Zephyr2011
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Posts posted by Zephyr2011
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Your Grace,
I have noted that you do not yet have a royal guard. If it please Your Grace, I would gladly take up this position and recruit renowned swordsman, knights, lances and footmen to serve as your royal guard if you should deign me worthy. I shall send a Raven to your personal rookery with my full petition.
Your Humble Servant,
Zephyr
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Ra'Qassar nodded at Adrynn's remark and set forth along the road to the North with the rest of the party in tow. It was not an overlong journey by any means and a party of their size would deter bandits and the like with ease. The lack of a carriage also helped to display the seriousness of the band. Few groups traveled by carriage if they were warriors in large parties, most rode horses or traveled on foot together. The group would not make Labyrinthian that day, but they could march through the night and reach it by dawn or midday if they opted to make camp and set out at first light. They made good time, especially after resting on the way to Whiterun. "We can either continue marching through the night, or make camp and set off again at first light. What would you prefer? If we make Labyrinthian by dawn, I would recommend that we camp just within it to cut off any Thalmor exit and rest there. If we wait until tomorrow to set out we should delve further once we reach the place, which should be roughly midday." The khajiit addressed the group as a whole, but directed his questioning a little more towards Sienna. The majority would rule, but he assumed that most would assent with whatever the two of them decided and he would default to her, she took more punishment during the battle than he on account of her being more of a frontline soldier.
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Llervu stooped slightly to pick up the metal, but before he reached for it, he felt something else. Something different. It was not the warm dark that he had felt occasionally before, nor the tantalizing odor of power, but a distant feeling. Like some acrid smoke on the wind or the tang of metal on the tongue, faint, peculiar, but distinct. Magic users, destructive, perhaps disciplined, but they were ragged and weary. There was no time for this nonsense with the markings. He directed his servants to fan out across the ruin and locate the source of this annoyance. He sent the majority towards the entrance as that is where he felt it from, but with its faintness he could not be completely sure.
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Ra'Qassar's face remained emotionless throughout Adrynn and Faeryn's conversation, but internally he frowned and smiled alternately. When it was concluded, Ra'Qassar hailed the party, "Does anyone require resupply? If so, we should be quick, Warmaiden's is just inside the main gate for any blacksmithing needs, the general store is at the end of that same street, in the Plains District, along side the alchemy shop. We should get going as soon as possible I think. Who knows what the Thalmor have found by now." Ra'Qassar felt a little guilty for dragging Adrynn on this adventure, but he was puzzled by the Redoran's Azura remark, and he was honored by the commitment he placed on their mission.
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Llervu moved on from the symbols, these were Dagon's old worshipers, he was one of the three Daedra he hated the most. He was after only Azura in his eyes for tricking him into helping that legion commander and his cohort of Blades. Meridia's pompous demeanor also won her no love from the lich, regardless of her distaste for him, but that still wasn't much on the other two. Baltis set to work illustrating to Dagon how much he disliked the Prince. He reanimated the bodies of the long dead worshipers and sent them soldiering through the maze to gather information about the draugr. They wouldn't be attacked, but they could be his eyes. He also had them begin dismantling the various altars and shrines constructed to Dagon.
Hours past, then days, still nothing. Perhaps the ancient stronghold had been picked clean of any portable relic, but there was still knowledge within the halls. Baltis decided that, until circumstances changed, this would be his new home. Tel Olmes had survived the Red Year and the Argonian invasion only to slowly sink into the inland sea. It was just as well he supposed. It would be nigh impossible for anyone to find unless they had already been there his personal possessions were all enchanted to withstand whatever punishment the elements might give them and they were well hidden. Only a truly worthy individual could uncover his journals and musings. He had been a nomad for the better part of the fourth era, it was time to take up a residence again.
Then he felt it. A great magical power. Some artifact. It called to him like a beating heart. He moved swiftly through the dungeon towards where it came from. Near the great rushing river within the old stone walls. Then as sudden as it had appeared, it disappeared. He was furious. An unfortunate, undead servant approached him and was rewarded with a blast of fire that disintegrated it to ash. Llervu returned to his study, the seat of Morokei, and was outraged to see the symbols fresh with blood. He had ordered it cleared days ago. When he was about to blast the chunk of stone into Oblivion itself, he paused. There was the daedra heart, but the oblivion symbol was no longer in blood, it was formed by several shards of metal. He cocked his head to the side and felt a chill that could be felt even in undeath.
