Tavern Tales: Come on in and Have a Drink! Part VI

[gdklebba2]

The Tavern was in an uproar. Red, Errandran, and Torlin had returned barley half a turn of the hourglass ago, but the news they brought was more than enough to cause panic. Many did not believe what they had been told; trolls were trolls, they were all evil and there were none that came together in groups larger than ten or twelve. Any more than that, and there would be chaos.

Red was now standing on a table and shouting at the entire Tavern for silence. Instead, this caused only more confusion and panic, if that is even possible. Errandran stayed silent and thoughtful in a quiet corner, not taking part in the mayhem. Torlin was taking advantage of the distraction to chat with Daavale.

After several minutes of this, even Errandran's considerable supply of patience began to run dry. He rolled his eyes up into the back of his head, as if trying to remember something. He nodded at nothing in particular, as if he had remembered that something, rubbing his hands to warm them up. The ranger closed his eyes, muttering a command word, quickly covering his ears and eyes.

A few moments later, a tremendous light filled the entire Tavern, followed almost instantly by an earsplitting 'bang!' Every patron in the Tavern fell to the ground, stunned and deafened. Errandran calmly walked over to the table where Red had been recently standing, and leaped up on top of it. He waited for several minutes, arms crossed, for the unconscious 'debaters' to awaken fully.

Once most of the patrons were conscious, Errandran began. "Torlin, Red, and I all decided that today would be a great day to go hunting in the West Weald. We were wrong. The hunters became the hunted. Red has already told you of our encounter with these... trolls. I assure you, if you have ever fought a troll, it can be a hard fight alone. But when there are three of you, and more than a hundred of them? No. That is an impossible fight. Had it not been for my new friend Red, Torlin and I would most likely never have returned to the Tavern alive. When we retreated, the trolls would not follow us any further than the edge of the grasslands. As of yet, I have no idea why. Their vile stench was enough to turn our horses away when we first arrived at the wood. Those beast were terrible indeed, but no trolls work together in groups that massive, you all know that. There was something greater still in those woods, something ancient, I fear. Something terrible indeed. We must post a watch outside the Tavern to make sure that none come here, to our home. If they do, the only way any of us could survive would be to stay and fight together."

"That is all I have to say. I cannot force anyone to do anything, but I hope that you take my advice and be ready. Sorry about the spell, by the way. I needed to get your attention." With that, Errandran left the Tavern by the main door to keep watch over the plains below.

[Jheuloh]

Near the gates of Anvil City, a tall, lean looking imperial stood under a gray colored sky, waiting for the tradesman he was hired to escort. Next to him stood his steed; a large, solid black stallion, who contently grazed upon the yellow grasses. When five minutes had passed, the gates opened, and a paint horse pulling a wagon appeared alongside a short, squat bosmer. When the tradesman bosmer approached his escort, the Imperial then spoke “I’m ready to leave when you are.â€

“Good, let us not be traveling in the rain.†The tradesman replied, who then signaled for his paint horse to begin the journey to the Brina Cross Inn. The mercenary then mounted his steed, and told it “Let’s waste no time escorting our friend, Jargoniew.†The stallion thus began following the paint horse being led by the tradesman, maintaining a slow, casual pace behind the two.

After passing the Whitmond Farm, light sprinkles of rain began to fall, though it began to stop. The venture to Brina Cross Inn was relatively dull and uneventful, though alertness in the group rose near the Hrota Cave. Past Hrota Cave, the travelers became calm once again, although the rain had become slightly heavier now. When the group had begun to approach the section of the road which forked off towards Lord Drad’s estate, wariness rose once again.

This time, however, their wariness was affirmed by the arrival of a heavily armed khajiit highwayman, who spoke the famous words “Pay up, or else.†The mercenary then dismounted Jargoniew, and unsheathed his war axe. The bosmer, feeling confident with the presence of his escort, shouted at the khajiit “No, take it from me if you can!†Sarcastically, the highwayman replied “Actually, that is how this one prefers it.â€

Before any action was taken, however, a giant, raging mad ogre burst forth from the brush. After glancing at the ogre, the highwayman then fled into the plains of Anvil, leaving the travelers to their fate. Before the group could act, the raging ogre destroyed the merchandise wagon with just a single, unearthly powerful blow with its forearm. The paint horse thus disappeared into Country Kvatch, and the ogre turned to face the still present trio.

Jargoniew was the first to act after the split second stare down, and reared upward to strike the ogre’s head. The mercenary then leapt into to action, and taunted the ogre into turning its attention away from the kicking Jargoniew. The ogre then stepped backwards for a moment, keeping both Jargoniew and the mercenary in its field of view, before letting out a booming roar in surprised pain. The merchant had planted his pocket knife into the ogre’s back, and a sickening cracking sound could be heard as the knife was pulled out.

As the bosmer was preparing to strike again, the ogre turned round and bashed him into the air, his lift ended by a boulder near by. The ogre then did the same to the mercenary, but not before getting a tusk kicked out of its jaws by Jargoniew. Even more enraged by losing a tusk, the ogre then threw a fist into the reared upward Jargoniew’s shoulder, and threw the horse off balance. When the mercenary regained consciousness a moment later, he quickly rushed to the ogre, and thrust his war axe into the giant ogre’s leg, crippling it.

Another roar of pain had emerged from the ogre, and when Jargoniew rose, the mercenary mounted and fled into Country Kvatch, with the ogre in pursuit. In spite of the crippling wound, the ogre’s size gave it the stride length necessary to maintain a moderate distance between them. “What a fast monster you are†said the mercenary as he unsheathed his bow “fast you will be, no longer.†Aiming for the ogre’s legs, the mercenary released an arrow, and it struck the ogre in its previously functional leg.

With the ogre now halted, the mercenary motioned for Jargoniew to turn around, and drew and released another arrow, aiming for the ogre’s head. Although he was off target, the ogre had been killed anyway; Jargoniew then stopped moving to rest, and surveyed the scene. The mercenary dismounted Jargoniew, and joined his steed to rest & recover from the shock of the battle. The rain was still weak, and the mercenary had noticed it for the first time since the highwayman and ogre arrived to the scene.

While the pair of wanderers rested, the mercenary saw something appear from the Bleak Mine; eventually, he realized he was seeing none other than the highwayman. The khajiit glanced at the bleeding ogre corpse, and proceeded towards where he had originally started. Thus, he finally understood what had happened; the ogre was no accident, the highwayman had staged this massacre for overly confident travelers. The mercenary presumed that what would probably happen is that the merchant would be looted, and whatever had fallen out of the wagon would also be taken.

Given his past as a Thieves Guild member and former criminal, he also knew that he would be treated with rejection, should he return to Anvil. “Let’s find a place to rest, Jargoniew; it seems I shall soon become ‘Jheuloh the Defective Body Guard.’†So said Jheloh after mounting Jargoniew and beginning the trek to a Tavern he saw in the distance. Jargoniew was slow and somber in his movements; still exhausted from the encounter, the stallion was making no attempt to appear unshaken by the event.

The rain had stopped when the pair had begun traveling, and the sky seemed to be clearing as well. At least the rain would not be there to mock me, Jheuloh thought as he looked up toward the sky. Although to Jheuloh, it seemed like forever had passed, Jargoniew had made it to the Tavern and without incident as well. After Jargoniew was led to the stables, Jheuloh noticed a bosmer-looking person watching the planes below.

He then turned his attention to his destination once more; the Tavern, and proceeded to the main door. When Jheuloh opened the door, he almost forgot the day in sheer surprise at what he saw. After observing the obviously dazed and confused looking folk, he told himself “Well, what a sight we have to behold here!†He then searched for whoever appeared to be the person to speak to for renting a bed, but then found there was no obvious “owner†visible to him.

So, Jheuloh began to search for someone who looked as if they may know who to speak to. He thus noticed a woman with strikingly red hair and green eyes; given her stance and relative ‘liveliness’ Jheuloh presumed she may be knowledgeable. “Pardon my interruption, but would you know who to speak to for renting a bed?†Being slightly startled by Jheuloh’s quiet approach, she stumbled, and then regained herself.

“Speak to someone named either Wilson or Arlow; they are the people who you are looking for.†Jheuloh then gave his thanks to this clearly well affiliated woman, and proceeded to search for either of the barkeepers. It took little time for him to find Arlow, and ask him about renting a bed; soon after asking, he found himself traveling up the stairs. After the dramatic events of the day, he was ready to sleep it all off; the mysterious Tavern would be a later day’s centre of activity.

[Psykolabe]

Rios wondered if they even knew he had left again, but he assumed not, as there were many more people there than just he. He weaved through the plants and trees until he spotted the Tavern, which was a welcome sight right now. Swinging towards the stables, he spotted two unfarmiliar persons, one retreating into the Tavern, and the other sitting on just outside. He would have to learn of them later, right now, his first priority was to get inside and warn everyone what he had seen. He half-jumped, half-triped, off of Naz, and, stumbling wildly, managed to place him against the stable wall.

"Naz, I'm sorry, I can't expend anymore energy right now."

"It's fine, I get it."

Naz being understanding? A rare sight indeed.

