SUPER TAMRIEL EPIC

[Maharg67]

SUPER TAMRIEL SAGA

0017(0002)0005: LUCKYTHIRTEEN: SOULSTONE CALAMITY

 

JackOman made his way through the poorly planned maze of lanes, streets and other clear areas of the city. The city elders did not believe in spending any coinage on anything except themselves, or their profitable enterprises, unless they had to do so. There was no real sewerage system and there were often open sewerage ditches. Dead bodies were left to rot in those ditches and garbage was heaped into them and left to rot. The stink was awful and disease was a big problem in the city solved only by the use of healing serums and the very tough immune systems of many inhabitants.

 

There had been a big skirmish between Baanecosa Guardsmen and glimmervist possessed humans going beserker aggressive. Dead bodies of non Guardsmen lay heaped in a corner of two big, crude brick walls. Five dead Guardsmen were lain out more neatly. Others stood around, some lightly wounded, all of them looking agitated. Clearly there were used to be dominant in the city and had never faced any real threat before let alone that kind of horror.

 

A Guardsman man spoke quietly but JackOman picked it up. “The city gates are all locked. Strange warriors and monsters have appeared around the city walls. The city elders have locked themselves into their fortified mansions, the cowardly scum. I say we get to the barracks building and do the same.”

 

The other Guardsman, a woman, shook her head. “We got to destroy the problem before it gets bigger and engulfs the whole city, including those fortified mansions. The Commander is trying to get the elder scum to release some of their household guards to help us but so far no luck. We got a few hundred volunteers more willing to die fighting than running away or curled up like worms.”

 

The man swore but then spoke. “Yeh, you speak truth. Those garrison walls haven't been maintained properly for years so they wouldn't hold out against much anyway. I would like to know where those damned glimmering soulstones came from that started all this trouble.”

 

The woman shrugged. “They showed up about two weeks ago, coming out of the BlackBunker from some damned experimental project or something. The Mayor was all excited about it, was going on about how the new soulstones would save the future profits of Baanecosa, meaning his profits. Then something happened, don't know what, and instructions were given out that nobody was to touch the glimmering soulstones with their bare hands or any parts of their bodies. All were to use special gloves or instruments. Except those damned arrogant mage-artisans think they know better and some of them laugh at the new instructions; that was when the big troubles first happened.”

 

The man frowned and looked around, even up at the roof tops of buildings. “What are those monsters outside the walls?”

 

The other Guardsmen shrugged her shoulders. “I do not know but I do know narkane magic does not control or harm those zombinoids but makes them stronger, more crazy. Narkane mages are also more easily turned into zombinoids and so are the soulstone mage-artisans but less so than the mages. The Commander heard that from some unnamed mage who was terrified.”

 

This was not totally true. Narkane healing magic would do harm to the glimmervists, to the glimmervist created zombinoids. For it was glimmervists, trapped in the glimmering soulstones, that turned folks into zombinoids. Though most people did not know it, glimmervists. or wraiths. were often the forces driving zombies or reanimated skeletons more properly known as skeltors. If one saw a reanimated skeleton more truthfully, one would see the glimmer of a glimmervist, or a wraith, surrounding it. Glimmervists were less common than wraiths but more powerful.

[Maharg67]

SUPER TAMRIEL SAGA

0018(0002)0006: LUCKYTHIRTEEN: SOULSTONE CALAMITY

 

Terret Banefa's house was a huttage, a hut cottage hybrid, squeezed beneath a brothel and a public bathhouse. The house was fairly big, a two level one, with a walled garden with tough plants struggling hard to survive the dark influences of the city. To an extent they helped keep the garden safer from such influences, and the household.

 

He stepped through the front door, using Terret's key that also got him past some magical wards. Inside there were many wards against undeath, against the undead. Inside was a barely furnished house but the furniture, like the few fittings and decorations, was fairly expensive.

 

He was soon drawn down into the cellar where a large shrine had been hidden but was now exposed. It was to Meridia, the Daedric Princess of Life, of Living Entities. Meridia hated the undead and JackOman wondered why such a powerful shrine of hers would be in Baanecosa.

 

=-=Meridia hates undeath, hates the undead, so here she has established an outpost. Question is, where are her devotees?

