[center][i]2nd of Sun’s Height, 4E 205 The Code of Malacath[/i] King Burkash gor-Nagorm, Orsinium[/center] --- Burkash fumed upon his throne, his eyes boring into the doors of the King’s Hall. The Council of Orsinium was silent, all eyes upon Burkash as he mulled things over within his mind. It was Umog who broke the silence, “King Burkash…you understand what the Code of Mala--” Burkash smashed his fist into an iron gauntlet, crushing it in much the same way a boot does an ant, “I damn well know what the Code of Malacath demands! And it would seem that the Redguard’s have made the SODDING DECISION TO MAKE US DRAW AS MUCH BLOOD UNTIL WE ARE SATISFIED!” Burkash stood from his throne, rushing towards the map of Tamriel in the center of the Council Chamber, thrashing aside the chairs in his way, “The Redguards would [i]dare[/i] to not only insult us at a peace summit, but steal from [i]our[/i] forges!?” It was then that Burkash picked up a nearby dagger, forged in the style of the Orcs, and stabbed it into the map, centering in right on Elinhir, “They want blood!? We will give them it!” Burkash spit on the floor of the Council Chambers, and motioned to one of the guards, “Send missives to the tribes of the Wrothgarian Mountains and the Dragon’s Tail Mountains! We are mustering their warriors…and recall Lagash alongside that company! We will need all our warriors ready for conquest.” Burkash signaled to a nearby Orc, and he stepped forward, smashing his own hand into his chest in a form of a salute, “Gather a group of messengers, and send them to the Dragon’s Tail, Wrothgarian, and Jerall Mountains, gather our brethren from Cyrodiil, Hammerfell, and High Rock. War is soon to come.” --- [center][i]2nd of Sun’s Height, 4E 205 The Imperial Emissary[/i] Gurbuk gro-Malfaz[/center] --- Gurzuk arrived at the gates of Orsinium, accompanied by a portion of the King’s Honor Guard. Ten Orcs, fitted in the finest of Orcish armor, with spears and shields as well. As the gates opened, Gurzuk furrowed his brow, investigating who it would be: The Altmer, or the Imperials. He knew damn good and well that Yagurz had made deals with both sides, but today could not have been a worse day for them to come to Orsinium. As the gates opened, Gurzuk noted the armor and the weaponry, quickly identifying the Imperials as the ones who had come first. Gurzuk spat upon the ground, investigating the Imperials as messengers passed by him, travelling all across Northern Tamriel to bring soldiers to Orsinium. Gurzuk and the Honor Guard marched towards the Imperial emissary, their heavy footsteps thudding upon the ground as they approached. Gurzuk nodded to the Imperial emissary, “Greetings, Imperial.” He began, “I am Gurzuk gor-Malfaz, Captain of the King’s Honor Guard. I welcome you to Orsinium…I must inform you, however, that you seem to have come to Orsinium at a dire time. Be careful around Burkash, else I fear what will happen.” --- [center][i]4th of Sun’s Height, 4E 205 The Favor of Malacath Part III[/i] Gurzuk gro-Golmur[/center] --- The cold air of Skyrim filled Gurzuk’s nostrils as he marched into Falkreath Hold. He and his group really only knew the location of Largashbur. They had a roadmap of Skyrim, and little else to give them a direction towards their destination. Gurzuk pointed to an open area in the forest, “We’ll camp out here for the night. Then we’ll haul out towards the Rift.” The other six got busy making their camp while Gurzuk looked over the map, drawing a path to Largashbur, passing through Falkreath and then into the Rift. With the camp finished, and the fire warm, the lot of them looked around, spying the road as they sat there, “So…” began one of the other Orcs, “How long until Largashbur?” Gurzuk cleared his throat and looked to Masser and Secunda, “I wager about two days. If we had horses, probably shorter but that’s not a luxury that we have, so, we’re marching there. Hopefully they’ll have the hammer. If not, then I guess that’s why we’re here. To find it.” --- [center][i]7th of Sun’s Height, 4E 205 Recalled[/i] General Lagash gro-Nagrum, Hammerfell-Skyrim Border[/center] --- Lagash stood, observing the continued training of the rebels. Five thousand Nords, all before him as the hot sun of Hammerfell beat down upon them, their armor gleaming in the sun as much as their bodies gleamed with a thick layer of sweat. It was then that a messenger came to him, and delivered Burkash’s letter. Lagash opened the letter and began to read it’s contents, his face taking a sickening turn from being intrigued, to one of pure rage. He held up his hand, halting the training of the Nords, whom of which quickly drew into formation, their new leader, Svari, at the head of them. Lagash motioned to the Orcs and brought them into the camp, “Nords…” He began, “I am afraid that we must cut your training far too short. I have been recalled by my benefactor to protect their interests due to the brewing war in Eastern Hammerfell…however, do know this. Your people are warriors of great renown and resolve. You have built empires, and laid them low. Do not let a tyrant dictate the lives which you lead. Rip him and his army limb from bloody limb! Fight until you can fight no longer! Stand tall! Stand proud! Conquer your enemies!” With that, Lagash and his troops began to leave, burning their camp to the ground behind them. They had no more need of it, for now the Nords were on their own. Hopefully, the Rebels would succeed. --- [center][i]7th of Sun’s Height, 4E 205 The March to Falkreath[/i] Svari Ice-Heart, Hammerfell-Skyrim Border[/center] --- The Nords stood, watching as the camp in front of them burned to the ground. Svari moved to where Lagash once stood, watching over her troops as the light of the flames made her stand out even more in the heat of the sun of Hammerfell. She gulped, looking over the lot of them. Initially, she was commander over roughly a squad of men, but now she commanded an army. She had been taught some basic strategies by Lagash as well as some tactics, but she had to make the best of what she had now that Lagash was gone. She thusly, began to speak, “Soldiers! We must gather our forces and return to our homeland! If war begins in Hammerfell, then should we not honor our makeshift home by bringing war to Jartod?! We will slay the tyrant and end his reign!” The Nords cheered as she continued, “The fact that we have earned the respect of an Orc during our short time with him speaks volumes of our courage! Our valor! Our righteousness! We begin our march upon Falkreath in the morning! In the meantime, continue your training and rest well! We have much work to do.” --- [center][i]22nd of Midyear, 4E 205 Did you hear the one about the Orcs and the Bretons?