The 12th playground
http://chorrol.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3771&pid=97553&st=200&#entry97553
Flint Ironwood.
Flint casually climbed down from where he was hanging and ventured back to the Tiber Septim.
,,Well, everyone is here. Everyone except scaleboy." He noted silently.
,,I wonder where that good for nothing Argonian has gone off to now. Ah well, let him. Better be rid of him than having to watch my back all the time." He muttered out loud and took a seat in the quietest corner.
,,This crisis is getting on my nerves. Why did we start anyway? Oh yeah, the Breton had returned."
Green-Root.
They had now reached the shack and made themselves comfortable.
,,The snakes aren't the only problem." The Argonian said, rummaging through a pile of cheap booze.
,,The two Altmers, Voltar and Altair, they're working on their own plans in the shadows. They seem to be involved with a certain Breton who is looking towards attaining a lot of power in the Empire. I wonder when they'll make their move."
(Yup, he hasn't figured it out completely yet, but he is getting closer.)
Issac
"My name is Issac, ma'am." He nodded to Brianna. Issac didn't know whether it was entirely appropriate to tell this woman whom he'd only just introduced himself to that he'd been courting her daughter for the last few months.
Even though he was certain that Rann had brought it up anyway, it would be impolite to be in the second sentence he said to Brianna.
"It's nice to meet you," Issac said sincerely.
Mannimarco's Spirit
Walking in the twilight of life is depressing and extremely difficult, Mannimarco thought. One slip, and its off to Oblivion, or scattered like dust across Mundus. Mannimarco found that he could make himself a shade, a mere shadow, of a person, if he focused his essence hard enough. But that seemed to strengthen the pull of Oblivion. Mannimarco followed the group into the city, and then something startled him.
A crippled Bosmer was walking towards a small hovel inside the shadow of the tower. Mannimarco followed him, realizing that this was the same Bosmer that was under his command. As the Bosmer entered his house, Mannimarco followed. The Bosmer sat around and ate for an hour, then he started to conjure the communication spell that Mannimarco teaches all the undead and his servants. Mannimarco could feel the pull of magicka, like a soft wind upon skin, but he could not reply.
Satisfied with the results, the Bosmer went to bed with a smile on his face. Mannimarco wished that he could do something, but he could not. Mannimarco went to find the eyeless man.
Cerpin
Are you just going to wander, Ian? I thought we had an understanding. Not to seem impatient, but little has been done on your part.
Rann
Rann was physically present with Issac, Satyana and his newly found mother, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't help but think about the losses they all recently suffered. Soldin's final moments especially, kept replaying through his mind...
He couldn't help but blame Issac and Satyana for not listening to him, and while he still held a bit of a grudge, he didn't harbor any serious hatred or dislike for either of them, just a bit of anger.
OCC: I'll be leaving later today, so don't expect any replies or such before or around 4:00.
Kirana
Finally breaking her silence, she advised to Ian alone. "Ian, you have more of an idea of who this person is than I do, but he does not seem trustworthy to me. I respect that you want him out of your head, but you're just giving him what he wants."
"I will not attempt to interfere if you choose to go along with this, but I want you to have at least some idea of what consequences freeing this person will create. Don't make a mistake that could have a great cost for all of us.." Kirana retreated, beginning to search for her own answers, to questions she wasn't entirely sure about.
Ian
He stopped in the middle of the Elven Gardens District, in part to both Kirana and the voice's advise. Ian replied to neither before continuing, he would locate this glove when the others were unaware, and then he hoped to get some answers, from the voice or Rann whichever was more willing to explain this item.
Flogir
Flogir looked over to the table Brianna, Rann, and the others sat. He turned back around.
"How 'bout that..." he mused, "Three kids, three different races. That's one of the strangest things I've heard. And this Veric character doesn't sound too pleasing. Sounds like he could be a thorn in our side, and we seem to have plenty of those at the moment."
Flogir shrugged his shoulders at Aerona's comment before draining his ale.
"Well if that's it for now, I gotta go enlist. I'll probably be back here a little later. Glad to see you're doing all right after all this time, Rahvin" he said offering the Dunmer a parting handshake.
Rahvin
He shrugged to Aerona's question just before Flogir excused himself. Rann stood and took his handshake.
"I'll see you around, I'm sure," he responded as a parting comment.
Sitting back down, he and Aerona began to chat.
OOC: we really need minque do to much else...
Veric
"Perhaps we should kill him," Altair replied to Voltar. He nodded a 'thanks for the drink' before taking a sip of his own glass.
"...Or we could find some way to make him an unreliable source. Frame him for murder or the like.
"And the presence you sense would be Amrita. Brianna's third child. She's probably lurking around in the shadows. My absence was consumed by a test of sorts. She's got spunk."
Voltar
Voltar nodded about Amrita and glanced back in a casual manner. Discretely, he attempted to try to visualize the invisible Altmer yet to no avail.
"Well she does certainly possess some interesting qualities. It's nice to know that one of them is completely on our side as well," Voltar replied.
"As for the Argonian, I believe we can use the others' distrust for him to get rid of him. Of course, killing him would make any and all suspicions he possesses to disappear," Voltar mused, "Either works to my thinking. Flint and likely Flogir could be swayed to get rid of him, and with those two, the others should follow along."
Flogir
Flogir nodded to those who acknowledged his leaving. Leaving the Hotel revealed that a crowd had formed in the plaza as the General who let them enter the city had given a rallying speech. This made things quite easier as he soon found the appropriate person to enlist himself.
After enlisting himself on wall defense, Flogir decided he would peruse the walls and get familiar with them.
Patholos
Sneaking off into a dark alley, Patholos pondered whether the city would hold against the Akaviri Snakemen. If the city fell, the Narza'Tai would most certainly be destroyed, unless they could bluff their way out of death. Not likely though.
Rounding a corner, Patholos stopped. The street he was on was completely empty, not a soul to be found. Patholos gasped as a black cloud only his vision could reveal began to manifest right in the middle of the street. It spoke to him in a strange magical manner, that confused and scared Patholos.
"I am what was Mannimarco........I am what was Mannimarco........I am........Mannimarco......."
Rann
Rann noticed that the conversation was turning towards Satyana and Issac, which meant away from him. It provided an excellent opportunity to extricate himself. He was tired physically, mentally, and most of all, emotionally. All he wanted was an hour or two of sleep.
"I hate to seem rude, but I'm going to get some sleep. It was good to finally meet you, Brianna," he said in farewell as he stood up. He didn't use the word 'mom' because he wasn't quite sure if it fit or not...
With a wave, he walked outside, figuring that all the rooms in the inn would be taken. He wandered to the waterfront where his mentor Sel lived. He stood in front of the humble shack and knocked on the door.
The Silhouette
The Silhouuette's army was at a standstill as their leader stood atop a hill, staring at the Imperial City. He was obviously deep in thought, even though his face was not visible through the black robes.
After a long period of time, he strode into his tent, where his five generals awaited his orders. Three of the generals were Akaviri tcaesi, one was a goblin cheiftain, and the last was the elected leader of the now-combined vampire clans.
He addressed two of the Akaviri generals; the two with the largest army, "I want your soldiers to stand ready along Lake Rumare; surround the city and ensure nothing leaves or enters the city but our own."
To the goblin cheiftain, "Your goblins will be the main invading force; the first to go in and kill. Take no prisoners."
"And you, vampire, will use your clans to plan assassinations. With key leaders gone, morale and tact will suffer."
Four of the generals left to do as they were told, and the final tcaesi remained, still awaiting orders.
"You, my friend, will stay with me. We will stay separate from the rest, ready to strike at the most opportune time..."
The snakeman smiled, "I like the way you used goblins as fodder. Disgusting creatures."
Flint Ironwood.
Flint got tired of all the noise and wandered back outside. He just picked streets at random till in the end, he found himself on top of the outermost city wall. From there, he had a magnificent view of the countryside, and the army surrounding it.
,,Ah, crap. Seeing this sure doesn't manage to keep up my spirits. Wow, at times like these you'd wish everyone had the common sense to dabble with alternate means of transportation."
Green-Root.
Green-Root had been rumbling along in his pack out of pure boredom.
,,Hey, how did this get here?" He hissed, taking out a large and rather worn looking book.
,,Oh yeah, the female Altmer had these." He muttered to himself and glanced over at Tenek who so far did not seem to have noticed his find. He put it back in the pack and thought, while chewing on a raw Slaughterfish.
,,This is worth a lot. I'd better hide it, gives me something to bargain with. I bet that someone, a mage like her perhaps, would be more than willing to pay for this." He put the pack on his back and walked out of the door.
,,I'm going to scout for a bit, check on the army and grab some more fish to eat." He said to Tenek and walked outside.
,,Hmm, the young Dunmer." Green-Root noted to himself but did not greet Rann. Things would likely dissolve into barely restrained hostilities again and he had better things to do. The Argonian dove into the water outside the shack and swam around the lake till he'd found a densely packed pile of rocks and seewead.
He checked the depth he was at.
,,Good, any swimmer will spend most of his air supply with reaching the bottom." He used his spear as a lever to push off a few of the boulders. He put his pack in the gap he'd created and then placed the boulders back where they had been. To any outside observer, there was nothing that could clue towards what had been hidden here, or even if there had been anything hidden.
Flogir
"Aren't we the pessimistic one?" Flogir asked Flint as he walked up to him. He had noticed him looking out to the surrounding area on the walls, he was actually surprized that Flint didn't see him up there doing the same thing.
Once he got close enough to Flint to talk comfortably he stopped, sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms upon the top of the wall. He stared out at the army that seemed huge even at the distance they were at.
"It is an awfully big army isn't it?" he asked rhetorically, his eyes still fixated past the walls. After a few moments he turned to Flint and patted the walls. "But at least we got these to help protect us. It'll take more than a ram to break these things down, I've been making sure of that."
Still, he thought, there's going to be a lot of lives lost before this final battle ends... Maybe we'll figure out some way to lower casualties...
OCC: had to rush, won't post until I get back......
Issac
"Yes, that is true," He replied. Issac noticed Satyana's unease at the moment, and he took the opportunity when Rann excused himself.
"We've all had a long journey here; perhaps it would be a good idea to have some much needed respite before we continue." He said politely.
Flint Ironwood
Flint chuckled.
,,Pessimism is my middle-name." He joked and sighed.
,,I guess it's not as bad as I feel it is. I'm just not used to siege warfare. I'm used to knocking people off their feet and getting the hell out of there. I'm not much good when forced to stick to one place."
Flogir
"Given those swords of yours, I think you picking off siege equipment will be quite easy for you to do. We just gotta make sure that none of their mages attempt to bother us. But who knows? The chaos of battle can make things unpredictable. For all we know, the plague could suddenly strike their army and virtually do all the killing for us," he smiles ruefully, "But that last part is probably wishful thinking."
He puffed his cheeks and blew out the air as a sign of nervousness. "How long do you think it'll take them to get here? Tomorrow, maybe the next day?"
Flint Ironwood.
Flint nodded.
,,I can do that. It's going to take some precision leaping, but it will do." He answered and then looked down at the ground just outside the walls.
,,But what if they try to infiltrate through the sewers? After going through Argonia, sludging through the mess in those tunnels will be child's play for them. We can't hold the walls and the sewers at the same time. Maybe we should try to block them off or something."
Flogir
Flogir mused over the situation as he peered down at the exposed sewers.
"That is a concern... Then again, for the most part, the Imperial City is all but abandoned. There's plenty of useless crap we can shove into those entrances. Plus, all you'd really need is enough people to fill the mouth of the entrance and those people could hold it for awile. Only so many enemies can fit through an enclosed spot like that. I'll make sure to bring it up to the Commander though."
Amrita
Amrita followed her brother to the Waterfront, sticking to the shadows to maintain her stealth. After a few moments, she watched him knock on a particular door and waited for an answer. Taking a few moments to place herself within the shadow of the building, she prepared to speak with her sibling.
"I don't think anyone's home," she said evenly followed by stepping out of the shadows to reveal herself to Rann. "Greetings," she said with a odd smile.
Rann
Rann turned quickly around, obviously taken by surprise at this new girl;s appearance.
"And who the hell are you?" Rann asked in his typical polite fashion.
Amrita
Amrita took to a modest pose. "Let's just say I'm Altair's "behind the scenes gal". I keep an eye on things and make sure nothing goes wrong," she paused, " I'm also your sister." She batted her eyes purposefully to display the violet flecks within her reddened eyes.
"We make an interesting trio do we not?" she said in an amused tone.
Rann
Amrita's words couldn't have been false. The similarities to Brianna were too strong to deny it. Just like with him and Satyana, their kinship was hard to notice unless you knew what you were looking for.
"So, you're the one that was stolen, huh?" he stated more than asked. Then, suddenly realizing how bad an introduction this was, he kept talking, "I guess now that we know we're kin we should probably figure out names."
Though I'm guessing she already knows mine.
"Rann," he said, extending his hand.
Rahvin
Rahvin looked up at Brianna as she approached the table. He pulled out a chair for her to sit in.
"Nothing too private," he answered, turning his attention to Brianna, "So how'd it go?"
Amrita
Amrita smiled ruefully. "I guess it was a bit rude of me to not introduce myself, Rann," she claimed as she took the extended hand. Her grip was firm.
"I'm Amrita. A faithful member of Altair's entourage." Her tone was that of friendship but the entire time she was discreetly sizing up the Dunmer, looking for potential weaknesses should the need arrive to exploit. Even if he was kin, there was always the possibility that he could pose a threat to her lifestyle. And Amrita really liked that lifestyle.
"So how did life go for you since you were one of the lucky ones and didn't get stolen?" she decided to ask to keep conversation going. She figured the discussion wouldn't last much longer though because she wanted to talk to Rann privately, if someone else were to come she would vanish before the two came into view. Her instincts would notify her on whether someone was approaching or not.
Brianna
Brianna sat down and sighed;
"Not too good Iīm afraid" she answered silently, "Rann just went away, but at least he tried to be polite, I guess he probably didnīt resent me too much, but I donīt know....Satyana on the other hand looked at me if I was some kind of weirdo, she did not want to speak with me at all....I..I think she accuses me for giving her up deliberately"
She looked sternly at Rahvin....
"I donīt know what to do anymore, I feel so bad..."
She didnīt break down, but her sadness was obvious
I should have stayed with Telina, I shouldnīt have even tried to contact my children....nothing good will come out of this....
Satyana
She caught a glimpse of Rann....talking to someone..a woman....her curiosity was awakened, she approached them, silent and careful
"Hallo" her smile was friendly, " Iīm Satyana, Rannīs sister"
She stretched out her hand towards the strange woman....
Gah...she feels familiar....yet I get this uneasy feeling...but...nevermind...
Amrita
Amrita sensed that someone was approaching, but curiousity got the better of herself so she decided to see who it could be. Not surprizingly, the person approaching was Satyana.
She took the extended hand and returned the friendly smile. "I'm Amrita. I'm also Rann's sister so I guess that makes us sisters. It's so nice to finally meet you!"
She embraced Satyana after that, holding the Nord tightly.
"I guess you came to take Rann off somewhere?" she asked after releasing her sister.
Satyana
She gasped but rapidly composed herself....
Amrita! The lost sister, the stolen sister....amazing!!!!
Satyana returned the embrace, which gave her just about time to straighten up her features and so she smiled heartily at her sister..
"Itīs...itīs nice to meet you too!" she said, "Iīm not taking Rannie anywhere..in fact you donīt "take" him if he doesnīt want to" She gave up a somewhat nervous laugh
"So...at last we all meet....." She stopped, not knowing what o say. Her heart beat ferociously....
Why does she scare me so? Whatīs wrong here?
Amrita
"So it seems..." Amrita said, not quite sure how to continue. It seemed that Satyana was nervous, but was it simply because she was meeting her long lost sister, or could it possibly be because she suspected something of her. Amrita didn't know.
A strange mix of feelings had Amrita in a state that she never really felt before. Sure it was interesting to finally meet and interact with her siblings but she didn't truly know if she felt any sort of bond for them. She could pass it off as if she did, she was trained well to put on a realistic and convincing act if she needed to. She also thought that should the need arrive, she would even dispose of her siblings, but for some reason, deep down, she felt a foreign feeling. She couldn't describe it, but it was there. Perhaps it was doubt.
Pushing the odd feeling aside, she smiled at both her siblings. "I'm sorry to cut off our reunion so short, but I must be off. I'm helping out with the war effort here and so I have some things to do," she said as she began to head off from the two. She waved. "I'm sure we're likely to run into each other again. I don't think anyone is leaving the city until we deal with the invaders."
With that she was gone.
Rann
"I want a brother," he said jokingly to Satyana, "Too many women in the family."
Since they were still standing in front of Sel's house, Rann thought he'd try once more.
"If he doesn't answer now, I guess he's evacuated," he said as he knocked loudly on the door one last time. In a short moment a dunmer in his mid-forties opened the door with his eyes half-shut, his hair disheveled, and no shirt. It was obvious that he had been rudely awakened.
"What do you want, Rann?" the mer asked.
Rann smiled, "Satyana, this is Sel. Sel, Satyana."
Satyana
Satyana smiled, giving Rann a friendly push
"I bet you do!, but itīs a womenīs world our so called family"
Her eyes widened as she looked at Sel, she wasnīt aware of the effect the Dunmer had on her....so this was Sel....The Sel....
"G..good morning" she said shyly, "Iīm sorry if we woke you up.....I...Iīm Satyana, Rannīs sister, itīs nice to meet you...you are a living legend.." she stopped talking, bowed her head to hide the fact she was blushing like a schoolgirl
Why???? Why does he have that effect on me? He...he could be my father..and yet....that magnetism..itīs almost unbearable
Sel
That girl looks a lot like Serene...it would explain the eyes...
