Wisdom of the Ancestors - An Elder Scrolls RP

[AurianaValoria1]

Velanya grinned, "Well, thank you. And I do hope they are all good stories that they've told about me. Wouldn't want the word to get out about my bad side, you know. In all seriousness, it is good to hear that they are alive and well."

 

She turned to the pile of corpses before her, "I think that's the last of them. I've been at this all day, and I would appreciate it if you could assist me in starting a fire big enough to do the job. Every brazier in this hole is dead."

 

She put her hands on her hips, "And while you're at it, tell me...what's the situation with the Thalmor around these parts? Who's got a stronger presence in the area, the Forsworn or the Altmer?"

 

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Faeryn shrugged, "I saw her once or twice during the evacuations of the province. We did not speak much, that is for certain. But if Azura has shown her to you, she must be an important part of this puzzle."

 

Sandhya began humming a cheerful tune to herself, tossing a small knife from hand to hand as she did so. She watched Sorinyarie with her glowing silvery eyes, finding an Imperial-aligned Altmer to be quite amusing.

[Zephyr2011]

The group made good time, with the most heavily burdened riding in the carriage and those with lighter gear traveling at about the same rate as the carriage. They made Valtheim Towers within an hour and were approaching the bridge near the meadery and farmsteads surrounding Whiterun by late afternoon. Not bad considering they had a morning skirmish. the party partook of food and drink as they traveled rather than stopping to lunch. Ra'Qassar kept quiet most of the trip, remaining in the lead position.

 

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Baltis braced himself as the draugr closed in, he held his hands close to his chest. He was just about to release a devastating explosion centered on himself when the Death Overlords shouted simultaneously, one dissipated all of his magical energies, as if disarming him, while the other shout shook him while hurling the other draugr back and shaking the whole chamber. Dust fell down from the ceiling and a statue toppled, crushing one of the lesser draugr. Baltis managed to steady himself and threw up a hasty shield spell as a war axe came towards his skull. He pressed his right palm into the draugr's stomach before releasing some magical energy into it. The draugr staggered back as two more moved to its side to join the assault. The afflicted clutched its stomach and doubled over, its hands seemed to disappear and it was lifted off the ground briefly before imploding in a massive, cobalt blue explosion that destroyed the other two draugr. Several still remained and they circled nearby. Baltis was mildly annoyed at how long this had gone on. He reached within his robe now and withdrew a black soul gem. He crushed it in his right hand, which was slightly larger and differently formed than his left, the dark energy rippled along his arm and shoulders. It settled and pooled in both of his hands which he brought together slightly, palms upturned before making a motion similar to dropping the energy, it streamed towards the ground as he brought his hands up like the conductor of an orchestra might and pressing forward. As Llervu completed this motion the strange energy blossomed into a tall void, gradually taking shape as a spectral being, this wraith resembled the bonemen of the Soul Cairn, except that it bristled with a strange spiked armor and was wrapped in a billowing cloak of shadows, while standing nearly 8 feet tall. The wraith bore a massive scythe in one hand and a cold blue aura in the other. The specter immediately decapitated one of the draugr and grabbed another by the head, infusing its soul reaping energies into it and feeding its own power. Llervu and the specter tore through the remaining lesser draugr and tangled with the Death Overlords, who had now joined the fray. It was an interesting battle, undead dueling undead.

 

The lesser draugr all fell eventually while the Death Overlords exchanged blows, blocks and parries from their foes. Llervu's specter remained, about 10 feet tall, growing with each successful hit but diminishing with each exertion of power, including remaining in the mundane plane. One of the Death Overlords shouted again, this time with the fiery breath of a dragon. Baltis had to throw up a hasty ward to block the brunt of it before he could counter with a frost spell. By degrees, the ward fell and Llervu's frost spell blossomed, his wraith was dueling with the other Death Overlord, maintaining a size of about seven feet. Baltis now moved his hand toward the wraith and it began shrinking slowly. The wraith continued to keep the overlord occupied while Baltis funneled its energy into his frost spell. By now the fire breathing Overlord was out of breath and was being enveloped by the frost spell. It tried to move forward to strike the lich, but to no avail. Suddenly the now four foot tall wraith disappeared and Baltis turned both hands to the remaining Overlord and covered it with permafrost.

 

The chambered was silent now. Llervu stood, smiling, as much as he could with his lack of flesh, at the two ice sculptures he had rent. He summoned a golden aura around his hands and then punched each Overlord in turn with his fists that were nearly as hard as daedric ebony. The two draugr shattered into tiny shards and the lich chuckled slightly before releasing all of his magical charms. He began to examine the chamber now in earnest. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, something familiar yet distant. Some presence he hadn't felt for nearly two centuries.

