Fire On The Mountain (A Skyrim Quest)

[The Laurent]

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

Spoiler: Skills

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

Spoiler: Traits

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.

Spoiler: Perks

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)

Spoiler: Spells

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.

Spoiler: Potions

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.

Spoiler: Shouts

FUS - Force
WULD - Whirlwind

FUS DAH--Force Push

Spoiler: Inventory

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.

 

[Nuew]

[x] The Reach Rises

 

[veteranMortal]

Seeds Upon The Wind

Do'azda must tell you the story, and the story will contain an answer. That answer will contain a question, and thus always is it ever with the ways of the Gods, and perhaps with all things. No, Do'azda does not think she sounds like a witch, she is a Shaman.

So it begins with an evil spirit of greed, Merid-Nunda, who hates those things that are free and wishes for all the world to be slaves, who would burn down the plains and in the ashes build a straight tower to the heavens, who claims credit for all good things and who is the dawning of the sun, but without fire. As it is said, and so it shall be written 'intellect lacking wisdom, knowledge bereft of purpose.' Yes, some know her as Meridia.

She and her slaves, the Purified, once heard rumors of a dangerous necromancer feeding upon the dead, in a rich and verdant forest, one filled with life and light. But if it was filled with death, she would not accept it as real. There are cycles--ah, Do'azda will not belabor it then.

So she sent an small force, and it disappeared. She sent another and another, for many years she did this with the stupid persistence of the thoughtlessly brilliant, and they disappeared. And after each gathering and disappearance, the woods grew more and more. They seemed to spread, the winds and waters kind and the place a place of life, truly. Most who entered the woods came out, and of the few who were lost, most accepted it for the bounty nurtured many.

Over time, after nearly a century, Merid-Nunda began to grow suspicious as her larger and larger forces were swallowed up trying to kill this foe.

Indeed, Do'azda would have found it suspicious after the first party were lost, and truly outrageous after the second, but she is not a spirit of greed who treasures people as things. Perhaps it is different for them. Certainly it was long ago.

So finally she assembled a great army and marched there, thinking she would confront a great Necromancer, or perhaps some other threat.

In the Greed Spirit went, and found… flowers. Plants. A tree.

No, this was not the marshes.

The Corpse-Flower, as it was once called, now a metaphor, now a… thing of dreams and dust, drank from those who died and let their soul pass on while turning their bodies into zombies, zombies trapped beneath vines, harmlessly, and on this not-life it created life and spread it. On the back of the attempt by the Greed Spirit to conquer and destroy nature, it had empowered it.

Now she raised a shining sword of hatred--yes, that is the phrase, but I believe, yes, it is that sword. And she moved to strike it down.

But Khernathi stood in her place. "Why are you stopping me, they are the dead themselves! They must be destroyed."

"And yet," she said, and Khernathi gestured and the winds themselves picked up to blow through the vast and beautiful forest that was around them.

And they fought, as powerful beings are wont to, for days. And as the blood flowed, each drop of blood led to a bloom of new flowers, of new life, until the Greed Spirit was pinned and trapped on all sides.

"How did I lose… how…"

"Because you don't understand what you are seeing," Khernathi said, and she said it with all the power of the winds. She said it stepping forward to get closer. She said it, Do'azda must admit, as if she were an actor on a stage… yes, she is editori… lizing. If you knew Ta'agra, she could explain this even better. She is translating, yes, as she goes along.

So, then, the Greed Spirit said. "What cannot I understand? It is undeath, and what can come from death but--"

"What you do not understand could fill an ocean, but these are the things most of all to understand:"

And the words have been written and sung a thousand ways. But this is the way that she was taught, when she was young--and no, Do'azda is twenty-two, it is… no. Just listen to the words. You can do that, can't you. Ears for hearing, eyes for seeing… and the words for hearing were:

'Life and death, death and life, turning and turning around, and the growing green things that feed on the waters of life, that are spread by breeze or by paw, and the souls floating like pappus--

The fluff of a dandelion, I think you'd call it?

'floating like pappus upon the winds to a far off land. Until you understand rather than merely know these things, this forest will stand against all that you try to do to end it.'

And so she leaned forward and again she whispered, to make her point clear 'life and death, and the breath that makes them both,'

And the acts… and the deeds, that will forever be lost on the breeze.

***​

Do'azda's lips almost brush against Aodhsil's ear as she whispers it. The other woman shudders, and some of it is in knowledge of the meaning of the story. But some if it, she knows, is that breath is life and life is like the beating of a cycle, life is like a passionate storm, it does not run itself down in one second. If a storm could think would it wish to go on forever, to rage and rage?

Aodhsil's breath hitches and she says, "Oh." Then after a moment, "Ah, I see. I see all too much, and all too little. It is not an answer, but it is a question, more than one question. At least one of the answer is, would I be standing here like this if the answer was not yes."

She reaches out and her fingers tease against the rings in Do'azda's hair, making them jangle gently as if she is some distractable beast.

Do'azda takes a small motion backwards, and a better look at Aodhsil's face removes the 'distractable' moniker… but leaves the beast very much undoubtable in that expression, in that smile, in the spark in her eyes that is its own flame, its own squall.

"I suppose you will not turn around and leave for wherever you are going just this moment," Aodhsil says.

"No, Do'azda intends to sleep here and leave in the morning," she says, looking over at Bathes-In-Steel. She wonders if Bathes is already tiring of how often Do'azda spends no more than a night anywhere. She is almost certain that this is going to be a pattern for at least a few more days. Perhaps even more, if she can manage it.

But Bathes-In-Steel is oddly unflappable so far. At some point, Do'azda is going to need to do something to thank her.

As it is, they return to the priests and ask if they can sleep by the fire, and Do'azda draws out her supplies.

But the priests insist on feeding them, and Do'azda is far too weary and footsore, far too exhausted, to refuse. She is also in no mood to read, and so when she finally drifts off on a bedroll it is with no spells burning their way behind her eyes, no secret knowledge, not even a clever trick.