"Nice to meet you, girl, now stop bowing and come inside. I don't want my neighbors figuring out that my name isn't actually a coincidence," he said, opening the door wide to invite them in.
"I don't have much in the way of food to offer, since Celia and Triel evacuated and can't cook for me, but I do have drinks."
He set three bottles of flin on the table and motioned for the two visitors to sit, "So what brings you two to the city at the worst possible time?"
Rann
Rann sat down and had a sip of flin before answering, "We were investigating what's behind that army out there. Some Akaviri creature called a moldaire, or something. Not pretty."
"Anyway, why are you still here, when your family's evacuated?"
Sel
Sel shrugged, "I thought at first that I'd try to help, but after seeing the leader of this new army, I don't want to be under his command. I'll be damned before I'll have a drunk putting me in life or death situations. So I guess I'll find my own place easy enough."
"So, Satyana," he said, realizing that she was a bit left out of the conversation, "Are you related to Serene, by any chance?"
Ian
With his vampire instincts as his guide, Ian moved silently from rooftop to rooftop, gradually making his way to the Waterfront. What had his attention was unclear even to him, but he could almost smell someone (or something) at work.
Leaving the large city buildings behind, he continued down the walkway until finding the shacks where the beggers or shyadowy figures of the Imperial City resided..... or used to. Ian could smell Rann, Satyana, Issac, and two unfamiliar scents.
Hoisting himself up on top of a shack, he took in the gathering studying those familiar and unfamiliar with partially reddened eyes.
Issac
Standing just shy of the obvious reunion between family and friends, Issac said nothing. Simply listening to the introductions, feeling somewhat out of place in this event.
Karn
Leaving the soldiers, Karn located the Tiber Septim in Talos Plaza. A moment of hesitation gripped him..... before he remembered that he had every right to be here as an ally rather than murderer.
Entering casually, he let himself sit in the empty seat beside Aerona. "So, does this place have any flin?" He asked, not knowing who any of these people were."
OCC: Man, this could get awkward if anyone (Flint or Flogir) were to reveal Karn. "How do you know him?" "Oh, he kidnapped and poisoned Satyana, threatened our lives on a few of occassions, and also ruined the party the Countess of Chorrol had before all this started......"
Satyana
She looked at Sel, smiling...
Yeah, of course the resemblance to Serene is obvious, and since those two knew each other.....hah!
"Yes, Serene is my....our grandmother" She said when entering the premises...looking around she noticed that no touch of a womanīs hand had been here for quite some time....
"Ehhh, Mr Sel, ....I...I could make you a decent meal, if you wish, and I could....sort of fix things...." she blushed again....
Gah..what am I saying? Intruding like this, Sel must think Iīm some sort of moron, but ..Iīd really like to take care of him...for the time being, sort of repaying his hospitality.....Ahhhrrggghh who am I fooling? Iīm just figuring out a way of staying with him......Oh but Issac? I almost forgot him!
Satyana didnīt know what to say..so she sank down on a chair and took a sip from one of the bottles..feeling kinda awkward
OOC: No she hasnīt forgot Issac...really, but Sel had this very strong effect on Satyana.....
Flint Ironwood.
Flint pushed himself away from the wall.
,,I'm going to 'borrow' a bow and a big pile of arrows, emphasis on the big. My daedric combo wreaks havoc, but I want to keep as much of my magicka in reserve for unscheduled jumps as possible." He said and walked down the stairs.
,,I hope this will be the end of things. Man, I need a vacation." He muttered to himself and shook his head.
OOC: Yeah, that could get awkward. And I don't remember, but has Satyana been cured?
Amrita
Amrita only travelled far enough to escape the view of her siblings before merging with the shadows once again. She roughly retraced her footsteps back to the house Rann was trying to enter. To her moderate surprize, she saw a Dunmer come out of the building and usher them in.
She crept close up to the building and began to eavesdrop on their conversation, searching for any possible information that could prove useful.
Flogir
Flogir muttered an agreement to Flint as he bid him farewell. Now that he fully inspected the walls and was satisfied with their current state, he figured that going back to the Tiber Septim was the best thing he could do.
OOC: Prepare for possible awkwardness!
Ian, spying
From his vantage point, he watched as an Altmer lass approached the shed that Rann and the others had entered. Ian studied the girl curiously, she moved with an edge of someone trained to kill and remain unseen.
Turning slightly, the vampire vanished, causing the wood to creak with his sudden passing. Ian slowed to a halt on the white beach nearby, waiting.
Issac
While Rann and Satyana entered the shack, Issac remained where he was. It took a few moments to realize that no one had even noticed his presense. He had picked up on Satyana's attraction to Sel, which only made being unnoticed worse.
And I was only standing a little farther away... Issac thought bitterly; instead of entering the hovel, the Altmer turned on his heel and left. He was so put off that he missed the female easdropping on the conversation inside.
OCC: Amrita can stay in her easdroppin' position, follow Ian, or follow Issac. Any three is fine; I really doubt I can post tommorow or the day after before I get back. Issac can still be a little bitter about Satyana trying to be with Sel, right?
Rann
"Satyana, I'm sure he doesn't want you acting like his wife," he said, emphasizing the word wife to tell her that he was married.
He leaned in to whisper in Satyana's ear, "You left Issac outside."
I take her to meet my mentor, and she acts like a lovestruck schoolgirl. I really do need a brother.
Sel
"So you're both realated to Serene...it explains the eyes..." he said, mostly to himself. It was hard to tell if he was ignoring the underlying situation, or if he was truly oblivious of it.
Flint Ironwood.
After a short search, Flint had found the old Legion barracks. Now he was standing on the trainingfield, turning the wooden targets into pincushions.
,,A bit higher and more to the left....bingo."
OCC: Sorry, I didn't see Green-Root's posts. I'll assume the Argonian swam back.
Tenek
While the Argonian's conspiracy theory was rather interesting, like most political matters, it did not get its worth in attention. No matter what the government was or who headed it, all it was to Tenek was a collections of blowhards who had to have things their way.
After Green-root went off for awhile, the Bosmer did something unusual, he contemplated the situation. On one hand, the invading army could conquer all of Tamriel, the collapse of any market for stolen goods. Another outcome was the force being repelled and this Breton ruling, not really that unappealing. Provided he actually knows something about ruling....
Tenek shrugged, the idea of somehow becoming emporer played through his mind. Far-fetched visions of fawning servants, great riches, and the best food in the Empire brought a huge smile to the Bosmer's face.
Finally, the Bosmer walked out of the shed and wandered around the Waterfront. Tenek walked right past the old warehouse, the discarded door giving away that it had already been heavily looted.
Ian
The Imperial waited for several minutes before he accepted no one was following. In the distance he heard splashing. Ian turned to see Green-Root rise from the depths of Lake Rumare. The Argonian stepped onto shore just shy of the Imperial.
Silently, the vampire watched Green-Root approach.
Green-Root.
Ian's gaze annoyed Green-Root slightly.
,,What? Never saw an Argonian bathe?" He asked sarcastically.
,,What does he want anyway? He comes and goes. I simply can't figure out what goes on behind those eyes."
OCC: I figured you were waiting for my post MM.
Karn, commencing the awkwardness
His mood turned bad when no one acknowledged his question. Karn grabbed a flin and sat down again, the Dunmer sipped the drink and let the taste linger before swallowing. Turning with mild disinterest to see who was entering the inn now.
Karn's eyes widened slightly as Flogir walked in. His surprise didn't last long though, "Well, misfortune be a loving companion; we meet again, Nord." The ninja swallowed a mouthful of flin before setting the bottle down and rising.
"How are my most persistant group of adventurers faring without their primary antagonist?" He asked sacastically. "We're all drawn by the same bait, I see." Karn's crimson eyes peered into Flogir's emotionlessly.
Ian
A cool breeze blew past them. "I can't say I have Argonian. Especially in conditions such as this, was the water pleasant?" He said in a placating fashion.
Dropping the pretense of idle banter, Ian stated. "You were in the cave with the Breton and Altmer in the Valus Mountains, same as I." His eyes and voice became somewhat predatory. "You suspect them of conspiring as well?"
Cerpin
Why are we sitting here with lizard-breath instead of getting my glove? I hate to be rude, but you owe me that at least.
Green-Root.
Green-Root snorted audibly.
,,They can conspire all they want, I won't stop them. Whether that is because I don't want to stop them or because no one gives me the chance to stop them, is up to you to decide." He replied.
,,But between you and me, there is more to them than meets the eye, I am sure of it. If you wish to confront them, keep your eyes open. And why did you say Breton and Altmer, followed by them? After the cave, I haven't seen the Breton anywhere, only the Altmer.....Ah, now I see. Beware of Altair, who hides behind a mask of his own design." He added after a short pause.
,,Now if you excuse me, I've got a fish to grill. Swimming makes me hungry."
Without saying anything else, Green-Root walked past towards the shack Tenek and he had 'borrowed'.
,,Perhaps I should have told him about the books I found. Maybe, maybe those books hold a clue towards how to deal with shapeshifters. Hmm, I'll have to skip to the library and find a dictionary though. I have no idea whatsoever on how to read those funny symbols. After eating that fish."
OCC: Okay, so Karn isn't revealing that Altair is Veric, but that he has been working for Veric.
Karn
"Oh, yes, I did that shortly after the blasted lich tore Serene's grandaughter out of my clutches." He said casually. "And I started working for some Breton with an Altmer assistant."
The assassin shrugged, "I have a cause all to my own now, Nord. Just as the Breton does; I'd keep a closer watch on some of your "comrades" from now one, some in different ways than others."
As he finished, Karn glanced at the people sitting at the table. While looking over Brianna, his eyes flashed slightly as he recognized the relations. Serene's Daughter, so she's the mother of that girl.
Turning back to Flogir, "The squables of the past are over.... all but one. Now, the Narza Tai shall fight beside you and the Morrowind Army against the Silhouete's horde as fellow citizens of Tamriel." Karn scooped up the last of his flin and made a mock toast before sipping the last drops.
The Ninja began making his way to leave....
Ian
He didn't watch the Argonian leave. The vampire looked into the black horizon, feeling both a measure of triumph and some hopelessness. Even with the proof Green-Root, himself, and Karn for that matter, possessed, it would be difficult to persuade everyone that Altair and Voltar were minipulating them.
And Ian doubted highly that either would be easy to confront, both were powerful mystics, the likes of which were powerful beyond the understanding of many.....
Flogir
Flogir drained his ale, but not in the way to accept his toast. "Sorry for not being so trustful, but I'm going to make sure to keep an eye out for you once this war starts. The whole part that involved you trying to kill us leaves me a little skeptical about whether or not you'll truly fight for us," Flogir said coldly as he moved out of Karn's way to let him exit.
Slighly disturbed now, Flogir ordered another drink in hopes to steady his nerves. Something the assassin said had him bothered. Flogir had a good idea of who not to truly trust within their group.
"Green-Root," Flogir muttered darkly as he continued to drink.
Karn
He didn't care to correct the Nord, he had agreed to fight with them, fighting for them was a different story. The ninja walked out casually, not even glancing at a passing Dunmer soldier. Karn found himself in the Temple District, casting a passing glance at the Dragon Statue in the Temple of The One.
Pausing to contemplate the recent changes of late, both in himself and otherwise. Karn felt a measure of peace which he had never before enjoyed before now. It was a real possibility that the end was near, either in the coming conflict or the duel that would take place should he and Ian survive.
The Dunmer realised that he had yet to sort out the line of succession and other pressing matters which would need to be attended to. Karn also thought about if he did win the battle against his former enemy, the two conspirators would likely take the Empire's riens, they would not have any reason to allow his survival.
Ian's comrades wouldn't have any reasons either, but the Narza Tai would have him. Then there was the possibility that the war would be lost, and the Tai would be ruined. That was the worst outcome, a failure on his part, just like allying with Mannimarco.
Whatever comes will come, I can only do what I can. Same as every other being. He finally concluded.
tenek
While Tenek was wandering around the Waterfront, he saw Khajiit who apparently saw him first. Tenek hadn`t bothered anyone in while. He attemped to hug the wall, but the Khajiit kept his eyes on him constantly.
Giving up stealth, the Bosmer walked as casually as he could toward the cat. Suddenly, he caught some inspiration and stumbled about as though wasted. His arms swung limply as his steps switched from heel to toe with his balance.
Having had experience with drunkedness, Tenek was rather convincing, or so he thought. The Khajiit peered critically at the approaching tree-climber, obviously confused as to the Bosmer's sudden shift in condition.
Oh, great, now he's suspicious. Time to get serious. Vaulting forward, Tenek landed on his hands and used his momentum to spring the rest of the distance. With the coordination of an expert acrobat, the Wood Elf landed on a very sensitive piece of Khajiit anatomy.
The large cat roared in pain and outrage, his tail sliding under Tenek's boot. "You blasted Bosmer, that hurt!"
"I bet it did House Cat, that's why Khajiit like you are so weak. Tales are so useless!" He jeered.
"I'll dice you into more pieces than you can count, you barbaric elf!" The Khajiit growled, his claws clearly visible.
(Shogun, I assume you want Flint to be around.)
Flint Ironwood., Tiber Septim hotel. (err, I think that was the name of the place.)
Finally, he was satisfied and his arms were tingling with exhaustion. Three arrows sat neatly within the center circle.
,,Alright, time for a drink." Flint decided and walked casually to the inn, his new bow and arrows slung behind his back.
Inside the inn, he pushed himself through the normal crowd and grabbed an unopened bottle of Flin.
,,I wonder how long it will be before the snakes are going to attack. Will we get a warning? Or will the walls be overrun before we even know what's happening." His mood darkened and his face dropped into a frown.
,,Crap, I'm too old for all this excitement."
Green-Root, waterfront.
,,Tsk. Tenek, looking for trouble?" Green-Root asked, casually raising the tip of his spear towards the Khajiit's neck with one hand. His other hand held the tail of a large and very dead Slaughterfish. He flashed the Argonian equivelant of an amused smile.
,,Or is this just a friend of yours?"
Voltar
Voltar scanned the room. He pointed at an older looking Nord standing at the bar. "Flogir is that Nord by the bar there. He has the look of an old soldier, which if I remember correctly, was his previous occupation. He's a bit easier to pick out due to the frost enchantment on his sword," Voltar stated, giving a quick summation of the Nord. It just so happened that Flint arrived in the bar at this moment.
"Well isn't that convenient. Looks like Flint has arrived. Perhaps we should have a chat with them?"
Karn
His aimless treck through the Imperial City stopped when he felt the presenses of stalkers. The street was deserted save for himself. Out of two side alleys a group of four assassins of the Narza Tai approached their leader.
The loyal servants bowed, and as each rose, Karn nodded in acknowledgement to them. "Sensei," An Imperial man began. "The army of the Silhouete has taken up camp along the southern shores. To avoid discovery, we had everyone ferried here on the rafts we've constructed."
"Good," Their leader replied. "Are you all absolutely certain that we were unseen?" The assassins would not have spoke directly had they not been, but Karn wouldn't let them get lax in any form. Even if all their mentions were only hearsay among the Silhouete's forces then their greatest weapon could be compremised.
The gathered nodded in unison. "Alright," He exhaled. "We'll station most of our force to defend the sewers, not even the Morrowind Army can know of our exact location. Half of the remaining force will only be used to repel nighttime attempts by the Silhouete to cross Lake Rumare from the rafts."
"The rest will reinforce the sewers until the event of a wall breach on the surface. I want every path not guarded to be so plugged up a tiny rat couldn't find passage through, understood?" He was pleased when each member before him nodded and saluted him.
"Should this battle turn beyond victory, then you must save all others that you can. We are worth nothing to this land as corpses. Subterfuge must replace crossings of blades. And should neither Patholos nor myself survive, you all shall share the burden of leadership." Karn instructed them.
"We understand, Sensei, the brotherhood shall live so long as one last still draws breath and carrys our memory." The four dispersed, in a matter of moments Karn was left alone in the street once again.
With that wrapped up, Karn turned to search for his lieutenant.
Veric
Altair nodded. "I'll talk to Flogir if you'll talk to Flint. Hint that I know something incriminating on Green-Root and we'll try to meet eachother halfway so the four of us can conspire against the Argonian."
Altair stood with his drink and wandered to the bar, sitting next to an older Nord with an enchantment emanating from his sword. "Hello," he said plainly, wondering if the Flogir would recognize him.
Sadril
"Karn!" The vampiric Dunmer called from behind the ninja. He jogged a little to close the distance between them and waited for the mer to acknowledge him.
It was unclear whether Sadril had seen the Narza Tai meeting, but due to the secrecy of it, and the fact that he most certainly was not in plain sight, he was probably oblivious to it.
OCC: I know that Veric ordered Sadril to kill Karn if he hade the chance, so is this going to be that chance? And the stare is cold because he just is that way.
Karn
Turning at the call of his name, he fixed the oncoming mer with a typical cold stare. It wasn't until the figure neared that Karn picked out the signs of vampirism on the newcomer's face. Like most people, this vampire made the ninja somewhat suspicous.
Wrapped around his arm, his chain-whip was in its proper place, a proper insurance policy. Few even among vampires, could move quick enough to stop Karn mid-draw. "Yes... brother, what is it?" There was a noticable pause between the first two words.
The light from the streetlamps was a mild comfort to settle the Dunmer's nerves, Karn revealed little as to his unease.
OOC: have they met before? for some reason i was thinking they had.. but i guess not..
Sadril
Sadril stopped before Karn and caught his breath. "Veric," he started, "Has ordered you to be put to death" He loosened his Katana under his belt, priming it to be drawn smoothly if needed. "Any idea why he would do such a thing?"
OCC: I don't think so...