"Neos, I'm going to need you to take over after I tell them. I need to rest completley, alright?"

"Yeah, I'll try not to get into too much trouble while you're out."

He caught a glimpse at his reflection in the water trough; his hair was a mess, and there was blood flowing over his brow, as well as his left forearm. Damn, and that was his favorite white shirt too, not to mention his only white shirt. He entered the Tavern, only to find what seemed to be a serious meeting to be already in progress. Few heads turned as he entered, but his gasping speech attracted somewhat more attention.

"...G-Guys, there's... there's something d-d-dangerous..."

They all were slightly taken aback at his appearance, and Grond was the first to recover,

"The Trolls? We know, we saw them -"

"W-what?... Trolls!? B-blast it..."

"If it wer'nt the Trolls, what was it?"

"...t-thief..."

"Well we've dealt with a th-"

"Light thief."

"What? What is a 'Light Thief'?"

At this point, Elm spoke,

"An old legend, a mere wives tale. They could control things, cloud one's mind with darkness and force their will upon the weak minded. But, if they were ever real, died off long ago. The order still exists, I believe, but the last practicing thief was many long years ago, again, if they ever existed. How did you even know the term?"

Rios had recovered hs breath, "They tried to take me, and they almost sucseeded. There was three of them. They told me what they were."

"Elm?"

Red paused

"Could they have been responsible for the trolls we saw here today?"

Elm pondered for a half second, and replied, "Assuming there were only three? No, but they could have been a part of it. And Rios, how did you manage to defeat three of them?"

She away from Red, and toward Rios. She jumped backwards in her chair, and squeaked a little. A few of the other guests did the same as they say Rios's contorted face, along with it's orange-red tatoos. Rios grunted, and retreated up the stairs.

"What in the name of the nine devines what that!?" Elm shouted.

"Ah, I assume that was his companion." stated Raurke "A most interesting fellow, that one."

[grond]

Grond's head still sang, and his vision was foamed over by drink and the recent shocking spell. Red, Quinn and Elm sat facing the great fire, along with other patrons, and they spoke together of the troll army and the strange 'light thieves'. A tanned young stranger clad in bright chain mail weaved through the Common Room and up the stairs, nodding to Grond as they passed.

The Nord could not think. He needed a soak. Perhaps the stars would clear the fog in his head. But he left through the front door, for there was one thing he had to do before he rested. He stretched his shoulders, knowing it was not going to be easy.

Meanwhile, before the fire, Elm balanced two very smooth round stones in her hands. Dark as Oblivion, they reflected the light of the fire. The firelight pierced them, and, though they were black, they were changed, and those nearby saw that their centers now seemed to lighten, or fill somehow with swirling smoke. "They're called the Blas Phem," said Quinn in a whisper to the silent group behind Elm. "If there's something to see, the fire through them will show Elm."

Red whispered, "I cannot believe she's scrying here. This is so...public."

"Aye," replied Quinn. "She's had two glasses of mulled wine. That must be it."

Elm sat motionless for several minutes. Then all at once she stood, like a spring released from its clasp. Two things happened then: first, from outside, they all heard a loud crackling blast of what seemed to be thunder. At the same time Elm shouted a word in an equally thunderous voice.

"DIAMONDS!" she shouted. Then quite suddenly the elf strode quickly and mechanically towards the front door. The others followed her.

As they came out of the Tavern, they saw Grond kneeling before Errandran, who seemed dazed. Across Grond's broad bare chest was drawn a wide dark line, as if the Nord had been scorched by a flame. Grond, gasping for breath, sat beside the prone Errandran, who groaned and stirred, and massaged his jaw. "There now laddie," said the Nord with a smile. "That was what yer spell felt like. From now on, you'll keep yer hands in yer pockets in our Common Room, right?"

Grond held out his arms smiling. Errandran seemed put off at first, but the Nord's bright friendly smile soon softened the Ranger. Errandran nodded, clasped arms with Grond, and the Nord helped the Half-Elf to his feet.

"That play was better'n me and Garulf! Almost had me!" With that, the Nord turned and headed down the side path, to the rear yard, and the hot springs. "I'm going fer a soak!" he called to no one in particular.

The others gathered round Elm, who seemed to be coming out of a trance.

[gdklebba2]

"Sorry about the spell. I needed to get peoples' attention, and fast. Sometimes humans just make me want to crawl into a hole!" Errandran was finally back up from Grond's payment for the "flashbang" spell.

The Tavern was a little quieter now. Red had managed to gather together a small force of willing patrons to keep a lookout for trolls and the mysterious "light thief" that Rios had informed the Tavern about.

"That's all right, young'n. But remember, the Tavern 'aint a practice range fer magic!" Grond was in fine spirits now. "Here, lets go get a drink Mr...

"Errandran, just Errandran. No 'sir' or 'mister' if you don't mind. A drink sounds like a fine plan... I'll have some mulled wine, if that's okay."

Grond shook his huge, blonde head. "No little ranger, we are gonna have a real drink. The Tavern's finest. A sip's enough to curl a nord's nose-hairs. You, my friend, need a drink. A real drink!

Errandran was still laughing a little from when Grond had called him 'young'n' (the ranger was about 120 years old), but when the proud nord easily hoisted the slight half elf over his shoulder, carrying him off to the Tavern like a sack of wheat, the normally quiet ranger burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter.

"You may be right my friend!" The half elf managed to say between peals of laughter. "I need a drink, and a looong nap."

*****

Later that night, Errandran and Grond were in the Tavern Common's Room, sharing their ninth bottle of strong mead. Grond seemed to any who strolled through the room to be completely sober, for he handled drink a far more often. The ranger, on the other hand, was on the verge of unconsciousness, though he could be heard muttering to himself, or Grond, every so often. The huge nord gently pulled Errandran's head off the bar, leaning him back in his chair.

"What about you, matey? You ever had a special someone?" Grond decided to carry on with the conversation they had been having earlier. The half elf had been more or less sober at the time, but had seemed to be avoiding the nord when asked about any past relationships.

"Well... that Red lady is quite a looker, isn't she?" Errandran manged to slur a response. "I think... I think she's really, really beuti... bueti... a really buetifu... a really pretty girl." Grond grabbed the ranger's slight frame, stopping his head from hitting the bar hard.

"That ain't what I mean, you dumb goblin." Oh, well. That's something for another day, I guess." With that, The big nord allowed himself to slam into the bar. He was asleep before he landed.

[Maxwell the Fool]

The candles in the tavern had burned out, the inhabitants all resting in their rooms or in their mugs. Grond with his head on the bar, Errandran with his head on Grond. An hour past. Then another. There was a light stirring in some deep corner of the tavern, nothing that anyone minded.

The door opened. No, not opened, SHATTERED, a large orc was flung through the air, across the bar, blood coating his pale green skin, turning it an ugly violet. A shadowy figure stood in the doorway, a red glow in his eyes and toothy grin on his face. The orc struggled to get his bearings, standing and tripping over Grond to find his way to the floor, nose first. The figure in the doorway approached, his simple iron blade bare, his light violet skin fluorescing in the darkness, a soft, cold glow. A green light burst from his hands and the orc, still trying to get up, suddenly fell asleep.

Maxwell, the Dunmer who'd so severely damaged this orc, hoisted his foe onto his shoulders and slowly, shakily, made his way to the door. Once he was out he placed the Orc on his horse.

"Home," he whispered in the horses ear, and off it went, to Anvil, to Maxwell's home.

Maxwell turned back into the tavern, just as still as it had been before his entry, just in time to see Grond's blues eyes glint in the sunlight.

"You need a drink.... A REAL drink," the Nord said, thrusting a bottle into Maxwell's hands.

"I suppose I do," Maxwell laughed, taking the bottle and drinking deeply. Then, without another word, Grond plopped back to the bar and began snoring.

There they sat, the tavern now lit by a shattered door, until late in the day.

[Arion]

Aurorae woke up with a start, it had been a long night, the nightmares were back again. Turon had tried to tell her in as non descriptive way possible of finding her families bodies, but Aurorae's imagination and the experiences she had had with necromancers over the years just fed the horrible images of her family's bodies strewn about the house after the necromancers had come. No, today wasn't going to be a good day.

With a weariness borne of many years of crawling through caves, fighting all manners of men and creatures in the dungeons and ruins while hunting her family's killers, she eased out of bed and went and stood by the fire for warmth. If only it could warm the chill in her soul. After brewing a mug of herb tea she felt composed enough to go downstairs and see how the staff had managed during her stay at Eagle's Landing the past month.

Just outside her bedroom door she met Estirdalin, a blind mage she had lead here after helping her avenge her companion's blinding her when she discovered he was practicing the necromancer arts. Estirdalin said; "When you have time, would you please come by my quarters. We've had a number of guards coming down with a illness and I've discovered a new potion that has some amazing restorative powers". Aurorae said "Sure I'd be glad to. I'll be back up after breakfast and meeting with Ignatius". After that she proceeded down the stairs through the great hall, past the large fire pit to the dining hall in search of Ignatius and breakfast.

