Veric

"I believe it is to our best interests to dispose of the Argonian permenantly. Do you know what Flogir looks like? Do you know where he is? If I have seen him, I have forgotten him, but I do know of Flint quite well," Veric replied, looking around the room and inspecting all the faces around him.

(Shogun, I assume you want Flint to be around.)

Flint Ironwood., Tiber Septim hotel. (err, I think that was the name of the place.)

Finally, he was satisfied and his arms were tingling with exhaustion. Three arrows sat neatly within the center circle.
,,Alright, time for a drink." Flint decided and walked casually to the inn, his new bow and arrows slung behind his back.

Inside the inn, he pushed himself through the normal crowd and grabbed an unopened bottle of Flin.
,,I wonder how long it will be before the snakes are going to attack. Will we get a warning? Or will the walls be overrun before we even know what's happening." His mood darkened and his face dropped into a frown.
,,Crap, I'm too old for all this excitement."


Green-Root, waterfront.

,,Tsk. Tenek, looking for trouble?" Green-Root asked, casually raising the tip of his spear towards the Khajiit's neck with one hand. His other hand held the tail of a large and very dead Slaughterfish. He flashed the Argonian equivelant of an amused smile.
,,Or is this just a friend of yours?"

Voltar

Voltar scanned the room. He pointed at an older looking Nord standing at the bar. "Flogir is that Nord by the bar there. He has the look of an old soldier, which if I remember correctly, was his previous occupation. He's a bit easier to pick out due to the frost enchantment on his sword," Voltar stated, giving a quick summation of the Nord. It just so happened that Flint arrived in the bar at this moment.

"Well isn't that convenient. Looks like Flint has arrived. Perhaps we should have a chat with them?"

Karn

His aimless treck through the Imperial City stopped when he felt the presenses of stalkers. The street was deserted save for himself. Out of two side alleys a group of four assassins of the Narza Tai approached their leader.

The loyal servants bowed, and as each rose, Karn nodded in acknowledgement to them. "Sensei," An Imperial man began. "The army of the Silhouete has taken up camp along the southern shores. To avoid discovery, we had everyone ferried here on the rafts we've constructed."

"Good," Their leader replied. "Are you all absolutely certain that we were unseen?" The assassins would not have spoke directly had they not been, but Karn wouldn't let them get lax in any form. Even if all their mentions were only hearsay among the Silhouete's forces then their greatest weapon could be compremised.

The gathered nodded in unison. "Alright," He exhaled. "We'll station most of our force to defend the sewers, not even the Morrowind Army can know of our exact location. Half of the remaining force will only be used to repel nighttime attempts by the Silhouete to cross Lake Rumare from the rafts."

"The rest will reinforce the sewers until the event of a wall breach on the surface. I want every path not guarded to be so plugged up a tiny rat couldn't find passage through, understood?" He was pleased when each member before him nodded and saluted him.

"Should this battle turn beyond victory, then you must save all others that you can. We are worth nothing to this land as corpses. Subterfuge must replace crossings of blades. And should neither Patholos nor myself survive, you all shall share the burden of leadership." Karn instructed them.

"We understand, Sensei, the brotherhood shall live so long as one last still draws breath and carrys our memory." The four dispersed, in a matter of moments Karn was left alone in the street once again.

With that wrapped up, Karn turned to search for his lieutenant.

Veric

Altair nodded. "I'll talk to Flogir if you'll talk to Flint. Hint that I know something incriminating on Green-Root and we'll try to meet eachother halfway so the four of us can conspire against the Argonian."

Altair stood with his drink and wandered to the bar, sitting next to an older Nord with an enchantment emanating from his sword. "Hello," he said plainly, wondering if the Flogir would recognize him.

Sadril

"Karn!" The vampiric Dunmer called from behind the ninja. He jogged a little to close the distance between them and waited for the mer to acknowledge him.

It was unclear whether Sadril had seen the Narza Tai meeting, but due to the secrecy of it, and the fact that he most certainly was not in plain sight, he was probably oblivious to it.

OCC: I know that Veric ordered Sadril to kill Karn if he hade the chance, so is this going to be that chance? And the stare is cold because he just is that way.

Karn

Turning at the call of his name, he fixed the oncoming mer with a typical cold stare. It wasn't until the figure neared that Karn picked out the signs of vampirism on the newcomer's face. Like most people, this vampire made the ninja somewhat suspicous.

Wrapped around his arm, his chain-whip was in its proper place, a proper insurance policy. Few even among vampires, could move quick enough to stop Karn mid-draw. "Yes... brother, what is it?" There was a noticable pause between the first two words.

The light from the streetlamps was a mild comfort to settle the Dunmer's nerves, Karn revealed little as to his unease.

OOC: have they met before? for some reason i was thinking they had.. but i guess not..

Sadril

Sadril stopped before Karn and caught his breath. "Veric," he started, "Has ordered you to be put to death" He loosened his Katana under his belt, priming it to be drawn smoothly if needed. "Any idea why he would do such a thing?"

OCC: I don't think so...

Karn, with Sadril in the middle of the street

He glanced down at the katana the vampire wielded. Oddly enough, validation of his fear made it dissolve all together. Karn's tone was even as he spoke. "So you work for the shapeshifter." His crimson eyes narrowed his head tilting slightly back and to his left.

"Well, I have a bit of a problem with this power-grabbing taking place. I killed Ocato for the Silhouete, but then I switched sides when the Grand-daughter of Serene Sarethi was liberated by that loathsome lich. I find Veric as bad an employer as the infernal Silhouete." He said.

Karn continued, "I refuse to let the ailing empire be ruled by another Jagar Tharn, another over-ambitious mage is the last thing Tamriel needs to lead it. I have no problem killing people without having ever been wronged by them, but a man who depends upon rituals and incantations to attain his goals is just as worthless as the lowest parasite."

"Such a person does not deserve to sit upon the throne of king's past anymore than the foul apparition which hovers past those walls." The sensei said with conviction. "The Narza Tai will be a catalyst by which the new governement can be cleansed enough so it can restore Tamriel back to what it was before. Then it will be our mission to perserve it and purify it when corruption and ambitions begin to drag it down."

