The War of Necromancy, The Roleplaying Thread Options

[grif11]

"hmmm, this one will make a good worm thrall."A chilling voice said. Falius would have shiverred if he could."young, fit, and has a strong pulse."
"perfect," Falius thought "A necromaner AND a vampire. They better hope I dont recover soon."
"Throw him in the back with the others, Wart-rag!" The vampire shouted.
"Y-y-yes master." Wart-rag cowered. Next thing he new, someone had picked him up and thrown him into the back of a rotten cart.

OOC: not back yet, stopped by friends for a day

[Dantrag]

Things were not looking great, Aerona thought. One of them had impatiently ran off, while she and the others still tried to plan a course of action.

"We should make the preparations soon," she said, "You may be surprised at how fast a bosmer moves through the forests."

[Dantrag]

Colin Draconis sighed; this plan was already falling apart, and yet it was their only hope.

"The lady is right. Time is of the essence. Galius," he said, pointing to a nearby guard, "Prepare horses and give them each three food rations. Whatever we can spare."

The guard left obediently and Draconis turned to face the unlikely companions.

"Infiltrate Bruma. Find out what you can about their defenses, and weaken them where you may. When you discover something to report, you will find a Mage's Guild contact in Cloud Ruler Temple."

Galius returned shortly, "The preparations have been made."

"Go now then, friends, and may the Nine guide you."

[jack cloudy]

Swift-like-Fish slipped off his stool and bowed to Draconis.
"Then this one shall take leave and go to the city of snow. Nine guide you as well, sir." He said before turning towards the guard who had taken care of the arrangements.
"This one fears his knowledge of the paths in this place are lacking. This one would humbly request to the steel-covered man to guide this one to the place where horses await."

[Dantrag]

OOC: I liked jack's wagon idea, and threw in an extra horse in case ureniashtram didn't.

The guard led them outside, and Aerona fell in step behind the Argonian. They were brought to the stables, where two horses awaited them. One of them was hitched to a small wagon. It had a seat in the front, wide enough for two, and the back could hold another two lying down, if their rations hadn't been loaded in.

"You'll need to have the horses take turns pulling the wagon, or one won't live long," the guard advised, "All the food we could spare you is in there, along with a few waterskins."

"Thank you, sir," Aerona said as she took her small knapsack off her shoulder and dropped it in the wagon. The guard bid farewell, leaving the three (ooc: is that the right number now?) of them alone. The gravity of the situation struck her very suddenly; she was traveling halfway across a war-torn country with complete strangers, and only the one called Cyldreen seemed to be a warrior. She remembered a dark elf from inside (Nym was it?) and wished he was coming along as well. Even though she had been a bit unnerved by him, another able fighter could do a lot of good.

He must have his own business to attend. she thought, And now we have ours.

"So..." she said before taking a deep breath, "I guess it's time."

[ureniashtram]

Cyldreen simply remained silent as the rush of things took its momentum.

He followed the guard and the other two where the stables were at and simply nodded a thanks to the guard when they approached the wagon. It was rickety and the horses seemed frail. It was unbecoming of the Empire, but then again the Empire consisted only of the Imperial City nowadays.

His attention drifted to the task that lay ahead of him.

He would've laughed at the absurdity of it all; three strangers who barely know each other are tasked to bring a city down. But this was the chance to strike at the order of the Black Dragon. And he would grasp this chance no matter what, even if the situation was dire.

The voice of the elf shook him to the present.

"Yes. This stark dream that we call reality is slowly turning into a nightmare. Let's go."

OOC: Is this a good time to create a new RP? Jus' askin.

[jack cloudy]

Swift-like-Fish climbed onto the wagon without a word. He knew it wasn't perhaps the politest thing to do, claiming a place without asking. On the other hand though, he did not know how to ride a horse and would only slow them down if he were to walk. Walking for long periods of time wasn't impossible for him, but something quicker than that, such as a military march or equivalent, was.

Both his companions expressed their sentiments about leaving. The Argonian bowed his head at the departing guard.
"Then we shall depart. This one thanks you for your aid and wishes safety to you and your kin in the coming days." He spoke and shifted in his seat. His tail was bend against the back of the seat in a distinctly uncomfortable way.
"Who wishes to read the map? This one is afraid that this one's knowledge of the northern province is as lacking as this one's skill at reading." He asked and at the same time gently coaxed the horse drawing the wagon to begin walking. Handling a horsedrawn wagon was also a new experience for him, but the horse was timid and he had seen it done often enough to manage.

