The adventures of Arthago chapter III, A Province united Options

[Agent Griff]

It might come as a surprise to you but the Lhotunic actually exists in the lore, I didn't make it up. It's really the middle faction between the Forebears and the Crowns. And, yes, Arthago will eventually leave Hammerfell or another province, but I'm not telling which one.

And I've began reading your X-Scrolls story. I didn't know you were writing it though, it came as a slight surprise to me. I'm gonna comment on it as soon as I get the chance.

[Tellie]

Ah...tyrannic honoured user he is....still, he is just as ruthless as you have to be, in order to have what kind of control he have I'll give him that. Exellent update, and I'm glad that Arthago didn't need to chose a side(yet), so I'll be looking forward to thye next update, just make Arthago act carefully around Lhotun ok.

Now I'll go and write another update myself, expect it soon.

[Agent Griff]

Okay, sorry for the long delay but it seems I'm developing a style here. I don't like this style though, but what can a guy do? Here's the latest update, and here's hoping that the next one will come quicker.


~~~
Now that the phases of the plan had been established the plan could be put in motion. All known Crown and Forebear enclaves in the teritory of Sentinel were to be approached with offers to join the Lhotunic. I was very skeptical of the plan's succes rate though, Crowns were famous for their stubborness and their desire to work alone for the salvation of Hammerfell. The Forebears on the other hand, were easily influenced by a well placed bribe...or assassination.

There were a number of Forebear-owned taverns in the city of Sentinel. As our agents were roaming the whole Kingdom looking for other groups of Forebears and Crowns, a few of the remaining agents started looking in Sentinel itself. I decided to go and oversee one of these operations at a Forebear tavern, the "Rusting-Crown". The name of the tavern was a clearly attacking the Crowns. After all these years, the Forebear-Crown hate hadn't dropped significantly. Hate is the most powerful human emotion, more powerful than love, regardless what some might tell you. Hate creates destruction and friendships alike. The saying "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is very suited to this statement. Hate is something more permanent than love, you might love someone one day, you might love another one the other, you might even love someone if you were paid to do so. Hate however, is stronger. If you hate someone one day, you can't stop hatting him the other, no matter the situation.

Leaving the philosophical part of things aside, I carefully made my way inside the "Rusting-Crown" with 2 other men beside me. Just in case. The tavern was a rather beat-up place. It was clearly badly cared for, if it was cared for at all that is. There were a few tables in front of an old wooden bar. The bar-tender was an old Redguard with a rather uncared-for beard. I approached the bar, trying not to disturb the other patrons of the tavern. Despite my efforts, everyone was looking at me like I was dinner. The only one who wasn't looking at me was a Bosmer who was sitting at the bar, sipping his drink in a very annoying manner. I took a seat next to the Bosmer at the bar, so did my two companions who were "keeping the peace" by holding the handles of their blades, ready to draw their weapons.

I started a seemingly normal conversation with the Bosmer, if you can call any conversation with a skinny midget normal that is.

"Um, greetings." I said in a rather hesitant voice. All the eyes which were looking directly at me made me rather nervous.

"Greetings friend, where do you hail from?" the Bosmer asked in a rather absent voice.

"Vulnim Gate." I responded with few words.

"You come from Vulnim Gate, do you? Never heard of that city. Regardless. My name is Balfix." the Bosmer said in a merry voice.

"Arthago, pleased to meet you Balfix." I replied.

"So what is your trade, Arthago? I'm a sailor myself. I was just passing by and decided to stop in this fine city." the Bosmer said.

"Ah, my trade? Well, I'm a...messenger boy. Yes, I'm a messenger boy." I said, trying not to draw atention upon myself.

"A messenger boy? And what is a messenger boy doing, running around with two armed guards behind him? You must be carrying a very important message." Balfix said in a rather unassuming voice.

"Well, um...um." I slouched over to Balfix' ear, trying to whisper something to him. "You seem to be a nice Bosmer, I suggest you get out of here before things get ugly between me and these boys." I whispered, trying not to attract atention at the same time.

"Oh, I understand. Well, I'll leave you to your bussiness. I wouldn't want to get in the way of this "package". It was pleasant meeting you, Arthago of Vulnim Gate." Balfix said, as he left the tavern.

"Same here, Balfix." I said as I also got off my chair.

I approached the bar-keeper, which was sitting on a small chair behind the bar, with a question.

"Where is the owner of this fine establishment?" I asked in a serious tone. The bar-keeper looked towards another direction in a strange way, then he turned to me.

"You've come 'ere looking for trouble, 'ave you?" the old Redguard asked.

"I've come here trying to do bussiness. If you are against my good intentions I will be forced to use other methods." I said.

"Other methods such as your sword 'ere? My two 'eaded battleaxe just under the bar doesn't like your behaviour. I suggest you leave, before your blood will decorate the walls." the bar-keeper said, trying to threaten me.

"Was that a threat. I suggest you back off before your blood decorates the walls." I said in a threatening voice.

"We seem to 'ave an 'ero 'ere." the bar-keeper stood up. "Do we 'ave a problem 'ere?" the bar-keeper asked in a threatening tone just as well. As the bar-keeper stood up, so did all the Forebears in the bar. I was clearly in trouble.

"Can I ask you one question, before my blood decorates the walls?" I asked with a seemingly content tone of voice.

"What?" the bar-keeper asked in an annoyed tone.

"Is your leader here?" I asked.

"Yeah, but you won't be meeting 'im." the bar-keeper said.

"Good, I'll beat the information out of your after I'm done with your friends." I said in a calm voice with a slight smile.

"Boys, we 'ave a situation 'ere!" the bar-keeper shouted. The Forebears all drew their various weapons.

"Let's get to work!" I said to the agents following me as I drew my trusty scimitar.

As we all drew weapons, we knew that Oblivion would break loose. I took my scimitar in one hand and jumped on a table, in front of all the Forebears. I didn't manage to count them all, yet I could clearly see that there were at least 8 of them. A fine chalenge I say. As I was on the table, I kicked one of the Forebears in the face, hard. He stumbled into one of his friends who gave him a "friendly" push to the ground. I jumped from the table into the middle of the Forebears, swinging both my sword and my feet as I did so.

As I fell to the ground, so did all the Forebears around, I could see that only 2 were still standing after my jump. With a quick mothing I thrusted my sword into the neck of one Forebear standing on the ground, leaving him there permanently. I chopped off the head of another. After I quickly dispatched these two foes, I quickly stood up. I soon found myself surrounded by 5 angry Forebears. I could see that my agents were ocupied with the bar-keeper who was swinging his battleaxe like a mad-man. The Forebears started approaching me slowly, raising their weapons while they were doing so. I had to get out of there fast and there was only one thing to do.

I raised my scimitar and quickly spinned while I was between the Forebears. My blade passed between them like lightning, yet as I was turning one of them managed to slash my back with a longsword. I got angry because of this yet I could still think clearly and see that I had to get some space if I wanted to defeat my oponent. My spinning attack had slain two of my foes and left another two wounded. I quickly made use of the gap I had made and took some distance between me and my foes. The one Forebear which I didn't wound at all came after me yet he commited one grave mistake, he came after me with his blade raised high. I quickly made use of this. I took my scimitar in one hand then I started running towards him. As I was close to him I grabbed him by his hand and thrusted my scimitar in his stomach. I quickly drew my blade and beheaded him though, I didn't wish to see him suffer, even if he was my opponent.

The other two Forebears were still trying to get up but their wounds were too severe to let them do that. I quickly put them out of their misery with a slash to the neck. The Forebear which I had kicked in the face earlier was getting up, I saw his efforts and quickly raced to stop him. I decided not to kill him though, just hold my blade to his neck and convince him that it would be a better choice if he left the tavern. He agreed with me. Finally, a smart enemy!

As I turned around I could see the bar-keeper standing on his knees with a blade held to his neck by one of my agents. I made my way towards him.

"You were saying?"
~~~
That's the end of this update. I'll write more soon...I hope.

