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> The adventures of Arthago chapter III, A Province united
Agent Griff
post Apr 25 2006, 04:09 PM
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So let's kick this chapter off shall we? A small bit of info at what's to come further in the series: At the end of this chapter, Arthago will move to a whole new province and I think many of you already know which province it is. Anyway, let's enjoy Hammerfell while it lasts shall we?

~~~
After the defeat of Lord Vhosek's rebellion, things went back to normal in all of Hammerfell. Some local kings and rulers however, seeing that Lord Vhosek managed to battle the King and even defeat him, albeit for a short time, started a fight against King Lhotun's rule as well. Since I was one of the highest ranking knights in Sentinel, with the exception of Marshal Daron and a few other senior knights of the order, I was often sent to these small kingdoms to stop the rebellions. The first kingdom to revolt, a few years after Vhosek's uprising, was the small kingdom of Santaki which was close to the Dragontail mountains. I was sent there, together with a few other knights below my rank, to stop the rebellion.

We arrived there after a few days ride. The capital of the small kingdom was the town with the same name, Santaki. The kingdom, albeit small, had its own knightly order, the order of the Hawk. That meant that the Kingdom had some importance in the politics of Hammerfell but it also meant that other smaller kingdoms may gather around Santaki and fight against Sentinel. I never really understood why Redguards or men in general fight eachother if there's no other foe to fight against. Maybe to heighten their skills? No, the answer was quite simple really. For Power. Once a man got ahold of better, he never could really let go of it. The more power you have the more power you crave. King Lhotun obviously had too much power for the regional kingdoms to bear, so they rebelled against him. Quite simple if you look at it from a political point of view.

The capital was a rather big town. It was quite smaller than Sentinel though but bigger than any other town I had seen before. The seal of the order that was etched on my cuirass was concealed by a cloak and so were the seals of the knights under my command. I didn't want someone to see that knights from Sentinel had arrived to settle affairs with Santaki. The palace was not a big or tall building, it was merely three storeys high. I could see an open balcony leading to the throne room at the last floor. There were also knights of the Hawk standing guard near the palace. Even though they came from an issolated kingdom such as Santaki those knights looked fierce.

Once we reached the gate of the palace, a knight stopped us to ask us of our business with their king. I didn't exactly think of an excuse on the way so I had to improvise.
"We come from Sentinel to bring word on King Lhotun's movements." I said in an official tone.

"Sentinel eh? Why do you have to bring the news to the King personally? I thought that sir Greklith was in charge of intelligence." the knight said with a suspicious voice. He was also constantly looking at my knights who were behind me.

"Our duties are to transmit this information to his Majesty personally." I said, trying to keep the lie going. He seemed to believe me.

"Very well then. If the King specificaly required that you meet him I won't interfere. Carry on!" the guard said as he opened the gate. How polite of him! I'm sure that he will be pounding his head after I slay his treacherous king.

A few minutes later we were standing in front of the king of Santaki. He was a man close to old age with a small beard and long, flowing, hair. He looked at me and my men with his brown eyes and asked what my business was in Santaki. He seemed confused and I felt sorry to slay him because he looked like an innocent man.

"What is your business in Santaki, travellers?" the king asked.

"We come from Sentinel with news and counsel." I said, with a soft tone that calmed him down a little.

"Counsel? What counsel? I think I can handle my own kingdom, despite my advancing age." the king said with a hostile voice. Alright so he didn't like advice. It wasn't as if he had much choice when it came to the advice I was about to give him.

"King Lhotun of Sentinel advises you to lay down your outrageous claims and slanders against him. He also advises you that uprisings are very dangerous for men of advanced age such as your fine self." I said in a cold voice.

"Men as myself? King Lhotun now mocks me! I will not lay down my just claims! Hammerfell must be free!" the old king shouted.

"The king of Ephesus had the same opinion regarding the King's counsel. He dissapeared shortly after he made his opinions public and his cousin now peacefuly rules the kingdom. I would not want the same happening to yourself." I said, trying to scare the old king.

"I know why you're here. Lhotun sent his assassins after me. He is a coward not to face me in just battle!" the old king shouted.

