Aurix’s position will be towards that back, probably 4 with Achthend at 2
Lauder Member
The Tired One
-
Last Seen:
0-24 hrs ago
- Joined: 9 yrs ago
- Posts: 3828 (1.12 / day)
- VMs: 0
-
Username history
- Lauder 9 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
Snowdrops,
MarshalSolgriev,
Cao the Exiled,
Grijs,
Enzayne,
Lord Zee,
Frettzo,
DracoLunaris,
Vec
Status
User has no status, yet
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
An Alliance
The threat of annihilation loomed over Galbar, total and unrelenting, as the forces of desolation made their march to threaten the very existence of life.
Yet, ten years ago, such matters were beyond the very concept of the mortals that inhabited the planet. One such being was the God-Queen of the Aspasian Tribe, Atmav, the one who defeated the mighty Yimbo in combat so long ago out of result of misunderstanding and bloodlust. While still brutish, and very much a warrior, Atmav’s more feral side had been blunted by the teachings of Damocles, who had taught the woman to rule benevolent over the once frightened Selka. It had taken many years before the Selka were finally at ease with Atmav, despite her initial hostile takeover.
Two generations of Selka had come into the world under her rule, and those who could remember the times in which her hand was not there were either dead or elders close to death. Now, she was seen as a boon to the Selka under her, and a usurper to those that surrounded her, despite her not having any intent to expand past the borders she already had. It was those borders that she guarded with a ferocity known only to the lizards of the north in the Bloodlands.
Now, she was awaiting a meeting with the Ubbo, to speak of the matter of the ever growing threat of large tribes, such as the Hyummin. Met at the very border that she so fiercely guarded day after day to ward off the encroachment those larger tribes would occasionally dare. It was these incursions that urged her to meet with the Ubbo, those forming a coalition to do away with the threats that the larger Grottu and Hyummin posed. Her pale, tall figure stood upon a hill, confident and unyielding as her starlit wings extended to strike a more imposing figure. She was flanked by two other silent Selka, both bearing the marking of Aspasia.
It was not long before the Ubbo Tribe arrived. Their chieftan was a tall, formidable Selka, wiith a bow slung over his shoulder and a sharktooth necklace. Beside him was an older man, who carried himself well despite his age, and behind them were eight warriors. As they ascended the hill, however, most of them seemed uncertain or nervous about the strange alien figure which towered above.
The two leading them, however, appeared undaunted. “I am Chieftan Milos, of the Ubbo Tribe,” their leader introduced himself, stepping forward. “Are you the one who calls herself God-Queen?”
For a moment, the woman merely tilted her head down to acknowledge them for a moment before she spoke, “Yes. I am Atmav, God-Queen of Aspasia.” She reached behind her to pull forward her orvium greatsword, resting it in the sand in front of her as she seemed to look past Milos.
“I have heard that Ubbo have been forming a coalition,” she said simply as her eyeless face seemed to inspect those who seemed uncertain of her presence.
“You heard correctly,” Milos nodded. “And many have already joined.” He looked her up and down. “You know, God-Queen is an unusual title… especially when there is no god named Atmav.”
“I have ruled over the Aspasia before you were even a pup and yet I have not aged. I am mightier than any beings that I have encountered, other than the god, Orvus,” her head tilted back to face Milos directly, her words clear and concise, “Compared to your people, it is a fitting title.”
“We’ve met gods,” Milos told her. “You do not compare to them.”
“I was made by a god, directly forged to be superior to many mortals. I know my limitations, but that does not stop me from offering a challenge,” Atmav commented shifting her blade in the sand as an indication.
“I’ve always preferred the bow,” Milos said with a shrug. “And I have no intention of starting a fight over mere titles and words. We aren’t the Grottu. So, back to why we are here…”
Atmav cleared her throat, “Right.”
“The Hyummin have been increasingly bold in their encroachment of our territory. Specifically, the Grottu, but that does not matter. The point is, while I have the capability to match them upon the land myself, I can do little to them in the water. They have been exploiting that fact and I am in need of assistance as my people do not have the number to match them on our own,” Atmav explained, looking to the Selka on her left.
The once silent male stepped forward to speak, “We have had only one skirmish with one of their hunting parties while they attempt to steal from a school of fish that lies within our waters. We are lucky that event did not start a war.”
Milos’s eyebrows rose. “A skirmish?” he asked. “Who attacked first?”
“We did, we had to defend what we need to feed our own,” the Aspasian said.
“How many dead?” came the chieftan’s next question.
“None. Perhaps that was to only reason we managed to avoid open war, though we had many injuries on our side, the last I remember,” came the answer.
“As you can hear, if the Hyummin wish to take our food from us, all they need to do is send more of their hunters. Eventually, we will not be able to contest them at sea,” Atmav said, the aspasian male stepping back.
Milos considered her words in silence. And then, just when he was about to speak, the older Selka spoke up. “Allow us to talk about this in private,” he requested.
“Very well,” Atmav said, drawing her blade from the sand before resting it upon her shoulder. She took a step back as she motioned for the two she was to come to her, turning her back to the Ubbo as she spoke with them.
Milos and his advisor stepped away as well, turning their backs as they put arms around each other’s shoulders, and their voices fell into whispers.
“What is it, Hoshu?”
