Dervish

Mass Effect: Borealis

@DearTrickster Let's make it so.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

<Snipped quote by Dervish>

@gcold

Half-Life 3 confirmed.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

@Dervish

For some reason, it won't let me quote you.

A

Jorwen has no love for necromancers and he knows he and Daelin stand no chance against two magic users. Wait for the battle to die down with one clear and weakened victor and swoop in to kill him.

@Leidenschaft

<Snipped quote by Dervish>

Can we go TALOS VULT and attack them all at the same time?

@Peik

I legitimately was stumped realizing I was forgetting an option.

Talos Vult is absolutely an option.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

DUN DUN DUUUUUN

Go read the post and come back to this.

Didja read it? Good. You may proceed!

Old folks, look who it is! Jonimir is back, and with friends!

So now you guys will have to decide how you want to play this out, vote now;

A) Do nothing and let the two sides fight
B) Come to the aid of your old pal, Jonimir
C) Come to the aid of the Pyromancer, at least he's not trying to Soul trap people
D) TALOS VULT THEM ALL

PLACE YER BETS NAO

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

As instructed, Daelin rounded up his team two hours later, based on the movement of the sun as it traversed the sky. They were rested up after their fight, and those with minor and manageable wounds were more or less back to their usual physical well being, albeit with some aches and sores to accompany them for the march ahead. Although he did not know Rothvar, the man seemed an honourable sort who seemed all too eager to lend a hand after the group’s intervention; he seemed to be guilty for the injuries he indirectly caused as the team rushed to his rescue. Still, if he ended up being a problem, Rhasha’Dar, Sevine, and Keegan could likely keep him in line, despite their injuries.

And so, Daelin headed the column again, not worrying about scouting across this largely dead and scorched landscape as he followed the provided map to Cindershine Mine, with Daixanos, Jorwen, and Marcel carried across the scorched landscape, the sun getting unsettlingly low across the horizon. They’d be arriving after the sun dipped below the mountains, although the march back wouldn’t be difficult, given much of the forest was clear cut from flames. There were no sounds other than the shifting of their equipment as they carried on, their footfalls cushioned by ash. No animals were around, and the absence of even birdsong gave the air a chilling vibe of death.

And they were marching towards the cause.

~ ~ ~

When the team arrived at the entrance of the mine close to two hours later, it was already shrouded in shadow, the rocks about it darkened from scorch marks; the usual moss and overgrowth that jutted from between rocks had been cleared away, leaving everything around the entrance, save for the wood beams that lined the entrance, were blackened like a discarded black soul gem. Worryingly, some spots of the sand in the area appeared to have traces of crystallization; ordinary flames could not turn sand to glass, and yet here were traces that whatever had touched upon the ground here was almost approaching that heat. It was a foreboding sign.

The team entered the mine with trepidation, not sure of what to expect as they entered the portal of the mine. Soon, everything was becoming too dark to see, and the discovery of a torch scone gave everyone a moment to consider that they’d ruin any element of surprise if they illuminated their coming, but an equally compelling argument was they’d get nowhere without sight, and the pyromancer would be at an advantage against them, especially since the floor had numerous puddles from water seeping through the rocks. The group was uncertain of what they’d discover as they traversed the old tunnels of the mineshaft, abandoned an unknowable amount of time ago. Some tools and equipment were still in place from when the last workers set them down, and piles of rubble dominated some of the dead ends where workers had begun to clear more rock in search of mineral deposits. For whatever reason, the mine was abandoned, and outside the team and the pyromancer that was reputed to lurk within, it was impossible to know if anyone else had set food in the mine; conspicuously absent was the lingering scent of animal habitation, as several creatures claimed abandoned caves such as this as their own after the lingering scent of man disappeared.

Carrying the lit torch ahead, and prepared to extinguish it in one of the numerous puddles of water that dominated the mine, the group pressed forward in search of their quarry.

Before long, and in such short amount of time even with the tension, light was seen flickering up ahead, prompting Daelin to plunge his torch into some water he had passed several steps behind him, and voices were heard up ahead. Whispering to the others, the Bosmer said, “More than one. Be ready.” He said, notching an arrow into his bow and carefully walking to ensure that if he touched more water, it would not splash. As he approached the illuminated corridor, he could not help but feel like he was walking into the mouth of a dragon, and he really did not wish to see what waited around the corner; even for someone as experienced and battle hardened as Daelin, creeping around in caves in search of a man who incinerated an unspeakable amount of forest was hardly an encouraging proposition. Still, he had a job to do, and if he were lucky, he’d be able to put a shot through the eye of the pyromancer before he became a threat to anyone.

