Speaking of which, I wonder how things are back there. Given Devices seem to record pretty much goddamn anything (evidenced by Strikers showing things that happened in the first season to others. Unless that was the ship maybe, but no way to tell.), I think some may at least be glad Flandre sent Vita back directly after showing what can be out there... Even if she could have done so with less injuries on Vita.
Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)
- Thread starter Entropy Judge
- Start date
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are locked.
[X] Pay a visit to Sybille Stentor, just to be polite.
3
[X] Pay a visit to Sybille Stentor, just to be polite.
3
Meeting Sybille
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Pay a visit to Sybille Stentor, just to be polite.
You roll around on the bed, wrestling with the question for a while. Eventually you come to the conclusion that Remilia doesn't enjoy it and never did, she's just a very good actor. You lie flat on your back, staring at the heavy velvet drapes over the window. You're not sure the castle is sufficiently loyal to let you leave just yet, and it's certainly in such a flux that you don't dare risk revealing its existence – let alone its location – to any of the local powers. But you do need some sort of civilized connection … and Movarth is a bit far for good relations, especially with Sybille in position to intercept any communications. So meeting with her and making sure that you can live with each other is the first thing you'll need to do. Well … second, actually, after you wake up ….
"Isn't this the job you want me to do? External relations and such? Then why are you doing it yourself?" To his credit, Garan isn't particularly annoying you with his questions. You just wish he'd stop.
"How are things going with the Dawnguard? With the training? Do we have a full – or reasonably accurate, at least – accounting of the regional powers and their strengths and weaknesses?" You stalk down the hall. "And where is Feran? He ought to be back by now, shouldn't he?" He sighs as he follows you.
"My Lady, there's no need to rush –" You spin and jab a finger at him.
"Of course there is! These are things the castle is behind on, which makes it vulnerable. I don't like that, which means that until the castle is less vulnerable, things happen quickly. Once everything is running smoothly, there will be less need to rush, but for now, I'd rather not be Fafnir, caught unawares by something that should be easy to defeat." You turn down the halls and hop forward to the lower level. Hestla looks over nervously.
"Lady Flandre. It's … not going very well, I'm afraid." You walk past the work-table and examine the wire. You bend it carefully, frowning at its response.
"You're making it out of iron?" She nods at your question and you sigh. "Steel is superior, and this is still too thick anyway. … Just … just stop working on this for now. I'll see if I can find a source of what I want, and if I can't, it can wait anyway." You stride past the obviously-relieved forgemistress, keeping your expression neutral until you're out of her sight and you hear her hammer ringing against metal. Garan wisely keeps his thoughts to himself until you let out a long-held breath. "So, where can I find better blacksmiths?"
"… The two best blacksmiths in Skyrim, in terms of quality of work, would be Eorlund Grey-Mane of Whiterun – although he has the Skyforge at his back – and Oengul War-Anvil of Windhelm. At least, that's what the rumors say, and it definitely depends on what sort of work you want done. Supposed to be an Orc smith down in Markarth that's better than either one if you want something done with heavier armor, and the most renowned smith in Solitude seems to have some kind of trick that lets him forge good-quality steel faster than most men. He's even got himself a little workshop that's helping him outfit all the new recruits the Legion is getting, and to keep the defenses strong." You sigh, mouth twisting unhappily. All you want is a decent piano, is that too much to ask?
"Well, it's something I want, but it's not to take priority over your other duties, understand?" He bows in assent. "Alright, if there's nothing else, I'm going to track down Sybille Stentor and have a chat." After giving him a moment to bring up something else, you nod curtly and head for the gatehouse. You strongly suspect the castle was built before the residents became vampires, because it's not set up to take advantage of vampire strengths. Irritated with the world, you take off, flying east toward Solitude.
You take a good look at the 'Blue Palace' – or at least as good a look as you can in the rain. Fortunately, despite your lack of subtlety, no one seems to be looking for someone flying around the sides and back of the building, probably because there's no ground to stand on, it's well past dark, and it's raining quite heavily. Once again you almost wish you'd decided to stay here instead of Volkihar Castle, as between the castle and the palace, you're quite fond of the place … even if they could both use a good helping of color. With a shrug, you drift closer to the east side and duck invisibly through an open window on the lower floor, swinging as much water from your parasol as you can before you put it away. You slip out carefully, making sure to check the halls so you don't bump into anyone and have to kill them. You quietly make your way down the hall, past the kitchen and toward the front entrance. The guards, merely human and paying attention to the obvious entrance, don't notice you, and you drift upward to the second floor. You drift around a little, shaking your head at the haphazard opulence – a gilded throne, but no paintings or murals on the walls; quality woodwork, but the carpeting beginning to go threadbare. After a bit of exploration, you find the room of the court wizard, doors opened invitingly, and you settle to the floor, return to visibility, and knock politely at her door, causing her to pause for a moment before turning her head to stare at you.
