Elder Scrolls: Interregnum Chapter 4 (Started, Open)

[Josh123914]

snip

''Agreed'' she said.

Enthir was finishing up roasting a few fish and got out a bit of bread to go with it.
Endya came over carrying Croaker by the shoulder, looking over towards the camel, ''1000 Drakes gone for that thing. Hope it was worth it.'' she told him, ''2000, actually, and yes before we got into that skirmish it was.'' he mumbled, taking a looking in the distance towards the body.
''Where are the others?'' Endya asked, looking around. She really had hoped no one else had deserted, though as long as the ruin isn't ghoul-infested Endya doubts she'll need anyone else. ''Joncis and Dro'Araaj are together, and then there's you two. No idea about the other three, and I think the Bosmer back in Corinthe didn't like the idea of desert trekking, so...'' Enthir responded, not looking up from the meal he was almost finished cooking.

 

[TheDoctor455]

snip

''Agreed'' she said.

Enthir was finishing up roasting a few fish and got out a bit of bread to go with it.
Endya came over carrying Croaker by the shoulder, looking over towards the camel, ''1000 Drakes gone for that thing. Hope it was worth it.'' she told him, ''2000, actually, and yes before we got into that skirmish it was.'' he mumbled, taking a looking in the distance towards the body.
''Where are the others?'' Endya asked, looking around. She really had hoped no one else had deserted, though as long as the ruin isn't ghoul-infested Endya doubts she'll need anyone else. ''Joncis and Dro'Araaj are together, and then there's you two. No idea about the other three, and I think the Bosmer back in Corinthe didn't like the idea of desert trekking, so...'' Enthir responded, not looking up from the meal he was almost finished cooking.

"Hmm..." Croaker said, doing his best not to put too much weight on Endya's shoulders at once, "Well... this is kind of awkward... I joked about something like this... and here we are. Hmm... I think we should keep an eye out for that stranger. I don't think its really that easy to shake him off," his voice started to trail off as he started thinking out loud to himself, "It's strange... I haven't sensed that kind of power since Her empire fell... and the Company was still kicking..."

He edged himself off of Endya's shoulder, whispering a heartfelt thank you in her ear as he did so. He then, as gently as he could, plopped himself down in front of the fire, and stared up at the night's sky, even chancing to take his hood off for once as he gazed up at all that iridescent magic. He sighed wistfully.

 

[Josh123914]

Joncis woke up just as light dawned. The desert was freezing at night but luckily he had enough layers packed from Skingrad to get him through it. After waking up the other party members and setting off north the sun had already rose high enough in the sky to make him sweat.
He peeled off a layer of his robes and put them in his side bag. Looking back in the distance to the site the group left behind.
Endya and the others picked off what they could get from the mercenaries and Enthir left behind the equipment he could afford to leave behind. If we made good time we could reach the ruin before dusk and as long as we weren't attacked again the group should be fine.

By noon the sun's heat was sweltering. Enthir attempted to conjure a frost atronach but it melted and disintegrated after a few seconds. Joncis was holding out a frost spell with the palm of his hands, which at least provided a little bit of comfort, but he had to carefully position it so as to not be in direct contact with the spell. If the worst came to cause he'd rather be baking in a desert than shivering.
Endya meanwhile was content with occasionally rubbing a bit of water in her face and continuing to trudge through the sand, not even bothering to remove her hood.

''Alright, silence is just going to make this a needlessly long couple of hours. Anyone have any stories or adventures to share?'' Enthir asked tiredly in an attempt to get a conversation going.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Snip

"I've got plenty," Croaker chimed in, drawing his hood even more over his face and turning his head down, "Most of what I have left now, really."

Croaker searched his memories for a good one, and found several candidates, but ultimately... he couldn't choose between them. So...

"What kind of story where you hoping to hear?"

 

[Josh123914]

Snip

"I've got plenty," Croaker chimed in, drawing his hood even more over his face and turning his head down, "Most of what I have left now, really."

Croaker searched his memories for a good one, and found several candidates, but ultimately... he couldn't choose between them. So...

"What kind of story where you hoping to hear?"

''Just anything really, not too much bloodshed though, wouldn't want to kill the mood now would we?'' Enthir told him smugly, taking another look at his compass. They still seemed to heading north in the sea of yellow sand, but he was getting tired, and the absolute scale of nothingness was wrecking with his head. He needed something to take his mind off of it.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Snip

"I've got plenty," Croaker chimed in, drawing his hood even more over his face and turning his head down, "Most of what I have left now, really."

Croaker searched his memories for a good one, and found several candidates, but ultimately... he couldn't choose between them. So...

"What kind of story where you hoping to hear?"

''Just anything really, not too much bloodshed though, wouldn't want to kill the mood now would we?'' Enthir told him smugly, taking another look at his compass. They still seemed to heading north in the sea of yellow sand, but he was getting tired, and the absolute scale of nothingness was wrecking with his head. He needed something to take his mind off of it.

"Damn it," Croaker said with mock frustration in his voice, "All my best stories involve people being ripped to shreds and made into fashionable courtier's clothing. Or tax collector's applications. Sometimes both at once."

He chuckled softly.

