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> Blood on the Moon, A Journey of Discovery
treydog
post May 13 2007, 12:26 AM
Post #1


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From: The Smoky Mountains



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Prologue


“But sir, if you would only give me a little more time, I am certain you would be interested in my proposition.”

“The answer is still ‘No’, Mr. Beauchamp. I have no desire to listen to anything you have to say. You may leave now.”

“If I gave offense by my earlier remarks, I apologize. It is simply that one sometimes hears things…. I know that financial remuneration is not important to you, but I thought that perhaps the spirit of adventure might be enough to entice you.”

“Mr. Beauchamp, I have everything I need right here. My family is here, my home is here, my life is here. I have no interest in the ‘spirit of adventure’. I have found that ‘adventure’ is simply another way of saying ‘a desperate attempt to survive the situation in which one has stupidly placed oneself’. You will leave now. That is not a request.”

I heard the front door open and close with a finality that punctuated those last words. Then another voice spoke up:

“Weren’t you perhaps a bit hard on him, dear?”

The response was a growl:

“You heard what he said as well as I did- ‘…your well-known talent for getting into and out of tight places….’ He called me a thief, is what he did.”

“Well, yes, but after all, you were a thief, you know. And he did come to you directly, not lurking behind some intermediary.”

“Perhaps I used to be a thief, but I hoped I had put all that behind me. And besides, he came to me arrogantly and rudely, just as if he were a bloody Imperial, instead of a fellow Breton."


“ ’A bloody Imperial?’ ” I could envision the raised eyebrow that accompanied that innocent question.

The voices moved away to another part of the house, and I could not make out the muttered words that I was sure were an apology. But that wasn’t important; I had already heard everything I needed to know. I had a name now and a goal. Louis Beauchamp- and Solstheim!

Leaving home is rarely easy, or at least so I have heard. But I felt as if I had to, as if I was slowly smothering. If I was going to do the things I wanted to do, I must get away. There were places I wanted to explore- places he had never been. How typical of him to disparage the idea of adventure- after he had lived the kind of life others only dreamed of! And then to just…stop. As if he could pretend that none of it had ever happened if he did not speak of it. But others spoke of it- oh yes. Louis Beauchamp certainly had that right- one did “hear things”. It was easy enough to tell others that the meat was no good when you had eaten your fill. But I had tasted nothing but the scraps of someone else’s greatness for my whole life and I could stand it no longer. I would leave that very night- but not for Solstheim, at least not yet. It would not do to arrive in that far place as a penniless beggar. Although we were comfortable, and never wanted for the necessities, money was not given to me in any quantity. And though I knew the location of the family treasury well enough, I would not steal. I would not be named a thief, no matter who my father was.

Once the house had quieted, I gathered a small pack of clothing, the few coins that were my own, and a well-worn quarterstaff. How I longed for a bright blade to hang at my side! How could a ready fellow such as I set off on a grand adventure without a trusty sword? But of course I had never been trained in the use of swords, and I recalled the answer when I asked:

“Violence is the result of a mistake. If you avoid mistakes, you can avoid fights. A good walking stick will serve you better. Anything that cannot be dealt with by a sharp rap on the snout is best avoided.”

As if I had never seen the scars that marked his body, never heard the stories that everyone knew by heart, never gazed at the virtual armory hidden throughout the house.
Most of the hidden weapons appeared to be no more than well-used examples of the crafter’s art…. But some of them seemed to… whisper among themselves and to move of their own volition. I know it sounds foolish, the overheated imagining of a child, but I swear it is true. He had never gotten those swords or those scars sitting in front of the fire, reading books. And yet, when he went to the corner club for a solitary drink, and the other men related their exploits, he said nothing. Instead, he simply sat in the shadows with a glass of wine. Even so, if ever a stranger came through and became too loud or boastful, someone would nod toward the quiet figure in the corner and whisper a few words. And then the braggart would fall silent, perhaps even turn a bit pale.

