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> The adventures of Arthago chapter III, A Province united
Agent Griff
post Apr 25 2006, 04:09 PM
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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?

~~~
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.


~~~
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.


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Agent Griff
post Sep 23 2007, 08:06 PM
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Joined: 23-February 06
From: Somewhere in Romania



Tis' the next update. Enjoy!

~~~
As I made my way to the city stables I could almost feel my moves being shadowed by another presence though each time I looked back I heard and saw nothing. As I went through the twisting side-alleys, looking for a shortcut and a way to loose my followers, I thought I could play a little trick on whoever was following me. As I went through the small alleys, I suddenly made a right turn to a dead-end then quickly climbed on top of a small homestead. I laid on the roof of the homestead, watching and waiting to see who was following me. I also had my hand on my scimitar's handle in case my "fans" got violent.

As I stood and waited for a few seconds I started thinking that I had only imagined things, and that my paranoia was catching up to me. I prepared to get off the roof, thinking how funny it must have been, seeing a knight in armour on the roof of some house. Before I could get down however I heard talking. I quickly froze still, intent on listening.

"It seems that our coordonator is a smart one." a voice said, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Aye. This one's cunning alright. I don't how cunning he'll be when he gets an axe to the face though." another voice said, replying to the other one.

"Hush now. He's already seen us and all you'll do now is scare him or worse, anger him." the first voice said.

I got up and drew my scimitar, though I had no idea where my enemy could be hiding. From the likes, it was probably a mage with a minion helping him. I had seen their kind before, mages who walked around with hulking brutes on their payroll behind them. For "added protection" they said whenever asked about their companions. I would take care of the mage first then kill the other guy who was proud of his skill with the axe. As I stood however, I felt my joints were frozen in place. My hands couldn't move either. My body was limp like a stuck fish and my eyes were the only part of my body which I could move. The voices started speaking again.

"It seems we have a daring one on our hands. That should take care of him. Now, get him down from there before he falls." the first voice said once more, after seeing me paralyzed.

Before I could be helped down, I felt my whole body falling. I had stood like that for too long and now came the time to take the fall. Couldn't the idiot have paralyzed me while I was lying on the roof, not when I had stood up to face them? I soon felt my body tumbling down, knocking the other guy of his feet as he stood ready to catch me.

"Spoke too soon." the other voice said in an annoyed tone.

After a few hours of what seemed like a painfull comma, I woke up in a bed inside a small room which seemed to be part of a larger building. I had done quite a lot of this waking up in other people's houses business in the past few days, and I had gotten quite sick of it. It was really annoying falling down and not knowing where you'd wake up. My questions were soon answered however when a middle-aged Breton came to check up on me. His face seemed pretty pale and he was starting to have bald patches in his hair. A mage from the looks of it all.

"Ah, you've woken up Arthago." the mage said in a relieved voice.

"How in Oblivion do you know my name Breton?" I asked in an angry voice.

"His Majesty King Lhotun assigned us to work with you. On the Rihad assignment. Remember now?" the Breton asked me with a slight smile on his face. I couldn't resist the urge to strangle him.

"All I remember is that you paralyzed me on the top of a roof last night and that your friend broke my fall. Speaking of friends, where is your companion? Now that you have come out of your hiding places I can finally lay my eyes on you." I said in a displeased tone. It didn't seem to lower the mage's spirits.

