Blood of the Kyn, Volume I Options

[Dantrag]

Chapter 3 - Kragenmoor (continued)

"Ow!" Rinori protested as a servant girl harshly brushed the knots from her hair, "Is all this really necessary?"

"You're going to a ball," Venyn answered without the slightest hint of compassion, "Of course it's necessary."

"Well, I didn't ask for this writ, now did I?"

"Well it's yours, and you're going to be a pretty little Redoran noblewoman for a night."

Rinori sighed, but it was cut short by a wince as another knot was viciously pulled out. Venyn laughed and exited the room. A few long minutes later, her hair was done, but there was still more work to do. Or rather, for the servant to do while Rinori sat stupidly. Over the next few hours, her face was painted, her arms and ears were adorned with jewelry, and she was put in the most uncomfortable and utterly flamboyant dress she could have imagined.

"You'd think a dress this big would be less tight," she said to the servant.

"You'd think a girl this big would be less whiny," the servant retorted.

She had no answer for that, so sat back and sulked silently while the rest of the preparations were finished.

"All done," the servant announced, holding up a small mirror in front of Rinori, "What do you think?"

She had no time to reply, as Venyn returned just then to see the progress. "She didn't give you too much trouble did she?" he asked the servant.

The girl smiled mischievously, "She was an angel,"

Rinori glared at the girl, not amused at all by being referred to in the third person while sitting right there. "So when does this ball start, Venyn?"

Before Venyn could answer, another figure entered the room, an old, thin, balding man leaning on his walking stick. He looked to both Venyn and the servant girl.

"Leave," was all he said to them. Ornos rarely said more than two words to Venyn. The fire was evident in Venyn's eyes, but he wouldn't dare cross the old seer. Both obliged without a word.

"And close the door," the old mer added. Again, he was obeyed without question. Rinori hated being caught in the middle of those two's feud, and it was becoming almost a daily occurrence.

"Rinori," Ornos began, "I judged too soon the other night, and I am sorry."

Rinori raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I understand what you did, now. All I saw that night in my visions was what you didn't do, not what you did. You sent him south, to Andrethis. Tell me why."

"Well...I...um..." she hesitated, "I know you told me to keep an eye on him, but I had to report the matter of Gils. I know he hasn't made it to Andrethis yet, and I planned on beating him to Mournhold, where he said he was going."

Ornos eyed her suspiciously, "What else?"

"Nothing." Her answer did nothing to cure that look in Ornos' eyes. She thought she might melt under that gaze.

"You're keeping something from me."

Now it was Rinori's turn to take the upper hand, so she answered with a smug grin, "How does it feel?"

Ornos smiled in amusement, "Fair enough, girl. Fair enough. You did well, despite what I said earlier; the web can still be spun, it will merely have a different weave. When your responsibility to Venyn is complete tonight, return to me. You have a new assignment."

Ornos left, and Rinori could see through the open doorway that Venyn was waiting patiently outside. She rolled her eyes when the two passed each other without a word or a glance.

"Your nobleman will be ready for his last dance soon," Venyn announced as he reentered, "I hope you'll be a good partner."

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Jul 4 2009, 06:01 AM

[minque]

Ha...excellent! I'm glad to see another update on this one...Very well written, I like it, I certainly do.

S.G.M

[canis216]

Very nice work.

[Dantrag]

I did a bunch of writing recently, so the next few updates will be a little faster coming, since they're done!

and minque, I'm curious (and maybe behind on internet lingo) - what is s.g.m?

Chapter 3 - Kragenmoor (continued)

Rinori had been well briefed by Venyn. The ball was actually a kind of test for a young Redoran noble named Tredyn who was now of age to marry. He was going to play the part of a suitor, and choose a woman to woo. She wasn't too excited about having to play the coy maiden to this mer, especially in light of recent events, but it did help that she was only killing him afterward.

The manor was absolutely extravagant. The rugs she walked on were beautifully woven, showing scenes of historic battles, portraits of saints and warriors, or simply pleasing patterns of masterful thread work. The ceiling above was high and dome-shaped, and made of the same green glass commonly used for armor and weapons. She wished that the sun was shining, so she could witness the green glow that would undoubtedly cover the room. Rinori suddenly realized that she was only in the foyer.

"Master Tredyn welcomes you. Right this way," her escort informed her, offering his arm. She took it and allowed herself to be brought into the ballroom.