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Aug 17 2006, 10:05 AM

[jack cloudy]

Wow, he's sure turned into one nasty swordfighter. (Even though his opponents were likely in various degrees of drunkeness.)
Heck, maybe he should join the annual 'Sentinel swordfighters competition.' Now that could be fun. (And good propaganda for Lhotun.)

[The Metal Mallet]

Impressive tavern fight. Wonderfully written so it was easy to understand each movement of the blade.

I do agree (somewhat) agree on the philosophy with hate. I think that people who disagree aren't thinking about the real form of hate in that case. I did wish that love was stronger though. Hopefully for me personally I can make that emotion stronger than hate.

Can't wait to see what else you'll bring us, Griff!

[minque]

Ohhh......great writing here, you truly have talent for this Griffie!

[Agent Griff]

I decided to continue the Adventures of Arthago since it was a shame to leave such a story unfinished. Quite cowardly on my behalf yet it seems that this is the way I've been treating most of my long-term projects recently, especially my mod project. I'll have to tell the guys there that I don't have the motivation to be their leader anymore. Anyway, let's get back from where we left off! Hopefully I can get my old audience back since this is a TES related story.

~~~
I looked down at the bar keeper and could see a slight cut on his left arm yet by the look of his face, his hate for me was greater than his pain. Fear seemed to be absent from this man all-together and the blades of my men at his neck didn't really impress him. The bar keeper looked at me with great arrogance.

"I believe you were about to tell me where the owner of this formerly fine establishment is, am I right?" I asked in a sarcastic tone. He obviously wasn't impressed.

"I would 'ave lopped your 'ead right where you stood, were it not for yer two 'brave' lackeys over 'ere." the bar keeper arrogantly replied.

"Well, you're not really in the position to argue. Speak quickly!" I said, losing my patience with him.

"Alright, alright. You don't have to be a loremaster to find 'im anyway. He's up stairs, last room at the end of the hallway. He don't like it when he's disturbed so knock before entering. Politely thrusting yer blade through the door should do though." the bar keeper said, mocking me and my men.

"Alright funny man. Tie him up and take away his axe. Keep it as a trophy since you probably won't find a bear his size outside the Dragontail mountains. I'll lead." I said as I started to calmly go up the stairs. My men followed.

As I slowly made my way towards the door at the end of the hall way I decided to send of my men in first, who knew what this Forebear might be planning. The slaughter downstairs just might have allerted him, if he was sharp of hearing that is. My agent calmly opened the door but after a few steps he fell to the ground after receiving a wooden club to the head. I quickly stabbed the arm that held the club then wrestled the arm's owner to the ground. He screamed because of the pain yet he recovered pretty quickly.

"Sorry for your arm, you scared me." I said as an appology. I knew it didn't matter much but it was the least I could do. "Now, if you're done screaming, maybe we can talk business?"

"Aren't you here to kill me on behalf of the Crowns?" the Forebears asked, seemingly confused by the fact that I didn't kill him on the spot.

"No, unless you give me reasons to. I wasn't sent by the Crowns or any other secret organization altogether. I am the representative of a new faction leading the fight for Redguard freedom. You might not have heard of it." I said, calmly explaining to the Forebear about the Lhotunic. I also helped him to his feet.

"Are you some other group of suicidal rebels fighting against the Empire?" the Forebear asked in an almost bored voice. It seemed he had received such offers before.

"No, we come on behalf of King Lhotun of Sentinel himself. I am the leader of a newly established faction named the Lhotunic. We wish to be a blend of both Crown and Forebear alike." I said, looking to see if the expression of the man changed, and it did when I mentioned the Crowns. I quickly added one more thing. "With emphasis on the Forebears of course."

"Hmm...catchy name you have there. But since you mentioned the fact that you are a Forebear-oriented faction, go ahead and name your terms." the Forebear leader said.

"Well, we have sent small 'committees' like this to both Crown and Forebear enclaves alike. We wish all of these squabbling factions, the Forebears, the Crowns and whatever other organizations of this ilk there remain out there, to unite under a common banner. Our King, in all his wisdom, foresees for a dark future for Hammerfell and all Tamriel alike, if we do not unite so as to weather the coming storm." I said in an elevated way, trying to impress the Forebear.

"Fancy words, but all you're meaning to say is that you're muscling in over us. I like it that you go straight to the point though. I've been trying to convince all of my fellow Forebears to unite with the Crowns and leave aside all conflicts, since it is in the interest of Hammerfell that we have peace amongst ourselves. If we don't, then things can go like they did when the Imperials last invaded Hammerfell, and we Forebears betrayed the Crowns, joining the Imperial side. Despicable thing we did back then. Still, I'm willing to join your little union. The Lhotarics, you call yourselves?" The Forebear leader asked. Still, we were getting somewhere.

"The Lhotunic. Anyway good thing that you're so optimistic. Let's hope the rest of your Forebear mates will share your line of thought, as I shudder to think of what would happen to them if they didn't. We'll stay in touch." I said as I left the Forebear leader tending to his arm. By this time my agent had also gotten back on his feet from the wallop he had received to the head.

Now that my part of the task was finished, it was time to give Lhotun my report. After a quick stop by a tavern for a quick bite to eat and some drink, I was ready to go to the palace. I never ate at my home since, as I've said before, I'm not much of a cook. As I made my way to the palace through the winding alleyways, it reminded me of when the city was a battleground and Vhosek's forces littered the streets. It also reminded me of all the brave lives lost in the pointless feud.

As I neared the great plaza in which the palace was situated I could see the spire which held Lhotun's library was still under construction. It had been shattered by a great fireball fired towards the palace by one of K'avar's battlemages. A grim reminder of dark times. I entered the palace and made my way towards the throne-room. There however, I found Lhotun's ever-so-polite messenger waiting for me.

"The King's been waiting for you. What took you so long you lout? A few Forebears too much to handle?" he asked sarcastically. I had long gotten over his way of speech however.

"Where is his Majesty?" I asked.

"In his chambers. He's waiting for you so get a move-on already!" he said, almost shouting at me. Still, his voice was carried as an echo throughout the great hall.

"Farewell to you too." I said, considering his command as a way of saying goodbye.

I eventually made my way to Lhotun's private quarters and there I found him admiring a broken spear which seemed to be the one he had broken in the duel with Lord Vhosek. He had attached it on a steel shield etched with the symbol of a candle in ebony characters, probably the shield he had used in the duel with Vhosek. The shield had been hung on the wall, almost as a trophy. Besides that, the King's private chambers were finely furnished, with furniture made of oak wood and expensive tapestries lining the walls. Lhotun saw me after turning around but he didn't seem startled, almost as if he had known that I was there.

"You bring news of the Forebears I suspect. How have the negotiations gone?" King Lhotun asked.

"Well, they weren't in the mood to negociate at first but after some old-fashioned 'persuasion' methods I managed to get the ear of the enclave's respective leader. Of course, the Forebears are short of a few men after my negotiations." I calmly said, describing the all-out battle I had in the "Rusting-Crown" tavern.

"It was to be expected. I have already received reports from other 'negotiators', so to say, regarding the general attitude of the Forebears and Crowns towards us. The Crowns have generally welcomed our intentions of strengthening Hammerfell so as to better resist an Imperial invasion, yet the Forebears have been aprehensive at best when it came to our proposals. We had to assassinate a few of their leaders until they managed to understand that we are serious about this matter, deadly serious." King Lhotun said in a ruthless way. I had already come to expect such methods from him. Even though his intentions were honourable, his methods were more than questionable. When it comes to matters of state however, you have to be that way if you expect to retain your seat as King. That was the truth of the matter, sadly.

"Understandable. I myself had to dispatch a few disgruntled Forebears until their leader could be open to negotiation. Yet I'm sure it's nothing a well-placed bribe or assassination can't handle." I said confidently.

"Well, unfortunately, the leadership of the Kingdom of Rihad has some very strong Forebear affiliations. Rihad's king himself is a self-declared Forebear supporter. Bribery or assassination won't work there and, worse still, we have no pretexts to invade. But I have been thinking. What if we could turn the situation to our favour? What if we could sow the seeds of discontent among the royalty of Rihad?" King Lhotun asked, almost rhetorically.

"It work in our favour since a civil war could start, as was the situation in Lainlyn. But how could we create malcontent in Rihad, without bribery or war?" I asked, not knowing what the King had in mind.

"That is exactly it Arthago. Since they are all well-established Forebears, sow the seeds of malcontent among them by introducing a Crown presence. Make them turn against eachother and the gears of war will start to turn. And once there are two sides in a civil war, we will be able to support one side against the other, as in Lainlyn." Lhotun said, with a sly smile. I already knew who he was going to send.

"Excellent sire! And I'm sure you already know the man for the job." I said with an unexcited voice.

"Who else? Who is my most trusted agent? Who else has gotten through so many trials before and remained undefeated the whole time? Why, you have Arthago. That is the very reason you are a Marshal of the Knights of the Candle. Yet now, you will once again have to take a more shadowy role. I assure you though, you will get your taste of battle when the time comes." King Lhotun said. When he said I was his most trusted agent I imagined it as if he said his most trusted enforcer, since it would have been a better term. Still, I had to do my part for King and Country.

"Of course, Sire. When do I leave?" With that most fatidical question I was ready to leave for the Kingdom of Rihad, the only place my Hammerfellian travels hadn't taken me before. It was a well known place of lust and revelry, yet it hadn't seen anything the likes of me before.

