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]

The next part, enjoy!

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I woke up early the next morning, ready to continue the journey. We were staying in a big, circular wooden room with four beds and a table in the middle with a small assortment of food and drink on it, which you had to pay for if you drank any. I woke up and found, to my surprise, that the drinks were gone and so was most of the food. Beomir was also out of his bed already. Belwin was still sleeping rather uncomfortably. As he confessed, he never really got used to sleeping in a different bed each night, as he would have to while travelling. I woke up from my bed and washed my face with some water from a jug near my bed. That, at least, was free. The candles had all burnt out and a strange smell was in the air as well. As I passed Beomir's leather boots I could see the smell was obviously coming from them. Before I could put my armour back on, I was startled by Beomir who suddenly burst in the room.

"Get dressed quick, there's no time to linger lad!" Beomir said, panting.

"What's happened? More trouble?" I asked in an upset voice.

"I ran across a few friends of mine and I bought them a few drinks. Needless to say, that roused them quite a bit and made them want to have a lively discussion with the other patrons." Beomir said.

"What's wrong with that? Do they have colourful language or something?" I asked, rubbing some water off my face.

"No, just that what we Nords call 'lively discussion', the rest of Tamriel calls 'brawls'. The publican isn't happy about it, and neither will the town watch be once they come." Beomir said as he grabbed his things rather hastily.

"Well, at least I didn't plan to stay for morning breakfast. You wake Belwin while I get dressed properly." I said as I resumed getting dressed.

Since wearing armour all the time was rather uncomfortable, this time I decided to put my armour in a pack and wear common clothes. I also had a hooded cloak on my back, just in case it rained, though it was something uncommon in Hammerfell. As I got dressed, Beomir woke Belwin up by pouring some water on his face. He didn't like it and received it with a swear of course, but at least it managed to wake him up quickly. After telling him what had happened, Belwin quickly put on some of his travelling robes, since his finer ones had been stained by Beomir with a combination of blood and sweat.

We were then ready to leave. As I descended down the stairs I could see that Beomir wasn't exaggerating. The common rooms were badly damaged. A tangle of broken chairs and upturned tables lined the hall with puddles of ale and wine around them. I had to be careful not to step on the broken shards of glass and clay. Among the tables were also people who were unconscious, or too drunk to leave the inn when fighting broke out. I could also see the publican hiding behind the bar on the sight of Beomir coming down the stairs. I tossed him a purse full of drakes for his troubles and he nodded slightly, thanking me. Lhotun had given me enough drakes to cover my expenses. It seemed he had foreseen that Beomir would cause trouble.

As soon as we got our horses from the city stables we were already on our way to Rihad. On the way to Rihad we would also stop for the night in the city of Taneth, a major Redguard city-state which was comparable to Taneth. The ruler of Taneth was also rather outspoken against Lhotun. Almost all the rulers of Hammerfell were. They were all afraid of him however, and Lhotun found that acceptable. He always said that they could hate him as long as they feared him. I had also been recently hearing news from the Imperial Province. The Emperor was in ill health, just as Lhotun presumed. His hold on his Empire was growing weaker by the month, while the power of his generals kept growing. It had almost come to the situation where each legion was loyal solely to its own general. If we were lying on the edge of a storm, as Lhotun predicted, then it would all break out with the death of the Emperor. Hopefully, we Redguards of Sentinel could be powerful enough by then to hold our own lands and even break away from the Empire, becoming an independent state. To do that however, we would have to convince other major Hammerfellian city states to join us.

Politics aside, the road we were taking was now taking us through a lush savanna of tall grass and sparse trees. In this plain you could see all that moved for miles on end, ending with the foothills of the Dragontail Mountains to the North and the sea to the South. It was a beautiful panorama, one which I wasn't accustomed to. The usual sights which I saw on my travels throughout Hammerfell were either sandy deserts or rocky mountains with sparse vegetation to be seen. This was a welcomed change. As we rode, Belwin began a discussion about Orcs.

"So, you being adventurers and whatnot...have you even seen Orcs or any other simillar Beast Folk?" Belwin asked with a smile.

"I have seen quite a lot of Orcs during my days as an outlaw and hired blade. Most of my mates were Orcs. Damn fine warriors if Nords are not taken into consideration." Beomir said rather boastfully. How typical of a Nord to assume that they are the best warriors. This of course was an age-old argument. Who, out of Orcs, Nords and Redguards is the better warrior? It was rather impossible to answer objectively however.

"You seem to be forgetting us Redguards however, Beomir. Who vanquished the Orcs and Goblins from Hammerfell, if not the Redguards? Who forced the legendary forces of Tiber Septim to a stand-still and to sign a truce if not...the Redguards?" I asked, responding in kind to Beomir's boast.