"We weren't hiding." he said with a smile. "I had cast an Invisibility spell. That was why you couldn't see us. It was late night you see, and the guards don't take it kindly to people loitering around late at night unless they have important business. But since our affairs are of a rather clandestine nature we don't have papers to certify our presence."

"Who are you people?" I asked, bewildered.

"How rude of me not to present myself! My name is Belwin of Anticlere. I am a Breton as you can see. My companion is a Nord called Beomir, an odd fellow with a great many interests. Stalking out roads and ambushing people being one of them. He didn't really tell me how he came in the service of King Lhotun." Belwin said calmly. I remembered Beomir all too well. He had ambushed me twice while I was travelling to the city of Verkath, when I was caught up in a battle between the Crowns and Forebears over the city. Lhotun sure had acces to the services of a great range of people.

"And how exactly did you come in the service of my King?" I asked. I wasn't as upset as I was before but I was still cranky because of being frozen stiff.

"Well, I was an up and coming mage in Anticlere, affiliated with the Mages Guild, until I received a letter from one interested in my talents and willing to sponsor me. Don't get me wrong, the Mages Guild is wonderful and all but all those quests and all that studying can get tedious. I am talented in the School of Illusion you see, a School popular with those who have...less than legal pursuits." Belwin said. He was quite tedious in his manner of speech. Like most Bretons.

"Thieves you mean." I said.

"Well, if you wish to put it that way, yes. But if you live in High Rock for a long time you will learn that putting an awkward spin to a common term can get you places." Belwin replied.

"Then let's hope I never end up in High Rock. By the way, since we're working together, do you mind telling me where we are?" I asked calmly.

"Oh, not at all. We are in an inn inside Sentinel. I believe Beomir was out buying supplies and the like. He should be back shortly." Belwin said.

"And when do we leave for Rihad?" I asked, once more.

"After Beomir arrives." he responded.

"Well, unless I'm mistaken I see he's here." I said as I saw the tall Nord entering the small inn room. He was just the way I remembered him, except for a few bruises on his forehead and arms.

"Redguard! It seems you've finally woken up. I haven't seen you since..." I interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

"Since the time you tried to ambush and kill me on the road to Verkath...yeah...happy times alright." I said in a jolly tone and with a big smile. Anyone could see that I was anything but serious though.

"For you at least, I lost eight good men back then to your friends. Taught me not to mess with any knights from Sentinel again." Beomir said with a smile. It seemed commonplace for Nords to talk about near-death encounters as if they were taking about going fishing.

"Well, at least you learned something." I said.

"Now that we are all acquainted, I believe we can leave for Rihad. After you are done suiting up, you can find us downstairs." Belwin said as he left the room.

"Yeah...oh and don't mind the two Imperials lying unconscious near the bar. They chalenged me to a drinking game. You'll never believe who won, Redguard." Beomir said sarcastically as he left as well. The only thing I didn't like was that he called me 'Redguard'.

After they had left, I got up from bed. It felt refreshing to be able to use my hands and legs again. I almost felt like laughing when I walked around the room. I remembered the old saying "Value that which you have before you lose it." since it was all too true. I found my armour neatly packed near my bed with a note beside it, apparently written by Belwin.

Sorry about the sudden acquaintance.

Signed, Belwin


Next to it was also a small crumpled piece of paper which seemed to be another note, written by Beomir this time though.

Sory abot droping you down the stiars

Singed, Bomyr


That explained the bruises...
~~~