“She wants to join our pact. Do not allow it.” Hoshu cautioned.
“I’m wary of her myself, but what is your reasoning?” Milos asked.
“She nearly started a war over some fish,” Hoshu pointed out.
“But she says the Hyummin were encroaching on her territory. If that’s true… stealing food is serious. Remember the stories of the famine?”
“I do,” Hoshu nodded, “but we didn’t need to go to war over it, and she doesn’t need to go to war over it now.”
“If the Hyummin keep pushing, then it sounds like war will come anyway. She’ll lose, they’ll take her land, she’ll be driven into ours, we’ll have more mouths to feed, and then they’ll come for us next,” Milos argued. “The entire point of this pact was so they can’t push us around like that.”
“You don’t know a war will come,” Hoshu insisted, “and if it does, she might be the one who drags us into it. Or she might try to take over us. She thinks she’s a god.”
“But she isn’t one, and our own gods can protect us from her,” Milos assured him. “Trust me, I know how to handle this.”
And with those words, the Ubbo Chieftan returned to the meeting ground. “I can offer you a place in our coalition,” he told her. “As an equal. What you call yourself among your own people does not concern us, but at our meetings you’ll refer to yourself as Chieftan, like the rest of us, and you’ll have as much say as anyone else - no more, no less. If you accept that, we can help you. We’ll put our weight behind yours, set a boundary, and tell the Hyummin to advance no further. They’ll probably listen, but if not, what happens next is on them.”
For a moment, Atmav stood silent, considering her options as she looked back to her two followers. After a long moment of deliberation, the queen nodded her head, “Very well, if it means that the Hyummin will be kept at bay then who am to disagree with such a simple request?”
She extended a hand to the chieftain in order to seal their pact as allies. Milos accepted it, and shook.
“I look forward to being able to tell the Hyumnin to stay off our land,” Atmav said as she stepped back, turning away from the chieftain as she brought her blade to rest upon her shoulder. She motioned for her followers to move with her as she stepped down the hill, leaving Milos and his men to their own devices.
Present Day
“Keep running!”
“Don’t look back! Get to the b-“
Blood littered the sand as a boulder fell onto a Selka, with enough force to send the other flying. He landed on his back with the wind knocked out of him, dazed and unable to move, though still able to comprehend the situation he was in. Though, what could he do when he spotted a rocky being barreled through the tree line, roaring in anger.
They had encountered it along their western lands, patrolling for any sign of Hyummin intervention in their lands. It slaughtered nearly the entirety of their party, their attempts to fight it had proven only to make it angrier and more wrathful. But now, it had followed those who had escaped to the very beaches where they could be able to run, yet, the only survivor could do little but crawl towards the sea as he felt the very earth tremor as the being approached, laughing. He could turn just in time to see it reach for him, it was then that the Selka gave into fate and merely watched as the rock reached for him.
Then, sparks flew as something caused the Ihokhur to real back in surprise , sand kicking up as it scrambled backwards.
“Get up, boy!” A harsh, feminine rang in the Selka’s ear.
Atmav stood over the seal, clutching the Desolate Greatsword as she stared down the Ihokhur her wings of the nights spread in an act of intimidation. However, the sight of a being with a weapon made from Orvus, alongside a blade base from Kalani’s own flesh, confused the creature. Who, upon standing to its full massive height, momentarily forgot the angrier that it had felt.
“What are you?” It asked, looking to the wings then back to the sword.
Atmav was silent, before sand kicked into the air once more, her four wings flapping powerfully as she went to a speed that caused the Ihokhur to momentarily wonder what was happening. Then, sparks flew once more as the blade contacted the body of the great being, a powerful force causing it to stagger back once more.
“I have been looking for a reason to use this blade that Orvus had forged me,” came the bloodthirsty voice of Atmav, the Ihokhur looking up to see her just out of reach
“I will tear you limb from limb before Kalani does!” It roared once more, moving to pick up the boulder. A scarlet beam cleared through its shoulder, but it reached the boulder and haphazardly threw it in the direction of Atmav. The boulder had come close to hitting Atmav, who had only dodged due to knowing what the beast was doing, but it brought her close enough for her to meet the back of the Ihokhur’s hand. Sending her sailing into the sand, the beast quickly charging after her with a blood-curdling roar.
A scarlet beam then found its way to the glowing indentation on its head, it stopped the charged in its entirety as the beat fell upon the sand, clutching what it used to see. A sustained beam came through the mist of sand, the Ihokhur roaring in a panic before fleeing into the forest.
Atmav, taking in painful breaths as she gripped the side where the Ihokhur had hit her, definitely feeling cracked ribs. Her form crouched onto the ground.
The Selka ran to her side, falling into his knees before her, “God-Queen!”
“Boy,” Atmav said, clenching her teeth in pain, “Why did you not run?”
“I could not abandon you, my queen.”
“Good, help me to my feet,” she commanded as the Selka rushed to her side. “When we get back to the tribe, send messages to the other tribes,” her words were cold.
“We are going to war.”
