Karn, irritatingly smug

The mer had a look of prevailing smuggness written all over his face. "I have no idea, but then you're the one who wants to usurp it." Karn felt like his normal confident self again. "I guess you could try and burn, shock, or freeze it like a common apparition, however magic isn't exactly my strong-point."

Rahvin

Rahvin was painfully aware of the group of people behind them, but chose to ignore them for now and help Sadril in his search for survivors.

"Have you heard of any simple path through the mountains? Since it doens't look like we'll be getting horses any time soon, any knowledge would be helpful."

Rann

He looked to Serene. "Where do we look first?"

Issac

Though Rann's question wasn't meant for him, Issac decided to bring up Satyana's call (or at least he thought she'd called him). "I'm not used to telepathy, but I am certain that 'Tyana isn't at Hero Hill anymore......."

OCC: so are Ian and Soldin going to Chedinhal, West, or what? Also it's Hero Hill, not Hero's Hill. You have to go there for a DB quest, Lucien Luchance says "Hero Hill."

Sadril

"Huh, me?" Sadril asked, unaware that Rahvin had joined him, "I honestly have no idea. Most of my life has kept me on the western side of Tamriel. I rarely go out east so I'm unfamiliar with the terrain through here," he admitted as he dug through more rubble, finding no one.

Veric

"Yes, it would seem magic would be in order to destroy something with no body," Veric trailed off for he knew not where to take the conversation next. He remained silent for a moment before asking, "You haven't encountered a suspicious group of travfellers in you dealings with the Silhouette, have you? A group of people drawn to the Valus Mountains not by dark magic but by something else?" He referred to Satyana being used as bait.

Oran, Cheydinhal

Sat peacefully as he waited, keeping an eye on the other group, but relaxing as his men searched the town for survivors. He sighed painfully, as Matile was the first back, she was slumped and crying, he held her, trying to comfort her in the loss of her family.

He turned her around, used the edge of his gauntlet to wipe a few tears of her face, and turned toward the other group with his arm around her shoulders. "Hey!" He called over to two of them who were going through the wreckage of one of the houses.

Flint Ironwood, in the woods. (Name pun. )

Flint eyed the horse. He did not believe Sodsa's boasting about being able to kill both of them like that. Maybe with an arrow, but not by slitting throats. Still, the Bosmer had a point. Whatever was out there was most likely capable of killing fast and efficiently.
,,That depends on how quiet your horse can be. If she can't, we'll have to leave her somewhere safe where you can retrieve her later."

He leaned against a tree.
,,Things feel different, crowded. I don't know what to make out of it but I wouldn't be surprised if that army has multiplied. We've got to be really careful."

Flogir

Flogir couldn't help but scoff at Sodsa's remark. "I would hope I would be on my toes well enough to catch you trying to slit my throat."

Flogir then felt uncomfortable standing out in the open as they were. "Let's get going, I'm starting to get that creepy feeling of being watched..."

Brianna

"I....might know, but that´s just a premonition....I..I´m not sure but..." She stopped...

Why would they listen to me? I´m just a zombie who recently came here, but still.....I have a feeling, that we´ll have to go.....

Serene

"Issac has heard her, and so have I, so let´s head for the mountains.....she should be there somewhere"

"You feel okay now Rann?"

Sadril

"What?" he called back rudely, but then grunted and continued digging through the rubble. When Brianna half answered Rahvin, Sadril barked at her rudely as well, "Well then spit it out. Do you know of a way or not?"

Karn, he's going to enjoy this.....

"Hmm I very well might have......." He began. "Would you perhaps be looking for a group of adventurers that would resist efforts of a conquerer. Perhaps a group who might have........ Serene of Cyrodiil among their number?"

Veric

Veric decided to play Karn's game, speaking in mights and maybes, "I might just be looking for such a group of adventurers," he said, a dreadful smile stretched across his face, "And Serene of Cyrodiil just may be among their ranks, yes," he returned his original question, "Have you come across such a group?"

Karn

Not seeing any reason to keep the group a secret from Veric, Karn replied. "Yes, I have. In fact, the Sihouete has instructed me to kill every member of this group. Which include Serene's grandchildren, as well as Serene herself."

I might have just found some help with that task....

