Black or White - A Skyrim ARR

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Chapter III: The White Phial

Muriel ambled across the market, she looked at the wares here and there. Then she saw a sign, on which a white phial was visible, which seemed to be for an alchemical ingredients store. She decided to step in, as she wanted to make some potions for endurance and restoration of magical power. A young Imperial and an old High Elf were arguing inside the shop with each other.

'Master Nurelion, you are too sick for such an dangerous expedition.' the young imperial said. 'Oh i will survive this, Quintus. I'm so near to the phial, its the culmination of my exploration and ...' the old High Elf coughed severely into a white handkerchief. Blood was visible. 'You better lay youself down, Master, you are exhausted.' Quintus said. 'But i haven't much time anymore...' replied Nurelion. 'I must...'

Muriel cleared her throat. 'I could bring you the Phial' she said. 'For a reasonable wage.'

Nurelion eyed her intensively... Then he began to smile. 'You would do this great favor for an old man? You are very generously.' Then he began to talk about the phial: 'Its a white phial made from the first snow, which fell on the throat of the world. Its magical, its reproducing daily every substance you are filling in. Its the dream of every alchimist. I have searched for it for years, since i came from Summerset to Skyrim. And now i have found out, where it is. It is here in Curalmil's Crypt in the Forsaken Cave.' He pointed on an old, worn out map. 'If you bring the Phial to me, i will pay you generously.' Muriel shaked Nurelion's hand to seal the deal.

She made her potions on the alchemy table in the store and just as she had left the shop, Nurelion ran after her and said: 'Stop, you have forgotten the most important thing. A potion, which will open the chamber in Curalmil's grave, in which the White Phial is.'

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Muriel took the special said goodbye and left the market and Windhelm in direction to the Forsaken Cave.

It was a dim day with a thick snowstorm. The journey to the cave itself was quiet except two wolves, which crossed her way but which were no real adversaries for her new lightning spell. As she finally reached the Forsaken Cave it was already noon, she entered the cave and saw a blue shining cave. The whole cave was covered with ice and as she went deeper into the Cave, she saw a skeleton lying on the ground in front of a handcart with a chest.

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She searched the skeleton and the chest and found some gold and a silver ring.

As she went deeper into the cave, she heard the howling of a wolf. Muriel drew her sword and prepared for casting her lightning spell. Around the next corner she saw the wolf, which instantly attacked her. Muriel casted her spell, which killed the wolf.

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Then a second wolf attacked, but he was also hit by a lightning bolt. Muriel searched the blue shining cave for the entrance for Curalmil's Crypt and finally she found the gate to the crypt.

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Muriel pressed against the gate, which opened with a creak. The crypt was dim, but Muriel's eyes got used quick to the weak light. As she went deeper into the corridors of the crypt, she suddenly heard shuffling steps. First far away, then nearer and nearer... Muriel's heart began to beat faster and faster and fear began to creep into her heart. But then a wrath began to burn in her soul, which wiped out all fear in her. 'No, you won't hurt me again.' And with a scream of anger she unleashed a lightning bolt against the attacking undead, which are called Draugr in the language of the Nord. The first bolt stopped the Draugr immediately and the second one hurled him through the whole corridor.

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Then two other Draugr attacked her, she drank quickly potions, who restored her magical powers, and weakened the Draugrs with lightning bolts,then spinned between them and killed them with quick sword strokes. The fourth Draugr hesitated with his attack and was also quickly defeated with lightning bolts and sword strokes. Muriel took a breath of relief and was content with herself. Alwyn would have been proud of her. Muriel searched through all grave vessels, which she found on her way. In some were gold coins, silver rings, gemstones, gold and silver bars. She also found some iron and steel bars. She met more and more Draugr and with every fight she got better in defeating them. Then on the stairway to the second floor of the crypt she met her... A female Draugr battle mage with a dried up body attacked her suddenly with a frost spell. Muriel's felt the freezing cold of the spell, as the spell hit her body. Muriel casted her lightning bolt spell against the ice spell and she watched how the lightning bolt slowly consumed the frost spell and finally hit the Draugr, which was hurled back.

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Muriel defeated her with some sword strokes. Then she continued her way through the second floor and reached finally the third floor. The third floor was a narrow passageway with an iron railing, which hung right under the ceiling of the crypt. At its end was another wide corridor, which led directly to the grave chamber. Muriel defeated the Draugr easily, which guarded the corridor. And then she opened the door to Curalmil's grave chamber and entered the room. Everything was quiet in this room. 'Should it be so easy?' Muriel thought. But as she was in the middle of the chamber Curalmil's sarcophagus slowly opened and the undead alchimist stood up from his grave...

Confident she attacked him with her lightning spell... But the spell barely hurt Curalmil!

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And at this moment Muriel knew, she was in trouble as four other sarcophages opened...