***​

The next morning, she goes to see the witches. Aodhsil is still the one speaking for the others, though she saw them hovering together before she went to bed, no doubt whispering to each other and plotting their next moves. She does not believe that Aodhsil is a leader among them--or any more a leader than any of them can be.

"Greetings, Shaman," Aodhsil says. "I hope you slept well. Bedrolls can get very cold this time of year. I am quite glad for having two sisters." She says the last part while her eyes say something quite different. It is naked and sharp, the regard that Do'azda turns aside with a sort of batting of her tail.

"We are going to leave now, and we will be heading towards Orphan Rock. Would you like to return with us?"

"Oh, we'll get that way, but my sisters and I don't intend to leave until after noon, and we tend to walk a more meandering path."

Do'azda can respect that mindset, even if she has kept up a pace she suspects will not slow down even if her feet do.

Still, it is a fine enough day, if a little blustery, and there is no reason to linger. So she sets out after a little more small talk with the witches.

They hurry, but they are not sprinting. They stop to eat lunch, they stop for dinner, and this time they talk about old stories. Bathes-In-Steel knows nothing about the Gods, and so it is easy to to convince her of the truth about the sometimes-adored "Meridia" of other mythologies false fame. She just smiles and nods and accepts and integrates every incisive criticism into her worldview.

It is not that she's humoring Do'azda, she realizes, but she's not going to be saying any of it either. It doesn't matter, so she… trusts Do'azda.

They make it through the more settled paths quickly, crossing several bridges along the way. They pay it all little enough mind, and they are all but flying. They pass Ivarstead--and if they want to turn and head towards High Hrothgar this would be the place--without comment and plunge from there into another route, into rocky and difficult territory.

Something is driving them, and Do'azda feels like a seed upon the wind, before a gale capable of battering down mountains.

This is a time of war. There should be bandits. There are caves enough, and hiding places aplenty.

But by the time night falls they are well in the mountains and there are several good places to huddle up.

They exchange watches, though during her watch Do'azda finds herself reading as much as watching, feeling oddly… secure in a way she cannot justify.


With the night falling, Do'azda has time to read a bit, and then sleep… but which to read?

Different spells take different amounts of time to learn. Owing to the adverse circumstances, and the watch, Do'azda only has time for 1 action worth of books at the moment.

[] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)
[] Spell Tome: Illumination (1 action)
[] Spell Tome: Thieves Vision (1 action)
[] Spell Tome: Lesser Wards (2 actions)
[] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)

***​

They arrive at Orphan Rock just a few hours past dawn. The area is heavily wooded, but the path to approach is laid out clearly enough. On one side is the… body of someone, hung up and impaled, and on his chest in what may be blood, but seems as likely to be some sort of thick paint from the smell, is a word 'Bandit.'

(Blood is truly terrible for writing with, just as it is far less reliable as a potion ingredient than some seem to think.)

On the other side is a wolves' head, similarly speared.

Do'azda tenses, yet she knows that it is not uncommon to do this. The Aldmeri Union certainly displays the bodies of criminals to 'teach them a lesson' and she has very little doubt that the Empire similarly makes a spectacle.

Besides, it is just flesh. The soul has long flown, and so she pushes down any instinctual distaste and looks around. In the distance there is a clearing of flowers she knows are excellent, truly excellent, in potions to help those exhausted by physical activity or sickness.

She is not at ease, but she can see why this is a good place for a witch to set up, even from what little she knows. She can see all sorts of useful ingredients for potions as she begins to make her way towards the rock itself.

And she sees a community, with all the smells--for better and worse--of a community. It is large enough to be even a very small village, with over two dozen tents set up around the rock. Most of the witches are female, but here and there are… warlocks, she thinks the term is, talking and discussing whoever knows what. She counts, off the top of her head, twenty and she is pretty sure that there's a few not accounted for.

They're all dressed in garb meant to invoke power, meant to represent their fierceness, and Do'azda should be focusing on that. She should be staring at the Raven Mother who stands and looks up at the sky as if watching for something, some blend of raven and person, feathers evident, bearing tall, proud, and infinitely deadly.

Or the three or four apprentices among them, the youngest perhaps barely into puberty and the oldest, an apprentice by the gawky way she talks with the others, just a few years younger than Do'azda.

But no, instead she is focusing on one of the fires.

Because at the fires are three very familiar figures.

Is it possible, hypothetically, that they could have lied to her? Lied to her and taken the world's greatest horses and ran them into death to manage to just barely, by some northerly route, beaten Do'azda and Bathes-In-Steel here, their bodies sore and their hearts broken by the kind of journey that always leaves marks?

…maybe. Even this would be unlikely. Aodhsil, Gwyna, and the third sister are cooking something in a cauldron while chatting with each other breezily, as if they've always been there.

Even Bathes-In-Steel, unflappable as she is, stares for a moment. "Huh. How about that," she says, blinking a little.

"Yes, how about that?" Do'azda mutters to herself.

But before she can do anything, an older Breton woman with grey streaks in her hair approaches. She is wearing a long, dark dress decorated with a cowl that looks to be made of feathers. She jangles as she moves, bone charms dancing a skeletal greeting as she considers Do'azda.

"Ah, I knew your arrival would be soon," she says in a deep, melodic voice.

"Did you See it?" Do'azda asks, briefly awed.

"No, Gwyna told me that you were on the way," the witch says with a faint smile, one that only grows wider at whatever she sees on Do'azda's face. "We have the Nettlebane, but… allow us our ceremonies. We have not had a celebration in months, and so the others, and the Raven Mothers, have decided to give away Nettlebane at sunset. A ceremony… and of course a party afterwards." She sighs a little, and it reminds her immediately of an elder shaman who has seen too many thoughtless apprentices.

