[IC] Ignis Aurum Probat: A Skyrim Roleplay

[Leoven]

Kriisa Acillus

9th of Sun's Dawn, 4E 204 - Castle Dour, Solitude

"Sir, the Dovhahsken's mages have taken over our last remaining fort in the Pale," reported a young man clad in Imperial armour. Sweat dripped off his face and the colour seemed to have left his skin. It was surprising how he was still standing. "Our forces have been annihilated."

The harsh sound of General Tulius' fist slamming against the table filled the war chamber and was followed by deafening silence. The map laid before them, previously filled with red and blue flags detailing scouted locations of Imperial and Stormcloak camps was now filled with purple flags dotting nearly every inch of the strewn paper. Only five flags had remained - three reds and two blues - but now Tulius was forced to remove one of his. "Blasted dragons! When we signed that truce with Stormcloak I thought we'd be rid of this problem entirely, not have it kill my men and steal the lives of the innocent!"

"Sir, if I may, we could take this chance to launch an attack against the rebels instead. They've also suffered greatly because of the Dovhahsken's conquest and if we strike now, we could be one enemy short," added the soldier, which earned him a glare from the other person present in the room.

Legate Rikke was quick to intervene before Tulius could even contemplate agreeing to the boy's plan. "We need to collaborate with Ulfric to stop this dragon menace. If we continue to fight amongst ourselves, we'll be handing Skyrim to this dragon wrangler in a silver platter."

"One failed negotiation with that brute is enough and I will not risk the lives of my people once again simply because of a power-hungry madman. You there, Auxillary. Send word to the remaining troops. We march against Ulfric at dawn."

Before Legate Rikke could voice her concerns, the sound of a throat clearing halted all three in their tracks. Within a second, three swords were drawn just as the intruder's invisibility potion lost its effect. There, sitting on a chair behind Tulius was a young blonde woman clad in a dark green tunic and brown leather pants. She had her hands raised in front of her in a show of innocence and a small smile playing around the corners of her lips.

"You. I know you," the young soldier began, recognizing the pair of goggles that hung around her neck almost immediately. "Dark Brotherhood scum."

Kriisa rolled her eyes, groaning aloud. "Yes, yes. I am part of the Dark Brotherhood. There is no denying that." She almost grimaced at the memory of when her identity as a Dark Sister had been revealed by Thalmor agents, but she had kept her mouth shut for her family. Thankfully, the Dragonborn had chosen that time to storm the Embassy, albeit not knowing that an ally had been captured within. That had lead to a spread of news that had caused more trouble than it should. "But I'm not here to kill any of you. If I were, you'd all be lying in pools of your own blood." She couldn't help the almost maniacal grin that slipped through and struggled to compose herself once more.

She stood, still careful about the swords now pointed at her. "I'm here to help you with Starkad." Even saying the name left a foul taste in her mouth. Starkad. Traitor. A fallen hero. He was pathetic. She refused to humour him by calling him Dovhahsken. He did not deserve a title in the dragon's tongue. Not him.

"I want that son of a Hagraven's head crushed under my boots, and I believe it is in our mutual interest if we worked together." She let her gaze wander between Tulius and Rikke, ignoring the soldier completely. "Before you say anything, hear me out. I've sent a missive to allies of the Dragonborn, and any and all who wish to take up arms against Starkad. I do not need your army, but I do need the safety of your walls."

Three months after Starkad's initial attack in Whiterun and he had most of the province under his control. Only three major areas were still left standing as refuge for those who suffered under his tyrrany - Solitude, Windhelm, and High Hrothgar. The path to High Hrothgar was well-protected by the Greybears but Kriisa had heard rumours that Starkad planned on conquering it next, and she did not want possible allies to make the seven thousand steps climb. They were lacking in time as it was. She had also briefly considered Windhelm, but she doubted Ulfric would even listen to her after her arrow pierced one of Ulfric's leaders' head at a banquet of his. That left Solitude, the refuge of the Imperial Legion and citizens in the western part of Skyrim.

