darkedge42392

That's something everyone should already know, boss. ;D But hope all is going well.

Adrynn's eyes snapped to the Imperial Knight as she sagged under the weight of the ruin's seeking tendrils as they sapped the magicka from her body. He himself felt it as well, though it was lessened by the extreme chill that kept poking and prodding at his mind. He surged his magicka again to dispel it. It worked. Slightly. "Stand, Knight of the Nine," he said, resting his hand on her shoulder and trying to feed her some of his energy. He had had almost three centuries to build up his deep wells of magicka. Though the ruins were slowly draining it faster than he could regenerate it. He turned back to the scene of battle before him. The Thalmor would not last long. The skeletons were more of a distraction than actual threat, though their numbers made them problematic. It was the undead dragon that was the true threat. It landed in a crash of bone and power, spewing frost at anything in range. Adrynn's face tightened. They needed to destroy it. Azura, what do we do? he asked desperately. He could feel her prescense, and her scent softly whisped around him. She was thinking, considering their options. Destroy the dragon, my child. I will lend you the help you need, though that is all I can do, she said, her voice strained. He nodded slightly. He turned back to the others, the grip on his sword tightened. "We need to destroy that dragon. When it's done with the Thalmor, it will turn on us. We deal with the dead first, then if any of the Thalmor still live, we deal with them next. If you are with me, then lets get this over with." With that said, he pooled his magicka into his left hand and flung a large fireball into the midst of the skeletons, blasting many aside and scattering their bones. He leapt into the fray, his blade crashing into the skeletons around him. "For House Redoran!"

Um... :ermm: Chrys? Mythic? Macman? o.o anyone else gonna make a post?

Adrynn kept moving with the others. He could tell the Thalmor had been here. The signs of a rushed passage were plainly evident. Overturned urns, busted burial jars, a few singed draugr corpses here and there. They had come this way. And done so with haste. Adrynn frowned and picked up his pace. After rounding a few turns and going down steadily, they came into a small chamber lined with niches carved into the rock. Most were empty. But a few stirred. A handful of draugr slid from their niches and raised their weapons, their dead throats echoing with hate. Adrynn moved forward. He ducked under the swing of one draugr and split it in half with his sword, before disarming another by taking off its spell casting arm at the elbow. He kept moving, leaving the rest of the undead warriors for the others. They were weak, and posed no real threat other than as a nuscience. As he reached the entranceway to the next room, the cold he had been feeling the entire way into the ruin suddenly spiked. He stopped and gasped, his breath having left his body. Snarling, the Redoran pushed back against it with his magicka, feeling the warmth flood his body again. He knew this feeling from somewhere.... Adrynn fought against the Mage with a fury he had not known before. Every strike, every swing, had one single purpose. To end this being before him. But he could not get an advantage. The magicks used against him forced him to duck, dodge, parry, and block. The Mage was fighting just as furiously as he was. But, here within Azura's very own shrine, Adrynn was like a god. He felt a steady surge of power from both his brand and the great statue of Azura against the far wall. He pressed forward with a renewed fury, bring his own magic to bear against the Mage, flinging fire and ice and lightning. Finally, luck was with him. The Mage stumbled over the fallen body of a Winged Twilight. Adrynn kicked the bound sword from the mage's hand and raised his Daedric Katana high over his head. "I told you this was the day you died!" Adrynn snarled, before swinging down with all his might, intent on splitting the Mage in two. Adrynn was brought back to the present by a sudden and extremely unnerving sound. An earsplittingly deep and gutteral roar echoed from the passage before him. It was so great it shook the walls and long undisturbed dust fell from the ceiling, forcing the Redoran to cover his ears. The magic of the ruins surged against him again and he flung it back with great effort. A deep fear sunk into Adrynn. Never had he heard such a sound. Magic suddenly pinged against his consciousness. A battle was raging against something deeper in the ruin. And he was sure the Thalmor was involved. "My friends! COME!" He called behind him, jogging deeper toward the sounds of battle, his sword raised and a ball of flame sprouting from his empty left palm.

Lisn, I do believe you are with Zephyr and Eckss, on the way out of the kitchens to the great hall.

