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thedemocraticallyelectedovahkiin · 1 year

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Exploring Skyrim

I started this journey by first grabbing the mammoth tusk from the top of a cupboard in our homestead to take to Whiterun, the start point, in order to give it to Ysolda. I also dealt with Mikael for Carlotta and met Sam Guenvere. I also realised that I would no doubt be entering some very tricky dungeons and decided to get Uthgerd the Unbroken as a follower. I realize I should have done a poll for this but I will do one after whether to keep her or not. After this I headed north where I discovered and cleared Halted Stream Camp but most importantly it was here that 'A new hand touch's the beacon'. I then discovered Volunruud and by reading Heddic's Volunruud Notes I started Silenced Tongues. This was a tricky dungen considering I had no armour so I used Uthgerd to tank and do most of the damage while I sneak attacked, retreated and then snuck back. Defeating Kvenel was incredibly hard as he could one/two shot kill me, so I resorted to instructing Uthgerd to attack while holding back and waiting when she's down to reset her health before entering the fight when Kvenel's health was low enough I could help. I then carried on north and found the Lord Stone and Dimhollow crypt, which will be useful for the Dawnguard questline. Carrying on I discovered Frostmere Crypt where I was approached by Eisa Blackthorn and started the quest The Pale Lady. The quest was simple and the dungeon only had a few bandits that were easily dealt with. The pale lady herself was trickier and I had to replace the sword a few times in order to wait to replenish my health but between Uthgerd and I she was able to be taken down. Carrying on north I hit the destroyed Hall of the Vigilants which I looted for any new gear. I then went west towards Morthal and found Kjenstal Ruins before hitting Myrwatch. I completed the quest there and now we have a second player home. Although I had to use flames to unlock it but as that is a quest requirement I don't think you'll mind. I then went to Morthal itself before heading north towards Solitude where I discovered Morvath's Lair (useful for the Morthal vampire quest) then Folgunthur where I got the second Gauldur amulet fragment as well as the Gauldur Blackblade. Once Mikrul Gauldurson was defeated (easier than Kvenel I found) I carried on north where I discovered the East Empire Company Warehouse, Katla's Farm, Solitude Sawmill before heading south and finding Meeko's Shack. Next up Was Dead Man's Respite where I was lead by Svaknir's ghost through the dungeon until I came upon his corpse with the copy of King Olaf's verse before being taken to fight King Olaf. The resting dragur I dealt with by sneak attacking them before they woke up. When it came to King Olaf himself I let Svaknir deal most of the damage while doing sneak attacks from behind. I then set off towards the homestead where I discovered Crabber's Shanty, Orotheim, Swindler's Den and Broken Fang Cave. Orotheim was simply a bandit cave same as Swindler's Den where I contracted Rattles. Broken Fang Cave was differant in that it had Vampires but Uthgerd was more than able to keep them distracted while I attacked from behind. All then that was left was returning home with my new loot.

Quests:

quest lines active: Before the Storm (main), Dampened Spirits (thieves guild), Good Intentions (college of winterhold), Mourning Never Comes (dark brotherhood)

quests started: The Grey Cowl of Nocturnal, A Soul Divided, The Rising Dead, Forbidden Legend, Guest for Dinner, Hendraheim, No Stone Unturned, Dawnguard, The Break of Dawn

mic quests: learn more about the thieves guild from Delvin and Vex, return the queen bee statue to Delvin, join the Imperial legion, join the Stomcloaks, Talk to the companion leaders for work, speak to the Jarl of Falkreath, speak to Constance Michel about adoption, participate in a drinking contest with Sam Guenvere

Places Discovered:

Halted Stream Camp

Volunruud

the Lord Stone

Dimhollow Crypt

Frostmere Crypt

Hall of the Vigilant

Kjenstal Ruins

Myrwatch

Morthal

Movarth's Lair

Folgunthur

East Empire Company Warehouse

Katla's Farm

Solitude Sawmill

Meeko's Shack

Dead Men's Respite

Crabber's Shanty

Orotheim

Swindler's Den

Broken Fang Cave

Enchantment's learned:

