JoS/Kanna/23rd Journal - The Bitter Cup

First Seed, 14th, 3E 428

We arrived at the port of Tel Branora ahead of the ship's schedule, aided by a strong tailwind pushing us forward. We weren't sure where to start looking for the Bitter Cup on the island, but at least we were able to make it inside the tower without hassle, all thanks to Aliya. I guess there are some perks in being buddy-buddy with the perverted lunatic of the House Telvanni!

While Aliya's plan was to ask Mistress Therana for clues and help, we were stopped before we could reach her. One of Therana's oldest and most loyal servants, Felen Maryon - the same guy I once stole an Ebony Staff from - wanted to talk to Aliya and congratulate her on becoming the Telvanni Hortator. He was so nervous, fumbling over his words in an attempt to sound overly polite! It was honestly quite a funny sight to see!

Since he has been serving Therana for decades, maybe even centuries, we thought to ask him if he knew anything about the Bitter Cup, and to our surprise, he did. That's the good news, but the bad news is that the Cup is long gone. After we asked him what happened to it, he sighed and invited us for a chat, saying he would gladly tell us everything. In fact, he said it would be better to hear it from him rather than from Therana, as mentioning the Bitter Cup in her presence could rekindle some bad memories and possibly even upset her. As you can probably guess from that, this all relates to her.

Like many aging wizards in the waning days of their lives, Therana got interested in extending her lifespan through unnatural means. There are ways in which talented mages can delay death using magic, but not even the mightiest of wizards can keep doing this indefinitely. Eventually, death comes to us all. Even undead creatures such as vampires and liches have to die in order to "live" forever. Making a covenant with powerful Daedra is always an option, but even this method doesn't come without inherent risks. After all, most Daedra are malicious and are not to be bargained with. Therana mustn't have gotten the memo, or maybe she just didn't care. Either way, a pact with Clavicus Vile was her way of reaching permanence and biological immortality.

Not a bad idea, if you ask me. After all, you can ask the Prince of Bargains for pretty much anything! However, even when the Trickster-Prince delivers, he often gives you more than you bargained for, and Therana, old and demented as she already was, was anything but careful when she struck a deal with the devil. All she wanted was to be young again, and that's exactly what she got.

After years and years of looking for it, she finally got her hands on the Bitter Cup and called upon Clavicus Vile on the day of his summoning to finally make her dream of immortality a reality. However, as she took a sip from the Bitter Cup to finalize their contract, not only did Clavicus Vile make her young again on top of making her immortal, but he made her WAY younger than she ever wanted to be! Like, we're talking younger than me! She was thinking about eighteen, not eight, but that's what she got! On top of that, she didn't just regress to childhood physically, but also mentally. That's coincidentally why she's also a bit looney, to put it kindly. I mean, she was already looney and eccentric before she transformed, so now she was super looney! And super mad!

The Bitter Cup disappeared after she drank from it, but she vowed to find it again, not because she wanted to write her wrongs and try again, but because she wanted to spite Clavicus Vile by trying to keep the Cup from him and his followers indefinitely, sealed away somewhere where nobody could find it. Safe to say, she succeeded in getting her petty revenge and has succeeded in hiding it for a little over five decades now. This brings us back to the present.

We were convinced Felen wouldn't be willing to tell us where the Bitter Cup had been taken, but surprisingly, he told us where to find it. It's locked inside the ancient Velothi tower of Ald Redaynia, and he even gave us the key! "I don't know what you need it for", he said, talking to Aliya, "and I don't care. If our Hortator needs it, I feel like it's my duty to assist her in finding it."

That said, just because we know where it is doesn't mean picking it up will be easy. It's heavily guarded by all kinds of walking dead, with the most formidable of its guardians being a powerful lich, so we'll have our work cut out for ourselves with this one! I'm sure it'll be fine, though. Felen also reminded us to not talk about this to Therana, and after promising we wouldn't, we finally left. It didn't end up being a long visit at all!

