Immortal Words - Saurano Direnni

[BIGwooly]

The Inner Sea - Midday

I have a long journey ahead, and nothing to do aboard this ship. I guess I'm used to having Synette to talk to all day long. I was never all that fond of her, but she was decent enough company. Truth be told, I miss her company nearly as much as her coin. Now I'm stuck with fighting off the advances of snaggle-toothed sailors with horrid breath.

Luckily I've managed to find a nice secluded spot aboard this ship to gain a few hours of peace. And so now, with nothing else to do but read this book and add my own thoughts to it, I think I'll provide some history on myself. After all, this appears to a journal. Although strangely enough it seems to have had multiple owners so far.

Regardless, my story begins in mountains south of Blacklight, where I was born and somewhat raised .. somewhat not. My father was a man who got things done for others, and when he was actually around .. which wasn't often ... he would tell me stories and swear me to secrecy. I loved his stories, and lived to hear them every time he came home. As I got older I began to doubt his stories. They were too fanciful ... too conveniently lucky ... too amazingly intriguing.

I eventually reached a point of disbelief. I never said a word to my father, because I knew he lived to tell me his fictional tales. And to be honest, they were just fun to hear and there was no need to put a damper on that sliver of enjoyment in my life.

I haven't mentioned my mother yet because I never knew her. She was killed when I was very young. The one story my father would never share with me. The one story he took to his grave. Which occurred on the day that I stopped disbelieving his stories.

He had just told me a new story, of how he had been paid handsomely to recover a valuable necklace for a nobleman from Cyrodiil. It was a fascinating story as usual, and spanned the whole of Black Marsh. He ended with a tale of a narrow escape from the thieves who stole the necklace and were holed up in a cave near Gideon. He described the leader in such great detail that I could picture him as if he was standing before me.

And just a few hours later, as the door to our cottage flew open, the thief was actually standing before me. It was like a dream. I recognized him even though I'd never seen him before. My father had been resting, and made a move for his sword. But the thief's bodyguards were too quick and my father was too slow from wine and rest. They blocked him and restrained him.

The thief walked straight to me and slapped me hard across the face. Hard enough I stumbled backwards and fell to the floor. He was a huge man, and I felt the strength leave my legs at the sight of him. He turned to my father and asked if he wanted to see me hurt further. My father's anger melted and he shook his head. The thief stared at him briefly, then stretched out his hand. He said two words.

"The necklace."

My father had no choice. Once the thief had his trinket back he gave my father a choice. They could leave him alive and take me with them. He promised no harm would come to me and instead I would be indentured to them until I reached the mature age. Or, they could leave me and slit his throat. I begged my father to let me go. I begged as no daughter has ever begged before. And through a waterfall of tears he nodded his head and that was the last I ever saw of him.

I served several years with the thieves. They took an odd liking to me and taught me many of their ways. From them I learned how to wield a sword and fire a bow. From them I learned how to sneak and how to move with armor. And when the time was right and they were drunk enough .. five years after I had been taken from my weeping father .... I slit each of their wretched throats as they lay passed out on their beds.

It took me several months to make my way home, but it wasn't my home anymore. Someone else was living there, and they broke the news to me that my father had been killed. Murdered by assassins sent by the very nobleman who's necklace he had recovered. The nobleman had assumed my father was lying .. that he was making up stories .... just as I had assumed for so long. The truth killed him, and ever since I've not been a friend of the truth.

 

[BIGwooly]

Inner Sea - Evening

The crew has straightened up around me.

After writing earlier I was walking around above deck, getting some much needed air, when one of the brainless sots came up to me and asked me about the book. Apparently he had seen me writing in it earlier. I politely told him it was none of his business and walked on. This fetcher had the nerve to dive into my sack with both of his grubby hands and attach them to my book. Before he knew it I had removed one of them with my sword.

He'll survive, but his days as a sailor just got much more difficult.

We're sailing to Suran, which oddly enough was where I first set foot in Vvardenfell not so many years ago. What a night that was. Fresh off the boat and green as they come. I strode into the city ready to impress. Within the hour I had the owner of Desele's House of Earthly Delights so upset at me she was telling me to leave. My attempts to compliment her had fallen well short and sparked her temper.

