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.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[X] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.
 
[X] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.
 
[x] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[x] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[x] Sisterly - they are the daughters of Azurah, a deep and personal connection.
[x] As a child to her mother. With trepidation and hope both, and yet with the will to grow and become more.
 
[x] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[x] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[x] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[x] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.
 
[X] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.

Absolutely agree with @CrabTravelLLC and @Pillowsperky . Not only is getting some more first aid in our repertoire great for when we don't have potions, but finally having some lock picking capability means that, theoretically, we'd be able to get into, or out of, some spots given enough time to do so instead of just shrugging our shoulders and going, 'Oh well, it's locked.' I'm also happy that archer didn't do anything stupid after we let her go, too. And while I understand that we can't just haul all of this back to town, chucking all that extra gear into the ravine physically hurt a little, considering I typically always play as an obsessive packrat.

Also, I don't know if it was all part of the plan from the start, but I'm thrilled you swung by a Stone (even if my initial map reading skills left much to be desired on that front)! The whole of that sequence felt like when she was approaching the word wall in Bleak Falls Barrow, just a smidge, like you're in a fugue and you can't quite stop yourself, but knowing, deep in your bones, that it's going to work out. Terrific update!

"What day?" Bathes-In-Steel asks, as if this is perfectly normal.
Because it absolutely was a multi-day trek, and I'm glad they're setting reasonable expectations and pacing themselves. Have I mentioned that I absolutely love that you're taking into account the travel aspect of the open world? Because I do, it's great!

It is a reflexive 'unfortunate' she suspects, considering how the Argonians feel about the Hist. The Argonians she's known--not many, back in Elsweyr, but a few--have no place for Gods and Spirits, not because they don't believe in them, this would be absurdity, but because they're not of the Hist.
I'm trying to imagine being an atheist in Mundus is a bit like being one on the Disc, you're not fixing to have a good time as one.

"You can summon birds?" Bathes-In-Steel asks.
This clip absolutely fits this moment

View: https://youtu.be/uYTtmLfLCd4?t=65
Specifically the 20ish seconds or so where in the middle here, but the whole video, and show, is a treat!

Do'azda appreciates Bathes-In-Steel the more she travels with her.
She's not the only one! Seriously, authors, Bathes-In-Steel is great, don't let nothing happen to her!
 
Last edited:
[X] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.

Absolutely agree with @CrabTravelLLC and @Pillowsperky . Not only is getting some more first aid in our repertoire great for when we don't have potions, but finally having some lock picking capability means that, theoretically, we'd be able to get into, or out of, some spots given enough time to do so instead of just shrugging our shoulders and going, 'Oh well, it's locked.' I'm also happy that archer didn't do anything stupid after we let her go, too. And while I understand that we can't just haul all of this back to town, chucking all that extra gear into the ravine physically hurt a little, considering I typically always play as an obsessive packrat.

Also, I don't know if it was all part of the plan from the start, but I'm thrilled you swung by a Stone (even if my initial map reading skills left much to be desired on that front)! The whole of that sequence felt like when she was approaching the word wall in Bleak Falls Barrow, just a smidge, like you're in a fugue and you can't quite stop yourself, but knowing, deep in your bones, that it's going to work out. Terrific update!


Because it absolutely was a multi-day trek, and I'm glad they're setting reasonable expectations and pacing themselves. Have I mentioned that I absolutely love that you're taking into account the travel aspect of the open world? Because I do, it's great!


I'm trying to imagine being an atheist in Mundus is a bit like being one on the Disc, you're not fixing to have a good time as one.


Specifically the 20ish seconds or so where in the middle here, but the whole video, and show, is a treat!


She's not the only one! Seriously, authors, Bathes-In-Steel is great, don't let nothing happen to her!


Don't let nothing happen to her? Oh, we can grant your wish.
 
[X] Spell Tome: Conjure Flame Atronach (2 actions)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.
 
[X] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.
 
[X] Spell Tome: Conjure Flame Atronach (2 actions)
[X] Sisterly - they are the daughters of Azurah, a deep and personal connection.
[X ] As a child to her mother. With trepidation and hope both, and yet with the will to grow and become more
 
Last edited:
[X] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.
 
[X] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X ] As a child to her mother. With trepidation and hope both, and yet with the will to grow and become more.
 
[X] Spell Tome: Healing Wounds (1 action)
[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] Friendly - she serves almost alone, and would no doubt appreciate a friendly face.
[X] As a student to her teacher. With a mind sharp and ready to take note, and with an open heart ready to be written upon.
 