[Dantrag]

"I can read it," Aerona volunteered, taking a seat next to the argonian. It was unnecessary at this stage of the journey, but she took a look at it anyway, wondering how long it would be safe to travel along the roads. She didn't voice her concerns just yet; the mood was somber enough as it was.

The wagon moved, and they were headed west, towards the fork in the road that would allow them to turn northwards. It should have been a beautiful day, but somehow the land seemed ominous. She couldn't put a finger on it, but it was as if a sickness had spread through the ground, affecting the grass, the trees, and even the sky. She looked over at Cyldreen, who rode alongside them, and then to the argonian, trying to tell if they had the same feeling or not. It wasn't until they reached the fork that she spoke again.

"Turn to the right here," she said to her scaled driver, "My name is Aerona, by the way, I don't believe we've actually met."

ooc: fort empire actually made perfect sense; you kinda have to leave the city on the western side because of the lake.

[ureniashtram]

OOC: Fort Empire then. We still have to think about.. Never mind. I'll just PM Ahren.

The argonian said something about a map and the dunmer volunteering to read it for him. With the elf taking a seat behind the reptillian, it made Cyldreen ride the old nag of a Chestnut breed. The beast at first felt uncomfortable, the breton supposed that the horse didn't had a rider since now, but promptly calmed down with a few soothing words and an apple.

As they reached a fork on the road, the dunmer instructed the Argonian to take right and also introduced her name.

Aerona, she said.

He was about to remark a comment about it being a strange name for a dunmer and hopely have a conversation, when the burning smell of warped wood and the unexpected rotten pragrance of blood intruded upon Cyldreen's senses.

He looked at the others. They didn't seem to smell it.

Cyldreen drew Sleeping Beauty and cast the spell of sight-enhancing magick. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, only the ruined walls of a fort long destroyed. That made Cyldreen grip his halberd tighter and keep cautiousness at his side.

He considered scouting ahead, but with a mage and a barely equipped argonian guarding their supplies, whatever made Cyldreen anxious would target those who appear to be armless.

"Be more perceptive of your surroundings, my fellow ... mercenaries. Be more aware of what you hear, what you see and what you smell. For keeping cautiousness on your side will always save your lives."
^^^^


EDIT: I allmost forgot to say that the fort I mentioned here is Nikel. That's where we'll get our disguises.

This post has been edited by ureniashtram: Jan 28 2011, 11:34 AM

[jack cloudy]

Swift-like-Fish lowered his head at the introduction.
"This one is known as Swift-" He began when Cyldreen interupted him, asking of them to be more aware of their surroundings. The Argonian let his eyes wander along the trees on each side of the path, and the ruins up ahead.

"Does the gleaming-faced man see any danger to us?" The fisherman asked anxiously. Nevertheless, he steered the wagon down the fork Aerona had indicated.
"This one admits that the lack of guardsmen on the road is disturbing, but sees no sign of bandit or wild animal." His head swung from side to side once more. Still he saw nor heard anything. No people, or signs of their passing, no birds fluttering among the trees, no mice rustling in the bushes, nothing.
"The animals are silent, a sign that a hunter is near. The metal one is right, danger approaches."


OOC: since we aren near a point of conflict, might as well ramp up the tension a bit further.

[Ahrenil]

Gillyed crouched behind the crumbling remains of a guardhouse wall as he watched his attackers pick through the remains of the caravan he had been travelling with. He had met up with the refugees on his way down from the mountains and had kept them company. He was just sorry he could not have kept them better protected.

When the first hail of arrows had hit the side of the wagon and taken down the horse pulling it he had called for them to take shelter, but they had been too interested in trying to gather their meager belongings, and had been cut down as the small troop of dark clad men had burst from their hiding in the rocks. Now they picked through the remains searching for a corpse they would not find.

In his head Guilid began to chant, a simple mantra to help him focus, as he did so he reached deep within his enchanted warhammer and drew forth the power kept there.
"Come all ye weak, come all ye Brave
Come all ye faithful, came all ye knaves
Cry out for the battle, cry out in your pride
Brave hunters and soldiers, we shall not hide!"
Gillyed cried out the final line of his simple battle song as he burst from his place of hiding. He caught his first would be killer in the face with the side of his shield, the solid metal holding as his supernatural strength dented the skull of the man inside, the Nord could tell as he fell that he would not rise again. He barrelled into the second man and grasped his sword wrist and shield. Focusing his will Gillyed sucked the warmth out of the air and the man, causing frost to form on the dark steel that he wore. As the man began to slow and slump Gillyed focused the gathered heat and bellowed a gout of flame through his oppponent's visor, searing the face behind.