~~~
With that, ends this update to the Adventures of Arthago. I hope you enjoyed this update!

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Sep 22 2007, 04:19 PM

[jack cloudy]

Hmm, a nice update that was long overdue. Good stuff here.

But I wonder how strong an alliance will be if the majority has been forced into it by threats and violence.

[Agent Griff]

Tis' the next update. Enjoy!

~~~
As I made my way to the city stables I could almost feel my moves being shadowed by another presence though each time I looked back I heard and saw nothing. As I went through the twisting side-alleys, looking for a shortcut and a way to loose my followers, I thought I could play a little trick on whoever was following me. As I went through the small alleys, I suddenly made a right turn to a dead-end then quickly climbed on top of a small homestead. I laid on the roof of the homestead, watching and waiting to see who was following me. I also had my hand on my scimitar's handle in case my "fans" got violent.

As I stood and waited for a few seconds I started thinking that I had only imagined things, and that my paranoia was catching up to me. I prepared to get off the roof, thinking how funny it must have been, seeing a knight in armour on the roof of some house. Before I could get down however I heard talking. I quickly froze still, intent on listening.

"It seems that our coordonator is a smart one." a voice said, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Aye. This one's cunning alright. I don't how cunning he'll be when he gets an axe to the face though." another voice said, replying to the other one.

"Hush now. He's already seen us and all you'll do now is scare him or worse, anger him." the first voice said.

I got up and drew my scimitar, though I had no idea where my enemy could be hiding. From the likes, it was probably a mage with a minion helping him. I had seen their kind before, mages who walked around with hulking brutes on their payroll behind them. For "added protection" they said whenever asked about their companions. I would take care of the mage first then kill the other guy who was proud of his skill with the axe. As I stood however, I felt my joints were frozen in place. My hands couldn't move either. My body was limp like a stuck fish and my eyes were the only part of my body which I could move. The voices started speaking again.

"It seems we have a daring one on our hands. That should take care of him. Now, get him down from there before he falls." the first voice said once more, after seeing me paralyzed.

Before I could be helped down, I felt my whole body falling. I had stood like that for too long and now came the time to take the fall. Couldn't the idiot have paralyzed me while I was lying on the roof, not when I had stood up to face them? I soon felt my body tumbling down, knocking the other guy of his feet as he stood ready to catch me.

"Spoke too soon." the other voice said in an annoyed tone.

After a few hours of what seemed like a painfull comma, I woke up in a bed inside a small room which seemed to be part of a larger building. I had done quite a lot of this waking up in other people's houses business in the past few days, and I had gotten quite sick of it. It was really annoying falling down and not knowing where you'd wake up. My questions were soon answered however when a middle-aged Breton came to check up on me. His face seemed pretty pale and he was starting to have bald patches in his hair. A mage from the looks of it all.

"Ah, you've woken up Arthago." the mage said in a relieved voice.

"How in Oblivion do you know my name Breton?" I asked in an angry voice.

"His Majesty King Lhotun assigned us to work with you. On the Rihad assignment. Remember now?" the Breton asked me with a slight smile on his face. I couldn't resist the urge to strangle him.

"All I remember is that you paralyzed me on the top of a roof last night and that your friend broke my fall. Speaking of friends, where is your companion? Now that you have come out of your hiding places I can finally lay my eyes on you." I said in a displeased tone. It didn't seem to lower the mage's spirits.

"We weren't hiding." he said with a smile. "I had cast an Invisibility spell. That was why you couldn't see us. It was late night you see, and the guards don't take it kindly to people loitering around late at night unless they have important business. But since our affairs are of a rather clandestine nature we don't have papers to certify our presence."

"Who are you people?" I asked, bewildered.

"How rude of me not to present myself! My name is Belwin of Anticlere. I am a Breton as you can see. My companion is a Nord called Beomir, an odd fellow with a great many interests. Stalking out roads and ambushing people being one of them. He didn't really tell me how he came in the service of King Lhotun." Belwin said calmly. I remembered Beomir all too well. He had ambushed me twice while I was travelling to the city of Verkath, when I was caught up in a battle between the Crowns and Forebears over the city. Lhotun sure had acces to the services of a great range of people.

"And how exactly did you come in the service of my King?" I asked. I wasn't as upset as I was before but I was still cranky because of being frozen stiff.

"Well, I was an up and coming mage in Anticlere, affiliated with the Mages Guild, until I received a letter from one interested in my talents and willing to sponsor me. Don't get me wrong, the Mages Guild is wonderful and all but all those quests and all that studying can get tedious. I am talented in the School of Illusion you see, a School popular with those who have...less than legal pursuits." Belwin said. He was quite tedious in his manner of speech. Like most Bretons.

"Thieves you mean." I said.

"Well, if you wish to put it that way, yes. But if you live in High Rock for a long time you will learn that putting an awkward spin to a common term can get you places." Belwin replied.

"Then let's hope I never end up in High Rock. By the way, since we're working together, do you mind telling me where we are?" I asked calmly.

"Oh, not at all. We are in an inn inside Sentinel. I believe Beomir was out buying supplies and the like. He should be back shortly." Belwin said.

"And when do we leave for Rihad?" I asked, once more.

"After Beomir arrives." he responded.

"Well, unless I'm mistaken I see he's here." I said as I saw the tall Nord entering the small inn room. He was just the way I remembered him, except for a few bruises on his forehead and arms.

"Redguard! It seems you've finally woken up. I haven't seen you since..." I interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

"Since the time you tried to ambush and kill me on the road to Verkath...yeah...happy times alright." I said in a jolly tone and with a big smile. Anyone could see that I was anything but serious though.

"For you at least, I lost eight good men back then to your friends. Taught me not to mess with any knights from Sentinel again." Beomir said with a smile. It seemed commonplace for Nords to talk about near-death encounters as if they were taking about going fishing.

"Well, at least you learned something." I said.

"Now that we are all acquainted, I believe we can leave for Rihad. After you are done suiting up, you can find us downstairs." Belwin said as he left the room.

"Yeah...oh and don't mind the two Imperials lying unconscious near the bar. They chalenged me to a drinking game. You'll never believe who won, Redguard." Beomir said sarcastically as he left as well. The only thing I didn't like was that he called me 'Redguard'.

After they had left, I got up from bed. It felt refreshing to be able to use my hands and legs again. I almost felt like laughing when I walked around the room. I remembered the old saying "Value that which you have before you lose it." since it was all too true. I found my armour neatly packed near my bed with a note beside it, apparently written by Belwin.

Sorry about the sudden acquaintance.

Signed, Belwin

Next to it was also a small crumpled piece of paper which seemed to be another note, written by Beomir this time though.

Sory abot droping you down the stiars

Singed, Bomyr

That explained the bruises...
~~~

With that ends this update of the Adventures of your favourite Redguard.

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Sep 23 2007, 08:07 PM

[The Metal Mallet]

Glad to see the continuation of this story once again. Arthago's exploits in Hammerfall have always been interesting.

Lots of good stuff as usual. You make politics an interesting read, which is quite commendable. Keep up the good work.

[Agent Griff]

