"Ahead of schedule! Brilliant!"
Marcius turns to his would-be accomplice, indicating the slaves.
"Tanisie, what do you say about that?"
Distract Tanisie by pointing to the slaves, then stab her repeatedly (to disable, optionally) while proclaiming a Leyawiin Khajiit revolutionary slogan.
"Q'zi no vano thzina ualizz!"
[6]
Tanisie is so surprised at being stabbed that she passes out from shock, bleeding on the floor. Fargoth lets out a girlish scream. The malnourished slaves look quite surprised as well, though the khajiit apparently named Baadargo says "Oh great, a crazed anarchist..."
HB - Today at 9:30 AM
"Haha! You know the Krin, do you? Glad to see you had the stones to free yourself before I had to step in. Name's Caius Polonius."
Hugo Luman - Today at 9:31 AM
[4]
"Who but swaddled kittens in High Rock has not heard of such madcats? But why would an Imperial screaming such skooma-trash be here?"
Fargoth stammers. "Th-they l-looked so sad... um.. s-so I gave them the key..." He looks nervously between you and Tanisie
HB - Today at 9:34 AM
"Nice work, Fargoth."
"As for my own presence here, I happened here quite by accident! But it's been turning out very well so far."
"Speaking of, help me pack up the loot. We'll need to head to Balmora before long."
I go and relieve Tanisie of any valuables and then shuffle her corpse into the water.
Hugo Luman - Today at 9:43 AM
She doesn't have much on her: a couple gold, a cheap lockpick, and a chitin dagger. You also take those odd leather boots, and roll her bleeding, unconscious body into the water at the cave's bottom.
"Baadargo was going to eat her. But he overhears much, and knows there is little time."
[5]
The former slaves insist on coming with and getting a cut of the loot. You figure you can negotiate later, but for now their help is rather useful. While the row boat is small, you can fit two fairly stuffed barrels upon it in addition to the 5 people of this impromptu entourage
However, the question now is whether or not to bring the skooma: while worth a lot for its small size and weight, it would also prove quite inconvenient to be discovered transporting
HB - Today at 9:46 AM
While I have heard that Khajiit merchants will buy skooma off you if you say the right words first, I'm fairly sure that's just a racist stereotype. I'll stash it here and out of sight of where it's normally kept, and then get well away from Seyda Neen. The goal would be to reach Balmora by dawn, going up the Odai River if possible.
With Fargoth and the three slaves helping that shouldn't be much trouble now.
I'd get to know the slaves and their tragic stories in the process, maybe catch an hour or so of sleep on the way. Never slept much. Ideas always keep me awake.
Hugo Luman - Today at 9:53 AM
[3] The former slaves have little conception of the lay of the land, having apparently been abducted from Ebonheart shortly after their arrival. Fargoth, on the other hand at least knows the Odai river is to the West, going back around past Seyda Neen and continuing for quite a ways. However, that would mean going past the local HQ of Cencus and Excise, where ships of the Imperial Coast Guard are berthed.
One of the Argonians suggests going to Vivec instead, where apparently there is something called "Twin Lamps." Then again, the local law is probably still rather distracted by your stunt on land to be looking out to sea...
(Probably the last decision before we can fast-forward)
HB - Today at 9:56 AM
Vivec is more convenient, but I apparently have a man in Balmora and you can never underestimate the power of having a man already waiting for you in town. We'll need to move quickly and quietly, and if the Coast Guard comes my way I have technically cleared this with the man over in the Census and Excise office. Perhaps the Argonians can help speed our way by swimming behind the boat, or going overboard with some of the loot.
That's in case of any trouble, that is.
Other than that, be bold, be brave and make sure everyone gets through this!
With the boat all loaded up outside the cave, you and your erstwhile crew launch from the little creek jetty. For safety you light no lamps or torches, though the night is cloudy and pitch black, but Badaargo takes the steering role with his Eye of Night. You actually pass right under a Silt Strider wading over to the overhead dock as you come out of the jetty, but your presence goes thankfully unnoticed. Seyda Neen looks to be entirely dark and quiet now, except for a few torches moving about on the docks and lights in the windows of the C&E offices. Before long you've rounded the horn with the lighthouse and are rowing merrily (though silently) Westward along the edge of the bayou. It's quiet, aside from the buzzing of the swamp and the sounds of gharials and slaughterfish occasionally surfacing. You occasionally see the puny lights of a few skiffs out night-fishing, but otherwise seem to be alone for miles. However, it's not until at least an hour away from town that anyone dares speak.
It's a long, long, long, exhausting journey. Fatigue potions and a measure of Dunmeri brew taken from the loot help keep people's strengths up as you exchange shifts rowing. The slaves are a bit cagey with their overall stories, but tell you of their time in Vvardenfell. They were crew on various ships stopping in Ebonheart around the same time, around 3 to 4 months ago, and one by one were sapped from behind on the streets and woke up together in captivity. They remember being taken from cave to cave, bound and blindfolded, until their captors managed to get ahold of those Telvanni slave bracers that hinder one's will and ability to resist. They'd been in that cave for many weeks as their captors tried and failed to find a way to get them safely to market, and had little to eat aside from slaughterfish skins and the skeevers that occasionally found their way inside the enclosure. To that end, Banalz, one of the argonians, seems to have brought a fishing rod with her from the cave, and leaves it trailing in the wake of the boat. Not the best technique, but probably the best available. Before her turn to row again, she actually catches a small fish of some kind, which she eats whole and raw. And by herself, much to the chagrin of the other two.
When Baadargo announces that you've finally reached the mouth of a big river, you take the opportunity to sleep for a bit, resting and meditating upon what you've learned.
Level 2 achieved. The haul up the river is longer still, and far more silent than the swamp, but there seems to be more traffic here than on the coast, even in these wee hours. As the sun begins to rise, you find your little boat amidst rising mountains, and see the city ahead straddling the river on the valley floor.
Day 2 begins!I'll get actions from everybody and commence the next turn
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Topic: Roll to Morrowind (6/4) - Balmora: Is that the Main Quest calling? (Read 37390 times)