"So, vampire," Karn finished. "Veric wants me dead, probably for the same reason he wants the grandchildren of Serene dead or not among the opposition." He stared back into the eyes of the vampire. "What are you going to do? What motivates you to stab people in the back and betray former allies like we side-hoppers do?"

Sadril

Sadril listened until it came his time to speak. "It would be wise if you left this place and spared yourself casualties. This battle... will not be won by the Cyrodiilians, nor the army of Morrowind, your Narza Tai, or the Silhouette. The only person who will be walking away from this battle victorious will be Veric."

Sadril felt his impulses tearing at him. He longed to draw his sword and cut the man before him down, but he kept his feelings under control. He had to. "Even though you betrayed him, Veric doesn't see you as a threat. Not even a mere nuisance. He would have killed you no matter who you alligned yourself with.

"And he wants you dead because he sees you as a useless pawn obstructing his view of his goal. Though his assumptions of your weakness, as true as they may be, could be his downfall much later.

"I am allied to no man. My master is a higher purpose, and your clan of assassins my serve it yet." Sadril extened his hand, "Veric gave you an amulet, it would be smart to get rid of it." Of course, he had no idea that it had already been given away.

Karn

He did not bristle as he might have a long time ago from the blow to his ego. But he had changed since then. "We'll stay out of the way of the major armies, but I cannot leave this city until I have finished business with someone among the group."

"I'll be sure to keep your advice about the amulet in mind; my brothers and sisters will not fight alongside the armies, we shall remain hidden. I can no more order them to leave anymore than I can leave myself. Sneaking away eithout fighting in the open would be a near impossible task anyway." Karn turned, nodding in a small gesture of gratitude.

"If things go well, you won't lay eyes on any of my following or myself during the battle." That said, the ninja blurred and vanished, speeding his way to reunite with his siblings.

OCC: time to hit the bed, be back tomorow morning

Dalrus Varus, In a Cage

Dalrus looked like a shadow of her former self. While she was well maintained (the Vampire General wanted her looking good and usually made her march around in little clothes) she was as cheerful as a Faded Wraith. Her eyes were always red with crying, though lately she just stared in disbelief. For the most part, she spent her time in a cage, wondering when she would die of sorrow. She counted down the days until the Silhouette took over and she would either be eternally enslaved or muster up the courage to commit suicide. She wondered if her friends ever remembered where she had gone. She was on Hero Hill, unconcious when a troll dragged her off to the Vampire.

Now she could see the faint light of the Imperial City as they moved to their position. Off in the distance she heard the sound of horses, obviously some last minute refugees...though it did sound more organized. She thought of everyone in the city, Satyana, her best friend. She wondered if she was alive or just trapped. Rann, she cried very hard when she thought of him, she had loved Rann, though she never admitted it, and she doubted the feeling was mutual. The vampires halted and the whole brigade walked towards some tents, except her two guards.

She expected to see the rest of the group right near her cage, when she noticed that it was backed up. Apparently a mule who was carrying baggage had gone crazy and was causing trouble in the long line of vampires. She knew this was her only chance, it was this or death. She peered at her bracers, and saw the key hanging from the vampire pushing the slave wagon. She suddenly reached out and snatched it.

"You're dead girly!" he shouted unsheathing his sword. She undid one brace, the sword came down and she jumped down, the sword barely missed. She got the other bracer off, she was free. Suddenly an unnecessary amount of fire poured out of her fingers, more than she had ever used, it was rage. Both guards were fried by the heat and she melted some of the bars and jumped out. Some more vampires came up but the fire still poured out uncontrollably. Five more were fried to ash where they stood. Finally the flames subsided. She was in a rage now, but it was too dangerous, hundreds of vampires and thousands and thousands of goblins were near by.

She sprinted, she wasn't sure if there were more servents ahead, but she did not care. She ran for the bridge, and saw that the army hadn't gotten this far yet...



Eurod, The Imperial City Gate


About two hundred knights on horseback and three hundred infantry rushed across the bridge, the sound of the Silhouette's enormous army marching around the lake could be heard. His men were well trained, but were small in number. Behind him came many refugees from the western side of the lack, many carried belongings, Eurod rolled his eyes, the city had been abandoned for just the armed forces, this was not helping.

"Open the gate! We are friends coming to defend the city!" he shouted to whoever was holding the gate. Then he noticed a beautiful young woman run up to the gate as well.

"I do not think you should be here, it is too dangerous in the city now" he said kindly.

"I am here to rip that monster's army apart" Dalrus roared, Eurod was surprised but turned his attention to the gate.



The Silhouette, Cheydinhal side of the lake

"My lord, everything is going into place, we only await your final orders," a particularly ugly looking orc barked.

"Sssurly you do not expect meee," at this he gestured to himself in a cold note that someone might have taken as reverence to himself. "To give you, a lowly ssservent, such important ordersss," said the Silhouette in a voice that could have chilled a frost atronach. "Rendsci!" he shouted. A skinny Tsaeci came up almost instantly. "Tell the armies to prepare their catapults, the bridge will is magic and will not break, that route is not going to work unless I show up. Tell them to all aim for one section, we can break it," he said in his hypnotizing hisses.

"Yesss sssir," Rendsci's forked tongue shot out as he spoke. He ran off, the orders perfectly memorized.

Flint Ironwood.

Seeing Voltar look at him expectantly, Flint took his flin and went over to meet the Altmer.
,,Hello, is there something I could help you with?" He asked as casual as he could in the current situation. It was still clear that the whole siege was getting on his nerves.

Green-root.

Green-Root could hear a few orders being barked from the other side of the lake, too far away to make out clearly just what kind of orders. Still, he withdrew his spear and jumped to the water's edge.
,,There is a lot of commotion out there. Looks like the game is about to start. Oh, and more reinforcements for the Empire, I see." He said as he gazed out over the lake.
,,You two can go ahead and kill each other if that's what you want. Me, I'm going to devour this fish here and get ready to slice up some snakes."




(Voltar only has till the first rock hits the walls. Once that happens, Flint is going to execute plan 'Siege Engine destruction'.)

OCC: Ok, here goes... It's in the colder part of the Tamrielic year, right?

Issac

He pulled his robes tighter in an attempt to ward of the sligh chill of the early morning. The Altmer gave a passing Dunmer a curt nod as they crossed paths. Issac stopped when he realized he was back in the Talos Plaza District.

