I read all your comments, I thank you all for them, and shall reply to them later...I know, a weird way of doing things, but there you go...

...I've just got back from the daughter's school's Glee concert and am a bit frazzled...She was brilliant btw...Did Fleetwood Mac's Everywhere...Ace!!...
Right...
New Parts!!!...

...
Previously on KOTNNK...
The forces of good...Well...Several knights anyways...have been cornered by an ancient and presumed extinct magic creature. They are still waiting and seeing what will come next...As is everybody else I think...

...I promise this is the last c*cking about part...Honest...Well...Probably...
1.9 Past.I first picked up a sword as six. I’d been watching Daddy teaching Farn and Rhano in the back yard, so – of course – I had to have a go too! Daddy smiled then took the far-too-long-for-me-to-carry-sword off me and gave me a little wooden practice one to swing. It was one of the happiest days of my life.
When I was eight he told me, “Cal, I will teach you how to properly use a sword. But...You have to practice hard. Lots. Every day.”
“I will Daddy.”
“I know Cally. But there’s one more thing. You know about magic?”
“Yes.”
“Well, too many people use it to help them make things easier...Like carrying stuff, and running, and –“
“Lighting fires!!”
“Yeesss...Don’t tell your Grandma you did that...She might frown. Anyway, you can use it to help you with swords. But the thing is, if you don’t learn how to do it without magic, one day, you’ll be in a fight and you won’t have your magic. Then you’re dead.”
I’d frowned at that but then he went on.
“I will teach you how to use a sword, but you must never use magic when you practice. When I think you are ready, I’ll teach you how to use that too, but until then...Never...”
And he poked me on the nose and kissed the top of my head.
I never once in ten years used magic to practice. The day I beat Alix, Daddy took me to one side and said, “Now you’re ready.” Well, we couldn’t practice because I was crying so hard!
I love you Daddy. I miss you.
- Taken from “Wylde Girl”, the memoirs of Caroline McWylde. Knight of The Nine. 3E 486.The blonde haired, blue eyed knight Marcus Jarn woke up and really wished he hadn’t. “No offence sir, but there’s better visions to wake up to. Is Royal still about for one?”
General Carodus Oholin smiled quickly then said “Yes, she’s coming now, and she’s going to have to put that shoulder back in. So I’d be more polite with
her yes, Captain?”
“Y’s Sir,” Said Jarn, grimacing. “Sir, I have to report that they
may be about to start something.”
The Nord General, Mazkay Dinai pointed towards the other knights and Kelleryn’s projection of the Yskraich and said “Is
that your something?”
“Oh...How the hells are they doing
that?” Jarn asked about the conjuration.
“Damned if I know.” Shrugged Oholin, “Anything else to report before I leave you to Royal?”
“We’re dead if we stay. There’s more turned up after you came up here. They’ve sent horsemen around that side to cut us off if we try to run. There’s another small-ish force coming around
this side to try to get us. We missed two scouts. I saw them get back. Even without this damned Detect Life they’d have known how many we’ve got. Now...” He sighed deeply. “Gods only knows what they’ve got in store for that damned whatever-it-is.
Some kid tried to stop them letting it out. She-who-is-in-charge almost took his head off with her back-hand and released it. She’s an awfully confident lady that one.” Jarn raised an eyebrow, “Maybe we could have Marshal McWylde and Aeirawen wrestle with her before the end sir?”
Oholin snorted despite himself, but raised a finger of admonishment, “Stop drooling, it’s unseemly.”
Just then, Captain Sharneena Royal came through the fort’s entrance. Oholin waved the Orc over. “Royal, excellent. Dinai here will fill you both in on the plan...Such as it is. Royal, you need to put that shoulder back in. No need to be gentle, he’s a big boy now, he can take it.” Oholin looked at Jarn with a raised eyebrow. “Be polite now, ladies present.”
------------------------------------------------------------
“Drell, can you try and look beyond the Yskraich? Down towards that lot?” Caroline asked.
“Oooh...I can try.” J’Drell the Argonian looked beyond the monster down the causeway. “What am I looking for?”
“Just go along the front row, I want to see what we’re facing. See if I know Gellert’s second.”
As each new person was focused on, the projection instantly became them.
“Such an attractive mob,” Said Thedret, “Very dapper in their best slaughtering outfits.”
“Yesss,” J’Drell agreed, “But this all still
feels wrong. Why were
they all coming here? How convenient was it that Caroline got the info
just now? Knowing full well we would come running. And how many of
them we would take out before the end? It’s like someone’s trying to take as many problems out at once as they can.”
“Why would Gellert do that? He was here too, remember.” said Thedret.
“He wouldn’t,” said Caroline, “I think he’s been set up too. Dammit...I
knew this was too easy after all this time.”
“You can beat yourself up later...” the approaching Carodus started to say.
“Wait!” shouted Caroline. “Go back.”
“How far?” asked a confused J’Drell.
“The last one.”