"You don't have to agree because you have no choice. Unless you Starkad to obliterate you and Solitude, you will help me kill Starkad and reclaim Skyrim." She kept her gaze levelled with Tulius. She needed to stand her ground against him. That was the only way to deal with people like him, she'd observed. Her eyes flicked towards Rikke and, seeing a hint of hesitation in her eyes, she added with a small, genuine smile, "Please. Think of it as a gift for my twenty-fifth name day."

She didn't have to wait for Tulius' response. As she'd said, he didn't have a choice in the matter. The door to Castle Dour opened, signalling the arrival of the first of those who received or saw Kriisa's message.

[Karos]

Tacitus heard the door open behind him, he stood silently in the place he'd taken behind the woman sat in the chair. He'd known she was there before she cared to reveal herself. It was a habit of his to cast detect life whenever he entered a meeting of any import, but he'd kept his mouth shut waiting to see matters unfold.

He drew the gladius from its sheath at his waist and placed the blade on the woman's shoulder. 'I wouldn't be so glib, nor would I make demands if I were you.' he began, 'We need allies but you need us more than we need you, if need be the Empire can abandon this damned place and reclaim it later. Your order however, well I've dealt with that matter personally. This is it for you and your ilk.' He smiled behind the scarf that covered his face, when combined with the hood he wore all that could be seen of Tacitus was his piercing eyes. He kept them both trained on the assassin his sword ready to cut her neck at a moments notice.

'General Tullius Sir,' he said addressing the general, his eyes still levelled at the assassin 'what are your orders?'

The general mused for a moment before replying, 'I want you to accompany this woman and her associates, you are the Imperial representative in this affair. I want this new threat dealt with but I won't have acts against the Empire, you're responsible for ensuring that the mission is carried out as such, am I clear Tacitus?'

'Yes sir, understood' replied Tacitus sheathing his gladius at his side again. He turned to appraise several figures who were now entering the room. They didn't look like much, but then again there weren't many people signing up to throw themselves at dragons. Great he thought to himself damned to die far away from home, against a threat that we should've seen coming, alongside, miscreants and the curs I've been hunting for years.

[Butch]

The letter was short and to the point. ‘Castle Dour, Solitude - 9th of Sun’s Dawn.’ It included barely any explanation why or how the writer knew of Neria and her desire to avenge the Dragonborn. Maybe this was part of the reason she hadn’t hesitated to leave the tavern the same night, walking through the whole night and the following day, in order to arrive in time. The guards at the gate however posed another problem.

Initially the imbecile, who called himself a proud imperial guard, believed her to be a stormcloak spy, despite the fact that there were probably as many dunmer with the nord rebels as brains inside this particular imperial’s skull. The second guard who appeared shortly after was undoubtedly blessed with more common sense; he however brought up a good point. There was no apparent reason to let Neria pass, her arrival was not expected. Slowly getting frustrated, Neria pulled out the letter she had received and showed it to the second guard.

The big door to the war chamber opened slowly. Neria took a few steps inside, accompanied by four guards. With ten people present the room seemed somewhat crowded. The most prominent figure being General Tilius - Neria had never seen the man before, but his armor made him stand out like a bear in a flock of sheep. ‘Sir,’ the first guard approached the General ‘this woman claims she’s been invited here. She had this letter with her. It’s got your signature on it.’ Tilius took the paper and inspected it closely. The guard cleared his throat: ‘Ahem, sir. I believe she might be a spy for the damned stormcloaks.’ The general took a long look at the female dunmer, head to toes. ‘I somehow doubt it. I assume you belong to her?’ He nicked his head toward a chair with a young female imperial seated on it. The woman smiled. “Apparently.”