Reaching a corner before catching sight of who was beyond, Daelin could hear the argument, and given the circumstances, was almost disappointed at how mundane it seemed.

“You were once my apprentice. I would have thought you’d be happy to see me,” A familiar deep voice said. Daelin chanced a look, and he immediately caught sight of a young orc woman in the robes of a commonwoman, flanked by an altmer with a gaunt face and dark robes; something about him reminded Daelin of necromancers, and the origin of the voice, whom he could only see the back of his head. The three of them were facing a bosmer, and a ghastly looking one at that; a hunched over posture with dried and cracked skin that had the appearance of having bled and dried on numerous occasions dominated his appearance, and eyes that Daelin could only describe as crazy. The bosmer was fidgeting, his skin saturated with the sheen of sweat that permeated through his tattered clothing. He looked like the kind of individual who evoked the Wild Hunt and was ejected from the horrible mass that resulted from the ritual. However, when the bosmer spoke, it was far more clear and powerful than Daelin was expecting, as if it belonged to someone much more put together entirely.

“I still have work to do, and you will not stop me. The lands need purification… the Green Pact demands it!” the Bosmer stated with fever.

The deep voice, a Redguard, shook his head, visibly surveying the Bosmer’s living situation distastefully. “I don’t give a damn about your Green Pact, which you’re defiling by burning down the forests, I might add.”

“PURIFYING!”

“I do not have time to argue semantics. The Synod is still looking for me and for you, and I am here to offer you a chance to come with me peacefully, my apprentice, and we can pick up the pieces that we left behind from the shattered Blue Blood Mage Guild… or did you forget your brothers and sisters?” the voice asked accusingly. The Bosmer appeared to flinch at the word, but otherwise did not appear convinced.

The Redguard reached into a satchel at his side, and a very large black soul gem filled his hand, the crystal so dark that in the dim torchlight appeared to drink all the light that touched it as it thirsted for its vessel to be filled. “Or you can come with me in here. One way or another, you will be helping me with my research once more.”

“You’re mad!” The Bosmer shrieked, finally sounding as feral as he looked. The Redguard chuckled in response.

“Bold claim from the lunatic who has been burning every living thing he can get his wretched claws on. How many people have you burnt alive? Quite a few, I imagine. If I could find you so easily, the Synod is not far behind and you know that whatever they’ll do to you will be far worse than what I could to do you, and you recall my teachings in conjuration…” the Redguard trailed off.

Bright white flames emitted from the pyromancer’s clenched fists. “You’ve made a mistake coming here, Jonimir.” The Bosmer threatened.

Daelin’s eyes widened. Jonimir… his mind raced back to the Reach, the Redguard soul trapper who was once a part of the company, albeit not for very long. Suddenly, it all came rushing back and it was as if he were seeing a very unsettling ghost; there really was no question that it was their former comrade standing in front of the team with two strangers, about to confront a very dangerous individual.

The team would have to make a decision and act fast, as things were about to come to blows. The altmer stepped forward, a powerful ward in one hand and a fist arcing with electricity in the other.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

<Snipped quote by Dervish>

I still want to have Jorwen pulp someone's brain like The Mountain, or rip someone's jaw off like Ser Robert Strong. The person would have to be someone he really, really hates for him to revert back to that type of wanton, brutal violence though.

@Leidenschaft

.:: ℤ𝕖𝕝𝕕𝕒 - 𝕎𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 ::.

<Snipped quote by The 42nd Gecko>

Thieves =/= ninjas! Also I was the first person to play a weird hooded cloaked dude, all these brochachos are just copying my styles.

@Chanda

Nuh uh. My guy totally has no legs and provides the party with mood lighting.

Totally different.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

<Snipped quote by Hellis>

It's good, no worries.

@Dervish, minor retcon; instead of Hlaalu being captured, he will slink away while Karth and Niernen reunite. This helps set the next scene.

@gcold

Gotcha.

I figured he would have been like "Oh hella naw" after Solveig goes all Red-Bear Jr. on his pal.