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The gates of Whiterun were a welcome sight for the Khajiit, but he knew that he could not stay. They had enough supplies to make the journey to Labyrinthian and the tools to gather more along the way, there was no time to stop and relax. When Adrynn looked at him and queried Faeryn, Ra'Qassar involuntarily held his breath. He had already figured that the Dunmer would not accompany himself and the rest of the party, but if they would, this mission would be far less difficult and treacherous. He had only got a sampling of what they could do, but with them and the battlemage, they could tear through the Thalmor, Labyrinthian and all.
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Baltis searched the chamber he was in. There was a great throne, the place where Morokai had held court, a word wall and several old sculptures and statues. The crusted blood stains belonged to a group of conjurers, Daedra worshipers really. Their tattered robes were falling apart as the moths ate the linen and cotton. He examined a door, long eaten away by worms, that lead into a crypt area. This was wear the collapse had occurred. A few years ago, Baltis had heard about an avalanche near Labyrinthian. This was how the Daedra worshipers had entered the chamber, through an ancient shortcut for servants, unlocked by Arnand all those years ago. The avalanche had caved in the exit though, and it wasn't long after that that the draugr found the conjurers. Llervu knew that the conjurers were Daedra worshipers based on a little shrine they had created. It was riddled with daedric markings, all in blood, they formed a triangle surrounding a mark of oblivion, within that mark lay a daedra heart. Baltis sneared with the remaining flesh on his decrepit face. Dagon. He remembered the Daedra well. His damnable Mythic Dawn had been quite the pain for Baltis. Following that little event, and the battle at Azura's shrine with a Redoran warrior, all the Daedra had sought to destroy, subdue or otherwise hinder the lich. He repaid them in kind. Many years ago some blathering idiot learned that he was the descendant of a Mythic Dawn agent and decided to open a museum in Dawnstar. No one knows exactly what befell him, but the museum was burnt to the ground. Baltis himself had no clue what happened to the curator, he was disappointed that he couldn't have killed the bastard himself though; he did know, however, that the fire required no accelerants.
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Ra'Qassar saw a ragged Dunmer woman fast approaching the party and began to draw his sword, she seemed battle worn and perhaps crazed. He relaxed though when she hailed the Altmer and the Altmer replied. He sheathed his sword which he had half drawn. As the woman approached it was clear that she was yet another imperial soldier, his fur bristled a little, but he was gradually losing that instinct. He nodded his head slightly in recognition but he kept moving, indicating that they needed to stay on the move. "Hail Dunmer, since you are clearly a friend to our battlemage friend, climb in back. You've clearly been through a lot. We're bound for Whiterun, but our mission is a little urgent, so it would be best if we kept going." Ra'Qassar's greeting was a little callus, but as he became more and more certain that all these new faces were here to help Adrynn and Faeryn rather than provide assistance to Whiterun, the mission became more and more paramount. They wouldn't have these numbers in Labyrinthian and there would be nothing to help tip the scales in their favor if they delayed so much that the Thalmor found some powerful artifact or completely recuperated.
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The group made good time, with the most heavily burdened riding in the carriage and those with lighter gear traveling at about the same rate as the carriage. They made Valtheim Towers within an hour and were approaching the bridge near the meadery and farmsteads surrounding Whiterun by late afternoon. Not bad considering they had a morning skirmish. the party partook of food and drink as they traveled rather than stopping to lunch. Ra'Qassar kept quiet most of the trip, remaining in the lead position.
