^^^^^^Bahahaha! That line is great!

Hmm, the story about Chrysamere is an interesting fact to consider. Also Luper's need to getting it back might prove for some less than logical actions that could prove to be harmful to his survival. We'll see.

Dude, this installment kicks spotted owl! Nice! I wish that I had thought to make Velas an ally back when I did my Tribunal fanfic. I adhered too rigidly to the game's plot. I should have written things slower and explored more possibilities. The way you've worked Velas's personality is rather nice. There are so many possibilities now!


Noooo.

The last two lines are especially well written. It's something Rashelle would say: a lot of emotion contained in a small amount of words.

Last update for now. I have plans, but I seriously need to think over the implementation. Let's just say, it will be one hell of a sidequest.

And Blockhead, you gave me the ally idea. At first I'd only planned the 'thank you for not killing my stupid brother' line but now I realize that he could do a bit more than that.


I drunk the rest of my flin without noticing its flavour. There had to be something I could do. Something, anything. I was Nerevarine, slayer of Dagoth Ur, Arch-mage of the Vvardenfell Mage guild, Arch-magister of House Telvanni. I was the toughest fighter on the island and perhaps even whole Tamriel! Then why was I so helpless? My eyes darkened as I came upon the final option, the last straw.
,,The Mournhold of old, tell me about it.”

Gavis was flustered for a moment but recovered.
,,The Mournhold of old. It has been a long time since someone last spoke about it. The Mournhold we see today is built upon the ruins of an older Mournhold, a Mournhold that was destroyed by Mehrunes Dagon, when the Tribunal was young and cocky. To this day, remnants of that place remain, buried beneath the city. There are some people who claim that this ancient Mournhold can be reached through a secret tunnel that sprouts from the sewers somewhere.” He began and then paused. He made up his mind about something.
,,Listen, do not tell anything of this to my brother. I fear that in his naïve enthusiasm, he would run to his death. I know the entrance to old Mournhold, I have even set foot in it once. But, it was only a single foot. All those who went further, never returned. There are unknown dangers there, waiting to trap any unlucky adventurer.”

He conjured a scrap of paper and a quill out of thin air.
,,I will draw you a map and provide you with any supplies you might deem necessary. If you wish to go there, all you have to do is to follow my directions.”

There weren’t many supplies that could work for me. Potions to cure diseases were unneeded, I already had one of the best swords available. Not the best, but still likely to be better than the weapons of any enemy I might encounter. I wore the Lord’s cuirass, which outranked even pure Daedric. But apart from my Indoril boots, the cuirass was the only piece of armour I managed to snatch during my escape. It wouldn’t do me much good if I got whacked in a limb or something. Gavis came with the solution and revealed a dull brown cloak which he’d enchanted to be flexible yet stronger than steel.
,,Use it as you would use a shield. Channel your will into it and it shall stiffen, till it achieves a protection that rivals the thickest armour of steel there is. It also dispels low to medium classes of Magicka. Likewise, you can make its edge turn sharper than a razor’s blade. I am sure you will find it useful.” He instructed. He then pulled two rings out of his pocket and put them in my hand.
,,The result of boredom. The gold ring conjures a loaf of soft and tasty bread mixed with all the nutritions you’ll need, the other conjures pure water. Trust me, it beats carrying around bags of food.”

Before sunrise, I was prepared. Under the guise of the amulet of shadows I crawled through the nearest trapdoor and entered the sewers. Now I would find out what Revan meant when he said that my answers could be found in the Mournhold of old. Maybe it would help. Whoopeedoo, more ruins to explore. What was it with those places? I honestly prefer to walk around inhabited places. They’re more fun. Fewer undead nasties as well.

There was one thing I did find out within the first five seconds after entry. I’d forgotten the smell of sewers. Now I remembered why I never went sewercrawling after the few times in Vivec. Damn, that was one nasty smell.

Yes, I did. I just wish that I had though up that idea months ago, back when I was writing my Tribunal fanfic.


A bit of a nitpick: I think that should be "drank"? I could be wrong.


lol

I really like the way you are writing Velas. I am reminded of the way that minque wrote Baladas, the Telvani wizard in Gnisis, in her current story.

Hehe...sweet Jackie! You let different ppl really talk! You revive them, like Elone f.ex...and I do like that....keep it coming ..ya hear! You have a cool, nice style...really!

Yeah, that would be drank. Sometimes, I hate those damn subtleties.

