Great House Fliggerty

Thanks Turelek. Queen Barenziah is already on my DO List for the Elder Scrolls after the Direni Conjuror Chimere Graegyn (Battlespire and Lore) and The Adoring Fan (Oblivion). Anyway I'll add you to the credits for the Lady and thank you also for the story of the Monkey God which I am now surveying for source material to use on the Chimere project. The available Chimere lore is big on Mehrunes Dagon's revenge but scant on pretty much everything else which led to his daedric temper tantrum. Hopefully the Monkey King can help me out with some interesting material to fill in the gaps. I'm open to any thoughts you might have.

Hey Phobos, I think you might find the Monkey King useful for this regard. The character of the Monkey King himself being an impatient type would have quite a bit to contribute. I seem to remember the beginning, when he was just starting on his quest to achieve immortality running around a village of sorts. I do think if you cover Vivec again, you might find the Monkey King useful material for when he is, I believe, first being born?

I'll have a new batch of source material soon. I need to find some internet links, if they're even on the internet, but you may find the Popol Vuh (a Mayan creation story) and Cervantes' "Don Quixote" (a Spanish novel from the peak of Spain's empire) of interest for further readings.

Hey Turelek its good to hear from you. Funny you should mention the Monkey King because I diligently followed up on your suggestion of 'The Journey West' as a source. The antics of the Monkey King got me started on the current project of the duel between the Direnni Sorcerer Chimere and Mehrunes Dagon. Specifically the scene where the Monkey King shows up at the Sea Dragon King's court to beg the gift of a magical weapon which leads to another request, and another, etc, etc leading to - what else - a series of duels. Great stuff to work with!

Don Quixote was a book on tape that kept me company during my daily commutes to work and since you mention that, I think the good old Don was the creator of many if not most of the routines we see in slapstick comedy. GOOD THOUGHT! I would love to use him if someone were to request the adventures of Decumus Scotti in either Valenwood (A Dance in the Fire) or Argonia (The Argonian Account). I loved those Lore books dearly ... what do you think of the Don setting the pratfall for the poor old Decumus with Lewis Carroll inspiring the verse?

As to the Maya ... yes, yes ... you are doing really well with your suggestions and I'm looking forward to hearing more from you.

Phobos, I'm glad to hear you're finding suitable content from the Monkey King. Can't wait to read what you come up with. That's a great scene to use for Chimere and Dagon. Makes me wonder what a conversation between Mehrunes Dagon and Mankar Camoran would look like.

I think Don Quixote could work well with Decumus Scott. Too bad there's not too many forlorn knight/adventurer types in TES haha. I'd love to see the scene with him accusing priests of being sorcerors and attempting to kill them be translated into accusing priests of Arkay of being necromancers.

There is one particular section from the Popol Vuh, that I think could fit in for the Nerevarine completing Sul Matuul's warrior trial in Kogoruhn. Basically the twins have to go through all of these houses (the first test of Xibalba): 1st being the Dark House (it's just very dark), 2nd being the Rattling House (it's very cold), 3rd being the Jaguar House (it's filled with jaguars), 4th being the Bat House (it's filled with bats), 5th is the Razor House (it's filled with swords going back and forth, slashing everywhere).

The Bardic tale of Chimere's duel with Mehrunes Dagon is taking longer than expected. The Elder Scrolls Canon I've found, even in the Imperial Library site, is pretty fuzzy in regards to the history and events leading up to the RPG of Battlespire. No excuse - I just have to figure out how some things must actually work  before I can versify.

Regarding art although not of the historical variety, check out the Morrowind Art of an artist named  Alexey Rudikov at the Deviant Art site - https://alexeyrudikov.deviantart.com/art/The-caravan-310411154?q=gallery%3ALelek1980%2F32940308&qo=26for a quick Morrowind fix.