"Oh all right," he sighed, "Hmm... guess I could tell you how I met my wife... no wait... no... that's easily one of my more disturbing stories. Erm... could tell you about one of the more interesting battles we won... or... how I ended up with the Black Company. Take your pick."

 

[Josh123914]

Snip

"I've got plenty," Croaker chimed in, drawing his hood even more over his face and turning his head down, "Most of what I have left now, really."

Croaker searched his memories for a good one, and found several candidates, but ultimately... he couldn't choose between them. So...

"What kind of story where you hoping to hear?"

''Just anything really, not too much bloodshed though, wouldn't want to kill the mood now would we?'' Enthir told him smugly, taking another look at his compass. They still seemed to heading north in the sea of yellow sand, but he was getting tired, and the absolute scale of nothingness was wrecking with his head. He needed something to take his mind off of it.

"Damn it," Croaker said with mock frustration in his voice, "All my best stories involve people being ripped to shreds and made into fashionable courtier's clothing. Or tax collector's applications. Sometimes both at once."

He chuckled softly.

"Oh all right," he sighed, "Hmm... guess I could tell you how I met my wife... no wait... no... that's easily one of my more disturbing stories. Erm... could tell you about one of the more interesting battles we won... or... how I ended up with the Black Company. Take your pick."

Joncis looked over, ''Haven't heard of Black Company. That some sort of mercenary band?'' he asked questioningly. ''Better yet, where do you come from? I'm a Wayrester, the Redguard's assistant is from Farrun, what about you?''

 

[TheDoctor455]

Snip

"I've got plenty," Croaker chimed in, drawing his hood even more over his face and turning his head down, "Most of what I have left now, really."

Croaker searched his memories for a good one, and found several candidates, but ultimately... he couldn't choose between them. So...

"What kind of story where you hoping to hear?"

''Just anything really, not too much bloodshed though, wouldn't want to kill the mood now would we?'' Enthir told him smugly, taking another look at his compass. They still seemed to heading north in the sea of yellow sand, but he was getting tired, and the absolute scale of nothingness was wrecking with his head. He needed something to take his mind off of it.

"Damn it," Croaker said with mock frustration in his voice, "All my best stories involve people being ripped to shreds and made into fashionable courtier's clothing. Or tax collector's applications. Sometimes both at once."

He chuckled softly.

"Oh all right," he sighed, "Hmm... guess I could tell you how I met my wife... no wait... no... that's easily one of my more disturbing stories. Erm... could tell you about one of the more interesting battles we won... or... how I ended up with the Black Company. Take your pick."

Joncis looked over, ''Haven't heard of Black Company. That some sort of mercenary band?'' he asked questioningly. ''Better yet, where do you come from? I'm a Wayrester, the Redguard's assistant is from Farrun, what about you?''

Croaker chuckled again.

"The Black Company was easily the toughest, meanest, nastiest bunch of mercenaries that ever walked the world," he began, his enthusiasm coming to life, "I was their Annalist... and one of their last captains. The Company had seen the brink of extinction a number of times, and always came back stronger than ever... until well... I'd rather not say for now. But suffice it to say, we had a hand in deposing a number of evil sorcerers from their lands. As for where I'm from... I doubt you could find it on a map anymore. My nation was conquered and obliterated out of history a while ago. Been trying to find a new home ever since the old one went. Not much luck so far. Hmm... question for a question... where'd you meet Endya? What's her story?"

 

[Josh123914]

snip

''Kingdoms in High Rock come and go, I think it's better that way. Competition means people work harder I think at least. The other races are a bit too complacent with whatever systems they've got.'' Joncis took a look back at Endya, and then towards Croaker, ''Honestly, I found her as a prisoner on her way to the Summerset Isle. Probably for execution.'' he told him in a hushed tone. ''She'd probably be dead by now if not for me and Dro'Araaj over there. Y'see, Enthir's plan was to meet her in Falinesti- The big tree city in Valenwood, but she was arrested by the Dominion for having her.... past actions. Enthir and her go back decades but I've never really asked what they've done together'' he finished, taking a swig from his cannister. ''Alright, your question. How'd you end up in Corinthe? Odd place for an old Breton mercenary.''

 

[TheDoctor455]

snip

''Kingdoms in High Rock come and go, I think it's better that way. Competition means people work harder I think at least. The other races are a bit too complacent with whatever systems they've got.'' Joncis took a look back at Endya, and then towards Croaker, ''Honestly, I found her as a prisoner on her way to the Summerset Isle. Probably for execution.'' he told him in a hushed tone. ''She'd probably be dead by now if not for me and Dro'Araaj over there. Y'see, Enthir's plan was to meet her in Falinesti- The big tree city in Valenwood, but she was arrested by the Dominion for having her.... past actions. Enthir and her go back decades but I've never really asked what they've done together'' he finished, taking a swig from his cannister. ''Alright, your question. How'd you end up in Corinthe? Odd place for an old Breton mercenary.''

Croaker paused a moment, looking at Endya, before he turned his attention back to Joncis.

