A Conjuror's journey

[PieceThruWar]

Status: Healthy
Magicka: (650/650)

Landing at the outskirts of town, you take in your surroundings as the girl adjusts her little cloak and skirt. Three tower are visible above the rooftops and it might just be the viewing angle, but at only one has a visible purpose as a bell tower. The shops and homes spread out more the further they are from the towers, with farmhouses scattered about the fields. You can see mountains on the other side of town and estimate them to be about half a day's ride to their base. You thank Magnus for Levitation as you remember the one time you rode a horse in your youth, nearly dying when it bucked you off the edge of a gorge in the reach.

Absently rubbing where your neck had broken, you get back to the task at hand. You motion to the child at your side to follow, setting off into town in search of something to enchant for your conversational needs.

The village is about the size of Whiterun, with people watching warily as you pass. Ignoring the standard distrust of outsiders, you follow an elderly man who is pushing a cart loaded with cabbages. Eventually you arrive in an open market to see stalls of vegetables, meat, and baubles of many kinds. Men in armor are arguing with irate merchants and loading a wagon with food. You push through the soldiers, ignoring their shouts as your apprentice takes it upon herself to look imperious and chastise them for blocking the street.

It takes you a few hours to find what you need among all the useless junk, but by noon you have found a brass wrist bracelet that is big enough to carve the needed runes onto. The stall-keeper looks pleased by your selection, but that changes when you hold up your fox pelt. You gather from his rambling that the bracelet is an ancient treasure of her family, which you highly doubt, seeing as how it was on sale next to an old pointed hat and a basket of cracked clay dolls. Tossing the pelt in her face, you stride off, finding your apprentice sitting on a crate next to the soldier's wagon as she eats an apple.

Taking one of the soldier's daggers, waving off his grumbling, you sit beside the pinkette and begin carving.

----------

Three hours and twelve apples later, you have finished. The Bracelet is now absolutely packed with runes, from Deadric to Aldmeri and everything in between that you could fit. You never like those crutches they call enchanting tables that had become so popular across the Empire. A true enchanter should take the time to learn what they are doing and why, not rely on a fancy piece of furniture to patch their work into a stable spell pattern.

Snapping the bracelet on, the you are momentarily deafened by a sharp pinging noise before-

"-he last time, tribute to your lord is not nego-" A soldier barks at somebody.

The cabbage man shouts "-nly one écu! Why it's practice-ily a stea-"

"-e stole my family heirloom and you do nothing! Why do we pay tribute if our lord's men don't protect us?!" Oh, the stall lady is yelling at the guards, who are looking nervously at you and the pink girl. You should probably ask her name now.

Choose 1
[] Ignore the locals and converse with your apprentice.

[] Write in​

[] Cow the annoying woman with a display of magickal power. Cast Stendarr's Aura 200 Magicka

[] Approach the blacksmith for some iron ore to transmute so you can pay off the woman. Cost 80 Magicka.

[] Flee!

[] Write in.

 

[PieceThruWar]

Status: Healthy
Magicka: (650/650)

You wave to the guards and call out to the stall-keeper in a jovial tone, "Am I to assume that same status applies to the rest of the broken junk in your inventory as well?" She makes to reply, by you ignore the woman and address the child at your side.

"Now that I have taken care of that pesky language barrier, allow me to introduce myself. Cynric Tyne; sworn enemy of the Psijic Order, Grand Sorcerer of The Reach and the last true Master Enchanter of Tamriel." You offer grandly, any of your countrymen would back up your claim... the ones who knew what they were talking about anyway.

The announcement of your titles, self proclaimed or not, has a visible effect on those around you. It is rather impressive sounding, which is what you were aiming for. A few soldiers unconsciously back away, the would-be swindler pales noticeably before retreating to her stall, and the pink girl is stares up at you in awe. Smiling kindly, you gesture to her before the moment can drag itself into the realm of awkwardness pauses. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself little one?"

She scowls at that, but the embarrassed blush ruins what little effect it might have had. "My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, of the Noble house of Vallière." Noticing your lack of recognition, she presses on. "Daughter of Duchess Karin Désirée of Tristain." Still not recognizing the names for obvious reasons, you motion for her to continue... This causes her to pull on her hair and growl out, "Karin 'The Heavy Wind' Vallière, Hero of the Tristainian Army?!"

"Those are certainly impressive sounding, does that make my little apprentice royalty?" You ask, derailing her train of thought before she gets too frustrated.

Louise starts at that and begins to ramble. "Apprentice? You're serious?! I thought you were joking and I was going to be ransomed off to the princess or something... But you're serious! Not even my mother can fly as fast as you without a dragon, you must be extremely powerful... of course you are, you can't be called 'Grand Sorcerer' and be weak... and you're going to teach me?" Suddenly her mind latches onto one word you said keep repeating and she glares up at you "How dare you call me little, I'll have you know that I will soon be an adult!"

"Of course, just a tiny misunderstanding, I assure you." You laugh and pat her head as she pouts. "Now, If I am to be molding you into the most powerful mage in in the history of this world, I will need to know your current capabilities."

The girl visibly deflates at your words, you didn't think it was possible for her to make herself seem even smaller, but she did. "Of course... you only chose me because you didn't know."

"I do not, that would be why I am asking now." You agree.

"I knew it was too good to be true, nobody would willing choose to teach 'The Zero'." She murmurs to herself and declares with force, "I don't need your help anyway."

You watch in confusion as Louise tears up and runs off.

Choose 1
[] Shrug and ask if there are any bounties to hunt for.

[] Fly above Louise and wait for her to stop somewhere so that you can talk.

[]write in​

[] Annoyed, you give the soldier his knife back... by planting it in his neck.

[] Write in.

 

[PieceThruWar]

Status: Healthy
Magicka: (500/650)

This is why you never had kids, they make no sense. You cast a quick Mark on Louise's retreating back, overpowering it to make up for the growing range between the two of you. Since she has already eaten and you can now find her at a moment's notice, you let her have some time to cool down from whatever that was and turn to the soldier whose knife you stole. "You there!" Said soldier looks over his shoulder before pointing at himself. "Yes, you. Tell me lad, are there any outstanding bounties in this region?"

