Un-named Story Options

[Stargazey]

Stellius sat at his desk, shuffling papers. It was dark outside, but that didn’t bother him. Night was when he thrived; all the idiots had gone home, leaving only Stellius and his quill pen. His tiny corner office was lit only by a few candles and one large, shining, silver candlestick, a family heirloom. In case of any intruder, Stellius kept a shortsword in his desk and some potions in his cloak. Stellius was writing a declaration for the arrest and public execution of an infamous criminal, Rolten Detar, better known as “Rotten Rolten the Dunmer”. He had been a petty criminal, dabbling in various robberies, smuggling and hate crimes against Imperials, but had recently been rumored to have been involved in a number of brutal murders, all around Vvardenfell.


As Stellius scratched out the last line, he heard a noise. Stellius had worked at night for many years, but for some reason, this noise sent a chill straight up his spine, giving him Goosebumps. If the intruder was in the room, Stellius did not want to alarm him, thus sending him into frenzy. Instead, he sat very calmly and reached into his desk, pulling out the sword. Before Stellius could draw his sword, four crossbow bolts pierced his chest, arm and leg. He fell forward onto his desk, smudging the declaration.

[Stargazey]

Sellius stood on the deck of the boat, watching the Captain intently. Leitaus had told him to never let down his guard, to stay alert, vigilant. Sellius would not fail him. He had ordered Rufus to stay below deck, and to not emerge until they arrived at their location. Rufinius had accepted this, grudgingly. Sellius was wearing a robe, his armor underneath. He wore Imperial Legion armor and wielded an Imperial Broadsword. The captain of the ship, Stilious, stood near the mast of the ship, gazing at something Sellius couldn’t see, as the ship drifted along, without aim. Sellius walked over to Stilious and said “Where do we sail to?” Stilious did not reply for a moment “The master’s mansion is close to Caldera, so we sail for the port of Hla Oad. Sellius nodded and turned away. Night was coming now, and Sellius was tired, so he retired below deck. He did not trust these criminals, and slept with his sword in his hand.


Leitiaus was wandering around Ebonheart, with no real aim, just thinking. Thinking about the murders, thinking about Dielle, thinking about moving up in the Legion, thinking about Sellius, thinking about everything. Nothing was as he wanted it, especially concerning these murders. Then something occurred to Leitiaus, Rufinius’s mansion. He could get a warrant and get up to Caldera before the ship did. Leitiaus was a man of spontaneity, and acted quickly. He sprinted to the Duke’s Chambers, and began to present his case for a warrant. “Sir, he’s the only suspect we have, and he has the best motive. These people were political opponents, competition is a powerful motivator. Just get me a warrant, I can get the evidence.” The Duke thought for a moment and then said “He wasn’t here, so what charges could we get him on?” “Conspiracy, contract killing, dealing with an illegal agency.” The Duke looked quizzical “Contract killing, dealing with an illegal agency? What for?” Leitiaus laughed and said “Dark Brotherhood. If he didn’t do it, must be the Dark Brotherhood. If it was the Morag Tong, he wouldn’t have anything to hide, it’s all legal.” The Duke nodded and said “Yes…..yes…that’s true.....Very well, see my assistant, he’ll grant you a warrant. Leitiaus don’t do anything stupid, please.” Leitiaus saluted and walked to the assistant.


Rufinius sat in his chambers, thinking. He was in trouble, and he knew it. With a guard onboard, he couldn’t pay the Dark Brotherhood the rest of the money he owed, so they would kill him. They would also kill the guard, a fact Rufinius took some comfort in. That commander, Le-something, had it in for him, and would probably have his little toady reporting to him as soon as they hit ground. If Rufinius and Stilious managed to kill the oaf, and he didn’t report, the Legion would show up and teach them the ills of killing an officer. Rufinius thought about many things, mainly how to immobilize the guard. He could drug him, but the same problem came up. What was his pleasure? What was his pain? Did he want girls? Skooma? Flin? Mazle? Brandy? Rufinius could get it, but if it didn’t work, the guard would report him for bribing an Imperial Official. May that damn commander rot in hell, thought Rufinius, a thought that afforded him some sense of happiness.

Leitiaus had summoned a guar from the stables, to aid in his trip to Caldera. Guars had been trained and put in the use of the Legion, as horses couldn’t be used on the rocky, desolate terrain of Vvardenfell. The guars were temperamental beasts, even with the training, so all riders were told to carry a scroll of Calm Creature. Scroll and warrant in hand, Leitiaus and his guar, Loki, set out for Caldera. Although not his ideal weapon, Leitiaus had taken a bow from the armory, as to pick off any beasts or humans that might hinder him.


As Leitiaus rode forward, an ash storm began to blow, causing him to stop. Even with his visor down, the ash found a way to get in his eyes. He reached into his satchel pack and drew out a bottle of flin. As he drank, he thought he heard the swish of an arrow. Drawing his sword, he drank the rest of his Flin and then turned around. It was an arrow he heard, an arrow coming from a group of Ashlanders, all sitting atop Alits, glaring at him. “I’m an Imperial Officer” yelled Leitiaus through the ash and wind. Not the reaction he had hoped, a flurry of arrows flew towards him, causing him to jump and get out of the way. Picking up his sword, he charged forward, revenge on his mind.

