La Confrérie des Traducteurs

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<DIV align="center">The Mythology of the Buccaneer<br>
by Alan Shepherd<br></div>
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<DIV align="left">We all know the stories of the treacherous boatswain and scallywags that plague our oceans. Some have even heard the stories of ghost ships and undead captains sailing the terrifying waters of the Abecean Sea.<br>
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Most pirates and pirate captains are considered mere bandits, bandits who posses a ship and nothing more. What the people fail to realize is that while the goals of these sea cutthroats might be similar to that of bandit gangs they have in their ranks something far far worse than bandit lords and sharp daggers.</div><br>
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<DIV align="center">The Swashbuckler<br></DIV>
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<DIV align="left">Swashbucklers are elite pirate soldiers, armed with incredible skill and strength, but also a particular power I have witnessed first hand. They call it their wrath, and what it does is summon the sea to their aid no matter how far from it they actually are. The water quickly forms a large bubble around the swashbuckler and freezes, killing anything within the bubble, save the swashbuckler who is immune to the cold grip of the sea.<br>
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The freezing bubble lasts not more than two or three seconds, but in that time it can severely wound or, more probably, kill anyone inside, save, of course, it's caster.<br>
The only flaw of this immeasurable power is that the power of the sea can only be called upon once in twenty or so hours, depending on the will of the caster.<br>
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In all my study of these beings and their magic I was never quite able to determine how they came into possession of such an ability. I have been informed that the swashbucklers learned this particular spell from buccaneers but I don't know any details beyond that.<br>
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As I understood it, anybody could become a swashbuckler, from a swabie to a captain. What the rank implied was not years of service or loyalty, but skill above all else. Only the most skilled could acquire this rank and only if they had a trainer to show them their potential.<br>
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Further interviews implied that one does not become a swashbuckler, but that he is born as such. It is said that the sea goddess places blessings on particular people of all races and both sexes, though this is more of a local wives' tale than anything else.<br>
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All in all, the swashbucklers, as such, seem to serve the pirate lords as their personal knights, above anything else. As far as I've seen and heard there is only a handful or two of these so called knights, but even that number is a frightening one, considering the damage a single swashbuckler can cause.</div><br>
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<DIV align="center">The Buccaneer<br></DIV>
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<DIV align="left">Buccaneer's seem to be the next stage, an evolution, if you will, of the swashbuckler. While they are depicted in popular folklore as horrid beasts, half man half undead, they are actually quite similar to regular men, as far as appearance goes, of course.<br>
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As with the swashbuckler, a buccaneer doesn't necessarily have to be a captain, or even a sailor for that matter, though all of them are.<br>
Being a buccaneer is not a rank that rings with seamanship, years of servitude or how good of a crew you have, but it rings with power and skill. Combat, magic or stealth, the buccaneer is the master of these elements.<br>
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I was fortunate enough not to encounter a buccaneer in my travels (or perhaps unfortunate, depending on how you look upon it), but I have discovered a few facts about them.<br>
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What separates the buccaneers from the swashbucklers is the fact that while anyone can become a swashbuckler, provided he is skilled enough to earn the Wrath of the Swashbuckler and strong enough to contain that power, one can only become a buccaneer if he succeeds an existing buccaneer, by defeating him in combat.<br>
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What makes this story even more interesting is the fact that, apparently, a buccaneer can't die until he or she is succeeded.<br>
While I know great power lies hidden in the depths of this world as well as the planes of Oblivion I can't grasp this idea.<br>
The stories say that once the buccaneer is killed in simple combat or dies of old age or any other causes he returns to the realm as a powerful spirit.<br>
His potential successor must then complete the ritual in order to prepare his body for the battle that is to come. Once the ritual is complete and the spirit of the buccaneer is defeated, the swashbuckler can become the buccaneer.<br>
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Even though I spent countless months trying to find information about the ritual and the spirits I was not able to find anything other than gossip and wives' tales.<br>
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The second important difference is that while there are two or three dozen swashbucklers in the world there are less than ten buccaneers. I was never able to find the exact number, but some stories mention six buccaneers, some seven and some nine.<br>
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As I have no personal encounters with these horrors of the high seas I can only tell you what the stories say about them. It would seem that once a person has become a buccaneer his weapon becomes a part of him and gains immeasurable strength.<br>
The buccaneers are said to have the ability to become water, shifting their shapes into anything from a slaughterfish to a giant sea kraken.<br>
Some stories even say they posses the power to summon a tidal wave that can wipe out an entire city.<br>
Another stories mentions the buccaneers actually drawing their power from Ayleid Ruins, especially those near water. This particular story mentions some kind of enchanted trinkets which channel the power of the ancient ayleids into the buccaneers.<br>
The giant land dreugh, a rare creature only found on isolated and untamable islands, is said to be one of the pets of the buccaneer.<br>
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Of course, these are just stories, as I've mentioned already, old wives' tales and it might be very well possible that no such powers exists, but I list them here because the theme of the book is the mythology of the buccaneer.<br>
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With the lack of evidence I am even prone to consider that the buccaneers don't actually exist, but records date back to the years of Cassynder Septim mentioning these powerful, almost mythical beings.</div><br>
