The adventures of Arthago chapter III, A Province united Options

[jack cloudy]

Very nice update and a nice fight. Hmm, this Shehai thing reminds me of Aureus' sword, except that my old vampire's one isn't summoned or pure willpower, but a bit of exotic metal merged with his soul. Sounds interesting, a band of Redguards who spent their times in the middle of nowhere to practise their swords of willpower.

[DarkHunter]

Excellent! Once again you prove the worth of SheHai!

[minque]

Ahhh the Shehai....wonderful, it reminds me of our first amazing RP, the AMU, where Jonacin the great hero was using this kinda thing.....Ahhhhh

Great updates Griffie....great...

Kudos....as Mazelure usually says...

[Mazelure]

Kudos indeed... by the way I really like the shehai thing... it's very cool... I kinda have an idea like that but with a little twist... you will probaly get to see it in the future... anyways

Kudos Agent Griff... Kudos

[Agent Griff]

I've finally decided to continue my fan fiction. I think it's fallen from the charts long enough, it's time "the adventures of Arthago" reaserted itself into the preference charts of all the readers on these fine forums. Here goes, I hope you enjoy it.


~~~
As I neared the mountains I saw earlier, I felt like a whole week had passed. In this scorching heat, a mere hour felt like a whole day. If there was paradise on Tamriel then there had to be hell too, and I was right into the middle of it. I hadn't drunk anything since I left the Sword Singer camp.

The heat was taking its toll on me, I could see ghostly images in the desert. To my left, a man was sitting on the sand, he was slowly decaying, his very flesh falling off his rotten bones. I looked away from the horrible figure, imagining myself in his position. To my right was a man that was slowly turning into something...unnatural. His clothes were being ripped apart from the inside and he was slowly bending over. His hands were becoming longer, and his fingernails were turning into wolf-like claws. His spine grew, and under its weight the man bended over even more. His face was becoming more narower and his nose was growing longer. His eyes turned, they became of a strange colour. The man then looked at me with his eyes and I felt he looked right through me. I looked away, in front of me.

Suddenly, another ghostly figure came at me from the front. It knocked me over. I could even feel it with my hands. I looked at its face. It was a regular man, an Imperial. He looked at me too.

"Where in the name of Akatosh did you come from?" the Imperial said with a surprised voice.

"Water...I want...water." I slowly said. My lips were so dried up that I could hardly move them. My throat was also burning.

"Here, take this." the Imperial said as he pulled out a small vial from his pocket. I drank it without thinking. It was cold water, taken from a stream most probably. I could feel every extremity of my body being refreshed, and I could even talk again. Truth be told, I didn't care if it was poison or water.

"I feel much..." I was intrerupted by my friend.

"I'm glad, get on your feet now, we're geting out of here!" the Imperial said as he pulled me up.

"Where are we going, and why such a hurry?" I asked in a confused voice.

"Let's just say something is following us. Quickly now! I don't know if it likes Redguard meat, but I wouldn't risk it." the Imperial said as he started running in the direction from which I came.

"But there's just barren desert in that direction!" I screamed. The Imperial didn't answer. I stopped for a moment to think my of my options. I had my scimitar with me, I could fight whatever was coming. I had no armour though. My thinking process was stopped when I heard a low rumble. A big creature was coming by the sound of it. I decided to follow my new friend.

After a bit of running, I was soon beside the Imperial. I decide to question him a bit.

"What's following you?" I screamed as I runned as fast as I could.

"Trust me, you wouldn't want to know." the Imperial said as he quickened the pace.

"Trust me, I do!" I screamed.

"Then look behind you!" the Imperial said as he started running even faster. I quickly turned my head to look but before I could see anything, the Imperial grabbed me and screamed some words.

I woke up in a strange place. It was a small room with a bedroll and a little stool on which the Imperial was standing beside me. I felt sick, as if my stomach and all my other body parts had been moved. I felt as if I was ready to throw up, yet my empty stomach didn't have what to throw up.

"Most people don't recover that well from a Recall spell, they ussually throw up all the food they have inside them. They also can't wake up for a day or two after their first recall." the Imperial said with a grin.

"Lucky me. Where in Stendar's name are we?" I asked, bewildered.

"We're in Sentinel." my face grew as I heard the Imperial's words and a big grin sprouted up on my face. "We're quite safe where we are now, and with what I have in my pocked we're quite rich too." the Imperial said as he put his hand on his pocket.

"Who are you? And where's the we in this?" I asked in a slightly annoyed voice.

"I am Atius Volenus, and I think you are in debt to me because I saved your life. I could have left you in the desert if I so wished it." the Imperial said.

"Alright I understand, I owe you my life. Wait a moment, so you say Atius Volenus is your name? Did you live in the town of Rhogusa for a while? You knew a certain, Jomic didn't you?" I asked the Imperial. I remembered him from my first quest for the Order, the quest to slay Jomic and find what he had stolen from the coffers of the Order. Atius had helped me by providing the location of Jomic but I had never thanked him.

"Yes, I did. Oh, wait! I remember you! You were that young Redguard who came to me asking the location of Jomic! Arthago was your name wasn't it?" Atius asked in a kind voice.

"Yes, indeed I am." I said.

"Arthago! It's great to see you again! You killed Jomic afterall didn't you?" Atius said in a heart-warming voice, as if he was meeting an old friend.

"Kind of, but those are things of the past. I never got to thank you for giving me Jomic's location though." I said with a grin.

"No need, old friend! I am glad to see you again, I never would have though that I could meet you in the middle of the Alik'r. What the hell brought you there?" Atius asked.

"Let's just say that I went there trying to re-discover my true self." I said in a slightly embarassed voice.

"If you would have lingered around without water for any longer, the eagles would have discovered your true self, after they pecked away your flesh." Atius said with a grin.

"I have one question though Atius, what will make us very rich?" I asked.

"Oh, you'll see Arthago. I will interest myself if there any buyers for it first though, I'm sure there are more than a couple of kings which are interested in this little item." Atius said mysteriously.

"If that be the case then I'll let you interest in any eventual buyers. I'll be on my own way now if you don't mind, I have some bussiness to take care off." I said as I rose from the bedroll.

"I understand Arthago, be on your way then. I'll anounce you when I find a buyer." Atius said as he also rose up.

A short walk later, I would present myself in front of King Lhotun and explain my prolonged absence...