All of these thoughts and more tumbled through my head as I waited in the pre-dawn darkness for the silt-strider to arrive. Perhaps it was foolish to use such a public means of transport, but I wanted distance. And going to Balmora first would help throw off any pursuit. In any event, I doubted that there would be much concern, at least not for several days. When the strider driver saw me waiting, he grinned and said,

“Going on a trip are ye, young sir? I’ll have you in Balmora before you know it. Just sit back and relax.”

He waved away my offered fare with a jovial snort.

“Oh, no charge for you, young sir. Get yourself on up and we’ll be on our way.”

I took his generosity with bad grace, because I knew that it was not for my own sake that I did not have to pay my passage. I was nobody, nothing- just another who stood in the great man’s shadow. He was the hero of the age- everyone said so. Books and ballads had been written about him. And why not? After all, he was Trey of High Rock, Nerevar Reborn, savior of Vvardenfell. And I was his son.

This post has been edited by Burnt Sierra: Jan 4 2009, 07:10 PM


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The dreams down here aren't broken, nah, they're walkin' with a limp...

The best-dressed newt in Mournhold.
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Posts in this topic
treydog   Blood on the Moon   May 13 2007, 12:26 AM
minque   So many updates....more wonderful than you guys ev...   Apr 9 2014, 01:10 AM
McBadgere   Then again this demands a proper comment..a real ...   Apr 9 2014, 04:32 AM
minque   Then again this demands a proper comment..a real...   Apr 9 2014, 11:40 PM
Grits   But we were no longer two individual warriors who ...   Apr 12 2014, 02:31 AM
treydog   @haute-Typo found and formatting error and fixed. ...   May 18 2014, 04:30 PM
haute ecole rider   Oooh, my! :wub: :wub: I've been in love...   May 18 2014, 06:23 PM
McBadgere   Awesome!!!... Yes, very much did I en...   May 19 2014, 12:49 PM
minque   Ok so i will comment even if the thread gets myste...   May 20 2014, 09:53 PM
Grits   What a wonderful end to the chapter! Athynae’s...   Jun 1 2014, 03:22 PM
treydog   Where we are- well, there was all this stuff with ...   Nov 1 2014, 05:33 PM
treydog   [color=#3333FF]Chapter 18 “You have done well.” ...   Nov 4 2014, 04:01 AM
Grits   A name that is only spoken reluctantly is “Dark Fa...   Nov 7 2014, 03:52 PM
ArtemisNoir2   Wow.... I didn't realise Trey's story had ...   Jan 28 2015, 04:08 AM
mALX   Wow.... I didn't realise Trey's story had...   Jan 28 2015, 07:12 AM
ArtemisNoir2   Wow.... I didn't realise Trey's story ha...   Jan 28 2015, 08:53 AM
mALX   [quote name='mALX' post='234004' date='Jan 27 201...   Jan 28 2015, 11:28 AM
treydog   Oh gosh.... (blushes). Thank you so much ArtemisN...   Jan 29 2015, 02:16 AM
ArtemisNoir2   Oh gosh.... (blushes). Thank you so much Artemis...   Jan 31 2015, 03:09 AM
treydog   Apologies for taking over a year (gulp) to say any...   Dec 22 2015, 04:47 PM
McBadgere   Well that was utterly awesome!... :D ... Fair...   Dec 23 2015, 07:54 AM
SubRosa   I am thinking Athynae's wisdom might be to sli...   Dec 23 2015, 03:31 PM
Grits   I love the way you began the story of the Ristaag....   Dec 27 2015, 01:31 PM
treydog   @McBadgere- Yes- she is slightly more... irritable...   Jan 3 2016, 05:36 PM
