I am Lena Wolf, Lena's life as it happens Options

[Lena Wolf]

Nice job of painting Phillida's last moments.

Thank you, Acadian! This is how I played it. Cloak and dagger. Illusion and Alchemy are great schools of magic.

[Lena Wolf]

17 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Leyawiin Sanctuary, a prelude

"I see you still honour Arkay" - Lucien joined Lena on a pew in the chapel in Leyawiin. "Phillida?"

Lena nodded. They sat quietly for a while.

"Any news?" - Lena asked.

"Not yet, but we need to warn Fenris."

"Let's go."

...

"Mistress! You have returned" - Fenris kneeled before Lena as she entered the Leyawiin Sanctuary. Then, remembering that she had told him not to kneel, he looked up but didn't rise. Lucien stood behind Lena.

"Hello Fenris, good to see you" - said Lena, lifting Fenris up by the shoulders. "You look well." She smiled at him.

"You will find poisons in the chest, and I have been learning making potions too" - said Fenris, glancing at Lucien sideways. "I shall prepare dinner for you."

She let him leave.

"I like what you've done with the place" - said Lucien, looking around. "Much better than the way it was on my last visit." He smiled. His last visit was over two centuries ago - when the Dark Brotherhood came for the Crimson Scars and he killed Lena's great-uncle.

...

They came into the dining hall just as Fenris was dressing the table. He kept his head low and was shooting sideways glances at Lucien.

"Fenris, this is Lucien Lachance, my Speaker and friend" - said Lena.

Fenris froze, looking into Lucien's face, now that Lucien had removed his hood.

"I believe we've met before" - said Lucien. "You were one of the young recruits that escaped right after our first visit. We never found you again."

"Until now..." - Fenris' voice sounded hoarse.

"Oh, I've known about your existence for a long time already, do not worry" - Lucien smiled. "You have been absolved."

Fenris relaxed, then dropped to his knees before Lena again.

"Thank you, Mistress - I know this is your doing."

Lena looked at Lucien in exasperation, then lifted up Fenris by the shoulders again.

"I told you not to worry" - she said. "With Rowley Eardwulf's death Purification has been completed. Please - let us have dinner. There is something we need to tell you, Fenris."

They sat down for dinner and Lena told Fenris that an assassin had been making inquiries about her - with unknown intentions. Fenris looked shocked.

"It is quite possible that they will come here looking for documents or anything else that they think they could use" - said Lucien. "How are your fighting skills, Fenris? That assassin is skilled."

"I can fight" - Fenris looked up. "Although I shall have to practice" - he looked into the distance. "It has been over a century since my last job, but I am still a vampire" - he smiled. "I shall go slightly hungry to sharpen my reflexes."

"Good" - Lucien nodded. "One of our Brothers will join you - Teinaava, and..." - he put an enchanted dagger before Fenris - "this might help, too."

"Paralysis?" - Fenris touched the dagger.

"Indeed" - Lucien smiled. "If you can capture the intruder instead of killing her, it would be ideal. Yes, we believe it is a woman, but at this point it is still just a suspicion. We could be wrong. Be careful - she is not after you, but she won't hesitate to kill."

"I shall be discrete" - Fenris smiled, clipping the dagger to his belt.

...

"The main entrance to the Sanctuary is under water" - Lena turned to Lucien after dinner. "Was it like that when you were here last?"

"No, it must have sunk later." He looked into the water, barely making out the door. "But don't you have another pool here too?"

"Indeed" - Lena smiled, leading him to the purifying pool with a salt formation next to it. "We don't need the salts but the pool itself is quite nice for regular bathing. And Fenris stays away from it like from the plague" - she winked.

"Well then" - Lucien closed the door. "We should test the waters."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:15 PM

[Lena Wolf]

18-21 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Phillida's message - Imp hunting - A letter from Hauk

"I shall return to Cheydinhal" - said Lucien during breakfast at the Leyawiin Sanctuary. "Teinaava should arrive here today, then all we need to do is wait. He will return to Cheydinhal once an intruder has been caught. Fenris will be able to keep her subdued after that, I trust?" - he looked at Lena with a question.

"Never fear" - Lena smiled. "Fenris will need to feed after a fight like that, especially since he'll go hungry before it. Have you not seen how much blood Vicente keeps in store?"

"Very well, then there is nothing to do here for us until then" - Lucien nodded. "What are your plans now?"

"Imperial City - Phillida job is not quite finished yet" - she winked. "Then Chorrol Fighters Guild, then wherever they send me, but I suspect it will be Bravil."

"Good, makes it easier to send word when it's time."

19 Mid-Year

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" - the new Commander of the Imperial Watch opened his desk first thing in the morning and saw a finger with Phillida's signet ring where he expected to find his inkwell. He poked the finger with his quill. "Disgusting."

He looked around, making sure no one had seen him, then, without touching the finger, he rolled it off his desk with a couple of quills, dropping everything into a basket and covering with crumpled bits of parchment.

"Yuck!" - he shivered. "But I get the message!" - he told someone unseen. "I have just as much desire to touch you people as I like to touch that finger!"

The door to the Imperial Legion Offices opened and closed silently, although no one was seen to go in or out.

...

"He quit, did he?!" - Modryn Oreyn was livid as Lena brought him the news of Maglir's switch to the Blackwood Company. "We took him in when no one else would, and this is how he repays us!! Unbelievable!"

"Not so unbelievable" - Lena thought to herself, as it was out of the question to actually say anything to Oreyn right now. "Maglir had been trouble from the start - my trouble!"

"Well, you'll have to fulfil his contract" - Oreyn looked at Lena angrily. "Don't just stand there, go to Bravil Mages Guild and see what they wanted! Now!!"

Lena turned around and left without another word. It appeared that fire-breathing dragons were back in Cyrodiil too.

...

"Imp gall! I need imp gall!" - Aryarie was pacing the Guild Hall nervously. "I am stuck because of this damned Fighters Guild!"

"Ah, it must be her" - Lena thought, entering the hall. "Aryarie, I'm here on behalf of the Fighters Guild" - Lena said to her with a smile. "Was it imp gall that you wanted?"

"Yes! Finally!" - Aryarie turned around, she did think the voice was familiar. "Oh! Warlock... sorry, didn't realise you were with the Fighters Guild too..." - she blushed a bit. "But I am rather stuck, so if you don't mind..."