 

In theory any of Meridia's Followers should have been safe at least in the basement chamber with the fairly large statue shrine of the Daedric Princess. He found evidence of recent devotional duties having been carried out, a few of them he did not want to know too much about.

 

That was when Meridia spoke to him, indirectly through the shrine, her voice filling the chamber but not loudly. It seemed to come both from the statue and from everywhere at once. The voice resonated quietly in a very impressive manner but it was designed to do just that. “Stranger, if you choose to assist me you will be greatly rewarded.”

 

JackOman sighed. “Come on now, Meridia, you know its me, JackOman!”

 

Suddenly the voice was much more direct and businesslike. “Spoil sport! Really it is one of my big pleasures doing those extra little tricks to please the foolish mortals. Yet I do need you, JackOman. You were a Daedric Prince once, remember.”

 

JackOman frowned. “Please do not remind me of that foolishness. Anyway that was way back in the Mythic Era, back when even time itself was different than it is now. Would you like me to track down your Followers and help them, such as the man who owns this house?”

 

Meridia responded with a chiding tone. “Really, JackOman, do you really think I do not know you sent my sweet, loyal, but foolish Terret to the WhiteGoldTower. I do hope he will be returned to me soon.” Her voice turned grave. “My five followers are dead except for Terret and Anjika. Anjika escaped to the outside. None of my followers can be fully possessed by the undeath but they can be killed as any mortal can. No, I need you to get Anjika and to bring her to this chamber safely. I have an army of my Aurorans, auronoids and auranons outside the walls. The transformations, caused by the foolish reality alteration war, have given me greater powers in some ways, and more followers, but have restricted me more in other ways. Now I can more easily bring an army of my lesser daedra into the mortal realms but they are more vulnerable here now; if they die here, they remain dead. Their souls move on but most likely they will not return to being daedric in nature.”

 

JackOman shrugged. “Perhaps mortal spirits will begin to become lesser daedra. The Great Cycle of Life and Death always balances out, somehow. For ancient times sake I will go and get Anjika, will bring her back here. Have some of your lesser daedra meet me. I have an idea!”

Edited November 1, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

SUPER TAMRIEL SAGA

0019(0002)0007: LUCKYTHIRTEEN: SOULSTONE CALAMITY

 

There was a trap door, in the shrine basement, leading to a tunnel that in turn took JackOman down to the Baanecosan Sewer Network. The tunnels, hub chambers and other spaces needed repairs but were still in surprisingly good condition. Strangely enough the sewers seemed somehow more pleasant than the surface part of the city. People dwelt down there who wished to escape the upper city; about half just wanted to get away from the disturbing influences and the other half were also escaping from the brutal rulers of the city. The sewers were dotted with crudely made shrines of the Divines, of wards of life and against undeath. Sometimes, in some areas, people came down from the surface city to buy better food in the markets, often smuggled in from outside to escape the greedy tariffs of the City Council or even grown in big underground caverns lit and warmed by glowcrystal. The Guardsmen officially went down there on patrol duty but in truth they were too frightened to do so unless they went down unofficially, with out weapons or armor, to buy at the markets; as customers they were welcome.

 

JackOman did not consider the Sewer Network, and areas linked with it, to be a part of Baanecoa proper and it was a popular point of view.

 

He found the underground entrance, to the Baanecosa Chapel of the Nine Divines, by following a fairly new built tunnel. The chapel, above, was apparently abandoned apart from a trio of priestesses and a handful of followers but the picture from below was very different. There were two priests, as converted from the local underground communities, along with many followers. The priests, and priestesses, used divine blessings to strengthen the Underways from the cursed influences of the soulstone magic and industries above. One priestess, and one priest, were also users of divine magic and spent much time assisting the Underways with their powers.

 

The big surprise for JackOman, and for locals, was that a Thirteen of Bladekin were now garrisoned in the chapel. Talos had sent them. There was one Bladehulk, three commanding Bladekynes and nine Bladenoids. The priests, and priestesses, were both pleased and startled by the presence of the Bladekin while the locals obviously had mixed feelings. The Bladekin noted JackOman but did not approach him. He went to the head priestess, Ashterry, and spoke with her about needing to get outside of the walls.

