Black as a star-reaped nightsky. Eyes like the ember jewels of the hearth. Quick as a scream. But silent, silent like the desert zephyrs.

They never see me coming.

Lithe, velveteen blackness covers me like a second skin, the colour of ebon gloom. Against the inky backdrop of a typical Cyrodiilic night, I’m just another shadow. I can feel my eyes smoulder like furnace coals in the dim moonlight.

To watch, to wait, there is no time. I’ll have to take in the scenery later. Running, low, swift as quicksilver, racing across the rooftops. The guards are startled; believing a ghoul is upon them. A quick daggerstroke to the jugular confirms – and silences - their fears. My once perfect gloom-coloured shroud is painted with vivid red spiders. Thrice-curse my carelessness.

They’ll be found in the morn. But the future holds no relevance tonight. The dagger is sheathed. It may yet make another appearance tonight. The moon is moving, and sithis’ calls, the rooftops patter with the sound of fleeting footsteps again.

The alarm sounds, like the bleating of a startled sheeps. And like sheep they pour from the barracks, armed with spears, halberds, rusty scimitars and flimsy shields. Time to hide, not enough arrows in the quiver to put down this flock.

I time the jump expertly, which transforms into a dive as the lakewater rushes towards me. I enter the brittle water almost soundlessly. Darkness, icy and numbing, engulfs me.

Rippled reports of waving flamed torches tell me the patrol is nearing. They pass by with coarse shouts, boasting of my capture and disposal. Floating just beneath the surface, I watch their blurred, maladroit outlines blunder around gracelessly, dull eyes searching for something darkness.

One of them notices something. A ripple perhaps, a stray bubble or a riverweed that’s not quite where it should be. The water claims him before he can voice his concerns. The torch hisses and spits as its life too is drowned beneath the murky depths.

The moon is still moving. No time for fun anymore. Sithis’ calls are getting more urgent.

The water releases its clasp on me, and I emerge once more into the midnight blackness, immersing with the shade. Avoiding the wan globes of light that the street-lamps cast, I make my way through the cobbled pathways, a lone phantom of the night
.
Swiftly, swiftly, the brotherhood grows impatient. I scale the drab grey walls without effort, claws finding easy purchase on the thick rock. Forty lengths up, you would think such a distance was improbably high. That is what he believes.

I see him now, through a thin stone slit of a window. Sithis’ prize. Guards surround him like the lapdogs they are, bristling with weapons and obedient minds.

Enough games. Magic isn’t used for fun. With a whispered invocation I turn into a thin film of black dust, but two red eyes amidst a thin wisp of ebon-shaded mist. The feeling is indescribably but pleasurably peculiar. The touch of Sithis’ sorcery invigorating.

I slip through the rib thin opening while the magic lasts. I can feel the raw power ebbing away already.

Using the hot air that exhales from the aflame inglenook at the centre of the room, I rise to ceiling, where strong-strutted beams escape into the roofed darkness. Unnoticed, in the gloom of the ceiling where the light of the fire cannot reach, the breath of smoke makes a strange transformation. It settles like a drape of shadow on one of the wooden beams, and begins to grow. Feet, shins, legs and torso, thin-fingered hands and an unrecognisable face, are formed from its essence. My eyes remain the same, blood-coloured and glinting like coals in the enveloping gloom.

So close to my target, the thrill is exhilarating. I can feel brotherhood edging me on. Hot blood runs like lightning through cold, deadened veins. My fingers twitch.

No, not yet. The kill will have to wait. To be seen is to be human. That which commands the greatest fear is the unknown, and the unknown is my crude title.

The two guards go first. I finish deciding which eye the arrow is going to go into and one of them drops, a soundless scream still clinging to his lips. The other, trying to find where the deadly arrow has come from, dies a second later. The other eye this time.

Now it’s only him left.

I can smell the fear that exhumes from him. He staggers back, seeking refuge in the shadows.
But I’m already there. The dagger is excited, eager to prove it’s worth a second time. It finds flesh and skin and bone, the steel painted a deep crimson as it drinks deep of his blood.

“Sithis claims you…” A voice says – my own? I am never sure.

Guards burst in, but I am already gone, like a wisp of smoke – magic smoke. Out the window. The moon is still moving, and so am I, pitter-patter of a ghouls footsteps across darkened rooftops.

Red as a murderous dawn. Eyes dull, like dark green pebbles. Sharp as a scream. But still silent, silent like the desert zephyrs.

They never see me coming.

Good to see you back and a good piece. Not sure whether I'd class it as poetry or prose either, nicely done though with some fabulous description.

brittle water - I loved this image, a real eyeball kick.

I can smell the fear that exhumes from him. - I *think* you mean exudes though I may be wrong. Exhumes seemed like an odd choice of word there.

I also like how you used the present tense to make is flow almost like the assassination. Nice piece.