[El Noche]

Dio stood in the hallway as a Dunmer woman was escorted into the chamber, his black armor blending in with the darkness. It had taken him many days to finally reach this point. He would have still been scouring the Nordic country side had it not been for a chance encounter with a strange man dressed in black robes. It was after Dio had defeated a small group of bandits that the black robed man revealed himself, informing him that the keys to the vengeance he so sought could be found in the Imperial fortress in Solitude. The seemingly random delivery of a cryptic message was strange, but stranger still was the fact that the robed stranger called Dio by name, as if he knew him. Before Dio could inquire further, the stranger vanished. What was the meaning of this message? What were the keys? Perhaps there was some secret to the Dovhahsken's power hidden within the depths of the fortress, or perhaps his nemesis, Alayna was there in hiding. Or perhaps it was a trap, a scheme to lure and eliminate those seeking to oppose the Dovhahsken, Dio thought to himself. The only way he would know was to venture there himself. And so there he stood, having wandered into the keep with relative ease. It seemed as if the Legion was shorthanded.

Seeing that the guards had left the door open as they were preoccupied with the Dunmer woman, Dio took this chance to entered into the chamber. He emerged from the darkness of the hall and stepped into doorway, his large frame enveloping the space of it. One of the guards turned around, having noticed movement behind him. His face light up with surprise, being slightly startled to see a large figure clad in strange black armor suddenly apearing behind him. Before he could say anything Dio quickly put a finger to the man's lips. "Sssh, calm yourself Imperial, I come as a friend."his gravely voice dripping heavy with a Dunmeri accent. Dio laughed to himself at the words he had just spoken. Historically speaking House Telvanni held no love for the Empire, having clashed with imperial factions such as the Mages Guild many times in the past. This held true for Dio as well, he cared not for the over reaching leviathan that was the Empire, constantly melding in the affairs of the various peoples of Tameriel.

Dio quickly pushed past the startled guard and proceeded into the room. He surveyed the individuals before him through the visor of his black helmet. Most of the faces were both unfamiliar and uninteresting to him, save for three. First was the dunmer woman, her armor well worn with the marks of battle, betrayed her occupation. While Dio could not be sure, he had a small inkling that she may be of House Redoran, a rival House to his own. House Redoran was now the dominant house in Morrowind, while his own House had dwindled in Power. Still, the Redorans had done a good job of keeping the Argonian hordes off the doorstep of Tel Oloth, and for this Dio bore them no ill will. "Greetings Muthsera" Dio said to the Dunmer woman. Next was the hooded man. Dio wondered if this man was the same one who had approached him on the road, urging him to come here. This man seemed to have the same aura, though he could not tell for certain, as he could not see his face.

Lastly there was the woman sitting in the chair. He was quite familiar with her, as she was accompanying the Dragonborn and Saramen during the weeks in which Dio and his compatriots had been tailing them. He was able to see her in action on several occasions, bearing witness to her ability to deal out death. Though Dio and his party did their best to stay hidden, he always had a small feeling that she was aware of their presence, that she knew that they were watching them from over the hill, or amidst the bushes.

"Where is your letter, Dark Elf. Proof that you are indeed here as a friend?" One of the guards demanded. Dio looked down at him through his helmet, wondering why the guard had simply assumed he was a Dunmer. "I have no letter. I was made aware of this meeting by...other means. Dio turned to look in the hooded man's direction. " My name is Dio of Tel Ototh, I am a Lawman of House Telvanni. The one I called brother, Saramen of Tel Oloth fought alongside the Dragonborn, and subsequently died alongside him on that day of betrayal. . Dio then turned to address the man who he assumed was the commander. "I have no interest nor involvement in the Empire's struggle against the Stormcloaks or vice versa. I am here because I would like to have the pleasure of seeing the Dovhahsken die with my own eyes, and preferably by my hands.. Dio then turned to point at the woman sitting in the chair. She can attest that my words are true and I am indeed here as an ally in this endeavor.

