Shadows of Darkest Soul (An Elder Scrolls RP)

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn Indarys, Fort Floodgate, Blades Safehouse

 

Adrynn had followed Lecuaro closely, his eyes on the Commander's back as they slowly made their way down the corridors to the safehouse under the fort. Lecuaro had stumbled a couple times, but had pushed on through his fatigue. Now, in the safehouse, Adrynn nodded to the Breton's question.

 

"Yes, Lecuaro," Adrynn said, moving past where Velanya was finding a bunk and resting a hand on her shoulder for a brief second before moving on, going into the next room, out of earshot of the others. He leaned against the wall, his eyes closing momentarily as he waited for Lecuaro to follow him.

 

Wonder what it is he wants to talk about? Adrynn asked himself.

[AurianaValoria1]

Velanya Therys, Fort Floodgate, Blades Safehouse

 

"Yes, Commander," she said, not pleased with the delay, but obeying anyway. Moving towards a bunk near the entrance, Velanya smiled at Adrynn momentarily before turning her attention to the bed. She carefully pulled back the covers and fluffed her pillow. Then, she hung her pack on the bedpost, along with her vest and swordbelt. She removed her boots, untucked her shirt, and pulled her hair from its ponytail before climbing into the bunk and wordlessly pulled the blanket over her. It was not a minute before sleep overtook her.

Edited September 29, 2011 by AurianaValoria1

[SoulofChrysamere]

Lecuaro Sulnair Marczon - Fort Floodgate, Blades Safehouse

 

 

Lecuaro slowly walked into the side room and leaned against the wall. He folded his arms and looked at Adrynn with a piercing stare. Not ready to let my tiredness take over just yet.

 

"If you can control your temper for five minutes, I'd like to try and have the conversation about what it means to be in the Blades one more time." He said in a low voice.

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn Indarys, Fort Floodgate, Blade's Safehouse

 

Adrynn's eyes opened slowly, looking into the Breton's piercing stare, his gaze matching Lecuaro's exactly.

 

"I can control my temper, Lecuaro. Don't worry about that. Go ahead, tell me why I should value this membership into this faction I have no love for."

[AurianaValoria1]

Nibani Maesa, Urshilaku Camp

 

Nibani Maesa wandered back to her yurt slowly. Her discussion with the Ashkhan was heated. He had vowed never to accept aid or trust an outlander ever again - understandable, of course. But foolish. He would not listen to her any more. He would no longer trust her dreams. He was growing weak and tired...they all were. But it was no excuse. They could not deny the visions of Lady Azura.

 

She looked up to the stars, the night sky perfectly clear. Yes, tonight would be a good night to dance for the Lady of Twilight...

[SoulofChrysamere]

Lecuaro Sulnair Marczon - Fort Floodgate, Blades Safehouse

 

 

"Nobody said you had to value membership in the Blades, Adrynn. Regardless of how much you love or hate it though, the point is that you're in it now. If Caius had wanted to, he could have killed you back there for refusing to join...and from how heated his temper was I wouldn't have put it past him to do so right there."

 

 

Lecuaro looked at the floor for a moment and took a deep breath, forming the next sentences in his head.

 

 

"I know how it feels to have obligations of loyalty to a particular organization. I've been in the Legion for twenty years. I've met plenty of great men and women here and in the limited dealings I've had with House Redoran, I can tell that there's plenty of saints in there too. But as I'm sure you've found out, for every saint, there's a devil. The Blades offer pretty much the same thing your Great Houses do, only the chance to do so much more discreetly. Sure, we put out the propaganda that says we do what's good for the Empire no matter what, but in my seven short years with this agency, I can honestly say that we do just as much to keep others in power as we do to keep ourselves in power."

 

 

Lecuaro stood fully erect and the intensity of his eyes greatly lessened.

 

 

"You'll still have plenty of chances to help those in your House, Adrynn. If anything, you'll be more able to help them than you were before. People inducted into the Blades with recommendations from high-ranking members don't start out at the bottom. With the combined resources that House Redoran and the Blades can offer, you'll be able to really make a difference in this place."

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn Indarys, Fort Floodgate, Blade's Safehouse

 

Adrynn let his mind go over what Lecuaro had said, taking in the details and the meanings behind them. He glanced over the Breton, his eyes tired but alert.

 

"I sure hope you're right, Lecuaro. For both our sakes," Adrynn said, turning around and heading into the other room, finding a bunk close to Edward's and Velanya's sleeping forms. As he laid down, the possibilities of what might be with him in the Blades came to him while he slowly drifted off to sleep, letting the pain and stress of the past couple days melt away.