He could hear the voices of men, women, and children emanating from the city gates. Turning to watch as the knights and refugees began entering, Issac heard a Dalrus' shout as it was carried by the wind. Issac found the source of the yell, and his eyes widened.

As the people started to enter, he approached the familiar figure, setting his hand lightly on her shoulder. "By the Nine Devines! Dalrus, what happened to you?" The Altmer could hardly relate this woman to his friend, but he knew she really was Dalrus. Her dry, bloodshot eyes told volumes about what horrible experiences she had been through since Issac had last seen her.

Sodsa Hekal -> Attempting to get into the Imperial City

Sodsa jerked up from his meal and and sensed that he was needed. As he rushed to arm himself with his daggers and bow, felt a pang of guilt for ditching his comrades at the Dam. Sodsa gritted his teeth as he mounted the steed from Algren Constantine.

Good thing I'm not to far from the Imperial City, else this would take to long. And I fear the worst

As Sodsa grew closer to the City he slowed the horse down, seeing the army amassed outside its walls.

"Blast! I'm to late, there is no way I'm going to get in through the front gate."

Sodsa looked around and saw a few people on the walls, and even fewer of them looked familiar. Sodsa racked his brain with any possibility of getting into the city.

So there is an Army to the East, the Water Front is probably already over-run, and the front gate is blocked, from what I can see. Come on, Come on, think.

Sodsa's eyes inspected every inch of the city as he brought the mare around. Then out of the corner he saw a sewer grate and he smiled. Sodsa sped over to the grate and dismounted the horse. Giving the grating a jerk, it surprisingly came swinging open. For the first time in his life he felt like he was getting a lucky brake. Sodsa left a few loaves of bread for the horse and set off into the sewers, traversing them in hopes he would find and exit before something big found him.

The journey was fairly uneventful, a few rats and mudcrabs. Sodsa climbed up to the first trapdoor he found in the labyrinth. He wasn't able to read where it led to, years of rust and use wore that away but the lock wasn't that complex and Sodsa opened it in seconds. Looking around after he stepped into the light, Sodsa realized that he was in the Temple district, and saw a guard running down the road, toward the waterfront.

Sodsa started to run with the guard and called over, "What's going on!?"

The guard gave Sodsa a dirty look, "You Bloody bosmer, your kind always have their heads in the clouds. We have an enormous enemy force outside the city walls to the east and near the waterfront, Refugees are pouring in from the front gate and some "reinforcements" as well. I don't know how good they'll do though, the force outside is gigantic. Now get out of my way and do something useful"

Figures, why do I always run into the racist guards?

Sodsa sped up to the Water Front and left the guard in the dust.

ooc:Whew... Sodsa's back

edit: fixed my mistakes

(I'm giving Flint a few more seconds for talking.)

Green-Root.

Green-Root looked lazily at the few forces that tried to cross the lake in small boats.
,,Figures, right while I'm eating." He mumbled with a few mouth. He threw his half-devoured Slaughterfish on the ground with a pang of regret and dove into the lake.

Once submerged, he dove for the bottom at full speed, his tail merely a blur as it sweeped from side to side pulling up just before slamming into the rocky floor. He maintained this depths as he sped across towards the boats, zigzagging among obstacles, hiding behind every nook and cranny he found, all without slowing down even in the slightest. As he got close, he clamped all four of his limbs around his spear with all of his strenght and called upon its strength. The wicked Daedric tip seemed to boil the water around it.

Then he was in position. Like a thunderbolt coming from below, he shot up towards the surface still at the same breakneck speed. The collission was incredible. One boat was lifted up entirely before crashing back down and breaking apart. Goblins splashed in the water and their Orcish commander howled orders in an attempt to stop the chaos. Something rose out of the water before, Green-Root with an evil grin.
,,It is a nice day to swim." The Argonian hissed and stabbed the Orc before submerging again. He cleaned up the Goblins around him and then shot off towards a boat on the other side of the formation, a formation that was rapidly dissolving into random chaos.



OOC: The moral of this story? Don't mess with Argonians on an aquatic battlefield. Oh, didn't the Sil have like fifty assassin Argonians with him, minus the few who got killed by Kirana? Those might cause trouble for our swimming defender of lunch.

Voltar

"Yes actually, I did have something that I wanted to mention to you," Voltar said, replying to Flint. He lowered his voice to make it appear that the situation was quite important. He nodded over to Altair.

"My Master believes he may have uncovered something about that Argonian, Green-Root, that may warrant your attention," he said gravely before pausing, making sure Flint was paying attention. "I'm sure you know that he originally was working on the Silhouette's side when we first met him and that he actually joined our side. Altair believes that is not true. He believes that he's found evidence that Green-Root is gathering intelligence for the Silhouette, that he's actually an agent and is playing us for chumps."

Voltar summed up with a serious look to his companion, letting the weight of the words settle on Flint.

"The most logical thing to do is to make sure he doesn't get any information back to the enemy, no? Now what do you suggest is the best way to do that?"



Flogir

Flogir turned around to acknowledge the one who called him. It turned out to be the Altmer politician. Flogir coughed to clear his throat and extended his hand.

"Greetings! I guess we haven't had the chance to introduce ourselves yet, haven't we? I'm Flogir. We met at a few of those unfortunate scenarios when Ocato was assassinated and again at Leyawiin. What is it that you wish to talk about?" he asked in a friendly manner.

Ian, Waterfront

Although Green-Root's handywork was some distance away and the darkness of night had not yet begun to weaken, Ian was able to spy the carnage due to his enhanced vision. Without any true belief that the shot would make it, the vampire drew his glass bow and let loose an arrow poisoned with paralysis.

He watched as the projectile arced toward the Orc commander. Suddenly, he heard a whoosing sound which was rapidly growing louder. Instinctively, the Imperial jumped back, just as a boulder buried itself where he had been a heartbeat ago.
Ian let out a breath of measured relief that he had not been smashed by the siege projectile, but he took the wake-up call to heart. His foot dug into the sand as he spun toward the cluster of shacks nearby. The vampire bolted for the "village," locating the shack that he recalled Satyana and Rann entering earlier.