Vote closed
Scheduled vote count started by veteranMortal on Feb 3, 2023 at 12:33 PM, finished with 52 posts and 28 votes.
 
Shrine of Azurah
Shrine of Azurah

Azurah's Shrine at Winterhold - properly the "Shrine of Azura Resplendent" if one asks the Dunmer - is one of her most famed. When Azurah took pity on her most favoured Dunmeri worshippers, those who protested the blood sacrifice to Clavicus Vile, she warned them of the impending Red Year, and they fled to Skyrim, scarcely ahead of disaster.

Perhaps it was gratitude that moved them to construct such a Shrine to Azurah, or perhaps it was fear - in the course of a dozen years the tribunal - amongst Azurah's most hated foes - had lost all that they were, and their works had been blighted by disaster. Whatever motivated it, the great statue of Azura - high enough and large enough to be seen from across Skyrim - is iconic.

And so it ought to be a surprise to Do'azda when she looks up at the statue in the dying sunlight and dawning moonlight, and sees not a dunmer in a diaphanous dress, but a khajiit. It is not; Azurah has never been one to constrain herself to mere material reality.

It is not just a 'normal' statue, if there can be such a thing. It is a masterwork, as if the entire history of it has been transformed to have been made by skilled Khajiit refugees. It towers, it looms, and yet its every frozen motion seems almost in flow. She understands now how so many could make a pilgrimage too this place, for the setting of her tail reminds Do'azda suddenly of the Shaman who had taught her, whose tail was the most reliable method to know how she was feeling.

Bathes-In-Steel is staring a little blankly. "I did not think they'd celebrate a Khajiit in Skyrim," she says, false-cheerful as she tilts her head.

"They did not. This is… Do'azda doesn't know what this is, besides a miracle."

"Ah, is it just that? Then I'll not worry at all," Bathes-In-Steel says, seeming to relax. "Another Dragonborn thing?"

"No, this is an Azurah thing. Do'azda does not know why…" she begins, and then trails off. False modesty is shedding like a Khajiit with fur-rot, and she has to know that there's at least something a little bit unusual about the fact that an entire statue transforms itself before her gaze.

If she wants to get Azurah's attention, she has it, and she knows that this is not normal for such a young follower who has not yet done all that much to get such a welcome. But she's curious now what Azurah has to tell her so badly that she'd go through such lengths.

The mountain path snakes up towards the shrine, slick with ice in places, rocky outcrops every few feet, rough and cold against Do'azda's hands as she uses them to support her ascent.

Her legs are starting to ache as she climbs. "You can let me take the lead," Do'azda says, her breath a little ragged. "This one understands if it is a little daunting to come to such a shrine?"

Bathes-In-Steel shrugs. "I would not know what to say to a priest of Azura, it is true." She pauses, then brightens, "I'm sure I could improvise, if you are overwhelmed?"

Unbidden, Do'azda pictures Bathes-In-Steel smiling guilelessly at a surly Dunmer priest, a sweet roll in her outstretched hand, and she makes a face. The dunmer of Whiterun had decades of adjustment to living cheek and jowl with argonians, and the antipathy remained seething just below the surface. How a community of isolated dunmer refugees and priests would react, Do'azda is not completely sure.

"Do'azda will take the lead," She says, more firmly.

"Whatever you say," Bathes-In-Steel says agreeably, hanging back as they both advance.

This high up the mountainside, the wind has started to pick up, and whips tiny shards of ice that sting the eyes, snowflakes that catch in the fur and melt away slowly. Do'azda squints against the wind, an arm up to shield her eyes.

The steps to the shrine loom out of the blizzard, solidly built as they lead up, past a set of solid oaken doors set into multilevel shrine, carved from black Skyrim stone, but unmistakably Morrowind in design, all rounded squares and buttresses.

"Velothi," Bathes-In-Steel murmurs appreciatively, "Deliberately evocative of the older styles. A real labour of love."

"This one will take your word for it," Do'azda says vaguely, more interested in looking around the shrine. There are other doorways in the shrine besides that bottom one; boarded up and sealed. The steps have been swept fastidiously clear of snow, salted carefully, but the rest of the shrine is enveloped in snowdrifts and rimed with ice, as though whoever cleared the steps had left the rest to the environment for weeks on end.

Of whatever community of refugees and priests made this their home, there remains precious little, Do'azda notes.

