Wisdom of the Ancestors - An Elder Scrolls RP

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn chuckled at Faeryn's intimidating phrase to the guards. It had been many years since he had heard that phrase, though never had it been directed at him. Nevertheless, it was still good to see Faeryn falling into his old habits again.

 

When they reached the end of the bridge, Adrynn stopped and looked at the golden armored Indoril beside him. He still couldn't stop the small smile that twitched under his beard. He clapped Faeryn on his fluted pauldron and grinned.

 

"Well old friend, I have to say that as much as I would love to see Velanya again, I happen to have no idea where this Sky Haven Temple is. Seeing as how my dear cousin sent the letter to you, it might be best to give me an idea as to where we will be going." He glanced at the stables nearby. "And whether we will need extra transportation to get there." He stopped for a moment, wondering if Faeryn even knew how to ride a horse. In their long years as being friends, the Redoran didn't think he had ever seen the Ordinator do it. Then again, most Dunmer prefered feasting on horses than riding them. He chuckled, surprised he never thought to ask before.

[AurianaValoria1]

As the party trekked on, Okuras was beginning to wonder if they would ever catch up with the Thalmor...

 

...until a blast of electricity slammed into her from nowhere, followed closely by an arrow that caught the Argonian just right to be wrong, puncturing her neck just above her breastplate. The copious amounts off blood that followed left no question as to whether or not the wound was fatal...the warrior was dead within seconds.

 

Sandhya instinctively leapt to the side and behind a boulder, drawing her daggers as a fireball hit the dirt where she had been standing moments before.

 

"They're here!" she hissed, "They've been waiting for us!"

 

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Faeryn glanced sideways at Adrynn, "She told me it was near the Karthspire...which, as far as I could tell from piecing together various maps, is roughly in the middle of the Reach, just southeast of Markarth. In any case, we have a long way to go."

Edited June 11, 2013 by AurianaValoria1

[mythicdawnmaster]

"Okuras! No!" Sienna screamed at the top of her lungs, drawing wrath as said emotion took over her every fibre, it was crystal clear that the argonian was dead the moment the dual collision of magic and arrow hit her, a quick but undignified end... ambushed by those bastard elves. Oh Sienna would tear them apart, that she sword to Talos. The blade glowed a distinct crimson and thrummed twice with bursts of energy, covering Sienna's arms in crackling red magic as the blade conferred a war-blessing.

 

She roared a battle cry and charged head on into the fray, despite the archers the main attack force was the wizards and the soldiers, all whom were tightly positioned together on the road ahead.

Edited June 11, 2013 by mythicdawnmaster

[Macman253]

Felix instinctively side stepped an incoming arrow and batted away a second as he took cover, the Thalmor had been waiting for them and that should have been apparent to him earlier, he felt the last beat of Okuras' heart and he told himself to pray for her later. He slipped behind the rock and began to move around behind them.

 

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Svarn heard a woman's war-cry not far ahead, it seems the Thalmor he had been tracking found someone. He readied an arrow and took off at a run with Fjorlag in the other hand and Fenrir at his heels. When he got to the treeline he saw a woman wearing shining platemail charge at the defensive line aswell as a Argonian woman laying in the snow not far away, he buried Fjorlag's axehead into the dirt and drew back on his bow and aimed for the Thalmor commander, he exhaled slowly as he drew back on the bow and lined up his shot. He whispered a prayer to Kynareth before loosing the raven-feathered arrow that struck the silver haired Altmer standing at the rear in the back of the head, he drew a second arrow and notched it with trained precision and aimed at the Thalmor next to him as he drew his sword, the arrow he fired struck the officer in the neck and he dropped to his knees.

 

Svarn drew Fjorlag rom the earth and vanished back into the bushes with Fenrir until he felt he had the opportunity to attack.

[Flipout6]

"By the Nine!" Rilgumskar cried out in shock, throwing up a powerful ward and diving for cover, taking a nasty jolt from a lightning bolt as two spells hit the ward at once and shattered it. Say what you will about the Thalmor, they were powerful.

 

He landed behind a large volcanic rock, cursing as his limbs twitched from the shock. Peeking out, he threw a fireball into the center of the clustered group. Once the wards came up, it had little effect but to severely burn one or two of them, but it provided a distraction that allowed him to cast a spell that solidified his flesh like iron, before he held up a ward, drew his axe, and charged. With Sienna's charge occupying the attention of at least a few, and another pair looking for a hidden marksman in the woods, Rilgumskar reached the group with little trouble in the grand scheme of things.