He glanced over the concealed one before pulling open the door.

OOC: yay, I don't have to wait for minque to return!

Rann

The conversation stopped immediately after loud noises were heard. The sound of battle nearby. Rann went towards the door while Sel put out the lights.

Rann had his back to the wall beside the door, ready for anything that might decide to enter. When something did, he held his katana to the intruder's throat without a thought.

It took a few seconds to realize that it was Ian, so he quickly sheathed his blade.

"What the hell is happening?" he asked, assuming the apology was unnecessary in such a time.

Sel

After dousing the lamps and realizing that their visitor was a welcome one, Sel strapped on his sword belt and met the others at the doorway.

"No time for talking right now; we need to get inside the city walls," he said, pushing Rann, Satyana, and Ian out the doorway, "I hear the Tiber Septim is a popular spot now; we'll head there."

Flint Ironwood.

Flint scowled.
,,I wouldn't be surprised if he did. But just our luck, the little snake ran off before we got to the city. I doubt he is anywhere we can reach him right now." He grumbled. Then, he peeked his ears.
,,Did you hear that? It sounded like something heavy hitting the ground. To get over the noise all these soldiers are making, it must be really heavy." He said quizically to Voltar. His fist slammed down on the table.
,,Catapults!"

In an instant, Flint was running his hands over his gear, performing checks as fast as he dared.
,,I'd like to continue our conversation, but there are more pressing disasters to deal with. Goodbye, don't die!" With those words, he ran off towards the walls.



OOC: Sodsa can meet Flint somewhere. But I don't know if Flint would accept any help from him. He's going to do the 'jump while raining Telekinetic death' routine. Can Sodsa's bow reach the catapult crew while he's standing on the walls of the city? If so, then the Bosmer could provide cover fire.

Ian

Outside the shack, Ian nodded to Sel, but he did not make a move to depart with them. "I shall remain here, and eliminate any troops our Argonian friend fails to stop from landing. I'll get back to you all should retreat be necesary or when the Silhouete stops sending boats over."

The thought of acquiring Rann's glove right now crossed his mind, but right now wasn't the time for that. Tonight shall be an excellant blood bath. "You'd all best get going if you don't want to get locked out." He said.

Karn, beneath the Imperial City

Striding through the labyrinth of the winding passages, the sensei was pleased to see assassin groups perfectly hidden. He was only aware of them because they revealed themselves as he passed. We will not venture beyond the southeastern sewer passages, the most likely entry points for an underground invasion

Still, as a safety measure, most of the northern, northwestern, and western tunnels were blocked off systematically so even the meager patrols could hold them off long enough for reinforcements. Karn was satisfied with the absense of the vampires, goblins, and bandits he had encountered on his last visit here.

All of the mudcrabs within their new domain had been killed and used to help strengthen barricades. The rats had been killed as well, and placed in huge numbers along the pre-arranged ambush paths. They disease piles would hopefully weaken the morale of any venturing into the ambush areas.

Finally, Karn found himself inside a cavernous chamber, magical fires offered illumination. Among the assassins were some specialized mages, alchemists and healers. The arcane support they possessed had proven invaluable.
So far, not a single person had been infested by disease, and a slowly growing stockpile of healing potions and other invaluable concoctions would pay off as the siege continued. Perhaps we can offer to aid the wounded indirectly between battles...

Unlike their on-duty siblings, groups were scattered throughout, many catching up on needed sleep, while others sparred and strengthened their bonds with one another. In addition to this chamber, two others had been taken as gathering places.
The sensei settled by one of the white fires and closed his eyes to rest.

Dalrus Varus, Talos Plaza


"Isaac? Is that you?" she said turning around. She couldn't believe it, the first person she saw was her friend Isaac. She knew that Satyana had loved him and suddenly felt so incredibly happy she hugged Isaac and started to cry. "I thought I'd never see you guys again," she sobbed. It had been a traumatizing experience and she was for once, happy.

Finally she stopped and smiled at him. "We can't talk now though, the advance guard of the Silhouette's army is coming, I know they won't attack for a few hours, they're just trying to scare the city." she said, trying to hid her shaky voice.





The Silhouette, Marching around the road


Countless generals of many different races kept a steady stream of orders going along the line as the Silhouette and his procession of the Grand Tseaci invasion force came around. It was the biggest army and one the Silhouette would directly command. There were around 70,000 Tsaeci in this group and the other 40,000 tseaci made up the other army. The remaining 90,000 were goblins and bandits.




OOC: The problem is, we need to think of realistic numbers. If Cyrodiil were real, and it is modeled after Rome culture wise, then the city or Cyrodiil should have about a normal population of one million. The Roman standing army was up to 750,000 men, during the republic of course, it could be much larger, and it was divided all over the empire. However, for the invasion force to be realistic, the number of them should be around 200,000 in total, the defending force should be about 40,000-50,000...

Issac

He hugged Dalrus back, caressing her comfortingly. "Everyone will be overjoyed to see you again Dalrus." Issac nodded when she told him they had to move. "A lot of us should still be in the Tiber Septim. They should be able to help."

"You're among friends again," He said warmly, wiping away some of Dalrus' tears with his hand.

Sodsa -> IC

Sodsa jumped when he heard the great thud and slowed his run to a jog, looking around franticly. Eventually Sodsa came up to a gigantic boulder, the dirt still falling form the sky. Looking to the direction that he thought it came from Sodsa could make out a few boats and judging from the dark shapes on the water, there were more then he could see.

Sodsa heard a noise and looked up to see another bolder flying through the air, this time it clipped a building, causing it to collapse onto itself.

By the divines, They're getting closer to the actual city. Unless they are just wanting to cause mayhem, which would make sense

Sodsa ran over to the building to see if there were any survivors. Sodsa could hear the moaning of at least one woman, and he called out to the voice, "Em, Miss? He- hello? I'm coming in to try and get you out." The moaning quieted a little and Sodsa kicked down the door to find thatch and beams everywhere.

Sodsa started at the meticulous task of removing debris, chucking the stuff outside. Soon a big Nord came up and started to grab the bigger stuff. Sodsa looked at the Nord and gave a weak smile, the Nord nodded in return and the two went to grabbing fallen beams and moving items until Sodsa pulled a drape and uncovered a scared, bloodied, and bruised, yet alive, Dunmer lady.

