Blood of the Kyn, Volume I Options

[raggidman]

- and you took the words right out of my mouth - unique!


Now we will have to figure out all the Lore = what kind of stats, abilities, weknesses, immunities, etc this half-blood might have. Is he immortal, longer-lived, shorter-lived, what happens if his body is killed - does his soul return to Oblivion?

You realise you might have started something here? MOD anyone?

[minque]

Yes, yes...tension is building up....excellent Danny!

[Dantrag]

Chapter 2 - Exodus

Night fell sooner than expected, and Azyrek left the sanctuary without a single word to any of his brothers or sisters. The horse had indeed been readied as promised, and the 'further instructions' were present in the form of a letter stuck in the saddlebags. Also in the bags was preserved foods, a filled canteen, and a light blanket. Choosing to read his orders later, he stuffed the paper in his pocket and was galloping across the countryside in a matter of seconds.

He slowed his horse down soon after, not wanting to put unnecessary strain on the animal so soon. Azyrek enjoyed the change of pace just as much as he enjoyed the change of scenery. The sanctuary was his home, undoubtedly, but was often his prison as well. He gazed up at the stars, and spotted the Lover overhead. It was a cold night, and even though he had his cloak wrapped tightly around him, the crisp air still bit viciously at his face and hands.

Leave it to a month called Sun's Dawn to be this damn cold.

Despite his small troubles, though, Azyrek truly loved the night. In the darkness, he was no longer a halfblood. Legion Foresters said "good evening, citizen," to him casually as they passed, and the occasional traveler nodded to acknowledge his presence. He was just like any other person, just as long as nobody caught a glimpse of his daedric features.

Just as with all good things, the night ended quickly. The Lover slowly became invisible as its background became brighter and brighter with the rising of the sun. As if to make the change even more drastic, Azyrek noticed that the hills were getting bigger and rockier as he kept on his eastern path towards the mountains. He moved off of the main road in search of a suitable place to rest.

He had decided before he even left that he would travel at night and rest during the daylight hours. That way, he would remain relatively unnoticed and avoid unwanted troubles.

He found the perfect place to set up camp. Trickling down from the mountains, there was a small stream running nearly parallel to the road. Once Azyrek crossed over, he found a small rock formation that afforded him enough shelter to sleep under. He used the stream to have a quick drink and to refill his canteen. Now that there was enough light to read by, he pulled the letter from his pocket and read:

Dear Brother,

Ride east to Morrowind, and then continue east on the main road to Mournhold. Head through the Gates of Symmachus to enter the Plaza Brindisi Dorom. Approach the statue at midnight of any day and say the phrase "I am lost," and one of your Brothers will show you the rest of the way.

May the Night Mother bless your steed and your blade.

Azyrek ripped the note into tiny pieces and tossed it into the stream. The Dark Brotherhood did not like having its agents carrying evidence around.

"I am lost," he muttered to himself before he tethered his horse and laid down underneath his chosen rock structure. He was soon fast asleep.

[minque]

Ahhh an update! Sweet Danny.....I kinda like the half-blood....yes I do.

I wonder what will happen next,,hmmm

[Olen]

Love it. This story is a really good one.

[Dantrag]

sorry this one's so short but...oh well.

Chapter 2 - Exodus (continued)

Azyrek did not sleep through all the daylight hours, yet he stayed well away from the road until his cover of darkness was restored. He pressed on towards Mournhold at a steady pace, though the road was harder to travel on this particular night. The young assassin was passing through the mountains now, and as he ascended, the air became colder and thinner and the wind blew harder. Around midnight, he reached for his canteen to take a drink, only to realize that his water had frozen. Within the hour snow was falling. Azyrek was crouched low on his horse, trying to stay warm in the blizzard. It wasn't daylight yet, but he thought it best to stop for the night and let the storm pass.

Keeping an eye out for suitable shelter, he soon found a small cave that seemed decent enough. It had a low but wide entrance, and Azyrek had to get on hands and knees just to get in. The interior was spacious enough, though, and no wind or snow was leaking in. His horse became a small problem, as it could not possibly fit inside the cave, but he simply removed its saddle and reigns and set it free.

"Even if you'd survived the night, you wouldn't survive living in Morrowind," he said to it before slapping its hindquarters and sending it galloping back the way he came.

Soon he had a fire going in the cave, and he set his canteen near it so that its contents would melt. He sat on his saddle in front of the fire chewing a piece of dried meat. He took a glance towards the cave entrance to check on the weather and was surprised to see a person crawling in. Because of the dim light, he couldn't make out any details.