~~~
That's it for this rather short update. Still, I hope you liked it.

[Tellie]

Wohoo...more Arthago, I liked the update, and your return is a most welcome one.

[jack cloudy]

Ah, more Arthago. Yes, this is very appreciated. Keep it up!

[Agent Griff]

An Alpha release of the mod I'm working on and a vacation later, I've returned to my first love. Sorry for the absence, but that mod really takes a lot out of me. If any fans of my writing style want to fully eat up my works, they should download the finished mod or the beta when it's released, I've written tons of books of all kinds, even a 5-volume series based on a historical event. I'm sure you'll love it. But now to get back to serious stuff, here's the latest update which was delayed too much on base of a week-long vacation and other things. Anyway, enjoy!


~~~
I slowly walked up to the guard standing at the gate of the palace. I was fearing he wouldn't remember me and send me off like some common beggar because of my un-knightly demeanor, I actually looked more like some nomad fresh out of the desert with that coat of wind-swept sand on me. I should have washed it off before approaching the palace but it didn't pass my mind. I started a conversation with the guard:

"Um, hello. I'm not sure if you remember me or not but I..." I was interrupted by the guard shortly.

"Remember you? How can't I remember you? You're Arthago the King's knight! I remember you since Lord Vhosek tried to conquer the city and dethrone King Lhotun. You led our company after captain Arneth was slain. Of course I remember you! Go right in!" the guard said in a happy voice.

I entered the palace slightly perplexed and slightly proud of my deeds as a captain. I never knew I could remain in the memory of my men so well. Deeds long past aside, I made my way to the throne room where I wished to receive an audience with the King. A herald introduced me as I entered the Royal hall. The King, upon seeing me, got down from his throne and came to me.

"Arthago! Where have you been?" the King said with a smile as he approached me.

"I'm sorry but..."

"Don't be! I'm glad to see you return to the court. I was afraid something happened to you while you were away. Come on to my study, we can have a more personal disscusion there, away from spying eyes." the King said as he took me slightly by the shoulder to direct me to his study. A herald scurried to the King while he was leading me away.

"Your Majesty, where are you going? You have diplomatic envoys to receive, peace to establish, ambasadors to..." the herald was intrerupted.

"Retire them to their rooms! They can wait until sunset!" the King said as if he didn't care.

As soon as we were in the King's study we both sat down and started talking.

"So, now that were alone, let's talk about your absence. Where have you been? I was almost on the verge of declaring war to a rival king because I thought he had kidnapped you." the King said as the smile from his face slightly faded.

"I was away to...rediscover myself in a...spiritual way." I said with a stutter.

"Well, next time you wish to rediscover yourself, can you do it within the walls of the city? Preferably somewhere where I know you're safe?" the King asked in a sarcastic voice.

"Of course I will my King. Has anything happened in my absence except that near declaration of war?" I asked in a curious voice.

"Nothing much, except I was waiting to receive one of my agents the day you dissapeared, a Dark Elf who went by the name of Alanil, a rather rude fellow. Nobody knows what happened to him to this very day." the King said.

"The honoured user's dead *cough* I mean I think he's dead, that's what I heard on the street. A tall Dunmer...with a ring in his left ear, a weird tatoo and spiky hair...is that right?" I asked the King, trying not to deconspire the fact that I murdered the Dark Elf in one of my...outbursts.

"Uncanny resemblance. Is that what you heard on the street? It must be true then, the resemblance is spot-on." the King said in a surprised voice.

"And what of Marshal Daron? How is he?" I asked in a curious voice.

"Marshal Daron, you haven't heard the news have you? The day you disappeared we found Marshal Daron wandering the streets of the harbor in a rather strange state of mind. He appeared as if he had taken...something. We took him to the best healer in the whole city yet it was too late, he died this morning. The healer's conclusion was that he had consumed too much of a certain substance yet he couldn't say exactly. A bad substance nonetheless." the King said in a sad voice.

"Then he is...dead?" I asked in a shocked state.

"Yes, I am sorry to say but he is. He has passed from our ranks, to a better world...hopefuly. He did say something about you in his mumblings, a short time before he died. He wished you to advance in rank and become Marshal, taking his place. He would have retired afterwards, but it was not so..." the King said in a sad voice.

"It is all my fault. I shouldn't have visited his house in the first place, that way the assassins wouldn't have attacked me and that way the Marshal would have lived. Why do I have to make these decisions?" I asked in an angry voice, almost shouting.

"Assassins? What assassins?" the King asked, a sparkle appearing in his eyes. He could sense war closing in.

"Assassins sent by a certain king Sosscan from a king called...now what was that name? I can't remember it exactly, it was something like Berana or Bergema." I said, trying to remember the name.

"Bergama?" the King asked with a slight grin.

"Yes, that's the name!" I said.

"Then king Sosscan knows that you killed the former king of Santaki and the former king of Ephesus. That must mean that he tried to eliminate you before I could send you after him, so that also means that he is hiding something from me. This Sosscan then killed Daron. Now this is personal!" King Lhotun said as he jumped from his chair. He was attached to Daron as well.

"When do we leave, I can't wait to show this Sosscan what it means to assassinate a knight of Sentinel!" I said as I rose from my chair as well.

"Find a herald! The Kingdom of Sentinel is going to war!" King Lhotun said.

2 months later, I was standing in front of the gates of Bergama's capital, the city of Sunkeep. The city was quiet, and fear could be sensed all over it. It seemed that the feelings of the treacherous ruler had passed to the populace. King Sosscan knew that his assassins had failed to slay both me and Marshal Daron, thus he was expecting a counter-attack.