"Miss, you're all right now, your wounds aren't that bad and i can heal them with a potion." Sodsa held open the ladies mouth and poured in the potion. The change was magical, Sodsa never saw a potion working on someone else. The small cuts healed and the lady was able to stand with the help of Sodsa.

"I thank you Bosmer, but what of my husband?"

At that moment the Nord came over and whispered into Sodsa's ear, "Bosmer, I, I found a Dunmer male, his fate isn't as lucky as her's. he has a roof beam going right through his chest."

Sodsa and the lady followed the Nord and when the lady saw the cloth she broke down in tears and The Nord and Sodsa left the shack.

"Thank you for helping, My name's Sodsa, Sodsa Hekal"

"Nice to meet you, Sodsa, Mine is Sjard. I hope we meet again." The Nord left into the night leaving Sodsa outside the shack.

edit: ooc: geeze... anyhow, Flint will have to do it by himself, Sodsa can't see that far in the dark and wont be vary useful. (unless this lady gives Sodsa an amulet of night eye as thanks... hmm, brainstorming)

OOC: I'm dragging satyana along in minque's absence.

Rann

Rann put a hand on Ian's shoulder, "Don't get yourself killed."

With that said, the three made their way back inside the city; moore specifically, the Talos Plaza District. Rann walked beside Satyana, with Sel following behind. Or so they thought. Sel had quietly slipped away somehow while they weren't paying attention.

Rann opened the door of the Tiber Septim and let Satyana walk in ahead of him. It was then he noticed Sel was gone, but he only smiled; that was expected.

OCC: I suppose Dalrus doesn't particularly like vampires anymore, I wonder what she'll think when she learns that Ian is now a vampire..... one of four in the group (well, three if we don't could Shogun's side-hopper).

2nd OCC: Jack has to decide if Ian's arrow strikes its target.

Ian

"I'll do my best, but I can't make any promises." He replied.

When the trio had departed, Ian made his way back to the beach. He leapt over a collapsed shack, catching a glimpse of a Bosmer, Dunmer, and Nord scattered around the ruined structure. When he landed, Ian turned to the Wood Elf, and was struck by the familiarity of the man.

Still, he didn't quite make the connection. "If you wish to make it inside the city before they close the gates, I would suggest you all to flee now." His wrist blades flashing in the slowly growing rays of sunlight.

(The arrow doesn't really matter. The stab was meant to be lethal and Green-Root didn't stick around to watch. We'll say that Ian barely missed, which is still damn impressive given the circumstances.)


Green-Root

Another boat fell to his spear, its inhabitants painted the water with blood.
,,Hah, this is easier than I thought. They are like fish on dry land." Green-Root gloated underwater.
,,Root! Cease your foolish act!" A voice bubbled. It was Argonian underwater speech, a language no non-Argonian could ever hope to understand.

Green-Root turned around and let his speed bleed off by the friction of the water. Many dark shadows flitted around, coming closer and sealing him in a deadly web.
,,Shadowscales, this does not concern you." He hissed at the Argonian assassins. Their leader aimed his shortsword at the green-scaled lizard's heart.
,,Actually, it does. We pledged our loyalty to the Silhouette. As such, we are bound to avenge any loss of life his servants suffer, even if those servants are lowly Goblins. Stop and rejoin us, we have need of someone with your skills."

Green-Root grinned.
,,Sorry, but Goblins and I don't match." He replied and darted away.
,,I can't take them all. But, there is a way. Only a fool would leave the sewers unguarded. If they fight with numbers, then I'll just get some numbers of my own."


Flint Ironwood.

Flint reached the walls and ran up the stairs, two steps at a time.
,,What's going on?" He asked a Dunmer soldier. The man pointed off in the distance where several dark shapes were gathered. Large shapes.
,,Over there. Catapults, foreigner." The soldier answered.

,,We're both foreigners here, but thanks for the information." Flint said as he climbed the low wall the soldier was hiding behind.
,,Hey, what are you doing?" The soldier shouted.
,,Taking care of bussiness." Flint replied with a grim tone and vaulted into the air.


OOC: This is not supposed to be the major battle but someone has to stop the catapults. After stopping the catapults, the boats and any other assaults that are happening right now, perhaps then the Sil decides for a siege instead?

Dalrus Varus, Talos Plaza


"Thank you so much, Isaac," she smiled as they walked into the Tiber Septim which one on one of the main streets. Inside she saw Satyana and Rann. She couldn't believe she was seeing them. She ran over to them.

"I didn't think I would ever see you guys again!" she said hugging Satyana and then Rann.

Rann

"Dalrus? Where the hell have you been?"

He had assumed that she abandoned them after the explosion on Hero Hill out of anger, especially since there had been a heated political argument that got rather personal. He had no idea how much more terrible the truth was.

Issac

He walked after Dalrus. Seeing his friends reunited again brought a smile to his face. Issac leaned against the wall just shy of the three. When Rann asked Dalrus where she'd been, he decided to let her answer unless she was unable, he could guess where.

Flogir

As Flogir was talking with Altair he caught Flint rushing out of the bar. Obviously, something bad was happening. Flogir suspected that his assistance might be needed at the wall so he quickly downed his ale.

"Sorry to cut-off our discussion, Altair, but it seems the battle just might be getting started," he said as he began to make his way out of the bar. Just as he approached the exit, he saw Rann, Satyana, Issac, and... Dalrus arrive. He held up.

"Looks like you've been through hell, Dalrus," he said, taking in her dishevelled appearance, "Still, glad to see you managed to find us." He looked at the others, "Sorry that I can't stick around and talk, but it looks like things are finally getting under way and I expect that I'll be needed at the walls."

He was just about to leave when a voice called out.


Voltar

Voltar simply nodded as Flint prepared to leave. "Good luck," he offered to Flint just before he left.

Voltar mused on the situation for a few moments and then noticed that Flogir was about to leave. He called out to him. "Wait, I'm coming with you!" His words stopped the Nord, who studied the Altmer for a minute before nodding.

