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]

So the powercable of my modem broke. It's one of those proprietary (is that the right word?) ones, so I had to get a specific replacement from the internet provider. Ok, took about a week for them to send the new one in the mail. Except the new cable had one of the prongs bent at a 45 degree angle. Great going guys, that's some real quality control. So much for the almighty bubblewrap. Ah well, at least I got a replacement for the replacement. Different amparage, but I'm too far gone to care.


In better news, we are almost ready to shut us some marble jaws! So let's hang out with Sorian, shall we?






Chapter 10.4


Kvatch main gates


Kvatch had been conquered by goblins. Of all things, crazed wood elves, Orcs remaking their land for the fifth time, high elves trying to conquer the world, goblins were the last thing I'd expected. The yellow savages had always been at war with everything that wasn't a part of their tribe. Whether that was Redguard or Imperial or other goblin-tribes, they were the enemy. They were vicious and evil creatures. Always trying to kill and pick clean anyone they perceived as weak. Although they still thought that the rock on a stick was novel weapon, so their threat was laughable usually. As part of the Skaven militia I'd aimed to keep their numbers low, patrolling the local hideouts. We did a good job, too. Most of the time.


One year we'd failed and the goblins had bred enough of their kin to think they could take Skaven. They didn't, but killed a lot of good people. We're Redguard. Everyone in Skaven, apart from the infants and the eldest, posessed a sword and the skill to use it. But even if one of us could slay five of the beasts, there were ten more charging across the dunes. The goblins almost won, but at the darkest moment a single swordsinger left their academy and drove them off. An Ansei, just one. The sword sliced the air in a typhoon of steel, graceful arcs that never stopped or slowed for even a moment. And never missed. It was a humbling thing to see and not just for the goblins.


She looked like my grandmother tending her garden, complete with unseeing eyes and a walking stick.


So I supposed they could murder small villages if left alone for too long. But a whole city was another thing. No goblin tribe could ever grow to the point where it would attack a fortified place like Kvatch. It would fracture long before then. And no tribe ever worked with another. So what had posessed these goblings to try and perhaps more important, what had helped them win? I didn't understand at all. This should be impossible.


Still, I figured the princess should see it. She'd wanted to know what was going on in Kvatch and shoving the dead goblin in her face would save a lot of questions and explaining. No one stopped me when I moved over to pick it up. There was a warning not to get too close to the gap in the wall but I wasn't going there so they soon stopped shouting. When the archers had used it for target practice, the thing had been thrown into the air and off the side of the mountain. Funny thing, that. I was no archer but it seemed odd that some arrows could toss it away like a ragdoll. Goblins were a lot bigger and heavier than they looked. If they'd ever stand up straight, the average specimen would come to my shoulder easily. I mimed an archer as I got close to the edge. It felt wrong. It was almost as if the ground had forgotten to pull it down the moment it breathed its last.


The goblin had fallen down and bounced from the rocks till it had come to a rest in a small fissure. I was careful climbing down to it. The stones were sharp and oftentimes loose beneath the feet. I didn't like the idea of being shredded like the goblin because of a simple misstep. But by proceeding slowly and inspecting each foot- or handhold before using it, I got there. Turned out the goblins of the Imperial province were different than the ones back home in Hammerfell.


First was the fact it was light as a feather, literally, which surprised me. No goblin I'd ever seen had been this light. Just the gusts of wind made it dance on the rock as if it was about to fly off again. It also definitely looked off now that I'd gotten close to it. I'd already seen on the way down that the skin was darker than the sandy white-yellow I was used to. But up close it turned out not to be skin at all, but a coarse fur. The fur darkened further from the legs down, who had that odd bend and clawed toes of the Argonian and Khajiit instead of the normal human-like foot. Oh, and it had a long rat-like tail. Anyway, I grabbed its tail with one hand and slung the critter over a shoulder. Then I made my way further down to the nearest bend of the path.



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I forced my way through the crowd in and around the tent. Carrying the bloody and tattered remains of a goblin made it easy. They scattered and a few even screamed or started crying. That wasn't my intention though. I wasn't trying to scare folks, just get by them. I hadn't thought they would actually go crazy on seeing the goblin. I should have known better. These people had just lost their whole city to the things after all.
"Sorian! You're upsetting people with that thing! Toss it out!" The princess, predictably, bit at me. She didn't even look up from whatever it was that she was doing. Neither did the fighter's guild man she'd hired.
"That thing," I replied in what I thought was an even tone. I'd get rid of the goblin, but first I'd give her the information she'd asked for. "That is what's burned down Kvatch. Some kind of goblin." It got the attention I'd sought.