Just as we predicted, we were able to make it back to Ebonheart in a timely fashion, after which we decided to travel straight home. It was a little past midnight by the time we reached Balmora, but we didn't mind! We're just glad to be able to sleep in my usual bedsheets!

Sadly, though, the bed's going to be a bit lonely this time around, as Karim isn't home. He had left us a letter explaining he's been assigned on field duty again, meaning he's going to be on the road for a week or two, possibly even three. That makes me wonder, did Liliana ever end up asking him out? We couldn't find her anywhere in Balmora either - not that we even know where she lives - so who really knows? They could be traveling together for all we know…

Whatever, it's time to sleep.

First Seed, 15th, 3E 428

Today, we've been enjoying a day off all by ourselves, and honestly, there's not much to write about.

While Aliya spent a lot of time shopping and doing errands around the town, I spent most of my day training and honing my skills. I feel like I'm getting really good at handling my new spear, all thanks to my wonderful teacher, Staada. I even bested her in a mock duel once, which is a huge achievement for me, as I've never been able to beat her before! Hehehe, I'm so proud of myself! I'm definitely taking it along on our next trip to see if I can handle it in real combat as well! …But only against annoying wildlife like Cliffracers. I'm not stupid enough to take unnecessary risks against bandits, smugglers, and such.

We'll leave tomorrow morning, right after breakfast. We've still got a lot of work on our plate, and those jobs ain't doing themselves. Oh, and I'm totally going to keep Staada summoned so we can drag her along! She was initially a little cold towards the idea of joining us on an adventure, but not because she doesn't want to. She totally does. It's just that she's been preoccupied with something important in the Shivering Isles. I'm sure she can spare a couple of days to hang out with us puny mortals, though.

Since this trip will probably be a little bit longer, we're going to leave Karim a letter explaining where we're headed, just in case he visits home. Think I'll write that next…

First Seed, 16th, 3E 428

Right after I finished writing my last entry, Aliya surprised me by showing off her new set of black leather armor, complete with a facemask and a hooded cloak, all handmade in a day's work by an outfitter working with the Thieves Guild! I guess she got inspired after wearing my armor set for a day! She still prefers her half-robe and clothes - she is a mage, after all - but having that kind of sneaky, easy-to-move-in armor available and ready to use is also important for her, especially on days such as today when the action demands stealthiness.

Infiltrating the Redoran Barracks in the Manor District is a real test of skills even for an experienced thief, and Aliya passed her exam with flying colors. As requested by Jim Stacey, she successfully "stole" the stolen family heirloom and returned it to its rightful owner. I'd say she also did a pretty good job of protecting her identity from that beggar when she handed over the locket to him, all in the name of Bal Malogmer. Braynas the beggar evidently didn't know what she was talking about, but we're sure he will forever be grateful to that nameless, faceless girl with a pair of lavender gloves.

Still, what now? Are we supposed to just wait for a letter from that "special courier", or should we try looking for work on our own? If so, how? Should we dress up sneaky and ask for work, spy on people for clues, or ask around the guilds if they can offer tips? Would simple, random acts of kindness suffice, like throwing a bag of coins on a starving beggar's feet? Oh, that could work… but we'll worry about it later.

We'll be heading north next, but not sure which road we'll pick in specific. I mean, Gnisis and Ald Redaynia are in completely different directions. Oh, but wait a minute… I just looked at the map again, and… Ald Redaynia is on an unpopulated island north of Vvardenfell? Well then, we're gonna need a boat, and I doubt it's gonna come cheap! Maybe we can hire a gondolier in Khuul? If that's where we're headed, I guess Gnisis is our next stop then.

First Seed, 18th, 3E 428

The walk from Ald'ruhn to Gnisis took almost the whole day, but at least the weather was fabulous! The north wind was a bit chilly, but it was an otherwise warm and sunny spring day.