Fortify Smithing

Frost Damage

Fortify Conjuring

Shock Damage

Spells learned:

Transmute mineral ore (alteration)

Shouts learned:

Life, Aura Whisper

Flesh, Ice Form

Frost. Frost Breath

Whirlwind, Whirlwind Sprint

Apparel:

Head: Silver helmet, Thieves guild hood (prices are 10%better), Shrouded cowl (with and without mask) (bows do 20% more damage), Leather Scout helmet, Fine hat, Shrouded hood (sneaking is 25% better)

Body: Dwarven armour of conjuring (Conjuration spells cost 15% less to cast), Steel armour, Thieves guild armor (carrying capacity increased by 20 points), Shrouded armor (Increases Poison Resistance by 50%), Scaled armour, Fine clothes, Shrouded robes (destruction costs 15% less to cast)

Hands: Steel Plate gauntlets, Thieves guild gloves (lockpicking is 15% easier), Shrouded gloves (backstab does double damage), Scaled bracers, Gloves, Shrouded hand wraps (Double sneak attack damage with one-handed weapons)

Feet: Dwarven boots of waning fire (Increases fire resistance by 30%), Steel soldier boots, Thieves guild boots (pickpocket success is 15% better), Shrouded boots (Wearer is muffled and moves silently) , Scaled boots, Boots, Shrouded shoes (Wearer is muffled and moves silently)

Shields: Dwarven, Elven

Jewellery: Amulet of Arkay (Increases health by 10 points), Amulet of Dibella (+15 Speechcraft), Amulet or Stendarr (Block 10% more withyur shield), Saarthal amulet (Spells cost 3% less to cast), Gauldur amulet fragment (Increases magicka by 30 points), Gauldur amulet fragment (Increases health by 30 points), enchanted ring (Increases health by 20 points)

Weapons:

Orcish bow

Orcish battleaxe

Dwarven greatsword

Elven warhammer

Ebony war axe

Orcish mace of winnowing (absorb 20 points of magicka)

Eduj (Target takes 10 points of frost damage to Health and Stamina)

Dragon Priest dagger

Staffs:

Staff of Jyrik Gauldurson(Target takes 25 points of damage, and twice as much Magicka damage)

Staff of Magelight(Ball of light that lasts 60 seconds and sticks where it strikes)

Goblin totem staff (Lightning bolt that does 40 points of shock damage to healt and half to magicka, then leaps to a new target)

Staff of Sparks (Lightning that does 8 points of shock damage to health and magicka per second)

Steel staff of War (Elemental damage that does 4 points per second to health, magicka and stamina. Targets on fire take extra damage)

Staff of the Familiar (Summons a familiar for 60 seconds whereber the caster id pointing)

Wooden Staff of Shaming (Creatures and people up to level 8 flee from combat for 60 seconds)

Scrolls:

Scroll of Firestorm x2 (A 75 point fiery explosion centered on the caster. Does more damage to closer targets)

Scroll of Blizzard (Targets take 20 points of frost damage for 10 seconds, plus Stamina damage)

Scroll of Dread Zombie (Reanimate a weak dead body to fight for you for 60 seconds)

Scroll of Ice Spike (A spike of ice that does 15 points of frost damage to health and stamina)

Scroll of Circle of Protection (Undead up to level 8 entering the circle will flee)

Scroll of Ice Storm (A freezing whirlwind that does 50 points of frost damage per second to health and stamina)

When polling please be aware two handed weapons will be included in the right hand poll while staffs and shields are in the left.

#skyrim poll playthrough #skyrim #skyrim playthrough #not a poll #skyrim character #exploring skyrim

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nuwanders · 1 year

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4, 5, 6!

