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R.I.P. neildarkstar. Haven will miss you dearly.
| Siara N'Gola: Siara's Song | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 27 2016, 09:43 PM (4,202 Views) | |
| Serethil | Aug 5 2016, 02:34 PM Post #241 |
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Et'Ada
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And neither is really large enough for a horde either.... Of course, Helgen wouldn't do - though I did consider it. |
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| Kane | Aug 5 2016, 02:35 PM Post #242 |
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Overlord
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I always forget about Helgen. |
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| Serethil | Aug 5 2016, 02:36 PM Post #243 |
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Et'Ada
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I even considered adding in Helgen Reborn for her - but it's pretty long, I probably don't really want to go there. |
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| Kane | Aug 5 2016, 02:52 PM Post #244 |
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Overlord
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I hear ya. I'd have probably gone with Knifepoint, too. |
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| Grits | Aug 5 2016, 03:59 PM Post #245 |
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Thane
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How fun to see Deni blossom under Siara’s guiding hand! Taking over a bandit fort is a great idea. Everything they will need to live and permission to use it once they’ve handled the outlaws for the Jarl. Thank goodness for good baths and good coffee. |
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| Andra Hawksdaughter | Aug 5 2016, 06:02 PM Post #246 |
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Jarl
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Wow, Siara really has her hands full now!! I love it though! |
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| Serethil | Aug 5 2016, 09:31 PM Post #247 |
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Et'Ada
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Siara 39: If I could have one wish granted me, it would be to do something unmentionable to Jarl Siddgeir of Falkreath. By the time I’d spent an hour explaining, re-explaining, discussing the bandit problems, and just in general feeling as if he wasn’t interested, wasn’t listening, and wasn’t going to offer anything, I was ready to bite something - preferably something else unmentionable belonging to said Jarl. Finally, he said, seeming totally bored, “Well, if you clear out the bandits from Knifepoint Ridge, and agree to pay your taxes in full and on time, then I’ll grant you that camp and the mine for a holding.” I could almost see the septims glittering in his eyes as he considered that so many people would be a financial windfall for his Hold - I wondered why he’d acted so disinterested to begin with though. Perhaps it was just his way? In any case, I eventually got out of there, and rode back to the camp, after talking a bit with the steward about the bandits and getting her to mark their area on my little map. My people were calmer, cleaner, and better fed now. So they were happy to listen to what I could tell them about a new home. Selalla looked alarmed at the necessity for those of us who were warriors to deal with bandits, but seemed to realize that we must rid the place of them one way or another. “It’s likely that they’re over-confident, from what the steward said. She’s tried to get them run out by one or two sellswords for the bounty in the past, but none have managed to clear them out. They probably won’t expect as large a force as we can bring.” Elgial stood and bowed. “I will go as well. I have a facility with destruction magics; they may not be expecting a mage.” “We will go on the morrow. Today will be for preparing. Let none forget to sharpen swords!” The next day, I led a force of nine men and women against the bandits of Knifepoint Ridge. I hoped not to lose anyone - we were few enough in truth, though only Elgial had never been in a battle. I could not ignore his offer though - a mage might be the thing that could keep us all alive. He carried an odd staff slung over his back; I wondered what it was for, but didn’t ask him. I was a bit worried about having Andur and Arnem and their sister Ankeddi as well along - Selalla would be distraught if any of them didn’t return. All I could do was hope.... We stopped some distance from the camp; there was a sketchy trail upward, and we could see fortifications atop a bluff. That would be problematic - we would be under fire from the moment any saw us, and that was the probable end of the previous bounty hunters. “Andur, come with me. I want to get above the area and look down to see what I can. The rest of you, hide yourselves in the brush and trees for now; we will be back as soon as we may.” It wasn’t easy climbing up above the camp, and it wasn’t fast. An hour or so later, we crouched to see what we could of the bandits, and the layout. I whispered, “I wonder - could Elgial get up here and use his magic to draw them away from the gate area?” “I do not know, Lady. None of us know magic. We will have to go back and ask him. If he thinks it will work, we should send Ankeddi too - she is very good with her bow.” In fact, Elgial thought it was a prime idea. So, he and Ankeddi followed Andur back up the mountain, and the rest of us waited for the mage and archer to start something. Suddenly there was a great gout of fire from above, which lit a tree ablaze right in the camp. Another followed it. The bandits ran toward the fire, like ants stirred out of their hills by a child’s stick. Now arrows could be seen too. And more fire, then spikes of, I thought, ice. And - “Look. They are coming out to try to get up the mountain! There are three, let us