So she retreated quickly through the fcorridor back to the passageway with the iron railing. The passageway was narrower than the corridor, so that the Draugr couldn't attack her together, only one by one. But more important was, that Curalmil couldn't use his two-handed battle axe properly in this narrow passage.

Muriel defeated the first Draugr with her lightning spells and attacked then Curalmil with a series of sword blows and stabs, which Curalmil couldn't fend off properly.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

As Curalmil died the last two Draugrs retreated slowly to the grave chamber. Muriel killed them too. As she was in the chamber again, she saw a great wall with a big chest in front of it. Suddenly she heard a mumbling from the wall, some signs in a scripture unknown to her were glowing. She casted a Candlelight spell and then she saw that the whole wall was full of this unknown scripture.

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As she put her fingers about the glowing signs, she felt how a unknown magic flowed through her body and in her mind she saw the word 'AUS', but she didn't know what the meaning of this word was. And as she absorbed the word, the glowing faded.

'What has happened to me and what does 'AUS' mean? I will need to find out.' Muriel thought. She searched the whole wall for a hint but found nothing. Then she saw a small corridor below the wall, which led to a small fire bowl. Muriel remembered, that Nurelion said, that she would need the special potion to open the last chamber to the White Phial. She poured the potion into the bowl and a secret stone door in the wall opened.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

And in the middle of the chamber was a White Phial on a Pedestal...

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with a great crack in its case.

Muriel cursed disappointed as she suddenly knew, that this would mean trouble...

[Alwyn]

There are great moments here, particularly when Muriel encounters the battle mage and the surprises when she meets the undead alchemist. I wonder if Muriel will be able to find out more about the mysterious words (presumably it depends whether her journey will take her through the start of the main quest, which of course it might not as you're using a mod for a different start) - and what will be the significance of the problem with the phial.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Thank you. I had very much fun writing this chapter, as the screenshots were quite inspiring.

[Turkafinwë]

Very enjoyable indeed and some great screenshots. (my favourite is the one where Muriel is facing off against the female Draugr). It's good to see Muriel fight her fear of the Undead. Aus eh? Perhaps Muriel is Germanborn?

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Thank you. But on that wall you can really read 'Aus'.

https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Shouts

[Derc]

Aus eh? Perhaps Muriel is Germanborn?

Nah, Australian. As you know there are three parts for a word.
The first one does nothing specifically, only giving the Dragonborn an Australian accent, boosting his shouts for some time.
The second word, 'sie', equips you with Outback clothes and automatically installs this mod.
Stuff is getting serious with the third path, ', eh?'. It tilts the world over, making it upside down, automatically plunging any non Aussie into the sky. Hence Sky-rim. Deeeeep, ain't it?

Rumors say that this shout also makes the wildlife go savage, growing in size and doing everything in its power to kill you. But since that's the case in Skyrim anyway, there's no telling if these rumors are true.

...Ok, enough. Excuse me for spoiling jesting around. I think it's a fine AAR with an unusual idea and nice pics. Here's a +rep.

Why 'Black or White', btw? What does the title stand for?

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

I like your post. And thank you for your nice words. I hope it will later be visible in the ARR, why black and white.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

In the future this AAR will get only irregular updates, as my activity agross the non TW parts of TWC isn't good for my mood and energy level atm, so i will shutdown my forum activity in these parts a little bit and instead concentrate more again on my one big love: R 2 modding and playing.

But this AAR isn't finished, its only slowed down.

[Alwyn]

Good luck with your Rome 2 modding and playing, as well as Muriel's continuing adventures.

It's good to hear that your AAR will continue, even though updates will appear less often.

If you'd like to, you'd be welcome to join the MAARC, when you have two updates after the start of the competition.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

@Alwynn: Perhaps, i will take a look at the contest.

[Alwyn]

Thanks, I hope you'll enter. Entering the MAARC was recommended to me (by Scottish King, if I remember correctly) as a way to encourage more people to read your AAR.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

I'm sorry to say, but my AAR ends here. Sadly i had more fun in making the screenshots than in writing the story itself.

At least i will continue it as screenshot series.

Thank you to all, who read my AAR. Hopefully you had some fun.

[Derc]

That's sad, but you might explain why 'Black or White' now, otherwise I might come up with a racist joke or a pun about low baked or long baked cookies.

[Morticia Iunia Bruti]

Most magicans ( like the first magican Galerion) and all common people would see Necromancy as an unjustified sin, while a minority would say its only another school of magic.

Well Muriel would say its a tool against dangerous beings. We will see what happens, if she ascend to light or descend into darkness.

[Derc]

Ooohh, that's classic. Well, it's an interesting approach to see the story continue in pure image form, and, well, have the reader (/looker? &#128064 literally image up the rest.

[Alwyn]

Thanks for explaining the thinking behind the Black and White title, I was wondering about that too.