"Do'azda is fine waiting that long. Perhaps she could use the rest… does she have the freedom to wander around?"

"Yes, so long as you are not starting any fights or stealing anything. A Shaman is a little like a Witch, perhaps there are things you can learn."

If Do'azda was a little less diplomatic, she would have opened her mouth and said something unfortunate. As it is, she lets her lack of reaction speak for her. A Shaman is a Shaman.

But she does, after a moment, nod. She certainly does not want to start a fight… not if she could help it. A fight at the moment against these numbers would be something that even her and Bathes-In-Steel would not survive.

Who does Do'azda talk to (and interact with) to pass the time? (Choose 3)

[] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.
[] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[] [Witches] The "Raven Mother" is not the only one of them, but she is the only one out and about in the light of the morning. While a part of Do'azda is afraid, a larger part is curious. At least the Raven Mother does not seem actively hostile.
[] [Witches] One of the Warlocks is going off to pick herbs and flowers for potions, perhaps she could go along both to see if she can get her own ingredients, and to ask him about the imbalance she sees.
[] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.
[] [Witches] Bathes-In-Steel is a practiced fighter, perhaps Do'azda, weary as she is, could find somewhere to train with her, the better for them to face the dangers of the world together.
[] [Witches] There is likely a place of ritual somewhere, and perhaps Do'azda could seek it out, to learn more about what their rituals entail, and how they are conducted.

***
VM AN: Laur wrote this whole update, so I'm kind of in awe. At any rate; new Khenarthi myth just dropped. Did you know the Khajiit, like, really hate Meridia?

TL AN: It's honestly just really fun and kinda inspiring, in terms of getting the writing flowing, to have to think of myths and stories.

 

[Krazyfan1]

[X] Spell Tome: Lesser Wards (2 actions)

defense could be useful.
Could possibly be used for other things as well?

[X] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.

probably a good idea to get clean when bathing is available.

 

[Doctor Elsewhere]

[X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)

While we're no destruction mage, having a direct damage-dealing spell is always helpful. At the very least, it would make starting campfires easier.

[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.

The three witches we met before obviously did something to arrive faster than is physically possible, and while I doubt that we'll be told exactly what they did, it's an obvious conversation starter that can lead into more directly relevant topics. Like what to avoid saying or who to avoid talking to in order not to offend anyone. Because I really am curious about the Witches of Orphan Rock, and want to find out as much as possible about them before we have to leave.

 

[Andmeuths]

[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)

 

[Half Moon]

[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.

[X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)

Remember, we can interact with three different people.

 

[CrabTravelLLC]

[x] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[x] [Witches] The "Raven Mother" is not the only one of them, but she is the only one out and about in the light of the morning. While a part of Do'azda is afraid, a larger part is curious. At least the Raven Mother does not seem actively hostile.
[x] [Witches] One of the Warlocks is going off to pick herbs and flowers for potions, perhaps she could go along both to see if she can get her own ingredients, and to ask him about the imbalance she sees.
[x] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.

 

[Nerran]

[X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)


[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.

 

[Pillowsperky]

[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.
[X] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.

 

[Some_guy_161]

[X] Spell Tome: Thieves Vision (1 action)
[X] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] One of the Warlocks is going off to pick herbs and flowers for potions, perhaps she could go along both to see if she can get her own ingredients, and to ask him about the imbalance she sees.

 

[Impel]

[X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)
[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.

I really want to push for Thieves Vision, but we are still going to run up on some Ent-ities after this party we're crashing, so... Fire, fire, and more fire is the order of the day. Great update, thanks for posting!

Bathes-In-Steel knows nothing about the Gods, and so it is easy to to convince her of the truth about the sometimes-adored "Meridia" of other mythologies false fame.

Click to shrink...

Got an extra 'to' here. Should there be some sort apostrophe here because it's referring to the mythologies of other cultures?

[X] Spell Tome: Lesser Wards (2 actions)

Click to shrink...

[X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)
[X] Spell Tome: Thieves Vision (1 action)

Click to shrink...

Remember, we've only got the one action for the night, so I don't know if they'll say we get halfway there, or not. Should the option for lesser ward be struck through or can we get halfway there?

 

[Talon TigerDino]

[X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)


[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.

 

[Saidoro]

[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.

 

[veteranMortal]

Remember, we've only got the one action for the night, so I don't know if they'll say we get halfway there, or not. Should the option for lesser ward be struck through or can we get halfway there?

Click to shrink...

You can get halfway through reading it; otherwise even larger spells would be almost impossible to learn at all.

 

[mynameisyouQQQ]

[X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)
[X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here

 

[The Laurent]

Information: Revised/Expanding Spellcasting System

Because y'all chose a Spellcaster, and we're starting to really get a lot of spells to juggle, we thought up a system to implement. Check it out.

Every spell has a type and a level, whether it is a Master spell or the weakest of all spells. How calculating the Magicka cost (relative to what you have) is simple, and has only three major variables. First, whether you meet the prerequisite in the skill, and if you don't it's more costly, if you can even learn it. But if you're above the Skill, you can do more. If a Spell requires 25 Conjuration to learn reasonably, and you have 100, that's 'three' levels of cost-down.

Second, Perks. Conjuring Efficiency, which is what you have, reduces the level by one for many Conjuration spells.

Finally, level. If your 'Skill' reflects you being more efficient and skilled, your Level reflects the fact that your Magicka pool grows as you gain experience. A bigger pool means you can do more before you run dry.

Magicka potions restore levels of this by using them. A Minor potion a single level, a normal by two, a Greater by three.

In general, between any two encounters you've had thus far you'd have time for your Magicka to restore itself. If you're in a situation of sustained, prolonged fighting with the rest in minutes or parts of an hour, this might not happen… but if you're getting into constant deadly battles across the better part of a day, you should know what you're getting into.