"Good evening! You are Sybille Stentor, are you not?" Your voice is high and clear, and she stands up from her work-table to face you.
"I am. And who … and what … might you be?" You smile as you curtsy.
"I am Flandre Scarlet, and like yourself, I am a vampire. I would like to discuss certain arrangements with you, if you don't mind." You stand there, waiting outside her door, until she nods and makes a short gesture.
"Very well. I suppose I can spare a few moments to entertain someone who sneaks into the Blue Palace simply to talk to me. If you're just going to waste my time, however, I suggest you leave – I have never been known for my patience, and vampires aren't quite so superior to mortals as they so often claim to be." You walk into her room, feeling the tingle of wards as you cross the threshold, and sit at the one free chair. You take a moment to look around her room – a great many books, relative to the amount of space, a large collection of jars, presumably potions, and a shelf filled with Soul Gems. You nod and turn to the visibly irritated vampire.
"My name is Flandre Scarlet, and I am the new master of Castle Volkihar, which operates within the boundaries of this … Hold. I am not here to attempt to sway you to join my servants, nor to declare war against you, merely to ensure that you know of me and are aware that I am taking actions which will probably have some effect on your station." She frowns thoughtfully at you for a while, then nods, sighing.
"I suppose it was your group that slaughtered the Thalmor at Northwatch Keep, then? They're certainly raising hell about that." You giggle softly.
"Would that be a small, run-down little fort to the northwest, along the coast? If so, yes. The Dawnguard, too, are likely to begin operations here, as they certainly know we're in the area, and if they begin to think that we placed an agent here – not that we have, at least to my knowledge – it might be … interesting for you." She snorts.
"I'm more than capable of shielding my nature from their pathetic scrying attempts." She pauses, lost in thought, and you wait patiently for her to snap out of her reverie. Eventually she slowly shakes her head and looks at you, eyes narrowed. "But you and your castle … what's to stop me from defeating you and turning you over to the Imperials as a threat or spy, and informing the Dawnguard of the suddenly-weakened status of your castle?" Power bursts into her hands, and you feel the room tingle with energy just waiting to be unleashed. After thinking it over for a moment, you laugh, drumming your feet on the floor, before rolling your head and giving her an amused look.
"You're quite the jester, you know?" You casually draw Laevateinn, the act itself causing her eyes to widen in surprise, before the channeled burst of power sends a column of fire jetting back through the door, detonating the defenses, setting some of the books and furniture aflame, shattering several of the bottles nearby, scorching and melting the stone, and generally causing the sort of mayhem and destruction that isn't easily covered up. You giggle brightly. "Perhaps, Miss Stentor, you should consider things more carefully before making threats. That I walked into the seat of your power instead of requesting a meeting someplace 'safer' ought to have given you some idea that I wasn't to be trifled with, but I suppose you're too used to fools overconfident in their skills. Let me make you aware that I will not tolerate such arrogance unwarranted. Also, in the future, I'll be sending an adjutant of mine, Garan Marethi, to speak with you." You wink out of sight as footsteps echo through along the halls.
"Lady Stentor? Are you … what happened here?" You slip past the guards, floating above the half-melted stones and along the merely scorched wall. That really wasn't your plan, but she should really know better. And if anything happens to Garan, you'll make sure to make her last days very painful … and very long. You float into the entryway, where a single guard remains, casting nervous glances back upstairs. You could leave, head back to the castle … but it's still raining, and you could just wait somewhere out of the way.
What do you do?
[ ] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [ ] Introduce yourself to the Jarl.
- [ ] Explore the Palace.
[ ] Wait somewhere else in Solitude.
- [ ] The Castle.
- [ ] The large, open building.
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [ ] Continue overseeing castle restoration.
- [ ] Focus on foreign matters.
- [ ] Wait for something important to be brought to your attention.
[ ] Other?
You roll around on the bed, wrestling with the question for a while. Eventually you come to the conclusion that Remilia doesn't enjoy it and never did, she's just a very good actor. You lie flat on your back, staring at the heavy velvet drapes over the window. You're not sure the castle is sufficiently loyal to let you leave just yet, and it's certainly in such a flux that you don't dare risk revealing its existence – let alone its location – to any of the local powers. But you do need some sort of civilized connection … and Movarth is a bit far for good relations, especially with Sybille in position to intercept any communications. So meeting with her and making sure that you can live with each other is the first thing you'll need to do. Well … second, actually, after you wake up ….