"Neither I nor his Majesty see a brave, young King fighting against an old man as a just battle. I think you will agree with our opinions." I said with a sarcastic tone. This man was really pushing my indulgence to the very limit.

"Your king is a filthy coward! And so are his men!" the old man shouted.

Before the old king could say another word he fell down on the floor. His throat was pierced by a small dart. Blood started flowing shortly until it reached our feet. Our job was done! Slaying old men with darts really wasn't my style but at least it payed well, well enough to manage the estate that Lord Vhosek left me. Before the guards could react we were already outside the palace and into the crowded streets of the city.

Once we reached the gatehouse, one of the knights under my command entered as the others, myself included, exited the city. Shortly after, the guard inside the gathehouse fell out of a small window. The knight inside had done his job well. He was more lightly armoured than the rest of us and he was adept in sneaking around and stabbing people when they weren't looking. He then fired a flaming arrow into the sky. The army waiting for us outside soon stormed the town with the gates open. The town guards and even the knights of the Hawk surrendered once they saw what was pouring through their open gates. The King would be pleased to hear of my actions, conquering a town without any loses and slaying a king without anyone noticing. Being an assassin though, didn't quite fit me. I lusted for the thrill of battle again. I had not fought anyone since Vhosek's rebellion. I had to return to Sentinel to report my deeds and receive my rewards anyway. I wonder what Marshal Daron has to say? I had not spoken with him since the days of the rebellion and I was anxious to speak with him again.


~~~
That's it for the start of the chapter! I've followed advice and have used spaces between dialogue lines, tell me if you like it how it is now or if you liked it more the way it was before.


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Agent Griff
post May 9 2006, 08:43 PM
Post #2


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Joined: 23-February 06
From: Somewhere in Romania



Thanks for the comments guys. School really takes its toll on you after a while and I'm ussualy off homework at 9:30 pm and I consider that pretty late to write. Anyway, for your reading pleasure, here's the update!


~~~
As soon as I was all smeared in sand I entered the arena. All the people of the tribe formed a circle around me and my oponent. I wonder what these people would do to me if I lost? I wasn't going to wait and see though, I was going to win. I wasn't a senior knight of Sentinel for nothings was I? I decided to see the fighting style of my enemy before properly engaging in combat, these dune-dwellers had a funny style of combat. I could see it when the two hunters fought before. A very acrobatic style of fighting in little to no armour at all.

A man who looked like the leader of the tribe gave the signal that the battle could begin. My oponent approached me with slow steps. He was obviously sizing me up like some animal. I let him make the first move and stepped back slowly. It was as a signal to him that I was hesitating. He took the bait and attacked me with all he had. Pretty flamboyant way of fighting if you ask me. See the enemy's weakness, then strike it with all you have. Lord Bridwell fought like that. Lord Bridwell is dead. Pretty good sign of how effective that strategy is isn't it?

Strategies and tactics aside, my oponent lunged at me with his sword aiming for my chest. I quickly dodged by spinning to the side. While I spinned, sand flew off me and hit my oponent in his eyes. I decided to be honourable and let him recouver before continuing the fight. He got angered and threw some sand at me with his feet. Some of it hit me in the eyes and I staggered to get it off. He didn't want to fight fair eh? Well neither did I then!

I stepped towards him and tried the old tactic of the bluff hit to the right and the real hit to the left. My oponent was very skilled when it came to these tactics. He parried my feinted strike when it approached him then quickly changed his stance to parry my second blow. After he parried my second blow, he pushed my blade back to me then advanced to attack me. He came at me with a series of powerful slashes and overhead strikes. I parried and dodged all of them as I ran back. He ran after me, swinging his sword like a mad-man all the time. After he started showing signs of being tired, I deflected one of his blows then pushed into him with my shoulder. He staggered from the impact but I decided to hold my ground and rest from the tiring run. No point keeping on the attack if I myself got tired in the process.

My oponent quickly recovered and stopped for a few moments. It seemed he started thinking for a while.

