EPIC OF FATES (RESTARTED) STORY OF STORIES

[Maharg67]

0039(01)039: Of JADEKIN OF THE MAGEBORN: MEETING AN EMPEROR

 

Jadekin ended up going with the three Blades to the Imperial Blades Fortress in the Imperial Central City, being an offshoot of the Imperial Palace itself. This was right up against the huge, majestic White Gold Tower. Many Imperial Citizens assumed that the Emperors, and Empresses, lived in the White Gold Tower itself. This was not true except under exceptional circumstances. The interiors of the ancient White Gold Tower were quite alien in architectural design and appearance; they were not greatly comfortable to dwell in. There were also other reasons less spoken of.

 

They had brought ten musket-rifles and various gear and supplies to go with them. Jadekin found herself training Blades to load, shoot, clean and do other things with the guns. It did not help that she let slip about the existence of cannons, howitzers and rockets.

 

Yet she did manage to talk to Jauffre about what they would do next. Jauffre frowned and paced up and down. They simply lacked enough information about a great deal. Jadekin wanted to know if the Blades had picked up any information that might help her find any more WhirlaKeys. He responded that he would have to inquire not just with his Blades but with others like the Emperor's intelligence agents, the Emperor's Eye. The real name for the Blades was the Emperor's Blade. He assured her, with a frown of a much experienced person in such matters, that he would be careful.

 

She met the Fake Emperor Uriel Septum VII in a large practical fitted and furnished meeting chamber complete with large maps on the wall of Cyrodiil, Tamriel and other specific areas. Jadekin found herself liking the man at once but remained secretly wary of him. He might not know he was a false leader but some force was manipulating him and was looking at her through his eyes, she could 'sense' it.

 

The False Emperor indicated three small stacks of parchment paper, each filled with his own notes. “I have studied the three Alternate Tamriels, as you call them. You say that such a thing is normal?”

 

“It is normal that Alternates exist but not normal that people can move between them.” Jadekin frowned softly. “Nor is it normal that the WhirlaKeys should exist in any of the Alternate Tamriels. They are naturally meant to be in other dimensional realms of very exotic nature. They were stolen from the FateLords. Of the FateLords I know very little.”

 

They talked some more, the False Emperor looking tired and frustrated. He had been forced to face a whole lot of pressure by powerful vested interests, in the Empire, who opposed both his new reforms and the investigations into the Imperial Government. Despite this both the reforms and the investigations were going ahead. The news had been spread across the Empire with surprising speed and many people had come out in support of the False Emperor.

 

The False Emperor yawned, looked apologetic and then he went on speaking. “We will welcome refugees from the war torn Empire and give support to the Empress Marian Septum, if we can do so. I am not so sure about the Alternate Tamriel with the demonic threat. Can we risk having people come across?”

 

“As I said, they can be tested and, if they pass, rejuvenated.” Jadekin shrugged. “I do not do any of that. I am serving as a kind of agent who can request, from higher powers, that such things happen. Those decisions, the results, are outside of my power or responsibility. I do know that nobody willingly possessed, or absorbed, can survive the tests and that the unwillingly possessed are free of their possession. The real fear is if rifts, wild gateways, begin to emerge between the three Alternates. Then anything could move between the three, including to and from this one.”

 

The False Emperor did not look pleased at the idea but that was only to be expected.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0040(01)040: Of JADEKIN OF THE MAGEBORN: RISING TENSION IN THE STREETS

 

Jadekin was soon acting again as a free agent, the False Emperor making no effort to try to order her actions, officially or otherwise. She was with Baurus, and Shakira, as they made their way through the Northern Market District. The three of them wore good casual gear but openly wore armor and weapons, though not of the Blades or of any other faction.

 

There was noticeable tension on the street and there was an unusually high number of Imperial Guardsmen and Imperial Legionaries to be seen. There were also Imperial City Guardsmen, not to be confused with Imperial Guardsmen, Sheriff's Deputies and Constables, Mageguardsmen and mercenaries, most of them being so called blank shields who wore the emblem of anybody wealthy who hired them.

 

They passed a Constitutionalist, a middle aged woman, passing out leaflets supporting the reforms of the Emperor. She looked fairly confident of her safety but only because two Imperial Guardsmen, a man and a woman, stood close to her. As it was a number of Constitutionalists had been attacked in the city over the last couple of days and some of them killed.