The Scale--

All: Not technically all, there might be a little bit of guttering power left you can scrape together for a None or two, or one Trivial driving you into a headache to manage. These are the spells that take everything out of you.
Most: This takes a lot out of you, a powerful spell that leaves you stumbling but able to cast a minor spell or two in 'Some' or Trivial, or perhaps to stretch and throw everything you have, and then some, on a Significant spell.
Half: This leaves you able to roughly do another spell of equal magnitude, or a decent number of Significant or a few 'Some' as it were.
Significant: You still have fuel in the tank for a spell using up half your Magicka, and then still do more like this or easier.
Some: You barely feel the burn, and you can do quite a lot more without too much trouble.
Trivial: These are incredibly easy, and casting just one of these or even two never blocks anything higher. This is the stuff that you can keep up for a long, long time.
None: This isn't none, but it's effectively none. You could cast dozens of these spells and your Magicka regeneration, something that usually doesn't matter in 'real time' combat, is enough to restore you.


Learning--

Novice--0
Apprentice--25
Adept--50
Expert--75
Master--100
Legendary--???


Do'azda's Spells:

Spoiler: Current Spells

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. (Novice, Illusion) (None)

All: N/A
Most: 1
Half: 2
Significant: 3
Some: 4
Trivial: 5
None: 6

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. (Novice, Illusion) (Trivial)

All: N/A
Most: 1
Half: 3
Significant: 5
Some: 7
Trivial: 9
None: 12

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. (Novice, Conjuration) (Trivial)

All: 1
Most: 3
Half: 5
Significant: 7
Some: 9
Trivial: 11
None: 13

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. (Novice, Conjuration) (None)

All: N/A
Most: 1
Half: 2
Significant: 3
Some: 4
Trivial: 5
None: 7


Conjure Flame Atronach - Do'azda can call forth a spirit of Infernace, a being of fire, constrained in a form of iron.

(Apprentice, Conjuration) (Significant)

All: 4
Most: 6
Half: 8
Significant: 10
Some: 12
Trivial: 14
None: 17


Bound Dagger--As she has learned how to better summon such things, she has figured out how to use a Bound Dagger. (Novice, Conjuration) (None)

All: 1
Most: 2
Half: 3
Significant: 4
Some: 5
Trivial: 6
None: 8


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. (Novice, Illusion) (None)

All: N/A
Most: 1
Half: 2
Significant: 3
Some: 5
Trivial: 7
None: 9


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.

Summoning Rahjin is always Significant. He is a part of you, and he feeds on your Magicka, growing stronger as your soul and self grow stronger. More Magicka or more skill just means you can get him more to work with.


Fear - This spell pulls from the mind a fear that the target has, creating the feeling of fear. (Novice, Illusion) (None)

All: N/A
Most: 1
Half: 2
Significant: 3
Some: 5
Trivial: 7
None: 9

Distraction - Creates sounds and sights on the edge of perception. Sights and sounds determined by the caster. (Novice, Illusion) (None)

All: 1
Most: 2
Half: 3
Significant: 4
Some: 5
Trivial: 7
None: 10

Healing Wounds - The caster uses their magicka to seal the wounds of the target. All healing occurs in a single burst. (Novice, Restoration) (Half)

All: 1
Most: 3
Half: 5
Significant: 8
Some: 10
Trivial: 12
None: 15

Flames - The caster uses their magicka to directly feed a gout of magical fire. (Novice, Destruction) (Trivial)

All: N/A
Most: 1
Half: 2
Significant: 3
Some: 5
Trivial: 7
None: 9

Lesser Ward - The caster uses their magicka to form a shield of magical protection about themself as a direct manifestation of magicka. (Apprentice, Restoration) (All)

All: 4
Most: 6
Half: 8
Significant: 10
Some: 12
Trivial: 14
None: 17

 

[LuxemburgLover69]

[X] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[X] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.
[X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?
[X] [Witches] One of the Warlocks is going off to pick herbs and flowers for potions, perhaps she could go along both to see if she can get her own ingredients, and to ask him about the imbalance she sees.

 

[Graf Tzarogy]

[x] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)
[x] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.
[x] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.
[x] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.

 

[veteranMortal]

We're closing the vote relatively soon, so if you've not voted, you should

 

[geogio13]

[X] Spell Tome: Lesser Wards (2 actions)
[X] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.

 

[veteranMortal]

Scheduled vote count started by veteranMortal on Mar 4, 2023 at 6:02 PM, finished with 18 posts and 15 votes.

• ---

  10 people have voted

  [X] [Witches] The three witches she met are here when they shouldn't be, somehow and miraculously. That warrants quite a lot of investigation, and perhaps it would be nice to catch up with some of them.

  • Doctor Elsewhere
  • Half Moon
  • Andmeuths
  • Nerran
  • Impel
  • Talon TigerDino
  • mynameisyouQQQ
  • Pillowsperky
  • Graf Tzarogy
  • Saidoro

  9 people have voted

  [X] [Witches] Do'azda is likely not all that fresh herself, and so perhaps she could see if there is anywhere to bathe around here.

  • Krazyfan1
  • geogio13
  • CrabTravelLLC
  • Nerran
  • Impel
  • Talon TigerDino
  • mynameisyouQQQ
  • Pillowsperky
  • Graf Tzarogy

  9 people have voted

  [X] [Witches] Ask one of the elder witches about the ceremony, and perhaps try to pick up information on what it is… well, the Witches of Orphan Rock actually do? What are their goals?

  • Doctor Elsewhere
  • Half Moon
  • Nerran
  • Impel
  • Talon TigerDino
  • mynameisyouQQQ
  • Some_guy_161
  • Saidoro
  • LuxemburgLover69

  7 people have voted

  [X] Spell Tome: Flames (1 action)

  • Doctor Elsewhere
  • Half Moon
  • Andmeuths
  • Nerran
  • Impel
  • Talon TigerDino
  • mynameisyouQQQ

  7 people have voted

  [X] [Witches] The apprentices remind her of herself, and they're far more likely to be open for questioning and conversation than those more experienced, and she can perhaps learn something and teach something at the same time.