Voltar quickly went to the Nord's side. "Perhaps my abilities can be put to use on the wall," he told the Nord and turned to the others, "If any of you need us, just go to the walls," he instructed them. Hopefully, Voltar hoped to find Flint somewhere along there and continue his discussion about Green-Root. Plus, he felt like roasting a few things.

With that, he and Flogir went off as the rumblings of feet and seigecraft echoed along the streets.

Dalrus, Tiber Septim Hotel


Dalrus looked even paler as she tried to remember all the hardships she had gone through. When Flogir had walked by and said that she simply gave a very haunted looking smile and looked back at Rann.

"It was horrible," her voice sounded emotionless as she began to describe all the tortures performed on her to get information, or just for fun. The spells used on her and the abuse was horrible. She told them about how many times the vampire general nearly raped her, but only to have something come up, Dalrus thought it must have been sheer luck that saved her. She said all this a monotone, far off voice, as if she couldn't put too much emotion in it or she would break.

"Finally when there were only two guards, I snatched the keys and undid my bracers, the bars melted soon after I fried them and I ran towards the city, they followed but I destroyed many others before I reached the bridge and the Brumans drove them away" she stopped. She looked helpless, sad and scared.

Rann

Rann listened to Dalrus's story with a mixture of sympathy, anger, and more than a little guilt. He couldn't help but feel like he should've done something. When Satyana was taken, he took up arms and tried to rescue her, but when something happened to Dalrus, he barely noticed.

When the story was done, he was at a loss for an appropriate thing to say. He wanted to show some sympathy, but "I'm sorry" seemed to fall short.

Instead, he put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder and put a bottle of booze in her hand. He didn't know if she would appreciate it or not, but he knew that he would've if he was in a similar situation.

OOC: I forget, was Amrita given one of Veric's amulets?

Amrita

Amrita stuck to the shadows as those within in the house rushed out as the sounds of the incoming army grew louder. She also noticed a separate group stood at the waterside where a ship suddenly began to sink and screams from those on board sounded out. Apparently, something or someone was attacking them underneath the water.

She watched momentarily until she figured that with the army fast approaching, the gates inside the city would be barred. Rather than looking for a tricky way back in, Amrita chose to re-enter the city now rather than face that problem.

Upon entering the city once more, Amrita decided that she had to find Veric and tell her about this "Sel" character that Rann and the others had met. She had a hunch that they wouldn't have met someone like him just for the sake of catching up.

OCC: Since Root has practically destroyed all of the boat force, I'll have Ian retreat as well. So, is Dalrus traumatized enough to have a brief misunderstanding of Ian's transformation (he did come back from the Agent's dojo just before the Hero Hill group returned, so Dalrus shouldn't know about his vampirism)?

Ian

The bombardment was not letting up, and Ian suspected that the Silhouete wasn't fool enough to fire all his siege weapons at once, but stagger them so two or three were firing while the others were reloading. Well, I can shoot far, but it would be a miracle if I could make a shot at this distance.

Conceding that he was of no use here, the vampire turned on his heel and sprinted back to the city gates. Ian noticed the first rays of sunlight beginning to form from beyond the walls. He sighed, he had been neglecting his need to feed, but for the sake of everyone he had to be clear-headed.

If that meant feeding off the soldiers from Morrowind then that was the price he would pay. But for now he had to get himself indoors before his body grew vulnerable to the sunlight. Ian walked briskly toward the Tiber Septim, following the familiar scents of his friends.

Issac

He listened to Dalrus as she spoke about her captivity, but he couldn't look at her as she was speaking. Issac leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and stared at the floor. But every word was clear in his head, even when Dalrus finished he didn't look back up.

Only when Ian came through the door unexpectedly did he look up. "Oh, Ian. Erm, Dalrus just got back," he mumbled. Ian's presense helped Issac look back at his friend, but the Altmer was still shaken that all these atrocities had really been experienced by his friend.
If he had been able, Issac would have done nearly anything to reverse whatever had happened to Dalrus. Satyana had his heart, but Dalrus was a close friend, just as much so as Rann.

Dalrus Varus, Tiber Septim Hotel


Dalrus looked at the bottle in her hand. Under happy circumstances she would have drank it and hoped for a party, however, she never drank when she was sad, that's what her father did. She knew Rann meant well, but she wanted a clear head for killing the vampire lord who had done this to her.

She put the bottle on the counter and gave a very small smile to Rann, she knew he meant well and though he had forgotten that she disappeared, she knew it wasn't because everyone thought she had been captured. Before they went to Hero Hill she said she was going to go to the Arcane University to talk to the Archmage, and this was probably why no one had looked for her.

"I'm just happy to be finally back," she looked over at Isaac, Rann and Satyana.

OOC: She's not going to be afraid of Ian, but very suspicious and untrusting.



Eurod, Talos Plaza


He looked back, the next group of his soldiers had arrive, he had only brought about seven thousand foot soldiers, two thousand archers and then the 500 knights who had arrived on foot and horse before hand. Before they locked the gate Eurod ran over to the gate keeper.

"We have to get all the horses out of the stables," he said as he cranked the gate open and some of his men ran to the stables. (the stables should be quite a bit larger than in the game) and they brought back about one hundred horses. Eurod closed the gate and looked out over the city. There were about 50,000 dark elves along with another ten thousand imperial soldiers who garrisoned the city. He would take command of these, being the ranking imperial soldier in the city. That gave him them 67,000 soldiers to defend a city that could hold a million inhabitants, this was not looking good. He would take command of the 17,000 imperials and garrison the Green Emperor way, since it seemed that the dark elves would take command of all the sections of the wagon wheel.

OCC: Alright then, I don't think Satyana's taken notive of Ian's vampirism either.

Ian

He nodded in acknowledgment to Issac. His gaze went to Dalrus, Ian could smell the scent of another vampire on her. While still new to his vampiric senses and abilities, he could tell the vampire had not been of the Cyrodiilic Bloodline.

But of which province, he did not know. Ian narrowed his eyes slightly, some instinct dictated that he dispose of anyone, or anything claimed by another bloodline's vampire. The realization that other bloodlines were inside Cyrodiil made the vampire's blood boil.
It was an affront to the Cyrodiilic's dominance over their province, Ian vowed to hunt-down and slaughter any vampire not of his bloodline who swore loyalty to the conquering Silhouete. He snapped out of his fumings back to the present.

