The 'What You Did in Skyrim Today' Thread

[Snail's Pace]

Delia-Jessamine Maric, good-hearted but shady Breton stealth-mage:
1. Went to the Ragged Flagon and donated Chillrend to ensure she stays in the Guild's good graces.
2. Gathered intel from Vekel and received a quest to retrieve some journals from a necromancer.
3. Had a wardrobe malfunction of sorts, but lied her way out of trouble with Torvar., and received lover's comfort... twice.
4. Returned to Winterhold to enlist Brelyna's help in... gasp... Vekel's quest. What's the harm of Brelyna thinking the quest is altruistic?
5. Showed-off by frenzying and calming ghosts in Brelyna's presence, but was embarrassed when she got caught trying (and failing) to pickpocket one.
6. Stopped the necromancer, retrieved the journals, and showed Brelyna that the Guild isn't all bad.
7. Sullied Brelyna further by taking her to the Ragged Flagon. Was that wrong? Still, the Guild did some good in this case.

Long version (contains spoilers for quest "Toying With The Dead")

Spoiler:

After using her Thieves Guild membership to get out of trouble for assaulting Rolf, Delia-Jessamine Maric, good-hearted but shady Breton stealth-mage, wanted to ensure she stays in the Guild's good graces. She decided to donate another artifact, Chillrend to the Cistern's collection.

Jess told Torvar she was going to market to sell the sword, which was about half true.

After slipping into the Ratway, Jess changed into her wedding dress, the revealing little number that Jess had worn to her wedding, not knowing it was inappropriate for a bride. Jess always wears the wedding dress to the Ragged Flagon to torment Brynjolf. As always, Brynjolf brushed her off, but she still felt she had made him uncomfortable, which was satisfying. After donating Chillrend to the Guild, she went to the statue of Nocturnal. She did not pray, but merely wanted the thieves to see her near it to remind them of her sacrifice.

Jess wondered about her status in the Guild, so she spoke with Vekel. Who would know better than the bartender? Vekel's words assured Jess that she was esteemed. "Let me know if you need anything," she said appreciatively, a statement she immediately regretted as, in fact, Vekel did need something. He had a buyer for some rare journals of a necromancer, he explained. Could Jess retrieve the journals?

Jess's initial reservations about doing another job for the Guild went away after she learned more. It might help with another problem for Jess: How to get Brelyna to accept that Jess's membership in the Guild isn't all bad. It turned out that this necromancer has been doing horrible things at the Nordic ruin Yngvild. As Thane of Winterhold, Jess felt an obligation to act on the tip, and hoped Brelyna would be willing to help. If Jess revealed where she got the tip, maybe Brelyna's opinion of the Guild would change.

Jess returned to the marketplace, did a bit of trading, and returned home.

"That isn't the dress you were wearing when you left," Torvar observed. Jess realized she had forgotten to change back into her more modest dress after leaving the Ragged Flagon.

"No... it isn't... I wanted to... surprise you... by wearing it to temple for our blessings... just like I wore it during our wedding... and then I could wear it back here afterward, and... it'd be like we just got married!" Jess said with increasing excitement.

The alibi didn't make complete sense, but Jess is not above pretending to be dumber than she really is. So they went to the temple of Mara for blessings and returned to Honeyside. With Iona patrolling dutifully, Jess and Torvar shared a bottle of wine. Jess woke up with the blessing of Lover's Comfort a couple hours later.

Feeling relaxed, she and Torvar shared a sweetroll. Jess decided it was a good time to explain why she had gone missing for 5 days and why she needed to go back to Winterhold.

About the former, Jess told Torvar the truth: That she woke up in Winterhold and didn't know how she had gotten there.

"I was afraid to tell you because you might hate me," Jess said looking at Torvar doe-eyed. Torvar said she needed to stop using sleeping tree sap to help her sleep. "Oh no, I hadn't taken any," Jess said, her need for the drug trumping her need to make the excuse more believable.

"But I need to go back," Jess said and explained (lied) that Brelyna is investigating an evil necromancer, and that, as Thane of Winterhold, she is obligated to help. "I need to leave in the morning," Jess said. "What do I have to do to convince you it's all right?"

Jess left for Winterhold a few hours later, tired, but freshly blessed with Lover's Comfort. She stayed in Kynesgrove for the night and arrived at the College the next afternoon.

Brelyna was in her room. Jess explained her unusual request.

"One of the thieves told me about this, so I know what you're thinking, but hear me out." Jess explained about the necromancer Arondil and that she had a duty to investigate.

"I'll help you... as a thane, not as a thief," Brelyna said.
"We're not stealing anything. We're going to investigate a necromancer."