[SoulofChrysamere]

Suetin Marczon: Karthspire Mountain - Skyhaven Temple Courtyard

 

 

"The Forsworn have dug in all around this mountain and the surrounding hills. If we're leaving here after we burn the bodies, we're going to want to go right while hugging the mountain until we can head east toward the Old Hroldan Inn, where Lieutenant Belinossa's set up his headquarters. Red Eagle Redoubt just to the north is still crawling with Forsworn, so we can't stray that way. We also can't head south, since about a month ago, some Forsworn set up shop in Reachcliff Cave and have been monitoring the roads and river branches down there. There's also a couple of camps in the hills between here and Kolskeggr Mine back southwest. In short, this area of the Reach is a haven for the Forsworn. The Thalmor have been able to subdue the two edges somewhat, where the Reach borders with Haarfingar and Whiterun. They've also been keeping a firm grip on Markarth where their base is, and as I already said, they've made an outpost out of the gold mine of Kolskeggr which is just down the road from Markarth. That's the situation of the two parties in a nutshell." Suetin disserted as he assisted Velanya with lighting the fires.

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Serrabinashiah Masseribalit: Whiterun Hold - The Road from Eastmarch

 

 

The afternoon's trek had been hard on Serra, but she was able to somewhat ignore the pain in her exerted legs by studying the rolling countryside of western Whiterun as she walked; it was still a beautiful green landscape underneath the sun despite the ravages of the current conflict. By late afternoon, she had reached the external farms and the meadery house that lay sprawled before Whiterun City, which still stood stoically defiant on its hill despite the numerous Thalmor attempts to capture it. She briefly contemplated stopping in the city to rest, but she decided that she had better get to Eastmarch as quicly as possible so she could then head for the Rift and inform Legate Urcelvo of her findings in Falkreath.

 

As she continued along the road, Serra noticed a carriage and a rider come across a bridge with a Khajiiti on foot at the lead. She instinctively rested a hand on her rapier as she kept on. Things had gotten crazy since the war with the Thalmor had resumed, and the scout had no way of knowing if the people were simply travelers or bandits in disguise. As she got nearer, however, she recognized the Aldmeri woman on the horse - Sorinyarie. She was also able to make out an exotic-looking suit of armor on one of the people in the carriage. After a bit, she recognized it as the armor of the old Ordinators, and started thinking back to the days of Fort Floodgate and the Ashlander rebellions, where Faeryn Sethandas and several other Ordinators had assisted in the defense of the fort. Serra was curious as to why someone had that armor - surely all the Ordinators had long since died out?

 

Once she was within earshot, Serra called out to Sorinyarie. "Sorin! Hail! It's me, Serra!" She called, waving an arm.

 

Sorinyarie had seen the scout approaching, and hearing her voice lifted the battlemage's spirits a little. "Serra! Hey!" Sorinyarie answered as she waved back. "Looks like you two get to meet another old friend." She said to Adrynn and Faeryn.

[Zephyr2011]

Ra'Qassar saw a ragged Dunmer woman fast approaching the party and began to draw his sword, she seemed battle worn and perhaps crazed. He relaxed though when she hailed the Altmer and the Altmer replied. He sheathed his sword which he had half drawn. As the woman approached it was clear that she was yet another imperial soldier, his fur bristled a little, but he was gradually losing that instinct. He nodded his head slightly in recognition but he kept moving, indicating that they needed to stay on the move. "Hail Dunmer, since you are clearly a friend to our battlemage friend, climb in back. You've clearly been through a lot. We're bound for Whiterun, but our mission is a little urgent, so it would be best if we kept going." Ra'Qassar's greeting was a little callus, but as he became more and more certain that all these new faces were here to help Adrynn and Faeryn rather than provide assistance to Whiterun, the mission became more and more paramount. They wouldn't have these numbers in Labyrinthian and there would be nothing to help tip the scales in their favor if they delayed so much that the Thalmor found some powerful artifact or completely recuperated.

[AurianaValoria1]

Velanya lit the pyre with a small Flames spell and put her hands on her hips, "That's just the thing. I'm not leaving. I'm carving my own place here in these old ruins, and I plan on keeping it from both Thalmor and Forsworn opposition." She offered Suetin a wry smile, "And that is where you come in, young man. Have you a commanding officer you answer to?"

 

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Faeryn glanced at Adrynn, "Well, what do you know. Things are getting a little interesting around here, wouldn't you say?"

Edited June 24, 2013 by AurianaValoria1

[Macman253]

Felix and Svarn kept in the back of their caravan, they talked quite a lot and over their time of travel they had become quick friends. Svarn didn't talk as much as the enthusiastic imperial but when Felix had asked him about his past he simply replied with a shrug. Felix had noticed that the population of their party had increased again and now they were in high numbers, enough that it made attacking Labryinthian a very plausible operation. Svarn had kept away from the altmer, he distrusted them but he never went out of his way to show it. He spent his time scouting the outskirts of their caravan and hunting small game for food.

 

Felix on the other hand had became very interested in their sudden rise in the mer population, over the last few days a flood of elves had joined their party. He was beginning to think his services would no longer be needed just by the sheer numbers they now possessed.

