The adventures of Arthago chapter III, A Province united Options

[Agent Griff]

So let's kick this chapter off shall we? A small bit of info at what's to come further in the series: At the end of this chapter, Arthago will move to a whole new province and I think many of you already know which province it is. Anyway, let's enjoy Hammerfell while it lasts shall we?

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After the defeat of Lord Vhosek's rebellion, things went back to normal in all of Hammerfell. Some local kings and rulers however, seeing that Lord Vhosek managed to battle the King and even defeat him, albeit for a short time, started a fight against King Lhotun's rule as well. Since I was one of the highest ranking knights in Sentinel, with the exception of Marshal Daron and a few other senior knights of the order, I was often sent to these small kingdoms to stop the rebellions. The first kingdom to revolt, a few years after Vhosek's uprising, was the small kingdom of Santaki which was close to the Dragontail mountains. I was sent there, together with a few other knights below my rank, to stop the rebellion.

We arrived there after a few days ride. The capital of the small kingdom was the town with the same name, Santaki. The kingdom, albeit small, had its own knightly order, the order of the Hawk. That meant that the Kingdom had some importance in the politics of Hammerfell but it also meant that other smaller kingdoms may gather around Santaki and fight against Sentinel. I never really understood why Redguards or men in general fight eachother if there's no other foe to fight against. Maybe to heighten their skills? No, the answer was quite simple really. For Power. Once a man got ahold of better, he never could really let go of it. The more power you have the more power you crave. King Lhotun obviously had too much power for the regional kingdoms to bear, so they rebelled against him. Quite simple if you look at it from a political point of view.

The capital was a rather big town. It was quite smaller than Sentinel though but bigger than any other town I had seen before. The seal of the order that was etched on my cuirass was concealed by a cloak and so were the seals of the knights under my command. I didn't want someone to see that knights from Sentinel had arrived to settle affairs with Santaki. The palace was not a big or tall building, it was merely three storeys high. I could see an open balcony leading to the throne room at the last floor. There were also knights of the Hawk standing guard near the palace. Even though they came from an issolated kingdom such as Santaki those knights looked fierce.

Once we reached the gate of the palace, a knight stopped us to ask us of our business with their king. I didn't exactly think of an excuse on the way so I had to improvise.
"We come from Sentinel to bring word on King Lhotun's movements." I said in an official tone.

"Sentinel eh? Why do you have to bring the news to the King personally? I thought that sir Greklith was in charge of intelligence." the knight said with a suspicious voice. He was also constantly looking at my knights who were behind me.

"Our duties are to transmit this information to his Majesty personally." I said, trying to keep the lie going. He seemed to believe me.

"Very well then. If the King specificaly required that you meet him I won't interfere. Carry on!" the guard said as he opened the gate. How polite of him! I'm sure that he will be pounding his head after I slay his treacherous king.

A few minutes later we were standing in front of the king of Santaki. He was a man close to old age with a small beard and long, flowing, hair. He looked at me and my men with his brown eyes and asked what my business was in Santaki. He seemed confused and I felt sorry to slay him because he looked like an innocent man.

"What is your business in Santaki, travellers?" the king asked.

"We come from Sentinel with news and counsel." I said, with a soft tone that calmed him down a little.

"Counsel? What counsel? I think I can handle my own kingdom, despite my advancing age." the king said with a hostile voice. Alright so he didn't like advice. It wasn't as if he had much choice when it came to the advice I was about to give him.

"King Lhotun of Sentinel advises you to lay down your outrageous claims and slanders against him. He also advises you that uprisings are very dangerous for men of advanced age such as your fine self." I said in a cold voice.

"Men as myself? King Lhotun now mocks me! I will not lay down my just claims! Hammerfell must be free!" the old king shouted.

"The king of Ephesus had the same opinion regarding the King's counsel. He dissapeared shortly after he made his opinions public and his cousin now peacefuly rules the kingdom. I would not want the same happening to yourself." I said, trying to scare the old king.

"I know why you're here. Lhotun sent his assassins after me. He is a coward not to face me in just battle!" the old king shouted.

"Neither I nor his Majesty see a brave, young King fighting against an old man as a just battle. I think you will agree with our opinions." I said with a sarcastic tone. This man was really pushing my indulgence to the very limit.

"Your king is a filthy coward! And so are his men!" the old man shouted.

Before the old king could say another word he fell down on the floor. His throat was pierced by a small dart. Blood started flowing shortly until it reached our feet. Our job was done! Slaying old men with darts really wasn't my style but at least it payed well, well enough to manage the estate that Lord Vhosek left me. Before the guards could react we were already outside the palace and into the crowded streets of the city.

