shout out to that one time i got really annoyed by all the redguards in the game being basically the same dude and then spent fucking ages drawing as many as i could to put my own spin on them but then the scope of it got too big so i never finished colouring them and the file was enormous and i uploaded what i had for about 15 seconds before deleting it in a fit of insecurity like congrats dude you intimidated yourself out of something you worked really hard on. so yeah repost.

Personally I’m more inclined to take Saadia’s side, by the way. I might type up an answer as to why in another post or in the comments, but not right now. I’m a bit out of it lol

I couldn't tell it was a dream tho, it played out like a memory as I was waking up. So later that day (yesterday) I decided to test it out by doing the Saadia questline but double cross kemantu by killing him before he put the spell on Saadia to test the crime thing.

I didn't get a bounty for some reason, and he just stood there with the spell in his hand but not doing anything cus I hit him mid-animation

AND THEN UTHGERD STARTED KILLING SAADIA FOR NO REASON? Like she sneak attacked her with her two handed weapon which I didn't even know was possible so now saadia and kemantu are both dead

...........And I turned auto-save off. And I hadn't saved. My last save was level 10, and I was level 16......... (its so high cus I didn't fast travel and was in winterhold before going there)

Now I have to come up with a reason why this canonically happened even though Kesha is a kind-hearted pascifist . FML.

Excerpt from my fanfic Dragonborn Begins: The Ballad of Bjorn the Swordsmith, a prequel to Skyrim featuring my canon Dragonborn and original characters:

She hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “There’s also the issue with my aunt.”

Bjorn raised a brow. “Your aunt? You mean Mahsa?”

“No.” Amirah shook her head. “My other aunt, Iman.”

Bjorn frowned slightly. “I don’t think you’ve mentioned her before.”

“She’s my father’s much younger half-sister, born of an affair, an illegitimate child called the ‘bastard of House Hadran.’ From the day she was born, no one trusted her or wanted her around. She was a reminder of infidelity, of a mistake. My father’s family, being traditional Crowns, disowned her, but House Suda, her mother’s family and Forebears, took her in. They never fully trusted her either.”

Bjorn listened intently as she continued. “Because of the way she was treated, she became ruthless to get ahead. She was born into wealth, of course, yet she had to work harder to prove her worth to the rest of the nobility. From what I heard she always wanted to be ‘the Barenziah of Hammerfell. “

Bjorn snorted. “Ambitious.”

Amirah nodded. “Maybe too ambitious. The Thalmor made some kind of deal with her when she was young, only seventeen. They promised to help her advance if she helped broker some peace deal with them. She thought she could be someone, that she could carve a place for herself in a world that never wanted her.”

“I wonder what kind of deal that was. Would she betray her people deliberately?”

“I don’t think so,” Amirah told him. “I think she just got in over her head. The details of what really happened are shady. For all we know, she could have been tortured into giving information away. We don’t even know what harm she really caused. She was just scapegoated, a pariah from the day she was born.”

“And now?”

“She’s been keeping a low profile for the past twenty years,” Amirah said. “But now, suddenly, Kematu and his mercenaries are looking for her. Why? Why now, at the same time my father is missing?” She clenched her jaw. “Something doesn't add up, it all seems strange."

Bjorn folded his arms. “Do you think she's innocent?”

“I don’t know,” Amirah admitted. “She was young back then, flawed and ruthless. She had dealings with the Thieves Guild in Hammerfell, but I don’t think she was intentionally a traitor. She might not have even dealt with the Thalmor at all. It could have been political.”

“What do you mean?”

She sighed. “The noble houses of Hammerfell hated her. There was one noblewoman who spread rumors about her, all because she married a man that woman wanted. He loved Iman, not her, and she was jealous. It’s possible the ‘traitor’ narrative was just a way to ruin her.”

“And if she’s involved with the Thalmor now?”

“Then I’ll turn her in myself,” Amirah said firmly. “But only if it’s true, and only if I have evidence. If she’s just living her life, minding her own business, then she deserves a second chance.”