"Hmm..." he began, scratching his chin, "After the last battle the Black Company took part in... where we killed the last of the self-styled Shadowlords... well... we disbanded. Tired of war, and not much life seemed left in any of us. And well... I was tired too, then. I'd lost my wife... and my daughter... wandered. I didn't really have a home to go back to... so I wandered as well. Who knows, maybe I'll find some trace of my daughter along the way, maybe I'll find a place I can call home. Or maybe I'll just find a good death on the road. Either way, better than simply rolling over and croaking. Hmm... where did you train? Rare to see a fellow scholar on the road. Hell, rare to see anyone else that can make sense of the chicken scratches."

 

[Josh123914]

snip

''Well my family is far from poor so I'm literate. In Wayrest I attended a mage's college. I know quite a bit of Conjuration and Restoration magic from there, and I picked up Destruction shortly after leaving High Rock. I can't be relying on an atronach to fight off bandits for me.'' he lowered his voice and whispered to Croaker, ''And I'm sorry for your losses. Are they... alive or?''

 

[TheDoctor455]

snip

''Well my family is far from poor so I'm literate. In Wayrest I attended a mage's college. I know quite a bit of Conjuration and Restoration magic from there, and I picked up Destruction shortly after leaving High Rock. I can't be relying on an atronach to fight off bandits for me.'' he lowered his voice and whispered to Croaker, ''And I'm sorry for your losses. Are they... alive or?''

"Most of the Black Company is long since dead," Croaker replied, "some survived that battle, but... I have no idea what became of them after we disbanded. My wife is... dead. My daughter... its been a long time since I saw her, but... no. I don't really know what happened to her. I do know that my wife's murderers are still kicking though."

He got out the three 'special' arrows.

"That's what these are for."

 

[Josh123914]

Snip

Joncis couldn't tell exactly what material it was made from, but then again he never paid attention to arrows or bows much. All he ever needed to know was that you were in trouble if you found one inside you.
''Good luck with that. I don't know how much use you'll get out of those but hopefully they'll do the trick'' he said solemnly.

As the group continued to trudge along in the sand Enthir cleared his dry throat and began a story of his own. It was about how him and his old companions defeated a group of cultists at Sancre Tor
Then Endya trumped that by explaining how she assassinated a thalmor general inside his own compound in Shimmerine. From the sounds of it this was centuries ago as she mentions how she did things like climbing and beating up a guard (before stabbing him, as you do).
Joncis didn't really have anything to surpass that, but at least their tales kept his mind off of the heat.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Snip

Snip.

"I think I've got one to top that," he began, "Once upon a time, the Black Company was working for The Lady, a sorceress who, at the time, had god-like power. She could hide her appearance from everyone save a select few - even making you forget what she looked like as soon as you looked away from her - she could conjure storms out of nowhere... and turn even her bitterest enemies into her willing slaves. And... she lost nearly all of that power... because of me. She ruled over a mighty empire that stretched thousands of leagues in all directions with an iron fist... and again, she lost all of that... because of me."


"How did I do it?" he went on, grinning wistfully, "How did I bring this mighty giant low? I... I..."

He trailed off for a dramatic pause.

"I wrote hopelessly naive fantasies about her... which she read without my knowledge," he paused again, "And she... started acting like them... and then... she started to love me. And I her. Heh. My brothers of the Black Company never let me live that one down."

 

[Josh123914]

Snip

Snip.

"I think I've got one to top that," he began, "Once upon a time, the Black Company was working for The Lady, a sorceress who, at the time, had god-like power. She could hide her appearance from everyone save a select few - even making you forget what she looked like as soon as you looked away from her - she could conjure storms out of nowhere... and turn even her bitterest enemies into her willing slaves. And... she lost nearly all of that power... because of me. She ruled over a mighty empire that stretched thousands of leagues in all directions with an iron fist... and again, she lost all of that... because of me."


"How did I do it?" he went on, grinning wistfully, "How did I bring this mighty giant low? I... I..."

He trailed off for a dramatic pause.

"I wrote hopelessly naive fantasies about her... which she read without my knowledge," he paused again, "And she... started acting like them... and then... she started to love me. And I her. Heh. My brothers of the Black Company never let me live that one down."

''Acting like them?'' Endya scoffed. Unless this sorceress was similar to the divines in that her very being was completely at the mercy of mortals' perception of her, Endya doubted she was serious about this. ''Well, go on Mara's boy, what happened next?''

Joncis beamed at her, hoping she hadn't opened an emotional jar best left untouched. Could those arrows be reserved for this sorceress' killers? Joncis then detached himself from this conversation and took another drink. It was late afternoon, surely we're making good time.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Snip

Snip.

"I think I've got one to top that," he began, "Once upon a time, the Black Company was working for The Lady, a sorceress who, at the time, had god-like power. She could hide her appearance from everyone save a select few - even making you forget what she looked like as soon as you looked away from her - she could conjure storms out of nowhere... and turn even her bitterest enemies into her willing slaves. And... she lost nearly all of that power... because of me. She ruled over a mighty empire that stretched thousands of leagues in all directions with an iron fist... and again, she lost all of that... because of me."


"How did I do it?" he went on, grinning wistfully, "How did I bring this mighty giant low? I... I..."

He trailed off for a dramatic pause.

"I wrote hopelessly naive fantasies about her... which she read without my knowledge," he paused again, "And she... started acting like them... and then... she started to love me. And I her. Heh. My brothers of the Black Company never let me live that one down."