 

A big quasimagical wingship passed smoothly, quietly, far overhead. Symbols on its hull declared that it was bringing in a special cargo. It bore the emblem of the Grand Transporters Guild and could have been bringing in almost anything, including mercenaries. There were whispers that the Grand Guilds were planning to cause trouble to safeguard themselves in case the reforms, and investigations, expanded to include them. As it was it was an open secret that the Grand Guilds were heavily linked to corruption in the Imperial Government, including the Imperial Public Service.

 

News of the massacre at the Anvil Chapel passed through the Imperial City causing a wave of shock. Not only had many high level priests, and priestesses, been massacred but the murders had happened in a seemingly impossible fashion. The huge fortified chapel was protected by divine magic, by Brothers and Sisters of the Staff, by DivineGuardsmen though this was a new order and had only moderate numbers as yet. The Prophet Haveando, an old man in priestly robes, was speaking of a great threat in the form of the return of an ancient evil. Jadekin was curious to know more but she doubted that the massacre was linked to her search for the other eight Baseline WhirlaKeys.

 

Then the latest edition of the Black Horse Courier was being passed out to people, for free, and spoke not only of the terrible massacre at the Anvil Chapel of Dibella, being one of the Nine Divines. There had been strange outbreaks of madness amongst people in scattered areas of Cyrodiil. Drunken people, skooma addicts and others, who seemed vulnerable to strange influences, were becoming savage berserkers and attacking each other or, less often, each other. Yet there were also those, who did not fit into any such categories, who were also turning into monsters.

 

“Demonicoes!” Jadekin shook her head. “We three Jadekin aspects have melded almost as one. It was another Jadekin, the real one Baurus met before, that was born in the Alternate where they are causing so much troubles. Yet they have also caused some trouble in the Alternate Tamriel where I was born, where there are too many Emperors and just one Empress.”

 

A scuffle broke out, in the distance, between some young thugs for and against the Imperial Reforms and Investigations. Sheriff's Constables were soon beating at them with wooden quarterstaves and shorter clubs. Then the thugs were dragged away.

 

Suddenly Jadekin took another look at the list of known areas where the demonic madness seemed to be breaking out and she realized they were some of the areas that had been hardest hit by the Red Plague. Just what was the connection between the Red Plague and the demonic outbreaks?

Edited September 3, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Terminals%20Used/TERMINAL-IT-Workit-new012.jpg

Edited September 14, 2012 by Maharg67

[Robert55]

A few grammar mistakes but over all not to bad it has plenty of potential so keep it going.

[Maharg67]

Thank you, Robert55, for your positive feedback.

 

0041(01)041: Of JADEKIN OF THE MAGEBORN: SEEKING SISTERS OF COMPASSION

 

=-=The Red Plague broke out on all three Alternate Tamriels that you have become involved with. It hit quite hard in all three.

 

The three of them were in the Undercity and heading towards where the Sisterhood of Compassion had a big complex where they tried to assist many of the peoples of the Undercity. Poverty was strong in that area and there were many of those who found it very hard to be excepted in society. Hybrids were one of those such as orc-humans. Others were peaceful goblins or hoblins who could, or would, not exist in their own societies. There were many others.

 

As it was Jadekin had bought some interesting, useful books from the FIRST EDITION BOOKSHOP. Books were overly expensive and hard to obtain in the Empire despite magical means of speeding up the process of creating them. Too many citizens could not read or write despite the increasing appearance of tutors and basic educational schools for both children and adults. She had managed to 'send' all of the books to Jadelegs.

 

They were in ways lit by a scattering of high placed glowcrystal lamps, making it far harder for them to be stolen, and with a lot of tough survivors. People tended to move in groups for safety or move quickly alone.

 

When the demonino humans, willingly possessed, came screaming towards them, they raised three rods and fired of stunballs of energy. The humans died, burning away as they were destroyed with the demoninoes, because they were willingly possessed. The three kept moving, not bothering to loot what was left. A group of others was quick to close in and do just that.

 

They came to a crowded settled area, full of mostly refugees, and there Jadekin materialized blankets, food rations, tents, handlamps, litrejons of lamp oil, waterbags of clean water, vialpacks of concentrated healing serum, rolls of bandages, axes, clawhammers and sets of cooking utensils. It surprised the locals that she asked for nothing in exchange but gave freely. So it was that they provided her with three tough locals to lead her to the place of the Sisters of Compassion.