You see, this is one reason I loved Morrowind so much. To become the hero you actually had to work for it. And I don't mean by racing through the main quest. You couldn't be the Nerevarine at level 1. Caius Cosades would laugh at you. (Unless you cheated -.-) There were level requirements and even skill requirements before you could progress, as you had to have some sense of being able to handle yourself before taking on the more dangerous missions. (I do believe the lowest level I beat the Main Quest was at 37, usually I would wait till about 50-70 before finishing it) Anyways, I know this is all off topic, but I had to throw that in there. >.< Sorry. /endrant Back on topic, I agree with Dante's reasoning. Ulfric wouldn't push from Skyrim until he had the resources and alliances to make sure he had every advantage he could to deal with the Thalmor.

(Sorry, double post on accout of 504 error, disregard)

The Constable stood in the Great Hall, after having to beat a Knight off of one of the serving girls. The serving girl had tried to flee, but the Constable flicked one of the slippers in his hand at her and she slipped and went sliding across the Great Hall on her belly, screaming all the way. She stopped in a heap at the entrance and was promptly collected by a Guard. The Knight had drawn his weapon in anger, but the Constable didnt step aside. Instead he did the only sensible thing to do. He dueled the Knight with the other slipper. Of course he still had his sword in his main hand, but for some reason he thought it best to use the slipper as a weapon instead. And the ultra slick floors only helped him, as the Knight had to shuffle to reach him, whereas the Constable only had to apply a tiny amout of pressure to his boots to go sliding out of reach. After a few moments, and more than a few slaps about the Knights face with the slipper, the Constable slid behind the knight, nudged him behind the knees, and with the weight of the Knights armor, he had no choice but listen to gravity and fall upon his face. And after the Guards had shuffled forward and bound the Knight, the Constable gave him his sentence. "For the crimes of exhibitionism and inappropriate-touching-in-public, you are sentenced to sixty-nine lashes upon the bottom. Did your mother never tell you to not touch a lady so in public? You may well be stripped of your rank as well, but that is for the Queen to decide. Guard! Fetch The Lord High Executioner. Tell him he has a sentence to carry out. That should make his day." The Guard nodded and hurried away, most likely in the direction of the kitchens.

Adrynn pushed through the thick wet snow to Ra'Qassar, his blade still dripping with the blood of the troll he had slain. He glanced down and nodded. "Indeed so, Thane of Whiterun. Come, we need to get inside. I sense a battle." It was true. The sharp and disctinct flashes of magicka that were bouncing off of the Redoran's consciousness were dizzying. They smelt of burning and death; tasted of flame and anger. Destruction magick. And a lot of it. The Thalmor... Adrynn thought, clenching his gauntleted fist around his sword tighter. Only they would be foolish enough to expend so much magicka in this place. He could still feel the Labyrinthian trying to tug at him, dig into his magicka and drain it from him. This place was hungry, no starving to fuel itself. Such was the way of ancient magickal places. Adrynn pushed through the snow, annoyed at his slow progress. Cursing himself for going back on his word, he slung his shield over his shoulder and threw his left hand forward. A blistering, billowing stream of flames erupted from his palm, melting the snow to the door in a torrent of heat. Gritting his teeth, he quickly sloshed forward. As soon as he crossed the gaping doors into the ruin, Adrynn was struck with a sudden and sharp wave of cold. Staggering momentarily at this unexpected intrusion, he looked around wildly for who had attacked him. But nothing was there but the way leading down. And he was unharmed. Yet the cold persisted. He pushed back at the cold with his magicka, feeling it fade, but not dissipate. It wasn't the lurching seeking fingers of the ruin, nor was it any kind of frost attack. It was just cold. A very familiar cold. ----------------- Adrynn stood upon the deck of a ship, the great Shrine of Azura on Vvardenfell before him. But something was wrong. The door was blasted from its hinges and a dark menacing figure stood in the doorway. Azura's wrath coursed through him, and he leapt from the deck onto the entranceway as soon as the keel hit the shore. He unsheathed his Daedric Katana and stepped forward, every inch of his body throbbing with energy, his brand like a sun in his palm. "You made a foolish mistake coming here today, Mage. For you face Azura's Chosen, and this day you die!" Adrynn cursed, flinging himself at the Dunmer Mage who dare desecrate Azura's Shrine. ---------- Adrynn shook himself back to the present. No time to dwell on the past. Be watchful this day, my child... Azura softly whispered.

