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> Lost Knife Playground
Elisabeth Hollow
post Sep 23 2013, 11:50 PM
Post #41


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From: Texas



Kayla nodded. "I can go with Darnand." she handed Darnand a potion vial with a thick bluish liquid in it.

"Here. it completely restores your magick. all of it, no matter how much is spent." she handed another to Salyan.

"In case something happens to me. Vera and Aravi both know how I attract sharp objects to my organs." Her mouth twitched slightly at her own morbid joke. She had a bad feeling suddenly, and wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of. that they took advantage of her potions.

"I can stay up front and silence our footsteps, Darnand. Take an invisibility potion if you want. I hear it's large in here, and in case there are any bandits high up, or creatures that can throw rocks-" She rolled her own eyes. "-I'll take the brunt of the damage. Okay?"


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Darkness Eternal
post Sep 24 2013, 01:14 AM
Post #42


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Joined: 10-June 11
From: Coldharbour



Here we go. The partnership time.

Vera long ago decided that this was the worst part of the job; working with others irritated her; she had always been a lone worker. Part of this to blame was the reason other people tended to screw up when coin was to be made.

But time again she reminded herself that working with Aravi at least wouldn’t be bad. She knew the woman wanted her in the team out of necessity rather than any other reason. She and Kayla were friends, and so were Darnand and the new woman, Salyan. But her? She was wanted for her skills, not for her to abilities to throw snowballs or do group hugs in the midst of something important. But what does she know? She had no childhood, and if she did it was just as vague as remembering a dream that happened years ago.

She was just along for the ride and of course to get a fat coin purse by the end of the journey. The other half of the pay, anyways and this suited her just perfect.

She learned that she was going to be working alongside Aravi while Kayla, (unsurprisingly considering their conversation last night) would go with Darnand.

Though she didn’t think too much of it Vera suspected the reason. Kayla must hate her. Perhaps for drowning that absent-minded thrall back at the cavern's entrance and giving her a word of warning that she should kill or risk being killed. If that was why she clenched her fists so loud that Vera could hear it, then that must be part of the reason.

This was one of the reason she hated working with others. People spent too much time brooding about the past grievances, keeping old scores. Holding grudges, and grudges that were born out of non-sensible feelings. That kind of emotion always interferes with true rationality.

She never held much grudges, not unless her pay was being personally affected. She knew how some men were with their coin; it was a characteristic of greed and a tight-fist. There had been times when she'd needed to take extreme measures to get paid for the completion of a task, and even when she did she was given a low pay or sometimes, none at all. Those same times she’d been threatened to leave the area, empty handed, or face the steel of a handful of loyal bodyguards or housecarls.

In that case, keeping score was more than just a petty feeling. It was necessary. She doesn’t work for free and payment either had to be in blood or coin. If word got out that she was betrayed with no qualms, then she was no longer a woman to be feared and a woman that was not feared was not respected, and that led to others not hiring her. When buisiness was damaged, things had to be taken to violent levels.

She didn’t doubt one bit Kayla would be bold enough to try something. She’s good at reading people and despite the woman’s puerile behavior she was quite dangerous. She knew sticking with Aravi would be the best idea.

Kayla was Aravi’s friend and she’d rather not get into a deadly confrontation with her. Bad for business, and a considerable sum subtracted from her pay. Considerable sum meaning every last septim.

If they weren’t friends, and if Aravi didn’t have any connections with the Altmer woman then it didn’t matter. If the woman retaliated for whatever emotion-based reason that was the highlight of a typical woman, she’d do whatever she could to escape the place alive, leave the adversary’s body for the wolves.

She couldn’t fault a woman for being angry, though. She had her own weaknesses as well. The random anger problems, the uncontrollable rage and fury.

I’m still working on that, Vera said in her mind. Lycanthropy takes a toll on one's mind. When one walks hand in hand with the beast, things always goes wrong and turn violent. Always.

Right now she just hoped nothing would go wrong. As long as they keep their mouths shut and she holds her own tongue, there is nothing to worry about.

Kayla passed on the potions to those who wanted it, but Vera took no part. Part of her mind came across the idea that the woman might be brave enough to try and poison her.

That would be something, Vera mused. Poisons don’t do much damage to lycanthropes unless they have essence of nightshade and wolfsbane. Then she wouldn’t choke to death but her organs would burn and her ribcages would weaken until the point of breaking.