I’ll try to get a negative happiness Aurix post up today. Been a bit out of the loop in terms of DnD
The Curious Argonian Mage
A collaboration with@Hank
Morning, 17th of Sun’s Dawn, 4E213
Aboard the Kismet, Daggerfall port, High Rock
A pair of glowing, yellow eyes moved along the ship, having stopped with the facade of happiness that she had put on whenever dealing with someone. Drujha would be on the lookout for a Nord, as she moved below the main deck, through the passengers quarters, keeping a firm hand on her satchel. Eventually, she would find her way to those Private Quarters that she so desperately wanted, the privacy offered by them would be put to better use under her watch rather than some Nord. At least, she hoped that the door she chose would be that of the Nord and not one of the slavers that she would avoid for as long as she could.
Two Dunmer and a Nord.
It was a one in three chance that Drujha pick a door that the Nord used, and a two in three chance of meeting one of those slavers that would likely remark that she was but mere help. Drujha let out a sigh before she stepped to one of the doors, raising her knuckles to knock on it, then hesitating for a moment. She had to reassure herself of the chance before she plastured the large smile on her face again, mentally preparing herself to talk with someone from the proud north, leaving race aside for just a moment. Her knuckles went against the wooden door, a hand inside of her cloak as she kept it close to the axe she carried on her side.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
After a few seconds the door opened and Aurora appeared in the opening to greet her visitor, strange as it was, for she hadn’t expected any. She looked down to find an Argonian woman with a toothy grin -- or was it a smile? -- looking up at her. Aurora had taken her coat and boots off after settling into the room and was now left bare-foot and dressed only in her white tunic and cream-colored pants. “Hail, Argonian,” she said and scratched her head, surprised. “How… how can I help you?”
Drujha mentally thanked the Hist for letting the room be that of the Nord, a calm flowing through the tension that the odds of meeting a slaver caused her. The argonian’s own darker apparel contrasted that of the Nord’s brighter, the Black Marsh meeting the frozen lands of the north, Drujha could not help but make such a mental observation. Then, one of her bandaged hands went forward as she spoke with that naively, innocent tone, “I extend the claw of greeting, friend! I wanted to speak on the matter of rooms!”
“Claw of greeting, eh? I like that,” Aurora said with a smile and shook the offered hand. “My name is Aurora. What about the rooms?”
“Drujha,” she started before hiding her hands in her cloak, before going into her explanation, “I wanted to see if, perhaps, you would allow me to use your room. You see, I am a researcher and I do not wish to allow… prying eyes to view it before it is ready.” Drujha paused for a moment as she cocked her head to the side, still smiling as if she were not coming across as a beggar wanting whatever someone allowed..
“I would have asked one of the Dunmer, but… I am sure you can imagine how that would go,” the argonian continued with a light laugh.
Taken aback but also amused by the Argonian’s audacity, Aurora was unable to repress a laugh. “Before it is ready?” she asked, deciding that her curiosity was more pressing than expressing her unwillingness to vacate her room. “What might it be?”
“Things,” Drujha said, obviously not wanting to divulge the information just because someone asked, “While I would be more than happy to share my findings, there is no finding a Clear Stream from it. Nobody understands the scrawlings of an argonian these days, xhu?” She pushed her cloak aside to show the satchel, carrying the many notebooks about her presumed research.
Aurora frowned, though she was secretly relieved that Drujha had given her an obvious and convenient reason not to acquiesce to the request. “Well, Drujha, I’m sorry, but I’m not in the habit of letting strangers perform research in my chambers, especially if they won’t tell me what it is.” The Nord crossed her arms resolutely and straightened up, making the most of the height advantage she had. “I’m not a scholar, really, so your research doesn’t interest me anyway. Unless it concerns ancient artifacts…” she said, trailing off, before noticing herself slipping. “Err -- either way, my answer is no. I paid for this room, fair and square.”
“Ancient artifacts,” Drujha echoed, her own curiosity rising at the mention, unlike the nord, however, her mind wandered upon it as she gave an interested look over Aurora. “What kind of artifacts?” the argonian took a step forward, “Ancient Nord? Dwemer?” Drujha then got uncomfortably close as she said the last, “Daedric?” Her smile morphed into one that was consumed by obsession and lust, “Do you have any with you?”
Aurora had to resist the urge to take a step back to maintain her personal space, but she didn’t want to give Drujha the idea that the Argonian was welcome to enter her room. “I believe that is none of your business,” Aurora retorted, her tone now decidedly icy, and she narrowed her eyes at Drujha. “And I’d be much obliged if you maintained a respectful distance.”
Drujha’s eyes widened at the realization of stepping into another’s personal boundaries, immediately stepping back as her smile disappeared into a slightly hurt expression. “I am most sorry! Murky waters have clouded my mind,” the argonian said as she entered into an apologetic bow to attempt to make amends for her rudeness. “It was never my intention to be rude, it is just that certain artifacts could do wonders into advancing my studies,” she explained as her shoulders drooped. Her eyes avoided meeting the gaze of Aurora.
“I-” she began trying to find some words, “I just have a very deep interest in certain things in this world, sometimes I let my desires come before my manners.”
That softened Aurora’s disposition somewhat. In a way, Drujha reminded her of herself when she was younger, and the way she had practically assailed Azar with an endless array of questions. She rubbed her chin and relaxed into the doorpost, waving the other hand in a reassuring manner. “It’s quite alright, Drujha, you are forgiven. Curiosity isn’t a bad thing,” the older Nord said. “To answer your question: no, I don’t have any artifacts with me, just some paintings by the hand of a rising Breton star. Nothing, I wager, that interests you,” she added with a knowing smile.
