Alduin's Rise

[Spawnsy]

The dumner glares at Sivar. "Hold your tongue Khajiit" He takes another sip of his ale, "This mystery man better show up before i get annoyed!"

[FennecFyre]

Sivari's muzzle crinkled in a snarl, exposing her pointed feline teeth. "Hold yours, coal-skin, unless you wish to be dragged away by those drybones out there." She looked over her shoulder another man entered the tavern, wearing a strange set of armor. For a moment, she thought he could be the one, but he seemed to be waiting as well.

 

The innkeeper, on the other hand, was quite happy at the influx of visitors to her inn.

 

With a sigh, Sivari turned back to her soup. "I think we were all just victims of some great cosmic trick here." she said morosely. "We should never have come."

 

It was for this reason that she didn't heed the next time the door opened. A phantom wind blew through the inn, causing the flames of the hearth fire to flicker and jump.

 

"You're all here, then." said a voice. Sivari stiffened. That was the voice. That was the speaker from her dream. She turned slowly, unsure what she would see.

 

A man. A man in heavy, grey, furlined robes with a hood. His skin was pale, and for a moment Sivari could have sworn it had a pale greenish tint and a rough texture. He was bearded, and as he raised his head so that his eyes were illuminated by the fire, Sivari almost gasped. They were grey and clouded, almost like he had cataracts. Was he blind? He couldn't have been, as he came straight towards them, not once tripping.

 

He bowed slightly, then straightened. "I had worried you all would not heed my summons."

"Who...who are you?" asked Sivari, still wary.

The man half-smiled. "Unfortunately, there are those who would do terrible things to know who I am. For my safety, and for yours, I must remain nameless." He sat down in a nearby chair, and Sivari turned on the bench to face him, holding her bowl in her hands. The man spoke again.

 

"I chose you all for specific reasons. You detest oppression, and you detest Alduin. You have an assortment of skills to accomplish the goal I wish to propose." He took a breath. "And that goal is to kill Alduin and his Priests."

 

Sivari almost choked on her soup.

 

The man waited patiently until she could breathe again. "Sir," Sivari protested weakly, "If the Jarls couldn't do it, and the whole damn Legion couldn't do it, then how in Alkosh's name do you expect us to do it?"

 

The man retrieved five silver amulets from the folds of his robe. "With these."

"Necklaces." said Sivari flatly.

"At the moment, yes. But these will soon be filled with the powers of the gods, who wish to see Alduin brought down once again. They take many forms, and you know them by many names, therefore you may choose any god from your native pantheons, or the Cyrodiilic one." He looked over at Abdul. "This includes the Hist, Argonian."

 

He turned back to the rest of the group. "This is the destiny that has been laid before you. It is a frightening and difficult quest, and I will not force you into it. But know this: If you are not kril, pardon me, brave enough to stand up to Alduin, it will be a long, long time before someone comes along who is."

 

Sivari's sensitive ears caught the sound of the inn owner's broom cease it's whisking on the wooden floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the blond woman, who was suddenly glaring daggers at the unknown man.

 

(Macman, sorry for the bit of powerplaying with Tordin, I just wanted to get this plot ball rolling. Okay, everyone, your characters can pick one god/deity from any Elder Scrolls pantheon to sponsor them. They should also ask our mystery man (although you probably know who he is, yay canon breaking) any questions they may have.)

[Macman253]

Tordin pushed the door to the Inn open and walked inside. He found a packed room of armed adventurers and an unknown man. He looked around the room and met eyes with each of them, he spun his hammer around in his hand and locked on the stranger as he talked of Alduin. Thunder cracked in the sky again and Tordin strode across the room to the firepit.

 

"Why does your call summon me?" He asked the strange man, his memories of Mundus were faint but he remembered Riverwood well enough, but the voices that compelled him to return silenced the moment he strode into the Inn.

 

Tordin was tall, even for a Nord. His armor was old but hard, not made of iron or steel yet looked like it was in perfect condition despite it's old craftsmanship. His long blonde hair was tied back and his hammer had blue glowing runes with Dragon-Script along it and a name aswell, "Sahrot Strun Tu."