[Leoven]

Kriisa Acillus

Kriisa watched as some of the people she had contacted began to flock inside the war room. The Imperial soldier behind her had his blade against her and had the audacity to insult her family. Normally, Kriisa would have none of that but he had made a point. Her sudden arrival and proclamation had been a big risk, but it seemed to be paying off so far. Before she even had to lift a finger, she had an Imperial soldier in her makeshift band to hunt down that damned traitor.

The first to arrive was a Dunmer woman - Neria, Kriisa recalled. The Dragonborn had spoken of her once or twice when she had travelled with him, and so Kriisa had placed her name in the list of recipients she had given the courier. She knew little of Nsria - who she was and what she could do - but she had been desperate to call up arms. Still, she had come and that was more than enough for Kriisa.

The one who had followed Neria in was, to say the least, an expected surprise. Those who dealt with the shadows always knew whenever someone else was lurking behind them. Kriisa had never been able to explain it and simply took it as a manifestation of the Brotherhood's connection to the Void. Nevertheless, this Redguard had been around the Dragonborn's party for a while but had never cause trouble. She knew of his presence but not of his story. Was he telling the truth or was what she was hearing merely lies coating a devious purpose. Then again, she had to remember that beggars had no choice but to accept the alms they were given. He was there, willing to offer his arm, and there was no way in Sithis' name that she would turn him away.

"He's mine," she assured the guard, giving Dio a nod.

"You have two people in your army, assassin," General Tulius commented, a light sneer accenting his words. "You think they can defeat the Dovhahsken when hundreds of my men could not?"

Kriisa had to bite back the smirk that spread out on her lips. "Quality over quantity, General." She eyed the two recruits. They seemed like people who truly understood battle and death, not like some of the soldiers in the Imperial or Stormcloak armies. They could fight, and hopefully well, at that. She eyed the Imperial soldier Tulius had assigned to accompany them and couldn't hold back the smirk anymore. "Besides, you have your lap dog over here to keep an eye on us. Surely you believe in his abilities, no?"

Despite herself, Kriisa heard Starkad reprimanding her in her head. He had always been the rational one, informing her or the Dragonborn whenever the course of action they were taking was foolish. She was once again allowing her emotions to get the better of her, and this would not help at all.

"Our numbers may be few now, but the day is still early. I believe more will rally to our cause, and if they don't come, I will still continue my crusade. Killing Starkad is what's important during these times - not race or affiliations." She eyed the three warriors before returning her gaze to Tulius. "My informants say that there is a group of mages headed towards Dragon Bridge to replenish Starkad's lost forces there during one of your previous seiges there. They have no dragon lording over that area."

"We could take back that land."

Straight to business, as Brynjolf always told her. There was no need to dally. If more arrived, she would simply take a few moment to bring them up to speed, but they could not afford to be idle. Not now.

[Draconequis]

Nia

Nia pulled back on Frost's reigns, stopping the white stallion at the stables next to Solitude. She let a few gold coins slip from her fingers to pay the man at the stables for keeping her horse, in exchange for a delicate sweep of her paw which emptied the gold he had in his pocket. She was refreshingly late to the meeting at Castle Dour. Honestly, this was partly because she wasn't the biggest fan of the Imperials, or the Empire for that matter. Mainly because of their ties with the Thalmor, who had tried to kill Qa'va more times than she could count. It might have had something to do with when she'd broken into a Thalmor stronghold and stolen a few Dossiers which were clearly not meant to be seen by her eyes. Mainly they were reports about the Thalmor's plans in Skyrim, and held some very.. enlightening facts about the Thalmor secretly helping the Stormcloaks with the civil war in order to assure the Empire would remain firmly under their thumb. She'd been planning to drop a copy of the plans on Ulfric's doorstep just to watch his reaction. That had been before the Dragonborn was murdered.

She missed the Nord's company more than she cared to admit. Far from her usual marks, the stories he told her about dragons and delving into ancient ruins had actually been very interesting. The most fascinating conversation they had when they were together was the one about dragon tongue.. when he'd attempted to teach her to speak the language. Of course.. it had been a complete failure.. but under his guidance she was able to understand select words in the tongue. And the sex.. well.. there was something exciting about bedding a man who could literally shout her to pieces if he felt like it.