“Tell you what,” Aurora said and peered her head out of her room and into the hallway. “I haven’t heard any movement coming from the cabin next to mine. Maybe the person that rented it isn’t using it very much.” She glanced back down at Drujha. “Maybe you’ll have more luck with them! Whoever they might be… I haven’t seen anyone enter or leave, either.”
“Dunmer,” Drujha said disappointedly, looking at the door for a moment before looking back at Aurora with a small, yet forced smile. “Thank you, Aurora. Hopefully, whatever Dunmer owns that room does not act like what I have heard,” the argonian sighed before going to look through her satchel. She brought out a book and offered it to the Nordic woman, more as a sign of goodwill than genuinely wanting to give away anything, “Here, you may have no interest in anything a scholar writes, but maybe this will satisfy your earlier curiosity.”
When Aurora took the book, Drujha was already skipping away. The book had a title on the front.
”The Lusty Argonian Maid Vol. I”
"What in Oblivion…" Aurora muttered, staring at the glossy embossed title in disbelief. It was such an absurd gift that she began to laugh and eventually found herself doubled over and gasping for breath. She had no idea whether this was Drujha's idea of a joke or if she handed her the wrong book by accident. Either way, it was fantastically funny and her opinion of the Argonian shot up a few notches. "Thanks for the laugh!" Aurora yelled after her but it had been minutes and she didn't expect Drujha to hear her. Still sniggering, Aurora closed the door and tossed the book into her open trunk.
17th Suns Dawn
Daggerfall, High Rock
A collab with @Stormflyx
It was always a good omen to nearly be late to boarding a ship, at least, that is what Drujha would tell herself as she had pushed her way through crowds of people to merely make it in time. The lass had justification for such near tardiness, however, having spent the night compiling notes and omitting facts from those notes that merely did not help her in the slightest. After all, what good was knowing what strange name a daedric went by when she could refer to such by the more common and well-known name. It lowered the likelihood of forgetting the name and confusing one daedric name for another, though that was but merely a task that she frequented as her notebooks increasingly became more akin to scribbles as she omitted information.
However, such information was not important when one had to be somewhere at a certain and she knew that the frantic pace could have been avoided had she just taken a night away from the obsession… but how could she resist when there was so much to be done? Drujha was merely happy to make it, panting as leaned against the railing to gain her bearings before she realized a most crucial fact.
“Kaoc,” the lady cursed as she pushed herself off the railing to bring her hand to her chin, thinking of a way to get the private room that she would need in order to continue her study without arousing notable suspicion. Drujha looked around for a moment before she began to mutter to herself, “Perhaps walk in and take it? No, would likely be kicked out.” She looked to the sky, “Beg? No, might as well be a soft-skin.” It seemed for a moment that the argonian would not have any ideas before her right hand had drifted to feeling against the bandages on her forearms, feeling the places where she had carved or burned symbols into her skin.
“The captain,” Drujha muttered to herself, looking in the direction of the upper deck and for a moment she bobbed her head back and forth as she weighed the options. Then, a sweet, innocent smile came to her face before she began to skip into that same direction. She seemed to be cheerful and in good spirits as she made her way over the Main Deck, even letting out a slight giggle as she stopped right before the stairs to the upper deck.
“Oh captain, may I speak with you?” Drujha called to the upper deck, not daring to intrude without permission.
An argonian Ravana thought to himself as he eyed the woman at the stairs. There had been a number of argonians on the list - two male, one female, and this one in the cloak was a female. She was quite a curious thing with big eyes, and even if the beastfolk were not his flavour in the opposite sex, he was not above being generous with a paying customer. “Madam,” he began, walking towards the top of the staircase, a hand on each hip. And his legs parted in a powerful stance. He gazed down at her. “Of course you may, come-“ he said, waving his hand as if to beckon her.
The argonian eagerly skipped up the stairs, her cloak flowing as she did so. She stopped two steps below him before she moved her hand forward to offer her hand in formal greeting. “I extend the claw of greeting, captain,” she said with a bubbly voice.
“I wanted to talk on the matter of private rooms,” Drujha started, keeping her voice happy as her wide eyes peered into the captain.
“As far as I am aware, they are all booked…” he answered curtly, shaking her hand as he did so. He could already sense where the conversation was headed, and after having shook her hand, he turned on his heel and made his way across the upper deck towards the railings - a favoured spot. “I am not in the business of pulling strings my dear… But, do share your concerns…”
“Well, you see captain, I am a researcher!” She announced proudly as she followed the captain, “However, my studies are something that are best left away from prying eyes.” Drujha stopped for a moment to fiddle around in her bag before taking out one of her notebooks to show the captain, however, she did not open it to show what contents lied within. She threw a look over her shoulder before stuff the book back into the satchel, seeming paranoid about having the contents of her studies being seen.
The argonian looked the captain up and down thinking of the best way to convince the man that she needed the room, rather than some other individual. “Why, Captain, perhaps you could even help in my endeavors! After all, a seasoned man of the sea is likely to have great insight as to what kind of warfare is raged on it, no?”
