Red Wizard

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

Posted. Sorry, I meant to post yesterday but got sidetracked.

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

As she stood there, speechless, a few of her companions began descending the mountain. The Greybeards, masters of the Voice, had been undone. What kind of horrors were they fighting? Did they really stand a chance against an enemy as formidable and terrifying as this? Doubt and questions, endless questions, thronged her mind. She suddenly realized that she’d drawn her sword at some point and looked at the sharp piece of metal in her hands. What could this blade, in its entire splendor, really accomplish once she stood face to face with a dragon? It became harder and harder to imagine a scenario in which she would even be able to draw blood from the scaled beasts. That was, if she ever got that close. The chances were that the dragon would simply bathe her in fire from above; or worse yet, ignore her. She watched helplessly as the Nord warrior Jorn walked away through the snow.

Then the wind suddenly changed direction. The fumes of what remained of High Hrothgar washed over her, stinking of sulfur and destruction. But there was something else as well. In the wind she heard the booming of wings beating against the wind. She turned towards the ruins slowly, every hair on her body standing up. And then she saw it. One last dragon came soaring through the sky beyond the black smoke, heading their way. Had it seen them? And if it had, could they escape? Or should they stand and face it? Some part of her knew she should call out to her companions in alarm, but she didn’t. It could very well have been fear that stayed her hand.

Before any of them had time to react the beast set itself down on the mountain above them. As it opened its maw, the cold air around it began to shiver with heat.

Aaah, fau sliin! It rumbled, Ahrk zeyda ol Zu'u lost pruvos bahlokus. Hi joor fen imzik pruzah kipraan!

The dunmer had no idea what the dragon had just said, but the tone in which it spoke was anything but reassuring. What Ulemi imagined was a smile spread on the monsters maw as it inhaled deeply. She knew what would come next and turned to her companions, shouting.

Dragon! Run!

She threw herself on the ground as the dragon exhaled, bathing the group in fire.

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

I've been waiting for people to finish up reacting and posting. I'll be posting again tomorrow.

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

Had fun playing with you! See you in another game :)

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

Sorry about that. I edited my post slightly to allow for people being elsewhere.

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

Then you go ahead and play that out! :) Every post doesn't have to follow the exact same tempus as the rest.

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

Ulemi and the others that had followed finally caught up with the forerunners at the peak of the mountain. The Dunmer stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the burning remains of the temple. This wasn't right, couldn't be. She was supposed to learn of the Thu'um here, from the monks. She was supposed to defeat the dragons and bring pride to her people. How was she supposed to do that if the monks were all dead? Why hadn't the lord Azura stopped this? Surely she could've at least done something, anything to prevent this disaster. But she hadn't. Ulemi could feel her shoulders slumping. Without the Greybeards there was no hope. Fighting the dragons with steel alone wouldn't be enough. It was ove-

But what was that? Some sort of creature - no, the Nord, just the Nord - emerged from the inferno with someone in his arms. It could only be one of the monks, or at least one of their disciples. It would have to do. Ulemi ran towards the two of them as fast as she could.

---

Meanwhile, the old man on the ground in front of Jorn had opened his eyes. He tried to say something, groaned in pain, then collected himself and tried again. I am Arngeir, of the Greybeards, he said. I know not who you are, but I do know of your purpose. Unfortunetly, I will not live long enough to give you what you seek. Despair not, however, for there is still hope. Find the Paleface. Isri Paleface. She... she will know... what to do... find...

---

The old mans breath gave up just as Ulemi arrived. She simply stared at the two men in front of her, he red eyes wide open and ablaze with the reflection of the flaming temple. Did he speak? she demanded, What did he say?

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

At first the night looked like it was going to be uneventful. Then, suddenly, the skies erupted in such a rumbling thunder that the very mountain shook with its vibrations. Ulemi awoke instantly along with the others who had been sleeping and looked around her in bewilderment. She was about to get up and out of her tent when the ground shook once more to the sound of thunder, almost causing her to trip. Once she’d gotten out she approached the nearest person who’d been on watch to ask what the hell was going on, but she never got that far. The sky directly above them was suddenly red, ablaze with fire. Looking up Ulemi saw first one, then two, then several more colossal shadows circling the mountain. Dragons. Not a dragon, but several. There were several dragons directly above them. But why? Why would there be…

Then the thought stuck her. They’d come for the Greybeards, just as she and her companions had. Although, she thought, the dragons probably had other intentions for their visit.

She tried to shout for the rest of the group to get up and get moving, but the dragons and the Greybeards began battling just then. The collective power of their voices stole the sound away from Ulemis lips and pushed the air out of her lungs. A second hit wave struck and knocked her down completely. She got hold of her shield and covered herself with it as blast after blast seemed to shake the entirety of the world. It was incredible. Terrifying, but incredible. Such was the power of the voices of dragons that the only thing she could do was to cover before it. They had to get up there, had to help the Greybeards somehow, but there was simply nothing she could do. She was stuck here with the rest of her companions, wriggling like maggots in the dirt while those godlike beings above them battled on. Ulemi was mortally scared, but excited at the same time. This was the first time she’d tasted the bite of the Thu’um. And she liked it. The excitement died quickly, however, as the continuing thunder brought a small avalanche down on their heads. Ulemi tried with all her might to get up, to roll away, to even move an inch, but to no avail. The snow rushed over them, causing the dunmer to bang her head into a nearby rock, and she fainted.

Darkness.

Throbbing. Shivering. Pain. A small beam of light in the blackness. Ulemi opened her eyes and found herself buried under the snow. At first there was panic, but it soon settled when she realized she wasn’t that deep under. After only a little while she was free, and so she stood up. The camp had been completely obliterated, buried under the snow. Most of them seemed to be alright, although Ulemis head throbbed with pain. She touched her forehead and quickly found the wound. That would definitely leave a scar. There was blood all over her face, but at least she wasn’t bleeding anymore.

Turning her gaze upwards, her heart sank. The blue, cloudless sky above was pierced by a big pillar of thick black smoke. There were no dragons left, at least. She turned to the others.

We have to move, she said. Gather what you can and move! We have to get up there!

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

As I said, you'll see ;)

I'll get a post up tomorrow evening.

Skyrim: The secret of Thu'um

So how much longer do you guys want to spend with our current scene? I'm of a mind to fast forward to dawn if that's ok with you.