Shadows of Darkest Soul (An Elder Scrolls RP)

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn Indarys, The Broken Sun Top Deck

 

Adrynn watched as the Dunmer Ayra made her way toward the cargo hold and shook his head. She wasn't going to like what she found. He nodded to Caius and scooped up his cuirass and put it back on. He took his katana back from Garila and sheathed it.

 

"Captain, allow us the use of your cabin," Adrynn said, gesturing to the door. The captain turned back and nodded.

 

"Go right ahead. All the help you've been, take your time."

 

Adrynn nodded. "Thank you captain." He moved into the cabin and waited for Caius and his cousin. When they entered, Adrynn spoke again.

 

"What is this about Caius?"

[AurianaValoria1]

Caius Cosades and Velanya Therys, the Broken Sun, Captain's Cabin

 

The Spymaster closed the door behind them and looked between the two cousins, "I know it is easy to forget in all of the hubbub that has surrounded us the past few days, but you recall that you are both Blades under my command?"

 

Velanya nodded silently.

 

Caius fished into his bag and produced two shining objects, "You two have performed admirably in the service of your countrymen and your Emperor. As such, I am promoting you both to Journeyman rank, and I offer you these rings as a token of His Majesty's appreciation."

 

The Knight Errant took one of the rings. It was a small silver band, shimmering slightly with green.

 

"They're invisibility rings," Caius continued, "the enchantment lasts for sixty seconds per use, so choose your timing carefully. They may be of great help in the coming days."

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn Indarys, The Broken Sun, Captain's Cabin

 

Adrynn nodded and silently took the ring. He slid it on multiple fingers till it finally rested on his pinkie finger of his left hand. He flexed his hand and noticed his brand. The dark moon and star was a stark contrast to his almost pale grey palm. He closed his fingers around it and lowered his hand. He didn't have time to dwell on the implications or reasons why Azura had made him her Chosen. He had the Nerevarine to worry about.

 

"Thank you Caius. Seems being a Blade isn't so bad after all," the Redoran said, exiting the cabin. He nodded to Lecuaro and made his way to hatch that led to the cargo hold below. He opened it and stepped down. There, he was greeted by a strange sight. The Dunmer, Ayra, and the Nerevarine, who was awake again. Adrynn stayed in the shadows and watched what happened . . .

[AurianaValoria1]

Velanya Therys, the Broken Sun, Top Deck

 

Velanya left the cabin with Adrynn but stayed on the top deck. Her cousin could take the second watch with the Incarnate; she, for one, had more than enough of the Nerevarine for one night. Apparently, due to the cousins' connections with Azura, the both of them would be taxed heavily while trying to keep Dagon's influence at bay. The Legionnaire was unsure if she liked being a conduit for the Twilight Queen, especially since she was an unwilling one. She gave her loyalty to the Emperor and the Divines, not the Daedra; as soon as she could possibly eschew Azura's hold, she would.

 

She sighed heavily, completely exhausted and yet somehow unable to make herself find a bunk. Her silver armor glittered in the moonlight and was reflected in the waves as she leaned against the railing of the Broken Sun. The Knight Errant had replaced her gauntlet, hiding her brand, and yet it still throbbed painfully. Her thoughts trailed again to Faeryn, and she hoped that he was all right. If there was a Mythic Dawn enclave in Vivec City, he could be in great danger.

 

 

Caius Cosades, the Broken Sun, Top Deck

 

The Spymaster returned the cabin to the ship's captain, not wanting to abuse the man's hospitality. As Velanya made her way to the ship's railing, he lingered around the mast, hands in the pockets of his trousers, his blue-grey eyes focused on the deck. The old man was lost in thought again, pondering the Emperor's orders and their lengthy delay. He had originally thought his work in Vvardenfell would be over quickly, and that they would be in Mournhold by now. Unfortunately, this trouble with the Nerevarine was taking much longer than expected.

