The Talendor Chronicles, Part One Options

[TheOtherRick]

AUTHORS NOTE AND DISCLAIMER

This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I am not a writer, by profession or hobby. At least it wasn't a hobby until now. We'll see where that goes. So since I am not a writer, grammatical and spelling errors may slip past the spell-check from time to time. Please feel free to point them out so that I may make the proper edits.

I have read very little fan fiction, which is to say that I have not finished reading any story that I started reading...yet. But starting to read a few has put a flow in my creative juices. (Go Buffy!) Any similarity to any other fan fiction posted in this or any other forum is purely coincidental, with one exception. I have posted this story on another site. I am posting it here because I would like feedback, and I am not getting any at the other site. The readers here seem to post more feedback than readers at the other site. I'm not trying to be a glory hound, and I encourage constructive criticism.

The story is a gameplay narrative. It starts in the 3rd person for the prologue only, the rest will be in 1st person. It is not a walk-through of the Main Quest. However, as it is a gameplay narrative, so readers will have to plod through the tutorial section much as I had to plod through while writing it. The tutorial is essential for character development, as you will see. The posts will be relatively short so that the reader will not have to wade through miles of text per post. To keep them short, I am going to borrow Acadian's chapter numbering system (1.1, 1.2, etc.) so I don't end up with three digit chapter numbers.

I hope you will enjoy...The Talendor Chronicles

Post Script - I have already screwed up. Instead of putting "Authors Note and Disclaimer" in the subject line, it should read "Part One". Is there a way to change that?

Post Script #2 - The first four installments after the Prologue are way too long. This was a rookie mistake and has been rectified Beginning with Chapter 3. I apologize for the long posts, but I promise you'll be glad you slogged through them.

This post has been edited by TheOtherRick: Feb 5 2011, 02:00 AM

[TheOtherRick]

@ h.e.rider - Thanks for the nits...they have been picked. With Talendor not knowing where he is from, that line of thought had leaked into Honditars dialogue. You are absolutely correct that he shouldn't have assumed Talendor was not of Nirn.

@ ghastley - I'm zipping my lip on possible plot lines, but I like that idea of a conjuration gone bad and a foreign "spirit" in Talendor's head.

@ Cap'n Hammer - Even though Talendor is amazingly adept at both blade and bow, the Mages Guild did indeed seem the better option from an educational stand point. Thanks to you and h.e.rider for the compliments on Honditar's lecture. I hope your professor wasn't 6'6" with pointy ears!

@ Everyone - Thanks as always for your comments and support.

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Chapter 13 – The Mages Guild

Eldritch wisps of mist swirled amidst the moonlit trees. The mist seemed to have a mind of its own, performing a choreographed dance that had a purpose. As it wove in and out of the branches, the angel hair strands began to coalesce into form. The shape was vague at first and then recognizable as that of a woman’s face. She was beautiful, conveying benevolence and protection, such as a mother might appear to a child. The spectral woman spoke in an echoing, sing-song voice.

“The Thief shall guide your steps on the road to destiny. That road may twist in circles and switchbacks, but the final destination shall remain, for destiny brooks no change. Trust in your guide, for she will aid you in your times of need. Be true, always.”

The face faded to reveal the front of a house. A man stood in front of the entry with a woman at his side, her arm around his waist. The couple dissolved into mist and dissipated. The doorway to the house loomed closer and opened into darkness. The inky blackness became an interior landscape bathed in blood colored light. Furnishings were placed at odd angles and locations. They were undamaged, but out of place, with shadows cast at impossible angles. A bed stood on end against a wall. There was a table with chairs stacked on top of it, mocking gravity. A basement door beckoned and grew closer. The door opened to more blackness. The feeling of falling now, through complete and utter darkness, toward a ring of lights. They were nine distinct points of light that morphed from blue-white stars into balls of flame. The globes of fire congealed into one shape. A flaming demons face, grinning with evil intent. Then the demon began to laugh…

I jerked awake, evil laughter still echoing in my head like the final punctuation of a vile joke. I rubbed my face and took a deep breath, trying to exhale the remnants of the dream.

How could a dream change from being so soothing to something so horrific?

I rose, washed, and got dressed, all the while trying to shake the flames from my thoughts.

‘The Thief shall guide your steps…’ Who is The Thief? The only thieves I have encountered aren’t the type of guide I want…

Shaking my head again, I packed all of my belongings into my satchel and shouldered it. I glanced around at the room that had been my home. With a sigh, I left the room and went downstairs. Talasma was not at her usual station behind the bar, and the common room was completely empty. I sat at the bar, placing my satchel on the stool next to mine. I was contemplating what I should have for breakfast when Talasma came in from the kitchen. She was wearing an apron, and her usual blue blouse was smeared with flour. With a ‘pfft’ she blew a strand of her hair from her face.

“Never hire a Nord for a cook if you want breakfast prepared on time,” she said with a growl, “He will likely show up hung over at mid-morning. What can Talasma get for you this morning? Make it simple please.”

“Just a cup of milk and a sweetroll will be fine, Talasma,” I said. I couldn’t help but grin at her appearance.

When she returned, she glanced at my fully packed satchel.

“Are you leaving us today?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m afraid that I am. I am going to join the Mages Guild. Whatever balance I still have toward the room, I want you to keep. Your hospitality has been both patient and impeccable.”

“Well, Talendor, once you learned the proper function of a door, you were a fine guest as well. I do hope you will stop by from time to time. Now if you will excuse me, I have more kneading to attend to,” she stated and headed back to the kitchen.