"Hello...?" the stranger asked, "You aren't a Legion Forrester are you?" her tone hinted that she knew the answer to her question and was not pleased with it.

"No, I'm not," Azyrek replied, thankful that the cold had forced him to keep his cowl pulled over his head, "Why?"

"Well...I was really hoping that you were a guard, and since you aren't...Oh, by Mephala, I've gotten you in trouble now!" she was pacing back and forth quickly, in some sort of mild panic, "I have to leave now before they kill us bo-"

"Stop!" Azyrek shouted, standing up to move towards the stranger. It was a dunmer woman, and her looks did not match his first impression of her. She was clad in a light leather armor and wore a quiver on her back and a dagger on her hip. In her hand was a bow, and by the lack of frost on it, Azyrek could guess that she had been firing it.

"You mentioned trouble," he pressed, "Explain. Slowly, please."

[minque]

How wonderful to see this story still alive! I must admit I was wondering about it just the other day! A strange woman appears now, that's sweet. Who is she? What happens now?

S.G.M...

[Olen]

You have a good way of holding the rader's interest and keeping it fast moving and exciting. I'm enjoying this.

[canis216]

Ah, so very intriguing. Nice work Dantrag!

[mplantinga]

Nice to see a new installment to this story. I'm very curious to find out what sort of trouble he has just gotten into.

[Dantrag]

its been awhile, but here's an update.

Chapter 2 - Exodus (continued)

The woman calmed slightly, but her eyes darted back and forth constantly as she spoke, and she was nervously tapping her foot. Despite this, her words came out confidently.

"My partner disappeared a few days ago, and I found that he was murdered. Now the ones that did it are after me. I thought I'd lost them this morning, but I was wrong. I think I hit one of them a few minutes ago, so they can't be far behind."

Azyrek stamped out the fire while she spoke; no need to give away their position, "How many?"

"Four, maybe three if my arrow hit."

"Coming from the west?"

She nodded.

Azyrek poked his head outside of the cave and looked at his surroundings. Just above the cave was an outcropping about twenty feet up. Perfect. Looking to the west, back the way he came, he looked for another position.

"Alright, if you're any good with that thing, get out and get in position above this cave," he said, pointing up to the stone ceiling, "I'll be on the ground doing what I can. Just don't let me die."

He didn't know why he was helping this woman, but then he didn't know why he wouldn't either. Dagger in hand, the assassin crawled out of the cave and found his own place behind a particularly large boulder on the opposite side of the road. He watched while the woman climbed to her position and hid.

The sky had a morning glow, but the sun had not yet risen. There was still enough darkness to make Azyrek feel comfortable in his work. Azyrek and his new partner didn't wait for more than a half hour before a lone figure appeared on the main road. He looked up to the dunmer woman; she had seen him too, and was smart enough to hold fire. The halfblood continued to scan the mountainside, and spotted another nosing around in the woods for clues. The tracker was talented; Azyrek had almost not seen him.

At least three. he reminded himself. He heard a bird call then, and his eyes went up to the outcropping. He saw a hand point quickly at the boulder and disappear again. Thinking quickly, he knew where the third was. He and his opponent were on opposite sides of the rock, each unaware of each other. He was especially glad for his ally just then.

How did I not hear it? he asked himself as he crept along the side. He took a deep breath before swinging around. Azyrek used one hand to cover the mer's mouth and the other to stab him in the gut. His target's eyes barely had time to widen before his body collapsed.

At that same moment, Azyrek saw the figure on the road fall backwards, an arrow sticking from his neck. He glanced back into the wood, but the other one had disappeared. He looked back up towards his partner, who was standing now, giving a thumbs up.

Azyrek was scared now; all of their cover was gone. What was she doing?

"Where's the other one?" he shouted. It didn't matter at this point anyway.

Even from this distance, and in the relative darkness, he could tell that she was smiling as she called back, "He tried to come up behind me. He regretted it."

Azyrek walked out onto the road then, and the woman began descending the rock face.

"Takes care of that," she said cheerfully, all traces of her earlier anxiety gone.

"Mm." Azyrek grunted while he went back into the cave to gather his things. The last thing he wanted was to be caught camping around three dead bodies. With his heritage it could only cause problems.

"Thanks for helping me out...uh...what was your name? I'm Rinori," she said, following him inside.

"Azyrek," he answered.

She crinkled her nose, "Where in Oblivion that name come from?" she didn't wait for an answer, just kept talking, "So where are you headed?"

Azyrek couldn't help but snicker at her choice of words, but still answered shortly, "Morrowind."

"Me too!" she said, "I think we could help each other out. Especially since I've been this way before and we need to avoid roads now."