Once inside the dining hall she noticed that Ignatius was talking with the head of the guard. He glanced in her direction and acknowledged her signal that she wanted to speak with him when he was free. With that she sat in her chair at the head of the table where Vilene, her kitchen manager, came bearing a large plate of her favorite breakfast foods of strawberries soaked in a heavy cream sauce, two of Vilene's famous flaky baked rolls with thinly sliced ham smothered in a delicious goat cheese and a tall mug of her favorite herb tea. She thanked her for being able to have her favorites on such short notice, with her coming back to the castle so late yesterday evening. That's what she liked about Vilene, always prepared.

Just before she finished eating breakfast Ignatius came over and asked if she would like to go over castle's affairs now or later. Aurorae asked him to sit with her, that now was as good a time as any. She motioned to Vilene to bring her and Ignatius fresh mugs of tea. After Vilene brought their tea Ignatius went over the state of the castle's finances; the weekly tithes from the neighboring settlements had been collected and Aurorae's share after all the expenses was dutifully deposited in the strongbox in Aurorae's room, that Prior Faric and some of the guards had fallen sick over the past two weeks, but that Estirdalin had discovered a potion that had restored the men's health after the fever broke and the outlook for the coming month's expenses. She thanked him for his continued service and management of the castle in her absence. As he got up to leave, he turned to her and said "Prior Faric asked me let you know he wishes to speak to you when you return to the castle". She thanked him and said; "I'll go to the chapel and speak with the prior shortly".

With breakfast out of the way and an update on the state of affairs with the castle Aurorae thought; " All this talk about illness. This sounds serious." she thought; as she headed out the main door to the courtyard, grabbing her cloak as she went to ward off the morning chill. As she stepped out the door she felt the cold wet drizzle of rain and looked to the sky where dark billowing thunder clouds and flashes of lightning in the distance foreshadowed a gathering storm. All of this just deepened her mood and reaffirmed that today was not going to be a good day. She hurried across the courtyard dodging the larger puddles as she went, jumping over the smaller ones, pass the stable where her trusty horse Eureka (a fine noble paladin's steed) stood slowly munching a mouthful of freshly harvested hay. On the threshold of the chapel she shook off the rain from her cloak, not wanting to upset Prior Faric.

Prior Faric was a meticulous person, considering he had once run a small chapel in the highlands before marauders had come and burned him out for refusing to pay protection money. Aurorae remembered the day she had come to recruit him to fill the post for the chapel at the castle. Besieged by a band of marauders at a nearby ruin, she had gone to try and convince them to leave the prior alone with his small congregation. The group seeing a lone female laughed haughtily, when suddenly one of the rouges said; "Hey wench, I'm going to take you and use you for my pleasure."

After the ensuing fight, all of the marauders lay dead.

Returning to the chapel she found Prior Faric fending off three marauders from the ruin, who had come to collect payment from the prior, as the smoking and blackened chapel lay in ruin. After dispatching the last of the marauder band, a dispirited Prior Faric agreed to come to the castle's chapel and serve as a prior for the castle and surrounding settlements.

Stepping inside Aurorae found the prior kneeling in prayer before the small alter. Not wanting to disturb the prior, she quietly went to one of the small pews and knelt and prayed as well. A short time later Prior Faric slowly got up and upon seeing her came to her side. Aurorae noticed the prior had a tired, gaunt look about him. Remembering that he had just recently recovered from a mysterious ailment, she inquired about his health and asked; "Ignatius said you wanted to speak to me when I returned to the castle?".

"My lady" Prior Faric said; "a few weeks ago we found a traveler lying beside the road. One of the guards brought him to the castle. He was burning up with a fever and Estirdalin did everything she could to heal him, but he died within a day or two. In his delirium he kept saying over and over again something about necromancers and a Fort Linchal, which if memory serves me right is somewhere north of Kvatch." Prior Faric continued; "Within days some of the guards began coming down with the fever. Two of the guards died before Estirdalin was able to find a cure."

"By the gods!" exclaimed Aurorae. "Is anyone else sick?" "Yes My Lady one of the kitchen helpers came down with it a few days ago. I have her isolated upstairs in the loft." said Prior Faric. He continued; "Everyone who has taken the fever has been healed, and those who weren't affected have been given vials of the potion as a precaution. Estirdalin sent a quantity of the potion to the surrounding settlements in case there is an outbreak there."

"Thank you." said Aurorae. "I'll go see Estirdalin right away." And with that she turned and headed back to the castle. As she walked across the courtyard in the now heavy rain she couldn't help but think; "After all these years. I thought I had destroyed all the known hideouts where they (the necromancers) had been in hiding. I wonder what this horrible thing those necromancers have come up with and what are their plan for it are?" A slight nagging thought kept prodding her from the back of her mind. "Was this an attempt to get back at her for her crusade against the necromancers, or was this a much more sinister plan to attack the mage's guild in retaliation for banning the practice of necromancy?" "Oh no, today certainly was not going to be a good day." she thought. Maybe this was the reason her nightmares had returned.

With those dreadful thoughts filling the back of her mind she once more entered the castle.

It was up the stairs and on to Estirdalin's quarters, when suddenly a thought hit her. Who was this mysterious traveler, where had he come from, had he passed this illness on to others along his travels? Aurorae entered Estirdalin's quarters, noticing Estirdalin bent over a large storage box, placing a number of vials in it and packing straw around it. Estirdalin hearing the footsteps behind her, turned around and said; "My Lady, I assumed you have already talked with Ignatius and the prior. "Yes, I have." Aurorae said. "I've heard about the mysterious traveler that was found and the illness that has befallen members of the castle after his passing. I am so thankful you were able to come up with a potent that restores everyone."

Estirdalin looked at Aurorae and said; "My Lady, it was the least I could do after what you have done for me. In your absence I took the liberty of making as much of the potion as I could. Knowing your background as a healer and your fights with necromancers over the years, I assumed you might be wanting to go looking for this lair of theirs." "Yes." Aurorae said. "And who knows where that traveler passed through and if he passed along that fever along his way. I plan to pack and leave right away. Would you mind having someone bring the strongbox to the stable while I get ready?"

"Certainly My Lady, right away." said Estirdalin. And with that she was off.

Aurorae would ideally like to have left early the next morning, but this impending sense of dread and the thought of the long ride to Kvatch helped her get the packing of her armor, weapons, a couple of changes of clothes and a small store of food for the journey packed and stowed upon Eureka. Her plan was to travel along the main roads, checking at various settlements and taverns along the way for any information she could obtain, as well as finding out if anyone had seen this mysterious traveler or if anyone had come down with fevers recently.

--------------------------------

It was late. It'd been a long ride from the castle. No one had seen or heard of the mysterious stranger. The only outward signs Aurorae had seen of the illness was in two bandit camps not far back up the road. In both camps the bandits were dead in their bedrolls with no outward signs of foul play.

This morning she had left the Gottshaw Inn, after talking with the innkeeper about her journey and her quest for the necromancers lair and the origin of the mysterious stranger. He'd mentioned that not far from there, close to the city of Sutch, there was a small tavern where a number of adventurers and other travelers frequented. He suggested I go there with my story and see if anyone could help.

And so it was that Aurorae had come upon this tavern at this late hour.

As she approached the front door she noticed that it was shattered. A dim light flickered out the doorway and out across the planks in front. Hesitantly stepping inside she saw a dunmer sitting at the bar with what appeared to be two other gentlemen. One a nord and the other, who appeared to be a half elf, the sound of deep rumbling snoring coming from both. Aurorae tried to quietly inquire from the dunmer if there was a room available for the night. Before he could answer, the nord raised his head, apparently well under the influence of the tavern's spirits and mumbled something about finding a room upstairs and seeing the morning innkeeper to settle the bill, and with that his head sank back upon the counter. Aurorae thought about asking the dunmer about the necromancers lair and the mysterious stranger, but thought it best to wait until morning when there'd likely be more folks around and probably a whole lot more sober.

And so with that she headed upstairs to find an empty room for the night. She only hoped that the coming morning that she woudl fine help ........

Edited March 8, 2010 by Arion

[DarkRider]

It was not yet dawn; the sky on the distant horizon was beginning to turn lighter, though grey overcast clouds darkened the land for miles in every direction. Quinn made his way quietly through the upstairs hall of the Tavern pausing only a moment at Elm’s bedroom door before deciding to go on alone, leaving the half elf to her rest. Somehow, they had been derailed from their quest since reaching the Tavern so many days before. Perhaps it was nothing more than the secret desire all beings had for kinship and camaraderie, something he and Elm both had little of that kept them bound to this place. Quinn headed down the stairs shaking his head slightly as if trying to refocus his mind; they had no time for long liaisons and indulgent holidays.

The main room of the tavern was silent save for the quiet puttering of the barkeep Arlow as he tried to stoke some life back into the fire from the night before. At this hour the other tavern patrons had all made their way to bed or road and the tavern itself seemed to slumber peacefully for a time. The youth slipped through the room without drawing Arlow’s attention. The front door was missing, blown clean off its hinges and gathered in a bin nearby which aided in his departure remaining unnoticed. Quinn stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat before heading down the road leading away from the tavern on foot. With any luck he could reach Anvil by late afternoon, before the horse seller closed business for the day.