Ravana’s eyebrow raised, the woman certainly had some nerve behind her, and he only half disliked that about her. She was obviously an upstart, he had once been one too… And so he continued to entertain her. “I understand research, yes.” His golden gaze squinted at the sight of her book, he was slightly curious as to what this woman was doing. She was… twitchy.
He chuckled from the bottom of his throat, “you’re not a researcher, are you?” He asked, moving his arms behind his back, hands interlocked, his posture was graceful and he deliberately straightened up for Drujha - not to intimidate, but simply to make his silhouette more impressive, to cut the shape of a confident Captain. The man he absolutely was. “Do you work for a newspaper, miss?” He asked, his eyes glittering. This wasn’t the first time a reporter had tried to sneak on board and get insider information on him, on his crew, on his lifestyle. The man behind the curtain.
“A reporter?” Drujha echoed to herself, her smile and wide eyes disappearing into a look that could only be described as cold as her now narrowed eyes peered emotionlessly into the captain. She took a step forward, her short frame stretching to what height she could muster as she lowered the hood of her cloak. A palpable tension formed into the air as silence overcame Drujha, trying to pin words to this offense and trying to think of something to say that would not get her thrown off the ship. Then, she began to speak very quietly, in an unnatural cold tone.
“You take me for some cheap reporter? You must be a hatchling to make assumptions with people that you have just met, Xhu. An egg spent too much time in the shade. I have spent years attaining what spells and power I have today, and while I can understand denial for my request, I will not be compared to some lowly reporter.” She paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in, “I am a mage, soft-skin. A mage that has been studying too much and too long to be compared as such.” Her hand drifted over her satchel and held it tight as her yellow eyes glowed with offense, bringing it closer as another silence came over her.
Then, that same innocent and coy smile came back to her face.
“It is rude to make assumption, captain! I did pay for this voyage and I think an insult like that is bad for future business!” Her words, though in a tone of that of an innocent girl, seemed cold as she warned him from making such an insult, “Anyways, I believe a mage such as myself and an astute captain can come to an arrangement on lodgings, xhu?”
Ravana did not flinch, for why would he? The deck was lined with his crew - men and women who had sailed with him for years. They were each in tune with each other because heads closest to the upper deck did turn, and activity slowly ceased as eavesdropping began. The hand of the redguard Captain flexed instinctively over the hilt of the sword but he did not need to touch it, instead, he tipped his head back and laughed up towards the sky. A loud laugh too, from his stomach - his hands returned to his hips.
“A good reporter isn’t cheap, my dear,” he said to her with a shrug and easy smile, finding himself again. He could go on, but to cause any more of a scene wouldn’t go over well, but his interest was certainly piqued in the Argonian now, he’d be making note of this one. “I meant no insult, as I’m sure you also meant no insult to me…” His head cocked to the side, and his smile became rather more devious in its harshness, his own gaze glowering down upon her from above. His lips were slightly parted and he drew in a sharp breath. “The private suites are taken, perhaps you’ll have more luck in convincing someone to share with you, or give up their lodgings to you. What kind of Captain would I be to deny them of that which they have paid for? Hmmm?”
The argonian continued to smile for a moment before she let out a sigh, though keeping a lighter smile as she looked up to the captain, “I suppose you have a point. No captain I know would do such a thing.” She cocked her head to the side before continuing on, “Though, do you know how hard it is going to be to convince let someone allow an argonian into their quarters? Rapid rivers are less hard to swim against.”
“Though can you blame me for trying the easier way?,” Drujha laughed lightheartedly as she gave a small shrug.
He held a silence for a while, he was as responsible as he could be but that didn’t mean he was above stirring the pot when he could, it was quite a trip to Anvil afterall, and he needed his entertainment too. He thought to the list of passengers and he smirked, deciding that yes, he would throw his dip a toe into this endeavour after all.
“Two Dunmer and a Nord.” He said quite abruptly, taking himself back to the ship’s wheel. He couldn’t give names, but if this Argonian was truly the type to research, this would at least give her something to occupy herself with - and he could enjoy the show from afar. “Maybe start there, miss.”
The argonian allowed a hand to hold up her chin as she thought of what the captain had just said, before she bobbed her head left to right. “Dunmer are right out…” she said very softly to herself before her eyes snapped back to the captain, her smile returning as she let out a laugh. “Thank you, captain! May rains be ever on your back,” she stated before turning and skipping away.
Daggerfall, High Rock
A collab with @Stormflyx
It was always a good omen to nearly be late to boarding a ship, at least, that is what Drujha would tell herself as she had pushed her way through crowds of people to merely make it in time. The lass had justification for such near tardiness, however, having spent the night compiling notes and omitting facts from those notes that merely did not help her in the slightest. After all, what good was knowing what strange name a daedric went by when she could refer to such by the more common and well-known name. It lowered the likelihood of forgetting the name and confusing one daedric name for another, though that was but merely a task that she frequented as her notebooks increasingly became more akin to scribbles as she omitted information.
However, such information was not important when one had to be somewhere at a certain and she knew that the frantic pace could have been avoided had she just taken a night away from the obsession… but how could she resist when there was so much to be done? Drujha was merely happy to make it, panting as leaned against the railing to gain her bearings before she realized a most crucial fact.