And thanks all of you for waiting. The much belated update has arrived.




My good old luck with sewers returned. Right after I passed the first curve, a howling creature ran at me. I smirked as I recognized it. A goblin, wielding a crude club. How nice. Even before I’d been thrown in prison at the age of eight, I had already plenty of Goblin heads on my name. This would be so easy, it was just funny.

I casually drew my sword and raised it to block the first blow. An unexpected pain shot through my arm as the Goblin drove its club against my blade, shattering the wood. Ignoring the pain, I ran it through and cast the corpse in the slimy waters. Only then did I stop to think about the oddity. A Goblin with enough strength to drive me back and shatter its club in a single blow? It was as if it had been taken by the Blight. But the Blight had gone after I’d slain Dagoth Ur. Then how could a little pest like that grow into such a terror?

I closed my eyes and as I expanded my senses, I began to feel a certain influence all around me. The influence was horribly familiar. It was the same influence I’d felt from Vivec, from Dagoth Ur and most importantly, the heart of Lorkhan. The fact that a glance at the map pointed the source as being right in the middle of the temple confirmed my suspicions. There was a Tribunal god here and if the two Ordinators at the temple where any indication, I dared to bet a lot of flin on that god being Almalexia, Nerevar’s chick.

So what was the lady of unpleasantness doing? Why would she Blight a Goblin? Of course it could be something else, but the symptoms were so similar, it was hard to imagine what else could have been the source of the Goblin’s strength. I decided I would have a word with her, after my word with Helseth regarding proper manners.

I pressed on and fortunately managed to avoid further trouble. That is, till I ran into a quartet of Dark Elves in odd robes. They all spun at me and put hands in their pockets. Dagger, dart, scroll? I checked to see if my sword was loose in its scabbard before they could pull out whatever it was they were trying to grab. They looked like assassins, but their garb told me they weren’t Dark Brotherhood. For that reason only, I was willing to give them a chance.
,,I’m just moving through. No harm intended. Can I pass?” I shouted with a voice that echoed in the cramped confines of the sewers. The one furthest on the left pulled his hands out of his robes and made a throwing motion. I swung the Ebony blade out of its sheath, into the dart’s path and listened to a satisfying ting as it deflected into a wall.
,,I’ll take that as a no.”

More darts flew my way, too many to deflect them all. I swung the saber in a swift arc, catching two. Two more bounced harmlessly off my cuirass. A fifth whisked past my eye and scraped my cheekbone. I gritted my teeth and blinked to clear my eye of blood. This was just not fun. I drew Gavis’ cloak around me and invoked its power. Instantly it stiffened and I heard the soft thunks of the darts, whose points always managed to penetrate a hair’s width before being halted by the fabric. When I came out, I would have to find a needle and some spare thread for sewing.

,,Either you stop it now, or you’ll be sorry!” I shouted at them while I used a free finger to focus a healing spell on my face. The barrage continued without interruption.
,,Sorry it is.” I whispered angrily. I’d given them their chance. I’d held back all this time but they just wouldn’t listen. Now they’d gone too far. They would find out they’d chosen the wrong Redguard to mess with.

The water in the canal rose up with a roar and thundered at them, like a wave crashing on the cliffs of northern High Rock during a storm. The water swept them off their feet and I flung the cloak behind my back. In the blink of an eye, I’d crossed the distance that separated us. One had managed to keep his footing though he’d been forced to move into a crouch. I saw his hand rise with another of those infernal darts. He aimed to throw, I threw first. The whirling blade of Ebony cut through his arm and separated it at the elbow.

I flew past him without a second glance. I reached the second who lay sprawled on the floor and called my sword back with Telekinesis as I jumped over the Dark Elf. The scything blade separated his head from his neck as it followed. The third had hit a bridge suspended over the canal with his head. He was dead already so I gave him no further attention and went straight for the final one. He stood against the wall and was the only one who had chosen to challenge me to melee combat with a sword. Bad mistake. The hilt of my saber crashed into my waiting hand and I parried his blow. With a flick of the wrist, I flicked the longsword out of his hands. Another flick, and my blade vanished up to the crossguard into his chest, pinning him to the wall.