take them quickly!” We let them get just around the first corner and started up the mountain shoulder, and then two of the men and one woman ran behind them and as quickly and quietly as possible killed those three. Another bandit ran out of the gate - but he was aflame, and dropped before many steps as one of the women still with me filled his throat with an arrow. The noise from inside the camp was much less now - I wondered how many more there might be. “Let’s go. We need to get inside before the others realize what’s happened out here.” We ran up the trail, dodging rolling boulders from some sort of trap, slid in the gate opening, and tried to see how many bandits were left. There was another down to an arrow, and two more headed toward the gate - they didn’t last long, falling quickly to sharp Redguard scimitars. We split up to look through the buildings, finding no more living adversaries, though there were two more dead in the second open area near the forge. Until we got to the mine, that is. We could hear a pick being used inside. How had whoever was in there not heard the commotion out here as we killed their comrades? Ankeddi came up as we started into the stope and whispered to me, “The mage will be along - his robes make climbing awkward.” I nodded, and touched Arnem’s arm. “Follow me, quietly. We must see who this is down the mine.” I turned to the others, and asked that they find anything valuable and set it aside, and then think about what we could do with the bodies. Then Arnem and I slithered into the mine. We could see a well-lit area ahead not too far. There was someone talking to himself down there as he plied the pick against a vein of some ore. We crept as close as we could, and then jumped him. He was much more a warrior than the others had been, being of Orc-kind; we danced a bit, keeping scimitars moving, but he was very strong and very agile. Both of us took wounds before bringing him down - he had turned toward Arnem giving me an opening to hamstring him, and that gave Arnem the opportunity to use his offhand dagger to thrust through the eye into the brain as the Orc was slumping forward. My left forearm was sliced pretty badly. Arnem had a cut over his right cheek, and a slice on his neck, both of which bled freely. “Come. We should clean those, and see what to do with the bodies. Send two of the men back for this one, and one of the women to deal with valuables.” We all cleaned off blood as best we could. We were not the only ones wounded. Ankeddi and Elgial were unhurt, but everyone else had at least minor wounds. We doctored what we could, wrapped what we couldn’t, and then talked over the bodies. “What think you all? It’s hard to dig a grave for this many, we don’t want to leave the bodies - that would draw predators, not to mention the smell....” Elgial said, “We should probably just burn them on a pyre. That won’t smell so good either, but once burned, the smell will dissipate.” Nods all around. “That’s the best idea. After that, most of you should return to the others, and lead them back here in the morning, while I go tell the Jarl that it’s done. I will stay here tonight - so that no one will think they can just walk in and take over. The valuables should go back with you, to be held for now by Selalla.” The men piled the bodies downwind of the camp, down the trail near a large rock outcrop which had much bare ground near it. Then Elgial called down fire again, using that odd staff. So that’s what it was for.... The pyre could be seen a long way, I was sure. I hoped it wouldn’t draw too much attention.... Andur insisted to stay with me, and the others headed back for the camp. I was sore, and so was Andur. We brought the horses inside the fortifications, and then sat a while before even trying to eat anything. If the bandits had been better organized, we might not have managed as well as we did. That was a sobering thought. My eye lit on the open gate. “We will want to put a real gate up there. And probably extend the fortification fencing....” About that time, I think I fell asleep. |
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| Andra Hawksdaughter | Aug 5 2016, 10:07 PM Post #248 |
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Jarl
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That was excellent Sere!! They can make a good place there! Good fight and good strategy! |
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| Serethil | Aug 5 2016, 11:14 PM Post #249 |
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Et'Ada
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Well, that's sort of a miracle then.... I had a tooth pulled this morning, and what with tylenol, the soreness, stitches, bone graft, and antibiotics, I'm a little rummy I think.... |
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| Andra Hawksdaughter | Aug 5 2016, 11:31 PM Post #250 |
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Jarl
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Oh OUCH! |
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| Serethil | Aug 5 2016, 11:34 PM Post #251 |
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Et'Ada
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Yeah.... but it was time. That one has been loose for around 15 years now. Hopefully the graft takes well enough so I can have an implant next spring. |
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| Areial | Aug 6 2016, 08:22 AM Post #252 |
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Et'Ada
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Great read! very descriptive, I could see the taking of the fort. Ouch! but good luck with the bone graft! |
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| Serethil | Aug 6 2016, 09:13 AM Post #253 |
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Et'Ada
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Thanks! Next thing is to come up with "real names" for everyone.... plus the "family" structure".
Edited by Serethil, Aug 6 2016, 09:14 AM.