The Constable stared at the slippers offered to him with a slight look of uneasiness. He took them and looked down at his boots. The dark, polished leather shone dully and more than matched his armor. But these slippers were... ugly, to say the least. Plus it would be hilariously embarrassing to be seen with these slippers and his long socks poking over them. He could just imagine the rant that the Royal Fashion Advisor would go off on if she saw them. He nodded his thanks to the Captain and gingerly slid his way to the side of the throne, just as a large plump cat slid its way to the foot of the throne. With a longing look, the cat jumped onto the seat, shredded the cushion, and lay amongst the tattered remains. The Constable watched with horror, before remembering his place. "Oi, cat. Get down and shoo," he said, his gold eyes flashing with indignation. When the cat obviously ignored him, he drew his sword and placed the tip at the foot of the throne. The polished and unique blade reflected the cat in its surface. "Now, begone." He waited, his patience growing ever thin.

Adrynn reached the bottom step just as the troll came within reach. It beat its great claws against the ground and roared, flinging its massive arms at the Redoran. Adrynn sidestepped one strike and blocked the other, testing the creature's power. His shield vibrated with the blow, but it was dampened by the angle it had deflected the strike. Adrynn grinned. This would be too easy. This troll was young, dumb, and imagined itself greater than anything that faced it. The Redoran proved it wrong by sidestepping a horizontal strike and slicing open it's gut, his enchanted blade searing the flesh. It howled in pain and attacked again. But Adrynn simply waited it out, letting the blood loss tire it while dodging and blocking its strikes. Finally, it moved just wrong enough to allow the Redoran to step forward, thrusting his ebony blade into its third eye. It shuddered and hit its knees. Adrynn twisted the sword free, before twisting his body hard and decapitating the troll. It's head rolled into a drift of snow, leaving a small trail of crimson. "Well, that was fun," Adrynn said with a small grin.

Adrynn stood with the others, feeling the quiet roar of magicka all around him. He bristled at the unfamiliar yet soothing tracers of ancient and powerful magicka. His skin crawled with gooseflesh under his armor as they seeked to wrap about him, learn him, take him. His eyes flashed, and with a small surge of his own magicka, banished the seeking tendrils. "I do not care for this place. There is ancient and fell magick here, it would be wise for you all to be careful about how much of your magicka you expend here. From what I feel, any magicka lost here is absorbed by these ruins," Adrynn said with a grimace. He slipped his arm into his shield as he said so. It seemed he would be relying on more mundane means of defending himself here. Just as Sandhya alerted the others to the prescense of a troll, a loud, guttural roar echoed throughout the ruins, and Adrynn stepped forward instinctively, drawing his sword with a flash. His ruby eyes locked on the white form that lumbered toward them, its three eyes locked on the unusual color of his armor. "I'll take this one, if you don't mind," Adrynn said behind him, stepping down the steps toward the advancing troll.

Ok, so... Who's turn is it to post now? I'll go if no one else will. >.< I know we all have jumped to Auri's Nexonia thread, but I still wanna keep this one going. :3 It's got great potential.

The Lord Constable took eager steps toward the Great Hall, feeling the excitement in his veins as the coronation of the soon to be Queen Auriana swept along toward its arrival. He passed many servants here and there, uncustomarily grinning. Today would be a good day! Unfortunately, his recently polished boots came heel to stone with the recently polished floors and he wondered why he was suddenly staring at the high vaulted ceiling, and why oh why there was a terrible pain in his head. Glancing down, he realized why. "Oww...." Gently, the Constable with no name and only the title of "Dark Edge" stood up, rubbing the knot thrusting its stubborn way from the back of his skull. Sighing, he straightened his black sword in its sheath, and took a step toward the Great Hall again. He slipped. But this time he did not fall. Catching himself on a passing servant with a curse, he sharply heard an intake of breath, then felt a stinging slap land upon his cheek before winding up right back where he had been earlier on the highly polished floor. Groaning, he rubbed his cheek as the he rolled an eye in the direction of his assailant as they stormed away. It was one of the ladies-in-waiting. He covered his face with his palm in shame. He knew what he had done, and his cheeks burned red for it. Finally, the Constable stood up, and this time very, very carefully, tiptoed across the floor to the Great Hall.