He was only halfway down the narrow trodden lane when a familiar red haired form appeared in the distance, coming toward him atop her black and white appaloosa steed. Quinn cursed under his breath; somehow, even in leaving, he couldn’t manage to find the solitude to brood in peace. He hoped keeping his eyes to the ground might deter her from a chat, but as she drew close she dashed his hopes.

“Hail Quinn,” Red called in a friendly manner. She could tell he was by nature a quiet sort, one more comfortable with his own thoughts than the companionship of others. In many ways he reminded her of a certain ranger, but less of a leader. Quinn was one who went his own way, and Red could appreciate the tenuous partnership Elm had formed with one so guarded. In truth, Red could understand him. It wasn’t long ago when she herself had little use for companionship. Content instead to torment herself with her own demons.

“Good morning,” he replied dryly, “early for a ride.”

Red nodded, “Yes it is, but we like it,” she patted Savior who tossed his head as if in agreement, “this time of day is magic you know, helps me feel close to those who are far from me,” she smiled.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” he answered, resuming his walk.

“Where are you going?” she called after him. She watched as he paused, noticeably sighed, and she stifled a grin as he turned to face her, “nothing down this road for miles…long walk.”

Quinn shook his head in surrender, “Anvil, there’s a horse seller there, I’ll need a mount of my own before Elm and I can resume our road.”

“Anvil?” Red frowned, “that’s so far to walk on foot. Let us give you a ride, Savior won’t mind it.”

“No…no that’s okay,” Quinn shook his head, “no reason for you to waste your day.”

Red laughed, “Don’t be absurd there’s plenty to keep me busy around Anvil to make it worth the trip, come on, we can be there in a couple hours and your boots won’t be as worn.”

Quinn stared at her offered hand for a long minute before accepting. It wasn’t the long walk ahead that made him relent to her charm, but again he couldn’t lay finger on just what gave him cause to recant. She lent him a stirrup and he pulled himself up onto Savior’s back behind her. Savior grunted slightly at the added weight, dancing to shift his balance as Red turned his nose back toward Anvil. She kneed him into an easy canter and they headed down the road in a welcome silence.

---------------------------------------------------------

[Arion]

Sleep had come late, it'd been another restless night with those nightmare images again.

As she was getting out of bed Aurorae thought; "I hope I can put all this to rest soon. What I wouldn't give for another good night's sleep." Slowly she went over to the wash stand, poured some of the chilled water in the bowl and splashed it upon her face. After dressing in a fresh set of her traveling robes she headed down the stairs to pay for her room, hoping she might be able to get some information to help guide her to the necromancers lair. If nothing else maybe someone had seen that mysterious man or someone knew of a recent outbreak of fevers in the area.

Coming down the stairs she noticed the dunmer and the other two other gentlemen were still there. The dunmer looked like he hadn't slept all night and the other two gentlemen looked like they had just aroused. Heading over to the tavern keeper, she started to say good morning to the gentlemen when she got a better look at the dunmer. He looked gaunt, his clothes looked like they spent the night hanging on a scrub bucket. Aurorae tried not to show alarm, but he looked as if he were coming down with a fever.

"Good morning gentlemen." she said. "My name is Aurorae. I live outside Corral in a castle just on the fringe of the Great Forest." About two weeks ago a mysterious traveler was found on the road outside." she continued. "One of my guards brought him inside. He was burning up with a fever. Our resident mage tried her best to heal him, but the fever was an unknown type and he died two days later." Continuing on she said; "Within days a number of others came down with this same fever. Two of our guards died before Estirdalin, our mage, could find a healing potent." Aurorae was getting ready to continue, but noticed the dunmer looking at her in a strange way. He was listening with great intent.

"While the strange traveler was in his delirious state, he kept saying over and over again something about necromancers and a Fort Linchal before he died." Aurorae said and; "I've come looking for this fort and anyone who might have seen or had contact with the traveler." Estirdalin, our mage, made up a number of vials with the healing potent and suggested I bring them along in case others had been infected by the traveler" she continued. "As I passed two bandit camps near Kvatch, I found the bandits dead in their sleeping mats. It appeared they had died of this fever before I reached them." she said.

The half elf looked at her with "Hmm, maybe there's an adventure here" look. The nord just kind of looked at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, but the dunmer had a terrified look on his face. Aurorae asked if he felt okay. He.....

Edited March 10, 2010 by Arion

[Maxwell the Fool]

...lifted his finger and pointed it at her, as if he had something of great importance to say. But when his mouth opened there were no words, only a terrible gurgling sound and a spray of blood. Erandren and Grond began to panic, rushing to keep Maxwell from hitting the ground to hard as he fell, his eyes fluttering, hovering between consciousness and death.

Aurorae stood there for a moment, stunned. Then, all at once she felt a surge of energy, a sense of urgency. She ran through the door frame, scrambling to reach Eureka. Once she was there she didn't bother to pat the horse say hello, she ripped the strongbox from it's back and ran back.

She neeled by the Dunmer, Grond and Erandren flanking her. She took the medicine from the strongbox and administered it. For a moment, Maxwell was at piece, but then he began convulsing uncontrollably. The medicine, whether or not it treated the ailment, seemed to be making things worse!

Aurorae sat back for a moment, this was a challenge which would require all of her wit to solve, but possibly lead her to the stranger which seemed to be spreading this illness.

[Arion]

Aurorae sat back and said; "By the gods!"

She had only been at the castle overnight. No one told her what the effects of the curing potent were. "Was this normal?" she thought. She continued her analysis of the situation. "None of the guards that had taken the fever were dunmers. I wonder if that might make a difference." she thought.

Aurorae looked to the others and asked that a bowl with cool, clear water and some clean cloths be brought to her. Gently she wiped Maxwell's face. She then reached into her healer's bag and gathered a few herbs and mixed them together into a poultice. She then gently as possible, rubbed the poultice on Maxwell's head, neck and chest. After the poultice had been absorbed on Maxwell's forehead, she then soaked a cloth in the cool water and placed it on Maxwell's forehead.

As Aurorae looked up and was about to say something to those gathered around her, a young looking woman approached and said; "My name is Arisis. Maybe I can be of assistance." Arisis went on to say....

Edited March 12, 2010 by Arion

[Xinimator]

Aurorae quickly glanced at her and nodded. Arisis knelt down beside Max's head and tried to help Grond and Errandran hold him still as her eyes examined his body, trying to find the cause of this seizure. As Aurorae rummaged around her bag. Arisis noticed a spot that was of darker hue behind his ear with a rough texture to it. Arisis' brow furrowed as she tried to remember where she had seen that before.

Arisis closed her eyes for a few moments, thinking hard. She knew she saw that somewhere, but from where she could not remember. Think, Arisis: Where in almighty Nirn could you have seen this? Arisis then was struck by a sudden thought and opened her eyes with a snap. She reached for her pouch and said to the group at large, “Hold him!†Errandran and Grond nodded and both tightened their hold on Max as Arisis pulled out a vial.

Aurorae glanced at Arisis and saw her shaking something that was in her hand. "I already gave him a health potent." Aurorae said, eyeing the bottle in Arisis' hand.

"Was that before or after he decided to start dancing like a drunken Irishman?" Arisis inquired. But before she could reply, Arisis tipped the vial into his mouth. For several minutes, Max was still convulsing and Arisis thought that the potion wasn't strong enough. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but before she could, Max suddenly went limp.

Aurorae, fearing the worst, put two fingers on his neck, but then sighed a relief. "He's alright,†she said. "He's alive," She looked inquiringly at Arisis, “What did you...â€

"I wouldn't exactly rely on potions you get from a store,†Arisis replied grimly, "and for good reason. Let's get him off the floor."

-------------------------------------

The sun was now steadily rising up from the treetops. Most of everybody was asleep and those who were awake were either drinking or talking. Aurorae, however, was silent, replaying the events that had happened earlier. Suddenly, she said, "These potions worked on the others that got this fever. Estirdalin said it had cured the the others at the castle who had fallen ill as well." She raised her head as if she was expecting an answer from someone.

"And who made these potions, you or this Estirdalin?" Arisis demanded, "From what I saw, it didn't work out the way you thought it would, which makes me think that you gave him some random potion someone gave you and you had no clue as to what it did. Rule of thumb in Alchemy: If you don't know what it does, don't use it."

"I know this worked on the others that had the fever!" she said aggressively.

"Yes, but apparently he was better off with a mild Cure Disease potion, was he not?" Arisis demanded. She had gotten up moments before and now she was almost face-to-face with Aurorae.

“That was technically a Cure Disease potion!â€

“Technically," Arisis pointed out, "but exactly how sure were you about it? How did you know that it was going to cure him and not kill him? Cause by the looks of things, he was getting worse, not better, was he not?"

“Well, how was I supposed to know that he was going to react like that? We don't exactly have Dunmers in the castle; we couldn't just pick one to be our Guinea pig and see if he reacts the same as the others!â€

“I wasn't suggesting you use a Dunmer as a Guinea pig...!â€

Errandran shook his head, “These two are going to wake up the whole wood if they keep this up. Who knows, maybe she'll attract some of those trolls over here, won't that top off our bright morning?†Grond, who sitting nearby, snorted.