 

Even though by his race's standards he was almost bird-like, Rilgumskar was still more than large enough to bowl over the first man he ran into, knocking him off of his feet, to be finished off with a swift overheard swing from his axe that both pierced the elf's armor and set him alight, killing him almost instantly. The advantage of surprise was quickly lost as the sound of a blade being drawn reached his ears, and he fell onto his back dodging the blow that nearly decapitated him. With the Altmer preparing the death blow, he didn't have time to even begin to prepare a ward as an arrow of pure ice blew from Rilgumskar's free hand and embedded itself through his stomach. He cried out in pain and bent over, trying to pull it out, but a downwards stroke quickly ended his agony.

 

Rilgumskar stood, actually receiving a major strike from an elven blade, barely stayed from his heart by his armor and ironflesh spell. A headbutt and a parried axe blow didn't even faze this new foe, who was evidently far more competent both a swordsman and a sorcerer than any of his late allies. An expert thrust Rilgumskar managed to parry, but his axe was almost wrenched from his hands when the elven blade hooked underneath that of his axe, and the two of them found themselves stuck in a deathlock, gritting their teeth as Nord tried to overpower Altmer, and vice-versa.

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn nodded, thoughtfully stroking his beard. In the years he had exiled himself from Morrowind, he had traveled through Skyrim a few times. Enough to know where the cities lay. He frowned, leaning on his right leg almost unconsciously. Markarth was on the other side of the province, in a craggy and mountainous area called by the locals, "The Reach". And ever since the Stormcloak rebellion, it had been infested with wild savages called Forsworn. It would be a long and dangerous journey, but not without adventure. He smiled.

 

"Very well Faeryn, I hope you don't mind cart rides," the Redoran said, smirking as he strode up to the carriage driver, who stood by his cart, smoking a pipe.

 

"Grettings, sera. How much is the fare for two old warriors to Markarth?" Adrynn asked, lowering his hood and trying not to scowl.

 

The carriage driver puffed his pipe while looking over Adrynn and Faeryn behind him. He seemed mildly amused. He took another long pull before speaking, the smoke wisping out of the corners of his mouth.

 

"And what would a Dunmer and..." he glanced at Faeryn, "whoever that is have business in Markarth? Looking for silver are you?" The old Nord's eyes crinkled with a hidden smile.

 

Adrynn grinned slightly, guessing well the old mans intent. "Nay, we seek no silver. Though how much gold it will take to reach Markarth has yet to be answered."

 

The old man took another drag on his pipe. "The normal fare for such a long trip is usually 200 gold, mostly for food for my horses than the actual cost of taking you there. But," he added, seeing the slight frown that creased Adrynn's forehead. "Seeing how you two are quite... unusual, that should deter any bandits from attacking us. At the very least, you may earn your trip with that," he said, pointing to Adrynn's ebony hilt peeking from under his cloak. "The fare is 100 gold, stranger."

 

Adrynn nodded and opened his pack, pulling out a sack of gold and carefully counting out 100 pieces for the driver. The old Nord nodded and scooped up the money, stashing it in another sack under his seat.

 

"Climb in back and we'll be off," he said, taking another puff on his pipe.

 

Adrynn nodded, slung his pack and shield in the back and climbed up.

 

"Come along, my flashy friend," Adrynn called to Faeryn.

[AurianaValoria1]

Sandhya silently moved behind one of the Thalmor archers and stabbed her blades between the plates of his elven armor, digging deep into his lungs. As he lay sputtering, she twirled and launched one of her knives at a mage, catching him square in the heart.

 

The khajiit laughed, "This one thinks this is too easy."

 

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Faeryn climbed up into the cart across from Adrynn, "Never did like horses. But if it shortens our journey, then fine."

 

He leaned back against the railing of the wagon, glancing up at the sky, "Let's just hope the weather doesn't decide to turn foul on us."

 

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"The Forsworn will retake what is rightfully AGH-!"

 

The skinny Nord woman slid from Frostfang with a gruesome noise before crumpling on the cobbled floor of Sky Haven Temple's practice yard.

 

Glancing around, Velanya saw that that was the last of them. Sighing, she readied a healing spell and sealed the wounds that the Forsworn band had dealt her: a bad slash to the arm and several smaller scrapes on her legs and torso...mostly from those damned barbed arrows.

 

Sheathing Frostfang, she pushed some loose mahogany hair out of her eyes and went back into the temple proper, following the winding hall down and around to Alduin's Wall. What meager provisions had been gathered here during the time of the Dovahkiin had long been pillaged by the Forsworn. Esbern and Delphine were dead, by all intelligence gathered by the Penitus Oculatus, and what Blades the Dragonborn had recruited faded as quickly as the resurrected dragons.