"I- Um yes... my... sir lord... Sire... I-I-I'll just..." Was all he managed to squeak out before panicking and rushing to the front of the wagon, much to the amusement of his seniors. Sighing you wait for him to return with several papers, which he thrust in your face.

----------
Choose 1 bounty
[] "A band of poachers have been spotted in the forest around Lord Tarbes' manor, 30 écu to whomever presents their heads to the Captain of the Guard in Tarbes Village." Below is a drawing of six burly men in leathers and one cloaked individual.

[] "5 Livres to the man that kills those damn moles in the southern fields." ~ Farmer Harris

[] "A manticore has made it's roost on the far side of the mountains, all citizens are to avoid the area until the beast has been slain." It's not quite a bounty, but killing whatever this creature is should be worth something to the locals.
--------

You don't really know the value of the currency here, so the rewards are meaningless at the moment. Either way, you should prepare yourself for the fight ahead.


[] Take care of anything you might need for your chosen task.

[] Write in.​

 

[PieceThruWar]

Status: Healthy
Magicka: (500/650)

Hunting bandits sounds like an entertaining way to pass the time while earning some coin. Strange multi-tiered coin, not the simple and reliable Septims of home. Well, money is money and you currently have none, so thirty whatevers is better than none. You pass the beast hunting contracts back to the quivering soldier, putting the remaining one in your knapsack.

You head toward the edge of town before you realize that you have no idea where Tarbes is, nor where this Lord's forest would be in relation to your present location. Resisting the urge to hit yourself for being so absentminded, you head back to the square and arrive in time to see the soldiers' wagon being pulled down the opposite road.

Setting down next to the driver after your short flight to catch up, you clear your throat dramatically. Hearing the armored man yelp in surprise, you ruthlessly suppress a manly laugh, (which was by no means a feminine titter) you say, "Pardon me, but I find myself in need of direction to the..." Pausing to process the sign reading 'Four Moons bar and inn, cheapest booze in Tarbes!'.... One question down and the driver is looking at you expectantly. Right, play it off like a lapse in memory.

You mutter to yourself and make a show of digging for the bounty notice before continuing your question. "Ah... here we are, could you direct me toward the local lord's hunting grounds? I have some heads collect." There, you have successfully covered your blunder with casual mention of bloodshed, just as mother taught you.

Contrary to your expectations, the man smiles warmly at the thought of combat and relaxes... quite the odd one that the mention of killing people would evoke such a reaction. "You're in luck stranger, this here wagon's on it's way back to deliver the month's tithes to Lord Tarbes' storehouses. The forest surrounds the estate for miles in all directions, so just sit back and relax. Brimir only knows you noble types would do well to set aside some responsibilities."

Seeing no real reason to not take the man's offer, you settle into the seat and listen to the soldier ramble on about the nobles of the world and how little they understood of the commoner's plight. You nod where appropriate and eventually drift off to sleep, wondering how so many commoners were apparently being oppressed when they could simply blast the nobles with a simple Lightning Bolt from the shadows.

--------

True to his word, the driver wakes you as the horses come to a halt outside a walled off manor. The driver offers to show you the poacher's last known location once the goods are unloaded, so you help carry a few barrels of strange smelling powders into the main house's larders. The sun is almost set and you feel uncomfortable leaving Louise on the streets for by herself for too long... it would be harder to mold her to your own designs if she associates you with her suffering or Lorkhan forbid somebody else takes her in... oh, and she could get hurt or whatever... Best to get killing as soon as possible.

A bit of friendly banter with the driver has allowed you to learn a few interesting facts about this world. Apparently the word Albion that Louise used was in reference to a large island that floats in the skies over the ocean, much like the Infernal city of Umbriel. This Albion place is currently in a state of civil war and Albert, the driver, has mentioned his nephew's work to aid the war effort at several points in the conversation.

As the two of you head off into the forest, you can tell that Albert wishes to ask something, but can't work up the nerve. The deeper you get, the more nervous the man become, watching you when he doesn't think your are paying attention. Eventually, you make to speak when he shushes you and ducks behind a bush.

Peering through the leaves, you spot a crowd gathered around a low campfire. You determine that most of the figures are male, their almost Nordic physique and a few beards are subtle clues, but your eyes are sharp. You're also not an idiot, which is uncommon enough in your opinion. Away from the fire, you spot a robes humanoid in an obscuring hood and shadows emerges from a hole in the ground that hadn't been there before. Obviously you are dealing with a local mage, an alteration specialist at the very least.

You make ready to fight, but Albert suddenly walks from the bushes and is greeted with cheers and a hug from the person in the cloak. The cloak that continue to defy your probing eyes with it's voluminous hood, long sleeves that cover the hands, and deep shadows that hide the wearer's gender. Damn that cloak, you've always hated mysteries.

Choose 1
[] They seem friendly enough with Albert, maybe they can help you raid the lord's manor. That would certainly be a bigger haul than the reward for killing them.

[] Act friendly until you get close to the hooded figure and cast Whirlwind Cloak before engaging in furious melee with staff and blade. Cost 330 Magicka.

[] Summon Spider Daedra and retreat into the sky to watch. Cost 300 Magicka.

[] Flee!

[] Write in.

---------

A/N: A well thought out combat write in has a much higher chance of succeeding without negative consequences such as dismemberment, allied deaths, broken gear, etc... Remember that the character sheet is your friend.

 

[PieceThruWar]

Well, Albert is apparently a traitor. He raises his voice so that you can hear him say, "-mebody I want you to meet." You're pretty sure he is trying to signal you to come out. Instead you form a bridge between Mephala's realm and snatch up one of her spawn, binding it to your will.

Lesser men would call you reckless, spreading lies about the irrationality of these Daedra and the difficulty of binding them. Fools, the lot of them. They simply do not understand that such creature's minds work in different ways and thus must be bound and ordered accordingly. The Spinner weaves a convoluted web and no spider appreciates being pulled from it's nest, so one must merely channel that frustration toward proper targets and banish them when their work is done.

An Idle Deadra does it's Prince's work, after all.

"Oi! Tyne, you fall asleep or something?" Albert shouts, shrugging as he looks back toward his hooded friend. The arachnoid monster bursts into existence in a swirling corona of purple flames, lifting the man by his throat and screeching in his face.

