Fire On The Mountain (A Skyrim Quest)

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Do'azda's Character Sheet
Name: Do'azda Khrimnin
Race: Khajiit (Suthay-Raht)
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Profession: Shaman
Appearance/Description: She stands at a normal height for a Suthay-raht, that is to say, shorter than most men or mer, but not by too much. Her fur is a warm, rich orange, paler around her muzzle and down her neck, and her eyes are startlingly yellow. Her hair is braided, with rings that jangle faintly when she turns her head too fast. Her robes are basic, and worn from age, but have been fastidiously cleaned.
Level: 7
XP: 0/120

Alchemy: 25
Alteration: 5
Archery: 5
Block: 6
Conjuration: 40
Destruction: 5
Enchanting: 5
Heavy Armor: 5
Illusion: 35
Light Armor: 20
Lock Picking: 1
One-Handed: 21
Pickpocket: 5
Restoration: 15
Smithing: 1
Sneak: 20
Speech: 27
Survival: 13
Two-Handed: 5

They say it kills cats - Do'azda has few restraints on her inquisitive nature, asking whatever questions occur to her, paying little attention to whether this may be considered rude. Whatever else, at least Do'azda never finds herself regretting her failure to ask about something.

Dancing the night away - Do'azda is a fine dancer in the Elsweyr style, where dances are not the slow, ritualised partnering of the Altmer, but instead are a whirling piece of performance art, with the dancer's emotions informing the dance more than any practiced steps. Do'azda can feel the music in her bones, and can dance to only a drumbeat.

In the shadow of the moon - Do'azda was blessed even as she began her journey to become a shaman. A priestess of Azurah, the Mistress of Dusk and Dawn, favoured daughter of Fadomai, received a vision. Azurah's light shines favourable upon her.

Tangled Tails--Do'azda has had flings before, "Tangled Tails" as the euphemism goes, and she's willing to engage in casual relationships or 'one-night marriages' if the opportunity arises.

Racial Perks--

Claws--She has very wicked claws indeed.
Darksight--She can see incredibly well in the dark.

Skill Perks--

Conjuring Efficiency (10): Do'zada knows how to be careful with her Magicka without losing any power when she's Conjuring, and can use such magic more freely and easier when fighting or in other circumstances. (Cojuration)

Mystic Binding (20): Do'azda gains skill at creating bound weapons of magic, so that she is never without her arms no matter what. She also becomes more skilled at creating bound objects of all types, and begins to study that which might allow one to bind a soul into a gem. (Conjuration)

Haggling 1 (0): Everything in Skyrim is far more expensive, and so Do'azda should probably try to figure out how to make do with what little gold she has. (Speech)

Insight (20): One of the key elements of persuasion is knowing what would convince someone. Do'azda now knows how to evaluate what kinds of arguments and reasoning would convince different people if she spends enough time to get a feeling for how they think. (Speech)

Agile Defender (10): Armor is often hard to get used to, so figuring out how to move with light armor so as to reduce how bad a hit is is something you can only learn by doing… and Do'azda has begun to 'do.' (Light Armour)

Rahjin Perks

Laughter-Silvered Wings (Level 5): A flying companion does not simply owe its speed to its physical form, but the strength of its spirit, and so it tends to be faster and more manuverable than its terrestrial version, harder to hit, and a greater predator of the sky.

(Next at Level 8)

