- Location
- West Michigan
Even without a black soul gem in play, Grandfather still won't make it to Sovngarde. Recall what Alduin's favorite snack is.
Dovah Queen, Dragonborn Rising (Game of Thrones x Skyrim)
- Thread starter Harper Potts
- Start date
- Crossover
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Perhaps I guess? Probably not really though, as almost no-one actually knows that souls trapped in black soul gems get shunted to the Soul Cairn when the gem is consumed. The Soul Cairn is extremely high level Necromancer knowledge, known only to a handful of those mages both insane enough to delve deeply into the mysteries of Necromancy and powerful enough to survive doing so. They wouldn't destroy the black soul gem with Grandfather's soul in it because doing so would doom him to the Soul Cairn, they'd destroy it because it is a blasphemous item of pure evil the mere existence of which flies in the face of every single one of Arkay's laws.
I'd have to go poking around the lore to be certain, but IIRC it is generally believed that it is not the soul itself that is consumed by the Enchanting process, but its 'energy', the soul is thought to be released with the consumption of the soul gem and returned to the Dreamsleeve for recycling, or sent to the appropriate plane of Oblivion\Aetherius in the case of black souls, as per normal procedures. Soul gems are seen as a transient delay of the normal soul-passing process and not one that has any appreciable impact in the grand state of things, which is why Arkay doesn't mind the usage of white souls. This also explains why he very much does mind the usage of black souls, as the Ideal Masters intercept the souls used in black soul gems with the Soul Cairn and thus interrupt the whole cycle of life and death, which is the thing that Arkay is responsible for overseeing.
Very, very few. It is extremely esoteric Necromantic knowledge; even Valerica didn't really know very much about it until she went there personally and she's a millennia old Vampire and master Necromancer who dedicated centuries of her unlife to the study of Necromancy, soul gems and the like. And it's not like she was hard up for materials or tools to conduct experiments; her lab is extremely well stocked and outfitted by Skyrim magic lab standards and the Volkihar vampires would have provided plenty of opportunities for acquiring anything she needed and could not get herself.
People don't think black soul gems are bad because they doom souls to the Soul Cairn, they think black soul gems are bad because black soul gems are blasphemous items of evil that can only be created using the power of the Necromancer's Moon and their mere existence runs contrary to one of the core tenants of Arkay's religion. The Vigilants of Stendarr for example would most likely treat someone carrying a black soul gem much the same as they would treat someone carrying a Daedric artifact like the Mace of Molag Bal; poorly.
He's not in Sovngarde eating souls yet though, right now Alduin is cruising around Skyrim raising not-quite-dead Dragons from their barrows. He doesn't head to Sovngarde to chow down on souls until later, probably after the Civil War gets going properly and provides a steady stream of souls to eat. Kodlak Whitemane makes it to the Hall of Valor if you finish the Companions questline after all, which he wouldn't if Alduin was blocking the way. (Though Alduin does eat him if you take too long to get to the Hall.)
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- Location
- Leeds
Eeeeew Icky Gross dead people.
Mind if I ask why you killed these two off Harper? The Party would be getting too large and confusing, you just didn't like the narrative coincidence that they were waiting when the Dragonborn showed up?
The Soul Cairn, Soverngarde, whats the difference really? They're both boring dead content.
Doubt it, unless he's got a really slow walk he'll probably make it safely to the Whalebone Bridge before Dany banishes him.
- Location
- Estonia
Not that simple, if I recall. To quote one a line from the player's encounter there...
The old priest would have to be found worthy by Tsun's test before he can cross the bridge and enter the Hall of Valor.Tsun said:
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Dude fought a goddamn Draugr Lord and went knowingly to his death without even batting an eyelid; he'd totally pass Tsun's test.
- Location
- Leeds
Yeah, good thing about Afterlives is that you don't usually arrive as the decrepit old man you died as... Unless you are Felldir the Old.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Even if he did arrive as a decrepit old man, you don't need to be a super awesome warrior capable of suplexing a dragon to pass Tsun's test, you just need to demonstrate that you are 'worthy' by Nordic standards: Stand tall, be honest and do not flinch in the face of Tsun's challenge and you will pass.Yeah, good thing about Afterlives is that you don't usually arrive as the decrepit old man you died as... Unless you are Felldir the Old.
- Location
- Texas
I never mind people asking. I might not answer due to spoiler reasons, but I love when readers ask questions.