Following our trip, we had a little time left in the day to scout the western shores and the mouth of the Samsi river, and as luck would have it, we found the den of smugglers we were looking for. Located south of the river between rocky cliffs and the shallow, perilous waters, it was a seaside cave like many others in this area, and very unassuming on the outside. At first glance, we didn't even think it was inhabited, but a couple of small boats docked near the entrance gave the hideout away.

After a short discussion, we decided to scout the area before returning to Gnisis to find lodging for the night. We were hoping to find another entrance to their hideout, or maybe have some of them leave the cave to check on their boats so we could take them out quietly, but unfortunately, none of that happened. Instead, the trouble found us before we could find it.

Four of the bandits, all men in their mid to late teens, had spotted us from a vantage point on top of a cliff where they had a little hilltop outpost and successfully caught us off guard. They snuck up on me, quickly gained the upper hand over me, and pinned me down, stealing my spear, all while I was helpless to fight back. Aliya was just as unsuccessful as I was, but Staada could put up a decent fight. For a moment, it even looked like she was going to win - after all, the two young Imperials amongst their ranks were already busy holding Aliya and me down, and Staada, for all intents and purposes, should've been able to beat them, even while outnumbered one against two - but her efforts were all for naught in the end. The Dunmer spellsword amongst their ranks managed to banish her straight back to the Shivering Isles after realizing she was an Aureal, and as mighty a warrior as she is, she proved utterly helpless against such a magical attack.

Having captured us alive, the two Imperials holding us down shackled our wrists and necks with cheap, rusty iron cuffs and collars and gagged our mouths with dry cloth. They took us into their surprisingly lavish hideout deep inside their cave posthaste, and dragged us inside a prison to be tied into some kind of a pole like a pair of rabid dogs. Oddly enough, though, even though they got busy groping and toying with us, they didn't choose to undress us right away. One of the four young men present in the prison even seemed a little hesitant to go along with the crime the others were about to commit.

"Boss isn't going to like this", the young Nord said, looking over his shoulder. His name was Hrodwulf, as we came to learn a while later.

"Well, she ain't here, and she doesn't have to know", responded the Imperial teenager called Primo, with his hands all over me. "Besides, look at these pointy things", he continued, stealing the pair of daggers from my belt, inspecting them with a greedy gleam in his eyes. "These brats were clearly looking for trouble…"

The slightly younger Imperial, named Remo, chimed in with a snicker, all while harassing Aliya and groping her chest underneath her baggy half robe. "Yeah, and they need to be taught a lesson, especially after they dared to resist arrest…"

"But isn't that High Elf chick wearing Telvanni colors?" Hrodwulf continued. "I'd rather not get on their bad side…"

"You worry too much", the Dunmer named Naldyn spoke, giving the Nord a brotherly tap on his back. "Just relax, will you? You'll finally be able to lose your virginity today", he continued, mocking the Nord and causing the two Imperials to chuckle.

Hrodwulf still wasn't sold on the idea of putting his hands on us, but he also was afraid to speak out and refuse to do it outright. Instead, he simply asked: "But what if someone from the town comes looking for them?"

"Like who?" Remo asked, grinning at Aliya while she returned an angry yet quiet death glare. For the whole time, he didn't stop rubbing and groping her breasts for a second. "These brats probably aren't even locals. Nobody would fucking miss them if they disappeared. Besides, we'll totally let them go, right? …After we're done teaching them a valuable lesson in respect…"

"You heard him", Primo said, taking a sudden break from undressing me, right before he was about to get to my leather pants and panties. He then took a painful fistful of my hair and stared me in the eyes. "Be on your best behavior and do as we say, or else…"

I nodded without a moment's hesitation - thought it was in my best interest to do so - after which he finally let go of my hair and exposed my lower half completely. I even spread my legs a little when he eagerly reached for my pussy to rub me, a gesture which didn't go unnoticed by my rapist. "Well, aren't you an eager slut", he said, sticking two of his fingers into my pussy, and fingered me for a while. "Don't worry, my cock's a lot bigger than my fingers…"

Even though I was only starting to get horny after a minute of him playing around with my pussy, he was already rock-hard, as became apparent when he pulled it out of his trousers. He didn't waste time putting it in. I clenched my eyes shut, trying to stay still and hold back my whimpers as he impatiently lifted my waist onto his lap and slid his cock into me, groaning all the way through about how hot and tight I was.