Blur - Do'azda knows a spell to obscure her features at a distance, to render her indistinguishable from another Khajiit. Up close, it is almost pathetically ineffective, however.
Clairvoyance - Do'azda is granted flashes of insight into the path to her goal by Azurah - the Goddess of Dawn and Dusk sees much of the land.
Conjure Animal - Do'azda reaches onto Hircine's hunting ground and recalls the imprint of an animal which perished nearby to fight by her side
Conjure Axe - Do'azda can create a hatchet from pure magic. It is too cumbersome for effective use in combat, but for cutting wood, it is more than adequate
Bound Dagger--As she has learned how to better summon such things, she has figured out how to use a Bound Dagger.
Courage - Do'azda uses magic to inspire in another the will to fight, though currently only to instill confidence in victory, not to cause conflict where none exists.
Summon Familiar - Do'azda reaches into her own soul to bring forth her familiar, the falcon Rajhin. No mere shade, Rajhin remains with her until slain and can do far more than just fight, but cannot be summoned for a day and a night thereafter if killed.
Fear - This spell pulls from the mind a fear that the target has, and creates from this the feeling of fear.
Distraction - Creates sounds and sights on the edge of perception. Sights and sounds determined by the caster.
Healing Wounds - The caster uses their magicka to seal the wounds of the target. All healing occurs in a single burst.
Conjure Flame Atronach - Do'azda can call forth a spirit of Infernace, a being of fire, constrained in a form of iron.
Flames - Do'azda can release a gout of fire from her palm, directly setting alight her foe, though only for so long as she feeds magicka to the fire.
Lesser Ward - Do'azda can use her magic to create a shield of magical energy, blocking low level magical attacks, reducing high level magical attacks and mitigating the damage of physical attacks.

Do'azda can make...

Potion of Minor Healing - Bruises fade, cuts close, aching muscles relax, this potion provides a little relief from injuries. The first potion a young shaman will learn to brew.
Potion of Suppress Disease - A potion which will suppress the symptoms of a disease for several days; oftentimes long enough for the body to get the cold or flu from its system. More serious or outright magical diseases will return with a vengeance once the potion's effects wear out, but it is a useful potion to know how to craft.

FUS - Force
WULD - Whirlwind

FUS DAH--Force Push


Gold Septim (365)
Trail Rations (x4)
Fine Rations
A very nice dress for casual-formal occasions.
A lovely dress in the gothic style, with an enchantment of illusory power woven into it.
Iron Axe--An iron axe of low quality.
Steel Axe - A steel axe of decent quality
Iron Dagger--An iron dagger of mediocre quality.
Mage Robes--Increase magical regeneration, but provides little protection, discouraging getting up close and personal.
Leather Armor--Comfortable, lightweight armor, it counteracts the discouragement from getting up close, though as an extra layer it means it can get extra hot.
Lunar Steel War Axe--An Axe which can, in the light of the moon, drink in the life-force of its victims and use it to restore that of its weilder.
Steel Dagger (x2)--A well-worn but very useful steel dagger.
Alchemical Kit--A very fine kit for the creation of potions. One careful owner.
Stormcloak Token--A token from Ulfric Stormcloak himself...
Underclothes--You know.
One Powerful Enchanted Sword (Rusted)--A sword of unknown value, it has a rather potent and interesting enchantment attached to it.

Spell Tome: Illumination--A spell tome is a sort of book that can fully teach you a new spell, but it is destroyed in the process. For such a minor spell it is probably only a few hours of reading to fully learn. This allows Do'azda to create a light in the darkness... less useful for a Khajiit, but still a spell of value.
Spell Tome: Thieves Vision--A spell tome is a sort of book that can fully teach you a new spell, but it is destroyed in the process. For such a minor spell, it is probably only a few hours of reading to fully learn. This simple spell gives one slightly better night vision… but is also notable for being able to see writing hidden by weak illusions, and thus is commonly used by thieves trying to read the secret messages of other thieves.
Spell Tome: Turn Undead--A spell tome is a sort of book that can fully teach you a new spell, but it is destroyed in the process. A spell of moderate difficulty, it will take several nights of reading to learn it. A spell technically of the "Restoration" school, which puts fear into nearby undead. When cast powerfully, burns them most terribly.
Spell Tome: Sparks--A spell tome is a sort of book that can fully teach you a new spell, but it is destroyed in the process. For such a minor spell, it is probably only a few hours of reading to fully learn. Allows a mage to fire sparks of arcane lightning, sapping the magicka reserves of the target whilst also burning through their flesh.
3 Doses of Frostbite Venom in Magicka bottles--Toxic and acidic to living flesh, it has little effect on the glass bottle.
Healing Potion

Troll Fat, other ingredients
100 Septims
3 gems of good quality.
Troll Hide
Troll Skull
Troll Eyes x3
Troll Claws

A Handy Guide to Lockpicks: A book that should teach Do'azda all she wants to know about Lockpicks, and more. Each read will give +1 to Lockpicking, and it can be read thrice to wring out all possible knowledge from it. (2/3 reads remaining)
Journal of a Potema Loyalist: A journal of some historical merit, belonging to one of Potema's most loyal supporters in her early years.
 