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Baltis braced himself as the draugr closed in, he held his hands close to his chest. He was just about to release a devastating explosion centered on himself when the Death Overlords shouted simultaneously, one dissipated all of his magical energies, as if disarming him, while the other shout shook him while hurling the other draugr back and shaking the whole chamber. Dust fell down from the ceiling and a statue toppled, crushing one of the lesser draugr. Baltis managed to steady himself and threw up a hasty shield spell as a war axe came towards his skull. He pressed his right palm into the draugr's stomach before releasing some magical energy into it. The draugr staggered back as two more moved to its side to join the assault. The afflicted clutched its stomach and doubled over, its hands seemed to disappear and it was lifted off the ground briefly before imploding in a massive, cobalt blue explosion that destroyed the other two draugr. Several still remained and they circled nearby. Baltis was mildly annoyed at how long this had gone on. He reached within his robe now and withdrew a black soul gem. He crushed it in his right hand, which was slightly larger and differently formed than his left, the dark energy rippled along his arm and shoulders. It settled and pooled in both of his hands which he brought together slightly, palms upturned before making a motion similar to dropping the energy, it streamed towards the ground as he brought his hands up like the conductor of an orchestra might and pressing forward. As Llervu completed this motion the strange energy blossomed into a tall void, gradually taking shape as a spectral being, this wraith resembled the bonemen of the Soul Cairn, except that it bristled with a strange spiked armor and was wrapped in a billowing cloak of shadows, while standing nearly 8 feet tall. The wraith bore a massive scythe in one hand and a cold blue aura in the other. The specter immediately decapitated one of the draugr and grabbed another by the head, infusing its soul reaping energies into it and feeding its own power. Llervu and the specter tore through the remaining lesser draugr and tangled with the Death Overlords, who had now joined the fray. It was an interesting battle, undead dueling undead.
The lesser draugr all fell eventually while the Death Overlords exchanged blows, blocks and parries from their foes. Llervu's specter remained, about 10 feet tall, growing with each successful hit but diminishing with each exertion of power, including remaining in the mundane plane. One of the Death Overlords shouted again, this time with the fiery breath of a dragon. Baltis had to throw up a hasty ward to block the brunt of it before he could counter with a frost spell. By degrees, the ward fell and Llervu's frost spell blossomed, his wraith was dueling with the other Death Overlord, maintaining a size of about seven feet. Baltis now moved his hand toward the wraith and it began shrinking slowly. The wraith continued to keep the overlord occupied while Baltis funneled its energy into his frost spell. By now the fire breathing Overlord was out of breath and was being enveloped by the frost spell. It tried to move forward to strike the lich, but to no avail. Suddenly the now four foot tall wraith disappeared and Baltis turned both hands to the remaining Overlord and covered it with permafrost.
The chambered was silent now. Llervu stood, smiling, as much as he could with his lack of flesh, at the two ice sculptures he had rent. He summoned a golden aura around his hands and then punched each Overlord in turn with his fists that were nearly as hard as daedric ebony. The two draugr shattered into tiny shards and the lich chuckled slightly before releasing all of his magical charms. He began to examine the chamber now in earnest. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, something familiar yet distant. Some presence he hadn't felt for nearly two centuries.
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It seems like we've lost some people. Is that the case?
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Ra'Qassar had been about to suggest the group get moving when the carriage driver took the words from out of his mouth. He had been glad to meet the warriors who had arrived to help the group, but Whiterun needed them. It was time to head to Labyrinthian and every moment they delayed, the closer the Thalmor could be to acquiring some horrible old artifact.
When the question was raised of who should ride in the carriage, Ra'Qassar counted heads, there was no way they could all fit and the carriage would move far slower if there was more than say 6 riders. He opted to walk and suggested, "Anyone who sustained wounds in the battle, is exhausted or carrying a large amount of gear should ride in the carriage with our new friends. Those of us who travel light will still make about the same time as the carriage." Ra'Qassar then took the lead in front of the carriage. He would have liked to have been able to speak more with his companions, but he also knew the potency of symbolism. Ra'Qassar was the only Khajiit one would see on the plains with a Whiterun shield, and he had made quite a name for himself. Although Balgruuf always wanted all bandits eliminated at a given outpost, Ra'Qassar preferred to leave one alive, marking them by clawing their faces usually, to spread the word that Whiterun hold would not tolerate any affronts to her people. Word traveled fast and the roads always seemed oddly clear when he bore his shield. This would do nothing to deter Thalmor or any of the nastier foes of the hold, but it would reduce the chance for any nuisances along the way to Whiterun.
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The draugr surged from everywhere it seemed. Baltis released a stream of fire toward a group on his left, reducing half of the small group to ash piles. Those on the right he lifted telekinetically and threw at the remainder of the first group. Five draugr stood before him and charged with their weapons raised and frostspells blasting. He smirked as the ice magic was horribly ineffective, shrugging it off like water. He replied by channeling a spell with both hands that resulted in a large line of runic symbols before him that erupted into a furious wall of destructive magic, corroding the draugr weapons and armor as the ancient flesh slowly disintegrated, ashes fluttering into the air like some sort of disturbed smoke. There was still a group behind him of about six draugr, and two of the group he had thrown had managed to pick their bodies back up. And of course, there were still the Death Overlords to deal with. This would be fun.