A large part of it was that I simply didn't like the narrative coincidence that they were just waiting right there when the Dragonborn showed up. Bethesda does that quite a lot, and that's a good thing. They turn just another dungeon into a story. Ironbind isn't just another barrow with a powerful draugr lord (the most powerful in the game BTW). It becomes the story of Salma and Beem-Ja. I am trying to subvert many of Skyrims too convenient coincidences by varying the starting points. I feel it's important to the story to do so. Changing them around makes Skyrim feel more like a real world instead of a script with a limited number of choices.
However, it did work on the Party too large angle. Not that the number of characters in the party is a problem, but the number of introductions and plots is a problem. Val and Grandfather had a previous introduction, but they were still pretty new. Lief, Mikko, and Ull were all new. I could have woven in Salma and Beem-Ja as well as a sub-plot, but their story is the story of Ironbind. My story of Ironbind had to do with Daenerys stepping up to face her future, and Grandfather being sent by Talos to aid her and put her firmly on her path. Weaving in Salma and Beem-Ja would have distracted from the story I was going to tell. Instead I had them killed off stupidly. (I did a run through and let them zip ahead. Without my help they did die at the giant spider.) They became a warning that dungeons are dangerous and kill fools. That supported my story.
Expect to see more of where I let various bit characters play their roles, but going off their scripted cues.
- Location
- Leeds
Yeah I get it, 10 characters introduced over 10 updates is far easier to follow than 10 characters introduced in just one.
And the distraction from the story is a good point and not one I'd thought about.
- Location
- Western Australia
What do you think the odds are Drogon could show up since he flew away after melting the Iron Throne and Vivec says Nirn is Planetos-adjacent?
- Location
- Amsterdam
I've been reading this for the past few days, and I have to say that I love it. You give Daenerys an interesting second chance and I adore the way you're expanding upon Tamriel. I especially love Daenerys' reluctance to fully embrace her status as the Dragonborn, instead focusing on becoming worthy first.
- Location
- Texas
Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Daenerys isn't really trying to become worthy. It is more that she doesn't understand how she could possibly be worthy after what she has done. Yet, she is reluctantly treading the path anyway because no one else is doing it.
Chapter 26
- Location
- Texas
Chapter 26
Morndas, the 23th of First Seed, Year 202 of the 4th Era
Before they left in the morning, they divided up the spoils. Daenerys applied the same rule as Jarl Balgruuf. She got half of all the loot, both gold and treasure. The rest was divided equally among her followers. Sophia received the armor she'd claimed. It wasn't enchanted, but it was a good set of matching steel. Uul selected a helmet with an archery enchantment. Faralda and Val both wanted the draugr lord's axe. Val simply wanted it because it was an exceptionally well-made axe. Faralda wanted it to study, because it had a unique enchantment that she had never seen before, a Fiery Soul Trap. However, Val won the draw and picked first.Morndas, the 23th of First Seed, Year 202 of the 4th Era
Daenerys was more concerned with the fact that the axe that killed Grandfather had any kind of soul trapping enchantment on it. Whether it was fiery or normal soul trap didn't matter to her. However, no one else seemed to have realized the possibility, so she held her tongue. It wasn't until later when they were on the road that she was able to ask Faralada about it without being overheard.
"His soul should be in Sovngarde. The draugr lord would have had to been carrying a black soul gem. Most believe that without a soul gem the soul trap spell fails. The soul will fly free. Even if a soul is trapped by a soul gem, an enchantment doesn't capture all the soul's energy. The weakened soul is believed to still arrive at the appropriate afterlife."
Daenerys frowned at the impersonal tone that Faralda using. Her mentor frequently spoke as if she was lecturing to a class, but this wasn't an academic discussion. They were talking about Grandfather's soul. "That is very vague language. Nobody really knows, do they?"
"You are correct. We know a little bit about Oblivion, but almost nothing about the afterlife. Mostly just the words of priests based on their faith. Still, most enchanters refuse to use black souls for that very reason. Regardless, Grandfather should be fine. Without a soul gem, how would the soul be trapped?"
"Faralda? Weren't there soul gems in the loot?"
"Yes, but…" Faralda turned pale which was an odd look with her coloration. "The loot got mixed up. Except for a few notable items, I have no idea where anything was found. There were two black soul gems. One filled and one unfilled. They were in your half of the loot."