''Acting like them?'' Endya scoffed. Unless this sorceress was similar to the divines in that her very being was completely at the mercy of mortals' perception of her, Endya doubted she was serious about this. ''Well, go on Mara's boy, what happened next?''

Joncis beamed at her, hoping she hadn't opened an emotional jar best left untouched. Could those arrows be reserved for this sorceress' killers? Joncis then detached himself from this conversation and took another drink. It was late afternoon, surely we're making good time.

"Not Mara," he said, "Not by a long-shot. As for tied to the world's very fabric? Perhaps. But... not this one. My history is not this world's history. Not anymore anyway. Might've been once. Then the Nine idiots came in and bulldozed over everything, leaving only scraps of the former world in their wake. But... tied to my perceptions of her? Perhaps. But only in a manner of speaking. I suspect that she only started acting like what I wrote down simply to mess with me. Think about it. If a being you know could kill you with a single hapless thought suddenly started acting EXACTLY, right down to small gestures and slight body language like the crap fantasies you'd written up out of sheer boredom... well... wouldn't you be more than a little unnerved? Heh. Didn't help that the rest of the Black Company never stopped riding me about those damn fantasies, now our boss was getting in on it. Not saying we fell into love immediately either. There was a lot she was doing at the time that repulsed me, but well... she was a hell of a lot better than her husband, who was still buried somewhere, waiting to be woken up."

He paused, as if for breath.

"Don't look surprised. You really can't walk from one town to the next without tripping over at least three ancient evils sealed in a clay chamber pot or whatever," he coughed, "Anyway, she... seemed to take a liking to me more than I did for her at first. For one thing, when I was forced to lead the remainder of the Black Company out of her lands to flee to safety from her more powerful servants that had grudges against us... well... she seemed deeply hurt when I told her she had betrayed me, and not the other way around. Worth mentioning, at the time, she was still trying to keep her husband from escaping his little prison and doing battle with the hundreds of his underlings that his... 'escape attempt' had spawned."

He took a quick swig out of his flask without spilling a drop.

"Gah," he groaned, "Then... she lost all of her power, and while she did eventually regain some fragment of it back..." he trailed off wistfully for a moment, "Well... let's just say while she was vulnerable... she had to confront the very thing she had been trying quash inside her all that time. That last bright spark left in her. That fire grew, and well... heh... I'll spare you the gory details but I'll give you one of the highlights."

He took another swig from his flask, and returned it to his satchel.

"During one of our first main forays against the Shadowlords, and our first great victory... we ended up killing one of them, who turned out to be one of her former servants. Stormbringer. And well... before the battle, I told her that we'd make it through this battle and well... 'have a go at it' in the soon-to-be liberated city. Find a bed somewhere maybe. Heh. We went at it in Stormbringer's bed before the night was over, and that's where our daughter was conceived. Apparently."

 

[Josh123914]

Snip

Snip.

"I think I've got one to top that," he began, "Once upon a time, the Black Company was working for The Lady, a sorceress who, at the time, had god-like power. She could hide her appearance from everyone save a select few - even making you forget what she looked like as soon as you looked away from her - she could conjure storms out of nowhere... and turn even her bitterest enemies into her willing slaves. And... she lost nearly all of that power... because of me. She ruled over a mighty empire that stretched thousands of leagues in all directions with an iron fist... and again, she lost all of that... because of me."


"How did I do it?" he went on, grinning wistfully, "How did I bring this mighty giant low? I... I..."

He trailed off for a dramatic pause.

"I wrote hopelessly naive fantasies about her... which she read without my knowledge," he paused again, "And she... started acting like them... and then... she started to love me. And I her. Heh. My brothers of the Black Company never let me live that one down."

''Acting like them?'' Endya scoffed. Unless this sorceress was similar to the divines in that her very being was completely at the mercy of mortals' perception of her, Endya doubted she was serious about this. ''Well, go on Mara's boy, what happened next?''

Joncis beamed at her, hoping she hadn't opened an emotional jar best left untouched. Could those arrows be reserved for this sorceress' killers? Joncis then detached himself from this conversation and took another drink. It was late afternoon, surely we're making good time.

"Not Mara," he said, "Not by a long-shot. As for tied to the world's very fabric? Perhaps. But... not this one. My history is not this world's history. Not anymore anyway. Might've been once. Then the Nine idiots came in and bulldozed over everything, leaving only scraps of the former world in their wake. But... tied to my perceptions of her? Perhaps. But only in a manner of speaking. I suspect that she only started acting like what I wrote down simply to mess with me. Think about it. If a being you know could kill you with a single hapless thought suddenly started acting EXACTLY, right down to small gestures and slight body language like the crap fantasies you'd written up out of sheer boredom... well... wouldn't you be more than a little unnerved? Heh. Didn't help that the rest of the Black Company never stopped riding me about those damn fantasies, now our boss was getting in on it. Not saying we fell into love immediately either. There was a lot she was doing at the time that repulsed me, but well... she was a hell of a lot better than her husband, who was still buried somewhere, waiting to be woken up."

He paused, as if for breath.