With that ends this update of the Adventures of your favourite Redguard.

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Sep 23 2007, 08:07 PM


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Agent Griff   The adventures of Arthago chapter III   Apr 25 2006, 04:09 PM
Tellie   M_mm....I liked it. And interestign start, and I ...   Apr 25 2006, 04:24 PM
Agent Griff   I can tell you that Arathor of Athay will appear i...   Apr 25 2006, 04:46 PM
jack cloudy   It's a good start. So Arthago doesn't quit...   Apr 25 2006, 07:00 PM
minque   Very good Griffie! I really like you to write ...   Apr 25 2006, 08:32 PM
DarkHunter   Very Interesting! :goodjob: I expect you to wr...   Apr 26 2006, 04:11 PM
Kiln   Great work here Griff, this part was well written ...   Apr 26 2006, 08:53 PM
Agent Griff   Sorry for not writing in some time. School has beg...   Apr 29 2006, 10:16 AM
jack cloudy   Oh, now I can understand his rage. Rage is what se...   Apr 29 2006, 10:43 AM
minque   Hmmm Cat-killer huh? Anyway very good description ...   Apr 30 2006, 09:30 PM
Agent Griff   Sorry for letting you wait this long but school ha...   May 5 2006, 05:52 PM
jack cloudy   One huge plot twist and nicely made. I've told...   May 5 2006, 08:07 PM
Taillus   Now that was amazing! Character development is...   May 6 2006, 04:30 PM
minque   Really very good Griffie! As Taillus said char...   May 6 2006, 09:10 PM
Agent Griff   I'm glad you all liked this chapter and I...   May 7 2006, 09:30 AM
jack cloudy   Heh, when that old guy first showed up, I thought ...   May 7 2006, 10:28 AM
Agent Griff   Yeah, it was kinda strange. Anyway, I think you al...   May 7 2006, 11:16 AM
jack cloudy   You asked and you shall receive. About the goblin ...   May 8 2006, 08:46 PM
Kiln   That last bit was rather different from what I exp...   May 9 2006, 06:30 PM
Agent Griff   Thanks for the comments guys. School really takes ...   May 9 2006, 08:43 PM
jack cloudy   Very nice update and a nice fight. Hmm, this Sheha...   May 9 2006, 09:01 PM
DarkHunter   Excellent! Once again you prove the worth of S...   May 10 2006, 12:24 AM
minque   Ahhh the Shehai....wonderful, it reminds me of our...   May 10 2006, 06:57 PM
Mazelure   Kudos indeed... by the way I really like the sheh...   May 10 2006, 09:51 PM
Agent Griff   I've finally decided to continue my fan fictio...   Jun 3 2006, 09:18 AM
Tellie   Wohoo...more Arthago, I liked the update, and your...   Jun 3 2006, 11:07 AM
jack cloudy   Ah, more Arthago. Yes, this is very appreciated. K...   Jun 3 2006, 02:00 PM
Agent Griff   An Alpha release of the mod I'm working on and...   Jul 6 2006, 03:13 PM
jack cloudy   Oh, good to see that you're back. Don't wo...   Jul 6 2006, 03:25 PM
Agent Griff   Now that was quick. :P Anyway, Arthago is turning...   Jul 6 2006, 03:55 PM
jack cloudy   Well I hope he does. he doesn't seem to notice...   Jul 6 2006, 09:34 PM
The Metal Mallet   I'm excited to see this back and running again...   Jul 6 2006, 10:42 PM
Agent Griff   Here's another update to everyone's favour...   Jul 12 2006, 09:04 PM
Tellie   I'll wait...please Griffie, dont let it be so ...   Jul 12 2006, 09:14 PM
Agent Griff   Oh it won't be long until next time. Well, unt...   Jul 12 2006, 09:18 PM
jack cloudy   Hmm, let's see. Knowing Lhotun, disobeying him...   Jul 12 2006, 09:30 PM
minque   Ahhh......nice to see this one´s continuing.....as...   Jul 12 2006, 09:44 PM
The Metal Mallet   Dun dun dunnnn indeed. I eagerly anticipate the n...   Jul 12 2006, 11:26 PM
Agent Griff   The conclusion to this controversial chapter and t...   Jul 13 2006, 08:25 AM
jack cloudy   Lhotunic? That Lhotun is a lunatic. Geez, he shoul...   Jul 13 2006, 08:38 AM
Agent Griff   It might come as a surprise to you but the Lhotuni...   Jul 13 2006, 09:14 AM
Tellie   Ah...tyrannic honoured user he is....still, he is ...   Jul 13 2006, 04:12 PM
Agent Griff   Okay, sorry for the long delay but it seems I...   Aug 16 2006, 08:01 AM
jack cloudy   Wow, he's sure turned into one nasty swordfigh...   Aug 16 2006, 10:13 AM
The Metal Mallet   Impressive tavern fight. Wonderfully written so i...   Aug 16 2006, 05:05 PM
minque   Ohhh......great writing here, you truly have talen...   Aug 20 2006, 04:12 PM
Agent Griff   I decided to continue the Adventures of Arthago si...   Sep 22 2007, 04:18 PM
jack cloudy   Hmm, a nice update that was long overdue. Good stu...   Sep 23 2007, 04:11 PM