 

They came to an outpost of Sisters and Brothers of Compassion. Working together they were known as Followers of Compassion of the Order of Compassion. Jadekin noted the large number of refugees. She made her way through the encampment, being protected by armed-armored folk and barricades, picking up stories as she went. Areas Imperial Undercity had once been hit heavily by the Red Plague and that area was one of them.

 

An attractive, mature woman stood there as a Sister Prime Compassionate, a level of authority and obligations between that of Mother Compassionate and Sister Compassionate. She turned, had one look at Jadekin and stopped in shock, staring in wonder at Jadekin. Jadekin wondered if she knew this woman. The older woman seemed to have features in common.

 

It was about this time that Jadekin realized that all of her memories, including those she shared with the other aspects of Jadekin, were oddly fuzzy and had gaps in them. She wondered why she had not found this to be so important before.

 

Jadekin suppressed her sudden concern, and uncertainty. She smiled at the other woman. “I am Jadekin and I seek information. In return I offer goods for I can materialize them. You seem familiar to me. Perhaps we met a long time ago. My memories of my old life seem somewhat hazy but that is not of your concern, of course. You have enough burdens. I am seeking information on ancient, powerful, exotic artifacts in general and one kind of them in general.”

Edited September 4, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0042(01)042: Of JADEKIN OF THE MAGEBORN: MEETING A SISTER PRIME OF COMPASSION

 

The woman smiled at Jadekin, seeming to shake off her shock. “The Order of Compassion will welcome any assistance. We need everything that we can get and we did so even before the demonically possessed began to arise. The Empire is wealthy but the wealth is not fairly distributed. The Grand Guilds run many illegal sweatshops down here where desperate people earn pittance making things for them. They get away with it because of corruption in the Imperial Government and with the Sheriff of the Imperial City. Now they are trying to enslave people so that they pay nothing all at to those who produce cheap goods for them.”

 

Such news did not surprise Jadekin in the least. There had been such stories going around about the Grand Guild activities in parts of the Imperial Undercity for many years. The Grand Guilds seemed to be getting worse with every passing year in their behavior though most of those who worked for them were just typical people trying to survive.

 

On that world the Grand Guilds were based in the Imperial City and in the Lesser Imperial City of Kavenshard. On another world, the one with too many Emperors, they were based in the stronghold of Crosswayne. Kavenshard and Crosswayne were in the same places, at the same map coordinates, in both Alternate Tamriels. The Grand Guilds behaved even worse in that other Alternate Tamriel.

 

What about the Alternate Tamriel where the Great Freezing threatened, were the Grand Guilds powerful and dangerous there also? Yes, she remembered through shared memories; the Grand Guilds supported the evil of Emperor Sirius Sabtur VI.

 

Jadekin materialized handlamps, litrejons of lamp fuel, vialpacks of concentrated healing serum, blankets, tents, coils of strong fine rope, clawhammers, knives in scabbards, tinderboxes, wooden torches designed to burn bright, rolls of bandages, sets of cooking utensils, reams of parchment paper, writing kits of quills and ink, basic musical instruments of harps, horns and lutes along with axes, backpacks, sacks and waterbags of clean water. She gave most of what was on the fairly short list of items that she could materialize.

 

It was a good deal of stuff that she gave and it helped but she could see that it was not enough to solve the growing troubles of these people.

 

“What you have done is more than enough to help change the lives of many people for the better.” Sister Prime Halenkin smiled. “The lutes, horns and harps were a nice extra. It is too easy to forget that people need a lift in morale. Yet the situation here is only going to get worse. These people need somewhere they can go where they can find a new life.”

 

Jadekin nodded. “There is such a place but people will need to be tested but if they pass the test, most do, then they will be rejuvenated and end up in a realm in some ways like this one but with more hope. They need people there. Perhaps the old, the sick, the stricken, could go through and start again. Perhaps those, through no fault of their own, who will never get a fair chance here, can go. I can only send through quite limited numbers with my own efforts. Perhaps there is a way that more can be sent. I do need to know where to find something called the WhirlaKeys. I am increasingly sure that these WhirlaKeys, that should not even be in this realm, are at least partly responsible for the dark things that are happening.”

 

Halenkin studied Jadekin quietly for a moment. “Mortals can not handle the WhirlaKeys safely.”

 

Jadekin shrugged. “I have handled WhirlaKeys with out any trouble at all, none at all. They do not have any effect on me. Why do you look so sad?”

