The adventures of Arthago chapter II, The Rebellion Options

[Agent Griff]

Here's the link to Chapter I of Arthago's tale.
http://www.waiting4oblivion.com/forums/ind...?showtopic=1782

We can get this new chapter over with. I can also tell you that after this chapter, Arthago will move to a new province. I'm not telling though, you have to be on your guard. Well, blabbering over, here's the begining of the newest chapter of Arthago's tale. Enjoy!


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I found myself in an icy Arena, fighting someone I didn't know. He was a tall Imperial, wearing ebony plates under his blue cloak. He wielded a great mace which gave him supernatural power. He lunged at me with a ferocity I had never seen before, forcing me to put all my strength into evading his blows. He had a red in his eyes which froze the blood in my veins. What did he want? Why was I fighting him? I woke up in my inn bed after managing to hit this powerful foe. I was sweating heavily, and my head was banging. It had been a nightmare, a very realistic one. I hoped that this I wouldn't experience this kind of nightmare ever again.

Nightmares and monstrous foes aside, I had a meeting with the king of Sentinel and I didn't want to be late. I took a look at my armour. It had some patches of dirt on it, the weather in Sentinel was very windy at the time so sand storms often engulfed the city. I gave the armour a quick scrub with a cloth then put it on. I wanted to look my best if I was going to meet the King and talk affairs of state with him. I made my way downstairs and after greeting the regulars I was on my way to the palace. I decided to collect Marshall Daron from his house first. When I reached his house, I found him shaved and wearing some expensive clothes. So the Marshall had an official side to him eh?
"Are you ready sir?" I asked.
"Ready as can be, let us be off!" Marshall Daron said. And with that we were on our way to the palace.

We reached the palace soon enough, and entered the throne room. The king wasn't wearing his crown or any fancy clothes. This must have seemed like an unofficial meeting to him. Whatever. I greeted him.
"Greetings sire! We have come to discuss the subject of Lord Kain's murder." I said in an official tone.
"Yes. Lord Kain was, a good man. But sadly, the ambitions of another got into the way and he was murdered in cold blood." the King said in a sad voice.
"Aye. Lord Vhosek." Marshall Daron said.
"Yes. Lord Vhosek's personal ambitions were to rule his own province. He has it now, in the form of Lainlyn. The terms I agreed with him were that, if Lord Kain refused to rule in our name Lord Vhosek could slay him and rule the province himself. It seems Lord Vhosek didn't even propose any terms, he just plain murdered Lord Kain. If I were to send soldiers to arrest him, he could go to the kingdom of Wayrest and start a war with us. I can't have that, the men have just returned to their homes after a war. We must wait and somehow bring Lord Vhosek to justice." The king said.
"I know how." I said.
"And how may that be Arthago?" Marshall Daron asked me.
"I will go to Lord Vhosek's palace in Lainlyn and slay him myself. I can't let Lord Kain's murder go unpunished." I said in a bold tone.
"Bold words for someone so young. How will you get past Vhosek's guards? He has his own knight order to protect him." The king said. He was right, I was geting too bold for my own age and experience.
"Yes, you are right my king. But what shall we do? Lord Vhosek might as well build his power in Lainlyn and start a war with us. We must neutralize him. If he lied to your Majesty and murdered Lord Kain just to gain power then he doesn't feel any fear towards your Highness." I said.
"Aye, true words. I must say that you have a great ammount of political savy my boy." the king said. Wow, beeing aknowledged by the king felt great.
"I have heard that some rebellious groups have been popping up in the north of the kingdom. Maybe Lord Vhosek has already started his movements?" Marshall Daron said.
"Unprobable, but we must check into it. We cannot risk Lord Vhosek making troop movements in our own backyard. You are to look into it Arthago." the king said.
"I would be proud my king. Where must I go?" I asked.
"Go to the town of Verkath, south west of Skaven, and inspect the situation there. Come back and report once you've found any evidence of troop movements alright?" Marshall Daron said.
"Aye, I'll be on it right now. I'm off to pack my things and any suplies I might need on the journey. Farewell my king! I shall return once I find enough evidence of troop movements." I said in an anxious tone. Finally, a new quest, not just any quest, a quest from the King! And with that I was off to the market to buy some food and water.


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And that's the first bit of this chapter. It was kind off short, but the next one will be longer, I promise you. And if some of you missed the last update of the first chapter then you should check it out. Cheers!

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Mar 26 2006, 10:34 AM

[Agent Griff]

I can't keep Arthago waiting so here's the latest update in my story which I wish one day will get put on the main site as many other stories on this fine forum. But enough wishfull thinking, here's the update!