“Kaoc,” the lady cursed as she pushed herself off the railing to bring her hand to her chin, thinking of a way to get the private room that she would need in order to continue her study without arousing notable suspicion. Drujha looked around for a moment before she began to mutter to herself, “Perhaps walk in and take it? No, would likely be kicked out.” She looked to the sky, “Beg? No, might as well be a soft-skin.” It seemed for a moment that the argonian would not have any ideas before her right hand had drifted to feeling against the bandages on her forearms, feeling the places where she had carved or burned symbols into her skin.
“The captain,” Drujha muttered to herself, looking in the direction of the upper deck and for a moment she bobbed her head back and forth as she weighed the options. Then, a sweet, innocent smile came to her face before she began to skip into that same direction. She seemed to be cheerful and in good spirits as she made her way over the Main Deck, even letting out a slight giggle as she stopped right before the stairs to the upper deck.
“Oh captain, may I speak with you?” Drujha called to the upper deck, not daring to intrude without permission.
An argonian Ravana thought to himself as he eyed the woman at the stairs. There had been a number of argonians on the list - two male, one female, and this one in the cloak was a female. She was quite a curious thing with big eyes, and even if the beastfolk were not his flavour in the opposite sex, he was not above being generous with a paying customer. “Madam,” he began, walking towards the top of the staircase, a hand on each hip. And his legs parted in a powerful stance. He gazed down at her. “Of course you may, come-“ he said, waving his hand as if to beckon her.
The argonian eagerly skipped up the stairs, her cloak flowing as she did so. She stopped two steps below him before she moved her hand forward to offer her hand in formal greeting. “I extend the claw of greeting, captain,” she said with a bubbly voice.
“I wanted to talk on the matter of private rooms,” Drujha started, keeping her voice happy as her wide eyes peered into the captain.
“As far as I am aware, they are all booked…” he answered curtly, shaking her hand as he did so. He could already sense where the conversation was headed, and after having shook her hand, he turned on his heel and made his way across the upper deck towards the railings - a favoured spot. “I am not in the business of pulling strings my dear… But, do share your concerns…”
“Well, you see captain, I am a researcher!” She announced proudly as she followed the captain, “However, my studies are something that are best left away from prying eyes.” Drujha stopped for a moment to fiddle around in her bag before taking out one of her notebooks to show the captain, however, she did not open it to show what contents lied within. She threw a look over her shoulder before stuff the book back into the satchel, seeming paranoid about having the contents of her studies being seen.
The argonian looked the captain up and down thinking of the best way to convince the man that she needed the room, rather than some other individual. “Why, Captain, perhaps you could even help in my endeavors! After all, a seasoned man of the sea is likely to have great insight as to what kind of warfare is raged on it, no?”
Ravana’s eyebrow raised, the woman certainly had some nerve behind her, and he only half disliked that about her. She was obviously an upstart, he had once been one too… And so he continued to entertain her. “I understand research, yes.” His golden gaze squinted at the sight of her book, he was slightly curious as to what this woman was doing. She was… twitchy.
He chuckled from the bottom of his throat, “you’re not a researcher, are you?” He asked, moving his arms behind his back, hands interlocked, his posture was graceful and he deliberately straightened up for Drujha - not to intimidate, but simply to make his silhouette more impressive, to cut the shape of a confident Captain. The man he absolutely was. “Do you work for a newspaper, miss?” He asked, his eyes glittering. This wasn’t the first time a reporter had tried to sneak on board and get insider information on him, on his crew, on his lifestyle. The man behind the curtain.
“A reporter?” Drujha echoed to herself, her smile and wide eyes disappearing into a look that could only be described as cold as her now narrowed eyes peered emotionlessly into the captain. She took a step forward, her short frame stretching to what height she could muster as she lowered the hood of her cloak. A palpable tension formed into the air as silence overcame Drujha, trying to pin words to this offense and trying to think of something to say that would not get her thrown off the ship. Then, she began to speak very quietly, in an unnatural cold tone.
“You take me for some cheap reporter? You must be a hatchling to make assumptions with people that you have just met, Xhu. An egg spent too much time in the shade. I have spent years attaining what spells and power I have today, and while I can understand denial for my request, I will not be compared to some lowly reporter.” She paused for a moment, allowing her words to sink in, “I am a mage, soft-skin. A mage that has been studying too much and too long to be compared as such.” Her hand drifted over her satchel and held it tight as her yellow eyes glowed with offense, bringing it closer as another silence came over her.
Then, that same innocent and coy smile came back to her face.
“It is rude to make assumption, captain! I did pay for this voyage and I think an insult like that is bad for future business!” Her words, though in a tone of that of an innocent girl, seemed cold as she warned him from making such an insult, “Anyways, I believe a mage such as myself and an astute captain can come to an arrangement on lodgings, xhu?”
Ravana did not flinch, for why would he? The deck was lined with his crew - men and women who had sailed with him for years. They were each in tune with each other because heads closest to the upper deck did turn, and activity slowly ceased as eavesdropping began. The hand of the redguard Captain flexed instinctively over the hilt of the sword but he did not need to touch it, instead, he tipped his head back and laughed up towards the sky. A loud laugh too, from his stomach - his hands returned to his hips.
