EliteCommander

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

Not sure I understand your pet peeves, but at any rate, I should be able to post soon.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"Why wouldn't they be friendly?" Kaleeth asked just as the pack entered the inn, though the first glance inside revealed it to be more of a tavern than anything. It was rather crowded, with most of the tables filled along with the bar. The clientele were certainly more rough than they were used to. Most of them looked to be a bit better off than the homeless people they saw squatting in collapsed buildings, but not by much. From their worn, dirty clothes and general demeanor, most of them appeared to be laborers, unskilled workers that would do any job. Without exception, all of the patrons were either drinking, or were already drunk, and one was even openly smoking skooma in the corner. All-in-all, it was not a place that Meesei would normally want to stay, but it was the cheapest option they had. As usual, Meesei was the one who approached the barkeeper, who she assumed also handled rooms.

"What can I get for you?" The barkeeper, a dark blue-scaled Argonian man, asked without giving her a chance to speak.

"Actually, we're not here for drinks, we would like rooms for the night" Meesei answered.

"Wait, rooms? Huh, that's rare. Hold on, how much do those cost again..." He muttered to himself as he reached beneath the counter to grab his ledger.

Kaleeth did not need Janius to answer to tell what he meant. This "tavern" place made her feel uncomfortable. It wasn't so much the crowd, but rather the kind of people in it. Despite what Janius said, she couldn't help but to look at them, and for a few of the Argonian men, she could feel their eyes on her. She didn't like the way they were looking at her and it was starting to make her uncomfortable. It was quite fortunate that she was not in danger of turning at the moment, otherwise she would have been making a break for the door.

The Depths of Deception

I was holding out hope for Leon, but I can move us along.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

The pack followed Meesei along the road the guard had pointed out to her. The district they entered was less crowded than the main road, but it certainly seemed like more of a slum. It was at a slightly lower elevation than the rest of the city, so any runoff in the city ended up flowing through it. As a result, many of the buildings were in varying stages of rot, and some had collapsed altogether. To Ahnasha, the smell was not too pleasant, or at least she hoped it was the city and not Rhazii. Nevertheless, even this part of the city would be less dangerous for the pack than the wilds, as long as they stuck together. If any of them ended up walking through the street alone, however, especially Ahnasha or Sabine, then local thugs might give them trouble, not that they couldn't defend themselves.

"I don't really like pushing Rhazii off on the others but...you are right. It would probably be best to keep him in the inn. Maybe one of us can stay with him and the other can go out with one of the others to a bookstore, or something?" Ahnasha suggested.

Kaleeth became a bit uncomfortable when they stepped off the main road. This area wasn't like the one they entered through, it looked almost...sad. The people were dirty with torn clothes, and a few were looking suspiciously at them when they passed by. She couldn't understand why they would want to live like this, and why this area seemed so downtrodden while the rest of the city looked just fine. Despite her discomfort, she tried to distract herself by continuing her conversation with Janius. "I...think I understand....no, it still doesn't make sense. You can't just...decide that a god is important. If the Elven gods were powerful, then they can't just decide they don't matter anymore. If they just picked eight gods and said they were the important ones...well, just saying it doesn't make it so. A god will be a god no matter what we think. I follow the Hist because I know they are powerful, they are strong. I know they created the Argonians and continue to guide us. I don't follow them because I want them to be strong, I follow them because they are." Kaleeth asserted. To her, the religious politics of Imperial history seemed insane. It was like they were trying to shape their divines to what they wanted, which she could not understand.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Ssarak Dyreackthanose

---

The wind gliding across his scales, that burning sensation of the muscles in his back straining to keep him aloft, it all made Ssarak feel that much more alive. After the training session with Alaira, he found little else to do but more training, at least for the moment. It wouldn't be long before he had something much more important to do than the standard training, but that was all the more reason to not waste a moment. For this exercise, he carried as much weight as he could possibly hold while still being able to fly, then maintained it for as long as possible. Doing so strengthened his flight muscles to allow him to both carry more weight, and to be faster in the air when he was flying light. Of course, such an excercise carried with it more danger than most others, and he had earned a fair amount of bruises and scars from making mistakes with it in the past, but he at least tried to maintain a safe altitude.

When he finally landed back in the courtyard, he shed the weights he was carrying and laid down on his back, looking up at the sky. He closed his eyes and allowed a slight grin to come across his face as his body rested. To a perceptive eye, one might notice that Ssarak had changed somewhat subtly. For the majority of his adult life, to describe him as a serious individual would be accurate, and indeed, would still be accurate. The values his clan imparted upon him as a warrior did not involve anything that would consitute an "exciting" social life. He had friends, brothers and sisters in arms that he could talk to and joke with, but he never took levity too far. He was not a man of extremes, in most cases. Instead, he was a researved individual who approached everything in moderation.