[/i] Chief Yagurz/The Guards, Stormhold[/center] --- The Leader of the Orc guards eyed Everard as he stood there, sword drawn and pointed directly at the three of them. The Orc watched Everard for a moment, while the other two looked behind them, watching the emissaries adjourning for the night. The Orc didn’t really regard Everard, he really focused more on investigating the make of his weapon and armor, intrigued more than anything by the craftsmanship involved in it. The leader of the Orcs poked Everard’s sword a bit, lifting it up with his hand as he investigated it before speaking, “Chief Yagurz would have a word with you.” Before turning around and leaving, like a crazy person. --- [center][i]28th of Midyear, 4E 205 Establishing a Foothold[/i] Ilyn Ondrano, Gnisis[/center] --- Ilyn smiled as he looked out upon the city, the assassination of Nilphas was somewhat a sordid affair, but it was a…necessary step for House Hlaalu. The Council was not in session, currently, but he was still giving orders from Hlaalu’s headquarters in Gnisis. There were always orders to be sent, but that was the cost of being Hlaalu’s Grandmaster. Ilyn took a sip of his Canis root tea, watching the city as he rested, admiring the size of the city. He had to admit, Gnisis had come a long way since its beginnings as a small settlement in the North of Vvardenfell over two hundred years ago. He heard the doors downstairs slam and he sighed, taking one final sip of his canis root tea, a runner entering the room as he continued to drink. It was one of the newer Hirelings, something that didn’t particularly surprise Ilyn, “Sedura, a message from Sera Seran.” Ilyn set down his tea and took the letter from the Hireling, opening it slowly, reading it with an even pace. [hider=Letter] [i]The Ordinators are here. -N[/i][/hider] Ilyn’s eyes widened, writing his own letter quickly, and giving it back to the Hireling, “Take this back to her immediately!” Picking up a separate letter, “As well as this one! There is much work to be done. Tell her to send it to Arvas.” Ilyn sat back down. The Ordinators had arrived…things were about to become very, very interesting in Gnisis. --- [center][i]28th of Midyear, 4E 205 The Message[/i] Nidryne Seran, Gnisis[/center] --- The Hireling returned, giving both letters to Nidryne as he did so. “Sedura Ondrano has the letter. He also said to send this second letter to Arvas.” Nidryne nodded and eyed the Hireling, “Go to the Veloth’s Rest Cornerclub on the outskirts of town. Arvas will be there.” The Hireling nodded and was off once again to do his business, while Nidryne went back to tending her shop, opening her own letter as she did so. [hider=Letter V.2] [i]Keep an ear to the ground, ensure that we are not revealed. Keep me posted, and make sure that we can gain from this. -I[/i][/hider] Nidryne took her letter and tossed it into the nearby fire, taking a seat behind the counter in her shop, preparing to utilize the Hlaalu Spy Network to its fullest extent. With some luck, House Hlaalu would capitalize upon the presence of the Ordinators. --- [center][i]28th of Midyear, 4E 205 The Shadows of Gnisis[/i] Arvas Verim, Gnisis[/center] --- The Hireling, once more delivered a final letter, this time to Arvas Verim, master of the Order of the Shadow in the Cornerclub Veloth’s Rest, “A message from Sedura Ondrano, sero.” Arvas nodded and gave the Hireling fifty septims, “Thank you, sero.” And thusly, Arvas opened his own letter. [hider=Letter V.3] [i]Arvas, We must gain a foothold within the city itself. Mobilize some of our criminal element and begin protection rackets, as well as keep observation on any known members of House Sadras. There is much work to be done. P.S. The Ordinators have arrived, put the assassination squads on alert. -I[/i][/hider] Arvas grinned at the thought of the Ordinators. He had not had the challenge of evading them for quite some time. Hopefully, now would be no different. Arvas motioned over to a Kinsman, “Gather some Lawmen and Oathmen. We have some…business to attend to.” With that, Arvas burned his letter and grinned. He hadn’t had this much fun in quite some time. --- [center][i]28th of Midyear, 4E 205 A City of Dunmer, A House of Imperials[/i] Draren Thiralas, Outskirts of Cheydinhal[/center] --- Draren grumbled as he and his group of spies drew close to Cheydinhal. Draren had lived through the travels and travails of the Nerevarine, through the Red Year, hell even through the Accession War…but he was grumbling about having to sneak into Cheydinhal. That was his logical conclusion. As Draren and his group grew nearer to Cheydinhal, they had to go through the whole search and seizure process that was normal with entering an Imperial city. They were lucky that owning a weapon was something that wasn’t exactly frowned upon by any means, particularly by travelers such as themselves. As a matter of a fact, they had more issues getting out of Morrowind, than getting in to Cheydinhal. Draren and his group took up a temporary residence within the ‘Newlands Lodge’, a Dunmer-owned establishment. From there, the four of them rested, beginning their plans in the morning. --- [hider=Actions] - Orcs are gathering warriors in Orsinium - Imperial Emissary to Orsinium has been received - Search party for Volendrung is in Skyrim - Rebels are beginning their march to Falkreath - House Hlaalu is establishing criminal endeavors in Gnisis proper - Hlaalu spies are now in Cheydinhal [/hider]