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]

Acadian: That is true. The people who worship the Daedra in the game always end up getting the brown end of the stick! It kind of makes you wonder why they bother? But as always, my stories are not the games. My Daedric Princes are no more likely to hand out their artifacts to any Tomius, Dickenor, and Har-rei, as the Pope is to pass out holy relics to people on the street. If Valens has Azura's Star, you can be certain that it is because it serves Azura's designs. And if he keeps it, well, that also says something about him as well.

Swimming with the undine was fun to write. It also gave me a way to show Aela's witchiness, as well as one of the ways that she keeps her conjuration skills sharp. It is also one way of showing what Aela does with her time. Ungarion plays cards. She communes with spirits.


haute ecole rider: Just because Valens says he is not an Azura worshiper does mean that is true. She is the goddess of twilight, and he is doing something when he is staring at the sky every sunrise and sunset, whether or not he wants to admit it.

I have played several characters who were Daedra worshipers. Saya was the first, though she never collected any of the Daedric Artifacts (I guess that is proof that Daedra worshipers get squat! ). Then there was Ophelia. She was a a Mythic Dawn sleeper agent who got lost in the shuffle and was never given orders to act during the Oblivion Crisis. Afterward she had no direction, and went to all the Daedric Shrines and did all of their quests, looking for a purpose in life. In the end she went to the Shivering Isles and became the new Queen of Madness.

Most of my characters never want any of the Daedric artifacts though. They might do the quests, but end of giving away or selling the artifacts. I think the Skeleton Key is the one that most of my characters have used, and that is because those were thieves, and Nocturnal is their patron after all. Whether they openly worship her or not.


Grits: Direct is a nice way to put it. One reason I wrote Valens that was is because I wanted to show at least one character with a negative reaction to Aela being trans. Obviously we know that Ungarion is T-friendly, and can gather the same of Do'Sakhar given their long history together. Seridwe is plainly very friendly as that is what her culture taught her to be. Nashira is too wrapped up in her own idea of self-perfection to really give a crap about what anyone else does. Finally Talun-Lei is just a little bit clueless. Being an Imperial, Valens was the perfect one to be rude and say "What the [censored] are you anyway?"


King Coin: Aela has a very stubborn streak! She has needed it to make the sacrifices she has. She was also born under The Lady, which only makes her more stubborn (Willpower bonus and all).

I am glad the beginning did not turn out to be a boring school session! Playing with the water spirit was a good way for me to show Aela just relaxing and being herself.


ghastley: All of the Daedric Princes seem very fickle with their artifacts in the games, seeing that with every game they have found their way out of the hands of their previous owners and into someone else's. This story is set between the events of Daggerfell and Morrowind, so if Valens got it from a quest in the games, it would be from the Daggerfall one (which is a random quest anyway). I have not gotten to covering how he obtained it yet. I am not sure if that will come up or not. Unless it happened in the last few years though, he would not remember it.


McBadgere: You are absolutely right, that last episode was more about Valens than it was about Aela. He is a mystery man, so I think one of the best ways to flesh him out might be through the eyes of other people, and from what they gather about his behavior.


Previously On Seven: Our last episode saw Valens confront Aela about her being transgendered. Aela controlled her temper through most of it and answered his questions. She turned the tables on him by asking why he worships Azura every twilight. He angrily insisted that he worshiped no Daedra or Aedra, since none of them had ever done anything for him. Still, he failed to answer just what it is that he is doing when he stares at the sky every twilight, or why he carries Azura's token - the influence of which Aela could feel the moment he sat down beside her.


Chapter 1.10

The journey up the winding course of the Panther River was a long one, even with Captain Lildell's conjured assistance. Aela was surprised at the number of settlements they came across as they traveled. She had thought the Nibenay Basin was all wilderness. Yet every few miles there seemed to be another farming and fishing settlement. All were fortified with strong timber walls, ditches, and moats of course. She doubted that anyone out here had seen a City Guardsman or an Imperial Legionary in years. As if to underscore that thought, they passed the now empty ruins of Morahame on the first day. Aela was glad to see that no new bandits had moved into the Arimer site since she and Ungarion had explored it. Given how near it sat to the Yellow Road, she doubted it would remain empty for long however.

Captain Lidell stopped at many of the villages they came across. Their inhabitants all seemed to know him. Sometimes he traded with the villagers, and even carried letters between settlements. Passengers left at some stops, only to be replaced by new travelers who boarded at other places. It seemed there was always something happening on the boat.

They spent some of their nights tied up at the safety of a village's dock. Other times they simply pulled into a clear stretch of shoreline and rolled out their sleeping mats on the deck. Talun-Lei proved his worth as a river man, often diving into the brackish waters, only to return with a fish clutched in his bare hands. While some might have been doubtful of his fighting ability, all of their stomachs were thankful for the Argonian's presence.

