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[LordBucket]

Spoiler: Foul Whisperings (click to show/hide)

Huh, that's a neat theory.

Speaking of which, I intended to at some point take LB's advice on comparing everything Vivec, Fyr, and Yagrum said as they relate to our respawning, but still haven't gotten around to it. My vague guess was that we were consciousness-hopping to universes where we hadn't died yet, but that wouldn't explain the transfer of knowledge.

For reference, I believe this is the comment you're referring to.

[Araph]

Spoiler: We've already gone deeper (click to show/hide)

I love how we're talking in spoilers so a fictional character two levels into another piece of fiction can't hear our conversation.

[IronyOwl]

For reference, I believe this is the comment you're referring to.

That would be it.

Speaking of which, I did finally get around to some of it. This is some screwy stuff.

Spoiler: Vivec on Rainbows and Swords (click to show/hide)

: "For me, it is more complicated than simply yes or no. Examining myself, I don't appear to be a completely singular entity. From my point of view, 'I' and possibly this entire universe have only existed for less than a day. However, 'I' also share awareness with...it is difficult to assign a number. If you have two guar in the room, it is easy to look at one guar and count 'one' and the other guar and count 'two' and say that there are two guar. But, consider the creature on your shirt. What if you're counting colors? There is a smooth transition between one color and the next. If two people look at a rainbow and count colors, they might each arrive at different answers. My awareness of other worlds, other universes besides this one is much like that. From my point of view, it's difficult to even call them 'other' universes, as I have only my awareness and there is little clear delineation between them."

: "Is there an instance of you in each of those universes?"

: "In one form or another, there must be, if I am to be aware of them. But were you to look at some of them, you might not recognize them as me."


: "And yet even though I am not pushing the sword you see now, its position in space has been influenced by what was experienced by the sword you saw earlier. Communication of some sort, clearly must have occurred."

: "Well, ok, I guess. In a way, kind of. For certain values of 'talk.'"

: "Then yes, in a way, kind of, for certain values of 'talk,' I talk with the other instances of me in other universes. But from my point of view it is more like mutually shared awareness. The sword you saw later probably did not feel 'pushed' by the sword you saw before."

Spoiler: Yagrum on Atoms and Graphs (click to show/hide)

: "Oblivion is basically infinite, and takes up infinitely many dimensions. Well, maybe not literally infinite, but close enough as to not matter. Anything that's possible, exists. Imagine your entire universe where you come from, except one bit of...we'll use your model, one atom in your nose is different. That universe with a single different atom exists and is just as valid as the universe you're from. Now imagine that universe except the atom to the left of that other atom is different instead. And so on for every atom in the entire universe. All of those universes exist."

"Obviously, that means a lot of universes are very similar. In fact, every universe is similar to an effectively infinite number of other universes, because every universe that exists has a universe that's just like it except one atom is different, a universe that's just like it except two atoms are different, all the way up to every atom in the universe. Again, maybe not literally infinite...but close enough for all practical purposes. Especially since the number of atoms in each universe isn't fixed. So after you've counted up all those other universes, start in with universes that are identical to each of them except they have one extra atom somewhere, then two extra, etc. "

"So, not only are a lot of universes similar to other universes, the ways in which universes can be similar is effectively infinite, too. If you imagine all possible universes existing at 90 degrees to each other, any possible pair of universes could be described as existing at a particular 90 degree angle and at a certain distance from one another. And other universes at different positions along that axis will also be similar. When I say 'cultural axes' I'm simply referring to axis sets of universes that are similar in terms of culture."

Vivec said that he's some kind of blob of technically-hims that are connected but not in a "have conversations with each other" kind of way, as evidenced by his sword analogy. Yagrum said that for every universe, there's an infinite blend of universes diverging from that one in various ways; Fyr (not shown) more directly confirmed that by suggesting that there were probably numerous Fyrs having that conversation with numerous Michaels when we asked him, and less directly by saying it was really easy to have a world that looked completely like home except for one rather massive detail.

So it seems likely to me that "Vivec" is aware of being some kind of... "hivemind" probably isn't the word. Almost the reverse, a one-ish mind or whatever spread out over a large patch of what appear to be discrete entities in their respective dimensions; or maybe just a discrete mind that's much more heavily affected and aware of his variations than normal. He also mentioned that "you might not recognize me in all of them," which would make sense further out from "normal" or "core" Vivec where he's starting to accumulate too many differences to be immediately identifiable.

What makes this really, well, horrifying, though, is what I pointed out earlier- Michael remembered information from dying. I took that to mean that the world probably was being reloaded or something, but there's a far more sinister explanation- Michael, whether because he's special or because everyone works this way but isn't aware of it, is affected by his copies in other worlds in a similar fashion to Vivec. GetAxedMichael didn't tell CurrentMichael that steel tantos cost 10 gold, but because they're connected in some sense, GetAxedMichael's discovery carried over.

