Princes of the Night - Chapter 1 Options

[Fuzzy Knight]

Princes of the Night - Chapter 1

First part of Princes of the Night as I'm currently writing, I'm very sure I'll edit the story as I write more. But I hope u like the little I've written here... I'm no great guy in writing, and neither do I know much about Morrowind Lore, but I'll learn as I write I hope!

Sylvan approached the huge wooden door, the little beam of the light shined through. He was moving slow as he didn't want to be spotted by the Dunmers, all he could see was a huge table. It was covered with food and drink, not far away was two figures - Dunmers, he could only see they were wearing robes as the bright light from the fire place made it hard to point out detail.

Sylvan stayed low as a third figure came in, they started talked, and they seemed calm. Sylvan could see how one of them handed out a scroll to the two others. They red through it together, before looking up. They started talking about the scroll, as Sylvan could understand. Then they left the room, and then it appeared a body that Sylvan hadn't been able to see. Looked like a Redguard. Sylvan slowly pressed his fingers between the gap and opened the door slowly, giving him just enough room to look out. He could see an open door to the left of him, hearing the Dunmers talking.

Sylvan looked back at the open window he had climbed through. 'Should I go back' he thought to himself, he sat down away from the door. He closed his eyes focusing on hearing what the Dunmers said. Sylvan didn’t know what was going on, but it was a murder. Sylvan looked out again, the Redguards face looked stoned, almost as he had seen some kind of ghost. The Redguards eyes, totally white almost glowing. His hands holding on his heart, squeezing hard. Sylvan tried to hear of what the Dunmer’s was talking about in the other room, he could go out of the room and into the main hall with the dead Redguard, but he was to afraid. Sylvan wasn’t the person to easily get afraid after wandering around in Morrowind meeting all kind of creatures. But something about these Dunmer’s gave him a chilling feeling.

Sylvan once again turned back as he looked into the white eyes of the Redguard, he took his hands and rubbed his face. Sylvan just sat there, looking out the open window where he came from, the stars was glowing tonight. Sylvan then heard footsteps, the three Dunmer’s came out of the room into the mail hall flocking around the dead Redguard. One of them sat down, reaching out his hand at his wound and he took out a dagger. The flame looking blade was totally red from the blood. He nodded and they took off against Sylvan, Sylvan held on to his scimitar as they closed up against his door, Sylvan tried to push out the courage he had. Before the Dunmer’s turned walking up the stairs to the right of the door. He could see how the dust came falling from the ceiling as the Dunmer’s walked around on the 2nd floor.

Sylvan took the opportunity and ran out of the room; his shift movement didn’t make much noise as he approached the Redguard. He leaned over, scanning the table. He spotted the scroll; he grabbed it opening it at the spot. He tried to read it, but it was some kind of ancient runes or something that Sylvan didn’t understand. Sylvan took the pencil and sheet on the table and started writing it down, in his hurry he missed some letters as he heard the footsteps started coming against the stairs. He saw the legs of the Dunmer’s coming down the stairs slowly, Sylvan threw himself back running against the storage room.

He leaped into the piles of barrels and boxes, peeking between two small barrels as the Dunmer’s came around the table where Sylvan just stood. He could see them more clearly now, their faces looked quite normal for an old Dunmer. But it was emotionless, their eyes was totally red and looked out into nothing. Sylvan started thinking of the scariest things as he sat there. Sylvan sat there, looking at the Dunmer’s as they searched the house. In the end they left, leaving the Redguard behind and taking some old scrolls and books.

The next day Sylvan reported it to the Imperial Guards, they soon searched the house. Sylvan was currently left out as they looked through the house. All they had was Sylvan’s story and a dead Redguard. They didn’t take Sylvan’s story that serious, they saw it as another murder – Not by mindless possessed Dunmer’s as Sylvan’s story almost pointed out. As sundown came the guards had nothing, no one had seen anything.
Only Sylvan. Sylvan took it in his own hands for now, the Dunmer liked challenges, but he didn’t want to dig to deep into his murder. Something about those Dunmer’s haunted him at night. The people in little Caldera is mostly nice, even as over the years it had been built out and taken in more civilians. But Sylvan knew one thing, and that was that the Redguard was trader and he had a shop not far from his house in Caldera’s main street.

As the sun disappeared behind the mountains giving room for the moons and stars Sylvan sneaked in the cover of night into the Redguards shop. It was dark, Sylvan stopped a lantern on the desk. The light brightened up the room, showing off the dust and even rust on some of the weapons, he had been away from this place a while – a lone while Sylvan knew. He searched through the book cases and boxes off equipment, but he didn’t find anything useful. The still saw in front of him the Redguard and the Dunmer’s and how he might have been killed. But, in the corner behind the desk the lantern revealed a little wooden box. It was locked, the iron lock wasn’t an easy task to get up at least not for Sylvan.

After a while of searching Sylvan found a key. The old, rusty iron key fitted in the keyhole. Sylvan slowly opened it. ‘What could it be’ he thought as it appeared a little pouch of Netch skin. He took it up, it wasn’t any heavy but not so light. He untied it and opened it, it appeared a long green crystal. It reflected the light from the lantern, lighting up the whole room in green. The fine crystal trapped Sylvan’s eyes as he looked at it, and touched it. ‘This most have worth a fortune!” Sylvan thought as he putted into the pouch and into his sack hanging by his left hip. But the crystal was hiding more then Sylvan could have ever known...