 

Ashterry frowned. "There have been appearing glimmervists and undead flesh monsters. They often appear towards the walls and are making it harder for our people to go beneath the walls through the small number of safe tunnels that go under them. The strange creatures, outside of the wall, appear to be doing battle with the undead in underground places just outside of the walls."

 

"Meridia's daedric followers!" JackOman spoke reluctantly of his sibling of a Daedric Princess. "She is here because of her link to living energies, to nature, and has brought forth a small army of her minions. Perhaps she will also call forth armed followers also. I have been to her shrine hidden in the city above. She wishes me to meet with one of her priestesses and to bring her back into the city."

 

Ashterry was not pleased with anything daedric, especially not with a Daedric Princess even if she was supposedly a less evil one as Meridia was. JackOman knew the priestess well but had no intention of telling her that he used to be a powerful Daedric Prince, used to be considered more dangerous than either MehrunesDagon or MolagBal, both of whom he had soundly defeated in savage wars. They were also his siblings but not so friendly as Meridia or Azura were.

 

The woman spoke. "The Nine Divines do not normally work well with the Daedric Princes but something very... strange has happened. I am more aware of it than others, but the whole of Tamriel has changed somehow. I keep getting the odd feeling that I should not be here at all or even the person that I am. I do not know why I am telling you this. My words must seem mad to you."

 

"Just the opposite! What you say is true!" JackOman was obviously curious. "Who 'should' you be?"

 

Ashterry looked troubled. "A woman known as Ash Berry, a part time waitress and hopeful actress in the city of York in the nation known as the United Kingdom of a world known as the Earth. It is a very strange world with bizarre machines called cars, computers, telephones, mobile phones and where people live in massive polluted cities where the air stinks. I dream of that world, of that other person, but when I awake the memories of the dreams are most vague. I do remember that something terrible... very terrible, happened to that world. You must think me strange."

 

JackOman shook his head. "Then I would also be 'strange' for I have the same kind of dreams about being a man called Jack living in a city called Brisbane in a land called Australia on a world called the Earth."

Edited November 2, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

SUPER TAMRIEL SAGA

0020(0002)0008: LUCKYTHIRTEEN: SOULSTONE CALAMITY

 

JackOman was surprised that the priestess had spoken so honestly of her dreams but was even more surprised that he had done so about his dreams. Yet that was not the timespace to deal with such matters. Ashterry was stressed and needed help. JackOman came up with an idea and spoke of it to the priestess. "I suggest that you come with me to outside of the city and make your way to the WhiteGoldTower."

 

Which was when the Bladekyne, in command of the Thirteen there in the chapel, spoke with surprising information. "There is an ancient small Waygate hidden here in the chapel but in a secret antechamber to the undercroft. That is how we Bladekin came to be here as we were sent from another of the Grand Towers. I can not identify the one that we came from. TommiTomo wishes to meet with Ashterry, as quickly as possible, for her sake most of all. TommiTomo would also like to meet with you as would the Emperor and the Imperial Elders Council. If Ashterry is ready to go, I will take her to the WhiteGoldTower now; otherwise I will wait while she packs."

 

Ashterry hurried off to inform the priestess, priests, what was happening. In the end she gave out instructions, took some refugees with her and promised to return with some supplies or to send some back with a replacement priest or priestess. Then she packed her relatively few personal possessions and was gone through the Waygate with the Bladekyne along with some folks.

 

JackOman went into the catacombs from the temple and was soon making his way, carefully, to where he knew a secret tunnel could take him outside of the walls. He had not suggested others use it because it was dangerous with nasty creatures and was hard to get through in places. At first the Baanecosa Catacombs were surprisingly quiet. A place of the 'resting dead' felt less dangerous than the surface part of the city and, somehow, more natural. But aft he passed many horizontal slots with the dead, or empty, and small shrine alcoves, things began to change. He began to 'sense' increasing danger. It was not long before he came upon the evidence of some kind of crazy, evil battle having taken place. Wraith reanimated zombies did not normally burn away and they had fought with glimmervist reanimated zombies that had burned away. Smashed skeletal remains, weapons and armor, indicated wraith skeltors (reanimated skeletons) had also been part of the fight.