King Lhotun decided that I should proceed as I did with the old king of Santaki, enter the city, infiltrate the palace and slay him. It seemed like a simple assassination yet this time it would be different. King Lhotun had decided that we should infiltrate the palace disguised as ambasadors since he was visiting Bergama on a peace envoy, to make up with king Sosscan after the death of Marshal Daron. Sosscan took up the chance immediately, thinking he intimidated King Lhotun. He was so wrong.

As soon as we reached Sosscan's throne room, he greeted us.

"Welcome Lhotun! I am glad to see you have made it so quickly!" Sosscan said as he rose from his chair. He was surrounded by guards, all fully armed and armoured. I was afraid he might try to kill all of us thus I kept my hand firmly on the handle of my blade.

"I am glad to be here also." King Lhotun calmly said.

"I am happy to see you have resorted to reason and laid down your violent ways Lhotun. It is better to be friendly with everyone, rather than to try to rule them." Sosscan said, mocking King Lhotun's plans.

"I am sure the kings of Ephesus and Santaki thought the same thing Sosscan." King Lhotun said with a grin.

"That may be so, but they were old men who did not change with the times, they were destined to be conquered. Now, if you could follow me we shall sign the peace agreement." Sosscan said as he rose from his chair.

"That is not the reason for my visit Sosscan, now sit down." King Lhotun said with an authoritative voice.

"Sit down? You order me in my very castle?" Sosscan asked with an outraged voice.

"Just sit down before you are struck down." King Lhotun said calmly.

"I see you have gotten bold since you slew the old men of Ephesus and Santaki, Lhotun. Do you already consider yourself my ruler? I do not bow to tyrants." Sosscan firmly said. I prepared to draw my sword as I watched Sosscan's guards nervously.

"If you do not bow to "tyrants" as myself, do you bow to cowards who try to assassinate old men as they eat?" King Lhotun asked Sosscan.

"What do you mean by this Lhotun? Do not mistake me with your own murderous self!" Sosscan said arrogantly.

"I know what you attempted Sosscan and I know that you failed! Arthago, take your hood off! I believe you have heard the name Arthago before, and I am sure you know who Arthago is very well." King Lhotun said as I revealed my face, previously covered by a black hood.

"Arthago? He is...here?" Sosscan asked as he slowly backed away to his chair.

"I can feel your fear Sosscan. I know what you did, you tried to assassinate Arthago and his dear friend Daron. Instead of slaying Arthago you slayed an old man like some common coward, and that old man was very, very dear to me. I want revenge, and I want it now, enough talking!" Lhotun shouted at Sosscan with a voice that thundered across the room.

"You have such arrogance Lhotun. You come here to try to kill me with five men while I have over four dozen to guard me? Your arrogance will bring your downfall Lhotun. Seize him!" Sosscan shouted at his guards.

They all drew their swords and I did the same, ready to fight for the life of the King and of my own. Sosscan's guards however all turned towards him and captured him, throwing him down the stairs that led to his throne which was set on a pedestal. Soon enough, Sosscan was at our feet and begging for his life.

"The best you can hope for now is a quick death, and you won't be getting it. Take him to the dungeons, Arthago will do whatever he wants with him." King Lhotun then turned to me. "Do this for Daron, avenge him!" King Lhotun whispered in my ear.

I did as I was told, and took the king of Bergama to his own dungeons where I fixed my mind on torturing him in the most painful way which was humanly possible. I wished his death and I wished it badly. Because of him, I had lost my mentor and good friend, I had lost the man who introduced me to this world. I wasn't going to let this pass easily, despite any of Daron's flaws.

As soon as I reached the torture chambers, I ordered Sosscan to be tied to a chair and afterwards I ordered four daggers to be brought to me. As soon as I received what I asked, I ordered the torturer to thrust the daggers into each of Sosscan's leg, two on each one.

After he started yelling as hard as he could, I ordered a sharp shortsword to be brought to me. I decided to personally make him regret his order the rest of his life, however short it may be. I grasped the shortsword personally and felt how anger gathered in every extremity of my body. I had a great temptation to slay him on the spot yet I resisted the urge. Instead I used the shortsword to hack off one of Sosscan's ears.

"Is the pleasure too much for you? Can you hear me? This is what you get for ordering the death of my friend, this is how much it hurt me to hear he was dead. This is how much!" I shouted as I thrusted the shortsword hard into Sosscan's arm. I could almost feel his pain because of how much he was yelling.

"Take him to the highest balcony in his castle, then chuck him over. Let him get acquainted with the pavement." I said with a cold voice. Sosscan was soon dragged off to the highest balcony of his own castle and I quickly scurried towards the street to see the death of my hated foe.

As soon as I got outside I looked for the highest balcony of Sosscan's castle. It wasn't hard to see and it was really high because Sosscan's castle was placed on a hill, thus allowing any viewer to see far away from that very balcony. As I looked above I could sense an urge to take the life of Sosscan myself. I started shouting franticaly for a mage as crowds gathered to see what all the commotion was about. An old Breton soon came forth and I asked him to levitate Sosscan down to the ground so I could strike the decisive blow.

He did as I told him so as soon as Sosscan started plummeting towards the ground, he magicaly stopped and was brought down safely by the mage. I quickly ran up to him with my scimitar drawn. I ran with the tip of my blade pointed at his stomach. As I ran as fast as I could I impaled him on my blade. I quickly pulled the blade out then put him on his knees. I whispered in his ear:

"Are you sorry for what you've done?" I asked with a cold voice in Sosscan's remaining ear.

"Yes..." he slowly mumbled.

"I'm glad." I said as I raised my scimitar. His head soon rolled across the pavement and his bloodied body finally fell.

Marshal Daron was avenged...