There was a man ... a drunk ... that I nearly walked past without a word on my way out. But I stopped for a moment and engaged him, hoping he would have a task of some sort for me ... with pay. I had just given all but my last coins to Desele while trying to sweeten her attitude. My situation had gone from sketchy to borderline desperate within an hour in Vvardenfell. What they say about this land is true. It has no sympathy.

No one in their right mind should have given me a job that night. But the man I spoke to was drunk as drunk could be. He had some story of a slave he needed to capture, an argonian .. Haj-Ei if I remember right. He had been tracking the escaped slave with the help of another argonian, but they had been unsuccessful. I assured him I could capture the slave and he assured me if I did that I would share half the reward. One hundred fifty coins. A godsend for me.

I stayed up all night, scouring the city and asking questions of anyone that would listen. In the end I found the argonian that had been helping the man, and it turned out he was slave all along. He asked me to keep his secret safe, and I had a feeling maybe he would make it worth my while. So I agreed, and he promised that he would tell others of my decision. That was all good and well, but I needed food in my stomach, and food requires coins.

I had no choice but to reverse my decision, which he didn't take very well at all. He drew a large saber and attacked me, and we dueled throughout the second story of the tradehouse. Around tables and over chairs we fought. The other patrons watched on in amusement. They had no inclination to get involved to help either a slave or a wet-behind-the-ears dunmer girl. For them it was all free entertainment for the night. A better show that Desele puts on at her establishment if I may be so bold.

The agronian was a swift swordsman, and managed to injure me a number of times. But thankfully my training paid off and I left the tradehouse with my life and a bounty to collect. That was my first. My first paid kill.

 

[BIGwooly]

Inner Sea - Midday

Vivec was where I became a thief. After exhausting all opportunities for paid work in Suran I decided to head to Vvardenfell's capital. Surely a magnificent city of that size would have plenty of work for me. And plenty of work it did have.

It was mostly small tasks at first. Deliver this to so and so. Convince so and so to do this. None of it was very exciting, but it was putting gold in my coinpurse so I was happy for the most part. But I did dream of grander work. I wanted a client that would challenge me .. push me to my limits .. and pay me well for it. I was slowly growing weary of the small payouts for these small jobs.

And that is when everything changed. I came across an item one day in a shop that I decided I just had to have. It was a fairly nice mortar and pestle, the sort of device alchemists use to prepare potions from herbs and other such ingredients. Now I knew nothing of alchemy. Truly nothing. But the idea of it suddenly sparked an interest in me. The notion that I could supplement my income by selling potions appealed to me, but more than anything I just became intrigued by the process behind it.

The problem is that I was a good three hundred and sixty coins short of being able to purchase the tools.

I considered just taking it, but with a number of guards nearby it seemed far too risky. Especially considering my abilities at theft were relatively untested at that point. So I went about my business for the next week or so and resigned myself to trying to save up a coin here and there towards purchasing it. That is, until the day I wandered into Agrippina's shop.

Agrippina was a pretentious little snot that owned a luxury clothing shop. She served all the nobles in Vivec and seemed to think herself better than people like myself who could only afford common rags. No doubt when I walked into her shopped she scoffed at me discretely. But I took my time and looked around, undeterred by her attitude towards me. And slowly I began to realize the value of everything before me. Her shop was a gold mine, and best of all, she was already doing her best to ignore me.

I carefully waited in the changing area until her attention was fully elsewhere, and then I used a rusty old lockpick to quickly break into her cabinet. I took whatever I could and closed the doors just as quickly. She turned around a moment later but noticed nothing, and predictably, went back to ignoring me. That was when I got greedy. On a dresser just outside of the dressing area I could see some very expensive amulets and rings. I knew what I had taken was not going to get me enough coin to purchase the mortar and pestle, but even just one of those amulets would. So I slowly crept out and attempted to pocket one.

Unfortunately she caught me out of the corner of her eye. Perhaps she had been keeping her eye on me all along, suspecting me of shadowy intent. Either way, she raised the alarm for my crime and I had no choice but to run her through with my sword. Oddly enough, I felt no guilt over her murder. Maybe she reminded me of the snobbish type that took my father's life. Either way, she was dead and I needed to distance myself quickly.