I finished eating and left for the Mage’s Guild. The morning was cloudy, holding the threat of rain. The dog lady was out for her usual morning stroll with Bailey and Kezune. Turning the corner, I was rewarded with a toothless grin from a beggar when I tossed him a coin. When I reached the Guild hall, I paused for a moment, starting at the large blue sign. A stylized eye was etched into the wood and painted gold. I pondered the significance of the eye.

Quit stalling and get to it…

I entered into a main lobby. A curved counter at the back of the room hugged a round inset in the floor. The recessed circle was decorated with odd symbols surrounding a star-like shape with that same stylized eye at the center. It appeared illuminated, whether from the chandelier above or from within, I could not tell. I was walking toward the sunken circle when someone entered the room. He was a Bosmer, dressed in a blue and green outfit. He had a pleasant look about him and walked over to me.

“I am Athragar of the Mages Guild. How may I be of service?” he asked politely.

“I am here to join the guild,” I replied.

“Then you will need to speak to Teekeeus. He is the head of our chapter. You can find him in the next room,” Athragar said.

I thanked him and went into the adjacent room. There was an Altmer behind a counter working with a mortar and pestle. He had another apparatus on the counter that he poured the contents of the pestle into.

“Are you Teekeeus?” I asked the Altmer.

“Through that door,” he said, pointing at a door to my right.

“Thanks,” I said and walked into the next room.

There was an Argonian standing next to a bed. He was taller than Seed-Neeus. The scales on his head were equally vivid shades of green and red. Dark gray spikes bristled from his head in lieu of hair.

“What do you want, tree-hugger?” he said.

I turned around to look for a tree-hugger and saw no one. When I turned back, the Argonian was staring at me with what may have been impatience.

“Oh…you mean me? Sorry. I would like to join the Mages Guild,” I replied.

“Well then, let me tell you that joining the Guild is no small matter. Membership is as much a responsibility as it is an honor. Are you sure you wish to take on the responsibilities of membership?” he asked, as if hoping I might reconsider.

“I am,” I said, trying my best to sound confident.

“Then go and see Athragar. He will go through the enrollment process with you. When you have finished, return to me. Now, if you will excuse me…” he said and turned around, returning to whatever he was doing when I walked in.

I left the room and the Altmer was still behind the counter mixing…stuff. Stepping back into the lobby, I saw Athragar sitting in a chair near the corner. I walked over to him and explained that Teekeeus had sent me to find him for the enrollment process.

“So, you are joining our ranks. Let me tell you, it will be nice to have another Bosmer at our chapter. Let’s go up to the library,” Athragar said as he rose. I followed him up some stairs and he produced a key from his pocket to unlock the door at the top. We entered a room that was lined with full bookshelves. The scent of the air reminded me of Renoit’s Books. We walked to a table where Athragar instructed me to sit. He grabbed a sheet of parchment, quill, and ink bottle, and then joined me at the table.

“This is just a simple formality. We need some personal information for our records,” he said.

Personal information? I don’t HAVE any personal information!

“Ok,” I managed to say while my brain was racing.

“Your name?”

“Talendor,” I replied.

He wrote my name on the parchment. Then he asked, “And where are you from, Talendor?”

“Valenwood,” I lied.

“Age?” he asked.

I was dumbstruck. I have no clue how old I am.

Make something up! Lie! QUICKLY!

“Twenty-two…almost twenty-three,” I embellished.

“Your birthsign?”

“Huh?” escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

Birthsign? What’s a birthsign?

“Your birthsign. Under what sign were you born?” Athragar asked again.

“Um, what are my choices?”

Athragar looked at me like I had four ears. He set down the quill and placed his elbows on the table, intertwining his fingers as he leaned toward me.

“There are no choices, Talendor,” he said, “You can only be born under one sign. Everyone in Tamriel knows his or her birthsign. It is the constellation you were born under. This is important to the Guild because different signs convey different abilities. It directly affects the course of your training and many believe it guides your destiny.”

Guides my destiny… The dream… The Thief…

“OH!” I exclaimed, and followed it with a wave of my hand and a chuckle, “The Thief. My sign is The Thief,” hoping that ‘the thief’ was a birthsign.

Athragar gave me a sidelong glance as he picked up the quill and wrote it down. I was starting to sweat and my heart was pounding. Eventually, he would ask me something that I could not cover with a lie.

‘If you need to confide in someone at the Guild, trust Athragar…’

Honditar had said to trust this one, and I trusted Honditar. When Athragar started to ask the next question, I raised my hand to stop him.

“Athragar, before you ask anything else, I need to speak in confidence with you. Honditar told me that I could trust you, so I am about to. I can’t answer these questions…” and I went on to tell Athragar my story.

“Honditar did well to advise you to trust me, and you did well to heed his words. If you had spoken of this to Teekeeus, any hope of joining the guild would have been lost. We can work through this enrollment and once you’re officially a member, come see me and we’ll go over some basics to get you on track,” the Bosmer told me.

It seemed like every time I turned around, I was thanking someone for helping me. Athragar and I went through my false information so that my story would stay on track. He gave me the completed information sheet that we had co-authored, along with a book titled ‘The Mages Guild Charter’. Then he instructed me to return to Teekeeus. I found the Argonian downstairs and handed him the parchment with my information. He looked it over and then spoke.

“Very well, you are now an Associate in the Mages Guild. Congratulations. The full Guild hall is available for your use,” he said, and handed me a key, “You will need a recommendation from every Guild chapter to advance further, starting with this one. Until that time, the Arcane University will be closed to you. Go and study the charter, then you may return to me and we will discuss what will be needed to earn my recommendation,” he finished and then dismissed me.

As I walked upstairs, I exhaled a huge sigh of relief.

You’re in. Now what? For now, just do what you are told and stay out of trouble.