"Don't look surprised. You really can't walk from one town to the next without tripping over at least three ancient evils sealed in a clay chamber pot or whatever," he coughed, "Anyway, she... seemed to take a liking to me more than I did for her at first. For one thing, when I was forced to lead the remainder of the Black Company out of her lands to flee to safety from her more powerful servants that had grudges against us... well... she seemed deeply hurt when I told her she had betrayed me, and not the other way around. Worth mentioning, at the time, she was still trying to keep her husband from escaping his little prison and doing battle with the hundreds of his underlings that his... 'escape attempt' had spawned."

He took a quick swig out of his flask without spilling a drop.

"Gah," he groaned, "Then... she lost all of her power, and while she did eventually regain some fragment of it back..." he trailed off wistfully for a moment, "Well... let's just say while she was vulnerable... she had to confront the very thing she had been trying quash inside her all that time. That last bright spark left in her. That fire grew, and well... heh... I'll spare you the gory details but I'll give you one of the highlights."

He took another swig from his flask, and returned it to his satchel.

"During one of our first main forays against the Shadowlords, and our first great victory... we ended up killing one of them, who turned out to be one of her former servants. Stormbringer. And well... before the battle, I told her that we'd make it through this battle and well... 'have a go at it' in the soon-to-be liberated city. Find a bed somewhere maybe. Heh. We went at it in Stormbringer's bed before the night was over, and that's where our daughter was conceived. Apparently."

Endya disregarded his statement about the '9 idiots', (honestly at this point she'd given up on which races worshipped however many amount of divinces) and instead focused on the Shadowlords and Stormbringers, asking ''If your past is in a different timestream, how are you- or your daughter- even here? I thought Dragon Breaks would be something we'd all hear about? And nobody comes out of THOSE unchanged.''

Joncis wondered as well, but only for a moment, in an attempt to blot out the mental image of some mage and Croaker bumping uglies he gazed at the scenery: Sand............ and from the looks of it a speck of grey in the far distance.

Enthir on the other hand wasn't listening, he was still trying to see if they were moving in the correct direction they could be halfway to Hammerfell for all he knew. He looked up from his map, then down, and then up again. He could see it.
''There it is'' Enthir told them all quietly, fanning himself with the paper and then stuffing it into his side pocket.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Snip

Snip.

"I think I've got one to top that," he began, "Once upon a time, the Black Company was working for The Lady, a sorceress who, at the time, had god-like power. She could hide her appearance from everyone save a select few - even making you forget what she looked like as soon as you looked away from her - she could conjure storms out of nowhere... and turn even her bitterest enemies into her willing slaves. And... she lost nearly all of that power... because of me. She ruled over a mighty empire that stretched thousands of leagues in all directions with an iron fist... and again, she lost all of that... because of me."


"How did I do it?" he went on, grinning wistfully, "How did I bring this mighty giant low? I... I..."

He trailed off for a dramatic pause.

"I wrote hopelessly naive fantasies about her... which she read without my knowledge," he paused again, "And she... started acting like them... and then... she started to love me. And I her. Heh. My brothers of the Black Company never let me live that one down."

''Acting like them?'' Endya scoffed. Unless this sorceress was similar to the divines in that her very being was completely at the mercy of mortals' perception of her, Endya doubted she was serious about this. ''Well, go on Mara's boy, what happened next?''

Joncis beamed at her, hoping she hadn't opened an emotional jar best left untouched. Could those arrows be reserved for this sorceress' killers? Joncis then detached himself from this conversation and took another drink. It was late afternoon, surely we're making good time.

"Not Mara," he said, "Not by a long-shot. As for tied to the world's very fabric? Perhaps. But... not this one. My history is not this world's history. Not anymore anyway. Might've been once. Then the Nine idiots came in and bulldozed over everything, leaving only scraps of the former world in their wake. But... tied to my perceptions of her? Perhaps. But only in a manner of speaking. I suspect that she only started acting like what I wrote down simply to mess with me. Think about it. If a being you know could kill you with a single hapless thought suddenly started acting EXACTLY, right down to small gestures and slight body language like the crap fantasies you'd written up out of sheer boredom... well... wouldn't you be more than a little unnerved? Heh. Didn't help that the rest of the Black Company never stopped riding me about those damn fantasies, now our boss was getting in on it. Not saying we fell into love immediately either. There was a lot she was doing at the time that repulsed me, but well... she was a hell of a lot better than her husband, who was still buried somewhere, waiting to be woken up."

He paused, as if for breath.

"Don't look surprised. You really can't walk from one town to the next without tripping over at least three ancient evils sealed in a clay chamber pot or whatever," he coughed, "Anyway, she... seemed to take a liking to me more than I did for her at first. For one thing, when I was forced to lead the remainder of the Black Company out of her lands to flee to safety from her more powerful servants that had grudges against us... well... she seemed deeply hurt when I told her she had betrayed me, and not the other way around. Worth mentioning, at the time, she was still trying to keep her husband from escaping his little prison and doing battle with the hundreds of his underlings that his... 'escape attempt' had spawned."

He took a quick swig out of his flask without spilling a drop.

"Gah," he groaned, "Then... she lost all of her power, and while she did eventually regain some fragment of it back..." he trailed off wistfully for a moment, "Well... let's just say while she was vulnerable... she had to confront the very thing she had been trying quash inside her all that time. That last bright spark left in her. That fire grew, and well... heh... I'll spare you the gory details but I'll give you one of the highlights."

He took another swig from his flask, and returned it to his satchel.