"Of course" - Lena beamed at her. "Imp gall it is." She turned to leave, then changed her mind. "For some reason once you pass Conjurer, the Mages Guild stops paying you for your work."

She walked off, leaving Aryarie seriously doubting her ambitions to make Magician.

20 Mid-Year

Hunting imps was a breeze, even if it did take all day. Lena took it steady and slow, taking care to extract the gall carefully, and to check for any chests along the way - caves like that were often used by smugglers. The chests didn't disappoint, and there was even a minotaur to play with.

"I'll need to remember this cave" - Lena thought to herself. "Lots of imps in here, and they will be back, no doubt."

Aryarie was delighted with the imp gall, even more so because Lena actually knew how to cut it out without destroying it and how to keep it fresh.

...

"I have a letter for you" - an out-of-breath courier stopped her as she was leaving the Mages Guild. "Something I'm supposed to deliver... Let's see now..." - he fumbled in his bag. "Oh - here, marked 'urgent'!" He handed her a sealed parchment. "Well, better be off!"

"But - who is it from?" - Lena cried after him, but he only waved and disappeared around the corner. "Hmmm..." - Lena thought, breaking the seal. Something told her, it wasn't good news.

If you are reading this, I have been taken into Boethia's Realm. It is unlikely that I will return. It has been a privilege to walk with you. Goodbye.
-Hauk

"No!" - Lena's first reaction was to panic, but she steadied herself, folded the parchment and went home. "Think it over first, something isn't right."

Lena thought the letter sounded strange, not quite how Hauk would put it. Her first instinct was that this was a trap, so the thing to do was to go to the Imperial City to look for him. Lena decided to leave right away, even though Roach disliked travelling at night. She arrived before sunrise and went straight to the Bastion, but the guards told her that she had to wait for the morning. She checked his house and most taverns to pass the time - she didn't really expect to find him, but she couldn't sleep anyway.

21 Mid-Year

In the morning, Hauk was still not around, and no one at the Legion Offices would tell her anything. "Should have expected that!" - she thought. Yes, he could simply be away on Legion business. Or he could be in Boethia's Realm. Would she take that risk? No, she wouldn't.

Cursing for the lost time, she bought a daedra heart and set off for Boethia's shrine in the Valus Mountains. She approached the statue, the heart in her hand.

"I wish to enter your Realm" - she said.

"Compete in my Tournament, win, then you can roam my Realm" - answered Boethia, opening a portal.

Lena entered without thinking.

The Realm consisted of an arena. There were no prison cells, no changing rooms, no training grounds - and Hauk wasn't there. Perhaps there were other islands in this sea of lava? If so, she could not see any.

"Boethia does not take captives" - her first opponent told her. "We are here to fight - one of each race. If your friend is not among us, he isn't here."

One of each race... She would have to wait for the Nord. And then? What if it was Hauk?

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:16 PM

[macole]

Boethia's quest, at the time I couldn't rationalize doing the sacrifice in order to gain entrance to her realm so I never did this one. Looks like you have a very good reason to perform entrance ritual.

This should be interesting.

[Lena Wolf]

Boethia's quest, at the time I couldn't rationalize doing the sacrifice in order to gain entrance to her realm so I never did this one. Looks like you have a very good reason to perform entrance ritual.

This should be interesting.

I think you might be confusing it with Mephala's or with Skyrim. Here it just required a daedra heart to be brought to the statue - and you're in! (And you had to be at least level 20 to have at least a miniscule chance of surviving it. )

EDIT: Unless of course something else happens. I am just about to touch the statue in the actual game, and I've never done it before!

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Jul 23 2021, 04:25 PM

[macole]

Boethia's quest, at the time I couldn't rationalize doing the sacrifice in order to gain entrance to her realm so I never did this one. Looks like you have a very good reason to perform entrance ritual.

This should be interesting.

I think you might be confusing it with Mephala's or with Skyrim. Here it just required a daedra heart to be brought to the statue - and you're in! (And you had to be at least level 20 to have at least a miniscule chance of surviving it. )

EDIT: Unless of course something else happens. I am just about to touch the statue in the actual game, and I've never done it before!

Yes, I was thinking of the Skyrim Boethia quest.

Either way, it'll be fun to revisit this one.

[Lena Wolf]

21 Mid-Year, 4E202 - The Tournament of Ten Bloods

An arena lay before Lena. She would fight one of each race, and hope that the Nord was not Hauk. Boethia's Chosen... Hauk did not worship Boethia, but he did have the mace of Molag Bal - may be this was Boethia's revenge?

"Focus on the fight" - she told herself, brushing these thoughts aside. "The first one is an elf - definitely not Hauk. Survive!"

The elf made short work of Lena's clannfear - he was a mage... and a fighter... the worst kind. Lena went down twice...

"Focus!" - she told herself angrily. "There's nine of them still to come! You won't get far this way!"

Nine or ten - she wasn't sure whether she'd have to fight a Breton or not. It didn't matter.

Lena wasn't a warrior, she was a stealth assassin preferring ranged attacks from cover. There was no cover here - this tournament would be her death. Unless...

Coming to, she wasted no time summoning another clannfear. It wouldn't be deadly, but it was fast and charged the elf, giving Lena an opening. She poisoned her blade, cloaked and crept from behind...

"What?!" - the elf spun around in surprise, feeling the wound, sensing his life energy ebbing away, with great fatigue taking over his body. "Where..?"

"...is she?" - Lena finished his sentence in her mind while her clannfear delivered the final blow. The elf couldn't heal fast enough.

"One down..." - Lena thought going through his pockets and picking up healing potions. She would be needing those.

There was no time to rest. Lena's boots were shattered already, so she kicked them off and pulled on a pair of shoes. Her iron cuirass and grieves were weakened but still held, and of course nothing could break the shielding enchantment... she hoped.

Another elf... a mage. She poisoned her blade again and cloaked, dodging the shock spells. He was using a staff, so he wouldn't be silenced. His skeleton was engaging the clannfear. "Hero or Champion" - Lena thought, noticing that the clannfear wasn't winning.

Lena crept up behind the mage, came quite close, still cloaked and almost ready to strike, but he sensed her then. "Life detection?" - she thought, but it didn't matter, invisibility was not going to work. She lunged with her sword.

"Aauww!" - the elf spun around, a warhammer in his hands.

"How..?" - Lena caught herself - "Don't stop to wonder!" He was a battlemage. Dodge, lunge, paralyse, apply more poison...

It wasn't a fair fight, but you didn't get points for fairness.