As Leitiaus charged forward, the Ashlanders let fly another volley of arrows, all which Leitiaus deflected with his sword and shield.
He wore the finest Imperial made, but the arrows were starting to become a nuisance. One had pierced the armor, embedding itself in his shoulder. Pulling out his bow, he fired four arrows into the air, just as a distraction. Picking up his sword and shield, he charged at the Alit’s, killing one and knocking two of the riders off other ones. As they lay on the ground, Leitiaus hit them with the butt of his sword, knocking them out. One ashlander remained mounted on his Alit, and seeing what had happened to his clanmembers, he charged forward, a shining sword drawn. Leitiaus assessed the situation and then made a decision. Throwing his sword and shield to the ground, he lunged forward, jumping on to the charging beast. The weight of his body on the animal brought it and its two riders to the ground. Leitiaus had been cut by the ashlanders’ sword, but the adrenaline was pumping, and seemed to heal the wound. The Ashlander was knocked out and bleeding from the mouth. Taking the sword from him, he slit the beasts’ throat, putting it out of its misery. Turning back to the fallen ashlander, he did the same thing. When he walked back to were the guar had been, he noticed something was missing. The Guar. “Damn beasts” Leitiaus swore. Picking up his blood stained sword and shield, he trudged through the barren wasteland.


As The Stargazey sailed around the Sheogorath region, something began to shake the ship, violently. Sellius was still asleep, in his chambers, when he heard a frantic knocking on his door. Springing up, his sword drawn, he walked to the door and opened it. A frightened Stilious stood cowering in the doorway, blood running down from a cut on his arm. “Daedra, bombarding the ship. Winged Twilights, Ogrims and Scamps!” Pushing Stilious into the chambers, he muttered “Stay here.” As Sellius came above deck, he saw what Stilious meant. Winged Twilights hovered over the small wooden boat, pelting it with spells and curses. From the shore of a nearby island, an Ogrim was tossing rocks and scamps, trying to reach the ship.


Sellius decided to deal with the most immediate threat first, so he took out a bow and began to fire at the Twilights, hoping to get them on his level, where he could make short work of them. They ignored the arrows, and instead doubled up on their attacks. As Sellius fired more arrows up at them, he heard a thump and then a horrible creeeee sound. Turning around, he saw a Scamp standing on board the ship, his claws sharp as daggers.

Ignoring the increasing spells hitting the ship, Sellius threw the bow to the ground and drew his broadsword. He ran towards the Scamp, who at the sight of a six foot tall Imperial with a sword and armor barreling towards him, promptly jumped into the ocean. Sellius came to a skid as the scamp jumped overboard. Immediately turning his attention to the shore, he saw a rock coming his way, thrown by an Ogrim. Jumping to the side, he watched as the rock hit the deck, and penetrate into the lower decks. Realizing the problem, Sellius picked up his bow, and began to fire off a volley of arrows, all aimed at the Ogrim’s head. Sellius watched as they all hit, two in the eyes. Exactly what he had wanted, he knew he couldn’t kill the Ogrim with arrows, but he could blind it. As the great beast blundered around, Sellius turned his attention to the great beasts hovering above him. With no other choice, he picked up the bow, and jumped to the highest point on the ship, the battlements. He fired as many arrows as he could, just hoping to irritate them. Eventually, one of them decided to humor him, and came down for a fight. Tossing the bow aside, he grabbed his sword and ran towards the Daedra.


The Winged Twilight stood perched on its two legs, glaring at Sellius. Its purple body seemed to radiate with a dangerous combination: hatred and magic. Sellius decided the best way to deal with this beast was head on. Or if he was lucky, head off. (Editors note: Sorry for the pun.) Running towards the Daedra, his shield and sword drawn, he felt a spell hit the shield. As it hit, he flew backwards, nearly becoming unconscious. As he got back up, the Twilight charged towards him. He waited until the creature was on top of him, and then, he drew his sword, impaling the great beast. It would certainly not kill it, but it dazed it enough for him to pull his sword out and ready a death blow. As it blustered around, wounded, Sellius drew his sword up and brought it down with a vengeance. The head and the body soon parted company, leaving a bloody mess on the deck. Cleaning off his sword, he turned his attention to the Winged Twilight that was still hovering above the ship. While he fought with its friend, it had been slowly melting away the wooden shell of the boat. It was now at hull level, casting a very powerful fire spell. Sellius couldn’t believe his luck. If he could just get over there, and take the beast by surprise. He sprinted up the deck, sword drawn.