They left before dawn. Jess calmed various wildlife along the way. The swim to the barrow was... invigorating.

Yngvild contained draugr and ghosts. The two mages fought their way through the caves, collecting and reading Arondil's journals along the way.

So Arondil liked the Dawnstar girls, too, Jess thought, remembering Torvar's infatuation with Karita. But the journal entries became increasingly disturbing.

"See? It's a good thing I got this tip," Jess said to Brelyna.

Sneaking into the last room, they saw Arondil himself, guarded by the ghost of one of his victims.

"Want to see some poetic justice?" Jess said to Brelyna, just before she frenzied the ghost against Arondil. Jess had never frenzied a ghost before and was a little surprised herself that it worked. There was also a draugr, but the women had little difficulty with their foes, especially with Arondil being attacked by his own slave.

There was one more ghost in Arondil's bedroom. She saw the two mages, but Jess calmed her. They decided to leave her be, though they weren't sure that was the right thing to do.

Jess sneaked behind the ghost and tried to pickpocket her, but was unable to. "What are you doing?" Brelyna asked. "Nothing," Jess replied. "You were trying to pickpocket a ghost, weren't you?" said Brelyna disapprovingly. "Yeah," Jess replied, embarrassed.

It was already morning and the two tired mages returned to Winterhold. Jess napped at the inn before meeting Brelyna at the College. She convinced Brelyna to go with her to take the journals to Vekel. "You were part of this and you should meet the source of the tip that probably saved women's lives," Jess said. "But... when you see Torvar, pretend that you were the source."

The next day, they traveled to Kynesgrove for the night, then on to Riften. After hanging out at Honeyside, Jess and Brelyna went shopping. Actually, they went to the Ragged Flagon. Brelyna had never been in such a disreputable establishment, but seemed fascinated instead of afraid.

Vekel thanked them but gave no reward, and allowed them to keep the journals.

"See?" Jess said to Brelyna, "The Guild did some good, and it wasn't even for money."

[Elenath]

You know, werewolf rampages are really fun. Tons of cool kill cams, instant crowd control, and eating people's hearts as a bonus. I'll gladly hold off on the looting for that. I should have done this ages ago.

[Jun Satou]

Serin Black-Blood visited her home, Severin Manor...
After 100 days of in-game time, Faendal is still there, dead... (carrying Merilda's beacon that he found in a chest).

Serin took him off the chair next to the alchemy lab and stuffed him under the bed.

[Nord85]

Today I did all kinds of things. First I joined Companions and did a few of their radiant quests to get some money. On the way I raided the Lunar Forge. Then I went to Bleak Falls Barrow to do Lucan's and Farengar's quests. Back in Whiterun, I then slew Mirmulnir.

On my way to High Hrothgar, I decided to go join Dawnguard instead. I RP this so that my Imperial character is quite confused and unsure about this Dragonborn business and needs some thinking time. In reality, I wanted to get my hands on a crossbow ASAP.

So, I joined the vamp hunters and got my new toy. Took a "test drive" against a dragon with good results. I think I've found my new favourite weapon. I handled two vampire attacks with the crossbow without the bloodsuckers getting even within an arm's length of me. Also, I have to love the clank the thing makes when reloaded and fired. Heck, it even sounds like a lethal weapon!

Lastly, I think Mikael hates my new character's guts after today. Namely, first she beat him up for bothering Carlotta. Then she got a quest to rough someone up from Farkas, and guess who in the receiving end? Yep, Mikael got some punishment the second time that day. Funnily enough, the dialogue after I had beaten him up was exactly the same as with Carlotta's quest. Mikael just won't learn, it seems.

[Snail's Pace]

Delia-Jessamine Maric, Breton stealth-mage, abduction-stopper, and bad influence:
1. Could not get Brelyna and Brand-Shei to talk about Telvanni stuff.
2. Took Brelyna to the temple of Mara and, later, enchanted some new jewelry for her.
3. Began journeying to the College with Brelyna, taking a leisurely route through Darkwater Crossing and Dawnstar.
4. Killed a few bandits at Fort Greenwald but couldn't be bothered to clear it right now.
5. Forgot about Brelyna, after specifically being asked not to.
6. Saw that everything's all right in Darkwater Crossing.
7. Ran into old "friend" Sanguine and resented being brushed aside by him.
8. Was relieved that none of the ladies she knew in Dawnstar had been abducted.
9. Enjoyed Karita's performance of "Ragnar the Red" and is jealous of her singing abilities.
10. Was offended that Horik Halfhand wears Imperial armor in a Stormcloak hold.
11. Made it to Winterhold with Brelyna.