You slowly ascend through the boughs as your minion crushes Albert's throat and throws his corpse into the crowd of men, knocking one into the bonfire. All of them start screaming, most in shock, one in pain as he burns, and the mage in anger. Either she's a deep voiced female or he is softly shaped man... not important, the androgynous one just threw your Daedra out of the clearing by flipping the earth beneath it like a catapult.

The poachers form up around mage in a five pointed formation, watching the darkened treeline for movement. Ten or so minutes pass as you watch the crowd grow more and more anxious. This is why you prefer Spider Deadra over Dremora. Summon a Dremora Lord and he shouts about worthless foes, lacking any plan besides charge and slash, annoying you when the enemy is slain until you dismiss him. Spider Daedra? They can do full frontal assault, but the children of Mephala the Web-Spinner possess other skills as well.

"You poor children..." You hear her sibilant whisper echo impossibly loud around the clearing. "There is no reason to be afraid." You watch her extend her arm. A flash deep in the trees and a crack of thunder. "I merely wish to help you."

The mage is waving his/her wand and chanting something under their breath as one of the men suddenly gains a hole through his chest in the next flash of lightning. "After all, mortality must be dreadful." Chittering laughter echoes from all around and the mage suddenly drops through the ground, leaving the rest of their party behind as the monster bursts from the shadows.

The men break into a panic now that their apparent leader has deserted them. They shove one man to the ground and sprint into the surrounding foliage. The four are now running through the forest, listening to their comrade screams of terror as the Daedra drags him along for the chase.

The men split up, each pinning their survival on the others being a distraction. One runs headfirst into a massive web, another is run down and tackled by your summon and impaled through the back on her forelimbs, the third is knocked down by the thrown body of the one she was carrying, and the last is blasted by several Lightning Bolts as she moans in her pleasure of the kill.

You descend into the treetops behind her as the two battered survivors stand to face their death; one with just a shield and beard for protection, the other with a hand-axe and a chain-mail shirt. The Daedra's forelimbs crash into the shield, knocking the man back to the dirt and is rewarded with an axe biting though her carapace and removing a foot of leg. Her reeling back in pain and surprise allows the man to bury his axe into the softer portion of her body where chitin blends with flesh. Dark blood spilling from the axe wound, she roars and swings the man against a tree by his arm, smiling coldly at the sound of breaking spine.

Before she can finish off her fallen foe, she collapses when a shield bounces off her head. You look over to see the bearded man limping as he runs at the stunned spider-woman. Shocked at the man's audacity, you watch as he pulls the axe from the woman's belly and climb up her legs to plant the blade in her neck. Purple flames erupt from chitin as the Spider Daedra is banished back to the Spiral Skein.

Victorious, the man stumbles over to his fellow survivor and you silently descend from your perch. You clap dramatically as you walk up to the duo. A shame that the bearded man has to die for you to get paid, but his impressive show won't pay for room and board. You are about to congradulate the soon-to-be dead man when a massive explosion echoes through the area.

You quickly stab the man in the kidney before he can react and take to the skies. On the edge of the forest, you see flames reflecting off of a massive cloud of smoke. You curse as you realize why the mage ran, damn spider just had to play with it's prey. Somehow, you doubt that Lord Tabes is going to be able to pay you now.

Status: Healthy
Magicka: (200/650)

Choose 2
[] Investigate the underground hideout before leaving.

[] Gather the poachers' heads and fly back to Tarbes to get paid, news of the lord's death should take a while to travel back to the guard Captain.

[] Investigate the ruined manor, maybe you can still catch the mage and find out their gend... kill them for more bounty money.

[] Ooh, a firefly! Get sidetracked and wander around the forest until sunrise.

[] Write in.

 

[PieceThruWar]

Status: Healthy
Magicka: (200/650)


You drag the dying men back to the clearing and gather up the others, including the uninjured one tangled in webbing. A quick slice of the throat fixes that. If only you had some black soul gems... Maybe Louise knows where to find some.

Minutes later you have six heads tied together, five by their hair and one by the beard. Leaving those for now, you gather up their belongings. Unfortunately, you can only carry so much.

You slip your robe off so that you can put on your new chain shirt and decide to take-

Choose 2:
[] A steel Longsword

[] A steel rimmed shield, speckled with Daedra blood

[] All of their remaining firewood belongs to you!

[] A blood-soaked hand-axe

[] Nothing, looting the dead is despicable.

[] a bag of around 30 silver coins and assorted small metal ingots


[] The rest of their clothing, you never know when you might need 6 pairs of boots, but you know you'd hate to regret not taking them.

After that's taken care of, you set everything aside and explore the mage's burrow. It isn't very big and all you can see is some food, a stone desk, writing supplies and a journal. There isn't a name or dates anywhere to be found in the thing, but you skim a few pages at random.

-----------
"The Battle for Albion Still rages on. Every day, friends and family die to end our oppression at the hands of the so called 'nobles'. I hate them all. If having magic makes one a noble, then should not the illegitimate children be granted the same respect? Mother says that grandfather is doing his best for us, telling me not to blame him for 'youthful indiscretion' and that we should be grateful for what we have. Sis, ever keen to please our dearest mother, agrees wholeheartedly whenever the topic comes up... but I can see the way she looks at our 'cousins' as they ride through town. Uncle Al writes that he will be on a delivery for his lord and hopes to visit the family..."

"Sis was punished by cousin Lissandra yesterday. She just couldn't keep her mouth shut this time when our grandfather's wife glared at us today, lecturing her granddaughter about how she shouldn't let her future husband associate with commoners 'Lest some worthless trollop worm her way into his trousers'... Lissandra cried as her grandmother made her brand sis' tongue, but that didn't stop her from performing the deed... Sis has been hiding in the basement ever since."

"Years of private tutors and rote memorization of useless 'essential' spells that do nothing more than summon clean nightwear or boil water... though why the nobility, with all their servants and self import nonsense consider these essential is beyond me. I mean, sure mages revitalize fields every so often but... I digress. All that wasted time has finally paid off. The Reconquista have just liberated the nearest noble family of their holdings. How is that holy blood helping you now grandfather? Upon my arrival to their victory celebration, the drunken revolutionaries were entirely too grateful for my offer of assistance. These are the magic hating rebels that mother has been hiding my sister and I from? Disgusting is what it is, throwing themselves under the command of the first willing mage they can find. What if I were one of the nobles, sneaking in to betray them than their friends. It seems I must turn these poor sods into a proper fighting force... Now if only I knew how to fight."