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<DIV align="center">The Conclusion<br></div>
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<DIV align="left">It is uncertain what the swashbucklers and buccaneers have in common with the pirates. As far as I can tell based on my tireless research the only real connection is the sea.<br>
All men are drawn to the sea, perilous though it may be.<br>
It would seem that the two groups, one being regular pirates and the other being the swashbucklers and buccaneers, have a stronger connection to it than the average Joe.<br>
Other than that, there really isn't any connection. Neither ranks require one to be a part of the crew, or even own a ship. All swashbucklers and buccaneers are pirates, but simply because they chose to be.<br>
Or do they?<br>
This is the true unanswered question that remains. All the books I've read and all the interviews I did never gave me a satisfying answer to this question.<br>
On one hand, one could imagine all swashbucklers and all buccaneers wanting to be pirates simply for the company. They find people who share the love for swordplay, rum and the sea within a crew.<br>
On the other hand, they are safer in a crew, as a freelance swashbuckler is either your ally or your enemy. Everyone wants him or her in his crew, but more importantly, they don't want them in the enemy's crew.<br>
Should he decline to join, he must be killed.<br>
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It's difficult to say where these two beings stand in the food chain, as it is difficult to say how they came to be and what their purpose is.<br>
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One thing is sure, though. They are powerful, skilled and not to be trifled with.<br>
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<DIV align="right">Alan Shepherd<br>
Cartographer<br>
3E 393</div>

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<DIV align="center">The Underground<br>
by Travis Lone<br></div>
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<DIV align="left">If you are reading this it means that you have become a member of our group or, and I really doubt this, you managed to steal from or kill me, Furion gro-Mecha or Hides-his-Face. If you are a new member I welcome you to our organization. If you have, in fact, managed to steal this from one of us or kill one of us, I congratulate you for completing such a difficult task.<br>
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What I plan to do with the next few pages of this book is to tell you all about our group, give you a brief history of it and tell you about a few rules and privileges you gain by being part of the underground.<br>
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<DIV align="center">From Three to over a Dozen<br></div>
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<DIV align="left">It all started years ago when I, Travis Lone, along with my Argonian companion, Hides-his-Face went venturing into the wilderness of Blackwood. While resting in the Drunken Dragon Inn I got in a brawl with an arrogant orc, Furion gro-Melech. It was here we faced off in a hand to hand duel with no weapons, armor or magic. After fifteen minutes of intense hand to hand combat both of us fell to the ground and woke up the next day.<br>
It was then, when the mead wore off, that we became friends and the three of us set on a journey across Blackwood, venturing into unknown Ayleid ruins, old forts and mystic caves.<br>
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Soon after we started venturing across all Tamriel, visiting various places such as Vvardenfell, Skyrim, Hamerfall and Valenwood.<br>
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After an exotic night in Valenwood with a Dark Elf who you know as Ginger Gangling, she informed me about her sister and their newly founded tavern and told me we could use it as a home away from home any time we'd like. It was not long after this that The Straight Arrow Underground became what it is today.<br>
After selling our riches to the city of Bravil we decided to pay a visit to the tavern and see what it's like. Once there we met another group of adventurers: Anedel Amras and J'din. We also met a freelance agent, named Richard Adral, who used The Straight Arrow as a base of operation.<br>
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The six of us, along with the Gangling sisters, became good friends and The Straight Arrow was indeed a home away from home for us. Traveling merchants would go by, various adventurers would visit The Straight Arrow once every few days, but nobody, save a handful of people, would be back, at least not anytime soon.<br>
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There were, however, a few that would, much like yourself, drop by few times a week. The ones we determent were "Regulars" like ourselves we invited to join our "honorary" group of regulars as we like to call it. It was nothing more than a social group at this point.<br>
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However, soon we learned the true potential of The Straight Arrow. After another night of heavy drinking and having fun Anedel got in a fist fight with Richard. It was so much fun that we decided to organize these events on a regular basis. That's how the fight club was formed.<br>
Because the patrolling Bravil guard used to interfere in our fun and even threatened to close this place down we were forced to stop.<br>
It was then that the Vitisha suggested we use the store room in the basement. And so we did. Ginger, who was always a feisty girl decided to make a small bar below so that we may rest in between fights. She also installed a dice game where we gambled and sometimes won, but usually lost. It was all in good fun.<br>
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One thing lead to another and Hides-his-Face started to fence stolen goods so he became somewhat of a "guild" fence. J'din formed a secret ring, secret even to the other regulars and will remain secret to you as well, for now at least.<br>
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Suffice to say that The Straight Arrow Underground was formed. We quickly decided that it was not wise to let just any regular into the underground. Why they may be regulars some of them might be working for the city guard or worse. We quickly came up with the three tests you passed, hopefully flawlessly.<br>
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<DIV align="center">A member of the Underground<br>
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<DIV align="left">As a member you have to follow a few rules. The first and most important rule of the Underground is: What goes in the Underground stays in the Underground. Do not discuss matters related to it above, even if only in the tavern. Do not talk about it!.<br>
The second rule is: Do not assault or kill fellow members and regulars. If you have a problem with somebody challenge them to a round in the fight club.<br>
If you assault a member by accident it can be forgiven. However, if you kill a member on purpose I would advise you not to sleep. Wherever you run, wherever you hide we will find you, be it at the top of Jerall mountains, the planes of Oblivion or the Shivering Isles. We will find you!