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[X] [Quest] Decline, she has too much on her plate, and she doesn't need more danger in her life than what she is already courting, and it could draw attention to her in all sorts of ways.
[X] [Septims]-100

Best to stay away from the city for now and focus on finding outside allies for little Elsweyr
 
[X] [Quest] Accept, and hear more about what she'll have to do. But while she won't be doing it immediately, it will obligate her to get to it within the next few weeks and it will no doubt involve an element--or more--of danger. But it could mean that she has another chance to return to Whiterun 'early.'
[X] [Septims]-100

That's twenty weeks no? Maybe we can drop more off when we visit at the end of the quest, or send a courier with more. Don't want to give away half our savings if we're also gonna spend on the moon smithy.
 
Personally, if this quest follows the one from the game along the same basic steps, it'll also get us in contact with the Reachmen and the Hagravens. I really, really want to help the Forsworn in this quest.
Yes! I want to see the Forsworn as written by actually good writers! Thank you for reminding me about them!
 
[X] [Quest] Accept, and hear more about what she'll have to do. But while she won't be doing it immediately, it will obligate her to get to it within the next few weeks and it will no doubt involve an element--or more--of danger. But it could mean that she has another chance to return to Whiterun 'early.'
[X] [Septims]-150
 
[X] [Quest] Accept, and hear more about what she'll have to do. But while she won't be doing it immediately, it will obligate her to get to it within the next few weeks and it will no doubt involve an element--or more--of danger. But it could mean that she has another chance to return to Whiterun 'early.'

Building bridges, not fences.
 
[X] [Quest] Accept, and hear more about what she'll have to do. But while she won't be doing it immediately, it will obligate her to get to it within the next few weeks and it will no doubt involve an element--or more--of danger. But it could mean that she has another chance to return to Whiterun 'early.'
[X] [Septims]-150
 
[x] [Quest] Accept, and hear more about what she'll have to do. But while she won't be doing it immediately, it will obligate her to get to it within the next few weeks and it will no doubt involve an element--or more--of danger. But it could mean that she has another chance to return to Whiterun 'early.'
[x] [Septims]-100

I honestly would have gone for even less (8w or so) given we should be back in around a month, but this seems the lowest that has any chance, so…
 
[X] [Quest] Accept, and hear more about what she'll have to do. But while she won't be doing it immediately, it will obligate her to get to it within the next few weeks and it will no doubt involve an element--or more--of danger. But it could mean that she has another chance to return to Whiterun 'early.'

[X] [Septims]-200
 
[X] [Quest] Accept, and hear more about what she'll have to do. But while she won't be doing it immediately, it will obligate her to get to it within the next few weeks and it will no doubt involve an element--or more--of danger. But it could mean that she has another chance to return to Whiterun 'early.'

[X] [Septims]-200

This quest can lead to a lot of interesting things. E any wait to see how it's portrayed!
 
Forging Ties
Forging Ties

"What must Do'azda do?"

Danica's face breaks into a smile. "You'll help? Excellent! The trial is simple enough - this is why it is not usually a great challenge to find a Champion for Kynareth. You must only head to the Eldergleam sanctuary, and climb to the great trunk of the Eldergleam, where Kynareth will send forth one of her children for a duel…"
"A duel?" Do'azda asks, "With what? To the death?"

"No, no, not to the death! A spriggan will release itself from the tree and you merely need to strike it with your blade before it can strike you, and it will retreat, allowing you to collect the sap of the Eldergleam from the spriggan's perch." Danica says, "Whilst should it strike you first, it will mix your blood from its claws into the sap, though you ought still to be able to collect it. It is… uncommon for the spriggan to kill the champion. Then simply return with it to Whiterun, and I will use the sap to revive the Gildergleam."