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At the exchange between Adrynn, Faeryn and this, Sorinyarie, Ra'Qassar at last lowered his bow and arrow completely and stowed them. He waited until the clearly heartfelt reunion was completed, or at least wrapping up before he approached and offered his hand to the Altmer woman, "I apologize, one can never be too careful in these times." Ra'Qassar was not sorry for his caution, but did want to let the woman know that there were no ill feelings. He hoped, but did not expect that this would be a two-way street however. He was far beyond such naive assumptions and wishful thinking.
After his greeting, Ra'Qassar retreated to speak with some of the other newcomers such as the new Nord companion and his wolf. Ra'Qassar approached the pair and Felix.
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Yeah, definitely, I was throwing out a hypothetical there, when I started Baltis in Shadows, I had planned on having a major fight between him and the rest of the party resulting in a very shaky truce for the greater good before the tension caused them to split and Baltis to return to his own power-hungry agenda. My steam code is ZephyrKronos as well (convenient no?), feel free to get at me on there or PM me here. Either one.
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Ra'Qassar's fur bristled slightly at the approach of the Altmer legionnaire. He drew his bow and knocked at arrow incredibly quickly, training it on her bosom. When he noticed the legion signet, he lowered his bow and slackened his pull on the string, but he did not drop it like Sienna did. No one would ever say that Ra'Qassar died because he let his guard down. In these troubled times, uniforms meant little or nothing. Any idiot could strip a corpse on a battlefield or roadside skirmish, or even get some paints and fake it. This rider had the misfortune of being both legion and Altmer, two of Ra'Qassar's least favorite demographics during this accursed war.
Ra'Qassar nodded slightly after Sienna dropped her weapon, but he kept up his weapons to show that no interference would be tolerated. "Hail Altmer, I am Ra'Qassar, Thane of Whiterun hold, and these adventurers are aiding the jarl in eliminating a Thalmor threat. What brings you to us?"
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Baltis eventually progressed to the farthest reaches of Labyrinthian, he approached a massive stone door, he had already passed the hall of stories, this must be the chamber where Morokei dwelled not so long ago when the former Arch-Mage Arnand Creytin destroyed him to reclaim the Staff of Magnus. Llervu attempted to push the doors open mundanely, but found them to be sealed. Agitated, he coursed power through his bones and released a massive explosion of energy on the stone door, blasting a large crater in it. The door became unstable and began to crumble away, the lich focused his magical energies and created a barrier, preventing the debris from closing the entrance. As he did so, he thought he detected a very strange presence-dark, familiar... he wondered. His musings were cut short however as he noticed a bloody scene. Crusty stains bathed the place, but there hadn't been moisture or movement to remove the age old blood. Two Draugr Death Overlords stood, one bearing a greatsword, the other a massive battleaxe, both stood, feet shoulder width apart, head down with their weapons in hand, pressed into the stone floor. Baltis's presence stirred them and their eyes lit with blue energy. Suddenly a variety of corpses rose, their eyes glowing blue as well, the rest of the draugr clan awakened. There were too many powerful draugr for Llervu to quell efficiently. It could be done, but it would require concentration and patience. He would rather just obliterate them, rather than cull them for the duration of his explorations. He smirked slightly as he rose from the ground and readied spells of fire and devastation. His eyes shown a bright, contrasting crimson to the Draugrs' misty blue.
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Yeah, I definitely understand that, I guess PM between Auri, Yourself and I will have to be used to set any events straight that involve Velanya, Faeryn, Adrynn and/or Baltis. Just so that they don't have "memories" that directly conflict you know? Ie: Baltis thinking it was a peaceful meeting while Adrynn losing his sword etc.
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The breakdown looks good chrys, it all sounds very probably and realistic given actual military tactics and the situations of both forces.
On another note, somewhat inspired by Chrys's post: considering the amount of references to Shadows, we should probably iron out some of the details of what happened after we left off, or, better yet, go back and finish the story (at least more of it). There's been a lot of allusion to the group's role in the Oblivion crisis, what exactly did Marczon, Adrynn, Velanya and the gang do to help? It involves taking down the Mythic Dawn we've gathered, but what specifically? Were we with the Champion of Cyrodiil as well? Just food for thought, it's kind of neat having a lot of gaps as well, but there's a few more important details that I think could use filling in.