"Well, you of course. But who defeated both the Redguards and the Bretons at once if not...the Nords?" Beomir asked, trying to give a suitable reply. I answered before pondering on his question.

"When have Nords ever defeated us?" I asked in an angry voice. My temper took the better of me.

"In the War of the Bend'r-mahk. It seems your history is getting pretty rusty Arthago. I will remind you that Dragonstar is still, to this very day, a territory of Skyrim." Beomir said with a large smile, a smile of pride. If Nords have one thing, it's their pride.

"I'll remind you that, despite the fact that you attacked us deceitfuly, by surprise, you only captured half of the city." I said trying to counter his argument.

"Well, you've had more than 20 years to recapture the Eastern Half of the city yet all you've done is build a wall to separate them, a wall that lasts to this very day." Beomir said, reinforcing his previous argument. He had a good point nonetheless.

"Well, you know your history Beomir, I'll give you that. Where did you find out so much about the War of the Bend'r-mahk? It's knowledge I would deem common of Belwin, but not of you." I said respectfully. Beomir was neither right nor wrong. As I said, one couldn't objectively prove who was better.

"Well, I said I was a hired blade. In my many duties as a mercenary, I once fought for a few months in Dragonstar and I can tell you that you Redguards have one hell of a fighting force. Even though I had pure-blooded Skyrim Nords in full battlegear on my side, we still barely held off your war parties whenever they infiltrated East Dragonstar. I can't tell you how many times I cursed your warriors, who always managed to ravage our supplies yet elude capture." Beomir said with admiration for Redguard fighting skills. Since I was fair to him, he was fair to me also.

"Hm, I've been in my share of battles and I can tell you, first hand, that killing a Redguard warrior hell-bent on tearing you limb from limb is one of the hardest things you can accomplish on a battlefield. I'm a Redguard myself but I can still tell you how damn hard it is. Personally, I wouldn't want to be in a battle for the rest of my life if I could have a choice in the matter. But you rarely do. Until then, I serve my master King Lhotun." I said, trailing off as I sometimes did.

"Well, I for one have never seen an Orc, nor fought and killed a Redguard on the field, though you make it sound like something rather hard. I'm not much of a combat mage you see? The College of Destruction has never been my preffered field. Still, I'd rather not have to meet an Orc or a Redguard in unpleasant circumstances." Belwin said, rather humbly and with a slight smile.

"Well, we all have our uses. What would we savage warriors be without a hand to guide us in our affairs? We would tear each other to pieces, that's what we would do!" Beomir said in a rather boisterous way, as was his style. I for one favoured the image of the intelligent fighter who didn't have much choice in the whims of his Lord. As was my case sadly.

As silence fell between us, I looked up to see if we were nearing Taneth. Much to my relief, the great city loomed ahead of us, like a foreboding guardian to the lands ahead. Taneth was indeed, one of the two main Forebear cities in Hammerfell. It wasn't my duty to interfere in the affairs of the Royal Court of Taneth however. For the time being, I was just a weary traveller wishing to spend a night in the imposing city. As we approached the gates, it reminded me of the first time I came to Sentinel. Alone, and somewhat frightened of what fate would hold for me. These gates were not as imposing as Sentinel's gates were back then, but they were still large. Made of iron with sculpted figures of kings and warriors long past, they rose before us.

"Who goes there? Name yourself and your business in the lands of Clavilla, Queen of Taneth!" a voice boomed from the battlements. A guard most probably. I was quick to answer.

"Vilamon, Knight-Errant!" I shouted back with all my strength. My shout was followed by a few moments of silence.

"Pay the tax of 30 drakes and you will be granted entrance into the city!" the guard shouted back. I turned to Beomir and Belwin and gave them a quick nod, telling them that I'd pay for them.

"You have my word as a knight! Open the gates!" I shouted. It felt good, actually pretending to be a knight. The actual noble type, not the backstabbing, spying knight that I was often forced to be.

The gates then opened with a slow crank. It felt as if they had not been opened for ages, yet that was just the sound of old gears cranking. The gates opened to reveal a sprawling city, crowded with people going about their daily activities and guards mingling about, wearing the coat of arms of Queen Clavilla. As soon as we passed the gates we were met by a guard which asked us for the required tax to enter the city. I quietly gave him a pouch of gold then we rode on to the stables where we left our horses. As soon as we dismounted and I flipped the stable boy a drake, I turned to Beomir and Belwin.

"We do it quietly this time, alright? This is a big city and we can't afford the extra attention." I said, particularly looking at Beomir. With a sigh of annoyance he agreed. Belwin nodded shortly.

We were then off to find an inn. Somewhere quiet where you could blend easily prefferably. And deffinitely not a place frequented by any of Beomir's former "companions", friendly or otherwise.

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That's it. Comments are appreciated.