As it cast another spell, he lunged at it, grabbing onto its back. It was truly a bizarre scene, an officer of the Imperial Legion, wearing full armor and wielding a broadsword, holding on to the back of a Winged Twilight. As the Twilight tried to buck him off, Sellius readied his sword and then plunged it into the beasts’ chest. It screamed, a horrible scream, like nothing Sellius had ever heard before. As it screamed, it fell. Plummeting down into the vast waters of the inner sea, Sellius looked around. The ship was burning, but still floating and the Daedra on the shore were still trying to find a way to sink it. Sellius felt the cold water rush all around his body, freezing him. In an instant, he was submerged, drowning. His eyes felt like they were spinning out of his eyes, and he felt as though he was going to vomit. He couldn’t move, because the Twilight had fallen on top of him. Before the darkness came, the last thing Sellius saw was the face of the goddess Mara. He heard a whisper “Mortal, your time has not come.” Thinking this was some sort of insanity; Sellius closed his eyes and let the darkness engulf him.


Leitiaus had made his way to Caldera, unhindered by neither man nor beast, but by elements. Once he had gotten out of the ashstorm, the rain set in. His armor was enchanted to be rust-resistant, but constant sheeting rain was a different matter. When Caldera was in sight, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued on. Rufinius’s mansion loomed on the horizon, a truly masterful site. If Leitiaus didn’t detest the man, he might’ve liked him. When he arrived at the door, his Imperial majesty was somewhat lessened by the cuts, bruises, wet armor and the blood smeared on his armor. This perhaps was the reason the Khajiit that opened the door judged him with a wary eye. “Can Dri Zhir help you, sera?” Reaching inside his cloak, Leitiaus pulled out a piece of paper, stamped with the Imperial symbol. “A warrant to search this house-“The Khajiit’s face turned white and said “The moonsugar? I’m so sorry, Sera, p-p-please, don’t arrest me.” Leitiaus laughed and said “I’m not drug control, Khajiit, I’m homicide. Your ‘master’ is the prime suspect in four murders.” The Khajiit was so relieved he nearly fell over. “Oh, yes Sera search all you want. Dri Zhir will just dispose of the moonsugar.” Leitiaus nodded and entered the house.



Sellius was in excruciating pain, but he couldn’t feel it. He seemed to be floating, certainly not restrained to any surface. His eyes were shut, but he could see the features of the chamber he was in. It was pitch black and it seemed that he was alone. While he tried to open his eyes, he felt his body hit the ground, but he felt no pain. When he recovered from the fall, his eyes opened and he saw what seemed to be a breathtakingly beautiful woman wearing nothing but a fancy skirt. Sellius tried to speak but it felt like his mouth was filled with guar hide. He moved to get up, but she raised a hand and he fell back to the ground. She walked over to him and said “Mortal, you are safe, do not worry. I have transported you here, where I healed you. You were not meant to leave this mortal plane yet; your journey is not done. I will transport you back to your ship, where your quest shall continue. Goodbye, Sellius.”



Leitiaus didn’t expect to find anything incriminating in Rufinius’s mansion, but it was worth a try. The ship would arrive in port soon, and the walk was very short from Hla Oad to Caldera. He searched everywhere, opening clocks, looking in pillowcases, even looking in the pot that was used as a restroom. Finding nothing, he walked to the door. The Khajiit slave walked up to him and said “My master is very mean to Dri Zhir, beating me all the time. You are a nice Imperial, Dri Zhir will help you. My master has been dealing with some men that Dri Zhir does not trust. The Dark Brotherhood Dri Zhir thinks. Master goes out late at night, and comes home with pieces of paper with strange symbols on them. Dri Zhir saw master withdrawing much money from his bank.” Leitiaus was stunned by this. The servant was growing suspicious of Rufinius, and this only made Leitiaus’s theory of the Dark Brotherhood more intact. Pulling out a sack of gold, he handed to Dri Zhir. “You are free, by Imperial decree. Here is some money.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a quill pen and a piece of paper and wrote something down then handed it to the Khajiit. “Give this to anyone who questions you. Go to a smithy and get that bracer removed.” Before seeing the Khajiit’s reaction, he walked out and closed the door.


Sellius awoke in his bed, sweating. He could not be sure, but it seemed he had been saved by the Divine Goddess Mara, who had healed him and sent him back to The Stargazey. Too many things were racing through his mind. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.


During the attack by the Daedra, Rufinius had stayed in his chambers, an ebony shortsword in his hand. He had heard shrieks, grunts, thumps, and then the boat began to sail forward, as if propelled by some sort of Divine Intervention. As it sailed on, the shrieks died down and the thumping ceased. Rufinius didn’t know the fate of his shipmates, but he could only assume they had died. Thinking it was safe; Rufinius emerged from his chambers into blinding light, causing him to block the sun with his hand. The ship had been grievously damaged, but miraculously was still floating. The body of a Daedra lay on the deck, a pool of blood surrounding it. Rufinius nearly had a heart attack when Stilious yelled his name. “Rufinius, sir!! We’re still afloat. That guard, Selli-something fought of the Daedra, all by himself! Never seen fighting like that, amazing. He disappeared over board, though.” Rufinius took this all in and said “He fought them all by himself?” “Yes he did sir.” Rufinius arched his eyebrows and said “Where are we?” “Coming down the west coast, we just passed Khuul.” “Very well. Step up the speed, Stilious, that blasted legion officer is probably already there.” Stilious nodded and got back to work. Rufinius surveyed the ship one more time before going below deck. He had to pay the Dark Brotherhood, and know that the guard was gone; he could make the drop in Hla Oad.