“Ha, and she thought me 'n' Garulf bickering was childish. She should hear herself sometime.â€

“You two are just not going to let me sleep, are you?†muttered a voice. Arisis and Aurorae both immediately fell silent and looked towards one of the couches as Max raised his head, then rolled over and started coughing. Aurorae rushed over to Max's side and put her hand to his forehead

“You alright?†Aurorae asked.

“Yeah...yeah, I think. Am I?†He asked, looking at her, but it was Arisis that replied.

"For now, I think.†Max turned his head towards her, “I don't know that much about the Tapali fever, though, but..."

"Woah woah, wait," Aurorae suddenly interrupted, "The what fever?"

"Well, I don't know any other diseases that give you a rash behind your left ear." Arisis said sarcastically. Aurorae looked at her inquiringly, then moved Max's hair out of the way: there was indeed a dark spot behind his ear, but it was almost the same color of his skin that no wonder Aurorae didn't catch it at first.

"Wow, good eye." Aurorae said, looking impressed. "But how'd you know where to look?"

“Didn't,†she replied simply. “I saw it cause I was on the left side of his head, trying to help you two hold him down, wasn't I?â€

“But how did you even know what the Tapali fever is?†Aurorae demanded, suddenly standing up, her heart beating quicker than usual. Was this the person she could be looking for? The person who knew what this fever was, who the mysterious stranger is, and perhaps anything about Fort Linchal?

“There was a reference to it in one of the preparation books for Necromancers. It mentioned that Necromancers should stay away from corpses who was killed by the fever, as the fever was contagious and deadly. The way you found out if you accidentally dug up one of the victims was to check behind the left ear for a rash.†Arisis frowned, “Which raises the question,†she turned to Max “how did you catch this fever?â€

Edited March 12, 2010 by Xinimator

[Maxwell the Fool]

Max looked up, astonished.

"It sounds as if you're accusing me of necromancy!"

"Maybe..." Replied Arisis.

"I don't need to answer to you, certainly I don't need to listen while you make wild accusations!" He was yelling now, his voice horse from all of the coughing, and drops of blood spraying from his mouth. He was in no condition to argue like this, and seriously considered drawing his blade and slaughtering these to women; how difficult could it be? But then he looked around. To many people, innocent people. And what had Arisis done but ask a question? In any case, telling them how he'd contracted it would require a lengthy explanation which he preferred to not give; his past was HIS past, and certainly not the business of any of these bickering brats.

He looked Arisis in the eye defiantly and said, "I don't know." They both knew it was a lie, and Arisis stood there, equally defiant, as if no answer had been given at all. Max stood and walked to the other end of the tavern. Arisis stayed where she was, still as a statue, surprise etched on her face at the Dunmer's cold defiance.

[Arion]

This was quite a turn of events.

Arisis was right, she should have been more methodical in her questioning Estirdalin about the cure potent. What were the symptoms besides fever, reactions to the potent, and could it affect various races differently.

Still it was rude of her to treat Aurorae that way. After all they were both healers. Aurorae felt like just telling Arisis to go take a flying leap off Dive Rock, however, it was Max's potential health that concerned her. And if this was as contagious as Arisis suggested, then there was a good chance everyone who was there was exposed. Fighting with this arrogant hot head would solve no problems.

Aurorae turned to Arisis and said; "You were right, I really should have followed my normal procedures of testing and evaluation, but at the rate it was spreading I was concerned about others who might have come into contact with that mysterious traveler." The last thing I wanted to see was a plague spreading across the countryside." she continued.

"When Prior Faric and I talked about it, I didn't think to go see the kitchen maid and see how she was doing; " she said. "Because when he mentioned the traveler's mumbling of necromancers and a Fort Linchal in his fevered state, I have seen and experienced some of what they are capable of through my years of hunting them down for killing my family." she went on.

Aurorae explained that the only one she knew that had any dealings with necromancers in the past was her blind mage. That she had found her secluded in a small room in the basement at the Cheydinhal Mage's guild. Grudgingly accepting the hospitality of the guild members, but with a deep passion for wanting to extract her revenge upon her husband. She'd caught him in the act of dismembering a local peasant and his family to gather parts for his experiments. In an attempt to keep her from notifying the local mage's guild he had blinded her in both eyes. Estirdalin had managed somehow to escape from the cave and while wandering blindly in the forest was found by one of the mage's guild members out gathering herbs and taken to the local guild hall in Cheydinhal. Guild members had attempted to find this cave, but with Estirdalin blinded they had no way of knowing with any accuracy where it was located. She could only give them a vague picture of what the exterior looked like as she remembered it before she had been blinded; it was upon a hill and overlooked the valley below. It had been Estirdalin's favorite past time to go out on the ledge and watch the sunrises and sunsets.

Now after all these long months of recuperating from the trauma of her injuries she longed to go back and take her revenge upon this man who had done this to her. She asked Aurorae if she would kindly lead her to the place if possible, since being an adventurer Aurorae might recognize some of the landmarks along the way. In return, Estirdalin offered to come to Aurorae's castle and work for her as long as she was given the necessary space to work in, in exchange for helping lead her to the cave.

"Arisis," Aurorae said. "Estirdalin is a very experienced mage. The thought that she may have been in such a hurry to find a cure for this ravaging fever without following the proper protocols would be the last thing I would expect from her. She has been with me for a good number of years now and I trust her with not only my life, but with lives of everyone in the castle." Aurorae continued; "The villagers in our area refer to her as their "Unseeing Protector" and frequently come and take her for walks in the forest and hills to gather herbs and spices. She willingly shares her knowledge of some of the plants to help the farmers protect their crops and even teaches some of the children about the ways of the good mages and use of helpful spells."

Aurorae hesitated for a for a few seconds and then went on. "I have no reason to believe that Estirdalin knew anything about this Tapali fever based on her history. For her to have come up with a curing potent the way she did to save our people, I consider a blessing!" Aurorae said in a forceful tone of voice.

"I want to thank you for your help with Maxwell." Aurorae said in a much gentler voice. "It's still unknown whether the potent which I gave him was working the way it was supposed to or not. Maybe with dunmers there needs to be additional ingredients to make it effective without some of the side effects which we just witnessed." And with that Aurorae said; "However, I'm still really interested in how you know so much about necromancers and why you were studying the black arts." Maybe you can explain it sometime after Maxwell is better."

With that said, Aurorae started to turn toward Maxwell and the others when a sudden wave of nausea passed over her. She thought to herself; "I hope this isn't the fever I'm coming down with. It's probably from the long journey here and the lack of sleep."

Aurorae regained her composure and looked to Maxwell and said; "I honestly don't know what happened and why you had the reaction you did. I hope you accept my apology."

Maxwell looked at Aurorae and saw in her face that she really was concerned about his reaction. He then looked over at Arisis, still standing over there against the wall, still as a statue, surprise etched on her face, both from his defiance and Aurorae's last questioning of Arisis' knowledge of the black arts. He weakly turned back to face Aurorae and said; "I know you tried what you thought was best. Actually I am glad both of you ladies happened to be around. I don't know if I would have lived without both of you being here." Maxwell continued in a weary voice; "If you don't mind I'd like to rest as I'm really tired. Maybe tomorrow, if I feel better I will tell you my story." and with that he drifted off into a sound sleep.

Aurorae turned to Errandran and Grond and began to say something to them when suddenly, without any warning she collapsed to the floor.

Edited March 13, 2010 by Arion

[charlescrowe]

The tavern was peacefull, dark as it was in the early morning mist as Raurke and Serenity stumbled over the threshold, Raurke holding the rotting stub of his sword arm. "We HAVE to find out what's happening to you, brother!" Serenity whispered fearfully. Raurke stared almost lifelessly into his sister's eyes, "I know exactly what's happening. I've neglected maintaining my body's integrity by not feeding properly. As a result..." Raurke petered off into a dazed stare at what used to be his arm.

"Feeding? you've been eating hearty meals for the past couple of months!" Serenity nearly shouted. "No... Remember, Revenants are almost exactly like vampires... we need a host's life energy. Sadly, revenants feed on the souls of victims. For me to survive, a life must be taken, and I can't justify taking a life like that."

Once in their room, Serenity dug in her rucksack, removing a small stone, it gave off a pale blue light in the dim candle light. "Raurke..." her worried look still in her features, "use this." She pressed the stone into Raurke's good hand.

Edited March 17, 2010 by charlescrowe

[charlescrowe]

Raurke hobbled down the steps, looking better, but still at a loss as to why his arm wouldn't regenerate, even after consuming 3 more souls from his sister's collection. As he reached the bottom step, a small figure, about waist height bumped into him. Raurke, painfully aware that he still smelled like rot and death, apologized, then flickered past the figure, re-appearing in front of the barkeep. "Ah, friend, I believe we have a payment to settle." Raurke dug into his robe with his good arm, and pulled out a small pusre of coins, handing it to the barkeep. "And Serenity will need some vittles." Raurke added as an afterthought.