I hid her body and snatched the amulet and several rings before I bolted from the shop. I ran into a guard almost immediately, but he didn't appear to recognize me as a criminal and I was able to slip past. I continued out of the Foreign Quarter and headed for the Arena. I had heard earlier in the week that there were rumors of a hidden room under the arena, and this now sounded like the perfect spot for me to lay low until things cooled down.

I seemed to run into guards around every corner but my luck held out and none of them recognized me. And within an hour or two I was under the arena and exploring the storage chambers. I came across a room with a bedroll and some dishes, but no occupant. And found a few other rooms that were locked tight. I managed to break into them and in the last room I found something truly interesting. A trap door with a lock on it the likes of which I had never set eyes on before.

 

[BIGwooly]

FYI - for anyone wondering ... yes, these stories (with the exception of the very first one with the father) are actually being played out by the character.

 

[BIGwooly]

Inner Sea - Evening

Let's see, I left off earlier today with the trap door I found in the storage rooms under the arena in Vivec. Well, it was some time before I saw that trap door open. The lockpicks I had in my possession were no match for a lock such as this, and I had no idea where to find such a lockpick.

So instead, I spent the next several days hiding out in the storage rooms. There was plenty of food for me, and no one bothered me in there. As it was, it took me days to go through all the crates and barrels and containers. I found everything from food and ingredients to weapons and bits of coin. I even found an intact alchemy set. I was overjoyed with this discovery, since I had been trying for weeks to scrounge together the coin to buy just a mortar and pestle. And with the access to so many ingredients I happily spent the next week experimenting with mixtures.

Truth be told, my alchemy skills were horrid. I eventually decided I needed to find someone to mentor me, at least in the basics. My trial and error was incredibly time-consuming, and although that was fine for the several days I was keeping my head down, I wasn't prepared to spend that kind of time on this pursuit in the future.

As luck would have it I also found a book in the storage rooms that told the story of a thief and gave me some great insight into how to be a better thief myself. It is good to keep your eyes open and see the bigger picture, as well as challenge your mind to think of alternative approaches. And in the week that followed I had just the chance to put that to the test.

After leaving the safety of the storage rooms and wandering the city with a cautious eye, I came upon the shop of a glassware maker. Now I never would have expected to receive a charge from a vendor like this, but I struck up a conversation with her anyways. And what do you know she presented me with quite a lucrative offer to steal some limeware from a ship in Ebonheart. Fifteen hundred drakes to be exact. More coin than I had ever laid eyes on.

Naturally I said yes. And the next morning I headed off to Ebonheart.

I located the ship the held my mark, but access to the lower hold was plainly visible. Not only was a member of the ship's crew posted right nearby, but the docks of Ebonheart itself were teaming with guards. I was going to have to come up with a smart plan if I wanted to pull off this heist.

So I checked in at the local inn and got myself a room so I could sit and think. And while I was sitting there thinking, and my hand was playing with the amulet I had stolen from the clothier, it came to me. The amulet. I had discovered that it was no ordinary amulet. During my days in seclusion I found out this amulet had an enchantment, an amazingly useful enchantment for someone in my line of work. Chameleonism. When activated it made me nearly invisible. This is how I would steal the limeware.

And so it went. I waited until dark, then snuck out to the darks in a pouring rainstorm. I tucked myself out of sight and used the amulet. I could barely see my own fingers in front of my face. Perfect.

I snuck aboard the ship and picked the lock to the hold right underneath the crew member's nose who was on duty. I slipped inside, and was surprised to find guards posted in the hold, but they didn't see me and I darted past them. I was looking around, trying to figure out where the limeware would be. I only had so much time before the enchantment wore off, and there were crates and barrels everywhere. But then I spotted a hatch to the lower hold, and after dealing with the lock, quietly snuck below.

The lower hold was empty. Not a soul in sight, which allowed me to breath a bit easier. And there were far fewer crates to search. I located the limeware in short order and then realized my plan had a flaw. The limeware was too heavy for me to carry.

