The Tale of Telina Delvanni. Chapter 3., Furtherr involving with the temple. Options

[Tellie]

Chapter 2. Of mad wizards duty and faith.



The Tale of Telina Delvanni. Chapter 3. In the footsteps of Vehk.

Ok, so the new chapter is up, and this will be a chapter which will have MANY artistic liberties from my part, enjoy it.


I felt rather dodgy when I woke up the next morning, I had fallen asleep with my face in a book, and I was nearly frustrated by the way my hair had been lately, so I decided to follow Serene’s suggestion to visit Milie Hastien in Balmora, so I took up my brown walking stick, and translocated to Balmora.
Milie’s shop wasn’t to difficult to find, and I was overjoyed when I saw the full closets and shelves with exquisite clothing.

-“Hmm…ok, I’ll have one of those, a little of those, two of these and a lot more”…I quickly realised what I was doing…I was a woman…a woman on a shopping spree. Something I had not done in a long time, so I enjoyed my self to the limit of breakdown of happiness…although the fact that my pouch was quite weightless now than it had been when I came in here, took away some of the delight, but no matter. Fixing my hair was a simple matter, I had previously had my hair in a long ponytail, that was gone now, and my hair was shortened so it reached just a little below my shoulders.

I said that one of my employees would return later to pick up my new clothes, and would give her the password sadalab, in order to get the clothes.

Meanwhile, I somehow felt that I had to get down to Caius…I don’t know what in the names of the tribunes made me feel that, but I did it anyway. I knocked on the door, trying to be polite…

-“Shhh…ennntrr, shhheeeee doohor isssh open”, he stubbed forth. Oh great, what drunk again…I was getting tired of dumping him in the river, but a splash and a quick run up to his house again, got him into remarkable health.

-“Wha…wha you did that for, huh”?, he screamed.

-“Because when I wish to talk to you, I’d rather do that when you are sober…understand me”?. I grabbed up the skooma bottles, the skooma pipe and the moon sugar bags, and threw them into the fireplace.

-“NOOO….MY MOON SUGAR…NOOOOOOO”, he threw himself at the floor, sobbing hysterically, at my feet.

-“Oh come on…it’s not that big a loss, you need to quit with that before you get killed…remember I saved you once, but since I don’t live here I cant watch over you all the time ok”.

HE looked up at me, thinking at what I had told him…the tears was still flowing but he seemed to have established a grip on himself.

-“You know what, you’re absolutely right, now I do have some orders for you…would you be willing to do them straight away”?, Without even waiting for the answer, he continued. “I want some notes from a man called Hasbat Antabolis, but you will have to do a little favour for him first…probably a dirty one I think”.

I mumbled something as “sure”, and walked back out…I had heard of this Hasbat, and knew that he was a member of the fighters guild here in town. True enough, I found him at the bottom of the guildhall, and I had only managed to utter the word Caius, before he started to ramble out of a dwemer puzzle box that he wanted, and that also was to be found in the ruin of Arkhngthand, just outside the imperial fort.

OK, so now I had to pass right by a fort that was probably a bit angry on me still….great. I took the difficult way, and wandered over the hill,, right behind Caius’s house, and not so long after I found the big dwemer bridge that led to the ruin, I was just walking normally over the bridge, when a man on the other side, obviously a battle mage, summoned forth a skeleton, as a warning to me.

I walked closer to him, with my hands in the air, intent on speaking to the man…or let’s say tease him a bit. I stood about ten/eleven paces away from him, when I lowered my arms, and smiled before I opened my mouth.

-“So...interesting, you’re a summoner…me to”, then I spoke the syllables of my summon storm atronach, and again the spell caused three instead of one to be summoned…I did not think something was right…but no time for that now. The skeleton looked at the three large daedras standing before him, before he gave away a bony smile ( the only smile he could give ), and turned tail, and ran like the lords of Oblivion was behind him. The atronachs stormed into the man, and started to batter him around, then they parted up, and started to play what looked a lot like some kind of ballgame with him. Finally he managed to get loose, and he ran as fast as he could forward…a long fall, and a meaty thud later made me turn over the railing and look down. The sight made me loose the little lunch I had eaten earlier today…the man had crushed his head, and all manner of entrails and blood was lying around.