4. What detail in [K&L] are you really proud of?

i'm really proud of how my timelines worked out! writing three different questlines, taking into account locations, travel times, changing seasons, the spread of information, and readability on the reader's end -- whilst also making sure the various storylines intersected at the right places -- was a challenge and a half lol. in particular i'm pleased with the last few chapters. raydrin and jorunn bump into amaund motierre at the Thalmor party, (though they are unaware of his significance ofc); a week or so later, amaund meets with mathyas in volunruud; and then a few weeks later, mathyas and R&J meet in the riften sewers, where they are looking for delvin mallory and esbern, respectively. getting that to work was IMMENSELY satisfying!

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [K&L]? Answer it now!

this is hard, most of the questions i wish people would ask can't be answered without spoiling things 🥴

6. What’s one fact about the universe of [K&L] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

a cool coincidence that cropped up during planning is that the day cicero arrives in the sanctuary with the night mother (13th Frostfall, chapter 15) is Mephala's summoning day / the Witches' Festival. I remember really wanting to mention it, given that it neatly foreshadowed Mathyas' grappling with the question of whether the Night Mother is really Mephala, but I couldn't find a way of doing so that wasn't super clumsy :((

#vedam #ask #thank you beloved! 🫶

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rakimaiirisa · 3 years

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#skyrim #skyrim rambles #scenery #skyrim scenery #volunruud

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mazurga · 5 years

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Looking down into Volunruud

#skyrim #gif #volunruud #The Elder Scrolls #ifttt

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lorkhandreaming · 2 years

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hi i have a message for all the afab draugr with beards, here it is: 💖💗💖💗💗💕💗💖💖💗💗💕💕💖💕💗💖💗💗💗💖💕💗💕💕💗💖💖💖💕💕💕💕💕💕💖💗💖!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank u for listening💖

#skyrim #[tes]#I finally found one again today :) in volunruud #ok to rb if u feel like it

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slime-crafters · 2 years

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One thing I never expected about rieklings was the uncanny ability to just. show up. whenever.

#skyrim #tes v #video games #gaming #bro. how did you get to volunruud from solstheim. how.

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wyvernage · 6 years

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happy birthday to my mutual with the most valid icon imaginable!!!!

LHSÑDUFGLKJSHDHHF S THANK YOU IM HONORED!!!!!!!

#<3<3<3<3<3<3 #volunruuds

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elder-scrolls-fallout-anecdotes · 3 years

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I recall delving into the Dark Brotherhood for the first time and getting confused in Volunruud when I tried to find Amaund Motierre. I accidentally went into the crypt and ended up butchering, like, twenty Draugr just outside his chamber because they all chased after me when I got scared. (The reason why I didn’t want to play through the main quest was because the draugr in Bleak Falls Barrow scared me lol)

Yeah. That was scarring.

#elder scrolls anecdotes #dark brotherhood #Skyrim #I was stupid fucking kid okay?

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slipperyskell · 4 years

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If you could ask Cicero for advice during most of the Dark Brotherhood quests, what kind of advice do you think he'd give??

ho man oh man oh man

Things’ll prolly be p long too so I’ll likely be putting this under a Keep Reading type deal.

MAIN QUESTLINE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mourning Never Comes: Since this quest starts right when he first gets to the sanctuary, I can imagine him being very busy getting Mother settled in her new home, as he does mention in-game. While he likely doesn’t sit and chat for too long (as much as he’d like to, I’m sure), he still gives a few good bits of advice, especially since it’s your first bigger job.

A lot of his advice, since it is your first official big contract, consists of how to present yourself while out in the field. One thing that comes to mind is him having to explain the second Tenet to you because you likely don’t know the Tenets are even a thing, and you can just see the concern on his face as he slowly tells you it, half hoping, half expecting you to slowly say it with him as though you’d forgotten. You didn’t, and that worries him a lot more than you realize.

