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.
End of current content.