It was pointless dwell on things of the past. What was done was done. He was gone.. and so was a major source of revenue for the guild. So.. she'd decided to do something about it. For starters.. getting revenge on the man who'd decided to plunge a dagger into the throat of the Dragonborn. He had been her toy, and the fact he had died before she was finished playing with him was a never ending source of irritation for Nia. Getting revenge on Starkad was the first step to healing her guild. This was the first time she'd actively wanted to kill someone so badly.. and for a moment she wondered if this is how Kriisa felt every day of her life.

She pushed the doors to the chamber open, and was immediately stopped by three guards. "We have no need of your kind here." the guard in the center snarled.

Nia's tail twitched in irritation and she exposed her invitation letter. She placed it in the Guard's hand and the man froze, his eyes scanning the page. His face whitened significantly. A handwritten letter from Kriisa, with her name delicately etched delicately in the top. It alluded to the fact that Qa'va had been in a relationship with the Dragonborn at the time of his untimely demise. It also invited her to come to this meeting, asking if she might like to join them in revenge against Dovahsken.

"I heard the Dragonborn took a lover.. but i did not think his lover was...."

Nia smirked, a purr coming from the back of her throat. "A Khajiit? Yes. Most reactions to this discovery are.. similar." She snatched the letter back from his hands, smoothing it delicately in her white-furred paws. Without another word to the guards, she sauntered past them and into the meeting room.

"Qa'va?" General Tullius breathed as the almost ghostly white Khajiit approached the table. The two had met on several occasions. The first time had been at a peace meeting between the Stormcloaks and Imperials, where the Dragonborn had insisted she join the peace talks and introduced her as his girlfriend. She could still recall the shocked expressions spreading across the table, most notably were the horrified expressions coming from both Ulfric, Tullius, and the Thalmor representative. It had been entertaining to say the least, and sometimes Nia thought back to that very moment to make herself smile. After the peace talk, Nia had used the other meetings to convince Tullius her relationship with the Dragonborn was a pure one. "I thought you would be in mourning. What are you doing here?"

Nia shot Tullius a glance. "I was in mourning. But then i decided sitting around on my ass doing nothing was no way to honor his memory. So.. when i found this letter on the steps of Breezehome.. i chose to come here. I want revenge. Starkad took nim. And Starkad will pay for what he has done." There was a determined gleam in her eyes as she spoke, laying the paper on the table.

"You know this Dark Brotherhood Skum?" General Tullius asked, lip curling in disgust.

Nia shot him a glare. "Kriisa is a friend and ally of myself and the Dragonborn, she is reliable because she is from the Dark Brotherhood. Her trade is one of killing. She can prove immensely useful to us." She moved towards Kriisa, a smile spread across her face. "It's good to see you again." She turned to survey the others behind Kriisa. It was almost like the punchline of a bad joke, two Imperials, a Redguard, and a Dark Elf. And then.. her. The Khajiit.

Tullius glanced between Kriisa and Nia, trying to put two together in his mind. "I don't trust her."

Nia's ears flicked in annoyance and her tail lashed back and forth. "Well.. its a good thing she's not going to be working with you then, isn't it." Then there was flash of sharp white teeth as she spoke in a hiss. "You forget, Kriisa was with him on many of his journeys. She was a close ally and friend. She was with him when he died.. a luxury i did not have, as i was elsewhere."

Most of the bitterness in her voice was actually disappointment caused by the fact her prey had been taken from her before she'd finished playing with it. Because seducing the Dragonborn had been the score of the century. Using his influence, she'd managed to spring a few of her guild members from jail. She'd been planning to use his connections with the Jarls to start putting her guild on the map again. And now all of that was ruined.

"What exactly did she have planned?"

"She claims to know of a group of Dovasken's mages are headed to-."