"Eighty six healing potions!" - Lena went through his pockets once he was down. "This explains the robes - and the noise he was making. Well, they didn't help..." She didn't take the potions - she had enough of her own, and didn't want to be slowed down by all the extra weight.

An Imperial... a Khajiit... a Nord... Lena was hit, poisoned and burned, but her poisoned blade always found its mark. Her armour was all but shattered now, but the enchantment still held. There was no time for repairs.

"A Nord?" - she looked into the face of a young woman she just defeated. A wave of relief washed over her - it wasn't Hauk. So... this was a trap. She wasn't done yet, there were more opponents to come. How many? She lost count.

"I am disappointed" - she heard Boethia's voice. "She was quick and strong, I shall miss her."

"What?" - Lena turned around, but of course Boethia wasn't showing his face. "Oh" - she looked at the Nord girl again. "He must have liked her... I wonder if this means that things will get tougher from now..."

It did. The next opponent was an Orc. She dispatched Lena's clannfear in a single hit, and when Lena tried paralysis, the spell was absorbed. The Orc retaliated - and Lena went down, over and over again. What now? Vanish and Heal potion bought Lena a little time, but the Orc had fully healed herself by then. "Dessos" - Lena thought, preparing to summon her dremora. She needed cover to apply poison again - twice or three times, and of different kinds.

The fight was fierce, and Dessos was banished twice, but in the end the Orc could not heal fast enough, with three poisons ravaging her body. She died, but not before Lena was bruised and cut beyond simple healing.

"Whoever said that axes were blunt, never felt one on their own flesh" - she thought, wincing at the pain. She gulped down another potion - it took the edge off the pain and made her feel stronger, but she wasn't fooled. Lena's wounds were deep, it seemed she could not stop the bleeding, not all of it, anyway. Yet, she still had a long way to go... "Better get on with it - I won't last much longer" - she thought.

A Redguard... Lena could swear the opponents were getting tougher and tougher. His strike was so strong, he paralysed the clannfear, banishing it with the next hit of his mace. Dessos didn't fare much better, although he didn't get banished that fast. Poison seemed to glide off the Redguard's skin doing barely any damage...

"It cannot be!" - Lena thought. "There must be a way..."

No, he had no weakness for Lena to exploit and the fight was wearing her down. But the Redguard was but a man, not a god, with his only weakness being his mortality... The poisons got him in the end - his heart ripping apart as if of electrocution.

"Phew" - Lena sighed, kneeling to check his pockets. "Nothing. You ran out of potions, my friend." She would be soon running out of potions too.

But who was next? Lena didn't see anyone, but summoned a clannfear nonetheless - and saw it burn. An archer. The clannfear charged - and was banished before it could reach its target. She summoned another - the archer had moved and Lena lost him again. A Bosmer? This wasn't a forest, yet he seemed to hide in plain sight. Lena had to be quick. She poisoned her sword, cast life detection and charged.

"Huh?" - the Bosmer was still shooting arrows at the clannfear. But the poison took away his stamina first, and he couldn't lift his heavy battleaxe to get to Lena. The clannfear found him, he banished it with another fire arrow, but Lena had the time to apply more poison onto her blade...

The Bosmer went down with a sigh. She won another battle, but the tournament wasn't over.

Lena was feeling tired. She could barely walk, from pain and exhaustion. She started shivering - how could she be cold on this island surrounded by bubbling lava? Red mist wafted into her vision, black spots started replacing the fires... She would pass out soon... Surely, that would count as a failure, she would be left for dead... No, she could not allow it - there was one more thing she could do. Blood.

Borba's bottled blood cleared away the mist, but Lena was still shivering. Another bottle. She felt warmer. How many more fights were still ahead? Better not be too many, she had no blood left...

"Showing your face here was the last mistake you'll ever make!" - a hoarse voice brought Lena out of her near-stupor. Quick, another opponent!

Lena had barely any strength left, but she willed herself on her feet, summoning her dremora. While Dessos was engaging the opponent - an Argonian - Lena poisoned her blade, flanking her. She hit without conviction - that was the best she could do. She hoped the poison would work... Or would it? Weren't Argonians resistent to such things? Ouch.

The poison didn't do much, but Dessos managed to land a few strikes with his fire-enchanted claymore, and the Argonian tried to run back and put some distance between them, switching to a bow. A single arrow banished Dessos in a cloud of red mist - it was enchanted. "Damage Health and probably everything else for good measure" - Lena thought, shuddering. She summoned a clannfear again - for speed, then hesitated selecting a poison. "Let's try one with an elemental effect" - she thought - "since Influenza Subita didn't do much. Oh, here - Napalm."

She ran up to the Argonian hoping and preying that clannfear would still be holding her opponent's attention - Lena's magicka was nearly out. She hit once or twice, then cloaked with the last of her will, and waited. Would the poison suffice?

She was feeling weak, she could barely stand. She fell to her knees, her armour weighing her down. Red mist was swirling in from all sides again, and darkness closing in... She heard Boethia's voice, but could not make out what he was saying... "...Breton..." Breton? Did he say Breton? So then, she won!..

The darkness closed in and she was gone.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:17 PM

[Acadian]

Wow, what a nailbiting series of fights! Sounds like Lena won but barely. Whew!

[Lena Wolf]

Wow, what a nailbiting series of fights! Sounds like Lena won but barely. Whew!

She may have won... But did she survive?

[Lena Wolf]

22 Mid-Year, 4E202 - The Tournament of Ten Bloods, the aftermath

"Sanguine?" - Lena opened her eyes with difficulty and saw a dremora kneeling over her. "What... happened?" Her tongue seemed to have doubled in size.

"Bloody Boethia - whatever possessed you to enter his tournament? This isn't the Imperial City Arena!" - Sanguine was casting healing spells at Lena. "Look at you - you're a mess!"

"But... I won" - Lena tried to smile, but her mouth wouldn't stretch.

"You won..." - Sanguine shook his head. "You were the one still barely alive while the others lay dead, yes. And all of it for what? A sword! Unbelievable."

Lena raised her head and looked around. She was lying in a clearing, it was early evening. A gentle breeze moved through the light foliage around her. She smelled a campfire, heard the birds chirping. It seemed familiar.

"Where are we? This isn't near the shrine."

"No, you never made it out of Boethia's Realm" - Sanguine sat cross-legged next to her now, stroking her face. "I brought you to one of my islands."