At present, most of those descriptions would still hold true. He could tell a joke, but he would not start doing stand-up, he could enjoy music, but he wasn't likely to start dancing. There was a part of him, though, that was becoming more open around people that he was close to, or while alone. His current posture of laying lazily on the ground looking at the clouds certainly did not match the formal attitude he was known for. At the moment, there were plenty of things he needed to do, plenty of things he should do, but what he wanted to do was go find one of his friends, perhaps have a drink, lunch, or just a conversation, and relax his mind.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

See, here's the trick when it comes to enjoying things. Hype yourself for nothing. When you hear about things, don't look beyond release date and basic details. When you can judge something on its own merits and not against preconceived notions, you'll get more out of everything.

If Half-Life 3 is ever released, unless it is literally the best game to ever exist, people will hate it. Even then, it would get some complaints.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

Tired, busy, still more papers to write. That kind of thing. Regardless, I spoke with Frettzo about collabing something a few days ago, I'd like to get back to that.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"It is a concern, yes, but most thugs you will find on the street are not seasoned warriors. Just make sure to travel together, and never part from your weapon. As for wildlife, just avoid going into the river that flows through town. The guard said that crocodiles sometimes wait in ambush there." Meesei said, pausing for a moment to look over the businesses and other buildings that lined the road. "As much as I would like to stay here for an extended time, we simply do not have much gold. Not to mention Kaleeth's...condition. I would advise that you two do whatever you need to in the city as quickly as you can. Whatever you would like to learn, whatever books you would like to buy, just try to do it in the next day or two. I will help if I can."

Kaleeth seemed to be quite confused on a topic that was, indeed, quite confusing. When it came history, there were so many stories, some contradictory, that it was hard to keep them all straight. "So Alessia was a Queen who made a deal with a god to create the Empire, Pelinal was a hero who killed the Ayleids' leader, and they had help from...a flying cow? It sounds confusing. What I don't understand though is that you said they just...created a church.They just decided they would put their beliefs together and worship a few of the gods? The Treeminder told us that Nirn was made from the bones of...ah, what is the Cyrodiilic name? Lorkhan, or was it Shor...or Shezarr? I can't remember. Anyway, he said that the world we live in is order...seated within the chaos of Padomay's void." She said, pausing for a moment to think back on Thorantilth's words. "He said that there were those who used their power to make Tamriel, the Aedra, and those who did not, the Daedra. He did mention the Eight the Imperials worship to us. He said they are all Aedra...but there were other Aedra too, like...Magnus, I think is the name. Why do they just choose those Eight to worship? What is different with them from the other Aedra?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth was starting to wish she would have paid more attention to Thorantilth's history lessons growing up. There were parts she found interesting, but she had often been too impatient to dedicate herself to remembering the fine details. Still, she remembered parts of what he said. "Uh, well, I think so. I think Treeminder said they were strong, with powerful armies and magic, but...I think they had some problems in the swamps. Most outsiders do. I remember he said they took Argonians, Kothringi, Lilmothiit, and anyone they could find, but they didn't take all of us. Like you said though, the slaves killed them all. I never heard of this...Alessia though. Maybe the slaves weren't all connected? Black Marsh is close to Cyrodiil, but Thorantilth always said that, it many ways, the Marsh is very far apart from everything. Very...separate. Who was Alessia? You said she was a Queen; did she take over the Ayleids?" She asked, now finding some interest in tales from the past.

"Kind of. He has been sleeping on and off." Ahnasha answered Fendros. She held Rhazii close to her chest so he could feel her familiar heartbeat, then positioned his head in a way that he couldn't see the crowd around him. For a cub at such a young age, being unable to see something frightening was as good as it not being there. He stopped crying, but as he could still hear all the movement around him, he was still quite stressed. "I think it will be quite a long time before he is on any sort of schedule."

It was not long before Meesei returned from speaking to the guard. She did her best not to disturb the now-quiet Rhazii as she approached, though she supposed the noise from the crowd was disturbing him all the same. "The guard pointed out a few inns and taverns, but unfortunately, we won't be able to stay at the best of them. We do not have a great deal of gold right now. He said there is a cheap inn down that road nearby to your left, but it is not a...safe area. The quality of the inn does not bother me, just...be aware of any dangers."

Elder Scrolls: Terror of the Padomaic

The disadvantages could very well outweigh the advantages. I would disagree for their situation, but in any case, the setup they have does make sense to maximize defense.