The atronachs had disappeared while I was puking my brains out, so I was all alone again. I started the walk towards the entrance of the ruin again, and I was astonished…the door was blocked by a gigantic stone sphere…a little search later and I turned on a crank that would undoubtly take me in…indeed it did, and I quickly entered the ruin before the turning sphere crushed me flat. The inside was dark, and what little light there was, came from the strange dwemer lamps. I had searched the ruin for hours I thought, before I noticed a single door that I hadn’t searched…sake for the door that would lead down into the lower levels of the ruin…those who would be blocked off, until we managed to assemble the puzzle box

The door led into a room called hollow hands, and in the room, there was of course another bandit…but the Monarch was convinced that his head looked better lying on the ground. Finding the puzzle box wasn’t that difficoult, deciding what to do was something else…so I decided to do something a little mean, but hey one must have a little fun in life.

I translocated myself back to Baladas, who was more than happy to make a copy out of it, but he changed about half of the images on the copy, so poor Hasbat wouldn’t get entrance to the lower parts I’m afraid…but we would. I was particularly happy when I gave Caius the notes, so he gave me a little something…that turned out to be a ring with a nice paralyzing spell on it, so I thanked him, and told him I would drop by soon..yeah like that’ll ever happen, and then I transported myself to the Ald Rhuun temple.

This post has been edited by Telendil Delvanni: Mar 31 2006, 02:05 PM

[Tellie]

True enough. The day afterwards must have been one of the most challenging days in my life. From early morning, to late at night we was out….just running, so that we would know the real meaning of getting fatigued. Several of those who wanted to become an Ordinator collapsed on the road, but we were given direct orders to keep on running, those who failed, was not worthy of becoming an Ordinator.

Things like this happened several weeks, and I realised at that time, so long ago, why there was very few female Ordinators. At our training sections we normally trained ourselves in physics, medium armour, and Blunt weapon. Our trainers were ranking Ordinators, in a good shape. Another part of our training was in mental stability, and to become one with your inner self….I guess most Ordinators fail at that particular requirement. The training sessions would last for half a year…half a year we were blocked out from the other inhabitants on this island.

I can not tell where the Ordinator training take place, that would be to betray my brothers and sisters, something that I wont do…but I can tell that it is equally, if not more hidden than the Dark Brotherhood head quarters are in Cyrodiil…and that tells a little of how serious the temple takes their Ordinators. I had nearly finished my training session, and was going to make the last part of it…I would have to take a part in an Ordinator attack. I was placed under the command of Ravil Othraven, the lead Ordinator at Ghostgate, and was getting ready to gear up, when I had to meet in the briefing room.

The room was filled up with both Ordinators, and Boyant Armigers. And the Person standing at the large table, an Armiger I believe, was to be the leader of this attack.

-“Alright my brothers, and sisters, pay attention”. Said Ravil.
“The Boyant Armiger, Mnedel Eves, is leading this incursion into Red Mountain, Mnedel, you have the word”.

-“Alright, we are going up to clear out the Ash Vampire lair of Tureynulal, from it’s taint”. “I am leading the attack myself”. “Now, remember the road to Tureynulal, is quite difficult, and we have to walk along the slopes, if we do not wish to traverse the perilous cliffs up there”.

-“The Ordinator Telina Delvanni, will accompany us, and in case I die, you take your orders from her”. “Since you are all rookies, we will have to be careful, do not just storm in there, but after we have been attacked, or we attack, we will have to make our advance quickly, be swift, and leave none alive”……Oh great, the were rookie armigers…how comfy, an Armiger was only given a three week training, before he was ready, and now they wanted us to storm an ash vampire lair….the armigers are definitely crazy.

I took my trusty Indoril cuirass on me, as well as my Indoril shield, and a dwarven shortsword. We had reached the path that would take us either up to the shrine, another road leading around the mountain, and the last road that would lead us up to the place where I had thrown Umbra into the lava pool….that happened to be Dagoth Ur, itslef. We was having a little break so the rookies could catch their breath, meanwhile I walked over to Mnedel.

-“Mnedel, I know you have already planned the route and such, but if you look at this map here”, I took up a map given to me.

-“We would be better off taking the path through Dagoth Ur, by not entering the cursed citadel itself, we can easily go this route here, and be at Tureynulal, within the morrow, instead of this week long camping trip with the rookies”.

He nodded, as he realized that I was right…it was much faster than the route he had planned.
-“Ok, gather up your equipment, we’re leaving in five minutes, and we have also decided on a new route, so just follow Delvanni, as I believe she know the route best”.

The trip to Tureynulal was a long one, and I stopped to give them a break….once. Down at the crater outside Dagoth Ur, one of the Armigers had neglected to pay attention, and not being careful as I said he had to be, he slipped, and fell into the hissing lava pool. The cliffies was not coming near us, we were to big a group to attack, so we made it safely to Tureynulal, where we set up a camp for the night, and we sat up guards as well, so I was pretty pleased with my effort for the day.