"During one of our first main forays against the Shadowlords, and our first great victory... we ended up killing one of them, who turned out to be one of her former servants. Stormbringer. And well... before the battle, I told her that we'd make it through this battle and well... 'have a go at it' in the soon-to-be liberated city. Find a bed somewhere maybe. Heh. We went at it in Stormbringer's bed before the night was over, and that's where our daughter was conceived. Apparently."

Endya disregarded his statement about the '9 idiots', (honestly at this point she'd given up on which races worshipped however many amount of divinces) and instead focused on the Shadowlords and Stormbringers, asking ''If your past is in a different timestream, how are you- or your daughter- even here? I thought Dragon Breaks would be something we'd all hear about? And nobody comes out of THOSE unchanged.''

Joncis wondered as well, but only for a moment, in an attempt to blot out the mental image of some mage and Croaker bumping uglies he gazed at the scenery: Sand............ and from the looks of it a speck of grey in the far distance.

Enthir on the other hand wasn't listening, he was still trying to see if they were moving in the correct direction they could be halfway to Hammerfell for all he knew. He looked up from his map, then down, and then up again. He could see it.
''There it is'' Enthir told them all quietly, fanning himself with the paper and then stuffing it into his side pocket.

"I didn't say I was completely unchanged," he spat the words out like a curse, "Let's just say that the history of this world as you know it... is far shorter than you realize. I spoke with one of your gods once, when they arrived. Hell, I treated its injuries when it came in. Heh," he paused again, glaring at the constellation of The Lady for a moment before turning his attention back to Endya, "That's probably why I was... allowed to exist in their world with my memories. As for how I have changed... I'd rather not say. It is... an annoyance to be sure. But let's just say that your gods have a tiresome sense of humor when they put their minds to it."

He paused for breath again.

"While I treated this god's injuries," Croaker started again, spitting that word again, "it told me of their plans for the world. Not as though I could have stopped them, is it?"

He wiped his forehead, as if to wipe away sweat.

"I asked it why they wanted to change this world so severely," Croaker went on, "And you know what it's answer was?"

He paused for effect, seeming to snarl in distaste at a bitter memory.

"Because they could."

 

[Josh123914]

Snip

Snip.

"I think I've got one to top that," he began, "Once upon a time, the Black Company was working for The Lady, a sorceress who, at the time, had god-like power. She could hide her appearance from everyone save a select few - even making you forget what she looked like as soon as you looked away from her - she could conjure storms out of nowhere... and turn even her bitterest enemies into her willing slaves. And... she lost nearly all of that power... because of me. She ruled over a mighty empire that stretched thousands of leagues in all directions with an iron fist... and again, she lost all of that... because of me."


"How did I do it?" he went on, grinning wistfully, "How did I bring this mighty giant low? I... I..."

He trailed off for a dramatic pause.

"I wrote hopelessly naive fantasies about her... which she read without my knowledge," he paused again, "And she... started acting like them... and then... she started to love me. And I her. Heh. My brothers of the Black Company never let me live that one down."

''Acting like them?'' Endya scoffed. Unless this sorceress was similar to the divines in that her very being was completely at the mercy of mortals' perception of her, Endya doubted she was serious about this. ''Well, go on Mara's boy, what happened next?''

Joncis beamed at her, hoping she hadn't opened an emotional jar best left untouched. Could those arrows be reserved for this sorceress' killers? Joncis then detached himself from this conversation and took another drink. It was late afternoon, surely we're making good time.

"Not Mara," he said, "Not by a long-shot. As for tied to the world's very fabric? Perhaps. But... not this one. My history is not this world's history. Not anymore anyway. Might've been once. Then the Nine idiots came in and bulldozed over everything, leaving only scraps of the former world in their wake. But... tied to my perceptions of her? Perhaps. But only in a manner of speaking. I suspect that she only started acting like what I wrote down simply to mess with me. Think about it. If a being you know could kill you with a single hapless thought suddenly started acting EXACTLY, right down to small gestures and slight body language like the crap fantasies you'd written up out of sheer boredom... well... wouldn't you be more than a little unnerved? Heh. Didn't help that the rest of the Black Company never stopped riding me about those damn fantasies, now our boss was getting in on it. Not saying we fell into love immediately either. There was a lot she was doing at the time that repulsed me, but well... she was a hell of a lot better than her husband, who was still buried somewhere, waiting to be woken up."

He paused, as if for breath.

"Don't look surprised. You really can't walk from one town to the next without tripping over at least three ancient evils sealed in a clay chamber pot or whatever," he coughed, "Anyway, she... seemed to take a liking to me more than I did for her at first. For one thing, when I was forced to lead the remainder of the Black Company out of her lands to flee to safety from her more powerful servants that had grudges against us... well... she seemed deeply hurt when I told her she had betrayed me, and not the other way around. Worth mentioning, at the time, she was still trying to keep her husband from escaping his little prison and doing battle with the hundreds of his underlings that his... 'escape attempt' had spawned."

He took a quick swig out of his flask without spilling a drop.

"Gah," he groaned, "Then... she lost all of her power, and while she did eventually regain some fragment of it back..." he trailed off wistfully for a moment, "Well... let's just say while she was vulnerable... she had to confront the very thing she had been trying quash inside her all that time. That last bright spark left in her. That fire grew, and well... heh... I'll spare you the gory details but I'll give you one of the highlights."

