In Which Ysani Acquires Volendrung

I hadn’t actively planned to go after Volendrung this run, but it kind of worked out that way! So this session turned out to be all about getting the gigantic hammer, which I’ll likely hand off to Argis once I have it improved to my satisfaction.

Also, this post is going up a little late. It’s the post for play done on Sunday 4/3.

Highlights

• Play date: 4/3/2022
• Session number in this run: 69
• I’m pretty sure it was early in the session where I left Largashbur and ran into a vampire masquerade trio; they were kind of frozen and didn’t do the usual hail to get me to try to come over, I had to go speak to the leader to get him to attack me; dremora killed them right proper, though!
• Boinged from Riften area to Heljarchen, and did a bit more smithing, enchanting, and alchemy
• Then headed down to Whiterun to do some shopping, and passed a trio of Imperials on the way
• Also found a trio of Imperials by Warmaiden’s, not used to seeing random Imperials inside Whiterun? o.O
• Sold things to all vendors, including Farengar; no daedra hearts at Arcadia’s
• Then sold additional stuff to Mallus
• Boinged from there to Solitude; sold a bunch of things to Gulum-Ei, and a bunch of potions to Angeline, who had no daedra hearts either
• Likewise boinged to Morthal, Dawnstar, Markarth, Falkreath; no daedra hearts in any of those places, though I bought a bunch of ingredients
• Boinged to Lakeview and picked up the vampire armor to take to Windstad, also a few mage things, Savos Aren’s amulet, Hevnoraak’s staff, and the Saarthal amulet
• Boinged to Riften next; did some alchemy and slept at Honeyside
• No daedra hearts at Elgrim’s Elixirs
• However, went into the Temple of Mara to start the Book of Love quest with Dinya Balu, who pointed me off to Ivarstead
• No daedra hearts even with the alchemist in the Thieves Guild
• WHO DO I HAVE TO KILL TO GET SOME DAEDRA HEARTS (daedra, apparently)
• But whoops no wait Enthir sells them! WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS BEFORE? Back to college to hit him up
• Then back to Largashbur! Only to discover I forgot to also get troll fat, DAMMIT; back to Heljarchen, where I retrieved troll fat from storage
• Back to Largashbur, take two; HEY ATUB, I brought the stuff
• Got the ritual done, got Malacath’s pronouncement that Yamarz has to go kill a giant
• Yamarz demanded I come with him, so we set out on the giant killing road trip
• Called up the dremora a couple of times to help him kill bears, before and after cutting through Riften
• Passed what looked like a hunter with a dog, but didn’t get a close enough look as we went by to know for sure
• Played through Yamarz getting his ass handed to him by the giant
• And it’s particularly hilarious that teeny tiny Ysani is the one Malacath decides is worthy to go back and smack some sense into his tribe
• Hoofed it out to return to Largashbur
• Killed multiple wolves en route
• Also a conjurer who was apparently in a fight with what might have been a bandit? Didn’t get a look at the other combatant; took out the conjurer though
• Passed some Stormcloaks that won a fight with Imperials
• Then passed a different trio of Imperials with a prisoner
• Made it back to Largashbur though and got the hammer, and the new guy proclaimed chief
• Overloaded though so quaff- traveled directly to Whiterun
• Got in overnight so did some late night forging to burn through hides and work on smithing
• While I was doing that Lucia found me! HI LUCIA, yes, your mama is back
• And she gave me a gift, what a good kid! <3 (Where the hell did she get trama root though?)
• Sold a bunch of stuff to Elrindir, then waited and sold more stuff to Adrianne and Arcadia
• Did some alchemy in Arcadia’s shop till I leveled up to 65 \0/
• YAY got Arcane Blacksmithing back, and took another bump to Stamina because fuck this whole not having carry weight business
• Sold a few things to Belethor
• Parked in Breezehome with the family and saved for the night

Commentary

Nothing too hugely new here, but still, there were a few fun aspects to be had here.

Four plays in and I cannot recall ever seeing a random trio of Imperials just hanging out inside Whiterun. I see them all over the place when traveling between cities. But inside cities, not so much!

I gotta giggle at coming into Whiterun in the middle of the night, and having Lucia find me at the forge. I cannot help but imagine her waking up to the sound of the forge going off, thinking, “Hey, Adrianne doesn’t work the forge at night! HEY! MAMA’S HOME!” And of course she has to run right out and give me the gift she’s been saving for me. What a good kid!

Though I wonder where the hell she got trama root, which grows on Solstheim! Maybe she bought it from Ri’saad while I was gone?

Mostly, though, since the main point of this session was going ahead and running the Cursed Tribe quest, I also gotta giggle at the idea of teeny tiny (and not an Orc) Ysani being the one Malacath decides should smack some sense into this bunch. Though with less actual smacking than you might expect, given, y’know, Malacath and all.

And now I have the hammer. Yay? Volendrung is definitely not Ysani’s style. But I’ll be giving it to Argis if I get it to a point of being a better weapons choice than the dragonbone greatsword I gave him!

Also worth noting since this is in fact the one actually new thing in this session: I did talk to Dinya Balu in the Temple of Mara and got the Book of Love quest kicked off. Which was also kind of a giggleworthy start, just because you’re supposed to walk into the Temple of Mara and initiate conversation with Dinya, and ask her which of the Divines she serves.

And I’m all, really? You’re walking into the literal Temple of Mara and asking a priestess in there what Divine she serves? What kind of a stupid question is that? Particularly given that it’s the exact same Temple of Mara I’ve already been in to get married, a wedding at which Dinya was in fact in attendance. At which she also congratulated me for the wedding.

I’m pretty damned sure Ysani knows who the hell Dinya serves.

I suppose this question might make more sense if your character actually doesn’t worship the Divines, but if you’re as far along in the game as I am at this point (level 65 and counting), it’s an asinine conversational starter. Sheesh.

That said: the reward for the quest is to get the ability Agent of Mara. Which gives you another 15% boost to magic resistance. Which is tasty, and why I want to do it. Forthcoming session, though!

Language commentary

Interesting terms observed:

• Longère de Largashbur: Largashbur Longhouse
• La Grotte de Rochebrune: Fallowstone Cave (lit. “the cave of brown rock”, I think?)
• Bosquet du Géant: Giant’s Grove (lit. “grove of the giant”)

Next time

The session after this one, played Monday 4/4, was almost entirely smithing and crafting and stuff, but with a hard fight with a Revered Dragon at Heljarchen. Not enough by itself to do a full post, so it’ll be paired up with whatever play I do next.

I may go ahead and do Book of Love, since it’s something new to do. But I also have some Words of Power to hunt down, just in the name of knocking out a few more side quests before I buckle down and go do Solstheim!

Screenshots

Editing to add

• 11/21/2023: Restored missing gallery, and added play date and session number markers.
• 10/9/2024: Converted gallery to a native WordPress one.