But she’s more nord than anything, so that wasn’t likely.

Her thoughts and her head focused on Aravi. The woman’s skill was prodigious for one so thin. She was a huntress herself; killing vampires in a trade, perhaps getting paid for it.

Though this wasn’t what interested Vera. It was something else. Something she’d discovered the night she first walked in the Goblet and the woman was sitting down eating, wet from the rain.

"You should go ahead first," Vera said to Darnand behind her helmet. Her head turned to Aravi. "Ready when you are."

This post has been edited by Darkness Eternal: Sep 24 2013, 01:16 AM


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And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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Grits
post Sep 24 2013, 03:44 AM
Post #43


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Joined: 6-November 10
From: The Gold Coast



Darnand led the way to the cave, expertly guided around several obstacles by Kayla and Aravi. Annoyingly the fallen logs and gigantic trees did not appear on his map along with the lines indicating settlements and terrain. He was working on an enchantment that should do the trick, but so far it had not been successful.

He gave his map a little shake. Dammit. Perhaps a stronger charm of Clairvoyance…

“Herk!” Darnand popped back up to his feet again, brushing off a knee. That rock came out of nowhere. He reached back and tugged his staff loose from where it rode across his back, carrying it in one hand for balance like a walking stick.

“This carries a shield enchantment,” he remarked to Kayla. “Though I should not like to test it against a troll.” His eye ran over the numerous scrapes and gouges carved through the scorch marks and into the wood. Each held a violent memory. Darnand kept his body fully healed and free of blemishes as a testament to his own skill and Abiene’s. These were the scars that reminded him of the fights he had barely survived.

The song of falling water confirmed what his map had already told him. They had arrived at the cave system. He folded the parchment and put it away.

Vera sorted her arrows at the cave’s entrance. Her armor appeared to made of pure midnight, and her face was concealed by a full helm. It was slightly unnerving to look upon. She asked how the group would split up if such became necessary.

Darnand glanced over at Aravi. He had fought at her side, or more accurately somewhat to her rear, and she knew his capabilities. She had also witnessed his mistakes. He awaited her judgment.

Aravi indicated that she would accompany Vera while Kayla paired with Darnand. Salyan would choose her path when the time came.

Kayla handed Darnand one of her highly potent potions. “In case something happens to me. Vera and Aravi both know how I attract sharp objects to my organs.” Her laugh held an edge.

Darnand tucked the small vial into the bandolier across his chest, nodding with respect and appreciation. He possessed a vast reserve of magicka thanks to the stars that blessed his birth. His own potions could not refill it, but he knew that Kayla’s could. That reminds me…

“I was born under the Apprentice,” he told her. “I have taken measures to alleviate the condition, but I am still cursed with a weakness to magicka.”

Darnand shot Kayla a quick grin. Truth be told, anticipation always brought the kind of energy best released in solitude or in a fight. Today there would be no need to seek out quiet time behind a sheltering tree trunk.

“Shall I cast a charm of fire resistance upon you?” he asked her. Instead of the reassuring flicker of a Restoration spell he brought a small tongue of flame to his palm as a jest.

Kayla continued, speaking of stealth and the need for caution. She told him she would stay in front and take the brunt of the damage.

“All right.” He looked up at the elven warrior, completely serious again. “If your blade carries an enchantment I might have opportunity to cast a curse of weakness that would strengthen its effect,” he said. “Call out if you would like a ward cast over you, or a rapid healing spell. I have little defense, but I am capable of casting an array of spells under pressure.”

Darnand removed his cloak and set his pack aside at the entrance. A casual observer wouldn’t see it there, and a thief wouldn’t bother with its contents. He lifted a fold of his robe. “I wear little metal, but a spell to silence our steps would be most welcome. If we should come under fire from above I will cast my traps as quickly as possible and then shoot concentrated flares.” He held his hand palm forward and made a short gesture to demonstrate.

Vera’s helmeted head turned from Darnand to Aravi. The mercenary was ready to get the job done.

Darnand glanced over at the pool next to the cave’s entrance. He imagined rinsing the sweat from his face later. How cold it would feel. He centered himself with the thought of after.

Darnand glanced at Aravi. He told her with a look that he was ready.



.