 

The truth was that wraiths were not really of the undead but were of the dead. They were a malignant form of ghost with varied degrees of power and intelligence. So wraith driven zombies, and skeltors, were not really undead but the great majority people did not care about such distinctions. One zombie was just as bad as another zombie whether it was a wraith, a glimmervist, a dark magical curse or the dreaded undeath infection or something else that reanimated them.

 

=-=Wraiths and glimmervists hate each other, or at least they behave as if they do. They would not need much incentive to do battle against each other.

 

JackOman accepted this to be true but 'something' told him that there was more to this skirmish than the obvious. He sought clues to what that might be but he found nothing except the remains of the wraith reanimated and a scattered of basic steel weapons, shields, and armor that were not of magical nature. Then he found an item that astonished him for there was no way it should have been there in Tamriel. It was a solid-state electronic wristwatch made of plastic. It was with Mandarin Chinese writing and was a product of the SanyoSansum Corporation of the South East Asian Alliance, the device being manufactured in 2026AD in the city of Singapore. He figured the watch had come from the burned away body of a zombie but where had the zombie come from that it wore such a device?

 

Just what was going on?

 

=-=Where did all the extra trees come from?

 

JackOman=What do you mean?

 

=-=It is a clue that I have been given to pass onto you. I do not know what it means, not exactly, though I am starting to gain some idea.

 

He slipped the digital watch into a sample bag and put it away securely. Then he was on the move again, was heading in the right direction. The 'sense' of growing threat persisted and so he was not surprised when he 'sensed' the presence of loose glimmervists and zombinoids shambling speedily through the maze of tunnels and small chambers. In a hub chamber, a meeting place of four hallway tunnels, JackOman slashed his longsword through a floating glimmervist and then another one that whipped towards him. Again and again he killed one undead entity after another. Then he destroyed three at once as in each hand he held a glowing longsword.

 

Then came the first swarm of zombinoids and, with a grin, JackOman prepared to take them on.

Edited November 3, 2012 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

http://i592.photobucket.com/albums/tt9/Dragonpen61/Terminals%20Used/TERMINAL-IT-Workit-new032.jpg

 

NOTES TO BE ADDED/EDITED BELOW

 

What can be killed, can be resurrected under the right conditions; this is true for a human, a dragon or even a Divine.

 

D TO Z of A TO Z

 

DAEDRA: Divided into the Grand Daedra such as the Daedric Princes, lesser daedra such as the Dremora and subdaedra such as clannfears.

DAEDRIC KING: Mysterious Grand Daedra that most do not seem to know even exists. New leader of the MythicDawn Cult.

DAEDRIC MAGE: One who practices daedric magic.

DAEDRIC MAGIC: Form of magic linked to, tuned with, the daedra.

DAEDRIC QUEEN: Mysterious Grand Daedra that most do not seem to know even exists.

DAEDRIC PRINCES: Sixteen are known of but there may be more; the Sixteen Daedric Princes.

DANCER: In this case a professional or semiprofessional dancer of which there are many kinds.

DANDRUFF: Terrible affliction attacking scalps of unwary people.

Dark0ne: Powerful Lord of the Nexus.

DEADLANDS, THE: The Realm of Oblivion of MehrunesDagon.

DRAGON: Reptilian like creature, warm blooded, found in magical and non magical forms or even a deity level of dragons. While many types of dragons fly some specialize in aquatic living, amphibious existence or land dwelling.

DREMORA: Intelligent tool using daedric humanoids; lesser daedra; followers of MehrunesDagon.

DUNMER: Mer People.

DWEMER: A Mer People who were focused on science and mathematics. Vanished from Tamriel surface but the 'survivors of the Dwemer Event' ended up living in the Tamriellan Underlands.

 

 

E TO Z of A TO Z (To be transferred onwards.)

 

NORDS: Native humans to the Province of Skyrim.

THALMOR: The Thalmor are often taken to be a fanatical faction of Altmer but are actually a different people. Secretly they see themselves as the 'True Altmer' and see themselves as being superior to all other Mer Peoples though they do respect the Altmer more than other Mer. Not so secretly they despise all nonMer Peoples and see them as being inferior to Mer Peoples.

 

Edited November 3, 2012 by Maharg67

[bben46]

Closed per OP request