Spoiler:

After hanging out at Vekel's bar for a little while, Delia-Jessamine Maric, Breton stealth-mage, abduction-stopper, and bad influence, took Brelyna to the market and stopped by Brand-Shei's stall. It had occurred to Jess that Brelyna and Brand-Shei are both descended from the House Telvanni. However, Brand-Shei was too humble to talk about it.

Jess also took Brelyna to the temple to meet Dinya Balu and to try converting her friend. Brelyna complied and prayed at the shrine, but it was unclear if she received a blessing. Maybe she was just being nice by pretending to pray.

They returned to Honeyside, which was a little crowded with the three women and Torvar. Jess enchanted some new jewelry for Brelyna, a gold emerald ring fortifying Magicka Regen and Health and a silver emerald necklace fortifying Magic Resistance and Health. Jess gave Brelyna Iona's room for the night, as Iona has no trouble sleeping in a chair.

They discussed the journey back to the College. Brelyna was not pressed to return, so they decided to detour through Darkwater Crossing and Dawnstar. Jess wanted to see her friends in Darkwater and check on the ladies in Dawnstar, since the women Arondil abducted may have been from there. Jess told Torvar that it might be several days before she returned, so she made it up to Torvar in advance. She and Brelyna left the next morning.

On the way to Darkwater, Jess wanted to recon Fort Greenwald. She had found bandits there once and hadn't checked it lately. Sure enough... bandits. Jess poisoned her bow and sniped a bandit, killing her with one shot. She sniped another, but merely wounded him and he alerted two others. They killed two of the bandits, but the third had an advantageous position on top of the tower. As killing bandits was not their primary objective, Jess decided to move on and return another time to clear the fort.

They noticed a cave that Jess had not seen before. Boulderfall Cave. Jess used her Detect Life spell to determine that an evil-hearted being was guarding the entrance. They fought and killed the necromancer, whose body fell into the rocks below.

Jess asked Brelyna to wait while she climbed down the rocks. Felling insecure, Brelyna told Jess "Just don't forget about me." Jess replied that she could never forget about her, then climbed down and looted the body. Then she returned to the entrance and sneaked into the cave.

Turning, Jess wondered "Where's Brelyna?... Oh no, I forgot about her!"

Brelyna was outside, looking sad and confused. "Come on, love," Jess said to reassure her friend. They entered the cave and killed another necromancer. There was little of interest, but Jess took a few slaughterfish scales, as she thought her stock was low and it is useful in one of her custom poisons.

They arrived at Darkwater Crossing that evening. Jess was relieved to find that things were normal - there had been no more Imperial attacks. Brelyna had never been to Darkwater before, so Jess introduced her to everyone. They hung out by the fire for a while before sharing a tent for the night.

They continued the next morning and passed Morvunskar. Brelyna knew the significance of the fort to Jess and wanted to go inside. Jess liked this new Brelyna - the visit to the Ragged Flagon made her friend a little less stuffy.

Evil mages had returned to the fort. The mages were not very strong and the two friends made quick work of them. Inside, they heard a fight in progress. What could be going on? They ran downstairs to investigate.

It was... Sanguine?!? He was fighting some mages below and had killed several already. Jess and Brelyna killed the others.

Jess spoke to Sanguine but he was disinterested and had little to say to her. Had he satisfied his urges regarding Jess when he used her to befoul the temple of Dibella? Or was he upset with Jess for getting married? Oddly, Jess found that her feelings toward Sanguine were like her feelings toward Brynjolf. She resented Sanguine because he was brushing her aside, not because of what he had tricked her into doing.

Brelyna was unimpressed.

They made it to Nightgate by evening. They went to bed early and left for Dawnstar in the wee hours.

In Dawnstar, Jess traded with Seren, who she hadn't spoken with in quite a while. Jess was relieved that Seren was alive and congratulated her for being "with child." Then Jess and Brelyna went to the Windpeak for breakfast and to check on the ladies there.

Fortunately, the ladies of Windpeak were not among Arondil's victims. Jess asked Karita to sing "Ragnar the Red" - her rendition is Jess's favorite. Though Jess had once been a tavern wench herself, she had no musical talent. How lucky Karita is to sing so well! Jess wondered if she would have married Torvar if she hadn't felt jealous of the attention he gave Karita when they had visited Dawnstar together. She couldn't blame Torvar for that, though, as Jess found herself having naughty thoughts about Karita.

After breakfast, Jess and Brelyna looked around Dawnstar and accounted for all of the other ladies Jess knew there. She was glad to have stopped Arondil before he abducted anyone else.