Me and Mnedil woke up early in the morning….no surprise the rookies was still sleeping tight, sake for the guards, so we prepared a quick breakfast, before waking them up. I wandered along the Armigers, silently waking them up, most got up without even protesting, but I heard some loud voices a little behind me.

-“Sir, why we gotta attack at three o’clock, at night, you gotta be crazy”, Mnedil looked as though he was nearly going to shout, he apparently did not know the answer, but since I had read many documentary books about the creatures of Red Mountain, written by Ordinators, I was more than happy to tell.

-“Be quiet Armiger”, I hissed. “The reason is that at this time of night, the cursed spawning’s inside this area, is most inactive, due to the coldness of the night, they get slower, and more dumb than before”.
¨
-“There is no reason to not be careful though, the Ash Vampires, and dagoth’s are vile creatures with an intelligence that is greater than most mer’s, do not attack them without caution”, I wandered on, waking up the rest, who had listened to me. Some five minutes we stood outside the entrance of the large dwemer ruin, so I carefully opened the ancient door, and led my team inside, quickly followed my Mnedil.

The creaking sounds that normally sings out in Dwemer ruins was here as well…but they were….different. They sang a song of ancient malice, added on by the foul stench of rotting flesh, and the blood splattered walls, with full of nail scrapings in them, I understood why several of the rookies I had with me was virtually shaking, and I must admit I felt a coldness erupt deep in my spine as well, but we just continued, we had to continue.

We came to a fork, and I pointed to Mnedil that we would take the road to the left, while he took the way to the right. So we split up, and continued. We came to a large room, with several doors. I wordlessly gave signs to the Armigers to go door by door, and kill the inhabitants swift and quick…but something went wrong……


Loud noises came from below, and I realised that Mnedil had run into trouble. Shortly after, creatures started to wander out of the doors, only to be brutally hacked to pieces by the Armigers. The central door opened, and out stepped a…thing, he looked as though he was a mer…but his skin was as black as the ashes itself, and I realized that we stood over an opponent to mighty to destroy…alone…he was Dagoth Tureynul, stood tall, watching me with cold eyes that made me shudder, before pointing a thin finger at me……

-“You Mortal, you shall regret about disturbing my studies, I shall have great pleasure in killing you”.

-“Oh yeah, well, Come on, kill him” I yelled and charged forward. I do not believe he had thought about fighting and Ordinator, and about seven Armigers at once, so I understand why he was so hasty to retreat outside the reach of sharp blades. Instead we suddenly had several spells flung against us, by the other lesser Dagoths, and such…three Armigers was flayed to the bone by a nasty spell impact.

-“FLEE”, I screamed, as I beheaded another vile creature, and we systematically fought our way out, we had just gotten to the fork, when we met Mnedil, he had a very bad looking wound at his left side, and I could see he was close to death.

-“D-Delvanni, I’m sorry, this was a failure, but get the rest of my men out of here…alive”, then he ran down the corridor, cutting of a few heads while he was at it.

I lead the Armigers out. We were all afraid now, we ran like I never believed was possible, and we did not stop before seven hours later, when we stood outside the ghostgate. As we were resting, several Armigers, and Ordinators, including Ravil, came out.

-“Sir, the-the raid was a failure…we lost many, including Mnedil, but we also gave the foul creatures down there a little something to remember us by…..a huge mound of corpses, so I’m sorry sir, there was nothing we could do”.

-“That’s ok, Telina, you have succeeded, so take this letter to Berel Sala in Vivec, to get your position”, he handed me a stamped letter, and a warm smile.

The short trip trough the woid was as always, just a blur of colours, and then I stood outside the Vivec High Fane. Berel was as always behind his fancy desk, and smiled broadly as he read the letter, giving a description of my training session, as well the info about the failed raid at Tureynulal.

-“Ok now there are different parts within the Ordinator ranks, you can have guard duties, or you might join the team at ghostgate, or”…….I interrupted him.

-“Sir, I-I would like to join the inquisition, as the office of the watch, if that is possible”.

-“Hmm, the inquisition eh…not many who have joined there lately, well, you will be assigned to High Inquisitor Czevahk’s command, so you take this, he handed me a couple of boots, and gave me back my helmet, as well, as this letter, give it to Czevahk himself, no others, oh yes the password to enter is, Faith in the tribunes they shall guide us”.

I got into my earlier room, and lied down to get me a little nap, before entering the service of the inquisition.