  • Doctor Elsewhere
  • Half Moon
  • Pillowsperky
  • Graf Tzarogy
  • Some_guy_161
  • Saidoro
  • LuxemburgLover69

  4 people have voted

  [x] A Handy Guide to Lockpicks (1 action)

  • CrabTravelLLC
  • Pillowsperky
  • Graf Tzarogy
  • LuxemburgLover69

  3 people have voted

  [x] [Witches] One of the Warlocks is going off to pick herbs and flowers for potions, perhaps she could go along both to see if she can get her own ingredients, and to ask him about the imbalance she sees.

  • CrabTravelLLC
  • Some_guy_161
  • LuxemburgLover69

  2 people have voted

  [X] Spell Tome: Lesser Wards (2 actions)

  • Krazyfan1
  • geogio13

  1 people have voted

  [x] [Witches] The "Raven Mother" is not the only one of them, but she is the only one out and about in the light of the morning. While a part of Do'azda is afraid, a larger part is curious. At least the Raven Mother does not seem actively hostile.

  • CrabTravelLLC

  1 people have voted

  [X] Spell Tome: Thieves Vision (1 action)

  • Some_guy_161

 

[The Laurent]

Orphans

"Do'azda would also ask if there is any stream or pool nearby, to bathe in," she asks the witch. "We have traveled hard, and it has been… some time since we have bathed." She knows that this is normal enough when traveling across the landscape, especially in the hasty manner which she has been forced to.

But it doesn't mean that she would not appreciate clean fur.

"Oh, of course, there is somewhere. We could even offer you some spare clothing, for there is always someone entering and leaving. We find ourselves with quite a surplus of clothing for every type of person, both by the normal means, and by the provision of those who engage in… banditry in this area."

So, the clothing of dead bandits joins a pile of such things, just in case anyone needs it. Do'azda does not feel particularly reassured, but she also knows that there is very little she could say against it except in context. In Elsweyr many bandits were fighters against the government that is, and thus worthy of some consideration. But at the same time this consideration cannot go that far.

Do'azda has no room to criticize the looting of bandits, so long as it remains only bandits.

"She would appreciate this," she says, because she has been traveling relatively lightly, with few garments to wear from day to day. She knows that she might put herself at… disadvantage.

She just doesn't care that much. She would rather be clean and owe a pair of clothes than be dirty and not.

What clothing does she get from the pile of… definitely not dead people's clothing (Okay, some of it is probably dead bandits) (Choose 1)

[] [Clothes] A dress of the sort she'd bought from in Riverwood. Simple, but clean and nice, and something she can add as an extra outfit without getting in the way of anything else, and something solid and unlikely to get torn.
[] [Clothes] A pretty, if probably not practical, dark dress that has parts of its legging that becomes more dark gossamer. It seems to be made to be worn with a veil. It feels as if there is magic to it, though Do'azda cannot figure out just what type.
[] [Clothes] Dark, rather lovely looking robes… with a skull pattern on the front. This absolutely belonged to a Necromancer, and the odds that they're still alive are probably pretty low. But it does have some magical uses as a garment… if one likely to make some people suspect things.
[] [Clothes] Practical clothes. Perhaps bandit clothes, but ones that can provide a more rough and ready look, something that could also help if she ever wants to seem less than she is, without seeming as if she was nothing at all.

***

The stream is not a very impressive one. Do'azda will not be dunking her whole body into water easily, but it is deep enough at places to reach above her waist, and with the buckets and towels she has been supplied, she begins at once to use the cheap soap provided and work on washing herself. It is curiously warm water, and Do'azda wonders for a long moment if the heat is natural or arcane, before deciding it does not matter.

The water is welcome indeed, and she finds herself sighing as she glances over at Bathes-In-Steel, who has sunk her whole body into the water despite the fact that this requires her to lie rather flat. She seems to enjoy it, if the look on her face is any indication at all. Do'azda laughs. She wonders what it must be like, to be so comfortable in the water.

"I missed this," Bathes-In-Steel says, surfacing. "In Black Marsh, there are whole houses beneath the water, whole cities. There's a tranquility to it."

Do'azda frowns for a moment, imagining it. Her tail lashes minutely, thinking on wet fur and whiskers flattened against her face.

"This one thinks she prefers her cities above the water." Do'azda says dryly, as she washes. "She cannot imagine trying to sleep underwater, for one."

Bathes-In-Steel nods solemnly. "It is difficult at first, yes. The bedding goes everywhere, but eventually you learn how, and then the water is quite soothing. Only if you can breathe underwater, so I suppose you'll need to take my word for it."

Do'azda snorts. "This one supposes so. No doubt there are places in Elsweyr as uncomfortable to argonians as your water cities would be to us."

Bathes-In-Steel shrugs, as though unwilling to comment, then regards Do'azda for a long moment. "Do you regret coming here?"

Do'azda cocks her head, the rings in her braids jangling softly. "This one does not know yet - she has enjoyed her bath, but what the witches want of her, she does not know, and so she may yet come to regret it?"

Bathes-In-Steel narrows her eyes. "You are feeling evasive. It is okay, I will not pry."

Saying this, she sinks again below the surface.

**​

She returns from the bath in her new clothing, her mood jaunty and amused. Bathes-In-Steel seems equally happy, though it is hard to tell when looking at her face. She has a face that rests on smiling and pleasant, and does not easily transfer to any other mode. She doesn't have to go out of her way to find the three witches that have somehow beat them to their destination. They're waiting just around the bend.

"Hail, and well met," the third of the witches says. "I never introduced myself, did I? I'm Aislin, the one with an actual head on her shoulders in, well, in situations like these. If you just finished bathing, then they're going to be even more useless than normal, and--"

Gwyna almost bounces as she bursts out the words, "So, Bathes-In-Steel, doesn't it hurt, bathing in steel?" She winked a little and leaned forward, seeming to rest her entire identity, all of her emotions, and everything she'd ever felt on the success of this joke. It is remarkable, to look at someone and know that they've spent an actual day waiting to say something so silly.