When I drew the sword out, he sagged to the floor like a sack of rocks. I turned to the one whose arm I’d removed. He was still alive and now looked up at me. With his remaining hand, he tried to stop the bleeding.
,,Please. Spare me.” He moaned. I scowled. He hadn’t tried to spare me when I asked. And those darts weren’t meant to throw at a board in the pub.
,,I won’t stab you.” I replied. The Elf’s mouth broke into a grin.
,,Thank you. You are a great and honourable man, who w…” The rest of his false compliments were cut off by the flamelance I put between his eyes. Even the famed resistance to fire the Dark Elves’ have can’t withstand the amount of heat that spell concentrates into a single spot.

,,Who would never break his word. I know. You should have read between the lines, pal. Stabbing did not rule out the use of fire.” I sighed and plucked the darts out of my cloak. Curved pieces of Ebony, with three razorsharp blades. A weapon meant to kill people. Dark Brotherhood, fanatic Ordinators, a treacherous king and his gang, these red-robed cutthroats. Just how many backstabbing murderers did this place have? Someone should keep a tally. I dropped the darts on the floor and continued on my way.

Oh the Black Dart Gang. They didn't know who they were dealing with obviously. Welcome back, jack!

YAY! And welcome back.



LOL!


Woah: throw sword, then fetch back with TK - that NEVER occured to me! Rashelle may have a new trick. You know that whatever she throws tends to hit its target.

I've been reading your stories here for some time, and I've been hugely impressed by how much you've grown as a writer in that time.

This is your best work in my opinion to date, and moved you into the "dare not miss an update" category. Highest compliment I can give to be honest.

Thank you, BSD-IES. And welcome to the boards.

Mallet, you're right. That was the Black Dart gang. And yeah, they didn't know who they were dealing with. News of semi-immortal heroes travels slowly these days.

Blockhead, Telekinesis is one of my favourite tricks and I regret to this day that it can't be used for any fancy moves ingame.

Now for the update and stuff.



The sewers went deeper underground and I soon came upon a place where my only chance at progress would be swimming. I looked at the filthy water for a long time. Grime, general trash, mud, weeds and the occasional dead fish floated past. Who knew what else was in there. All in all, diving in was the last thing I wanted to do. But the map was resolute at this point. To reach Old Mournhold, I had to swim.
,,Well, it isn’t going to dry up anytime soon.” I grumbled and stepped up to the ledge. Just when I was about to dive in, an idea struck.

Half a minute later, I was walking over the bottom of the canal. The shield I projected around me made sure not even a single drop reached me. Above me, the ceiling was smooth, as if it had been stroked by centuries of flowing water, which was probably the case. Over time, the ceiling rose again till I could jump back to the walkway.
,,Well, that was interesting. Now all we need to do is pass a door and we’re all set.” I muttered while drawing my sword. Velas had warned me that there was something in Old Mournhold, something nasty but he didn’t say what. If my experience with nasty things was any indication, it would stop being nasty after a few swordstrokes.

I kicked in the door for good measure, causing a hail of damp woodfragments. When it comes down to it, I always enjoy to go in with a bang.
,,So, you’ve come, Luper.” I froze for a split second. Then I frowned as suspicion kicked in. The person standing before me was covered from head to toe in some sort of armour. But still, that voice could only belong to one man.
,,Revan? What are you doing here?” I asked. When the Dark Elf didn’t respond, I threw another question his way.
,,The danger Velas spoke of. That wouldn’t be you, would it?”
As fast as lightning, Revan pulled a pair of Wakizashis out of the shadows and charged.
,,In your case, I am! Defend yourself, dragon!” He shouted.

If I hadn’t drawn beforehand, that first attack might have disembowelled me. Now, I blocked a shot at my throat with Velas’ cloak and parried the stab at my stomach with the Ebony saber.
,,So this was all a trick? To get me to come here?” I asked as I jumped away from the whirling blades. Revan didn’t answer but continued to press the attack.
,,Then why?” I tried next, using the lamest and most useless of all questions. The reason doesn’t matter, being cut to pieces hurts all the same.

,,If you are truly what you are, you will reveal yourself!” Revan answered cryptically. I had no idea what that meant. All I knew was that I was losing the fight. It was two blades against one, which normally doesn’t mean much. Revan though, was nothing short of an expert so he had the advantage. I gave up ground without even trying to duel. I’d already realized that at swordplay, I couldn’t match him, not without a Claymore. But Magicka was another story altogether.