I think I'll have to port it here sooner or later, but I suggest you see my thread "Of Blades, Fights, and Assassins" in the OTHER forum.

The other forum?

Yeah. The ElizaBETH ESp DAnish Forums.

Woo Hoo! Really well done imagery in this! It had a very 'Foxyish' feel to it! And he is right, you will probably love reading his "Of Blades, Fights, and Assassins" (he needs to link it in his signature - hint hint) - he is the resident expert on weaponry and writing battle scenes on the BGSF.

Your detail and descriptions were AWESOME, I loved this !!

It is very difficult writing in the present tense.

But you have accomplished this well. For that, my hat's off to you.

As for the content, it is well imagined and fascinating. I like how you use the title in the beginning and at the end of the story. It works well as a motif for an assassin.

Good job! Is this a stand-alone piece, or the beginning of something more?

Loved it! Hope you got more like this!

Ah, just a stand-alone piece I'm afraid, to get me back into proceedings and such.

And I'll be sure to check it out sometime D.foxy, if you can link me up?

Thanks all for the comments .

You make such rich use of metaphor that the entire piece feels more like poetry than prose. Added to that is a very economical use of words. Just enough to keep the story driving forward at a steady pace. Together it all creates an enthralling story!

And as hot collie said, very good job of writing in the present tense, which is a difficult proposition. Yet you make it seem effortless.

In a way I'm sorry that this is a stand alone piece. On the other hand, it is so complete it is quite satisfying as it is.

As for Foxy's link, here ya go: Of Blades, Fights and Assassins

I read your mentioned thread D.Foxy, and feel obliged to say that I - like all the others - am amazed at the amount of detail within it. Those little excerpt stories which exemplify those techniques just put the cherry on the cake too. I do have a few questions, and since I'm too lazy to register and post such things, I'll put 'em on here and hope you read them:

1. Firstly, what martial arts do you do? I myself do Shotokan Karate (the traditional stuff, though I find myself leaning more toward sport karate, as that's what gets you the trophies nowadays).

2. Do you have anything on glaives? I've always wanted to know what their actual function is. Are they just like a two-handed greatsword, with a bigger handle for increased dexterity? Or can they be utilised in a throwing manner? Or just a staff-like weapon with a sharp blade edge to deliver the killing blow? Or all three?

3. You always hear in stories about someone 'disembowelling' this, or 'decapitating' that, but I've always been skeptical as to how easy this actually is. I mean, obviously a considerable amount of force would be required to sever a limb completely, but the sword would have to be swung at the right angle, the right height and at the right speed. So, in that sense, unless the target is stationary, bare-necked and the weapon used is incredibly sharp/strong, then chances of decapitation and dismemberment are very slim, are they not?

Foxy is TDY right now, he hasn't been available for two days. On the beheadings, I saw an actual beheading done with a dull knife and not taking a swing first. The guy actually sawed at the neck and it took around 20 seconds. (Daniel Pearl vid)

A sharp sword in the action of a full swing should easily be able to behead someone, the spine is in pieces held together with a soft cartilage (sp?) - in other words, it is very easily broken by a blade.

Disembowling someone can easily be done with even just a dagger. There are no bones, just soft tissue. In New York and New Jersey there is a certain cut robbers/killers do with a short dagger, they stab it into your stomach and then yank it up in one quick move. Your guts come out without any extraordinary effort, and once the small intestine starts rolling it is unable to be stopped.

Severing an arm should be slightly harder than a beheading because of the bone, but if you get close to the wrist you are once again talking about many small bones which are easier to break. Severing a leg would be hard because the bones are large and fused. BUT, you can sever the tendon behind the ankle and cripple them, or hit the ankle with such force that it shatters easily with a semi-heavy sword. A light sword moving fast could crack the ankle. If you cripple an opponent's feet, they can be brought down pretty easily no matter the size (Fallout 3 Deathclaws: using the dart gun to paralyze their legs and then just pick them off)

From personal experience: it take a lot of smashing force to break through the spine and bone when you are talking about beheading and dismemberments. Disemboweling, on the other hand, is very easy if you don't have armor covering the abdomen. Aside from the throat, the front of the abdomen is the most vulnerable part of the body, and a lot easier to aim for (being a larger target) than the throat. Disemboweling is one of the most devastating wounds you can inflict on someone else, and in the days before antibiotics, it usually resulted in death.

Beheadings in the bad old days were usually done with heavy blades (i.e. the executioner's axe is a big ol' thing) brought down in a vertical plane to let gravity perform some of the smashing work. Beheading was also a preferred method of execution of POW's by the Japanese in WWII, especially of enemy officers, if I recall correctly. However, the way the Japanese do it, from behind, is difficult and requires practice to do well, even with a sharp samurai sword. And the cartilage, while technically weaker than bone, is very difficult to cut through due to its resilience and its ability to dull the sharpest blade. When I used to harvest neck bones (research project in vet school), I would go through two scalpel blades per neck joint just to get the cartilage cut. It is the densest material in the body (except maybe for the brain of some individuals, but let's not argue the point ).