Karn, with Sadril in the middle of the street
He glanced down at the katana the vampire wielded. Oddly enough, validation of his fear made it dissolve all together. Karn's tone was even as he spoke. "So you work for the shapeshifter." His crimson eyes narrowed his head tilting slightly back and to his left.
"Well, I have a bit of a problem with this power-grabbing taking place. I killed Ocato for the Silhouete, but then I switched sides when the Grand-daughter of Serene Sarethi was liberated by that loathsome lich. I find Veric as bad an employer as the infernal Silhouete." He said.
Karn continued, "I refuse to let the ailing empire be ruled by another Jagar Tharn, another over-ambitious mage is the last thing Tamriel needs to lead it. I have no problem killing people without having ever been wronged by them, but a man who depends upon rituals and incantations to attain his goals is just as worthless as the lowest parasite."
"Such a person does not deserve to sit upon the throne of king's past anymore than the foul apparition which hovers past those walls." The sensei said with conviction. "The Narza Tai will be a catalyst by which the new governement can be cleansed enough so it can restore Tamriel back to what it was before. Then it will be our mission to perserve it and purify it when corruption and ambitions begin to drag it down."
"So, vampire," Karn finished. "Veric wants me dead, probably for the same reason he wants the grandchildren of Serene dead or not among the opposition." He stared back into the eyes of the vampire. "What are you going to do? What motivates you to stab people in the back and betray former allies like we side-hoppers do?"
Sadril
Sadril listened until it came his time to speak. "It would be wise if you left this place and spared yourself casualties. This battle... will not be won by the Cyrodiilians, nor the army of Morrowind, your Narza Tai, or the Silhouette. The only person who will be walking away from this battle victorious will be Veric."
Sadril felt his impulses tearing at him. He longed to draw his sword and cut the man before him down, but he kept his feelings under control. He had to. "Even though you betrayed him, Veric doesn't see you as a threat. Not even a mere nuisance. He would have killed you no matter who you alligned yourself with.
"And he wants you dead because he sees you as a useless pawn obstructing his view of his goal. Though his assumptions of your weakness, as true as they may be, could be his downfall much later.
"I am allied to no man. My master is a higher purpose, and your clan of assassins my serve it yet." Sadril extened his hand, "Veric gave you an amulet, it would be smart to get rid of it." Of course, he had no idea that it had already been given away.
Karn
He did not bristle as he might have a long time ago from the blow to his ego. But he had changed since then. "We'll stay out of the way of the major armies, but I cannot leave this city until I have finished business with someone among the group."
"I'll be sure to keep your advice about the amulet in mind; my brothers and sisters will not fight alongside the armies, we shall remain hidden. I can no more order them to leave anymore than I can leave myself. Sneaking away eithout fighting in the open would be a near impossible task anyway." Karn turned, nodding in a small gesture of gratitude.
"If things go well, you won't lay eyes on any of my following or myself during the battle." That said, the ninja blurred and vanished, speeding his way to reunite with his siblings.
OCC: time to hit the bed, be back tomorow morning
Dalrus Varus, In a Cage
Dalrus looked like a shadow of her former self. While she was well maintained (the Vampire General wanted her looking good and usually made her march around in little clothes) she was as cheerful as a Faded Wraith. Her eyes were always red with crying, though lately she just stared in disbelief. For the most part, she spent her time in a cage, wondering when she would die of sorrow. She counted down the days until the Silhouette took over and she would either be eternally enslaved or muster up the courage to commit suicide. She wondered if her friends ever remembered where she had gone. She was on Hero Hill, unconcious when a troll dragged her off to the Vampire.
Now she could see the faint light of the Imperial City as they moved to their position. Off in the distance she heard the sound of horses, obviously some last minute refugees...though it did sound more organized. She thought of everyone in the city, Satyana, her best friend. She wondered if she was alive or just trapped. Rann, she cried very hard when she thought of him, she had loved Rann, though she never admitted it, and she doubted the feeling was mutual. The vampires halted and the whole brigade walked towards some tents, except her two guards.
She expected to see the rest of the group right near her cage, when she noticed that it was backed up. Apparently a mule who was carrying baggage had gone crazy and was causing trouble in the long line of vampires. She knew this was her only chance, it was this or death. She peered at her bracers, and saw the key hanging from the vampire pushing the slave wagon. She suddenly reached out and snatched it.
"You're dead girly!" he shouted unsheathing his sword. She undid one brace, the sword came down and she jumped down, the sword barely missed. She got the other bracer off, she was free. Suddenly an unnecessary amount of fire poured out of her fingers, more than she had ever used, it was rage. Both guards were fried by the heat and she melted some of the bars and jumped out. Some more vampires came up but the fire still poured out uncontrollably. Five more were fried to ash where they stood. Finally the flames subsided. She was in a rage now, but it was too dangerous, hundreds of vampires and thousands and thousands of goblins were near by.
She sprinted, she wasn't sure if there were more servents ahead, but she did not care. She ran for the bridge, and saw that the army hadn't gotten this far yet...
Eurod, The Imperial City Gate
About two hundred knights on horseback and three hundred infantry rushed across the bridge, the sound of the Silhouette's enormous army marching around the lake could be heard. His men were well trained, but were small in number. Behind him came many refugees from the western side of the lack, many carried belongings, Eurod rolled his eyes, the city had been abandoned for just the armed forces, this was not helping.
"Open the gate! We are friends coming to defend the city!" he shouted to whoever was holding the gate. Then he noticed a beautiful young woman run up to the gate as well.
"I do not think you should be here, it is too dangerous in the city now" he said kindly.
"I am here to rip that monster's army apart" Dalrus roared, Eurod was surprised but turned his attention to the gate.
The Silhouette, Cheydinhal side of the lake
"My lord, everything is going into place, we only await your final orders," a particularly ugly looking orc barked.
"Sssurly you do not expect meee," at this he gestured to himself in a cold note that someone might have taken as reverence to himself. "To give you, a lowly ssservent, such important ordersss," said the Silhouette in a voice that could have chilled a frost atronach. "Rendsci!" he shouted. A skinny Tsaeci came up almost instantly. "Tell the armies to prepare their catapults, the bridge will is magic and will not break, that route is not going to work unless I show up. Tell them to all aim for one section, we can break it," he said in his hypnotizing hisses.
"Yesss sssir," Rendsci's forked tongue shot out as he spoke. He ran off, the orders perfectly memorized.
Flint Ironwood.
Seeing Voltar look at him expectantly, Flint took his flin and went over to meet the Altmer.
,,Hello, is there something I could help you with?" He asked as casual as he could in the current situation. It was still clear that the whole siege was getting on his nerves.
Green-root.
Green-Root could hear a few orders being barked from the other side of the lake, too far away to make out clearly just what kind of orders. Still, he withdrew his spear and jumped to the water's edge.
,,There is a lot of commotion out there. Looks like the game is about to start. Oh, and more reinforcements for the Empire, I see." He said as he gazed out over the lake.
,,You two can go ahead and kill each other if that's what you want. Me, I'm going to devour this fish here and get ready to slice up some snakes."
(Voltar only has till the first rock hits the walls. Once that happens, Flint is going to execute plan 'Siege Engine destruction'.)
OCC: Ok, here goes... It's in the colder part of the Tamrielic year, right?
Issac
He pulled his robes tighter in an attempt to ward of the sligh chill of the early morning. The Altmer gave a passing Dunmer a curt nod as they crossed paths. Issac stopped when he realized he was back in the Talos Plaza District.
He could hear the voices of men, women, and children emanating from the city gates. Turning to watch as the knights and refugees began entering, Issac heard a Dalrus' shout as it was carried by the wind. Issac found the source of the yell, and his eyes widened.
As the people started to enter, he approached the familiar figure, setting his hand lightly on her shoulder. "By the Nine Devines! Dalrus, what happened to you?" The Altmer could hardly relate this woman to his friend, but he knew she really was Dalrus. Her dry, bloodshot eyes told volumes about what horrible experiences she had been through since Issac had last seen her.
Sodsa Hekal -> Attempting to get into the Imperial City
Sodsa jerked up from his meal and and sensed that he was needed. As he rushed to arm himself with his daggers and bow, felt a pang of guilt for ditching his comrades at the Dam. Sodsa gritted his teeth as he mounted the steed from Algren Constantine.
Good thing I'm not to far from the Imperial City, else this would take to long. And I fear the worst
As Sodsa grew closer to the City he slowed the horse down, seeing the army amassed outside its walls.
"Blast! I'm to late, there is no way I'm going to get in through the front gate."
Sodsa looked around and saw a few people on the walls, and even fewer of them looked familiar. Sodsa racked his brain with any possibility of getting into the city.
So there is an Army to the East, the Water Front is probably already over-run, and the front gate is blocked, from what I can see. Come on, Come on, think.
Sodsa's eyes inspected every inch of the city as he brought the mare around. Then out of the corner he saw a sewer grate and he smiled. Sodsa sped over to the grate and dismounted the horse. Giving the grating a jerk, it surprisingly came swinging open. For the first time in his life he felt like he was getting a lucky brake. Sodsa left a few loaves of bread for the horse and set off into the sewers, traversing them in hopes he would find and exit before something big found him.
The journey was fairly uneventful, a few rats and mudcrabs. Sodsa climbed up to the first trapdoor he found in the labyrinth. He wasn't able to read where it led to, years of rust and use wore that away but the lock wasn't that complex and Sodsa opened it in seconds. Looking around after he stepped into the light, Sodsa realized that he was in the Temple district, and saw a guard running down the road, toward the waterfront.
Sodsa started to run with the guard and called over, "What's going on!?"
The guard gave Sodsa a dirty look, "You Bloody bosmer, your kind always have their heads in the clouds. We have an enormous enemy force outside the city walls to the east and near the waterfront, Refugees are pouring in from the front gate and some "reinforcements" as well. I don't know how good they'll do though, the force outside is gigantic. Now get out of my way and do something useful"
Figures, why do I always run into the racist guards?
Sodsa sped up to the Water Front and left the guard in the dust.
ooc:Whew...
Sodsa's back
edit: fixed my mistakes
(I'm giving Flint a few more seconds for talking.)
Green-Root.
Green-Root looked lazily at the few forces that tried to cross the lake in small boats.
,,Figures, right while I'm eating." He mumbled with a few mouth. He threw his half-devoured Slaughterfish on the ground with a pang of regret and dove into the lake.
Once submerged, he dove for the bottom at full speed, his tail merely a blur as it sweeped from side to side pulling up just before slamming into the rocky floor. He maintained this depths as he sped across towards the boats, zigzagging among obstacles, hiding behind every nook and cranny he found, all without slowing down even in the slightest. As he got close, he clamped all four of his limbs around his spear with all of his strenght and called upon its strength. The wicked Daedric tip seemed to boil the water around it.
Then he was in position. Like a thunderbolt coming from below, he shot up towards the surface still at the same breakneck speed. The collission was incredible. One boat was lifted up entirely before crashing back down and breaking apart. Goblins splashed in the water and their Orcish commander howled orders in an attempt to stop the chaos. Something rose out of the water before, Green-Root with an evil grin.
,,It is a nice day to swim." The Argonian hissed and stabbed the Orc before submerging again. He cleaned up the Goblins around him and then shot off towards a boat on the other side of the formation, a formation that was rapidly dissolving into random chaos.
OOC: The moral of this story? Don't mess with Argonians on an aquatic battlefield. Oh, didn't the Sil have like fifty assassin Argonians with him, minus the few who got killed by Kirana? Those might cause trouble for our swimming defender of lunch.
Voltar
"Yes actually, I did have something that I wanted to mention to you," Voltar said, replying to Flint. He lowered his voice to make it appear that the situation was quite important. He nodded over to Altair.
"My Master believes he may have uncovered something about that Argonian, Green-Root, that may warrant your attention," he said gravely before pausing, making sure Flint was paying attention. "I'm sure you know that he originally was working on the Silhouette's side when we first met him and that he actually joined our side. Altair believes that is not true. He believes that he's found evidence that Green-Root is gathering intelligence for the Silhouette, that he's actually an agent and is playing us for chumps."
Voltar summed up with a serious look to his companion, letting the weight of the words settle on Flint.
"The most logical thing to do is to make sure he doesn't get any information back to the enemy, no? Now what do you suggest is the best way to do that?"
Flogir
Flogir turned around to acknowledge the one who called him. It turned out to be the Altmer politician. Flogir coughed to clear his throat and extended his hand.
"Greetings! I guess we haven't had the chance to introduce ourselves yet, haven't we? I'm Flogir. We met at a few of those unfortunate scenarios when Ocato was assassinated and again at Leyawiin. What is it that you wish to talk about?" he asked in a friendly manner.
Ian, Waterfront
Although Green-Root's handywork was some distance away and the darkness of night had not yet begun to weaken, Ian was able to spy the carnage due to his enhanced vision. Without any true belief that the shot would make it, the vampire drew his glass bow and let loose an arrow poisoned with paralysis.
He watched as the projectile arced toward the Orc commander. Suddenly, he heard a whoosing sound which was rapidly growing louder. Instinctively, the Imperial jumped back, just as a boulder buried itself where he had been a heartbeat ago.
Ian let out a breath of measured relief that he had not been smashed by the siege projectile, but he took the wake-up call to heart. His foot dug into the sand as he spun toward the cluster of shacks nearby. The vampire bolted for the "village," locating the shack that he recalled Satyana and Rann entering earlier.
He glanced over the concealed one before pulling open the door.
OOC: yay, I don't have to wait for minque to return!
Rann
The conversation stopped immediately after loud noises were heard. The sound of battle nearby. Rann went towards the door while Sel put out the lights.
Rann had his back to the wall beside the door, ready for anything that might decide to enter. When something did, he held his katana to the intruder's throat without a thought.
It took a few seconds to realize that it was Ian, so he quickly sheathed his blade.
"What the hell is happening?" he asked, assuming the apology was unnecessary in such a time.
Sel
After dousing the lamps and realizing that their visitor was a welcome one, Sel strapped on his sword belt and met the others at the doorway.
"No time for talking right now; we need to get inside the city walls," he said, pushing Rann, Satyana, and Ian out the doorway, "I hear the Tiber Septim is a popular spot now; we'll head there."
Flint Ironwood.
Flint scowled.
,,I wouldn't be surprised if he did. But just our luck, the little snake ran off before we got to the city. I doubt he is anywhere we can reach him right now." He grumbled. Then, he peeked his ears.
,,Did you hear that? It sounded like something heavy hitting the ground. To get over the noise all these soldiers are making, it must be really heavy." He said quizically to Voltar. His fist slammed down on the table.
,,Catapults!"
In an instant, Flint was running his hands over his gear, performing checks as fast as he dared.
,,I'd like to continue our conversation, but there are more pressing disasters to deal with. Goodbye, don't die!" With those words, he ran off towards the walls.
OOC: Sodsa can meet Flint somewhere. But I don't know if Flint would accept any help from him. He's going to do the 'jump while raining Telekinetic death' routine. Can Sodsa's bow reach the catapult crew while he's standing on the walls of the city? If so, then the Bosmer could provide cover fire.
Ian
Outside the shack, Ian nodded to Sel, but he did not make a move to depart with them. "I shall remain here, and eliminate any troops our Argonian friend fails to stop from landing. I'll get back to you all should retreat be necesary or when the Silhouete stops sending boats over."
The thought of acquiring Rann's glove right now crossed his mind, but right now wasn't the time for that. Tonight shall be an excellant blood bath. "You'd all best get going if you don't want to get locked out." He said.
Karn, beneath the Imperial City
Striding through the labyrinth of the winding passages, the sensei was pleased to see assassin groups perfectly hidden. He was only aware of them because they revealed themselves as he passed. We will not venture beyond the southeastern sewer passages, the most likely entry points for an underground invasion
Still, as a safety measure, most of the northern, northwestern, and western tunnels were blocked off systematically so even the meager patrols could hold them off long enough for reinforcements. Karn was satisfied with the absense of the vampires, goblins, and bandits he had encountered on his last visit here.
All of the mudcrabs within their new domain had been killed and used to help strengthen barricades. The rats had been killed as well, and placed in huge numbers along the pre-arranged ambush paths. They disease piles would hopefully weaken the morale of any venturing into the ambush areas.
Finally, Karn found himself inside a cavernous chamber, magical fires offered illumination. Among the assassins were some specialized mages, alchemists and healers. The arcane support they possessed had proven invaluable.
So far, not a single person had been infested by disease, and a slowly growing stockpile of healing potions and other invaluable concoctions would pay off as the siege continued. Perhaps we can offer to aid the wounded indirectly between battles...
Unlike their on-duty siblings, groups were scattered throughout, many catching up on needed sleep, while others sparred and strengthened their bonds with one another. In addition to this chamber, two others had been taken as gathering places.
The sensei settled by one of the white fires and closed his eyes to rest.
Dalrus Varus, Talos Plaza
"Isaac? Is that you?" she said turning around. She couldn't believe it, the first person she saw was her friend Isaac. She knew that Satyana had loved him and suddenly felt so incredibly happy she hugged Isaac and started to cry. "I thought I'd never see you guys again," she sobbed. It had been a traumatizing experience and she was for once, happy.
Finally she stopped and smiled at him. "We can't talk now though, the advance guard of the Silhouette's army is coming, I know they won't attack for a few hours, they're just trying to scare the city." she said, trying to hid her shaky voice.
The Silhouette, Marching around the road
Countless generals of many different races kept a steady stream of orders going along the line as the Silhouette and his procession of the Grand Tseaci invasion force came around. It was the biggest army and one the Silhouette would directly command. There were around 70,000 Tsaeci in this group and the other 40,000 tseaci made up the other army. The remaining 90,000 were goblins and bandits.