I reached out and hurled a wall of air at him. The Dark Elf glided back yet managed to retain his balance. This was the breathing space I required and I followed up my opening with a barrage of other spells. Revan was quick to dodge, slipped through the door I’d kicked in and then hid on the other side of the wall. He was a quick one, that’s for sure. I kept a fireball trained on the dooropening in case he leapt out.
,,You told me that the line between master and pawn is very thin here, Revan. Whose pawn are you?” I asked.
,,Moon and Star, Luper. Moon and Star.” Revan replied, still in hiding. More cryptic mumbo-jumbo. That wasn’t too helpful.

,,Wait a minute. This doesn’t make sense. I’m the Nerevarine and I’m sure I didn’t hire anyone to knock own my head off. Nerevar wore the ring but he’s been dead for like forever.” I muttered to myself in confusion. Then I realized the other option.
,,You mean Azura?” I asked. Even though I got no answer, I knew it was true.
,,Man, and just after I was done with the damn oppressive queen of all I hate.”
Revan still hadn’t come out of hiding which I found rather odd. Surely he wasn’t expecting to stay there forever? It was too easy to launch a mirror and then reflect an offensive spell on it, right into his hiding place. I cast a life detection spell. He was gone.

Gone? Any movement of him would have brought him back into my sight. Even a jitter of his hands to cast a spell would have accomplished that. Did he teleport away? He had a dealing with becoming invisible. He’d done so before, at the palace. If so….

Something wooshed through the air and I ducked, narrowly avoiding one of the Wakizashis. The other came down on me so I blocked it with my sword. Before I had the chance to counter, Revan had vanished again. But invisible is invisible, so I cut at his former location for good measure. I only hit air.

Again Revan attacked out of nowhere, this time from the left. I raised my cloak and managed to block both hits, though at the price of two large tears in the fabric. Velas’ cloak had been a lifesaver so far, but it wasn’t going to last long like this. I knew I couldn’t beat him. I had to escape, somehow or else I would die. This was crazy. I hadn’t met a foe I couldn’t beat in months. But I remembered the words of my father when I once found a fish in the stomach of another fish.
,,No matter how powerful you are, there is always a bigger fish, one more powerful. If so, run with all the strength your legs can muster. Don’t forget that, son.” I had to run, and the sooner I began running, the better.

I started with the standard method of escape, teleportation. My recall fizzled, so did the Divine intervention. Panic began to close in on me as I tried an Almsivi. No luck either. Somehow, I’d managed to fail three spells of teleportation in succession, and Revan had moved into position to harass me again.
,,By decree of Queen-Mother Almalexia, teleportation is not allowed neither above nor below Mournhold!” Revan spoke from wherever he was now.

I couldn’t teleport, so I had to run physically. I lunged for the water and tried to trigger a skybolt. Like with the teleportation earlier, it failed and my speed remained within my mortal limits.
,,Almalexia keeps an eye on all those within her walls. No self-alteration of any kind but healing is permitted by her.” I couldn’t help but wonder how Revan then managed to use a spell of invisibility. I dove into the canal and swam to the submerged section as fast as I was able. Maybe, just maybe I could outrun my nemesis without the use of spells. Just to try, I used a light spell of invisibility myself. Fizzled again. Just how did Revan manage to dodge the damn rules put in place by that trice-cursed fake goddess?

When the ceiling rose again, I climbed out and began to run. So far, Revan had not yet interfered with my escape. Perhaps I did manage to outrun him. Something hit me on the head and I crashed into a wall. I spun around to face Revan, only again I was pushed up against the wall. I tried to move but I couldn’t. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with a touch of telekinesis.
,,In the end, no matter your skill, you are still a child.” Revan said. He rose both Wakizashis into my sight.
,,Go home, to Oblivion. If you don’t go there willingly, I shall send you. Go, Aedra!” I saw the two blades slice through the air, moving in two arcs that would intersect at my throat.
,,Go home!” The blades touched and the whole world seemed to explode into countless fragments. Then, even those fragments shattered.

Wow, this is something not typically seen. Luper having problems against an opponent. Of course, Almalexia's rules on her city doesn't help the situation I bet. I am quite curious as to how Revan can use things like invisibility and such while Luper can't... Perhaps he's doing some work for the mad goddess?

In the game, levitation is only not disabled under mournhold. And nowhere in mournhold are the recall and intervention spells disabled. Most likely this is all part of some subplot or variation but for now I'm all confused.

And where has Chrysamere gotten to?

And isn't Reven in another ... oog .. my head hurts.

Anyway, good update.