The platform at the top of the steps has also been cleared of snow. There's only a small area of stone before the mountainside seems to rise out of it, towards the base of the great statue itself, which emerges from the stone of the mountain, looking all but inaccessible.

There's an altar in the middle of the clear black stone, an ornate and lovingly maintained block of hard Skyrim granite, carved with symbols of Azura and festooned with tiny statuettes and sculptures in her honour. An alcove has been carved into one side, sealed with cast iron, but there's nothing in it, and Do'azda wonders what its purpose is.

There's only one woman waiting for them here, in elaborate but distinctly outdated robes of Azura, which shine as though lit by moonlight. She looks immeasurably old and yet undeniably not so; as though she has been the age she is currently for a very long time. She looks up from the altar, apparently unsurprised by their presence, though she is the only one here.

"Greetings, Dragonborn," the woman says as she steps closer. The dunmer's features were carefully placid, as if she is locking away everything somewhere hidden. Do'azda does not know if that is the truth, though. There are many people who simply are closed off. "Azura has given me the gift of foresight. I had a vision of you walking up the steps to this altar long before you were born. You have been chosen to be her champion. I know it is unexpected, but do not worry. It will all unfold as she has predicted. I have healing potions for the wound on your shoulder."

"Wound?" Do'azda asks, shrugging her shoulders as a demonstration.

The priestess stops for a long moment, and then blinks as Bathes-In-Steel decides that something must have happened. The moment the priestess sees Bathes-In-Steel she relaxes. "Yes, of course," she says, shaking her head as if attacked by flies. "Well, it is good to meet both of you, then. You are here for a reason… but it is also good to finally truly meet you."

Do'azda has to wonder what that means, as she looks up at the statue. "Do'azda would ask your name."

"Then I would answer. I am Aranea Ienith, and I have been here many years. Azura's gift has served me well, and so I knew that you would come here, and that Azura would wish to make her will known to you. She has lost an artifact of hers, the--"

Do'azda almost cannot believe it, but she knows what will be said, because there is one artifact that is held in common in all the stories, one artifact that none can forget and none can excuse. It is--

"The Star of Azurah," Do'azda says softly, at the same time the priestess does.

"Yes."

They both freeze at that, because it is not a voice of any of the three of them. Bathes-In-Steel, of course, does not react at all.

"My Star has been stolen, and the sky is a little dimmer for it, the twilight a little less beautiful. Worse still, the one who has stolen it desires to corrupt it, to turn it to their own ends. Do you know what my Star can do?"

"Do'azda has heard rumors, but she cannot be sure if she has the specifics accurate," she says.

"It can hold the soul of any creature, and it does not disappear when used. It is eternal, and in doing so it captures the essence of what a soul is. But the essence of people, whether Khajiit or any of the others--" It is said as glibly as if those are the two species: Khajiit and not-Khajiit.

It is oddly reassuring, even though it is clearly at least a little bit just… an affectation. But it is an affectation she hardly hears all the time. "So you want Do'azda to go after it? I wish to learn what you wish in this, but I am not unwilling." She says it as an understatement, because the idea of doing something that Azurah needs is thrilling.

"Eventually, I would ask this of you. But there is still time, it may be many months before the dark designs are fulfilled. My darling… starlet. You came here to ask me on… Noctra, did you not?"

"Her dream, can it be trusted?" Do'azda asks.

"Yes. And no. What it shows is true, but she has her own purposes. Yet, if you wish to grow stronger, you cannot merely grow larger. You must spread your wings, and cast a shadow that you can dance beneath. It does not need to be through Noctra's ways, but you are already of great power: but subtlety and secrets might yet strengthen you. Yet you also have an ongoing quest for an ally of mine, dear Khenarthi, and of course there is the fact that power itself is its own power: High Hrothgar holds much for you."

Do'azda nods and says, "Subtlety and secrets?" Then she realizes. "The Thieves' Guild?"

"Yes. One who is proud and humbles strength with powers beyond his comprehension… this is what she feels is a concern. But along the way, one would learn many things. There will come a time when nobody can defeat you in a fair fight, should you grow as you have, child: when that day comes, Do'azda, there may be value in having a way around them. Allies among my kin, hidden knives of your own, or such overwhelming power as to not need subtlety."

"Or all of them," Bathes-In-Steel offers, looking up at the statue.