"Isn't this the job you want me to do? External relations and such? Then why are you doing it yourself?" To his credit, Garan isn't particularly annoying you with his questions. You just wish he'd stop.
"How are things going with the Dawnguard? With the training? Do we have a full – or reasonably accurate, at least – accounting of the regional powers and their strengths and weaknesses?" You stalk down the hall. "And where is Feran? He ought to be back by now, shouldn't he?" He sighs as he follows you.
"My Lady, there's no need to rush –" You spin and jab a finger at him.
"Of course there is! These are things the castle is behind on, which makes it vulnerable. I don't like that, which means that until the castle is less vulnerable, things happen quickly. Once everything is running smoothly, there will be less need to rush, but for now, I'd rather not be Fafnir, caught unawares by something that should be easy to defeat." You turn down the halls and hop forward to the lower level. Hestla looks over nervously.
"Lady Flandre. It's … not going very well, I'm afraid." You walk past the work-table and examine the wire. You bend it carefully, frowning at its response.
"You're making it out of iron?" She nods at your question and you sigh. "Steel is superior, and this is still too thick anyway. … Just … just stop working on this for now. I'll see if I can find a source of what I want, and if I can't, it can wait anyway." You stride past the obviously-relieved forgemistress, keeping your expression neutral until you're out of her sight and you hear her hammer ringing against metal. Garan wisely keeps his thoughts to himself until you let out a long-held breath. "So, where can I find better blacksmiths?"
"… The two best blacksmiths in Skyrim, in terms of quality of work, would be Eorlund Grey-Mane of Whiterun – although he has the Skyforge at his back – and Oengul War-Anvil of Windhelm. At least, that's what the rumors say, and it definitely depends on what sort of work you want done. Supposed to be an Orc smith down in Markarth that's better than either one if you want something done with heavier armor, and the most renowned smith in Solitude seems to have some kind of trick that lets him forge good-quality steel faster than most men. He's even got himself a little workshop that's helping him outfit all the new recruits the Legion is getting, and to keep the defenses strong." You sigh, mouth twisting unhappily. All you want is a decent piano, is that too much to ask?
"Well, it's something I want, but it's not to take priority over your other duties, understand?" He bows in assent. "Alright, if there's nothing else, I'm going to track down Sybille Stentor and have a chat." After giving him a moment to bring up something else, you nod curtly and head for the gatehouse. You strongly suspect the castle was built before the residents became vampires, because it's not set up to take advantage of vampire strengths. Irritated with the world, you take off, flying east toward Solitude.
You take a good look at the 'Blue Palace' – or at least as good a look as you can in the rain. Fortunately, despite your lack of subtlety, no one seems to be looking for someone flying around the sides and back of the building, probably because there's no ground to stand on, it's well past dark, and it's raining quite heavily. Once again you almost wish you'd decided to stay here instead of Volkihar Castle, as between the castle and the palace, you're quite fond of the place … even if they could both use a good helping of color. With a shrug, you drift closer to the east side and duck invisibly through an open window on the lower floor, swinging as much water from your parasol as you can before you put it away. You slip out carefully, making sure to check the halls so you don't bump into anyone and have to kill them. You quietly make your way down the hall, past the kitchen and toward the front entrance. The guards, merely human and paying attention to the obvious entrance, don't notice you, and you drift upward to the second floor. You drift around a little, shaking your head at the haphazard opulence – a gilded throne, but no paintings or murals on the walls; quality woodwork, but the carpeting beginning to go threadbare. After a bit of exploration, you find the room of the court wizard, doors opened invitingly, and you settle to the floor, return to visibility, and knock politely at her door, causing her to pause for a moment before turning her head to stare at you.
"Good evening! You are Sybille Stentor, are you not?" Your voice is high and clear, and she stands up from her work-table to face you.
"I am. And who … and what … might you be?" You smile as you curtsy.
"I am Flandre Scarlet, and like yourself, I am a vampire. I would like to discuss certain arrangements with you, if you don't mind." You stand there, waiting outside her door, until she nods and makes a short gesture.
"Very well. I suppose I can spare a few moments to entertain someone who sneaks into the Blue Palace simply to talk to me. If you're just going to waste my time, however, I suggest you leave – I have never been known for my patience, and vampires aren't quite so superior to mortals as they so often claim to be." You walk into her room, feeling the tingle of wards as you cross the threshold, and sit at the one free chair. You take a moment to look around her room – a great many books, relative to the amount of space, a large collection of jars, presumably potions, and a shelf filled with Soul Gems. You nod and turn to the visibly irritated vampire.