BARDS AND BRAGGART'S TALES - Mehrunes Dreams, A Sorcerer Schemes

BARDS AND BRAGGARTS: INVITATION TO A DUEL*
  written by John Baumgartner
        all rights reserved



There are strange things done under the Mundus Sun
By Daedra who scheme in the Mortal's fold:
Their shrine trails have left their secret tales
Of schemes to make your blood run cold:
Now the Aedric lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was Mehrune's fall to a Sorcerer's call
And immortality.*

This thirteenth BARDS & BRAGGART'S award for a notable RPG Character or Quest from the Fallout or Elder Scrolls series goes to a poster with user name Chordate at the Imperial Library for his suggestion of a Clan Direnni sorcerer named Chimere Graegyn which led to a fantastic story arc of Daedric travels, schemes and squabbles between the Princes, and a sorcerer with 'best laid plans' of his own.

So where to begin? Turelek over at Great House Fliggerty has suggested a Chinese epic titled "Journey to the West" as a great place to anchor Chimere's story. As a historical note "Journey to the West" was written 1,500 or so years ago by a novelist named Wu Cheng-en who has, as the Wikipedia notes, an immortality of his own being currently a source of action-fantasy movies produced by the Hong Kong movie industry and a current series on Chinese television.

I found to my dismay that the scope of Chimere Graegyn's tale of schemes and skulduggery is far more than the scope I intended for this project. So here I concentrate on the initial tentative play between the agents of Mehrunes Dagon and Chimere as the Prince schemes to launch an invasion of Tamriel using Chimere as a tool and Chimere's response with a plan of his own. I've merged a few episodes from "The Journey to the West" and the exploits of one of it's protagonists known as "The Monkey King" with paraphrased poetry from, in alphabetical order, Emily Dickinson, Rudyard Kipling, Edgar Allen Poe, Robert W. Service, and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

"An Invitation to a Duel" is published in the BARDS AND BRAGGARTS section of the Dragonborne site at http://dragonborne.proboards.com. I hope you enjoy reading the story of Chimere's shadow boxing with Mehrunes' as much as I did writing about it.

That was truly a fantastic read Phobos. The poetry was excellently woven in with the story, and the dealings Graegyn had with Dagon sprung to life. Graegyn going through various realms of Oblivion for these artifacts was perhaps one of the greatest touches, along with Dagon's search for a great weapon for invasion. I know Dagon's struggles all too well in that regard. I really think you showcased Graegyn's powers well in this, showing he is evidently not fearful of Daedra lords and even traveling to their own courts to strike deals or claim artifacts off of them.

I also noticed you wrote a "for now" at the end, and encourage you to revisit it soon.

Thanks Turelek - your suggestions are very much a part of these. And ... I'm not sure about Chimere and Mehrunes ... I decided to trim it back because the poetry and story was approaching the length of a FanFic chapter which wasn't what I set out to do with BARDS & BRAGGARTS. But there's a lot I'd like to try with those two - especially another installment where the shenanigans of Chimere and Mehrunes down on the Mortal Plane attract the attention up in Atherius of the sensitive, jealous and whiney Magna-Ge divinities who couldn't work with the other Aedra in creating the Mortal Plane, and were either incompetent or too lazy to make their own spheres like the Daedra ... could be a major time consuming challenge but fun.

I don't know ... right now your suggestion of Moraelyn and the Dragon's Tooth is the most viewed on  the Dragonborne site. So if Chimere can catch or come close to Moraelyn while I write the next FanFic chapter I'll seriously consider.

BARDS AND BRAGGARTS (FALLOUT EDITION): The Psalm of Father Elijah




This fourteenth BARDS & BRAGGART'S award for a notable RPG Character or Quest from the Fallout or Elder Scrolls series goes to the AllmightyDunkle for his suggestion of Father Elijah from the Fallout:New Vegas, Dead Money add on campaign. The Allmighty One has done well suggesting scary characters  of neutral karma and 'ends justify means' philosophies. This is his second appearance here. Last time (contest 10) it was Mister House. This time it is Father Elijah who cuts a twisty trail though New Vegas and the Old World Blues DLC to become the main antagonist confronting the Courier in the haunted Sierra Madre Casino in Dead Money.