Lena's face felt better, she could speak almost normally now.

"What do you mean - never made it out? How did you..?" No, speaking was still painfully difficult.

"Boethia does not care for his contestants. You won the fight, yes, but you still had to walk through the gate on your own, and you couldn't. As to how I knew..." - Sanguine smiled. "Dessos. He took quite a beating himself." Sanguine jerked his head towards the fire. Lena turned and saw a dremora tending to his wounds, his armour in a heap next to him.

"Oh I am so sorry!" - she cried, although it came out more like a growl. "I was mostly summoning clannfears, but sometimes I just needed help..." She tried to get up, but her legs refused to cooperate and she fell back onto the bedroll with a thud. "I am a mess, you're right" - she admitted.

"You mortals are too fragile for this" - Dessos said without turning. "Yet you are undaunted. Strange."

"Yeah..." - Lena smirked. "That's us."

She felt drowsy - Sanguine gave her a potion.

"You need to rest now" - he said, getting up. "Was anyone with you?"

"No" - Lena mumbled, falling asleep. "This was my own foolish idea..."

This wasn't entirely true - Lena had been tricked. That letter wasn't from Hauk - it was sending her to her death. Murder by Boethia's Tournament... A stroke of genius, she had to admit. It's just... she didn't like to be the target.

...

Lena woke up on a clearing, turned to her side and saw two dremoras and a Mazken sitting by the fire. She was still in Sanguine's Realm. Her body felt as if every bone was broken, but she was alive.

Sanguine heard her move and turned around.

"Ah, you are awake!" - he smiled. "Good. You need better healing than this, Dylan will take you to the Shivering Isles."

"Wait - before we go" - Lena sat up, wincing. "Here - take a look at this" - she produced a blood-stained letter from an inner pocket. "This is why I was there. This was a trap - the letter is a lie. Lucien needs to know."

Sanguine read the letter, his face turning grim. Dylan clenched his fists. Dessos put on his armour.

"Someone wants you dead" - said Sanguine.

"I know" - Lena nodded. "That's not new. Tell Lucien to speak with Ocheeva - this is an intrigue, not a plain murder, and we still have no proof. Tell him..." - she winced at the pain again. "Tell him that if I find him dead when I return, I'll go into the Void and make him come back. Sithis can't have him yet."

She tried to get up, but again her legs wouldn't cooperate. She swore.

Dylan came up to her, lifting her up and holding her around the waist, her feet barely touching the ground.

"Ready?" - he asked, preparing to cast a spell. She nodded, he opened a portal and they disappeared into it.

"She would go against Sithis?" - Dessos looked at Sanguine in surprise.

"And she would likely succeed, too" - Sanguine grinned. "A lot of passion in this one..."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:18 PM

[Acadian]

Ahah, nice followup. Saved (sort of) by Sanguine. Handy to know, Sanguine is. You mortals are too fragile for this!

[Lena Wolf]

Ahah, nice followup. Saved (sort of) by Sanguine. Handy to know, Sanguine is. You mortals are too fragile for this!

Sanguine is still a Prince, he's got powers, even if he's drunk most of the time. He's very fond of Lena, may be one day she'll tell the story... Or may be he will, if he stays off felldew long enough.

[Lena Wolf]

22 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Bernice's Taphouse

"Aquanostrum is what she needs - Aquanostrum!" - Sickly Bernice was proclaiming between the coughs. "That's what's keeping me alive!"

"She's not wrong, you know" - Ushnar chimed in. "But once you start drinking it, you'll never stop - it's worse than skooma!"

"Skooma?" - a voice piped up from a heap of rags in the corner. "You've got some skooma? Friend? Pal? To share? Oh pass the skooma already!"

"There's no skooma here, Caldana" - Ushnar cut her off.

A disappointed sigh came from the rags and Caldana went back to sleep. The gathering in Bernice's Taphouse went quiet for a moment, everyone trying to think of something that would help Lena heal.

"Why don't you take her to the Wellspring again?" - asked Earil, looking at Dylan. "It worked last time, didn't it?"

"It doesn't heal" - Dylan shook his head. "It regenerates. There was no disease to cure last time, no wounds to close. It simply regenerated her skin. I'll take her there if she keeps any scars after this, but she needs to heal first."

"It's too bad that Muurine is dead" - Cutter said with regret. "She was a gifted Necromancer, she would have known what to do."

"What?!" - Una cried in disbelief. "Necromancer! We want to keep her alive, not turn her into a zombie!"

"Una" - Cutter started speaking slowly, as if explaining things to a child. "Necromancy deals with life as well as death - they are one and the same. Muurine would have been able to find the cause of her illness." Cutter rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "It can't be just wounds - I cut myself all the time, and I've never needed anything beyond simple healing."

"Sticks! Fresh sticks! As long as they are fresh, there's nothing better!.." - Gloorolros' voice trailed off as everyone stared at him.

"Aw, fribble!" - Bolwing swore, trying to pick out Big Head's fork from a pile of cutlery on the table. "This... Yes?" - he looked at the others. "Is this the right one? Can you understand me?" They nodded. He brightened up and continued. "Where is Ahjazda? She's not here. She's an alchemist - a good one. She knows potions that heal wounds of the soul, too."

"Keep that crazy cat away from me!" - Ushnar shuddered. "I would not take anything from a cat!"

"We know, Ushnar" - Una patted his arm. "Calm down now, come and see me at the museum again - we'll keep the cats out" - she spoke soothingly.

"Oh, of course, dear... err... Una, I mean" - Ushnar mumbled. It was his luck that Orcs didn't blush much.

"Wounds of the soul" - Arctus mused, looking into the distance. "I always knew she was Demented, yet she lit the Great Torch for Mania this time - that must be the wound in her soul."

"No, it's not!" - Tilse walked in. "What? Don't stare - we care for her just as much as you do." She joined them at the table with a challenge in her sanguine eyes. "It's love, don't you see?" She looked around the table. "Why did she go there? To save someone. Bring him to her, and she'll recover" - she concluded triumphantly.

Everyone looked at Dylan. "You know her best. So?"

"No" - Dylan shook his head. "She knows he wasn't there, she's not worried about him. And..." - he looked at Tilse - "he's not the one she loves."

"I wish I had friends like this" - Earil sighed. "That would go to Oblivion and back for me..." - he looked wistful.

The room fell silent again. Bernice refilled everyone's goblets with her summer wine, adding a goblet for Tilse.