He took another swig from his flask, and returned it to his satchel.

"During one of our first main forays against the Shadowlords, and our first great victory... we ended up killing one of them, who turned out to be one of her former servants. Stormbringer. And well... before the battle, I told her that we'd make it through this battle and well... 'have a go at it' in the soon-to-be liberated city. Find a bed somewhere maybe. Heh. We went at it in Stormbringer's bed before the night was over, and that's where our daughter was conceived. Apparently."

Endya disregarded his statement about the '9 idiots', (honestly at this point she'd given up on which races worshipped however many amount of divinces) and instead focused on the Shadowlords and Stormbringers, asking ''If your past is in a different timestream, how are you- or your daughter- even here? I thought Dragon Breaks would be something we'd all hear about? And nobody comes out of THOSE unchanged.''

Joncis wondered as well, but only for a moment, in an attempt to blot out the mental image of some mage and Croaker bumping uglies he gazed at the scenery: Sand............ and from the looks of it a speck of grey in the far distance.

Enthir on the other hand wasn't listening, he was still trying to see if they were moving in the correct direction they could be halfway to Hammerfell for all he knew. He looked up from his map, then down, and then up again. He could see it.
''There it is'' Enthir told them all quietly, fanning himself with the paper and then stuffing it into his side pocket.

"I didn't say I was completely unchanged," he spat the words out like a curse, "Let's just say that the history of this world as you know it... is far shorter than you realize. I spoke with one of your gods once, when they arrived. Hell, I treated its injuries when it came in. Heh," he paused again, glaring at the constellation of The Lady for a moment before turning his attention back to Endya, "That's probably why I was... allowed to exist in their world with my memories. As for how I have changed... I'd rather not say. It is... an annoyance to be sure. But let's just say that your gods have a tiresome sense of humor when they put their minds to it."

He paused for breath again.

"While I treated this god's injuries," Croaker started again, spitting that word again, "it told me of their plans for the world. Not as though I could have stopped them, is it?"

He wiped his forehead, as if to wipe away sweat.

"I asked it why they wanted to change this world so severely," Croaker went on, "And you know what it's answer was?"

He paused for effect, seeming to snarl in distaste at a bitter memory.

"Because they could."

Joncis returned to the conversation and stared at Croaker for a minute, ''Seriously, I think you've been at the skooma'' Joncis had read enough about the subject, the Divines were barely living at this point, and for them to manifest on the mortal plane required a ridiculous amount of power. Some Daedra and Dremora however, could come here at will.''You certain you didn't meet with a Daedra or Dremora instead? We've had a run in with one of those earlier, what was it? Hircine? No, Hermaeus Mora?''

He asked, looking to the others for approval. Enthir looked over at them, and said slightly louder this time, ''There it is...'' he told them, pointing in the very far distance, with the naked eye you could barely make it out. ''How can you be certain?'' Endya asked him. ''We're in a desert. If I was wrong it'd still be good news, assuming it isn't bandit infested'' he retorted.

 

[TheDoctor455]

Snip

Snip.

"I think I've got one to top that," he began, "Once upon a time, the Black Company was working for The Lady, a sorceress who, at the time, had god-like power. She could hide her appearance from everyone save a select few - even making you forget what she looked like as soon as you looked away from her - she could conjure storms out of nowhere... and turn even her bitterest enemies into her willing slaves. And... she lost nearly all of that power... because of me. She ruled over a mighty empire that stretched thousands of leagues in all directions with an iron fist... and again, she lost all of that... because of me."


"How did I do it?" he went on, grinning wistfully, "How did I bring this mighty giant low? I... I..."

He trailed off for a dramatic pause.

"I wrote hopelessly naive fantasies about her... which she read without my knowledge," he paused again, "And she... started acting like them... and then... she started to love me. And I her. Heh. My brothers of the Black Company never let me live that one down."

''Acting like them?'' Endya scoffed. Unless this sorceress was similar to the divines in that her very being was completely at the mercy of mortals' perception of her, Endya doubted she was serious about this. ''Well, go on Mara's boy, what happened next?''

Joncis beamed at her, hoping she hadn't opened an emotional jar best left untouched. Could those arrows be reserved for this sorceress' killers? Joncis then detached himself from this conversation and took another drink. It was late afternoon, surely we're making good time.

"Not Mara," he said, "Not by a long-shot. As for tied to the world's very fabric? Perhaps. But... not this one. My history is not this world's history. Not anymore anyway. Might've been once. Then the Nine idiots came in and bulldozed over everything, leaving only scraps of the former world in their wake. But... tied to my perceptions of her? Perhaps. But only in a manner of speaking. I suspect that she only started acting like what I wrote down simply to mess with me. Think about it. If a being you know could kill you with a single hapless thought suddenly started acting EXACTLY, right down to small gestures and slight body language like the crap fantasies you'd written up out of sheer boredom... well... wouldn't you be more than a little unnerved? Heh. Didn't help that the rest of the Black Company never stopped riding me about those damn fantasies, now our boss was getting in on it. Not saying we fell into love immediately either. There was a lot she was doing at the time that repulsed me, but well... she was a hell of a lot better than her husband, who was still buried somewhere, waiting to be woken up."