Jess was in high spirits and had a song in her heart, "Ragnar the Red" specifically, until she saw Horik Halfhand walking around in his Imperial armor. Then she felt offended. The nerve of him wearing that armor in a Stormcloak hold! Strange. She hadn't felt that way the first time she came to Dawnstar over a year ago. But it didn't seem right to her now.

It was still morning, so Jess and Brelyna left Dawnstar and arrived in Winterhold around nightfall.

[The SheoDovah]

Aejiri travelled through the plains of Whiterun. And ended up in Ranigan's Fast. She killed Sid the Warlock. She didn't fall through the trap doors when she walked towards the wall. But was annoyed when the chest was empty and forgot about it. She is near Morthal at the moment.

[Ursula R. M.]

Frank went to the face sculptor, had the scar healed, looked at grey hair styles and went with black pony-tail. Had a bit of brow work and some contacts. Everything approved by Jordis! Finished Pelagius' mind quest. That is about it.

[Dohva.]

Felina & Onmund discovered Karthwasten and found themselves in the middle of yet another dirty move made by the Silver-Bloods. She threatened the mercenary crew's boss and upon seeing her rage, he agreed to leave mine. But he and his men didn't move fast enough, so she sent them all to Sithis.

"What's that, Dark Father? Oh, you're welcome!"

[The SheoDovah]

Today, Aejiri arrived in Morthal after clearing out Fort Snowhawk. She didn't do much today.

[Ursula R. M.]

Frank took up a couple of Dawnguard quests; Escorted Serana to the Dawnguard Fort and released her from "duty". Then took a husky out for a try, named Bran. Grabbed a buddy named Agmaer, and headed off to Mzinchaleft (sp?) to help find some Dwemer plans on Crossbow improvement. During this part of the quest, Bran killed Agmaer, and I had to reload. That was not supposed to happen. Frank does not have calm spell, better get one I guess. Also, Frank and crew started off in Dawnstar to save Jharl Skald from a visiting Vampire, this went well as we had practiced it once before with terrible results. Both quests finished and much loot retrieved. Sold many items to the quest giver at Fort Dawnguard, she has plenty of gold to buy things! Bran is not as annoying as Vigilence. Agmaer is the quiet type.

[Finn Wolfshorn]

Marilyn (II), bane of undead, spiders and obnoxious lowlives far and wide, finally completed clearing Bleak Falls Barrow at level 24 - the Requiem version, that is, which puts about 20 draugr in the final chamber alone, half of them archers; took close to 2 realtime hours to clear it by drawing them out into the corridor in front of the puzzle door in little groups, then sniping at them from the shadows under the opposite doorway. Her supply of silver arrows ran out soon after reaching the last room, as did her means to recharge her enchanted bows, so she had to fall back on Justiciar and Seeker Arrows (from Immersive Weapons) which are quite effective against undead too and managed to pick off the remaining draugr that way, then killed the boss draugr in front of the wordwall with a couple of dual power attacks with her silver katana/scimitar. Unfortunately the strange scripture on the wall told her nothing, but the loot was nice, so she didn't complain.

High on rebellion victory, she then enlisted her friend Gorr's help for delivering herself of another duty that has been encumbent upon her since her early days in Falkreath and which she now felt strong enough to address at long last. Together they went to Bloated Man's Grotto, joined the Hunt for the werewolf Sinding and slew him; Marilyn then flayed him, offered his steaming hide in sacrifice to the Daedra and received it back in shape of a cuirass which will henceforth protect her against magic, sickness and poison (no more need to fear nasty spiders and nastier spriggans!).

The two friends celebrated their success by sharing a few rounds in the Honningbrew Meadery, then parted ways once more but surely not forever. Gorr was last seen heading west, while Marilyn took the east road back - home - to Riften. At last.

[Dark Heart]

Amara did loads of things this weekend.

First she ended up being kidnapped by the Dark Brotherhood. She awoke in an abandoned shack somewhere in Hjaalmarch. It was the moment of truth for her: would she join the band of assassins, or would she instead destroy them? It was a tough choice for her. On the one hand, everyone in Skyrim seems to despise the very idea of assassination. On the other hand, she thought of killing Grelod: wasn't that a good deed, saving the children at the orphanage from her evil grasp? Maybe, she thought, the empire needed a shadowy guild of assassins, to bring justice to those evil people who would otherwise slip through the net of the law.

So in the end she repaid her debt to Astrid in blood. She chose the Nord sellsword, and Astrid was happy with her choice.

Since her horse and her supply of firewood got left behind at Mixwater Mill, Amara then walked to Morthal. She rented a room at the tavern and explored the town a bit. A rumor about a recent fire which killed a mother and her child caught her interest, and at the jarl's request, she began an investigation. She unearthed the plot of a master vampire to gain control of the town, and proceeded to wipe out the entire vampire coven.