"Very well," Do'azda says, "Where is the Eldergleam Sanctuary?"

"Follow the river to the north east, around the throat of the world, and then south towards Fort Amol, and then head into the sulphur flats - carefully! There ought to be a path marked through the flats, but with the war… The Sanctuary itself will have members of Kynareth's priesthood, you cannot miss it. Thank you, again, you have the gratitude of Kynareth for this, Dragonborn."

Danica raises her voice with that last, aiming it more at the rest of the room than Do'azda, and Do'azda understands why, precisely, this was done in public - a little to pressure her, but more it is to chastise the nords, to make it abundantly clear that she has no interest in their disdain for Do'azda. It is a kindness Do'azda doesn't quite know what to do with.


The sun is beginning to dip in the sky as Do'azda heads off to Silent Moons Camp, but there are still many hours left before night truly falls, and the sky is clear and almost painfully blue, and she makes good time. A couple of figures stand silhouetted on the great stone wings of the ruin as she approaches, and Do'azda feels the prickle of their eyes upon her.

The mercenaries have moved in force to secure the site, and Do'azda recognises lithe Dahlima standing guard at the base of the steps, his left hand on the hilt of the sabre at his hip.

"Ah, Do'azda has come? This one has heard she is to leave tomorrow morning, but she takes the time to come to see the forge?" Dahlima's voice has a hard edge to it, "This one is sure he is grateful to meet the brave dragonslayer."

"Has Do'azda done something to offend?" She asks, "If so, she would make it right?"

"What could Dahlima be offended by? Do'azda is a hero," He says, "A pity, this one supposes, that Razirr died, but this happens around heroes, no?"

Do'azda does not wince at all, but she thinks about it, and the grief comes back slowly, like a leaking jug emptying upon the floor. "It happens around dragons," Do'azda says, unable to keep the sharpness from her voice. "It is not a pity, it is a monstrous tragedy."

"Yes, it is a tragedy how the battle went, what good Khajiit died," Dahlima says, and does not say, 'and what Khajiit did not' because he does not have to. "The Dragonborn is welcome in the forge."

Dragonborn, not Shaman. Some strange creation, some odd myth, of the Nords. Sbe does not let herself rise to the bait.

"This one believes Marash-ji and Soahin are near the forge, with the smith that their man Akh'der found,"

He steps aside with bad grace, and Do'azda hurries past him, avoiding eye contact as best she can.

Do'azda makes her way up the steps carefully in the slowly fading light. It remains a stark reminder of how ancient a site this is, the stairs worn to the point of treachery.

The light of the forge shines through the double doors at the top of the steps, and as she approaches, Do'azda hears furious cursing in Ta'agra.

Marash-ji is perched atop the workshop table in the forge as a woman Do'azda doesn't know stands over the blazing forge itself, swearing a storm.

"Zaynabi cannot do it! She is sorry, but she has tried! The weapons can burn the foe and not the friend - an obvious mistake! But you tell her the weapon is to heal the wielder, and this it cannot do. Something is missing, the forge wants for something. Something dies in the quenching," The smith turns to Marash-ji, her fur thick with soot, freezing up when she sees Do'azda.

"Do'azda!" Marash-ji exclaims, pushing off from the workbench, "This one was worried for her, when she disappeared into the city with the guards. All is well, he hopes? This one has been in the forge mostly - Akh'der somehow convinced Zaynabi to ride over from one of the other caravans - she is a master smith, finest in Skyrim."

Zaynabi makes a little embarrassed smile. "She is no such thing. Zaynabi maintains the armour of her Ahkari's guards, and she knows how a forge ought to be treated. The nord on his hill no doubt is her better. Indeed, perhaps he could find what is wrong with the quenching."

"He is a blind fool of a nord," Marash-ji disagrees, "This forge was built in the honour of Azurah - it might have as well been built for khajiit!"

"Well," Zaynabi says, "This one does not worship at the feet of the Queen of the Night Sky. Perhaps this is why she does not help us."