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As a member of the Underground you get access to a fence, a security expert, or should I say master, a well supplied bar, a dice table and the fight club.<br>
You also become "partners" with one of the most skilled warriors in whole Cyrodiil, or even Tamriel.<br>
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<DIV align="center">The Fight Club<br>
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<DIV align="left">Although I'm sure Morris told you all about the fight club I'd like to write it all down for you in bullets so you can have a nice overview of the activity.<br>
- You can challenge anyone to a duel between the hours of 6 pm and 11 pm.<br>
- Before the fight, after you challenged somebody you need to go down and leave all your gear with Morris. Only then are you allowed to fight.<br>
- There is no reward for winning or losing.<br>
- As soon as somebody faints the fight is over.<br>
- When the fight is over you can collect your equipement from the chest located in the small room across the store room.<br>
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<DIV align="center">The Dice Game<br>
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<DIV align="left">By request from Ginger I added this chapter to the guide. Ginger Gangling runs a dice game. It is fairly simple to play but I'll write it down either way.<br>
Firstly, you open the betting box near the dices. Then you raise your bet by 50 gold pieces at a time. Once you're done finish the bet by casting any old fire based spell(even the simple flare spell). Now if you changed your mind and don't wish to bet simply open the chest again and take your bet. If, however, you wish to continue simply throw the dices and the winner gets all the gold. If it's a draw Ginger gets 3/4 of all the gold while you get only 1/4 meaning you get half of what you raised.<br>
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<DIV align="center">Frequently Asked Questions<br>
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<DIV align="left">What is the weird trinket I get when I become a member?<br>
The "weird trinket" is an item me and Conjures-His-Gold have been creating for new members for over a year. It can be activated once a day and will conjure a random potion or poison, depending on your choice, based on your overall skill.<br>
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Can I tell my closest friends about this place?<br>
No! We are your closest friends now and you must not betray our trust in you. In the event that you really want somebody to join direct them to this tavern with a sentence saying how this place is really nice and that he/she should check it out. Remember, do not talk about the underground outside the underground!<br>
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What can I do to help our guild if I can't aid in recruiting?<br>
You can always volunteer to collect various ingredients for my research or to collect soul gems for Conjures-his-Gold's research. You could also donate gold for improving our "guildhall" to Vitisha, or you could donate lock picks to Hides-his-Face. Occasionally you might be sent on special assignments, but that's about it.<br>
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Do we have any enemies?<br>
No, not really. We have some trouble with the Bravil city guard occasionally, but it's nothing serious.<br>
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Do we have any allies?<br>
No, not directly. We have a good connection with the mages and thieves guild, as well as some contact with the crew of the Wailing Butcher and the crew of the Rusty Slaughterfish, but that's about it. Once again, even though we have some connections, that doesn't mean you can freely talk about the Underground with the members of said factions.<br>
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What is our primary goal?<br>
To be the best we can be. Through The Straight Arrow you become much more powerful. We train hard, train constantly and accomplish tasks most people wouldn't even dream about.<br>
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I was a regular and now I'm a member. Is there any other rank I will attain?<br>
Yes. There are, in fact, two more ranks. One of them is available to everyone that proves to be a true asset to the guild. The other is unavailable to most of the members, if not all. If you are truly skilled and devoted to the guild, and you prove this over a long period of time, then you might be invited to join the elite.<br>
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What is the next rank and how can I attain it exactly?<br>
The next rank is the rank of Honored Member. There is no real way to acquire it. Just perform tasks for the guild, spend more time here, fence some stuff, fight, donate and so on. Basically do all you can do to help and prove your worth.<br>
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And what about the rank after that?<br>
The final rank will remain hidden to you for quite some time, if not forever. Only an Honored Member may learn what the rank is, even though only a select few, if any, will become that rank.<br>