Redemption, part 2 Options

[jack cloudy]

Click here for Redemption Part 1


Alright, part 2. Still not much redeeming going on but whatever. Now instead of continuing the story, I figured I'd use this post for all the miscellaneous stuff. Things like a character list and the recap for part 1. So be warned that this post CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!


RECAP FOR PART 1 Again SPOILERS!

One night, the palace is breached by unknown assailants. Following standard protocol for such events, the Emperor is secretly transported to the prison by his Blades. The Imperial Battlemage, Ocato, declines to join him, claiming that the situation is under control and that his services aren't needed.

Despite having reached the prison safely, the Emperor soon finds that he is still in danger. It is then that Uriel receives help from an unexpected ally. Angoril Bobardi reveals that the very cell he has inhabited for decades, contains a secret escape route that was built during the simulacrum at the order of Jagar Tharn. With this passage and the considerable magical prowess of Angoril, the Emperor manages to flee the deadly trap.

Also freed from the prison by Angoril is Maorlatta Orgnum, a young (by elf-standards) and somewhat naive girl who was arrested for the crime of sleeping in the park. Once free, she quickly makes herself scarce and eventually finds herself in the shack of an old fisherman who lives on an island in Lake Rumare. The fisherman seeks the help of the thieves guild to rid her of the manacles and prison outfit that would have every Legionnaire arrest her on sight. Unfortunately, the one assigned to pick the locks on the manacles informs Vicente Valtieri instead, who takes a personal interest in the girl’s talent for camouflage. Maorlatta is saved by the Redguard Sorian, a young and rather strange lad who keeps going on and on about something he calls an Ansei. The two team up to go treasure hunting in a nearby Ayleid ruin.

Meanwhile, Angoril returns to the prison. Pretending to be from the palace, he gets a vital clue from the Argonian private investigator Grey-Tongue. The Argonian sends him to Chorrol to find the source of the assassins distinctive red robes. To get to Chorrol, he summons a shiftgate, circumventing days travelling. From Chorrol the trail leads to Kvatch, a city whose precise location he does not know. Unable to summon another shiftgate with reasonable accuracy, Angoril seeks more mundane passage to Kvatch.

While Angoril is travelling, Maorlatta and Sorian hit the Ayleid ruin. After some trouble with a zombie, they strike gold and find an abandoned office with some intact artefacts. They attempt to sell the artefacts in the Imperial city, where they are intercepted by Grey-Tongue and then Vicente Valtieri. Sorian again makes the vampire flee. The next morning Maorlatta wakes up in the Imperial palace with no recollection on how she got there or what happened during her stay at Grey-Tongue’s house. Jauffre interrogates her in the garden at the top of the tower.







Redemption's persons of questionable importance

Main characters:
Angoril Bobardi: An Altmeri sorcerer who inhabited a cell in the Imperial prison, fully aware of the secret escape route. After leaving the prison, he makes it his task to track down the leaders behind the red-robed assassins.

Maorlatta Orgnum: A Maormer from Pyandonea, sent to Tamriel at the command of king Orgnum. Circumstances land her in the same prison as the Altmer. After escaping, she returns to the pursuit of her own goals, one of which is to become filthy rich.

Side characters:
Grey-Tongue: An Argonian private investigator. He is a friend of Hieronymous Lex and has been hired by the guard-captain in the past. Grey-Tongue is hired now as well by the city-guard to investigate the events at the prison and find Uriel’s corpse.
Guard-Captain Hieronymous Lex: Hieronymous Lex is the man put in charge of investigating the massacre at the Imperial Prison. Upon finding that Uriel Septim was seen entering the prison that night, he hires Grey-Tongue to help him uncover the truth.
Sorian: A Redguard who saves Maorlatta from Vicente Valtieri. A simple wandering swordsman with a slight Ansei-obsession.
Rajn Geydar: A Wood Elf who lives in Kvatch. At one point possessed a piece of the Balac-Thurm.

Others:
Guard-Captain Argelius: A colleague of Hieronymous Lex who describes him as the man to call when you need subtlety.
Bannon: A merchant who travelled with Angoril from Chorrol to Kvatch
Baleni: Daughter of Rajn Geydar
Doruk: The Bouncer who worked at Rajn Geydar's restaurant. Deceased.
Penald Baurus: Blade and bodyguard of Uriel Septim.
Berius: Lord Protector and Head of the palaceguard in the Imperial City.
Valen Dreth: A Dunmeri prisoner. Not the most pleasant sort.
Jennifer Renault: Blade, recently promoted to captain.
Glenroy: Blade and bodyguard of Uriel Septim.

