Oblivion Blog

I’ve recently been on holiday to Anvil, a town on the far west of the Empire.  Being me, I couldn’t just rest in an inn for a couple of days are started to explore the city in search of some “holiday amusement.”

I started my tour of the city in the docks – Anvil is a sea port and very busy with boats coming and going at all hours.  Having not been on a ship before I saw one with good looking lass on deck – could be the “holiday amusement” I was looking for.  But it turns out that she’s all in a panic!  She owns the boat and reported to me that the Captain and all the crew were dead and that their souls have come back to haunt the ship.  She also informed me that she required a family relic from the ships hold – a crystal ball – and asks if I’d go and get it for her.  This isn’t the type of amusement I was seeking from my holiday but drawing my Katana headed into the ship to see what gives.

Sure enough, the Captain’s dead and all that remains is his shade and pools of blood! After dispatching the shade I proceed deeper into the bowels of the ship in search of the crystal ball, but all I find are more lost souls wanting to make me one of them.  Naturally I resisted and managed to retrieve the crystal ball.  Taking it topside (a nautical term I’ve picked up) I present it to the ship’s owner who thanks me gives me a sword (I already have three) and runs off saying “Thanks.”

Having struck out with the cute bird on the ship and having dipped my sword in ectoplasm, I decide that this day’s a total washout and head to the local fighters guild to see if there’s anything for me to do.  It turns out there is, a woman in town name Quill-Weave has a rat problem.  Now I’ve just purged a ship of ghosts so rats aren’t going to pose much of a problem are they?  And maybe she’ll be grateful to me for ridding her house of them that she’ll show me her bed chamber and I can get my “holiday amusement.”

But it was not to be so, she doesn’t want be to kill the rats, she actually likes them!  She wants me to find out who keeps putting Mountain Lions in basement and thinks it’s the woman next door.  So I stakeout her house that night and find another woman (of the lizard sort, not my type at all) putting meat down to “try and get the rats out so she can take care of them.”  Of cause she pleads with me not to tell anyone, but I’m still hopeful that Quill-Weave will show me her bed and that I can move out of the local tavern and so turn her in.

Turns out that Quill just wants to play with her rats (not me) so I head back to the fighter’s guild the get my next mission and a promotion by the way.  My next mission is to help a merchant in town named Norbet who seems to be having a problem with thieves.  So once again I lose a night’s sleep camped out in his ship.  I tried to stay away, I really did, but at about 3am I started to nod off and was woken shortly after by three thieves creeping into Norbet’s shop.  “Stop right there, don’t make it any harder for yourselves,” I shout coming to instant alertness.  But they don’t and try to fight it out – that’s the last mistake they’ll ever make!

Having had a full couple of day and wanting to see some more of the city, I decide to see the sights starting with the lighthouse and followed by the castle where I met the Countess – a tasty looking woman who is both rich and single (the count having disappeared about 10 years ago in somewhat suspicious circumstances), but alas not interested in me.

Looking around the castle, I find a secret passage leading down into the rock and a locked door!  Leaving the castle I investigate round the rock on which it stand and find a Smuggler’s Cave!  I’m really excited and pick the lock (I’m getting better at this by the way) and proceed inside.  It’s deserted but has stacks of loot stashed there and a book – Grey Fox and the Thieves – which turns out to be the Thieves Guild manual.  Reading this book I get the clear impression that not only does the thieves guild exist, but Grey Fox is real too – how exciting!

The gossip about town is all about a gang of women who lure men away, strip them naked and rob them of all they have.  Sounds good to me!  So I go in search of one of the victims, Gogan, but instead find his wife who hires me for one hundred gold coins to track down these women and recover the family jewels.  Gogan tells me that he first met them in the pub on the docks, so that’s where I start.

Sure enough, this siren comes over and suggests that I could get my “holiday amusement” at her farm and by the way do I mind if her friend joins in?  Naturally I’m up for this and leave town to get my horse.  I have a little time as I agreed to call on them at 11pm and they live a mile or so out of town.

On route to the siren’s farmhouse, I come across the ruins of Fort Strand which seems to have become the home some Marauders.  Checking my sundial, I decide I’ve got time to investigate and am I glad that I did!  This gang was very well organised, had about 20 members including some battlemages!  The leader of the gang had a friend with him, Bjalfi, who dropped a very interesting war hammer named Rackshatter.  Rockshatter had an inscription on it and I decide that once I’ve seen these siren’s I’d find his wife and let her know the fate of Bjalfi.

The sirens proved quite fun, but not in the way that I was hoping!  I ride up to their farm and knock on the door, which opens and before more stands three sirens, all wearing virtually see-through dresses.  The draw me into their room and try to take my clothes off me – forewarned of this I refuse and they get real angry leaving me with no choice but the fight back!  No sooner had I killed the last of the wenches when Gogan turns up with his wife (Maelona) both in the armour of the city watch!  Now this is the bit I don’t get, they tell me that when Gogan was seduced and robbed it was all an act and to finally trap these sirens they needed an outsider – me!  Personally I think that they should have just rode up here and arrested them, they have all the evidence they need with Gogan, but no, they had to involve me in their little plot.

Leaving the farm I saw a sight that chilled my blood!  On the far hill in clear sight of the town is an Oblivion gate!  Seeing this I decide that my holiday is over and I must see what I can do to help the Empire.

Before leaving town though, I find another farm on the edge of town by the stables and a woman named Maeva – they same woman on Rockshatter’s inscription.  I let her know the fate of her husband and return to her Rockshatter and she tells me that he went mad ages ago and she’s now glad that he’s a piece.  And then finally I get my “holiday amusement”.

I really liked Anvil, there’s a chap here selling a house and as soon as I can afford it, I’m going to buy it – although the word on the street is that it’s haunted!