[Spawnsy]

The Dumner realize his mistake apologizes to Sivari. The dumner takes a necklace, "This will help kill the most powerful things in Skyrim?" he shakes his head in disbelief "I wont run, I will fight the good fight, but i must ask a few questions" The Man in the robes nods "Why me? What good does a Miner have in this chance of defeating these monsters? but most importantly, where you followed?" The Dumner puts his Greatsword away but does not keep it away from his reach

[Keanumoreira]

Abdul pushed aside these notions of "deities". He was convinced that there was no such thing as gods, that the Nine Divines were nothing more than a fairy tale. Everyone knows that Mundus was forged by the Daedra, the only real "gods". The sacred rituals associated with the Hist native to Black Marsh, too, was another story entirely. All of Argonian society revolved around those trees; indeed, for even his bow was fashioned from the bark of the Hist.

 

Even so, Abdul did not believe in worship; he lacked spirituality. The Daedra had always been here, and he knew that mortals were simply pawns to this dominant race. He accepted their presence, but was simply unwillingly to glorify them. Regarding the Hist, he respected them as all Argonians did, but he did not view them as superior beings. While it was true that these trees possessed a force that he could not comprehend, they were simply sentient, just as capable of tapping the energies of Mundus as everyone was; Abdul was convinced that they were not gods.

 

He scoffed as the necklace wrapped around his fingers, glinting in the light of the fires, "And you believe that these...heh...'gods'...will accompany us on a suicide journey to fight the dragons? The priests as well? A race that rivals that of even the Daedra? You cannot be serious." But gazing into the eyes of the mysterious man, Abdul knew that this was no joke. Still, he did not take him seriously, and decided to humor him.

 

Every Argonian knows that the Hist cannot be killed. They're like souls, and some even believe (Abdul did not) that the soul of every Argonian is granted by them by sipping the sap of the tree while in their infancy. It was all nonsense to Abdul, but it was true that they could not be killed. The bow on his back was very much alive, and indeed, it had a mind of its own. Pulling it from his back, Abdul recited the ancient incantations to awaken the mind of the Hist: "Oh sacred tree of Argonia, our soul, our breath, our mind...native to the marshland, far to the East, the home of your children and the realm where you dwell. I ask of you to awaken this day and grant me your blessings."

 

Abdul could feel as the mind of the Hist invaded his thoughts, "You seek council with the Hist? You, who would seek to deny our divinity?"

 

"Please, do not mistake my lack of faith as disrespect. I do not deny your capabilities, nor can I comprehend you. You are superior to me, but you are NOT a god."

 

"The words you speak are hollow. The Hist were the first to inhabit Mundus, and through their sacrifices, they bore the Argonians from the clays of Nirn, and still, you deny us? We, who gave you life? Who gave you meaning and purpose? Your family, Abdul, was far more worthy than you..."

 

"H-how did you-"

 

"The Hist knows all. And in time, you will come to recognize us. We will grant you our blessings...", the necklace in Abdul's hand glowed as the essence of the bow was weaved into that of the worldly silver, "...but know this...we will be watching."

 

His thoughts grew lighter, and the council adjourned from his mind.

Edited August 15, 2013 by Keanumoreira

[twentynine29]

Edwin had remained silent for a while. He was afraid if he spoke a word, a sword would be at his throat. He still reluctantly took the necklace and said "This is an insane plan, but if the power in these necklaces are true, it better not have any crazy side effects". Like Abdul, he initially thought Tordin was just a crazy old man. Even if his entrance was spectacular, any Mage could blast a door open with wind.

But he wanted to know if these necklaces actually had some use to them. He did want the powers of a deity he admired, Akatosh. Although he wasn't a devout follower of the Divines, he still went to the temple every now and then and pray. As soon as he put on the necklace, he felt a powerful magical energy flow rough his veins. He heard a thundering voice in his head. "With the power I have granted to thee, Thou must strike down the menace that plagues Nirn!" Afterwards, he felt powerful, his magic was stronger, his armor was stronger as well, his sword was sharper than he had ever seen!