 

Meandering into a side room, she saw that it had once been the armory, as pieces of Akaviri gear were scattered here and there. Reaching to her back, she pulled a black-hilted katana from its scabbard, letting the natural light fall upon the silvery blade. It was at that moment that she could hear the Spymaster's voice ringing in her ears as if he were standing right next to her.

 

Take my katana, and for the gods' sake, use it for what it was made...to take the fight to all those who would threaten the citizens of the Empire. Don't let it hang in Cloud Ruler or stay locked up in a dusty chest somewhere...or by Arkay I swear I'll haunt you for the rest of your days.

 

A smile spread across her face, "All right old man. This is it. We're going to rebuild, no matter how long it takes...no matter how many obstacles fate throws at us. We're going to make those Thalmor scum wish they'd never been born. And then the honor of the Blades will be restored."

[Zephyr2011]

The ambush was sudden. Smart of the Thalmor. Rilgumskar had been right at Vaultheim about the temperature of the bodies, they were very fresh. It was quite possible that the Thalmor had a mer or two ascend the towers to examine the roadway and knew they were coming. The damned elves killed their argonian companion before anyone could so much as blink. But if the Thalmor thought that this would be an easy fight, they were dead wrong. Ra'Qassar rolled out of the line of fire quickly and adeptly. He was behind a very large pine tree with a rocky outcropping. He smirked as he lept and bounded up the tree. Towards its top, Ra'Qassar readied three arrows in his bow and loosed all three at once, killing two Thalmor that were bunched close together. Before his prey could look up, Ra'Qassar soared through the air to another pine. He repeated this process three more times, gradually coming closer to the ground and causing several thalmor heads to spin. He provided not only deadly cover fire but a convenient distraction for his companions. He hid on the side of his final tree away from combat and drew his sword and shield. He looked around the edge of the trunk of the tree then rolled downward onto an unsuspecting Thalmor. The khajiit caught the elf by total surprise, slamming his shield into the mer's back and then driving his sword through the elf's lung and rending his innards. Ra'Qassar proceeded to ravage the backline of the Thalmor, hunting out the archers, mages and officers. The battle was bloody and dangerous. One of the mages loosed a massive fireball at Ra'Qassar, he managed to duck behind a tree but his whiskers were singed and his tail rather crispy. The tree he hid behind was smoldering and the fire was beginning to grow. This fight had to end quickly or half the forest would burn down.

[darkedge42392]

Adrynn nodded, his dark crimson eyes glancing skyward. The clouds were rolling in from the Sea of Ghosts, heavy and thick. More snow, it seemed.

 

He wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, glad it had been made with the cold weather of Skyrim in mind. The thick black fur draped around him, obscuring most of the dull golden brown Bonemold.

 

He had unstrapped his sword before he sat down, as it was uncomfortable to sit with the hilt digging into his side for hours. It now rested in his lap, the dark belt wrapped loosely around the scabbard. He rested his hand on the leather and wire wrapped hilt, admiring the craftmanship. Bols Indalen had forged it for him when he had traveled to Mournhold hunting the Mythic Dawn. The Daedric Katana he had carried before that had been shattered in a battle at Azura's Shrine with a powerful mage seeking power. Sometimes he still wished he had it. But this longsword had served the Redoran well for over two centuries. It was worth the price he had paid for it.

 

He glanced at Faeryn sitting across from him, glad to have a true friend close by. Faeryn was one of the few companions who had traveled with him before who still lived. A frown crossed his face as he thought back to those days spent hunting and then protecting the Nerevarine. Kriak, Lecuaro, Caius, Ayra, Iodiria, Garila... He had not seen them in so long he barely remembered their faces. A deep sadness came across Adrynn as he realized he would never see them again. Not in this life, anyways.

 

The Redoran pulled his cloak tighter against the cold wind and let the swaying and creaking of the wagon lull him into a light, fitful doze, his hand still gripping the hilt of his sword.

[Macman253]

By dawn he rode to a stop outside the ruins of Snow Veil Sanctum, the ancient nord ruins had been locked for countless centuries but it was far enough from Windhelm to be a suitable meeting place. Shadowmere stamped his hoof unnervingly, he had been very edgy since they left Windhelm and it made Aventus wary but this was the most dangerous part of most contracts, many people think that they can outwit or even murder the assassin they hire and numerous times they have tried which usually ends with him sending their souls to Sithis.