 

The Incarnate's condition truly saddened Caius. He had once known the Nerevarine to be a good and honorable man. The Spymaster could not fathom the amount of power it had taken for Mehrunes Dagon to finally corrupt the Moon-and-Star. He cleared his throat uncomfortably as he dwelt upon it...it was like losing an old friend.

 

A brother, even.

[NinjaGoddessAyra]

OOC im using a cell phone to post, because i lost power during the hurricane. Therefore, my spelling and grammar may be quite off. Also, I cant do any bold or italic print, so umm, yeah lol, please just stay with me here >_<

 

Ayra, The Broken Sun Cargo Hold

 

Ayra's cold blue eyes widened with surprised. While seemingly lifeless most of the time, there were traces of worry that flickered across the beautiful Dunmer's face. She had expected to see him the way she always had; full of confidence and unflinching resolve. Yet here he was, tied up heavily and breathing hard, as though he were in constant agonizing pain.

 

As she stood there, looking down at his limp form upon the floor, she could scarcely believe that this was the man who had saved her. This was the man, she thought to herself, this was the man who fought her on equal footing, the only man she ever had a draw with, an indecisive outcome though it was, if they had decidwd to continue, it would have been obvious who had the advantage and it certainly wasn't her. This was the man who gave her a reason to live, who taught her to fight for something she truly believed in, how to fight for others, and save lives rather than be an emotionless killing machine. Yet here he was, just laying there, unable to help himself. Ayra realuzed then that she would do everything in her power to help him out, she owed him that much.

 

Without thinking, and barely understanding what she was doing, she took his hand and put it between hers. There were tears i her eyes now, and she felt that he could hear her. She could feel her back burn with heat, and right then, knew she could talk with him.

 

"Hey," she said, "long time no see."

 

It was a forced smile, and tears now stained those tattoed cheeks of hers, but she didnt care, she was just happy, for once genuinely happy, to see her old friend again.

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn Indarys, The Broken Sun, Cargo Hold

 

Adrynn silently sat down on the steps and watched the Nerevarine's reaction. It surprised him.

 

The Nerevarine looked up as best he could and noticed Ayra. His eyes widened and Adrynn could see the madness in his eyes fade as more memories resurfaced.

 

"A-Ayra? Is that... you?" Adrynn watched him sit up straighter to see her face. Tears welled in the Incarnate's eyes as he realized it was indeed her. "It's been so.... long since I saw you..."

 

The Redoran shifted slightly, his brand throbbing as the scene unfolded before him. It was a tender reminder that not all good can be corrupted. Not even by a Daedric Prince.

 

Garila Indarys, The Broken Sun, Top Deck

 

Garila came over and sat next to Velanya, her head heavy from the day's events. "Velanya, could you tell me why in Oblivion we are taking the Nerevarine way out to Azura's Shrine? Why couldn't you or Adrynn have healed him?"

 

She rested her head against the railing of the deck and sighed.

[razorpony]

Molag Mar - Private quarters of Tolus Armedes

 

 

Tolus jarred awake and sat upright. Something had disturbed a most lovely dream he had been having about that Bosmer wench he'd seen walking through the marketplace yesterday. He hated waking up in the middle of a good dream, as seemed to always happen. The bad ones just went on and on with no end in sight. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. Had someone called his name? It almost seemed as if.... His eyes suddenly focused on the corner of the room. There was a shadow there, a shadow that resembled a person lounging in his favorite chair.

 

"Hello again, Tolus. I do hope I'm not interrupting anything important." Shaie purred in a low voice.

 

"What in the nine hells of Oblivion are ye doin' in my room, ya crazy cat? Ye got your money now leave me be!" Tolus growled impatiently. "And there'd better not be nuthin out o place when I get up either, or I'll have your striped hide for a rug."

 

"I'm no thief, Tolus. And if I were there are plenty of more- shall we say upscale?- places I could be looting." Shaie picked up a cracked stone mug and looked at it disdainfully before placing it back on the table. "I'm actually here to discuss a rather funny incident that happened after I left your table last night. You see, I had a visitor. Nice young Dunmer man. Well, I say young but who's to say, really? They all look the same after age 40 or so. I've never been much for telling the age of Mer with any real degree of accuracy..."