"Hey, this is good!" - Tilse looked up, having sampled the wine. "I should have trusted Ahjazda, she keeps bringing it over, but I..." - her voice trailed off as she felt everyone's stares. "What? Didn't you know? About Ahjazda and me? Oh..." - she blushed, visible even on her dark Dunmer skin.

"Love, eh?" - Earil grinned. "I see where you are coming from, sister!"

This lightened up the mood, so Bernice put smoked balliwog legs on the table and everyone suddenly realised that serious discussions called for sustenance.

"But what are we going to do?" - Arctus felt they had to make a decision. "About the healing?"

"Well" - Earil started firmly. "Heal the wounds first - that's the easy bit. Then we'll see. May be Ahjazda does know something we don't" - he looked at Tilse - "since she's... you know..."

"What?" - Tilse rose from her chair slightly.

"...more open-minded than most of us" - Earil finished his sentence. "Carrying on with a Manic like that."

Tilse snorted but didn't say anything. Everyone started reciting their favourite healing recipes, the ones that closed the wounds of the physical nature. Somehow they were all pretty much the same... and Dylan knew them already. He didn't learn anything new, and yet he felt more at ease and almost certain that the treatment would work. Why was that? The ways of the mortals were strange indeed.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:19 PM

[Lena Wolf]

25 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Hauk in Crucible

"Dylan" - Hauk nodded a greeting as he entered the Wolf House in Crucible. Dylan was making potions downstairs. "How is she?"

"Sleeping" - Dylan looked up from his work. "Or resting, anyway. She will be glad to see you."

Hauk dropped off his gear in the corner and changed out of his armour into a robe.

"Here - take this to her, it's nearly time" - Dylan handed him a potion.

...

Lena was awake. She was sitting up in bed, trying to read, but the words on the page kept moving, making her dizzy. She heard voices coming from downstairs... familiar voices. Hauk? She strained to hear.

Hauk softly opened the door and looked in.

"Ah, you are awake!" - he smiled. "Here - drink this" - he handed her the potion.

Lena was going to say something, but he thrust the potion into her hand.

"Drink this first" - he said firmly.

Lena sighed and obeyed. Then, as Hauk bend towards her to take the empty vial, she leapt up, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're alive" - she whispered.

...

"If I didn't know better, I would have said you shouldn't have done it" - he smiled. "But I know you" - he sighed, stroking her cheek. "So I'll say: you need to be better prepared."

"There is no preparing for something like that" - Lena shook her head. "Well, may be for the fights themself... But if I had known what this Tournament was... that I would have to fight one of each race, if I had understood what the letter implied - that I would have to fight you... I don't know what I would have done" - she looked at him with horror. "The nightmares of that possibility are still haunting me."

"But it didn't happen" - Hauk was holding her hand in his. "Put it out of your mind, don't let that assassin win."

Lena nodded slowly. "Dylan has been saying the same thing, but it isn't that easy." Then she looked up, remembering something. "How did you find out? Sanguine?"

"Yes" - Hauk nodded. "I saw Lucien too."

"Then... you probably guessed" - Lena smiled uneasily. "I've made my choice" - she said with difficulty.

"Yeah... I guessed" - Hauk was still holding Lena's hand. "I must say I was expecting it" - he smiled softly. "You be happy with him."

Lena leaned forward, grabbing Hauk's arm as if to stop him from leaving.

"Oh, I am not going anywhere" - he said firmly. "It is now twice that you've gone to Oblivion and back on my account - you are not getting rid of me that easily. Besides, I didn't think that Lucien was keen on Ayleid ruins, so you need me." He gave her a broad grin.

Lena smiled too, letting go of Hauk's arm.

"Dagail was right" - she said, her voice trembling slightly. "This time I have friends."

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:19 PM

[Lena Wolf]

16-19 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Rayenna's investigation

"Where is Deepscorn Hollow?" - Rayenna was pouring over a map, not finding it. "It was his Sanctuary, so it would have been secret, but not in a town since it's an estate." Cyrodiil was too large to search every possible cavern. She wasn't having any luck. "Well, it isn't surprising really that it's not on the map." She folded it away. "Ok, let's try something else: who was Mathieu Bellamont? And what are these scraps of paper? And why did I find it all here?" She stared at the papers that she had retrieved from their secret hiding place behind the tapestry in her home, but the papers didn't answer. "There must be some clue that I'm missing..."

The sea always helped Rayenna to think, so she went out the door of her rented lighthouse cellar and strolled along the pier. It was a hazy morning and the Castle of Anvil was only showing its outline.

"Morning, Rayenna" - Ulfgar Fog-Eye greeted her. "Still getting up early, I see? It's good to see you back here, I already started to wonder whether you still wanted that cellar."

"Of course I do" - Rayenna smiled. "This is my home." She looked him over, taking in his worn clothes - he wasn't a rich man. "Say, Ulfgar" - she started tentatively. "Would you sell it to me?"

"I would, but I can't" - he looked at her with regret. "The Countess owns the lighthouse and the cellar now, and although she lets me rent it out, she won't sell it, not after what happened here before."

"What happened here before?" - Rayenna was unsure what he meant. She grew up here on the docks, surely she would have heard all the rumours by now?

Ulfgar looked around, checking that no one was listening in, then he came close to Rayenna and said as quietly as he could manage: "The Dark Brotherhood. There was a madman living here, he was a member but tried to destroy them from within." Ulfgar looked over his shoulder again. "They say the cellar is cursed - that his spirit still dwells in there."

Rayenna looked shocked.

"The Dark Bro..?!" - she cried out, but Ulfgar quickly put his hand over her mouth.

"Sshhh..." - he looked horrified. "Are you trying to get us killed? They are everywhere!"

"You have no idea" - Rayenna thought, relaxing. Ulfgar let go of her. "When was that?" - she asked in a low voice.

"Oh, some two centuries ago" - Ulfgar scratched his head. "But people remember. Not many even want to come near it now." He looked at her with a worried expression. "You are not going to move out, are you? Now that you know?"

"Of course not" - Rayenna assured him with a smile. "I never noticed any curse, I think it's just stories."

...

Rayenna didn't think those were just stories - she now had a lead. She didn't believe in an angry ghost in her cellar - she knew there wasn't one - but she suspected that the madman from the Dark Brotherhood might have been that traitor that she heard talk about. She never knew his name - could he have been Mathieu Bellamont? That would explain so much...