The Nord turned and barely blocked an arrow with his shield, hearing it hiss off and clatter against the ruined stone wall behind him. Gillyed settled down into a low stance and prepared himself for the charge of the surviving 7 men. He may die in battle, but he'd leave a song worthy to be sung.

[Dantrag]

Swift-something had barely gotten the words out of his mouth before a loud battle cry broke the eerie silence. A magickal glow followed, along with the sound of steel.

Aerona looked to Cyldreen as she jumped from the wagon, "If you can stick by me and keep anyone from getting too close, my spells can do a lot of good."

They could see no details of the fight from where they were, but on the other side of a crumbling stone wall it seemed that all Oblivion had broken loose again. Aerona had little real battle experience, but she knew enough to realize that concentration would be difficult while trying to avoid melee attacks. She just had to trust in Cyldreen's battle instincts, as he would have to trust her spells.

And what of the fisherman? Will he be an aid or a hindrance? her concern was real enough, but there was little time to dwell on it. He would simply have to find his niche.

[jack cloudy]

The Argonian bared his teeth, an unconscious response to the fear he felt. He was no fighter and harbored no illusions of his usefulness in battle. He was no hero of legend, who could instantly master the art of war. No, his place was not on the other side of those walls.

"These are not the steeds of a knight. Meek they are, yet meeting blade or spell would cause panic. This one shall take horses and wagon off the road, hide them within the bushes where they're more safe. As to you, this one can offer only prayers of fortune and safety." He therefore said as he brought the wagon to a halt.

Just to the left side of the road and scarcely five steps further ahead was an opening within the trees which seemed to lead to the kind of small clearing deer would seek when resting from the night away from hunters. All in all, that was five steps closer to the battle then he wished, but reaching the cover would be faster than turning the wagon around.
"Good fortune to you, be safe." He repeated, hoping that his companions would not find their doom within the ruins.


OOC: Well, Swift-like-Fish would probably be either a hinder or dead if he tagged along, so I figured it would be better for him to handle the horses and stay out of the way.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Feb 2 2011, 06:30 PM

[Lord Revan]

Nathan
OoC: I'll go into battle in my next post, just want to place him near the action right now.

After hiking many miles, the Redguard set up camp in the shelter of a rocky outcropping. Although Nathan had become accustomed to the cold, it did wonders to feel Cyrodiil's temperate climate. He shed his pack and busied himself collecting some timber for the night.

As Nathan began to circle back, he felt a warm pulse against his chest. The Redguard frowned, knowing the kind of energy his master's gem reacted to. Nathan ran back to camp, depositing the wood, and snatched his potion satchel.

[grif11]

"Oh, gods,"Falius groaned.
The paralysis had worn off, but far too late.

He had been blindfolded and thrown into a dark cell. when He could move again, he ripped the blindfold off. So, my new home huh? Falius thought.

ooc: internet still not on, stupid company say it should be on next week

[Lord Revan]

Nathan

The source of the disturbance turned out to be a derelict fort. Nathan watched a wagon piloted by an Argonian peel off into the forest. He scrutinized the fort's crumbling walls and found a convenient pile of masonry to climb over.

Rather than charge toward the sounds of battle, the redguard withdrew his amulet. The gem shard pulsed and weakly guided him to the necromancer at work.

[ureniashtram]

Rage boiled on Cyldreen's veins, nihilistic thoughts slow slithered its way on his mind, muscles and sinews bound for bloodshedding flexed and untensed, shallow breathing became rugged echoes whispering for vengeance, his eyes became smouldering orbs of hatred that only justice can douse and if not for the tactical words that Aerona said Cyldreen surely would've charged headlong with reckless abandon, damning the consequences just to sate his lust for the thrill of brushing with death.

He merely growled with impatience.

The breton's skin crawled everytime when battle was joined, today was no exception. His hands shook with barely restrained craving for flesh being torn asunder and even then they persists. The Breton's attention were fully on the battle several leagues ahead of him, not once did it falter on its observation. But his patience were being strained now; everytime metal clashed each other in a tempo of violence, amounts of his self control went with it. Soon, the red mist will ascend and all he would see will only be crimson.

But what is this? Do my eyes deceive me?

On the north horizon were three figures completely cloaked in feldgrau grey and ebony, daunting was their height and in their mail-covered hands they bore terrible swords which was burning in a light of palatinate purple. Beneath their hoods, only Void can be seen and two raging fires. The keen eyes of Cyldreen never failed him, this time it served him well. He detected an outline of something heavy beneath the creatures' loose robes. With his heightened sight, he discovered it was a breastplate forged with fey skill and ut glittered silverite, cold and unforgiving. A temporary terror seized Cyldreen's supposedly brave heart, and for once the fire inside him flickered weakly but returned again.