_______

Serenity sat there, slumped against the wall, shock and horror on her face after what she had witnessed her brother doing.

[charlescrowe]

Toady hobbled over to Serenity, two big, shiny red apples in hand, and plopped in her lap, stuffing one in her mouth. "Serry wanna talk about it?" the diminutive goblin chittered, settling into his own apple. "Is he really still the same man I've known all these years?" Serenity mumbled through the apple in her mouth, juice dribbling down her chin.

"Yeah... Rokey can get uggy sometimes. Like when he fought da udda Rokey back in my home caves." Toady commented, recalling the campaign under Sutch. Serenity choked slightly. "Other Raurke?" she spat out when she recovered. "Ya, da one came outta Rokey's noggin! big fight, Toady almost couldn't see it!" Toady's eyes grew big as tea saucers as he told the story, acting out Raurke's final attack when he came to the end. "And then, Rokey grabbed da udda Rokey's noggin, and SPLOSH! a big ball of fire shot out!"

_______

"Arlow, I'll be leaving for a bit. I've got business to attend to with my underlings." Raurke commented, flickering out of sight.

Edited March 21, 2010 by charlescrowe

[charlescrowe]

The morning sunshine warmed the back of Serenity's head as she wandered into conciousness. The night had been spent in a vivid dream about a feral Raurke chasing after her, which she now slowly pushed out of her mind as she saw the black-stained sheets on her twin's bed. "Aye-ahh!" she muttered, stripping the bed and slowly wandering down to the washroom to clean up, hoping the way was clear. "Morning, Arlow!" she beamed as her gaze happened across the kindly barkeep. "Ah, G'marnin' missy, don't worry about the linens, yer brother's explained it to me. You best get somethin' tasty in yer gullet, and I'd best get those bed-linens cleaned up before everyone shows up fer breakfast." The old barkeep rambled as he took the bundle of linens from Serenity.

______

The room Ruarke was in smelled terribly of rot, death, and dark magick. He made a mental note to stop in the hotsprings and wash himself before any further interaction with the rest of the Tavern's tenants. He looked at his new prosthetic, a bleached white set of bones, magickally bonded to what remained of his own arm, joined at the elbow. "I'll have to come up with quite a story for this..." he muttered to himself, working the skeletal fingers, amazed at the quality of the lichcraft involved in this particular bit of necromancy. "You'll get used to the clicking and rattling eventually, M'lord." his attending necromancer noted, then wandered off as Raurke disappeared, headed back to the Tavern to bathe, then check on his twin.

Edited March 21, 2010 by charlescrowe

[charlescrowe]

After Raurke had spent the better half of an hour scrubbing away the filth, grime, and foul scents of his latest misadventure, he laid himself back, enjoying the warmth of the hotspring as he levitated a small orb of water an inch or two above his new appendage, testing how easily magick flowed through the new conduit. "This turn of events must have been hard for Serenity to bear." he thought to himself, then dressed and headed back to the tavern, slightly embarrassed at his behavior with the young woman he'd met at the hotspring.

_____________

Serenity was near the back door of the tavern, stretching and getting ready for a relaxing bath, when she felt something on her shoulder. As she looked, her stomach dropped and she screamed, turning fast and swinging as hard as she could at what she had thought was a re-animated skeleton, only to send her brother hard to the ground as her fist connected with his jaw. Dazed, Raurke laughed and said "Morning to you too, sunshine!" as he rubbed his jaw. "Serves you right for scaring me like that, jerk." Serenity fumed as she helped him to his feet. "Where'd you get that thing anyway?" she asked. "This?" Raurke replied, holding up his sword arm. "From no where." Serenity's eyes widened. "By the Nine!" she gasped.

[WillieSea]

Thunder rumbled across the rolling hills of County Kvatch as lightning flashed across the sky. Arwin looked to the North as he rode Aarow along his patrol route with a puzzled look on his face. He had seen many such storms come in from the west where the warm waters of the great Abecean Sea birthed many such tempests. But for one to come from the North out of the frozen lands of Hammerfell was not only unusual it was unheard of.

The Tavern was just ahead so Arwin nudged Aarow into a gallop. The very air around them seemed to be turning a pale shade of green as the storm approached. He was about to spur Aarow to go faster when the horse instinctively started galloping up the dirt road past the eerily surreal landscape, his ears flattened against his head as he sensed the impending storm.

They galloped hard down the packed clay road for several minutes as they raced towards the storm front and what looked like a wall of water coming down. A strong wind rushed ahead of the storm carrying the smell of rain and the sharp tang of lightning. Arwin encouraged Aarow along as they raced for the safety and shelter of the Tavern stable which just now coming into sight. He watched the falling wall of water closed in on them as they made a last ditch effort for the dry stable.

Arwin ducked his head as Aarow rushed into the stable just as the first big drops of rain splattered them. After their mad dash for the safety of the stable, they came to a skittering halt in front of Aarow’s favorite stall. The stable boy looked down wide-eyes from his perch up in the rafters where he had jumped upon seeing the horse and rider gallop at full speed towards him. Still gasping for air with eyes as big as saucers the stable boy finally fell from the rafters and took Aarow’s reins. To this, Aarow snorted and led the stable boy into the stall where he waited for some oats.

Arwin looked out the stable window frames as the downpour started. The thunder was booming overhead now, rattling dust from the rafters with each flash of lightning. There was no way he was going to run through that deluge just to get into the Tavern proper. He figured he could wait a few minutes until the storm passed before venturing out.

The very air seemed to become energized around Arwin as he watched the storm rage on outside. The hair on his arm stood up straight as electrical energy seemed to course around him. The rain was quickly flooding the front yard of the tavern where it formed small streams and ran off to lower lying areas.

Soon a dull rumble could be heard from the North, like the sound of a legion of horsemen charging their enemy. The rain quickly turned to hail as the dark cloud seemed to move directly overhead. The hail quickly grew in size as a cold wind blew through the stable making Arwin shiver. The thunder and lightning suddenly increased in rhythm, the flashes and booming reaching a crescendo!

And then, one final bolt of lightning the size of which Arwin had never seen before struck the woods just across the dirt road from the Tavern, the deafening boom so loud it knocked him back from his perch by the window. He picked himself up off the hay bales he had fallen against and blinked his eyes to clear up the after image of the golden bolt of lightning that blurred his vision.

It was then that he notice the thunder and lightning had stopped! So had the rain. In fact, the sky was starting to brighten as the once thick black clouds dissipated rapidly. There was no sound at all, even the wind had died. It was as if nature was in shock from the sudden abatement of the strange storm.

Arwin knew something was not right and normally would have ignored the lightning strikes. But that last one had the portent of something unusual, especially with the storm dissipating right after it had struck. He quickly rushed outside and crunched through the thick hail that still covered the ground, attesting to the fact that what he had just experienced was real and no illusion. He quickly headed across the road and into the tree line on the other side just as patrons from the Tavern were starting to pour out the front door.

He quickly readied his bow with an arrow as he stealthily moved through the soaking wet underbrush to where he thought the large bolt of lightning had struck. After a few minutes of moving further into the woods, the sounds of animals and insects could be heard again as they regained their confidence in the world. Arwin let out a sigh of relief, knowing they would still be silent if there was some foul beast ahead. Regardless, he kept his guard up as he advanced further and further into the woods.

He soon saw what looked like smoke rising not far away. As he moved closer, he could make out the burned trees above as well as a large burned area in the brush below. In the center of the burned area was a smoldering mass of something. Arwin gasped in surprise! It looks to be a humanoid creature of light skin…

He rushed forward to check on this creature, even though his mind told him nothing could have survived such a large blast of lightning. As he neared it, it took on the shape of a humanoid and what-ever clothing it wore was smoldering, the smoke of which mingled with the smoke from the burnt underbrush that rose into the still air through a smoking hole in the trees above. The humanoid was a male by the looks of it, his skin darkened from the soot and ashes of the little fires.

Arwin exclaimed, “By the Nine!” as he saw the man’s chest moving rhythmically. Arwin quickly checked for a pulse which he found easily. The man appeared to be in his twenties and amazingly did not appear to be burnt of hurt in any way. Arwin took his cloak off and wrapped it around the man and hefted him onto his shoulders for the long slow walk back to the Tavern. Arwin tried not to think about what kind of a person could have survived such a blast of lighting.

The man remained unconscious but did groan on occasion as Arwin hauled him back to the Tavern through the thick underbrush and scratching tree limbs. Progress back to the road was a slow and arduous task which seemed to take hours as Arwin pondered the condition of his charge. There had been nothing else in the small burned-out crater the man had been lying in, no weapons or equipment, and only the tattered and burned remains of clothing and armor were all he had.

Arwin finally broke free from the confines of the forest and grunted under his heavy load. The Tavern was just ahead where he could get a room for the stranger to recuperate in. There were still a few patrons outside talking about the freak storm as Arwin approached the front doors.

Arwin shifted his load slightly and called out, “Thorin! Yes you, get that door open!” Arwin hauled his load inside, ignoring the questioning looks about what he carried over his shoulder in the wrapped cloak. He also ignored the gasping noises as the patrons realized he carried an unconscious soot covered man.