Both looked up at me and spoke together.
"That's not a," Said Baurus but he cut himself off before he'd gotten very far. Maorlatta did finish her line. But I didn't like it at all.
"So they're called goblin? Funny, I was taught you use the same word here as on the islands. Daedra. Or is this a nickname?"


I looked at the creature whose tail I was holding. This little furred monster, a Daedra? The word conjured an image of massive inhuman beasts. All teeth, claws, oozing poison, a hundred eyes of all sizes and fire-shooting nostrils. Not something like this. It looked too....harmless. I wanted to say she was wrong, but Baurus had been about to say something similar and besides, this was princess Orgnum we were talking about. Elves were always trying to find some new way to raise the dead or open the gates to Oblivion and that was just the ones in the empire. She was some overstudied pampered royalty from off the edge of the maps. What if she knew things they didn't know in Tamriel and was actually right?
"Woah, back that horse up. You're saying this thing here is a Daedra?"



"Yes I did. To be specific it's a...ah," She said and stroked a bloody finger across her chin. It was hard not to stare at the big streak it left behind. How could someone who was so loudly against violence have no problem cutting people up in the name of healing? She continued, "I don't know what the Cyrodiilic word is. But loosely translated, it would be 'little dumb screecher'. Very descriptive. They're useful for small labour if kept under control, but make a mess the moment you slip the spell." She proceeded with a story on how one of her teachers had demonstrated the fury of a free Daedra and how she hated being the one who had to clean up and fix the lab afterwards. Meanwhile, she sewed up some guy's throat and moved to a woman lying on another crate. The princess' bodyguard took the chance to ask her a question.
"Lady, would you know why it is here?" He asked and she snapped at him while waving her hand.
"Baurus, I'm busy! Ask the summoner."


Baurus looked at me and I shrugged. Nobody had told me about a summoner. Actually, I couldn't remember any mention about an elf, only the monsters.
"I don't think there is one." I said.
"But there has to be." Maorlatta insisted. She was prodding the crying woman and laying out a pair of scissors. I had to look away before I got sick. Or sicker. "This one is dead and without conscious effort from either a summoner or the Daedra itself, it can't exist in Mundus. It should fade in seconds. Besides, the little dumb screecher is too weak to enforce its own being. It has to be the summoner." Her rambling slid away from the Daedra into a cool description of the woman's wounds. I shook my head and Baurus took me outside.


We hid the Scamp in a big bag. I figured we should just toss it away, but the fighter thought that Maorlatta might want to investigate it some more later. She did seem to know a thing or two about summoning and would love to get her hands on something irregular like a Scamp that didn't fade. We then went back to the entrance of the tent but stayed in a corner. I'd learned by now that Baurus was practically obsessed with watching over his charge so I didn't object even though I'd rather gone for some fresh air. But I didn't want to go alone. There were Daedra out there!
"Kid, exactly how many Daedra are we dealing with here? Are they all Scamps?" The Redguard whispered to me after a while.
"Not sure. Lex and the other guy asked one of the locals. He didn't count them, but there were definitely a lot. Scamps, Argonians and something he described as living torches." I repeated to him what I'd heard about the attack. How the Daedra came out of nowhere from inside the city and how the guards had sealed the gates before rapelling down the wall to safety. I also said that the gobli- Scamp had come out of a small door in the outer wall. It looked like the Daedra were trapped inside, but I felt a lot more secure when I still thought Kvatch had been raided by a goblin-alliance.


"You think the lizards are up to something?" I asked eventually.
"Let's not start throwing accusations right away. Most summoners have enough trouble handling one Daedra, and two if they push themselves. Daedra are tough too, trust me on that. But to take a city you need numbers. Big numbers." He said and shook his head. "You might just be right on there not being one in the first place."



"What do we do?"
"Nothing. I aim to guard the lady. Everything else is secondary. What you do, is your own choice. But take my advice. Don't try to be a hero."