Rinori tried not to look too impressed, since she was here with a purpose, but she was not used to such lavishness. During her own years with House Redoran, she was a simple messenger and usually stood outside noblemen's homes. Her place had been in the fortress or on the roads.

A pair of large, ornate doors were opened for her, revealing the ballroom. It did not disappoint. It was rectangular, and much longer than it was wide, but no aspect of the room could be considered small. Hanging on the walls were tapestries that rivaled the rugs she'd seen earlier, and in the center of the floor was a mosaic depicting the seal of House Redoran. Not only was this a ball, she realized, but a banquet. The smell of slow-roasted venison found its way into her nostrils, along with the other foods that she could not name, but now desperately wanted to taste. Alongside the two longer walls were tables completely covered in food, drink, and ice sculptures. At the back of the room sat a group of musicians playing soft yet merry tunes. There were even parts of the room that were equipped with cushions to sit on, though Rinori couldn't imagine trying to sit so close to the floor in the dress she was wearing.

"Would you like a drink, m'lady?" a strange voice asked.

Rinori snapped back to reality, and was surprised to learn that the escort had left her already, and that this servant had asked her the same question twice already.

"Yes, please," she answered. There was an awkward silence.

"What exactly would you like, m'lady?"

"Oh!" she said quickly, catching on, "I would like..." she paused, trying to think of an expensive drink.

"Tell you what," she finally said, "I'll have a glass of your finest wine."

The servant hurried off, and Rinori finally got the chance to survey her surroundings in peace. Strangely, there was no one yet dancing at this ball, though there were many people. She was trying to spot her target, but was unsure of which young dunmer it might be. Just as the servant returned with her wine, her question seemed to answer itself.

The music stopped, the guests went silent, and all eyes were suddenly on the doors. In walked Tredyn, clad in an embroidered and jewel-laden red robe. He was flanked on each side by a pair of tough-looking guards in bonemold armor carrying spears. Tredyn himself had a sword at his side, though it seemed to be more of a ceremonial blade than one for actual combat. Still, though, Rinori expected a member of House Redoran to be familiar with swordplay. She would be careful.

Her eyes locked with Tredyn's then, and he gave her a playful wink. She smiled back and took a dainty sip of wine.

This might be easier than I thought...

[minque]

hehe Danny.....you did it again! Excellent writing!

And S.G.M means : Story.Good.More, is a proverb by treydog, long ago (It's kinda what a big brute Nord would say!

[Dantrag]

Chapter 3 - Kragenmoor (continued)

The music started up again, but this time it was more upbeat. The party had officially begun. Rinori stood in the same place, sipping wine while the other guests made their way to the dance floor. Tredyn was one of them, though he was having a hard time getting there. It seemed that every person he passed had to get a few words in, and he politely engaged each one in short conversation. His guards stood by the door, giving him space, but ever vigilant.

Rinori quickly finished her wine, set the glass down, and joined the dance. She did enjoy herself, prancing around, switching partners, and smiling all the while. She actually forgot about her duties for the next few minutes.

That is, until she locked arms with her newest partner. In the middle of spinning around in the style of the dance, the song ended. The guests applauded, and Rinori clapped along with them.

"I don't believe we've met before," Tredyn said with a bow, "My name is Tredyn,"

"I know," she answered shyly with a quick curtsy, "I'm Avani,"

Tredyn was taken aback for a moment. Avani was the name of a very sheltered and rarely seen Redoran noble from Blacklight. Her father was a Councilor known for keeping her locked away safely inside her home. It was a perfect cover story for an assassination.

"Surprised?" she asked.

"Well, it's just that Councilor Baram, well, he declined all of my invitations."

"I did send a letter after all that," she said apologetically, "But I see you never recieved it. My mother convinced him to let me come a bit late, I'm afraid."

"Well I'm certainly glad she did," he said with another of his disarming smiles. The musicians began playing another tune, "May I have this dance?"

"Of course!"

As they danced, the wrongness of all this struck her. Here she was, acting as if she was interested in romance, all the while planning a murder. And this poor mer was none the wiser. Simple stealth killings were one thing, but this sort of deception left a bitter taste in her mouth and a tight knot in her stomach. She took a deep breath.

You have a responsibility, Rinori, but after this, never again.

"You know, Avani," Tredyn said to her, "I think you're the most beautiful girl here."