"So, the filled black soul gem might contain Grandfathers soul?" Daenerys had to restrain herself from yelling. The fewer who knew anything about this the better. "What would happen if we smashed the soul gem? Would his soul be freed?"
"Maybe… I don't know. Maybe shattering the gem would shatter the soul." Faralda shook her head. "I just don't know. I'm a Mistress of Destruction, not Enchanting. As far as I know, there are spells or ritual magic required to free a soul. We should really discuss it with Sergius Turrianus back at the College. He is the Master Enchanter, not me."
"I don't like this Faralda. This is his soul we're talking about, but I don't see any other choice. When we stop for the night, locate both of those black soul gems and move them to your personal belongings. I'm making you responsible for keeping them safe until we find an expert."
Faralda nodded. "I will keep them safe."
"Good," said Daenerys, but this was far from good. She also wondered if Sergius Turrianus was truly the best person to consult. She could think of someone who might know more than him. Aranea Ienith was both an Enchantress and the High Priestess of Azura, and Azura's star was a soul gem that never broke. If anyone would know, she would. Ilinalta's Deep wasn't anywhere close to her planned route, but she hadn't forgotten about it either. It had just become a much higher priority.
.oOo.
Even at the slow pace of an ox-drawn cart, they reached the Nightgate Inn by late afternoon. They were greeted by several dogs barking. Fishbreath, well hidden under the driver's seat of the wagon hissed and spit in return.
"Faralda, would you get the stupid cat?"
"We could just let it run away," replied Faralda. She had never been fond of Fishbreath.
Daenerys shrugged. "He's become something of a mascot. I'll just shut him in our room while we're here." As she recalled they let the dogs roam everywhere, even inside the inn. Daenerys went inside to arrange lodging. While being the patron meant she claimed half of the loot, it also meant that she was expected to pay her followers a salary and cover reasonable expenses – such as food and lodging. Daenerys was doing the math in her head in preparation for haggling with the innkeep as she walked into the Nightgate inn.
It hadn't changed at all from when she had stopped here on the road to Winterhold. The Nightgate Inn was surprisingly large and well-built considering that this place was more a trading post than a village. After working as a tavern wench, she had developed an eye for inns. This one was clean and homey. The innkeeper was a bit surly, but all in all she remembered this inn fondly for its well-heated rooms and the luxury of a hot bath after a week on the cold road. The common room was mostly empty. A tavern drunk was already busily drinking alone, and three people sat around a table. From their intense looks they were haggling or working out some kind of trade over a few ales. She was vaguely aware of Faralda entering as she walked up to the innkeeper.
"Thalmor!" came a loud cry from behind her.
Daenerys whirled around to see the tavern drunk charging at Faralda with a large sword in his hands. With little time to think she Shouted, "Iiz!" The Shout caught the drunken Nord in mid-stride and turned him into an icy statue. She had no idea why the drunkard had suddenly attacked, or if she had just killed him.
Faralda dropped Fishbreath to summon up some kind of spell. Faralda usually favored fire, but an icy white nimbus of frost magic surrounded her hand. Faralda stared past Daenerys. "Drop. The. Axe!"
Daenerys turned to see that the innkeeper standing behind her had pulled a huge axe out from somewhere, but he was holding it loosely in his hands instead of at the ready.
"That, that was Shouting," he said in an awed voice.
"Yes, it was," agreed Daenerys. "And you'll drop the axe if you don't want me to Shout you through the wall."
The innkeeper promptly let the axe go. It fell to the wooden floors with a thump. "So, you're not Thalmor then?"
"No," said Faralda scornfully. "Not every Altmer is part of the Thalmor. What idiocy. Many of us hate them as much as you do. I was born in Skyrim. My parents moved here to get away from the Thalmor. You can't attack every Altmer who walks through your door."
"It's not that. I mean, we don't. We've had Altmer come in before. Fultheim never attacked them until now. I'm sure he had a reason."
Daenerys noticed that the drunk, who must be Fultheim, was starting to move a little bit. He was a man in his late middle years and remarkably well-muscled for his age. He wore cheap leathers over cheap clothes, and he reeked of mead. Daenerys pried the sword from his hands. The sword was unusual. It was slightly curved, not as much as a Redguard blade, but not straight either. The only other person she'd ever seen with a blade like that was Delphine. In fact, this blade even had the same kind of guard as Delphine's sword – a coiled serpent. She fished the amulet of Talos that Grandfather had bequeathed to her out from under her clothes and shook it at the drunk. "See, Talos. Not Thalmor, you drunkard."