"Then it is good that Do'azda is here," Marash-ji says brightly, "She is beloved of Azurah! Perhaps she might have something to add?"

"What is the problem?" Do'azda asks, "This one does not know much of smithing, but she knows a little of magic and the Gods."

Zaynabi sighs heavily. "Very well. The problem appears to be when the weapon is forged, and time comes to quench it. The weapon will at this point already burn its foes - this is a property of the forge, a clever piece of spellwork woven into its very stones - but it does not heal the wielder, like the strange mace on Marash-ji's hip, or the axe Do'azda carries. And when this one plunges it into the water, even the potential to heal the wielder dissipates. She can see it fading."

"Could," Do'azda asks, "Could you not just leave the weapons to cool? If quenching is causing such problems?"

Zaynabi visibly takes a calming breath, and Do'azda winces. "No, the quenching is necessary when one wishes to smith a weapon. Or, indeed, anything."

[Smithing +1]

"This one apologises. She wonders… if the spellwork on the forge creates the burning, if this was the weaving of the smith who created the forge, then the blessing of Azurah was perhaps the healing alone?" Do'azda says, "In which case… The blessing is likely geographical? To cause the smith to come out to here, rather than closer in to Whiterun?"

"Like what?" The smith asks, curious, "There is nothing here but the forge itself, which was crafted by the smith, not Azurah."

"The battlements," Do'azda says, thinking aloud. "They are not walkways - the shape is wrong. This one remembers thinking this when last she was here. The battlements were drainage for a stream that would have run through the ruin, but they were dry."

Zaynabi opens her mouth, perhaps to disagree, and then considers it for a moment. Then two. "We suppose that we could try this, or at least think about the geography. A stream… would be significant." Another frown, another moment of less than total certainty before she says, "I think."

"It's worth a try," Marash-ji says, enthusiastically. It's clear that he is sure this is the answer, and Do'azda hopes it is. When the weapon has to be forged only under very specific circumstances, then there are only so many months of failure one can afford.

Yet the weapons will be a valuable commodity indeed… she has to hope for it.

"Shaman," Marash-Ji says into the silence, speaking once more, "This is not in Whiterun, even if it is in the Hold, and it is not known. If you wish to stay here, you could."

Do'azda shakes her head. "There's somewhere Do'azda needs to go. There may be many somewheres. She does want to return, and she trusts… she trusts that when she returns, the Lunar Forge will be… glorious."

This is the word for what they could do here.

She cannot help but imagine it. She cannot help but regret that she won't be able to see it as it happens. She takes a breath, tail twitching.

"Yes, it will be. Will you stay, Shaman?" Marash-Ji asks.

"No, Do'azda needs to leave tomorrow morning. But she has been advised that it may be… good to enjoy myself on the final night. Do'azda was going to study, but… she can study on the road."

She tries to think of it as an adventure. She can almost manage it, licking her lips and keeping her tail from fretting too much. This is definitely going to be thought of as an adventure, if it does not end miserably. The Khajiit Dragonborn? They'll tell so many lies about her, for better or worse, if she actually lasts long enough to do anything notable--and she doesn't count killing a Dragon as that, though she knows a month ago she would have.

"Perhaps so," Zaynabi says. "At any rate, this one doubts the shaman's last memories of Little Elsweyr ought to be filled with study."

"We can likely organise some sort of party here?" Marash-ji muses, "There are many mercenaries on the site. They would not take a deal of encouragement to party… If this is what Do'azda wants, of course. Otherwise she could go into Little Elsweyr… This one understands she has friends in Little Elsweyr who could perhaps be troubled to provide some entertainment?"

What does Do'azda do for her last evening before exile? Choose 2.
[ ] Party with the mercenaries in Silent Moons
[ ] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
[ ] Go to one of the gambling dens in Little Elsweyr
[ ] Go into Whiterun
-[ ] To take the pulse of the city in various taverns
-[ ] To look in on Bathes-In-Steel, to see how she's doing.

VM AN: Couple more things knocked out before Do'azda has to leave. Sorry this took so long.