Once we reached the gatehouse, one of the knights under my command entered as the others, myself included, exited the city. Shortly after, the guard inside the gathehouse fell out of a small window. The knight inside had done his job well. He was more lightly armoured than the rest of us and he was adept in sneaking around and stabbing people when they weren't looking. He then fired a flaming arrow into the sky. The army waiting for us outside soon stormed the town with the gates open. The town guards and even the knights of the Hawk surrendered once they saw what was pouring through their open gates. The King would be pleased to hear of my actions, conquering a town without any loses and slaying a king without anyone noticing. Being an assassin though, didn't quite fit me. I lusted for the thrill of battle again. I had not fought anyone since Vhosek's rebellion. I had to return to Sentinel to report my deeds and receive my rewards anyway. I wonder what Marshal Daron has to say? I had not spoken with him since the days of the rebellion and I was anxious to speak with him again.


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That's it for the start of the chapter! I've followed advice and have used spaces between dialogue lines, tell me if you like it how it is now or if you liked it more the way it was before.

[Agent Griff]

I decided to continue the Adventures of Arthago since it was a shame to leave such a story unfinished. Quite cowardly on my behalf yet it seems that this is the way I've been treating most of my long-term projects recently, especially my mod project. I'll have to tell the guys there that I don't have the motivation to be their leader anymore. Anyway, let's get back from where we left off! Hopefully I can get my old audience back since this is a TES related story.

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I looked down at the bar keeper and could see a slight cut on his left arm yet by the look of his face, his hate for me was greater than his pain. Fear seemed to be absent from this man all-together and the blades of my men at his neck didn't really impress him. The bar keeper looked at me with great arrogance.

"I believe you were about to tell me where the owner of this formerly fine establishment is, am I right?" I asked in a sarcastic tone. He obviously wasn't impressed.

"I would 'ave lopped your 'ead right where you stood, were it not for yer two 'brave' lackeys over 'ere." the bar keeper arrogantly replied.

"Well, you're not really in the position to argue. Speak quickly!" I said, losing my patience with him.

"Alright, alright. You don't have to be a loremaster to find 'im anyway. He's up stairs, last room at the end of the hallway. He don't like it when he's disturbed so knock before entering. Politely thrusting yer blade through the door should do though." the bar keeper said, mocking me and my men.

"Alright funny man. Tie him up and take away his axe. Keep it as a trophy since you probably won't find a bear his size outside the Dragontail mountains. I'll lead." I said as I started to calmly go up the stairs. My men followed.

As I slowly made my way towards the door at the end of the hall way I decided to send of my men in first, who knew what this Forebear might be planning. The slaughter downstairs just might have allerted him, if he was sharp of hearing that is. My agent calmly opened the door but after a few steps he fell to the ground after receiving a wooden club to the head. I quickly stabbed the arm that held the club then wrestled the arm's owner to the ground. He screamed because of the pain yet he recovered pretty quickly.

"Sorry for your arm, you scared me." I said as an appology. I knew it didn't matter much but it was the least I could do. "Now, if you're done screaming, maybe we can talk business?"

"Aren't you here to kill me on behalf of the Crowns?" the Forebears asked, seemingly confused by the fact that I didn't kill him on the spot.

"No, unless you give me reasons to. I wasn't sent by the Crowns or any other secret organization altogether. I am the representative of a new faction leading the fight for Redguard freedom. You might not have heard of it." I said, calmly explaining to the Forebear about the Lhotunic. I also helped him to his feet.

"Are you some other group of suicidal rebels fighting against the Empire?" the Forebear asked in an almost bored voice. It seemed he had received such offers before.

"No, we come on behalf of King Lhotun of Sentinel himself. I am the leader of a newly established faction named the Lhotunic. We wish to be a blend of both Crown and Forebear alike." I said, looking to see if the expression of the man changed, and it did when I mentioned the Crowns. I quickly added one more thing. "With emphasis on the Forebears of course."

"Hmm...catchy name you have there. But since you mentioned the fact that you are a Forebear-oriented faction, go ahead and name your terms." the Forebear leader said.

"Well, we have sent small 'committees' like this to both Crown and Forebear enclaves alike. We wish all of these squabbling factions, the Forebears, the Crowns and whatever other organizations of this ilk there remain out there, to unite under a common banner. Our King, in all his wisdom, foresees for a dark future for Hammerfell and all Tamriel alike, if we do not unite so as to weather the coming storm." I said in an elevated way, trying to impress the Forebear.

"Fancy words, but all you're meaning to say is that you're muscling in over us. I like it that you go straight to the point though. I've been trying to convince all of my fellow Forebears to unite with the Crowns and leave aside all conflicts, since it is in the interest of Hammerfell that we have peace amongst ourselves. If we don't, then things can go like they did when the Imperials last invaded Hammerfell, and we Forebears betrayed the Crowns, joining the Imperial side. Despicable thing we did back then. Still, I'm willing to join your little union. The Lhotarics, you call yourselves?" The Forebear leader asked. Still, we were getting somewhere.