"Indeed, hist-child, why pick one thing, when many can be taken? You observe the world well, for one unseen," Azurah says, sounding somehow surprised, though more amused than offended. "Now I understand. Born shrouded, but not shadowed - never shadowed. It is good that you are hidden even from mine. Do not forget your duty, hist-child. Your Hist made a mistake, it is for you to make it right."

Do'azda blinks, thrown, but a glance at the Priestess shows she is just as uncertain, and Bathes-In-Steel watches Azurah, inscrutable.

"There are many paths in the twilight," Azurah says, and Do'azda feels the Goddess's attention shift to her like a cloak around her shoulders. "And all lead to where you must go, though they all lead to different destinations. Turn, Do'azda, and see them before you."

Do'azda turns. The ground below the shrine glows, a map of Skyrim sketched across it. The shrine itself glows, and as Do'azda watches, a white path, brilliant and shining snakes south, down to the road, and then breaks apart. A blue path heads along the north road, sparking and crackling a little, to a shattered city, a bare handful of houses and other buildings clinging to a collapsing cliff, whilst a great stone college stands proud and defiant on its own little sea stack.

"The College of Winterhold," Azurah says, "A place to learn, to grow knowledgeable and wise - for are all wizards not wise?"

The white path goes south, curling around mountains as it does, and then another offshoot, this one dark and wispy, like a mist. This path heads east, skirting Windhelm to make for warmer climes in the Rift, to a city that perches on a mighty lake like a mosquito on the back of a pig, bloated and rotting with foetid corruption, sickly sweet with it.

"Riften," Azurah says, "Where Noctra's task waits for the one worthy of it, to become more from her tutelage. Such potential that can be unlocked under Noctra, I'm sure I do not know."

The white path is thinner now as it continues, going west where the other went east, then south, to a lumber mill, where a thin wooden bridge spans the river. Here, the white terminates, splitting into two paths, one green as grass, the other a deep and blazing red. The green path crosses the bridge, making its way down little paths which inch past hot springs and mud pits, around the perimeter of a giant's camp, to disappear into the mouth of a cave.

"The sanctuary of the Eldergleam itself," Azurah says, "Where dearest Khenarthi has her devotees conduct their rituals. A place of serene coexistence with nature, in days of war. The path may diverge further, but it is out of the moonlight, and beyond my writ."

The red path burns its way south, crossing the great river system once, twice, thrice, before it reaches a village sheltered at the base of the vast Throat of the World, then it turns and begins to climb the mountain, towards High Hrothgar.

"You know," Azurah says, "Where this path leads."

Where should Do'azda go, to begin with?

[ ] Winterhold, to its College and perhaps to the Star of Azura.
[ ] Eldergleam, to aid dear Khenarthi and see where the path leads.
[ ] High Hrothgar, and towards the power of the Dragonborn.
[ ] Riften, and the schemes and secret powers of Noctra.

****​

Azurah's voice fades to nothing, and silence falls for a moment, but for the howling of the wind.

"You'd better come inside," Aranea Ienith says, her voice a little off, "Set off with the dawn - you'll freeze on the mountain, trying to set off tonight. I have some stew on the boil, and there's plenty of beds."
"We wouldn't want to be a bother," Do'azda replies, "Though this one has some questions, if you don't mind?"

"It's no bother, I'd appreciate the company," Aranea says, "And I have some questions for you. It has been some time since there's been anyone here but me."

"Then it would be this one's pleasure," Do'azda says.

"Much of the shrine has been closed off over the years," Aranea says, sweeping past Do'azda and Bathes-In-Steel to head down the steps. "The only door I have not boarded shut is at the base of the stairs, leading to the kitchen, where it is warmest."

The doors are unlocked, and Aranea pushes them open with a grunt of exertion, the hinges screeching as she does.

"I'll lock up for the night," She says as Do'azda and Bathes-In-Steel traipse past her into the shrine. "Azura assured me no one is going to come to disturb us, but I know this does not reassure everyone."

Behind the thick oaken doors, a faded carpet covers the floor of a corridor leading deeper into the shrine, with ragged tapestries of stars and the moon covering the walls.

To either side as Aranea leads them further are doorways into dark rooms, dusty and cobwebbed, with sheets over the furniture. The priestess walks past them without a sideways glance, though her jaw tightens.

The kitchen is fastidiously clean, and far too large for one person. There's a spartan bed in one corner, near an iron stove in which a fire crackles warmly. On the iron top of the stove sits a pot that bubbles away, and before the stove is a bedroll, clearly freshly cleaned and even ironed.