He paused, as if for breath.

"Don't look surprised. You really can't walk from one town to the next without tripping over at least three ancient evils sealed in a clay chamber pot or whatever," he coughed, "Anyway, she... seemed to take a liking to me more than I did for her at first. For one thing, when I was forced to lead the remainder of the Black Company out of her lands to flee to safety from her more powerful servants that had grudges against us... well... she seemed deeply hurt when I told her she had betrayed me, and not the other way around. Worth mentioning, at the time, she was still trying to keep her husband from escaping his little prison and doing battle with the hundreds of his underlings that his... 'escape attempt' had spawned."

He took a quick swig out of his flask without spilling a drop.

"Gah," he groaned, "Then... she lost all of her power, and while she did eventually regain some fragment of it back..." he trailed off wistfully for a moment, "Well... let's just say while she was vulnerable... she had to confront the very thing she had been trying quash inside her all that time. That last bright spark left in her. That fire grew, and well... heh... I'll spare you the gory details but I'll give you one of the highlights."

He took another swig from his flask, and returned it to his satchel.

"During one of our first main forays against the Shadowlords, and our first great victory... we ended up killing one of them, who turned out to be one of her former servants. Stormbringer. And well... before the battle, I told her that we'd make it through this battle and well... 'have a go at it' in the soon-to-be liberated city. Find a bed somewhere maybe. Heh. We went at it in Stormbringer's bed before the night was over, and that's where our daughter was conceived. Apparently."

Endya disregarded his statement about the '9 idiots', (honestly at this point she'd given up on which races worshipped however many amount of divinces) and instead focused on the Shadowlords and Stormbringers, asking ''If your past is in a different timestream, how are you- or your daughter- even here? I thought Dragon Breaks would be something we'd all hear about? And nobody comes out of THOSE unchanged.''

Joncis wondered as well, but only for a moment, in an attempt to blot out the mental image of some mage and Croaker bumping uglies he gazed at the scenery: Sand............ and from the looks of it a speck of grey in the far distance.

Enthir on the other hand wasn't listening, he was still trying to see if they were moving in the correct direction they could be halfway to Hammerfell for all he knew. He looked up from his map, then down, and then up again. He could see it.
''There it is'' Enthir told them all quietly, fanning himself with the paper and then stuffing it into his side pocket.

"I didn't say I was completely unchanged," he spat the words out like a curse, "Let's just say that the history of this world as you know it... is far shorter than you realize. I spoke with one of your gods once, when they arrived. Hell, I treated its injuries when it came in. Heh," he paused again, glaring at the constellation of The Lady for a moment before turning his attention back to Endya, "That's probably why I was... allowed to exist in their world with my memories. As for how I have changed... I'd rather not say. It is... an annoyance to be sure. But let's just say that your gods have a tiresome sense of humor when they put their minds to it."

He paused for breath again.

"While I treated this god's injuries," Croaker started again, spitting that word again, "it told me of their plans for the world. Not as though I could have stopped them, is it?"

He wiped his forehead, as if to wipe away sweat.

"I asked it why they wanted to change this world so severely," Croaker went on, "And you know what it's answer was?"

He paused for effect, seeming to snarl in distaste at a bitter memory.

"Because they could."

Joncis returned to the conversation and stared at Croaker for a minute, ''Seriously, I think you've been at the skooma'' Joncis had read enough about the subject, the Divines were barely living at this point, and for them to manifest on the mortal plane required a ridiculous amount of power. Some Daedra and Dremora however, could come here at will.''You certain you didn't meet with a Daedra or Dremora instead? We've had a run in with one of those earlier, what was it? Hircine? No, Hermaeus Mora?''

He asked, looking to the others for approval. Enthir looked over at them, and said slightly louder this time, ''There it is...'' he told them, pointing in the very far distance, with the naked eye you could barely make it out. ''How can you be certain?'' Endya asked him. ''We're in a desert. If I was wrong it'd still be good news, assuming it isn't bandit infested'' he retorted.

"Given how much they've changed," he said, "How can you be so sure that I'm wrong? And skooma? Tried it a long time ago, in a moment of weakness... when I wanted to forget all that I know. It didn't have any effect on me. Nothing seems to. And how do you propose I even try to prove this to you? That would be like asking me to show you how a willow that suddenly became a pine tree had once been a willow when no one ever remembers the change happening, and there are no signs of a change having happened."

He paused to take another quick swig of whatever was in his flask.

"And Endya, don't think that because you fail to voice certain opinions about me," he continued, "Makes me wholly ignorant of them. I know from your air of smug superiority that you are judging me based on the race I appear to be. I am not a typical specimen of a 'Breton.' Most of them, to my knowledge, revere the Nine idiots, sorry, 'divines' if you prefer. I don't. And I'm afraid that your 'creators' went by very different names when I knew one of them. From what I've studied of the myths surrounding both the Dadra and the Aedra... I suspect the one I spoke with was Julianos. The personality I dealt with matches at any rate."

Upon being in sight of the ruins...

"What do you mean, we're here?" Croaker asked, "I don't recall either of you mentioning combing ancient ruins when you brought me on. Just... what do you have planned here?"