"Three months... Three months and now we are on our way to inform Lord Cromwell of our success at Dun-wall. I shall have to embellish a bit, seeing as how the local guard turned on the nobility upon our arrival, slaughtering the few dozen defending mages in minutes. Perhaps a fable about sending a few cunning men into town through through the waterways and storming through the gates before the defense could be established..."

"Robert has brought news from home... The prince's dragon knights burned down the town. I will kill them all."

"A man by the name of Cromwell is coming by tomorrow. I do so hope it isn't The Cromwell again... I know that the name isn't uncommon, but... Oh, how I loathe that man. Our 'glorious leader' is an absolute buffoon, how he came to be in control of such an important political maneuver such as this... it boggles the mind, truly it does. The man jumps at shadows and cries like an infant when he thinks he is alone. The Royals raid our towns in the night, slaughtering our families and the man offers platitudes. Damn him! I know that Charles and Michelle said that they are working on... replacing him, but it has been weeks since then. If he shows his face around me again, I'll cut it off and hoist it with the colors in the morning."

"Lord Cromwell has informed me that our victory shall be complete by the end of the summer. My Lord has entrusted me with a band of his elite warriors and ordered us to make our way to Tarbes in Tristain and prepare for the invasion. I do so hope that my Lord recovers from his injuries, I cannot imagine how he could have made the journey to meet me with such a chest wound upon his magnificent self."

"Uncle Albert has been such a great help in my mission. Once I explained that I had joined The Reconquista, he offered my men and I his full support. Uncle Al hasn't been the same since Sis... Lord Cromwell will be pleased with our progress. With my uncles help, we have begun smuggling barrels of gunpowder throughout the granaries and other food storage in the local lord's estate, tainted the garrison's well water with a slow acting poison... nothing too deadly, we do not want to draw attention just yet... we even powdered a few wind-stones, mixed them with water and painted the mixture onto a few ceilings in the region. The townsfolk are getting rather fed up with their roofing abandoning them and blame magic. They aren't wrong, they are not correct either. The mages' use of frequent levitation does help pin the blame on them."

-------

You sigh, realizing that this gunpowder stuff must have been behind the explosion and that it was in the barrels you helped Albert carry into the larders. Slipping the book into your bag, you warily look at the food before deciding that if these men were poisoning people, you really shouldn't trust food that you didn't watch them eat themselves.

Ignoring your rumbling stomach, you gather up your things and fly off to Tarbes to get paid before they discover what happened to their lord.

Choose 2
[] Inform the captain that the house exploded after you get paid.

[] Burn the journal and tell nobody what happened.
[] Use the journal to keep suspicion off of yourself.​

[] Find and inn and rent a room. Cost 2 écu a night, food comes separate.

[] Take a nap to restore 200 Magicka before using Recall to find Louise. 25% chance of oversleeping.
[] You don't have the Magicka to use Recall, so sparingly use Clairvoyance until you find Louise. Cost 140 Magicka.
[] Let the girl rough it for a night, maybe that will teach her to run off.​

[] Hide in a dark alley and pickpocket anyone that comes by.

[] Skip town and go fight that Manticore.

[] Write in.

Adhoc vote count started by PieceThruWar on Jul 6, 2017 at 1:09 PM, finished with 114 posts and 4 votes.

• ---

  2 people have voted

  [X] A steel Longsword
  [X] a bag of around 30 silver coins and assorted small metal ingots
  [X] Inform the captain that the house exploded after you get paid.
  -[X] Use the journal to keep suspicion off of yourself.
  [X] Find and inn and rent a room. Cost 2 écu a night, food comes separate.
  -[X] Take a nap to restore 200 Magicka before using Recall to find Louise. 25% chance of oversleeping.

  • yinko
  • Internetholic Li

  1 people have voted

  [X] a bag of around 30 silver coins and assorted small metal ingots
  [X] The rest of their clothing, you never know when you might need 6 pairs of boots, but you know you'd hate to regret not taking them.
  [X] Inform the captain that the house exploded after you get paid.
  -[X] Use the journal to keep suspicion off of yourself.
  [X] Find and inn and rent a room. Cost 2 écu a night, food comes separate.
  -[X] Take a nap to restore 200 Magicka before using Recall to find Louise. 25% chance of oversleeping.

  • veekie

  1 people have voted

  [X] A steel rimmed shield, speckled with Daedra blood
  [X] a bag of around 30 silver coins and assorted small metal ingots
  [X] Inform the captain that the house exploded after you get paid.
  -[X] Use the journal to keep suspicion off of yourself.
  [X] Find and inn and rent a room. Cost 2 écu a night, food comes separate.
  -[X] Take a nap to restore 200 Magicka before using Recall to find Louise. 25% chance of oversleeping.

  • Nevill

Adhoc vote count started by PieceThruWar on Jul 6, 2017 at 1:09 PM, finished with 114 posts and 4 votes.

• ---

  4 people have voted

  [X] a bag of around 30 silver coins and assorted small metal ingots

  • yinko
  • Internetholic Li
  • veekie
  • Nevill

  4 people have voted

  [X] Inform the captain that the house exploded after you get paid.
  -[X] Use the journal to keep suspicion off of yourself.

  • yinko
  • Internetholic Li
  • veekie
  • Nevill

  4 people have voted

  [X] Find and inn and rent a room. Cost 2 écu a night, food comes separate.
  -[X] Take a nap to restore 200 Magicka before using Recall to find Louise. 25% chance of oversleeping.

  • yinko
  • Internetholic Li
  • veekie
  • Nevill

  2 people have voted

  [X] A steel Longsword

  • yinko
  • Internetholic Li

  1 people have voted

  [X] The rest of their clothing, you never know when you might need 6 pairs of boots, but you know you'd hate to regret not taking them.

  • veekie

  1 people have voted

  [X] A steel rimmed shield, speckled with Daedra blood

  • Nevill

 

[PieceThruWar]

Shoving your way past the guard who's nodding off at the door, you barge into the guard captain's office to find the man face down on his desk with a knocked over bottle.