Well, real life politics are never interesting since they involve too much talking and negotiating. My politics are interesting because they involve plotting, intrigue and murder. Besides, I don't think I'm the only with a fan fic which is heavily concerned with provincial politics. There must be others...I think. Anyway.

~~~
I carefully suited up in my kit of specially designed steel armour, given to me by his Majesty King Lhotun himself. I always liked putting on my armour. Even though it was a long and laborious process it made me feel proud to be a knight. I enjoyed the sounds of metal clanking about as I tried to strap on my cuirass, and the sound of my blade as I drew it out of its scabbard, just to make sure it was nice and sharp. The way it caught any sources of light, making it shine, was also nice. Strapping on my scabbard on my belt, and tying the belt around my waste using the wooden belt strap carved in the shape of a curved sword made me feel like a Redguard warrior of old, preparing to go to battle against Azura-knows-what fiend.

Last but not least, I put on my gauntlets, moving my fingers around in them like a lizard stretching its limbs while basking in the sun. The sound of steel stretching was a sound of great beauty, only recognized by those intimate with heavy armour. Fighting wasn't glamorous. There is little actual beauty about fighting, not like they make it sound in songs and old tales. There is nothing glorious about hacking apart the man next to you for reasons which are not your own to decide. Seldom do men decide their own fate. The illusion of choice is always there however. The only thing which frees you of the illusion of choice is battle. There, you fight for your own fate, and your opponent fights for his.

It is a horrendous feeling one gets when another charges towards you, weapon in hand, intent on killing you. Once it happens however and you manage to survive to tell the tale, you become an entirely different person. You will never be the man you once were after you have killed. It is an experience through which all warriors go through. You can come out of it as a wreck, denying who you are, or you can come out of it changed, at ease with your new self.

These are lessons every warrior goes through. However, now was not a time of fighting and killing. Now was a time of sublime investigation of manipulation. The king of Rihad was King Sorian, cousin of the late King Sosscan of Bergama, whom I had killed with my own hand. He wouldn't have much love for me if I declared myself openly so I would have to go under a cover name. Under the guise of something else. As I stood in my armour, thinking, an idea came. I would be Vilamon, Knight-Errant in search of glory, and what better place to search for glory than the Royal Court of King Sorian? King Lhotun had told me about the court of Rihad and the more prominent nobles. He had even given me information about one of our agents infiltrated in the court of Rihad, which could give me more information once I arrived there.

The only thing left to do was to actually go on the journey. At least I wouldn't be alone. I would have two companions for once, odd ones at that, but companions all the same. A route had to be chosen though. I could either take a ship or go on land. After my last experience on water, I decided to take a more earth-bound approach. There were two main ways to get to Rihad. Either take the long way along the eastern coast of Hammerfell, or the somewhat shorter way inland, going North-West to Lainlyn then South to Rihad. Out of those three, I decided to take the shorter route. With that in mind, I went down the stairs to the Tavern common-rooms. There I found my companions waiting for me.

Soon enough, we were on the road to Rihad. I soon began a discussion with Beomir regarding our route however. Being the highwayman that he was he must have surely known a route which would take us quicker to Rihad.

"Well, there is a way which would take us quicker. I used this way alot in the old days." Beomir said, reffering to the days he was a highwayman.

"And where exactly will it lead us?" I asked, curious on learning more.

"It goes through the middle of the wilderness, near the edge of the Alik'r until we reach the city of Riverview, where we can rest. Afterwards, by way of back-country roads which I happen to know of, we can reach Taneth in less than a day's time. Afterwards, we can take the straight road to Rihad." Beomir said.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" I asked, impatiently.

"The only problem I could think of is that bandits and other folk of ill repute wander those roads. I wouldn't really want to have a run-in with them at unawares without a trusty band of lads behind me. My time as an outlaw has left me with some rivals, rivals that wouldn't have any quarells about killing me on sight. We Nords aren't as mannered as you Redguards or Bretons you see. We'll run someone through at the first chance we get if we're angry on that someone." Beomir said, with uncertainty in his voice, if not fear.

"Fair enough, some of us Redguards can be like that too. But still, you've got me behind you, and you've got old what's-his-name here as well. Brian, is it?" I said, trying to encourage Beomir to show me the way. I really wasn't going to trudge along like an idiot when I could be going along in half the time, despite the danger.

"It's Belwin." the Breton said with a slightly annoyed look. It seemed he didn't like it when people messed up his name.

"Well, you're right. This Boric fellow is pretty good in a pinch as well, what with the invisibility and all that." Beomir said with a smile. Belwin wasn't smiling though.

"It's Belwin for Azura's sake!" he said, almost shouting.

"You shouldn't have messed up his name." I said, slightly whispering, to Beomir. I did so knowing well that I had messed up Belwin's name in the first place.

"Me?! You were the one who messed up his name in the first place! Why are you throwing the blame on me?" Beomir shouted angrily. Alright, so this guy can't take a joke. Doesn't harm trying though.

"Alright, enough with the bickering. So are you going to show me this way of yours to Rihad or not?" I asked, settling the argument.

"Well, ok then. But make sure you're ready to draw your blade whenever you see someone. You can't tell friend from foe in my line of work. Besides, I might have some former "associates" on my tracks." Beomir said.

"That makes two of us. I might have some groups on my tracks as well so you keep your axe ready at all times just in case. You never know who you might meet in my line of work as well." I said, keeping up with Beomir. The Forebears might have been angry because of that little "bar-brawl" we had back in Sentinel.

"Aren't you knights supposed to be an honourable bunch who don't go around causing trouble?" Belwin asked, innocently.

"Not in Sentinel at least." I said. The Breton nodded to my response then continued riding.

We had been riding for three hours now and still no sign of the trail Beomir spoke of. It had been "right after the next corner" for about two miles now and I was seriously starting to doubt it really existed. Up until the current moment we had met no other living creature except a few birds idly chirping in the trees.

I hoped it stayed that way until we reached Rihad, but I knew we had faint chances of not meeting something interested in us for ill reasons, be it man or beast. I had discovered however that men were far above beasts when it came to idle slaughter. In all the battles I had been through, I had seen men bestially stabbing eachother as if the whole world was going to end and one man was the only thing keeping the other from salvation. When it came to close combat, long swords really weren't all that effective. Long swords needed room to swing and to maneuvre properly. If you didn't have these things in mind, you could end up injuring yourself as well as your comrades.

In close combat, the most effective killer and weapon of choice for most soldiers was the dagger or the short sword. With these weapons you could stab freely without the threat of injuring your comrades. You could easily close the distance between a heavily armoured knight and yourself then give the finishing blow with a quick thrust to the neck or a quick stab in his helmet's eye hole. I had seen Redguard warriors with daggers before and I can certify, that the deadliest weapon you can find on a field is the dagger.

Combat philosophy and ethics (if there ever was such a thing) aside, it seemed that we had finally arrived at Beomir's trail, which broke off from the main road which continued onwards to Lainlyn. If Beomir's plans went correctly, we would arrive at the main road once more somewhere close to Taneth, from which our journey would be much easier. If not, we would most likely end up in some ditch on the side of the road as carrion for birds. Pretty positive outcomes don't you think?
~~~
With that ends this philosophy heavy update.

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Sep 24 2007, 08:38 PM

[jack cloudy]

Philosophy-heavy? Gosh, I loved it!

The way you can make personalities grow simply by misspelling a name. Dang, I'm envious.

[Agent Griff]

Well, to be honest, I love writing a fan fic which features my vision of "realistic" combat. I added those philosophical insights as my own oppinions about combat, since there really is nothing glamorous or enticing about combat. Besides, you're bound to have conflicts if you have three neighbouring rival races stuck with each other for long periods of time (Redguards, Bretons and Nord).

[minque]

What he said! A touch of philosophy never hurt anyone, besides it adds depth...and I love depth...Waaay to go Griffie!

[The Metal Mallet]

Exactly what minque and jack said, little philosophical adages are always interesting to read. But just to forewarn you; don't get preachy. No one enjoys that stuff very often (which is making reading Terry Goodkind books a bit harder to read now).