This post has been edited by Grits: Sep 24 2013, 03:48 AM


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Colonel Mustard
post Sep 24 2013, 10:24 AM
Post #44


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Joined: 3-July 08
From: The darkest pit of your soul. Hi there!



Salyan was awake not long after the first fingers of dawn tickled the horizon, clambering out of her bedroll and rubbing her eyes. She dressed, pulling on the set of light leather armour she wore in such situations. With the breastplate pressing her far-from-ample bosom flat, she could have been mistaken for a boy by a stranger.

Her dagger was placed in her belt for easy access, and she made sure the two waterskins filled with concentrated magicka and healing potions were in easy reach. A couple of vials of antidote against poison were at her belt as well; she had learned that lesson from forays into Elytra nests back home on the Isles. Finally, she took the time to tune her lyre, as making sure the pitches were correct was absolutely essential for spellcasting correctly.

Trekking through the forest, Salyan took in what sights and sounds she could as they walked, listening to the birds chirrup and chatter, enjoying the sight of sunlight filtering through the forest canopy and beaming through the pine trunks.

Their arrival was greeted with the booming hiss of falling water, from a waterfall on the far side of a pool by the cavern's entrance. Vera was busy sorting her arrows, and Kayla and Darnand were exchanging potions and words.

“You would go with me. Darnand and Kayla can go together," Aravi said. "Salyan, it’s up to her who she goes with. If it’s just the two of us, then we’ll use stealth as much as we can.”

"I think it might be best if I went with you and Vera, Aravi," Salyan said. "Unless Vera is also a mage then you two won't have a strong magician on your side, and I can help you with magical support. Plus I'm not too bad at moving quietly, when I need to."
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King Coin
post Sep 25 2013, 12:00 AM
Post #45


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Aravi watched as Kayla distributed more of her potions. Oddly enough, Vera didn’t take any of them. Doesn’t trust her maybe? This worried Aravi, but she kept it off of her face. If her ears or tail showed any discomfort, she hoped others would just assume it was just anticipation of what was within. Hopefully this won’t affect either one’s ability to fight.

Salyan said she would go with Aravi and Vera. Aravi nodded to her.

“Neither of us are mages. Good to know you are quiet as well. I occasionally use a muffle spell when I’m worried about making noise.”

Everyone seemed like they were ready to go inside.

“Ready when you are,” Vera said from behind her black helm. She was encased in heavy plate armor made from incredibly strong ebony. The helm totally protected the other woman’s face, only her eyes could be seen within the visor. Aravi’s husband wore an ebony breastplate as well. He didn’t wear a helm though; none would fit on his head.

Darnand also indicated he was ready to go. He was in his usual robes, and not for the first time she wished he would wear something armored over his chest at the very least. At least Salyan was wearing something protective.

Kayla was in her new chitin armor that she received from the Dunmer merchant. It looked like it would serve her better than the leather she wore on their last outing. Hopefully her organs won't attract too many sharp objects, Aravi thought when she heard Kayla's gruesome joke.

Aravi’s own elven armor gleamed in the sunlight. It showed scratches in places where it turned aside a weapon or claw. She put her open faced helm on. It was shaped to resemble an eagle, its wings folded down covering her cheeks. It was one of the few that fit her well, and a blacksmith put holes for her ears. She wore a pair of leather bracers. Her feet were wrapped in the cloth strips she preferred, leaving her toes uncovered.

She looked at them and said, “well, shall we go in?”

She walked forward and inside the mouth of the cave.

Inside, the floor sloped downward slightly. She walked silently a short ways. The smell of dried blood hung in the air, and her night vision allowed her to see discoloration on the walls. There were no bodies however, and she got a sinking feeling.

Kayla was close behind her when she looked back.

This post has been edited by King Coin: Sep 25 2013, 02:47 AM


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Grits
post Sep 25 2013, 03:25 PM
Post #46


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Joined: 6-November 10
From: The Gold Coast



Darnand stepped into damp darkness. A stream flowed past on the left, covering the noise of his feet. From the sound he could tell that the space opened up ahead.

Light from the entrance showed him solid footing. Skyrim’s ubiquitous cave fungus gave off its pale, sickly glow, but he would need more than that to see ahead. A Khajiit and two mages would have their own solutions, but he wondered what Kayla and Vera would do for light. If they lit torches he would save his potions and magicka for later.

Kayla is an alchemist, he remembered, glancing at her strong back. She will likely use a potion. And of course many adventurers know the Candlelight spell.