"My name is Flandre Scarlet, and I am the new master of Castle Volkihar, which operates within the boundaries of this … Hold. I am not here to attempt to sway you to join my servants, nor to declare war against you, merely to ensure that you know of me and are aware that I am taking actions which will probably have some effect on your station." She frowns thoughtfully at you for a while, then nods, sighing.
"I suppose it was your group that slaughtered the Thalmor at Northwatch Keep, then? They're certainly raising hell about that." You giggle softly.
"Would that be a small, run-down little fort to the northwest, along the coast? If so, yes. The Dawnguard, too, are likely to begin operations here, as they certainly know we're in the area, and if they begin to think that we placed an agent here – not that we have, at least to my knowledge – it might be … interesting for you." She snorts.
"I'm more than capable of shielding my nature from their pathetic scrying attempts." She pauses, lost in thought, and you wait patiently for her to snap out of her reverie. Eventually she slowly shakes her head and looks at you, eyes narrowed. "But you and your castle … what's to stop me from defeating you and turning you over to the Imperials as a threat or spy, and informing the Dawnguard of the suddenly-weakened status of your castle?" Power bursts into her hands, and you feel the room tingle with energy just waiting to be unleashed. After thinking it over for a moment, you laugh, drumming your feet on the floor, before rolling your head and giving her an amused look.
"You're quite the jester, you know?" You casually draw Laevateinn, the act itself causing her eyes to widen in surprise, before the channeled burst of power sends a column of fire jetting back through the door, detonating the defenses, setting some of the books and furniture aflame, shattering several of the bottles nearby, scorching and melting the stone, and generally causing the sort of mayhem and destruction that isn't easily covered up. You giggle brightly. "Perhaps, Miss Stentor, you should consider things more carefully before making threats. That I walked into the seat of your power instead of requesting a meeting someplace 'safer' ought to have given you some idea that I wasn't to be trifled with, but I suppose you're too used to fools overconfident in their skills. Let me make you aware that I will not tolerate such arrogance unwarranted. Also, in the future, I'll be sending an adjutant of mine, Garan Marethi, to speak with you." You wink out of sight as footsteps echo through along the halls.
"Lady Stentor? Are you … what happened here?" You slip past the guards, floating above the half-melted stones and along the merely scorched wall. That really wasn't your plan, but she should really know better. And if anything happens to Garan, you'll make sure to make her last days very painful … and very long. You float into the entryway, where a single guard remains, casting nervous glances back upstairs. You could leave, head back to the castle … but it's still raining, and you could just wait somewhere out of the way.
What do you do?
[ ] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [ ] Introduce yourself to the Jarl.
- [ ] Explore the Palace.
[ ] Wait somewhere else in Solitude.
- [ ] The Castle.
- [ ] The large, open building.
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [ ] Continue overseeing castle restoration.
- [ ] Focus on foreign matters.
- [ ] Wait for something important to be brought to your attention.
[ ] Other?
[ x ] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [ x ] Introduce yourself to the Jarl.
- [ x ] Explore the Palace.
I like the option of meeting Sheogorath. I think that our protection should prevent instant death if it turns bad, and we get to meet a fun person. Other than that, introducing yourself to the actual leader sounds like a sound plan, although perhaps in a more diplomatic fashion.
- [ x ] Introduce yourself to the Jarl.
- [ x ] Explore the Palace.
I like the option of meeting Sheogorath. I think that our protection should prevent instant death if it turns bad, and we get to meet a fun person. Other than that, introducing yourself to the actual leader sounds like a sound plan, although perhaps in a more diplomatic fashion.
- Location
- A Place Miserably Bereft of Cats
[x] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [x] Explore the Palace.
Might not be the best idea to meet the Jarl when Flan is feeling... testy.
But meeting Crazy Uncle Sheogorath is TONS of fun! He might even take up residence in Flan's head!
There's all kinds of company up there for him anyway!
- [x] Explore the Palace.
Might not be the best idea to meet the Jarl when Flan is feeling... testy.
But meeting Crazy Uncle Sheogorath is TONS of fun! He might even take up residence in Flan's head!
There's all kinds of company up there for him anyway!
- Location
- A Place Miserably Bereft of Cats
Slith10
Back from the dead and ready to party!
- Location
- New Zealand
... 'Lol, it will be funny' is almost never a good idea for a vote.
M.H. also said SOME protection and deliberately getting the notice of someone who kills for a laugh during a teabreak doesn't sound like a good idea. Likely he just switches us and one of those in our head around, giving them primary control over us. Or he just twists our mind to see what would happen, likely as long as we aren't 'harmed', not much would happen.