[Agent Griff]

Well, I'm actually a big fan of philosophy and all arguments concerning good and evil and what defines it, but I thought that not all people share my hobby. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it. Shows your smart people. And Mallet, what do you mean by preachy?


~~~
We had been riding for the part of a day now and Riverview still wasn't close by. Beomir kept reassuring us that we would reach Riverview soon, but I was sure that we were lost. Well, things could have been worse. For one thing we hadn't been attacked yet. Besides birds chirping and a few ferral horses grazing on the side of the road we met no living soul. Since boredom was setting in, I decided I was going to act.

"I'm going to scout out the road ahead, see if we're getting closer to Riverview." I said quickly as I rode off and left Beomir and Belwin alone.

"See if you find something to eat, I'm starving!" Beomir shouted as I galloped away. That was the last thing I worried about, keeping Beomir fed. At least Belwin wasn't complaining.

"Hm, Breton...don't those horses look tasty?" Beomir said after a short while. "How bout' you throw one of your spells and paralyze one of em'. We can eat off one of these horses for a whole day."

"I knew you Nords were peculiar but seriously, eating horses? Have we been reduced to Orcs or even Dark Elves?" Belwin said in a ridiculed voice.

"Touchy, touchy." Beomir said.

As I left the two behind to argue their culinary prefferences, I rode onwards. Nothing was to be seen, except the nearby vastness of the Alik'r to my right and a broken patchwork of gray hills and forests to my left. Excellent bandit country. We had not met anyone however and I expected it to stay as it was. Soon enough however my hopes were shattered. A sound came from further up the road. I urged my old horse, Whisper, to stop so I could listen more carefully. I could hear a powerful noise, as of thunder, coming towards me. I soon realized what was approaching. It was the thunder of hoofs. A company of riders was approaching.

I quickly dismounted and led my horse to a large group of bushes on the side of the road. As I stood the sound got louder and louder, until it seemed the horses were right on top of me. I held my sword at the ready, just in case the riders spotted me. The riders soon passed, and I looked carefully at them to see if they were friend or foe. I could see some of them wearing tabards over their armour, and tabards were something purely ceremonial, heraldic in nature. On the tabards was inscribed the symbol of a crimson sword above waves, one of the many symbols of the Forebears. As I counted, I could see at least thirty horsemen, well armed. By their direction of travel, it seemed they were going to Sentinel and coming from the direction of Rihad. If it was so, it was a bad sign. It meant that the king of Rihad was somewhat aware of the plots Lhotun was weaving to dethrone him. I had to move quickly.

I quickly grabbed the reins of Whisper and led him back on the road then started riding back to Belwin and Beomir. If the Forebears had questioned them, I hoped they didn't reveal who I was. As I was riding however, I was careless to look around my surroundings. I soon heard a shout. My horse abruptly stopped, frightened by the sudden noise. Typical of him to do so. As I looked around I could see I was being surrounded by the Forebears, weapons at the ready. Belwin and Beomir were with them as well.

"What do we have here? A spy of the Crowns I hope, for my blade has not bathed in Crown blood for a long time." the supposed leader of the Forebears said, as they surrounded me. Belwin and Beomir remained silent.

"Neither have I, ever since me and my men took Verkath back from the Crowns. I slew a great many Crowns...back then." I said, timidly trying to convince them I meant them no harm.

"If you took back Verkath from the Crowns...it must mean that you're from Sentinel! We are brothers then, for Sentinel has ever been the craddle of the Forebears! I suppose you've been to the 'Rusting-Crown' tavern haven't you? That's where most of us spend our time." the leader of the Forebears said.

"Oh, the 'Rusting-Crown'. I've been there before. The bartender is a heck of a guy!" I said with a forced smile. In reality I wasn't lying. Just that I was afraid what the Forebears would do when they saw what I did to their tavern.

"Oh, you mean Sterdecan. Aye. You should see him swing his axe. He makes Nords pale in comparisson." the Forebear leader said, receiving a glare from Beomir in the process.

"And from where do you hail, friends?" I asked, since curiosity and fear had overcome me.

"We come from Taneth to bring word to King Lhotun. We have been hearing that he has been intimidating our enclaves in Sentinel into joining a faction of his own making, and loyal to him. If this so-called king thinks he can push us Forebears around, he's got another thing coming. Besides, the Imperials are looking for any occasion to dethrone him. The only thing which could get in our way is the support he has from his people." the Forebear leader said, angrily. I was tempted to knock his head off with my scimitar but the temptation quickly faded. Knowing Lhotun, the Forebear envoy would probably be found floating down river to Taneth in barells or hacked up and bereft of their possesions in a ditch on the side of the road. Lhotun was quite inventive and I was curious to see what he would do with this envoy. Once I returned of course.

"And what of my companions, this Breton and this Nord." I asked.

"Odd company you have. Still, we are Forebears and we are open to new ideas and clever thinking. Not like those Crown scum, bogged down by their traditional doctrines. But enough talk, we must make haste to Sentinel. Farewell friend! May your blade always strike true against the crowns!" the Forebear leader said as he urged his men to continue the ride.

Feeling relieved to have safely eluded the Forebears, we continued on the road to Riverview. True to Beomir's words we soon arrived in the border-town, which was nestled between the kingdoms of Sentinel and Taneth. Taneth was another one of the Forebear cities, along with Rihad. They had challenged us in the past and I sensed that they would be our next target. Clavilla, the queen of Taneth, had tried to revoke the charther of all independent guilds in Sentinel on claims that the allowed worship of the Redguard god Satakal in our lands was heretical. The allowed worship of Satakal was one of the compromises Lhotun had to make to get the Crowns on his side. Being traditionalistic as they were, they wouldn't have it any other way.