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Ra'Qassar contemplated Adrynn's question, he began to answer, "I do not recall exactly, I believe my friend Rorik Wind-Bane was telling me of you somehow. Your name merely seemed-" Suddenly the dark elf was gripped in his fit of pain from his vision. The brand was all Ra'Qassar needed and he remembered the story completely. Adrynn Indarys wasn't just some warrior Rorik had met, he wasn't even sure Rorik had met him. But Ra'Qassar had learned about Kriak the Huntsman and his adventures through Rorik. Adrynn and his cousin were marked as the two champions of Azura and had helped destroy the Mythic Dawn around the time of the Oblivion crisis. Ra'Qassar didn't remember exact details, but he did know that he was in the presence of two very great warriors who had done many great deeds.
Once Adrynn had recovered, Ra'Qassar spoke, "What did you see? Your brand and your vision have reminded me of where I have heard of you. Rorik Wind-Bane spoke of you and a group of many other fine warriors and your deeds around the time of the Oblivion crisis. Rorik met a strange man from another realm known as Kriak. Kriak spoke of you in very high regard apparently, Rorik told me some of how you and many others were branded by Daedric princes to act as their agents against Mehrunes Dagon and assist the Blades in defeating the Mythic Dawn. I don't remember the details, but you must be very capable and I am honored to have met even one of your group, and now I count myself doubly fortunate to meet both yourself and Faeryn."
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Sorry about the hold up, I'll post this evening. I got confused with the whole vision thing and where I should fit in with that. But now I've got a good idea on what to post. Good to see you again Chrys! Heck we could even revive souls at this point too, the gangs all here.
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Ra'Qassar assisted with the shifting of the bodies, his slight form was dense with muscle making him much stronger than he looked. Most of the elves were in the lighter variant of their standard armor and had ditched the heavier portion of their kits anyway. It didn't take long with the large number of strong warriors present to pile up all the Thalmor bodies and the work was complete within the span of an hour. When that work was complete, Ra'Qassar approached Adrynn, his curiosity getting the better of him, "Serra, tell me, have you met a man that goes by Rorik Wind-Bane in your travels? I believe I have heard your name before, and I think it was from his mouth." Adrynn sounded so familiar to him, but he couldn't place why.
While Ra'Qassar waited near Adrynn, he sat upon a rock near the road and thoroughly cleaned his sword and shield and applied some fresh beeswax to his bowstring. He had crafted all but the sword himself and he was meticulous about keeping it all in good condition. They were his livelihood after all.
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Ra'Qassar assisted with the digging of the grave for their fallen companion, while he awaited for the more reverent comrades to give the final rights, he approached Adrynn and Faeryn. "My friends, for I feel that you are friends of mine indeed after such a fight, I look forward to travelling with you, but I must be blunt: I would like you to accompany us further. Whiterun still stands, but she has lost many of her favorite sons and daughters in this bloody conflict. This group of Thalmor was half, perhaps less, of the surviving agents that attacked the city. The rest fled north of Whiterun to the ruins of Labyrinthian. That is our next destination. I fear that the elves there will be more dangerous, even without the perils of Labyrinthian to contend with. I would forever be in your debt, Whiterun would forever be in your debt, if you could aid us in the pursuit of the rest of these scum. I know it is much to ask so soon, but I beseech you, think upon it. If you do this thing for us, I will gladly assist you in your mission if I can, whatever it may be." Ra'Qassar kept his voice relatively low, he did not want to undermine Sienna's authority in this situation, but he thought it best to put the bug in the warriors' ears sooner rather than later. He hoped that by the time the party reached Whiterun, the Dunmer would decide to accompany them, it was a great deal to hope for, but for some reason, he had utter faith in these two men. The name Adrynn sounded familiar to him, perhaps it was something that Rorik had mentioned before. The dragonborn, who was not the slayer of Alduin, was far more traveled than even Ra'Qassar and had told him many tales. Perhaps Ra'Qassar had even read of him, it was difficult to say.