"I am Frandar Hunding and I shall slay you goblin!" he shouted as he came at me once again. It seemed he really took this stuff seriously.

He came at me with a diagonal slash aiming for the neck but I quickly deflected his blade to the side. He quickly attacked me with another low slash to the feet. I decided to play it acrobatic since I didn't have any armour so I jumped and avoided his blow. He seemed pretty bewildered when that happened.

He soon snapped out of it then attacked me with an overhead strike. I blocked his blade right above my head but he then surprised me. He jumped in the air, almost doing a backflip, and kicked me in the face with his leg. As soon as he fell down, he quickly got up again yet, to his surprise, he had dropped his sword while doing that move. It was close to him so he knelt to grab it. I hit the blade of his sword with all my force and managed to break it. He, however, grabbed it. I laughed. He then came close to me, about the distance of his sword's broken blade. He raised the remains of his sword, the shaft and the hilt, then pointed it towards my neck. I better grasped the hilt of my scimitar, not knowing what the dune-dweller would do next.

I was completely surprised when out of the broken hilt of his sword, a surreal blade came out and just about reached my neck. It was glowing wildly like it was a pure enchantment.

"What summoned blade is this?" I asked, bewildered, as I raised my hands and dropped my scimitar.

"It is no summoned blade outsider, we do not use your trickeries. It is the Shehai, the blade that only the purest can have the will to summon. It is of higher essence than any of your blades." the dune-dweller said as he kept the blade to my neck.

"Enough Akbar! You have proven the outsider your skill. MAY THE NEXT FIGHT BEGIN!!!" Khalev yelled as he jumped between us, pushing the ghostly blade away like it was but a mere illusion. He took my hand and guided me out of the sand ring, back to the tent in which I woke up.

"What in Oblivion was that?" I asked in a confused voice.

"It was as Akbar said, the Shehai." Khalev said like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"But what exactly is a Shehai?" I asked, still confused.

"It is hard to explain to one who is not of the order. A Shehai is a sword made with sheer willpower. In a way, like the bound weapons that the mages use. The Shehai is stronger than that. It can be summoned at will if the summoner is skilled enough. Strong emotions are enough to summon the Shehai and it will form out of anything. A master of the Shehai can summon it whenever he pleases, even when he is sleeping." Khalev said as he explained.

"The part with the Shehai I now understand, but who are you people?" I asked, these people weren't dune-dwellers, that was for sure.

"I will have to confess. We are not dune-dwellers. I urge you to keep this a secret if you care for us. We are Ansei, wielders of the Shehai and keepers of the ancient art. We keep our secret safe with us, and teach it to any willing to listen. Please, do not tell of us, it would only bring us trouble and pain." Khalev said with pain in his voice. It was obviously hard for him to confess.

"So you are Ansei? Sword Singers? I knew that the Ansei could be found in their mountain temples, not in the desert. How did you get here?" I inquired. This was sure an interesting find. These people were great warriors, perhaps I could persuade them to join the cause of Sentinel.

"We are a more different group of Ansei. We value our safety and our secrecy, travelling around the desert as if we were a tribe of dune-dwellers is better than staying in those mountains where anyone can find you. Akbar is one of the more proud Ansei in our small camp. I told him countless times not to use the Ansei when outsiders are in the camp. When he feels he is losing a battle, he doesn't hesitate to call the Shehai. You won the battle, Akbar was not allowed to use his Shehai against you. With your proven skill, you can join us and become an Ansei if you wish so." Khalev said.

"I would be honoured to join your order but I have things to do, things to put in order. I have run away from my city like a spoiled child in its time of need and the King most probably has need of me." I said, trying to find an excuse to leave. I really didn't feel ready to abandon all I had achieved and become an Ansei.

"If you so wish. You will never find this camp again so if you wish to become an Ansei, it is now or never. It is, however, your choice and we cannot hold a man against his will. You are free to return to your King and do your duty to him any time you wish. You have also won the right to stay with us if you wish and become an Ansei." Khalev said with slight sadness in his voice. He was dissapointed to see me leave. I had to go back to my city and do my duty to it.