Veric

"Perhaps we can work out a little agreement. If you help me locate and destroy this Silhouette, I can help you take care of that troublesome group. I have a bone to pick with Serene's grandchildren myself," Veric proposed, all while keeping his confident smile. "Maybe we can get all of them at once when our little group hunts down the Silhouette."

Karn

Karn chuckled softly. "I thought you were a weakling mage with dreams of granduer, now I know you're either in over your head or you have somethign to back yourself up when you fight the Silhouete. I have no love for it myself, and I have another reason that is my own for massacring these adventurers."

He bowed his head slightly. "Perhaps an alliance could be in order, you'll just have to prove to me that you're worthy backing up."

Veric

"And how," Veric asked slyly, "might I do that?" He was not fond of the idea of proving himself to anybody. He was a man who demanded respect, but until he was assured of recieving that respect he would go along with other's tests.

Karn

"You're straight to the point, rare gift among sorcerers." He muttered, and thought for several moments. Then he remembered the poison and antidote that his brothers had possessed, and with it the fact that they weren't around anymore.

They were useful, and having all your kin dead in the middle of a job doesn't look very good for me. Karn reached for where he had put the vial of antidote, and pulled out the charred remains. He made a mildly aggitated clicking noise.

"We had Serene's granddaughter, Satyana, as a hostage, that explosion was from an undead lich who wanted to be a hero. It sent her somewhere, but before she was spirited away my brothers and I administered a potent poison into Satyana." Karn presented the shattered pieces to Veric and Voltar. "This is what remains of the cure, now that it's gone we've lost a possible advantage."

"Would you happen to have a way to procure a rare substance in the near future, as in before the girl dies and we lose a chance to get something out of it?" He asked them.

Veric

Veric eyed the pieces of the now useless vial with indifference. He shook his head, "Alchemy is not unfamiliar to me, however nor is it my strong point. Finding a substance should not prove impossible however, even in a small amount of time.

"Though your logic eludes me. I imagine you would want the cure as bargaining chip, but why not simply create a false antidote? Or another poison to finish her off seeing as your ultimate goal is to kill her anyway?"

Karn, neither happy nor enraged

Tossing the fragments to the ground with a measure of disgust, Karn spoke condesendingly. "Well, logically, we'll need to prove the cure is real for the plan to work. That potion," He spoke like he was lecturing an apprentice.

"-could delay the diseases growth, we could have given them a minimal amount for proof, and waited for the girl to feel the symptoms again and the proveed from there." He sighed. "Either way, we need something that is either convincingly similar to the antidote, or find another vial of it......"

Veric

"So then where can either of those be found?" Veric asked straight out, referring to another vial or an identical antidote. Once more he did not appreciate being talked down to. Though he was patient and new his time would come to show that he was no apprentice.

Brianna

She looked at Sadril.....sad. Why is he angry with me? I haven´t done him no harm?

"I do not know" she answered sharply, " Don´t nag at me, I don´t deserve that!"

She started to walk away from Sadril.....pretty annoyed

Oran, still where he was

Oran stood silently, watching as one man shouted at a woman, who stalked off, and decided to anwser the fellow going trhough the dirt, "What are you doing there, friend?" Oran called over, giving Matile a gentle squeeze as she snuffled, looking about the burning ruins.

Sodsa Hekal -> In the open

Sodsa nodded at the two's comments and turned to the horse, "Hey, go home girl, I'll see if I can't come back later"

The horse snorted and made its way off toward the imperial city.

"Well, yeah, lets get this over with, standing still with danger in the area isn't good" Sodsa had to take the two's word for their feelings because he couldn't sence(?) anything. He was never good at that, he could only sence the small creatures like squirrels and rats.

ooc: Sorry that I wasn't on yesterday guys (well, sort-of, but you see why) I was at a chick's house until around 10 somethin' last night and was tired when i got home.

Sadril

"Bah," he grunted, now annoyed at himself for upsetting Brianna, though he did not persue her thinking it better for Rahvin to pick up the pieces. Instead he turned his focus to the man who was calling at him. "What does it look like? I'm looking for survivors," he replied as the man grew closer.

Ian, stopping to consider

At Soldin's question, Ian paused to think. Cheydinhal is the closest city, but it's probably been attacked......... Bravil is across the lake unless we went South far enough to cross the river. Cheydinhal seems like a good place to start, there might be something there we could use.