[Fuzzy Knight]

The next morning as the sun hit the highest top of the buildings in Caldera, the fog sneaking up the mountains soon to disappear. It had rained some as Sylvan noticed when he stepped out, the air was fresh. The streets mostly crowed after it was a Trademeet in Caldera, where the streets started to get filled by traders. They came from all over Morrowind with exotic weaponry and equipment, Sylvan had been looking for some new armor, as the only exotic item he had was the scimitar he got during his party raid on a cavern outside of Vvardenfell. The scimitars fine edges and runes, gleaming in the morning sun as Sylvan held it up…

“It’s a nice scimitar you have there young Dunmer” a voice said to Sylvan, as it appeared a quiet big Imperial out from the shadows of the street. He looked quiet noble with his fine robe with golden outsides and fine dark red silk. He had no hair only a little tattoo on his left cheek, quite unusual Sylvan thought, as the trader looked at Sylvan’s scimitar.

“Well it’s not on sale!” Sylvan demanded putting down his scimitar, hiding it inside his cloak. He looked up at the trader. “Was there anything else? I have some important things to do” Sylvan said and started walking.

Sylvan walked up to the Redguards trade house, he thought he could take another look now. He opened the unlocked door into the house, and we were supprised. It looked like it had been a raid; all things were thrown out on the floor, books, and boxes broke open. Sylvan reached for his belt where the pouch with the crystal was. ‘Could it be?’ Sylvan thought to himself, getting all confused. In a way he was also scared, knowing that it could have been the Dunmer’s that was maybe looking for something important. But Sylvan was naive, not thinking the Dunmer’s would be after such a little thing as this green crystal, he thought while looking at in his hand. The place was quiet dark; the house was hidden behind the much larger houses in Caldera and didn’t see much of the light. Sylvan looked around for the lantern, but in the end he found it on the floor, totally broken.

Sylvan was about to head out, when he heard something behind him. He closed his eyes for a second, feeling a cold sting in the back of his neck.

“What are you doing here Dunmer?” a calm but dark voice whispered into Sylvan’s ear, demanding an answer. Sylvan was totally frozen, but tried to stay calm as he slowly reached for his scimitar. He tried to peek to the sides without moving his head, but not to see only but darkness.

“I’m… I was looking for the trader here, the Redguard” Sylvan replied, tried to seem as natural as possible. As he slowly touched his scimitar, and grabbed it.

“You’re lying, now tell me. What are you doing here, and what are you doing with that crystal” the voice replied getting more demanding for a answer by Sylvan pushing the edge of the blade deeper into Sylvan’s neck, almost making him bleed. Sylvan had his scimitar ready, he looked down.

Just as he heard the voice was about to speak again Sylvan threw his cloak around in the attackers face before bowing down drawing his scimitar, using the back edge to trip the attacker. The attacker was a Redguard, but in a flash he jumped up from his back holding his katana ready. He had a dark bluish leather armor, and looked like a real rogue or a dualer of some kind not wearing not much equipment but a belt with some pouches. He was a young Redguard Sylvan could see while looking into his eyes awaiting an attack.

“You’re not one of them…” the Redguard said confused after a while of standing ready. The Redguard slowly pointed his katana down at the floor, as he looked strange at Sylvan.

“One of whom? Do you mean those, those Dunmer’s!?” Sylvan was getting even more confused then the Redguard. He lowered his scimitar, but didn’t take a chance to put it down. He also held quite hard on to the crystal as he moved it and hooked it on his belt.

“Yes. Those Dunmer’s attacked me a couple of days ago while I was leaving the mainland to Vvardenfell. I didn’t know what they were after, until I heard the rumors of a Redguard killed here in Caldera – My brother” the Redguard admitted, almost felling a tear. But he lifted up his head, and stared into Sylvan’s eyes. “I don’t know what they want, but they are looking for something. The only thing I thought of was our crystal…” The Redguard said, before taking his katana back.

“Well… What are you going to do with it, and what are you going to do against those Dunmer’s?” Sylvan asked backing a little off against the door.

“You don’t need to know anymore Dunmer. It’s something with my family and my faction. Now, you can either give me the crystal and I will let you go, or you will die” the Redguard said into Sylvan’s face trying to intimidate him.

Sylvan still had his scimitar ready, as he thought over what to do. He wanted to know more, it had been quite a while since he had been on an adventure after the loss of his friends. Sylvan neither wanted to trust the Redguard. Sylvan knew if it came to combat he would fast end it before the Redguard had drawn his katana.

“You can either let me in on this, telling me more or you wont get your crystal back” Sylvan said calmly as he looked down on his ring of invisibility.

The Redguard leaped to the side out of range for Sylvan’s scimitar, and fast he drew his katana. He held it close as he move around Sylvan trying to get on his flank. Sylvan held his scimitar out, before he lunged at the Redguard, slashing out against his chest. The Redguard held out his katana, not even the enchanted edge of Sylvan’s scimitar broke the katana. The Redguard leaped up into the air for a counter attack going down hard with a slash. Sylvan threw himself to the right, before he activated the ring of invisibility. In a flash Sylvan disappeared in front of the Redguards eyes, he slashed around himself for a while, but he knew he was gone by the end he stopped.

Sylvan had sneaked out, he didn’t know what to do now. He didn’t know if the Redguard was friendly or working with the Dunmer’s. He sneaked into the crowd of people already out in the streets, he needed to push his way forward almost leaping over their heads to reach the Alchemist in the end of the street.