"I am deeply sorry Khalev, but I cannot abandon all that I have achieved. I have to return to my city, and help my Kingdom." I said as I rose.

"We will wish you on your way home Arthago. You have won your place among us and we shall justly remember you." Khalev said as he also got up.

After taking my farewells from everyone, I was on my way through the desert. The harsh and never-ending desert. At first I advanced with a good pace. At some parts in the journey I even started running to get back to Sentinel quicker. As night began to fall, I could see the truth however. I had most probably went on the wrong way and got lost. Just my luck. I slowly trudged through the sand as I felt more tired with each passing step. I needed to sleep but I had to get to Sentinel! I looked around for any landmarks, nothing! I slowly laid down on the sand and started looking at the stars. I could even make out some signs, like the Mage or the Atronach. At one point, the stars even started moving. It was beautiful. I soon realised that I was halucinating because of fatigue. Without my will, I fell asleep like a rock.

The next day, I was awoken by the harsh sun. I could however see some mountains north of my position. I decided to head in the direction of the mountains. Sentinel was close to some mountains, in a hilly area on the coast. I figured that if I'd follow the path to the mountains I'd find Sentinel. It seemed like a good plan. As the mid-day sun hovered across me, I could feel that it was everything but a good plan. The mountains seemed to run from me as the sun scroched my skin. Why did I have to leave the Ansei camp? I was perfectly well there. I could have even become an Ansei myself! I had to leave. Marshall Daron was right. I really am a bore, too afraid to live the moment and try any new things. I should have left my past behind me then and there. I didn't and the scorching sun reminded me of this constantly.

It would be a long way back to Sentinel...


~~~
That's it for this scorching update! I seem to have something with being alone in the desert don't I? I hope you liked it anyway.


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Posts in this topic
Agent Griff   The adventures of Arthago chapter III   Apr 25 2006, 04:09 PM
Tellie   M_mm....I liked it. And interestign start, and I ...   Apr 25 2006, 04:24 PM
Agent Griff   I can tell you that Arathor of Athay will appear i...   Apr 25 2006, 04:46 PM
jack cloudy   It's a good start. So Arthago doesn't quit...   Apr 25 2006, 07:00 PM
minque   Very good Griffie! I really like you to write ...   Apr 25 2006, 08:32 PM
DarkHunter   Very Interesting! :goodjob: I expect you to wr...   Apr 26 2006, 04:11 PM
Kiln   Great work here Griff, this part was well written ...   Apr 26 2006, 08:53 PM
Agent Griff   Sorry for not writing in some time. School has beg...   Apr 29 2006, 10:16 AM
jack cloudy   Oh, now I can understand his rage. Rage is what se...   Apr 29 2006, 10:43 AM
minque   Hmmm Cat-killer huh? Anyway very good description ...   Apr 30 2006, 09:30 PM
Agent Griff   Sorry for letting you wait this long but school ha...   May 5 2006, 05:52 PM
jack cloudy   One huge plot twist and nicely made. I've told...   May 5 2006, 08:07 PM
Taillus   Now that was amazing! Character development is...   May 6 2006, 04:30 PM
minque   Really very good Griffie! As Taillus said char...   May 6 2006, 09:10 PM
Agent Griff   I'm glad you all liked this chapter and I...   May 7 2006, 09:30 AM
jack cloudy   Heh, when that old guy first showed up, I thought ...   May 7 2006, 10:28 AM
Agent Griff   Yeah, it was kinda strange. Anyway, I think you al...   May 7 2006, 11:16 AM