 

"I don't have time for this. If you ain't gone by the time I get over there I'm gonna cut that waggin tongue of yours right out." Tolus reached to the bedside table for his steel dagger which was no longer there. He looked back over to Shaie as she leaned forward and held his weapon up in the dim candlelight. Before he could utter another curse she had flipped the dagger over and, holding it by the tip of the blade, threw it inches from his ear where it stuck into the headboard behind him. He turned to reach for it but before he could she was on him in a fury. Shaie grabbed the collar of his nightshirt in her balled fists and slammed him backwards. He felt the claws on her feet dig into his stomach a bit as the wind left his lungs.

 

 

"So this Dunmer" Shaie continued, her voice hissing through clenched teeth now "He wasn't happy to see me at all. Tried to stick a knife in my back, in fact. Couldn't help but think back to you and the little warning you gave me before I left."

 

"I didn't..." Tolus gasped before pain exploded on the side of his face. The crazy cat had slapped him in the jaw. He knew he should be furious but somehow he began to be very afraid. He was sure Shaie had lost her mind, and he was equally sure she meant to kill him.

 

Shaie sat staring into his eyes for a moment. His face still had a faint glow from the fear spell she had used on him. His eyes were wide and frantic. Good. Much easier to interrogate him this way. "I'm going to ask this once, Tolus. Who sent the brotherhood after me? Was it you, or perhaps another of your patrons?"

 

"No! I didn't! I don't know anything about the Brotherhood, I swear!" He stammered. "Please, don't kill me! It wasn't me!" He looked to be on the verge of sobbing. Unfortunately, she believed his story. This had been a dead end. Or, perhaps not. Shaie continued her questioning.

 

"Has anyone come by your table recently? Anyone new in town? Anyone asking about me specifically? Tell me anything you remember. And if I have to slap you again, I'm knocking the good eye out of your fat head."

 

"No! I mean... there was the collector fella, but no one else I swear it!"

 

"What collector? Shaie hissed. "Who was he?"

 

"He didn't come see you?" Tolus asked. "Bout a.... a week ago I guess. Altmer, Bright red robes, askin bout Akaviri swords. Said he was tryin to round up some blades for his master. Asked if I knew anyone who carried those kind of weapons. I mentioned your name on account of that sword you carry. Thought maybe you could make some coin if he was some rich fella looking to add to his collection. But that's all! I don't know nothin bout any brotherhood!"

 

Tolus was beginning to shake. Perhaps she had overdone the fear spell but she wasn't concerned about the personal well-being of Tolus Armedes at the moment. It would wear off shortly. Besides, she was much more concerned about this 'collector' person. Why was a mer looking for Akaviri weaponry? And why would he hire assassins to do his work? She could see why they would be collectible of course, they were well made and quite rare. Most of the surviving examples were only carried by the...

 

"Said he was trying to round up a few blades for his master..."

 

Shaie felt her blood run cold for a moment. Was someone hunting Blades agents? She didn't like that idea at all.

 

"You said he was an Altmer with red robes. Anything else? Any other details?" She asked in a more soothing voice.

 

"Well, there was a design on the front. Looked like half a flower, or a sunset maybe."

 

His shakes were beginning to subside. The spell would be completely gone soon. She needed to act quickly. She jumped up and went to the dresser and began rummaging through drawers. At last she returned with a piece of parchment and a stick of charcoal.

 

"Draw it, and be quick about it. There's not much time."

 

Tolus did as he was told and handed the parchment to Shaie. She tucked it into her cloak and replaced the charcoal in the dresser, Returning to the bedside she looked at Tolus who was beginning to shake his head as if trying to clear it.

 

"Thank you for your cooperation, Tolus. Now get some sleep, you look like a wreck." With this she whispered a few words and placed her hands on either side of his face, replacing fear with complete calm. She felt his body relax and slump to the side. Within minutes he was snoring soundly.