Having spent a few days in Morthal, she decided it was time to head north. Meridia had called her, and as a Daedra worhipper, there was no way around heeding Her call. Amara east on the road to Dragon Bridge. She got held up when she saw a bunch of undead roaming around Fort Snowhawk. She hates undead with a passion, so she stopped to wipe out the undead and their necromancer masters.

She made it to Dragon Bridge two days later and went to Solitude from there. Along the way she recruited Meeko as a follower, and hired a mercenary named Belrand at the Winking Skeever. Together the trio set out for the statue of Meridia.

Amara chose to clear Kilkreath Temple alone, without her followers; Meridia had chosen her as her champion, not the others, after all. She is a good sneak and a sure shot with a bow, so clearing the temple was no big problem for her. Only Malkoran prove to be a challenge, but Amara was smart and let summoned flame atronachs take out Malkoran and most of his minions while she herself hid in the shadows.

She received Dawnbreaker as a reward and went back to Solitude the next day. She bought spells from Sybille Stentor until she was almost bankrupt. However, both Falk Firebeard and Sybille Stentor had jobs available (clear Wolfskull Cave and kill some vampires at Pinemoon Cave), and so Amara, Belrand and Meeko went back out into the cold.

Amara sniped her way through Wolfskull Cave first. When she came out, a hungry dragon needed telling to look for food elsewhere (preferably in the afterlife), and the trio camped in front of Wolfskull Cave for the night. The next day they went to Pinemoon Cave. Amara was feeling kind of sorry for Belrand for leaving him to wait outside the dungeons all the time, so she let him come along. The two cleared the cave, picked up Meeko and travelled back to Solitude, where both Falk Firebeard and Sybille Stentor were glad to hear that their assignments had been taken care of.

Aside from that, Amara bought a new horse from Katla's farm to replace the one that got left behind in Eastmarch.

She also did something really stupid by trying out the Apprentice Stone on her way west from Morthal. I honestly don't know what I was thinking, she is rather fragile with little health, and with 100 % weakness to magic, she'd probably get one-shotted by enemy mages all the time. Good thing the Steed Stone is around in Haafingar. I originally only picked the sign to get rid of the Apprentice sign, but I'm considering sticking with it. Amara lives as a nomad, so the additional carrying capacity comes in handy.

[The SheoDovah]

Today, Aejiri drank some skooma annd killed some bandits. She went to find the horn of jurgen windcaller and found it had been stolen. She made her way to Dawnstar. That's it.

[Nord85]

Today I wandered around doing quests. Went to Markarth and after completing the Forsworn Conspiracy (killed Madanach in the process) I did Lisbet's quest, cleared the Kolskeggr Mine and slew a multitude of Forsworn along the way. Also, I went to find Sorine Jurard and Gunmar as per Isran's orders. Sorine was easy enough to find, but Gunmar had chosen to track that damn bear to the most remote part of Whiterun Hold. I went with him inside, and what did I see? Four goddamn bears, and me without any healing potions! The cave was named as "Brood Cavern", which should have been hint enough, but I didn't expect this. After battling the bears up to the point where I was one blow away from biting it, I ran like a punk. Luckily the critters concentrated on Gunmar, so I was able to get outside. There I used the Healing spell and went back inside. This time we killed all of them.

Tomorrow, I intend to get back to Fort Dawnguard and get from Sorine the quests for improved crossbows. What I am not doing, is to go get the next mission from Isran. That's because I want to concentrate on the main quest for a while and frankly, I want to have Serana with me for as short a time as possible. That's because I really don't like her that much. So, after I have the main quest at a convenient point, I'll go get her and do the rest of Dawnguard in one go.

[Sam]

Got married to an Orc!

[Jabberdave]

Started a new character a few days ago. I've never really tried my hand as a true mage and after watching my son play as one for a while, I decided to give the old grumpy Orc a break and give this whole magic business a try. Man, am I weak!

I didn't start the whole dragon business after I left Riverwood. I did a few quests and cleared out Halted Stream Camp for the Transmute spell so I could generate some coin. I've never really depended on that spell early on, but considering how much iron is available in that camp, it was certainly worth it.

With the coin earned, I hired Jenassa. The goal was to get to the College, but I don't fast travel so getting there at an early level didn't look promising. So help was needed. It has been a while since I had a character hire her as a follower and I missed her company.

After dumping my loot and hiring her, we headed back to Falkreath. Gray Pines Goods had a necklace of water breathing and I wanted it before it was gone. It seriously lightened up the coin purse, but I'm hoping it will be a worthy investment since Alchemy will be a skill I plan to use and getting at some fishes will be useful.