Meanwhile, Remo forcefully turned Aliya over to violate her from behind and pulled her pants and panties down to expose her bum, leaving the rest of her clothes on. While she did let it all happen without a fuss, fear, or tears, she did struggle and rattle the chains a little, while also looking incredibly pissed off all the way throughout the humiliating experience. All of this was entertaining to the Imperial, who rubbed some kind of colorless lotion all over his cock while laughing about how he likes it when girls resist and try to fight back. Pushing my best friend's head against the floor, he then finally inserted and proceeded to rape her violently.

No lotion was needed on my end, though, and Primo didn't let me forget about it, making fun of me for getting so wet from being raped. I didn't care enough to respond or even react, and instead just continued breathing heavily and quietly, attempting to stifle my moans. It only seemed to encourage him, and he pushed my back down onto the floor, holding me up by my butt and waist as he continued fucking me. All I could do in return was act receptive and obedient, continuing to willingly hold my legs open for him.

Primo also took the opportunity to finally displace my leather top and expose my flat chest underneath it. I didn't react initially when he pushed his hands down on me to rub them, but after he pinched me gently while also giving my clit a soft two-finger rub, I just couldn't hold myself back anymore. My voice cracked, and my whole body tensed up as a wave of pleasure swept through me. He was unbelievably skilled with his hands, pushing all the right buttons, and the way he was handling his dick was incredible too. I'm ashamed to admit, but as annoying as he was when he taunted me and insulted me for being a slut, whore, and whatnot, he also made me want to come.

While Aliya continued acting more reluctant and even teared up a little, she was undeniably in the same boat as me. She couldn't hold back her moans at all, although that also could've partially been because of how much more violent Remo was compared to my gentle rapist. He even lifted her up by her hair, and pulled her back closer to his chest by groping her, threatening her straight to her ear. "If you even think about telling anyone what we did to you", he said, "we're going to find you, and we're going to hurt you in ways you can't even imagine." In response, Aliya closed her eyes and nodded, telling the man she was sorry. Well, trying to. I could make sense of what she was saying despite the cloth over her mouth, and evidently, so could Remo. "Good girl", he said, kissing her on the neck, and continuing to pound her even harder.

Primo was also picking up his pace, gripping and pulling me into his hip harder as he put more weight on his knees, trying to get more leverage for the home stretch. Being roughed up like that, with no regard or consideration shown toward my comfort, I tossed and turned, struggling helplessly against the chains digging against my wrists, and anytime I tried to move my hands around underneath my back, I only put more pressure on my neck. It was honestly unbearable, especially as the pleasure began building up. It was only a matter of time before I came hard from his cock, moaning and mumbling into the rag over my mouth non-stop.

Soon after that, his moan of pleasure drowned out my soft, pitiful whimpers. He pushed into me, and he pulled me in, gripping me with all his strength, and he emptied his load into me. It honestly felt soothing, and I could finally breathe freely. I don't like being used against my will, but even still, consensual or not, feeling a cock throb in my folds, especially through my own climax's resolution… there aren't many sensations in life that can compare.

It also didn't take long for Remo to finally cum inside Aliya, but neither he nor Primo were in a hurry to pull out of us. Naldyn, though, was getting visibly impatient, and he wanted action too. For a moment, I thought about sacrificing myself by trying to get his attention and making him pick me as his target, but his mind had already been made.

"I want to put that Telvanni whore in her place next", he said, removing the leather strap from his belt loops. While unbuttoning his pants with one hand, he also gave Hrodwulf a firm tap on his shoulder, startling him in the process. That Nord boy had been so enraptured watching us get raped, but not necessarily in a good way. He clearly looked distressed. "You're also up, kiddo", Naldyn said. "Teach that Redguard cunt a lesson."