 

Closing the door behind her, Shaie stepped out into the quiet hallway. She needed to get this info to the Blades and according to Borias the ship bearing spymaster Caius

was still a day from port. She would have to be sure to catch him the moment he arrived. Things in Molag Mar had taken a serious turn indeed.

 

 

 

[AurianaValoria1]

Velanya Therys, the Broken Sun, Top Deck

 

The Knight Errant shook her head, "I don't really know, Garila. Apparently all we're good for is being conduits for Azura's power...and poor ones at that. I do know one thing, though. I'm sick and tired of being used like some sort of puppet. I'm tired of this whole situation being dragged out for weeks on end. I'm tired of not being able to do anything but travel and fight and travel and fight over and over again without getting anywhere!"

 

Velanya slammed her sore hand onto the railing of the ship out of sheer frustration. She instantly regretted it, shaking her hand fiercely.

[SoulofChrysamere]

Lecuaro Sulnair Marczon - The Broken Sun, Top Deck

 

 

Lecuaro leaned heavily on the ship's railing, watching the rustling ocean glitter in the aging moonlight. He was tired. Everyone was tired. Several days without sleep was painful for even menial lifestyles, but it was downright detrimental to those of him and his partners. Yet, sleep held no sway over him. The stimulation from the scrape with the pirates and the whirlwind of questions raging inside his mind kept him awake - kept him alert.

 

Kriak's news of an impending ambush was troubling to him, especially on top of everything else the group was having to shoulder. He was glad for the warning, though; once again, the woodsman's timing proved impeccable. All that was left now was to prepare - no easy task with literally zero information on the enemy's numbers, firepower, or location.

 

Lecuaro ran his long fingers through his hair. He knew their aggressors had to be waiting somewhere either before or beyond Molag Mar, and the more he thought about the two stretches' topography, the more convinced he became that they were lying in wait at the shrine. No ship could safely navigate the treacherous archipelagos between Vivec and her sibling in Molag Amur, but it was much easier sailing past that. He didn't know their exact position, though. Moreover, he was also clueless about their weaponry and roster, and it made his insides churn. It was the one feeling he truly abhored. He wasn't just disadvantaged - he was uninformed.

 

Lecuaro cast a glance around the ship's deck, and saw that he wasn't the only one steeped in meditation. His friend Caius was aimlessly pacing the deck, hands pocketed and head bowed. The Spymaster's face reflected a thoughtfulness apart from combat, however. It breathed something deeper...something more personal. Lecuaro knew how close he and Nerevar became during the Moon-and-Star's apprenticeship. The Breton's friend wasn't calculating. He was mourning.

 

Lecuaro meekly intercepted Caius by the ship's mast. He laid a hand on the man's shoulder with a comforting squeeze before leaning against the mast, keeping the Imperial's gaze in his own.

 

"Must feel strange and heartbreaking at the same time, having your roles reversed after only a couple years." Lecuaro said gently, nodding to the hatch leading below decks.

===============================================================

 

The Nerevarine - The Broken Sun, Below Decks

 

 

When Ayra's cold, thoughtless eyes blossomed into warmth and happiness, Nerevar could not help crying. He tried to reach a hand out to her face, but he was suddenly reminded of his bindings. He was just left there to sit, rooted in place by an unforgiving combination of remembrance and regret. It wasn't just Ayra he had saved. No, he had been a beacon of hope and deliverance to all those whose spirits had been soured by the tumult engulfing Morrowind. He was to be the Dunmeri race's hallowed hero...their savior.

 

Now, momentarily free of Dagon's grasp, he plainly saw what he had become. General Indoril Nerevar, great champion of his people, had been rebirthed into Nirn with the honor of being the one to personally vanquish his old foe eternally and rescue his kinsfolk from Red Mountain's maw. He had performed admirably in that respect, but it hardly brought him solace, as did his triumph over the fallen Queen Almalexia. Shortly thereafter, he had embarked on a quest to root out another cult far more widespread than the Sixth House and arguably much more powerful. And what had he done? He had fallen right into Dagon's snare, allowing the Prince of Destruction to corrupt him through his unholy Bible, the Mysterium Xarxes. Then taken with a power and influence not his own, he had returned to his unsuspecting homeland - to the very island that chronicled his prophetic journey, no less - and had sent untold slews of his own people...his own friends...his own followers, to their deaths in the name of madness.