Leaving Falkreath, we headed through Helgen (no bandits had taken up residence yet) and on to Riften. There, I decided to help this guy with a quick swipe of a ring and dumping it off on another person. Worked like a charm and I've been asked to join this Thieves Guild. Seems a good way to make some coin and I'm all about that. I need money to increase my power.

We finally made it to Winterhold with about two dozen wolf pelts (these things are everywhere!) and I joined the College. I've purchased as many spells as I can along the way and am trying defensive spells as well as Destruction in combat. Since I'm so weak at the moment (only wearing robes and apprentice hood with leather boots), I find that Conjuration helps provide an additional meat shield to give me a chance to....well, survive. Conjuration also provides a blade for the up close and personal encounters.

Just encountered my first saber cat on my way to Saarthal. I'm glad there were others in the area or I likely would not have made it. Getting rag dolled seems to be a passion of mine, but I'm learning.

Edit to add: Fury is a fun spell. Illusion may get a few perk points in the near future.

[Dark Heart]

Edit to add: Fury is a fun spell. Illusion may get a few perk points in the near future.

Oh yes. Nothing like making your enemies tear each other apart and watching the show from the shadows

My current character, Amara, got her plans for the day ruined by a courier today. She had intended to spend a few quiet days in Solitude, explore the city further, get to know the people, maybe pick up a few minor quests, before heading south to Falkreath where the Dark Brotherhood awaits. The moment she set foot out of the Winking Skeever, however, a courier ran up to her with a letter from Falk Firebeard. She was to come to the Blue Palace at once!

Once there, Falk informed her that Potema had arisen in spirit form, and that Amara's help was needed in destroying her. So, after talking to the priest of Arkay for details and leaving Meeko in the Temple of the Divines for his own protection, Amara went into the catacombs under the city in order to destroy Potema.

With her went her current follower Belrand, who insisted that he would not let her go into the catacombs alone (read: I distinctly remebered getting to fight two deathlords on a previous character, and I wasn't sure whether that was doable if she went in alone).

It turned out later that she probably could have handled the catacombs alone after all. Her Sneak skill is in the 60s and Archery in the 50s, both with most of the perks invested, and I found out that she is an almost unbeatable dungeon crawler by now. In the final chamber, where all those draugr pop out of their coffins, she wasn't spotted even once. She had Belrand and a Flame Atronach as distractions, and she just sat in the shadows and sniped away at the draugr.

She only level 25 right now, and she's already officially awesome.

[Nord85]

Today I got the first Dwarven schematics for Sorine from Faldar's Tooth. That was quite a fight. I tried to sneak to the fortress, but someone spotted me. A lengthy fight followed, with me skulking in and out from the cover of rocks and the bandits taking potshots at me. I dealt some death with my crossbow and jumped again to cover. At one point I was in low health, and three bandits were aiming at me with their bows. But the the cavalry suddenly arrived, in the form a fellow Dawnguard member. She killed one bandit with her crossbow, giving me time to finish another one off. Then the last one shot her, though. Enraged, I killed the [&@%!]. Then I went through the fort in a fit of thirst for vengeance, backstabbing and sneak shooting everyone. Got the schematics and got out.

[Ursula R. M.]

Starting with last night, I made a new character. He was supposed to be a clone of someone I met at a party this weekend. Found out it is very hard to MAKE someone you know. Anyway his name is Captain Somerswuulf. The Captain actually followed Ralof all the way to Riverwood this time. (usually I follow his advise and meet up later) Turns out Ralof is a nice tour guide. Explaining this and showing you that.
His day ended at a meeting with Hod and Gerdur (sp?) This morning Frank set off with Agmaer and no dog. Went to Falkreath to see who needed help there. Of course a Dragon appeared and it was on. Handily dispatched, now to see who needed something. It was the priest of Arkay. Frank and co. went to Bloated Man's Grotto to retrieve the diary. There were bears in that there grotto! Frank really hates killing them. Returned to the Reach, wandered around a bit and had a run in with the damnedable spiders.
Back to Falkreath to sell things and inform the priest the diary was retrieved. The award for that was great. Next on the agenda, speak with the Jarl and see if that property is for sale.