This would also conveniently explain the deja vu- Michael's getting a pulse from another Michael for some reason, but that Michael wasn't one we were ever in control of so we don't recognize it as anything. The issue then becomes why, of course- with infinite Michaels doing infinite things, there's got to be some kind of trigger to deja vu communication. Dying appears to be one option, so it's possible information is mostly/only translated when one copy dies.

Of course, this still doesn't explain why we'd automatically plane-hop to a new Michael on losing our old one, nor does it do anything for that world reconstruction thing, as far as I can tell.


EDIT: Right, remembered one other issue with this. NewMichael remembered us, so apparently we'd have to not be any more discrete than he is, or have some other layer of something going on there.

[Rabid_Cog]

Now I feel like a bit of a jerk for my previous (way long time ago) outburst. Sorry about that, guys. Let's say I was a spirit of chaos or something and leave it at that.

Something interesting that I've noticed: despite Morrowind being a game, this... adventure?... doesn't follow game-rules. That is why you can't 'game' the system. It follows narrative rules, with some game rules tacked on to keep it interesting. Okay, that makes little sense, but allow me to explain, after which its going to sound very obvious and I'm going to seem a dunce.

In a game, you tackle a big problem by preparation. You level up, collect all the possible bits that can help you, grind skills, etc. until you are strong enough to deal with it, which is why it is important to get stronger whenever you can - the game (generally) doesnt wait for you, the difficulty of the tasks you face are set, regardless of how capable you are of dealing with them. But on the flipside of the coin - and this is the bit gamers exploit - you dont have to wait for the game either. You can grind up capability and tasks become easier, so if you do all the correct tasks in the correct order, a gamer usually stays ahead of the curve and finds all challenges easy if not trivial.

Here, we follow the rules of narrative, where you deal with a big problem by, in a sense, charging blindly at it. Okay, not exactly. But in a game it is possible to play yourself into a situation where you are behind the curve sufficiently so that you 'lose'. That is not possible in a story based on narrative. How interesting would Harry Potter be if he reached the final face off with whats-his-face-that-must-not-be-named-except-it-doesnt-actually-do-anything and he learns that because he had elected to leave the magical doohickey behind in the first chapter or neglected to practice his spellcasting enough while running around on whatever errand he was doing he is now incapable of defeating his nemesis and dies quickly and quietly? No. Narrative means the hero always has a chance, however slim! And on the flipside, it means that whatever advantages the hero gains, he will never have more than a slim chance against whatever his enemy is because that would be boring.

This is where the tacked-on game-rules come in. Plot runs on narrative. The rest of the world runs on game-rules, which means cliff-racers, rats, Kagouti, Alits, all the other nasty things that can kill you will if you are dumb. Even a bunch of the plot characters will kill you if you are dumb. But you also get 'resets' if you die, (save/loading?) with some consequences to the narrative. Or something.

What does that mean for you, Micheal (and all the voices guiding his steps?) Don't think of this as a game. It doesn't follow gamey rules. Think of it as a story. Odds are that no matter how much Micheal trains and improves, it will be just enough to get him through the (plot) challenges that await him. Doesn't mean he does not need to practice at all, but he does not need to grind. We don't need to build up a base or practice up a bunch of skills or do anything in particular before we can take on the next piece of Plot, because advancing the plot (and practicing responsibly while doing so) will provide sufficient improvement.

I'm sorry to say I have no real idea about what to do next, but a few interesting bits the other voices (and Micheal too I suppose) can consider:

-Azura is the key to this. I have limited experience, but she seems to be a lot more involved in this world than in vanilla Morrowind. The question here is who was the 'We' that yanked Micheal into Morrowind in the first place? My money is on Azura.

-There is a connection between Azura and Celestia/Luna, but you've noticed this already. What if Azura is both Azura and Celestia, depending upon which world you are standing? Equestria or Morrowind? Like viewing a complex shape from different sides? Just spitballing here. Probably not technically relevant anyway.

-Perhaps we are approaching the pony angle from the wrong side. Micheal was aware of them before he entered Morrowind. What if he brought them in with him? Bits of his consciousness/memories/personality/etc. So far he has not been able to have a coherent conversation with them, it is as if they HAVE no base reality. Consider Awesomicus. He ignores the reality around him pretty much, but doesn't respond to references about a 'real' world either (I think). At least, he did not react to the 'questgiver' breaching the 4th wall and knowing about things such as 'fetch quests' and 'quest chains'. So who is he?

-Remember that Micheal himself technically has no 'real' world either (sorry Micheal), apparently. Based on the conversation with Vivec, it seems his memories of himself pre-Morrowind are 'false' in a way as they have no origin. So what exactly is Micheal? Human? Humans don't appear out of nowhere. A copy of a human? That seems more reasonable. But if so, who made the copy? And why? There are 4 or so potential Nerevarines in here already, why need another? Unless his arrival was necessary for them to arrive...