Seeing as he’s pretty much wholly unfamiliar with most of Skyrim at this time I can’t imagine him being able to give a lot of advice on how to go about killing a target aside from the obvious “stick to the shadows, be aware of your environment” type stuff.

Honestly, I could also see him making an off-handed comment about him wishing he could join you to make sure you do alright, kinda hinting at him wanting to make sure you become one of the “good” assassins in his book before you become the Listener. Also maybe kinda sorta him being desperate to make a friend after all the bullshit he’s been through. Desperate to attach himself to someone, anyone. He’s hoping the hesitance the rest of the Family gives him is just because he’s new.

He knows it’s not, but a fool can dream, can’t he?

~~~~~

Whispers In The Dark: This is where things start to get a little interesting, seeing as things could definitely diverge from canon in this situation depending on how things are dealt with.

Consider with me, if you will, that instead of simply following Astrid’s orders, you tell Cicero that she thinks he’s plotting something. At first he’s just annoyed, because of course she’d think he’s plotting something. But then he starts feeling a little hurt. A little stung by the fact that, yes, they were staying their distance from him because they thought he was up to something by bringing Mother here.

There’s something in this little train of thought that makes something else click - he knew that Astrid tried to make herself the authority of this Family. She’d made that exceptionally clear when he’d first gotten there, and he realizes she’d probably done the same when you’d gotten there, too.

It’s at this point, in this little alternate scenario, that I think Cicero realizes that his new Family doesn’t believe in the Old Ways much at all. Not that he hadn’t suspected beforehand, but this little situation settles it for him.

But there’s still one person that he can’t quite get a read on - you. You’ve been here a little longer than he had, but you were far newer. You telling him what Astrid said could be you simply telling him and not knowing better (though technically this would be, in his eyes, the correct thing to do as Astrid is not the leader by the Old Ways’ rules), or you recognizing that he would technically be the authority figure in this situation until the Listener was found.

And there’s some strange little stirring of optimism at that thought. He’d already come to the conclusion that he wasn’t and never will be the Listener, and he’d certainly hoped that the rest of this Family - or Sithis forbid, Astrid - was it, either.

And once again, that leaves you. Had anyone else been Listener, Mother would have spoken by now. She had to have. But you’d been out and about lately. You had promise....

He thanks you for letting him know before turning and leaving, saying he needs to head out and gather some ingredients for Mother’s oils.

You wait, standing before the great stone sarcophagus, marveling at the stonework, before an icy cold voice seeps into your head and consumes you.

When he comes back, he’s beyond ecstatic (as he is in-game) and after the little interaction with Astrid ends and she leaves, he does a lot of explaining for how being the Listener works (as he does in-game, too). He also does make a comment about how p much whatever the fuck Astrid says - to an extent, he is aware and does likely acknowledge that it’ll take the whole Family to organize this contract - is null.

Though he definitely tells you to not just wait around for Astrid to decide whether to do the contract, and to go to this Volunruud place as soon as you possibly can, which is pretty much the entirety of The Silence Has Been Broken (so I won’t cover that one separately).

~~~~~

Bound Until Death: I don’t really have a lot on this one other than his advice getting into his own character a bit (or more my own depiction of who he is outside of the Fool of Hearts, and an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood).

His advice for this one is really him listing off a few good ways to go about dealing with things. Using the environment to make it look like an accident, like Babette says, or using a bow to shoot the bride from afar, like Gabriella wants you to do. He is aware that the Civil War is playing a substantial role in this series of killings before the big contract, and would likely tell you to make it look like something a Stormcloak would do (without getting into racial stereotypes bc that’s not cool, even as a joke). Your best bet would be something archery related.

He makes a comment about how he wished he could’ve come with, saying something along the lines of how he’d always been such a hopeless romantic and actually quite enjoyed weddings.