Rinori blushed in embarrassment and her eyes went to the floor out of guilt. She hoped it was mistaken for shyness. She was by no means falling for him, but her conscience continued to gnaw away.

"I mean it," he said, lifting her chin so that her eyes met his. This was it. This was her chance, and she hated it.

"I'm sorry," she said. Tredyn's expression changed from confusion to shock as a dagger pierced his heart.

Never again.

Tredyn's body fell to the floor. Rinori bent down and closed his eyelids; that blank stare went right through to her soul. The guards were pushing through the crowd towards the body. She placed the writ on Tredyn's chest and left the manor as fast as she could, tearing off jewelry as she went. She knew that nobody would chase her, since what she had done was perfectly legal. Legal didn't make it right, though, she knew, and wanted to get as far away as possible.

She was glad at least that she would be working for Ornos after this. Venyn pushed the limit too far this time.

[canis216]

Fantastic work!

[minque]

Uhhhh yikes...MT-ladies are not to be trusted. But I do like the fact that Rinori isn't all that happy about killing...hmm reminds me a bit of another MT assassin...

Anyway Danny, great work!

[Dantrag]

Chapter 3 - Kragenmoor (continued)

"What's wrong?" Venyn seeing Rinori's pale face on her return, "Did all go well?"

"That kind of work is for the Brotherhood," Rinori spat at him angrily, "Never. Ever. Ever do that to me again. Ever! Do you have any idea, any clue as to what I've done?"

"You completed your writ, as instructed by your Master, I assume," Venyn replied, not understanding, "As you've done for years."

"No," she said, "This was different. This was...perverse,"

She went about washing the paint from her face and the blood from her hands. The latter would never go away, but she kept scrubbing nonetheless.

"I don't see how-"

"Get out!" she screamed at him. Venyn left her then, with nothing but her reflection in the mirror. She pulled the thing off the wall and smashed it on the floor. Struggling to get out of the dress, she found it was too complex to remove by herself. Her dagger began making short work of it.

"Calm, child," she heard Ornos say from behind. She hadn't noticed him coming in before, "You're solving nothing right now,"

She turned to face the seer for a second, only to continue shredding the dress that seemed to trap her.

"Stop," he said, more forcefully this time, "Have you ever thought that maybe this happened for a reason?"

Rinori did stop, and a look of sudden realization crossed her face, "You knew, didn't you? You knew!" She pointed an accusatory finger at Ornos.

The old mer didn't deny it, "I had to let you make this mistake. I can't tell you why, because I don't yet know. But please understand that I had to. Come find me in the morning. We have work to do."

"I won't be able to sleep tonight," she said, "Let's start now so I can get my mind off things." She wanted nothing more than to leave Kragenmoor.

"That's just it," Ornos answered, "I want your mind on things. Think. Meet me in the morning."

So he left Rinori with her shattered mirror, torn dress, and dark thoughts.

[canis216]

Man this is good. I could see this as a scene in a movie. A great scene.

[treydog]

Truly outstanding work, Danny. You descriptions are vivid, and you manage to convey a great deal with a few words. So happy to see this continued.

[minque]

Oh my dear, I do feel sorry for her!

Danny I have to second our writing-master treydog here, this is an outstanding work, indeed it is.

Oh and this line got right into me:

So he left Rinori with her shattered mirror, torn dress, and dark thoughts.

Mmmmmmm beautiful...

[Dantrag]

Chapter 4 - Stuck

It took him nearly a week to reach Andrethis, and Azyrek was tired, wet, cold, and hungry. Entering the small town after nightfall to hide his heritage, he walked the muddy streets keeping an eye out for somewhere to hide from the merciless rain. There were no major landmarks in the town, with the exception of the guards' barracks, which was the only stone structure in the place. Everything else was wooden shanties, inns, taverns, and shops; the basic necessities of any town. He couldn't believe that Rinori had sent him to this hellhole. Moving forward despite his poor luck, he pressed on towards the least well-kept inn. That would be the one with the least questions.

On entry, he found that he was the only one in the common room, save for the elderly dunmer behind the counter. The place was dimly lit; as a few candles mounted to the wall gave off a soft glow. On the rickety shelf behind the clerk were various forms of alcohol, all of which looked very appealing to the road weary assassin.

"Brandy?" he asked the mer.

The old one shook his head, "None of that here. Greef, sujamma, and matze,"

"Sujamma, then," he replied, sitting at the bar though staying careful to keep his head down.