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A wake of blue energy rippled around Baltis as he strode through Labyrinthian. It took him several hours to traverse it, but the undead all stayed their blades as the lich's ethereal aura held them at bay. Llervu had to admit, the traps were clever, many ingenius in fact, they tested a wide range of magical knowledge. He suspected that there used to be some more hand-holding here in the form of the necessary tomes. Those musty volumes were long gone and he had to use his wits. A particular annoyance was a series of magical 'turrets' powered by soulgems that spat out various spells, most of which knocked him back quite well. He lacked any form of ward spell, other than amplifying his resistances to physical and elemental attacks, he normally found no use for them, but now he needed one to stop the shockwaves. He instead stood at a large distance and telekinetically seized the soul gems. He supposed that he could have easily unleashed a storm of energy to dislodge or destroy the gems, but that hardly seemed sporting. He continued through the dungeon without incident. The principal deadliness in Labyrinthian lied in the combinations. A trap would slow, disfigure or wound a mage, then the undead would rise to eliminate them. The traps on their own were not terribly dangerous, which was a trap in itself, the hordes of undead they enabled were. Due to his own undeath, Baltis had little to fear from the legions as he traversed this interesting puzzle box. Also requiring no sleep or rest, he made steady progress on his way to the end of the maze and the heart of Shalidor's old domain.
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Yep, I'm thinking 3 posts tops, and it'll be awhile, with no (real) combat. Thanks!
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Can Kriak make a brief cameo to setup Llervu and why he would work with anyone. I understand if not, since he's not stock ES, but his lore explains it pretty well.
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@Dark I just saw that actually haha. I have been trying to resist the urge to bring Kriak back into a lot of my RPs because I've used him so much, and when I first started RPing with him I made him quite overpowered (granted, so is Baltis, but he has a couple excrutiating weaknesses). But with so many characters from Shadows, it's hard to not bring him back haha. Baltis will have some fun though, and perhaps the results will be less... explosive this time, at least in terms of his interactions with everyone else.
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Ra'Qassar had ducked behind a tree after felling a few more Thalmor, with no Thalmor in his immediate vicinity he returned to his bow. He notched a particularly viciously tipped arrow, drew and stepped out from behind his cover ready to kill only to find that the battle was over. The Thalmor had fallen, thanks in part to the three different faces that had surfaced since the outbreak of the ambush. He lowered his bow and relaxed his grip on his arrow. Ra'Qassar approached the two Dunmer newcomers and extended his hand towards the one in bonemold. "We thank you for your assistance Dunmer. These Thalmor were in retreat after a siege at Whiterun. We were fortunate that the two of you, and the other fine fellow arrived when you did. You certainly helped tip the scales. I am Ra'Qassar." The Khajiit grinned now that the fighting was resolved, he detested war.
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The hollow eyes of the lich glowed brightly, with a fiery presence. Each skeletal hand brandished a different form of magic, one a bonfire of damnation, the other a raging tempest of electricity. He stood before the great beast, its fetid breath billowing about him. The dragon opened its great maw and unleashed a blizzard of ages old. Baltis stood undaunted though and let loose with his own magics, releasing his fire spell. The energies clashed in a bright phantasm of light that would have blinded either combatant if their eyes weren't already long gone. Slowly, the fire of Llervu's magic beat back the tide of the dragon's ice and the dark elf began to advance upon the beast. Skeletons began to rise near Baltis and approach to strike him. Now he raised his off hand and clenched it into a fist with the torrent of lightning still within his grasp. A terrible thundering resounded through the massive chamber as great bolts of magic leaped and bounded from foe to foe, disintegrating the skeletal warriors while Baltis focused upon the dragon. The breath was stayed completely at last and the monstrosity bellowed in rage, agitation, and fear. Llervu then raised his off hand and focused a destructive ward upon the beast, draining its energy and resistances. The flames slowly sputtered out as this new spell that slowly harvested all of the magical energies within the dragon took hold. It wasn't long before the great dragon collapsed and its bones scattered once more, strewn about the floor of Labyrinthian. Baltis knew that it wouldn't be long before the powers that be would re-convene and the beast would lay in wait again, but he could now pass. The test was easy enough, and the dragon would not trouble him any longer. Anyone that might follow him, however, was a different question.