Do'azda looks around the rest of the kitchen. It is immediately clear that Aranea has been living in this room and this room alone. The table is cluttered with books and paper, there's folded clothes neatly atop many of the cupboards and a bath has been haphazardly dragged into one corner of the room.

Do'azda and Bathes-In-Steel perch on one of the two long benches next to the vast oak table in the middle of the room, as Aranea busies herself ladling out the stew.

It's brown, and largely made up of root vegetables; carrots, potatoes and something stringy and orange, sweet but somewhat ashy tasting, which Bathes-In-Steel makes a face at after trying a piece. There's a miserly amount of slightly stringy very gamey meat, and the stew has clearly not been seasoned in the slightest.

For all that, it is a warm stew in a warm room on a cold night, and Do'azda quickly finished the bowl.

"This one has some questions, if she may?" She says, after setting her bowl aside.

Aranea raises an eyebrow. "Azura told me of your curiosity. She tells me much of you, like a teacher with a favoured student, or a mother to a child. The Khajiit are as children to Azura, yes?"

"Yes," Do'azda says, surprised. "This one understands that your people see her differently?"

Aranea smiles, "Differently, yes. Azura is our mistress, to whom we give all we are, and in return she gives us her love, for we are dearly beloved of her. She wants us, mind, body and soul, and for us to love her, to adore her with all that we are - and how could we not, for she loves us, she would have us love ourselves, and to not is to pain her deeply. When one has truly devoted herself to Azura, there can be, for all time, no other mistress."

There is a glint to her eye which speaks to a painful, yearning sort of love. Do'azda breaks eye contact.

"This one wanted to ask if you are always alone here? Or are some of your fellows away serving in Azura's name elsewhere?"

"There were others," Aranea says, "Azura's visions, her guidance, it tested them, and one by one, they left, afraid to know their fates. But I will not abandon the shrine. I am safe in the embrace of our lady here, shielded from war, from death. She is always with me, here, and so I am never truly alone."

Do'azda blinks, uncertain. That this priestess has a relationship to Azurah different to her own, she expected, but the nature of it feels strange to her.

"Does this Azura truly wish for you to isolate yourself, to do so little?" Bathes-In-Steel asks, curious. "Would she not want more for her worshippers?"

"What more is there?" Aranea replies curtly, "I have the love of Azura, and I give her my own in return. There is no need, no room, for anything else. She saved us from the horror of the Red Year, broke the shackles about my wrists that kept me beholden to false masters, and for this I am hers, from this day until my last."

Silence falls for a moment, before Aranea begins to gather the bowls up.

"Dusk has gone to night," She says, "Best we sleep, the sooner to bring dawn."

The bedroll is comfortable enough, warmed by the fire, and Do'azda can feel sleep tugging at her mind, even as Bathes-In-Steel searches through her pack, looking for her own bedroll, and Aranea murmurs a quiet prayer.

"No harm shall come to me, for I live under Azura's wisdom. Her foresight protects me. Her insight sustains me." Aranea's words are soft, but made urgent by her fervour, and Do'azda hears nothing more before she sleeps.

TL AN: Azurah was a treat to reveal, and this is definitely a place where being who you are, a Shaman who is devoted to Azurah, changed how you would be received by a pretty significant degree.

VM AN: This was fun! It's nice to unpack how different races interact with the same deity. If the Character Creation vote had been for a Dunmer who was dedicated to Azura, "As a child to her mother" would have been replaced with "As lovers" because the Dunmer have a… different? Relationship with Azura. Others would probably just have 3 options, outside of hypothetically possible edge cases. (I could see interesting things with certain of the Breton possibilities we considered?)
 
[X] Winterhold, to its College and perhaps to the Star of Azura.

Jzargo will be a treat to meet, and this feels to be the most in-character option for a Shaman of Azurah.
 
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[X] Winterhold, to its College and perhaps to the Star of Azura.

I'd say, first Winterhold, then eldergleam, then high hrothgar.
 
[X] Eldergleam, to aid dear Khenarthi and see where the path leads.

From there we can pretty easily do a big loop of the Rift Hold and do all thieves guild and dragonborn stuff, and it feels right to start there for our big hero's journey after taking the advice of our wise spiritual mentor, following the wandering road wherever it leads and immersing ourselves in the wilds of Skyrim before confronting Riften.
 
[X] Riften, and the schemes and secret powers of Noctra.
I am very, very, curious about what this quest's interpretation of Noctra will be.
 
[X] Winterhold, to its College and perhaps to the Star of Azura.
 
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