'But meeting Crazy Uncle Sheogorath is TONS of fun! He might even take up residence in Flan's head!'
...He might read your post and decide to do that.
Won't that be fun to have someone making things around us more 'interesting' for him. Dancing stones which break legs/etc.Sheogorath in the game is more zany than how he is shown in the ingame books/etc, it shouldn't have to be said to avoid a god of madness.
Doubly so if we have problems with such before.
[X] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
- Location
- A Place Miserably Bereft of Cats
Honestly, people need to be better at noticing when someone's being intentionally farcical.
The reason I want Flan to meet Sheogorath is because, as the Daedric Lord of Madness, he might actually be able to shed light on what the devil is actually going on in Flan's head. Plus, for various reasons I won't get into because of spoilers, he's probably also the most trustworthy of all the Daedric Princes.
You know, on account of actually having something resembling a human experience.
The reason I want Flan to meet Sheogorath is because, as the Daedric Lord of Madness, he might actually be able to shed light on what the devil is actually going on in Flan's head. Plus, for various reasons I won't get into because of spoilers, he's probably also the most trustworthy of all the Daedric Princes.
You know, on account of actually having something resembling a human experience.
Slith10
Back from the dead and ready to party!
- Location
- New Zealand
You need to experience some of the quests on the internet, a lot of people would be completely serious about that post.
'Funneh' is a serious problem that needs to be removed from the interwebs, many threads due each year due to contracting 'Funneh', spread awareness and save the existence of quests.
Slith10
Back from the dead and ready to party!
- Location
- New Zealand
Some, not lots.
[x] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [x] Explore the Palace.
- [x] Explore the Palace.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are not locked.
... Hm.
[X] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [X] Introduce yourself to the Jarl.
- [X] Explore the Palace.
1
[X] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [X] Explore the Palace.
4
[X] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
1
- [X] Introduce yourself to the Jarl.
- [X] Explore the Palace.
1
[X] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [X] Explore the Palace.
4
[X] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
1
[X] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
Sure meeting Sheogorath sounds fun... But I'd rather not fuck around with powers of that magnitude who can we can pretty much do nothing against just because he's usually the nicest of a bad bunch. Keep in mind that as the Daedra of Insanity it's always rather possible that we'll simply meet him on the wrong day or say the wrong thing and then spend up realising why calling someone "crazy" is usually a bad thing and a sign of horrible actions.
I've always thought that the reason Sheogorath was so nice/ easygoing with the game protagonists was due to the fact that they were a known and prophecied component. He could always afford to be nice and have fun with them. They were going to do as foretold no matter what. Here however...
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
Sure meeting Sheogorath sounds fun... But I'd rather not fuck around with powers of that magnitude who can we can pretty much do nothing against just because he's usually the nicest of a bad bunch. Keep in mind that as the Daedra of Insanity it's always rather possible that we'll simply meet him on the wrong day or say the wrong thing and then spend up realising why calling someone "crazy" is usually a bad thing and a sign of horrible actions.
I've always thought that the reason Sheogorath was so nice/ easygoing with the game protagonists was due to the fact that they were a known and prophecied component. He could always afford to be nice and have fun with them. They were going to do as foretold no matter what. Here however...
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Slith10
Back from the dead and ready to party!
- Location
- New Zealand
Part of my reasoning of what might happen as well.
Yuri Vampire
Kirameku Hōseki! Cure Coral!
- Location
- US
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are locked.
No Hip Bone? No meeting Sheogorath!
[ x ] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [ x ] Introduce yourself to the Jarl.
- [ x ] Explore the Palace.
1
[ x ] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [ x ] Explore the Palace.
4
[X] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
5
- [ x ] Introduce yourself to the Jarl.
- [ x ] Explore the Palace.
1
[ x ] Wait in the Blue Palace.
- [ x ] Explore the Palace.
4
[X] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
5
External Affairs
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Return to Castle Volkihar.
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
You float against the wall for a few minutes, out of the way, considering your options, and you sigh to yourself as a crack of thunder rings out. It's raining out, but if you stay here you're likely to cause some sort of disruption no matter what you try to do, and that would probably irritate Sybille - and since you're trying to do this without simply slaughtering people who bother you out of hand, especially if they might be useful, you want to avoid that. You take out your parasol and drift down to the door, right next to the guard. You're grumpy enough that going back to the guest room would be a bother - and there's a servant being harangued by someone, probably for leaving the window open - so you simply open the door and slip outside, ignoring the stunned guard as you open the parasol to catch stray rainfall.