They were the Shadow Knights, and dread is what they bring for the enemies of the Black Dragon. And currently, they ignored the battle infront of them and their attention was focused on the two mercenaries; Cyldreen and the dunmer. The breton supposed with a sparse bit of arrogance that they recognize them as a threat; how did they sensed their presence instantly on a mile radius was a mystery left to be answered later.

Probably detected us by the School of Mysticism.

He briefly considered riding the horse in combat, but quickly strangled the thought. He had a few illusions of how this beast's bones would fare against undead steel. He dropped down and after being stricken with an idea, discarded his halberd in favor for his yew longbow slunged over his shoulder. The weapon felt odd at his hands for it was a long time since he held a death-dealer from afar. He could worry about his skill later; right now he reached for an arrow tucked away on a quiver by his right hip. He nocked an arrow, aimed at a particular Knight's face and let loose a bird of death. Unfortunately, the wind was hostile and the distance ate away the arrow's momentum; thus it only clinked against its armored chest. By now, the Knights were quickly closing the gap and Cyldreen rained a few more. He got a lucky hit as one arrow pierced an undead arm, sinew torn by the orcish tip.

Not a wail, not a snarl; it did not stop the fell creatures in the slightest. The Breton instantly knew that this was a foe that he dared not to underestimate and grabbed his halberd. Before the melee commenced, Cyldreen thought he would die today. But that dread feeling was crushed as he gave in to his berserking qualities. Within minutes, bloody Oblivion reincarnated in a skirmish between a raging spy against three undead Knights.

Two quickly fell, and Cyldreen did not know if they were simply lesser warriors or were brought sheer luck. But the other that remained; he who was taller than the rest and wielded a sword of immense weight, engaged the Breton in a gruesome display of their individual skill; if there was a crowd, they would've surely jeered at the scene before them. Cyldreen's mind was full of excitement and he feasted upon the adrenaline of this battle; a complete contradiction of what his cautious side warned him about.

A feral swing was parried, an elegant stroke was thrown off it's slithering course, an upward slash was firmly blocked by a horizontal blade. Cyldreen ducked under a lethal swing and routed the knight until he was beside him. Before he could deal the mortal blow, the knight swiftly swirled and using its momentum, it backhanded the breton with a clang of metal against metal.
He briefly saw stars, but it quickly faded as the man-mer regained his senses and dropped into a defensive position. It was a good move on his part for it allowed him to dodge several strokes and chops of the blade, and counterattack with his own volley of thrusts and sweeps. Of which the fell undead blocked expertly. This time, Cyldreen persisted in his attack and almost got the undead off-guard with a wide swing metamorphed into a low sweep, but the Shadow jumped and landed on the haft of Cyldreen's halberd. He immediately let his hold on Sleeping Beauty slip and backed away; if he clutched his favorite weapon before the creature landed it would surely break the halberd. So instead by backing away, he drew his axe and shortsword both and held them pointed at the fell abomination, a wordless taunt.

He was rewarded by a charging knight, sword pulled to ready a lethal thrust the other hand pointed out to him as if to freeze Cyldreen in place. And it came accompanied by a shrieking wind and with an agility that could only be expected from a colovian cobra, the spy ducked and jumped; and in mid-air he sent his shortsword and axe in an 'X' shaped slash. Both of which was stopped by the dread blade of undeath.

Cyldreen landed a few feet away from the monster and their duel began once more as they charged one another.

The two exchanged blows of which it continued for what seemed like an eternity, neither of them gaining the upper hand against the other. But it was the dread creature who finally turned the tide against Cyldreen's favor by feigning to the left. When the Breton took the bait, a ferocious kick landed on the side of his head and he was sent flying several feet away. He managed to land on his feet, albeit a little wobbly and dazed, and swiftly turned around to face the silent brute.

A burning blade aimed to eviscrate his neck greeted him, and he narrowly dodged the blow but even then he felt the sting of the tip on his neck. Much to his advantage, however, the creature staggered forward, balance lost. Cyldreen rushed with a manic gleam in his eyes, his axe and shortsword aiming the creature's neck at both right and left.

Perfect angle and undeniable strength was all it needed for a decapitation, today was not different. The headless body of the knight, which was revealed to be an Altmer, lumped forward and showered Cyldreen with the velveteen liquid. He did not mind the mess he created, his thoughts were on the skirmish several leagues of him. A nord against seven aspirants. That would be easy, if the fur-clad northener knew the weak spots of the aspirants' armor.