Fenasim: A member of the emperor's Palace guard.
Mankar Camoran: The father of both Raven and Ruma. He is the leader of the Mythic Dawn and its prophet.
Raven Camoran: The ‘Hand’ of the Mythic Dawn, an organization with an unknown purpose. What is certain however, is that the Dawn wants Uriel Septim dead.
Ruma Camoran: The sister of Raven, she serves the Mythic Dawn as Priestess. In the same night that the attempt on the emperor’s life is made, she infiltrates the vaults beneath the Imperial palace to steal two artefacts.
Harrow: A member of the Dawn, Harrow used to be an Armiger stationed in Vvardenfell.

Ludius Bester: Member of Bester and Bester, the Kvatch Hall of Mercantile Interests. He runs the office in lower Kvatch.
Aelwin Merowald: An old fisherman who lost most of his leg to Slaughterfish. Friend of Delmar Tunius.
Rajn Geydar: Owner of the Eight Provinces, a restaurant in Kvatch.
Ra’Jezhr: A Khajiiti lockpicker in the employ of the Thieves Guild, Ra’Jezhr is also coerced into serving the Dark Brotherhood’s interests.
Simanuel Rosendorf IV: The owner of a silk-plantation near Chorrol

Umbacano: An Altmer who lives in the capital city. A well-known collector of Ayleid artefacts.
Uriel Septim VII: The Emperor of Tamriel.
Brother Tanner: A priest who serves in the Kvatch-temple. Looks like a Septim.
Delmar Tunius: An old fisherman who lives on a small island in lake Nibenay.
Vicente Valtieri: A member of the Dark Brotherhood, he takes interest in Maorlatta’s talents at stealth, and desires to make her an assassin, with or without her cooperation.

Latta’s evergrowing list of people only she knows:
Levvelyn of Glashorn: The hero of a popular series who spends most of his books saving the world, slaying vicious monsters, duelling devious Altmeri warlords and chasing the girl.
Irrillys: A fictional princess of Pyandonea, she is Levvelyn’s love interest. Posesses an unfortunate talent for being kidnapped by devious Altmeri warlords.
Mettildi: The Maormer that taught Maorlatta how to fight, though his methods traumatized her to the point where she is mentally incapable of defending herself.
Master Zelthir: Another Maormer put in charge of educating Maorlatta. Master Zelthir is a well-known and highly respected healer.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Sep 22 2013, 07:36 PM

[jack cloudy]

This isn't all I wanted to write today but my eyes are feeling tired and I don't think that forcing it would be a good idea. I'll get more soon hopefully. Edit: Pasted in the missing part. Technically it comes before the first half, but it felt better to put it last storywise.

As for Luper Alkad, dragonborn. I don't know if he'll play any major role but I do know that I can't just ignore him. Being the Nerevarine and not inclined to bugger off to Akavir, the Mythic Dawn will need to deal with him sooner or later. As Mankar said, he is ridiculously powerful if even half the stories about him are true. And being the hero-type, odds of recruiting him are rather slim to say the least.

And the dragonborn bit is part of the prophecy in Morrowind. Except in that game it is interpreted as 'citizen of the empire' which is a very generic trait instead of Skyrim's 'can suck out a dragon's soul and make it do tricks.'


So, chapter ten. We rejoin Hieronymous Lex several days after Mankar's return to Cyrodiil. Lex has travelled to Skingrad after having not so subtly been booted from his investigation into the emperor's whereabouts.







Chapter 10: The fall of Kvatch


Castle Skingrad


"The count will not see you. Not now, not ever. He sees no one. I've tried my best." Hieronymous Lex was at the verge of doing something he would regret. This was not the first time he'd approached the steward in an endeavour to meet the count. He'd done so first thing when he came to Skingrad. The steward, an Imperial wearing an nauseating green brocaded shirt, had rebuffed him then as well. Lex had let it slide that time. If the count wished to treat his castle as a monastary, who was he to judge? This wasn't his jurisdiction and the locals seemed satisfied with his rule. But not today. Not while he had a gunk of gold and ebony burning a hole in his pocket.
"And it's not good enough. Now I believe there is another steward. Perhaps she can try harder?" Lex barked at the man and jabbed a thumb at his similarly dressed Argonian colleague who was doing her best not to get involved.