McBadgere   Yeeeeeessss...*Fist pumps air, bringing down a low...   Jan 10 2016, 05:12 AM
Grits   I just loved the description of Grerid Axe-Wife...   Jan 18 2016, 10:15 PM
treydog   With Sattir and Grerid gone, it was up to Athynae-...   May 21 2016, 09:11 PM
minque   As always I am stunned, but also I feel a hunch of...   Jun 4 2016, 11:56 PM
McBadgere   Wait...What?...I have read the other half of this....   Jun 11 2016, 07:39 PM
treydog   First, apologies for failing to acknowledge my fai...   Jun 11 2016, 08:51 PM
mALX   I'll be here soon; trying to get caught up...   Jun 12 2016, 01:09 AM
treydog   Many things have conspired to suspend the writing ...   Jan 28 2017, 06:54 PM
mALX   *mALX faints* GAAAAAAH !!!! ...   Jan 31 2017, 03:40 PM
treydog   @mALX- Oh yes. Still scuffling away at it. Now t...   Feb 19 2017, 10:42 PM
mALX   I am so excited to see this back on the top! ...   Feb 26 2017, 02:38 AM
Kazaera   Hey, it's Athlain and Athynae! It's so...   Feb 26 2017, 01:59 PM
Grits   “Red-headed tree elf,” yikes! I’m sure t...   Aug 21 2017, 03:16 PM
treydog   @mALX- Still struggling along with it. I think kn...   Jan 13 2018, 05:41 PM
Kazaera   More Athlain and Athynae!! For what it...   Jan 14 2018, 10:37 PM
Burnt Sierra   I started reading from where I'd left off (ove...   Mar 31 2018, 01:00 PM
treydog   So, for the moment anyway, I have gotten past what...   Aug 11 2018, 04:46 PM
haute ecole rider   :blink: :blink: :hubbahubba: Moah :hubbahubba...   Aug 12 2018, 02:17 AM
Burnt Sierra   :blink: What's this? :unsure: I must be ...   Aug 18 2018, 07:04 PM
treydog   First- many thanks to my co-author for... um... fl...   Aug 22 2018, 02:28 PM
ghastley   "Athain, what on Nirn is a grahl?" Why...   Aug 22 2018, 02:34 PM
treydog   @Ghastley- Grahl ho! ------------------------...   Aug 26 2018, 07:52 PM
haute ecole rider   Thyna to the Rescue! Somehow I am not surprise...   Aug 27 2018, 04:33 PM
Burnt Sierra   Ooh, frying pan, meet fire! Although, perhaps ...   Sep 1 2018, 07:22 AM
treydog   @haute- You are correct. She (imprecisely) sees t...   Sep 2 2018, 09:32 PM
haute ecole rider   It's funny how Thyna interpreted that look fro...   Sep 4 2018, 12:37 AM
Burnt Sierra   Not easy to have two perspectives on events, but i...   Sep 9 2018, 07:02 PM
treydog   @haute- Oh, she was right. He really wanted to ye...   Sep 29 2018, 03:12 PM
hazmick   "When I asked you if I had changed you said ...   Sep 30 2018, 02:40 PM
haute ecole rider   Ruh roh! :mellow: :blink: :P I feel that...   Sep 30 2018, 02:02 PM
treydog   @haute- Oh yes- shoes be dropping like mad in just...   Nov 19 2018, 05:26 PM
haute ecole rider   *sinks head into hands* Umm, are they getting it ...   Nov 22 2018, 12:33 AM
Grits   I have spent the loveliest morning catching up wit...   Dec 31 2018, 03:38 PM
treydog   @haute- There was some discussion of their relativ...   Jul 13 2019, 03:45 PM
SubRosa   Yay, more bloody moons! What a delightfully ...   Jul 13 2019, 05:42 PM
haute ecole rider   As am I! I loved these letters - it indicates ...   Jul 15 2019, 02:00 PM
ghastley   The acknowledgement of mortality makes a nice cont...   Jul 15 2019, 02:26 PM
Grits   Ooo, I love this interlude! Taking a deep brea...   Jul 17 2019, 03:43 PM
Renee   Hello treydog, I am Renee, and I have interest in ...   Jul 17 2019, 04:03 PM