"The Lhotunic. Anyway good thing that you're so optimistic. Let's hope the rest of your Forebear mates will share your line of thought, as I shudder to think of what would happen to them if they didn't. We'll stay in touch." I said as I left the Forebear leader tending to his arm. By this time my agent had also gotten back on his feet from the wallop he had received to the head.

Now that my part of the task was finished, it was time to give Lhotun my report. After a quick stop by a tavern for a quick bite to eat and some drink, I was ready to go to the palace. I never ate at my home since, as I've said before, I'm not much of a cook. As I made my way to the palace through the winding alleyways, it reminded me of when the city was a battleground and Vhosek's forces littered the streets. It also reminded me of all the brave lives lost in the pointless feud.

As I neared the great plaza in which the palace was situated I could see the spire which held Lhotun's library was still under construction. It had been shattered by a great fireball fired towards the palace by one of K'avar's battlemages. A grim reminder of dark times. I entered the palace and made my way towards the throne-room. There however, I found Lhotun's ever-so-polite messenger waiting for me.

"The King's been waiting for you. What took you so long you lout? A few Forebears too much to handle?" he asked sarcastically. I had long gotten over his way of speech however.

"Where is his Majesty?" I asked.

"In his chambers. He's waiting for you so get a move-on already!" he said, almost shouting at me. Still, his voice was carried as an echo throughout the great hall.

"Farewell to you too." I said, considering his command as a way of saying goodbye.

I eventually made my way to Lhotun's private quarters and there I found him admiring a broken spear which seemed to be the one he had broken in the duel with Lord Vhosek. He had attached it on a steel shield etched with the symbol of a candle in ebony characters, probably the shield he had used in the duel with Vhosek. The shield had been hung on the wall, almost as a trophy. Besides that, the King's private chambers were finely furnished, with furniture made of oak wood and expensive tapestries lining the walls. Lhotun saw me after turning around but he didn't seem startled, almost as if he had known that I was there.

"You bring news of the Forebears I suspect. How have the negotiations gone?" King Lhotun asked.

"Well, they weren't in the mood to negociate at first but after some old-fashioned 'persuasion' methods I managed to get the ear of the enclave's respective leader. Of course, the Forebears are short of a few men after my negotiations." I calmly said, describing the all-out battle I had in the "Rusting-Crown" tavern.

"It was to be expected. I have already received reports from other 'negotiators', so to say, regarding the general attitude of the Forebears and Crowns towards us. The Crowns have generally welcomed our intentions of strengthening Hammerfell so as to better resist an Imperial invasion, yet the Forebears have been aprehensive at best when it came to our proposals. We had to assassinate a few of their leaders until they managed to understand that we are serious about this matter, deadly serious." King Lhotun said in a ruthless way. I had already come to expect such methods from him. Even though his intentions were honourable, his methods were more than questionable. When it comes to matters of state however, you have to be that way if you expect to retain your seat as King. That was the truth of the matter, sadly.

"Understandable. I myself had to dispatch a few disgruntled Forebears until their leader could be open to negotiation. Yet I'm sure it's nothing a well-placed bribe or assassination can't handle." I said confidently.

"Well, unfortunately, the leadership of the Kingdom of Rihad has some very strong Forebear affiliations. Rihad's king himself is a self-declared Forebear supporter. Bribery or assassination won't work there and, worse still, we have no pretexts to invade. But I have been thinking. What if we could turn the situation to our favour? What if we could sow the seeds of discontent among the royalty of Rihad?" King Lhotun asked, almost rhetorically.

"It work in our favour since a civil war could start, as was the situation in Lainlyn. But how could we create malcontent in Rihad, without bribery or war?" I asked, not knowing what the King had in mind.

"That is exactly it Arthago. Since they are all well-established Forebears, sow the seeds of malcontent among them by introducing a Crown presence. Make them turn against eachother and the gears of war will start to turn. And once there are two sides in a civil war, we will be able to support one side against the other, as in Lainlyn." Lhotun said, with a sly smile. I already knew who he was going to send.

"Excellent sire! And I'm sure you already know the man for the job." I said with an unexcited voice.

"Who else? Who is my most trusted agent? Who else has gotten through so many trials before and remained undefeated the whole time? Why, you have Arthago. That is the very reason you are a Marshal of the Knights of the Candle. Yet now, you will once again have to take a more shadowy role. I assure you though, you will get your taste of battle when the time comes." King Lhotun said. When he said I was his most trusted agent I imagined it as if he said his most trusted enforcer, since it would have been a better term. Still, I had to do my part for King and Country.

"Of course, Sire. When do I leave?" With that most fatidical question I was ready to leave for the Kingdom of Rihad, the only place my Hammerfellian travels hadn't taken me before. It was a well known place of lust and revelry, yet it hadn't seen anything the likes of me before.

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With that, ends this update to the Adventures of Arthago. I hope you enjoyed this update!

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Sep 22 2007, 04:19 PM