Nia instantly scraped her claws against the table rather loudly, her eyes burning like fire. As the room fell silent and all eyes turned to her, she hissed. "Let's refer to him as Starkad, shall we? As far as i am concerned, he does not deserve to be called anything in the dragon tongue."

After the room was silent for a moment, Tullius tried again. "She.. said she knows a group of Dov- Starkad's mages.. headed to Dragon Bridge. Claims there is no dragon in the area."

Nia glanced at Kriisa, her ears flicking. "I think it is worthy of our attention. Every rebellion starts off small. And taking the five of us into battle.. we will be able to get in and out without anyone even noticing. It's better than no plan at all."

[Karos]

Tacitus observed the party stood around him, insolent, and poorly disciplined for the most part, save for the Redguard and maybe the Dunmer. Although from the remarks a few of them had made it seemed they were much more familiar with the dragonborn than he was, than again that was quite the triviality in the grand scheme of things as the man was dead.

'Then let us get a move on instead of sitting here,' he said calmly but authoritatively 'those of you without horses follow me, those with horses fetch them and meet us on the road to Dragonsbridge, half way between here and there. From there we can venture on together and deal with this pathetic cabal.'

With that Tacitus made for the castle door intending to head straight for the stables. He didn't stop for the others nor did he turn to check whether or not they followed him. He was on a mission now, he would complete it with or without them. They'd either follow him and fight alongside him or stay in violation of their own intentions, he didn't really care, the end result would be the same after all.

[Butch]

The atmosphere in the war chamber had suddenly become even more awkward than before and since Neria did not own a horse she followed the male imperial and took her weapons and backpack from the guards.

Despite his obvious connection to the legion, the contrast between him and the dimwit she had encountered at the castle gates could hardly have been greater. The soldier, whose name she did not know, had an expression on his face as if his new companions had suddenly revealed themselves to be two skeevers, a scarecrow and a troll. Yet he reminded her of the stories she heard as a teenager from her masters. While Morrowind and the empire had not always been on great terms, many dunmer held a great deal of respect for the imperial army, especially members of house Redoran. Their soldier’s discipline and mastery of strategy had once unified the whole empire, outmatching any other standing force in Tamriel – until the Thalmor came to power and took over. This event marked the beginning of the legions downfall and the civil war in Skyrim only further reduced the number of strong, reliable soldiers the legion once prided itself on. These days, sadly the idiot gate guards were the rule and men like her new companion made the exception. He looked like the last remaining true legionary; strong, loyal and determined. Quite obviously he was going to follow his orders to the point; Neria had no doubt about that. She made a mental note to stay on the right side of his orders; she was not aiming to gain his friendship, but to avoid unnecessary conflict, which might hinder their mission.

And then there was the man who called himself Dio of Tel Oloth. Neria was certain, that despite his armor and accent he was contrary to the guard’s assumption, no dunmer. Firstly the proportions of his body were off; legs too short, hands and feet too big, shoulders and hips too broad. Secondly his movements, although natural, were missing a certain - graze. Neria couldn’t think of a better word, but her gut told her that he was more man than mer. His affiliation with a great house did not change that. While not overly common outsiders were allowed to join a great house every once in a while, even if they belonged to a different species.
As for his character; Telvanni members were known for being reckless, arrogant and often powerful mages, who pursued only their own personal goals with little concern for costs, often ‘consuming’ enormous numbers of slaves in their endeavors. A cruel habit and yet despite this the Telvanni were well-respected in Morrowind. It was in fact their result-driven mindset which was considered an important part of dunmer culture and earned them their reputation, even though they continuously pushed the borders on what was considered to be ‘good-taste’ – necromancy and such. Dio certainly seemed to have a high enough opinion of himself to truly be a Telvanni and therefore Neria would have to make sure to not trust him easily. However it might be nice to have someone around familiar with dunmer customs.