~~~
This is the end of this rather brutal update. I hope I wasn't too violent for your preferences though.

[jack cloudy]

Oh, good to see that you're back. Don't worry, we're getting used to the sudden love for red stuff that has appeared here. It looks like Arthago is really angry about it all. Maybe some time away to calm down would be good. (He just came back, but he still looks like he could use a vacation.)

[Agent Griff]

Now that was quick.

Anyway, Arthago is turning out like a villain. Kinda like Taillus, at first a good guy then a bad guy. His sadistic outbursts are becoming more and more frequent yet I say you should watch carefuly for his future, one never knows how it might turn out with an oportunistic guy like Lhotun guiding a naive' young man like Arthago through his destiny. Who knows, maybe Arthago will fight back?

[jack cloudy]

Well I hope he does. he doesn't seem to notice that Lhotun is doing just about the same things as the 'bad' kings. Though on the other hand, having a bad guy as the main character is interesting. Maybe I have to try it myself someday.

[The Metal Mallet]

I'm excited to see this back and running again. Arthago is quite a character. He shows flaws, and that makes him believable, believable characters are the generally the best characters out there. Them and the sadistic ones it seems, and since Arthago is starting to display some sadistic tendencies it makes him all the better.

And I don't really mind the increased amount of violence either. The violence in my fic is fairly descriptive and the moderators have yet to suggest some editing. I don't think you need to worry about what you have in yours.

Again, it's great to see Arthago posts again!

[Agent Griff]