"N-not y-you," the drunken Nord stuttered from the cold. "The c-cat. Kh-khjiit. Sp-spy"
A flash of sudden movement on the floor caught her attention. Fishbreath ran for the door and paused as he reached it. The cat raised a paw shimmering with an orange nimbus of magic. The door swung open.
Daenerys stared in confusion. Fishbreath cast a spell!
Faralda didn't hesitate. She blasted frost at the retreating cat, but the cat was gone, and her spell hit the door. "Kill it!" yelled Faralda as she charged outside. "Kill the cat! Release the hounds!"
Daenerys had no clue what was going on, but she ran outside after Faralda anyway. Fishbreath was a Khajiit? She thought that Khajiit were roughly human-shaped. Did they look like house cats when they were young? When she exited, she saw the hounds already chasing after Fishbreath. Not surprising. Dogs needed no prompting to chase after a fleeing cat. Ull had his bow out, but despite his remarkable aim he still missed. However, he came close.
The cat started zig-zagging instead of running in a straight line. That saved it from a second arrow but slowed it down enough that the hounds caught up. One of the hounds snapped at Fishbreath and caught him by the leg. The dog shook its head and tossed a caterwauling Fishbreath around roughly. Another hound bit down on Fishbreath and between the two of them they tore him apart before the innkeeper made it outside to call them off.
Daenerys turned to Faralda. The gory sight bothered her a lot less than the mere fact that Fishbreath could cast spells, was highly intelligent, and had apparently been spying on them. "What just happened?" While she had a good handle on the history and culture of Tamriel, every so often something she had never heard of before bit her in the ass. This appeared to be one of those times. "So, was that a Khajiit child? Kitten? Whatever?"
"No," replied Faralda. "That was a full-grown Khajiit. There are more than twenty different breeds of Khajiit. What form any Khajiit grows up to be depends on the phases of Masser and Secunda. The breed you usually see in Skyrim are Cathay, like J'zargo, but the Khajiit breeds vary wildly in size and appearance. The Senche-raht are quadrupedal battlecats the size of a mammoth. The Alfiq can pass as housecats. Fishbreath must have been an Alfiq."
"Altmer, you know a lot about the Khajiit," accused Fultheim. He still looked a little blue around the face.
Faralda shook her head disdainfully. "I have been alive a long while, and I don't spend my time in a bottle. You learn things when you study instead of drinking all day."
"I wasn't always a drunk, and you were still traveling with the Khajiit spy, elf."
Daenerys turned to face Fultheim. While he was apparently more than a drunk, she still wasn't that impressed. He could have bided his time and chosen a moment to strike. They might have caught Fishbreath and gotten some answers. However, there was no use crying over might have beens. For all that this man looked like a drunk, he'd been fast with a sword. He also spotted Fishbreath when they had been clueless. On the other side of the coin, he lacked manners and had tried to kill them. "My friend has a name, Faralda, and she is Mistress of Destruction. You might want to mind your manners."
"Oh, excuse me." Fultheim belched loudly.
"Mind your tongue, or I will cut it out," interrupted Sofija. "You speak to the Lady Daenerys of House Targaryen, first of her name and Thane of Winterhold."
The man rolled his eyes. "Oh, excuse me. I didn't realize I was talking to a Lady. May I puh-lease have my sword back."
"No," replied Daenerys keeping a grip on his sword. "At the minimum you owe my friend an apology. I also want to know how you knew the cat was an Alfiq. We all thought Fishbreath was just a cat."
"Fine. There are signs. Particularly in how they look about. Alfiq only look like housecats on the outside. They're as clever as a man or mer. That means they react differently. We keep dogs around for a reason. I've never seen a cat that calm around barking dogs. A real housecat would have either been hiding in the elf's arms or trying to escape. The Alfiq just looked about all calm and curious."
"I see." Now that she thought about it, there had been other signs. Stray cats were skittish. It wasn't normal for one to grow attached after just a few scraps. A normal cat would also have wandered off somewhere in the wilderness and never returned. She hadn't ever questioned the possibility that Fishbreath was anything but a cat. "And you picked up on that moments after Faralda entered the Nightgate Inn?"
He shrugged. "Well, the Alfiq was being held by an Altmer. That got my attention and then it was just obvious. Besides, we were trained to spot them. We learned our lesson after the Ambassador's Gift."