[Zephyr2011]

Kriak had left the battlements awhile ago and now strolled leisurely down the hall towards the Blades sanctuary. As he mad ehis way to his bunk his boot heels made a distinctive clack as he let his foot hit with more force than he normally did. Somehow it was soothing to walk with some noise every now and again. It helped him to remember that he was still there. When he went down one corridor he heard voices and saw Adrynn and Lecuaro conversing. Lecuaro had his back to him. As Kriak walked past he nodded to Adrynn and carried on his way towards his bunk. Wonder what the hell they're talking about so heatedly. He thought as he passed. When Kriak reached his quarters he was pleased to find that no one else shared the room with him. At least not unless it was Adrynn or one of the others on their way. He closed the door and Clenched his left fist concentrating with all of his energy on the faintly glowing gem. Slowly a purple mist began to envelop the room. The fog grew as the light within the gem faded until the gem was dark. At this the fog suddenly converged on a single point in a great rush of air and solidified into a tall dark being with a long cloak. A pair of leathery wings jutted from the garment and a strong tail riddled with scars wrapped around the Drakkar's ankle. The face was very reptilian. Both eyes were clearly glossed over and a jagged scar cut over one. The figure was of course a spirit. He was not fully there, he was a translucent purple with a slight shimmer to him. And so Kriak began to talk with his age-old friend Moon-Eye. He hadn't spoken with him for nearly 20 years...

[AurianaValoria1]

Nibani Maesa, Urshilaku Camp, Wise Woman's Yurt

 

The wise woman entered her yurt, the tent flap swishing behind her. She pushed up the sleeves of her patchwork robe, her emaciated arms looking like twigs as she reached here and there for handfuls of various ingredients. Ground Scathecraw, Fire Petal powder, Stoneflower blooms, sliced Trama Root...she took fistfuls of all of these and dashed them into the dim fire in the center of her abode. A pungent odor wafted from the burning herbs, and she closed her eyes, concentrating on an ancient magic that her maternal line had always possessed...

 

She began to hum an archaic tune - a hymn to Azura, goddess of Dusk and Dawn. She swayed and turned to the beat, her arms out wide in a pleaful gesture.

 

Suddenly, her eyes opened, and she saw not the interior of her humble yurt, but a grey horizon. Upon this flat plane was a tall building, like the castles of the Imperials...but it was wounded. The walls were gashed open. She saw a black dragon fly forth from the towers, its wings wide, writhing like a serpent. Nearer and nearer it came, spreading its wings farther, as if in a protective gesture. And then its heart opened to reveal a crimson eye, glowing with the light of the rising sun...

 

...then she fainted, and saw no more.

 

Velanya Therys, Fort Floodgate, Blades Safehouse

 

Velanya found herself standing on a wide and open plain, grey with ash. She was facing the sea, watching the sun rise over the waves. Lecuaro was there beside her, and so was Caius...and Adrynn, Kriak, Edward, and Dar, too. They were all standing in their battle gear, but her companions made no movement. They did not speak, either. They simply stood, still as statues, all looking towards the sun.

 

Of a sudden, the sun reached out with wavy tendrils, the tips tinged orange. The sea turned blood red and so did the sky, yellow lighting flashing all around. Still, her friends made no movement, staring with blank eyes. She felt fear...deep and sickening.

 

And then a figure materialized before the sun - a beautiful Dunmer woman dressed in a flowing blue dress, the fabric fluttering in an invisible breeze. Velanya could smell roses as the woman neared them. She came ever closer, and Velanya saw that in her hands were two elegantly curved swords. One crackled with azure lightning, the other shone with a brilliant orange flame. The woman crossed these in front of her, as if protecting them from the sun and the bloody sky.

 

Hovering between the line of friends and the woman was a sparkling object. Velanya squinted to see what it was...a ring. A silver ring upon which were set a crescent moon and a starburst. The ring hovered there, as if inviting any one of them to take it. Velanya met the woman's eyes, and she smiled...a welcoming, yet frightening smile...

 

Velanya shot up straight in bed, her hair soaked with sweat, and spoke a single word, the vision still swimming before her eyes.

 

"Azura!"