Here's another update to everyone's favourite mediocre story! The adventures of Arthago! I hope this was quicker than the last update. Anyway, enjoy!


~~~
As I stood in my house, lying down on a chair and just thinking of what had happened the past days, I heard a knock on my door. Quick to answer, I jumped to the door to open it. It was no other than Atius, my old friend. I welcomed him into my house:
"Welcome Atius, I wondered when you'd come. Come in, what will you be drinking?" I asked Atius as I invited him into my house.

"An ale would be enough." he calmly said as he entered. As soon as we both sat down the conversation re-began.

"So, what brings you here Atius?" I asked in an anxious voice.

"I have found a buyer for my "wares" but I don't want to meet him alone so I want you to come with me." Atius said.

"A buyer, you say? Who is he?" I asked.

"A very powerful man who would like to gain even more power, I'm sure you know him." Atius said.

"Well then, if I know him would you stop being mysterious and tell me his name?" I asked in a determined tone.

"I'll tell you, but promise that you will tell no one of our business venture." Atius said.

"Now you know I won't tell anyone, tell me his name already Atius." I said.

"Alright, he is king Lhotun the ruler of Sentinel." he said. I was rather surprised by his reply, the King dealing with one such as Atius?

"And what exactly are these wares for which you risked your life?" I asked, trying to hide my surprise.

"These wares are actually only one object, an ancient artifact I found in a wind-swept tomb in the middle of the Alik'r. It has the rather interesting ability of creating a corrupted copy of whomever you choose. It works on whole armies as well, imagine going to battle with an army much smaller than your foe's then creating a whole army of dopelgangers to match his own army. That's exactly why this Lhotun wants it. He wants it badly actually so he's arranged a meeting between me and him on the waterfront. I'm afraid of going alone, who knows what this Lhotun character may do to me?" Atius said in a rather nervous voice.

"King Lhotun of Sentinel? You shouldn't be afraid of him, he's an honourable man." I said, trying to reassure Atius.

"Honourable? Where have you heard that? I'm guessing the king of Bergama wouldn't agree more gathering what Lhotun did to him, his head was lopped off in the very street. Can you believe that? Someone should do something against this Lhotun before he starts a war with the Empire itself." Atius said in a despicable tone.

"Watch your words! I mean...you shouldn't judge someone as a tyrant before you know his reasons. Perhaps he has a good reason for all of these things?" I said, loosing my temper for a moment.

"I'm sure he has a very good reason, all of these tyrants have the same one: the thirst for power. The fact that he desires my merchandise just shows that he wants even more power." Atius said, trying to slander King Lhotun's reputation.

"I should..." I was interrupted by a knocking at the door. I made my way to answer. I only found a note at the foot of the door. I picked it up and started reading it. It read:

There is a very despicable man in the city. He seeks to conquer the city by using a malefical artifact of Oblivion. Seek him out and slay him before it is too late for the city and the Kingdom. Make sure to recover the artifact so that no one comes forth and takes it to use it against us.

Signed,
King Lhotun


So Atius wasn't actually an adventurer seeking to sell off his loot. He was actually here to take over the city. His first, most probable step, was to take out King Lhotun in that meeting on the Waterfront. Afterwards, taking down the city's defenses would be easy with a tool like that in his possesion. I had to stop him before he got out of my house and on to the streets.

"So Atius, where did you say that your merchandise was? I am rather worried that this despicable Lhotun character might try and steal it." I said, trying to trick the conspirator.

"Oh, I have it with me. It's quite easy to carry along with you, you see? It has the shape of a normal-sized human skull yet it is...darker and gives you a feeling of imense power. So you agree to come along to the meeting?" Atius asked me anxiously.

"Come along to the meeting? Well, before I answer that question here's something that I'll bring along. Protection you see?" I said as I left the room and went upstairs to get my scimitar. I had to take care of this menace.

Later, after I had returned: "Oh, great. That's just what we need. In case that Lhotun tries anything funny with us at the docks." Atius said in a rather relieved voice. He must really trust me to say that.

"Oh, but the best part is yet to come. Look over your shoulder." I softly said to Atius, directing him to look behind him.

As he turned his back, I raised my scimitar, intent on leaving this malitious schemer without his foul head. As Atius looked behind I tried to fell the blade upon his head, but I just couldn't. This man had helped me very much, he had even saved my life once. I couldn't just repay him by lopping off his head. If he would die, his death would not come by me. I am not a murderer, and when I kill, I do so with reason.