Edited September 3, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0043(01)043: Of JADEKIN OF THE MAGEBORN: JADEKIN IN JADEKINERIA

 

Jadekin, in the TransDomain of Jadekinaria, sat with the sleeping children on a big semi-enclosed balcony looking out over the waters of the Great Ring Lake. In the distance she could see the lights of the Empress' City. They were a few hundred of them in the great shadowy bulk of the city and many were colored, some moving.

 

Jadekin=Our memories are not very clear or together. How is it that we did not realize this earlier? It is as if we three, or four, aspects of Jadekin are not really aware of what has happened to us.

 

=-=The subconscious, even a shared subconscious, can create psychological filters to make sure we face only what we are ready to face.

 

Empress JadekinKia had made no efforts to meet with Jadekin. She had not even sent any messages. Yet this was no surprise to the locals for the Imperial Island, and Imperial City, had been isolated for close to a local year. An exotic force screen kept everybody out and there had been no visible sign of life, of movements, at the city for many months except for some moving lights at night.

 

More time had passed for Jadekin, in Jadekinaria, more quickly than it did for the other Jadekin and for Jadelegs. She had been focused mainly on working out the, now, merged lives of the three Jadekin Aspects and that of Empress JadekinKia. It had come to her that all their memories were in a poor state, that they were faded, fragmented and often missing altogether. Also she had come to believe that not all of the memories were true, let alone accurate.

 

The tensions she had 'sensed' in Jadekinaria, since her arrival, were based partly on the strange happenings taking place with the Empress, Imperial City and Imperial Island. Yet there were also stories of strange sightings, of disturbing minor events and worse from the darker zones of the TransDomain. Some of those stories indicated the activities of some kind of demonic spirits that could have been demoninoes; it was something that should have not been happening as Jadekinaria should have been safe against such intrusions.

 

Jadekin had come to know that all of her aspects had become FategamePlayers and were now gaining the same kinds of exotic Fategame resources. She had materialized goods from the short list as provided, using a goodly deal of fategamecredit in the process. She had learned that the peoples of Jadekinaria had proclaimed the foundation of the Imperial Commonwealth, declaring Empress Jadekin to be, officially, their figurehead. In practice the Empress had little real power or influence with the Jadekinarian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth had welcomed all of her gifts but had soon been asking only for the concentrated healing serum; the serum was beyond Commonwealth abilities to make, it was quite amazing in its healing capacities, but the Commonwealthers could make all of the other kinds of items.

 

Jadekin looked down at the FategameRings on her fingers and then at the FategameBracelets. They had become more enhanced, even as she had, slowly but steadily.

 

Nibby wiggled in the arms of Petra. Peter farted in his sleep. Sanchy, curled against his back, wrinkled her nose in disgust, being semiawake. PearlLisa sighed deeply and her puppy, now named PearlPuppy, yawned in her arms.

 

=-=I have some very surprising news for you, very good news. Anything you materialize, for fategamecredit, here in Jadekinaria, will be multiplied by ten for the same price. That is instead of getting one blanket for one fategamecredit you will get 10 blankets for one fategamecredit and so forth. The same rule goes for the concentrated healing serum.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0044(01)044: Of JADEKIN OF THE MAGEBORN: JADELEGS MAKES A BIG DECISION

 

Jadelegs sat up from the strange, disturbing dream to meet the concerned eyes of a half circle of cats, goblems, dogs, a parrot, a couple of hoblins and some others. She was on a big bed and she was giving up on trying to stay asleep. So she fussed over the short stumpy goblems, the animals and the others, including the relieved hoblin maids.

 

She looked around at the big, main chamber of the secret place and knew for sure that a major change had to be made. The place was becoming increasingly less stable, secure and secret. The magics, quasimagics, and other factors holding it together were very old and had not been properly maintained for too long. Her efforts to fix it up had helped but she knew she had to do more.

 

=-=It can be done but will strip you of all of your exotic Fategame resources.

 

Yes, she was going to have the whole place transferred to, and merged into, the TransGlobeShaiVa. This would have many benefits but would mean she would be more removed from any of the three Alternate Tamriels along with the Underworld that she had been doing some trade with. A good change would she would be more easily able to communicate, to travel to and from, the TransDomain of Jadekinaria.

 

Jadelegs=I would have it done!

 

=-=Safeguards and cautionary extra precautions will be part of the package. You will be able to bring at least one thousand times the lifeforms, that you have now, with you along with other resources.