"Yes, but the scales help," Bathes-In-Steel says, without even the tiniest visible trace of irony.

Gwyna held her chest and stepped back. "And you have slain me!"

"I would not want to do that," Bathes-In-Steel says earnestly. "Murder is wrong, and you have done nothing to hurt me."

"Ohh. You are a delight. How about it, Aodhsil. You can have Do'azda, as long as you leave me Bathes," Gwyna says.

Do'azda's cheeks heat.

"What about me?" Aislin asks.

"Aislin, you are, tragically, not interested in the meal that's cooking," Gwyna says. "So what do you say… leave her to me and I won't try to get in your way."

How forward.

But Aodhsil laughs and then turns that gaze on Do'azda to smolder for a moment. "You're trying to trade something you don't have… for something you don't have," Aodhsil points out, with the smuggest possible grin.

"It was worth a try!" Gwyna protests, stomping her left foot.

"Ah," Do'azda says, trying not to stumble over her words. "She is wanting to ask you about your presence. Did you have horses, and… ride through the night? She does not think this is likely."

"We normally wouldn't tell outsiders," Aislin says. "It's not something you just tell people."

"But she's a dragon, that's not quite the same as people," Gwyna says, nodding eagerly. "And we never get to tell people about it. They always just think we really like baths, us witches."

"I enjoy baths," Aislin says firmly. "So does Aodhsil, for all she tries to talk tough."

"Baths?" Do'azda asks, confused.

"Well, the shortest distance between two points is obviously not just hoofing it," Gwyna says. "Our Raven Mothers cut deals with Vaermina for passage though the swamp and the muck… passage that allowed us to get here in less than half an hour. It would be longer, going all the way across Skyrim."

"What." Do'azda stares, a thousand thoughts running through her head. They cut deals with the Lost Daughter? Were they cultists of her dark deeds? "You are aligned with the Lost Daughter?"

"Aligned?" Aislin asks. "Truly not. One sometimes has to make deals, and they're deals a person cannot make. Er, a mortal that is. It's why we get on as the… metaphorical daughters of the Raven Mothers. They pay the prices to make deals with Vaermina, who you call the 'Lost Daughter' and we benefit."

"It cannot be safe," Do'azda says, on edge at once.

"You have to be on the deal… or holding onto someone who is. It smells terrible. You can only go to and from a location you've been to before, and seen the outside of," Gwyna says, marking them off one by one of her fingers. "You can't get any closer than outside, so you can't go to a specific building in a town. You also can't warp through a jail cell: anything that'd keep you from walking out and leaving that's a physical barrier is enough to stop it."

"And you stink and have all sorts of things you need to wash off, at the end of it," Aislin says with a nod. "But to be able to travel swiftly, for travel as fast as that, it is worth quite a lot. It is a risk, but life is risk."

"That is why one has herbs to deal with the risks," Gwyna says, leering at Aislin and shifting her eyebrows in a way Do'azda assumes is meant suggestively. "If one is interested in going on a trip."

Do'azda has a feeling that they are all like this, all the time. She knows she needs to interrupt if she's going to actually learn anything. "Do'azda is curious… why does being a Dragonborn mean I can know it?"

"Because, in theory, you could cut a deal with Vaermina," Aodhsil says. "You're a… little more like a Raven Mother than you aren't, and that's probably going to get much more potent, much more prominent."

Do'azda, again, does not know how to feel about this at all. How does one respond to the idea that one is somehow removed from… from all of this? Indeed, how does someone…

Here meant Skyrim, Do'azda knows this.

She takes a breath and says. "Well, why do you choose to work with the Lost Daughter?"

"It is… more that we pay the tolls to go through her realms," Gwyna says with a shrug. "And it's better than Namira, who can also let one pass through her realm: a thousand times more dangerous, and even faster."

Do'azda's breath stops at that. "What?"

"The Reach is desperate," Aislin says in a quiet voice. "And some there, Raven Mothers and Witches alike, seize on anything that can help them survive and fight back. It is a desperate place that they have been driven, and if they had alternatives I cannot…"

"They would choose them," Aodhsil says, quite firmly.

Do'azda wonders about it. She thinks of Elsweyr, and the fact that there are more Bent Cats now than before. Elsweyr has transformed, even if some of the changes--under pressure--are ones she would not call corruption. The Shamans of before and now are not the same thing, not exactly.

Do'azda allows the conversation, then, to turn towards the Reach. It is designed to get her attention, to draw her sympathy, at the way the Forsworn are fighting against the entire destruction of their culture and way of life, the way the Reach has always been target and victim alike. She knows it, and if she were a better speaker she might be able to turn it around and talk about Elsweyr, make it clear the similarities and differences. But while she is not fumble-tongued, she finds it easy to get hung up on the side details. The time passes like this, in religious debate that she handles well enough--but could handle better.

It also does the very simple task of making it so that Do'azda does not address, does not feel able to address, the lingering looks and touches. Aodhsil is flirting, and she is unable to quite confront the witch, and is indeed quite hapless at this. She is not--she does not know what angle to search for.

So when she excuses herself, she cannot tell whether she hopes that the flirtation continues or if it ends, either in consummation or conclusion.

So she goes around the long way, in a sense. She heads over towards one of the older witches, a grey-haired woman who is talking with one of the Raven Mothers in a soft voice. Do'azda is still a little too shy to talk to a Raven Mother, especially now that she knows that they make deals with the Lost Daughter. Even if they're cynical bargains, this is something that certainly leaves her with a discomfort curdling in her stomach that she can't quite ignore.