Darnand reached for his staff to be certain of his footing in the meantime. There was no smell of animal waste. He took that as an encouraging sign. Whatever had left the bloodstains must have been carried off and devoured elsewhere. Perhaps the killer was smart enough not to lair in the doorway. Intelligent predators carried more magicka to fill his gems.

He touched his shoulder bag, belt pouch, flasks, and bandolier out of habit. He had learned that under stress his muscles reached for where things had been most often, so it behooved him to maintain the same arrangement.

In a few more steps he could see the straight edges of manmade clutter. Probably crates and boxes, maybe a table. Perhaps a staging area , he thought. This would be a good place for smugglers. It is not surprising to see that someone else has been here.

He hoped that those who had dragged in the crates had also left their blood here on the walls and floor. Killing bandits would not further their goals. Killing whatever ate them would. He wondered how long ago violence had occurred.

A little light would reveal more.


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Colonel Mustard
post Sep 26 2013, 12:19 AM
Post #47


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From: The darkest pit of your soul. Hi there!



In the wake of Kayla and Aravi, Salyan glanced around the entrance of the cave. The walls were slick with damp, as if they had entered the womb of some sleeing stone goddess of immense scale, the stone squamous with a scabrous stubble of grey-green lichen. In the distance, she could hear the roar of falling water from some far chamber.

She scanned the entrance, looking for any signs of what the inhabitants might be; the cluster of furniture at the entranceway (most likely a post for sentries and guards) indicated human habitation, but the spattered blood showed that something else had tried to take over. Whether or not they were successful was impossible to tell just from what was at hand.

"Vera," she said. "You're a seasoned and fearsome huntress of beasts and men alike; any guess as to how old these bloodstains are?"
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Elisabeth Hollow
post Sep 26 2013, 01:57 AM
Post #48


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From: Texas



Kayla cocked an ear in the darkness as she walked a little ahead of Aravi. She knew Aravi could see in the dark, and were she to run into something, Aravi would let her know ahead of time. Besides, the point of this was to get her eyes adjusted to the dark. Creatures could see in the dark, but most humans and mer couldn't without the aid of a spell.

She gripped the hilt of Dawnbreaker, her sword dull and lifeless without the presence of undead around. She was relieved. After all, what good was she is she blinded her comrades?

The walls were slick with slime, and Kayla wiped the slippery liquid off on her armor absently as her eyes adjusted. she thought a ball of light would be unwise, as the light would carry down the tunnel, if it was short enough, and alert others to their presence.

The roar of the water that carried into the cave echoed loudly off the small tunnel walls. Kayla reached into her pack, the light of the tunnel still lighting her path. She downed a potion to help her see in the dark as the others spoke. She heard Salyan ask a question, but didn't hear an answer as a familiar, chilling sound reached her ears, over the sound, barely, of the rushing water. The clicking of mandibles, rubbing together hungrily made her stomach drop.

Charrus.

She searched around to see where the sound could be coming from, but saw none. She shook her head. Couldn't be. We're not deep enough. It's too light this way.

Then she remembered the stories she'd heard coming from Skyrim to Cyrodiil about Falmer attacking above ground, striking out against the hated man and mer who had not been cursed by the Dwarves. There could be a few Falmer living closer to the surface than normal. It was possible. Unlikely, but possible.

She'd battled Falmer and Charrus before, and alone as well. But she wasn't sure about the others. She decided to warn them. She tied her bag up and took a few steps then stopped. She felt odd, like she was being watched. She turned around to see nothing. She walked closer, keeping an eye behind her.

"Hey, everyone. I think there's Falmer down here." She said in a hushed tone. She set the bag of potions on the ground next to Aravi. "I'm not sure what everyone knows about them, but-" Something flickered in the corner of her eye, to her right, and she turned to see a pale, nude, bloodless-looking being with a noseless face snarling on the other side of the small river. It had an arrow nocked, and was ready to fire. straight at Vera.

"Move!" Kayla pushed Vera out of the way, the arrow missing her chest by several inches. In retrospect, the arrow would have glanced off the woman's armor with no problem. But Kayla wasn't thinking about that at the moment. Another Falmer had appeared next to the other, an arrow nocked straight for Darnand. Kayla picked the Breton up and twirled him around her, pressing his chest against hers.

Then things felt even more odd.