I'll fix eet.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

And collab awwaaaay!

Also, as a note, I'm going to post the Firewatch move along post tomorrow, along with some additional info in the OOC, so stay tuned, you rapscallions.

The Elder Scrolls: Fruits of Contention - Chapter 1 (Completed)

A Fated Reunion

Something that happens when Hank Hill and Derv Dribble get drinking beers by the fence

The Hlaalu looked up at the newcomer yelling about her friend, that he quickly pieced together was the khajiit that was pressing uncomfortably between his ribs with the end of the staff. However, it was not the shouts of Niernen that gave him pause, but rather the actions of Solveig giving his companion a drawn out and brutal demise that made his fingers give out, the weapons clashing to the floor as the fight left the Hlaalu as surely as the colour drained from his face.

Do'Karth stepped back and struck the Hlaalu hard in the kneecap with this staff, a sharp crack filled the air as did the dunmer's scream as he fell to the floor, cradling a surely broken bone. One couldn't run if your knee was broken, and considering both of the crossbowman's shots had consequences, Do'Karth felt vindicated as he knocked both weapons out of the Hlaalu's reach with foot and staff, and only then did he turn at the voice, one the khajiit had initially thought belonged to one of his companions in the heat of the skirmish.

Niernen was standing before him, gaunt and pale as a vampire, her cheeks saturated with tears. Do'Karth was at a loss for words, for he had truly thought she had perished. "Niernen, you're..." he said, the air clutching at his throat but not able to find the words. "How is this possible?" he asked walking over to her at a brisk pace, dropping his staff as he took his friend into his arms. Part of him was beyond elated to see her safe, another part of him was confounded, and yet another had to make sure he was real. She looked traumatized, and somehow she had managed to track him down. Of course she needed comforting.

"Do'Karth tried to find you, he is so sorry he failed." he said softly.

Niernen tried to answer Do'Karth's questions, opening her mouth to speak, but she was overcome with emotion when the Khajiit took her in his arms. Her throat closed up and she buried her face in the fur by the nape of his neck and wept -- she wept for joy at having found Do'Karth again, but also in anguish as the horrors and the suffering of the past few weeks washed over her and she finally allowed herself to break. She wept for the death of her Nix-Hound, Garm, and the loss of her family. They were out of reach in Morrowind and she had no idea when she would see them again or what had happened to them. She wept for her pain and broken bones and, a little vainly, for the sorry state of her precious hair.

Her shoulders rose and fell with each ragged breath and choking sob and she lifted her arms, sharp stabs of pain in her left shoulder be damned, to embrace Do'Karth. Niernen said something but it was incomprehensibly muffled. Eventually the Dunmeri woman managed to calm down and regained some of her composure. She lifted her head out of Do'Karth's fur and interspersed the last of her sobs with a sheepish chuckle.

"It's really you," she whispered at last and looked up to meet Do'Karth's gaze. "Azura must have guided my path, I can think of no other explanation. The Kamal hunted us down when we escaped from the city and I was separated from all of you," she said, her voice regaining some of its confidence and substance, and continued. "They chased me east and then the thrice-damned Armigers captured me when I reached Morrowind and sold me to the Kamal to be used as as a slave! Can you believe that? Then I was transferred onto one of their ships and these ridiculous pirates attacked the ship after a storm and I was able to escape with one other Dunmer. We drifted in a little dingy for... more than day, at least, and we made landfall here. Ashav found us. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him, and then Madura said you were down here, and, well, here I am," she said and smiled, beaming. "And here you are!" Niernen caressed Do'Karth's furry cheek with her good hand and laughed, genuinely, for the first time in ages.

Do'Karth's heart sank as Niernen recounted her ordeal, and he knew all too well of the brutality the Kamal were capable of inflicting; he shuddered to think of what they did to those they decided to enslave. It really did feel as if one of the divines had allowed for this reunion, and for that he was thankful. "Here we are." He agreed, wiping a tear away from her face. "This one can hardly believe it, he is astonished by your tale. Perhaps Azurah brought you back, and for that, Do'Karth is grateful for her." he smiled, guiding her away from the bodies and carnage that had just unfolded. It was quite the range of emotions for such a short amount of time. "Do'Karth is sorry about your hound, he truly is. He understood you two were well bonded... are you injured?" he asked, concerned.