OOC: The problem is, we need to think of realistic numbers. If Cyrodiil were real, and it is modeled after Rome culture wise, then the city or Cyrodiil should have about a normal population of one million. The Roman standing army was up to 750,000 men, during the republic of course, it could be much larger, and it was divided all over the empire. However, for the invasion force to be realistic, the number of them should be around 200,000 in total, the defending force should be about 40,000-50,000...
Issac
He hugged Dalrus back, caressing her comfortingly. "Everyone will be overjoyed to see you again Dalrus." Issac nodded when she told him they had to move. "A lot of us should still be in the Tiber Septim. They should be able to help."
"You're among friends again," He said warmly, wiping away some of Dalrus' tears with his hand.
Sodsa -> IC
Sodsa jumped when he heard the great thud and slowed his run to a jog, looking around franticly. Eventually Sodsa came up to a gigantic boulder, the dirt still falling form the sky. Looking to the direction that he thought it came from Sodsa could make out a few boats and judging from the dark shapes on the water, there were more then he could see.
Sodsa heard a noise and looked up to see another bolder flying through the air, this time it clipped a building, causing it to collapse onto itself.
By the divines, They're getting closer to the actual city. Unless they are just wanting to cause mayhem, which would make sense
Sodsa ran over to the building to see if there were any survivors. Sodsa could hear the moaning of at least one woman, and he called out to the voice, "Em, Miss? He- hello? I'm coming in to try and get you out." The moaning quieted a little and Sodsa kicked down the door to find thatch and beams everywhere.
Sodsa started at the meticulous task of removing debris, chucking the stuff outside. Soon a big Nord came up and started to grab the bigger stuff. Sodsa looked at the Nord and gave a weak smile, the Nord nodded in return and the two went to grabbing fallen beams and moving items until Sodsa pulled a drape and uncovered a scared, bloodied, and bruised, yet alive, Dunmer lady.
"Miss, you're all right now, your wounds aren't that bad and i can heal them with a potion." Sodsa held open the ladies mouth and poured in the potion. The change was magical, Sodsa never saw a potion working on someone else. The small cuts healed and the lady was able to stand with the help of Sodsa.
"I thank you Bosmer, but what of my husband?"
At that moment the Nord came over and whispered into Sodsa's ear, "Bosmer, I, I found a Dunmer male, his fate isn't as lucky as her's. he has a roof beam going right through his chest."
Sodsa and the lady followed the Nord and when the lady saw the cloth she broke down in tears and The Nord and Sodsa left the shack.
"Thank you for helping, My name's Sodsa, Sodsa Hekal"
"Nice to meet you, Sodsa, Mine is Sjard. I hope we meet again." The Nord left into the night leaving Sodsa outside the shack.
edit: ooc: geeze... anyhow, Flint will have to do it by himself, Sodsa can't see that far in the dark and wont be vary useful. (unless this lady gives Sodsa an amulet of night eye as thanks... hmm, brainstorming)
OOC: I'm dragging satyana along in minque's absence.
Rann
Rann put a hand on Ian's shoulder, "Don't get yourself killed."
With that said, the three made their way back inside the city; moore specifically, the Talos Plaza District. Rann walked beside Satyana, with Sel following behind. Or so they thought. Sel had quietly slipped away somehow while they weren't paying attention.
Rann opened the door of the Tiber Septim and let Satyana walk in ahead of him. It was then he noticed Sel was gone, but he only smiled; that was expected.
OCC: I suppose Dalrus doesn't particularly like vampires anymore, I wonder what she'll think when she learns that Ian is now a vampire..... one of four in the group (well, three if we don't could Shogun's side-hopper).
2nd OCC: Jack has to decide if Ian's arrow strikes its target.
Ian
"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises." He replied.
When the trio had departed, Ian made his way back to the beach. He leapt over a collapsed shack, catching a glimpse of a Bosmer, Dunmer, and Nord scattered around the ruined structure. When he landed, Ian turned to the Wood Elf, and was struck by the familiarity of the man.
Still, he didn't quite make the connection. "If you wish to make it inside the city before they close the gates, I would suggest you all to flee now." His wrist blades flashing in the slowly growing rays of sunlight.
(The arrow doesn't really matter. The stab was meant to be lethal and Green-Root didn't stick around to watch. We'll say that Ian barely missed, which is still damn impressive given the circumstances.)
Green-Root
Another boat fell to his spear, its inhabitants painted the water with blood.
,,Hah, this is easier than I thought. They are like fish on dry land." Green-Root gloated underwater.
,,Root! Cease your foolish act!" A voice bubbled. It was Argonian underwater speech, a language no non-Argonian could ever hope to understand.
Green-Root turned around and let his speed bleed off by the friction of the water. Many dark shadows flitted around, coming closer and sealing him in a deadly web.
,,Shadowscales, this does not concern you." He hissed at the Argonian assassins. Their leader aimed his shortsword at the green-scaled lizard's heart.
,,Actually, it does. We pledged our loyalty to the Silhouette. As such, we are bound to avenge any loss of life his servants suffer, even if those servants are lowly Goblins. Stop and rejoin us, we have need of someone with your skills."
Green-Root grinned.
,,Sorry, but Goblins and I don't match." He replied and darted away.
,,I can't take them all. But, there is a way. Only a fool would leave the sewers unguarded. If they fight with numbers, then I'll just get some numbers of my own."
Flint Ironwood.
Flint reached the walls and ran up the stairs, two steps at a time.
,,What's going on?" He asked a Dunmer soldier. The man pointed off in the distance where several dark shapes were gathered. Large shapes.
,,Over there. Catapults, foreigner." The soldier answered.
,,We're both foreigners here, but thanks for the information." Flint said as he climbed the low wall the soldier was hiding behind.
,,Hey, what are you doing?" The soldier shouted.
,,Taking care of bussiness." Flint replied with a grim tone and vaulted into the air.
OOC: This is not supposed to be the major battle but someone has to stop the catapults. After stopping the catapults, the boats and any other assaults that are happening right now, perhaps then the Sil decides for a siege instead?
Dalrus Varus, Talos Plaza
"Thank you so much, Isaac," she smiled as they walked into the Tiber Septim which one on one of the main streets. Inside she saw Satyana and Rann. She couldn't believe she was seeing them. She ran over to them.
"I didn't think I would ever see you guys again!" she said hugging Satyana and then Rann.
Rann
"Dalrus? Where the hell have you been?"
He had assumed that she abandoned them after the explosion on Hero Hill out of anger, especially since there had been a heated political argument that got rather personal. He had no idea how much more terrible the truth was.
Issac
He walked after Dalrus. Seeing his friends reunited again brought a smile to his face. Issac leaned against the wall just shy of the three. When Rann asked Dalrus where she'd been, he decided to let her answer unless she was unable, he could guess where.
Flogir
As Flogir was talking with Altair he caught Flint rushing out of the bar. Obviously, something bad was happening. Flogir suspected that his assistance might be needed at the wall so he quickly downed his ale.
"Sorry to cut-off our discussion, Altair, but it seems the battle just might be getting started," he said as he began to make his way out of the bar. Just as he approached the exit, he saw Rann, Satyana, Issac, and... Dalrus arrive. He held up.
"Looks like you've been through hell, Dalrus," he said, taking in her dishevelled appearance, "Still, glad to see you managed to find us." He looked at the others, "Sorry that I can't stick around and talk, but it looks like things are finally getting under way and I expect that I'll be needed at the walls."
He was just about to leave when a voice called out.
Voltar
Voltar simply nodded as Flint prepared to leave. "Good luck," he offered to Flint just before he left.
Voltar mused on the situation for a few moments and then noticed that Flogir was about to leave. He called out to him. "Wait, I'm coming with you!" His words stopped the Nord, who studied the Altmer for a minute before nodding.
Voltar quickly went to the Nord's side. "Perhaps my abilities can be put to use on the wall," he told the Nord and turned to the others, "If any of you need us, just go to the walls," he instructed them. Hopefully, Voltar hoped to find Flint somewhere along there and continue his discussion about Green-Root. Plus, he felt like roasting a few things.
With that, he and Flogir went off as the rumblings of feet and seigecraft echoed along the streets.
Dalrus, Tiber Septim Hotel
Dalrus looked even paler as she tried to remember all the hardships she had gone through. When Flogir had walked by and said that she simply gave a very haunted looking smile and looked back at Rann.
"It was horrible," her voice sounded emotionless as she began to describe all the tortures performed on her to get information, or just for fun. The spells used on her and the abuse was horrible. She told them about how many times the vampire general nearly raped her, but only to have something come up, Dalrus thought it must have been sheer luck that saved her. She said all this a monotone, far off voice, as if she couldn't put too much emotion in it or she would break.
"Finally when there were only two guards, I snatched the keys and undid my bracers, the bars melted soon after I fried them and I ran towards the city, they followed but I destroyed many others before I reached the bridge and the Brumans drove them away" she stopped. She looked helpless, sad and scared.
Rann
Rann listened to Dalrus's story with a mixture of sympathy, anger, and more than a little guilt. He couldn't help but feel like he should've done something. When Satyana was taken, he took up arms and tried to rescue her, but when something happened to Dalrus, he barely noticed.
When the story was done, he was at a loss for an appropriate thing to say. He wanted to show some sympathy, but "I'm sorry" seemed to fall short.
Instead, he put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and put a bottle of booze in her hand. He didn't know if she would appreciate it or not, but he knew that he would've if he was in a similar situation.
OOC: I forget, was Amrita given one of Veric's amulets?
Amrita
Amrita stuck to the shadows as those within in the house rushed out as the sounds of the incoming army grew louder. She also noticed a separate group stood at the waterside where a ship suddenly began to sink and screams from those on board sounded out. Apparently, something or someone was attacking them underneath the water.
She watched momentarily until she figured that with the army fast approaching, the gates inside the city would be barred. Rather than looking for a tricky way back in, Amrita chose to re-enter the city now rather than face that problem.
Upon entering the city once more, Amrita decided that she had to find Veric and tell her about this "Sel" character that Rann and the others had met. She had a hunch that they wouldn't have met someone like him just for the sake of catching up.
OCC: Since Root has practically destroyed all of the boat force, I'll have Ian retreat as well. So, is Dalrus traumatized enough to have a brief misunderstanding of Ian's transformation (he did come back from the Agent's dojo just before the Hero Hill group returned, so Dalrus shouldn't know about his vampirism)?
Ian
The bombardment was not letting up, and Ian suspected that the Silhouete wasn't fool enough to fire all his siege weapons at once, but stagger them so two or three were firing while the others were reloading. Well, I can shoot far, but it would be a miracle if I could make a shot at this distance.
Conceding that he was of no use here, the vampire turned on his heel and sprinted back to the city gates. Ian noticed the first rays of sunlight beginning to form from beyond the walls. He sighed, he had been neglecting his need to feed, but for the sake of everyone he had to be clear-headed.
If that meant feeding off the soldiers from Morrowind then that was the price he would pay. But for now he had to get himself indoors before his body grew vulnerable to the sunlight. Ian walked briskly toward the Tiber Septim, following the familiar scents of his friends.
Issac
He listened to Dalrus as she spoke about her captivity, but he couldn't look at her as she was speaking. Issac leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and stared at the floor. But every word was clear in his head, even when Dalrus finished he didn't look back up.
Only when Ian came through the door unexpectedly did he look up. "Oh, Ian. Erm, Dalrus just got back," he mumbled. Ian's presense helped Issac look back at his friend, but the Altmer was still shaken that all these atrocities had really been experienced by his friend.
If he had been able, Issac would have done nearly anything to reverse whatever had happened to Dalrus. Satyana had his heart, but Dalrus was a close friend, just as much so as Rann.
Dalrus Varus, Tiber Septim Hotel
Dalrus looked at the bottle in her hand. Under happy circumstances she would have drank it and hoped for a party, however, she never drank when she was sad, that's what her father did. She knew Rann meant well, but she wanted a clear head for killing the vampire lord who had done this to her.
She put the bottle on the counter and gave a very small smile to Rann, she knew he meant well and though he had forgotten that she disappeared, she knew it wasn't because everyone thought she had been captured. Before they went to Hero Hill she said she was going to go to the Arcane University to talk to the Archmage, and this was probably why no one had looked for her.
"I'm just happy to be finally back," she looked over at Isaac, Rann and Satyana.
OOC: She's not going to be afraid of Ian, but very suspicious and untrusting.
Eurod, Talos Plaza
He looked back, the next group of his soldiers had arrive, he had only brought about seven thousand foot soldiers, two thousand archers and then the 500 knights who had arrived on foot and horse before hand. Before they locked the gate Eurod ran over to the gate keeper.
"We have to get all the horses out of the stables," he said as he cranked the gate open and some of his men ran to the stables. (the stables should be quite a bit larger than in the game) and they brought back about one hundred horses. Eurod closed the gate and looked out over the city. There were about 50,000 dark elves along with another ten thousand imperial soldiers who garrisoned the city. He would take command of these, being the ranking imperial soldier in the city. That gave him them 67,000 soldiers to defend a city that could hold a million inhabitants, this was not looking good. He would take command of the 17,000 imperials and garrison the Green Emperor way, since it seemed that the dark elves would take command of all the sections of the wagon wheel.
OCC: Alright then, I don't think Satyana's taken notive of Ian's vampirism either.
Ian
He nodded in acknowledgment to Issac. His gaze went to Dalrus, Ian could smell the scent of another vampire on her. While still new to his vampiric senses and abilities, he could tell the vampire had not been of the Cyrodiilic Bloodline.
But of which province, he did not know. Ian narrowed his eyes slightly, some instinct dictated that he dispose of anyone, or anything claimed by another bloodline's vampire. The realization that other bloodlines were inside Cyrodiil made the vampire's blood boil.
It was an affront to the Cyrodiilic's dominance over their province, Ian vowed to hunt-down and slaughter any vampire not of his bloodline who swore loyalty to the conquering Silhouete. He snapped out of his fumings back to the present.
"Do you know which bloodline this general was part of?" Ian asked suddenly, for better or worse, bringing attention to himself.
Dalrus, Tiber Septim Hotel
Dalrus's eyes suddenly became angry and seemed to be enveloped in flame. She knew who this person was, he was a vampire and magic started to tickle her fingers, she wouldn't attack but she was ready.
"No," she said in a cold voice that could have frozen Lake Rumare. "I didn't ask him while he was torturing me, sorry" she said angrily. Her eyes suddenly became a little more normal, she was not usually one to judge people and she supposed vampires were not all the same. "I think he was from Morrowind, though he could have been from...further east, though I doubt it, many of them looked to be dark elves and I think they were from Morrowind. There were many other races as well, some of every, but the general was definitely a dark elf."
Flint Ironwood.
Flint sailed across the lake and soon got a better view.
,,Those aren't catapults. That big sling-mechanism. A Trebuchet. Clever, enough range to bombard from the other side of the lake." He observed.
One Trebuchet was getting ready to fire. The Breton angled his flight accordingly. When the giant Siege Engine's arm swung around with a large boulder in its grasp, Flint came right above it. The stone was released, into the air.
Flint unsheathed his swords and utilized both their powers to the full together with his own skill at Telekinesis. A large shockwave hit the boulder in mid-air, cancelling its upward motion. Now returned to gravity's merciless grip, it crashed down, right on top of the Trebuchet it had been launched from. Wood shattered and Orcs were crushed under the wreckage.
,,That's one."
Ian
He had to admit, Dalrus' fury was impressive to behold, but Ian was confident that the fire would burn itself out, as it were. That and the anger was not directly aimed at him. The vampire let out a breath, "So he could be any of the three bloodlines of Morrowind."
Ian nodded to himself, absently, deep in thought. Perhaps not being appropriately sympathetic for Dalrus' experience, but two-thirds majority wanted to gather as much information about these interlopers as he could.
For now, however, he saw no reason to further enrage Dalrus, so Ian walked toward the stairs to the rooms.
OOC: no, metal, i dont think she was.. but i have terrible memory
she can just find him.. he probably sticks out a bit.
Veric
Slightly annoyed that just as he made himself comfortable people began forcing themselves out of the tavern, Altair finished his drink quietly and stepped outside. He extended his mind slightly, risking letting others know that Veric was in the city. He wanted to locate Amrita, and loosening his grip on his senses is just what he needed.
Sodsa -> Waterfront
Sodsa nodded to the slightly familiar face and left the lady to grieve over her fallen husband. After fighting his way through the doors, Sodsa found himself in the Imperial City
"Okay, so now that i'm in the city, where am i supposed to go?"
A beggar over heard him and directed him to the Tiber Septum in the Talos Plaza District, he said it was the best one around.
Sodsa looked at the sign overhead before walking in, finally pushing the door open, heading directly to the bar. After wiping his hands on his robe he lower the hood and called for the barkeep.
"Ey! Barkeep, I need A brandy." The man behind the bar grabbed one from under the counter and placed it in the place that Sodsa's money had been, "Thanks."
Sodsa sat on the stood looking down at the drink, every so often taking a small sip. "Gah, I don't like this, I can to help and i get ushered into a bloody tavern. Figures."
Amrita
Amrita had only entered the Imperial City minutes ago when she suddenly felt an odd sensation in the back of her skull. The sensation felt like it was compelling her to a certain location. She was quick to deciding that this was Veric's doing so she complied with the sensation.
Not long after, she saw a robed Altmer standing by himself outside the Tiber Septim. She remembered that Veric had changed into this form before leaving his personal domain where he had taken her to test her. She approached him.
"Do you want to speak here, or somewhere more private?" she asked simply.
OOC: Hopefully you don't mind me giving some creative leeway to the defending army's tactics.
Flogir
It didn't take Flogir and Voltar long to reach the walls. Armoured soldiers all ready were aligning the walls. Most wore various bonemold armour native to Morrowind while others wore standard iron and steel. Flogir approached an officer.
"So, how are we handling things up here?" he asked.