jack cloudy   You asked and you shall receive. About the goblin ...   May 8 2006, 08:46 PM
Kiln   That last bit was rather different from what I exp...   May 9 2006, 06:30 PM
jack cloudy   Very nice update and a nice fight. Hmm, this Sheha...   May 9 2006, 09:01 PM
DarkHunter   Excellent! Once again you prove the worth of S...   May 10 2006, 12:24 AM
minque   Ahhh the Shehai....wonderful, it reminds me of our...   May 10 2006, 06:57 PM
Mazelure   Kudos indeed... by the way I really like the sheh...   May 10 2006, 09:51 PM
Agent Griff   I've finally decided to continue my fan fictio...   Jun 3 2006, 09:18 AM
Tellie   Wohoo...more Arthago, I liked the update, and your...   Jun 3 2006, 11:07 AM
jack cloudy   Ah, more Arthago. Yes, this is very appreciated. K...   Jun 3 2006, 02:00 PM
Agent Griff   An Alpha release of the mod I'm working on and...   Jul 6 2006, 03:13 PM
jack cloudy   Oh, good to see that you're back. Don't wo...   Jul 6 2006, 03:25 PM
Agent Griff   Now that was quick. :P Anyway, Arthago is turning...   Jul 6 2006, 03:55 PM
jack cloudy   Well I hope he does. he doesn't seem to notice...   Jul 6 2006, 09:34 PM
The Metal Mallet   I'm excited to see this back and running again...   Jul 6 2006, 10:42 PM
Agent Griff   Here's another update to everyone's favour...   Jul 12 2006, 09:04 PM
Tellie   I'll wait...please Griffie, dont let it be so ...   Jul 12 2006, 09:14 PM
Agent Griff   Oh it won't be long until next time. Well, unt...   Jul 12 2006, 09:18 PM
jack cloudy   Hmm, let's see. Knowing Lhotun, disobeying him...   Jul 12 2006, 09:30 PM
minque   Ahhh......nice to see this one´s continuing.....as...   Jul 12 2006, 09:44 PM
The Metal Mallet   Dun dun dunnnn indeed. I eagerly anticipate the n...   Jul 12 2006, 11:26 PM
Agent Griff   The conclusion to this controversial chapter and t...   Jul 13 2006, 08:25 AM
jack cloudy   Lhotunic? That Lhotun is a lunatic. Geez, he shoul...   Jul 13 2006, 08:38 AM
Agent Griff   It might come as a surprise to you but the Lhotuni...   Jul 13 2006, 09:14 AM
Tellie   Ah...tyrannic honoured user he is....still, he is ...   Jul 13 2006, 04:12 PM
Agent Griff   Okay, sorry for the long delay but it seems I...   Aug 16 2006, 08:01 AM
jack cloudy   Wow, he's sure turned into one nasty swordfigh...   Aug 16 2006, 10:13 AM
The Metal Mallet   Impressive tavern fight. Wonderfully written so i...   Aug 16 2006, 05:05 PM
minque   Ohhh......great writing here, you truly have talen...   Aug 20 2006, 04:12 PM
Agent Griff   I decided to continue the Adventures of Arthago si...   Sep 22 2007, 04:18 PM
jack cloudy   Hmm, a nice update that was long overdue. Good stu...   Sep 23 2007, 04:11 PM
Agent Griff   Tis' the next update. Enjoy! ~~~ As I mad...   Sep 23 2007, 08:06 PM
The Metal Mallet   Glad to see the continuation of this story once ag...   Sep 23 2007, 10:43 PM
Agent Griff   Well, real life politics are never interesting sin...   Sep 24 2007, 07:51 PM
jack cloudy   Philosophy-heavy? Gosh, I loved it! The way y...   Sep 24 2007, 08:30 PM
Agent Griff   Well, to be honest, I love writing a fan fic which...   Sep 24 2007, 08:36 PM
minque   What he said! A touch of philosophy never hurt...   Sep 24 2007, 09:40 PM
The Metal Mallet   Exactly what minque and jack said, little philosop...   Sep 25 2007, 01:32 AM
Agent Griff   Well, I'm actually a big fan of philosophy and...   Sep 25 2007, 09:03 PM
The Metal Mallet   Ah, cutthroats, will they ever learn? Oh, and wha...   Sep 26 2007, 08:25 AM
jack cloudy   A better safe than sorry attitude we have here. Fo...   Sep 27 2007, 08:28 PM