On the subject of fighting ability, Valens did indeed take the young warrior-to-be under his wing, and began drilling him in the use of shield and spear. Aela watched with fascination as the former soldier began his instruction. She was not the only one whose interest was piqued either, and in no time at all nearly all of the passengers on the boat were crowding around to get a view of the Nibenean's lessons.

"Let's take a look at this weapon combination." Valens began as he picked up Talun-Lei's crescent-shaped shield in his left hand. He slid his right hand over its bright yellow face, and held it up so all could see. "This shield looks very simple. Some thin planks of wood with a piece of painted rawhide stretched over it. But don't underestimate it. The crisscrossing strips of wood give the design strength, and this hardened leather on the face reinforces it. If any of you have a dog and give it rawhide to chew on, you know how tough that can be."

Now the Imperial rapped his fingers against the gleaming metal boss in the center of the shield. "The boss here where I grip it is made of bronze, so not only is that going to protect my hand, but I can punch with it as well." To underscore his words, the Imperial jabbed outward with the shield. "This is a very simple piece of gear, and aside from the boss, something that anyone can make. But in the hands of a skilled fighter, it gives you both a strong defense, and a good offense."

"Now the spear." Valens stepped over to Talun-Lei once more and took the weapon from the Argonian's hands. Its leaf-shaped point was now wrapped in several layers of leather, secured by crisscrossing strips of cord. "This looks even more primitive. It's just a stick with a pointy end! But don't laugh, this is one of the oldest weapons in the world, and the reason people still use it today is because of how effective and versatile it is. Not to mention how easy it is to make."

"Now with Seridwe's help, I'm going to show you just what you can do with this weapon combination." The high elf stepped up holding a shorter spear in an overhand grip. Like Talun-Lei's weapon, its point was also blunted. In her other hand she gripped Do'Sakhar's dwarven buckler, which was painted with a black scorpion across its bronze face. Moving slowly, the Altmer stabbed overhand at the Imperial's shoulder. He easily raised his shield and deflected the blow. She followed with several more stabs in slow motion, each time going to a different part of his body.

"Now since this shield doesn't cover my entire body, I have to constantly move it to counter Seri's attacks," Valens said as they performed their intricate dance. "But what you have to be careful not to do, is hide behind it."

To illustrate his point, Seridwe attacked Valens' face. He raised his shield to counter, and deflected the high elf's blow. She brought her weapon back for another strike at his head, and he continued to hold his shield up high to counter.

"Every second I have my shield up like this, I can't see what Seridwe is doing," Valens said. Now the high elf's spear darted down, its point angling for his belly. The high elf stopped short, with the blunted point inches away from the ebony mail links protecting the Nibenean's abdomen. "Now I'm dead, because I let her trick me into covering my eyes."

"But an enemy who feints high and goes low is not the only thing you have to watch for," Valens went on. "If you don't lift your shield when you need to, that leaves you open to another common move: going over the top of the shield rim." Seridwe attacked high again, and in slow motion, she used her height to stab over the top of the Imperial's shield.

"If she's quick, and I'm not paying attention, I'm dead," Valens said. Now he finally brought his own spear into play. He held it in an underhanded grip, with the point straight up. The Nibenean swung it from right to left, and twisted his torso with it. The wooden shaft of his weapon met the haft of Seridwe's spear and swept it away.

"But as you can see, I can use my own spear to knock hers aside," he said. "Now I can clear her out."

Then with a backhand motion Valens swung his spear back from left to right in a wide arc, once more twisting his body with it. The weapon's leather-bound head slashed for Seridwe's head. The high elf was forced to step back to avoid being hit, leaving her too far away for her shorter weapon to reach Valens.

"As I am sure you can begin to see, the real strength of this spear and shield is my reach," Valens went on. Shifting the spear to an overhand grip, he jabbed at Seridwe several times. She used Do'Sakhar's small, round shield to bat his spearhead away each time. But every time she tried to close in to attack herself, the point of his spear was there waiting for her.

"This spear is at least seven feet long," Valens said. "So even when I'm holding it with one hand in the center, I've got a good three and half feet of range. When I am fighting someone like Seridwe - who has a shorter spear or a sword - I have the advantage as long as I can keep her at a distance."

"Now the Nagas we are going to be fighting prefer to use a short spear, about five feet long, the same as she has," Valens went on. "Some of them fight with a buckler as well, but others use their spears two-handed. They like to get in close, where they can land a flurry of blows with that spear, using it like a staff."