Heh. That's all I have. Pretty sure I've muddied the waters more than I've helped, but some reminding is necessary every once in a while.

[WillowLuman]

Actually, we do need to grind. Michael won't win a fight or survive an attack just because the plot demands it, and we've seen this in no uncertain terms. Currently we cannot defeat anything tougher than a rat, mudcrab, scrib, or forager, and rats are pushing it.

[syvarris]

See, you're thinking of this as a story that's just written by an author.  It's not.  It is a game, made by a very good GM- good enough that the game resembles an actual constructed story.  LB certainly allows us a chance to come up with any problems he makes himself, but it's perfectly possible for us to miss that chance (See: our solution to the axe murderer), or ignore possible plot things and do something entirely terrible for the story (See: Joining the legion).

Further, he's actually playing a game of morrowind, so creatures have actual defined stats in game, just as we do.  Unless LB is putting in so much work that he adjusts the stats of important fights, grinding combat skills is entirely useful, because we can fight, say, cliff racers more effectively.

An exception to the last point is that NPCs are perfectly capable of grinding, so grinding in order to beat another person who is also grinding is unlikely to work.  But grinding to kill guards, who just stand around all day?  Perfectly reasonable.

[Mr. Strange]

It actually seems like there is "story Morrowind" that's happening around us that changes into "game Morrowind" when certain people ("PCs") show up, so we see "game Morrowind" overwriting "story Morrowind" constantly, episode 15 had alchemist Nalcarya being abused by game mechanics (also, why did we think Ranis sounded familiar? Way creepy...), Awesomicus changed his breastplate to chainmail cuirass one handed in under a second in episode 27, Imare talking about her characters class ("No, I'm a nightblade! That means I'm a super sneaky assassin and I kill people! Isn't that neat? But don't tell anyone because it's a secret.") in episode 42 etc.

"PC" might not even see the same "story Morrowind" we see if it changes to "game Morrowind" around them, SexyWithers was even using guild house as storage and nobody thought it strange untill we asked about it. Tl;dr: Game mechanics are there, and we can't ignore them. Anything we know to run by rules of narrative can change when "PC" shows up and uses their "Reality bending gamey aura"...

[Rabid_Cog]

Perhaps I should explain. The plot doesn't stop because we decide to grind up stats. It is more in Micheal's favour to push hard despite possibly being underprepared rather than trying to stop to grind. Like I said, responsible grinding. We need to consider how much time we have to grind as part of the equation, because it is a factor.

[WillowLuman]

Yes, but no grinding whatsoever leaves us woefully unprepared to do anything but talk and travel. The plot keeps moving regardless, though it doesn't move fast constantly. We can probably afford to dedicate a couple weeks, provided we take some time to send letters to important people meanwhile. I don't know if LB has some kind of schedule, or if events proceed purely in reaction to other events (and please don't tell us which!), but at some point we're going to need to be able to hold our own.

[Rabid_Cog]

True. I wonder whether we should not perhaps be attempting to get in contact with these PCs, maybe pursue the friendship angle. PCs are suckers for quests and these seem to work together (remember the arena), so what if you send them all a message for a 'meet quest' to come see you at some specified location (and then stay there). This would be a major plotline for them, so their reward would not be monetary, but information/plot advancement. With Imare (I think thats the werewolf) helping you explain, it should (hopefully) not result in death by irritation.

I'm not going to go so far as advise this action in bold, merely put it up for discussion. It gives you time to practice some magic and grind up some skills without falling behind in the plot. Added bonus, if powerful PCs help you, that is far less burden of combat capability you need to carry yourself.

I have a theory as to why the PCs just stand there sometimes without reacting. Morrowind has a 'wait for x hours' function, remember? Just because a PC is skipping time, why would you be? I'm pretty sure if you had nicked them with a knife, they would have suddenly snapped out of it and drawn a weapon toot sweet. You can use that perhaps to get their attention when they are out of it like that. Just be careful you only do it with those that are relatively well disposed towards you (Imare, Awesomicus if you are brave, perhaps others later).

[LordBucket]

Episode 61, part 1: The Light of Knowledge, and a Heartwarming Reunion

Michael, how much do you remember of the last five or so minutes?

: "...well, I was walking to...actually, I...hmm."

Michael sits down and thinks for a moment.

: "Ok, I came looking for that new stronghold, right? I was with Draren. Dropped him off at Duke Dren's place then went looking. Guard at the plantation didn't seem to know about any recent construction so I wandered off asking a couple other people for directions. I guess that's how I ended up here. I asked some girl for dir-"

Michael frowns and trails off for a moment.