He headed directly for the stair and yelled over to Wilson, “I’ll need my room for a while. Please bring food and drink on up.” Wilson was already in the kitchen before Arwin took the first step up the stairs. From the barmaid he ordered warm soapy water and plenty of towels.

Arwin sighed, It was going to be a long night…

[grond]

"Stendarr's icy toes!" Grond cried. He had been soaking in the hot springs after the strange newcomers had gone off ( or had been helped off ) to vacant rooms, and he had just become peaceable again, his eyes growing heavy and his thoughts growing warm. As always when he was gone from her, Grond's mind turned towards the village of Udolf, and Failan, his woman there.

Then without warning, the clear night sky became suddenly blackened with clouds which raced ever towards him, it seemed. Amid the steams of the springs the Nord felt a brisk wind, a chilly herald. And then the water came.

It wasn't rain so much as it was as if some divine had moved a portion of the Sea and dropped it on the Gold Coast. And when it came down upon the naked Nord, he howled in the darkened morning, and threw out the epithet:

"Stendarr's icy toes!!" cried the Nord, and he sunk his head below the rain, into the warm water of the springs. Holding his breath Grond heard a strange thunder, and then, even from beneath his watery blanket he saw the sky flash bright, as if the sun came on - in all the strength of noon - for one instant.

"But that ain't right!" Grond thought. So he leapt out of the water and remembered to put on his pants, and raced up the path towards the front of the Tavern and the Road beside it. "For there!" - he called out to a few people just now stepping out of the rear door - "out in the front is where it struck!"

The rain had ended just as swiftly as it began, leaving the air fresh and chill. Grond came ahead of the small group, and just as he got there, he spied Arwin entering the Tavern. "Hi! Arwin!" cried the Nord, but Arwin was calling for the door to be opened, and did not hear him. The Altmer bore on his shoulders a lifeless figure, but in the clean cold air, the form smoldered as if the man had been burned.

So Grond moved through the onlookers as if they were grass and made his way to the bar, as a platter of meats and bread was thrust into his hands. Arlow winked at the Nord. "Be a good lad there, will ye?" said the barkeep. Grond headed up the stairs in front of the wave of patrons.

At the top, the Nord halted and the crowd jostled behind. "All right now," called Grond, "I'll be the only one goin in, see? There's an injured. . .something . . . in there. I'll duck out and let ye know what's the outcome of it.

Just as the Nord entered and the door closed, through the crowd came Arisis, Elm and Rios, and they edged to the fore. As they did they heard Grond bellow in a throaty, hearty shout, which rattled the windows like thunder.

"Willie!!"

[DarkRider]

Near Anvil...

A brief storm passed through Kvatch County, and grey clouds still loomed overhead at midday when Red and Quinn reached the gate of Anvil City. As they drew close they could hear a chorus of whinnying and the thunder of anxious hooves as a small herd of horses galloped, bucked, and screamed defiantly as they fled handling.

“Hell of a racket,” the town guard said to them as they dismounted Savior, “new crop of horses at the stables has been causing a ruckus for a couple weeks now. You best hold tight to your rein miss,” he advised Red, “I’ve seen the tamest of horses turn on their masters to spook with that lot.”

Red laughed, “Not this horse,” she patted Savior gently and the appaloosa snorted toward the stables as he bent his head down to nibble sweet grass.

She followed Quinn toward the stables and the two of them leaned against the gate to watch the group for a few moments. The stable hands were offering oats and trying to calm the horses, but the herd was too stirred up to respond, following a powerful stallion at the lead. He was a heavy war horse, dappled dark silver, so dark that there was scarcely any white on his coat at all. His mane, tail, and hocks were so dark they were almost black. He kicked and reared whenever anyone tried to get close.

Red admired the excellent horseflesh in front of her, but had to admit she wouldn’t choose any of them for her own in Quinn’s place. They were too wild, too afraid, they would take much gentle handling to tame. These would be better cut loose in a wide pasture to graze and calm for a few weeks. She glanced over at Quinn, his jaw was taut and his eyes locked on the stallion leading the herd in a wild madness.

“See one you like?” she asked, then motioned to the stallion, “You’re not thinking to tame that one are you? By the looks of him I’d say you’d be hard pressed to saddle him even.”

Quinn cast a brief sideways glance her way and nodded his head, “He’s the one as fates would have it,” he answered, “He was my father’s horse, called Titan. He was stolen months ago…before Elm and I came to Cyrodiil.”

Red clicked her tongue sympathetically and shook her head, “Poor thing has madness in his eyes, Quinn. What he’s likely been through can ruin a horse forever I fear.”

“Not Titan,” Quinn replied, though in his gut he knew Red could be right. In many ways, seeing Titan so terrified, so full of hate and madness, was like seeing his family murdered all over again. He wanted to save Titan from this suffering, but uncertainty filled him. The warhorse had never been inclined to bear another rider other than his father; he would need luck on his side to be sure and suddenly found himself wishing for one of Elm’s fortune potions.

“I need to get closer to him, close enough to try and calm him without getting trampled.”

“Use Savior,” Red offered, “you can ride him into the yard and he’ll keep you out from under foot. He may even help quiet the herd.”

Quinn looked at her in surprise then nodded, “Thank you Red.”

She smiled, “Happy to help. Go on then.”

Having heard his name, Savior had already grazed his way toward them and allowed Quinn to take his rein and climb into the saddle. Red patted his neck, “Steady boy. Show them how to be proper horses again.”

Red opened the gate long enough for Quinn to ride into the yard. The stable hands called out for him to be careful as he moved Savior into the herd. Just as Red had predicted, the little steed would not spook and his calm nature seemed infectious to the other horses. Savior snorted and nudged them with his broad nose, grunting and clicking. The horses seemed to be speaking in a way only they could understand, the herd began to quiet and some even calmed enough to take interest in the offered oats across the yard. Only Titan remained steadfast, it was his panic, his fear that was unsettling the entire stable.

Quinn moved Savior close to Titan, trying to corner the frightened stallion between Savior and the fence. Savior seemed hesitant; he was bearing a strange rider, and approaching a very unhappy horse that was several hands higher than he was.

“Don’t quit on me now boy,” Quinn patted Savior gently, “I’m counting on you to help me talk sense to him,” he coaxed.

Savior tossed his head as if nodding his understanding and moved as close to Titan as the thrashing allowed. The big stallion snorted and whinnied, but seemed confused as to why this strange little pony wouldn’t follow his lead or at least back away. He stamped the ground furiously and his eyes were wild.

“Take your time, Quinn,” Red encouraged from the fence gate, “we can wait him out if we need to.”

Quinn nodded, taking a breath, and reached a low hand toward Titan’s muzzle. The stallion huffed and drew in his scent then steadily began to calm; snuffing and inhaling deeply he seemed entranced by the memory of that familiar air.

“Easy Titan,” the young Imperial coaxed, “steady now boy.”

Titan squeaked in a choked whinny that sounded remarkably like relief as he pressed his nose into Quinn’s hand. Quinn smile and traced his hand over the horse’s face, stroking his fur gently. Titan nickered and grunted sweetly and Quinn felt confident he could take a hold of the halter. As his finger slipped under the rope Titan reared tossing his head back and pulling Quinn from his seat. The Imperial landed on his back in the dust with a thud as Titan whinnied angrily and thundered away to the far side of the stable yard. Quinn groaned and coughed for the breath that had been knocked out of him and Savior appeared over him whuffing in his ear as if checking him for life. Quinn shooed him away as he sat up.

“I’m okay.”

“Too fast,” Red said appearing on the other side of the fence behind him. He cast a look her way and found her giving him a smugly crooked grin.

“Shut up,” he responded dryly, picking himself up and dusting himself off, “I thought he was ready, seemed to be going okay.”

Red watched Titan bucking wildly, “Give him time Quinn, let him see you’re here for him.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her, “How?”

---------------------------------------------------

Hours had passed the sun had long since gone below the horizon, and stars twinkled over the city of Anvil. The bells could be heard ringing in the harbor beyond the city walls. Quinn was seated on a rickety wooden bench inside the stable fence watching the yard as he had been all day. Titan had finally calmed a bit and was grazing on grass, occasionally casting a curious look his way. Red appeared toting two flagons of warm mead from the local tavern and seated herself next to him. He accepted the mead she offered and they settled in to wait.

“Well, this is cozy,” Red said in a cheery whisper, nursing her flagon to warm herself against the cold.

Quinn shrugged, “I’ve slept in worse places.”

“I believe it,” Red laughed. A long silence fell between them before Red spoke again, “it’s strange how little we know about you Quinn. All sorts find their way to our little tavern, finding a home there…even Elm is finding her place, but you’re different aren’t you? Always seems as though this is just a step for you on a longer journey.”

He seemed to consider it a moment, “I suppose it seems that way because it is so. I need to make my way north to Chorrol, and soon.”

“You have family there?”

“No,” he answered quickly, “I’m tailing a thief, one who took something precious from me.”

“The one who attacked you before we met?”

Quinn nodded, “Yes, it’s important that Elm and…I catch up to him before he moves further north.”