"Wh-what just happened?" He stuttered. This necklace surely was powerful in it's own way. "Hey you gotta try this it's incredible!" He advised. He was fascinated by these new powers. It would certainly do him well on the upcoming journey they would have.

Edited August 17, 2013 by twentynine29

[Spawnsy]

As the Dumner puts on the necklace, a sudden rush of energy flows through his body, and a powerful voice flows through him, the voice of Azura runs through his head. "Dumner? what do you need of me? You abandoned me after the vampire attack, what so you want?" Artago looks shocked. "Mighty Azura? Please help me with this quest, keep me strong and may my blades find my enemies" The voice starts again "I will protect you but you must pray to me everyday!"

[FennecFyre]

(Hey guys, sorry for the wait. Macman, can you pick a deity to sponsor Tordin? You don't have to write a post for it, it can be OOC. After that, I'll get this moving again.)

[Macman253]

(talos most likely... he is a Nord)

[FennecFyre]

(All right. Now then, let's get this show back on the road.)

 

The man sat back. "To answer your questions, Nord, you were a great warrior in your day, and you have experience fighting dragons. Use that. Dunmer, just because you have simple roots does not mean you are a simple man, and you are a fighter to the bone. But this is not like fighting vampires. Be cautious." His cataract-clouded eyes flicked to the Argonian as he scoffed, but he said nothing. Indeed, he didn't have to, for soon the lizardman's eyes had gone blank and he seemed to be muttering to somebody who wasn't in the room at all. As he returned, the man gave him a small, secretive smile.

 

His eyes went next to the Breton, who seemed rather pleased with his new powers, then to the Nord, and finally to the Khajiit, who was sitting quietly and obviously thinking. "The gods will not wait for long," he said, holding out the last amulet.

 

With a sigh, Sivari took it. "Rahjin." she said, holding the cool metal amulet in her hand. "Having the world's greatest thief on our side may come in handy." No sooner had she said this than her senses were suddenly filled with foreign, yet familiar smells and sounds. Crickets in the night. Incense and cinnamon on the air. It was like she was back in Elsweyr.

 

A strange feeling touched her mind. Amusement, and underneath that cunning sharp enough to cut. "Rahjin?" she whispered. The entity seemed to grin, even though it was invisible, and she was left blinking in shock. As she glanced down at the amulet, she realized it had changed. The simple silver disc had morphed into a cunning, abstract tangle of metal, with a disc of opal in the center. Indeed, all the amulets had changed in some way. As she put it on, a layer of clarity seemed to settle over her mind. Her senses became sharper, her muscles more responsive. She had never taken skooma, but she knew that not even that could come close to what she was feeling right now.

 

"No matter what, keep those necklaces on." said the man. "Aside from the unique gifts they bestow, they will protect you from being thralled, soul-trapped, or, provided your body is not ripped to shreds or incinerated, killed." His somber expression returned. "Your destiny is fast approaching. I would recommend killing the priests before taking on Alduin himself. Are there any final questions you wish to ask of me? We may not meet again for some time."

 

(Here are the traits each amulet bestowed. If you want a change, feel free to tell me.

Artago - Azura's blessing makes him much stronger and quicker during dusk and dawn, and provides a general magic buff so long as he offers a prayer to her each day.

Edwin - Akatosh's blessing provides a general buff to his strength, magic, and equipment.

Abdul - The Hist's roots stretch far. Abdul can command roots to grow out of the ground to entangle enemies, although they can be sliced apart like normal wood. Abdul's bow also becomes stronger and more deadly.

Tordin - Talo's blessing gives Tordin's Shouts much more force, and makes him stronger as long as he stays in Skyrim.

Sivari - Rahjin blesses her with enhanced agility and senses, and quickens her fingers in lockpicking and pickpocketing.)