Greetings my Lady. It is with glad spirits that this poor knight come before you and ask to be your Constable. With such a position, I may help our Royal Guard capture any criminals who dare defy the crown. (And also keep the dungeons full!) *bows and lays sword at feet*

As the party slowly wound it's way across the tundra of Whiterun, Adrynn gave thought to Ra'Qassar's question. He glanced to the west, where the sun was setting quickly. The night would be cold, and there was no telling what might happen when they reached Labyrinthian freezing and tired. He stopped next to a stream, and slowly sat down on a outcropping rock. He hailed the rest of the group with his answer. "Friends, if we march through the night, we will suffer the cold and the stinging wind. And there is no telling what evils await us upon our arrival. I say we camp here for tonight, and leave at first light." He gestured to the stream, and pointed to a small herd of deer a few hundred yards away. "Here we have water, and food enough to feed us all. Plus enough of a shelter here to protect us against the wind and keep our fire warm," he added, showing the small depression between a ring of stones where it appeared a mammoth had lain. "But, that is my suggestion. If the others agree to march, then I will. Though my bones will complain by morning," he said, smiling softly. He hated getting old.

Adrynn silently stood next to Sandhya and Ra'Qassar, his sword in its scabbard resting on his wide pauldron, and his pack slung over the other. He sighed as the carraige creakily rolled toward the Reach. He hated the delay he felt in not being able to meet up with his cousin. But whatever Azura must think he needed to see or experience in the Labyrinthian, he wished to hastily find it. He turned to the Khajiiti Thane. "I need not resupply, as I still have most of what I brought with me from Morrowind. If no one else needs to, let us continue. I wish to reunite with my companions sooner rather than later." He knew he wore a deep scowl. It was more vexation at Azura than at this journey. But he could not summon the will to remove it. He sighed and strapped his sword to his belt, then tightened the straps of his pack. You owe me an explanation, my Lady. It will come in time, young one... Adrynn knew she would say that.

Adrynn nodded to Faeryn's response. He had expected as much from the dutiful Ordinator. But something was nagging at him... He couldn't help but feel the itch to explore these Labyrinthian ruins and help this band of adventurers in the quest. His brand burned softly in his palm. He absentmindedly rubbed it with his fingers. "Aye Faeryn, as much as I agree, something is pulling me to go with these adventurers. I cannot help but think that Azura is the one behind it." As he said it, the faint sweet scent of roses enveloped him, causing him to wrinkle his nose in distaste. He had long become sickened at the scent, because Azura had used it so often to warn or remind him that he was hers, whether he wanted to be or not. He took off his right gauntlet and slid the ring from his first finger, offering it to Faeryn. "If you wish to go to Velanya, then take this with you, as a token that you have seen me. I will return for it when I can, as it is precious to me." He looked down at the silver banded ring with the House Redoran crest engraved into the ruby inset into it. Garila, his long dead wife, had given it to him as a wedding present. "I have no choice but to go to Labyrinthian, my old friend. Azura is pushing me there, for whatever reason. And I cannot refuse her. Not this time..." You learn quickly, my child... Azura's voice softly whispered in his mind. It is not by choice, but necessity, as you are feckle and petty, my Lady, Adrynn retorted. So you think, Adrynn, but it is not without reason or purpose. Adrynn frowned, scowling at his palm. Azura's musical chuckle filled his mind.

Adrynn chuckled and hugged Serrabinashiah back. He couldn't help but be fond of the little scout. She had done so much for them during the Ashlander revolts. And it seems time had only strengthened her. He grinned and rested his hand on her shoulder. In Velothi, the ancient tongue of Chimer, he said, "By the Three, and by the Four, it is good to see you. May the wind always guide you, and the ash never blind your eyes." Then, switching to the more common tongue of the Cyrodiils, he said, "You are still short, young one, but you have gained more than just height since the last time I saw you," he said with a grin. Adrynn felt the carraige slow and finally stop before the outer gates of Whiterun. He looked to the carraige driver, who was twisted around and looking at him. The driver took a long drag on his pipe and blew it out. "Well, we are here. Give me an hour to feed and rest my horses, and we can be off again, if you wish. Or," he said looking longingly at the city, "we could stay the night and continue on tomorrow." Adrynn turned to Ra'Qassar, then to Faeryn. "This is where we make our choice old friend. Do we stay to help our new companions, or be off to the Reach?"