"Do you know which bloodline this general was part of?" Ian asked suddenly, for better or worse, bringing attention to himself.

Dalrus, Tiber Septim Hotel

Dalrus's eyes suddenly became angry and seemed to be enveloped in flame. She knew who this person was, he was a vampire and magic started to tickle her fingers, she wouldn't attack but she was ready.

"No," she said in a cold voice that could have frozen Lake Rumare. "I didn't ask him while he was torturing me, sorry" she said angrily. Her eyes suddenly became a little more normal, she was not usually one to judge people and she supposed vampires were not all the same. "I think he was from Morrowind, though he could have been from...further east, though I doubt it, many of them looked to be dark elves and I think they were from Morrowind. There were many other races as well, some of every, but the general was definitely a dark elf."

Flint Ironwood.

Flint sailed across the lake and soon got a better view.
,,Those aren't catapults. That big sling-mechanism. A Trebuchet. Clever, enough range to bombard from the other side of the lake." He observed.

One Trebuchet was getting ready to fire. The Breton angled his flight accordingly. When the giant Siege Engine's arm swung around with a large boulder in its grasp, Flint came right above it. The stone was released, into the air.

Flint unsheathed his swords and utilized both their powers to the full together with his own skill at Telekinesis. A large shockwave hit the boulder in mid-air, cancelling its upward motion. Now returned to gravity's merciless grip, it crashed down, right on top of the Trebuchet it had been launched from. Wood shattered and Orcs were crushed under the wreckage.
,,That's one."

Ian

He had to admit, Dalrus' fury was impressive to behold, but Ian was confident that the fire would burn itself out, as it were. That and the anger was not directly aimed at him. The vampire let out a breath, "So he could be any of the three bloodlines of Morrowind."

Ian nodded to himself, absently, deep in thought. Perhaps not being appropriately sympathetic for Dalrus' experience, but two-thirds majority wanted to gather as much information about these interlopers as he could.
For now, however, he saw no reason to further enrage Dalrus, so Ian walked toward the stairs to the rooms.

OOC: no, metal, i dont think she was.. but i have terrible memory she can just find him.. he probably sticks out a bit.

Veric

Slightly annoyed that just as he made himself comfortable people began forcing themselves out of the tavern, Altair finished his drink quietly and stepped outside. He extended his mind slightly, risking letting others know that Veric was in the city. He wanted to locate Amrita, and loosening his grip on his senses is just what he needed.

Sodsa -> Waterfront

Sodsa nodded to the slightly familiar face and left the lady to grieve over her fallen husband. After fighting his way through the doors, Sodsa found himself in the Imperial City

"Okay, so now that i'm in the city, where am i supposed to go?"

A beggar over heard him and directed him to the Tiber Septum in the Talos Plaza District, he said it was the best one around.

Sodsa looked at the sign overhead before walking in, finally pushing the door open, heading directly to the bar. After wiping his hands on his robe he lower the hood and called for the barkeep.

"Ey! Barkeep, I need A brandy." The man behind the bar grabbed one from under the counter and placed it in the place that Sodsa's money had been, "Thanks."

Sodsa sat on the stood looking down at the drink, every so often taking a small sip. "Gah, I don't like this, I can to help and i get ushered into a bloody tavern. Figures."

Amrita

Amrita had only entered the Imperial City minutes ago when she suddenly felt an odd sensation in the back of her skull. The sensation felt like it was compelling her to a certain location. She was quick to deciding that this was Veric's doing so she complied with the sensation.

Not long after, she saw a robed Altmer standing by himself outside the Tiber Septim. She remembered that Veric had changed into this form before leaving his personal domain where he had taken her to test her. She approached him.

"Do you want to speak here, or somewhere more private?" she asked simply.



OOC: Hopefully you don't mind me giving some creative leeway to the defending army's tactics.
Flogir

It didn't take Flogir and Voltar long to reach the walls. Armoured soldiers all ready were aligning the walls. Most wore various bonemold armour native to Morrowind while others wore standard iron and steel. Flogir approached an officer.

"So, how are we handling things up here?" he asked.

The officer nodded to a bow. "Enemies get into firing range, use that," he said in a more than obvious tone that Flogir didn't appreciate.

Flogir pointed at the siege equipment that was being setup by the enemy. "And how are we handling that?" he asked in a heated manner.

The officer gave the siege equipment a worried look. "Well currently, we almost have some catapults of our own ready to try and fire back at them. Other than that, we might have to send out the calvary to take care of it," he said in a less than confident tone.

Suddenly, one of the trebuchets crumpled to the ground. Flogir strained his old eyes but suddenly he whooped. "Haha! Flint my man!", he turned to Voltar, "Think you could help out Flint, Voltar?"

Voltar shrugged his shoulders. "I think I can conjure up something that could help," he replied in a calm manner.

Voltar withdrew the staff that he constant had strapped to his back and the Altmer's eyes glowed with arcane power. With a quick throwing gesture, Voltar sent a blast of flame hurtling towards one of the distant trebuchets. With uncanny accuracy, the trebuchet literally burst into flames. It looked like tendrils of flame seemed to be fleeing away from the flaming piece of equipment but Flogir then figured out that in fact that the tendrils were those operating the trebuchet.

Flogir clapped the mer on the back. "Excellent work, Volty, my mer!" he said excitedly, thinking that so far, everything was going well.

Veric

Veric smiled as he saw how Amrita had been drawn to him. "Here's fine. Everyone seems preoccupied right now anyway," he replied, "Unless you need to speak about something very sensitive..."

Amrita

Amrita shrugged her shoulders. "Here is fine then," she said before composing herself. "I've made contact with my siblings. Rann knows that I work for you in this form as a 'behind the scenes' type person while Satyana doesn't. I've kept an eye on them. They went to the Waterfront and met with a Dunmer that does by the name of Sel. I'm not sure if that's of any importance, but I thought I would mention that given the fact that they wouldn't likely visit someone in a time like this just to pay someone a visit."

She pause and flipped a strand of hair off of her face. "Other than that, seems like the battle is beginning to get underway, but I thought that would be a bit obvious," she stated indicating the surroundings.