The barkeep put the sujamma in front of him, "Five gold."

"Room and food?"

"Twenty for all of it, then."

Azyrek dropped the coins in his hand.

"So can you say more than three words at a time?" the comment was obviously a playful one, no harm intended.

"I can," Azyrek replied, trying his best to kill the joke.

The old one laughed, "Well prove it, then. That was only two. I'm an old lonely bartender. I'm used to talking, and you're my only customer in days. I'm bored to tears here. What's your name, Sera?"

He hesitated for a moment, but he hadn't had the presence of mind to come up with an alias earlier. He decided it didn't matter; there wasn't a soul in this country who knew his name, save Rinori, and she was miles behind.

"Azyrek," he finally answered, extending a hand.

"There aren't many names like that around here," the dunmer looked at the gray and red hand curiously, but still shook it, "I'm Nevis, good to meet you. So where you from, Azyrek, what brings you here?"

Nevis turned away while he ladled some soup into a bowl. Azyrek took a sip of sujamma. Not bad.

"I come from Cheydinhal in Cyrodiil, heading for Mournhold. I heard there was transport from here?"

"Mournhold? From Cheydinhal? You're pretty far south to be headed to Mournhold. Why not get transport from Kragenmoor?" he put the bowl of soup in front of Azyrek.

"What?"

"Kragenmoor. It sits on the border. Pretty much due east of Cheydinhal, once you pass through the mountains. They have a Mages Guild there that could have taken you directly to the city."

Azyrek's jaw tightened and he slammed is fist on the counter, "That little..."

"What's wrong?"

"I passed the place days ago," he answered, taking a significantly larger sip of sujamma, "Apparently someone wanted to make me take a detour. A long one."

I swear if I find her in Mournhold...

Nevis laughed again, "Don't get too worked up about it; there's still a guild guide here, so all is well, right?"

"I suppose," he said, pausing for a moment to taste the soup, "Well tell me this; would it be difficult to cross the Badlands?"

"Oh, that much you've got right. You know anything about deserts? Better to come here than try to cross. There are almost no settlements, food is scarce and water scarcer."

So Rinori wanted to delay him. A week. While still making sure he survived. Why? He admitted that it could have been innocent enough; maybe she wanted to make sure she caught up with him in Mournhold? Possible, but unlikely. There was something deeper, here. Something strange.

[seerauna]

Just took awhile to read this and I have to say that I love it. As treydog said, you have very vivid descriptions that make me able to see it in my head.

Anyways, great story can't wait for the next update!

[minque]

Yes yes!! Another update! I must say I love that post-machine thingie you have going on Danny! Love it, love it!

So ..more please?

[Dantrag]

Chapter 4 - Stuck (continued)

Azyrek slipped out of the inn early the next morning, before even Nevis was awake to tend to his business. The dirt roads were still damp, but not as muddy as the night before. He found the Mages Guild easily enough, though the building wasn't much to look at. Nothing in the town was.

"I need to travel to Mournhold," he explained to the first person he met inside.

"Guild guide is at the end of the hall to the right," the mousey bosmer woman replied without even looking up from the scrap of parchment she was reading.

Azyrek followed her instructions and entered the room. The dunmer inside had wild red hair that stuck out in almost every direction. He was sitting at a desk, apparently creating potions, as he was busy crushing ingredients with a mortar and pestle. He hadn't even noticed Azyrek entering.

Azyrek cleared his throat to get the mer's attention, "Ahem,"

"Ah! What?" he asked, jumping in surprise. He looked even more surprised when he saw the figure in front of him, "Who the hell summoned a dremora indoors?" he shouted as he cast a dispel spell Azyrek's way. Surprise seemed to be the name of the game, as the mage felt it once again when the dremora didn't fade away into Oblivion.

"Are you done?" he asked the mage irritably, "I just want to get to Mournhold..."

The mage seemed petrified, but not out of fear. Mostly confusion.

"You...wait right here. I'll be back."

"I'm trying to get to Mournhold!" he shouted down the hall after the odd mer. He was ignored, so he followed after.

"See?" the dunmer pointed at Azyrek when he caught up. The dunmer was speaking to the bosmer woman who'd given him directions barely a minute before.

"By the Nine," the woman remarked, "I'm Farawen, my eccentric counterpart here is Bervayn."