 

Aventus slid from Shadowmere's saddle and felt the ice-covered snow under his feet give as he landed. He walked to the crest of the dugout crypt to see a their meeting place covered in blood but no corpse of which it belonged to, he thumbed the akaviiri katana loose of it's scabbard. A blade he affectionately called Dusk's Fang named after it's potent Lunar Enchantment. He moved slowly down the circular stone stair, the victim was likely his client but no assassin revealed themselves, even when he stood in the center of the ruin.

 

"Aventus... good to see you again..." Spoke a soft voice from above, a tall woman wearing black and red leather armor stood above him. She had long golden hair and a wicked curved blade dangled from her hip. He knew her and the name of the weapon she possessed and how he hated them both, standing beside her were four assassins bearing the armor of the Dark Brotherhood all with bow's trained on him. "Or should I call you Nightshade?" She added with a evil smirk.

 

Aventus chuckled and clapped his hands and bowed as if he was at court or meeting with the Emperor himself. Astrid smiled and curtsied in a mocking gesture, "What have you been doing these many months?" She asked as the four assassins spread out, they never took their eyes off of him and they were all prepared to kill him, Aventus could only imagine the lies Astrid had filled their heads with, only a few of those that knew she had broken the Fifth Tenet had escaped her wrath, him and Nazir chief among them.

 

'I killed the Emir of Stros M'kai with a fork... how about you?' He quipped as his mind raced with ideas to escape this deathtrap but none he could think of would let him walk away in one piece. Astrid laughed and nodded in respect but she was done with civility. "Kill him... cut off his head and bring it to me." She said as she turned and vanished from his view, the assassins drew back further on their bowstrings and took aim.

 

'Wait!' He yelled, they hesitated long enough for him to get in a last word. 'Spite me on steel... let me die with honor, as a true Son Of Sithis.' He said, the assassins all exchanged glances and nodded in acceptance. They dropped their bows and drew their swords and descended into the arena-like pit. They took places around him like those of a compass and readied, Aventus drew Dawn's Fang and held it in a reversed grip. 'When the sunlight strikes over the edge of the barrow...' He said calmly, the four nameless assassins held their stances and waited, it was only a few moments but to them it felt like hours. When the blood-red sun peeked over the crest the attack came in a heartbeat.

 

Aventus parried the charging strike from the Dunmer assassin in front of him and turned to deliver a large slash across the back of the assassin as all the strength he put into the charge sent him sprawling, Aventus' mind snapped to his training sessions in his youth with Uriel and how he learned the hard lesson of sword-play, Never attack in anger. The second attack came from his right and left as the eastern and western brothers came at him, Aventus dove between them and narrowly avoided having his head cleaved from his shoulders by their blades. Aventus swiftly picked up the sword of the fallen assassin and deflected the incoming attack from the southern assassin and followed up with a slash from both blades that rended the brother in darkness into two halves.

 

'Two down...' He said to himself as he faced down the remaining pair, the brutal battle had been quick but now he had the advantage. The sun was at his back and it glared directly into their eyes. Aventus flipped his new blade into a reverse grip and charged, 'Sithis take you!' He yelled as he closed the distance fairly quickly, the western assassin held up his blade in a feeble defense but the weapon snapped under the strength of his attack and Dusk's Fang cleave through it and it's owner in a fell swipe, the Imperial fell to the snow with a large gash across his face.

 

The last assassin and him circled one another, waiting and preparing for the other to attack. Aventus felt the pain grip him and he felt the source, a slash across his abdomen that bled steadily. He knew that it was not fatal but if left untreated he would see The Night Mother before his due time. He watched as his opponent held his blade high in a Hawks Strike stance which was good against a charging foe but ineffective for a defensive stance, he prepared for Aventus to strike first, after a long moment his changed his stance to that of the Coiled Serpent, a versatile stance he often employed but it was rough and had no technique which made the fabled stance as powerful as it was.

 

The charge came when their silence was broken when Aventus stepped on a piece of drift wood, he deflected the vertical strike that would have cleaved his head in two and countered with a slash to the chest which his rival dodged with a quick step back, he lowered his shoulder and thrusted but Aventus was quicker and spun around the thrust and countered with a hard punch to the mans nose that sent him reeling and followed through with a slash that took him across the chest from ribs to shoulder, the assassin fell in a spray of arterial blood and fell face first onto the bloody snow. Aventus let a sense of relief overtake him as he wiped his blade free of blood and gore and slid it smoothly into the scabbard at his hip.

 

'First move is yours Astrid...' He said to the woman hiding in the shadows, she had stayed to watch the outcome of the battle. Aventus bowed his head to his enemy and limped up the stairs, he knew that at any moment she could have charged him and it would have been over but he mounted Shadowmere and rode away without harassment, and that made him very curious.

Edited June 12, 2013 by Macman253