Val-Hiira, a saxhleel mage and our fifth adveturer. Her clutchbrother has a clutch of his own and with some increased violence against their kind, she came to Bravil before the city was closed, to help her brother protect his unhatched young. While at a fishmonger's shop an imperial assaulted her without provocation, an altercation that led to Val-Hiira being thrown into a cell for a few days despite the man being the attacker. In the dungeons she overheard guards talking about the two agitators posing as healers and decided to look into it as soon as she was free. Her search took her to the Great Chapel at dawn where she came across a lone bosmeri woman praying at the main altar devoted to Mara. Discretely following the elf leads Val-Hiira through the rickety slum and to the Bravil's famous statue.
Before any friendly words can be uttered, Einhard charges towards the suspected dissidents and smashes his spiked club into the face of the female. Despite the severity of the her injury she remains standing long enough to channel a bolt of lightning into the nord. The second one, a skilled swordsman is outnumbered and don't stand a chance against his attackers. Val-Hiira who chose not to fight approaches them with a barrage of question while they quickly loot the bodies, learning that both were wood elves. As they hang up one of the corpses upon the left hand of Old Lady Luck, they hear the shouting of guards and tolling of bells.
All five of them swiftly darts into the shacks and alleys of the slum and tries to hide from the guards and at the same time make their way out, heading north towards the only gate out of Bravil. They all manage to foil their pursuers within the slum but one after another leaves their rickety covers only to be greeted by the drawn bows of dozens of archers lining the city wall. A long, tense moment follows as they are forced to wait under the watchful eyes of the guard until steward Emelion and what can only be the countess Terentius appears up on the wall. Both women are extremely composed and their faces reveal no emotion towards our five adventurers. Despite the countess' presence, it's the steward that announces that they are to be detained for having murdered distinguished members of the Aldmeri Dominion within the county of Bravil. They are all stripped of their belongings and are then thrown into the dungeons.
And so begins a story truly worthy of the Elder Scrolls!
Now I have another question for you, dear reader. Who within the court of Bravil do you think has set them up and why? The steward, the countess, both or perhaps even none of them?
The obvious suspect is the altmeri steward, just because she is an elf, too obvious. But in Skyrim we see high elven stewards that don't seem fiercly loyal to the Aldmeri Dominion. I actually don't think the conspiracy reaches such ranks within the city's hierarchy. Instead I believe those who set this up are members of the Bravil Guard, because that seems the source of the rumors about the argonians. Their goal to expell all of them from the city, because they are traitors that abandoned the Empire in a great time of need.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your comments Queen Ayrenn, thank you! Again you have offered a perspective upon the events I haven't considered myself. And the suggestion fits very well with my general demands of racism in the campaign. But are there any reasons the Bravil Guard or even countess Terentius contrary would wish to keep the argonians in the city? Are they of any unique use as a race?
DeleteThe argonians innate immunity to disease is a strength when living in the squalor of Bravil, but it does not make them useful. Quite opposite I would believe that their resistance allows them to live longer and in the long run, a strong and knowledgeable population. Perhaps in a city with greater sewers, like the Imperial City, they would be of more actual use. Ratcatchers that are paid for each rodent they present but are also allowed to keep as food.
DeleteWhat about their adaptation to water? Able to breath while submerged, most likely extra eyelids to allow good vision when diving. Perhaps it's the fact that you don't need the qualities to be able to do the job that makes it easy to overlook. What better dockworkers are there but argonians? Who can inspect the hull of a ship from beneath or even perform emergency repairs? What about fishermen without the need of boats or barges?
DeleteI believe their aquatic adaptations make them more suitable than men or mer (not counting mages) in any line of work in or around bodies of water.
Ah, that reminds me of dear City-Swimmer. Probably one of the most queer characters in Oblivion. But I do wonder one thing, since their immunity towards disease is not perfect, there are after all argonian vampires, would they be immune to every disease you can dig up out of the Bravil sewers and murky waterways?
DeleteIt is a topic I have been wondering about myself a few times but never really come to a conclusion about. But I believe it comes to if the disease is magical or not. Some diseases, mainly Corpus, are described as arcane contagions and normal resistances against disease doesn't apply to these. And I think Porphyric Hemophilia, Sanguinare Vampiris and Sanies Lupinus are all magical in nature even if they are not described as such in the games. In Oblivion both the vampires' disease and Astral Vapors would ignore 100% Disease Resistance.
DeleteDoes that make sense?
Allow me to be a nitpicker, but wouldn't that mean that the "magical diseases" you talk about are in truth divine in nature? Vampirism created by Molag Bal, lycantrophy attributed to Hircine and Corpus connected to Dagoth Ur or even Lorkhan. Perhaps Astral Vapors is sickness with ties to Magnus?
DeleteYou have a really good point there, my altmeri queen. I will keep it in mind, though I had something similar in mind but by "magical" I rather meant mystical or supernatural and not specifically arcane. Astral Vapours caught my interest now and I shall delve deeper into it some evening I have a spare moment.
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