The Shadow Under Fort Sutch, RP Playground Thread Options

[Acadian]

Buffy:

Buffy’s long ears picked up the unmistakable clicking and sliding of heavy armor plates behind her. Turning her head, the wood elf’s eyes fell upon the steel clad figure of Elaninde. The Altmer listened quietly while shifting from one foot to the other in her armor.

The one time Buffy had tried on a heavy steel breastplate, she had been quite unable to move. She later learned that some of the women battlemages, like Arielle Jurard wore armor enchanted to ease its weight. A bitter memory briefly swept over her as she recalled that the plate armor had not protected Arielle from the deadly burning oil that scamps and Dremora had unleashed upon them as Savlian’s army breached Castle Kvatch’s gatehouse. So much fiery death. . . .

Elaninde had skin, hair and eyes of gold. Buffy recalled that golden eyes were rare beyond the Isle of Summerset. The assemblage of steel plating obscured any clue as to the elf’s figure, but her face was somewhat gaunt. That armor had to be heavy though. Buffy tried to catch Elaninde’s eye as she patted the empty chair next to her in invitation.

[PhoenixGamer]

Elaninde:

After she had filled her plate she saw Kayla, Westley and the dark-skinned imperial that Kayla had brushed another elf away from. Elaninde was smiling a little as she understood they were discussing hunting. She managed to pick up that Westley was fast enough to catch a deer and that the dark-skinned imperial's favored the spear as his main hunting weapon as well as that he held knowledge of all the daedric princes but put Hircine at the top of his list. Elaninde was glad that she didn't have anything against daedric worshipers since just before she saw Buffy patting the empty chair beside her in invitation, she also heard Kayla say:

"Like you hold Hircine on a pedestal, I hold Meridia. I suppose you could say she gave me a second chance at life."

There was a little pause then she said:

"So when I slit a vampire's throat, I also whisper her name."

By that time she had gotten over to Buffy. She sat down and asked:

"So, what do you think?" "Do you have any idea what these pale creatures under fort Sutch might be?"

[Acadian]

Buffy:

After catching the Altmer’s eye, Buffy was pleased for the familiar face as Elaninde lowered herself onto the next seat. Buffy was impressed how well the taller elf moved inside her heavy armor.

"So, what do you think?" asked Elaninde. "Do you have any idea what these pale creatures under fort Sutch might be?"

“I’ve traveled Cyrodiil, Elsweyr and Valenwood rather extensively and have never encountered such foes.” Buffy scratched one of her ears and added, “Having read most of the tomes contained in the Mystic Archives of the Arcane University while a student there, I believe these creatures to be unfamiliar to my guild.” Based on the Altmer’s golden eyes and slight accent, Buffy was now more certain of her origin. The little elf concluded that, based on Elaninde’s question, the creatures were not native to the Summerset Isles either.

Buffy pointed a small, bowstring-callused finger discretely across the room. “I thought perhaps I saw a flash of recognition of some sort on Kayla’s face as Oedipus described these mysterious foes. She’s not from around these parts and has, no doubt, encountered differing creatures from the northern provinces. I hope to ask her about them when the briefing is over.”

As Elaninde glanced toward Kayla, Buffy added, “Forgive my nosiness, but you seem to move very well in that plate armor. Is it enchanted or do you otherwise use any assistance to compensate for its weight?”

[PhoenixGamer]

Elaninde:

“I’ve traveled Cyrodiil, Elsweyr and Valenwood rather extensively and have never encountered such foes.” Buffy scratched one of her ears and added, “Having read most of the tomes contained in the Mystic Archives of the Arcane University while a student there, I believe these creatures to be unfamiliar to my guild.” Based on the Altmer’s golden eyes and slight accent, Buffy was now more certain of her origin. The little elf concluded that, based on Elaninde’s question, the creatures were not native to the Summerset Isles either." Buffy answered.

