Seven, An Aela & Ungarion Prequel Options

[SubRosa]

The inspiration for this story came to me last week. As will probably be evident to many, this is an homage to the masterpiece by Akira Kurosawa. It is my humble attempt to translate that great story to the Elder Scrolls Universe. Following the old adage of striking while the iron is hot, I decided to put the TF on hold while I write this instead. Once I am done, I will get back to the TF, and wrap it up with one more chapter.

This is also a prequel, taking place eight years before the events of the TF, shortly after Aela and Ungarion graduated from the Arcane University.


Seven

Prologue

25th Second Seed, 3E425

Vishta-Zaw slithered through the mud with ease. In fact, he had to take care not to move too quickly, lest he overtake Dark-Eye. The other Naga would look upon that as a challenge for leadership of the company. A challenge that Vishta-Zaw was not ready to make, yet. For while his one-eyed leader's age was beginning to show in the fading color of his once dark green scales, his killing power had not subsided. The way he had dealt with the hackwing the day before had made that clear...

Soon the land began to rise, and the mud turned to drier, hard-packed dirt. That made the going slower for the pack of Nagas. Where folk with two legs had an easy time on such ground, it was more difficult for his race to propel themselves upon their serpentine lower halves. Unlike ordinary snakes, they had a torso, head, and arms to balance aloft above their thick tails. It was much easier moving through the swamp's water and muck, where their tails could whip them forward at speed. Yet still they managed without complaint. The latter was a sign of weakness, and weakness was not tolerated in Dark-Eye's company.

In time they topped a ridge and Dark-Eye came to a halt. Vishta-Zaw slithered up beside his leader and followed his one-eyed gaze down into the valley below. Stretched out there in the small, oval-shaped bowl of land stood the settlement of Agrigento, a collection of simple timber and reed homes raised up on stilts in the traditional Argonian fashion. At the center of the village rose a tall structure of the Imperial style. It's walls were entirely of stone, pierced by numerous windows filled in with hinged glass panes, and topped by a roof of glazed red tiles. A fence of simple woven reeds bordered the settlement, and beyond that water-logged rice paddies stretched in all directions. Dykes of hard-packed dirt spread out in a grid through the fields, dividing them up into numerous flooded squares.

Imperials, they just loved to impose their straight lines, squares, and rectangles upon everything. They seemed to think that their geometry would somehow bring them closer to the gods. Any Naga could have told them that nothing on Nirn was straight and neat. All their efforts did was separate them from nature. The Naga wizard knew that would only doom them to extinction. It was only a matter of time.

His eyes fell upon the Imperials laboring in the rice paddies. They went barefoot through the water, wearing simple dark tunics and conical reed hats to ward off the sun. Alongside them toiled their tamed Argonians. Once the Saxhleel had been a strong, proud people, Vishta-Zaw mused. But like so many of them now, these had abandoned the ancient ways of the deep swamp, and now what had they become? They were little more than slaves for the smoothskins. The Naga race would never fall so low.

"They are bringing in their crop," Dark-Eye observed. "Good, I grow thirsty."

"It will take them time to dry and husk the rice," Vishta-Zaw leaned against his staff, which was tipped with a large chunk of flame-red crystal. "Then they will need more time to brew their soju."

"To brew our soju," the chieftain corrected him. The side of his head that faced the wizard was gouged with deep scars leading through the ruin of his eye socket, which was covered with a jeweled eye-patch.

Dark-Eye turned to level his remaining indigo eye upon his lieutenant, and then the gang of other Nagas behind them. "We will give them six weeks," he cried. "Then we will return to wet our throats, and have some sport!"

That brought a chorus of assenting hisses from the other bandits. Some banged their spears against the rims of the small, bone shields. Others simply stabbed their weapons skyward in expectation of the revelry.

* * *

Hathei held his breath until the Nagas had gone. Even then he still waited, just in case any of them returned, or were still lurking in the shadows of the trees. Magnus crawled through the sky, and several lesser creatures crawled across the Argonian's washed out yellow-brown scales. Still he waited, not moving an inch, in the way that only his race could do.

Finally Hathei rose up from his belly and stood straight. His gaze darted through the trees that lined the top of the ridge, seeking anything out of place. Yet there came no hisses or croaks of discovery, no spears came flying out to pierce his scales, and no magicka crackled to snuff out his life.

The aging Argonian was thankful for the bundle of reeds that was slung over his back. If not for them, surely the Nagas would have seen him. He had been lying on his stomach, just inches from their bellies, with only the camouflage of those reeds between him and certain death. Now that bundle of reeds slowed him down as he turned and ran for the village below. He was tempted to throw them aside so that he might run faster. But he knew he would only have to return for them later. At his age, he did not have the energy to do the same thing twice. So he labored on, as farmers always do.

His mind whirled as he made his way down the slope of the valley to the settlement below. They were coming back, again! They would take all of the soju, just like the last time, and the time before. Worse, the Nagas might take another of the women again, just as they had Rullianus' wife. What had been left of her after they had finished would have made a butcher sick. Who would they take next? His own daughter Meen-Sa?