You keep to overhanging roofs as much as possible, which isn't terribly difficult, requiring only quick darts to cross a street to the next row of buildings. Between the darkness and the rain, you dismiss your invisibility - if anyone actually sees you in this, they deserve it. If anyone does, though, they keep quiet about it; even a group of Thalmor don't react to your presence, thought they are rather distracted by their fellow elf's blistering curses. You creep past as the curses turn to threats of cannibalism. Maybe something you can ask Garan at some point? The rain and driving wind lose much of their threat once you reach the road, and the trees near it, and after a brisk few minutes of swooping among the trees you burst up into the air and pick up speed. Not too much, of course … there.
Not the well-maintained set of buildings maintained by the elves who are almost certainly Thalmor and probably should have sent someone to their previous fort by now, but the dilapidated shack to the east, between it and the newly-refurbished fort overlooking the ocean. You plummet, tearing into the humans with relish, and despite the shock of your attack, by the time you've torn off the head of the third warrior, the leader and his lieutenant are taking up their weapons. Not that they do them any good, of course, and you greedily feed on them before continuing back to the castle. Not much cheers you up like a bit of slaughter, and you rather wish you could just burn down a few major cities just to see how everyone would react. You sneak back into the castle as well, to see how good the security is, and while you're reasonably sure no mere normal mortal could replicate your feat, it's still something you'll have to have Serana look into. At least, once Feran gets back, since Vingalmo is otherwise occupied at the moment. Garan, at least, is shocked to find you back without warning, and you give him the good news that he'll be allowed to plan his next trip to Solitude whenever he feels like meeting Sybille. And also that you're going to be taking a more active part in external policy for a while, to make sure he knows what you want. He's so overjoyed to hear it all that he can't come up with anything to say, and you graciously let him withdraw without further incident.
Of course, before you can truly integrate yourself in the policy-making, you need to learn more about this region called Skyrim … quite a lot more. Serana and Garan both work with you, Serana as she catches up on missed history and Garan on modern affairs, like the bloody war a generation ago between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion and how that relates to the current civil war. You get the feeling that the Stormcloaks would be more likely to accept vampiric intervention, at least initially, but you have your doubts about their long-term successes, even if they have managed to push into Whiterun. It's starting into winter, now, and wars aren't usually fought then, even when the combatants are used to the weather. It'll be raid and counter-raid, train and train some more, until the weather changes for the better and armies can fight without being bogged down too much by snow and mud.
You're rather disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a region-wide guild or council that would let you insert agents easily, and Garan was hesitant to utilize the Khajiit, claiming that they were untrustworthy and liable to sell Volkihar secrets, but without a network of your own, they're going to have to do. Unlike the carriage company, they have fewer scruples and more skill, so as long as your agents are themselves trustworthy, it should be fine.
You're also coming to the conclusion that Castle Volkihar's location is something of a mixed blessing. The Imperial commander seems to be perfectly businesslike, so any sort of deal you make with him will likely be honored as well as he can enforce it, but the Jarl …. You sigh as you write the information down in the local script, then scowl and snarl as you mix up the letters. But if you don't use it, you'll never get around to it and then you won't be literate in the local language even if you can speak it without the necklace - which, you've discovered, you can, to a degree. Your still-limited vocabulary is the part slowing you down there. But Jarl Elisif …. You wonder if she should be removed. A terrible politician, inexperienced and not at all trained for the position, and she wants to help her people without understanding the necessary tradeoffs. Of course, the Imperial commander is playing her pretty well, but you don't think you'll be able to keep a long-term deal going with her unless you force the issue. And unless someone manages to come up with magical communications, you'll need to have vampires managing network hubs, to make sure things are kept stable, but the only way you can really make sure they would be loyal would be to make new vampires. And you'd prefer to use Serana rather than Garan, but then you'd be mixing duties, and -! Irritated at another mistake, you hurl the inkpot against the wall. You told Garan you wanted things done quickly, to keep ahead of problems, but your biggest problem is that you can't be sure your servants are loyal! That would need time to ensure, and ….
"Mi-Milady?" Your head jerks up, and you have to restrain yourself from snapping at the girl, but even so a burst of crimson power flares out, charring the furniture. The girl, a human servant taken from the Thalmor keep, trembles. "Mi-Milady? I … I-I was told to nnotify you th-that …." She scrunches her eyes shut and tries to control her stuttering. "F-Feran Sadri a-and Fura Bl-!" You leap over the table, sending the girl cowering.
"They're back?" She nods jerkily and you dart past her, jubilant at the return of your alchemist. When you reach the small crowd at the gate, however, irritation returns to the forefront of your emotions. Fura seems mostly unharmed, although her axe is gone, but Feran very obviously has something wrong with him, and the other vampires that were with them are simply not present. "Ronthil! Vingalmo! Take care of him. If he dies - if he gets worse - you will have wished I killed you quickly." With the help of two of the servants, they carefully manage to move him toward the workshop. You turn to Fura, but she begins talking before you can ask what happened.