TL AN: Yep! Enjoy!
 
Kinda interesting that our last two chores are both very in the esoteric parts of the setting, at least to me? The eldergleam stuff I don't think I ever ran into in Skyrim so is that a morrowind detail?

[X] Go into Whiterun
-[X] To look in on Bathes-In-Steel, to see how she's doing.
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
 
[x] Party with the mercenaries in Silent Moons
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends

Always party if given a choice
 
[X] Party with the mercenaries in Silent Moons
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
Party party party!
 
[X] Party with the mercenaries in Silent Moons
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
 
[X] Go into Whiterun
-[X] To look in on Bathes-In-Steel, to see how she's doing.
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
 
[X] Go into Whiterun
-[X] To look in on Bathes-In-Steel, to see how she's doing.
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
 
[X] Go into Whiterun
-[X] To look in on Bathes-In-Steel, to see how she's doing.
[X] Party with the mercenaries in Silent Moons
 
[X] Party with the mercenaries in Silent Moons
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
 
Today we learned that, yes, you should probably dunk the very hot thing in water, at least a little bit! Hooray! Great job with the smith's reaction to things.

It's a bummer that people hold it against us that people died from the dragon, but also Dahlima, my guy, you know how many more of your pals woulda died if we hadn't been able to kill it when we did? Yeah it hurts, but glass half-full, and all that.

[X] Go into Whiterun
-[X] To look in on Bathes-In-Steel, to see how she's doing.
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
 
[X] Go into Whiterun
-[X] To look in on Bathes-In-Steel, to see how she's doing.
[X] Party with the mercenaries in Silent Moons
 
[X] Go into Whiterun
-[X] To look in on Bathes-In-Steel, to see how she's doing.
[X] Find a quiet place in Little Elsweyr to have a drink, perhaps with a few friends
 
Farewells
Farewells

Do'azda considers Marash'ji's offer. He seems genuine enough, and no doubt Soahin would also be happy enough to see her, but her mind turns unwillingly to Dahlima, his face twisted in anger and grief, and she wonders how many others resent her the deaths of those who stood by her side against the dragon.

"This one thinks she will go back to Little Elsweyr," Do'azda says. "She would not want to be a bother."

Marash'ji smiles. "Ah, well then! This one hopes you will have a nice night - it was a pleasure to see you before you leave. He will pass on your well wishes to Soahin?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Do'azda says, "Give Soahin my gratitude for all she has helped me with, she has been invaluable."

The sun is at Do'azda's back, setting the sky ablaze as she follows the ever-more familiar road from Silent Moons to Whiterun. Setting aside her worries for Little Elsweyr - there is no more she can do for them for the moment, she must simply hope they can survive without her - she notes now, in the sunset glow - the track is visibly more worn. Traffic to Silent Moons Camp has increased a hundredfold. She wonders idly if the Nords have noticed, but she doubts it. Why should they care?

She quickens her stride once she has sight of the city walls - it's easier to get into Whiterun before dark, especially for a Khajiit, even the Dragonborn. Perhaps especially the Dragonborn.

She passes a Nord on a cart on her way in - headed back out to one of the outlying farms, no doubt.

"Oh, Dragonborn!" The man calls out as he passes. His accent is so thick it takes her a moment to decipher, the words coming out oddly broad and flat. "Ysmir guide you!"

Do'azda blinks slowly. "This one thanks you?"

The cart slows to a halt and the nord steps off it. Do'azda draws away slightly, hopefully not enough to upset him. His eyes are bright in his lined face and he straightens up, brushing a little dust from his tunic.

"I saw you!" He says, too close and a little too loud. "I was in town selling crops! I saw the flames and I heard the Shout! Akatosh turns his gaze back upon Tamriel!"

His breath is so sour it nearly makes her gag, and his smile reveals several teeth are missing, and those that are left are black or green.

"Perhaps Alkosh does," Do'azda says gently, "Is there anything this one can do for you?"

"Oh, no no!" He shakes his head, "Although, perhaps a little thing?"

Do'azda sighs. "Oh yes?"