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| Serethil | Aug 6 2016, 06:44 PM Post #254 |
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Et'Ada
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Siara's Song 40: The Jarl was as disinterested-seeming the next day as he had been two days previous. With the level of distance he exhibited, I couldn’t figure out why he made my skin crawl. Sometimes things just - happen. I thought it must be a thing that my instincts were handing me. Of course, he wanted the taxes up front. Luckily I had the 500 septims to give him. Then the steward, much more friendly now, handed me a real deed to Knifepoint Ridge, showing the family as owners, not just me - a good thing for true - and that the taxes were 500 septims every sixth moon. I sighed to myself. I hoped I wouldn’t have to work at bandit extermination to pay them! Well, that was six moons away for now.... though it wouldn’t do to put it out of mind. When I reached the holding, Borso and Tenglit had already installed a real gate, with a latch and lock. Selalla and Borso’s wife Sannith had sorted the valuables into piles, presumably “sell these” and “keep these”. Deni ran out of the mine stope with a fist full of gems of some sort just then, excitedly showing them off. In fact, they were amethysts of decent size, and would pay for cutting, if any among us had the jewel crafting trade. There were certainly many things I didn’t know about my new “family”. “Deni, you’re careful in there, aren’t you?” I was a bit worried. “Aya - I only go where there’s wood bracings. It doesn’t seem to drop rock n’ dust too much in there.” Well, that was good. Perhaps it would be safe for some of us to actually work the veins of ore eventually. That could help pay the damn taxes anyway. I called everyone together, and once they quieted, I read them the deed start to finish. Selalla’s eyes grew huge. “Do you mean this place belongs to all of us?” “Aye. It’s a good thing too. Anything might happen to me - to any of us. So having it in the family name is the best way not to lose the property.” She was suddenly weeping. I was a bit perplexed, but pregnant Elevi just held her shoulders and let her sob. She just smiled at me, and said, “She’s happy. She’s been very very worried....” Well, I could understand that. We were all still worried truth to tell. Somehow we had to decide how to handle the Princes.... That was always in the back of my mind. But now there was another thought there too - we might finish the threat against Hammerfell, but choose to stay here now. I put that away to pull out later - much later. Dinner was celebratory - after all, we were now landed folk, rather than refugees. It was a strange feeling, but I think we all enjoyed the thought that we were free now to concentrate on dealing with the damages in Hammerfell - or at least the authors of same. Of course, I still had to decide how to deal with even beginning to find out what to do about it. Having names - well, that was a bit farther on than I had been. But - what would I do about the Princes. I didn’t know. I could only hope that something would find me to inform me. I doubted that was very likely. Ill thoughts to sleep on.... Edited by Serethil, Aug 6 2016, 06:47 PM.
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| Andra Hawksdaughter | Aug 6 2016, 07:21 PM Post #255 |
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Jarl
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:clap: Oh how wonderful! A new home (at least for now) where they can be safe, grow food, mine, and hunt! They're set for trading in town too! I love that you're coming up with so many names, it makes it so much more personal. Super! |
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| Serethil | Aug 6 2016, 07:30 PM Post #256 |
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Et'Ada
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Heh, thanks! My "normal" mode is back today - I must be feeling better. I just "see" a person and have a name for him or her.... |
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| Rick | Aug 6 2016, 09:48 PM Post #257 |
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Jarl
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Ah....just imagine homeless or poor folk suddenly having a legally owned place of their own. Don't trust that Siddgier though....he's a whimsical weasel. I always enjoy sending Adella into Kpr......8 low level scumbags and a chief who conveniently always goes back deep inside his mine if you have to leave and re-enter the place. Nicely imagined Sere :) |
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| Serethil | Aug 6 2016, 09:59 PM Post #258 |
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Et'Ada
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Thank you kind sir Rick! |
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| Grits | Aug 6 2016, 10:17 PM Post #259 |
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Thane
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I loved the assault on the bandit fort! That was awesome! The scene when Siara returned to find everyone at work on their new home was just wonderful. I hope your jaw heals well and you can get a brand new bionic tooth when the time is right. Mr. Grits went through that. I feel for you. |
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| Serethil | Aug 6 2016, 10:25 PM Post #260 |
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Et'Ada
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Thanks Grits! Yeah, I was actually surprised (later) that the tactics worked out - because I did NOT write that "in my real mind".... Way too much stress and pills. Today I'm really fine. I have a sore spot where the anesthetic was injected.... and injected.... and injected.... (I'm very resistant to stuff like that - takes three or four times as much to numb me up) - and the stitches could have been an issue, except the doc was REALLY good at pointing the tag ends somewhere other than my tongue. So I'm doing the antibiotics, but I haven't needed any tylenol since yesterday evening (like over 24 hours ago) and I'm eating nearly normally. I have the doc's cell number "for if I have problems". I can guarantee I'm not going to have to call him. Eh, seriously - I'm pretty much steel-plate. |
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