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After seeing a lot of the crew from Shadows of Darkest Soul, I can't resist
bringing one of mine back, granted he didn't see much action, but hey,
here's his chance. I'm not sure if he'll actually be a main character or if
he's just going to make a few cameos but here he is:
Name: Baltis Llervu
Race: Dunmer (Lich)
Gender: Male
Age: approximately 240 (born 3E 400)
Appearance: When disguising his true nature, Baltis has the typical crimson eyes and mahogany hair of the Dunmer people. He has high cheek bones and a chiseled nose with no facial hair. His hair is kept in a slick ponytail that runs to about his shoulders. He has several faint runes running in lines about his mouth and eyes, they glow a faint reddish color when he expends a large amount of magicka. In his true form Baltis's hair becomes matted, grey and unkempt around his skeletal face, a grey goatee and beard also appear and virtually no flesh remains upon his bleach-white bones. His hands do have some grey-ish flesh still clinging to them. The rest of his body has spotty portions of rotting flesh but for the most part is skeletal. He usually wears a deep crimson robe, the sashes of which have several deep red gemstones and onyx, each of the stones is enchanted to help funnel magicka into Baltis, allowing him to maintain his disguise indefinitely, so long as he does not expend too much magickal energy. He occasionally dons the hood of his robe, but usually prefers to keep it down.
Skills: Destruction, Conjuration (Necromancy specifically, and almost exclusively), Alteration (levitation, waterwalking, shields), Alchemy, Restoration (per-se, more of an extension of Necromancy in that he is able to heal and repair himself magically, other people, not so much)
Equipment: Afore-Mentioned Robe with the accompanying enchantments, alchemical apparati, various ingredients and body parts
Homeland: Morrowind, Port Telvanni/Tel Branora
Personality: Llervu is sarcastic and condescending, he can be extremely dismissive, but when he gets to know people he often jokes with them and as he has become more social, he makes plenty of jokes about the state of his body.
Background: Baltis was born in Port Telvannis on the mainland of Morrowind in 3E 400 to Telvanni commoners. When Vvardenfell was opened to expansion in 3E 414, they were among the first people to travel with Mistress Therana and live in Tel Branora. Shortly after this an alchemist in Sadrith Mora paid Baltis's parents, the Redayins, for their son. Salms Andares took Baltis under his wing as his apprentice. Salms was an old man looking for an heir and legacy, all of his children having died due to horrible circumstances. Baltis realized a natural tendency towards alchemy, and later magic thanks to his friend Vandalas, a local sorcerer. In 3E 417, Salms died, Baltis wanted to continue the shop and learn more from Vandalas but the local mage lord had other plans.
Neloth ordered the shop sold to another alchemist and Baltis to become his apprentice. Vandalas gave Baltis several books by a famed Telvanni Wizard, Olmes Llervu, for his studies. Several years past and Baltis took the name Llervu for his own. Eventually Neloth made Baltis his mouth in 3E 420. Baltis had little patience for the politics of the house or the stupidity of Gethren and killed Gethren's mouth in 421. Neloth promoted Baltis and then promptly banished him from Tel Naga. Baltis managed to secure a contract to build Tel Olmes on an island Southeast of Vvardenfell. There he spent a few years studying his magics.
Baltis realized that he could not possibly learn everything he wanted to in one lifetime, so he resolved to extend his lifetime forever. He conducted much research and acquired the materials for a phylactery. He had hired on several craftsmen and warriors over the years, including a skilled smith. His smith forged his phylactery, knowing full well the intent. Baltis made no attempt to hide his plans from his men, he was not much one for slaves, feeling that hirelings bound by loyalty and investment in their Lord's interests were the best option. He kept an open dialogue between his various servants, spellswords, nightblades and battlemages, most of whom were Argonian, atypical for a Telvanni. After much work and some coercing of booksellers and Master Aryon, Baltis acquired everything he needed and then completed his ritual of Ascension, becoming a lich in 428. This was incredibly fast for a mage but given Llervu's dedication, enthusiasm and ambition, unsurprising.
Llervu was in search of a means to teleport to the Daedric plane of Oblivion, much like Divayth Fyr had before him. This search brought him to the Shrine of Azura in Morrowind just before the outbreak of the Oblivion crisis. Here he met Adrynn, Velanya and their companions, it is unclear as to what occured immediately following this, but their union was a fragile alliance at best with the ambitious and tempestuous lich causing several fractures in his relationships with the rest of the adventurers.