Whether this is jokingly or not is up for you to decide.

~~~~~

Breaching Security: I don’t think he’d have a lot to say on this one either without getting overly repetitive, though I could definitely see him issuing a bit of caution when dealing with the guard. Killing off the commander’s son would put more eyes on the Brotherhood than I think he’d be comfortable with, and seeing Vittoria had been killed not too long before...

He knows it’d be incredibly risky, but I think he’d tell you to hold off and try to go for the Emperor himself once he arrives rather than risking alerting the guards to the Brotherhood’s presence. They’re expecting opposition from the Stormcloaks ideally, not the Brotherhood.

~~~~~

Cure For Madness: Quite simply: Astrid can go fuck herself. That and that stupid lapdog of hers. I don’t think he’d have much to say other than to maybe try and get Mother out of there as soon as possible, before you and he try to work things out from there. He doesn’t think Astrid would go as far as to harm her, but... he doesn’t want to risk that. He can’t afford to, not after everything he’d gone through to get his Family this far.

(this is another one of those alternate scenario things that I could get into but I think I’m gonna hold off for the time being since that is a very large can of worms.”

~~~~~

This is where I’m gonna leave it for now. I could see, if that alternate situation happened, you and Cicero meeting up and trying to work this shit out without everything falling apart, but like I said before, I’m gonna hold off since that’s a fuck ton of stuff to get into and talk about and I’ve already spent a good part of my afternoon thinking and writing this stuff up lmfao.

#cicero headcanon time #cicero #skyrim #skyrim cicero #cicero skyrim #the elder scrolls #tes #tesv #tesblr

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the-hoarse-bard · 4 years

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I stopped by Whiterun to sell some of the crap I picked up in Volunruud, and heard a rumor that the local priest of Arkay was having some trouble. Apparently, he had managed to lose his amulet somewhere in the catacombs and can’t go get it himself because of an unfortunate infestation of skeletons. I would be remiss to turn down a man of the cloth, so I ventured down into the tomb to see if I could find it for him.

The skeletons were little trouble aside from one who was somehow casting frost spells. There weren’t many things to grab down there except a healing scroll or two. Andurs was pleased to have his amulet back and gave me 50 gold for the service. I expected more, but didn’t say anything to him about it. It would be unwise to anger the god of life and death by berating one of his servants.

Astrid was surprisingly open to being paid with some weird amulet, but clearly surprised at being hired to assassinate the emperor himself. She pointed me to the thieves guild to check with Delvin Mallory to appraise and fence the amulet. I wonder if she’s aware of Shirazzha’s status as the guildmaster? I’d like to keep that under wraps, the guild doesn’t need trouble with the Brotherhood.

On the road toward Riften, there were a group of Stormcloaks conversing about their reasons for joining the rebellion. It seems one of them had a family member abducted by the Thalmor. Hard to think of a better reason to do anything, honestly. I wish them luck in their endeavors.

Another group of revellers kindly invited Shirazzha to join in their drinking. Astrid’s errand can wait when there’s free booze to be had! We spent some time joking around, but soon it was time to leave. Thanks to them, the way onward will be much more bearable.

It’s nice to come home again and admire my massive gemstone I keep at the foot of my bed. I also stopped by the grocer in the market and handed off the ice wraith teeth she asked for. She gave me 200 gold for them as well as some prime cuts of pheasant breast.

I... I have to put this thing away. It’s beginning to give me a headache, and it’s silly but sometimes I swear I can hear whispers coming from it. This thing has to be cursed in some way, and not even Noctra’s blessings are shutting it out completely.

Took advantage of Honeyside’s basement alchemy lab to cook up this special treat. Slowness, damage health, lingering damage health, damage max stamina, damage stamina regen. A very spicy combo of misery. Saving this one for a special occasion, particularly with the newfound talent of poisoning people through pickpocketing.