No, not Meen-Sa. He could not let that happen to her. They had to do something this time. They just had to.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: May 5 2019, 11:00 PM

[SubRosa]

Darkness Eternal: It's always about the hair! As last week's episode showed.

I think Valens is also one of the most intriguing characters in Seven. He's one that I really enjoy writing, and has a ton of songs over in the Theme Music thread.

Poor Talun-Lei, it's not easy to be the new guy on this team!

Aela does have a strong elf streak in her. Being a Breton, she has a little pointy-eared blood flowing in her veins, perhaps she has a more than most? Or maybe it was just her life-experiences that caused her to adopt a more elven outlook on life?


Captain Hammer: I don't really hate Fathis Ules, but Aela certainly does! I never really had much to do with him in my games. Usually my characters just wonder why he is sitting on a chest in an alley in the Market District.

Perhaps Rieklings are Polka-Dot souls?


McBadgere: It is always good when people find something to personally identify with in a story. So I am tickled to see your reply. You are a Scot right? And your kids are stubborn and opinionated? I am shocked to hear those traits associated with someone from The North. (lots of places have a north )

The discovery of her Witchiness in Bravil is why Aela still lives in the area years in the future. For her Bravil County is a special place. It was nice to touch on that, if ever so briefly.


haute ecole rider: As with McB, I am glad to hear that Aela's tale strikes a chord with you as well. Some things are universal, such as people trying to categorize you into a little box according to their expectations.

You are right that Aela and Seri are rather like Julian and Jena! Though they won't be eating as good as the J's did at Jauffre's table.


Acadian: I also loved the idea of sitting with your feet dangling over the side, sort of like sitting at the edge of a dock. It creates a striking visual.

Turtle is inspired by RL. I have a T-girl friend whose spirit guide is Turtle. It was she who first said to me that "Turtle is all about getting there." So when I was working on Aela's background, Turtle just naturally waddled in there.


Grits: I think its mostly just that Aela was a city-dweller for all of her life, and her first trip deep into the wilderness sort of opened her eyes to its beauty and majesty. The same with Teresa when I think about it.

Aela's views are definitely shaped by her experiences. She has lived all of her life in either Wayrest or the IC, so that is what she knows. I do not see a great deal of difference between the human cultures, except for the Redguards, because the others all come from a similar Proto-Nede source that intermingled with the Atmorans over four thousand years ago. Obviously there are still some differences, like the Nords believing in Sovngarde and Honningrew mead, the Bretons eating snails, etc... but I picture the Imps, Brets, and Nords as being more alike in views than different.

One thing that always disappoints me with the ES world and its lore is that it does not really define the cultures of the races. For example, they had married npcs in previous games, but until Skyrim we never had any idea of what marriage customs were like, and that is only in Skyrim. And we still do not even know the Nord's views on divorce, inheritance, etc... Do some races marry until death, with no divorce allowed? Do some cultures have divorces as easy to obtain as saying "I divorce you" three times (as viking women could divorce their husbands). Do some races have polyamourus marriages, with three, four, or even dozens of people in a marriage such as the Doctor from Enterprise? Do some races have marriages that last only a year and a day, like a Wiccan hand-fasting? Is marriage only for heterosexuals? Do people get married out of love? Or is marriage a duty to your family, that is arranged ahead of time by both party's parents?

We never see answers to any of these questions. I wish we did, because it would be a way to make each culture unique. That is what I am trying to do with the humans and elves in the TF and AF. I want to define some clear and very basic differences between them, so there is more to being an elf than just having pointed ears.


King Coin: Just because elves are not transphobic and believe in the individual's right (and responsibility) to determine their own fate, does not mean they are immune from racism, or religious bigotry, or nationalism, and so on. I know transgendered people who hate Mexicans. I know people who don't care if you are trans, but do care if you are an Arab. I have seen African-American preachers say that they would "ride with the devil against gays.". So even if a person accepts one thing, they can still hate something else.

I think that because the Thalmor are portrayed so one-dimensionally, many people fail to look at things from their pov. Imagine if Iran got their hands on mecha and used them to completely overpower America's military and conquer the US in one morning. Then they put up mosques on every corner, blared out the call of prayer everywhere five times of day, and Americans constantly had Islam rubbed in their faces. How do you think Americans would feel about Arabs after that? What do you think Americans would do if the playing field was leveled? That is what motivates the Thalmor.


ghastley: I love making magic boring!

I do imagine the elves as having rather chaotic governments with numerous factions, like modern Western democracies. Summerset probably has a Labor party, a Liberal party, The Goldens, Whigs, Progressives, and more. So just as you said, it makes it easy for a ruthless, ultra-nationalistic group to manipulate, coerce, and outright murder anyone who gets in their way.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode found the group sailing across Niben Bay on a packet ship. Aela and Seridwe had a long talk about Aela's past experiences as a transgendered person living in human lands. They also discussed how Seridwe became a warrior: boredom with an ordinary lifestyle. Finally, we ended with Seridwe helping Aela with her hair and makeup.