Then he realized the others might be looking around in this region. Likely, but staying in one spot is impractilcal. We should keep going west until we reach the lake, then move north toward Cheydinhal if we haven't met up with the group.

"We'll keep west, then when we reach the lake, we will trun north toward the city of Cheydinhal." Ian informed the boy.

Karn, uncertain

"I wouldn't know where, it was my brothers who supplied the poison and antidote....." He indicated the cave with his head. "They all perished in the explosion, so I don't have a location to procure more."

Then a thought struck Karn. "But being that this is a valuable substance, we could assume the Arcane University in the Imperial City might have a sample of both liquids."

Rann

"For now." he answered. "Let's go before this potion wears off and I die." he had said it in a lighthearted tone, but he actually thought he was going to die before Serene shared her potion with him.



Rahvin

Rahvin grabbed Brianna by the arm forcefully, but not enough to hurt her, and pulled her back towards himself and Sadril.

"This has got to stop." he said, getting fed up with his two companions. "Sadril, stop being an boat when you speak. Brianna, stop getting offended at every little thing he says. Not everything is a personal attack against you. We're trying to get somewhere, and being rude won't help, and neither will sulking."

Flint, arriving at Hero Hill.

After a long trek to circle around their intended destination, the three investigators approached Hero Hill from behind.

Flint dropped behind a bush for cover and looked through its branches. There had been a large camp here but most of it was buried under countless rock fragments. A few goblins still scurried around the remains of the camp, looking for anything useful to loot.
,,At first sight, it doesn't look that dangerous. We can handle a bunch of goblins. Then again, you never know what else might be hiding out there." He whispered.

Voltar

Voltar chuckled dryly at the mention of the Arcane University. "I'm sure our appearance there wouldn't be welcomed, but it's not like they'd be able to stop us. They'll try, simply because they're full of themselves, but they wouldn't be able to stop us."

The Mages Guild were too busy enforcing their ridiculus rules rather than paying actual focus to developing their magical potential. It left Voltar with a feeling of superiority over the "mages" of the guild.


Flogir

"Yea, you're right Flint. Better safe than sorry, or so the saying goes," Flogir whispered, pulling up beside Flint.

"I do think we can probably take advantage of the disarray created by the explosion though," he continued pointing to a cave entrance on the other side of the camp, "I think that's where we likely need to go."

Green-Root, sitting inside the cave.

Green-Root was roasting a rat over the fire he'd made. Smoke rose up through the gap in the ceiling. The Argonian took a bite from the rat and chewed slowly.
,,Needs more spices."


Flint Ironwood, planning an ambush.

Flint pointed at the smoke rising up out of the mountain.
,,Either this is a volcano or the place is inhabited. Since it's probably the latter, that is definitely where we need to go." He commented and thought for a moment.
,,Ok, how about this. Sodsa, you cover our approach till we reach that gap where the smoke is coming from. We'll then cover you till you join up with us. We take a rest, make sure no one's spotted us and then.....we drop down through the smoke and surprise whoever is inside. It's risky, I know but it is better than using the front door. So what do you think? Any possible improvements to the plan?"

Dalrus, Hero Hill

"Couldn't we just collapse the cave that thing is in?" she said looking at Flint. "That way we don't have to take a chance of an ambush, I could do it with magicka and we'd be safe," she said looking at the smoke that was rising out of a cave and shook her head.


The Silhouette, Near the Border of Argonia

The Silhouette rode up through the mountains from Cheydinhal and had reached the border of Argonia by traveling through Morrowind, a three day trip by tiger. There he waited for what he wanted most, his friends. Suddenly he saw something, yes, that was it, the Tsaeci flag. Soon armored snake people came into view, thousands of them, line by line with their Katanas, straight swords, and many other foreign looking blades. They looked fierce and angry and were being led by a large snake person. They soon arrived on the scene and the Silhouette looked over his army, it was a fine force as large as the entire Imperial Legion..

Serene

"Sheesh, you won´t die! I won´t let you, it´s as simple as that" She showed him another potion....smiled at him and hurried along the trail feeling rather confident they´d find Satyana

"How long have you known your sister?....and do you know the whole story? I guess Rahvin told you..."


