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]

Glad you like it


Leitiaus raced to the dock of Hla Oad, determined to head off The Stargazey. He had sent a message to the duke, ordering four ships and sixty men, just in case Rufinius had anything up his sleeve. He doubted that Rufinius could somehow summon sixty fighters, but better to be safe, rather than sorry.


As the ship came into port, Rufinius went above deck. It was a beautiful day, but that made no difference to Rufinius. Today was all about business, not the flora and fauna of Vvardenfell. He had the agreed payment, 450,000 gold in unmarked chest and sacks, arranged in the hold. He and Stilious would carry it out, mark it with a burnt out torch, and then leave. If anyone stayed around, the Dark Brotherhood promised to deliver them a crossbow bolt.

Sellius was still deep asleep it when the ship pulled into port, but the sounds of banging and clunking awoke him. Having no memory of the previous day, he picked up his sword and went above deck, only to find it empty. Wondering what was going on, he looked down into the hold.


There he saw Stilious and Rufinius heaving crates and sacks up the stairs, grunting on every heave. “What is going on here, Rufinius?” The sound of Sellius’ voice made Rufinius drop the chest he was carrying, knocking Stilious to the ground. “You…what are you doing here?” Sellius looked confused but said “We’ve reached port, as I’m sure you know. I’ve been instructed to escort you and your captain off the ship, and to your mansion, where you’ll be placed under house arrest until the investigation is complete.”

The look of shock stayed on Rufinius’s face, and the look of pain upon Stilious’s. Sellius turned to walk up the stairs, and in desperation and panic, Rufinius picked up the top of a chest and slammed Sellius in the back of the head. With a groan and a thump, the tall Imperial fell to the ground, blood leaking from the back of his head. Rufinius cast a healing spell on him and dragged him into the hold. Stilious was still in pain, but now his face was shocked. “Have you killed him?” Rufinius shook his head, exerting himself to much to talk. “He’s a bargaining chip now. They’ve got us and there are ships sailing up the shore, I’ve seen them. He is now a hostage.”


As Leitiaus arrived in Hla Oad, he saw a crowd of people at the dock. Figuring it to be a group of performers, he shrugged it off. He walked over to the dockmaster and said “Where is The Stargazey?”

The dockmaster pointed to the crowd and said “The magistrate, Rufi-summat, has taken an Imperial Guard hostage, apparently has a sword to his throat.” Leitiaus’s stomach dropped, and his face turned white as a sheet. “A guard? Has the Legion been called?” The dockmaster shrugged and turned away. Leitiaus walked into the crowd, and looked at the ship. The deck was empty; he figured they were staying below deck, to keep out of the aim of sharpshooters. For the first time in his career, Leitiaus didn’t know what to do.