The Lich had taken it upon himself to encroach on Veta and Hafvyg. Veta could barely contain her disdain and disgust at it’s proximity, both in terms of innate fear of the undead and the stench of rotting flesh and death. To her surprise, the Lich greeted them in a formal and courtly way, akin to the rituals she had witnessed countless times while inside Castle Chorrol. She could not help but be intruiged, and her eyes betrayed a disbelief that such an entity could possess such grace and decorum. The image was highly peculiar, much as a zombie performing ballet. 

The Lich went on to address the two, [b]"My Liege, My Lady. If I might humbly inquire as to who you might be, Ma'am, and what of my nature is so intriguing I'd like to do so. I take kindly to being stared at, but I question your intentions. Pardon the interruption, My Liege. My name is Heir Presumptive to the Chorrol County, Reyman Caro. My namesake is our beloved God of War, Reyman."[/b] 

Veta internally gasped, and externally frowned. It could not be true! After the death of her Count, his wife had assumed the role of ruling County Chorrol. She was unsure of the line of succession after that, but for it to be a Lich who was probably centuries old was a ridiculous notion. The wounds of the loss of her beloved liege had still not healed, and she felt insulted that this undead creature claimed to legitimately take his place. If it was a lie, then why did he torment her with such words? Had his nefarious magic invaded her thoughts? If it was the truth, then could this Reyman Caro have had something to do with the death of the Count in order to get closer to the title himself?

Veta struggled to contain her fury, and managed to restrain enough so that she only stepped closer to the Lich so she was almost in his face, their eyes level due to her stature and his levitation. She had a clear scowl and rage in her expression as she growled [b]”I am Veteria Venenum, knight-protector of the [i]former[/i] Count of Chorrol. And you disgust me with your nature and your claims, Lich.”[/b]. 

After uttering these seething words, the woman-knight stormed out of the room before her fury got the better of her. Better not to start a fight with a Lich at any given time, but it would be worse to do so in the presence of a particularly dangerous Emperor that obviously held Caro in high regard. She left the dungeons as the sounds of street parties grew louder, crossing the bridge to enter the Imperial City’s Market District. Her rage overshadowed any sense of appreciation of her freedom.

The streets were packed full of crowds of people celebrating the regency and divine nature of their Emperor. ‘Talos Reborn’, they chanted, with banners, floats and decorations all themed around the God of Man, the great conqueror who brought an entire continent to its knees, and his apparent reincarnation that was close to achieving the same goal. Veta was not in the mood to partake, nor would she have normally. She simply sat down on the nearest bench with her head in her hands, sighing.

After taking a moment to recollect herself, she remembered about the letter Havfyg had given to her. She took it out and began to read it, her eyes widening with curiosity with each word. She could not help but feel out of her depth, but what choice did she have? The ring on her finger seemed to pulse as she considered leaving Cyrodiil on the fastest ship, and she felt her stomach sink as she realised that such an option would be difficult at best and fatal at worst. Indentured again to a very different type of liege, Veta sat and pondered her next move.