Brianna

She did not complain about Rahvin grabbing her arm.....but inside she was a bit hurt anyway. Sadril knew how to annoy her and he did so if he got the opportunity in her opinion

With a faint smile she continued the walk....and decided to keep a low profile...at the moment anyway.

They do not know me anymore....none of them does! They do not know of my abilities, and I won´t reveal anything...yet. The most important now is to find Amrita, yes I actually think so but I will let them think I´m not interested in finding her. Then it will be easier to ....to act when the time comes

I wonder if Rahvin can read my mind? I can read his....if he lets me!

Flint Ironwood, you know where.

Flint looked at the young woman who'd managed to remain extremely quiet till now.
,,I suppose we could. But to tell you the truth, I'm sick of this. We run all over Cyrodiil, getting pointy things aimed at our heads everywhere and all that without learning what's really going on. I want some answers and if that means I have to pummel whoever is in there with my trademark spell, so be it." He whispered grimly.
,,To make a long story short, death people don't talk much. Still, I don't want to be the bossy leader here so we'll let Flogir and Sodsa vote. Do we collapse the cave from the outside, or do we go in and run the risk of getting killed but with some potential answers?"

Rann

"I know that we were separated at birth, blah blah, blah, that I have another sister, and that some power hungry mage was after us." he said, putting the extra potion in his pocket.

"Is that everything, or is there more to add to the story?"

Serene

"Well...yes..ahem..you do have anoher sister as well....apart from Satyana, but she was taken by an evil mage nearly directly after birth, I don´t know where she is or even what she is by now! Anyway, you are still in danger, you and Satyana....that evil mage is still after you and he won´t show no mercy. I think....that both you and Satyana have some special powers, I know Satyana has..but it´s like this...to use them you have to call upon the the well known witch-power called..."The power of three"...And I can´t see that possibility coming..just yet. We know that Satyana isn´t far away, but the third ......the third"

Serene stopped, she wondered how much she dared to tell Rann, without putting him in even more danger

Just watch out and please do as I say.....when I tell you too

Flogir

"While blowing up the mountain to collapse does sound like a nice idea, we don't really know what is actually in there. There could be captives, or maybe Satyana is there. We can't be sure. Plus, we'll still have the element of stealth if we're careful enough in entering the mountain. Basically, I'm up for Flint's idea. No offense Dalrus."

Issac, not understanding

What? Where did all of this suddenly come from? A third sibling? the third one being taken away at birth? All this was overwhelming, he couldn't help it from showing, but he didn't care if it did show.

"So, there is even more at stake than the fate of the Empire? Is this what Satyana meant when she mentioned me not being a part of a prophesy?" Issac asked, everything that was taking place seemed to be warping out of recognizable shape.

"When did all this start?" It felt like a good place to start, Issac didn't like to be kept in the dark to this extreme. I might not be able to take anything for granted anymore.....

Serene

"Oh Issac....I´m sorry, I thought you maybe knew, that Satyana might have told you, but of course she wouldn´t want you to get involved with the dark side of her life!"

"No you´re not part of the prophecy, but your love for Satyana might save her! Might free her! Anyway there are three siblings, but I have absolutely no information about the third one except that I have a premonition that she´s......different! That she might not be what we expect her to be....oh how I wish I could speak to Rahvin, Rann´s father about this, he´d know, he was there!"

Sodas Hekal -> On Hero Hill with the other peoples

Sodsa looked up from his bow, which he just notched an arrow into, only to see everyone's eyes trained on him. "Erm... Well, I already have my bow ready for the former of the plans, but i do favor the latter of the two. I like my skin and don't find the thought of being it severed from my body a good idea."

Sodsa looked around and saw a rock balancing at the top of a slope. "Hey Dalrus, you could probably blast that rock over there," he said pointing, "And then Flint and Flogir can go the other way to the cave, I can cover them from whoever is left over there. Then we can go up there with them covering us. The best of both plans"

Sodsa let a grin creep onto his face.

ooc: just realized that Flint and Flogir are 40ish and Sodsa and Dalrus are 20ish.... playing with the big dogs now

Dalrus, Hero Hill


Dalrus liked this idea and smiled at Sodsa. "Yeah I like that idea, Flint was right, we should probably take the risk and get the answers, that way later risks will be less difficult," she said looking at the rock. "So I will trap his exit and you guys corner him?" she said rephrasing it.