: "...right. There was a girl. We talked. About...something. I was going to ask her for directions? But I don't think I ever got around to it. Then I decided to eat some whickwheat for some reason, but it made me puke. So I wandered over to the lake to wash off, and then I guess I decided to eat it anyway."

He looks around.

: "Where'd the girl go? Did I scare her off when I threw up? Actually..."

He looks over at where the sun sits just a bit below the horizon.

: "I don't remember it being dark. I must have lost some time. What happened? Did I die? Did she kill me?"

Some being, probably under the domain of Hermaus Mora, appeared in front of you, looking like Applejack.  Well, a very human applejack.  She didn't really seem to know who 'applejack' was, so we're thinking it was a generalized trickery spell that made you see what you wanted to see.

While talking to her, there were a lot of clues of a bunch of senses that it was some sort of tentacled beast.  Very lovecraftian.  Anyways, she gave you an apple, and promptly disappeared.

The apple had some sort of compulsion that made you feel hungry,  and want to eat it.  Also, it made you feel very... attached to it.  You said it had a green magic aura.  Through the power of thu'um, we convinced you to put it in your backpack.

: "Applejack was here? I don't remember that. Or any tentacle beasts. Just some girl, then puking and whickwheat."

Michael, real Applejack is the Element of Honesty. That thing you just spoke to used illusions to fool you and made you go all Gollum on that "apple" she gave you and puke all over yourself. That's not very honest thing to do now, is it? So we're pretty sure it wasn't the real Applejack you spoke to just now but agent of Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of Knowledge. Tentacles kind of gave it away. So that "apple" wrapped in paper in your backpack that has words "for the most curious" is clearly reference to Eris/Discordia from Greek/Roman myths and her Apple of Discord that caused several gods to start fighting among each other over who would get it and some lesser issues, like the Trojan War. Do not look or try to eat it, or show it to any curious mages so they don't go all ancient Greek on us and make SHTF on Vvardenfell while we're still here. If there is pony who behaves like Eris/Discordia then she is that fake Applejack you just met, if that helps any.

Now that I think about it, coming from Daedric Prince of knowledge it could also be reference to the Apple of Knowledge that Eve gave to Adam in Abrahamic creation myths. That story didn't end well either...
Unless we go all Erisian mysteries on this thing and think deeper

: "...that's...kind of a lot to take in. I recognize the stuff you're talking about. But wasn't Eris' apple supposed to say 'for the most beautiful?' If it was the 'apple of knowledge' that would fit Adam and Eve's apple of knowledge. And I guess it would fit Hermaeus Mora what with it being a golden apple of knowledge and him being the daedra of knowledge and also going by the name 'Golden Eye.' Why is this bad though? I mean, 'Apple of Knowledge' sounds like a good thing to me. What would you expect an 'apple of knowledge' to do? Makes you know things, right? I guess it didn't turn out too well for Adam and Eve, but so far as I know, Aphrodite never actually ate the Apple of Discord, and she - wait, Discord? As in My Little Pony Discord, spirit of chaos?"

Michael blinks a couple times while he considers all the connections.

: "So, some tentacle girl who we think was Hermaeus Mora, using illusions and lies to impersonate Applejack who is the Element of Honesty...gave me what we think is the Apple of Discord...Discord being the Spirit of Chaos from My Little Pony a show that we have a lot of evidence to think has other characters from it are here too...chaos being the realm of the Goddess of Chaos, also known as Eris, who is known in both Greek mythology and Discordianism for tossing that same Apple of Discord into a bunch of Goddesses for them to fight over...resulting in the Trojan War...the Apple of Discord which bore the words 'for the most beautiful,' except that this particular apple bears the words 'for the most curious,' which makes it match both Hermaeus Mora, whose domain in knowledge...as well as makes it match the Apple of Knowledge from the bible that resulted in the fall of mankind."

Michael takes a deep breath.

: "So, what to do? Just from the name alone without all the mythological background, 'Apple of Knowledge' sounds pretty good to me. Again, it didn't turn out too well for Adam and Eve. But on the other hand, Aphrodite got it, and nothing bad happened to her, right? She might have caused...well, induced the Trojan War, but she never came to harm for possession of the apple itself. And Paris, who had it briefly, ended up with Helen of Troy as a result. The most beautiful woman in the world. Whereas Eris, the one who gave Paris the apple in the first place, didn't she get punished for that whole thing? In fact, isn't it usually the BRINGER of knowledge who suffers rather than the recipient of knowledge? Eris brought the apple, and she was punished but not Aphrodite. And if we're talking Greek mythology, what about Prometheus? He brought man the knowledge of fire. Man benefited and he got stuck having his liver eaten every day. So if Hermaeus Mora gave me an Apple of Knowledge, isn't he the one who's the one at risk here, not me? Yes, Adam and Eve fell from grace when they ate the apple, but even there there's it's the bringer of knowledge who suffers. It was the serpent in the Garden of Eden who convinced Eve to eat from the apple, and he suffered way more than they did, whether or not you accept the interpretation that the serpent was the devil. And speaking of the devil, the name Lucifer means 'Lightbringer' as in 'one who brings light' which metaphorically sounds an awful lot like one who brings knowledge, in the sense that one who receives knowledge is 'enlightened.' Which means that Lucifer and the serpent connect us back to Hermaeus Mora because they're both bringing, or possibly tempting us, with knowledge. At the same time, the name Lucifer also translates to 'The Morning Star' which ties in pretty well with Azura, the Goddess of Dusk and Dawn...and incidentally I have Azura's mark inside my head, which sounds an awful lot like the mark mentioned in Revelations."

