Hello and welcome to the 18th thread!

I′ll start this one by repeating myself: Lothran has just left Bruma after having spent three months there and is currently by Shadow′s Rest Cavern. He will probably do a dive in said cave and then continue on his way to Chorrol and the Colovian Highlands.

I came back to the gamesas forums while I was planning a Skyrim playthrough. I planned my character out, went through the opening quest ... and couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted to play Oblivion Since my PC gave up on me a few months ago, I've been back to console gaming - so I went out and bought myself a copy of Oblivion for PS3. I'm missing my mods ... but its good to be back!

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Rana didn't exactly end up in Cyrodiil amid the best of circumstances. A Redguard, she'd been a mercenary in her native Hammerfell since she came of age, and had gone on plenty of adventures across the province with a variety of patrons. Her last employer, however, was a particularly insane individual. He hired Rana, and promptly led her to Rihad's docks in a desparate attempt to steal one of the Legion's fastest ships. Unsurprisingly, it ended badly. Rana managed to escape the swarming soldiers, stowing away aboard another ship - until that ship was boarded by yet more Legionnaires, and she was shipped off to the Imperial City, to be tried for crimes against the Empire.

I'm sure you know what happened while she was in her cell awaiting trial. Having gained her freedom - and not wanting anything else to do with the Legion, or the Empire, and certainly not Emperors - she began acquainting herself with the Imperial City.

Rana's spent the past few days getting accustomed to her new life. Though she swears she'll never agree to fight beside her employer again, she's found other ways to make coin - some sleuthing for a group of concerned merchants, clearing out a bandit-infested cave on the City Isle, and making no small amount of coin betting on Arena matches. Life in Cyrodiil was turning out much better than she'd expected - although she wants to get rid of that oversized red amulet she's been carrying around in her pocket. Nothing good can come of that.

Hi, Sol, good to see you again. It's been a while. Maybe Rana should head over to the Shivering Isles as they don’t have Imperial Legionaries there to bother her. I bet you would feel right at home, too, after all the time Eleanor, Fergus, Vilja, Wolfgang spent there.

Same to you, Tmar! I'm sure she'd love it there - she has plenty to see in Cyrodiil first, but I'm sure she'll end up going through the portal at some point. I do miss the gang, but I'm sure they're having a great time in the Isles - Eleanor in particular loved it there

Eleanor, that′s a name from the past

Lothran is now in Chorrol. After a quick visit to Shadow′s Rest Cavern in which he found little of interest, he then traveled to the Great Forest and said town. So nice to be back there

Chorrol and its surrounds are so beautiful. Nothing beats catching a glimpse of the Imperial City between the trees in the Great Forest!

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After several days in the Imperial City, Rana made the trip up to Weynon Priory near the city of Chorrol. She gave the oversized amulet to Jauffre, who started rambling on about Kvatch and Oblivion. It gave Rana a sense of urgency - which lasted until she made it to the city of Skingrad. While spending the night in the Two Sisters Lodge, she realised how absurd it all was! She didn't want to get involved in any palace intrigue or royal shenanigans. Instead, she continued on to the city of Anvil to join the Fighters Guild.

About a week has passed since Rana made it to Anvil and joined the Guild. She's now an Apprentice, has a nice full coin purse, and is back in Skingrad for the night, en route to Cheydinhal to pick up a new Guild assignment. She gave Kvatch a wide berth - she doesn't want anything to do with whatever's going on among the Empire's aristocrats.

Solitudian, what a surprise! So glad to hear you got sidetracked into Oblivion. Rana sounds motivated. Can we get a picture? 1/*+

Heya Renee! It's been great to get back into Oblivion. Rana is definitely motivated ... by anything that can make her some coin, or give her an edge in a fight I wanted her to be a very different character to Eleanor. Where Eleanor was heroic and honourable and regularly dined with Cyrodiil's nobility, Rana is much more self-centred, and definitely doesn't rub shoulders with aristocrats. And sure - I'm on PS3, so no nice PC screenshot, but http://i.imgur.com/EaFZcRg.jpg.

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So it turns out that the Fighters Guild pays terribly. Rana dives into a cave filled with goblins, risks her life to clear them out, and is rewarded with a measly 100 gold! The Guild head in Cheydinhal ordered her to fetch a contract from Chorrol after that particular job - but instead, Rana headed to the Imperial City, to sign up in the Arena. She only completed a few fights before she left for Chorrol, but she's starting to fill her coin purse quite nicely. Things are looking up.

Yay! A classic Renee shot!

She looks good, I hope she enjoys Cyrodiil despite bad pay

After another day in Chorrol the Dunmer is now back in the Imperial City for his usual business of buying ingredients and offloading stuff. Some will be kept in the shack and some will go to Bruma next winter. Oh, and today Lothran did some spring cleaning and threw out some weapons and trinkets he didn′t want anymore

Mirocu: ah yes, the two types of character pics - screenshots and Renee shots How often does Lothran have to clear out old items like that? I bet he accumulates a lot of stuff!

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Rana is back in the Imperial City, having completed some more contracts for the Fighters Guild. The Guild's pay is slowly improving, but her coin purse is still lighter than she'd like. She's supplementing that pay with her Arena fights - relatively short affairs, with a decent return in Septims. She's managed to save enough to buy a shack in the Imperial City, and over the course of an in-game week has been able to save up and buy almost all of the furnishings for her humble abode. It's not much to look at, but its in one of Rana's favourite parts of the city - the Waterfront - and has plenty of room to store the odds and ends she's collecting.

