a lot before she’d got offed in a brawl. Unfortunately, the gang that won kept the spoils, including Digs-Deep-Nests’ rapier.

Water under way too many bridges. ‘Shut UP, damn your Nord hide!’ I sighed every time I tried yelling at him mentally - because of course he wasn’t really there, so he couldn’t hear me. I didn’t know why Talos seemed to want to meddle in my life - because of course, he was long dead. And what was he on about - his other daughter? Ah, I didn’t care enough to try to find out. Or so I told myself.

After sneaking away from the camps I’d pilfered from, I wasn’t sure where to head next. One of the things I’d taken from the last tent was a map - and looking at it, I knew I did not want to head for Riften. They had that whole “thieves’ guild” mess going on, and I wanted no part of that. So - Falkreath or Whiterun?

Falkreath. Smaller, less guards, Imperial-leaning instead of allied with what former rebels still live in Eastmarch; there are plenty of them still - Ulfric wasn’t even a very good figurehead, much less parent; Galmar’s sons are fronting the rebellion now, and instead of living openly in Windhelm, they’re smart enough to hide out in places where they’ll see anyone looking for them first.

I headed for Falkreath, staying off the roads. I wore the dagger belts strapped over my chest, and used them as needed to protect myself against animal or man.

What, no more wine? Ah. Well, if you must leave on the morrow.... Perhaps you’ll find me in another den of drink before long.
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Areial
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Very nice read... one does what one has to do.
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Serethil
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Yes. But you'll notice, it seems to never once have entered her mind to see if she could find a job....
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neildarkstar
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The problem with seeking a job is that sometimes, you find one... :)

:thumb:
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Serethil
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ROFL! Too true neil.... thanks!
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Lapuaboy
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Thane
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:clap:

Another story I look forward to experience!
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Serethil
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Et'Ada
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Thank you Lappy!
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