"No," he answered bluntly.

"Why? You some sort of criminal or something?" she demanded.

"Maybe,"

"Well I don't care. And what's with the hood? Show me your face."

Azyrek didn't really have time to answer, since Rinori had already come behind him and pulled his cowl off his head. He turned around, "Happy now?"

The woman was obviously shocked for a moment, but did well to recover, "I've befriended a dremora!"

Azyrek didn't know how to gauge her reaction, "Half. And no you haven't."

"Then why did you help me? You could have just avoided all this if you'd let me walk away..."

He didn't answer, he just shouldered his pack and crawled out of the cave. He couldn't have a tag-a-long while trying to work for the Brotherhood. Too many potential problems. At the same time, though, this was the first person outside of the sanctuary that wasn't bothered by his appearance.

"Hey! Don't just walk away from me!" she exclaimed, following him yet again. When he didn't slow down, she ran to catch up. "Well if I can't travel with you, I'll just follow you, okay?"

Azyrek sighed heavily, "Fine."

He was already moving during the day, which wasn't ideal, and now he had an annoying companion. At least she would make things look more normal should they encounter anyone.

[canis216]

Ah, fine work Dantrag. Nice to see this story continue--you are very skilled.

[minque]

Danny my friend! What a thrilling update, I'm so glad you continue this great story, YAYY! But now I want more of course..much more

[Dantrag]

Chapter 2 - Exodus (continued)

"There it is," Rinori said, her arms spread wide as they looked down from the mountain, "Morrowind."

They'd been ascending and descending mountains for two days, as they were avoiding the road that cut through them. But this was the last real mountain they would have to climb. There was snow beneath their feet, but no evidence of the white powder on the ground ahead. In fact, he'd never seen terrain such as this before. The ground was reddish brown, and full of gorges and canyons and flat-topped rock structures. There was a visible fortress too, but to their left and much closer, seated snugly in the valley between the mountain they stood on and the one adjacent. If they'd taken the main road, they would have been forced to walk through its gates.

"That's Kragenmoor," she said, seeing that Azyrek was looking at the stronghold, "Big Redoran city."

Azyrek had heard of House Redoran; full of warriors with a strong sense of honor. He knew he didn't need to be in a city full of people with that specific kind of honor.

She kept talking, "We should go in; I need to sit by a fireplace and thaw out."

"Go ahead. I'm going to walk down this mountain and pass right by."

Azyrek noticed something strange about Rinori then. It was only for a second, but her expression changed when he said that, as if she were deep in thought. It went away as quickly as it came.

"Well...where are you headed?"

"East," he replied, knowing that it wouldn't be enough for her. He tried anyway.

"So cryptic all the time," she said in an exasperated tone, more to herself than him, "I've been walking long enough to know which direction we're going. I was looking for something a little more specific...?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because I have to stop in Kragenmoor," she pointed at the fortress below, "And since you won't, I'll try to find you later."

"What's in Kragenmoor?"

She laughed, "Whose the one asking questions, here?"

"Well?"

"Well what? I have business there. Now are you going to tell me where you're going or not?"

Azyrek shook his head smiling and started walking down the slope. He really did enjoy the company, and if circumstances were different, he could see himself going to Kragenmoor with Rinori. But things were as they were, and Azyrek had enough on his mind without her to worry about. No other footsteps crunched in the snow but his, and he knew that she wasn't following this time.

"I'm going to look to find out what happened to my friend!" Rinori called down, answering his earlier question.

Azyrek stopped and looked back, "I'm going to Mournhold!" He had no idea why he said this.

"Don't try to cross the badlands by yourself!" she yelled, "You'll probably die of thirst. Go south first to Andrethis. You'll be able to get transport from there!"

And with a wave, they parted ways. Rinori headed north towards Kragenmoor, and Azyrek veered south, taking her advice.

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Mar 17 2009, 08:43 AM

[Colonel Mustard]

Well this is an intesting one, and no mistake. Believe me, I'll be watching this.

And didn't Renori say "by Mephala," at one point, and mention her partner had been killed? Hmm, I smell a rat...

I like it Danny, and I'll definitely be following this.

[minque]

Yep, I'm keeping a close watch on this...very well written, Danny....more please?

[Olen]

Awesome this is still going. I like it, its fresh, fast and well written. Really different from most of the stuff here (not to say that most of the stuff here isn't good - it is, but nothing is at all like this).