Cyldreen absorbed air that his lungs desperately needed and when it was satisfied, he reached for his discarded bow and once again took aim. He did not know if the Nord was an enemy and he needed to be wary of this one, even though fighting against the Black Dragon guaranteed Cyldreen's guts that he was an ally. Never hurts to be sure, he thought with a smile, and let loose an arrow headed for an aspirant's head. It miraclously embedded itself at its target and the aspirant landed with a thud.

[Ahrenil]

Gillyed had been patiently hiding...No he had been patiently preparing behind his shield as the aspirants maintained their onslaught of arrows. They seemed more intent of keeping him in place rather than doing much damage, and the reason became obvious as a Breton joined the frey.

The man's ferocity and skill impressed Gillyed, but there was something off about the man. Something wild and dangerous, like summoning a creature too powerful for your control. It might take joy in your cause or offence at your gall.

Gillyed turned his attention back to his dilemna. There were only a few remaining opponents now, and they were getting frustrated, making mistakes. Some he could probably use to his advantage. All it would take would be the right time to strike.

Suddenly there was a ring of metal behind him and he turned just in time to see a Dremora burst forth from the ruins.
Mages, I always forget the mages Gillyed though to himself as he weakly parried the supernatural strength behind the Dremora's axe. He would have attempted to blast it away with a spell but his magicka was low, he had been hoping to have been bombarded by spells he could have absorbed but he has used his reserves too fast and too soon.

Kicking out with the desperation of a cornered man he slammed a booted foot against the armored knee of his opponent. The Dremora went down with a cry of hatred and Gillyed forced a bolt of lightning through the Deadra's neck, not enough to kill it but the shock going through it would stun it for a second or two. In this time Gillyed made a break for the cover of a nearby wall.

Just as he reached it and was vaulting over a heavy tipped arrow slammed into his shoulder, throwing him the rest of the way over. Luckily his armor has taken most of the penetration power out of it but the pain that rocked his already tired shield arm caused him to cry out. With dwindling mana, and a fight still going on he didn't risk healing it straight away. He just hoped the new combatants would be friendly and useful.

[Dantrag]

Aerona couldn't be sure if Cyldreen had even heard her earlier statement or not; he had pulled out a bow, fired shots, then rushed into battle in the blink of an eye.

Gods, he's unpredictable.

Cyldreen finished the three enemies in their proximity with little problem and no help at all from her. He'd even begun firing arrows in the direction of the real fight. She couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be in some sort of battle craze.

"Stay with me, Cyldreen, please!" she shouted, "It's more that just you here!"

She wove together two separate shield spells, then, one for Cyldreen, and the other for the strange Nord. It was done as a sort of peace offering, which she hoped would inspire enough trust to at least get through this ordeal alive. The Nord was pinned behind a stone wall by a group of archers, and was being harassed by a dremora. He dealt with the dremora well enough on his own, but Aerona recognized the work of a mage when she saw it.

That mage was her target. But where was he? Definitely not standing in the open as she was.

"Are you with me Cyldreen?" she shouted again, trying to penetrate the mental haze her comrade seemed to be entangled in, "We have to spot their mage!"

Her shouting attracted the attention of the archers, though, and a few began firing shots her way. She ducked one arrow, and another went clean through the loose folds of her sleeve. There was a short moment of panic, where she really thought she had been hit, could almost feel the arrow in her arm and the blood trickling down, but after looking found that she was fine.

Keep it together, you're fine. You're fine. You're fine. Find cover from the arrows, find the mage. Cover, mage. Come on, Aerona!

She ran towards the wall where the Nord was pinned, and dove behind it. She glanced back to make sure Cyldreen was still standing.

"We have to help each other out of this," she blurted out between heavy breaths, "Tell me, did you see the one summoning that dremora?"

[Ahrenil]

For a moment Gillyed had been prepared to take the opening the archers provided when they changed targets to the battle crazed Breton and his companions. But then one of them charged over to his cover and dived behind it, prompting a new hail of arrows to hiss over the top and clatter on the overgrown stones around them. He wasn't too annoyed though, at least this one had the sense to fight in a group, and he was appreciative of the shield spell she must have sent him, it was doing the three fold job of deflecting several arrows, keeping the majority of his blood in his body and restoring part of his magicka.

"The Mage? No idea as of yet" he growled "But if I had to hazard a guess, he'll be behind where their line is strongest, somewhere with a good view for him, but not for us."

The Nord paused for a moment, to reajust his shield on his arm and tighten his grip on his warhammer. "I'm going to assume your not good in a melee, but I have an idea. If we push forwards, the closer to the mage we get the more desperate he'll become. And eventually he'll give himself away. If you can keep me alive as we move forward, then I can stop anyone getting too close to you."