Chapter 1.8

The packet ship docked in Telamon by noon. The group did not remain in the bayside settlement for long however. After debarking at the west dock, they walked straight to the eastern quay to find a boat willing to take them up the Panther River. The Niben Queen was just about to cast off as they arrived. Her captain - a Bosmer named Lidell - was more than happy to delay his departure long enough to take them aboard.

The riverboat was a curious affair. To start with, she had not been tied up with her side to the dock as most vessels did. Instead her stern had been nestled against the quay, allowing horses and wagons to trundle directly on board and roll straight up the boat to the prow. The bow was not the usual narrow point that most boats possessed either. Instead it was flat, just as the stern. In fact, the entire vessel was rectangular in shape, with gently rounded corners, and either end appeared capable of functioning as bow or stern. She was long enough to accommodate three wagons from end to end, and two such conveyances from one side to the other. Even after that there was still plenty of room for foot travelers.

The most unusual thing about The Niben Queen was the matter of her propulsion however. Rather than bearing sails or oars, Aela found that she was driven by horses. Not horses dragging her by tethers from the shore, but upon the boat itself! At either side of the vessel a massive draft horse stood in a stall that was cut through the deck, each pointed in opposite directions. The Breton Witch could see that as the horses tromped along, their hooves turned what appeared to be a disc hidden underneath planks of the main deck. Because of this the enormous animals remained walking in place as it spun beneath them. That appeared to somehow cause waterwheels at either side of the ship to spin, and their wooden slats pushed the vessel forward through the river.

A canvas awning rose above the horses to give them shade, and Aela noted postholes spaced along the boat that would allow more tenting to be erected if need be. Aela saw no signs of there being a hold or lower decks. So far as she could tell the boat had only the single open deck, and either possessed a flat bottom or one with a very shallow draft.

Screenshot

There were several teams of horses and wagons lined up down the center of the vessel, all of which were loaded with barrels or crates. There were also roughly two dozen other travelers, many of whom she imagined were with the wagons. Aela recognized Talun-Lei stepping about the ship behind them, and wondered how long it would take the others to notice the young Argonian? The cloak he now wore somewhat obscured his appearance. But she knew that on a craft the size of The Queen, he could not remain unnoticed for long.

"It would appear that these ones have been followed," Do'Sakhar said to the others. The Pahmer Khajiit nodded toward Talun-Lei. "Is that the scaletail these ones spoke of before?"

"Aye," Ungarion said, "That is him to be certain."

"Well, he is persistent," Valens admitted. "I'll give him that."

"That persistence will earn him an early grave," Seridwe murmured. "What are we going to do about him?"

"Do?" Aela said. "There is nothing to do. He can make his own bed, and he can lie in it."

"Even if it gets him killed?" Ungarion said.

"The same was true for everyone here at some time or another," Nashira pointed out.

"Not all of these ones started out facing forty bandits," Do'Sakhar contended. "I think these ones can all see that one is in over his horns."

"What we want does not matter," Aela said plainly. "Talun-Lei's fate is his to make, and his alone. None of us can change that. If he is determined, then we cannot stop him. Just like no one could stop me from attending the University, and no one could stop Ungarion from smuggling banned books out of the secret library."

"Trust an ardhanari to speak the truth no one wants to admit," Seridwe said with slightly flushed cheeks.

"This talk of self-determination is all well and good," Valens argued. "But it still does not change the fact that the boy lacks skills."

"Well perhaps if someone who knows a thing or two about spear fighting teaches him - instead of humiliates him - that will change?" Aela took a moment to stare at the Nibenean before walking off. Stepping around horses and wagons, she made her way to the rear of the ship, where the subject of their conversation stood.

The young Argonian leaned upon one of the side rails and stared out at the shore as it slid by. Aela leaned upon the rail beside him, and looked down at the water that foamed and eddied behind the boat. Talun-Lei said nothing, and neither did she.

Aela felt magic down beneath the water, and closed her eyes to better concentrate. Allowing her thoughts to sink below the waves, she was greeted by the playful energy of an undine. The water spirit had reversed the flow of the river around the boat, so that even though they traveled upstream, they were no longer pushing against the current. Aela traced a slender thread of magic from the undine to the boat, and found that it led to Captain Lidell.

What a brilliant idea! The Breton wondered if someday she might do the same herself? If she had a small boat like a dory, it would make traveling around Niben Bay much easier. For that matter, a sylph could also clear inclement weather, and guarantee that she always had a fair wind. Now she could see why so many Conjuration majors had gone on to work for shipping companies.

Opening her eyes, Aela remembered that she had other concerns as well. Turning to Talun-Lei, she finally spoke.

"Tell me friend, do you know any healing magic?"

"The use of magic was not common place in this one's home," the Argonian hesitantly replied.

"Well then," Aela said, "time we changed that."

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Aug 17 2013, 03:56 PM