Veric

Veric nodded. "I've been trying to get Rann under my--Altair's wing for some time now. Perhaps seeing that his sister is working for him will sway him further. Eventually, though, I will have to let him know I am Veric if he is to stay with us.

"Satyana, on the other hand, is much more guarded. I doubt she would follow Rann's path." Veric scratched his chin a minute. "Selenil, 'Sel,' is a bit of a hero from the reign of Arcyakt. Though his relation to Rann, or any of this for that matter, eludes me. He's nothing to worry about, though."

Veric began walking towards the southern walls of the city. "So what role will you play in this battle?"

OCC: Yeah, mostly just inner chit-chat between Ian and Kirana. Nothing much other than that.
Cerpin is free to get suspicous, or whatever.

Kirana

The recent happenings were troubling, from Karn and Ian's scheduled final duel to the threat posed by the Altmer, Altair. Actually, Kirana had a rather intimate connection to Ian's mind, even more so, she suspected, than this other inhabitant.

She knew what he knew, and also put some credit to the Argonian's theory, no matter how crazy it was. The politician Altair felt similar to that Breton she'd met near Hero Hill, the same Breton who'd tried to aquire the staff from the cave there.
The two men both had a certain hunger for power that was part of their actions. Likewise, she also felt vividely the driving instinct to drive out the foriegn vampires. From what she'd studied, the Cyrodiilic bloodline were much more subtle, civilized in their own words, than other variants.

In fact, while most of the population would call for the extermination of their patron clan, it was better, not to mention healthier, that the Cyrodiilics had control of the province. Her understanding of Ian's position, in addition to their former friendship, made her feel a little more protective of him.

Kirana didn't trust this other at all, nor did she like the bargain it had struck with Ian. However, she held her council, her friend was set on a path which he could not be swayed from easily. There were others she wanted to protect: Issac, Satyana, Rann, and this Dalrus.
Without a physical body this would be difficult, but as long as Ian was alright, that would be enough to accomplish this final task. Kirana was not quite ready to accept the afterlife, not until this crisis was over and done.

Though she was wary of this other soul, Kirana wanted it gone more so than her host. We can't do what is needed with this free-loader tagging along. Finally, she concentrated on Ian. "Ian, we need to get this glove as soon as possible."

Ian

Suddenly, Kirana interupted his feeding on a drunk soldier. Still, he didn't stop until his thirst was properly sated. Lying down on a nearby cot, Ian externally stared at the cieling as if in thought. Internally, he was with Kirana.

"I thought you were against helping this guy." Ian said.
She replied, "Look, I don't trust him, but the sooner he is gone the better. Even better, as soon as he gets his new body we kill him, we won't have to worry about him popping up again."

"He can burn in Oblivion; all I care about is the same I have before. Issac and the others, once this is all over I can finally accept death."

The vampire furrowed his brow. "Do you want another bo-"
Kirana cut him off, "Absolutely not, I'm fine being dead."
"How do you intend to die, that will only happen if I do."
She replied, "I'll work on that later, that's not half as important."

"So, my brawn, your essense?"
Kirana said amiably, "I'll be your guardian angel, old friend."

Amrita

Amrita thought on the question as she walked alongside Veric. A wry smile crossed her lips as an idea sparked in her mind.

"I think I will look after Rann. Perhaps if I am forced to save his life, he'll feel indebted to us. Plus it'll build our 'sibling relationship'," she said, "I guess if Satyana needed saving as well I would help her out too. We might be able to sway her yet," she added as an afterthought.

She continued to walk with the Altmer when a question formed in her mind. "Say... When abouts do you think you'll tap into my hidden potential, eh? I wouldn't mind a little sampling just to make sure I ain't doing all this for naught," she told Altair with a meaningful look.

Flint Ironwood.

One of the Trebuchets to his left burst into flames.
,,Whoever did that, thanks." The Breton thought and launched his attacks on the second Trebuchet he'd set his eyes on. The spectacle repeated itself, a boulder refusing to launch towards the faraway city. By now, the crew had realized the position of the two threats. The mage was too far to be dealt with, but the flying Flint was close enough.

An arrow grazed his leg and another bounced off the cuirass.
,,Dammit! If I were a hotshot fencer, I could probably sweep those arrows clean out of the sky. Too bad I'm not." Flint grumbled. He landed in a clearing and took the short respite to both find his next angle of approach and deal with the arrows. The purple shimmer of the Dragonskin wrapped around him as he leaped up into the air again.


Green-Root.

The Shadowscales were close on his heels. Green-Root focussed his mind on the waters around him and created a vortex in his wake, forcing his pursuers to either slow down or be smashed against the rocks littering the bottom. Two made the wrong choice, and so their numbers dwindled to six.

He pulled into a steep turn and entered the sewers, using the wall to ep maintain his course. But something was wrong and he hissed in frustration.
,,Where are the guards? I don't see them!"

He had no choice but to move on. If he could find a small alcove, he could use it to make his stand.


OOC: So Green-Root didn't see anyone, but the Narza Tai are there. They'll probably jump in from behind or something. It is up to Revan if they consider Green-Root a legitimate target as well.

Veric

Veric looked Amrita over after her request. "Very well. A sampling," he answered as he rather forcefully placed his right hand on her forehead. He tilted her head back until their eyes met; a yellow glow, not brighter but more intense than usual, shone through his.

"Can you feel the shadows when you move about them?" he asked as he probed into her mind. Her thoughts would become clouded as his icy hand cut between them and distorted them. "Can you feel them adapt with you?" Her vision began to black out until all that was left visible were Veric's luminous eyes; two yellow slits in the darkness.

He removed his hand, and with it the world came back into focus. Dawn was approaching. "There," he said, smiling as an inventor would upon completion of his greatest creation. "I have given you some of my power in an area where you had none. It's only temporary, but experiencing it should pave the way for you to teach yourself."

Veric pointed at a dark alleyway, its shadows complimented by a flickering street lamp. "Imagine shadows as glass... What you need to do is reach out with your mind and shatter that glass. Shatter it, and take up a shard of the darkness. Hurl the shard at your opponent.

"Because the power is as abstract as shadows themselves, its limit is of your own. The shards of blackness can pierce the thickest walls and armor, but because they are not physical, you must concentrate on your target. They will not cut flesh and bone, but they will pierce minds."