"What was there? I couldn't see anything except an empty wall." Atius said, rather dissapointed. He didn't know how lucky he was.

"Oh nothing. I was planing on showing you something but I've decided against it." I said in a rather bored voice, trying to mask my former intentions.

"Oh well. I forgot to tell you something. The meeting with Lhotun is tonight and there's not much time left! We should hurry." Atius said as he got up from my chair. I did the same.

Soon enough we were on the streets, on our way to the docks to meet the King. As we past through the empty streets, we went past a few market stalls which were emptied for the night. Atius started giggling for no apparent reason. After some time passed, I asked him why he was giggling as we past those stalls.

"Oh, I just remembered one time when I was walking through the market and I heard a little disscusion between a merchant who was selling dogs and one of his customer. The customer, after settling to buy a specific dog, asked the merchant if the dog had a family tree. The merchant responded: He can pee on any tree sir.
I just burst into laughing when I heard that. It's rather nice to remember past episodes like this one. It brings back fond memories." Atius said as he weaved a story and a joke in his words.

We both started laughing after he told of his memories. I exchanged some of mine in turn. Yet the time for niceties and jokes was soon coming to an end. We were nearing the docks, and I would have to tell the King why I can't slay Atius.

As we reached the meeting place, I could see the King was already there together with two other men. Atius was outnumbered heavily. I knew that he would not survive the night one way or another. King Lhotun greeted us as we approached.

"Greetings Atius! I am glad to see you have made it on time. Hm, who is your friend?" King Lhotun asked in a slightly suspicious voice.

"A friend of mine, Arthago of Vulnim Gate. Nobody important." Atius said in a calm voice.

"Arthago?! Arthago, is that you?" King Lhotun asked in a perplexed voice.

"Yes, sire. I am sorry to..." I was interrupted by the King.

"Don't be sorry Arthago. So you say you've befriended this petty thief? You're even more talented than I expected Arthago, perhaps you should focus your talents elsewhere than in the career of a knight. Now that we have him here, slay him Arthago." the King said with a slight grin.

"I am sorry Sire, but that was what I was meaning to tell your Highness. I can't kill him. He has saved my life and helped me greatly in the past. This is no way to repay his efforts." I said in an honest voice. Atius was looking at all of this in a very surprised way.

"Who do you trust more Arthago? Me? Or this petty tomb-raider? He means to destroy the city with his wicked artifact! He means to destroy everything you know and love!" King Lhotun said, slightly shouting.

"Destroy the city? What rubbish has this man been stuffing into your head Arthago? You know very well that he wants to buy the artifact and use it for himself! He only wishes to kill me so he doesn't have to pay any drakes out of his pocket!" Atius said at me with a certain desperation in his voice. He didn't want to die. Yet, what he said all made sense. The fact that the King wanted me to recover the artifact and take it to him. It all linked up. Perhaps the King had other thoughts than the ones of peace that he showed.

"He's trying to turn you against me Arthago! Who made you what you are today? Who? I did! If it weren't for me, you'd still be a petty squire by now! I liked you Arthago, I saw your potential! Why throw it all away in such a time? You're at the middle of the road now Arthago, will you go forwards or will you turn back?" King Lhotun asked me.

"Can't you see he's using you Arthago? Can't you see you're just a tool in his eyes? He fears you Arthago, that's why he wants you in his service, and not by your own. He fears your potential. If you stay with him any longer, you'll soon end up like me, or countless others, at the edge of a pier ready to be thrown into the water. What will you do Arthago? He's right when he says you're at the middle of the road, you can go either go forward and leave Lhotun's service or you can go back and remain his hired killer. What will you choose Arthago?" Atius asked me in almost the same way.

Things had gotten so confusing. I didn't know why I didn't just kill Atius, I didn't know why I didn't obey the King's wishes. I started feeling different towards the King, I started seeing his true face. He wanted power, no matter the consequence, no matter the reason. I saw it in his eyes that he delighted when I told him about the assassins from Bergama, it was clear, he had an excuse for war. Perhaps, with the death of Atius he might say that some king from say, Daggerfall, sent Atius here to conquer the city. This was just one great chain, one evil leading to another. Would I choose to continue, or would I choose to break it?
~~~
DUN DUN DUN DUNNN!!! Stay tuned for the next update!