Beginning to think my recent lack of thievery would displease Noctra, so I picked up some jobs from Vex and Mallory while I was home. I may be in charge here, but it wouldn’t do to continue with this lack of contribution.

Delvin was more than happy to buy the pendant. It seems that these strange pieces are only made for the members of the Elder Council in Cyrodiil, so it was incredibly valuable. So this means someone on the Elder Council itself is seeking the death of the Emperor..... Interesting.

#skyrim #shirazzha #khajiit #thieves guild #dark brotherhood

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daedriclorde · 4 years

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Im so impressed with what you wrote for the ask i sent before, that I've come back for seconds 😅😂 take your time with this, no need to rush to write it. 8,11,20,30 sincerely, a new fangirl 😂

I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK THIS LONG

I split this into two different fics. The first is for Assassination and Meeting; the second is for Willpower and Temple. If you don’t know, Aerisif and Kjolti are the same person, just different names for different stages of my Dragonborn’s life!

Assassination; Meeting

The Bannered Mare had few patrons remaining at this hour. The large fire in the center of the hall burned perpetually, though only Rexus and a handful of others were gathered around it. Kjolti entered silently and unseen. The unrest that the appearance of a Dark Brotherhood assassin in Whiterun would cause could jeopardize her meeting. And what a meeting it shall be.

Moving within the rich shadows that flickered around the tavern, Kjolti slid next to Rexus, and almost imperceptibly, coughed. Rexus nearly jumped out of his skin and turned to look at the assassin, who gaped at her.

“Well I’ll be damned. We heard you were dead! Motierre’s in the back room, if you’ve got business.” Kjolti said nothing, but nodded and returned to the shadows. She slunk across the tavern to the room she had been in once before. The doors were easy enough to open and close in equal silence. Motierre sat in the dark, only a small candle by the bed illuminating the room. He had not even noticed Kjolti enter, such was her skill at stealth. She stood, choosing to be seen.

“Ah! You’re back!” Motierre exclaimed with equal parts joy and terror.

“Titus Mede II lies dead.” Kjolti’s voice was solemn and low.

“I know! I know! I received the news not moments ago! Ha HA! This is glorious! My friend, you may not realize it, but you have served the Empire, indeed, all of Tamriel, in ways you cannot possibly imagine.” Greed had replaced terror in Motierre’s visage. Kjolti did not like that.

“Ah, but you care little for politics, am I right? You want money! And money you shall have!” Motierre’s face was twisted with cruelty. “Your payment waits for you at a dead drop. It is inside an urn, in the very chamber where we first met, in Volunruud. Now please, go. Collect your money, and let us never look upon one another again. Our business, thank the gods, is concluded.” There was clear disgust in his tone.

How amusing, thought Kjolti. How much he despises me, my brethren, and yet, he is indebted to us.

“Your payment awaits. And don’t worry, I’m not stupid enough to betray you.”

Kjolti spoke up once more, her voice soft and dark. “Actually, Motierre, there is one more thing.”

He appeared disgruntled. “And what might that be?”

“Just a favor…for an honorable man.” Hidden beneath her cowl, Kjolti grinned a sinister smile.

“You assassins and your riddles. It really does get very annoying, you know. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Kjolti politely inclined her head, already feeling the Blade of Woe itch for blood. She turned to the door and opened it, but slunk into the shadows and closed the doors again without leaving the room, but giving the impression she had. The assassin was too well suited for the shadows, too masterful a killer to be seen in the dim light of the small room. Motierre hummed happily to himself, no doubt already envisioning himself upon the Ruby Throne.

What a fool.

Kjolti slipped unseen to Motierre’s flank. She withdrew the Blade of Woe from its sheath, poised it over Motierre’s neck, and whispered to him.

“Hail. Sithis.”