She hesitated before adding, “But, another thought came to me. Maybe the mercenaries looking for her are being deceived. What if this isn’t about what happened twenty years ago at all? What if they’re unknowingly working for the Thalmor? If that’s the case, they’re being used to capture her and take her to wherever my father is.”

“Hard to believe Alik'r would work for the Thalmor.”

Amirah nodded. “You’re right, not willingly. But they could be tricked into it. Perhaps they have a contact in Skyrim, someone working for the Thalmor undercover, who will coerce them into handing her over to them, thinking she'll be brought to Hammerfell. Or maybe a mole infiltrated their group.  I also wouldn’t put it past Kematu to do anything for the extra coin, including helping the Thalmor.”

“Then we make sure we get to her before he does.”

“Definitely."

"Just keep in mind, Bjorn," Amirah began, giving a warning. "If you encounter her, she is known to be a pathological liar. She may spin a story rather than tell you the truth." Amirah paused, shaking her head. "And Kematu, I know him well. He's not to be trusted either."

Bjorn frowned, attempting to simplify the messy situation. "Okay, so who the hell do I believe, then?"

Amirah took a slow, deep breath. "Look at their  actions, not what they say. How are they conducting themselves now? Whatever Iman did was twenty years ago. There’s no evidence to prove the amount of damage she really caused, if any. The Dominion already left two decades ago. This is old news. She was young and naive, who knows what truly happened. She's already suffered exile and humiliation. Perhaps ,she's already paid the price. "

"Right."

"Also, Bjorn, I need you to understand one thing," Amirah stated, her voice regaining its firm, composed tone. "If you do find anything truly incriminating on Iman, I prefer to be the one to turn her in."

Bjorn listened, nodding slightly.

"Kematu and his group are sellswords; they have no real official authority," she continued. "They'd likely just turn her over to whoever paid them the most, and she would not get a fair trial or proper treatment. As a leading member of House Hadran, I must be the one to handle this. I will either bring her to justice in a proper, legitimate way, or I will clear her name and give her a pardon if I feel it is earned."

Bjorn shrugged slightly. "Well, I'm sure whatever she did, it's no worse than anything I've done. If I got a second chance, why shouldn't she?"

Amirah eyed him cautiously. "Yeah, just keep a level head and make the best ethical and rational decision about it. Hopefully I get to her before you do, but if not, I trust you more than anyone. Just maybe play it dumb, if you can at first. She'll more likely trust you and open up if she believes you have no connections to anyone in Hamerfell."

"Understood." Bjorn rubbed his chin slightly with his fingers. “What does she look like? Just so I know what to look for in Skyrim.”

“Well, she might have changed her appearance over the years. But from what we know, she looks a bit like me, but with blue eyes and a scar on her face. We don’t know where the scar’s from: maybe the Thalmor, or maybe one of the nobles tried to kill her.”

Bjorn’s brow lifted slightly. “A Redguard lass with blue eyes?” His gaze unfocused for a second, as if staring at something far away. “She must be beautiful.”

Amirah frowned. “Bjorn?”

No response.

She waved a hand in front of his face. “Bjorn, you with me?”

He blinked, straightening. “Yeah, yeah, I was just trying to paint a vivid picture in my mind, you know, so we know what to look for.”

She folded her arms. “Uh-huh. Well, go paint a vivid picture later. When you’re alone.”

Bjorn held up his hands. “I didn’t mean it like that—”

“I really don’t want to know. We’re talking about my aunt, remember?”

“I wasn’t—”

She shot him a sharp look.

He cleared his throat. “Anyway, yeah. I’ll help you find her.”

“Good. Thank you, Bjorn.”

“Of course, she’s your family. I know you’d do the same for me."

In a game with hundreds of NPCs and a loads of quests, everyone's favorite quest was the one about an antsy Redguard barmaid in Whiterun who may or may not have been telling the truth about being harassed by assassins.

-💎

Ryce is familiar with the A'likir Warriors. She was trained how to fight by one before abandoned in the desert with only a curved sword to protect herself with.

She knows Saadia - while pretty - is full of B.S.

Hulda: I’ve never gone into “Berserker Mode”!