[Finn Wolfshorn]

Back in Riften, Marilyn (II) handed her guild side jobs in to Delvin and Vex, reported to Mercer and got new orders to meet him at Snowveil Sanctum at her earliest convenience; hopefully Mercer thought of packing some warm clothes for his journey up north, for her earliest convenience isn't likely to be anytime soon. As far as she could gather from his spare comments about the place it sounds suspiciously like another ancient Nord ruin, so she's not going in there without stocking up on silver arrows, and silver isn't readily found in plenty around Riften - at least in unminted form; at least Marilyn's exploration of the area (aided by friend and lover Sapphire) turned up nothing yet. Instead of a silver mine the two have up to now only discovered Stendarr's Beacon, where they helped the Vigilants defeat an attacking vampire and his thralls (deeply ironic considering Marilyn (I) butchered Vigilants on sight in her past incarnation - but in this life she hasn't crossed over into darkness yet, and who knows if she ever will?).

[Dark Heart]

Amara had another audience with another Daedric Prince today. The Prince in question was Sheogorath. Amara had gotten the key to Pelagius Wing from Falk Firebeard yesterday, and after sleeping for a bit, she followed up on the matter, and earned herself a Wabbajack.

After dealing with Sheogorath, Amara finished some minor quests for Octieve and Evette San and showed Jarl Elisif some fancy clothing.

She spent the night at Katla's Farm and rode on in the morning. On the way she killed a dragon and cleared Robber's Gorge (sniped the easier bandits and fetched Belrand for the boss fight). The bandit leader's treasure chest contained an ebony bow, which has become her new favorite weapon.

After sleeping in her tent again, she left Meeko and Belrand waiting outside Dead Man's Respite and went to find King Olaf's Verse. She's awesome in dungeons, and between Svaknir's ghost, her Flame Atronach, and her new bow, Olaf the one-eyed draugr never knew what hit him.

She spent another night outside Dead Man's Respite in her tent. The next morning she talked to the people at Crabber's Shanty and rode on to Rorikstead.

[Snail's Pace]

Delia Jessamine-Maric, Breton stealth-mage and music lover:
1. Returned to Riften and gave an old Orc an honorable death along the way. He had been waiting a long time for that.
2. Cleared the bandits from Fort Greenwall with Torvar. Torvar stood guard while Jess sneaked around and killed them with her dagger.
3. Provided Brand-Shei with some rare trinkets.
4. Thoughtfully enchanted some more jewelry for the Companions.
5. Saved Aduri Sarethi from a troll. Aduri was unimpressed.
6. Cleared Nilheim of bandits after being tricked. Thought she might want to retire there someday.
7. Doesn't like weird spiky armor.
8. Packed for a long trip to Solitude. Said goodbye for now to her chickens.

Long version

Spoiler:

After arriving back in Winterhold, Delia Jessamine-Maric, Breton stealth-mage and music lover, said goodbye for now to Brelyna and went to the Windpeak for the night. She left before dawn, intent on getting back to Riften that day.

Near the border to The Rift, Jess encountered the old Orc that had been waiting patiently for an honorable death. He had been waiting a long time for this - probably least a year and a half since Jess first turned down his request - but Jess decided to oblige this time. Jess wasn't sure what an honorable death meant to him and suspected that if she used her most powerful magic, he wouldn't last long. So she conjured a Familiar merely to symbolize her prowess at summoning, drew her dagger, and the fight began.

Apparently, living off of the same two sabrecat corpses for so long had severely weakened the Orc, as the fight was very short. Jess hoped that she had provided an honorable death.

Jess arrived in Riften that evening ,and devoted the next day to domestic life and to Mara.

There was still the unfinished business of clearing bandits at Fort Greenwall, so Jess and Torvar went there the next morning. Entering the interior, a bandit was coming up the stairs, but he hadn't seen them yet. Fortunately, Jess was able to kill him with one shot from her poisoned bow, so he didn't alert the other bandits. After that, she told Torvar to stand guard, then sneaked about killing bandits with her dagger. Soon the fort was cleared without having to engage in a fight.

The next day, Jess went to market and traded a Dragonscale shield to Brand-Shei. She had found the unusual shield a while back and had no use for it. She still feels guilty about trying to set up Brand-Shei for Brynjolf's scheme (though she got caught and failed), so she provides him with unusual items.

That evening Jess began to prepare for an upcoming trip. Her work in Riften largely done for now, it was time to travel to Solitude. As thane of Haafingar, Jess wanted to do for that hold what she had done for Winterhold and The Rift - explore it and make it safer. She intended to begin the trip in two days and expected to be away from Riften for at least a month.

She still needed to craft some gifts for the Companions, so that evening Jess enchanted some more jewelry. She had already crafted rings a few weeks earlier. Now it was time to create necklaces, each one dual enchanted with Fortify Health and Magic Resistance.
Aela: Gold Ruby. She can’t wear silver, obviously.
Athis and Farkas: Silver Sapphire. In appreciation for attending her wedding. Farkas should be over his aversion to silver, now.
Njada, Ria, and Vilkas: Gold Amethyst.
As before, Jess enchanted a piece for Skjor identical to the one for Aela, but didn't know if he would accept the gift.