Well, I can answer your questions, Blockhead. Captain whats-his-name of the palace guard had Lup give Chryasmere up due to security reasons, and when our Redguard Telvaani friend came back to reclaim it after being attacked by assassins, it had mysteriously vanished.

Now as for Revan's presense, cameo, the man's older than he looks.... very much so. Before he was freed from servitude he worked for the Deadra (most all of them). So several years before freedom, he's in Mournhold under Azura's devine authority.

This post has been edited by Lord Revan: Aug 18 2007, 05:06 AM

Ahhh, how nice to return and find this! A thrilling continuation, more please?

Alright, explanation time!

1: Revan didn't simply dodge the rules, he circumvented them entirely! The Dark Narynn's ability to merge with the shadows is something different than the common forms of Magicka. Maybe Almalexia could have blocked it, if she knew what to look for.

2:The recall and intervention spells have been added to wire the plot together. Nowhere has Luper used them around Mour....Crap, he did use them! He used recall once to return to Ro-El's place after annoying the Royal guards! Dammit! (got to explain, got to explain.) Umm, Almalexia is nuts and the no recall/intervention rule was added at midnight because she had a bad dream. Yeah, that's it. See, it all makes sense.

3: Chrysamere is....around. Yes, around. *Dammit, text doesn't allow for a mysterious tone the way I want it to.*

4: As for Luper having troubles against Revan, he was without Chrysamere for one thing and the odds where stacked against him for another anyway. That said, I do have a powerup planned for good ol Lup. Can't say any more of it, though.

Now that I've done that and basked in the compliments, let's bash lore entirely! MUHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!.......cough....... *Why do I always get into coughing while doing the evil laugh, why?!*





I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t feel any air around me, couldn’t feel ground beneath my feet. My blood rose to my head and my innards seemed to be all tied into a knot. Worst of all, I simply couldn’t see. It was more than the absence of light. It was as if I’d developed the need for sight but never developed eyes to see with. It was downright horrible. But somehow, I didn’t die. The lack of air was horrible and my body screamed for it, but I didn’t die. It was surreal, like a dream. More like a nightmare.

Without any warning, words suddenly appeared before me. Words made out of sparkles without any colour I could reasonably describe. The colour looked like all colours combined yet no colour at all. I frowned at the ‘sight’. I couldn’t read it either. It looked Daedric though. And I could feel the word’s essence. It was Magicka. Once I’d realized that, I put my observation to the test and drew some of my own. While otherwise there was nothing to see, Magicka was still visible. I drew a simple greeting and waited.
,,Ah, modern Cyrodiilic. Yes, I greet you as well.” Floated before my eyes.
,,This has got to be the weirdest conversation ever.” I thought to myself.

,,Who are you?” I then asked. Of course, a name had little meaning and I couldn’t see the being either.
,,I have many names. To most however, I am a wandering seeker of knowledge. It has been a long time since I came across an unformed plane of essence. This intrigues me so I decided to remain. I apologize if this caused you any discomfort, lord.” The lack of air was still distracting me but I still caught on to the last title. Whatever it was, it had just named me as the apparent master of this place. Now asking it what it meant by that would reveal my complete lack of power. As such, it was better to dodge the subject.
,,Really? Why don’t planes remain unformed then?” I asked instead.

,,It is mostly a matter of applied Psychology. As you know, the plane of essence is connected to its master. Actually, calling them two separate beings is entirely incorrect itself. Being one and the same, the plane of essence forms to whatever wish its thinking portion, the lord, holds. Few I know can resist the temptation of a world formed to their will, where they can rule as an omnipotent god.” Now this was actually some helpful information. Forms to whatever wish the thinking portion holds? If I could simply wish for air and sight, it would make my stay a whole lot more pleasant. I did so and it was even easier than I thought it would be. I just had to realize that air was a distinct possibility and there it was. I could sniff up the smell. The air had the unique ashy taste of Vvardenfell.

,,Ah, now it has been formed. An endless expanse of air, made of a mixture found in the north-eastern area of Tamriel.” The storyteller said. I added light to the mix and finally saw him. He was simply a featureless orb of glass floating about.
,,Well yeah. I’ve spent some time there so it brings back memories. Or would you prefer the earlier absolute nothing?” I quipped with vocal speech.
,,This is your land, not mine. I have seen plenty of interesting things yet change is the very nature of everything. Once the master appears to lay claim to what is his, the plane of essence simply can’t remain unformed.” The orb answered in an absolutely neutral voice. It felt as if it had taken Cyrodiilic and relieved it of all the nuances that made speech so personal.