The elf nodded and clenched her jaw when Do'Karth mentioned Garm. "He was so brave," she whispered and teared up again, remembering how the Nix-Hound had fearlessly thrown itself at the Kamal and their eight-legged war beasts -- but Niernen was grateful for Do'Karth's thoughtfulness in remembering him. She blinked the tears away and took a deep breath, then shook her head at Do'Karth's question. "I mean, yes," she said, correcting herself, "they broke my leg and I'm pretty sure something is wrong with my left shoulder, and maybe some of my ribs, but I'll be alright eventually. I tried to heal myself but I'm not skilled enough." Niernen grimaced at the last few words and sorely regretted not devoting more time to Restoration during her studies. "What happened to all of you, though?" she asked, deeply curious. "You have to tell me everything! And why in Oblivion are you here?"

The khajiit snorted in amusement. "An excellent question, why are we here?" he grinned, helping support Niernen to a nearby wall so she didn't have to put as much weight on her leg; broken bones were beyond his skill, but she was getting around well enough for now, but it had to be agonizing just to move. It just spoke to her willpower she managed to get down here at all. "Do'Karth can't begin to describe everything that's occurred. Company wise, we retreated to Dawnstar and set up camp and the commanders started recruiting to replace our... ah, losses." he said, gesturing towards the generally direction the lift was located. "This one is certain you noticed the other dunmer coming in.

"We were sent to the College of Winterhold as word was there were mages trapped there that needed to be rescued. The operation was almost successful... storms beset us on the journey back and most of the mages died attempting to retreat from the ship, which was taking on water. When some of us landed on a dingy, we discovered the Armigers and their affiliation with the Akaviri. Turns out that this is bigger than just the Kamal, they have allies." Do'Karth said, gritting his teeth for a moment. The prospect of people willingly joining the Snow Demons was utterly disgraceful.

"Do'Karth led the group back to Dawnstar, we nearly died in a blizzard and encountered some falmer in a cave we took shelter in. We returned back to Dawnstar, where we finally had some respite from all of this. Do you recall Sevine, the Huntress as others call her?" he asked. "Her and I have entered courtship. It is about the only bright spot since the Siege of Windhelm." he said, smiling fondly. "Of course, Leif wishes Do'Karth to cease living, but that is a problem for another time. He's here on this mission now, although he was injured pretty badly. Do'Karth fears for his life." he said, his smile faltering with genuine concern.

"As for why we are here, there was news that this Armigers had garrisoned these ruins and were looking for something, this one is hazy on the details but after everything he's seen the past few weeks, nothing is too important to overlook. If they are puppets of the Kamal, then there is something foul afoot here." Do'Karth concluded.

Niernen listened with growing amazement as Do'Karth took his turn in recounting his exploits. It seemed that the Company had experienced no shortage of dangerous adventures. Niernen was grateful that the Khajiit had managed to survive all of it.

The news of Do'Karth's courtship with Sevine was another surprise. She raised her eyebrows and queried her memory about this Sevine -- a flash of red hair and a stern look briefly appeared in her mind's eye. Niernen opened her mouth to congratulate Do'Karth on having found love in these trying times and found herself faltering, feeling a twisted knot in her stomach. "That's... that's great, Do'Karth," she said and managed a smile, suppressing the feeling. "I'm happy for you and Sevine. You'll have to properly introduce me sometime. As for Leif, I think I saw him near the entrance as well... his wound looked nasty, but he was talking with the Dunmer woman. I think he'll live," Niernen said, trying to reassure Do'Karth, and patted him on the arm. It was so typical of the Khajiit to be concerned for the well-being of a man that held a grudge against him and Niernen smiled, endeared. Her guts wrenched again.

She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. Niernen never had any time for courtship before, what with her studies and the war. That was not to say she'd never had a crush before -- some of her fellow students and soldiers had been quite strapping, and the knot in her stomach was worryingly similar to that feeling. Trying to distract herself, Niernen focused on the rest of Do'Karth's story.

"Right, Armigers. Oh, that reminds me, we saw a bonemold ship moored topside before Madura and I came down here. I believe he was supposed to tell Edith. Maybe these men had something to do with it?" she said and looked around at the dead and incapacitated opponents.