Fearing that he was poisoned and hid the reward money elsewhere, you check his pulse and find that he is merely sleeping on the job. Mysterious Hooded Figure is right, the local military has terrible standards. Sighing in annoyance, you prod the man with the end of your staff several times. After the fourth set of grumbling and waving hands, you push the man from his seat.

With a crash, the captain's head bounces from the mahogany desk to the floor. You are subjected to several minutes of groaning before you have had enough and prod the man again as you clear your throat. Wide eyed, the guardsman stares up at you and blinks stupidly.

You pinch the bridge of your nose and drop the not-actually-poachers' heads onto his lap. "Six of seven poachers will no longer cause you any grief, I believe you are to provide me with a reward now, yes?"

"Reward? What're ya yammering on 'bout? Can't ya tell what time it is?" The man complains, indignant and confused as he attempts to stand.

You reach down and lift the still somewhat drunken man to his feet, brush imaginary dust from his shoulder, and explain as if to a child, "You put out a bounty on some poachers. Those are the poachers heads. I brought them here, they are dead now. Payment is due for services rendered."

"Where's the last one?" He asks after counting the heads, restarting his count a few times. Either he is more drunk than you thought, or nepotism is to blame.

"The seventh escaped into the forest, as I was a mite preoccupied with the other six." You were busy staying out of the fight, that counts as preoccupied. "Now... My money."

The man rummages through his desk for a moment before pulling out a small sack and removing several coins as he says, "I'm not givin' ya the full thirty if ya didn't get them all."

"Yes, yes. A pleasure doing business with you as well. Oh, the last poacher left this behind at their campsite." You say, snatching up the bag from the man's hands and tossing the journal in his face when he moves to argue. You walk out the door, shoving the doorman to the dirt again and amble back down the road to the inn. You don't know how many of these coins is an écu, but you doubt that the few he laid out was enough and if he was willing to rob you, it's only fair to return the favor. He probably won't remember in the morning anyway.

You could easily find Louise if you had enough magicka to Recall, but Spider Daedra aren't cheap. The girl will have to wait until you get a couple hours rest. You should probably search around for a set of alchemy equipment, a single Restore Magicka potion would solve this issue... or maybe a set of Mark and Recall amulets for the two of you.

You arrive at the Four Moons with a four hours till midnight. Approaching the barman for a room leads you to discover that the bag you took had twenty-six écu in it and it only cost two for a room big enough for two beds. Like any experienced adventurer, you will yourself to sleep as soon as you lay down, trusting yourself to wake up when you need to.

--------

Stumbling down the stairs, you rub your eyes and check the clock. Two hours till midnight. You head out the door and disappear, only to reappear next to a Louise in a shower of purple sparks. Your entrance seems to have frightened off trio of unsavory individuals that was approaching your sleeping apprentice. You take in the girl's disheveled state; the dried tears, bruised cheek, and torn cloak. Poor girl probably had to escape a robbery or worse and judging by the still retreating footsteps, she didn't do a good job evading her pursuers.

Lifting the girl into your arms, you carry her back to the inn and tuck her into bed before going to sleep yourself.

Status: Hungry, but healthy
Magicka: (650/650)


In the morning, you look over to see the girl sleeping peacefully. You decide to-

Choose 1:
[] Wait for her to wake up.

[] Be a reasonable adult and ask her to explain her actions.
[] Lecture her on how to escape from hostile situations.
[] Stare unnervingly at her until she confesses. Loom ominously if required.​

[] Lock the door and have the innkeeper inform her where you are going.

[] Manticore hunting!
[] Shopping write in​

[] Plunge your longsword through her chest, leaving her pinned to the bed as you flee the scene.

[] Write in.

 

[PieceThruWar]

Opening the window, you decide to go inventory your knapsack to make sure that your alchemical reagents are still in good condition. You pull out each item, inspecting it thoroughly inspecting their packaging, their scent, and their coloration before setting them on the small table by the window.

Assorted flowers of various colors and uses, all freshly picked on the day of the ritual and packed in a frost enchanted coin purse, these should last a few weeks if not used. You made sure to put your Nightshade and Deathbell on the bottom. Unlike most of your chosen ingredients, you decided not to bring the whole plant, picking the flowers to save room for things less likely to be found in other realms.

Three sprigs of Eldergleam, wound in cloth and unlikely to dry out anytime soon. You should be able to plant these to grow your own Gildergreen tree if you ever settle down somewhere and need some Spriggan substitutes... albeit, weaker than actual Spriggan and rather time consuming substitutes.

Six Chaurus eggs and two Frostbite-Spider eggs in a oiled leather pouch, waiting for contact with water to hatch. While somewhat difficult to gather unharmed, these are for hatching and laying more eggs, Chaurus being rather low maintenance creatures when properly tamed and spiders not having much resistance to Calm. The chittering little things are like pigs anyway, they eat whatever you give them and lounge when fully fed.

Ashland imports, three pounds in total, all imported via private smuggler for fresh delivery; Ash root, Ash yams, Ash Creep cluster, and a Fire Fern petal... along with a very expensive and tightly sealed ounce of Jarrin root.

Pickled people pieces from various races, packed in sealed steel urns. Eight Falmer ears, half a giant's toe, sixteen Hagraven feathers and two claws, one Human heart, three Daedra hearts, six Elves ears because the idiot courier misunderstood when you asked for the plant by the same name, and enough Werewolf blood to turn the whole town of Tarbes... not that they've given you a reason to curse them, but they might.

Three samples of each fungus native to Skyrim are bundled away next to the last item in your bag, though it isn't one you intend to use if you don't have to. As you are turning your father's briar-heart in your hand, the girl stirs and sits up.

Blearily, she blinks at you in incomprehension and yawns. You watch in silent amusement as she stretches like a cat before freezing and looking back up at you with a squeak. "Good morning apprentice, shall we attempt some training today?" You ask as you begin packing away the reagents.

"I-training? You still want to teach me?" She shouts out in shock and you nod. "But what about yesterday? I abandoned you and then..." Touching her bruised cheek, she pulls her knees to her chest and sighs. "I can't even perform a single spell to stop a commoner... I really am a zero." Here come the tears and the self-pity, time for a preemptive strike.