She relished the look of fear in his eyes as she opened his neck.

Willpower; Temple;

They had been completely blindsided by the attack. The road was dark, the moon providing little light. Foolishly, they had ignored the rumors. They knew it had been unwise to travel at night, but they had their wisdom stripped from them, drunk on mead and victory.

The heist had been a complete success; the mark had been absent from their home that evening. Brynjolf, always better with the lockpicks than Aerisif, had unlocked the door for them in a heartbeat. Aerisif had sunk into the shadows, as no one could the way she did, and slipped through the house without a sound.

The trunk did not disappoint. It was teeming with gold and precious gems, family heirlooms and rare books. It was an excellent haul.

And so they celebrated. They didn’t dare so much as look at each other until they were outside the city walls, but once they had left range of the guards, they exploded with giddy pride.

But their celebrations were quickly dampened. A figure sprung on them from the darkness, eyes glowing red. Sinister necrotic magic emanated from their hands. The vampire rumors were indeed true.

Brynjolf unsheathed the sword he usually carried in a flash, and Aerisif’s daggers were drawn with equal speed. The vampire’s dark magic struck them both, draining them of their life force. Brynjolf charged the monster, and Aerisif’s daggers whirled.

By bad luck, Aerisif had been closer to the vampire when it emerged from the trees. It bore down on her first, with magic and fang. It seemed not to notice the gashes Aerisif opened in its’ chest, but continued to lunge forward with disturbing speed. Aerisif lashed out with steel in her hands and her eyes, but her energy was draining. The vampire was upon her.

Brynjolf watched with horror as it bit of her neck, its malevolent fangs breaking into her skin. He used this distraction to plunge his blade through the vampire’s chest, and watched with satisfaction as the monster crumbled. Aerisif slumped.

“Woah, woah, stay with me, lass,” he said as he grabbed her by the shoulders.

“That was…that was dumb of us,” Aerisif whispered. Her face was pale. “Do you have a cure disease potion? I think I sold my last one to Tonilia.”

“Aye, I’ve got one,” Brynjolf helped Aerisif to the ground so he could rummage through his pack. He grabbed the small glass vial and handed it to Aerisif.

She held up the bottle, squinting in the dim light. “This is just a minor healing potion, Brynjolf.”

He frowned. “No, it should be a cure disease potion. That’s what the man I stole it from was saying, at least.”

She shook her head. “It’s the wrong shade of red. Cure disease potions are darker, from the charred skeever hide.”

“Blast it,” Brynjolf cursed. He spat on the body of the vampire. “We have to get you to a temple, then.”

Aerisif was poorly hiding her fear. “But…we’re in the middle of nowhere, Brynjolf. It will be days until we get back to Riften. We don’t have…I don’t have a lot of time.”

“Then we’re going to have to be quick about it. Can you walk?”

Aerisif nodded faintly. Brynjolf extended a hand, which Aerisif took. She was grateful for the lack of moonlight, as it hid the flush that came to her cheeks from his touch.

The pair of thieves took off, much more cautiously this time. They moved at a slower pace, but hardly stopped. Long rests were out of the question; short naps were the better choice.

The first day since her bite passed, and they hadn’t covered nearly enough ground. Mid afternoon on the second day, they came across a lone farm. The farmer was nowhere in sight. Aerisif was looking paler and frailer, though she would not admit it.

“Stay here,” Brynjolf ordered.

“Why? Where are you going?”

“Just stay here.”

“Answer me, or I’ll follow.”

“Gods, Aerisif. I’m going to steal a horse for us to ride. We have to keep moving, and we aren’t going to make it on foot.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, lass. Normally I’d be grateful for your help, but, and no offense, right now your footfalls are as loud as a troll’s. Stay here.”

Aerisif opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it, to Brynjolf’s surprise. He had expected to have to go round and round with her.

“Fine. But don’t get caught.”

Brynjolf laughed as he walked away. “Get caught,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Like I would get caught.”