We made our way through the streets of Riverview, looking for an inn to spend the night. Soon enough, we found one. It was named "Divad's Haven" and it was a big three-storied building which seemed clean from the outside. A great wooden door with a few holes in it greeted us as we entered. Most of the regulars threw one look at us then resumed their business, but one group looked at us intently as we made our way to the bar.

"Those fellows, they look like trouble." Beomir said, clearly speaking from experience.

"Do you know them?" I asked, cautiously.

"No. But I've seen enough of their kind to recognize them. Cutthroats by the look of it. They've seen you're wearing fancy armour so they must think you're rich. They'll try to ambush us and take all our belongings. Probably while we're sleeping." Beomir said, calmly.

"Sounds bad. My sword doesn't like it when it's woken up early." I said.

"You sleep with your sword?" Belwin asked, pretty ignorant of the fact that a lot of people wanted me dead.

"Don't we all?" I casually replied.

"I have an idea! Follow me outside." Beomir said as he left the inn. We all followed him.

Soon enough we were outside and waiting around. After a minute had passed, I wanted to ask Beomir why we were sitting around like idiots instead of renting a room. He just stood there, looking at the inn door. Soon enough however, I realized what he was waiting for. The men that had been staring at us left the inn, throwing one last look at us before leaving. Beomir turned to us after throwing one of them a fearsome look.

"Well, at least we have their attention." Beomir said.

"And that's a good thing?" Belwin asked with a somewhat worried voice.

"I didn't say that. Now listen carefully. I'll go after them, and they'll surely ambush me and try to make me tell them where our money is and what our most valuable possesions are." Beomir said, waving his hands about in an odd fashion as he spoke.

"And that helps us how?" I asked rather bluntly.

"Let me finish. Before I live, Belwin casts an invisibility spell on you and himself and you two will follow me. When they ambush me, we kill em'. Sounds like a plan?" Beomir asked rather plainly. He didn't really seem to realize he wasn't an outlaw free to kill people anymore. Still, at least his plan was simple and easy to put into practice.

"I understand you did this a lot in your 'former' days." Belwin said, rather sarcastically.

"Well, yes. Only that I was the one who did the ambushing, and my targets were the ones who did the dying. This time we'll turn the tables on them." Beomir said rather confidently.

"Well, let's get to it then. No point standing around with a bunch of guys who want to kill us. Lead the way, Beomir." I said.

"One last thing! Here." Beomir said as he handed over his axe to Belwin, who looked at it rather frightened. "I have a dagger so don't worry."

"Do you want me to...lop something with it?" Belwin asked rather anxiously.

"Not unless you want to. Just hold it for me. That way I'll look more vulnerable." Beomir said. Yeah, as vulnerable as a Nord can look without an axe strapped to his back. Belwin however seemed much more at ease when he heard he needn't use the axe.

As Belwin cast the invisibility spell, Beomir started going ahead. We soon followed. As he walked, Beomir went past one of the cutthroats, who soon started walking after him. As he went even further, the other three remaining cutthroats were all standing near the side of a building, seemingly talking with eachother. As soon as one saw Beomir however, they all started casually heading towards him. As soon as they had surrounded him, they drew their daggers and pointed them towards him. Beomir looked around trying to spot us.

"Well, well, what do we have here? New guys in town? You must know that all newcomers to Riverview have to give us something. A gift of sorts." the apparent leader of the cutthroats said.

Before he could continue, I drew my sword and the invisibility spell ended. As soon as I could notice that the spell had ended I already slashed one of the cutthroats by the back of the head, sending him down to the ground screaming in pain. Before the others could react, Beomir quickly drew out his dagger and grabbed the cutthroat which had talked to him, at the same time thrusting the dagger in his neck. He then quickly pulled the dagger out then pushed the wounded man into one of his companions, knocking both of them to the ground. As he stood, one of the cutthroats lunged at him to stab him in the back of the head. I quickly noticed however and slashed him across the belly with my scimitar as he ran towards Beomir.

Beomir turned towards me to thank me, and I could see that he had blood all over his clothes and on his face as well. That's what usually happened when you stabbed someone in the neck up close. Sweat from the tension had also mingled with the blood and a sticky liquid with a taint of iron had resulted. Before we could notice however, one of the cutthroats which Beomir had merely knocked down quickly rose from the ground and grabbed Beomir by the neck, dagger in hand. The cutthroat froze before he could stab Beomir however. He had been paralyzed by Belwin, which had been watching the fight petrified. It seemed he had never seen brutal killing up close. If he was to travel with me, it wouldn't be the last time either.

Beomir quickly hugged the Breton, thanking him in the name of several of his ancestors, which were more or less renowned in his family, as was the custom with Nords. I was then terribly amused by the sight of Belwin's disgust with all the blood stains Beomir had left on his fine robes.

"It happens in battle, friend. Quite a lot you'll discover. Now let's go back to the inn to get a room and get you cleaned up."

With that, we hurried back to the inn, before the town watch could realize what had happened. Hopefully when they would, the paralyzed cutthroat would take the blame for the murder of his friends.