The officer nodded to a bow. "Enemies get into firing range, use that," he said in a more than obvious tone that Flogir didn't appreciate.
Flogir pointed at the siege equipment that was being setup by the enemy. "And how are we handling that?" he asked in a heated manner.
The officer gave the siege equipment a worried look. "Well currently, we almost have some catapults of our own ready to try and fire back at them. Other than that, we might have to send out the calvary to take care of it," he said in a less than confident tone.
Suddenly, one of the trebuchets crumpled to the ground. Flogir strained his old eyes but suddenly he whooped. "Haha! Flint my man!", he turned to Voltar, "Think you could help out Flint, Voltar?"
Voltar shrugged his shoulders. "I think I can conjure up something that could help," he replied in a calm manner.
Voltar withdrew the staff that he constant had strapped to his back and the Altmer's eyes glowed with arcane power. With a quick throwing gesture, Voltar sent a blast of flame hurtling towards one of the distant trebuchets. With uncanny accuracy, the trebuchet literally burst into flames. It looked like tendrils of flame seemed to be fleeing away from the flaming piece of equipment but Flogir then figured out that in fact that the tendrils were those operating the trebuchet.
Flogir clapped the mer on the back. "Excellent work, Volty, my mer!" he said excitedly, thinking that so far, everything was going well.
Veric
Veric smiled as he saw how Amrita had been drawn to him. "Here's fine. Everyone seems preoccupied right now anyway," he replied, "Unless you need to speak about something very sensitive..."
Amrita
Amrita shrugged her shoulders. "Here is fine then," she said before composing herself. "I've made contact with my siblings. Rann knows that I work for you in this form as a 'behind the scenes' type person while Satyana doesn't. I've kept an eye on them. They went to the Waterfront and met with a Dunmer that does by the name of Sel. I'm not sure if that's of any importance, but I thought I would mention that given the fact that they wouldn't likely visit someone in a time like this just to pay someone a visit."
She pause and flipped a strand of hair off of her face. "Other than that, seems like the battle is beginning to get underway, but I thought that would be a bit obvious," she stated indicating the surroundings.
Veric
Veric nodded. "I've been trying to get Rann under my--Altair's wing for some time now. Perhaps seeing that his sister is working for him will sway him further. Eventually, though, I will have to let him know I am Veric if he is to stay with us.
"Satyana, on the other hand, is much more guarded. I doubt she would follow Rann's path." Veric scratched his chin a minute. "Selenil, 'Sel,' is a bit of a hero from the reign of Arcyakt. Though his relation to Rann, or any of this for that matter, eludes me. He's nothing to worry about, though."
Veric began walking towards the southern walls of the city. "So what role will you play in this battle?"
OCC: Yeah, mostly just inner chit-chat between Ian and Kirana. Nothing much other than that.
Cerpin is free to get suspicous, or whatever.
Kirana
The recent happenings were troubling, from Karn and Ian's scheduled final duel to the threat posed by the Altmer, Altair. Actually, Kirana had a rather intimate connection to Ian's mind, even more so, she suspected, than this other inhabitant.
She knew what he knew, and also put some credit to the Argonian's theory, no matter how crazy it was. The politician Altair felt similar to that Breton she'd met near Hero Hill, the same Breton who'd tried to aquire the staff from the cave there.
The two men both had a certain hunger for power that was part of their actions. Likewise, she also felt vividely the driving instinct to drive out the foriegn vampires. From what she'd studied, the Cyrodiilic bloodline were much more subtle, civilized in their own words, than other variants.
In fact, while most of the population would call for the extermination of their patron clan, it was better, not to mention healthier, that the Cyrodiilics had control of the province. Her understanding of Ian's position, in addition to their former friendship, made her feel a little more protective of him.
Kirana didn't trust this other at all, nor did she like the bargain it had struck with Ian. However, she held her council, her friend was set on a path which he could not be swayed from easily. There were others she wanted to protect: Issac, Satyana, Rann, and this Dalrus.
Without a physical body this would be difficult, but as long as Ian was alright, that would be enough to accomplish this final task. Kirana was not quite ready to accept the afterlife, not until this crisis was over and done.
Though she was wary of this other soul, Kirana wanted it gone more so than her host. We can't do what is needed with this free-loader tagging along. Finally, she concentrated on Ian. "Ian, we need to get this glove as soon as possible."
Ian
Suddenly, Kirana interupted his feeding on a drunk soldier. Still, he didn't stop until his thirst was properly sated. Lying down on a nearby cot, Ian externally stared at the cieling as if in thought. Internally, he was with Kirana.
"I thought you were against helping this guy." Ian said.
She replied, "Look, I don't trust him, but the sooner he is gone the better. Even better, as soon as he gets his new body we kill him, we won't have to worry about him popping up again."
"He can burn in Oblivion; all I care about is the same I have before. Issac and the others, once this is all over I can finally accept death."
The vampire furrowed his brow. "Do you want another bo-"
Kirana cut him off, "Absolutely not, I'm fine being dead."
"How do you intend to die, that will only happen if I do."
She replied, "I'll work on that later, that's not half as important."
"So, my brawn, your essense?"
Kirana said amiably, "I'll be your guardian angel, old friend."
Amrita
Amrita thought on the question as she walked alongside Veric. A wry smile crossed her lips as an idea sparked in her mind.
"I think I will look after Rann. Perhaps if I am forced to save his life, he'll feel indebted to us. Plus it'll build our 'sibling relationship'," she said, "I guess if Satyana needed saving as well I would help her out too. We might be able to sway her yet," she added as an afterthought.
She continued to walk with the Altmer when a question formed in her mind. "Say... When abouts do you think you'll tap into my hidden potential, eh? I wouldn't mind a little sampling just to make sure I ain't doing all this for naught," she told Altair with a meaningful look.
Flint Ironwood.
One of the Trebuchets to his left burst into flames.
,,Whoever did that, thanks." The Breton thought and launched his attacks on the second Trebuchet he'd set his eyes on. The spectacle repeated itself, a boulder refusing to launch towards the faraway city. By now, the crew had realized the position of the two threats. The mage was too far to be dealt with, but the flying Flint was close enough.
An arrow grazed his leg and another bounced off the cuirass.
,,Dammit! If I were a hotshot fencer, I could probably sweep those arrows clean out of the sky. Too bad I'm not." Flint grumbled. He landed in a clearing and took the short respite to both find his next angle of approach and deal with the arrows. The purple shimmer of the Dragonskin wrapped around him as he leaped up into the air again.
Green-Root.
The Shadowscales were close on his heels. Green-Root focussed his mind on the waters around him and created a vortex in his wake, forcing his pursuers to either slow down or be smashed against the rocks littering the bottom. Two made the wrong choice, and so their numbers dwindled to six.
He pulled into a steep turn and entered the sewers, using the wall to ep maintain his course. But something was wrong and he hissed in frustration.
,,Where are the guards? I don't see them!"
He had no choice but to move on. If he could find a small alcove, he could use it to make his stand.
OOC: So Green-Root didn't see anyone, but the Narza Tai are there. They'll probably jump in from behind or something. It is up to Revan if they consider Green-Root a legitimate target as well.
Veric
Veric looked Amrita over after her request. "Very well. A sampling," he answered as he rather forcefully placed his right hand on her forehead. He tilted her head back until their eyes met; a yellow glow, not brighter but more intense than usual, shone through his.
"Can you feel the shadows when you move about them?" he asked as he probed into her mind. Her thoughts would become clouded as his icy hand cut between them and distorted them. "Can you feel them adapt with you?" Her vision began to black out until all that was left visible were Veric's luminous eyes; two yellow slits in the darkness.
He removed his hand, and with it the world came back into focus. Dawn was approaching. "There," he said, smiling as an inventor would upon completion of his greatest creation. "I have given you some of my power in an area where you had none. It's only temporary, but experiencing it should pave the way for you to teach yourself."
Veric pointed at a dark alleyway, its shadows complimented by a flickering street lamp. "Imagine shadows as glass... What you need to do is reach out with your mind and shatter that glass. Shatter it, and take up a shard of the darkness. Hurl the shard at your opponent.
"Because the power is as abstract as shadows themselves, its limit is of your own. The shards of blackness can pierce the thickest walls and armor, but because they are not physical, you must concentrate on your target. They will not cut flesh and bone, but they will pierce minds."
*Narza Tai*
The team leader spun when she heard something in the narrow water channel.
Her night-eye picked out the form of an argonian. Her siblings made ready, expecting more would come.
Sure enough, half a dozen came streaming through. But the assassins were prpared.
A crossbow bolt sliced through the leader, blood darkened the water quickly.
The others were dispatched in a similar manner as they were attacked from all sides.
As the last lizard stopped thrashing, the group leader instructed. "Find the one who slipped past, do not kill it, just detain it for the time being."
Amrita
Amrita was shocked into a frozen state as Veric unleashed the potential within her. Only his echoing words thundering in her mind and his vivid, yellow eyes could she sense. When he released her, she felt, odd but in a good way, as if something that was missing within her had been restored.
When Veric explained what she could now do, she grinned wickedly. "I'm liking the sound of this!" she said with an hint of excitment.
She peered into the alley nearby and approached it. Focusing on the shadows, she followed Veric's instructions and imagined them as glass. Suddenly before her eyes, she noticed a faint gleam to the darkness. She thrust her hand into the gleaming darkness and it shattered away, leaving just the normal shadows she was used to seeing. Except for the piece she still clutched in her hand.
She stared at the ethereal shard in awe. She knew she had special gifts and talents but something like this seemed impossible, yet it was real. She was in fact holding a shard of darkness. Now she wanted to throw it.
She scanned the area and noticed a lantern pole a decent distance away, and it was behind the building. Focusing specifically on the pole she tossed the shard in the direction of the pole. As soon as the shard left her hand, her mind's eye shifted to the point of view of the shard. She found herself hurtling towards the building. She braced herself as she was about to hit the wall, then she found out that she had gone through it! The feeling was exhilarating!
After going through the building she found that she was heading directly toward the pole. Right on impact, her mind's eye went back to her own perspective as the shard softly disappated against the wood of the pole.
"Hmmm, intriguing. I wonder what'll be like against a living target," she mused a loud. If this was only temporary, she better find Rann again in hope that she'd be able to use it before the power wore off.
She turned to the Altmer with yellow eyes. "Well, I must be off. How long will this last, though?"
Voltar
Flogir turned to Voltar. "Damnit! Them seem to be focusing their attention on Flint rather than us! Can you do something about that?" he said, worry evidently displayed on his face.
Voltar feigned pondering. "I think I got something," he said as he quickly wove arcane energies. He fed off of the energies given to him from the Staff of Worldly Demise and utilised Alteration and Destruction energies to create miniature earthquakes around the archers firing at Flint. The ground hurtled and erupted in explosions of earth, scattering archers in every direction.
Gah! That might've been too over the top for a 'simple' mage that I'm supposed to be. Looks like I'll have to use 'scrolls' like last time
In all honestly, he wouldn't have cared if Flint was killed but since his mistrust of the Argonian would help in getting rid of Green-Root, Voltar decided Veric would want Flint to stay alive for now. Plus, it was amusing to make use of some spells he hadn't use in centuries.
Veric
"Well, right now your powers are being fueled by part of my own. It should naturally leave you and return to me within a few days unless I call upon, which is unlikely. Eventually you will learn to use your own magicka, and then you will truly be able to expand upon it," Veric grinned as he recalled the first time he was allowed to break free of the common binds of accepted magicka. "Then using the shadows will become more of an art form than a simple spell, limited only by your imagination."
"Before you go," he added, "Do you hold any love for your siblings? Or your mother?"
Flint Ironwood.
The few arrows that struck were all harmlessly cast aside by the powerful barrier. At one point however, they ceased. Flint risked a quick glance around to find that apparently the ground was shaking heavily, throwing the archers around as if they were mere dolls.
,,Whoever you are. Thanks again."
He destroyed his next Trebuchet and the last remaining one without interuptions. Now, unless the Silhouette had more Siege Engines ready or built new ones, the Imperial city was safe from long-range bombardment. He jumped back to the city walls and then ran around over the ramparts in search of Flogir.
,,He's the expert. I bet he knows what's going to happen next."
Green-Root.
Green-Root heard something, something that sounded like sharp objects piercing the water and scaley hides. He focussed on the sweeping tails, counting down.
,,Six...five...four....three...two...one....zero." Upon hearing zero, he looked over his shoulder. The Shadowscales were no longer following. And was that blood he smelled?
Warily, Green-Root swam backwards, ready to speed away at the first glimpse of trouble. He rounded a bend in the canal and observed six floating bodies, all Argonian. It was then that he chose to surface.
,,Thanks for the help. They were bugging my tail quite a bit." He spoke at the shadowy figures that approached. The figures did not reply and their movements indicated to him that they were not too friendly either.
,,Ok, what now? Try to escape and hope my luck holds out long enough to dodge those bolts? Or go with them? They probably aren't sure yet which side I'm on. Going with them would be a gesture of goodwill."
Green-Root threw his spear on the walkway next to the canal and jumped out of the water on the other side.
,,Yo, that spear is quite expensive, I'd like to get it back later. So, who's the leader?"
Veric
"That is all." Veric nodded to Amrita, dismissing her before he dismissed himself to the main gate.
Narza Tai
The Leader, Vasha, regarded the Argonian. Without speaking, she nodded to Kalsh, a ruby-scaled Argonian lass. Kalsh scooped up the silver spear, gazing admiringly at the craftsmanship of the weapon.
Turning back to the intruder, Vasha said. "We will return your weapon if our sensei deems so." Without any visible cue, one group member, a male Dunmer, moved forward with a length of leather in his hands. At the same time, a young Breton dissappeared around the bend.
As the Dunmer began to bind Green-Root's wrists behind the Argonian's back, Vasha continued. "You will be brought before our Sensei, he will decide whether you leave the sewers with your spear, or not at all."
Green-Root.
,,Subtle, aren't we? Heh, you guys and girls definitely aren't mainstream soldiers. No, you are more like....assassins? I'd hazard a guess that you are Dark Brotherhood, or at least related to the Brotherhood." Green-Root commented. He wiggled with his wrists to keep the blood flowing.
,,So, let's get moving and stuff. I hate to leave the leader waiting."
Flint Ironwood.
Flint finally saw Flogir in the distance, together with Voltar.
,,Hi, you two. I'm done for now. What's next?"
Flogir
Flogir waved over Flint and congratulated him on his siege destroying efforts. Flogir then peered out into the distance, looking for specific movements within the horde of enemies.
"Well... if that were my army," he starting, indicating those on the opposite side of the walls, "I'd send those deemed cannon fodder with rams and scaling ladders at the walls. They could possibly use them as a distraction for a small taskforce to focus on a specific target in hopes of breaching our defenses. But that's just me."
Narza Tai
Vasha did not reply, the darkness was such that it was difficult to see anyone's facial expression. The accuracy of the Argonian's guess made her more than a little suspicous of him. Kalsh stared at the green one, only a few inches separating her snout from Green-Root's.
Even as they started moving, no one denying or affirming Green-Root's statement, though silence would naturally give away the answer, they were not to speak of such matters, even if in the former fashion. Kalsh said to her green kinsman. "It would be wise to hold your voice, brother, lest you give the imppression that your discretion can't be trusted."
She spoke softly, inches from his face. "And your life shall be forfeit."
Green-Root.
Green-Root shrugged but said nothing.
,,My life has been forfeit ever since this began. I know I'll die here. I just......want to do what's right for once as opposed to what is profitable." He mused.
Flint Ironwood.
Flint nodded.
,,Sounds good to me. The bad part is though that we still don't really understand the Sil's goals. It makes it harder to predict." He muttered.
,,A specific target? He did have some Vampires, some assassins, the types that are used to breaking and entering. What if they are going to attempt to kill high-ranking officers and other people to break morale?"
Satyana
The last events passed so quickly, and now she found herself in the Tiber Septim, feeling bad about neglecting Issac....and happy to see Dalrus again...it had been a long time..
"Dalrus! Iīm so glad to see you again!" She noticed Rannīs face....
Ahhh.....so itīs like that!
She smiled, well her brother could do worse....
Then she approached Issac....head down, she really felt bad about this...
"Issac...oh Issac, Iīm so sorry if I hurt you....But you do know I love you very much, donīt you?...Will you please forgive me?"
If he doesnīt, I will take my life....I canīt go on without him
Flogir
"That could be a possibility, though if this army knows what it is doing, officers should be well protected or at least have plenty of other soldiers around them that it would prove to be very difficult for an assassin to reach them without stirring some sort of an alarm," he mused before turning to Voltar, "What do you think they're up to?"
The Altmer shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not too familiar with military tactics I'm afraid. Plus, as Flint pointed out, the Silhouette seems to be an enigma. It'll be difficult to figure out what to expect next. Hopefully if whatever it is is magical, I might find some way to counter it."
The Altmer paused as if thinking on something. He looked around his surroundings. "Well it seems that there might be a lull in action for a bit, do you think we can get back to the topic we discussed earlier? If so, we should probably find Altair so that we don't have to repeat ourselves."
Flogir shrugged his shoulders. It seemed that Voltar too was interested in talking about Green-Root. "I think we might have time, are you up for it, Flint?" he asked, turning to his companion.
Flint Ironwood.
Flint shrugged.
,,Well, it's not as if my wife's around to kill me. So let's go and find our friend. Think Altair is still at the Tiber Septim?"
The thought kept coming back to him.
,,Just what are we dealing with?"
Issac
He let out a breath, but did not speak at first. Issac studied her carefully for a few silent moments. "Yes, Satyana, I'll forgive you. Just don't try anything like that again, please." He said quietly, waiting for her to look at him again.
Karn
When the messenger arrived, informing of a captured intruder, the sensei did not react overtly. Karn opened his eyes and rose, crossing his arms behind his back, leaning forward slightly. "Then let this being be brought forward."