I stood there, baffled as to what to do. But there was only one thing I could do. I took off every piece of armor, save for my boots, and left it all behind. And that is how I scored my first big payoff. Fifteen hundred drakes. And it only cost me a set of armor to score it. Ha!

 

[TheTactAssassin]

Big Wooly I have a couple questions. When you are building a new character up how do decide what level to build up to? And what do you do with the settings like UI and Difficulty?

 

[BIGwooly]

Big Wooly I have a couple questions. When you are building a new character up how do decide what level to build up to? And what do you do with the settings like UI and Difficulty?

The level I basically determine by the level of the character in the game. For example, Tavynu is a level 8 NPC, so I'm building my current character up to level 8 before her journal entries begin. Although I'm doing something different with this particular character and doing some journal entries from the build-up process just for fun and to give some backstory.

UI and difficulty settings depend on the game. For example, in Skyrim I always play at the highest difficulty, but Morrowind is an inherently more difficult game, so I play at default difficulty. For either game I eliminate the crosshair because it adds to the challenge and creates better immersion for me. Hope that answers your questions!

 

[TheTactAssassin]

Big Wooly I have a couple questions. When you are building a new character up how do decide what level to build up to? And what do you do with the settings like UI and Difficulty?

The level I basically determine by the level of the character in the game. For example, Tavynu is a level 8 NPC, so I'm building my current character up to level 8 before her journal entries begin. Although I'm doing something different with this particular character and doing some journal entries from the build-up process just for fun and to give some backstory.

UI and difficulty settings depend on the game. For example, in Skyrim I always play at the highest difficulty, but Morrowind is an inherently more difficult game, so I play at default difficulty. For either game I eliminate the crosshair because it adds to the challenge and creates better immersion for me. Hope that answers your questions!

You did answer the first question. What I meant with the second one was while you are building them up do you change the settings like do you turn the UI back on or leave it off?

 

[BIGwooly]

No while I'm building them up I play with all the same restrictions. It's all part of the fun, and it makes their backstories feel even more real.

 

[TheTactAssassin]

No while I'm building them up I play with all the same restrictions. It's all part of the fun, and it makes their backstories feel even more real.

Thanks!

 

[BIGwooly]

Inner Sea - Morning

I'm told we should be arriving in Ebonheart in the next day or so. From there I can catch another ship to Vivec and get back in touch with my old employers.

Speaking of them, gaining access to the trap door I had found in the storage rooms proved to be quite a task. I searched and searched for someone selling a higher quality lockpick than those I owned. But it's hard enough to find someone that sells lockpicks, and even harder to find a really nice one. I had already searched high and low in Vivec, and hadn't come across anyone in Suran or Ebonheart. So I found myself in Ebonheart trying to figure out where to search next. The cheapest fair from there was some place called Hla Oad, so that's where I went.

It turns out Hla Oad is nothing more than a backwoods fishing village, and I nearly turned around and left without so much as a second step off the boat. But the boat wasn't leaving again for a few hours so I decided to have a look around. It didn't take long for me to end up in a shack with some seedy characters, but they weren't selling what I needed. I did, however, get the feeling that they knew someone who would. They appeared to be members of the Camonna Tong, a not-so-legal organization of crime and deceit. And they didn't like me one bit, considering I was an outlander.

I was about to leave when I noticed a trap door in one corner of the shack. I approached it and noticed it was unlocked. I had no idea what the consequences of opening it would be. If the man and the khajiit in the shack would try and stab me in the back, or if they would just let me open it and lock the door behind me and trap me in a hidden cell.

But none of that happened, and inside I found a network of bridges and tunnels, with a woman at the head of them. This was obviously a Camonna Tong hideout, and as much as I wanted to venture forth I knew it was probably going to be frowned upon. And as it turned out the woman had a single lockpick of high caliber, which I happily purchased and transported with me back to Vivec.

After a bit of work it opened the storage room trap door, and I was introduced shortly after to the opposition of the Camonna Tong .... the Morag Tong. My first steady employer.

 

[AS88]

Inner Sea - Morning

I'm told we should be arriving in Ebonheart in the next day or so. From there I can catch another ship to Vivec and get back in touch with my old employers.