,,So, care to tell me what others make of their planes?” I asked. I honestly had no idea what to do with this place myself. The orb of glass twinkled, the only sign that it was more than just an inanimate object. I hadn’t specified an actual lightsource, so the twinkle had to be its doing, not mine.
,,I have seen many things. Quite simply, there is no limit to the possibilities. The last plane I visited however, was a battlefield where its lord enjoyed to fight and slaughter countless minions of its own creation, content with the knowledge that he was the absolute god of his realm and so nothing could beat him.”

Nothing could beat him? The idea appealed to my sense of pride which had taken quite a blow after Revan wiped me out. Or had he? Weren’t his last words ‘go home’? This place was in a way my home. Or at least, it could become. In here, I could lose my frustration by making a hundred Revans and tearing them apart as if I was a Daedric prince. Daedra, Aedra, were there any differences? Perhaps in the view of mortal tamrielians, but to me, it didn’t feel like there was anything different in the end. So I was a Daedric prince? How flattering.

But no, kicking the crap out of people with all the power of a god would only be childish. In the end, it wouldn’t accomplish anything. No, I shouldn’t stay here. It would be unhealthy for me. My pride had taken a blow, but it was a good one. There is a distinct line between confidence and unreasonable arrogance. No doubt I’d crossed the line there. Hopefully I’d shifted back down to plain confidence.

So I’d just decided that playing god in my own world was not a potential career change. I had to get back, somehow. Not just for me, but also for Ro-El, Gavis and his reality-challenged brother. I had to stop the Mournhold Captain before he ran out of control with Gravedigger. I had so many things to do. And….I suddenly realized that taking revenge on a certain Dark Elf was not on my to-do list. Whatever he might have done, he was just following Azura’s orders, I think. So if I had a fish to cut with someone, it was my mother. Then again, maybe this whole thing was her idea of a ‘coming to manhood’ ceremony. I wished she would have taken a more peaceful option but then again, most manhood ceremonies I’d come across all involved girls and permanent bonding of some sort. I wasn’t exactly the perfect husband, not as long as I had a sword I could swing and baddies to carve up.

Then again, did it really matter? If I so desired, I could make myself a hundred women right here. Which, admittedly, would be even more childish than the godmode slaying of a hundred Revan’s. So back to the point at hand, I had to get back to Nirn.
,,It has been nice talking to you, but I’m on a tight schedule. I’d say, feel free to wander around the place as long as you like, or leave at your leisure or whatever. As for me, I’ll be taking a hike back to Nirn right away.” I told the Orb. It twinkled again.
,,Back to Nirn? Forgive me, lord. But that is unfortunately impossible as long as the pact remains in place. One can only come to Nirn, if one is summoned. Even a lord has to obey this rule.” It spoke, which put the big sink on my mood.
,,Only if summoned? Wonderful, no one knows me! It could be centuries till someone gets the idea to summon a Redguard instead of a Dremora and that’s if I’m lucky! So what am I going to do in the meantime, twiddle my thumbs?” I called out.

,,This concept of rush is unusual and intriguing to observe in an immortal being. If you are truly in such a hurry, perhaps you could request an audience with a fellow lord, one who is more regularly summoned. It is not impossible for someone to follow another to Nirn. Travel to the planes of other lords is also restricted, yet less severely. In fact, most lords hold an oath of non-interference as sufficient to allow free passage through their world. If you so wish, I shall take you to the lord of your choice.” The orb offered. I grinned as the perfect choice came to my mind.

,,Ok, thanks. I’ll take the offer. Can you open a portal to Azura?” I requested.
,,If given your permission.” The orb replied. I realized that it was probably similar to how I’d formed the air. I would simply have to ‘tell’ this place that the orb was a friend who was free to open a portal. I did so and a big black gap of nothing appeared between us.
,,Follow me, lord. I shall take you to Azura.” I looked around me for one last time before flying through the portal. Who knew how long it would be till I returned here, if ever.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Aug 24 2007, 08:43 PM

Ooo, this is an interesting twist. But I guess when you got a bit of Akatosh in ya, you're allowed to have your own plane when you appear to be "defeated".

Should be fun to see how he and Azura interact. Let's hope it doesn't come to blows this time!