~~~
That's it for this update.

This post has been edited by Agent Griff: Sep 25 2007, 09:03 PM

[The Metal Mallet]

Ah, cutthroats, will they ever learn?

Oh, and what I mean by preachy is that certain things get repeated very, very often, as if it were to subliminally try to convince you to try and change your way of living to that certain ideal. Basically you want to spread a specific way of life by being very forceful about it.

I don't think your work will provide that problem though.

[jack cloudy]

A better safe than sorry attitude we have here. Fortunately, Beomir was right this time.

[Agent Griff]

The next part, enjoy!

~~~
I woke up early the next morning, ready to continue the journey. We were staying in a big, circular wooden room with four beds and a table in the middle with a small assortment of food and drink on it, which you had to pay for if you drank any. I woke up and found, to my surprise, that the drinks were gone and so was most of the food. Beomir was also out of his bed already. Belwin was still sleeping rather uncomfortably. As he confessed, he never really got used to sleeping in a different bed each night, as he would have to while travelling. I woke up from my bed and washed my face with some water from a jug near my bed. That, at least, was free. The candles had all burnt out and a strange smell was in the air as well. As I passed Beomir's leather boots I could see the smell was obviously coming from them. Before I could put my armour back on, I was startled by Beomir who suddenly burst in the room.

"Get dressed quick, there's no time to linger lad!" Beomir said, panting.

"What's happened? More trouble?" I asked in an upset voice.

"I ran across a few friends of mine and I bought them a few drinks. Needless to say, that roused them quite a bit and made them want to have a lively discussion with the other patrons." Beomir said.

"What's wrong with that? Do they have colourful language or something?" I asked, rubbing some water off my face.

"No, just that what we Nords call 'lively discussion', the rest of Tamriel calls 'brawls'. The publican isn't happy about it, and neither will the town watch be once they come." Beomir said as he grabbed his things rather hastily.

"Well, at least I didn't plan to stay for morning breakfast. You wake Belwin while I get dressed properly." I said as I resumed getting dressed.

Since wearing armour all the time was rather uncomfortable, this time I decided to put my armour in a pack and wear common clothes. I also had a hooded cloak on my back, just in case it rained, though it was something uncommon in Hammerfell. As I got dressed, Beomir woke Belwin up by pouring some water on his face. He didn't like it and received it with a swear of course, but at least it managed to wake him up quickly. After telling him what had happened, Belwin quickly put on some of his travelling robes, since his finer ones had been stained by Beomir with a combination of blood and sweat.

We were then ready to leave. As I descended down the stairs I could see that Beomir wasn't exaggerating. The common rooms were badly damaged. A tangle of broken chairs and upturned tables lined the hall with puddles of ale and wine around them. I had to be careful not to step on the broken shards of glass and clay. Among the tables were also people who were unconscious, or too drunk to leave the inn when fighting broke out. I could also see the publican hiding behind the bar on the sight of Beomir coming down the stairs. I tossed him a purse full of drakes for his troubles and he nodded slightly, thanking me. Lhotun had given me enough drakes to cover my expenses. It seemed he had foreseen that Beomir would cause trouble.

As soon as we got our horses from the city stables we were already on our way to Rihad. On the way to Rihad we would also stop for the night in the city of Taneth, a major Redguard city-state which was comparable to Taneth. The ruler of Taneth was also rather outspoken against Lhotun. Almost all the rulers of Hammerfell were. They were all afraid of him however, and Lhotun found that acceptable. He always said that they could hate him as long as they feared him. I had also been recently hearing news from the Imperial Province. The Emperor was in ill health, just as Lhotun presumed. His hold on his Empire was growing weaker by the month, while the power of his generals kept growing. It had almost come to the situation where each legion was loyal solely to its own general. If we were lying on the edge of a storm, as Lhotun predicted, then it would all break out with the death of the Emperor. Hopefully, we Redguards of Sentinel could be powerful enough by then to hold our own lands and even break away from the Empire, becoming an independent state. To do that however, we would have to convince other major Hammerfellian city states to join us.

Politics aside, the road we were taking was now taking us through a lush savanna of tall grass and sparse trees. In this plain you could see all that moved for miles on end, ending with the foothills of the Dragontail Mountains to the North and the sea to the South. It was a beautiful panorama, one which I wasn't accustomed to. The usual sights which I saw on my travels throughout Hammerfell were either sandy deserts or rocky mountains with sparse vegetation to be seen. This was a welcomed change. As we rode, Belwin began a discussion about Orcs.

"So, you being adventurers and whatnot...have you even seen Orcs or any other simillar Beast Folk?" Belwin asked with a smile.

"I have seen quite a lot of Orcs during my days as an outlaw and hired blade. Most of my mates were Orcs. Damn fine warriors if Nords are not taken into consideration." Beomir said rather boastfully. How typical of a Nord to assume that they are the best warriors. This of course was an age-old argument. Who, out of Orcs, Nords and Redguards is the better warrior? It was rather impossible to answer objectively however.