"We found the … 'Babette' we were after, south of the Half-Moon Mill in Falkreath Hold. We did not antagonize her, Feran simply asked if the potion was her work. She refused to inform him of the ingredients, and he asked what would be needed to pay for the knowledge. We … the rest of us were attacked, ambushed by an Argonian in black and a werewolf. I …." She deflates, kneels before you. "I fought the beast myself, and though I left my axe in his stomach, he left of his own accord. The Argonian slew the others, and Babette is responsible for Feran's condition. They let us go." Her head drops, allowing you to punish her for her failure, but you simply step past her and stare out through the door, toward the mainland.
"A werewolf, hm? Have respect for them. They are quite dangerous." You hear her rise, turn to face you. "Make sure to get a new weapon." What to do, what to do - you have to do something, ignoring a slap in the face like this will cause discontent, and then you'll need to clean house. But what sort of response to make? Track down Babette yourself, based on Fura's testimony, and bring her here by force? What to do about her companions, the lizard and the wolf? Kill them, return with their heads? Leave Babette, and simply bring her tools here, still living? Fura could have her revenge, if she's competent enough. Perhaps … you could hire a wolf to track a wolf?
What do you do?
[ ] Track down Babette and bring her here.
- [ ] Leave her companions alone.
- [ ] Kill her companions.
- [ ] Bring her companions here.
[ ] Bring Babette's companions here:
- [ ] Whichever you find first.
- [ ] The werewolf.
- [ ] The Argonian.
[ ] Hire the Companions to find the werewolf.
- [ ] And bring it back, alive.
- [ ] And kill it.
- [ ] And tell you where it dens.
[ ] Ignore them for now; concentrate on the Dawnguard.
[ ] Other?
- [X] Focus on foreign matters.
You float against the wall for a few minutes, out of the way, considering your options, and you sigh to yourself as a crack of thunder rings out. It's raining out, but if you stay here you're likely to cause some sort of disruption no matter what you try to do, and that would probably irritate Sybille - and since you're trying to do this without simply slaughtering people who bother you out of hand, especially if they might be useful, you want to avoid that. You take out your parasol and drift down to the door, right next to the guard. You're grumpy enough that going back to the guest room would be a bother - and there's a servant being harangued by someone, probably for leaving the window open - so you simply open the door and slip outside, ignoring the stunned guard as you open the parasol to catch stray rainfall.
You keep to overhanging roofs as much as possible, which isn't terribly difficult, requiring only quick darts to cross a street to the next row of buildings. Between the darkness and the rain, you dismiss your invisibility - if anyone actually sees you in this, they deserve it. If anyone does, though, they keep quiet about it; even a group of Thalmor don't react to your presence, thought they are rather distracted by their fellow elf's blistering curses. You creep past as the curses turn to threats of cannibalism. Maybe something you can ask Garan at some point? The rain and driving wind lose much of their threat once you reach the road, and the trees near it, and after a brisk few minutes of swooping among the trees you burst up into the air and pick up speed. Not too much, of course … there.
Not the well-maintained set of buildings maintained by the elves who are almost certainly Thalmor and probably should have sent someone to their previous fort by now, but the dilapidated shack to the east, between it and the newly-refurbished fort overlooking the ocean. You plummet, tearing into the humans with relish, and despite the shock of your attack, by the time you've torn off the head of the third warrior, the leader and his lieutenant are taking up their weapons. Not that they do them any good, of course, and you greedily feed on them before continuing back to the castle. Not much cheers you up like a bit of slaughter, and you rather wish you could just burn down a few major cities just to see how everyone would react. You sneak back into the castle as well, to see how good the security is, and while you're reasonably sure no mere normal mortal could replicate your feat, it's still something you'll have to have Serana look into. At least, once Feran gets back, since Vingalmo is otherwise occupied at the moment. Garan, at least, is shocked to find you back without warning, and you give him the good news that he'll be allowed to plan his next trip to Solitude whenever he feels like meeting Sybille. And also that you're going to be taking a more active part in external policy for a while, to make sure he knows what you want. He's so overjoyed to hear it all that he can't come up with anything to say, and you graciously let him withdraw without further incident.