She let go of Darnand in time to see an arrowhead sticking from her chest, the Breton clear from the point. Time stood still as she took a step backwards, a confused look on her face as she looked at Darnand.

"Are you okay?" She mumbled to him before she felt nausea take over. She felt light, like if she fell over, she'd float away. But when she fell backwards, all she felt was the cold shock of the ice water as she floated downstream.

My potions, She thought numbly. She shook off the thought, right before she floated off. She felt nothing as her body was carried downstream and over the falls.


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Colonel Mustard
post Sep 26 2013, 01:55 PM
Post #49


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"KAYLA!"

It had been sudden, the moment when an arrow sprang from Kayla's back, biting into it like some murderous parasite, and for a split second Salyan froze, first instinct to rush after the Altmer before she could come to more harm. An arrow slicing through the air past her shoulder cut her back to reality, and she raised her lyre; she sent a bolt of magickal energy towards the two pale, scuttling things that were sniping at them with bows and arrows, an angry buzzing snippet of arcane sound that that hit one of the archers. With a shriek of rage, it drew a dagger and leapt at its fellow, the two of them caught in a sudden, frenzied struggle.

Salyan scrambled to the edge of the stream where she had seen Kayla fall, crouching next to it in case of more concealed marksmen and scanning along it to try and see where she was. The Altmer was nowhere in sight.

"Sheogorath's beard!" Salyan cursed. "I can't see her!"

This post has been edited by Colonel Mustard: Sep 26 2013, 01:56 PM
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King Coin
post Sep 26 2013, 11:53 PM
Post #50


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Aravi was looking the wrong way when it happened. Kayla walked past her, but her eyes remained behind, watching the others as they came up behind.

The clicking sound reached her ears. The one she dreaded. Charrus.

Kayla heard it too. The giant bugs weren’t a concern yet. Kayla would give them plenty of warning if the creatures saw them.

The others filed past, and Aravi waited to be sure nothing followed them in.

She heard Kayla whisper, and then shout. Salyan yelled her name. Aravi looked up and drew her short bow. Falmer. She pushed the concern for Kayla out of her mind, that can wait until they were done. If someone was injured already, they could still go back to camp.

A streak of bright magic left Salyan’s lyre and turned one of the two Falmer against its ally. She loosed an arrow with a wide head against the one that appeared healthiest. It struck the creature in the thigh and caused it to fall. The other was dealing with knife wounds. She drew another arrow and shot. This time, she knew how high to elevate her aim and the bleeding Falmer was hit in the chest. Perhaps the one that fell survived and Darnand can trap it before it expires.

“Anyone see any more? What about the Charrus? Are they coming?”


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Darkness Eternal
post Sep 27 2013, 01:05 AM
Post #51


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"Vera," Salyan said. "You're a seasoned and fearsome huntress of beasts and men alike; any guess as to how old these bloodstains are?"

Vera crouched and ran her gloved finger over the red stain, bringing it up to catch a whiff of it despite the helmet concealing her face. She had to admit her armor had its uses. Being in the darkness was no bother to her, but her eyes had a habit of glowing when light shun on her eyes.

The stygian darkness was just as clear as day to her. She could see every drop, every plant in a shadowed area and just about every small insect that crawled and scattered away from the presence of the humanoid giants.

She got to her feet, ready to give the other Imperial an answer until amidst the drops of water, the rushing current, the sounds of what seemed to be large insects was a familiar sound. Music to Vera’s ears, yet nothing pleasant about it in this case.

An arrow ready to be fired. Aravi didn’t have any arrows ready, nor did anyone in the group carry bows. Vera’s ears turned her head over the other side of the river where she spotted a gangrel-looking creature hunched down that was pale as the snow and without clothes. It wasn’t its monstrous face or the lack of any normal eyes . . . but rather the fact that it was pointing an arrow.

At her.

Damn Vera murmured.

She reached for an arrow but was interrupted by a heavy shove.

“Move!"

Vera fell over, as did the arrow that nearly missed her. The next occurance happened like a blur but Vera registered it all as she jumped to her feet with surprising speed. Kayla jumped in to save Darnand from another arrow, one that found its unintended mark.

All she saw was Kayla standing there, a look of confusion on her face. But it wasn’t as shocking as the arrowhead sticking out from her chest.

This isn’t good, Vera thought.