treydog   Yeah- I don't really want to ask anyone to rea...   Jul 20 2019, 12:33 AM
SubRosa   Like like "Thyna's simple solution to a s...   Jul 20 2019, 06:58 PM
haute ecole rider   Shrine to Stupidity, indeed! I was chuckling t...   Jul 21 2019, 11:12 PM
ghastley   I like the way that TES lets healing run the entir...   Jul 22 2019, 02:15 PM
SubRosa   Speaking of healing, when are you going to heal yo...   Jul 22 2019, 05:29 PM
Grits   Athynae’s very simple answer to the Hircine prob...   Jul 23 2019, 01:46 AM
treydog   @SubRosa- Let's just say Athynae's definit...   Jul 27 2019, 12:38 PM
SubRosa   or if we would let the silence stretch until we co...   Jul 27 2019, 06:10 PM
Renee   I do appreciate the Cliff Notes. :) They help bi...   Jul 29 2019, 03:46 PM
SubRosa   Where exactly are they? Which province? Or even i...   Jul 29 2019, 08:21 PM
ghastley   I hope she cleaned the inquisitor's tools. ...   Jul 29 2019, 04:17 PM
treydog   @SubRosa- I experienced that “just get on with y...   Aug 4 2019, 01:23 AM
SubRosa   So long as NayNay is not CrayCray, things will be ...   Aug 4 2019, 02:04 AM
haute ecole rider   I really enjoyed this quiet time on Thyna's pa...   Aug 6 2019, 06:27 PM
Renee   Aw that poor healer. :lol: I understand how it is ...   Aug 7 2019, 07:12 PM
Darkness Eternal   I think it was a great idea to post the summary fo...   Aug 10 2019, 08:24 PM
treydog   @SubRosa- I realized we never did explain the orig...   Aug 11 2019, 01:39 AM
SubRosa   I am imagining Korst as being played by Max Von Sy...   Aug 11 2019, 01:50 AM
treydog   @SubRosa- Oh yes! Max would be perfect! ...   Aug 18 2019, 04:29 PM
SubRosa   Athlain obviously grew up watching the same movies...   Aug 18 2019, 05:50 PM
Renee   Hey, thanks for explaining various names, that hel...   Aug 19 2019, 01:29 PM
Darkness Eternal   I enjoyed the explanation on the Great Hunt, or th...   Aug 22 2019, 01:07 AM
ghastley   Did you just sneak a quipu into this tale?   Aug 22 2019, 06:54 PM
treydog   @SubRosa- Yes, despite the (constantly reinforced)...   Aug 26 2019, 12:24 AM
SubRosa   How do you find a hunter? By watching what they hu...   Aug 26 2019, 01:24 AM
Renee   I see there's some contrary-intuitive thinking...   Aug 27 2019, 07:48 PM
treydog   @SubRosa- And since the kids have apparently becom...   Sep 15 2019, 10:12 PM
SubRosa   The A-Team is back! Looks like lots of soul-s...   Sep 16 2019, 01:22 PM
Renee   Forget Hircine, I believe at some point Thyna and ...   Sep 23 2019, 09:37 PM
treydog   @SubRosa- And actually beginning to operate as a t...   Oct 1 2019, 01:05 AM
haute ecole rider   No idea indeed! I wonder if Hircine will even ...   Oct 2 2019, 05:05 PM
SubRosa   So lots of epistles being prepared before the fina...   Oct 3 2019, 01:00 PM
Renee   Ah okay I get it. So the first part is from his po...   Oct 4 2019, 03:18 PM
SubRosa   Ah okay I get it. So the first part is from his p...   Oct 4 2019, 05:25 PM
Renee   Awesome, thanks for explaining. :)   Oct 4 2019, 05:56 PM
treydog   @haute- The amount of practice they have had beati...   Oct 19 2019, 10:41 PM
Renee   @Renee- There is a ... caution about "head-h...   Oct 22 2019, 03:10 PM
SubRosa   I have often felt the same way about gods. My cat ...   Oct 21 2019, 07:05 PM
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