Adrynn smiled wryly. Things were indeed becoming interesting. He poked his head over the side of the carraige and offered Serrabinashiah his hand. "Come along, Serra. We still have many leagues to go," he said, nodding to the Ashlander scout.

Adrynn was quiet as he digested Sorinyarie's news. So Serrabinashiah was still alive and in Skyrim no less. Not to mention Lecuaro's descendant, who apparently was every bit the man his anscestor had been. Adrynn thought back to his vision earlier. Velanya, Iodiria, and the strange Dunmer with no eyes. They were linked with what was going to happen, he was sure. He knew Velanya was, but he never would have guessed Iodiria was still alive, much less a part of this tangled weave of people and places amongst this wretched war. "Faeryn, tell me. When was the last time you had seen Indoril Iodiria? For the last time I recall, it was when she sent us off to Narsis to follow the Mythic Dawn to Cyrodiil. I have a feeling that she will find us sooner or later. Azura would not have shown her to me otherwise unless she was a part of this," Adrynn said softly, his brows drawn together as he pieced together the news he had received. He rested his hand on his sword, which was once again in his lap.

I haven't seen Flipout post since the fight scene.

Adrynn thought about how to best phrase his response. As much as he respected everyone here, there was no telling what the wrong piece of information would do to Velanya's plans. He had noticed how quiet Sandhya, the female Khajiit, had become once everyone had started talking. She was cunning, he knew. He only hoped she stayed an ally. "We go to meet with Velanya at the Karthspire. She said she has something she wants us to help her with," he said, hoping that it wasn't giving away too much information. And as a former Blade herself, Adrynn hoped Sorinyarie pieced together his clues. He turned and climbed into the carraige. He stood in the back and looked around. "Who wants to ride with us?"

Adrynn shook Sorinyarie's hand and smiled. It had been a long time indeed since they had last seen each other. "We have a journey to the Reach that must be made with haste, but we encountered these adventurers in battle with a Thalmor patrol and helped to even the odds," Adrynn explained, trying to not give away too much beyond what was needed. He swore he could feel the ghost of Caius Cosades chuckling in his ear. Once a Blade, always a Blade, eh Redoran? Adrynn resisted the temptation to swat over his shoulder at the imagined voice. "We are headed to Whiterun right now, and there we shall resupply," Adrynn said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning onto his right leg. "Do you wish to accompany us, Sorinyarie? We could use your expeirience. And we are all already enemies of the Thalmor, so your armor should not cause trouble." Adrynn smiled and limped toward the carraige, where the driver was lazily smoking his pipe, keeping an ever watchful eye on everyone present. "Well Dunmer, if we are to make some headway before night falls completely upon us, I say we should be off," the old Nord said, blowing a smoke ring toward the sky. Adrynn nodded. He turned to Sienna. "I say we should get moving, Knight of the Nine. Nightfall is soon. I do believe we have tarried here long enough," He said, leaning against the carriage.

At the approach of the mounted Altmer, Adrynn had lain his had on his sword, ready as always to fight if need be. Though Sienna's magick had removed most of Adrynn's discomfort, it was more the shock of what Azura had done then the actual pain that shook him. He pushed it from his mind as Faeryn shook him. At Sorinyarie's mention, Adrynn took a step forward and squinted his sharp Elven eyes. There was no mistaking the sharply proud yet humble features of Lecuaro's right hand Battlemage. He felt his jaw slacken momentarily, then smiled. This was indeed an interesting day. "Hail Sorinyarie! You are among friends here," Adrynn called out, limping a few steps forward and throwing back his cloak so the Bonemold was revealed. He hoped she remembered who he was as he steadily made his way toward her. His limp was all but forgotten in his excitement.