Speaking of them, gaining access to the trap door I had found in the storage rooms proved to be quite a task. I searched and searched for someone selling a higher quality lockpick than those I owned. But it's hard enough to find someone that sells lockpicks, and even harder to find a really nice one. I had already searched high and low in Vivec, and hadn't come across anyone in Suran or Ebonheart. So I found myself in Ebonheart trying to figure out where to search next. The cheapest fair from there was some place called Hla Oad, so that's where I went.

It turns out Hla Oad is nothing more than a backwoods fishing village, and I nearly turned around and left without so much as a second step off the boat. But the boat wasn't leaving again for a few hours so I decided to have a look around. It didn't take long for me to end up in a shack with some seedy characters, but they weren't selling what I needed. I did, however, get the feeling that they knew someone who would. They appeared to be members of the Camona Tong, a not-so-legal organization of crime and deceit. And they didn't like me one bit, considering I was an outlander.

I was about to leave when I noticed a trap door in one corner of the shack. I approached it and noticed it was unlocked. I had no idea what the consequences of opening it would be. If the man and the khajiit in the shack would try and stab me in the back, or if they would just let me open it and lock the door behind me and trap me in a hidden cell.

But none of that happened, and inside I found a network of bridges and tunnels, with a woman at the head of them. This was obviously a Camona Tong hideout, and as much as I wanted to venture forth I knew it was probably going to be frowned upon. And as it turned out the woman had a single lockpick of high caliber, which I happily purchased and transported with me back to Vivec.

After a bit of work it opened the storage room trap door, and I was introduced shortly after to the opposition of the Camona Tong .... the Morag Tong. My first steady employer.

The Camonna Tong and Morag Tong are opposed to each other? I did not know that.. (never played Morrowind)

Keep up the great work, BW

 

[BIGwooly]

The Camonna Tong and Morag Tong are opposed to each other? I did not know that.. (never played Morrowind)

Keep up the great work, BW

You know, the best part is that all of this just plays out like this in the game as I play. I looooove it. So much fun.

And regarding the Camona Tong, I could be mistaken. I know the Camona Tong is criminal, as in not sanctioned. The Morag Tong is sanctioned. I guess I assumed they were in opposition, and I could have sworn I overheard a Morag Tong member somewhere talking smack about the Camona Tong. Not 100% sure, though. I guess it's what I (and thus Tavynu) thinks whether it's true or not, lol.

 

[BIGwooly]

Oh and Morrowind is a great game. Worth buying and playing for sure. It's not as smooth or pretty as the newer games are, but if you can look past that it's a really fantastic RP game with a very large world.

 

[BIGwooly]

Inner Sea - Evening

It's funny how fate works ....

By morning we should be in Ebonheart. Ironic .. since that's where I met Synette several months ago. I remember I arrived on urgent business, and made my way off the boat with great haste. I was walking up the docks, mostly oblivious to the commotion of workers and citizens around me. But Synette caught my eye somehow. She had a certain way about her that did that with people. Drew them in like moths to the flame.

Our eyes met and she flashed a brief smile. I don't remember returning it, but she stepped towards me and started a conversation that had me walking through the wilderness with her just an hour later.

For months I had been working for the Morag Tong, taking contracts for assassinations and fulfilling them. I had gotten very good at my trade, and had traveled all over the east of Vvardenfell on terms of business. I had also filled my pockets nicely with coins. I really had no reason to take up and join Synette. But there was something about her that was just so ... compelling. I wonder now if she employed some sort of magic or enchantment to achieve her influence with people.

I was just back from a particularly difficult mission for the Morag Tong. And I was in Ebonheart specifically due to an attempt on my own life. While traveling south along Azura's Coast to carry out an assassination in a remote location, I had come across an ashlander yurt. Ashlanders are not fond of outlanders I've come to learn, but some of them will do business with you. I was in need of arrows as I had run out, and thought maybe these ashlanders would be willing to trade.

As I approached the yurt one of them ran at me with a crude chitin club in his hand. I had no choice but to kill him. I had an enchanted sword back then. A powerful weapon that harnessed lightning from the gods and tended to kill quickly. And this ashlander died after only a few swings of the blade.