“You hesitated,” Red called him out, “you’re not sure you’ll go?”

“I must go,” he said, his eyes locked on Titan, “I’m just not certain that Elm will still come with me. She seems to care for you and yours quite a bit. In a way…this task was always more mine than hers, though she made the road easier I won’t deny that.”

Red nodded thoughtfully, “It’s good to have friends. I remember a time when I thought the world was on my shoulders too.”

Quinn scoffed choking on his mead, “Oh do you, enlightened one,” he teased, “at most you’re a summer older than I am.”

It was Red’s turn to laugh, “Well looks can be deceiving.”

Over the next few hours, Red shared the tales with Quinn, telling him about the Rider and the way she had come to the tavern. About losing her life in trying to save her friends and the sacrifice her daughter made for her in return. Quinn told a tale of his own, telling Red about his family’s murder and how he and Elm had tracked the murders to Cyrodiil. At some point, Quinn fell asleep watching Titan browse the grasses nearby.

The sun rose on the horizon and a clear sky pinked as the world came back to life. It wasn’t the sun that roused him, but the warm breath and gentle nudging of Titan’s muzzle against his chest. He woke slowly and gently took the stallion’s face in his hands. This time, Titan allowed him to take his halter in hand.

“That’s my boy, Titan,” he praised as he stood and fastened a leader to the halter, “this isn’t the place for you, you belong with me.”

“You looking to buy that monster, stranger?” the voice of a female Redguard broke into the stillness of their reunion. Quinn turned to find the stable owner looking at him, her hands planted firmly on her hips, “I’d like to make some coin off him, but he’s wild and you’d be doing me such a favor taking him I should pay you!” she laughed, “Eight hundred gold and he’s yours.”

“Worth every coin and more,” Quinn answered. He settled up with the stable owner and purchased saddle and tack as well. As he led Titan into the yard, Red reappeared atop Savior.

“He’s a fine horse, Quinn,” Red approved then grinned, “but don’t be surprised if he throws you back on the ground the first time,” she warned teasingly.

Quinn rolled his eyes, “Fair enough,” he gathered Titan’s reins and gently slipped his foot in the stirrup. Titan shifted nervously, “whoa, whoa,” Quinn coaxed and patting the stallion’s side. He eased himself up into the saddle. When he first took his seat, Titan pranced about unsteadily, but some encouraging words helped him find his footing.

As the two kneed their mounts forward toward the high road north, a small reddish creature appeared on the road ahead of them.

“Isn’t that your fox?” Red asked shifting Savior to the side of the road.

Quinn sighed in relief at the sight of his wayward companion; he had started wondering if the fox had been snagged in a snare somewhere.

“Crevan,” he called in a friendly way, “where have you been?”

Red cocked her head, “is there something in his mouth?”

Quinn brought Titan to a stop and swung down, leading his mount closer to the fox. When he came over him, Crevan dropped what he carried. Quinn knelt on one knee to pet him, then picked up the small article, and stared at it a minute before turning back and passing it to Red. The lady thief turned the small piece of tattered cloth over in her hand. It was seeped in fresh blood...

[Arion]

Aurorae woke with a start, half in the bed and half on the floor. She gathered herself up and looked around dazed thinking, "Where am I?" On the chair beside the bed, neatly folded were her traveling clothes. Then she realized that she was in her sleeping garment. With a further inspection of her surroundings she saw her chest with the potions, a fresh bowl of water, clean clothes and a number of various bottles of potions. Without thinking a small, hoarse raspy whisper escaped her lips as she thought; "Where am I ? What's happened?" The last thing she remembered was being at a tavern and going to pay her bill.

Suddenly it dawned on her that outside the door there was a loud commotion. As quickly as she could she changed into her traveling clothes and headed out the door to see what the commotion was all about. Just as she stepped out the door she bumped into that Nord from the night before, the one that gave her a discomfortable feeling. He looked as if he had come running to an emergency considering his clothes were disheveled. And his pants were on backwards !

"Good afternoon Miss, but you'll have to excuse me. There seems to be an injured man that was just brought in by Arwin." he said.

Aurorae managed to get out the words; "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not at the moment." he said. "If you don't mind, would you please go downstairs and if I need you I will call for you." he continued. And with that he went through the door in front of him.

As Aurorae started to move to the stairs she heard a loud bellow "WILLIE" come from behind the door. Aurorae started to go in to see what was going on and thought better of it. Maybe she better wait until he called for her. He had certainly looked as if he was in a agitated mood. With that she continued to the stairs and eased her way through the crowd, noticing a number of new faces.

As she approached the barkeep he said; "Good afternoon Miss. You gave us quite a start there the other night." "The other night?" asked Aurorae.

"Yes, the other night." said Wilson. "You and Miss Arisis had just healed Maxwell and as you approached Grond and Errandran you suddenly collapsed on the floor." he then continued. "They brought you up to your room and Miss Arisis has been tending to you the past couple of days."

"How is Maxwell doing?" Aurorae replied, the events suddenly returning to her memory.

"He is doing well Miss, still a little weak but he is recovering well." Wilson replied.

"And Arisis?" asked Aurorae. "I'll need to thank her for caring for me while I was sick." Aurorae continued. "What all has happened while I was out? There are a number of new faces here."

"Miss Arisis stepped out this morning and said she would be back after gathering some more herbs to check in on you." Wilson said. He then filled her in on things that had been happening for the past couple of days. He told her the story about the young girls and Raurke and Serenity.

When he was finished Aurorae said, "Thank you Wilson. I appreciate all that everyone has done for me. I believe I owe you for my room for the last couple of days. If you don't mind I'd like to pay in advance for a couple of more days." and with that she reached into the folds of her traveling clothes and withdrew a small bag of coins. Aurorae gave Wilson the coins and said, "Here's a little extra for all the trouble that you have gone through."

"Why thank you Miss, it was no trouble. We were worried about you. Miss Arisis said that it appeared that you had come down with the fever as well, though it seemed to be relatively mild." said Wilson. "Being unconscious for a couple of days had us concerned though." Wilson continued.

"I had taken the potion while on my journey here. Maybe it was a combination of the fever and the tiredness of my journey that contributed to my being unconscious the past few days." Aurorae said. "I'm still a bit weak and I'm really famished Wilson. Would you mind if I could have a platter of food and a warm mead brought to me at one of the tables?" Aurorae asked.

"Certainly Miss, just go find yourself a comfortable seat and I'll have it to you shortly." Wilson said. And with that he headed in the back room.

Aurorae went over to one of the tables and sat close to where the crowd had gathered to see if she could find out what was going on. While sitting there she thought, "If what Wilson said is true I'll need to talk with the girls and see if maybe they can help me." Within a few minutes Wilson brought her a platter of food, a potato roll and a large warm mug of mead.

[WhoGuru]

Red frowned, examining the tattered cloth. It looked to have been ripped from someone's pack and a she could just make out a brand beneath the blood. She swung her leg over and dropped off Savior's back. "I'm going to see if the horsematron recognizes this."

Quinn climbed back up on Titan, pulling Crevan up with him and watched Red jog back to the stable and wave over the Redguard woman and her husband. After several minutes she came back, tossing herself up in Savior's saddle again and tucked the cloth into her saddlebag. "Anything?" He asked.

Red nodded. "Yes, they recognize the brand. It's a farm out in the grasslands. I'm going for a look." She said and raised an eyebrow in challenge at him. "Ready to give that boy of yours some exercise?"

Quinn stared for a moment, feeling Titan tense with energy below him and grinned, something he hadn't done in a long time. Without a word he kneed the mighty stallion, sending him leaping ahead down the road and heard Red's laughter behind him.

[JackTheHedge]

From beneath the leaves of a girthy oak tree, still swaying from the winds of the tempest that had dissipated as quickly as it had begun, a boy of middling height emerges carrying a large leather bag in his thin arms. “That was an odd storm… Thankfully, I found some cover! I can’t afford to get these books wet!†he thinks to himself as he checks the contents of his luggage for any water damage. Satisfied, he continues his trek through County Kvatch, boots squelching in the still wet ground.

“I’ll need to find an inn… it’s far too late for me to be walking around like this!†He shivers and pulls his green velvet coat tighter around himself as he thinks about that strange storm that had ended abruptly only moments ago. As if in answer to his desire for a warm bed and shelter, the messenger boy notices a set of lights off in the distance.

The young man picks up his pace; trotting through the wind flattened grass and harried shrubs in his knee high boots. As he approaches the building, he detects an oddly metallic smell lingering in the air, as if the area had been recently charged with a great volume of electricity. Paying no heed to the scent, the boy walks up to the threshold of the tavern and opens the unlocked door, stepping into the warmth of the inn and immediately approaching the innkeeper.

“Good evening, young sir.†The innkeeper says to the newest customer. “M’ name’s Wilson. What can I get for you? Food, refreshments, or perhaps a clean bed?â€

“Good e’ening to you, as well, Mister Wilson.†The messenger speaks with a hint of a crude beggar’s accent, sounding rather strange coming from one so finely dressed. “You may call me Arles. I’d like to stay in one of your rooms for the night, if I may.â€