“Bastard is gonna get us both killed,” muttered Aerisif as Brynjolf walked away. But internally, against her better judgement, her heart fluttered.

With shocking ease, Brynjolf returned a few moments later with a gray mare who eyed them both with suspicion. She was munching on an apple, which Aerisif assumed Brynjolf stole to appease the mare.

“Up you go,” Brynjolf said as he lifted Aerisif into the saddle.

“What the—I can do it myself!” Aerisif argued weakly.

“No, you can’t. Let’s go.” He mounted the horse behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He was grateful she couldn’t see his cheeks turn a light rosy color.

“What, no lewd comments? No off-color quips?”

Brynjolf grinned. “Why, if that was what you were waiting for, lass, you should have said so.” He chuckled and leaned forward, whispering in her ear. “Don’t worry lass, that’s just my sword hilt pressing into the small of your back.”

Aerisif laughed. “That’s the Brynjolf I know.” The laughter seemed to exhaust her.

Brynjolf frowned. “Hold on tight. We’ve got to go.”

Now on horseback, the two made considerably better time. They rode nonstop through the rest of the day and night. The third day dawned, and still they were far from Riften.

Aerisif’s condition was worsening. She wouldn’t admit to it, not even with her dying breath, which Brynjolf feared he would witness. As the sun grew hotter on the third day, Aerisif was squinting and covering her eyes. Hours later, she was leaning forward in the saddle, draped across the mare’s neck.

“Stay with me, lass.” Brynjolf held the reins in one hand and wrapped the other around Aerisif’s waist. He was worried she would fall out of the saddle.

Dusk fell, and Brynjolf was worried. Aerisif was barely awake, often hallucinating.

“Maybe Mercer will be happy to have a vampire in the Guild,” she muttered sleepily. “I’ll be that much stronger at night.”

“I highly doubt that lass. Don’t worry. We’ll get you to the temple.”

Night fell. Aerisif was catatonic. Both were sore and tired from nearly a day and a half in the saddle. Brynjolf continued to push the mare, despite her indignation. Aerisif grew cold in Brynjolf’s arms. He had heard that those inflicted with the bite of a vampire died before undergoing their transformation. He urged the horse onward.

Finally, Riften came into sight. Brynjolf breathed a tense sigh of relief, but it was fragile. Without knowing exactly when she had been bitten, it was hard to tell how much time was left. The crescent moon was rising in the sky. Brynjolf dug his heels into the mare once more. The horse was foaming at the mouth from the exertion.

Arriving at the gates, Brynjolf leaped off and gently pulled Aerisif from the saddle. She slumped into his arms, unresponsive. Swiftly, he scooped her up into his arms, relishing the feeling.

“Stay with me, lass. Don’t fade away. You’re too strong.”

Brynjolf ordered the guards to open the gates with such command they didn’t even try to shake him down. He moved as fast as he could, trying not to jostle Aerisif. The streets of Riften were empty at this hour. He knew he was almost out of time.

“Maramal!” He roared at the temple doors. “Dinya! Open up!” Not daring to release Aerisif from his arms, he used his foot to kick the door. “Let us in!”

Moments later, a sleepy eyed Dinya opened the door. “What do you want, Brynjolf? This better not be a ruse.” Suspicion filled her sleepy eyes.

“She’s been bitten by a vampire. Nearly three days past. Please, you have to help her.”

“Come in, come in,” the priestess ushered him inside. “Set her here,” Dinya instructed.

Brynjolf gently lay her down before the shrine. Aerisif’s eyes had started to gently glow. Dinya knelt before her, praying to Mara. Brynjolf heard her speak but did not listen to the words. His focus was on Aerisif. Dinya placed her hands on Aerisif brow, and prayed more. Brynjolf held his breath.

Divine magic swirled around Aerisif. The color returned to her skin, and the ominous glow vanished from her eyes. She blinked and sat up, confused.

“We made it?” she asked Brynjolf.

He grinned. “You’ve got too much willpower to fade away. You’re far too stubborn. You’re cured, lass.” He heaved a sigh of relief, ignoring the sparks shooting off in his chest.

#skyrim fanfic #OC: aerisif/kjolti #KMDA #prompt fill #f!dragonborn x brynjolf #thieves guild #dark brotherhood

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