Part 42: This is a democracy, not a Hortatorship!
Arglebargle III posted:
Casual sexual exploitation of Argonian slaves is weird for both the obvious reason and for the fact that they change sexes from time to time.
But hey I guess guys just gotta tap that cloaca, am I right bra?
Soanywayhow'saboutthatupdate.
This is a democracy, not a Hortatorship!
This time, we will become the Hortator. Research is in order.
Well, that's that. Balmora and Hlaalu first, then!
Now, I should point out that for whatever reason, I took the long way. Along the eastern coast of Vvardenfell. And I saw this tiny Balmora-ish city and decided to check it out.
The same Dreamer from Seyda Neen is waiting for me.
Like any sane person, I head for the rooftops, where something catches my eye.
The red lantern district, I presume.
Well, that's about what I expected.
Wait. I have an idea.
A little side trip to the Mages' Guild, first.
Here we go.
Annnnd violence. Well, poo. The results were a bit more predictable than I'd predicted.
Wait. BETTER IDEA.
I've kinda wanted to kill this asshole for a long time.
Unfortunately, he must be pretty high level, or something, because the Frenzy doesn't even work on him. That's okay, we've got options.
We launch withering schoolyard insults at him.
He takes the bait!
The fight doesn't last terribly long.
Truth be told, I sort of knew that Trebonius was packing sweet loot. I knew this before the LP, in fact. The "proper" method of obtaining his stuff would be to reach the proper stat and skill prerequisites in the guild, and get a quest to fight him to the death for the title of Arch-Mage. But fuck that, look at those stats!
I also got his staff.
So I get out of town and give it a try.
Bonus video: Let's test this sucker out
Well, that was reasonably effective. Or perhaps unreasonably effective. But we've got a job to do! House Hlaalu's somewhere around here.
There we go.
The nice lady inside gives us some address book, but fuck that.
A bit of the ol' palm grease, and she points us to someone helpful. To Vivec, then!
The average joes can actually be actually pretty helpful, if you bother to ask 'em stuff.
There's old Uncle Crassius! He mentions that Orvas Dren might be a problem. He also makes it quite clear that our campaign for Hortator will be an expensive one.
What a thoughtful gift! Gold! This is one of my favorite lines of the game so far.
But more importantly, he tells us who we'll need to convince.
We'll have to do something about Dren, but we're gonna attend to Yngling first. Right after a little errand.
There's a shrine under St. Delyn, see.
Just need to clear out the worshipers...
...and we can have a little face time with Sheogorath.
Get a fork, kill a thing. We'll be getting to this later, because it's waaaaaaay to the north and I don't want to derail this questline.
Now, about that Yngling guy.
Next up, Dren Plantation.
Seems like the right house to me.
The game has a tendency to place important NPCs at the top of buildings, so- ooh, gold.
Anyway, there he is. In...full armor?
I see where this is going.
Yup, he's with Dagoth Ur. Death to him, then!
His lackeys get on board with me pretty quickly after that. Smart of 'em.
Last but not least, Dram Bero! He's pretty reclusive, so we ask around a bit.
No, Lizard Wizard, not literally. They probably meant the plaza.
This residence seems appropriately suspicious!
Suspiciously empty, too!
Of course, it's not completely empty. Dram Bero gives us his vote, though he's a bit pissed someone found him at all.
And Uncle Crassius swears us in as Hlaalu Hortator. Belt sucks, though.
Next up, Redoran!
I spend some time going from manor to manor, but nobody's really willing to vote for me. It's this jerk's fault.
This kidnapper jerk's fault, as it turns out.
So it's back to Venim Manor. Varvur's in a locked room behind this tapestry.
But there's a Redoran guard right there, and I don't want a bounty or anything coming from this.
Yay self-defense!
So I basically grab the kid and get the hell out of there. Guards don't do much about it, surprisingly.
Papa Sarethi is grateful, and now we can get the support of the other councilors. As for Venim, well, he seems to the requisite murder victim of this house.
So yeah, let's skip ahead a bit, because you guys honestly don't need to see all those dialog boxes. He insists we settle this in Vivec for some reason. Okay, sure.
So we go settle it.
Ebony armor! I guess a trip to Creeper is in order. It was about this time that I noticed I was lacking in pauldrons. Must've sold those by accident.