The Metal Mallet   Glad to see the continuation of this story once ag...   Sep 23 2007, 10:43 PM
Agent Griff   Well, real life politics are never interesting sin...   Sep 24 2007, 07:51 PM
jack cloudy   Philosophy-heavy? Gosh, I loved it! The way y...   Sep 24 2007, 08:30 PM
Agent Griff   Well, to be honest, I love writing a fan fic which...   Sep 24 2007, 08:36 PM
minque   What he said! A touch of philosophy never hurt...   Sep 24 2007, 09:40 PM
The Metal Mallet   Exactly what minque and jack said, little philosop...   Sep 25 2007, 01:32 AM
Agent Griff   Well, I'm actually a big fan of philosophy and...   Sep 25 2007, 09:03 PM
The Metal Mallet   Ah, cutthroats, will they ever learn? Oh, and wha...   Sep 26 2007, 08:25 AM
jack cloudy   A better safe than sorry attitude we have here. Fo...   Sep 27 2007, 08:28 PM
Agent Griff   The next part, enjoy! ~~~ I woke up early the...   Oct 5 2007, 08:21 PM
The Metal Mallet   Ah Beomir, he's quite the character. His anti...   Oct 6 2007, 07:29 AM
Agent Griff   Arthago is on his way to Rihad, not to Taneth. Tan...   Oct 6 2007, 10:49 AM
The Metal Mallet   Right, right. Gimme a break, I read your update a...   Oct 6 2007, 07:36 PM
jack cloudy   A who is the best warrior guy discussion. Man, peo...   Oct 6 2007, 10:02 PM
Agent Griff   Do not worry Mallet, you are forgiven. Oh, one thi...   Oct 7 2007, 09:30 PM
The Metal Mallet   Well to answer your question Griff, Simion Mandrak...   Oct 8 2007, 09:54 PM
jack cloudy   What Mallet said. I just love how Arthago treats t...   Oct 9 2007, 07:49 PM
mplantinga   Just thought I'd say that someday, I hope to g...   Oct 11 2007, 11:41 PM
Agent Griff   You will have quite some catching up to do Planty....   Oct 15 2007, 07:13 PM
jack cloudy   Ok, I surrender! You want a longer reply? Then...   Oct 15 2007, 08:28 PM
Agent Griff   Wow! This post has made me feel much more acco...   Oct 15 2007, 08:34 PM
jack cloudy   Oasis 2 is...how should I put this? Well basicall...   Oct 15 2007, 08:41 PM
mplantinga   I'm finally all caught up, and I'm glad th...   Oct 16 2007, 07:52 PM
The Metal Mallet   Solid update as usual. Jack basically touched on ...   Oct 18 2007, 06:43 AM
Agent Griff   Here's the next part of Arthago's tale. En...   Oct 21 2007, 01:26 PM
mplantinga   It's good to see the plan being put into actio...   Oct 22 2007, 03:38 PM
jack cloudy   Nice, very nice. There is only one thing I keep w...   Oct 22 2007, 09:28 PM
The Metal Mallet   Now comes the very important stuff. I'm still...   Oct 25 2007, 06:17 AM
Agent Griff   After a rather long hiatus, Arthago's adventur...   Jan 16 2008, 05:06 PM
jack cloudy   Woah, that was quite something. Arthago and Beomir...   Jan 16 2008, 11:07 PM
The Metal Mallet   Another revival of this thing, great!   Jan 17 2008, 09:19 AM
Agent Griff   Another update my dear readers. As some of you may...   Feb 4 2008, 04:04 PM
The Metal Mallet   It was a good size for what you wrote. I love the...   Feb 5 2008, 07:14 AM
Agent Griff   A swift update to surprise you. ~~~ The warm sand...   Feb 5 2008, 03:11 PM
jack cloudy   Argonian to the rescue! Oh yea, big bad lizard...   Feb 5 2008, 03:42 PM
Agent Griff   Well, I did say they were mercenaries right? If th...   Feb 5 2008, 07:38 PM
Agent Griff   Here's the latest update. I hope my dear reade...   Feb 7 2008, 05:55 PM
The Metal Mallet   Definitely a solid pair of updates Griff. I reall...   Feb 8 2008, 07:49 AM
jack cloudy   Goody. I love that scaly fisherman already! :D...   Feb 12 2008, 10:10 AM
Agent Griff   No, he fit on whatever parts he could (realistical...   Feb 12 2008, 05:06 PM
Agent Griff   After some absence I return once more! Enjoy t...   Mar 10 2008, 07:45 PM
jack cloudy   I liked the fight, honestly. Mostly because of how...   Mar 11 2008, 08:14 AM
Agent Griff   Peanuts, my friends! ~~~ After saying my fare...   Mar 12 2008, 08:26 PM
jack cloudy   That was interesting. Though it does raise questi...   Mar 12 2008, 08:37 PM
Agent Griff   I'm glad you liked the last update and the int...   Mar 13 2008, 08:32 PM
Marcel Rhodes   That was it for this chapter which introduces Riha...   Mar 14 2008, 07:45 PM
jack cloudy   Woot, lots of information in this one. That inform...   Mar 15 2008, 10:47 AM
Agent Griff   I seem to have another reader. Great. As to what y...   Mar 15 2008, 09:29 PM
The Metal Mallet   Sorry about the delay in replying to this story. ...   Mar 17 2008, 01:27 AM


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