Yes, the Fighters Guild does pay terribly, this is true. Go down in some holes and kill some monsters ... whatever Edgar Vautrine says is golden, unless Rana's not into that.

Where did Lothran throw out his "spring cleaning" stuff?

He does have lots of stuff though most of it is part of various collections in Bruma. He doesn′t clear out often but when he does it′s mostly novelty enchanted weapons and armour that has lost said novelty.

Same place as always; that little crate beside the I.C shack

Lothran needs to open up his own second hand shop! That way he's not tossing good items into barrels and would make a bit of cash on the side!.

Septims are of no concern to him, he has more than enough and can easily get more if needed He actually did have like 200.000 or so years back but he′s not the sort of character to throw that kind of money around so I got him down to around 10.000. I never asked how he felt about it and I don′t dare to

After three or four failed attempts at dungeon diving, Lothran is now back in the Imperial City waiting for stores to open up. He′s previosuly found a Gold Ring and a Silver Ring so now he wants a Copper Ring to complete the set. Hopefully there is one at Red Diamond Jewelry

Yah I was gonna say ... by this point Lothran has so much gold.

What do you mean "three or four attempts at dungeon diving?" We're all fascinated with your roleplay, mirocu.

By failed attemps I mean I was in the mood for some dungeon diving but didn′t find a suitable dungeon. Plus it was daytime and thus hard to justify it

Heh. I better not ask in what way you are fascinated

Lothran is now in Skingrad and that′s where he′ll be during Easter. Exploring the West Weald is very enjoyable

Renee: She's been on a couple of dungeon-dives now, but she's still pretty new to it all - she's had to run away from a couple of dungeons, to avoid being mauled by trolls ...

Mirocu: Fair enough - if Lothran sold all the enchanted bits and bobs he's collected over the years, he'd probably be able to buy the Imperial Palace

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Rana's not having much fun at the moment.

She was en route to Leyawiin from the Imperial City when her horse got a little too close to a bandit's axe and died. She had a near-death experience with a minotaur, got caught in a thunderstorm, and had to run for dear life from a will-o-the-wisp. Upon arrival in Leyawiin, she got on with her Guild contract, and soon reached the point where she needed to give five pieces of ectoplasm to a potential Fighters Guild client. That wouldn't have been a problem ... if she hadn't used her fifth piece of ectoplasm in a potion not five minutes earlier

Rana is currently lost in Blackwood, on the eastern bank of the Niben, trying to find a ghost to slay for its ectoplasm. Easier said than done, it would seem.

Good grief, she's got a full onslaught of problems going on!

Yes, West Weald is so vibrant and colorful. Good place to be for springtime.

Explored a fort near Skingrad tonight that apparently hasn′t had Lothran as a guest yet. And surprisingly, neither had Derelict Mine! I′m genuinely shocked that we haven′t been there yet!

One night in Anvil makes the Dunmer happy,

the town is nice and so is Flowing Bowl.

You′ll find the port to be a little shabby,

but castle′s nice and so is the lighthouse.

The Count is gone, where could he be, I ask.

-Thank ye, thank ye...

Yes, the Dunmer is living it up in Anvil County! He′s currently stationed at the Flowing Bowl, it′s midnight and rain is pouring down outside, as it has all day. Before going to the Bowl, Lothran took whatever few items of interest he had left in Benirus Manor and proceeded to give County Anvil its deed and key. He has officially nothing more to do with the Manor

What's up with this Claude Maric guy? A few days ago my character, Baa, had a girl gang out around Mackamentain laying waste to the countryside when this guy in glass armor comes running by. Well, Baa is not a very fast runner (speed 46), but she did her best to catch up to him and at least try to find out his name. Headed north on the Yellow Road the glass armor man was killing everything on the road and still Baa couldn’t catch up. Finally, around Cracked Wood Cave, some Goblins slowed him down long enough for Baa to see his name, but he was fleeing and would not talk. Something must have really spooked him because he was headed home to mama.


This guy was on a mission and Baa had no idea what it was, but she kinda figured he was one of those glass armored men that hang out at the Roxey, so she kept following. Lagging far behind and losing sight of him at times, Baa didn’t even have time to pick up the loot left scattered along the road by the guy. Finally, Baa and the girls entered the Roxey and there he was all hunkered down with a fleeing sign displayed when she clicked to talk to him. He never did settle down, so Baa left disgusted that he had led her and her girls across most of the Nibenay Plain with nothing to show for it. So Baa fast traveled back to an old Oblivion gate alongside the Yellow not far from Sage Glen Hollow and went back to cracking heads.


Baa seems to remember killing him during the ambush outside Malada after she stole the Ayleid carving that Umbacano wanted. That carving now hangs on the wall in the bedroom suite at Rosethorn Hall.

Of course he was scared and in fleeing mode. He didn′t want to get killed by Baa again

Wish Lothran had that carving, but it was used and can′t be taken back now.

That sounds very bizarre, tmar. I've never seen Claude do anything like that.

Sounds like Claude has had a script update. A little healing and a 'rally' spell would have got him talking again.