Following the Oblivion crisis, Llervu set out to hone his necromanti crafts. He spent many years furthering his understanding of the body, mind, spirit and their numerous connections. His obsession with perfection has lead him to many tweaks to his phylactery and enchantments, bringing him closer and closer to achieving his aspiration of full ascension. His currect quest has brought him to Skyrim, to secure a protector, servant and companion. He seeks to achieve what no one else has ever done: create a dracolich. Dragons have ascended before and many have dabbled in necromancy such as Duhnerviir, but never before has a man or mer performed the ritual upon a dragon to transform it by a third party. It is unknown whether such a thing has ever been done on a humanoid either. Llervu hopes that mastery of this sort of technique will allow him greater control over life and death than other liches, perhaps allowing him to undue his own lichdom, should he choose, or the lichdom of others. What his ultimate end goal is anyone's guess.
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The ambush was sudden. Smart of the Thalmor. Rilgumskar had been right at Vaultheim about the temperature of the bodies, they were very fresh. It was quite possible that the Thalmor had a mer or two ascend the towers to examine the roadway and knew they were coming. The damned elves killed their argonian companion before anyone could so much as blink. But if the Thalmor thought that this would be an easy fight, they were dead wrong. Ra'Qassar rolled out of the line of fire quickly and adeptly. He was behind a very large pine tree with a rocky outcropping. He smirked as he lept and bounded up the tree. Towards its top, Ra'Qassar readied three arrows in his bow and loosed all three at once, killing two Thalmor that were bunched close together. Before his prey could look up, Ra'Qassar soared through the air to another pine. He repeated this process three more times, gradually coming closer to the ground and causing several thalmor heads to spin. He provided not only deadly cover fire but a convenient distraction for his companions. He hid on the side of his final tree away from combat and drew his sword and shield. He looked around the edge of the trunk of the tree then rolled downward onto an unsuspecting Thalmor. The khajiit caught the elf by total surprise, slamming his shield into the mer's back and then driving his sword through the elf's lung and rending his innards. Ra'Qassar proceeded to ravage the backline of the Thalmor, hunting out the archers, mages and officers. The battle was bloody and dangerous. One of the mages loosed a massive fireball at Ra'Qassar, he managed to duck behind a tree but his whiskers were singed and his tail rather crispy. The tree he hid behind was smoldering and the fire was beginning to grow. This fight had to end quickly or half the forest would burn down.
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The group approached Vaultheim Towers and Ra'Qassar called a halt. All that was left here were broken bodies and scorches. "The Thalmor have continued down the road, towards the caldera. Most of the bandits that were here are dead right in front of us. The rest are likely floating down river or rotting in the far tower." Ra'Qassar gestured to the mangled corpses littering the entrance to the tower on their side of the river. "You can see on the far tower several scorch marks, likely from magefires. The bandits loosed several arrows, as you can see here in the dirt." There were several shafts stuck fast in the ground at roughly 70 degree angles, the same angles formed by a roughly direct line from the tip of the arrows to the top of the nearby tower. There was a splatter of blood on the ground as well. "One of the Thalmor was also wounded. Likely at least one of the arrows found their mark. The dirt is quite disturbed here. Some of the plants are filthy while others have a leaf or two clean, indicative of a group of people or animals rushing through as quickly as possible. The wounded mer likely did not notice his wounds in the scuffle, as you can see the blood trail. I suggest we make haste towards the Caldera, they may have stopped off at a nearby cave along the way, or they will be in one of the caves surrounding or within the sulfur fields; either way, there is nothing for us here."
Petitions for Royal Guardsmen!
in Roleplaying
Posted
Here Ye! Here Ye!
Her newly anointed Ladyship, HIgh Queen Auriana requires loyal and able-bodied guardsman to protect her! As captain of the Royal Guard, I am seeking proficient swordsmen, lances, macemen, pikes, footmen, archers and any other men, woman and children who are hailed as excellent fighters and loyal citizens of Her realm. You may pin your applications here or send a raven to the Royal Rookery for myself and I shall review them. Those who I consider worthy of such a noble post shall be forwarded to Her Royal Highness for approval. Upon such approval you may don the title of Royal Guard. A badge of office shall be forthcoming whenever the Royal Herald is available. I thank ye citizens for your time and look forward to your petitions.
Her Humble Servant,
Lord Zephyr, Captain of the Royal Guard