"You seem to be forgetting us Redguards however, Beomir. Who vanquished the Orcs and Goblins from Hammerfell, if not the Redguards? Who forced the legendary forces of Tiber Septim to a stand-still and to sign a truce if not...the Redguards?" I asked, responding in kind to Beomir's boast.

"Well, you of course. But who defeated both the Redguards and the Bretons at once if not...the Nords?" Beomir asked, trying to give a suitable reply. I answered before pondering on his question.

"When have Nords ever defeated us?" I asked in an angry voice. My temper took the better of me.

"In the War of the Bend'r-mahk. It seems your history is getting pretty rusty Arthago. I will remind you that Dragonstar is still, to this very day, a territory of Skyrim." Beomir said with a large smile, a smile of pride. If Nords have one thing, it's their pride.

"I'll remind you that, despite the fact that you attacked us deceitfuly, by surprise, you only captured half of the city." I said trying to counter his argument.

"Well, you've had more than 20 years to recapture the Eastern Half of the city yet all you've done is build a wall to separate them, a wall that lasts to this very day." Beomir said, reinforcing his previous argument. He had a good point nonetheless.

"Well, you know your history Beomir, I'll give you that. Where did you find out so much about the War of the Bend'r-mahk? It's knowledge I would deem common of Belwin, but not of you." I said respectfully. Beomir was neither right nor wrong. As I said, one couldn't objectively prove who was better.

"Well, I said I was a hired blade. In my many duties as a mercenary, I once fought for a few months in Dragonstar and I can tell you that you Redguards have one hell of a fighting force. Even though I had pure-blooded Skyrim Nords in full battlegear on my side, we still barely held off your war parties whenever they infiltrated East Dragonstar. I can't tell you how many times I cursed your warriors, who always managed to ravage our supplies yet elude capture." Beomir said with admiration for Redguard fighting skills. Since I was fair to him, he was fair to me also.

"Hm, I've been in my share of battles and I can tell you, first hand, that killing a Redguard warrior hell-bent on tearing you limb from limb is one of the hardest things you can accomplish on a battlefield. I'm a Redguard myself but I can still tell you how damn hard it is. Personally, I wouldn't want to be in a battle for the rest of my life if I could have a choice in the matter. But you rarely do. Until then, I serve my master King Lhotun." I said, trailing off as I sometimes did.

"Well, I for one have never seen an Orc, nor fought and killed a Redguard on the field, though you make it sound like something rather hard. I'm not much of a combat mage you see? The College of Destruction has never been my preffered field. Still, I'd rather not have to meet an Orc or a Redguard in unpleasant circumstances." Belwin said, rather humbly and with a slight smile.

"Well, we all have our uses. What would we savage warriors be without a hand to guide us in our affairs? We would tear each other to pieces, that's what we would do!" Beomir said in a rather boisterous way, as was his style. I for one favoured the image of the intelligent fighter who didn't have much choice in the whims of his Lord. As was my case sadly.

As silence fell between us, I looked up to see if we were nearing Taneth. Much to my relief, the great city loomed ahead of us, like a foreboding guardian to the lands ahead. Taneth was indeed, one of the two main Forebear cities in Hammerfell. It wasn't my duty to interfere in the affairs of the Royal Court of Taneth however. For the time being, I was just a weary traveller wishing to spend a night in the imposing city. As we approached the gates, it reminded me of the first time I came to Sentinel. Alone, and somewhat frightened of what fate would hold for me. These gates were not as imposing as Sentinel's gates were back then, but they were still large. Made of iron with sculpted figures of kings and warriors long past, they rose before us.

"Who goes there? Name yourself and your business in the lands of Clavilla, Queen of Taneth!" a voice boomed from the battlements. A guard most probably. I was quick to answer.

"Vilamon, Knight-Errant!" I shouted back with all my strength. My shout was followed by a few moments of silence.

"Pay the tax of 30 drakes and you will be granted entrance into the city!" the guard shouted back. I turned to Beomir and Belwin and gave them a quick nod, telling them that I'd pay for them.

"You have my word as a knight! Open the gates!" I shouted. It felt good, actually pretending to be a knight. The actual noble type, not the backstabbing, spying knight that I was often forced to be.

The gates then opened with a slow crank. It felt as if they had not been opened for ages, yet that was just the sound of old gears cranking. The gates opened to reveal a sprawling city, crowded with people going about their daily activities and guards mingling about, wearing the coat of arms of Queen Clavilla. As soon as we passed the gates we were met by a guard which asked us for the required tax to enter the city. I quietly gave him a pouch of gold then we rode on to the stables where we left our horses. As soon as we dismounted and I flipped the stable boy a drake, I turned to Beomir and Belwin.

"We do it quietly this time, alright? This is a big city and we can't afford the extra attention." I said, particularly looking at Beomir. With a sigh of annoyance he agreed. Belwin nodded shortly.

We were then off to find an inn. Somewhere quiet where you could blend easily prefferably. And deffinitely not a place frequented by any of Beomir's former "companions", friendly or otherwise.

~~~
That's it. Comments are appreciated.

[The Metal Mallet]

Ah Beomir, he's quite the character. His antics are enjoying to read. Plus I look forward to seeing how this group infiltrates Clavilla's court. Keep it up!