 

She turned and noted two goblems, sewerage eaters, wrestling over a half chewed chunk of meaty stuff. They were clean only because she made sure they staid that way. The stunted, chunky creatures were responsible for keeping the Imperial City cleaner but were treated with next to no respect. This was partly because they were normally incredibly filthy and stank of sewerage. It was said that a typical goblem could out stench a sewer rat by at least a hundred to one and it was joked that being sprayed by a skunk would only improve the odor of a typical goblem.

 

A hoblin maid gently, but firmly, picked up a goblem with each hand and marched across the floor towards one of the bathing antechambers. Realizing they were heading for a bath, the two wriggled in mild panic and made some rude noises. Another hoblin maid picked up the bit of meaty stuff, wriggled her nose in habitual distaste, and took it off to a recycling alcove.

 

Jadelegs=When can it be done?

 

=-=Anytime!

 

Jadelegs began to make preparations. She had messages sent out for people to come to her who wanted sanctuary, a new life, new hope. They were to bring resources with them. Soft shimmering effects began to pass through the base.

 

The Blades had become very pleased with the muskets, musket related items, and documents about how to make muskets, gunpowder and much else. Then she had cut herself off from them, fearing that she had already had too much effect on the history of that Alternate Tamriel. She had also needed the time to herself, to work things out for herself, to carry on with a number of projects. As it was time passed there fast than it did back in the Alternate Tamriel she had cut herself off from. She hoped that the Blades, or their allies, would cause her planned shift any problems, that they would try to block her from taking any peoples or stuff on board.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Terminals%20Used/TERMINAL-IT-Workit-new036.jpg

Edited September 13, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

0045(01)045: Of JADEKIN OF THE MAGEBORN: KILLING THE DEMONIC WITH ARROWS

 

Jadekin instigated the testing and sending off a small group of people, humans and human-hybrids, from the Imperial Undercity to the TransDomain of Jadekinaria. None failed the test and they ended up in EvaLaketown. They were the sickly, the elderly and others who could no longer be cared for along with a couple who went to be with them. Except that now all were rejuvenated.

 

Memories could no longer be so relied upon! Jadekin tried not to think about that as she stood at a barricade and shot another arrow at an on coming swarm of demoninoes, willingly possessed humans and hybrid-humans. They came screaming, howling, crazily with amazing speed and power. Her arrow struck the forehead of an orc-human and before it hit the ancient stone floor, she was firing another arrow. It struck down another enemy. Every arrow she shot killed another demonino. Bodies burned away and gear hit the floor.

 

More of the creatures came but their ranks were thinning out. The demoninoes were more willing to make willing possessed fools into expendable shock troopers. If a demonino became fully infused into a host, became a demonar, it would die if the host died; demonars were far less foolish in their heroics.

 

Jadekin shot off another arrow, this time a magical one that exploded savagely on impacting with a demonino and killed not only the host but the demonic spirit. As demonic spirits fled from dead bodies, they were often struck, and destroyed, by magical projectiles but quite a few escaped. The exploding arrows hurled other demoninoes to the floor.

 

There were plenty enough folk in the Imperial Undercity desperate and hard enough to become willingly possessed. Too many, it seemed, and they were growing as a small army. So far the Empire had yet to fully realize the threat but there had been scattered skirmishes between the demoninoes and Imperial Forces. demoninoes had also fought others from armed criminals to local militia and even Mythic Dawn Followers of Mehrunes Dagon.

 

=-=What Fategame resources would you utilize?

 

Jadekin=Expand the basic list of goods, gained with fategamecredit, using fategame-points.

 

=-=You have gained bonus additions of oiled f@&!ts, lockpicks, head-cushions, sheets, eating utensils, pencil kits, musical drums, nails, hunting bows, quiver of hunting arrows, hunting-arrows, hunting-crossbows, crossbow bolts, larger tents, ground sheets, concentrated antiseptic serum, concentrated anesthetic serum, concentrated exorcism serum and concentrated antiburns serum.

 

Jadekin=Weapons and armor?

 

=-=New menu is available to you now. You now know what is in the list, each of these weapons and sets of armor having baseline quasimagical abilities of offensive and offensive purpose.

 

As suddenly as it had begun, the attack was over. Soldiers went out and brought in all the left behind gear to see what could be recycled.

 

Jadekin turned to the others around her and was surprised to see many people staring at her in astonishment. Baurus looked at her in amazement. “Every arrow you shot killed at least one of the enemy. Those exploding arrows often killed two or three of those damned demoninoes. I have never ever seen anything like it.”

 

Jadekin sighed. “It was only killing, Baurus, and killing is nothing to be proud of.”

Edited September 3, 2012 by Maharg67