[SoulofChrysamere]

Lecuaro Sulnair Marczon - Fort Floodgate, Blades Safehouse Bunk Room

 

 

Lecuaro watched as Adrynn sauntered off to bed and followed soon after. He chose a bunk away from the others and slung himself in, not removing any of his armor or equipment. The thoughts of today's occurrences flooded his weathered mind now that his body was immobile and aching to get some rest. The Pescrami...the attacks...Kriak's cryptic words about the orange eyes...the dreams he'd had over the past few days...the Nerevarine as their chief adversary...it all hit him at once. And then suddenly, something that had lain dormant for the past month crept back into his mind -- the leader of the special team about which he'd been notified would arrive at the fort either tomorrow or the day after. Curses, this could ruin our planned outing to Kogoruhn -- he thought to himself. Everything's happening so damn fast.

 

 

He knew there was no point in dwelling on it now, though. He was exhausted. His men were exhausted. His new acquaintances were exhausted. The recent tribulations had drained them all, and each one of them knew full well that the hard trials were much farther down the road. But now was a time to sleep and obtain what little recuperation they could. They would need it for whatever the morning was bringing. The hurricane whirling inside of Lecuaro's mind slowly stilled and he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

 

 

Suddenly, the Breton's eyes opened before nothing but blueness. He sat up and looked around. His face went pale as he realized where he was. The Ashland expanse far below with the great battle raging, the tiny island floating in the sky... -- Dear gods, not this again. He slowly turned around and just as he expected, beheld the massive Daedric tower on the distant airborne landmass. Just as before, a narrow earthen bridge provided a path across. The sky turned the familiar blood red with white streaks crisscrossing all throughout. The reddish-orange beam of light still shot forth from the tower's peak.

 

 

Lecuaro once again felt the irresistible urge to set foot on the walk way seize him and he began slowly inching his way across it. He knew that it would likely disintegrate beneath his feet just like it had done twice before, but he simply could not resist the compulsion. However, it seemed that the walkway would have mercy on the commander this time. In time he traversed nearly the entire thing, one quarter after another with the demonic tower growing steadily larger and more menacing. But as he came within a few feet of the continent's shore, the path shook. Lecuaro fell forward onto his hands and knees; he tried to stand up, but the shaking was too violent. Then, small chunks of the bridge began falling away.

 

 

The Breton looked up toward the tower and was shocked to find a Dunmer woman standing there. She wore a long blue dress that fluttered and rippled as if caressed by invisible gusts of wind. She held something in her left hand...something resembling a circular sawblade. She stared at Lecuaro with piercing burgundy eyes, gluing him to the crumbling pathway. He couldn't move, although his body desperately tried to. He could hear the pieces of ground breaking away behind him...his heart sank into his stomach. Then, the woman extended her right hand as if offering to help him reach the land. Lecuaro lurched forward and found that he could move again. He sped toward her outstretched arm, but within inches of reaching it, the ground vanished from under his feet and he fell forward towards the side of the landmass.

 

 

He madly clawed at the rock wall trying to get a handhold and at last caught a small outcropping. He latched on with both hands and found footholds on two small knobs below. Using the protrusions and niches in the wall, he slowly ascended toward the top. After what seemed like a lifetime, he reached the top. He swung his right leg onto the ground and used a small boulder to fully pull himself up. He then rolled over onto his back and took in heaping gulps of air. The adrenaline left his body and he found himself unable to stand. With difficulty, he did manage to sit up, however.

 

 

When he did though, he was shocked to see the same Dunmer lady he'd seen prior to him falling. He looked at her with tired, heavy eyes. She was amazingly beautiful. Her burgundy eyes no longer looked menacing, but instead seemed caring...almost motherly. Her raven-black hair was short, but it looked perfect on her head. Her blue dress was still being blown by ghostly currents. She met his gaze with her own and cracked a warm yet somehow unsettling smile. He couldn't take his eyes off of the grin; it just didn't sit well with him. But then suddenly, his vision began fading to pure whiteness. He could only watch in helpless paralysis as the nothingness wholly enveloped his view.

 

 

Lecuaro shot up in his bed. He was breathing heavily and his entire body was absolutely drenched in sweat. He just sat there disoriented for a moment, trying to figure out who that woman was. He'd never seen her before, but he still felt like he should know her for some reason. This occupied his mind for several seconds as he sat fully erect in the bunk, lost in meditation. But then, the haze faded from his mind and his eyes grew as wide as the sun. He'd just realized who he had seen.

 

 

"Azura..." He whispered to himself.

 

 

Suddenly, Lecuaro felt eyes on him. He slowly lifted his head up and to the right. His eyes settled on Velanya, who was bolt upright in her bunk and soaked with sweat just like him. Her returning stare communicated only one thing.

 

"You saw her too?" He said mentally.