"Good, that means that I have less bad habits to force you out of." You say with a laugh and You walk over and pat the girl on the head. Louise makes a sound like a mixture of choking in surprise and growling at your head pats... or your use of the word good. Patting her extra forcefully for emphasis, you continue your life-long effort to not spend time with crying children. "Speaking of which, your first lesson begins now!"

"Now?! But what about breakfast?" Louise asks, reminding you of your empty stomach. Meh, you've gone longer without food. Instead of responding, you toss her shoes into her arms, pick her up, and leap out the window. She screams a lot louder than her size would suggest.

------

"No, no, no! You need to place your foot like so." You say, demonstrating how proper toe to heel steps allow one to check their intended path for creaky boards or loose material. Of course, she would be doing much better if she would just crouch down like you instructed.

Her posture is terrible, too rigid and not nearly enough arm usage. "Why do we have to walk like this? We look ridiculous!" Louise shouts, losing her balance and falling face down into the dirt.

Hoping off the thin garden wall, you help the girl back up and wipe her forehead as if she had had dirt there before you did so instead of after. "The point of this is to avoid being seen, so how you look is irrelevant. Proper steps to minimize noise from footfalls, wider gait to prevent clothing from rubbing together noisily, back bent and loose to adjust weight distribution and silhouette, and arms out to maintain balance." You explain as you put her back on the wall and manually adjust her posture again. "We must start at the basics to get you used to moving your body. Once you can consistently walk across this wall in this position silently, we can work on stealth aids such as enchantments, potions, and spells."

-------

Just before noon, the two of you eat soup and sandwiches for lunch. This costs you a whole ecu, as Louise does not seem to know the value of money yet. You don't entirely understand it either, but it isn't your fault that this money is new and weird. Besides, you know for a fact that no meal at an inn should cost half as much for a two person room.

Lifting you apprentice back onto the wall, you speak as you walk beside her. "Now, little one... before your parents sent you off to study at that... school, did nobody explain to you the importance of those little coins I gave to the innkeeper?"

"Of course, what self respecting noble would allow their child to remain ignorant of their finances?" The girl asks, wobbling as she tries to balance and look at you at the same time. This is an impressive feat for one with so little experience, but her miniature stature does lend itself to stealth... ignoring her coloration and clothing choices.

Still, her reply brings you to a halt. Was she testing you to see how much you would spend on her? "If so, can you explain to me why you decided to order the most expensive meal that was on offer? After all, watered-down soup is still watered-down soup no matter the price." You inquire with a raised eyebrow.

Stopping, the girl turns fully toward you and puts one hand on her hip while holding up her finger on the other. "It was only 3 Livre, hardly expensive at all. I mean, if we had gone to my sister's favorite tea shop in Tristania, even mother would complain about the prices... but half an ecu? Father would declare the academy unfit for children and cut my tuition if they served meals so cheap."

"I see..." You say, pulling the remaining reward money and the sack of unknown coins from your robes, you hold it out to her. "Well, be that as it may, this is what I was given for spending last night bounty hunting. I currently possess no more."

Wide eyed, Louise snatches the bags and counts the coins. "This is a joke, right? Twenty-seven ecu and a 4 Livre? I've never even touched a Livre before!"

"It would appear that twenty-six ecu is the most that the lord of Tarbes is willing to pay for six human souls, the... Livre-" You say, testing your pronunciation. "- were spoils."

Dropping the bags, the child looks up at you in shock. Maybe you shouldn't mention casually slaughtering men to children. "You killed Six people last night before searching the town for me?"

You shake your head in denial. "No. After you ran off, I kept track of you with a spell so that I could find you when I had rented a room."

"You don't look like you've been injured." She says in confusion.

Apparently she was more worried about the health of her teacher than the morality of killing, another good trait for your apprentice. With a chuckle, you explain, "Most of them put up a rather pitiful fight. I hardly moved at all the entire time."

"Against six people? How?"

Shrugging, you simply reply with, "Magic."

-------

Walking back to the inn after a successful day of basic stealth training, you start in on a little supplementary potions lesson as a reward.

"Now, If one wanted to be invisible and cannot cast the spell for whatever reasoning, alchemy provides a solution. Simply mix a potion with the leaves from a plant that prefers acidic soil with Chaurus eggs, moth wings, or some vampire dust..."

"Vampire? Are you insinuating that I first need to be able to kill a vampire, beings that possess firstborn magics... in order to brew a potion that will help me to hide from angry commoners?!" Your apprentice exclaims.

"I guess Ice-wraith teeth will work as well, but they aren't worth the effort if you ask my opinion and I doubt that you know where to find any. Regardless of that, who cares what magics the living or the dead possess? Everything dies with the proper application of force. A simple decapitation is enough to kill most beings you might encounter and for those with a shall we say... less than corporeal nature... Well, Lightning Bolt and soultrap have yet to let me down in my travels."

"Soul... trap? You have a spell to trap a person's soul? Whatever for?!"

Pointing at your Bracelet of People-Speaking, name pending consideration, you put on your 'teacher' pose... which is you copying Louise's finger thing from earlier. "Enchanting and not just people's souls, monsters and animals as well. Every creature has a soul and some plants as well. Some souls are more useful than others obviously, tiny insects are insignificant enough to not bother wasting a soulgem on and I do not recall ever hearing of somebody using Soul Trap on a fish."

"That can't be! The church says that only humans have souls... well and some writings say elves do because the word people was used... I guess familiars too, because the spell binds their soul into serving their master... Montmorency did summon a frog... huh, never mind then." Louise rambles as you walk through the doorway and sit at one of the tables.

You order a loaf of bread and season it with some ground up death blossom, just a pinch to alleviate the monotony of eating nothing but bread, no need to poison your meal. You split it between the two of you. The meal passes in comfortable silence, the girl's distaste for such simple food counteracted by her hunger from a full day of climbing walls and crouch-walking.

Putting the last scraps of her bread down, Louise looks up at you and asks, "You never told me what I should address you as now that you're teaching me. Should I call you professor or one of your titles?"

Choose 1
[] Master Cynric would be the proper way. It is traditional, considering that you are my apprentice.