She went around the port, greeting everyone and carefully fishing for that old legend about a curse in town. She heard a lot about the Benirus Manor, but not much about the lighthouse. She brought it up at the Flowing Bowl. Maenlorn froze, then quickly caught himself.

"Oh, that's just old superstition!" - he beamed at her. "You don't want to listen to such nonsense!"

"Wait - he's an elf" - Rayenna thought, searching his face. "He was probably around then." And she asked with a smile: "How long have you been running the Flowing Bowl, Maenlorn? I've known you all my life..."

"Oh, we've been here longer than that" - he smiled evasively. "Caenlorn is still talking about leaving, but we are well settled in here by now. Valenwood is not for us."

"He's changing the topic" - Rayenna noted. "I won't get anything out of him. But what about his brother? Perhaps he's more talkative."

She found Caenlorn wandering around the city, looking bored. "Ideal" - she thought. She walked with him, carefully steering the conversation towards old legends. It took a lot of manoeuvring, but eventually he told her something that she wanted to hear.

"Bellamont was his name - a Breton" - Caenlorn was looking into the distance. "I remember him because he always used to argue with Maenlorn about the food. Not good enough for him. Then he vanished one day, and the Countess took possession of the lighthouse. The man had been mad - you should have seen his cellar when we cleared it out... Blood everywhere... bones... And a severed head - flesh decomposed beyond recognition! It was a shrine of some sort, you could tell. A shrine to the severed head! Mad, I'm telling you..."

Caenlorn shuddered - it wasn't a pleasant memory. Rayenna learned what she wanted. Bellamont was the traitor whose name was not spoken. And he was Lena's cousin - a cousin to whom she had pledged loyalty. Surely that meant that Lena was a traitor herself? Except... that was two centuries ago, and the girl in Lucien's bed was in her early twenties.

"She's an imposter" - Rayenna decided. "She must be. She was a Breton, they are not that long lived. Even if she did have an Altmer for a Great-Uncle" - she remembered that mention in Greywyn Blenwyth's will. "Even if she was still alive, she would have looked older. No, it can't be her."

Now Rayenna had to prove that Lena Wolf was an imposter. "Why is it that with every question answered, I get another that's even harder to figure out?" - she thought in frustration. "How am I going to prove that? Unless..."

Deepscorn Hollow was the key. Whether Lena Wolf was an imposter or the original, she would have papers, documents, journals, something - she must! And she would be keeping it in Deepscorn Hollow. Rayenna had to find it. She didn't know where to start, so she decided to start with what she knew - the living Lena Wolf was with the Mages Guild, so why not start asking about her there.

...

"Lena Wolf?" - Carahil was looking at Rayenna in surprise. "She's a Warlock now, has been helping the Arch Mage fight the necromancers." Carahil looked proud. "She might not be the most powerful mage in the Guild, but she's resourceful, and we need people like her. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason" - Rayenna smiled, trying to charm Carahil.

"Your charm spell needs work" - Carahil scowled, unimpressed. Rayenna made a quick exit. May be it wasn't her brightest idea to use magic against the head of a Mages Guild chapter...

17 Mid-Year

"Bruma - I should try Bruma" - Rayenna thought, riding North. "The Nords can't keep their tongues on a leash after a few rounds of mead, and why would they anyway - I might learn something there."

The Mages Guild hall looked strange with the skull and bones banners adorning it.

"This Guild Hall specialises in Necromancy, as it always has" - Jeanne told her proudly. "It is just another magic school - we are no threat to anyone."

Rayenna didn't get a good feeling about the place, and there were no Nords here, so she decided to try a tavern instead. Olav's Tap and Tack looked the part.

"Lena Wolf?" - Olav scratched his head. "Oh, you mean that Breton girl that always shows up with that Nord in tow?" - he grinned. "I even put a double bed for them in one of the rooms. Inseparable, they are."

"The Nord?" - Rayenna asked hopefully.

"Oh I see now" - Olav winked. "It's not the girl you're after" - he laughed. "A battlemage - Hauk. He's with the Mages Guild, of course. As is his twin brother, sometimes people confuse them." He laughed at a memory.

"Are they close?" - Rayenna decided to look jealous. "Hauk and Lena, I mean?"

Olav nodded. "They are. I hate to break it to you, but you better look for another Nord" - he winked and smiled.

"Oh great" - Rayenna thought, looking him over. She didn't like Nords that way, so she hastened to thank him and leave. But now she had a name.

She wasn't sure what to do next, but decided to ride to the Imperial City - the main road out of Bruma led South. She passed a shrine of Namira along the way.

"Daedric Princes send mortals to perform dangerous tasks for a reward" - she remembered how it worked. "Some tasks are more dangerous than others... Perhaps even too dangerous... Say... it's worth a try!"

19 Mid-Year

The First Edition in the Imperial City had what she wanted - The Book of Daedra. Rayenna settled down in a far corner of the All Saints Inn to study it. She purposefully chose the quietest inn in town so that she could be undisturbed.

"Boethia's Tournament of Ten Bloods... hopefuls have to fight one of each race to become Boethia's Chosen, who then fight new contestants in future Tournaments... fights to the death..." - she read. "That's it! She's an assassin, not a warrior, she won't survive one of each race" - Rayenna closed the book. "I know I wouldn't" - she shuddered. "Especially if she panics and goes unprepared..."

She got ink, quill and parchment out of her pack. "Let's see now..." - she took the quill in her left hand, made a few trial scribbles, then wrote:

If you are reading this, I have been taken into Boethia’s Realm. It is unlikely that I will return. It has been a privilege to walk with you. Goodbye.

Hauk

She folded the parchment, sealed it, and wrote an address:

To Lena Wolf, Warlock of the Mages Guild - URGENT

The Black Horse Couriers were known for their speed and efficiency. Rayenna took the letter to their offices, paid the urgency surcharge without negotiating, and left, smiling softly.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:20 PM

[Lena Wolf]

20-21 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Rayenna's trap

Rayenna spent the night at the All Saints Inn in the Imperial City. She felt relieved that she had finally found a way to get Lena Wolf killed without attracting suspicion to herself, so she allowed herself a day of rest. The Imperial City always fascinated her - such grand structures, so well preserved after thousands and thousands of years since they were built. How was it that these buildings still stood in their full glory while all the other Ayleid structures were reduced to rubble, at least above ground? It was an interesting question to ponder. She spent a relaxing day and returned to the All Saints Inn for another night.