“I thought perhaps I saw a flash of recognition of some sort on Kayla’s face as Oedipus described these mysterious foes. She’s not from around these parts and has, no doubt, encountered differing creatures from the northern provinces. I hope to ask her about them when the briefing is over.” As Elaninde glanced towards Kayla she heard Buffy add:

“Forgive my nosiness, but you seem to move very well in that plate armor. Is it enchanted or do you otherwise use any assistance to compensate for its weight?” Elaninde smiled a little at this question that she had gotten so many times before and said:

"I was born in Skywatch in the Summerset Isles but spent most of my life on the run. I needed to have something that could protect me so I started with light armour but found out it didn't offer much protection against the people hunting my family. Therefore I started trying out heavy armour and found out it was much more effective. Since then I have certainly thought about enchanting it but never got around to do it. After a while I just started wearing it as a habit and just got more and more nimble in it with the time."

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Kayla had to poke her nose in.

"Summerset Isle?" A wistful look entered her eyes. "What is that like? I've never seen it. I've only just stepped out of Skyrim."

[Darkness Eternal]

Lycus Desselius:

Lycus overheard the Altmer woman exchange words with Buffy, the Bosmer. He tall stature was indeed very noticeable compared to the small Wood Elf. The two began a friendly conversation with one another, and Lycus simply at by and listened. He was intrigued as Buffy revealed to the other woman that she had been to a number of locations, just as he had.

The Imperial recalled the days of slavery in Morrowind, gladiatorial tours for a few months in foreign places such as Elsweyr and Hammerfell. His exile in Skyrim and the greatest adventure of his life in Solshteim. He had encountered this creatures before and even heard a rather inspiring tale they they too, like him, were once slaves. He didn't know if it was true or not but it was plausible. Being in the company of the Circle of Companions in Whiterun for quite some time, he aquainted himself with Nordic history. The Snow Prince came to mind. There were wild theories that these ancient creatures were all that remained of the Snow Elves.

"A well traveled woman. I am as well. I have been to Vvardenfell, Elsweyr, Hammerfell, Skyim and Solstheim." Lycus told Buffy as he rose from his seat nearby, taking the chair with him so that he could sit close to them. "But these creatures are native to Skyrim. I have come across them before."

He motioned his head toward Buffy's ears. "They have ears as tall as yours. They are kin like the three of you. Mer. We crossed paths in an old Dwemer ruin in the Nordic province. I can tell you that they are incapable of sight. They favor the arcane as well as other methods of attack. What they lack in vision, they make up for in senses. You must be light on your feet if you wish to kill them individually, lest they group in numbers and overwhelm you."

His hand ran across the body of his scimitar which was resting within the sheathe. There was a wild glow in his eyes as he did it. "The quickest way to dispose of one is by seperating the head from the throat. It is no easy task. It is just as severing a man's head. You must find the right angle."

[PhoenixGamer]

OOC: I had to go after the memory I have from the first TES game so my comments might not be entirely correct.

Elaninde:

Suddenly Kayla asked:

"Summerset Isle?" A wistful look entered her eyes.

"What is that like? I've never seen it. I've only just stepped out of Skyrim." Elaninde had to think a little bit, then she said:

"I don't know if it has changed since I last saw it but what I remember is that even though what everyone says about trees of diamonds and shores of gold is not true. The closest you get to any of that is the Crystal Tower that the eternal champion uncovered during the imperial simalcrum. Other than that its basically the same as everywhere else besides it being a little bit hotter."

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Kayla was a tad bit disappointed in Elinande's answer. She had dreamt up a wonderful world where she was not scorned in her desire to learn magick, nor the tallest one in the entire village.

Lycus cut in with advice on how to kill the Falmer. Her eyes glinted with disgust.

"A race of Mer. Ja. Snow Elves, they were once called. Now the name Falmer strikes fear into the hearts of barbarians and milkmaids alike. Mothers tell their children to behave, or the Falmer will snatch them from their beds and keep them as slaves." She shook her head and pointed to a long, pink scar along her cheek, slanting downwards. "One caught me with their blade here. The poison numbs the muscles it touches. I'm not skilled in detect life potions, but I can make weak ones. I can also make a few cure poison and disease potions. Anyone who wants one will have to put up the coin for the ingredients, though."