The woman squeezes the Raven Mother's thin shoulder comfortingly and the Raven Mother leaves, stalking away in a way that puts a shiver down Do'azda's back. They're terribly thin, the Raven Mothers, their limbs delicate and fragile, inky black feathers threaded through their hair, sprouting from their forearms and backs.

"Ah, Shaman Do'azda, what is it you wish to discuss?" the witch asks, turning and looking over her. Bathes-In-Steel is still busy blandly talking to the trio, by now recounting what she knows of the Hist to Gwyna's fascinated coos, which might or might not be merely a sign of religious interest--it is hard sometimes to tell flirtation for its own sake from flirtation meant to end somewhere.

But ah well, that is Bathes-In-Steel's problem.

"The ritual for the nettlebane, what is it? What will she have to do?"

"It is a way to celebrate, and a way to grant you something: the dagger is meant for this, we're not going to make you work for it… beyond a promise."

"A promise?" Do'azda asks.

"Our comrades in the Reach, those fighting against the domination of the Nords in Skyrim, they are fighting as hard as they can. But in doing so, they risk losing sight of who they are. With nowhere to turn to, they are making bargains with and worse, worshipping things that even the most clever hesitate to get involved with." She sighs and shakes her head, her dark eyes piercing Do'azda. "If you think the deals we have made here are… distasteful, and I know enough about Khajiit beliefs to suspect that even our decisions do not thrill you."

"She is trying not to be rude, but it is the Lost Daughter," Do'azda says hesitantly, "Bound only by the lunar lattice from harming us, unless we step beyond it, and this one hears…"

"We don't trust, but sometimes… it is necessary to take risks. As long as they are not the wrong risks. In the Reach, they could use some help. When you have time, we're asking you to go to the Reach. There's a tomb, we'll tell you the one, that we would like you to clear out of monsters so that they can use it as a base. A base means more time to relax, and more time to build up… every bit of strength reduces their need to turn, in their weakness, to those who would shackle The Reach and witchery as a whole."

"Ah," Do'azda says, but the witch is continuing.

"It is the same principle as the party. People need people. Those who are more than what some narrow minds would call 'human' or a 'mortal person with a soul', they need the help too, someone to give them a reason not to be driven to extremities, emotional or physical. Ormi is a lovely woman and one of my best friends, but she needs reminders sometimes that while she's changed, she's still a person even if she is not a mortal doomed to die, even if she is something different, something more and something less. So I would be most glad if you stayed for the whole ceremony, and then the party afterwards. Even the most divorced are part of the world, even if they are not as mortals are, are Doomed in different ways. So we remind ourselves with celebration."

The whole speech is said quietly, and gently, not the deadly lightning of grand declarations but the soft gentle rain of undeniable truth. It still soaks her through, and she feels a desire to shout out, to bring the thunder herself, because she knows what is being implied. That she is not a Khajiit, that she is in some way like these Raven Mothers are.

That she is other, and needs to be reminded that she is still a person. Indignation burns through her - who is this witch to condescend to her?

But is this her, or the dragon. Her stomach flips at the thought, and she looks down, uncertain. The witch smiles sympathetically.

"Should we speak of other things?" The witch says mildly, "I am curious about the magical traditions of Elsweyr? For myself, I am a changer - the School of Alteration, as the imperials would have it."

Ah, this is a topic that could distract her. Do'azda knows that she's being distracted, but she cannot help but be glad for it. So she nods, "There are several traditions, those of the priests, those of the quasi-Elves, and those of the Shamans are each among the most prominent of such traditions…" she begins, and starts by explaining the ways that local methods and ways of learning and doing magic have been shaped by their faith, by their circumstances. The witch inclines her head, listening, and occasionally interjects, talking about how the covens of the Reach practice, how they teach and how they learn.

[Alteration +3]

***​

Night has fallen. The witches gather in their masses, clustering at the top of the hill and opening up as she approaches. Bathes-In-Steel is not there, listening to something else. The stars are out, but she doesn't know if they look like they normally should. Surely they do? But also surely a statue should not turn into a Khajiit, surely the hills themselves are not on fire. Surely she does not warp and crush the world itself with her every footstep.

Do'azda fumble-foot, in a land that is unfamiliar and dangerous and strange and worst of all, cold. For the familiar and dangerous and warm is as welcome as a treasured old enemy.

Her breath casts out huffs of cool air, as if she is a beast releasing steam.

Do you regret coming here?

She steps forward towards the Raven Mother. She is holding something strange and a little twisted. It is a dagger, and it looks a little like it is twisted in on itself. There's something almost leaf-like, but it looks odd, and it makes her almost… uneasy to look at it. The Raven Mother speaks, and her (its, a part of Do'azda tries to correct) voice is a little harsh, as she speaks in heavily accented Cyrodilic. "Hail, Shaman, who has traveled from a land in bondage to a land in bondage, and who seeks to aid she who the Khajiit know as Khernathi, and to restore the great tree in Whiterun to itself."

Land in bondage… if she has those powers--accepting that she wants them--then could she not do better by turning around now at any moment and going back to Elsweyr? Why is this her fight, now that she's been denied her duty. Or indeed, should she have allowed herself to be denied?

Do you regret?

Denied for some strange foreign destiny that she did not sign up for.

Do'azda nods, and tries not to look sick.

The Raven Mother lowers the dagger to her hand and cuts a shallow gash and nods. "Then take upon you this blade, that the nettles may retreat and the tree live to be reborn. It is always thus, but it may not always be so. But today is not tomorrow. Today is not tomorrow, and today you take the Nettlebane and with it, you perform…"

"Rituals," a witch says.

"Ceremonies," another declares.

"Battles."

"Absolutions."

"Renewals."

"Sermons."

The babble of voice rises with word after word, in Cyrodilic yes, but also in languages she cannot understand.

