Riften, Skyrim, Saturday Morning

[so_hawkward]

Today was the last full day in Skyrim for the folks from Fandom, so it was time to make it count! The weather was still cool but sunny, and the town might not have been quite as busy with people recovering from last night's festivities, but there was still plenty to do before fall break was over!

[ Bee & Barb Rooms / Common Room | Riften Marketplace / Hall of the Dead / The Temple of Mara / The Ratway / Mistveil Keep / Riften Jail / Walk Around Riften | Outside Riften Winterhold / Explore / Adventuring ]

Comments

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"It sounds that way," Anders agreed. "I'm a lot more limited without my staff, and I can't even think about magic without spells. What do people do if they want to learn something new?"

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan looked around, making sure no one was too near them when he revealed this next thing.

"Kill other witches," he said very, very quietly.

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

Somehow, Anders had not quite expected that answer. He studied Nathan's face for a moment for any sign he was joking, but saw nothing of the sort. (It wouldn't have been a very Nathan sort of joke, anyhow. Or a very funny one from anybody.)

"That's horrible," he said, then brought his own voice back to a whisper. "Sorry. But it is."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I don't disagree," Nathan assured him, shaking his head. "It's just...my kind of witch is given one Gift after we turn seventeen. If we want more, that's how we get them."

That's how his father had done it.

"It's not great."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"If it worked that way at home, we'd all be terrified of each other," Anders told him, still distraught. (Though he was calmed a bit by the fact Nathan wasn't defending this utterly insane system.) "So if you ... do what they want you to do with your father, then --?"

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan nodded.

"But, I'm not going to do that." He was firm on that. As confident as he could manage. "I'm not doing that to my own father."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"I know," Anders told him quickly. "I was just -- making sure I understood."

He hoped that if it were him, he could have been as confident about it as Nathan was. Not that he would want to kill his father, but people did mad things with that much power on the line.

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You do," Nathan assured him, nodding. "He's got...a lot of power."

Which might tell Anders a few things about his dad, yeah.

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

Anders might surmise one or two, yes.

"He should keep it," he said, once he was done with said surmising. "From what you've said, it doesn't sound like he's gotten a happy life out of it."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I want to know why, though," Nathan said after a quiet moment. "What they did to him that merited...so much death."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"Maybe what they did to you, except worse," Anders guessed. "Or maybe nothing except being in his way. I'd want to know too."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Probably won't find out for awhile," Nathan sighed, looking around. "If ever. I'll have to live with it, I guess."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"Unfortunately," Anders admitted. It seemed like asking anyone who might know was more unsafe than leaving it alone. "Live with it and remember you aren't him."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Not yet, at least.

"Yeah." He sighed and tucked his hands into his pockets. "What kinds of things did you learn here?"

Changing the subject smoothly, you see.

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

It wasn't a bad time for a subject change at all. Anders raised an eyebrow to let Nathan know he'd noticed the utter smoothness but answered the question without further comment.

"A few things. One of the apprentices I talked to was studying necromancy," he said. "At home you'd have to be a blood mage to enchant a corpse, but she says they've found a way to do it here without bringing in demons. And there was a lecture on these huge, carved magical pillars called Doomstones. I want to see one before I go home."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Necromancy?" he repeated, blinking. "Not that I'm against it but what need is there to enchant a corpse?"

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"At home they're cheap soldiers, mostly," Anders explained. "You don't need to feed them or give them wages, they won't complain about mistreatment, and they'll stay where you leave them until they get the command to fight. Here --"

He shrugged. "I got the sense there's a bit more to it than that, but the apprentice wouldn't give me many details. I think my mentioning demons put her off."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"When they're brought back, are they aware?" Nathan asked, curious despite himself. "Do they speak as if they were alive?"

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

Anders shook his head. "The person's long gone. You're trapping a low-level demon inside the body to move it around. As far as I know all they can do is fight."

He hoped he was right; if skeletons were sentient, a good handful of old fights became much more horrifying in retrospect.

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"In one sense, it's a ready made army," Nathan said and rubbed the back of his neck. "In other, it's almost like they don't get to rest. It's not something I've been exposed to very much. Sticky issue."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"I wouldn't want anyone use my body that way," Anders said, but then relented a bit. "But if you do it with respect, and you're fighting for a good cause -- I don't know. Maybe it could be justified."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Maybe." He chewed his lip thoughtfully. "I don't know if I could manage it, though. I'd feel...I don't know, like an intruder or something."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"Like you're using something not meant for you to use?" Anders asked. "I see that, too. It's not something I'd do lightly even if my type of magic worked on corpses the same as it does here."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan nodded. "I don't think I'd want that for me whenever I die. I'd just want to be left alone. I'll probably have done enough fighting while I was alive, anyway."

Re: Outside Riften - Winterhold

[not_every_mage]

"Probably we both will," Anders suggested. "If we can't even go out for a drink without someone getting smashed with a tankard..."

Though it was possible the lesson there was mostly 'don't drink with Edward.'

"I'm supposed to be cremated, anyhow. Chantry does it so there's nothing left for demons to use."