Salyan thought the same and acted upon it. From her own instrumental tool that Vera now realized was a weapon, the bard sent out a jolt of magicka toward the two creatures and in a blink they were not upon the group but upon each other in a frenzy.

Aravi took one out. The other was also hit. Its death unconfirmed.

The khajiit asked a question and Vera’s ears made her nod.

“Yes,” she said bluntly. “I hear them.”

The shouts from her comrades and the two fighting Falmer, as well as the smell of fresh food, was all leading them to their location.

Vera prepared her arrow and turned to the scurrying sounds of insects. They were the size of large dogs . . . dogs with six legs, mandibles and a body almost like that of a centipede.

They were both disgusting looking and deadly up person. Vera would never understand why her and Lycus enjoyed the meat so much . . .

Vera looked over the edge where Kayla had fallen and she considered diving in the water or climbing down to rescue her. But with the Charrus on the way, she didn’t make it an option.

Better to have one fallen ally than two more. Kayla’s fall was regrettable and even though she wasn’t sure if she survived or not it was still unfortunate. She was a gifted fighter and one extra arm is always better.

Yet, she welcomed the challenge. After all, this is what she’s being paid for. No one said it was going to be easy.



--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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Grits
post Sep 27 2013, 04:07 AM
Post #52


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From: The Gold Coast



“Kayla!”

Darnand’s fingers closed over air as she toppled back into the river. He dropped to a knee to provide a smaller target while he downed a nighteye potion. Ward magic hummed in his left hand. His eyes searched the water.

The Falmer and their chaurus immediately reclaimed his attention. Salyan took the archers out of the fight. Darnand prepared the soul trap.

Though twisted and foul, they are still mer. He cast the spell at the chaurus instead.

Poison arched out in a stream, hissing against his hastily raised Ward. A few hot droplets made it through, but most of it splashed to the ground. He ignored the burning on his hand and throat.

Fire was his favored method of dealing with chaurus. Sheets of flame and some hearty explosions. But that would temporarily blind all of them and bring the rest of the colony down on their heads. He doubted that these two lived alone. Their best hope for recovering Kayla lay in their presence going largely unnoticed.

Diving over the waterfall into a Falmer nest would also be ill-advised, likely resulting in two dead adventurers rather than rescue.

The cold water will slow her bleeding. For now she is out of our reach.

Chaurus were deadly with their slashing mandibles and poison spit. But their heavy chitin exoskeleton made them slow. Even Darnand could dodge them at close range.

He cast a charm of poison resistance, hoping it would reach the others. The surviving Falmer yanked the arrow out of his leg, but Darnand saw no healing spell surrounding him. He dragged himself backward and then flopped to his side.

That one will bleed out.

He kept a Ward ready in his left hand and moved out of the way.



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Colonel Mustard
post Sep 28 2013, 12:45 PM
Post #53


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Glancing up from where she was crouched by the stream, Salyan saw more trouble approaching in the distance. Armoured in carapace of slick blackness, chittering and slavering mandibles belying their vicious intent, a pair of insects were scuttling towards them, movements undulating and slick as if they were formed from oil and malice. Where she was crouching by the stream, Salyan knew that she was exposed to the creatures, whatever they were, and as much as she wished to find Kayla as swiftly as possible she knew that the beasts would cut her to ribbons if they caught her alone.

Scrambling back, Salyan darted to the rear of the small party, putting Vera and Aravi between her and the entomous nightmares that approached. She called upon her reserves of magicka, plucked the right notes and began to sing a wordless song, one that would grant strength, endurance and courage to her three companions.
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King Coin
post Sep 29 2013, 03:50 AM
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“Yes, I hear them,” Vera answered Aravi.

Damn damn damn! She hated charrus nearly as bad as she hated spiders. Instead of staying in the rear where she was, she moved up where the others have gathered. Where’s Kayla? Cold dread shot through her momentarily. Darnand and Salyan were near the waterfall, before Salyan turned and ran behind her and Vera. She heard the other woman stop and begin playing and singing.

Darnand’s magic shot out and revealed where the charrus were for Aravi. She recognized the soul trap spell and aimed her bow at the one he hit. Her first arrow skidded off of the top of the creature’s tough chitin. She hissed in frustration and aimed lower. It’s getting too close, two shots and if it isn’t dead, swords.