"I'm still waiting to get transported to Mournhold," he said, making his aggravation evident.

"Well..." she said, "We don't usually serve dremora,"

Azyrek narrowed his eyes, "There's a first time for everything. Or at least there better be in this case."

Farawen wagged her finger at him like a mother scolding a child, "Uh-uh-uh, Sir Dremora. If you want to get to Mournhold you'd best be a little more polite."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am. You see, beings such as yourself are difficult for mages like us to happen upon and-"

Azyrek cut her off, "Since when is summoning a dremora too difficult for the Mages' Guild?"

"If you would mind you manners and stop interrupting me, you would know that I was referring to dremora that have crossed over permanently, such as yourself. Usually we'd find them in ruins and the like, but they're always so violent..."

Azyrek seriously wanted to get violent. He couldn't believe he was taking this kind of talk from a woman half his height.

"...Anyway," Farawen continued on, "Since you're here, we can study how your form stays on this plane! In return, of course, we'll send you to Mournhold."

"What kind of studying? And how long will this take?" he asked, growing impatient, but having no choice but to play along. Unless he wanted to backtrack a week and go back to Kragenmoor, which was absolutely out of the question.

"We just want a day," she said with a grin, "We will cast some spells on you --no harmful ones, I promise-- and take notes, and compare our findings with our reference materials."

"Fine," he conceded with a sigh, "Go ahead, cast away."

"Well we aren't ready now, silly! Come back tomorrow morning after we prepare."

Azyrek hated the delay, but it was unavoidable. His only consolation was the fact that he was only half dremora. They would likely come up with all kinds of false theories if they really thought he was a full-blown daedra, which they apparently did.

"Fine," he said, "Tomorrow. One day is all you get, then you take me to Mournhold."

"That's the deal," she confirmed.

Azyrek left then, cursing his luck as he walked back to the inn. It was raining again.

[minque]

Hilarious! I can fully understand the mage's reaction on Azyrek..ha it must be like when a doctor sees a very unusual symptom in a patient and want to make some research.

Poos Azyrek....it must be hard on him....

Waiting eagerly to see what kind of experiments they're gonna do on him..Mind you mages, be nice to him!

Azyrek is my favourite Dremora..

[canis216]

Silly mages. I feel Azyrek's pain...

This post has been edited by canis216: Jul 15 2009, 02:48 AM

[Dantrag]

Chapter 4 - Stuck (continued)

"What are you?" Bervayn asked irritably for the thousandth time. Azyrek didn't understand a lot of the magicka talk, but he did know that the two mages were finding nothing. He had sat in the same little wooden chair for hours. They had been flipping through enormous books, muttering incantations, poking him with strange instruments, taking notes, and hypothesizing all day. It was obvious they'd found nothing, and night would fall soon. The halfblood resisted the urge to smile smugly, and sat silent. Him answering questions was not part of the deal.

"Ugh! Farawen, make him speak!"

Farawen shook her head and kept reading whatever scroll was in her hand. Unlike her impatient friend, she wanted no easy answer. All she wanted to find the answer for herself and shout 'I knew it!' while pointing a finger in the dremora's face. But there was no more time. She scrawled out a few more thoughts before beginning to collect her notes. Maybe it would come in time.

"One more spell," Farawen said, approaching Azyrek with a scroll, "Then you'll be in Mournhold."

"Make it quick," Azyrek said, stretching his arms wide. He'd been sitting still for a long time, and was beginning to feel antsy.

Farawen nodded once more and went through the spell. It was one of the most basic types of revealing spells. So basic that she and Bervayn had skipped over it altogether. A gleam was visible in her eyes after she cast the spell, and she hurried to a piece of parchment and wrote something short. Very short. Azyrek tried to crane his neck to see what she had written, but Farawen was working too quickly now.

"Alright," she said, stuffing the paper into the folds of her robe, "We're all done here. Time to go to Mournhold. Bervayn, would you see him along?"

"But-"

"Now!"

Azyrek blinked, and realized he was somewhere else. He cursed silently. Surveying his surroundings, he found himself in a Courtyard. It was dark, at least, so he kept from drawing attention to himself. He began to wander the city, searching for the Plaza Brindisi Dorom.

[Olen]

I'd fallen behind on this one. Most enjoyable. I'm interested to see how the two plots converge and where this is headed. Well written and a good idea.

Great stuff!