His body had barely hit the ground when the rain started and the sky darkened. I used this natural cover, as well as the cover of the lightning and thunder, to sneak up close to the yurt and take the other ashlander by surprise. She too fell without much difficulty, and I burst inside the yurt next and killed the remaining savage. I spent the night there and rested. Healed up my injuries and took shelter from the cold rain. I filled my belly with all sorts of food I found in the yurt.

Sometime late in the night I finally drifted off into a heavy sleep. But I awoke suddenly to the presence of someone in the yurt some time later. I barely had time to adjust my eyes to the firelight before I felt a dagger pierce my armor. The pain was excruciating. I could tell the dagger carried some sort of magic, and felt it draining my life away rapidly with each strike. My attacker wore a strange set of armor, and was very skilled with his tiny blade.

I did my best to fight back. The tiny interior of the yurt was an advantage to my opponent with his small dagger. My magical longsword was unwieldy in the cramped space. But I fought back hard, and used the power of an enchanted belt I wore to bolster my defenses .. making me harder to strike and shielding me from some of the strikes as well. I had to scramble and take a health potion at one point, and it saved my life. And thankfully I was able to take his a few moments later.

After recovering from the ordeal I looked over my foe and discovered he was a contract killer for a group known as The Dark Brotherhood. I had heard a few vague stories of them from my father, but nothing more. Worst of all, I had no idea why this one in particular had been sent to kill me. I'm assuming it was for an assassination I had been contracted out for by the Morag Tong. Even though the contracts are sanctioned and legal, that doesn't mean family or associates always accept it.

After completing that mission I made the long and dangerous journey by foot back to Vos, then by ship back to Sadrith Mora and Ebonheart and finally to Vivec. It was while I was in Vivec that I mentioned my experience to a local ordinator. He strongly suggested I see a man named Apelles Matius in Ebonheart about the matter. If someone wanted me dead enough to employ The Dark Brotherhood, I needed to get to the bottom of it.

But as fate would have it I met Synette on the docks in Ebonheart and never spoke to Apelles. Synette and I headed west and disappeared along The Bitter Coast. We spent months running her scheme with the missing ring and several others. We had a few disasters here and there, which is why I no longer own an enchanted helm or sword or belt, and why I no longer have a pair of enchanted rings. But all in all things were well and I just couldn't seem to find a reason to leave Synette and return to Ebonheart or the Morag Tong. Again ... I suspect some sort of magical charm on her part.

But that is all over now. Synette is dead and I'm going to need work. That is why the plan was to sail to Ebonheart and then to Vivec and contact my old employer again. Surely they would have work for me.

But the plan has changed. As I mentioned already, fate has a funny way. This afternoon I was below decks, taking a nap .. and I made the mistake of not securing my cabin door. It's a blunder I've only managed once or twice before. But I did it today, and an assassin from the Dark Brotherhood .. who has been on the ship since the start of this journey and watching my every move no doubt ... made his move and nearly killed me in my sleep.

It's time to speak with this Apelles fellow.

 

[BIGwooly]

Vivec - Evening

Back in Vivec city. It actually feels good to be back. I like the city.

I spoke with Apelles who gave me a contact to use to gain transport to Mournhold, which is where I may be able to track down The Dark Brotherhood. But I'm low on coin and would like to upgrade my gear and potion stash before I head off into unknown places. That means work.

I just spoke with Eno Hlaalu, my former boss in the guild. He has two contracts for me to carry out, and lucky for me both marks are in Vivec. I won't have to travel to the ends of Vvardenfell to find them. In fact, they are in the next canton over .. Redoran. I'll implement these writs and collect the bounty and then do some shopping before I head to Morrowind's capital.

Oddly enough, the topic of The Dark Brotherhood came up with Eno, and he wants me to speak with an enchanter in the Foreign Quarter for him. So I'll do that as well. I'm in good standing with the enchanter, having done a small job for him when I first arrived in Vivec. Perhaps he'll give me a deal on some better gear.

 

[BIGwooly]

Vivec - Evening

Things often don't go according to plan. It's been two days and I haven't left my secret room in the storage area under the arena. I was attacked by several rats, one of which managed to nearly kill me and got me very sick. I suspect it's some form of blight. Nasty stuff. I can barely carry a thing now and my strength is failing. I'm rested and recovered enough to get out of bed today, though, so I need to go find a potion to cure this blight.