[Tellie]

I'll wait...please Griffie, dont let it be so long til next time....I just love Arthago, ....give us more exellent updates like this.

[Agent Griff]

Oh it won't be long until next time. Well, until I find an idea of what Arthago will do I won't post anything. I'm not very sure what to do, make him into a bad guy or into a good guy. I'm gonna have to meditate on this one.

[jack cloudy]

Hmm, let's see. Knowing Lhotun, disobeying him will lead to violence. Now we already know that he isn't the most wimpiest fellow in the land. On top of that, he's got two bodyguards with him and I seriously doubt he would take anything less than the best available. Arthago is not a mage, so uber spells of doom are out of the question. It doesn't look like Arthago can win a fight here.

Tricky situation indeed. The path to the dark side is easier and quicker while the path of the good side is harder.

Edit: Wait, maybe he goes berserk and busts out one of those Shehai thingies? That would be cool.

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Jul 12 2006, 09:48 PM

[minque]

Ahhh......nice to see this one´s continuing.....as said above, I also like Arthago and I´m looking forward to read more about him.

Godd work Griffie!....Good work!

[The Metal Mallet]

Dun dun dunnnn indeed. I eagerly anticipate the next post. I personally can't tell which side Arthago will take, he's shown tendencies for both good and evil. Hopefully no mind control will be involved... that could be cheesy

[Agent Griff]