"The Ambassador's Gift?" asked Daenerys.
"That's what started the Great War. The Aldmeri Dominion sent an ambassador to the Emperor. He demanded a lot of things: tribute, disbanding the Blades, outlawing Talos worship, and half of Hammerfell. When the Emperor told him to shove his offer up his ass, he turned over the covered cart he'd brought with him and revealed his gift – the head of every Blades agent in the Aldmeri Dominion. It took us a few years, but we found out their secret. The Thalmor had aggressively recruited Alfiq to act as their spies. That's how they infiltrated the Blades so badly."
Hmm, Fultheim said 'we learned our lesson'. He didn't look it, but that meant… "So, you're a Blade."
"You said it, not me." He sighed. "Fine. I was a Blade once, but the Blades are no more. Now, give me back my sword."
"Not until you apologize to Faralda." Daenerys wasn't sure what to make of the man. He looked like a drunk. He acted like a drunk, but the Blades were legend. Perhaps like Jorah Mormont there was more to this man than met the eye.
Faralda cleared her throat. "An apology is not necessary. You saw an Altmer holding an Alfiq in Skyrim. It was an understandable mistake. I just wish we could have caught the damn spy. There is no way of telling what secrets he spilled."
Daenerys looked over at her friend. She had an amazing tolerance for Nord prejudices. Daenerys wouldn't have forgiven so easily. "Very well, since Faralda accepts it was a mistake, you can have your sword back." She handed it over to him.
He took it from her and slid it back into his scabbard, then he nodded to Faralda. "For what it's worth, I apologize. The Thalmor have been hunting me for a long time. I saw an Altmer holding an Alfiq and I reacted."
Faralda bowed her head. "The Thalmor killed my grandparents. I have no love for them."
Daenerys looked about. They had drawn a bit of crowd. She was surprised there were this many people living in the trading post. She was not surprised that most of them had a weapon in hand. Between her Shouting, Faralda throwing around Frost magic, and the dogs barking they made quite a racket. People living on the edge of the wilderness like this without the protection of a wall had to be ready to defend themselves on short notice. "Let's go inside where we can sit down and talk about this."
"What's to talk about? This was a good place to hide. Not anymore. You made a big scene and too many people saw. They'll talk. The Thalmor will hear about it and come calling. Time for me to find a new place to hide."
"They aren't going to come calling today. Come inside, sit down. I'll buy you a drink. I can offer you a job and protection."
"I won't say no to a pretty lady offering to buy me a drink, but I think you'll be disappointed." He turned and went inside. "Hey, Hadring. Bring a bottle of the good stuff. The lady is buying." He went on through the main room to one of the guest rooms. "Well come on, I thought you wanted privacy."
At first glance the room showed the usual Nord predilection for decorating with dead animals, but there was more than that. Bottles of wine and mead cluttered ever available surface, some full and some empty, but beneath those bottles were a surprisingly large number of books and weapons. Daenerys felt certain that this room belonged to Fultheim and wasn't just a random inn room. Perhaps he was a partner at the inn? Or even the owner?
The possibility that Fultheim was actually the owner or at least a partner was reinforced when the innkeeper showed up promptly with a dusty old bottle. He plopped it on the table. "The good stuff. Not that this lunk can tell the difference." He glanced at Faralda. "I would appreciate it if you didn't burn down the inn."
"That's why I used Frost instead of Fire," said Faralda as she sat down at the room's small table. "Smart mages don't cast fire spells while standing inside wooden buildings."
"Good. Then I'll leave you to it." The innkeeper, or perhaps the manager, left and closed the door behind him.
Daenerys took the remaining seat. "Just so we're all introduced, Sofija here is my housecarl, and I heard your name is Fultheim?"
"Yeah." He grabbed the bottle, popped the cork and took a deep swig from the bottle. "Ahhh, now what do you want to talk about?"
"Well, Fultheim. I'd like to hire you. I'm recruiting. I have a small band of followers. We clear Nord barrows. It's dangerous work, but profitable. The Thalmor don't like me either, so we can watch each other's back."
He took another swig and swallowed before he replied. "Is this supposed to be where I scoff at danger and sign up? Feh, I've seen plenty of young adventurers like you. What are you? Fifteen? You know what I've never seen? An old adventurer. You know why? Because adventures get you killed. That's why. I've done my share and more. I fought in the Great War. I survived the purge of the Blades. I just want a place to drink and forget."