[] Just Cynric is fine. After all, we will be spending years together while I teach you.

[] Address the semi-crowded room, "All shall address me as Grand Sorcerer Tyne at all times or be cast from existence." Bluff by casting invisibility and muffle on the innkeeper simultaneously. Cost 470 Magicka.

[] write in.

-------

How to spend the next day:

[] Continue stealth training with some practical application.

[] You've listed some ingredients for a potion already, why not start on alchemy lessons?

[] You only brought a mortar and pestle, maybe you should look for alchemy equipment.​

[] Enchanting lessons need to begin eventually, why not tomorrow?

[] Spell casting is crucial, let's start with a basic Frostbite to be safe.

[] Write in.

-----
A/N: While proofreading, I noticed that I somehow misspelled silence as "silunch" but spelled silhouette correctly... I have no idea how.

 

[PieceThruWar]

Swallowing the last bite of bread, you respond, "Master Cynric would be best."

"You want me to call you master? You're not really just an old pervert are you?" The audacity of this girl!

You bop her on the head with your staff, earning a venomous glare in return. "It is traditional, considering that you are my apprentice."

Grudgingly, she nods in acceptance. "Fine, but don't get any funny ideas, I am betrothed already."

"That is disturbing, but you need not worry about such things from me." You reassure her as you head up the stairs to sleep.

-------

Rested, fed, and watered, the two of you are once again in the walled off courtyard.

Blocking the only footpath out of the area, you announce, "Now before we begin today's lesson, I need you to give me a list of spells that you have already learned and their effects... preferably without running off this time."

Louise blushes at that and looks down at her feet. You're sure that she said something by the way her head moved, but no sound came out. Subconsciously checking her for signs of Muffle, you ask her to repeat herself, getting a whisper about explosions. Sighing, you reach out and poke her with the base of your staff. "I have heard rabbits louder than you, now speak up so that we can get started."

Red faced, the girl looks up and lists out her spells, increasing in volume with each one. "Levitation: causes explosions. Transmutation: causes explosions. Water spells cause explosions! Wind spells cause explosions! Earth spells cause explosions! Fire spells cause huge explosions! Everything I cast explodes!" She stomps and crosses her arms petulantly. "Summon Servant even summons a peasant and blows them up like it's a joke!"

"That last part might have been my fault, I did teleport to the exact same spot that the boy was standing. My magic was obviously stronger than his body, so..." You shrug. "Have you tried spellcasting without using that silly little stick?" You ask, pointing at her wand.

She huffs in annoyance. "Of course not, that's impossible! How am I supposed to do magic without the necessary foci?"

"Well, that is as good a starting point as any. Let us begin our lesson." You say, taking a moment to think up an explanation simple enough for the pre-teen to understand. "Each person has their own inner well of power with which to perform spells. This is what is known as your 'magicka reserves'. You must learn to channel this energy into the world around you, shaping it to your will. We will start with a simple spell known as Frostbite. This spell is taught to beginners due to it not having an intricate spell-lattice."

"Just focus Willpower? Alright, I'll do my best... What is the incantation?"

Tilting your head, you use a minuscule drop of magicka to prepare the spell, generating a few flurries around your hand. "We are performing simple destruction magics, not summoning Daedric gods or debating with dragons. No incantation is necessary, simply concentrate on using your magicka to make your fingers colder and slowly extend that feeling away from your hand." You instruct.

The girl puts on an arrogant stance, but you can see the trepidation on her face as she holds out her right arm. Seconds go by and nothing happens. Eventually, her frustration becomes too much and she ignores your instructions not to use her wand... knocking herself down with a blast of soot.

Curling into a ball, she tries not to let you see her tears, but fails rather miserably. "Maybe... maybe I can't do it because I'm not really a mage after all... M-maybe I don't really have magic and this is Brimir's way of punishing me for trying."

"Nonsense." You declare, once again bopping her head. "Even back home, many believe that only a select few individuals can use magic and this has lead my countrymen to be distrustful of magic as a whole. This assumption is false, anyone can learn magic with sufficient study and practice."

"B-but that's not true! Only nobles can use magic, that's the defining trait of nobility. If commoners had magic, somebody would have noticed by now." You can tell that this has been a major sticking point in her life.

"Tell me, child. What do you know of where magic comes from?" You ask, sitting against the wall.

Gathering herself up into her little teaching pose again, she seems to be happy to be back in familiar territory. "Everyone knows that Brimir, the Holy Founder gave magic to the nobles during his crusade against the elves, so that we could lead the common people once the war was over. Though the hated enemy of mankind unfortunately survived, the Founder's blessing has lived on through the nobility so that we may one day take back the holy land."

"Wrong on all accounts." You say with finality, silencing her with a glare when she tries to object. "Magicka is the raw energy of Aetherius, the realm of the gods that lies beyond the stars. The stars themselves are the holes left in reality from the gods fleeing when the world of Nirn was created. You see, there exist many pockets of reality in Aetherius and these are known as the realms of Oblivion due to a number of beings known as the Daedra that prey on mortals. Nirn is a world that was Created by the gods and it required many gods to sacrifice their power, most were unaware of this fact and this is why they fled, tearing holes in the sky."

You draw in the dirt with the end of your staff, creating a series of concentric rings with spheres of varying sizes. "The best representation of the myriad realities is as such." You say, pointing to the diagram. "Mundus, the realm in which you can find Nirn, was placed in the center by the god Lorkhan. Surrounding that is Oblivion, which is impossible to draw properly due to the fact that it is effectively infinite and possessed of infinite realms that are infinite in distance to each-other while sometimes existing in the same place simultaneously. Moving on, you see the Aetherius, the realm of the Magnus and Magne Ge. This is where the surviving gods fled and their stars are visible from every realm, causing many different effects when in specific alignments."

You stand and clear your throat. "Keep in mind that this is a very basic explanation and that many have spent their entire lives studying the nature of reality without finding all the answers, even many immortals."

A keening sound escapes Louise's lips and you decide that it might be best to let her digest this new information. "Right... take a little while to meditate on that. I shall return with lunch, keep practicing." You take her wand before adding, "Scream if you give yourself frostbite... the wound, not the spell."