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Grits
post Sep 30 2013, 05:45 PM
Post #55


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Aravi’s arrow bounced off the chaurus chitin and clacked into the wall. The two creatures scuttled closer.

They have already been domesticated by the Falmer, Darnand thought. Perhaps I will be able to control their minds.

Darnand decided not to risk further injury to his teammates. He cast a Command spell at the closest chaurus, causing it to turn and attack its mate. The beasts knew their own weaknesses. The attacker’s razor sharp mandibles bit into the soft place between the other’s armored plates. After a moment’s struggle one ceased its movements. An eerie note from inside his pack told Darnand that its energy had been successfully captured.

He cast another soul trap at the survivor. It reared up, exposing its underbelly. Its jaws opened as it made its chittering challenge.

“There,” said Darnand. There’s your target.


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King Coin
post Oct 1 2013, 02:39 AM
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Darnand’s spell announced the death of the first charrus at the jaws of its former ally. Darnand threw another soul trap spell just as Aravi was drawing back her fourth arrow. The other charrus reared up when Darnand’s spell struck it. She didn’t have time to wonder why; she took the opportunity for a shot at its lightly armored belly.

The arrow struck as the creature was coming down on its legs, but Darnand’s soul trap let everyone know that it was dead.

Aravi stool and listened a moment. There was not a sound, save for Salyan’s lyre and voice. When that stopped, she was hit with her own nervous energy. A slight tremor went through her arms. The song must have been fortifying her. Without it, her body’s own devices took over.

She stalked over to where she saw the falmer fall. It was weak but still alive, and demonstrated that by snarling at her as best it could.

Aravi went to Darnand and took a soul gem from his pack, then went back to the creature. She kicked a crude dagger from its hand and jabbed her own under its jaw. The enchantment bound its life energy to the gem in her other hand.

The last one dead, she went back to her companions and handed Darnand the filled gem.

She looked at the rest of them. In a soft voice she asked, “where’s Kayla?” Her voice faltered before she could ask did she die?


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Aravi: A Khajiit in Skyrim

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Darkness Eternal
post Oct 1 2013, 11:35 PM
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The battle unfolded quite pleasantly, as no one was injured save for Kayla. Vera found herself somewhat inspired ever since Salyan began playing her instrument and singing a song sans words. She wasn't sure why at the start. True, men and women felt braved when marching into battle at the sound of battle-drums and the call of their commanders but this was a different kind of song altogether.

It didn't matter. She felt far more a better fighter than she did when she first arrived.

The monstrous insects were finally killed with Aravi and Darnand showing splendid teamwork. One of the chitinous creatures rolled over and Aravi delivered the killing blow, trapping its soul in the gem she held in her hand.

Vera hated to admit it to herself but she began to have a growing sense of curiosity as to why exactly they wanted the souls of these creatures. Not all of them had enchanted weapons or jewerly from what she can tell.

She handed the filled gem to the Breton and then with a look that expressed worry and dread, she asked the whereabouts of Kayla. When no one spoke right away, Vera cast a fleeting glance over the edge where the Altmer had fallen.

"She gone," Vera said. There was a chance, a slight chance, that she did survive and is drifting off in the frigid water. If that were the case then she didn't have much time to live. Either the water kills her after preserving her bleeding body for a moment or the cavern's carnivorous dwellers get to her.

She approached Aravi, face and expression hidden. "I know she was your friend. If you want to send someone to go find her . . .," her voice trailed off and she looked back at the edge where Kayla was last seen standing. "She may have a slim chance of survival."


--------------------
And yet I am, and live—like vapours tossed.
I long for scenes where man hath never trod
A place where woman never smiled or wept
There to abide with my Creator, God,
And sleep as I in childhood sweetly slept,
Untroubling and untroubled where I lie
The grass below—above the vaulted sky.”
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Colonel Mustard
post Oct 2 2013, 04:28 PM
Post #58


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From: The darkest pit of your soul. Hi there!



The battle managed to conclude without further loss of blood on the side of the adventurers, Darnand's magic and Aravi's bow proving sufficient to deal with the abominable insects that they had encountered. The two insects now lay dead, stinking black ichor drooled from their wounds, viscous and noisome, no longer a threat.

"I know she was your friend. If you want to send someone to go find her . . .," Vera began, before trailing off. "She may have a slim chance of survival."