She turned to Lycus. "Skyrim, eh?" She gave him a half smile, and said in Nordic, "Can you understand me?"

[Darkness Eternal]

Lycus Desselius:

Lycus studied Kayla thoroughly, then nodded in agreement. A woman knows what she is talking about. For once. He sat back in his chair and locked eyes with those around them. "In my time with the Companions of Whiterun I learned that the Snow Elves were an ancient race of Mer who's very civilization rivaled that of the Altmer. They were talented spearmen and archers, gifted in the use of combat. The best in the Metheric Era."

He narrowed his eyes into nothing specific and stared. He did not speak for a moment, but when he did, his voice was louder. "They shared the lands with Man and grew weary of them. It is said that the first human city of Saarthal. It was attacked by the Elves and a massive genocide ensued. With blood, sweat and tears the battle was fought and the massacre made certain. The event was named the Night of Tears throughout the eons. One man, a famous warrior of the Nordic tribes named Ysgramor, survived. He returned to his ancestral home of Atmora and formed the Five Hundred Companions. The elite warriors. He said 'Go forth into the belly of this new land. Drive the wretched from their palaces of idleness. Oblige them to squalor and toil, that they would see their betrayals as the all-sin against our kind. Give no quarter. Show no kindness. For they would not give nor show you the same.'"

A cryptic smile crept on Lycus face. "They took Skyrim from the Elves and drove them into a retreat to the island of Solstheim. The remaning elves, led by the Snow Prince, met their fate at the hands of the Nords. The survivors were slain and burned. The others were never heard from since."

He cleared his throat. "Rumors persist from the mouth of the scholars that the surviving Snow Elves retreated to the earth and sought allegiance with the Dwemer. The elves were then betrayed and made into slaves, and generations hence their offspring would suffer the same fate. I cannot say if this is true or not but the Dwemer are extinct, as the Ayleid. Dead as all slave masters should be. What is left of them is their old ruins and their infernal contraptions."

He looked at the women and then at Oedepious and lowered his voice. "And these mysterious pale elven creatures. I believe it is no coinscedence. Perhaps the ones here in Cyrodiil sought solace with the Ayleid and suffered the same fate."

He turned to Kayla and returned her reply in Nordic. "Time among your people has taught me well. I share some words in the tongue of the North."

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Kayla smiled warmly at Lycus. "It is good to hear that my homeland has taught you something. I hope you do not find my assumption abrasive. I feel alien in these lands. You've brought a small joy to my heart."

She turned away from Lycus. "What he says is true. The twisted monstrosities we will face are cruel, as their former masters were. They will not hesitate to kill you." She absentmindedly touched the scar on her cheek. "Even though they are blind, they use arrows. Their sense of smell is keen. And they stink," she spat. "But so do their tunnels. Enough to singe the hairs in your nose.''

[Colonel Mustard]

GM Post

"So, uhh, we're just going to explore these caves below the Fort, eh?" an elf with a distinctive haircut asked. "Everyone around here can take care of themselves, sure, but if we meet an unfortunate accident along the way, do we get paid still? We'll never know what'll happen when go under, you know. And when do we begin?"

"In answer to your first question, we shall attempt an exploration of the city which I believe lies beyond the gates," Oedipus said. "We will be searching for libraries, archives and any other repositories of knowledge that we might be able to find, and, of course, I'm sure that there will be plenty of you here who might be searching for repositories of other goods whilst we're there." He accompanied the comment with a wink. "As for pay, you'll get your fair share even if you're injured, and we'll have teams ready to carry any wounded, of whom there hopefully won't be many, up to the surface should the need arise. And while you're down there, any loot you find is yours to keep, though I'd be grateful if any documents and historical records you find might be handed over to myself; there's a little extra in it for you if you do."