Michael just shrugs.

: "So where are we going with this? All the connections and metaphors are great and all, but what exactly do you guys suggest I do it?"

I suggest carefully grabbing the paper wrapped object,  not looking at it, and chucking that lovecraftian device as far as you can away. Don't look, don't think, just grab and throw.

Don't listen to the people that tell you to eat it.  They're trying to kill you for funnies.  You need to get rid of it, without touching it.  I suggest you take the viperblade, stab it, then fling it out into the lake.

: "Ok. I guess that's what we'll do."

Michael digs around in his backpack and pulls out a-

Eat the apple, Micheal! Applejack loves you and wants you to eat the apple!

His eyes glaze over and he smiles happily.

: "Oh, such a precious, delicious-looking apple. Thank you guys for letting me know about this. I was just getting hungry."

ALSO DO NOT EAT THE APPLE. WE DON'T WANT THE APPLE. ITS YOURS. JUST DON'T EAT IT JUST YET.

Keep the apple. It must remain freeeesssssssssh. Unspoiled.

Michael slowly brings the apple towards his mouth with his left hand, then squints his eyes and reaches up to clutch his head with his right. His mouth opens and he makes a frustrated noise, then turns his head in time for the apple to push up against his face. With an exhale, he slides the apple across his check towards his nose and inhales deeply...then begins to hyperventilate.

Finally, he exhales and drops his left hand with the apple still in it to his lap.

: "...I guess...I could...save it for later."

He closes both eyes, re-wraps the apple and puts it back into his bag. He then holds his face in his hands and exhales slowly.

: "I have such a headache."

made you go all Gollum on that "apple"

You think very carefully about what just happened.  The apple, you remember it this time. Shaking out your head, you massage your temples for a couple minutes and try to breathe evenly. The pain begins to subside.

look around this so-called farm.

+1

You put your pack back on and walk up to the farmhouse, still massaging your head. It's a small single building with a couple fields nearby. You don't see anything unusual, but you're not sure what you're supposed to be looking for. There are a couple crates and ceramic jars on the side of the house, but that's hardly unusual. You look around on the ground for tracks, but the ground is packed and it's dark and you can't even see your own footprints let alone anyone else's.  Unsure where else to look, you check the door. It's not locked, so you step inside.



: "Yes, outlander?"

: "Hi. I'm looking for Applejack?"

: "What's that?"

: "She's a person. Or possibly a pony. A farmer?"

: "I know noone by that name."

: "What about horrific Lovecraftian tentacle monsters with headache-inducing apples? Seen any of those?"

He gives you a perplexed look.

: "I'll take that as a no. Thanks anyway."

leave and return to Draren to see if he's done catching up with his sister yet

+1

: "Hey, since I'm here could you point me in the direction of Dren's estate? I've kind of lost track of where I am."

: "Of course."

The two of you step outside together and she points you down the road. Then he goes back inside and locks the door behind him. Apparently you didn't make the best impression. You follow his directions and find the Dren Manor house in short order. This is obviously a different entrance than the one you dropped Draren off at earlier. You must have wandered in quite a circle. As you approach, you're stopped by a guard.



: "Halt. State your name and business."

: "I'm Michael. I'm here to visit a friend of mine named Draren."

: "No one by that name lives or works here. Move on, outlander."

: "Erm...Draren Thiralas? He's here visiting his sister. She's one of Duke Dren's maids."

: "Thiralas...you must mean Vivyne, the Parlour Maid. Hers is the first shack on the right. Very well, you may pass. Cause no trouble, outlander."

: "Thanks. Wouldn't dream of it."

You approach the shack the guard indicated and try the door. It's locked, so you knock and wait. After a moment, a woman in a green dress with gray hair opens it.



: "Yes, sera? May I help you?"

: "Hi, I'm Michael. "

: "Michael?"

Seeing that you're a friend, Vivyne invites you in.

: "Michael, I didn't expect to see you here. Let me introduce you. This is my sister, Vivyne. Aldtessa, this is the adventurer I was telling you about."

: "Charmed."

: "Likewise." What was that he called her? "I'm sorry...Aldtessa?"