The magical fires in the chamber brightened so night-eye was no longer required to see. After two minutes, the group arrived, lead by their immediate hierarch, a young Breton woman named Vasha. Karn did not react any more extremely than before when he recognized the Argonian prisoner as Green-Root.
Green-Root.
Green-Root looked back in the dim light. He was surprised at seeing Karn. He thought that while an assassin, the Dunmer was one of those who worked alone. Furthermore, he had thought that Karn was sided with either the Silhouette or the shapeshifter. Then why was he in the sewers, surrounded by other assassins? And why did his 'companions' hinder the Silhouette? Was the shapeshifter a third side to this conflict? It wasn't impossible. But even then, why didn't he notice this man's connection to the politician? Was he perhaps acting independent, a fourth side? The last option sounded unlikely.
The Argonian said nothing and instead waited till someone would act. There were plenty of thoughts going through his head but he voiced none of them. It would be better not to say something that might provoke them.
Mannimarco
A fade of a shadow was what Mannimarco degraded to, and he was slowly slipping to the brink of Oblivion. He thought to himself, "There has to be some way to break the link with that fool woman! All these imbeciles and weaklings know nothing of power!" He thought that, but in the back of his mind, he feared them. As Mannimarco floated down a dark alley, a thought came to him. "The Silhouette can help me, and I in turn can help him... yes... the Dead will fight for the Silhouette!"
Making his way towards the camp, Mannimarco tried to make his form as dense as possible. "I have a proposition...." He said telepathically.
Commander Astratus
When the siege began, Commander Astratus went instinctively to the walls to be with his men and to reassure them. The overall mood was depressing, but depression was Astratus' life. Nothing new for him. Commander Astratus gathered his lieutenants around him and told them to form medical teams and assist the wounded. He told two others to find those responsible for stopping the siege engines, he wanted to meet them in his tent.
As Commander Astratus went around the walls encouraging his men, a ghastly thought passed over him. "The Sewers, Damn!" Commander Astratus looked in vain for the leader of those Assassins or the pallid figure Patholos, but he could not find them. Astratus yelled, " Find me the Narza'Tai immediately!"
Patholos
Looking for his Sensei but not finding him, Patholos went to the wall to find the Commander. He saw the Commander talking to his lieutenants and so Patholos went back down a road towards a makeshift medical station. "Is there any way I can help?" He said to a guard.
The guard responded, "You keep your stinkin' hands away from these injured, and leave. We don't need your help."
Patholos bowed low, and turned to go. He sent a psychic wave out to try and locate Karn, but Patholos was no Mage, and the signal was weak.
Sodsa Hekal -> In The Tiber Septim
Sodsa swiveled around in his chair to look at all the other people in the room. Quickly glancing at everyone Sodsa saw a few people that looked familiar and then took another look at them. Sodsa's eyes lit up as he rose from the bar and walked over.
So i finally found them, erm, I know the Imperial looking one is Dalrus, i think the Altmer is Issac, and i think the other girl is Satyana, but i can't think of who the dumner is
Sodsa swallowed as he neared, he didn't know how they would react to him, his vanishing, and his sudden apperence, "Hi guys, would you mind if i rejoin you all?"
Sodsa stood there uneasily, waiting for anyone's response
ooc:yeah, random but hey, it works
Flint Ironwood.
Flint shrugged again when the lieutenant approached them. He didn't want to let his ego flow to his head.
,,Well, I had a lot of help." He muttered and followed.
Standing before commander Astratus, he wondered what the Dunmer wanted.
,,If it's a medal or something equally silly, I'm out of here."
OCC: Issac already proposed to Satyana, remember? It was before they went with Rann and Soldin to rescue Kirana.
Karn
He gazed at the Argonian. "Green-Root," Karn said in the tone of one meeting an old companion after some time. "Knowing you, our placement in these sewer passages was not clear, and you were simply counting on enemies of the Silhouete being here."
The sensei waved to the Dunmer beside Green-Root; as the leather bindings fell away from the Argonian's wrists Karn muttured. "You are a slippery one, but one among many in this land. I doubt you shall hold your silence if we let you go."
Issac
He nodded, it was clear that she was really sincere. "Alright, let's put this behind us then." You have my heart, as well, Issac wanted to say, but he didn't.
"I'm going to see Ian, it shouldn't take too long." He said.
Narza Tai, Vasha
While the Sensei was speaking, Vasha felt a weak psychic burst. She defocused for a moment, searching for the source of the wave. The Breton recognized the Sensei's second, Patholos. She sent a response, advertizing her location to Patholos.
Commander Astratus
As the the "Heroes of the Wall" began formalities, Astratus said, "Please, sit down, don't bother with introductions. I have heard much of you from the other soldiers. Wine?"
As Astratus poured the cups without waiting for their response, he filled his own and began to drink it slowly.
"Heroes like you are a rare find this day and age, after the Dagoth Incident, heroes seemed reluctant to show themselves. I haven't seen hide nor hair of the Nerevarine since my days on Vvardenfell, and let me tell you, it is discouraging." Taking a long sip, Astratus sat down on a floor cushion and motioned for the others to sit.
"The reason I called you here was to congratulate you first of all, your cunning and prowess are to be modeled after. Secondly, I wanted to ask a favor of you." Astratus paused and took another sip from his wine. "My men are confused and scared. Half of them haven't even left Vvardenfell in their entire lives. There is segregation by race and there is boredom and lack of energy within everybody. They don't believe this is their war. I myself am having a hard time dealing with the mere sight of the snakemen. They need heroes, and role models, something that they can hold dear to them even if this isn't their cause. They need people like you."
"What I would ask of you is simple. The men need you around them, and they look up to heroes. Please, fight with them, encourage them, and bond with them. I can spare you no coin, for the coffers of the Empire are spent on this invasion. That is all I would have you do."
Astratus paused again, then said, "One more thing, if you wouldn't mind. I am in much need of friends and it seems that I am not too highly thought of," his mind flicked back to the insults in the street. "But, if you would befriend me, I would be most grateful."
Astratus
Taking Flogir's hand he looked him straight in the eye and said, "Thank you," then releasing his hand he said to the Heroes, "I know what they say about me out there, and there are quite a few rumors floating around about me. In fact, you may think me unworthy of this post. The quiet truth is simple, I am not cut out for this." He let the words linger in the air and he poured himself another cup of wine.
"I do not want you to take me for weak, for I am not. No,..., that is wrong, I am weak. I find myself in the bottom of bottles far too often for a person with my responsibility." He look disgustingly down at the wine in his hand, but still took a drink. "I do not know why I am sharing this with you, I am far too trusting and open." Astratus took another drink, and looked at each of the Heroes.
"My entire military career was a string of luck; surviving the damn corprus...., and not getting killed often enough to earn promotion. My men are the only thing I have any care for in this world, and I feel like I am losing them." Astratus violently threw his head back and swallowed the last of the wine. He hung his head dejectedly and wiped a tear from his eye. He looked back up at the Heroes, put on a fake smile, and said, "Thank you, you service is greatly appreciated. You may leave whenever you feel like it." Astratus stood up and put his hand out to shake.
Green-Root.
Green-Root shrugged.
,,That much is obvious. You can't let me go, too dangerous. So what are you going to do now? Execution, or hiring?" He asked simply.
Flint Ironwood.
Flint nodded.
,,I know what you mean, sorta. There was a time when I was pretty much messed up myself. Frankly, I don't know if I got fixed or if I'm still messed up. I'll go out for a walk and see what I can do about the situation." He spoked and ventured to the outside of the tent.
,,But first, we were planning a meeting amongst ourselves to discuss a certain situation which could be trouble. So by your leave, we would like to go and find a friend of ours."
OCC: Minque, can you move Issac upo tp Ian's room then?
Karn
The Narza Tai, including the assassin group under the command of Vasha, made moves for their weapons at the mention of "execution." The Sensei smirked, one of true humor. "An accurate list of options, old ally."
The Dunmer, Sarmath, slowly positioned his blade just over Green-Root's throat. "Perhaps trust can come with time, and proof of your faithfulness." He motioned to Kalsh, who slowly came forward with the silver spear.
"You shall be allowed to live amongst us for a time," Vasha looked confused at this, but did not overtly react. "And maybe you will learn something about commitment as I have." Kalsh reluctantly held the spear for Green-Root to reclaim it, her hands still gripping it tightly.
"Vasha," Karn said, as this took place.
The Breton turned, all traces of her confusion hidden beneath. "Yes, Sensei?"
"Green-Root shall be in your and your siblings' custody and care in the coming months. He is not to be mistreated, but neither is he as much as any of your clan." He instructed, "Though unlikely, he might yet prove himself...."
Karn trailed off as he glanced thoughtfully at the Argonian.
Issac
He hesitated, what he had intended to discuss could be considered private, but when he thought about it, there wasn't much reason to exclude Satyana. "Very well, he must be in one of the upstairs rooms."
Satyana
"Ok, letīs go then, I canīt wait to see Ian again!"
She noticed Aerona approach, she looked totally worn out and Satyana felt sorry for her.
"Hay, you donīt look so good, are you ok?" she asked the girl "You can come with us, or you can be with Dalrus...weīre going to see Ian"
Satyana lead the way up the stairs, looking for Ian. He was not that hard to find and Satyana gave him a hearty smile when they entered his room
"Ian! hey..good to see you, I guess Issac has some matters heīd like to discuss with you, and thereīs another thing as well..."
Ooops....me and my big mouth, I better let Issac tell him weīre getting married!
Brianna
She took Rahvinīs hand and held it to her cheek. There wasnīt much to say, all words have already been said, at least between them. They had been through a lot, partly together, partly separated.
I have always loved him, I never got over him...back then...not him...there have been others, but they were never important...it has always been Rahvin...since the day he didnīt kill me, even though he had the chance.
She looked at him, and felt desire building up inside her....
Green-Root
Green-Root took the spear.
,,Thank you." He hissed, lowering its tip to the floor. He now waited for whatever might happen next.
,,It is an interesting group you've gathered here. I wonder for what purpose."
Patholos
Feeling a comfortable presence enter his mind, Patholos quickly found out where the Narza'Tai were stationed.
"Brothers and sisters," He said as he passed by other members. He made his way to Karn and put his hand on Karn's shoulder. "Sensei, I fear that we do not posses the strength to counter the demons that may come..." Patholos paused, and readjusted his covering.
"May I speak to you in private, Sensei?" Patholos asked. He saw through his gray vision the faces of the other members. Not many things were kept from one another in the Narza'Tai, so this stirred the interest of the other members. Patholos looked around and felt estranged amongst those who judge by appearance to stay alive. He must look deceitful, and unfriendly, especially with his eyes missing.
OCC: It's fine if Aerona decides to follow Issac and Satyana, Ian won't mind if she might be in need of couciling (about vampirism and feeding).
PS: Satyana can leave or remain, Issac and Ian are being protective.
Ian
He looked to the doorway and sat up. Nodding, even grinning slightly, in response to Satyana's heart-warming smile and presense.
Ian understood completely how Issac had been attracted to this woman.
-Karn-
After studying Patholos for a few moments, he nodded. Vasha and her clanmates retreated, taking Green-Root with them.
Likewise, all others fled temporarily through every exit.
Now alone, Karn turned to Patholos again. "Speak, my brother, what demands a private audience?"
-Issac-
He came in right behind Satyana, leaving the door partially ajar.
Ian's expectant gaze coaxed him to speak. "Ian, I probably should have brought this up a long time ago, what do you think about Altair?"
His voice was unsettlingly grave, and Ian was instantly on the same page. "He is more than he appears."
Issac nodded, before looking mournfully at Satyana. "I'm sorry, Satyana, but can you swear to keep what we're discussing here secret?"
"Or you should leave, I don't want harm your innocence by getting you involved with with this...". The word was ash in his mouth. "... Conspiracy."
Issac looked in Satyana's eyes as if to say it was alright to back out of the plotting.
Ian looked out the window. "Should you remain, no one can be told about this unless Issac or I say can be. Conspiracies can corrode the soul, the less you are exposed to Satyana, the better."
Satyana
"Iīm in this....deep down, so I might as well stay. And of course...what you discuss or say will be perfectly safe with me"
She looked both Issac and Ian straight into their eyes....
Iīll stand by Issacīs side all the way now...
Ian and Issac, duo (lol)
The vampire nodded, satisfied with Satyana's answer; Issac was torn between relief and guilt that he had dragged her this deep. Ian continued where he'd left off. "Karn," Issac gave a start at the name. The Imperial paused, then said, "Yes, as difficult as you two may find it, Karn is in the same boat."
He looked at Satyana, "What happened in the past has happened, nothing can change that, but foes can sometimes become friends." Ian reffered to how Karn had poisoned and kidnapped her in the past. "Green-Root's aim seems to be at Altair, as well."
The vampire let out a breath, "Unfortunately, neither of the pair will have much influence if our fears prove valid. No one will be willing to trust Karn, and the others are more likely to slay Green-Root than listen to anything he has to say."
"And then there's my 'condition,' which Altair could simply call my sanity into question." Ian worked his jaw, his fangs subtly displayed every now and again, if Satyana hadn't realized yet, she would now.
Issac stirred beside Satyana, "We believe you, and in turn we will have to trust Karn and Green-Root, right, 'Tyana?"
Patholos
"Sensei," he began, but then went quiet for a second. He continued, "Sensei, I have observed many men and women around the city, and I feel that there are seeds and roots of the Dark Brotherhood still active here. I went down to a temple and I encountered a vampire there. He looked suspicious, and with my vision I saw more than one life force acting on his dead flesh. It worries me brother, and I can no longer stand aside and watch as people do what they must and I remain in the shadows, a useless whisper."
Patholos paused, and then continued, "I wish to be more active and I wish to serve the Narza'Tai, Sensei. I wish to make a purpose out of my ruined life. I no longer wish to be viewed as a brother who does nothing and expects others to do for him. I want purpose brother. If I shared this with the others, I would surely be eliminated for this incompetence. Help me, Sensei, Karn, help me find purpose before the final beat of my heart."
Karn
The Dunmer's eyes narrowed as he brooded over the mention of a vampire with multiple souls. Which one? I know that there are at least three vampires within the city, Ian, that Mage's servant, and the female.
Karn decided to think about it later, turning his attention back to Patholos, he said. "You want to play a role? You have been my second since the Narza Tai was formed, but perhaps your sight can be useful. And the Shadow Eaters are under your immediate command, if you recall."
Once he mentioned the Shadow Eaters, the makings of a plan came to the Sensei. "If in the event I should perish, you will be an administrative leader, others have already been selected to serve the remaining roles."
Karn continued, "In addition to administration duties, your sight may prove well-suited for aiding your Shadows."
"In fact, here is something you may do right now, Patholos." He said, matter-of-factly. "Take your agents, use the rafts to bring yourself near the Silhouete's camp, perhaps you can identify the Silhouete's key leaders."
"Given the chance try and find the Silhouete, maybe some kind of weakness will present itself."
Dalrus, Tiber Septim Hotel
Dalrus hugged Satyana when she came and said hi to Aerona. She couldn't help noticing that Rann looked slightly confused as to what to say. They had been very close, that was until they had argued, however, she did not even remember what it was about. She watched as he went upstairs and a few minutes later she walked up to his room, she just wanted to talk.
Knock, Knock, "Hey Rann, can I come in?" she said softly.
The Silhouette, Observing his forces
The Silhouette rode around the lines inspecting his tsaeci, they were brilliant with gold scales and all the same armor pieces. They were quite the sight to behold. The Silhouette then came to the goblins in their bone mold, or cloth pieces, and then to the orcs in their orc armor. The bandits had various types and then the reavers wore cloth or steel armor. They also had many war horses, not that they would do much good inside the city.
The Silhouette then noticed a magic source coming towards the camp. He got on his akaviri tiger and stormed off towards the magic source. He came upon a man walking straight for his vampire camp.
"You are either looking for me or very stupid to be walking towards one of my campsss," he said to the man (Mannimarco)
Mannimarco
Mannimarco approached the Silhouette, cautiously. Mannimarco felt an extreme power emanating from the figure, and it topped Mannimarco's during his height of power. Mannimarco felt insignificant and useless, but still spoke to the figure.
"I know you, you don't need to know me. Let's keep this short. I control the dead, well, I did, when I had a physical form. I can still coerce them, but it is on a insignificant level. I need from you a chance to break a damn fool spell I cast on myself to allow me to be reincarnated. In exchange, I will pledge the legions of the undead to your service."
Not knowing if the Silhouette could only see him and not hear him, Mannimarco waited for a response.
He spoke again, "I know a vampire who has a certain soul inside him that is expert in changing bodies..."
The Silhouette, Outside the city
The name Mannimarco was familiar, he was not sure where he had heard it, though he thought it might have been because Mannimarco caused some trouble a few weeks (or was it months) earlier. The Silhouette liked being revered and so got off his tiger.
"If it'sss a ssspell I can break it, itssss the body you need, who is thissss vampire?"
Dalrus, Tiber Septim Hotel
"Hey," she said in a soft voice as she came in. The room was not as luxurious as she thought it would be, however, she supposed this was because the Tiber Septim had been so busy lately. She sat down on the end of Rann's bed and smiled, not much of a warm smile but a smile that said she was happy to see him.
"So I told you what happened to me, but what happened while I was gone?"
Ian
He nodded to both, "Thanks, you two." Ian refreshed his memory before he spoke next. "The explosion in the Valus Mountains...."
"Shortly after that event, I entered a former goblin den. Within, I encountered both Karn and Green-Root, and then a Breton and Altmer entered as well." The vampire's eyes narrowed slightly, "The High Elf was Voltar, Altair's aid. The Breton immediately retrieved the staff which was used to create that column of fire."