"As for when we begin, we set out for the old Sutch watchtower in an hour's time, my friends; prepare your equipment, get ready to pack your bags and say your farewells swiftly, for we won't be waiting for latecomers!"

[King Of Beasts]

Westley

Westley slouched in his chair while he silently listened to the conversation of his companions. According to Kayla and Lycus, the pale creatures that Oedipus encountered, the falmer, were once known as snow elves, are find if using magick, are blind but their other senses were amazing, and they smelled horrible.

"As for when we begin, we set out for the old Sutch watchtower in an hour's time, my friends; prepare your equipment, get ready to pack your bags and say your farewells swiftly, for we won't be waiting for latecomers!"

By the gods! I don't have enough potions. Wait, did he just say we have a hour until we leave?! Gods be praised, I have enough time to hunt down some potions. Maybe they sell them at the chapel, or at a general goods store. I hope I don't need to go to the mage's guild for some potions. Maybe Azzan has some.I hope so....


Westley waited for everyone else to rise up out if those seats and begin exiting the room before he did, in hopes of night garnering too much attention, though his height made that a bit hard. He was considerably taller than most if the people in the room, or at least mist of the non-elf races. Most if the Altmer stood a few inches over 6'4", but Westley didn't look like an elf.


Go away, go away, maybe if I walk very slowly, nobody will notice me. I need potions.....what if there aren't potions left to buy! Good gods, I need a better healing spell. Maybe I should head to the chapel. Yeah, that's a good start.

This post has been edited by King Of Beasts: Feb 19 2013, 03:11 AM

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Kayla went to Westley's side, knowing he didn't want any attention. The elf couldn't help but tease him in a way she knew would irritate him.

"Westley!" She put her hand on his shoulder. "Know anywhere that I could get a few alchemy ingredients? Besides the Mages' Guild." She rolled her eyes.

[King Of Beasts]

Westley


Westley jumped a bit when Kayla walked straight up to him, and started asking him alchemy questions.

"Westley! Know anywhere that I could get a few alchemy ingredients? Besides the Mages' Guild."

"I'm not sure. I'm actually looking for some potions, and I don't really want to visit the mage's guild either. It's not that I don't like them, I just don't want to ask them for favors. Maybe a general store or somethin' has some alchemy ingredients, thigh that depends on what you're looking for." Westley scowled, then continued. "Do you think the chapel sells potions?"

Westley glanced around the room while he a awaited an answer. There were so many people, how could they handle being around each-other. As much as he hated it, Westley had to face the truth. He was very anti-social, and it wasn't good for him. He could only hope he didn't go feral. Feral werewolves are bad company.

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Kayla noticed Westley's nervous glance.

"Come on," she said, pulling at his arm. "Let's get out of here. It's too crowded."

Once they were outside, Kayla said, "You don't know of any alchemy shops? We only have an hour until we leave. I want to be as prepared as possible." She held up her finger as she listed the ingredients she'd need.

"Of course I'd need another Cure Disease potion, then I'd need some ginseng and strawberries for the cure poison potion... They also have a nasty habit of using ingredients that slow you down as well. But if that time comes, I've got a fix." She patted Westley's back and grinned.

[King Of Beasts]

Westley

Westley stared while Kayla pulled at his arm and said, "Come on, Let's get out of here. It's too crowded."

Westley happily followed her outside, longing to be away from the massive hoard of people. How they could all stand the scent if each-other in one room was a mystery to him, and oddly enough, he was once capable of doing that. Westley's thoughts were interrupted by Kayla

"You don't know of any alchemy shops? We only have an hour until we leave. I want to be as prepared as possible. Of course I'd need another Cure Disease potion, then I'd need some ginseng and strawberries for the cure poison potion... They also have a nasty habit of using ingredients that slow you down as well. But if that time comes, I've got a fix."