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn smiled wryly. Things were indeed becoming interesting. He poked his head over the side of the carraige and offered Serrabinashiah his hand.

 

"Come along, Serra. We still have many leagues to go," he said, nodding to the Ashlander scout.

[SoulofChrysamere]

Suetin Marczon: Karthspire Mountain - Skyhaven Temple Courtyard

 

 

"Yes, at the Old Hroldan Inn. I'm part of Lieutenant Belinossa's company." Suetin said.

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Serrabinashiah Masseribalit: Whiterun - The Road from Eastmarch

 

 

The old scout's deep red eyes widened when she saw Adrynn offer his hand to pull her into the carriage.

 

"Adrynn? Is that you? And Faeryn?" Serra asked incredulously as she accepted Adrynn's hand.

[AurianaValoria1]

Velanya nodded, removing parchment and ink from her pack and gesturing inside the temple, "Then take this and write a letter to Lieutenant Belinossa saying that your duties have been changed, by order of the Penitus Oculatus."

 

She proffered the writing materials, remembering the words that Caius had told her so long ago.

 

"Let's just say you know too much already, Suetin."

 

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Faeryn tipped his mask like the brim of a hat, "Aye, it's us, Serra. It's good to see you again, friend. You and I both are of a rare breed now, it seems."

[SoulofChrysamere]

Suetin Marczon: Karthspire Mountain - Skyhaven Temple Courtyard

 

 

Suetin nodded his head and gave an understanding sigh. "Yes, I figured as much." He said as he took the writing materials and headed into the temple.

 

He stopped in the doorway and looked back at Velanya. "You know, I've read a lot about both you and the old spymaster Caius Cosades, and how you two worked together often. That sounded an awful lot like something he would've said." Suetin remarked before continuing on.

 

Suetin took a seat at the main hall's table and blew off some of the dust that had accumulated over the years. He found a few small chunks of rotten wood and used them as paperweights after spreading the parchment out. He then managed to find a candle that still had some wax and a wick and lit it. The scout then dipped the quill in the ink and began writing his message.

 

 

-- Lieutenant Belinossa,

 

Regretably, my scouting mission to Kolskeggr Mine met with limited success. I managed to conceal myself atop the mountain that housed the mine and was well-hidden from the Thalmor, but a large group of Forsworn marauders (who were presumably going to assault the mine) happened across me and I was forced to flee. I was able to take an account of the Thamor's external guards - easily two hundred strong. However, I could gather no data on how many more were within the mine itself. Suffice it to say that if the outside camps were any indication, the Thalmor intend to solidify Kolskeggr Mine into one of their main outposts in the Reach and possibly convert it into something of a fortress in due time. This could prove problematic when Legion operations bring us this far westward.

 

As evidenced by my authoring of this letter, I am still alive. However, I must inform you that I cannot remain under your command. When I fled from Kolskeggr Mine, I was chased southward along the road before being forced to veer southeast across the river and up onto the adjacent riverbank, which of course rests against the Karthspire Mountain, home of the Karthspire and the ancient Blades stronghold of Skyhaven Temple on its summit. Due to the fact that the Forsworn have entrenched themselves around most of the mountain, I was unable to simply sneak around it in either direction. This plight forced me to scale the mountain and go directly across it. I succeeded in getting to the top, but I met someone there.

 

I will not bore you with the details of our exchange, Lieutenant. I will only say that my service has been rather forcibly redirected to the Penitus Oculatus as per the curious timing of my arrival at Skyhaven Temple. Despite this development, I still wish the best for you and the rest of the company.

 

The Nine Divines' graces be upon all of you.

 

Suetin Marczon, Scout of the Imperial Legion --

 

 

After letting the ink dry, Suetin rolled up the parchment and bound it with a ribbon that had a brass depiction of the Legion symbol attached to it. He then pocketed the letter and returned to the courtyard.

 

"Alright, letter's written. So, what exactly are my orders, then?" Suetin asked.

 

He wondered how Velanya felt about having a reversed role this time. She had been the subservient one under Lecuaro, but it was her ordering the Marczon this time.

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Sorinyarie and Serrabinashiah Masseribalit: Whiterun Hold - The Road from Eastmarch

 

 

Serra could hardly believe her ears and eyes as she heard the voices and saw the faces of Adrynn and Faeryn. She hadn't seen either of them in over two centuries, and she started to cry tears of joy. Two hundred years of service had done little to erase the deep undercurrents of gentleness that were still inside her. Despite its best effort, there was still much about the aging scout that the Legion hadn't and wouldn't be able to drill away.

 

Faeryn's remark about he and Serra being of rare breeds was a painful reminder of how few Ashlanders there were now thanks to the Red Year so long ago. She felt for her people and for Faeryn as well. The Ordinators were as much an endangered people as the Ashlanders in this day and age.

 

"I've missed you two so much!" She said as she embraced the pair as best she could with her smallish arms.

 

Sorinyarie looked over and felt a warm smile spread across her face.

 

"I think she's happy to see you two." The battlemage said.