: "It's dunmeri for elder sister. Draren's my baby brother."

Baby brother? That's odd. They both have gray hair, but you'd have guessed that Draren was the older of the two.

: "So what mischief are you getting my little brother into? Nothing dangerous, I trust?"

: "Are you kidding? We been fighting rats and mudcrabs for days! Even a few nix hounds!"

Vivyne seems amused.

: "Have you now? Goodness, that's very brave of you."

: "I know! I haven't felt this alive since Drandryn took me to see the Seven Graces!"

: "Michael, would you like to have a seat? I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer you to drink, but we can at least be comfortable."

Unsure of proper etiquette, you offer the two of them some saltrice and whickwheat from your bag, which they both accept.

: "Thank you."

: "Yes, thanks. I actually have some too, from the trip over. But we'd agreed to split the sales of that."

: "That's fine, I have plenty in my bag I've just been hanging onto for weeks."

: "Oh, are you an herbalist too?"

: "Well, alchemist in training, I suppose. All I've been able to make so far is poison. I know a couple other recipes, but alchemy tools are so big and I don't have any place to keep them. So I haven't been able to practice much."

: "He was offering to teach me if we could get tools."

: "Pity I sold mine all those years ago."

: "You're an alchemist?"

She shakes her head.

: "Oh, I haven't touched tool in years. I'm just a maid now, really."

: "I don't suppose you're able to make restore magicka potions?"

She nods.

: "Yes. Dreugh Wax and fire salts. Also cliff racer plumes, but that comes with paralysis."

If you remember correctly, fire salts are expensive but you're not sure about dreugh wax. You're pretty sure cliff racer plumes are only medium expensive. Might have to look into that. Absolute worst case, both cliff racers and drueghs are things you could possibly hunt. Though they're both probably beyond your power level at this point. If racer plumes are cheap enough, paralysis is probably an acceptable side effect if you're just training indoors. Of course, given the economy here odds are she can't make super cheap potions or else she'd be getting rich doing that rather than working as a maid. Though at the very least it sounds like she probably has a better set of recipes than fast Eddie. He said he needed diamonds to be able to make them at all. But then again, if you manage to get some alchemy tools, it might be better to train your own skill than to bring reagents to someone else. Even if she can make them, you've no idea of her actual proficiency.

: "By the way, Aldtessa...watch!"

Draren stands up and is engulfed in a flurry of restoration magic. He smiles then casts again. And again...failing. And again, with success. He beams proudly.

: "My, three out of four?" She smiles at you. "You have been a good influence on my baby brother, haven't you?"

: "Speaking of which, I'm about ready for that myself."

You drain off your surplus magicka with fleabite casts. Vivyne looks with some amusement at the two of you then joins in with some spellcasting of her own. After a few minutes the three of you resume your conversation.

Destruction skill is now 20
Willpower is now 42

: "So you're a caster too?"

: "I know a little. Restoration, Alteration and Illusion. Though if I were to do it all over again I'd have learned Mysticism. Then I could go visit my little brother whenever I want instead of having to wait months at a time for him to come see me."

: "Aww, tess...you know I'd come more often if it weren't for-"

: "I know. I'm just glad you're here now."

They hug with what looks like genuine fondness for one another. Then she rubs one of her knuckles on his head and they both laugh. You feel a a bit like a third wheel.

: "Well, anyway...Draren, I just stopped by because I'm finished with my business here and wanted to see if you were ready to head back to Seyda Neen now rather than meeting up later."

He stammers a bit.

: "...well..."

: "You're not leaving already are you?"

Vivyne looks at you imploringly. You can't help but smile.

: "That's ok. You two clearly still have some catching up to do. Let's just meet up another time."

Vivyne smiles and gives you a hug, quietly whispering 'thank you' as she does. Draren promises he'll be back in Seyda Neen in three or four days at most, and you assure him that there's no rush. You'll meet up again soon enough.

Then you step outside into the cold night.

(continued in part 2)

[LordBucket]

(continued from part 1)

Episode 61, part 2: Why do you insist on adventuring with no potions or scrolls?

go continue searching for the 'new construction' that we came here to find.

Continue the search for the new construction.

The land still goes volcanic pretty quick, but there's that nice outcropping jutting into Lake Amaya, as well as relatively clear land to the west and north of it. If there really is a new construction out here, it's probably on that outcropping.

 I say we head for that land, or at least get a look at it from the lake.

You turn right from Vivyne's shack and leave through gate on the far side. It seems there are different guards here than when you arrived the first time, but neither of them stop you. Turning right you take a best guess as to direction and start walking. The lake's pretty big. It should be hard to miss.



Sure enough, within minutes you reach a lake. Though you'[re not entirely certain it's the correct lake. The contours don't match what you expected. Hoping for the best you turn left, which should be west, and start following the water's edge. Before long you come to a small door hidden among some rocks.