The steward was as angry as Lex was. The man would just not give up! He chewed his jaw and finally threw up his hands in defeat.
"Fine! I think I can pencil you in." He said. "The count is inspecting the Tamika vineyards, I could arrange for a meeting there. At 2 am."


Lex exploded and did the thing he'd feared he would but was now too enraged to care about. He grabbed the steward by his shirt with both hands and lifted him off the floor.
"Two am? TWO AM?! Now you listen, wiseguy. You try to set me up one more time and I swear to all that is sacred that I'll have you tossed beneath the ground till the end of the era!" He yelled at him. Lex paid no attention to the guards that approached behind him with weapons drawn. The steward did however, and smiled. Then he laughed and said,
"Try it. There are sanctions for assaulting the count's steward."
"I'm a captain of the guard." Heironymous Lex replied icily, "Sanctions will be determined by a jury of peers. And those peers are going to call this obstruction of a lawman who is attempting to act out the direct orders of a captain. A captain who I might add will be among the jury. Now are we going to be reasonable here or not?"


"We will."




Lex looked to see who had interupted him. The voice had come from the high balcony, from which he saw an old man, paler than the snow, looking down upon him with evident displeasure. He made note of the exquisite garb, and the sparkling ring on his hand. It was the count, in the flesh. Lex glanced at the steward in his hands and the agitated guards behind him. Then he dropped the man in green like a sack of rocks. The count instructed his men to stand down and then bade the guard-captain to follow him into the upstairs dining hall. There he ordered the guards and his butler to leave so that Lex and the count were alone in the room.


Lex wasn't sure what to do at this point. Should he apologize for manhandling the count's steward, or should he give the news he carried as soon as possible? Even as he debated with himself the count poured himself a snifter of brandy. He stared into the glass without seeing it and sighed.
"So ends my hope. The prince is dead." He whispered. Lex didn't understand how the count knew this. He'd only just found out this morning himself. And he'd made sure not to tell or show anyone. In fact, he hadn't planned on telling the count either. How did he know? He looked closer at the count. His eyes were bloodshot. Had he been crying?

Count Hassildur looked up as if he saw the guard-captain for the first time.
"My senses are sharper than yours, captain. It serves you no use to hide that ring." He said and Lex took the small piece of jewelry from his vest-pocket and placed it on the table. It was the prince's signet ring. Though the gold had melted in the heat of the fire, the ebony was unharmed and prominently displayed the dragon that was the Septim code of arms.
"By right of fief," Lex spoke, "prince Geldall Septim's lands, his posessions, animals and people located on said lands now belong to you to use as you see fit, unto the time that the ruling Septim grants it to someone else.." If there still was one. Grey-Tongue believed the emperor still lived and Lex was inclined to trust his friend's judgement. But it was a foregone conclusion that the assassins would try to finish the job and they'd come terrifyingly close to wiping out the Septim bloodline already.




Hassildur stared off again at nothing. He began to talk and Lex wasn't sure if he was meant to listen or if the count was merely expressing his grief to himself.
"I kept him safe, you know. In the dark times. I hid him beneath my manor, in a secret room behind the jails. I protected him and educated him as if he was my own." The old man threw back the snifter of brandy in one quick gulp.
"Now he is dead and I have done nothing."


Lex perked his ears. There was something wrong with the man's inflection. He couldn't consciously tell what exactly but he'd developed a gut-feeling in his career. And right now, it was trying to warn him.
"You speak as if you know something." He said warily. Lex was aware that he was unarmed and unarmoured. If the count so desired, he could shout for any of his guards to put his head on a pike. But Hieronymous Lex was a man of the city-guard. If the count had any hand in a crime, it was his duty to find out and see that the law was upheld.


"I have many ears, Lex." Hassildur told him, "Many ears in many places. Yes, I know who held the torch and I know the name of his master. I know what traitorous scum murdered the prince!"
"Then tell me! Let me bring them to justice!" Lex said But the count shook his head.
"I already killed the assassins. The master is wise enough to be far away from the crime."


"So you believe there is no hope." Lex concluded and Hassildur looked at him with more intensity than he had when the man was dangling his steward in the air and promising diving retribution.
"No, I don't. But if fate proves me wrong, then remember this name. Remember Camoran. That is the name of your enemy."


Camoran. The name was unfamiliar to him. The scale of the crime pointed at a man or woman who was resourceful, intelligent, persuasive and above all, ruthless. The name was almost certainly an alias. It didn't absolve the count of suspicion, but Lex vowed to send word to Grey-Tongue and as many other inspectors he could. This Camoran posessed a large coffer of gold, but he would find that the city-guard's budget was not to be underestimated. Wherever he went, watchdogs would be sniffing for his name.