Ian stared at the floor before Issac and Satyana's feet. "Even as it burned in his hands, the man wouldn't not let go of it."
He sighed, "Green-Root came up with an unlikely theory, that Altair and that Breton in the cave are one and the same. No matter how far-fetched the prospect, Karn claims to have witnessed Altair change while in his presense."
Suddenly, Ian recalled that Karn had given him an amulet recently. He reached into his robes and produced it. "The shape-shifter gave him this, apparently a way to communicate over long distances."
Issac
The revelations stacked up, even though he and Satyana had suspected Altair was more than a simple politician from the beginning, this was a whole new level. "He's been trying to gain our trust all this time...."
He looked to his father, "Do you think he really just wants to make a democrasy like he says?"
Ian shook his head, "Altair is no politician, even if he can play the part disturbingly well, he's a mage. One with a desire for power, and with the means at his disposal, to gain it."
Issac fidgeted, "So, what should we do?" Ian gazed at both of them. "All we can do is wait to see what Altair does, only then can we do anything that will benifit our friends."
He shut his tightly, his hands clenched into fists. "What if it's too late by then?" Ian couldn't answer.
Veric
Veric saw his companion, Voltar, waving at him from a distance. At first, he thought he was waving hello, but when it was obvious he wasn't, Altair walked over to the group. "What's going on?" He asked in a cheery tone that contrasted with the situation the Imperial City was in.
Rann
"Well, we discovered this army of snake-men, but not before we had to deal with a necromancer," he answered gravely, "He killed Kirana and Soldin."
There was a moment of silence.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
Aerona
Aerona stood listening to the conversation, not sure where, or even if she fit in. She mostly listened, as usual, not always being brave enough to speak up.
"Um, excuse me," she said softly, "But why should we believe Karn at all? I mean, he tried to kill us."
She felt uncomfortable with the whole situation, since the ability to shapeshift seemed to be a fool's solution to the problem. Not to mention the fact that Rann seemed to hold Altair in high esteem; Rann had saved her from the sadistic Patholos, and in her eyes was a good and kind young man. Anyone he trusted had to be worthy of it.
If she couldn't dissuade them, she decided, she would at least tell Rann about his companions' conspiring, even though by standing in the room, she had promised to keep her mouth shut. She owed him much more than that for saving her.
Cerpin
Look, I know that you want to be rid of your suspected enemy, I do, but I don't understand why you force me to sit through this. You've had your fair share of opportunities to get my glove, and you still neglect your promise to me.
Look, if you're worried about me stealing someone else's body, don't be. I plan on taking one from the upcoming battle. You'll kill your enemies anyway, why not do it by purging their body of a soul and then replacing it with mine?
Mannimarco
Mannimarco knew that the shade form he was in was no use in battle, so he quickly felt into his mind to search the memories left there. There was no name, but Mannimarco could still feel Kirana's soul on Mundus, so Mannimarco thought.
"The name eludes me, Silhouette, however, I had the ability to control the dead, back when I was physical and I had my staff..." Mannimarco paused, then continued. "I made a damn fool move soul linking with a female ready to die to kill me, I prevented her from leaving Mundus, which in turn melted my physical being. I assume we are both shades, or maybe she has found a new home. The vampire I encountered was storing more than one soul,..." Mannimarco paused again. He continued and called up the soul link spell matrix.
"Here is the energy matrix that activates the soul link," Mannimarco presented the matrix to the Silhouette and showed the complexities of the magicka. "If you can plant me in a Dunmer body, that would be optimal. One in top physical condition and not too old. Also, he would need to be intelligent..."
Ian
He glanced at the other vampire, immediately picking out the sighs of her fasting. "True, Karn has been an enemy of ours for some time, but may I remind you that I've been so for a much longer period than any other person present."
Ian spoke sincerely, "People aren't static. I don't trust Karn completely, yet I can see that he's found something to commit to, now that's a change in a better direction from the mer I've been fighting all these years."
"Regardless of our past struggles and prejudices, we have to remember that every man and mer in this city has taken arms to protect this land and this existance because a greater threat is threatening to take everything from us." The vampire looked the other straight in the eyes. "Our presense is proof of that."
He sighed shifgting his gaze the floor, "However, what happens after this war is over is entirely up to anyone's imagination. Democrasy, monarchy, imperialism, it doesn't really matter so long as Tamriel as a whole recovers from this."
Issac
Looking at Aerona, he added softly. "Whether or not Altair is as honest as he appears, it still stands that Tamriel needs a system of government and a leader who can set things back in order. Maybe he is capable of that or not, but from what I've seen of him, he's shifty to say the least."
Issac had a distant look, "Voltar is the link, he was with this Breton and Altair. If we could somehow get him to tell us what he knows...." He trailed off, no more needed to be said.
Ian
On some unknown cue, the subject was dropped. Ian lost his brooding posture and stood up from his bed. He gazed thoughtfully at Aerona, as if Satyana and Issac were no longer present. "It's not healthy habit, neglect won't solve your problem."
The Imperial intended the statement to invite Aerona to speak about her troubles with vampirism; understanding, Issac signaled Satyana to follow him out the door.
Dalrus, Tiber Septim
Dalrus listened to Rann talking about some of the people who he had met along the way, but when the subject came back to her she brushed her hair back and sighed.
"I'm not sure...but I feel like I'm missing something, it's like any compassion or feeling I used to have has gone, I don't...feel anything, I think I subconciously tried to dull my feelings in order to prevent the mental atrocities I experienced from doing permenant damage," she said looking confused. "I guess I just need to talk to someone...I wanted to feel something and since I felt pretty close to you from before...I thought you would be perfect," she said now sounding embarrased.
The Silhouette, outside the city
"A male dunmer'sss body? That is all you need? If that is the case I can easssily provide a fit dunmer with whom I could perform the sssspell, though you will have to tell me which ssspell I should use, Akaviri ssspellssss are quite different from Tamriel'sss...quite different" he walked around Mannimarco, though with his misty black mass of robes it seemed as if he was floating, power was eminating from him and he made no noise when he stepped. Without uttering a word a dunmer bandit in perfect shape came up followed by two tsaeci messengers who the Silhouette had contacted telepathically.
Sadril
Sadril found his way into the Tiber Septim Hotel, the current hot spot for activity as he perceived it. Upon entering, two familiar smells hit him: the scent of two vampires he had ran into earlier. The male he had little more interest in than to test his abilities at some point, but the female sparked curiosity within Sadril.
He followed his keen sense of smell up the stairs and paused at each door he passed, lightly sniffing the air making him look suspicious, if a bit crazy.
Aerona
"I can't drink blood; it's revolting," she replied, as she walked out of the room.
I'm revolting.
She just didn't want to talk about her condition; she preferred to forget about it. Every second she could get without vampirism crossing her mind was a moment of peace. They didn't happen often, and Ian's teachings wouldn't help matters at all.
As she strode out of the room, she ran into a mer that happened to be sniffing doorways, oddly enough.
"Sorry," she said without looking at him, and started to walk past.
Rann
"I don't know about perfect, but we can definitely talk," he said, leaning against the wall, "Who knows, maybe you'll feel something after all."
Ian
He watched Aerona, shutting his eyes wearily. His eyes opened when she ran into Sadril, Ian was somewhat surprised that Aerona didn't recognize the older vampire. She must be really upset about this.....
Ian wondered absently if Sadril would try and stop Aerona. The Imperial found that he didn't care really. Aerona clearly didn't want his help, and he could not force it upon her. Oddly enough, the female vampire's ignoring of anything he had to say burned Ian more than it should have.
Part of him seethed in frustration, the same part that derived pleasure out of making Commander Astratus sweat. It was a mixture of something alien yet familiar, Ian couldn't truly place when it had appeared. But for some reason, he lost his desire to understand it and let all thought of it slip his mind.
Kirana
"Your complaints are noted; the plan isn't too unappealing, but you'll just have to sit back and shut up while we work our end." Kirana didn't bother hiding her derision. There were more important things to worry about than that free-loader at the moment.
While her friend defocused on the strange new instincts, Kirana used her position to better understand it. She was so dedicated to her task she didn't even think about the plotting against Altair. All that mattered to her right now was helping Ian, he could deal with one matter and she could deal with another.
Sodsa Hekal -> Leaving Tiber Septim
Sodsa bristled with anger as he took a last gulp of brandy. Slamming the bottle onto the counter he pushed his way to the door and out to the streets.
I went up to them, clearly asked them, and they ignored me as though i were a stranger.
Sodsa kept walking, not knowing where his feet led him, but at this point it didn't matter. His mind went on in this fashion for a while until he found himself on the walls of the Imperial City, overlooking a vast army, larger then ever before. Rows of fighters stretched on, in overwhelming numbers.
"By the Divines" Sodsa's jaw dropped open but quickly shut it again. "We will need more then this if we are to even try and put up a fight."
edit:
ooc:this is where i leave, if someone wants they can take him off the walls, he just wants to help. It doesn't really matter where.
Satyana
She felt sorry for that female vampire...how dreadful to be a vamp and not accepting it...depriving herself from feeding....Satyana shrugged and wished she could do something for the girl. But she just left....
Then she noticed Issac giving her a sign to follow him outside...She met his gaze and nodded slightly
They both went outside
"What is it Issac?" she asked...
Issac
He shook his head, "I don't know." After a few seconds he sighed. "No use worrying about it right now." At the end of the hallway Issac saw the strong rays of sunlight outside. He muttured under his breath, "So much for getting sleep...."
Finally, Issac asked. "Do you want to have a drink downstairs, Satyana?"
Issac
He nodded to her, "Of course. Still, it's probably not the best time right now." A thought struck him, "Does having a child appeal to you? I mean, when this is over..."
Mannimarco
Watching the male dunmer approach, Mannimarco lined up a physical manifestation of each spell needed to change and occupy a body. Mannimarco usually used the animated corpses of dead mages to do this, but in a time crunch such as this, he was willing to lower his standard.
"Here," Mannimarco said, presenting a basic "blue-print" for each spell to the Silhouette. He waited for the particular energies to be cast, then he would enter the body and wrest control from the previous owner. He would then sear the mental image that he desired onto the previous owner's body, and, with help from the Silhouette, transform back to the physical Mannimarco.
"They must be cast in the exact order, and not broken cadence," Mannimarco sent a psychic message to the great force that was the Silhouette. "Everything should be in order, just use this spell to break the link between me and the girl," he said, then added, "But do not let me descend..."
Sadril
Sadril watched Aerona walk past him and looked up at Ian, giving him an expression of shock. He turned quickly and followed Aerona through the inn. "Hey," he said striding beside her, "You don't look so well."
Veric
Receiving Voltar's telepathic message, Altair began, "I have found evidence that your scaly friend Green-Root has been double crossing us." He paused to come up with what exactly the evidence was, as well as to pass a message on to Voltar.
We may be to late. The secret of my identity has already begun to spread. But I may have other reasons for getting my hands on Green-Root....
Dalrus, Tiber Septim
Dalrus laughed, it had been a long time since she had laughed. It was amazing how Rann could still be funny in such a desparate time. "Isn't every morning a great time to be trapped in a city by snake-men?" she replied.
The day was indeed a clear one, the sun shined brightly through the window. There was a slight breeze and the sound of trees rustling in the plaza below could be heard through the open window. Strangly though, birds could not be heard, they seemed to have disappeared, or maybe they high-tailed it out of there when they saw what was coming.
"I would love to go for a walk," she said happily.
The Silhouette, Outside the city
The Silhouette looked the list of incantations he would have to say, they were simple enough and not nearly as complex as many of the spells he normally performed, though he was certain the job for Mannimarco to do would be harder, wrestling control of someone's mind.
The Silhouette suddenly started saying the incantation, his Tamrielic was not as great, but he could do the spells perfectly. His voice rumbled on inaudible but very powerful. The link between Mannimarco and the girl was shattered and the Silhouette did not stop to let Mannimarco die but continued with the next spells that would allow his soul to enter the dark elf's. After a minute or so the energies had been released and it was up to Mannimarco. The Silhouette, however, had said another spell, or a curse rather, Mannimarco could not turn on the Silhouette, without losing his soul.
OCC: Ian can either go after Mannimarco now, or split off from the Narza Tai rescue later. Personally, it doesn't matter. Should it be the former, I'll edit this post.
Kirana
Suddenly, Kirana halted in her work. Although there was no feeling within Ian's mind, the sensation she felt was akin to having your throat ripped out. Kirana idled still 'recoiling' from the abrupt end to her bond with Mannimarco.
By the Devines, he's free again now!
Ian
He paused, the contents of his rucksack laid out on his room's table. As he was not directly bonded to Mannimarco, Ian's reaction was less severe. He glared at the section of the wall directly in front of him. For some reason he thought the best reaction to this development was seething fury.
Ian stopped staring and quickly replaced his bow and two quivers, one of Deadric and the other of Dunmer bonemold. The vampire also packed some supplies into his rucksack before throwing it over his shoulder. Some instinct implanted in his mind instructed him to slaughter the closest enemies, only his rational thoughts allowed him to tell who qualified.
Containing the consuming desire, Ian finally stopped atop the battlements. His memory of the time spent walking was vague, but he didn't think about it. Ian stared over to the other shore, where countless enemies gathered.
The images of his blades slicing through a goblin's neck, sending the head flying off, the fountaining of glorious life-giving liquid washed over him. A parade of such fantasies played until a familiar voice shouted "Ian!"
The vampire's eyes flew open, he looked down at his gauntlets, and, thankfully, there was no blood soaking them. The Imperial clenched his fists, his eyes tightly shut, head tilted slightly downward. "Where do these images and emotions come from!? They aren't mine so why do I experience them?"
Dalrus, Tiber Septim
"Thank you," she said walking through the door. She waited for Rann to walk through as well and then they set off down the stairs. The window sills next to the stair case had many plants and statues on them and the wall had paintings. She looked at these as she went down and then they came to the main area.
"Where to?" she said linking arms with Rann.
Mannimarco
Destroying the memory of someone was the best way to gain control. Without a sense of who they were, they didn't stand up to a mental assault. Mannimarco easy swam through the bandit's memory, and was surprised when he discovered that his father and mother were both soldiers earlier in his life. Mannimarco also discovered a extremely fortunate secret about this bandit. The young dark elf had desired to study magic, but had been forced into soldierhood by his parents. Secretly the Dunmer had read books and tomes but not understood them, allowing Mannimarco room to navigate.
With a loud hiss, the skin of the Dunmer melted and dropped off, replacing an image of the infamous Mannimarco. Mannimarco felt through his new body and instantly replaced all the connections with the dead around the area. He tore away the bandits' robes and replaced them with his "Robes of the Worm King," by way of spell craft. He pulled at the twisting void where his staff and the skull of Reman Cyrodill were kept, finally receiving them with much effort. He called forth his black totems and incantations from his study near the Topal Bay.
"My liege," Mannimarco said, then suddenly realizing that he had no control over his soul. Baring his teeth and snarling, he yelled, "This is unacceptable! You promised me a new body! Give me my soul!" Mannimarco knew he was in no shape to fight the Silhouette, even if he was in the top of his prime. Seething with anger, but soon calming, he said, "Forgive me, I spoke out of turn. Let me deal with some minor pests, then we can discuss our strategy." Mannimarco bowed low and entered the lair near the Topal bay via psychic energy. He awoke countless corpses until he found the few Narza'Tai that were killed in the ambush at the Bay. He found the lair and cackled to himself.
Blistering heat emanated from the staff in Mannimarco's hand, then its shot off towards the sky. "Allow me to die will you, Narza'Tai? We will see...., we will see...." And Mannimarco sent all of his dead towards the only Narza'Tai stronghold.
OOC: Sorry about this monster, but Mannimarco was reborn, kinda had to. The base is under siege, will Narza'Tai abandon or pull out to help the city? hmm, interesting developement....lol
Astratus
Bending over his strategy table, Astratus looked haggard and tired. The alcohol he consumed kept him at wits end, also making him extremely irritable. The lieutenants were avoiding him, and only the captains and sergeants of each division were present in the tent.
"Where is that S'wit! That shady "Karn" has up and abandoned us! Where is he? Maybe he realizes that this battle is going to be extremely difficult and he has up and left us!" Astratus sat on a pillow and looked into each of his soldiers' eyes. "No, that is not the case," Astratus said, nodding sullenly to himself. "He probably is organizing the whole damn city under my nose, making it safer than I ever have done. He is very smart for an assassin, and that weirdo without the eyes is very suspicious to be hanging around such an intelligent person. Maybe I should warn him...." Astratus nodded again, then stood up. "Send out a summons for Karn again, and try to find him this time. Also, check with the barkeeps around the city to see if they can afford a doubling of the food and ale rations. If so, issue the new rations for the soldiers. This damp stale air is stifling."
Astratus left his tent and walked around the city, noticing the extensive craftsmanship and the work done by skilled artisans. "Amazing, simply amazing" he said to himself, letting his eyes drift all the way up the tower he was near. "What limit will we break next," he said out loud, then chuckled to himself. He found his way down an alley towards a tavern. When he was at the door, he saw a woman carrying her child, and he went to see if he could help.
He looked back over his shoulder at the dim light and warm friendly smells leaving the tavern, but then he turned to help carry the child back to the shelter. He felt whole....
Sadril
"I am Sadril, and I too am dead," Sadril bowed his head as he introduced himself.
"I'm sorry I ran off in such a hurry when we met earlier. I had business that needed tending."
Veric
Altair, about to suggest that they move somewhere more isolated, followed Flogir into the alley. He allowed Voltar to begin and followed him up, "Books, yes. Green-Root ran off with several tomes that belonged to Kirana. Tomes that I believe would prove invaluable to the Silhouette. Tomes that he may or may not already have his hands on."