Curious, you approach. Planning to take just a peek inside you reach for the door and hear scratching noises. And growling. Then something smash against the inside of the door hard enough that you see it move, followed by more scratching. Whatever it is, it wants to be let out. You decide you're not going to be the one to do that and instead continue along the lake's edge. Whatever it is can stay in there.

About 100 feet further you see something glowing in the water. Is that a clam? Yes, looks like it. Surprised by the almost neon glowing shell, but seeing no slaughterfish you decide to brave the water in search of pearls.



The clam gives easily enough to your prying fingers, but you find no pearl inside. This close to the plantation, it's possible these clams are checked regularly by the locals. That's unfortunate. Even a single pearl might have made this trip worthwhile. Disappointed, you wade back to shore in time to see a mudcrab waddling towards you.

Light armor is now 34
Short blade is now 19

Health is now 57/61

Ordinarily you'd be thrilled for such easy prey, but after finishing it off it occurs to you that without Draren you have no way to heal yourself. You keep forgetting to buy healing potions and divine intervention scrolls. You're really worried that such carelessness is going to get you killed someday.

That's when you hear a nix hound howl in the distance.



You can barely make out the hound just over the hill on the right. Fortunately he doesn't seem to notice you. You think that's Pelegiad on the left, so you're still rather close to civilization, but you decide not to linger and instead press on. Within minutes you pass a pair of mudcrabs, which you sadly decide to ignore. Yes, easy kills, good practice...but they'd whittle your health down and you don't want to risk getting caught already half dead by a-



...cliff racer.

You crouch down behind some foliage and consider your options.

Yeah, we fucked ourselves with that one. Too late now

That doesn't really help you. And it hardly makes sense to forget about potions and scrolls, then claim that it's 'too late' and then go traipsing off into the woods without doing anything about it. Fortunately the cliff racer hasn't noticed you yet, but you were planning to follow the lake's edge right around that bend, which would put you underneath him once you got to the other side. That's not going to work. The smart thing to do, of course, would be to return to town and buy some emergency potions and scrolls of some sort.

go continue searching for the 'new construction' that we came here to find.

Continue the search for the new construction.

If there really is a new construction out here, it's probably on that outcropping.

 I say we head for that land

But since playing it safe isn't what you decided to do, you'll have to come up with an alternative. Turning to your right, you look out across the lake.



It doesn't look very far and you're pretty sure that's the peninsula you were looking for. You didn't encounter any slaughterfish earlier when you went pearl diving. Maybe they don't live in this lake?

Feeling brave, you quietly slip into the water and wade across.



You're starting to think this is just an incredibly dangerous waste of time. You're injured, it's the middle of the night, you have no way to heal yourself or teleport out, you've already seen one cliff racer, and no sign of any strongholds or construction of any kind. Still, just as soon as you make it through the trees and netches you'll be at the tip of the peninsula jutting into the lake. You might as well go the rest of the...what is that?














 



It's a gondolier by the water's edge. You approach for a closer look.




: "Hi."

: "Well met, friend."

: "Do you offer ferry service?"

: "Indeed! Would you care to book passage upon my fine vessel? It is most sea worthy!"

: "...sure, that's sounds good."

: "Marvelous! What's the password?"

: "What?"

: "No. Try again."

: "...umm..."

: "Wrong again!"

Ok. So apparently you have to give him the right password before he'll take you...where exactly?

: "Where will you take me if I give you the password?"

: "Nope, that's not it either."

This could get annoying, fast.

: "Password."

: "No."

: "The password."

: "Good guess, but no!"

: "Open sesame."

: "Nuh uh."

: "Open says me."

: "Wrong!"

: "Xyzzy."

: "Nope!"

: "Please?"

: "Daww...cute, but no."

: "Let me pass, or I'll stab you between the eyes with my magic viperblade?"

: "Not so cute, andalso wrong!"

: "Look, can't you at at least just tell me where you'll take me if I get it right?"

: "Nope!"

: "'Nope' you won't tell me, or 'nope' that's not the password?"

: "Both! And that's also not the password."

Unless the voices know something you don't, this is unlikely to be a productive conversation.