-------


Three hours should be enough time to get over the complete destruction of your worldview and religion. Standing, you gather up the fish that got trapped by the little dam you made in the stream. You wander into a house and cook the fish, ignoring the current occupants shocked faces, and head back to your apprentice.

"I hope that you find fish agreeable." You say as you walk into the courtyard. This was probably a bad idea, seeing as how Louise squeaked in surprise, slipped on a newly formed patch of ice, and exploded in a miniature blizzard as she spun to the ground.

As the snowflakes clear enough for you to see clearly, you notice the icicles all around the two of you start exploding. Soon enough, the courtyard is in ruins and Louise is screaming due to her left arm looking thoroughly frozen up to the elbow.

Choose 1
[] Heal her wounds and encourage her, this was a rather large step forward. Cost 100 Magicka

[] Shake your head in disappointment and walk away.

[] Knock the girl out and amputate the limb, no need to waste magicka.

[] Write in

------

What do you do afterward?

Choose 1
[] Continue spellcasting.

[] Alchemy time! Maybe the girl can help you find the necessary tools.

[] Enchanting lessons, a necklace of regeneration would have been useful today.

[] Stealth training seems to be a safer option, hopefully Louise doesn't think you're giving up on her magic.

[] Write in.

Adhoc vote count started by PieceThruWar on Jul 10, 2017 at 12:25 PM, finished with 9 posts and 4 votes.

• ---

  4 people have voted

  [X] Heal her wounds and encourage her, this was a rather large step forward. Cost 100 Magicka

  • yinko
  • veekie
  • Hydrochlorinate
  • Hamerwald

  4 people have voted

  [X] Continue spellcasting.

  • yinko
  • veekie
  • Hydrochlorinate
  • Hamerwald

 

[PieceThruWar]

Immediately you are at Louise's side, ignoring her increasing panic at the sight of fire bathing her frozen limb. It's just Flames, it isn't even a strong enough fire spell to seriously hurt somebody without trying, so her worries are misplaced. You hold her in place until you're sure that she is completely thawed, the smell of smoldering fabric being your indicator.

"Impressive." You say with a smile. She merely whimpers and clutches her purpled limb. "I leave for three hours and you manage to go from not creating a snowflake to bathing the area in ice. Very impressive indeed."

Her face is a conflicted mess of emotions as she cradles her arm. "B-b-but my arm! What am I going to do... I don't... I'm not sure if a water mage can fix this."

You laugh at the knowledge that local mages are even less powerful than you had suspected, not even capable of simple healing spells. "It is fortunate then, that I will not be taking you to a water mage."

"Why not?! I can't return to mother missing a limb!" She shouts in outrage.

You bop her on the head once more. "Silence, I usually only need my Restoration skills for myself. Give me a moment unless you desire for feeling to be returned before the flesh is healed." With that, you gather magicka into a glowing ball of light and push it into her heart, letting her body direct the Heal Other spell to where it is needed most.

The child is wrapped in a golden glow for a moment and after inspecting her hands, she stares up at you... Is that worship you see in her eyes? "Can you teach me that?"

"Eventually, though learning restoration is painful." You pat her head. "Now, judging by the way your targets exploded after you froze them, I would say that Destruction is type of magic you are suited for. We cannot say for sure until you have tried the other schools of magic first, but the way your magic wants to explode is rather obviously geared toward Destruction." At the mention of her ice exploding, she looks at her arm with wide eyes and then sighs in relief. "With that being said, let us continue with Frost until you have mastered it and can cast without needing your full concentration. It is the safest Destruction spell after all, we wouldn't want to see how your inexperience in casting effects the Sparks spell."

The two of you eat lunch as you walk, putting distance between the destroyed scenery and yourselves before anyone arrives to investigate.

--------

"Prof- Master... Why haven't I seen your familiar yet?" Louise asks as she sits beside you, taking a break after two hours of freezing the river while you randomly tossed stones at her.

You are fairly sure that she is not talking about the Summon Familiar spell, you haven't bothered with that pathetic conjuration in almost forty years. More likely she means the companion creatures that the children at the school had.

"Well, little one... I do not possess such a creature, so it would be rather difficult for you to find it." You laugh at her befuddled expression. "Very few mages bother with such extravagant wastes of resources where I come from. Why feed and care for a pet that is of limited use when Conjuration allows the experienced mage to summon a being fit for any situation as you need it?"

The girl has a rather expressive face for one that tries so hard to appear controlled. "Summon a... you mean to tell me... you just perform a summoning ritual whenever the whim strikes you?! That's... that's... Blasphemy!"

"Oh, that little religion about the dead racist... I thought you were over that after our talk about the origin on magic." You say, perplexed at her outburst. Did she just ignore the whole lecture?

Blushing, she stumbles for words. "I... Well, yes... but... Six thousand year of history! How can you just deny that?! Where would you have even learned about all those things you explained? The Church would have your teachers burned alive for the mere suggestion that Brimir isn't who we know him to be! And... And RACIST?! Elves are evil, vengeful beasts that want to kill us all!"

You sigh at another culture forcing ignorance on their children. The Mer hatred is as bad here as it was in Windhelm. "Your priests are of no concern to me and of course the elves would be upset with humans, though I doubt it is as bad as you were taught. Elves live for a very long time, it might have been the current generation's grandparents that were being hunted by Brimir... think about that for a moment. How would you feel about a race of people that breed like rodents compared to your people, all the while spewing outbursts of bilious slander and violence?"

Louise remains pensive for a while before going back to freezing the water, the increasingly rare exploding icebergs floating downriver before detonating. After a few minutes, she says over her shoulder, "Maybe you're right... but don't think that I missed how you never said where you're actually from. Nothing you say fits with anything that is taught in Halkeginia... except maybe Germania, but you don't look like a Germanian."

You hadn't really noticed, you were more focused on the Mer hate, being Breton tends to make one wary of such sentiments after all.

Status: Healthy
Magicka: (550/650)

Choose 1:
[] Answer truthfully, it's not like you're trying to hide it.

[] Sigh with false sadness and tell her that you don't feel like explaining it to her at the moment.

[] Deflect!

[] Draw attention back to the summoning issue by Conjuring a Flame Atronach. Cost 150 Magicka.
[] Nosy apprentices require sparring time!​

[] Write in.