Hamstringing your opponent (cutting the big tendon on the back of the ankle), or even the tendons on the back of the knee, is a great way to weaken your enemy and make him/her more vulnerable to follow-on attacks. An immobilized enemy is a dead enemy, pretty much.

Was that when you were doing your internship with Mannimarco?

I was going to add in that disembowelment was the favored tactic of the Roman Legions. A quick stab in the gut, followed by a twist to the blade before ripping it would make a big hole and put anyone down. It only takes a few inches of penetration as well, hence the old Roman saying that it only takes two inches to kill.

The Dacian Falx was very effective at lopping apart bodies. It is the only enemy weapon that caused the Romans to change their armor in the middle of a campaign. The Romans added a bar across the front of the helmets because Dacian Falxmen would use a downward chop that was splitting their skulls in half when wearing the regular helmet. Likewise the Romans added a full sheath of armor to their right arm (the manica) for the same reason. The Falx is of course a big, heavy weapon as well. It is basically a two handed sword, although nothing like the longswords from the medieval era. If you have seen the LOTOR films, it is the big sword the elves used.

The Rhomphaia of the ancient Thracians was a very similar weapon, and also known for its power in beheading and dismemberment. I cannot attest to its chopping power, but the Falcata/Kopis was most likely very good at this as well, given the sickle-shaped design puts all of the weight of the blade at the tip.

It is too bad these weapons did not get put into Oblivion, as they are all exotic in their appearance (i.e. cool-looking), but also totally realistic. They would have added some interesting flavor.

Like a glaive?

And I agree subrosa, hopefully if they EVER get round to making another, they'll include more weapons and armour and such. I don't think Bethesda realise they could make millions by releasing another elder scrolls, I mean if I were them, I'd be brainstorming like hell round about now to create a sequel.

It was my understanding that the blade intended for decapitation would have to be incredibly heavy, and also extremely sharp. I remember hearing that even in the guillotine, a machine actually designed for clean cut head-chopping action, could fail even if blunted only slightly. So really I should have included this in my question, how easy is it to dismember or decapitate someone in actual battle? The fact that it takes power, and power needs time to build up, and also that your target is moving, i'd wager chances are pretty damn slim.

If you look up the history of beheading, here is what it says about beheading with a sword:


"Beheading - Where a person was to be decapitated with a sword, they are generally made to kneel down although they could, if short, be executed standing up, or even sitting in a chair. A typical European execution sword was 36-48 inches (900-1200 mm) long and 2 to 2-1/2 inches (50-65mm) wide with the handle being long enough for the executioner to use both hands to give maximum leverage. It weighed around 4 lbs. (2 Kg.)"

4 lbs is not a very heavy sword. The lightness gives it a faster movement, and the blade is not as thick. A heavy sword would be thicker and not slice through as easily. I would say the heavier the sword, the harder it would become to use it for beheading, you would need to have an increased strength to balance off the weight of the sword to develop the speed needed for the cut.

I think there is a tensile strength to certain light metals that make them choice weapons for beheading, rather than something like iron or steel.

** Screenshot of re-enactment of the beheading of Ann Boleyn done with the same style sword that was actually used in the beheading: note the light weight and how thin the metal of the sword is. It took just one blow to behead her:

http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/boleyn2.jpg

This is a photo of an actual beheading about to take place in Saudi, it takes just one blow. Again, the sword is a light (single handed) one, but has a curve in the blade:

http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/saudi.jpg


And (hopefully lastly) here is a sword used on the front lines in battle for its ability to behead quickly and easily, it weighed just under 15 pounds:

"Perhaps the best known user of a Zweihänder was Pier Gerlofs Donia who is reputed to have wielded it with such skill, strength, and efficiency that he managed to behead multiple people with it in a single blow. The Zweihänder ascribed to him is, as of 2008, on display in the Frisian museum. It has a length of 213 cm (84 in) and a weight of about 6.6 kg (14½ lb)."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...useum_Basel.JPG



Just for the record:

"It has often been reported that the eyes and mouths of the decapitated have shown signs of movement. It has been calculated that the human brain has enough oxygen stored for metabolism to persist for about 7 seconds after the head is cut off."

"In many cases, the anecdotal evidence describes blinking eyes, wandering gaze, and moving lips on a freshly amputated head. As grotesque and troubling as these movements may be to the witnesses, such muscular spasms are not surprising under the circumstances. It is not uncommon for any separated limb to twitch briefly due to reflex nerve action. More difficult to attribute to nerve reflexes are the stories of specific facial expressions sometimes seen on the faces of the beheaded as they died. Some were said to change expressions several times in the last few moments, ranging from pain and confusion to grief and fear."

- (talk about freaky!)


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