OCC: Minque, you can just post when Satyana and Issac are finished, it's really not something new to write his reactions to her.
Karn
The silence was broken when a Khajiit assassin appeared from above, hanging upside-down from one of the ladder to the surface, light shone down from the hole. The Khajiit promptly explained himself when he was certain he had the Sensei's attention. "The army commander of Dunmer is sending soldiers to search for the Sensei."
Karn rolled his crimson eyes, Astratus. Speaking to Patholos, he said. "Allow the our siblings back into this chamber, I'll return here shortly." From the look in his eyes, short was not what he imagined the meeting would be.
The messenger leapt down from his position on the ladder so Karn could ascend....
OOC: I'll go ahead and say the Lair is abandoned...
Mannimarco
Seeing through dead eyes, Mannimarco discovered that the Lair was empty. Seething in rage, he sent a wave of energy to all the dead. "City, move your flesh, contort, strip, eat, tear, corrupt! Heed my call!"
Mannimarco came back to his present state in the Silhouette camp. He finally had a physical form, yet he felt leashed again, and it drove him insane. He felt his body, and he was reasonably satisfied, until he ran his finger along his left forearm. There was corrupted tissue there, and Mannimarco would not get the full use of his arm unless it was cured or fixed. Muttering a spell from an earlier age, Mannimarco's arm shriveled and regrew, back to its usual shape. The body was rejecting the soul, and trying to kill itself.
Mannimarco left the Silhouette's presence and walked along the camp, noticing for the first time the vastness of the army. Wonderful, he thought to himself, this will not be beaten. Mannimarco observed some of the brutal tactics the army was displaying; he saw three snakemen behead another because of a slight injury sustained, possibly from the catapults collapsing. Mannimarco pondered this and moved along until he came in sight of the walls of the city. Suddenly, a thought came to Mannimarco.
He reached with his mind, and all the psychic power he could muster at the moment, and he reached into the city to see if he could connect with the vampire with more than one soul. It felt as if all the blood was leaving his body, but he sent a message to the vampire...
"I know who you are and what you carry,..., release the soul of the woman Kirana, and you will be spared."
OCC: I wrote this during a spur of the moment, so I realize that this might not be the most well put together post I've ever written.
Ian
When the voice of the formerly-deceased Mannimarco echoed through his mind, Ian snapped his head up to look at the army to the West. Without replying, the vampire jumped down to the ground before the wall. He wrapped himself in invisbility as he walked toward the shore.
Unbidden, Kirana supplied him with incantation to water-walk. With the spell, Ian strode across the water's surface, while still invisible.
Kirana
While Ian was making his way across Lake Rumare, Kirana replied to the other soul for him. "We'll have plenty of time to grab another body, even if it's a wounded survivor, I'm sure a wounded body is better than no body at all."
She added scournfully, "So with all due respect, don't speak unless you have something new or useful to offer other than how you yearn for a new body."
Cerpin
With all due respect, you're both insane. Mannimarco is a joke. A shell of a necromancer, if necromancers could be any more empty. he began his rant, not trying to hide his disgust for necromancers.
Think about it. He fears you, Kirana, and he fears your friends. Why else would he have created the link between you in the first place? To stop Rahvin's son and his friends from killing him. Like all necromancers, fear motivates him. It's why he knows the spells he does; ones that take other lives and perpetuate his own. It's why he surrounds himself with followers. You have the high ground and you're going to give yourself up before you have a chance to win.
Kirana
"Mannimarco made a grave error on his part, and as you said, he is now vulnerable to more conventional means of life-taking." She replied calmly, "We aren't 'giving up,' more like 'taking the fight to the enemy.' "
"Look, if we can exploit Mannimarco while he's still just been reborn, we can hopefully keep him out of the picture until this war is over. Master or not, if he dies, it will work miracles for the Morrowind Army's morale." Kirana said softly to the other soul, "Just bear with us for awhile longer...."
Cerpin
See, that sounds great, except for the part where there's an army of Akaviri soldiers. So, instead of fighting on your own terms, you fight on his. I'm not asking that you be cowards, I'm asking that you be strategists. But do what you will. I'll help where I can.
Issac
His arms carressed her waist, drawing out the moment of complete bliss for as long as he dared. Finally, Issac disengaged from the embrace just enough to speak. "So," the Altmer said happily, one hand stroking Satyana's hair. "Let's go sit down and have a drink."
Issac smiled broadly, looking down slightly at his lover.
OOC: since I'm not sure where the last post with Brianna and Rahvin was, I'm improvising since I don't want to look back through. (it's been a while since I made a rahvin post)
Rahvin
In looking at Brianna in that moment, Rahvin realized what he had missed for the last twenty years. Through it all, Brianna had always been there. From the moment that he hadn't killed her so long ago, she had been a loyal friend. Even when he had pushed her aside for Telina, she still loved him, though many would've given up.
But though it was a happy moment, he had foreboding sense of danger. He couldn't explain it, but it made him decide that he didn't want to be without this woman.
"Brianna," he said suddenly, "Will you marry me?"
Amrita
Amrita spotted Rann vacating the Hotel with a dark haired woman. Sticking to her gameplan Amrita began to follow the couple while maintaining her mergance with the shadows. No point of stalking while visible.
Taking a stroll with a good looking lady, eh Rann? she thought to herself as she kept a safe distance away from the two.
Mannimarco
Mannimarco walked the camp until he felt the presence of the vampire approach. Courage, Mannimarco thought to himself, courage in the face of defeat. Expecting to laugh, but finding no humour in what he just said, Mannimarco felt around in the ground for corpses to use in the upcoming battle. With the Narza'Tai lair empty, those dead servants would take at least another four days to arrive. The friction in the air was tangeable, yet, Mannimarco felt relaxed, which worried him.
Finding a cemetary near a ruined farmstead, Mannimarco resurrected a whole family that had been recently buried. He surveyed each body, then chose the three males of the family that had the least amount of decomposition. He sent them forward along the shoreline, and had them stand and wait for the others he was looking for.
When that vampire arrives, I have to be ready, he thought to himself. Reaching deep into his memory, Mannimarco tried to recall a spell that an ancient Sload king taught him on how to control dead cells, regrowing them or destroying them however you see fit. Mannimarco suddenly realised that this body he was in was in no condition to perform a spell of that magnitude. Cursing, he pulsated a psychic message to all his dead followers and the few Necromancers that still followed him.
He sent them a message that simply stated, "Find me a black soul gem, bring it to me at the shores of the Imperial City. Make haste."
Kirana
"There might be a way to avoid fighting that will present itself" She replied as their host continued on his course. "At least until Mannimarco is slain, or raises an alarm."
Ian
As more and more Akaviri crossed his path, Ian concentrated on his knowledge of the Snakemen. Almost as many of Tamriels traditions were taken learned from the Akaviri Potentates as the High Elves. Part of his knowledge of the Akaviris' ways was a basic understanding of their language.
He could pick out snatches of conversation in the odd tongue from many a passing group. Ian hoped he didn't have to directly confront this army directly, it would be close to impossible to fight all the way to Mannimarco.
Up until now the snakemen he had come across had paid him little heed, even less when they picked up his vampirism, immediately guessing a connection to the necromancer lord working with their leader. Ian counted on such oversight lasting a little longer.....
Kirana
"There might be a way to avoid fighting that will present itself" She replied as their host continued on his course. "At least until Mannimarco is slain, or raises an alarm."
Ian
As more and more Akaviri crossed his path, Ian concentrated on his knowledge of the Snakemen. Almost as many of Tamriels traditions were taken learned from the Akaviri Potentates as the High Elves. Part of his knowledge of the Akaviris' ways was a basic understanding of their language.
He could pick out snatches of conversation in the odd tongue from many a passing group. Ian hoped he didn't have to directly confront this army directly, it would be close to impossible to fight all the way to Mannimarco.
Up until now the snakemen he had come across had paid him little heed, even less when they picked up his vampirism, immediately guessing a connection to the necromancer lord working with their leader. Ian counted on such oversight lasting a little longer.....
Issac
When they arrived at the bar, Issac ordered a bottle of Surille Bros. not specifying the vintage from the off-duty soldier manning the bar. The Dunmer gave them a bottle and two glasses. Taking the bottle he poured into both cups and then passed one over to Satyana.
"Well, there's a first time for everything, I suppose." Issac said to his lover, taking a small sip of the drink.
Patholos
Bowing low, Patholos left the sewers and entered the cool outside air. He felt around for the psychic presence of the Shadow Eaters, and tried to connect with all of them. Only eight responded to his call, so he ordered them to meet him at the Imperial City Docks.
Arriving at the docks, Patholos saw how weak and isolated the Docks were, there were practically no defensible positions. Patholos found a small rowboat and met his men after a few minutes. He told them the plan, and they set off for the opposite shoreline. On their way over, they passed the Isle of the Necromancers, and Patholos scanned it for the evil Nercomancer Mannimarco. Not finding anything, the rowboat continued towards the shoreline. They decided to sneak into the camp under the guise of defectors.
Approaching the snakemen was simple enough, as they kept to themselves and grouped together. Patholos thought he spotted a vampire through the throng of snakemen, but it was only a fleeting glance. Deeper into the camp Patholos caught sight of the Silhouette, and told the Shadow Eaters to him. Patholos found a groupd of vampires sitting around a fire, and Patholos nodded to his men. The group sat down by the vampires, and kept to themselves.
Patholos started conversation, and found out that there were few "officers" that were permanant. The old officers were either killed or dismissed. The vampires were here for reasons all their own, and Patholos asked if they were the only vampires at the camp. They said they were the only vampires of their strain at the camp, but there could be possibly more. Patholos nodded and asked if he could meet an officer to discuss strategy, and the vampire laughed and said that he could be an officer, all you had to do was to proclaim yourself one.
OOC: went a little out on a limb, but i put what i thought would be the hierarchy of a massive army into play. I'll edit if it is wrong.
OCC: Ian still "leave a mark" on Mannimarco right, even if it's just a near-severe wound to his new body.
Karn
Ignoring the searching soldiers, Karn strode through the alleyways all the way to the camp around the Imperial Palace. Many soldiers, even some of the ones in groups, watched him silently as he passed. Karn bared their scrutiny, after all, why trust a professional killer with your life?
He was annoyed when the Commander's tent was empty aside from a few officers. Without drawing the officers' attention, he found a chair in on of the corners and began waiting for Astratus to get back from gods-knew-what he was doing.
Ian
The distinct signature of necromantic works guided Ian like a compass. Had he not been a vampire, he doubted that finding Mannimarco would be this simple. The vampire walked with a certainty, with purpose, and that seemed enough for any officer, Tsaesci or otherwise, who spotted him to pass the prowling creature off as knowing what he was doing.
Kirana
By now Kirana had come to realize that in his own way, the other occupant of Ian's body was being helpful, whether he tried to or not. She knew Ian had heard the other's question to her, but he had ignored it for the moment rather than crashing down on the two of them.
"Ian was already very much an expert in the arts of illusion when I first met him many years ago, he's also used some basic spells in the other conventional schools on more than one occassion." Kirana answered, allowing for Ian to continue hearing their conversation.
"I also understand that vampires have greater proficiency with certain magical arts after their infection. While he may not be as wide-ranging in his arcane knowledgable as we are, it is well within his capability to learn." Then she added, muting this from her old companion. "I've taught him some in our years together."
Ian
While aware of the conversation going on in his mind, and Kirana's support of his abilities. Ian didn't let his external vigilance wane, he kept a sharp eye out for any disturbences..... which he was rapidly learning kept the Silhouete's army on it's toes, metaphorically anyway.
He could feel Mannimarco now, a dark beacon to all manner of undeath.
Cerpin
Well, Ian, it looks like you've got two teachers here to help you, he communicated, subtly hinting at the private comment. He doubted it would even be noticed, but it gave him amusement.
We'll be your magicka brain. You handle the physical part.
He began sorting through a variety of different spells in his mind, trying to think of the ones that would be most effective against the necromancer. Dispel came to mind quite often.
So, Kirana, he said privately, You don't seem very intent on gaining a body. Why? the woman intrigued him greatly; she had no desire to keep living, and no particular desire to die, either. She seemed perfectly content to reside in what Cerpin assumed was her former lover's head.
He couldn't imagine staying here for an eternity, which was inevitable when occupying an immortal being's body. She would at least need a body to pass on to the next world, which would be infinitely better than this pathetic, powerless existence.
Ian
Breaking off his path to pick up a shield from one of the weapon stock piles, Ian replied casually. "Sounds good so far." The vampire hefted the durable steel shield in his left hand, the tip of his wrist blade sticking out just beyond the shield's rim.
Ian could feel that Mannimarco was expecting him, and a cool resolve set over him. Every cell in his body was ready for the burden of the ordeal at hand. Even without seeing them, he could count all the goblins, bandits, maruaders, and undead nearby and tell where they were going, how lax they were in such numbers.
"I'm nearly ready on my end...."
Kirana
When the other asked her why she didn't desire a body, Kirana paused in her own work. Had she still been physical, she would have shrugged. Without a detectable pause, she came up with an answer. "There are bodies and then there is your body. The concept of living, sleeping, eating, and breathing in a body you weren't born in is a bit disturbing."
"I'm here because Mannimarco was afraid to die; nothing should inspire such dread. I intend to make as much of my continued existance as possible, but I can do that while existing in Ian."
Dalrus, Walking along
Dalrus took in this question and thought about her life in Morrowind. It was completely different than the Imperial city and Tamriel, a completely different society, one that she was not sure if she missed it or not.
"Well, I am from Morrowind. I grew up in the city of Mournhold, and we had an enormous mansion in Gods Reach. It was kind of boring, having no friends since my father would not permit me to hang out with the kids in the lower classes, and I hated the kids in the upper classes, they were all snobby. My father, Titus Varus, was a stern man in private, usually ignoring me because he wished he had a boy, to pass on the family name and to give his fortune to. My nanny raised me and taught me magic, she said I had an unnatural ability to absorb spells, sort of like a troll, though I don't much like that analogy," she stopped and felt a breeze, thinking more about her childhood.
"In public, my father tried to put if off that I was his little princess, he would brag about me (it seemed every big business man was trying to get me to marry their sons.) and would often take me to all his stupid parties. I always wished I knew my mother, but she was murdered soon after I was born, more than likely morag tong, she was, after all, a former Telvanni councilor."
"My father died when I was 17, he had been inspecting one of his mines near Caldera on Vvardenfell, when the slaves revolted and killed him. I never cried, I can't say I was happy, but I wasn't sad. The vice factor of the company took over, thus, taking away my fortune, except, of course, my fathers enormous personal fortune, which I gave to all the slaves in our house and set free. My maid had long since died and I joined the mages guild. I then transferred to Cyrodiil, I wanted to get rid of the rigid Morrowind culture." she finished looking over at Rann and smiling. They were walking past the gardens and a cool breeze was gently blowing their hair.
Kirana
She did not answer Cerpin, indeed he had seen the truth... or part of it. Kirana resumed working on making a list of offensive and defensive based spells that might be effective soon.
Ian
Now sitting on a small mound beside the weapons cache, Ian listened intently to Cerpin as he cited the incantation for dispel. His eyes closed, he waited several moments before reciting the arcane words back to his tutor.
Ian spent another two minutes sub-vocalizing the words until they were fresh in his mind. Once he'd finished, Kirana chimed in. This time he cast the fortify magicka spell she described; the sudden power the vampire felt was intoxicating.
He spent a few moments just savoring the feel of it all before control returned. "Time is short, if there's anything left then we need to do it quickly unless we want the King of Worms to start entertaining the possibility of running to the Silhouete."
Amrita
Amrita was close enough to overhear the conversation between Rann and the woman. The sob story made her want to gag and the playful smiling didn't help the situation.
I swear to the Divines if they start touching each other... she thought bitterly as she twirled a shard of shadow in her hands. The sensation of doing so fascinated her. Enough that she could stand paying attention to Rann and his company. She also kept an open eye to any possible threats.
Dalrus, Walking along
Dalrus was glad Rann had listened to the story, she had never told anyone about her childhood and while it was tragic, she thought it was quite happy compared to her more recent ordeals with the vampires. She also didn't see a point in harboring hate for someone that was already dead, and circumstances she couldn't control. She had freed many slaves and this had been a very good thing.
As Rann asked Dalrus why she was smiling she was amazed he didn't know what to do. hasn't he ever had a girfriend! kiss me! by the divines doesn't he know I'm letting him?
"Oh, I don't know," she lied with a smile.
Rann
Rann stopped her without a word and softly brushed a bit of Dalrus's hair back behind her ear. He leaned in towards her and his lips met hers in a passionate kiss.
It felt so perfect, but he couldn't help thinking in the back of his mind that he was betraying someone that had passed on...
OOC: I guess Amrita isn't any happier now.
OCC: New Playground Time!
Ian
Repeating the mantra in his head at least twelve times perfectly before allowing himself to be satisfied, Ian opened his eyes again. Ian had long since memorized some spells Kirana had described to him a long time ago, but lacking the phenomenal pools of magicka that such mages had at their disposal, he never had the luxury to cast them.
Drawing himself up to his full hieght, the vampire noted with his enhanced senses that many of the nearby warriors were simple goblins and most were resting from the long march or wandering about without any focus.
Some maruaders were near, but they were indisposed as they enjoyed their spoils, material and otherwise. Ian narrowed his eyes as he detected the three freshly resurrected zombies nearby..... but Mannimarco was not detectable anymore for some reason.
Scooping up the durable steel shield he'd liberated, Ian wandered away from the weapons cache.
Kirana
"I'll keep that in mind," she replied shortly. Whether it was wise or foolish, Kirana had decided to remain within Ian. There were some things in life that I will enjoy not needing to attend to.
yup...the new one is already up and running..so Iīll better close this one then!
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