Aye.

Demi-gods, go figure. Lol, Luper better not take long, otherwise Almalexia might get to kill Vivec before he can save the land.

Well, I needed something for later on and a plane where Luper is literally God just happens to be the best plottool I could think off. (admit it, few can beat this one.)

And saving the land? Funny enough, now that I think of it. Luper has never actually saved the land. He has up to this point simply been Azura's playtoy that would bring her revenge down on Dagoth Ur and all. If he wasn't around, she would simply bombard someone else to Nerevarine. The fact that Dagoth Ur would eventually conquer everything didn't matter.

Anyway, time for the update. Lup meets Azura. He's matured a bit, but not much.


The portal led to a walkway of pure silver, suspended above a sparkling city of the same stuff. I looked around in bewilderment. Waterfalls, butterflies, flowers. Was this really Azura’s domain? It was definitely not what I’d imagined. More like the opposite in fact. But then again, my view of Azura was coloured by the events of my life and all. I knew her as manipulative, cold and cruel to boot. Oh, and completely self-centered. The glass orb bade me farewell and floated off to the city below. I ventured onward along the walkway. A green and red mass of vines and roses loomed at the end, just a short walk away. Azura living in a palace of roses? Crazy.

When I reached it, I couldn’t control my curiosity and plucked one of the sweet scented flowers from the wall. A grin broke through the glum expression when I examined it a bit closer.
,,Thorns. That’s more like the Azura I know.” I chuckled and threw the flower away. I moved up to what looked most like a gate and peered between the thick foliage. Two unblinking eyes gazed back.

,,You, mortal. Why did you invade upon Azura’s domain? How did you invade? Do you realize the punishment that awaits you? Only those of her kin are allowed here. You should have remained on Nirn.” The creature asked in an icy tone. I simply frowned and shrugged. Then I held up five fingers in the Daedra’s view.
,,Now, not so pretty lady. There are several incorrect assumptions you make. One, I’m not a mortal. Two, I am not invading anything, just passing through. Three, a friend was so kind to open a portal for me. Four, said portal came from my own domain, not Nirn. And finally, I don’t give a bloody damn about whatever punishment you’ve got in store for me. If you want to punish, bring it on. But you’d better think twice before challenging an Aedra, sis.” I replied in the same tone.

The Winged Twilight, that’s what it was, laughed.
,,You, an Aedra? Whoever you are, you sure know how to bluff, mortal. Very well then, what is your name and what are your titles, oh great lord?” She asked me sarcastically yet playful. Well, at least I managed to break the ice, somehow.
,,Luper Alkad, Arch-mage of Vvardenfell, Arch-magister of House Telvanni, Hortator of the Houses Telvanni, Redoran and Hlaalu. Nerevarine of the four Ashlander tribes, slayer of Dagoth Ur, incarnation of Akatosh and to top it all, self-proclaimed swordmaster.” I counted. To my surprise, the plants separated to reveal an opening.
,,I see. Forgive me for my insolence. You have been expected, Luper Alkad. Just follow this corridor. It shall lead you directly to Azura.” The Winged Twilight spoke reverently. Geez, going from hated and mistrusted mortal to funny mortal and then to most honoured guest in less than five minutes? Wow, impressive.

The moment I set foot upon the floor of roots, the floor itself began to move, carrying me with it. I folded my arms across my chest and managed to regain a stern expression on my face.
,,Now this is just plain showing off.” I commented, yet still slightly amused. The wandering roots eventually came to a cavernous chamber which was completely empty except for one thing. Azura. She was as large as the statue of her shrine on the eastern coast of Vvardenfell, and dressed in a deep blue gown. Ash-coloured skin, crimson eyes. The resemblance with the Dark Elves was remarkable, or perhaps not. More than one source claimed that it was Azura who crafted the current appearance of the Dark Elves.

,,Hi, Azura.” I called across the distance, simply so I could annoy her by speaking first. She didn’t move a single muscle and looked completely emotionless though.
,,Good evening, my son.” She replied simply. Instantly, anger flared up from deep within my soul. With one single word, she’d managed to evaporate all of my self-control.
,,Don’t you dare call me that! My mother is an Alkad, my father is an Alkad. You, you are just a manipulative witch who killed them just so you could use me as your pawn in the whole Dagoth Ur scenario!” I shouted. My right hand clenched into a tight fist as it gripped empty air. It had moved to the place where Chrysamere’s hilt used to be. I corrected the motion by drawing my saber till a fingerwidth of the blade showed outside its sheath.

