[I]Hegathe Guard Barracks[/I]

[I]Within the outer walls of the compound, Blade was confronted with a large two story structure. To his immediate right to the East, a large training courtyard with archery target, training dummies, and an agility course sat unused on account the majority of the guards being deployed to quell the current uprising. Across from the building was a shady garden with flowering shrubs, an aquifer-fed fountain (which also provided fresh water to the barracks), and a covered patio with various floor cushions and short tables with various dining implements still across the surfaces; the guards clearly left in a hurry.

The structure’s lower floor contained the common area for the guards that had a direct exit to the South, as well as a separate sleeping area branching off to the West and a locked armoury to the North. To the East, the room gave way to a long corridor with six detaining cells, three on either side, meant for short overnight stays until transport could be arranged to take the prisoners to court to stand trial or the rowdy drunks had a chance to sleep off their stupor. Passed that was a reception area with an adjoining interrogation room. The entrance here is to the East. There is a storage cellar beneath the building, accessible from the outside to the North, but it is secured with a heavy iron bar and padlock. All of the windows on the bottom floor are protected by shutters and iron bars.

The building’s second floor, accessed by a locked staircase from the reception area, leads to the quarters of the Guard Captain’s suite, which encompasses half of the upper floor and is dominated by an open floor plan and is surrounded by a second story balcony. The man lives opulently, but securely. [/I]

The unmistakable sounds of conflict rang through the air, catching the attention of the bored guard sitting at the reception desk. He grabbed a mace from the floor beside him, a sense of dread and unease filling his heart. Normally, there were at least fifteen guards in the barracks at any given time, often more. Now there were but seven, himself included, plus Captain Doshin’s two elite bodyguards. The rest had departed under the Captain’s orders to bring about order before the citizens foolishly destroyed large sections of the city and killed someone. The receptionist hurried to a window and was greeted by the sight of two of his coworkers dead by the gate. He covered his mouth in shock, stepping back. Like most Redguard, he was a trained warrior, but not a very practiced one. Not two hours ago, he had spoken to both of those men and made plans to meet up in the park in the afternoon outside of the Ebonarm mosque with their children, something that was an impossibility given the sudden riots and the fact that both men were dead, slain by an unknown assailant at the gates. 

This wasn’t the work of rioters, he was certain. There was definitely brutal purpose behind it, and now the killer was loose within the compound. Seeing as the front door was not opened, it could only mean he entered somewhere else. The receptionist hurried to lock the doors to the area and hurried upstairs to the Captain’s suite, securing the doors behind him as he went.
_ _ _ _ _

Three of the off duty guards in the common area sat at a table playing cards when the barracks door opened, initially glancing over curiously to see if it was their fellow guards returning with news of the riot. To their surprise, it wasn’t one of theirs. 

They sprung to their feet, already in armour as they were on stand-by and gathered their weapons as the argonian approached. Two of the guards had small bucklers on their off-arm with one-handed swords and the third carried a glaive. While they scrambled to prepare, it took them very little time to adopt battle-ready positions. These were not soft, inexperienced men. 

The one with the glaive moved to a more open area where he could freely swing his weapon or thrust while the two buckler-wielding guards spread out, advancing on the bloodied argonian from wide angles. He would need to be quick and rather dexterous to fend off attacks from both of them. The men held their bucklers out front, their blades resting on the sides with the points protruding past them. They waited for the argonian to make his first move, and likely his last. Choosing one over the other left him exposed.
_ _ _ _ _

“Guards! Help!” An old man cried, panting as if he had been running for several minutes. The guard sergeant, a hard looking woman and one of the few not wearing a helm, turned to look to see what the matter was. Her men had subdued several of the rioters, and killed those who resisted. The idiots did not seem to understand the meaning of martial law.

“Speak, citizen.” She commanded, her voice one of authority but professionalism. She did not berate the old man for taking her attentions from what was clearly more than a pressing matter.

“The guardhouse… a man… an argonian murdered the guards stationed at the gates! I think he went inside, but it was so…” he managed to get out between ragged breaths. 
The sergeant wasted no time. “Ali! I need six men. The barracks are under attack.” She turned to the citizen. “You have our thanks. Come by the barracks later and you shall receive a small tribute. But for now, get off the streets before you get caught up in all this.”

Very punctually, six guards approached, looking ready for a fight… for revenge. All one had to do to provoke the wrath of every guard in the city was to kill one of their own. She nodded at the gathered guards. “Double time, back to the barracks. We have an assassin to deal with. Move!” she barked, leading her men through the streets at a quick jog, a normally tiring exercise in the sweltering heat. However, discomfort could wait.

The argonian would die. 

[I]Blade has approximately 15 minutes before reinforcements show up.

The reinforcements drawn from the riot-quelling guards has weakened their force, although many of the rioters are quelled. 

Word of the murders of the guards at both the prison and the barracks has drawn unwanted attention from the populace and the city’s forces. It has boosted the morale of the uprising and its supporters with the consequence of the uprising losing some of its reputation from the neutral population.[/I]