"My farm is out to the west, by Rorikstead, and I know that Ysmir grants the Dragonborn great skill of arms. The jarl would not hear our petition… when the Imperial Legion withdrew, they left behind deserters, legionaries who take much and more from us," He says, "If you ever find yourself in the west, Dragonborn, you would earn our eternal gratitude. Or, indeed, if you could put a good word in with the Jarl?"

"Of course," Do'azda says smoothly. "It would be my pleasure."

It seems to her to be extremely unlikely that she shall be headed west any time soon, and so what is the harm of appeasing him?

The guard at the gate raises an eyebrow at the interaction, but Do'azda just shrugs, and she waves her through.

"Don't be too long, Khajiit," She says as Do'azda passes, "It's probably best to be out of the city before it's too dark."

Navigating to the Argonian Quarter in the fading light is not a task to be taken lightly, traipsing through narrow alleyways where the setting sun's pallid glare doesn't begin to penetrate, but Do'azda's pupils dilate, going from tiny slits of black in her luminous yellow irises to great black circles with a fine thread of yellow around the rim, and the world is cast in monochrome, bright as if it were under the midday sun.

The Quarter is less welcoming now than during the day, small gaggles of argonian youths on street corners, with bone piercings and iridescent feathers, a few with their faces daubed with charcoal, as though to emulate the shadowscales of Argonian legend. Do'azda finds herself hoping she will run into Stalks-Dark-Paths before too long - and the absurdity of hoping to run into a crime boss in the heart of his territory is not lost on her.

"Do'azda?" The voice is high, clear and guilelessly friendly. "What are you doing here?"

"Bathes-In-Steel?" Do'azda says, "This one was looking for you, actually!"
"Oh? Why?" Bathes-In-Steel cocks her head. "Did Stalks send you?"

"No, but Do'azda was worried - she hears Bathes-In-Steel is leaving suddenly, that everyone is surprised and she knows… With your line of work…"

Bathes-In-Steel seems to consider this for a minute, her tongue flickering between her teeth, before she waves a clawed hand. "You were worried I had been driven out? That's sweet of you, but no. I was getting tired of running the gang, that's all. And since things seem to be stabilising more in our favour, I was planning to head off someplace else before that changes and I get the blame. I think I make Raveri nervous."

"So nothing is wrong? Then where are you going? Back to Blackmarsh?" Do'azda asks.

"Oh, I'm not welcome in Blackmarsh," Bathes-In-Steel says lightly, "I was sent to Skyrim with a duty I cannot do. It would be ill done for me to return a failure. I was going to wander Skyrim for a time."

Do'azda sees the moment Bathes-In-Steel has an idea; her eyes light up, seeming almost luminescent.

"Say," Bathes-In-Steel begins, "You're going into exile, yes? Would you appreciate my blade at your back? It would be a finer use of my time than wandering for wandering's sake."

Take Bathes-In-Steel as a follower upon going into exile?
[ ] Yes.
[ ] No.

Night has descended by the time Do'azda returns to Little Elsweyr, and the sky is breathtaking with starlight. It's a clear night, with what few clouds there were earlier already rapidly dissipating in the plunging temperature as a frozen wind blows directly from the tundra of the Pale.

Do'azda is momentarily uncertain of what she ought do now, beyond the unconsidered idea that it would be good to meet with some of her friends from Little Elsweyr and have a drink or two.

"Oh, Do'azda!" Nahrazad's voice breaks into her considerations and makes the decision for her, "There you are! This one was looking for you! We wanted to have a drink in your honour before you left, but you were nowhere to be found. There's still time, if you would like?"

"Of course," Do'azda says. She's beginning to feel a little aware of how much ground she has covered today - travelling into Whiterun twice, and to Silent Moons and back. Her feet are beginning to ache, and she follows Nahrazad willingly through Little Elsweyr, headed towards the market square.

It is beginning to sink in to Do'azda how little she truly knows Little Elsweyr, as Nahrazad noses open one of the doors to reveal a tavern of slightly alarming scale that only minutes before, Do'azda would've sworn before Azurah was nowhere to be found in Little Elsweyr.