The conclusion to this controversial chapter and to cool down the presure, here's what happens:

~~~
Violent images quickly passed throughout my head. A man attacking me with a dagger, then a fall, then cold water, then darkness took hold. I woke up in a bed covered with warm furs. I was in a rectangular room with a high ceiling and a big stained-glass window in front of me. I woke out of the bed and saw my scimitar lying on a small table which was next to the bed. A man entered the room and looked at me.

"Ah, he has woken. He has woken Sire!" the man shouted to someone. King Lhotun soon walked in the room.

"Arthago! I'm glad to see you have recovered so quickly." King Lhotun said in a pleased voice.

"Um, what happened? Where's Atius? How in the name of Sheogorath did I end up here?" I asked, bewildered.

"Ah, so you do not remember? Very well then, I shall inform you with what has happened if you do not remember. After that worm of a man tried to poison your mind one last time I decided to take things into my own hands and deprive you of his evil influence. He pulled out his artifact and pointed it at me. A dopelganger soon appeared but I quickly slew the beast with a quick thrust of my dagger. Afterwards, after he saw that his dopelgangers weren't of any effect, he drew a dagger and held it at your neck then started backing away. I kept approaching him though. At that moment you panicked and somehow broke his arm then you pushed him backwards. As you pushed him with all of your strength you both fell into the water. You started screaming franticly but my men managed to get you out of the water and on land. By the time we got you on land you had swallowed too much water so we had to get you to a healer of some sort. After we took you to a healer you fell asleep because of the effort so we took you here. You're in the palace now." King Lhotun said, trying to soothe me.

"Now I understand why I'm here, but what happened to Atius?" I asked in a curious voice.

"Since you had broken his arm he couldn't swim. My guards tried to rescue him but it was already too late. He sadly drowned and was lost to the sea." King Lhotun said.

I think I understand what the King's notion of drowning is when it's about his enemies. Being held under water until you drowned would be a better way to say it. I started fearing Lhotun. I knew what he was capable of and I knew what he did when someone betrayed him. For the moment I would at least have to keep the appearance of loyalty if I wanted to keep my head.

"Now, to change the subject. My dream of a united Hammerfell is almost complete. The Kingdom of Sentinel has most of the lands of northern Hammerfell under its rule. The only ones who opose our rule are the southern kingdoms of Taneth and Rihad and the North-Eastern city states. For the moment, our atention will be turned towards the southern kingdoms. If we can take them without much hardship then we can shift our vision towards the north-eastern states." King Lhotun said in a scheming tone.

"Perhaps we should be content with what we have Sire. The Empire has not acted until now, perhaps they know yet they are turning a blind eye or perhaps they don't yet they are searching for oportunities of retribution. The old Emperor wants peace in his lands, not hardship. We shouldn't test his patience Sire." I said to Lhotun, trying to calm him down.

"The Emperor is old! He is a weak and senile old man, hell I don't know if he's even sane any more. He isn't in contact with his people. All of the Imperial generals have one eye on independent conquests and one eye on the Dragon Throne. The legions are loyal only to their own general, and the legions that aren't loyal are bought at the highest bidder by various nobles. Hard times are coming Arthago, the Kingdom of Sentinel must be strong. Once one Imperial general proves strong enough he will surely come for Hammerfell. If Hammerfell is divided into petty kingdoms, it will not outlast the onslaught. If Hammerfell can unite around one powerful kingdom, it has a chance of surviving and even taking the attack to Cyrodiil. Will you help me fulfill my dream, Arthago?" King Lhotun asked me with a sincere voice.

I could see now that even though King Lhotun may have appeared as an evil tyrant at times, he had an honourable objective. He loved Hammerfell and he wanted what was best for it, regardless what it took to get there. King Lhotun knew very well what was going to happen in the Imperial Province, all out civil war. Once Cyrodiil was at war, the other provinces would break out into war too, Hammerfell included. If Hammerfell wasn't united from the start, it would break apart into a lot of meager kingdoms which would be easy prey for the surviving Imperial legions. Only a miracle could stop the war that was to come with the death of the Emperor.

"I will, my King." I said, as I bowed down in front of Lhotun.

"Very well. Rise now Arthago. I do not know how much I can trust others yet I trust you the most. You have proven to me your worth thus far, and you have made me very proud. The first step into complete unification has been taken, Sentinel has conquered all nearby kingdoms to form one bigger and much stronger kingdom. Lainlyn, Ephesus, Santaki and Bergama all belong to us. The second step is unification between Reguard culture. The Crowns and the Forebears have been at war for too long, something must be done. The Crowns are too extreme when it comes to keeping their own culture, yet the Forebears love the Empire too much. A middle faction must exist, one to keep Redguard culture and value yet to respect the Empire in the same measure. This faction shall be called...yes, the Lhotunic. And I know just who is going to lead it." King Lhotun said.

"Who?" I asked in a somewhat anxious tone.

"You Arthago. You are just the person. I know that I can trust you more than others and I know that you have natural abilities when it comes to commanding others around you." King Lhotun said.

"It is an honour for me to lead your faction, Sire." I said.

"It is not my faction Arthago, it is our faction. Who knows, perhaps one day you might become the ruler of your own lands, free of me and Sentinel. That day would truly be a great one for both Hammerfell and for me." King Lhotun said.

"You know what the plan to succes is Sire? Make a plan and stick with it. Now that we have a plan, we should see that the phases are done accordingly. First thing we have to do is to officialy establish the Lhotunic. We should approach both Crowns and Forebears alike to see if they would wish to join our faction. After the Lhotunic is a strong faction we see to it that Sentinel has a strong army for times to come. If the odds favour us, we should take the southern cities, for they are the richest in Hammerfell and their people are just merchants, they pay others to fight their battles. We have an advantage over them there. After we take over the southern cities, we see to it that our borders are well defended against any future attack from the Imperials. Then, we wait." I said, weaving a plan.

"Excellent plan Arthago. I agree with your notion. We should put this plan into action right away. We are acting against time, and it is of the essence. The Emperor might die any day now, this day, this month, this year." King Lhotun said.

With this disscusion over, the conquest of Hammerfell was ready to begin. If the Imperials think they could defeat the Redguards as they did in the past, they have another thing coming to them...
~~~
This is the end of this rather short update. Sorry for the length but there was really nothing to talk about anymore. I hope the next update will be longer.

[jack cloudy]

Lhotunic? That Lhotun is a lunatic. Geez, he should have called it the neutrals or something. This is just too much for his ego. I like the update though I personally would skip Hammerfell at the first opportunity.