Ahnaressu's Travels Ch.9 Options

[Dantrag]

Here's the beginning - I promised I would post it before leaving for the week.

Chapter 9
-----------

Valnor and Nyph stood behind Lergo from a distance, still skeptical about what the mage said he could do.

There were one hundred training dummies all in a group, with Lergo facing them about a hundred feet away. The mage began chanting loudly with both hands raised to the sky. The sound of his voice got louder and louder as the spell gained in intensity. A swirl of black clouds appeared over the dummies, and Lergo stopped chanting. When the cloud stood still over the targets, he slowly put his hands down and walked back to Valnor and Nyph.

"Just wait a second." he said with a wink.

Immediately after Lergo turned around, one hundred bolts of lighting came down, hitting every single dummy - a powerful spell to say the least, but it had taken the mage over thirty minutes to cast it.

Valnor and Nyph stood speechless as Lergo walked towards his tent, mumbling about how hungry he was.

As soon as the utter amazement subsided, Valnor grew more serious. "I think it's time to begin the attacks on the tribes again." he said to Nyph once Lergo had gone.

He had raised quite an army - not large enough for any full-scale war, but more than enough to eradicate the ashlanders. They had gained more people by hiring sellswords, and had kept them here with fulfilled promises of plunder - they had raided many a daedric shrine, dwemer ruin, and even some of the old dunmer strongholds. One such stronghold, Rotheran, served as their home for now.

"Start with the Erabenimsun. They have to be dealt with first, before they hear that we are acting again. If we start with another tribe, they will hear of the attack from word of mouth, and prepare. I would like to see them unprepared." Nyph said with a smile as he stroked the edge of his dagger.

Valnor shrugged. "Hmmm...your idea may work, though the Erabenimsun camp is a little far away from Rotheran."

"It will be a long way to get to any of the camps." Nyph replied. "But this way, we get rid of the most difficult tribe while our numbers are at their highest."

"I'll think on it." he said, walking back inside the fortress to eat some dinner.

Nyph still stood outside, watching as a hundred straw dummies burned in the distance.

-----------
Enjoy.

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Jul 15 2005, 01:54 PM

[Dantrag]

Nyph sat smoking his skooma pipe in Valnor's tent accompanied by Valnor and Lergo.

"Ahemmusa." Valnor said flatly. "All we have to do is go north and east, though we have to be careful now that they are inhabiting a daedric ruin."

Nyph nodded his agreement, more intent on his skooma than on any kind of discussion at that moment.

Lergo nodded as well, actually agreeing with Valnor's logic. just as he opened his mouth to voice his approval, a scout burst through the tent.

"Valnor!" The scout said in a breathless voice. "The Urshilaku...they are having a large celebration of some sort."

"And...?" Valnor asked, obviously not wanting to be disturbed for such a petty bit of information.

"They have a new hero." The scout answered. "Supposedly, he fulfills an ancient prophecy."

Valnor sat down, and began to stare off into the distance as he thought about the implications. Was it the Nerevarine he had heard so much about? Would the Incarnate be helping the Urshilaku get their revenge? Did the Urshilaku know who and where they were? There were too many questions, and Valnor seriously thought about going for the Urshilaku next.

"Leave us." Valnor ordered the scout. When the intruder left the tent, Valnor turned to his advisors. "So do we change course for the Urshilaku?"

He was answered with a simultaneous "no" from his associates.

"If they have the Nerevarine fighting for them..." Valnor warned, leaving the implications unsaid.

Nyph sat up, putting his pipe aside. "There are numerous prophecies, some made up by ashkhans just to bolster his own position. I highly doubt it is the Nerevarine, more than likely someone form a lesser prophecy."

Valnor turned to Lergo. "What do you think?" he asked, wanting to know the wizard's opinion.

"I have to agree with Nyph." Lergo began. "You cannot automatically assume that the person they are holding a celebration for is from one specific prophecy. Have you ever studied prophecy?" Lergo asked, trying to explain. "There are millions, no billions, of prophecies. To assume that it is one specific one, without even knowing the person's exploits is rash at best."

Valnor nodded, content with the explanation for the time being, though he left out his main concern - the Nerevarine Prophecies were thought to be almost complete. He doubted that even he could stand up to Lord Nerevar Reborn...

------
edited a few typos...Enjoy the easier reading!

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Jul 30 2005, 10:37 PM