Agent Griff   The next part, enjoy! ~~~ I woke up early the...   Oct 5 2007, 08:21 PM
The Metal Mallet   Ah Beomir, he's quite the character. His anti...   Oct 6 2007, 07:29 AM
Agent Griff   Arthago is on his way to Rihad, not to Taneth. Tan...   Oct 6 2007, 10:49 AM
The Metal Mallet   Right, right. Gimme a break, I read your update a...   Oct 6 2007, 07:36 PM
jack cloudy   A who is the best warrior guy discussion. Man, peo...   Oct 6 2007, 10:02 PM
Agent Griff   Do not worry Mallet, you are forgiven. Oh, one thi...   Oct 7 2007, 09:30 PM
The Metal Mallet   Well to answer your question Griff, Simion Mandrak...   Oct 8 2007, 09:54 PM
jack cloudy   What Mallet said. I just love how Arthago treats t...   Oct 9 2007, 07:49 PM
mplantinga   Just thought I'd say that someday, I hope to g...   Oct 11 2007, 11:41 PM
Agent Griff   You will have quite some catching up to do Planty....   Oct 15 2007, 07:13 PM
jack cloudy   Ok, I surrender! You want a longer reply? Then...   Oct 15 2007, 08:28 PM
Agent Griff   Wow! This post has made me feel much more acco...   Oct 15 2007, 08:34 PM
jack cloudy   Oasis 2 is...how should I put this? Well basicall...   Oct 15 2007, 08:41 PM
mplantinga   I'm finally all caught up, and I'm glad th...   Oct 16 2007, 07:52 PM
The Metal Mallet   Solid update as usual. Jack basically touched on ...   Oct 18 2007, 06:43 AM
Agent Griff   Here's the next part of Arthago's tale. En...   Oct 21 2007, 01:26 PM
mplantinga   It's good to see the plan being put into actio...   Oct 22 2007, 03:38 PM
jack cloudy   Nice, very nice. There is only one thing I keep w...   Oct 22 2007, 09:28 PM
The Metal Mallet   Now comes the very important stuff. I'm still...   Oct 25 2007, 06:17 AM
Agent Griff   After a rather long hiatus, Arthago's adventur...   Jan 16 2008, 05:06 PM
jack cloudy   Woah, that was quite something. Arthago and Beomir...   Jan 16 2008, 11:07 PM
The Metal Mallet   Another revival of this thing, great!   Jan 17 2008, 09:19 AM
Agent Griff   Another update my dear readers. As some of you may...   Feb 4 2008, 04:04 PM
The Metal Mallet   It was a good size for what you wrote. I love the...   Feb 5 2008, 07:14 AM
Agent Griff   A swift update to surprise you. ~~~ The warm sand...   Feb 5 2008, 03:11 PM
jack cloudy   Argonian to the rescue! Oh yea, big bad lizard...   Feb 5 2008, 03:42 PM
Agent Griff   Well, I did say they were mercenaries right? If th...   Feb 5 2008, 07:38 PM
Agent Griff   Here's the latest update. I hope my dear reade...   Feb 7 2008, 05:55 PM
The Metal Mallet   Definitely a solid pair of updates Griff. I reall...   Feb 8 2008, 07:49 AM
jack cloudy   Goody. I love that scaly fisherman already! :D...   Feb 12 2008, 10:10 AM
Agent Griff   No, he fit on whatever parts he could (realistical...   Feb 12 2008, 05:06 PM
Agent Griff   After some absence I return once more! Enjoy t...   Mar 10 2008, 07:45 PM
jack cloudy   I liked the fight, honestly. Mostly because of how...   Mar 11 2008, 08:14 AM
Agent Griff   Peanuts, my friends! ~~~ After saying my fare...   Mar 12 2008, 08:26 PM
jack cloudy   That was interesting. Though it does raise questi...   Mar 12 2008, 08:37 PM
Agent Griff   I'm glad you liked the last update and the int...   Mar 13 2008, 08:32 PM
Marcel Rhodes   That was it for this chapter which introduces Riha...   Mar 14 2008, 07:45 PM
jack cloudy   Woot, lots of information in this one. That inform...   Mar 15 2008, 10:47 AM
Agent Griff   I seem to have another reader. Great. As to what y...   Mar 15 2008, 09:29 PM
The Metal Mallet   Sorry about the delay in replying to this story. ...   Mar 17 2008, 01:27 AM


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