J’Drell looked back to the previous person. Kelleryn’s projected portrait showed an Imperial woman, in her late thirties, maybe her early forties stared up the causeway with intensity. She locked eyes with J’Drell briefly, started, then passed a hand in front of her face, which changed into that of a man. Not just
any man though. Emperor Uriel Septim stared out at them.
“This is for
my benefit.” Said J’Drell, “There’s no way she can know about this with Elfling’s gifts.”
That didn’t make Caroline feel any better. She ran through the fort gate and vomited.
Then she screamed.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Carodus watched Caroline go and shook his head. “She was there wasn’t she? At the end.”
“You weren’t there for the trials?” asked J’Drell.
Oholin shook his head. “I was dealing with stuff in Anvil. Tried to keep up using the Courier, but...Must have missed some.” He shrugged.
“Yeah, well,” Thedret continued, “Gellert ordered her killed ‘cause she’d found out what they were about to do, so two of them dragged her down to the lowest levels. One of them tried to rape her, and in the struggle she hit her head pretty bad. By the sounds of it she had concussion. But anyways. In the end, for some reason - Caroline said - that the
other Dragon Company soldier killed the would-be rapist but left her locked in the cell. Then along comes the Emperor trying to escape down the tunnels. Well, you know what happened
there.”
They heard Caroline scream again, but the purple life detect showed she was alone and so they left her.
“Caroline blames herself for not being able to
save Septim because she either kept blacking out or her head injury wouldn’t let her focus her magicks. By the sound of it there were too many Mythic Dawn down there anyway. The pile of bodies that came out of there would make a legend in itself. Between Caroline, the two remaining Blades and The Emperor himself, they killed off enough that would have made a small army. The Dawn really
were down to the last man, who then came through a hidden door. Stab an old man in the back. Very noble.”
“She couldn’t have stopped that, back someone into a corner then walk in from behind? No chance.”
The life detecting and head drill spells disappeared.
“The Yskraich’s going back to the woman.” Said J’Drell.
“Right, story time over.” Said Carodus, “Oreyn, stop making Shines and call your Uncles, we need them.”
Just then, Caroline came back. She looked down at the ground. “Sorry. The woman is Misa Treain. She was Gellert’s second-in-command back in the Dragon Company. Seems she’s never left. I’ve seen far more of that woman than I ever wanted to. She’s evil, vicious and brilliant.”
“Well, being
good, vicious and brilliant, you’ll take her in a heartbeat won’t you?” said Carodus, “Although I suspect Jarn will pay good money to watch that.”
Caroline laughed and looked over to where the Imperial was being tended to by the Nord General and the Orc Captain.
“He can’t handle a sword” said Oholin, “but we’ll have him and Royal secure the gate. He can be the Respite Port. His Warvoid is probably stronger than even J’Drell here’s...”
“Oooh...Really? That would take some doing. I’ve been using mine for more years than you’ve been alive Oholin.”
“And?” asked the General with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve seen him fend off an
entire mine’s worth of Goblins with it. Don’t start getting Warvoid envy
now. You can go compare each other’s later...”
“What’s a Warvoid?” asked Kelleryn.
“It would take too long to explain...”
“Massive shield that only lets in what the caster wants,” said Caroline, “usually people. It absorbs magika and health from anyone that’s attacking it directly. Which needs controlling ‘cause you don’t want to take your friend’s. But anyone inside gets healed and their fatigue recharged. Hence the Respite Port. Oh and it also takes the kinetic energy from arrows coming in, turns it into to fire and burns the arrows up, or – and this is where it takes
real skill – re-directs the arrows out at another enemy. Oh, and magic attacks recharge it. Unbeatable in the right hands.”
“Yes, and Jarn can keep it up all day...”
Thedret snorted, “Aeira would have a field day with that.”
“I can do that.” Said Kelleryn. Thedret snorted again. The others looked at Oreyn. “The spell, I can
do that.”
J’Drell laughed. “Ha-ha-haaa, of course you can Elfling. We really need to talk soon.”
Just then the Wraith and the Ancestor appeared by them. Carodus jumped back. “Dammit!” He sighed and shook his head. “Can we
finally get to the point? We’re really out of time here. They are coming.
Now.”
“Yes they really
are.” J’Drell observed. “Everyone up. They know we’re here, grab your gear. Oh, sorry General.” He flattened his fins to his head. “Force of habit.”
General Carodus Oholin sighed. His faith in the Nine was unshakable. His faith in himself was absolute. His confidence in the abilities of
three of the six out here was without question.
However we also have an old man, a shy Orc, a – currently - one armed knight and Oreyn...Whatever the hells he
was. Oh, and the Uncles. Still, Carodus had never played it easy. As the three others joined them, he quickly explained the plan to them all.
This was going to be interesting he thought to himself.
This post has been edited by McBadgere: Dec 15 2011, 07:00 AM