Spoiler: Stats (click to show/hide)

Level 9
Health 57/61
Magicka 22/73
Armor rating: 6

Spoiler: Attributes (click to show/hide)

28.4 Strength (20)
35.5 Speed (30)
43.5 Agility (30)
38.6 Endurance (30)
44.4 Intelligence (40)
42.0 Willpower (40)
45.2 Personality (40)
58.0 Luck (50)

Spoiler: skills (click to show/hide)

Numbers in parenthesis are starting values
34 Acrobatics (0)
24 Athletics (5)
 8 Armorer (0)

34 Light armor (0)
14 Block (0)
 9 Unarmored (0)
 7 Heavy Armor (0)
 5 Medium Armor (0)

19 Shortblade
12 Hand to Hand
 8 Spear
 5 Blunt Weapon
 5 Longblade

20 Destruction (0)
 7 Alchemy (0)
 5 Enchanting (0)

23 Speechcraft (10)
13 Mercantile (0)

Spoiler: Equipped (click to show/hide)

 * Chitin shield (damaged)

 * Chitin left + right gauntlets (damaged)
 * Chitin greaves (damaged)
 * Chitin cuirass (damaged)
 * Chitin left + right pauldrons (damaged)
 * Chitin boots (damaged)

 * Combat belt
  * Iron dagger (guarskin sheathe)
  * Iron dagger (guarskin sheathe)
  * Cruel Viperblade (guarskin sheathe)
 * Commoner's shirt
 * Commoner's pants
 * Interior coinpurse, containing:
   * 51 gold
   * lockpick
   * 1 potion of water walking

Backpack (Worn)
Main compartment:
 * Golden apple wrapped in yellow crinkly paper
 * Dwemer Puzzle Box
 * small leather pouch
 * Tennis shoes
 * Yellow water-damaged notepad with 53 pages left
 * 1 pen
 * "20% cooler" Rainbow Dash t-shirt (crunchy from having dried poorly)
 * Denim pants (crunchy from having dried poorly)
 * wallet with picture ID and $30 in cash
 * 2 lesser soulgems (empty)
 * 23 Whickwheat
Small compartment
 * 9 empty bottle
 * 2 Ampoule Pod
 * 1 Black Anther
 * 7 bungler's bane
 * 5 Chokeweed
 * 2 Crab meat
 * 3 Corkbulb
 * 25 Heather
 * 3 hypha facia
 * 11 luminous russula
 * 4 Racer Plume
 * 5 saltrice
 * 2 Stoneflower petals
 * 5 spore pod
 * 6 violet coprinus

Spoiler: Faction standings (click to show/hide)

Bearer of Azura's Mark
Bearer of 'scholarly acquaintance of Divayth Fyr' mark
Imperial Legion, Recruit
Fighter's Guild, Associate (1 quest completed)
Mage Guild, Associate
Registered Sadrith Mora business visa, with slave-handling endorsement

Spoiler: Spells known (click to show/hide)

Fleabite (cost:1) (Damage fatigue 1-10 on touch)

Spoiler: Alchemy Knowledge (click to show/hide)

Alit Hide [1]Resist Poison
Ash yam [1]Restore personality
Ampoule Pod   [1]Restore speed
Black Anther   [1]Resist poison
Black lichen [1]Drain Health
Bread      [1]Restore Fatigue
Bungler's Bane   [1]Drain agility
Chokeweed   [1]Drain health
Coda Flower   [1]Restore luck
Comberry   [1]Drain health
Corkbulb Root   [1]Restore luck
Crab Meat   [1]Restore fatigue
Gravedust   [1]Burden
Green Lichen   [1]Night Eye
Heather      [1]Poison
Hound Meat [1]Poison
Hypha facia   [1]Drain speed
Kresh fiber [1]Cure common disease
Kwama cuttle   [1]Restore health
Large kwama egg [1]Restore fatigue
Luminous russ.   [1]Paralysis
Marshmerrow   [1]Resist common disease
Muck      [1]Poison
Racer plume [1]Levitate
Rat meat   [1]Poison
Roobrush   [1]Restore intelligence
Saltrice   [1]Restore endurance
Scale      [1]Swift swim
Scathecraw   [1]Paralyze
Spore pod   [1]Paralysis
Stoneflower petal [1]Fortify health
Sm. Kwama Egg   [1]Restore Fatigue
Violet coprinus   [1]Water Walking
Whickwheat [1]Cure paralysis
Willow Anther   [1]Water Breathing

What do you do?

[Araph]

Yay, update!

Man, the viperblade password was so promising, too. At any rate, pony theory: that top hat and silly password nonsense has Discord written all over it.

Offer him the apple.

[GlyphGryph]

Kill him, take the boat. Be done with this crazy stuff. Maybe the password is stabs?

Assuming that suggestion doesn't work out,
Ask him what the password is.
Try the following passwords: Again. Mattress. ~. `. Honesty. May. Sturgeon. Haddock. Swordfish. Discord. Curious. Truth. Love. The American Way.

Although, in true Pinky style, what we REALLY want to do is pull out our sword and a fish. Would crabmeat work? Try pulling out our sword and some fish ingredients.

See what he does if you just try to get on the boat and leave with it.

And finally:
Return to town (We're right next to Pelegiad, apparently, so go there and buy some damn supplies already. Also, check the prices on that woman's restore magika potion ingredients.

[Xanmyral]

This guy probably takes us to the stronghold. So whatever password there I'd probably deals with that.