I think I like these a little better anyway.
Conveniently, there's also a Mages' Guild in Caldera, so we can zip right over to Sadrith Mora for the Telvanni branch of this quest.
The Mouths basically tell us to talk to all of the Telvanni bigwigs. Fair enough!
We get Neloth's support, first. I mean, he's right in town.
Therana seems to have the position confused with a refrigerator, but ultimately gives us her vote after a disposition bribe.
So does Dratha, after I grovel correctly.
This guy doesn't cooperate. He's flanked by demonic guardsmen. Seems legit.
Baladas is on board too!
And of course our own sorcerous sponsor gives us his vote. But what's this? Gothren is EVIL and we're going to have to wizard-fight him?
I think I need to get a little more sagely for this.
Well, Gothren, you won't cooperate with Lizard Wizard. So I think it's time you met
LIZARD WIZARD, WIZARD, WIZARD!
WIZARD BEAM ULTRAAAAAAAA!
And that takes care of that. Hey, free potions!
Hortatorship and a robe, too!
The robe kinda sucks, though.
If you want something done right...
OH WHOOPS. Forgot to talk to Sarethi about the Redoran Hortatorship.
Title, ring, and...plot?
The one labeled Public Notice is worrisome enough. I'm a wanted man now, I guess! But there's another one, too.
Note from the Archcanon posted:
[a package sealed with an anonymous wax seal, containing a single-page, unsigned note]
[on the cover of the package]
To the Outlander lately proclaiming his identity as the Nerevarine, to be delivered with haste --
[the note itself]
The assertions made being in direct contradiction of the doctrine of the Tribunal, namely, that you are the Nerevarine, the reincarnation of the Sainted Lord Nerevar, are, in addition to being against Temple teaching, incredible and implausible in the extreme.
The revelations made by the Inquisition, namely, that you yourself are in fact an agent of the Imperial Intelligence Service, otherwise known as the Order of Blades, lately made with substantial evidence by the Lord High Archordinator, Berel Sala, further calls into question the validity of and motivations behind your claims.
However, as incredible as your claims are, as much as they are in direct contradiction of the teachings of the Temple, and tainted as they are by the inferences to be made upon your close association with the covert policies and interests of the Emperor, the interests of the Temple and its leadership, and in particular, the interests of His Immortal Lordship, Vivec, are best served by a close and personal examinations of the claims being made, and close and personal examinations of the motivations and character of the claimant.
The Temple, through its examinations of its records, in particular, the records of the Heirographa and Apographa, is intimately familiar with the many and varied claims of signs and feats that would mark the Nerevarine according to prophecy.
Therefore, in the event of the fulfillment of certain of those most remarkable and scarcely credible claims -- namely, that the claimant should, at one time, be the acknowledged holder of several ancient titles of power and authority of the Dunmer people, to whit, Hortator of the Great Houses and Nerevarine of the Ashlander tribes -- the Temple proposes that the claimant of the identity of the Nerevarine shall present himself for inspection before his Reverend Honor, Archcanon Lord Tholer Saryoni, High Archcanon and Chancellor of Vivec, Archcanon of the Canonry of Vvardenfell, Arch-Priest of the High Fane, for a review and consideration of his claims and identity. However, until such time as the claimant actually has been named Hortator separately and jointly by the three Great Houses of Vvardenfell, and at the same time has been named Nerevarine separately and jointly by the four tribes of the Ashlanders, there is no purpose in reviewing or discussing these claims.
Because of the Temple's official position on the prophecies of the Nerevarine, and in the interests of preserving the security of the claimant from those parties who might wish to do him harm, it is convenient that the claimant of the title Nerevarine shall present himself in secret to Archcanon Saryoni in the archcanon's private quarters in the High Fane of Vivec.
To signify agreement with these terms and conditions for a meeting with the archcanon, the Nerevarine claimant may present himself to the healer of the High Fane of Vivec, Danso Indules, and the necessary arrangements will be made. Once again, no purpose is served by a meeting until the claimant is named Hortator of the three Great Houses and is named Nerevarine of the four Ashlander tribes.
written at the request of and in the name of his Reverend Honor Tholer Saryoni, Archcanon and Chancellor of Vivec,
Dileno Lloran, priest of Vivec, assistant to the Archcanon
Man, that is so obviously a trap.