The next morning, Jess went to see Anuriel about any last minute work. Bandits at Nilheim. Interesting. Jess was there recently and didn’t see any bandits, just "guards". Hmmm. She and Torvar left immediately for Nilheim.

Along the way, they passed through Sarethi farm and alerted a nearby troll. However, the Sarethi girl Aduri beat Jess and Torvar to the troll and began attacking it with her knife. "Is she out of her mind?" Jess thought. Jess got between the girl and the troll, attacking it with her dagger. Not Jess's normal tactic against a troll, but she had to save the foolish girl. She was able to draw the troll's attention from the unarmored girl, and soon the troll was dead. Aduri was unimpressed. "This place is boring," she said. "Nothing but the same thing every day."

Jess and Torvar continued to Nilheim.

Near Nilheim, Jess saw a man sitting beside the road. Telrav. He wanted Jess and Torvar to help reclaim his camp from bandits. He ran toward Nilheim before Jess could explain that she and Torvar were there to kill the bandits at Nilheim, anyway. Jess ran after Telrav... bad decision.

Surprise! This was not the kind of fight Jess likes, but Jess can only blame herself for getting into this mess. But with Torvar’s help, it wasn’t too bad. Soon Nilheim was cleared.

As it was late afternoon, Jess and Torvar decided to stay at Nilheim for the night. Inside, Jess found a Daedric armor of Peerless Conjuring. Wow. She tried it on and was surprised to find that it fit her perfectly . It seemed designed for small Breton women. Too bad she doesn’t like wearing weird spiky armor.

Nilheim is such a beautiful location and one of the moons was out. Jess thought it was Secunda, but wasn't sure. She and Torvar sat by the fire, ate dinner, and had a bottle of wine. With some fixing up, Nilheim might be a place she could retire to someday.

They returned to Riften the next morning. Jess sold the enchanted Daedric armor to Brand-Shei for far below market value, but whatever. After trading in the market, she collected the bounty from Anuriel.

That evening, Jess got ready to leave for Whiterun the next day. She made sure to pack her stock of Sleeping Tree sap, gifts for the Companions*, and the book "Lost Legends" so she can continue to investigate the Gauldur legend while in Haafinger.

After changing into her nightgown, Jess went outside and said goodbye for now to her chickens. It made her sad to leave for such a long time, but she looked forward to seeing her friends again.

*Due to a minor glitch that isn't worth explaining, half of the Companions will get rings on this trip and the other half will get necklaces. Jess will give them the remaining jewelry pieces on a future trip.

Edited: For embarrassingly bad grammar.

[Rose of Sithis]

Today I married mai waifu, Serana. Thank god for Marriable Serana.

[Justice knight]

Miss Casca joined the Volkihar vampire clan after completeing the Dark Brotherhood questline. She followed the orders of her new Lord loyally and cleared redwater den completely- even the patrons weren't spared from her rampage.
Needless to say, the water did really run red.

[SM-Dreamer]

After emerging from a necromantic cave, Blade set out across the Pale. A blizzard chose to make her day worse than finding a dead woman had already done, so she sought out shelter and came across an Imperial Legion encampment. Having chosen no sides in the war, she found herself a place by their fire and warmed up.

Listening to their gossip and gripes, she pulled the frozen carcasses from off her horse and began the slow work of skinning and dressing them. Their hides after were cleaned, and the meat cooked, and finally the storm died down enough for her to pack up.

Riding out, she came across a ruin that looked interesting. A snow bear guarded it, and she climbed down from her horse, bow in hand, to kill the bear. When she saw its cubs, she decided she didn’t need to explore, and continued on her way.

The storm came back, and she found another encampment to shelter in: Stormcloaks. The irony was not lost on her, and she smirked as she warmed her hands. Tired by this point, she ate and slept, and woke ready to go. One of the Nords had a snarky comment about Imperials in general, and she eyed him, thinking his life only continued because she could not take them all on at once.

Lucky for him.

Leaving the Pale for the swampy, half frozen coast, she found another ruin, this one she’d read about from a book. Inside were dead draugr and adventurers, and the foolish dark elf who’d tried to win some treasure for himself. She claimed his ivory claw before venturing further within, eventually killing the entombed traitor and learning a new Word.

Once she’d finished, she crossed the marshy land back into the forests, and into Solitude. There, she returned the flute and lute she’d found, and Nostor’s helmet, and, waiting for night to fall, she rented a room.

Once it was dark, dressed in Thieves’ armor, she made her way to Erikur. They had business to discuss.