So where to begin? In Elijah's case a high Octane work of pure ego driven testosterone by the writer Jack London fit the good Father Elijah perfectly. Jack London's poem is untitled but is included as part of his novel "The Iron Heel" the title of which should give you a good idea of the tenor of the poem and it's paraphrasing for "Elijah's Psalm".

"Elijah's Psalm" is published in the BARDS AND BRAGGARTS section of the Dragonborne site at http://dragonborne.proboards.com. I hope it brings back fond memories of the twisty logics and problem solving encountered as your NPC progressed from HELIOS 1 in New Vegas, to the Big MT in Old World Blues, to the diabolical twists and turns of the haunted Sierra Madre Casino in Dead Money.

BARDS AND BRAGGART'S TALES
The Night That Barenziah Did Rifton




That night when through the mooring chains
The headless corpse rolled free,
To float there past the Ratway reach
And rot with guilty plea
When Symmachus told a dunmer girl
What the night winds told to me.

This fifteenth BARDS & BRAGGART'S award for a notable RPG Character or Quest from the Fallout or Elder Scrolls series is shared by Turelek of Great House Fliggerty and lobbotekka2019 from the STEAM Fallout 4 site for the Dark Elf Queen Barenziah whose long life and many lovers framed so many of the defining events and  significant characters of the third era of the Elder Scrolls from Arena through Tribunal. Her biography comes in two versions, both titled "The Real Barenziah". First there is the complete, uncensored version of the Lady's life originally written for Bethesda and appearing in Daggerfall, and there is the shorter, censored version as approved by the Tribunal Temple that appears in Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim. Both versions are available at the Imperial Library which is a great source of lore and canon for all things Elder Scrolls.

Parts 4 and 5 of the Library's uncensored, ribald version provided the material for the events in Rifton, while the poetry of Rudyard Kipling's "The Ballad of Fisher's Boarding House" furnished the poetic structure for the Bard to play with.

"The Night That Barenziah Did Rifton" is published in the BARDS AND BRAGGARTS section of the Dragonborne site at http://dragonborne.proboards.com. along with the fourteen previous winners from the Elder Scrolls and Fallout worlds.

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THE NIGHT THAT BARENZIAH DID RIFTON *  
written by John Baumgartner
all rights reserved

T'was Rifton's Ragged Flagon Inn,
Where those of dubious means reside,
And there were those of all the sorts
With skills and crimes to hide,
And dunmer lass to khajiit coaxed
To join the guild betide

He taught her how to craft a key
And scout the dark ahead,
But he lied about the guild rules
And when carefully to tread.
And they sneaked upon the street beneath,
Where Symmachus took his bed,

Now Therris was the khajiit bold,
Bull throated, bare of arm,
He wore upon his tawny chest
A Rajhin lucky charm -
A little silver token
To keep a thief from harm.

A trap, an oath from the girl,
A shriek upon the stairs,
Towards shadows of the comming guards,
He shoved her unawares,
She grasped the charm around his neck,
And fell across the broken chairs.

A dark elf grabbed and threw Therris to the guards,
He smiled and said to her as if this were a game,
"'Tis a merry chase you've led me girl,
"From Darkmoor, Rifton and the thief that you became,
"To do unsanctioned burglary
"And earn the Thieves Guild's  blame."

"Who are you?" She demanded,
"That you've chased me like a game?"
"Symmachus the Emperor's fetching man."
The dark elf gave his name.
"A name to seek and find Barenziah,
"To save her from death and shame."

"And she so rash she didn't know
"Therris will lose his head.
"And she the rightful heir to Morrowind
"Shall join him in the dead
"Lest she decide to leave with me
"To meet the Emperor instead."

Thus did the teenage dunmer girl
Smile and take Symmachus' arm,
And leave to meet the Emperor
And took the Rajhin charm --
The little silver token
That keeps a thief from harm.

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* Poem paraphrased from "The Ballad of Fisher's Boarding House" by Rudyard Kipling

That was a great read Phobos! The poetic structure did much for this poem I think, as the rhymes were spectacular.