Of course, before you can truly integrate yourself in the policy-making, you need to learn more about this region called Skyrim … quite a lot more. Serana and Garan both work with you, Serana as she catches up on missed history and Garan on modern affairs, like the bloody war a generation ago between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion and how that relates to the current civil war. You get the feeling that the Stormcloaks would be more likely to accept vampiric intervention, at least initially, but you have your doubts about their long-term successes, even if they have managed to push into Whiterun. It's starting into winter, now, and wars aren't usually fought then, even when the combatants are used to the weather. It'll be raid and counter-raid, train and train some more, until the weather changes for the better and armies can fight without being bogged down too much by snow and mud.
You're rather disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a region-wide guild or council that would let you insert agents easily, and Garan was hesitant to utilize the Khajiit, claiming that they were untrustworthy and liable to sell Volkihar secrets, but without a network of your own, they're going to have to do. Unlike the carriage company, they have fewer scruples and more skill, so as long as your agents are themselves trustworthy, it should be fine.
You're also coming to the conclusion that Castle Volkihar's location is something of a mixed blessing. The Imperial commander seems to be perfectly businesslike, so any sort of deal you make with him will likely be honored as well as he can enforce it, but the Jarl …. You sigh as you write the information down in the local script, then scowl and snarl as you mix up the letters. But if you don't use it, you'll never get around to it and then you won't be literate in the local language even if you can speak it without the necklace - which, you've discovered, you can, to a degree. Your still-limited vocabulary is the part slowing you down there. But Jarl Elisif …. You wonder if she should be removed. A terrible politician, inexperienced and not at all trained for the position, and she wants to help her people without understanding the necessary tradeoffs. Of course, the Imperial commander is playing her pretty well, but you don't think you'll be able to keep a long-term deal going with her unless you force the issue. And unless someone manages to come up with magical communications, you'll need to have vampires managing network hubs, to make sure things are kept stable, but the only way you can really make sure they would be loyal would be to make new vampires. And you'd prefer to use Serana rather than Garan, but then you'd be mixing duties, and -! Irritated at another mistake, you hurl the inkpot against the wall. You told Garan you wanted things done quickly, to keep ahead of problems, but your biggest problem is that you can't be sure your servants are loyal! That would need time to ensure, and ….
"Mi-Milady?" Your head jerks up, and you have to restrain yourself from snapping at the girl, but even so a burst of crimson power flares out, charring the furniture. The girl, a human servant taken from the Thalmor keep, trembles. "Mi-Milady? I … I-I was told to nnotify you th-that …." She scrunches her eyes shut and tries to control her stuttering. "F-Feran Sadri a-and Fura Bl-!" You leap over the table, sending the girl cowering.
"They're back?" She nods jerkily and you dart past her, jubilant at the return of your alchemist. When you reach the small crowd at the gate, however, irritation returns to the forefront of your emotions. Fura seems mostly unharmed, although her axe is gone, but Feran very obviously has something wrong with him, and the other vampires that were with them are simply not present. "Ronthil! Vingalmo! Take care of him. If he dies - if he gets worse - you will have wished I killed you quickly." With the help of two of the servants, they carefully manage to move him toward the workshop. You turn to Fura, but she begins talking before you can ask what happened.
"We found the … 'Babette' we were after, south of the Half-Moon Mill in Falkreath Hold. We did not antagonize her, Feran simply asked if the potion was her work. She refused to inform him of the ingredients, and he asked what would be needed to pay for the knowledge. We … the rest of us were attacked, ambushed by an Argonian in black and a werewolf. I …." She deflates, kneels before you. "I fought the beast myself, and though I left my axe in his stomach, he left of his own accord. The Argonian slew the others, and Babette is responsible for Feran's condition. They let us go." Her head drops, allowing you to punish her for her failure, but you simply step past her and stare out through the door, toward the mainland.
"A werewolf, hm? Have respect for them. They are quite dangerous." You hear her rise, turn to face you. "Make sure to get a new weapon." What to do, what to do - you have to do something, ignoring a slap in the face like this will cause discontent, and then you'll need to clean house. But what sort of response to make? Track down Babette yourself, based on Fura's testimony, and bring her here by force? What to do about her companions, the lizard and the wolf? Kill them, return with their heads? Leave Babette, and simply bring her tools here, still living? Fura could have her revenge, if she's competent enough. Perhaps … you could hire a wolf to track a wolf?
What do you do?
[ ] Track down Babette and bring her here.
- [ ] Leave her companions alone.
- [ ] Kill her companions.
- [ ] Bring her companions here.
[ ] Bring Babette's companions here:
- [ ] Whichever you find first.
- [ ] The werewolf.
- [ ] The Argonian.
[ ] Hire the Companions to find the werewolf.
- [ ] And bring it back, alive.
- [ ] And kill it.
- [ ] And tell you where it dens.
[ ] Ignore them for now; concentrate on the Dawnguard.
[ ] Other?