"So why don't they use a longer spear?" Ungarion asked.

"Now that is a good question," Valens said, momentarily pointing his blunted spear to the wizard. "The answer is where they live. Nagas come from the deep core of Black Marsh. It's a place of mangrove swamps, hanging vines, and dense undergrowth. They spend as much time swimming as they do slithering around on land. So the simple answer is that a seven foot weapon like this is just going to get in their way. They need something that is small enough that they won't be snagging it on everything around them. I can tell just by looking at this spear, that Talun-Lei is from a place on the periphery of the swamp, where the growth isn't as heavy."

In the meantime Seridwe stepped over to Do'Sakhar and returned his buckler. Gripping her spear with both hands now, she swept it around her body in a noisy flourish. Then she walked toward Valens once more.

"Now just like before, Seri's going to want to get in close with that spear," Valens said to the onlookers as she closed in. The high elf deftly used the shaft of her spear to knock aside a jab from Valens' own weapon. Stepping closer, she brought the butt of her spear forward, only to see it deflected by the Imperial's shield. Still closing the gap between them, Seridwe countered by sweeping the head of the spear forward. Valens brought his shield up to block once more, and the high elf came right up to his chest. Rather than pull her spear back, or swing it around for another blow, she pressed right against his shield with both hands on her weapon.

"See how quickly she closed the distance between us?" Valens said. "Now watch what she does." The Altmer moved a foot around behind one of Valens' ankles and shoved. The Imperial went down to the deck on his back, with Seridwe right on top of him. She dropped her spear and pulled a dagger from her belt. Holding it overhand like an icepick, she slowly jabbed down at the Imperial.

Then she stood up and put the golden-bladed weapon away, while Valens climbed to his feet behind her. "See how fast that happened?" Valens said. "We went from spear-fighting, to wrestling, to knife-fighting. When it's for real that will only take seconds. That's what the Nagas will try to do. They'll push it in close and take away your range advantage, then they'll wrestle with you. Believe me, you do not want to get in a wrestling match with a Naga! It's literally like trying to grapple a snake."

"So now you know what you are up against," Valens concluded. "Next we'll start going through it one at a time with everyone, and you can learn how to keep Seridwe at a distance, and stop her from killing you."

Talun-Lei was the first to step up and take his spear and shield from Valens. Seridwe continued her role as the aggressor, once again borrowing Do'Sakhar's buckler to defend with. As with the demonstration, all of this was done in slow motion, so that everyone could see what was happening.

"Hold your spear overhand, high above your head, just behind the balance point." Valens guided Talun-Lei to lift his spear in such a manner, with the point drooping down lower than where he balanced the long weapon in his hand. "Now when you thrust, you're going to be using gravity to bring the point down into your enemy's face. Then you're going to thrust over the top of her shield, just like Seridwe did to me at the beginning."

"So it's like fighting downhill," Talun-Lei observed as he took a tentative jab at the Altmer.

"Exactly," Valens nodded. "That is going to give you more speed and power, and take less effort. Combat is all about taking every advantage you can. With that in mind take a small step with your left foot when you strike. That will close the distance, and prevent her from being able to step back out of range. Once you hit, step back again, and get out of her range once more. Remember, always keep her in range of your weapon, but stay out of range of hers."

Talun-Lei took that half-step and jabbed once more, stepping back again the moment his spear head struck Seridwe's shield.

They continued doing so for long minutes, and gradually picked up the pace of the drill as Talun-Lei showed that he was comfortable with the movements. Then Seridwe began to advance, and Valens instructed the Argonian to step back every time she moved forward to keep her at a distance, and to always keep his spear point in her face.

The other four Agrigentans followed one at a time. Some had greater success than others. Stalks-The-Marshes seemed skilled with the spear already, and Aela overheard him say that he sometimes went hunting with a spear in the marshes. Rullianus dove into the lessons with a zeal that was nearly frightening, and Aela wondered whose face he saw staring back at him when he sparred with Seridwe? Ulpia was clearly unskilled with the weapon, but diligently followed along with the lessons anyway. Finally the old Argonian Hathei seemed to be almost afraid of the spear, and looked like he was ready to jump off the boat the first time that Seridwe struck his shield.

Perhaps most of all Aela was amazed at how Valens, usually so surly and morose, seemed to come to life in the training sessions. It was as if perhaps the person he truly was on the inside was showing through. Or maybe he was simply so engrossed in what he was doing that he forgot to brood? In any case the training sessions became a staple of life aboard ship, with Valens leading Talun-Lei and the Agrigentans in lessons every morning and evening.



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Edit: I added in a few paragraphs near the end, along with a second video.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Oct 12 2013, 04:36 PM