BARDS AND BRAGGART'S TALES (FALLOUT EDITION)
Whiskey Rose and the Cool Hand Man



This sixteenth BARDS & BRAGGART'S award for a notable RPG Character or Quest from the Fallout or Elder Scrolls series is shared by OutsidR from the Dragonborne site and Handy from Steam's Fallout New Vegas site. They both recommended the Fallout New Vegas Companion known as the Rose of Sharon Cassidy, also known as Cass or the Whiskey Rose.

If you haven't played Fallout New Vegas the Rose of Sharon Cassidy is a combat oriented cowgirl with the Shotgun Surgeon Perk and a very nice Whiskey Rose damage threshold boost for her and her companion from imbibing her favorite beverage. She's a violence prone natural for the Player with an "eye for an eye" philosophy or simply likes to kill and break things for the joy of it. However, the writers have done their typically good story arcs making it possible for her to be a good companion for a Player who enjoys an indirect more peaceful and stealthy approach to playing the game. And it is this approach that I chose to plot her course through the "Heartache by the Number" quest using the poetry of Bonnie Parker, the iconic bank robber and poet member of the Barrow Gang from the hungry years of the great American Depression.

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Whiskey Rose and the Cool Hand Man*
written by John Baumgartner
all rights reserved

You've read of the ruin of the caravan gangs
Of how they lived and died;
If you're still in need
Of something to read
Here's their story as told from my side.

I was born in old California;
Not treated like Helen of Troy,
I was taught that 'rods were rulers'
And 'ranked' as a greasy cowboy.

I teamstered from city to city
A caravan route to uncurl
Not knowing dishonest or pity
The road held for a poor country girl.

From Mojave to New Vegas city
Up the old 95 divide
Where my wagon fell in
With bushwhacking men
Turned to ashes on the old road side.

T'was the Courier Man at the Outpost bar
With wrongs to right in his eye,
Said together we'd serve justice gladly
Set the 'perps' to pay neath the sky.

We paid our respects to the caravans lost.
There were clues from the 'perps' to see;
The ashes and prints of the Silver Rush
And Alice McLafferty.

The graves on their road to ruin
Will be retribution's guide;
I shall show no regrets
While the Law collects,
With my revenge served cold on the side.

Now Alice had a job for the Courier,
A midnight theft of Gun Runners' plans;
And the Cool Handed Courier left evidence
Of Alice's hoodwinking hands.

She put off the Law with an 'alibi'
No guilt could the law anoint;
But the Couriers' spree with her office safe key
Proved her guilt right down to the point.

The Silver Rush was the Van Graff's den;
"Stay outside!" the Courier said:
I wanted to empty my shotgun,
It was the way my game was done;
But t'was the Cool Hand's play instead!

He chatted with the Van Graff whore,
And delved in her pockets deep;
And nicked the key to her little locked door,
And smirked at her half-brother creep.

A safe in the back held a tale to share
Of deeds done in the dirt and on the cheap.
The scales of justice will weigh the evidence
And the Van Graffs will pay and weep.

My heart was calm with what he'd done,
And we strode that weary way,
We trod the miles to the Outpost bar
And the lawman's star.
And brought Ranger Jackson into the fray.

The Ranger woke the NCR
And their gears ground well and fine.
No more 'legal' cover
From those with revenge in mind.

The Gun Runners took their vengeance,
The caravans got their due.
Our days were done with the setting sun
No more caravan 'perps' to collude.

When the Hoover Dam war was over.
And the NCR had won,
It was a time for the sad 'good bye'.
I left him an empty whiskey bottle,
And walked, west with the moon in my eye.

I was drunk, content, and happy to have had my revenge and to be alive. Which to me and my caravaneer's, country girl's mind was the whole point of it all. Good bye Courier, my Cool Hand Man.

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* Poem paraphrased from Bonnie Parker's poems as follows: "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde" and "Suicide Sal". In regards to the poem on the photo of Bonnie and Clyde I was unable to definitely identify the author.