Westley tried to grin back at Kayla, but failed miserably. He couldn't hide the fact he was very stressed out over a few potions, and was ashamed of his inability to control his temper.

"The general stores might sell that stuff. I need some potions though. I'm not sure of the general store sells potions. If I can't get potions, I need a stringer healing spell, and I'm not sure if the chapel sells those."

Westley tried not to stare at any strangers that wandered by.

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Kayla's eyebrows went up. Westley was awfully distracted. She put his hand on his shoulder for a moment.

"Hey, it's alright. Where can we find a general goods store? I'm certain they'll have some." She wasn't sure, but usually general goods meant they had a bit of everything.

"If all else fails, then we can ask Buffy to run in to the Mages Guild for us with some of our coin and get what we need." She looked into his eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

[King Of Beasts]

Westley

"Hey, it's alright. Where can we find a general goods store? I'm certain they'll have some."

Westley didn't answer for a moment, and Ksyla looked him in the eye and asked of she had fine something wrong.

"No Kayla, you didn't do anything. I'm just a bit nervous about the expedition. C'mon, let's go down To Lelle's quality Merchandise, he might have something."

Westley tried his best to not look anxious. He knew what was going in. His frustration about potions had excited the inner wolf, and it urged to sate its terrible bloodlust, but the ring of Hircine along with Westley's resistance stood in its way, so it was doing everything in its power to break free.

I just need a walk, I'll calm down. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

[Elisabeth Hollow]

Westley's expression told of unpleasant feelings. Not wanting to walk the distance in silence, she decided to fill the space between them with chatter.

"Remember when you asked about werewolves, and if I was afraid of them?" She hooked her arm in his as they walked, not wanting to get separated from him in the crowd. she matched his stride easily, but the sites and sounds were distracting. She would end up staring at a strange sign or person.

"When I was younger, there was a boy in my town. A young Redguard boy. Anyways, he made fun of my ears until I punched him in the mouth for it." Her mouth twitched in a smile at the memory. "After that, he never teased me again. Eventually we became friends. He told me when we grew up, he wanted to marry me." She sighed.

"When we were teenagers, we wanted very different things. He had moved when we were younger, but I found him later on after-" she cleared her throat, "Moving away myself. He wanted to get married, still, after 8 years. I told him no, I couldn't do that, because time had changed me. He told me he didn't want anyone else, and left my house.

Later that night, he came knocking at my door, all bloodied up. A monstrous creature with large fangs that slashed at him, and bit him. He had become skilled with a sword, much like I had, but was barely able to get away." She cleared her throat.

"We were able to get him to the healer, but had no idea he had been attacked by a werewolf. He acted strange after that. Angry. Distant. But I was still determined to be his friend. Then, one evening, as the moon rose, he attacked his family. I heard the call to arms and rushed at him, and he gave me a nasty scar." She touched her chest with her free hand.

"I was the one who put him down. But not before I looked into his eyes and saw HIM in there, begging me to do so." She took a deep breath.

"So, to answer your question, no, I don't fear werewolves. I feel sympathy for them."

[King Of Beasts]

Westley


Westley listened to Kayla's story as they walked to the docks. He couldn't help but to feel bad, and feared he would suffer the same fate if he didn't control his temper. He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm. He didn't want Kayla to have to relive that experience.

"You shouldn't pity all werewolves. Some enjoy what they are. I don't know how, but if I was a werewolf, is hate myself ten times more than I already do. It must be horrible living like that. I don't even know why I'm so bitter and distant from everyone else. If I knew, I'd stop, but I don't know why I'm so cold. I can't bring myself to enjoy anything. Maybe I'm just depressed, I don't know."

Westley looked down at the ground, and pretended to pay close attention to all of the details in the floor. He couldn't bare to look at Kayla, knowing that she may have to relive killing someone she didn't want to because of Hircine's curse. Even worse, the thought crossed Westley's mind that he'd succeed in killing Kayla if he lost control.


Gods, if that happened, I'd never be able to live with myself. I need to calm down.