21 Mid-Year

Rayenna was a light sleeper. She was awakened by some knocking downstairs, she strained to hear and realised that someone was trying to wake up the innkeep. Then she heard voices... She opened her door a crack and listened intently.

"So you haven't seen him?" - a young female voice was saying, sounding agitated.

"Seen whom?" - the innkeep was sleepy, struggling to understand what the woman wanted.

"A Nord battlemage... in Legion armour... no, probably rather in steel armour... Was he here?"

"When?" - the innkeep finally woke up. "The last few days? No." He sounded irritable, not surprising considering that he was woken up in the middle of the night, but then he softened his tone. "Sorry, lass, no, I haven't seen anyone by that description here. You look tired, why don't you take a break from your search - you won't find him in the middle of the night."

"Thanks..." - the female voice sounded familiar. Was it... Lena Wolf? Rayenna got a jolt. "Thanks, but I couldn't sleep anyway... Sorry to have disturbed you."

She left. Rayenna heard the front door open and close and the innkeep sigh and settle down into his bed again.

"Yes!!" - Rayenna was ecstatic. "She took the bait! She'll be gone to Boethia's Realm by tomorrow!"

Rayenna's excitement kept her awake, but she didn't want to go to the common room. The Book of Daedra was next to her bed, and she picked it up again. The chapter on Azura was rather boring, and Rayenna soon nodded off to sleep.

...

"Masterfully done!" - a voice woke her up. She looked around - she wasn't at the inn. She was in a cave - a large cavern with strange luminescent mushrooms as the only sources of light. Something fuzzy brushed by her - she jumped back. Spiders. Giant spiders.

"Where am I? What is this place?" - Rayenna asked. She waited, standing still, but there was no answer. "It's a dream" - she thought. "It must be..."

Her eyes adapted to the darkness and she could now make out the rocks and the critters in the cave. They were giant spiders or something similar, but they didn't attack. The mushrooms looked familiar somehow...

"Blackreach" - Rayenna thought. "It must be Blackreach. But how? Does it extend all the way to Cyrodiil?"

Rayenna read travel accounts about Blackreach in Skyrim, saw drawings and colour plates of strange rock formations and these luminous mushrooms. No one knew how big Blackreach really was, there were some old Dwemer exits in Skyrim, but what if it was much bigger than that?

"And how did I get here in the first place?" - wondered Rayenna, carefully picking her way between the rocks towards a larger source of light. She wasn't yet sure what it was.

...

"Welcome, Assassin!" - a Dunmer sat on a throne in an Ayleid chamber. The centre was illuminated with a large wrought iron brazier containing aquamarine crystals. The light did not reach the walls.

Rayenna approached, her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"There is no need for that" - the Dunmer pointed at her hand with a nod. "We are no threat to you... today."

Rayenna felt the air move and heard the slightest noise coming from the darkness. They were not alone.

"Who are you and why did you bring me here?" - she asked, her voice even.

"I am but a messenger" - the Dunmer replied. "And we brought you here to convey a message from our Lord."

The Dunmer fell silent, waiting for Rayenna to ask the next question. When she didn't, he continued.

"Go to the shrine of Mephala, speak to His followers, summon the Prince. Hear His task, fulfil it, and your reward will be what you seek."

Rayenna raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know what I seek?"

"I do not" - the Dunmer fixed her with his gaze. "But My Lord knows."

"And if I refuse?" - Rayenna thought she already knew the answer, but decided to test the waters anyway.

"My Lord will not be denied" - there was fire in the Dunmer's sanguine eyes. "My Brothers will see to that."

A green light shot from the darkness, and Rayenna felt her muscles spasm, paralysed. She passed out.

...

"Well, that was interesting" - Rayenna came to on a cold stone floor. A rat was sniffing her curiously. "Shoo" - she flicked the rat on the nose, the rat recoiled in surprise, then jumped onto Rayenna with a hungry squeak. Rayenna's dagger slit its throat before it made contact. "Ugh" - she threw off the rat and got up. She was in an Ayleid ruin. "So, it wasn't a dream."

The ruin was in a poor condition, with many cave-ins. Rayenna stumbled and nearly fell, landing on a carved stone tablet with a scrap of parchment next to it. Someone was trying to translate the text. "Meridia... Terror of the Most Terror..." - she read. That didn't make sense, so she let it be.

The animals inside the ruin didn't present much challenge to Rayenna, but some mage was less fortunate - or less skilled - and was now but a corpse, lying next to another stone tablet. Past him was an old stone door, and it took all of Rayenna's strength to get that open.

The door led into a flooded cave.

"Oh great" - Rayenna cursed, she was hoping for fresh air, but instead she faced a minotaur. And another. Some imps, too. "How do they even get in here?" - she wondered, but that didn't matter. Eventually, she saw daylight coming through a wooden gate - she was finally outdoors.

Rayenna stood on the City Isle, it was late morning. She walked to the nearest gate - to the Market District - and then to the All Saints Inn.

"Good morning" - the innkeep saw her in surprise. "I didn't see you leave. Breakfast?"

"Yes, please" - Rayenna smiled. Thinking didn't work on an empty stomach.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:21 PM

[Renee]

I enjoyed reading about Lena's induction and introduction into the Dark Brotherhood. She certainly has a lot of questions about how they run things.

The Dark Brotherhood armour design was… err… unusual, to put it mildly. They had leather armour and mage tunics and trousers, some gloves, some boots, some hoods – you could mix and match as you wanted. Black and red design. The armour was skin-tight and made her look like a giant spider woman, the mage’s tunic had big triangles on the front and back, just like a jester, all with a big Black Hand on red background. “So much for being a secret organisation!” – Lena thought in disgust. “Or have they gone commercial?”

The 'so much for being a secret organization' part. *nods* Yes, I have always very much agreed! It's like--how much more can you stand out, while trying not to stand out? Ha.

[Lena Wolf]

The 'so much for being a secret organization' part. *nods* Yes, I have always very much agreed! It's like--how much more can you stand out, while trying not to stand out? Ha.

Of course that would explain all those "Pssst! Hail Sithis!" comments from perfect strangers. I mean, how on Nirn do they know that she's with the DB? Oh, yeah, the armour...