"N-no, I'm good…"

The sadistic grin on Naldyn's face soured, and he almost looked offended to hear those words coming out of Hrodwulf's mouth. "The fuck you mean you're good?"

"I-I'll just look… I don't want to - "

"Get your dick wet?" Remo asked, snickering. "Come on, just do it."

"But… this is rape… they're children…"

Naldyn sighed and threw his arm over Hrodwulf's shoulder. "Listen here, you softy", he said, calmly and quietly, but also a little angrily. "Look at those things on the ground. Can you tell me what they are?"

Hrodwulf looked at the sheathed daggers lying on the ground and glanced at my spear resting against the wall a couple of meters away. "They're weapons…"

Naldyn nodded and continued. "Now, I don't think what possessed these two little cunts to come here, playing heroes, and I don't care. They came here looking for trouble, to pick a fight, and that's all that matters. And you wanna let them off the hook? The fuck's the matter with you?"

Hrodwulf couldn't bring himself to reply. He just looked at me, mostly at my naked body and the state I was in, but when our eyes met, he averted his eyes in shame.

"If we don't punish them adequately, they're just going to try again. That's why we've got to punish them, by raping them. It's, errr, kind of like a warning of worse things to come if they continue picking fights with dangerous adults. See, we're actually doing them a favor and teaching them a valuable lesson. And we're very kind to let them go after we're done."

"Yeah", Remo said, also encouraging Hrodwulf. "Who knows? Maybe she's going to realize she's not cut out for this, come to her senses, and hang up her adventurer's boots after you give her a good dicking."

"Besides, she totally consents, doesn't she?" Naldyn continued, glancing at me. "She came, and everyone knows that a girl's orgasm implies consent, right!?"

All the three men howled with laughed as Hrodwulf stared at his own feet, disinterested in partaking in sexual violence, but all of this mirth came to a standstill as a long blade emerged from Naldyn's chest. They all recoiled shouting and backed away, horrified watching their drying friend falling to his knees, then crashing face down in the middle of the floor. Their attention was quickly taken away by the killer standing over his now lifeless body, holding a bloody longsword crafted out of the purest Stahlrim in her hands, and they all froze and quieted down. She was their boss, a young adult woman named Mollie, a short and feisty black-haired, blue-eyed tomboy - probably a Nord - and she looked deeply disgusted by the whole situation. In fact, if looks could kill, her cold, scornful eyes alone could've taken the lives of every person in that room.

"Care to explain yourselves?"

"Boss, I swear, they must've come here to kill us! They - "

"How do you know that?"

Exasperated, Primo raised his voice. "W-why else would they come here armed!?"

"Are you out of your god-damned mind!?" Mollie screamed as loud as she could. I could hardly believe a woman could even produce a voice like that. "They're children! They were probably just playing around!"

"So? They still tried to attack us, and - "

Mollie shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Then you should've told them to fuck off! I've told you time and time again: we do NOT target children! Yet you fuckers kidnap them? Bring them here!? Fucking rape them!? What's the matter with you sick bastards!? You should be lucky I haven't killed you all yet!"

Neither Remo nor Primo had a response, and they looked honestly terrified. Like, we had no idea who this woman was yet, but she really had those two bastards by the balls! They were so horrified about seeing their friend get killed in cold blood, but none of them even dared to reach for their own weapons to defend themselves!

Seeing as the boys quieted down, Mollie pushed through them to Aliya's aid while Hrodwulf came to help me out of my chains. He had a key on him, so he could free me relatively quickly. Meanwhile, a small group of bandits, two men and two women, came into the prison after hearing Mollie yell and scream, and they looked just as appalled as she did, whispering and chatting to themselves about what in Oblivion had happened there.