Sadril

"Pff. Crazy woman," Sadril muttered to himself as Brianna stormed off. He stopped his efforts of searching for survivors and promptly sat on the ground, feeling drained from not feeding in quite some time.

Soldin

Still not satisfied, Soldin asked another question, "What's in Chydinhal? Do you have friends there?"

Veric

Veric enjoyed the idea of going to the Arcane University and found no need to continue his conversation with Karn. He turned to Voltar, "Meet me just outside the gate to the Arcane University," then turning back towards Karn, "We will meet again soon."

He vanished in a teleportation spell, as was becoming his style, and appeared where he told Voltar to meet him, assuming he would follow immediately.

Voltar

Voltar watched Veric disappear and turned to Karn. "Again, I strongly suggest that you don't try to sell us out to the Silhouette or our other troublesome pests. We'll know, and you don't want to know how we'll return the favour," Voltar said evenly, leaving the threat open to Karn's imagination.

After that he waved cheerfully to the Dunmer before vanishing in an aura of magicka which led to him appearing about 6 feet from where Veric appeared. A cold smile crossed his lips as he looked up the tower of the University. The acrid smell of fire was still in the air from the panic riot when the assassination of the Councellor Ocato was revealed.

"I wonder if anyone's home? And if so, I wonder how they'll just their guests?"

Karn, alone on Hero Hill

When the two conspirators were gone, the dunmer remained inert, only tapping one foot and working his jaw as he pondered what to do next. So, now there is a new player in this game....... I'm never going to serve a "benevolent" cause, but now there are two conquerers not one.

Karn began to pace around the hollowed-out rock that was the landmark that gave the hill its name. I can't be too careful with who I pledge my "alliegence" to, I'll just have to wait to see who gains the upper hand.......

The Wandering Sage, near Hero Hill

Despite the treacherous route they'd been forced to take, the battlemages were in no way demoralized. Neither was she, after witnessing the explosion their effort to get here had been galvanized. We all want to find whatever caused that spectacle, and if it isn't here then we might meet potential allies...... or the enemy.

She hauled herself over a boulder, and took a moment to drink heavily from her flask of water. It took the heavily armored battlemages longer to traverse the terrain, but there was no longer any rush. We're almost there, we probably have a head-start over anyone else trying to get here through non-magical means......

Ian, with Soldin and Satyana

He thought over why Soldin had asked him his reasons to head for Cheydinhal, but remembered the boy had likely never been to a large city before. "Cheydinhal, is the closest town, unless you'd perfer to swim across Lake Arrius. We might be able to find shelter in the ruins, and maybe a scroll of teleportation to get to a more populated settlement."

"Also, we could find someone to help us there perhaps." Ian unconsciously searched his pack for another bottle of blood, but felt........ nothing. One closer inspection he realized there wasn't anymore left. We need to hunt, I'll kill my own animal and drain it before eating with Soldin....... I can't let anyone know what I am yet.

Issac

Though he registered every word Serene said, Issac heard some parts better than others. Free her from what? I haven't heard about anything along the lines of "power of three" before now. The Altmeri Agent decided it was best not to ask about what Serene meant until it was necessary.

"Alright, I'm not stepping out of this now." He muttered, then in a quieter voice. "I'm not going to break my vow to her........."

Veric

Veric pushed open the large gate, talking as he did so, "Any new mages probably won't know me or recognize me, though some older friends may. I don't know how infamous you are around here."

He stopped for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face, "How would you prefer to do this? Gain the favor of a few old dying mages so we can get our hands on what we're here for, or shall we just level any who stand in our way?" The answer was obvious, Veric simply asked it for humor.

Soldin

Soldin trudged on, his back a little sore though it didn't matter. He was more than happy to be of some use to someone. Unaware that Ian had come to the same conclusion, he voiced his concern with the woman on his back, "This isn't exhaustion," he gestured with his head to Satyana, "She's ill. Sick or... poisoned. We have to find help soon," his voice trailed off, not exactly adding any new information to the conversation. Cheydinhal wasn't too far of a walk. He used to go there years ago but hadn't since, though he still remembered how to get there.

Ian

"I know, that is why we need to get back to civilization so urgently." He replied, not slowing down his pace. "I don't know what is afflicting her, but it will most certainly cause problems, even with treatment."
This isn't some novice brew, this has to be something created with the intent of causing the victem agony. I only hope Satyana won't degenerate further until we find help.....