He was shaken from his inner thoughts by the count. The old man put his hand on Lex's shoulder and looked him directly in the eye.
"But look at us talk." He said. "You did not come here because of the young prince, tragic though his fate is. What news do you bring? What else is wrong in this cruel world?"


Hieronymous Lex remembered why he'd come and answered with a heavy heart.
"It is Kvatch, count Hassildur. Kvatch is burning."






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Kvatch


The man he released got away so fast he stumbled over his own feet. The Orc kept his eyes on him long enough to ensure the little Breton fled for the balcony instead of trying to steal any valuables, then he turned his gaze to the right, where a small but growing mob of citizens in various states of dress was banging on the gates. He frowned. At just passed midnight, this was not a common occurence. And then there was what the panicky Breton had stammered to him. Monsters? Something tugged at his pants and he looked down.


"Dorrie, it's noisy." The little elf girl whimpered. She had eyes as black as her raven locks and clutched a Netch plushy tightly. Dorrie, or Doruk as his name actually was, knelt down and patted the little girl on her head.
"Ye couldn't sleep, Baleni?" He purred and threw another quick look towards the gates. While the mob and the incoherent warning had worried him, seeing the gates actually open made his blood run cold.
"Ye'd best wake up yer mother and bring her down here. Up the stairs with ye."


Doruk closed the door and leaned against the frame outside. Standing there, with his chest puffed out he made an imposing figure. Imposing enough for the increasing flow of distressed citizens to choose the still opening gates as their path of escape. But he still hadn't seen any sign of monsters or anything else that could be the cause of this panic. Except....He threw his head back and frowned. The sky was overcast, with lightning that crossed the gaps between the clouds. Storms did not disturb him, nor did it the rest of Kvatch. The empty sky he could see beyond however, was a deep crimson he'd never seen before. Perhaps it was Masser he saw, but had the moon-god ever been this big?


He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and a knock on the door. The Orc permitted it to open a crack but made sure to keep covering it with his body.
"Lady. I think ye might be right to leave town for a while." He said at Baleni's mother, who looked like a taller and more mature version of the child. She looked around and then shook her head.
"Dorrie, you know I can't just go on a hike. I have things here."
Just then, it began to rain. The Orc looked at a raindrop that struck his arm and snarled. It wasn't water that fell from the skies, but something that smelled and looked like blood. He didn't bother to taste but threw the door fully open and brusquely shoved the Bosmeri woman further inside.
"Go. Don pack. Take yer kids, take it and get off the mountain!"


She resisted him, futile as it was against his strength.
"I can't just leave! What about Gwennie?" She asked him and he looked over his shoulder at the house the eldest daughter now lived in. It was just down the street, next to the alleyway from which an imp-like creature came. It lacked wings, but cackled as it threw an imp's fire at the mass of people that fled through the gate.
"Don worry about her." He muttered as a man fell screaming. "I'll handle it. I'll handle it all."


He turned his back on her and kept watching the little monster as it ran to the gates. He heard the lady's feet go up the stairs to collect Baleni and smiled. As long as they got out of Kvatch alive, the fate of the city did not matter.
"Hey Doruk." She yelled at him from upstairs. "Don't die. You have to promise me! You have to come back, you hear me? Promise me!" She begged and he could hear the tears in her voice. But the Orc knew he could not give her the answer she desired. There was but one word he had to give, as simple a statement as it was final.
"Go."




More of the impish creatures poured onto the streets, joined by the larger forms of lizardlike giants and the flaming pires of Atronachs. Not just a few, but a veritable flood of the monsters came from every street and corner, surging like a tidal wave towards the walls. Towards him. He knew at that moment that he would not be able to save the eldest daughter. But he was still going to try.


Doruk stepped away from the door, towards the encroaching mass. He held out his arms as if looking to embrace them. One of the imps threw fire at him, that splattered against the wall. He increased his pace, his feet striking the pavement like the approaching thunder. The air around the Orc shimmered and screamed. The colour faded from his world, leaving only grey. Black vines leapt from the shadows between his fingers and dug their barbs deeply into his biceps. More fire was thrown into his path, breaking apart against his chest and skull, setting his clothes ablaze. He ran now, straight at the wall of monsters. The still whipping roots flexed and wound together into two hungry crescents that slammed into his waiting palms. Blood dripped from the teeth of the demonic blades. He roared and leapt.


This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Mar 20 2013, 10:00 PM