Bari, Sinir and Ra'zaym have claimed a table at the back, and as Do'azda and Nahrazad pick their way across the tavern, she spies some others; Lakaabi sits with some of the merchants, wracked with laughter as one of their number - a little Tojay with dull grey fur - attempts a backflip on the table, whilst Anusi and her friends huddle together, a single pitcher of ale between them, nursing tankards that they've clearly been drinking for some hours, soaking up the warmth of the fire.

Bari smiles as Do'azda takes the last seat at their table - Nahrazad, for her part, leaps gracefully onto the table itself, where a saucer of mead has been carefully set out. "Nahrazad found you, then? This one hopes you will not resent us the desire to spend your last night with you - never has a shaman done so much for the hunters of Little Elsweyr, Bari is quite sure."

Do'azda blushes under her fur, and her tail lashes with embarrassment, but Bari pushes on.

"And this one wished to apologise, to buy the shaman's drinks; it being a favour for us which was the proverbial stone which begins the avalanche, but alas, she was forestalled by--"

"Shaman," K'dasi says, their tone as silken as ever. "This one is sad to be seeing you go. It is so rare that they find those with influence in polite society who understand the virtues of… impolite society. K'dasi has spoken with the bartender, in gratitude. There is to be no charge for Do'azda's drinks tonight, nor those of her friends. It is their hope that Do'azda will retain the lessons she has learnt in Little Elsweyr, should her travels take her to other impolite societies?"

The message of that is very clear, and Do'azda can do nothing but nod tightly. K'dasi inclines their head, their gaze pinning Do'azda to her seat, and then they are gone.

"A cat all of Baan Dar's own," Sinir murmurs wonderingly, "Their grace, their poise, the unspoken threat that never need be verbalised…"

He sighs, as though enraptured.

The news spreads soon and sooner that those who drink with the shaman drink for free. Anusi is first to join their table, furtively, almost ashamed, before calling her friends over when whatever consequences she imagined fail to materialise, but even Lakaabi and the other merchants drift towards them as the night goes on, though Do'azda has no doubt they can afford the cost of their drinks. The bartender looks a little sick at the number of drinks they are handing out, but they don't speak up, and after half a tankard of sweet, strong mead that almost sticks to her throat, Do'azda forgets to care.

"It is a terribly long way, and so dangerous, too!" Nahrazad complains from the table, "Do'azda will have to pass through the ruins of Helgan - no doubt heaving with bandits now - and then traipse the mountain pass, in bitter cold and howling gales! A cruel punishment for saving the town from a dragon!"

"Foolishness!" Ra'zaym interrupts. "Do'azda will travel north, not south. The north road is longer, but the weather far more pleasant. Such ought to be her route."

"If she wishes to climb a cliff, perhaps," Nahrazad snaps, "to scramble up a wall of stone before even reaching the mountain. No, better to go south, along the flat path."

"This one would not call it a cliff," Ra'zaym says, defensively. "It is more of an escarpment. There is a path up, it is merely… steep. Unlike Nahrazad's vaunted flat path, where one's own breath is like to freeze in the lungs."

Which route does Do'azda want to take?

[ ] North, a more circuitous route with finer weather, though some of the terrain is decidedly rough, and the changes in altitude are dramatic, to say the least.
[ ] South, the direct route, but it leads past the ruins of Helgan and through an icy mountain pass. At least there's no climbing, though.
[] Go somewhere else Right outside Whiterun? She'd be seen! Best travel for a day or three before looping around if she intends to go somewhere else.


VM AN: Say goodbye to Little Elsweyr, I suppose! I had hoped to get this out on Christmas, but events conspired.

TL AN: This was VM's show this time, I actually came to her, like, "Oh, we should probably get to looking at starting the next update soon" and she was like, "Oh, it's done." So here you go! Post-Christmas miracle!
 
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I usually favor the northern route, and if we stick to the road as opposed to taking the mountain path up to the rear of Ivarstead we'd be passing near the tree we need to poke.
 
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