Ian thought momentarily about Issac's developing relationship with her. He'll never be the same if Satyana dies....... He found the thought overly pessimistic, but he had no idea how to help 'Tyana if it became worse.

Flint putting the plan into motion.

Flint thought for a moment.
,,Ok, whoever is in there will be alert after the boulder comes down but let's do it." He said. As soon as Dalrus had hit the boulder with her spell, he leaped out of the bushes and ran silently along the trail he'd planned out, using trees and rocks for cover as much as possible. He knew that Flogir would follow.
,,As long as he takes the path I use and bents down a bit, we should be fine."

Flint reached the hole and dropped down on his stomach next to it. Slowly, he unsheathed his swords and took aim at the goblins who were all pointing at the fallen rock and chattering excitedly. The Breton waved over to the two younger members of the group.
,,Your turn."


Green-Root, disturbed.

There was the sound of shifting rock outside. Green-Root jumped away from his rat and drew his spear. The light coming from the entrance faded. The Argonian needed only a moment to realize what was going on.
,,The exit is sealed. There must be someone waiting to fall through the roof."

Sodsa Hekal -> Hero Hill

No offense Flint, but after a huge explosion like the one earlier, they can't be asleep. Sodsa shook his head as Flint left the group to go up the hill.

Sodsa was just about to shoot one of the goblins but he already saw Flint waving up at the top of the hill.

"Humph, just about to have fun. Well, I guess that works then, ladies first" Sodsa said to Dalrus as he signaled the direction. Sodsa kept his bow drawn as he crouched in the bushes.

Voltar, Arcane University

Voltar decided to go along with the joke and took the question seriously. "Well, I believe it would take FAR too much time to gain the favour of these old crones, so I perfer the latter choice."

After that, he calmly walked up the steps of the University, and without knocking, entered the building.

Flogir

Flogir silently followed Flint, mimicing his movements as he did so.

Just keep low... Just keep low..., was all he kept repeating in his mind as he followed Flint. Eventually he reached the bush Flint was covering behind and Flogir stopped beside him. He tried to keep his breathing even, but he was out of breath from the quick journey and the added stress of the situation.

He drew his dagger, just to make sure that should the need of the use of it arrive, he was ready.

Now, we wait for the others...

Karn, Hero Hill

His brooding was interrupted when there was an explosion and a boulder came rolling down the mountain. Karn didn't move, as he realized it would simply land before the cavern's entrance. All around him, goblins gibbered out incomherantly running to and fro on the hill.

Karn noticed a flash of steel, in the shape of a longsword, that moved toward a cluster of bushes. If you thought you could sneak here so easily, you have another thing coming! He blurred and appeared again on higher ground. The intruders were some of the people he was ordered to kill, how ironic that they've come to me without their bait being here anymore.......

Sodsa -> Hero Hill

Sodsa followed Dalrus up the hill, looking up every so often for signs of trouble.

Ha the plan worked, most of the goblins are on the other side of the cave. And the ones over here are confussed

Sodsa swelled up and out of the corner of his eye he saw a blur appear higher up.

"Crap" Sodsa muttered under his breath and reached up for Dalrus to pull her into a laying position. "We have company. He looks familiar"

ooc: I was assuming he wasn't to high up the mountain and Sodsa's eyes are better then most sooo... put two and two together.... anyhow, tell me if that shouldn't work and i'll edit

ooc: Sounds fine with me.

Flogir

Flogir was surveying the rapidly progressing pair of Dalrus and Sodsa when they suddenly stopped.

Frowning, Flogir turned to his companion. "What's keeping them?" he asked as his frustration began to rise. This was no time for lully gagging! He gave the pair an impatient wave and mouthed the words "Get over here!".

Flint Ironwood, alarmed.

Flint surveyed the area suspiciously.
,,Bosmer, they're really jumpy fellows. Rarely jump without a reason though." He whispered. For a moment he thought he saw something blur but he wasn't sure. With a rapid fingermovement, the Breton cast a detection spell and looked again. The Storm flashed through the air and a telekinetic bolt hurtled towards where the blur would be in a moment if it didn't alter its course.
,,So much for stealth. We've been discovered before we even got inside."