"You're going to slink off and hide? I thought you were a Nord. What matters more? How you live or how you die?"
"So, you're a gods-damned Talos priestess now? Honor, glory, death, and Sovngarde? Honor and glory get you killed. Sovngarde… easy to talk about it. You want me to risk my life for what? Gold? I put my life on the line for honor, and the Empire I fought to defend pissed on us. That didn't make me brave. That made me a fool. If the heroes of Sovngarde want me, they can come and get me."
Sofija suddenly spoke up. "I thought the Blades didn't swear to the Medes. They only swore to defend the dragon-blooded emperors. After the Oblivion Crisis, they only lent their aid to the Empire."
"Technicalities. The Blades still agreed to work with the Empire, especially as the Thalmor threat grew. Not that the Empire listened."
"But the Blades swore to the Dragonborn," said Sofija.
Daenerys kept silent. Sofija had the same intensity about her that she brought to training, like this exchange of words was a battle she intended to win.
"Yes, but there are no more Blades and no more dragonborn." Then he looked at Daenerys. "Oh, fuck me! Her?! You're telling me that Little Miss Fancybraids is the Dragonborn? We're all doomed."
"I haven't claimed that title."
"Yet," added Faralda.
Daenerys glared at her mentor. "Was that supposed to be helpful?"
"Fultheim?" asked Sofija. "Your oath was to the Dragonborn. If you forswear that oath, that makes you no different from those who turned their backs on the Blades. She is the Dragonborn. I have sworn to protect her. My life for hers, but I know that I'm no Blade. Come with us. Protect her. Teach me."
"You don't know what you're asking." He held up a hand cutting off Sofija. "Oh, I know your kind. You're a young honorable fool. You can't take a piss in Skyrim without running into one." Fultheim slugged down three long gulps from the bottle. "Damn it all to Oblivion. Damn me, too." He pointed to Daenerys. "I'll give you one barrow. Just one. If I decide that you're full of shit, then I'm gone after that." He pointed to Sofija. "You. Outside. I want to see what you've got. Wipe that smirk off your face. This is not open auditions at the Bard's College. I'm going to work your ass off. You quit before I say you can, then it's over. This is your one and only chance."
.oOo.
Fultheim spent the rest of the day putting everyone but Faralda through their paces making them demonstrate their combat skills first alone, then against each other, and lastly against him. He kept his promise to work Sofija's ass off. While everyone else got to rest from time to time, he kept Sofija constantly busy. He had her doing exercises, weapon drills, dismissing and summoning her conjured blades, then doing it all over again. He had her squat, lift, carry, drag, jump, balance, and crawl. She took it all without complaint. Daenerys supported her housecarl by healing her from time to time. Fultheim looked at her the first time, then nodded his approval. That night after Daenerys had cleaned up, they met again in Fultheim's room.
"So, what do you think of them?" Daenerys had been impressed by the depth of Fultheim's knowledge. He had obviously trained men to fight before. Even more than his personal skill as a fighter, she needed his experience in training men. However, he still seemed more interested in drinking.
"I've seen worse. Val is a dumbass who relies on brute strength, but he's got the strength to back it up. The battleaxe is the perfect weapon for him. Put him up front and let him swing that axe. Ull is a natural talent. I don't know where you found him, but he's damned deadly. He's better than I am at bow. However, he has a plain yew bow. That's fine for hunting animals, but he needs a real bow, and a little bit of sword practice in case someone gets in his face, but that's it. Mikko… he's trying to fight with twin axes and he sucks at it. I'm going to train him in axe and shield. Your housecarl," he pointed at Sofija. "She has talent. Raw, but I can work with it. Can't say that I ever trained a Spellblade before, but those conjured swords aren't a joke. As for you… stick to Shouting and spellcasting. Combat isn't all about strength, but brute force matters. Warrior maids have to work twice as hard as men, that's the cold truth of it. She can make it, because she wants it. You… you're juggling too many balls. You don't have time to exercise and train for hours a day."
"I know it," agreed Daenerys. "I don't expect to be a warrior. I just want to be able to defend myself if I run out of magicka. I'll give you a couple of hours every morning, that's it."
Fultheim nodded. "I agreed to do one barrow with you, but I want two days here first. Mikko needs that much to train him up on axe and shield. I'll work with the others as well."
Daenerys nodded her agreement. It would certainly be time well spent. "You have your two days – except for Grandfather's funeral."