Now, Azura cast a neutral smile.
,,Are you going to draw that sword, Luper? Are you going to attack me again? I’d hate to see that you haven’t learned your lesson from last time you tried.” She said, still with that damn calm voice. I was still fuming but my sword remained where it was, half-drawn. Last time we met I’d tried to punch her in the face and actually managed to hit my target. But my blow lacked any effect and the Daedric Prince showed the gap between us power-wise by breaking nearly all my bones without even moving. Aggression wouldn’t take me anywhere. And even if the impossible happened, then what? She definitely wouldn’t help me return to Nirn after I whacked her. And then there was Revan.

,,Now that I’m here, you’ll tell me why you sent Revan after me, why you took me from Nirn.” I demanded without any useless diplomacy. Azura’s smile widened slightly.
,,You would order your mother?” She asked me in return.
,,Don’t call yourself that!” Great, I began to lose it again.
,,There are many reasons for what I did, Luper. Yet most of them are as of yet beyond your capability to understand. After all, by mortal years you haven’t even made thirty. Most mer would consider you a mere child even. Most Daedra would consider you even less than that. I shall give you the easiest to understand. Power and responsibility.”

With a loud hiss, I pushed the saber back into its sheath.
,,Power and responsibility? What does this mean?” I asked warily. Rarely, I mean never, had I liked her answers.
,,You are the incarnation of Akatosh and that makes you one of us, an immortal. While fighting Dagoth Ur, your strength ascended faster than any mere mortal could ever hope to match. Even now, your power continues to rise towards unfathomable heights.” I nodded and grumbled incoherently. I had indeed gone from plain loser to hero in a rather short time.
,,And then there is a promise we made with those of Nirn. No Daedric prince nor Aedra shall ever physically come to Nirn again. Only those of low rank can, when summoned. That is how you came to the world, powerless, unformed and summoned by one of my priestesses. But now, our promise has caught up to you. When Revan was about to banish you, your power flared beyond the allowed limit and so you were cast into your realm by the power of the Dragonfires, that which protects Nirn from our meddling.”

The likely conclusion came to me before Azura could continue.
,,So I’m now too powerful to return to Nirn as long as those Dragonfires exist. Destroying them would likely bring about a full scale invasion of Daedra which would make my return more harmful than good. So what am I supposed to do now, twiddle my thumbs for eternity? I think I asked the same question earlier today.” I interrupted. An hourglass rose up through the floor before my feet.
,,Time is a fickle thing, one of those few forces I cannot control. Yet your father, Akatosh, can. To return to Nirn is in all of our interests, for that is where your responsibility lies. But to return, the Dragonfires must not be allowed to block your path. To pass them, you must return to a point in time where they do not yet exist.” Azura pointed at the hourglass as she continued her speech.
,,I get it. So I’ll travel back in time with that thing, go to Nirn and then use my lack of aging to survive till I’m back at the proper timepoint. But that won’t work. When the Dragonfires are born, made, whatever, I’ll simply be cast back and we’ll be back where we started.” I interrupted again.

,,Only if you fail to convince the mortals of your required presence in the world. There is a possibility for an exception to be made, an exception that allows you full passage on Nirn and Oblivion. Find that exception and utilize it. Claim your destiny, Nerevarine.” Azura fell silent and waited for me to do something, like a statue. I stared long and hard at the hourglass but in the end, I concluded that whatever she was plotting, I was going to play my part whether I liked it or not.
,,And just when I thought I was rid of you.” I complained as I bent to pick it up. The last words before the world swirled into nothingness chilled me to the bone.
,,You’ll never be rid of me, not even if you return to the birth of everything.”

Ooooo, this is an interesting twist. Looks like we won't be re-visiting Mournhold for awile. With the gods, anything is plausible!

As usual, I love it when Luper acts like his arrogant self. Wonderful dialog between him and the Winged Twilight. I look forward to seeing how Luper reacts to the past....

The (at times) obnoxious ways of our hero really make the story rock.

Hmm: so now he'll be way back in time. Hey, let's change history. let's cause the locals to never believe in Azura, thus diminishing her power? That would be a nasty twist.

Hey, or have Dagoth Ur never come to power to begin with?

Maybe putting in a time traveling Aedra might just make the plot a tad *too* open? Maybe our hero just became too uber?