"Of course. She'll be thrilled to find you well. We all need good news these days." Do'Karth replied warmly, missing the hesitation in Niernen's voice as she searched for words. "On the plus side for Leif, this one hears women like scars. This one has a few of his own." he chuckled.

Her report on the bonemold ship was indeed an interesting development. Perhaps it belonged to the ones they had encountered already? He nodded toward Edith, who was checking up on the others. "She is rather hard to miss at this point, especially for a nosy sort such as Madura. This one overheard these adversaries speaking before attempting a dialog that... did not turn out fortuitously. It seems they are employed by the owners of your bonemold ship. We need to find them. Do'Karth assumes the orange-garbed fool over there has answers."

Orange-garbed fool sounded about right and Niernen laughed her pleasant, pealing laugh again. "It is a ridiculous outfit, isn't it?" she said. "I'll let Madura do the explaining." Niernen put her back against the wall and closed her eyes for a moment and realized her head was spinning with exhaustion. She hadn't slept in more than a day and all the pain had sucked the energy right out of her. "You don't happen to have any of that soup with you, do you?" Niernen asked and opened one eye to glance at Do'Karth with a half-smile, referring to the lukewarm soup he'd shared with her after their battle against the Kamal in Windhelm.

"This one wishes he did, it is a shame you did not manage to arrive even just yesterday. There was so much food at the festival... perhaps there is leftovers. Most of the food Do'Karth has is back on the ship. There's this, though." the khajiit said, opening his pouch, fingers brushing on the container of moon sugar before finding the nearly empty jar of honey he'd shared with Sadri a few days prior. He handed this over. "To tide you over, this one hopes. You should return to the surface with the commanders and recover, this place is very dangerous. This one does not wish for your return to be short lived." he said softly, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Oh, thank you," Niernen said and accepted the jar of honey with gratitude. The sugar would probably perk her up a bit and she scooped the remaining honey out of the jar with her fingers and licked it off shamelessly. Now was not the time for decorum. "And you're kidding, right?" she said, her voice a little muffled, heavy with the stickiness of the honey. "You can't reasonably expect me to leave you again. No, I'm coming with you." There was a tone of finality in her voice and she punched Do'Karth's shoulder softly, smiling. Niernen had always been incorrigible and stubborn and some things, it seemed, hadn't changed. The presence of her friend fired up her spirit and she felt better than she had in weeks. That said, Niernen saw the look on Do'Karth's face and sighed, digging deeper in the jar for more of the honey. "I promise I'll stay in the back."

"As this one recalls, you are more than capable from the rear." Do'Karth grinned, shaking his head. "Do'Karth's fur smelt burnt for days after our fight. It is rather comforting to know that this one will have to be reacquainted with that particular sensation. Besides, our foes will have to get past Do'Karth first. That won't happen." he concluded with a wink, looking over towards Edith. "Perhaps we should let Edith know who you are. So far, today is not proving to be very productive with strangers. Everyone is a bit jumpy." he looked back as his friend, grasping Niernen's arm gently. "Niernen," he said, "Do'Karth is grateful you found your way back to him."

Niernen couldn't help but grin at Do'Karth's wink and when he reached for her arm, she covered his hand with her own and gently squeezed. She could feel her heart beating faster and the twisting in her stomach became stronger -- a bittersweet feeling. "I'm really glad too," she said quietly as her copper eyes softened. She stretched out the moment for a few more seconds before finally letting go of Do'Karth's hand and averting her gaze. "Now, you should go tell Edith who I am, and I'm going to reacquaint myself with our friends over there," she said and gestured towards Sadri, Roze, Solveig and Sagax. She narrowed her eyes at Sadri. "Huh," she muttered. "I think I've seen him in Blackmarsh before..."

With one last glance and a smile at Do'Karth, she hobbled over to the other mercenaries and came to a halt a few yards away, cleared her throat and waved awkwardly. "Greetings, sera's," she said and smiled sheepishly. "My name is Niernen. I think some of us may have already met."

When Niernen turned to greet the others, Do'Karth picked up his staff and decided to go collect his orange-clad adversary. When he turned to where he'd left his foe, the dunmer had vanished, and a pit formed in his gut; he was certain the Hlaalu was too injured to move, and he had been so caught up in his own selfish moment with Niernen that he wasn't keeping an eye on who should have been a captive.

"One slipped away." He called out to the others, wishing to give chase but knowing that would be a foolish endeavor.