Fultheim slugged down more mead. "Not a problem." He pointed to Sofija. "Two more days. No bitching, no quitting. After that… we'll see.
Faralda cleared her throat. "We're not done yet. Daenerys, I want some of your time as well. I want to start some new spell training."
"Yeah, well keep the explosions down. It spooks the animals. If we're done jawing, leave me to drink in peace."
Daenerys held up a hand. "Just one more thing. You might not be the only Blade who survived. I know a woman who bears a sword like yours."
"Yeah?" He shrugged. "It takes more than an Akaviri sword to be a Blade. What's her name?"
"She goes by Delphine."
"Never heard of her. Of course, it could be an alias, could be she was a secret Blade, or maybe she found the sword on a corpse. There were plenty of Blades corpses left to rot. It really doesn't matter if there are any survivors. The Blades are dead and gone." His eyes briefly flicked over to Sofija, but then he shook his head and grabbed the bottle. "Now leave me in peace."
"As you wish." Daenerys stood and left him to his drinking.
.oOo.
The last thing Daenerys did before climbing into bed was to take off the amulet of Talos that Grandfather had bequeathed to her. She placed it on the nightstand beside the bed. The bed was as soft and warm as she remembered, but she couldn't sleep. The old man had claimed that Talos had sent him to protect her at Ironbind Barrow. He meant that literally, and Daenerys believed him. The gods were much more involved in mortal affairs in this world than on Planetos. She had seen the power of Grandfather's faith. Colette, the Mistress of Restoration at the College, had often talked about how faith was the best Seeming for Restoration magic. However, Daenerys had a hard time finding faith in Talos or any diety. She was much more comfortable with the transactional relationship that Brelyna described the Dunmer having with the 'three good Daedra'. That aligned with her encounter with Aranea Ienith. Azura wanted her to recover her missing relic with the implied promise of help in return. While Daenerys rallied her followers with appeals to Talos and Sovngarde, she was just using the words to motivate them. She had always believed in the righteousness of her causes – even as she burned down King's Landing. She had placed her faith in herself, but that faith had been misplaced. Now she didn't know what to believe in. Even with the evidence that Talos had intervened to help her, she found it difficult to have faith in Talos or any other god for that matter.
Lying there in bed with Faralda and Sofija sleeping close by, she tried. She didn't really know how to pray. Silently, she thanked Talos for sending Grandfather to save her. She also asked him for his aid, but not for herself. It didn't feel right. She had obstacles, but she could overcome them. Instead, she asked for Talos to help her save Grandfather's soul. Talos owed him that much. If Talos wouldn't save the soul of a follower as loyal as Grandfather, then he wasn't worthy of the belief the Nords and others placed in him. As she drifted off to sleep she realized that she was still trying to bargain with Talos for Grandfather, like he was a Daedra and not an Aedra. She simply didn't get faith. Grandfather had beseeched her to 'Be worthy'. She was just going to do what was right. The gods could do whatever they damn well pleased.
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Spying. I explained that in the chapter. The Thalmor have been recruiting Alfiq to spy for them.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
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- The Land of Fire and Poison
That the Thalmor have done that in the past doesn't necessarily mean that every Alfiq is a Thalmor spy, that said it was more a rhetorical question due to Alfiq being explicitly known for their reluctance to travel outside of Elsweyr, due to the fact that people tend to treat them like the house cats they resemble, which they understandably find to be rather irritating.
I had forgotten that the Thalmor claimed to have ended the Void Nights and brought back the moons though, and thus won a huge amount of influence over the Khajiit, so them using Alfiq spies makes a lot more sense than I initially thought.
Don't worry Dany, they will.
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We did this, we sent Grandfather to the soul cairn when we started discussing it before the next update was posted. :#p
To the person who I implied was racist when they asked if the cat was a Kahjit... Boy is my face red.
Not as much as you apparently.
And we would love to hear more about this mysterious hyper-competent drunk.
Taking bets that he is/was a blade?
And that was my first clue this man has never seen youtube!
Either anime artists failed me or Ecosia did because I didn't get a good image to sarcasically post. :'(
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- Amsterdam
A surviving blade in hiding makes sense to me.
Also I love Daenerys musing on faith and the gods at the end. The danger of blind faith in your cause and the way she took a wrong path herserlf. It makes sense that she would set doing the right thing as her new goal.