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We left Verkath and were on our way to Sentinel to report our deeds to the King. Since the journey was boring and uneventful I decided to talk to Marshall Daron a little to quicken the progress of time. I was interested in finding out some details of the battle in Verkath we had with the Crowns.
"So Marshall, how many men did we loose?" I asked, trying to spark a conversation.
"2 fine warriors." Marshall Daron sharply said.
"If they were so skilled why did they die in the first place?" I asked.
"They were surrounded by Crowns. I left them near the palace. When fighting broke out some Crown reinforcements wanted to take the palace back from us, they died while holding off a force of 20 Crowns all by themselves. They shall be commended in the honour hall of our Order." Marshall Daron said, weaving a story among his simple words. He never was a very complex man.
"I understand. Do you think we will get attacked by any bandits this time?" I asked, changing the subject.
"I don't think so, the bandits now know us as elite knights of Sentinel. We're no travelling merchants, they don't have the stones to attack anything more dangerous than that." Marshall Daron said. He was right, we did show the bandits our skill.
"Yes you're right. We don't have anything to fear. Night is falling, where shall we sleep?" I asked. We were far from the cave I had used before. Travelling at the pace of 4 men on foot was slow.
"Hmm, you're right. We will have to find a cavern to sleep in, the open roads are too dangerous even for us. I have heard rumours of creatures of the night, Vampires." Marshall Daron said with a certain ammount of fear in his rough voice.
"Vampires? Aren't they creatures of myth, made to scare children?" I asked. I remember my father used to tell me stories when I went to bed about great vampires who devoured entire villages.
"They exist. I know it, I have fought one in my youth. An old one, a powerful one. He almost slew me, my silver longsword saved me from certain death. Silver, is one of the things that affect vampires. Regular iron or even steel only scratch the surface of their tough hide." Marshall Daron said, showing honesty in his words.
"That's were you got that scar on your cheek from?" I asked.
"No, I have that scar since the war of Betony 20 years ago." Marshall Daron said. The war of Betony was a tragic war fought over a small island. The King of Sentinel, Camaron, died in that war and his queen, Akorithi, took over.
"You fought in the war of Betony?" I asked, pretty amazed of what I heard.
"Yes, and fought well I did against those wicked Bretons. I gained this scar from Lord Bridwell, the man who slew King Camaron." Marshall Daron said.
"Wasn't Lord Bridwell a legendary warrior of Daggerfall? How did you survive?" I inquired.
"I was rather lucky, that man was the best warrior I ever fought. His battle axe fell hard and his plate was thick. I managed to strike him a number of times, but his plate armour deflected most of my blows with ease. He swinged his axe in a wide arc and I tried to dodge the blow, he managed to scratch my left cheek. The blow itself left me unballanced so I tripped and fell. Before Lord Bridwell could finish me a wall of fog enveloped the battlefield and I got the chance to escape. A lucky escape at that. But I was young back then, now I'm old and slow." Marshall Daron said, again weaving a tale among his words.
"You're not old Marshall! You fought like an animal in the palace and slew a few Crowns yourself." I said, trying to bolster his confidence.
"You're not too bad yourself Arthago, you took down 3 Crowns all by yourself back there." Marshall Daron said trying to do the same.

Before we could continue our conversation one of the Knights who was with us spotted a cavern in which we could rest for the night. We made our way towards it and set camp inside. I didn't have any nightmares during the night nor any dreams. I just closed my eyes at night and opened them in the morning. Next morning we continued our journey towards Sentinel. We reached it late at night. I was making my way across to the "Hunding's Rest" inn to get some sleep when a man approached me.
"The King wants to see you." the mysterious man said.
"At this time of night? Can't he wait until morning?" I said in a rude voice.
"Wait for you? He's a king! Move your butt over to the palace!" the man said. It was clear to me, he was some servant. I made my way to the Palace to see what the King wanted. If he had another quest that took me to the other end of the kingdom I swear I would tell him to do it himself. Still I found the King in the hall at the top level of the palace, looking out the window. Marshall Daron was there too. A great, a new mission. I don't know what he saw though, it was night outside.
"I'm here your Majesty." I simply said. I was pretty tired and not up for long conversations.
"Welcome back Arthago! I hear you solved the Crown problem in Verkath. For all your efforts and your actions done in service of the kingdom I proclaim you Knight Brother of the Candle. And as a gift for your loyalty to Sentinel I give you this!" The King gestured towards a suit of steel armour fit for a true knight.
"Thank you your Majesty, I don't know what to say. It has been an honour for me to serve the kingdom and your Highness. You have my blade for as long as you rule, my King." I said in a humble voice.
"And what do you think of the armour my knight?" the King asked. It was great to have the King adress me as 'my knight'. It gave me a feeling of power.
"The armour is wonderful your Majesty, but I don't really have need for it. My armour is lighter anyway and I can't really run in steel armour." I said. Steel really hampered my movements, and if there was something that I liked it was beeing able to dodge my oponents with ease.
"Ah, but it isn't normal steel Arthago. Marshal Daron told me of your preffered fighting style. He told me that you liked to be mobile and more agile than your oponents. So, I give you this! Steel of a special essence, forged especially for you. It's much lighter than average steel but it offers the same overall protection. You can even stand in your hands while wearing this armour, that's the mobility it offers. It's yours Arthago, you have earned it." the King said. So it was special armour eh? Well that changes it all.
"That changes it all my King, I will be proud to wear this armour and do your biding in it." I said.
"I am glad. You may now leave if you are tired Arthago. Come back tomorrow to pick up your new armour. Good night." The King said.
"Farewell my King!" I said.

After that I made my way back to the inn to get a good night's sleep. I was anxious to equip my new armour early next day and get a feel for it.


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That's it for this update folks! I hope you've liked it and thanks for the support shown thus far.