 

The Incarnate could feel the conviction leaden inside him as he panned the room and recognized many of the occupants. Ayra directly in front of him, Adrynn in his Redoran gear, and even the lowly crewmen of the ship in their mismatched shirts and breeches. He began crying. To him, each different uniform he saw was just one more reminder of how vast the turmoil he had spawned had spread. House Redoran, Ayra the Dark Brotherhood deserter, the humble worker, heck even the Legion and his own kind as a whole - he had betrayed them all.

 

And then, he remembered Caius again. He briefly relived the hours of training he had spent under the old man's wing, and he recalled how close the two of them had grown. He remembered the look that had flashed across Caius's face when his instruction had ended...that look of fatherly pride when the student had finally surpassed his master. He had heard Adrynn call for him before sounds of combat had sounded above deck. His mentor was on the ship, mere feet above him beyond a planked ceiling.

 

Nerevar took a heaving sob. He managed to force a short, choked query from his lips. He needed to speak, if only to prove to himself that he wasn't completely lost.

 

"How. Many. People...have I hurt?" He spoke aloud. It wasn't directed to anyone in particular, moreso a rhetorical lamentation over his recent actions.

Edited November 6, 2012 by SoulofChrysamere

[NinjaGoddessAyra]

Ayra, The Broken Sun

 

Ayra watched the site unfold before her eyes; the person whom she admired most, the one who taught her so much, was in so much pain, physicly and mentally. And suddenly, she couldn't quite explain it, but for the first time in a very long time, she felt very strong emotions coursing through her mind. The primary one that stood out, was anger, so much anger and hatred.

 

"I'll kill them all," she said in a voice just barely more than a whisper. It was more to herself than to any particular person in the room. She looked at Nerevar, at his pained face. She couldn't stand seeing him like that. She had to do something. She had so many questions for him, but they could wait.

 

"Nerevar, I...must leave for now," and with that she stood up, and began to walk out of the room. She paused at the doorway leading up to the deck, and spoke in that same soft tone of hers, "But I'll return soon. I swear it." And with that, she left the room.

 

Ulfgar, The Broken Sun, Decks

 

Ulfgar stood leaning on one of the ship's sturdy rails, looking out and watching the distant horizon. He had lots of things to think about. For starters, Ayra was right afterall, they needed to go to Molag Mar, that much was clear. If there was any indication at all, it was evident from the story that he heard just moments ago. He watched as the people came and went from the deck, and took notice of how they each seemed deep in thought. It was no wonder really, not when you consider what they've apparently been through these past few days.

 

He started to get restless, he hated having nothing to do, it got him thinking too much. He was just about to go and check on Ayra, when she came through the cabin door and out onto the deck. The first thing he noticed was that her eyes seemed more focused. And then he felt it; that murderous intent that only she could manifest so well. On the surface she seemed fine, still wearing that passive expression on her face, but he could feel that anger radiating from her. He wondered what was wrong, and thought it best to try and talk with her.

 

"Well, whats got yeh in such a fine mood?" He asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

 

"We...I'm...I'm leaving." She struggled again to get the words out.

 

"Well, I suppose I can't stop yeh, but what say we wait until we reach Molag Mar eh? No sense leaving now when we have to go that way anyways."

 

He noticed she closed her eyes, apparently deep in thought. He waited a few moments, and was just about to say something else when she finally said, "I'm going to kill them, every last one of them."

 

He saw that flash in her eyes, the fury, and knew full well that there would be no stopping her once she's made up her mind.

 

"Well, whatever yeh decide to do, I'm coming too."

 

Ayra merely nodded, her gaze fixed upon the horizon as well, her eyes now full of determination.

Edited November 6, 2012 by NinjaGoddessAyra