This post has been edited by Olen: Mar 19 2009, 11:50 PM

[Dantrag]

Chapter 3 - Kragenmoor

Finally home, Rinori thought as she strode through the enormous gates and wandered confidently down a maze of roads that led a small, poor neighborhood. She knew this city better than anyone, having grown up here and delivering letters for House Redoran as a child. Now, though, her loyalties no longer sat with any House. She stopped at the end of a narrow cobblestone road. A single lantern was lit, hanging next to the crookedly-hung door of a small tavern. Its name was the Brown Beggar, as noted by the whitewash letters on the wall. Rinori was glad that the second lantern did not burn; it meant that she had come at the right time to get answers. Stepping through the door immediately got a reaction.

"Rinori!" the barkeep said in surprise, "You made it back! Hurry, let Venyn know you're here. He's worried sick."

She shook her head, "You tell him; I have to talk to Ornos first."

"You know where to go."

Ornos had a permanent room in the place, but was rarely in it. He was an old dunmer who made a living as a fortune teller, traveling often. Most people abroad thought him a hoax, but the people of Kragenmoor knew better. He was odd, yes, but he was also a worshipper of Hermaeus Mora and could see glimpses of the past and future. Rinori knocked on his door three times and waited. A few seconds passed and the old seer appeared at the door. He wore a drab green robe, fur moccassins, and carried a short walking stick. His body looked thin and frail, but he was strangely surefooted and had the grip of an ogrim. The mer never hesitated to grab and ear and pull.

"Ornos," she said sweetly, "How nice to see you. I saw one lantern wasn't lit and thought I'd stop in."

"You need to speak with Venyn."

"No, I need to talk to you. Something terrible has happened."

"You didn't take my advice," he said, ignoring the fact that she'd spoken, "On the mountain."

She paused; sometimes the things he knew scared her, "I know," she answered after a time, "I had to make a choice, and based on the circumstances, I think I made the right one."

The old mer shook his bald head, "Why did I interpret your dreams in the first place if you aren't going to act on them?"

"Because Gils is dead," she said, "That's why I'm here."

Ornos smiled, but it was a compassionate one, "Gils knew he was going to die, and I knew he was going to die. Venyn did not. Venyn has no respect for our traditions. I told Gils what to do, and I told you what to do. Only half of the task was completed. Why did you come back, little one? Why do you not spin the web as you are told? Now it may all unravel at our feet."

Rinori knew that Ornos was in a trance right now. He spoke, looked, and acted differently when he was.

"I...don't know," she answered, lowering her head.

"You knew what to do when you saw the face from your dreams, but you chose to come back. You failed me, and Gils fell for nothing."

"What did Gils have to do with this?"

"Go speak with Venyn. You've chosen to abandon my help. Now our enemy is loose."

Rinori left the room, slamming the door behind her. She was angry. Angry at Ornos, angry at Venyn, angry at Gils, and angry at her own confusion. Here she was in the middle of everything, and nobody told her anything. She stormed down the hallway until she reached the closet at the end. A quick key turn opened the closet door, and that same key opened a floor hatch to the basement below.

I'll speak with Venyn, then, maybe he has a few answers.

Venyn was waiting for her. He was a young dunmer, though a few years older than Rinori. The youngest Master in the history of the guild in fact, and probably the most thickheaded. Venyn held little regard for Ornos' mumblings, despite his longtime history of serving the guild, and the two often butted heads. Rinori thought that maybe this time their quarrels went too far.

"What happened?" was the first thing Venyn asked, "Where's Gils?"

Rinori took a deep breath, hardly knowing where to start, "It was a complete failure. We got to the city and everything was going smoothly. We tracked down Llether Salam and found out where he was staying. The night before we planned to strike, Gils went missing. I looked everywhere for him, and didn't find out until the next day that someone had been killed in the Tiber Septim Hotel--that's where Salam was."

"So Gils succeeded?"

Rinori shook her head, "I thought the same, but when I got a look at the body, it was Gils'."

Venyn scratched his head and sighed heavily, "And you don't know where Salam went?"

She shook her head, "I think he was being protected by the Brotherhood. Not long after I started asking about Gils and Salam, I noticed that I was being followed. So then I left town and started the return trip. I was followed as far as the mountains, but left them dead there."

"You talked to Ornos. What did he say?"

"A whole lot of nothing."

"Typical. I don't see how the Morag Tong finds use for the ramblings of crazy old fools."

[Colonel Mustard]

Aha, I knew she was Morag Tong. I knew it!

I like the seer too. It's nice to have a crazy guy in organisations who throws a spanner in the works through dint of their sheer wierdness. Nice one.

[Illydoor]

Wow very nicely brought round to that twist. I like how you left us little clues in the story but subtle enough not too let us catch on too soon. Keep it up, this is great .