Varondo is fun to explore!
I like how at the end they go back to some place full of pallets so they can get some rest.
That was a good read. How many hours has Jandaga's game accrued so far?
Last we saw, 'the Redguard' was headed back to the Imperial City, so he can make his grand return to all his friends who inhabit the Waterfront area. Halfway to the city, he remembered the mask given to him by Anvil's count. The Grey Cowl of Nocturnal.
He put this cowl upon his head, but does not seem to understand the consequences of this.
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Sun's Height 26"You're wanted dead or alive, Gray Fox. And this will be easier if you're dead!"
The Redguard thinks
Hey, I'm no Gray Fox while looking longingly for a moment over to Wawnet Inn.
Wawnet Inn. A place which contains one of the best and most complete collection of wines ever assembled. Nerussa, its publican, seemed a little loony at times. In fact, there were rumors in the past about her being an alcoholic herself, as well as a cultist who was secretly running a brothel in her cellar. The Redguard never saw any of this as true. Sure, sleeping next to one's collection of wines seemed a little eccentric. In some peoples' eyes, perhaps. But certainly, he'd been guilty of that as well, hadn't he?
...The Redguard looks toward Wawnet Inn...
"This is the end for few" shrieks the Imperial impatiently, getting slowly off his horse.
... where plenty of wine is kept nice and cool...
"HUUUAHG!" the Imperial's sword swishes.
... but this is no time for thinking about wine. Instead, the Redguard ankles his stolen Legion horse, goading it forward. Then, he comes up with a plan. Jumps over the stone fence, straight onto the property owned by that 'damned fishes' man. The Imperial follows, taking time to open the cottage's gate. The Redguard rushes around fish-man's yard, slipping a bit around the corner, and then
leaps the horse over the cottage's back wall. The horse lands into the ground. Lots of mud, everywhere! It's been raining all day, after all.
The Redguard keeps the horse moving, but suddenly realizes nobody is chasing.
"I'll get you, Gray Fox!!" calls the Imperial, who now seems to be stuck upon the fish-man's cottage's rear wall.
The Redguard smiles. Trots his horse more calmly away. The purple blob of magical essence (representing the Imperial soldier) falls further behind. Halfway across the gigantic bridge back to the Imperial City, he decides maybe it's best to put his new mask,
his Gray Cowl of Nocturnal, back into his nightsack. He does so, while also grabbing the slab of salted beef. He immediately wolfs this down. Beef is gone, mask is safe. By performing this action, he doesn't realize his bounty is now cut in half.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
9:34 pm Back on the Waterfront it's now fully nighttime, and chaos ensues!
"Armand you must help me!"
The Redguard had encounterd yet another guard; in fact at least two of them discovered the most-wanted thief in all Cyrodiil is now back upon their territory. They rushed behind, swinging their expensive weapons. The Redguard quickly placed his Chameleon ring back upon one of his fingers, then called upon his Redguard ancestry to build upon his adrenaline. This caused him to run a little extra faster, jump a little extra higher. He managed to jump upon one of the Waterfront's roofs.
But there was no purpose to this. Even while hunkering down and trying to shush his movements, the guards both knew he was there. Did they also have some sort of life-detecting magic? Who cares. They began to ready their bows. There was no choice but to make his moves, scrambling all over the Waterfront (in an effort to confuse the guards) before finally sneaking around. Waiting for them to calm down. Once he realized he'd apparently lost them, he then rushed around while sneaking, finally safely into Armand's shack.
"Kahreem? Is that you?"
"Ahh, sorry," Kahreem, the Redguard, says. "Let me take this ring off. There. Now you can see me."
"You wear the shadows well, fallow thief."
"Not at the moment, I don't," Kahreem rolls his eyes. "Hey, can you keep all that 'fellow thief' talk down? The whole squadron is looking for me right now."
"You can pay your fines to the guards, serve your time, or pay me half, and I'll fix 'em all."
Kahreem, the Redguard, grumbles. "How much is it, this time?" And 375 gold are gone, just like that. "Good thing I've got several thousand on my person, Armand. You have no idea what I've been through."
"Consider it done," Armand Christophe, the Waterfront's Thief Guild doyen says with a smile. "I will get rid of all your criminal warrants."
"Hey, well that is entirely wonderful. Another successful run, back out of lawlessness."
"Absolutely, Kahreem. How goes it, my brother fellow thief?"
The Redguard palms his face. "So I have something to show you, Armand. You are really going to be surprised about this one!"
"What is it?"
Kahreem of Weet grins. Then he pulls his final bottle of
Cheap Wine from his nightsack, and uncorks it with a *POP*.
This post has been edited by Renee: May 25 2020, 06:21 PM