[Lena Wolf]

22 Mid-Year, 4E202 - In service of Mephala

"How am I going to do this?" - Rayenna was sitting at the shrine of Mephala, covering her face with her hands. Mephala had set her a task: go to the settlement of Bleaker's Way, find and kill the heads of the families, place false evidence on them to suggest another family's meddling, don't get caught. This required stealth, something that Rayenna still struggled with. She could creep up to her target for the kill, but stealth for the sake of stealing was not her strong suit. She wasn't sure how to obtain the fake evidence before she could start on the murders.

Well, there was nothing else for it - she had to try.

The village was busy, but eventually Rayenna found a moment when no one was around and broke into Hrol Ulfgar's house. She was good with the locks, just not with sneaking around - in her bandit days she would kill the owners first, then work on the locks without rush, but now the opposite was required.

"Better be quick about it - I don't want to be caught in this house" - she thought. She wasn't here for the riches, she needed something of significance. She looked around, trying not to make any noise, then finally spotted a signet ring on a dresser. "Ulfgar" was etched on it, this looked like a heirloom, so she pocketed it. She exited quickly and was glad that no one saw her.

It was several more hours before the village square was empty again and Rayenna could try the lock on Nivan Dalvilu's house. Finally, she was in. It was a small house and she quickly spotted an elegant dagger on a low table.

"Decorative more than practical" - she thought. "Dalvilu" was engraved on the hilt - another heirloom. She pocketed it. Suddenly she heard someone opening the door. She crouched in a dark corner - it was Nivan Dalvilu returning home.

It was only early evening but she planned to murder them at night, so what was she going to do? Sit quietly until he goes to sleep or murder him now? Was she even able to sit crouched for six hours without losing feeling in her legs?

She was pondering these questions when...

"What are you doing here?" - Nivan Dalvilu noticed her presence.

"I'm... Umm..."

Rayenna decided to bring forward the execution, then put Ulfgar's ring in Dalvilu's pocket.

She waited until past midnight before she ventured outside and into Hrol Ulfgar's house.

Hrol Ulfgar was asleep, and Rayenna crept up and stabbed him. She underestimated the Nord's skill however, and a full blown battle ensued. Good thing they were inside his house, so no one noticed.

"Phew, never underestimate a Nord!" - thought Rayenna when it was all over. She put Dalvilu's dagger into his pocket. "Now just to mention this casually to someone..."

The inn was still open, and Rayenna mentioned overhearing that Hrol Ulfgar had been killed by one of the Dalvilu... And the villagers were at each other's throats.

"Looks like they never really got on" - she thought. "It was like bringing a match to a haystack."

She didn't linger and returned to the shrine of Mephala.

"Well done, Assassin!" - Mephala's voice sounded from the statue. "You should consider joining my ranks. But now for your reward - you were promised that what you seek. Deepscorn Hollow lies East of Leyawiin on the shore of Topal Sea. Go now, Webspinner!"

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:22 PM

[Lena Wolf]

23-28 Mid-Year, 4E202 - Rayenna at the Leyawiin Sanctuary

"East of Leyawiin, on the shore of Topal Sea" - Rayenna was pouring over a map at the Roxey Inn. "Well, there's nothing here, of course. I'll have to go and see."

The trip was going to be long and she bought supplies for the road. She could have reached Leyawiin in a day - her black horse was swift - but Rayenna was uncertain. She didn't know what she would find, and whether she would find anyone there or not. And what if she found no proof of Lena's deceit? She decided not to think about it. Just take one thing at a time - she was too far down this road to stop now.

28 Mid-Year

"Ok, I'll do it tonight" - Rayenna told herself. There was no point in delaying it any further. She had found a ruined farm house half sunken into the sea - it was the only point of interest along the shore of the Topal Sea, not counting Tidewater Cave filled with trolls.

Rayenna was losing her touch, or rather losing her head. She found the cave first and entered without an investigation. The next thing she knew was a troll kicking her in the ribs. She gathered her strength and ran towards Leyawiin gates with all the speed she could muster.

"Redguard adrenaline is not supposed to be used to run away!" - she told herself in shame, but shame was better than death. The guard outside the gates finished the troll.

"Don't you worry about that, Miss!" - he called after her.

It took Rayenna two full days to nurse her ribs back to health. She avoided the Tidewater Cave from then on and continued her investigation of the shore line, now a lot more carefully. The sunken farm house seemed abandoned, there were no trolls or any other animals around, and there was a small camp just North of it, without any bandits.

"This is strange" - she thought. "A nice camp like that would normally have tenants. Unless... someone clears them out every so often."

Back at the abandoned farm house, she took off her robe and dived into the water. The door seemed to function, the hinges were clear of rust, but it was locked. Rayenna pulled on it a few times, but without a waterbreathing spell or a potion, she could not keep her breath long enough to fiddle with lockpicks. "Perhaps there is another way it" - she thought. "This must be the place."

After some time she found a trapdoor a little distance away. It too was locked, but it wasn't submerged, and Rayenna set to work on the lock. A short time later it clicked.

"Strange" - she thought. "Why was it so easy?"

No, it couldn't be. She was the hunter here, not the hunted. She was the one setting traps. It could not have been a trap set for her! She refused to believe it. She checked her weapons and went through the trapdoor.

She stood in a short corridor leading into a chamber - she could tell by the light coming from it. She crouched and edged forward until she could peek around the corner. An Argonian stood with his back to her, reading a book. He wore... Dark Brotherhood armour. No! It was a trap. But it also confirmed her suspicions. She needed to enter, to search this place... She would kill her Brother for it. Once he was dead, no one would know what really happened. She attacked.

Teinaava was expecting her, and yet he was surprised - Rayenna was quick and quiet. "And that is why she is a Silencer and I am not" - he thought. But he was no novice either. They fought, Teinaava tried not to kill her - they wanted to capture her instead. He tried to give Fenris an opening to stab her with his paralysing dagger.

Rayenna was winning - Teinaava was bleeding heavily. Another assassin joined the fight - a Dunmer, she noticed. He wore clothes, not armour, his hood hid his face almost completely, but Rayenna saw the paleness of his skin on his hands. He was quick - he diverted her finishing strike from Teinaava, and stabbed her with the other dagger. She fell, paralysed. "Enchantment" - she thought. She would have been resistant to poison. "It shouldn't take long, I'll recover" - she readied her mind to pounce back. The Dunmer turned her to her side, kicking away her sword. He was behind her. A sharp pain in her neck seemed to cut through the paralysis, she wanted to move, but instead... she felt being drained until she passed out.

This post has been edited by Lena Wolf: Mar 26 2024, 06:23 PM