Also I love Daenerys musing on faith and the gods at the end. The danger of blind faith in your cause and the way she took a wrong path herserlf. It makes sense that she would set doing the right thing as her new goal.
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- Texas
Fultheim isn't an OC. He is the drunk at the Nightgate Inn and there is lots of evidence that he is a Blade in hiding. He carries a Blades sword, his room is custom and has books on war and strategy, and most telling if you dress in Thalmor clothing he will attack you as soon as you enter the inn.
As for Daenerys, I struggle to find the right balance in how much soul searching to have her do. After all she did kill several hundred thousand people. That should not be forgotten, but I don't want her dwelling on it all the time either
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Huh, I didn't know that.
Here is his Wiki link if someone wants to follow up but theres not much. Fultheim
Given he's lvl 4 in game I guess he got a buff here to be more appropriately skilled for a ex-blade.
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I didn't remember him at all. Though I admit that it has been years since I played Skyrim.
It is a hard balance to strike, but you're doing well so far. I don't think she'll ever forgive herself for the moment of madness that lead to the burning of King's Landing. Depending on how you want to develop her I think that her mission will take priority.
Another thing I was thinking about: I'm surprised I haven't seen more Daenerys as the dragonborn before. It fits so well with her lineage.
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Also while being treated like a housecat when they want to be recognized as more than a dumb beast would certainly annoy an Alfiq, a little bit of shiftyness is a very Khajiit trait. I imagine an Alfiq spy enjoys fooling silly men (and mer) that think the Alfiq is just a housecat, while spilling all their secrets. If they're too stupid to realize that the cat listening is taking mental notes - well that's their problem. The same way many Khajiit feel that if you wanted that pretty shiny thing, then you shouldn't have left it laying around in the open where it could tumble into their pockets.
This got cut from the chapter because there was too much going on with Fultheim. It isn't even really a scene. It was more a summary of a scene that should be fleshed out into a discussion. I'll probably address these points at some point in the story, but not for the next few chapters:
Cut Draft Scene:
Another point of discussion was how much Fishbreath might have overheard. Since the Kahjiit spy had only started following Daenerys around on the Sea Dagger, the answer was probably not much. It was already public knowledge that she could Shout. She hadn't displayed or discussed anything else except her plans to explore Nord barrows. It was possible that Fishbreath had never even reported in. That all depended on whether or not the Thalmor had a safehouse in Windhelm, and whether Fishbreath knew about it if they did. Daenerys didn't remember any cats ever being in her dorm room. The most likely reason was that J'zargo was often around and he would likely have spotted an Alfiq. Faralda mentioned that she remembered seeing cats sometimes in the Archmage's apartments. Her guess was that Ancano had been using the Alfiq to spy upon the Archmage and the rest of the faculty. When word of her departure became known, Ancano had sent Fishbreath along to spy on them.
Mostly that fleshes out that Alfiq are not just wandering all over Skyrim. Fishbreath was most likely assigned to Ancano to help spy at an important place - the College of Winterhold, but was reassigned to follow Daenerys when she left.
Cut Draft Scene:
Another point of discussion was how much Fishbreath might have overheard. Since the Kahjiit spy had only started following Daenerys around on the Sea Dagger, the answer was probably not much. It was already public knowledge that she could Shout. She hadn't displayed or discussed anything else except her plans to explore Nord barrows. It was possible that Fishbreath had never even reported in. That all depended on whether or not the Thalmor had a safehouse in Windhelm, and whether Fishbreath knew about it if they did. Daenerys didn't remember any cats ever being in her dorm room. The most likely reason was that J'zargo was often around and he would likely have spotted an Alfiq. Faralda mentioned that she remembered seeing cats sometimes in the Archmage's apartments. Her guess was that Ancano had been using the Alfiq to spy upon the Archmage and the rest of the faculty. When word of her departure became known, Ancano had sent Fishbreath along to spy on them.
Mostly that fleshes out that Alfiq are not just wandering all over Skyrim. Fishbreath was most likely assigned to Ancano to help spy at an important place - the College of Winterhold, but was reassigned to follow Daenerys when she left.
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- Estonia
Nah, he did have the qualifier "around barking dogs". Pretty sure that's accurate: cats can be calm around dogs, but they get agitated too, if the dogs are agitated enough to start barking. Definitely a pattern that a person paranoid about Alfiq spies would pick up on.
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- Texas
Is it paranoia when they really are trying to hunt you down and kill you?