“A good reporter isn’t cheap, my dear,” he said to her with a shrug and easy smile, finding himself again. He could go on, but to cause any more of a scene wouldn’t go over well, but his interest was certainly piqued in the Argonian now, he’d be making note of this one. “I meant no insult, as I’m sure you also meant no insult to me…” His head cocked to the side, and his smile became rather more devious in its harshness, his own gaze glowering down upon her from above. His lips were slightly parted and he drew in a sharp breath. “The private suites are taken, perhaps you’ll have more luck in convincing someone to share with you, or give up their lodgings to you. What kind of Captain would I be to deny them of that which they have paid for? Hmmm?”
The argonian continued to smile for a moment before she let out a sigh, though keeping a lighter smile as she looked up to the captain, “I suppose you have a point. No captain I know would do such a thing.” She cocked her head to the side before continuing on, “Though, do you know how hard it is going to be to convince let someone allow an argonian into their quarters? Rapid rivers are less hard to swim against.”
“Though can you blame me for trying the easier way?,” Drujha laughed lightheartedly as she gave a small shrug.
He held a silence for a while, he was as responsible as he could be but that didn’t mean he was above stirring the pot when he could, it was quite a trip to Anvil afterall, and he needed his entertainment too. He thought to the list of passengers and he smirked, deciding that yes, he would throw his dip a toe into this endeavour after all.
“Two Dunmer and a Nord.” He said quite abruptly, taking himself back to the ship’s wheel. He couldn’t give names, but if this Argonian was truly the type to research, this would at least give her something to occupy herself with - and he could enjoy the show from afar. “Maybe start there, miss.”
The argonian allowed a hand to hold up her chin as she thought of what the captain had just said, before she bobbed her head left to right. “Dunmer are right out…” she said very softly to herself before her eyes snapped back to the captain, her smile returning as she let out a laugh. “Thank you, captain! May rains be ever on your back,” she stated before turning and skipping away.
“I am hunger-starving,” a voice said.
“Yes-yes. Wait-Patience, almost through maze-labyrinth,” another said.
An aroiox looked to another before it called out, “Kavka, how much wait-longer?” Many had grown thin, the young had already succumbed to starvation as the two brothers attempted to maintain some form of rational order over the people. But the dissent was growing as it grew clearer with each day that the gods had abandoned them, leaving them to die when they said it was their destiny to leave the accursed maze. Perhaps, it was because they had not done what the gods wanted, maybe.
“Know-not,” Kavka said, looking forward, before turning to his brother, “Brother-kin?”
Yreu only shook his head.
“We lack-desire food-meat! Young-kin starve, eggs spoil!” the one who had asked Kavka, stepping towards the brothers with a clear anger in her voice. Kavka only turned in response, looking down upon the one who dared approach. Soon they’re chests touched as the two pushed their weights against each other, the female and the male seemed almost equal in their weight. “You leader-tyrant! Lead us to death-stave!,” she growled.
“Maze-thing by creator-gods design! They will deliver-give food!” Kavka snapped as he pushed the female to the ground, her arms scraping against the stone floor of the maze. He felt the hand of Yreu on his shoulder, clearly attempting to reign Kavka in.
“Brother-kin, we must-need to keep move-stepping. The god-creators are test-watching us,” Yreu said calmly, but his brother already pulled away and stepped towards the female.
“God-creators, wish-desire us to live-thrive. No food-meat,” Kavka said looking upon the angered female who scrambled to her feet, attempting to push back against the male who only put her back onto the ground.
“Food-meat…” Kavka said as he watched blood drip from a cut on the female’s forearm.
“Kavka, do not!” Yreu squawked, the talons of his hands digging into the brothers shoulder. Then, he looked up. “Brother-kin, look!”
Kavka looked up, many of the aroiox following to see a sight that would only mean bad omens for the rest of eternity. The eyes of the maze, they closed. The aroiox waited to see if they would reopen, hoping that their creators had not abandoned them. But the eyes did not reopen, and to the children of Eurysthenes and Vakk, it meant that they had lost their favor.
Kavka looked down at the now terrified female, her blood pooling on the stone floor.
Hunger.
Hunger.
FEAST-KILL
60 years later
The Maze.
Vakk remembered this place well, though the pillars of spikes that had erupted from the walls were certainly recent addition that it could do without. It made travel somewhat troublesome at times, as it either had to go through small spaces or taking the time to break through the great pillars of the maze. In addition to the spikes, it made the twisting labyrinth even more of a special hell to get through as the spikes would form new walls or even form new tunnels to be climbed through.
Even with a god’s speed, this was a tedious endeavour, but Vakk was determined to find those that Eurysthenes had abandoned to their fate while That One watched idly as the enigma took a god’s memory. Vakk took one step after another, focusing on its task, not allowing its mind to cloud its judgement on what needed to be done. However, the maze always had a way of playing with one’s mind, even without Eurysthenes being there to play tricks or suddenly change the way. It was almost as if the maze itself was relaying the abandonment to Vakk in such a way to merely be insidious, but it knew the maze was not doing it, but it was Vakk’s own mind.
”We abandoned them, I could have left to save the Aroiox,” Vakk said to itself, tearing open its mouth as it spoke. It crossed its arms behind his back, walking along a narrow pathway that the pillars had left untouched, keeping all its senses focused on anything that may lead it to the children it had left.