Wretched vermin ...

 

[BIGwooly]

Vivec - Night

I went to see Miun-Gei the enchanter tonight. He was acting odd .. standoffish. I looked at what he had and as fate or luck would have it, he happened to have two of the swords I used to own. He calls them stormblades. So I got rid of my old iron longsword and replaced it with one of these tried-and-true blades.

Miun-Gei didn't give me the usual friend discount, and then when I asked him about the Dark Brotherhood he clammed up tight and made some comment about wondering why I wanted to hire them. I never said I wanted to hire them. Something is not right with that. Could it be that he is involved with the attempt on my life? It's not a real stretch of the imagination. I always went to see him before heading out on jobs. He always knew where I was headed.

After that ordeal I visited a number of other merchants trying to locate a potion for my blight. I finally found one, and I'm feeling much better now. I'm going to head back to my private quarters under the arena and get some more rest.

 

[BIGwooly]

Vivec - Night

It's been a day. Quite a day. I took care of my first mark fairly early in the morning, and it went well enough. Not perfect, but I got the job done. I was reported to the guard but once they saw my writ they let me go without further hassle.

My second mark was in the Hlaalu treasury, and I did a quick pre-scout of the area before activating my amulet and causing myself to disappear. This time my plan unfolded perfectly, and the mark was dead before he was able to figure out what was happening. It feels very good to be using an enchanted weapon again. That's for sure.

After that I revisited Miun-Gei to sell off the enchanted weapons I took from my marks. I couldn't help but notice he had a very nice bow on his shelf and when I inquired about it he got excited and told me all about it's powerful enchantment. Essentially, this bow by itself is already twice as effective as my chitin shortbow, but the real beauty is the magic it carries. When activated it conjures up a daedric longbow, which not only does much more damage than my current bow or the other bow, but it also magically enhances the user's archery abilities. I was all set to buy the thing until he named a price. Eleven thousand drakes. I nearly choked.

I started the day with sixty drakes in my pocket. It's going to be a while before I can take that bow off of his hands.

Still, I noticed he was acting much more friendly today and realized it was probably because I wasn't looking like death from my blight affliction. People get weird around you if you're infected. So I asked him again about the Dark Brotherhood and today he loosened up and gave me the name of his contact. A khajiit that hangs out in the Foreign Quarter plaza. I acted uninterested and finished my business with him, then headed up to the plaza and checked out the khajiit.

I was careful not to ask specifically about the Dark Brotherhood. I don't know yet how all of these things are tying together, so I'm going to protect my knowledge and thus myself. All I know is I was attacked by an assassin sent by the Brotherhood, then had my employer in the Morag Tong asking questions about them, and now my enchanter friend has given me a contact. Not to mention Apelles in Ebonheart getting me access to Mournhold in case I wanted to do some digging there.

A lot to process. Not sure I will be sleeping much tonight.

 

[BIGwooly]

Vivec - Noon

I collected my payments for the writs just now. Eno surprised me with a thousand drakes per writ. That, combined with my weapon sales from the marks, has put four thousand drakes in my purse. From just sixty to four thousand overnight. I can't believe I left this line of work to follow Synette around in the wilderness and make half as much.

I'll be back in the wilderness soon enough, though. That's the downside to this job. Some of the contracts are local, but many of them require days and days of travel in areas I'm not familiar with. And with only this basic map of Vvardenfell it makes getting around a bit challenging .. and dangerous.

I have two new writs to fulfill. One is local. In the Telvanni plaza. The other is far to the north. Farther than I've ever been before. In the Sheogorad. From all I've heard it is the wilderness of the wilderness. I'm going to want to stock up before I attempt that journey.

Eno did ask me about my Dark Brotherhood investigation, well not mine, his that I was doing for him. I told him about Miun-Gei's contact and left it at that. No need for him to know that I'm doing some investigating of my own.

I've decided I really want that enchanted bow, and I'm putting my investigation into the Brotherhood on hold until I can find enough work to afford it. It will be invaluable to have in the long run. Eleven thousand drakes, though. I'm going to have to work for it.