Neria passed a painting on the wall, depicting a man dressed in rich clothing balancing several gold nuggets on a scale. The painted metal led her mind to the latest member of their small group. Qa’va; a white Khajit and presumably a thief. During her travels across Tamriel, Neria had come across several of these furred creatures, most of which were travelling in caravans and made camp outside bigger cities to trade. The feline people were known for illegal activities and an unhealthy addiction to Skooma. So far Neria had only witnessed events which confirmed this reputation and was therefore not exactly enthusiastic to travel with the oversized white cat.
Neria scolded herself in her mind; she could not possibly conclude Qa’va’s nature just from this first short encounter. The Dragonborn had known her – obviously, and maybe even trusted her. Additionally her anger seemed genuine enough; she most likely really wanted revenge. All this was reason enough to give the cat-lady a chance. Still Neria could not shake the feeling that her clawed hands would somehow end up in her pockets at some point. Luckily she traveled light and owned little of true value anyway.

Lastly there was the person responsible for the little meet and greet. Kriisa. The young woman looked innocent and sweet, but Neria was not mad enough to be fooled by looks. There was a dark aura surrounding her which reminded Neria of a lunatic serial killer. The image of a little girl smiling while holding up a bloody knife came to mind. The Dragonborn’s former companion was undoubtedly an assassin and would certainly proof deadly. To whom however was another question, the answer to which Neria was certain she would find out soon enough.

For now she just continued to follow the man in front of her. Silently.

[El Noche]

Dio

Dio nodded in return to Kriisa, the Imperials now pacified to his presence there. Shortly after another walked in, a Khajit. Dio was somewhat surprised, as it seemed from the letter she handed to the guard contained some detail about a romantic relationship with the Dragonborn. Dio had always known that the men of the other provinces had a proclivity towards beast women,considering such literature as the Lusty Argonian Maid but it was his understanding that such desires were rarely ever made public knowledge. A man of the Dragonborn's level of fame likely had many options in regards to feminine companionship. There must have been something especially peculiar about this particular Khajit woman, Dio thought to himself as he looked her up and down.

Overall Dio was pleased. While the Imperials in the room doubted the ability of this small band to achieve their aim, Dio was confident. When strentgh and power were found to be wanting, treachery can always be supplanted in its place, and by the looks of most of his soon to be companions, treachery was in high supply between them.Dio gave out a hearty laugh as he followed Tacitus out of the chamber. "This shall be a crusade most glorious Imperial". Dio was without a mount, having foot slogged his way across the country after parting ways with his Orc brother Stryke. He cared not to continue in such a way, and if the Legion was giving away free horses, he would be happy to oblige their offer.

[Draconequis]

Nia

A moment of hesitation as the Imperial ordered them around as if he was supposed to be in charge or something. Nia's tail twitched in irritation as she watched the man walk away. She didn't like to follow the orders of an Imperial she'd just met, but the man didn't seem to be stopping any time soon. Nia considered just letting the man leave on his own, but then she thought of how likely it was he would die if he went on his own. He seemed very eager to just throw his life away.. or he was just confident they would follow after him.

She narrowed her eyes. "I rode here from Whiterun. I'll need to pick up my horse. So I guess i will catch up with the other Imperial."

Tullius inclined his head to Nia. "Stay well, Lady Qa'va"

Nia dipped her head at Tullius. "And you as well."

She sauntered out of the castle, her eyes settling on the Redguard as he spoke about this being a 'crusade most glorious.' She snorted, a gentle laugh echoing from her chest. "You have a very strange way of speaking." she stated, a smirk spreading across her lips."Very amusing if i do say so myself."

As she approached the stables, she moved to where Frost was being held. Her white fur seemed to blend with his as she pressed a paw against his muzzle. The horse nickered and nudged her in the chest, before his ears pricked and pointed to the others. She gripped the creature by his reigns, leading him out of the stables with firm, steady paws. "So. Are we all going to be riding horses? Or are we going on foot? I can easily just leave Frost here if no one else has a mount."