”We abandoned them, but I could have stepped in and brought sense to Eurysthenes,” Vakk spoke, its voice was emotionless as it continued his way through the maze. A left turn then a right turn. It had not been there long, but it could already feel that the repetition of the maze was getting to it as everything seemed the same, almost indistinguishable except for the pillars being jutted out in different locations. This place was lifeless and bleak without Eurysthenes’ additions.
Almost too bleak for Vakk’s tastes.
Vakk stopped as it felt his foot kick something away, the rattling leading to a cacophony of a graveyard, and the sight that befell it would be one that it would never be able to rid of itself. For the first time in That One’s existence as a god, it would feel remorse and pain for its actions as it fell to its knees. The sight that befell him was one of a thousand bones, blood stained the walls and rotted, shrivelled meat clung to the teeth of those who had given into hunger.
”No…” it said, sadness filling every whole that had been created where it had torn out its anger.
”I-I could not stop this” it said, remorse following the sadness.
”Eurysthenes did this,” it said, blame wanting to snuff out what truth existed in the situation, before its hands clasped the side of its head. Vakk sobbed, ”...Eurysthenes fault.”
There was a silence as Vakk did needless breaths between sobs, knowing the feeling of abandonment that Li’Kalla had felt, knowing the pain of having something taken from it like mortal who had lost a loved one. Now it knew, it knew what true pain was.
Death felt like nothing compared to this pain.
”I let this happen,” Vakk said, truth breaking the blame it wanted to keep just convince itself that there were no alternative fates. But the truth was what hurt the most, knowing that it should have stepped in where Eurysthenes had failed. That it should have stepped in to be the savior of these lost and misguided souls. That it should have voiced its opinions to Eurysthenes rather than being silent.
But those times were long passed.
Vakk went and picked up a skeleton, wanting to cradle a being he regarded as a child, only for the skeleton to fall to pieces. Vakk hunched over and let out wails and sobs so loud and so painful that even the light of the Heliopolis would fade and be washed out. There was a way for it to have saved his children and it had failed them and it had failed Eurysthenes, the only one who had taken the time to truly try to change Vakk for the better. It had failed in every regard and it was those failings that inflicted an additional pain to the saddened god.
”No…” it rejected, casting away the truth. It would not be a failure and it would let all of Galbar know that its creation had thrived, even in death.
”My children will live the life they deserved! They will live a life that was robbed of them by my failings” the voices cried it in pain and anguish as Vakk jammed a fist into the ground as a few of its tendrils slithered through the air to grasp some bones. There, the god of speech would craft, there it would perfect an artifact capable of bringing back its children and erase one of his many failures. The children shall hear the music of life once more as it took the pieces of a stone and molded metal through it.
From a leg bone, Vakk would craft a hilt, forcing it into a place alongside a skull before it would attach a small chain made from ligaments not yet decayed, forced into a metallic structure. It would force the skull into a bell, the only indication of it being otherwise being the hollow eye sockets and the bone that made the hilt.
Vakk raised the bell high, allowing for the light of day to gaze upon the unholy creation that would go against the very balance of nature itself.
”I know what it is like to lose,” It said, casting away its rationality to have the bell toll once.
Then the bells would toll twice. Then thrice. So on and so forth.
Soon, a sickly green pulse erupted from the bell, darkening the sky as a gas rained from above, touching the bones and remains that belonged to the once beloved people. The bones began to shift, slowly moving to reconnect with parts that they had long disconnected from, slowly becoming what they once were before the failure of the creator.
”You are Vakk’s chosen! I did not want this, I wanted you all to thrive! I wanted to see you all live lives full and happy! Now, I give you all a chance again! Come my children, live again!”
The bones rose, souls collecting within them as eyes of the same sickly green began to form in those hollow sockets, the forms of long dead birds looking to their creator and savior, the one had first gave them life and the one that brought back life where there was death. However, as Vakk looked down upon them, it saw not life created from death, it saw a living death, beings that had been born of unnatural causes. However, That One had done what it had promised, to bring them back from death.
They looked onto their creator, unable to express emotion and unable to feel warmth or cold. The undead merely were.
“My children! I am sorry for having abandoned you for so long! But now, I have given you the chance to live again! You will all know the touch of life, the touch of my life!” Vakk said, its tendrils moving to take the bell from its hand.
Then there was silence. The dead did not move, they did not speak but they did stare blankly at their god.
“We cannot know life for we do not live,” a voice from the crowd said, “We are but fragments, Lord Vakk.”
Vakk grew confused as the skeletons spoke in complete words, not as the broken words and conjunctions that the aroiox had typically used. These souls, they were not the same aroiox nor were they proper souls created from the Pyres of Katharsos. No, these souls were otherworldly, soul ash bound by magic in a dead form that did not bleed or age, a form that could only rot until nothing was left.
”N-nonsense, my child! You live again, but it is my life that I bestow upon thee! You live in forms that cannot die again, in forms incapable of hunger and pain! Come my children, rejoice!”
There was silence. No joy to be found in the husks of children, but after a moment, there was but merely a polite collection of clapping as their creator watched over them. Nothing they did was natural, their movement was shambles, their speech was but mere echoes, their life but a farce.
But Vakk was blind to the truth, blind to the fact that the beings he brought back from death were but mere husks. He would lead them, and he would settle them on Galbar.
His children would thrive.
Aurix is going to show negative happiness at her horse being harmed.
© 2007-2025