She is dizzy with the weight placed on her, weight that should crush her. But the chanting grows louder and louder until it is all she can hear as she reaches out and takes Nettlebane. It should not twist as it does, but it…

It seems to move in her hand and lip against her thumb. As if it is a pet playfully biting. It draws a single drop of blood, and seems to settle down in her hands. But there is life in the touch of this strange thing. But it may well be the twisted life of something that should not be. She does not know, holding it.

She feels like she knows less than she ever did before.

Do you regret coming here?

She is trembling, just a little bit, as she holds the knife as gently as one might, as one should, a child, a lover, a promise.

And then there is a hand on her shoulder, gripping it tight. She turns to see Aodhsil. "The party is about to begin. We'll take you back, if you want. Tonight. We can give you an hour or two to get a drink… to relax, to party. Or you can go back now, as you are."

"Go back?"

"To the shrine. It is through a realm you dislike… but we know when someone is Doom Driven. When someone will wear their feet down to nubs driven by the winds," Aodhsil says, her voice a whisper in Do'azda's ear as she leans in close. "When someone thrums with destiny, pulling the threads of fate, and is pulled in return. It is… exhilarating, but sometimes they find it hard to stop, and sometimes they should keep going, no?"

Do'azda huffs, her ear flicking under the hot breath. "What is… Why are you flirting so much? Do you want…?"

"It is possible. I think I'd enjoy it," Aodhsil says. "But it does not have to be this moment. There are things to consider, and I would not want to… distract you." She says the last bit almost as its own purr.

Do'azda smiles and says, "You have already done that." Aodhsil nods at her and they look at each other with a feeling like lightning passing between them.

But like lightning in a flash it is gone, at least before the next roll of thunder.

Sharp and painful, it is.

The party begins…

Does Do'azda stay to party some first, or does she request to go straight back to the shrine?

[] [Return] Immediately, with a clear head but also with a great deal of haste. Still burning away and blazing with speed. Is speed truly what one might call the strongest trait? Yet, without it all others falter.
[] [Return] Have a few drinks and a few dances before returning, relaxed and easy but also slightly compromised. But do not both compromise and ease make pleasures and obligations alike better?


How does Do'azda feel about having come to Skyrim so far?

[] [Feelings] Nothing can be entirely regrets, and there is joy and there are friendships that are worth having, of course, but she misses Elsweyr so much at moments that it is like its own pain. Everything done here… surely it is to one day return to the warm sun in Elsweyr? If it is not, then might one wither like a flower away from the sun?
[] [Feelings] There is no way to know what to feel, because regret and fear and hope and joy all interact with each other and she has moved too fast. But why does she have a feeling that perhaps she is moving so fast so that the regrets and sorrows cannot catch up? Can a cat escape her own shade forever?
[] [Feelings] There is something to be said for a challenge. Whether she intends to stay here, Skyrim is a cold, cruel land--and it is strange that in a moment of boldness this seems almost a virtue. She can hone herself in a place where despite all the risks--to her new people, to herself--she does not have to hold herself back.
[] [Feelings] There is warmth perhaps in these relations, in those she has gotten to know. It is brief warmth amidst a raging tempest, a blizzard that seeks to freeze her. But can't fires be linked together, cannot they become bonfires that will set the very winters ablaze? But will the fire consume her, or warm her and comfort her?
[] [Feelings] Write-in… must be decidedly mixed, complicated, and potentially dangerous.


VM AN: Much to consider, but I think the most important thing is the fashion vote, tbh. Also Do'azda's new friends have made a deal with a mostly dead god that Azurah locked beyond the world, but more importantly: fashion

TL AN: Nothing can be an unmixed blessing, and such blessings are always born as life is: with difficulty and change. Also: Fast Travel.

 

[Half Moon]

[X] Plan: Fire and Shadow
-[X] [Clothes] Dark, rather lovely looking robes… with a skull pattern on the front. This absolutely belonged to a Necromancer, and the odds that they're still alive are probably pretty low. But it does have some magical uses as a garment… if one likely to make some people suspect things.
-[X] [Return] Immediately, with a clear head but also with a great deal of haste. Still burning away and blazing with speed. Is speed truly what one might call the strongest trait? Yet, without it all others falter.
-[X] [Feelings] There is no way to know what to feel, because regret and fear and hope and joy all interact with each other and she has moved too fast. But why does she have a feeling that perhaps she is moving so fast so that the regrets and sorrows cannot catch up? Can a cat escape her own shade forever?

Rituals are strange things, aren't they? But never mind. We will run until we can run no more.

 

[Doctor Elsewhere]

[X] [Clothes] A pretty, if probably not practical, dark dress that has parts of its legging that becomes more dark gossamer. It seems to be made to be worn with a veil. It feels as if there is magic to it, though Do'azda cannot figure out just what type.
[X] [Return] Have a few drinks and a few dances before returning, relaxed and easy but also slightly compromised. But do not both compromise and ease make pleasures and obligations alike better?
[X] [Feelings] There is warmth perhaps in these relations, in those she has gotten to know. It is brief warmth amidst a raging tempest, a blizzard that seeks to freeze her. But can't fires be linked together, cannot they become bonfires that will set the very winters ablaze? But will the fire consume her, or warm her and comfort her?

We should definitely stay for the party, it is not often that we'll get to relax, especially in the coming days as we go from one conflict to another. I also like the general feelings of the warmth/fires option.

 

[bookwyrm]

[X] [Clothes] A dress of the sort she'd bought from in Riverwood. Simple, but clean and nice, and something she can add as an extra outfit without getting in the way of anything else, and something solid and unlikely to get torn.
[X] [Return] Have a few drinks and a few dances before returning, relaxed and easy but also slightly compromised. But do not both compromise and ease make pleasures and obligations alike better?
[X] [Feelings] There is something to be said for a challenge. Whether she intends to stay here, Skyrim is a cold, cruel land--and it is strange that in a moment of boldness this seems almost a virtue. She can hone herself in a place where despite all the risks--to her new people, to herself--she does not have to hold herself back.

Drink life to the lees, and all that.