Salyan looked at the stream and the falls that Kayla had toppled down. There was, she noticed, an incline by its edge, a slope that might give relatively safe passage to its bottom.

"I say we should look for her," she said. "If it was any of us who'd fallen instead she'd be searching for us already."
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Grits
post Oct 3 2013, 03:15 AM
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Darnand held the warm gem in his hand, struggling to keep his jaw from dropping. If a Falmer’s soul energy could be trapped so easily, they must have degenerated to the point of becoming animalistic. The other possibilities made the back of his neck prickle. An entire race outside the grace of Arkay…

He tucked the filled gem into his bag and handed a few empty ones to Aravi. With Kayla possibly bleeding to death down in the black water this was no time to ponder theology. It would be wasteful not to capture their dying magicka. Falmer souls held a great deal of power.

The others suggested what was also on Darnand’s mind. He moved to the sloping path. The sound of multiple waterfalls beyond suggested a large, open cavern. As his eyes adjusted to the glowing mushrooms along the far walls he found himself in awe of the sight.

“My spells of life detection will not reach the limits of that space,” he said. “I can walk on the water with a spell once we get down there but we should expect that the cavern is occupied. I should not like to get caught out on open water with no cover. It is too cold to simply drop below the surface and use a water-breathing spell for more than a few moments. And once we have recovered Kayla, we will need to warm her beside a fire.”

They would need to secure the area. There was little point in fishing Kayla out of the water only to have her shot again at the lake’s edge.


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Elisabeth Hollow
post Oct 3 2013, 03:31 AM
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From: Texas



Silence roared.

Energy swirled, hot and flaring, around her body as she was carried towards...what?

Darkness.

She thought her end would be bright, brighter than all of the suns and stars, burning the impurities away, scathing her body as she begun anew. Instead, she ducked and dove, tumbling, twirling, as if her body was being tossed from the hands of two giants playing catch.

She suddenly felt a tug as the white hot energy became cold and cruel, stifling her breathing. She choked, clawing at her throat as her limbs became heavy, the air thick. a quick inhale told her she wasn't breathing in air as she tried to claw her way up to the surface of the icy water. She'd never learned to swim, and never thought she'd needed to know.

Her boot hit the bottom of the underground lake, and with all of her strength, pushed up with both feet as firmly on the bottom as she could. Making her body a point, she rocketed to the surface, sputtering and choking when she broke through. The deafening roar of the waterfall covered up any sounds of her muted struggles as she struggled to keep afloat. Her armor was light, but her boots were not. Her sword was not. And bogged down with water, she sunk several times.

Determined, she finally made it to the water's edge. She pulled herself up onto the shore, her arms shaking from exertion, her gasps audible only to her. She lay on her back, shivering, gulping in air like a fish gasps for water. Too exhausted to move, she lay there, motionless, her chest rising the only movement.

She finally mustered up the will to reach for her potion bag, only to find it was gone. She briefly remembered she had set it down next to Aravi. At the memory, pain flared in her chest, and she felt along her chest for the arrow. It had pierced her lung, right below her left breast. She remembered that she had small vials tucked away in her pockets. With shaking hands, she reached into her left pocket and pulled out a vial. She tried to muster the magick to light a spell to see, but nothing came. She was too tired. she briefly tried to identify the bottle's contents by feeling the bottle, but again, nothing. With much trouble, she uncorked the vial and drank it, hoping for the best.

Luck was with her as the tissue inside her began to mend, and Kayla yanked the arrow out of her ribs. She clenched her teeth to bite off a cry of pain as she tossed the arrow aside. She was thankful there was no poison on the arrow.

She debated on moving. Out in the open, where the Falmer could "see" and she couldn't, she was vulnerable. But hiding would hinder her allies from finding her. she bit her lower lip in thought. Falmer couldn't see, but her friends could. Knowing Darnand and Aravi, they'd have spells or use their normal nighteye to see.

Taking her finger, she drew an arrow pointing in the direction she was going to head. When she went a few feet, she did the same. She continued in the manner until she hit a tunnel. Judging by the decline, it went lower. She hesitated, then turned. Her legs wobbled and gave out, and she tumbled downwards, letting out a brief cry of pain as a sharp rock bit into her thigh. She heard hisses and the unmistakable clicking of mandibles. Kayla drew her sword, panting, and lit a weak light spell. There was only one Falmer and charrus.

She would be fine.


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