"Are you alright?" Mollie asked, helping Aliya sit up, and pulled the cloth gag off her face. "Gods, I'm so sorry they did this to you. I've told them, but they're out of control, and… - Wait, do I know you from somewhere?"

Aliya hadn't been able to lay her eyes on Mollie up until this point, but now that she could, she immediately recognized Mollie. They had never talked to each other, nor had they ever even had a reason to, but Aliya had seen her hanging out in the South Wall Cornerclub a couple of times. Turned out that she, just like all of the so-called "Bandits" here, was part of the Thieves Guild! Surprise, surprise, that only made Mollie even madder.

"You idiots targeted a member of our guild!?"

Both Remo and Primo swore by all the gods above that they didn't know who we were, which honestly was the first completely honest thing they had said since their boss showed up, but of course, they just had to get straight back to making excuses. "Doesn't change the fact that THEY attacked us first!" Primo said, pointing at us.

"Enough with your bullshit", Mollie said and made way for the reinforcements to storm the prison. "Put the bastards in chains."

Primo didn't resist arrest, but he sure kept yapping. "Boss, I keep telling you, they - "

"It's not true", Hrodwulf finally said, having finally gathered up his courage to speak out, the moment he was put in chains. "They did try to sneak up on us, yes, but they didn't appear threatening to me. It was Naldyn's and Remo's idea to abduct them. For a record, I didn't want a-anything to d-do with this! I-I tried to stop them, but - "

"Be quiet", Mollie lashed out. "Now, is what he said true?"

As Remo was put in chains and brought to his knees, he tried to deny it. "No! Absolutely not!"

"I wasn't asking you", Mollie said and turned toward Aliya and me. "Is Hrodwulf telling the truth?"

Aliya nodded slowly. "Yeah, he… doesn't deserve to be punished. He really tried to stop the others…"

Hearing her say that, Mollie's subordinates let Hrodwulf go, and that was the end of that drama. We finally got completely rid of our chains, got to our feet, and dressed back up, gathering all our belongings. Mollie still wanted to talk to us extensively and hear our perspective on what led to this situation, and for that, she took us to their living quarters inside this hideout.

Seeing as we were in friendly company, we decided to confess and tell her everything, after reassuring her we were indeed fine and unhurt about a thousand times. We showed her the Writs of Execution and told her everything Eno Hlaalu had told us about the crimes of Primo and Remo, and the whole time, she just facepalmed, groaned, and cursed those two out for being such idiots. We also swore up and down that we had no idea this was a Thieves Guild hideout, and while she believed us, she didn't let the opportunity to scold us go to waste. After all, being uninformed is not an excuse anyone in the Guild's higher-ups is going to accept if I end up putting a dagger into the wrong person's back. Understandable, I guess.

That conveniently brings us to my targets, Primo and Remo, since them saying they were uninformed about who we were is not an excuse for what they did either. Mollie isn't part of the Vvardenfell branch of the Guild - as she's based in Skyrim - but she's influential enough to have those two formally expelled from the Guild, and since their crimes were particularly heinous in Mollie's eyes, she's not going to object to seeing those two get killed either. "I'm sure we're all glad to co-operate with the Morag Tong, and have those two butchered like the pigs they are", she said. "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything and keep your names clean of any wrongdoing. If my Doyen has a problem with that, he can pound sand."

As for how they died? Well, I didn't get to see it - nor did I want to - but let's just say, the Slaughterfish ate a very tasty meal that night. Didn't even have to lift a finger…

Man, this is not how I expected to get this job done, but all in all, I'm kind of glad things went the way they did! Made some new friends along the way too! It's good to know we have a safe house ready for us here in the frigid North-West, just in case we're in need of lodging in Gnisis in the future. Mollie's also willing to lend us a hand in reaching Ald Redaynia, although not personally. Supposedly, Hrodwulf's going to get us there and back under Mollie's direct orders. "He owes it to you", or so she says. We certainly won't object! But I bet it's gonna be a little awkward when we embark on our journey tomorrow morning…

Time to get some rest.

End of current content.